Parabola (Guide)

A Comprehensive and Descriptive Guide Detailing the Procedures by Which a Fallen Londoner Ought to First Visit Parabola

Original By Vainfire, Edited by Maddie (Crepe Ava), Lux Gracetail and BraydonM

Wiki formatting and copy editing by Asarta

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

What needs work: Recent updates massively reduce the amount of Memories of Light required to get to Parabola though exact amounts are unknown to me currently for both Silverers and non-Silverers. The beginning (accessing Parabola portion) of this guide will show wrong info due to this.

This guide details the preparations for entering Parabola and guides you through important steps when exploring Parabola and unlocking new areas and skills. Parabola is a very expansive area of the game, and much of the content available in Parabola will not be covered in a single guide. For guides to specific areas of Parabola see Parabola Area Guides. This guide assumes that you do not have Fate, but does take note of festival items as well as items which were previously available for free but now require Fate.

When first entering Parabola it is important to plan your actions around efficiently obtaining the quality Sighted the Storm-bird. When reaching 8 Nightmares in your Parabolan Base Camp the Storylet Conflagration will auto-fire. This storylet will consume 8 CP of Nightmares, increase Sighted the Storm-bird by 1 and lower you Glasswork and Monstrous Anatomy skills by 1 level each. Since players who are new to Parabola will usually not have any CP of Glasswork and Monstrous Anatomy this storylet will initially allow you to gain Sighted the Storm-bird without any negative consequence and will remove Nightmares very efficiently. If you have already acquired some amount of Monstrous Anatomy such as from experiments in the University Laboratory you will lose your CP, but don't worry! Parabola allows players to easily and quickly grind higher levels of Monstrous Anatomy. Do not attempt to avoid Conflagration, as you will need to obtain the Sighted the Storm-bird quality in order to capture the Storm-bird and this is the only way to gain it. The Storm-Bird is eventually required for important activities including increasing your Monstrous Studies.

When players obtain Wounds 8 the storylet Falling apart will auto-fire at your Base-Camp. This will consume Glasswork and Kataleptic Toxicology. Unlike GW and MA, which will be raised just from using the skills, KT is only raised by a few expensive actions. If you do not have any Kataleptic Toxicology this storylet is harmless but if you do it is very important to avoid 8 wounds in Parabola.

Parabola Area Guides

Oneiropomp (Guide) For a guide to dream guiding in the Viric Jungle, which is notable as the best source of Comprehensive Bribes.

Parabolan War (Guide) For a guide to war in Parabola. A more advanced weekly activity that requires you first Build up your Base-Camp defenses.

Parabolan Hunting (Guide) For a quick guide to hunting Parabolan creatures and locations.

The Sacroboscan Calendar (Guide) For a guide to past events available in The Waswood.

A Cub's Education (Guide) For a brief list of ways to increase A Cub's Education while cats are dominant in Parabolan War.

The Chessboard (Guide) For a detailed look at actions at the Chessboard.

Preparing to Enter

Prepare to swap professions to Silverer

Swapping to Silverer no longer offers such a massive gap in cost based on Memories of Light compared to the now costing 50 Memories of Light research project. However, doing it using this method still skips the need for a University Lab, making it potentially worth it for those who don't wish to undergo the whole project.

• If you don't want to swap professions, there is an option to research the 50 Memory of Light project in the lab. Complete the research and continue as normal.
• It is also to be noted that other professions, most notably Monster-Hunter and Midnighter, do in fact open up other options in Parabola.
• What you will require: 5 Notability, an Unsigned Message in hand, a Favourable Circumstance, either the Church or Revolutionary Faction card in hand, and five favours of the appropriate type.

Methods to obtain Memories of Light

See this flowchart for a comprehensive guide to sources of Memories of Light.

Acquire the necessary materials to enter Parabola

• This requires 200 Memories of Light, 1 Antique Mystery, and 1 Direful Reflection (or 50 Memories of Light, 1 Antique Mystery, and 1 Uncanny Incunabulum if you're doing the research project instead).
• Direful Reflections can be bought from Veilgarden (Dabble in the Great Game) for 2 Extraordinary Implications, 10 Maniac's Prayers, 10 Incendiary Gossip, and 10 CP of either Ruthless or Magnanimous.
• Uncanny Incunabula are obtained from the weekly payment for being a Silverer among other sources. See Mysteries Grinding (Guide) for other sources.

Acquire resources to grind advanced stats later

• Obtain a stockpile of Identities Uncovered or Extraordinary Implications
  • Ideally obtain about 12-16 of each, but you will probably not spend this many. You will, however, at base want 12 Extraordinary Implications and 4 Identities Uncovered.
• Obtain at least two Vital Intelligences for A Player of Chess level 7 (You will receive all other levels in Parabola).
  • A third Vital Intelligence can be used to speed up this step but it is not required.
• Optional: Obtain at least four Incisive Observation
  • If you do not have access to the The Bone Market to obtain these you can acquire them in Parabola but it is generally less efficient.
• Optional: Obtain one of the following for gaining Kataleptic Toxicology:
  • Five Aeolian Screams
  • 1100 Bone Fragments
  • An Augmented Electrostatic Machine, 6 Hedonist, and 100 Bone Fragments (The Augmented Electrostatic Machine, is not consumed.)
  • Optional: repeat this ten more times to gain 10 Parabolan Orange-apple used in increasing Kataleptic Toxicology Studies to 2.
• Reach Having Recurring Dreams: What the Thunder Said 5
• Obtain either 50 additional Memories of Light or reach Touched by Fingerwork 15
• Obtain ten of the following for gaining Favours: Fingerkings, be sure to bring at least one of each pet. More goldfish is recommended:
  • Five Memories of Distant Shores (2.5 Echoes equivalent, this gives 1 CP Glasswork but this is easily obtained other ways.)
  • 1 Cheerful Goldfish (0.4 Echo and gives a Possessed Goldfish)
  • 1 Lucky Weasel (0.4 Echo and gives a Weasel of Social Discomfiture)
  • 1 Reprehensible Lizard (0.4 Echo and gives a Viric Lizard)
  • Wiki note: the pets are not only cheaper, they will also give you special Bizarre/Dreaded/Respectable-manipulating companions.
• Obtain additional Cheerful Goldfish for baiting the Focused Albatross. This saves a significant amount of actions for the price. 5-10 is a good number. More can be used later.

