These Opportunity Cards will not appear unless your Shadowy quality reaches a certain level. They generally challenge the Shadowy quality but some have options which test other Qualities. The links below will jump to the section of the page describing Cards which unlock at that level of Shadowy Quality.
Cards which unlock between 0 and 9
Have you a handkerchief? (Std)
That urchin gang is small, but is doing a roaring trade stealing handkerchiefs. Where do they hide them?
Outwitting a ten-year-old
It surely can’t be difficult to follow an urchin back to their stash house?
_  Shadowy challenge (5% per point) |
Well, they need a good wash, but…
Shadowy increase
Gain: 12 x Silk Scrap
Nobody mentioned spiders!
Shadowy increase
Feasting on the remains (Std)
She should never have stolen from devils. She’s very dead indeed now, but what happens to her things?
[Unlocked with Shadowy no more than 27]
A thief’s legacy
Fast Hetty was good, but not good enough to steal from Hell. Her ruined corpse has been left in a public park, and if you’re quick there might be something good left on it.
| _ Shadowy challenge |
First among equals
Shadowy increase
Varying rewards ~11pp
A lucky find!
Shadowy increase
1 x Cutpurse's Mittens
Stripped to the bone
Shadowy increase
Picking pockets: an easy mark
The rat-catcher is hardly a choice mark, but he’s distracted and those pockets do bulge intriguingly.
Quietly does it
A swift grab and you’ll be away into the street.
(Shadowy challenge; low-risk at 17)
How profoundly unimaginative of him
Your mark’s pockets were full. Full of rats. Still, it was good practice, and there’s probably enough fresh meat here for a decent stew or to turn in for a few Echoes' reward.
Shadowy increase
12 x Rat on a String
Dragsman's work (Std)
A hansom-cab driver sits yawning on his seat, turning his head now and then to watch well-dressed couples sauntering by.
Sneak up and cut the straps on the baggage
The baggage on the back of the cab is bulging temptingly over the street. You could grab whatever's there and be away in moments!
| _ Shadowy challenge |
Success!
You slice through the straps in one blow and are off down the street with your spoils! What do they have in their bags?
Shadowy increase
Gain: 2 x Silk Scrap
Sneak up and push the cab-driver off the seat! Steal the cab!
That horse doesn't look very biddable, though.
| _ Shadowy challenge (3.2% per point) |
A difficult conversation
Shadowy increase
A raid on the Observatory (Std)
One of your associates has set up a nice little job for you. A raid on the Watchmaker's Hill Observatory! The staff will be at a ceremony, or a rite. Something like that.
[Unlocked with Shadowy 4-20]
Wait until the procession leaves. Scale the walls.
Let's see what they've forgotten to lock away.
| _ Shadowy challenge (8.5% per point) |
In and out. Nice and soft.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 26 x Silk Scrap
Infiltrate the Observatory as the procession is getting ready
People going in and out, doors open, valuables left lying about. Too tempting to resist.
| _ Shadowy challenge (6% per point) |
Shadowy increase
Gain: 12x Nevercold Brass Silver, 12x Glim, 12x Deep Amber
A stray consignment of souls
You've heard that a spirifer - a smuggler of souls - will be down on the river tonight, selling his wares to the men with the horns. You might be able to snaffle a box or two.
Unlocked with Shadowy 9
Listen to their conversation
Secrets are almost as good as souls.
(Shadowy challenge, Straightforward at 23)
All ears
You slip into the water as quietly as you can and float towards the stern of the spirifer's boat, barely moving. You hear him joking with the devil. They're talking about a verger who caught someone: the soul of that someone is in the boat. They go on to discuss further meetings - someone will pay for that information.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 9 x Whispered Secret
Sneak in and make away with something while they haggle
Stealing from Hell? You're a brave one.
(Shadowy challenge, Straightforward at 29)
Carefully now…
You slip into the water as quietly as you can and float towards the stern of the spirifer's boat, barely moving. As you drift past, you snag a box of souls with a length of cable and a hook. Back on shore, you heave at the cable until the box falls into the water. The devil and the spirifer hear the splash and turn to stare into the darkness, but even devil's eyes can't pierce the darkness of the river. You haul in your spoils and steal away.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 12 x Souls
Daring increase
No luck
The moonish light's too bright tonight for you to get close enough.
Shadowy increase
Losing the evidence (Std)
Evidence for the trial of a blackmailer is being transported across town. He wants you to ensure it does not arrive.
[Unlocked with Shadowy 9-39]
Grab a briefcase as the carriage passes
It might have some of the notes in, which will at least help your client's defence in court.
| _ Shadowy challenge (6% per point) |
It will help
The contents of the briefcase mainly concern some complex affair of embezzlement. There are a few pieces that mention your client, however. You have helped, if only a little. You are paid, if only a little.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 9 x Jade Fragment
Connected: Criminals increase
Not the briefcase you are looking for
Shadowy increase
The vehicle of law
The carriage is well guarded, and the chest with the incriminating notes will not be easy to obtain.
| _ Shadowy challenge (2.5% per point) |
Cards which unlock between 10 and 19
Cards which unlock between 20 and 29
Help a spy distract an inconvenient tail (Std)
An acquaintance whom you're sure dabbles in the Great Game needs to do some business without being watched.
