Welcome to the First Coil
Remember: the tigers roam free in the Labyrinth.
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…Further into Fallen London
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This is the first level of the Labyrinth, beyond the public areas. The office of the Tiger Keeper is also hidden here. As you spend time here, different opportunities appear. From here, you could return to public entrance or find a way to head deeper into the Labyrinth by way of Coil 2.
Leaving the First Coil
You are in the first coil of the labyrinth. Where do you want to go next?
Unlocked with making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers 3, in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil 1
Return to the entrance
You should be able to find your way out easily enough.
Expertly done
A little more practice and you'll be able to find your way about the Labyrinth unassisted.
A twist in your tale! You are no longer
in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil.
Watchful increase
Hire a guide to the second coil
Few of the junior keepers know the way to the second coil. This old veteran does, though.
Unlocked with 101 x Cryptic Clue
Past the lizards
You whisper valuable secrets into a hairy ear. The keeper scratches away with his pencil as you talk. He decides that he's heard enough when the point breaks. He sets off at a jog.
Left, right, right, past the octopus lake, up through a hole where the giant lizards like to hide. The journey is alarming but brief. The second coil awaits you!
Lose 101 x Cryptic Clue
Your 'in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil' has increased to 2!
Find your way to the second coil
A keen eye, a ball of twine and a fine sense of direction. What more could one need?
Unlocked with 10 x Cryptic Clue
(Watchful challenge)
Smartly done
Left, right, right, past the octopus lake, up through a hole where the giant lizards like to hide. The journey is alarming but brief. A simple matter for an explorer of your abilities. The second coil awaits you!
Watchful increase
Lose: 10 x Cryptic Clue
Your
in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil has increased to 2!
Take some refreshment
Mrs. Plenty knows a good business opportunity when she sees one. There are Rubbery Lump stands dotted all around the Labyrinth, shunned by cats and haunted by urchins.
Unlocked with in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil 1
Buy some Rubbery Lumps
In common with many such establishments, the Labyrinth has a dearth of edible, reasonably priced food. But no matter, for instead you can buy as many of these fried blobs of indeterminate sea-creature as you can stomach.
Unlocked with 50 x Jade Fragment
You're still alive!
Bravely done. You must have picked one of the better stands. What you ate were rubbery, and they were lumps, and they didn't kill you. The stall-keeper is a friendly sort. You pick up a few quite startling pieces of gossip.
Dangerous increase
Lose: 50 x Jade Fragment
Unaccountably Peckish decrease
Wounds decrease
Gain: 3 x Incendiary Gossip
Walter the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros
A rhinoceros horn is made of hair, you know. It's a miracle of Nature. Surely you want to see a miracle of Nature.
A cat's wager
One of the myriad Labyrinth cats strolls up. 'Go on, then. See if he'll let you feel it. I dare you. What, you're not scared, are you? I bet you all my glim.' Where does a cat keep her glim? Never mind that now.
Unlocked with 100 x Glim
Well, that's interesting
You advance towards Walter's cage, slowly but surely. He ambles over to look at you. The ground shakes. Walter fixes you with a beady eye, but you stand still and look back at him. After a while, he dips his head, and you reach between the bars and pat his head. He regards you. So does the cat. Finally, you touch his horn. It's really nothing like hair at all.
The cat drops a bag of glim at your feet with a bad grace. You catch Walter's eye as you turn away. If a rhinoceros could smile, Walter would be smiling.
Dangerous increase
Gain: 97 x Glim
The following story items only appears at the correct times and will disappear once the step is completed.
Odd jobs in the Labyrinth
While you're hunting for the Tiger Keeper, you may as well keep yourself busy.
[Build your The Hunt is On! quality to 8 to pick up the Tiger Keeper's trail]
Unlocked with making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers 3, in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil 1
Feed the rhino his medicine
Walter, an elderly rhinoceros of cantankerous character, does not like taking his herbal tonic. Could you just hold his mouth open for a moment?
Hold still, you great brute!
The day is carried by brute strength, knowledge of great beasts, and Mr Murgatroyd's fungal crackers. You leave the enclosure exhausted, and liberally basted with saliva. Walter trots about contentedly. You have the feeling that he doesn't mind his tonic that much - he's in it for the crackers and the wrestling. Nothing that weighs over a ton should be impish.
Dangerous increase
The Hunt is On! increase
(2 change points)
You could use a tonic yourself
As you limp to the veterinarian's office, you compile a short list of things that Walter does not like: herbal tonic, tigers, you. If you never hear the word 'trample' again, it will be too soon.