Acquire resources for use in Parabola

• Obtain one Parabola-Linen Suit or Parabola-Linen Frock (purchased from the Bazaar for 470 Echoes)
  • Note: this step is optional. If you have the Cave of the Nadir, the item obtained this way overlaps with the Strange-Shore Parabola Suit and the Strange-Shore Parabola Frock which are generally more useful.
• Obtain one Sporing Bonnet (purchased from the Bazaar for 3 Echoes)
• Suggested: Bring a good supply of Hard-Earned Lesson and Sudden Insight
• Suggested: Reach Having Recurring Dreams: A Game of Chess 2
• Suggested: Reach Having Recurring Dreams: Is Someone There? 2
• Optional: Obtain a Phantasie of the Bazaar (found only during Feast of the Rose)

Finish Any Projects You Have in the Laboratory

• Unless that project requires Parabolan Research, you'll want to finish any research projects you have ongoing before going in, to make your obtaining of Parabolan Research more efficient (each trip to Parabola costs honey and actions). So you leave Parabola with some Parabolan Research, then start a new research project that requires Parabolan Research, and you get a head-start on that project. If you have an in-progress research project which does not require Parabolan Research, when you later complete that project you'll waste any Parabolan Research you obtained from Parabola.

Change Professions to Silverer

• Resign from your existing profession (do this by Sending a Message to a Contact in Your Social Engagements, then choosing to Resign From Your Profession)
• Play the faction card of your choosing and become a Campaigner
  • Do not pick the wrong option. Make sure you pick the one that says Choose Campaigner as your Profession, and not Enforcer.
• Play the Unsigned Message from your hand and become a Mystic
• Using your Favourable Circumstance, force-draw another Unsigned Message. Use that to become a Silverer (use a second chance on it). If unsuccessful, wait for another Unsigned Message draw or until next week for the Favourable Circumstance refresh.
• The point of this is to not be stuck with bad profession gear for any longer than necessary and to maximize the weekly payment.

Entering Parabola

As a Silverer

• Go to the Veilgarden Honey-Dens.
• There, you will see an option to Establish a Parabolan Base-Camp. Choose it. You will enter your Parabolan Base-Camp.

As a Laboratory Researcher

If you don't want to switch jobs, here's everyone else's way in:

• In your University Laboratory, start the experiment to Find a Route to Parabola. This will start a 50 Laboratory Research project.
• Once you're done with that, you'll progress to the second stage of the experiment, which takes 75 Laboratory Research.
• While you're researching, you will draw the card Realisation, which has various options for you to acquire Laboratory Research. None of them are good.
• Remember that your maximum Laboratory Equipment at this time is 4, so even this short experiment is a bit painful.
• Finish the second stage of the experiment.
• When you try to Leave Your Lab, you'll find an option to Enter the Mirror for 1 action and 100 Drops of Prisoner's Honey. Choose it.

An Overview of Mechanics in Parabola

• Try not to leave Parabola often. Reentering Parabola costs honey and an action.
  • You cannot draw cards in Parabola. Your opportunity deck will fill up after an hour of real time. If you want, you can leave Parabola at intervals to empty your opportunity deck, though note that doing so costs an action and 100 honey (50 honey if you're a silverer) each time.
• Mechanics: movement within Parabola is free, but requires lots of clicking to go between places. Movement within Parabola will also shuffle Airs of Parabola
• While in Parabola, Scandal and Suspicion have no effect when they reach 8, and kick in only once you return to London (though not while you are in the University Laboratory)
• While in Parabola, Nightmares have no effect when they reach 8 until you return to your Base-Camp, at which point the Storylet Conflagration (for Nightmares 8) autofires, which will consume a level of both Glasswork and Monstrous Anatomy.
• Similarly, Wounds 8 will trigger Falling apart at your Base-Camp. This will consume Glasswork and Kataleptic Toxicology. Unlike GW and MA, which will be raised just from using the skills, KT is only raised by a few expensive actions, most commonly A preparation for the stomach. So it is a good idea to avoid Wounds 8 in Parabola.

Hunting in Parabola (the First Pass)

