Mrs Plenty's Carnival: Difference between revisions

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During a fad for bones in [[London]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Flood_of_Bones|A Flood of Bones|Fallen London|}}</ref> Mrs Plenty established a '''Tent of Terror'''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sell_a_complete_skeleton_to_Mrs_Plenty|Sell a complete skeleton to Mrs Plenty|Fallen London|}}</ref> and stocked it with scary skeletons from the [[Department of Menace Eradication]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mrs_Plenty|Mrs Plenty|Fallen London|}}</ref>  
During a fad for bones in [[London]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Flood_of_Bones|A Flood of Bones|Fallen London|}}</ref> Mrs Plenty established a '''Tent of Terror'''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sell_a_complete_skeleton_to_Mrs_Plenty|Sell a complete skeleton to Mrs Plenty|Fallen London|}}</ref> and stocked it with scary skeletons from the [[Department of Menace Eradication]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mrs_Plenty|Mrs Plenty|Fallen London|}}</ref>  


Another attraction is a prize-fighting tent<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Brass_Grail_(Story)|The Brass Grail (Story)|Fallen London|}} ''"A Goat-demon Prize-fight."''</ref> where a towering [[Goat-Demons|goat-demon]], named '''Yule Lad''', faces challengers in a wrestling ring of honor.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Brass_Grail_(Story)|The Brass Grail (Story)|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] a goat-demon champion takes on all comers. He's seven feet tall [...] The word 'YULE LAD' has been sheared into his shoulder-fur."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Brass_Grail_(Story)|The Brass Grail (Story)|Fallen London|}} ''"You may box or wrestle as you prefer. [...] Welcome [...] to the field of honour"''</ref> So far, no opponent has made it past the first round.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Brass_Grail_(Story)|The Brass Grail (Story)|Fallen London|}} ''"A new contender! [...] Perhaps this bold soul will last the first round!"''</ref>
Another attraction is a prize-fighting tent<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Brass_Grail_(Story)|The Brass Grail (Story)|Fallen London|}} ''"A Goat-demon Prize-fight."''</ref> where a towering [[Goat-Demons|goat-demon]] named '''Yule Lad''' faces challengers in a wrestling ring of honor.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Brass_Grail_(Story)|The Brass Grail (Story)|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] a goat-demon champion takes on all comers. He's seven feet tall [...] The word 'YULE LAD' has been sheared into his shoulder-fur."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Brass_Grail_(Story)|The Brass Grail (Story)|Fallen London|}} ''"You may box or wrestle as you prefer. [...] Welcome [...] to the field of honour"''</ref> So far, no opponent has made it past the first round.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Brass_Grail_(Story)|The Brass Grail (Story)|Fallen London|}} ''"A new contender! [...] Perhaps this bold soul will last the first round!"''</ref>


===The Feast of the Exceptional Rose===
===The Feast of the Exceptional Rose===

Revision as of 18:12, 23 January 2022

"Oh, so piquant, these little ones. Like capers."

Beyond this point lie minor spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, or Sunless Skies. Proceed with cursory acknowledgement.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"Smoke and mirrors! Light and shade! Bright paint and squealing children and the roar of lions! And the music, as a great man once said, is like electric sugar."[1]

Mrs Plenty's Most Distracting Carnival is a year-round fair held in London.

The time is now 11:51 UTC. All is well.

Distracting

"Have you been to Mrs Plenty's Most Distracting Carnival? Wondrous. Wondrous! – but watch your purse. Good place to make friends."[2]

An elderly lady with a pearl necklace.
Mrs Plenty

Mrs Plenty's Carnival is a popular attraction found near Spite in London.[3][4] It's a spot of light in the dark of the Neath that's bursting with color and music.[1] Mrs Plenty is the Carnival's owner and namesake[5] and she arranges and manages the Carnival's festivities.[6][7]

The Carnival is a great place to meet others and make friends.[2] Since the stuffy rules of polite society are relaxed, people from London's many social circles mingle freely.[8] The Carnival is both profitable[9] and full of distracted patrons,[4] so it's also an enticing target for pickpockets[2] and other criminals.[9]

A yellow ticket reading "ADMIT ONE".
A carnival ticket.

