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August Exceptional Story: The Calendar Code

Absintheuse Posts: 348 7/28/2016	Most delicious friends, here is August's Exceptional Story! Infiltrate a private library at the behest of a mysterious buyer, and unravel the mechanism that protects its heart. Avoid the ministrations of Special Constables. The Calendar Code is a tale of romance, larceny, and seditious literature. Play: An Exceptional Story: A Junior Reader to begin, available throughout London. The Calendar Code is the final story in the Revolutions season, and was written by Gavin Inglis. Editing and QA: Adam Myers, Olivia Wood, Chris Gardiner and Cash DeCuir. Art by Carly Trowbridge. EXCEPTIONAL FRIENDSHIP In addition to a new, substantial, stand-alone story every month, Exceptional Friends enjoy: Access to the House of Chimes: an exclusive private member's club on the Stolen River, packed with content An expanded opportunity deck: of ten cards instead of six! A second candle: Twice the actions! 40 at once! Finishing all three stories in the Season of Revolutions will make you eligible for an additional opportunity, to follow. If you want to keep an Exceptional Story beyond the month it’s for, you must complete the related storylet in the House of Chimes. This will save it for you to return to another time.
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Mordaine Barimen Posts: 670 7/29/2016	I had Suspicion jump from 6 to 9, which was awkward. It was worth it, though, for what followed. I was thrown into the Arrested! sotry, used "A Master's Voice" to get out, and was returned to the Special Collections Room. In other words, the Special COnstables broke down the door, seized me, rushed me to court, and Mr. Pages hurried in and stopped the judge at the last moment. Then, the Special Constables rushed me back into the secret room, repaired the door, and resumed the pantomime of trying to break in and catch me. Mr. Pages is just batty enough that I could see that being the true chain of events. (And yes, I stopped and looted a few more times before leaving for good. ) -- I'm sorry, but due to policy clarifications, I will no longer be giving detailed mechanics advice on the forums. If you still need help, try the IRC channel.
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SarahTheEntwife Posts: 50 7/29/2016	Ah, having played Sunless Sea I know what that diagram is! Mmmm, creepy machines. Edit: Also, as a librarian in the Surface world I'm particularly tickled with this storyline. It's making the project I'm starting feel so much more mysterious and adventurous. It involves looking at the collection and going "wait, what is this? why do we have it? and why does the catalog think it's something else entirely?" and it's much more interesting if my brain thinks it's possibly some grand eldritch plan instead of just that we've never formally analyzed this collection before. Especially since it's the government documents we're looking at. Protip: the US government publishes some really weird stuff. edited by SarahTheEntwife on 7/29/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Strel Retired zee-captain turned scholar. Open to social interactions of various sorts. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Winona~Tintenfisch Winona Tintenfisch, aspiring street urchin. Would definitely be up for some fisticuffs or loitering.
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Lamia Lawless Posts: 604 7/29/2016	Kukapetal wrote: The reveal confused more than angered me, actually. [spoiler]She never loved the scribe. She loved the man who became the Cantigaster. She pretended to murder him to manufacture a love story that the Bazaar couldn't use (because it was false, and premeditated) which is why the Masters hate her, and hate Egypt. Aten's daughters 'lured the Bazaar to them,' though I'm not clear on why they wanted to capture it.* The Masters were stuck with her city and no progress towards their goals for a thousand years, I think, before they were able to acquire the Third City. Actually, I thought about it some more, and I think maybe they were deliberately trying to hold the Bazaar back so that the message it has for the Sun wouldn't cause it to self-destruct. But this is just conjecture.[/spoiler] edited by Lamia Lawless on 7/29/2016* -- The Harmonic Hellfarer
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 7/28/2016	I have just completed the whole story except the final choice, can't decide at the moment... The library is terribly informative and my mind is filled with wild guesses. I'm not pretty sure about that all but could every book be assigned with a certain month? [spoiler] In the Winter room, the book about astronomy seems a little December in the Gloom Destiny of Distant Light. The thinking in bloodstained volumn is as savage and violent as February. In the room of Spring, the book of nonsense can somewhat echo March, the guy described by the Bazaar as a "lolloping buffoon". The folio of ordnance tied with black ribbon could be associated to the figure of April in Bag a Legend, couldn't it? For the room of Summer, there is an obvious choice for July and the Lost in Reflections, an account of an uprising, that is. For the volume of polemic, all that contrary arguments, sounds like the Jovial Contrarian, can he be June or August? Neither of them has appeared. I have no idea of the identities in the room of Autumn, none of the autumn months has appeared directly. [/spoiler] EDIT: In the end I returned it, expecting more information about LoN but there is nothing new. Did anyone deliver the papyrus to our dearest Pages? edited by Fadewalker on 7/28/2016 -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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Anne Auclair Posts: 2215 8/1/2016	Although Mr Pages and the Duchess set this particular story in motion, it’s really the books themselves that are the central characters. I really like books ^^ So naturally I really liked this story. I found myself asking: what is the purpose of these volumes in the larger revolutionary struggle? What do they say about their subjects and/or authors? And what do they tell us about the inner workings of the Calendar Council? So, without further ado, here is my analysis of the Library’s contents. [spoiler]December December was the first member of the Calendar Council. We know this because December’s book is fairly old: The paper is dry, crumbling beneath your fingers. It would not survive being removed from the library. And its subject is a study of the heavenly bodies, meaning that it can’t have been written in the Neath. Given that it is written in Victorian English, it probably dates to the years before London’s Fall. It starts out as a work of conventional astronomy (comet tables, planetary movements), before suddenly veering into the astrological, focusing on how the movement of heavens correlates with affairs in London. It concludes with a discussion of the Judgments and their motivations. This sounds like an astronomer who started out doing conventional science and then independently discovered the secrets of the heavens (it’s possible for terrestrials to discover such secrets, they were known to the Tartar Priests and the Three Sisters of Hunters Keep). Apparently s/he went a little crazy over the course of this discovery and this mental instability is apparent in the text. It was this very work that identified the Kings of Light and began the campaign to overthrow them. This book also implies that it was not London’s Fall that brought the Revolutionary movement into being, but rather that the movement predated the Fall. January An Encyclopedia of techniques for recruiting among London’s various professions, all in all fairly straightforward. This book is magnanimous because it teaches the reader how to appeal to people’s better natures: their compassion, their righteous outrage, and their sense of duty. Its existence indicates that the Revolutionaries are actively seeking new recruits from London’s student population. This in turn reveals that the Revolutionary core is largely composed of the disaffected intelligentsia, as opposed to London’s working class (the Dockers). Not surprising, as the Calendar Council is entirely made up of disaffected intellectuals. February A very daring little manual, a how to guide for the more violent of revolutionary agents. Rather notably, all these techniques involve some degree of surprise or cheating. She’s not a particularly deep thinker though, being completely given over to action, moment, mission. It’s not surprising that February is the most visible member of the Council, as she is clearly the one who is most capable of handling herself in a fight, the one least concerned with getting her hands bloody, and the one least afraid to take risks. This suggests that February often serves as the face/muscle/hatchet lady for the collective Council. March March’s rambling book is all about hiding one’s identity, deliberately obfuscating one’s abilities, and fooling one’s enemies. March was a very subtle man and there was clearly much more to him then met the eye. The last line, “Victory is thus inevitable,” suggests that, much like a certain murdered Master, March is dead but not gone away. We haven’t heard the last of him or his plans, not by a long shot. April A folio containing varied plans for new weapons and war machines. If February is a classic revolutionary enforcer, treacherous and daring, then April is the most explicitly military of the Council. Her focus is on the creation of new mechanisms and the application of brute force (hence Forceful). Isn’t she known for riots and firebombs? (I ask because I don’t know much about her as I haven’t played Bag of Legends.) May May’s book is the most cryptic of the twelve, being nothing more than a simple collection of love stories without any annotation, analysis, or clear symbolic meaning. The Melancholy nature of the tales hints at some connection to the study of the Bazaar. Perhaps they are meant to be a demonstration of what the Bazaar wants in order to understand, undermine or exploit it? Or perhaps they are of a more personal significance? The Curt Relicker was on the Calendar Council and allegedly left because of a love story. Maybe he got too caught up in the subject he was studying? June Revolutionaries like the Calendar Council have it tough. They have completely and utterly devoted their lives to the realization of a secret, far ranging project. Meanwhile, the ever present needs of conspiracy and survival requires them to live violent, shadowy, unstable day to day existences. To put it in player terms, they probably accumulate a high number of menaces. June’s work is a book of easy, hedonistic diversions meant to calm nerves, facilitate recuperation, assuage guilt, and head off doubts (of which the author seems to have quite a few). The arrangement of amusements by season is not merely a clue to the inner workings of the library. It is also a deliberate tailoring to the needs of each Calendar Council member (and presumably each member’s followers). July The July section is devoted to the revolutionary groups of the surface. July’s project in Lost in Reflections is to use the future gleaned from the Orts’ mirror to bring revolution to the surface nations. If you haven’t met her, or you sabotaged her efforts, then her book is missing from the collection, signifying that her efforts are stillborn. If you contributed to them (whether sincerely or for your own purposes), then there is a book of prophecy in which you glimpse one such surface revolution (perhaps the very one that follows the events of Lost in Reflections and which brings down the Third Empire). August The Jovial Contrarian’s book, a work of argument which demonstrates by example the very art and tricks of debate. The most interesting detail is that you need to be Ruthless in order to figure this book out. The Contrarian is ruthlessly devoted to debate and argument, seems to believe they are not only powerful weapons but good in-of-themselves. This suggests his motivation for being part of the Calendar Council. With the Judgments there is no debate about what-is and what-is-not, these things are all commanded by secretive authorities from on high. This also hints at why he’s trying to find a third way – despite what its defenders like to say, the Liberation isn’t really democratic either. September A detailed analysis of how Mr Pages speaks, with the aim of shedding light on the politics of the High Wilderness. Esoteric, but not as crazy as it sounds. Mr Pages is a uniquely bureaucratic Master, the only one out of all of them to hold an official government position. He is the head of the over mighty Ministry of Public Decency, in which capacity he commands the Special Constables, makes/enforces London’s censorship laws, oversees the various secret services, and presides over the city’s elections. In many ways Pages IS the government of London, what with governments being collections of laws, regulations, and reports. And we know that the universe is governed by the laws of the Correspondence, an arcane language that literally warps reality around it. So it is not a leap to suspect that at one point he was a cog in the bureaucracy of the High Wilderness and analyze his words accordingly. The book being steadfast seems to suggest that Mr Pages remains loyal to someone. October A book about how to weaponize dream analysis in order to politically manipulate people. Unlike January’s book, which is about activating conscience, and the Contrarian’s, which is about the power of debate to change minds, October’s book is all about the use of deceit, the abuse of trust and the exploitation of fear/prejudice. It’s a very heartless methodology. November A blank book, meant to provide a symbolic lesson. This book is austere because sacrifice, determination, and selflessness are necessary for the realization of one’s revolutionary’s destiny. This suggests that November has an active role in determining the suitability of potential recruits. He/she is the one who determines “are they up to it?” I further note that the books can be neatly categorized by their respective subjects in the following manner. Revolutionary Violence and Deeds February, April, and July Revolutionary Debate and Propaganda January, August, October Revolutionary Behavior and Life March, June, November Revolutionary Scholarship May, September, December Which perhaps gives us a sense of the various factions or cliques within the Calendar Council and, hence, the larger revolutionary movement. February, April, and July are all much more focused on bringing about violent revolution. January, August, and October are concerned with changing people’s minds. March, June, and November are/were fixated on survival, motivation, morale, and living with oneself. May, September, and December are more about understanding the enemy. These individual focuses are no doubt a part of a unified Council policy, but it seems each of the members is interested in increasing the importance of their respective portfolios. If the camel is a horse designed by a committee, what does that make the revolution? Another thing to keep in mind, just because someone is on the Council does not necessarily mean they wrote the corresponding book. We know January’s position has had some turnover. So I suspect that each book, in addition to instructing future members, also lays down a tradition which all future Council members of the corresponding months are expected to follow and build upon. The December who leads the Council is not necessarily the December who wrote the book that started it all, for instance (though a 24 hour mask could be explained somewhat by advanced age – a lot of older Londoners have become Tomb Colonists since the Fall).[/spoiler] End note: this is an incomplete breakdown as I only have two failure texts of my own and only July’s has been posted on the forum. edited by Anne Auclair on 8/1/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Anne%20Auclair
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Angus Turner Posts: 72 7/31/2016	Optimatum wrote: The Law of Conservation of Detail states that, in a well-made story, any unusual level of detail is important (or an intentional red herring). Inversely, important information is foreshadowed, revealed, or otherwise worked into details. Failbetter knows how to create stories and this rule visibly holds true in existing stories. I'm not convinced. (spoiler tags because this turned into a wall of text (and also actual spoilers, but that goes without saying in this thread)) [spoiler]A story like Fallen London doesn't abide the conventions of a linear narrative, I don't think. It's not one story, it's myriad different stories, all woven into one another, some more than others, and all happening in one shared setting. A detail might be important to one particular story, or to several related ones, but the line between details that are important and details that are merely interesting isn't all that clear. In my opinion the Calendar Council, as a force, is an important setting element. But the identities of the individual members of the council are almost incidental to the larger picture. Consider the following question: who is February? It's a weird question. We know some things about her personality and goals, but if we found out her given name it wouldn't be an important reveal. February is February. Who's April? The only place we can find that out is in the Bag a Legend ambition. But what do we find out, exactly? There's some information about what kind of person she is, and we learn her birth name, but it's unimportant. Interesting, but not important. A player who never read the relevant text but knows about the Calendar Council knows that April is some high-ranking revolutionary, and a player who did read the text knows the same. Again, April is April. Who's July? In her we have an example of a Calendar member that enters and exits (or not) the narrative all in the place of a single exceptional story. There was zero detail about her before that story, and anyone who didn't play through that particular story has no way of knowing anything about her other than reading that text in journals. Except they do know who she is - she's a member of the Calendar Council. Knowing her story is interesting, but in the grand scheme of things? She's July. Who's March? He's a member of the Calendar Council. Also coffee, I guess. Who's January? Some important revolutionary who supported the Contrarian's campaign. Who's May? A high-ranking revolutionary. What's their personality? What do they do, exactly? No idea and revolutionary related stuff, respectively. Who's the Contrarian? He wasn't that big a character before the elections. Some guy who likes debate. He's a revolutionary, judging by the revolutionaries faction card. But maybe not, because he works against them in the Affluent Photographer story? But we learn in Hallowmas that the month he was working against has fallen out of favour with the Calendar Council, so maybe he is? The election revealed that he is working with the revolutionaries, but also against them, maybe? So the general consensus was that he is a revolutionary, but not entirely sold on the revolutionary agenda. He is a Contrarian, after all. Now let's consider the ramifications of the reveal that he is a member of the Calendar Council. We now know that he is an important revolutionary, but also that he's maybe not entirely supportive of the revolutionary agenda, and also that he likes debate. Don't get me wrong - it's interesting! And it's important, from a character point of view. But in a way, it's pretty much what we know already. And the alternative that this is a red herring is much, much less likely, in my opinion. It's not impossible that identity of a Month is important - December is some sort of high-chain being, maybe, and information about that may be considered important. But, going back to the law of conservation of detail, we know that December is the leader, and him being something other than human has been hinted at, while August has never been mentioned. What's the big reveal that we are being set up for, here? August is not the Contrarian after all! No, in fact, August is...August! And August is someone that resembles the Contrarian in their character but is otherwise unrelated to him! It's not going to be shocking. We know that August is someone called August, like we know May is someone called May.[/spoiler] tl;dr: I think The Contrarian is August, and I don't believe this is a detail that requires especial foreshadowing. edited by Angus Turner on 7/31/2016 -- The Philanthropic Scholar.
