#horatio digby

[half-life-citizen]

Finally got around to finishing this! Template is by @t6fs, art is by @viric-dreams no I didn't make a previous post what are you talking about

I'm quite proud about how this turned out!

[half-life-citizen]

digby: if you had to live elsewhere in the neath, where would you pick?

As soon as the question is uttered, he quickly says

"I don't want what I'm about to say to leave this room, and this is a purely hypothetical scenario, yes?"

He takes your silence as an answer, and begins to talk,

"The khanate, if I had to choose. They are the only ones down here other than London that seems to have any modicum of sensibility, mutton island is mad. Port carnelian is too humid for me, and I've stayed at the colonies, it's just not for me."

[half-life-citizen]

What are some plotlines in the game (ex. making your name, playing with the soul, scientific expeditions, etc) that are canon for Digby/had a significant impact on his story?

This ask has been sitting in my inbox for a while, sorry about taking so long to answer

I'd like to preface with the fact that I made Digby after reaching the endgame, and this paired with a memory that isn't exactly the best has led me to forget a good chunk of earlygame stories, so I apologise if I leave out anything

Digby didn't really have an early struggling period where he needed money in the neath. He had the inheritance the original Digby had come down to the neath for and also the resources the original Digby had too, so instead of being persuasive to scam someone he'd be persuasive to truly convince someone he was actually Horatio Digby and not someone pretending to be him.

Obvious spoilers for fallen london ahead:

"In search of a stiff drink"

Digby ends up stealing some brandy and leaving the whole debacle behind him, but with a new appreciation for neathly drinks

"The fighting rings"

Despite his age, his experience on the surface and status as a tomb colonist lends him an advantage, he accidentally kills someone and stops altogether.

"Long lost daughter"

He really believed her, took a bit of shine to her.

When the truth was revealed, he sent her away and shut himself in for a while, not wanting to confront the truth.

"The soul trade"

Digby learns what exactly the soul is in fallen london. He's horrified at what he learns and vows to never sell his own. He joins the shephards.

"The forgotten quarter"

He doesn't go to the forgotten quarter himself. He's incredibly scared of what the devils do there, but one of his expeditions finds a curious stone, he puts it aside but takes more of an interest in it after his freedom from the Dawn Machine.

"The empress's court"

He was invited, he had to go for appearances but the whole place made him feel sick.

He did see a very impressive albeit controversial show get put on. He heard the artist got chased off.

"Scientific expeditions"

Digby pays quite a lot of money for two ships to escort him on his expeditions, he presents his findings to Summerset (along with a donation, not a bribe) and is presented with a doctorate that he doesn't feel proud of.

"Port carnelian"

He's offered the station as governer. He feels nothing but disgust at the prospect and declines.

Obviously I didn't name them all but this is mostly early game/mid game stuff I can think of that'd apply to Digby.

I can't see him doing anything shadowy, he'd be more likely to get someone else to do it rather than sneak around as a 60+ year old man, some other stuff isn't exactly in his nature to do, like investigate jack.

[half-life-citizen]

Digby: do you have anyone in this cave you consider family?

The old man looks at you incredulously, "I have no immediate relatives down here, no; but for your information, all my family is up on the surface."

Whatever he's saying, his heart isn't in it.

"I have, however, had a few acquaintances I'd be consider very close to me, or at least I used to."

His eyes dart down afterwards, he's not focused on the question anymore.

[half-life-citizen]

I've decided to write a loose timeline for Digby, not everything is completely concrete but I'm happy with how it turned out!

1836 - Diarmuid Gallagher is born to an unknown father and Fionnuala Gallagher, a young woman in Co. Donegal, he is an only child, his mother works as weaver and lives with her father, Diarmuid's grandfather in a one room house.

1844 - John Gallagher, Diarmuids's grandfather, dies of tuberculosis, his belongings are burnt.

1845 - Diarmuid has been working on a nearby farm to help support his mother and himself, he does not notice anything amiss until it is too late.

1845, October - the crop is rotten.

1846 - the first deaths begin, food is harder to attain, as the year continues, Diarmuid is exposed to death and cruelty, the landlords begin to evict the neighbours that cannot pay the rent.

Early 1847 - there are corpses on the roads, mouths stained green from eating the grass.

Labourers work to build roads that lead nowhere, some collapse from exhaustion and die, others work for a pittance, to try and live; Diarmuid roots through their pockets after they fall.

1847 - Diarmuid, out of work, begins to grave rob, the stolen rings and brooches he trades for food, and to pay off the landlord.

1847 - The ships that arrive don't have enough food for everyone, Diarmuid doesn't have any immediate neighbours anymore.