• Play the storylet Track the Animals of Parabola

Your First Hunt: the Seven-Throated Warbler

• All the other Parabolan Quarries have prerequisites, though you will be hunting all three in this guide. Besides, you'll want to do this a few times anyway because it gives you Hillmovers (see below).
• All your options here change the Airs of Parabola. Look for the options that appear to reference other locations. These are dependent on Airs and they give you the route to other locations. When they show up, play them if you don't have their Route yet. If they don't show up this hunt, don't worry. You'll be doing more.
  • The most important one is to Ascend the side of a dome, since this is the only way to gain access to The Dome of Scales right now.
  • If you don't have a Phantasie of the Bazaar for the Viric Jungle, that's alright. There are other options.
  • If you do not have the required dream qualities for The Chessboard or The Waswood, do not worry. Instead, unlock these routes by playing the storylet options in Leave your Parabolan Base-Camp later.
• Unless you have a special airs option available that you haven't played yet, the best way to hunt right now is just to Push onward over and over. This gives you Nightmares on failure, which is a good thing.
  • Allow your nightmares to reach 8 and enter Conflagration.
  • Play the option given. It will lower your nightmares by 8 CP and give you one instance of Sighted the Storm-bird. If you have followed this guide, the storm-bird should have no Monstrous Anatomy or Glasswork to take.
• Once you succeed in Pushing Onward, you're given two options: to fight the beast in its lair or out here, in the open (has Nightmares requirements). Choosing the lair gives you the opportunity to steal from its nest, which grants you alternative rewards without requiring skill checks, as well as the ability to grind Monstrous Anatomy (which we will take advantage of later, but not right now).
  • For the Seven-Throated Warbler, stealing from its nest gives a Hillmover. You will want 3 of these to upgrade your laboratory equipment, and later you will want another 3 for Kataleptic Toxicology Studies.
    • Eventually, you will also want some for the Railway.
  • The Seven-Throated Warbler itself is used in a variety of things, including being a good Persuasive companion (+8 Persuasive). You will eventually want 3 for Kataleptic Toxicology Studies, and one more for a Comprehensive Study of Avian Anatomies, Oneiric and Otherwise. You can also give them to the Fingerkings later, if you so wish and be rewarded with a Forty-Nine-Voiced Warbler.
• If you choose to fight the beast in its lair but still just want to capture it, just play the option to Capture the Seven-Throated Warbler and ignore the one to ambush it at close range. It might escape and wound you. Increasing Wounds to 8 is okay if you don't have base Kataleptic Toxicology. In the future, be sure to just play the option Trick the Parabolan Quarry into chasing you if you want to capture the beast itself.

After the Hunt

• Do not heal your Wounds unless you have base Kataleptic Toxicology (allowing them to reach 8 and being forced to in Falling apart is better).
• Do not heal your Nightmares (Allow them to reach 8 and be reduced by Conflagration).
• Check which routes you have open by playing the storylet Leave your Parabolan Base-Camp. The three options you want to see are Visit the Moonlit Chessboard, Visit the Waswood, and Visit the Dome of Scales, though the only vital one is The Dome of Scales. The other routes you can deal with later.
• If you don't have all the routes, no problem. Do another hunt! You'll eventually want at least 6 Hillmovers and 4 Seven-Throated Warblers (5 if you plan to keep one as a companion following its usage in lab experiments).

Your Other Hunt: the Focused Albatross

• After you capture one Seven-Throated Warbler, you'll gain a Parabolan Trophy. This unlocks the option to hunt the Focused Albatross.
• This hunt is much the same as the former, except the checks are more difficult and you can't steal anything of value from its nest.
• Use the option to bait it with a goldfish. This makes it substantially easier to capture and failing will give you Wounds and force you to spend an additional action chasing it.
• You will want 3 Focused Albatrosses for Monstrous Studies, and one for the Comprehensive Study of Avian Anatomies, Oneiric and Otherwise. It also has value as a companion for completionists and those who want a companion who gives nightmares.
• Note: Do not hunt the Storm-Bird yet.

Acquire the following items from your hunts

• 6 Hillmovers
• 4 Focused Albatrosses
• 1 less than your intended number of Seven-Throated Warblers (3 or 4, you will come back for the last one later)
• Several instances of Sighted the Storm-bird (there will be another way to increase your Nightmares, later, but try to get some now)

Grinding Advanced Stats

A Player of Chess

For a more in-depth look at the Chessboard, see this guide.

• If you haven't found the route to The Chessboard already, you may leave this step for later. The Chessboard will allow you to gain A Player of Chess and increase it to base level 7. It also allows players who do not have Incisive Observations a chance to acquire them but it is otherwise independent from the rest of your progress through Parabola.
• At the chess-board, you will eventually want to play as white. If you have advanced your Liberation of Night to the point where you cannot pick white, pick black instead.
• Start off by playing the option to Follow the movements of the pieces twice. A rare/alternative success here grants Incisive Observation. You will probably pick up some by the time you finish grinding A Player of Chess. It is a good idea to spend a Sudden Insight on this check as you will need to spend three actions to return to the start of the game and get another chance to raise A Player of Chess.
• In the midgame:
  • As white, simply Play aggressively, you will probably fail. Alternatively, you can Sabotage Your Side to progress the Liberation of Night and guarantee failure (failing will be important).
  • As black, Sabotage Your Side—you want to swap to white. Don't worry about losing your Liberation of Night, there are ways to grind it back up. Alternatively, if your Advancing the Liberation of Night quality is too high to quickly lower below 10, there is another method to swap to white. At any rate, you will still want to Sabotage Your Side: failing is important!
  • In order to quickly level A Player of Chess, spend your new game Following the Movements of the Pieces, then in the midgame take any two actions before Allowing Yourself to be Sacrificed—it's much quicker to do this than to continue the game, since at low values of A Player of Chess it is extremely difficult to actually win games. The midgame action you take doesn't matter, but you probably don't want to spend the Justificandes you get from sacrificing yourself to gain Moves in the Great Game. Save them for railway progress later.
• A Player's Studies
  • You first need to raise A Player of Chess to 5 and then reach Strategic Weaknesses 7. In the endgame, Recognise new possibilities in the depth of your loss. This will give you a level of Player of Chess Studies, boosting your maximum to 6.
  • If your Advancing the Liberation of Night quality was too high to reduce below 10 by standard means, as discussed above, you'll want to swap to white by winning a game then Betraying Black. Note that this option is locked if you have 5 or more Great Game favours.
  • Once you have achieved A Player of Chess 6 and are playing as white, you will want to achieve a game where you have Positional Advantages 23 and Strategic Weaknesses under 7. To do this, start by Open according to accepted best practices and then anything else (the choice should not matter; just don't spend your Vital Intelligence). In the midgame Play Aggressively three times. If you fail two or more checks at any point (except the one you wasted to leave the early game), sacrifice yourself and start over. But if you have succeeded in all or all but one check by the time you reach Progress on the Board 5, spend your Vital Intelligence by Taking Advantage of Your Intelligence twice. This will take you to exactly 23 Positional Advantages with the minimal amount of echoes/RNG involved. In the endgame, Recognise new possibilities in the height of your win.
  • Grind up to A Player of Chess 7 in a manner similar to how it was previously described. At this point you should be able to consistently win even when Following the Movements of the Pieces, so feel free to grab some Epaulette Mates and Queen Mates.
• Consider swapping to black before you leave: This will make it easier to grind Mithridacy later.
• This entire process can be done in one long session in the Chessboard, though doing so is not necessary — traveling in Parabola is free. Also, don't bother healing the wounds you acquired sacrificing yourself unless you have base Kataleptic Toxicology.

