Hello everyone, I am Odetteah.
I am fairly new to Fallen London, and I have a question to ask.
Once I was told by the help page that black bordered cards… well, that one simply does not speak of those. (I suppose that makes me foolish?) This only made me more curious. A search on the wiki resulted in a certain storylet where at the end there is a choice one can take where one’s character is described as "becoming permanently unusable".
Since the consequences are so severe, should it be saved for… …I suppose when there is nothing left to do? (if "there being nothing left to do" is even possible? Fallen London has events and updates, so that seems unlikely…)
Or is it possible to reset the whole account, effectively wiping the slate (and erasing the character)?
Yes, people usually pursue that storyline because either 1) they’ve Done All The Things and are ready to give the character an ending, or 2) they created an alternate character specifically to do that. On the other hand, it takes a long time and is not always entertaining, so people who know they’re going that direction usually start early.
One thing to warn you of: if you start Seeking, you can always stop (though not without consequences), but once you stop, you can’t start again. So if you think you might do it in the future, don’t start now.
Also, if hearing that “one simply does not speak of those” made you more curious, you are clearly a born Fallen London player. Welcome.
What you have found is for the mad - the curious when there is nothing left to be curious about. Best to put such things out of mind.
But look! The lacre is coating the rooftops white and Yuletide songs are in the air. There are soirées that require your attendance and menaces begging to adorn your trophy wall. The Zee is vast; the Elder Continent groans with mystery. There is so much to do. Hush now. Hush…
I’m not sure it’s true that you can’t start again after stopping. I don’t remember how many different ways there are to “stop”, but I intentionally quit once in order to wipe my lodgings on the first pass and wipe my renown on the second (you can’t do both at once, and I wanted to). No problems whatsoever.
More to the point, however, it’s always possible to “stop” in the sense of putting the storyline on hold and not bothering with it, and then coming back to play it at any time. Specifically, the black bordered cards only show up if you have the Unaccountably Peckish quality, which is mechanically completely independent of your progress in that storyline - so just keep that at zero and you won’t be bothered by them. The other parts of the story are just storylets you can ignore or items that sit in your inventory. The once exception is that there’s a (non-mandatory) Destiny, which, if taken, is permanent (as Destinies are - unless you pay Fate to change to a different one) and gives a negative stat “bonus”. But, again, optional, and it’s also located pretty far down the story.
well I personally would not advise you to pursue it at all but if you must with an alt just remember you will learn nothing you will gain nothing there is no use at all in doing that thing also my kindest welcomes I notice you are new I would direct you to the good morning thread but I cant seem to find it enjoy this city anyway
[quote=Dudebro Pyro]
Specifically, the black bordered cards only show up if you have the Unaccountably Peckish quality…[/quote]
Technically, there is one black bordered card you can get without Unaccountably Peckish that’ll give you a lot of Nightmares . Unlike the UP cards, this one can be discarded. Basically, if you see a black bordered card, run away screaming.
Ah, all these warnings that are tailored to make one even more curious. The funny thing is, Lady Fairbridge, they are not lying. The black cards are indeed the gateway to an adventure undertaken if you aim for annihilation. Not only of yourself, but of the many, many things you accomplish in London. Friends, echoes, lodgings, achievements, they are all devoured by this black hole. There are a few ways out, sure, but they do not restore what is lost. So, yes; enjoy the Neath, do some good for the less fortunate, learn secrets. There is so much to do down here, you will never really need to walk down that road. edited by Jolanda Swan on 12/13/2019
Just to clarify: a few years back, once you were Freed of the Name then you couldn’t start again; however, this was changed when the storyline was completed in full.
With the story the way it is now, you can Abandon the Search for the Name at any time within the Seeking Road, using the A Bad End card or any of the various opportunities given along the way. Abandoning the search will cause you to lose the SMEN quality and any of the Candles you’ve earned, though you will not regain any lost stats nor will you lose Scars, Stains or Chains (except in one specific instance where you can quit).
At the very last chapter of the storyline, you are given a quality that allows you to access a new area at Zee. After you have this quality, you can no longer restart the storyline as you please, since it locks you out of the main storylet associated with it. All you can do is end the story, one way or another.