Destinies: Difference between revisions

From The Fifth City Wiki
← Older edit
KestrelGirl (talk | contribs)
Bureaucrats, emailconfirmed, Administrators
6,614 edits
Irem lore - more later maybe
Tag: visualeditor
KestrelGirl (talk | contribs)
Bureaucrats, emailconfirmed, Administrators
6,614 edits
mNo edit summary
Tag: visualeditor
 
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Major spoiler}}
{{Major spoiler}}<blockquote>''"The threads of fate have no colour and take no dyes. Their appearance is a matter of perspective. Cast the right light upon them, and you'll be elsewhen."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Colour_of_Fate|The Colour of Fate|Fallen London|}}</ref>''</blockquote>'''Destinies''' are possible futures that may be viewed through a variety of methods.


'''Destinies''' are possible futures that may be viewed through a variety of methods.
The most consistent means of access is a '''Loom''' located at [[Irem]], capable of weaving all that will be from the threads of destiny.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Seven-Serpent,_Revisited|The Seven-Serpent, Revisited|Fallen London|}} ''"The Seven-Serpent will coil upon that pedestal [...] It will look over the city of snow and roses, placidly tallying up days yet to come. And it will hold destiny in its teeth, awaiting those who come to claim it."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Grip_the_thread_of_your_own_destiny|Grip the thread of your own destiny|Fallen London|}} ''"The thread will feel so thin and strong that it will threaten to cut your hands to ribbons as you grip. You will at first feel as if you are pulling it; then, as if you are dangling over a precipice, hanging on by that same thread. And then, you will be falling."''</ref> With the Loom, one can rip away the threads that lead to all manner of death<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Tighten_your_mortal_coil|Tighten your mortal coil|Fallen London|}} ''"Cut the threads that lead to painful demises. Unravel these bodily miseries. [...] rip it all out, discard the yarn. Card the remaining strands and start again."''</ref> and madness,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Tend_to_your_fraying_sanity|Tend to your fraying sanity|Fallen London|}} ''"Find the right thread, pull, rip – there. Now you never saw that."''</ref> but unwise use will unravel any results.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Unraveled!|Unraveled!|Fallen London|}} ''"One frayed thread too many, and the strands beneath your fingers are snapping. Searching down the loose stitches of destiny can be dangerous."''</ref> It is a labyrinth of potential futures. Pick a thread to follow;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Throwing_the_Shuttle|Throwing the Shuttle|Fallen London|}} ''"This deep in the labyrinth of potential futures, one might weave one's fate anew. You need only choose a thread to follow"''</ref> choose where Ariadne will lead you.<ref>The Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.</ref>
 
The most consistent means of access is a '''Loom''' located at [[Irem]], capable of weaving all that will be from the threads of destiny.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Seven-Serpent,_Revisited|The Seven-Serpent, Revisited|Fallen London|}} ''"The Seven-Serpent will coil upon that pedestal [...] It will look over the city of snow and roses, placidly tallying up days yet to come. And it will hold destiny in its teeth, awaiting those who come to claim it."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Grip_the_thread_of_your_own_destiny|Grip the thread of your own destiny|Fallen London|}} ''"The thread will feel so thin and strong that it will threaten to cut your hands to ribbons as you grip. You will at first feel as if you are pulling it; then, as if you are dangling over a precipice, hanging on by that same thread. And then, you will be falling."''</ref> With the Loom, one can rip away the threads that lead to all manner of death<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Tighten_your_mortal_coil|Tighten your mortal coil|Fallen London|}} ''"Cut the threads that lead to painful demises. Unravel these bodily miseries. [...] rip it all out, discard the yarn. Card the remaining strands and start again."''</ref> and madness,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Tend_to_your_fraying_sanity|Tend to your fraying sanity|Fallen London|}} ''"Find the right thread, pull, rip – there. Now you never saw that."''</ref> but unwise use will unravel any results.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Unraveled!|Unraveled!|Fallen London|}} ''"One frayed thread too many, and the strands beneath your fingers are snapping. Searching down the loose stitches of destiny can be dangerous."''</ref> It is a labyrinth of potential futures. Pick a thread to follow;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Throwing_the_Shuttle|Throwing the Shuttle|Fallen London|}} ''"This deep in the labyrinth of potential futures, one might weave one's fate anew. You need only choose a thread to follow"''</ref> find your perspective;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Colour_of_Fate|The Colour of Fate|Fallen London|}} ''"The threads of fate have no colour and take no dyes. Their appearance is a matter of perspective. Cast the right light upon them, and you'll be elsewhen."''</ref> choose where Ariadne will lead you.<ref>The Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.</ref>


Below is a chronicle of possible futures.
Below is a chronicle of possible futures.
Line 13: Line 11:


