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Ideally the venom wouldn't have become fatal until right in the middle of the final puzzle. And yes seconding move the wine racks or just keep messing with them until they do something because the secret entrance is pretty obviously behind them. Sounds like you have to find a list of names somewhere for the clue to open it though. Is that what the newspaper clippings are for? Read newspaper clippings. Zoe fucked around with this message at 16:40 on May 17, 2015 |
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Heads up. This update is the game's INFO-DUMP FROM HELL! Once Miranda gets to the sitting room, you may want to fast forward to the next update. (Assuming you're catching up with the LP) I'll warn you again when we get there. Ghostwoods posted:Of course, I can't help feeling it might have been worth trying to burn the spiderweb with a lit match. But hey, what do I know? Drunk spiders can be real assholes. I tried this on my test game and it just gives that "Pyromania isn't the answer" response. Miranda doesn't want to waste the matches yet. Thesaya posted:So, if Miranda wasn't dead, I'm sure she would have used the broom to sweep away the spiderweb. This we can do. >Put shoebox in coat You don't have a lid for the box. If you put it in your pocket the clippings will just fall out and get lost. Beh. Looks like something new for the china cabinet. >sweep web with broom With a single sweep of the broom, you clear the spider web away.  >get key (the old-fashioned iron key) You pick up the old-fashioned iron key. It's an old key, the kind with a round barrel about a quarter-inch in diameter and flat, square teeth. Your score has just gone up by one point. >put key on keyring (the old-fashioned iron key on the keyring) The old-fashioned iron key is now on the keyring. pkfan2004 posted:shove a metal implement into the fusebox Don't do what? pkfan2004 posted:shove a metal implement into the fusebox Shove something metal into the fuse box. Got it. >North Cellar One largish bundle of wires leads down to a rusty old fuse cabinet bolted to the far wall. >take umbrella Taken. >shove umbrella into fusebox I only understood you as far as wanting to shove the umbrella. >attack wires with umbrella That won't help you get the lights back on. >put umbrella in coat You slip the umbrella into the pocket of your trenchcoat. >pull wires That won't help you get the lights back on. >lick wires That's not a verb I recognise. Well... I tried. Old Grey Guy posted:^ This. And she would have tried to move the wine rack, too. That actually sounds like a good idea. Maybe the one that jiggles a little is a secret passage or something. >East Wine Cellar All of the racks are dust-covered and empty except for one against the north wall, which contains some forty or fifty dark bottles. >push rack The wine racks won't budge. >pull rack That would accomplish very little. Rats. >w Cellar One largish bundle of wires leads down to a rusty old fuse cabinet bolted to the far wall. You know what I forgot to do? Look at the fuses. >look at cabinet It's an ancient, clunky metal box, about the size of a kid's lunchbox. There's some sort of lettering on the cover, but it's too corroded to read. >open cover (the family album) The book contains portraits and brief biographies (although, strangely, no birth or death dates) on some two hundred members of the Verlac clan, from the central family figures to the distant second cousins. If you want to read about someone in here, you'll have to look them up by name. Ugh! Game! You're killing me! >open fusebox It takes some grumbling and some tugging and finally a good, sharp yank, but the cabinet finally pops open. >look in fusebox There's about two dozen fuses lined up in there, the old-fashioned kind that look like round, glass plugs. Every last one of them is blown. >put tongue in fusebox You can't see any such thing. Moving on to this shoebox, now. >Up Gratefully, you leave the clammy confines of the cellar behind. Pantry The cellar door stands open, revealing dark stairs leading down. >se Kitchen >turn off flashlight You switch the flashlight off. >south Dining Room >put broom in cabinet You put the broom into the china cupboard. >look in cabinet In the china cupboard are a broom and a styrofoam cup. Miranda's treasure are growing. >East Foyer Your luggage is still here, spread out all over the foyer. A cold, noiseless draft coils through the narrow entrance hall. You shiver, wondering where it came from. >East Sitting Room ***INFO-DUMP ALERT!!!*** ***INFO-DUMP ALERT!!!*** ***INFO-DUMP ALERT!!!*** The portrait gazes down at you with crimson-edged malice. >Read clippings Unlike most IF games, Anchorhead is one of those that has a menu system in certain places. This is once of those places. So, instead of just giving you a huge pile of objects, it shows up like this:  Let's start with Arkham Herald, Aug 12, 1956 CHURCH CLOSED, PREACHER SUSPECT IN COMMUNIST CRACKDOWN The Church of Celestial Wisdom in Anchorhead, Massachusetts was shut down and its congregation disbanded yesterday after its pastor, the Rev. Mordecai Verlac, 70, was accused of distributing Communist propaganda to his pari- shioners. Authorities in Arkham were informed by an anonymous call two days earlier. "The caller told us that the Reverend was 'preaching not from the Good Book, but from a terrible book,' and that he had been warn- ing them about some kind of 'invasion' or 'great event' that would be happening soon," said Sgt. Biedermeyer of the Arkham Police Department. "It smelled Red to me, so I made the decision to call our HUAC representative up in Salem." The raid commenced shortly after morning services began at 8:00 am, in order to confiscate printed material and catch any possible accomplices before they could hide or destroy evidence. No officers who participated in the raid were available for comment, although one man coming out of the building afterwards was allegedly overheard saying that it was "the worst thing he'd ever seen." The Church of Celestial Wisdom was founded in 1860 by Rev. Ver- lac's grandfather, the notorious orator and painter Elijah Verlac. The building, which is considered by many to be a historical land- (continued on A12) [Please press SPACE.] Sitting Room Two new members of the Verlac clan we didn't know about. >take album Taken. >look up Elijah in Album The entry reads: Elijah Verlac Traveled to Europe in 1824 to study painting and to research the Verlac genealogy; returned to Anchorhead in 1832; entered the seminary at Arkham College in 1834; ordained in 1844; began construction of the Church of Celestial Wisdom in Anchorhead in 1860; accused of