Firmament (Guide)

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Firmament is a story concerned with Roof exploration and alternative histories. Progress in the storyline is tracked with the Firmament quality. See Firmament for a comprehensive list of relevant storylets aligning with this quality.

To start Firmament, you need Involved in a Railway Venture 50 (See Railway Beginning (Guide)). Do not feel obliged to start it immediately - despite the urgency of the description, the rain "emergency" has no in-game effects.

Part 1 of Firmament is a coda to The London Horticultural Show (historical). If you were not present for that Estival (Guide), you may wish to play through Relive the Starved War in The Sacroboscan Calendar (Guide) before commencing. Doing this does not have any mechanical effects but may help with comprehending events - Firmament is written in a highly obscure and difficult to follow style, even by Fallen London standards.

Note: Hidden unlock conditions and hidden branches leave some amount of risk and uncertainty even when using this guide. Particularly in later chapters, unlock conditions and results have been difficult to confirm with 100% accuracy due to the one-time playability of the story. Please keep this in mind when using this guide.

Qualities[edit]

The Story[edit]

The guide has been split up in several sections based on when the section was released, however you may complete the whole story in one go, should you wish to.

Prologue - The Rain[edit]

When Involved in a Railway Venture reaches 50, you will immediately draw the card The Fire in the Looking Glass. Play it and dream of fire, books and woods.

Upon waking up, you discover that it's raining. All over the city, the rain is causing flooding: Ladybones, Spite, Watchmaker's Hill, Veilgarden, and your Lodgings. Perform any action on those storylets and raise Rising Damp to at least 3.

Once that condition is met, A Drip Becomes A Drop will become available in Your Lodgings. You will be summoned to a meeting with the Admiralty and the Masters and be recruited to explore the Roof to find a way to stop the rain from drowning everything.

When the meeting is done, you'll be redirected to Station IX.II to decide on what type of airship you'll be using:

Airship Stats
Sparrow-class Airship
Vigilant-class Airship
Obliterator-class Airship

Aerial Prowess and Aerial Armament are used for challenges on Travelling through the Air, which cost an action and reward a few minor items on success. The mechanical differences between the 3 airships are little, so feel free to choose the one that fits your aesthetic.

Once you've decided what your airship will be, you can Give the order for your airship to be built, which activates a living story with a countdown of 1 week and sets Firmament to 35.

Part 1 - Hallow's Throat[edit]

After 1 real-time week has passed, a message in your Message Tab will set Firmament to 40 and inform you of the airship's completion. Return to Station IX in Watchmaker's Hill to claim the airship.

Open the Map and select Hallow's Throat as your destination.

In A Yawning Grave,

No-one at Hallows Throat actually knows anything about the rain, but there are things to do nevertheless, including making a movie, reshaping yourself, and drinking Starved liquids at the pub. Exploring the Throat, Get the lay of the land, and Go looking for a bar raises Lung and Spleen to 2, unlocking Searching for the Rain and will allow you to hire the Forlorn Shepherd, eventually entering the Gullet to continue the story. What happens may make more sense once you play through Firmament Part 3.

In Searching for the Rain,

In Ascending the Gullet,

In Spirefall,

In The Essential End,

After your visit to the Gullet you automatically gain 1 x The Admiration of a Duchess, 1 x The Hopes of a Shepherd, and 1 x The Regard of the Dawnseeker. You are informed that the rain is actually coming from the Midnight Moon, and the Sherpherd can guide you on the way.

Ecdysis[edit]

Unlocked by exploring Hallow's Throat and the local bar, Ecdysis is an activity that provides monetary rewards that can be sold for echos and stuivers, or (on repeat visits) boons to main attributes or Shapeling Arts. For more information, see Ecdysis (Guide).

In addition, after completing the story at the Gullet and at least one round of Ecdysis, you can receive a one-time boost to Chthonosophy via Ecdysis: One More Lesson.

The Kinetoculus[edit]

If you have been Restored to the Court, you can speak to A Starved Man with a Moving Camera about making movies on the Roof. You can make a film at each major Roof location, and the results depend on your choice of lens and film emulsion.

The two lenses can be swapped for only the cost of an action. The wide-angle lens will create a film of the Roof location itself, while the telescopic lens will create a film of a location below, on the Unterzee.

The three emulsions each cost 200 Stuiver, and must be purchased again after each use. Peligin film emphasizes the dark and monstrous aspects of the subject. Violant film emphasizes the close and personal, and connections between people. Cosmogone film emphasizes warmth and beauty.

Taking a new film at a given Roof location replaces the old one, and film for each location can be developed and viewed back at Hallow's Throat. The Cinematographer promises this will lead to profit in the future, but no use for films has been found beyond viewing. Presumably this will come in a future update.

Part 2 - Midnight Moon[edit]

To unlock this destination you need to bribe the roof-smugglers. Required items to unlock Part 2:

Check out The Mills of Industry, The Source of all Water, and The Belly of the Proverbial. Going through Open the Belly of Leviathan requires the following:

In A Drink Off Midnight's Edge, passing a Broad, Dangerous 190 challenge Dive off gives 3 x The Regard of the Dawnseeker.

In Return to the Yawning Grave, Reach out to Tatterdemalion gives 1 x The Regard of the Dawnseeker.

You may also find opportunities to spend time with the Last Duchess in The Cup and the Moon and the Shepherd in The Shepherd's Wash.

In The Cup and the Moon,

The Shepherd's Wash has no effect on The Hopes of a Shepherd.

Open the breach in the Leviathan grants access to the Stacks.

The Stacks[edit]

See The Stacks (Guide).

After reading the book, in Behind the Skin of the World,

The story then proceeds to Naples.

Lost Naples[edit]

Options
Results
1 Swim 10 x Tantalising Possibility
Siesta 1 x Via Madonna (up to 3)
1 x Memory of Distant Shores
Breakfast 1 x Solacefruit
2 Explore the city 1 x Memory of Light
Visit the Royal Palace 1 x Via Madonna (up to 3)
1 x Memory of Distant Shores
Siesta 1 x Solacefruit
3 Dine 1 x Via Madonna (up to 3)
10 x Tantalising Possibility
Take a boat 1 x Memory of Light
Siesta 1 x Solacefruit
4 Visit the Gran Caffè Gambrinus 1 x On the trail of Ambergris (up to 3)
1 x Hand-picked Peppercaps
Visit the Locanda del Cerriglio 1 x On the trail of Ambergris (up to 3)
1 x Bottle of Morelways 1872
Visit the Caffè dell'Epoca 1 x On the trail of Ambergris (up to 3)
1 x Withered Tentacle

Choose the option which will raise Via Madonna on each turn of Time Passing in Naples. Once it reaches 3, you can Visit the Madonna of Naples. You can only ask her a few questions at this point. Return to Naples and increase On the trail of Ambergris.

It's only possible to raise On the trail of Ambergris on Time Passing in Naples 4, so you must loop through the day at least 3 times. Once it reaches 3, Make contact with the ambergris miners. Greet the lost miners of the Midnight Moon, which will set On the trail of Ambergris to 4.

Return to Summer and Tell her that you've found her crew, which will set Via Madonna to 4. Next, go back to the miners and Reveal you've found their captain, which sets Via Madonna to 5.