1847 - Diarmuid robs the grave of a former landowner, the practice of grave robbing is cracked down on.

1848 - the worst is over, but the struggle continues, Fionnuala falls sick with cholera.

1848 - Diarmuid is alone in the world.

1849 - Diarmuid moves away from his home, and begins working and sleeping at a dockyard.

1850 - the famine ends, Diarmuid is alive, alone in the world, and struggling.

1853 - Diarmuid is employed on a fishing vessel, the work is hard and the pay isn't good, but good workers are hard to come by.

1854 - after a period of fishing, Diarmuid begins a long stint as a lighthouse keeper, he is provided with food and lodging.

1861 - Diarmuid meets a woman named Mary, they enjoy eachothers company.

February, 1862 - Diarmuid notices an absence in the regular deliveries of supplies, he decides to ration for a while, until the next shipment arrives.

March, 1862 - Diarmuid is made aware of the Fall, he believes it to be divine judgement, a punishment for inaction, the empire is in chaos.

Late 1862 - News from the mainland, and especially England arrives slowly; he doesn't believe any of the stories about where London is, he believes it to be destroyed entirely.

1863 - Diarmuid and Mary begin a correspondence, she's not been married yet.

1867 - Diarmuid resigns from his post, and asks Mary to elope with him.

1867 - Diarmuid and Mary arrive in Derry, Mary's sister recommends them both positions at a Manor, Diarmuid is hired as a gatekeeper, with Mary as a scullery maid.

1868 - Diarmuid and Mary get officially married.

1870 - Diarmuid and Mary ascend the servant hierarchy.

1873 - Mary becomes pregnant, they decide to name them Douglas or Aisling.

1874 - Douglas Gallagher is born.

1877 - There are rumours that the master, Horatio Digby, will be returning to England, after selling his estate in Derry.

1883 - Diarmuid Gallagher follows Horatio to England, his wife and child follow.

1883 - Diarmuid learns of an inheritance promised to Horatio, a relative from London has passed away, leaving a distant relative the only heir.

1885 - Diarmuid and Mary agree they do not love each other any more, they agree to stay together for appearances and for the sake of their son.

1886 - Diarmuid is promoted to head steward, he loathes his master but hides it well.

1887 - Horatio Digby makes arrangements to descend into the neath, he decides to bring along his butler, Diarmuid bids his wife and son goodbye, and a promise to return.

August 1888 - Two men are ferried from the Cumean Canal to Wolfstack Docks, they are given passage in a hansom cab.

August 1888 - An unknown assailant throws a firebomb at the hansom cab on its way to a Manor in Bugsby's Marshes, it is engulfed in flames, the driver escapes, but the passengers are unable to escape the fire.

August 1888 - Two men are on the slow boat, one is stronger than the other, one is quietly thrown overboard.

August 1888 - The survivor of the fire, Horatio Digby, awakens in a hospital ward, he is badly burnt, but alive, at least now.

He can never see the sun again.

1889 - After a long bout of physical therapy and recovery, Horatio Digby attends the will reading, he is left a sizable fortune, and a Manor in the Marshes.

1890 - Horatio Digby snaps up a small shipping company, and begins to invest heavily, after a business meeting, walking back to his open air carriage: he overheads zailors speaking about a game that can grant your heart's desire, he gives it no mind.

1890 - Lighthouse Shipping buys three steamers, to ferry sphinxstone to London.

after a disagreement with the buyer, Digby decides to start bulk shipping luxuries to the surface.

1891 - Digby decides to do research into the masters, he remembers the game mentioned a while back, and discovered the truth.

1891 - Digby meets a monkey.

1891 - Digby regrets meeting a monkey.

Late 1891 - Horatio Digby begins to play the marvellous after a long journey to find out how

January 1st, 1892 - Diarmuid Gallagher wishes to return to the surface, to his family, to the sun.

January 2nd, 1892 - he spends a night in the arctic and wakes up with tears in his eyes.

1893 - Horatio Digby recedes from the public view, only contacting his business through mail.

1893 - Digby is visited by a very cheery man in sunglasses, he bears gifts of expensive wine.

1894 - THESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUN

1895 - THESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUN

1896 - THESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUN

1896 - Horatio Digby is taken captive by a famed pirate on a raid of an admiralty ship, he is dawnburnt, his company used to smuggle arms for the sequencers.

Late 1896 - Horatio Digby has a clear but heavily burdened mind, he is even more reclusive than before, and is terrified of retaliation.

1898 - Horatio Digby is invited onto the board of directors of a railway company, he accepts the opportunity, for both the wine and the security.

1898 - A city is formed with the heart of Furnace Ancona, An old man weeps at another loss.

If there's anything you guys can think of that I missed, please tell me!

