#no beta rip all eventual typos as usual 🫡

[esteemed-excellency]

ask game! :D

🔥 — Least favourite Master of the Bazaar? 🧍‍♂️— What stats would they provide as a companion? Where would you obtain them?

🔥 — Least favourite Master of the Bazaar?

Hiram seems pretty neutral towards the Masters, he maintains a loyal facade just because their trades are useful to him, and he needs the immortality juice. But if anything were to accidentally happen to one of them, well, what would he be able to do about it? Surely he couldn't have predicted what happened to Mr Veils or Mr Cups. Whoever was responsible for their dreadful ends must be apprehended and brought to justice, as the Law so righteously demands. But, as much as he would like to offer his help, he just can’t seem to locate the culprits, what a shame ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ He extends his most sincere condolences. (once he gets his own cider it's over for them bats)

Real answer: it's Mr Stones. Mr Stones decided to be a huge bitch about a cursed sapphire, throwing a tantrum and collapsing a mining facility on Hiram. They both ended up having the worst day ever,  stuck underground and almost drowning in Lacre. Fuck Mr Stones.

🧍‍♂️— What stats would they provide as a companion? Where would you obtain them?

Long answer because this is the perfect excuse to think about Hiram as a npc. You can meet The Soulless Socialite here and there in location based opportunities, to find out about his affairs and his story, and to call in some favours. Locations and items change as you progress his story.

He initially shows up in Velgarden, at the Singing Mandrake, at Mahogany Hall, and at the University, where he can help you raise your Scholar of the Correspondence quality. He will exchange your Bohemians or Society favours for Scraps of Incendiary Gossip, Intriguing Snippets, and Wine items. The Wine items are randomised, a rare success will get you a Cellar of Wine, but with the risk of getting Black Wings Absinthe. You can also interact with him during the party from the Polite Invitation opportunity, he increases your Talk of The Town quality but you gain Scandal.

After some time, you can find him at the Medusa’s Head, at The Blind Helmsman, in the Forgotten Quarter, and at the Shuttered Palace. He will exchange your Criminals and Docks favours for Appalling Secrets, Compromising Documents, Blackmail Material, and a number of randomised Contraband items or Souls. A rare success will get you a Magnificent Diamond or a Portfolio of Souls, increasing your Suspicion.

If you follow through with the opportunities, he'll show up in Wilmot's End, at Moloch Street, at the Magistracy of the Evenlode, and Balmoral. He'll exchange Preserved Surface Blooms, Moves in the Great Game and Uses of Villains for Comprehensive Bribes, Favours in High Places and Vienna Openings. Rare successes will get you an Epaulette Mate, a Queen's Mate, or a Stalemate. Getting the Stalemate causes a Nightmares increase, and it marks the end of his opportunities.

You can obtain The Soulless Socialite as a companion at the end of the Wilmot's End carousel, but only after you unlock The Chessboard in Parabola. You need some Great Game favours and a Vital Intelligence to unlock the companionship option, and you will get an Identity Uncovered and a Stolen Kiss (optional). He boosts Persuasive, Player of Chess, and Mithridacy, causing Scandal and Nightmares build up.

If you equip him as companion you get a new permanent opportunity card to exchange Great Game favours for Legal Documents and Favours in High Places. A rare success grants you a Night on the Town and a bottle of Laudanum. If you equip him before getting arrested you can choose between two extra options in New Newgate, in the Bribery or Contact Your Lawyer cards.

Regardless of wether you equip him or not, he causes some Infrequent cards to appear in your deck. They all describe increasingly off-putting deja-vus, giving you Tales of Terror and causing a high Nightmares build up every time you play them. They can't be discarded, unless you equip an item imbued with irrigo.

#is his npc dynamic unnecessarily convoluted? yes. will you be able to get a lot of cool items? also yes. #will all that scandal and nigtmares be worth it? debatable. have fun :D #regarding the first answer: coincidentally the polycule choose different ambitions so all the masters deaths exist at the same time for us #our headcanon is short of two masters. looking forward to increase that number! #hiram hargrave #oc asks #no beta rip all eventual typos as usual 🫡 #my writing