==A Chilly Future==
==A Chilly Future==
<blockquote>''"The wind of the High Wilderness on your pinions. You are home."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Chilly_Future|A Chilly Future|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"ASCEND NOW TO YOUR PLACE IN THE SUN"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Long_Road|A Long Road|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>You have risen to become a [[The Masters of the Bazaar|Master of the Bazaar]].<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Conversation_on_the_Road|A Conversation on the Road|Fallen London|}} ''"The fifteenth year of your journey. Your wings have never been spread to their fullest extent, and as you approach the blazing Judgement ever more closely, you must contract them further still [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Conversation_on_the_Road|A Conversation on the Road|Fallen London|}} ''"Why, I have grown very fond even of our new associate here. Lowly origins notwithstanding. [...] And you, my friend? Have you grown fond of us?"''</ref> You have been journeying with your companions and the [[Bazaar]] herself<ref name=":2">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Conversation_on_the_Road|A Conversation on the Road|Fallen London|}} ''""Our employer grows nervous," Hearts opines. "Like a maid on her wedding-day, hey?""''</ref><ref name=":3">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Aver_it|Aver it|Fallen London|}} ''"Ahead, your employer soars towards the Judgement, its hide flaring with the message it carries."''</ref> toward the [[Sun]] for the last fifteen years.<ref name=":1" /> It is time to deliver a message,<ref name=":3" /> and after that you will all be free.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Aver_it|Aver it|Fallen London|}} ''"Our employer made us a promise. All shall be well, it said, and all manner of thing shall be well. When it has delivered its message, we shall find other feasts, of music and more."''</ref> You can only hope your home planet will survive the consequences.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Indicate_a_fondness_for_the_Bazaar|Indicate a fondness for the Bazaar|Fallen London|}} ''"Perhaps you are right. Perhaps the Judgement will be overwhelmed by its own despair; in that case the Bazaar will certainly not survive the experience.  And my poor birth-world will suffer no further interference."''</ref>
<blockquote>''"The wind of the High Wilderness on your pinions. You are home."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Chilly_Future|A Chilly Future|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"ASCEND NOW TO YOUR PLACE IN THE SUN"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Long_Road|A Long Road|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>You have risen to become a [[The Masters of the Bazaar|Master of the Bazaar]].<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Conversation_on_the_Road|A Conversation on the Road|Fallen London|}} ''"The fifteenth year of your journey. Your wings have never been spread to their fullest extent, and as you approach the blazing Judgement ever more closely, you must contract them further still [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Conversation_on_the_Road|A Conversation on the Road|Fallen London|}} ''"Why, I have grown very fond even of our new associate here. Lowly origins notwithstanding. [...] And you, my friend? Have you grown fond of us?"''</ref> You have been journeying with your companions<ref name=":2">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Conversation_on_the_Road|A Conversation on the Road|Fallen London|}} ''""Our employer grows nervous," Hearts opines. "Like a maid on her wedding-day, hey?""''</ref> and the [[Bazaar]] herself<ref name=":3">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Aver_it|Aver it|Fallen London|}} ''"Ahead, your employer soars towards the Judgement, its hide flaring with the message it carries."''</ref> toward the [[Sun]] for the last fifteen years.<ref name=":1" /> It is time to deliver a message,<ref name=":3" /> and after that you will all be free.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Aver_it|Aver it|Fallen London|}} ''"Our employer made us a promise. All shall be well, it said, and all manner of thing shall be well. When it has delivered its message, we shall find other feasts, of music and more."''</ref> You can only hope your home planet will survive the consequences.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Indicate_a_fondness_for_the_Bazaar|Indicate a fondness for the Bazaar|Fallen London|}} ''"Perhaps you are right. Perhaps the Judgement will be overwhelmed by its own despair; in that case the Bazaar will certainly not survive the experience.  And my poor birth-world will suffer no further interference."''</ref>


Mr Fires is notably absent from this future. It was always the one who loved [[London]] the most.
Mr Fires is notably absent from this future. It was always the one who loved [[London]] the most.
Line 38: Line 36:
<blockquote>''"The Light of the Mountain filtering through the flap of your command tent. You are home."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Jewelled_Future|A Jewelled Future|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"THIS COUNTRY - MOUTH-OF-THE-RIVER - THIS WAS THE PLACE OF HER OVERTHROW"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Approach_to_the_Mountain|The Approach to the Mountain|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>It is September 21, 1911. You have cleared a path across the [[zee]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shores_of_the_Elder_Continent|The Shores of the Elder Continent|Fallen London|}} ''"Weeks at zee, and then days skirmishing with the Prester's navy. [...] The war could not be won at zee, but a path could be carved."''</ref> flouted the [[Presbyterate]]'s desperate attempts to keep you out of [[Adam's Way]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Lead_your_fleet_down_Adam%27s_Way|Lead your fleet down Adam's Way|Fallen London|}} ''"Normally, Apis Meet would let any fool who wants to sail up the Nameless River do so – no ordinary ship can survive the trip. But they know who you are, and they know you are terribly prepared. So they raise their seldom-used harbour chain to block the mouth of the river. Against this, you employ [...] nominative determinism. At the head of your flotilla, just in front of your flagship, zails the Iron Republic icebreaker Ender of Chains."''</ref> and crossed the dangerous Desert of Delights.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Prepare_yourself_(Irem)|Prepare yourself (Irem)|Fallen London|}} ''"When you emerge from the tent, days later, your quartermasters are on the verge of tears. But you tell them that you will resume your march soon; and that you will cut a clean path through the desert. You tell them that you now see the truth of everything."''</ref> Now you stand with your allies, including [[December]] and the [[Bishop of St Fiacre's]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/September_21st,_1911|September 21st, 1911|Fallen London|}} ''"By the time you return to your pavilion, it is already crowded with your captains [...] The Bishop of St Fiacre, face frozen in a grimace of delight. And safe behind a pale mask, December of the Calendar Council."''</ref> at the precipice of the final battle.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Mountain_and_the_Light|The Mountain and the Light|Fallen London|}} ''"This close to Nidah, the Light of the Mountain is like a blazing sun.  [...] Your army – at least those in your army who are not devils or snuffers or Clay Men – brays in suffering. From a greater distance, the light is a beacon. But up close, flesh demands relief."''</ref>  
<blockquote>''"The Light of the Mountain filtering through the flap of your command tent. You are home."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Jewelled_Future|A Jewelled Future|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"THIS COUNTRY - MOUTH-OF-THE-RIVER - THIS WAS THE PLACE OF HER OVERTHROW"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Approach_to_the_Mountain|The Approach to the Mountain|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>It is September 21, 1911. You have cleared a path across the [[zee]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shores_of_the_Elder_Continent|The Shores of the Elder Continent|Fallen London|}} ''"Weeks at zee, and then days skirmishing with the Prester's navy. [...] The war could not be won at zee, but a path could be carved."''</ref> flouted the [[Presbyterate]]'s desperate attempts to keep you out of [[Adam's Way]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Lead_your_fleet_down_Adam%27s_Way|Lead your fleet down Adam's Way|Fallen London|}} ''"Normally, Apis Meet would let any fool who wants to sail up the Nameless River do so – no ordinary ship can survive the trip. But they know who you are, and they know you are terribly prepared. So they raise their seldom-used harbour chain to block the mouth of the river. Against this, you employ [...] nominative determinism. At the head of your flotilla, just in front of your flagship, zails the Iron Republic icebreaker Ender of Chains."''</ref> and crossed the dangerous Desert of Delights.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Prepare_yourself_(Irem)|Prepare yourself (Irem)|Fallen London|}} ''"When you emerge from the tent, days later, your quartermasters are on the verge of tears. But you tell them that you will resume your march soon; and that you will cut a clean path through the desert. You tell them that you now see the truth of everything."''</ref> Now you stand with your allies, including [[December]] and the [[Bishop of St Fiacre's]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/September_21st,_1911|September 21st, 1911|Fallen London|}} ''"By the time you return to your pavilion, it is already crowded with your captains [...] The Bishop of St Fiacre, face frozen in a grimace of delight. And safe behind a pale mask, December of the Calendar Council."''</ref> at the precipice of the final battle.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Mountain_and_the_Light|The Mountain and the Light|Fallen London|}} ''"This close to Nidah, the Light of the Mountain is like a blazing sun.  [...] Your army – at least those in your army who are not devils or snuffers or Clay Men – brays in suffering. From a greater distance, the light is a beacon. But up close, flesh demands relief."''</ref>  


