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Clay Conductor
Clay Conductor
Position First Officer
Effects

Hearts icon +6 Hearts
Iron icon +2 Iron
Affiliationacadame icon +1 x Affiliation: Academe

Promotions Clayconductor icon Caring Conductor

Clayconductor icon Clay Conductor and Copper Companion

Data ID 132921
Interaction ID 278204

The Clay Conductor is an officer who can be found at London or Brabazon Workworld.

Officer description[ | ]

"An experienced First Officer, the Clay Conductor is invaluable in a locomotive emergency: calm, ruthlessly strong, and largely impervious to fire. "

Obtaining[ | ]

The Clay Conductor can only be acquired if his story hasn't been completed yet in the current lineage. Meaning that these values are required for the Clay Conductor to be recruitable:

Caring Companion ≤ 0,
Clay Conductor & Copper Companion ≤ 0,


You can recruit the Clay Conductor in London icon London or on Brabazon icon The Brabazon Workworld


The Clay Conductor[ | ]

The Clay Conductor has taken a berth in the back of your locomotive. He has made no attempt to personalise his cabin; all of his things (including the urn with his friend's dust) are stuffed into a suitcase that sits forlornly on the floor.

He performs his duties with plodding diligence. He keeps up the maintenance of the engine, ensures things run as you would wish them to, and ostensibly looks after the crew. He does not socialise, and when not working, keeps to his bunk.


Interactions

Actions Requirements Effects Notes
Restore the Clay Conductor's voice
You've overheard him attempting to sing, but he gave up quickly – his voice was gravelly and out of practice. Some nectar might help lubricate the vocal chords.
A friend in need
The Clay Conductor fetches a spoon and several lumps of sugar. He mashes the lumps into the honey, then gargles the concoction. When he is done, you wrangle a little of his past from him. The Clay Conductor was in the Clay Choirs. His dead companion was a very talented clay chorister.

"I have hopes of finding someone with as good a voice again. One cannot be a chorus alone. I've heard tell of a Clay Man in the Most Serene Mausoleum..."

The Clay Conductor tails off; clearly desiring your assistance but unsure how to formulate the question. He stares at his feet instead.
Propose an imaginative solution to the Clay Conductor's despond
You may not know someone who can help, but perhaps there is a somewhere. On an old, encoded chart you have seen a place called the Forge of Souls.
An impossible proposition
Together, you pore over the chart, and the suppositions of travellers and traders. You find reference to a Forge of Souls: a fabled foundry of the Blue Kingdom, where new people can be made.

Your efforts have proved that the person the Conductor seeks does not exist. Therefore, it is necessary to invent them.

The Conductor's eyes shine like lit coals. "Yes, Captain. We will go there. We will make a suitable companion; one with a voice to match mine." He does not bother to mention other characteristics
Suggest an imaginative solution to the Conductor's loneliness
Has he heard of the Forge of Souls?
An impossible proposition
The Clay Conductor's eyes shine like embers as you tell him of the Forge of Souls and what it can create. He listens, rapt, as you speak of the furnaces like cathedral organs; the spirits who labour at the refinement of the soul.

Your efforts have proved that the person the Conductor seeks does not exist. Therefore, it is necessary to invent them.

The Conductor's eyes shine like lit coals. "Yes, Captain. We will go there. We will make a suitable companion; one with a voice to match mine." He does not bother to mention other characteristics.
Ask the Conductor why he was so rude?
The meeting with the Engraved Mourner clearly did not go well.
The House of Small Comfort
"He's defective. Plain to hear; no wonder he lives surrounded by humans. If they only knew true Clay music—" The Conductor grimaces. He directs your attention to a crumpled brochure. It is for Magdalene's House of Small Comfort in the Reach. 'Any company the weary skyfarer needs, we shall provide. Anyone you can think of; those of a Rubbery persuasion, the company of the dead, even Clay company.' The Conductor taps the page. "We shall see... Can we?"
Look in on the Clay Conductor
He was out of sorts when you last spoke.
Distraction
The Clay Conductor is carrying out his duties with drive if not success. The crew are complaining of excessive grumpiness.

You find him in his cabin. The Conductor offers a brief apology, and nothing further. "I'm sorry, Captain. I'm just not in the mood for conversation." He closes the door after you.