[Unlocked with Shadowy 21-51]
Lead her tail a merry chase
With a precise air of professional nonchalance you take her folded copy of The Magazine Formerly Known as The London Magazine, and head into the street.
| _ Shadowy challenge (2.8% per point) |
Whoever they are, they're good.
Shadowy increase
Offer to go instead of her
Deliver a package to a man eating candied mushrooms by the pond in Tyrant's Gardens. And don't get followed.
| _ Shadowy challenge (1.6% per point) |
Perhaps there is a career in this
Shadowy increase
Gain: 36 x Jade Fragment
Stark villainy [Standard]
There are whispers that an assassin is needed. Stealth and poison are called for. Are you willing to be a murderer?
Unlocked with Shadowy 21-51
Murder as warning
The assignment is simple enough. A journalist has said too much, and someone wealthy would like him to be murdered. He’ll get better, obviously, but it will serve as a warning.
| _ Shadowy challenge (2.85% per point) |
Poisoned and penning
The fellow takes his dinner at a…
Shadowy increase
Murder for love
In a manner of speaking. A society lady wishes her rival in romance to be indisposed for a crucial salon. Poison is called for.
| _ Shadowy challenge (1.6% per point) |
Inconveniently suspicious
Shadowy increase
Fate of urchins.
You happen across an alley where street children have been rounded up and are being attacked by a gang of hired thugs.
Unlocked with Shadowy 21
Leap in.
You've done some unsavoury things, but this is too much. The thugs are distracted, so an ambush is in order.
(Shadowy challenge; modest at 38)
The fury of the streets.
The moans of the street children cover the sounds of your approach. You pull a scarf over your face and leap down off a rooftop on to the villains. Your ambush catches them off guard, and soon they are fleeing and cursing you. A few of the urchins are in a condition to speak. They explain that they're a small gang but they refused to spy for one of the dockside crime syndicates. Attacking children! This is too much. You vow to end this particular brand of villainy and exact revenge upon these scoundrels.
(
Shadowy challenge)
Shadowy increase
A twist in your tale! You are now
exacting the Urchins' Vengeance.
Connected: Urchins increase
None of my concern
This is the work of honest criminals. On the other hand, there might be some hush money in it.
The ever-present and invisible servantry
A wealthy family lives near you, and you have struck up an acquantanceship with a maidservant who is somehow involved with political intrigue. She asks a favour.
Unlocked with Shadowy 21
Skullduggery above stairs
The maid needs a sealed document from the master’s private study, but only the butler is allowed there. Could you impersonate him?
(Shadowy challenge; modest at 23)
Dusting the study
Your disguise as the butler isn't perfect, but your maid friend assures you that servants are hardly ever noticed in the grand houses. She’s right – nobody pays you the slightest attention as you stride calmly to the locked study, pick the lock in an unobserved moment and make your way back below stairs. Once the maid reads the document, she allows you to keep it and hurries off to make a report.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 18 x Cryptic Clue
Connected: the Great Game increase
The rake's honey-pot
The young master has something of a taste for prisoner's honey. His family doesn't know, but the servants do. It is supposedly well hidden, but for a thief of your water…
(Shadowy challenge; modest at 38)
Well hidden, my eye!
You imagine that the young master's honey-dreams must be very dull. Anyone who would hide their honey-pot behind the chutneys in the pantry cannot have a poet's imagination. Still, the jar is yours and there is a decent amount left after the maidservant takes her share.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 18 x Drop of Prisoner's Honey.
Next time keep your mouth closed
You encounter no difficulties in acquiring the jar hidden behind the chutneys in the pantry. However, your maidservant friend has been somewhat indiscreet and you are confronted with a gang of servants who want to sample the honey. There isn't enough to go around, and by the time the jar returns to you it is empty.
Shadowy increase
Romance and practicality (Std)
An acquaintance of yours is smitten. Again. The fellow changes the object of his endless affections weekly. There's a problem, though.
[Unlocked with Shadowy 21]
Read his journal
Not the most comradely thing to do, but secrets are secrets. There are no doubt many in that little book.
| _ Shadowy challenge (2.8% per point) |
A racy read
Shadowy increase
21 x Whispered Secret
'I am undone!'
Your friend's last-but-two paramour still has one of his love letters and is threatening to make it public. The thought mortifies him and he begs you to get it back.
| _ Shadowy challenge (1.6% per point) |
Theft in a moderately good cause
Shadowy increase
36 x Whispered Secret
Well that was hardly sporting
Shadowy increase
The simple joys of villainy (Std)
That warehouse near the river doesn't seem to be well watched at night. A gentleman of fortune might help himself to whatever is inside.
