Editing The High Sancta (Guide)

{{GuideFor|Location=The High Sancta|Pages=The High Sancta#Violant Sights#Sneaking into the High Sancta#Counterlight#Counterlight Source#Impressions in Violant#Towards a Violant Sky#Blindfolded, For Your Own Good#Wings of Change#The Vulgate's Wings}}
{{Audience|EarlyFirmament|Evergreen=true}}
[[File:violantgate.png|right]]
{{ActivitySummary
|Activity=The High Sancta
|Length=Variable
|Starting Actions=1
|Progress Actions=1
|Ending Actions=2
|Progress Details=Play cards to raise {{IL|Towards a Violant Sky}} to 12 while passing {{IL|Counterlight}} challenges.
|Output Items=
{{IL|Memory of a Much Stranger Self}}
|Raw EPA = 9.13
}}

==How to unlock==
Though [[The High Sancta]] is accessible as part of the {{IL|Firmament}} storyline, the action cost and exact mechanics are slightly different. This guide focuses on the repeatable activity.

Access to [[The High Sancta]] is in [[Zenith]], unlocked with {{IL|Firmament}} 300. The storylet [[Sneaking into the High Sancta]] begins this activity.

==Progress==
From [[Sneaking into the High Sancta]], there is a resource cost of {{e}}30 that can be paid with {{IL|Anticandle|12 x}}, {{IL|Memory of Light|60 x}}, or {{IL|Khaganian Lightbulb|300 x}}. While not all of this is necessarily consumed by the activity, it is staked. Note that [[Shield yourself with Memories of Light]] also requires {{IL|Irrigo}} to play.

These options set the hidden quality {{IL|Counterlight Source}} to 1, 2, or 3 respectively for changes to the text. They also set {{IL|Counterlight}} to 100 and redirects to [[The Violant Threshold]]. This sets {{IL|Towards a Violant Sky}} and {{IL|Blindfolded, For Your Own Good}} to 1.

The activity enters a two step cycle, controlled by {{IL|Blindfolded, For Your Own Good}}.

When {{IL|Blindfolded, For Your Own Good}} is 1, the player draws 3 cards. The drawn cards come from three pools based on {{IL|Towards a Violant Sky}}. Each card gives a {{e}}12.50 in items and {{IL|Impressions in Violant}} equal to 850 + 100 x {{IL|Towards a Violant Sky}}. This changes {{IL|Blindfolded, For Your Own Good}} to 2 and clears the hand.

When {{IL|Blindfolded, For Your Own Good}} is 2, the player again draws 3 cards, though they are each identical copies of [[Lost in the Black]], and the only option is [[Stumble onwards (3)|Stumble onwards]]. The odds of success are equal to the current value of {{IL|Counterlight}}. On success, {{IL|Blindfolded, For Your Own Good}} is lowered to 1, the hand is cleared, and there is some chance of losing {{IL|Counterlight|5 x}}. On success or failure, the player loses resources based on {{IL|Counterlight Source}}: either {{IL|Anticandle|1 x}}, {{IL|Memory of Light|5 x}}, or {{IL|Khaganian Lightbulb|25 x}}.

On failure, the player is returned to [[Zenith]] via [[Reporting to the Illuminated Archivist]]. This gives {{IL|Wings of Change}} (see [[#Wings of Change|Wings of Change]] for details).

After 12 cycles, the player is forced to leave. Alternatively, if a player wishes, they can leave through [[Leaving the High Sancta]] at any time. Leaving in any way gives the quality {{IL|Violant Sights}} which locks the activity until [[Time, the Healer]] comes around.

==Wings of Change==
{{IL|Wings of Change}} is the cost of involuntarily leaving when failing the {{IL|Counterlight}} challenge on [[Lost in the Black]]. This is a [[Burden]] that raises {{IL|Wounds}}, {{IL|Scandal}}, {{IL|Suspicion}}, and {{IL|Nightmares}} gain. It adds a card called [[The Sound of Wings]] to several locations.

It can be [[Confront it (Nadir)|removed]] in the [[Cave of the Nadir]] for {{e}}25 of items.

