| The Royal Society | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The Royal Society (Sidebar) | |
| Located in | Albion |
| Ports | The Airy Nell's Tower The Rochester Club Portsmouth House |
| Shops | Requisitions |
The Royal Society is a port located in the outer circle of Albion, located in the same segment as The Clockwork Sun.
The Portsmouth Arsenal Guide[ | ]
Within Portsmouth House you can trade items for Experimental Modifications, and then spend those on very good equipment.
- 1 per Uncanny Specimen
- 1 per Vision of the Heavens
- 1 per Carefully-Packed Crate of Munitions (60/1) The Royal Society sells Munitions, so you can buy them and give them to Portsmouth.
- 1 per Pane of Stained Glass (135/1)
- 2 per Otherworldly Artefact
- 2 per Caged Catch (100/1)
- 2 per Barrel of Unseasoned Hours (40/1) This is the most efficient choice.
- 2 per Caddy of Dried Tea (45/1)
- 5 per Condemned Experiment
- 7 per Searing Enigma
Log Entries[ | ]
Irrigators spray out plumes of misty water, preserving this oasis in the heart of the dusty Ormswold.
You steam before the grand glass eye of an observatory telescope. Presumably, behind it, an angry astronomer is gesturing at you to get out of the d_mn way.
"Yonder lies the Airy," an engineer informs you. "The very roost of science!"
After stumbling into paint pots you did not know you carried, the dog dotted the length of the ship with pink paw-prints.
Incautious Driver: "Royal Society. Faster engines. Speed! Maybe an explosion. Hopefully not."
The Incognito Princess dons her 'disguise tiara' as the Royal Society comes into view.
The Inconvenient Aunt preens. "The Royal Society. I have a standing invitation at the Rochester Club."
Repentant Devil: "A temple devoted to meddling where man should not? Splendid."
"If I couldn't work on an engine, I'd come here." says the Fortunate Navigator. "Study the stars, instead of sailing between them."
"May we stop in?" asks the Studious Forged Companion, producing a sheaf of notes. "I would like to check my working."
"Science," states the Clay Conductor, "is the preserve of those without the wit for art."
"The Royal Society," the Eccentric observes, as you approach it. "They ask lots of questions, but they don't do much listening."
"'Nullius in Verba'?" wonders a crewman. "Don't take our word for it," squeaks a rat.
The Airy[ | ]
Pretty mansions of stone and glass rise above the verdant gardens, while below, machines whirr and groan. A persistent sound of hammering pounds through the air.
| Volunteering with a Short-Sighted Professor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 303694 |
Volunteering with a Short-Sighted Professor[ | ]
A Short-Sighted Professor runs up to you at the docks. "Where have you been? You are my new test subject, yes? Hurry up."
Trigger conditions
Date ≥ 
An Opportunity at the Royal Society,
An Opportunity at the Royal Society ≥ 1
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volunteer as a lab assistant
The Professor directs you to a comfortable chair. Their smile is almost, but not quite, comforting.
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|
Failed event |
Game note: This will reduce your Terror, depending on success |
| For Science!
The Professor's experiments are poorly explained, and not particularly pleasant. Fortunately, his laudanum is high quality. You soon slip into a soft haze of indifference, barely noticing the buzz of electrical current through your tongue.
| |||
| Successful event | |||
| Experimental success
The Professor's experiments are poorly thought out. You remove the electrical clamp from your tongue to offer a few suggestions, and before long are wearing a lab coat of your own. The expressions on the student roped in to replace you quickly confirm that you were right to wriggle out of being his test subject.
| |||
| Volunteer a crew member instead
There's always at least one standing around, not doing anything.
|
|
Time passes
Your chosen crewmember returns to the engine with an startled expression and a slight limp. What happened? They try to explain. Occasionally, their explanation shifts into Flemish; a language that, until today, they didn't speak.
|
Game note: This will get you a Savage Secret. There is no risk to your crew.
|
| The Royal Society | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 287456 |
The Royal Society[ | ]
The words 'Nullius in Verba' are written across the stonework above the great bronzewood doors. Her Renewed Majesty has granted these grounds to the finest minds in Albion to work here. Their purview is to invent, to hypothesise, to discover, and – most crucially – to watch the stars.'
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deliver the Insistent Surveyor's rubbings
When you enter her office, the Chair of Effulgent Sciences is halfway through a scone.
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|
A tip.
