A Revelation

Fallen London
1

It occurred to me today in the middle of church.

The developers can’t ever finish the ambition content, at least for Heart’s Desire.

I said can’t, not won’t.

The reason for this is simple. My character’s Heart’s Desire is for all S----n Candles (Arthur, Beau, Cerise, Destin, ???, Forthigan, Gawain–, Gawain in particular.)

&quot 'round in a city, a hunger was broiling…,&quot

Now, those of us (myself not quite included, due to lack of dreams) who actively seek our destruction know that we &quotwill never gain this candle&quot, and if we did we &quotwould lose your very head from your shoulders&quot.

But this is a game that can do -anything-, presumably from granting true immortality (I don’t mean Neathy immortality, I mean take-an-axe-to-the-face-and-reverse-the-damage-in-front-of-them Baccano style) to giving Mr. Bagley his sanity back, to a sandwich (what? Maybe you’re just hungry at the time).

&quot…Lights were a-flutter, candles aflame…&quot

But if one was selfless/crazy enough, could you bring back Him in the Well?

My guess is that if you asked for the Name, you’d just die or be unable to keep it.

But Gawain’s Candle exists (maybe), because we need it for the Tattoo of the Name, etc.

&quot…Out through my door, I stumbled, I tumbled…&quot

Plus as a dire warning, but we’re used to those.

So, if I can wish for anything, why not wish for light? A cursed sickly light, but let there be light.

So that’s why I believe that we can’t get our heart’s desire.

&quot…Off to the darkness, to find out The Name&quot

2

Paradox is delightful, isn’t it?

3

Of course. What would be the point of this long and arduous journey of self-destruction if one could just wish for it?

Though I can see the devs being cruel enough to put in an option towards the end of an Ambition that sacrifices all the work you’ve done for Gawain’s Candle, only for it to be a fake and your opportunity for riches/fame/revenge/heart’s desire stolen from you. Or it requires Lethian Tea Leaves to see a glimpse of it, or you can see it in the bottom of a bottle of Bottled Oblivion sometimes when you have the other candles; or perhaps your Verdant Menace has some wax from the candle that once a week until you’ve finished the candle increases your nightmares/wounds and increases your abominable reputation (Like an evil version of Time the Healer). At the bottom of the Brass Embassy, in the Cave of the Nadir (or a Mirror-Marsh version, perhaps with an evil color other than irrigo), the Boatman has a facsimile or simulacrum version of it…

Man, coming up with this is fun.

Oh, one more idea. Having a certain candle/the Calling Card opens up a new option in the Mirror-Marshes. The Marshes have a glimpse of a candle through a mirror–Gawain’s Candle. You can make out a Tomb Colonist, so you go to the colonies only to find surprise! He went to the boatman, who certainly won’t just -tell- you where he went–no, that would be too easy. Beat him in chess a Number of times, with your candles as a wager.

As it turns out, the boatman doesn’t have the colonist anymore; someone picked him up earlier. And they took him to Old Newgate. The deepest, darkest part of Old Newgate, filled with Snuffers and the like. Have fun sneaking/fighting your way through angry Masters who most certainly don’t want you getting your hands on this candle. Eventually, a knight in green armor offers you it, if he can hit you a year and a day from now. You see where this is going.

4

Seekers, I ask you, what is it that the content has not yet asked you to give up?

Your stats, your soul, your connections, your employment, your friends, your notability.

All those are prices.

What is left?

Your home? Could you have to be homeless, be driven to the very streets, to get a chance to progress? Would you?

How about even further on the loss of friends. If influance had to be driven down to 0, would you snub everybody?

Your fate. What if you HAD to have the cursed fate before the last option opened to you, would you give up even that price?

Your ambition. Would you give up what had been driving you, so long?

5

Funnily enough, St. Beau asked you to sacrifice your Lodgings, your connections, or some Fate.

6

Terrible things that haven’t yet happened to seekers:

Being barred from ever sending rats to anyone ever again. There is a not receiving anymore rats quality out there in fallen london already :)

7

Don’t give them any ideas… :-)

8

I’ve always wondered about Beau’s Candle.

