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A tale as old as time… let's play Bronze!

Torzelbaum suggested checking out the ivory door first, so let's do that.

>sw
(first opening the ivory door)
(first unlocking the ivory door)
You lack a key that fits the ivory door.

And, naturally, it's locked. So let's try Kirin's suggestions of going west, then east.

>w

Records Room
Where all the papers and histories are kept, not only for the royal family, but for kin in every kind and direction.

This might be interesting to explore, but it's pretty complex. If you want me to research anything to do with the royal family or their kin, feel free to ask, and I'll check it out here. Not to see what lies to the east.

>e.e.

Upper Bulb
In the upper chamber, you find, there is almost as much sand as there is below; indeed for all you can tell the flow might be eternal.

Nearby an ivory door leads southwest.

Gallery of Still Life
Natural light from the south -- coming in from the courtyard, you suppose, though you are too short to see out -- illuminates a series of still life paintings on the north wall: one showing the Wedding Treasure when Lucrezia arrived from Medici-Credenza, the other rather fancifully entitled Supper with M.

Nearby a heavy door leads east.

Let's take a closer look at those two paintings before checking out the heavy door.

>examine treasure
A table tastefully laid with possessions of power or personal worth, brought by Lucrezia as gifts from her father: an inkpot, a helmet, a green girdle stitched with vines, a curious pair of cloven shoes.

>examine supper
A table nicely laid out with white linen and napkins, bread and fruit; and a spoon with a very, very long handle.

I'm sure that these will be significant later. Now let's try the heavy door.

>open door
You open the heavy door.

With both doors open, a breeze begins to blow through the smelly area.

I was honestly not expecting that to work! Next time, we see what lies beyond…

Puzzles:
Finding a light source - probably a candle which we can also use to further investigate the map in the State Rotunda.
Unlocking the cage in the Treasure Room.
Airing out the room north of the Private Parlor.
Finding food for Beast.
Finding a key for the ivory door in Upper Bulb.

Maps
1F:
n
|\
v-u-s-r-o-p
|/| |
h t c-i j-q
| | | /
g-f-b-d-k-m
/| \
e a l
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
q=Scrying Room (stone bench)
r=Parliamentary Chambers
s=State Rotunda (map with a place to put a candle)
t=Law Library (great contract book; down to …?)
u=Lower Bulb (up to Upper Bulb)
v=Translation Room (Beast, quill pen that can't be lifted)

2F:
i-h-j-
/ |
a-b-c
/|\
e f d
|
g
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
h=Upper Bulb (down to Lower Bulb; locked ivory door)
i=Records Room
j=Gallery of Still Life (you are here)

B1:
g
/
d f
/|\ /
a-c-e
\
b
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 Private Parlor (blocked by a smell of roses and death, contains a little gold dinner bell).
Southeast from Darkness (e).
Down from Law Library.
East from Gallery of Still Life.
Southwest from Upper Bulb.

Inventory:
A helmet (increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
Some discarded embroidery materials
A small key (which opens the iron windchimes and the small door)
 
Well hey, that's nice. I *am* curious about the historical records, but damned if I have any memory of who would be mot interesting to research without going back and re-reading the whole thread. But yeah, first let's certainly continue east and see if we can get our hands on that dinner bell. Ding ding ding.
 
Torzelbaum said:
Is Elzibad a relative?
Click to expand...
Only one way to find out!

>go to records room
You head west to the upper bulb. And finally west to the records room.

Records Room
Where all the papers and histories are kept, not only for the royal family, but for kin in every kind and direction.

>look up elzibad in records
An entertaining story tells how Elzibad, worse than all the other kings of this palace that had previously been seen, was defeated by one of his own demons in elephant form, when someone who was not contracted to him gained command of the demon. Command of his slaves then passed to his son.

From that day on the castle was so built that no one could even enter into it without becoming contracted to its king, for the protection of the royal family.

And now that we know, on with exploration!

>go to gallery of still life
You head east to the upper bulb. And finally east to the gallery of still life.