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Gilphon Posts: 93 7/29/2016	@Anne Auclair: I can confirm there are different versions; or rather it appears there are two; here's what was get if you haven't done the thing you did. In other news, here's a thing nobody seems to have picked up on: [spoiler] The storylets the library appear to be arranged in 'chronological' order from top to bottom. So the Winter room goes December-January-Febuary, the Spring room goes March-April-May, and so on. This would imply that the Jovial Contrarian is August, and that the player character may become November. [/spoiler] -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Gilphon
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 7/28/2016	The papyrus adds evidence to the identities of the Duchess and her father. [spoiler] "He refers to her with these symbos: the sun-disk, above a cutting tool embedded in a wood block. And here: the youngest of six daughter." The Aten is the disk of sun and Akhenaton is "Effective for Aten". The Duchess is definitely Princess Setepenre, the sixth daughter of Akehenaten and Nefertiti, here is her name in hieroglyphs: the sun disk, the tool cut in wood block. That is the adze- on-block, stp, for "chosen". But if the Duchess is Setepenre, who was her husband-to-be? Tutankhamun has never married with her in our history. And the scribe knows "they will find out, and they will come for him", who are they? The other daughters for the betrayal of the loyal family? The masters for a fake lovestory between Duchess and her husband? [/spoiler] -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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loredeluxe Posts: 106 7/28/2016	I really loved the story because of the implications it has on the greater story of the game. Warning Spoilers! [spoiler]First, the library is probably a repository of knowledge for the Calendar Council and they are likely using it as a staging ground for the Liberation of Night. The star map in the Autumn Room also implies they are well aware of the Judgements and are planning actions against them. Second, the translation of the glyphs reveal the Duchess intentionally poisoned her husband, as apposed to accidentally getting bitten by a snake, and her affair with the scribe is likely what drew the Masters to the Second City in the first place. It's obvious she sent the one-eyed bengel to hire you to steal the last remaining evidence of her crimes, and Mr Pages likely wants it as blackmail material since the Masters despise her.[/spoiler] edited by loredeluxe on 7/28/2016 edited by loredeluxe on 7/28/2016
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Kukapetal Posts: 1449 7/28/2016	The reveal confused more than angered me, actually. [spoiler]Why would she sell her city to the Masters to save the life a guy she not only disliked, but attempted to murder in the first place? And why does she seem so devoted to the Cantigaster when we see the two of them together?[/spoiler]
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Hark DeGaul Posts: 208 7/30/2016	Optimatum wrote: Could you have failed a quirk challenge? The challenge was on Subtle and Hark has Subtle 8. There are definitely two successes for the book of nonsense, the first of which gives Agendum Minutia while the second (SPOILER) [spoiler] gives a Bottle of Broken Giant and reads: Some of the blocks of text are strangely aligned, in a way suggestive of a carpenter's joins. It could be put down to printer error if the binding were not so precise. The desk which held the book is also positioned strangely, touching its neighbours in an arrangement which mirrors the book's layout. If you read its meaning correctly, you should apply pressure here. A concealed compartment pops open. What's this? A secret aid for late-night study [/spoiler] edited by Hark DeGaul on 7/30/2016 -- The Dawn-Eyed Optician: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Hark%20DeGaul That Vicar Who Ruined the Royal Wedding for Everyone (including himself): http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Hebediah%20Fix The Dreaded Relative: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Your%20Aunt
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 7/30/2016	Here is a quicklist of the Months, books, and quirks (I'm not sure whether it will be appropriate to link all the echoes out): 0. December - Astronomy book of no quirk 1. January - Radical textbook of Magnanimous 2. February - Bloodstained volume of Daring 3. March - Nonsense book of Subtle 4. April - Ordnance folio of Forceful 5. May - Love stories of Melancholy 6. June - Pleasure manual of Hedonist 7. July - Uprising account of no Quirk 8. August - Polemic volume of Ruthless 9. September - Ciphers book of Steadfast 10. October - Nightmares book of Heartless 11. November - Blank pages of Austere And here is my incomplete wild suspect BASED ON QUIRKS of Masters, some in-game text and some text from official twitters. It is too far from true, maybe some misunderstanding of the Masters' characteristics, and there is no "1 to 1" correspondence, but I will be glad if it can really give a few insights or just make you laugh: [spoiler] 15 masters: Apples, Candles, Chimes, Cups, Eaten, Fires, Hearts, Iron, Mirrors, Pages, Sacks, Spices, Stones, Veils, Wines. Dead one(s): Candles/Eaten. Shared identities played by all the masters: Sacks(100% certain) Chimes(guess). Trading Names or personalities: Apples/Hearts(guess), Cups/Mirrors(100% certain) So there are 9 of whom we have for certain: Apples, Cups, Fires, Iron, Pages, Spices, Stones, Veils, Wines. Some guys may count or not: Candles/Eaten, Hearts, Mirrors, Sacks, Chimes, ...and The Bazaar, ...and someone in the Chill of Void. The quirks we have in chronological order: 0 - Blank, 1 - Magnanimous, 2 - Daring, 3 - Subtle, 4 - Forceful, 5 - Melancholy, 6 - Hedonist, 7 - Blank, 8 - Ruthless, 9 -Steadfast, 10 - Heartless, 11 - Austere 0. December - Astronomy book of no quirk - Bazaar itself. Dear friends, December seems to know the stars personally, and he is "not one of us" in "September 1911", maybe not one of us human-being? I doubt whether his rival would be limited to a certain master. 1. January - Radical textbook of Magnanimous - Apples? Really a friendly guy who will be magnanimous to you (only if you are not cursed by RNG). 2. February - Bloodstained volume of Daring - Iron? How dare you warn me against the Bazaar? Fires? How dare you ask a delay in London... YOU MIGHT BE WELL. 3. March - Nonsense book of Subtle - Wines? "He seems amiable and sympathetic", but could be "the most dangerous of the Masters". He even enjoyed playing the fool in a carpet (an end of the Silvertree). However...in fact, most of the masters are subtler than they appear. 4. April - Ordnance folio of Forceful- Fires? Forcible, straightforward, rude to his employees. Stones and Iron also have forceful ways of speaking... and writing. 5. May - Love stories of Melancholy - Can't think of anyone except someone dead. Stones for "hearts turn to stone"? No!!Stop it! Old Stones is unlikely to be weeping silently for a broken heart. Though the diamonds he loves can be broken hearts. 6. June - Pleasure Manual of Hedonist - Wines? Hearts? I suspect the latter. He is a hedonist on food, and "A heart is never empty". Somewhat fits in the obsessive compulsive hedonist. 7. July - Uprising account of no Quirk - Mirrors? He is something empty, something to be filled, so no quirk here. And he is also a "reflection". 8. August - Polemic volume of Ruthless - Veils? If August is Jovial outside but Ruthless inside, then he is double-faced. I suspect his rival is the gentleman in black, the one who "never cross, is a ray of stolen sunshine", the one who takes pleasure in slaughter. If it is true, the Contrarian may not be truly unhappy for a nun to be the Mayor. 9. September - Ciphers book of Steadfast - Pages? He is the faithful supporter of Bazaar. Stones? I remember that he is also loyal. But this book mentioned about Pages directly. 10. October - Nightmares book of Heartless - Spices for Heartless, and he gives people nightmares since he is fighting with someone for the entry to Parabola. 11. November - Blank pages of Austere - Iron? Most of the masters are fairly fond of their business, sometimes they are even greedy and hungry. I can hardly think of anyone which is quite Austere, anyone who resists pleasures. Only Iron doesn't seem to be crazy about his iron matters. But...since it is blank, could it be someone in the Chill of Void? This special person indeed show some austere in most of the branches. The connection I prefer: 0. Blank-Bazaar, 1. Magnanimous-Apples, 2. Daring-Iron, 3. Subtle-Wines, 4. Forceful-Fires / Stones, 5. Melancholy-The dead guy / "I dunno.", 6. Hedonist-Hearts, 7. Blank-Mirrors, 8. Ruthless-Veils, 9. Steadfast-Pages, 10. Heartless-Spices, 11. Austere-Someone in the Chill of Void. [/spoiler] Maybe it shouldn't be based on quirks at all. Some of the speculations are far-fetched. EDIT: If you need a text evidence for a certain quote or something, PM me, though I might not reply immediately. edited by Fadewalker on 7/30/2016 edited by Fadewalker on 7/30/2016 -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 7/30/2016	Optimatum wrote: While I'd be very surprised if the Contrarian turned out to be part of the Calendar Council despite being directly opposed to their end goal, I'd be even more surprised if random other characters without previous Revolutionary association were suddenly revealed to be on the Council as well. For example, why on earth would the Manager be secretly a Revolutionary? He made a deal with the Bazaar, is still somewhat affiliated with it, and the Liberation would his beloved who he very clearly still cares about deeply. This would also be assuming that the Calendar Council is fully unified and do have any ideological differences. All evidence, including past assassinations, seems to indicate there are divisions within their ranks, and that they do intrigue against one another at times. Really, it seems like they might almost be a mirror of the Masters. A dozen mysterious, eccentric and very dangerous individuals ostensibly devoted to the support of a common cause, but largely engaged in pursuing their own devices and intrigues. Except not space bats. edited by Pnakotic on 7/30/2016 -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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Gilphon Posts: 93 7/29/2016	I would rather say that some members of the council have assassinated other members that they disagree with. And we did, after all, just watch February try to hijack the Contrarian's mayoral campaign because he was insufficiently LoN, which speaks to the same sort of M.O.- assassinating him in the middle the campaign would've hardly served her purpose, after all. [spoiler] And why shouldn't some also want the sky to remain starry? December's book sounds like the writer knows the stars personally, after all. Indeed, I'd call that room additional evidence that they're not 100% in favour of the Liberation.[/spoiler] -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Gilphon
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 7/29/2016	Anne Auclair wrote: I still contend that the Contrarian's second week was a case of teeth-clinched teamwork and not a hostile takeover. He wanted to win and so he brought in February, who is all about winning. But to balance the books for such an uncharacteristically extreme act, he donated money to the Bishop and Jenny. edited by Anne Auclair on 7/29/2016 With locked doors keeping February away from The Contrarian and his loyalists, it didn't sound like there was any teamwork going on, at all. [spoiler]Though considering February chose to involve herself in the campaign, and the book in the Summer room strongly suggest the Contrarian is a member of the Council, it seems more and more likely that the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem is also a member of the Council, probably the one represented by the book on dreams in the Autumn room.[/spoiler] -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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Shadowcthuhlu Posts: 1557 7/28/2016	Lady, you act like people don't routinely dunk your kid in the river - stop hitting me with your umbrella. [spoiler]I chose to return the story to the library - Dirae Erinyes was worried that either of the parties would choose to destroy it. They are sentimental about stories. Especially about love stories. Still feeling pretty good about that.[/spoiler] -- https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Dirae%20Erinyes. Closed to calling cards, but open for all other social action. I also love to roleplay.
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 7/28/2016	RandomWalker wrote: Love the story, and the lore. So each book corresponds with a member of the council then? Has anyone matched them up with what we know about the council? spoiler I wrote some nonsense here: http://community.failbettergames.com/topic22807-august-exceptional-story-the-calendar-code.aspx?Page=1#post157522 I must admit that the association between December and astronomy book is a bold assumption, too bold to be true, ignore it, please. The Bazaar mention of March as "lolloping buffoon" is here https://twitter.com/echobazaar/status/366231650062958592 , though the only thing I know about him is that he gives coffee and the former March might be poisoned by a doctor we know. And a further note and speculation for the cipher book and the empty book: [spoiler] There are some other revolutionary characters which may or may not in the council: the Revolutionary Firebrand, the Secular Missionary, the Affluent Photographer, the Jovial Contrarian and the Curt Relicker. Some of them came Neath in recent, the missionary and the firebrand; they are unlikely to be Months. The Affluent Photographer is not a Month according to herself ("The Calendar Council. I'm not on it, of course"). The Jovial Contrarian might be associated with that of polemic, as I mentioned before. The Curt Relicker "was ejected from the council after falling in love with December" according to Wikia and Spacemarine9, I suspect him to be related with the book of ciphers for what he usually does (e.g. "The Curt Relicker takes an armful of old newspapers and pauses. 'Wait! I can see the code here. Well, almost. Monty, get the books! We decrrypt!' "). Though it seems to have nothing to do with Mr Pages. For the empty book: I suspect you, sorry, the player character. In one of the destiny after LoN, "The Council still meets in secret. This, you tell each other, is only a prologue, a trial.", sounds like you are one of the Months. And, in the text of the empty book ("Will they tell of your deeds?"), the word "your" is italic. Since the player character may or may not support LoN, I think this is just an implication of an empty seat (can be reserved for you) in the Council. But it is weird that this book is related to the quirk of Austere and 2 x Inkling of Identity. [/spoiler] -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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BlabberingMat Posts: 385 7/28/2016	All in all, this story does not have some unique rewards,but it is rich with lore, and that is the best thing ever. -- Alt-Lana Loter Main-Always Drunk Slav "To see a world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in wild flowers. To hold an infinity in palm of hand and Eternity in an hour” Finally, I am Crooked Cross! Feel free to send invitations for Salon! As of June 5th, 1895, I am London's newest Legendary Charisma! The current progress in Mega Soul Grind: 53727/1 639 121 Souls
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/28/2016	I think she had a plan involving the neath, since the bazaar was stuck with her city for longer than it wanted. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Angus Turner Posts: 72 7/29/2016	We now know a little more about the Contrarian's mysterious donor: [spoiler]January's book is this one, indicating that January prefers to act through persuasion and demagoguery, so supporting his comrade's political campaign was right up his alley. I still don't know what to make of the displays. One stands for anarchy, one for authoritarianism, and one for the status quo. Why? Is there any relation between the displays and the books in their sections?[/spoiler] -- The Philanthropic Scholar.
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Angus Turner Posts: 72 7/29/2016	Saying that the Contrarian is directly opposed to the Calendar's end goal is overstating it, I think. His remark on the matter was "the light need not necessarily go out". Doesn't really sound like someone whose position on the Liberation is ironclad - I would imagine the other members of the council think he'll come around, eventually. February more or less said that, when she interfered in his campaign. -- The Philanthropic Scholar.
