This place... almost peaceful now. But not for long. Have you been here before? And what is that smell? Mushroom wine? No... French champagne? And the faintest tint of roses? </br>
Come on, now. Slowly, [[you open your eyes...]] You find yourself sitting on a lavished chair, looking out from a balcony. An imposing bottle of wine sits on the table and a full glass next to it. The view is magnificent: on the night sky, you can see each and every star. Some brighten up for a moment, some dull only to reignite soon after, while others remain dead, darkness yearning to fill the space they occupied just moments ago. You measure them with your hand, like a child trying to catch a firefly.</br>
"Magnificent, isn't it?" whispers a man's voice. A mysterious person sits on the other chair at the table. You cannot make out their face, but the voice sounds familiar.
"One by one, they'll all go out, eventually. You and I - I don't think we can change anything now, even if we tried. If only we had a little more time. But maybe..." He sighs. "Maybe it will all be beautiful in the end. Don't you think so?"</br>
[[Agree with the man.]] Something in his voice is convincing.</br>
[[Disagree with him.]] What beauty lies in the death of the heavens? You sit back in your chair and take a sip from the glass. Bubbles tasting like old memories meet your lips. On the horizon, a light shimmers. The time has come.</br>
"The dawn never comes. He's fending it off, but he can't do it forever. The deal must be obeyed, whatever the cost." He turns to you and laughs. "But this is just a shadow of light, like a reflection without a mirror."</br>
You nod and drink deeper. [[The dawn... it's getting closer now...]] You try to start an argument on the matter. "Beauty", he replies, "lies within the eye of the beholder. 'Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated.' I think the Epigrammatic Irishman wrote that. I may add: 'Those who find beautiful meanings in ugly things are shrewd, but melancholic.' " You do not have time to respond. On the horizon, a light shimmers.</br>
"The dawn never comes. He's fending it off, but he can't do it forever. The deal must be obeyed, no matter the cost" He turns to you and laughs. "But this is just a shadow of light, like a reflection without a mirror."</br>
You didn't hear what he just said. [[The dawn... it's getting closer now...]] You jump out of bed and crawl towards the window. Outside, there is only darkness. There is no sunlight down here in the Neath.
It must've been a dream - a terrible, alarming dream. There was something... familiar in that man. Perhaps an old acquaintance?
But you don't have time to think about that. Mr Gulberg, a friend of yours, has arranged for you to meet a certain someone in the district of Spite. It's an urgent business. He gave you their calling card. Should you prepare yours? (link: "You reach for the drawer")[(set: $name to (prompt: "(You should already know your name. And if you don't, something will remember.)", "Lord Dude Guy"))
</br>
(print: $name). Precisely.
[[It's time to go]]
]
You hop into the first hansom cab you see. It takes you across the Stolen River, down Moloch Street, where a group of scholars argue in front of Hangman's Arch, then you take a sudden turn at the Brass Embassy, follow Ladybones Road down to Veilgarden, where last night's drunk patrons are thrown out of bars by furious owners, and then, through a combination of twists, maneuvers and swears coming from the driver's seat, you eventually reach the promenades of Spite. You get out of the vehicle and make your way forward through the crowds, wary that an urchin may pick your pockets.</br>
Eventually, you stop in an alleyway and check the card your friend gave you. (link-reveal: "The place should be somewhere around here...")[</br>
There! The Suspicious Bibliophile's bookshop! [[You make your way towards it.->the bookshop]]] The building is surprisingly small. Crammed between a shady tavern and an even shadier florist's shop, you wouldn't have even guessed this was a bookstore in the first place. The paint is peeling off the walls and patches of mould can be spotted here and there. Near the door, a dusty plaque reads "A.H. Books.".
Try the doorknob. Hopefully, it won't break.</br>
(click: "Try the doorknob.")[You turn and push. The door opens with a schreeching noise, as if it had just gave away its last breath. Dust and the smell of old books force you to cover your face. Once you get used to it, you can finally (link-reveal: "look around.")
[</br> </br> It's... well, you certainly did not expect this. The room is packed full of printed material. From shelves filled with books to stacks of papers and registers, imposing volumes set with care on chairs, pamphlets thrown around, left where they happened to land. There is a certain method to this madness, but you cannot figure it out. Letters, dictionaries, novels and novellas, voluminous works of natural philosophy, collections of poems and penny-dreadfuls, there is everything you can imagine in here. You look at some of the titles. Weren't these ones confiscated by the Ministry of Public Decency? If a constable were to walk in, this person might be in great trouble.</br>
You remember yourself and close the door with a deafening 'thump'. You hear a voice: "Yes, yes, immediately!". [[It must be them.->The bibliophile]]]
]The Suspicious Bibliophile enters in a hurry from the back of the shop. You wonder where another room could be hidden, but they cut to the chase. "You must be (print: $name), right?"
(link: "Yes")["Delightful! I was expecting you!"</br>
You both realise that shouthing at each other from across the room is not the most efficient method of communication, and therefore you both make your way through the sea of paper towards a table in the middle of the room. You step carefully as to not accidentally collapse one of the tall stacks of books left on the floor, like a titan crushing a tiny Babylon.</br>
The Bibliophile is a person of uncertain and unguessable age, although you can deduct that they are not in the flower of their youth. They walk with ease through the battlefield of folded pages, thoroughly familiar with it. Their hair is greasy and their spectacles are cracked.</br>
The Bibliophile's desk shares the same madness with the rest of the room, sheets of paper and open books everywhere. They quickly discard all of them on to the floor and bring a chair for you.
(set: $cwb to 0)
"Never mind those! What I have here, oh, it cannot even hold a candle to that rubbish. I think Mr Gulberg already made clear the purpose of your visit, didn't he? Well, anyways", the Bibiophile asks, extracting something from beneath their garments, [["shall we begin?"->Conversation with the bibliophile]]
]
(save-game: "degaulle") "I have something for you. Something important. Something that certain people would love to get their hands on. Certain very powerful people, with an interest in mirrors." They pause. "Do you happen to know what the Correspondence is?"</br>
[[Yes.->conversation-yes]] You are a quite a scholar in the matter.</br>
[[No.->conversation-no]] Isn't it the thing that drives archeologists mad?(if: $cwb is 0)[ [[Ask the Bibliophile why they wanted to meet you.]] They didn't make it exactly clear.</br>]
(if: $MysteriousEnvelope is 0)[ [[Take the object they brought.]]</br>]
(if: $MysteriousEnvelope is 1)[ [[Leave.]] You have finished your business here.] The Bibliophile scuffles and hands you a brown envelope.
"Here it is!" They smile as if they were handling you a newborn. "Open it at your lodgings! And, please, keep it away from candles, black water and snow. In fact, only take it out of the package in a dark, sealed room. Of course, it would be safest to not take it out at all, but what would be the point of our meeting then? Eh, you'll find a way to deal with it somehow, I'm sure."
***You now have 1 Mysterious Envelope!***
[[Back->Conversation with the bibliophile]]
(set: $MysteriousEnvelope to 1) (set: $cwb to 1)
(set: $sotc to 1)
They smile and lean forward.
"Very well. Then I shall talk to you in professional terms. The Corespondence is terribly inflamable, because it concentrates a vast amount of energy. But not energy as we know it, no, something far greater. And this energy can be put to work, it can alter the doings and order of nature. If used uncautiously, it can be lethal. And the fates of some have been truly unfortunate. You understand, don't you?"
They lean closer. "I'm talking about *him*. DeGaulle."
The room suddenly falls silent. You feel a chill down your spine. "You don't remember, do you? Do not worry, neither did Mr Gulberg at first. It was to be expected, given..." But they stop mid-sentence. "No, not here. [[We must hurry.->Conversation with the bibliophile]]"
(set: $cwb to 1)
They sigh.
"It is.. well, it is a language. A language not meant for any human to speak, though some have tried. And the results were... less than desirable. Perhaps you are familiar with one case..."
They lean closer. "I'm talking about *him*. DeGaulle."
The room suddenly falls silent. You feel a chill down your spine. "You don't remember, do you? Do not worry, neither did Mr Gulberg at first. It was to be expected, given..." But they stop mid-sentence. "No, not here. [[We must hurry.->Conversation with the bibliophile]]"
You put on your overcoat and bid farewell to the Suspicious Bibliophile. They gently stare at you as you make your way back towards the door, through the labyrinth of printed material. The Bibliophile's gaze never leaves you, a sly smile on their face. You eventually make it out into the street and take a deep, long breath. How does that man not suffocate in there?</br>
Hastily, you check your pocket - the envelope is still there, of course it is. You ought to [[return to your lodgings]] and examine its contents. You fasten your pace as you pass a gang of ruffians and then a devil resting by a gas lamp. His brazen eyes mesmerise you for a second, but you regain your composure and keep on walking. No one knows what you are carrying with you - not even you yourself. But if Mr Gulberg lead you to it, it must be important.</br>
Soon enough, a glistening black spire appears before you. Your lodgings - here, near the bustling heart of the Echo Bazaar. [[Safety and sanctuary.->Arrived at your lodgings]] You rush to your study and put the envelope down on the desk. Now, far from the bookshop, it looks absolutely unremarkable. As you search for your paper knife, the Bibliophile's warnings come back to you. How dangerous could whatever is inside that envelope be? Still, you've learnt not to underestimate the perils of Fallen London...</br>
One thing you are certain of, however: you will not find an answer until you open it. Let's get this done with quickly!</br>
You dim the lights and close the windows. (link: "The paper knife closes in on its victim...")[
(link: "and through one swift move...")[
(link: "HAARSH!!")[
It's... It's... It's just [[a bunch of papers]]. Part of a manuscript, presumably. Is that all there is?
You check the envelope again, but it lies empty.
]]] At a closer look, these pages seem to be part of some scholarly work. The title reads "//Theoretical applications of hyperbolic dynamics in metacircumstantial anomalies//"...
All of the pages are littered with tiny symbols, crude drawings and diagrams, illegible footnotes and the most terrible handwriting you have ever seen. (if:$sotc is 1)[Although you recognise some of those symbols as sigils of the Correspondence.]
Ultimately, this seems to be everything. An interesting work, no doubt, although perhaps it would not quite qualify for a pleasant afternoon read. Hmmm...</br>
Wait, (link-reveal: "what's this here in the corner?")[
...</br>
How could you have missed this?! The name, it's that of the Jovial Contrarian, the very mayor of London himself! And below that, you read "//Benthic College, 1875//"
The Contrarian's thesis is preoccupied with a 'scientific' approach towards the Correspondence. There must be extremely valuable information in here, even if the language is (perhaps deliberately) excessively obscurantist.</br>
[[You need to start studying...->Studying the Contrarian's manuscript]]</br>
***You now have 10 Manuscript Pages
'Time Remaining' is 10***
(set: $manuscriptPages to 10)
(set: $timeRemaining to 10)
(set: $arcaneKnowledge to 0)
](if: $manuscriptPages is not 0 and $timeRemaining is not 0)
[It will take forever to get through all of this, unless... what did the Bibliophile tell you not to do?
</br>
***Here you have options to study the manuscript pages and increase your Arcane Knowledge. Some methods are quicker than others, but riskier... and you only have so much time left until certain parties discover your possesions.***</br>
***You have (print: $manuscriptPages) Manuscript Pages!***
***You have (print: $timeRemaining) Time Remaining!***
***(if: $arcaneKnowledge is not 0)[Your Arcane Knowledge is (print: $arcaneKnowledge)]***
</br>
(if: $manuscriptPages is >=1)[ [[Start reading in your study.]] It will take a while.
***Costs 1 Manuscript Page. 100% chance of success.***
</br>]
(if: $manuscriptPages is >=2)[ [[Sleep with a page under your pillow.]] The answer may come in your dreams.
***Costs 2 Manuscript Pages. 60% chance of success.***
</br>]
(if: $manuscriptPages is >=2)[ [[Hold a page near fire.]] Be careful not to burn it.
***Costs 2 Manuscript Pages. 50% chance of success.***
</br>]
(if: $manuscriptPages is >=3)[ [[Throw a page down a well.]] This is likely unwise.
***Costs 3 Manuscript Pages. 40% chance of success.***]
]
(else:)[
[[A knock at the door!]]
] At least half of your time is spent trying to decipher the writing. A quarter, trying to understand the equations. What do phi and lamda stand for again? And what is a 'Riemannian parabolic curvature'? Do you even really want to know?
When you are done, you feel slightly more knowledgeable than before. However, if all you wanted was a headache, you would've just gone digging in the Forgotten Quarter.
(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it+1)
(set: $manuscriptPages to it-1)
(set: $timeRemaining to it-2)
***Arcane Knowledge has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***
***You lost 1 Manuscript Page.***
***Time Remaining has fallen by 2.***
</br>
[[Forward->Studying the Contrarian's manuscript]]
(set: $dice to (random: 1, 100))
(if: $dice is <=60)[
You wander through a lightless corridor, your hand trailing against the wall as you try to move forward. Suddenly, you touch something different: cold and polished. A mirror! Your reflection smiles at you and breathes into the glass, then starts drawing something in the steam. The dream fades away, but the symbols remain. When you awake, you find them again in the manuscript's pages.
(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it+2)
(set: $manuscriptPages to it-2)
(set: $timeRemaining to it-1)
***You succeeded in a challenge!***
***Arcane Knowledge has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***
***You lost 2 Manuscript Pages.***
***Time Remaining has fallen by 1.***
]
(else:)[
That night you dream of being hunted by an unseen beast. The hound follows you through ruins and lush jungles, but there is no time to take in the scenery. The chase ends at the edge of a clifftop. Rain pours down on you, but you can still see the monster's burning red eyes. It whispers something in your ear. "Stolen horizon... the end of dream..."
