On honey, plants, and abstraction *spoilers*

Dear Ladys and Sirs,

I find myself in a quest to obtain a great deal of prisoner’s honey and my current solution, well 18 a time seems quite slow. My skills are progressing a pace and I find myself in the mid-60s and stalled upon many a storyline while I pursue this endeavor. Is there another way to gain the needed substance if I am just a touch more patient?

Plants. I have a strange plant and my skill with it seems to ebb and wane going from 3 to 5 with no gain beyond and a frustrating lack of luck. Is there more to this? I have even invested fate in this particular endeavor and found my “great increase” to be rather paltry for the cost.

Lastly, I have recently received many invites from the Quiet Deviless and the Affectionate Devil with murmurings about abstraction. I fear if I undergo this process, I will lose their attention, does anyone have an advice? I find I quiet enjoy their company and the Quiet Deviless seems to need a companion not in it for their own needs.

Regards,
Maurna Frost
A wily Lady
edited by MaurnaFrost on 12/20/2011

My dear Miss Frost,

Have you access to the Shuttered Palace? With sufficient Bohemian connections (at least 15, specifically) you may trade these connections for 120 drops of honey per visit. This will naturally require finding Bohemian connections in the first place, however, so if this is not your forte I commend you to whoever might be better informed than myself on the subject.

Regarding your green lodger, by reaching Level 10 of Attending to the Needs of a Singular Plant you will be able to enter it in competitions against similar plants belonging to other residents of Fallen London. These contests include strength (plant battles) cunning (which knows the most dreadful secrets) and so forth, with prizes for the winner. I myself have recently found my plant suitable for such a thing, and so if this has piqued your interest would be happy to compete against you when your plant reaches sufficient strength and vigor.

I stongly advise against exploring the Abstraction; as many a young ingenue has been warned, devils only want one thing, and once they have it…

However, it is well worth gently rebuffing the Affectionate Devil, as he enjoys a challenge. It is even more productive to critique the Quiet Deviless’ poetry, although you must not commit to any specific response; both honesty and mockery have their place.

1: The Court is a fine place to find Honey - you may need to polish your Persuasive some more, but you’ll get there.

2: Collect rats, candles and clues - there are few finer fertilizers for a budding lily.

3: As you astutely observe, giving the Devils what they want may well result in the diminution of their affections. To continue enjoying their courtship, avoid Abstraction.

For the plant, I am of the mind that the so-called noted orchid grower does more harm than good. Now that I refuse to let her see my plant, I feel its growth has steadily increased. Slowly, yes, but steadily.

Ooh! What wonderful advice, I thank you all!

I do count among my contacts a number of Bohemians, this does seem the way to go and a more profitable line of pursuit.

Yes I had recently hear of this competition and had wondered if my young plant was involved. I shall all of your advice into account, and visit the Soldier perhaps, for more rats.

Ahh the key to the Devils, sound logic indeed! I find this advice much more prudent than the risky venture encouraged by other party attendees.

Many thanks for the responses all!

~MF
A Lady with an inquiring mind

Dear Lady Frost,

I herewith enclose what are to my knowledge all possible ways of accumulating larger amounts of honey. Some of them might not yet be open to you at your current level of progress, but they are worthy to know about in advance, too.

  1. As others already suggested, if you have high “Connected: Bohemian” you can “Call on your Bohemian friends to return a favour” under ‘Call in favours at the Shuttered Palace’. This provides 120 Drops but also reduces your connection significantly, so it cannot be done too often.
  2. To ‘Discuss philosophy whilst taking the air’ in “The life of the mind” at the Shuttered Palace provides 47 per action. ‘Join a picnic expedition’ in “The Corruption of Youth” provides 45 per action. As the actions do not lower your connections, they are more rewarding in the long run.
  3. If you don’t have access to the Court, gaining 35 is the ‘lucky’ option in ‘Take a consignment of old props’ in Veilgarden (if you’re unlucky you’ll get 5 Second City Relics).
  4. Once it is open to you, consider a loop through the Second Coil of the Labyrinth of Tigers, as the final step there provides 150 Drops of Honey with “The Tiger Keeper wanders over”.

