James StAnthony
Administrator
Posts: 28
4/25/2019
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Delicious friends, the Exceptional Story for May is here!
A Young Stag has grown weary of quaffing brandy and stealing trousers. He wants to do something spectacular for his next lark – and he's looking for a suitable chum to join him! Steer his ship on a perilous shark-watching voyage. Will he return the same man as he left?
The Stag and the Shark is the third story in the Season of Explorations, and was written by Mary Goodden. In this season you will experience three stories of adventure, mystery and a not inconsiderable amount of peril.
Begin with the Season of Explorations card, available throughout London.
Editing and QA: James Chew and Olivia Wood
Art by: Tobias Cook
Exceptional Friendship
In addition to a new, substantial, stand-alone story every month, Exceptional Friends enjoy:
- Access to the House of Chimes: an exclusive private members’ club on the Stolen River, packed with content
- An expanded opportunity deck: of ten cards instead of six!
- A second candle: Twice the actions! 40 at once!
Finishing all three stories in the Season of Explorations will make you eligible for an additional opportunity, to follow.
If you want to keep an Exceptional Story beyond its release month, you must complete the related storylet in the current Season’s card. This will save it for you to return to another time.
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Lady Karnstein
Posts: 278
5/6/2019
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Even though she missed the New Sequence completely, I think Caroline is happy with the results
[spoiler] a member of the Stags was upset and humiliated, another stag was deeply annoyed, the shark torturer died horribly, and her brain did not become a plaything of the Dawn Machine [/spoiler]
All in all a successful outing.
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Lady Caroline Karnstein, The Moral Hedonist (Description)
Infamous writer, artist, and courtesan. Unrepentant Invert. Hesperidean.
Paramount Presence, Correspondent, Nocturnal. Poet Laureate of the Neath, Ambassador to Arbor
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Siankan
Posts: 1048
4/30/2019
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I'm going to join with those who found the ending of the story very abrupt, and rather disappointing. After all, we're in the Grand Geode. I didn't expect an entire new plot here or anything, but I did expect more than a single choice and a free return to London. In many ways, it feels similar to that lovely palace in Parabola from ES past: a fascinating location we get to see nothing of. Why bring us to a place that you know will pique our interest, if you refuse to let us actually see it?
On the other hand, at least we got to go somewhere. I confess to being rather disappointed at how little exploration has shown up in the Season of Explorations. The stories have been fascinating on their own, but not living up to expectations. I was really hoping for, say, Visage or Codex or something. (Confession: big fan of Apis Meet and Tanah-Chook.)
But, before I get too grumbly, I did enjoy the story as story (abrupt ending notwithstanding). I would have loved to have learned more about bound-sharks, but FB's never been in the habit of dumping lots of content reveal at once. I'm happy enough with what we got. I'm also happy to see more of the New Sequence in FL; I'm always glad when things show up here that get more coverage in other games.
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Prof. Sian Kan, at your service.
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Nonomori
Posts: 25
4/26/2019
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I enjoyed this story, although the end felt a little short.
[spoiler]I mostly enjoyed the investigation in the boat, slowly revealing the secrets of the parties involved.
At the end, however, I felt a bit dissapointed. My choices led me to visit certain location which I don't remember having explored previously in Fallen London, and I am happy to see that place here. But I felt that we left that location largely unexplored, and the visit was brusque and short. I understand the restraints of the situation story-wise, but I was expecting at least a couple of choices to observe the activity there. For me, the visit was brief and superficial.[/spoiler]
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Vahniel
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SamNorrey
Posts: 41
4/26/2019
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Varis wrote:
You see, now I'm annoyed with the decisions I made. I don't like the New Sequencers either, but I thought that the decision was either the Heir becomes one or you do. That's slightly frustrating. I wish there was some way you could replay the exceptional stories. This is my second one, and while I don't mind my character left with regrets, it's less fun as a player.
edited by Varis on 4/26/2019
But you can replay them later on! When the season is finished, the stories will be up for purchase for Fate, and at that point can be reset for anyone as per the usual Fate story rules. You only have to wait a couple of months.
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/Sam~Norrey
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Catherine Raymond
Posts: 2518
4/29/2019
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Jolanda Swan wrote:
One decision -letting the Baron catch up- simply cuts you out of the rest of the story and gets you to an abrupt and unsatisfying ending. Which is not exactly signposted. So you miss out on a brand new location and opportunities to take this a different route that you didn't even know existed.
It's normal for the character to not have things go their way, but it's a different story for the player, especially when they miss content for no reason at all.
I like to play the stories almost as soon as they come out but cases like that ensure I shall wait to be spoilered in the forum first, and then play, which I doubt is the original intent.
