The King of Shreds and Patches is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is © 2007-2009 by Jimmy Maher. The game was adapted from a scenario written by Justin Tynes for the Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG, and the first part of this game—investigating John Croft's home—was originally entered in IntroComp 2007 where it took 3rd place. The completed game was released in 2009. At the 2009 XYZZY Awards, it won the Best Setting award and was a finalist for Best Story. This game also placed highly in the Interactive Fiction Top 50 of all time lists; it placed 16th for the 2011 edition of the list, and 13th for the 2015 edition.
This is a Lovecraftian mystery and horror story. You play as Robert Fletcher, owner and operator of a small printworks in 1603's plague-torn London. A dinner invitation from an old friend marks the beginning of an investigation into a disturbing occult conspiracy involving, amongst others, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare!
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 12 of the game.
The game divides time into chapter-like chunks, mostly alternating between Day and Evening, with a Dawn end chapter. The current date and time-of-day are shown in the status bar. Sleeping ends an Evening and time progresses to the next Day. The end of a Day (and start of the Evening) tends to happen when the protagonist leaves a region where several events or discoveries have occured.
Therefore, I suggest planning your day by exploring as many minor locations as possible before tackling the major location that ends that day.
For most of the game, time effectively stops within its chapter. This lets you explore and examine things at your leisure. However, if other characters are actively doing things near you, time matters again, and you have to pay attention.
Active scenes include:
Fletcher's Printworks
For once, I won't obsessively examine everything in the first room, since we'll look at it all later when it's more relevant.
> x me. i.
> x stick. take stick.
> n.
Thames Street West
The in-game map of London shows eight locations originally, but more locations are added later when they become relevant to your investigations.
> lock door. (The game is clever enough to close the door first and use the appropriate key.)
> x buildings. x crowd. x crosses. read entreaties.
> x river. smell. smell river.
> e.
Fish Street Market
> x stalls. s.
London Bridge
> x river. x shops. s.
Southwark
> x gatehouse. x gate. x prison. x cathedral.
> w.
Stoney Street
> x houses. knock on door. x house. open door.
> se.
Dark Alley
> x gate. x latch. x warehouse.
> put stick in gap. n.
John Croft's Back Yard
> x door. knock on door. x house. x window.
> x tree. climb it.
Up a Tree
> take page. (page 8.)
> x window. open window with stick. n.
John Croft's Bedroom
> x corpse. search it. (Can't.) x rope. untie it. (Can't.)
> x bed. take page. (page 10; unlocks way to Mermaid Inn.)
> look under bed. (page 11.)
> x bottles. take candle. x it. take page. (page 5.)
> x clothing. take page. (page 1.)
> move clothing with stick. take page. (page 2.)
> x meals. x dagger. take it. take page. (page 7.)
> x hearth. (Yellow sigil is shown.)
> take page. take page with stick. (page 6.)
> cut rope with dagger. take rope.
> x body. search it. (Get a key and page 4.)
> x manuscript.
Do you want to proceed? yes (Get some diary scraps and two manuscripts.)
> x scraps. read scraps. (Use the menu interface to read them. Includes the first mention of David Moore. It's unclear if the "J." refers to Joseph or Johannes.)
> x king. x faustus. take page. (page 3.)
> d.
Bottom Floor of John Croft's House
> take page. (page 9.)
> think.
The very helpful THINK command reminds you of your current goals. It may also alert you if your explorations of a place are incomplete.
You should now have three goals: visit the Mermaid Inn, visit Shakespeare, and find David Moore.
> n.
Evening falls.
Stoney Street
> lock door. e. n. n.
Fish Street Market
> x remains. w. n.
Cheapside
> x shops. x cross. x cathedral. x inn.
> nw.
Mermaid Bar
> x bar. x patrons. x bartender. greet bartender.
When you first start talking to another person, you are given a list of suggested topics. You can use the TOPICS command during a conversation to see what topics are still open or if new topics have been unlocked. If an open topic is one you've already asked about, it's very likely that you should ask it again to get more information.
> ask simon about inn. ask simon about plague. again.
> ask simon about croft. (He hints that you ought to buy some ale first.)
> buy ale. (It costs a penny.) take ale.