[Unlocked with Shadowy 21-51]
Soft soles and a mask
On inspection, the place seems worth turning over. You’re not sure what's in the crates, but you are sure you can sell it.
| _ Shadowy challenge (2.8% per point) |
A profitable night
Shadowy increase
Gain: 21 x Lamplighter Beeswax
One small box
Shadowy increase
Gain: 4 x Amanita Sherry
Hire some help and strip the place bare
You know a few likely fellows who would assist with such a venture. This could be your entry to the bigger jobs.
| _ Shadowy challenge (1.6% per point) |
Is crime always this easy?
Shadowy increase
Gain: 36 x Lamplighter Beeswax
Cards which unlock between 30 and 39
2000 Foxfire Candles wanted! Will pay handsomely! (Standard)
A deacon at the Cathedral of St Fiacre needs 2000 Foxfire Candles to replace those eaten by rats, and is prepared to offer 2000 donated Red Gold, and future favours, in exchange. Making this exchange will increase your Connected: The Church.
Unlocked with Shadowy 30
[You must be in Spite to draw this card.]
Make the exchange
Exchange 2000 Foxfire Candles for 2000 Rostygold.
[Unlocked with 2000 x Foxfire Candle Stub]
Why do they really need all those candles?
Make the exchange…and then follow the deacon with his burden.
| _ Shadowy challenge |
[Unlocked with 2000 x Foxfire Candle Stub]
Eavesdrop on a meeting of cats
Cats are gathering on a rooftop. What are they up to?
Unlocked with Shadowy 33
Silent like a, well, you know…
Sneaking up on cats is hardly easy, and the rooftop is precarious.
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 53)
Crouching on the guttering
It's cramped and uncomfortable hanging precariously under the guttering, but you do manage to get a good long listen to the feline meeting. What did you expect? They preen, they boast, they hiss and they gossip. No single detail is especially valuable, but there's a lot of interesting snippets before your arms get too tired to hang on further.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 33 x Whispered Secret
Let us not speak of this again
That didn't happen. You didn't slip and end up dangling from a cornice. Cats didn't mock you for your efforts. A large ginger certainly didn't sit on your head as your feet flailed. Nothing happened at all.
Shadowy increase
Sit with them and share secrets
An exchange could be profitable, but cats are particularly fussy about their human company.
Unlocked with Cryptic Clue 20
(Shadowy challenge; modest at 49)
Speaking with cats
A hundred yellow eyes regard you impassively. You crouch down by a stone lion and recite secrets. A few of the cats slink over to listen. An hour passes. The cats share their secrets with each other, and you hear this and that. You get the impression that you are tolerated rather than liked. But you do learn some useful things.
Shadowy increase
Gain: Cryptic Clue x 24
Not the correct sort of human
A hundred yellow eyes regard you with feline contempt. As one, the cats stand and slink off. You are alone on the rooftop.
Shadowy increase
Drown an informant
She has gone to the Constables, so she must be silenced.
[Unlocked with Shadowy 33]
Offer a less lethal solution
Perhaps she doesn't have to die. You could tell her to run and perhaps earn some money in the process.
A challenge for your Shadowy quality. [chancy at 33, straightforward at 44]
Already starting to run
You do not have to tell her twice. The informer is on her way out of the Neath. She buys your silence with a little of the red gold given to her by the Constables. She speaks of an estranged husband on the surface. A potential future under the sky. You do not see her again.
Shadowy increase
Subtle increase
Gain: 33 x Rostygold
Too late to save her
You are approaching the meeting place on a bridge when you see two zailors lunge and push her over the railings and into the river. From the grey waters rises a chorus of tuneless, triumphant song.
Shadowy increase
Drown her beneath oily grey waters
She has to go near the river at some point. The Drownies can have her.
A challenge for your Shadowy quality. [straightforward at 53]
A quiet word, a quick shove
You fabricate a story about being ready to come to the Constables yourself and arrange a meeting at a bench near the river. She is halfway though a monologue concerning civic duty and the hope of a better life when you push her unceremoniously into the waters. You walk away, shuddering as you think you catch a snatch of cold, tuneless song.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 200 x Rostygold
Connected: Criminals decrease [~60 cp]
Ruthless increase
Smuggle glim across town
Mr Stones demands his due of the glim trade. There are those that would deny him.
Unlocked with Shadowy 33
A lack of entanglements
The Gracious Widow expects a glim shipment and no official interference. Can you oblige her?
