Mrs Plenty

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"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."

Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include midgame or minor Fate-locked content. Proceed with caution.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"The pearly proprietress of the carnival, Mrs Plenty is patroness of many a struggling artist and bane of many a carnival performer."[1]

Miriam Plenty runs Mrs Plenty's Most Distracting Carnival, located in the East End of London.

The Ringleader

"And now I'm here and I'm gonna SACK THAT FIRE EATER IF HE DON' PULL HIS SOCKS UP. Funny old world, innit?"[2]

Though she does not often discuss this due to potential backlash over her humble origins,[3] Mrs Plenty hails from Mutton Island:[4] the source of her charming Cockney accent, as well as her famous Rubbery Lumps[5] that she promotes and sells even outside the Carnival.[6] She and her husband Jervaise ran a bar called the Cock and Magpie before they left for London.[7] While no longer welcome on the island due to her past dealings, she returns in disguise for the Fruits of the Zee Festival,[8] and she spends one night a year running the Cock and Magpie just like old times.[9]

Jervaise, Mrs Plenty's husband.

Though today she profits off its traditions, Plenty had always wanted to leave Mutton island.[10] She eventually found her way to London while following the dangerous and forbidden Seeking Road,[7] and it was her departure from that path that led her to her current business venture.[10] Plenty now runs the Carnival alongside Jervaise, who moonlights as its Bearded Lady.[11] She and Jervaise[12] are habitual smokers[13] who share a fondness for bickering.[14] She adores moon-pearls enough to accept them as currency to buy carnival tickets, and wears copious quantities of them as jewelry and accessories.[15] She regularly visits the Bone Market to procure attractions for the Carnival.[16]

Mayoral Campaign

"London needs an 'oliday. A jolly good 'oliday. And I'm the woman to make it happen."[17]

Rubbery Lumps

Mrs Plenty ran for Mayor of London in 1897, under the slogan "A Moment's Peace." [18] She and her campaign manager, His Amused Lordship,[19] aimed to grant the city a year of respite from its recent turmoil[20] by reinforcing the constabulary and bribing London’s adversaries to "b____r off for a bit."[21] Under the surface, however, Plenty was more interested in expanding her own business[22] and bringing prosperity to Mutton Island.[23] Her employee Madame Shoshana ran against her, and while Plenty might have been proud of Shoshana,[24] the competition between the two irked Plenty enough that she worked to disrupt Shoshana's campaign in a rather petty fashion.[25] Both were ultimately defeated by Virginia.[26]

A Lady of the Well

"In the migrainous straits of deep sleep, there is a marsh where candle-flames buzz like wasps."

WARNING: Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London's most infamous storyline: Seeking Mr Eaten's Name. Turn back now.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"They says I 'asn't got an 'eart. They're wrong about that. I 'ate to see you chuckin' yer 'ole self away like this. But, more'n that, I got certain duties I can't get out of, even with wot Jervaise and 'Imself did fer me. You can take the gel out of the Mutton, but you can't take the Mutton out of the gel. Not all the way. So what about you? Why're you chasin' yer doom so 'ard?"[27]

His Amused Lordship

Miriam Plenty was once a Seeker of Mr Eaten's Name, but was saved from her ruinous quest by His Amused Lordship.[28] The two presumably met through His Lordship's wife, who was Miriam's partner in Seeking. When the path demanded betrayal, Her Ladyship sought her husband's help in betraying Miriam.[29] But His Lordship's affection for Miriam had grown too much, and instead he warned Miriam; Her Ladyship vanished soon afterward, likely into a well.[29] By winning the Marvellous, His Lordship was able to save Miriam with Jervaise's help,[30] though this did not come without psychological scars.[31][32]

In an incident that was likely the catalyst to saving Miriam, she and Jervaise became "entangled" with the Masters of the Bazaar,[33] who hunt down and dissuade Seekers of the Name.[34] After His Lordship won the Marvellous,[28] the Masters made an arrangement with him to promise Miriam riches and influence in London;[35] it may be extrapolated that they funded her Carnival to entice her away from Seeking. As the Masters are her benefactors, and her husband was most likely employed by Mr Wines as an additional consequence of these events,[36] Plenty is reluctant to speak ill of them.[37] Miriam has been to Mr Fires' sinister Orphanage[38][39] and implies that she was changed by the Iron Republic,[40] both of which may offer vague further clues as to her path away from Seeking.