You can then Visit the Esoteric Econium to get the book that Summer requested:

Make a final return to Summer and give her the book.

You will now have to determine the fate of the Midnight Whale. Your crew, the miners and Summer all have opinions. Your choice does not appear to have any ongoing effects. Whatever you choose, it causes the rain to stop. Hooray! (Why does it stop the rain? Don't ask silly questions.) Do note that asking Summer to sing at this point (tracked by Summer Sang) will prevent you from gaining her assistance through song in Chapter 5.

But if you are really concerned:

Ways to raise Whalerise:

Ways to raise Whalefall:

To witness Whalerise, Sing to the Midnight Whale of the sun (sets The Leviathan's Call to 1).

To witness Whalefall, Sing to the Midnight Whale of the zee (sets The Leviathan's Call to 2).

After the whale's fate is decided, Summer will join your crew.

In Time and the Gods,

The Midnight Trade[edit]

To unlock Part 3, you need:

Anticandles can be sourced in the Stacks via "Le Précipice de la Tombée," which you can search for after 4 successful jaunts in the Stacks.

After putting a stop to the rain, you can help out at the Midnight Moon. This activity grants you a Monstrous Anatomy Adornment, and eventually allows you to meet Old Resurrection and work with her to establish outposts for smuggling at further roof locations. For more information, see The Midnight Trade (Guide).

Part 3 - Zenith[edit]

Open the Map and select Zenith as your destination.

Upon your arrival, you will have a discussion about honesty and secrets with your crew, beginning in A Question of Honesty. After this discussion, you will sleep, and dream. During Fires from Zenith:

You won't gain additional points in these qualities until Chapter 8, but they track your disposition towards the flame in your dreams, and influence result text accordingly. They may influence further, yet-unreleased aspects of the story.

While you proceed, in The Illuminated of Zenith,

After arriving, you will be greeted by the Rightous Drover, giving 1 x The Hopes of a Shepherd.

The Ritual[edit]

The next step involves two activities:

At Moon-Miser Readiness 7 and The Lost Shepherd at least 20, you can Present your Moon-Miser and set Moon-Miser Readiness to 8. At which point, you can tell the Drover to start the Ritual:

In The Pools of Breaking and Mending, you Immerse yourself in its waters and discover the fate of the Shepherd's Miser. After emerging, you can either:

The High Sancta[edit]

See The High Sancta (Guide).

Just before entering the High Sancta, the Rule of Piranesi will be seen inscribed above the entrance, like the warnings on the gates of hell. This gives both Summer and Tatterdemalion pause,

You will meet The Red Miser when Towards a Violant Sky reaches above 5:

  • If Hollowed is 1, playing it will show a heartwarming reunion between the Shepherd and his Miser ( The Lost Shepherd is unchanged).
  • If Hollowed is 2, the Shepherd will be angry at you for not telling him and turn against Zenith (Sets The Lost Shepherd to 20).

When Towards a Violant Sky reaches 12, you will reach the Highest Sancta and meet the Pastor.

You will be lead into the Highest Sanctum, where the Vulgate keep their most interesting Apocrypha. The Apocrypha you need to view are: Peer into a niche on the first level, Approach the sound of whirring cogs and Enter a silent gallery on the second level, Approach the nadir of Zenith on the third level. When you've seen all the necessary Apocrypha, Descend to the Highest of the High Sancta.

The Pastor reveals himself as The Prisoner of Zenith, aka the Immanent. You can ask him questions for as long as you want; the Vulgate won't be returning at this moment. Breach the Mortsafe Galleries when you're done.

Memories Removal[edit]

The Rule of Piranesi is: None will leave but by being changed. The Immanent must change to escape his prison, and in doing so destroy some of his memories. There are three paths you can take here:

  • Remove two of his memories as requested: The Immanent escapes (as himself or as the Navigator: The Illuminated Shepherd Illuminated Shepherd, keeping only one memory:
    • If the Shepherd is uncertain about his faith ( The Lost Shepherd 25) and knows the truth of the Ritual ( Hollowed 1), then he will merge with the Immanent and later the Navigator: The Illuminated Shepherd Illuminated Shepherd will replace the Navigator: The Forlorn Shepherd Forlorn Shepherd as navigator.
    • Otherwise, the Shepherd will be sassy with the Immanent, they won't merge, the Immanent escapes Zenith as himself and you'll keep the Navigator: The Forlorn Shepherd Forlorn Shepherd as navigator.
  • Remove all three of the memories: The Immanent becomes a willing prisoner of Zenith and you also keep the Navigator: The Forlorn Shepherd Forlorn Shepherd as Navigator.

Endings[edit]

Depending on the disposition of the Forlorn Shepherd and what you decided to do with the Immanent, there are 4 endings to this chapter:

Description
How to Reach
1
 The Immanent joins with the Shepherd, retaining the memories of Love and Death, and the navigator is now the Navigator: The Illuminated Shepherd Illuminated Shepherd.
2
 The Immanent loses all of his memories to the irrigo, remains prisoner to Zenith, and the navigator is still the Navigator: The Forlorn Shepherd Forlorn Shepherd.
  • Destroy all three of the Immanent's memories.
3
 The Immanent changes enough to escape Zenith, losing two of his memories, and the navigator is still the Navigator: The Forlorn Shepherd Forlorn Shepherd.
4
 The Immanent joins with the Shepherd, lost two of his memories, and the navigator is now the Navigator: The Illuminated Shepherd Illuminated Shepherd.

After talking to your crew about what went down, the Last Duchess will reveal the name of her city — Ghent, and also the next destination in your journey.

You can also reunite with your new friend on Firmament: A Shadow in the Gate:

Part 4 - Burgundy: The Feastmen[edit]

To get to Burgundy, you will need to Plot a course to Burgundy, which requires:

Choose Reveal what you've learned in Sogs and Inversions to gain 1 x The Admiration of a Duchess. Choose Suggest she disregard it or Perhaps there's something in it in The Blessed State to gain 1 x The Admiration of a Duchess.

Risen Burgundy[edit]

Upon arrival, you should encounter the storylet Getting One's Bearings in Burgundy and thus meet with The Other Duchess. Praise the other other Duchess raises Tyranny of Burgundy by 1, or Keep your counsel if you wish to keep the quality low. Its value will determine The Tyranny of the Last Duchess at the end of this chapter and, by extension, play a part in the determination of Burgundy's Ruler at the end of the next chapter. You can refer to the table found at the end of The Hunt in Aureate to see exactly how this quality and others you can influence in the next two chapters will impact the rulership of Burgundy.

After the talk, find Midnight in Burgundy from the opportunity deck to proceed. Reaching this point also adds A Night in Ghent to the Burgundy deck, which provides a one-off chance to increase Tyranny of Burgundy by 1 by choosing to Praise the Duchess.

The Hour of Feasting[edit]

This part of the story is tracked via the The Prestige of the Court quality and can only proceed with The Prestige of the Court at least 4. However, this quality meddles with many other qualities available at the feast, possibly causing confusions for players. See The Great Hall to plan your actions accordingly.

A possible route to go through this process:

If you are still short on or wish to grind The Prestige of the Court, you can Join the lower tables and then either Talk to Summer or Talk to Tatterdemalion.

Once The Prestige of the Court is at least 4, play Feast! to start the feast. The feast has 3 stages, each stage can raise The Prestige of the Court by up to 5 depending on the chosen option.

