,,,,This is a large hall with arched ceilings held up by carven pillars. A more modern influence has installed two very flashy chandeliers. They must be what was glittering. [[Double doors->Hallway]] lead back to the hallway.
Tables and chairs have been pushed to the side to clear a space. (click: "space") [For dancing maybe?] (if: $TakenRecordPlayer is false) [A portable record player sits on a low table. (click: "record player") [You pick up the record player. Perhaps "portable" was an overstatement but you manage somehow. (set: $TakenRecordPlayer to true) (set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: "recordplayer"))]]You take the record player out of your pocket and examine it. (click: "pocket") [Yes it fits, you have really big pockets. What did you expect?] (click: "big") [Really big. The best. Huge.]
This battery-powered record player is kind of a pain to lug around. Hopefully you can find something to do with it soon. (click: "to do") [
(if: $Inventory contains "record" is false) [You don't have a record to play. That's not going to sound very interesting.] (elseif: $Back is "Pigsty") [You clear a space in the mud for the record player, pop the Polka Hits LP onto the turntable and turn it on. After the familiar analogue crackle, loud polka music begins to play.
The other occupant of the sty grunts and turns over. Her eyes blink sleepily awake and she looks at you accusingly. Maybe she doesn't like polkas? (set: $Inventory to $Inventory - (ds: "recordplayer", "record")) (set: $PigIsAsleep to false)] (else: ) [You don't feel like polka music would improve the current situation. Maybe save it for later?]]
You (link-goto: "leave", $Back) the record player alone for now.You are standing outside a forbidding stony edifice that reminds you of Richard's old castle in northern Europe. It is admittedly strange to find a Medieval European castle in Ontario, perhaps it was bought and rebuilt brick-by-brick under the auspices of some railroad robber baron? (click: "old castle")[
To be honest it makes the old one look a bit inadequate.] (click: "inadequate")[It's amazing what can be achieved by an architect who is really on board with the idea of Cyclopean Menace.]
The heavy granite curtain wall looms above you. (click: "looms above you")[ The castle has an undeniable presence, and you feel like it might be a malign one. In many ways it's strange that Richard chose to live here. I suppose if you want a castle in Canada, choices are probably limited.]
In the middle of the wall is the [[gatehouse->Gatehouse]].This is the lobby of the castle. It's draughty and a few mouldering furs hang from hooks on the wall. (click: "furs")[They're pretty rancid, (if: $Moths is false)[but you poke at one anyway and are startled by the cloud of moths that flies out.(set: $Moths to true)](else:)[so you decide to leave them alone. There are enough moths here already.]]
Opposite all that stuff is a small [[cupboard->ShoeCupboard]] with a faded Dymo label on it saying 'SHOES'. (if: $Moths is true)[
The moths you disturbed flutter around aimlessly.]
{An ancient doormat lies on the floor right in front of the door. Through the stains you can see the remains of the word 'WELCOME' in block type. That's nice.
(click: "doormat")[
(if: $BootsMuddy is true)[You wipe most of the mud and such off the fabulous boots. They're almost as fabulous as they were before you went outside.(set: $BootsMuddy to false)(set: $BootsShitty to false)]
(else:)[You contemplate the doormat. Nothing much happens and after a while you stop.]]}
The far end of the lobby opens into a [[hallway->Hallway]], or you can head [[outside->Courtyard]] again.This hallway opens out a little, and you can see something sparkling through the open [[double doors->GreatHall]] at the far end. (if: $RecordPlaying is true)[
You hear what sounds like quiet music from the direction of the double doors.]
Behind you, the way leads back to the [[lobby->Lobby]], and to one side a rather splended dog-leg [[staircase->Landing]] leads up to a broad landing. Beneath the stairs is an unobtrusive [[door->Kitchen]].{
<!-- Setup save system -->
(set: $Version to 1)
(set: $SaveSlot to "Autosave")
(set: $SaveName to "AutosaveV" + (string: $Version))
<!-- Setup location tracking -->
(set: $Back to "Castle")
(set: $LastTags to (a:))
<!-- Set flavour states -->
(set: $BootsMuddy to false)
(set: $BootsShitty to false)
(set: $Moths to false)
(set: $SteppedInLake to false)
(set: $SyrupFraction to 1)
(set: $BathPlugIn to true)
<!-- Set progress states -->
(set: $WicketGateLocked to true)
(set: $TakenHammock to false)
(set: $TakenRecord to false)
(set: $TakenRecordPlayer to false)
(set: $TakenSilverKey to false)
(set: $TakenSyrup to false)
(set: $TakenBedpost to false)
(set: $TakenHatchet to false)
(set: $TakenRitual to false)
(set: $TakenWindlass to false)
(set: $MooseSummoned to false)
(set: $RopeInWell to false)
(set: $DeskUnlocked to false)
(set: $LogInGrating to false)
(set: $BedpostInGrating to false)
(set: $PickedOnions to false)
(set: $PigIsAsleep to true)
(set: $OnionsFedToPig to 0)
(set: $PigExploded to false)
(set: $TakenSuperOnion to false)
<!-- Init inventory -->
(set: $Inventory to (ds: "key", "stone"))
(set: $Things to (dm:
"key", "a rusty [[key->RustyKey]]",
"boots", "fabulous [[boots->FabulousBoots]]",
"stone", "a small [[stone->SmallStone]]",
"onion", "a faintly glowing [[onion->GlowingOnion]]",
"hammock", "a worn out [[hammock->Hammock]]",
"rope", "a length of [[rope->Rope]]",
"log", "the remains of a [[log->Log]]",
"recordplayer", "a fairly portable [[record player->RecordPlayer]]",
"record", "an LP of [[polka hits->Record]]",
"superonion", "a brightly glowing [[onion->SuperOnion]]",
"syrup", "a bottle of [[maple syrup->MapleSyrup]]",
"silverkey", "a tiny [[silver key->SilverKey]]",
"bedpost", "a hardwood [[bedpost->Bedpost]]",
"hatchet", "a dainty [[hatchet->Hatchet]]",
"ritual", "the description of a [[ritual->Ritual]]",
"windlass", "a metal [[windlass->Windlass]]",
))
}(if: last of (history:) is "Gatehouse")[The wicket gate creaks open and you step through into the courtyard.
](elseif: last of (history:) is "RustyKey")[You step through the gate into the courtyard.
]The large open space between the curtain wall and the castle proper is mostly full of (either: "unpleasantly squelchy mud", "mud smelling somewhat of pigshit, although you can't see a pig anywhere").
