The Forge of Souls | |
---|---|
The Forge of Souls (Sidebar) | |
Located in | the Blue Kingdom |
Ports | The Forge of Souls |
Shops | The Venturer's Request |
The Forge of Souls is a station in the Blue Kingdom, located north-east from Sky Barnet.
Guide[]
Captains of any status can visit the shops and bazaar.
Ephemera or Yoked captains can enter the Lyceum and visit the forge itself.
Getting an audience with the Lamentation of Mists costs:
- 3 Scraps of Ancient Knowledge.
- 1 Scrap of Ancient Knowledge and a litigator.
- 1 Testament of the Feather
- 1 Lamentation’s Gratitude. (you get 2 per Scribe Spinster you forge, each costing 1 Bronzewood and 2 Panes of Stained Glass.)
This leads to The Lamentation of Mists.
The Forge Itself[]
To access the forge itself, captains must first locate it through exploration (a very difficult mirrors challenge) or bribery (500 sovereigns and a litigator).
You must then get an audience with the Lamentation of Mists to get permission to repair it.
You must then repair it. Undistinguished Souls repair it 20%, Bronzewood repairs it 40% and Condemned Experiments repair it 60%.
This leads to The Forge, Awoken.
Log Entries[]
A hush falls over the engine; you approach a great library of the Blue Kingdom.
Crew press their noses to the windows, hoping for a glimpse of the fabled Forge of Souls.
The sky ahead is smogged with gleaming dust: you near the Forge of Souls.
Chiropterous Hoarder: "Carillon is so drab in comparison. Makes me wonder why they bothered, why they cared."
The Clay Conductor frowns. "I was expecting something more. It looks like a library." Someone informs him that that's exactly what it is. He sighs theatrically.
The Incognito Princess peers at the Forge of Souls: "You don't need to make anyone else. You have me."
The Rat Brigade chitter excitedly. Could they make more rats here? Your crew are alarmed.
"You can't give me back, Captain." The smugness radiating from the Forged Companion is perhaps a product of your imagination.
The Forge of Souls[]
A colossal many-towered citadel contains the Lyceum, an ancient library and rumoured to hold the fabled Forge of Souls within its depths.
The Court of Dust | |
---|---|
Category | Story Event |
Type | Story |
Data ID | 306142 |
The Court of Dust[]
A sombre citadel of many towers broods behind high, bronze walls. A cloud of dust hangs over the towers; occasional slivers of gemstone in the cloud sparkle as they catch the light.
This is the Lyceum, a library of legend and guarded fortress of knowledge. It is forbidden to all but a select few.
Interactions
Storylet Name | Unlocked With | Effects | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Approach the gates A few lonely spirits mill about in the courtyard, unable to pass the gates. Perhaps you'll fare differently. |
|
Turned away The gates are high as tall cedars. Masked faces, carved into the bronze, gaze down upon the courtyard impassively. Beyond the gates, the towers of the Lyceum rise higher still; forlorn and foreboding. |
|
Enter the gates The other spirits here are forbidden from entering, but perhaps it will be different for you. |
|
Into the Lyceum
![]() |
|
Enter the Lyceum You are permitted. |
|
Welcomed back
![]() |
|
Look for the Forge of Souls
You'll need to find it, if you're to make a companion for the Clay Conductor.
|
|
A way forward
Towers upon towers, and dust upon dust. The citadel here seems entirely deserted.
The Clay Conductor moans with frustration. "Why is nothing in my life easy?" |
|
Observe your Blemmigan
It has followed you from the engine. Its tendrils probe the ground. What is it doing?
|
|
Impatience
The Blemmigan scurries towards the vast gates, its body jiggling and quaking with the vibrations from the newly repaired Forge. It is as a young Blemmigan, filled with boundless excitement – all dignity abandoned.
It presses its tendrils against the towering bronze gate and looks at you, expectantly. It wants to visit the Forge of Souls.
|
|
Observe your Blemmigan
It has followed you from the engine. Its tendrils probe the ground. What is it doing?
|
|
Impatience
The Blemmigan flattens itself onto the floor and lies still for several moments. Abruptly, it stands and makes it way over to your feet. It taps a tendril on the ground meaningfully. You have brought it to the correct place, but it requires more. The Forge of Souls needs to be operational.
|
|
Wander the Courtyard
A few spirits wait hopefully in line for gates that don't open; officials sometimes pass through on their way to somewhere more important.
|
![]() |
Advanced query needs investigation |
The Lyceum | |
---|---|
Category | Story Event |
Type | Story |
Data ID | 306151 |
The Lyceum[]
The Lyceum is a cavernous and crumbling vault. Its stone floors are covered in battered tomes and broken tablets.
