Over the Last Horizon: The Salt/East Thread

Fallen London
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WARNING; Sunless Sea hidden ambition SPOILERS, as well as a bit of discussion/possible SPOILERS of SMEN. If you do not wish to be spoiled, pass thee not beyond this sentence.
Alright, I tried using post links, but upon testing…links didn’t go where I wanted. So meanwhile, if you want to find one of my keystone posts, ignore any remaining links, and use the page numbers and keywords in Ctrl+F:
(Page 1) East Information Post: THE FINAL HORIZON
(Page 2) Salt Information Post: TRAVELLER RETURNING
(Page 2) Questions Post: WHERE ARE YOU GOING, OLD SOUL?
(Page 3) Speculation Post: DREAD SURMISE
(Page 3) Parabola/East/Salt Post: MIRRORS AND CHANGE
(Page 4) Zubmariner Post: SUN WITHIN THE SEA


Has gone NORTH. Has taken the Who Is Salt? path. Really wishes I could discuss, but such is forbidden, and I shall not be the one to break the pact. Does not regret any of it. Can say this much: This line of inquiry is likely to be of vast importance.

First, just out of curiousity, and to get things maybe rolling a bit, what are all the mentions of the East in Fallen London right now? I know the Zee-ship option is there, telling me that the Widows Brandy is suggested to come from there, but are there any other mentions? (Asides from Fate-locked content, I’d rather not be devoured by a swarm of rats).

Second, what mentions of Salt are there, as as far as I can recall, I haven’t run into too many mentions, with two mentions of TRAVELLER RETURNING, one in content I cannot and the other when I did my destiny at Hallowmas. I know the other two so called ‘Gods of the Zee’ have their many mentions, but honestly, they don’t pique my curiosity as much as Salt (Again, asides from fate content, and especially aside from SMEN, as not only would I be drowned in a well by multiple parties, I intend to one day complete it for myself, and I’ve spoiled myself enough with that which was mentioned prior).

MAJOR OP EDIT: Wow, seems I’m not the only lunatic interested in this. To cut down a bit on the rambling, I’m going to edit out most of this preamble, and just make a list of references to the East and Salt, a list of possible references, and a bit for speculation (coughtinfoilhattingcough).


(Prelist note: Due to the fact that some storylets that reference the post topic being fate-locked, I cannot divulge where the storylet can be found, post the storylets. To accomodate said rules on FATE, I will only use the most miniscule amount of information that I can, without making it impossible to discuss at all.)


List of Easty References:

1.) Freeing the Genial Magician during the Wednesday in Parabola Destiny storylet mentions the presence of a Riddle of the East of Everything.

2.) When selecting a destination after getting your travel quality to 10 in the Southern Archipelago, one destination is East, with a requirement of a
Celestial Cinnabar Compass, and the description: &quot&quotIf one could cross the Unterzee to the uttermost East, what would one find? Is it really thence the Widow’s brandy comes?&quot. (Possible Widow connection to the East).

3.) There is a certain storylet that involves you being denied passage East…at the moment. Also involves good old Kingeaters, for Exaltation players.

List of Salty References:

1.) When returning from Sea of Voices, the intermediate storylet between SoV and the Archipelago has one of your zailors praying to the Three Gods (Storm, Stone, and Salt). When he/she/it gets to Salt, they start by asking Salt to not tempt us (the crew) and is then immediately cut of by the bosun before they can say what the temptation is.

2.) A seemingly major story-chain in the Seeking Mr. Eaten’s Name content. Via what information I can glean from spacemarine9’s fantastic tumblr (saint arthur’s candle, in particular, the Riding Immortal on the Seeking Road post) a hidden path in the End-Game of Seeking involves the question: Who is Salt? Said path can only be accessed by completing all &quotoptional preparations&quot, and doing so will allow you to acquire the &quotSun Beneath the Sea&quot quality. I do not know anymore, as near the end of SMEN, there is apparently a request to keep secret anything past that certain point, and even were someone to reveal the information, I would not post it here.

3.) Apparently some storylet at the Panopticon during the Rose feast.

