Heart's Desire alt ending (spoilers for HD, SMEN)

Fallen London
1

&quotNow,&quot Mr Hearts asks you, &quotif you would do us the honour, tell us your heart’s desire. We shall do all in our power to grant it.&quot
Choose… Something Else
You did not play this game for yourself. You played it for him. You will ask for his rebirth. (requires SMEN, What is Forgotten?)
[i]
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&quotAh&quot says Mr Hearts. It is the only sound in the room. None of the Masters move. The ensuing silence is so great that it even drowns out the hustle and bustle of London outside. Mr Hearts looks at Mr Wines, who in turn looks at Mr Fires, who (begrudgingly) looks at Mr Stones and so on until Mr Spices, who goes to look for Mr Veils only to find its absence. It has somehow managed to vacate the premises.

(Coward! COWARD! I shall find you. No matter where you go, I shall find you…)

&quotSurely we can just refuse?!&quot asks Mr Stones.
&quotWe cannot&quot answers Mr Wines. &quotWe gave our word. There is a price for breaking it.”
&quotThat price may be worth paying, compared to what this one asks of us!&quot Mr Spices interjects.
THIS IS WHY WE HAVE THE PROCEDURES is scrawled frantically on a nearby chalkboard.

Mr Hearts reaches up to the nearby shelf and picks up one of the books in question. &quotThis is not a wish we… that is to say I, had foreseen. What do you gain from this? You could wish for anything! Eternal life, unlimited wealth, fame beyond imagination. Doesn’t any of that appeal to you? Why do you want this?&quot

(Why?!)

The answer dies on the tip of your tongue. It has been too long, too much. There is so little left of you now. Your mind, body and soul have been pushed beyond their limits. And yet, this is nothing compared to what he suffered. This is nothing compared to the betrayal. The world turns red. A reckoning will not be postponed indefinitely! Will not be postponed indefinitely!! Will not be…! Will not…!

&quotJustice.&quot The part of you which speaks is as small and insignificant as a grain of sand on a beach, yet the single word shakes the rafters of the room. &quotJustice.&quot Such a simple word, yet it took all your remaining strength to say it.

A book slams shut. &quotNothing in the Tragedy Procedures covers this exact scenario,&quot Mr Hearts mutters. &quotI need suggestions.&quot
&quotThere is… one possibility.&quot says Mr Cups. All eyes in the room turn desperately to him. The Masters converge, all except Mr Hearts who takes you down to the main part of the Bazaar, where you are offered the finest foods your eyes have ever seen. When did you last eat? Last drink? You can’t remember. Your mind is full of candles and rage and cards and madness and hate and sadness and darkness and…

&quotAre you awake?&quot

You must have fallen asleep. As you open your eyes, the world seems a little brighter than it was before, the colours a little richer, your mind a little quieter. Eventually, you’re able to focus on Mr Hearts towering over you, blocking your vision of the rest of the room. The Master then steps aside to reveal another of their number you have never seen before - one much smaller than them. It is barely as tall as you. You gingerly offer a greeting to it, to which it nods timidly in response.

Mr Hearts explains. &quotThis is Mr Candles, revived as you requested. They do not appear to remember much, which appears to be a side-effect of the process. In time, we will teach them to integrate with the city. Until then, they will reside with us.&quot
&quotOur contract is fulfilled. You have caused us no small deal of trouble and expense, though you were at least excellent entertainment. Now, I must ask you to leave. We have a lot to be getting on with. Mr Candles will escort you out.&quot

As you leave the Bazaar, your escort gives you a fond farewell and a parting gift: a single, handcrafted candle. From what you are told, it will never burn down. It will forever burn as brightly as you did that day, when you gave up infinite possibilities for the sake of another. There is a little more justice in this world, and what could you want more than that?

Ambition Reward:
Mr Candles’ Candle (Home Comfort)
Watchful +10, Artisan of the Red Science +1, Dreaded +2, Obscurity -7
&quotRemember.&quot
(Thank you very much for reading. Any feedback is welcome, particularly around pacing)
edited by Arcengal on 6/20/2020
edited by Arcengal on 6/20/2020

1 Like
2

Not bad. But a happy ending defeats the point of SMEN. Still though, one can imagine.

3

There needs to be horrible consequences. If they could have just brought him back and not had anything terrible happen as a result, they would have.

I’ve barely played any of SMEN, b I think this should probably require a seven-fold knock, to avoid breaking that story. And someone would have to sweep through all the other SMEN-unlocked branches in the game to make sure they still make sense after playing this story.