Within minutes, the rubbings are spread across her desk and dusted with crumbs. "Come back tomorrow," she instructs, her eyes wild with excitement as she wipes her buttery hands on her robe and hunts for a pen.
You do so. "I stayed up all night," she says, her eyes wilder than ever. "Fascinating sigils. They might even allow us to hypothesise an entirely new branch of the Chiswick-Myers semagramic tree! Here, take these back to our friend." She thrusts a set of notes into your hand and pats her pocket. "You deserve something for your trouble, but alas I am temporarily insolvent. Just a moment!" She scribbles a note on the back of an envelope. "Here, an instruction to the Arsenal to give you a short line of credit. I'm sure they'll have something to advantage a sky-captain."
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| Leave the Studious Forged Companion here
You will be free of them, at last.
|
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In search of tenure
"I am sure someone here has need of a research assistant," says the Studious Forged Companion, clutching a valise overflowing with notes. Their featureless body draws uncertain stares as they pass through the bronzewood doors. However, when a bespectacled academic picks up a page of calculations that has fallen from the valise, their eyes widen.
"I say!" shouts the academic to the Companion. "Did you say you were looking for a position as a research assistant? Come with me, I have just the thing."
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| Introduce yourself at Airy House
The Royal Society welcomes careful captains.
|
An offer of work
The Mellifluous President greets you. He directs your attention to the new marble on the floors, to the cheerful portraits of distinguished Royal Society members lining the hallway, and finally to the very large portrait of himself in his plush library.
"We do like captains here at the Royal S. We need our space, and frankly, our comforts to think. But it is you brave souls who do the real legwork. Extremely educational. If not, our gardens are extremely fine, as is our conversation, and the port. "
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| Attend a port reception
There are always achievements to celebrate at the Royal Society. New publications, new inventions, new colleagues. Her Majesty's scientific work is never done.
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The Newton Ballroom
A few awed captains mingle in the palatial ballroom with astronomers, engineers, and scientists. Conversation is stilted but the cheese and biscuits are plentiful, as is the port. The Mellifluous President attempts to tell jokes.
Spirits improve when the Careless Deviless enters, carrying pilfered wines from the Rochester Club, accompanied by the Inscribed Tinkerer, with a blistering homebrew. You wake up alone in your cabin, surrounded by the remnants of what appears to have been a party. Someone has remodelled your sink to be more aerodynamic. Your headache is unforgivable.
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| Wander the gardens
The Royal Society have left their gardens to run wild, though an attempt was made at some point to tame them.
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Failed event |
Advanced query needs investigation |
| Through the undergrowth
The gardens were an early attempt by the Society to stamp their mark upon the sky. More interesting avenues for scientific exploration quickly presented themselves however, and the gardens were left to run wild, half-tamed.
The overgrown gardens are beautiful but hazardous to the casual walker. You navigate the ha-ha with admirable alacrity. The bronzewood maze is surmountable with the aid of string. You are bedevilled by the little gnomes that poke out of the reeds in the marsh. It is hours before someone comes to rescue you. Game note: Time has passed while you've idled in the gardens.
| |||
| Successful event | |||
| Into the green
The gardens were an early attempt by the Society to stamp their mark upon the sky. More interesting avenues for scientific exploration quickly presented themselves however, and the gardens were left to run wild, half-tamed.
The overgrown gardens are beautiful but hazardous to the casual walker. You, however, are a veteran rambler. The ha-ha is no obstacle to your fearless tread; the follies neither deceive nor divert you from your path, and you can tell from a mile off the bog is a bad idea. You find yourself in a pleasant faux-Classical temple, dedicated to the suns. Someone has left something behind. Game note: Time has passed while you've idled in the gardens.
 Cache of Curiosities
| |||
| Visit the Mellifluous President
He intimated there might be work for industrious skyfarers.
|
 The Mellifluous President
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| Wander the gardens
The Royal Society have left their gardens to run wild, though seemingly, some attempt was made at some point to tame them. Even the Society can fail.
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The gardens were an early attempt by the Society to stamp their mark upon the sky. More interesting avenues for scientific exploration quickly presented themselves however, and the gardens were left to run wild, half-tamed.
The Lecturer in Imperial Affairs is on hand to guide you through the tangled undergrowth, pointing out her favourite sites as you go. The route along the raging stream, past the mile long ponds and the fifty foot tall maze is apparently her preferred morning walk. "I never work before noon," she says, confidentially.
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| Write a Port Report
Someone will be interested in what they're getting up to here.
