Feast of the Rose (Guide)

Early MYN Content and Onwards

This content is only available during Feast of the Exceptional Rose! For the history of this holiday see Feast of the Exceptional Rose (historical)

Introduction

This is a guide that collates all the notes on playing Feast of the Exceptional Rose.

Key Dates for 1899 (2025):

• 6th February – Festival Opens
• 13th February – Masquing can be exchanged for companions and The Lady in Lilac
• 20th February – Gift-giving and feast activities close
• 27th February – Exchanging gifts for Masquing, the Clathermont story and meeting companions close.
• Source: https://www.failbettergames.com/news/fallen-london-roadmap-for-early-2025

Activity	1st week	2nd week	3rd week	Info
The Feast of the Rose!	✔	✔	✘	Card for gaining Masquing and other qualities
An Arranger of Nuptial Phantasies	✔	✔	✔	Storylet for purchasing romantic dreams
Celebrate the Feast of the Exceptional Rose!	✔	✔	✘	Storylet to send Rose gifts to other players
An Encounter at the Feast	✘	Card	Storylet	Spend Masquing on rare items
The Lady in Lilac	✘	Card	Storylet	Raise Masquing above 20 using Rose gifts, and other qualities
Millicent's Parlour	✘	✔	✔	Storylet to get a tattoo; requires Entwined in the Intrigues of the Clathermont Family 30
On the Scent of the Exceptional Rose	0-3	0-9	0-1, 3-9	Narrative content uncovering the mysteries of the festival's namesake flower

External Resource links:

• https://community.failbettergames.com/t/the-incomplete-guide-to-the-feast-of-the-rose/14997

Gaining Masquing

Masquing is primarily gotten through The Feast of the Rose! card, but the exact options available depend on The Airs of London. (See the Airs page for ways to change unfavourable Airs if necessary.) The following table shows the number of Masquing gained with any conditions. None of the options will increase Masquing if it's at least 20 already, though options granting 2 or more Masquing can increase it from levels below 20 to levels above 20.

Abbreviations used:

• Menaces: Suspicion, Nightmares, Scandal, Wounds, Unaccountably Peckish
• Quirks: Hedonist, Austere, Melancholy, Subtle
• Other: Fascinating..., Making Waves

The Airs of London 0-25

Most reliable way to obtain 2 x Masquing: A lovers' tryst --> Arrange to meet by the silver fountain (with sufficient Persuasive)

The Airs of London 26-50

Most reliable way to obtain 2 x Masquing: Buy a kiss from Sinning Jenny --> Negotiate a little first (with sufficient Persuasive)

Option	Challenge	Success	Rare	Failure
Help Mrs Gebrandt answer her correspondence: Be sympathetic	50	( /2) x Jade Fragment 1 x F.F. Gebrandt's Tincture of Vigour 1 x Masquing		+2 CP
Help Mrs Gebrandt answer her correspondence: Be cruel to be kind	75	10 x F.F. Gebrandt's Tincture of Vigour 1 x Masquing		+2 CP
Help Mrs Gebrandt answer her correspondence: Take cold-blooded advantage	80	1 x Whisper-Satin Scrap 1 x Thirsty Bombazine Scrap 30 x Drop of Prisoner's Honey		+2 CP
Enjoy a theatrical entertainment: Suggest a children's puppet show	40%	1 x Inkling of Identity 2 x Intriguing Snippet 2 x Masquing 1 x Tale of Terror!!	1 x Tale of Terror!! 2 x Appalling Secret 1 x Inkling of Identity 1 x Maniac's Prayer 4 x Masquing	1 x Masquing +2 CP
Enjoy a theatrical entertainment: Suggest a magic lantern show	60%	-2 CP  10 x Romantic Notion 1 x Masquing	1 x Touching Love Story 1 x Masquing	+2 CP  -2 CP
A long-lost love: Help to console the gentleman	30	15 x Drop of Prisoner's Honey +3 CP  (< 10) 4 x Romantic Notion 1 x Masquing 2 x Cryptic Clue	2 x Mystery of the Elder Continent +3 CP  (< 10) 1 x Memory of Distant Shores 3 x Appalling Secret 1 x Masquing 2 x Cryptic Clue	+3 CP  (< 10) +2 CP
A long-lost love: Offer to help find the lady	30	+3 CP  (< 10) 10 x Nodule of Deep Amber 7 x Romantic Notion 1 x Masquing 2 x Cryptic Clue	1 x Touching Love Story 1 x Masquing 2 x Cryptic Clue	+3 CP  (< 10)
Buy a kiss from Sinning Jenny: Pay the asking price 100 x Drop of Prisoner's Honey	60%	1 x Masquing -100 x Drop of Prisoner's Honey 5 x Romantic Notion 1 x Stolen Kiss	4 x Masquing -100 x Drop of Prisoner's Honey 10 x Romantic Notion 1 x Stolen Kiss	+1 CP  (bonus) +2 CP  -100 x Drop of Prisoner's Honey
Buy a kiss from Sinning Jenny: Negotiate a little first 50 x Nodule of Deep Amber	60	-50 x Nodule of Deep Amber 2 x Romantic Notion 2 x Masquing 1 x Stolen Kiss	+2 CP  +2 CP  -50 x Nodule of Deep Amber 1 x Masquing	+2 CP

