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| Perdurance | |
|---|---|
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| Perdurance (Sidebar) | |
| Located in | Albion |
| Ports | The Antechamber |
| Shops | The Butler's Discretion |
Perdurance is a port in the outer circle of Albion, located in the same segment as Worlebury-juxta-Mare.
Log Entries[ | ]
An artificial glow in your windows: carefully-engineered hues of dawn and afternoon and dusk.
You approach Perdurance, where the brightest and most beautiful of London's youth are conserved like jewels in a glass case.
"I've heard no one grows old in Perdurance," a crewman says. "Nor hungers, nor sorrows," says another. "Nor leaves," your signaller adds.
A stoker explains Perdurance to the Eccentric. She is horrified. "They never grow old? They never change?
Dazzled by the acoustics of the ship, the useless cat is serving as the soundtrack to your adventures.
Perdurance. The Rat Brigade groom in anticipation of an encounter with nobility.
Repentant Devil: "Nobles sell their souls to send their progeny here. What will they pay to leave?"
The crew stand at the windows cooing at Perdurance's luxury. Only the Incautious Driver is unimpressed.
The Fortunate Navigator sighs. "It reminds me of before we came to the Skies. Altan loved the spectacle. Never my thing, though."
The Incognito Princess looks smug. "My mother chooses who comes here. And who stays."
The Inconvenient Aunt sniffs. "Everyone: be on your best behaviour in Perdurance. Or there'll be Trouble."
The Rat Brigade groom each other carefully, preparing to enter high society.
The Signalman peers from the window at Perdurance. "Nice for them as can afford it, I suppose."
The Antechamber[ | ]
Perdurance is a jewel in the Empire's crown. Here, time is mastered and the flower of the Empire's youth disport in eternal opulence. The dock gleams, continually polished by an array of dock hands-cum-butlers.
| Arriving at Perdurance | |
|---|---|
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 283530 |
Arriving at Perdurance[ | ]
On approach, Perdurance looks like an opulent mansion caught partway through a genteel explosion: each constituent set of rooms accounted for but separate and out of place. Each is connected in a rough circle by narrow, winding passages. The steep roofs are topped with shingled turrets and precarious towers. The elegantly disassembled country house perches on top of a soot-stained, windowless factory whose chimneys belch gouts of smoke and fire.
Trigger conditions
Acquainted with Perdurance ≤ 0,
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter the Parlour
The docks face a set of polished oak doors carved with a series of masked figures dancing the quadrille.
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 The Parlour
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| A Party Below Stairs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 303696 |
A Party Below Stairs[ | ]
Tonight, the service bells from above stairs go ignored. The staff has a couple of hours to itself; to dance, to sing, to trade stories of their 'betters'. The candlelit party lasts until the clock strikes midnight, and the butlers, maids and other staff intend to make the most of it.
Trigger conditions
Date ≥ 
An Opportunity in Perdurance,
An Opportunity in Perdurance ≥ 1
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take tea with the butlers and maids
Only the finest quality, carefully stolen from upstairs.
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Life of the party
You sip your tea and bite down on stolen biscuits, occasionally being propositioned for a dance or to tell a story of your adventures in the High Wilderness. Soon enough, however, the bell rings. Upstairs, Perdurance's perfect day begins again. Down here, everyone sighs, and readies themselves for hard work.
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| Gossip with the staff
The guests upstairs forget that servants have ears.
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Secret exchanges
Who did what? With whom? The maids especially have overheard things that would send ripples through Albion society if the wrong person were to find out. You make a few careful notes.
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| Exchange particularly good gossip
You have some juicy tidbits of your own to share.
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A circle of whispers
The staff hears all of Albion's dirtiest secrets, and are only too happy to share. To them, it is just gossip. In the right hands, these whispers can become a weapon.
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Game note: This will turn your Salon-Stewed Gossip into a Savage Secret
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| The Parlour | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 281681 |
The Parlour[ | ]
The windows in the parlour are shuttered, the light stained with pale yellows, blushing pinks and bruised violets. Lit with the illusion of dawn – or perhaps, dusk – you see: a room cluttered with stiff-backed armchairs and decorative chaises, set against savagely floral wallpaper in shades of burgundy, violet and brunswick green. A portrait of the Empress, unsmiling, hangs in an ornate gilt frame. A few visitors mill about, casting speculative glances at the Exasperated Butler while they pretend to examine the decor.
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write a port report
Perdurance is a jewel in the Empire's crown; where its favourite sons and daughters are pampered, protected, and preserved.
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Important matters
The visitors are puffed up with importance and embarrassingly eager to tell you how they obtained an invitation to the Half-Light Masque: some through patronage or long service, others through less salubrious means.
All are desperate to spend a day in the company of the glittering inhabitants of Perdurance: the brightest stars in Albion's firmament. For here, the sons and daughters of Her Majesty's most important courtiers reside in eternal youth and sophistication.
