All these justifications for the daughter-agent’s actions aren’t obviously wrong, but they’re aren’t obviously right either. I could just as easily say the daughter is angry because the protagonist took away her chance for revenge. Occam’s Razor suggests this is more likely, since it doesn’t require any additional speculation on the value of hiding the secret (then why not have you killed?) or the intimidating profile of the protagonist (in a story with no Dangerous requirement, iirc).
edited by TheThirdPolice on 5/11/2016
[quote=TheThirdPolice]All these justifications for the daughter-agent’s actions aren’t obviously wrong, but they’re aren’t obviously right either. I could just as easily say the daughter is angry because the protagonist took away her chance for revenge. Occam’s Razor suggests this is more likely, since it doesn’t require any additional speculation on the value of hiding the secret (then why not have you killed?) or the intimidating profile of the protagonist (in a story with no Dangerous requirement, iirc).
edited by TheThirdPolice on 5/11/2016[/quote]
I think that if she was not an agent, then yes, she would be angry, and she would confront you. She’d ask why you failed to do the one thing she hired you to do. But if she is an agent she would know why, and she would simply be frustrated that she failed, and return to the surface to inform the Old Man. It’s not proof she’s a spy, but it does go together well with all the evidence, and it explains a major missing piece of the puzzle (who did the Old Man send to bash open the Duke’s head and retrieve the secret?)
Speaking of the process undertaken by the Principles of Coral in Sunless Sea:
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Is the zee captain helping the Thief somehow with the whole counterweight thing and the Wakeful Idol? It’s a scowling idol of the same sort, isn’t it? It seemed to gain something after the captain winning the match.
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( And I also snickered at the particular type of chess piece the Wakeful Idol is being used for, considering the above.)
In that quest the Idol has to be first awakened by the King with a Hundred Hearts, who makes a reference to Stone. I think it’s more specifically connected to the Elder Continent and vitality than the Thief.
Lilac is definitely heavily involved with the Great Game. Outside of the Feast of the Exceptional Rose, she spends much of her time on the Surface so would almost certainly have contact with the Old Man.
I think it might be worth noting that in the first face-tailor story, the Thief of Faces appears to you in a dream in the form of a wakeful idol, and encourages you to kill a bird and trade it for a skin-mask, so you can sneak into the garden. If you choose to obey it, you get a bunch of Fate (more than any other branch on that storylet, or indeed any other Fate-granting story branch in the game, to my knowledge). As I remember this also gives you a unique dialogue option with the Bishop at the beginning of Flint Part 1, though I I never played it.[li]
Any progress or clues on this? I’d hate to never know for sure.
It’s all clear to me now: Archduke Ferdinand is the Thief of Faces.
Any ideas on the missed detail? I’m trying to decide if I need to replay this a few times after the election ends.
I haven’t seen anything suggesting that we have discovered the "right" answer. I’d definitely replay it if I knew that some confirmation was forthcoming, but as is I think we may have found the missed detail (that the daughter was actually an agent of the Old Man.) Do let us know if you see anything new though.
I am also tempted to replay in the future if the daughter actually being an agent is confirmed.
Hello, friends.
With all the talk of the Easter egg in the current ES, I wonder if there was something similar here?
With all the talk of the Easter egg in the current ES, I wonder if there was something similar here?[/quote]
I certainly hope so. If any player or dev would confirm that there is a big bold text THIS PIECE OF CONTENT IS THE EASTER EGG marker hidden in the story somewhere, I’d happily explore it. I’m currently just frustrated at the idea it could be something I’ve already found or deduced.
edited by Ian Hart on 8/30/2016
I don’t think it was ever missed content in the story, just a deduction from content already seen which we had not yet made. Who knows if it was made since then.
Uh - this piece of SMEN content I just played seems to be a pretty big, not-very-subtle hint at the identity of the Thief-of-Faces.
(don’t click if you don’t want to be spoilered - more spoilers follow - read at your own peril)
[spoiler]I re-read the conversation with His Amused Lordship - there isn’t anything obvious, but he does remember a lot of the Waltzing Duke’s youth - who’s a very old man now. If he was a guest at the Duke’s balls then, shouldn’t he be as old as him now?
Also: "I know why you’re here! A colleague of mine mentioned your interest!" Which ‘colleague’ exactly? Since when do peers of the realm have ‘colleagues’?
And finally, of course, his reaction to you talking about Death is pretty suspicious, too - that has been pointed out already, upthread.
Currently, I’d say His Amused Lordship is the Thief-of-Faces. It would also give a pretty compelling reason for his patronage of the Dilmun Club…[/spoiler]
I think that’s just talking about Spices. Or Veils, but probably Spices. (who stole mr. eaten’s ‘principle’? wines and spices!)
edited by xKiv on 9/29/2016
[quote=xKiv][quote=Rupho Schartenhauer]Uh - this piece of SMEN content I just played seems to be a pretty big, not-very-subtle hint at the identity of the Thief-of-Faces.[/quote]I think that’s just talking about Spices. Or Veils, but probably Spices. (who stole mr. eaten’s ‘principle’? wines and spices!)[/quote]I don’t think so.
:edit:
Having now had a look at some secret recent content, there is of course a different answer possible. Still, how do we know the Thief is always wearing the same face? Seems unlikely - I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve met it in different guises already!
edited by phryne on 10/3/2016