access to Doubt Street is from Spite:
Head to Doubt Street
Doubt Street lurks around the back alleys of Spite like a whispering vizier…The way is curiously difficult to remember.
unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 1
'Hand 'em over, guv…'
Of Spite's numberless urchins, only a relatively respected few know the way to Doubt Street. They require payment in handkerchiefs. What the grubby creatures to with their payment is best not talked about.
Unlocked with 200 x Silk Scrap
Where it all happens
Doubt Street feels empty by day. The hansom cabs stay well away, and the quiet pavements give onto a dispiriting row of blank-fronted drinking holes. The various publishing and printing companies are hidden away behind stout wooden mews gates. A few ink-stained press types smoke in the porticos, swapping tales of miserly editors and outlandish scoops. In the still air, you can hear the heartbeat of Doubt Street: the rhythmic thump and hum of steam-powered presses.
You've moved to a new area:
Doubt Street
You've lost 200 x Silk Scrap
Press baron's privilege
You stand high in the dubious aristocracy of journalism. No mere labyrinth will bar your way to Doubt Street.
unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 7
A tangle of fog
Slippery cobbles. Blank-eyed, callus-fingered newsmen. And the unmistakable reek of boiling printer's ink. Perhaps one of your rivals has suffered an industrial accident. That would be nice.
You've moved to a new area: Doubt Street
Storylets in Doubt Street:
Leaving Doubt Street
Enough of the thrumming presses. Enough of black-stained fingers and a sidelong glance at the truth. Time to go.
Back to Spite
Back to the crowded markets and filthy alleys of Spite, where the villainy is a little more honest.
Away
The thump and hiss of newspaper presses gives way to the undulating murmur of the crowd and the barks of costermongers. Now, off to business.
You've moved to a new area: Spite
Doubt Street!
Welcome to the inky heart of London's newspaper business. A name spoken with bile and affection across the city.
Arranging for premises
Doubt Street, as an actual place rather than a metaphor for the news industry, isn't impressive. Grey streets, gargoyles eroded to lumps, the occasional scurrying reporter. Of course, that doesn't mean that obtaining office space here will be inexpensive.
[The materials you need can be obtained in the Bazaar Sidestreets.]
Unlocked with 1 x Favours in High Places, 1 x Comprehensive Bribe, 1 x Personal Recommendation
Settling in
It took some doing, but you have a modest and reputable address at the ragged end of Doubt Street. This building used to produce the Veilgarden Clarion and before that, the Daily Evening Truth. And before that, the Sporting Gentleman's Post. The Post only folded last month. London goes through newspapers like the Empress goes through official poets.
And here is Mr Huffam, come to dispense a little friendly advice. 'It's splendid to see the old place back in action. I hope you'll be here for many weeks to come. Now, do you have your desks filled? Society, sports, gossip, that sort of thing? You'll need a reliable journalist for each one. Good people are expensive, of course, but I'm sure you'll muddle through.'
Mr Huffam draws on a sweet-smelling cigar and considers his next words carefully. 'You may not wish to take advice from a competitor, but believe me: the most important thing about newspapers is truth. You must always be truthful. It is nothing less than your duty. And you should never be afraid of printing even the most startling story, if you're sure of it. The truth will protect you.'
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 2 - Journalists Wanted!
Lose: 1 x Favours in High Places
Lose: 1 x Comprehensive Bribe
Lose: 1 x Personal Recommendation
Recruit your friends
Nobody, not even you, could run a newspaper single-handed. You must obtain the services of hard-nosed newshounds and other sundry characters. Perhaps you have acquaintances who might pitch in.
Arts desk: the Revolutionary Firebrand
For a radical, this fine fellow certainly knows the inside of a theatre. He's something of a Greyfields socialist, perhaps.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 2, Intimate with a Revolutionary Firebrand 1
A filled seat
The gentleman is reserved in person, but his writing is fluid and has a backhanded barb to it which will delight the arty set. Well, half of them. It will no doubt offend the other half, which is even better. Best of all, he will help you out for nothing more than the complimentary tickets.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 3 - Journalists Wanted!
Letters page: the Corresponding Ocelot
One could not imagine a better job for the ocelot, nor a better ocelot for the job.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 3, 1 x Corresponding Ocelot
Just one problem…
The ocelot sits at its desk, daring the typewriter to make a move. Perhaps you can find a junior reporter to pitch in with the typing before things turn nasty.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 4 - Journalists Wanted!
Photographer: Lyme
If anyone can carry a sixty-pound camera up five flights of stairs without expiring or even perspiring, it's Lyme. Let's hope he can operate the d—- thing, too.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 4, Educating Lyme 1
A heavy tread about the office
Lyme doesn't seem too pleased that his main duty will be lugging a heavy object about. But he soon perks up when you explain that he'll be out and about across London, capturing images from all walks of life. Perhaps his education is taking after all.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 5 - Journalists Wanted!