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Latest developments
The Royal Society hums with activity. The preparations for a new wing of Airy House are in motion, the Mellifluous President is convening another committee to continue the renovations of the gardens, the astronomers are excited about a star of burnished amber seen far to the east. The Rochester Club, regrettably, continues at high speeds.
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| Visit the Studious Forged Companion
How are they faring?
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A boon has become a burden
Enquiring after the Studious Forged Companion earns you an eye roll, and directions to a queue that snakes halfway around Airy House. At the very back, the Bespectacled Academic is slumped against the wall.
"At first I thought it was marvellous having such a brilliant research assistant," he says morosely, "but then word got out about precisely how brilliant they are, and now they're so popular that they've stopped taking appointments. This queue is to put your name on a waiting list. I'm actually trying to dismiss them," he continues, holding up a contract, "but I can't even do that without queuing."
|
Advanced query needs investigation
|
| The Celestial Exhibition | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 310957 |
The Celestial Exhibition[ | ]
To the delight of mostly himself, the Mellifluous President is planning an exhibition in the Royal Society. Its theme will be 'The Science of the Skies'. He's happy to pay visiting captains for items of interest they might come across.
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donate an Uncanny Specimen
It can go along with the others, in a glass case.
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|
The 'Response to Mr Darwin' Wing
The Mellifluous President's smile doesn't falter as you present your oozing find. "Very good, yes. No, don't leave it here. I have a researcher for these things." The researcher is summoned. He takes your specimen and ensures you are paid.
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Game note: Gain 15 Sovereigns and 10 Experience.
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| Donate three Uncanny Specimens
The Mellifluous President will be delighted.
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Delighted
The President steps back as your specimens drip on the floor. "Three! My word. Let me just call my assistant." He frowns. "And a cleaner."
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Game note: Gain 50 Sovereigns and 30 Experience.
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| Donate five Uncanny Specimens
A generous contribution to science.
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Dedication
You pile the stinking, seeping specimens on a table. The Mellifluous President's smile is very wide. His left eye twitches. "You've really outdone yourself. We shall have to get you a plaque." He calls for his assistant. Loudly.
|
Game note: Gain 85 Sovereigns and 50 Experience.
|
| Donate an Otherworldly Artefact
A piece of stellar history. A fitting exhibit.
|
The Schliemann Wing
The Mellifluous President coos with excitement when he sees what you've brought him. "Remarkable things. Highly valued in the Blue Kingdom, I understand." He beams. Eventually, he remembers your reward.
|
Game note: Gain 70 Sovereigns and 50 Experience.
| |
| Donate a Condemned Experiment
A thing that should never have happened. But it did.
|
The Copernican Wing
The Mellifluous President's smile fades. "Oh dear," he says. "You did the right thing bringing this here." He shakes his head. "We will put it in a private gallery, where only those with the appropriate qualifications will be exposed to it."
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Game note: Gain 300 Sovereigns and 250 Experience.
| |
| Donate a Searing Enigma
It's rumoured the Exhibition has a locked room to house its most impossible treasures.
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The Promethean Wing
The Mellifluous President is speechless. A drop of sweat trickles down his brow. When he regains the power of speech, his voice is rasping and dry. "Thank you, Captain. The heavens contain so very much. Sometimes, I think, too much."
|
Game note: Gain 650 Sovereigns and 500 Experience.
|
| Mr Menagerie is Passing Through the Royal Society | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 294844 |
Mr Menagerie is Passing Through the Royal Society[ | ]
A tattered poster by the station advertises the services of a 'Mr Menagerie: Purveyor of Fine Scouts'. An accompanying picture displays a tall cloaked figure, slightly stooped, clutching an array of adorable little beasts close to its long chest.
Trigger conditions
Mr Menagerie's Last Voyage ≥ 3 ≤ 3,
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visit Mr Menagerie
Cages are piled up by the sleek racing engines of the Rochester Club.
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Mr Menagerie's Stall for Delicious Scouts
|
Game note: You can buy scouts from Mr Menagerie, but he will move on after your visit.
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| A Note from Mr Menagerie at the Royal Society | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 294853 |
A Note from Mr Menagerie at the Royal Society[ | ]
The poster at the station has been torn down, and there is no sign of Mr Menagerie itself. Cowled figures lurk in the fog, but none have a collection of adorable little beasts The Stationmaster waves you over. Mr Menagerie has left a note for you.
