Visit Skuga Lake - Masterpiece Edition is a Glulx work of interactive fiction written with Inform 7 and is © 2023 by Ryan Veeder (writing as "Leah Naidu").
In this spooky magical game, you begin as Ryan interviewing author Leah Naidu about her story Visit Skuga Lake. Within her story, you play as Charybdis Argile, an intern for a travel magazine, locked in a closet by a suspicious motel manager. Use totemic magic to escape the closet, find your missing boss, and fix what's wrong with this town.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 2 of the work.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of a work of interactive fiction. Please make an honest effort to play the work before reading this walkthrough.
> special features.
> introduction. SPACE
Driveway
In the introductory story, you're playing as Ryan Veeder, in Tacoma to interview author Leah Naidu in her house.
> i. x notepad. x device.
> x peacock. x house. x door. (has hamsa)
> knock on door.
Leah lets you in and asks you to sit.
Living Room
> x Leah. x necklace. x earrings. x stud. x t-shirt.
> x plants. x keyboard. x guitar. x painting.
> x trunk. x couch. x chair.
> talk to Leah. ask her about inspiration.
> ask her about pollution. ask her about setting.
> ask her about magic system.
> ask her about canon ending.
Leah asks if we should get to the story.
>> no
> ask her about characters.
> ask her about religion. ask her about sequel.
> z.
Leah again asks if she should start the story.
>> yes. SPACE
Closet
You're pushed into a closet.
> x me. x amulet. (garnet eyestone is missing)
> x spider. x shelves. x chemicals. x towels.
> x toilet paper. x crate. take crate.
> x bat. take it. x olivine.
> x sunglasses. x headphones. x safe.
> x supplies. x mops. x brooms. x vacuum. x cart.
> put olivine in spider amulet. (You can now talk to spiders.)
> talk to tiny spider. (It suggests busting down the thin wall.)
> break wall. (You need a tool.)
> take mop. break wall with mop. (no)
> take broom. break wall with broom. (no)
> take safe. break wall with safe. (yes!)
> talk to spider. out.
Motel Room
> x bed. x TV. x dresser. open drawer.
> x room door. x bathroom.
> x peephole. w.
Walkway
> x town. x church. x silo. x lake. x sky.
> x room door. ("27")
> x sign. take it. drop it.
> w. x railing.
> d.
Parking Lot
> x neon sign. x motel. x office.
> x ice machine. open it. x car. x road.
> w.
Tower
> x tower. read plaque. x weeds. x clock.
> x vines. (not robust or long enough to climb)
By now, a "tank top lady" is looking at you. Look at her, and she runs away. Ignore her for now. She reappears at random times as you wander about town.
> w.
Burned Building
> x tape. x burnt sign. x slope. x building.
> in.
Wreckage
> x debris. search it. take pumpkin. x it.
> out. s.
Main Street
> x buildings. x agency. x bars. x shops.
> x monument. x grass.
> x first. (Air)
> x second. (Fire)
> x third. (Water)
> x fourth. (Earth)
> x fifth. (Ice)
> x sixth. (Metal)
> e.
Church
> x church. x steeple. x spotlights.
> x door. x marquee. listen.
> in.
Inside the Church
> x pews. x stage. x altar. x cross.
> x pulpit. x woman. x organ.
> x woman. (Nicette, the pastor.)
> talk to her. g. g. g. (She wants her water bottle back.)
> out. w. s.
Diner
> x neon. x laundromat.
> in.
Inside the Diner
> x neon. ("ODARLA'S"; very green)
> x hostess. x counter. x floor.
> x checked. x seats. x stools.
> talk to hostess. g. g. g.
> out. e.
Train Station
> x building. x platform. x benches. x tracks.
> in.
Train Station Lobby
Note that the name of the dinosaur mascot on the mural is "Skoogie".
> x benches. x windows. x mural. x table.
> x first drawer. optn it.
> x second. open it. x third. open it.
> x jack. x LED.
If the olivine in the spider amulet lets you talk to spiders, maybe the olivine in the pumpkin amulet lets you talk to pumpkins?
> wear pumpkin amulet. put olivine in it.
> talk to jack. g. g. (Key under something.)
> look under jack. (You take the key.)
> x key. unlock office door with key. in.
Train Station Office
> x shelves. x desk. x chair. x photo. x map.
> open drawer. x turquoise. take it.
The turquoise gives you "evil eye" powers. Basically, you do something to a creature's mind when you look at them. This is sometimes called a hex and varies based on the amulet.
> out. out. e.
Silo
> x silo. x stairway. x shadow.
> u.
Top of the Stairs
> wear bat. put turquoise in it.
> x demon. (The "evil eye" doesn't work on the demon.)