You wake up sweating.
(set: $manuscriptPages to it-2)
(set: $timeRemaining to it-1)
***You failed in a challenge!***
***You lost 2 Manuscript Pages.***
***Time Remaining has fallen by 1.***
]
[[Forward->Studying the Contrarian's manuscript]](set: $dice to (random: 1, 100))
(if: $dice is <=50)[
You light a match. Careful now, you don't want to set fire to the paper. What are you looking for? Some sort of invisible ink? It's unlikely that the Contrarian would have used such a thing... But look there! Some letters seem to stand out. "OBSCURUM PER OBSCURIUS", they spell. A motto? A hidden message?
(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it+3)
(set: $manuscriptPages to it-2)
(set: $timeRemaining to it-2)
***You succeeded in a challenge!***
***Arcane Knowledge has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***
***You lost 2 Manuscript Pages.***
***Time Remaining has fallen by 2.***
](else:)[
You light a match. Careful now, carefu- Oh God! Quick! Water!
(set: $manuscriptPages to it-2)
(set: $timeRemaining to it-2)
***You failed in a challenge!***
***You lost 2 Manuscript Pages.***
***Time Remaining has fallen by 2.***
]
[[Forward->Studying the Contrarian's manuscript]](set: $dice to (random: 1, 100))
(if: $dice is <=40)[
You find a well in a corner of Big King Square. It is old and unkept, perhaps even predating the Fall. Here it goes! One page after another falls down, devoured by darkness. You wait for a while, but nothing more seems to happen. As you turn round to leave, you hear a faint voice in the wind: "A reckoning is not to be postponed."
The next thing you know, you're in your study. No, you've been here all day! And what's this on the desk? Is this your writing? Doesn't matter. Read it all. Read it all now.
(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it+3)
(set: $manuscriptPages to it-3)
(set: $timeRemaining to it-2)
***You succeeded in a challenge!***
***Arcane Knowledge has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***
***You lost 3 Manuscript Pages.***
***Time Remaining has fallen by 2.***
]
(else:)[
You find a well in a corner of Big King Square. It is old and unkept, perhaps even predating the Fall. Here it goes! One page after another falls down, devoured by darkness. You wait for a while, but nothing more seems to happen. As you turn round to leave, you feel something in your stomach. How come you are hungry all of a sudden? Perhaps you should get some roasted chestnuts. Or maybe some rubbery lumps or some scones from Beatrice's. Those would be delicious, but your craving is more... fleshy. Your head starts spinning. You need to get something to eat right now.
</br>
Who are these people? Why are they staring at you like that? What happened to the bird seller's cart? And what is that red thing on your lips? At least you aren't hungry anymore. Walk away, fast.
(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it+1)
(set: $manuscriptPages to it-3)
(set: $timeRemaining to it-3)
***You failed in a challenge!***
***Arcane Knowledge has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***
***You lost 3 Manuscript Pages.***
***Time Remaining has fallen by 3.***
]
[[Forward->Studying the Contrarian's manuscript]]You look through the peephole. Blue uniform, black helmet. A constable! This has probably nothing to do with your running-ins with the law, and everything to do with the prohibited material upstairs.
</br>
This will likely take a bad turn.
</br>
[[Flee through the window!]] They will find no trace of you, no evidence of your escape.
</br>
[[Open the door and knock them out!]] You will dispose of them one way or another.
</br>
[[Open the door... and invite them in for tea!]] Dining with the enemy? How bold of you!
Like a shadow at midnight, like a black cat, like a spy of the Mithridate Office, you quietly make your way outside, by manner of slipping from the window-sill and skipping across roofs. Behind you, the Constables finally manage to break down the door and start rummaging through your lodgings. They have found something incriminatory. From atop a chimney, you see them disperse through the city's streets. The Contrarian must have given the orders. He wants to find you.
</br>
[[What to do next?]]You open the door. The Constable, regrettably, has no time to greet you, as he is smacked unconscious. Too bad he didn't see your fist flying towards him. But his friends did... You take on them one by one - it's slightly messier than you had expected. You pick up the pace, but then the reinforcements arrive. Unfortunately, you can't keep up. You push one of them out of your way and flee through a narrow backstreet. You can hear the Constables scuttling around you, trying to discover your position. The Contrarian must have given the orders. He wants to find you.
</br>
[[What to do next?]]The Constable does not seem thrilled by your offer. He would rather invite you over to the Department for a brief interrogation.
</br>
(link-reveal: "Then he must not have tried the scones! Made after a recipe invented by your very Aunt!")[
</br>
Now this is just impolite! Sure, a little more sugar couldn't have done any harm, but he could have taken at least one. Your Aunt, God bless her, would not have stood for this!
</br>
(link-reveal: "Inform him that you took it as a personal affront.")
[</br> This perturbs him somewhat.]</br>
(link-reveal: "Would he care for a biscuit then?")
[</br> Apparently not. How rude!]</br>
[[Throw the plate at the Constable.]]
]Go to Mr Gulberg! He got you into this mess, he must have a way out! (click:"Go to Mr Gulberg!")[
</br> You arrive just in time to see the Constables standing guard by the doorstep. They must have gotten to him first! Better leave before they can spot you.
]
</br>
[[Go back to the Suspicious Bibliophile's bookshop.]] They gave you the manuscript. The Constables must have found you through them.A desperate measure. You would never waste food in a perfectly edible state. He looks unpleased. In a swift move, you evade him and run out of the house. You remember you have some peppermint humbugs in your pockets and throw those at his colleagues, then make your exit through an alleyway.
</br>
"Official duty! Nothing to see here!" one Constable explains to a passer-by, trying to wipe some butter off his moustache. "The man is to be considered armed and highly dangerous. Once caught, access to pastries is to be strictly limited..."
</br>
Soon enough, reinforcements arrive and the Constables disperse through the city, looking for you. The Contrarian must have given the orders. He wants to find you.
</br>
[[What to do next?]] {(save-game: "degaulle")}The hour is getting late. The crowds have dispersed by now and you are left to wander to empty streets. The bookshop waits for you in the same shadowy corner. You try the doorknob - the door is unlocked. Hopefully, it is not too late.
</br>
(link: "Enter")[
</br>
The door opens with the familiar screech. The light inside is dim, but, even so, you can still see that (link-reveal: "something is different...")
[
</br>
The books! They are all gone, all of them!</br>
What happened here? Did the Constabulary already raid the place? And what of the Bibliophile, where are they now?
</br>
There must be some sort of clue left behind. [[Search the premises.]]
]
]You inspect every inch of the floor. Not only are the books gone, but so is the table and the chairs and, probably, whatever else the Bibliophile had around. Eventually, you have to give up. There is no trace of even the smallest slip of paper.
</br>
Hold on... (link-reveal: "You can take back that statement.")
[
</br>
Here, stuck between two floorboards: an incredibly tiny piece of paper bearing handwriting. You almost missed it, and perhaps so did the Constables. It reads: "UNFORESEEN EVENTS FORCE US TO RELOCATE. DISPLEASURE. CHECK BASEMENT."
</br>Basement...? This place has a basement? (link-reveal: "Now that you think about it...")[ neither is there any door here, although you certainly remember the Bibliophile coming in from somewhere.
</br> [[Hmmm...->uncovering the wallpaper]]]
]You inspect the walls. The wallpaper is dirty and torn apart in places. But look, here it is slightly different. One would not notice at a mere glance.
</br>
You tear it apart to find... (click: "tear it apart")[
</br>
...a door! It, most certainly, leads to the 'basement'.
</br> [[Go through it.]] You can't help but notice that there's an awful lot of doors in your path today.
]A staircase, leading into darkness.
</br>(if: 0 is 1)[(set: $arcaneKnowledge to 5)]
(link-reveal: "Descend.")[
You leave the little light there is behind.
(set: $number to 0)
(link-repeat: "Descend further. </br>")[(if: $number is < $arcaneKnowledge)[(set: $number to it + 1)(either: "Another footstep...", "Going deeper...", "How big is this place?")]
(else-if: $number is $arcaneKnowledge)[(set: $number to it + 1)
[[The bottom of the staircase.]] Finally.]
]
]You move around in the darkness. The place seems to be empty, except for... of course, another door. What is this all leading to? The Bibliophile seems to have had more secrets than one might expect.
</br>
(link: "Go forward")[</br>
You twist the door handle. A powerful, blinding light rushes in from the other side. Before covering your eyes and collapsing on the floor, (link-reveal: "you remember...")[
you've seen that light before. But now it's too late[[...->Entering the Crimson Room]]
]
]=><=
(link: "...")[
(link: "..")[
[[.->Greetings]]
]
]{(set: $looking_for_a_name to 0)
}
You wake up in a different place. The walls are blood-red. The crimson light blinds you. You blink until you become accustomed to it.
Have you been here before? Is this the place you saw in your dreams, those of rose-gardens and smoky mirrors?
</br> Your head hurts. You stand up and try to (link-reveal:"look around")[
</br>
The room's floor is chequered in red and white tiles. The air bears the unimitable smell of coffee. Indeed, around you, seated at various tables, several people seem to enjoy their drinks. You try to count them all, but the light plays games with your eyes. Are there ten people here? A hundred? More? Weary, you sit down at one of the tables. A voice comes from the opposite seat.</br>
[["So, you finally arrived!"->Silent Salon]] But when you look, there is no one there...]
(save-game: "degaulle")(if: $museum_letter is <2)[On the inside, the place is much bigger than one might have thought. The air is crisp and cold, the light forms strange patterns on the floor after passing through the glass walls. A collection of sculptures made of glass appear to have been put on display here.
Near the entrance, a sign reads: "MUSEUM".
And another one, beneath it: "DO ~~NOT~~ TOUCH"
</br>](else:)[The museum will probably close in the future. All of its exhibits have been shattered to pieces.</br>]
(if: $museum_letter is <2)[ [[Approach the sculpture of a gentleman.]] He sports a top hat and a walking cane.
</br>
[[Approach the sculpture of a lady.]] The sculptor has minutely captured the details of her accoutrement.
</br>
[[Approach the sculpture of a cat.]] Some of the sculptures resemble animals of the Surface. But this one might very well be a tabby cat from London's alleys.
</br>
(if: $MM_AK is 0)[ [[Approach the black glass sculpture.]] This one lacks any proper shape, being sooner a mess of appendices, tendrils and crooked, pointy bits.</br>]
(if: $looking_for_a_name is 4 and $museum_letter is 1)[ [[Ring the Correspondence-engraved bell.]] And cover your ears, just in case.]]
</br>
(unless: $looking_for_a_name is 4)[ [[Leave the Museum of Memories.]] Surprisingly, the door is still where it was when you came in.]
(else:)[ [[Leave the Museum of Memories.->Travel]]](save-game:"degaulle"){(save-game: "degaulle")}The air here is sweet with the scent of roses. Here and there, half-ruined monuments and crumbling arches peek their heads above tall bushes and trees. The orchard's paths have been laid with labyrinthine precision, crossing and coiling around one another. The place is bathed in warm sunlight, although you can see no sun in the sky above.
The road ends and splits in two before a shrub of red velvet roses: one branch to your left, the other, to the right. A statue lies at the center of the crossroads. Neither path seems more promising than the other.
</br>
(if: $the_roses is 0)[ Smell the roses. It might be pleasant and give you time to think.(click: "Smell the roses.")[
As you near, you pick up a sort of buzzing in the air. Are there bees in this place? But it stops just as suddenly as it began when you approach the flowers. There is something abnormal about them - their colour is too striking, their petals are too neatly folded.
"Do you think they've noticed?" a disquieted voice asks. A sigh is heard and some of the roses start swinging. The bloom of one bends towards the ground. The buzzing starts again.
A voice remarks: "Well, they're bound to notice now."
[[Are the roses... talking?->Smell the roses.]] (set: $the_roses to 1)
]]
(else:)[ [[Return to the roses.->Smell the roses.]] You need to talk to them again.]
</br>
(if: $garden_letter is 0)[ [[Inspect the statue.]] What was the intent of the one who placed it here?</br>]
(unless: $looking_for_a_name is 4)[Leave the Garden of Arches. You need to be on your way.(click:"Leave the Garden of Arches.")[
</br>
There are two paths before you, stretching as far as you can see.
[[Take the road on the left.->Return to SS]]
[[Take the road on the right.->Go to MM]]
]]
(else:)[ [[Leave the Garden of Arches.->Travel]]]{(save-game: "degaulle")}The Silent Salon's guests are as entertained as the flies caught in a spider's web. Neither have an alternative, nor can they complain of their host's amiability. 'Silent' may not be the most suited word to describe the place - the air is rich with the muttering of guests exchancing tantalising secrets. And, also, with the smell of coffee.
</br>
(if: $looking_for_a_name is 4 and $burning_letters is 7)[ [[Assemble the Burning Name.]] You have all the letters.]
{(if: $looking_for_a_name is 2)[ [[Return to the man in the corner.]] You could not find his name, unfortunately.</br>]
(if: $looking_for_a_name is 3 and $arcaneKnowledge is >=7)[ [[Fix the box.->fix the device yourself.]] You are prepared to do this.</br>]}
{(if: $salon_letter is 0)[ [[Try the coffee.]] It could hardly hurt, and the smell is so... enthralling.]
