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Khan's Heart

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Khan's Heart
Khan's Heart (Gazetteer)
SS Locations Khan's Heart
Located in The Salt Steppes
Ports Yes
Shops SS khansheart portsmall Licensed Exchange

SS bookredsmall Red Stallion Publishing
Shipyard No
Data ID 143346

Khan's Heart is one of three Khan's Fortresses ruled by the Khanate. This island is the direct rival to SS fallenlondon portsmall Fallen London.

Port description[ | ]

London's rival.

Port interactions[ | ]

SS khansheart portgaz Khan's Heart[ | ]

Port description[ | ]

Khan's Heart: London's rival. An oasis of light in the salt black wastes. Canals thread the painted city. Street-lamps glow and water-taxis putter.

Interactions[ | ]

Actions Requirements Effects Notes
Leave in haste

The White-and-Golds, who guard Khaganian security, are watching for you. On board ship you're safe enough, as long as the delicate treaty with London holds, but on shore you're liable to arrest at any moment.

The zee beckons

Khan's Heart is an iron garden. You'll walk there again some day.

Game note: Visit Khan's Glory, where the noble clans keep their estates, and plead with the Taimen Clan for mercy. You will likely need Drowning-Pearls or Strategic Information.

Seek a commercial license

The Khaganians dislike merchants, and they dislike foreigners. Foreign merchants induce paroxysms of antipathy. Perhaps sufficient bribes will buy your way into the Nephrite Quarter.

"Not here, Surfacer."

(Surfacer? But the Khaganians have been generations underground, and to them, all Londoners are Surfacers.) It seems you'll need to go to Khan's Glory, the nearby palaces of the nobility, to seek a license.

Time in the tea-house

The Copper Quarter offers comfort to foreigners, but the prices are, to put it mildly, mischievous.

Solace

A gentle, trickling music plays behind screens of painted weed-wood. Khanate merchants sip tea and swap stories with darker-skinned Elder Continent captains. You sip pale golden tea and wince at the bill.

A delivery for Mr Sacks

This is far enough from London. It will suffice.

A hunger that can never be satiated

The Copper Quarter pulses as the feast rages on. Its people gorge themselves too quickly to taste the food on their lips. Their cheeks bulge and stomachs swell, but still they eat. The White-and-Golds wade in to silence the growing mob before it can escalate further, or set its sights on the royal food stores.

Hire Crew

Khaganians are wary of your people, but perhaps you can find someone.

A hungry sort

This zailor is thin enough to slide through a porthole and desperate enough to sign on even with a 'sunbitten Empress-gobbler'. She doesn't use those terms when she thinks you're nearby.

Advanced query needs investigation


Drop off a spy

Your sweetheart.

null

null

Game note: this will need two branches.

Wander Khan's Heart

Foreigners are restricted to the Copper Quarter, but as long as you don't try to cross the bridges, you can explore in reasonable safety -

A Shrine of the Deep Blue Heaven

Above, the roof of the Neath is black, impassive, prickled with false-stars: but the Khaganians still remember the sky. You pass an open-walled shrine with a domed roof - the interior is painted a deep pure indigo. Citizens kneel below it while a Blue Priest speaks. As he reaches the climax of his prayer, a rosy-golden light swells inside the dome. The worshippers murmur in complacent delight. The dome is now a perfect, heartbreaking, morning-sky blue, a colour you haven't seen for - how long? "Filament-bulbs," your bo'sun whispers importantly beside you. "Give me honest gas-light any day."

Wander Khan's Heart

Foreigners are restricted to the Copper Quarter, but as long as you don't try to cross the bridges, you can explore in reasonable safety -

A song of the surface

Someone is singing in English! Something about a tree of wines and a stolen city, a sea of grass and a storm of bats... melancholy, pure and sweet, achingly familiar. You cross the street, cut back through an alleyway, trying to find it, but it ends before you get close. You find yourself humming it on the way back to the ship. Another zailor takes up the tune...