Since this post will probably be consumed in some time, I might as well say it.

If Beau’s Candle allowed you to shred your destiny, isn’t that a good thing for Seekers? After all, all that awaits you is Torment (and a nice little noose for you to stick your neck in). For that matter, some of us already have destinies–which probably means we’d just lose it, and the destiny would be replaced with a Candle, sticking a tongue out at us.

But would that mean that Forthigan’s is lost forever (through just one horrible way of s—n, mind you)? Because the only way you’d get to it is by sacrificing the Name to get your Tormented Destiny which is shredded----aaaaaaaa! head explodes

On another note, we’ve effectively already shredded Spacemarine9’s destiny–The Rat-Sender (You are the Rat-Sender Eternal, +9001 Rat-Sending)

9

Also, giving them ideas was sort of the point of the second post–decimating ambition, a Chain-of-Deals for Menaces, doom of every variety that would/could be lost forever, and hilarity. ^_^
edited by Tempest Troper on 12/1/2014

10

St. Destin’s is the one that was given out through Destinies, though there were two other sources (one that could be done by anyone and another in the same place you get St. Forthigan’s candle).

Edit: Oh, and you could share St. Destin’s candle with other Seekers last Hallowmas. Basically what I’m getting at is you don’t need Torment to have St. Destin’s candle.

edited by Sara Hysaro on 12/1/2014

11

I always thought the &quotpoint&quot of the Ambitions wasn’t the reward. I switched my main from Hearts Desire to Light Fingers, and from what I can tell from both, the main thrust of each storyline is vastly different from the advertisement.

Light Fingers begins as simple self-interest, but leads to your character uncovering conspiracy and fighting for the well-being of basically a innocent stranger. Sorta cyberpunk-y. Plus Edward. God, he’s horrifying.

Hearts’ Desire begins as a search for a card game with magical powers, but becomes a story about the broken dreams of the great Powers of London and beyond. And in the end, if you win, you’ll be the one that dashes them.

This makes sense. Our dreams change as we grow. All of them deal with reversals- Light Fingers turns a burglar into a hero, Bag A Legend turns a hunter into a soldier hunted by a intelligent beast the preys exclusively on hunters (its complicated), Nemesis turns a crusader for justice into, increasingly, a monstrous figure determined to storm hell itself, and Hearts Desire turns someone betting their own soul into someone collecting the souls of others.
edited by friendshipranger on 12/1/2014

12

My belief is, and has been for a while, that the purpose of the Ambitions (other than entertainment, of course) is to provide additional information/insight about the nature of the Neath and, perhaps, about exactly how Fallen London fell (the details, that is). I agree with friendshipranger’s comment, though; each Ambition starts with simple motivations and ends up turning the character’s life upside down and inside out.

13

Sara–ah, that was the one I was thinking of. Thanks!
Friendshipranger, Catherine–I couldn’t agree more. I’m at the point where the Manager wants my dreams or a key (protip: worst use of 5k nevercold brass slivers ever.). The problem is when I’m a Persuasive/Watchful build, and for PoSI I need to be kicked out of either the university or court…where I need to perform Tristam Bagley’s masterpiece. A ménage a trois, entertaining and hedonistic as it would be, is somewhat…counter-beneficial to my friend’s sanity (and, coincidentally, his joining the Game.)

Well, guess I need to go finish the University…because there’s no way I’m giving up my dreams.

Edited for clarity.
edited by Tempest Troper on 12/1/2014

14

Also, Forthigan’s is indirectly responsible for the current situation, right? The whole thing NiteBrite has on her mantlepiece, etc.

As you can tell, perhaps I need to get my facts straight before posting a theory. At least I nailed Gawain’s (ironic, considering its lack of existence).

15

Oh, it’s fine. Theories are fun, and it’s simple enough to get misinformation corrected once you get it out there for others to look at. Even if the theory doesn’t work after the corrections you’ll be better equipped to make a new one. :)