Mithridacy

• If you do not have the route to The Waswood, and do not have Having Recurring Dreams: Is Someone There? 2 or higher you may find the route by playing the storylet Leave your Parabolan Base-Camp and attempting the check. It will eventually succeed. If you do have Having Recurring Dreams: Is Someone There? 2 or higher keep doing more hunts until the option Cut through a forest of things-that-were appears and play it.
• Check the The Sacroboscan Calendar (Guide) to see what is currently available in The Waswood. Choosing to Search out the lost histories of London will allow you to play out a shortened version of a past event, and some reward useful items. This event changes every week on Thursday following a rotating calendar.
• Pick the option to Compose a Corrective History. If it fails, it increases your Mithridacy and gives Nightmares.
• After you successfully compose a Corrective Historical Narrative, switch to composing Revisionist Histories
• Allow your Nightmares to reach 8, like previous
  • Upon returning to your Base-Camp, you will enter Conflagration.
  • This should quickly increase your Sighted the Storm-bird quality. You will eventually want 7.
• You will eventually want to acquire 3 Revisionist Historical Narratives and 1 Corrective Historical Narrative for Mithridant Studies. Even if you reach Mithridacy 5 and aren't grinding that anymore, keep going! Each time you meet the Storm-Bird, it makes tracking it down later that much easier.
• If you accidentally use all your Incisive Observations, don't worry. See below ( Glass Studies) for how to get more.
• A Weasel of Woe may be useful to help you fail checks so you can increase Mithridacy without consuming items.

Glasswork

• Before you grind Glasswork, make sure you have 7 Sighted the Storm-bird. If you don't, continue grinding Nightmares until you do.
  • Players who have additional Glasswork increasing items will need 1 less Sighted the Storm-bird per point they have. The difficulty of the check to begin hunting the Storm-bird is 10 minus your amount of Sighted the Storm-bird. This is why you want 7 Sighted the Storm-bird: a difficulty of 3 allows you to 100% the check at 8 adjusted Glasswork.
  • To make it easier to get to 7, you can equip the Sporing Bonnet and the Focused Albatross. Each of these will increase your Nightmares gain, allowing you to encounter the Storm-Bird more quickly.
  • The two methods most useful for gaining CP in Glasswork are by playing the option Apply your own knowledge while tracking Parabolan prey or by playing Sneak away from your wounds from Attend to Your Health in your Parabolan Base Camp. Either option gives +1 cp Glasswork on success or failure.
  • Once you reach 5 Glasswork Leave your Parabolan Base-Camp and Visit the Dome of Scales

• Glass Studies
  • If you really need more Incisive Observations, you can choose the option The Top of the Dome and Climb the dome itself, though this will be very difficult without higher levels of Glasswork. Consider coming back later for the Incisive Observations.
  • Play the storylet The Dome of Scales, Occupied and either Recognise the Fingerking or Be introduced to the enormous snake. This will grant you a level of Glass Studies, boosting your maximum to 6.
  • Choose any seven options to give the Fingerkings items in exchange for favours. Do not give them your Seven-Throated Warbler unless you intend to go hunt more.
  • Once at 7 Favours: Fingerkings, play the option Purchase a greater freedom of the place. This will grant you a second level of Glass Studies, boosting your maximum to 7.
  • Give the Fingerkings three more items to gain more favours, then leave.
  • If you don't like the Fingerkings, there are options later to raise Glass Studies by siding with the Cats or with the Red-Handed Queen in the Parabolan War.

• Interlude: Viric Clothing
  • If you already have the route to the Viric Jungle, now is an acceptable time to visit. Play the option The Most Searing Green and trade in your Parabola-Linen clothing for Viric clothing that gives you +1 Glasswork.
  • Not all players may have Route: The Viric Jungle at this stage, so the guide will continue as though you do not have this bonus.
  • Note: the reward for doing this, the Viric Frock/ Suit, has a similar use to the Strange-Shore Parabola Frock/ Suit which can be obtained from the Nadir, also by trading in a Parabola-Linen Frock/ Suit, or bought from The Rat Market in the Flit.
  • If you don't like the Fingerkings, you can also get this by paying a small fortune in the Clay Tailor at the Sidestreets.
• To increase Glasswork the final level we will chase another Parabolan quarry.
• Once you are properly Lost in Strange Lands, repeatedly choose the option to Apply your own knowledge.
  • Starting from Glasswork 0, you will have to increase Glasswork 28 times to get to 7. You do not have to do this all right now: your next hunt is the Storm-bird, which will present more opportunities to spam this option.
  • You will also be able to build up Glasswork by healing the Wounds you acquire on this hunt (you will definitely acquire Wounds on this hunt).
• Once at Glasswork 5-7 (7+1 due to Cosmogone Spectacles), or just when the option Push onward is at a 100% chance to succeed, move onto the next step by playing the option Push onward.