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 53)
Through the back streets
You know that the Constables are watching the glim claims near the Unterzee, and you arrange for a shabby hansom with muffled wheels to distract most of them when you receive the small chest of glim. You spend a fraught few hours in the back streets dodging the remainder and working your way toward the river. You lose most of them quickly, but one dogged fellow trails you endlessly. You finally lose him in the markets of Spite and deliver your valuable cargo as agreed. The Gracious Widow lives up to her name and you are handed your cut as agreed.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 33 x Glim
Connected: The Orient increase
Where do they get these detectives?
You know that the Constables are watching the glim claims near the Unterzee, and you arrange for a shabby hansom with muffled wheels to distract most of them when you receive the small chest of glim. You spend a fraught few hours in the back streets dodging the remainder and working your way toward the river. You lose most of them quickly, but one dogged fellow trails you endlessly. It seems he knows the back streets of Spite as well as you, and you are forced to take a very long diversion to lose him. The boat you were to meet has long since gone when you arrive at the quayside, and your employer is not pleased.
Shadowy increase
Cheat the Widow
How is she to know that it was you rather than the Constables that made off with her glim?
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 53)
Tell the Widow a pack of lies
'Tell the Widow that she has a traitor in her organisation. The Constables knew we were taking the merchandise across that bridge, and there were detectives following me from the beginning. The informer must have been someone from the ship. I don't know what happened to the shipment. The Constables probably have it…'
Shadowy increase
48 x Glim
Connected: The Orient decrease
Cards which unlock between 40 and 49
The Ways of the Flit
Swaying ropes above the streets. A home to beggars, revolutionaries and the forgotten people of London.
Unlocked with Shadowy 40
A trip to the Flit
A Raggedy Man, one of the Flit's beggars, will show you around if you bring something for the stew.
Unlocked with 20 x Rat on a String
Off you go
The Raggedy Man keeps an eye on the rat-sack as you climb. Twice he warns you against dropping it. The Flit is a hungry place.
[You're heading to The Flit. When you leave, you won't be able to return unless you open up the route at your lodgings or find another Raggedy Man like this one. The Flit is most interesting for those who have Shadowy 60+.]
You've moved to a new area:
The Flit
Lose: 20 x Rat on a String
Shadowy increase
An old street sign
When London was kneaded into its new form, the Masters declared the old street signs contraband. They say you can still find them in the Flit if you're quick and lucky. Fancy a climb?
Unlocked with Route: The Flit 1
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 69)
Quick and lucky and wise
Even the Raggedy Men have stopped looking for street signs. But you know better. Your prize is two hundred feet above ground, nailed to a factory chimney and black with soot.
You've moved to a new area:
The Flit
Gain: 1 x London Street Sign
Shadowy increase
A secret road
That ladder leads to a rooftop with a dangling, knotted rope. Higher up, a few bricks have been removed in that chimney, for hand-holds. Is that a secret way into the Flit? [This will open up permanent access to the Flit.]
Requires 3 Fate
Fate-locked content must not be placed on the wiki, per the developers.
A night on the tiles
A Disgraced Epicurean has scrawled invitations on several of the chimney stacks: 'Drinks. Eight o'clock, above Charley Square. Bring a bottle of the finest.'
Unlocked with Shadowy 45
A bottle of the '82
Why waste a better vintage on this ne'er-do-well?
Unlocked with 1 x Greyfields 1882
Just a drop
A motley collection of vagabonds gather on the rooftops. Two bruisers bar your way as you try to join the surprisingly elegant crowd. You proffer your bottle. One uncorks it with his teeth and takes a swig. The expression on his face says it all. Moments later, you're tumbling to the street below.
You've moved to a new area: Watchmaker's Hill
Lose: 1 x Greyfields 1882
Wounds increase
A bottle of the '68
When it comes to wine, there's nothing finer.
Unlocked with 1 x Greyfields 1868 First Sporing
Two bruisers bar your way, but grunt appreciatively as you show the label on your bottle. You pass through to the party proper. Few of the partygoers are what they seem. Flashes of fine silk or velvet under the rags; a scent of Eau de Champignon. Isn't that really Lady ——? And the Magistrate? Wine flows, words flow, and you learn many interesting things.
Gain: 5 x Intriguing Gossip
Lose: 1 x Greyfields 1868 First Sporing
Bluff your way in
There's no need for a bottle when you can rely on others to provide.
Gift of the Gab
Two bruisers bar your way as you try to join the party. You explain, at length, why it’s not necessary for you to bring a bottle. Moments later, you’re tumbling to the streets below. You pull yourself out of a pile of refuse. Something has stuck to your shoe. It’s a torn piece of cardboard with a picture of a smiling child on it.
You've moved to a new area:
Veilgarden
An occurrence! Your
Playing with Broken Toys quality is now 1!
Wounds increase
[1 change point]
Sneak in
Who'd pass up the chance of a free drink?