FBG can't signpost to everyone's taste without displeasing some of us. Here's an example:
[spoiler]My husband played the story and chose to stop the Idle Heir from harpooning the bound shark, figuring he'd try to prevent some violence. Right after that, the New Sequencers blew up the ship that the Baron was traveling on! "So much for curbing violence!" my husband said.[/spoiler]
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Cathy Raymond
http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/cathyr19355
Catherine Raymond aka Mrs. Rykar Malkus http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/Catherine%20Raymond (Gone NORTH)
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Lemonadeon
Posts: 14
4/25/2019
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"The smallest child gives him an incredulous stare as he passes you the brand new equipment."
Make off with the camera, then return later to photograph yourself with the Diminutive Rat Griller.
He's got an impish charm, and that dirt on his nose just adds authenticity. Besides, it's not every day that a Londoner's this careless with brand new photography equipment. You'll want to memorialise the occasion.
edited by Lemonadeon on 4/25/2019
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Xorph
Posts: 7
4/26/2019
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[spoiler]I actually almost found this story pretty underwhelming (I followed the Baron's plans and was like "huh, barely anything actually happened") because I had no idea the New Sequence were even a thing until now, but wow now that I've read up on them and checked out how the story ends on its other paths, I'm -really- glad I made the decisions I did. One Heir saved from a life of being under mind-control and one less person recruiting people to be mind-controlled is a plus in my book any day.[/spoiler]
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Tystefy
Posts: 450
5/9/2019
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I completely understood the Idle Heir. I've been in his shoes before. Seeing how the other Stags treated him hurt my soul.
Can someone PM me what happens if you let the Idle Heir [spoiler] spear the shark and return home safely with his prize? I lamented the fact I had inadvertently destroyed his harpoon! [/spoiler]
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Will sometimes return to post absurdity.
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ElwinHauntry
Posts: 4
5/5/2019
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Wow, I'm glad my choices ended up being pretty satisfying, story-wise.
I don't know anything about the New Sequencers (guess I just never ended up playing the right storyline?) and I took the Heir's place, so I guess that's bad for me, maybe, theoretically, eventually? It was interesting at least seeing them from the sidelines.
I ended up going all in for the Heir, because his dad is a loathsome overweening rich guy, and the Fisher, well, she had tortured the Bound-Sharks to give them purpose, and I figured that's what she was about to do to the heir, and that seemed shitty. The Heir was at least innocent and doing his best.
The path led to what I thought was an extremely satisfying ending -- the Heir finally waking up a bit to who he had been, and deciding he needed to detach himself from everything he'd been part of and find a new path.
Sounds like I got pretty lucky in terms of finding the ending satisfying, even if it did something-or-other to my character because Geode.
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Viric
Posts: 8
4/29/2019
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Siankan wrote:
I'm on the other end: I've been paused at the coal-shoveling point all weekend because I do *not* want to risk Sian being influenced by the Dawn Machine, and Sian does *not* want to risk the same thing happening to the Heir. Is there a route, once the rendezvous happens, that allows both to return to London with reasonably normal eyes? If so, I'd love some PM hints about how not to screw this up. If not, I think he'll just pull the plug and let the Baron catch up, "abrupt and unsatisfying ending" or no.
I got to the Geode and got us both home with the same eyes we left with. I can PM you the item you need if you want this ending if you'd like, though I believe it's been mentioned upthread.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20Artist
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Siankan
Posts: 1048
5/3/2019
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Amalgamate wrote:
Hm, yeah, I'm a bit sad we never really learned anything about why the sharks were bound. I mean, they were cool and all, but it sounded like they were tortured just for the heck of it, for all we knew. Oh well. Does anyone know more?
I think it's fairly clear they're part of some long-term scheme. The Fisher certainly didn't seem to enjoy the shark-binding, and if the Heir kills one, tells him ominously that "one day you'll understand what you've done!" (A bit of a stock answer, perhaps, but upset people don't have time to worry about originality.) What precisely that scheme is, we don't know. Given the average FL reveal speed, the next piece of the puzzle will probably surface in 5-7 years.
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Prof. Sian Kan, at your service.
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D
Posts: 31
5/3/2019
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Calliope Rannis wrote:
On a related note, I got a Mermaid's Purse at the end, is that a pure memento or will it be a useful thing at some later point? Same applies to being Dawnburnt I guess too.
The general thing with the "Seasons" has been that each Story in a given season gives you a small, non-statted "memento" item, either during or in the conclusion, and when the Season is complete and the bonus content arrives, you trade in all three to access it. The Mermaid's Purse seems to be one of those.