Gallery of Still Life
Natural light from the south -- coming in from the courtyard, you suppose, though you are too short to see out -- illuminates a series of still life paintings on the north wall: one showing the Wedding Treasure when Lucrezia arrived from Medici-Credenza, the other rather fancifully entitled Supper with M.

Nearby an open heavy door leads east.

>e

White Gallery
Of more recent construction than many another portion of the castle, and therefore light and airy, and a pleasant place to spend a few hours.

Nearby an open heavy door leads west to the gallery of still life.

Placed where it will have the most light on the board for the longest time is a mechanical chessplayer.

The only other exit is to the east, but let's take a look at the most significant object in the room.

>examine chessplayer
The chessplayer wears a turban, and in its wooden fingers grasps the head of the black bishop. Whatever move it contemplates has yet to occur.

The Beast brought it out for you to play against, when other entertainment palled. You lost consistently until he came and roared at it; and afterwards began to win. The suspicion that it was throwing games made you a bit reluctant to make use of it, in the end.

The mechanical chessplayer is currently switched off.

If it's switched off…

>turn on chessplayer
You throw the switch hopefully, but nothing happens -- in fact, the switch flops loosely back into its old position, plainly connected to nothing.

Well, darn.

As far as I know, there's no way to do anything with the chessplayer.

Next time, we see what lies to the east.

Maps
1F:
n
|\
v-u-s-r-o-p
|/| |
h t c-i j-q
| | | /
g-f-b-d-k-m
/| \
e a l
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
q=Scrying Room (stone bench)
r=Parliamentary Chambers
s=State Rotunda (map with a place to put a candle)
t=Law Library (great contract book; down to …?)
u=Lower Bulb (up to Upper Bulb)
v=Translation Room (Beast, quill pen that can't be lifted)

2F:
i-h-j-k-
/ |
a-b-c
/|\
e f d
|
g
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
h=Upper Bulb (down to Lower Bulb; locked ivory door)
i=Records Room
j=Gallery of Still Life
k=White Gallery (mechanical chessplayer; you are here)

B1:
g
/
d f
/|\ /
a-c-e
\
b
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 Private Parlor (blocked by a smell of roses and death, contains a little gold dinner bell).
Southeast from Darkness (e).
Down from Law Library.
East from White Gallery.
Southwest from Upper Bulb.

Inventory:
A helmet (increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
Some discarded embroidery materials
A small key (which opens the iron windchimes and the small door)
 
Today may be my birthday, but that's no excuse for missing an update. Last time, I said I'd go east, so…

>e

Bellroom
Kept, conveniently, close to where the masters of the house would once have slept. There are bells large and small, clappers, tambourines, and gongs. Most of these you have never seen used at all.

Roses from the garden below have crept up to grow around the north window, lending a sickly smell to the place.

Nearby an open heavy door leads south to the private parlor.

Catching your eye among many other unfamiliar items are some iron windchimes, a little gold dinner bell, and a silver bell.

Lots of bells here. They don't seem to be nailed down, so…

>take all
iron windchimes: You acquire the iron windchimes.
little gold dinner bell: You acquire the little gold dinner bell, and assess it curiously.

It is the dinner summons, and particularly familiar to you.

silver bell: You acquire the silver bell, and assess it curiously.

It bears the stamp of a lamplighter.

Where to from here, south or east?

Puzzles:
Finding a light source - probably a candle which we can also use to further investigate the map in the State Rotunda.
Unlocking the cage in the Treasure Room.
Airing out the room north of the Private Parlor.
Finding food for Beast.
Finding a key for the ivory door in Upper Bulb.

Maps
1F:
n
|\
v-u-s-r-o-p
|/| |
h t c-i j-q
| | | /
g-f-b-d-k-m
/| \
e a l
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
q=Scrying Room (stone bench)
r=Parliamentary Chambers
s=State Rotunda (map with a place to put a candle)
t=Law Library (great contract book; down to …?)
u=Lower Bulb (up to Upper Bulb)
v=Translation Room (Beast, quill pen that can't be lifted)

2F:
i-h-j-k-l-
/ |
a-b-c
/|\
e f d
|
g
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
h=Upper Bulb (down to Lower Bulb; locked ivory door)
i=Records Room
j=Gallery of Still Life
k=White Gallery (mechanical chessplayer)
l=Bellroom (you are here)

B1:
g
/
d f
/|\ /
a-c-e
\
b
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 Private Parlor (blocked by a smell of roses and death, contains a little gold dinner bell).
Southeast from Darkness (e).
Down from Law Library.
East from Bellroom.
South from Bellroom.
Southwest from Upper Bulb.