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 7/30/2016	Professor Strix wrote: The Contrarian is the guy that gives you a job to make you Closest To the Revolutionaries and he was backed by revolutionaries in his campaign. I think this is enough hinting that he might be close to them. The fact that he was arguing against revolution to annoy the Affluent Photographer only proves that he is, well, a contrarian. He IS the guy who likes to argue for any side, just for the sake of arguing. It's likely he advocates the use of more subtle methods than brick-throwing and assassination. He certainly doesn't suggest the Photographer is wrong in her sentiments ( he questions why you should support the Masters and the upper classes), but doesn't approve her methods. In fact, he explicitly states that violent revolutions have never served to improve the lot of the poor, and that London would be left vulnerable without the Masters. Likewise, on the Connected card, he mentions the need for people of sound reputation, not just more violent agitators. And with the book discussing the merits and methods of twisting public opinion through argument, everything seems to point to the Contrarian, somewhat like Proudhon, being a strong advocate of change through non-violent and rational reform, not the tyranny of violent action. February is nearly the complete opposite, ruthlessly violent, autocratic, and nihilistically devoted to winning at any cost - without any apparent concern for collateral damage or long-term consequence. [spoiler]In retrospect, the Contrarian's intimate familiarity with the Calendar Council is revealed in the Affluent Photographer story through his very direct criticism of specific members like March (revealed in the library to either be mad or feign it), April (obsessed with artillery and explosives), and September (if the pattern matches, obsessed with decrypting the obsequious verbal meanderings of Mr. Pages) which seems to be very clear evidence of his direct involvement with the Council. As the Photographer's goals of inciting a violent uprising conflict with his long-term goals, he acts to undermine her via a proxy. Subtle, but ruthless.[/spoiler] edited by Pnakotic on 7/30/2016 -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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Diptych Administrator Posts: 3493 7/30/2016	Optimatum wrote: Wasn't there something in one bit of content suggesting each month of the Calendar Council had particular enmity for a specific Master? Like February and Mr Iron. I wonder who the Contrarian would be against, or the player if they were to join the Council. (And who would be against a certain hunger.) I was about to ask the same thing! Perhaps the blank book represents a lack of a Master? Otherwise... the Contrarian might be the revolutionary counterpart of Mr Mirrors, a Master able to represent itself on either side of an issue? -- Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron. Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/31/2016	Fadewalker wrote: Optimatum wrote: Fadewalker: At some point, I think in the Mysteries, it was stated that there are eleven Masters. It was never stated which they counted the two doubles or Chimes and Sacks, but Mr Eaten is certainly not part of that as in SMEN he's referred to as King Twelve. Yes, perhaps you are right, the concept of 12 or 11 has appeared in more than one place, though the method of counting is still unknown. But I am not sure when the prototype of a "calendar council" was built. The "Calendar Council" today is probably recent, but when was it conceived? Before or after the third city? Some old guys might be a member of the council, so when did they start to choose a rival and go against the Masters secretly? ...Oh, sorry, I'd admit you're right: even if they had once set Eaten as a rival, they should had it replaced with another master for the number 11 given at present (or in the future). I didn't rule it out mainly because I can't find another "melancholy" guy among the masters at present, and if that is the always-mourning Bazaar, it will be weird to connect it to a Fifth/Sixth Month...However, all the masters do have deep feelings and sentiments, sometimes hidden. Of some of the masters we could just catch a glimpse, they are quite backstage at present. So I will wait. Or maybe there is no 1 to 1 quirk connection? I forgot to mention it in my post quoted, but I do like the idea of the Bazaar as an antagonist - it would only fit though with December, being the leader. Eleven people and their boss... There is absolutely no way though that the Calendar Council predates the Fifth City. It and the rest of the revolutionary sentiment in London is very clearly connected to and inspired by various historical revolutions such as the October Revolution in Vienna. In the alternate history from Cut with Moonlight, the Calendar Council is London's new government, still on the surface. There were revolutionary factions in previous cities, but they are identified as specific factions, such as the Rosers, the Copper, the Motherlings. Plus the previous cities had very different calendars. There is also absolutely no way anyone from any of the first three cities is on the Calendar Council, and I'd very much doubt anyone from the Fourth City is either. The only people in London from said cities that I can even recall are the Manager, the Capering Relicker, the Duchess, and the Cantigaster. The Manager has significant ties to the Bazaar, plus if the Liberation happened it would kill his beloved. The Capering Relicker is apparently the Manager's uncle and made the first Hesperidean Cider, but aside from that there's very little about him and nothing remotely revolutionary. The Duchess is too high-profile to be a revolutionary, she's her own faction anyways, she wouldn't be stealing a scroll about her from the Calendar Council's library, and the Liberation would kill the Cantigaster. The Cantigaster himself couldn't be a member for obvious reasons. There's nobody from the Third City at all in London, and the occasional Fourth City survivors are tomb-colonists such as the Mercies. Anne Auclair wrote: Although an alternate explanation for February's presence would be that the Calendar Council collectively ordered the Contrarian to make her his campaign manager. Why? Who knows - internal politics probably. But whatever happened, it wasn't February showing up with a gun and declaring herself in charge. The Contrarian either appointed her himself or consented to her appointment as a matter of revolutionary discipline. Alternatively alternatively, the Calendar Council appointed February as the Contrarian's campaign manager, and because a large part of his base is revolutionaries he had to go along with it or lose support/have the Council turn them against him. He was pretty clearly not happy having the Council doing anything with his campaign, and if he was on the Council that would be a given. edited by Optimatum on 7/31/2016 -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 8/1/2016	Two tiny things: 1. This can be a red herring or an entire coincidence, but maybe relevant: you need Ruthless 4 to unlock the choice of helping the Contrarian plant an agent in the Ministry for Public Decency. So, yes, as your conspirator, he is at least sometimes Ruthless, and if he is always creating revolutionaries "of sound reputation" this way, he can fit in the Ruthless quirk. 2. I know little about the relationship between Pages and the Duchess, but from Christmas content: you can help Duchess and her cats ambush the concrudescent Mr Sacks and "Mr Sacks" seemed to be quite used to it... I wonder if these two are always on bad terms. -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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Passionario Posts: 777 8/3/2016	Anne Auclair wrote: One doesn't have to bend to attribute malevolence to Sinning Jenny. One has to bend to not do so. That's what the papyrus is about. [spoiler]The woman described therein is Jenny. The poisoned betrothed one is London. THE ANCIENTS WERE TRYING TO WARN US! Cardinal of Conspiracy is increasing...[/spoiler] -- Passionario: Profile, Story, Ending Passion: Profile, Appearance
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Anne Auclair Posts: 2215 8/2/2016	Review time! This was a really good story. A little short, but there was a lot to chew on, so its brief length worked in its favor. I liked how it was about the Calendar Council without any of the Calendar Council members taking the stage. Sometimes information about a subject is best conveyed through the setup and background, as opposed to the mission itself (in this case, a battle between Mr Pages and the Duchess that only involved the Calendar Council because they happened to possess the contested document). There is a lot of potential for this sort of setup going forward – say in providing information about the Neath’s three major artistic schools (and the fourth branch of dropouts/nonconformists who refuse to have anything to do with said schools). This story did leave quite a few unanswered questions though. 1. Why does Mr. Pages allow the Agendums of Ascent Library to operate despite knowing that it is an Anarchist front? And why did he try to seize the document in such a roundabout way (bribing the player) instead of outright seizing it earlier? (The code would have been no barrier, Pages could have just had his goons tear the walls down.) The Library having powerful patrons would explain this - so who are those patrons? 2. Why does the Calendar Council continue to operate said library despite Mr. Pages’ awareness of its true purpose? 3. Who were the patrons frequenting said library? I doubt it was the Council members. So, who were they and what do they get up to? Hopefully these questions will be answered in the future. I’d like it if the Agendums of Ascent were to become a recurring part of London’s background, like the Museum of Mistakes, the Dilmun Club, Joy from the Hill, and so forth. I really enjoyed all of the Season of Revolutions stories, though for different reasons. The Bomb Plot’s tension and pathos did the most to draw me in emotionally. I had the most good, old fashioned fun with the Chimney Pot Wars. And I found the Calendar Code the most intellectually engaging. I’m looking forward to the item trade in. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Anne%20Auclair
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Anne Auclair Posts: 2215 7/31/2016	Gilphon wrote: I failed to Forceful and Heartless checks the first time. Nothing particularly interesting happened. When you succeed the Forceful check for April's blueprint collection you get a description of a new sort of projectile. When you fail the check you get a description of an over-complicated and somewhat ram-shackled war machine. Those are fairly different results that illustrate the creative range of her thinking. Similarly, a successful skill check with September's book tells you what it's about, while a failed skill check tells you how it's aesthetically designed. In both cases my appreciation of the works were enhanced. These were the only two failed checks I could get because of where my quirks were. Does anyone have any more? -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Anne%20Auclair
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/31/2016	Fadewalker: At some point, I think in the Mysteries, it was stated that there are eleven Masters. It was never stated which they counted the two doubles or Chimes and Sacks, but Mr Eaten is certainly not part of that as in SMEN he's referred to as King Twelve. PJ wrote: I'm a little sad that there was no option to hand-deliver the document to the Duchess directly. My character is certainly both perceptive and cheeky enough to do that. I think they specifically chose not to say it was the Duchess. It's an obvious conclusion for those of us who played the University storyline, but Excecptional Stories are intentionally accessible to everyone, and they wouldn't want to have a random reveal spoiling the story where it's normally learned. One more ending for those of us who did play the University story would work, but that way not all of the story would be accessible to all. -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/29/2016	Hark DeGaul wrote: I wonder if the implications of this story have some bearing on Mr Eaten's Name. spoiler I don't think this story has any relevance to SMEN beyond what we already knew regarding the topic. [spoiler]I think the Duchess pretty clearly didn't fabricate a love story, as indicated by her letter following giving the papyrus to the cat. Love was clearly involved and a motivating factor for all. The Duchess betrayed the Masters and the Bazaar not by giving them a false story, but a false city. They want important cities, the capitals of empires, but the Second City was not such a city. Amarna was the capital of Egypt at the time, but a brand new one built by a mad king whose theological revisions were overturned immediately upon his death. The city lacked history, and its citizens did not love it. The Bazaar got a capital in name, but it was already dead. It's not clear exactly why the Bazaar stuck around in the Second City for two millenia. The Duchess and her sisters clearly knew of the Bazaar's plan and deliberately interfered, so presumably the delay was their creation also. Mr Eaten was betrayed to end the Second City, but only in that he was betrayed to buy the Third City, for that was the God-Eaters' price. The Masters betrayed him for additional reasons: he was not angry at the Duchess or her betrayal, and in fact seemingly sympathetic; and he had some manner of lesser nature for which he knew betrayal was inevitable.[/spoiler] -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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PJ Posts: 210 7/29/2016	This is all well and good, but why was the papyrus in the possession of the Calendar Council? And perhaps more importantly, how close are they to completing the Device? The light in Ladybones Road briefly went out. Was that a malfunction, or a test? -- https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Peter%20James
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Curious Foreigner Posts: 210 7/29/2016	Pnakotic, as far as I know, December's gender was never referred to, not even in the event in your spoiler. edited by Curious Foreigner on 7/29/2016 -- Cochimetl went North, and beyond. No poems, only candlelight now. (Well, maybe one poem.) The Gun-Toting Gallivanter, after an extended absence, is back in London again.
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Anne Auclair Posts: 2215 7/29/2016	Well...[spoiler]so much for the Contrarian being an inexperienced dilettante who exists on the fringes of the Revolutionary movement. And needing to pass a Ruthless check to understand his book on rhetoric, well, that tells us he's no pushover. He takes argument very, very seriously. Now I wonder if he really could murder somebody with just his words. The Calendar Council is more and more coming to resemble the Master they oppose. There are fewer then there seem to be. Some are utterly dedicated to the Liberation, while others...have alternative plans. And one troublesome doubter has been killed.[/spoiler] btw, I effortlessly beat most of the book checks and I'm curious about the failure texts? ^_^ edited by Anne Auclair on 7/29/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Anne%20Auclair
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Saklad Posts: 528 7/28/2016	This is definitely one of the greatest Exceptional Stories yet. I especially loved the agency it offered, the lore, and the way it rewarded keeping stocks of items and having certain quirks. My only complaint, if you can even call it that, is the ambiguity of the "Return" option at the end. More like this! -- Saklad5, a man of many talents
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Curious Foreigner Posts: 210 7/28/2016	I'm surprised how wrongly I interpreted the papyrus. [spoiler]I was so certain the scribe was the Bazaar, the noble girl the Sun, and the Snake a Fingerking, what with that combination of love and wrongdoing (amalgamy).[/spoiler] Apparently, I'm dead wrong. And now I gave the document to the wrong party. -- Cochimetl went North, and beyond. No poems, only candlelight now. (Well, maybe one poem.) The Gun-Toting Gallivanter, after an extended absence, is back in London again.
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Professor Strix Posts: 616 7/29/2016	Pnakotic wrote: RandomWalker wrote: Love the story, and the lore. So each book corresponds with a member of the council then? Has anyone matched them up with what we know about the council? My own thoughts and notes: [spoiler] Winter An astronomer, familiar with the Judgements. Madame Shoshanna? Or the Enterprising Astronomer? Or the Shivering Relicker? An academic, interested in radicalizing students. The Professor Denunciata of Infernal Rarefactions? A duelist or adventurer, used to fighting dirty. Most likely February. Spring A fool... or one who plays a fool? And talks in riddles. The Topsy King? Silas? The Capering Relicker? An expert on artillery and improvised ordinance. Colonel Pommery? A romantic, writing tales of strange love in the neath. Including the stone heart of the Manager? Of the Wry functionariy's love lost over the dark waters? Sinning Jenny? Or Lilac? Who else would have access to the strange love stories the Bazaar covets? Maybe the Coquettish Relicker? There is a mechanism in the room like the Liberation of Night, shutting out all light, and showing a soft purple glow over the map of london - perhaps connected to Irrigo and the cave of the nadir? Summer Frivolous games and party planning are a facade over a desperate need for distraction. His Amused Lordship? A vision of a revolution - past or yet to come? Paris 1908? The Exceptional story of July? A volume of polemic, or the joy of argument... the Jovial Contrarian. Another mechanism to shutter the room, an immense device with wheels of fire - another part of the Liberation machinery, or the Dawn Machine? Autumn A cryptographer analyzing the speech patterns of Mr Pages, and finding strange connections to cosmology. Curt Relicker? A collection of nightmares confessed to physician and priests, and an analysis of how to use them to manipulate. Dr. Schlomo? Or the Manager of the Royal Beth? A blank book, of a future yet to be written. But whose deeds will be recorded, and who will record them? Another darkness mechanism, and a ceiling of surface stars. A return to the surface, or a return to the stars (The Road destiny)? I'm kind of intrigued by being able to fit the Relickers into some of these roles - though the Coquettish Relicker fits a little awkwardly, the others all make pretty good sense. [/spoiler] Not much to say about the notes, but the member who is expert in artillery is most certainly April, she appears in the Bag a Legend! ambition. His Amused Lordship strikes me more like someone who goes to parties, rather than someone who plans them, but who knows. edited by Professor Strix on 7/29/2016 -- The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds. "THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used." --------- Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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Kukapetal Posts: 1449 7/28/2016	Haha, it's always fun to RP Flesh-Stick going through a place he most definitely does NOT want to be in (in this case a "boring" old library). Though the idiot ended up having fun anyway, because he can find amusement in practically anything. So this story was definitely fun and I really loved the whole mechanic of going through the library and unlocking its secrets. Good job, writers!
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Mr Sables Posts: 597 7/28/2016	Fadewalker wrote: EDIT: In the end I returned it, expecting more information about LoN but there is nothing new. Did anyone deliver the papyrus to our dearest Pages? I handed it over. It's recorded in my journal, if you want to check it out. Reward wise, I was surprised not to get an increase in my masters connection . . . [spoiler] I think I got a collection of curiosities, though, which was nice[/spoiler]
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Barse Posts: 706 7/28/2016	Scienceandponies wrote: How bad of a time is one likely to have if they decide to loot and linger? One of my longtime character objectives is never visiting the boatman and never making a return trip to New Newgate. [spoiler] Looting and lingering put me up 5 or 6 CP of Suspicion when I did it, and didn't give me many benefits. Depending on how many of x items you have already, it may just lead to lots of "x hasn't changed, because it's higher than y" messages.[/spoiler] -- The Scorched Sailor, up for most social actions and RP. Not as scary as he looks.