> remove bat. x demon. x spear. x hatch.
> talk to demon. yes.
The demon asks six questions. If two of your answers are incorrect, you may not enter. You don't know any of the answers yet, but it is helpful to learn what the questions are. They might be asked in any order; answer however you like for now.
"What sailboat sand into Skuga Lake in 1966?" > YOUR-ANSWER
"Who gave Terlissa the hagfish amulet?" > YOUR-ANSWER
"What was Old Esthella's favorite soap opera?" > YOUR-ANSWER
"What's the secret seventh element honored in the monument on Main Street?" > YOUR-ANSWER
"Who lives in the old clock tower?" > YOUR-ANSWER
"Who really killed Cleft the wolf?" > YOUR-ANSWER
> d. s.
Henge
> x stones. (29 of them)
> x fields. x altar. x quartz. take it.
The quartz gives you various telekinetic powers when you point at things. Let's experiment with the crate.
> drop crate. wear bat. put quartz in bat.
> point at crate. (You pull it to you!)
> drop it. wear spider. put quartz in it.
> point at crate. (You ensnare it with a force web.)
> wear pumpkin. put quartz in it.
> point at crate. (no, for plants only)
> take crate.
At this point, I want you to find your stalker. Return to the train station:
> n. w.
Train Station
Wait repeatedly, if necessary, until the lady arrives. When she's near you:
> wear bat. put turquoise in it.
> x lady. (You hex her mind briefly. You learn she's acting on Terlissa's orders. Then you take her wolf amulet.)
> x wolf. (Associated with cold, ruthlessness, and clarity of mind.)
> ne.
Tracks
> x trees. x path.
> e.
Pit
CAUTION: Don't enter the pit until you have a way to get out of it.
> x pit. wear bat. put quartz in bat.
> point at shovel. (It's yours.)
> x shovel.
> w. ne.
Railroad Crossing
> x owl. x cable. x pole. x cable.
> w.
Parking Lot
With the shovel in hand, you can deal with the manager without using magic.
> enter office.
>> yes
Motel Office
You reclaim your garnet. She says Terlissa told her to lock up out-of-towners, but no one's seen Terlissa in a week.
> talk to her. (She's Breallye. You both apologize.)
> g. (You say you're looking for Kyth and she writes for a travel magazine.)
> g. (Terlissa felt that tourism ruined the town; she's scary.)
> g. (Terlissa is the most powerful witch here.)
> g. (You decide not to say how you escaped the closet.)
> x garnet. (Lets you fire elemental bursts or webs.)
> x desk. x game. (Kith and Kin)
> x minifridge. x pizza box.
> out. w. w. s. s. w.
Post Office
> x eagle. x building.
> in.
Inside the Post Office
> x gate. (padlocked) x drop. x boxes.
> x window. x stamps. x rack. x light.
Assuming you're wearing the bat amulet with the quartz:
> x owl amulet. point at it. (It's yours.)
> wear owl. put quartz in it.
> point at padlock. (It unlocks!)
> point at boxes. (They unlock.)
> open gate. open boxes.
> out. e. in.
Inside the Diner
Assuming you're still wearing the owl amulet:
> put turquoise in owl. x hostess. (Her mind is blank?)
> wear wolf. put turquoise in it. x hostess.
You find and remove a psychic worm. She returns to normal, says she's Odarla, blames Terlissa, and gives you a spinel eyestone. Its powers aren't easily summarized.
> talk to hostess. g. g. (She doesn't know where Terlissa is.)
> x spinel.
> out. w. s.
Museum
> wear owl. put quartz in it.
> point at door. (It unlocks.)
> in.
Inside the Museum
> x desk. x wolf. x placard. ("Cleft")
> x shelves. x henge photo. x book. x regatta photo.
> x picnic photo. x sampler. x medals.
> x quilt photo. x arrowheads.
> x frog amulet. take it.
> wear wolf amulet. put olivine in it.
> talk to wolf. (You learn that he was Mayor Deanae Cressin's pet, and she shot him.)
> g. g.
> out. w.
Edge of Town
> x owl. x signpost. x turbines.
> wear owl amulet. put olivine in it.
> talk to owl. (It wants you to tell the white owl that a ghost is hanging around the train tracks where they cross the creek.)
> put spinel in owl amulet. x gray owl.
You go through the owl's eyes (!) to...
Railroad Crossing
> put olivine in owl amulet.
> talk to owl. (It already knew about the ghost.)
> g. (Nothing more to say.)
> put spinel in owl amulet.
> x white owl.
You go back to...
Edge of Town
> put olivine in owl amulet.
> talk to owl. g. (No elaboration or plan.)
> wear wolf. put spinel in it. (You've summoned a spectral wolf!)
> talk to Voklad. g. g.