Monstrous Anatomy

• Monstrous Anatomy is farmed by Awaiting the Seven-Throated Warbler at its Terraced Nest, then Continuing Towards its Terraced Nest.
  • (Any quarry will do, the Warbler is just the easiest to hunt)
• Strike Down the Seven-Throated Warbler Here in Its Terraced Nest
• Repeatedly Ambush the Seven-Throated Warbler at Close Range
  • You would need to play this option 15 times to increase Monstrous Anatomy to 5. You may spread this out across multiple hunts.
• Do not allow yourself to reach 8 Wounds.
• Capture the Seven-Throated Warbler and return to Base-Camp. Heal back up by Sneaking Away From Your Wounds (but not up to full, see below).

Kataleptic Toxicology

• Parabolan Orange-apples are how you get Kataleptic Toxicology in Parabola.
  • Growing a Parabolan Orange-apple is done by playing the option Tend a Curious Tree in the Base-Camp, and using any of the options to fertilize and subsequently pluck fruit from the tree.
  • Eating a Parabolan Orange-apple is under the Attend to Your Health storylet. It will heal you on success but grants you 1 CP of Kataleptic Toxicology regardless. This is a very expensive way to gain a small amount of Kataleptic Toxicology.
• If you brought enough materials to get 10 Parabolan Orange-apples, you might as well do that right now. If you brought enough to get 11, and wish to level Kataleptic Toxicology through the Polite Poisoner, this is a way to get your first level and unlock the Kataleptic Toxicology option on her opportunity card.
  • If you didn't bring enough to get 11, only 10 Parabolan Orange-apples, and still wish to level your Kataleptic Toxicology through the Polite Poisoner, your first level can also be gained by researching Queenly Attar or by using Hand-picked Peppercaps (explained below).
  • If you didn't bring enough resources to get this many, that's alright. You'll have to come back to Parabola at some point anyway, and growing Parabolan Orange-apples can be done from your Base-Camp.
• The other option requires having an Acicular Squirrel from Whitsun and allowing it to lead you while on monster hunts.
• Future points of Kataleptic Toxicology are best grinded outside of Parabola. Eating Parabolan Orange-apples is expensive. More on how to level Kataleptic Toxicology is explained below.

Hunting in Parabola (the Last Pass)

Your Last Hunt: the Storm-Bird

• To even start hunting the Storm-Bird requires you to succeed on a Glasswork check. The difficulty of this check is 10 minus your amount of Sighted the Storm-bird. This is why you want 7 Sighted the Storm-bird: a difficulty of 3 allows you to 100% the check at 8 adjusted Glasswork.
• Hunting the Storm-Bird is much like hunting the other two birds, except now you probably don't want to build up Nightmares. Instead, you can spam the Apply your own knowledge and Airs options (all route options give +10 Parabolan Scouting) before Pushing Onwards as a 100% chance, then instead of fighting the Storm-Bird in the open you can track it back to its Cloud and Ambush it at Close Range until you can 100% the check to capture it. This gives you the least amount of Nightmares, which is something that you may care about. Alternatively, follow a similar strategy as previous and heal up the nightmares however you see fit.
• The loot from the Storm-Bird's nest is fairly underwhelming: usually some Bessemer Steel Ingots, and occasionally a Whirring Contraption or A Miniature Model Ship (good for collectors but not worth much otherwise). All of these can be obtained elsewhere, more efficiently for the first and second, and more flavorfully (but probably with more difficulty) for the third.
• You will eventually want 3 Storm-birds for Monstrous Studies and 1 Storm-bird for a Comprehensive Study of Avian Anatomies, Oneiric and Otherwise. It also has marginal value as a companion, and can be presented to the Fingerkings for 4-5 Incisive Observations per action (reasonable early as a way to finish projects quickly, but outclassed later by other options).
• You do not necessarily need to hunt all 4 Storm-bird right now, you can come back later.

Leaving Parabola: what to do next

Before You Leave

(See also #Making Use of Parabola below.)

• Play the storylet Leave your Parabolan Base-Camp and find the route to your university laboratory reflection (and the Viric Jungle if you haven't done that yet).
• If you want Ambiguous Eoliths for the lab and you don't have access to The Bone Market yet, The Waswood is probably your best (only) source of those.
• Go to the Reflection of your Laboratory and build up 50 Parabolan Research if you're ready to start Monstrous Studies.

The Checklist: Parabolan Booty

• Beasts of Parabola
  • 4-5 Storm-birds (3 for Monstrous Studies, 1 for the Comprehensive Study of Avian Anatomies, Oneiric and Otherwise, 1 as a companion that reduces Nightmares build up)
  • 4-5 Focused Albatross (3 for Monstrous Studies, 1 for the Comprehensive Study of Avian Anatomies, Oneiric and Otherwise, and 1 as a companion that increases Nightmares build up)
  • 4-5 Seven-Throated Warblers (3 for Kataleptic Toxicology Studies, 1 for the Comprehensive Study of Avian Anatomies, Oneiric and Otherwise, and 1 as a companion that gives +8 Persuasive)
  • 6+ Hillmovers (3 for Lab Equipment level 5, 3 for Kataleptic Toxicology Studies, and more if you want to lay Railway track through hilly terrain)
• Stats of Parabola
  • 5 Mithridacy
  • 7 Glasswork
  • 7 A Player of Chess
  • 5 Monstrous Anatomy
  • 0-1 Kataleptic Toxicology, depending on whether you want your first point from Parabola in order to gain more from the Polite Poisoner
• Items of Parabola
  • Optional: 1 Viric Frock/ Viric Suit (+1 Glasswork Clothing)
  • 3 Revisionist Historical Narratives, 1 Corrective Historical Narrative (For use in Mithridant Studies)
  • Optional: 10 Parabolan Orange-apples (For Kataleptic Toxicology Studies)

Laboratory Equipment

You can use 50 Perfumed Gunpowder, 100 Foxfire Candle Stubs, 2000 Nevercold Brass Slivers, 1 Mourning Candle, and 3 Hillmovers to improve your Laboratory Equipment from level 4 to level 5.