On the far side of the yard a [[door->Lobby]] appears to provide access to the keep. You can also head [[left->Piggery]] or [[right->Lists]] around the keep through the mud, or step back outside through the [[wicket gate->Gatehouse]].The smell of pigshit is much stronger here and you are tempted to return to the [[courtyard->Courtyard]] or press on quickly through an [[archway->Garden]] in the far wall.
As far as you can tell the smell emanates from a low hut ringed by a fence of roughly finished timber. Within this pen, the mud is even nastier than the rest of the courtyard. A square opening leads inside (if: $PigIsAsleep is true) [and you hear what sounds like some kind of power tool running.] (else: ) [and you hear (unless: $PigExploded) [grunting accompanied by] loud polka music.] (click: "inside")[(if: $Inventory contains "boots")[(goto: "Pigsty")](else:)[You'd go inside, but you don't want to get your feet even muddier than they already are.]]This open space is less muddy and better maintained. It may have been where the castle's troops trained back in the day. (click: "troops") [You don't see much evidence of soldiery now. You shake your head to dispel the sensation that you're being watched. Surely no ghosts linger here?] (click: "ghosts") [After all, ghosts aren't real, and if they were they'd almost certainly have become bored with all the mud and drifted away.]
Against the curtain wall is a long stone [[building->Barracks]] with a chimney at one end. You can also walk [[toward->Courtyard]] the gatehouse, or pass through the [[archway->Garden]] in the far wall.The walled garden is almost homely, and lacks the air of menace you've noticed in other parts of the castle. Climbing plants are trying hard to obscure the entirety of the far wall, but a few stones are still visible here and there.
In the centre of the garden is a [[covered well->Well]], and tucked in under the keep's wall is a vegetable patch. (click: "vegetable patch")[
There's not much growing here, and what there is largely pale and sickly. (if: $PickedOnions is false)[In one corner some vivid green shoots are poking through the dark loam, they look almost embarassingly healthy compared to the rest of it. (click: "green shoots")[(set: $PickedOnions = true)
You dig into the soft soil around the shoots with your fingers and unearth several large onions. They appear entirely normal apart from a faint blue glow. Richard seems to have a thing about onions, maybe it relates to childhood trauma? You wonder if it would be unwise to take an onion.]](else:)[A small pile of onions glows faintly in the shadow of the wall. If you sure you want to, you can take an onion from the pile.] (click: "take an onion")[(if: $Inventory contains "onion")[
You think of the onion in your pocket and decide not to be greedy.](else:)[
Throwing caution to the wind, you choose a good-looking onion from the pile and put it in your pocket.(set: $Inventory = $Inventory + (ds: "onion"))]]]
Looking toward the keep, archways in the [[left->Lists]] and [[right->Piggery]] walls provide access to different parts of the muddy courtyard.(set: _tags to tags of (passage: )) (unless: _tags contains "menu")[(set: _tagschanged to _tags is not $LastTags) (if: _tagschanged is true or (random: 1,3) is 1) [(for: each _tag, ..._tags) [(if: _tag is not "") [(display: _tag + "Tag")]]]
(set: $Back to name of (passage: ))[If you want, you can look at your [[stuff->Inventory]].] (set: $LastTags to _tags)](set: $BootsShitty to true)(if: last of (history:) is "Piggery")[The mud - at least you hope that's what it is - sucks and glops wetly around your fabulous boots, but you manage to wade across and duck into the opening.
] The inside of the shed is warm and snug, enough so that your damp clothes steam slightly. (if: $PigExploded is false) [The snug sensation is enhanced by the large Tamworth sow taking up most of the space. (click: "sow")[(if: $PigIsAsleep is true)[Her eyes are tightly closed and she's snoring like a bandsaw. You feel like you're intruding.] (else: ) [She blinks sleepily at you through rheumy eyes, and champs expectantly.] (click: "space") [Between you and Ms. Pig there's not much space left over, and what there is is full of vegetable peelings and onion skins.]]] (else:)[ [
Thankfully the pig is one piece but she looks diminished by her experience, pale and trembling. A thin gruel of onion peelings and pigshit covers the floor and drips down the walls.] (if: $TakenSuperOnion is false) [
Amidst the porcine byproduct is a single large onion. It glows radiantly despite the covering of effluent. (click: "large onion") [You take the onion and wipe the crap off it. Your hand tingles a little with the contact, but you put it in your pocket anyway. (set: $Inventory = $Inventory + (ds: "superonion")) (set: $TakenSuperOnion to true)]]](if: $PigIsAsleep is false) [
A portable record player is serenading the pig with loud polka music. She grunts occasionally.]
The low door leads [[back outside->Piggery]].Unpleasant sleety drizzle patters down and you feel decidedly cold and damp. A red and white flag with a leaf on it would be flying above the [[castle->Castle]], but in this weather it just dangles limply from the pole.
The gatehouse's arch contains heavy wooden double doors reinforced with iron strapping. They're wide enough for a double file of horsemen and look suitably imposing. (click: "doors")[There doesn't seem to be a way to open the doors from the outside, but the inset wicket gate is promising.] (click: "wicket gate")[(if: $WicketGateLocked is true) [
Not so promising after all, it's locked.](else: )[(goto: "Courtyard")]]{(set: _inventory to (a: ...$Inventory))
(if: length of _inventory is 0)
[(either: "Nothing to see here.", "You don't have anything in your pockets.", "Your pockets are empty. And threadbare.")]
(else:)[You have (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, length of _inventory))[
(if: _i > 1 and _i < length of _inventory)[, ]
(elseif: _i > 1)[ and ]
(print: _i of _inventory of $Things)]]. (if: length of _inventory < 4)[Having stuff makes you feel happy and successful.] (elseif: length of _inventory < 6) [Having this much stuff is weighing you down, both mentally and physically. Time to declutter?] (else: ) [You are fed up to the back teeth with dragging all this crap around.] }
It might be time to (link-goto: "stop fiddling", $Back) with your stuff and get on with things.For some reason keys always seem to be rusty, perhaps it's the damp. This key was in the mailbox of Castle Richard and (if: $WicketGateLocked is true)[you think you'll probably need it to unlock something before too long.](else:)[you used it to unlock the wicket gate.] (either: "It's quite heavy.", "The rust isn't very good for the lining of your pocket.") (if: $WicketGateLocked is true) [(click: "unlock") [
(if: $Back is "Gatehouse")[(set: $WicketGateLocked to false)The key turns grudgingly in the lock of the wicket gate and it creaks as you push it [[open->Courtyard]].](else: )[The key isn't much use here.]]]