Palace Insider: the Wry Functionary
Few people know more than your old friend about the comings and goings at the Palace. The problem will be getting him to explain matters in fewer than ten thousand words.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 5, Acquaintance: Wry Functionary 3
Let's hope he writes with brevity
'Although it is not for a mere servant of the public, such as myself, to speculate as to the foibles and virtues of the great and the good, it would, perhaps, be remiss of me if I were not to take this opportunity to, so to speak, light the most meagre and pale of illuminations and shepherd the light produced thereby onto the daily progression of life and love at the Palace. Of course, anything that I might judge to be in the public interest could be regarded as publishable, but, not to put too fine a point on the matter, if it was to be made known that I was the source of these meagre truths, it would not only spoil my position, but also my breakfast. As I would most likely be hanged the next morning, and perhaps, although I don't seek to alarm you, you would be there next to me…'
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 6 - Journalists Wanted!
Society Gossip: the devils
Who better to report on the sins of the upper classes than the Affectionate Devil and the Quiet Deviless? They can take it in turns.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 6, an Intimate of Devils 5
The juiciest of gossip
The Affectionate Devil smiles his best smile and accepts with a warm handshake. 'Oh, it will be hardly any bother at all.' He's even written a few reports in advance of you asking him, the foresighted darling.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 7 - Spinning the Presses!
Hire professionals
If you don't have any friends willing to help with your newspaper, you'll just have to pay people.
The Arts Desk
The Sodden Critic is available. Mr Huffam let him go after he beat a theatre director bloody with his own walking cane. It would be wise to lay in a few drinks, just to keep him biddable.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 2, Cellar of Wine 1
The Letters Page
You know a few struggling writers that will happily edit your letters page. They'll provide you with the letters too, if you're that way inclined. You'll need to buy them a typewriter at the Bazaar.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 3, 1 x Ornate Typewriter
'Dear Incandescent of Winewound Heath…'
Your new employees are poised around the typewriter, ready at a moment's notice to answer a letter. Any letter. Hopefully, people will start writing them to you soon.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 5 - Journalists Wanted!
lose 1 x Ornate Typewriter
Photography
The Prudent Photographer is happy to advance his art in your employ. He's less happy to carry his heavy camera about. You'll have to provide bearers.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 4, 1 x Strong-Backed Labour
Palace Insider
Butlers, maids, grooms, cooks… all their secrets can be yours for a price. You'll need a petty cash drawer. Actually, more of a petty cash wardrobe. Paying your way to a front page article isn't honourable, but it's not strictly dishonest, either.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 5, 1 x Comprehensive Bribe
Society Gossip
Devils. Nobody knows more than devils.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 6, 1 x Portfolio of Souls
Meeting the quota
A pair of identical infernals occupy a desk out of sight of the street entrance. Their presence unnerves the rest of the staff, but you can't fault their nose for indiscretion. The devils will be only too glad to share their secrets with you, for as long as the souls keep coming. After all, they have a quota to meet.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 7 - Spinning the Presses!
Lose: 1 x Portfolio of Souls
Ready to Roll
Your vacancies are filled. The office swells with cigar smoke and expectation. .
First meeting
Your staff sit hungrily at their desks, waiting on your word. Time to set them at their work.
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 7
The business of the editor
Yesterday, you had an office, some malfunctioning presses, a few journalists. Today, you have a newspaper. Onwards, for truth and glory!
[To create an edition of a newspaper, you must collect Copy. Copy can be Meritorious, Scandalous or Outlandish. Collecting copy will bring you closer to your deadline. When the deadline occurs, you can use what Copy you have created to make an edition. News goes old quickly, so all Copy is removed when you create an edition. You may have the opportunity to interview other players for additional Copy.]
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 8 - Spinning the Presses!
Gain: 1 x Newspaper
Naming your Newspaper
Your newspaper needs a name and an identity. Will you be a daily? A Sunday heavyweight? A scandal sheet? A relentless organ of truth?
Name your newspaper
Choose a name carefully. You are limited only by reason and good taste, but renaming your paper will be a costly exercise if you should change your mind.
It is done!
It is done! Your journalists clap and cheer as you reveal the name on the masthead. Someone cracks a bottle of Greyfields to toast your success. Within the hour, a gang of urchins has begun pasting bills and flyers on the grimy walls of Spite. The adventure has begun.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 9 - Spinning the Presses!
Rename your Newspaper
The public is easily confused, so you don't want to rename your newspaper too often. Still, it might clear the air a little.
A blast of publicity
Doing this will allow you to rename your newspaper. It will also help with any scandal you may be enduring.
Requires 10 Fate
Fate-locked content must not be placed on the wiki, per the developers.
Why did you Create the Newspaper?
Hard-faced printers manhandle giant reels of newsprint towards the press room. You close your office door against the noise. What brought you to this place?
To serve the truth
A lie is a hole in the world. London deserves a newspaper that will not lie to her.
The truth will be served
Not a single white lie will pass your presses.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 10 - A Humble Servant of Truth!
Steadfast increase OR Steadfast hasn't changed, because it's higher than 10
To make money
They say the best way to make a small fortune in newspapers is to start with a large one. They are reckoning without you.
For an excuse to poke your nose in
You're going to be rummaging around in the secrets of the mighty anyway. You might as well have an excuse and a method of publication to hand.
You will uncover secrets
The newspaper is a tool, a context, a plaything. The secrets are what counts.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 12 - A Hound for Truth!