Despite all she experienced, Miriam never truly left the Seeking Road. She now guides others to a particular candle in a warped version of her Carnival,[41][42] accessible only at midnight.[43] Unhappy with this duty, she makes an effort to discourage others from the path;[44] her yearly visit to Mutton Island to run the Cock and Magpie is also implied to attract fellow Seekers, in a largely futile effort to dissuade them.[9] Miriam and His Lordship are still close friends, causing questions and gossip about the nature of their extramarital relationship.[45] Miriam maintains that love is complicated,[46] and His Lordship notes that she would not be pleased to be described as merely his friend.[28]

References

  1. ↑ Mrs Plenty (Election Candidate), Fallen London
  2. ↑ Have a chat in the shadow of the wheel, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Blackmail Mrs Plenty, Fallen London "I'm sure the press would be kind when reporting your humble origins and the... quaint customs of Mutton Island."
  4. ↑ Have a chat in the shadow of the wheel, Fallen London "Miriam Plenty smiles, and for a moment you see a Mutton Islander rather than a patroness of the London bohemian set."
  5. ↑ Lu-umps! Get yer rubbery Lu-umps! Pride of the Neath!, Fallen London "Alarming beasts dredged up from the Unterzee, hit on the head, chopped up and fried in batter. Two hours from trawler to newspaper wrapping. Luvverly. No Rubbery Man content whatever. Guaranteed by Mr Hearts, so it is."
  6. ↑ Take some refreshment, Fallen London "Mrs Plenty knows a good business opportunity when she sees one. There are Rubbery Lump stands dotted all around the Labyrinth, shunned by cats and haunted by urchins."
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Take a good look around, Fallen London "[…] Miriam used to run this place a'fore me, with 'er 'usband. Both of 'em tangled up with them Masters up in London. Terrible business. Still, I hear she's played fair well with a bad hand. Even had a go at making Rubbery Lumps. In London! […]"
  8. ↑ Confront a Hooded Lady of Mysterious Provenance, Fallen London "'[…] all right, don't shout about it,' she hisses. 'I'm all in a cognito, ain't I? Just wanted to see the old stomping-grounds. Remember younger, stupider, simpler days. Look, if keep your bleedin' mouth shut I'll owe you one. Take this as surety.' […]"
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Visit Mutton Island with Mrs Plenty (12 FATE), Fallen London "...there is a lit lantern hanging over the Cock and Magpie's door. Inside, laughter. Miriam Plenty [...] t''akes up her space behind the bar, and pours you a generous ale. "On the 'ouse," she says with a wink. "All on the 'ouse tonight." You settle in on a dark bench; locals move aside to let you in. The locals are friendly. Candles flow from the kitchen, and are in need of continuous resupply. The room is dark half of the evening as candles go out and are then relit. They share stories of bad ends and darker crossings. Behind her mask, Mrs Plenty doles out comforting advice in the form of too-neat parables as she serves her ale. "Best I can do for 'em," Mrs Plenty says as you depart. "Too late for most. But maybe one or two will remember a better time.""
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Have a chat in the shadow of the wheel, Fallen London "...life was a lot bleedin' simpler back then. O'course, I wanted to leave the island even before I started looking for it. But then the search was everythin'. [...] And now I'm here and I'm gonna SACK THAT FIRE EATER IF HE DON' PULL HIS SOCKS UP. Funny old world, innit?""
  11. ↑ 'Meet me at the contortionist's tent at midnight.', Fallen London "You turn – and see the Carnival's Bearded Lady. She wears a yellow and pink striped crinoline and carries a frilly parasol. Her beard is... actually, her beard is familiar. You look again. It's Jervaise."
  12. ↑ Suggest a boat ride, Fallen London "Jervaise sits in the boat, drinking and smoking..."
  13. ↑ Have a chat in the shadow of the wheel, Fallen London "Catch Mrs Plenty when she nips around the side of the wheel for a smoke."