Dangerous increase
Wounds increase
Help to recapture a giant lizard
Jane is a lizard of vivid green, large enough to be ridden by children. It would appear she is fed up with toddlers bouncing on her back, since she is missing from her cage again.
A bridle for Jane
You are put on the trail by a cry of 'dragon!' from a gang of schoolchildren. You dash across, bridle in hand, just in time to see Jane scuttle off toward a seller of sugared mushrooms. Jane is an ample lizard - you're not sure if she's after the mushrooms or the vendor. You leap after the creature and bear her to the ground. She thrashes mightily, determined to get away from you and your bridle. But you are the stronger! You lead the sullen reptile back to her cage.
Dangerous increase
The Hunt is On! increase
(2 change points)
A lizard in a hole
Aren't these things supposed to be sluggish without sunlight? Jane isn't. She leads you a chase through acid bramblemoss hedges, a group of startled schoolboys and a decorative pond. You stop for a moment to pick out the thorns, and look up to see a bright green tail disappearing into a tunnel.
Dangerous increase
Wounds increase
Amuse the lesser hyenas
The hyaenas are bored. This is unfortunate, as bored hyaenas are known to slip their cages and hunt the visitors. Perhaps you'd let them hunt you for a while instead? They almost certainly won't eat you.
An amusement for the pack
The hyaena enclosure is extensive. There's more than enough room for them to chase you around for an hour. For the most part you keep ahead of the jeering, giggling pack, with their odd up-and-down gait. They confine you to a tree at one stage, but the arrival of lunch distracts them long enough for you to make an exit. You nurse your aching muscles. Perhaps next time they might make do with a toy for chewing or somesuch.
Dangerous increase
The Hunt is On! increase
(3 change points)
Cornered
The hyaenas didn't eat you. But they did corner you. And then they laughed. All of them, together. You'll hear that laughter in your dreams for a while.
Dangerous increase
Nightmares increase
Feed the giant octopus
The little lake is pretty, quiet and set away from the main bustle of the labyrinth. It is also home to Mary, an octopus with tentacles thicker than your leg.
Tentacles and lumps
The rubbery lumps arrive from the carnival. You set off to the lake before they get cold. Mary waggles a few yards of tentacle to mark the beginning of lunch. What happens next is best forgotten, but you dry off eventually, and the sucker wounds are only superficial. Mary flings her last rubbery lump at you as you leave. Is that a sign of affection?
Dangerous increase
The Hunt is On! increase
(3 change points)
Whee… splash! Whee… splash!
Mary is a playful sort. She spends a long, merry afternoon tossing you into the air, batting you between her tentacles and dropping you into the lake. How especially diverting.
Dangerous increase
Wounds increase
Meeting a junior keeper
That junior keeper is clearly a veteran. He seems to know his way around the place.
Unlocked with making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers 3, in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil 1, The Hunt Is On 8
Collar the junior keeper
Perhaps he can tell you where the Tiger Keeper's office is.
The Hunt is On! challenge, low risk at 8
Cats and their secrets
'The office of the Tiger Keeper? His actual office? No idea, mate. Wouldn't be bothering the likes of him, though. Strange fellow. Odd taste in hats. Watch yer step round there. Course, if you're after him something fierce, there is a way. There's a cat around here with the way tattooed on her belly. Well, I say 'cat'. I mean 'vicious old brawler of a tiger', really. Good luck, mate.'
Your
making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers Quality has increased to 4!
The Hunt is On! Quality is gone.
'No idea, mate…'
'The office of the Tiger Keeper? His actual office? No idea, mate. Wouldn't be bothering the likes of him, though. Strange fellow. Odd taste in hats. Watch yer step round there.'
The Hunt is On! decrease
Tiger wrestling for secrets and amusement
There's that tigress the bald junior keeper was talking about. She's got ragged ears and a limp. And a gaze that suggests she could tear you in half.
Unlocked with making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers 4, in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil 1, The Hunt Is On 8
An eloquent gaze
The tigress' look says 'I've got a secret on my belly that you want. Come and get it, clawless ape.' How hard can tiger wrestling be?
(Dangerous challenge, High risk at 99)
Who knows the way?
Although damnably strong, the tigress isn't as sprightly as she used to be. You land on her back and hang on grimly as she races about the public paths of the labyrinth, trying to shake you off. The crowd love it. A few throw money. After twenty exhilarating and incident-filled minutes, the tigress gets tired of trying to dislodge you, and allows you a moment to examine her belly.
Written in tiny letters is a tattoo: 'The drownie keeper knows the way'.
Dangerous increase
Your
making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers Quality has increased to 5!
Your
The Hunt is On! Quality is gone.