So you have something decent to read of a morning
None of the current crop live up to your standards. Your morning ritual demands a newspaper of quality, even if you have to write it yourself.
The only thing worth reading
You wouldn't be surprised, in a month or two, to hear that Mr Huffam was taking your newspaper with his toast and marmalade.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 13 - Pleasing Yourself!
To control the message
Perhaps you seek influence among the mighty. Perhaps you have certain foibles that would be best thrown down a well and forgotten. A newspaper is a fine tool.
Making the truth
Newsprint, ink and journalists are unimportant. What matters is what people think, and you'll make sure that they're thinking the right things.
An occurrence! Your 'An Editor of Newspapers' Quality is now 14 - Making the Truth!
Attend to the presses
Printing on this scale is an erratic technology, reliant on steam and grease and curses. The presses you inherited with the building are in a sorry state and require daily attention.
Get those blasted things running
The presses are housed in the basement. Five steaming, clanking iron monsters that you suspect were assembled by James Watt after a three day absinthe bender. They require a steady supply of spare parts to keep them running.
[Whirring Contraptions can be found in the Bazaar Sidestreets or in Wilmot's End.]
Unlocked with An Editor of Newspapers 10
'I think that'll do it, guv…'
Your presses rumble into a passable semblance of working order. Let's hope they hold together long enough to print the late edition.
Lose: 1 x Whirring Contraption
You now have 12 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
The Editor's Privilege
Every morning at nine sharp, you hold an editorial meeting. Your staff - those who have managed to drag themselves from the nearest watering hole, gutter or brothel - pitch ideas for tonight's edition.
Passion in the wings
The fellows on the Arts Desk have some eye-watering tittle-tattle on London's most fashionable actress. She did what? To whom? During the interval? With a teapot?
SAUCY THESPIAN BREWS A SCANDAL!
Excellent. Send the photographer round to the stage door and ask the lady to stand still for five minutes.
You now have 8 x Salacious Copy
You now have 11 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
The voice of the streets
Someone has been writing grubby, anonymous letters from the Flowerdene Rookery, describing the misery and squalor in heartbreaking detail. Something must be done!
THE LAMENTABLE LIFE OF A LONDON PAUPER!
Your anonymous correspondent might have empty pockets, but these letters are pure gold. Questions will be asked in the House. You could publish one every day, in the manner of a serial. Capital!
You now have 8 x Meritorious Copy
You now have 11 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
The predator beneath
An urchin from the delivery gang swears blind that there's an alligator prowling the sewers near the Stolen River. He rolls up a filthy trouser leg to show you the bite marks.
ALARMING EVIDENCE OF TOOTHY MENACE
That bite could have come from anything: a dog, an Unfinished Clay Man, a wide-mouthed fellow urchin. But the boy has an honest face. And if you can't trust children, who can you trust?
Gain: 8 x Outlandish Copy
You now have 11 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
Send out the Reporters
Past the oily gutters and out into the fog and smoke and bustle. But where are they heading to today?
Covering the Bishop and the candles
They say half a thousand candles burn constantly in the cathedral. And the Bishop doesn't buy nearly enough through official channels. Perhaps there's a scandal to expose.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 125)
CANDLE SCANDAL - FOR SHAME, YOUR GRACE!
The Bishop is a past master at evading difficult questions, and the reporters return with only the vaguest of printable snippets. You are forced to turn to accountants.
His Grace isn't particularly careful with his paperwork. Oh, he's been smuggling in candles all right, and by the hundredweight. But he's not buying them from Hell or the Surface. The Bishop gets his wax from the far Presbyterate. Steamers make the exchange out near Hunter's Keep and the candles come in under a sprinkling of coal. You have a solid victory for investigative journalism.
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Meritorious Copy
You now have 10 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
BISHOP SHOWS RECEIPT FOR ALL CANDLES
When your reporter arrives to interview him, the Bishop has lit the gas-lamps and there are barely a score of candles burning. The next day, Constables knock on your door, enquiring about your permits and licences.
Shadowy failed in a challenge!
Suspicion is increasing…
You now have 10 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
Writing today's 'Jack' column
Who's become Jack this week? Is it anyone pretty? Are the murders particularly gruesome or incompetent? The public need to know.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 125)
Fresh Copy
Your reporters come and go. Mostly, they just smoke and chat, but a few leave thin sheaves of typewritten copy on your desk for inspection. This one's just come back from the Forgotten Quarter - what does she have?
A story about devils in the foreign quarter
Devils hunting respectable middle-class professionals? There's some outrage to be found here.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 126)
An in-depth report on the Fourth City
It's not front-page stuff, but you can spice it up for the layman. It doesn't have to be true, obviously.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 126)
THE UNALLOYED TRUTHS OF ANTIQUITY!
'…great love of horses, as we can see in the large numbers of horse-head amulets still remaining. What only the most advanced archaeologists know, however, is that the horses were not ridden at all, but eaten. The horses were exclusively stewed with rice and pomegranates. Only kings were permitted to ride, and then only on camels or specially bred giant pigs…
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Outlandish Copy
You now have 9 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
The Editorial Voice
For perhaps an hour of the morning, your desk is as clear as the fresh zalt air. A good time to favour your readers with the Editor's wisdom.