  14. ↑ Suggest a boat ride, Fallen London "Jervaise and the Hooded Woman sit side by side, one oar each. They bicker ceaselessly; the boat goes in circles […] When they return some hours later, they are both beaming. "Marvellous," the Hooded Woman says. "We should do it again," Jervaise concurs."
  15. ↑ Buy a ticket with moon-pearls, Fallen London "Mrs. Plenty likes moon-pearls. She wears enough of them to keep a dozen clock-makers in business."
  16. ↑ Mrs Plenty, Fallen London "She buys that which might terrify visitors to her Carnival."
  17. ↑ Learn more about Mrs Plenty's platform, Fallen London
  18. ↑ Learn more about Mrs Plenty's platform, Fallen London "She wants 'A Moment's Peace'. What does that mean?"
  19. ↑ Choose Mrs Plenty as your candidate, Fallen London "Despite her slogan, Mrs Plenty's supporters are a noisy crowd. Bohemians. Carnival barkers, trapeze artists, tomb-colonists and a tiger or two process in her wake. His Amused Lordship is managing Mrs Plenty's campaign."
  20. ↑ Learn more about Mrs Plenty's platform, Fallen London ""The way I sees it, we've had [...] Too much b____y going on, if you'll pardon my English. We've had three mayors – of very varying success. Endless foreign ambassadors, an Elder Continent city invading our dreams, a royal weddin', a bloomin' tentacle cult and more crimes than you can shake a stick at. [...] London needs an 'oliday. A jolly good 'oliday. And I'm the woman to make it happen.""
  21. ↑ Ask Mrs Plenty about her plan for London, Fallen London "[…] Honest constables to keep the peace […] a public 'oliday on Mutton Island, bribes to every ambassador […] to b____r off for a bit. What I means […] Is to keep the wolves from our door for another year."
  22. ↑ Choose a Target: Mrs Plenty's Campaign, Fallen London "There are plans afoot. Expanded positions. Increased budget to bring in big attractions. New costumes. New venues. And best of all, none of this will come from their wages. Everyone at the carnival will prosper. Except for 'that woman'. She gets to keep renting her tent, but the rent will go up."
  23. ↑ Persuade Mrs Plenty to share a confidence, Fallen London "I'm not proposin' we build a bridge, mind. But might be we could bring a piece of Mutton Island to London. [...] Maybe a new attraction. Somethin' to give people a real taste of the old place. Not the mummer's show we put on for the kiddies."
  24. ↑ Ask Mrs Plenty for her opinion on Madame Shoshana, Fallen London "In Mrs Plenty's esteemed opinion, 'that woman' is a liar, a charlatan, a no-good mountebank, an ingrate, biting the hand that feeds her, a mistress of chicanery and Judas reincarnated. Is Mrs Plenty actually proud of her?"
  25. ↑ Ask Mrs Plenty for her opinion on Virginia, Fallen London "Oo?" Mrs Plenty asks, when you catch her daubing a thick layer of paint on a moustache she’s added to a poster of Madame Shoshana from up a rickety ladder. "Oh. Her."
  26. ↑ Election 1897: The Victor is Announced, Fallen London "London's first Lord Mayor shall be ... Virginia."
  27. ↑ "What do you care?", Fallen London
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Ask His Lordship about the Marvellous, Fallen London "Damn fool game. I only played to rescue a damn fool friend. Well, friend undersells it rather a lot. She wouldn't be pleased to hear me describe her so. [...] She was on a dark path, a seeker of that which shouldn't be sought. I played the game to win her back."
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 A Confession of his Amused Lordship, Fallen London: "His Amused Lordship is, possibly, a widower. His confession starts: 'I do not know what has happened to my wife.' His wife was obsessed with a terrible quest. Something involving wells and voices. She had a partner upon it, one 'Miriam', of whom his Lordship developed increasing affection. Eventually, the quest required that Miriam and her Ladyship turn upon each other. His wife turned to his Lordship for assistance, but he balked. He informed Miriam of his wife's plan. Shortly thereafter, his wife disappeared."