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| Ambition: Establish a spider-council here
You wait for the moment when Perdurance's glittering debutantes, having finished their perfect day, pass through the parlour to begin it anew. Excited visitors flock to see them. You release your sorrow-spider from its bag.
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A strand of the web
It scuttles under a voluminous skirt, and accompanies the debutantes into their day's festivities.
It is difficult to say how time passes in Perdurance. But the when the debutantes emerge again from their Masque, you notice that one or two of them are wearing decorated eye patches. The next time they emerge, it is several of them. The time after that, even more. Apparently it's quite the craze. Your sorrow-spider returns to you, its business complete. Below stairs, Perdurance now scuttles with spiders. They've have found a bitter servant with nimble fingers, who is prepared to knot them into a Council.
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| Talk to the Exasperated Butler
He appraises you with an officious disapproval that testifies to years of devoted training.
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The Exasperated Butler
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| Hand your invitation to the Exasperated Butler
And join the Half-Light Masque!
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Through the Empress, straight on till Morning
The portrait of the Empress swings open and a succession of brightly-dressed debutantes, sour-faced chaperones and prim servants stumbles into the parlour. They barely have a moment to rest their feet and take a sip of tea before a panel of wallpaper slides open, the dark maw of a sharply curving passage just visible in the dawn light.
The Exasperated Butler snatches the invitation from your hands. "Remember: your invitation only lasts one day." It is a warning, but sounds a little wistful. He propels you forward to join the Court in its procession. You emerge, a little tender, into the Morning.
 The Half-Light Masque: Morning
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| Stand for Parliament in Perdurance
The debutantes wouldn't sully their perfect day by voting, of course. But perhaps some of Perdurance's servants and chaperones might be moved by democratic spirit.
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Failed event |
Advanced query needs investigation Game note: A new Election will be called here after a while, if you wish to try again Game note: It costs 50 sovereigns to stand. It is refunded if you win. |
| Minor setbacks
The polls are not in your favour. Your opponents appear to have the will of the people behind them. Fortunately, it is a long way from here to Parliament. You suspect that it will not be long before the winner tires of their new position and steps down.
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| Successful event | |||
| The election is called
At least a few of the people bother going to the polls.
 Election Night
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| Listen to the Will Of The People
A delegation has been sent to petition you in your role as Minister.
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Endless problems, few solutions
You listen with appropriate amounts of care to each person who begs a moment of your time. The majority are local issues, not worth bringing up in Parliament. Occasionally, inspiration strikes for a new law. You promise with a practised politician's sincerity that even if there is nothing you can do, you will do it to the best of your ability. They seem mollified by that.
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| Rare event (10%) | |||
| Endless problems, few solutions
You listen with appropriate amounts of care to each person who begs a moment of your time. Until the egg hits you in the face. The perpetrators run off giggling. You wipe away the dripping yolk. Someone should make a law against that sort of thing...
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| Help the Incautious Driver hunt for the Verdant Fragment
Their connection to its progenitor should assist.
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Failed event |
Special is calculated as follows: 70 * 1.67
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| A failed attempt
The Incautious Driver spends hours sniffing at the air in search of familiar spores, but to no avail. "We should try somewhere else," they reluctantly decide, shuffling with uncharacteristic glumness back towards the train.
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| Successful event | |||
| A taste on the wind
The Driver sniffs at the air for any hint of loose Verdant spores dragged in by passing travellers. "I can taste something. A fear. Not death, but the loss of something important. The Fragment doesn't want to return. It doesn't want to give up what it's become."
They close their eyes, focusing. "I can can taste its design, as well. Its... host knew of a place called Hostrop Deep: a desolate corner of the sky. It meant to hide there. The Deep will be hard to find. When we're close, we'll need to use our scout." The Deep .
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| The Half-Light Masque: Morning | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 281687 |
The Half-Light Masque: Morning[ | ]
"Attended the Half-Light Masque(Morning) Dowagers of varying stateliness and aplomb take tea and converse in low tones. Other debutantes reply to correspondence, writing notes in elegant script and affixing them with sealing wax. Meanwhile, chaperones give orders to the servants and see to Perdurance's household accounts. "
Trigger conditions
Time Passing in Perdurance ≥ 10 ≤ 15,
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tie up an inconvenient loose end
The Fuliginous Forewoman knows of your interest in the sisters, and may endanger your escape.
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Better safe than sorry
The cleaner your escape, the better. The Forewoman is a complication. You'll need to get her on-side.
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Game note: Visit the Fuliginous Forewoman below stairs and guarantee her silence.
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| Find the Presumptuous Heiress
She must be here somewhere. But can you find her?
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 In Search of the Presumptuous Heiress
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| Locate the Counsellor's agent
They will be trying to make themselves known to you. You must only look for their signal.
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Your contact
You drift nonchalantly about the room, observing and eavesdropping. At last you come to a small corner table where one of the chaperones – a Clairvoyant Doctress – is shuffling tarot cards. The back of the cards bears a distinctive, familiar pattern: the seal of the Macabre Counsellor.
