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The Waxwork Symposium
Pairofeyes
Category Story Event
Type Story
Data ID 308675

The Waxwork Symposium is a Sunless Skies Story Event.

Story description[ | ]

"Proving your Worth: The Blindness Throne(waxwork_description)"


Interactions[ | ]

Actions Requirements Effects Notes
Sit in the dentist's chair
It's the only way to prove your worth as a quester.
    • Circus icon Proving your Worth: The Blindness Throne = 1 [Travel to Polmear & Plenty's Inconceivable Circus and prove you are worthy of the Martyr-King's Cup by sitting upon the Blindness Throne without losing your eyes]

The Throne's curse
As you descend into the chair, one of the ruffians steps forward and binds the straps around your wrists with quick, efficient movements. "This is the Throne's curse," says the Ringleader, watching you carefully. "A binding curse. You cannot escape until you have proven yourself." He nods meaningfully at one of the other men nearby, who pulls a knife from his belt.
Lose yourself in the world of the knights and castle
On balance, you'd rather fight a curse than a gang of dead-eyed men who appear to have made their hideout in a waxwork museum.
A simpler predicament
You slip back into the moonlit world. The One-eared Ringleader's scarred face transforms into the broad, friendly visage of the knight-commander. In a matter of moments, you forget about the Ringleader entirely and remember only the knight.
Ask them what they're doing here
Why are a gang of brutes trying to trick you into sitting in a dentist chair? Are they aware of the moonlit world?
    • Circus icon Proving your Worth: The Blindness Throne = 1 [Travel to Polmear & Plenty's Inconceivable Circus and prove you are worthy of the Martyr-King's Cup by sitting upon the Blindness Throne without losing your eyes]

A lucrative gig
The Ringleader sighs when he realises you can see him for who he really is. He pauses to take a drag from his cigar.

"Loads of – whaddaya call 'em – questers come through here every month and sit in that chair," says the Ringleader. "We set up camp here just so we could take their cash. I don't know what this Cup is, but as long as you mugs keep coming, we'll keep making easy money."

He shrugs. "Leave if you want. I won't stop you. But you won't prove your worth if you don't sit in the chair."
Turn and leave the Waxwork Symposium
"You'll be back," says one of the robbers darkly.
    • Circus icon Proving your Worth: The Blindness Throne = 1 [Travel to Polmear & Plenty's Inconceivable Circus and prove you are worthy of the Martyr-King's Cup by sitting upon the Blindness Throne without losing your eyes]

Struggle to work yourself free
If you can secretly work the knuckles of your thumbs under the leather straps...
Failed event

Game note: This will make it easier for you to pass an escape challenge later.

Giving yourself away
You wriggle furiously, trying to slip your wrists free of the tight leather straps, but to no avail. The Ringleader notices your struggles, and raises his single eyebrow.

"Oop, we've got a live one!" His men roar with laughter. "Lads, fetch the laudanum!"

As you strain against your straps, the Ringleader presses a brown bottle to your lips. Something acrid and bitter slides down your throat. Your muscles relax. You find yourself slipping, against your will, back into the role of the knight.

When you next open your eyes, you are sitting again in the Castle of the Seraphim, atop the Blindness Throne.
Successful event
A ray of hope
The robbers don't appear to notice your wriggling. You manage to create a narrow gap in between your wrists and your bonds. If necessary you could pull your hands free, though you might leave most of the skin behind.
Insist they untie you
You've realised that they're not knights. This ruse is over. They'll just let you go now, surely?
Giving yourself away
When you raise your voice in protest, the Ringleader puffs his cigar and amusement faintly tinges his primordial eyes.

"Oh, so you can still see the real world? We'll have to change that. Get the laudanum, lads."

As you strain against your straps, the Ringleader presses a brown bottle to your lips. Something acrid and bitter slides down your throat. Your muscles relax. You find yourself slipping, against your will, back into the role of the knight.

When you next open your eyes, you are sitting again in the Castle of the Seraphim, atop the Blindness Throne.
Calmly allow them to bind your wrists
No sense in giving away that you're onto their ruse.
Cool, calm, collected
"That's right," says the Ringleader soothingly. "Deep breaths. Stay calm. The Blindness Throne is known to play tricks on the mind – just make sure you never forget that you are a knight." He makes a gesture. The knife-wielding ruffian readies his blade and kneels at your side.
Vociferously protest!
How dare they!
How rude
The robbers glance at each other, perplexed, when you launch into your protests.

"Looks like someone's remembered who they are," says the Ringleader. "I think I know the cure for that. Lads, someone go fetch the laudanum?"