  1. Choosing a seat in A Feast of Burgundy gives 5 x The Prestige of the Court for Sit at the high table, 3 for Sit with your officers, and 1 for Sit below the salt.
  2. In The Steps of Burgundy, you can show your affection towards one of the group: the Last Duchess, Tatterdemalion, Summer, the Shepherd, or simply no one at all. Dancing with someone gives you one favour with the chosen person. Dancing with the Last Duchess gives 5 x The Prestige of the Court, dancing with Summer or Tatterdemalion gives 3, dancing with the Shepherd gives 1, and, unsurprisingly, being a wallflower only yields 1.
  3. During The Masque, you can Play the Good Duke to raise The Prestige of the Court by 5, or Play the truth to raise it by 3.

The outcome of the feast is determined by The Prestige of the Court:

If you want to lower the The Prestige of the Court before concluding the feast to control the resulting Tyranny of Burgundy Tyranny gain, you can do so by failing to Sneak away (e.g. with the Weasel of Woe equipped).

In The Duchess in Extremis, you can:

In Summer Storm, either Accept Summer's explanation at face value or succeed the Chthonosophy check on Look for a deeper insight to gain 1 x A Dream of Summer. Pinning the butterflies does not affect the game mechanically.

On the hunt for the Feastmen[edit]

This part of the story is tracked via the A Breach in a Garden Green quality and advances with A Breach in a Garden Green 5. Raise this quality to 4 with the following actions:

A Kingdom on the Roof storylet action:

Opportunity card actions:

Once A Breach in a Garden Green reaches 4, choose Sneak into the enclosed garden from A Kingdom on the Roof to advance.

Through Firmament: Into the Garden Green, you will find yourself in the Stacks again. It might be a good idea to raise your Chthonosophy caps before proceeding, as you must perform 4 rounds of book-hunting to proceed the story and time spent in the Stacks can be a good opportunity to train Chthonosophy to its new cap. See Raising Attribute Caps (Guide)#Chthonosophy for how to raise its caps.

By entering the Stacks again, choose Search for the Feastmen and use The Stacks (Guide) to help you. The Last Duchess will leave your team, either temporarily or for quite a while. Nevertheless, you will get to Speak with the Last Duchess (Another Burgundy):

The Calendar of All Seasons[edit]

Return to the Stacks and carry out three more rounds of book-claiming: Look for a copy of The Last of its Kin, Look for a copy of The Other Half, and Look for a copy of Should it have been Otherwise. Note that your choices here will impact which of the members of the Calendar survive a battle in Chapter 6; recruiting Wrong Months will lead to deaths.

After Look for a copy of The Last of its Kin,

  • Save Iron offers Iron a seat in the Calendar and grants you 1 x Wrong Months. Stones die in the process, and in your vision Iron kills you – if that is what you care about.
  • Spare Stones offers Stones a seat in the Calendar. Iron dies in the process, and in your vision Stones kisses you – if that is what you care about.

After Look for a copy of Should it have been Otherwise,

This choice sets Another June, which impacts your options in Chapters 5 and 7, as noted in the below sections.

Finally, Returning to the Calendar of All Seasons.

You will get to meet the Last Duchess again. In A Dream of Burgundy,

Now you witness the birth of an important decision at The Doubts of a Duchess. With 7 x Tyranny of Burgundy, she would be certain that she is indeed Burgundy and sets The Tyranny of the Last Duchess to 1. Otherwise, she doubts that and sets The Tyranny of the Last Duchess to 2. However, if you have 7 x The Admiration of a Duchess, you can convince her to think the opposite way, without any cost of admiration.

When Leaving the Bower, you may decide to Abandon the Duchess, setting The Rule of Burgundy to 1 and later lowering 7 x The Admiration of a Duchess. Otherwise, you may Open the door, restoring the Last Duchess as your First Officer and setting The Rule of Burgundy to 2.

Take part in an argument at Firmament: Beyond the Garden and wait for the Grand Contest.

Other things to do in Risen Burgundy[edit]

See Risen Burgundy (Guide).

Part 5 - Burgundy: A Grand Hunt[edit]

The requirements to commence with the Grand Hunt and begin Part 5:

No matter your preference, you will be assigned as the major-domo of The Last Duchess - though this does not commit you to supporting her in the Grand Hunt. There are three things that you must do to prepare for the event, all of which can be started in Firmament: To Court Burgundy, and can be done in any order.

Note: The determination as to who rules Burgundy at the end of this chapter depends on who has the most progress at the end of the Hunt ( The Last Duchess' Progress or The Duke's Progress). The nature of their rule is dependent on the corresponding value of The Tyranny of the Last Duchess (from the previous chapter) or passing the threshold of 3 Ducal Doubts (through your choices in this chapter).

Alternatively, if the Last Duchess is not a tyrant ( The Tyranny of the Last Duchess equal to 2), a reconciliation between her and Maximilian will occur if his faith in The Calendar of All Seasons is shaken by you helping to instill sufficient Ducal Doubts during this part of the story - this occurs regardless of the winner of the hunt. It appears that having 3 Ducal Doubts is the minimum level needed to sway Maximilian's opinion.

Appeal to the Duke[edit]

You must make an Appeal to the Duke. Your conversation with him will vary depending on whether you supported him or The Last Duchess at the end of the previous chapter, but there are no mechanically relevant choices here.

Petition Burgundy[edit]

You must approach the three factions of Burgundy to see who they support. You are able to sway their opinion to your preferred candidate, though this may cost you if you have not supported the faction in previous chapters.

Once you have polled all three factions, you return to the Court and, based on who has majority support among the factions, either the Last Duchess ( 1 x The Last Duchess' Progress) or Maximilian ( 1 x The Duke's Progress) gains progress towards the rule of Burgundy.

Locate a Golden Stag[edit]

There are several steps to bringing the mythical Golden Stag to Burgundy for the Grand Hunt.

  • You begin in Burgundy with research into the Stag and its likely whereabouts. This involves checks of Monstrous Anatomy, Glasswork, and/or Chthonosophy. An additional option to progress is present if you met the Stag during the Exceptional Story (FATE) The Mystery Knight The Fair Unknown.
  • You then proceed to your Parabolan Base-Camp for a hunt where you must locate an Aureate Stag.
  • Having reached an accord with an Aureate Stag, you must then move to your Laboratory to perform a short experiment to determine how to bring the Stag to this side of the mirror.

Final Things before The Grand Hunt[edit]

Once you have completed the three above steps, you may announce to the Court in Burgundy that all is ready for the Grand Hunt to begin. However, Maximilian has still not obtained a major-domo of his own, so you must return to The Calendar of All Seasons to obtain one. If you choose to Ask whom Max would prefer, you will gain 1 x Ducal Doubts. After this, your suggestions are not mechanically relevant, as, in the end, The Only Possible Choice is effectively made for you.

This taken care of, Maximilian will request that you accompany him to petition The Last Duchess one final time. If you choose to accompany him, you will gain 1 x The Admiration of a Duchess and if the Last Duchess is not a tyrant, he will gain 1 x Ducal Doubts.

