The Moonlit Chessboard

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"This is the dream of spies, the move and countermove that controls the politics of the Surface – and sometimes of the Neath. Sometimes you are a pawn or a knight. Sometimes you are the player."[1]

The Moonlit Chessboard is the Parabolan representation of politics, mostly of the Surface, but sometimes the Neath. It is constructed from the dreams of those who play the Great Game.

Three-Sided Chess[edit | edit source]

"Two steps forward, one to the side. Again. The way to the chessboard is a matter of oblique approach."[2]

As befits a chess game set in unreality, this game has three players rather than the usual two, colors each representing different factions and ideologies: the White, the Black, and the Red.

White stands for the establishment and the status quo, its forces aligned with the Judgements — the cosmic arbiters of order.[3] This side is headed by the Beleaguered King, a weary[4] but honorable ruler.[5]

Black represents the forces advocating for the Liberation of Night, a revolutionary cause that seeks to shatter cosmic law and overthrow the chains of hierarchy. Where the Judgements see order, they see tyranny.[6] The Black faction is anarchist and thus does not have a single leader, but October of the Calendar Council is a powerful Black player.[7][8]

Red plays from the shadows, neither bound by the strictures of law nor devoted to its destruction. It is the color of wildcards, of rogue agents and external influences, of those who thrive beyond the lines drawn by others.[9] This side is commanded by the Red-Handed Queen, who promises great wealth and power to her supporters.[10][11]

Other Games?[edit | edit source]

"This is not the game you were looking for."[2]

The Chessboard is but one of many games in Parabola. There are others — some that test skill, others that hinge on chance, and some where victory belongs not to the cleverest but to the boldest deceiver.[12] Here, wars are not always fought like chess; some play out as poker or roulette, perhaps.[13]

And they say that beyond the Chessboard, there is another battlefield, one far older and more intricate. A different board, a different grid, and a set of black and white stones placed in a game of conquest and encirclement...[14]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Supervise the New Game, Fallen London "This is the dream of spies, the move and countermove that controls the politics of the Surface – and sometimes of the Neath. Sometimes you are a pawn or a knight. Sometimes you are the player."
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Look for the Moonlit Chessboard, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Play as white, Fallen London "You play for the Church and Constables and the light of the stars."
  4. ↑ A dream about a king, Fallen London "You are gathered around the Beleaguered King. He is ancient and tired. His eyes are wells of sorrowful wisdom."
  5. ↑ The Fair Unknown, Fallen London "What does he want? 'Only to advise you. Stay true to how you've fought thus far – with honour. I would fane reward you.'"
  6. ↑ Play as black, Fallen London "You play for the Revolutionaries and the Criminals, the reversal and the shadow."
  7. ↑ The Shallows, Fallen London "You assemble what evidence you can: [...] An underlined passage reads: "—to shape their dreams advances the Liberation.""
  8. ↑ The Peace of October, Fallen London "To hold influence in dream is power. Show me what you see and I am yours. [...] The deal made, a cadre of ravens flies from October's island [...] They will follow you across Parabola – and report back your every move."
  9. ↑ Play as red, Fallen London "Play second. Assert no allegiances. Remain a free agent. [...] You play for yourself. No one is on your side, and neither are you on theirs."
  10. ↑ Be loyal to the Red-Handed Queen, Fallen London "She has so much more power than the King. The rewards she will offer are so much more... tangible than simple honour and pride."
  11. ↑ Bear witness (Red Leaning), Fallen London "You follow as the Socialite is led to a house of London-build. An old manor, lights ablaze in its windows. It is the Socialite's home, filled with her family's treasures, their worth and value – and now the Red-Handed Queen's. You hear the Socialite's voice as she enters. "When?" "One day. One day you will be more than becoming," the Queen answers."
  12. ↑ Arrive at an Oneiromantic Revelation, Fallen London "[...] the Chessboard is one of many game-boards in Parabola. There are other games: some skill, some chance, some of daring and bluff. There are other kingdoms, and some of these do not consider it merit when they prevail, but only Fortune."
  13. ↑ Arrive at an Oneiromantic Revelation, Fallen London "the Chessboard is one of many game-boards in Parabola. There are other games; there are other kingdoms, waging their wars not as chess but as poker or roulette; gathering their dead with a croupier's hook."
  14. ↑ Look for the Moonlit Chessboard, Fallen London "You move towards the sound of pieces on a wooden board. What you find, however, is a vast plane of Kaya wood, marked with a grid. There are hundreds (or thousands?) of round stones, clam-shell white and slate-black. Once an evening, a new stone takes its position on the board, and roosts there." [Editor's note: this is a Go board.]
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