The Airs of London 51-75

The Duchess' Banquet allows you to gain Acquaintance: the Captivating Princess in exchange for 15 Masquing. This is currently the only option to make her acquaintance, which has a few uses. Additionally, this provides a Dreadful Surmise which may take time to acquire by other means. A mysterious envelope usually gives at least 1 Masquing (except on a rare success) and gives 2 Masquing 50% of the time.

Options on The Perfumed Pleasure Garden, unlike other selections, are repeatable, though they cost 1-2 Carnival Tickets each. The Exceptional Rose option grants x 10 on success, so it can be used to sustain a prolonged visit. In this way, an early character might use Enjoy the decadence to reliably increase Hedonist to a cap of 10, or use The Wheel of Affection to grind Romantic Notions to afford a Key to a Handsome Townhouse.

The Airs of London 76-100

Most reliable way to obtain 2 x Masquing: A face from the past --> Don't remind yourself (with A Finder of Heiresses)

Option	Challenge	Success	Rare	Failure
Scandal and intrigue!: Send a romantic note Fascinating... 1	Ask a friend	+10 CP  1 x Masquing Both receive: 3 x Romantic Notion +2 CP (< 20)		+10 CP  1 x Masquing
Scandal and intrigue!: Take the opportunity	50	3 x Appalling Secret 1 x Masquing 5 x Intriguing Snippet 2 x Inkling of Identity		+1 CP
Secure a table at Dante's Grill: Try your luck	50%	+3 CP (< 10), -3 CP  +8 CP (if > 0) -2 x , -3 CP  3 x Romantic Notion 2 x Masquing	+3 CP (< 10), -3 CP  +2 CP  (if > 0) -2 x , -3 CP  1 x Scrap of Incendiary Gossip 3 x Romantic Notion 1 x Touching Love Story 2 x Masquing	-10 CP  +3 x
Secure a table at Dante's Grill: Bribe the maître d'	2 FATE	+5 CP (< 15) +10 CP (if > 0) -5 x , -3 CP  5 x Romantic Notion 1 x Touching Love Story 5 x Masquing
A face from the past: Don't remind yourself A Finder of Heiresses 1	Auto	+1 CP (< 5) 1 x Hard-Earned Lesson(< 6) 6-15 x Romantic Notion 2 x Masquing
A face from the past: An intriguing resemblance A Finder of Heiresses 1	Auto	+1 CP (< 5), +3 CP (< 10) 1 x Masquing 1 x Touching Love Story
Sweets to the sweet: Eat one	50%	-2 CP 5 x Drop of Prisoner's Honey 2 x Masquing	-3 CP 3 x Romantic Notion 1 x Magnificent Diamond 2 x Masquing	+2 CP 1 x Masquing

Gifts

Cost for free gifts equate to 10 per Masquing with the exceptions of A Custom-Engraved Skull which cost 20 per Masquing, and Pink-Painted Cat which costs 15 per Masquing. Resources for gifts can be acquired from Mr Spices at the Fecund Ground in exchange for Burgeoning Romance.

In the table below, strict Best-in-Slot stats are marked bold, shared Best-in-Slot is italic, and stats which are neither are in regular case.