A lot of this is in broad strokes, especially towards the end as it's the most malleable part of his story,

[half-life-citizen]

In a writing mood, so here is some digby backstory I wrote about

I really hope you enjoy

The bed was warm and comforting, but every adjustment made his skin itch something terrible. Even the lightest touch was too much, and he was not able to sleep.

His bones ached, he was tired and it was late, all the noise outside had quieted to essentially nothing, the only noise was a rhythmic tapping of rain against the roof and windows.

The sound had transported him back in an instant, back to when there was light in the old man's life.

He was young again.

He remembers so much, but so little at the same time, the years blend together and jump decades in an instant, but he was young again.

He remembers the wall of his childhood home, it was white, he remembers sitting with his back against it from the outside watching his father do something in the field nearby, he couldn't remember what.

He remembers the cold floor inside, the bed he slept in could just get a glimpse outside, he would stare at the stars when the night grew long.

He tries not to remember the hunger.

He tries.

He really tries.

He remembers the city, the bustle and sound of creaking wood from carriages moving past as he approached the docks, eager to finally get to his post, a lighthouse just nearby, he remembers the toothy grin of the man who sailed him over, the drink he gave him was strong.

He remembers the small cottage at the bottom, he had enough, but it was a lonely time, he only had to do his job and wait.

He remembers the climbs up to the top, the cranking of gears and the blinding light coming from above him as he walked back down.

He remembers sitting on a rock, feeling the sea breeze blowing against his beard and face as he looked up at the twinkling lights, imagining each one of them a lighthouse of their own, each of them having a keeper, all staring at each other in the dark.

He remembers going back to the mainland, feeling like he'd been an outcast for too long, that his time alone had changed him too much.

He remembers how the world had changed while he was away, The Capital had disappeared, all contact was lost, no reinforcements, no help, no royalty.

He remembers not losing much sleep over that.

He remembers finding a man hiring servants, he decided to get a reference and attempt to apply.

He remembers the faces that would look past him as he poured the wine.

He remembers the nights when he would look out of the window, not being able to sleep, trying to see the stars, but only a glimpse, only a fraction of what he remembers seeing.

He remembers his dear, they had stopped loving each other; but that love, for how brief it was, had led to the birth of a child the both of them truly adored.

He remembers watching him grow up with food on his plate, and light in his eyes.

He remembers seeing him become a person, outgrowing his clothes he remembers buying only months before.

He remembers another night spent looking at the stars, the same gap in the roof on the building across, where he could gaze not in hopelessness, not at the walls around him but at the same pinpricks he’d seen as a boy; thinking about the future he is bringing to his boy every day he stands those hollowed eyed people he worked for.

He remembers seeing the boy he raised become a man, thin stubble on his face, paired with gangly limbs, it reminded The old man of himself when he was younger.

He does not remember the last time he saw his son.

He remembers the trip down, himself and a few others alongside his master, on a boat in a canal, sent down to collect some inheritance.

He remembers the pain every time he shifts in his bed.

The old man's eyes are open, staring outside through the window, but he does not stare at the rain, nor the glowing lights across the city, nor the distant blue glow of the ceiling.

He does not see stars.

But he remembers them.

[half-life-citizen]

Digby, what's a really good memory you have from the surface?

He seems to have expected a question like this, his posture takes on a less relaxed pose as he begins to speak.

"I remember my estate, of course! It was opulent, but after the fall my family fell out of favour with The Powers That Be, i ended up having to sell it and move down here."

He's not getting into any specific detail you notice, but as you begin to prepare to ask the next question, he suddenly speaks up.

"I forgot to mention something, more relating to the question." He seems slightly uncomfortable as he speaks "I remember the grass more than anything else, it's what sticks with me the most, I remember even feeling it through my shoes sometimes."

He sits back in his armchair, the smallest hint of a smile perceptible through his bandages as the old man reminisces, this time of something genuine.

[half-life-citizen]

Since a few people in the flumblr community is doing surname explanations, I might as well join in!

Horatio Digby, usually referred to by just Digby, didn't always go by that name.

Diarmuid Gallagher, born in Co. Donegal.

Gallagher is a unique name for Irish last names, it doesn't exactly correlate to a father's name or a descendent, or even a job; but rather a descriptor, morphed over time into the Gallagher we have.

Gallchobhair, split into two words, gall and cabhair. Gall means foreigner, cabhair means help, the full name put together meaning literally foreign help.

Bit of a fun fact, Donegal has a similar etymology, with dún na nGall meaning fort of the foreigners.

But in terms of relations to Gallagher's character, a foreign help is literally what he could have been called at one point, considering his position as a servant to Horatio Digby.