Persuade the Gracious Widow

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ID: 242037

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

From: Debating Matters of Business with the Board

She is concerned with the success of her own business interests, above all.

Game Instructions: She is ripe for bribery. Other branches in this storylet may help to persuade her.

Unlocked with Board Member: the Gracious Widow

Locked with The Gracious Widow's Vote

Challenge information

Broad, Persuasive 100

• 69 - very chancy (41%)
• 85 - chancy (51%)
• 102 - modest (61%)
• 119 - very modest (71%)
• 135 - low-risk (81%)
• 152 - straightforward (91%)
• 167 - straightforward (100%)
  

Base difficulty is 100, increased by 40 points per Board against Criminals, and 20 points per Board against Own Financial Interests, Board against Urchin Interests and Board for the Fingerkings. Every point of Corruption of the Board reduces the base difficulty by 40 points, also each point of Board against the Bazaar reduces it by 20 points.

Success

She is persuaded

"This is to our advantage," she allows. "I will permit."

Description summary:
The text varies with the Question before the Board. The text above is the generic result; questions with more specific results are listed below.

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

Question	Success Description
3	"I have been there," says the Widow. "When much younger. Not a pleasant territory. The ground preserves the flesh of the dead."
5	"It would be interesting to meet the inhabitants of those hills," she says, with a little smile.
10, 12 - 20, 22 - 24, 26 - 33	"We do best to remove people who don't know their own mind or who have joined the board as an entertainment," she says. "Those of us who remain should be clear in our purpose."
11	"The supervision of the Efficient Commissioner is restrictive," says the Widow. "In her absence, we would in time have more freedom to explore new sources of income."
35	"She meddles," says the Gracious Widow. "Preserve us from those who think they know what is best for everyone else."
37	The Gracious Widow enthusiastically encourages getting rid of the Implacable Detective. This may have something to do with the members of the Widow's gang who have been locked up through the Detective's intervention, over the years.
210	The Widow gives the train design a curious glance, and appears puzzled by a few of the decorative choices, but she does not oppose the plan.
400	The Widow nods Yea. She did buy a very large number of shares when she became a director.
500	The Widow nods stiffly. "The other route would be preferable," she says. "But either will do."
510	The Widow votes in favour. There is a particular quirk to her smile. Is she planning for a few of the Hellworms to 'escape' the Tracklayers and end in her own possession?
520 - 523, 525 - 529	"It will be a profitable venture," says the Widow. "And one hears of very unusual goods available in that region."
620	She shrugs eloquently. The person who fills the office of Lord Mayor interests her very little; she does not acknowledge their power or care for their influence.
700	The Gracious Widow indicates that she does not mind who holds Balmoral, as long as it is open again.
710	"Why not?" says the Gracious Widow, with a small shrug.
720	The Gracious Widow smiles and nods approvingly. A solidarity amongst the widows of the Neath, perhaps?
905	"She is competent at least," the Widow allows.
910	"Yes. He is better when occupied," the Widow says.
932	She agrees, on the strict condition that the resulting animal be taller than the legendary beast ridden by the Clay Highwayman. Not that it will be her animal afterwards. Not precisely. But rivalries like this have subtle rules.
941	"Perhaps it will make the stations safer," she allows.
1000 - 1020	"It would be to our advantage to have friends as strong as the Bazaar," says the Widow. "Or stronger, perhaps."
1100 - 1110	"It would be good to extend the reach of our arm," the Widow says. "And to gather intelligence on our operational capacities in the future."
1200	"We will need to oversee the connection closely," the Widow remarks. "But I will permit it."

• Persuasive is increasing…
•  You've lost 1 x Uncommitted Board Members
•  The Gracious Widow will vote on your side. (Sets The Gracious Widow's Vote to 1 - The Gracious Widow is voting with you)

Redirects to: Debating Matters of Business with the Board

Failure

Unconvinced

[See table below]

Question	Failure Description
1 - 3	The Gracious Widow doubts your maps. She frowns at them and makes several pencilled annotations.
4, 7, 9	"Perhaps another way would be better," she remarks. She does not bother to propose an alternate route; she does not consider this her responsibility.
10, 12 - 17, 19, 20, 22 - 24, 26, 28 - 33, 35, 37	The Widow's phrasing is impossible to reproduce, but the gist is that once you've finally got the horses in place, you might as well drive your coach-and-six rather than make any more changes.
100, 105, 115, 120, 140, 160, 170, 181 - 187	The Gracious Widow does not admire the style of your proposed station. It is inelegant. She suspects that the taste of Devils has affected its design.
130	The Gracious Widow regards the proposal with profound distaste. "Buildings were beautiful once," she says. "And then London came down and crushed them all."
200	"We do not require guns. We require respect." The Gracious Widow looks around, and no one has the nerve to speak. "If our enemies have respect for us, they will not steal from us."
210	Is it necessary to spend all that money on train fittings that will quickly wear out […]? The Gracious Widow suggests several alternate approaches that would simply render the passengers not in a fit mind to experience (or remember) any discomfort.
220, 240 - 280	"A contemptible proposal," says the Widow. She is too disgusted with the idea to explain why, apparently.
300	"This statement is paste in the mouth," says the Widow.
310 - 320, 340, 932	The Gracious Widow does not approve, and says so.
400	"Yes, dividends are possible," the Widow admits, but her frown means that she disagrees. Perhaps she would be more comfortable removing money from the business in a quieter and less regulated way.
500	"Not a method to game with," says the Widow, as though you'd proposed an unsound gambling practice.
510	"Likely to be overcharged," she says. "The Devils never write a fair contract."
520, 522, 525 - 529	The Widow pauses for a long time. "We are passing beyond where the merchants of the Fourth City were allowed to go under any circumstance," she says. "We should be certain that the rewards will compensate for the risk."
700, 720	"Better a different ally," says the Gracious Widow, a little unexpectedly. "One who can open up lines of Surface trade." Indeed?
800, 905, 910	"Not that one," says the Gracious Widow, without elaborating.
931, 933 - 934, 941	"No." The Widow leaves it at that.
1100	"No," says the Widow. "This is an unnecessary risk of shared resources. It does not do, in business, to tangle different interests."
1200	"No," says the Widow. "It will flourish better in darkness and out of sight of the constables."

Other Votes	Second paragraph of Failure Description
	The portrait on the wall is snoring. Someone gets up to hang a veil over it. The furnishing of this place should really be replaced, but it's difficult to arrange when Devils are your landlords.
Furnace	[…] the […] Widow always looks out for her own, and for everyone else not at all. The Widow makes an obscure but almost certainly insulting remark about ancient standards of integrity […] The left side of Furnace's helmet hisses like a kettle. […]

• Persuasive is increasing…

Redirects to: Debating Matters of Business with the Board