Put the key (link-goto: "back in your pocket", $Back).The boots really are fabulous. They're made of supple cream leather with crimson piping, and along the back of the calf glittering pink and silver rhinestones spell out the words 'Hot Mess'.(if: $BootsShitty is true)[
The boots are spattered with mud and pigshit. It does diminish their fabulousness, but not completely. Still got it.](elseif: $BootsMuddy is true)[
The boots are spattered with mud from the courtyard. They're still fabulous though.]
It's hard, but you need to (link-goto: "stop admiring the boots", $Back) and get on with it.It's just a rock. (if: $Back is "Well") [I suppose you could throw it into the well and make a wish?] (click: "wish") [(set: $Inventory to $Inventory - (ds: "stone"))You drop the small stone into the well and wish for an uneventful life. Some time passes.
Eventually you hear the faint 'plop' of stone in water. After that, right on the edge of hearing, comes the distant sound of something slapping against the water. It's almost but not quite got a rhythm to it.] (click: "sound") [
It's probably nothing. Nothing worth worrying about anyway.] (click: "worrying") [It's fine, let it go.]
You (link-goto: "lose interest", $Back) in the rock.You watch the taxi meter rack up the dollars as your cab winds its way out from downtown Toronto, and hope that you've got enough cash on you for the fare.
Eventually the suburban lights give way to a mix of farms and dark piney woods and half an hour later the road runs out of asphalt. The cabbie pulls over and looks back at you. "That's about as far as we're going, eh?" You thank her, pay up and grab your bag from the back seat.
At the side of the road, you take stock of your surroundings. There isn't much here apart from a battered [[mailbox->Mailbox]]. It looks like this is as far as the postal service is willing to go too.You open the cupboard, expecting it to be full of shoes. It isn't. (unless: $Inventory contains "boots")[There is a pair of boots though. They look fabulous and you want to possess them very much. (click: "possess")[
You take the boots and slip them on. The pale cream leather fits snugly around your feet and calves. It's shame there's no mirror here as you probably look like a million dollars, but you feel like a million dollars at least, and maybe that's what's really important.(set: $Inventory = $Inventory + (ds: "boots"))]]
[[Close the cupboard again->Lobby]].This is a perfectly ordinary onion, apart from whatever feat of science or miracle of nature has caused it to glow faintly. It even has that acrid onion smell.
Strange but true. If I were you I wouldn't eat it. (click: "eat it" ) [(if: $Back is "Stalls" and $SummonedMoose is true) [You offer the onion to the moose but it's too busy with the bucket of silage to care.] (elseif: $Back is "Pigsty") [(if: $PigIsAsleep is false) [Maybe the [[pig->FeedOnionToPig]] would would like the onion?] (else:) [The sleeping pig's nostrils twitch as you offer the onion, but she doesn't wake up.]] (else: ) [You don't want to eat the onion, and there's no-one to offer it to.]]
You'd marvel at the onion longer, but you have (link-goto: "things to do", $Back).This building appears to be a barracks, where the lord's soldiers lived and slept. There are small doors at either end, and an opening under the roof in the centre split into what must be stalls. (click: "lord") [Did Canada^^TM^^ even have lords?] (click: "stalls")[The stalls are big enough for half-a-dozen horses, but there aren't any here right now. If you want you can take a [[closer look->Stalls]].]
You could enter either the [[left->Sleepery]]- or [[right-hand->Eatery]] door, or [[leave the barracks->Lists]].You're in the armoury. Racks of dusty armaments line the walls, and a suit of armour stands on a mannequin. It's like someone with no imagination was dressing the set of a Errol Flynn movie. (if: $TakenHatchet is false)[ (click: "armaments") [There's a small hatchet in one of the racks that looks like time hasn't been too hard on it.] (click: "hatchet") [
You take the hatchet with you. It's bound to be good for something. (set: $TakenHatchet to true) (set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: "hatchet"))]]
A long [[corridor->Sleepery]] passes behind the stalls, and in the other direction can see a room through an [[opening->Eatery]] in the wall.Separated from the rest of the barracks by a long corridor passing behind the stalls, this room must have been a little quieter than the others. The ceiling is fitted with hooks and from some of them dangle the remains of hammocks. (click: "hammocks") [These strike you as unusual in a castle. Maybe the soldiers were also sailors? (if: $TakenHammock is false) [One hammock is in a better state of repair than the others.] (click: "One hammock") [
You unhook the hammock and take it with you.(set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: "hammock"))(set: $TakenHammock to true)]]
The [[corridor->Armoury]] leads off on one side, and a door opens to the yard [[outside->Barracks]].(if: $MooseSummoned is false) [Unusually given the castle's lack of soldiery, you see signs of recent occupation in one of the stalls. (click: "occupation")[Clean dry straw has been laid out, and a bucket of pungent silage sits in the corner. There's a strong musky smell here.] (click: "smell")[It's really very strong and makes your eyes water. You assume it's from an animal, but you don't recognise the kind.] (click: "animal") [
It must be a powerful beast though - the end wall of the stall is criss-crossed with recent marks where something hard like an antler has scraped against it.]] (else:) [The stall is almost entirely filled by a (either: "magnificent", "marvellous", "mighty", "mesmerising") moose. Its nose is deep in a bucket of maple-scented silage and it is making happy gurgling noises. (if: $TakenSilverKey is false) [
Around the moose's neck is a red ribbon, and dangling from the ribbon is a silver key. (click: "silver key") [You gently unhook the silver key from the ribbon and put it into your pocket. The moose doesn't seem to notice and carries on hoovering up the silage. (set: $TakenSilverKey to true) (set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: "silverkey"))]]]
You could [[leave the stall->Barracks]].This must be the refectory - polished tables flanked by low benches fill the space in the middle of the room. On one side there's a hearth with cooking pots hanging above it, and next to this is a small cistern of water. (click: "hearth") [There are a few logs lying in the hearth.] (click: "polished") [Up close, you realise it's not polish, but a shiny patina of dirt and grease ground into the surface of the oak.] (click: "logs") [
(if: $Inventory contains "log")[You already have a log. No sense in lugging two around, they're heavy!] (else:) [You take a log from the hearth. (set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: "log"))]]
A door leads [[outside->Barracks]], and there's an opening into [[another room->Armoury]].{
<!-- Add something to empty history to avoid problems -->
(if: length of (history:) is 0) [(goto: "FakePassage")]
}(goto: (last of (history:)))The ancient hammock is on the point of coming apart. You worry that tugging at it might be the end of it. (click: "tugging" ) [
You can't help yourself and before you know it you've pulled the hammock apart like it was a particularly satisfying scab. To your surprise it was woven from a single piece of rope! You decide to hang on to this. (set: $Inventory to $Inventory - (ds: "hammock")) (set: $Inventory = $Inventory + (ds: "rope"))]
(link-goto: "Stop", $Back) messing with the hammock.Every bold adventurer needs a rope. It's practically in the job description. Adventurers are always needing to tie stuff to other stuff, climb up ropes, etc. (click: "tie") [
(if: $Back is "Well") [You tie the rope to the winch shaft using the bowline knot you learned at Scouts. It's definitely totally secure, Scout's Honour! (set: $RopeInWell to true) (set: $Inventory = $Inventory - (ds: "rope"))] (else:) [You don't see anything that you want to tie the rope to here.]]