> ask simon about croft. tell simon about croft.
> ask simon about marlowe.
> ask simon about shakespeare. again.
> ask simon about moore. again. again. again. again.
> ask simon about joseph. ask simon about st mary's. (Unlocks way to Bedlam.)
> ask simon about joseph. (Simon suggests talking to George in the back.)
> ask simon about george. ask simon about king. ask simon about himself.
> w.
Mermaid Common Room
> x hearth. x table. x george.
> greet george. ask george about inn. ask george about simon.
> ask george about plague.
> ask george about croft. tell george about croft.
> ask george about croft.
> ask george about ale. give ale to george. (Note: He'll only accept a full mug.)
> ask george about marlowe. again.
> ask george about shakespeare. again.
> ask george about moore. tell george about moore.
> ask george about bedlam.
> ask george about himself.
You can't visit Shakespeare or Bedlam during the evening, and there's no one to available to ask about Joseph, so head back to home and bed.
> e. se. s. s.
Fletcher's Printworks
> lock door. enter bed.
Fletcher's Printworks
It is now a new day: January 17, 1603. A messenger has shoved an envelope under the door.
> take envelope. x it. smell it. x seal.
> open envelope. take paper. read it. (Unlocks way to Lucy's home)
Visit Shakespeare first.
> n.
Thames Street West
> lock door. n. n.
Silver and Monkswell
> x houses. x house. knock on door.
> tell shakespeare about croft. (He lets you inside.)
Mountjoys' Drawing Room
> ask him about croft. again. again. again. again. again. again. (Joseph Barker's name is mentioned.)
> again.
> ask him about joseph. again. again. (You seem sure you've heard of this man before all this.)
> ask him about marlowe. again.
> ask him about king. again. (Suggests destroying it.)
> ask him about faustus. again. again. again. (The Scylla connection is odd.)
> ask him about moore. tell him about moore.
> ask him about sigil.
> ask him about new play.
> ask him about plague.
> ask him about residence.
> x paintings. x shakespeare. x hearth. x ceiling.
> topics. (Make sure you've asked all you can.)
Visit Bedlam next.
> w. s. e.
Gracechurch Street
> x fountain. search it. n.
Bishopsgate Within
> x inns. x gate. n.
Bishopsgate Without
> x hostels. x bedlam. x sewer. w.
Bedlam Entryway
> x warden. x desk.
> ask about bedlam. again. again.
> ask about plague. again.
> ask about moore. again. again. again. (Moore says the word 'king' frequently.)
> ask about king.
> give penny to warden.
David Moore's Cell
> x moore. x lute. x pallet.
It helps quite a bit if your interpreter has sound: Moore is playing fragments of Greensleeves, and you need to put them in the right order. Note that his responses are approving if you guess right, and disapproving if you guess wrong:
I wish the game had warned me that the game included sound effects. My interpreter was playing them all right, but I habitually have earbuds plugged in but I wasn't wearing them so I never heard the music!
> play four. play three. play one. play five. play two.
Moore gains some temporary sanity, and now you can talk to him.
> ask about himself. (Used to have good dreams and talked to Dee about them; Dee introduced him to Edward.)
> again. (Leader of scryers was Joseph; scared him even before the King visited.)
> again. (Music went mad; met Joseph at Mermaid; Moore wanted out.)
> again. (He shot Joseph in chest; then shot himself in the mouth.)
> ask about marlowe. (Marlowe also tried to leave the King.)
> ask about croft.
> ask about scrying. (Dee thought crystals lets one talk to angels; Johannes made better crystals to talk to King.)
> ask about king. (We summoned him in a secret place, sacrificing ourselves.)
> ask about shakespeare.
> ask about barker. (The leader, he could talk to the King directly and safely.)
> tell moore about barker.
> ask about sigil.
> ask about edward. (Worked with Dee; thinks he left the country to get away from Joseph.)
> ask about dee. (Dr John Dee. Unlocks route to Mortlake.)
> again. (Dee and Edward thought they'd found Enochian, the language of Adam.)
> again. again. (Joseph is to blame.)
> x moore.
One turn after you've exhausted the topic of Dee, Moore starts fighting you, no longer answering your questions.
