In this game, you once again play as Ebenezabeth Scrooge, the little match girl who can travel to other times and places by looking at fire. You and three others have gathered together in the Woods outside time to find and slay the werewolf Imrath who threatens everyone in all realms and times.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
Wake up from anywhere in a region to return to The Woods. Whenever you return to a region, you return to where you woke up from, rather than your initial entry point.
Other parts of The Woods have appeared in other games in this series. P'teqwk calls them "the Woods outside of time".
Map 2: Kumamoto University Hospital
Map 3: Ulysses Colles, Mars
Map 4: Rachlew Girls' School, Neoantarctica
Map 5: Xiccarph
The braziers in the court do not use true fire; looking at them doesn't take you anywhere.
Map 6: Kirchenrenbach, Bavaria
Map 7: Cresent Beach, Oregon and Cocaigne
Of course, when the candle is taken from the fragrant tent, its flame goes with it, as well as its connection to the bower.
Map 8: Diablito, Texas
Map 9: Ebenezabeth's Mind-Castle
Walkthrough
Camp
P'teqwk and Mattin leave immediately. Qidnaret remains here, thinking.
Spoiler alert: Your fellow knights, powerful as they are, are essentially cannon-fodder in this story. You're the protagonist, so you have to do all the real work.
> x me. i. x gun. x tents.
> x Qidnaret. talk.
> x fire.
Waiting RoomKumamoto University Hospital
> x aquarium. x desk.
> x chairs. x card. take it.
> w.
Nurses' Station
> x clock. x scrubs. x counter.
> w. s.
Ward
You tell Shinji Haida about Imrath. He needs hard data about the affliction.
> x Haida. x patients. x beds.
> show card.(Wisteria means April; the card is worth 5 points.)
> wake.
Camp
> w.
Clearing
> x sky. x torch.
Lava TubeUlysses Colles
> x volcano. x barrels. x paper.("KEEP OUT")
> u.(no: dangerous)
> sw.
Crater
> x paper. x crater. x building.("Caldicott Outpost")
> nw.
Lounge
> x couches. x fridge. x furniture.
> x Uno card. take it.
> w.
Medical Lab
> x woman. talk.
> x sink. x shelves. x texts.
> x cupboards. open them. g. g. g.
> x report.(can't: too high up)
> e. e.
Office
> x table. x map. x notes. x chair.(on casters)
> take chair.(no, push it)
> push chair w.
Lounge
A man enters, removes his helmet, and stares at you with black eyes. You reach for your gun, but he collapses on a couch, spitting out black stuff.
> x man. talk.
> push chair w.
Medical Lab
> stand on chair. take report. d.
> open it. read it. g. g. g.
> wake.
ClearingThe Woods
> e.
Camp
> x fire.
WardKumamoto University Hospital
> give binder.(Shinji gives you a plastic thing in exchange.)
> x thing.(It's a kit.)
> x lens. x brush. x tweezers.
> wake.
Camp
> x Qidnaret.(His eyes are black.)
> talk to him.(not okay)
> move him.(can't)
> w. n.
Log
> x her. x axe. talk to her. g.
> x log. x torch.
Hallway (west end)Rachlew Girls' School
> x lockers. x gate. x glass.
> s.(no: locked)
> n.
Gymnasium
> x girl. talk. g.(She's Jemiraldina.)
> x mats.
> e.
Locker Room
Karen doesn't know the combo for the equipment locker to the north.
> x Karen. x steel door. x keypad.
> x lockers. open lockers.(card falls out)
> take card. x it.(a Set card)
> x showers.
> dust keypad.(mostly the 8 button used)
> push 8. g. g. g.(The door opens.)
> n.
Equipment Room
The four girls grab different items for weapons and leave.
> x hook. take it.
> s.
Locker Room
> x Karen. x javelin. talk.
> s.
Hallway (east end)
> x girl. talk to her. g.(She's Privacy.)
> x bat. x blizzard.
> s.
Music Lab
> x girl. x club. talk.(She's Alma.)
> x chairs. x stands. x bags. x lantern.
> turn on lantern.(dead batteries)
> x case. x piccolo. x mbira. x violin. x melodica.
> wake.
LogThe Woods
> n.
Pit
> x ditch. x torch.
LedgeXiccarph
> x moons. x labyrinth. x fortress. x ledge.
> throw hook. u.
Balcony
> x labyrinth. x railing. x archway.
> in.
Wall
> x courtyard.