4.) Any mention of Traveller Returning (Often done in all caps). If you take the Hallowmas Visitor option of the Special Constable, it does say &quotperhaps you’ll soon dream of a traveller returning&quot (Turns out I’m not cra…that crazy). I do know of one instance involving a Bazzar Permit with &quotServices Rendered&quot being filled in with the aforementioned phrase, but alas, Fate-Locked, so that’s as detailed as I can get.

Unconfirmed References:

1.) In the SoV, you can hear voices on the wind (or the wind is actually alive and speaking to you, Sea of Voices is pretty f’ing weird like that). You aren’t quite able to make it out, and what you think it might say is ‘A future consumed and forgotten’. Yes, I get that this sounds really Mr Eaten’y, but something important to recall is that while yes, SMEN does involve the consumption of your Destiny (Or getting the Torment destiny, I’m no SMEN expert by any means), something similar also occurred in the Exaltation Ambition, the Sunless Sea hidden ambition that had you cross the East. At Kingeater’s Castle, the Place of Pacts,can sacrifice your past, your present, your future. Not only can you no longer exist, but those directly connected to you, such as your wife and child (Really, consider the Exaltation ambition to be SMEN put into Sunless Sea. Both involve sacrifice, seeking a name, and it is bloody hard to find the text for either on the internet). While yes, this SoV storylet could just be SMEN referencing, it could just as well be Salty.

2.) Also in SoV (I got super tinfoil hatty about this one a little ways down the thread), there is a storylet where you pass a Lighthouse. This being the super freaky SoV, of course the Lighthouse is alive. In it’s rambling, it mentions that some unconfirmed male entity was seeking after a name, and Mr Fires came by in his super-awesome dirigible and didn’t even pay the living lighthouse any mind, and so forth. Again, could be SMEN reference, could be Salt. I also have no idea what Fires was doing so far from the Bazaar (The Unterzee alters every now and again, cuz of Treachery, but at least in Sunless Sea, which should still be canon, Polythreme is ALWAYS far from London). Worth pointing out I suppose that Fires could/maybe be the patron Master of Travellers, as he rules the fuel trade, dirigibles, and has a huge part to play in Zee Travel. Also worth mentioning that Polythreme, at least in Sunless Sea, is ALWAYS in the Eastern half of the map.

3.)Really, not sure which particular storylet this was, but on some Card with the Urchins, there was mention of one singing a song: &quot&quot…an’ we all fall down when the Mark’s passed around, but we climb up the ropes to the SKYYYYYYY!&quot. Your character even mentions that the word Mark had a distinctly capital letter,
A.) In Sunless Sea, you can pass over horizons and get particular qualities for doing so. You get Scars for going North (appropriate), The Western Stigma for passing West into the bowels of the Dawn Machine, and the Touch of the South for braving Adam’s Way. Attempting to go East without achieving the Exaltation Ambition (Part of the process in achieving said ambition is actually crossing all four horizons, so you have to try) is The Mark of The East. Also worth noting is that the East is where the roof of the neath opens up like an eye (IIRC, you can see…well, a sky after passing the East).
B.) Also important is the fact that the Urchins, asides from being the bestest faction ever, have a LOT of connections to some of the deeper mysteries of the Neath. The Wild Words item category involves them in all item actions. They have explicit connections to Storm and Stone (To get into Old Downy in Heart’s Desire, you have to say a bit of Presbytereate verse praising the Mountain, AKA Stone, the treasure they guard is a sliver of the Mountain itself, and when you promise to return it, they say that the thunder told them so, which is connected to Storm and his dream chain).Not sure if they have even explicit storylets with Salt, but since Salt, (or what I understand is his embittered ex-boss, the White) tends to wipe a lot of details from history, wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t anything more specific.
edited by Kyron The Wise on 8/24/2016

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Alright, time to throw in my limited knowledge.
Firstly, the gods of the Zee and the Zee itself isn’t all that relevant in Fallen London. You quickly learn that no one really cares about the Zee to the point that the far Khanate is more of a myth than a business partner. There’s not much content regarding Zailors and the Zee-Gods, and true Londoners will usually treat Stone, Storm, and Salt worship as a quaint and heathen practice, at best.

While we’re certainly not getting a second SMEN storyline (The entire storyline is made to be unique and self-destructive), it is certainly possible that down the line we’ll get a new exceptional story concerning the East, or something of the likes.

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Come February, go to the Panopticon. Watch the play. Look for the Phoenix.