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Guy Dudeman Posts: 12 7/29/2016	Gilphon wrote: In other news, here's a thing nobody seems to have picked up on: [spoiler] The storylets the library appear to be arranged in 'chronological' order from top to bottom. So the Winter room goes December-January-Febuary, the Spring room goes March-April-May, and so on. This would imply that the Jovial Contrarian is August, and that the player character may become November. [/spoiler] I really like this idea, unfortunately I blew through this without making the connection between the months and the 3 books per room, did anyone echo them all in order? Or can anyone give a brief summary of each book? -- Guy I, the Father, who went up to the North Guy II, the Son, looking for his Father
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Anne Auclair Posts: 2215 7/29/2016	Optimatum wrote: I'd be very surprised if the Contrarian was on the Calendar Council, given his whole deal of NOT wanting the Liberation to occur. Well, Mr Fires, Mr Irons, and Mr Stones are all independently sabotaging the Bazaar's project. So... -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Anne%20Auclair
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Gilphon Posts: 93 7/29/2016	Indeed. I've never assumed the Calendar Council was a particularly cohesive group; everything seems to point to each of them having their cell of supporters, we plenty of disagreements about each other's priorities and methods happening. With that in mind, it wouldn't be terribly surprising if they weren't unanimously on board with the Liberation. Certainly nothing in Lost in Reflections gave me the impression July was going for LoN. [spoiler] And the Summer room in this story has a Dawn Machine display mirroring the Liberation one in the Spring room- suggesting that those two things are thought of in comparable terms among the Council, despite those two being very mutual exclusive plans.[/spoiler] -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Gilphon
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Professor Strix Posts: 616 7/29/2016	Optimatum wrote: I'd be very surprised if the Contrarian was on the Calendar Council, given his whole deal of NOT wanting the Liberation to occur. How can you be surprised?! He is the Contrarian. It's right there in his name. edited by Professor Strix on 7/29/2016 -- The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds. "THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used." --------- Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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Kukapetal Posts: 1449 7/28/2016	Vavakx Nonexus wrote: Also, it bears mention that one of the special books, located in the Autumn room, is left black. Whether to signify an empty slot in the council, or to mislead any investigators, it contains nothing. Not after Flesh-Stick got through with it :P
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MidnightVoyager Posts: 858 7/28/2016	Be wary of this one, lest you knock your Steadfast 15 back down to 14 and have to bloody grind it back up all over again. -- Midnight Voyager - A blood-cousin to predators. Collector of beasts. Affably mad.
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Johny Topside Posts: 46 7/28/2016	Did anybody else feel this way after reading the papyrus? [spoiler]I really wanted a fifth option to 'Fuss at the Duchess' because of what I learned. I thought she was actually committed to her horrible sack of poison, not that she turned him into it for convenience's sake. I'm a little salty over her betrayal.[/spoiler] edited by Johny Topside on 7/28/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Johny~Topside
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RandomWalker Posts: 948 7/28/2016	Love the story, and the lore. So each book corresponds with a member of the council then? Has anyone matched them up with what we know about the council? [spoiler] Using July as an anchor (a good match between book and character, and we have a definitive link), we know that the violent book in Winter ties with February and likewise April's book links with weaponcrafting. These are good correlations with the characters concerned. I don't know much about the rest of the council, but it seems we have hints about their personality and inclinations. Can anyone offer more information about the other members? [/spoiler]
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SarahTheEntwife Posts: 50 7/29/2016	Still only in the second room, but I'm enjoying this! Fascinating lore here. I like the qualities challenges, and the opportunity to go "why yes, I will sit in this room and grind map scraps for a while, thank you very much" ;-) -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Strel Retired zee-captain turned scholar. Open to social interactions of various sorts. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Winona~Tintenfisch Winona Tintenfisch, aspiring street urchin. Would definitely be up for some fisticuffs or loitering.
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Jolanda Swan Posts: 1783 7/29/2016	Correct. After all, the whole election storyline makes more sense if the Contrarian is someone of great importance inside the Council. If he was nobody would they accomodate him as far as they did, when they killed one of their very own at some point? edited by Jolanda Swan on 7/29/2016 -- Lover of all things beautiful, secret admirer of ugly truths, fond of the Parabola Sun... and always delighted to role play. http://fallenlondon.com/profile/Jolanda%20Swan
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Cthonius Posts: 362 7/30/2016	OK I'm pretty sure it said it'd conclude in opportunity cards, but I've been drawing them nonstop and seen neither hide nor hair. I know that's a common problem people have (see: the election) but it's damned frustrating. -- Cthonius, gone North. Gone. Oneiropompus, a Scarlet Saint, eager to help make your dreams realities. Accepting all social requests for now.
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Hark DeGaul Posts: 208 7/29/2016	I wonder if the implications of this story have some bearing on Mr Eaten's Name. [spoiler]The work appears to suggest that the Masters hate the Second City because the Duchess betrayed them by concocting a love story. I theorise that the reason the Third City took so long to fall is because, just as the Fourth City was brought down in a bargain borne out of love and was ended when London was sold out of a similar love, the Second City required a betrayal of roughly equal magnitude to end it. If this was true the betrayal of Mr Eaten isn't just the removal of a rival Master (after all wouldn't Stones and Fires or Wines and Spices also itching to get rid of each other) but a required step to lower the Third City.[/spoiler] There's little evidence for this, granted, but I feel the idea has enough elegance to be the sort of thing Failbetter would do. -- The Dawn-Eyed Optician: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Hark%20DeGaul That Vicar Who Ruined the Royal Wedding for Everyone (including himself): http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Hebediah%20Fix The Dreaded Relative: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Your%20Aunt
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/30/2016	Wasn't there something in one bit of content suggesting each month of the Calendar Council had particular enmity for a specific Master? Like February and Mr Iron. I wonder who the Contrarian would be against, or the player if they were to join the Council. (And who would be against a certain hunger.) Anne Auclair wrote: btw, is it just me or does this thread seem to be bugged? It says the oldest post was 4 hours ago? Yep, it was bugged for a while. I tried to make a post and it wouldn't let me. SarahTheEntwife wrote: Wait, is this the same document as spoiler If so, Strel is really frustrated that none of the options involve him getting to secretly keep it. It's not. Hark DeGaul wrote: Has anyone found any alternate successes for books? I stumbled across one on the Book of Nonsense that gives wine, but otherwise I haven't spotted any. Could you have failed a quirk challenge? edited by Optimatum on 7/30/2016 -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Katistrophe Posts: 29 7/31/2016	Lamia Lawless wrote: Kukapetal wrote: The reveal confused more than angered me, actually. [spoiler]She never loved the scribe. She loved the man who became the Cantigaster. She pretended to murder him to manufacture a love story that the Bazaar couldn't use (because it was false, and premeditated) which is why the Masters hate her, and hate Egypt. Aten's daughters 'lured the Bazaar to them,' though I'm not clear on why they wanted to capture it.* The Masters were stuck with her city and no progress towards their goals for a thousand years, I think, before they were able to acquire the Third City. Actually, I thought about it some more, and I think maybe they were deliberately trying to hold the Bazaar back so that the message it has for the Sun wouldn't cause it to self-destruct. But this is just conjecture.[/spoiler] edited by Lamia Lawless on 7/29/2016* Hm, I'm probably misunderstanding you, but... doesn't that mean the Masters would have known about the uselessness of manufactured love stories before the time they tried to manufacture some themselves? Well, at least I read the manufactured situation as having started relatively recently, while it seems to me the dislike of Egypt was a thing that went on for longer? (Not that it'd have kept my character from investigating it. The reason he's not marching up to the culprit in this one is he feels he needs additional evidence. No idea how he's going to get it...) Also, has anyone who sided with Pages gotten a follow-up card?
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spacecatte Posts: 42 7/30/2016	[spoiler]this is more of a joke than anything, but I'd be willing to speculate that the master enemy of november/the blank book/the possible pc is mr eaten, since his quest is the one that ultimately destroys you :P[/spoiler] edited by spacecatte on 7/30/2016 -- "That cat is walking around in a space suit." The SpaceCatte, a capricious feline claiming some absurd things. Agent Wicket, a Fist of the Bazaar who is far too serious for her own good.
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 7/30/2016	Hark DeGaul wrote: Optimatum wrote: Could you have failed a quirk challenge? The challenge was on Subtle and Hark has Subtle 8. There are definitely two successes for the book of nonsense, the first of which gives Agendum Minutia while the second (SPOILER) edited by Hark DeGaul on 7/30/2016 That is intriguing. Should it be an unique alternative success for every book which gives a special item instead of an Agendum Minutia? For me the reward for each book is: [spoiler] 12. Memory of Light + Whispered Hint 1. Agendum Minutia 2. Proscribed Material 3. Agendum Minutia 4. Correspondence Plaque 5. Whispered Hint + Nightmares 6. Whispered Hint + Agendum Minutia 7. Vision of the Surface + Whispered Hint 8. Whispered Hint 9. Agendum Minutia 10. Stolen Correspondence 11. Inkling of Identity + Whispered Hint [/spoiler] edited by Fadewalker on 7/30/2016 -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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Professor Strix Posts: 616 8/2/2016	To any non-Bag-a-Legenders out there, here is the echo about April. I'm precisely at that point of the ambition, now I'm focused into becoming dreaded enough to demand a meeting with her. "You've neither the time nor the temperament to mollycoddle anarchists." is an apt description of my character. -- The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds. "THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used." --------- Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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Angus Turner Posts: 72 7/31/2016	Optimatum wrote: Alternatively alternatively, the Calendar Council appointed February as the Contrarian's campaign manager, and because a large part of his base is revolutionaries he had to go along with it or lose support/have the Council turn them against him. He was pretty clearly not happy having the Council doing anything with his campaign, and if he was on the Council that would be a given. I agree that up until this story, the Contrarian being a part of the Calendar Council didn't seem likely. And yet... [spoiler]A closer reading reveals a position which shifts and transforms from page to page. You realise that what the author is writing about is the art of debate itself; the pleasure of the spoken word, and its power to change minds. Along the way, you glean many little insights.[/spoiler] Yes, the Contrarian resented the Council's influence (though mostly February's - January he argued with, as he does, but February actually prompted him to donate money to his political opponents) but there are ways to explain that don't contradict him being a member of the Calendar Council. And I would be inclined to accept those explanations, since that text is pretty much his character description. -- The Philanthropic Scholar.
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Lamia Lawless Posts: 604 8/2/2016	Katistrophe wrote: Hm, I'm probably misunderstanding you, but... doesn't that mean the Masters would have known about the uselessness of manufactured love stories before the time they tried to manufacture some themselves? Well, at least I read the manufactured situation as having started relatively recently, while it seems to me the dislike of Egypt was a thing that went on for longer? (Not that it'd have kept my character from investigating it. The reason he's not marching up to the culprit in this one is he feels he needs additional evidence. No idea how he's going to get it...) Okay, so it seems like I got two different bits of lore mixed up. [spoiler]This bit about the Gracious Widow and her false love story, and the part about how Amarna was a trick used to lure and trap the Bazaar so that it couldn't capture more cities. I guess I could still speculate that the Duchess's story was faked to lure the Bazaar to the false capital, but then the epilogue to The Calendar Code casts doubt on that idea. (This is the letter you get when you give the papyrus to the one-eyed Bengal.) It's from the Duchess, and she says she was motivated by love to do something she regretted. So it would make more sense that she ended up staying with the Cantigaster in spite of the murder attempt, in spite of not loving him as much as the scribe. She mentions 'the simple companionship of a soulmate' as opposed to love that's like a storm, so maybe the Cantigaster is her soulmate, but she loved the scribe in that passionate, destructive way? I still don't know how Aten's daughters managed to lure the Bazaar to them without a manufactured love story, though. Maybe it was a true love story being used as bait? I suppose it can be both true and bait. As for the Widow's story, perhaps false rumors of a love that doesn't exist don't count as a manufactured love story if the people responsible for the rumors were mistaken. Or spreading them without the intention to give them to the Bazaar.[/spoiler] edited by Lamia Lawless on 8/2/2016 -- The Harmonic Hellfarer
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harbourlady Posts: 78 8/21/2016	Checked every location - not finding it. Is it a card that you pull, a specific lodging to be in, or are we in bug territory? *edit - I am quite skilled at finding things immediately after asking the question. There was 1 location I apparently missed and lo! There was the storylet, acting much like a cat, looking at me with slight disdain and claiming it had been here the entire time. As a side note, if anyone ever needs someone to discover something seconds after everyone else has already found it, do feel free to reach out! edited by harbourlady on 8/21/2016* -- Harbourlady: Torn between hedonism and solitude, harbourlady worships the twin alters of wine and secrets. Capricious, but rarely cruel, she will always go just over every line she encounters. Captain Van Townes: He will tell you he was born of the sea, and you will never know if he is lying. Quick to fight and quick to steal, but with the honor born of men who will always tell the truth when asked the right question. Social actions welcome, please be open to receiving them in return. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Harbourlady http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Captain~van~Townes~
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 8/2/2016	Pnakotic wrote: spoiler edited by Pnakotic on 8/2/2016 I'd admit most of my speculations are nothing more than speculations, but I'm afraid that I disagree with you here. And here are several tiny spoilers: [spoiler] 1. The March is his self-claimed rival for Mr Wines, though it may or may not be the case since he is "playing the fool". 2. Mr Wines has a peculiar vulnerability to music, yes, however, not only Mr Wines. It is a feature probably shared by all of the Masters. That is something related to their origin. Mr Pages swings with music in Foreign Office content and has a weakness of sounds in a certain future of LoN. And even Mr Veils acts weirdly to choir in some content...maybe also from Foreign Office, as I recall? 3. Most of the Masters are cunning. But Mr Wines is extremely tricky. He is apparently innocent and is an amiable friend of us all, but it is him who will bring down the sixth city and this would **** most of us without mercy. He covers something for Mr Veils with a certain drink, they talk as if they are close friends on official Twitter, but he also secretly colludes with Mr Veils's mortal enemies. The subtlest among all, I think. [/spoiler] (EDIT: Hide the spoilers. Almost never remembered.) (EDIT: Add the third one.) edited by Fadewalker on 8/2/2016 -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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FireOfUnknownOrigin Posts: 12 8/4/2016	[spoiler] You've gained 1 x Horizon Revelation (new total 2). You have heard an ancient confession. [/spoiler] This can only end well for all involved. edited by FireOfUnknownOrigin on 8/4/2016 -- A spy in the house of the night.
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PJ Posts: 210 8/3/2016	I played The Silver Tree. If you try to spirit her out of the city before the invading army arrives, she turns around and goes back for William. It certainly doesn't seem fake. -- https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Peter%20James
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Diptych Administrator Posts: 3493 7/31/2016	Spite, Veilgarden, and your Lodgings, and the greatest of these is Spite. -- Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron. Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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ochrasy Posts: 169 8/1/2016	thanks for the analysis Anne Auclair! it was very good. -- Ochrasy. Monster-Hunter. Dangerous and Watchful, favors the Constables. Robitaille. Persuasive and Shadowy, fond of the Devils. Herr Horst. Seeker of Revenge. Open to all social actions on all accounts. Preferably, send any MW-providing actions to Ochrasy.