You give the Doctress the slightest of nods. She winks back. "Please; sit," she bids, "and let me part the veil 'twixt present and future for you." The ominous tones are, perhaps, taking it a bit far.
The Clairvoyant Doctress
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| Gossip with the Debutantes
They have sharp eyes and minds under the flounces of taffeta. Or so you hope. Perhaps they know something that will aid your escape with the Counsellor's daughter.
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The Doors of Night
The debutantes tell you of the Governesses: the Empress' agents who wear oval masks of featureless obsidian. They are only glimpsed in the passages between Morning and Afternoon, between Afternoon and Evening, between Evening and Dusk (or possibly Dawn).
You hear stories of disappearances and secret tribunals, of interrogations and re-education. A Court that lies beneath the Court. "There are hidden hatches in the passages: the Doors of Night. The Governesses use them to remove those of us whose family displease her majesty." You wonder whether you could make a certain sister vanish in the same manner. After evening would be best.
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| Speak to the Clairvoyant Doctress
She spreads her cards on the table and flips them face-down with a smooth flick. "Been practicing," she confides.
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The Clairvoyant Doctress
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| Go below stairs
A concealed door blends in with the wallpaper here behind a bamboo screen, allowing servants to pass modestly in and out.
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Below Stairs at the Half-Light Masque
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| Find a way below stairs with the Incognito Princess
"Dearest Mother showed me the plans," says the Princess. "The Engineers should be back here, engineering. I do so wish to observe them! Let's rush!" She gestures at a seemingly solid wall and urges you to follow.
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 With the Princess, Below Stairs at Perdurance
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| Charm the servants
Rushing here and there, they are a blur of efficiency and sobriety amidst Perdurance's opulence.
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Failed event |
Game note: Try to gain favour with the servants. | |
| A failure of charm
You try to catch the eye of one of the oldest servants, but they avoid you determinedly, even resentfully.
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| Successful event | ||||
| Strange rewards
You quickly learn that many of the Servants are in Perdurance as a reward for some special service to the Empress. Some volunteered to come because their illnesses can be deferred indefinitely – each night, Perdurance's looms spin the same day backwards, so its inhabitants never age or decline. Others are here for a short term of service. The pay is good here, and will buy their families a better life.
You notice a handful of servants are notably aged and decrepit, barely able to perform their function. But when you ask, the other servants find some task or other to avoid speaking of them.
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| Charm the chaperones
They cluster around the debutantes, watching over them with habitually pinched expressions.
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Failed event |
Game note: Try to win favour with both the servants and the debutantes. | |
| Undeserved ire
The chaperone suddenly, loudly, insists you are standing improperly close. Apparently, several feet and seven of eight layers of crinoline and wool between you and them is insufficient. You take two additional steps away, which renders conversation impossible. Possibly for the best.
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| Successful event | ||||
| Somehow reduced
The chaperones are not used to visitors taking an interest in them; they are usually passed over in favour of their more elegantly appointed cousins. And indeed many of them are literal cousins, either impoverished or somehow reduced in society's eyes due to scandal or unfortunate connections.
All are past the age of marriage, and – at least as far as Society is concerned – the age of temptation, and are therefore fit companions to ensure the debutantes' dubious chastity. By the end of your conversation, their expressions have relaxed from 'pinched' to merely 'sour'.
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| Partial success event (5%) | ||||
| Partial success
The chaperones are more than servants, but decidedly less than debutantes: you are a first hand witness to their awkward position.
A servant makes a claim of impropriety towards a debutante, who laughs it off. A chaperone hurries over to prevent the incident from escalating into a scene, but there are no witnesses. She casts you an imploring look. The consequences will be far less for you – a visitor, only here for a day – than for her, who must remain here always. Who will you support? |
Support the debutante
Dismiss the servant's claim.
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The servant is marched away, to be dismissed. The debutante inclines their head at you, a gesture of mutual understanding.
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| Support the servant
Uphold the servant's claim.
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The debutante flushes, and is escorted away by the chaperone. They will miss the evening's ball. The servant thanks you, before the chaperone ushers them back to work.
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| Charm the debutantes
A gleaming group of young men, women and others; each more elegantly dressed than the one before.
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Failed event |
Game note: Try to gain favour with the debutantes. | |
| A waning of interest
You decline to share stories of steam-trains and sky-marvels, fearing they might be too sooty, too earthy, too alarming for so refined a setting. The debutantes, initially eager, quickly lose interest.
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| Successful event | ||||
| Hunger and age
The Debutantes are eager for novelty after repeating the same day over and again. As a visitor you are highly prized. You answer their small queries about the outside world as best you can.
In their turn, they laugh at your jests and marvel at everything from your shoes to your stories of travel. There is a hunger to them, despite their ample cheeks and glutted finery. Youth sits lightly on their skin; age presses its claws out from underneath.