> take bottle. x it. take dirt.
> n.
Marina
> x building. in.
Marina Office
> x woman. x keychain. take it. (can't without waking her.)
> x chair. x photos. x fish.
> wear owl. put turquoise in it.
> x woman. (She's dreaming of storms.)
> n.
Dock
> x boat. ("LAZY DAYS")
> x motor. x pier.
> s. s. e. n.
Beach
Assuming the spinel is still in the wolf amulet:
> wear wolf.
> Voklad, dig. (She finds a brass plaque.)
> x plaque. (Yacht SWISHER sank in 1966.)
> wear frog. put spinel in it.
> jump. (You jump high and find bats!)
> wear bat. put olivine in it.
> talk to bats. (They like the plaque; they're eating bugs.)
> x bugs. (lots)
> wear spider. put spinel in it. (You now see messages in the stars.)
> x stars. g. g. g. g. g.
The star-message is one of six at random, and each suggests a way to find an answer to the demon's six questions:
Moving on...
> e.
Main Street
Time to give that garnet a workout. Each column is lit by using an instance of its element.
> wear owl. put garnet in it.
> point at first. (Air makes a white "S" flame.)
> wear pumpkin. put garnet in it.
> point at second. (Fire makes a red "H" flame.)
> wear frog. put garnet in it.
> point at third. (Water makes a green "A" flame.)
> put dirt in fourth. (Earth makes an orange "D" flame.)
> wear wolf. put garnet in it.
> point at fifth. (Ice makes a blue "O" flame.)
> put key in sixth. (Metal makes a gray "W" flame.)
Looks like the secret seventh element is "shadow", which you can generate with the bat and garnet combo.
> e. e. in.
Inside the Church
> give bottle to Nicette. (She says that Lyphn gave the hagfish amulet to Terlissa. Then she gives the bottle back; it might be handy.)
> out. n.
Tower
> wear pumpkin. put quartz in it.
> point at vines. (They grow up to the clock face.)
> climb vines. (You see a plesiosaur doll.)
You can't take the doll without letting go of the vine. And there's no need to take the doll.
> e. u. e.
Motel Room
> wear owl. put quartz in it.
> point at safe. open it.
> read printed note. ("1830")
> w. d. e.
Railroad Crossing
> wear wolf. put spinel in it.
> Voklad, dig.
> take metal. x it.
> sw. sw. e.
Silo
> Voklad, dig.
> take lighter. x it.
> w. sw.
Creek
> x tracks. x stream. x culvert. x frog. x rock.
> wear frog amulet. put olivine in it.
> talk to frog. g. g. g. g. g. g.
> wear bat. put spinel in it. (You see a ghost!)
> x ghost. talk to her. (Esthella)
> g. (Her fave soap opera was The Prison We Choose.)
Seeing flickering ghosts everywhere gives you a headache, so remove the bat. Also, it's time to revisit the demon.
> remove bat. ne. e. u.
Top of the Stairs
> talk to demon. yes.
The demon asks six questions. If two of your answers are incorrect, you may not enter. The questions and their answers are:
"What sailboat sand into Skuga Lake in 1966?" > Swisher
"Who gave Terlissa the hagfish amulet?" > Lyphn
"What was Old Esthella's favorite soap opera?" > The Prison We Choose
"What's the secret seventh element honored in the monument on Main Street?" > Shadow
"Who lives in the old clock tower?" > Skoogie
"Who really killed Cleft the wolf?" > Deanae Cressin
When you answer them all correctly, the demon leaves.
> open hatch. in. d.
Bottom of the Silo
> x puddle. (You see Kyth!)
>> SPACESPACE
Kyth says Terlissa turned her into snot using a hagfish amulet. And used it with an opal eyestone on the island.
>> SPACE
Kyth says you need to get to that island and save the lake from drowning in slime. And she gives you her amethyst eyestone, which enhances abilities.
> x amethyst.
> u. out. d. w. w. w. w. n.
Marina Office
You can only obtain the boat key by using the amethyst.
> wear owl. put amethyst in it.
> take keychain. (Silently, you take it.)
> n.
Dock
This is your last chance to look for missing worry dolls, assuming that sidequest interests you.
> save.
> enter boat. start engine. n.
Skuga Lake
> x island. x trees. x stars. x lake. g.
> n. n. n.
Shore
> turn off engine. x slime. x cedars.
> out. n.
Woods
It's not obvious where to go from here. Only trying every compass direction helps.
> nw.
Clearing
> x portal. enter it. SPACE
Slime
> x slime. x tunnel. enter tunnel.
>> SPACESPACESPACESPACESPACE
Lair
>> SPACESPACESPACESPACESPACE
> x eel. x Terlissa.