(else-if: $salon_letter is 1 and $looking_for_a_name is 4)[ [[Try the coffee... and add the Exultant Potion.]] You have read that it needs to be diluted before consumption.]}
(if: $Silent_Salon_AK is 0)[</br>
[[Eavesdrop on two of the guests' conversation.]]]
</br>
[[Talk to the Wild-Haired Woman at the octagonal table.]] Her eyes sparkle like fireworks.
</br>
(if: $tiger_letter is 0)[ [[Talk to the Reclusive Gentleman.]] You can only see his fez from here.</br>]
(if: $tiger_letter is 1)[ [[Deliver the letter to the Reclusive Gentleman.]] Is it addressed to him?]
(if: $looking_for_a_name is 0)[ [[Approach the man in the corner.]] He has been gesturing towards you. </br>]
{(if: $looking_for_a_name is 1 and $gone_once is not 1)[ [[Leave the Silent Salon.]] You do not wish to linger here any longer.</br>]
(else-if:$looking_for_a_name is 4)[ [[Leave the Silent Salon.->Travel]] It will be much easier with the professor's box.]}This place has no ceiling or walls, or, if it does, they are hidden from view by the many and impossibly tall bookcases. Some of the titles are in English, others in Latin, Greek, Spanish, Sanskrit, and many more. The shelves are full packed with heavy tomes, vellum books, thin pamphlets, books of all sizes and origins.
</br>
(if: $the_library is 0)[ [[Pick up one of the books.]]]
(else-if: $the_library is 1)[ Read Mme. Bechet's *[["Mystifying LEXICON of Greek and Roman MYTHOLOGY"]]*
</br>
Read J. Corseley's *[["Manual to the venerable science of alchemy, as it was thought by the ancients"->Manual of alchemy]]*
</br>
(if: $library_AK is 0)[Read *[["Lux et lex"]]*. An anonymous political pamphlet with clear anarchist tendencies.</br>]
(if: $tiger_letter is 0)[ [[Pick up a letter nested between two pages.]] Someone has used it as a bookmark.</br>]
(else-if: $looking_for_a_name is 4 and $tiger_letter is 2)[ [[Deliver the Reclusive's Gentleman letter.]] Hopefully, the recipient will find it.]
]
(unless: $looking_for_a_name is 4)[ [[Leave the Library.]] You can see an arched door on the other side of the room.]
(else:)[ [[Leave the Library.->Travel]]](save-game: "degaulle")You stand on the frame of a door. Below, there is a great body of water, the bottom of which you cannot see. Vast shapes swim and turn in this strange aquarium. There is no exit in sight.
</br>
(if: $the_aquarium is 0)[ [[Dive into the water.]] Could there be another door at the bottom? Is there even a bottom? And can you hold your breath for that long?]
(else-if: $the_aquarium is 1)[
(unless: $looking_for_a_name is 4)[ [[Attempt to leave by thinking of a door.]]
{(if: $arcaneKnowledge is >=7)[***You have a 100% chance of success.***(set: $chance to 100)]
(else:)[(set: $chance to (round: $arcaneKnowledge * 100/7))***You have a (print: $chance)% chance of success.***]}
</br>]
(if: $aquarium_AK is 0 and $arcaneKnowledge is >0)[ [[Think of what you have learnt.]] What will happen if you consider some arcane pieces of lore?</br>]
(if: $looking_for_a_name is 4 and $aquarium_letter is 0)[ [[Think of a letter of the Name?]] Will it just appear out of thin air? Could it be that simple?]
(else-if: $looking_for_a_name is 4 and $aquarium_letter is 1)[ [[Use the Stifling Potion.]] It will stop you from having thoughts. Only temporarily, of course.]
(if: $looking_for_a_name is 4)[ [[Leave the Aquarium->Travel]]]
](save-game: "degaulle")The room is dimly lit and a reeks of something acidic. The decorations are austere: a table and several chairs. Across the table have been scattered various instruments and tools, the purpose of which is unclear. A big, black box has been left haphazardly on the corner of the table. And here, under the table, someone keeps a safe.
</br>
(if: $looking_for_a_name is 1)[ [[Approach the box.->Approach the box on the table.]] It looks oddly familiar.</br>]
[[Inspect the table.]] There may be something of use among all the things here.</br>
(if: $looking_for_a_name is 4 and $lab_letter is 0)[ [[Check the box.->Lab box]] It has begun producing that strange ticking sound again.</br>]
(else-if: $looking_for_a_name is 4 and $lab_letter is 1)[ [[Fiddle with the number dial.->Lab first number]] It appears only in this place.</br>]
(if: $looking_for_a_name is 4)[ [[Leave the Laboratory.->Travel]]]
(save-game: "degaulle")There is certainly a bitter aspect at first, but it soon makes way for something much sweeter. A faint hint of cinnamon, and... saffron? No. Cardamum? Not even the most renown coffee-shop in Vienna could come close to this stuff! This may well be the taste of the cosmos' end, and the colour does come in to support such a theory.
And who brought the coffee? Did it really just appear on your table when you weren't looking? No, no... The waiters must be invisible! [[Well, perhaps...->Silent Salon]]{(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it + 1)
(set: $Silent_Salon_AK to 1)
}
"And I said: 'Nigel! Nigel!', I said 'Spit it up, Nigel dear, or we'll both end up in Heavens know what da`__`ed place!' He looked at me. And then,..."
</br>*clink-clink*</br>
" '...nor the Storm or the Mountain.' And I said: 'A fool you are! Be silent now, fool! Be silent!' But before I could finish, the dreaded captain said:..."
</br>*clink-clink clink-clink*</br>
"...and that's why. I tell you, I'd sooner sink to the bottom of the Zee than spend another moment in the wretched place that is Xibalba! But all is well now. Let us speak of this no more."
</br>[[*clink*->Silent Salon]]
</br>
***'Arcane Knowledge' has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***Her hair is wild and untamed. Her dress is unfashionable. But the coffee is good, the conversation delectable, and her voice soothing.
"Now, now, it's not always like this, you know? They keep us here and feed us this stuff, ugh, like we're what? Some broken toys? Of course, we were told we cannot leave, but it all gets too boring too quickly. Sometimes we manage to slip away, back to the..." She takes a sip and her eyes glimmer like faulty lighthouses.</br>
"But they always manage to get us back. Well, not always, to be fair, only when it concerns them. And most of us have fulfilled our purposes. I guess we really are broken toys, then. Anyways, how is the Carnival doing? [[I heard...->Silent Salon]]"As you approach him, you realise that his features are those of a Khaganian, but his uniform is that of a Prussian spy, not the lacquered armour of the Khan's soldiers.
"My tiger! They took him!" he tells you. "He was this tall and this large and he had this many stripes and his jaws were... No, no, I don't where he is! But once I find him, I will leave this place. But first... [[I'll have another cup->Silent Salon]], if you don't mind, of course. Or maybe two..."At his table, the light has been subdued so much that you may even call it 'shade'. He gestures for you to sit down.
"First of all, welcome! I was wondering when you'd show up. I was tired of waiting, to be perfectly honest, and had enough of this thing they call 'coffee'. Now that this is out of the way, I'll try to be straightforward: I can help. Well, I could, but not right now. My apologies, but I cannot answer your questions. See? This is the problem: I know I can help you, but I do not recall how. Why is that?"</br>
He leans in closer.</br>
"They've taken something from me. My name. That's why. The same is true for everyone else in here. Look at them! They are stranded here, unable to go back, unable to go... further. But you are not! You can still leave! So if you can go and bring back my name, then I will know how to help. Then and only then."
(link-reveal: "And how might one leave the Silent Salon?")
[</br>
He points a finger to somewhere behind you. "There"
Indeed, on the other side of the room, you can make out the faint outline of what might be... [[a door?->Silent Salon]] Has it always been there?
***You are now Looking for a Name***
(set: $looking_for_a_name to 1)
]You approach the corner of the room to find what is, without a doubt, a mahogany-framed door. At the merest touch of the doorknob, it gives way, revealing a narrow, dark corridor.
It is cramped and the ceiling hangs low, forcing you to bend your head in an uncomfortable manner. The walls are dark, glassy and reflect your image in curious ways. A different, warmer light shines somewhere ahead...(click: "somewhere ahead...")
[</br>
Before you realise, you find yourself walking the marble paths of an exquisite [[garden->Garden of Arches]]. The corridor, the walls, the Silent Salon, they all disappeared without a trace.
]Before you lies a shrub of talking roses. Should you start a conversation?
</br>
(if: $the_roses is 1)[ [[Introduce yourself.]] It is only polite.]
(else:)[
(link-reveal: "Ask about the name you are looking for.")[
"Name? You should ask that one! He is in the know." they say and turn towards the statue.]
</br>
(link-reveal: "Ask the roses if you could smell them.")[
"How rude! How would you like it if an insolent passer-by wanted to push their nose into your face?" One of the flowers twists its stem in an attempt to show you its back.]
</br>
(if: $the_roses is <3)[Ask the roses which way you should go. They're bound to know more about the place.(click: "Ask the roses which way you should go.")[
The roses tilt one towards another, in a sort of circular pattern. You can hear whispering and giggling and the movement of leaves.
"You should follow the left path" says one. "Yes, yes, definitely go left." adds another one. A third one chimes in. "Left, left, I agree."
Although they do not have faces, you can tell they are smiling.]]
</br>(if: $the_roses is 3)[ [[Confront the roses about their 'joke'.]] </br>]
[[Bid the roses goodbye.->Garden of Arches]] You have other matters you need to attend to.
]It is made, of course, of white marble. One might almost believe it was made in ancient Greece or Rome. The statue represents a person in a draped toga. The only distinctive feature is the head: mainly, that it has two faces. The left one is that of a man, the right one, that of a woman. One of its arms points to the path on the right, while the other one extends towards the would-be spectator. There are letters carved on the socle, but time, or the elements, or both, have almost erased them.
</br>
[[Turn your gaze elsewhere.->Garden of Arches]] The statue presents no further interest for now.
</br>
[[Attempt to read the statue's name.]] If you squint enough...How does one address a flower? Politely, most likely.
"My dear ladies, I.." You stop in your tracks. "... and gentleme..." You pause and try again.
"Sweet flowers of all colours, I..."
"But we're all red!", you hear a voice from the back say.
Other voices spring up. "What are they doing?" "I don't know, but it's funny!" "So what are you then, a camellia?" "Mom said she met hollyhocks that looked like that in a Parisian parcel!" "You've never even been to Paris!"
</br>
One of the flowers shushes the others. "Please, excuse them! So, did you want to [[ask something?->Smell the roses.]]"
(set: $the_roses to 2)You follow the path as it meanders and swirls through the trees. Here are hyacinths, here are marigolds, and here someone has planted globe thistles.
You stop, close your eyes and take in the scent...
</br>
But when you open them again, you are not where you had been. Crimson walls, chequered floor pattern... You have returned to the [[Silent Salon.->Silent Salon]] (set: $the_roses to 3)"I hope it didn't upset you, did it?", one asks, while the others muffle their laughs. "But we so rarely see someone new around here! Look, I'll make up for it! Come closer..."
It whisper sweet secrets into your ear. [[What things the flowers know!->Garden of Arches]]
</br>(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it + 1)***'Arcane Knowledge' has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***
(set: $the_roses to 4)(set: $statue_name to (prompt: "What is the statue's name?", ""))
(unless: (uppercase: $statue_name) is "JANUS")[No, that's not quite right...
[[Try again?->Inspect the statue.]]]
(else:)[Janus is the god of both openings and endings. Janus is simultaneously the key and the lock, or, as the later Hersault said, "Janus is all of the gods, and, at the same time, none of them".
But today, Janus reveals his secret. The letters on the socle light up and rise in the air, twisting and turning into a new, flaming letter of the Correspondence. [[Get in the box, quick!->Garden of Arches]]
(set: $garden_letter to 1) (set: $burning_letters to it + 1)
{(if: $burning_letter is 1)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There is 1 left.***]
(else-if: $burning_letters is <7)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There are (print: 7-$burning_letters) left.***]
(else:)[***You have all the letters of the Burning Name! You may now assemble it.***]
}
]On the sides of the road, dandelions grow. The foliage of the trees is denser here. Ahead, a bust of Pallas Athena sits next to the entrance to a small glasshouse. Its walls are made of stained glass panels melded in bizarre, dream-like shapes. It is impossible to peer in.
The door, however, [[offers litte resistance.->Museum of Memories]]*This is the mark of the Young Stags' Club. These are the larks with his companions. Oh, the one with the pudding and the bat swarm!... The father wasn't happy. "You could be so much more!" I'll show him, the old man! Potential. This is the middle road. "I can show you how to become more than you are" they told him. "It won't hurt at all. Come with me..."*
</br>
You take several steps [[back->Museum of Memories]]. Your head hurts.*Parties and wine and glamour. Chit-chatting after dinner. An army of maidservants. Madame Shoshana comes to read the chirepteroscope. "His hair will be dark and his voice will be sweet." He is the chosen one! But the words and the letters do not reach him. Am I not good enough for you? Potential. "My dear, I can turn you into the girl of his dreams. Of any man's dreams. If you will come..."*
</br>
You take several steps [[back->Museum of Memories]]. Your head hurts.*By day I venture the gutters, by night I prowl the jungle. By day I feed on the remains from the fishmonger's table, by night I smoke the hookah among the panters. I was given a task. He was amiable, erudite and he always wore that unfashionable hat. They came. I attacked. Then I implored. Is he still waiting? If I could... Too late. I'll leave this behind. My task is over. Have I failed him?*
</br>
You take several steps [[back->Museum of Memories]]. Your head hurts.*Do you recall how we came to that place? And they sang of their lightnings and shapeful disgrace? We do recall. The pact was broken when the new horizon was forged. Treachery, deceit, anger. Light is forgotten, but their songs still mourn lost Axile. What wouldn't they give for the chance... But no. This is only a memory. And now you, too, recall.*
</br>
You take several steps [[back->Museum of Memories]]. Tears roll down your cheeks. The sculpture trembles, then shatters into pieces.{
(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it + 1) (set: $MM_AK to 1)}
</br>
***'Arcane Knowledge' has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***
It seems, however, that the door does not want you to get out as easy as you entered. Kicking it repeatedly does not have any effect. Well, there is the minor one that your foot now hurts terribly. Then, the door suddenly swings open. Did you anger it? Amuse it?