Trigger conditions
Mr Menagerie's Last Voyage ≥ 4 ≤ 4,
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read the note
It should tell you where Mr Menagerie was headed.
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|
Somewhere old, somewhere new
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Nell's Tower[ | ]
The Royal Society's observatory is named for King Charles' canniest mistress. Nell's Tower is the jewel in the Society's crown.
| Arriving at Nell's Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 287463 |
Arriving at Nell's Tower[ | ]
A sign on the door in neat copperplate reads "Nell's Tower closed for the Thirteenth Annual Airy Dinner. Leave Urgent Business at Doorstep." There is a polite cough at your shoulder. Turning, you see a tall man with a beard like a nest of vipers. The Supercilious Bursar introduces himself. "I came to round up stragglers. But, as a captain, you are of rank sufficient to attend the dinner, if you wish to attend."
Trigger conditions
Dining at the Royal Society ≤ 3,
Patronised By ≤ 0,
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attend the Thirteenth Annual Airy Dinner
"There will be port, captain."
|
Three wise astronomers
The dinner is held in the mahogany and marble Imperial Dining Room of Airy House. Every piece of the dinner service is mismatched, and both the furniture and the personages in the room are pleasantly rumpled.
The Supercilious Bursar brings you to the high table, where the three senior astronomers of Nell's Tower are holding court. You are introduced to the Senatorial Professor, the Chair for the Effulgent Sciences, and the Lecturer for Imperial Affairs as the first course is served.
The Second Course Arrives
|
Dine on the game pie
It is ample and succulent, its flesh lightly roasted.
|
The meat is rich as the Burgundy Reach wines popular in the salons of London these days. It has been cooked in its own juices. Now the flesh is as tender as the reassurances of one of Magdalene's attendants.
"Cantankeri, don't you know?" The Lecturer in Imperial Affairs remarks, slicing into her own portion. The first course ends with a great smacking of lips, and a general feeling of good will towards the chef.
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| Guzzle the port
The Royal Society is renowned for the variety and the depth of its cellars.
|
Good lord!
It's smoked like fine cheese and fired like a master potter's kiln. The colour is pale ruby, like a star-kissed stone. Its bouquet is Homeric, as are the epithets you lavish upon it. The Senatorial Professor smiles and adjusts his blindfold. "From the ruins at Port Avon. A marvellous find." The first course ends with a great smacking of lips, and a general feeling of good will towards the chef.
| |||||||
| Eavesdrop on the conversation
You can always pick at the vegetables.
|
The Supercilious Bursar keeps everyone's port glasses well topped up, as the conversation descends into fractious bickering.
The disagreement centres around the orientation of the Society's great telescope. The Lecturer wishes its gaze outwards beyond the borders of Albion, while the Chair desires it turned on Albion's territories. The first course ends with a great smacking of lips, and a general feeling of good will towards the chef.
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| The Queen's Astronomers | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 287471 |
The Queen's Astronomers[ | ]
Here, astronomers turn the vast steel telescope to the heavens, and report on the movements of the stars. London is keenly invested in their findings.
Trigger conditions
Dining at the Royal Society ≥ 4
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assist the Royal Astronomer
He needs to use the Great Telescope. The First Secretary requires whatever findings the Astronomer can make.
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 The Royal Observatory
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| Observe the Clockwork Sun
London authorises and encourages this use of the telescope. "The Ministry has stamped permits for this particular usage up to the next century," the Bursar informs you.
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The state of the sun
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| Deliver the Lecturer in Imperial Affairs permission to move the telescope
You have paperwork from London that could plausibly justify continuing her researches into the skies of Albion.
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To work
The ascent to the telescope is arduous, and up an improbable number of winding stone stairs. At the top waits the telescope, gargantuan and gleaming as a dragon slumbering in its lair.
The Lecturer yanks the mechanism to raise the dome, which slowly and noisily opens to the skies. She bends, and begins to fiddle with the machinery, lowering the lens to her eye.
|
Advanced query needs investigation
|
| Deliver the Chair in the Effulgent Sciences permission to move the telescope
You have paperwork from London that could plausibly justify her continuing her researches into distant stars.
|
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To work
The ascent to the telescope is arduous, and up an improbable number of winding stone stairs. At the top waits the telescope, gargantuan and gleaming as a dragon slumbering in its lair.