Leave the rope (link-goto: "alone", $Back).The mossy stones of the well are more than damp, they're positively dripping with runoff from the tiled roof. Under the roof you see the remains of a wooden winch, and below that the shaft descends into darkness.(if: $RopeInWell is true)[
An ancient rope is securely fastened to the winch and dangles [[down->RopeDown]] into the well.] (else:) [There's no sign of the rope that would once have been attached to the winch.]
You could [[step back->Garden]] from the well.The bottom of the well opens into a wide cistern. The original builders of the castle seem to have made use of an existing cave in the limestone, reinforced here and there with stone columns. (click: "cistern")[
The centre of the cistern is dimly illuminated by light from the well above. In the middle of the glow the ancient rope dangles, its end just above the water's surface. You could [[climb->RopeUp]] up the rope.] (click: "cave") [
The cave stretches back into the darkness and the water surface ripples gently, splintering the reflected light.] (if: $LogInGrating is true) [
All at once the strange noise gets louder and you hear the rush of pattering slapping feet approaching the far side of the grating. Something's there! You keep perfectly still and the noise stops all at once, leaving a moment of silence. (click: "silence") [A second later, the cistern is filled with the sound of a woodchipper and you see shadowy movement in the dark. It lasts for perhaps half a minute and then cuts out, and the pattering feet move quickly away. (set: $LogInGrating to false)]
If you could find some wood harder than pine it might keep whatever it is distracted for longer?] (elseif: $BedpostInGrating is true) [
In the deeper darkness of the tunnel mouth you hear an almost rhythmic slapping mixed with the sound of a woodchipper running. (click: "woodchipper")[It seems to be making heavy weather of whatever it's trying to chip.] Sometimes high-pitched chittering noises can be heard over the racket. You shudder and decide not to get any closer.] (else:) [
It's hard to get your bearings down here, but you think you can make out a tunnel off to one side. It's really just a dim circle of [[deeper darkness->TunnelMouth]] from here.]{
(unless: tags of (passage:) contains "menu") [(save-game: $SaveSlot, $SaveName)]
}As you shin down the rope, the wet stone closes in around you and you begin to feel anxious. (if: $Inventory contains "onion" or $Inventory contains "superonion")[(if: $Inventory contains "onion") [The glow of the onion is reflected in the walls and drives back the dark a little.] (else:) [The big onion glows brightly sending reflections splintering off the stone.]
You continue down the rope and drop feet first into a pool of [[water->Cistern]]. It's bitingly cold.] (else:) [It's no good, you can't cope with this at all. You [[climb->RopeUp]] quickly back up and out of the well.]It's tiring, but you make it back up the rope. The circle of light above you grows slowly but surely, and eventually you haul yourself over the lip of the [[well->Well]]. You wade through the cold dark cistern toward the tunnel mouth. It's a shallow opening in the limestone, and the end is blocked by an iron grating. (click: "grating") [Despite the age and the rust it's very sturdy and seems unlikely to budge.] (if: $LogInGrating is true) [A small log is wedged tight into the grating.] (if: $BedpostInGrating is true) [A hardwood bedpost is wedged into the grating.
The slapping noise is coming closer and you beat a [[hasty retreat->Cistern]].] (else:) [
You hear something slapping the water in the distance and wonder if you should go back towards the [[light->Cistern]]. (click: "slapping") [It's a strange sound, not loud but carrying somehow, and almost but not quite rhythmic. It's probably nothing to worry about.]]You remember finding this small pine log in the hearth of the barracks refectory. There's a hint of charring on the surface. (click: "charring" )[It's basically whole though, no real damage to report.]
You aren't sure what to do with the log. It's a bit thinner at one end than the other, so maybe it would work as a wedge? (click: "wedge") [(if: $Back is "Tunnel") [
You could wedge the log in the grating, but you're not sure you could get away before the things get to it. The other side would be safer.] (elseif: $Back is "TunnelMouth") [
You wedge the log into the grating. It's stuck fast. (set: $Inventory to $Inventory - (ds: "log")) (set: $LogInGrating to true)] (else:) [You look around for something to wedge the log into, but can't spot anything suitable. You decide hang on to the log for now.]]
Leave the log (link-goto: "alone", $Back).The first floor landing is broad and splendid, with a deep green carpet trimmed with gold. The rich panelling from the hallway continues onto the walls up here as well.
Doors open to several rooms - peering through you see the [[study->Study]], [[bathroom->Bathroom]] and [[bedroom->Bedroom]] - or you can descend the [[stairs->Hallway]] again.This is obviously your friend Richard's study. The walls are lined with books on a variety of subjects, and a [[desk->Desk]] faces a small window. (click: "books") [Many of the books are extra-heavy, and some have titles you recognise from the University Library at Arkham. You leave them alone for now.] (click: "recognise") [A gaudy first edition of //**On The Lodges of the Hermetic Order**// by William Wynn Westcot catches your eye.]
A doorway leads back to the [[landing->Landing]].You're not sure if a bathroom would have been an original castle fitting, but this one is here now. (click: "original") [Probably someone added it to bring the place in line with the building regulations.]
There's a large enamelled iron bath here with metal lion feet. You are definitely not in the mood for a relaxing bath. (click: "relaxing") [You've seen enough horror films to know that's when the monster strikes!] (if: $BathPlugIn is true) [The plug is in and the bath is full of cold water. (click: "plug") [You pull on the chain and the water drains away. (set: $BathPlugIn to false)]]
The door opens back onto the [[landing->Landing]].This is the master bedroom. (click: "bedroom") [An appropriately king size four-poster bed occupies the room, in rather a masculine style.] (click: "four-poster") [(if: $TakenBedpost is false)[It's a big thing, with long tapered hardwood pillars carrying a square canopy. No draperies though.] (else: ) [One of the bedposts is missing and there are splinters of wood all over the place. Probably not a good idea to mess with it further.]
