The Poisoner's Library

[color=#0066ff]A woman wearing the mask of a golden swan haunts the canals of Jericho. She is despised by the Guild of Gondoliers for a past she does not remember. Visited by recurring nightmares of a wedding held in a ruined palace surrounded by poisoned waters, she is seeking answers. Answers only the keeper of a specialised library can provide…[/color]
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The Poisoner’s Library is a Fate-locked story that allows you to embark on a series of unique research projects in your Jericho Library as you uncover the secret history of the Swan Bride.

Explore the hidden shame of the Guild of Gondoliers, delve deep into the recesses of your Jericho Library and embark on a perilous course along the red canals that flow to Hell.

Playing the Poisoner’s Library includes three unique research projects and a new, unique item.

Begin the Poisoner’s Library from a card in Jericho Locks if you have a Jericho Library, or purchase it from the Fate Page.

The Poisoner’s Library requires ownership of a Jericho Library and is suitable for higher-level players who have embarked upon the Great Hellbound Railway.

Along with the Poisoner’s Library, we’re introducing a substantial free upgrade to the Jericho Library experience, allowing you to undertake a new research project in the library.
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:)

Is this the special December annual story?

I don’t think so. I think it’s supposed to be like what Upwards! was. Just a small stand alone story to flesh out a small part of the Neath.

I’m playing it right now, only in the middle of it. But it’s an interesting play. I can’t remember the spoiler policy, so I’ll go very light: We get to go to a place that never really had much to it, and the lead female’s a pretty interesting character.

What’s the consensus on if this is worth the Fate or not? Mechanical benefits seem minimal, but the lore is apparently okay. Anyone want to give some insight as to what they think?

I’m not fully all the way through it, but the first set of Library research gave me 5 Vitreous Almanacs. I can let you know the rest later.

I second the lore being pretty good, especially about the area. But I’d have a better idea when I finally finish the story.

I seem to be just doing the same research over and over. No doubt I was told to go somewhere else and missed it.

I missed the original message of where to actually start the story, but eventually found it at the Arborist’s Hands.

I missed the original message of where to actually start the story, but eventually found it at the Arborist’s Hands.[/quote]

Ahh, thank you.

Wait, am I missing something or is the EPA from this library research project thing complete rubbish?

I finished the story. You get some one-time rewards of some items that you might have a more difficult time to get otherwise (one is 5 Vitreous Almanacs, one is 5 Emetic Revelations, and the last is 5 Antique Mysteries). You also get an item at the very end, a unique Hat. But it doesn’t do much. It does have Toxicology on it. I think that’s unique to hats.

[quote=DuskWanderer]You also get an item at the very end, a unique Hat. But it doesn’t do much. It does have Toxicology on it. I think that’s unique to hats.[/quote]The Honed Ushanka from Whitsun also is a KT hat.

Yeah, it definitely needs some balance tweaks.

Yeah, it definitely needs some balance tweaks.[/quote]

Yeah, what, 70 or 80 mostly repetitive and grindy actions at a minimum. And more “every option gives the same result.” Meh.
edited by Snort on 12/4/2021

So no way to get her as a Companion? I am on “Whom Should I Hate?” I’ve been dithering for hours on this one choice, haunted by the narrowness of my victory in saving the Last Constable, and dreading inadvertently harming the heroine.

[quote=Snort]
Yeah, what, 70 or 80 mostly repetitive and grindy actions at a minimum. And more “every option gives the same result.” Meh.
edited by Snort on 12/4/2021[/quote]
It needs some work to be sure, but there’s no way it takes 70 or 80 actions. With achievable stats, the safe path takes 30 actions tops. The theoretical maximum is closer to 20, but far less achievable. The faster, more interactive actions also change their text each time.

After checking out this thread last night, I got this story purely for the lore. On those terms, I’ve been having a grand time; I love that the subjects you have a Lead in give a different answer after every successful Research check (until that lead is thoroughly investigated) , and the overall story indeed has a wonderful ghostly/fairy tale to it.

From an RP perspective , while the choices I’ve had to make are few, they all feel genuinely consequential. Some Fate stories leave me feeling like a spectator, as if I may as well not have been there; this one really feels like my character is crucial in determining its direction and ending. All the choices managed to offer an option I could take while feeling in-character, too; a nice bonus. And the ending itself was very satisfying, narratively; I enjoy the minor change to the Locks setting, and love my new hat:D And I really feel like I completed a Quest, on this;for that, I even enjoyed the repetition of the Research.

all that said, I can definitely see this being a frustrating run for EPA -focused players, or people who are trying to complete another story in a time-sensitive way. But I have no regrets!

I enjoyed this one. The lore was interesting and it wrapped up a thread that I felt had been dangled but left hanging hitherto. And without too much by way of spoilage it features an optional bit of bodily manipulation, which is always a plus in my book! As others have noted, it did feel as though some decisions were consequential.

I was fine with the research projects (the changing areas of focus are a nice touch and I am always pleased to see a companion or two on hand to assist in such tasks) though I wish the projects each had become permanent options rather than being one-offs. They aren’t EPA efficient at all but it is helpful to have a few different ways to get various resources in a pinch, and it would have made the one other permanent research project a bit less lonely.

The unique item was a bit of a dud insofar as I already had equal or better-slot items, but oh well, it is a fine momento. All in all I appreciated the offering and was glad to play it.

[quote=PSGarak][quote=Snort]
Yeah, what, 70 or 80 mostly repetitive and grindy actions at a minimum. And more “every option gives the same result.” Meh.
edited by Snort on 12/4/2021[/quote]
It needs some work to be sure, but there’s no way it takes 70 or 80 actions. With achievable stats, the safe path takes 30 actions tops. The theoretical maximum is closer to 20, but far less achievable. The faster, more interactive actions also change their text each time.[/quote]

I was including all the research steps at 3 x 3 x 6 or so, plus the other necessary actions, but perhaps I missed a safe path.