Corral a slacking imp

A player-created Guide is available for this content: Law-Furnace (Guide)

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ID: 272173

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

From: The Machinery of Law

They like to sneak off and take smoke breaks, stubbing out their cigarettes on the antecedent belts.

Unlocked with Ceteris Paribus 0-50

Locked with Void Ab Initio 8

Challenge information

Broad, Shadowy 150

• 103 - very chancy (41%)
• 128 - chancy (51%)
• 153 - modest (61%)
• 178 - very modest (71%)
• 203 - low-risk (81%)
• 228 - straightforward (91%)
• 250 - straightforward (100%)
  

The difficulty is equal to the average of your base Watchful, Shadowy, Dangerous, and Persuasive, and is also increased by 10 for every two levels of Void Ab Initio.

Success

Culpa levis

"[Saint] curse you," spits [Imp]. "Fine, fine, I'll get back to work."

[Imp] turns a dial and the fires turn the colour of a fretful Wednesday. A fistful of moments turn to ash. [Imp] is back at [their] post; and in fact, never left it at all.

Description summary:
The name of the Saint in the curse, as well as the name and description of the imp, vary based on Ceteris Paribus.

Ceteris Paribus	Saint
1 - 10	Vintner
11 - 20	Piper
21 - 30	Mandolinist
31 - 40	Violinist
41 - 50	Fiddler
51 - 60	King of Carols
61 - 70	Dowager
71 - 80	Chorister
81 - 90	Bellows-Saint
91 - 100	Chandler

Ceteris Paribus	Imp
1 - 5	Unforeseen Barnabas, an imp with a face you could never have expected
6 - 10	Faithless Caleb, an imp wearing seven crosses around his neck
11 - 15	Acquisitive Cain, an imp with pockets that clank
16 - 20	Breathless Abel, an imp with terrible asthma
21 - 25	Helpless Eleazar, an imp with an air of cultivated uselessness
26 - 30	Hairless Esau, an imp with the bushiest eyebrows you ever did see
31 - 35	Dry Jethro, a terrible homunculus of flaky skin
36 - 40	Thankless Judah, an imp with devastating eye-bags
41 - 45	Haughty Obadiah, an imp with a nose made for looking down
46 - 50	Friendless Philemon, a creature of obscene gestures and smells
51 - 55	Samson Moon-Face, an imp with a face like a Mr Punch puppet
56 - 60	Deceitful Sheba, an imp with a cunning eye and quiet voice.
61 - 65	Eunice Shin-Kicker, an imp who lives up to her name with gusto
66 - 70	Odorous Keturah, an imp with a complex, layered, and awful smell
71 - 75	Young Priscilla, the oldest imp you've ever had the misfortune of witnessing
76 - 80	Dinah the Judgemental, an imp who carries a tiny wooden gavel
81 - 85	Damp Drusilla, whose wet footprints sizzle on the floor
86 - 90	Heavy Jemima, an undernourished and rake-thin imp
91 - 94	Exuberant Leah, who speaks in utter deadpan
95 - 100	Bitter Miriam, an imp acerbic and taciturn

[Find the rest of the story at https://www.fallenlondon.com]

• Shadowy is increasing…
•  Stability through Combustion is now (new value). (Raises Stability through Combustion by ?)
•  You've gained 256?-580 x Actus Reus
•  Time passes. You recognise some of these seconds. (Raises Pro Tempore by 1)
• With increasing probability (unknown formula) as Pro Tempore increases:
  •  You are closer to becoming undone. (Increases Void Ab Initio by 2 CP)
• Everything seems to have changed. Perhaps one day it will stop. [Ceteris Paribus change…] (random)
• Categories shift. Ontologies fidget on restless wings. [Inter Alia change…] (random)

Failure

Culpa lata

The imp – a detestable creature named [Imp] – notices your approach [...]

[They blow] smoke in your direction. [...] You are the sound of a heartbreak and the colour of a cat's footfall. [...] You are, ultimately, a delay in the furnace's operations.

Description summary:
The name of the imp varies based on Ceteris Paribus.

Ceteris Paribus	Imp
1 - 5	Unforeseen Barnabas
6 - 10	Faithless Caleb
11 - 15	Acquisitive Cain
16 - 20	Breathless Abel
21 - 25	Helpless Eleazar
26 - 30	Hairless Esau
31 - 35	Dry Jethro
36 - 40	Thankless Judah
41 - 45	Haughty Obadiah
46 - 50	Friendless Philemon
51 - 55	Samson Moon-Face
56 - 60	Deceitful Sheba
61 - 65	Eunice Shin-Kicker
66 - 70	Odorous Keturah
71 - 75	Young Priscilla
76 - 80	Dinah the Judgemental
81 - 85	Damp Drusilla
86 - 90	Heavy Jemima
91 - 94	Exuberant Leah
95 - 100	Bitter Miriam

[Find the rest of the story at https://www.fallenlondon.com]

• Shadowy is increasing…
•  You've gained 256?-580 x Actus Reus
•  Time passes. You recognise some of these seconds. (Raises Pro Tempore by 1)
•  You are closer to becoming undone. (Increases Void Ab Initio by 3 CP)
• Everything seems to have changed. Perhaps one day it will stop. [Ceteris Paribus change…] (random)
• Categories shift. Ontologies fidget on restless wings. [Inter Alia change…] (random)