Irem (Guide)

Late Zailing Content

This guide is incomplete. You can help by expanding it.

What needs work: Evolution Warp Details; extending Guide For to cover the Loom

Irem, the Pillared City, a place where time is confused and collides with itself. You will always arrive as a stranger to her shores. Oh God. What tense is it written in?

Access

The city is located in The Pillared Sea region, and an Iremi Zee-Chart is required to zail there.

The only way to gain access is to advance to the last (7th) chapter of the Evolution story, during which you'll acquire the necessities (a boat and the chart). Destiny shaping is unlocked once the story is finished.

Destinies

Irem introduced several 'greater' Iremi Destinies that grant Advanced Stats, available if you already have one of the original 'base' Destinies. Access these in the Loom with a Promissory Note to Yourself gained from the Riddlefishers. Upgrading Destinies can be done year-round for free.

Just as in London, Irem allows you to gain or exchange Destinies for free during four festivals: Feast of the Exceptional Rose, Fruits of the Zee Festival, Hallowmas, and Christmas. You can either acquire a new base Destiny at these times or acquire a new Promissory Note to choose a new Iremi Destiny.

Be mindful that you can only change your Destiny for free once per festival. However, when switching Iremi destinies, you do not need to actually change your Destiny during a festival. Obtaining a new Promissory Note to Yourself during the festival period is sufficient; it can be held onto indefinitely and used to obtain a different Iremi Destiny at any time of year.

The festival time restrictions can be ignored by spending FATE to alter your Destiny out of season. Doing so allows you to gain a base Destiny for the first time (allowing you to upgrade to an Iremi Destiny immediately), exchange base Destinies, or obtain a new Promissory Note for to exchange Iremi Destinies.

Short Descriptions (story spoilers)

Like the table for ordinary Destinies, this table briefly describes the events of each destiny for those who wish to choose a future they find interesting or avoid ones that would be out-of-character.

Possible destiny	Neathy Tarot number	Summary	Correspondence description
The Mushroom	numberless	You form a transhumanist commune after the liberatory dark sets in.	To see the world not with eyes, but with hyphae.
The Lovers	VI	As the world shrinks for you and your beloved spouse(s), the depth of your love grows, including into Parabola.	The pull of mutual gravity willingly accepted.
The Chariot	VII	TRAVELLER RETURNING. You go East at full speed.	Escape velocity.
Justice	XI	You continue The Great Work with the Calendar Council, spreading the Liberation through the Neath and eventually throwing off the yoke of the Judgements themselves.	A long-overdue change in course.
The Hanged Man	XII	As the Youthful Naturalist considered, you transform yourself whenever you are about to die, eternally escaping death.	The necessary sacrifice of a limiting part of yourself.
The Tower	XVI	You don't visit the Adulterine Castle or enact an immensely powerful Discordant Law: No thing shall be.	Nothing.
The Moon	XVIII	You make yourself into a city, with a piece of the moon replacing your heart.	A truth that can be felt, but never spoken.
The World	XXI	You return to the surface at great expense, trusting your ability to survive under the warm Sun.	To win it all.
The Mask	XLIX	You were prepared when the Roof broke and the Sun killed the Bazaar, and continue the work for Liberation.	To protect a truth with an armour of lies.
The Star	LXVII (XVII in Earth tarot)	You make arrangements with geographic powers to ensure a future for the Seventh City, after the Bazaar leaves.	A course set by the light of something bright and distant.
Judgement	LXXVII (XX in Earth tarot)	You will enforce the Law and worship the Sapphir'd King.	A reckoning no longer postponed.

Rewards of Choices (mechanical spoilers)

This table shows which Destinies can be obtained from each future. Many Destinies require items obtained elsewhere in Irem; these are not shown here. One requires being Committed: to a relationship. Another requires a very expensive and nonexistent fabric.

Mechanical Spoilers

A full list of advanced Destinies and stats.