Confederate sympathies in 1862; retired from the clergy and devoted life to painting in 1873. On of the earliest photographic portraits in the album, it depicts a man in his sixties, at least. His face is deeply scored by time, his skin mottled with liver spots, his long, gray hair swept back from a high, bony forehead. This man resembles the portrait in the sitting room more than any of the others, for he has practically the same eyes -- the raw, bloodshot madness staring out from hollow caves in his skull. You note one other interesting detail: he appears to have an extra digit, a sixth finger, on his right hand. >look up Mordecai in Album The entry reads: Mordecai Verlac Currently residing in Anchorhead; attended seminary at Arkham College in 1906; ordained in 1912; re-established the Church of Celestial Wisdom in 1920; rebuilt the Miskaton River Mill in 1922. The photograph depicts a man who has returned to his Puritan roots: dressed in spartan black, hair clipped in an archaic tonsure, clutching a Bible in his lap as he glares stoically at the camera. This is the kind of man who would whip his children for laughing on Sunday. His eyes still carry the Verlac madness, burning with single-minded righteousness. Creepy stuff. Going back to the clippings... >read clippings Printed Notice (mimeographed page, dated February 10, 1959) Any information regarding the whereabouts of Daryl Beasley, age 9, should be reported immediately to the Anchorhead police. Daryl was last seen by his mother after she dropped him off at the Route 20 bus stop, just north of Old Mill Town Road, at 8:30 am three days ago. He was not there when the bus made its scheduled stop at 8:36 am. Daryl is 4'10" tall, of slight build, with brown hair and brown eyes. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing brown corduroy pants, blue sneakers, and a white, short-sleeved button-down shirt. If you have seen Daryl Beasley, or if you know anything about his disappearance, please call 555-4362. [Please press SPACE.] London Times, Mar 3, 1918 PAINTING SELLS FOR 1000£, SIGHT UNSEEN The infamous mystic Aleister Crowley purchased a painting at an auction at Sotheby's for 1000 pounds sterling on Monday without so much as glancing at it. The painting, entitled "The Legacy", is by the late American Elijah Verlac, and was sold along with numerous other pieces by a representative of the Verlac estate. Crowley reportedly strode into the auction room wearing full ceremonial robes and immediately bid 1000£ -- well over twice the going bid. He ordered it wrapped and transported immediately to his home. It is not known whether Crowley had ever seen the painting before arriving at the auction. "I've never seen anything like it," said Sir Walton Radcliffe, Esq., presiding auctioneer for the Verlac exhibit, "but I suppose one might expect such behavior from a person who calls himself, 'The Great Beast'." Mordecai Verlac, Elijah's grandson and executor of the Verlac estate, was not present at the auction. Crowley has stated that he has never met Mordecai Verlac and has no desire to. "I encountered Verlac in a former life," he is reported as saying, "and I would not do so again for all the kingdoms in Hades. He has gone where I dare not." Elijah Verlac is known by art historians more for his grotesque (continued on A25) [Please press SPACE.] Crumpled Flyer (crumpled flyer showing a blurry snapshot of a young girl with short, curly hair) HAVE YOU SEEN ME? Tara Luffington last seen: March 25, 1982 age at disappearance: 6 age today: 10 hair: red eyes: green last wearing: green t-shirt, white tennis shoes, blue overalls with a button that reads: "I love cats" Any information, please call 555-4362." [Please press SPACE.] Obituary Friends and Family will grieve the loss of Sgt. HOWARD BIEDERMEYER, who died on October 28, 1956 at the age of 46, of complications following a massive aneurism. Howard was a loving husband and a devoted public servant. Services will be held this Saturday at the Good Earth Funeral Home, 9:00 am. [Please press SPACE.] Arkham Herald Jun 22, 1973 BONES DISCOVERED IN WOODS, CHILD FEARED DEAD The bones of what police believe to be a small child were discovered yesterday by pic- nickers in the woods near Birch Road, just south of Anchorhead. Police have drawn no conclusions as yet, but there is a strong suspicion that the bones may be the remains of Christopher Till- worth, who disappeared near that area two weeks ago. Sgt. Ronald Franklin of the Arkham police was not optimistic. "We have contacted the boy's mother, and are trying to prepare her for the worst," he said. "No one here wants to give up hope prematurely, but the general feeling here is, we've found the boy." The remains, which consisted of a femur and partial skull, are being shipped to a forensic lab in Boston for further analysis. Rumors that the bones displayed teeth marks consistent with animal bites are so far unsubstantiated. Christopher, who would have turned 7 on the 19th, is the fifth child to disappear in the last (continued on A10) [Please press SPACE.] Arkham Herald, Sep 19, 1958 RESPECTED PHYSICIAN RETIRES UNEXPECTEDLY Dr. Timothy Rebis, a respected obstetrician at Arkham Sisters of Mercy Hospital for the last 20 years, announced his retirement yesterday to a stunned Board of Directors. He gave no reason for his un- expected decision. "I am truly stunned," said Bernard Talbot, Chairman of the Board. "No one saw this coming. No one." A source within the hospital who wished to remain anonymous ascribed the doctor's abrupt de- parture to a nervous breakdown, but this has not been confirmed by any of Dr. Rebis' colleagues. (continued on D5) [Please press SPACE.] Photostatic copy (photostatic copy of a much older document; a notation at the bottom dates it at the end of the 18th century) BE IT KNOWNE that, through the Generositie and Enterprise of the Hon. Goodman Heinrich Verlac, the Miskaton Valley Mille shall be Rebuilt, even upon the Ashes of the Olde which was Tragically Burnt; and BE IT KNOWNE that, upon its Newe Christening, there shall Arise a Sore Need for Men of Able Bodie and Industrious Bent to Work therein; and BE IT KNOWNE that the Hon. Goodman Heinrich Verlac is thereby holding a General Call for Employment, and any Honest Man of Working Age is Encouraged to Apply. [Please press SPACE.] Sitting Room Heinrich, huh? A new name in the Verlac clan. Let's see... >look up Heinrich in Album The entry reads: Heinrich Verlac Added cupola to the Verlac Estate in 1759; elected mayor of Anchorhead in 1765; rebuilt the Miskaton River Mill in 1770; led the battle of Quattac Bend in the Misquat Uprising of 1772; arrested as a Royalist sympathizer in 1777 but