Time Passing at Hunter's Keep (Guide)

Early Zailing Content

Time Passing at Hunter's Keep Summary
Locked Limited-Length Activity
Setup				Progress				End
4 A				24+ A				2 A
Progress Details			Raise Time Passing Time Passing in the Southern Archipelago to 10. On subsequent cycles, starting actions can be disregarded.
Items Inputs/Outputs Inputs Whispered Hint Outputs Stone Tentacle-Key Compromising Document Journal of Infamy Appalling Secret Bottle of Strangling Willow Absinthe Tale of Terror!! Unusual Love Story Proscribed Material Map Scrap Implacable Detective's Business Card Whispered Hint Jade Fragment Nevercold Brass Sliver Shard of Glim Searing Enigma Lump of Lamplighter Beeswax Memory of Distant Shores Mystery of the Elder Continent Silk Scrap Cryptic Clue Vision of the Surface Scrap of Incendiary Gossip
Raw EPA						1.53

Hunter's Keep is located in Home Waters. It can be zailed to immediately upon obtaining a ship. The challenges are Persuasive and Watchful 110–125, plus a single Dangerous 120 option.

General

All actions on the island are part of a carousel, which uses Time Passing in the Southern Archipelago as a progress quality. The main object of the carousel is the Stone Tentacle-Key, which is needed for two of the Ambitions (Heart's Desire and Nemesis) and in Evolution. To obtain it, you will need to go through the carousel twice: the first time culminates in raising Hunter's Insight, which unlocks new options in the carousel the second time around, including those that lead to the key. You can have only one instance of the key at a time, so if you use it and want another, you'll have to come back.

Mechanically, the rewards aren't that great: the various carousel actions pay out in small quantities of common items, and the reward at the end of a cycle is 1 x Extraordinary Implication and 1 x Sudden Insight. It is more valuable from a storytelling perspective, as you spend your time on the island getting to know a mysterious trio of sisters and exploring their strange home.

It's worth noting that if your Nightmares or Wounds reach 8 while on the island, the following storylets autofire:

• What happened?: Wounds 8 and at least 3 Time Passing
• Where are you?: Nightmares 8 and at least 3 Time Passing

For Scandal and Suspicion, no special events occur at level 8.

Progress

Options marked with Hunter's Insight are unlocked after the first cycle of the carousel.

Landing at Hunter's Keep sets Time Passing to 1. The carousel proper begins at Time Passing 3, which is the point it resets to at the end of a cycle. For most actions, success advances Time Passing by +2 CP, failure by +1 CP.

Leaving Hunter's Keep is an option available at any time from Time Passing 1. Doing so will reset your progress on the carousel, removing both Time Passing and Hunter's Insight.

Time Passing 0–1: Arriving at Hunter's Keep

These stages only occur when you first arrive at Hunter's Keep, and do not repeat when the carousel loops.

No Time Passing

• Landing at Hunter's Keep

Time Passing exactly 1

Storylet	Option	Challenge	Success	Failure
Go up to the house	Knock at the door	111	11  +2	+1

Time Passing 1+

• Leaving Hunter's Keep

Time Passing 2–9: The island and the sisters

Once you've made your introductions at the house, you are able to look around the grounds.

Time Passing 2–6

Storylet	Option	Challenge	Success +2	Failure +1
Investigate the gardens	Explore that mysterious hollow	115	50  1  +1	+1
	Walk along the beach	117	2  +1	+1
Exploring the island	Walk around the garden for a while	110	2	+1
	Have a look in the boathouse	112	110	+2

At Time Passing 3, you get the chance to spend more time with the sisters and explore the house itself. Notably, you can reduce Nightmares here by talking to Phoebe.