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| Move onwards
One of the Dowager Duchesses rings a bell; conversation halts with practised suddenness. Morning is over.
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Through the darkness
Everyone arrays themselves in a procession according to their station: the dowager duchesses at the front, debutantes just behind, then chaperones and visitors, and the servants bringing up the rear. There is much jostling for position within each group, according to rules that you cannot begin to fathom.
You enter the narrow and twisting passage, stumbling in the enveloping darkness as the debutantes giggle and shout. Attended the Half-Light Masque(Loom) You emerge, blinking, into the dazzle of Afternoon.
 The Half-Light Masque: Afternoon
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| Search for Wilma
Somewhere in Perdurance there is a rat.
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Find her in the afternoon
A bored chaperone answers your question. "Oh the little fat one? No, she'll only come out later. Her owner doesn't wake up till the afternoon." Hidden in your sleeves, Cinders quivers with indignation.
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| The Half-Light Masque: Afternoon | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 281702 |
The Half-Light Masque: Afternoon[ | ]
Here, the curtains are pulled back with tasselled ropes, allowing the Clockwork Sun to spill its stark gold into the dining room. The long table is set with rows of gleaming china dinner plates, patterned with delicate florals. Silver cutlery, polished to a high shine, gleams atop a pristine tablecloth. Servants pour endless glasses of watered wine, or carry in the next in a stream of elaborate dishes.
Trigger conditions
Time Passing in Perdurance ≥ 20 ≤ 25,
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convince Wilma to speak to the Brigade
A plump, white rat sits in a little golden cage. A dandy is idly feeding her slivers of Camembert. He's happy for you to confer with his pet.
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Failed event |
Game note: This will always advance the story, but failure may impact Wilma's part in it. | |
| Brief reunion
Wilma patters from the dandy's palm to yours. Her whiskers twitch as Albrecht emerges from your sleeve. "You're here for my part of the number?" Albrecht nods solemnly. Wilma presses close to him. "Deine Schnurrhaare sind ungepflegt, mein Lieber," she whispers. "The number is—" You don't make out her words. She gives Albrecht a playful nip as she withdraws.
"Is Cinders here?" Wilma asks you. Something moves in your sleeve, but nothing emerges. Wilma nods, wishes you luck, and returns to her cage.
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| Successful event | ||||
| An exchange of labour
Wilma patters from the dandy's palm to yours. Her whiskers twitch as Albrecht emerges from your sleeve. "You're here for my part of the number?" Albrecht nods solemnly. Wilma presses close to him. "Deine Schnurrhaare sind ungepflegt, mein Lieber," she whispers.
Your sleeve twitches, and Cinders pokes her head out. Wilma jumps. Neither speaks. Albrecht clears his throat. "There is still a place for you, Vilma." Wilma's nose twitches. "I'd like to hear that from her." After a pause, Cinders inclines her head. Wilma sniffs. "That'll do. For now." As you turn, the dandy stands. "I say! Won't you give me something for my rat?"
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A kiss
He's comely enough.
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His emerald-green eyes widen in delighted surprise as you make your intent plain. His lips press to yours. After, his gaze follows you as you walk away.
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| A terrifying story
You've seen a thing or two in your time traversing the heavens.
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The dandy's chartreuse-green eyes widen as you recount your adventures among the stars. He is caught between wonder and horror.
When you finish, he shivers and says how glad he is to live here in Perdurance, where – he assures you – he is exceedingly happy.
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| Your sympathy
How can he bear to live in this prison?
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The dandy blanches. "No, you see, I'm very happy here. Entirely happy." His fingers twitch, as though were this some other place, he'd demand satisfaction of you. "Excuse me."
He turns away.
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| Find a way below stairs with the Incognito Princess
"Dearest Mother showed me the plans," says the Princess. "The Engineers should be back here, engineering. I do so wish to observe them!" She gestures at a seemingly solid wall and urges you to follow.
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With the Princess, Below Stairs at Perdurance
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| Find the Presumptuous Heiress
She must be here somewhere. But can you find her?
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In Search of the Presumptuous Heiress
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| Locate the Counsellor's agent
They will be trying to make themselves known to you. You must only look for their signal.
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Your contact
You wander along the vast table, ostensibly looking for a seat. Chaperones are distributed evenly through the debutantes, ensuring proper manners are observed. You pass one – a Clairvoyant Doctress – shuffling tarot cards in preparation for performing a reading for a sceptical ingénue. The back of the cards bears a distinctive, familiar pattern: the seal of the Macabre Counsellor.
You give the Doctress the slightest of nods. She winks back. "Please; sit," she bids, "and let me part the veil 'twixt present and future for you." The ominous tones are, perhaps, taking it a bit far.
The Clairvoyant Doctress
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| Gossip with the Chaperones
Where else to look for scandal but amongst the guardians of morality? Perhaps they know something useful about the Macabre Counsellor's daughters.