Inventory:
A silver bell (bears the stamp of a lamplighter)
A little gold dinner bell (the dinner summons)
Some iron windchimes
A helmet (increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
Some discarded embroidery materials
A small key (which opens the iron windchimes and the small door)
 
South from here just connects us back to the parlor we’ve already been to, right? So we’ll want to explore east.

But also these bells. Dinner bell I assume is our way to get food that the Beast needs, though I’m also kind of assuming we need to be in the kitchen to work it… but I could be wrong so maybe an experimental ring from here wouldn’t hurt.

And then the lamplighter bell is very interesting. Seems like this is our route to a source of light for the basement, but again assuming we need a nearby target, maybe we could use it in one of the rooms with candles around.

And the chimes don’t give us any hints, but it might be interesting to see if something happens if we hang them on the hook where we took down another set of chimes to remove the phantom guards… wait, what happened to those chimes? I don’t see them in our inventory. Are these the same ones, did they teleport back to their home room somehow?

Actually before we do *any* of that maybe we should “think about” all three things we just got, just to see if there’s more details we already know about them.
 
Kirin said:
But also these bells. Dinner bell I assume is our way to get food that the Beast needs, though I’m also kind of assuming we need to be in the kitchen to work it…
Click to expand...
I was thinking the dining hall instead but I see no reason not to try it in multiple places.
 
Lots to do today, mostly suggested by Kirin. First, thinking about the three bells in our inventory.

>think about dinner bell
The little gold dinner bell might be useful to have.

Shall I go on? > y
Try ringing the little gold dinner bell in the Enormous Kitchen.

>think about silver bell
The silver bell might be useful to have.

Shall I go on? > y
Try ringing the silver bell in the Translation Room.

>think about windchimes
There's nothing more you need to do about the iron windchimes.

We've got some directions here, so that's good. And yes, these are the same windchimes, so we can drop them, then see what lies to the east.

>e

Apothecary
Furnished with a long countertop and the equipment of an apothecary; sketches from physicians; anatomical drawings of creatures similar to the Beast, bears and lions being especially prominent; also poison reference books, primarily the work of Italian and (earlier) Persian experts. The room has an unused air, and you do not remember ever coming in before, or seeing the Beast go in. It must have been a hobby that interested him before your arrival.

Roses from the garden below have crept up to grow around the north window, lending a sickly smell to the place.

Interesting… let's check out those books, because they're there.

>examine books
Assorted disturbing recipes for ways to make your enemies die quickly, or to dispatch them slowly in great pain. The pages most discolored by use and splashed ingredients are those pertaining to swift and pleasant execution.

As far as I know, there's nothing else to do in this room, so let's head to the kitchen.

>go to enormous kitchen
You head west to the white gallery. Then west to the gallery of still life. Then west to the upper bulb. Then down to the lower bulb. Then south to the law library. Then south to the great dining hall. And finally west to the enormous kitchen.

Enormous Kitchen
Haunted with the spirits of chefs past, generations and generations of culinary geniuses; one can never predict its whimsies.

>ring bell
Which do you mean, the silver bell or the little gold dinner bell?

>gold
The little gold dinner bell tinkles gaily: as in automatic response, your stomach rumbles. There will be a feast, now, waiting for you in the dining hall.

As for the gold bell, it returns to its place.

Its place being the bellroom. And now, back to the dining hall.

>e

Great Dining Hall
Such a long hall that the soup might get cold between one end and the other. You and he used only the far west end, nearest the kitchen. Once you took to dining together at all, that is; the first few months he brought trays to your room, while you hid.

But then you took to eating here; and at the end of every meal he would stand up formally and ask his question.

A considerable feast is set out on a platter as big as a shield.

