I’ve done some research about going NORTH, and it seems really scary. Does it really disable your account? Does it really make it unusable? Will you have to make a new account and restart to keep playing the game? I don’t want to risk my account yet. Spooked.
Making Poutine Everyday, a now terrified and haunted gentleman.
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Making%20Poutine%20Everyday
Ok I’m really scared now. Happy New Year all!
edited by Making Poutine Everyday on 1/1/2019
You can absolutely go North after sacrificing and suffering through… "a lot."
However, you can, for whatever inconceivable reason you might have, turn back at literally the last moment in exchange for the best BDR (Bizarre, Dreaded, Respectable) weapon in the game. If you do not turn back at that point, your character is gone.
Going North isn’t for the faint of heart. Some bits can be nightmarish. The story itself breaks the fourth wall by actively telling you how bad of an idea it is, with the warnings becoming less and less frequent as you go further and further in.
Finishing "Seeking Mr. Eaten’s Name" will irrevocably bring you to a place you will not be leaving, and it is sublime. Personally, it’s one of my favorite stories in all of Fallen London and the journey is worth it, having gone NORTH with two characters, the first to completion and the second turning back for the reward.
My recommendation, if you intend to keep on playing Fallen London, is to Seek with your current character and create a second character that you can slowly build up over time. That lessens the "cold turkey" impact of suddenly starting a new character, and your first character will be in a better position to Seek (also because it’s boring to have a character whose only purpose is to Seek).
To be honest, though, the warnings are rather much. If you have intense triggers surrounding self-harm or mtuilation, stay away, but otherwise, it’s a just a beautiful story of descent into madness and the annihilation of identity.
Also, as someone who has been there and done that, if you plan to do the seeking and are not sure whether to finish it truly or not, you will have to make the choice a lot earlier than when you are standing before the Gate. There is a candle (the fifth) which will require sacrifice that will absolutely destroy your gameplay if you accept the hidden quality, but it can be avoided. Those who plan to destroy themselves do not mind giving up everything that the candlegiver will ask for, but if you plan to turn back it’s a very good idea to “choose the alternative.” This candle you will have to get in the Nadir.
Totally worth it.
Since SMEN is a story of hope and sacrifice, I suggest to follow Azothi’s advice and finish SMEN with your main character once you have built up a second character. Starting a whole new character after SMEN’s ending is quite burdensome.
Ok, so going NORTH really does kill your account. I’m not sure if I will go there yet or not, but by the time I reach the gates I will be sure.
Making Poutine Everyday, whose dreams may now be less disturbing.
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Making%20Poutine%20Everyday
Or, you know… you can simply… NOT take up Seeking.
Ever.
The allure of the storyline is too strong. It’s like a button that says “Do not push”.
I heavily resisted trying to seek but the… not allure, ‘morbid fascination’ of the story was too great for me to resist. I tried to create a dedicated seeking alt a little more than a year ago but as as Azothi mentioned a dedicated seeking alt is extraordinarily boring and I have since abandoned the character.
Seeking with my main account, however, has not felt nearly as grueling as starting a completely new character dedicated only to the purpose of seeking. Seeking has been very expensive with regards to time due to how the Marsh Mired quality works but so far I have not been forced to give up everything to advance the story. That said though I’m not super far along, I am just about to get The Number of weeping scars.
Seeking is, as others have said, Fallen London’s ‘do not push’ button.
But you can only find out why you shouldn’t push it when you reach the end.[/i]
edited by lukeskylicker on 1/2/2019
To tell the truth, the prospect of ever-growing obsession and self-harm is what lured me to the Neath in the first place. But then I learned to take Fallen London serious and now seeking is only an extensive way of powergaming to me.
Oh well. An alt is already in the way.
edited by NNNnobody on 1/2/2019
From both an in-character perspective and an out of character perspective… seeing the “Do not push” button is one thing. Seeing a lot of other people push the “Do not push” button and then sacrifice everything they are in horrible ways is another.
While there are plenty of secrets to be found in the Neath, most of them don’t involve that kind of… backlash? fallout? I guess… on the person finding out the secret. Also, from a strictly in-universe perspective, no one ever knows what happens to people when they go NORTH (for good anyway). There’s no in-character reason to think they ever really find what they’re looking for.
So as far as my character is concerned, there’s a bunch of people trying to find out something that they’re never guarantied to find out and they pretty much destroy themselves while doing so. There’s plenty of other things to discover in the Neath that don’t cost anywhere near as much of the seeker and are all but guarantied to be discovered if the seeker works hard enough at it.
Thanks again all on your facts and opinions on Seeking Mr Eaten’s Name. It’s been two days since I got my first point of Unaccountably Peckish and now I’m already at 3 points!
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Making%20Poutine%20Everyday
If you wish to know the name, but not to completely destroy yourself, here it is. The name is
Лондоны хаан
(Hey, I never said it was going to be easy.)
MBER IS SEVEN IS THE NUMBER IS SEVEN IS THE NU
edited by Sir Wensleydale of Hardwick on 1/20/2019
edited by Sir Wensleydale of Hardwick on 1/20/2019
To MakingPoutine:
Yeah, if you still have stories to pursue (The Zee islands, the Ambition, Port Carnelian, Downside, the ‘A Name’ quests, everything) don’t do this. Seeking the Name is the way to end your character with a ‘bang!’
Meanwhile, just yesterday, an acquaintance knocked on my door. He said "Hello there!" and started talking…
It was … Treason, then.
I got Betrayed and persuaded into Seeking the Name!..
…
"I have become the very thing I swore to destroy!"
but then I abandoned it today. Too many stories to pursue to wreck it all just yet!
edited by Netos Korlan on 1/29/2019
Gift of jewels to the first that spots the reference!
and another lore question:
Any relation at all between Mr.Eaten and the Liberation of Night?
There is not.
[quote=Netos Korlan]Seeking the Name is the way to end your character with a ‘bang!’[/quote]I’d argue two endings are more whimpers than bangs. One is very much a bang. I’d argue that the catharsis of finishing Seeking and knowing the endings is a worthwhile reward, even if you haven’t finished all the content in London yet - it can be fun to build a new character now that you’ve learned from your past game.
[quote=Netos Korlan]Gift of jewels to the first that spots the reference![/quote]Not a huge fan of prequel memes. As Stones would say, though, "Mine!" so I’ll engage in it with minimal spoilers.
[quote=Netos Korlan]Meanwhile, just yesterday, an acquaintance knocked on my door. He said "Hello there!" and started talking…[/quote]Obi-Wan reference.
[quote=Netos Korlan]It was … Treason, then.[/quote]Notable quote by Palpatine from the attempted arrest scene.
[quote=Netos Korlan]"I have become the very thing I swore to destroy!"[/quote]Heavily adapted from an Obi-Wan quote on Mustafar.
[quote=Netos Korlan]Any relation at all between Mr.Eaten and the Liberation of Night?[/quote]Optimatum is correct that there is no known connection. There is, however, a weak connection of questionable canonicity between Seeking and the Liberation of Night.
Ok, so either you have been Seeking thrice, to see all the three endings, or you do not fear the unofficially-forbidden blogs as I do.
Truly, the Azothi side is a pathway to abilities one could consider unnatural. Heh.
And yes, the jewels shalt be thine. As soon as I return to London.
Thou hast done well, thy knowledge of the Star Wars prequels is accurate.
They are a complete trainwreck, but they are (arguably) enjoyable as a source of memes.
And yea, I don’t mind that there is no connection between Mr. Eaten and the ruinous conspiracy known as the Liberation of night.
Not everything has to be connected, sometimes things make more sense standing on their own