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Always glad for more character killing, account deleting, madness inducing storylines!

I imagine that each of those terminal plots would be respective to each game. Crossover would be nice but quite a lot of work, considering how much writing is needed, not even counting the expense requirement in game. And that you could only do one of them before going completely off the deep end.

Personally, I’d like the idea of getting a bonus and/or curse for the other game after completing one of the fool-hardy ends. Something to show that even when you play a completely different character, the sins you’ve committed follow you forever. And possibly get a nice hat.

Either way, I would be hard pressed to make use of any development. My preference is a brief glance in to the abyss to whet my whistle, as opposed to jumping in screaming &quotCannonball&quot. Though I will gladly enjoy watching others do so.

[spoiler]

Don’t touch my bags if you please, Mister Neddy Man. [/spoiler]
edited by FireOfUnknownOrigin on 8/24/2016

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Unfortunately, most of London’s stories tend to be more London focused. There are tiny tidbits and hints of Zee lore scattered around but it’s more famine than feast. The Seventh Letter play which you get the opportunity to see during the Feast of the Exceptional Rose is probably of greatest interest to you but it’s super esoteric so don’t expect it to shine a clear light on anything.

I’m all for more epic tales of self destruction (I’m seeking the name and I recently picked up Sunless Sea again, having only played it previously during early access, with the express goal of traveling EAST) but don’t expect to see another one any time soon. There are some fairly obvious business reasons why introducing end states into a game like this is probably not the best choice from a business standpoint (I’m still curious about what the long term impact of SMEN is going to be on that front). Also, end game content updates in FL are extremely rare. I’d be really interested to see the statistics on what percentage of active players become a Person of Some Importance/buy a boat/hit the content boundary for their ambition. I’ve long suspected that the majority of the player base never makes it to Zee.

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[quote=FireOfUnknownOrigin]Always glad for more character killing, account deleting, madness inducing storylines!

I imagine that each of those terminal plots would be respective to each game. Crossover would be nice but quite a lot of work, considering how much writing is needed, not even counting the expense requirement in game. And that you could only do one of them before going completely off the deep end.

edited by FireOfUnknownOrigin on 8/24/2016[/quote]

I would like to point out that one of the Zee Ship Travel options is simply The East, with the description &quotIf one could cross the Unterzee to the uttermost East, what would one find? Is it really thence the Widow’s brandy comes?&quot. Said option is locked by both a Celestial Cinnabar Compass, and by the Impossible marker, with the statement that this route is not currently available.

SMEN sadism or not (And the TRAVELLER RETURNING doesn’t particularly involve sadistic loss of stuff, just the inevitability of a constant traveller being incapable of keeping down roots), odds are the East will be attainable one day, as will Irem (and by extension, perhaps a more direct/trippy route into Parabola). The question is not whether we will be able to access the East, as I doubt they would have put the option if there were not some kind of plans for it. Instead, I wonder if the story will be as intricate (perhaps not as violently self-destructive) as discovering the route to the NORTH has been.

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[quote=Kyron The Wise][quote=FireOfUnknownOrigin]Always glad for more character killing, account deleting, madness inducing storylines!

I imagine that each of those terminal plots would be respective to each game. Crossover would be nice but quite a lot of work, considering how much writing is needed, not even counting the expense requirement in game. And that you could only do one of them before going completely off the deep end.

edited by FireOfUnknownOrigin on 8/24/2016[/quote]

I would like to point out that one of the Zee Ship Travel options is simply The East, with the description &quotIf one could cross the Unterzee to the uttermost East, what would one find? Is it really thence the Widow’s brandy comes?&quot. Said option is locked by both a Celestial Cinnabar Compass, and by the Impossible marker, with the statement that this route is not currently available.

SMEN sadism or not (And the TRAVELLER RETURNING doesn’t particularly involve sadistic loss of stuff, just the inevitability of a constant traveller being incapable of keeping down roots), odds are the East will be attainable one day, as will Irem (and by extension, perhaps a more direct/trippy route into Parabola). The question is not whether we will be able to access the East, as I doubt they would have put the option if there were not some kind of plans for it. Instead, I wonder if the story will be as intricate (perhaps not as violently self-destructive) as discovering the route to the NORTH has been.[/quote]

In matters of direction, are there any people better to walk besides than Cartographers, those worshipers to the Tyranny of Maps?