The Chair pulls the machinery to open the dome to the heavens with visible glee. For a few moments, she stands alone, looking up, bathed in distant starlight. And then she's at the telescope, lowering the great barrel until the lens is at her eye.
| |
| Deliver the Senatorial Professor permission to move the telescope
You have paperwork from London that could plausibly justify him continuing his researches into the connections between the stars.
|
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To work
The ascent to the telescope is arduous, and up an improbable number of winding stone stairs. At the top waits the telescope, gargantuan and gleaming as a slumbering dragon in its lair.
The Professor bounds up the last few stairs, and harries you to pull the chains that raise the dome, while he fiddles with the machinery to lower the telescope to eye level. An assistant is on hand to do the actual work.
|
Advanced query needs investigation
|
| Read your Patron's latest reports
"Over there," the Bursar says through a mouthful of muffin, "On the desk. For your perusal."
|
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Discoveries
|
Game note: You have exhausted these opportunities for now. Return in 15 days to see more.
|
| Read your Patron's latest reports
"Over there," the Bursar says through a mouthful of muffin, "On the desk. For your perusal."
|
|
Discoveries The Chair's Progress(Telescope)
+1 x Savage Secret |
|
| Read your Patron's latest reports
"Over there," the Bursar says through a mouthful of muffin, "On the desk. For your perusal."
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Discoveries
|
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| Choose a Patron
The astronomers are eager to resume work, but they require Ministry-Stamped Permits and a captain willing to supply them to proceed.
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 A New Patron
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| Renounce your patronage
This is not working out as you'd hoped. You require a fresh perspective.
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A clean slate
Your patron sighs mournfully. "Very well. I shan't tether you to me. We do preach a broad education here at the Royal S." Their gaze is somewhere between reproach and regret. "You know where to find me should you change your mind."
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The Rochester Club[ | ]
A cosy country house bolted onto the side of the Societ's glass houses and overgrown lawns, this is the meeting place of the infamous Rochester Racing Club.
| The Clubhouse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 287489 |
The Clubhouse[ | ]
Brandy glasses gleam on the shelves. Polished brass fixtures abound. A fire roars in the hearth. Members sit in comfortable armchairs, comparing war stories. Parts salvaged from broken trains adorn the walls.
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop off the Driver
They are eager to get to the races.
Game note: The Driver will leave your engine. You can pick them up again at any point. |
A jaunt
The Driver waves as they disembark. "Thanks again, Addressed As(SpeechInformal). You won't regret it! Probably!" They disappear into the smoky confines of the Rochester Club. If you listen carefully, you can hear the boasting already.
|
Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
| |
| Enquire into joining the Rochester Club
You are, after all, a captain of the skies.
|
Proving yourself
The Dismal Debutante curls her lip. The Boisterous Harridan cackles. The current Lord Rochester laughs gamely, before abruptly stopping. "Oh. You were serious?" He coughs to conceal his embarrassment. "Well, should you really wish to join our merry company, you'll have to prove yourself a proper racer."
The Careless Deviless, in her smoked velvet jacket, appraises you carefully. "You'll need to prove your mettle, my dear. Win one of our races, and we'll be happy to admit you."
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| Compete in a Rochester Race
The thundering terror of the Sunless Skies, the Rochester Races are the competitive sport of choice at the Royal Society.
|
Instructions
Lord Rochester claps you on the back. "Good sport, that. The rules are simple. Get to the destination port and back here in thirty days. Then you can call yourself a true Rochester Racer. Savvy?" He calls for order in the clubroom, and gathers the other racers around. A quick toast is raised to your health, and then it's on with the race.
Game note: Get back to the Rochester Club within thirty days, having stopped at your destination, in order to win the race.
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| Claim Victory in the Race!
You have triumphed!
|
|
A new member
The room bursts into applause as you enter. A full bottle of champagne is located, opened, and sprayed vigorously in your direction.
"Good show! Good show!" Lord Rochester is red-faced with delight. "D__n near pipped me getting back. Very proud to call you a Rochester. Very bl___y proud." His praise is fulsome, as is the bag of sovereigns pressed into your hands.
|
Advanced query needs investigation
|
| Accept Defeat
You have been soundly thrashed.
|
|
Another chance
Everyone is very decent about it, really, aside from the Boisterous Harridan. Lord Rochester claps you on the shoulder. "Not to worry, not to worry. You can always try again, you know. If you'd still like. We were very impressed with your gumption."
|
Advanced query needs investigation
|
| Compete in a Rochester Race in Albion
Where will it be this time? And at what speed?
|
|
On with the race!