In three days, you will breach the [[Mountain of Light]] and claim eternal life for yourself.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/September_21st,_1911|September 21st, 1911|Fallen London|}} ''"We have shamed the Presbyter, the Old God, the hirelings of the Bazaar. [...] In three days time, we will breach the Mountain. The spoils are nothing less than life eternal!"''</ref> ''If'' you succeed, will you share it among all people?<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22...give_it_to_the_world.%22|'...give it to the world.'|Fallen London|}} ''"Death is the final country! Once we have conquered the Mountain, we will conquer Death. Mankind will be free of age and oblivion."''</ref> Will you follow the example of the Prester, and keep the power to grant immortality to those who merit it?<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22...reserve_it_for_those_who_merit_it.%22|'...reserve it for those who merit it.'|Fallen London|}} ''"I will bestow it as a gift on those who merit it."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22...use_it_wisely.%22_(10_FATE)|'...use it wisely.' (10 FATE)|Fallen London|}} ''"I will drink the power of the Mountain and become eternal. You will be rewarded. You've trusted me already with the power of life and death. I will be your general...and I will be your God."''</ref> Or will you end the treachery of the Mountain's vitality for good?<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22..end_it,_as_I_swore_I_would.%22|'..end it, as I swore I would.'|Fallen London|}} ''"We were meant to die. The brevity of our lives is what makes us human. Look at the torments and taints of the Neath. We will put an end to the Sun's experiment."''</ref>
In three days, you will breach the [[Mountain of Light]] and claim eternal life for yourself.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/September_21st,_1911|September 21st, 1911|Fallen London|}} ''"We have shamed the Presbyter, the Old God, the hirelings of the Bazaar. [...] In three days time, we will breach the Mountain. The spoils are nothing less than life eternal!"''</ref> ''If'' you succeed, will you share it among all people?<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22...give_it_to_the_world.%22|'...give it to the world.'|Fallen London|}} ''"Death is the final country! Once we have conquered the Mountain, we will conquer Death. Mankind will be free of age and oblivion."''</ref> Will you follow the example of the Prester, and keep the power to grant immortality to those who merit it?<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22...reserve_it_for_those_who_merit_it.%22|'...reserve it for those who merit it.'|Fallen London|}} ''"I will bestow it as a gift on those who merit it."''</ref> Or will you end the treachery of the Mountain's vitality for good?<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22..end_it,_as_I_swore_I_would.%22|'..end it, as I swore I would.'|Fallen London|}} ''"We were meant to die. The brevity of our lives is what makes us human. Look at the torments and taints of the Neath. We will put an end to the Sun's experiment."''</ref>


==A Brilliant Future==
==A Brilliant Future==
Line 46: Line 44:


