How about checking out those wind chimes?
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A tale as old as time… let's play Bronze!
- Thread starter Kahran042
- Start date
Kirin has the tie-breaking vote, so let's go east first!
>e
Darkness
Though a dim light filters down from the law library, you can see almost nothing of the contents of your current location. You find yourself concentrating all the more alertly on your hearing, as though the slightest echo might offer a clue.
Windchimes ring, muted, from the east, competing with some dry sifting from the north. You can also make out your own steady breathing.
Looks like there are paths here leading east and north, but we wanted to check out both paths, so…
>w.ne.
Darkness
Though a dim light filters down from the servant quarters, you can see almost nothing of the contents of your current location. You find yourself concentrating all the more alertly on your hearing, as though the slightest echo might offer a clue.
Windchimes ring, almost inaudible, from the east, competing with some dry sifting from the northeast. You can also make out your own steady breathing.
Darkness
It's so dark in here that you have to feel your way along, and are nervous of tripping at any moment. You find yourself concentrating all the more alertly on your hearing, as though the slightest echo might offer a clue.
Windchimes ring, muted, from the southeast. You can also make out your own steady breathing and some dry sifting from the immediate vicinity.
Which way now?
Current puzzles:
Finding a light source.
Getting by the phantom guards.
Unlocking the door east of the Treasure Room.
Unlocking the case in the Treasure Room.
Airing out the room north of the Private Parlor.
Maps
1F:
|h c-i j-| | | /g-f-b-d-k-m /| \ e a la=Drawbridge
b=Entrance Hall
c=Central Courtyard
d=Scarlet Gallery
e=Guard Tower
f=Great Dining Hall
g=Enormous Kitchen
h=Servant Quarters (down to Darkness)
i=Ground Floor Helical Staircase [gargoyle] (up to Upstairs Helical Staircase)
j=Treasure Room [sceptre, puzzle piece, cloven shoes]
k=Gallery of Historical Paintings
l=Scarlet Tower
m=Room with the Labyrinth Floor (down to Darkness)
2F:
| a-b-c /|\ e f d | ga=Upstairs Helical Staircase
b=Private Parlor
c=Guest Bedroom (tapestry depicting small man leading large demon on string)
d=Empty Bedroom (shackle)
e=Green Bedroom (royal portrait)
f=Crystal Bedroom
g=Gilded Balcony
B1:
d /|\a-c- ba=Darkness (up to Servant Quarters)
b=Darkness (up to Room with the Labyrinth Floor)
c=Darkness
d=Darkness (you are here)
Unexplored paths:
North from Central Courtyard (blocked by a phantom guard).
North from Private Parlor (blocked by a smell of roses and death, contains a little gold dinner bell).
East from Treasure Room (locked).
North from Great Dining Hall (blocked by a phantom guard).
East from Darkness (c).
Southeast from Darkness (d).
Inventory:
A helmet (being worn, increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
A stool
Good question. Let's try both.
>examine sifting
It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing.
>think about sifting
You might find out something if you examine the dust. (Then again, you might not -- but it's worth a try.)
Maybe… let's give it a try.
>examine dust
It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing.
Guess not. So, let's continue to the southeast.
>se
Darkness
It's so dark in here that you have to feel your way along, and are nervous of tripping at any moment. You find yourself concentrating all the more alertly on your hearing, as though the slightest echo might offer a clue.
Windchimes ring, melodious, from the northeast, competing with some dry sifting from the northwest and an irregular dripping from the southeast. You can also make out your own steady breathing.
Where to from here? Shall we continue following the windchimes, or investigate the irregular dripping to the southeast?
Current puzzles:
Finding a light source.
Getting by the phantom guards.
Unlocking the door east of the Treasure Room.
Unlocking the case in the Treasure Room.
Airing out the room north of the Private Parlor.
