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Captain, I fear no man and I fear no zee beast - But this darkness chills me to the bone. I can almost hear it calling to me, beckoning me to go North, telling me I'm not long for this world, inviting me to surrender myself to it... I'll be honest, the Sun doesn't seem so bad anymore. Maybe I should retire on that island, and drat the consequences. I think I need a stronger drink. HEY, SLACKERS, DON'T THINK I'M NOT KEEPING AN EYE ON YOU, KEEP POLISHING THOSE CANNONS! YES, I'M TALKING TO YOU, TOO, THESAYA! I'M HOLDING YOU PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY SPOT LEFT ON THE DECK CANNON BY THE TIME I RETURN TO THE SHIP! Sorry, Captain.
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Mar 12, 2015 23:14
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Once you've located every major port the next step is to start completing story quests to get more stuff. In a normal game I'd start stacking various heirlooms at around that point in the game as well as seeking out the various story quests that grant you an item for your successor for the eventual goal of having everything that is possible to have. But Wombat is probably going to do things slightly differently than a normal game because LP. That said it's probably not a bad idea to start looking into making a Scion since your kid takes awhile to grow up and you don't want to die until he goes to zee.
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Mar 13, 2015 03:42
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Message somehow sent to the Gentleman, from Helios Hahahahaha, the Sun! Such wonder! Aestival felt so beautiful on my skin. Hahahahahahahaha Beautiful, beautiful!!! Ehem, In any case Doc was kind enough to drag me away before the Sun harmed me permanently, which is good, as it was the first time I had seen it...don't tell anyone though hihihahahaha I believe I am the first of the four to see the SUN, and the closest to my mission. I felt bad for Jones though, he liked it too much. And Snark wanted to go back to look for someone, I hope he finds that person. I wish we didn't have to leave. Because the Captain took us to that damned place full of spiders. Did you ever see a sorrow spider being born. Of course you did, you always have. You faced a Council once, so who am I to claim to know better. Irem was strange, it felt wrong, like I wasn't meant to be there. But I wasn't meant was I? I went to Port Cecil. They knew me, or of me in any case. They said you ordered me delivered there. You knew where I came from! You knew and you never told me. They said I was brought here from the Empire of Hands!!! But Im no mere beast, you hear me! I don't care if I'm part of the set, I am me! I will complete the mission, but because I will it!!! I will go EAST, and dance in the SUN. I have EATEN and EATEN well. You may have EATEN my name, but I don't need it! A poor replica, but a replica nonetheless! I will find the other 3 and FEED from them as well!! And then I will know the way, then I will find what lies in that forsaken Well. And I will take it from you, I will take from you your beloved Sun. You named me Helios to mock me, but I will use it hurt you. Haha-hahahah-ahhahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Oh, Doc, I was just clearing my throat. No I am fine really. So do you want to tell me about that girl Sarah? Let me pour you a drink, invite Jones too. Its good to drink with friends...
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Mar 13, 2015 04:25
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Add me to the list of people that got playing Fallen London because of this game(and the attached LP), I'd always kind of written it off as weird goober steampunk, but it's got a certain charm to it. I like that it takes very little suspension of disbelief to buy into your narrative compared to other LPs.
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Mar 13, 2015 04:31
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One of the things I really like about this game is how it steadfastly refuse to explain anything; it's all the sort of thing that a real person in the same situation as your captain would see. A lot of stories would be unable to resist the temptation to just explain poo poo but Sunless Sea steadfastly refuses to do anything of the sort, you can put together a lot of things yourself but the game will never do it for you. It really helps contribute to the dark and mysterious nature of the Unterzee; it's also worth mentioning that the vast majority of captains basically only sail between Fallen London, Venderbight and the Cumaean Canal with maybe the occasional trip to the Funging station, which is why the Admiralty is willing to pay you so well for port reports from ports that are further out and why you get to interact with important people.
