Editing Associating with Radical Academics (Guide)

{{GuideFor|Concept = Concept:Associating with Radical Academics (Guide)}}{{Audience|EarlyPoSI|Evergreen=true}}
[[Has icon::File:Goldenapple.png|right]]
{{ActivitySummary
|Activity=Tiger Tribute
|Length=Variable
|Starting Actions=0
|Progress Actions=1
|Ending Actions={{Tooltip|4|Per 20 Tribute. Also 13 actions to sail there and back w/ clipper}}
|Progress Details=Donate items to raise {{IL|Tribute}} and turn in at the Court of the Wakeful Eye. Caps at 260.
|Output Items=*{{IL|Searing Enigma}}
*{{IL|Night-Whisper}}
*{{IL|Primaeval Hint}}
*{{IL|Favour in High Places}}
|Raw EPA = {{Tooltip|6.48|Assumes 1 action/Favour. No Zee EPA included}}
|Conversion=Yes
|Input Items=*25 {{e}}
*{{IL|Magnificent Diamond}}
*{{IL|Puzzle-Damask Scrap}}
*{{IL|Cellar of Wine}}
*{{IL|Copy of your Ode to the Elder Continent}}
*{{IL|Memory of Light}}
*{{IL|Mountain-sherd}}
*{{IL|Royal-Blue Feather}}
*{{IL|Correspondence Plaque}}
*{{IL|Strong-Backed Labour}}
*{{IL|Lucky Weasel}}
*{{IL|Deshrieked Mandrake}}
*{{IL|Winsome Dispossessed Orphan}}
*{{IL|Favours: Criminals}}
*{{IL|Favours: The Docks}}
*{{IL|Favours: Bohemians}}
*{{IL|Favours: The Church}}
*{{IL|Favours: Society}}
}}
{{IL|Associating with Radical Academics}} is a story in which your character first discovers the secret Dilmun Club and subsequently gets involved in business there. Being a secret club, it's not equippable in the sense of other [[Clubs (Guide)|clubs]] such as {{IL|Sophia's}} or {{IL|The Young Stags' Club}}. Eventually a membership in the Dilmun Club brings you on your way to {{IL|the Court of the Wakeful Eye}}, where you can gain access to one or more of the following companions:
*{{IL|The Minister of War}}
*{{IL|The Minister of Enigmas}}
*{{IL|The Minister of Culture}}
*{{IL|The Minister of State Affairs}}

Each gives a +10 bonus in one of the main stats, and {{IL|Respectable|+1}}.

In addition, you can turn in a number of valuable things for {{IL|Tribute}} and hand in {{IL|Tribute}} for high value items, making it a potentially decent grind for echoes and rarer items.

Associating with Radical Academics is also a prerequisite for {{IL|Embarking on a Voyage of Scientific Discovery}}. See [[Embarking on a Voyage of Scientific Discovery (Guide)]] for more info on this.

You can discover the club before becoming {{IL|A Person of Some Importance -}}, but in order finish the storyline, you need the following:
* {{IL|A Person of Some Importance -}}
* Your own ship
* {{IL|Successful Terms as Governor -}} at least 1
* {{IL|Cultivating an Acquaintance with His Amused Lordship}} is an advantage

==Progressing {{IL|Associating with Radical Academics}}==

The first section of {{IL|Associating with Radical Academics}} involves discovering the Dilmun Club. At the start, progress can either be gained on the [[The Seekers of the Garden]] card with sufficient {{IL|Approaching the Gates of the Garden}} or on separate cards.

=== Unlock ===
One of:
* [[A gathering of scholars]] opportunity card, needs {{IL|Watchful|69}}
* [[The Seekers of the Garden]] opportunity card, option "Attend an assembly of academics", needs {{IL|Approaching the Gates of the Garden|5}}

===Level 1===
*[[Unusual Academics]], opportunity card, requires {{IL|Watchful|81}}
*[[Finding the Dilmun Club]] from [[The Seekers of the Garden]] opportunity card, needs {{IL|Approaching the Gates of the Garden|5}}, {{IL|Bizarre|2}} challenge (equip all your Bizarre gear to make this easier).