Rare event (50%)
Lost light

The canals of the Heart are lit by incandescent-filament lamps in bulbs of glass, in a multitude of colours. Ruby, sapphire, topaz, emerald by turns. There's nothing else like it in the Neath or on the surface. You spend a happy quarter-hour strolling the alleyways of the Copper Quarter, until an irritable workman sees you eyeing the bulbs and accuses you of plotting their theft.

Wander Khan's Heart

Foreigners are restricted to the Copper Quarter, but as long as you don't try to cross the bridges, you can explore in reasonable safety -

A relentless fishmonger

You are cornered by a screaming, cheerful woman in a sort of lacquer-armoured fish-suit. As far as you can make out, she was attacked in the Moon Canal by something with tentacles. She still has this tentacled thing, slung over her shoulder. For some reason she is determined that you should purchase it. You plead, evade, offer her nothing but the smallest coins - but she is relentless. Tentacles it is, then.

Rare event (50%)
A quiet street

A narrow street opens on your left. The filament-bulbs here are green-tinted, and the street is unusually dim, like the space between a thick forest canopy. Ten steps in, and the noise of the crowds on the canal-side is oddly hushed.

Wander Khan's Heart

Foreigners are restricted to the Copper Quarter, but as long as you don't try to cross the bridges, you can explore in reasonable safety -

Enter the Nephrite Quarter

You have the token that permits you to enter the Nephrite Quarter, and buy directly from Khanate merchants.

Game note: Visit the Shops tab.

Enter the Nephrite Quarter

You have the token that permits you to enter the Nephrite Quarter, and buy directly from Khanate merchants.

Pursed lips

"We regret, Addressed As, that your name has entered the list of Causes for Concern. Excuse me." He turns aside to speak to a serious woman in dark glasses. Now is the time to leave...

Purchase Fuel at an outrageous price

The Khanate merchants grin when they see you coming. An unlicensed foreign captain? They'll pick a price and triple it.

The rattle of coal

Where does the Khanate even find its fuel, so far from Hell? The lumps of coal have a swimming blue-green sheen.

Game note: Gain access to the Nephrite Quarter to purchase less expensive fuel.

Purchase Supplies at a ludicrous price

Foreigners are permitted to buy food in the Copper Quarter, but only poor quality in small quantities. And so you go from street-vendor to street-vendor, trying to purchase enough soggy smoked fish to feed your crew.

Smirking Khaganians

They watch you carry armfuls of brown paper packages past the canals back to your ship. They know you're skirting the edge of the law: either they don't care enough to stop you, or they're having too much fun watching you carry all that smoked fish.

Pay a storyteller

The storytellers in the Square of Cedars wear brightly coloured caftan-like clothing with silk sashes, in contrast to the more sober and subterranean dress of the citizenry. For coin, even foreign coin, they'll sing epics of their nation's history...

The Temptations of Parabola

...where London now stands, the capital of the Khanate once stood, after its own disappearance from the surface. After the clean sky and wide earth they went half-mad in the close night under the Earth. They found serpent-things in mirrors that promised them diversion, escape, new horizons. In time the mirror-serpents became masters, not servants, and the last True Khan led the last of his people to the Salt Steppes, to a black rock where he founded this city. How he built it is a tale for another day... You feel eyes on you. A woman in a white and gold uniform watches you closely. The Loyalty Service is suspicious of foreigners who want to learn Khaganian history.


Rare event (50%)
The Fall of Karakorum

...the last Great Khan of the Surface was corrupt and foolish and cowardly. (How fortunate we are that the Leopard Clan overthrew his line - long may the Leopard endure!) He sold the Khanate's capital to the Masters of the Bazaar to satisfy his greed and escape battle. So Karakorum fell - so it came below the earth, to the long night of the Neath. Seven hundred years ago, Karakorum stood where London now stands... You feel eyes on you. A woman in a white and gold uniform watches you closely. The Loyalty Service is suspicious of foreigners who want to learn Khaganian history.