Monstrous Anatomy Studies

• Monstrous Studies are conducted through research projects at the laboratory. You will need Monstrous Anatomy 5 to start them, and you will need Monstrous Anatomy 6 to get the maximum lifted to 7.
• Your first level of Monstrous Studies is through the research project Work Toward A Fuller Understanding of Monstrosities. It costs 3 Focused Albatrosses and 500 Cheerful Goldfish to begin, and requires 300 Laboratory Research and 50 Parabolan Research.
  • The 500 Cheerful Goldfish are purchased from the Bazaar for 0.4 E each, at a total cost of 200 Echoes.
  • Make sure that this, Kataleptic Toxicology Studies, or the Comprehensive Study is the first research project you do once out of Parabola: not all projects require Parabolan Research, but all of them reset it upon completion.
• Your second level of Monstrous Studies is through a research project that is also titled Work Toward A Fuller Understanding of Monstrosities. This one costs 3 Storm-bird. Finishing the project takes 500 Laboratory Research and 50 Parabolan Research. (Note that you don't necessarily need to go back to Parabola for Parabolan Research, but it is usually faster and more optimal to gain research in Parabola).
• You don't necessarily have to go back to Parabola right now to grind Monstrous Anatomy up to 7, there are several other methods you will probably encounter.
  • Completing the Comprehensive Study of Avian Anatomies, Oneiric and Otherwise will grant you some CP in Monstrous Anatomy, as will completing several other research projects. You will also have to go back to Parabola after reaching Ealing Gardens on the Railway to hunt the Honey-Mazed Bear and the Kill the Pinewood Shark for Dangerous Gains, which is an opportunity to spam Ambush at Close Range and grind up Monstrous Anatomy.

Mithridant Studies

• Mithridant Studies requires having progressed the Railway storyline to the first station at Ealing Gardens.
• At Doubt Street, you can now Publish an edition in Defence of the Railway with 30 Rumours of the Upper River, 60 Meritorious Copy, 5 Mithridacy, and 1 Corrective Historical Narrative. This will grant you your first level of Mithridant Studies, boosting your maximum Mithridacy to 6.
• The next level of Mithridant Studies requires 6 Mithridacy, meaning that you will have to do some grinding. Since you have Ealing Gardens open already, this is easily accomplished by drawing cards there and Liberating Ealing Gardens by Giving a calculated speech on Freedom and Darkness, though doing so requires playing for black at The Chessboard.
  • If you are opposed to Advancing the Liberation of Night and have a station open at The Magistracy of the Evenlode as well as the Unassuming Judge and its upgraded forms from past Hallowmas festivals ( An Assuming Judge, A Very Lenient Judge), you may instead wait to draw the card Respectable Passengers and Snoop on a legal argument.
  • If you have not developed the railway that far or were not here for several previous Hallowmases, but still do not like Advancing the Liberation of Night, you can grind at The Waswood instead.
• After achieving Mithridacy 6, go back to Doubt Street and Elaborate Upon Your Defence of the Railway with 30 more Rumours of the Upper River, 60 Salacious Copy, and 3 Revisionist Historical Narratives. This will grant you your second level of Mithridant Studies, boosting your maximum to 7.
• Grind up to 7 Mithridacy with the option you previously employed.

