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Winter's Reside
Pan ambience
Winter's Reside (Sidebar)
Located in Eleutheria
Ports Winter's Reside
Shops none

Winter's Reside is a platform in Eleutheria. It occupies the very middle of the central circle, close to Pan.

The Hour in Pan[ | ]

This storylet will sometimes automatically show when docking at Winter's Reside.
See Pan icon The Hour in Pan for possible interactions.

Winter's Reside[ | ]

A single street cuts through the groves, its houses an immaculate copy of London architecture. Three of the revolutionaries' governing Calendar Council live here: February, January, and ineffable December.

A Solitary Cobbled Street
Xenophilicyouth
Category Story Event
Type Story
Data ID 295737


A Solitary Cobbled Street[ | ]

The street nestles amidst the ruins and trees of Pan, one end abutting an overgrown grove. Revolutionaries with secateurs wage continual war, rebuffing vines attempting to claim the cobbles. The Georgian houses are well kept and cleaner than they ever were in London, but only one is lit up. It is the focus of the activity here. Outside it, revolutionaries trade, compare wounds, and practice tirades. Their home here offers them solace and restoration before the next battle.


Interactions

Actions Requirements Effects Notes
Mingle with the revolutionaries
They can speak freely, here.
Wild ambitions filled with hope and fury

Advanced query needs investigation

Game note: This could gain you a Savage Secret, or a Sky-Story and a Tale of Terror.

Rare event (33%)
Fierce hunger
Find the tomb of the Mantle-bearer
Somewhere in Winter's Reside lies the corpse of the armourer-saint, once squire-sommelier to the Binary, the twin kings of Eleutheria. You'll just have to find it.
"Safe out of sight of the sun"
Your research leads you to a modest church at the far end of the street. An elderly nun in a midnight habit is just locking up when you arrive. "Services closed at St Regnant's. Unless—" She peers closely at you. "Follow me to the crypt. They keep me on to make sure him below never escapes. But I've heard his whispering in the dark." Her eyes are fervent, her expression zealous. "The devils rebelled first, you see. So we should help them. Coming?"
Reconsecrate the Bellows Saint
Follow the nun. The Revolutionaries can hang. You have a saint to consecrate, as the Scarlet Condiottere has shown you.
The nun leads you to a sunken crypt with a great abyss yawning in its centre. A great bell hangs over the abyss. "Pour the souls in," she instructs you, as he begins to recite her creed, "The Binary went to war. Against the storied sons of the Solonacean. And the Bellows Saint did mantle the king in a raiment of killing light " As the last drop spills down the chasm, swallowed by darkness, there is a quaking below. The nun pushes you toward the stairs. "Go," she hisses, before she falls into the widening abyss. When you reach the street, the church is no more. Rubble surrounds an abyss, gaping in the mist of Winter's Reside.
Leave the church
You will not displease the Revolutionaries.
The nun shrugs. "Suit yourself. Him downstairs isn't going anywhere. I do hope you see the rightness of the Brigade's cause in time. though. The devils rebelled first." She turns away.
Share what you've learned of Eleutheria
The Xenophilic Youth has requested that visiting captains bring him news of Eleutheria.
Fond fascination
At first glance, the Youth might seem too reserved to properly belong here. But ask about his passions and he is voluble. Revolutionary Airs(Mysteries)

Game note: Exchange Eleutherian Mysteries for a Vision of the Heavens.


Negotiate for a Captivating Treasure
The Xenophilic Youth will act as intermediary. The Revolutionaries will trade with him, and so, by extension, you.
The price of revolution is high
The revolutionaries require repairs for their engines, crew for their locomotives. They need bribes and blackmail material and inspiration. They do not need a Captivating Treasure, but they understand its value. The agreement is made, and a runner is sent into Corncrake House. Several minutes later, they return carrying a large, mahogany box. They grin when you open it to check the contents – they'd have done the same.

Advanced query needs investigation

Game note: This will cost a point of Hearts and Iron, among other things. Were you initiated into Winter's Reside, the price would be less painful.