Show a Pewter Horsehead

You did a Khaganian a favour. Perhaps this token will win you favour in turn.

A spicy evening

You show the talisman rather cautiously to a clutch of captains chatting by their warship. One grabs it cheerfully and claps you on the shoulder. "I've heard about you! Come on. I'm buying." With more friendliness than Khaganians usually show, they drag you off to a little place by the park and fill you with rare spiced seaweed and Elder Continent wines. They grumble about Chelonate delinquency, the 'idiot children' of Khan's Shadow, and - until they remember you're there - the London captains cluttering up the clean zee...

Find your Contact

The Khanate is wary of Imperial spies. Go very carefully. You have half the directions you need - the other should be at a dead-drop on the docks.

Failed event
Hurry on by

You find the address - but the street outside is thronged with white and gold uniforms. Loiter on the corner. There - two hard-faced men in no uniform but their own authority are directing operations. Their white-uniformed henchmen manhandle an unconscious body into a waiting boat. Your contact! Back to your ship, quickly.

Successful event
Mislaid letters

You find your contact in a filthy lodging-house behind the tanneries. "Tell them this is the last time," she says, helplessly. She knows perfectly well it won't be. She gives you a double handful of tiny notes with chicken-scratch markings. "Zee-bat courier-notes. From the temple. I don't know how much of it - I don't know. Go now. Go!"

Search for the Last Constable

Could she be keeping the peace in the Copper Quarter?

Failed event Game note: Check your journal to be reminded of where the Last Constable might be!

No need for more

The streets and canals of the Copper Quarter are quiet today. The foreigners pass under their coloured lights. Tranquil men and women stand at each street corner, in white-and-gold robes. "They've been out in force, lately," one ex-Londoner confides over a pot of tea. "Everyone keeps to themselves now."

Successful event
Stopped by the law

Two men rush past you on a bridge, each shouldering one end of a carpet. A woman chases after them: the Last Constable! She chucks her truncheon at the one in the back, knocking him square between the shoulders - he goes down, and the carpet crashes onto his companion. It unfurls - a bundle of electrical cable rolls into the street. She slips into an alley before the White-and-Golds catch up, and rounds on you, clutching her cudgel. "What business do you have with me?"

Collect the Cheery Man's cargo

You meet a Blue Priest in a tiny noodle-shop by the Moon Canal. Fizzing electric light shows the weary lines in his face. "You have my money?" he asks.

A hiss of distaste

"Oh, your stupid Imperial coins. No, give it here, it'll do, it's what was agreed. Take this, go. You never saw me."

Game note: Return to the Blind Bruiser in London. Don't lose your cargo.

Find out what your spies need

To improve the quality of your network, you'll need... something. Find out what.

Game note: This will improve your Network here.

Fulfil your spies' needs

They wanted something...

Game note: This will improve your Network here.

The Poissonnier requests shore leave

And back pay, in a form preferred in the Khanate.

He stands stiffly before you

"I will not need long, or much."

Gather a Port Report

The Khanate generally assumes that all foreigners are spies or worse. It would be a shame to disappoint them, but it might be dangerous to prove them right.

Failed event Special is calculated as follows: 50+(Menaces: Khaganian Suspicion*2)-(Networks: Khan's Heart*5) * 1.67

Advanced alteration value probably needs examination.

Game note: As Khaganian Suspicion increases, this action becomes more difficult. If you have an intelligence network here, it's easier.

Eyes everywhere

Your listeners meet your questions with courteous, frightened silence. The back of your neck prickles. Don't turn around.

Successful event
Precious scraps

Rivalry between the Leopard and Eagle clans. The Concerns about Chelonate raids. Some appalling gossip about the Traitor Empress back in London. Perhaps you shouldn't write that last one down. And move on quickly. That fellow in the corner has an informer's look.

