Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get {item}?
You should probably check the wikis first; in all honesty, I’m probably going to end up just checking it for you and then parroting the result.
This page on the old wikidot wiki is a little outdated, but is generally on the money for most cheap items. Otherwise, you should check the item’s Sources page on the wiki e.g. this one for Whirring Contraptions. There’s no sorting or anything, though, so for cheap commodities it’s often hard to locate a good source.
A lot of items can be obtained via conversions; if you can’t find a good source for one item, consider locating a source for an item that you can convert. For instance, there are no good direct sources of Correspondence Plaques, but you can get Journals of Infamy easily and convert those sideways to Plaques.
If after that you’re still confused, then feel free to send me an ask.
How can I start Seeking the Name?
The Seeking Hiatus has ended. Starting SMEN now is actually fairly simple; if you pick up Unaccountably Peckish from one of the many, many sources throughout London (try eating a bunch of Rubbery Lumps in the Carnival, or throwing a Starveling Cat at a friend) you’ll be able to draw black-bordered Opportunity Cards which will let you get a point of SMEN. You can also start in the Forgotten Quarter, at certain Airs levels. For a quick rundown of Seeking progression, check out this post.
How do I connect to IRC?
If you’ve used a client before; network is irc.synirc.net, channel name #FallenLondon. You may also want to visit #SunlessSea.
If not; Click here! The basic web client is okay, but not great; consider getting something like Chatzilla or Hexchat or mIRC or any of the other million IRC clients you can download.
What’s your FL Profile?
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Spacemarine9
What Fate-locked storylines should I buy?
Flute Street and Theological Husbandry Extended are generally considered to be the absolute best, and there’s crossover content for having both as well! Flute Street contains a 100-Fate option within, it has some pretty neat effects but it is very expensive.
The Foreign Office continuation has some okay lore.
The Daughter storyline is also pretty okay.
The Velocipede Squad isn’t very good but provides the best Transport in the game.
Secrets Framed in Gold is really good, but avoid spoilers if you can. Seriously.
The Soul Trade provides some very nice mechanical benefits, and there’s a lot of tie-ins throughout the game. The earlier you buy it, the better value you’ll get.
Don’t buy the Rubbery Murders unless you’re incredibly desperate for content; it’s really not very good. If you want Rubbery content you should really wait for Flute Street.
How can I make echoes easily?
This post should contain all the info you need.
How can I raise my BDR?
Check this guide on the wiki for a list of all the best BDR items in category. Some of those items are Fate-locked, though, but you can always ask if you’re unsure how to get something.
What’s up with Polythreme/the Nadir/short stories/other stuff?
The wikia has a number of real good guides for some of the more involved systems in the game. I wrote a bunch of them! Check them out here; they may just help you out
Rats?
It’s a long story. Fortunately you can find at least some of that long story here.
What’s up with Ambition: Enigma?
This document by an_ocelot is mostly all I’ll ever provide publicly; at least, as far as getting started goes.
Can you still go on a Voyage of Scientific Discovery/visit Flute Street if you do/don’t get kicked out of the University?
Yes. Your choice at the end of the current University arc doesn’t lock you out of either of those plotlines; all it affects is your academic standing. Naming the real murderer gives you the Unwelcome at the University quality; this locks off a few things, but can be removed by submitting a hefty quantity of notes from the Science Voyage.
What’s up with the Eggshell Painted Black?
It’s an Ambition: Enigma related item which unlocks a chunk of developer commentary about Frostfound, a location in Sunless Sea. If you want to get it, you might want to read the book Invisible Cities; these clues should be able to help you after that. The First. The Second
What’s up with the Splotch of Irrigo Ink?
It’s also an Ambition: Enigma related item which unlocks a chunk of developer commentary (not about Frostfound, mind you). If you want to get it, you might want to read this.
How do you get Ambition: Enigma 3?
At the moment, it doesn’t seem like you can.
What’s the deal with the Dawn Machine?
It’s a project by London’s Admiralty to bring sunlight and order back to the Neath. Given the nature of light and law in FL (see Judgements), this has pretty much resulted in them creating an artificial god. An artificial god which really wants to smash the existing laws of the Universe and replace them with its own.
Also, the Admiralty don’t really seem to be in charge any more; the Dawn Machine has pretty much repurposed most of them into its own personal cult, the New Sequence. Watch out for anyone with amber eyes.
What are the Judgements?
Simply put, they’re the stars. They’re also the gods. The Judgements order and control the Universe; their light is the Law. Whatever they permit Is, and whatever they permit Is-Not; things which Are-Not are destroyed by sunlight. The Judgements order the universe with their Great Chain and Sequence.
The Chain is a hierarchy of all living things, starting with the stars. (look up the classical Great Chain of Being; it’s the same thing, pretty much)Intermingling with other links of the Chain is mega-forbidden; such a thing would be a crime of amalgamy. It’s not clear if the Judgements themselves are subject to this hierarchy or if they’re all considered equal.
The Sequence appears to possibly be just a fancy way of saying “the laws of physics”, maybe.
What are the historical analogues to the Fallen Cities?
The First City was probably Tell Brak; certainly, it was Middle Eastern, at the very least. Its identity hinges mostly on the temple of eyes mentioned in some Polythreme content; Tell Brak had an eye-temple as well, so it seems like a decent match.
The Second City was certainly Amarna. This forum post is exhaustingly comprehensive, and provides a much stronger argument than anything I could post here; though it’s worth pointing out that it’s a fairly old post at this point, and a few more even-more-blatant references have been added since, such as a reference to the Hand of Aten (a literal translation of Akenhaten, Amarna’s Pharaoh)
There isn’t actually that much information on the Third City, to be honest; it was certainly Mayan, though. The chief piece of info is that it was said to have five wells, meaning it was probably Chichen Itza or Hopelchén.
The Fourth City was absolutely definitely Karakorum; just look at the intro to the Silver Tree.
The Fifth City… probably London?
Any other questions
If your question isn’t answered here, consider giving either of the wikis a once over; the wikidot wiki is kind of old and occasionally janky, the wikia is updated a lot more often and has a better search. If those fail, then you should probably send me an ask!