> d.
Courtyard
> x portico. x plants.
> x flower.(She's some sort of vampire.)
Maal Dweb, the ruler of Xiccarph, welcomes you. You follow him to...
Court of Maal Dweb
Maal Dweb already knows you and your mission. He tells you Imrath's origin, why he must be annihilated, and that you need a holy weapon. Bring him some translucent corundum; he will forge goggles that will protect you from Imrath's visage.
Yes, he could act directly, but won't because reasons. And he looks forward to your unlikely success.
> x Maal. talk. g.
> x table. x clay figure.
> x wastebasket.
> take card. x it.
> take figurine. x it.
> x throne. x tapestries. x braziers.
> wake.
PitThe Woods
> s. e.
Thicket
> x Mattin. talk. g. x bushes.
> e.
Gully
> x creek.
> x torch.
Outside a ChapelKirchenrenbach, Bavaria
I regret to tell you that I have no idea what's at the top of the pole, but I did find this picture of the actual chapel and its pole. It's not a flagpole or a lightpost. Maybe it's a lightning rod? Maybe it's a maypole? Maybe there's a weathervane or cross up there. Regardless, the pole isn't going to help you.
> x pole. x top. climb pole.(no: too narrow)
> x sky. x chapel.
> e.
East Cliff
> x rock. x forest.
> w. sw.
Southwest Cliff
> x pillars. x village.
> ne. s.
Hillside
Nothing here.
> n. in.
Darkness
> talk. g.(Rupert wants a light.)
> wake.
GullyThe Woods
> w.
Thicket
> x torch.
HideawayCrescent Beach, Oregon
> x sky. x sand. x waves.
> n.
Beach (by homemade tent)
> x tent. x hill. x splotches. x ocean.
> in.
Shadowy Tent
> x female. talk.
> x rug. take card. x it.
> out. n.
Beach (by striped tent)
> x tent. in.
Fragrant Tent
> x Archie. talk.(He wants to trade.)
> x statue. x owl. x candle.(has flame)
> x bowl. x scarf. x burner. x tie.
> x flame.
BowerCocaigne
Cocaigne is a folkloric utopia, by the way. However, this undeniably pleasant location seems to have no role in either the puzzles or the plot. It's just a nice place.
> x bench. x ferns. x vines. x ivy. x moss. x light.
> sit. stand.(You feel refreshed.)
> wake.
Fragrant TentCrescent Beach, Oregon
> show figurine.(He accepts. You may take one thing from his table.)
> take candle.
> take bolo. wear it.(You can have the bolo tie for free.)
> wake.
ThicketThe Woods
> e.
Gully
> x torch.
Inside the ChapelKirchehrenbach, Bavaria
> give candle to Rupert.(He gives you a crucifix in exchange.)
> x crucifix. pray.
> x Rupert. x altar. x saint.
> x basket. x Jass card. take it.
> wake. w.
ThicketThe Woods
> x Mattin.(He's been attacked. His mace is missing.)
> w.
Log
> talk. x her.(Her eyes are black.)
> s. sw.
Ruin
> x column. x torch.
Main RoadDiablito, Texas
> x windows.
> n.
North End of Town
> x church. x office. x saloon.
> w.
Sheriff's Office
> x sheriff. talk.
> x cell. x desk. search desk.
> e. e.
Saloon
> x corpse. x poker card. take it.
> x barman. talk. x bar.
> w. s. s. w.
Blacksmith
> x blacksmith. talk. g. g.
> x forge. open forge.(can't)
> give crucifix.(He turns them into silver balls which you load into your revolver.)
> wake.
RuinsThe Woods
> ne.
Clearing
Imrath is here! You see him and now you're afflicted.
PerceptionEbenezabeth's Mind-Castle
> x me. i.(nothing)
> x pool. x columns. x woods. x sky. e.
Decision
> x gears. x faces. s.
Emotion
> x violin. take it.(why?)
> x bottles. x plinth.
> w.
Memory
> x snow. x bundles. take bundles.(no)
> e. d.
Desire
> x furnace. x doors.
> d.(won't)
> light furnace.(can't)
> u.
Emotion
> touch violin. n. w.
Perception
Maal Dweb is here.
> x Maal. talk.(He curses you with ennui before fading away.)
> s. e.
Emotion
> take violin. play it.
The music lights the oil on fire. Soon, it's all gone.
ClearingThe Woods
You wake and shoot Imrath.