Trade for a Captivating Treasure
The Xenophilic Youth has made sure that the revolutionaries know you are one of them. They'll trade fairly with you, but not cheaply.
The costs of revolution
The revolutionaries require material to repair their engines. They need bribes and blackmail material and gossip to help them infiltrate where they must. They need so much more – but they won't take it from you. They will give you their Treasure for as little as they can afford. The agreement is made, and a runner is sent into Corncrake House. Several minutes later, they return carrying a large, mahogany box. They grin when you open it to check the contents – they'd have done the same.

Advanced query needs investigation

Game note: You opened this by being initiated into the Revolutionaries.


Accept an offer to join the Revolutionaries
You are steeped in the mysteries of Eleutheria – your knowledge is invaluable. Do them a service and they will believe your ambitions align.
Thus far and no farther
You are ushered through the door of Corncrake House. There is only one door available to you, leading into the front room. A burly revolutionary blocking the hallway prevents you from going anywhere else. The room is sparsely decorated. It has shelves lined with well read books. By the window, a woman in mourning attire sits working at a desk. There are no chairs but the one she sits upon.

Game note: This will prevent you from joining the other factions at Pan.


Season's Greetings
Envelope
Category Story Event
Type Story
Data ID 298582


Season's Greetings[ | ]

The dour woman nods when you are introduced. She does not offer her own name. "We have identified three who have been more put upon than most. They have been treated callously." She considers you carefully. "If you would join us working for the Calendar Council, you must deliver these." Three envelopes sit upon the desk.


Interactions

Actions Requirements Effects Notes
Refuse, for now
She does not seem interested in persuading you.
Acceptance
She takes the envelopes and slides them into the top drawer. "Very well. If you change your mind—" There is a momentary flicker of irritation. Then: "I can wait for you to sympathise. But I won't have my time wasted."

Game note: This will cost you one Eleutherian Mystery.


Accept
If the Council wishes you to play postman, so be it. Their banal tasks always conceal labyrinthine motives.
"As I thought."
She doesn't smile, but her frown softens. She passes you the first two envelopes. "Deliver these cards first. The recipients need to know they are not alone." She gives you the third one. "I think this person has the resolve to last a little longer. They can wait." She returns to writing. A revolutionary enters to see you out.



Corncrake House
Lantern
Category Story Event
Type Story
Data ID 298604


Corncrake House[ | ]

The Georgian house is three storeys high, with silhouettes at every window. Some pace, others gesticulate, others have their heads close, perhaps conspiring. The building is rammed to the gunwales with Revolutionaries. Light pours from the open front door. The doorwoman is slight and no real obstacle. But a continuous trickle of Revolutionaries passes her – some burlier than your strongest stoker – if she wanted to refuse entry, she'd be able to enforce it.


Interactions

Actions Requirements Effects Notes
Lend the Weaver your fortitude
She is standing by the door to Corncrake House, fiddling with a handkerchief. She smiles with relief when she spots you.
A friendly face
"They told me you'd not been through it either." She grasps your hand and gives it a squeeze. "I can't imagine it's nice, having your grievances extracted. My feelings get all tangled in my belly." She pats her stomach. "Gives me all manner of indigestion. You think they'll go in through my throat?" She winces. "But it'll be all right, you know. I'm sure of it. You'll be fine." Is it really you she's reassuring?
Step into the conservatory
The door is guarded by well-armed Revolutionaries in a scarlet uniform. They will only stand aside for those who are known to December.
Recognition
Only a few revolutionaries dare commit themselves entirely to the Liberation. You were made less, and yet are greater for it. The guards stand aside to let you pass. One shakes your hand. None address you, but they look at you with admiration and respect.
Trade with the broker in the kitchen
She sits at the less floury end of a vast table, writing numbers in an accounting ledger, occasionally moving to taste the stew bubbling on the stove.
Scrupulous accuracy
"One moment, please." The broker smiles as she goes to clean her hands. "Can't risk a stain." She unfurls the chart and holds it under a lamp. Satisfied, she rolls it and tucks it into her sleeve. Then, she marks one column of a neat ledger, writes your name in another, then strikes through the entire row using a ruler. "I'll send word. You'll have the help when you need it." She returns to her cooking – of bread, stew and books.