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Wine and secrets
Wine loosens their tongues. The older of the Macabre Counsellor's daughters was – until recently – engaged in an affair with the Fuliginous Forewoman below stairs (a woman lacking social status or connection).
You point out the regimentation of each cycle. How could the Luckless Sister possibly slip away to an assignation? The chaperones indicate the nearby dumb-waiter, built to carry hot food and dirty dishes from below stairs. A concealed door in the morning room apparently serves a similar purpose. Next time you visit, perhaps you should take a little look below stairs...
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| Tie up an inconvenient loose end
The Fuliginous Forewoman knows of your interest in the sisters, and may endanger your escape.
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Better safe than sorry
The cleaner your escape, the better. The Forewoman is a complication. You'll need to get her on-side.
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Game note: Visit the Fuliginous Forewoman below stairs and guarantee her silence.
| |
| Speak to the Clairvoyant Doctress
Her eyes are fixed on the candelabra before her, and the flames – steady and yellow – that burn on its candles.
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The Clairvoyant Doctress
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| Go below stairs
You slip into the dumb-waiter when it's empty. No doubt it will be a rattling ride down.
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Below Stairs at the Half-Light Masque
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| Charm a chaperone
A chaperone pushes his food around his plate, while a loud debutante tells an interminable joke. You suspect the chaperone has heard it a great many times.
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Failed event |
Game note: Ingratiating yourself with the chaperones may win favour with both servants and the debutantes. | |
| Bitterness and bile
You inquire whether he has some malady or ailment, and he fixes you with a bitter look. "An ailment? Indeed. Its name is Perdurance." He subsides after this utterance, and you eat in stilted silence.
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| Successful event | ||||
| A useful friend
The chaperone soon considers you a fast friend. He deftly inserts you into a lively conversation between several debutantes. He also gives a subtle signal to the servants, and thereafter you are always served the finest cuts of meat.
It is, more or less, like pork. Not many pigs were brought into the sky, of course, but let's call it pork.
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| Partial success event (5%) | ||||
| Rebuffed
The chaperone sighs, and concentrates on spearing beige beans with his fork. Ennui is a recurring menace in Perdurance, as potent as any influenza.
Perhaps someone else will be more interested.
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Trade pleasantries with a servant, instead | The servants lingers a moment longer than usual in order to prolong the exchange. He is uncommonly well-spoken, and his reply borders on the impudent: a sign of trust.
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| Laugh at the debutante's awful joke
It will please him.
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The debutante beams at you, and spends the rest of dinner 'delighting' you with more of his witty observations.
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| Charm a servant
You drain your wine-glass and raise it an inch, trying to catch a servant's eye. Perhaps – given an opportunity – you can win their approval.
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Failed event |
Game note: Try to gain favour with the servants. | |
| Drenched
It works, but all too well. Three Servants collide in their haste, pouring wine into your glass, onto the table, and – mostly – into your lap.
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| Successful event | ||||
| Waste not
You are lucky enough to be served by the Exasperated Butler himself. You assure him that the service has been impeccable, and he glows with pride.
He promises to ensure that you are served only the very best brandy and port after the dessert course. "Wasted on the debutantes, anyway," he confides, with a glance over his shoulder. "When you drink nothing but the best, you lose the ability to appreciate it."
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| Charm a debutante
A florid youth chatters brightly to your right, their laugh a little too sharp.
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Failed event |
Game note: Try to win favour with the debutantes. | |
| Forced laughs
You join the conversation, which progresses predictably until someone mentions a certain Countess' recent marriage. The Chattering Debutante's expression curdles. "She is – married?" They compose themselves before managing a forced, throaty laugh. "I wish her my felicitations. It's been, oh – a good twenty or thirty years since I saw her last. She probably looks a hag." The conversation turns, but the Chattering Debutante's brightness is dimmed thereafter.
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| Successful event | ||||
| An alliance
You exchange wicked, whispered observations on the nearby chaperones and servants. Your companion has a razored tongue, and appreciates your keen observations of others' flaws.
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| Move onwards
A Dowager Duchess gives a small nod, and the entire company rises as one.
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Twisting, turning
A passage opens behind the china cabinet and the procession forms once more. You take a breath and step into the close, stifling darkness, trying not to fall behind as the passage contorts and coils. Attended the Half-Light Masque(Loom)
Attended the Half-Light Masque(Governesses) It is an enormous relief to spill out into Evening at the Grand Ballroom. Everyone finds their place without a murmur, and courtly life is resumed – almost as though the terrors you just experienced never existed.
The Half-Light Masque: Evening
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| Rare event (20%) | ||||
| Twisting, turning
A passage opens behind the china cabinet and the procession forms once more. You take a breath and step into the close, stifling darkness, trying not to fall behind as the passage contorts and coils. Attended the Half-Light Masque(Loom)
Attended the Half-Light Masque(Governesses) It is an enormous relief to spill out into Evening at the Grand Ballroom. Everyone finds their place without a murmur, and courtly life is resumed – almost as though the terrors you just experienced never existed.