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Anne Auclair Posts: 2215 8/1/2016	Optimatum wrote: The Law of Conservation of Detail states that, in a well-made story, any unusual level of detail is important (or an intentional red herring). Inversely, important information is foreshadowed, revealed, or otherwise worked into details. Failbetter knows how to create stories and this rule visibly holds true in existing stories. In other words, the Contrarian is the most likely character to be revealed as on the Calendar Council, but there's not enough existing detail for it to make any sense. This one book in this one story is the only thing making a plausible link. Important information like that would have been hinted at far in advance, not heavily implied in a single story only available to a small subset of the userbase who are current Exceptional Friends. In fact, if this was something being revealed, the perfect place would have been the election content* - available to all players, building off existing details about the character, very relevant to the content, and a place to use conservation of detail to great effect. Two small bits of investigation text would be the perfect place to plant information, hints being given the first week then the second week having the full reveal. As it is, The Calendar Code is not the right place to reveal such information. To me, a possible Contrarian connection seems a red herring at most. Failbetter wouldn't have made such an important decision so recently that it couldn't appear in the election. In interviews and AMAs they've made clear that they have files detailing all the lore and characters in one place to prevent contradictions, including things that haven't even been hinted yet. If the Contrarian was planned to be one of the months, the decision would have been a long time ago. The writers place important revelations and clues in their Exceptional Stories all the time. July’s first and only appearance was in Lost in Reflections and if you haven’t played her story you totally miss out on her book. So there’s a precedent for the revelation of a Calendar Council member’s identity in an Exceptional Story. Let’s consider everything we know about the Contrarian. [spoiler]1. The Contrarian loves argument and debate, it defines his character, and “a London of free thought” was the main issue of his campaign, both within and without. 2. The Contrarian is associated with the Revolutionaries and had their support during the election. 3. The Contrarian is intimately knowledgeable about the Liberation of the Night, enough to oppose it. 4. The Contrarian sabotages the Affluent Photographer, but is also the one who recruits the Player to the Revolutionary faction. 5. The Contrarian plants Revolutionary spies in the Ministry of Public Decency. 6. The Contrarian’s campaign was marred by opaque Calendar Council politics. 7. The Contrarian regularly purchases heartmetal containing Soothe & Cooper Longboxes at the Rosers Wharf, for unexplained reasons. So, the conclusions concerning August’s book aren’t coming out of nowhere. The Contrarian’s unique love for debate makes him the perfect fit for August, while being a member of the Calendar Council neatly explains all his links to the Revolutionary movement and his generally odd behavior (such as the Longbox obsession). At this point it would be weirder if he wasn’t a member of the Council.[/spoiler] Also, the Contrarian being on the Council is not mutually exclusive with the Council ordering him to make February his campaign manager. If you’re on a Communist Party Central Committee and the Committee votes for you to do something then you are still bound by its decision, for reasons of Party Discipline and Democratic Centralism. But whatever happened, I think the intrigues surrounding the Contrarian’s campaign is only the tip of the iceberg that is Calendar Council politics. edited by Anne Auclair on 8/1/2016* -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Anne%20Auclair
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ochrasy Posts: 169 8/1/2016	I see no problem at all with important lore stuff being revealed on ES. it makes sense with the general idea of FL, different people in London would have different access to information. for an example, I don't remember any mention to [spoiler]the whole Hell Tiremes thing[/spoiler] being mentioned outside of Fate-Locked content. and there's also Sunless Sea, wich is a whole bunch of paid lore. -- Ochrasy. Monster-Hunter. Dangerous and Watchful, favors the Constables. Robitaille. Persuasive and Shadowy, fond of the Devils. Herr Horst. Seeker of Revenge. Open to all social actions on all accounts. Preferably, send any MW-providing actions to Ochrasy.
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 8/2/2016	There's quite a bit that points to the Contrarian being intimate with the Council, including his candid discussion of several of its members in the course of the Affluent Photographer storylets. However, other members of the Calendar Council have simply been identified as their respective month; no one expected the Contrarian to be a member because he was first introduced as a distinct character, and no other member of the Council has been shown with a life or public persona other than plotting the revolution/LoN. But I think there's a substantial (and thoroughly unsubstantiated) bias going around that because February, the most publicly visible member of the Council (and perhaps to a degree April, who I am unfamiliar with due to not participating in Bag a Legend), is a forceful personality with a might-makes-right attitude and willingness to ruthlessly take what she wants by force, then all other members of the Council must be equally as bloodthirsty, autocratic, and fanatically devoted to maximizing their own personal liberty via the LoN, consequences be damned for everyone else. There is really little or no evidence to suggest this is the case, and the Revolutionary faction is in fact described as "only united by their hatred of the Masters". So if we consider the ultimate goal of the Council is liberating London from the Masters, then it stands to reason that different members of the Council will have varying degrees of commitment to the LoN, based on their desired end goals. For February, the "nuclear option" is a clear preference - it seems to be her answer for everything. [spoiler]But others, for instance July, want a different future. As Lost in Reflections showed us, she dreams of a sunlit future where she can return to the surface - something that would be quite impossible if the LoN came to pass. So I don't think it's a stretch to assume there are divisions in the Council. Looking at the Contrarian, he may love to argue, but it isn't a compulsive need - from the book in the library, he clearly is able to manipulate others through the use of rhetoric, but doesn't seem to want to use that as a compulsion. His campaign slogan was "Master Yourself", and he seemed genuinely intrigued as to whether London might be ready for full self-governance in the Neath. He also seems to take genuine delight in not winning an argument with you at the party. His argument with the Affluent Photographer indicates that he has concerns about a violent revolution simply producing a new despotic regime (a contradiction, according to the anarchist Proudhon), and that the citizens of London fare worse left at the mercies of the various monsters and old gods of the Neath than they have under the Masters. Which is interesting - both the Contrarian (presumed to be August) and July seem to be looking for a "third option" between the Bazaar and the Liberation. And both are summer months. February is a Winter month - the darkest season (and the cruelest month, no less! Or maybe April. Depends on who you ask...) If the manager truly is an Autumn (October, with a stone in place of a heart, and he does warn the Contrarian against the possibility of a third path), does that mean he's moving closer to the darkness that July and August resist? I'm trying to read through East Coker to figure it out. [/spoiler] edited by Pnakotic on 8/2/2016 -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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Hark DeGaul Posts: 208 7/30/2016	Has anyone found any alternate successes for books? I stumbled across one on the Book of Nonsense that gives wine, but otherwise I haven't spotted any. -- The Dawn-Eyed Optician: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Hark%20DeGaul That Vicar Who Ruined the Royal Wedding for Everyone (including himself): http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Hebediah%20Fix The Dreaded Relative: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Your%20Aunt
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MadmanAtW Posts: 231 7/30/2016	I was disappointed by the Steadfast loss from agreeing to hand it to Mr Pages- I don't think I had actually promised _anything_ to the cats at that point, so I was surprised to see that I counted as having been un-steadfast. I was actually worried about losing Steadfast _later_ in case I didn't hand it to it when I was done, which made the loss right then even more surprising. Aside from that, it was a fun one with a lot of good lore and information. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Madman~Across~the~Water http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Xoricco Accepting any social actions except the Affluent Photographer. Would appreciate warning of dupings/betrayals/rats.
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/29/2016	"Take heart, friend. The light has not yet gone out. This is not the end." That seems pretty clear to me: have hope, because it isn't extinguished. "The light need not necessarily go out" reads to me like giving an unpopular suggestion to those in charge - doing so gently so they don't get too angry. -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 7/29/2016	For December, the gender has been mentioned: in the Gloom Destiny as a "he", in the Curator Destiny as a "he", and in the Revelation Destiny as "the one". I suspect December to be the man of the astronomy book but I cannot be sure. I only have some thin evidences: [spoiler]the chronological order of books, and December said "perhaps we'll be the only free beings in the cosmos" as if he knows much about other beings in this cosmos. The book of astronomy seems very old and brittle, even more fragile than the papyrus from the Second City: even the papyrus survives after you took it from the library. The author of the astronomy book should be someone really really old, a citizen from the previous city, or even older. If he has made appearance before, he can be the Capering Relicker, the Manager of Royal Beth, or someone even older. He knows the stars personally. I suspect him to be the one mentioned by the boatman in "Family Ties: A Morbid Journal", if you know what I mean. But can such a man be easily killed by assassin in a certain destiny? That is mysterious. For the text from the Mendacious Librarian, I think the "genial chap from the University" should be the "magnanimous" one of "the radical textbook", that is, January by chronological order. If it is true, consider the cheque appeared previously in the election, January might be an affluent academic male agitator, who usually plays a nice guy. I can't recall anyone fitted in. Dr Orthos is a wealthy academic but not very nice. "Another of their group" who "replaced it with system based around seasons" can be the man of "a manual of pleasure" the activities are indexed by season in this book and in text there is "is there some connection between the book and this library?". Beneath the manual of pleasure, there is something like an obsessive compulsive disorder of orders and plans. A compulsive hedonist? Can't recall anyone. A note for the woman with "singed eyebrows": the fired or singed eyebrows in FL gametext before are usually related to something dangerous, i.e., the Correspondence. You can type "site:fallenlondon.wikia.com eyebrows" in google to have a look. But this connection is weak, anyone can have eyebrows singed for any reasons. And for the "strange birds", are they raven pets of July's?[/spoiler] BTW, I don't think the Contrarian deliberately brought February to the frontstage of campaign. I'm afraid that it would not be ruthless but a little witless of him if he did that. It sounds as if he turns to a butcher when he needs a physician. (EDIT: hide the second spoiler of text from the Mendacious Librarian) edited by Fadewalker on 7/29/2016 -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 7/29/2016	Professor Strix wrote: Not much to say about the notes, but the member who is expert in artillery is most certainly April, she appears in the Bag a Legend! ambition. His Amused Lordship strikes me more like someone who goes to parties, rather than someone who plans them, but who knows. edited by Professor Strix on 7/29/2016 It's also worth noting that December is a man [spoiler]As per the September 21st, 1911 future vision, so that means if the books are in order and the astronomer is December, then madame Shoshanna is ruled out. Though if they aren't in order, then December could be the "genial chap from the University", and represented by the book on "Classes of persuasion", which would pretty well blow my theory for both months. Though who would that genial chap be? The Provost of Summerset? ...though of course, the Illuminated Gentleman could also be appearing as the Provost of Summerset, and being a regular of the revels, might be privy to the love stories that are mentioned in the Spring room... [/spoiler] -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/29/2016	And what was with the mini dawn machine? Is that to test if they can extinguish it? To study how it worked? Is that thing sentient as well? -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Gilphon Posts: 93 7/29/2016	I failed to Forceful and Heartless checks the first time. Nothing particularly interesting happened. I also echo'd all the book in order, starting here (Except for the Spring room, which I appear to have forgotten to do that for, and the last two in the Autumn Room, which are reversed). From what I can recall of the ones I missed, though: [spoiler] March was some musings about playing the fool, April was notes on weapon making, and May was a clever disguised cypher. Which, as noted elsewhere in the thread, matches what we've heard about March and April.[/spoiler] -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Gilphon
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 7/29/2016	Optimatum wrote: I'd be very surprised if the Contrarian was on the Calendar Council, given his whole deal of NOT wanting the Liberation to occur. I think it goes to show that the Council is not single-minded by any means. [spoiler]I'm also intrigued by the description of machinery shown in Summer room as well; is it the details of a device meant to bring darkness, or something different altogether? "Wheels of Fire" make me think of an entirely different sort of device, and one that would certainly turn the Order of things on its head in different ways...[/spoiler] -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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Myrto Posts: 209 7/28/2016	This is cool because I used to work in a special collections library! Haven't finished yet, but enjoying the atmosphere. -- Myrto, a mysterious veteran spy who is only on their own side. Married to navchaa! Edith Alpha Doyle, social climber with grand ambitions; Correspondent who would be happy to assist you in whatever way she can. , teenage orphan who came to the Neath to pursue a career in crime; monster-hunter. Currently on the Seeking road.
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 7/28/2016	RandomWalker wrote: Love the story, and the lore. So each book corresponds with a member of the council then? Has anyone matched them up with what we know about the council? My own thoughts and notes: [spoiler] Winter An astronomer, familiar with the Judgements. Madame Shoshanna? Or the Enterprising Astronomer? Or the Shivering Relicker? An academic, interested in radicalizing students. The Professor Denunciata of Infernal Rarefactions? A duelist or adventurer, used to fighting dirty. Most likely February. Spring A fool... or one who plays a fool? And talks in riddles. The Topsy King? Silas? The Capering Relicker? An expert on artillery and improvised ordinance. Colonel Pommery? A romantic, writing tales of strange love in the neath. Including the stone heart of the Manager? Of the Wry functionariy's love lost over the dark waters? Sinning Jenny? Or Lilac? Who else would have access to the strange love stories the Bazaar covets? Maybe the Coquettish Relicker? There is a mechanism in the room like the Liberation of Night, shutting out all light, and showing a soft purple glow over the map of london - perhaps connected to Irrigo and the cave of the nadir? Summer Frivolous games and party planning are a facade over a desperate need for distraction. His Amused Lordship? A vision of a revolution - past or yet to come? Paris 1908? The Exceptional story of July? A volume of polemic, or the joy of argument... the Jovial Contrarian. Another mechanism to shutter the room, an immense device with wheels of fire - another part of the Liberation machinery, or the Dawn Machine? Autumn A cryptographer analyzing the speech patterns of Mr Pages, and finding strange connections to cosmology. Curt Relicker? A collection of nightmares confessed to physician and priests, and an analysis of how to use them to manipulate. Dr. Schlomo? Or the Manager of the Royal Beth? A blank book, of a future yet to be written. But whose deeds will be recorded, and who will record them? Another darkness mechanism, and a ceiling of surface stars. A return to the surface, or a return to the stars (The Road destiny)? I'm kind of intrigued by being able to fit the Relickers into some of these roles - though the Coquettish Relicker fits a little awkwardly, the others all make pretty good sense. [/spoiler] -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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Blaine Davidson Posts: 388 7/29/2016	This is another reason why I am so grateful for the forums, because I had no idea about any of the hinted lore or implications. It doesn't help that my character has no connections to the Duchess and even fewer to the Anarchists. This story for her was an excursion to a private library with some very odd books and papers which were eventually returned without incident. -- Blaine Davidson, a reserved and sensible woman with a fondness of collecting rarities.
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/28/2016	I went from 0 to 4 suspicion. So about 10 cp minimum? -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Mr Sables Posts: 597 7/28/2016	Absolutely adored this story True, it was a little short, but it was superbly written. It contributed a fair bit to the greater lore, gave some great items, and included some of my favourite characters/factions (any chance to see the masters is a fantastic opportunity)! My only tiny upset was: [spoiler]Not getting a gain in masters connection when siding with Mr Pages[/spoiler] Otherwise, this was by far one of my absolute favourites. I loved every minute of it, and every action felt justified and contributed to the overall plot in some way. Brilliant work!
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Mazater Posts: 3 7/28/2016	A small but rather misleading typo shows up when you tell the cat you'll consider the job: You have unlocked July's Exceptional Story! You may play it at your leisure. You have unlocked August's Exceptional Story! You may play it at your leisure. Are both mentioned. I'm guessing the first line is automated to say July because, well, it's still July; but I'm guessing it should say August because this is August's story.
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BlabberingMat Posts: 385 7/28/2016	Clock is ticking so slowly...I really regret spending those few actions earlier this day, instead of going into this with all forty -- Alt-Lana Loter Main-Always Drunk Slav "To see a world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in wild flowers. To hold an infinity in palm of hand and Eternity in an hour” Finally, I am Crooked Cross! Feel free to send invitations for Salon! As of June 5th, 1895, I am London's newest Legendary Charisma! The current progress in Mega Soul Grind: 53727/1 639 121 Souls
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Dean Lee Posts: 133 7/28/2016	If I missed the first part of the season (stags), would buying that story with fate, playing that, and then completing thisone let me into the story let? -- A list of credentials A Business Card Research progress: 77 volumes of cryptopaleontoligy 77 volumes of Prelapsarian archeology 77 volumes of theosophistry.
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Barse Posts: 706 7/28/2016	Dean Lee wrote: If I missed the first part of the season (stags), would buying that story with fate, playing that, and then completing thisone let me into the story let? I believe so. The end of season cash-in won't appear for a little while, though, and doesn't ever disappear once you qualify for it, so there is no rush. -- The Scorched Sailor, up for most social actions and RP. Not as scary as he looks.
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FrostLoop Posts: 9 7/28/2016	Welp. I gave it to the cat. Wasn't expecting that response, tbqh. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/FrostLoop
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Diptych Administrator Posts: 3493 7/28/2016	Eglantine-Fox wrote: Come sidle over onto my main's journal, I got a follow-up and it is interesting. Ah, fudge, I messed up. Oh well. In a few months I can reset it. Edit: Forgive my terrible manners - thank you for sharing! edited by Sir Frederick Tanah-Chook on 7/28/2016 -- Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron. Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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Diptych Administrator Posts: 3493 7/28/2016	Well, I made my decision. It's something almost violently against my nature, but... my loosely educated guess is that the alternatives were even worse. I might be wrong. No mention of any follow-up card, so I'm thinking I'll have to take my decision as it stands. Edit: Already regretting it. Think I got it wrong. Anyone who gets a follow-up with more explication, maybe point me toward your journal? edited by Sir Frederick Tanah-Chook on 7/28/2016 -- Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron. Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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Barse Posts: 706 7/28/2016	I made my decision, too, for in-character reasons. I get the feeling that the the majority of the juicy stuff comes in the middle of this story. Thoroughly enjoyed this, although I need more time to go over the text and see if I can put some things together. -- The Scorched Sailor, up for most social actions and RP. Not as scary as he looks.
