Poshtoll, E.

E. Poshtoll was a patient (Case No. 1) at the Shalebridge Cradle. Perpetrator of the infamous Tallow Man murders, Poshtoll was deemed unfit to stand trial, he was brought to the Cradle by the (old) City Watch and admitted for observation and treatment under the care of Doctor Sandbridge. He wore a mask made of wax to cover his extreme facial deformities, which were caused by severe burns; in fact, he was missing some features altogether.

History as a Patient

Noted for his cunning intelligence and described as a natural leader, Poshtoll was considered the most dangerous inmate at the Cradle, and proved very resistant to both sedatives and electrical treatments administered. At some point, he stopped answering to his own name, and other patients took to calling him "King No-One". Sandbridge recommended for him to be kept in the Seclusion Chamber.

On one particularly gruesome occasion, Poshtoll managed to trick one or several of the nursing staff into taking his medications. Nurse Sorrel subsequently died, either from the medication, Poshtoll's attack, or a combination of both. Nurse Lovewell was spared, but had her face heavily disfigured by the patient, with wax somehow being involved. Sandbridge could not figure out where Poshtoll got the wax from.

Following the death of an orphan girl named Lauryl, Poshtoll was blamed by the staff for instigating a mass unrest among the patients. While a precise timeline is difficult to reconstruct, it is possible that the fire that ultimately burned down the Cradle was caused during this period of unrest, likely by the pyromaniac patient A. Wrenfeld. Whether or not she was manipulated into doing so by Poshtoll remains a mystery.

Seclusion Chamber

E. Poshtoll's cell.

Poshtoll was confined in a special cell more away from the other patients because the doctors labeled him as dangerous and intelligent. This cell could be found by turning left out of the hall of Records and then taking a right turn. The seclusion chamber can be found on the right, next to cell 2. The seclusion chamber could only be accessed by ascending an elevator that brought the user to the cell but take note that the button to go back down is only present at the bottom floor thus the elevator can not be operated from within the cell.

The seclusion chamber is much larger than all the other cells. Inside it there was a strange cloth doll hanging from the ceiling which was the "lock" to enter the cradle's memory as Poshtoll by placing the Wax Mask on it.

Gallery

E. Poshtoll's wax mask.

The strange effigy.

Trivia

Garrett visits the Shalebridge Cradle during the events of Thief: Deadly Shadows. Curiously, should he ascend to the top of the tower-like seclusion chamber, he will hear a sinister laugh, possibly an echo of the Cradle's memory of Poshtoll. Even more strange is the presence of a human-shaped effigy fashioned from what appear to be pillows, hanging by a rope from the ceiling. Poshtoll's reputation for cunning, combined with the sinister laugh, could potentially hint at the possibility that "King No-One" had managed to escape the Cradle.