The Half-Light Masque: Evening
Triggers event: The Half-Light Masque: Evening
| ||||
| The Half-Light Masque: Evening | |
|---|---|
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 281711 |
The Half-Light Masque: Evening[ | ]
Hanging from the grand ballroom's ceiling is a vast ormolu gasolier, its spidery arms decked with cut-crystal drops. It casts soft yellow brightness onto the masqued dancers below, as they whirl across the polished parquet floor. Music blends with the hum of genteel conversation and the stiff swish of starched crinolines. The Half-Light Masque is in full swing: there is barely room to stand, much less move.
Trigger conditions
Time Passing in Perdurance ≥ 30 ≤ 35,
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make your escape
All is ready. You give the Clairvoyant Doctress the faintest of nods, and she clicks her bag shut with a determined snap.
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The last evening
The evening takes an interminable time to end. You endure waltz after dragging waltz. Debutantes wheel endlessly across the dance floor.
Then it is over. The music and the dancing cease. The chaperones and debutantes form their procession, ready to pass on to the Parlour at Dawn, or perhaps Dusk, and begin the day again. You catch the eye of the A Separation of Sisters(WhoIsLeaving), who gives you a nervous nod. The door opens. The dark passage beckons. The procession files in. No sooner have you passed through the door than you hear a clatter behind you. The Doctress has made a show of dropping her bag in the dark, and searching for it. The Chaperones are distracted. Taking the A Separation of Sisters(WhoIsLeaving)'s hand, you pull her to the hidden door. You fumble at the catch; there is a trick to it, it seems. "Hurry!" your charge hisses. The catch turns. The door opens. You step through.
Through the Door of Night
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| Dance with the Presumptuous Heiress
She favours the polka. Alas.
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A Dance with the Presumptuous Heiress
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| Dance with the Luckless Sister
A country dance. You'll have to watch your feet.
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A Dance with the Luckless Sister
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| Gossip with the Debutantes
They have sharp eyes and minds under the flounces of taffeta. Or so you hope. Perhaps they know something that will aid your escape with the Counsellor's daughter.
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The Governesses
The debutantes tell you of the Governesses: the Empress' agents who wear oval masks of featureless obsidian. They are only glimpsed in the passages between Morning and Afternoon, between Afternoon and Evening, between Evening and Dusk (or possibly Dawn).
You hear stories of disappearances and secret tribunals, of interrogations and re-education. A Court that lies beneath the Court. "There are hidden hatches in the passages: the Doors of Night. The Governesses use them to remove those of us whose family displease her majesty." You wonder whether you could make a certain sister vanish in the same manner. After evening would be best.
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| Locate the Governesses' secret tunnels
You have learned that the Governesses – masked agents of Her Majesty – use hidden doorways into and out of the passages between Perdurance's rooms. If you can find one, it would be exactly the escape route you need.
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The Doors of Night
The music ends. The dancing dies. The lights dim. The chaperones, like patient sheepdogs, herd the debutantes together. The door from Evening opens onto a lightless passage. As ever, the debutantes gossip and giggle, using merriment as their shield against the gloom and the faceless figures it might hold.
This time, as you pass along the corridor you turn your eyes from the candles to preserve your night-vision. You ignore the procession, and study the dark. There! A cloaked figure in a featureless obsidian mask emerges from an unseen door. They glide alongside the procession, looking intently into each person's face. The debutantes look away, a touch of hysteria creeping into their jollity. You search the walls where the Governess appeared, finding the crack of a closed door and the hidden catch that opens it. This is the escape route you need to squirrel one of the sisters away. On a future Evening in Perdurance, when all else is in place, you will be able to make use of this.
The End of the Day
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| Tie up an inconvenient loose end
The Fuliginous Forewoman knows of your interest in the sisters, and may endanger your escape.
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Better safe than sorry
The cleaner your escape, the better. The Forewoman is a complication. You'll need to get her on-side.
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Game note: Visit the Fuliginous Forewoman below stairs during the morning or afternoon and guarantee her silence.
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| Listen to an anxious chaperone
One of the chaperones approaches you as the evening ends. She has one blue eye and one green. "I need your help," she says.
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The eye
"You're trusted by both servants and debutantes, and that is rare indeed. It inclines me to hope that you may be admirable. Thus, I ask you for a favour. You're a traveller; I trust something to your care." Without a pause, she pushes her fingers into her own eye socket and pulls the eye out with a wet pop. She holds it out to you expectantly.
Are you expected to take... this? Wait— On closer inspection the eye is glass; although... "The iris is inlaid with emerald and jet, flecked with gold. My family committed themselves to the Brabazon workworld to pay off their debts. This will buy years off their service. I beg you, take it to them." You wrap the chaperone's eye in your cuff. Perhaps if you're travelling that way.
