The Merciless Modiste

The Merciless Modiste
Position	First Officer
Effects	+8 x Iron +3 x Veils +1 x Hearts
Promotions	N/A
Data ID	118128

The Merciless Modiste is a potential First Officer crew member.

Character description

"She has no difficulty with blood. But she very much dislikes bloodstains."

Obtaining

The The Merciless Modiste can be recruited in Mount Palmerston at a cost of 5 x Bale of Parabola-Linen.

Promotions

The Merciless Modiste cannot be promoted.

Interactions

Speak to the Merciless Modiste

Interaction	Requirements	Effects	Notes
Challenge the Modiste to her favourite game Knife and Candle! In London, a spirited little challenge of murder, sedition and subterfuge. At zee, the stakes are higher. The ferryman's grip is tighter here.	Veils challenge (150 for 100%) 1 x Secret	Failed event
		A game of cat and mouse You smell her perfume just an instant too late. A gloved hand closes over your mouth, stifling your scream as a blade scrapes your bone. Something catches you as you fall to the deck; a softness behind the pain. Your head rests in folds of silk. A cool, tender caress. "Ssssh," whispers the Modiste, cradling your head in her lap; tipping it back. Her knife slices playfully across your throat, just enough to leave its mark. "Sleep, my Captain, sleep. We shall play again soon enough, you and I..." +1 x Menaces: Wounds -1 x Secret
		Successful event
		A knife in the dark An attempt on the lock to your cabin in the early hours. (The lock defeats her.) A curious cry in the cargo hold. (You are not foolish enough to investigate.) You bide your time. Wait. Wait under her bed, until all of her attention is taken by a fine piece of stitching. Until her knife is out of reach... You strike! The Modiste falls limp. Triggers event: The Modiste Falls!
Invite the Modiste to dinner Her dresses were the talk of London society, before the scandal. Her tastes are no less refined for her exile.	Learning About: The Merciless Modiste ≥ 0 and ≤ 9 Solacefruit ≥ 1 Zzoup ≥ 1	Nostalgia for darker days "Why, Captain, I hope I have not been forgotten. I had a most delightful little boutique, not too far from the Bazaar. Many Surface commissions, naturally. Once one has sampled the cloths from behind mirrors, it is quite obscene to return to the mundanity of cotton and silk. Velvet, of course, is another matter entirely. Such a fabric!" The Modiste cuts a slice of fruit tart, licks the side of her knife. "Oh, to show you my finest creations. I would dress you in razors and arsenic and the dream-dyes of Parabola. Tsk, forbidden! When my friends and I first set zail as the Set, we knew no such creative cowardice. Blood and ink, my Captain, blood and ink! Great art has always demanded great suffering. We simply recognised that its obligation does not necessarily have to weigh upon the artist." Learning About: The Merciless Modiste = 20
Enquire about her time with the Set It is a scandal she speaks of with deep fondness.	Learning About: The Merciless Modiste ≥ 20 and ≤ 39	Underwater renegades "Of course you have heard of us, my captain! We are art's last bastion against the cowardly and the mundane. We zail Irrepressible beneath the waves, free of censors and censure, the muses our compass and guide! Well, when time and tides permit, of course. It has been too long since our last little salon, and the... unpleasantness." The Modiste adjusts the bodice she is sewing, pins it in place. "Ah, but the wonders we once crafted in the waxlight. The Perfidious Composer, every betrayal a new operetta. The Ender of Critics, knives blunt as their wits. The Silent Sculptress, so unjustly exiled when the truth emerged about her torments of clay and bone. Such fine teas she served. Then, yes, there was the Pianolist and our dear, dear Poet too, but-" Her finger slips, a drop of blood flowering on white lace. "Blast it," she mutters. "Not even this year's red."
Check in on the Merciless Modiste She has wasted little time converting her cabin into a surprisingly well-equipped workshop.	Learning About: The Merciless Modiste = 20	The cutting edge of fashion A sweating crewman stands exhausted, her arms out and wrapped in flowing parabola linen. The Modiste fusses over a stretch of exquisite lace, fixing it in in place with a hooked pin thrust through a pinch of convenient flesh. "Oh, do stop mewling. If you want something worth sobbing about, you need only ask." She glances over her shoulder, smiling warmly. "Ah, Captain! Do you perhaps know if the current style in London is still to the floor, or if one might finally show a knee in polite company? No, no matter! First we will shock, then we shall inspire!" Learning About: The Merciless Modiste = 30
Commission a set of fine clothes "This year's fashion? I think we can do better than that."	Learning About: The Merciless Modiste ≥ 30 and ≤ 39 Bolts of Spider-Silk ≥ 3 Scintillack ≥ 1 Strange Catch ≥ 1	Appropriate for any occasion The Modiste's hands grip the creature's gelatinous mass, squeezing out every drop of ink into a waiting bowl. It is not merely black, the classic black of style and class, but the deep peligin that is blackness beyond the reach of light. This will be an outfit the envy of any in London society, once the fish smell has faded. "Should it be cufflinks, or earrings?" the Modiste enquires, toying with the scintillack in the light. "Oh, I know. Choosing is such sweet torture, is it not?" +5 x Learning About: The Merciless Modiste +1 x Hearts -3 x Bolts of Spider-Silk -1 x Scintillack -1 x Strange Catch	Game note: This will provide a boost to Hearts.