(Shadowy challenge)
In rags and in tags
A motley collection of vagabonds gather on the rooftops. You join them from the shadows and mingle, a pilfered glass of excellent wine in your hand. Few of the partygoers are what they seem. Flashes of fine silk or velvet under the rags; a scent of Eau de Champignon. Isn't that really Lady ——? And the Magistrate? Wine flows, words flow, and you learn many interesting things.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 3 x Intriguing Gossip
Rob a Brass Embassy courier
There has to be something good in that briefcase.
Unlocked with Shadowy 45 and no more than Shadowy 75
Subtlety at the grill
This Hungry Courier likes to stop at Dante's Grill for lunch. It will take stealth and daring to swap briefcases there.
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 65)
A smooth switch
You hope this is worth it….
Shadowy increase
Gain: 15 x Proscribed Text
Rob a library at the University
A Shadowy Revolutionary wants a book from the university. Where's the harm in that?
Unlocked with Shadowy 45 and no more than Shadowy 75
Into the library with sack and jemmy
How hard can robbing a library be?
_ challenge
Something has rattled them
So, the Shadowy Revolutionary wants….
Shadowy increase
Work the carnival
Mrs. Plenty's Most Distracting Carnival is a joy to behold, especially if you're a pickpocket.
[Unlocked with Shadowy 45-75]
Candied mushrooms and dipping
It is time to flex your fingers and see what you can get from the most distracted crowds.
(Shadowy challenge)
Little horse heads
It seems that the carnival folk are doing a good trade in selling relics of the fourth city as good luck charms. Bizarrely, a few of these are the real thing…
Shadowy increase
Gain: 12 x
Relic of the Fourth City
They look so real!
It seems that the carnival folk are doing a good trade in selling relics of the fourth city as good luck charms. Sadly, almost all are fakes…
Shadowy increase
As silent as the grave?
Heartscross Cemetery is a strange place. There's not many graveyards whose population shifts so rapidly in both directions, after all. You often take pleasure in wandering its lonely, winding paths. With one eye open for possible hiding places. Death can make people a little careless of their possessions.
Unlocked with Shadowy 45
Fresh fungi for her grave
It's morbid, but these lavish wreaths have a tidy resale value. Can you reach that particularly gorgeous one up there? Careful. That obelisk looks a bit slippery in this fog.
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 55)
Got it!
You rearrange the mushrooms into a less funereal bouquet and sell it to an errant husband. He is pathetically grateful.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 45 x Foxfire candle
Go for a little wander
This particular evening, you come upon a crumbling little mausoleum that you are sure you have never seen before. The door seems to be ajar. Do you dare to look inside?
Unlocked with Shadowy 55
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 65)
Bravery wins out
The door gives a satisfyingly sinister creak. Shivers run down your spine, but the sight of a sarcophagus with its lid askew is far too tempting to ignore. And your foolhardiness is rewarded. A tidy little cache lies within. Let us not think too carefully about whom it may have belonged to.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 13 x Relic of the Fourth City
There's a reason the door is ajar.
Well, the spiders need to be able to get in and out somehow, don't they? You get a nasty scare when one drops into your hair, and nothing can tempt you back into that eery little tomb.
Shadowy increase
A ring of stone angels
Armour-clad and stormy faced, they stand half-visible behind a thicket of black, somehow thorny looking fungus. What are they guarding? Go on. Have a look.
Unlocked with Shadowy 60
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 75)
Become one with the shadows
You drift past a raised stone sword under the cover of a wisp of fog. And find treasure! These grave-goods look old. Old and valuable.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 5 x Relic of the Second City
Cards which unlock between 50 and 59
A knight of the underworld
An Elegant Villain goes to the gallows today, and for the last time. You should pay your respects.
Unlocked with Shadowy 57
Not entirely out of respect
There is the matter of the gemstones he is supposed to have hidden somewhere. Perhaps you can get close enough to find out where.
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 77)
The last drink
You arrange matters so that it is you who presents the condemned man with his final drink. As he drains the tankard you see a tattoo on his wrist. You know that one: it's a map! He gives you a wink and tells you that he'll be seeing you. You hope not. The gemstones are in Tyrant's Gardens as his map indicated. There's a note in the hoard asking you to share them with his mistress.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 4 x Flawed Diamond
Gain: 6 x Ostentatious Diamond
Connected: Criminals decrease
More than 10, less than 50
A press of respectful villains
The Constables know that many of the underworld's finest are here, and you don't get within twenty paces of the condemned man. You even see the Constables writing down names and recording descriptions of the crowd.
Shadowy increase
Suspicion increase
The Topsy King buttonholes you in the Flit
'Goden! My capering raggedy fardo - diflas now! Cloying goden nicked viddlo!' He makes violin-playing motions, sadly. Even his bat looks depressed.
Unlocked with Shadowy 57, Route: The Flit 1
Someone stole his fiddle?
No - the fiddle of his favourite Raggedy Man player? Getting it back would probably be less trouble than making sure that's what he wants.
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 77)
'Viddlo! Goden most capering!'