On the other side, however, there is no trace of the orchard you came from. Instead, ahead of you stand numerous bookcases, extending high in the air. Is this some sort of [[library->Library of Sand]]?As your finger touches a volume of poetry, the book crumbles, leaving behind only a heap of sand. You try to touch a copy of *The Seven Lamps of Architecture*, but the result is the same.
It seems that there are no *real* books in this ghost-library, after all. There are, however, several "books" that have been left open across the room. They might be made of sand, but their contents are perfectly readable. Perhaps you can try [[reading them?->Library of Sand]]
(set: $the_library to 1)*"-to Herodot's hystories. ''JANUS'' (Lat. IANVS) - the God of beginnings, gates, transitions, duality, doorways, passages, and endings. His statue was often placed at crossroads, gates, bridges, exits and entrances to cities. Traditionally depicted as having two faces, one looking to the past, the other to the future; in some cases, one of the faces is male and the other is female. Therefore, G. Abellier sees in Janus the "primal Androgynous principle, the missing Platonic form". Illopoly would later counteract the idea, offering his own analysis. He writes:-"*
</br>[[Here, the page ends.->Library of Sand]]You drag it out. The book crumbles, but the letter remains intact. This may very well be the only veritable piece of paper in this entire place! The envelope is not sealed and the piece of paper inside is blank. The sender's name has been scribbled out; as for the recipient, it only reads 'R.G.' [[Who could this be for?->Library of Sand]]
(set: $tiger_letter to 1)It is hard to make your way through the dense jungle of shelves, but you eventually arrive at the door. Nothing unusual happens, no tricks are played. Once you are assured that everything is as it should be, (link-reveal: "you step through the door...")[
</br>...and then take the step back. Before you, [[an aquatic abyss gapes.->Crystalline Aquarium]]]You take a step forward and plummet into the perfectly transparent liquid. You hold your breath. You can feel the presence of giant beasts around you. The further you go, the darker does the water become. One minute passes. Two. Three. Eventually, your defenses fail. Water begins filling your lungs. You sink deeper and deeper, to a place you cannot return from. You twist and turn in vain. (link-reveal: "If only you...")[
...find yourself back at the doorframe. Your breath is normal. Your clothes are dry. What happened? Was it a dream? No, you just... thought of diving in, but your thoughts took form the moment you stepped into [[the room.->Crystalline Aquarium]]
(set: $the_aquarium to 1)](set: $dice to (random: 1, 100))
(if: $dice <= $chance)[You are thinking of a door. It appears in front of you, a few steps away. Cautiously, you step into the room. The desire to look below is strong, but your mind is stronger. You rise your other foot and leap in the air. The very moment you leave ground, you find yourself arriving at the doorstep. It feels solid, real, even if it is a figment of your imagination.
Nevermind such a thought! You can think when you are [[out of here.->The Laboratory]]]
(else:)[You are thinking of a door. It appears in front of you, a few steps away. Cautiously, you step into the room. You can still feel the sensation of drowning in your lungs. You force yourself to not look down. You //try// not to look down. But with one foot hanging over the abyss, the door starts to flicker and fade away.
[[Concentrate harder!]] You may still leave.
{(if: $arcaneKnowledge is >=10)[***You have a 100% chance of success.***]
(else:)[(set: $chance to (round: $arcaneKnowledge * 100/13))***You have a (print: $chance)% chance of success.***]}]{(set: $dice to (random: 1, 100))
}(if: $dice <= $chance)[You take a breath, close you eyes, and leap into the air. The very moment you leave ground, you find yourself arriving at the doorstep. It feels solid, real, even if it is just a figment of your imagination.
Nevermind such a thought! You can think when you are [[out of here.->The Laboratory]]]
(else:)[You try to concentrate, but fear conquers you! A tiny, tiny part of your mind gives way to the thought of falling and drowning. Instinctively, you jump back and land on the hard floor of the library. The exit is gone. You will have to [[try again.->Crystalline Aquarium]]
</br>]Bubbles begin to form on the water's surface. More and more and more. The aquarium is slowly boiling. From your memory rise the unsteady letters of the alphabet of stars. Here may be burning, burning may be change, change may be desired. Come closer and you can peer through the veil.
You shake your head. [[Everyhing is as it was.->Crystalline Aquarium]] Change will not yet come.
</br>{(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it + 1) (set: $aquarium_AK to 1)
}***'Arcane Knowledge' has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***It is made of iron, but not even one spot of rust is visible. It sdesign has one crucial flaw, however: there seems to be no way of opening it. No lock, no button, nothing. You extend your hand towards it and you can feel a soft tingling in the air around it.
</br>
[[Touch the box.]] What's the worst that can happen?
[[Leave the box.->The Laboratory]] Better to be safe, after all.(set: $gone_once to 1)
You touch and little bright sparks come out. Nothing about the box seems to change. Then you hear a screech followed by a ticking, as if some clockwork mechanism has been put in motion. It starts slowly, but the rhythm soon accelerates. The surface of the box lights with red shapes and the air around it grows hotter and hotter. (link-reveal: "Take shelter?")[</br>
But you don't have time. The box explodes with a wash of red light. The same light you faced when you entered this place...
Eventually, you come back to your senses, but the place is not as it was. The floor is covered in red and white tiles. The light is blood-red. The smell of coffee is in the air. You are back in the [[Silent Salon]].
](set: $looking_for_a_name to 2)You come prepared to deliver the bad news, but he cuts you short. "Magnificent! I knew you were capable of it! Now leave it on the table, would you?" He notices your confusion and points towards the back of the room. "There it landed." The box from before lies on the tiled floor of the room.</br>
(link: "Bring the box to the man's table.")[
</br>It seems to have cooled and regained its original black colour, but the ticking continues. Lifting it off the ground is not entirely easy. It is an iron box, after all.
You leave it on the table with a loud 'thud!', but none of the other guests of the Salon seem to mind. You take a seat and watch as the man begins examining the object. "Let's see if I still remember how to do this. I've forgotten many things, but this..." He places two fingers on various spots on the box and presses, then moves them along as if to find the correct combination. "Here!"
He presses and a number dial pops up from the side. "It doesn't recognise me. Of course it doesn't, the bl`__`dy thing! Or perhaps they changed it, but I don't see how..." He turns towards you.
"I'm sorry, I can't really do much now. The device's security systems activated. And I'm afraid you're the only one here who has a chance of opening it."
</br>Very well, then. [[You will have solve the problem, like always...->Unlocking the box]]]The number dial awaits. The box ticks expectantly.
</br>
[[Listen closely to the ticking of the box.]] It has somewhat changed.
Enter the first number:
{
(link-reveal: "1")[(set: $no_1 to 1) (go-to: "Second number")]
(link-reveal: "2")[(set: $no_1 to 2) (go-to: "Second number")]
(link-reveal: "3")[(set: $no_1 to 3) (go-to: "Second number")]
(link-reveal: "4")[(set: $no_1 to 4) (go-to: "Second number")]
(link-reveal: "5")[(set: $no_1 to 5) (go-to: "Second number")]
(link-reveal: "6")[(set: $no_1 to 6) (go-to: "Second number")]
(link-reveal: "7")[(set: $no_1 to 7) (go-to: "Second number")]
(link-reveal: "8")[(set: $no_1 to 8) (go-to: "Second number")]
(link-reveal: "9")[(set: $no_1 to 9) (go-to: "Second number")]
(link-reveal: "0")[(set: $no_1 to 0) (go-to: "Second number")]
}Indeed, the box now produces short 'ticks' followed by longer 'tocks', then followed by a brief pause every fifth sound. If you pay attention, you can make out a pattern that keeps repeating.
</br>
//tick   tick   tick   tick   tooock
tooock   tooock   tick   tick   tick
tick   tick   tooock   tooock   tooock
//
[[Hmmm...->Unlocking the box]]Enter the second number:
{
(link-reveal: "1")[(set: $no_2 to 1) (go-to: "Third number")]
(link-reveal: "2")[(set: $no_2 to 2) (go-to: "Third number")]
(link-reveal: "3")[(set: $no_2 to 3) (go-to: "Third number")]
(link-reveal: "4")[(set: $no_2 to 4) (go-to: "Third number")]
(link-reveal: "5")[(set: $no_2 to 5) (go-to: "Third number")]
(link-reveal: "6")[(set: $no_2 to 6) (go-to: "Third number")]
(link-reveal: "7")[(set: $no_2 to 7) (go-to: "Third number")]
(link-reveal: "8")[(set: $no_2 to 8) (go-to: "Third number")]
(link-reveal: "9")[(set: $no_2 to 9) (go-to: "Third number")]
(link-reveal: "0")[(set: $no_2 to 0) (go-to: "Third number")]
}Enter the last number:
{
(link-reveal: "1")[(set: $no_3 to 1) (go-to: "Open box")]
(link-reveal: "2")[(set: $no_3 to 2) (go-to: "Open box")]
(link-reveal: "3")[(set: $no_3 to 3) (go-to: "Open box")]
(link-reveal: "4")[(set: $no_3 to 4) (go-to: "Open box")]
(link-reveal: "5")[(set: $no_3 to 5) (go-to: "Open box")]
(link-reveal: "6")[(set: $no_3 to 6) (go-to: "Open box")]
(link-reveal: "7")[(set: $no_3 to 7) (go-to: "Open box")]
(link-reveal: "8")[(set: $no_3 to 8) (go-to: "Open box")]
(link-reveal: "9")[(set: $no_3 to 9) (go-to: "Open box")]
(link-reveal: "0")[(set: $no_3 to 0) (go-to: "Open box")]
}(if: $no_1 is 4 and $no_2 is 7 and $no_3 is 2)[The ticking stops and the dial vanishes. The box produces several more mechanical sounds, as if some wheels began turning. The lid splits in two as the box opens. A powerful red light comes from within, radiating your face and that of your companion. You watch as he slowly puts his hands inside. Flames burst out and coil around his arms, enveloping him. Look close and you can see burning sigils dance in the air around him. But it doesn't last long. (link-reveal: "Soon, the fire disappears.")[
</br>The man's breath hastens and sweat drops from his face. But, looking at him, something is different. It is as if a veil has been lifted. God, how could you not have noticed?...
"(print: $name), I'm glad we finally have the occasion to talk." he says, as his breath returns to normal. "I'll skip the introductions."
[["My name is James Maxwell."->Conversation with the professor]]] ]
(else:)[The box ticks on, and remains locked. [[Try again?->Unlocking the box]]]Professor Maxwell, the man who long ago disappeared from London, sits now in front of you. The box, then, must be the one you and Mr Gulberg once stole from him, now back in the hands of its rightful owner. The professor waits for you to speak.
</br>
(if: $cwmaxwell is 0)[ [[Ask the Professor what is going on.]] This day has been anything but usual.]
(else:)[
[[Ask the professor where you are.]]
</br>
(if: $maxwell_AK is 0)[ [[Ask about the box.]] What is its purpose?]
</br>
[[Ask the professor who is behind all this.]]
</br>
(if: $cwmaxwell is 2)[ [[Ask the professor about 'names'.]] He keeps referring to them.
</br>
[[Ask the professor how he ended up here.]]
</br>
[[Ask the professor what to do next.]] Does he have a plan?
***This will end your conversation with Maxwell and advance the story.***
]](save-game: "degaulle")"Well, that's a very broad question, and there is much to say. So very much. [[I don't even know where to begin...->Conversation with the professor]]" (set: $cwmaxwell to 1)"The land of dreams, the place beyond mirrors, the dimension we call 'Parabola'! Or, at least, some corner of it. Make no mistake: this place is not part of Parabola's own peculiar geography. It was made by someone, someone who delights in the prospect of impossibility. The man who is my - and presumably yours, too - enemy."
The one Mr Gulberg reffered to as 'Mr C___'?
"Wilfred Campbell. Or that's what he was called... before."
</br>
[[Ask something else.->Conversation with the professor]]"This 'box', as you choose to call it, is, in fact, the most advanced device in the study of the language of the Correspondence! It is, at present, the only device in London (and beyond!) that can withhold seven letters of the Correspondence! Yes, this tiny wonder can keep inside it up to seven letters, more than even most materials. How does it do that? No, no, no, it's not the iron walls! (You can barely put one letter on a lead plate) It uses an innovative and, should I say, ingenious system of mirrors to keep the letters inside in such a way that they can never..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself. I'm sure you're not interested in all these technical details, are you?"
</br>
[[I'd rather we skipped to the next subject.->Conversation with the professor]]
[[On the contrary, professor! Please, go on.->Ask about the box 2]]"Is that so? Very well then..."