Time Passing 3–6

Storylet	Option	Requirement	Challenge	Success +2	Failure +1
Take high tea with the ladies	Tell them about yourself	50	114	70  -50
Talk to Phoebe	Listen to her play the violin		115	2  +1  -1
	Listen to her sing	1	117	50  +1  -2	+1
Talk to Lucy	Talk to her		114	2  7  +1
	Ask her to take a stroll with you	1	116	116
Talk to Cynthia	Charm her		114	57  +1
	Swap stories with her	1  4	116	58
Look Around the House	What's on the ground floor?		112	2
	What's on the first floor?	1	113	2  +1	+1
	What's in the attic?		114	2  1	+1

Time Passing 7 brings opportunities to learn more about the sisters and their home. There are also options here for those Associating with a Youthful Naturalist (see the Evolution Guide) and those who've just begun seeking things they shouldn't. You can reduce Wounds by talking to Lucy, or by trying the food on cycles with Hunter's Insight.

Time Passing 7–9

Storylet	Option	Requirement	Challenge	Success +2	Failure +1
Dine with the ladies	Charm the ladies		122	2
	Try all the dishes	1	120	2  -2	+2  +1
Examine the books	Look for something significant		121	2  2  (Rare: 5 )	+1
	Search for a diary	1	122	2	+1
	Look for something cartographic	38  1	121	11 (Rare: 1 x )	+1
Look more closely at the well	Investigate		121	60
	Look directly into the well	3		+2 (max 6)  +2  +2
Find out more of Cynthia's story	Try to cheer her up		119	2  +1	+1
	Talk to her seriously	1	121	2  10	+1
Find out more of Phoebe's story	Look for her in the parlour		118	59	+2
	Look for her in the garden	1	120	2  10
Find out more of Lucy's story	Talk to her		118	2  -1
	Bring her a little gift	1	120	1  70	+1

Time Passing 9: The Stone Tentacle-Key

Finally, you get a chance to find out what's in the well.

Note that if you obtain the key one way or another, or if you Take your net to the well afterwards, Hunter's Insight resets, locking you out of the other options that open up at Time Passing 9. In this case, you'll only have access to the Time Passing 7–9 actions until you reach Time Passing 10.

Time Passing 9, with no Stone Tentacle-Key

Storylet	Option	Requirement	Challenge	Success	Failure
Prepare to look down the well	Equip yourself for a fishing expedition	1	123	70  30	+1
Go to the well	Fish in the well	1	120	1  reset	+1  +1
	What falls down the well?	1	120	100  1  reset  +2	+2  +1

Time Passing 9, with a Stone Tentacle-Key

Storylet	Option	Requirement	Challenge	Success	Failure
Prepare to find out what the well has to offer	Prepare yourself	1	123	2
Take your net to the well	Trust Cynthia's advice	1	125	1000 (Rare: 1  +40  +2 ), reset	+2

Time Passing 10–13: Denouement

You join the sisters for a game of charades. What you guess determines which ending you get for this cycle of the carousel; the rewards are nearly identical, but each one reveals something about one of the sisters.

Time Passing exactly 10

• A game of charades
  • The three Graces?: set to 11 , +5 CP , +3 CP (up to 10) 
  • The Furies?: set to 12 , +5 CP , +1 CP , +3 CP (up to 10) 
  • The faces of Hecate?: set to 13 , +5 CP , +3 CP (up to 10) 

Time Passing exactly 11

• Lucy finishes her story
  • Gather round the piano 123 
    • Success: set to 3 , set to 1 , 1 (up to 21) , 1 
    • Failure: 2 

Time Passing exactly 12

• Cynthia finishes her story
  • Take part in the chorus: set to 3 , set to 1 , 1 (up to 21) , 1 

Time Passing exactly 13

• Phoebe finishes her story
  • Join the sisters in the herb-garden 123 
    • Success: set to 3 , set to 1 , 1 (up to 21) , 1 , +1 CP 
    • Failure: +1 CP 

You can leave the island as soon as you have the Stone Tentacle-Key, or stick around to hear the rest of the sisters' stories. If you lose your key and want another, you can get a replacement on a future trip to Hunter's Keep.