Item	Cost	Masquing gain	Stats	Notes
Free gifts, which are capped at 30 Masquing
A Custom-Engraved Skull	200 x Inkling of Identity	1 x	Companion: Bizarre +1	Can be used as a skull in The Bone Market
An Antediluvian Ushabti	20 x Mystery of the Elder Continent		Companion: Watchful +1 Persuasive +1 Bizarre +1	Can be used to gain Parabolan Research and Expertise of the Second City in the University Laboratory (Place) and the Reflection of your Laboratory.
Illicit Volume of Unexpectedly Racy Fungal-Themed Poetry	100 x Romantic Notion			N/A
Singed Playing Card	500 x Drop of Prisoner's Honey
Tiny Silver Kettle of Pickled Liar's Tongues	50 x Intriguing Snippet			Can be offered to De Gustibus in Whitsun
Lemurian's Mask	50 x Intriguing Snippet		Hat: Bizarre +1	N/A
Glass of Teeth	500 x Cryptic Clue
Unblemished Exile's Rose	200 x Inkling of Identity	2 x	Weapon: Dreaded +1
Buttered Chess-Piece	200 x Inkling of Identity
Pink-Painted Cat	200 x Appalling Secret		Companion: Dangerous +4	Counts as a cat for The Dome of Scales, Becoming
A Decanter of Lachrymose Chartreuse	200 x Amanita Sherry		Weapon: Bizarre +1	N/A
Metaphysically Educated Rattus Faber	40 x Scrap of Incendiary Gossip		Companion: Persuasive +6	Could be upgraded to Rodentine Panegyrist during HALLOWMAS in past years.
Lovingly Be-Ribboned Kitten	1 x Parabolan Kitten, 200 x Surface-Silk Scrap		Companion: Bizarre +1 Persuasive +3	Alternatively, a Parabolan Panther (FATE-locked) can be used in place of the kitten without being consumed.
FATE gifts, which are uncapped
Hamper of Heart-Cuts	5 FATE	3 x		Can be combined into Shimmering Songster
Rose-Bearing Maggot			Companion: Bizarre +1
Watchful Doll			Companion: Watchful +3 Dangerous +3	Can also be acquired for only 3 FATE via a contract
Starveling Stole	10 FATE	10 x	Adornment: Shadowy -1 Persuasive -1 Dangerous -1 Watchful -1 Neathproofed +1	N/A
Box of Potentials			Weapon: Bizarre +1
Key-to-Heart Dagger			Weapon: Dangerous +4 Persuasive +1
Promissory Note for Intimate Favours	20 FATE	20 x	Weapon: Persuasive +5
Liberalian's Mask			Hat: Shadowy +1 Dreaded +1
Chivalrous Murder of a Rival
Box of Terrifying Candies			Weapon: Dreaded +1 Bizarre +1
Hand of Glory	30 FATE	30 x	Gloves: Shadowy +6 Dreaded +1
Tear-Drowned Collection of Incomprehensible Love-Poems
Mouthless Amber Mask			Hat: Shadowy +2 Dreaded +1 Bizarre +1
A Heartwood Hearse			Transport: Persuasive +2 Respectable +3
Blemmigan Pedant	40 FATE	40 x	Companion: Bizarre +1 Watchful +7
Lupercalian Mask			Hat: Persuasive +5 Bizarre +2
Explosion of Neath-Colours on the Stroke of Midnight
Tanned Mask			Hat: Shadowy +7 Dreaded +2
Golden Spiked Rosary			Weapon: Persuasive +5 Dreaded +3	Best Weapon for BDR and Dreaded, excluding Ambitions and SMEN
A One Way Ticket on the 12:15 to Hell	50 FATE	50 x	Weapon: Persuasive +9 Dreaded +2	Unlocks Point out the extraordinary flaws in their service on Disagreements at Moloch Street when setting up the Railway
Well-Song				N/A
Luxuriantly Coiffed Sorrow-Spider			Companion: Dangerous +7 Persuasive +5 Dreaded +1
Set of Martyr's Bones			Home Comfort: Shadowy +5 Respectable +2	Shared Best-in-Slot for BDR

Spending Masquing

Gaining Companions

It is generally advisable for newer players to focus on a pair of 10- or 20- Masquing companions to flesh out their outfit portfolio, as comparable companions are often expensive or otherwise challenging to obtain. Once you have acquired sufficiently high-level companions, prioritise collecting companions with an entry in the Opportunities Unlocked column below. Opening up as many opportunities for yourself later on is generally good practice, even if they don't appear useful on first glance.

An Arranger of Nuptial Phantasies

During the Feast of the Rose An Arranger of Nuptial Phantasies will set up shop in Veilgarden, offering dreams of a future with one of 5 spouses, at the cost of 20 Masquing. All of these will earn a Magnificent Diamond in the end.

Your progress (i.e. how many dreams you have left) is stored in Dreaming in Viric, while Subject of a Trance-Dream remembers your modifications. All dream conclusions increase your Shared a Phantasie of the Bazaar by 1.