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BlabberingMat Posts: 385 7/28/2016	I ran out of actions right now, but so far, this is is my favourite!Can-t wait to find out more from the translator! -- Alt-Lana Loter Main-Always Drunk Slav "To see a world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in wild flowers. To hold an infinity in palm of hand and Eternity in an hour” Finally, I am Crooked Cross! Feel free to send invitations for Salon! As of June 5th, 1895, I am London's newest Legendary Charisma! The current progress in Mega Soul Grind: 53727/1 639 121 Souls
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Natan Posts: 10 7/28/2016	Just used up my last action for the day, about to shut down my computer and go to sleep, and then this pops up at the top. Oh well, I guess I'll enjoy it tomorrow morning with some coffee. :^> Mystery and intrigue and larceny, oh my. Looks like it's gonna be a good one. Seditious books are the best kind of books. >:^) Also, that art is rad af, man oh man, that's gorgeous -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/nbean64
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/28/2016	There's an option that unlocks if you played one of the previous stories, but each story is self contained. The seasons just give items that work together for an extra bit next month. edited by suinicide on 7/28/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Vavakx Nonexus Posts: 892 7/28/2016	Fadewalker wrote: I have just completed the whole story except the final choice, can't decide at the moment... The library is terribly informative and my mind is filled with wild guesses. I'm not pretty sure about that all but could every book be assigned with a certain month? spoiler EDIT: In the end I returned it, expecting more information about LoN but there is nothing new. Did anyone deliver the papyrus to our dearest Pages? edited by Fadewalker on 7/28/2016 Also, it bears mention that one of the special books, located in the Autumn room, is left black. Whether to signify an empty slot in the council, or to mislead any investigators, it contains nothing. [spoiler]http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Vavakx~~Nonexus?fromEchoId=9189834[/spoiler] edited by Vavakx Nonexus on 7/28/2016 -- Amets Estibariz, the Moulting Eidolon: Cradled by a sun all their own. Blabbing, the Hobo Everyone Knows: The One Who Pulls The Strings. A Clarity In The Darkness. Charlotte and the Caretaker: A family?
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/28/2016	There hasn't been a permanent card added to your deck from an ES. One story can get you a lodging, and Flint has a whole area, but I think those are the only two long term effects. edited by suinicide on 7/28/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Lifeson Posts: 1 7/28/2016	I elected to end the story by taking the option unlocked by speaking with the translator. It is not obvious to me that this option will add anything to my Opportunity deck (though obviously I can't deduce that yet), but I feel petty for being concerned about that when I made the choice as a matter of what I thought best. I enjoyed the story, and I don't want to play a story for a different mechanical outcome after concluding it the way I like it. I suppose what I'm getting at is to ask whether Exceptional Stories like this typically have a lasting effect (like an Opportunity card). I know I have one from the Gift (which I'd be tempted to replay in order to make some... deliberate mistakes, rather than to 'optimize' the outcome) but if such rewards are atypical I'd be more content with my decisions.
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Johanna de Silentio Posts: 19 7/28/2016	I have a question to those who finished the storyline - i don't want to lock myself out of content [spoiler] In the spring room, does the mechanism changes something only for this room? After reading books am I safe to trigger it without loosing next room texts, or should I go through the door and explore other Seasons first? [/spoiler]
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/28/2016	You're safe, it only effects that one room. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Ombler Posts: 6 7/29/2016	Destroying the papyrus got me [spoiler]a Searing Enigma and 60 Relics of the Second City.[/spoiler] http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Leonard~von~Hoffenburg?fromEchoId=9209022 -- Ombler Leonard von Hoffenburg (gone north) McCribbins
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/29/2016	Gilphon wrote: Indeed. I've never assumed the Calendar Council was a particularly cohesive group; everything seems to point to each of them having their cell of supporters, we plenty of disagreements about each other's priorities and methods happening. With that in mind, it wouldn't be terribly surprising if they weren't unanimously on board with the Liberation. Certainly nothing in Lost in Reflections gave me the impression July was going for LoN. spoiler The Calendar Council has assassinated members before if their ideologies were conflicting with the rest of the Council. In regard to the spoiler: [spoiler]There was also a starry sky on one of the ceilings and I highly doubt they want that to remain the case. Just because they have the details of the Dawn Machine doesn't mean they're interested in it.[/spoiler] -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Dameon Grey Posts: 23 7/29/2016	Honestly this is one of my favorite Exceptional stories, It really opened up some interesting things for the loreheads out there. -- Mad, Bad, Dangerous to know. POSI. Correspondent. Social actions besides the affluent photographer are welcomed. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Dameon~Grey
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Dameon Grey Posts: 23 7/29/2016	Optimatum wrote: Alright, time to collect all the ending rewards. [spoiler] Delivering the Papyrus to the cat: 1 Parabola-Linen Scrap, 12 Ostentatious Diamonds, plus more from epilogue? Returning it: 1 Searing Enigma, 1 Touching Love Story, 2? Extraordinary Implications [/spoiler] Barselaar wrote: Scienceandponies wrote: How bad of a time is one likely to have if they decide to loot and linger? One of my longtime character objectives is never visiting the boatman and never making a return trip to New Newgate. [spoiler] Looting and lingering put me up 5 or 6 CP of Suspicion when I did it, and didn't give me many benefits. Depending on how many of x items you have already, it may just lead to lots of "x hasn't changed, because it's higher than y" messages.[/spoiler] Pretty sure it's just random as to whether you get the things, not based on how many you have. I got many "X is unchanged at Y" messages followed by getting the items on another attempt. edited by Optimatum on 7/28/2016 My suspicion jumped from 0 to 4 with one click, its a really unpredictable choice from what I'm seeing. -- Mad, Bad, Dangerous to know. POSI. Correspondent. Social actions besides the affluent photographer are welcomed. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Dameon~Grey
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tsukinofaerii Posts: 56 7/29/2016	I've played through to the end, and I have to say, this Exceptional Story was exceptional. Exactly the sort of thing I'd love to see more of. But I was left with a question: [spoiler]Does anyone have any thoughts on what happened to the Scribe—the poor, betrayed third party of this particular love story? Typically, all members of the love story around the Fall of a city are shown survive, whether they want to or not. But this one seems entirely absent. Could the Scribe have actually perished, since this love story seems to be a manufactured one, or has someone seen any lore about that this tickles? I have some thoughts, but zero proof, so I'd like to see if anyone else has a line of similar or different thoughts.[/spoiler] -- A lady who is infrequently present, but always hungry. Currently: Circling the b----y well Find me.
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MidnightVoyager Posts: 858 7/29/2016	I didn't even get my steadfast back when I gave the thing to the original commissioner. >:\| -- Midnight Voyager - A blood-cousin to predators. Collector of beasts. Affably mad.
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/29/2016	I'd be very surprised if the Contrarian was on the Calendar Council, given his whole deal of NOT wanting the Liberation to occur. -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/29/2016	Anne Auclair wrote: Pnakotic wrote: Anne Auclair wrote: I still contend that the Contrarian's second week was a case of teeth-clinched teamwork and not a hostile takeover. He wanted to win and so he brought in February, who is all about winning. But to balance the books for such an uncharacteristically extreme act, he donated money to the Bishop and Jenny. edited by Anne Auclair on 7/29/2016 With locked doors keeping February away from The Contrarian and his loyalists, it didn't sound like there was any teamwork going on, at all. If Feb were really the one who was calling the shots then there wouldn't have been any locked doors in the first place. The Contrarian appointed her campaign manager and then told her and her goons to stay downstairs. But she would have had to act with restraint then. The whole public eye was on the contrarian, and if she touched him she would have been hunted down. Not good for the revolution. Plus when the contrarian lost he sounded happy that he wouldn't be forced to serve the liberation of night, hardly the tone of someone who appointed february their campaign manager. Finally, she said she was there to "remind him of his loyalty" or something. That is just about the shadiest phrase ever. edited by suinicide on 7/29/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Mr Sables Posts: 597 7/30/2016	Cthonius wrote: OK I'm pretty sure it said it'd conclude in opportunity cards, but I've been drawing them nonstop and seen neither hide nor hair. I know that's a common problem people have (see: the election) but it's damned frustrating. I think you only get an epilogue via opportunity card depending on the ending you pick . . . My ending specifically said 'this is the end', and no cards have popped up (for example). If you are due an opp card, it's probably just bad luck by the RNG gods, I'm afraid.
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Lamia Lawless Posts: 604 7/29/2016	I suspect that this story might be setting the foundation for revealing new characters. Some of the hints might refer to pre-existing characters like February and April, but I think there's always a possibility that there are other Council members that haven't been revealed or even hinted at before now. I mean, I'm pretty sure July wasn't mentioned anywhere in the text until her Exceptional Story came out. Am I wrong? -- The Harmonic Hellfarer
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 7/29/2016	Lamia Lawless wrote: I suspect that this story might be setting the foundation for revealing new characters. Some of the hints might refer to pre-existing characters like February and April, but I think there's always a possibility that there are other Council members that haven't been revealed or even hinted at before now. I mean, I'm pretty sure July wasn't mentioned anywhere in the text until her Exceptional Story came out. Am I wrong? Can't agree more. The library is an informative trailer or outline, I suppose. But it is interesting to exhaust all possibilities within the existing content. -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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Cthonius Posts: 362 7/29/2016	That still makes Amarna pretty important I'd say. That aside I noticed something that stood out after seeing some theories and speculation on this thread, an echo from failing on the Room at the Royal Bethlehem lodging card: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/cthonius?fromEchoId=9215279 Compare the book about nightmares people are theorizing belongs to the Manager: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/cthonius?fromEchoId=9201937 Not ironclad or anything, but factoring in the election stuff as well it does paint a picture, however blurry, of the Manager as a member of the Calender Council. -- Cthonius, gone North. Gone. Oneiropompus, a Scarlet Saint, eager to help make your dreams realities. Accepting all social requests for now.
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Vavakx Nonexus Posts: 892 7/31/2016	Katistrophe wrote: Lamia Lawless wrote: Kukapetal wrote: The reveal confused more than angered me, actually. [spoiler]She never loved the scribe. She loved the man who became the Cantigaster. She pretended to murder him to manufacture a love story that the Bazaar couldn't use (because it was false, and premeditated) which is why the Masters hate her, and hate Egypt. Aten's daughters 'lured the Bazaar to them,' though I'm not clear on why they wanted to capture it.* The Masters were stuck with her city and no progress towards their goals for a thousand years, I think, before they were able to acquire the Third City. Actually, I thought about it some more, and I think maybe they were deliberately trying to hold the Bazaar back so that the message it has for the Sun wouldn't cause it to self-destruct. But this is just conjecture.[/spoiler] edited by Lamia Lawless on 7/29/2016* Hm, I'm probably misunderstanding you, but... doesn't that mean the Masters would have known about the uselessness of manufactured love stories before the time they tried to manufacture some themselves? Well, at least I read the manufactured situation as having started relatively recently, while it seems to me the dislike of Egypt was a thing that went on for longer? (Not that it'd have kept my character from investigating it. The reason he's not marching up to the culprit in this one is he feels he needs additional evidence. No idea how he's going to get it...) Also, has anyone who sided with Pages gotten a follow-up card? As far as I know, Pages does not have any sort of follow-up card. -- Amets Estibariz, the Moulting Eidolon: Cradled by a sun all their own. Blabbing, the Hobo Everyone Knows: The One Who Pulls The Strings. A Clarity In The Darkness. Charlotte and the Caretaker: A family?
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Professor Strix Posts: 616 7/30/2016	The Contrarian is the guy that gives you a job to make you Closest To the Revolutionaries and he was backed by revolutionaries in his campaign. I think this is enough hinting that he might be close to them. The fact that he was arguing against revolution to annoy the Affluent Photographer only proves that he is, well, a contrarian. He IS the guy who likes to argue for any side, just for the sake of arguing. -- The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds. "THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used." --------- Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/30/2016	Perhaps the blank book member is against the real Mr. Sacks? (There was a real one right? But he disappeared?) Since he disappeared the spot is left open. edited by suinicide on 7/30/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 8/2/2016	Anne Auclair wrote: Revolutionary Behavior and Life March, June, November "What is the late November doing With the disturbance of the spring And creatures of the summer heat" -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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maleclypse Posts: 259 8/1/2016	So legends of eternal life spring forth from the Neath. The second City was geographically and temporally quite close to the first city compared to later cities. [spoiler]What if the trick was that the pharoah's daughter had gone to her father with a plan to make his line immortal. So they built a new capital city and arranged a love story. Time was far enough away from them to tell of how awry the First City's immortal love story deal had gone. But they suspected the bargain could possibly be a bad one. And thus they went to great lengths to get the better end of the deal. It wasn't a fake love story but the fake city and the knowledge spread that the deal wasn't worth it. The Masters had to go to an entirely different continent to find someone willing to make a deal. (we have that last sentence almost entirely in lore I believe) And the Godeaters would only give up their city if they were guaranteed that this was a fair deal by the sacrifice of one of the Masters. Eaten thought that the lower chain beings getting one up on the haughty Masters was good for everyone every once in a while and demonstrated that being higher in the chain doesn't make one perfect in comparison which is what the Bazaar needs to convince the Sun of. And frankly the rest of the Masters lacked a sense of humor at that point and most of them likely still do. [/spoiler] I hope you like my theory. -- Maintaining a controlling interest in my soul requires a pretty constant negotiation between the various shareholder interests. Thankfully the Fingerkings 23% control makes a pretty good foil to unite the other factions enough to get to 51%. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Maleclypse
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Vavakx Nonexus Posts: 892 7/31/2016	Honestly, I recommend using all the options. They give extra info about the place, even if of a... criminal nature. -- Amets Estibariz, the Moulting Eidolon: Cradled by a sun all their own. Blabbing, the Hobo Everyone Knows: The One Who Pulls The Strings. A Clarity In The Darkness. Charlotte and the Caretaker: A family?