A few thin rays of light filter in from holes in the towers high above. They illuminate vast stone stairs leading deeper into the Lyceum. The Unworthy Scribe sits at a small desk beside the gate, whispering to himself and paying no heed to you.
Interactions
Storylet Name | Unlocked With | Effects | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Compile a Port Report
The sanctum of the fabled Forge of Souls; the library of the Westernmost King. There are wonders here, long forgot. |
Time's archives The Lyceum is a trove of buried knowledge; the lore of kings and regents; the notes on the creation of servants of the stars. The scribes and clerks in the service of the Lamentation of Mists do what they can to organise and catalogue the vast archives, but the Lamentation's work comes first. The sky around is lit with cooling sparks from the Forge itself, its smouldered chimneys protected by the storied towers of the Lyceum. Here, knowledge is created. |
||
Introduce yourself You are new to the Lyceum. |
|
A library of the stars The Graven's eye sockets are studded with twinkling white sapphires. His fingers drum on his stone desk, propelled by nervous energy.
|
|
Petition for an audience with the Lamentation of Mists The Lamentation has authority over the Lyceum and the Forge of Souls. Perhaps you have a need for her. |
|
![]() |
|
Ask whether you may visit the 'Clerk of Sevens Beside the vast gates is a door barely taller than you. Its bronze plaque is etched with words in several languages. One of them is English. |
|
Left unlocked The Unworthy Scribe opens the door for you. The skeleton's eyes wink in the light. "The clerk was a Londoner, once. Perhaps you'll get along."
![]() |
|
Visit the Clerk of Sevens You can let yourself into her office. |
|
![]() |
|
Enquire about the Forge of Souls, said to dwell within Lyceum You have heard that the suns used it to fashion new life. Is it true? |
|
A mistake of protocol. The Unworthy Scribe hisses, like a kettle on the boil. The sapphires in its eye sockets dim.
|
|
Bribe the Unworthy Scribe to take you to the Forge of Souls You will require assistance from your Litigator. They'll know how to do this without risk of causing a scene. |
|
To the Forge Litigator: the Cowled Loquacitor(Forge)Litigator: the Embittered Devil(Forge)Litigator: the Nameless Spirit(Forge)
![]() |
|
Mount an Expedition to the Forge of Souls Somewhere in Lyceum is a hidden passage between the library's shell and its molten heart. |
|
Success! | 28% at 33 mirrors, 44% at 52 mirrors |
Finding the Forge You scour the Lyceum, evading the desolate servitors of the Sapphir'd King; the shrieks of those who've failed the Lamentation.
The pillars of flame and salt do not find you. The jars of weeping voices stay silent as you pass by their repositories. After days of creeping through the dark, your matches and food running low, you come upon a kiln. Unlit, and dust-webbed, it is incongruous here. Pressing on, you find evidence of furnaces and machinery; vats and vaults. Was the Lyceum once the Forge? You press on, until at last, you emerge, blinking in a sudden radiance, covered in spider-like things. You have found the heart of the Forge of Souls.
![]() | |||
Failure! | |||
To the Forge The library is vast and dark; servants of the Lamentation, driven mad by their service or their mistress or both, are a continuous hazard.
| |||
Return to the Forge of Souls You know the way now. |
|
![]() |
|
Complete your task for the Lamentation She seeks a Casket of Sapphire, lost somewhere in the gloomy deeps of the Lyceum. You will require maps, and permission. |
|
A treasure hard won You provide maps to the Unworthy Scribe; together you pour over them. After long hours, and a dozen candles burned, you think you have a course. The Scribe promises the Testament will keep you safe.
|
Seeking Audience with the Lamentation of Mists | |
---|---|
Category | Story Event |
Type | Story |
Data ID | 306156 |
Seeking Audience with the Lamentation of Mists[]
The Unworthy Scribe shakes his head, sadly. "The Lamentation prefers to choose her servants herself. It is beyond my remit to procure service for her. And besides," he glances around at the wealth of mouldering shelves and scattered clay tablets. "She is excruciatingly busy."