== A Ruinous Future ==
== A Ruinous Future ==
<blockquote>''"All is lost. You are home."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Ruinous_Future|A Ruinous Future|Fallen London|}}</ref>''</blockquote>Everything you knew has been destroyed. Even the vermin are gone.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Absence_of_Rats|The Absence of Rats|Fallen London|}} ''"Even the vermin are gone. Starved, vanished, fled. Sometimes you find piles of tiny bones, arranged into trails."''</ref> You and the other survivors are bleeding,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Bleeding_(Irem)|Bleeding (Irem)|Fallen London|}} ''"You usually are, these days."''</ref> bandaged,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Bandage_yourself|Bandage yourself|Fallen London|}} ''"Again, and again. It occupies much of your time."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Barter_for_food|Barter for food|Fallen London|}} ''"There's not much left underneath his bandages."''</ref> starving,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Hunger|The Hunger|Fallen London|}} ''"There are several, stalking you from the shadows. Most have not been sated in so very long."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Barter_for_food|Barter for food|Fallen London|}} ''"Some are too far gone even to eat. They hoard a little food, to trade for trinkets."''</ref> and scrounging the ruins for supplies.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Unravel_someone|Unravel someone|Fallen London|}} ''"The knife is horribly dull [...] But you come away from the collapsed figure with a few fresh bandages and a white stone fragment untangled from the filthy linen. Move on quickly, before more scavengers appear."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Pick_through_minute_debris|Pick through minute debris|Fallen London|}} ''"Your bony fingers scrape at the cracks in shattered walls; you pick through piles of rubble. Hours sometimes go by without finding anything, and your eyes hurt from the strain."''</ref> None of you can die.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Scavenge_for_miserable_sustenance|Scavenge for miserable sustenance|Fallen London|}} ''"Nothing is worse than starving but being unable to die."''</ref>
<blockquote>''"All is lost. You are home."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Ruinous_Future|A Ruinous Future|Fallen London|}}</ref>''</blockquote>Everything you knew has been destroyed. Even the vermin are gone.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Absence_of_Rats|The Absence of Rats|Fallen London|}} ''"Even the vermin are gone. Starved, vanished, fled. Sometimes you find piles of tiny bones, arranged into trails."''</ref> You and the other survivors are bleeding,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Bleeding_(Irem)|Bleeding (Irem)|Fallen London|}} ''"You usually are, these days."''</ref> bandaged,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Bandage_yourself|Bandage yourself|Fallen London|}} ''"Again, and again. It occupies much of your time."''</ref> starving,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Barter_for_food|Barter for food|Fallen London|}} ''"Some are too far gone even to eat. They hoard a little food, to trade for trinkets."''</ref> and scrounging the ruins for supplies.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Unravel_someone|Unravel someone|Fallen London|}} ''"The knife is horribly dull [...] But you come away from the collapsed figure with a few fresh bandages and a white stone fragment untangled from the filthy linen. Move on quickly, before more scavengers appear."''</ref> None of you can die.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Scavenge_for_miserable_sustenance|Scavenge for miserable sustenance|Fallen London|}} ''"Nothing is worse than starving but being unable to die."''</ref>


''Get me out of here!''
''Get me out of here!''

Latest revision as of 01:00, 6 June 2025

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?"

Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"The threads of fate have no colour and take no dyes. Their appearance is a matter of perspective. Cast the right light upon them, and you'll be elsewhen."[1]

Destinies are possible futures that may be viewed through a variety of methods.

The most consistent means of access is a Loom located at Irem, capable of weaving all that will be from the threads of destiny.[2][3] With the Loom, one can rip away the threads that lead to all manner of death[4] and madness,[5] but unwise use will unravel any results.[6] It is a labyrinth of potential futures. Pick a thread to follow;[7] choose where Ariadne will lead you.[8]

Below is a chronicle of possible futures.

A Nearby Future[edit]

"Smog, hooves on cobblestones, the clicking of bats. You are home."[9]

You have accomplished everything you wished to in life, and then some. You have explored the Neath, founded a railway, bargained with powers beyond your comprehension.[10] These days, the Empress' power wanes.[11] London is powered by electricity.[12] Mr Fires' factories are shutting down,[13] and it may or may not be dead.[14] In this future, someone else has become a Master.[14]

What will you do now? Do you wish to become something greater?[15] Or, after all this time, would you rather simply go home?[16]

A Chilly Future[edit]

"The wind of the High Wilderness on your pinions. You are home."[17]

"ASCEND NOW TO YOUR PLACE IN THE SUN"[18]

You have risen to become a Master of the Bazaar.[19][20] You have been journeying with your companions[21] and the Bazaar herself[22] toward the Sun for the last fifteen years.[19] It is time to deliver a message,[22] and after that you will all be free.[23] You can only hope your home planet will survive the consequences.[24]

Mr Fires is notably absent from this future. It was always the one who loved London the most.

An Obscure Future[edit]

"I HAD A DREAM, WHICH WAS NOT ALL A DREAM"[25]

The Liberation of Night has descended upon the Neath. The lights are out.[26] Who will you save?[27] Do you wish to stop the darkness from spreading?[28] Would you rather take advantage of the chaos?[29] Or was this your goal all along?[30]

A Dark Future[edit]

"Total darkness. You are home."[31]

The lights have gone out. But in this future, London itself has gone out, too.[32] Under the un-light of the Neathbow, present and past are mutable,[33] selfhood is negotiable,[34] and social relationships are more important than individuality.[35] (From each according to their ability. And to each according to their need.)[36]

Will you build something new in London's place?[37] Or will you reach for the stars with knife in hand, ensuring the spread of the Liberation?[38]

A Silvered Future[edit]

"Stray notions grazing lazily on the grass that grows on buried dreams. You are home."[39]

"OPEN ARE THE DOUBLE-DOORS OF THE HORIZON..."[40]

You have allied yourself with the Fingerkings.[41] You have always been their Huntsman, after all.[42] In Parabola, you bargain with serpents[43] and play the Great Game with sleeping grandmasters.[44] From your perch in the Castle of Forests, you can watch the Is-Not go by, and see into others' dreams.[45]

It is Hallowmas, and the veil grows thin. You have taken many prisoners: an agent of Hell,[46] the long-suffering Genial Magician,[47] the Bishop of Southwark,[48] Mr Wines itself,[49] and even the Red-Handed Queen,[50] who presides over ambition and victory in Parabola. Who will you unleash from the realm of dreams into reality?[51] Or perhaps you might free yourself instead...[52]

An Abyssal Future[edit]

"The presence of the lorn-flukes. The approach of the feast. You are home."[53]

"THERE ARE GODS WHO LIVETH ON THEIR FATHERS, FEEDETH ON THEIR MOTHERS"[54]