A treatise on Tomb Colonist poetry
You can get away with this sort of thing when you're the editor. And of course, your own work is always splendid.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 127)
BANDAGED PASSION - THE POETRY OF THE TOMB-COLONIES!
You unroll the long bandages that hold the tomb poetry. They are dyed purple or green or red. Well, it's probably dye. The handwriting is difficult. The poet's hand shook throughout the piece, which is forty feet long.
'Little bandage, my only clothing now
Your humble fashion befits these dreary times
Blots of my body's decay your only decoration…'
Ah. You put the bandages back on the table, wash your hands and find a pair of forks to handle them with.
'Carry my words back to the bustling city -
Alas, without me -
Convey the woeful greetings of my leaky heart
To the footpads' alleys of mouldy Spite
Remember my ruined visage to the Garden's painted ladies
That one, at least, might sigh upon my fate!
Trial by Society, so undeserv'd
Calumny spread by poison'd words
Daggers to my unprotected heart!
The storm-toss'd zee-voyage I endured -
Gobbets of flesh dropping from my bones -
Delivering to this long-forsaken pile
My corse - for that is all I am
Without the touch of that fair hand
For which, as Tantalus thirsts, I yearn…'
After which point, it becomes quite indecent. Still, you have enough to be going on with.
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Salacious Copy
You now have 8 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
Interview the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem
The Manager generally declines interviews. But as you've been such a good customer in the past…
(Straightforward at Shadowy 127)
CANDID INTERVIEW WITH SOCIETY FIGURE!
'..and now I merely keep to my hotel and my thoughts. Long ago I was renowned as a lover, you know? Damn the Bazaar and its ways. It takes everything and gives nothing. A terrible institution. And now my love lies across the water. But I see his face every day in the street. It's enough to drive one to madness…'
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Outlandish Copy
You now have 8 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
The Meeting Room
The little room for visitors is covered with photographs and pithy quotes from previous editions. Who waits for you there today?
A Disgruntled Naval Officer
'It pains me to speak out of school, but the public must be informed of what's happening out at zee…'
(Straightforward at Shadowy 128)
DEVILISH CORSAIRS HAUNT OUR COASTLINE!
The problem, he says, isn't the Brass Embassy and Hell. They, at least, pay fang service to diplomacy and treaties. It's the Iron Republic. Their ships fly their own flag on the first day, no flag on the second and the Union Jack on the third. They're privateers, merchantmen and pirates depending on how the mood takes them. The Navy can't attack every one, because the Masters say that's bad for business. 'What we need,' he claims, 'is a line of shore batteries all along the Prickfinger coast.'
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Meritorious Copy
You now have 7 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
A Gossipy Lecturer
'Did you know that a prominent academic was forced to leave the University under some rather dubious circumstances…?'
(Straightforward at Shadowy 128)
ACADEMIC INFIGHTING: A PIT OF VIPERS!
'…and no less a personage than the Provost of Summerset College! I know, it's hardly believable! At the Parlour of Virtue, too! But nonetheless, our poor lecturer was thrown out on their ear. The whole university was in uproar. Of course, their work was esoteric nonsense, but that's hardly the point…'
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Salacious Copy
You now have 7 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
Wading through the Slush Pile
Sometimes nobody wants to make news, and sometimes reporters don't want to look for it. Rain doesn't help. At times like these, you just have to sift through the pile of copy that would otherwise be rejected.
Something unlikely about the Home Secretary
The honourable gentleman isn't actually a moon-touched slavering monstrosity, is he?
(Straightforward at Shadowy 129)
IS A SAVAGE MAN-BEAST AT THE HEART OF GOVERNMENT?
'…look at his eyes! Churning with unholy, bestial passions. And no man of character could possibly have such a moustache…'
It's plainly nonsense, but there's an alarmingly gullible segment of your readership that drinks this stuff up like champagne. You've met the Home Secretary, and the fellow couldn't have a bestial passion if he tried. It's the gout, you see.
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Outlandish Copy
You now have 6 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
Something worthy about a philanthropic endeavour
A hospital for the treatment of accidents among the poor. Set up by Concord Square's unofficial chaplain. Helping the downtrodden. Et cetera.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 129)
Photographs and Letters
There's nothing from your reporters in your tray. But there are some photographs and a letter.
Photographs of the Gardens
Your photographer has been snapping couples in Tyrant's Gardens. Some of them are holding hands. And in public! The depravity!
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
Letters from Downside
The letters are ragged and smell of lemons and aspic. You wonder how they made it here from the cthonic tunnels of Downside.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
The Centre Page spread
The time has come for you to consider a heavyweight article for the centre pages. You have two candidates.
The scantily-dressed rituals of the Southern Archipelago
A pleasing mix of serious scholarship and bawdy innuendo. Something to get the blood going of a cold morning.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 131)
An exposé on the dangers of Absinthe
A solid piece with a good public safety angle. The temperance lobby will also approve. You might even be able to get your research material straight from Mr Wines. (A straightforward challenge for your Shadowy quality.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 131)
Filling in before the Sports Pages
You need to fill a page or two before the shroom-hopping results come in. What's handy?
