An Invitation to Linger

ID: 324583

Spoiler warning! This page contains details about Fallen London Actions.

London sometimes seems to demand blind hurry; but every so often, the bustle of the streets slows down of its own accord, and bids us to stop and listen to the city.

[see below]

Locked with A Beneficence

Wiki note: The second paragraph varies based on the Placeholder World Quality Used for This Purpose, which changes every week on a 52 week cycle.

Placeholder World Quality	Second Paragraph
1	The new year (such as it is) begins quietly, like waking up too early on a too-cold morning.
2	The gaslamps waver and swirl, making the shadows on the street dance. Deviations in pressure and quality of the fuel are common.
3	Scarves and long coats are in fashion, mostly out of long-obsolete habit; the air of the cavern is still and mild as ever.
4	It's 'raining' – condensation dripping from the stalactites above. It falls unevenly; some homes are dry, other drenched.
5	The hisses and screeches of bats – a colony has taken up residence in the eaves of a nearby church.
6	London is not seismologically active – ordinarily. But sometimes, if you stand every still, you can feel a gentle swaying; as if the Neath was slowly breathing in and out.
7	The Feast of the Rose is in full swing. Visitors to Tyrant's Gardens tread carefully, lest they trip over a masked tryst.
8	Everyone appears to be making an effort to look especially put-together and composed, following the events of the Feast.
9	A fierce tang rolls off the zee today – the stench of salt and guano.
10	A small winged creature hurtles past your head, picking up speed as it vanishes over the roofline. Was that—? No. It must have been a bat.
11	Devils seem to be everywhere today. Everywhere you go, you see amber eyes.
12	Strange sigils, painted in ochre on a wall. Urchins compete to see who can stare at it the longest.
13	A whisper from the shadows. Was that— Did someone say your name?
14	A haulier winches battered crates off the back of a cart outside a warehouse.
15	All the tea shops seem to be full today. Coincidence? Probably. Inconvenience? Definitely.
16	A group of children chain hands and dance in a ring, singing a cheerful song about mushrooms.
17	Someone moves lightly over a nearby rooftop, sticking to the shadows. Are they following you?
18	Two old men sit outside a café, playing cards. Alongside the Cats, Bats, Rats, and Hats, they use some carved figurines to mark some aspect of play.
19	Many prominent restaurants strike eggs from their menu at this time of year. It's simply too risky.
20	Strange yips, growls, and squawks are heard all about London at this time of year.
21	A vendor parks her cart across the street. Words emblazoned on the side advertise 'CAT MEAT! DOG MEAT!'
22	Does the fog feel more humid today? Do you fancy that the air is a little warmer?
23	The days run on like treacle. The city has acquired a listless aspect.
24	The fog is thick tonight – thick enough to block out the false-stars.
25	False-Summer settles over London. Nights are humid. Suits and petticoats run with sweat.
26	Your nose wrinkles. There's spores in the air.
27	The height of false-summer. Londoners fill their schedules with suitable activities.
28	Bells ring in Saint Fiacre's at irregular intervals. The city's timekeeping is disrupted by discordant peals.
29	The Stolen River is quiet and lonely. Warm light escapes from the House of Chimes, dappling the cobbles.
30	Jack-of-Smiles strikes again! Blood in the gutters. Chaos on the streets. The distant whistles of the Constables.
31	A swarm of cats – it can be labelled nothing less – courses down Lusitania Row in pursuit of a lone man.
31 (Estival 2024)	Stripes in the streets. A pair of tigers walk past, deep in conversation. They are afforded a healthy degree of personal space.
32	The steam-whistle of the Moloch Street Express screams in the distance. Another journey west begins.
33	A flash in the corner of your eye. Has that sigil always adorned the Bazaar's flank?
34	A hubbub on the edge of the city. An urchin leaps the carnival fence, cackling.
35	A brisk breeze briefly dissipates the smog outside your door.
36	This morning, you wake up to something sitting on your windowsill.
37	Cool wind from the northern unterzee enters the city through Wolfstack Docks.
38	Mme. Shoshana has thrown open the flaps of her tent, letting all in the carnival see her tarot readings; a little advertisement, perhaps.
39-40	The gutters here are clogged and claggy. Liquid amber, mixed with drips from above?
41	The 'leaves' are 'turning' – which is to say, Urchins are hanging red socks on windowsills and lamp-posts all over London as a sign of imminent terror.
42	Ships begin arriving on Wolfstack Docks, laden with strange cargo from across the Zee, in preparation to winter in the city.
43	Masked revellers throng the streets – Hallowmas is either here, or fast approaching.
44	The Glasswhisper stalks the streets. Shut your doors; shut your windows; safeguard your secrets. All will be confessed.
45	The spectre of Christmas rears its terrible head once again.
46	Underground, little changes in the weather as the seasons shift; tradition and memory are more important than climate. But sometimes the weather does change.
47	The doldrums of November are here. Newspaper-men comb the streets for depravity to report on, lest the publishers still be in the red for the year.
48	Shop windows fill with festive goods – from candied mushrooms in wintery shapes to ornate glass baubles.
49	Clerks, accountants, solicitors – the middle classes have a new spring in their step. The unspoken agreement has entered into effect: no real work will get done until January.
50	Lacre blankets the city in white. Winter is here.
51	Christmas is very nearly here, and the anticipation (and fear) in the air is palpable.
52 - 53	It is the dead of winter. On the Surface, the shortest day of the year approaches. Underground, a haze of sleep falls over the city.

Card drawn in Fallen London

Occurs with Abundant Frequency (5 x as common as Standard)

Can not be discarded except by effects clearing your hand.

Options:

Stop for a moment, and watch

•  Spoiler ID: 238666
  

  Action Cost: 0
  

   

  Success

  Time and tide

  Success Instructions: This card will be available again when Time, the Healer comes.
  

  • Your actions have been refreshed! (Restores ten actions)
  •  Time the Healer will unlock An Invitation to Linger again next week! (Sets A Beneficence to 1)

  ^