===Level 2===
*[[The Museum of Mistakes]], opportunity card, requires {{IL|Watchful|93}}

===Level 3===
*[[Can His Amused Lordship help you find the Dilmun Club?]] from [[The Seekers of the Garden]] opportunity card, needs {{IL|Cultivating an Acquaintance with His Amused Lordship|exactly 3}}
*[[Find the Dilmun Club Headquarters]] from [[The Seekers of the Garden]] opportunity card, needs {{IL|Secluded Address|1 x}} (which you lose on success)

===Level 4===
This step needs {{IL|A Person of Some Importance -}}.

[[Join the Dilmun Club!]], storylet in {{IL|Ladybones Road}}, which gives three options for your sponsor. Each option costs a variety of items and qualities.
*[[Ask His Amused Lordship to sponsor you|His Amused Lordship]]
**{{IL|Confident Smile|5 x}}
**{{IL|Cultivating an Acquaintance with His Amused Lordship}} exactly 3
**{{IL|Approaching the Gates of the Garden}} 15.
*[[Ask the Bishop of St Fiacre's to sponsor you|Bishop of St Fiacre's]], {{IL|Bizarre|4}} challenge
**{{IL|Mourning Candle|3 x}} (lose even if you fail the challenge)
*[[Ask the Implacable Detective to sponsor you|Implacable Detective]], {{IL|Respectable|6}} challenge
**{{IL|Implacable Detective's Business Card|1 x}} (lose even if you fail the challenge)

This step gives you the {{IL|Dilmun Club Lapel Badge}} (Adornment).

===Level 5===
Now you have to wait about one day in real-world time, then you get [[A meeting of the Dilmun Club]] in your messages.

===Level 6===
*[[Return to the Dilmun Club]], storylet in {{IL|Ladybones Road}}, gives you (depending on your previous sponsor)
** His Amused Lordship:
*** {{IL|Antique Mystery|3 x}}
*** {{IL|Presbyterate Passphrase|5 x}}
** Bishop of St Fiacre's
*** {{IL|Antique Mystery|3 x}}
*** {{IL|Extraordinary Implication|5 x}}
** Implacable Detective
*** {{IL|Antique Mystery|3 x}}
*** {{IL|Volume of Collated Research|5 x}}

===Level 7===
To get to the next level, you have to get banished from the Empress' Court, visit the Foreign Office, and travel to Port Carnelian and serve at least one successful term as a Governor there. See [[Carving out a Reputation at Court (Guide)]] for a detailed description.

After you have done that, and returned to London, you'll draw the card [[Inching Ever Closer]], which progresses you to level 10.

===Level 10===
If you haven't done so, finish the [[Making Your Name (Guide)]] Dangerous track to gain access to {{IL|The Labyrinth of Tigers}}. Head to the fourth coil. Doing so requires [[Making Progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers]] 14. When you leave the fourth coil, you have a new option, [[Head to the Fifth Coil]]. Playing [[Meet the Tiger Keeper in his second office]] will advance you to level 15.

===Level 15===
Playing [[A Sufficient Tribute]] after submitting at least {{IL|Tribute|80 x}} (see [[Associating with Radical Academics (Guide)#Offering Tribute to the Court of the Wakeful Eye|below]]) raises the quality to level 20.

===Level 20===
Upon arriving to the Court, you will [[Accept a summons from the Banded Prince]]. This raises you to level 25 and loses {{IL|Tribute|80 x}}. Progress till [[Deepening Relations with the Court]] and requesting access to a Minister will set the quality to 75.

===Level 75===
At this point you may gather additional tribute and request access to the remaining 3 ministers. 

This level marks the start of the Evolution serial story. See [[Evolution (Guide)]] for more information.

==[[Offering Tribute to the Court of the Wakeful Eye]]==

The storylet appears in the fifth coil of {{IL|The Labyrinth of Tigers}}. Here, you must offer valuable items until you have increased {{IL|Tribute}} to at least 80. You can later return to this storylet, even after you have advanced the story further.

Most of these options value one point of {{IL|Tribute}} at 2.50 Echoes.

You raise your {{IL|Tribute}} up to 260 at most.