>examine feast
A platter heaped with -- why, you must this time have woken the chefs of King Yggdram the Piscine: it is pickled whitefish and wilted greens, hot soup made from leviathan's bones, and other dishes you do not recognize, made of things that have not grown in this vicinity for many a year.

Hope Beast likes fish…

>take feast
You acquire the feast.

Perhaps he will feel better when he has eaten, you reflect. He has always had a large appetite -- the result of his change in form, he tells you.

He used to mock your dainty eating, and sit at table long after your plate was empty; and make a game of guessing foods that might tempt you to eat even a little more; vanishing into the kitchen to instruct the staff, and returning a little later; saying roguishly, "This, I think you will like..."

In your defense, you never had sugared violets at home.

>go to beast
You head north to the law library. Then north to the lower bulb. And finally west to the translation room.

Translation Room
Endowed with a deep power that dissolves into ready vernacular even the most ancient and secret scripts of the Law Library.

Usually blazing with the captured light of many thousands of candles, but it has been let to go out, and everything is dim.

And here Beast lies, sprawled on the ground as if he'd fallen.

You can also see an ordinary quill pen here.

>give feast to beast
With great care, you feed the soup to the Beast. So much spills that you doubt whether you are making any progress; then he swallows.

"You are ornery," he says. "I guaranteed your return -- you know what that means?"

"That if I had not come back, you would have died," you reply.

"That is only a small part of what would have happened. The other contracts would have unraveled, the servant souls freed."

You frown at him. "I've been trying to use you to this purpose for years," he says, touching your cheek. "But you wouldn't go. I'm touched that you came back for me -- really, I can't tell you how much -- but you've ruined the plan."

"Is there a way to set them free that doesn't kill you?" you ask.

He looks startled. "Not for me," he says. "There's a room in the basement below the rose garden I can't get into. Lucrezia's room. You'll need to get in, search the crypt, find a way to destroy the contracts book... there are places in the castle I cannot enter, because she sealed them against all her descendants. But you are not one of her descendants, so--" He chuckles weakly at some joke, but he hands you an iron key. "You'll need the shoes."

"Would that lift the curse on you, too, do you think?" you ask.

"Unlikely. That is another matter. Less happy." After a moment he begins to sleep again.

And we've got a new key! Where to from here?

Puzzles:
Finding a light source - probably a candle which we can also use to further investigate the map in the State Rotunda.
Unlocking the cage in the Treasure Room.
Finding a key for the ivory door in Upper Bulb.

Maps
1F:
n
|\
v-u-s-r-o-p
|/| |
h t c-i j-q
| | | /
g-f-b-d-k-m
/| \
e a l
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
q=Scrying Room (stone bench)
r=Parliamentary Chambers
s=State Rotunda (map with a place to put a candle)
t=Law Library (great contract book; down to …?)
u=Lower Bulb (up to Upper Bulb)
v=Translation Room (quill pen that can't be lifted; you are here)

2F:
i-h-j-k-l-m
/ |
a-b-c
/|\
e f d
|
g
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
h=Upper Bulb (down to Lower Bulb; locked ivory door)
i=Records Room
j=Gallery of Still Life
k=White Gallery (mechanical chessplayer)
l=Bellroom
m=Apothecary (apothecary equipment, charts, books on poisons)

B1:
g
/
d f
/|\ /
a-c-e
\
b
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:
Southeast from Darkness (e).
Down from Law Library.
South from Bellroom… probably leads to Private Parlor, but we haven't officially checked it yet.
Southwest from Upper Bulb.

Inventory:
An iron key
A silver bell (bears the stamp of a lamplighter; the game suggested ringing it in the translation room)
A helmet (increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
Some discarded embroidery materials
A small key (which opens the iron windchimes and the small door)
 
Lol, I wasn’t expecting the think abouts to be such explicit instructions, but they were pretty much what we were already supposing so no harm done.

Ok, well, lots of new stuff to go on. First of course we want to ring the silver bell to get some light going and see if we can take a candle with us to help with the basement. Before heading down, though, we should head to the treasure room, where hopefully this key works and we know we want the shoes, but ofc we’ll want to examine the other treasures as well. And also as preparation, I wonder if it would be smart to go back to the Records room and read up on Lucrezia.