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Mar 13, 2015 04:40
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Neruz posted:Once you've located every major port the next step is to start completing story quests to get more stuff. I've been working on it! All she ever gets when carousing is a bit drunk. Girl don't know how to get digits. Also, for what it's worth, this is not going to be a 100% run. I'll complete as many story lines as I can, with the LP ending when I fulfill an ambition. I have no plans to get all the various succession items - Most of them require doing some very difficult quests, AND it ends your run when you get them, making you start over. And if I'm that far in, like 90% of what I'll be doing will be repeated content, and that's no fun for anyone. I won't be doing multiple ambitions, for the same reason. bathroomrage posted:I like that it takes very little suspension of disbelief to buy into your narrative compared to other LPs. Thank you! I'm trying hard to make Petra mesh well with the world she lives in. Fallen London, for all its weirdness, is very good about making everything feel like it fits. Even if things aren't explained a whole lot, the world feel coherent, in a way. Plus, playing FL enough has shown me the ways in which people have been interacting with all the weirdness very well. I like that kind of one of the themes is that most of this stuff wouldn't hurt people, except that people are inherently curious and/or greedy and so want to understand it and make it benefit them somehow, and that's when the trouble starts. It helps that someone would have to be a little nuts to do what she's doing, too. Willingly zailing the Unterzee, beyond the few safe ports Neruz mentioned, is really dangerous and unwise and usually just kills you.
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Mar 13, 2015 05:14
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Black Wombat posted:I've been working on it! All she ever gets when carousing is a bit drunk. Girl don't know how to get digits. Yeah, that's the fun of Fallen London - if you live and let live, you can live a normal life. If something weird happens, all you have to do is just not poke your nose into it, and more often than not, you'll be fine - like the well that sometimes has screams like a dying animal echoing from the bottom, with everyone walking by just covering their ears and pretending nothing is happening. Chances are, they have a reason for this, and curiosity killed the cat. This, of course, means that players have to do everything everyone else says is a terrible idea, and it usually IS a terrible idea, but we just gotta see it anyway. Case in point : NORTH. I wonder if we'll ever be able to go there in Sunless Sea, or if it will only be added some day to Fallen London? It's apparently a place you can sail to. Can you Seek the Name in Sunless? Wolpertinger fucked around with this message at 11:08 on Mar 13, 2015 |
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Mar 13, 2015 11:05
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Wolpertinger posted:Can you Seek the Name in Sunless? Yep, talk to the Carnelian Exile and she'll set you on a very long and elaborate quest to find it. Also you can at the moment sail off the edge of the map in all four cardinal directions, with a different (painful) result for each edge and a little note on your character saying you did it. Sailing north is the one that hurts the most.
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Mar 13, 2015 13:12
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Neruz posted:Yep, talk to the Carnelian Exile and she'll set you on a very long and elaborate quest to find it. I believe that is actually a different, and somehow even weirder Name. Also south is definitely worse.
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Mar 13, 2015 14:19
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Is there a trick to it? I'm pretty sure I remember getting to the Empire of Hands and then trying to continue east and hitting a map edge despite there being nothing in my way.
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Mar 13, 2015 14:30
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Pavlov posted:I believe that is actually a different, and somehow even weirder Name. Agreed, North is survivable with a good enough iron stat, but South requires some planning in order to survive it. East and West are barely painful at all
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Mar 13, 2015 16:49
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I survived South and made my way back to London. Just have North and East to do.
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Mar 13, 2015 17:05
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Is Hunter's Keep supposed to be a newbie crutch to let you replenish yourself in the early game?
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Mar 13, 2015 19:33
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Glazius posted:Is Hunter's Keep supposed to be a newbie crutch to let you replenish yourself in the early game?
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Mar 13, 2015 19:48
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What does it mean when it says (I can't remember exactly) "the god's attention is now !"? Is that a parsing error, or is "!" a status?
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Mar 13, 2015 19:59
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double nine posted:What does it mean when it says (I can't remember exactly) "the god's attention is now !"? Is that a parsing error, or is "!" a status? It's the result of the message for a changing quality being '<quality> is now <status>!' and some qualities not having statuses, you just have it or you dont, so it doesn't show anything.
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Mar 13, 2015 20:08
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Pavlov posted:It's the result of the message for a changing quality being '<quality> is now <status>!' and some qualities not having statuses, you just have it or you dont, so it doesn't show anything. That, and sometimes (at least in Fallen London, and at least unless I misread something and so drew a false conclusion on false facts), you change from something like 'Quality: You do not have the quality', to 'Quality: [blank]' to indicate you now have it (or have it in a more 'mundane' sense) Like, imagine that a learner's permit was listed as 'Driver's License: Learner's'. When you get the full one, you might get the message 'Your permit is now !' when it changes to just 'Driver's Permit: '
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Mar 13, 2015 22:05
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Add me to the list of Fallen London goons. also add me to the list of Zailors, I feel like seeking my fortune!