Establish a spy in Khan's Heart

If you're caught, it'll mean trouble. If you're successful, you can tap your network later for Intelligence. The Dark-Spectacled Admiral and the Voracious Diplomat, among others, will be interested...

Failed event
The White-and-Golds are watchful

Your agent does not return. Have they spent your funds and run? Are they chained upside-down somewhere in the Taimen stronghold?

Successful event Game note: On subsequent visits to Khan's Heart, you'll be able to grow your network, or tap it for information. The more it grows, the more effective it'll be.
Success!

Your Agent sends a message via bat-courier. They have found lodgings, contacts, possibilities.

Seek intelligence

If you have eyes and ears in the Khanate, you can use them to gain more than just a Port Report.

Not what you hoped for

At the appointed place, at the appointed time, in the appointed cipher... you find a message. It's information, certainly. Something of it is even new. But your agents are obviously struggling to send you something of use. Perhaps they need assistance - or a suitable incentive.

Game note: The better your Network, the easier this will be.


Can get Vital Intelligence -- result "Silent as Stone"

Rare event (25%)
Ill luck... or betrayal

The hammer of hurried feet. A flash of eyes in the darkness. An urgent message whispered through a jillypaper screen. Someone has betrayed you. Game note: Your network has suffered.

Put a blemmigan ashore

There are no laws specifically forbidding the seeding of blemmigans on Khan's Heart. It is unlikely to make you popular, however.

Failed event
A qualified success

The damp and dark places of the city are fertile ground indeed. In the months that follow, blemmigans stalk the guttering of Khan's Heart, pullulate in the shadows of the alleys. They menace citizens after dark with their sinister poetry. They steal dogs and house-bats and the occasional baby. Trade, prosperity and security suffer outrageously. The White-and-Golds ask their questions and compile their careful records. They note the report that your ship was among those that visited just before the infestation began. It isn't proof of your involvement: but there is a little mark beside your name on a little list.

Successful event
A victory for discretion

The damp and dark places of the city are fertile ground indeed. In the months that follow, blemmigans stalk the guttering of Khan's Heart, pullulate in the shadows of the alleys. They menace citizens after dark with their sinister poetry. They steal dogs and house-bats and the occasional baby. Trade, prosperity and security suffer outrageously. But by then, you are long gone.

Drop off the August Travel-Writer

"Your payment, Addressed As. It has been a pleasure."

By evening bell

The Travel-Writer sets across the planks with good speed, his steamer trunk in his arms. A storyteller pesters you for coins as you eat your dinner at a steam-filled restaurant. You throw him a coin for quiet, but before you can resume your meal an explosion tears through the next street. Citizens, zailors, and the White-and-Golds hurry to the crater. Once the smoke has cleared, you can see the innards of a secret shipyard. Torn brass and steel. Mangled faces staring lifelessly from the rubble. The White-and-Golds argue in their own tongue. The storyteller ambles up to you. "They are saying that the Leopard made underwater ships here, in violation of an Agreement with London," he whispers. "They say London's assassin has visited. You might want to slip away."

Where has the August Travel-Writer gone?

There's no trace of him on board. How are you supposed to get paid?

Failed event

He's not in the bunks, nor the engine room, nor the hold. Maybe he could be - ____ing hell! The ship lists violently, throwing you to the wall. Smoke billows from beneath your boards - fire! Fire! The Khaganian docking authorities rush to help you. A White-and-Gold takes your report. Her face pales. "The man you been transporting is Lieutenant Robert F. Harris. He is an agent known to us. You are lucky to live; luckier too to posses a zubmarine. But what might he be interested in here?" You claim your haven't the slightest idea. She considers you carefully, then passes you a purse. "We cannot offer repairs at present, but please: accept these funds."

Successful event
Just in time!