subsequently cleared of all charges; completed construction of the lighthouse in 1795. The portrait is of Heinrich as an older man, in his late fifties, perhaps. The German ancestry shows through more clearly here, in the set of his jaw and the line of his forehead. The eyes burn with aggressive pride... and perhaps a little of the madness which stained the gaze of his ancestors as well. >read clippings Arkham Herald, Apr 9, 1935 ANTHROPOLOGIST TURNED AWAY IN PROPERTY DISPUTE Prominent anthropologist Dr. Joseph Corbin's repeated attempts to secure permission to set up an archeological dig in nearby Anchorhead came to an end yester- day when he lost his suit against the Rev. Mordecai Verlac. The case has been pending for over six months. The Rev. Verlac has strongly disputed Corbin's right to dig in the area, contending that the land in question belongs to the ancestral Verlac estate and is therefore his private property. Last week, Rev. Verlac's lawyers presented conclusive evidence of prior ownership, and the judge quickly ruled in his favor. Dr. Corbin, who is a protégé and close personal friend of the noted folklorist Dr. J. Arnsworth Frazer, hoped to discover relics of the little-known Misquat Indian culture, which is believed to have inhabited this area cen- turies prior to European settle- ment. Corbin called the decision "a travesty". Many expected scholars at near- by Miskaton University to rally behind Corbin's battle, but most of the faculty have been strangely (continued on D8) [Please press SPACE.] Arkham Herald, Jul 7, 1988 CONFLAGRATION CLAIMS PAPER MILL -- AGAIN Arkham firefighters worked late into the night yesterday, battling a blaze that brought Anchorhead's historic paper mill to the ground despite their best efforts. The mill, which provides jobs for roughly two-thirds of the town's population, caught fire yesterday around 4:00 pm. Although there have been rumors of an ex- plosion, the exact cause of the fire remains unknown. Fire Inspector Donald Brown re- mains puzzled. "There is evidence of chemical burns that are incon- sistent with the materials used in paper manufacture," he told re- porters. "There's metal fused with metal in there... it's all messed up." Interestingly, this is not the first time the Anchorhead mill has burned. The original mill was built by Wilhelm Verlac in the latter part of the 17th century, and historical records indicate that it burned down after only ten years. The mill was rebuilt by Wilhelm's grandson, Heinrich Ver- lac, a few decades later. This one lasted until shortly before the Civil War -- and some still hold that it was burned down by Confederate sympathizers. The current mill was rebuilt in 1922 by Heinrich's great-great- grandson, Rev. Mordecai Verlac. Mordecai, in addition to being a fiery preacher and outspoken Pro- hibitionist, was quite wealthy and owned numerous and widespread in- vestments. At the age of 70, this controversial figure was accused (continued on A16) [Please press SPACE.] Sitting Room And another name. Wilhelm, instead of William. >look up Wilhelm in Album The entry reads: Wilhelm Verlac Fled with mother Eustacia Verlac during the Witch Burnings of 1653; returned to Anchorhead in 1663; elected mayor of Anchorhead in 1690; built the Miskaton River Mill in 1695; began construction of the lighthouse in 1706. The picture is a reproduction of a charcoal sketch, probably done when he was a younger man. The similarities to the portrait in the sitting room is evident, though: the patrician nose; the harsh, thin line of the mouth; the lean, wolfish jaw. It is the eyes, however, that carry the true family resemblance. Even in the rough, colorless strokes of charcoal, you can see that they are edged with the same raw madness that haunts the red-tinged gaze of the sitting room portrait. There's a new name. Eustacia. But first let's knock the last clipping out. >read clippings Announcement It is with great joy that Gwyneth and Paul Ward announce the engage- ment of their only daughter, JULIA GWENDOLYN WARD, to Dr. EDWARD PHILLIP VERLAC. Edward is an associate professor of history at Miskaton University in Anchorhead, Massachusetts; Julia plans to attend medical school at Arkham College. They plan a late June wedding. We wish them good fortune and long happiness in their union. (The announcement is dated December 12, 1984, and is accompanied by a picture of the young couple. She has long, dark hair and a serious expression; he, although only in his twenties, is already starting to bald a little. You find yourself unable to tear your eyes away from his face for some time. It seems open and guileless, and he is clearly very happy. There is no hint there of the nightmare his world would one day become.) [Please press SPACE.] Sitting Room Aw. That's sweet! I'm sure they'll live a long and happy... Oh... >look up Eustacia in album The entry reads: Eustacia Verlac Born to Croseus Verlac; gave birth to one son, Wilhelm; fled Anchorhead during the Witch Burnings of 1653; remained in hiding in Arkham for 10 years, then returned with son in 1663; died 1686. The woman in the portrait is strikingly beautiful, with jet black hair that hangs down past her shoulders like a shining, velvet curtain. There is some resemblance to the thin, cruel features of her father, but not the ragged, red-tinged madness about the eyes. Eustacia's eyes are not red at all; they are cold and deep and very dark. So, the Verlac clan is a deeply American clan. It's no wonder they have so many cousins and off shoot branches. The way this read, tho, it sounds like Eustacia came out of her father's womb. >look up Croseus in Album The entry reads: Croseus Verlac Born the son of a provincial cabinet-maker in the Höllental Valley circa 1590; fled Germany in 1620 to avoid charges of heresy; came to the New World in 1622 on the ship Dawn Maiden; founded the town of Anchorhead in 1624; began construction of Verlac estate in 1625; signed the non-aggression pact with Chief Chuaquacqat of the Misquat tribe in 1631. The picture is a full-page black-and-white reproduction of the portrait hanging in the sitting room. Underneath it, someone has scribbled in pencil: his is our blood he always returns to his blood Woah. Founded Anchorhead?!?! > Next update, I'll be opening the safe, but then what? Where does Miranda go from here, Goons? LEave your suggestions in Bold. Items       In Trenchcoat             
Grimwit fucked around with this message at 15:56 on May 17, 2015 |
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May 17, 2015 15:46
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Grimwit posted:>push rack Does pushing/pulling/otherwise fiddling with the bottles in the rack do anything?