{| class="article-table mw-collapsible"
!Requirement !!Option !!{{IL|Tribute}} !! Notes
|-
|{{IL|Penny|2500 x}} || [[Offer a sizeable donation]] || +10 ||
|-
|{{IL|Favours: Criminals|7 x}} || [[Offer an unrepentant ex-convict who won't be missed]] || +23 ||
|-
|{{IL|Magnificent Diamond|1 x}} || [[Offer a Magnificent Diamond]] || +5 ||More efficient to sell in bulk.
|-
|{{IL|Puzzle-Damask Scrap|1 x}} || [[Offer puzzle-damask]] || +5 || More efficient to sell in bulk.
|-
|{{IL|Cellar of Wine|1 x}} || [[Offer a cellar of wine]] || +5 ||More efficient to sell in bulk.
|-
|{{IL|Copy of your Ode to the Elder Continent}} || [[Offer an Ode to the Elder Continent]] || +5 || Can be obtained from composing poems at the Empress' Court, see [[Carving out a Reputation at Court (Guide)]]
|-
|{{IL|Favours: The Docks|7 x}} || [[Offer the labour of a zailor]] || +23 ||
|-
|{{IL|Favours: Bohemians|7 x}} || [[Offer the talents of an artist]] || +23 ||
|-
|{{IL|Favours: The Church|7 x}} || [[Offer a plump vicar]] || +23 ||
|-
|{{IL|Favours: Society|7 x}} || [[Arrange the visit of a respected noblewoman]] || +23 ||
|-
|{{IL|Memory of Light|50 x}} || [[Offer Memories of Light]] || +10 ||
|-
|{{IL|Mountain-sherd|1 x}} || [[Offer a Mountain-sherd]] || +35 || See [[Underclay (Guide)]] for a repeatable source
|-
|{{IL|Royal-Blue Feather|16 x}} || [[Offer Royal-Blue Feathers]] || +4 ||
|-
|{{IL|Correspondence Plaque|50 x}} || [[Offer Correspondence Plaques]] || +10 ||
|-
|{{IL|Strong-Backed Labour|1 x}} || [[Offer Strong-Backed Labour]] || +2 || See [[Underclay (Guide)]] for a repeatable source
|-
|{{IL|Lucky Weasel|30 x}} || [[Offer a bevy of Lucky Weasels]] || +5 ||
|-
|{{IL|Deshrieked Mandrake}} || [[Offer a deshrieked mandrake to the Court]] || +5 ||
|-
|{{IL|Winsome Dispossessed Orphan|1 x}} || [[Offer a winsome dispossessed orphan]] || +25 || Buying these at the Bazaar ([[Redemptions]]) and offering them is the most efficient way to turn money into tribute
|-
|{{IL|Starveling Cat|1 x}} || [[The starveling cat! The starveling cat! Bad idea to offer him that!]] || -5 ||
|}

If you have several copies of items such as {{IL|Magnificent Diamond}}, {{IL|Cellar of Wine}} that are valued at 2.5 echoes per tribute and can be sold at the bazaar, it's generally most efficient to sell them to bazaar, buy as many {{IL|Winsome Dispossessed Orphan}} as you can afford, and offer those. This takes fewer actions than offering the items directly.

If you wish to get all four ministers (see below), it will cost you {{IL|Tribute|800 x}}. Via {{IL|Winsome Dispossessed Orphan}}, this costs 32 orphans and 2073.60 echoes.

Also see the tribute combination list [[Money-Making/Sources#Combination_Tribute_Grind|here]].

==Other Means of Tribute==

There are two additional ways to gain {{IL|Tribute|}} without directly offering items to the Tiger Keeper. Both are part of other, action-intensive carousels, and are notable mainly in that {{IL|Tribute}} gained from these sources can exceed the softcap of 263.

===[[A Carnelian work]]===
After being [[Restored to the Court of Her Enduring Majesty|Restored to Court]], this ballet is among the new works you may create. When completed, you gain {{IL|Tribute|x 3}} in addition to the usual rewards for a minor work There are many options for gaining {{IL|Inspired...}} outside of Court, so the {{IL|Tribute}} gain is a nice bonus for an already somewhat-profitable activity. Consult [[Artistry in the Empress' Court (Guide)]] for more details. 

