 |
This article is a stub. You can help Sunless Skies Wiki by expanding it. |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Journal |
| Type | Ambition |
| Data ID | 137111 |
Ambition: The Song of the Sky(quality) is considered a Journal Quality Ambition in Sunless Skies.
Description[]
"You will write your name across the skies."
Obtaining[]
Quality status[]
Ambition: The Song of the Sky(quality) has different statuses according to your actions, defined by the comment in front of the quality.
Journal description[]
- [10] Become the High Wilderness' most venerated explorer, and write the story that defines the era
Interaction description[]
These desciptions appear specifically when the value changes.
- [10] Become the High Wilderness' most venerated explorer, and write the story that defines the era.
- [11] Gather Tales of Terror and Sky-Stories to begin the Song of the Sky.
- [16] Find a publisher for the First Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [18] Visit the address of a potential publisher for the Song of the Sky.
- [20] Perform a Momentous Exploit, and write about it in the Second Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [25] Publish the Second Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [26] Publish the Second Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [30] Write the Third Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [36] Publish the Third Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [40] Perform a Momentous Exploit, and write about it in the Fourth Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [45] Publish the Fourth Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [46] Publish the Fourth Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [50] Write the Fifth Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [55] Publish the Fifth Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [56] Publish the Fifth Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [58] Meet the Omnivorous Publisher in London.
- [60] Perform a Momentous Exploit, and write about it in the Sixth Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [65] Publish the Sixth Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [66] Publish the Sixth Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [68] Find a way to publish the Sixth Canto of the Song of the Sky, despite the Ministry's interference.
- [70] Write the Seventh and Final Canto of the Song of the Sky.
- [76] Publish the Seventh and Final Canto of the Song of the Sky.
Variable Interaction description[]
These desciptions appear when a specific group is called for text.
decision_description[]
- [0] Are you writing about a fictional character, merely drawing inspiration from your own experiences, or are you writing an explicit memoir?
- [15] Are you writing about a fictional character, merely drawing inspiration from your own experiences, or are you writing an explicit memoir?
- [16] You write until you need to sleep. Then you sleep until you need to write. When you resurface, the first canto is complete. What now? You've not nearly finished the Song, not yet. But perhaps you've written enough to show to a publisher.
- [25] There are many ways to tell a tale. Are you writing dry journalism with a hint of dark humour? A page-turner with bounding, scintillating prose? Or yearning verse, tinged with melancholy?
- [26] When you take the Second Canto to the Omnivorous Publisher, he flashes a goblin-like grin. \"We're going to set this city on fire,\" he declares with convincing menace.
- [35] Are you depicting your actions as purely heroic, or are you going to be honest?
- [36] When you take the Third Canto to the Omnivorous Publisher, he scans it with an empty grin before handing it to one of his assistants (how long has he had assistants?). \"Another masterpiece,\" he says. \"You never cease to amaze.\"
- [45] Your attempts to capture the sky in words have tended to return, again and again, to a similar theme:
- [46] The Omnivorous Publisher puffs his cigar and holds your manuscript up to the light. A jewelled watch sparkles on his wrist (how long has he had that?). \"You should celebrate tonight,\" he says, pouring you a generous helping of whiskey. \"Then I want you to go straight home and start the next one. No detours.\"
- [55] Are you going to speak the secrets you've learned, even those that anger the powerful? Or will you keep silent?
- [56] You find the Omnivorous Publisher at his paper-drowned desk, flanked by two large gentlemen with shoulders wide as anvils and guns at their hips. \"Protection,\" explains the Publisher, tossing back a glass of whiskey. \"Some of your readers are rather... fanatical.\" He briefly skims your manuscript before handing it to an assistant.
- [65] Perhaps now is the time to tell their stories in more detail? Or are they just going to remain your supporting cast?
- [66] The Omnivorous Publisher sends a lackey to collect your manuscript. \"The Publisher is attending some very important parties, promoting your work,\" says the assistant, tucking the Sixth Canto beneath her arm without reading it. \"He sends his apologies.\"
- [75] Are you going to encourage other would-be explorers to follow in your footsteps?