It is not a matter of great effort to track down the fiddle. It seems that it was taken as part of initiation to some order of thieves. As you expect, it has been abandoned somewhere out of the way and you return it to the Topsy King. You know what happens now: here comes a sack of rats.
Shadowy increase
72 x Rat on a String
Too late
The fiddle has been seized by the Constables in lieu of a debt owed by the Raggedy Man. You make some enquiries and you're sure it is in the bowels of the huge, impregnable evidence warehouse. You are not going to risk that on behalf of a half-mad beggar-king.
Shadowy increase
Suspicion increase
A simple job from a devil
Why does a devil want the tools of an archaeologist in the Forgotten Quarter smashed or stolen?
Unlocked with Shadowy 57, Route: The Forgotten Quarter 1
Not that it matters
His brass is as good as anyone's. Better, even, if you're cold. This job should be easy.
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 77)
A job smartly done
When you make your way to the empty, echoing avenues of the Forgotten Quarter you see that the archaeologist's camp has better security than some banks. It seems you are not the first of your kind to come here. Still, the jumpy watchmen and expensive locks don't keep you out of the equipment shed. You quietly break most of the smaller tools and carry off the theodolite to throw in the river. Why does a devil care about archaeology? It matters little if you get paid, and you do.
Shadowy increase
72 x Nevercold Brass
Who is lighting torches?
When you make your way to the empty, echoing avenues of the Forgotten Quarter you see that the archaeologist's camp has better security than some banks. You wait for the watchmen to grow sleepy… and they don't. Something here has scared them, and you are concerned with the eery torchlight visible in the far reaches of the Quarter. Another night, perhaps.
Shadowy increase
Suspicion increase
Cards which unlock between 60 and 69
The Ways of Mahogany Hall
Wonderment and peeling gilt. The magic of the theatre.
[Unlocked with Shadowy 60 and Shadowy no more than 100]
Buy a ticket to Mahogany Hall
The ticket will allow entrance *one time only*.
[Unlocked with 8 x Surface-Silk Scrap]
[Unlocked with Route: Mahogany Hall no more than 0]
And off you go
The pretty young thing in the box office takes your glim and hands you the precious ticket. Wonderment awaits.
[You're on a day trip to Mahogany Hall! When you leave, you won't be able to return until you open up the route at your Lodgings or buy another ticket like this one. Mahogany Hall is most interesting for those who have Shadowy or Persuasive 95+.]
You've moved to a new area:
Mahogany Hall
Lose: 8 x
Surface-Silk Scrap
Who is off to the theatre?
The less respectable society columns are always interested in little indiscretions. You could see who is attending the theatre with whom.
[Unlocked with Route: Mahogany Hall 1]
A challenge for your Shadowy quality. [straightforward at 87]
A night at the theatre
A well-respected academic is taking in the Tuesday show with an anarchist. A baronet is discussing opera with a gentleman in scarlet stockings. A devil is smoking a companionable cigar with a clergyman. A palace functionary is drunk and proposing some rather republican political theory. Warm up those presses!
Shadowy increase
Gain: 40 x [[Cryptic Clue]]
Obtain a Backstage Pass
It doesn't matter how you got hold of it. With this, you'll be able to travel freely about Mahogany Hall.
Mahogany Hall is most interesting for those who have Shadowy or Persuasive 95+.
Requires 5 Fate
Fate-locked content must not be placed on the wiki, per the developers.
Memoirs of a butler
A butler who has worked for many notable families is breaking the tradition of his profession. He intends to publish his memoirs.
Unlocked with Shadowy 69
What the butler saw
The memoirs are rumoured to be full of tempting secrets. Affairs. Sedition. Furtling. Someone will be interested in the manuscript. You should steal it from the publisher's office.
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 74)
A pacy page-turner
The publisher's office offers only a token resistance to your larcenous skills. The manuscript hasn't even been locked in the safe. What a collection of delightful secrets. If you ever employ a butler you think you might choose a blind one.
Rewards :
Gain: 34 x Cryptic Clue
Blackmail
Just stealing the maniscript would be a waste of time. Stealing the manuscript and using it for the purposes of blackmail, however…
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 89)
'Unless you pay me…'
The publisher's office offers only a token resistance to your larcenous skills. The manuscript hasn't even been placed in the safe. Within the week you are being paid off by a governess, an opera singer and a junior minister. Most gratifying.
Rewards :
84 x Glim
The Kidsman recruits
The Notorious Kidsman tempts youngsters to his flock. The more urchins that lift purses for him, the better his profits.
Unlocked with Shadowy 69
Warn the urchins
The Flit is no place for organised crime. If anything, it thrives on the opposite.
(Shadowy challenge; low-risk at 85)
A well-timed warning
With a jaunty song and a handful of baubles, he's mesmerising a small gang of ragamuffins. But in the nick of time their gang-mates arrive, hot on the heels of your warning. The urchins' quick work with a cudgel drives the old faker off with bruises to show for it. And even better, he’s dropped his purse!