This is a guess, but since there are inklings of NORTH in the Dilmun Club’s desire, perhaps they desire the East just the same. While its uncertain, it would be interesting. I know that there’s no indication of a link between Seeking and the Dilmun club, but then, there’s only one path we know NORTH, one which is open to Seekers and seems like it will one day open to the Club.

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[quote=Morucant]
This is a guess, but since there are inklings of NORTH in the Dilmun Club’s desire, perhaps they desire the East just the same.[/quote]

After all, you can choose exactly three sponsors for the Dilmun Club. We all know that Amused Lordship is interested in South and Stone. It could be that each of sponsors has a preference when it comes to the direction in which expedition should go. One for South, one for NORTH, one for East?

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I would like to go South for a bit, then West.

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[quote=BlabberingMat][quote=Morucant]
This is a guess, but since there are inklings of NORTH in the Dilmun Club’s desire, perhaps they desire the East just the same.[/quote]

After all, you can choose exactly three sponsors for the Dilmun Club. We all know that Amused Lordship is interested in South and Stone. It could be that each of sponsors has a preference when it comes to the direction in which expedition should go. One for South, one for NORTH, one for East?[/quote]

If anything, the Bishop of St Fiacre would be interested in the South more, with this origins and all, which kind of ruins that theory. (Unless Lordship suddenly changes his goals to one of the other directions, which would be somewhat of a Deus Ex Machina and generally not a good thing to do to your readers.)

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We should also recall that, as per the zee sailing option, it is rumored that the widow receives her brandy from the East. Brandy which apparently has some kind of healing properties, as per the Sneak a sip of the brandy option on the Help bring in peach brandy storylet in Spite. IDK if the brandy even comes from the East, but it is possible that the Widow has some connection to said direction.

Also, in reply to the mention that there is little to no worship of the zee-gods in London, that hasn’t prevented FB from making them have pretty intensive story focus. Stone, AKA, the Mountain of Light of the Presbyterate, plays a major role in the Dilmun Club, the Elder category of items, the Gates of the Garden quality…it goes on and on. It seems to be implied that Stone is the reason that Death is typically just an inconvenience. Storm has an entire Dream quality (What the Thunder Said), along with stormy-eyed, and perhaps strong connections to some of the Wild Words items.

As mentioned in the OP, Salt is definitely mentioned in some end-tier content, in what is apparently the hardest branch of SMEN to reach (My understanding is that it relies on fulfilling any and all optional objectives in SMEN for it to even be visible), in the Who is Salt option, but again, I have no idea in what capacity. Also, any mention of TRAVELLER RETURNING is a mention of Salt, as that particular phrase is attached to the Uttermost East ambition (Honestly, might as well call the whole thing that), and that has cropped up in few places in London.
edited by Kyron The Wise on 8/25/2016
edited by Kyron The Wise on 8/25/2016

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[quote=Kyron The Wise]
Also, in reply to the mention that there is little to no worship of the zee-gods in London, that hasn’t prevented FB from making them have pretty intensive story focus. Stone, AKA, the Mountain of Light of the Presbyterate, plays a major role in the Dilmun Club, the Elder category of items, the Gates of the Garden quality…it goes on and on. It seems to be implied that Stone is the reason that Death is typically just an inconvenience. Storm has an entire Dream quality (What the Thunder Said), along with stormy-eyed, and perhaps strong connections to some of the Wild Words items.

As mentioned in the OP, Salt is definitely mentioned in some end-tier content, in what is apparently the hardest branch of SMEN to reach (My understanding is that it relies on fulfilling any and all optional objectives in SMEN for it to even be visible), in the Who is Salt option, but again, I have no idea in what capacity. Also, any mention of TRAVELLER RETURNING is a mention of Salt, as that particular phrase is attached to the Uttermost East ambition (Honestly, might as well call the whole thing that), and that has cropped up in few places in London.
edited by Kyron The Wise on 8/25/2016
edited by Kyron The Wise on 8/25/2016[/quote]
Just who is Salt?