- [76] You instruct your assistant to begin printing a collected edition of all seven Cantos. The Song of the Sky is complete, and with it, your legacy assured."
writing_description[]
- [0] Before you can truly begin the Song of the Sky, you must make a decision:
- [15] Before you can truly begin the Song of the Sky, you must make a decision:
- [16] At first each word must be individually wrestled from your recalcitrant mind, and somewhere between brain and paper they lose their lustre. Finally, just as the mountain of crumpled paper beside your desk has reached your knees, you strike something. A match, a vein, a melancholy chord.
- [25] A pause in your fevered typing. Before you write any further, you must make a decision:
- [26] Words spit like lightning from your fingertips. The typewriter shudders and clanks in protest under the strain. You write in a kind of fury, your mind's eye raging with images of gloating stars and endless burning emptiness – and then you sit back, exhausted, as you realise you've run out of words. The Second Canto is complete.
- [35] A pause in your fevered typing. Before you write any further, you must make a decision:
- [36] You stare at the half-empty page in panic. For a moment, you fear you've lost your terrible momentum. But then the story catches you in its arms again, and you are a golem, a conduit, a ghost desperate to relay its final message. You write until your fingers are blistered, until the ending catches you by surprise. You recline, sweat-drenched. The Third Canto is complete.
- [45] Before you launch yourself into writing the Song of the Sky, you re-read the previous three Cantos. You're surprised to find that its ethos, its purpose, are taking shape with a clarity you hadn't noticed or planned.
- [46] Themes that had once lurked in the recesses of your mind now rise unbidden to the surface, shaking the last vestiges of your subconscious from their flanks. You finally get the sense that you know what you're doing, and more importantly, where you're going. You sit to write, fingers flying, that shining spectre of an ending blazing like a beacon in your head... until finally, you reach it. The Fourth Canto is complete.
- [55] As you write, words coming unbidden, you realise that you're about to launch into an anecdote that could destroy some formidable reputations. The words squirm in your head, anxious to make it to the page. You must make a decision:
- [56] The tale has grown in the telling, and grown, and grown. In its vastness, it has become impossible to control. You find yourself searching through previous Cantos to ensure consistency of character and detail – stumbling unexpectedly upon narrative dead ends – writing yourself into terrible tangles that cannot be salvaged. With the grim determination of Hercules facing the hydra, you cut. And cut. Until the story lies bleeding, but better, at your feet. The Fifth Canto is complete.
- [65] As you contemplate the blank page, awaiting inspiration, you realise that throughout the course of the Song you've written of your crew only when necessary.
- [66] A moment of hesitation, and then a dam bursts in your mind. Words flood the page and carry you forward in an irresistible current, until you are flung into an ending as though dashed upon rocks. The result is rushed and imperfect. Grimly, you go back. You knock the story down and rebuild it, brick by painstaking brick, working with the nihilist fury of a master blacksmith forging his own guillotine. Finally, just as you are ready to throw your entire manuscript into the fire, you realise that you no longer need to – there's nothing left to fix. The Sixth Canto is complete.
- [75] You return to your office and write. It's as easy as breathing. The Song of the Sky was a tangled beast at times, but you always knew how it would end, and for once it doesn't surprise you. You get there in no time at all. The Seventh Canto is complete, and you have a final decision to make:
- [76] You finish writing the postscript and tear off the final page of the Song of the Sky. Your typewriter immediately falls apart in a clatter of exhausted metal. You rather feel like following suit.
Interactions[]
Interactions in Brief[]
Click Expand on the right for more.