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The Androgyne Libertine - Explore Every Present
- Shattering Force, Crooked Cross. Accepts patronage requests and salon invitations.
The Liminal Witch - Fight for the Future
- Shattering Force. Accepts patronage requests.
The Inexorable Scrivener - Read What Was, Write What Is, Search For What Is Yet To Be
- Correspondent, Extraordinary Mind. Accepts patronage requests and orphanage invitations.
The Boneless Detective - Sought the Name.
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Nudraxon
Posts: 22
5/4/2019
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Overall, I liked this one. I'm going to disagree with a few people here, in that I actually kind of like it when my actions have unintended consequences. For example, I didn't intend for [spoiler]the Baron and his entire crew to be eaten alive by sharks while his son watched[/spoiler] but I probably should've seen that coming, given the hints in the text leading up to that.
I went back and forth between feeling sympathy for the Idle Heir, and hating his guts, and I'm still not entirely sure how to feel about him. I can't remember the last time I felt this conflicted about a character in FL, so props for that.
However, I agree that the ending was abrupt, and I'm also a little disappointed with learning so little about why the sharks are bound.
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Calliope
Posts: 99
5/4/2019
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I think on balance I liked the Heir, he did seem like someone really stuck in his place in soceity but wanted to do good from that position? His flaws were almost entirely of ignorance rather than malice, and he gave me a much better impression than any of the other Stags for sure. That said, my character doesn't make choices depending on who she likes, but rather on what she finds most useful to her personally, so the Heir is lucky that she knew nothing about the New Sequencers I guess.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Calliope%20Rannis
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The Curious Watcher
Posts: 263
4/26/2019
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If you have a Volume of Collated Research, it opens up a third option at Grand Geode that helps save the both of you.
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The Thirteenth Master of the Bazaar:
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20Thirteenth%20Master%20of%20the%20Bazaar
The Silent Vake Hunter: GONE NORTH
The Ravenous Wanderer:
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20Ravenous%20Wanderer
The Melancholic End-Bringer:
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20Melancholic%20End-Bringer
The Lethal Nightmare:
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20Lethal%20Nightmare
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1789
4/25/2019
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All right, I admit I am dissapointed.
Not exactly by the writing (the bound sharks were superb) but because the lack of pointers again drove me to a random conclusion. I was particularly disheartened by the ambiguity of the harpoon - I wanted to stop the heir from getting killed, not from doing something merciful. And in the end you are relegated to bit player, watching insufferable people do things without even been able to intervene or talk to them.
It might just be me, or the fact that this is the second story which "tricks" you into a bad ending. Still, I enjoyed several bits - the cutlery, the body horror, the fact that certain people ended underwater. Yup, that felt good.
edited by Jolanda Swan on 4/25/2019
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Lover of all things beautiful, secret admirer of ugly truths, fond of the Parabola Sun... and always delighted to role play.
http://fallenlondon.com/profile/Jolanda%20Swan
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Varis
Posts: 33
4/25/2019
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So far I mostly feel sorry for the sharks. Definitely unsure about which side to favour, if any...
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"It's better to know"
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Varis%20Brightwood
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Hattington
Posts: 210
4/26/2019
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Finally finished this one, and while I was a bit concerned about the action sinks-the vested interests' gift is excellent. I wonder what having the Dawn Machine's light AND a Sorrow Spider egg behind your eyes does? Will they rebel against each other, or will my skull be the cradle of the world's first Sequence Spider?
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The Dawnburnt Vake-Rider: https://www.fallenlondon.com/Profile/Hattington
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Blaine Davidson
Posts: 388
4/26/2019
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Ingame my character knows nothing about the New Sequencers. So I need to play to her understanding of the world.
She doesn't know what she's done to herself, and I don't know if I like what's been done to her.
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Blaine Davidson, a reserved and sensible woman with a fondness of collecting rarities.
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phryne
Posts: 1351
4/27/2019
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Due to my choices I never even got to meeting the New Sequencers. From what others say, you could even visit the Grand Geode? Damn. Can someone link me to a profile showing that path of the story?
I also never found out the reason for the Binding of the Sharks. If that's explained anywhere, I'd appreciate a link, too.
Once again, I'm fairly divided in my opinion about a Mary Goodden story. It always seems like in her stories, there's too much content to be missed by a single click, and the endings are always very abrupt and often leave you with lots of unanswered questions. I realize that tastes are different and some players might like this style—I don't.