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/31/2016	Angus Turner wrote: Optimatum wrote: Alternatively alternatively, the Calendar Council appointed February as the Contrarian's campaign manager, and because a large part of his base is revolutionaries he had to go along with it or lose support/have the Council turn them against him. He was pretty clearly not happy having the Council doing anything with his campaign, and if he was on the Council that would be a given. I agree that up until this story, the Contrarian being a part of the Calendar Council didn't seem likely. And yet... [spoiler]A closer reading reveals a position which shifts and transforms from page to page. You realise that what the author is writing about is the art of debate itself; the pleasure of the spoken word, and its power to change minds. Along the way, you glean many little insights.[/spoiler] Yes, the Contrarian resented the Council's influence (though mostly February's - January he argued with, as he does, but February actually prompted him to donate money to his political opponents) but there are ways to explain that don't contradict him being a member of the Calendar Council. And I would be inclined to accept those explanations, since that text is pretty much his character description. The Law of Conservation of Detail states that, in a well-made story, any unusual level of detail is important (or an intentional red herring). Inversely, important information is foreshadowed, revealed, or otherwise worked into details. Failbetter knows how to create stories and this rule visibly holds true in existing stories. In other words, the Contrarian is the most likely character to be revealed as on the Calendar Council, but there's not enough existing detail for it to make any sense. This one book in this one story is the only thing making a plausible link. Important information like that would have been hinted at far in advance, not heavily implied in a single story only available to a small subset of the userbase who are current Exceptional Friends. In fact, if this was something being revealed, the perfect place would have been the election content* - available to all players, building off existing details about the character, very relevant to the content, and a place to use conservation of detail to great effect. Two small bits of investigation text would be the perfect place to plant information, hints being given the first week then the second week having the full reveal. As it is, The Calendar Code is not the right place to reveal such information. To me, a possible Contrarian connection seems a red herring at most. *Failbetter wouldn't have made such an important decision so recently that it couldn't appear in the election. In interviews and AMAs they've made clear that they have files detailing all the lore and characters in one place to prevent contradictions, including things that haven't even been hinted yet. If the Contrarian was planned to be one of the months, the decision would have been a long time ago. -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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suinicide Posts: 2409 8/2/2016	Its probably from silver tree, the prequel to FL. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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PJ Posts: 210 8/2/2016	Where are you people getting the idea that the Widow's love story was manufactured? -- https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Peter%20James
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BlabberingMat Posts: 385 8/13/2016	When we can expect items trade-in storylet? Since this is my first completed season, I am afraid that I will somehow miss it XD. Paranoid, I know -- Alt-Lana Loter Main-Always Drunk Slav "To see a world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in wild flowers. To hold an infinity in palm of hand and Eternity in an hour” Finally, I am Crooked Cross! Feel free to send invitations for Salon! As of June 5th, 1895, I am London's newest Legendary Charisma! The current progress in Mega Soul Grind: 53727/1 639 121 Souls
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Mr Sables Posts: 597 8/14/2016	Anne Auclair wrote: The first item trade in was made a part of the Feast of the Exceptional Rose, wasn't it? Perhaps the current one will be incorporated within the Fruits of the Zee festival. I don't think so . . . If you remember, the first item trade-in was the 'special meal/dinner party' story, while the second was the 'trip with the boatman' story. I can't remember either touching on any festival themes, or deliberately being linked to a festival . . . plus, if that were the schedule, it'd mean some trade-ins would be deliberately set back or moved forward, where they fall on months without festivals (which I can't see FBG doing on purpose, as it's not really fair on paying subscribers).
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Rhysdux Posts: 19 7/31/2016	I've dunked the child (although my character wanted to read the book very badly, she is opposed to watching people burn), talked to the Bengal, and examined the Agendums of Ascent. Unfortunately, I need four Agendium Minutiae to get in. I don't know where to get those.
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 8/2/2016	Fadewalker wrote: Here is a quicklist of the Months, books, and quirks (I'm not sure whether it will be appropriate to link all the echoes out): 0. December - Astronomy book of no quirk 1. January - Radical textbook of Magnanimous 2. February - Bloodstained volume of Daring 3. March - Nonsense book of Subtle 4. April - Ordnance folio of Forceful 5. May - Love stories of Melancholy 6. June - Pleasure manual of Hedonist 7. July - Uprising account of no Quirk 8. August - Polemic volume of Ruthless 9. September - Ciphers book of Steadfast 10. October - Nightmares book of Heartless 11. November - Blank pages of Austere And here is my incomplete wild suspect BASED ON QUIRKS of Masters, some in-game text and some text from official twitters. It is too far from true, maybe some misunderstanding of the Masters' characteristics, and there is no "1 to 1" correspondence, but I will be glad if it can really give a few insights or just make you laugh: Maybe it shouldn't be based on quirks at all. Some of the speculations are far-fetched. [spoiler]We also know (from Paris, 1908) that July is the nemesis of Mr. Wines. Particularly interesting given that July is a superb violinist, and Mr. Wines has a peculiar vulnerability to music (confirmed via the end of the Revels and Wednesday in Parabola curator destiny).[/spoiler] edited by Pnakotic on 8/2/2016 -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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MadmanAtW Posts: 231 8/1/2016	Optimatum wrote: I think they specifically chose not to say it was the Duchess. It's an obvious conclusion for those of us who played the University storyline, but Excecptional Stories are intentionally accessible to everyone, and they wouldn't want to have a random reveal spoiling the story where it's normally learned. One more ending for those of us who did play the University story would work, but that way not all of the story would be accessible to all. Yeah, they definitely specifically don't say so- I was shocked that when I handed it off to Mr Pages' people I lost Connection: SOCIETY, and not Duchess, for instance. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Madman~Across~the~Water http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Xoricco Accepting any social actions except the Affluent Photographer. Would appreciate warning of dupings/betrayals/rats.
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ochrasy Posts: 169 7/31/2016	has anyone echo'ed the option to [spoiler] return the papyrus?[/spoiler] it's the only one I haven't read yet edited by ochrasy on 7/31/2016 -- Ochrasy. Monster-Hunter. Dangerous and Watchful, favors the Constables. Robitaille. Persuasive and Shadowy, fond of the Devils. Herr Horst. Seeker of Revenge. Open to all social actions on all accounts. Preferably, send any MW-providing actions to Ochrasy.
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Angus Turner Posts: 72 7/30/2016	Optimatum wrote: "Take heart, friend. The light has not yet gone out. This is not the end." That seems pretty clear to me: have hope, because it isn't extinguished. "The light need not necessarily go out" reads to me like giving an unpopular suggestion to those in charge - doing so gently so they don't get too angry. The Contrarian might consider the Liberation a last resort. He doesn't want things to come to it, but if that's what happens, he will support it. Or maybe that's not actually what he thinks, but he managed to convince the Council otherwise. There is at least one Council member we know of that strayed too far from the party line and paid the price, so dissent in the ranks isn't unheard of. I admit that's not the first thing that comes to mind from reading that text, but it isn't an implausible reading. And with the Calendar Council's massive involvement in his campaign and the book that so perfectly matches his personality, I think it's a safe bet that he is in fact August. -- The Philanthropic Scholar.
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/29/2016	Cthonius wrote: That still makes Amarna pretty important I'd say. Oh, definitely. I just meant this story didn't seem to change our knowledge of its role in the history. -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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SarahTheEntwife Posts: 50 7/30/2016	Wait, is this the same document as [spoiler]the Horizon Codex?[/spoiler] If so, Strel is really frustrated that none of the options involve him getting to secretly keep it. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Strel Retired zee-captain turned scholar. Open to social interactions of various sorts. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Winona~Tintenfisch Winona Tintenfisch, aspiring street urchin. Would definitely be up for some fisticuffs or loitering.
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Meradine Heidenreich Posts: 468 7/30/2016	I received a letter by opp. card very shortly afterwards - epilogue text only. I assumed that was it. -- https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Meradine%20Heidenreich The Starveling kit Gobbled up the bit of cheese on my tray .. "O Weh!" No plant battles, please.
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/29/2016	While I'd be very surprised if the Contrarian turned out to be part of the Calendar Council despite being directly opposed to their end goal, I'd be even more surprised if random other characters without previous Revolutionary association were suddenly revealed to be on the Council as well. For example, why on earth would the Manager be secretly a Revolutionary? He made a deal with the Bazaar, is still somewhat affiliated with it, and the Liberation would his beloved who he very clearly still cares about deeply. suinicide wrote: And what was with the mini dawn machine? Is that to test if they can extinguish it? To study how it worked? Is that thing sentient as well? What mini Dawn Machine? Do you mean the diagrams of how it works? -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/29/2016	suinicide wrote: And what was with the mini dawn machine? Is that to test if they can extinguish it? To study how it worked? Is that thing sentient as well? What mini Dawn Machine? Do you mean the diagrams of how it works? Oops, read the part about cogs and assumed it was an actual machine. A diagram raises less questions. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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BlabberingMat Posts: 385 7/29/2016	I destroyed the papyrus and got [spoiler] 1 Searing Enigma.[/spoiler] if anyone is wondering about that. EDIT: I now see that others already reported this. My bad! edited by BlabberingMat on 7/29/2016 -- Alt-Lana Loter Main-Always Drunk Slav "To see a world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in wild flowers. To hold an infinity in palm of hand and Eternity in an hour” Finally, I am Crooked Cross! Feel free to send invitations for Salon! As of June 5th, 1895, I am London's newest Legendary Charisma! The current progress in Mega Soul Grind: 53727/1 639 121 Souls
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Anne Auclair Posts: 2215 7/29/2016	Perhaps...[spoiler]They are reverse engineering the Dawn Machine?[/spoiler] -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Anne%20Auclair
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Anne Auclair Posts: 2215 7/29/2016	I still contend that the Contrarian's second week was a case of teeth-clinched teamwork and not a hostile takeover. He wanted to win and so he brought in February, who is all about winning. But to balance the books for such an uncharacteristically extreme act, he donated money to the Bishop and Jenny. edited by Anne Auclair on 7/29/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Anne%20Auclair
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 7/28/2016	Optimatum wrote: Speaking of which, has anyone who returned a certain mirror played and echoed the equivalent option that presumably exists? I returned the mirror. The option in the Room of Summer is Read an account of an uprising, and the description is: "One book stands out from a crowded section about radical movements in Europe." T -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/29/2016	tsukinofaerii wrote: I've played through to the end, and I have to say, this Exceptional Story was exceptional. Exactly the sort of thing I'd love to see more of. But I was left with a question: [spoiler]Does anyone have any thoughts on what happened to the Scribe—the poor, betrayed third party of this particular love story? Typically, all members of the love story around the Fall of a city are shown survive, whether they want to or not. But this one seems entirely absent. Could the Scribe have actually perished, since this love story seems to be a manufactured one, or has someone seen any lore about that this tickles? I have some thoughts, but zero proof, so I'd like to see if anyone else has a line of similar or different thoughts.[/spoiler] Considering how long ago it happened, I'd say he's clearly dead. There's no reason he would have been a part of the deal to sell the city. I don't think the story is manufactured either, the only previous instance of manufactured love stories known is a case of a Master trying to create an environment specifically to create stories. -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Dameon Grey Posts: 23 7/29/2016	Alright, Does anyone have all 4 of the endings? I want to know what I get from each, and I'm really tempted to destroy it TBH. -- Mad, Bad, Dangerous to know. POSI. Correspondent. Social actions besides the affluent photographer are welcomed. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Dameon~Grey
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Bertrand Leonidas Poole Posts: 335 7/29/2016	Help help the text snippet links are broken oh god oh god.
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 7/29/2016	Dameon Grey wrote: My suspicion jumped from 0 to 4 with one click, its a really unpredictable choice from what I'm seeing. So did mine; odd that we'd both get the same 10CP from a truly "unpredictable" choice, n'est pas? -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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Crazycryodude Posts: 15 7/29/2016	Oh, I quite like this one, it's certainly contending for top 3 (though I think Lost in Reflections and obviously Flint still have it beat). [spoiler] Anyways, lots of interesting implications as to the members of everyone's favorite Council based on the books (see everyone's suggestions above - I'm especially intrigued with the possibility that the Contrarian is a month what with that book of polemic and all). I am however more than a little angry at myself for choosing the "return" option at the end. Being the idiot who can't make connections and/or read the text that I am, I assumed that "return" meant return it to the subject of the story, not the library. I now realize that I should have given it to a certain 4 legged agent of said person. Oh well, I suppose I shall have to wait a few months and go through it again. [/spoiler] edited by Crazycryodude on 7/29/2016 edited by Crazycryodude on 7/29/2016
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/28/2016	Alright, time to collect all the ending rewards. [spoiler] Delivering the Papyrus to the cat: 1 Parabola-Linen Scrap, 12 Ostentatious Diamonds, plus more from epilogue? Returning it: 1 Searing Enigma, 1 Touching Love Story, 2? Extraordinary Implications [/spoiler] Barselaar wrote: Scienceandponies wrote: How bad of a time is one likely to have if they decide to loot and linger? One of my longtime character objectives is never visiting the boatman and never making a return trip to New Newgate. [spoiler] Looting and lingering put me up 5 or 6 CP of Suspicion when I did it, and didn't give me many benefits. Depending on how many of x items you have already, it may just lead to lots of "x hasn't changed, because it's higher than y" messages.[/spoiler] Pretty sure it's just random as to whether you get the things, not based on how many you have. I got many "X is unchanged at Y" messages followed by getting the items on another attempt. edited by Optimatum on 7/28/2016 -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Vavakx Nonexus Posts: 892 7/28/2016	Optimatum wrote: Alright, time to collect all the ending rewards. spoiler I have delivered the text to Mr Pages. My rewards was... [spoiler]1 Collection of Curiosities and 1250 Pence.[/spoiler] P.S. Seriously, 2 times in a row! When will I stop forgetting about the No-Double-Spoiler Law? edited by Vavakx Nonexus on 7/28/2016 -- Amets Estibariz, the Moulting Eidolon: Cradled by a sun all their own. Blabbing, the Hobo Everyone Knows: The One Who Pulls The Strings. A Clarity In The Darkness. Charlotte and the Caretaker: A family?
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PSGarak Posts: 834 7/28/2016	Johanna de Silentio wrote: I have a question to those who finished the storyline - i don't want to lock myself out of content snip.. You're safe to proceed. [spoiler]Triggering one room does not lock content in any other rooms.[/spoiler] -- http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/PSGarak
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Eglantine-Fox Posts: 872 7/28/2016	Sir Frederick Tanah-Chook wrote: Well, I made my decision. It's something almost violently against my nature, but... my loosely educated guess is that the alternatives were even worse. I might be wrong. No mention of any follow-up card, so I'm thinking I'll have to take my decision as it stands. Edit: Already regretting it. Think I got it wrong. Anyone who gets a follow-up with more explication, maybe point me toward your journal? edited by Sir Frederick Tanah-Chook on 7/28/2016 Come sidle over onto my main's journal, I got a follow-up and it is interesting. -- Eglantine Fox, the charming and androgynous Correspondent, teetering between hobbies of seduction and self-destruction. Siobhan O'Malley, Irish patriot (or 'bl__dy Fenian' if you're impolite). Isidore Day, an up-and-coming London gentleman. All allegations of wrongdoing are categorically denied.
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Bertrand Leonidas Poole Posts: 335 7/28/2016	Her Grace wasn't a very nice person long ago.
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BlabberingMat Posts: 385 7/28/2016	Well, I chose the third option. Story was sad, and, in the sense, old as time. I have echoed whole conversation with translator, if someone is curious. -- Alt-Lana Loter Main-Always Drunk Slav "To see a world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in wild flowers. To hold an infinity in palm of hand and Eternity in an hour” Finally, I am Crooked Cross! Feel free to send invitations for Salon! As of June 5th, 1895, I am London's newest Legendary Charisma! The current progress in Mega Soul Grind: 53727/1 639 121 Souls
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BlabberingMat Posts: 385 7/28/2016	Mazater wrote: A small but rather misleading typo shows up when you tell the cat you'll consider the job: You have unlocked July's Exceptional Story! You may play it at your leisure. You have unlocked August's Exceptional Story! You may play it at your leisure. Are both mentioned. I'm guessing the first line is automated to say July because, well, it's still July; but I'm guessing it should say August because this is August's story. Yeah,I noticed that, too. Not a big deal, I guess, but it sticks out a bit. -- Alt-Lana Loter Main-Always Drunk Slav "To see a world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in wild flowers. To hold an infinity in palm of hand and Eternity in an hour” Finally, I am Crooked Cross! Feel free to send invitations for Salon! As of June 5th, 1895, I am London's newest Legendary Charisma! The current progress in Mega Soul Grind: 53727/1 639 121 Souls
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Mr Sables Posts: 597 7/28/2016	Barselaar wrote: I made my decision, too, for in-character reasons. I get the feeling that the the majority of the juicy stuff comes in the middle of this story. Thoroughly enjoyed this, although I need more time to go over the text and see if I can put some things together. If you can put anything together from the translation, I'd love to hear it . . . I accidentally misclicked the vital part I wanted to record; it was such a fascinating story, potentially rewriting and changing the lore as we know it (or at least adding massively to it), and I'm curious whether my interpretations added up with other people's . . . especially as some of our members are so fantastically knowledgeable about the lore overall, thus seeing things others miss
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Jolanda Swan Posts: 1783 7/28/2016	This is how it went for me in the previous season: I played the last two, then bought the first and the storylet appeared. -- Lover of all things beautiful, secret admirer of ugly truths, fond of the Parabola Sun... and always delighted to role play. http://fallenlondon.com/profile/Jolanda%20Swan
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Dean Lee Posts: 133 7/28/2016	lovely!! -- A list of credentials A Business Card Research progress: 77 volumes of cryptopaleontoligy 77 volumes of Prelapsarian archeology 77 volumes of theosophistry.