I also note that the one section of basement we haven’t explored is *not* where he says Lucrezia’s room is (it should be in the north to be under the rose garden) - the missing spot might just be a connecting tunnel though. Eh, we’ll want to traverse it all thoroughly with a light to check for anything interesting. But first the prep stuff above.
 
Kirin has a few suggestions for today, but first, I'd like to indulge something I'm personally curious about. You see, the previous update mentioned a past king - Yggdram the Piscine. So let's look him up.

>go to records room
You head east to the lower bulb. Then up to the upper bulb. And finally west to the records room.

Records Room
Where all the papers and histories are kept, not only for the royal family, but for kin in every kind and direction.

>look up yggdram in records
Of King Yggdram the Piscine, there remain only many hundreds of lines of scurrilous verse, hinting but never quite daring to specify the true nature of his particular perversion.

I'm guessing that his particular perversion is the same as that of Troy McClure, based on his name. Anyway, on to Kirin's suggestions. The last of them is even right here in the records room, so let's do it.

>look up lucrezia in records
You quickly skim the unpleasant history of Lucrezia of Medici-Credenza, how she brought odd magical treasures with her, introduced new methods of binding and contracting that were previously unknown even to this castle, and maintained a room for her studies in the basement below the rose garden. From this room everyone including her husband was banned.

There are some suggestions that she was the daughter of the Devil himself, sent to the castle to tempt the kings into further folly and destruction. But who knows?

Intriguing… anyway, let's head to the translation room to ring the silver bell.

>go to translation room
You head east to the upper bulb. Then down to the lower bulb. And finally west to the translation room.

Translation Room
Endowed with a deep power that dissolves into ready vernacular even the most ancient and secret scripts of the Law Library.

Usually blazing with the captured light of many thousands of candles, but it has been let to go out, and everything is dim.

And here Beast lies, sprawled on the ground as if he'd fallen.

You can also see an ordinary quill pen here.

>ring silver bell
The silver bell rings once in triumph, and the room springs to brilliant light.

The bell itself fades back to its usual place.

That certainly had an effect, but has the room changed?

>look
Translation Room
Endowed with a deep power that dissolves into ready vernacular even the most ancient and secret scripts of the Law Library.

The single candle blazes with many times more light than one light source ought to produce.

And here Beast lies, sprawled on the ground as if he'd fallen.

You can also see an ordinary quill pen here.

Looks like we've got a candle! But can we take it?

>take candle
You acquire the candle, and assess it curiously.

Only apparently a single candle, but giving off a great deal of illumination.

Which means we can probably use it to light up the basement. Before that, though…

>go to treasure room
You head east to the lower bulb. Then east to the state rotunda. Then south to the central courtyard. Then south to the entrance hall. Then east to the scarlet gallery. And finally northeast to the treasure room.

Treasure Room
Locked in an iron cage are the house treasures not in use: the collection consists of a sceptre, a puzzle piece, and a pair of cloven shoes, at present -- he showed them to you one rainy day, telling you their many histories.

Nearby an open small door leads east to the scrying room.

>unlock cage with key
Which do you mean, the iron key or the small key?

>iron
You unlock the iron cage.

>open cage
You open the iron cage.

>take shoes
You acquire the pair of cloven shoes.

>examine sceptre
Studded with measly turquoises and semi-precious stones.

>examine piece
Something shiny has been painted on the piece.

The only other suggestion was to explore the basement, but that's a pretty tall order, so we'll go over it next week. See you then!

Puzzles:
Further investigating the map in the State Rotunda.
Finding a key for the ivory door in Upper Bulb.

