Fallen London Lore & References Miscellany

	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	In Game Text	Text Source	Lore Question	Answer	Alternate Answer	Additional Notes

2	MORE OF YOU KNOW OF THE TRUE NATURE OF POLYTHREME,' says a Clay Man, next time you visit. 'THIS IS GOOD.' "	Mirrors and Clay card	Why do the Clay Men want to spread horrifying tales of Polythreme?	Hypothesis: The motive is possibly a commitment to accuracy rather than a desire to make Polythreme seem scary.	Hypothesis: Perhaps they wish to motivate do-gooders to help more Clay Men leave Polythreme for London
3	A proposal to ban black-painted ships from the river, written in a cramped hand on scented letter-paper	Bundle of Oddities: Stolen Correspondence result	Who wrote this proposal and why?	Hypothesis: Someone confusing dreams with reality? See additional notes	Hypothesis: the Duchess wrote this for some obscure reason? The only connection I have here is that she and Schlomo get together to talk about the player's Dreams of Water, which are connected to a voyage of black ships (see Additional Notes)	A SMEN Schlomo text: ""Then you could have seen the black ships above you, their sails full of wind dearly bought from that angry god. You would know where they were going." Your stomach rumbles. Nausea floods your throat. "Walk away from your ship. Do not look for this," continues Dr Schlomo. "Seek rather the land whose wayfarers will ask why you carry a winnowing-fan on your back...'" ; This excerpt may reference the sacrifice of Iphigenia that bought wind for the "black ships" (epithet from Iliad) of Greece sailing to Troy. Alternatively, it could reference "Aeolus, giving the winds to Odysseus" as Schlomo says in dreams of weather. The last part in any case references advice given to Odysseus to walk inland until his oar is mistaken for a winnowing fan — i.e., Schlomo tells you to stay away from water. In-game, it references some sort of voyage Storm witnesses, where ships that sail East turn North due to Seeking. (the phrase "a world painted black" appears in reference to Surface anarchists and the Liberation of Night, but I think this may be irrelevant).
4	"The evening finishes with a fist-fight over the nature of 'the Pillars': a formation in a desert, an abandoned city of glass or a village of savage women."	Card appearing with Zailor in the Making 2: "Gather round me bully boys"	What is this referencing?	Definitely the Pillars of Irem, but I need to read up on that location for details
5	"When we leave the light, we encounter the darkness. When we leave the darkness, we do not always encounter light." – the Red Book of the Presbyterate.	Heists	What exactly is the Red Book of the Presbyterate? And what to make of this phrase?	Hypothesis: Perhaps this phrase is a literal dig at the poor quality of other Neathlight compared to the Mountain's luminance.		The Order of Vespertine quotes ("The Prester/Presbyter Saieth") about the Garden might come from the same book, or at least seem related.
6	"Work is completed by day. Dark-work is by its nature not work but crime." — the Red Book of the Presbyterate	Heists	How about this one?	Pretty straightforward but supports the notion that the Red Book is largely about the link between light and law.	.
7	"Downstairs for the crushers, upstairs for the push, and the roof for the windering"	Heists	What is a proper translation of this weird little thieves' proverb?	In Victorian slang, the crushers are police, named after their "beetle crusher" boots. The push is the money or valuables.	Hypothesis: the windering, maybe from "windows", is probably the means of escape.
8		University murder mystery conclusion	Why does exactly one spire of the Bazaar lack carved Correspondence sigils?	Hypothesis: There is likely no special significance to the empty spire assuming the spires are the blank pages for the Bazaar to write its messages for transport.		The Master who meets you in this tower is unidentified but speaks in a high pitched whisper using normal words — so not Iron or Pages.
9	"The Lao—"	Advanced professions tease (locked storylet)	What advanced profession begins with this phrase?	"The Laocoönian" is confirmed by "unlocked by" text	.	Odd name for a profession: Laocoön has a cameo in the Aeneid where he warns against the Trojan horse and then gets killed by sea serpents. So a Laocoönian is maybe a Doomed Monster-Hunter a la Sunless Sea, or maybe a poorly trusted prophet (though Cassandra would be a more obvious reference there).
10			What is being done with all the marble shipped to the tomb-colonies?	The building and continual expansion of the Grand Sanatorium, an evil place where the most decrepit of Tomb Colonists are housed for their final, endless decay.	.	You can explore the Sanatorium in detail in Ambition: Nemesis.
11	(something about the royal eating habits being horrible)	(don't remember)	What does the royal family eat?	Raw goat. Honey. Wine. Possibly worse.	.
12	They say that all Neath-made clocks are powered by moon-pearls.	Sidebar	Why are moon pearls useful for clocks?	The appearance of moon-pearls changes predictably over time to match the phases of the moon, which seems useful for a timekeeping device. ("Down here, these are the only way to know what phase the moon is in.")	.
13	She flashes her big, toothy grin and hands you a scroll of paper with an elaborate seal. "This is a Shaper's Pass. It'll allow you entry to certain side streets of the Bazaar."	Person of Importance	Why is this called a Shaper's Pass?	Almost certainly just an influential member of society, or "Shaper of Tastes" as the social influence quality calls it.	.
14	"One for sorrow, two for joy. Three for Paris, four for Troy. Five for Athens, six for Thebes and seven... hush. Not yet."	Advent Calendar	This is a reference to nursery rhymes about magpies, though in this case bats are perched on your roof. But is there anything specific in the choice of words?
15	"Do keep your eyes out for any little glowing stones. White, most likely, and not cut like a gemstone. The Church has a great interest in these things. They're called Hell's Teeth, but I don't think you're quite ready to know why just yet."	The Acquisitive Reliquarian (from Altars and Alms-Houses: The Church)	What are Hell's Teeth?	Hypothesis: Since the Church and devils are interested, and the Elder Continent is related to Biblical lore, could these be a Neathy interpretation of "manna"? In Exodus and Numbers, manna is described as frost-like, white, and seed-sized. Revelations 2:17 says "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written." Worth noting that the name "Hell's Teeth" makes no sense with this description, since manna is God-given.	Hypothesis: Potential relation to devilbone, the byproduct of Laws being broken? ..... Hypothesis: Potential relation to these mentions in Flint: the Elder Contintent's "petriform allotrope of light" and/or "traces of an ancient [Mountain's] Wound that gives life to stone"?	Also: The Infernal Sommelier (from Burning Shadows: The Devils of London) It's not really my field, but something my patrons keep mentioning. Do watch out for any little white glowing stones you see. Not gemstones, but singlular little stones that give off a dim light. I've heard some wags call them Hell's Teeth, but they're from over the Unterzee." Also: The Savage Docker (from By the River's Side: The Docks) The Savage Docker […] says, 'You seen them little shining rocks, […] just glow a bit like beetles? Heard 'em called Hell's Teeth. No idea why. The things come from the Elder Continent, way I heard it.' Also: Listen to them (from Fun with the Fisher-Kings storylet in the Flit) '..an' when 'e climbed up onter the roof, there was the stash, right enough. But it weren't money like 'e thort. It were little chunks of stone, wot were glowin'...' ...... "Hell's Teeth" is a Geordie expression of surprise.
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