"So, the basic principle is the same as in the case of a Mirrorcatch Box. Imagine that you have two mirrors and you put one before the other; they will create an infinite number of reflections. This traps the Correspondence inside, but it also creates an infinity of projections of the letters, which, depending on their potency, can lead to a number of deviations, not just in the mirrors themselves, but in the reality around the device. So, to fix it, there is this rotating centerpiece that also serves the purpose of reacting to said deviations (it is actually a prototype of the Truth-Breaking Turbine) and the mirrors then change positions according to the measurements, which must first pass through a sensitive brass Mobius strip (so it can't interact with itself), and afterwards..."
"Are you following?"
</br>
[[...I'm sorry, what were you just saying?->Conversation with the professor]]
[[Of course! It is riveting.->Ask about the box 3]]"Good, because now comes the complicated part!"
"The part here does this, and the other one does that, and this one... this one is not that important, actually. This one changes the rotation of the axes, like this (of course, you can't see it happen, but it does). And then this is how... the other part here is crucial... a copper wire, so rudimentary, but... about geometry; say, for the sake of argument, that this spoon is a triangle... something something NON-EUCLIDEAN something... but, as we know, lambda cannot be 0. And that's how it works! Simple, isn't it?"
Indeed, professor. [[Indeed.->Conversation with the professor]]
(if: $arcaneKnowledge is <8)[(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it +1) (set: $maxwell_AK to 1)
***Your 'Arcane Knowledge has increased to $arcaneKnowledge!'***]"Well, it is a long story. It all begun in 1875, with two of my then-students at the University: Wilfred Campbell and the Jovial Contrarian (who, at the time, went by the name 'Jocular Contrarian'). They were interested in the study of the Correspondence, like many others, and they asked for my help with their research."
"I have to confess that Campbell was the brighter of the two. He wanted his work to be as rigorous as possible, his method left no stone unturned. And it eventually gave him results. He later compiled them and published an incredible paper on the subject. You can tell how good of a paper it was, because the Ministry of Public Decency had confiscated all copies by noon."
"I congratulated Campbell for the effort he put into the research, but he said it wasn't enough. He wasn't content with merely having obtained knowledge; he wanted to put it to use. That's how the idea of the device came to be. We spent countless nights working on it, in the dimly-lit room that the University provided us with. We made some progress, but we ended up hitting a dead end."
</br>"But then, one day, Campbell came to the laboratory and locked himself inside. When he left, it was done. (link-reveal: "The machine was finally working!")[(show: ?second-p)] He said he had gotten an insight during the night."
|second-p)[
</br>"We were all delighted. I was eager to show the contraption to my peers, but Campbell had other plans. I should tell you that both Campbell and the Contrarian had some pronounced anarchist sympathies (something not uncommon at Benthic College), and Campbell was the leader of a revolutionary student group, the Red Candle. Campbell told me that our creation must be kept a secret, that he wanted to see if it had "potential for change."
"I was afraid of what those anarchists might do if they got their hands on Correspondence, so I decided to follow them from the shadows. Campbell and his group went to the River and did... something. I am not exactly sure what transpired that night, even now. An explosion took place and a fire broke out. The students ran away, some were injured. Have you ever wandered why the Contrarian sits in that wheelchair? In the chaos that ensued, I managed to steal the box."
</br>"Afterwards, strange events began occuring. Some people started forgetting about Campbell, others denied there had ever been anyone of that name at the University. Even I was affected. I thought it was because of stress or the memory of that night, so I decided to leave this entire affair behind."</br>[["But I couldn't."->But I couldn't.]]]"Well, you can thank your friend, Jean Gulberg, for that! You see, I did not expect you two to steal my device. You were not part of this conflict. I suppose that's why they thought you'd be more succesful. However, I had already anticipated that such a thing might happen. You were unable to activate the device, is that right? That is because I have added a security system to it: if the device finds itself in the hands of someone it does not recognise, it automatically prevents itself from being used. This gives me time to track down the thief."
"I eventually found you and sent Mr Gulberg a letter, asking to meet, so I could explain everything to him, in exchange for the device, of course. But he didn't care what I had to say about Campbell, and instead wanted me to give him information about his missing friend."
</br>[[Allexander DeGaulle? Do you know what happened to-]]"Campbell, somehow, survived. He, or some part of him, ended up here, in Parabola. I saw him in my dreams: he was angry and wanted me to help with his ambiguous 'plan'. He wanted me to give him the device, but I refused, so he decided to find a different way to acquire it. The Red Candle continued operating under the leadership of the Contrarian, but I soon realised that they were acting under the orders of Campbell. They tried everything to get the device from me: bribery, intimidation, burglary and, ultimately, murder. You have no idea how many attempted poisonings and assassinations I have survived. So I decided to take measures and hid the device in a most secure place."
"Even after leaving the University, the Red Candle continued their work. Their memebers infiltrated the high society of London and began recruiting new members. I did not know what they were up to then, but now I do. And this is the result!" He gestures towards the room.
"They are changing their names!" he whispers. "And, in doing that, they are changing the people, too. But the procedure is perilous. And these... these people here are those whose names failed to be changed."
(link-reveal: "The Ex-Worthies, by any chance?")[
"Whatever you call them, they are not human. Not entirely. Something has been altered within them, something... fundamental. In the process, their names were destroyed, and now they are left here, mumbling husks of who they once were. Sometimes they manage to run away from Parabola back to London, but even so, no one remembers them. Their lives, their futures, everything they were, have been taken away from them."
(set:$cwmaxwell to 2)
</br>[["And all that, for what?"->Conversation with the professor]]
]"Everything has a name, of course. I am not talking about common names, but the unique ones. Those that can only be written in Correspondence."
"Look, imagine a vast cosmic register where every single being is recorded. In order to distinguish them, they are each given one unique name and that is recorded in the book. Some may not know their names or even that they have them. They may invent other names for themselves, but those do not matter from the perspective of the Universe. Every being can only have one *real* name."
"And it's because of these names that the entire world works as you see. So, what happens when you try to change a Correspondence name? Well, if the Universe doesn't know you exist..."
</br>
He leaves the sentence trailing off, as if it was obvious. [[Or dangerous.->Conversation with the professor]]"I do, in fact, have a plan. We use the device to return to London, and then we'll never come back to this place again. Come now, let's hurry!"
He rises from the seat and gestures for you to follow him.
</br>(if: $cwmaxwell is 2)[ [[What about the Contrarian's people?]] They must be everywhere in London.]
</br>[ [[And what about DeGaulle?]]]"I apologise, I have no knowledge of your friend. I have never met him. When I told him that, he was enraged and threatened to destroy the device. We ended up fighting over it and I think the poor thing got hurt. The machine, I mean. And when that happens, the device is set to release all Correspondence it has inside, so as to protect itself from attackers. That's how I ended up in Parabola, where Campbell's agents soon found me. Sincerely, I'm surprised this hadn't happened sooner. I don't want to imagine how you handled this... precious object." He looks at the box with something akin to tenderness."
</br>"As for why everyone forgot about me after my disappearance? Well, I have a theory. It's because of what they did to my name. For the cosmos, you do not exist. And if you do not exist, how is anyone supposed to remember you? But this is rarely tidy. Some things cannot be easily discarded from memory, at least not without creating confusion and reality-altering anomalies. It's a sensation similar to that of 'déjà vu' - to know someone is supposed to exist, but to not find any trace of them, to not rememer anything about them, it can be maddening."
</br>[["And I am not the only one this has happened to."->Conversation with the professor]]"Your friend... I am perfectly honest when I say that I don't know what happened to him. I'm very sorry. But I do not believe there is much to find out. Most likely, he ended up as another one of these... what did you call them? Ex-Worthies? Ayways, yet another victim of Campbell, nothing more than a shadow of his former self."
</br>
[["DeGaulle is not an Ex-Worthy. He is alive... and he was in London."]]
"What? What do you mean?"
You explain to the professor everything that has happened in London, in his absence.
"So he won the elections? That is very worrying. I know he also ran for Mayor in 1894, but winning... He is after one thing: the Ministry's Vaults. That is where they are going to find Campbell's thesis, the first one he published on the Correspondence. But why would they need it if..."
"Still, this is the safer course of action. We'll a take a steamer from London to somewhere across the Zee. Port Carnelian, Polythreme, the Iron Republic, doesn't matter where. A place away from their agents. We'll have to consider our next move. Now let's go, [[we don't have time to lose!->Ask the professor what to do next.]]"
(set: $cwmaxwell to 3)"Do you mean...?"
You tell the professor of your dreams, of the voices from beyond the veil of sleep. And you tell him of the time when Alexander DeGaulle possessed the body of Jean Gulberg after he had been kidnapped. As you speak, you can see the professor's hands begin to shake.
"That... that is worse than I expected! If he managed to survive the process, if his Name was indeed changed, he and Campbell could... This means that we cannot linger in this place any longer! We need to return to London now!"
</br>
[[Agree to return to London with Maxwell.]]
[[Remain here and look for DeGaulle.]]
***Warning: this decision will impact the course of the story.***
(save-game: "degaulle")"I am glad that you finally see my point. We'll need to be cautious, however. The Red Candle has eyes and ears everywhere."
He takes the box and begins meddling with it again.
"The device can take us to London. It abuses a loophole in the veil of reality and... no, we don't have time for this!"
He twists a handle and the maching begines ticking furiously again.
"Do not worry. [[All is well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.->Back in London]]"
</br>
As the professor says that, the box explodes with red light. The world flashes before your eyes, then it all fades to black.The professor pauses.
"(print: $name), are you out of your mind? If they... No. You have made your decision. Very well. (link-reveal: "There is only one thing left for me to do, then.")[(show: ?pass2)]"
</br>|pass2)[Maxwell's punch is stronger than you expected. Caught by surprise, you fall to the floor. A thin trail of blood falls from your nose.
"I am terribly sorry that I had to make use of such... uncivilised methods, but you left me no choice. I hope that when we arrive in London, you'll see this was the right decision."
The professor begins meddling with the box again. He twists a previously hidden handle and the box begins ticking furiously.
</br>Something needs to be done. You have an idea, [[but you need to time it carefully...]]]When you wake up, the Silent Salon, along with the rest of the world of dreams, has disappeared. You are lying on a dank floor in a dark, dark room. Did it work? (link-reveal:"Are you back in...?")[
Suddenly, someone grabs you and picks you up. Even dizzy, you can still recognise the black uniform of a Special Constable. There are two of them, one carrying you, the other, professor Maxwell. They take you out of the room and up a long staircase. They hold you tight, but you manage to take a look at the professor. The expression on his face is that of pure horror.
You arrive inside what was once the Bibliophile's book shop. More Special Constables are gathered here.
(link-reveal: "From the shadows, a man comes forwards in his wheelchair.")[
</br>"I see you finally decided to join us!" the Jovial Contrarian says. "And I thought I would never see my old friend again. How are you doing, professor? Still behind the times? I am glad you brought someone with you. No, there's no need for introductions, we know (print:$name) very well. Very, very well."
He laughs in a sardonic manner.
"I must confess, when they told me to wait here for you, I was quite disappointed. But I never imagined I would end up killing two birds with one stone. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Do not worry, professor, we will not kill you. We have much greater plans."
He turns towards the Constables. "Let's go, lads! And someone take that d`__`ed machine from them! This time, they won't get away!"
</br>The Constables move forwards, and, for the third time today, [[your vision fades to black...->Ending 1]]
]]**EPILOGUE:**
</hr>
The lights of London shine in the darkness of the Neath. Windows light up as candles and gas lamps are being lit. The city prepares for another day. Citizens buy their daily print of *The Unexpurgated Gazette* and discuss the news. There was a fire in the disrict of Spite, but, thanks to their quick intervention, the Constables managed to put it out before it could claim any victims. Unfortunately, the building where the fire originated, a former book shop near St Fiacre's, has been destroyed. The cause of the fire remains unknown. The issue also remarks the "unusual movements of the Constable squads across the city". There are rumours that they were following a dangerous escapee from New Newgate, but the Chief Constable refuses to comment on the subject.
Here, in a gutter, an unknown beggar plays with a few pennies. Two urchins throw pebbles at the poor soul, but the beggar does not seem to notice. A Respectable Widow walking by offers him a coin. The beggar laughs. "Mad'm, mays't your name be spoke' of in the other place!"
There is something familiar in the beggar's eyes, but the Widow shruggs it off and walks on. The rest of the city does too. It does not care for the fate of one man. Sometimes, it doesn't even remember.
</br>
***This concludes "The DeGaulle Affair". Thank you for playing!***
<br>^^Perhaps you are contempt with the current state of things. If not, you can still [[go back...->"DeGaulle is not an Ex-Worthy. He is alive... and he was in London."]]^^(save-game:"degaulle")Maxwell's gaze leaves you for a moment as he tinkers with the machine. This is your chance!
You spring up from the floor. In a moment, you're near him. Before the professor has any chance to defend himself, you grab the machine... (link-reveal: "and hit him over the head with it!")[
</br>The sound made by the impact of iron and flesh is unpleasant. The professor's body hops across the room, making a small, red puddle where it lands. [[The guests do not seem to mind.]]
]
The position his limbs find themselves in is not entirely natural. Is he...?
No, there is a very faint, but not unnoticeable movement of his chest. The fact that he survived such an attack is a miracle on its own.