Maps
1F:
n
|\
v-u-s-r-o-p
|/| |
h t c-i j-q
| | | /
g-f-b-d-k-m
/| \
e a l
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
q=Scrying Room (stone bench)
r=Parliamentary Chambers
s=State Rotunda (map with a place to put a candle)
t=Law Library (great contract book; down to …?)
u=Lower Bulb (up to Upper Bulb)
v=Translation Room (Beast, quill pen that can't be lifted; you are here)

2F:
i-h-j-k-l-m
/ |
a-b-c
/|\
e f d
|
g
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
h=Upper Bulb (down to Lower Bulb; locked ivory door)
i=Records Room
j=Gallery of Still Life
k=White Gallery (mechanical chessplayer)
l=Bellroom
m=Apothecary (apothecary equipment, charts, books on poisons)

B1:
g
/
d f
/|\ /
a-c-e
\
b
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:
Southeast from Darkness (e).
Down from Law Library.
East from Bellroom.
South from Bellroom.
Southwest from Upper Bulb.

Inventory:
A pair of cloven shoes
A candle (providing light)
An iron key (which opens the iron cage)
A silver bell (bears the stamp of a lamplighter; the game suggested ringing it in the translation room)
A helmet (increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
Some discarded embroidery materials
A small key (which opens the iron windchimes and the small door)
 
Nice. Actually, maybe before hitting the basement… I’d forgotten about the puzzle piece. We came across a puzzle missing it didn’t we? Only we didn’t mark it on our map so I’ve forgotten where. Also curious about the shiny mark on it, though maybe it’d make more sense once it’s back in the puzzle.

I also wonder if examining the shoes would give a clue as to why we need them. We could even try them on and see if anything obvious happens?

Annnnd the other obvious action open to us now is to use the candle in the map in the rotunda. Though I’m a little worried about whether it might stick there so maybe we wait on that one?

Also is this scepter even for anything…

Sorry to bury you in so many suggestions at once, seems like the game really opened up once we hit the last few upstairs locations!
 
First of all, solving the puzzle in the Private Parlor.

>go to private parlor
You head southwest to the scarlet gallery. Then west to the entrance hall. Then north to the central courtyard. Then east to the ground floor helical staircase. Then up to the upstairs helical staircase. And finally east to the private parlor.

Private Parlor
A sitting room of the family, in old times, and familiar territory to you now as well. Your bedroom is just south; other bedrooms, mostly smaller, in other directions.

Nearby an open heavy door leads north to the bellroom.

You can also see a bentwood table (on which is a jigsaw puzzle) here.

>put piece in puzzle
You snap the final piece into place.

Nothing tremendous happens, but the picture is complete.

The table is set for two: a robed king, and the devil. Between the two of them is a quill pen, jet black, and a huge book. The dialogue of these two characters is written on tiny gilt scrolls that spool out of their mouths, and this is what you could not read before the jagged piece was found: the devil is saying, "TIME IS ON MY SIDE," to which the king replies, "BUT NOT FOR LONG."

Hmm… I wonder if that means anything? Anyway, let's take a look at those shoes.

>examine shoes
Made for something with cloven hoofs. They bear evidence of having been adjusted to their current size by a shoemaker, and perhaps (therefore) could be again.

It says they were made for someone with cloven hoofs, but Kirin suggested trying them on, and that's just what I'll do.

>wear shoes
They emphatically do not fit. You will have to find someone to adjust them, evidently.

Kirin also suggested placing the candle on the map in the State Rotunda. There were some concerns about the candle possibly sticking, but that's what the save and restore commands are for. :)

>go to state rotunda
You head west to the upstairs helical staircase. Then down to the ground floor helical staircase. Then west to the central courtyard. And finally north to the state rotunda.

State Rotunda
Built for the bureaucratic offices of the palace. Inlaid in the floor is the map of all the lands that once this palace commanded; and from the stains and driblets of wax, it is clear to you that someone at some time thought it useful to set a candle at the map's center, and observe the result.

>put candle on map
You set down the candle.

No visible effect, but maybe if we examine the map…

>examine map
Since the lands of the Kingdom were once quite dispersed the cartographer has, from indolence, fancy, or an urge to flatter, omitted all the territories that intervened, so that here floating in a cherry-wood sea are the State of Medici-Credenza; the Emirate of Elzibad; the Equine Protectorate of Argos; a goodly portion of Essex; and Malta, the only true island of the lot. Of these, the candle's light glows with particular strength only in Italy and Malta; it seems that the power of the Kingdom has waned a good deal.

You read: Here there be Daemons.

Daemons, eh? That's probably not a good thing… but is the candle stuck?

