arsgoetia | Game 19

You are in a small, square room—no more than five or six paces across in either direction. The décor is cramped, black, and gothic a darkened library jammed so full of books and antiquated furniture that you have to be careful moving around to avoid everything.

There is a single window on one wall—covered with heavy red curtains for ambiance, but you can see that it's boarded over on the other side.

The second wall has two large bookcases full of nicely bound books. Between them is an unlit fireplace with a lintel that has several figurines and candlesticks on it, and above that, an absurdly large portrait of a very unfamiliar and gothic-looking noblewoman. Displayed prominently on the fireplace is also an antique gun. For some reason, the painting and the gun have garishly orange pieces of tape stuck to them.

The third wall has a lamp, a liquor cabinet, and a music box on a stand. There is a small stairwell here that goes straight up to the ceiling and then abruptly stops. The outlet for the lamp also has tape on it.

The final wall has a door, which is heavily padlocked, a grandfather clock.

The center of the room has a squat, round coffee table with a ouija board on it. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling, some sort of twisted monstrosity made from animal skulls.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ah, here we go.

[taking them and putting them in on the mantle in the order

Gold -> Blue -> Red -> Green -> Silver.]

With a low thunk, the bookshelf to the left slides smoothly away, revealing a small passageway into a hidden room.

The architecture in this room seems all upside-down and uncomfortable, cramped and twisted. The ground is slightly warped, the red carpet crunching underfoot, hopefully just with dust and wear.

There is some sort of "altar" set up here, and the air smells heavily of incense.

On the altar, you find:

a pair of candles
a chess board missing two pieces: a white bishop and a black knight
a feather
a mouse skull
a small locked jewellery box with a number padlock:
- five spaces total
- with a dial for each space to enter any number between 1-26

Yikes.

[puts the white bishop where it should be]

I've seen a chess puzzle like this before.

[MORE PUZZLES]

Elluka, didn't you say you needed a chessboard?

Yeah, this looks right. I'm a little unnerved though. Last time I saw a chess puzzle that called out a bishop and a knight, it was referencing friends of mine, Tristan and Kieran.

[gets really, inhumanly still for a second]

Tristan and Kieran?

—You know them?

[POKES HIS HEAD IN NOSILY]

Ah, yeah, this is where they're from.

Re: EXPLORE

conatus - 2016-12-03 22:49 (UTC) - Expand

innerdemon - 2016-12-03 22:50 (UTC) - Expand

conatus - 2016-12-03 22:53 (UTC) - Expand

innerdemon - 2016-12-03 23:13 (UTC) - Expand

conatus - 2016-12-03 23:17 (UTC) - Expand

[—makes a small sound and goes very pale but doesn't comment, just listening]

You know them too...?

wrongstory - 2016-12-03 23:18 (UTC) - Expand

You did it!

[oho a hidden room]

This is quite neat. So we have to find a purpose for all of these.

Edited 2016-12-03 22:40 (UTC)

The candles could go in the candlesticks, maybe ... I'm pretty lost for the rest.

I bet the mouse skull goes with the rest on the chandelier.

Do it, try it! We might be short on time.

conatus - 2016-12-03 22:47 (UTC) - Expand

innerdemon - 2016-12-03 22:48 (UTC) - Expand

arsgoetia - 2016-12-03 22:50 (UTC) - Expand

innerdemon - 2016-12-03 22:51 (UTC) - Expand

hardatwork - 2016-12-03 22:52 (UTC) - Expand

arsgoetia - 2016-12-03 22:57 (UTC) - Expand

arsgoetia - 2016-12-03 22:49 (UTC) - Expand

[one (1) tree has been encouraged right back into participation

ugh covers his nose but]

A mouse skull, huh... maybe there's a missing spot in the chandelier?

You and Remus can go try to climb up to that chandelier, yeah.

[JUST WATCHING ANXIOUSLY] Good luck...

There are still some puzzles—in the books, perhaps, or the locked box on the altar.

[And meanwhile]

[TO TREE] Should I just jump on it and hope it holds or do you wanna sit on my shoulders?

Edited 2016-12-03 22:50 (UTC)

Probably better to let me sit on your shoulders.

conatus - 2016-12-03 22:51 (UTC) - Expand

rootless - 2016-12-03 22:53 (UTC) - Expand

arsgoetia - 2016-12-03 22:53 (UTC) - Expand

rootless - 2016-12-03 22:55 (UTC) - Expand

conatus - 2016-12-03 22:57 (UTC) - Expand

rootless - 2016-12-03 23:00 (UTC) - Expand

hardatwork - 2016-12-03 22:57 (UTC) - Expand

conatus - 2016-12-03 23:02 (UTC) - Expand

rootless - 2016-12-03 23:04 (UTC) - Expand

[takes feather]

Where does this go...!

Edited (i spell gud) 2016-12-03 22:52 (UTC)

That voice again, when you return to the main room—

"Kiddo, need a hint? C'mon everybody, your time's almost out and I haven't seen y'all do anything impressive."

Yes, please. I have this feather...

[shows it to the camera]

"You're gonna want to use that for a place you haven't unlocked yet. I'm sure it'll be obvious when the time comes."