| The Time Before | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Story Event |
| Type | Story |
| Linked to |  Station III
|
| Data ID | 149059 |
The Time Before is a Sunless Sea Story Event.
Trigger conditions[]
The Time Before is triggered when you do the Ask how she came to be here action in the 
Questions for the Acolyte event.
Story description[]
"Then she tells you what happened before. She was a doctor, healing the malaise of countesses and publishing research about the applications of mushroom-derived spirits.
Her twin lived with her, at her expense, but preferred more bohemian entertainments. The Acolyte describes what their life together was: sepia anatomical charts next to dream-animals done in viridian paint. Prisoner's Honey jostling retorts full of medicine. Silk scraps in the bandage drawer.
The twin is gone now: something about an accident, a footbath full of silvery fluid, skin cracked and frozen. A resuscitation attempt that went wrong, preventing any return from death.
Afterward her memories are blurred, until they pick up again here. She regards her present occupation as penance of some kind."
Interactions[]
| Actions | Requirements | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Express sympathy
She pretends, unsuccessfully, not to need any comfort. She lowers the goggles over her eyes for a few minutes. You can't see whether there are any tears. |
|
Cool in here
 +3 x Station III: Earning the Acolyte's Favour
Triggers  Further conversation with the acolyte event |
| Press for more details
There must be more she can tell you than that. Even if she doesn't want to. |
Earning the Acolyte's Favour challenge (14 for 100%) |
Failed event |
| Irritation
Your questions are not answered, not even acknowledged. She gets to her feet and reaches for her bag, for the new bright scalpel. Apparently your conversation is at an end. | ||
| Successful event | ||
| Irritation and information
When you ask, she answers, grimly, with anatomical precision. How the twin had returned in bad shape from a shared dream. How her skin was covered with a tracery of bleeding lines. The shock this caused to the body. The inevitable death. After the explanation, she returns to her work. It seems the interview is at an end. |