Interactions
Storylet Name | Unlocked With | Effects | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Offer tribute to the Lamentation The Lamentation of Mists seeks fragments such as these to rebuild the Lyceum and restore it to its former glory. She might be willing to see you if she knew what you had. |
Welcomed The Unworthy Scribe grasps your scraps with tremulous fingers. "Of course. She will be so pleased. This way." He leads you to the Chambers of Restoration where the Lamentation of Mists spends her days sifting through the ashes.
![]() |
||
Provide an endorsement from your Litigator They will vouch for you and, hopefully, secure a less costly means of seeing the Lamentation. |
A useful intervention Litigator: the Cowled Loquacitor(Lamentation)Litigator: the Embittered Devil(Lamentation)Litigator: the Nameless Spirit(Lamentation) The Scribe leads you through the Lyceum and towards the Chamber of Restoration where the Lamentation of Mists spends her days sifting through the ashes.
![]() |
||
Offer tribute to the Lamentation A library needs books. And if she dislikes the words in the ones you offer, she can make use of the bindings, the pages, the letters. |
A distaste for the classics The Unassuming Scribe sighs sadly. "I appreciate the gesture, but we are not in the habit of cataloguing your ghastly attempts at profundity. If you wish to restock our Lyceum, I'd suggest searching Eleutheria. The Lamentation is very interested in recovering whatever is left from the libraries scattered about that unhappy kingdom." |
||
Inform him the Lamentation is aware of your value You have helped the Lamentation of Mist create Scrive-Spinsters. She should be able to make time for you. |
|
A heavy sigh "My mistake. This is why I remain a lowly scribe. Come, come. I am sure she is waiting even now on your arrival," he continues, unconvincingly.
![]() |
|
Offer a Testament of the Feather The Lamentation might require such things to expand her ranks of servants in the Lyceum. |
A Feather for the Lamentation
The Unworthy Scribe takes your Testament with reverence. "I shall see that she gets it. It is a thoughtful gift. Come, I shall see if she has time to see you now."
![]() |
||
Another Time You have nothing that you wish to give. |
![]() |
The Clerk of Sevens | |
---|---|
Category | Story Event |
Type | Story |
Data ID | 306257 |
The Clerk of Sevens[]
The room is lined with shelves, filled with tattered files and crumbling journals. At the centre is a large, ornate, wooden desk – the type you'd see in a banker's office in London. The Clerk sits on top of the desk, reading. She leans against a vast stack of dust-covered papers . She glances up from her book. Her smile is quick, mischievous.
Interactions
Storylet Name | Unlocked With | Effects | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ask what she does here Few humans (living ones, at least) hold positions of importance in the Blue Kingdom. And her title is not informative. |
|
A dry laugh "I'm cataloguing the number seven." She shrugs helplessly. "All history, science, law, art, fiction - every and any occurence of the number seven, I record and file it." |
|||
Ask how you can assist the Clerk She wants you to help her out of her bibliographic hell. |
|
A loop-hole "Listen," she says. "I wasn't first through the Avid Horizon, but I was pretty close. And I made a bad deal. I didn't know much better, then. |
How can you help her?
What does she want you do to? |
"I've learned as much as I can of the Correspondence here at the library. The signs I need are obscure ones – I can't find them here." She hands you a sheaf of notes and a couple of charred books. "I've scraped together some clues to locations the sigils might have been used. If you can collect, say, half-a-dozen of them, I should be able to amend the terms of my service enough to free myself. For a time, at least."
|
Game note: There are 18 sigils scattered across the sky in ports and discoveries. You need to recover any six of them. |
Deliver the Correspondence that the Clerk requested
The sigils are prone to combustion. It would be far safer were they away from your engine.
|
|
Almost overcome
The Clerk is silent for a long moment after you hand her the sigils. Then: "Thank you. Sincerely. I wasn't certain you – anyone – could do it."
She hauls several heavy, clay tablets from beneath her desk and begins carving Correspondence sigils into them with a knife. As she works, she gives you a partial explanation: the set of tablets bear the terms of her service. Each sigil you brought her has its place – expanding the scope of a phrase here, or introducing contradictions there. "This will grant me a period of freedom. If I return occasionally, the King might not even notice I'm gone. It will only last for a time, but—" She grins fiercely. "I intend to make the most of it."
|
|||
Ask what the Clerk intends to do
Where does she intend to go?
|
|
In search of old friends
"I've been stuck at the Forge of Souls for years. The High Wilderness will have changed since I last went exploring. Londoners never could let things lie." She smiles. "I have a standing invitation to Langley Hall. I'll look for familiar faces there."
|
|||
Have a look at the Clerk's work You certainly won't be interrupting. |
Not entirely riveting The top sheet of the nearest pile is titled 'The Constellation of Sparrows'. Here, the Clerk has been recording the reign of the constellation's seventh sun.