Its worth saying that there are a number of links to Salt and the Presbyterate. The Basalt Gym from the Elder Continent, which makes you want to train, in a similar manner to the stones of the Salt Lion, which contain immense sadness, for once. More importantly, when you try to ally yourself with the Presbyterate in Aestival, things can happen. If you succeed, you sign a treaty which contains words from a different agreement…and if you fail, you get a flake of flint with the words TRAVELLER RETURNING on it…its worth noting how far east Aestival is…

Considering that the South has various associations with the different directions-including East- perhaps things really do change with Dilmun Club sponsors. East with the Detective, North with His Amused Lordship, stay South with the Bishop? Who can say? Certainly, we know the least about the Implacable Detective.

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[quote]Just who is Salt?

Its worth saying that there are a number of links to Salt and the Presbyterate. The Basalt Gym from the Elder Continent, which makes you want to train, in a similar manner to the stones of the Salt Lion, which contain immense sadness, for once. More importantly, when you try to ally yourself with the Presbyterate in Aestival, things can happen. If you succeed, you sign a treaty which contains words from a different agreement…and if you fail, you get a flake of flint with the words TRAVELLER RETURNING on it…its worth noting how far east Aestival is…

Considering that the South has various associations with the different directions-including East- perhaps things really do change with Dilmun Club sponsors. East with the Detective, North with His Amused Lordship, stay South with the Bishop? Who can say? Certainly, we know the least about the Implacable Detective.[/quote]

Funny how this thread keeps following three. Three Gods of the Zee, three Directions, three Sponsors in the Dilmun Club…

I will also note that Salt and The East are not necessarily linked to one another. Salt did in fact go East, but the East was here before them, and Salt was drawn to it (Go look on spacemarines lore tumblr for more about that, it’s mostly info/speculation from Sunless Sea).

The point is, regardless of who Salt is personally (Likely a Judgement of some form or another), the East is another mystery entirely, with Salt likely just being the most prominent of those to journey to it. The whole deal with the TRAVELLER RETURNING, which seems to be the key facet of said place, where the &quotsky opens like an eye&quot, is pre-Salt, and likely drew them into it.
edited by Kyron The Wise on 9/11/2016

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Alright, super tinfoil hat time, because I went a little bit crazy.

I was reading the Wednesday in Parabola storylet, in particular, where you free the Magician, and noticed how it was called the riddle of the East of Everything.I thought the E’s were weird, and I’m not really sure what drove me to this, but the phrase ‘Mr. E’ came to mind. No, not Mr Eaten, just Mr E. Well, that really sounds like mystery, when you sound it out. THEN, I came across one of my Searing Enigmas, whilst selling crap, and saw thetagline for it, “Mystery is Fire, Truth Burns.”. So, idly, I thought, yeah, if there was to be a patron master of the East, it’d be Mr Fires, as he governs fuel, which is important for travelling, and we all know how TRAVELLER RETURNING is basically the tagline of the East.

Crazy hole not done yet. Today, whilst on my way to Polythreme for hassle-free shadowy grinding, I came across a living lighthouse in the Sea of Voices. In her babble was the lines “He said he was seeking after a name, but that can’t be true, as he had a name” and the kicker: “when that nice Mr. Fires came past in his dirigible, he didn’t even smile”.

While seeking a name typically has had Mr Eaten connotations, recall that Sunless Sea also has you seeking a name to access the Uttermost East, which can easily be interpreted as ‘The East of Everything’. Also, Mr. Fires was for some reason out in a dirigible (Never even knew he had one) in the Sea of Voices, which in Sunless Sea, is always located in the Eastern portion of the map. Maybe the seeking a name guy was one of Mr Eaten’s crazies. Maybe not. Maybe I’m just weaving together a bunch of nonsense.

I’d like to think that I’m not though.

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It seems that this is the go-to place for mad EAST theories. Well, I am happy to add. I may be damned, but what is it but our Fate to publish and be damned!

EAST THEORY. VERY SPOILERS:

[spoiler]There are very few things known about the EAST, and one of them is the exorbitant amounts of Green. Forest-Green, Grass-Green, Green-and-Gold. These are not normal colours. This is Viric! Viric and Cosmogone, the two colours closely bound to Parabola. (The amount of greens also implies Fingerking Territory, which aligns with Irem and the Seven-Serpent being located right at the border)
And where would one go to hide from the universal law of light, from the essence of Is? Parabola. You might be seeing where I’m leading with this: East is a pathway to Parabola, like the Nadir or Honey-Dreams. Like Hell or like Irem, but so much bigger. Huge enough in size to hide a star. To hide Salt.
Another thing to consider is the fact that Parabola contains it’s own Sun. A star in Parabola. What could it be, if not Salt, the Exile from the High Wilderness, hiding from the Law and the White? It may not come there now, it may be postponed, but it’s arrival will not be Postponed Indefinitely.