Commission a new dress uniform "Captain, they will be calling you Admiral."	Learning About: The Merciless Modiste ≥ 30 and ≤ 39 Comatose Ferret ≥ 1 Royal-Blue Feather ≥ 1 Bale of Parabola-Linen ≥ 3	The Modiste goes to work You only just avoid saluting your own reflection in the mirror. Such rich linen, expertly cut to every contour. The understated plumage. The fur collar, so... Ah. "I know what you're thinking. A damned shame it couldn't have been ermine." The Modiste nods, admiring her work. "Come, Captain. Your public awaits!" +5 x Learning About: The Merciless Modiste +1 x Pages -1 x Comatose Ferret -1 x Royal-Blue Feather -3 x Bale of Parabola-Linen	Game note: This will provide a boost to Pages.
Commission some protective armour "Ah, a challenge! I shall rise to it at once!"	Learning About: The Merciless Modiste ≥ 30 and ≤ 39 Stygian Ivory ≥ 3 Casket of Sapphires ≥ 2 Bale of Parabola-Linen ≥ 3	Style over substance The Modiste closets herself away with the quartermaster and a few unlucky volunteers, experimenting until the ship's doctor threatens to leave in a lifeboat. What she presents may not be the most protective armour around, but it makes up for it in comfort and decoration. A handful of lingering bloodstains do not hurt its intimidation factor. +5 x Learning About: The Merciless Modiste +1 x Iron -3 x Stygian Ivory -2 x Casket of Sapphires -3 x Bale of Parabola-Linen	Game note: This will provide a boost to Iron.
Check in on the Modiste She has been in a foul mood since she finished her last commission.	Learning About: The Merciless Modiste ≥ 40 and ≤ 50	Creative indifferences Dresses hang in ribbons on makeshift dummies. Rags lie at the Modiste's feet. "No, this will not do!" she hisses, slicing her latest creation. "Mundane! Uninspired! Unfit even for dusters!" She pauses, sensing your presence. In an instant, her smile is back on. She tucks a loose strand of hair back into position. "Ah, Captain. A pleasure as always. I fear you find me in something of a creative... temper." "Would you perhaps indulge my little hobby? I have long fancied a little Polythreme élan in my designs. Immortal fashion, ha!"
Check on the Modiste Her audience with the King with a Hundred Hearts did not go so well.	Learning About: The Merciless Modiste = 55	Tension relief The Modiste is face down on her bunk, but that doesn't prevent her from berating the unlucky crewman pressed into massaging the knots from her back. "The King is a vulgarian of the worst flavour!"she announces. "I bring him the once in a lifetime chance for cultural immortality, and all he can think of is payment. What is-Stop! Enough of this incompetent fingerplay! Get out of my sight before I write down your name." She sits up, scowling. "He wants the Pirate-Poet. Of course he does. Not Unfinished, but not obeying her clay? Such an anomaly, the poor little pebble. Hmm. This may be difficult. She was a dear friend once. She knows better than to let me use that against her." Learning About: The Merciless Modiste = 60 Rumours of the Pirate-Poet = 5
Hunting the Pirate-Poet The Modiste has a plan.	Learning About: The Merciless Modiste ≥ 60 and ≤ 79	Sending a challenge "Yes, she was part of our Set, for a while. Such a naive little thing. Most squeamish in matters of the Art." The Modiste paces around, lost in thought. "She will be difficult to track down. Unless..." She turns back, triumphant. "Captain, to London! There is an ushabti in the Museum of Mistakes that will greatly ease our search. I shall explain everything on arrival."	Game note: The rest of this story requires the Pirate-Poet DLC. With it, the ushabti will let you summon the Pirate-Poet's Alcaeus-class vessel to you. You may also find her while zailing on the wide Unterzee.
The Modiste and the Poet The Pirate-Poet has received and performed for many visitors in the brig. Not all are welcomed equally.	Learning About: The Merciless Modiste = 80 The Pirate-Poet = 1	An artistic reunion "...so I was thinking, we really should do this homecoming properly," continues the Modiste, cutting herself a slice of cake sent by one of the Poet's on-board admirers. "We could get rid of that silly hood, perhaps... yes, something in taffeta would be wonderful for turning those crags into curves, don't you think?" The Pirate-Poet growls. She reaches through the cell-bars for the Modiste's neck. Safely out of reach, the Modiste just sighs, picks up her fork. "Well, tut. If you're going to be like that, sweetie, then you simply don't deserve any of this delightful sponge cake." Learning About: The Merciless Modiste = 81
Answer questions about your past You've kept your secrets long enough.	Memoirs: Your Past = 1 [A Past Wreathed in Shadows]	Triggers event: Revealing your Past	Game note: Unmask yourself! This will allow you to select a Past, Ambition, and form of preferred address - also providing you with a specialist ability bonus.

Overheard In The Brig

This interaction appears at zee when you have:

Learning About: The Merciless Modiste ≥ 81 and ≤ 98
The Pirate-Poet = 1
The Merciless Modiste = 1
Something Awaits You

A Zubmarine surfaces!

This interaction is triggered at zee when you have:

Learning About: The Merciless Modiste ≥ 80 and ≤ 99
The Pirate-Poet = 1
The Merciless Modiste = 1
The Fate of the Pirate-Poet = 0
Something Awaits You