Investigating (Guide)
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Early MYN Content and Onwards |
Investigating... is a progress quality that can be gained and spent in a variety of endeavours, most of which are interchangeable.
The best early-game sources of Investigating are part of the Making Your Name storylines:
- Intrigue: The Curate and His Sister,
Persuasive ~40
- The Tricks of the Courier's Trade,
Shadowy ~90
- Featuring in the Tales of the University,
Watchful ~100 (see the Guides for Featuring and Term Passing... for a more comprehensive walkthrough of these storylines)
In the late game, you can continue to use the early-game sources as long as you haven't concluded the storylines that lock (i.e. the Curate, and the University). Additional sources open up at Helicon House in Ealing Gardens and when Captured by the Clay Highwayman! after building to Balmoral, both part of the Railway storyline.
Most uses for Investigating are related to the same storylines in which you gain it. Once you've finished these stories (i.e., you've opened all the areas in Helicon House, followed up rumours of Cornelius, and played through the Clay Highwayman story), there aren't many uses for Investigating. If you've kept the Curate and University stories open, you can conclude those at this point and use Tricks of the Courier's Trade to both gain and spend Investigating (mainly useful for grinding Cryptic Clues).
Gaining Investigating...[edit]
Intrigue: The Curate and His Sister[edit]
Can only be started with A Name Signed with a Flourish exactly 3 in
Veilgarden once you have
Persuasive 33.
Once started, this storyline can be completed at any time, but cannot be restarted once the Flourish storyline is advanced past 3. Meaning that, as long as you want to use these options to grind Investigating, do not play the Complete your acquaintance storylet! (Doing so is not necessary to advance Flourish.) Once you have Watchful around 100, the University grind above is a better source of Investigating, and this storyline can be safely completed.
The Heights of Chicanery[edit]
Storylet | Option | Req. | Challenge | Success | Rare Success | Failure |
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The Tricks of the Courier's Trade | Spy on the couriers | ![]() |
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Spy on those who supply them | ![]() |
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Spy on the Topsy King's court | ![]() |
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Deploy your Suspicious Iguana | ![]() |
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Featuring in the Tales of the University[edit]
Unlocked with Featuring in the Tales of the University 9–24 in
The University (see Guide and Carousel).
In addition to being a good Investigating grind at mid-level Watchful, the Talk to the Porters option gives a
Sudden Insight for a cost of only
25 x Cryptic Clue (about half as many as you receive from each of the other options below!) Since 5 Sudden Insights can be spent on Every stone for 1–50 CP of
Watchful, keeping this grind open by not completing the University storyline can continue to be useful into late-game.
Option | ![]() |
Success | Failure |
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Head to the library | 98 |
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Interview the suspects | 100 |
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Conduct forensic analyses | 102 |
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Interview students and staff | 104 |
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Interview the Department of _______ staff | 106 |
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Talk to the Porters | 108 |
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The Clay Highwayman[edit]
While Captured by the Clay Highwayman!, you can draw Opportunity Cards with options that gain Investigating...


Card | Option | Challenge | Success | Failure |
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Whiling away the hours | Search the camp | ![]() |
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The Clay Highwayman's Gang 1 | Play a hand of cards |
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Darkness at the camp | Chat to the Burly Lieutenant | N/A | ![]() |
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The Clay Beast | Read the inscriptions 2 |
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Helicon House (Guide)[edit]
Action | Location | Gain | Time Remaining | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Just the right person | Alone, or with a companion? | +2 | Also gives Casing and Fascinating | |
The Roguish Semiotician | Alone, or with a companion? | +2 | ||
Your Esoteric Accomplice | Alone, or with a companion? | +5 | ||
Your spouse, the Academic Intriguer Your spouse, the Devout Intriguer |
Alone, or with a companion? | +5 | FATE | |
Keep a close eye on everyone present | The Entrance Hall | +5 | 2+ | Also gives Casing |
Slip a few snacks to your Rubbery Hound | The Entrance Hall | +20 | 2+ | Costs ![]() FATE |
Opportunity Cards[edit]
Card | Option | Location | Requirements | ![]() |
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Tea with the Inspector | Ask for help with your case | ![]() |
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15 CP |
A new piece in the Game | Have her help out with your current job | ![]() |
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4 CP |
Your plant is singing | Feed a vicar to your plant | ![]() |
5 CP | |
Canal Workers on the Upper River | Ply them with lager and see what they'll share | ![]() |
36-46 CP | |
Cells outside the City | Ask the locals about the risk of bombs | ![]() |
2 CP | |
Listen to Rumours of Smuggling | Ask the locals over a pint | ![]() |
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25 CP |
Halfway to Hell | Keep an eye on the Devilish activities | ![]() |
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2 CP |
Misc Storylets[edit]
Rapid Midgame Grinds[edit]
Card | Option | Location | Requirements | ![]() |
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Read a bundle of investigation notes | Read incoming mail | ![]() |
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0.2 * ![]() |
Attend to the Dreamer | Learn from the Detective's investigation | ![]() |
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20 * ![]() |
Other Storylets[edit]
Card | Option | Location | Requirements | ![]() |
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Visit Madame Shoshana, the Neath's Foremost Clairvoyante | Ask for advice on your investigations | ![]() |
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1 CP |
Investigation: investigating the Correspondence Stones | Investigating the Stones | ![]() |
1 CP | |
The Correspondence | ![]() |
2 CP |
Spending Investigating...[edit]
Except where noted, these options reset Investigating...
