The Alarming Scholar

The Alarming Scholar
Category	Story Event
Type	Character
Linked to	London
Data ID	141886

The Alarming Scholar is a Sunless Sea Character Story Event.

Trigger conditions

The Alarming Scholar appears in London as an interaction after you do the Visit the University action in London. You also need to have Favours: Antiquarian ≥ 1.

Character description

The Alarming Scholar is mercurial, to say the least. A creature of sudden moods and provoking teeth. Possibly her (is it her?) appointment as University Maritime Liaison was precautionary: to keep his (is it his?) razor-sharp enthusiasm from causing too many injuries in the faculty.

“Ah yes,” the Scholar whispers breathily. “I have a budget for acquisitions. What have you brought me?”

Game note: If you have any knowledge items that the Scholar will buy, they'll appear below.

Interactions

Actions	Requirements	Effects	Notes
A Zee-Ztory A tale of the deep.	1 x Zee-ztory	Difficult dictation “Thrilling! Let me hear every detail. First, I must find my fountain-pen. Oh, how regrettable - it has a spider impaled on the nib - excuse me. Let me - good Heavens! It's still alive! - pass me that volume of Gibbon - there we go. Do you have another pen?” -1 x Zee-ztory +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +10 x Echo
A Memory of Distant Shores A piquant piece of picaresque pilgrimage.	1 x Memory of Distant Shores	Wells of emotion As the Alarming Scholar listens, tears well in the depths of those shining (or is it blazing?) eyes. They overflow, splashing on to the desk-blotter. “Stop!” he (she?) sobs, at last. “This is too - too beautiful. Allow me to bring the Macaw of Memories. I wish each individual tone recalled.” -1 x Memory of Distant Shores +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +10 x Echo
A Strange Catch Pickled into quiescence.	1 x Strange Catch	Deep excitement The Scholar circles your specimen jar, tapping at the glass with a variety of tools: screw-driver, magnet, scrutinizer, tuning-fork, flensing knife, and a sort of slotted spoon. "This will keep them going for weeks," she (he?) says, half to himself. "We'll dine at the High Table tonight, I think." -1 x Strange Catch +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +10 x Echo
A Lamentable Relic Not a scientific curiosity, necessarily, but the Scholar has a collection. Or something.	1 x Lamentable Relic	A beaming smile “This would be so terribly wasted in an ossuary!” She (he?) buffs the cranium with a sleeve. “I think a climbing briar-rose will suit this one rather well. A yellow rose, perhaps. Thank you so much. Let's keep this between ourselves.” -1 x Lamentable Relic +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +5 x Echo	Player Note: it is worth turning the Lamentable Relics into 3 Unread logs per Relic at Codex, rather than selling them directly to the Scholar, as each log is worth 20, giving you a profit of 60, compared to the Relic's 5. The limiting factor is the Requirement of Something Awaits you, and Time the Healer of 50 or more.
An Ambiguous Eolith Some of these things were made as tools. Some just look that way.	1 x Ambiguous Eolith	An accident "This is the product of Nature, not artifice. Interesting, nevertheless! I have the very shelf for it! But if you could bring me something worked, not evolved, next time -" -1 x Ambiguous Eolith +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +1 x Echo
		Rare event (50%)
		A relic! “Oho! I see the knap-marks clearly! I rather think it was no human hand that shaped this, either. Something from Before. Or at least I like to think it. And that's what's most important.” -1 x Ambiguous Eolith +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +70 x Echo
Judgement's Egg A mystery in a bottle.	1 x Judgements' Egg	How intriguing! "How intriguing! Mm, has it been in an ape? Did you leave it in a jewel? It hasn't been to the Surface, has it? Can it provoke objects to self-motilation? Have you subjected it to imaginary wavelengths? What is - " -1 x Judgements' Egg +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +500 x Echo
You've left it untouched... ...the Scholar likes fresh secrets.	1 x Unread Log	Squeals of delight "This is a spicy one. Crawcase will be dripping with envy. Remind me to invite you for dinner, soon, and thank you properly." -1 x Unread Log +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +20 x Echo