Lord Rochester shakes your hand before donning his helmet. "I'd best be off if I'm to meet you there. Remember, most speed less haste! Or something!" He charges out of the club. The other members invite you to join in a toast to your fortune or your health. Bets are already being made.
Once the champagne is cleared away, the Careless Deviless fires her revolver – you're off!
|
Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
|
| Compete in a Rochester Race in the Reach
Where will it be this time? And at what speed?
|
|
On with the race!
Lord Rochester shakes your hand before donning his helmet. "I'd best be off if I'm to meet you there. Remember, most speed less haste! Or something!" He charges out of the club. The other members invite you to join in a toast to your fortune or your health. Bets are already being made.
Once the champagne is cleared away, the Careless Deviless fires her revolver – you're off!
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| Claim Victory in a Rochester Race!
You have triumphed!
|
|
Your just desserts
The assembled members burst into applause as you enter the club. Champagne corks are popped, and you are liberally doused in the foam, before being liberally soused in the alcohol itself. Lord Rochester makes a series of wild (but flattering) claims as to your prowess in the skies. The evening ends with the presentation of your reward and a few rousing choruses of 'The Captain of my heart.'
|
Advanced query needs investigation
|
| Claim Victory in a Rochester Race!
You have triumphed!
|
|
Your just desserts
The assembled members burst into applause as you enter the club. Champagne corks are popped, and you are liberally doused in the foam, before being liberally soused in the alcohol itself. Lord Rochester makes a series of wild (but flattering) claims as to your prowess in the skies. The evening ends with the presentation of your reward and a few rousing choruses of 'The Captain of my heart.'
|
Advanced query needs investigation
|
| Accept Defeat
You have been soundly thrashed.
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A let down
The Careless Deviless smiles as you enter the club. "There, there, poppet," she says, patting you on the shoulder. "There's always next time." Her pockets jingle as she walks away.
There are a few toasts of commiseration, before the members move onto more success prospects.
|
Advanced query needs investigation
|
| Listen to a discussion of sky-matters
They have momentarily forgotten your presence, and are discussing the things they've seen in the cold emptiness.
|
|
The Immortal Skyfarer
The Rochester Racers keep keenly up to date with matters of the High Wilderness. In low voices, they discuss an engine piloted by an immortal captain who cannot age or die.
The Racers attribute a variety of terrors to the Immortal Skyfarer, from piracy to smuggling to wanton murder, all without any basis in fact. Only Lord Rochester is skeptical: "I've seen the Skyfarer, just once, from a great distance," he says. "Whatever their other qualities, they move mightily quick and therefore must be a good egg. Maybe one day we'll compete in a race."
|
Advanced query needs investigation
|
Portsmouth House[ | ]
The workshops under the Airy are known collectively as Portsmouth House. The glass and brick factories are staffed by harassed inventors and engineers, working constantly to produce the next advancement in adventuring equipment.
| The Workshops | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 287484 |
The Workshops[ | ]
Here the Society constructs specialist equipment to further the Society's explorations, London's armaments, and the occasional sky-captain's adventures.
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talk to the Engineers
Perhaps they'll be willing to furnish your locomotive with advanced equipment.
|
|
Distractions
The Senior Engineer marches across the smoggy workshop floor to meet you. "Well," she barks. "Sorry, I mean, hello. We're frightfully busy. We've examining the effects of vitrifaction on Murgatroyd's tea – we've just had a breakthrough—" There is a gentle explosion behind her, followed by the tinkle of shattering glass.
"Sorry. Must dash. Do visit the Arsenal if you're looking for something special." Game note: At the Portsmouth Arsenal you can trade in Cargo Items for unique equipment for your locomotive. |
|
| Visit the Inscribed Tinkerer
The most famous (or notorious) engineer associated with the Royal Society.
|
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The Inscribed Tinkerer
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| Repair your Hull
The engineers of Portsmouth House are eager to get to work on your locomotive. They demand specialist equipment, however.
Game note: Spend an Experimental Modification to repair 25 Hull. You can gain Experimental Modifications from donating items at the Portsmouth House Arsenal. |
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Better than new
The engineers huff and make faces as they examine your locomotive. "Wouldn't have built it like that meself," they say, repeatedly. Still, they work with merciless efficiency and by the time they're finished, your engine shines like a new built sun.
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Advanced query needs investigation Advanced query needs investigation Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
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| Drop off the Eccentric
She's being polite about it, but she's been whistling and tapping her feet a lot. She's eager for some shore leave.