The Hunt in Aureate[edit]

You may then finally begin The Grand Hunt. Before beginning, note that you will be able to call upon the aid of the Manager of the Royal Beth in support of the Last Duchess if at least one of the following conditions is met:

In the woods you will experience three different scenes (Follow the shadows, Follow a silver light, and Find Maximilian). In each, you will face the same mechanical choice - you may choose only one each time:

You also have the opportunity to Follow a song if you did not choose to have Summer sing in Lost Naples; this allows you to gain one progress of either type and 1 x A Dream of Summer, or (probably) lose 1 x A Dream of Summer if Another June is 2 and you wish to help the Duchess (this result is yet to be recorded, but requires 2 x A Dream of Summer so it seems reasonable to assume that it spends it).

Once the stages of the hunt have been concluded, the claimant with greater progress ( The Last Duchess' Progress compared to The Duke's Progress) faces the Aureate Stag. If the two are tied, you will be forced to choose who wins. At this point, The Victor in Burgundy and Burgundy's Ruler will be decided.

Conditions
Results

Rallying Burgundy against The Vulgate[edit]

There is little time to savor the victory. Although The Hunt is Up, the Vulgate come to lay siege to Burgundy. You will need to consult with the victor to determine how to proceed with plans to defend the city and plan the counterattack.

New things to do in Risen Burgundy[edit]

See Risen Burgundy (Guide) for details.

Part 6 - Sousward, Ho![edit]

The requirements to distract the Vulgate and unlock Part 6:

To The Sous[edit]

Employ all those explosives you've gathered to distract that Vulgate and punch a hole in their line, allowing your escape from Burgundy. You will be granted Discovered: The Sous and then allowed to fly to this new location. Upon your arrival at The Sous, you'll need to Speak to a Resident Gravetender and raise Beneath the Utmost Grave high enough to access the catacombs. See The Sous Catacombs guide for details on general notes for traversing the catacombs. If you also choose to Search for signs of life before proceeding, you'll have an option to uncover some extra lore later on in this chapter, which is locked behind Transplants from Above 1.

Following this, you'll have to determine a plan of action through consultation with your crew. This investigation requires 1 Puzzling Map, 5 Glass Gazette, and 5 Roof-Chart.

Beginning work on The Machine[edit]

Enter the catacombs via The Bones Above the Sous and perform the catacomb carousel; at the end, you'll be able to Force a way to the Machine to uncover a Machine of the Red Science that could serve to eliminate the Vulgate assailing Burgundy.

Tatterdemalion and Summer will begin work on the machine after you provide 10 Railway Steel. During The Engineer and the Pilot, you will gain one favour with the crew member you support ( The Regard of the Dawnseeker or A Dream of Summer). There is no negative mechanical impact on the favour of the other crew member and this choice is not tracked.

You must now complete two separate storylines in the order of your choice:

  • Track the Enemy of Burgundy through the catacombs and foil their plan to weaken the city.
  • Join with Beltane to carry out a Parabolan War campaign to breach the defences of Zenith.

Between these two storylines, you'll have to return to the Sous and play The Machine Breaks (triggered by A Cry from the Machine 2). It will again give you the opportunity to side with Tatterdemalion or Summer, gaining one point of renown with the one you support ( The Regard of the Dawnseeker or A Dream of Summer). This choice is tracked with the quality Broken Machine. Completing this, you are able to return to complete the path (Enemy in the Catacombs or Parabolan War) you did not choose first.

The Enemy of Burgundy[edit]

The Enemy of Burgundy is the character that you tracked at the end of the previous chapter, and is determined by the current Ruler of Burgundy. The Last Duchess ruling will hunt Maximilian, Maximilian ruling will hunt the Last Duchess, and the pair ruling in unison will hunt the Other Duchess.

To proceed, Enter the catacombs via The Bones Above the Sous and complete another standard carousel. At the end, choose to Pursue Burgundy's enemy. Track them until you reach Maximilian's tomb. Therein, your choice will determine the fate of the Rulers of Burgundy - choices that cause Maximilian to confront his remains (by allowing him to enter into his tomb, or to follow the Duchess into his tomb) will lead to his destruction. The resolution of this confrontation is tracked with Burgundy's Tomb. Afterwards, head to Burgundy to consult with the ruler of the city in Firmament: Heavy Sits the Crown and wrap up this thread. You will receive A Cry from the Machine, directing you to return to the Sous.

Breaching the Defences of Zenith[edit]

First, you'll have to meet with the War Council in Burgundy in Firmament: A Duchy Holding On. This will direct you to lead a Parabolan War campaign with the aid of Beltane against the Vulgate to discover the hidden route into Zenith.

This is a 5-stage campaign that is mechanically limited compared to other long campaigns. You cannot:

  • employ your train,
  • progress the war from London,
  • choose a general to assist you.

You will have an opportunity to speak with the members of the Calendar who have accompanied you during the inter-stage breaks, and the chance to understand more of their origins by entering their dreams at the conclusion of the campaign. It is signposted, but ensure you speak and dream with Beltane last, as his options progress the story.

Upon reaching Zenith, Beltane will ask you to promise that you will support the Calendar the way they have supported Burgundy in this fight - your choices are to promise honestly or to promise, but lie (although this choice does not appear to be tracked). With the Calendar ensconced in Zenith, you receive A Cry from the Machine and make to return to the Sous.

Cri de Cog[edit]

With the Enemy of Burgundy dispatched and the Calendar in position in Zenith, return to The Sous. In Cri de Cog, you must choose which crew member will pilot the train against the Vulgate. This choice is tracked via Icarus in Flames - 1 for Summer, 2 for Tatterdemalion, 3 for both.

  • If you Choose Summer, she will suggest that Tatterdemalion join her in the cockpit. With The Regard of the Dawnseeker 7, he will join her.
  • If you Choose Tatterdemalion, he will enter the cockpit alone and the story will proceed. Summer's reflection may join during the battle to aid in control of the machine as noted below.

Having both pilots in the cockpit will allow you agency over the final choice(s) at the end of the battle and the survival of the Vulgate and the Calendar on the field of battle.

That decided, it is time to loose the train upon the Vulgate. Deploy the Machine with 100 Bessemer Steel Ingot and 50 Roof-Chart. During your attempt to breach the inversion of Burgundy, if you chose Tatterdemalion as the pilot, Summer's reflection may appear mid-flight in the cockpit. It is unclear what, if anything, determines this occurrence; it will alter the value of Icarus in Flames to 3: Tatterdemalion and Summer.

You join the battle in progress at the Walls of Burgundy. The strength of the defenders is augmented by the forces of the Calendar for a final push against the Vulgate. The members of the Calendar who ride out are represented by Calendrical Remnants - they will suffer losses depending on your choices during recruiting in the Stacks during Chapter 4, as tracked by A Bad Month.

The number of leaders remaining does not appear to impact the success of the battle or their willingness to remain your ally if you assist them during the fight.

Next, in Call the Ships to Port, you must choose whether to aid the Calendar.

This impacts which Calendar members survive the battle and whether they are open to being your allies going forward.

The penultimate act of the battle comes with The Fire of the Dove, in which the Vulgate you met in Hallow's Throat arrives - if it survived your meeting (if Vulgatis = 1). It comes to take its vengeance, and enters the Machine, ready to impose a reality of its choosing upon the field of battle. This will allow you to rewrite one occurrence from the battle if conditions are met.