You sit at the Drowning Feast with the three most ancient of Lorn-Flukes. One eats fear.[55] One eats hatred.[56] One eats regret.[57] What have you brought them?[58]

Are you here to become something greater?[59] To deliver a message?[60][61] Or are you here to wreak destruction?[62][63]

A Jewelled Future[edit]

"The Light of the Mountain filtering through the flap of your command tent. You are home."[64]

"THIS COUNTRY - MOUTH-OF-THE-RIVER - THIS WAS THE PLACE OF HER OVERTHROW"[65]

It is September 21, 1911. You have cleared a path across the zee,[66] flouted the Presbyterate's desperate attempts to keep you out of Adam's Way,[67] and crossed the dangerous Desert of Delights.[68] Now you stand with your allies, including December and the Bishop of St Fiacre's,[69] at the precipice of the final battle.[70]

In three days, you will breach the Mountain of Light and claim eternal life for yourself.[71] If you succeed, will you share it among all people?[72] Will you follow the example of the Prester, and keep the power to grant immortality to those who merit it?[73] Or will you end the treachery of the Mountain's vitality for good?[74]

A Brilliant Future[edit]

"Sunlight streaming in through a window. You are home."[75]

Sunlight streams into the Neath, and with light comes law.[76] The Ministry governs all, and assures London that all will remain well.[77] They have even taken devils captive to harvest the lily-balm that protects London's citizens from the Sun,[78] although lily-balm can only do so much.[79] It's hard to sleep, though.[80] And no one dreams.[81]

Fortunately for you, the Special Constables will find nothing when they search your home.[82] Have you been good?[83] (Even so, you notice something is wrong with the Sun.)[84] Or have you simply kept your activities well-hidden?[85] (It must go out.)[86]

A Ruinous Future[edit]

"All is lost. You are home."[87]

Everything you knew has been destroyed. Even the vermin are gone.[88] You and the other survivors are bleeding,[89] bandaged,[90] starving,[91] and scrounging the ruins for supplies.[92] None of you can die.[93]

Get me out of here!

An Altered Future[edit]

"Sense-memory: Threads running through your fingers, scraping just a little of your skin away as they move. You are home. You've always been home."[94]

You are weaving the threads of fate. They all lead to the same conclusion.[95] Perhaps you drowned,[96] or bled to death,[97] or were poisoned.[98]

Escape your inevitable death. Live, somehow, forever.[99]

A Neon Future[edit]

"Cool, dry, air-conditioned air. You are home."[100]

It is June 22, 2023. Welcome to the Seventh City. Somehow you have survived for over a century, through the Fall of two more cities.[101]

Why have you stayed here? Do you hope to keep this last city alive, even after the Bazaar has completed its mission?[102] Are you here because your love is still here with you?[103] Or was this simply how long it took to be able to travel somewhere far away?[104]

No Future[edit]

"Whatever you think you remember, the first step is to remember that you don't."

WARNING: Beyond this point lie spoilers for the Discordant Studies storyline from Fallen London. Do not proceed forward.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"You are not home."[105]

Existence itself has ceased.[106] There is only one thing left to do. Enact the law. Obliterate the last traces.[107]

No thing shall be

References[edit]