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Eglantine-Fox Posts: 872 7/28/2016	...Well, that was fascinating. -- Eglantine Fox, the charming and androgynous Correspondent, teetering between hobbies of seduction and self-destruction. Siobhan O'Malley, Irish patriot (or 'bl__dy Fenian' if you're impolite). Isidore Day, an up-and-coming London gentleman. All allegations of wrongdoing are categorically denied.
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Trilby Posts: 290 7/28/2016	What should I do about that child -- ___________________________ \|`````````````````````\| \|```````/^\``/^\```````\| \|`````,_/```\/```\_,````\| \|````^"""""""""""""""""""'^```\| \|__________________________\|
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The Master Posts: 804 7/28/2016	I'm not an exceptional friend, but I had to say that the third option on the opening storylet is uhh...well, I'll have to take it out of curiosity... edit:God da___t I can't do it! I have a heart and I use logic cries. edited by The Master on 7/28/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Lolwolfking A very ruthless and daring doctor of the neath. No more gift exchanges, im getting too many and I can barely hold these. He has knowledge of a certain enigma, ask, you will get a clue.
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Scienceandponies Posts: 247 7/28/2016	How bad of a time is one likely to have if they decide to loot and linger? One of my longtime character objectives is never visiting the boatman and never making a return trip to New Newgate.
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ExceptionallyDelicious Posts: 188 7/28/2016	How much would one be missing out on if this is their first exceptional story? Is the knowledge from the other revolutionary stories necessary to get the full experience? If it is, could someone PM with the basics so I don't feel too lost? Thanks -- Any and all social actions are appreciated, and most will be reciprocated. DavidJ, a self reflection (main): http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/DavidJ Damien Erebus, a broken man and aspiring spymaster: http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/Damien%20Erebus
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 7/28/2016	Natan wrote: I think I might have found a bug. [spoiler]In "The Summer Collection" part of the library, the stroylet option "A gap on the shelves" is unlocked for me. One of the unlock requirements says "Unlocked when Lost In Reflections is:" and then a list of options, but none of them are checked for me. I haven't played Lost In Reflections yet, because I started subscribing to EF a handful of months after that ES was released. I've played the storylet and gotten 1 carnival ticket from it. Is that what it does for people who have played Lost In Reflections too? Or is it different? Is it a bug that the storylet is unlocked for me?[/spoiler] Probably not a bug. As far as I can tell, that option is open for anyone who didn't play Lost in Reflections and choose one ending. Presumably the book might be there with that ending. Speaking of which, has anyone who returned a certain mirror played and echoed the equivalent option that presumably exists? -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Natan Posts: 10 7/28/2016	I think I might have found a bug. [spoiler]In "The Summer Collection" part of the library, the stroylet option "A gap on the shelves" is unlocked for me. One of the unlock requirements says "Unlocked when Lost In Reflections is:" and then a list of options, but none of them are checked for me. I haven't played Lost In Reflections yet, because I started subscribing to EF a handful of months after that ES was released. I've played the storylet and gotten 1 carnival ticket from it. Is that what it does for people who have played Lost In Reflections too? Or is it different? Is it a bug that the storylet is unlocked for me?[/spoiler] -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/nbean64
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/28/2016	That sounds like a bug. Got the same thing having completed LiR. Edit: Nevermind. edited by suinicide on 7/29/2016 -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Anne Auclair Posts: 2215 7/29/2016	Pnakotic wrote: Anne Auclair wrote: I still contend that the Contrarian's second week was a case of teeth-clinched teamwork and not a hostile takeover. He wanted to win and so he brought in February, who is all about winning. But to balance the books for such an uncharacteristically extreme act, he donated money to the Bishop and Jenny. edited by Anne Auclair on 7/29/2016 With locked doors keeping February away from The Contrarian and his loyalists, it didn't sound like there was any teamwork going on, at all. If Feb were really the one who was calling the shots then there wouldn't have been any locked doors in the first place. The Contrarian appointed her campaign manager and then told her and her goons to stay downstairs. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Anne%20Auclair
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suinicide Posts: 2409 7/29/2016	PJ wrote: This is all well and good, but why was the papyrus in the possession of the Calendar Council? Ooo, maybe they were planning on blackmailing the duchess with it or something. Force her to help them. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Mordaine Barimen Posts: 670 7/29/2016	Anne Auclair wrote: I still contend that the Contrarian's second week was a case of teeth-clinched teamwork and not a hostile takeover. He wanted to win and so he brought in February, who is all about winning. But to balance the books for such an uncharacteristically extreme act, he donated money to the Bishop and Jenny. It's interesting to see how far you'll bend to attribute malevolence to Sinning Jenny and control and kindness to the Contrarian... But back to the story, I fear that, much like the author's other ES, things were interesting and a few novel mechanical things along the way, only to lead to a rather rushed and disappointing ending. -- I'm sorry, but due to policy clarifications, I will no longer be giving detailed mechanics advice on the forums. If you still need help, try the IRC channel.
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absimiliard Posts: 759 7/29/2016	PJ wrote: And perhaps more importantly, how close are they to completing the Device? The light in Ladybones Road briefly went out. Was that a malfunction, or a test? It is worth noting that there is the Unclear Device in Sunless Sea which removes all illumination from both your own ship and your target. It is also in-game being tested in London during the Captain's playthrough. So the Liberation has been poking at this for a bit. -- "Because, Parabola!" -- the Curious Captain Eating nightmares from friends -- and I'm easy to befriend. Absimiliard: the Black Rose of Wolfstack Docks
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Pnakotic Posts: 266 7/29/2016	PJ wrote: This is all well and good, but why was the papyrus in the possession of the Calendar Council? And perhaps more importantly, how close are they to completing the Device? The light in Ladybones Road briefly went out. Was that a malfunction, or a test? [spoiler]The diagram in the Spring room seems to suggest that some localized experiments are underway. Or at least that some equipment to facilitate the Liberation has been strategically arranged throughout parts of London. [/spoiler] -- J. Ward Dunn, Glassman Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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Lord Vaustus Posts: 201 7/30/2016	Is dear Dr. Freud (schlomo) a potential member? The stuff about the confessions, plus he's from Vienna? -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Lord~Ivastus The heartbroken hedonist Pronounced "Lord vow-Stis".
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PJ Posts: 210 7/31/2016	I'm a little sad that there was no option to hand-deliver the document to the Duchess directly. My character is certainly both perceptive and cheeky enough to do that. -- https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Peter%20James
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Fadewalker Posts: 136 7/31/2016	Optimatum wrote: Fadewalker: At some point, I think in the Mysteries, it was stated that there are eleven Masters. It was never stated which they counted the two doubles or Chimes and Sacks, but Mr Eaten is certainly not part of that as in SMEN he's referred to as King Twelve. Yes, perhaps you are right, the concept of 12 or 11 has appeared in more than one place, though the method of counting is still unknown. But I am not sure when the prototype of a "calendar council" was built. The "Calendar Council" today is probably recent, but when was it conceived? Before or after the third city? Some old guys might be a member of the council, so when did they start to choose a rival and go against the Masters secretly? ...Oh, sorry, I'd admit you're right: even if they had once set Eaten as a rival, they should had it replaced with another master for the number 11 given at present (or in the future). I didn't rule it out mainly because I can't find another "melancholy" guy among the masters at present, and if that is the always-mourning Bazaar, it will be weird to connect it to a Fifth/Sixth Month...However, all the masters do have deep feelings and sentiments, sometimes hidden. Of some of the masters we could just catch a glimpse, they are quite backstage at present. So I will wait. Or maybe there is no 1 to 1 quirk connection? -- A fervent supporter of the Council and the Masters.
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shylarah Posts: 171 8/19/2016	Okay, I've read this /entire/ thread because I NEED ALL THE LORE. I have to say, the speculation is fascinating. I like the idea of the various Council folk being other people in London (at least some of them). I've always been fond of the Contrarian, because I too love a good debate, if I can keep my cool. In regards to the correlation between Masters, Councilmembers, and quirks, it's most intriguing. The thought of one being something else (December -- that is raised in a Destiny storylet outcome) and corresponding to the Bazaar is fascinating. Looking at it, however, I realized some of the numbers don't quite add up. It should be noted that while I've riffled through journals and various forum threads, I've not actually played any fate-locked content myself. The stuff in the spoiler is rather tangential, dealing as it does with the Masters and not the storyline directly, but theories on corellation are being discussed, so I figure it fits well enough (and I honestly have no idea where else I ought to put it). [spoiler]I recall that in the Conversation on the Road storylet there are a dozen travellers. There are currently eleven Masters, plus the Bazaar and us is thirteen, though. So which Master isn't there, of those that are current? Nine are specifically named and still around in London-present -- Apples, Irons, Veils, Fires, Spices, Pages, Wines, Cups, and Stones. Apples and Cups both have a second set of names: Hearts and Mirrors, respectively. Mr. Eaten is [not postponing a reckoning indefinitely], so my guess is he's not one of the travellers, nor a current Master (though I /do/ wonder about the "the wound-in-the-world far, far behind you" mentioned in the Conversation text. Is that Earth? Mr. Eaten and maybe his reckoning? Whatever the Bazaar left behind when it had all the stories it wanted? No idea). But if he /is/ there, and counted as a traveller, things get even messier, unless perhaps the Curt Relicker was ejected from the previous council and then replaced by a current member, and the idea that Veils did not become a Master at the same time as the others is accurate (if anyone has support of Veils coming after I'd love to read it). If that's true, we can guess that perhaps one of the other current Masters had somethign untoward happen -- perhaps Fires, who is fond of London and not mentioned in the Conversation storylet by name. That makes for twelve travellers. My personal guess is that the Bazaar isn't counted among those travellers, as it is a ways ahead of us. However, either way, there seem to be two Masters that don't have names...unless popular opinion is wrong about Cups and/or Hearts. I don't know any of the details that point to those pairs being the same guy, and I'd love insight into the issue.[/spoiler] As a note, the previous identity of certain Masters in the Fourth City is known, and I have a quibble with the idea that the Khan of Fires is Mr. Fires. [spoiler]We know that their names do change over time. But the text for Dubious attribution (the relevant storylet) says "The Khan of Fires, who rules incense, and now candles." Spices handles incense, and he took on part of candles/dreams, along with Wines -- who is confirmed to be the Khan of Dreams by either a storylet or the description of some bottle of alcohol. The quarrel over dreams is why the two are at odds. I propose that the Khan of Fires is now Mr. Spices, not Mr. Fires.[/spoiler] EDIT: GAAAAH WHY CAN'T I USE MORE THAN ONE SPOILER TAG?! edited by shylarah on 8/19/2016 -- Lady of Cold Steel, Lady of the Flit, Lady Alyssana Grey. A formidable woman, hard to read and slow to trust. Darkness lurks inside her. Alts: (please direct all inquiries to Alys & say who they're for) -Nikki, the Playful Daredevil, leading the constables on merry chases across London at every available opportunity. It's not a good robbery if you didn't get chased~ -Shylarah, waifish, wide-eyed, painfully foreign, entirely untamed. Her search for a way home now leads her to Parabola. There's something about her... -Dr. Maxwell Thomas, a kindhearted physician who can't stand to see suffering. Moral to a fault, even to his own detriment. Unlucky in love. I would rather be taken for a fool than deny aid where it is needed. -Angie, the Cheeky Sharpshooter. Got her start with the Regiment and proudly operated their cannon for years. Rowdy, rough, and among the best shots in London.
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Dean Lee Posts: 133 8/20/2016	lmao, I still have not pulled the concluding card for this story. The duchess's letter is still awaited -- A list of credentials A Business Card Research progress: 77 volumes of cryptopaleontoligy 77 volumes of Prelapsarian archeology 77 volumes of theosophistry.
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xKiv Posts: 846 8/21/2016	shylarah wrote: Is that Earth? p I think the Wound is just the Neath. GAAAAH WHY CAN'T I USE MORE THAN ONE SPOILER TAG?! Because Jitbit only made one spoiler tag possible! -- https://www.fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/xKiv - a witchful, percussive, dangermous and shadowry scholar of coexplodence, hopsidirean, and walker of fallen kitties.
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harbourlady Posts: 78 8/21/2016	Worlds stupidest question: this is my first exceptional story and I can't bloody find where it's wandered off too. I played the opening in the house of chimes, and now I can't seem to locate the rest of the storyline. Would someone be so kind as to point me in the right direction? -- Harbourlady: Torn between hedonism and solitude, harbourlady worships the twin alters of wine and secrets. Capricious, but rarely cruel, she will always go just over every line she encounters. Captain Van Townes: He will tell you he was born of the sea, and you will never know if he is lying. Quick to fight and quick to steal, but with the honor born of men who will always tell the truth when asked the right question. Social actions welcome, please be open to receiving them in return. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Harbourlady http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Captain~van~Townes~
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suinicide Posts: 2409 8/21/2016	Spite, your lodgings, and I think veilgarden. -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence. RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Guest 8/25/2016	harbourlady wrote: Checked every location - not finding it. Is it a card that you pull, a specific lodging to be in, or are we in bug territory? *edit - I am quite skilled at finding things immediately after asking the question. There was 1 location I apparently missed and lo! There was the storylet, acting much like a cat, looking at me with slight disdain and claiming it had been here the entire time. As a side note, if anyone ever needs someone to discover something seconds after everyone else has already found it, do feel free to reach out! edited by harbourlady on 8/21/2016* I'm afraid I'm in the same predicament. I'm moving around various places and I see gold cards for other ES that I haven't played yet, but not Calendar code. Where should I be looking? edit: Never mind, got it! Ladybones, for the curious. edited by nightday on 8/25/2016
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Skinnyman Posts: 2133 8/25/2016	As I didn't manage to read all of this thread content (but I will) nor finish the story, I understand that there are quirk challenges. What level is required to have 100% success rate? -- ESs items and quality requirements sheet. Please check if there are errors or if something is missing Achievement list if you're feeling bored! I am accepting Plant battles, Neath's Mysteries card, Starveling Cats and boxed cats. No suppers, no second chances gain and no need to cure my menaces!
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Absintheuse Posts: 348 12/13/2016	This story is now available for Fate, enjoy!
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Televangelist Posts: 109 9/18/2018	It told me: "[This is not quite the end of this Exceptional Story. Watch your Opportunity deck.]" I've been flipping hundreds of cards, haven't seen it. What am I doing wrong?
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Optimatum Posts: 3666 9/18/2018	You've angered the RNG, clearly. -- Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome. Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi! PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Rhysdux Posts: 19 8/7/2016	Did anyone give the papyrus to the one-eyed mog?
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PJ Posts: 210 8/11/2016	And the conclusion, after giving it to the mog: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Peter~James?fromEchoId=9225375 -- https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Peter%20James
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Reaeh Posts: 10 8/12/2016	What are the stories in Seasons of Revolutions? I've completed the Chimney Pot Wars and the Brass Embassy one, but the urchin story doesn't seem to be tied to revolutions... -- http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Reaeh - Main. A Correspondence enthusiast. Needs an Eyeless Skull. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Kilian~Ingram - Alt. A Thief and a Spite dweller.
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Professor Strix Posts: 616 8/12/2016	Well, there are the Fisher-Kings rebelling against Storm. [spoiler]And apparently succeeding, if you give them the "gift from the roof".[/spoiler] -- The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds. "THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used." --------- Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers. http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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Lamia Lawless Posts: 604 8/3/2016	I linked to saint-arthur, so you'd have to ask saint-arthur. -- The Harmonic Hellfarer
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August Exceptional Story: The Calendar Code