*** The End ***
> postgame
> n.
Log
> x torch.
Music LabRachlew Girls' School
NOTE: You won't be willing to take the violin until the postgame.
> open case. take violin.
> play violin.(Alma revives.)
> talk. n.
Hallway
> play violin.(Privacy revives.)
> talk. n.
Locker Room
> play violin.(Karen revives.)
> talk. w.
Gymnasium
> play violin.(Jem revives.)
> talk. wake.
LogThe Woods
> play violin.(P'teqwk revives.)
> talk. e.
Thicket
> play violin.(Mattin revives.)
> x torch.
Fragrant TentCrescent Beach, Oregon
> play violin.(Archie revives.)
> talk. out. s. in.
Shadowy Tent
> play violin.(Lilith-Eve revives.)
> talk. wake. e.
GullyThe Woods
> x torch.
Inside the ChapelKirchehrenbach, Bavaria
Rupert is still okay.
> talk.
> wake. w. s.
CampThe Woods
> play violin.(Qidnaret revives.)
> talk. x fire.
WardKumamoto University Hospital
> play violin.(The patients and Shinji revive.)
> talk. wake. w.
ClearingThe Woods
> x torch.
Medical LabUlysses Colles
> play violin.(Nesbit revives. You release her.)
> talk. push chair e.
Lounge
> play violin.(Albus revives and goes to his office.)
> push chair e.
Office
> talk. wake. sw.
RuinsThe Woods
> x torch.
Blacksmith Diablito, Texas
Melchor is still fine.
> talk. e. n. n. w.
Sheriff's Office
> play violin.(Sheriff Paul Chanler revives.)
> talk. e. e.
Saloon
> play violin.(Bob the barman revives.)
> talk. wake. ne. n. n.
PitThe Woods
> x torch.
Court of Maal DwebXiccarph
Maal Dweb is on his throne.
> play violin.(He doesn't want to hear it.)
> talk.(His ennui is returning.)
> wake.
PitThe Woods
> s. e.
Thicket
> talk.
You hand over your seven cards. But Mattin won't tell you your future.
*** The End ***
Now guess what Mattin saw in the cards:
> ORDEALS(correct!)
And here's how you solve that puzzle:
O is for Oval/Orange on the single (1) oval Set card.
R is for Red on the Red 2 Uno card.
D is for Diamonds on the 3 of Diamonds poker card.
E is for Eyes on the 4 of Eyes Tedhicc card.
A is for April (wisteria's month) on the (5 point plain tanzaku) hanafuda card. Thanks, Wikipedia and Shinji!
L is for Leaves on the 6 of Leaves Jass card.
S is for Swords on the 7 of Swords Tarot card.
Extras
Characters
Ebenezabeth Scrooge is the player-character, the "little match girl", here at Poseidon's request. She can travel to other places and times by looking at fire.
P'teqwk is an arrogant warrior pledged to defend Queen Eyhb and her glacier-realm. Her axe of star-iron is currently called Nineteen Throats. She is illiterate.
Mattin is a boy, a knight, and a thrall of the Vampire King, but he is not a vampire himself. His mace is Redfell, both blessed and cursed. He cannot handle holy objects with his left hand.
Qidnaret is a cyberwight, a knight of Alkhex. His beamsword is Heartblazer. He would be Alkhex's partner, but it is forbidden.
Imrath is a werewolf unstuck in time. Simply looking at him fills one with black slime and crippling ennui. All kingdoms are in peril. The knights' goal is to slay him.
Maal Dweb is the absolute ruler of six planets and all their moons. His home on Xiccarph is protected by a huge labyrinth, simian guards, and iron servitors. He is supremely powerful and accustomed to tedium.
Shinji Haida is a private investigator hired by the Kumamoto University Hospital to figure out what happened to their black-eyed patients.
A dozen patients in the hospital ward have completely black eyes. Some are restrained, some are angry, most are detached.
Karen Preduski is an assertive girl in her school's locker room. She's the captain of the dance team. (She next appears in The Little Match Girl against the Universal Sisterhood of Naughty Little Girls.)
Privacy is a girl in a puffy jacket standing guard at her school's plate glass doors.
Alma is a pengfolk girl in the school's music lab.
Jemiraldina is a girl in fleece pajamas lurking in her school's gymnasium. She's very wary.
Sheriff Paul Chanler of Diablito, Texas, is not pleased to see you.
Bob, the saloon's barman, is fed up with life's hardships.
