The Secret of the Nocturne

The Secret of the Nocturne
Category	Story Event
Type	Story
Linked to	The Wreck of the Nocturne
Data ID	169506

The Secret of the Nocturne is a Sunless Sea Story Event.

The Secret of the Nocturne is located on The Wreck of the Nocturne and available during the story on Saviour's Rocks.

Trigger conditions

The Secret of the Nocturne is available if you have the following:

• 1 x Foxfire Candles
• Caught in the webs of Saviour's Rocks = 41 - 43 (A Scavenger for Spiders)
• The final event in the room sets this value to 44, forcing this storylet to exit.

Overview

This is part of a multi-chain story started on Saviour's Rocks. At this stage, you've completed Preparing for the Festival of Silk, been Into The Spider's Web, visited The Web of Stone and spoken to A council of sorrow, who have sent you to The Wreck of the Nocturne. If you did some spider spying in the Web of Stone, you have some idea why you're here. Otherwise, it's pretty unclear, but you like mysteries, right?

Interactions

The Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne status serves as a progress meter of sorts. Its value will determine what options to show you, and it rarely decrements, instead slowly increasing. There are multiple, overlapping choices at every stage, and you can repeat things you've done already. Almost everything that happens has a negative outcome, even when you succeed. At best, for the most part, things simply don't get worse.