Maps
1F:
|h c-i j-| | | /g-f-b-d-k-m /| \ e a la=Drawbridge
b=Entrance Hall
c=Central Courtyard
d=Scarlet Gallery
e=Guard Tower
f=Great Dining Hall
g=Enormous Kitchen
h=Servant Quarters (down to Darkness)
i=Ground Floor Helical Staircase [gargoyle] (up to Upstairs Helical Staircase)
j=Treasure Room [sceptre, puzzle piece, cloven shoes]
k=Gallery of Historical Paintings
l=Scarlet Tower
m=Room with the Labyrinth Floor (down to Darkness)
2F:
| a-b-c /|\ e f d | ga=Upstairs Helical Staircase
b=Private Parlor
c=Guest Bedroom (tapestry depicting small man leading large demon on string)
d=Empty Bedroom (shackle)
e=Green Bedroom (royal portrait)
f=Crystal Bedroom
g=Gilded Balcony
B1:
d /|\ /a-c-e \ ba=Darkness (up to Servant Quarters)
b=Darkness (up to Room with the Labyrinth Floor)
c=Darkness
d=Darkness
e=Darkness (you are here)
Unexplored paths:
North from Central Courtyard (blocked by a phantom guard).
North from Private Parlor (blocked by a smell of roses and death, contains a little gold dinner bell).
East from Treasure Room (locked).
North from Great Dining Hall (blocked by a phantom guard).
Northeast from Darkness (e).
Southeast from Darkness (e).
Inventory:
A helmet (being worn, increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
A stool
Eh, we've been tracking these windchimes so far (and they're the most obvious thing that's maybe *meant* to be heard with the helmet), let's track them down first and then come back for the drips.
Sounds good to me!
>ne
Darkness
It's so dark in here that you have to feel your way along, and are nervous of tripping at any moment. You find yourself concentrating all the more alertly on your hearing, as though the slightest echo might offer a clue.
Windchimes ring, loud, from the northeast. You can also make out your own steady breathing.
>ne
Darkness
Though a dim light filters down from rose garden, you can see almost nothing of the contents of your current location.
And the windchimes stop here… but maybe…
>up
You climb into the pale light...
Rose Garden
Only one kind of rose grows here, a pink only just distinct from white. This strain creeps over the ground and climbs the walls of the cloister.
In the middle of the garden a way slopes into the ground, reminding you of the entrance to a burial mound.
Strung up by a chain is a set of iron windchimes.
That would explain where the windchime sound was coming from… but what to do from here? Should we investigate the chimes further? Alternatively, there are paths to the south and southeast. Should we check out one or both of them?
Current puzzles:
Finding a light source.
Getting by the phantom guards.
Unlocking the door east of the Treasure Room.
Unlocking the case in the Treasure Room.
Airing out the room north of the Private Parlor.
Maps
1F:
n |\ | h c-i j-| | | /g-f-b-d-k-m /| \ e a la=Drawbridge
b=Entrance Hall
c=Central Courtyard
d=Scarlet Gallery
e=Guard Tower
f=Great Dining Hall
g=Enormous Kitchen
h=Servant Quarters (down to Darkness)
i=Ground Floor Helical Staircase [gargoyle] (up to Upstairs Helical Staircase)
j=Treasure Room [sceptre, puzzle piece, cloven shoes]
k=Gallery of Historical Paintings
l=Scarlet Tower
m=Room with the Labyrinth Floor (down to Darkness)
n=Rose Garden (down to Darkness) (you are here)
2F:
| a-b-c /|\ e f d | ga=Upstairs Helical Staircase
b=Private Parlor
c=Guest Bedroom (tapestry depicting small man leading large demon on string)
d=Empty Bedroom (shackle)
e=Green Bedroom (royal portrait)
f=Crystal Bedroom
g=Gilded Balcony
B1:
g / d f /|\ /a-c-e \ ba=Darkness (up to Servant Quarters)
b=Darkness (up to Room with the Labyrinth Floor)
c=Darkness
d=Darkness
e=Darkness
f=Darkness
g=Darkness (up to Rose Garden)
Unexplored paths:
North from Central Courtyard (blocked by a phantom guard).
North from Private Parlor (blocked by a smell of roses and death, contains a little gold dinner bell).
East from Treasure Room (locked).
North from Great Dining Hall (blocked by a phantom guard).
Southeast from Darkness (e).
South from Rose Garden.
Southeast from Rose Garden.
Inventory:
A helmet (being worn, increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
A stool
Obviously examine/think about the chimes, maybe we can dredge up an interesting memory. Then, since we’re here, may as well wander south and see whether we eventually run into the same ghostly guards that blocked us from the other direction. In the event that we hit a quick dead end there we can of course check the SE too. (Only other obvious thing we haven’t done is connect the underground back toward the labyrinth room by following the dripping sound, but that seems like it’ll just be a loop unless there’s another branch down there.)