Kataleptic Toxicology

• There are three main ways to increase Kataleptic Toxicology outside of Parabola and a fourth in Parabola, and they are all less expensive than growing/eating Parabolan Orange-apples.
• Method 1: Attar
  • With 7 Attar and 77 Foxfire Candle Stubs, you can Light Your Candles in Far Arbor for A Vial of Queenly Attar provided you do not have one on hand already.
  • In the laboratory, you can Study the properties of Attar, a research project which takes 450 Laboratory Research and 15 Parabolan Research to complete and does NOT consume the Vial of Queenly Attar. It gives 1 Night-Whisper in addition to 1 CP of Kataleptic Toxicology, making it a reasonable way to grind echoes in addition to Toxicology for solo players.
• Method 2: Peppercaps
  • With access to the Railway, one may purchase the book Fungal Dangers and Poisons: A Guide for New Growers for 80 Hinterland Scrip. This item allows you to trade in 10 Hand-picked Peppercaps for 1 CP of Kataleptic Toxicology.
  • Peppercaps are accessible through various means depending on how far along you are in the railway. At all stages, you have access to the opportunity card A Disillusioned Fungiculturalist, which lets you trade 10 Nightsoil for 15 Peppercaps, or to pick up 3-10 Peppercaps if you have high enough Kataleptic Toxicology and can bring your Respectable to 0.
  • With Train Luxuries 4, you can Forget the biscuits, take the Solacefruit at Helicon House when you only have 1 Time Remaining. This gives as many Hand-picked Peppercaps as you have Fitting in at Helicon House and is accessible right from Ealing Gardens.
  • If you've made it to Evenlode and are a member of The Young Stags' Club, the club opportunity card More Larks with the Young Stags allows you to trade 5 Rumours of the Upper River for (27 + Train Baggage Accommodations) Hand-picked Peppercaps.
  • If you've made it to Station VIII, you can Score a sign on this crate at the cost of 1 Extraordinary Implication, which has a 50% chance of granting a Halcyonic Tonic. This can then be sold to the Nonspecific Academic at the University (if you have a Cabinet Noir) for 10 Hand-picked Peppercaps, among other goodies.
• Method 3: The Polite Poisoner
  • You can slight fellow Londoners, and in response they may send assassins after you. One of these is the Polite Poisoner, hired in the Forgotten Quarter for 250 Piece of Rostygold and 2 Muscaria Brandy.
    • Muscaria Brandy may be heisted from the Circumspect Envoy, so long as any of the first three options are chosen and you Deliver the Documents to the Brass Embassy.
  • Once hired, the Polite Poisoner will add an opportunity card to your deck, A Curious Taste. With one level of Kataleptic Toxicology, an option will show up on this card which allows you to Drink up. Metabolize the poison.. This will give you 1 CP of Kataleptic Toxicology, success or fail, and will either give you a Blackmail Material (12.5 Echoes) on success or refund 5 Echoes on failure.
  • This method is by far the cheapest and quickest way to level up Kataleptic Toxicology. However, it does require having willing slight participants.
    • Slights are delivered most easily through Doubt Street, where you can write A column revealing certain facts about an acquaintance at Hour before the Deadline 4.
• Method 4: Acicular Squirrel
  • This method requires 200 Shadowy and an Acicular Squirrel from Whitsun.
  • In Parabola, begin any of the Shadowy hunts under Search Parabola for a Place in the Neath
  • While Lost in Strange Lands choose Allow your Acicular Squirrel to lead you. You can do this an unlimited number of times and each gives you 1 CP of Kataleptic Toxicology whether you succeed or fail, with no menaces.
• Kataleptic Toxicology Studies
  • It should take some time to level up Kataleptic Toxicology, but once you do you can spend 60 Lucky Weasels and 10 Parabolan Orange-apples to Make a Deeper Study of Toxins.
    • The Lucky Weasels can be purchased from the Bazaar for 24 Echoes total. The 10 Parabolan Orange-apples will require stockpiling resources and gathering them in a visit to Parabola.
  • This project is finished using 20 Venom-Rubies, 300 Laboratory Research, and 50 Parabolan Research, and it grants you your first level of Kataleptic Toxicology Studies, boosting your maximum to 6.
    • Venom-Rubies are acquirable from a variety of sources, and having very little usage means that you will likely have a stockpile of them. However, the most consistent source is still Picking Out a Venom-Ruby at Empire Adornments in the Bazaar Side-streets.
  • You will require Kataleptic Toxicology 6 to gain the second level of Kataleptic Toxicology Studies.
  • Your second level of Kataleptic Toxicology Studies is gained through the research project Better understand the metabolism of poisons, which takes 210 Phosphorescent Scarabs, 4 Legal Documents, 3 Seven-Throated Warblers, and 3 Hillmovers. It is concluded with 500 Laboratory Research and 50 Parabolan Research.
    • The Phosphorescent Scarabs are acquired from The Rat Market
    • The Legal Documents can be gained from grinding Cave-Aged Codes of Honour at either Hunting Bees in Old Newgate or Underclay and selling them at the Bazaar, or from Doing Business in Wilmot's End.
    • This research project raises your Kataleptic Toxicology Studies to 2, boosting your maximum Kataleptic Toxicology to 7.
  • You can then grind up your Kataleptic Toxicology to max using the method which best suits you.

Comprehensive Study of Avian Anatomies, Oneiric and Otherwise

• This is useful if you have unlocked the Bone Market, which you definitely will be able to after doing two Monstrous Studies and completing this project.
• Begin this project by Studying the Focused Albatross in your University Laboratory University Laboratory (Place), which consumes one Focused Albatross.
• Once you reach 125 Laboratory Research, Extend Your Studies rather than Keep It In Total Darkness. This will cost one Dazed Raven Advisor, one Taciturn Mynah, one Seven-Throated Warbler, and one Storm-bird.
  • The Dazed Raven Advisor is purchased from the Bazaar for 12.8 Echoes.
  • The Taciturn Mynah is the Docks-specific pet. Get rid of your current Faction pet (you can do so on its opportunity card) and get the Taciturn Mynah from the Clandestine Rendezvous on Watchmaker's Hill. Using one Docks favour, obtain the Taciturn Mynah. Losing the Taciturn Mynah in this project will allow you to choose a new faction pet.
• The project requires 1500 Laboratory Research and 50 Parabolan Research, and gives three Prestige, 2 CP of Monstrous Anatomy, and one Comprehensive Study of Avian Anatomies, Oneiric and Otherwise. This book allows you to declare skeletons birds, which is helpful in The Bone Market.

Making Use of Parabola

Re-entering Parabola

• There are multiple places from which to re-enter Parabola. Silverers will generally have an easier time of it. The three main places in London which you can enter from are Your Lodgings, the University Laboratory, and the Honey-Dens in Veilgarden. Entrance costs 50 Honey for Silverers and 100 for everyone else. Entrance always takes an action.
• Silverers have the option to head to any location in Parabola directly from London. This saves clicks but not actions.

The Reflection of Your Laboratory

• Entering the Reflection of your Laboratory from the University Laboratory costs 100 honey for non- Silverers and 50 honey for Silverers. Silverers can also enter the Reflection of your Laboratory for free from their lodgings.
• The Reflection of your Laboratory is where you can efficiently gain Parabolan Research. Here, you can employ reflections of the people you hire in your normal lab. In Parabola, they take on forms that more closely mirror what they aspire to be. Rather than draw cards, you can instead simply play the available storylets. A weaker version of this is available in your lab on The Reflection of Research.
• It is usually more efficient to reenter Parabola than it is to use slower options on The Reflection of Research. The Numismatrix specifically will produce as much Parabolan Research in the The Reflection of Research card as she does in Parabola. However better options exists and this is usually one of the most frequent needs driving players to Parabola.
• Once you've discovered the Non-Existent Block in the Railway, you can come here to start special Red Science-related laboratory projects.

Parabolan Defences & Parabolan War

Early Parabola Content

Main article: Parabolan Hunting (Guide)

A player-created Guide is available for this content: Parabolan War (Guide)

Upgrading your Parabolan Defences is needed for some ambitions, the Parabolan War, and unlocks a fairly efficient Nightmares heal. It will also be required for Dangerous Gains later.

Once your Parabolan Defences are complete engaging in Parabolan War is done over multiple visits as Time, the Healer will reduce your Ravages of Parabolan Warfare once a week helping you begin new campaigns. See Parabolan War (Guide) for details.