Game note: This will exchange an Unlicensed Chart for a Cryptic Benefactor.


Have your hull repaired
In return for mysteries, Corncrake House's skilled engineers will repair your engine.
Job's a good'un
The chief engineer is a scarred, jovial chap whose cheery whistle penetrates even the bronzewood plating of your hull. When he finally emerges, after checking his crew's work inside and out, he smiles with satisfaction.
Advanced query needs investigation

Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.


Game note: Spend an Eleutherian Mystery to restore your Hull entirely.


Exchange Empyrean Nameplates for information
The Liberation despises the Empyrean: it sullies Eleutheria with its laws and its light.
Slipped into a carpet bag
Her face is expressionless as she examines the nameplate. She turns it over to check the inscription. "No. Still not it." She adds it to a pile and gives you a perfunctory smile. "Thank you. Each one down makes our comrades a little safer." Corncrake House pays in mysteries, which she whispers in your ear.

Game note: This will exchange a Charred Empyrean Nameplate for an Eleutherian Mystery.


Offer your grievances to Winter's Reside
A child sits blocking the stairs upwards. The other guards avoid her. She smiles at you. "Are you ready?"
A grey-eyed gaze
She takes your hand and leads you up the stairs.

Game note: If successful, this will allow access to the leader of the Calendar Council. Success at this will cause you damage.


Go to dinner
You visited before, but did not eat. Now, you dine.



A Dining Table in the Conservatory
Category Story Event
Type Story
Data ID 298611


A Dining Table in the Conservatory[ | ]

"Winter's Reside: Something More Than Revolutionary(December)"

Interactions

Actions Requirements Effects Notes
Dine with December
There is a basket of fresh bread on the table. There is oil, and honey, and sweet vinegar. The scent of a roast wafts into the room.
Forged on unavenged tears
December spoke to you like a comrade; like a friend. They shared a doubt that preyed upon them, and you dissected it like doctors. It is difficult to recall more details of your conversation. December spoke about the edifice of the universe, and the parts in its machine. Of a great Chain that binds us all in our place. It all made sense at the time, fitting together like the cogs in a clock. Now, you would struggle to tell it to others. It is as if you were both speaking in another language, which has now fallen from your mind.

Game note: This will unlock a new facet you can choose when levelling up.


Ambition: Ask "What is the Courtesy?"
December is... well, you don't know what December is. But they are older and vaster than you, and they hate the stars.
    • Maskedcitizen icon The Citizen's Investigation = 40 [Join one of Pan's factions, advance within them to access to their inner mysteries, and ask about the Courtesy]

Half the truth
December steeples an unlikely number of elegant fingers, and speaks of a time when cordiality between the stars failed; when constellations and conjunctions went to war.

The Courtesy was the agreement that ended it. The stars agreed a set of permissions and ceremonies that must precede any murder of a star. Now, the sky is littered with dead suns, but all agree that the murders were committed with a due sense of decorum.

There December stops. There is more, they say, but to speak it would hasten a battle December is not yet willing to fight. You stumble from Corncrake house, your memory of the conversation already beginning to flake. You had better talk to the Masked Citizen before it collapses entirely.
Look at December's work
They are painting a map of the sky.
Incomprehensible precision
The closer you look, the more detail you see – it is as if your eyes were microscopes. There! London. Precise in every detail, even down to the throne. Here's where you are, in Pan. If you look closely you might be able to make out Winter's Reside, and Corncrake House. And then closer still— December looks up and shakes their head. It is a warning, not a chastisement. The image doesn't leave your head even as you stagger back to the main house.

Game note: This will grant you a Moment of Inspiration.


Return to Corncrake House
Spending too long in December's company is taxing. The mind tries to hold more than it was made too. It begins to crack.



The Process of Removal
Canningequipment
Category Story Event
Type Story
Data ID 298624


The Process of Removal[ | ]

"Winter's Reside: Something More Than Revolutionary(Supper)"


Interactions

Actions Requirements Effects Notes
Change your mind
One cannot be coerced into Liberation.
A terse nod
"I suppose you expected reassurance." She offers none. "It's not in my nature to lie." As if that explains anything. "I've plenty of work – if you wish to return, I will be here. And I'll have something for my time."