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May 17, 2015 16:29
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Actually, black widow bites are rarely fatal. You'll wish it had been for up to a couple weeks, though, so we should probably be thankful that the game just kills you right away instead of having you fail some event much later because you're too sick. Curses, we already established that "lick" isn't a usable verb.
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May 17, 2015 16:49
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Hooray, infodump! Beyond getting a better sense of the family and the mania they have there seem to be a few threads here: The disappearing kids from 59-83, and one with bite marks on their bones - apparently there's been at least 5 The death of a police sergeant and the suspicious retirement of a doctor at about the same time. The church and mill being important Verlac buildings both having disasters of some sort. Elijah's painting being special enough to be bought by Crowley, maybe its magical? Anchorhead was founded by the Verlacs Madness happens at a certain age seemingly and maybe not to the women? Anyways, aside from those; we have a key and it might fit a door we found in the town, maybe that strange metal door? Hard to say. But going outside is too far for the moment when we can just hit the Safe
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May 17, 2015 17:19
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PlaceholderPigeon posted:The death of a police sergeant and the suspicious retirement of a doctor at about the same time. The same police sergeant that had the Church of Cthulhu raided. And as for the doctor, from the year earlier and probably related: quote:[this entry dated 1957] ...my poor little William. Father calls him an aberration, child of the Devil, but I don't believe... locked in the attic. I go to see him whenever Father is away. I sing to him, sometimes, through the keyhole, and slip him sweets through the crack under the door... my baby is beautiful... can't let him hurt my dear baby William... to the doctor, and he has a plan... I can never... this locket, William, and I will always keep yours... to always remember my face... Anyway let's check out the safe, even if now I'm a lot more interested in locating the sites of the old mill and church and poking around... And there's got to be something that can be done with the wine bottles, that rack isn't just decoration. Edward's journal talked about a secret passage with names as a clue. So, well...we have a bunch of names now, how do we use them?
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May 17, 2015 18:22
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Zoe posted:And as for the doctor, from the year earlier and probably related: ^ Agreed. The the poor fellow was an obstetrician, after all.  And yes, let's keep examining the safe and the things in the cellar.
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May 17, 2015 18:45
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pumpinglemma posted:Does pushing/pulling/otherwise fiddling with the bottles in the rack do anything? Yes, I was wondering that.
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May 18, 2015 00:45
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Zoe posted:And there's got to be something that can be done with the wine bottles, that rack isn't just decoration. Edward's journal talked about a secret passage with names as a clue. So, well...we have a bunch of names now, how do we use them? The way he says 'procession of names' too I wonder if its an order thing too. Currently we know, in chronological order Croseus Eustacia Wilhelm Heinrich Elijah Mordecai Edward William? There's at least a few gaps though as it stands.
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May 18, 2015 03:06
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Open the safe
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May 18, 2015 03:37
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pumpinglemma posted:Does pushing/pulling/otherwise fiddling with the bottles in the rack do anything? We can mess around with the bottles. The thing is, Miranda isn't entirely sure how or why the bottles are stuck, nor what to do with them. >put album in coat You slip the family album into the pocket of your trenchcoat. >w Foyer >w Dining Room >put shoebox in cabinet You put the cardboard box into the china cupboard. >n Kitchen >nw Darkness >d You stumble forward blindly... You descend the gloomy steps into the dank cellar. Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >e You stumble forward blindly... Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >turn on flashlight The flashlight emits a warm yellow beam. Wine Cellar This wing of the cellar is even older than the rest, with walls of piled, unmortared stone. The entire room is filled with wine racks. They cover every wall except for one spot to the west, where an exit leads back to the main cellar. All of the racks are dust-covered and empty except for one against the north wall, which contains some forty or fifty dark bottles. Alright, let's see what we can do. >pull bottles Strange; the bottles all seem to be fixed in place. They won't come out of the rack no matter how you tug at them. >push bottles The bottles won't budge. >punch bottles Violence isn't the answer to this one. >look at bottles Row after row of smooth, dust-covered glass. The wine inside is dark and murky, reminding you, somewhat irrationally, of blood. >search bottles There are dozens of bottles here. You glance over the rows, but nothing jumps out at you as immediately odd. Except the fact that they won't come loose. And apparently Miranda isn't as violent as her counter part in Eternal Darkness. >taste wine Which do you mean, the wine racks or the wine bottles? >bottles Strange; the bottles all seem to be fixed in place. They won't come out of the rack no matter how you tug at them. Huh. Looks like this isn't the answer. More clues may be necessary, or you guys will have to be more specific. Having played this game before, I can tell you this is one of that nasty moment where the order of things counts before the game will even let you LOOK at something important. Annoying? You bet. >w Cellar >u Gratefully, you leave the clammy confines of the cellar behind. Pantry >se Kitchen >turn flashlight off You switch the flashlight off. >e Back Hall >s Foyer >u Upstairs Landing >e Upstairs Hall >n Library A beautiful pair of mahogany sliding doors stand closed to the east. A section of the shelves in the western wall has slid to one side, revealing a hidden safe. mcclay posted:Open the safe Yeah, you guys have waited long enough. We clearly have the combination from the journal. Now let's see... >look at dial The dial is calibrated from one to sixty. It is currently set to 20. >read journal What's left of the journal reads: -- into the safe, finally. 