He'll be fine. Probably. [[Hopefully, whatever you did this for was worth it.->The guests do not seem to mind.]](set: $cwmaxwell to 4)The state of the box could be better. Fortunately, it is still in one piece, but this corner here is chipped. And, most likely, something is broken inside, too. The sound it makes when you shake it confirms your suspicions.
Since Maxwell is... unavailable right now, you will have to [[fix the device yourself.]]</br>
{(set: $chance to $arcaneKnowledge*100/7)
(if: $chance is >=100)[***You have a 100% chance of success.***]
(else:)[***You have a (print: (round: $chance))% chance of success.***]}(if:$arcaneKnowledge is <=0)[You twist and turn it, but nothing. This bit here is very hot, this one... Ouch!
If you could [[learn more of the machine->Silent Salon]], perhaps you may be able to fix it.
</br>***Your 'Arcane Knowledge' needs to be at least 7 in order to succesfully repair the box. Search the world of dreams for opportunities to increase it further.*** (set: $looking_for_a_name to 3)]
(else:)[This piece here must be put back in place. This one needs to be twisted a little. The mirrors aren't broken, fortunately. Everything else seems to be in order. [[Now just connect these two wires and...]]]Sparks! The box produces a screeching sound as hidden gears are put into motion. The box locks itself up, the same way as when you first found it. Has it broken down?
You touch the box with caution, prepared for it to electrocute you again. But it does not; instead, it lights up the same way it did when Maxwell opened it. Does it now 'recognise' you?
The box begins emiting a slow, constant beeping sound. (link-reveal: "A button appears on the side.")[
You press it and crimson flames envelop the box. The lid opens and a letter of burning fire appears above it. Radiant, destructive, indescribable.
This is the Correspondence. Not a sigil or symbol of it, but a letter as it may be spoken between the stars. Don't look directly at it.
You watch as it descends into the box and the lid closes over it. It disappears, as if it had never even been here.
...
[[What should you do now?->Silent Salon]]
(set: $looking_for_a_name to 4) (set: $burning_letters to 1)
***You have the first letter of the Burning Name. Find the other six, scattered across the world of dreams, and you will be able to summon the being it belongs to. The box will now allow you to travel to any place in this realm at will.***](if: $cwmaxwell is <4)[ [[Inspect Maxwell's body.]] It may have been too much for the old man.]
</br>
[[Check the box.]] Did *it* survive the impact?The box is eager to take you elsewhere. Close your eyes and focus on the place you wish to be.
[[[The Salon->Silent Salon]]]
[[[The Garden->Garden of Arches]]]
[[[The Museum->Museum of Memories]]]
[[[The Library->Library of Sand]]]
[[[The Aquarium->Crystalline Aquarium]]]
[[[The Laboratory->The Laboratory]]]The table is full of tools, glasses, lenses, jars of various sizes and shapes. There's a brass microscope, a chiropterochronometer, a semiotic reading device and whatnot. In the middle lies a contraption of glass tubes that coil in strange patterns. A small bell made of glass lies near some mishandled paperwork.
</br>
[[Approach the strange device in the middle.]] What is its purpose?
</br>
(if: $museum_letter is 0)[ [[Look closer at the glass bell.]]</br>]
(if: $lab_AK is 0)[ [[Take a look at the papers.]] How do they relate to the work done in this place?</br>]
[[Move away from the table.->The Laboratory]] You've seen all that you wanted.The device is a complicated network of tubes and pipes. From what you can see, it has two openings. The first, the higher of the two, is where some sort of ingredients are meant to be added. The other is on a tube above a bottle where the liquid resulted from this process would, supposedly, rest.
There is an empty beaker next to the machine, and three unlabeled jars, containing differently-coloured substances: red crystals, black liquid and a yellow powder.
</br>
[[Combine the substances.]] Could you use this thing to... prepare something?</br>
(if: $salon_letter is 1 and $aquarium_letter is 1)[ [[Pick up a scrap of paper.]] Was it here before?<br>]
[[Leave the device.->Inspect the table.]] At least for the moment.
(set: $red to 0) (set: $black to 0) (set: $yellow to 0)You can imagine a governess using it to attract the attention of children. What makes it stand apart is the presence of one of those red glyphs, which looks like something inbetween the letter sigma and an angry snake.
Should you take the bell?
</br>
[[Take the bell.]]
[[Leave the bell.->The Laboratory]] You don't want to carry it around.This seems to be the body of an academical work. It has been badly printed and, considering its colour, kept in less than desirable conditions. The name of the author is missing. It reminds you somewhat of the Contrarian's work, but it is much reduced in size. Diagrams, equations and tables fill the pages. A sentence on the last page is circled thrice. [[Fascinating,->Inspect the table.]] from a scholar's point of view.
(set: $arcaneKnowledge to it + 1) (set: $lab_AK to 1)
***'Arcane Knowledge' has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***Be careful where you put it so it doesn't break by accident. [[Perhaps it will be useful in the future.->Inspect the table.]]
(set: $museum_letter to 1)
***You have a Correspondence-engraved bell.***What do you add first into the beaker?
(link-reveal: "The red substance")[(set: $red to it + 1) (go-to:"Second ingredient")]
(link-reveal: "The black substance")[(set: $black to it + 1) (go-to:"Second ingredient")]
(link-reveal: "The yellow substance")[(set: $yellow to it + 1) (go-to:"Second ingredient")]One third of the beaker is full. What do you add next?
(link-reveal: "The red substance")[(set: $red to it + 1) (go-to:"Third ingredient")]
(link-reveal: "The black substance")[(set: $black to it + 1) (go-to:"Third ingredient")]
(link-reveal: "The yellow substance")[(set: $yellow to it + 1) (go-to:"Third ingredient")]There is room left only for one more substance. Which one do you add?
(link-reveal: "The red substance")[(set: $red to it + 1) (go-to:"Result")]
(link-reveal: "The black substance")[(set: $black to it + 1) (go-to:"Result")]
(link-reveal: "The yellow substance")[(set: $yellow to it + 1) (go-to:"Result")]The beaker is full. Pour its contents into the contraption and (link-reveal: "see what results.")[
(if: $black is 2 and $yellow is 1)[(go-to: "Potion for the sharpening of the mind")]
(else-if: $black is 1 and $red is 2)[(go-to:"The Exultant potion")]
(else-if: $black is 3 or $red is 3 or $yellow is 3)[(go-to:"No change")]
(else:)[(go-to: "Failure")]
]The liquid that results has the colour of an autumn sunset on the Surface. The smell denotes strength and potency. You were told that by drinking it, you can enter a trance-like state. [[Hopefully, it works.->Approach the strange device in the middle.]]
(set: $aquarium_letter to 1)
***You obtained the Stifling Potion! It can help sharpen the mind.***The colour of the resulted liquid is a deep hue of violet. It holds many possibilities. [[Some of them, dangerous.->Approach the strange device in the middle.]]
(set: $salon_letter to 1)
***You have obtained the Exultant Potion! It can reveal to the mind that which is hidden.***The resulting substance is dark and thick. And the smell... oh, the smell! It's safe to regard this concoction as a failure.
[[Try again?->Approach the strange device in the middle.]]*"Pseudo-Democritus, the magus and astrologist, believes that results can be achieved only through a "marriage of the illuminated mind with the enslaved body". He proposes a potion that can help the alchemist better focus his attention on his work.
N.b.: take two parts Isciandrum (which we recognise by its large, black leaves) and one part powder obtained from the yellow flowers of Wild Ambrosia, then boil the mixture until it becomes of the same colour as the sun.
Lepidopterus of Pseira, inspired by this recipe, creates his own, which "exalts the mind and the soul, instead of dulling them". He uses one part Isciandrum and two parts of what he only refers to as "Bloodshot Garnet" (scholars disagree on the identity of the latter). He warns us, however, that the resulted potion may be too strong, and, for better results, recommends it be diluted in the drink made from the fruit of 'Coffea arabica'."*
The author then goes on to discuss whether Lepidopterus had five or six fingers on his left foot. [[How informative!->Library of Sand]]*Our city is a corpse. London has become a palimpsest of its former self. It has died in the hands of those tyrants that, without the slightest sign of shame, call themselves "Masters". But it is not only the merciless authority of the Bazaar that we must strike against! The tyranny of the chain goes deeper. The Neath has offered us its lightlessness, and where there is no light, there is no Law. Remember this rule, for if you don't, there are those powers that will. Let them fear their subjects that plot in the dark! Let them fear the Liberation of-"*
Here, the text becomes indecipherable due to the Ministry's "Stamp of Confiscation". [[Too bad.->Library of Sand]]
(set:$arcaneKnowledge to it +1) (set: $library_AK to 1)
***'Arcane Knowledge' has increased to (print: $arcaneKnowledge)!***He takes the envelope and opens it. When he finishes reading it, he turns back to you.
"Tell him I forgive him. No, nothing he did requires my forgiveness. Tell him... tell him he hasn't failed me. In fact, wait!"
He takes a pencil from his pocket and begins writing on the other side of the letter.
"Give him this. It'll be enough, I hope."
You take the piece of paper. [[It is still blank on both sides.->Silent Salon]]
(set: $tiger_letter to 2)Where should you leave the message? You can't put it in the book you took it from, not without it crumbling to dust.
As you ponder this, the paper suddenly catches fire. It burns away, but something remains behind. One of those burning letters of Correspondence. Capture it in your box. [[No letter shall remain undelivered.->Library of Sand]]
(set: $tiger_letter to 3) (set: $burning_letters to it + 1)
{(if: $burning_letter is 1)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There is 1 left.***]
(else-if: $burning_letters is <7)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There are (print: 7-$burning_letters) left.***]
(else:)[***You have all the letters of the Burning Name! You may now assemble it.***]
}It produces a sound that can only be heard as "the bliss of forgetting". One by one, the glass sculptures crack and shatter into pieces. Some melt, others evaporate. The stained-glass walls, too, explode into a myriad of tiny colourful shards. Tongues of fire rise and intertwine, giving birth to a burning letter. It had almost forgotten itself, but now [[you'll put it somewhere safe.->Museum of Memories]]
(set: $museum_letter to 2) (set: $burning_letters to it + 1)
{(if: $burning_letter is 1)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There is 1 left.***]
(else-if: $burning_letters is <7)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There are (print: 7-$burning_letters) left.***]
(else:)[***You have all the letters of the Burning Name! You may now assemble it.***]
}You imagine a radiant letter, and it appears just before your eyes. You can even extend your hand and clutch it in your palm. It doesn't burn you.
But as you bring it back towards you, it disappears. It was just a thought, and it will not survive outside the aquarium. If you would stop thinking, perhaps then [[the letter will reveal itself.->Crystalline Aquarium]]The effect of the potion is hard to describe. The world before you stretches and squeezes, fading away like an underexposed daguerreotype. The crystal-like water, the giants swimming in it, all have disappeared. The aquarium reveals itself to you - a small, cramped chamber with a letter craved into the wooden floor, shamefully hidden away. Now that it has been found, [[it hops excited into your box.->Crystalline Aquarium]]
(set: $aquarium_letter to 2) (set: $burning_letters to it +1)
{(if: $burning_letter is 1)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There is 1 left.***]
(else-if: $burning_letters is <7)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There are (print: 7-$burning_letters) left.***]
(else:)[***You have all the letters of the Burning Name! You may now assemble it.***]
}Diluted? This is not 'diluted'. The room begins to spin, the chequred floor transforms into a maddening kaleidoscope. But here is what you are looking for. Grab the letter of fire. Grab it, before it tries to run away!
The effects of the potion wear out eventually. [[The taste does not.->Silent Salon]]
(set: $salon_letter to 2) (set: $burning_letters to it +1)
{(if: $burning_letter is 1)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There is 1 left.***]
(else-if: $burning_letters is <7)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There are (print: 7-$burning_letters) left.***]
(else:)[***You have all the letters of the Burning Name! You may now assemble it.***]
}You have obtained... more (if: $black is 3)[black liquid](else-if: $red is 3)[red crystals](else-if: $yellow is 3)[yellow powder]!
...
[[What did you expect to happen?->Approach the strange device in the middle.]]The script is unusual, but you can make out a message.
*805:rorrim a tub si dlrow ehT*
[[Hmmm...->Approach the strange device in the middle.]]You touch it and a number dial appears. Again? Fine, [[you'll figure it out.->Lab first number]](set: $lab_letter to 1)The box awaits the first number.
