The Hell faction borrows a lot of thematic imagery from Christian ideas about Hell and the Devils. Lucifer is the fallen angel that inspired a good portion of the other angels to rebel against God. The Chandler is “Lucifer” in the sense that he is the one that organized the initial rebellion that resulted in the would-be devils fleeing to Parabola.
From the sound of it, the Chandler was in love with a Judgement. Whether that’s romantic love or the love a servant has for a good master isn’t very clear. We do know the Bazaar is interested in all forms of love, not just romantic love though.
The “flight through the glass” is most likely the initial rebellion against “heaven”. The Devils were originally from somewhere else and then they fled to Parabola and then finally the Neith.
The king is most likely the Judgement the Chandler served.
Yup, the you is the Chandler. He seems to be telling/showing you his story with you taking the role of him in the dream/vision.
I don’t know. It seems to be linked with the Chandler in some way.
That I don’t know. If it’s helps, there was two rebellions that happened. One was the rebelion of the devils that led to them escaping to Parabola. The other was the rebellion the Devils did against the Chandler when they dethroned him from the rulership of Hell.
The “brilliant lore” in this ES is that the Chandler (the Lucifer figure) has a very different characterization then a Lucifer figure usually does. The Chandler rebelled against a Judgement for whatever reason, but he wasn’t happy to leave him in the end. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this type of characterization for a Devil stereotype before. The Chandler actually wants to go back to being the servant of the Judgement again. However, the rest of the devils in Hell don’t want this, so they rebelled against the Chandler and basically imprisoned him in Hell. Some of the Devils that took the Chandler’s side have managed to escape Hell and hope he manages to rise again…
According to this interpretation, I have reached my first ‘WOW’: The devils are those bee like beings (that we already suspected, since long ago), but God is a judgment and us humans got it wrong with the ‘devils - angels - heaven - God’ and wrapped them all with our poorly understanding mind, grasping those beings as human like, walking on two, A star (judgment) as The God, our God.
(That is, if the Lord is indeed a judgment, as you wrote)
Another thing that baffles me… If Lucifer, the Devil himself, is nicknamed The Chandler - doesn’t someone know that? The Devil’s other names are a hard thing to miss, especially to those who specializes in theology… Especially while that nickname was called aloud at the war of '68, banners waving and all.
How does no one recognize the (overt) nickname of the Devil himself?..
The Chandler is thematically tied to the Lucifer of Christian theology, but I don’t think he holds the same status. Among the devils, the Chandler is not "the Devil" (capital D). He seems to be one of the many princes of the Hell that the devils overthrew. Similarly, he may have been one of the driving forces in the devils’ flight from the High Wilderness, but likely not the only one.
I’m very late to the party, but I absolutely loved this one. This has to be one of the best Exceptional Stories so far, in terms of lore and writing. One issue I had with the last Season was that even though they all had exciting premises, they didn’t really go to the mat with any of them (I mean I still shiver at the thought of an entire sun infested with spiders). For All the Saints absolutely did and it’s delightful.
Yes, please give me the option to rescue him from the bad choices I inadvertently led him into :P
Also, I think this writer wrote the last story that featured a darling lonely character I adored and unclear mechanics leading to a devastating ending that nearly left me in tears.
I’m not sure if I should feel joy or dread the next time I see his name attached to an Exceptional Story :P
Ah, I doubt we would get the chance to change the outcome without resetting the story. I was thinking about a card where you get letters from him, and possibly a favor either from Hell, Church or Society depending on where you led him(I am guessing the army fate would also give Society favors). It could be either a single card with several options, with the one suited to your ending unlocked, or four different cards a la The Gift. Of course I am no game designer and this is just wishful thinking.
Just wrapped up this story. I only got EFship from this July onwards, and played only the older bundle from the #weloveindies sale, but out of those few ES this has to be the best one. Compelling characters, a harrowing and atmospheric journey through Hell, and a towering climax.
The Deacon is one of the most memorable characters I’ve encountered in FL, up there with the Last Constable, the Cheery Man, and the Regretful Soldier for me. I also have to commend the Scarlet Condottiere – his character is so powerfully wrought in the few scenes he gets. And that journey through Hell… all I can say is, the writing is so evocative that I was able to see construct a cinematic scene in my imagination. And I know very little about Hell’s lore, so the lore revealed here was mind-blowing. Now I’ve so many questions about Hell’s backstory. (Time to play 12:15 from Moloch Street, perhaps?)
Also, I’ve found the perfect theme music for the Chandler’s chapel – Movement I from "El Greco", composed by Vangelis. I think the whole El Greco album is a great soundtrack for the Deacon and the ES.
Wow, what a truly Exceptional story. Like Lost in Reflections, the story and characters and the choices I made are going to haunt me for a while. edited by Vega on 10/7/2018
I’m incredibly late to finishing this story, but I am so glad I was able to. Honestly, I’d buy this as an actual CYOA novel, to reread and play through, multiple ways and times, if possible. This was a DELIGHT to read, the images so vivid and evocative, feeling like a nigh Lovecraftian style portion, at times, melded with images reminiscent of WW1. I loved the characters, and I suddenly need to have my darling Deacon as an option during the Feast of the Rose. If anything, I fell for him. xD
Gorgeous writing. I will DEFINITELY look forward to anything more from this writer, especially if Hell is involved.
Oh, I just noticed. I still have the Keeping Your Cover at 7, even after finishing the story. I wonder if we’ll see the Scarlet Condottiere, again? edited by Madame Mim on 11/12/2018
My friend activated many different ES through the years, and now is a bit lost for how to start this one exactly, assuming it is in fact already activated. Could anyone remind this, please?
I very much enjoyed this story, and the trip through Hell’s battlegrounds. Also seeing the aftereffects of Hell’s weapons.
The Intrepid Deacon is an enjoyable companion, and he provides a sense of agency by having the player’s action influence his future.
I was wondering that as well. Does "blond" have other meanings in 19th century English?
It certainly is great to see them bringing back characters from old stories as companions. I shall endeavour to get this fellow. My only problem is that I can’t remember the first thing about this story, or the Deacon. Oh well, that’s my FL experience all over, and nobody’s fault but mine.