A large carpet bag sits open on the bed and clothes and shoes are strewn around. It would appear Richard was in a hurry to leave but didn't finish his packing in time.]
A [[wardrobe->Wardrobe]] is built into the wall in the corner of the room, and the bedroom door opens onto the [[landing->Landing]].The wardobe is built into one of the castle's original garderobes. Thankfully the hole has been boarded over and all traces of its former role removed apart from the coat hooks attached to the walls.
There aren't any clothes in the wardrobe(if: $TakenRecord is false) [ but tucked in the corner is an old LP]. (click: "LP") [You take the LP with you. It's a collection of polka music. (set: $TakenRecord to true) (set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: "record"))] (click: "polka") [Great.]
[[Close->Bedroom]] the wardrobe door.(if: not ($Inventory contains "onion") and not ($Inventory contains "superonion")) [(goto: "TunnelTooDark")] It's dark in here and you feel anxious. Luckily you have an onion, and its glow comforts you strangely.
The tunnel runs down through the naked rock and you see a dim reflection at the far end. Just before the floor dips into the water, a [[passage->SlopingPassage]] branches off to the right. (if: $BedpostInGrating is false) [(click: "water") [The water is incredibly cold, and several yards further on a solid iron grating blocks the tunnel.] (click: "grating") [The grating only blocks you, not the water. Looking to the far side, you get the impression of a wider space, with a dim light above.]
A strange sound comes from the passage, it's almost but not quite rhythmic, as though a group of people with no sense of timing were trying to clap along to a polka. (click: "clap") [With very wet hands.]] (else:) [
You hear a frenzied slapping and chittering coming from the grating - there's movement in the darkness as a horde of large creatures splash and writhe around the hardwood bedpost you wedged in there. (click: "creatures") [They're making hideous gnawing sounds and you don't know how long the bedpost is going to last! You don't want to get any closer, but it might be possible to sneak behind them into the [[sloping passage->SlopingPassage]]?]]
You can retreat up the tunnel and return to the [[cellar->Cellar]].All castles should have a dungeon, but this one has a nice practical cellar instead. It's constructed from large granite blocks and there's an air of damp. Richard has installed an IKEA wine rack but doesn't seem to have laid down much wine. (click: "dungeon" )[There is, however, a stone table with iron hasps at the corners, and some ominous dark stains near one end.] (click: "stains") [Probably wine stains. They're the very devil to get out.] (click: "IKEA") [
You know it's from IKEA for two reasons: It's stencilled with the word 'Vïnør', and there's a small piece of folded cardboard wedged under one leg to stop the whole thing from wobbling.] (if: $TakenSyrup is false) [(click: "much wine") [
In fact the only thing in the rack is small glass bottle of maple syrup. (click: "maple syrup") [You take the bottle of syrup and put it in your pocket, where it clinks sweetly against your other possessions. (set: $TakenSyrup to true) (set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: "syrup"))]]]
Stone stairs lead back up to the [[kitchen->Kitchen]], more worryingly one wall has been torn apart revealing a dark [[tunnel->Tunnel]]. (click: "torn apart")[Chunks of broken granite are scattered around the hole. Whoever or whatever did this must've been prodigiously strong.] (click: "strong") [Or possessed of dynamite.]You find yourself below stairs, in what is clearly the castle kitchen. (click: "below stairs") [The divisions of class were not quite so pronounced at the time of the castle's construction, but various lordly families have in the intervening years endeavoured to enhance them.] (click: "enhance") [You note that the rich carpet and hardwood panelling of the hallway do not feature in the kitchen, which is floored with practical flagstones.]
Around the perimeter of the room are marble worktops with a deep earthenware sink, and in the centre stands a large range, with pots and pans dangling above. (click: "marble" ) [Perhaps Richard is a fan of praline?]
A door opens back to the [[hallway->Hallway]], and in one corner a flight of stone steps might lead down to a cellar. (click: "cellar")[Ooh, or a dungeon!] (click: "dungeon")[It'll probably be a [[cellar->Cellar]] though.]Down nearer the water, it's clammy and damp. A thin stream runs down the centre of the floor, following the progress of the passage deeper into the limestone bedrock beneath the castle. (click: "floor") [Scraps of wood litter the floor, and nearly all of them have tiny bite marks.]
(if: $BedpostInGrating is false)[The strange slapping sound is getting much louder, and a high-pitched chittering accompanies it. If only you could find some way to lure whatever it is out of the passage.] (else: ) [Whatever was causing the noise, it's not here now. If you want you can head [[down->LakeShore]] alongside the stream.]
It might be safer to return to the [[tunnel->Tunnel]]?It's dark in here and it's making you anxious.
You try and reason with yourself, but it's no good and you scramble back out of the tunnel to the relative safety of the [[cellar->Cellar]].You admire the LP's glossy cardboard sleeve. (click: "sleeve") [Four cheerful Teutonic gentlemen and a large Teutonic lady smile back at you. The lady looks like she is about to sing. Under the picture large rounded orange letters proclaim 'NUMBER ONE WORLD THE BEST POLKA HITS OF 1968'.
A small green price ticket indicates someone paid 12 Deutschmarks for this back in the day.]
You (link-goto: "stop", $Back) admiring the LP. (if: $OnionsFedToPig is 3) [You're not sure if you should feed the pig any more onions. She's even more convinced and flinches away from you.
You (link-goto: "leave", $Back) the pig to her post-prandial miseries.] (else:) [(set: $OnionsFedToPig to $OnionsFedToPig + 1)(set: $Inventory to $Inventory - (ds: "onion")) You offer the onion to the pig, and snatch your hand back as it vanishes into the folds of her capacious jowls.
(either: "A spectacular", "An intense") display of mastication ensues, leaving no trace of the onion apart from some faintly glowing (either: "piggy", "porcine") drool. (if: $OnionsFedToPig < 3) [(if: $OnionsFedToPig is 1) [She burps delicately and looks at you expectantly.] (elseif: $OnionsFedToPig is 2) [She rumbles at length and opens her mouth, showing her piggy teeth.] She's probably still hungry?] (else: ) [
There is a pregnant pause during which the pig's eyes glaze over and she starts to rumble. The sounds builds through the bass frequencies to the point where the walls of the sty begin to resonate in sympathy.
You're pretty sure she's going to blow!