Regarding your beloved plant, I can only say that growing it to full size requires quite a large amount of both time and Fate (and even more time without Fate). But the delights of botany are not for the rash and impatient to discover…

Yours etc.
Rupho Schartenhauer

[quote=Wieland Burandt]Dear Lady Frost,

I herewith enclose what are to my knowledge all possible ways of accumulating larger amounts of honey. Some of them might not yet be open to you at your current level of progress, but they are worthy to know about in advance, too.

  1. To ‘Discuss philosophy whilst taking the air’ in “The life of the mind” at the Shuttered Palace provides 47 per action. ‘Join a picnic expedition’ in “The Corruption of Youth” provides 45 per action. As the actions do not lower your connections, they are more rewarding in the long run.
  2. If you don’t have access to the Court, gaining 35 is the ‘lucky’ option in ‘Take a consignment of old props’ in Veilgarden (if you’re unlucky you’ll get 5 Second City Relics).
  3. Once it is open to you, consider a loop through the Second Coil of the Labyrinth of Tigers, as the final step there provides 150 Drops of Honey with “The Tiger Keeper wanders over”.

Regarding your beloved plant, I can only say that growing it to full size requires quite a large amount of both time and Fate (and even more time without Fate). But the delights of botany are not for the rash and impatient to discover…

Yours etc.
Rupho Schartenhauer[/quote]

I have not yet had the joy of these choices in the Palace, perhaps I shall spend more time there and take a visit to court! I have visited the Labyrinth the once, but I am not truly ready to explore it’s wonders.

I do thank you for the information and shall keep a lookout!

~MF
A Lady with a lucky weasel

Another method to consider is the Bazaar. Prisoner’s Honey sells for 4 pence a drop, but there are things much more easily procured that sell for 4 pence. Such as Proscribed Material if you happen to have any.

Allow me to warn you against the advances of the Devils through poetry.

Lines found wrapped around a Gift of Scorn outside the Brass Embassy

(Written for the Feast of the Exceptional Rose)

I came through fire and water to this place
My pain and loss had stripped me of my grace
I sought but vengeance, had no eye for joy
…An easy prey for devils, and their toy

They came to me with eyes as bright as brass
And told of love with tongues like silvered glass
We shared a meal, a concert; I was rapt
And by compassion I was soon entrapped

A devil I once met whose love was true
My feelings then, I thought, would save those two
One fateful night, I slipped beneath their thrall
And then - alas! - the darkness covers all

Take heed of my example, little dove:
I loved not them, but the ideal of love.

[quote=Asclepius Unbound]Allow me to warn you against the advances of the Devils through poetry.

Lines found wrapped around a Gift of Scorn outside the Brass Embassy

(Written for the Feast of the Exceptional Rose)

I came through fire and water to this place
My pain and loss had stripped me of my grace
I sought but vengeance, had no eye for joy
…An easy prey for devils, and their toy

They came to me with eyes as bright as brass
And told of love with tongues like silvered glass
We shared a meal, a concert; I was rapt
And by compassion I was soon entrapped

A devil I once met whose love was true
My feelings then, I thought, would save those two
One fateful night, I slipped beneath their thrall
And then - alas! - the darkness covers all

Take heed of my example, little dove:
I loved not them, but the ideal of love.[/quote]

Really now, no need to blame the devils for one’s own foolishness. The allure of Hell is the thrill of danger; succumbing to resentment when one inevitably falls is childish. I, for one, have no regrets.

On a more relevant note, the University is an excellent source of Honey if one is Watchful enough and connected with Benthic. Discussing cricket can earn 75 drops per action.

Ooh a warning well meant! I have found quite the mix of intentions in my dealings but will take heed! It does seem that part of my particular dilemma is indeed cured by have a smidge more patience and widening my dealings! I do appreciate the information!

~MF
A Lady with intent!

I’ll note you in my book of memory.

[Yes, the Court is currently the best place for Honey.]