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Mar 14, 2015 00:01
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Journal entry 13 – Faffing about in Fallen London The journal of Captain Petra Blackwood February 6th, 1888 Today has been a very long day, but I feel better for it. Something about hearing the hustle and bustle of London goes a long way to reminding the crew – and me, too – of who we are, and what we're doing. And that we shouldn't let a little bit of darkness have us tearing our hair out.   Hello, Nightmares. Having Nightmares will have random events that have a chance to increase Terror happen at zee. They aren't too bad, all things considered. Like normal, my first stop was the Admiralty office. I had a lot to report – including something of great significance. Between what my surgeon told me, and what I learned in Port Cecil, there was more going on than met the eye.   Some items can be used from your inventory, and pull up their own storylets. Strategic Information lets you do this. The Admiral was, in fact, very interested. So interested he introduced me to one of his colleagues, and filled me in on another location where they needed a patriot to collect some information.    On the way out, I stopped by the Survey office, and dropped off my port reports.   While I was very eager to meet the Voracious Diplomat, I figured it would be impolite to drop in without a meeting. I sent an urchin to arrange such a thing, while I went and collected the boxes of Scintillack we had gathered in Port Cecil. I was very glad to have those things off of my ship.  While the Admiral has a commanding presence, the Widow surpasses him handily, without one even being able to see her. She informed me that my father was last departing for Visage, with something of interest to her in his possession. I will have to return to the island, hopefully with more success than my last visit. With that meeting behind me, I went to visit the Diplomat – Who was happy to receive a good friend of the Admiral's, her assistant told me.     We talked at length about her and her role in London, and its goings-on. She had connections to the Admiralty, no doubt, and I am certain anything I bring to her will assist London, but it would also mean I'd never be reading about the results of what I've done in the papers – Or on half-penny broadsheets being sold on Ladybones Road. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad. All I had for her today was a tidbit of information about the moves in the Great Game, which I had no doubt she'd have more use for than the Admiral. She paid me well for it, too. Perhaps we shall do more business in the future. With my government business concluded, I visited my merchant friend, to give to him a small mountain of zee-creature bones.   He told me he needed more dice. Or an elaborate collection of forgine works of art – the dice will be easier to get. Perhaps another trip north is in order. I returned to the Unfinished to collect a few more belongings, but on my way to the Office of Marine Aquisitions, I was approached by a haggard-looking young zailor. He begged to be permitted to zail with me. He'd work for a pittance, he said, if I could get him out of London tonight. Well, he was missing an eye and a few teeth, but on Wolfstack that's mostly just a sign that you've had your share of voyages. I told him I didn't much need more zailors, but would be willing to sign him on if he would work for a single echo.  To my surprise, he said yes. His name is McClay. I handed him his pay and welcomed him aboard. It's entirely possible for the officer recruitment roll to come up with only officers you already have, even if you don't have all of them. Whenever that happens, you always get a chance just to hire a single zailor. At least it's something. I then made my trek to the Department of Marine Acquisitions. I needed a few more echos in my pocket, you see.  Because I am done living in a cramped room above a stinking zailor's rum-hole.  I didn't have much. The address itself cost several hundred echos. Properly provisioning it so I did not feel like a squatter in my own home took several hundred more. When I return to London, I deserve a place to rest my head and mind, and this place shall do spectacularly. I have even commissioned several paintings by up-and-coming artists from Veilgarden to create fungal still-lifes for me. None of this 'Surface fruit in a bowl' nonsense. I also finally have my own study. It's not large, but it's large enough for proper work. When I feel I have made mastery of the Zee, I will catalog my adventures here – for my own erudition, and perhaps that of society at large.      All the things we can write. All the ones that raise stats cost 7 Secrets, so it's not a work-around to that expense, but some of those auxiliary items would be very valuable. With all my official work done, I found myself in quite a jovial mood. Securing my own home, a PROPER home, through things earned via my travails at zee has made me feel more like a zee-captain than ever before. I spent some time out enjoying myself, and, while doing so, decided to get to know a few of my officers a bit better.  Turns out, many of them are quite surprising individuals. Or, they are the Irrepressible Cannoneer.       Never the less, I do have a greater appreciation for the officers under my command, now. And they've provided me with a few very interesting leads to follow out in the Zee – and an excuse to return to the Chapel of Lights. I've gone and procured supplies for such a trip – replacing what the Cannoneer destroyed in the most remarkable spectacle of fire since one of Mr. Iron's zeppelins detonated over the coast. I've also bought enough supplies for illumination that I will be able to properly explore Nuncio – I won't let a little darkness keep me away from whatever secret is buried below that island.  As soon as my crew return from leave, we will be venturing back out to zee.  So, goons, something to consider for future visits - Should we favor the Dark-Spectacled Admiral, or the Voracious Diplomat? We will also, of course, need to decide on if we let the Widow in on what we learn of our father - but I'll save that vote for when we find our father's remains and see what he has.