An alarming lack of leadership from Parliament
This sort of social commentary is new to nobody, but it's quick to write. A certain sort of reader likes to nod sagely over these finger-thumping editorials.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 132)
An interview with a colourful character
Send a reporter up to the Flit to talk to the Topsy King. He could do with the exercise, and the Topsy King will probably say something entertaining.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 132)
Deadline Approaching
The hour grows late. Journalists and subs cluster around the Editor's desk, swapping headlines. Delivery urchins wait outside in the mews. Only a few column inches left to fill.
Spirit photography
An old lady offers you proof that there are faeries at the bottom of her coal-scuttle! There is just time to prepare the lithographs, if you hurry.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 133)
A sensational feature
The photographs are incredible. There, clear as day, are ghostly shapes gathering around the lady's fireplace. There is the blurred motion of what could be tiny wings. The glow they shed is even reflected in the mirror. There's only one thing, though. The figures have quite a sinuous quality. In fact, they're rather…. serpentine, for faeries. But by the time the pictures have been through the presses, no one will notice.
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Outlandish Copy
You now have 2 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
The Captivating Princess and her honey den
Of course, you can't actually say that it's the Captivating Princess who owns that exclusive little honey den on Burly Street. But your readers do love to guess.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 133)
HONEY DEN SCANDAL: PALACE DENIES INVOLVEMENT!
Your words skate along the edge of the precipice. You never actually state that a member of the Royal family is running an exclusive den for well-heeled dreamers. It would hardly be an act of genius to guess, however.
This sort of article is always awkward. The public love being outraged, but they also love their Empress and her children. Still, you think you've captured the right note of confused indignation.
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Salacious Copy
You now have 2 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
The Temptations of Power
Do you manage your newspaper entirely honestly? Or is there a whiff of opportunism as the deadline looms?
Honest, no matter what
Perhaps your heart is free of blemish and temptation. Perhaps you have enough news this time. Use your remaining hours to polish the copy.
Standing true
A clip here and a prune there. Your conscience is pure and clear as a zee-scream and you have an edition ready for the presses.
Scandal decrease
Steadfast increase OR Steadfast hasn't changed, because it's higher than 6
You've gained 3 x Meritorious Copy
You've gained 3 x Salacious Copy
You've gained 3 x Outlandish Copy
You now have 1 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
Employ a little theatrical accountancy
Risky, perhaps, and detrimental to this edition's quality. But if it's money you're after, plenty flows through your offices.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 135)
The near-perfect crime
The thing is, this is mainly your money. But it's not entirely your money. The crucial point in the endeavour, however, is that nobody expects you to steal it. So nobody notices when you do.
You've lost 3 x Meritorious Copy
You've lost 3 x Salacious Copy
You've lost 3 x Outlandish Copy
You've gained 500 x Rostygold
You now have 1 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
Dishonest outrage
It's disgusting! You can't believe it's being allowed! People are outraged! Or at least they bloody well should be. You should commission an article giving voice to the outcry. And you know just the person…
(Straightforward at Shadowy 135)
Disgusted of Hollow Street writes…
'…foul and blasphemous! This will shrivel our children and give our chickens the gout! Furthermore, I will personally strangle anyone who…' Good, good. You can almost see the red faces and wagged fingers in parlours across London.
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Meritorious Copy
You now have 1 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
The interception of scandal
Clouds of messenger-bats flit between the rooftops of your competitors, thicker than the fog. There must be something saucy going on, and you've no idea what. Best go upstairs with a net.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 135)
Waving your net frantically
The bats are agile in flight, and they know your game. Sadly, bat interception is ever more common practice in certain quarters of the press. Still, you have two bats in your net after only half an hour. Now, what's this tied to their legs?
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Salacious Copy
You've gained 2 x Sulky Bat
You now have 1 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
Do you have insufficient balderdash?
Oh, just make some up. How hard can it be?
(Straightforward at Shadowy 135)
Bashing it out
The Masters feast upon the flesh of men. The Duchess is a thousand years old and bathes in cat blood. Devils consume only cheese. This stuff just writes itself.
Shadowy is increasing…
You've gained 12 x Outlandish Copy
You now have 1 of this: 'Hours before the Deadline'
Start the presses!
The plates are warming up and the printers look expectant. What do you have for them?
A rather poor edition
More use for wrapping fish suppers than for reading.
An edition of edification and pleasing truth
This edition has a weighty, serious tone to it. Your articles are incisive and forthright. Your editorials speak simple wisdom in a complex world.
unlocked with Meritorious Copy 60
A balanced edition
It's hardly going to win awards, but editions like this will keep your nose above water.This choice is locked for now. To unlock, you need 24 x Meritorious Copy, 24 x Salacious Copy, 24 x Outlandish Copy.
A gossipy and tantalising edition
One step from the bordello, and two steps from the courthouse.
unlocked 60 x Salacious Copy.
An edition brimming with entertaining nonsense
A fort, with high walls built of whimsy and gates of conspiracy.
unlocked with 60 x Outlandish Copy.