Melchor Rodríguez Calderón is a blacksmith and the only cheerful person in Diablito.
Rupert is a frightened priest in the Bavarian chapel. If only you could bring him some light to calm his fears.
Archie is a redhead in the fragrant tent on Crecent Beach, Oregon. He wants to trade his neat stuff for your neat stuff.
Lilith-Eve is in the shadowy tent on Crescent Beach, Oregon. She's already been attacked by the werewolf.
Albus is the chief officer of Caldicott Outpost. He staggers into the lounge and collapses when you first meet him. (He will likely become Mars-Emperor Professor Albus Burnside who brought water to Mars, as mentioned in How the Little Match Girl Got Her Colt Paterson Revolver, and Taught a Virtue to a Goblin.)
Nesbit is the woman restrained in the Martian medical lab.
A flower-woman in Maal Dweb's courtyard has hungry eyes and tendrils for arms. She's singing, but you can't hear her. She's some sort of vampire.
Found dead:
A corpse is cold and bleeding in the Texan saloon. It's unclear what killed him.
Mentioned:
Queen Eyhb rules an unnamed glacier realm.
Akerbeltz is the Vampire King whom Mattin serves. Sometimes he claims to be half-devil; sometimes he claims to be the Antichrist.
Alkhex is the Cybermancer-King of Ud Zbete.
Poseidon is an immortal god, the lord of the merfolk, and the King of Atlantis. He befriended the little match girl in her very first adventure, The Little Match Girl. He later named Ebenezabeth as his mortal champion, a fact she learned in The Little Match Girl 2: Annus Evertens.
Two wizards, one humanoid, one lupine, in the deep caverns of Ulassa, spent their lives and power each trying to destroy the other. Their dark magics and hatred gained sentience and became the werewolf Imrath.
A child and her parent are briefly glimpsed in Texas when you first arrive there. Other citizens are assumed to be hiding within the buildings.
Kovac and Pedrosa investigated a Martian cave and returned black-eyed and nearly catatonic. Gunnings drove them to Charters Station.
Samuel Colt is named on your revolver. He gave it to you in How the Little Match Girl Got Her Colt Paterson Revolver, and Taught a Virtue to a Goblin.
Lilith-Eve's common-law husband is around somewhere. (Should we assume his name is Adam?)
The barman's wife is mentioned when you cure him. You sorta remind him of her.
Saint Walpurga and her brothers are represented as a statue in the Bavarian chapel.
The Virgin of Guadalupe is depicted on the candle.
Jesus is depicted on the silver crucifix.
Rupert claims that Walpurga forced demons to build the Bavarian chapel.
Credits
This is the response to CREDITS:
(Thank you for playing The Little Match Girl In the Court of Maal Dweb, a very spooky entry in the Little Match Girl saga and in ECTOCOMP 2024.
Development of this game was supported by my generous Patreon supporters: Evan Hahn, Josh Lawrence, BrettW, Tobias V. Langhoff, Robert Eggleston, Jessica Seidl, Stephen Norris, Julia Ramsey, Jason Love, Magnus Buchanan, Dominia, Jason Farrell, Benjamin Slade, Jeremy P. Wright, Rus Whang, Sarah W, Nils Fagerburg, Jordan Eash, Mark, Grant Veeder, Robert Paloutzian, Greg Frost, Q. Pheevr, Karl Ove Hufthammer, Robin Johnson, Yerrik, Sarah, Ivan R, Allen Tan, Matt Schneider, Jenelle Marie, Sammy El-Bahrawy, Janice M. Eisen, Maiko Ziegler, Jacques Frechet, Zachary Hodgens, Emily Short, Doug Orleans, Matthew Zimmermann, Derek Sotak, Carl Muckenhoupt, Carolyn VanEseltine, Rich Cheng, and Jenni Polodna. SO MANY NAMES GOSH.
You can support my work and get early access to my games at patreon.com/rcveeder.
This game was tested by Sarah Willson, Robert Eggleston, and Jason Love.)
Note also that the byline for this game is:
A weird fairy-tale by Hans Christian Andersen, with apologies to Clark Ashton Smith
and that C.A.S. is quoted when the game begins. To learn more about the character of Maal Dweb, you are encouraged to read the following short stories about him, in this order:
In the postgame, after you've healed everyone (see violin), talk to Mattin. He takes all your cards and tries to tell your fortune with them.
a hanafuda card. It's on a chair in the waiting room (Kumamoto University Hospital).