Shadowy increase
Connected: Urchins increase
random reward ~50 pence
Direct the urchins to the Kidsman
He'll take good care of them under his wing.
(Shadowy challenge; low-risk at 89)
[[collapsible show="Reward spoiler" hide="Hide spoiler"]]
Part of the family
random reward ~80 pence
A squire of the Flit
Unlocked with Shadowy 69, Connected: Urchins 1, must be in the Flit to get card
An urchin is plotting a heist to win fame and favour among the Fisher Kings. Perhaps you can help?
Give her a hand
You know a garret window she might squeeze through. Help her out and you'll have another friend in the Flit.
A challenge for your Shadowy quality.
Easy as pie
Quick as a wink, she’s up the gutter and in through the garret. You stroll around the front. You admire the façade and discuss the mushroom-beds with the under-gardener. What radiance! What hue! What noise? It was nothing. Just a bat. You wish the gardener a good day. Later, you meet up with the grateful urchin for a cut of the take.
Shadowy increase
Connected: Urchins increase
random reward ~60 pence
Give with one hand, take with the other
Help her break in. And when she crawls back out, she'll have goods for the taking.
A challenge for your Shadowy quality.
The old one-two
Your planned route is perfect. In she goes with empty hands, and out she comes straining to lift the loot, with not a soul in the house any the wiser. At your rendezvous she thanks you effusively and even offers you a small cut. You gratefully accept, and then rob her blind while her back is turned.
Shadowy increase
Connected: Urchins decrease
random reward ~101 pence
A fall at the last fence
Thanks to your expert planning, she’s in and out with no-one in the house any the wiser. Off you go to the rendezvous with a spring in your step. A constable wanders past with a grubby sketch of your face clutched in his fist. Perhaps you’ve miscalculated…
Shadowy increase
Suspicion increase
Connected: Urchins decrease
Give the nod to the Constables
Take the opportunity to divert attention from your own schemes.
A challenge for your Shadowy quality.
The concerned citizen
A heist? By a criminal who’s carried out all manner of other crimes? Crimes that you yourself were nowhere near at the time? The constables leap to the chase! And, since they insist, of course you’ll accept a small reward. Doing the right thing is to be encouraged, after all.
Shadowy increase
Suspicion decrease (substantial)
Connected: The Constables increase
Connected: Urchins decrease
Gain: 40 x Rostygold
Gain:
Bundle of Oddities
Robbing the Ambassador's ball
The Ambassador is wealthy as he is charming. Disguise will serve you better than stealth when the cream of society gathers.
Unlocked with Shadowy 69
Pose as a guest
Stick to the public areas of the ball and take what you can.
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 89)
Let us be flexible
Charming company and good wine. Elegant music. Very little in the way of valuables lying about. You get the impression that the Ambassador expects this sort of thing. Perhaps greedy socialites spend their last pennies on clothing and jewellery for his balls, and are tempted to a larceny once hear. You turn to eavesdropping, and pick up a fine number of useful secrets.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 34 x Cryptic Clue
Pose as a servant
The Ambassador's private areas are off-limits to guests. Well, most guests. A servant might gain access for long enough to take something.
(Shadowy challenge)
Making the best of things
What awful luck! The Ambassador is indisposed and shut in his private rooms with his favoured servants only. You resolve to press on regardless. An hour into the ball and a scuffle breaks out. Two young rakes disgrace themselves with fisticuffs. You outdo yourself and manage to lift a ring from one of them while he is distracted: a bulky deep amber affair that quite makes the evening worthwhile.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 84 x Deep Amber
No time for crime
…How do servants find the energy to even gossip? You are exhausted.
Shadowy increase
Suspicion increase
Cards which unlock between 70 and 79
N/A
Cards which unlock between 80 and 89
A fine day in the Flit
The Flit teems with opportunities for the crafty and the quick.
Unlocked with Shadowy 81
Go hunting for caches
People hide things in the Flit, often on ropes under bridges and gantries. The Raggedy Men call the business of stealing them 'fly-fishing'.
(Shadowy challenge; straightforward at 86)
Beggars and books
You uncover a promising crate under some foul-smelling sacking near a chimney. A few Raggedy Men have followed you, but they don't try anything. It looks like this is a revolutionary's stash - the crate is full of forbidden books. You toss a few to the Raggedy Men to keep the peace, and set to the drudgery of dragging the crate down to street level.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 20 x Proscribed Text
Rare Success!
You uncover a promising crate under some foul-smelling sacking near a chimney. A few Raggedy Men have followed you, but they don't try anything. Well, this is a find. Beneath an unpromising stack of revolutionary pamphlets is something extraordinary! You toss a few to the Raggedy Men to keep the peace, and set to the drudgery of dragging the crate down to street level.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 1 x Book of Hidden Bodies
Gain: 10 x Proscribed Material
Spy on the Raggedy Men
The beggars of the Topsy King's court are a strange lot. But they rival cats for their knowledge of secrets.