> remove owl. (So you're not silent any more.)
> talk to eel. g.
> talk to Terlissa. (no response)
> wear owl. put turquoise in it.
> x eel. (It knows you're reading its mind, but doesn't care.)
> x Terlissa. (dreamless sleep)
To free Terlissa from Lyphn's tentacles, you must attack Lyphn with three different types of attack. After two successful attacks, the hagfish amulet is revealed. I know of at least five attacks that are helpful; there may be more:
Attack with Voklad:
> wear wolf. put spinel in it. Voklad, destroy Lyphn.
Attack with fire:
> wear pumpkin. put garnet in it. point at eel.
Attack with ice:
> wear wolf. put garnet in it. point at eel.
Attack with vine whip:
> wear pumpkin. put spinel in it. whip eel.
Attack with shovel:
> hit eel with shovel. (The shovel is lost.)
Lucky for you that Lyphn doesn't retaliate in any way.
> take hagfish. take Terlissa.
> out. enter portal.
Clearing
> wear hagfish amulet. put opal in it.
> close portal. (It closes.)
You can optionally use the opal to visit other realms before returning to the boat. Yay more content!
> wear spider. put opal in it. open portal. (It's pink.)
> x it. enter it.
Fissure
> x Srete. x moon. x bridges.
> talk to Srete. (You can't stay here with work left unfinished.)
> out.
Clearing
> close pink portal.
> wear bat. put opal in it. open portal. (It's black.)
> x it. enter it.
Darkness
> put amethyst in bat. listen. (Something's sleeping.)
> wear wolf. put amethyst in it. smell. (guano and crystals)
> out.
Clearing
> wear bat. put opal in it. close black portal.
> wear pumpkin. put opal in it. open portal. (It's golden.)
> x it. enter it.
Farm
> x sun. x windmill. x vines. x pumpkins.
> x scarecrow. x jacket. x hat.
> talk to scarecrow. (nope)
> put olivine in pumpkin amulet.
> talk to pumpkins. g. (They want to grow.)
> put quartz in pumpkin amulet.
> point at vines. (they grow)
> out.
Clearing
> put opal in pumpkin. close golden portal.
> wear wolf. put opal in it. open portal. (It's misty.)
> x it. enter it.
Mountain Road
> x snow. x mist. x trees. x castle. x road.
> out.
Clearing
> close misty portal.
> wear owl. put opal in it. open portal. (It's gray.)
> x it. enter it.
Bedroom
> x bed. x vanity. x couch. x rug. x tornado.
> open window. (already open)
> enter window. (no)
> enter bed. sleep. (no)
> out. out.
Clearing
> close gray portal.
> wear frog. put opal in it. open portal. (It's blue.)
> x it. enter it.
Swamp
> x fireflies. x trees. x platform. x walkway.
> listen. put spinel in frog. jump.
> out.
Clearing
> put opal in frog. close blue portal.
> se. s.
Shore
> enter boat. (You automatically put Terlissa into the other seat and start the engine.)
>> SPACE (repeat seven or so times)
You are treated to several paragraphs about how the lake, you, and everyone you met fared afterwards.
*** The End ***
> restart
> special features.
> x alternate endings. yes.
> x name. x magic. x weight. x commentary.
It's worth noting that every human (and every animal) in Leah's story is female; there just aren't any males in their world.
Named people:
Other creatures you can talk to:
Mentioned:
This is the response to CREDITS:
(Visit Skuga Lake was Leah Naidu's contribution to the 2021 proceedings at Castle Balderstone. It is presented here as a standalone game with some improvements and Special Features. Leah is indebted to everyone who provided feedback for the story, including Emily Boegheim, Zach Hodgens, Benjamin Slade, Sarah Nerboso, Rich Cheng, Harkness Wolf, and Stephen Norris.)
All endings end with The End, but the details of the ending differ based on where you left Terlissa, or if you abandoned the quest entirely to stay in another realm.
I note also:
Wear an amulet and put an eyestone in it to gain a magical ability based on their shared associations. Unfortunately, not one of the 49 possible combos gives you light or night vision.
🕷 🦇 🎃 🐺 🦉 🐸 🦑
⬢ ⬢ ⬢ ⬢ ⬢ ⬢ ⬢
In the framing story, the response to SCORE is:
(There's no score for this part.)
You have so far scored 0 out of a possible 0, in some turns.
In the main story, the response to SCORE is:
[TURN COUNT: number / MAGIC ITEMS: number]
When the game ends in victory, your score is summarized thusly:
[FINAL TURN COUNT: number / MAGIC ITEMS: number OUT OF 14 / WORRY DOLLS: number OUT OF 10]
Only worry dolls that you take count. If you don't take any of them, they aren't even mentioned in your final score.
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