12-53-2. Won't forget THAT soon. Ha! I'm editing some stuff out. Hope you don't mind. >turn dial to 12 The tumblers tick quietly as you turn the dial to 12... >turn dial to 53 The tumblers tick quietly as you turn the dial to 53... You can hear Michael in the next room, typing away. Husband! Be quiet in there! Miranda is safe cracking!  >turn dial to 2 The tumblers tick quietly as you turn the dial to 2... and with a hollow thunk, the safe suddenly swings open. Your score has just gone up by two points. >look in safe In the safe are a puzzle box and a strange metal flute. Huh. Not what Miranda expected. Where's the jewels? Where's the secret documents? >look at puzzle box It's roughly the size and shape of a cigar box, carved from some dark and oddly streaked wood that you can't identify. All six surfaces are decorated in a complex arrangement of grooves and panels, most of which are illustrated with leering, demonic faces and obscene designs. As far as you can tell, it is in fact a box, and meant to be opened; however, you see no obvious way to do so. >take box (the puzzle box) Taken. >open puzzle box That's the problem; you're not sure how. The good news is this is one of those puzzles in the game with multiple answers, so I'm sure you guys will stumble onto something. >put box in coat (the puzzle box in the trenchcoat) You slip the puzzle box into the pocket of your trenchcoat. You can hear Michael in the next room, typing away. Husband! Quiet! Miranda is being musical! >look at flute (the strange metal flute) It appears to be some kind of wind instrument, fashioned out of ornately carved, greenish metal. Seven holes of varying sizes are drilled along the top. >take flute (the strange metal flute) Taken. >blow into flute (the strange metal flute) You blow an open chord into the little flute, and it resonates with an eerie, metallic warble. The sound lingers in the air for a moment, then gently fades away. Admitedly, Miranda doesn't know how to play any instrument. Except... Does the kazoo count? >put flute in coat (the strange metal flute in the trenchcoat) You slip the strange metal flute into the pocket of your trenchcoat. Best hide this stuff so Miranda can surprise Michael with is later. >close safe The heavy door swings shut with a metallic clunk. >pull poe The book slides halfway out, then pops back in with a loud "snick". The section of bookshelf slides seamlessly back into place. Seyser Koze posted:
I probably should have done this earlier. At least now we have a metal wind instrument. >s Upstairs Hall >w Upstairs Landing >d Foyer >n Back Hall >w Kitchen >nw Darkness >d Darkness >turn on flashlight The flashlight emits a warm yellow beam. Cellar The old, flagstone walls gleam with unwholesome-smelling moisture, and the sagging timbers creak uneasily above your head. Ancient, frayed wiring festoons the ceiling like some strange species of clinging vine. Portions of the cellar extend south and east into the clammy darkness, though you could always beat a hasty retreat up the stairs to the north. One largish bundle of wires leads down to a rusty old fuse cabinet bolted to the far wall. Now... How to word this... >put flute into cabinet (the strange metal flute into the fuse cabinet) (first taking the strange metal flute) You put the strange metal flute into the fuse cabinet. >look into cabinet In the fuse cabinet are a strange metal flute and some fuse plugs. >take flute (the strange metal flute) Taken. >take fuse You pull one of the fuses out and try to rub some of the grime off. Sure enough, the little metal strip inside is melted to a black, twisted cinder. With a sigh, you plug it back into its socket. >replace fuse with flute That's not a verb I recognise. Ugh... Game! What are you doing? > So, let's look at our options. 1. There's still the back yard. 2. There's still parts of the town left unexplored (South of the house, north of the university, the drat twisty ally behind the pub) 3. There's still some town buildings we haven't been in (Asylum, Courthouse) I'm saying that we can still explore if you're stuck. As always, leave your suggestions in bold. Items In Trenchcoat  
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May 18, 2015 16:31
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yo question is it ever necessary to lock/latch any doors
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May 18, 2015 16:35
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I don't think Miranda should mess with that puzzle box.  We're already going to be dealing with a Lovecraftian cult, don't need a cenobite popping up on top of all thatBut yeah, I guess just explore as much as you can. And try to figure out what the key goes too...wasn't there a locked door in the attic? And just another reminder about the library, I'm sure Michael's library card was included as an item for a reason.
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May 18, 2015 17:03
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Zoe posted:And just another reminder about the library, I'm sure Michael's library card was included as an item for a reason. The vote chose not to steal from the Hubby... Sooo... Miranda doesn't have the Faculty card.
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May 18, 2015 18:48
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Zoe posted:I don't think Miranda should mess with that puzzle box. The keyhole in the attic looked blocked but we didn't have a functional key for it, yeah. The locked door under the bridge comes to mind too
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May 18, 2015 19:05
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Grimwit posted:The vote chose not to steal from the Hubby... Sooo... Miranda doesn't have the Faculty card. I missed that somehow. Wow, talk about hugely out of character, for Miranda and goons.
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May 18, 2015 20:47
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Violence isn't the answer. Violence is the question. The answer is yes. Can we throw the puzzle box around?
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May 19, 2015 01:23
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Play the flute. Maybe we can become the servitor of Azathoth or something. Then let's start with the backyard and work our way out into the city from there.
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May 19, 2015 01:37
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Seyser Koze posted:Play the flute. Maybe we can become the servitor of Azathoth or something. Good idea.