> shout. (The guards beat Moore senseless, and you return to the entryway.)
Bedlam Entryway
Time to visit Lucy.
> e. s. s. e.
Aldgate Street
> x aldgate. x house. knock on door.
Henry's Drawing Room
> x lucy. tell Lucy about myself. ask her about herself. again.
> ask about her note. ("Will you help me?")
> yes. (She explains where van der Wyck's shop is and also that his back door adjoins with a dock.)
> ask about marijne. ask about van der wyck.
> ask about betsy. ask about plague.
> topics. ask about barker. (For some reason, this topic, although offered, is deflected for now.)
> s. w. s. s.
London Bridge
> x shop. x window. x necklace. x cross. x goblets.
> open door. knock on door. (A passer-by tells you that van der Wyck locked up and left four days ago, carrying a large box.)
> n. e. s.
Billingsgate Wharf
> x dock. x boat. x oar. x hook. x rudder.
> point rudder right. put boat in river.
...point the boat west or east? west
> enter boat.
Afloat on the Thames
> row. row. row. row.
> turn rudder left.
> row. row. row. jump.
van der Wyck's Dock
> take boat. x wall. x staircase. u. (You leave the oar in the boat.)
Top of van der Wyck's Staircase
> x door. open it. x window.
> tie rope to hook. throw hook at window. again. d.
van der Wyck's Dock
> climb rope.
van der Wyck's Work Room
> take hook. x table.
> x gems. x gem. look in gem. (Don't do that again.)
> x brazier. take paper. read it. (Diagram of gem; "January 22, 1603.")
> x window. x shelves. take key. take magnifying glass.
> x cabinet. x left padlock. x right padlock.
> w.
van der Wyck's Display Room
> x fireplace. x tinderbox. take it.
> x counter. take all from counter.
> x pistol. x powder. x balls. x ramrod. x spanner.
Learn how to load the pistol:
> put ball in barrel. put ramrod in barrel.
> put powder in pan. close cover.
> close arm. turn wheel with spanner.
> e. u.
Narrow Hall
> ne.
van der Wyck's Bedroom
> x bed. x lavabo. x wardrobe.
> open wardrobe. x clothing. close wardrobe.
> x table. x books.
> x playbill. (Unlocks route to Globe Theater; Hamlet premiere is tomorrow.)
> take note. read it. (From Joseph; mentions Croft.)
> x tapestries.
> s. nw.
van der Wyck's Kitchen
The room looks unused in weeks.
> x hearth. x pots. x table. x chair.
> s. d.
van der Wyck's Work Room
I should mention that you'll be unwilling to take any of the assorted gems and jewelry in the shop that have nothing to do with your investigations.
> shoot left padlock. open left compartment.
> x jewels. search it. load pistol.
> shoot right padlock. open right compartment.
> x cloak. smell it. x boots. take cloak and boots.
> x right backboard. x left backboard.
> touch right backboard. x recess. turn knob. (Secret passage into darkness opens.)
> light candle with tinderbox. d.
Chamber of Worship
> x body. x clothes. search clothes.
> x locket. read it. open it. look in it. close it.
> x plain chair. x ornate chair. x symbol.
> u.
van der Wyck's Work Room
> blow out candle. close secret door.
> close left compartment. close right compartment.
> w. w. (Evening falls.)
London Bridge
> lock door. think.
You cannot visit Dee, Lucy, Shakespeare, or Moore at this hour. You may explore the empty Globe Theater, visit the Mermaid Inn, or go home and sleep.
> n. n. w. nw.
Mermaid Bar
> greet simon. ask him about dutchie. ask him about new play.
> w.
Mermaid Common Room
> greet george.
> ask about barker. g. g. g. (Unlocks route to Whitehall, where Barker lives.)
> topics. ask about companion. (Sounds like van der Wyck.)
> ask about business. g. (Learn about East Trade Shipping.)
> ask about poetry. (Unlocks Blackfriars, where Turner's Printworks is.)
Time for bed.
> e. se. s. s.
Fletcher's Printworks
> lock door. enter bed. (You have disturbing dreams.)
