The Affair of the Empty House
The last Librarian of Hush House disappeared. Their absence brought forth two questions: ‘Where did they go?’ and ‘Who will succeed them?’
Aspects
- Relevance: Winter
- Relevance: Knock
- Incident
Visitors: Winter
| Visitor | Start | Failure | Success | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sor Madeline Cross | ’Ah, Hush House… if it hadn’t been for Cromwell I may have been cloistered there for a time.' | 'Without this librarian, the Institute faces a choice. Open the House further, or return to the days of quiet isolation?' | 'There is only one way ahead for the Lighthouse Institute. They must retreat back into the safety of silence and avoid contamination in the world, as I have always wished to do. I only hope their leader is wise enough not to meddle.‘ | Madeline affirmed that the only way forward for the Institute was to retreat from the affairs of the world and focus on preserving the library. |
| Mr Manly Longshadow | ’I suppose this should be surprising, but the Librarians of Hush House have never been the typical sorts.' | 'The other branches of the Watchman’s Tree are chattering, but are keeping - if you’ll excuse me - hush-hush about the implications. I figured this place, old as it is, has an answer for me.' | 'Fate has a funny way of fixing things, huh? I wonder if you knew this would happen before you even arrived. Well, if you do decide to go beneath the Tree, I hope you think carefully. I’m rather certain you’ll get exactly what you ask for.‘ | Manly believed the Librarian’s disappearance was tied to my arrival, and cautioned me to think about what I ask for beneath the Tree. |
| Dr Yukie Chiri | ’So many people passing through its doors. So many people laid to rest beneath. So many people who left their stories unfinished.' | 'Some colleagues across the sea are relying on the Institute; now more than ever with Britain involved in the War. They need assurance, if nothing else, about the situation.' | 'Even if the body departs, the spirit remains.’ That goes for groups as it does for individuals, and often, much more remains than we expect. This should keep my colleagues calm enough to continue their work. At the very least, I’m certain the Institute can survive this little interlude.‘ | Dr Chiri assured her colleagues involved with the Institute that it would persist despite the Librarian’s disappearance. |
Visitors: Knock
| Visitor | Start | Failure | Success | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ato Petros | ’Cousins of mine are involved with the Institute there. Now it is without a head, as it always comes to be.' | 'My cousins, they are familiar with passing into obscurity. This situation confounds even them. I must make the method clear to, if nothing else, sate their curiosity and get them back to work.' | 'The Agonalia of Janus, is it? It seems the Librarian found a door then and passed through. As for why, I cannot say, but my cousins know better than to untangle these mysteries of Janus. Thank you for the unpalatable information.‘ | Petros believed this whole affair to be involved with Janus, the enigmatic arbiter of the Hours, and hoped to get his cousins to focus back on their work in the Institute.‘ |
| Sor Madeline Cross | ’Ah, Hush House… if it hadn’t been for Cromwell I may have been cloistered there for a time.' | 'Without this librarian, the Institute faces a choice. Open the House further, or return to the days of quiet isolation?' | 'There is only one way ahead for the Lighthouse Institute. They must pursue action and leave behind their peaceful isolation, as I unfortunately have had to do. I only hope their leader is wise enough to meddle prudently.‘ | Madeline affirmed that the only way forward for the Institute was to continue its work and set forth a vision for the new age. |
Faculty Consultations
| Faculty | Start | Finish | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isidoro Dahlmann | ’It’s hard to hide from the Hours. To disappear from their sight is another thing entirely.' | 'The sight of the Hours sets things into stone, but if you leave their sight, what happens then? Most people would say nothing, but the anchorites and anchoresses knew better; in their cells, anything could be possible.‘ | Lesson: Anchorite Meditations |
| Sister Oxiacantha | ’Hush House also keeps the traditions of silence. The more prudent traditions, in my view, but every blade may harm its wielder.' | 'Hush House has long been a place where the White Flower blooms. Nowadays, we deal mostly with the Red here, though it is my hope the Black may aid in ending this mess.‘ | Lesson: Edicts Inviolable |
| I Who Did-Still-Will Continue | ’Gone into the winter… into the white… into the waiting day…' | 'The White Flower’s touch… she is not gentle… yet she brings with her gentleness… the Hour before the next… who cradles the future… who settles the storm of snow… ‘ | Lesson: Desiccation & Elimination |