You’ve gained 1x Dreadful Surmise
You’ve gained 1x Impossible Theorem
[/spoiler]
edited by Vavakx Nonexus on 8/31/2016

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Not gonna get into theorizing, but this part is something fairly common knowledge (in-game). It comes up a few times in the Affair of the Box, including the Duchess saying he controls all the dirigibles, as well as in Ambition: Light Fingers.

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Not gonna get into theorizing, but this part is something fairly common knowledge (in-game). It comes up a few times in the Affair of the Box, including the Duchess saying he controls all the dirigibles, as well as in Ambition: Light Fingers.[/quote]

Well, I learned something today. Still curious what he was doing out there.

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[quote=Vavakx Nonexus]It seems that this is the go-to place for mad EAST theories. Well, I am happy to add. I may be damned, but what is it but our Fate to publish and be damned!

EAST THEORY. VERY SPOILERS:

[spoiler]There are very few things known about the EAST, and one of them is the exorbitant amounts of Green. Forest-Green, Grass-Green, Green-and-Gold. These are not normal colours. This is Viric! Viric and Cosmogone, the two colours closely bound to Parabola. (The amount of greens also implies Fingerking Territory, which aligns with Irem and the Seven-Serpent being located right at the border)
And where would one go to hide from the universal law of light, from the essence of Is? Parabola. You might be seeing where I’m leading with this: East is a pathway to Parabola, like the Nadir or Honey-Dreams. Like Hell or like Irem, but so much bigger. Huge enough in size to hide a star. To hide Salt.
Another thing to consider is the fact that Parabola contains it’s own Sun. A star in Parabola. What could it be, if not Salt, the Exile from the High Wilderness, hiding from the Law and the White? It may not come there now, it may be postponed, but it’s arrival will not be Postponed Indefinitely.

You’ve gained 1x Dreadful Surmise
You’ve gained 1x Impossible Theorem
[/spoiler]
edited by Vavakx Nonexus on 8/31/2016[/quote]

Something that you need to keep in mind when it comes to the fact that Parabola borders Irem is that it is most likely not in a spatial, walk down the street to your local Fingerking kind of border. The dimensions are weaker there. Further, it isn’t hard to get into Parabola. Have a Memory of Light? You go in whenever you’re insane then. Hell, an entire profession is able to waltz in there (Glassman/woman). In Sunless, you can take coffee to Irem and go in that way. If you try to go East, you either die by crushing silence (Not a typo, you are literally killed by the weight of silence), or certain parties forbid your passage. Why should you need to sacrifice your entire being, merging with one much larger than your own, when you could just go insane, and move from there? The East is implied to be something entirely…other than the Is-Not of Parabola.

And I’m not entirely sure on this, as it has been some time since I managed to accomplish Exaltation, but I recall that the one who gives you the Song makes sure that no other is listening, and one of those listeners it is said it is looking out for (I think) was the Fingerkings.

As for the colours, the issue is that your character names them by those shades. They don’t call them Cosmogone or Viric, which they apparently are capable of recognizing through the Curator quest, but those particular shades. The amount of greens…well, could just imply plants. (A current running hypothesis is that the Neathbow is attached to the Seven Treacheries, which you might be interested in.)

Also, maybe I read the lore wrong (entirely possible, as these in particular are very deep details), but I thought the Exile was Salt, tempted by the East.

I’m currently reworking my way back to Exaltation, so I may get some details wrong. Also, given that this is a speculation thread, and warning were included at the top, and in what may be visible from loading the page, the spoiler tags aren’t too necessary for the kind of info you are sharing.

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THE FINAL HORIZON: THE EAST POST

Alright, so I have to sit and wait for someone for thirty minutes, so figured I’d go ahead and activate analysis/speculation mode.

So here’s what we know, or can reasonably infer, about the East, based on the knowledge of both games (FL, and SS).