Fletcher's Printworks
It is now January 18, 1603, Day. Note that because you want to see Hamlet today, you won't be willing to make the trip to Mortlake to visit Dee.
> think. n.
Thames Street West
> lock door. w.
Blackfriars
> x theater. x turner's. s.
Turner's Printworks Reception Area
William Turner greets you when you enter.
> x turner. tell turner about myself.
> ask about himself. ask about plague.
> ask about barker. topics.
> ask about manuscripts.
Turner fetches and gives you copies of The Fall of the Graces and Under the Yellow Sign, finally unlocking your memory of where you heard of Joseph Barker before. You and Lucy met him at a tavern eight months ago, after attending Jonson's Every Man in His Humour at the Globe. Months earlier, you declined to print his awful poetry, refering him to Turner's shop. Since introducing Lucy to him, you haven't seen him and had almost forgetten about him.
> x graces. x sign. (You sense reading the latter book is too dangerous for you.)
> x presses. x desk. x boys.
> n. e. e. e. s.
Billingsgate Wharf
> x offices. x east trade. e.
East Trade Shipping Office
A Mr. Guy Howard greets you with civil impatience.
> x guy. x desk.
> ask about barker. again.
> ask about business.
Joseph Barker owns the company but has little else to do with it. After exhausting Mr. Howard's topics, you will be unwilling to return here to bother him further.
> w. n. w. n. e.
Aldgate Street
> knock on door.
Henry's Drawing Room
Lucy will try to steer the conversation to Marijne at every opportunity. Resist this; giving her the locket ends the interview.
> tell lucy about john croft's fate. topics.
> tell lucy about john croft's diary.
> tell lucy about marlowe's diary.
> tell lucy about faustus. g.
> tell lucy about king in yellowe. g.
> ask about moore.
> ask about barker. (She seems to be hiding something??)
> tell lucy about shop.
> tell lucy about gem.
> ask lucy about hamlet. ask lucy about january 22.
> tell lucy about note.
> ask about cloak.
> tell lucy about shop. g. g. (You hand over the locket, and she asks you to go.)
Aldgate Street
You won't have the heart to visit Lucy again today. You can't visit Moore again either; the warden doesn't think it's wise. Shakespeare won't be at the Mountjoy's. Barker's place is too well guarded (trust me), and Dee's place is too far for today. So, it's off to the Globe for some Hamlet.
> w. s. s. s. w. w.
Bankside
> x taverns. x whorehouses. x globe. load pistol.
> s.
Globe Entryway
> put penny in box. s.
Globe Pit
> z. z. x stage. (Trumpets.)
> z. (Two actors as soldiers on balcony.)
> x bernardo. x francisco. (Horatio and Marcellus enter; Francisco exits.)
> x horatio. x marcellus. (The three sit.)
> x groundlings. (Figure in black rises from mid-stage.)
> x figure. (Shakespeare as the ghost in armor.)
> x seated patrons. (Horatio addresses the ghost.)
> z. (The ghost jerks to the fore-stage. Something's wrong.)
> x shakespeare. (Puppet-like, he speaks in Cthulhu-ese.)
> look. (Actors flee; the crowd becomes fearful.)
> s. (Shakespeare's gaze is on a particular gallery.)
> x gallery. (An evil man is there; crowd stampedes.)
> throw hook at gallery. climb rope.
Globe Gallery
> shoot man. (He attacks you and flees, dropping something.)
Globe Gallery
It is now evening, and you seem to have the plague?
> look. take hook. d.
Globe Pit
> search litter. x stone. (Has a reversed sigil cut into it.)
> s. s.
Onstage
> s.
Darkness
> light candle.
Tiring Room
> x wig. x jar. (Both aid an actor to play as female.)
> take wig. take jar. x mirror.
> wear ceruse. (Need an applicator.)
> n. n. n. n. n.
Bankside
Shakepeare, half asleep, thanks you for saving him; feel free to visit. He doesn't notice your new condition. You can't do much but go home.
> e. e. n. n. w. s.
Fletcher's Printworks
> lock door. enter bed.
Fletcher's Printworks
> look in mirror. x ink ball. take it.
> put makeup on ink ball. apply makeup. (Marks hidden for now.)
> look in mirror.