The King
The beggars are discussing the Topsy King, their inglorious leader. Most of them don't seem to particularly like the men, but they are scared of the things he knows. Apparently he was once a scholar of some sort. Whatever drove him to his current state, they say, it happened in the Museum of Mistakes.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 48 x Cryptic Clue
Rare Success!
The beggars are discussing the Topsy King, their inglorious leader. Most of them don't seem to particularly like the man, but they are scared of the things he knows. Apparently he was once a scholar of some sort. Whatever drove him to his current state, they say, it happened in the Museum of Mistakes. They mention, very casually, some of the great and the good he once knew: some of the things he knew about them. A hundred silken damnations! This will win you a favour or two. You hurry off before they hear you.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 1 x Favours in High Places
Spy on the Raggedy Men
The beggars of the Topsy King's court are a strange lot. But they rival cats for their knowledge of secrets.
Unlocked with Ambition: Heart's Desire - the Tospy King 3
Spy on the Black Ribbon
Certain parties are interested in what the Black Ribbon duelling society is up to.
Unlocked with Shadowy 81
Spy on Colonel Pommery
The colonel is a noted duellist and occasional danger to public health. He is noted for enthusiasm rather than marksmanship.
Nothing sinister, for a change
The colonel spends his time hunting in Bugsby's Marshes, shouting at his servants and writing incensed letters to the editor of the Unexpurgated London Gazette. He does nothing more sinister than harangue a butcher over the price of sausages. Still, it's paying work.
Shadowy increase
93 x Deep Amber
An abandoned weapon
The colonel spends his time hunting in Bugsby's Marshes, shouting at his servants and writing incensed letters to the editor of the Unexpurgated London Gazette. He does nothing more sinister than harangue a butcher over the price of sausages. Still, it's paying work. You also manage to snaffle one of the guns a careless manservant sets aside.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 1 x Ancient Hunting Rifle
Gain: 90 x Deep Amber
Spy on Feducci
The leader of the Black Ribbon must be up to something worth spying on.
Dead men and zailors
You are sure that Feducci's pained gait and hoarse whisper are affectations. When he thinks nobody is looking, he pulls up his hood and jogs smartly along. You watch him visit Black Ribbon members and ring fighters, and then head down to the docks, to a ship from the far shores of the Unterzee. The dark-skinned zailors have business with Feducci. He hands over several notebooks, and they present him with a sack of what might be rostygold. Intriguing, although not very useful to your employer.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 56 x Deep Amber
Gain: 1 x
Mystery of the Elder Continent
A word in your ear
You are sure that Feducci's pained gait and hoarse whisper are affectations. When he thinks nobody is looking, he pulls up his hood and jogs smartly along. You watch him visit Black Ribbon members and ring fighters, and then head down to the docks, to a ship from the far shores of the Unterzee. The dark-skinned zailors have business with Feducci. He hands them a caged white raven, and they present him with a sack of what might be rostygold. Intriguing, although not very useful to your employer. As they carry the raven up the gangplank it says a single phrase in an unknown language, sorrowfully. They shush it hastily.
Shadowy increase
Gain: 56 x Rostygold
Gain: 1 x Mysteries of the Elder Country
Gain: 1 x Presbyterate Passphrase
Below the Neath [Unusual]
You keep hearing rumours of a stash of jade hidden somewhere below the 'Beneath the Neath' ride.
Unlocked with Shadowy 81
Go and look for the stash
An intrepid and agile [gender] like you should be able to retrieve it with little difficulty.
| _ Shadowy challenge |
[Unlocked with 2 x Carnival Ticket]
Go and see what else you can find
After all, you are more than used to sneaking around dark places.
| _ Shadowy challenge |
[Unlocked with 2 x Carnival Ticket]
The Little People [Standard]
No knight of the streets is without a constellation of informers, messengers and sundry other menials. But what happens when the Constables pick up one of yours?
Unlocked with Shadowy 81 No longer available at Shadowy 119
Do your best for him
Send your lawyer after the chap. Provide sureties and whatnot. You owe these people, even though you wouldn't admit it to them.
[Shadowy Challenge]
Leave him hanging
Let fate bring what it may. He knows better than to talk.
[Shadowy Challenge]
Lording over the manor
You hear no mutterings of discontent from your other serfs. In fact, they fall over themselves to help you out. For the moment, the cost of business is very low indeed. All is as it should be.
Shadowy increase
Ruthless increase
(No higher than 6)
Gain: 90 x
Rostygold
Fresh attention from the Constables
He doesn't know better than to talk. If you can shake the Inspector, you'll have to make an example of him.
Shadowy increase
Suspicion increase
Connected: 
Connected: 
Gain: 1 x 
Gain: 80 x 