The Carnival's stalls require tickets from customers.[10] Tickets are purchased with moon-pearls through a machine that accepts payment and dispenses tickets automatically.[11] They can also be received from Madame Shoshana in exchange for secrets for her fortune-telling business.[12] Tickets are also bought using souls,[13] and the cashier's tent has thousands of souls from clientele stored within.[14]

Mrs Plenty's Carnival can be accessed via a path through the Prickfinger Wastes,[15] but the route is surrounded by sharp stone formations. A single misstep can be a one-way ticket to the tomb-colonies.[16]

The Big Top

"A riot of colour! A sea of sound! A place where polite society's rules relax and a costermonger may rub shoulders with a bishop."[8]

A blue carnival tent.
The Big Top!

The Big Top is the grandest tent at the Carnival.[8] It has performing wolves,[17] bears,[18] sword-swallowers,[19] fire-eaters and fire-breathers,[20] plate-spinners, a monkey,[21] and caged tigers.[22] Hephaesta, a strongwoman of Mahogany Hall fame, also performs here.[23]

Disguised Masters of the Bazaar sometimes visit the Big Top, guarded by Neddy Men. Mr Apples and Mr Wines are reportedly genial towards patrons, but Mr Iron is very much not.[24]

The Sideshows

"The ragged little tents around the edges of the carnival. Throw quoits! Bet on the shell game! Get a tattoo! Have your pocket picked five times in an hour!"[25]

The Sideshows are the less grandiose tents found near the Carnival's outskirts. They boast shell games, quiotes,[25] weasel pits,[26] a musical donkey,[27] and a drownie choir.[28] They also offer tattoos with outlandish designs that are popular among zailors.[29][30]

There's also an Overgoat here.[31] We request no further inquiries.

Refreshments

"The pavilion is less civilised than it sounds. Some of its wares are surprisingly tasty, if you're brave enough to try them."[32]

Deep-fried food.
Rubbery Lumps

The Refreshment Pavilion offers many interesting foods and drinks.[32] Rubbery Lumps are the Carnival's flagship product and are battered and fried zee-monster meat. Their texture can be tough, but consuming them can incite a feeling of vigor, a desire to swim in the Unterzee, or further hungers...[33]

Spore-toffee is another snack that some onlookers consider popular among criminals. Made from fungi, its sticky texture belies its restorativeness. Cooks sometimes drop a shard of glim in the pan when making spore-toffee, along with a quick incantation, for good luck.[34]

The Pavilion also offers cheap wine that's served hot and improved by adding spice.[35] Other foods offered at the Carnival include pink-colored moss-floss and toffee-puffballs.[36]

Carnival Games

"The air thrums with the furtive energy of money changing hands. Games of skill. Games of chance. The occasional thrown lizard snatching a bat from the air. What could be better?"[37]

Dice marked with symbols.
A pair of Carnival dice.

The Games Tent hosts many games of both skill and chance. The dice games use symbols rather than numbers, including honey-drops, bats, daggers, hearts, and candles.[38] Patrons can also play a game where they throw a lizard in the air to catch bats. Blue lights are lit nearby to attract moths and the bats who would hunt them.[39] Card games are also offered at high and low tables that use jade chips for stakes.[40][41]

Mrs Plenty's Shooting Range is a game at the Carnival that offers prizes for crack shots.[42]

Philonous the Uncanny is the Carnival's mesmerist and mnemonist who wears Neathglass goggles to conceal his eyes. He challenges visitors to a game of chess, but his gaze can be quite distracting.[43]

Beneath the Neath

"At MRS PLENTY'S CARNIVAL, ENJOY a DIVERTING EDUCATIONAL AND THRILLING RIDE into the CHASMIC ABYSMS of SUB-SUBTERRANEAN TROGLODYTRY! SEE the FOSSILS OF the ELDER PAST! ENJOY our PAINSTAKING RECREATION of the HELLS OF ANTIQUITY! (REFUNDS NOT AVAILABLE in case of UNWISE DEATH.)"[44]

A Ferris wheel.
The Carnival's big wheel.