Action	Requirements	Effects	Notes
Send a pair of scouts in first It is unlikely that anything is lurking, but...	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne ≤ 0 Crew ≥ 2	Failure	It's not clear to me how this event can "succeed" (the game handles most events as a fail, unless they're against a skill check). It's been reported. I'll update if I hear back.
		A long, long wait A flare goes up from the Nocturne. It's safe. The wait has not however been good for crew morale. Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 1 +5 x Terror
		Rare Failure (10%)
		A missing crewman A flare goes up from the Nocturne. It's safe. But inside, only one scout remains. The other thought to help herself to a little treasure. Her partner was more Salt-fearing. That at least explains the quiet splash sound a while earlier. A pity, but not one crewman would have advocated anything else. Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 1 -1 x Crew
		Success!
		A long, long wait A flare goes up from the Nocturne. It's safe. Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 1
Lead the boarding party Gaining entrance will mean hacking through a forest of old spider-webs. You will show the crew there is nothing to fear.	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne ≤ 0 Iron challenge (84 for 100%)	Failed event
		A forest of nightmares The dry webbing winds round your limbs and gets in your mouth as you hack through it. Why do the sorrow-spiders feel so compelled to leave their mark like this? What do they hope to catch out here? Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 1 +5 x Terror
		Successful event
		Cutting through a forest of nightmares As unpleasant as it is, it's nothing a good axe can't take care of. Why do the sorrow-spiders feel so compelled to leave their mark like this? What do they hope to catch out here? Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 1
Check in with the rest of the crew They are being quiet. Entirely too quiet.	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 1 - 2	Nothing but darkness Everyone had best hurry. These candles will not last forever. Nor will the solitude. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
		Rare event (40%)
		Their eyes stare into the shadows Find anything? No, nothing. There is nothing here. We should leave. We are not welcome here... +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +2 x Terror
Explore the lower levels You are alone here... right?	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 1 - 2	Empty corridors, untouched rooms The sorrow-spiders took little from the Nocturne save its crew. Their attack froze it in time, from the broken glass of a long-dried out brandy decanter to the still damp charcoal in the extinguished engines. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
		Rare event (5%)
		A movement in the dark! What was that? A ghost? No. Just the flickering of a candle. At least the crew did not see it. simply being here has them superstitious enough. +5 x Terror +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
Search the cargo hold You don't know what you're looking for, you don't know if you'll know it when you see it, you don't know why it's important... but at least you know it's here. Isn't it?	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 1 - 2 Veils challenge (50 for 100%)	Failed event
		The Nocturne had many passengers... A true zailor takes on as few passengers as possible, unless they're nailed up in the hold like the better-behaved tomb-colonists. The Nocturne had musicians and poets and scholars on board when it met its fate. Their baggage contains little of interest though; or at least, nothing particularly relevant. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
		Rare failed event (9%)
		A sudden sharp shower You can only be glad no one is here to see it as a crate of seven year old zeewater bursts open at your touch, soaking you to the skin. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
		Successful event
		The Nocturne had many passengers Their belongings tell many stories. None of them however seem to be one the sorrow-spiders would take a direct interest in. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +1 x Zee-ztory
		Rare successful event (15%)
		A secret, to be sure One that speaks of at least one unfortunate encounter in the Nocturne's history. Not, however, one a sorrow-spider would likely find notable. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +1 x Lamentable Relic
A moment's fear A sliver of ice down the spine. A hot sweat. The sense of something watching, from within or without.	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 3 Hearts challenge (251 for 100%)	Failed event	Note the question mark. If you pass, it's possible there were there ghosts? If you fail, there were definitely ghosts.
		Ghosts of the Nocturne It is said that the Nocturne was sunk by the Tree of Ages, the fist of the sorrow-spiders. If any ship was going to have ghosts, it would be this one. What else could it be? +5 x Terror +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
		Successful event
		Ghosts of the Nocturne? It is said that the Nocturne was sunk by the Tree of Ages, the fist of the sorrow-spiders. If any ship was going to have ghosts, it would be this one. But no. This feels older than mere death, and somehow... further away. At least, further away for now. +2 x Terror +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
Search the regular cabins Perhaps it was not the Nocturne itself, but a passenger that drew the sorrow-spiders' interest?	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 4 - 5	If so, it is not clear why Unless they long for musical instruments, half-finished poetry, or a clock that is not even right once a day, there is little here they might want. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne	Only the description varies
		Rare event (5%)
		If so, it is not clear why Unless they long for a collection of most pornographic wood-carvings, a forbidden novel of love in the Second City, or the pickled body of a zee-bat, there is little here that they might want. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
Search the stateroom As close to luxury as one can expect on the zee. Whoever stayed here was blessed indeed.	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 4 - 5	Soft pillows. Warm sheets. An acquired taste for those who value comfort. No secrets however, at least none on open display. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
		Rare event (9%)
		The Diary of a Perfidious Composer A scandalous document to be sure! It does not however contain anything the sorrow-spiders are likely to consider relevant to their interests. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +1 x Zee-ztory
Take nothing. Touch nothing. To rob a half-drowned ship of valuables is against the code of the zee... even if nobody is watching.	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 6	There will be reward later For now, all that matters is the search. Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 7
A little bonus The Nocturne's passengers left no shortage of delightful artefacts behind when they were taken. The crew would not approve. But the crew is not watching right now.	Mirrors challenge (167 for 100%) Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 6	Failure	This has a greater chance to get a curse if you pass it! This place is mean.
		A sudden taste of blood and salt What was that? It was probably nothing. These extra coins will do far more good in your pocket than at the bottom of the zee. The Gods of the Zee: Salt's Curse = 1 [Salt's curse lies on you] +100 x Echo +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +10 x Terror
		Rare Failure event (50%)
		A few coins nobody will miss or notice These coins will do far more good in your pocket than at the bottom of the zee. It would be better not to take anything larger though. The crew would be... distracted. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +50 x Echo
		Success!
		A few coins nobody will miss or notice These coins will do far more good in your pocket than at the bottom of the zee. It would be better not to take anything larger though. The crew would be... distracted. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +75 x Echo
		Rare Success Event (55%)
		A sudden taste of blood and salt What was that? It was probably nothing. These coins will do far more good in your pocket than at the bottom of the zee. The Gods of the Zee: Salt's Curse = 1 [Salt's curse lies on you] +100 x Echo +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +10 x Terror
Into the darkest reaches Every corner, every inch... the Nocturne's secret will be found.	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 7 - 9	Paraphernalia, rot, nothing! What do those accursed spiders want? Why could they not be more specific? +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
		Rare event (50%)
		Baggage, dust, nothing! What do those accursed spiders want? Why could they not be more specific? +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
Search the Captain's cabin Who could better know the ship's secrets?	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 7 - 9 Pages challenge (84 for 100%)	Failure
		A ship of memories, not clues Along with the scattered bottles of mushroom wine, his logs tell the tale of a ship with an interesting history. There is nothing about anything it may have discovered this far from home however. At least, not in any form a fellow zailor might observe. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
		Rare Failure (50%)
		The true story of the Perfidious Composer Along with the scattered bottles of mushroom wine, his logs tell the tale of a ship with an interesting history. This was a scandal that crossed the zee back to Fallen London, many years ago. There remains enough interest for it to be worth a few Echoes. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +1 x Zee-ztory
		Success!
		An escape from the Surface Along with the scattered bottles of mushroom wine, his logs tell the tale of a ship with an interesting history. This one speaks of an earlier Captain's bravery, venturing to the Surface to ferry back lost souls who thought the sun still considered them friends. It is a pity that he returned entirely alone. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +1 x Zee-ztory
A sudden cold shiver Is there someone behind you? No, further than that. Much further. But getting closer.	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 9 Hearts challenge (251 for 100%)	Failed event
		An unseeing eye is watching There are probably no ghosts on the Nocturne. That does not preclude there being some kind of curse. +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne +2 x Terror
		Successful event
		An unseeing eye is watching Somewhere in the darkness. It seeks your fear. It shall not have it. Not today. Not today... +1 x Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne
A Young Scholar's Notebook Aha! In theory at least, a most illuminating tome!	Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne ≥ 10	Being a Detailed Study of the Lost Creatures of the Deeper Uncharted Unterzee by K. L. Stalveis It is an unfinished treatise, the few completed sections a masterwork in turning forbidden knowledge into tiresome ephemera. The pictures however show great underwater beasts unlike any you have ever before heard witnessed. A theme of tentacles and madness persists throughout, until in the end even the once-copperplate handwriting is simply a scrawl. Surely, this must be it. If not, whatever the sorrow-spiders seek is too well hidden or has long since been taken by one unfearing of Salt's wrath. Saviour's Rocks: Caught in the webs of Saviour's Rocks = 44 [A Scavenger for Spiders] Saviour's Rocks: The Fate of the Nocturne = 10	If it's more than 10, set it to 10. And why not? Setting the status to 44 is a break condition for this storylet's requirements and returns the player to The Wreck of the Nocturne.

The Wreck of the Nocturne story events
The Secret of the Nocturne • The Final Voyage of the Nocturne