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Advanced query needs investigation
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| Charm the servants
They are soberly clad, half-masqued in bone-white pewter and standing to attention at the edges of the ballroom.
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Failed event |
Game note: Try to win favour with the servants. | |
| Small-talk
You start a conversation with one servant, then another. They listen attentively, but distantly. You abandon your attempt at small-talk, to their evident relief.
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| Successful event | ||||
| Wax, dripping
Under each branch of every candelabra is a filigreed silver dish, perfectly positioned to catch the wax that drips from the tapered candles. A servant darts into the throng to replace an overfull dish, but trips over the whirling skirt of an enthusiastic debutante.
You catch him and set him on his feet. He gives you a fleeting smile before retreating once more into studied obscurity.
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| Assist the chaperones
The chaperones wear drab versions of the debutantes' masques; animals patterned in shades of brown and grey. They prowl the ball, ensuring that no one is getting too friendly.
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Failed event |
Game note: Try to win favour with both the servants and the debutantes. | |
| Foolish remarks
Your opinion on assignations between the debutantes is deemed entirely too modern for the chaperones' staid tastes. They watch you warily, as if – at any moment – you might decide to use the punchbowl as a bath.
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| Successful event | ||||
| False darkness
You help one break up an assignation between two of their wayward charges. The chaperone's eyes blaze with such indignance, you imagine the paste gems at her ears and throat gleam with reflected fury.
As you drag the recalcitrant debutantes from behind the heavy fustian curtains, you notice that the glass of the arched windows behind them is covered in a layer of soot, blocking out any possibility of sunlight.
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| Partial success event (5%) | ||||
| In flagrante
You happen to be nearby when one of the debutantes is caught beneath a table with a servant. As the chaperones are berating them, you realise how mortified the lovers are at being caught in such déshabillé. You shrug off an outer layer and offer it to...
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...the servant
They have little enough as it is. At least they should retain their modesty.
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The servant wraps themselves in your garment. They are too mortified for thanks, but another, older servant, gives you a grateful nod.
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| ...the debutante
Simply put, they have more dignity to lose.
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The debutante accepts your garment gratefully, and strategically positions it. They give a tight-lipped nearly-smile. They won't forget this.
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| Charm the debutantes
They wear fantastical animal masks of bright silks, dyed fur and feathers, affixed with jewelled pins.
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Failed event |
Game note: Try to win favour with the debutantes. | |
| Sneezes
One of the debutantes leans over to accept your invitation to dance, but their effusively feathered masque tickles your nose instead. Alas, after your vigorous sneeze, your companion retreats to the other end of the ballroom, along with their companions.
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| Successful event | ||||
| Fashionable arson
You dance with a Debutante, taking their gloved hand in your own. You compliment their gloves as you move around the dance-floor, and they are immediately pleased. "Lemon-yellow is the current fashion. Of course, I took scissors to every other pair I could find in the laundry, so mine are the only ones currently au fait."
You conceal any shock at the confession, and complete your Varsouvienne in good order. Your hand receives a silken squeeze as you part.
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| Move onwards
The music stops. Somewhere below, a mechanical rumble can be heard, as the hour-looms begin spinning Perdurance's one perfect, perpetual day all over again.
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The Half-Light Masque is over
One of the blacked-out ballroom windows opens to reveal the passage back to the Parlour at Dusk, or perhaps Dawn. Attended the Half-Light Masque(Otherloom)
You enter the Parlour through the portrait of the Empress, and limp away, sore-footed from dancing and stumbling through the dark. Behind you, the members of the court of Perdurance chatter and take tea, and make ready to begin their day anew. For tonight, and every night thereafter, is the Half-Light Masque.
The End of the Day
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| Move onwards
The music stops. Somewhere below, a mechanical rumble can be heard, as the hour-looms begin spinning Perdurance's one perfect, perpetual day all over again.
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The Half-Light Masque is over
One of the blacked-out ballroom windows opens to reveal the passage back to the Parlour at Dusk, or perhaps Dawn. Attended the Half-Light Masque(Otherloom)
You enter the Parlour through the portrait of the Empress, and limp away, sore-footed from dancing and stumbling through the dark. Behind you, the members of the court of Perdurance chatter and take tea, and make ready to begin their day anew. For tonight, and every night thereafter, is the Half-Light Masque.
The End of the Day
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| The End of the Day | |
|---|---|
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 281722 |
The End of the Day[ | ]
"The procession emerges from the dark passageway into the dusky (or perhaps dawny) light of the parlour. Somewhere below, Perdurance's hour-looms labour to re-weave its perfect day. Soon, the sleepless debutantes will begin its morning anew. But first, someone approaches... "
Game note: Spending the day at Perdurance reduces your Terror and – depending who you pleased and how much – may grant other rewards.
Trigger conditions
Time Passing in Perdurance ≥ 40 ≤ 40,
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| One of the debutantes would like a word
It appears you made an impression on the gleaming residents of Perdurance.
