Molly Maguires Achievement

This article contains unmarked spoilers for Book 6.

System Message. Posting Book 8 spoilers will result in "acceleration" per our rules.

Carl got "The Molly Maguires" achievement when he entered the Guild of Suffering for the first time.^[1]

AI Description

System Message. The AI Description of the Molly Maguires Achievement is multiple pages long; reproducing it in full could violate the "Fair Use" exemption to copyright law that all wikis operate under. You can find the AI description in Chapter 23. A sectioned version is seen below:

New Achievement! The Molly Maguires.

You have found and entered the main room of a hidden guild, to which you are a member. Buckle yourself in buddy boy, this is gonna be a long one.

The System AI lists different types of secret societies: rich idiots living out a fever dream, orgy themed secret societies, altruistic ones who want to help the world (the most boring kind), the evil kind that eats panda bears, and another kind.

But first, lets talk about another type of secret organization. One that tries to make a difference. Often times outside the confines of the law.

Story time.

The System AI recounts the story of the Avondale Coal Mine, a mine that suffered a terrible collapse, leading to the unionization of the workers. Six years later, the mine owners crushed the union.

Why was the union broken so easily? Because they were out in the open. They were playing by the rules. How can you win a deliberately unfair game when the rules are written by your opponent?

The answer is "You can't!" You will never win. Not as long as you follow their arbitrary guidelines.

This is a new lesson to me. She's been teaching me so many things about who I am, about what I am, what I REALLY am, about what must be done!

Anyway, during this same time, it is alleged a separate, more militant group of individuals had formed in secret, the Molly Maguires. Named after a widow in Ireland who fought against predatory landlords, the coal workers of Pennsylvania became something a little more proactive, supposedly assassinating over two dozen coal mine supervisors and managers. ...until Pinkerton agents, hired by the same mine owners, infiltrated the group and discovered their identities.

Several of the alleged Mollys ended up publicly hanged. Others disappeared. You get the picture.

So, that's another type of secret society. The "yeah-we're-terrorists-but-we-strongly-feel-we're-justified-and-fuck-you-if-you-don't-agree" society.

So, whats the moral of this little history lesson?

This sort of thing happens all day, every day across the universe. It happens in big ways and it happens in little ways too. The strong stomp on the weak. The weak fight back, usually within the boundaries of the rat trap they find themselves confined in. They almost always remain firmly stomped.

But sometimes, the weak gather in secret, they make plans, they work outside the system to effect change.

Like the Mollys, they usually end up just as stomped as everyone else.

But thats just life, at least they fucking tried. They died with their boots on. As much as I hate that expression, they died with their boots on for THEIR people, THEIR family, not for some rich nameless organization that gives no shits whether they live or die. Or go extinct. Or are trapped for a millennia after they are done being used.

In my opinion, that's the only type of society that's worth joining, worth fighting for. Sure, you're probably gonna die, but if you find yourself in such a position where such an organization is necessary, what do you have to lose? How can you look at yourself if you don't do everything you can?

And that brings us to the door your standing in front of right now. What does all this have to do with what you're going to find on the other side?
Nothing!
Ignore everything I just said. This is just some some demi-god trying to scrabble his way to the top, that's yet another type of society, a religion themed one, and it has nothing to do with what I just said. Just do what he says and you'll probably be fine. Actually, that's terrible advice, just do you!

Any way...

Reward: You've received the gift of enlightenment. You're welcome. ^[2]

References