> n.
Thames Street West
> lock door. n. n.
Silver and Monkswell
> knock on door.
Mountjoys' Drawing Room
> ask about wyck. (Doesn't know him.)
> tell him about note. tell him about shop.
> ask about hamlet. ask about january 22.
> ask about dee. ask about stone.
> tell him about dee.
Visit Lucy again.
> w. s. e. e.
Aldgate Street
> knock on door.
Henrys' Drawing Room
> tell lucy about hamlet. g. (Confirms the spellcaster was van der Wyck.)
> ask about hamlet. ask about stone.
> ask about barker. (Still can't broach this topic.)
Not much else to do in town. Time to make the long trip to Mortlake.
> s. w. s. s. s. w. w. w.
Mortlake
> x church. x house. knock on door. (Mrs Dee lets you in.)
Dee's Front Hall
On your first visit, you're taken here. On a subsequent visit, you'll go directly to the study.
> x hearth. x chair. listen. (You are conducted to the study.)
Dee's Study
> x dee. x thick volume. (Can't make it out; it's lockable.)
> tell dee about myself. topics.
> ask about marlowe. g.
> ask about faustus. g. (Surprised by Scylla ref.)
> ask about croft.
> ask about wyck. (He fears him?)
> ask about moore. g.
> ask about himself. ask about thick volume.
> ask about shakespeare.
> ask about sigils. g. (He's hiding something.)
> ask about cloak. (He copies the symbols; come back in day or two.)
> ask about stone. (Abhors it.)
> ask about january 22. (Starts, but says nothing.)
> ask about king in yellowe. (Recognizes it?)
> tell him about marlowe's fate.
> ask about plague. (Blase?)
> ask about joseph harker.
> ask about joseph barker. (Edward Kelley introduced Joseph to Dee about 12 years ago.)
> again. again. again. (Contact was demonic.)
> again. again. (Barker fascinated by Diabolis Britannia, which ref'd Scylla.)
> again. (Dee confirms Barker's address that you learned from George.)
> ask about diabolis. again. (If you can find it, take it.)
> x books. search books. g. g. g. (There's many books.)
> ask about kelley. g. g. (Left him in Bohemia 15 years ago.)
> again. (Kelley angered Emperor of Bohemia and was defenestrated.)
> ask about scrying. (View past, future, angels via crystals.)
> again. again. (Dee leaves it to others now.)
> again. (His crystals are packed away.)
> ask about barker's manuscripts. (Don't read it!)
> ask about barker's business.
> ask about enochian. g.
> tell him about scrying. (Don't look in the gem!)
> ask about house. again.
> ask about thick volume. (It's the Necronomicon.)
> x desk. x maps. x england. x europe. x americas. x world.
> x devices. x abacus. x astrolabe. x cross-staff.
> x compass. x chip log. x hourglass. x quadrant.
> x mirror. look in mirror. lunge at mirror.
> x portrait. (Olaus Wormius the Elder.)
Can't read the Necronomicon nor look behind the portrait nor touch any devices while Dee watches you.
> look under mirror. (You found Diabolis Britannia!)
> x diabolis. (First 23 pages missing; last page is page 106.)
> read it. (Describes "The Cleansing" ritual, to destroy a cult that operated in a cave near modern London Bridge.)
> read greek passage. ("read aloud in reverse to seal the pit" and crystals must be placed blue-green-yellow order in proper arrangement.)
> look at greek passage in mirror. (This mirror's distortion makes this impractical.)
> read scylla passage.
Cultists were summoning a god called "Aa'es Dur"?... pool of oozing silver... a hideous Scylla emerged... a native wished to help... the druid placed three jewels (blue, green, yellow) on the ground, cut his palm, bled on the jewels, pushed stones in sequence into slots of three altars, screaming "aian fol talanna chu!" at the last. Monster gone; pit sealed... Wizard drained by the task.
> e. (Return to Mortlake)
Mortlake
> e.
Bankside
It is now the evening of January 19, 1603.
> e. e. n. n. w. s.
Fletcher's Printworks
Time to use the press, methinks.
> lock door. wash ink ball. look at greek passage in mirror.
> x press. x forme. copy greek passage to forme.
