Why isn't there an "s" in Mr Iron's name?

Fallen London
21

From sidebar text, Mr. Apples was at one point Mr. Barley. That is also a name with no S, and Barley is an uncountable/mass noun. Unlike Iron, Barley has no alternative countable definitions so there’s no confusion.

22

But why Barley anyway? Why not Grains, or Corn?

23

Barley was one of the first grains to be domesticated. Barley probably constituted for most of the grains when that city fell. And as for Mr. Corn, that just shows it wasn’t from the americas, since corn was exported from there after european contact.

24

Isn’t &quotcorn&quot a more general term in British English?

25

So it is. I had no idea (means grains/wheat)

26

Yes, the snippet: &quotIt’s hard to be certain, but some have traded under more then one name. They say Mr Apples was Mr Barley once. Certainly Mr Iron used to trade as Mr Bronze. And Mr Stones was also trading as Mr Marble quite recently. Until that trouble with the tomb-colonies.&quot

This might be a digression: I think this snippet has never been carried out in game, has it? After all, in London those names are not used as widely as the names I listed before . I am not to doubt its reliability, I mean, if we put Bronze, Barley and Marble together…could it be something related to the period of 1st city of Tell Brak and the 2nd city of Amarna? Though all of the three materials are used widely and with a long history, I am talking about using the name of a main feature of the master’s business. In Sumerian time, tools and weapons were mainly made of bronze, barley was the dominant crop…and the use of marble can be dated back to the Stone Age (Mr Stones: Good. Mine.).
It is not ironclad, consider a possiblity where the name of a master need not be the most prominent goods among all; something feature, something related to their dominant business, might be enough. &quotMarble&quot can be simply &quotshining stone&quot. &quotBronze&quot can be parts of weapons and ships, and no more. I guess Mr Veils can be Mr Laundry, Mr Ironing, Mr Machine-washable.
But if a name of a master need not mention its most prominent good directly and have several expressions…It brings back the question of Mr Iron’s name in London. He CAN follow the consistent format with his colleagues (Mr Metals together with Mr Steampunks! The Bazaar Masters’ music bands! Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you, Fires). But he didn’t. Maybe the &quotformat&quot doesn’t exist at all. Or maybe that is a hobby? It is healthier than a certain hobby of trading names with colleagues, after all.
edited by Fadewalker on 7/31/2016

27

[quote=Fadewalker]Yes, the snippet: &quotIt’s hard to be certain, but some have traded under more then one name. They say Mr Apples was Mr Barley once. Certainly Mr Iron used to trade as Mr Bronze. And Mr Stones was also trading as Mr Marble quite recently. Until that trouble with the tomb-colonies.&quot

This might be a digression: I think this snippet has never been carried out in game, has it? After all, in London those names are not used as widely as the names I listed before . I am not to doubt its reliability, I mean, if we put Bronze, Barley and Marble together…could it be something related to the period of 1st city of Tell Brak and the 2nd city of Amarna? Though all of the three materials are used widely and with a long history, I am talking about using the name of a main feature of the master’s business. In Sumerian time, tools and weapons were mainly made of bronze, barley was the dominant crop…and the use of marble can be dated back to the Stone Age (Mr Stones: Good. Mine.).[/quote]
All of those names were almost certainly used in London only. In the fourth city, the Masters were the Khans of whatever, and in the potential Sixth City of Paris they go by French names. &quotQuite recently&quot seems pretty definitive as well.

28

So could the answer be: Mr Iron is uncountable beacause he can. The other masters use plurals because they like.
…Oh no that’s cruel.:(

29

An intriguing snippet:

in an end of the Silvertree, Mr Wines said that &quotIn fact, you may call me by my true name, now: Mr Wines, at your service!&quot. - But it was before London, even before the 4th city, before the use of Khan of Whatever. What does he mean by &quotmy true name&quot?

(Or, is it simply a straightforward way to reveal the identity of the emissary? No more?)
edited by Fadewalker on 8/2/2016

30

Given that the entirety of The Silver Tree is presumably being translated from Latin and one or more of the languages used in 13th-century Mongolia, I daresay we don’t have to take that absolutely literally.

31

[quote=Fadewalker]An intriguing snippet:

in an end of the Silvertree, Mr Wines said that &quotIn fact, you may call me by my true name, now: Mr Wines, at your service!&quot. - But it was before London, even before the 4th city, before the use of Khan of Whatever. What does he mean by &quotmy true name&quot?

(Or, is it simply a straightforward way to reveal the identity of the emissary? No more?)
edited by Fadewalker on 8/2/2016[/quote]
If I’m not mistaken, all masters have an actual name represented by a correspondence sigil. Mr. Eaten certainly does.

32

[quote=Infinity Simulacrum]
If I’m not mistaken, all masters have an actual name represented by a correspondence sigil.[/quote]

Or seven.