>take candle
You acquire the candle.

Looks like it's not. That means that the one remaining suggestion is exploring the basement, but there are at least four ways into the basement. Which one should we use - Servant Quarters, Room with the Labyrinth Floor, Rose Garden, or Law Library?

As for the scepter, I'm pretty sure that it's useless, so don't worry about it.

Puzzles:
Finding a key for the ivory door in Upper Bulb.
Altering the cloven shoes so we can wear them.

Maps
1F:
n
|\
v-u-s-r-o-p
|/| |
h t c-i j-q
| | | /
g-f-b-d-k-m
/| \
e a l
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]
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
q=Scrying Room (stone bench)
r=Parliamentary Chambers
s=State Rotunda (map with a place to put a candle; you are here)
t=Law Library (great contract book; down to …?)
u=Lower Bulb (up to Upper Bulb)
v=Translation Room (Beast, quill pen that can't be lifted)

2F:
i-h-j-k-l-m
/ |
a-b-c
/|\
e f d
|
g
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
h=Upper Bulb (down to Lower Bulb; locked ivory door)
i=Records Room
j=Gallery of Still Life
k=White Gallery (mechanical chessplayer)
l=Bellroom
m=Apothecary (apothecary equipment, charts, books on poisons)

B1:
g
/
d f
/|\ /
a-c-e
\
b
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:
Southeast from Darkness (e).
Down from Law Library.
Southwest from Upper Bulb.

Inventory:
A pair of cloven shoes
A candle (providing light)
An iron key (which opens the iron cage)
A helmet (increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
Some discarded embroidery materials
A small key (which opens the iron windchimes and the small door)
 
Since no one has suggested an entrance to the basement, I'm going to use my LPer's prerogative to pick the one we entered from the first time.

>go to servant quarters
You head southwest to the law library. Then south to the great dining hall. Then west to the enormous kitchen. And finally north to the servant quarters.

Servant Quarters
Not a room friendly to visitors, it has the air of resentful, martyred suffering. Even His most unpleasant ancestors would not have grudged this place more paint, surely, and more straw for the beds.

A decaying ladder leads down.

>d
You start into the crypt, but an icy unnatural wind blows against you, as though the spirits resent the intrusion of someone with a light. And yet you have seen the Beast come down here, from time to time, bearing lanterns, torches, whatever he found handy.

There must be some preliminary, a matter of spiritual etiquette perhaps, to establish yourself as the master of those below.

I'll level with you: I do vaguely remember this, but I can't remember what to do here. Any ideas?

Puzzles:
Establishing myself as the master of those below.
Finding a key for the ivory door in Upper Bulb.
Altering the cloven shoes so we can wear them.

Maps
1F:
n
|\
v-u-s-r-o-p
|/| |
h t c-i j-q
| | | /
g-f-b-d-k-m
/| \
e a l
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; you are here)
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
q=Scrying Room (stone bench)
r=Parliamentary Chambers
s=State Rotunda (map with a place to put a candle)
t=Law Library (great contract book; down to …?)
u=Lower Bulb (up to Upper Bulb)
v=Translation Room (Beast, quill pen that can't be lifted)

2F:
i-h-j-k-l-m
/ |
a-b-c
/|\
e f d
|
g
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
h=Upper Bulb (down to Lower Bulb; locked ivory door)
i=Records Room
j=Gallery of Still Life
k=White Gallery (mechanical chessplayer)
l=Bellroom
m=Apothecary (apothecary equipment, charts, books on poisons)

B1:
g
/
d f
/|\ /
a-c-e
\
b
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:
Southeast from Darkness (e).
Down from Law Library.
Southwest from Upper Bulb.

Inventory:
A pair of cloven shoes
A candle (providing light)
An iron key (which opens the iron cage)
A helmet (increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
Some discarded embroidery materials
A small key (which opens the iron windchimes and the small door)
 
Could those embroidery materials work on the cloven shoes?

About the only other thing I can think of is checking the Law Library to see if there are any contracts that apply to those spirits.
 
