Embroiled in the Wars of Illusion (Guide)

Early PoSI Content

Guide to progressing Embroiled in the Wars of Illusion, both part of and a continuation of the A Name Whispered in Darkness storyline.

Level 0: The Heights of Chicanery

The Wars of Illusion story begins in The Flit at A Name Whispered in Darkness 6 in the storylet The Heights of Chicanery. Having spent a long time on the rooftops, you begin to suspect that something greater lies hidden underneath the intrigues of The Flit. To find out more, you're going to have to do some snooping.

To progress the story, you need to increase the Embroiled in the Wars of Illusion quality to 2 by spending Investigating... and Seeking... in The Heights of Chicanery storylet. You will gain +1 CP towards the quality each time you cash out, meaning to pass this stage you will have to do so three times.

You can use the options in The Tricks of the Courier's Trade to build Investigating... and Shadowing Couriers to build Seeking.... Some of the options, on a rare success, can increase Embroiled in the Wars of Illusion, potentially enabling you to skip cashing out once or twice.

It's worth pointing out that you can progress the two qualities elsewhere, then return to The Flit to cash them out. For example, with access to The University, a player may instead want to build Investigating... with Talk to the Porters in order to level up Watchful while simultaneously progressing this story.

Investigating Gain

Storylet	Option	Req.	Challenge	Success	Rare Success	Failure
The Tricks of the Courier's Trade	Spy on the couriers		85	+2 CP	+2 CP  +1 CP (up to 7)	+1 CP
	Spy on those who supply them		90	+3 CP	+3 CP  +1 CP (up to 7)	-1 CP  +1 CP
	Spy on the Topsy King's court		95	+3 CP		+1 CP
	Deploy your Suspicious Iguana	Suspicious Iguana	70%	+2 CP	+2 CP  +1 CP (up to 8)	+1 CP

Seeking Gain

Storylet	Option	Req.	Challenge	Success	Rare Success	Failure
Shadowing Couriers	Follow at a distance		85	+2 CP	+3 CP  +1 CP (up to 7)	+1 CP
	Follow closely		90	+3 CP	+3 CP  +1 CP (up to 7)	-1 CP  +1 CP
	Disguise yourself as a courier		96	+3 CP		+1 CP
	Deploy your Unerring Elver	Unerring Elver	70%	+2 CP	+2 CP  +1 CP (up to 8)	+1 CP

Cashing In

Storylet	Option	Req.	Challenge	Success	Rare Success	Failure
The Heights of Chicanery	Raid a Message-Drop	5	3	+270  reset	+270  reset  +1 CP (up to 8)	-5 CP  +1 CP
	More than just Messages	5	3	+540  reset	+540  +10  +1  reset	-5 CP
	Encounters in the Smoke	5	3	+540  reset	+20  +200  reset	-5 CP
	Intercept a Message	5	3	+270  reset	+270  reset  +1 CP (up to 8)	-5 CP  +1 CP
	Dropping the Eaves	5  5	85	+536  reset  reset	+540  reset  reset  +2 CP (up to 8)	-5 CP  -5 CP  +1 CP

Level 2: Wars of Illusion

Once you've gotten Embroiled to level 2, a new option appears under the main Flit storylet Wars of Illusion. Your suspicions are confirmed: indeed, a bigger conflict hides underneath the 'honest' espionage.

Selecting the only option here (What is going on?) sets Embroiled to 6.

Level 6: Bats and Cats

Making Use of Bats and Cats Summary

Limited-Length Activity

Setup

0 A

Progress

5+ A

End

1 A

Progress Details

Raise Making Use of Cats or Making Use of Bats to 5, possibly together with Seeking... and Investigating...

Items Inputs/Outputs

Inputs

• Sulky Bat
• Piece of Rostygold

Boosting

• Reprehensible Lizard

Outputs

• Cryptic Clue
• Piece of Rostygold

Raw EPA

0.76

A new storylet appears in The Flit titled Bats and Cats.

To progress from here and unlock the Bats and Cats option What is going on with these people?, you need to raise all of these qualities to 5: Making Use of Bats, Making Use of Cats, Investigating..., and Seeking...

As before, you can also raise Investigating... and Seeking... elsewhere and apply it here. You can also spend your Bats and Cats qualities in the rewards storylets. Note, however, that all these actions reset those progress qualities on success, meaning you'll have to build them up again to satisfy the above requirements for unlocking What is going on with these people?

Making Use of Bats

Making Use of Bats Gain

Storylet	Option	Req.	Challenge	Success	Failure
Bats...	Try intercepting some bats	Reprehensible Lizard	85	+2 CP  1 x	+1 CP
	Train some bats of your own	10 x  Sulky Bat	90	+3 CP  -1 x	-1 CP  +1 CP  -2 x

You can combine Seeking... with Making Use of Bats for skill check successes.

