Maniac's Prayer

Maniac's Prayer
Perhaps you can distinguish ghastly truths in here? Possibly it just rhymes funny.
Sells for 10 pence.

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Stored in inventory under Wild Words, when clicked on these actions are available:

Repeat your Maniac's Prayer

Half scream, half nursery rhyme. Halfway to something else?

Consider the Prayer…

The words themselves are nonsense, considered individually. But the whole adds up to something tantalising.
Unlocked with 1 x Maniac's Prayer, a Scholar of the Correspondence 1
A matter of luck: a sure thing. Or is it?

Fortunate spoiler

A familiar sensation

The repeated words kindle a black and prickling fire in your brain. The back of your neck tingles: there is a smell of singed hair that you recall too well from your time in the Forgotten Quarter. Bring lead! Bring tools! Bring ice water!

A half-hour later you have a curiously incised leaden plaque, scorched fingertips and a gap in your memory where the Prayer was. Curious.

You were fortunate!
Lose: 1 x Maniac's Prayer
Gain: 1 x Correspondence Plaque

Unlucky spoiler

Nothing of note

Whatever it is, it'll remain tantalising.

You were unlucky. Better luck next time…

Research your Maniac's Prayers.

There's power in this ranted doggerel. You'll have it yet. [This will always gain you Correspondence Plaques. There may be other effects.]
Unlocked with 50 x Maniac's Prayer, a Scholar of the Correspondence 1, Connected: Urchins 3

Reward spoiler (old)

A rationally managed process

Yes, there are complaints about the shrieking and the chanting and the stench and the lights. Yes, you did start a very small fire. Yes, you can see why passersby might mistake the whole process for some sort of heathen ritual. But this is Science! And to prove it, here are a near-dozen of menacingly incised lead plaques, ready for… what *are* these things useful for?

Watchful increase
Gain: 11 x Correspondence Plaque
Lose: 50 x Maniac's Prayer
Connected: Society decrease

Fortunate spoiler (new)

Burn the bat and catch the star

The urchins! Those shoeless little villains know more about this than you do! It's their rhymes and their songs. Somehow, the sticky-fingered tykes have picked up some Correspondent fragments in their nonsense-chants. And now that they know that you know the songs, you can't get rid of them! Your parlour is full of spore-toffee wrappers and distressing handkerchiefs, but you've carved out a few new symbols into your lead plates.

You were fortunate!
You've gained 10 x Correspondence Plaque
You've lost 50 x Maniac's Prayer
Connected: Urchins is dropping…
You've gained 40 x Silk Scrap

Unlucky spoiler

An incendiary afternoon

You attempt a complex process of conception and transcription to lure the Correspondence-secrets out of the Prayers. You end up with a headache, a crowd of angry neighbors and a few precious sigils scratched on lead. And a crowd of curious, rhyme-chanting urchins on your rooftop

You were unlucky. Better luck next time…
You've gained 1 x Correspondence Plaque
You've lost 20 x Maniac's Prayer
Connected: Urchins is dropping…

Repeat a great many Maniac's Prayers

This is a plan without a flaw nor any possibility of error! [This will always gain you many Correspondence Plaques.]
Unlocked with 500 x Maniac's Prayers.

Result spoiler

Some time later

A room. Possibly your room. You don't know the time of day, or which day it is, or your name. But these are trifles, and your hair will grow back eventually. What matters is what you have witnessed. The howling letters from beyond the reach of Surface telescopes!
You've lost 500 x Maniac's Prayer
You've gained 105 x Correspondence Plaque

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