If the Vulgate perished ( Vulgatis = 2), the Machine will simply Plough on.

The final choice comes when the last wave of Vulgate stand before your guns in Choirs Ignite. With Summer and Tatterdemalion working together to control the Machine ( Icarus in Flames = 3), you must choose.

Without Summer and Tatterdemalion piloting ( Icarus in Flames < 3), you can only Watch as the Machine crushes the Vulgate, with a similar result to choosing to Destroy the Vulgate leading to The Field of Carnage.

Thus the battle against the Vulgate at the walls of Burgundy is concluded.

The Bells of Triumph[edit]

The battle concluded, you will have a chance to regroup with the Calendar and say final words. Then it's off to Burgundy to Attend the investiture of the ruler(s) of the city.

  • If your actions have led to either the Duke or Duchess ruling alone, you will experience the burning experience that is the Sixth Letter.

Afterwards, you are visited by a nightmare of a red, red castle in the midst of a storm. During A Dream About a Castle you learn that your next destination is Queeneater's Castle. A different experience is had by those who are Stormy-Eyed.

Other things to do in The Sous[edit]

You can set up the next outpost of Old Resurrection's Network. You'll need to first Search for signs of life in The Sights and Sounds of the Sous and then meet with Those Who Descend. The cost to set up the outpost is:

In addition, once you met the stranded miners, you can recruit some of them as a new crew - A Parisian Contingent - for the cost of 5000 x Surface Currency.

You can obtain a Relic of the Revolution through donation of bones to the catacombs. The method of unlocking the storylets which grant you the relic remains unknown, but you can reference Return to the Upper Airs for the known recipes. Completion of a catacomb carousel that includes donation of a given valid recipe set may grant you a A Relic from the Sous:, which you can take to your laboratory to study. Complete Determine the true nature of this bone with the option to Determine the true nature of this bone (Sous) and you will have your relic.

Part 7 - Queeneater's Castle[edit]

To prepare for the journey to Queeneater's Castle in Chapter 7, you will need:

In Burgundy, you can bid farewell to the Ruler of Burgundy and prepare to follow your (red, red) dreams.

In Scarlet Letters, choosing to:

In Firmament: Dinner with Valentine, you will choose whether to make St Valentine a member of your crew - there is no future option to invite him to join you, and this choice is not signposted. He will still be present, but certain choices (romantic interludes and additional lore in Chapter 8) will be closed if you do not invite him aboard. Choosing to:

Regardless of your choice, you also gain Discovered: The Antipelago and Discovered: Queeneater's Castle and can set forth from Burgundy.

To Queeneater's Castle[edit]

En route, after chatting with your crew, you will sleep - and dream - in Another Dream. The dream you have is affected by whether you have Flammier or Lucifer.

From Ritual to Restitution tracks progress in the story here. During A Feast of Fasting, choosing to Feast will grant you 1 x Unaccountably Peckish; if you Do not feast, you will lose 1 x Unaccountably Peckish.

While speaking with The Perfumed Choragus, whether you Commit yourself to the bare minimum or Embrace the opportunity, the effect is the same, setting From Ritual to Restitution to 10 and continuing the story.

You may now participate as an actor in one of the plays of the Red Repertoire. From A Stage in Shadows, Take to the stage yourself and follow the play (comedy or tragedy) through to its completion. Doing so will grant you Those Who Never Fell, The Voices of the Chorus, and The Playwright's Hands, which unlock further options on The Keep Called Queeneater's (see below).

Continue your conversation with The Perfumed Choragus via Ask about the Rites of the Ruby to advance Firmament to 850. Afterwards, return to Firmament: In a Castle Inside a Castle and progress the story via Look for the source of the recurring dreams by spending 1 x Oneiromantic Revelation. When you Find a Place to Sleep, you may choose:

In either case, you move to The Mind of a Long-Dead Queen within The Flaw at Queeneater's. The quality Red-Hearted is set to 21. In this place, you will draw from an unlimited deck and attempt to (generally) fail challenges in order to lower Red-Hearted. Upon waking, a different option is provided to Silverers in possession of a Set of Cosmogone Spectacles, but all wake regardless. Experiencing this dream leaves you Red-Crowned and sets Trials of Summer to 1.

Preparations for the Rite[edit]

To proceed, return to Firmament: In a Castle Inside a Castle and complete (in any order you please): Speak to Tatterdemalion, Speak to Summer, Enjoy a quiet moment by yourself, Look for the Mask, Look for the Script, and Look for the Performer. The final three options are unlocked after again speaking with The Perfumed Choragus and Requesting the Rites of the Ruby. At the completion of each of the three "Look for" branches, you will have the chance to watch the Queensmen perform a play describing the history of one of your crew.

Tatterdemalion in the Stacks[edit]

When you Speak to Tatterdemalion, he will request a trip to The Stacks so that you can Find the Silent Volumes with Tatterdemalion. This path is tracked by Tatterdemalion In Chains. After finding the volume, you choose:

In all cases, Tatterdemalion In Chains is set to 10.

Summer's Appointment at the Assembly[edit]

Speak to Summer to arrive at Summer, Called to Account. This conversation progresses Trials of Summer and leads to sending missives to help Summer keep an important appointment. This progresses under Summer: The Messenger, with the messages having the following requirements:

After all are sent, Trials of Summer is set to 10 and Summer bids you accompany her to London, where you proceed in Firmament: A Place on the Wrong Side of London. You're asked to hand over the copy of the book you obtained for Summer in Lost Naples here.

You then canvass the votes of members of The Assembly. You are given the option to sway opinions to support Summer's plan, although it does not appear to be possible for this vote to fail, nor are you told what the plan actually is. The canvassing and persuasion is a narrative function. Some members of the Council begin as Yes votes: April, July, August, October, and November. Additional text is present for those who have played through their associated Exceptional Stories.

If you aren't a supporter of this plan, you can also Object, which is narrative but has no mechanical effect.

You also, delightfully, have the chance to take advantage of this rare gathering to make your distaste of the Liberation of the Night known and gain a unique quality: Let There Be Light. Doing this will end the Assembly early and forfeit the subsequent choice (described in the next paragraph) - it sets Permitted to Intervene to 2 (You did not - or were not able to - help Summer) and Trials of Summer to 35 (Summer has Claimed June). It also sets your Wounds and Nightmares both to 7.

Once you have have secured sufficient Votes for June, you can Conclude the votes and proceed. You will then proceed to Summer's trial. If your Permitted to Intervene is 1, you can choose:

This concludes the Assembly.

A Moment to Yourself[edit]

Choosing to Enjoy a quiet moment will set your Wounds and Nightmares to zero and allow you to choose with whom amongst your crew you will seek comfort (or no one at all). This will set A Reorientation of the Captain's Heart to a value that aligns with your choice.

Finding the Script[edit]

Speak to The Scribe at the Oriel Window and Ask about the script for the Rites of the Ruby to being your work on recovering The Lost Script. This involves your choice of checks against Chthonosophy, Mithridacy, and Glasswork. Upon completing the script, you will watch the Queensmen enact the history of Summer.

You also gain A Shepherd in the Audience, which allows you to follow him in A Glimpse Backstage (see below).