| Interaction | Action | Result Type | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your Ambition | 'Fame' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 10 |
| Explore London | 'Write the sixth canto of the Song of the Sky' | Requirement | ≥ 60 ≤ 60 |
| Explore London | 'Write the sixth canto of the Song of the Sky' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 65 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'A fiction' | Requirement | ≥ 15 ≤ 15 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'A fiction' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 16 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'A memoir' | Requirement | ≥ 15 ≤ 15 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'A memoir' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 16 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Journalism' | Requirement | ≥ 25 ≤ 25 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Journalism' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 26 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Prose' | Requirement | ≥ 25 ≤ 25 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Prose' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 26 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Poetry' | Requirement | ≥ 25 ≤ 25 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Poetry' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 26 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Heroic' | Requirement | ≥ 35 ≤ 35 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Heroic' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 36 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Honest' | Requirement | ≥ 35 ≤ 35 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Honest' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 36 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'The adventure' | Requirement | ≥ 45 ≤ 45 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'The adventure' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 46 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'The loneliness' | Requirement | ≥ 45 ≤ 45 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'The loneliness' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 46 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'The horror' | Requirement | ≥ 45 ≤ 45 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'The horror' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 46 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Spill your secrets' | Requirement | ≥ 55 ≤ 55 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Spill your secrets' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 56 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Avoid controversy' | Requirement | ≥ 55 ≤ 55 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Avoid controversy' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 56 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Their stories deserve the limelight' | Requirement | ≥ 65 ≤ 65 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Their stories deserve the limelight' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 66 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Your crew are supporting characters' | Requirement | ≥ 65 ≤ 65 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Your crew are supporting characters' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 66 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Encourage the reader to follow in your footsteps' | Requirement | ≥ 75 ≤ 75 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Encourage the reader to follow in your footsteps' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 76 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Warn the reader to choose another path' | Requirement | ≥ 75 ≤ 75 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Warn the reader to choose another path' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 76 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Find a publisher' | Requirement | ≥ 16 ≤ 16 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Find a publisher' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 18 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Publish the second canto' | Requirement | ≥ 26 ≤ 26 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Publish the second canto' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 30 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Publish the third canto' | Requirement | ≥ 36 ≤ 36 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Publish the third canto' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 40 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Publish the fourth canto' | Requirement | ≥ 46 ≤ 46 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Publish the fourth canto' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 50 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Publish the fifth canto' | Requirement | ≥ 56 ≤ 56 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Publish the fifth canto' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 58 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Investigate the Publisher's office' | Requirement | ≥ 66 ≤ 66 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Investigate the Publisher's office' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 68 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Publish the seventh canto' | Requirement | ≥ 76 ≤ 76 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Follow your Ambition' | Requirement | ≥ 20 ≤ 20 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Follow your Ambition' | Requirement | ≥ 30 ≤ 30 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Follow your Ambition' | Requirement | ≥ 40 ≤ 40 |
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | 'Follow your Ambition' | Requirement | ≥ 50 ≤ 50 |
| An Unpromising Address | 'Negotiate a contract' | Requirement | ≥ 18 ≤ 18 |
| An Unpromising Address | 'Negotiate a contract' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 20 |
| An Unpromising Address | 'Negotiate a contract' | Success | = 20 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Begin writing the Song of the Sky' | Requirement | ≥ 11 ≤ 11 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Begin writing the Song of the Sky' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 15 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the second canto of the Song of the Sky' | Requirement | ≥ 20 ≤ 20 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the second canto of the Song of the Sky' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 25 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the third canto of the Song of the Sky' | Requirement | ≥ 30 ≤ 30 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the third canto of the Song of the Sky' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 35 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the fourth canto of the Song of the Sky' | Requirement | ≥ 40 ≤ 40 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the fourth canto of the Song of the Sky' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 45 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the fifth canto of the Song of the Sky' | Requirement | ≥ 50 ≤ 50 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the fifth canto of the Song of the Sky' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 55 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Speak to the Omnivorous Publisher' | Requirement | ≥ 20 ≤ 20 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Speak to the Omnivorous Publisher' | Requirement | ≥ 40 ≤ 40 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Ponder your Ambition' | Requirement | ≥ 10 ≤ 10 |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Ponder your Ambition' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 11 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the sixth canto of the Song of the Sky' | Requirement | ≥ 60 ≤ 60 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the sixth canto of the Song of the Sky' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 65 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the final canto of the Song of the Sky ' | Requirement | ≥ 70 ≤ 70 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Write the final canto of the Song of the Sky ' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 75 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Speak to the Omnivorous Publisher' | Requirement | ≥ 60 ≤ 60 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Smooth things over with the Ministry regarding the Song of the Sky' | Requirement | ≥ 68 ≤ 68 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Smooth things over with the Ministry regarding the Song of the Sky' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 70 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Meet the Omnivorous Publisher' | Requirement | ≥ 58 ≤ 58 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Meet the Omnivorous Publisher' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 60 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Set up an underground printing-press for the Song of the Sky' | Requirement | ≥ 68 ≤ 68 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Set up an underground printing-press for the Song of the Sky' | Success | = 70 |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | 'Follow your Ambition' | Requirement | ≥ 65 ≤ 65 |
| Choose a New Ambition | 'Fame' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 10 |
| Choose a New Ambition | 'Fame' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 10 |
| Choose a New Ambition | 'Fame' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 10 |
| Choose a New Ambition | 'Fame' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 10 |
| Abandon the Truth and Choose a New Ambition | 'Fame' | Default / Challenge Fail | = 10 |
Interactions in Detail[]
Click Expand on the right for more.
