I used to avoid the Boatman as well, but… well, let’s just say it took me a few tries to complete the Cheesemonger’s plans. I frequently visit, these days, for lack of anything else to do. I’ve only gotten the Boatman’s Opponent up to 13, though. I’m lazy.
edited by Cedric Appleby on 6/15/2012
If memory serves I’ve only visited the Boatman a handful of times. I do tend to go after the more dangerous enterprises.
I’m more fond of Visiting the Tomb Colonies though.
My main character I’ve died quite a few times… you know, the Name and all that.
Although I just realized a few weeks ago, that my first death on my second character just recently occurred. He had made it to a PoSI, and decided to celebrate by opening a (hopefully cat containing) box ‘given’ by my main character, he unwrapped it, and BAM! Sorrow-spider too the face, it was all great fun until I realized that pushed him into level 10 wounds (horse amulet), and died.
They say it’s only funny until someone gets hurt and dies, but frankly it just made it hilarious. A couple of chess matches later they were both back to doing their thing together, albeit my main is now rather worried to allow my second to tend to his wounds…
I died while experimenting with my Nephrite Lens. Using my own blood on it turned out to be not such a great idea, but it was worth it for science!
I’ve died a couple of times now. First time was unexpected and I was worried because of the “not returning to the Surface” thing; but then I’ve realized I have evrithing I want here on Fallen London, mysteries to solve, challengers to beat, congenial company, WINE, honey dreams, factions to get acquainted with, respect to be gained, learning, the possibility to go in and out of prison any day; to die innumerable times, to regain sanity whenever I please, to explore the life of both the exiled and the respected, and of the feared also. One cannot get or achieve these things back on the Surface, neither have the mystic paraphernalia that is so abundant here. It is a dangerous place, but one worth exploring; and I’ve learned to love it. All this allows me to say “I am a True Child of the Neath”
A sound strategy, if not that London days in the Neath are numbered. It’s not the first city to be stolen, and it shouldn’t be the last one - and judging by the hints here and there, what happens to most of the denizens of a city when another takes its place isn’t pleasant. At all.
A sound strategy, if not that London days in the Neath are numbered. It’s not the first city to be stolen, and it shouldn’t be the last one - and judging by the hints here and there, what happens to most of the denizens of a city when another takes its place isn’t pleasant. At all.[/quote]
Tentatively, perhaps a city is replaced when its denizens do not care about commerce and all that the Bazaar personifies anymore… Order and chaos are here and there and it must continue to be so. If the city fare well, there is no reason for it to be replaced. It is hinted somewhere at the beginning of the game that the peculiarity of Londoners makes them to love the city; perhaps citizens of the previous cities were less that happy to live in the Neath…
I am not entirely surprised at how people really do care less about deaths in the Neath. Although my habit of keeping the menace low certainly helped a lot.
At least, my main account has not only remained a stranger to the Boatman, but also to A State of Some Confusion (but not the hotel itself, as I do have a reservation there…)
Come to think of it, only the Tomb-Colonies are the nearly mandatory areas. As in being forced to be exiled via Court, compared to the other three menace area.
[quote=Byron Man]I am not entirely surprised at how people really do care less about deaths in the Neath. Although my habit of keeping the menace low certainly helped a lot.
At least, my main account has not only remained a stranger to the Boatman, but also to A State of Some Confusion (but not the hotel itself, as I do have a reservation there…)
Come to think of it, only the Tomb-Colonies are the nearly mandatory areas. As in being forced to be exiled via Court, compared to the other three menace area.[/quote]
If you have not died you have not met a certain spirit that has a suspicious connection with the Gracious Widow and Chi Lan (Black Ribbon)…
[quote=Byron Man]I am not entirely surprised at how people really do care less about deaths in the Neath. Although my habit of keeping the menace low certainly helped a lot.
At least, my main account has not only remained a stranger to the Boatman, but also to A State of Some Confusion (but not the hotel itself, as I do have a reservation there…)
Come to think of it, only the Tomb-Colonies are the nearly mandatory areas. As in being forced to be exiled via Court, compared to the other three menace area.[/quote]
The Light Fingers ambition requires you to go to the Royal Beth to progress.
I’m afraid it’s not the citizens! I remember a storylet in which someone toasted to the Empress… Implying that she could doom us all. Maybe your intuition is right, but it is not the citizen’s will that comes into play, but only the will of the people selling the city? We know from Heart’s Desire Ambition that SPOILER[color=rgb(255, 255, 255)] the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel, when he was Priest-King (), sold the First City for the life of his lover, a traveller who was to become the King with a Hundred Hearts. Sometime afterwards, they parted ways; then again (don’t know when), the Manager tried to regain the King’s love by playing the Marvellous, he failed, and the King made him promise that he would never play the Marvellous again [/color]SPOILER. This makes me wonder if the pact that transfers a city in the Neath could kind of lose effectiveness if the love bond between the seller and saved should wain or disappear altogether, dooming the city and its denizens to a horrible fate, unless for the lucky few that manage to avoid it (possibily via being effectively immortal?).