Finding the Mask[edit]

Your hunt for The Missing Mask leads you to Excavate the bones of Queeneater's, which requires:

Upon finding the mask, you will watch the Queensmen enact the history of Tatterdemalion.

You also gain A Shepherd in the Audience, which allows you to follow him in A Glimpse Backstage (see below).

Finding the Performer[edit]

To Look for the Performer (as tracked by The Consummate Performer), you again must Take to the stage yourself and Perform a history. After the play, Divest yourself of mask and role to advance the plot. Upon finding the performer, you will watch the Queensmen enact the history of Valentine.

You also gain A Shepherd in the Audience, which allows you to follow him in A Glimpse Backstage (see below).

A Glimpse Backstage[edit]

After each of the "Finding" steps, you will have a chance to follow the Shepherd backstage and spy on one of your other crew members; choosing not to spy grants one of the associated reputation: 1 x A Dream of Summer, 1 x The Regard of the Dawnseeker, and/or 1 x The Last Day of Valentine. These vignettes, and also the Shepherd's story, are tracked by Noises Off. After spying on all three crew, you will choose how to tell the story of the Shepherd.

The Rites of the Ruby[edit]

With all in preparation, you can Demand the Rites of the Ruby. You must choose Whomsoever Shall Be Slaughtered:

Summer Sacrificed[edit]

Summer will face three Rites, with checks made against three qualities as described below.

  • If she succeeds more often than she fails, she will survive the Rites and remain with your crew.
  • If she fails more often than she succeeds, she will be consumed by the Red Queen and lost to you.

You can tell that a result is a success if the message displayed is "The prognosis appears positive." ( Red Condemnations = 1). After each rite, you can allow the results to stand, or attempt a Broad Persuasive 200 check to convert a success to a failure or vice versa.

During The First Rite: The Crossing, the check is against Trials of Summer.

During The Second Rite: The Exile, the check is against Another June.

  • Another June 1 (let her take the place of June in Lost Time) is a success.
  • Another June 2 (give the Calendar the June they requested) is a failure.

During The Third Rite: The Slaughter, the check is against A Dream of Summer.

At the end of the Rites, if Summer succeeded, you will have a choice to request that the Queen release her (or not). If you request her return, you gain 3 x A Dream of Summer. If not, you gain no reputation, but she still returns (potentially dependent on a hidden quality?). If she has failed the Rites, she will be consumed and will be lost to you. Overall success in the Rites is tracked by Slaughtered: success sets it to 2; failure sets it to 1.

Valentine Sacrificed[edit]

With Valentine as a sacrifice, the Rites proceed without your input. Any variation in his success and failure is determined by a hidden quality, likely The Last Day of Valentine, causing him to succeed or fail the Third Rite. Overall success in the Rites is tracked by Slaughtered: success sets it to 2; failure sets it to 1. Failure means you cannot request his return. Requesting his return leads him to join your crew and Summer to leave you.

The Rites Conclude[edit]

The Rites then conclude. You find yourself upon The Butcher's Block and must choose whether to Play the King, Play the Queen, or Play the Knave - though this appears to be only a narrative choice. Following your discussion with The Red Queen, your value of Slaughtered will determine your ability to save the sacrifice in She Who Smiles Without a Face.

Your final choice to Consume her or Offer yourself is a narrative one with no noticeable mechanical effect.

Denouement[edit]

Having completed the Rites, you stand ready before The Stacks, Leaking. You can have your final words with Summer and St Valentine to discuss their feelings about the Rites, but it is otherwise time to prepare to open this breach into Lost Time.

Other things to do at Queeneater's Castle[edit]

You can continue to grow your Reputation in the Red Repertory: by acting in further plays with the Queensmen. The mechanics and rewards are described in Upon a Red Stage (Guide).

After 6 or so plays, completing a play may grant A Troupe in Need of Bodies; this can be discussed with The Perfumed Choragus to advance From Ritual to Restitution to 15 and unlock a new option when you Search Parabola for a Place in the Neath which rewards Direful Reflection, Memory of Moonlight, and Blood Oath. It also allows you to travel from Queeneater's Castle to your Parabolan Base-Camp.

After your first performance from A Stage in Shadows, you'll unlock the following options at The Keep Called Queeneater's:

Establishing this location's outpost for Old Resurrection requires:

Part 8 - Into the Breach, Again[edit]

The resources required to Unlock Chapter 8 are:

Your Apocryphal explorations in this Chapter are tracked via A History Scarred and Ragged, and your exploration of the Quartz is tracked by The Way to Old Gifts.

To a Familiar Place[edit]

After opening the breach into The Stacks in Queeneater's, you will need to complete a Stacks expedition to find a particular book of interest.

Stepping into The Life Apocrypha, you will need to explore a disconcertingly familiar landscape, completing four investigations via Chthonosophy checks. Each location also has other optional branches for additional lore.

These things done, you can then Avert the crisis again. This will lead to a choice in Discordance Amidst the Message as to who to save from the Discordant effects of the signature on the contract. Note that this choice is tracked by a hidden quality Rescued from Hillchanger and it will allow you to have a brief lore conversation with the one you rescued afterwards.

Awakening from a Deeper Sleep[edit]

You will need to make right the catastrophe set into motion by Mr Fires, and you have various choices as to how to proceed in Unearthly Slumbers, though the choice is mutually exclusive.

This choice is tracked by A False-Merchant: A False-Merchant, and impacts the way in which the "Merchant" acts during the subsequent scenes.

Once you have averted this particular crisis, your choice of toast in A Hero's Speech has a chance to provide renown with your officers:

Trouble averted in this Apocryphal London, you return to The Stacks and then on to Queeneater's.

A Light in the Antipelago[edit]

A question remains, considered in Triumph, Shortlived. To begin to answer it, you'll need:

Following an ominous chat with the Shepherd (Illuminated or Forlorn) and the Queensmen, you will have a chance to decide how you feel about where you find yourself in Before Departure; this choice does not appear to be tracked.

Your choice in The Night Before, however, is:

This point is in addition to the one you have from the beginning of Firmament. Regardless, your preparations bring you to having Discovered: Stonegift. Your course is set.

Yet Further Eastward[edit]

Set sail for Stonegift. Once you have docked, you'll have a conversation with one of the locals - though in order to understand their speech, you'll need one of the following:

Proceed to Serenity in Stonegift to check in with your crew, and then proceed to follow the fire that led you here. To continue your search, you will need to complete the climbing carousel, found in Preparing for a Climb, multiple times until you have achieved 2 Tested Against the Quartz. This will only increase during a run if you climb to (or past) the point where your next failure would cause you to fall (i.e., if your climb actions use up 10 grip, you need to cash out when you have 10 or less grip). (More info in Scaling the Quartz (Guide))

Each climb will cost you 20 x Starved Expression, and at least three climbs are needed to progress the story - this quality will need to reach 3 later in the chapter, so you may decide to finish that now, or then. The climbing check later in the story also requires that you have reached 90 The Pinnacle of Your Ascents:, which means at least one of your climbs reaches a height of 90.

Also, an additional option is unlocked during a major confrontation in Chapter 9 if you climb high enough to Push for the base of the stalactite at a height of 150, unlocking Discovered: Stonegift's Roots, so you may wish to push for this now, or return later before you begin Chapter 9 if you wish this option to be open.