Unfortunately, due to discussion of Parabola, and Irem, sometimes all tenses will have to be included.

It may or may not be an extension of Parabola, though it is unlikely. Parabola is the realm of Is-Not, while the…for lack of a better word, ‘normal’ world is the realm of Is, ruled over by the Judgements, AKA, Stars. Anything of Is-Not burns away under sunlight, corrodes under starlight (Which does beg the question of how there is a sun in Parabola, but I would conjecture that it is not a Judgement, and perhaps is a simple ball of light that looks like a star).

We can take this to make it unlikely that the East is part of Parabola, since we know that Salt, a rouge Judgement, traveled to the East (might still be there, still working back to Exaltation in SS). If the East was part of Parabola, well, it would have been burned away, or at least damaged by his presence, though I am curious if a Judgement could be overwhelmed by a deluge of Is-Not, to the point where it no longer Is. So while it is indeed possible that the East could be some as of yet unseen Parabolan Realm, given what we know, it is unlikely.

We also can infer that there is some kind of lure in the East, much like how Mr Eaten lured people to Seek his Name. Salt was lured into the East, away from his duty to the White. Whether this was something that only lured Salt, or lured others (Possible that it is a general lure, given the zailor praying to Salt asking him not to tempt, suggesting that there is a known temptation to travel East), is unknown, though I at least, am certainly lured.

Kingeater’s Castle and Irem are heavily connected to the East. In SS, you gain the key to the East at Irem, and one of the stores is only for those who travel east (Though it also says none travel east, though that could be a reference to what plays out at KE). As for Kingeater’s, the Place of Pacts and Sacrifices, the home of an Old Voracity, it is there that one sacrifices their identity and IIRC, merges with another (will put more detail back in once I access Exaltation EndGame again). Furthermore, if you try to travel East before you are truly ready, you end up at one of two places: Irem, or Kingeater’s Castle. The same occurs in FL, minus the Irem part.

Finally, we know that there is a Riddle, as mentioned when you rescue the Genial Magician in the Wednesday in Parabola Destiny Storylet. The Magician is referenced has having solved/solving/will be solving the Riddle of the East of Everything. A connection to draw here is that Irem is well known for Riddles, and it is also will be (already is, has been) a location to sail to at Zee, so Irem may be/might have been/might be a stepping-stone/connection in this Seeking.

One other point with the Riddle is that it says that when the Magician solved/is solving/will solve it, he might flee here, with here implied to be Parabola (You are/always have been/will be the Huntsman for the Finger-Kings, which I just realized are two letters off from Fisher-Kings). One conclusion to draw from this is that Parabola and the East are the same, which is indeed possible, though unlikely. Another conclusion is that he solved the Riddle, but for reasons, did not go East. This does tie in with the trend that going East tends to require you giving up your identity, but I’ll save that for a later post.

As for the unsubstantiated Easty things, there is the idea that the Widow gets her super magical brandy from there. This brandy, supposedly made from the Peaches of Immortality, is capable of healing your wounds, to the degree that in drinking some, getting caught in the process, and getting beaten, leads to you healing so fast that you heal faster than the assailants can wound you, and even heal a little extra. It also tastes like ‘fire and mountain-tops’. Supposedly, it makes you younger, and is a competitor to Hesperidian Cider. I question this last part, as you can’t even buy the stuff (How is it a competitor if the average Sir Donnely can’t find it at the store), and your character remarks on how they don’t feel any younger. Furthermore, if this stuff was so good, why is a random off the street guarding etc, etc. To get back on topic, as the brandy is obviously special in some way, one might wonder where the non-watered down version goes, or where the brandy you are moving goes, as it definitely isn’t the stores you frequent.

I will edit in information as I uncover it, and try to create another post for Salt once I put my information together.
edited by Kyron The Wise on 9/11/2016

20

I doubt I could manage to write answers to all the things you say, Kyron, in a reasonable timeframe, so I figure I might more partial analysis of things you say.

Old stuff:

Though I doubt most of these methods would work for a star. How would it drink of honey, or pass through a mirror? Entering the Mirror-Marches via insanity takes a Memory of Light, a personal glimpse of the world behind mirrors. I am uncertain whether Salt had access to it. And I am fairly sure stars are more durable than a human ship, and could withstand the journey EAST.