Destiny (Neathy Tarot)	Description	Stats
The Mushroom (numberless)	You will scatter a new spore.	Persuasive +5 Monstrous Anatomy +1 Destined +2
The Lovers (VI)	You will be joined.	Persuasive +5 Glasswork +1 Destined +2
The Chariot (VII)	You will move on.	Watchful +5 Zeefaring +1 Destined +2
Justice (XI)	You will remake the world.	Dangerous +5 A Player of Chess +1 Destined +2
The Hanged Man (XII)	Death will take aim at you, and miss.	Shadowy +5 Shapeling Arts +1 Destined +2
The Tower (XVI)	No future.	Dangerous +5 Steward of the Discordance +1 Destined +2
The Moon (XVIII)	You'll know it in your bones.	Dangerous +5 Kataleptic Toxicology +1 Destined +2
The World (XXI)	You will return.	Watchful +5 Kataleptic Toxicology +1 Destined +2
The Mask (XLIX)	You will keep a secret.	Shadowy +5 Mithridacy +1 Destined +2
The Star (LXVII; XVII in Earth tarot)	You will keep your eyes on the horizon.	Dangerous +5 Artisan of the Red Science +1 Destined +2
Judgement (LXXVII; XX in Earth tarot)	You will know right from wrong.	Dangerous +5 A Player of Chess +1 Destined +2

Instead of choosing one of the above Destinies, you can also choose to instead retain your previous Destiny and acquire a special Home Comfort. This item has a net advanced stat bonus equivalent to choosing a greater Destiny, though it is only available for Mithridacy.

Mark of Acceptance

Mithridacy +2

The Loom

The Loom is Irem's activity, neither a singular story nor a wheel, but something a bit different.

Basics

Travel through different futures, using cards, 3 qualities (Warps) and the loom storylet for navigation. The border of the cards indicate which of the 3 qualities they can give. The starting location has access to all 3 Warps, but this isn't true for all of them!

Quality	Border	Described colour
Silken Warp		Silver
Sinewy Warp		Deep green with red spots
Bombazine Warp		Dark green

Your hand is limited to 3 cards but draw is not limited, similar to Zailing. Each location has only 3 cards (usually).

To travel to a different future (location), use the loom storylet. Different paths require different Warp qualities. Note that taking a path will reset all of your Warp qualities, so you cannot carry Warps between locations. While not all locations have access to all 3 Warps, cards are kept in your hand between locations, allowing the 'smuggling' of qualities. This is the key to reaching deeper locations.

Each card also features a non-Warp giving option, providing more common or Irem-exclusive items.

Unravelling: A psuedo-menace that you can accumulate if you fail certain checks on cards or if you're forced to play the cards Slings and Arrows and Outrageous Fortune because your Wounds or Nightmares reached 7. If Unravelling reaches 8 then you simply get booted back to Irem proper and lose one of each Iremi resource and any warps you had, basically amounting to a forced restart, not really all that harsh, however accumulating this should still be avoided as backing out to Irem through Let go will inflict Wounds and Nightmares CPs on you equal to your Unravelling CP minus 1.

Destinies: Getting a Greater Destiny is done from Throwing the Shuttle. Different locations reveal different futures.

Shortcut: Once a few locations are discovered, The Colour of Fate allows the spending of various Neathbow boxes to instantly travel back to selected futures. Usually an expensive shortcut, if you're in a hurry.

Leaving: The process can be halted anytime from The Thread in your Hand storylet. The Player is returned to Irem, the Warp qualities will be reset, but other collected items remain.

Getting experience: You get certain bonuses upon discovering each new future. A Cartographer of Fate is raised by 1 each time, and you need 3 to unlock the shortcuts above. Knowledge of the Crossroads is raised by certain futures - in addition to what is gained during the Evolution you'll have to visit the Ruinous, Altered, and Brilliant futures to raise it to 6, and then visiting a certain hidden future and getting a unique item there will propel you to exactly 7.

Boons: Certain cards in several futures give you Boons - powerful pieces of equipment that raise advanced stats and Winds of Fortune by significant numbers, thus making card challenges easier or even guaranteed to succeed. These are given for free. All boons are equipped automatically and simultaneously, providing cumulative bonus, but only persist until you leave Irem, and vanish upon debarking, but can be earned anew should you return. There are currently four Iremi boons.

The four boons are in the following futures on the following cards:

• A Jewelled Future - The Edge of the Desert of Delights - Prepare yourself
• A Silvered Future - A Game of Chess - Claim the red pieces
• A Dark Future - The Liberation, in Peligin - Become more like another
• A Chilly Future - The Woven Wind - Engage in a little sport

Irem Maps as a Table (Hidden Futures)

Map with secret locations hidden (See below for a full map)

Simplified map for navigation (secret locations hidden)

This map omits much of the detailed information from the one above, but may help you to visualise your route. Coloured icons on each location indicate the cards/Warps available there, and icons on paths indicate the Warps required to travel them. Mirrorcatch Box shortcuts are indicated by coloured borders on locations.