Intrigue: The Curate and His Sister[edit]
Once Concluded, this cannot be restarted if your A Name Signed with a Flourish is not 3.
Option | Req. | Challange | Success | Failure |
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Knock on the Melancholy Curate's door | ![]() |
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Knock on the Enigmatic Sister's door | ![]() |
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Do you know...I think both of them are rather charming. | ![]() |
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Heights of Chicanery[edit]
These storylets are available in the later stages of A Name Whispered in Darkness in
The Flit. They are repeatable except for What is Going on with These People?
Storylet | Option | Req. | Challenge | Success | Rare Success | Failure |
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The Heights of Chicanery | Raid a Message-Drop | ![]() |
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More than just Messages | ![]() |
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Dropping the Eaves | ![]() |
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Making Use of Cats | Track a bat heading towards Veilgarden | ![]() |
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What is Going on with These People? | Allows you to advance ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Featuring in the Tales of the University[edit]
Each level of Featuring from 9–24 requires an expenditure of
Investigating... to advance (9 levels of Investigating for the earliest levels of Featuring, but decreasing toward the end of the storyline); the storylets are usually challenges based on
7. For a complete list of these, see Featuring in the Tales of the University (Guide).
The Clay Highwayman[edit]
In the clay highwayman's camp, you can use Investigating... 5 in Your Captor, the Clay Highwayman with Learn what you can about him in order to help progress the story. See The Tale of the Clay Highwayman (Guide) for details.
Following up Rumours of Cornelius[edit]
Storylet | Option | Req. | Reward |
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Offices of the Tracklayer's Union: Evenlode Branch | Follow up what you've learned of Cornelius | ![]() |
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Offices of the Tracklayer's Union: Evenlode Branch | Follow up what you've learned of Cornelius | ![]() |
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A Conversation with Mr Fires | Use what you know from its Lackey | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Story Continues |
Helicon House[edit]
Unlock the Helicon House and new areas within it. Other than unlocking the House, each of these also requires Fitting in 3 and Time remaining 2.
Investigating... is not reset by any of these choices.
Storylet | Option | Requires | Unlocks |
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Tour the Neighbourhood | Track rumours you've been hearing | ![]() |
Helicon House |
The Entrance Hall | Work out where honey is being sipped | ![]() |
The Upstairs Honey Den |
The Entrance Hall | Discover where illusions are being staged | ![]() |
The Mirrored Salon |
The Entrance Hall | Be let into the sculpture garden | ![]() |
The Sculpture Garden |
The Entrance Hall | Detect where amber is being boiled | ![]() |
Below-Stairs |
Opportunity Cards[edit]
Card | Option | Location | Requires | Reward |
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Who is the Clay Highwayman? | Rely on recent investigating... | ![]() |
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The Clay Highwayman's Gang 2 | Inform on the Gang | ![]() |
Any ![]() |
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Misc Storylets[edit]
Storylet | Option | Req. | Challenge | Success | Failure |
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Investigating the Stones: Conclusion | Find out what he knows | ![]() |
N/A |
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N/A |
A bold and original plan | ![]() |
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