An edition brimming with truth and wisdom
You uncover falsehood and hypocrisy. You attack privilege and decry villainy. And if the path here was not always straight, your results speak for themselves nonetheless.
unlocked with 104 x Meritorious Copy.
The tawdry secrets of the famous laid bare!
You know those things that one always suspect the famous and well-heeled of? Well, you caught them doing those things, and you have photographs to prove it.
unlocked with 104 x Salacious Copy
The finest kind of madness
Oh, it's bizarre. Bizarre, outlandish and beyond reason. But it's self-consistent, appealing and just plausible enough that it's difficult to dismiss out of hand. Perfect.
unlocked with 104 x Outlandish Copy
The finest nonsense
This week, your name will be whispered in radical salons in the poorest and dustiest corners of the University. In a year, your theory will have a following in the thousands. In ten, there will be a department dedicated to studying it. It's the very finest nonsense
You've gained 110 x A Journal of Infamy
You've gained 2 x Extraordinary Implication
You no longer have any of this: 'Meritorious Copy'
You no longer have any of this: 'Salacious Copy'
You no longer have any of this: 'Outlandish Copy'
'Hours before the Deadline' has been reset: a conclusion, or a new beginning?
Nightmares has dropped
An Accomplishment! You are now Cardinal of Conspiracy (Hovertext: The very finest in faintly paranoid nonsense, delivered daily.)
A very special edition
You'll need to have established a reputation for truth in reporting. But this is the big story. This is the one they need to read.
unlocked with a Survivor of the Affair of the Box 51, Defender of Truth (at least 1 - Considered reliable)
MASTERS SCHEMING AGAINST LONDON AND EACH OTHER
Your journalists and sub-editors flee when they read the headlines. There's not one of them in the city when the first edition goes on sale. Cowards.
But you've judged it perfectly. London is a weary old city. Even a headline like this isn't going to have angry mobs in the streets. But it's a start. A crack. A tiny fault in the Masters' rule.
If one newspaper can question the wisdom of the Masters of the Bazaar, can others? Mr Huffam won't be following your lead any time soon, and no questions will be asked in Parliament. But across the city, people talk. Do the Masters care about London? What will happen when they choose the Sixth City? Is there another way?
You have pushed the first pebble. All you can do now is wait for the avalanche.
This is the end of the Affair of the Box!
'Hours before the Deadline' has been reset: a conclusion, or a new beginning?
You've gained 2 x Extraordinary Implication
You no longer have any of this: 'Meritorious Copy'
You no longer have any of this: 'Salacious Copy'
You no longer have any of this: 'Outlandish Copy'
Defender of Truth has increased
An occurrence! Your 'a Survivor of the Affair of the Box' Quality is now 80 - A Most Notable Edition!
You've gained 3 x Searing Enigma
Making Waves has increased
You've lost a quality:
Connected: the Masters of the Bazaar.
Opportunity Cards
Not social actions. These do NOT cause Hours Before the Deadline to drop. Can be found anywhere.
The Food You Eat
Since the Fall, they say that a wise trencherman never looks too closely at his dinner. What rot. Investigate!
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 10
A matter of health
Unscrupulous grocers and bakers could be putting anything in their pies and pickle jars. Someone has to keep these scoundrels honest.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
PUBLIC HEALTH OUTRAGE! WHAT ARE YOU EATING?
Chromate of lead in the piccalilly! Mutton so diseased that a marsh-wolf would be offended. Glim dust and rat hair in your gin. London lies far from the verdant bountiful fields of old, but must it come to this? The public must know.
Shadowy increase
You've gained 6 x Meritorious Copy
A distressing lack of distress
The mushroom pickle contains mushrooms and vinegar. The potato pie is bland but basically unadulterated. The less said about Rubbery Lumps the better, but one can't have everything. You don't see a story here.
Shadowy increase
You've lost 1 x Hours before the Deadline
The Cloaked Menace of Cake Street
It's the Va… no, the prowling cloaked stranger is merely an imbiber of Black Wings Absinthe.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 10
An interview?
The fellow is clearly drunk, and accusing an innocent hansom-driver of fraud, kidnapping and cag-maggery. An interview might be a lark, if you can keep up with the sable menace.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
INTERVIEW WITH CLOAKED TERROR: COULD THIS BE THE VAKE?
'The problem with this city is EAT YOU! HOT AND WHOLE! RIBBONED PRETTILY! that there is no sense of duty to one's fellow GRIP! RIP! FLENSE!'
Shadowy increase
You've gained 6 x Outlandish Copy
Nary a whisper
The ebon menace slips melts into the shadows and is gone. Even the cats are impressed.
Shadowy increase
You've lost 1 x Hours before the Deadline
The Illuminated Gentleman Takes the Stage
The Antimacassar Theatre is staging Much Ado About Nothing. The Illuminated Gentleman has been cast as Benedick.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 10
A story here to get the blood going
The Illuminated Gentleman! One of Mr Wines' most notable employees of the evening. What a scandal for a moderately respectable theatre! Well, it will be if you have anything to do with it.
Straightforward at Shadowy 130
ACTOR OR GENTLEMAN OF THE EVENING?