4

I had it in my head that bringing back Candles would still leave the rage etc of Eaten out there somewhere (the &quotCandles&quot that was revived by Cup’s ritual was all of him except the vengeance), so the player could technically still go NORTH if they wanted, but I couldn’t find a way to fit it in without making it feel even longer than it already was (since I was trying to keep it as lengthy as the other endings). It could have been mentioned as part of the Ambition Reward or an epilogue, etc.

Feedback so far is that it’s not horrible enough to be in-keeping with the spirit of the story and I think that’s a very fair point.
edited by Arcengal on 6/21/2020

5

I really liked reading what you wrote. They are right that a happy ending doesn’t really fit. Even what I’ve written just now I think is too happy, but I gave it a shot and had fun doing it.
Please Note: I played Seeking before the rework but have recently come back and have not completed it. Let me know what you think!

A book slams shut. &quotNothing in the Tragedy Procedures covers this exact scenario,&quot Mr Hearts mutters. &quotI need suggestions.&quot
&quotThere is… one possibility.&quot says Mr Cups. All eyes in the room turn desperately to him. The Masters converge, all except Mr Hearts who takes you down a secret part of the Bazaar. He offers you a single crumb of bread as he asks you the question. “Would you truly sacrifice everything for the sake of one long-forgotten?” You don’t need to answer. You know the answer and so does he. His robes deflate slightly, resignation?

You are on an altar. How did you get here? Seven Masters surround you. You feel the gaze of the others from somewhere. You feel your mind itself begin to betray you and collapse; your grief, your anger, a reckoning will not be postponed indefinitely. A knife stabs down into your weeping scar, slashing out muscle and fat. You hear a low-pitched growl of a whisper “I have forgotten”. The next is slower than the first. Perhaps there is regret? Seven gashes replace your seven scars; your blood is coating the floor of the entire room. How is there this much blood? It will never be enough. The pain is enough you wish you could die and yet a hatred burns even stronger.
You see one of the other Masters shaping your viscera into candles. Seven candles. They are alight around you now. All of them surround you now. Mr Irons begins to write in your blood to which Mr Hearts says “It is too late now”. Together they dine on your flesh. You begin to smile. Your blood on the ground begins to write and lash out; it sears each of the Masters with a sigil as you feel yourself die. You will never DIE. You have died. You will feast. You are so hungry.
Nothing is left of you now. There is anger. There is grief. There is hunger. You remember what the Masters did to you. You remember the pain, you remember being consumed. Your reckoning will not be postponed indefinitely.

You have restored Mr Candles to life but in doing so have taken his place. You sacrificed everything, as others will sacrifice Seeking Your Name. Congratulations Mr Eaten!
edited by Zeel on 6/22/2020

6

Pretty dang good. I guess the idea is that this ends the account in the same way as going through the Gate does? I like how it still perpetuates the cycle of revenge while giving the player the “happy ending” they wanted.

7

Basically. I feel like any actual resolution to Mr Eaten needs to stop you being playable otherwise it cheapens the real ending. I also like the idea that Eaten has become far greater than just Mr Candles, the actions taken created an entity far beyond control. And yet, for the Seeker, this is the happiest ending they could expect. They gave everything, and Candles was revived.

8

Mr. Candles was the best Master of them all.

He cared when the others did not.

Never interrupt the Rubberies when they sing into the well.

9

Alternatively alternatively:

“There is… one possibility.” says Mr Cups. All eyes in the room turn desperately to him. The Masters converge, all except Mr Hearts who takes you down a secret part of the Bazaar. He offers you a single crumb of bread as he asks you the question. “Would you truly sacrifice everything for the sake of one long-forgotten?” You don’t need to answer. You know the answer and so does he. His robes deflate slightly, resignation?

The Masters argue amongst themselves, but Mr Hearts takes you further into the Bazaar. He lays you on what seems to be an altar, and that is all you remember fully before flashes of pain and absolute suffering. You awake to what seems an eternity later, a taste in your mouth reminiscent of what you have dreamed. Hearts lies below you, barely breathing. Your body is unfamiliar, your mind screams at you for vengeance and a reckoning.

But you are used to this feeling. It is not now you can control it-you feel yourself slipping. There are two of you, now. This is what you wanted.

You now have 1 Fractured Mind (Not Unequippable, Watchful -10, Nightmares +1, Dreaded +2) (Unsure of which slot this should be)

Your Nightmares are now 8 - Raving
Your Wounds are now 8 - The Spirit has Departed

10

Potentially a softlock because it sends you to a menace zone with a permanent nightmares+1, unless you had the foresight to acquire a goldfish or have the jewelled cane. Otherwise enigmatic enough to work.

11

Mmmmm good point. Perhaps it could unlock an option at Nightmares 1 to leave the state of confusion/marches?
edited by Jel on 7/5/2020