Map with all locations visible

Simplified map for navigation (all locations visible)

This map omits much of the detailed information from the one above, but may help you to visualise your route. Coloured icons on each location indicate the cards/Warps available there, and icons on paths indicate the Warps required to travel them. Mirrorcatch Box shortcuts are indicated by coloured borders on locations.

Suggested roads

All starting from A Nearby Future.

• A Jewelled Future
  • Play The Fires Run Cold twice, then use The ladder to the attic from the loom
• A Silvered Future
  • Play A Royal Absence twice, then use The mirror over your dresser from the loom
• An Abyssal Future
  • Play The Arrival of the Mail twice, then use The trapdoor on the floor from the loom
• A Brilliant Future
  • Play The Fires Run Cold twice, then use The ladder to the attic from the loom to get to A Jewelled Future
  • Play The Edge of the Desert of Delights three times then use "Back towards the Unterzee. We have erred gravely." from the loom
    • You can also pick up one The Fires Run Cold prior to moving to the A Jewelled Future. It is marginally better than The Edge of the Desert of Delights, as it provides 1 extra Neo-Echo.
• A Ruinous Future
  • Play The Arrival of the Mail twice, then make sure to have A Royal Absence and The Fires Run Cold in your hand and use The trapdoor on the floor from the loom to get to An Abyssal Future
  • Play A Royal Absence you brought, then draw and keep an It Eats Regret (don't forget to retain The Fires Run Cold) and use The eastern passageway to get to An Altered Future
  • Play the two Silken cards you brought, then use Bend into a ruined shape from the loom
• A Chilly Future
  • Play The Fires Run Cold twice, then draw it again and also keep A Royal Absence and use The ladder to the attic from the loom to get to A Jewelled Future
  • Use A Royal Absence you brought (remember to keep The Fires Run Cold), then a local The Shores of the Elder Continent and keep The Edge of the Desert of Delights then use "Through the canyon, towards Varchas" from the loom to get to A Silvered Future
  • Play the two Silken cards you brought, then use The one that's always cold from the loom
• An Altered Future
  • Play The Arrival of the Mail twice, then make sure to have A Royal Absence in your hand and use The trapdoor on the floor from the loom to get to An Abyssal Future
  • Play A Royal Absence you brought and use The eastern passageway from the loom
• A Dark Future
  • Play The Arrival of the Mail twice, then use The trapdoor on the floor from the loom to get to An Abyssal Future
  • Play 2 local Bombazine cards, then use The downward passageway from the loom

Roads to Hidden Futures

• A Neon Future
  • Needs Knowledge of the Crossroads 6!
  • Play The Fires Run Cold twice, then draw it again and also keep A Royal Absence and use The ladder to the attic from the loom to get to A Jewelled Future
  • Use A Royal Absence you brought (remember to keep The Fires Run Cold), then a local The Shores of the Elder Continent and keep The Edge of the Desert of Delights and The Shores of the Elder Continent (so 3 cards held in total), then use "Through the canyon, towards Varchas" from the loom to get to A Silvered Future
  • Play the two Silken cards you brought (remember to keep The Shores of the Elder Continent), then draw the 2 Sinew cards (A Game of Chess (Irem) and High Upon the Parapets) and use The one that's always cold from the loom to get to A Chilly Future
  • Use the three Sinewy cards you brought, then use A new wind from the loom
• No Future
  • Needs Steward of the Discordance 5, Knowledge of the Crossroads 7 and Immaterial Material!
  • Play The Arrival of the Mail twice, then draw it again and use The trapdoor on the floor from the loom to get to An Abyssal Future
  • Use the 2 local Bombazine cards twice (so keep The Arrival of the Mail you brought), then draw both again (so hold 3 Bombazine cards in total) the use The downward passageway to get to A Dark Future
  • Use the 3 Bombazine cards you brought, then choose No path at all from the loom

Baited Riddle Path

First make sure you have at least 1 x Justificande Coin for each Riddle you want, as you cannot keep the other necessary items when you leave Irem, and note that Riddlefishing requires Knowledge of the Crossroads 6. This path takes a minimum of 49 actions, but likely will take more; since at least 21 of those actions will be spent on navigating the Loom, Riddles may be best gained in bulk.