First of all, let's check out those chimes.
>examine chimes
Each chime is engraved with the staring eyes and exaggerated nostrils of a spirit warrior.
>think about chimes
To reach the windchimes, it might help to stand on something.
Shall I go on? > y
Try standing on the stool.
That might come in handy later… but Kirin made some other suggestions, too, so let's try them out.
>s
Cloister Walk
A pleasant cloister overlooking the rose garden to the north. You have walked it many times, seeking to waste the excesses of time at your disposal.
We've got paths to the east and west from here, so might as well see if east of here is southeast of the garden, as I suspect.
>e
Walk's End
Lucrezia, they say, died here. It is only a turning point in the corridor, with a bench.
On the stone bench are some discarded embroidery materials.
Looks like it does, and there's a path to the south, too. First things first, though. I somehow doubt those embroidery materials are nailed down, so, being an adventurer…
>take materials
You acquire the discarded embroidery materials, and assess it (sic) curiously.
A few weeks ago now, he came to you with a quick step. "Look, it took me all morning, but I found this." Holding out the basket of threads, the folded linen. Not in bad condition, either.
"What is that for?" You were never much for sewing things at home, even before your mother died.
"I thought -- since you're so bored here --" He lowered his arm. "When I saw more of the world, I knew a number of young ladies who were very fond of it. My sister liked to make stories with hers."
You opened your mouth, looking for something to say.
"I see," he answered. "The world has changed. What do young ladies do now?"
"I don't know," you reply. "My father fell on hard times. We live in the country. I'm more or less a milkmaid, these days."
At the word milkmaid, his mouth twisted a little and he shrugged. "I cannot provide any cows," he said, after a long time.
You reacquaint yourself with its appearance: The little that is already done is old-fashioned blackwork, like your grandmother's mother might have stitched.
Where to from here? Should we check out the exits from the gardens, or maybe explore the basement further? Or maybe try using the stool to further investigate the windchimes?
Current puzzles:
Finding a light source.
Getting by the phantom guards.
Unlocking the door east of the Treasure Room.
Unlocking the case in the Treasure Room.
Airing out the room north of the Private Parlor.
Maps
1F:
a=Drawbridge
b=Entrance Hall
c=Central Courtyard
d=Scarlet Gallery
e=Guard Tower
f=Great Dining Hall
g=Enormous Kitchen
h=Servant Quarters (down to Darkness)
i=Ground Floor Helical Staircase [gargoyle] (up to Upstairs Helical Staircase)
j=Treasure Room [sceptre, puzzle piece, cloven shoes]
k=Gallery of Historical Paintings
l=Scarlet Tower
m=Room with the Labyrinth Floor (down to Darkness)
n=Rose Garden (down to Darkness)
o=Cloister Walk
p=Walk's End (stone bench; you are here)
2F:
a=Upstairs Helical Staircase
b=Private Parlor
c=Guest Bedroom (tapestry depicting small man leading large demon on string)
d=Empty Bedroom (shackle)
e=Green Bedroom (royal portrait)
f=Crystal Bedroom
g=Gilded Balcony
B1:
a=Darkness (up to Servant Quarters)
b=Darkness (up to Room with the Labyrinth Floor)
c=Darkness
d=Darkness
e=Darkness
f=Darkness
g=Darkness (up to Rose Garden)
Unexplored paths:
North from Central Courtyard (blocked by a phantom guard).
North from Private Parlor (blocked by a smell of roses and death, contains a little gold dinner bell).
East from Treasure Room (locked).
North from Great Dining Hall (blocked by a phantom guard).
Southeast from Darkness (e).
West from Cloister Walk.
South from Walk's End.
Inventory:
A helmet (being worn, increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
A stool
Some discarded embroidery materials
>examine chimes
Each chime is engraved with the staring eyes and exaggerated nostrils of a spirit warrior.
>think about chimes
To reach the windchimes, it might help to stand on something.
Shall I go on? > y
Try standing on the stool.
That might come in handy later… but Kirin made some other suggestions, too, so let's try them out.