The Viric Jungle

A player-created Guide is available for this content: Oneiropomp (Guide)

The Viric Jungle storylet Dreams: A Choice of Reverie allows you to Oneiropomp, or dream guide. This gives various rewards but is most notable for being the hands down best place to gain Comprehensive Bribe. Check out the guide for more details!

The Chessboard

A player-created Guide is available for this content: The Chessboard (Guide)

The Chessboard is the source for several chess related items you won't find other places. These items often aren't yet useful to players new to Parabolan but you will eventually come here to play chess. See the guide for the details!

The Waswood

A player-created Guide is available for this content: The Sacroboscan Calendar (Guide)

• Play through whatever event The Sacroboscan Calendar offers this week. This will take you through a shortened story of a past festival and can give past festival items not obtainable elsewhere. Some of these items are BIS or shared BIS items and they don't have any requirements except the Singed and Stained Work Gloves from the When you Find Yourself in a Hole, Keep Digging event which requires spending a T7 item on Building a Parabolan Device.
• Corrective Historical Narrative/ Revisionist Historical Narrative
  • A Mithridacy check can grant you either one, spending either 4 Identities Uncovered for the Corrective Historical Narrative or 4 Extraordinary Implications and 1 Incisive Observation for the Revisionist Historical Narrative.
  • Even though creating a Corrective Historical Narrative does not expend an Incisive Observation, it still requires you to have one to make.
• Reach Towards the Shore for various items.
• Wretched Mog
  • If you support the cats in the Parabolan War, you can find a Wretched Mog here for you. It can help you raise A Cub's Education at the Cat-controlled Dome of Scales.

The Dome of Scales

• Incisive Observations
  • Climbing at The Top of the Dome is a difficult Glasswork check that yields 5 Incisive Observations upon success, as well as a nominal amount of Jade that scales with Glasswork.
• With Fingerkings in the Dome of Scales (Default)
  • Incisive Observation
    • Offering the Storm-Bird to the Fingerkings requires a Storm-bird, but does not consume the bird and grants you 4-5 Incisive Observations.
  • Connected: Fingerkings
    • Having 7 Favours: Fingerkings allows you to trade them in along with one Parabolan Orange-apple for 1 Connected: Fingerkings, up to 8.
    • Connected: Fingerkings has multiple uses with the War in Parabola.
  • Grinding Shadowy
    • You can trade 4 Vitreous Almanacs for several hundred CP of Shadowy, raising the attribute by multiple levels.
      • 100 Sightings of a Parabolan Landmark (grinded from the Viric Jungle) can be turned into one Vitreous Almanac
      • Vitreous Almanacs can also be grinded in The Sunken Embassy
• With Cats in the Dome of Scales (siding with cats in the Parabolan War)
  • Glass Gazettes/ Extraordinary Implications
    • In the Dome of Scales, Becoming, you can raise A Cub's Education by introducing it to various feline items found throughout the game.
    • Before raising A Cub's Education to 6, you can Treat With The Kitten (checkless) to gain 1 Extraordinary Implication. After you raise A Cub's Education to 6, the storylet changes and you instead gain 1 Glass Gazette.
  • Favours: Fingerkings
    • With 5 Connected: Fingerkings, you can enter the Palatinate in the company of a Fingerking, gaining you one favour. If the Palatinate is Lost, there is no cost for doing this. If the Palatinate is Restored, doing so will set your Nightmares to 8.
  • Nicatorean Relic/ Unprovenanced Artefact
    • Entering the Palatinate Alone grants you one of these two items, the former if the Palatinate is Lost and the latter if it is Restored.
  • Favour: Her Roseate Splendour
    • Planting a Rose Garden in the Restored Palatinate allows you to trade your Vial of Queenly Attar for one of these favours. They currently have no use, and this loses your Vial of Queenly Attar, which you may have wanted to study for Kataleptic Toxicology.
  • Aeolian Screams
    • If you have a Storm-Bird, you can enter the Restored Palatinate with one in tow. This grants you one Aeolian Scream, checkless, and can serve as an easy way to get the Aeolian Screams necessary for Parabolan Orange-Apples.
  • Accessing this storylet requires specific actions during the Parabolan War, and as such it has its own methods for grinding Shadowy, raising Shadowy Gains, and gaining Glass Studies.
    • Grinding Shadowy
      • You can trade 450 Sightings of a Parabolan Landmark for several hundred CP of Shadowy, raising the attribute by multiple levels.
    • Glass Studies
      • You can trade 5 Baptised Rattus Faber Corpses to gain 1 level of Glass Studies, raising your maximum Glasswork to 6. Unlike the default Fingerking option, this method does require 5 base Glasswork.
      • With base Glasswork of 6, you can trade another 5 Baptised Rattus Faber Corpses and 1 Favour in High Places to gain another level of Glass Studies, raising your maximum Glasswork to 7.
• With the Red-Handed Queen in the Dome of Scales (siding with her in the War)
  • Well-Placed Pawns
    • With A Member of the Order of Those Who Will Not Be Caught Red-Handed from a previous Hallowmas, you can grind Well-Placed Pawns here.
  • Accessing this storylet requires specific actions during the Parabolan War, and as such it has its own methods for grinding Shadowy, raising Shadowy Gains, and raising Glass Studies (but you can't get your first level of Glass Studies from here!).
    • Grinding Shadowy
      • You can trade 20 Glass Gazettes for several hundred CP of Shadowy, raising the attribute by multiple levels.
        • Glass Gazettes can be acquired from a variety of sources, but as a baseline, 25 Sightings of a Parabolan Landmark can be turned into two Glass Gazettes
    • Glass Studies
      • With Glass Studies 1, you can trade 1 Queen Mate for Glass Studies 2, raising your maximum Glasswork to 7.