{
(link-reveal: "1")[(set: $no_1 to 1) (go-to: "Lab second number")]
(link-reveal: "2")[(set: $no_1 to 2) (go-to: "Lab second number")]
(link-reveal: "3")[(set: $no_1 to 3) (go-to: "Lab second number")]
(link-reveal: "4")[(set: $no_1 to 4) (go-to: "Lab second number")]
(link-reveal: "5")[(set: $no_1 to 5) (go-to: "Lab second number")]
(link-reveal: "6")[(set: $no_1 to 6) (go-to: "Lab second number")]
(link-reveal: "7")[(set: $no_1 to 7) (go-to: "Lab second number")]
(link-reveal: "8")[(set: $no_1 to 8) (go-to: "Lab second number")]
(link-reveal: "9")[(set: $no_1 to 9) (go-to: "Lab second number")]
(link-reveal: "0")[(set: $no_1 to 0) (go-to: "Lab second number")]
}The box clicks. Enter the second number:
{
(link-reveal: "1")[(set: $no_2 to 1) (go-to: "Lab third number")]
(link-reveal: "2")[(set: $no_2 to 2) (go-to: "Lab third number")]
(link-reveal: "3")[(set: $no_2 to 3) (go-to: "Lab third number")]
(link-reveal: "4")[(set: $no_2 to 4) (go-to: "Lab third number")]
(link-reveal: "5")[(set: $no_2 to 5) (go-to: "Lab third number")]
(link-reveal: "6")[(set: $no_2 to 6) (go-to: "Lab third number")]
(link-reveal: "7")[(set: $no_2 to 7) (go-to: "Lab third number")]
(link-reveal: "8")[(set: $no_2 to 8) (go-to: "Lab third number")]
(link-reveal: "9")[(set: $no_2 to 9) (go-to: "Lab third number")]
(link-reveal: "0")[(set: $no_2 to 0) (go-to: "Lab third number")]
}Enter the third, and last, number:
{
(link-reveal: "1")[(set: $no_3 to 1) (go-to: "Lab open box")]
(link-reveal: "2")[(set: $no_3 to 2) (go-to: "Lab open box")]
(link-reveal: "3")[(set: $no_3 to 3) (go-to: "Lab open box")]
(link-reveal: "4")[(set: $no_3 to 4) (go-to: "Lab open box")]
(link-reveal: "5")[(set: $no_3 to 5) (go-to: "Lab open box")]
(link-reveal: "6")[(set: $no_3 to 6) (go-to: "Lab open box")]
(link-reveal: "7")[(set: $no_3 to 7) (go-to: "Lab open box")]
(link-reveal: "8")[(set: $no_3 to 8) (go-to: "Lab open box")]
(link-reveal: "9")[(set: $no_3 to 9) (go-to: "Lab open box")]
(link-reveal: "0")[(set: $no_3 to 0) (go-to: "Lab open box")]
}(if: $no_1 is 5 and $no_2 is 0 and $no_3 is 8)[The box opens like it did before, but no fire comes out. This time, fire *enters* the box. A glyph appears in the air above and floats inside it. The box has found another Correspondence letter! [[Good job, box!->The Laboratory]]
(set: $lab_letter to 2) (set: $burning_letters to it + 1)
{(if: $burning_letter is 1)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There is 1 left.***]
(else-if: $burning_letters is <7)[***You have found a letter of the Burning Name! There are (print: 7-$burning_letters) left.***]
(else:)[***You have all the letters of the Burning Name! You may now assemble it.***]
}](else:)[The box ticks on, offering no further clue.
[[Why won't it tell you what it wants?->The Laboratory]]]It's not a task you can say you have performed before. But you will have to try.
(link: "Open the box.")[
The letters rise, dance and mingle with one another. Close your eyes. Focus. Bend them to your will. Find what has been lost.
</br>
(text-color:"#E60C0C")[The first letter][[...->The first letter...]]](save-game:"degaulle")(text-color:"#E60C0C")[The first letter] speaks of power, of the light that fell from a high place. The first letter is of the Law, and the Law is power. Its radiance will be unconfined.
(text-color:"#E60C0C")[The second letter] arrives to the call of the first. With two letters, the Sequence emerges. With the Sequence, the Chain. The order of things is derived from the voices of fire. Everything else must follow from the first two.
(text-color:"#E60C0C")[The third letter] brings with it hunger. Even in silence there is unrest. It will drive us further. The sky yearns for the touch of flesh. It will consume and it will take shape. The light will be granted vessel.
(text-color:"#E60C0C")[The fourth letter] remains silent. It binds what came before with what will come after. To break a link is to betray. The Name will rise beyond the sum of its letters. It will be spoken of in the flames of the Forge.
(text-color:"#E60C0C")[The fifth letter] rises from a dark corner. It will ask who you are, and know the answer already. It will tell you that which cannot be told in the light of candles. Its secrets will exalt you and your mind will be of light. That is, until the time comes for it to be extinguished once again.
(text-color:"#E60C0C")[The sixth letter] was born in an hour of winter. It burns low, sensing an ending. It will fade from view, but whisper the same promise into your ear: "All shall be well."
And (text-color:"#E60C0C")[the seventh letter][[...->The seventh letter]]"...is not to be spoken of."
Who said that? You look around to see that the guests of the Salon have vanished. There is no one beside you here.
(link-reveal:"Well, *almost* no one...")[
You look to the spot where Maxwell's limp body lies. You watch as the professor stands up, dusts himself off and turns towards you. Blood trickles down the left side of his face.
"I thought I hid that well." he says. "Perhaps not well enough. But at least I have gotten to see you again, friend."
There is something different in him. His eyes stare past you, without focus. His voice echoes as if it came from a deep cave.
"Now, please, don't be afraid. Isn't this what you were looking for? It's me, your old acquaintance."
[["Alexander DeGaulle"]]
](link-reveal:"...")[
</br>
"I imagine you have many questions for me. Please, [[ask when you're ready.->Conversation with DeGaulle]]"][[Ask DeGaulle what happened to him.]] This is the question that kept you awake at night.
</br>
[[Ask about this place.]] Is this the work of Mr Campbell? Where is he now?
</br>
[[Ask about Campbell's plan.]] What does he want to achieve?
</br>
[[Ask how to defeat Mr Campbell.]]
</br>
[[Ask DeGaulle what to do next.]]
***This will end your conversation and advance the story.***(save-game:"degaulle")He offers you a weary smile.
"How can I begin explaining it to you? You remember how I was back in London. Rash, bold, uncaring, spending all my money at the spider pits. I got mixed up with all kinds of the wrong people: criminals, thieves, revolutionaries. I came to the Neath looking for freedom, for the lack of constrictions put on me by others on the Surface. What I found instead was wretchedness and poverty. *"Is this all there is to it?"* I asked myself."
"Then, one day, someone came to my small lodgings. They offered me an opportunity. They said they could change my life in an unexpected way. I accepted the offer. They took me to their lair, deep in the marshes. They told me what they wanted from me, and I agreed. We entered Parabola. They begun changing my Name, transforming who I was, my entire being. It was painful, but I endured. After it all ended, everything that I had been was lost. I later learnt I was the first to survive the process."
"Finally, I took the letters of my Name and hid them, so that they may remain forgotten. 'Allexander DeGaulle' did not exist any longer. The man you see before your eyes now, this man is not me. Not entirely. I have entered the good professor's body only because he is... elsewhere, for the moment. The letters of my Name are together for now, but soon they will fall apart and I will be gone once again. This is the price: once you change, for better or worse, you cannot return to what you were before. It's impossible to describe to you what I have become, because what I am does not exist."
"Is this the answer you have been looking for? [[I am afraid it is the only one I have.->Conversation with DeGaulle]]""To construct his machine, Campbell made a deal in his sleep with the things-beyond-mirrors. They offered him the secrets necessary to finish the device, in exchange for his help. As it turns out, their goals were not entirely different. The serpents wanted a way to evade the Law, and Campbell's machine had the potential of doing that. In that night of 1875, Campbell inserted his own Name into the machine.
However, things did not turn out as planned - Campbell was destroyed. But the mirror-kings managed to find a fragment of his Name and bring it to Parabola. They wouldn't let him escape their deal. All that remains of him is a shadow. This place - everything that you see - is part of Mr C___'s imagination. Well, I helped him too. Don't you think that orchard is lovely?"
"The idea was that once a being's Name is changed, it leaves the Chain. But in practice, things have turned out differently. To change someone's Name, they must first be stripped of their memories, desires, dreams, their entire identity. But this only alters the Name. It takes much more to break it apart. What you end up as is an Ex-Worthy, someone who could have been more, but failed. Mr C___ has been desperately trying to refine the process, to make it work as intended.
Finding voluntaries was never an issue. We just exploit the failings of human nature: greed, envy, vengefulness. And, often, the desire to overcome their own condition. [[Can you blame them for that?->Conversation with DeGaulle]]""Mr C___ wishes to raise an army, although that will not happen soon. And what he needs that army for... (link-reveal: "Well, let me show you.")[(show: ?two)]"
|two)[The walls of the room fade away, revealing the starry night sky. It is so different from the roof of the Neath. Suddenly, one of the stars goes out. Then another. In other places, new stars ignite from the darkness. You understand. This is war.
"The Liberation began so long ago. Mr C___ wants an army of Nameless beings, so he may attack his enemies from the safety of Parabola. Some believe that, were he to succeed, it will turn the tide of war. Others disregard the idea entirely. And I am afraid I must side with the latter. This scheme has been going on for too long and has produced no results. *Almost* no results. Trying to evade the Law is much more difficult than the Revolutionary pamphlets may tell you. Especially when succes is something that you cannot call either life or death."
The sky disappears, while the fighting continues with [[no end in sight.->Conversation with DeGaulle]]]"You can't, because this 'Campbell' you speak of is no more. You keep using his old name to refer to what he has become, but do not fool yourself by thinking that he bears any simmilarity to his old self. You can't stab him or cut his head off or kill him in some other traditional fashion. You could say that his 'presence' or 'will' is left, but even that wouldn't be adequate. The man who was Campbell has become something different. He is this place, and this place is him."
"And even if you somehow killed him, what do you think will happen afterwards? This place, me, the Ex-Worthies, we would all disappear. You can't save us all, and you can't change what has already happened. I'm afraid I have to tell you, [[this game was rigged from the start.->Conversation with DeGaulle]]""There is only one path forward" he says. "You have seen the other six rooms, and now you must see the seventh and last. The Crimson Room, where you will be changed, for better or worse. Please do not be angry at me, there is nothing I can do. Sure, I could send you back to London, but if I do that, they will catch you and bring you back here. I am sure you understand."
He steps away, revealing an imposing double door behind him.
[["One final word before you go..."]]Allexander DeGaulle rests a hand on your shoulder. His eyes are still staring aimlessly, but you can almost see a sort of melancholy in them.
"I need to tell you the truth, (print: $name). I am sick of this place. My existence here is boring, glacial. The most exciting part of all that happened was, for me, getting to possess Jean's body. What I'm trying to say is... I want to see London again, with its bustling streets, its honey dens, its backalleys and its fungal flora. I want to walk its cobbled streets again, I want to see how it's changed, I want... I want to be Allexander DeGaulle again. But I can't do any of this without someone else's body."
"When you go into the Crimson Room, there is a very high possibility that you will come back as another Ex-Worthy. Would that please you? I think you can guess what I'm asking of you."
"If things go awry, I wish to have your body, so I can use it to return to London. This, of course, means that nothing of you will remain. Not even the Boatman will come after you. It will all just go away."
"I know I'm asking much of you. So, what do you say?"
</br>
[[Agree to leave Mr DeGaulle your body.]]
[[Refuse DeGaulle's offer.]]
"Thank you!" he whispers. "Thank you. You can't understand how much this means to me. Hopefully, the process will succeed and then there won't be any need for this. We will meet again, somewhere beyond. But I doubt it."
"And, finally, I need to tell you I'm sorry. I'm sorry I brought into this mess. I'm sorry this has to happen like this. If only I had been more temperate. If only... No, there's no point in mourning the past. Time does not forgive. I just hope you will."
"So... This is goodbye, then, isn't it?"
[[Goodbye]]
(set:$promise to 1)"I understand. If I were you, perhaps I would have made the same choice. I hope then that the process succeeds, at least, and we meet again, somewhere beyond. Perhaps we will."
"And, finally, I need to tell you I'm sorry. I'm sorry I brought into this mess. I'm sorry this has to happen like this. If only I had been more temperate. If only... No, there's no point in mourning the past. Time does not forgive. I just hope you will."
"So... This is goodbye, then, isn't it?"
[[Goodbye]]"Goodbye, friend."
Maxwell's body falls to the floor. His face is that of an old man. Whatever light had been in his eyes is now once again gone.
The door is waiting. It is too late to go back now.
[[Enter the Crimson Room]]
^^Psst! There may be (link-reveal: "another way...")[(open-url: "https://degaulleaffair.neocities.org/A%20Secret,%20Unveiled.html") (go-to: "Goodbye")]^^{(save-game: "degaulle")}You step forward thorugh the door. Inside, you find yourself enveloped in deep Irrigo - the colour of forgetfulness. It is intoxcicating. The longer you stay here, the more likely it is that you will never leave...
[[Push on further.]] You will brave this place.
...but you have brought [[your own defenses.->Other path]]
{(set: $copyAK to $arcaneKnowledge)(set: $forget to 0) (set: $progress to 0)
(set: $effects to (a: "You are beginning to forget...", "Your memory slips...", "Remembrance fails you...", "Recollections are fleeting...", "The Crimson Room has taken almost everything away. Be careful.", "What you are will soon be lost. Be careful.", "Nothing remains."))
(set: $movement to (a: "You are going deeper into the Room.", "You are going deeper into the Room.", "You are going deeper into the Room.", "You are going deeper into the Room.", "You have made significant progress", "You have made significant progress", "You have made significant progress", "You are almost there...", "You are almost there...", "You have reached the heart of the Crimson Room!"))}(if: $progress is 10)[(go-to: "Victory")]
(else-if: $copyAK is >0 and $forget is <7)[(go-to: "Options")]
(else:)[(go-to: "Lost game")](set: $dice to (random: 1, 100)) (set: $dice_two to (random: 1, 3))
(if: $dice is <=$chance)[
Thoughts leave your head like a swarm of fireflies. But in doing so, they light up the way.
(set: $copyAK to it-(random: 1, 2)) (set:$progress to it+1)
***Arcane Knowledge has fallen to (print: $copyAK)!***
***(print: ($progress) of $movement)***
]
(else:)[
Take another step and you can feel the world writhing beneath its skin. What were you saying? It doesn't matter, anyways.