Making Use of Bats Rewards

Storylet	Option	Req.	Challenge	Success	Rare Success	Failure
Making Use of Bats	Intercept a bat on its way to the Palace	5	3	Reset  270 x		-5 CP  +1 CP
	Track a bat heading towards Veilgarden	5  5	82	Reset  Reset  540 x	Reset  Reset  540 x   +3 CP	-5 CP  -5 CP

Making Use of Cats

Making Use of Cats Gain

Storylet	Option	Req.	Challenge	Success	Failure
Cats...	Try to find out about their allegiances		90	+3 CP	-1 CP  +1 CP
	Make contacts among cat kind	10 x	85	+2 CP  -10 x	-10 x   +1 CP
	See what your Starveling Cat knows	Starveling Cat	90	3 x	3 x   10 x

You can combine Investigating... with Making Use of Cats for skill check successes.

Making Use of Cats Rewards

Storylet	Option	Req.	Challenge	Success	Rare Success	Failure
Making Use of Cats	Ask for help with a little sabotage	5  3 x	3	Reset  140 x   260 x   -3 x	Reset  270 x   -3 x	-5 CP  +1 CP  +1 CP  -3 x
	Follow up a tip-off	5  5	85	Reset  Reset  540 x	Reset  Reset  540 x   +3 CP	-5 CP  -5 CP

Once you unlock What is Going on with These People? in the Bats and Cats storylet, you will be redirected to a storylet with the option Convoluted like a weasel. This is a Shadowy 95 challenge; failure will subtract 5 CP of each of the tracking qualities, and success will set Embroiled to 9 and A Name Whispered in Darkness to 7.

Level 9: Make More Use of Bats and Cats

A storylet now appears in The Flit called Make More Use of Bats. Or Cats. Here you can choose whether to work with the bats or the cats — though, as the game informs you, the choice isn't permanent at this point. (Ultimately, siding with the bats will align you with The Glass later in the story, while choosing the cats will align you with The Shroud.)

Choosing bats sets Making Use of Bats to 1, and choosing cats sets Making Use of Cats to 1. Whichever you choose, Embroiled is set to 10.

Level 10: Choosing a Side

Your choice also unlocks a new Flit storylet, either Working with the Bats or Working with the Cats. (You can unlock the other as well by raising its Making Use quality to 1 on the Bats and Cats storylet.)

When your Bats or Cats quality reaches 6, a new Flit storylet appears, either Gain the full trust of the bats or Cement your place with the cats.

The following cards may also appear in your opportunity deck during this section of the story, and give Cryptic Clues and/or Seeking... on success. Additionally, the option Anything but that on A Theosophistical Enquiry gives 2 CP of Plagued by a Popular Song.

Theosophistical Society

Card	Req to Draw	Choice	Req	Challenge	Success	Failure
A Theosophistical Enquiry	97 10-15	Get involved with the Theosophistical Society			set to 1 20 x
		Anything but that			+2 CP
A Theosophistical Discussion	1-4 10-20	Listen with an open mind			+2 CP 20 x
		Remain sceptical			+1 CP 20 x
A Theosophistical Debate	3-4 10-20 In	Listen with an open mind			10 x
		Reject the invitation			Reset 5 x
A Philosophical Commission	5-8 10-20	Draw a satirical cartoon		104	+3 CP 104 x   -10 CP	-1 CP +1 CP
		Come prepared		108	+3 CP 108 x   -20 CP	-1 CP
		Intellectual indignation		110	-1 CP 50 x   +15 CP	-1 CP +2 CP
A Theosophistical Development	5-8 10-20 In	Break up the fight		105	+3 CP 52 x   +1 CP, Up to 5	-1 CP +1 CP
		Encourage the fight		106	+3 CP 53 x   +1 CP, Up to 5	-1 CP +1 CP
A Theosophistical Excursion	5-8 10-20 In	Take the class to Watchmaker's Hill		108	+3 CP 54 x	-1 CP
A Theosophistical Séance	6-8 10-20 In	Play a vital part		110	55 x   55 x	+2 CP
A Theosophistical Decision	9 10-20 In	There's definitely something in it			set to 12
		It's nothing but a confidence trick			set to 10 10 x
A Theosophistical Occasion	9 10-20	Speak on the Bazaar's Correspondence	1	114	80 x   80 x	+1 CP
		Speak on Spiritualism	1	112	112 x	+1 CP
A Theosophistical Profit	10 10-20 In	Expose the scam		110	Reset 110 x   +3 CP Up to 10 +3 CP Up to 10	set to 8 +1 CP
		Get in on the scam		108	set to 11 54 x   54 x	set to 8
A Theosophistical Persuasion	11 10-20 In	Look for wealthy donors	Renown: Society 10	110	Reset 300 x   +1	+1 CP
		Find some unconventional donors	Renown: Hell 10	114	Reset 310 x
		Look for donors where you can	Renown: Hell 10	112	112 x	+2 CP

When you're ready to progress, Gain the full trust of the bats or Cement your place with the cats. Both require Shadowy 97 to be unlocked, and the challenge level is Shadowy 101 (but thankfully, you don't lose Bats or Cats CP on a failure).