You [[dive->PigExplodes]] for the exit.] (else: ) [
You (link-goto: "leave", $Back) the pig to her digestion.]](set: $PigExploded to true) You hurl yourself through the pigsty door and time seems to slow down as your flail your way through the air towards an unbelievably foul landing. (click: "through the air") [This kind of thing always looks cool in action movies, but then the actors usually land on car bonnets or bad guys which helps.] (click: "actors") [Not that the actors do the stunts.]
Eventually, inevitably, you hit the ground. (click: "ground") [At least pigshit is soft.] Behind you, you hear the unmistakeable wet CRUMP sound of porcine detonation followed by the pattering of falling matter, and the foulness of the surrounding air goes up several notches.
You [[pick yourself up->Piggery]] and wipe off the worst of it all. Nothing's going to be the same after this. Not ever.This onion glows radiantly and your fingers tingle slightly when you hold it. It's best not to think too hard about how you came by it. (click: "how") [
If feeding coffee beans to weasels makes super-strong coffee, is it so hard to believe that feeding onions to pigs could create super-strong onions?] (click: "believe") [You don't need to believe it, you've seen it happen.]
You (link-goto: "stop", $Back) marvelling at the super onion.This glass bottle of 100% Genuine Maple Syrup (product of Canada^^TM^^) has a picture of a moose on the label. (click: "moose") [It's a (either: "majestic", "mighty", "magnificent", "marvellous", "mesmerising") moose. Its antlers are very large in proportion to the rest. You respect that kind of symbolism.] Under the picture of the moose is the slogan "Eight out of Ten Moose Prefer It!"
(if: $SyrupFraction is 1) [The bottle is full.] (else: ) [Some of the syrup has been poured out.] You could pour some out if you wanted to. (click: "pour") [(set: $SyrupFraction to $SyrupFraction + 1) (if: $Back is "Stalls") [(goto: "SummonMoose")] (else:) [You pour out a little of the syrup into a sticky pool. The smell brings back memories of pleasant encounters with maple syrup, but apart from that this was a wasteful thing to do. 1/$SyrupFraction of the syrup remains.]]
It's quite sticky, you should wipe your hands when you're (link-goto: "done", $Back) with the bottle.(set: $MooseSummoned to true) (set: $Inventory to $Inventory - (ds: "syrup")) You pour the remains of the syrup into the bucket of silage and set the bottle down. Gradually the sweetness of the syrup mingles with the savoury notes of the silage, and a rich wholesome smell of Canada^^TM^^ permeates the stall.
You are just on the point of regretting the waste of syrup when you hear what sounds like hoofbeats approaching. (click: "hoofbeats") [An unknown, but clearly large, animal is getting closer and you're frozen with indecision.] (click: "closer") [Before you can steel yourself to react, a magnificent moose trots into view, squeezes its bulk into the stall and sticks its head in the bucket of maple-flavoured silage. (click: "moose") [
You can't figure out how the moose got through the wicket gate - there's no way its antlers would fit.]
You [[step back->Stalls]] to give the moose some room.]This small silver key smells faintly of moose. The bow of the key is engraved with the letter **R** in the gothic style.
This key probably unlocks something in the castle. (click: "unlocks") [(if: $Back is "Desk") [You try the key in the lock of the desk drawer - it fits! (set: $DeskUnlocked to true)] (else: ) [You can't find anything here that the key unlocks.]]
You tire of the smell of moose and put the key (link-goto: "back", $Back) in your pocket.
(if: $Inventory contains "superonion") [(either: "The large onion glows radiantly.", "The onion casts long shadows around you.", "The radiant onion drives back the darkness.")] (else:) [(either: "It's dark here, and the onion glows faintly.", "A faint glow from the onion allows you to see.", "The onion-light pushes back the darkness somewhat.")](if: $Inventory contains "boots")[(set: $BootsMuddy to true)]
(either: "It continues to rain and you continue to get damper.", "You're really fed up with the rain.", "Maybe it'll stop drizzling soon?", "The seemingly interminable drizzle is making you uncomfortably damp.", "You really wish you were inside.")(if: $BootsMuddy is true) [
(either: "Your boots track mud across the floor", "Your fabulous boots trail mud", "You feel bad about the trail of mud you're leaving").](if: $LastTags contains "outside") [
(either: "It's a relief to be out of the rain.", "You're glad to be out of the rain.", "It's nice to be inside again.")]Richard's desk is strewn with papers and candle stubs, almost obscuring the blotter entirely. Something about the scene suggests a feverish intensity, as though he was working on something terribly important. Of Richard himself, there is no sign. (click: "papers") [
The papers are indecipherable and your head hurts to look at them.] (click: "hurts") [It might be a result of the handwriting - Richard's penmanship is not that great - or the mathematics, but whatever it is causes a prickling behind your eyes and pressure in your sinuses that you do not enjoy. You think it best to leave the papers be for now.] (click: "blotter") [
Among the ink-stains on the blotter, you are able to make out the following nonsense words: **YEK EHT SI EH ROF, ENO DERELTNA YNAM EHT KEES**. It sounds like a spell or incantation?] (click: "incantation") [
Nervously you repeat the words, but nothing appears to happen.]
Under the desk is a closed drawer. (click: "drawer") [(if: $DeskUnlocked is false) [You rattle the handle but the drawer doesn't budge. It must be locked.] (else:) [You [[open->DeskDrawer]] the drawer.]]
[[Leave->Study]] the desk alone for now.The drawer slides smoothly open. A battered journal is inside. (click: "journal") [You take the pockmarked leatherbound journal, slide into Richard's desk chair, and start skimming through [[recent entries->Journal1]].]Debug: Give all items? (click: "Give all items")[(set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: ...(datanames: $Things))) OK!]
//**Fifteenth of August 2017**
I am glad to be away from New Zealand at long last, and what is more free of the stigma of working for the infernal Revenue! I have taken lodging over the tap-room of the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. The landlord is most acommodating but the noise of the patrons is not, and I am considering moving to a more suitable location before commencing my work.//
[[Continue->Journal2]] or [[finish->CloseJournal]] reading?//**Ninth of September 2017**
My search has been tedious at best, but at long last success is at hand! I am able to take a mortgage on a small castle in the woods outside the city, and I ride out tomorrow morning to inspect the property. If all goes well I shall stay overnight and wire the landlord for my things to be sent on.//
[[Continue->Journal3]] or [[finish->CloseJournal]] reading?You try and fail to suppress a shudder, although you find it difficult to entirely believe Richard's claimed experiences. Perhaps this is an elaborate wind-up?