Game note: The Eccentric will leave your engine. You can pick her up again at any point. |
A second home
She gives you a wink as she enters the glass doors of Portsmouth House, before advancing on a coterie of junior engineers, armed with a wrench and a double-sided list of precise questions. You think that she'll fit right in.
 The Eccentric at the Royal Society
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Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
Advanced alteration value probably needs examination. Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.
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| The Portsmouth Arsenal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 305873 |
The Portsmouth Arsenal[ | ]
"Smoke and soot; glass and steel. The ring of hammers on metal; the swearing of engineers; the acrid scent of sweat. Here, in the bowels of Portsmouth House, the scientists of the Royal Society work to produce experimental designs for daring captains. A team of engineers led by the Energetic Mechanic are excited to get to work on whatever you'll pay them for. "
Game note: Here you can convert goods to Experimental Modifications, which can be exchanged for unique equipment.
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambition: Enquire after the Plucky Baroness' commission
And deliver the trunk of research, material and helpful suggestions she provided.
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Scientific endeavour
"This is a singularly challenging commission." The Energetic Mechanic picks through the contents of the trunk. "I suppose some of this might come in useful. But the conditions the device is supposed to endure are extreme. And whoever is going to be inside it doesn't want us to get this wrong."
They scratch their head. The sigils on the diving-suit shiver. "Any further assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated."
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| Ambition: Collect the Baroness' mysterious equipment
Thanks to your contributions, the work is complete. The Energetic Mechanic beams as a group of straining engineers wheel it in.
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The invention
It looks like a bathysphere: a large globe of iron and bronzewood, just big enough to hold two people who are prepared to be extremely candid with one another. It has countless layers of plating and reinforcement, and its surface is engraved with luminous sigils. There is an attached crane and a cable.
"The sigils were my own addition," the Mechanic confides. "They roughly translate as: an inexorable return to the point at which one began. Whatever you're going into, they should increase the odds of getting out again." You have the bathysphere loaded onto your engine.
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| Peruse the designs
What have the finest minds in Albion come up with?
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Experimental Devices
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Game note: Here you can purchase unique locomotive equipment.
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| Contribute an Uncanny Specimen
If anyone can find a use for it, it'll be the engineers at the Royal S. How they'll use it is a question best left unspeculated on.
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An uncanny effect
The Energetic Mechanic picks up your Uncanny Specimen and gives it a thoughtful squeeze. "Yes. I think I have just the place for you," he says, giving the specimen a gentle rattle.
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Game note: This will increase your Experimental Modifications by 1.
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| Contribute three Uncanny Specimens
The Royal Society might appreciate them coming in bulk. They can always make use of one as a control variable.
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Happily received
The Energetic Mechanic smiles happily. "A set! What fun." They gather up your specimens and whisk them away. "Albert!" they call. "It's time!" Your specimens are disappeared through a reinforced set of doors.
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Game note: This will increase your Experimental Modifications by 3.
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| Contribute a Vision of the Heavens
Your intimate acquaintance with the vistas of the High Wilderness will be invaluable.
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An appreciative listener
The Energetic Mechanic lets out an exclamation. "I wish I'd been there to see that." They turn away.. "Come on lads, let's get to work."
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Game note: This will increase your Experimental Modifications by 1.
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| Contribute a Carefully-Packed Crate of Munitions
One can never have too many guns.
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Much appreciated
The Energetic Mechanic takes the box carefully. Very carefully indeed. "On account of what happened last time," they tell you, confidentially. "I'd prefer to keep my eyebrows, if it's all the same."
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Game note: This will increase your Experimental Modifications by 1.
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| Contribute an Otherworldly Artefact
It's possible the engineers have never seen this before.
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Vigorous enthusiasm
A rattle. A sudden crack. An unfortunate tinkling. "Ah. I'll ah, just put this down over here, shall I?"
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Game note: This will increase your Experimental Modifications by 2.
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| Contribute a Caged Catch
Experiments require subjects.
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A new friend
The Energetic Mechanic coos delightedly. "Let's see what I can do with this. Gosh," they say, peering closer, "There's so much to improve!"
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Game note: This will increase your Experimental Modifications by 2.
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| Contribute a Barrel of Unseasoned Hours
What any engineer really needs is more time.