Beneath the Neath is a partially submerged Ferris wheel[45] that takes passengers into a cavern beneath the Carnival. Most passengers return soon after.[46] The cave has large fossils embedded in its walls[47] and it's sometimes used as a hiding place for valuables. These include jade trinkets,[48] souls, or infernal contracts.[49]

The first section of Beneath the Neath has riders travel through various underworlds. They're first taken through a recreation of a classical Hades, then through a fire-and-brimstone Hell. The latter recreation is staffed by actors who may or may not be actual devils.[50]

The second part of the ride is in a deeper part of the cavern. Glowing horse-sized slugs are the only light source this far down. Mysterious pulsations can be heard that evoke a heartbeat or breathing. Soon after this unsettling segment, the ride ascends back to the surface.[51][49]

The House of Mirrors

"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 House of Mirrors squats like an ape in a quiet corner of the carnival. Strange mirrors are labelled in a neat, scholarly hand. It is not a popular attraction."[52]

The House of Mirrors is an unpopular attraction in an ignored part of the Carnival. It contains many labeled mirrors with unique, often dangerous, properties.[52]

Known mirrors include:

A darkened mirror.
Don't fall in.
  • Dream's Mirror, decorated with bronze cats and silver lizards. Looking into this mirror shows no reflection, but peer in far enough and it will induce a new way to view the world - and mandate a stay at the Royal Bethlehem Hotel.[53]
  • Heart's Mirror, which smells of blood and dust. It also shows no reflection, but anyone who gazes deeply into it is instantly killed.[54]
  • The Winged Mirror, a mirror of dark glass with a frame covered in black feathers. One corner is chipped and missing.[55] This mirror is associated with July of the Calendar Council.[56]
  • A mahogany-framed mirror, inscribed with beetles and tree-roots. Anyone who studies this mirror is sent to the Mirror-Marches.[57]
A bronze-framed mirror with a warped frame.
Be wary.
  • A bronze-framed mirror, with gargoyles said to be carved by a student of Dalou, a famous French sculptor. The mirror's surface is said to be forged from glim melted in the furnaces of the Brass Embassy. It has the inscription: "BE WARY".[58]
  • An iron-framed mirror, said to be forged from cannonballs from the Crimea with a backing made from silverware stolen from a church. It has the inscription: "BE UNDEFEATED".[59]
  • A gold-framed mirror, said to be forged from idols stolen from the Pale Tabernacle, a place of "unearthly delights" spoken of by zailors. The mirror's inscription is unknown.[60][61]
  • A lapis-framed mirror, with decorations said to be from the Second City; the mirror itself is recent. It has the inscription: "LOOK BEHIND YOU".[62]

The Anatomy Exhibition

"The NOTED PEDAGOGUE Mrs Plenty presents an INFORMATIVE and EDUCATIONAL EXHIBITION of ANATOMY and DANCES of ANTIQUITY for DISCERNING GENTLEFOLK. You will BE IMPROVED!"[63]

The Most Educational Anatomy Exhibition is an strictly educational exhibit staffed by various performers.[63] They include Miss Forward,[64] Mr Adonis, and a tomb-colonist performer who's really Mr Adonis wrapped in bandages.[65]

Rubbery Men also perform at the Anatomy Exhibition. Sadly, they are often heckled by audience members.[66] The Rubbery Men also do not approve of this arrangement, and they often rescue their fellows from the Exhibition in daring escapades.[67]

Other Known Peformers

"Madame Shoshana's shabby, perfumed little tent is tucked away behind the House of Mirrors. Cross her palm with silver, er, tickets, and choose your method of divination."[68]

A elderly woman looking into a crystal ball.
Madame Shoshana

Madame Shoshana is the Carnival's fortune teller. She has a tent behind the House of Mirrors[68] and she uses tea-leaves,[69] palm-reading,[70] unique tarot cards,[71] and a crystal ball for her divinations.[72]

Jervaise, butler to Mr Wines and husband to Mrs Plenty, works as the Carnival's Bearded Lady.[73][74]

