[spoiler*]Words words words[/spoiler*] Just like that, sans the asterisks.
In regards to the actual content of your post, it seemed implied that Lacre is used as a sedative somehow, to keep the "stone pigs" asleep. It remains unclear what this refers to. Perhaps the need for sorrow is an extension of the Bazaar’s craving for love stories? Some of the most powerful stories are tragic, after all.
And I do not think it is for the benefit of Mr Eaten. Every sign says that the Masters would rather put him behind them entirely, even going so far as trying to eradicate any trace of him from memories. The only Master I’ve seen mention him of their own volition (and without doing horrible things to everyone else nearby) is Mr Hearts, and even that was hardy positive. edited by Alexander Feld on 12/2/2013
[quote=Fhoenix]It is also said, that the reservoirs are emptied every year (presumably at Christmas?). And we don’t see mass disappearances every year.
It was previously mentioned, that love stories are getting worse in quantity and quality and moving the city would help with that. How all this is tied into with the mass extinction event is not entirely clear.
Why does the Bazaar need Lacre in the first place? The Master’s are interested in love stories to help alleviate whatever is ailing their employer and/or Bazaar. Or maybe to slightly appease Mr.Eaten, who would like his accounting to be done and over, thank you very much.
Lacre is sorrow. Sorrow that in enough quantities will destroy a soul. Love stories either help deal with it, or this sorrow is a byproduct of them. But why would the Master’s need full reservoirs of Lacre? Full and not empty? Wouldn’t you like to get read of it, not have more? It all looks strangely backwards to me.
edit: Eh, how do I make a spoiler? Never done them. Do I need a spoiler for what I wrote? It IS mostly speculative. edited by Fhoenix on 12/2/2013[/quote]
If you need it, just type what you want to hide between "spoiler" and "/spoiler", only with square brackets [] instead of quotation marks. Remember that the system only supports a sinlge spoiler per post.
Don’t we? The Affluent Photographer talks of the outer areas of London being depopulated. Is anyone keeping a census? In a city being devoured by its Masters, is census-taking a revolutionary act?
[quote=Alexander Feld]
And I do not think it is for the benefit of Mr Eaten. Every sign says that the Masters would rather put him behind them entirely, even going so far as trying to eradicate any trace of him from memories. edited by Alexander Feld on 12/2/2013[/quote]
They would like him forgotten, but he is not going away anywhere really. Oh, oh. Maybe the Masters need fresh Lacre for the well from time to time.
For a time I thought that Mr.Eaten IS their employer. The Masters betrayed him and hijacked the Bazaar. And now they are using love stories to keep Mr.Eaten/Bazaar under control. But the Masters take comfort from the promise of "All manner of things shall be well". And if Mr.Eaten was the one who promised them that… they probably would not. Then again, the promise of accounting clashes with the promise of "All manner of things shall be well" unless that well is A well. Then again, Masters promise us in turn, that "All manner of things shall be well". And in our case it does seem to be a well, that all things will end up in. A very nice Lacre well indeed. So, poetic retribution for the Masters is in order?
[quote=Fhoenix][quote=Alexander Feld]
And I do not think it is for the benefit of Mr Eaten. Every sign says that the Masters would rather put him behind them entirely, even going so far as trying to eradicate any trace of him from memories. edited by Alexander Feld on 12/2/2013[/quote]
They would like him forgotten, but he is not going away anywhere really. Oh, oh. Maybe the Masters need fresh Lacre for the well from time to time.
For a time I thought that Mr.Eaten IS their employer. The Masters betrayed him and hijacked the Bazaar. And now they are using love stories to keep Mr.Eaten/Bazaar under control. But the Masters take comfort from the promise of "All manner of things shall be well". And if Mr.Eaten was the one who promised them that… they probably would not. Then again, the promise of accounting clashes with the promise of "All manner of things shall be well" unless that well is A well. Then again, Masters promise us in turn, that "All manner of things shall be well". And in our case it does seem to be a well, that all things will end up in. A very nice Lacre well indeed. So, poetic retribution for the Masters is in order?
I am confused.[/quote]
Well well, that is a lot of wells. Confusion seems most apt, under the circumstances.
Still, I get the sense that Mr Eaten is an unaccounted for piece in the overall game the Masters are playing. The reckoning he seeks to bring seems like a personal vendetta, and his definition of "all manner of things being well" is probably quite different from the others’. edited by Alexander Feld on 12/2/2013
Don’t we? The Affluent Photographer talks of the outer areas of London being depopulated. Is anyone keeping a census? In a city being devoured by its Masters, is census-taking a revolutionary act?[/quote]
I remember that. But depopulation is not the same as disappearance. I think depopulation is due to people leaving (for the Colonies/Nadir/into the Zee/wherever) and dying, and not enough new arrivals. It’s hard to notice a slow depopulation without a census, yes. Disappearance? People would notice. There would be rumors. There would be mentions. We don’t really see that in the current London stories.
But it could be that, yes. It’s just that love stories are at the core of the Bazaar. It would be strange, if all of a sudden it was human sacrifices that it was after all along. They are so much easier to obtain than genuine stories after all. Personally, I thought mass extinction to be a side effect of moving the next city. So I am surprised to find the Bazaar/something in it hungry for them.
Are you sure? Noone would notice people disappearing from the Rookeries, for example. If they did, they wouldn’t care, and they certainly wouldn’t report it. edited by dragonridingsorceress on 12/2/2013
Maybe a normal citizen would not notice. But, I mean, my character is well Connected. Urchins, Criminals. I spend time in Spite, I visit the Flit. Most of the low level content involves spending time among the poor and robbing the rich blind. If mass disappearances were a big theme for the game, it would be strange we did not notice it.
Of course it’s my interpretation. I could be wrong.
[quote=Fhoenix]Maybe a normal citizen would not notice. But, I mean, my character is well Connected. Urchins, Criminals. I spend time in Spite, I visit the Flit. Most of the low level content involves spending time among the poor and robbing the rich blind. If mass disappearances were a big theme for the game, it would be strange we did not notice it.
Of course it’s my interpretation. I could be wrong.[/quote]
I think the main problem with that line of reasoning is that in Spite people disappear ALL THE TIME. It would probably take a careful investigation to notice that some of the daily disappearance cannot be blamed on killers, hunger, illnesses, hangings and all of the usual "little problems" of London’s poorer denizens.
Notice I say “mass disappearances”.
Killers, hunger, illness and hangings don’t make people disappear. They leave corpses. In Fallen London’s case those corpses quite often later reanimate and continues being part of the city. And in any case, enough of these events together will get noticed. If Jack starts killing people, it’s not exactly a mystery. A mob will form and lynch him. Hangings are very loud. Hunger will actually make people riot. A government that kidnaps enough of it’s own people to depopulate a part of the city? Okay, I can believe that. A government that does the same and nobody notices? Would be no easier to conceal, than an epidemic of Black Plague.
Special Constables are probably taking some people away for various reasons, but if it was enough to affect the city, I think we would know.
Re: Mr. Eaten and “All shall be well,” that was the promise that the Bazaar made to the Masters. He is pissed precisely because he doesn’t feel that the bargain is being upheld, since all is not well for Mr. Eaten and he’s been usurped/replaced, essentially.