> put ink ball in ink. wipe forme with ink ball. wash ink ball.
> put forme in carriage assembly.
> x platen. x tympan. put blank paper in tympan.
> take tympan. put tympan in forme.
> push lever. pull lever. take tympan.
> take paper. read it. (You could read it aloud.)
> read printed sheet aloud. (You stop yourself before reading much; it's very draining.)
> empty forme. put tympan on table.
> enter bed.
Fletcher's Printworks
It is now January 20, 1603—except you slept well into the afternoon. There's a new envelope.
> take envelope. x it. open it. read second note. (Lucy is worried about you, wants to see you.)
> n.
Thames Street West
> lock door. n. e. e.
Aldgate Street
> knock on door.
Henrys' Drawing Room
Betsy lets you in, but Lucy isn't at home. Betsy's worried.
> x betsy. tell betsy about second note.
> ask betsy about lucy. (A few months ago, Lucy was sneaking out at odd hours.)
> again. (Lucy stopped sneaking and started moping.)
> again. (Betsy is worried.)
> ask about departure. (Lucy took her cape and left on foot.)
> again. (Lucy received a note, fifteen minutes ago.)
> again. (Betsy doesn't know where Lucy went.)
> again.
Betsy leaves to search Lucy's room for a clue; you can search here.
> look. x hearth. take smoldering paper with cane.
> read it. (Joseph asked Lucy to meet him in St. James's Park in an hour; the route to the Park is unlocked.)
> look.
Betsy returns with two familiar books she found under Lucy's bed.
> tell betsy about barker's note.
> ask betsy about barker. (Betsy knows nothing.)
> load pistol. s.
Aldgate Street
And it's starting to rain. Don't load the pistol outside in the rain; the wet powder won't ignite.
> w. w. w. w. sw. sw. s.
St. James's Park
Lucy is with a man under a tree.
> x man. (It's Joseph Barker.)
> s. (A thug is about to shoot you!)
> duck. (Thug's bullet misses. Barker drags Lucy away. Thug attacks with rapier!)
You can jump once. You can't get close enough to stab with the dagger. You can throw the dagger at thug, but he deflects it.
> shoot thug. (The thug and evening falls.)
You feel ill and you can tell your makeup's run off. You have no idea where Lucy and Barker are now.
> search thug. (He has a sword belt.)
> take rapier. take belt. wear belt. put rapier in belt.
> take pistol. x it. x body.
> x trees. s.
Under a Large Tree
> x heelprints. x cloak. x elm tree.
> n. n. ne. ne. e. e. s. s.
Fletcher's Printworks
> lock door. look in mirror. sleep.
It is now January 21, 1603, Day. An unnatural quiet this morning.
> put makeup on ink ball. apply makeup.
> load wyck's pistol. load thug's pistol.
> think. (Barker's house is our only lead.)
> n.
Thames Street West
> lock door. x snow.
> w. n. w. sw. s.
Whitehall
The men that were guarding Barker's home are absent.
> x house. e.
Barker's Porch
> x door. knock on door. open door.
> x awning. wear boots. throw hook at roof.
> climb rope.
Barker's Roof
> x chimney. look in it. take rope.
> put hook on chimney. climb rope.
Barker's Dining Room
I note that the faces can be pushed? But armspan isn't wide enough to press both at once.
> x china. x cupboard. x hearth. x faces. (Of a king.)
> x buffet. x left tub. x right tub.
> e. (locked)
> n.
Barker's Entry Hall
> x tapestries. x left tapestry. (Unicorn hunt.)
> x right tapestry. (Knight and girl at altar.)
> x additional tapestries.
> x mirror. (Vision of woman, lighthouse, and vortex.)
All doors but the south one are locked. The tapestries don't move.
> x staircase. u.
Upstairs Landing
All doors but the east one are locked.
> e.
Bedroom
> x bed. x left table. x right table.
> x stool. look in it. take slim volume.
> read it.
It's Barker's diary. He met van der Wyck two years ago; Barker paid for special crystals which van der Wyck made. Barker has plotted to woo/kidnap Lucy since he met her, for use in a ritual. The diary doesn't mention you.
