"Drownies built a copy of London as it never was: a cathedral, and houses, and fields of flowers, all underwater. The water is cool and luminous, and at the same time it is breathable air."[1]
Dahut is a city under the zee, which is inhabited by Drownies.
Singing[]
"Water and air are the same thing here: a betrayal of nature, or a truce between opposites. Swim up the side of the Cathedral, if you like, and peer in through its rose windows. (You won't be able to make out anything inside.) Breathe deep. Fill your lungs with a substance cooler and more cleansing than ordinary air."[2]
Perhaps some of the drownies miss their old homes in London. Perhaps they simply wanted to have a place to live and had no other inspiration. Regardless, Dahut is a landmark in itself, its waters completely breathable and safe to traverse.
The drownies that inhabit this place are keen to welcome any visitors, most of whom arrive from nearby shipwrecks.[3][4] Anyone staying in the city enjoys the drownies' hospitality; they are made to feel wanted and unique, and are able to partake in the city's many festivals.[5] These come with debauchery of their own, be it indulging in bizarre food or... er, staying the night with a drownie. [6][7]
The passage of time in Dahut is quite strange; months and seasons mix together and constantly shift.[8]
Screaming[]
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"You sing, and the Drownies around turn, arrested, to stare at you. They do not want to hear this song. The Cathedral beams creak, and you see that the buttresses are also the bones of a wrecked clipper. The Zee-grass ripples, and you see the crabs hiding in it. The water-air shimmers under the weight of the ordinary Zee above."[9]
Dahut's hospitality and beauty is simply an illusion; its warm bonfires are actually geothermal vents, and its grand cathedral is built out of the wrecked ships of the city's visitors.[10][11]
A portion of Dahut's visitors are unable by default to see its illusory beauty, likely as a result of already living in their own personal delusions. These people are often imprisoned indefinitely under the city's cathedral, and some portion are transformed into new drownies on a regular basis.[12][13][14]
The drownies of Dahut created the city and its illusions as a play in honor of the Fathomking, who used to regularly visit and preside over their religious ceremonies. However, the King ceased his visits to the city at some point, which left the drownies in a somewhat morose mood.[15][16]
Origins[]
A Breton legend tells of how the mythical city of Ys was swallowed by the ocean after its misbehaving princess, Dahut, opened its dikes either by mistake or in a drunken stupor. Ostensibly, the city of Dahut was named after the princess, and it may have been inspired by the tale in which she features.