• A Nearby Future
  • Play The Fires Run Cold twice for 2 x Silken Warp.
  • Optional: Keep The Fires Run Cold in your hand.
  • Optional: Keep The Arrival of the Mail in your hand.
  • Take The ladder to the attic.
• A Jewelled Future
  • Optional: Play The Fires Run Cold from before.
  • Play Prepare yourself on The Edge of the Desert of Delights for the boon Smiling with Sapphire Lips.
  • Play Prepare your army on The Edge of the Desert of Delights until you have 3 x Silken Warp.
  • Keep either The Arrival of the Mail or The Mountain and the Light in your hand.
  • Take "Back towards the Unterzee. We have erred gravely."
• A Brilliant Future
  • Use the The Arrival of the Mail or The Mountain and the Light you kept for 1 x Bombazine Warp.
  • Optional: Empty your hand to more easily draw the cards you need.
  • Play A Good Day for a Stroll to grind Memories of Sunlight:
    • Aid in planting trees gains you 1 x Memory of Sunlight if you fail.
    • Take the day for yourself gains you 1 x Memory of Sunlight at the cost of 1 x Ounce of Lily-Balm.
      • You can use Aid in the censoring of texts on The Eyes of the Ministry to gain 1 x Ounce of Lily-Balm.
      • Because failure on Aid in planting trees becomes less likely as you gain Memories of Sunlight, this option is more efficient on average once you have 4 or more Memories.
  • Once you have 7 x Memory of Sunlight or a multiple thereof:
    • Take An excursion to Watchmaker's Hill.
• A Chilly Future
  • Optional: Empty your hand to more easily draw the cards you need.
  • Play Engage in a little sport on The Woven Wind for the boon Driven by a Pitch-Black Heart.
  • Play Listen to the well's voice on The Waking Well twice for 2 x Bombazine Warp.
  • Play Fly in with a bottle on The Waking Well to grind Limpid Souls.
  • Once you have 7 x Limpid Soul or a multiple thereof:
    • Take The wind of ruin.
• A Ruinous Future
  • Optional: Empty your hand to more easily draw the cards you need.
  • Play Unravel someone on Bleeding to grind Selenitic Fragments.
  • Once you have 7 x Selenitic Fragment or a multiple thereof:
    • Play Bandage yourself on Bleeding for 1 x Bombazine Warp (you should have at least 10 x Bandage Scrap from the previous step).
    • Take A broken mirror.
• A Silvered Future
  • Play Claim the red pieces on A Game of Chess or A Clay Man on High Upon the Parapets until you have 2 x Sinewy Warp.
  • Take The one that's always damp.
• An Abyssal Future
  • Any card here can gain Fluke Spines, Freely Given:
    • "I bring complicity" on It Eats Regret may be a difficult challenge, depending on how wealthy you are.
    • "I bring grievance" on It Eats Hatred may be a difficult challenge depending on how far along you are on Advancing the Liberation of Night, but even a failure will gain you a Spine (at the cost of +1 CP Nightmares).
    • "I bring only hunger" on It Eats Fear will freely gain you spines.
  • Once you have 7 x Fluke Spine, Freely Given or a multiple thereof:
    • Let go of The Thread in your Hand.
• Trade everything you've gained for 1 x Baited Riddle with Go fishing for a riddle on The Riddlefishers: Matters of Destiny.

Locations

Bold Items are Boons. Italic Items are Iremi resource items. Both will be removed upon leaving Irem.

Grinding

Within the depths of the Loom, it is possible to obtain special Iremi boons and items that (like many things in Irem) will upon your departure transform from what they once were or will be, into what they are. Boons will disappear, while items will become a more ordinary version of themselves. In addition, some Iremi items can be sold at the Iremi exchange, the local "Bazaar", essentially allowing for free conversion of Iremi items into 2 different items; one acquired if you leave Irem with the item, the other from selling it at the exchange.

Due to how the Loom is structured, with each location usually having 3 cards in an infinite-draw deck and always having a 3-card hand, any individual option on any card within the Loom can be ground once-per-action for as long as may wish, with a sufficient quantity of amortizable setup.

Unfortunately, the EPA of grinding these items within the Loom is unremarkable; even neglecting the actions spent on setting up, the actions here are 3EPA at best. Given that lot of these items cannot be ground at-value, though, this is currently the best source of Jasmine Leaves, and used to be the best source of Moon-Pearls.