(set: $forget to it+1)
***(print: ($forget of $effects))***]
[[Move on->Push on further.]][[Nothing is certain. Nothing is impossible.->Push on further.]]
{(set: $dice to (random: 1, 6))
(set: $copyAK to it - (random: 1, 4))
(if: $dice is <=3)[(set: $progress to it+1)]
(else-if: $dice is >=4 and $dice is <=5)[(set: $progress to it+2)]
(else-if: $dice is 6)[(set: $progress to it+3) (set: $forget to it+1)]}
{(if: $copyAK is <=0)[***Arcane Knowledge has fallen to 0!***]
(else:)[***Arcane Knowledge has fallen to (print: $copyAK)!***]}
(print: ($progress) of $movement)
(if: $dice is 6)[(print: ($forget) of $effects)]Space has ceased to exist. The Crimson Room encompasses everything. It desires to consume.
***Your Arcane Knowledge is (print: $copyAK).***
(set: $chance to (round: ($copyAK*100)/(14+$forget)))
[[Attempt to find a way forward.]]
{(if: $chance is > 100)[ ***You have a 100% chance of success!***]
(else:)[***You have a (print: $chance)% chance of success!***]}
[[Give up something of yourself.]] If you leave something behind, you may find a path onwards. Or, perhaps, you won't.
***This will exchange a random amount of Arcane Knowledge for a random amount of progress.***The Crimson Room expands further beyond, cloaked by Irrigo, but this is as far as you need to go. Your feet hurt, your mind is hazy, but you've made it this far and survived.
(link: "Stop, for a moment, and recollect...")[
The Room's tendrils will embrace and caress you. They will chip away at your self, little by little, and rearrange the fabric of your conscience. Their work will be precise and impossibly painful. But do not worry - by the end, you will not remember the pain.
By the end, [[you will not be.]]
]You have spent too much time in the Crimson Room. The Irrigo light has seeped into your eyes and dissolved into your mind.
Close your eyes for a moment and rest. Voices will be calling to you from the past. Ignore them, and rest. An unresolved matter will tug at your collar. Eventually, it will fade away, and then you will rest. Maybe you will think of the day you will wake up and continue your journey. But that day is just an illusion.
Come, now, close your eyes, and rest. Rest for the rest of eternity...
(if: $promise is 1)[*[[But you have made a promise...->Ending 2]] Don't worry, it will be taken care of.*]
(else:)[Is this how your world ends? [[Not with a bang, but a whimper...->Ending 3]]]**EPILOGUE:**
</hr>
The lights of London shine in the darkness of the Neath. Windows light up as candles and gas lamps are being lit. The city prepares for another day. Londoners buy their daily print of *The Unexpurgated Gazette* and discuss the news. There was a fire in the disrict of Spite, but, thanks to their quick intervention, the Constables managed to put it out before it could claim any victims. Unfortunately, the building where the fire originated, a former book shop near St Fiacre's, has been destroyed. The cause of the fire remains unknown. The issue also remarks the 'unusual movements of the Constable squads across the city'. There are rumours that they were following a dangerous escapee from New Newgate, but the Chief Constable refuses to comment on the subject.
No one would have any reason to suspect you of being involved in any of these incidents. And who says you were? You will eat and drink and laugh with Londoners, like you did before. Your presence will be like a crack on the world's surface. So many will know you, but so few will know what you are.
But the flaws are too subtle. No one will ever tell the difference. And even if they did, what could they do? You are (print: $name).
Aren't you?
***This concludes "The DeGaulle Affair". Thank you for playing!***
<br>^^Perhaps you are contempt with the current state of things. If not, you can still [[go back...->Ask DeGaulle what to do next.]]^^(save-game:"degaulle")**EPILOGUE:**
</hr>
The lights of London shine in the darkness of the Neath. Windows light up as candles and gas lamps are being lit. The city prepares for another day. Citizens buy their daily print of *The Unexpurgated Gazette* and discuss the news. There was a fire in the disrict of Spite, but, thanks to their quick intervention, the Constables managed to put it out before it could claim any victims. Unfortunately, the building where the fire originated, a former book shop near St Fiacre's, has been destroyed. The cause of the fire remains unknown. The issue also remarks the 'unusual movements of the Constable squads across the city'. There are rumours that they were following a dangerous escapee from New Newgate, but the Chief Constable refuses to comment on the subject.
Here, in a gutter, an unknown beggar plays with a few pennies. Two urchins throw pebbles at the poor soul, but the beggar does not seem to notice. A Respectable Widow walking by offers him a coin. The beggar laughs. "Mad'm, mays't your name be spoke' of in the other place!"
There is something familiar in the beggar's eyes, but the Widow shruggs it off and walks on. The rest of the city does too. It does not care for the fate of one man. Sometimes, it doesn't even remember.
</br>
***This concludes "The DeGaulle Affair". Thank you for playing!***
<br>^^Perhaps you are contempt with the current state of things. If not, you can still [[go back...->Ask DeGaulle what to do next.]]^^(save-game: "degaulle")You find yourself sitting on a lavished chair, looking out from a balcony. An imposing bottle of wine sits on the table and a full glass next to it. You have been here before, and the view is still magnificent.
The other person at the table coughs.
"I knew you'd make it, friend!" says DeGaulle, sipping from his own glass. "In fact I never even doubted you! So, did you think about my question?"
On the horizon, a light shimmers, and is quickly extinguished. The sky grows darker and darker by the moment. You try to muster a response, but DeGaulle stops you.
"You can answer me later. Right now, however, we have some work to do. [[The time has indeed come.->Ending 4]]"**EPILOGUE:**
</hr>
You walk up the peacock wind and past the shell of the dead sun. The Masters of Swords wait along both sides of your path. Far below, the Curators, the Half-Shaped, the Measure-Eaters and many others eye you with curiosity. Above, the Ravens watch you with caution. You stop and kneel.
The Crimson King makes the secret sign and you accept it. He welcomes you into his Court. The Masters raise their blades. The Ravens' laugh booms high above, while those below cheer and celebrate. Your skin is ice, your voice is thunder. The layers of the world are peeled off to reveal the truth. From now on, your eyes will only see in fire. From now on, everything will change.
You have risen far above any other mortal. Perhaps you will rise even higher...
***This concludes "The DeGaulle Affair". Thank you for playing!***
<br>^^Perhaps you are contempt with the current state of things. If not, you can still [[go back...->Ask DeGaulle what to do next.]]^^(save-game: "degaulle")
Welcome to the [[Crimson Room]], delicious Friend!"Goodbye, friend."
Maxwell's body falls to the floor. His face is that of an old man. Whatever light had been in his eyes is now once again gone.
The door is waiting. It is too late to go back now.
[[Enter the Crimson Room]]
^^Psst! There may be (link-reveal: "another way...")[(open-url: "https://degaulleaffair.neocities.org/A%20secret%20unveiled.html")]^^(set: $answer to (prompt: "Have you found the secret on the carcass of night?", ""))
(if: (uppercase: $answer) is "GANT")[(go-to: "A hidden place")]
(else:)[ [[No. This isn't right.->Enter the Crimson Room]]]The Star-Shell is thin, but imbued in Gant, the colour that outlives all others. It will fend off the Irrigo of the Crimson Room.
[[You walk forward]] and force yourself not to look around...Here! The center of the Crimson Room! A myriad of tantalising images flash before your eyes.
It is... it is... (link: "what is it?")[
An Aleph. A point in space from which all the other points can be seen. This one is directed at the Neath. Focus, and you can see everything: the vaults of the Masters of the Bazaar, the priests of the Elder Continent, the many black islands of the Unterzee, the lodgings of each and every Londoner... So this is how Mr C___ spied on you.
The Crimson Room is upheld by the power of this object. Every single imaginable place can exist here. *This* is what remained of Campbell.
[[Smash the Aleph.]] It is smooth and delicate like glass.
]It falls down and breaks into an explosion of tiny shards, each containing a small bit of the Universe. Around you, the walls shake and the floor trembles.
Have you... [[won?]]
" 'I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space...' But what if one already were the king of space and wished to be bounded in a nuthshell? I don't know..."
You find yourself sitting on a lavished chair, looking out from a balcony. An imposing bottle of wine sits on the table and a full glass next to it. You have been here before, but this is the last time.
On the horizon, a light shimmers and grows in intensity.
"So here we find ourselves once again." says DeGaulle, from the other side of the table. "Sincerely, I didn't expect you to find a solution, but you surprised me once again. This place is crumbling apart. Soon it won't even exist. And everything we did will be forgotten. Maxwell will take back his post as professor at the University. The Contrarian and his people will no longer abduct Londoners. Perhaps even the Ex-Worthies will return to how they once were. Perhaps."
The dawn grows nearer.
"I'm not mad, I assure you. I was tired of being a bodiless being. Now I'm free. No, I won't be able to return to London, unfortunately. But don't worry. Who knows what awaits me? Every ending brings with it the possibility a new beginning."
The light of the sun grows stronger still.
"We still haven't finished our discussion. What do you say? Is this ending beautiful?"
[[Maybe....->True Ending]]
You close your eyes and are washed in sunlight.EPILOGUE:
</hr>
You wake up in your Lodgings. You can still see the horizon burning at the back of your eyes. Was this just a dream? No, it was all too real.
(link-reveal: "Wasn't it?")[
The city is as it always was. Nothing has changed. As you head out, you meet one of London's gruffy postmen, standing right in front of your door. He hands you two letters and leaves without another word.
The first one is from Mr Gulberg.
*Dear $name,
I hope that it will not bother you to dine at my lodgings this evening. Have you heard that the Election is drawing close? As upstanding citizens, we need to be prepared for this event of crucial importance. Therefore, I believe we should discuss...*
You read it all the way through. That's... it? There's no mention of Mr C___, or Allexander DeGaulle, or the fact that the Contrarian kidnapped him or.... or anything of the like. [[What's going on?]]
] The second letter, however, is much more interesting.
*$name,
I imagine you are probably confused as of now. But I assure you, all that you remember has indeed happened. The rest of London has no idea of the strange events that took place in our city. Nor does it have any memory of them. Perhaps that is for the better. My experiences with the Correspondence have allowed me to retain certain memories from times that are not our own. I imagine you too have been through a powerful event that cannot be so easily erased from the world.
I believe it is safer not to tell anyone about what took place. Even if you do, they will not believe you. That being said, if you do wish to discuss these events with someone, I await you at the University.
=====><=
~M.
<==>
P.S.: do not mess with my stuff ever again!*
You put down both letters. So, all this ultimately amounts to is... nothing? [[What now?]]You take your hat, your cane and your coat, and step out into (link-reveal: "the dank city.")[(open-url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFPsKwHy1EI")
You walk up Ladybones Road and stop at Beatrice's for breakfast. You can spot the imposing building of Benthic College from here, but there's no need to hurry. It's good to be back home.
Outside, the gas lamps shine in the dark. London, with its many mysteries, remains unchanged.
All is well and all manner of things is well.
***This concludes "The DeGaulle Affair". Thank you for playing!***]
(css: "font-size: x-large")[***Fallen London is © 2019 and ™ Failbetter Games Limited: www.fallenlondon.com.
This is an unofficial fan work.***]
***The following game will take around an hour of your time.***
[[I understand->Title screen]]=><=
(color: "#663399")[(css: "font-size: 51px")[
(live: 1s)[The(stop:)]
(live: 2s)[DeGaulle(stop:)]
(live: 3s)[Affair(stop:)]]]
(live:5s)[ [[Begin->The Beginning]](stop:)
(if: (saved-games:) contains "degaulle")[(link:"Load game")[(load-game: "degaulle")]]
]=><=
<img src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/fallenlondon/images/5/5c/Bazaarsun.png" height="195" width="150">
Do you recall how you came to that place?
<==>
*Your quest is done. In a moment, you will find what you are looking for. But first, now that you are in this place beyond mirrors where the ears of the stars cannot hear us, [[let me tell you something...]]**Right now, you may be asking: "Why did you send me on this elaborate treasure hunt now, when I'm so close to the end of the game?" And it's a fair question.
The truth is that, when I began this story about the disappearence of Allexander DeGaulle, I hadn't exactly thought of an ending. On one hand, I knew it couldn't end in a battle with Mr C___, because he had been a shadowy, intangible enemy at all times. On the other hand, ending the story with a "kill all bad guys" button felt completely artificial and unsatisfying. I thought of adding multiple endings, but with them being so different from one another, how could one be considered "true"? And what would that ending mean for our characters back in Fallen London?
Therefore, I cam up with this series of cryptic puzzles. The idea was to have several "bad" endings the player could achieve, and one "good" ending that would require solving this sort of riddles. Did it work? I don't know but I hope it did.
Breaking the confines of a medium is always hard. To the public, it may appear as pretentious, uninteresting, too "meta" or - worst of all - simply boring. I hope this little game did not fall into any of those categories. I tried to emulate the spirit of our FL interactions in "The DeGaulle Affair" and I hope it was fun or, at the very least, not a waste of time, delicious friend!*
But enough of that! [[Here's what you're looking for.]]=><=
Congratulations!
You have a found a Star-Shell!
<img src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/fallenlondon/images/7/75/Eggblack.png" height="195" width="150">
<==>
It's thinner than an eggshell and blacker than thoughts at midnight. But it will protect you in the Crimson Room. Someone has painfully scrawled eight letters here: [[VOLUNTAS->The path of Aleph]]