Not sure if this has been discussed before, but has anyone ever wondered about the little snippets of surface life that appear in the Nadir? I’m talking about Woods in Winter, Past Confidences, and some of the tattoo results from the Feast. It seems that the backstory of the player, whatever that might have been, seems to be suggested to be an irrigo induced fabrication–that Millicent Clathermont on the surface, along with some other powers, had the player arranged to be sent to the Neath to accomplish some purpose.
Anyone have any thoughts on this? Do you think this represents a secret history for the PC, or just sort of a dream or fantasy that really belonged to someone else. The Nadir makes things like this difficult to parse.
Apologies if this has been discussed before.
I’ve seen the Nadir more as you experiencing another’s past. Woods in Winter particularly touches upon another, and has further hints in the exceptional story The Waltz That Moved the World. Of course this doesn’t really rule out the PC being involved unknowingly, but it seems unlikely FBG to dictate one’s background like that (and even vague attempts at such dictation are not received well; see the reaction to A Daughter in the Shadows content). Usually they provide some control even when a backstory is needed (Nemesis, the recalling the surface cards)
Interesting. I haven’t played that story. I was thinking similarly to you, that it didn’t seem right for PCs backstory to be dictated to the player, but given the theme of amnesia in the Nadir, the idea that the player as well as the character were stumbling upon little bits of a forgotten backstory seemed such an effective storytelling mechanism that I wondered if it wasn’t intentional.
In the Nadir things are sloughed off, and encountered by others. Seeking has a notable example of one’s past, their snakeskin having been shed, being found and becoming part of you the player and Seeker.
You see a lot from the Fourth City, for instance, that one can’t have seen firsthand