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May 19, 2015 15:06
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PlaceholderPigeon posted:The keyhole in the attic looked blocked but we didn't have a functional key for it, yeah. Well, we're here for now. Let's see if this iron key opens the attic. >up Pantry >se Kitchen >turn off flashlight You switch the flashlight off. >e Back Hall >s Foyer >u Upstairs Landing >e Upstairs Hall >u The ancient rungs creak alarmingly as you ascend. Attic It's much cooler up here than in the rest of the house, and you find it hard to suppress a shiver. Grotesque, looming shadows crawl across the low, slanted ceiling, and the dust hangs thick and motionless in the air. To the west the ceiling dips even lower until the space beneath leaves hardly room enough to crawl, while to the north stands a wooden door, draped in shadows and half-hidden by the slanting eaves. Huh. Don't know why it keeps giving me the full room description every time I enter the attic. Maybe some weirdness in the programming. >unlock door (first taking the keyring) You go through all the keys on your keyring, trying each one in turn, but none of the keys seem to fit. >unlock door with iron key That doesn't seem to fit the lock. drat. >d Upstairs Hall >n Library A beautiful pair of mahogany sliding doors stand closed to the east. Shhh... Hear that? >listen You can hear Michael in the next room, typing away. It's the sound of genius happening. Seyser Koze posted:Play the flute. Maybe we can become the servitor of Azathoth or something. Seems like a good idea. As I said, Miranda isn't musical, but she can try. >play flute (the strange metal flute) You blow an open chord into the little flute, and it resonates with an eerie, metallic warble. The sound lingers in the air for a moment, then gently fades away. Maybe there's something special about the holes in the flute. Noun search! >look at holes Which do you mean, the first flute hole, the second flute hole, the third flute hole, the fourth flute hole, the fifth flute hole, the sixth flute hole or the seventh flute hole? Okay. The game seems to keep track of all seven holes separately. >first It's a small round hole; you cover it with your finger in order to change the flute's pitch. So, if Miranda covers a specific hole and plays... >cover first hole You place your finger over the first flute hole. >play flute (the strange metal flute) The flute emits an eerie, almost sub-sonic note. The sound lingers in the air for a moment, then gently fades away. We get a separate sound from the flute. >cover all holes You can't use multiple objects with that verb. >cover second hole You place your finger over the second flute hole. >play flute (the strange metal flute) The flute emits an odd mixture of metallic, warbling notes which intertwine and harmonize eerily with each other. The sound lingers in the air for a moment, then gently fades away. You can hear Michael in the next room, typing away. I see no portals opening up releasing the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, so I'mma consider this a success. Seyser Koze posted:Then let's start with the backyard and work our way out into the city from there. To the back yard. >put flute in coat (the strange metal flute in the trenchcoat) You slip the strange metal flute into the pocket of your trenchcoat. But first... >take puzzle box Taken. >throw puzzle box south I only understood you as far as wanting to throw the puzzle box. >throw puzzle box at door Bad idea; you're not a particularly good shot. >put puzzle box in coat You slip the puzzle box into the pocket of your trenchcoat. Gonna have to try other forms of violence to get this box open. >s Upstairs Hall >w Upstairs Landing >d Foyer A cold, noiseless draft coils through the narrow entrance hall. You shiver, wondering where it came from. >n Back Hall >w Kitchen >look at door It's just an ordinary-looking back door. >open door You open the back door. >n Path Behind the House A gravel path starts here at the back door of the house, and marks a trail nearly overgrown by weeds and briars. It disappears into the undergrowth to the northwest, framed by crooked trees with overhanging branches that seem to form a stunted, jagged archway into the dim recesses of the forest. >close door You close the back door. >look at trees The woods are ancient, thick with undergrowth and full of shadows. Branches creak, leaves rustle beneath unseen, half-imagined footsteps, and strange birdcalls echo through the trees. >look at trail You needn't worry about that. It doesn't look like some place Miranda would let her kids play in. Assuming Miranda wants children, which she does. Personal preference aside, Kids will find any place to play. Abandoned lots with dirty mattresses, back allies around courthouse corners. Even graveyards, tho oddly we haven't com across any. >nw Stooping to avoid the sharp, bare twigs that snag your clothes and seem to reach greedily for your eyes, you pick your way through the undergrowth to a small clearing.  Family Plot Old, moss-slimed tombstones, many broken off and leaning crazily like an old man's teeth, poke up from the soft, mulchy earth. In their midst stands an ancient marble crypt, its heavy iron door nearly obscured by thick draperies of ivy. The trees press close around this quiet enclave of death, leaning together over your head as if sharing secrets. A gap in the undergrowth to the southeast reveals a narrow gravel path. Never mind. >look at tombstones Years of neglect have left the tombstones in bad repair -- the ones not broken are eroded to near-illegibility, and those not eroded are covered with thick, sticky moss. From what you can make out, though, most of them are servants' graves. Family members were most likely buried in the larger structure in the middle of the clearing. >look at crypt Grimly carved letters over the door spell out a single name: "VERLAC". >look at moss You needn't worry about that. >look at door Grimly carved letters over the door spell out a single name: "VERLAC". >look at ivy The lush, greenish-black ivy seems to thrive with an unwholesome vitality, as though its roots were drawing some gruesome nourishment from beneath the soil. Talk about creepy. My own family has its own section of graves in texas, but we don't keep them behind our house! >open crypt door It seems to be locked. >unlock door You go through all the keys on your keyring, trying each one in turn, and after several false attempts you discover that the old-fashioned iron key fits the lock. You unlock the iron door. Mystery of the iron key solved. >open door You open the iron door. [Lovecraft Joke] Alright, Miranda is going to put one telephone receiver on this end of the crypt, then talk to you guys from the other end from inside and tell you what she sees.[/Lovecraft joke] >north The faint echo of dripping water and a musty smell of decay grow stronger as you descend. Darkness >turn on flashlight The flashlight emits a warm yellow beam. In the Crypt The air is clammy and frigid, the stone walls damp and streaked with mud and lichen. Pale, swollen roots push through cracks in the masonry. The smell of damp corruption is almost overpowering here, though the stairs to the south lead toward fresher air. The walls of this chamber contain dozens of wide, shallow niches; in each niche, a coffin. >look at coffin Rank upon rank of the ancient Verlac family remains are stacked away in this hole, left to crumble and deliquesce together, merging back into the dark matter which gave them birth. Above each niche is a nameplate indicating who was buried here and when they died. This looks like another file system. The Album, the register, the files in the office. The author must really like files. >look up wilhelm (in the nameplates) You can't find that name anywhere; but then again, it may just be too corroded for you to read. >look up mordecai (in the nameplates) You can't find that name anywhere; but then again, it may just be too corroded for you to read. >look up elijah (in the nameplates) You can't find that name anywhere; but then again, it may just be too corroded for you to read. Does no one take care of this place? If it were up to Miranda, she'd have the whole crypt uprooted and moved north of town. >look up Julia (in the nameplates) The nameplate reads "Julia Ward Verlac, b. May 4, 1964, d. January 10, 1997". Like the others, this coffin is built of solid oak, sealed with lead. >look up Edward (in the nameplates) The nameplate reads "Edward Verlac, b. April 26, 1960, d. March 14, 1997". Like the others, this coffin is built of solid oak, sealed with lead. I don't think we caught the name of Edward's kid. At least we know there the previous Verlacs are. And... Well, there is one other Verlac that should be here. >look up william (in the nameplates) The nameplate reads "William Verlac, b. June 22, 1954, d. September 18, 1958". Unlike the others, William's coffin is a ramshackle affair of cheap pine, held together with rusting nails. It's half-rotten with age and so shabbily built you could probably open it with your bare hands. > Where to next, goons? Also, if you have other suggestions, leave them in bold. Items In Trenchcoat
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May 19, 2015 16:33
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Cool, so the Verlacs are just keeping a bunch of dead people in their back yard. Rip open that child's coffin with our bare hands, that seems like a completely rational course of action. Also...it's not possible to go in the room where Michael is, right? Too bad, I'd love for Miranda to go stand right behind him and help the writing process with some beautiful flute music. Zoe fucked around with this message at 16:49 on May 19, 2015 |
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May 19, 2015 16:46
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Zoe posted:Rip open that child's coffin with our bare hands, that seems like a completely rational course of action. Sounds good to me. Also, can we cover multiple holes on the flute? I'd assume not, for sanity's sake, but then again...