The drownie keeper
There she is! The drownie who knows the way to the Tiger Keeper's office.
Unlocked with making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers 5, in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil 1, The Hunt Is On 8
Follow her
Let's hope she can lead you there.
(The Hunt is On! challenge; low risk at 8)
The office!
The drownie keeper walks past the hyaenas, who keep a respectful distance, even on the far side of the iron bars. She skirts the lizard pit, pauses, and takes out a tiny golden key from her apron. She unlocks an empty cage, and moves out of sight. You wait long enough to be sure she isn't coming back just yet, and then nip into what must be the Tiger Keeper's office.
The Tiger Keeper isn't in. You guess that he doesn't do much paperwork, as there is no chair behind the ornate rosewood desk. Instead he has an oversized bearskin chaise longue.
This fellow is quite the eccentric, judging from his accoutrements. The desk has a rack of long clay pipes and no less than three hookahs. One of them is as tall as you. A spiked rosary hangs from a crossbow bolt embedded in the back of the door. There are a great many hats. An earthen, hempy smell. Footsteps! The drownie keeper is coming back. You depart before you are discovered. You will return when the Tiger Keeper deigns to show himself.
Your
making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers quality has increased to 6!
What are they doing down there?
The drownie keeper walks past the hyaenas, who keep a respectful distance, even on the far side of the iron bars. She skirts the lizard pit, and then heads past the little lake where Mary the octopus lurks. She walks into the lake. And doesn't come out. Hmm.
The Hunt is On! decrease (4 change points)
The Tiger Keeper
You are loitering near the empty cage that disguises the office of the Tiger Keeper. Did you just hear a door slam?
Unlocked with making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers 6, in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil 1, The Hunt Is On 8
Go and find him
Could it be that this fellow has actually turned up for work?
The Tiger Keeper
You knock. A voice like the depths of the sea bids you enter. You open the door and there at last is the Tiger Keeper, reclining on his bearskin chaise-longue.
The Tiger Keeper is a tiger. Fangs, stripes, a lazily undulating tail. He's wearing an emerald velvet smoking cap. He takes a long, burbling draw from a hookah and slowly focuses on you.
'New wrangler, are we? Capital. That fellow Inch speaks highly of you. Pull up a pipe and let's talk a little business. I've got some bhang that'll cure what ails you. Or some bull's blood if you'd prefer.'
Your
making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers Quality has increased to 7!
Bartering with the Tiger Keeper
The Tiger Keeper, like all cats, collects secrets. But his tastes are most expensive than most of those cats.
Unlocked with making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers 7, in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil 1
Barter Jade for secrets
'Something shiny, I think, today. It's a shiny sort of afternoon.'
unlocked with 1000 x Jade Fragment
An armful of jade
'Lean closer,' he says. You do, although his breath reeks of antelope.
Gain: 1100 x Whispered Secret
Lose: 1000 x Jade Fragment
Barter Rostygold for secrets
'There's insufficient blood in here. But blood's so untidy! This will do.'
Unlocked with 1000 x Rostygold 1000
A sackful of rostygold
'Over there will do. On top of that stain. What's the stain? It's the last person to ask about that other stain.'
Gain: 1100 x Whispered Secret
Lose: 1000 x Rostygold
Barter Deep Amber for secrets
'Ah, Amber. Crunchy. Do you know why they - never mind.'
Unlocked with 1000 x Deep Amber
A trove of amber
'Put it down there. Not too close. I don't want it contaminating… well, let's not talk about that. Come a little closer, now..'
Gain: 1100 x Whispered Secret
Lose: 1000 x Deep Amber
Business with the Tiger Keeper
Unlocked with making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers 7, in the Labyrinth of Tigers, Navigating Coil 1
You're talking to the Tiger Keeper. Who's a tiger, as it happens. In a smoking cap.
A little business
Take a glass or a pipe and talk a little business.
Tigers and rats
The Tiger Keeper takes another deep draw from his burbling hookah, and blows a smoke ring at the crossbow bolt in the back of the door.
'We have things very much as we like them here in the first coil. There's work to be done in the second coil, though. Escapes. The fighting pit.' He waves an airy paw. 'That sort of thing. Inch assures me you'll be ideal. Now, scamper off and sort things out. I'm sure you'll know what to do. And take the key here. It opens the feed bins. You'd best stock up on feed, you'll need plenty. Hmm. I'm getting hungry. You'd better go, quickly.'
On your way out, you retrieve a vast quantity of ratty 'feed'.
Your
making progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers Quality has increased to 8!
Gain: 7000 x Rat on a String