As you strain against your straps, the Ringleader presses a brown bottle to your lips. Something acrid and bitter slides down your throat. Your muscles relax. You find yourself slipping, against your will, back into the role of the knight. Your last vision of the real world is of the Ringleader counting your sovereigns.

When you next open your eyes, you are sitting again in the Blindness Throne.

Game note: The ruffians are unlikely to listen.


Warn them about your friends in high places
They have no idea of the forces with which they trifle.
Not-so-righteous outrage
The Ringleader meets your gaze with his own dead-mackerel eyes. After a long moment, he looks away.

"Better not risk it," he mutters.

A ripple of upset and consternation spreads through the 'lads'. They quiet down when the Ringleader roars at them to 'shut it'.

"We're just going to blindfold 'em and dump 'em in the gutter, same as always," says the Ringleader. "But we'll leave their money alone, so they have no reason to come after us. We've got a smooth operation running here. No sense ruining it."

He snaps his fingers. "No sense letting 'em stay lucid, though. Lads! Fetch the laudanum!"
Warn them that you'll extract bloody vengeance
Your voice carries a promise of devastation.
Failed event
Unintimidated
The robbers meet your dark words with a roar of laughter. "What are you going to do?" asks the Ringleader. "Challenge us to a duel? Send dragons after us?"

The laughter dies down. "I like you better as a knight," says the Ringleader, uncorking a bottle of laudanum and pressing it to your lips.

As you strain against your straps, something bitter slides down your throat. You find yourself slipping back into the role of the knight, and your last vision of the real world is of the Ringleader counting your sovereigns.

When you next open your eyes, you are sitting in the Blindness Throne.
Successful event
Intimidated
The Ringleader meets your gaze with his own dead-mackerel eyes. After a long moment, he looks away.

"Better not risk it," he mutters.

A ripple of upset and consternation spreads through the 'lads'. They quiet down when the Ringleader roars at them to 'shut it'.

"We're just going to blindfold 'em and dump 'em in the gutter, same as always," says the Ringleader. "But we'll leave their money alone, so they have no reason to come after us. We've got a smooth operation running here. No sense ruining it."

He snaps his fingers. "No sense letting 'em stay lucid, though. Lads! Fetch the laudanum!"
Stay silent and let them rob you
You will endeavour to recover it when you are in a more advantageous position.
Moonlight robbery
"Better than the usual haul, boss," comments one of the robbers, resting his boots on a fallen waxwork of Napoleon.

"Are we going to stab them?" asks the one with the knife excitedly. "I'll stab them right now."

"We never stab them, Henry," says the Ringleader, exasperated. "We just blindfold 'em and dump 'em in the gutter. Stabbings attract attention. Remember what happened in Lustrum? Henry, stop looking at your boots, I know you remember."
You don't have any money
As it turns out, there are not many coins on your person.
Not worth robbing
"Ugh, not again." The Ringleader sounds disgusted. "Why do so few of these lunatics have any money? At this rate we'll have to go back to robbing banks."

"Are we going to stab them?" asks the one with the knife excitedly. "I'll stab them right now."

"We never stab them, Henry," says the Ringleader, exasperated. "We just blindfold 'em and dump 'em in the gutter. Stabbings attract attention. Remember what happened in Lustrum? Henry, stop looking at your boots, I know you remember."
Wriggle free of your bonds
You've been steadily working your wrists free for the last half-hour. Your skin is raw-red.
Failed event

Special is calculated as follows: 42 - Blindness Throne: Escape Challenge Modifier * 1.67


Game note: You have failed the quest for the Martyr-King's Cup. You can choose another Ambition at London, New Winchester, Pan, or Sky Barnet.

Game note: If you fail this challenge, you will fail the Ambition.

Blinded
Struggle as you might, the leather straps maintain their implacable grip. You can do nothing but curse as the robber blindfolds you.

Next, a bottle is pressed against your lips. It tastes of oblivion; when you wake up, you are lying out in the cold. Pulling the blindfold from your face, you discover that you have been deposited in a gutter behind one of the circus's side-tents.

Your back aches, your wrists are blistered. You can't shake the feeling that you had a terrible dream. But the memories are already fading.

    • Martyrkingscup icon Ambition: The Martyr-King's Cup = 100 [[COMPLETE]You have failed the quest for the Martyr-King's Cup. Perhaps a more worthy quester will take up your mantle one day]

    • Drink icon Stained = 1 [The devils of Carillon claim to be experts in the assessment and improvement of the soul. They would describe yours as over-rich, cindered and irrevocably damaged.]

    Triggers event: Ringmaster The Inconceivable Circus!