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May 19, 2015 16:55
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Grimwit posted:you could probably open it with your bare hands. Prove it.
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May 19, 2015 19:13
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All aboard the train to child grave desecration station!
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May 19, 2015 20:07
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Well, we don't have much clear to do yet so casual desecration in the name of advancing the plot it is
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May 20, 2015 01:13
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Jumping on the desecration bandwagon. Also there's a courthouse and that kind of place has records right? We could check that out.
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May 20, 2015 01:30
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Open the coffin
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May 20, 2015 01:51
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Open the coffin, I don't think we had breakfast yet.
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May 20, 2015 02:34
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Can we dump the kid's body out and use the coffin as our new hoarding spot? This is important.
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May 20, 2015 04:34
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I agree with the others, examine the coffin.
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May 20, 2015 13:26
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So... Uh... First off, sorry for the lack of new pictures. I... Ha ha.. Injured my drawing hand mowing the lawn. I'll come back and add the icons for inventory later. Old Grey Guy posted:I agree with the others, examine the coffin. Seyser Koze posted:Open the coffin, I don't think we had breakfast yet. No Gravitas posted:All aboard the train to child grave desecration station! Jeez, you people are grim. Alright, let's see what a child of incestuous rape and inbreeding looks like. >look at william's coffin Unlike the others, William's coffin is a ramshackle affair of cheap pine, held together with rusting nails. It's half-rotten with age and so shabbily built you could probably open it with your bare hands. >open william's coffin Compelled by a gruesome curiosity, you dig your fingers under the soft, rotting boards and pry up the lid. With the shriek of pulling nails and a shower of crumbling wood, the coffin comes open, and you look inside, expecting to find a child's tiny skeleton... Dear God. There's no child buried here. Instead, the coffin contains only the worm-eaten bones of some kind of animal. Who would have buried an animal in place of the child that should have been interred here? And why would they do such a thing? Glumly, you look around at the rest of the coffins, and realize that anyone who might have known the answers to these questions is probably already buried in this room. Well, there you go. He looks like an animal. Miranda's kelpto-senses are tingling. >take skeleton The skeleton is in pieces; parts of it crumble even as you touch it. Only the animal's skull seems reasonably intact. >take skull You pick up the animal's skull. The gruesome thing seems to leer at you with its bleached, toothy grin. Aw. He's smiling. We'll just take little William with us. Zoe posted:Can we dump the kid's body out and use the coffin as our new hoarding spot? This is important. The answer is yes, but Miranda has her heart set on that Double Plus Undead posted:Also there's a courthouse and that kind of place has records right? We could check that out. As the only vote on a location, this wins. >up You involuntary take a deep breath of fresh air as you leave the clammy, foetid depths of the crypt behind. Family Plot >se Path Behind the House >s (opening the back door first) Kitchen >close door You close the back door. >s Dining Room >e Foyer >unlock door You unlock the front door. >s (opening the front door first) Outside the House >close door You close the front door. >lock door You lock the front door. >se Scenic View >ne Chilly Avenue >n Riverwalk >w Town Square A damp newspaper lies on the curb, fluttering slightly in the wind. In the center of the square, rising from a circular lawn of unhealthy-looking grass and weeds, stands a strange, stone obelisk. It seems to be a monument of some sort, although you can see no plaque or marker anywhere near it. Didn't Michael say something about learning the news of Anchorhead? >take newspaper You pick up the newspaper. It's the "Weekly Arkham Herald". Anchorhead, apparently, is not large enough to warrant its own newspaper. >read news The front page story is about Jeffrey Greer, 8 years old, who was abducted from his home at #11 Mill Town Road last night. Little Jeffrey is the latest victim in a series of abductions that stretches back for years, one every six months or so, and that authorities believe is the work of a single perpetrator. Local police had hoped to prove that Edward Verlac had been behind the kidnappings, but were unable to obtain a confession or any hard proof. Edward Verlac was convicted of murdering his wife and two daughters, one of whom was 15 months old, in January of this year; he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and incarcerated in Danvers Asylum, where he remained until committing suicide last March. This latest kidnapping, occurring after Edward's death, seems to have cleared up any lingering suspicions that he might have been the culprit. Anyone possessing information regarding the whereabouts of Jeffrey Greer is strongly urged to speak to the authorities as soon as possible. Miranda couldn't be more discusted. Who would take such grim pleasure in the kidnapping and death of children? *She thought petting the skull of an animal child* >put news in coat You slip the newspaper into the pocket of your trenchcoat. >put keys in coat You slip the keyring into the pocket of your trenchcoat. Oh yeah. Courthouse might have some problems with little William here. >put skull in coat You slip the animal's skull into the pocket of your trenchcoat. >south Courthouse A long, dimly lit, north-south corridor stretches away from the courthouse entrance. Closed, unmarked doors line either side of the hall, their pebbled glass windows lit from within by a murky, yellow-orange light. Silence reigns here; your footsteps echo eerily on the tiled floor, and occasionally you can hear muted conversation behind one of the doors -- you can't tell which. At the hall's southern end, a staircase leads down into the basement; a sign hanging above it reads "RECORDS". You can return to Town Square to the north. >look at doors Through the pebbled glass you can see a light on inside, but nothing else is visible. I don't actually think any of these doors lean anywhere. >South Courthouse Basement A single bulb dangling from the ceiling casts a watery, yellow light against the brick walls. A rickety staircase to the north leads back up to the ground floor, and two narrow doorways lead into the record archives. Over the southeast door hangs a sign that