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Mar 14, 2015 00:12
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Journal of [REDACTED]McClay with excerpts by his daughter [A MORE FEMININE REDACTED]McClay Original text is in italics, added text is underlined. Finally! After two months of searching for work this Blackwood lass finally takes me a board! The College though they could blacklist me, even among the dockworkers. But no more shall I be stranded on the streets of London! I will take my rightful place at Zee. Somewhere out there she waits, the mother of my child. Even if I have to go to Irem, or Hell, or even the Godd-mn Khante I will find her. This is the first entry of my fathers journal after a period of two months. I found it in a trunk of proscribe materials, along with the last few entries from Blackwood's own journal. It seems that those who served under Cpt. Blackwood were prone to keeping track of their adventures, my father was no exception. This was after I had been sent to live with a particularly odious aunt on the surface, long before I can down myself. It is my sincere hope that through these diaries I can learn what happened to the Blackwood expedition. Getting my hands on these itself was a struggle, they have been proscribed and M. Pages hunts them with prejudice.
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Mar 14, 2015 00:29
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I vote we favour the Admiral. I assume we'll still do stuff for the diplomat as well?
Yvonmukluk fucked around with this message at 12:37 on Mar 14, 2015 |
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Mar 14, 2015 02:02
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I think you should favor the diplomat, if only because I wasn't even aware they were in London. But I just had my character 'ascend' after having them live through multiple updates, so if it was a problem with having already locked myself out of content that hadn't been released, I'll probably find it soon anyway (in other words, eh, it doesn't matter)
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Mar 14, 2015 02:04
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Yvonmukluk posted:I vote we favour the Admiral. I assume we'll still do stuff for the diplomat as well? Basically the way it works is doing stuff for the Diplomat offers more echoes than the Admiral but increases a certain statistic that can have some very bad (or one extremely good) end results if it gets too high. The Diplomat is also the only person you can get spies from and spies are important for completing a couple of story events, though they can be somewhat tricky and expensive to use. Doing stuff for the Admiral in comparison offers less echoes but has no significant long term consequences.
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Mar 14, 2015 02:59
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Neruz posted:Doing stuff for the Admiral in comparison offers less echoes but has no significant long term consequences. 'Doing stuff', in this case, basically translates to 'Giving our gathered information too'. For small things - like the Moves in the Great Game I turned in - , the Diplomat is fine, but it's important who we give Vital Intel too. We can do the spy stuff, too, but in effect all that does is generate more Intelligence to come and turn in where we will.
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Mar 14, 2015 03:09
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Favor the Admiral. He is just so dapper with those spectacles.
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Mar 14, 2015 03:14
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Black Wombat posted:'Doing stuff', in this case, basically translates to 'Giving our gathered information too'. For small things - like the Moves in the Great Game I turned in - , the Diplomat is fine, but it's important who we give Vital Intel too. We can do the spy stuff, too, but in effect all that does is generate more Intelligence to come and turn in where we will. I thought Supremacy: Dawn Machine only had a chance of going up with vital intel after the first few points. I think that until we know more we should work for both after all, how bad could the diplomat's friends really be?
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Mar 14, 2015 03:17
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The Admiral has some pretty dashing sideburns.
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Mar 14, 2015 03:21
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akulanization posted:I thought Supremacy: Dawn Machine only had a chance of going up with vital intel after the first few points. I think that until we know more we should work for both after all, how bad could the diplomat's friends really be? The first Vital Intelligence you give her is guaranteed to raise that, afterwards there's a flat 30% chance every time you give her more Vital Intelligence that it will rise further. You can absolutely end up with Supremacy: Dawn Machine 10 from doing nothing else but feeding the Diplomat enough Vital Intelligence; this is generally considered to be unwise. e: Speaking of which you should go check out the bottom part of the map next Wombat 
Neruz fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Mar 14, 2015 |
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Mar 14, 2015 03:24
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The Diplomat seems a likely lady, and one who properly understands how the world has changed since London Fell.