Return to Serenity in Stonegift to continue the story, where further exploration after your climbs will require 25 x Glass Gazette followed by a Glasswork check before you find yourself transported again.

To a Familiar Place, Redux[edit]

You will find yourself returned to the Apocryphal Hinterlands, facing a similar catastrophe as earlier in the Chapter, as you enjoy Ice Winds and Blasts From Hell. You will again need to investigate different stations of the GHR to arrive at a solution.

You also have another opportunity to snatch a moment of romance in Return to Balmoral Castle. Note that several of these interludes have specific unlock conditions, unlike previous ones.

Your options determined, Approach the Creditor and choose your path. Things will resolve and you will return to Stonegift.

Whither the Flame?[edit]

Further investigations as to the location of the Flame will require all of:

You have another chance to gain a point of Flammier or Lucifer in The Flame Enchained:

To proceed further, you will need 3 Tested Against the Quartz and 90 The Pinnacle of Your Ascents:. You will need to find your officers, with further opportunities present to increase your standing in High Places, Wild Skies.

Your officers' guilts absolved - for now - another breach awaits you.

A Bright Breach[edit]

The Board yet again relies on you to avert a catastrophe, though the tasks this time are a bit more straightforward. You come to a choice in The Phoenix in Flight, but your choice of Perish or Rage here does not appear to be tracked.

When you reach The Machine in Splendour, choosing Search for the parietal from Stonegift will grant you 5 What Signifies a Lizard?, and Search for traces of Tatterdemalion grants Encountered: Tatterdemalion. These choices are optional before choosing Find the messenger continues the story. And it brings you to The Choice, At Last; it is possible to Refuse - neither Merge with yourself nor Perish - but if you attempt this gamble and fail, the choice will be made for you.

Things will play out as they will, and you will emerge from Lost Time, back to Stonegift, where you will face Morningstar. The way in which you approach him will depend on The Orientations of Your Heart and The Regard of the Dawnseeker:

This choice does not appear to be tracked.

After yet another crack of thunder, all that is left is to prepare to follow your quarry into Parabola.

Other Things to do in Stonegift[edit]

Further Dealings with the Parietals[edit]

You can obtain a new companion: a Cold-Blooded Parietal. To do so, you must reach 5 Tested Against the Quartz, accumulate 12,500 Stonebark from your climbs (unspent), and be Stone-Hearted. Donate this Stonebark in Parietals and the Light, and you will be tasked with rescuing the Parietal. Once you have ascended to at least 70 Height Reached thereafter, you will be able to Retrieve a lost lizard.

Once you have rescued the Cold-Blooded Parietal, speak again to the The Parietal Scribe. You will then gain access to the Unburdening Yourself Storylet and be able to obtain a temporary Boon - A Quartz-Clear Conscience - via Give your guilts to the Gift. This Boon gives Kataleptic Toxicology +1, reduces Suspicion buildup, and gives you Crystallised Euphoria every day - but will kill you within a number of days tracked by Guilt's Return. It costs:

You can then also obtain a new Adornment: a Guiltgift Pendant, which gives Watchful +3, Kataleptic Toxicology +1, and increases Wounds buildup. It is available in Stonegift, through the In the Mountainlight storylet. It requires that you have the A Quartz-Clear Conscience Boon and 5 Stone-Hearted, and will cost you the following:

Resurrection and the Tower[edit]

The Storylet By the Name of 'Tower' will allow you to continue the story of Old Resurrection's trading network. Unlike previous outposts, this one does not require a pile of items, but does require at least 20 x Starved Expression, to achieve the necessary climb to a Height Reached of at least 70 as part of the story.

Part 9 - Fire in the Looking Glass[edit]

To unlock Part 9 requires:

WARNING: Before proceeding, make sure that you already have 21 Caustic Apocryphon in your inventory. If not, head to Risen Burgundy and purchase them, as The Markets of Burgundy will not be approachable in Part 9. Moreover, you will be delighted to find yourself receiving a Glimpse of Anathema during the story. DO NOT SELL IT. You will need it later.

Burgundian Preparations[edit]

Supplies laid in, The Last Duchess rejoins your crew; your choice in how to receive her does not appear to be tracked. You must return to Burgundy and pay 1000 x Stuivers to progress the story.

You will need to draw Firmament: To be Feasted from the Burgundy opportunity deck to continue. If Summer survived the Red Rites of Chapter 8, but left your crew afterwards, you are given this one opportunity to bribe her to rejoin your crew. It costs:

The subsequent choice regarding attending gracefully or with ill grace to progress the story on this card does not appear to be tracked, nor does your desire to indulge or just get it over with.

During Wined and Dined in Burgundy, when asked by the Major-domo as to your reason for being in Burgundy, your answer is tracked accordingly.

Proceed to the Storylet Firmament: The Sanatorium for the Stormy-Eyed. You must either Pay the fee of 500 x Stuivers or Demand entrance with a Persuasive/Dangerous check - this choice is not tracked. Once inside, your available choice for how to investigate depend on some qualities:

You may only choose one, but this choice does not appear to be tracked. The following Glasswork/ Chthonosophy challenge choice is mutually exclusive, but provides the same results on success.

The Mind (and Belly) of a Dead God[edit]

In A Final Farewell?, take a breath and then Fashion an airship and Muster your strength to voyage onward. Your Dreamwrought Dirigible will be set to mirror the vessel you command in the waking world. Raise On Dawny Tides to 7 using your available options to proceed. Airs of the Dawnseeker varies the resulting success text of the choices, but each choice grants 1 progress. For those seeking to experience all options, there appear to be three variations each of the "Chart a course" and "Recover a shard" options. Breach the Mind of a Long-Dead God to end your flight and proceed.

In The Mind of a Long-Dead God, your options depend on the resolution of your encounter at the Dawn machine at the end of Chapter 8, but the choice only provides narrative difference and does not appear to be tracked. You will, eventually (and perhaps with some chagrin) find yourself in The Stacks, where you will need to complete three book retrievals in a row (though blessedly with double, treble, and quadruple progress, in sequence).

You will arrive, eventually, at Redder Favour, where you must choose how to escape this place:

Either way, you will find yourself in the The Ashes of Ghent.

Here in Lost Burgundy, you must first Acclimatise yourself in the Storylet Firmament: The Ashes are Burgundy. After, you must find your missing crew and determine the path forward. Your allies can be found in the opportunity deck; the discardable cards are not required to progress.

Then complete the Chthonosophy challenge in the Firmament storylet and you can Make ready to depart for Procession. You will gain Discovered: The Depression and Discovered: Procession to facilitate this flight.

Note that Lost Burgundy is not a permanent location; do any exploration you wish before you depart and proceed with the story.

HINT: At this point, if you want to acquire Scabrous Bistoury in your first visit to Procession, go to Queeneater's Castle and acquire Prayer of Perihelion before such visit, to be able to get A Yearning for the Other Side of the Boundary later on during the Prayer burden duration.

Proceeding to Procession[edit]

Your progress in Procession is tracked by In Procession. Upon arrival, you will see A Familiar Silhouette - the two initial options are mechanically identical and do not appear to be tracked.

Obtain the necessary background information from The Blackened Bonefolder, and ask any further questions you desire.