===[[An audience with the Banded Prince]]===
If you have raised {{IL|Associating with Radical Academics}} to at least 15, you will receive a bonus of {{IL|Tribute|5 x}} when you hand in your {{IL|Striped Delights}} after any future term as Governor of Port Carnelian. This by itself is not terribly efficient, but you only need a single point of {{IL|Striped Delights}} to do it. This means that during a term as Governor in which you spend many actions restoring {{IL|Imperial Legitimacy}}, you can convert all {{IL|Striped Delights|Appearance=SD}} to {{IL|Silver Horseheads}} and cash in for Tribute, saving your payoffs for future terms when you will surpass the breakpoints and get a better payout in {{IL|Antique Mystery}}s or {{IL|Puzzling Map}}s.

Other than those breakpoints, the rewards scale linearly with {{IL|Striped Delights|Appearance=SD}}/{{IL|Silver Horseheads|Appearance=SH}}, so unless the total is low enough that you'd otherwise choose [[Honoured with a State Dinner]], shifting to Horseheads is generally a mistake; just shift everything toward Delights as long as the return is good (it virtually always is), and redeem for the usual payment in items plus the bonus Tribute. For further details, consult [[Port Carnelian (Guide)]].

==Getting Rewards at the Court of the Wakeful Eye==

Once you have submitted at least {{IL|Tribute|80 x}}, you can play [[A Sufficient Tribute]] in {{IL|The Labyrinth of Tigers}}.

Then you can [[Destination: The Elder Continent|set Zail to the Elder Continent]] (South-East on the map) and [[Set a course to the Court of the Wakeful Eye|select the Court of the Wakeful Eye]] as your destination. See [[Zailing (Guide)]] for more information.

Once you have arrived, you can select one of the Ministers as a companion. Later you can select another minister for {{IL|Tribute|240 x}} each.

At the Court, you have the option to spend time with a minister you already have. This costs {{IL|Tribute|20 x}} and 4 actions. You must also have a certain 'stories' quality. It gives an item (or items) worth 62.5 Echoes.

{| class="article-table mw-collapsible"
! width="16%"|Minister 
! width="18%"|Stats 
! width="25%"|Option 
! width="21%"|Required Quality 
! Reward 
|-
|{{IL|The Minister of Enigmas}} || {{IL|Shadowy}} +10<br>{{IL|Bizarre}} +1 || [[Join the Minister of Enigmas for teatime]] || {{IL|Seeing through the Eyes of Icarus}} 7 || {{IL|Searing Enigma}}
|-
|{{IL|The Minister of Culture}} ||{{IL|Persuasive}} +10<br>{{IL|Respectable}} +1 || [[Enjoy a bubbling hookah with the Minister of Culture]] || {{IL|Approaching the Gates of the Garden}} 7 || {{IL|Night-Whisper}}
|-
|{{IL|The Minister of War}} || {{IL|Dangerous}} +10<br>{{IL|Dreaded}} +1 || [[Enjoy an extended walk through the fungal jungle with the Minister of War]] || {{IL|Touched by Fingerwork}} 7|| {{IL|Primaeval Hint}}
|-
|{{IL|The Minister of State Affairs}} || {{IL|Watchful}} +10<br>{{IL|Respectable}} +1 || [[Join the Minister of State Affairs for a long afternoon]] || {{IL|Walking the Falling Cities}} 7 || {{IL|Favour in High Places|5 x}}
|}

==Analysis==

The Court of the Wakeful Eye is a reliable way to obtain very good companions, and several of the grinds associated with it have very high EPA in addition to being good sources of specific items.

The limit of max {{IL|Tribute|260}} means you cannot arbitrarily reduce the relative action cost of zee travel by operating in big batches.

On the plus side, selling items from the ministers through the [[The Rat Market (Guide)|Rat Market]] can boost the profitability. The general idea is to turn in {{IL|Night-Whisper}} for {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}, and then use those to buy items that you can sell at the bazaar at a favourable rate. This option depends on the various time-dependent conditions of the rat market.

[[Category:Guides]]