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Mar 14, 2015 04:17
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Neruz posted:e: Speaking of which you should go check out the bottom part of the map next Wombat NOPE. Goin' north. I want to wrap a few things up and advance a few plots. I've already done the next bit of gameplay, in fact. It's. Uh. Bloody.
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Mar 14, 2015 05:27
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Admiral. A horrorable woman does not use spies.
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Mar 14, 2015 05:37
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double nine posted:What does it mean when it says (I can't remember exactly) "the god's attention is now !"? Is that a parsing error, or is "!" a status? If I remember right, mousing over the box to the left gives you a little more information on what just happened.
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Mar 14, 2015 07:13
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Journal of A.J. Kalan [The handwriting is uneven and difficult to decipher in spots] We are finally back in London. Already back in London. Cannot believe I'm writing this, but I have doubts about continuing this voyage. Is it a coincidence that it began falling apart after docking there? Stayed on the ship, of course. What reason to leave? My bats needed company. Looked at ship, top to bottom. Hard to see in the dark. It was in need of cleansing, I could tell that much. Visiting the sorrow-spiders was a relief in comparison. They belong in the zee. Don't remember much of the next couple days. Maybe because of insomnia? We ended up in the Khanate's Copper Quarter, brackish and rancid and corrupt. There was nothing there for us, and the queer customs of the locals unsettled me. Everyone but me disembarked there? Why would they do that? They obviously do not have the fortitude to survive on the zee. Ah, I heard that the captain spoke with an Admiral a short time ago. I have seen him before; he is always wearing those shaded glasses. He is a trustworthy man. We will depart soon. I must push my misgivings aside for now, as I still have a job to do. I have not made much of an effort to become acquainted with the new crew, but perhaps that is for the best. Who knows how long this journey will last? The zee is dangerous, and much hides in the darkness. No reason to develop unnecessary attachments. drat it all! Why did I have to see the light? ajkalan fucked around with this message at 09:17 on Mar 14, 2015 |
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Mar 14, 2015 08:45
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from The Evening Tidings, back page, Happenings section: dated 2 days ago Captain Blackwood: Mad Adventuress or Simply Mad? Captain Petra Blackwood, the zee-captain and last known caller at incinerated Hunter's Keep, has not yet returned to port in London. Investigations have revealed little in relation to the events at the sisters' quiet home, but have uncovered much of interest about the captain herself. We have discerned three certain Facts regarding Captain Blackwood and her journeys: 1.) Blackwood dove into the black waters from atop the Salt Lions. Many witnesses attest to the mad deliberateness of that act. "Crew er terrified," we were told. "Aye perhaps she ould stay under the black, yet they us more afraid when she come back up. Calm she as, sad like, and not alone. Terrified us all. Mad woman. I'd not see her agin." 2.) Her ship's navigator is a disturbing fellow; forgetful and nervous with a worrisome look. His overlarge forehead is emblazoned with a living sigil from a dangerous alphabet, an image we dare not reproduce on these pages. He is greatly afflicted by some mental disturbance. We cringe to think of a ship and her crew in this unpredictable man's care. 3.) Blackwood left Wolfstack Docks with her new ship unnamed and unchristened. Moreover, she left port on a Friday. Was she in such a rush to escape London's safe harbour? Unlucky ships are naturally a zailor's superstition, and city-dwelling Londoners may safely find this of no importance; we assure you that the zailors in her employ must be very loyal, very afraid, or very mad. Surely Blackwood is aware of the superstitions and wives- tales of the zee; regardless of her current profession, we have learned it is likely her father plied the Unterzee's waters as well. Does she intentionally court ill luck? Do dismissive- ness and daring go hand-in-hand? Even if luck be d--ded, what reason to voyage in an unidentified vessel? A zee-captain may undertake longer and more dangerous voyages as her experience (or boldness) grows; Blackwood is on her longest voyage yet, an unusally long absence and no word of her or the vessel at the docks. It would appear she travels where few dare- unless she has met with mis- fortune, or absconded entirely. We are not alone here, after all. Much more has been whispered of Blackwood: disturbing rumours, incendiary gossip, wary secrets. Naturally it would be irresponsible to share all we have learned, as most dockyard talk is simply fiction. Yet we are confident not all is idle chatter, and shall continue our work of bringing Blackwood's doings to light. -SM skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Mar 14, 2015 |
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Mar 14, 2015 20:23
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When we exchange this new hotness for something newer and hotter, I'd like to request "The Name" as her moniker.