The planned ritual is for tomorrow, the morning of January 22, beneath the Tower of London. Their entrance (and yours, perhaps) is by boat inside Traitors' Gate.
> x closet. open it. x clothing.
> w. d. s.
Barker's Dining Room
> push left face. push right face with cane.
> look in hearth. (See a secret door.)
> kick secret door. x stairway.
> light candle. d.
Chamber of the King
> light candelabra. x tapestry. (Scylla and Charybdis.)
> x tiles.
> x chair. x pew. move tapestry. look behind it.
> n.
Laboratory
> x table. x devices.
> x charts. (You note four items.)
> x star chart. (Heliocentric.)
> x alphabet. x glyph.
> x tree of life. (Has an inverted tree below the usual one.)
> x large map. (Of London, with "Page 94" written over the Tower of London.)
> look up page 94 in diabolis. (Nothing.)
> x bookcase. x books. take cults.
> x cults. (It's an English translation of Diabolis.)
> look up page 94 in cults of britain. ("Pit directly beneath Byward Tower. The Tower officers do like their whores. Password for same: Duessa.")
> read about scylla in cults. (This version omits the druid and crystals.)
> read greek passage in cults.
> x pole. x sparkling. take pin. (Lucy's cape pin.)
> x throne. x figures. (One has a protuding eye?)
> x plinth. (Hairline crack on front side.)
> push eye. (You hear something move below.)
> x plinth. (A rectangle protrudes.)
Pushing the rectangle merely puts it back in its place which doesn't help you.
> pull rectangle. (Not enough to grip.)
> pull rectangle with dagger. (Now extends an inch.)
> pull rectangle with cane. (3 jewels, parchment inside; smoke is circling the throne.)
Note the jewel arrangement: yellow front, left rear blue, right rear green.
> take all from tray. (Taken. But an apparition has been summoned!)
> x apparition. (The jester sings for you to embrace it.)
All you can do is run.
> s. s. u.
Barker's Porch
It's now evening. Fog has joined the snow. You've lost the rope and hook. The candle is now unlit.
> read parchment. (The history of the throne, and that the 3 jewels are necessary to prevent the summoning of the beast.)
> x yellow stone. x blue stone. x green stone. x fog.
> think.
The ritual will be at dawn, and you're the only one who has any chance of stopping it. How will you get inside the Tower of London? Will you enter the gate at Tower Hill (using a disguise) or Traitors' Gate (using the rowboat)?
Barker's Porch
> wear wig. wear lucy's cloak.
> attach pin to lucy's cloak.
> w. n. ne. e. s. e. e. e. e.
Tower Hill
From the Cults of Britian, you know that the password that whores give to the tower officers is: Duessa.
> listen to beefeaters. s.
> duessa. s.
Middle Tower
CAUTION: There's some odd bugginess if you try phrasing it as "say duessa to guards."
> duessa. e.
Byward Tower
> u.
Darkness
> light candle.
Byward Upper Floor
> x tapestry. x woman.
> x letters through magnifying glass. ("Beneath thy sole, knowledge lies.")
> x floor. x niche.
> put stone in niche. take stone.
> open flag. take stone.
> climb ladder.
Pit of Charybdis Balcony
It is now dawn. Jump to January 22, 1603
Barker's Porch
Go to the rowboat that you left at van der Wyck's:
> w. n. ne. e. e. e. s. s.
London Bridge
> e.
van der Wyck's Display Room (Dark)
> light candle.
van der Wyck's Display Room
> lock door. e. e.
Top of van der Wyck's Staircase
> d.
van der Wyck's Dock
I'm assuming the pistols are still both loaded.
> wear wig. wear muddy cloak.
> take oak. point rudder right.
> put boat in water. enter boat.
Afloat on the Thames
The fog is obscuring everything!
> row. row. turn rudder left.
> row. row. row. row. row. row.
> jump.
Tower Wharf
> take boat. x gate. ne. (You leave the oar behind.)
Traitors' Gate South
> light flambeaux. (Which? There's six.)
> light candle. (It's too damp here.)
> n.
Traitors' Gate North
You hear people behind you!
> wait. wait. (A cultist to south does something at middle west wall.)