reads "BIRTH RECORDS", while the southwest door bears the sign "DEATH RECORDS". Ah, here's we go. >sw Death Records A bare room with cinderblock walls. Thousands of records and documents, most yellow and brittle with age, are stacked everywhere in towering piles. The exit lies northeast. >look at records The records go all the way back to the seventeenth century and are quite extensive. It would take a while to sort through all the papers, but you could look an individual up by name. Although it would take longer, you can also flip through all the documents in a given year to see if any familiar names pop up. >ne Courthouse Basement >se Birth Records A bare room with cinderblock walls. Thousands of records and documents, most yellow and brittle with age, are stacked everywhere in towering piles. The exit lies northwest. >look at records The records go all the way back to the seventeenth century and are quite extensive. It would take a while to sort through all the papers, but you could look an individual up by name. Although it would take longer, you can also flip through all the documents in a given year to see if any familiar names pop up. >nw Courthouse Basement > Alright... Me thinks next update will be Miranda looking up names. Do you have any specific ones? Of course, She'll search both births and deaths. Items In Trenchcoat  
Grimwit fucked around with this message at 15:51 on May 21, 2015 |
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May 20, 2015 16:29
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Sorry to hear about your hand!  ...did this injury involve sticking your hand underneath the mower while it was on because let me tell you that's always a bad idea. Anyway...so they faked William's death and threw a dog in the coffin? Oh those Verlacs, so random and silly!  Look up William, and then...well I guess just go down the list and check all the rest of the Verlacs. Edward too if he's in there. And drat this game really does love its file systems. I kind of like that it let's the player put their detective hats on and do their own research instead of just holding their hand the whole way like a lot of newer games. I just wish we could find an NPC to interrogate. I'm not sure what the point of birth and death dates would be but we're still looking for clues in 'the procession of names'. Someone earlier said the phrasing made it sound like a chronological thing so maybe we're on to something now. And if we were to say these disappearances started in 1959 and continued every six months until whatever year this game was made, that is...a whole lot of missing kids, wow. Might even be doing better than Pennywise on that front.
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May 20, 2015 16:56
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Zoe posted:Look up William, and then...well I guess just go down the list and check all the rest of the Verlacs. Edward too if he's in there. I agree with this, and also look up that missing kid.
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May 20, 2015 18:13
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Agreed, look up the Verlacs and every other name we have.Zoe posted:I'm not sure what the point of birth and death dates would be but we're still looking for clues in 'the procession of names'. Someone earlier said the phrasing made it sound like a chronological thing so maybe we're on to something now. I wonder about that procession of names, too, and where they'll lead us. Grimwit posted:Jeez, you people are grim. It's the wit that does it.
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May 20, 2015 19:01
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We might have to find out more of the Verlac line, which means birth records. Seems there's a gap so looking up Edward's birth first, then Elijah's, then Heinrich's. The others should be useful still but I dont think we'll get any past Eustacia. Death records for them all would be illuminating as well.
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May 20, 2015 20:09
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Grimwit posted:Compelled by a gruesome curiosity, you dig your fingers under the soft, rotting boards and pry up the lid. With the shriek of pulling nails and a shower of crumbling wood, the coffin comes open, and you look inside, expecting to find a child's tiny skeleton... Are we going to do that Lovecraft thing where everybody immediately yells THE ANIMAL SKELETON IS THE CHILD'S YOU IDIOT and then she continues to bumble along for hours before figuring it out herself? I forget the name of the worst offender that I read, but the narrator's exploring a ruin that was obviously built by intelligent lizardmen. He spends the story saying things like "oh, the people from this civilization must have depicted themselves as lizard-people in these carvings... allegorically!" or "hmm, these passages are too low for me to stand up in, but they're just the right height for those lizardmen, I wonder why the builders would do that" and "gee, a bunch of dead mummified lizardmen in full ceremonial dress interred in a burial chamber, why would the builders ever dress them up and put them here?"  After pages of this, suddenly he realizes "oh my god, the ancient ruins that look like they were built by sentient lizardmen were built by sentient lizardmen! fhsaufawrhjfksfsf"  Not one of Lovecraft's better stories.
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May 21, 2015 00:37
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Seyser Koze posted:Are we going to do that Lovecraft thing where everybody immediately yells THE ANIMAL SKELETON IS THE CHILD'S YOU IDIOT and then she continues to bumble along for hours before figuring it out herself? The only Lovecraft I can remember with Lizard Men was The Curse of Yig (which was just an edit of Zealia Bishop's first draft) and that was more about a snake child. Maybe Shadow Out of Time? Moutains of Madness? They both had hidden cities about stuff. The Mound, maybe? (Another with Zealia Bishop)
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May 21, 2015 01:06
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I'm kind of hoping it is some random animal skull and the actual kid is alive and creepin around someplace.
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May 21, 2015 01:08
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Grimwit posted:The only Lovecraft I can remember with Lizard Men was The Curse of Yig (which was just an edit of Zealia Bishop's first draft) and that was more about a snake child. I think it was The Nameless City. It's been a while.
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May 21, 2015 01:11
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Double Plus Undead posted:I'm kind of hoping it is some random animal skull and the actual kid is alive and creepin around someplace. Thats my working theory given that we just found out that abductions are still going on, and having an unwanted malformed child carrying on the family's misdeeds under the guise of being dead would be rather theme appropriate.
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May 21, 2015 01:59
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