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed article-table"
!Card
!Option
!Challenge
!Success
!Failure
|-
|{{IL|The Sound of Wings (Nadir)}}
|{{IL|Confront it (Nadir)|Appearance=Confront it}}
|
|{{IL|Irrigo|2 x}}<br>{{IL|Wings of Change|-1 x}}<br>{{IL|Memory of a Much Stranger Self|1 x}}<br>{{IL|Caustic Apocryphon|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|The Sound of Wings (The Fifth City)}}
|{{IL|Run! (The Sound of Wings)|Appearance=Run!}}
|{{IL|Dangerous|180}}
|{{IL|Memory of a Much Lesser Self|1 x}}<br>{{IL|Tale of Terror!!|4 x}}<br>{{IL|Nightmares|+4 CP}}
|?
|-
|{{IL|The Sound of Wings (Upper River)}}
|{{IL|Flee (The Sound of Wings)|Appearance=Flee}}
|?
|?
|?
|-
|{{IL|The Sound of Wings (Tracklayers' City)}}
|{{IL|Make a run for it}}
|{{IL|Shadowy|120}}<br>{{IL|Neathproofed|2}}
|{{IL|Memory of a Much Lesser Self|1 x}}<br>{{IL|Rumour of the Upper River|1 x}}<br>{{IL|Map Scrap|5 x}}<br>{{IL|Nightmares|+4 CP}}
|?
|-
|{{IL|The Sound of Wings (Unterzee)}}
|{{IL|Full power to the engines!}}
|{{IL|Zeefaring|7}}
|{{IL|Royal-Blue Feather|6 x}}<br>{{IL|Aeolian Scream|1 x}}<br>{{IL|Wounds|+4 CP}}
|?
|-
|{{IL|The Sound of Wings (The Stacks)}}
|{{IL|Hide (The Sound of Wings)|Appearance=Hide}}
|{{IL|Shadowy|250}} + {{IL|Insubstantial|10 x}}
|{{IL|Nightmares|+2 CP}}<br>{{IL|Perusing the Stacks|5 x}}<br>or<br>{{IL|Finding the Centre|5 x}}
|{{IL|Nightmares|+2 CP}}<br>{{IL|Noises in the Library|+6 CP}}<br>{{IL|Perusing the Stacks|1 x}}<br>or<br>{{IL|Finding the Centre|1 x}}
|-
|}


==Cards==
Cards are grouped by the required {{IL|Towards a Violant Sky}} to draw them. There are 9 playable cards in each group.

===Towards a Violant Sky 1-4===
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed article-table"
!Card
!Reward
!Notes
|-
|{{IL|Bleeding In|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Unprovenanced Artefact|1 x}}<br>{{IL|Extraordinary Implication|2 x}}<br>{{IL|An Identity Uncovered!|2 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Borrowed Scripts|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Caustic Apocryphon|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Drowsy Exile|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Bazaar Permit|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|First and Last|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Blackmail Material|1 x}}
|Requires {{IL|Family and Law}} 300-350
|-
|{{IL|Laws Unwritten|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Nevercold Brass Sliver|1250 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Lost Cheer|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Blackmail Material|1 x}}
|Requires {{IL|Family and Law}} exactly 300 or 400
|-
|{{IL|Molten Forests|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Emetic Revelation|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Pungent Sorrows|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Puzzle-Damask Scrap|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Statuary|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Touching Love Story|5 x}}
|Requires {{IL|A Finder of Heiresses}}
|-
|{{IL|Stolen Marble|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Memory of Distant Shores|25 x}}
|
|-
|}

===Towards a Violant Sky 5-8===
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed article-table"
!Card
!Reward
!Notes
|-
|{{IL|Chained|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Unlawful Device|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Consortion|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Scrap of Incendiary Gossip|25 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Coronation|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Nodule of Trembling Amber|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Scarred Memories|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Skyglass Knife|1 x}}<br>{{IL|Appalling Secret|62 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Undying Wish|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|An Identity Uncovered!|1 x}}<br>{{IL|Mystery of the Elder Continent|20 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Unsigned in Triplicate|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Infernal Contract|63 x}}
|This card has a reward of {{e}}12.60.
|-
|{{IL|Velvet Dark|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Hillmover|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Void's Breath|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Relic of the Second City|80 x}}<br>{{IL|Bone Fragments|50 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Waning|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Memory of Moonlight|1 x}}
|
|-
|}