  30. ↑ "What do you care?", Fallen London "I got certain duties I can't get out of, even with wot Jervaise and 'Imself did fer me."
  31. ↑ Sabotage a picnic, Fallen London "All you need do is ensure that the contents of the basket are replaced with candles. The expression on the Hooded Woman's face, and the horror on Jervaise's as he registers it, is enough to put a lid on the whole afternoon."
  32. ↑ Bring the pair to an unfortunate place, Fallen London "Jervaise takes his wife's hand and leads her from the well, but not without first shooting you a glance of mild loathing."
  33. ↑ Take a good look around, Fallen London "Miriam used to run this place a'fore me, with 'er 'usband. Both of 'em tangled up with them Masters up in London. Terrible business. Still, I hear she's played fair well with a bad hand. Even had a go at making Rubbery Lumps. In London!"
  34. ↑ TWO OF BATS, Fallen London "A courier in sombre livery approaches you in the street to hand you a note bearing the seal of Mr Iron. It reads: 'You are pursuing a name. End your pursuit now.' "
  35. ↑ It would be criminal not to, Fallen London '..but not even these promises and threats from His Lordship will stop me.[…] 'No. It calls me. From the well, from dreams, from the North. I will bloody well go North and I will bloody well find the name. Lords and Masters be buggered! […]'
  36. ↑ The smoothness of stones, Fallen London "Jervaise - Mr Wines' majordomo - […] is happy to gossip."
  37. ↑ "It was the Docks. The Battle.", Fallen London "You wouldn't expect to 'ear me speak ill of the Masters, would yer? And I ain't going to. But things changed that day, more than anyone expected. London won't always be this way. P'raps you should wait and see what's coming."
  38. ↑ "After I left the Palace..." You shrug., Fallen London"The Shuttered Palace! Tell yer what, I'd rather spend a week in the Orphanage than a month in that... that... over-furnished undertaker's. No music! I'm not surprised yer brain turned. But turned it 'as."
  39. ↑ Discover Virginia's scheme, Fallen London "For my research, I need something that remembers the Orphanage. I have heard that Mrs Plenty is familiar with the place and took a mask away with her. She didn't keep it long."
  40. ↑ "Have you ever been to the Iron Republic?", Fallen London "Then a sound. Is she... is she weeping? "Yes," she says very quietly. "Just once.""
  41. ↑ Why?, Fallen London "The woman in the Mirror wants to know why you are so hell-bent on your own dissolution. She's waiting for an answer. And your mind is clearer than it's been in a while. Perhaps that's the cigar-smoke."
  42. ↑ Gorge yourself, Fallen London "The more you eat, the more you need. Your belly gnaws at you as you gnaw at raw meat, fungus, tent-poles, fresh cats, childhood memories, your own limbs. Perhaps you should continue."
  43. ↑ St Beau's Candle (storylet), Fallen London "St Beau's Candle is the crossroads-candle... you read that somewhere. You think. In this note? Where did this note come from? 'Carnival, midnight, mirror-tent.' It is signed only with the Number."
  44. ↑ At a crossroads, Fallen London ""You've come a long way," […] "Not as far as I came, back when I was Looking, but then I 'ad certain advantages. In me upbringing. And anyway, you might go further." She leans closer, and her ear-rings jingle. "Free advice for yer. Don't.""
  45. ↑ Discommode Mrs Plenty, Fallen London "A crowd gathers, mouths agape. They are evidently in awe of your artistry – and your audacity. His Amused Lordship goes quite purple when his puppet makes an appearance in Mrs Plenty's boudoir. You are summarily ejected from the carnival, your puppets flung at your head one after the other – but the people are laughing. Oh, how they're laughing."
  46. ↑ "For love.", Fallen London "Is she fighting back tears, […]? Impossible to tell in this uncertain light. "I never sorted out to me own satisfaction," she says, rather quietly, "whether love was more trouble than it was worth. And it's even more complicated […]."
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