Don't get me wrong, Exceptional Stories having meaningful decisions is great, but I'd prefer making those decisions after I've seen everything the story has to offer. This story's latter part apparently featured completely different routes—with different locations, different characters etc.—and while in-game, I'm perfectly happy with the route my character took, I, the player, will always feel regret about all those things I haven't seen.
edited by phryne on 4/27/2019
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Accounts: Bag a Legend • Light Fingers • Heart's Desire • Nemesis • no ambition
Exceptional Stories, sorted by Season and by writer ― Favours & Renown Guide
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Winthropx
Posts: 166
4/28/2019
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I liked this story. It did had signposts for all but the how fast your ship is going. I am curious about what being exposed to the Dawn Machine does.
[spoiler] I too wonder what happens with a sorrow spider egg and Dawn Machine's light in your eyes. Maybe a mutant sorrow spider that's in service to the Dawn Machine? A dawn spider? I also wonder if being Scorched by the Sun does anything? [/spoiler]
The more stores I experience, the less human/normal I become.
edited by Winthropx on 4/28/2019
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Bishop Winthrop, a kind-hearted soul
A Paramount Presence
I accept all social actions
His Appearance
http://community.failbettergames.com/topic9363-your-characters-appearances.aspx?messageid=229809&Page=10#post#post229809
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Siankan
Posts: 1048
4/29/2019
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I'm on the other end: I've been paused at the coal-shoveling point all weekend because I do *not* want to risk Sian being influenced by the Dawn Machine, and Sian does *not* want to risk the same thing happening to the Heir. Is there a route, once the rendezvous happens, that allows both to return to London with reasonably normal eyes? If so, I'd love some PM hints about how not to screw this up. If not, I think he'll just pull the plug and let the Baron catch up, "abrupt and unsatisfying ending" or no.
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Prof. Sian Kan, at your service.
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Lazaroth
Posts: 67
4/26/2019
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Had quite a bit of fun with this one. No deeper mysteries, but I did feel bad with the Idle Heir.
[spoiler]I also kinda felt bad for the Fisher, but I suppose it was poetic that she be devoured by the Bound Sharks, when she was one of the ones to bind them so tortuously.[/spoiler]
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The Perspicacious Romantic — When all the world is washed away by misery, something beautiful will still remain.
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Tom Davidson
Posts: 107
4/25/2019
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Answer: there is no later decision point, I've discovered, upon taking the plunge.
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http://www.fallenlondon.com/Profile/Black%20Tom
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1789
4/25/2019
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Initially, the art led me to believe it would be an Oscar Wilde related story so I was waiting for the Epigrammatic Irishman to come up but just a few clicks in, and I knew I was mistaken.
Having fun so far!
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Lover of all things beautiful, secret admirer of ugly truths, fond of the Parabola Sun... and always delighted to role play.
http://fallenlondon.com/profile/Jolanda%20Swan
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Tom Davidson
Posts: 107
4/25/2019
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Ooo, my sympathies are definitely divided on this one. I'm leaning towards not telling any of them what any of the others are plotting, on the grounds that none of them particularly deserve special advantage.
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http://www.fallenlondon.com/Profile/Black%20Tom
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Arcengal
Posts: 196
5/5/2019
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I... feel a bit cheated. I wanted to keep the lad safe so let the baron catch up, and when I read about the golden eyes I assumed she was a devil. To learn there was a whole other act to the story that I skipped from doing what I considered the responsible thing makes me feel rather rough.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Arcengal
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Calliope
Posts: 99
4/30/2019
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As somebody who only got into FL proper this year, and knew *nothing* of the New Sequencers, but was hungry for influence and power (and perfectly fine with using the Heir as a lever into that power), ended up getting herself Dawnburnt without realising what implications may result from that. I guess that status is just gonna stay on my character now until something comes up?
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Calliope%20Rannis
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Lady Karnstein
Posts: 278
4/30/2019
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Caroline still is not completely sure what happened, but a group of enemies got their plans foiled, and that is a good thing. Between this and Seven Year Reign, though, she is so happy she never tried to join the Stags.
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Lady Caroline Karnstein, The Moral Hedonist (Description)
Infamous writer, artist, and courtesan. Unrepentant Invert. Hesperidean.
Paramount Presence, Correspondent, Nocturnal. Poet Laureate of the Neath, Ambassador to Arbor
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JaneAnkhVeos
Posts: 132
5/22/2019
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Hattington wrote:
I wonder what having the Dawn Machine's light AND a Sorrow Spider egg behind your eyes does? Will they rebel against each other, or will my skull be the cradle of the world's first Sequence Spider?
I’d suggest some assistance from gallblighter wasps as well.
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|| the Nocturnal Nostalgist, pawnbroker of dreams and memories ||
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