On success, Embroiled is set to 15, and Connected: Glass (if you chose bats) or Connected: Shroud (if you chose cats) is set to 1.

Level 15: Mahogany Hall

To continue the storyline, you need to unlock the route to Mahogany Hall, which will now appear in the Spite area of your map. Note that unlocking access from the map is fairly pricey, as you'll need a bunch of bats, rats, hats and other bits and bobs -- see the list at Gain entrance to Mahogany Hall.

( Mahogany Hall can also be unlocked temporarily, or permanently for 5 FATE, from the opportunity card The Ways of Mahogany Hall.)

When you reach Mahogany Hall, you will either be welcomed to the Glass if you gained the full trust of the bats and Connected: Glass is now 1, or be welcomed to the Shroud if you cemented your place with the cats and Connected: Shroud is 1 (but not both -- see below).

You'll once more get the chance to rethink your allegiance, and if you choose the "Play both sides" option on either of the "Welcome to the Shroud/Glass" storylets, your Embroiled will be reset to 9, and you can play through that part of the storyline again. Note that this option results in +3 CP Subtle (up to level 10) and is repeatable if you choose the same side again, so if you wish to grind Subtle this way, continue choosing a single side until you decide to move on by choosing the other side, and thus having both Connected: Shroud and Connected: Glass set to 1.

If you choose to remain loyal to your side on a "Welcome to the..." storylet, or if both Connected: Shroud and Connected: Glass are 1 (because you played both Gain the full trust of the bats and Cement your place with the cats) and you see Playing both sides in the Wars of Illusion instead of one of the "Welcome to the..." storylets, then Embroiled will be set to 20 and you can continue with the story.

(If you use Playing both sides in the Wars of Illusion to continue the story, then you do get the Pair of Magician's Gloves you spent to access Mahogany Hall back -- or at least a pair -- which is a nice bonus.)

See Tales of Mahogany Hall (Guide) for more information.

Level 20: An Illusion or a Séance

The following storylets are available in Mahogany Hall with Embroiled 20 and certain levels of Connected:

Increasing Connected: Shroud	Shroud	Glass
Hold your own séance?	exactly 1
The mystic arts	2–5
Before the grand séance	6–14	exactly 0
Become a double agent for the Shroud	6–9	6–9
Watching the Grand Illusion	6–10	0–6
Sabotaging an illusion	11–14	6
Final preparations for the grand séance	15

Increasing Connected: Glass	Glass	Shroud
Star in your own illusion?	exactly 1
The magic of the theatre	2–5
Before the grand illusion	6–14	exactly 0
Become a double agent for the Glass	6–9	6–9
Sabotaging a séance	11–14	6
Final preparations for the grand illusion	15

If you have one Connected quality, simply progress through your chosen side's storylets. You'll use its Before the grand [performance] storylet to set Connected to 15 and progress to the final stages.

If you have both Connected qualities, you'll need to raise each of them to 6 before the twin Become a double agent for the [Glass/Shroud] storylets appear, and you'll need to choose one to permanently finalize an alliance with your chosen faction. There, you'll have the option of either sabotaging the opposite faction via an additional Sabotaging a [performance] storylet, or progressing straight to the final performance. After either skipping or progressing with the sabotage, the associated Connected for your faction will be set to 15.

Once Connected is 15, the Final preparations storylet will unlock for your chosen side. That storylet will raise your Connected to 16 and set Embroiled to 25, unlocking a new storylet for the final performance.

Level 25: The Performance

It's time to put on your big séance or illusion. In either case, it's a Shadowy 113 challenge, and success raises your Connected to 20.

• The grand séance! (unlocked with Connected: Shroud 16)
• The Most Daring Feat of Illusion and Escapology! (unlocked with Connected: Glass 16)

Note: Unlocking The Most Daring Feat of Illusion and Escapology! also requires Day of the Week to be set at 6 (Saturday) via The weekly variety bill!, which in turn requires Tales of Mahogany Hall to be at least 13. See Tales of Mahogany Hall (Guide) for details.