| Story | Action | Required | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your Ambition | Fame | None | Default:
|
| Explore London | Write the sixth canto of the Song of the Sky |
|
Default:
 Ambition: The Song of the Sky
|
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky | A fiction |
|
Default:
|
| A memoir |
|
Default:
| |
| Journalism |
|
Default:
| |
| Prose |
|
Default:
| |
| Poetry |
|
Default:
| |
| Heroic |
|
Default:
| |
| Honest |
|
Default:
| |
| The adventure |
|
Default:
| |
| The loneliness |
|
Default:
| |
| The horror |
|
Default:
| |
| Spill your secrets |
|
Default:
| |
| Avoid controversy |
|
Default:
| |
| Their stories deserve the limelight |
|
Default:
| |
| Your crew are supporting characters |
|
Default:
| |
| Encourage the reader to follow in your footsteps |
|
Default:
| |
| Warn the reader to choose another path |
|
Default:
| |
| Find a publisher |
|
Default:
 An Unpromising Address | |
| Publish the second canto |
|
Default:
Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | |
| Publish the third canto |
|
Default:
Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | |
| Publish the fourth canto |
|
Default:
Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | |
| Publish the fifth canto |
|
Default:
| |
| Investigate the Publisher's office |
|
Default:
Ambition: the Song of the Sky | |
| Publish the seventh canto |
|
Default:
The Seventh Canto | |
| Follow your Ambition |
|
Default:
Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | |
| Follow your Ambition |
|
Default:
Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | |
| Follow your Ambition |
|
Default:
Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | |
| Follow your Ambition |
|
Default:
Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky
| |
| An Unpromising Address | Negotiate a contract |
|
Default:
Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky
Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky
|
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky | Begin writing the Song of the Sky |
|
Default:
Ambition: The Song of the Sky |
| Write the second canto of the Song of the Sky |
|
Default:
Ambition: The Song of the Sky | |
| Write the third canto of the Song of the Sky |
|
Default:
Ambition: The Song of the Sky | |
| Write the fourth canto of the Song of the Sky |
|
Default:
Ambition: The Song of the Sky | |
| Write the fifth canto of the Song of the Sky |
|
Default:
Ambition: The Song of the Sky | |
| Speak to the Omnivorous Publisher |
|
Default:
The Omnivorous Publisher | |
| Speak to the Omnivorous Publisher |
|
Default:
The Omnivorous Publisher | |
| Ponder your Ambition |
|
Default:
| |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky | Write the sixth canto of the Song of the Sky |
|
Default:
Ambition: The Song of the Sky |
| Write the final canto of the Song of the Sky |
|
Default:
Ambition: The Song of the Sky | |
| Speak to the Omnivorous Publisher |
|
Default:
The Omnivorous Publisher | |
| Smooth things over with the Ministry regarding the Song of the Sky |
|
Default:
| |
| Meet the Omnivorous Publisher |
|
Default:
| |
| Set up an underground printing-press for the Song of the Sky |
|
Success:
| |
| Follow your Ambition |
|
Default:
Ambition: The Song of the Sky | |
| Choose a New Ambition | Fame | None | Default:
|
| Fame | None | Default:
| |
| Fame | None | Default:
| |
| Fame | None | Default:
| |
| Abandon the Truth and Choose a New Ambition | Fame | None | Default:
|
Triggered Events[]
Click Expand on the right for more.
| Story | Requirements | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambition: The Song of the Sky |
|
Story Event (Always :100%) | Limbo |
| The Omnivorous Publisher |
|
Story Event (Always :100%) | Limbo |
| An Unpromising Address |
|
Story Event (Always :100%) | Limbo |
| The Seventh Canto |
|
Story Event (Always :100%) | Limbo |
| Follow your Ambition: the Song of the Sky |
|
Story Event (Always :100%) | Wolvesey Station |
| Ambition: the Song of the Sky |
|
Story Event (Always :100%) | St Dominic's Station |
| Choose a New Ambition |
|
Story Event (Always :100%) | Anywhere |
Template:Navbox Journal