The lamps dim. The curtains rise. Ladies fan themselves in the warm auditorium. The Illuminated Gentleman is an instant hit. He's not the most accomplished actor, but his performance has verve and passion. Half the audience wish themselves Beatrice before the third act is exhausted. This is all to the good - there's a good few inches of breathless half-indignant review to be had here.
Shadowy increase
You've gained 6 x Salacious Copy
That sounds painful
The lamps dim. The curtains rise. The Illuminated Gentleman is not present in the company. His understudy is hardly worth your attention. At the interval, you learn that the Gentleman is suffering from 'the Belgian complaint'.
Shadowy increase
You've lost 1 x Hours before the Deadline
Another Day, Another Dreary Salon
Oh, the room is comfortable and the scones are passable, but the conversation is dominated by two academics sparring endlessly about their critical frameworks.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 7
Is there something else going on here?
The ladies sitting near you are restless. They flap their fans sharply, and pick at the mushrooms on their hats. Hang on a moment….
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130?
SECRETS OF THE SALON: IMPROPER LANGUAGE IN SILENCE!
Ladies snap their fans open and twitch them about. This isn't about the cosy heat from the fireplace. They are speaking in the hidden language of the fan and the mushroom-hat. And, Good Lord, the things they are saying!
A dozen breezes brush your face as the ladies scorn the company, the tea, the furniture and each other. Did they learn their fan-language from drunk zailors and angry costermongers?
Shadowy increase
You've gained 6 x Salacious Copy
Would they just shut up?
Another cup of pallid tea. Another circular argument. Nothing more. The mantel clock slices the minutes ever thinner.
Shadowy increase
You've lost 1 x Hours before the Deadline
An Interview with a 'Foreign Office Insider'
This fellow seems to know his way around the Foreign Office. He's made an appointment for an interview at 3.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 7
One of those
'…and they go up to the roof to worship a giant bird…' Ah well, something for the funny pages then.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130
A Cancelled Salon
The host has taken up residence at the Royal Bethlehem, and half the guests are dead or in exile. How annoying! You were hoping to interview a few of them. Still, there might be a health story hidden here.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 7
A city washed in tears
Doctors have no shortage of clients, and the hospitals for the poor are packed tight. Even the more outrageous practitioners like Dr Schlomo and Madame Petrovsky do brisk business. Just how dangerous is Fallen London?
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
BLOOD-SOAKED STREETS: LONDONERS SUFFER GROTESQUE IMPORTUNEMENTS!
You produce a solid piece on the dangers of London, backed up with equally solid numbers. This many dead, that many returned to life. It's a little dry, though, even for a public safety article. So you spice it up with details of the unfortunate: those run over by velocipedes, assailed by ratwork firearms in their own parlours or found curiously impaled in the Forgotten Quarter. Excellent.
Shadowy increase
You now have 6 x Meritorious Copy
Lacking a certain spark
You can find numbers. Seventeen ships set sail for the tomb colonies last week. London's hospitals for the poor are working at four times capacity. But there's nothing here that will capture the public's imagination. And all the traipsing about is wearing out your boots.
Shadowy increase
You've lost 1 x Hours before the Deadline
Fog Like a Velvet Curtain
The fog coagulates in the streets. It's like walking through marsh-mud.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 4. But you can't play if Hours before the Deadline is higher than 6
Getting off the street
The fog is intolerable. You head into Caligula's Coffee House for a fortifying cup. At the next table, two gentlemen of advanced years are speaking of times past. But what are they saying?
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
WHAT THE IMPLACABLE DETECTIVE DISCOVERED IN THE HAY-BARN!
One of the gentlemen is a fine old rogue, and is recounting the details of a love affair that happened just before the Fall. It's all kisses snatched in a moonlit park and being chased around the garden by an irate father with a shovel.
Good Lord! His beloved was no less a person than the Implacable Detective! Ha! Who would have thought from the bun and pearls of today that she'd had such a tumultuous youth? Where's your pen?
Shadowy increase
You've gained 6 x Salacious Copy
Times past
Politicians long in their graves. The aftermath of the Crimean War. Where they were when London fell. It's entertaining enough, but the fog soon lifts and you're on your way across the damp cobbles once more.
Shadowy increase
'Hours before the Deadline' has been reset: a conclusion, or a new beginning?
Why, it's Mr Clathermont
The noted tattoist is in a fine humour today. He's heading into a chop house for luncheon.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 4. But you can't play if Hours before the Deadline is higher than 6
Buy him lunch and ask about tattoos
An article on the meaning of secret tattoos is long overdue, even if the whole business is plainly nonsense.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
WHAT THE PARLOURMAID'S SHOULDER IS SAYING: THE LANGUAGE OF TATTOOS!
'You want this entertainingly odd, but with a hint of the truth? Right you are, but I'm not going to speak of Correspondence tattoos. So, the Fiddler's Fluke denotes a love that must be denied. A laughing rat is a mark of remembrance for one forgotten. A Rubbery Man making an obscene gesture hints that…'
Shadowy increase
You've gained 6 x Outlandish Copy
Your Day on Court Duty
Your crime reporter is dead again, so you'll have to fill in while he recovers.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 4. But you can't play if Hours before the Deadline is higher than 6
Quite jolly for a Court
There's a good crowd around the Courts today. Better dressed than you'd expect, and money is discreetly changing hands. What's going on?