  1. ↑ The Colour of Fate, Fallen London
  2. ↑ The Seven-Serpent, Revisited, Fallen London "The Seven-Serpent will coil upon that pedestal [...] It will look over the city of snow and roses, placidly tallying up days yet to come. And it will hold destiny in its teeth, awaiting those who come to claim it."
  3. ↑ Grip the thread of your own destiny, Fallen London "The thread will feel so thin and strong that it will threaten to cut your hands to ribbons as you grip. You will at first feel as if you are pulling it; then, as if you are dangling over a precipice, hanging on by that same thread. And then, you will be falling."
  4. ↑ Tighten your mortal coil, Fallen London "Cut the threads that lead to painful demises. Unravel these bodily miseries. [...] rip it all out, discard the yarn. Card the remaining strands and start again."
  5. ↑ Tend to your fraying sanity, Fallen London "Find the right thread, pull, rip – there. Now you never saw that."
  6. ↑ Unraveled!, Fallen London "One frayed thread too many, and the strands beneath your fingers are snapping. Searching down the loose stitches of destiny can be dangerous."
  7. ↑ Throwing the Shuttle, Fallen London "This deep in the labyrinth of potential futures, one might weave one's fate anew. You need only choose a thread to follow"
  8. ↑ The Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.
  9. ↑ A Nearby Future, Fallen London
  10. ↑ The Ennui of Victory, Fallen London "You have accumulated all attainable accomplishments. A founder of the Great Hellbound Railway. An explorer of obscure corners of the Neath. You have bargained with chthonic powers and advanced many plans and plots. There's nowhere left to go."
  11. ↑ A Royal Absence, Fallen London "The Empress is seldom seen, these days; her presence is no longer felt. [...] On the streets, Londoners openly name the current year and joke about the Prince-Consort's condition."
  12. ↑ Open the illumination bill, Fallen London "It's cheaper than candles. But these days, just barely."
  13. ↑ The Fires Run Cold, Fallen London "There is a silence at the heart of London's industry: many of Mr Fires' factories have shut down in recent years."
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Investigate the real causes, Fallen London "But the urchins who congregate in Spite claim that Mr Fires has not been seen in its factories in quite some time. [...] "It's not Mr Fires, it's the other 'un, pretending to be Mr Fires." Which one? "Wines, ushually. But sometimes it's the new 'un. The Master that's a little shorter than the others.""
  15. ↑ Not as you are, anyway, Fallen London "You must change into something else entirely. Something greater, something more permanent."
  16. ↑ Nowhere to go but up, Fallen London "The idea crept into your mind years ago, on a zee-voyage past the Cumaean canal. It was only an inkling, then. It would grow into a notion, then an idea, then a plan. You could return. You would return."
  17. ↑ A Chilly Future, Fallen London
  18. ↑ A Long Road, Fallen London
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 A Conversation on the Road, Fallen London "The fifteenth year of your journey. Your wings have never been spread to their fullest extent, and as you approach the blazing Judgement ever more closely, you must contract them further still [...]"
  20. ↑ A Conversation on the Road, Fallen London "Why, I have grown very fond even of our new associate here. Lowly origins notwithstanding. [...] And you, my friend? Have you grown fond of us?"
  21. ↑ A Conversation on the Road, Fallen London ""Our employer grows nervous," Hearts opines. "Like a maid on her wedding-day, hey?""
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Aver it, Fallen London "Ahead, your employer soars towards the Judgement, its hide flaring with the message it carries."
  23. ↑ Aver it, Fallen London "Our employer made us a promise. All shall be well, it said, and all manner of thing shall be well. When it has delivered its message, we shall find other feasts, of music and more."
  24. ↑ Indicate a fondness for the Bazaar, Fallen London "Perhaps you are right. Perhaps the Judgement will be overwhelmed by its own despair; in that case the Bazaar will certainly not survive the experience. And my poor birth-world will suffer no further interference."
  25. ↑ The Liberation of Night, Fallen London
  26. ↑ The Liberation of Night, Fallen London "All of them. All at once, when the Device was set in motion. [...] You can barely see. And you can barely hear, for the screaming. This is the Liberation of Night. Who will you save?"
  27. ↑ Whoever you can, Fallen London "Months pass. [...] Over time, strange lights bloom in the vaults [...] in the refuge beneath the Observatory they permit you to read and write again, to memorialise your world in art, to recall what it is to be human. It is not a good life. But it is a life, and you have given it to them."
  28. ↑ Your beloved, Fallen London "You and your beloved may be the only Surface-dwellers who know what the Device does. At all costs, you must keep the world illuminated…"
  29. ↑ No-one! Who cares?, Fallen London "You need a Master's robe for the next step. [...] You use it to slip through the Bazaar's defences [...] into its deepest vaults. And it's here you find the secret currencies, the coins that underpin the laws of the universe, and of course, a sloshing keg of Hesperidean cider. [...] once on the Surface, you may very well be the richest human being alive. You can buy yourself [...] an empire, even! But only a small one. You wouldn't want to be greedy."
  30. ↑ No-one. This is what you've been working towards., Fallen London "The rich free of the poor. The dead free of the living. The Masters free of the Bazaar. [...] This is freedom undreamt-of! [...] There are regrettable events, of course. Many. But no-one now can claim to rule another. [...] you begin to establish a new kind of society [...] This, you tell each other, is only a prologue, a trial. The principles you’ve developed here will function on a much larger scale. The Sun itself is not beyond your reach. The stars. [...] The cosmos will yet be free of light and law."
  31. ↑ A Dark Future, Fallen London
  32. ↑ The Liberation, in Gant, Fallen London "The lights have gone out – in what was once London, at least. [...] The Masters, the Empress, the great and the good: they all have reaped what they spent fifty years sowing. It is time to plant something new."
  33. ↑ The Liberation, in Apocyan, Fallen London "No longer is humanity fettered by the hierarchies of 'present' and 'past'. The life of memories is afforded the same consideration as the life of the body and the life of the mind. The city becomes a living system of places [...] that is navigated not for the subsistence-maintenance of the present, but for the continuous reconstruction and reevaluation of the past."