You may take this time to go to Firmament: Awaiting the End and:

To proceed, you must visit The Temple of the Spine Processional and Examine the bodies in the bones, then return to The Blackened Bonefolder and Ask about Procession's other inhabitants. This will grant you access to The Marrow. Through visits to the Marrow, you must accomplish two things:

Into Marrow[edit]

The Marrow can be accessed through The Marrow Behind. In order to progress with the story of Firmament, for your first visit to this area, choose various options in The Skeleton of the Sky until you deplete your Capacity for Painful Change, then leave back out to Procession proper.

  • NOTE: Each different type of Metamorphosis (grow/shrink/harden/permeabilize/etc) will increase your Knowledge of the Corpse's Nature the first time you ever choose it. Consider these like visiting the different possible futures in Irem: you'll want to visit each one at least once. You will need to choose Conduct charge and Collapse your form, Unfold yourself, or Become permeable (see below to determine which) during your next visit, so choose other transformations this visit to minimize the number of trips you make.

Return to The Blackened Bonefolder and choose the new option, Ask about its recent words, to increase In Procession and proceed.

You should find a new Storylet available back out at the main list of options: A Matter of Identity. Choose this, and pass the Chthonosophy checks therein to reduce A History Scarred and Ragged.

Completing this process increases Chthonosophical Studies to 2 (maximum Chthonosophy increased to 7), advances In Procession to 40, and grants Discovered: The Intuition of the Estuaries! This final quality is needed to progress the story and should be completed before returning to the Marrow.

Enter the Marrow again, and perform the following.

Go to The Storm-Stained Mirror to quickly attain What Might Be A Thunderbolt, if you do not have it already, before you proceed.

There are further explorations to be had in the Marrow, but this is all that is needed to progress the story. See The Marrow Behind (Guide) for things to explore beyond what is required for Firmament.

Tempest's Panopticon[edit]

Return to Firmament: Awaiting the End and Breach the Tempest's Panopticon. This will transport you to Storm's Eye. Increase The Eye Draws Near to 8 by experiencing the memories found in the cards drawn in this location (there are, happily, 8 unique memories to experience). This will allow you to Face Judgement.

Once Storm has awakened, you will be judged for your choices over the course of the entirety of Firmament, and then have a chance to plead your case, with the aid of your crew. The final result of this judgement is based on the relative values of Transform and Cessate.

  • If Transform > Cessate, Tatterdemalion dies. Storm either returns to sleep or changes at your word.
  • If Transform < Cessate, either the Last Duchess or the Shepherd must be sacrificed. Then, Storm either dies or changes per your guidance.
  • If Transform = Cessate, you'll be forced to choose one of the above endings.
What Cannot Be Changed[edit]

During The Hour of Judgement:

In An Accounting, Inevitable, you will gain Cessate and 1 x Transform based on your choices made in all previous chapters. You must play through all the options on this Storylet. You cannot change these results.

  • If you spared the Vulgate in Hallow's Throat ( Vulgatis = 1), you gain 1 x Transform, otherwise you gain 1 x Cessate.
  • If you permitted the whale to rise in Naples ( The Leviathan's Call = 1), you gain 1 x Transform, otherwise you gain 1 x Cessate.
  • If Immanence = 1, you gain 1 x Cessate. Otherwise, you gain 1 x Transform.
  • Regarding the Rule of Burgundy:
    • If the Duke and Duchess reign together in Burgundy, you gain 1 x Transform.
    • If the Duchess rules (tyrant or non-tyrant), you gain 1 x Cessate.
    • If Maximilian, Thrall to the Liberation, rules, you gain 1 x Cessate.
    • Possibly different results for a non-Liberationist Duke?
  • If the Vulgate were spared at the Battle of Burgundy, you gain 1 x Transform; if they were destroyed, you gain 1 x Cessate.
  • If your ally was sacrificed during the Red Rites ( Slaughtered = 1), you gain 1 x Transform, otherwise you gain 1 x Cessate.
  • If you are Twice-Born, you gain 1 x Transform. If you are Remade or Defiant, you gain 1 x Cessate.
They Who Have Followed[edit]

In The View from the Gallery, your crew is given a chance to opine and sway the result. Having sufficient renown, or having allowed them to pursue their own goals allows you to sway their opinion. In general, supporting Tatterdemalion means gaining Cessate, while opposing him grants Transform.

  • The Last Duchess will speak against Tatterdemalion (+1 Transform) unless you have at least 15 The Admiration of a Duchess to convince her otherwise (+1 Cessate).
  • The Forlorn Shepherd, if present, will speak either for Tatterdemalion (+1 Cessate) or against him (+1 Transform) at your urging. No reputation appears needed in either case.
  • The Immanent, if present, cannot be swayed. With Immanence = 1, you will gain Cessate. With any other other value of Immanence (2, 3, 4), you will gain Transform.
  • If Summer is present and was allowed to participate in the Red Rites (if On the Slab = 1), she will oppose him (+1 Transform). If she did not participate (if On the Slab = 2), she will support Tatterdemalion (+1 Cessate). You can convince her to change her position with at least 10 A Dream of Summer.
  • If St Valentine's Day is an officer and was allowed to participate in the Red Rites (if On the Slab = 2), he will support Tatterdemalion (+1 Cessate). If he did not participate (if On the Slab = 1), he will oppose him (+1 Transform). You can convince him to change his position with at least 3 The Last Day of Valentine.
Closing Arguments[edit]

The Tears of Judgement contains your last chances to impact Storm's Judgement. You may only choose seven of these options, though the same option can be repeated multiple times:

If your Cessate equals your Transform when you run out of time, you will be forced to make The Last Choice:

  • Finish the argument leads you into the Sleep/Change ending where Tatterdemalion dies.
  • Accept judgement leads you into the Death/Change ending where Tatterdemalion survives and the Duchess or the Shepherd dies.
An End, At Last[edit]

If you proceeded down the path of Cessation, you are faced with Annihilation. Although the option to Save Tatterdemalion is present, he does not need your help to survive; this branch returns you to the inescapable choice: you must choose to Save the Last Duchess or Save the Shepherd. The other will perish. You then face Storm in Splendour: it falls to you to Tell Storm he must die or Tell Storm he must change. This choice is yours.

If you proceeded down the path of Transformation, you are faced with a final choice in Storm in Splendour: will you Tell Storm he must slumber or Tell Storm he must change? This choice is yours.

Epilogues[edit]

A new dialogue option is available with The Blackened Bonefolder, to Speak to it of what happened before Storm's Eye, for a brief response.

Return to Burgundy - no longer Lost - for a scene appropriate to your choices and the resulting survivors of the encounter with Storm.

Report back to Station IX - in A Return from Arms you can obtain Ranking Fleet-Commander of the Far-Flung.

And a further Epilogue is to come yet (reportedly in Autumn 2026), perhaps calling for one last flight - to the Flaw.

Other things to do in Procession[edit]

What to bring to buy new things[edit]

Once you gain access to the Marrow, you will be able to purchase Procession's new goods in the Fulgurating Bone storylet. Their cost is a combination of material gained from the Marrow as well as items from other places in the Roof:

Rewards[edit]

Unique items from the storyline
Part Item Type Stats
2 - Midnight Moon A Crew, Honoured For Services Beyond the Call of Valour Crew
3 - Zenith Violant Moon-Miser Companion
Alchemical Moon-Miser Companion
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