A Pragmatic Companion

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**A Pragmatic Companion** is considered a Hidden Quality Officer: Forged Companion in Sunless Skies.

## Obtaining

Hidden Qualities are used to track various things and are invisble to the player.

## Quality status

**A Pragmatic Companion** has different statuses according to your actions, defined by the comment in front of the quality.

### Variable Interaction description

These desciptions appear when a specific group is called for text.

#### WriteAPoem

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** It is a limerick, ostensibly about the entire pursuit of skyfaring, but with allusions to your own voyage through the stars. Although it depicts both as absurd, the Poetic Forged Companion has such a light touch that the overall effect is cheering. Truly, there is something inspiring in humanity's propensity to fling itself into the unknown."

#### TeachMe

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** \"Do you know that the rate of scientific discovery is increasing exponentially?\" says the Studious Forged Companion. \"By comparing evidence from texts written at different points within the last one thousand years, we can deduce the revelations that will be made ten, fifty, even a hundred years from now. Here—\"\n\nThe Companion rifles through a stack of papers and retrieves a page of diagrams drawn in its own neat hand. They explain them so systematically that you are easily able to understand the train of thought that lead to their extraordinary conclusions."

#### FightMe

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The Pugilistic Forged Companion strides towards you, their paper stuffing rustling. Their first punch catches you in the jaw; the explosion of pain is exhilarating. Every retaliatory blow you land is absorbed by their elastic skin, but the awareness that you cannot injure them impels you to fight harder.\n\nPerhaps the Companion judges that you have relieved enough tension, because without warning it darts behind you, strikes your knees from behind and kicks you in the back just as your legs buckle. \n\nThe blood rushes in your ears as you clamber back to your feet, and you feel more alert than you have for days."

#### DoATrick

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The Illusive Forged Companion cuts the deck. \"Choose a card, but don't tell me what it is. Now, replace it in the pack. Shuffle. Now, put the cards here.\" It indicates a spot on the scuffed metal floor. \n\nYou do as you are told, and the Companion takes a box of matches from the table, strikes one, and lowers it to the deck, which bursts into flames. When there is nothing but ash, the Companion gestures to the porthole. For a moment, your card flutters against the other side of the glass, before drifting away into the Wilderness."

#### IllusiveRoot

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The Illusive Forged Companion is practicing card tricks in a mirror. "

#### Gaze

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** Their unclothed body is featureless, but beset with bulges where its stuffing pushes against its skin. \"I hope I please you,\" the Companion says, in a voice muffled by their permanent mouthful of paper."

#### AGentleAwakening

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** It is a poem written in the epic style. Whilst it is lightly-written and seasoned with humour, the central figure – an intrepid skyfarer – is unambiguously heroic. Moreover, they bear unmistakable similarities to yourself!"

#### VolumePoetryRoot

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The Poetic Forged Companion gives you a volume of satirical verse. It is hilarious and incendiary, yet so deftly written that the Ministry of Public Decency could not object to a single word."

#### Infamy

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** Its subject is not named, but it bears many similarities to you. You did not realise you had so many flaws, or that your exploits were so comical."

#### APoetryReading

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The crew jostle at the feet of the Poetic Forged Companion, who is reciting an incendiary polemic. Murmurs of dissent ripple through the gathering. More than once, you hear the word 'strike'."

#### APoetryReadingBranch

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The intervention needs to be dramatic if it is to distract the crew from their plans."

#### APoetryReadingResult1

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** You conjure memories of the long hours your crew have spent toiling in the cold with you, the times you have saved their lives and they yours, and desperately urge them to listen to you, their captain, and return to their duties. One by one, they unclench their fists and turn their attention away from the Poetic Forged Companion. The revolutionary fire dimming from their eyes, they return to work.\n\nIt is troubling that such effort should be required to impel the crew to do their jobs. What is more, the same speech will not have an impact a second time."

#### StorageRoot

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The Illusive Companion fashions you a costume from satin and velvet. Deft draping conceals padding that makes you appear more physically powerful than you are. A signaller sees you try it on, and is impressed. \"Pardon me,\" they say, blushing, \"but since you are so strong, do you think you could move my bunk into a more comfortable position? It is welded to the floor, but I am sure you could manage.\""

#### AMagicShowRoot

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The Illusive Forged Companion is entertaining the crew. At first, the tricks are delightful – a rabbit leaps from a hat, endless scarves spill from a sleeve – but gradually become more disturbing. A crew member volunteers to be sawn in half, but the illusion is so realistic that they are overcome with horror. The audience panic."

#### EyesGems

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** You push the gemstones into the eye sockets. The paper stuffing rustles as you work the stones into place."

#### EyesSeeds

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** You push the seeds inside the eye sockets. The paper stuffing rustles as you work the seeds into place. In the light from the furnace, they look dark and inscrutable; it is impossible to tell where the Companion is looking."

#### BringAboard

* **[**0**]** "
* **[**1**]** lumpen

#### Destroy

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** You press the point of the blade against the taut skin of their chest. As soon as it tears through the thick membrane, balls of paper stuffing tumble out in rank clumps. The Companion watches as you reach inside their abdomen and pull out handfuls of mouldy paper, throwing them to the floor. \n\nEventually, all that remains is the Companion's damp, twitching skin, "

#### Knuckles

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** It leaves, crunching its paper-stuffed knuckles."

#### Fists

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** Every blow from their paper-stuffed fists lands with a crunch, and before long the crew lie sprawled upon the floor, clutching their wounds."

#### Encounter

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** crunching their paper-filled knuckles"

#### StorageFail

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** It is no good; the bunk is far too heavy to lift. \"Here, let me help,\" says the signaller. As they lean over you to grab the crate, they dislodge the padding in your costume. \"Is this—\" They poke at a stuffed bicep, then burst into laughter. \"Just wait until I tell the others,\" they gasp, wiping away tears of mirth."

#### Perception2

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The Illusive Companion erects a screen of mirrors around you, making it appear as though you are floating untethered through the Wilderness. \"You see?\" says the Companion. \"You are adrift in the void. Nothing can hurt you here.\" \n\nYou grasp the delicately-painted crockery tightly as to allow the vision to become more vivid. Whenever the vertigo of the illusory Wilderness threatens to overwhelm you, you focus your attention on the cool china beneath your fingertips.\n\nWhen the Companion removes the mirrors, you are less afraid, more able to face the challenges ahead. Unfortunately, you are also surrounded by broken crockery, and your hands are riddled with porcelain splinters."

#### Perception3

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The Illusive Companion erects a screen of mirrors around you, making it appear as though you are floating untethered through the Wilderness. \"You see?\" says the Companion. \"You are adrift in the void. Nothing can hurt you here.\" \n\nYour flight through the illusory Wilderness becomes more vivid, but you never feel afraid. On the contrary, the aimless drifting soothes your turbulent mind.\n\nAfter some time, you gradually return to your senses. It is as if you have been on a restorative holiday, and you feel calmer, more rested, and better equipped to face the challenges ahead. It is only when you realise that you have been in a trance for three days that your sense of well-being is tempered with annoyance."

#### DangerousIllusion

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** I erected some mirrors so they could no longer see it. The drinks, they supplied themselves."

#### Fists2

* **[**0**]**
* **[**1**]** The Pugilistic Forged Companion descends upon the crew. Every blow from their paper-stuffed fists lands with a crunch, and before long the crew lie sprawled upon the floor, clutching their wounds. One of them lies motionless on the floor, so battered you cannot determine their identity. At least they will need no more supplies.

## Interactions

### Interactions in Detail

Click *Expand* on the right for more.

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