Successful event
Escape
You twist your wrists at an impossible-looking angle, rigidly stretch your fingers, and yank your hands free from the leather straps. Your captors don't seem to notice. Not yet.
Pull a knife from your boot
You'll take the Ringleader hostage and threaten the robbers into giving your money back.
Failed event

Game note: You have failed the quest for the Martyr-King's Cup. You can choose another Ambition at London, New Winchester, Pan, or Sky Barnet.

Game note: If you fail this challenge, you will fail the Ambition.

Overpowered
You leap from your chair, but the robbers act surprisingly fast. The knife is wrestled from your hands and you are shoved back down. You can do nothing but curse as the robber blindfolds you.

Next, a bottle is pressed against your lips. It tastes of oblivion; when you wake up, you are lying out in the cold. Pulling the blindfold from your face, you discover that you have been deposited in a gutter behind one of the circus's side-tents.

Your back aches, your wrists are blistered. You can't shake the feeling that you had a terrible dream. But the memories are already fading.

    • Martyrkingscup icon Ambition: The Martyr-King's Cup = 100 [[COMPLETE]You have failed the quest for the Martyr-King's Cup. Perhaps a more worthy quester will take up your mantle one day]

    • Drink icon Stained = 1 [The devils of Carillon claim to be experts in the assessment and improvement of the soul. They would describe yours as over-rich, cindered and irrevocably damaged.]

    Triggers event: Ringmaster The Inconceivable Circus!

Successful event
Hostage
You spring from the dentists' chair, knife flashing in your hand, and barrel toward the Ringleader like a runaway locomotive. He barely has time to change his expression from smug satisfaction to utter shock before your knife is pressed to his throat.

Your demands: the money, safely returned. An untroubled exit from the museum.

"Eck," says the Ringleader, trying to speak without moving his Adam's apple. "Eck. Oh courff. Anyfing oo ay."

In short order you are back on the streets outside the museum, free, unblinded, your money safely returned. You have successfully proven your worth on the Blindness Throne.
Flee the museum
The other robbers are discussing where they plan to dump your unconscious and blindfolded body. For a moment, their backs are turned.
Hard-won freedom
You leap from the chair, knocking over the solitary ruffian who had been approaching you with a blindfold. As the others shout and draw pistols, you vanish in the museum's shadowy recesses.

The Ringleader and his lackeys fan through the museum, yelling panicked instructions at each other. You stand stock-still between a waxwork of Plato and a waxwork of Judas Iscariot; once the ruffians have passed you by, you hop from the podium and make a beeline for the exit.

In short order you are back on the streets outside the museum, free, unblinded, having successfully proven your worth on the Blindness Throne.

Game note: You will have survived the Blindness Throne, and successfully proven your worth.


Pull a knife from your boot
You'll take the Ringleader hostage and escape the waxwork museum.
Failed event

Game note: You have failed the quest for the Martyr-King's Cup. You can choose another Ambition at London, New Winchester, Pan, or Sky Barnet.

Game note: If you fail this challenge, you will fail the Ambition.

Overpowered
You leap from your chair, but the robbers act surprisingly fast. The knife is wrestled from your hands and you are shoved back down. You can do nothing but curse as the robber blindfolds you.

Next, a bottle is pressed against your lips. It tastes of oblivion; when you wake up, you are lying out in the cold. Pulling the blindfold from your face, you discover that you have been deposited in a gutter behind one of the circus's side-tents.

Your back aches, your wrists are blistered. You can't shake the feeling that you had a terrible dream. But the memories are already fading.

    • Martyrkingscup icon Ambition: The Martyr-King's Cup = 100 [[COMPLETE]You have failed the quest for the Martyr-King's Cup. Perhaps a more worthy quester will take up your mantle one day]

    • Drink icon Stained = 1 [The devils of Carillon claim to be experts in the assessment and improvement of the soul. They would describe yours as over-rich, cindered and irrevocably damaged.]

    Triggers event: Ringmaster The Inconceivable Circus!

Successful event
Hostage
You spring from the dentists' chair, knife flashing in your hand, and barrel toward the Ringleader like a runaway locomotive. He barely has time to change his expression from smug satisfaction to utter shock before your knife is pressed to his throat.

You have only one demand. An untroubled exit from the museum.

"Eck," says the Ringleader, trying to speak without moving his Adam's apple. "Eck. Oh courff. Anyfing oo ay."

In short order you are back on the streets outside the museum, free, unblinded, your money safe in your pockets. You have successfully proven your worth on the Blindness Throne.

Links[ | ]

Links In[ | ]

Circus ambience The Blindness Throne

Links Out[ | ]

Circus ambience The Blindness Throne, Circus ambience The Inconceivable Circus!


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