He's not in the bunks, nor the engine room, nor the hold. But you do find something he left behind: his briefcase. He's also left you a bomb, concealed inside. You scream for your engineer; they dismantle it in cautious haste. A White-and-Gold takes your report. Her face pales. "The man you been transporting is Lieutenant Robert F. Harris. He is an agent known to us. You are lucky to live; luckier too to posses a zubmarine. But what might he be interested in here?" You claim your haven't the slightest idea. She considers you carefully, then passes you a purse. "For your cooperation, please accept this small gift."

A panicked wave

There's someone in the shadows, trying to draw your attention with equal parts discretion and desperation.

Lure the adventurer to Wrack

A London captain smokes s Khaganian pipe as she admires the reflection of the streetlamps in the water. Spin her a story of lights.

You sidle beside her and comment on the water. It's beautiful how the city ripples, isn't it? It reminds you of a port you once came across, you say. A place where they light their way with coloured fire and dine on fish-fed flowers. She need only find the red and white lights beneath the waves... The captain huffs. Blue smoke streams through her nose. She dumps her ash into the water, and sets off for the docks without another word. She'll be zailing over Wrack in no time.


Triggered interactions[ | ]

These only trigger when you are docked in Khan's Heart.

SS mirrormonstergaz Find help for the Genial Magician[ | ]

See the Find help for the Genial Magician page.

This interaction appears if you have the following:

Triggered events[ | ]

These events trigger when you dock and certain conditions are met.

SS blackjackgaz The White-and-Golds[ | ]

See the The White-and-Golds page.

This event triggers if you have the following:

Khan's Heart story events
Find help for the Genial Magician • The White-and-Golds
Shops
Arcade of Sighs • Bultitude's House of Vision • Caminus Yards • Carrow's Naval Surplus • Dahut Exchange • Daily Bread • Dearly Departed • Dockside Market • Fire in the Belly • Fortune & Fortune • Harbour Provisioners • Hollow Temple • House of Harms • House of Harvests • House of Milks • House of Pleasures • Hull-harvest • Jonah's End • Licensed Exchange • Low Church • Malebolge Excavations • Mrs Plenty's Shipside Provisioners • Peleghast's Post • Portentum • Red Stallion Publishing • Requisitions • Sapphire Exchange • Stonemarket • Temple of Labours • The Arrant Limpet • The Charnel Lounge • The Fisher of Dawn • The Hunter's Cage • The Iron & Misery Company • Threshold • Traveller's Friend • Uncle Ankle's Lean Place • Wind-Come-Calling • Wolfstack Exchange
Locations
Ports Abbey Rock • Adam's Way • Aestival • Aigul • Anthe • Avid Horizon • Chapel of Lights • Chelonate • Codex • Cumaean Canal Staging Area • Dahut • Demeaux Island • Empire of Hands • Fallen London • The Fathomking's Hold • Frostfound • Gaider's Mourn • Gant Pole • Godfall • Grand Geode • Hideaway • Hunter's Keep • Irem • Iron Republic • Isle of Cats • Khan's Glory • Khan's Heart • Khan's Shadow • Kingeater's Castle • Low Barnet • Mangrove College • Mount Palmerston • Mutton Island • Nook • Nuncio • Pigmote Isle • Polythreme • Port Carnelian • Port Cecil • Rosegate • Salt Lions • Scrimshander • Shepherd Isles • Station III • The Undercrow • The Uttershroom • Varchas • Venderbight • Visage • Whither • Wisdom • Wrack
Places of Interest An Abyss... • The Admiralty Survey Office • Avernus • The Brass Embassy • Dawn Machine • Drydock • The Eye • The Forgotten Quarter • The House of the Question • Light-Ship • Naples • Quaker's Haven • Roser's Wharf • Surface • The University • Vienna • Wolfstack Docks • The Wreck of the Nocturne • Your Lodgings
Characters Blind Bruiser • Merchant Venturer • The Dark-Spectacled Admiral • The Fathomking • The First Curator
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