You put the journal back and [[close the drawer->Desk]].//**Tenth inst.**
With my books and tools around me, I have begun to clean out the dust and cobwebs from the living spaces of my new home. The sense of stored up time in the place is truly marvellous and I feel both energised and at peace with myself.//
[[Continue->Journal4]] or [[finish->CloseJournal]] reading?//**Eleventh inst.**
Note to self: Arrange for firewood and internet connection. Don't forget the milk.//
You skip ahead through several entries covering the minutiae of cleaning and renovation, as well as a rant on the dubious merits of IKEA furniture.
[[Continue->Journal5]] or [[finish->CloseJournal]] reading?//**Second of November 2017**
Last night my sleep was disturbed by strange noises. I awoke shortly after midnight to a faintly repeating sound, as if a distant costermonger was slapping fish against a slab. I looked out of the window but could not locate anything to explain it and returned to bed. My dreams thereafter were confused and unsettling.
In the morning, I found marks on the tables in the great hall, as though they had been chipped with a tiny axe. I have sent to Toronto for mouse traps and cheese, and am considering engaging the services of a cat.//
[[Continue->Journal7]] or [[finish->CloseJournal]] reading?//**Sixteenth inst.**
What have I done? Have I delved too deeply in that which one should not know? Professor Dedekind warned against potential congruence between the Number Theory and the structure of other realities, but I confess I scoffed at such nonsense. Now I am not so sure.
Each night I am sure I hear them more clearly than before, and each morning I wake in a cold sweat from broken sleep. I am glad I cannot recall my dreams.//
[[Continue->Journal8]] or [[finish->CloseJournal]] reading?Richard's handwriting is becoming harder to make out, and the ink has bloomed and run from what you suspect are droplets of sweat on the page.
//**Nineteenth of December 2017**
My card is away and it must bring them to me! Others can and will succeed where I have failed.
If you find this, know that the Lodge must not gain entry or we are all doomed. The way must be made open and then destroyed, what is begun cannot be simply undone. Dam them!
I hear sounds of slapping and scratching at my door! They are here!//
The remaining pages of the journal are blank. You are not sure what to make of what you've just read. If this //is// a practical joke, it stopped being funny several pages ago. (if: $TakenRitual is false) [
As you go to replace the journal, a loose sheet of a different kind of paper falls out of the binding. The title is //**Rite of Opening**// and it appears to describe a ritual or spell. You tuck it into a pocket. (set: $TakenRitual to true) (set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: "ritual"))]
Shaking your head, you put the journal [[away->Desk]]The passage opens onto the shore of a vast underground lake. It is far too large to see the other side. (if: $SteppedInLake is false) [(click: "lake") [(set: $SteppedInLake to true) You don't even realise there's a lake at first, the water is so incredibly clear. It's only when you step accidentally into the freezing water that the surface is visible at all.
The ripples take a long time to die down, after which the lake lies still again.]]
A small punt is here. (click: "punt") [The punt's timbers are marred with hundreds of tiny tooth marks but it is otherwise intact.] A winch is bolted to the rocky shore, and a heavy chain runs out into the water. Perhaps you could use it to [[haul->PuntOut]] the punt along? (click: "winch") [There's nothing to let you turn the winch drum, and it's too heavy to move by hand.]
Behind you, the [[passage->SlopingPassage]] runs uphill towards the castle.You crawl down the tunnel between the noisome sticks as dread creeps up on you once more. You are sure you are coming to the heart of the matter. (if: $TakenWindlass is false) [
Suddenly your elbow strikes something painful. A metal windlass is jammed among the sticks making it hard to get past. You work it free and decide to hang on to it for now. (set: $TakenWindlass to true) (set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: "windlass"))]
At the end of the tunnel is a wide low space with more openings branching off into the mass of sticks. (click: "openings") [You can see the tunnels run down below the water level - no sense drowning.]
The animal smell is incredibly strong here and your eyes are streaming. The [[tunnel->Dam]] of sticks leads back to where you left the punt.As you trudge the last mile or so through the damp pines to the castle gates, you think back on the message that brought you halfway across the world and halfway around the year. (click: "year")[It was warm when you left. Here you're cold even in thermal underwear.]
The card was on your breakfast tray among the usual sheaf of bills. (click: "card") [It had a picture of a cheerful penguin in a Christmas jumper on the front, and a message inside.] (click: "inside") [
//Dear friend,
**HAVE A VERY PENGY CHRISTMAS!!!**
I have need of you once again. There is neither the time nor the space to explain here, you must simply trust me and come. 114 Archer Drive, Moore Falls, Toronto.
All the best for the festive season, Richard x x x//
And now, [[here you are->Castle]]. What a way to spend Christmas Eve.]This is the reason Richard now has a three-poster bed.
The bedpost is made of a dark tropical hardwood and tapers towards one end. You might be able to use it to wedge something? (click: "wedge") [
(if: $Back is "Tunnel") [You could wedge the bedpost in the grating, but you're not sure you could get away before the things get to it. The other side would be safer.] (elseif: $Back is "TunnelMouth") [You wedge the bedpost into the grating. It's stuck fast with most of it on the other side. (set: $Inventory to $Inventory - (ds: "bedpost")) (set: $BedpostInGrating to true)] (else:) [There's nothing here you want to jam the bedpost into.]]
Leave the bedpost (link-goto: "alone", $Back).This petite hatchet would be useful if you wanted to chop down any small trees or destroy some furniture. (click: "chop") [
(if: $Back is "Bedroom")[ (if: $TakenBedpost is true)[You're not sure you can chop out another bedpost without bringing the canopy crashing down.] (else:) [You take a big swing at the nearest bedpost. The wood is incredibly hard and the hatchet bounces off. You adjust your stance and after several minutes of sweaty work you manage to liberate the bedpost from the frame, splinters and all. Thanks to the miracle of triangular bracing the canopy doesn't collapse on you. (set: $Inventory to $Inventory + (ds: "bedpost")) (set: $TakenBedpost to true)]] (else:) [There's nothing here you want to chop.]]
Admiring the hatchet too much would be a bit (link-goto: "creepy", $Back).Welcome to **Richard Quest: Canada^^TM^^ Edition**!
//A Christmastime jaunt through Lovecraft Country, only it's in Canada^^TM^^.//
What **is** Richard Quest? (click: "Richard Quest") [This game is heavily inspired by the series of three Lovecraftian live action parser adventures written by my brother Richard as Christmas entertainments. They were exactly as surreal as that sounds, and very funny.](click: "live action")[
Without the live action this is a bit more conventional, but hopefully captures some of the spark of Richard's writing. Happy Christmas bro!