To the side of that pile is a hefty file. It is marked as the fifth of twenty-six files – on every seventh bronzewood tree growing in the Reach. Her work is certainly... thorough.
|
||||
Return to the Gates of the Lyceum There is nothing here but the Clerk of Sevens and a vast amount of paperwork. None are going anywhere. |
|
![]() |
|||
Return to the Gates of the Lyceum
There is nothing here but the Clerk of Sevens and a vast amount of paperwork. The paperwork, at least, isn't going anywhere.
|
|
![]() |
The Forge of Souls | |
---|---|
Category | Story Event |
Type | Story |
Data ID | 306194 |
The Forge of Souls[]
A single gate permits entry into the innermost sanctum.
The ground is carpeted in knee-high drifts of scintillant, chromatic dust. A the base of the Forge, there is a lone figure. The First Venturer, guardian of the Forge of Souls, now sifting through the dust and ash.
Interactions
Storylet Name | Unlocked With | Effects | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Speak to the man at the Forge's base
He guards the Forge, in his own way.
|
|
![]() |
||
Repair the Forge The First Venturer can assist in restoring the Forge. |
|
![]() |
||
Enter the Forge with the Lamentation's permission The Lamentation will only let worthy souls make use of the Forge. |
|
![]() |
||
Secure entry to the Forge with a Testament of the Feather The towers of the Forge once more quake with purpose. |
|
![]() |
||
Forge a companion The rekindled Forge presents an opportunity. You could make an officer for your crew. One constructed to your precise specifications, free from any complications into which you might otherwise become entangled. |
|
A willing assistant You do not express your desire aloud, so the white-robed spirit who appears to float towards you must have caught the movement of your head as you surveyed the Forge for a suitable chamber.
![]() |
||
Forge a companion Perhaps this time, you will create an exemplary officer. |
A willing assistant Once again, the spirit floats towards you. Their white robes appear almost liquid as they ripple through the warm air of the Forge towards a filigreed brass door, warm to the touch. The heat that engulfs you on the other side makes your skin prickle and breath catch.
![]() | |||
Allow your Blemmigan to enter the Forge The Blemmigan stands on your foot. It reaches up to your hand, and gives it a firm, solemn pat. This is where it wishes to be. |
|
A final farewell The Blemmigan clambers through the furnace gate and into the Forge. It does not look back.
|
Game note: You will lose your Blemmigan Voyager. | |
Consult the Spirits of the Forge for the Clay Conductor "Their voice must be perfect," the Conductor implores, his eyes bright. |
|
A template from the Sun's Daughter The Sisters in Green and Gold raise their limbs, as though shrugging. The Red Ministers are implacable behind their woven masks. The Principalities scurry away from you, and will not consider your request.
|
||
Consult the Spirits of the Forge on Creating the Clay Conductor's Companion The Sun's Daughter suggested they should create a new creature from old pieces. |
|
Something old, something new The spirits gather in the greatest and most central chambers of the Forge to hear of your audience with the Sun's Daughter. The White Minister, with her wings of canvas and white sapphires, is at the heart of the throng.
![]() |
Game note: You can now begin creating the Conductor's Companion at the Forge. | |
Work on forging the Clay Conductor's Companion The Spirits are keen to return to work. The Clay Conductor is even more eager, and finds more and more excuses to bother you about it. |
|
![]() |
Track down the Exacting Ombudsman | |
---|---|
Category | Story Event |
Type | Story |
Data ID | 303644 |
Track down the Exacting Ombudsman[]
You find him in a hushed chamber of the Lyceum so swamped with paper you can barely open its bronze doors.
Trigger conditions
Corruption at the Court ≥ 10 ≤ 11
Interactions
Storylet Name | Unlocked With | Effects | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Enter the office
The Ombudsman has carved a little hollow for himself and his desk inside an avalanche of paperwork.
|
|
The Ombudsman obfuscated
He barely glances up to acknowledge your presence. He has a pen in each hand, and he's scrawling furiously across six sheets at once.