I’m afraid it’s not the citizens! I remember a storylet in which someone toasted to the Empress… Implying that she could doom us all. Maybe your intuition is right, but it is not the citizen’s will that comes into play, but only the will of the people selling the city? We know from Heart’s Desire Ambition that SPOILER[color=rgb(255, 255, 255)] the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel, when he was Priest-King (), sold the First City for the life of his lover, a traveller who was to become the King with a Hundred Hearts. Sometime afterwards, they parted ways; then again (don’t know when), the Manager tried to regain the King’s love by playing the Marvellous, he failed, and the King made him promise that he would never play the Marvellous again [/color]SPOILER. This makes me wonder if the pact that transfers a city in the Neath could kind of lose effectiveness if the love bond between the seller and saved should wain or disappear altogether, dooming the city and its denizens to a horrible fate, unless for the lucky few that manage to avoid it (possibily via being effectively immortal?).[/quote]
I think not as spoiler for information revealed at the end of the University storyline [color=#ffffff]the Duchess appears to still love the Castiger [/color]which would suggest otherwise. In the Affluent Photographer storyline [color=#ffffff]the two are discussing the shrinking population of London. Despite the fact that death isn’t permanent they mention that London appears to have lost as much as 25% of it’s population. I think perhaps a city moves on once the population is used up? Whether they move to other parts of the Neath or what have you. [/color]It would seem to suggest that there is rather more to it.
I’m afraid it’s not the citizens! I remember a storylet in which someone toasted to the Empress… Implying that she could doom us all. Maybe your intuition is right, but it is not the citizen’s will that comes into play, but only the will of the people selling the city? We know from Heart’s Desire Ambition that SPOILER[color=rgb(255, 255, 255)] the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel, when he was Priest-King (), sold the First City for the life of his lover, a traveller who was to become the King with a Hundred Hearts. Sometime afterwards, they parted ways; then again (don’t know when), the Manager tried to regain the King’s love by playing the Marvellous, he failed, and the King made him promise that he would never play the Marvellous again [/color]SPOILER. This makes me wonder if the pact that transfers a city in the Neath could kind of lose effectiveness if the love bond between the seller and saved should wain or disappear altogether, dooming the city and its denizens to a horrible fate, unless for the lucky few that manage to avoid it (possibily via being effectively immortal?).[/quote]
Maybe you’re right, the one who sold the city could doom us all if the pact is undone, but I remember the pact the Traitor Empress made was not for the sake of love, but for the life of her “love” Please edit my comment because I don’t know how to hide a spoiler; but I’ve learned the Traitor Empress sold the city to save the life of her consort, who was terribly ill; so he gained immortality and became the Cantigaster. So I think the key would be to not kill him or (to the same effect) to not let anyone (not even the T Empress) kill him
I have 2 black ribbons that say otherwise. MOST death isn’t permanent, but it’s certainly possible if you’re determined enough . . .
Just as SPOILER [color=rgb(255, 255, 255)]the Duchess loves the Cantigaster, the Manager still loves the King - only, his love is unrequited now. And the Duchess’ love might be unrequited as well, if not because it is unclear whether the cantigaster is able to have any deep feelings at all, apart from the constant pain and suffering that only milking it of its venom can ease. I wonder if he’s still conscious in there, and how much O_o Anyway, it seems possible that a love bond is considered severed when even only one lover changes his heart about it[/color]SPOILER.
The point about SPOILER [color=rgb(255, 255, 255)]London’s shrinking populace is interesting though. Probably the newcomers from above (players) aren’t enough to balance the ones who die permanently. But in that case it would become unclear how many survivor it would take to keep a city alive, as currently no city has ever been entirely without survivors - though the known total survivors from older cities amout to less than a dozen[/color]SPOILER. And again - both the notion that the number of fallen cities was preordained, and the general ominous feeling of the whole setting, makes me think of the end of a city more as the result of a catastrophic event than a slow fading into nothingness.
This is especially odd as the population of London boomed during the Victorian era, from about a million to about six million.
I only know this because it is in every single book about Victorian London ever written. It’s a law or something.
I am not quite sure of the Consort’s status, actually. We can probably guess that the Empress’s love for him will never fade… but if the Consort become… well… somewhat insentient, that would fit the same mold as Duchess and Cantigaster.
I am not quite sure of the Consort’s status, actually. We can probably guess that the Empress’s love for him will never fade… but if the Consort become… well… somewhat insentient, that would fit the same mold as Duchess and Cantigaster.[/quote]
(Love stuff LOL) Well, currently the sidebar states that Albert is faring quite well. Sure, a worsening in his condition is entirely possible, and at that point all Fallen Londoners will possibly be screwed big time.
Also, I was thinking…we know that the Duchess and the Cantigaster [color=#ffffff]have a son, who’s a horrible abomination off the old block. [/color]As I really don’t think this would be possible under any, ahem, normal means, do you think that the Masters had a hand (claw? tentacle?) in this?