It's made with Twine. (click-replace: "Twine") [Twine, an open source tool for creating text adventures and interactive stories, without a parser. This story is more like a parser adventure than most Twine games though. Click on highlighted words - like you just did to read this - to explore the story, and don't forget about your inventory items]]
{ (set: _saveexists to (saved-games: ) contains $SaveSlot and (datavalues: (saved-games: )) contains $SaveName) } (if: _saveexists) [Continue from where you left off, or [[start again->Taxi]]? (click: "where you left off") [(load-game: $SaveSlot)]] (else:) [Start a [[new game->Taxi]].]The small punt rocks on the vast lake as you haul on the chain, and the darkness closes in around you. You begin to feel incredibly anxious.
(if: $Inventory contains "superonion") [The large onion glows brightly and brings you some comfort. You haul again and again on the slippery chain until your arms ache and your fingers are numb and raw. (click: "again and again") [
Eventually a vague shape emerges from the dark, and the punt fetches up against a dense mass of sticks and driftwood. You climb unsteadily out and [[look around->Dam]] you.]] (else:) [It's no good, the darkness is too much and the glowing onion brings you no comfort. If only there was some way to make it brighter?
You drag the punt back to the [[shore->LakeShore]].]You are standing unsteadily on a broad mass of sticks and timber built up out of the lake. There's a strong animal smell here overlaid with organic decay. (click: "smell") [Not moose musk but something else, something riper.]
The chain runs up out of the water and disappears among the sticks.
A narrow opening leads [[inside->Lodge]], and the [[punt->PuntBack]] floats on the water nearby.You haul the punt back across the lake without incident, stepping out onto the [[shore->LakeShore]] with a sense of relief.This scrap of ancient parchment was tucked into Richard's journal. It appears to describe a ritual or sacrament. (click: "ritual") [
//**Rite of Opening**
I pray yow Powers moste Wond'rous herken of a dreme
I pray yow Powers moste Wond'rous greet and trewe
O faithfulle of the Lodge haste com to me
Swich that yow mighte hold fulle dominion here//
Around the text are what appear to be mathematical equations of some kind, and underneath, in what you recognise to be Richard's handwriting, some notes have been added:
//My preparations are complete, and I can at last enact the rite. The date is set for All Hallows Eve.
Must remember to cancel the papers.//]
You could read it aloud, if you wanted to. (click: "aloud") [(if: $Back is "Lodge")[(goto: "ReadRitual")] (else:) [You don't want to. Not without a damn good reason.]]
Thinking about the words makes you uncomfortable and you put the paper (link-goto: "away", $Back).//**Thirty-first of October 2017**
At last-//
The rest of this page has been torn out.
[[Continue->Journal6]] or [[finish->CloseJournal]] reading?In the heart of the beaver lodge under the dam, you make the decision. Time to end this. (click: "end") [
You take out the ritual paper between trembling fingers and by the onion light you begin to read.]
(click: "read") [**I pray you Powers most Wondrous called from dreams**]
(click: "dreams") [**I pray you Powers most Wondrous great and true**
Your voice falters but you can't stop reading.] (click: "reading") [
**O faithful of the Lodge come quick to me**
Unpleasant harmonics add richness to the words far beyond the sounds coming from your own mouth. You want to stop but something has your tongue.](click: "tongue") [
**SUCH THAT YOU MIGHT HOLD FULL DOMINION HERE**
The echoes crash and thunder around the lodge, rather than dying away they begin to build and the water churns in the tunnels. Whatever malevolent presence was riding you turns its attention elsewhere and you come to your senses.]
(click: "senses") [You stagger to the tunnel and drag yourself [[out->LeaveDam]] of this awful place.]In the distance you hear beavers plunging into the water, their tails slapping as they swim toward the lodge to welcome their otherworldly kin.
The dam quakes and shudders and you lose your footing and fall into the lake. (click: "lake") [
Spluttering, you drag yourself over the side of the punt and lie there shivering. Around you, the water churns with furry bodies as the chittering horde parts around your fragile craft.] (click: "punt") [
You wait in terror for them to pass and then haul yourself slowly back to the [[shore->LeaveShore]].]The punt grinds against the rocky shore and you climb out and make a bee line towards the winch with your windlass. (click: "winch") [
The windlass fits perfectly and you begin to turn work the handle. With a great grinding of gears, the chain pulls taut across the water.] (click: "taut") [You strain against the tension, veins standing out on your forehead with the effort. After what feels like an eternity it begins to give way.
Unearthly sounds build from the dam behind you, but you don't look back and keep cranking the windlass.] (click: "cranking") [The chain rips through the dam and with a great sucking noise the wooden plug comes free. (if: $BathPlugIn is false) [Just like in Richard's bath!]
All [[hell->Hell]] breaks loose.] Air rushes down the passage as the dam implodes and the entire lake drains away throgh the massive plughole. The beavers squeal in terror, (click: "terror") [but that's nothing to the monstrous alien sound of rage and pain from whatever you summoned with the ritual.] (click: "summoned") [
The sound continues for a very long time, then all is silent. You collapse onto the shore mewling as the adrenaline fades and the impact of your experiences hits you.] (click: "experiences") [
You drift in and out of consciousness. A very long time passes.] (click: "passes") [A shadow stands over you and you blink muzzily up at your friend Richard, who is wearing a threadbare robe embroidered with moons and stars. ] (click: "Richard") [
"Fancy seeing you down here! I just popped out for some beaver bait or I'd have been here to greet you when you arrived. It looks like you've done all the work already though! Jolly good show."
He holds out a hand and you take it. He helps you up, and looks you up and down.]
(click: "up and down") ["You look like you could do with some Christmas lunch! I picked up some mince pies on the way back from town, would you like to join me?"
**[[The End->FrontEnd]]**.]This heavy metal windlass reminds you of canal boat holidays as a child. (click: "boat") [
Boating. It's not as much fun as it looks.]
You put the windlass (link-goto: "back", $Back) in your pocket.The tail lights of the cab are already retreating down the road. It's going to be quite a hike from here, and the rain is setting in.
The mailbox flag is down and there aren't any letters. The little sign on the side says **Castle Richard**. At least you're in the right place.
(click: "letters") [Taking a second look, you find a rusty key in the mailbox.] (click: "rusty key") [You take the key with you. It'll probably come in handy.
You shrug to yourself. Time to [[get going->Driveway]]...]