Show to hanafuda card to Shinji to learn this card is in the April suit and worth 5 points.
a Tarot card. Find it by examining the rug in the shadowy tent (Crescent Beach, Oregon).
a Set card. Find it by opening the lockers in the locker room (Rachlew Girls' School).
a Uno card. Find it by examining the broken furniture in the lounge (Ulysses Colles).
a poker card. It's held by the corpse in the saloon (Diablito, Texas).
a Tedhicc card. It's in the wastebasket in the court of Maal Dweb (Xiccarph).
a Jass card. It's in the donation basket inside the chapel (Kirchenrenbach, Bavaria).
Everything else
your revolver. You're carrying it.
After you give the crucifix to the blacksmith, your revolver is filled with holy silver bullets.
When you return from your mind-castle, you automatically shoot Imrath, destroying him.
You are unwilling to shoot anything else.
a CAVE REPORT binder. It's on a high shelf in the medical lab (Ulysses Colles).
To reach the binder, go to the office and push the computer chair west twice into the lab, then stand on the chair. (Yes, it's okay to move someone else's office chair in this game.)
Open the binder and read it four times to learn about the illness.
In the ward (Kumamoto University Hospital), give the binder to Shinji Haida. He gives you the junior detective kit as a thank you.
a junior detective kit. In the ward (Kumamoto University Hospital), Shinji Haida gives the kit to you when you give him the CAVE REPORT binder.
In the locker room (Rachlew Girls' School), dust the keypad of the steel door to learn that usually, only the 8 button is pushed. Push the 8 button four times to unlock the door.
The magnifying lens and tweezers are useless features of the kit, but you can still try to use them. To use the tweezers, TWEEZE something. To use the lens, MAGNIFY something or LOOK AT something THROUGH LENS.
a grappling hook. It's in the equipment room (Rachlew Girls' School).
On the ledge (Xiccarph), throw the hook at the fortress. Now you can climb up there. Once placed, the hook is stuck and cannot be re-taken.
a jasper figurine. It's in the wastebasket in the court of Maal Dweb (Xiccarph).
In the fragrant tent (Crescent Beach, Oregon), show the figurine to Archie. He accepts it in trade and permits you take one thing from his table. Take the votive candle.
a votive candle. It's on Archie's table in the fragrant tent (Crescent Beach, Oregon). Give the jasper figurine to Archie, then take the candle in trade.
Look at the votive candle's flame to take you to a bower (Cocaigne). If you're carrying the candle, it stays behind. Wake to return from the bower to the candle's location.
Inside the chapel (Kirchenrenbach, Bavaria), give the candle to Rupert. He gives you a crucifix in exchange.
a Ganesha statue, a macrame owl, a copper bowl, a scarf, an incense burner, and a bolo tie. They're on Archie's table in the fragrant tent (Crescent Beach, Oregon).
You may take the bolo tie for free and wear it; from it, you gain sartorial elegance but no other obvious benefit. The other stuff, you have no use for.
Note that when Archie is afflicted, you cannot take anything from Archie's table, put anything on the table, nor make any trades. Archie acts instinctively to prevent any changes.
a crucifix. Inside the chapel (Kirchenrenbach, Bavaria), Rupert gives this to you when you give him the votive candle.
At the blacksmith's (Diablito, Texas), after obtaining the crucifix, talk to the blacksmith, then give the crucifix to him. He transforms the holy token into silver balls which you immediately load into your revolver.
a crystal violin. It's on the plinth in the "Emotion" of your mind-castle.
After you've tried to take this violin, return to "Perception" and talk to Maal Dweb. He curses you with boredom. You are now bored enough to take the violin. Play it to cure yourself and leave your mind-castle. The crystal violin does not stay in your inventory.
a violin. It's in the case in the school's music lab (Rachlew Girls' School, Neoantarctica). You will not willingly take it until the postgame.
Go to every afflicted person and play the violin to cure them.
After you've cured everyone, return to Mattin and talk to him to end the postgame.
Conspicuously absent
a block of translucent corundum. I have no idea where this is. I did look! I do have reason to believe it does exist in the game, however, and not a red herring. I tried so hard to find it. I'm very sorry I cannot tell you where it is.
some goggles. In theory, Maal Dweb should give you these goggles in exchange for the translucent corundum. Wear the googles and keep them on. Hopefully they will protect you from Imrath's gaze long enough for you to shoot him with your revolver.
