Sly

"All's fair in a world made of Geo."

- Sly

Sly is a Merchant in Hollow Knight. He sells many wares at his shop in Dirtmouth for Geo but drives a hard bargain. Sly also appears as a boss as the Great Nailsage Sly.

Lore Sly used to be the Great Nailsage. During his previous occupation, he trained some disciples in the Nail Arts: Oro, Mato, and Sheo.

Eventually, Sly abandoned his occupation as Nailsage. He became convinced of the strength of accumulating Geo over honing one's nail. He thus turned to the simple life of a merchant, finding and selling wares from his shop in Dirtmouth. He did not, however, forget his mastery and respect of the nail and those who practice its arts. He keeps his greatnail in the basement of his shop and still remembers his pupils.

At some point, a dream led him to wander off into the caverns below Dirtmouth. He also lost his Shopkeeper's Key which ended up in a room in Crystal Peak.

In-game events Sly can be found in a hovel in the abandoned village at the bottom of the Forgotten Crossroads, past the Gruz Mother. The shopkeeper has been slowly succumbing to the Infection, but approaching him breaks him out of his daze, saving him. After which, Sly returns to Dirtmouth to open his shop, without any recollection of how he fell into that predicament.

Back in Dirtmouth, Sly sells various wares: from Charms to adventuring gear, even Mask Shards and Vessel Fragments. His backstock, however, remains locked until he is returned his Shopkeeper's Key, lost in the Crystal Peak.

Sly notes when the Knight has honed their Nail, and also when they start learning Nail Arts. After they learn all three Nail Arts from the Nailmasters, Sly can be found in his basement, where he reveals himself as the legendary Nailsage. To honour the rites of passage of Nailmasters, he gifts the Knight the Nailmaster's Glory Charm. He then address the Knight as a Nailmaster from this point on.

As part of the Godseeker's ritual, Sly's mind is summoned to  Godhome. There he takes his original mantle of Great Nailsage and fights the Knight, his thoughts focused solely on his days past. Upon defeat, Sly bows respectfully to the Knight. He is fought at the peak of the Pantheon of the Sage and later within the  Pantheon of Hallownest.

Location Sly first appears in an abandoned house in the southeast region of the Forgotten Crossroads. After listening to him, he can next be found in Dirtmouth.

Trivia
 * Sly being more than he seems is repeatedly foreshadowed. For instance, his very first line, "Oro, you oaf... you wield your nail... like a club..." refers to Nailmaster Oro, and he comments on the Knight’s Nail several times.
 * According to a livestream Q&A, the development team originally planned for Sly to be a difficult boss who wielded a nail approximately the size of the other Nailmasters'. This idea was later reused for the Godmaster content pack.
 * Sly mentions a character named "Esmy" in one of his lines of dialogue. This character is never seen in the game nor mentioned again. In a Reddit AMA it is stated that Esmy is someone that still lingers in Sly's dreams.
 * As the Great Nailsage, Sly's cape is a pinkish colour as opposed to blue.
 * Sly mentions owning a full set of Vessel Fragments, although he only sells two out of three; this is possibly attributed to Soul Vessels being comprised of only two Vessel Fragments at one point before being changed by release.
 * The Ferocious Foes trailer also shows Sly selling half of a Soul Vessel.
 * Although removed from the game, two white crystal rings can be seen on a shelf in Sly's shop.
 * Sly had a different voice actor in the Hollow Knight Beta.

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