The Perfumer-Semiotician

The card The Feast of the Rose! also has an option (not locked by Airs) to gain or change a Destiny by speaking to The Perfumer-Semiotician, for 20 Masquing. Players can also change their destiny without spending Masquing at Irem during the feast.

Burgeoning Romance activities

During the Feast, some existing activities will gain Feast-exclusive options that reward Burgeoning Romance on top of the usual rewards for the activity. Romance can be traded to Mr. Spices on the Fifth City storylet Fecund Ground on the first two weeks of the feast, for a variety of rewards, all of which can be used to send gifts. All of the trades value Burgeoning Romance at 1 penny per point.

Note that, while the trade-ins on Fecund Ground are only available on the first 2 weeks of the festival, the activities themselves are open for the full 3 weeks. At the end of the Feast, Burgeoning Romance will be automatically converted to Romantic Notions, at a rate of 1x Romantic Notion for every 10x Burgeoning Romance.

Staging a dizzying romance at the Empress' Court

A Dizzying Romance is a new Play available when creating art for the Empress. Its reward of 1200x Burgeoning Romance is added to the standard Minor Work rewards of 1700x Moon-Pearl, +7 CP Making Waves and 2x A Fine Piece. The 12 of Burgeoning Romance make this the most valuable minor work available and a great choice for someone looking to get started on A Poet-Laureate.

Growing genuine counterfeit exceptional roses in the Flit

Grow some Genuine Counterfeit Exceptional Roses is a new option when choosing a plant to grow when doing Vertiginous Horticulture. The counterfeit roses are plants who prefer being shaded and have a medium difficulty. Selling the roses to any of the buyers provides that 900x Burgeoning Romance on top of that buyer's usual rewards.

Horticulture is already notable for being a good early-game source of Strong-Backed Labour, for players who find the challenges in Underclay a bit too hard. The addition of Burgeoning Romance makes the counterfeit roses a great Strong-Backed Labour source for anyone who doesn't have the resources to recruit them in bulk in the Clay Quarters. While other sources of Strong-Backed Labour are still faster, the bonus value from Burgeoning Romance can't be gained with the actions that would be saved sourcing Strong-Backed Labour anywhere else other than the Clay Quarters.

Stealing love stories from the Ministry of Public Decency

Steal Touching Love Stories from the Ministry is a new option under Thefts of Particular Character, costing the usual 32 CP of Casing on success of a Shadowy 120 challenge. It awards 5x Touching Love Story and 2000x Burgeoning Romance. This is the highest ratio of Burgeoning Romance to usual rewards and is therefore likely the best source of Burgeoning Romance specifically. It also boasts the potentially highest EPA of the Feast-exclusive activities, at 5.8 if the Casing is obtained from Parabola. Obtaining Casing in London proper is significantly worse, however.

Investigating romance in your lab

Study the scents most conducive to romance is a new Laboratory experiment requiring 550x Laboratory Research and awarding 1x Captivating Ballad as well as 2500x Burgeoning Romance. This is one of the most valuable lab experiments, but the generally low efficiency of the lab at producing value makes it not very exciting, despite the possibility of selling the Ballads at the Rat Market.

Duelling a lovelorn fool

Wrangle a Lovelorn Fool is a new option when choosing to Get into other fights instead of choosing a Black Ribbon duelist to challenge. It requires 8 levels of Running Battle to unlock and then has a Running Battle 6 challenge that rewards 4x Aeolian Scream, 5x Romantic Notion and 1400x Burgeoning Romance on success. Unfortunately, the lack of good Running Battle sources makes this one of the least efficient sources of Burgeoning Romance.

Searching for the Wolf's reflection in the Forgotten Quarter

The Wolf's Reflection is a Forgotten Quarter expedition that requires 30x Expedition Supplies and awards 1x Captivating Ballad, 1x Mountain-sherd and 2300x Burgeoning Romance. The non-romance payout is on par with that of The Tomb of the Silken Thread, but the Mountain-sherd can be turned into tribute (which is profitable even when the tribute gain is at its lowest), making this expedition extra valuable. Unfortunately, the efficiency of any expedition in the Forgotten Quarter is bottlenecked by the need to source supplies. There is no actively grindable source of supplies that makes this expedition better than stealing love stories with Parabolan Casing. However, similarly to the play in the Empress' Court, players looking to advance their Archaeologist to 5 may want to take advantage of this opportunity for extra profit doing so.