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Mar 14, 2015 22:37
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I am... concerned about the Diplomat's eyepatch. Might the allies ehe speaks of lie to the east?
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Mar 14, 2015 22:45
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The Lone Badger posted:I am... concerned about the Diplomat's eyepatch. Might the allies ehe speaks of lie to the east? The south.
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Mar 14, 2015 23:09
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The Lone Badger posted:I am... concerned about the Diplomat's eyepatch. Might the allies ehe speaks of lie to the east? Not everyone who has lost an eye has done so at the hands (mandibles?) of certain gracious neighbours.
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Mar 14, 2015 23:32
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If anything they're hiding their eye for the same reason the Exile wears glasses.
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Mar 15, 2015 00:04
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Journal entry 14 – A bloody voyage From the journal of Captain Petra Blackwood February 8th, 1888 - Our departure from London went as planned. Our hold is full, and many of the crew have shaken off the worst of the terrors of the zee, I think. I had a dream that the crew would have probably been disturbed by last night, before we set out. They would probably say it was a bad omen – but I don't believe in such things.  You this event anytime you leave London with the Nightmares trait, basically immediately. But our trip to Venderbight has been harmless, save a run in with a small pirate ship that ended quickly and painlessly – for us.  I went ashore shortly – Just long enough to do a little business with the locals, and learn the goings-on in port. As I was catching up on what had been happening among the dead, I encountered a strange scene in one of the small parks that spring up between the buildings.  One of the tomb-colonists seemed to be undergoing some kind of... metamorphosis, but I was not able to get close enough to determine the true nature of it. How fascinating! I never knew that something like a tomb-colonists could bring new life to the 'Neath. Perhaps they eat the eggs of some kind of creature. Or maybe it is the soul escaping the body to find new life? Does this happen to soulless tomb-colonists? I have so many questions and nobody willing to answer them. We departed north in short order. February 9th, 1888 – Morning Once more, we passed under Censor's Arch and docked at Wither.  I permitted the crew a few hours on land while I went ashore with Maybe's Daughter; I wished to collect a port report while she searched for her mother. It was several hours of questions answered with questions, but I cannot say it was entirely without profit.  I was with several of my zailors, who were laughing a bit about the local customs, when I saw the woman.  This is the result of the 'Explore wither' card, today. I wanted to learn why she was out on her own, near the zee; my crew seemed skeptical, but they often do, and things usually turn out well. This was not one of those time.   The glowing figure was nothing but a trap made to lure the curious into the maw of a waiting serpent! I've never heard of such a thing. It's a remarkable adaptation – A real testament to Mr. Darwin's theories that such a creature would come to exist down here in the relatively short time between the First City and now. We attempted to escape from it post-haste, but it was far faster than we were - the creature ate Voltaic before we were able to get back onto the quay proper. I think my crew blame me for the encounter – and I suppose, in a way, they are right too. We depart Wither, now. A short jaunt to Codex, and then east to Mt. Palmerston. Febuary 9th, 1888 – Afternoon  A short trip later, made without the light on to avoid a Lifeburg, had us arriving in Codex. I wasted no time in going ashore and seeking out the Admiralty's contact. I did not want to spend overly-long here, as the only thing more frustrating than a port full of questions is a port that has answers that no-one will tell you.   She was as strange as anyone here, but seemed earnest; she also seemed like she wanted off the island. I would not want to condemn anyone to a life here – I permitted her to come aboard, although the other crew were not keen on the idea. We needed a replacement, anyway – Everything worked out, in the end. Febuary 10th, 1888   Once more, we made a short trip without lights, in order to avoid the attentions of devilish pirates I had no attention of confronting. As we made landfall, I set Grandalt the task of replenishing our fuel stores – I gave him an unusually large budget for it. I wanted to be sure we could zail with the light on as much as possible, as the events of our voyage so far have already started unnerving the crew. I, meanwhile, ascended the volcano said to be home to hellish exiles. I wanted to see what they would say if I simply walked up and said hello. Devils are many things, after all, but rarely impolite.    