  34. ↑ The Liberation, in Peligin, Fallen London "No longer is humanity fettered by the hierarchies of 'human' and 'monstrous.' Autonomous relationships emerge between selves that are not atomised liberal subjects but assemblages of knowledges and meanings drawn from a continuum of bodies."
  35. ↑ The Liberation, in Violant, Fallen London "No longer is humanity fettered by the hierarchies of 'self' and 'other'. Social relations are given primacy over their subjects – a world where the edges of the graph hold the importance previously afforded to the nodes."
  36. ↑ -Karl Marx
  37. ↑ Plant the seeds of a new community, Fallen London "For your own part, you've relinquished a great deal of power. You've learned what you can from [...] those whose knowledge London once corralled and hid away. Even then, you only have your two hands [...] You contribute where you can, tending to this garden. It is a little pocket of time and space where freedom has found a handful of you; where none call each other Master."
  38. ↑ Plant the seeds of the Great Work, Fallen London "From the dark knot that is the detonation of the Unclear Bomb, many threads will splay out. Threads that will weave through the Avid Horizon, to the skies of Eleutheria. [...] You will take these thin, dark strands and weave them into rope – to tug at the hands of the clock, to pull down the idols of the stars, to drag the Judgements out of their thrones."
  39. ↑ A Silvered Future, Fallen London
  40. ↑ The Castle of Forests, Fallen London
  41. ↑ Wednesday in Parabola, Fallen London "Sandwiches! A prosaic snack to consume in dreams, but that's how the Fingerkings rewarded me today."
  42. ↑ Wednesday in Parabola, Fallen London "They summoned me to confirm me as their Huntsman. In fact, I have always been their Huntsman. History in Parabola is mutable. When I complete my plan, I'll always have been something quite different."
  43. ↑ Bargaining with Serpents, Fallen London "Market day in Parabola! The exchange of notions, figments, hopes and fears."
  44. ↑ A Game of Chess (Irem), Fallen London "You never play chess with the Fingerkings, of course – they are terrible cheats. But they host exhibition matches in the Castle's courtyard, pitting you against slumbering grandmasters. You play for the placement of pieces on a much greater board: chess, in Parabola, is a map and a territory of intrigue."
  45. ↑ High Upon the Parapets, Fallen London "The Castle of Forests is a watchful place. It is a place for watching. Watching the world (that is not the world) go by. Climb the highest tower and you'll see as far as one can see [...] Watch the dreamers in their slumber, and see all that they dream."
  46. ↑ The Diabolical Diplomat, Fallen London "What he promises, Hell will deliver. Riches, power, pleasures, glory. All seven."
  47. ↑ The Genial Magician, Fallen London "He betrayed the Fingerkings for the sake of compassion, and he knows what awaits me. [...] He'll visit a stranger's house and offer him a hint of things to come, and the stranger will save him in turn. Or he saved him long ago."
  48. ↑ The Bishop of Southwark 2, Fallen London "He bargained for the Fingerkings' help. He didn't understood he was giving up his freedom. If he returns to London, of course, they'll keep their side of the bargain."
  49. ↑ Mr Wines (Destiny), Fallen London "He’s angry, but he does enjoy the music. The balance in London is out of kilter without him. If I release him, it’ll be as it was. And he’ll be grateful. Though I can hardly trust him."
  50. ↑ The Bloody-Handed Queen, Fallen London "It would be terribly irresponsible to set her loose in the real world. [...] But she'll prepare the path for me, to be the King Underneath. The power she owns! To have such a piece in my hand..."
  51. ↑ Wednesday in Parabola, Fallen London "Today is the Feast of Masks. In London, the mirrors are growing soft. The Kings, in their smiling stolen flesh, congratulate me for the prisoners I have brought them. They would like to release one [...] They asked me to choose."
  52. ↑ Myself (10 FATE), Fallen London "When the Sixth City falls, I will be safe in Parabola."
  53. ↑ An Abyssal Future, Fallen London
  54. ↑ Down among the Lorn-Flukes, Fallen London
  55. ↑ It Eats Fear, Fallen London "An eye surrounded by spines, staring out into the world in horror. It sees so much and likes none of it."
  56. ↑ It Eats Hatred, Fallen London "Look upon it and be cut. Its hate is vast. Its hate is not enough."
  57. ↑ It Eats Regret, Fallen London "It knows what you did. If it had eyes, they would be fixed on the amber you carry closest to your heart."
  58. ↑ Down among the Lorn-Flukes, Fallen London "Three great presences. [...] The Drowning Feast. The greatest yet. [...]The oldest Lorn-Flukes. [...] Swollen with hate. Swollen with wisdom. [...] WHAT HAVE YOU BROUGHT US? [...] Answer in haste. They are hungry."
  59. ↑ Myself, Fallen London "You are the seed which will be the youngest of the Lorn-Flukes. Far less than your siblings. Far greater than anything human."
  60. ↑ The Sky (10 FATE), Fallen London "Do you recall how they came to that place? And you sang of your lightnings and shapeful disgrace? They tilted their vanes and ennobled their spires. You welcomed them then and commingled all choirs. You can remember those days. It can be as it was."
  61. ↑ The Name, Fallen London ""A reckoning," you shriek, "will not be postponed indefinitely!""
  62. ↑ 'I bring the Bazaar.', Fallen London "Not literally. But this [...] could be the key to the Bazaar's defences. Deliver it to the Lorn-Flukes, and the Bazaar may be on borrowed time. [...] Do you hate the Bazaar, and the Masters, that much? Do you pity these old and unforgiven things, down in the dark?"
  63. ↑ Nothing, Fallen London ""Prepare the device," you say to your navigator. Quietly, as if they might somehow overhear you. "Let's end this." Your own destruction will be a fair price to pay for the end of these horrors. Not an easy price. But a fair one."
  64. ↑ A Jewelled Future, Fallen London
  65. ↑ The Approach to the Mountain, Fallen London
  66. ↑ The Shores of the Elder Continent, Fallen London "Weeks at zee, and then days skirmishing with the Prester's navy. [...] The war could not be won at zee, but a path could be carved."
  67. ↑ Lead your fleet down Adam's Way, Fallen London "Normally, Apis Meet would let any fool who wants to sail up the Nameless River do so – no ordinary ship can survive the trip. But they know who you are, and they know you are terribly prepared. So they raise their seldom-used harbour chain to block the mouth of the river. Against this, you employ [...] nominative determinism. At the head of your flotilla, just in front of your flagship, zails the Iron Republic icebreaker Ender of Chains."
  68. ↑ Prepare yourself (Irem), Fallen London "When you emerge from the tent, days later, your quartermasters are on the verge of tears. But you tell them that you will resume your march soon; and that you will cut a clean path through the desert. You tell them that you now see the truth of everything."
