That is a fascinating possibility. I will have to pay more attention when one word or the other is used in the text in the future.
I still think the only creepy thing I read about the Polythreme is how soul crushing despair can be there. The one storylet about the clayman who was going to cut off hi own arm was particularly creepy.
Everything that I had previously heard about Polythreme was just how hellish it was - all tortured souls and agony. Visiting it… it’s mostly fluffy and bright and cheerful. Sure, there’s some unhappiness, but compared to London - this is Disney’s castle of Beauty and the Beast.
I have finished the ‘Investigating’ main track for Polythreme (choosing to [color=rgb(255, 255, 255)]send a report to the Masters of the Bazaar[/color]). I was met thusly:
[color=rgb(255, 255, 255)]Distant gratitude
[/color][color=rgb(255, 255, 255)]Perhaps now, at your lodgings in London, a spectacularly generous reward awaits you. Best not to hold your breath, though.[/color][b]
[/b]I also came away with some Memories of Distant Shores. Is this a hint, do you think?
cough ‘Perhaps’ something is waiting for you. Perhaps not. I wouldn’t count on it. The Masters are notoriously unwilling to part with anything.
Well, there’s the coals screaming as they’re burned, the [color=rgb(255, 255, 255)]prisoners trapped in clothes-legions and left to starve[/color], the slaves being shipped off en masse, the [color=rgb(255, 255, 255)]apparent prohibition on the consummation of love[/color]… most of that is the work of the Masters, of course…
Here’s a line from one of those slaves, speaking at Wolfstack Docks:
“IN POLYTHREME THE BED I SLEPT ON WAS A SLAVE. THE ROOM WHERE I SLEPT WAS HACKED FROM SCREAMING STONE. THE WATER I DRANK BEGGED ME TO STOP. THEY PAID ME IN COIN THAT PLOTTED MY DOWNFALL. THE MEMORIES ARE TROUBLING. THIS PLACE IS BETTER.”
One thing that is conspicuously absent from Polythreme is any new information about unfinished clay men. We know they must come from Polythreme somehow; but how? Give what has been revealed of how clay men are created, how does this process go wrong? How often? Or… is “unfinished” a lie, and unfinished clay men are simply clay men who are no longer obedient?
I GROW TIRED OF CARRYING BOXES.
I wonder. Lyme is not, per se, obedient, but nor is he malicious. Indeed, for all of his uncles’ influence, he remains firmly moral. Not all the Clay Men we meet in Polythreme seem strictly moral, but they are never described as Unfinished.
Not to mention Jack-of-Smiles. We know that he’s some kind of body-hopping madman who has taken over clay men before. Presumably his other bodies were genuine humans, but the fact that he can actually take over a Clay body is interesting. (I suspect the Revolutionaries, rather than the King with a Hundred Hearts are responsible here, but still, mention of how sometimes they lose some to Jack would be interesting.)
There’s also the Comtessa, for those who remember that far back, [color=rgb(255, 255, 255)]who became Clay[/color]. How is that possible, from what we know of Polythreme and the birth of Clay Men now?
[quote=Dave ]One thing that is conspicuously absent from Polythreme is any new information about unfinished clay men. We know they must come from Polythreme somehow; but how? Give what has been revealed of how clay men are created, how does this process go wrong? How often? Or… is “unfinished” a lie, and unfinished clay men are simply clay men who are no longer obedient?
I GROW TIRED OF CARRYING BOXES.[/quote]
There’s a new opportunity card back in London that proposes an interesting hypothesis on this matter. I don’t think I want to spoil it just yet, though.
Lyme is another topic I meant to bring up, based on this spoiler:
[color=#ffffff]'They say Polythreme’s been here for ever. I dunno about that, but there used to be a carving in a temple of when the first ship turned up here carrying a Pharaoh’s daughter. The carving’s a Clay Man now, and gone to London. Heard he was getting lessons in language and etiquette. Mebbe he’ll be the next Clay Broker.[/color]
[color=#ffffff]
[/color]
Sound like someone we know, and tutor for glim?
When speaking to a Matched Pair did anyone else think of the Comtessa?
So, when reporting information to[color=#ffffff] The Masters[/color], did anyone get a reward besides the [color=#ffffff]50 memories of distant shores[/color]? It mentioned a reward [color=#ffffff]possibly waiting at my lodgings[/color], but no such reward has arrived.
It’s very, very unlikely that any such reward will arrive. From the way it was written it seemed pretty clear that the Masters wouldn’t be giving you any special rewards.
Dang. As much as I love The Masters, they can be stingy when they want to be…
I hope they update Polythreme. When i first heard about it i thought they would have uniques items from each equipment catagory. However it seems that nothing except lore is found at Polythreme. Maybe they will have some fate content that gives you a clothes colony or makes you talk to the king of hearts…
What would you guys want in fate content for Polythreme?
edited by Jack Blackstone on 3/24/2012
Perhaps a clay companion (constant or otherwise) rescued from the tithe ships? :)
Got this picture from a Diskworld movie. Kind of fits the look of a clay man. Perhaps you will be able get your clay friend to beat Ragamuffins!
edited by Jack Blackstone on 3/24/2012
I haven’t made it to Polythreme yet, but I must say I am thoroughly enjoying the Sea of Voices.