Torzelbaum said:
Could those embroidery materials work on the cloven shoes?
Click to expand...
I don't think so… if so, it would probably be a pretty awful "guess the verb" puzzle. If you still want me to try it, tell me what verb to use.

Torzelbaum said:
About the only other thing I can think of is checking the Law Library to see if there are any contracts that apply to those spirits.
Click to expand...
Maybe! Let's check it out.

>go to law library
You head south to the enormous kitchen. Then east to the great dining hall. And finally north to the law library.

Law Library
Many books of precedent line these walls, containing every kind of contract that can be made to bind every kind of soul.

A hole in the floor descends to the other, less savory portion of this place.

You can see a great contract book here.

>look up spirits below in contract book
The runes are unfamiliar to you, but you know what the book is: a record of all the contracts of all the souls enslaved to the king of this castle.

Because, you see…

>read contract book
The words are in a language you don't understand: even the Beast had to take it to the translation room to make any sense of it.

So let's give that a try.

>take contract book
You acquire the great contract book.

>go to translation room
You head north to the lower bulb. And finally west to the translation room.

Translation Room
Endowed with a deep power that dissolves into ready vernacular even the most ancient and secret scripts of the Law Library.

And here Beast lies, sprawled on the ground as if he'd fallen.

You can also see an ordinary quill pen here.

Now to try reading it again.

>read contract book
You read with interest the indenture of a certain ostler. Thanks to the neat way the names are written at the top right corner of each page, you could easily look up anyone, though.

Let's try it, then.

>read contract book
You read with interest the indenture of a certain ostler. Thanks to the neat way the names are written at the top right corner of each page, you could easily look up anyone, though.

>look up spirits below
What do you want to look up in?

>contract book
You discover nothing of interest in the great contract book.

>look up crypt in contract book
You discover nothing of interest in the great contract book.

And that's all I can think of. Any suggestions of who to look up, or of how else we might be able to get underground?

Puzzles:
Establishing myself as the master of those below.
Finding a key for the ivory door in Upper Bulb.
Altering the cloven shoes so we can wear them.

Maps
1F:
n
|\
v-u-s-r-o-p
|/| |
h t c-i j-q
| | | /
g-f-b-d-k-m
/| \
e a l
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; you are here)
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
q=Scrying Room (stone bench)
r=Parliamentary Chambers
s=State Rotunda (map with a place to put a candle)
t=Law Library (great contract book; down to …?)
u=Lower Bulb (up to Upper Bulb)
v=Translation Room (Beast, quill pen that can't be lifted)

2F:
i-h-j-k-l-m
/ |
a-b-c
/|\
e f d
|
g
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
h=Upper Bulb (down to Lower Bulb; locked ivory door)
i=Records Room
j=Gallery of Still Life
k=White Gallery (mechanical chessplayer)
l=Bellroom
m=Apothecary (apothecary equipment, charts, books on poisons)

B1:
g
/
d f
/|\ /
a-c-e
\
b
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:
Southeast from Darkness (e).
Down from Law Library.
Southwest from Upper Bulb.

Inventory:
A great contract book (which can only be read in the Translation Room)
A pair of cloven shoes
A candle (providing light)
An iron key (which opens the iron cage)
A helmet (increases vigilance and strengthens hearing)
Some discarded embroidery materials
A small key (which opens the iron windchimes and the small door)
 
Last edited:
It's been a while since I caught up on this thread! I was startled to see the Beast in the translation room. Is his place of collapse randomized? I ran across him somewhere else entirely!
 
If we can get the spirits to let us in there, yeah. We need to figure out how to prove we’re a “master of the sprites below” or some such. (We could try different entrances, but it seem likely we’ll run into the same thing and need to do something else up here first.)

I’ve been traveling and way behind on the forum and a lot of this has fallen out of my head so I don’t have many specific suggestions, but it seems like maybe we need to pull some specific names from the history we’ve learned and try them in the contract book? Or maybe record room upstairs could help more?

Unless… Kahran said the sceptre was decorative, so we probably don’t just need to be holding that to demonstrate our authority or something, do we?

Regarding the Beast’s placement, I wonder if he ends up in the last (first floor?) room you explore. That might make sense in terms of how the plot moves along.
 
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