  69. ↑ September 21st, 1911, Fallen London "By the time you return to your pavilion, it is already crowded with your captains [...] The Bishop of St Fiacre, face frozen in a grimace of delight. And safe behind a pale mask, December of the Calendar Council."
  70. ↑ The Mountain and the Light, Fallen London "This close to Nidah, the Light of the Mountain is like a blazing sun. [...] Your army – at least those in your army who are not devils or snuffers or Clay Men – brays in suffering. From a greater distance, the light is a beacon. But up close, flesh demands relief."
  71. ↑ September 21st, 1911, Fallen London "We have shamed the Presbyter, the Old God, the hirelings of the Bazaar. [...] In three days time, we will breach the Mountain. The spoils are nothing less than life eternal!"
  72. ↑ '...give it to the world.', Fallen London "Death is the final country! Once we have conquered the Mountain, we will conquer Death. Mankind will be free of age and oblivion."
  73. ↑ '...reserve it for those who merit it.', Fallen London "I will bestow it as a gift on those who merit it."
  74. ↑ '..end it, as I swore I would.', Fallen London "We were meant to die. The brevity of our lives is what makes us human. Look at the torments and taints of the Neath. We will put an end to the Sun's experiment."
  75. ↑ A Brilliant Future, Fallen London
  76. ↑ You have ensured there will be nothing to find, Fallen London "When the Roof was breached, you could hardly hear for the screaming. Sunlight shone on London and the Masters were all disappeared or dead; the old structures of power crumbled in instants, to be replaced by a rigid new order."
  77. ↑ The Eyes of the Ministry, Fallen London "It is simply the Ministry, now. The Ministry of Public Everything. The Ministry for the Continued Existence of a Public. Theirs is the distribution of lily-balm, and the assurance that all remains well."
  78. ↑ Break into a storehouse of lily-balm, Fallen London "The source of the balm is a group of captive devils – emaciated creatures with none of the luster they had when they walked free upon the streets of London."
  79. ↑ Aid in planting trees, Fallen London "Still, by the end of the afternoon, you can hardly pick out the dirt from under your fingernails; your skin stings, and your vision blurs, and there's a ringing tone in your ears that won't go away."
  80. ↑ Try to sleep, Fallen London "How long has it been? A week, maybe two?"
  81. ↑ Try to sleep, Fallen London "You sleep soundly, but you don't dream. Five or six hours are mercifully excised from your experience of the world. Sunlight fills the room to greet you."
  82. ↑ Inspection Day, Fallen London "When the Special Constables arrive, you let them in. They search your lodgings for signs of sedition [...] They will find nothing, of course."
  83. ↑ You are loyal to the Law, Fallen London "You are, to all appearances, a model citizen. You bask in the light of the Sun at all assigned hours."
  84. ↑ You are loyal to the Law, Fallen London "It is not remotely enough. There's something about the light of the Sun that's not right. Devils, when Devils walked the streets of London, would talk about soul flaws. You are nearing a theory [...] that the light of a star might be flawed in a similar way. The more you gaze into the light seeping in through the roof, the more you are certain: this light is tainted with sentimentality [...] You need the light of a better star."
  85. ↑ You have ensured there will be nothing to find, Fallen London "Above, on the sunlit streets, the Constables and the Ministry are none the wiser; you have carefully pruned your reputation to ensure this. [...] You’ve become something of a leader almost by accident - to Devils, Rubberies, criminals, trade unionists, revolutionaries."
  86. ↑ You have ensured there will be nothing to find, Fallen London "It is a difficult existence, squeezed in between the irrigo below and the authorities above. But you are fueled by the clarity of knowing that the Liberation must arrive; it has become a matter of survival."
  87. ↑ A Ruinous Future, Fallen London
  88. ↑ The Absence of Rats, Fallen London "Even the vermin are gone. Starved, vanished, fled. Sometimes you find piles of tiny bones, arranged into trails."
  89. ↑ Bleeding (Irem), Fallen London "You usually are, these days."
  90. ↑ Bandage yourself, Fallen London "Again, and again. It occupies much of your time."
  91. ↑ Barter for food, Fallen London "Some are too far gone even to eat. They hoard a little food, to trade for trinkets."
  92. ↑ Unravel someone, Fallen London "The knife is horribly dull [...] But you come away from the collapsed figure with a few fresh bandages and a white stone fragment untangled from the filthy linen. Move on quickly, before more scavengers appear."
  93. ↑ Scavenge for miserable sustenance, Fallen London "Nothing is worse than starving but being unable to die."
  94. ↑ An Altered Future, Fallen London
  95. ↑ Doom/Knot, Fallen London "The familiar twist of yarn pinched in your fingers. The weave of a tapestry. But your hands are slick with blood. Follow any thread to its conclusion and they're all dyed the same colour."
  96. ↑ Thread-Collapse: 'Asphyxia', Fallen London "Here are all the threads that end in drowning [...]"
  97. ↑ Thread-Collapse: 'Haemorrhagia', Fallen London "Here are all the threads that end in blood."
  98. ↑ Thread-Collapse: Katalēpsis, Fallen London "Here are all the threads that end in poison. All so different from one another; all end in the same place."
  99. ↑ Turn the key (Destiny), Fallen London "At the end of the universe there will always be a version of you [...] Death needs no witness; but you will be there to witness the vastness of death, all the same. And you won’t be alone."
  100. ↑ A Neon Future, Fallen London
  101. ↑ June 22nd, 2023, Fallen London "You belong to an exclusive club. Few entities survive the fall of a city, let alone two."
  102. ↑ 'For the memory of London.', Fallen London "The Seventh is supposed to be the last. You mean to ensure that implies its survival and independence – to defy the bleakness of that pronouncement."
  103. ↑ 'For you, of course.', Fallen London "As your life together has fit into smaller spaces, it has become denser. Every touch and glance is a world of meaning; you can no longer escape the gravity of your love."
  104. ↑ 'That was simply how long it took to put my plan into motion.', Fallen London "For some things, you simply had to wait: advances in naval technology that allow you to make this voyage with such a small crew. But others did indeed take you over a century."
  105. ↑ No Future, Fallen London
  106. ↑ The Adulterine Castle, One Final Time, Fallen London "The castle that doesn't exist is all that remains of existence."
  107. ↑ Enter the cell, and end it, Fallen London ""So many laws and you went and found that one." You open the mouth you do not have. A law is enacted: No thing shall be."
Retrieved from "https://thefifthcity.wiki/w/index.php?title=Destinies&oldid=19907"