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Popularity
They do hope you'll return soon. Even a day as impeccably engineered and artfully arranged as the one at Perdurance can grow wearying unless seasoned with the occasional newness.
You leave richer in gossip, and soothed by the distractions of the Half-Light Masque.
The Parlour
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Advanced query needs investigation Advanced query needs investigation Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
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| A debutante lifts his glass to you
"Hip hip, hooray!" The debutantes toast you with glasses of sherry pilfered from the Masque. The chaperones are scandalised.
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The star of the masque
The debutantes shower you with effusive compliments and beg you to return. The consensus is that while Perdurance's eternal day is of course perfect, you still managed to improve upon it.
Your hand is shaken; your cheek kissed; you receive a number of smoky glances from behind gleaming masks. You leave the masque rich in gossip, lulled by its luxury, and with a bright memory to comfort you in the dark.
The Parlour
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Advanced query needs investigation
Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
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| A servant tugs at your sleeve
You have endeared yourself to those who work below stairs.
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Popularity
The servants discreetly share their admiration for your kindness and charm. You try not to let it go too much to your head. There's very little competition in the field of kindness to servants, here.
You leave richer in gossip, and soothed by the distractions of the Half-Light Masque.
The Parlour
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Advanced query needs investigation
Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
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| The servants have lined up to bid you adieu
You pass along the row, and receive smiles, bows, compliments, curtsies.
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A diamond in the dirt
They plead with you to visit again – you were a breath of fresh air amidst Perdurance's stale perfumes. As an enticement, a maid shares a singularly savage piece of gossip with you.
You leave with a surfeit of scuttlebutt, and soothed by the masque's distractions.
The Parlour
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Advanced query needs investigation
Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
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| A chaperone taps you on the shoulder
You were equally popular with both the debutantes and the servants; a feat the chaperones admire.
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Oil on troubled waters
Never let it be said that you allowed class to dictate the breadth of your friendships. The chaperones murmur quiet congratulations, remarking how your presence smoothed what is often a difficult day. They do hope you'll return.
You leave richer in gossip, and soothed by the distractions of the Half-Light Masque.
The Parlour
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Advanced query needs investigation Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
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| You are whisked aside by a grateful chaperone
You walked an impeccable line between servants and debutantes, and are admired by both. The chaperones are terribly impressed.
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Walking the line
The chaperones are restrained and even-tempered. Their compliments are not effusive, but they are sincere. They hope you'll return; apparently you make their task much easier.
A number of them write accounts of events at the masque, which the Ministry of Public Decency publishes as aspirational literature. As a token of their affection, they give a set of proof copies for the next volume.
The Parlour
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Advanced query needs investigation Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
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| A debutante veers away at the last moment
"Terribly sorry. Thought you were someone else."
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Of little significance
It appears you made little impression during your time here. The inhabitants of Perdurance are already hard at work percolating the feuds and affairs that will dominate their new day. You make a quiet exit.
The Parlour
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| Your Aunt is here! | |
|---|---|
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| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 302957 |
Your Aunt is here![ | ]
"Dear God. Somehow, she has found her way to the High Wilderness. She is trying to get your attention with the frantic waving of her horrible hat. "I know you've seen me. Listen – I've quite exhausted my possibilities here. I am a serviceable quartermaster, I have friends everywhere, and my scones are to die for. How's that for a curriculum vitae? Now, let me aboard." Is she even your real Aunt? Either way, you will have to deal with her. "
Game note: Officers require a sign-on fee.
Trigger conditions
Learning about an Inconvenient Aunt ≤ 0,
Your Aunt, the Revolutionary ≤ 0,
Your Aunt, the Conspirator ≤ 0,
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employ your Aunt as your Quartermaster
Filial piety demands as much. And she does make a d__n fine scone.
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She smiles with sincere delight. "Here, take my bag." Her bag is very heavy. "And my hat." Her hat is also very heavy.
Your crew are alarmed when she boards your engine. Their alarm only increases when she begins to pass comment. After a thorough survey of your locomotive, she graces you with a smile. "There is work to be done." She has extracted gossip from you before she has even boarded. This woman is skilled.
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Game note: This will get you a Quartermaster, who will increase your Iron by 6 and your Mirrors by 2.
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| Not now, Aunty
Locomotives are no place for Aunts.
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A raised eyebrow
There is a long silence. At last, "I see." There is a snap, as she shuts her handbag. "I'm glad to see you looking well."
She goes to walk away, but suddenly turns on her heel, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I would hate to think this little unpleasantness should change things between us. Goodbye." She leans in to give you a little peck on the cheek.
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Game note: You can always recruit her later, though you will risk her wrath.
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Shops[ | ]
The Butler's Discretion
The Exasperated Butler sells copies of the gushing accounts of life at Perdurance - written by occupants and guests - which are so popular in London.
| Item | Buy | Sell |
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 Ministry-Approved Literature
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 100 Sovereigns
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