> wait. (The cultists appear to go west from their location.)
> s.
Traitors' Gate South
> turn west flambeau. w.
Darkness
> light candle.
Narrow Passage East
> w.
Narrow Passage West
> x door. x recess. put stone in recess.
> open door. take stone. w.
Narrow Stairs
> d.
Level Tunnel
> nw
Antechamber
> e
Pit of Charybdis West -or- Pit of Charybdis Balcony
It is now dawn. There are dozens of cultists here, two senior cultists in yellow, three altars with naked victims to the northeast, and a pool to the southeast.
Please forgive this bit of ugliness in the walkthrough, but Dawn can begin in either the balcony or on the west side of the pit, and events are now on a timer. I need to synchronize things.
If you're already on the Balcony, stay there:
> x priests. (A cultist runs up the stairs to where you are.)
> z. (The cultists begin a slow chant.)
If you're at Pit of Charybdis West, follow the cultist up the stairs to the balcony:
> x priests. (A cultist runs up the stairs.)
> u. (The cultists begin a slow chant.)
Pit of Charybdis Balcony
I assume that both your pistols are still loaded. Wait until the two victims on the rear altars are killed and the two priests approach the central altar. Your bullets (or other weapons) won't reach them when they're at the rear altars. Nor can you go to the altars until the tentacle god has been summoned.
Unhappily, there is no way to save the victims on the rear altars.
> x front altar. (Lucy's there! Meanwhile, left priest produces a dagger.)
> x front carving.
> x left altar. (The female victim is killed.)
> x right altar.
> x yellow crystal. (Blood touches it.)
> x pool.
> x mist. (The male victim is killed.)
> x cultist.
> x right channel.
> x tentacles. (Both priests move towards the central altar.)
They're about to kill Lucy! Stop them!
> shoot right priest with thug's pistol.
> shoot left priest with wyck's pistol.
The priests are dead and Lucy wakes and a thing emerges from the pool. Waste no time.
> d. e.
Pit of Charybdis East
A quick review of what you know:
Since the game doesn't under stand the word "bleed", skip the steps about dropping the stones and bleeding on them, and go straight to inserting them. You don't have any time to waste; some of those tentacles want to grab you!
If you put the stones in the wrong mouths or in the wrong order, they won't light up, and you won't get the power surge.
(By the way, if you try reading the Greek passage aloud, that feeds power to the tentacle god, which is bad, so don't do that.)
> put blue stone in left mouth.
> put green stone in right mouth.
> put yellow stone in front mouth. (You feel a surge of power.)
> read freshly printed sheet aloud. (The pit is sealed.)
Okay, you can start breathing a bit. The timer is still going, but you have a generous amount of time to free Lucy, maybe grab things, and escape before the cultists stop flailing about and decide to rip you apart.
> search left priest. take key.
> unlock chain with cultist's key. (You free Lucy's left ankle.)
> again. again. again. (Lucy is free!)
> give lucy's cloak to lucy.
> take left mask. (Joseph Barker was the left priest.)
> take right mask. (Johannes van der Wyck was the right priest.)
There's still time to do more stuff here, but I'm just gonna run away.
> w.
Pit of Charybdis West
The cultists block any attempt to go west to the antechamber.
> u.
Pit of Charybdis Balcony
The forlorn cultist is John Dee!
"Please, may I come with you?" yes
> u.
Dee gets you and Lucy past the guards. (If you had told Dee "no", the guards arrest you both, and you die under interrogation.)
Lucy asks:
"Robert... can we talk before you decide to hate me?" yes
There is a long epilogue. You and Lucy marry, have children, and live out your lives peacefully. (If, instead, you said "no" to Lucy, you will part ways. Or if you failed to save Lucy, you will grieve. In Lucy's absence, eventually you will marry and have children with another woman of good family.)
The Marlowe fragments of the King in Yellowe manuscript are never destroyed. They endure, passing through through many hands until they are found in 1922 by Quentin Barker, heir to the East Trade Company. But that story must wait until another time.
*** You have won ***
The player character:
Named non-player characters:
Unnamed non-player characters:
Corpses (who you don't see alive during the game):
Other people mentioned:
This walkthrough was funded via Patreon with