An Outlandish Artefact Shaped by hands unknown in London.	1 x Outlandish Artefact	A careful scrutiny “We have something like that,” she (he?) declares. “But not very like that. Interesting. I have some ideas about suitable fees.” -1 x Outlandish Artefact +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +100 x Echo
Captivating Treasure Shiny. And you polished it before you brought it in, so it's even shinier today.	1 x Captivating Treasure	Glinting eyes “Oh my.” Teeth bared in a hungry grin: there's something odd about those teeth, as if there were too many of them. “This will make quite a dent in my acquisitions budget. But worth it, I think. Yes. Worth it.” -1 x Captivating Treasure +1 x Fragment +2 x Favours: Antiquarian +1000 x Echo
A Live Specimen Something not yet extinct.	1 x Live Specimen	You flick the blanket away, and the creature in the container shrinks away from the light. The Scholar clasps hands in delight. "Oho! It's still moving! I can think of uses for this." -1 x Live Specimen +1 x Fragment +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +100 x Echo
Brimstone Buzzings A terrifying tidbit.	1 x Brimstone Buzzings	Pop-eyed suprise "This - well, I wouldn't say it confirms, but I suppose it supports - and I thought the Department of Infernal Rarefactions were all stark raving mad. Thank you; thank you indeed. I'm sorry our budget isn't larger." -1 x Brimstone Buzzings +1 x Fragment +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +120 x Echo
A Watchful Curio Pitiable little thing.	1 x Watchful Curio	Inhaling deeply "Mm! It smells of the Elder Continent! Of wind - of light - of Stone - of things without faces. Thank you!" -1 x Watchful Curio +1 x Fragment +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +20 x Echo
A Colossal Fluke-Core Have your man wheel it in. Remove the cover with a flourish.	1 x Colossal Fluke-Core	Memories Prisoned light scratches at the surface of the Core. "Oh, yes," the Alarming Scholar breathes. "Oh, yes." She (he?) seems to have forgotten you. "So many savours. Come here, my love, come here." The irrigo glow at its core brightens. Colour leaks from the room, to be replaced by one shade only. You wake slowly in your cabin. The swinging lights seem dull after the irrigo glow. Your eyes itch oddly. What happened, exactly? The Scholar, you know, will never speak of it. -1 x Colossal Fluke-Core +1 to +20 x Terror +1 to +10 x Time, the Healer +6 to +15 x Fragment +500 x Echo
A Lump of Blue Scintillack “Apocyan! That's not a hue we often see here.”	1 x A Lump of Blue Scintillack	Careful inspection “Thank you! The Department of Paradoxic Optics loves this sort of thing. The Venderbighters are far too fond of colours, and they can generally outbid us.” -1 x A Lump of Blue Scintillack +1 x Fragment +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +800 x Echo
A Ray-Drenched Cinder "That's... cosmogone, isn't it? It's hard to make it out when one's awake, you know. Lovely colour. Reminds me of... crab-flesh. Mm."	1 x Ray-Drenched Cinder	Close inspections "What's this stuff on the bottom? A sort of lilac slime? Have you been digging these out of fungus-towers? ...no, I shan't ask. I'd rather not know." -1 x Ray-Drenched Cinder +1 x Fragment +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +800 x Echo
A Wakeful Idol Perhaps it's safer to get rid of it.	1 x Wakeful Idol	A twitching nose "This one has travelled - travelled a long way! I smell diamonds, copper, basalt. Hm ha ah. Thank you." -1 x Wakeful Idol +1 x Fragment +1 x Favours: Antiquarian +100 x Echo
An Element of Dawn A strayed component of a strayed star.	1 x Element of Dawn	"Ahhh..." The light of the Element kindles an answering light in her (is it his?) eyes. "Dawn," he (she?) whispers. "I won't give this one to the Professor. Not this one." +1 x Supremacy: The Dawn Machine -1 x Element of Dawn +1000 x Echo
Offer the Scholar an Intriguing Snippet "I might perhaps classify this as 'gossip', not 'data'. Nevertheless..."	1 x Intriguing Snippet	"Oho, zesty, zesty!" "This one will do very well shared. Thank you. Your payment." -1 x Intriguing Snippet +1 x Fragment +50 x Echo +1 x Favours: Antiquarian