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Invigoration
The Energetic Mechanic pries open the barrel and takes a long breath. "Yes, I should think we can make use of these. Her Majesty's government gives us a stipend, but there's still never enough hours in the day, is there?"
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Game note: This will increase your Experimental Modifications by 2.
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| Contribute a Condemned Experiment
Perhaps they'll find a use for it.
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An opportunity for study
The Energetic Mechanic's eyes widen and they begin to grin. "Goodness. It's been some time since I got my hands on something like this." The Mechanic's fingers twitch reflexively. "I shall tell Albert to lay out my things and clear my schedule for the next, oh, week."
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Game note: This will increase your Experimental Modifications by 5.
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| Contribute a Pane of Stained Glass
Albion's engineers can incorporate glass into almost anything.
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A wistful reflection
"Functional, with an aesthetic flourish." The Energetic Mechanic peers closely into the glass. "But it could be so much more. Lenses; shielding; electric chandeliers! Leave it with me." Their fingers flex. "It's in good hands now."
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Game note: This will increase your Experimental Modifications by 1.
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| Contribute a Searing Enigma
This will be new to them.
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Revelation
"I did not think I should ever see the like," the Energetic Mechanic says, in a reverent tone. "You did well bringing this to me." In their hands, the engima burns and blazes. It sets the Mechanic's eyes to smouldering with wild inspiration. "I know just what to do with it. My rivals will not be so quick to mock in future."
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Game note: This will increase your Experimental Modifications by 7.
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| Ask the Energetic Mechanic about their suit
They clank about the Arsenal in an old diving suit. It has pistons and chains that whirr when the Mechanic needs reinforcement. It's clearly no longer used for deep-zee diving.
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A lifetime's work
The Energetic Mechanic gives you delighted smile. "So glad you asked! Yes, I did re-purpose it. Did all the work myself. It keeps me warm in the cold, and cool when things are a little too warm." Closer examination reveals tiny sigils of fire and of ice scintillating across the diving suit's surface.
For a moment, their tone is rueful. "It cost me nearly everything to create. I wasn't sure it would be worth it. But the places I've been able to go, to see! I can travel the wastes where all the stars or dead, or explore the eye of the Storm that Speaks!"
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| Talk to the Energetic Mechanic
A good cup of tea should convince them to step away from their work for a few minutes.
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A tireless ambition
The Energetic Mechanic eyes the proferred tea eagerly. "Well, all right. I can make up the time later."
The two of you sit beside a great glass window that overlooks the whirring chaos of the Royal Society's lower workshops. Manufactured sunlight seeps over the metal and glass, burnishing the Airy. "I have just one goal, Captain: everything that enters my doors should leave improved." The Mechanic grins. "There is so much to do and so little time, but if I achieve only that... it'll do." They drain their cup and leap to their feet. "Better get on!"
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Game note: You will gain Experimental Modifications.
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| Recruit a Brilliant Eccentric | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Data ID | 310149 |
Recruit a Brilliant Eccentric[ | ]
"She's been lending a hand in the Portsmouth Armory, inventing new equipment for skyfarers. When you first see her, she has a Bunsen burner in one hand, a wrench in the other, and she is applying them both to an intricate assembly of copper pipes and pistons. The other engineers keep a safe distance. "
Game note: Officers require a sign-on fee.
Trigger conditions
Felined Eccentric's End ≥ 1 ≤ 1,
Brilliant Eccentric ≤ 0,
Interactions
| Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruit her as a chief engineer
She is looking for a change of scene. "The skies have been calling, lately," she admits.
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A new officer
She packs several suitcases and rucksacks with an improbable array of tools, components, half-finished experiments, and gaskets of unusual dimensions – which she claims to collect. "That's a four-point-oh-two, that one. They haven't made those in years."
She drags her luggage onto your locomotive, grinning eagerly. When she reaches the engine room she dumps them all in a corner and turns to examine the engine itself. She pats it companionably on its casing. "Hello, beautiful," she whispers, happily.
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Game note: This will get you Chief Engineer who will increase your Mirrors by 10 and your Affiliation: Villainy and Affiliation: Bohemia by 1.
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Shops[ | ]
Requisitions
The Weary Quartermaster is willing to write off some of Portsmouth House's output, for a price.
| Item | Buy | Sell |
|---|---|---|
 Fuel
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 20 Sovereigns
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10 Sovereigns
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 Supplies
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40 Sovereigns
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20 Sovereigns
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 Carefully-Packed Crate of Munitions
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60 Sovereigns
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