Game note: Give the Clay Conductor a little time.

Ask the Conductor about his search
He was unimpressed by the music at Magdalene's. Should you be looking elsewhere for other candidates suitable for a Clay Choir?
An interlude
The Clay Conductor is going through his suitcase. The urn lies on the floor. "We used to tour the workworlds together," he tells you. "Rarely appreciated, but we got paid." He unearths a sheaf of pages. "And we wrote our own music. If I could just find someone capable of the harmonies again." He begins to rifle through the sheets. His lips move with the notes; one large finger chasing the key changes across the pages.

He starts as he remembers you are still in his cabin. "Forgive me, Captain." His voice is a little thicker than usual. "I'm afraid I'm going to take the afternoon off."

Game note: He will need a little time.

Speak to the Clay Conductor
His meeting with Amberley Murgatroyd's assistants was not a success.
A slough of despond
The Clay Conductor is brooding on his bunk. He is holding the urn containing the rubble of his friend. "There is no one else like him," the Conductor admits. "I shall sing no more." He lapses into silence, and will not speak again. Perhaps he's right; perhaps there is no one who can sing in the way the Conductor wishes. But, you have heard certain stories. You might just have an idea...
Speak to the Clay Conductor and his Copper Companion
They are singing together in the galley, to the exasperation of your crew.
Two birds in a cage
The Clay Conductor has brought his urn into the galley. He smiles broadly as he sees you enter. "Aren't they a marvel? Their pitch! Their vibrato! They can harmonise without me!"

There is an eery shiver to hearing your voice emanate, deeper than expected, from the Copper Companion's sculpted throat.

"You have contributed to something unique, Captain." The Conductor turns his attention back to his Companion, and begins to sing once more. Their voices echo in low chorus, singing a hymn to the moving plates of earth, the kiln, the forge and the clay. They appear content.
Speak to the Clay Conductor and his Copper Companion
The Copper Companion is singing in the galley, while the Clay Conductor looks on.
A Clay Chorister alone
The Clay Conductor smiles when he sees you. "Aren't they a marvel? Their pitch! Their vibrato! They can harmonise without me!"

In the echoes of music, you can almost make out the Conductor's voice.

The Clay Conductor sighs, as though the thought was in his mind too. "They never tire. I suppose it is what I built them for. We built, I'm sorry." He returns his attention to the Companion, who sings on, oblivious to the Conductor's mood.
Speak to the Clay Conductor
He refused to allow you to give up your voice. Why?
A change of course
He is, as ever, in his bunk. His suitcase is folded neatly by the bed, and his things have been taken out and placed around the cabin.

He sighs as you enter. "I'm sorry for wasting your time, Captain. I couldn't—"

He stares at his hands as though he might find his answer there. "I did not think it was right for you to sacrifice it." He shakes his head. "If you don't mind, I have my duties." He leaves the room to begin his rounds of the crew.
Sing for the Clay Conductor
Show him the fruits of your labor. Will he be pleased?
    • Choristernectar icon A Singer of Clay = 1 [You can perform the music of the Clay Choirs satisfactorily.]

Politeness, at least
You surprise him during the hour when he's supposed to open his bunk for the crew to come to him with any concerns. They never do. The Conductor puts aside a sheet of music to salute you. "Captain."

You launch into song without further ado; your voice is rough, but it's a more than passable attempt. You capture the echoes of deep, forgotten caves as you try to follow the rhythms of an avalanche.

When you finish, there is a silence. Eventually, the Clay Conductor speaks. "Thank you. I appreciate the effort. But you are not Clay." Even so, his attitude to you has thawed a little; later, when you pass him in the galley, he even attempts painful conversation.
    • Choristernectar icon A Singer of Clay = 2 [You have performed for the Clay Conductor, who was not particularly impressed.]

Continue your singing practise
You've been at it for some time now. Surely you must be improving?
Labours reward
The familiar ritual. The locking of the door; the gargling of the nectar.

You assume your usual position, discovered over hours of exhaustive practice: hunkered low, compact and growlsome. You perform your warm up exercises – across the seventeen notes of the Clay octave, before launching into the 'Lament for Polythreme'. It sounds rather good. Next, the 'Breaking of the Hundredth Heart'. If anything, it's better.