Mlle Lefebvre is a renowned French accordionist who performs at the Carnival.[75] The Human Cannonball is another performer.[76] The Carnival also employs acrobats,[77] contortionists,[78] and pole-vaulters; it uses firework displays, trampolines, and trapezes for flair.[79]

Other Attractions

"Well, the fire-eater is quite the show-woman. And those plate-spinners are rather amusing. But look - a monkey! Weren't you supposed to be doing something here? Never mind, it can wait a little longer. This place is most distracting."[21]

During a fad for bones in London,[80] Mrs Plenty established a Tent of Terror[81] and stocked it with scary skeletons from the Department of Menace Eradication.[82]

Another attraction is a prize-fighting tent[83] where a towering goat-demon named Yule Lad faces challengers in a wrestling ring of honor.[84][85] So far, no opponent has made it past the first round.[86]

The Feast of the Exceptional Rose

"In honour of the Feast of the Exceptional Rose, Mrs Plenty has set up a pleasure garden of heady delights. These include an 'exotic' roast chestnut stall, and a miserable juggler."[87]

A heart.
Matters of the heart?

To celebrate the Feast of the Exceptional Rose, the Carnival opens a decorative garden[87] that includes a lounge,[88] dancers,[89] a chestnut stall, and a juggler.[87] It also serves Deviled Hearts that taste of fire. Their unique blend of spices can form Correspondence sigils in a consumer's vision for a split second.[90]