Of course, this being the Blue Kingdom, not all the paperwork is paper. There are stone tablets, a rune-carved obelisk, a spirit lurking in the corner with a requisition form tattooed across its bared chest (best not think where the small print might be found). To enter the room you have to carefully step over a lazing cat with natural hieroglyph-like markings across its back. Do they breed paperwork here?
![]() |
|
Tell the Ombudsman the Watcher is at the bottom of the White Well An obvious lie, but the Ombudsman trusts you implicitly. The Lamentation of Mists will reward you for his convenient disappearance. |
|
A hero's mission "Then I must rescue the poor soul at once! Meet me at Wellmouth!" The Ombudsman leaps to his feet and rushes from the office.
|
|
Warn the Ombudsman that he is in danger The Lamentation of Mists asked you to make sure that he disappears. |
|
The Ombudsman's exile "Is that so?" The Exacting Ombudsman continues filling out paperwork until your words sink in. He carefully lays down his pen. "Then I suppose I had better flee the Kingdom, hadn't I?"
|
Stymied | |
---|---|
Category | Story Event |
Type | Story |
Data ID | 303967 |
Stymied[]
"Hello. Nice to see you." The Ombudsman talks in the short, clipped tones of someone counting every wasted second. "I'm trying to submit the results of our investigation, but for some reason they keep bouncing me between different departments I've never even heard of, and sending me more and more forms. It's highly irregular! "This goes against everything I believe, but I need you to help me cut through the bureaucracy. You seem good at that."
Interactions
Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Submit a Testament of the Feather and a costly series of tithes
Grease the wheels of the Forge's bureaucracy and help the Ombudsman submit his report.
|
The Lamentation of Mists
Every bureaucrat refers you higher and higher up the chain, until you find yourself called to a meeting with the Lamentation of Mists herself. Her wings tremble.
"The Watcher is dead," she says mournfully. "Long, gone, decayed." The Unworthy Scribe whispers in your ear. "We allow the Graven to maintain their fiction because the Watcher's status as an omniscient judge means we avoid contending with every court's worst nightmare: appeals. Appeals would overload our creaking bureaucracy beyond recovery." He pauses. "Everyone understands this except the Ombudsman. A limited thinker." "He must disappear," mutters the Scrive-Spinster, picking fitfully at the tablets scattered around her. "You must do it."
![]() |
||
Ask Litigator: the Cowled Loquacitor(name)Litigator: the Embittered Devil(name)Litigator: the Nameless Spirit(name) to intercede on your behalf
There's only so much they can do. You'll need to pay a tithe as well.
|
The Lamentation of Mists
Every bureaucrat refers you higher and higher up the chain, until you find yourself called to a meeting with the Lamentation of Mists herself. Her wings tremble.
"The Watcher is dead," she says mournfully. "Long, gone, decayed." The Unworthy Scribe whispers in your ear. "We allow the Graven to maintain their fiction because the Watcher's status as an omniscient judge means we avoid contending with every court's worst nightmare: appeals. Appeals would overload our creaking bureaucracy beyond recovery." He pauses. "Everyone understands this except the Ombudsman. A limited thinker." "He must disappear," mutters the Scrive-Spinster, picking fitfully at the tablets scattered around her. "You must do it."
![]() |
||
Leave the Ombudsman to his work
He'll try to make progress in your absence. The bureaucracy can't be entirely intractable, surely?
|
|
![]() |
|
Recruit the Clay Conductor and Copper Companion | |
---|---|
Category | Story Event |
Type | Story |
Data ID | 311014 |
Recruit the Clay Conductor and Copper Companion[]
They are sat at the station, singing in uncanny harmony. The Companion's voice is stronger, but the Clay Conductor seems not to mind. They await employment.
Game note: Officers require a sign-on fee.
Trigger conditions
Clay Conductor and Copper Companion ≤ 0,
Clay Conductor & Copper Companion ≥ 1
Interactions
Actions | Requirements | Effects | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Invite them to join your crew
They have been newly forged by their experiences.
Game note: This will give you the Clay Conductor and Copper Companion, a First Officer who increase your Mirrors by 10 and your Affiliation: Academe by 2. |
|
A new journey
The Copper Companion inspects you and trills out a melodic, mechanical note. The Clay Conductor smiles bashfully. "They approve. Shall we, Captain?"
|
|
Shops[]
The Venturer's Request
One of the first Londoners to cross the Avid Horizon; the Venturer skulks by the the Forge, collecting shards of Navaratine. He parts, reluctantly, with the least of these.
Item | Buy | Sell |
---|---|---|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |