August Exceptional Story: The Shallows

I doubt they will force it. This is, after all, a game about choices. Still, losing an ES is probably frustrating. Perhaps they didn’t realise that so many people made not dying a part of their RP?
And maybe it can be fixed by that death NOT going into your record? Not dying per se but rather finding your way to the Boatman?

I’m fine with missing out if it means other people have a really cool and very dark story.

Caroline still only “dies” by going through the mirror. She will go to near any lengths not to otherwise, though IC she is unsure she would return in her condition.

As far as I can tell, dying is not actually recorded with a quality. However, I agree that we could have done the story without actually dying, like in one of the Season Epilogues. I thought by the story’s title we wouldn’t be exploring the River proper, but ‘the shallows’ or some part that is closer to our world.

It was fun to smack people into the river with a paddle, though.

[quote=Jolanda Swan]I doubt they will force it. This is, after all, a game about choices. Still, losing an ES is probably frustrating. Perhaps they didn’t realise that so many people made not dying a part of their RP?
And maybe it can be fixed by that death NOT going into your record? Not dying per se but rather finding your way to the Boatman?[/quote]
There is no record of death. Dying doesn’t change anything in the game.

[quote=MidnightVoyager][quote=Jolanda Swan]I doubt they will force it. This is, after all, a game about choices. Still, losing an ES is probably frustrating. Perhaps they didn’t realise that so many people made not dying a part of their RP?
And maybe it can be fixed by that death NOT going into your record? Not dying per se but rather finding your way to the Boatman?[/quote]
There is no record of death. Dying doesn’t change anything in the game.[/quote]
The story itself is a record of dying.

EDIT: And there’s the Boatman of course. Your meetings with him are definitely tracked.
.
edited by Anne Auclair on 7/30/2019

Very pleased (as ever) with the Airs snippets, which definitely help set the mood, especially the &quotThin Airs&quot during the Chess Match.

Special mention to this piece of work:

1 Like

Speculation on the reveal below.

[spoiler] So, as of now, it seems we have an answer to a few questions! Namely, &quotare Mr Cups and Mr Mirrors really the same person?&quot and &quotif so, why is there an extra crime on &quotA secret about the Masters?&quot.

The implication seems to be that Mr Cups and Mr Mirrors were separate entities until recently, when Mr Mirrors vanished and Mr Cups took up its mantle. This makes sense as to why Mr Mirrors is so removed from the game, and adds some cool complications to a certain Ambition.

I don’t think Mr Mirrors is actually destroyed, since we know just how hard it is to kill a Master in the Neath. We haven’t gotten another You-Know-Who situation, but who knows, Parabola has different rules and maybe being killed there just destroys you? I seem to recall Mr Candles’ connection to dreams being something that helped what remain… remain. Anyways, it seems more likely to me that it’s just banished from London/locked in Parabola.

Also, now that Mr Apples/Mr Hearts/The-Wings-Of-Thunder-Bat/The Chiropterous Hoarder is the only Master actually using alter egos, like, from the beginning (unless there’s another secret Master, of course), &quotimpersonation, and the delivering of false testimony&quot is starting to look like its crime. As for Mr Cups… &quotglass-whispering. And worse: charity&quot? It does seem to have a running theme of charity, and the first part implies some interesting stuff about the whole situation we now know about. I have no idea what Mr Mirror’s is… &quotidleness, and the dwelling-on of dreams&quot works, but then again, it could be about Mr Spices? Hmmmmmmm.
[/spoiler]
edited by cadwynknivlove on 8/1/2019

[quote=Anne Auclair][quote=MidnightVoyager][quote=Jolanda Swan]I doubt they will force it. This is, after all, a game about choices. Still, losing an ES is probably frustrating. Perhaps they didn’t realise that so many people made not dying a part of their RP?
And maybe it can be fixed by that death NOT going into your record? Not dying per se but rather finding your way to the Boatman?[/quote]
There is no record of death. Dying doesn’t change anything in the game.[/quote]
The story itself is a record of dying.

EDIT: And there’s the Boatman of course. Your meetings with him are definitely tracked.
.
edited by Anne Auclair on 7/30/2019[/quote]

You’re being really obtuse here. I was merely saying that the game does not specifically record death at all in any way like a criminal record. It may even just assume you have died if it ever needs to be referred to. There is no Death Counter.

Also you can easily die without any reference to meeting the Boatman. The only quality I have related to him is all the chess I played with him. It doesn’t track anything but chess.
edited by MidnightVoyager on 7/31/2019

[quote=Cadwyn Knivlove]Speculation on the reveal below.[/quote]My reply is entirely under the spoiler.

[spoiler][quote=Cadwyn Knivlove]I don’t think Mr Mirrors is actually destroyed, since we know just how hard it is to kill a Master in the Neath. We haven’t gotten another You-Know-Who situation, but who knows, Parabola has different rules and maybe being killed there just destroys you? I seem to recall Mr Cup’s connection to dreams being something that helped what remain… remain. Anyways, it seems more likely to me that it’s just banished from London/locked in Parabola.[/quote]For what it’s worth, the weapon designed to kill the Vake can only be used in Parabola, where reality is a little less restrictive. As a note, though, the Jolly Anchorite in Sunless Skies also offers evidence for both Mirrors being truly dead and Mirrors being trapped in Parabola.

[quote=The Jolly Anchorite]The Saint of Tapers and the Saint in the Glass. We never speak their names. One we have hope of seeking, the other is gone.[/quote]Wherever Mirrors has gone, it’s apparently a place that humans cannot follow. Given that we have a decent track record for exploring Parabola, if Mirrors is trapped there, it’d have to have more layers of defense to keep us out (a labyrinth of nightmares, perhaps) - but that might as well be death for all it’s worth. And, of course, Mirrors is named the Saint in the Glass: in Parabola, perhaps.
[/spoiler]

Wow that was…dark. A good, well written story, but pretty dark. I’m impressed though.

Caroline does not want to give up what she got at the end though, extra story bit or not.

[quote=Azothi][quote=Cadwyn Knivlove]Speculation on the reveal below.[/quote]My reply is entirely under the spoiler.[/quote] I remember reading on reddit few days ago

that any Master can be killed and the fuss about Mr. is only because the way it happened

It was a user quoting someone from FBG. Hope I remember correctly!

https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/J.%20Ward%20Dunn/16555134
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/J.%20Ward%20Dunn/16559328

I just became an exceptional friend and just wanted to pop in to say that i’m excited for my first of these free stories .
Have not read the rest of the thread and just wanted to express my joy at the moment.
I hope to gain as much joy from these as the rest of you gain :)

I hoped that more information about the controller would be revealed in the “Closest” options, but thank you regardless.

I really don’t know why they’d do that? I mean, if they wanted nobody to do the season epilogue, sure, they’d have the useful items surrendered in the epilogue.[/quote]

But didn’t that just happen with last season’s epilogue? One of the items was useful, as I recall, and I’d rather have kept it, except the Toymaker epilogue story was so adorable.

I really don’t know why they’d do that? I mean, if they wanted nobody to do the season epilogue, sure, they’d have the useful items surrendered in the epilogue.[/quote]

But didn’t that just happen with last season’s epilogue? One of the items was useful, as I recall, and I’d rather have kept it, except the Toymaker epilogue story was so adorable.[/quote]
To be perfectly honest, I don’t even remember what the items were. One of the items may have been usable, but it wasn’t notably useful. I’ve already heard people planning on doing this story twice just so they can get both items. IIRC one of them is even best in slot, though tied with another fate-locked thing. It would be a dick move for them to make you need to turn it in.

I really don’t know why they’d do that? I mean, if they wanted nobody to do the season epilogue, sure, they’d have the useful items surrendered in the epilogue.[/quote]

But didn’t that just happen with last season’s epilogue? One of the items was useful, as I recall, and I’d rather have kept it, except the Toymaker epilogue story was so adorable.[/quote]
To be perfectly honest, I don’t even remember what the items were. One of the items may have been usable, but it wasn’t notably useful. I’ve already heard people planning on doing this story twice just so they can get both items. IIRC one of them is even best in slot, though tied with another fate-locked thing. It would be a dick move for them to make you need to turn it in.[/quote]

Sure, but the special items are always turned in at the epilogue, is my point, e.g. the moth coat from one of the past ESs – I didn’t want to keep it particularly but it was an outfit – there have been a couple of weapons IIRC? (my memory is so bad, I can’t swear to what they were). OTOH if you do the story twice, what happens? or if you repeat it again after the epilogue?

I really don’t know why they’d do that? I mean, if they wanted nobody to do the season epilogue, sure, they’d have the useful items surrendered in the epilogue.[/quote]

But didn’t that just happen with last season’s epilogue? One of the items was useful, as I recall, and I’d rather have kept it, except the Toymaker epilogue story was so adorable.[/quote]
To be perfectly honest, I don’t even remember what the items were. One of the items may have been usable, but it wasn’t notably useful. I’ve already heard people planning on doing this story twice just so they can get both items. IIRC one of them is even best in slot, though tied with another fate-locked thing. It would be a dick move for them to make you need to turn it in.[/quote]

Sure, but the special items are always turned in at the epilogue, is my point, e.g. the moth coat from one of the past ESs – I didn’t want to keep it particularly but it was an outfit – there have been a couple of weapons IIRC? (my memory is so bad, I can’t swear to what they were). OTOH if you do the story twice, what happens? or if you repeat it again after the epilogue?[/quote]
But they aren’t always turned in. Some ES give you items that you do not turn in. Two of them have companions.
edited by MidnightVoyager on 8/1/2019

I really don’t know why they’d do that? I mean, if they wanted nobody to do the season epilogue, sure, they’d have the useful items surrendered in the epilogue.[/quote]

But didn’t that just happen with last season’s epilogue? One of the items was useful, as I recall, and I’d rather have kept it, except the Toymaker epilogue story was so adorable.[/quote]
To be perfectly honest, I don’t even remember what the items were. One of the items may have been usable, but it wasn’t notably useful. I’ve already heard people planning on doing this story twice just so they can get both items. IIRC one of them is even best in slot, though tied with another fate-locked thing. It would be a dick move for them to make you need to turn it in.[/quote]

Sure, but the special items are always turned in at the epilogue, is my point, e.g. the moth coat from one of the past ESs – I didn’t want to keep it particularly but it was an outfit – there have been a couple of weapons IIRC? (my memory is so bad, I can’t swear to what they were). OTOH if you do the story twice, what happens? or if you repeat it again after the epilogue?[/quote]
But they aren’t always turned in. Some ES give you items that you do not turn in. Two of them have companions.
edited by MidnightVoyager on 8/1/2019[/quote]

You’re right, how could I completely forget my darling little wings-of-thunder batling! :-) Well, let’s hope the hat and lantern in this ES fall under the same rules.