>s
Cloister Walk
A pleasant cloister overlooking the rose garden to the north. You have walked it many times, seeking to waste the excesses of time at your disposal.
We've got paths to the east and west from here, so might as well see if east of here is southeast of the garden, as I suspect.
>e
Walk's End
Lucrezia, they say, died here. It is only a turning point in the corridor, with a bench.
On the stone bench are some discarded embroidery materials.
Looks like it does, and there's a path to the south, too. First things first, though. I somehow doubt those embroidery materials are nailed down, so, being an adventurer…
>take materials
You acquire the discarded embroidery materials, and assess it (sic) curiously.
A few weeks ago now, he came to you with a quick step. "Look, it took me all morning, but I found this." Holding out the basket of threads, the folded linen. Not in bad condition, either.
"What is that for?" You were never much for sewing things at home, even before your mother died.
"I thought -- since you're so bored here --" He lowered his arm. "When I saw more of the world, I knew a number of young ladies who were very fond of it. My sister liked to make stories with hers."
You opened your mouth, looking for something to say.
"I see," he answered. "The world has changed. What do young ladies do now?"
"I don't know," you reply. "My father fell on hard times. We live in the country. I'm more or less a milkmaid, these days."
At the word milkmaid, his mouth twisted a little and he shrugged. "I cannot provide any cows," he said, after a long time.
You reacquaint yourself with its appearance: The little that is already done is old-fashioned blackwork, like your grandmother's mother might have stitched.
Where to from here? Should we check out the exits from the gardens, or maybe explore the basement further? Or maybe try using the stool to further investigate the windchimes?
Current puzzles:
Finding a light source.
Getting by the phantom guards.
Unlocking the door east of the Treasure Room.
Unlocking the case in the Treasure Room.
Airing out the room north of the Private Parlor.
Maps
1F:
n |\ -o-p | |h c-i j-| | | /g-f-b-d-k-m /| \ e a la=Drawbridge
b=Entrance Hall
c=Central Courtyard
d=Scarlet Gallery
e=Guard Tower
f=Great Dining Hall
g=Enormous Kitchen
h=Servant Quarters (down to Darkness)
i=Ground Floor Helical Staircase [gargoyle] (up to Upstairs Helical Staircase)
j=Treasure Room [sceptre, puzzle piece, cloven shoes]
k=Gallery of Historical Paintings
l=Scarlet Tower
m=Room with the Labyrinth Floor (down to Darkness)
n=Rose Garden (down to Darkness)
o=Cloister Walk
p=Walk's End (stone bench; you are here)
2F:
| a-b-c /|\ e f d | ga=Upstairs Helical Staircase
b=Private Parlor
c=Guest Bedroom (tapestry depicting small man leading large demon on string)
d=Empty Bedroom (shackle)
e=Green Bedroom (royal portrait)
f=Crystal Bedroom
g=Gilded Balcony
B1:
g / d f /|\ /a-c-e \ ba=Darkness (up to Servant Quarters)
b=Darkness (up to Room with the Labyrinth Floor)
c=Darkness
d=Darkness
e=Darkness
f=Darkness
g=Darkness (up to Rose Garden)
Unexplored paths:
North from Central Courtyard (blocked by a phantom guard).
North from Private Parlor (blocked by a smell of roses and death, contains a little gold dinner bell).
East from Treasure Room (locked).
North from Great Dining Hall (blocked by a phantom guard).
Southeast from Darkness (e).
West from Cloister Walk.
South from Walk's End.
Inventory:
A helmet (being worn, increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
A stool
Some discarded embroidery materials
Seems like I'm the only one "playing" this, and a new job is making me slower to see updates, but since I'm finally here...
Obviously let's use the stool to check out the windchimes in more detail (maybe we can even unhook them and bring them with us? but I'd like to know more about their "spirit warriors" regardless). Then we may as well check south from Walk's End and see if we connect back to anything, and if there's nothing new and interesting there then go back West from the main Cloister Walk.
Obviously let's use the stool to check out the windchimes in more detail (maybe we can even unhook them and bring them with us? but I'd like to know more about their "spirit warriors" regardless). Then we may as well check south from Walk's End and see if we connect back to anything, and if there's nothing new and interesting there then go back West from the main Cloister Walk.