Rare indeed is the nation that deploys politics and spy craft for aught but power and wealth.[/quote]
Sure, but it seems a bit simplistic that they’re ALL going for the coins. I always sort of assumed that the Great Game was the gestalt of all spycraft and espionage.
I mean, my grand theory (based on Salt’s Song in Sunless Sea) was that the Great Game is a front for a cold war between the Judgements. But that’s probably torpedoed at this point.
edited by Daedalus_Falk on 8/17/2018
It’s a shame that the Answers tab is now gone (at least from what I can see) rather than one’s entries simply becoming uneditable. I’ve practically forgotten my replies for some of the more uncertain ones. Perhaps Failbetter will list names with the ones they found particularly interesting so I can see if mine caused any particular amusement? Then again I can’t recall if I’d rather any of my answers be internet memory-holed forever…
edited by Pyrflamme on 8/17/2018
There’s definitely no way to heal the Hundreds of his condition. He’s an entire city because he has a chunk of Stone for a heart, and removing that would almost certainly kill him. He’s thousands of years old by now, on top of his original medical issues.
As for Fingerkings, is there some link between them and the Hundreds that I’ve forgotten? There’s definitely some connection between them and Clay Men, but I can’t think of any evidence the Fingerkings have any influence over their maker.
[quote=Optimatum]
As for Fingerkings, is there some link between them and the Hundreds that I’ve forgotten? There’s definitely some connection between them and Clay Men, but I can’t think of any evidence the Fingerkings have any influence over their maker.[/quote]
Supposedly the Unfinished are caused by the Hundreds having a nightmare. That may involve the Fingerkings, but I wouldn’t immediately jump to that conclusion. It seems Parabola changed significantly around the time of the Second City.
[quote=Daedalus_Falk]I mean, my grand theory (based on Salt’s Song in Sunless Sea) was that the Great Game is a front for a cold war between the Judgements. But that’s probably torpedoed at this point.[/quote]I suspect that this is part of an effort to distinguish the Great Game from this "Greater Game" that parallels the Great Game but is not equivalent. The White and the fierce old man in Vienna symbolize each other, but this is more a reenactment of a mythic archetype than an intentional cold war: as above, so below.
Rare indeed is the nation that deploys politics and spy craft for aught but power and wealth.[/quote]
Sure, but it seems a bit simplistic that they’re ALL going for the coins. I always sort of assumed that the Great Game was the gestalt of all spycraft and espionage.
I mean, my grand theory (based on Salt’s Song in Sunless Sea) was that the Great Game is a front for a cold war between the Judgements. But that’s probably torpedoed at this point.
edited by Daedalus_Falk on 8/17/2018[/quote]
[li]I honestly expected the answer to be Europe (that is to say, what nation will be the dominant power). There have been more than a few examples of the power struggles in Europe being refered to as such and many of those examples have very deep roots in espionage and spycraft.
the game answer seems kinda obvious once you see those echoes from the nadir. Shame I’ve not been yet.
what’s this about fingerkings and clay men?! I need to know more.
A couple of other gripes I have with this:
Together with the quite dissatisfying marking that penalized people’s correct answers, I’m honestly going to state the possibly unpopular opinion that I’m rather disappointed. The idea was great, and I definitely would enjoy more re-runs of Mysteries in the future, but the execution this time around could stand improvement.
†This also exacerbates the marking issue, as anyone who just barely missed out on 15 will feel cheated out of essentially the main worthwhile reward for the entire thing. Having the other tiers be equally unique would have made the "consolation prizes" less disappointing, while having the entire thing less hyped up as the opportunity for unique rewards (giving, let’s say off the top of my head, an Incarnadine Fur Robe) would make missing out, whether deservedly or no, sting a lot less.
edited by Dudebro Pyro on 8/17/2018
A Judgement’s Egg is also obtainable through one ending to the Empress’ Shadow.
This really looks lovely! Just back from Winking to check my coins… and… 14! :(
Congratulations on those who got 15+!
[quote=DonaghyLogan]Argh - I have exactly fifteen coins, and I know what I SHOULD do with them . . . .
But I think I’m gonna adopt fifteen cats instead.[/quote]But specially to DonaghyLogan!
[quote=Ixc]The Detective likely threw the key in the well because of her deal with the Fingerkings. They helped her with a case, and she was supposed to deliver a mirror. I don’t know if the key serves as a mirror, however it clearly has value. In Ambition: Nemesis, the key holds great value to the devils manning a prison; In Heart’s Desire, the Manager speaks of being tempted by the key, which has some use to him. In all cases, the interested parties have a connection to Parabola and Polythreme. And in this case, the Manager wants his beloved back. So, my theory is that the Stone Tentacle Key can restore the King with a Hundred Hearts, or free him from the influence of the Fingerkings. Thus, they had the Detective take it and throw it down the well. The Devils want it for further control over or rewards from the Fingerkings.
“The Stereoscopics just showed up one day," he observes, apropos of nothing. "They say they helped her once, when she was about to lose a case. She could never bear to lose. They want her help; a flawless mirror delivered somewhere."
