Obscurity (Guide)

Early PoSI Content and Onwards

This content is part of the Mr Eaten storyline.

At some point during the unwise journey of Seeking Mr Eaten's Name, you have a choice whether to embrace Obscurity and part with a number of aspects of the game forever.

One might also choose to gain only a bit of Obscurity - as much as one can handle.

This guide lists the consequences you will have to deal with as well as some workarounds.

The effects are permanent, there is no option to pay FATE to undo any of them.

No Marks

• You lose any tattoos you could have had, including A Private Tattoo of your Noman, Inscribed in Gant.
  • Bizarre, Dreaded, Respectable bonuses gained from tattoos remain.
• You cannot visit Millicent's Parlour during the FEAST OF THE ROSE anymore.
  • Getting new tattoos is therefore impossible.
  • The option to pay 10 FATE and repeat the conversation with Lilac is inaccessible.

No Nature

• You lose your Profession and Professional Specialisation as well as the ability to regain them.
  • The Business of (profession) storylets are locked.
  • Since profession-specific items are gone, you might find yourself lacking another point of BDR (which could possibly affect efficiency of Khaganian Intrigues, Bone Market, Cabinet Noir, A Trade in Reputations), a bonus to an advanced skill and a bonus to main attributes.
  • No weekly professional reward will ever follow.
  • You still receive Professional Perks with Time, the Healer. While the weekly option to use them is locked, those are usable items in the inventory, so you still have a source of Trade Secrets.
  • No Unsigned Message will reach you. Forcing it will be impossible. If you relied on it as a source of Surprise Packages, it is no more.
  • Activities that were efficient or viable or possible with certain professions may cease to be such:
    • As a Licentiate, you could always find a spare headless skeleton or a skull. The best you can do now is Explore the Folly to get one skeleton, which adds at least 1 action for each brass lollipop you make. The checkless 3.75 EPA skeletons are gone though.
    • As a Licentiate, you could receive gant letters, getting 500 x Rostygold and Shadowy & Dangerous training and reducing the sender's Suspicion & Scandal.
    • As a Correspondent, you had additional options to train SotC and some unique options to use it. Moreover, you could help others train SotC with Flame-proof Missives.
    • As a Correspondent, you could be invited to an orphanage.
    • As a Monster-Hunter, you had additional options for various hunts and incidents, usually making them quicker and more rewarding.
    • As a Crooked-Cross, you could confuse your board easily.
    • As a Crooked-Cross, you could be invited to a salon.
    • As a Midnighter, you could corrupt your board easily.
    • As a Midnighter, you could be invited to an orphanage.

No Name

• You lose all your Notability.
• Slowcake's Amanuensis will never visit you again, even if you ask nicely, blocking the only common source of Notability. However, a few less common sources requiring another player cooperating should work:
  • Somebody Acquainted With you can Recommend an unknown acquaintance, giving you the first point of Notability.
  • Weddings with 500+ x Organising a Wedding give 1 or 2 x Notability to both participants. The optimal is A zee-wedding!, which exchanges 500 x Organising a Wedding for 1 x Notability.
  • One could Arrange for the Masters of the Bazaar to send a Christmas Card to an Acquaintance (50 FATE) to give you 1 x Notability if you already had some. Expensive IRL and irrational.
• Since the non-seasonal way to gain St Destin's Candle is gone, the option to enter a lighthouse on Winking Isle is locked, fortunately.

No Purpose

Spoiler warning! This page may contain spoilers for Ambitions or other major storylines.

• Progress qualities pertaining to Ambitions are gone.
  • As a consequence, you cannot invite ambition-specific lab assistants or board members. Already invited ones remain.
    • April will not teach you Red Science.
  • Ambition: Enigma is not affected - yet.
  • Ambition-specific mirrors in The House of Mirrors are locked.
  • Ambition-specific options in Noman's Progress are locked.
  • Ambition-specific Zee locations such as Abbey Rock will be inaccessible.
  • You will be unable to create TLC using the Manager.
  • You will be unable to Feed the tree on the trapped remains of Mr Veils.
  • Various ambition-specific options are locked:
    • Offer her a cup of cider, Offer her a cup of cider 2.
    • Acknowledge that you've heard of such arrangements, Play a hand of cards, and win.
    • "It was the milk... it was the milk, wasn't it?".
• No further ambition rewards will arrive monthly.
• Ambition items are preserved:

• You cannot start another Ambition or restart your last one.

No Future

Failbetter have requested that information regarding Ambition: Enigma, particularly puzzle solutions, be kept secret. ("The First Rule Of Ambition: Enigma...")

• Your Ambition: Enigma quality is gone, the ways of regaining it are locked.
• Other qualities you could have had are preserved.

No Future

• Your Destiny is reset, unless it is Torment. You also lose your Mark of Acceptance, if you have one.
  • In particular, you lose the bonus to main attributes.
• You cannot change your destiny, even by paying FATE.

No Solitude

• You will never be alone again.