The garden also displays a fake Exceptional Rose,[91] and presents the Wheel of Affection, a miniature replica of the Carnival's Ferris wheel. Each model gondola contains a small token, such as a charming poem, or a dead bat in a box (marvelous!).[92][93]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Mrs Plenty's Carnival, Fallen London
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Going to the Carnival, Fallen London
  3. Tell fortunes, Fallen London
  4. 4.0 4.1 Work the Carnival, Fallen London
  5. Have a chat in the shadow of the wheel, Fallen London
  6. Put on a little show, Fallen London
  7. The Bohemian Sculptress has a Moderately Improper Suggestion, Fallen London
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Big Top, Fallen London
  9. 9.0 9.1 Steal the Carnival Strong Box, Fallen London
  10. Buy tickets to the Carnival, Fallen London
  11. Buy a ticket with moon-pearls, Fallen London
  12. Buy tickets with Whispered Hints, Fallen London
  13. Buy the stallholders' help, Fallen London
  14. Searching the heap of souls, Fallen London
  15. Route: Mrs Plenty's Most Distracting Carnival, Fallen London
  16. Learn the way to another part of the city, Fallen London
  17. Meet your bohemian friends, Fallen London
  18. Meet some of the Widow's agents, Fallen London
  19. Meet some Constables you know, Fallen London
  20. Meet some devils, Fallen London
  21. 21.0 21.1 Look for the disciple, Fallen London
  22. Meet tomb-colonists, Fallen London
  23. Meet some high society types slumming it, Fallen London
  24. ...an incognito Master?, Fallen London
  25. 25.0 25.1 The Sideshows, Fallen London
  26. Meet some revolutionaries, Fallen London
  27. Meet some Rubbery Men, Fallen London
  28. Meet with spies, Fallen London
  29. Meet some zailors, Fallen London
  30. It's the zailor that horse-butcher in Spite mentioned!, Fallen London
  31. Meet some criminals, Fallen London
  32. 32.0 32.1 The Refreshment Pavilion, Fallen London
  33. Lu-umps! Get yer rubbery Lu-umps! Pride of the Neath!, Fallen London
  34. Try some spore-toffee, Fallen London "They [...] mutter a spell."
  35. Try some hot wine, Fallen London
  36. 'Meet me at the contortionist's tent at midnight.', Fallen London "You wander [...] eating toffee-puffballs [...]"
  37. The games tent, Fallen London
  38. Try your luck at dice, Fallen London
  39. Lizard Throwing, Fallen London
  40. Cards: the low tables, Fallen London
  41. Cards: the high tables, Fallen London
  42. Gamble for silver!, Fallen London "You can't stop winning. [...] like a soldier potting prizes at Mrs Plenty's Carnival Shooting Range."
  43. Chess against Philonous the Uncanny, Fallen London
  44. WHAT LIES...BENEATH THE NEATH?, Fallen London
  45. Have a chat in the shadow of the wheel, Fallen London
  46. Beneath the Neath!, Fallen London
  47. What's that?, Fallen London
  48. Below the Neath, Fallen London
  49. 49.0 49.1 Go and see what else you can find, Fallen London
  50. Go for a ride, Fallen London "The first parts [...] decorated as underworlds. First a classical Hades [...] There follows a [...] Hell [...] with [...] red grease-lamps and brass cages. [...] are those real devils?"
  51. Go for a ride, Fallen London "Then the ride descends deeper. [...] the darkness is palpable [...] Phosphorescent slugs the size of ponies pulse in the darkness. [...] a deep slow rhythm throbs. The heartbeat of some immense creature [...]"
  52. 52.0 52.1 The House of Mirrors, Fallen London
  53. Gaze into Dream's Mirror, Fallen London
  54. Gaze into Heart's Mirror, Fallen London
  55. Lost in Reflections, Fallen London "Gaze into the Winged Mirror [...] Dark glass [...] fringed with [...] black feathers. [...] fragment is missing from the top corner."
  56. Lost in Reflections, Fallen London "You do not appear in the mirror. In your place stands [...] July!"
  57. A mahogany-framed mirror, Fallen London
  58. A bronze-framed mirror, Fallen London
  59. An iron-framed mirror, Fallen London
  60. A gold-framed mirror, Fallen London
  61. What is the Pale Tabernacle?, Fallen London
  62. A lapis-framed mirror, Fallen London
  63. 63.0 63.1 Most Educational Anatomy Exhibition, Fallen London
  64. The female specimen, Fallen London "[...] Miss Forward [...]"
  65. The bandaged specimen, Fallen London
  66. The rubbery specimen, Fallen London
  67. Arrange an escape from the Carnival, Fallen London
  68. 68.0 68.1 Visit Madame Shoshana, the Neath's Foremost Clairvoyante, Fallen London
  69. Have your tea-leaves read, Fallen London
  70. Have your palm read, Fallen London
  71. Try the tarot cards, Fallen London
  72. See what the crystal ball can foretell, Fallen London
  73. Jervaise at Mutton Island, Fallen London
  74. Report a story of Mutton Island to Mr Wines, Fallen London
  75. Carouse at Mrs Plenty's Carnival, Fallen London
  76. Por Una Cabeza, Fallen London "The fellow who runs the Beneath the Neath ride? Allowed [...] When you ask the Human Cannonball to clarify [...]"
  77. Upwards (Story), Fallen London "Call [...] Carnival acquaintances [...] the acrobats arrive [...]"
  78. 'Meet me at the contortionist's tent at midnight.', Fallen London "'The MOST ACROBATIC [...] CONTORTIONISTS!"
  79. Upwards (Story), Fallen London "Call [...] Carnival acquaintances [...] the acrobats arrive [...] to a chorus of fireworks, [...] After a day of pole-vaulting, trampolining and intensive trapeze work [...]"
  80. A Flood of Bones, Fallen London
  81. Sell a complete skeleton to Mrs Plenty, Fallen London
  82. Mrs Plenty, Fallen London
  83. The Brass Grail (Story), Fallen London "A Goat-demon Prize-fight."
  84. The Brass Grail (Story), Fallen London "[...] a goat-demon champion takes on all comers. He's seven feet tall [...] The word 'YULE LAD' has been sheared into his shoulder-fur."
  85. The Brass Grail (Story), Fallen London "You may box or wrestle as you prefer. [...] Welcome [...] to the field of honour"
  86. The Brass Grail (Story), Fallen London "A new contender! [...] Perhaps this bold soul will last the first round!"
  87. 87.0 87.1 87.2 The Perfumed Pleasure Garden, Fallen London
  88. Enjoy the decadence, Fallen London
  89. Join the dancers, Fallen London
  90. Mr Hearts' Devilled Hearts, Fallen London
  91. The Exceptional Rose, Fallen London
  92. The Wheel of Affection, Fallen London
  93. Gift of Scorn, Fallen London