You run through your entire repertoire, and then backwards to be sure. There can be no doubt: your practice has paid off. Perhaps you should perform it for the Clay Conductor.
Seduce the Clay Conductor
Since you told him of the Forge of Souls, his opinion of you has soared. He might even like you.
A bracing encounter
If the Clay Conductor is startled by your suggestion, he conceals it well. He nods slowly and even smiles. He accepts, on one condition: that you do not sing or play music. It would do nothing for the mood.

Do your crew hear? Word certainly gets around after you request a couple of engineers' help fixing your bed.

Is the Clay Conductor more fond of you afterwards? No. However, every now and then, when you meet his gaze, he has a certain gleam in his eye.
Attempt Clay singing
The Clay Conductor wishes a singing partner. You've heard a couple of examples; perhaps you could give it a try.
No rest for captains
Mixed with sugar and water, the nectar's taste is almost worth the wrist-wrenching labour. You gargle it just as you saw the Clay Conductor do. Your throat feels as though it has expanded: your vocal range has widened. You can project further. Your voice is richer and more resonant. The practice is exhausting. Your vocal chords throb with the low notes and trill with the high. You sing of the rock and shale; the arias of quarrying, labour, and the living clay. It's passable – but not there yet. But more practice will surely make perfect.
Spend time with the Clay Conductor
Perhaps he would appreciate a visit from his captain. No one else talks to him.
A happy traveller
"Yes?" He doesn't look up from a large volume of sheet music; slow hymns like the drift of continents, made from the melody of plate-shifting earthquakes. You attempt to engage him in conversation; he responds to this with reluctance. He is content, for the moment. His days have been tolerable. No, he does not need anything. When you eventually give up and make to go, he seems relieved.
Rid yourself of the Clay Conductor
This is not working out; the Clay Conductor is simply not fitting in.

Game note: This will reduce Terror. This is irreversible. Consider waiting until your hold isn't full, lest you be overburdened by needing to store anything he leaves behind.

Alone again
The Clay Conductor rises from his bunk. "I am busy," he informs you, despite all evidence to the contrary.

You inform him of the situation: he has until the next time you dock to make any arrangements he needs. Then, he leaves your engine. He looks surprised, for a moment, before his customary frown returns. "So be it."

He departs at the next station without any fuss. He has left his cabin in an immaculate state, taking everything with him, even the urn.

That night, your crew throw a party.



Quality status[ | ]

Clay Conductor has different statuses according to your actions, defined by the comment in front of the quality.

Interaction description[ | ]

Interactions[ | ]

Interactions in Brief[ | ]

Click Expand on the right for more.

Interaction Action Result Type Change
The Clay Conductor 'Rid yourself of the Clay Conductor ' Default / Challenge Fail = 0
Recruit the Clay Conductor 'Recruit the Clay Conductor' Default / Challenge Fail = 1
Recruit the Clay Conductor 'Recruit the Clay Conductor' Default / Challenge Fail = 1
An Insistent Knocking 'Permit it' Default / Challenge Fail = 0
An Insistent Knocking 'Refuse' Default / Challenge Fail = 0
A Quiet Knocking 'Hear the Clay Conductor out' Default / Challenge Fail = 0
A Fervent Knocking 'Hear the Clay Conductor out' Default / Challenge Fail = 0

Interactions in Detail[ | ]

Click Expand on the right for more.

Story Action Required Effect
The Clay Conductor Rid yourself of the Clay Conductor Default:


Recruit the Clay Conductor Recruit the Clay Conductor Default:
    • Clayconductor icon Clay Conductor = 1 [You have recruited the Clay Conductor.]
Recruit the Clay Conductor Default:
    • Clayconductor icon Clay Conductor = 1 [You have recruited the Clay Conductor.]
An Insistent Knocking Permit it None Default:
Refuse None Default:


A Quiet Knocking Hear the Clay Conductor out Default:


A Fervent Knocking Hear the Clay Conductor out Default:


Triggered Events[ | ]

Click Expand on the right for more.

Story Requirements Type Location
The Clay Conductor
    • Clay Conductor ≥ 1
Story Event (Always :100%) Limbo


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