Offer the Scholar an Extraordinary Implication “What a tantalising crumb!”	1 x Extraordinary Implication	“The scent of secrets...” “I will place it with the others. One day - one day, I will have enough.” -1 x Extraordinary Implication +1 x Fragment +250 x Echo +1 x Favours: Antiquarian
A Searing Enigma It won't be safe with her (him?), but then it won't be safe with anyone.	1 x Searing Enigma	“What's -” “Give it to me! Yes - yes, now I understand. Listen. The net. The law. The harm. The sky. The light. The clock. The zee. The eye. The night... Leave me. Leave me now. I have things to do.” -1 x Searing Enigma +1 to +5 x Fragment +1000 x Echo
A Dread Surmise "I smell secrets. Searing secrets. Share them with me. I am close to something."	7 x Searing Enigma	Delighted laughter "Here! I have the answer. Take it. I have all the answers I will ever need. I'll follow them to Frostfound. You can't come. Don't come. Can't come. Don't come. CAN'T COME! DON'T COME! - " Proctors burst in and drag the Scholar from his (her?) office. One shakes a sorrowful head at you. "Academics," he sighs. "They never last." You are left clutching a bundle of scrawled notes. You peep cautiously at the first page. Symbols boil before your eyes. The study seems suddenly, terribly bright. No! NO! -7 x Searing Enigma +15 x Terror +1 x Doom: Scholar's Madness +1 x Dread Surmise	Game note: If you choose this option, the Scholar will become permanently unavailable.
A delivery from Isery The Scholar drags her (his?) tongue over each of the vials. "Fresh, quite piquant - look at the colour! Oh yes, yes, perfect."	Isery's Patronage = 2 1 x Vials of Red Honey	He (she?) hands you an untidy bundle of notes written on what you hope is paper. You are almost certainly imagining how the notes seem to shiver in your grip. Isery will be pleased, at least. +1 x Isery's Patronage -1 x Vials of Red Honey +1 x The Scholar's Notes
An opportunity offered "Are you sure you didn't lose your shipment on the way?" the Alarming Scholar asks, stroking the casket of red honey vials possessively. His (her?) teeth glint. "I have quite a generous acquisitions budget, I am told."	Isery's Patronage = 2 1 x Vials of Red Honey	The Alarming Scholar hands over the money with barely-concealed delight once you give her (him?) the casket of vials. You leave with the distinct impression that he (she?) does not expect to see you ever again. -1 x Vials of Red Honey +1000 x Echo	The scholar implies that he (or she) will buy the Vials of Red Honey directly from you instead of using it for whatever purpose it was intended for. Since you don't receive The Scholar's Notes to prove your delivery, he/she tells you to say that you lost the shipment. This will no doubt make you fall out of favour with Isery.
A little present from the Scholar “You've been so very helpful. I wanted to give you something for your next voyage. I bottled it myself - ”	A Message from the Alarming Scholar ≥ 1 and ≤ 4	Dark glass It smells pickled, chemical. Zalty. Once, it might have been eel-flesh. But the Scholar assures you that it has vital and nutritional virtues. Save it for an emergency, perhaps. +2 x Supplies A Message from the Alarming Scholar is Inactive
A little chat with the Scholar "Let me tell you - "	A Message from the Alarming Scholar ≥ 5 and ≤ 10	Tantalising shafts of light Adam's Way - the nature of the Echo Bazaar - what lifebergs eat - the reason the islands seem to move - why candles can't be trusted. The Scholar has opinions on all of these. Some may even be true. +15 x Fragment A Message from the Alarming Scholar is Inactive That's all for now
A friend of the Scholar "A student of mine has long wished to go to zee. She's eager and clever and she grew up on a ship - "	A Message from the Alarming Scholar ≥ 11	Likely enough They'll do; with training. +1 x Crew +1 x Fragment A Message from the Alarming Scholar is Inactive
Ask the Scholar about the Whisper-Locked Box Cobweb-light silver tumblers will align if the words are right. But what are the words? Perhaps the makers of the box will know.	Objective: The Box from the Sea = 0	Triggers Event Advice from the Alarming Scholar	Game note: Play Fallen London to find the Whisper-Locked Box.
Leave the University You have business to attend to, and besides, the Scholar keeps snapping his (her?) teeth like a mechanical trap.		Triggers event: London!