Detailed notes on her own allies: the Stereoscopists. Information on their personal histories, interest, vulnerabilities, and crucially, their dreams, has all been ruthlessly indexed… A single page is scrawled with notes on old cases involving mediums and mirrors. A heading reads: ‘Re-open. Look again.’
“[The devil] clearly bored, intoned a list of circumstances under which I could visit Scathewick. "holding a piece of his liver no less than two ounces in weight. Having proof of an aunt’s demise. Holding a soul V.S.A.H. or better in grade. That key in your pocket."’
'I slammed down the key on the counter, chipping off part of a tine. The clerk didn’t seem to mind.
“Yes. You’ve been away a long time, haven’t you? A hundred hands and a thousand eyes. And do I smell well water? No matter. I shall have to give you away again. I cannot be trusted with you. Not yet. That would be a weight greater than mountains." The Manager solemnly places the key in his shirt pocket, next to his heart.
edited by Ixc on 8/17/2018[/quote]
I think the ‘flawless mirror’ thing from the Implacable Detective’s Election run must be intended to be taken literally; delivering a mirror was a quid pro quo from the Detective in return for shady Parabolan help in solving a case. And the STK is not exactly thrown down the well, but hung up carefully in a hidden bag. It was definitely meant to be retrievable by a properly Ambitious person: the Three Sisters of Hunter’s Keep all know it’s in there and want you to find it, and Lucy hints "I bet I know what you’re looking for. There’s something in your life. An ambition." (the italic emphasis is in the original text). So if the four Ambitions all use the key eventually for different purposes, I would not be surprised.
The Implacable Detective is in deep with Parabola. OK. And the ‘nasty, organic’ shape of the STK and the fact it’s made of some mysterious dark substance (‘What’s this carved from? Flowstone? Dark bone? Grey amber?’ is its mouseover description) makes me wonder just where the material to make it came from. If it was from Mt. Nomad, which is just my supposition, I guess that’s a rather tenuous link to the Elder Continent. But I’m still not making the final leap to ‘and the reason the key-hider can only be the Implacable Detective is…’
Oof. from being fairly confident that ‘Wych Street’ was an allowable answer, I’m now concerned that it caused a lot of people to lose a Regnant Coin. But even so, Aldwych just would not exist as a named place in C19/C20 London until after 1901; to call the area ‘Aldwych’ in Victorian times would be like referring to the ancient part of Paris around the Île de la Cité as ‘Lutèce’ – educated people would maybe know what area you meant, but no-one had called it that for centuries.
It just surprises me, as some of the slightly warped geographical detail in FL is almost absurdly detailed. For example, there was no convivial establishment called The Singing Mandrake near real-life Victorian Covent Garden…but there was one called The Whistling Oyster, which is hilarious. I shall now go into its rooty, toothy, FL counterpart and cry into my fungal ale.
[quote=PSGarak]It seems Parabola changed significantly around the time of the Second City.[/quote]Could you please elaborate? I know it was called "a wounded realm" even before the Third City, but I have no other clues.
My reference is the Exceptional Story "The Attendants," from August 2017. If you haven’t played the story, you can dig through the discussion thread.
http://community.failbettergames.com/topic24837-augusts-exceptional-story-the-attendants.aspx
[quote=Skinnyman]This really looks lovely! Just back from Winking to check my coins… and… 14! :(
Congratulations on those who got 15+!
[quote=DonaghyLogan]Argh - I have exactly fifteen coins, and I know what I SHOULD do with them . . . .
But I think I’m gonna adopt fifteen cats instead.[/quote]But specially to DonaghyLogan![/quote]
Awww, bless :0)
Flowstone tends to be associated with things from the Third City, iirc.
I wish I had access to my answers; by my count, I got eight of these correct, but I only have six coins. I wish I knew which ones I messed up on.
(N.B. This does not include my answer to the Snuffers question, which I didn’t expect to be accepted [though it does answer the question, indirectly]. That one was a sacrifice to my sense of humor.)
In other news, it’s a shame the coins have an expiration date. Otherwise, you can bet your Rubbery Lumps that Prof. Kan would keep one or two very safely.
If the mirrors can be opened, can they also be closed and locked?
According to the Oneiric Key, if a mirror misses a small fragment of glass, then they might not work.
Sunlight might work too, and simply covering a mirror at least stops its inhabitants from seeing through, or possessing.
Damn, 14/15. Shame we can’t save them. Hopefully the Sceptre will be up next time. Is there any way to view your submitted answers for comparisons’ sake?
Also. Would one recommend obtaining Judgements Egg or the Fragment?
edited by jamilah on 8/18/2018
Just pick which one you/your character likes more, they have the same value at the Bazaar.
That said, while both are Fate-locked normally, I believe the Judgement’s Egg is rarer since its only known sources are Flint and the Empress’ Shadow. So if you’re a completionist you might want to take that into account.
edited by silurica on 8/18/2018