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
SPORT MADE OF JUSTICE - FOR SHAME, LONDON!
These people are Stoats, Young Stags and other young persons of a sporting persuasion. Their latest lark is betting on which judge will order the most hangings today. It's a handicap event. Mr Justice Spenser is poorly fancied, at 100-8 and no handicap. The clear favourite is Mr Justice 'Until Ye Be Dead' Trescothick, at a paltry 1-3 on and a fierce 6-hanging handicap.
There's a flutter amongst the sportsmen. 'Until Ye Be Dead' took his luncheon at the Parthenaeum. Will his foul temper be mollified? Will he be asleep by three?
Shadowy increase
You've gained 6 x Meritorious Copy
A Letter to the Editor
The envelope smells of lilies and sulfur.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 2
The fair thing would be to publish them
Your correspondent writes under a pseudonym. 'Enraptured by Sin' of Cake Street has received letters from romantically inclined devils. They are enclosed, and make for a spicy tale.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
CONFESSIONS OF A DEVIL-STRUCK SEAMSTRESS!
Perhaps the devils are serious about their passion for your correspondent. Perhaps they're just upping their game. Either way, the less detailed parts will make sizzling reading for tomorrow's edition.
Shadowy increase
You've gained 6 x Salacious Copy
Reports of your Circulation have been Greatly Exagerrated
That d—nable Mr Huffam and his Unexpurgated London Gazette! He's still outselling you.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 2
The best form of defence
A thoughtful and dignified approach is called for. Well, that or a viciously snide editorial.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
FOR SHAME, MR HUFFAM!
'Certain sections of this fine City's presses are under the impression that rats deserve the rights of humans, and that we should accept with open arms any foreigner who swaggers off a ship at Wolfstack…'
Shadowy increase
You've gained 6 x Meritorious Copy
An Undignified Ruckus
A short-cut through a mossy cemetery. Voices raised in anger.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 2
One couldn't make this up
A devil, a tomb-colonist and a pamphlet-waving Theosophist are having a robust debate on the destination of a certain recently departed lady. Each of them represents a movement with some claim to the deceased's future.
(Straightforward at Shadowy 130)
GRAVESIDE FIST-FIGHT. THE PRIZE - A SOUL!
You take out your notebook. The tomb-colonist punches the devil, and the Theosophist slings a hefty backhand at the tomb-colonist. Three Constables cannot restore order. The devil doesn't seem to be taking the other two seriously, and casually tears flaming rents in both the tomb-colonist's bandages and the Theosophist's literature. If only you had a photographer here.
Shadowy increase
You've gained 6 x Outlandish Copy
Social Action Opportunity Cards
These do NOT cause Hours Before the Deadline to drop. Can be found anywhere. You seemingly cannot get the card for your own ambition.
Baying for Blood
It's about time your newspaper printed something visceral. The public love that sort of thing, bless 'em.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 2
Interview a friend with bloody hands
If you have any friends who are soaked in blood, you could arrange an interview. [Your friend will need to be pursuing the Nemesis ambition.]
You are in print! (Name) will surely put a good spin on your quest for vengeance.
Scandal is dropping…
Suspicion is dropping…
A Gemstone to Shame Rajahs
You've been hearing rumours from Spite about a gemstone. A huge thing, the size of a heifer.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 2
Interview a friend who likes jewellery
If you have any friends who make it their business to know about gemstones, you could arrange an interview. [Your friend will need to be pursuing the Light Fingers ambition.]
Waiting in vein
You've sent an idle reporter into the fog to fetch your friend. How could they refuse you?
You are in print! (Name) will surely put a good spin on your views about the giant jewel
Scandal is dropping…
Suspicion is dropping…
They Want to Hear of the Vake
Your readers want to hear about bone-crunching encounters with half-mythical monsters. In the streets of their own city!
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 2
Interview a friend who knows
If you have any friends who know something of the Vake, you could arrange an interview. [Your friend will need to be pursuing the Bag A Legend ambition.]
Drumming your fingers
The urchin is away with your invitation. Let's hope your friend is in a voluble mood.
You are in print! (Name) will surely put a good spin on your views about the Vake.
Scandal is dropping…
Suspicion is dropping… (1 change point)
Rumours of a Most Singular Game of Cards
Two of your better reporters have heard whispers about a marvellous game of cards. A game where one might win or lose absolutely anything.
Unlocked with Hours before the Deadline 2
Interview a card-playing friend
If you have any friends who play a lot of cards, you could arrange an interview. [Your friend will need to be pursuing the Heart's Desire ambition.]
Playing patience
You send out the word. Let's hope that this game is real.
You are in print! (Name) will surely put a good spin on your views about the Marvellous.
Scandal is dropping…
Suspicion is dropping…
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You've gained 3000 x Jade Fragment
Austere is increasing…
Hedonist increase OR Hedonist hasn't changed, because it's higher than 8
Gain: 2 x An Identity Uncovered!
Making Waves increase OR Making Waves hasn't increased, because it's higher than 15
Gain: 2 x Broken Giant 1844
You've gained 3 x Appalling Secret