I do not agree with this point. While I some of the colours could well be normal greens, the green-and-gold is a clear allusion to Viric and Cosmogone, like how the Nadir replaces Irrigo with Violet or lilac. Every time a Neath-colour is mentioned, it does not have to be named the exact shade (is that an appropriate word for this?) that it is, but a surface counterpart.

It is also worth mentioning that the thing that gives you the riddle is one of the serpents, the Fingerkings. Therefore, it is not against their intentions for East-travellers to know the Song. It was also unspecific, saying that &quotIt curls two more [of it’s heads] around you, to shield you from the gaze of others.&quot

New stuff:

[quote=Kyron The Wise]It may or may not be an extension of Parabola, though it is unlikely. Parabola is the realm of Is-Not, while the…for lack of a better word, ‘normal’ world is the realm of Is, ruled over by the Judgements, AKA, Stars. Anything of Is-Not burns away under sunlight, corrodes under starlight (Which does beg the question of how there is a sun in Parabola, but I would conjecture that it is not a Judgement, and perhaps is a simple ball of light that looks like a star).

We can take this to make it unlikely that the East is part of Parabola, since we know that Salt, a rouge Judgement, traveled to the East (might still be there, still working back to Exaltation in SS). If the East was part of Parabola, well, it would have been burned away, or at least damaged by his presence, though I am curious if a Judgement could be overwhelmed by a deluge of Is-Not, to the point where it no longer Is. So while it is indeed possible that the East could be some as of yet unseen Parabolan Realm, given what we know, it is unlikely.[/quote]
It is worth mentioning that Parabola possesses trees marked with the Correspondence, which might indicate that it can, indeed, work with at least a part of the law. Further still, the sigil stands for a process only possible in Parabola, which implies that something that can speak the Correspondence to the point of creating new words, witnessed it at some point to name it. The Masters have been frequently mentioned as interacting with Parabola, such as Mr Spices’ and Mr Wines’ War over it or Mr Wines in the Huntsman destiny, but they only use a simplified form of the language in question. I doubt that they’d be the ones to name it.

[quote]Finally, we know that there is a Riddle, as mentioned when you rescue the Genial Magician in the Wednesday in Parabola Destiny Storylet. The Magician is referenced has having solved/solving/will be solving the Riddle of the East of Everything. A connection to draw here is that Irem is well known for Riddles, and it is also will be (already is, has been) a location to sail to at Zee, so Irem may be/might have been/might be a stepping-stone/connection in this Seeking.

One other point with the Riddle is that it says that when the Magician solved/is solving/will solve it, he might flee here, with here implied to be Parabola (You are/always have been/will be the Huntsman for the Finger-Kings, which I just realized are two letters off from Fisher-Kings). One conclusion to draw from this is that Parabola and the East are the same, which is indeed possible, though unlikely. Another conclusion is that he solved the Riddle, but for reasons, did not go East. This does tie in with the trend that going East tends to require you giving up your identity, but I’ll save that for a later post.[/quote]
I have a slight suspicion that the Riddle in question might be the way to get Salt’s Song in Irem from the Seven-Serpent, because it takes on the usual format of question-answer. (&quotWhat is the price?&quot and &quotThere is no price&quot being the question and the answer respectively) This particular piece of theory is very shaky, and mainly stands on the fact that there aren’t any Irem-specific riddles that you are required to solve for the Song, as far as I know.

Another thing that I would like to mention is that in Irem, after paying coffee to go to Parabola, you can trade a Searing Enigma for a single Hesperidean Apple. Their common life-giving potential implies to me that they come from the same source (possible the Garden), and that source can be reached through Parabola. My memories of actually getting one of the apples is a bit dull, so I might’ve missed something.

Another piece of info that I would like to add is that you frequently meet your reflection in Frostfound, the Salt-Centric Location, and it acts independently from you. In fact, it happens during the Sigil-Ridden Navigator’s story, and there is an entire part of the journey through Frostfound dedicated to it. Also, 2/3 of the results for Fumbling in the Darkness refers to what presumably is Salt as a Hungry Monarch, fitting in with the Beleaguered King and the Red-Handed Queen of Chess-Dream fame.
edited by Vavakx Nonexus on 9/3/2016