===Towards a Violant Sky 9-12===
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed article-table"
!Card
!Reward
!Notes
|-
|{{IL|Black Ice|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Magnificent Diamond|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Discarded Hearts|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Ostentatious Diamond|25 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Drowned Wars|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Tempestuous Tale|12 x}}<br>{{IL|Zee-Ztory|13 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Hands and Blades|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Relic of the Fifth City|5 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Love and Tombstones|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Silent Soul|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Months Passing|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Mourning Candle|5 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Reliquaries|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Cave-Aged Code of Honour|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Rescued Hungers|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Sausage About Which No One Complains|1 x}}
|
|-
|{{IL|Sloughing|Size=90px}}
|{{IL|Justificande Coin|5 x}}
|
|-
|}

==Analysis==
Each card played when {{IL|Blindfolded, For Your Own Good}} is 1 gives and an amount of {{IL|Impressions in Violant}} proportional to {{IL|Towards a Violant Sky}}. This pays out in {{IL|Memory of a Much Stranger Self}} when leaving according to the integer division of {{IL|Impressions in Violant}} / 1250. As a table:

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed article-table"
!{{IL|Towards a Violant Sky|Appearance=Sky}}
!{{IL|Memory of a Much Stranger Self|Appearance=Self}}
|-
|1
|0
|-
|2
|1
|-
|3
|2
|-
|4
|3
|-
|5
|4
|-
|6
|5
|-
|7
|7
|-
|8
|8
|-
|9
|9
|-
|10
|11
|-
|11
|12
|-
|12
|14
|-
|}

===Average===
Assuming that the odds of losing 5 {{IL|Counterlight}} on [[Lost in the Black]] is 50%, we can construct a table of the probability of progressing to a given value of {{IL|Towards a Violant Sky}} (not counting actions to leave):

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed article-table"
!Probability
!{{IL|Towards a Violant Sky|Appearance=Sky}}
!Total Actions
!{{e}} Payout
|-
|1
|2
|4
|{{e}}32.50
|-
|0.975
|3
|6
|{{e}}55.00
|-
|0.9263
|4
|8
|{{e}}77.5
|-
|0.8568
|5
|10
|{{e}}100
|-
|0.7711
|6
|12
|{{e}}122.50
|-
|0.6747
|7
|14
|{{e}}157.50
|-
|0.5735
|8
|16
|{{e}}180.00
|-
|0.4731
|9
|18
|{{e}}202.50
|-
|0.3785
|10
|20
|{{e}}225.00
|-
|0.2933
|11
|22
|{{e}}247.50
|-
|0.22
|12
|24
|{{e}}295.00
|-
|}

Crunching the numbers from this table, this suggests an expected profit of {{e}}128.68 in 12.096 actions. Counting two more actions to return to [[Zenith]], this gives 9.13 EPA.

Unless there is a need to slim cards from the deck or avoid menace gain, many {{IL|Wings of Change}} cards can be profitable, and it can be removed in the Nadir to gain {{e}}25. This is not factored into the EPA because accounting for the Nadir is beyond the scope of this guide.

===Optimum===
The optimum run of this activity is to successfully raise {{IL|Towards a Violant Sky}} to 12. It takes 1 action to start, then playing 12 of any card followed by [[Lost in the Black]]. Afterwards it takes 1 action to play [[Tell him of the Apocrypha you witnessed]]. This adds up to 26 actions.

Each card gives {{e}}12.50 with the exception of [[Unsigned in Triplicate]] which gives {{e}}12.60. [[Unsigned in Triplicate]] can be played at most 4 times and any other cards 8 times for {{e}}150.40. {{IL|Memory of a Much Stranger Self|14 x}} are given for full completion. A cost of {{e}}30 is spent to progress through [[Lost in the Black]] 12 times. This is a max profit of {{e}}295.40 for a final 11.36 EPA.

[[Category:Guides]]