In this case, I was vindicated. I met a kindly – or at least charming – deviless. She said she was the guardian of the gate, and while I was not permitted to enter, we enjoyed tea and some kind of little crumbly biscuit I'd never seen before. We not-so-subtly suggested I should bring her a gift if I return – of course, there's only really one thing that makes a suitable gift for devils. Perhaps I will bring some on my next return. It's not like they're expensive, these days. Febuary 11th, 1888 We visited Frostfound briefly, this morning. It seemed to be as it always was, and I took tea with the folks at the dock before departing east – towards the Chapel of Light.   But all did not go well, during this trip.  Meis had fallen under the sway of some form of psychosis. 'Zee fever', I've heard it called before. In any case, she had already injured several crewmen when she was confronted. Unfortunately for her, the third man she encountered on her little rampage was Jones, who worked to restrain her. However, she seemed to have been consumed by some sort of unnatural vigor, for although Meis is scarcely half Jone's size, he was having great difficulty holding her as she shouted appeals to Storm. So I shot her. And when that didn't stop her, I shot her again.  Upon investigation, we discovered she had started her assault in the hold, where her and Arch had been opening a fresh box of coal. She'd beaten Arch's head into a bloody pulp before starting her rampage on-deck. Both were consigned to the zee. May the Fathomking have mercy on their souls. This is a really mean event – If you try any of the checks and fail them, you lose 1 crew and then get dropped right back where you started. If you don't have a good shot at the later checks, it's much better to cut your losses. Feburary 12th, 1888  We arrived at the Chapel of Lights today. I've been finding myself incredible eager to once again partake of their delicious food, and so that was the first order of business upon arrival – Me and any crew who would join me.  During the meal, I admitted to the Smiling Priest, for reasons I am still not entirely sure of, that I had been having nightmares of late. He said that they could help. The shadows were hungry for nightmares. He could have them taken from me. I was eager for it, of course.  Two acolytes ritually bathed me in freezing-cold water and rendered animal fats before they lowered me into the well. It was a painful experience, and I returned with dozens of small (and a few not-so-small) cuts all over my body – My mind feels no different. I suppose time will tell if the nightmares are truly gone. With that completed, my Navigator could wait no more. He insisted to speak to the priest, and I thought it was about time, anyway.  The Smiling Priest was willing to help, but needed a small bit of assistance from us. Meat for his flock. Something delicious. Hearty. Red. Yes. Yes, I had something for him. No-one will miss the Mute Exile, or question where she has gone. That will work nicely. Tomorrow, we will know where the Navigator must go. I look forward to being able to assist the man further.   Feburary 13th, 1888 We departed the Chapel and headed south-east, skirting the edge of the Principalities and the Sea of Lillies as we headed towards Wisdom.  On our way, we encountered a bound-shark of remarkable size. I had no desire to fight it. It managed to strike one hard blow at our hull before we could outpace it and lose it among the plants. Slaan had been on rear watch, and claimed she saw a knot-oracle eat it, but I don't think even the frogs get that large.  Our stop at Wisdom was otherwise unexceptional. Feburary 14th, 1888 - morning  We've arrived at Nuncio. I write to make note that I shall descend into the depths of the island with candles and flares, and attempt to determine the cause of this place's strangeness. Should I not return, perhaps others can learn from my mistake.  Febuary 14th, 1888 – Evening There is more below this island that I could have imagined. I went down countless flights of stairs into the darkness. The island seemed to stretch as far down as the spires of Corsair's Forest stretch up, but I was not deterred, not by that or by the darkness or by the feeling of presences alongside of me. At the bottom was ancient letters and messages, and beyond that, the obelisk. It bore upon it a commandment. Something so... Powerful, so IMPORTANT, it spread its influence all the way to the surface and made itself known, it called to those like it to carry out its vital – no, DIVINE purpose.   I cannot... I cannot explain the intensity of it, journal. I have no words. No words can be known – no. No, they can, but they cannot be expressed. Not with this flimsy human tongue. Not with ink, on paper. They are too grand for these things. Their message to powerful.    The post-rat says I will forget this – or at least forget the burning intensity. But how? How can someone forget something like that? It is wonderful, beautiful, terrible. Do you think you might wind up there someday, journal? Washed up on the shore of Nuncio after we all die on some overly-ambitious voyage? Maybe I should address you to someone. I need to rest. I am suddenly very tired, and not just from climbing back out of that cave. We will be putting to zee towards Khan's Shadow in the morning. I've broken what was going to be a single update into two parts; map will be at the end of the next one! You've seen me take this route before, anyway.
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Mar 15, 2015 02:59
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