Game note: You will be charged one Eleutherian Mystery. It does not do to waste the revolutionaries' time.


Eat, drink: partake as the Assistant bids you
There is a pile of water biscuits on a tin plate. There is a glass of red wine. The Austere Assistant watches you. "This will hurt."
Dry as bone dust
The more you chew, the more parched your mouth becomes. The biscuits are arid, brittle and dry.

You cannot eat these wafers of dried plaster, but you must. Your mouth fills, swelling your cheeks. You cannot swallow: your tongue is stiff as preserved meat. You breathe, rapidly, through your nose – little huffs of panic.

Then there is a hand on your shoulder and a glass at your lips. "Your pony is made of fresh baked bread," sings the Assistant. You swallow the biscuits like pills, choking them back with swigs of heady red wine."...and butter is its saddle," she continues, soothingly.
Your freedom
You were caged like a beast.
A sharp surge
A pressure builds in your wrists and ankles. Splinters of bone, biscuit-brown, press up through your flesh. Blood oozes from the split skin.

The Austere Assistant uses tongs to pull the shards free. She probes and gouges. Occasionally, she reaches for a bone saw, carving off those pieces that your body is unwilling to relinquish. Finally, she pats you as one might a pet. "Well done."

She doesn't unbuckle you immediately. First, she examines the shards under a dim light, turning them to check the edges. "These are excellent. With enough such sacrifices from aggrieved souls, we could strike down a sun."
Your love
They were as vital as life and more than your soul.
A sharp surge
A pressure builds in your sternum. Vast splinters of bone, biscuit-brown, press up through your flesh. Blood oozes from the split skin.

The Austere Assistant probes and gouges, eventually reaching for a saw to carve off pieces that your body is unwilling to relinquish. She frowns with concentration – the blade is very near your heart. Finally, she pats you as one might a pet. "Well done."

She doesn't unbuckle you immediately. First, she examines the shards under a dim light, turning them to check the edges. "These are excellent. With enough such sacrifices from aggrieved souls, we could strike down a sun."
Your youth
It was ground away working in the smog and grime.
A sharp surge
A pressure builds in your shoulder blades; the Assistant works to roll you over. She has barely rebuckled the straps when vast splinters of bone, biscuit-brown, press up through your flesh. Blood oozes from the split skin.

The Austere Assistant uses tongs to pull the shards free. She probes and gouges. Occasionally, she reaches for a bone saw, carving off those pieces that your body is unwilling to relinquish. Finally, she pats you as one might a pet. "Well done."

She doesn't unbuckle you immediately. First, she examines the shards under a dim light, turning them to check the edges. "These are excellent. With enough such sacrifices from aggrieved souls, we could strike down a sun."
Your mind
Your world was awful and your mind recoiled from it.
A sharp surge
At the Royal Bethlehem, you had to smile to prove you were well and happy. You smiled, and you smiled to win your release. You grimace now. A pressure builds in your cheeks. Vast splinters of bone, biscuit-brown, press up through your flesh. Blood oozes from the split skin.

The Austere Assistant uses tongs to pull the shards free. She probes and gouges. Occasionally, she reaches for a bone saw, carving off those pieces that your body is unwilling to relinquish. Finally, she pats you as one might a pet. "Well done."

She doesn't unbuckle you immediately. First, she examines the shards under a dim light, turning them to check the edges. "These are excellent. With enough such sacrifices from aggrieved souls, we could strike down a sun."
You lost nothing
You have come this far without suffering.
Another time
She scans your face. Holds open your eyes as she peers at them. Finally, she laughs. It is bitter, but not cruel. "I don't know how you did it. But you don't have enough for me to extract. Couldn't snuff out a candle with you." She unbinds you and leads you to the stairs. Her hand on your arm is gentle. "Don't worry. You'll suffer more. Given time, you'll be ready."
Go to dinner
It is time to meet with the head of the Calendar Council.
Steep steps
When you are ready, the Austere Assistant supports you to the back stairs. You are almost yourself again. Almost. Your mind probes at the gap like your tongue at a missing tooth.


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