One evening, while walking in the alleys of Spite, Morpheus Zimmerman, an urbane and keen-eyed gentleman, suddenly got the feeling that Someone Is Coming, with Distant Footsteps echoing in his ears. He wondered what it could mean.
Morpheus then was contacted by one of his Bohemian friends, asking him to come to a covert rendezvous in Watchmaker’s Hill. Once he got there, he realised that some Devils and a gang of Urchins were also interested in a meeting, but he decided to visit his Bohemian friends nonetheless. In a smoky room, after discussing art and philosophy, Morpheus was given a Hungover Terrier, which he noticed was somewhat Bizzare, and he felt Touched by Fingerwork.
tl;dr; I want to know what the Someone Is Coming and Touched by Fingerwork things are, and also what having 1 in the Bizarre trait can get me, and what it does. All mostly spoiler free, if possible.
Someone is Coming means exactly that - a friend is on the way, and he is willing to bring you a delicious gift. Be patient!
Having 1 in the Bizarre trait will not get you far. Bizarre, Dreaded and Respectable are traits that are entirely tied to your possessions and associations, and are needed to sway the opinion people might have of you in some advanced storylets. You need to acquire more Bizarre possessions if you wish to make a reputation!
Touched by Fingerwork is another curious quality, not unlike Approaching the Gates of the Garden, Walking the Fallen Cities or Seeing though the Eyes of Icarus. All things Fingerwork are related to the mysteries of the Clay Men.
More specifically, when “Someone is Coming” reaches 4, you have the chance to get an opportunity card that has a lot of lucrative rewards. Especially if you’ve purchased fate-locked storylines, as this unlocks more options.
Bizarre, Respectable, and Dreaded are three stats tied solely to what you have equipped at the time. It can be difficult to get things to raise these, especially before becoming a Person of Some Importance, but on the plus side you don’t really have to worry about it until then.
Touched by Fingerwork is one of the qualities pertaining to exploring the mysteries of the Neath. Touched by Fingerwork has to do with finding out about the land beyond the mirrors for the most part, but also deals with Clay Men. Approaching the Gates of the Garden has to do with the odd immortality of the Neath. Walking the Fallen Cities has to do with the four cities that came before London. Seeing through the Eyes of Icarus has to do with the “mysteries of the neath”. These unlock storylines down the road, but don’t worry too much about them. Just know that they are a Good Thing, and two things raising the same quality can be a clue that they are connected in some tenuous manner. (I do consider saying what these qualities are about as “spoiler free”, as these descriptions are paraphrased from the forum post when they were added) edited by Urthdigger on 4/19/2012
Sadly no it is not. I personally raised it to eight before discarding cards that grand Someone is Comming, but were otherwise worthless to me. While eleven is on the extreme end of this, it is not at all unprecedented.
Given that one of the major ways to increase these qualities is your ship, and you can only have one ship at a time, it is probably best to concentrate on only one of these qualities and to choose a pet at Watchmaker’s Hill appropriate to that quality you select.
[quote=SeanH]
Note that a) you don’t need Someone is Coming above 6 and b) it will be reset to zero once cashed in. So don’t bother deliberately raising it above 6.[/quote]
Yeah, I’m not deliberately raising it above 6, but some actions keep raising it. It has been at least a week if not two that Someone is Coming has been above 6 and actions I take keep increasing it. Since I have no idea what successes will raise that stat - I couldn’t avoid raising it if I tried.
Too bad it is useless to increase it above 6 - I’m one CP shy of 12 and I have no idea when (right now, it feels like IF ever) I might see the opportunity card that applies.
Specifically, Someone is Coming seems to be granted to cards that grant connections or quirks, but have a very low cap on how high the card allows them to be raised. Two examples of cards you can safely discard (unless you active wish to raise a quirk these cards can grant) are A Night Out, and A Little Omen, both of which give you a choice of quirks to increase (though which quirk goes with which option is hidden) but will not raise the quirk above five.
The exception is The Crimson Card choice from A little omen, which now raises Making Waves (used to be Admired) and will allow you to raise it to at least eighteen.
The Connection conflict cards don’t appear to be capped- I’ve gotten all of the relevant options past 20 using those cards. (Since they often grant goods and/or Menace reduction, and are a net gain to Connections cp, Someone Is Coming makes them very rewarding if you’re below 6.)
I’ve also seen it on the red cards that grant Second Chances, and some cards in the Unterzee (though not the Sea of Voices), including a few of the good ones like Fair Zailing. Those cards were probably worth playing even before Someone is Coming existed.
The Mysteries of the Neath are a fun set to delve into. If you aren’t trying to build up any dreams, A State of some Confusion is a good place to raise them. I’ve been working towards a pair of clouded pupils for a bit now, so I’ve put in quite a bit of effort into avoiding said confusion. However, the last time I was there, I spent as long as I could walking among the crumbled cities, borrowing the gaze if icarus, watching that behind the shimmering panes, and strolling towards the floral gates. I haven’t delved particularly far into any of the mystery paths, but the Four Mysteries of the Neath are easily enjoyed at any stage of the game.