Entwined in the Intrigues of the Clathermont Family

This short storyline starts once you have A Name in Seven Secret Alphabets 4 in Ladybones Road and can be progressed until level 8 there. Then you must Search Out a Missing Woman in Wilmot's End to reach level 9. Levels 10 and beyond are only available during weeks 2 and 3 of the event. Level 10 is unlocked with News at Clathermont's in Ladybones Road. Then you need to draw The Lady in Lilac and Ask her something different. You can either betray her to Mr. Clathermont or go straight to the meeting. After a short conversation, you will be able to get a tattoo in The Forgotten Quarter.

Tattoos

Once you have reached Entwined in the Intrigues of the Clathermont Family 30, Characters may gain a tattoo, providing a permanent point of Bizarre or Dreaded at Millicent's Parlour in the second and third weeks of the festival, with a maximum of one tattoo per year and two tattoos total. Alternatively you can gain a single point of respectable for choosing not to get a tattoo. This locks you out of future tattoos and as such results in lower BDR. Here are the available tattoos and the unlock requirements for each:

Bizarre Tattoos

Tattoo	Requirement
A View from the Chambers of the Heart tattoo	One Who Has Indulged in Unknown Pleasures
An Invisible City tattoo	Ambition: Enigma
Devilbone Dice tattoo
A Blemmigan tattoo
The Pen tattoo	Persuasive 25
Parabola tattoo	Nightmares 7
The Cards tattoo	Ambition: Heart's Desire!
A Face for the Evening tattoo	The Face Trade 26-29
The Jewel tattoo	Ambition: Light Fingers!
The Sun tattoo
Flute Street tattoo	Visiting Flute Street 12
Your Own Name tattoo	Route: The Cave of the Nadir 3

Dreaded Tattoos

Tattoo	Requirement
Someone you once loved tattoo	Ambition: Nemesis
The Scar in the Sky tattoo	A Scholar of the Correspondence 10
A Chess-Piece tattoo	The Boatman's Opponent 10
The Fist tattoo	Dangerous 25
The Face in the Snow tattoo	1 x Noman
The Stag's Head tattoo	1 x The Young Stags' Club
The Cheesemonger tattoo	The Great Game: A Fine Piece in the Game -
Just a Knife tattoo	Jack's Gone - : You did it!
The Eye tattoo	Watchful 25
The Indefatigable tattoo	Inconvenienced by Your Aunt
The Overgoat tattoo	1 x Overgoat
Sunless tattoo	You Disposed of a Whisper-Locked Sea-Chest 100
The Shadow tattoo	Shadowy 25
The House of Chimes tattoo	Admitted to the House of Chimes - is one of: An innocent An extraordinary beauty A player of games An audacious zub-mariner A cold-hearted killer A noted trainer of weasels DISOBEDIENT A true patriot A dabbler in sulfurous liaisons A traitor A committed cat-wrangler not to be crossed Possibly a lunatic Enigmatic Illegitimately Royal? A Font of Devil's Tears An Enemy of Brass Privately Talented The Rooftop Dancer An Unparalleled Grotesque A Visionary A Prisoner of Despair A Speaker of Truth to Power A Possessor of Impossible Table Habits An Oenologonaut Orphaned in a Grisly Accident A Liar among Liars A Scarlet Saint A Legendary Calumnist An Artist in Ivory It's not what you know... A Wanderer of Parabola A Meteorological Moment The Inescapable Arm of the Law A Blood-Cousin to Predators
The Fallen Rat tattoo	Vermin-free
The Bazaar tattoo
Übergoat tattoo	1 x Übergoat
Hellfire tattoo
The Gift tattoo	The Gift 110
The Heiress tattoo	A Finder of Heiresses
A Zee-Monster tattoo	An Explorer of the Unterzee -
The Hunt tattoo	Ambition: Bag a Legend!
New Newgate Prison tattoo	Suspicion
A Velocipede tattoo	On the Velocipede Squad
London from above tattoo	Free of Surface Ties -
Penstock's Wicket tattoo	Putting the Pieces Together: the Taste of Lacre 3
A Knife which Burns tattoo	A Participant in the Underground Leagues of Knife-and-Candle

On the Scent of the Exceptional Rose

This short storyline is available in some form throughout the event. In order to progress from 2 to 3, The Perfumed Pleasure Garden must be open (Week 1 and 2). Advancing further requires access to both The Lady in Lilac and Millicent's Parlour, and as such is only available during week 2 and 3. Finishing the storyline provides either A Cutting from the True (False) Exceptional Rose or A Cutting from a Heart-Catcher. Neither seems to have any specific uses yet.