Part 9: Day One- Page 8

>East

Narrow Street

>South



Whateley Bridge
A hoary monument of crumbling, moss-eaten flagstones, Whateley Bridge is possibly older than any other structure in the entire city. Ponderously it spans the dark, torpid waters of the Miskaton River, connecting the north and south halves of the city and occasionally raining bits of gravel and mortar from its underside into the water. It looks just wide enough for two cars to pass each other between the flanking stone parapets, but you wouldn't volunteer to try it.

Seems like every small town has a crumbling bridge. Even the ones without rivers.

>look at bridge
The parapets are about waist high, made of crumbling stone.

>look at river
The Miskaton's waters are sluggish and dark. Some sort of oily film coats the surface, reflecting back ghostly swirls of color.

Welp, we're in Lovecraft country. No doubt.
This must be Massachusetts

>Look at stone
The parapets are about waist high, made of crumbling stone.

The clouds overhead mutter restlessly to themselves.

I don't know if I've ever looked up, yet.

>look at sky
The sky is an unbroken blanket of seething gray clouds in every direction.

The rain slackens off momentarily to a weak drizzle, then returns afresh in a brief, freezing downpour.

Well, that's not enough for one update, yet. Miranda want's to move on.

>South

Town Square
A wide expanse of uneven pavestones lies open to the sky, bordered on all sides by the leaning, steep-roofed architecture that looms over everything in this city. The municipal courthouse stands at the south end of the square, next to the mouth of a dark, narrow alley to the southwest. Avenues to the west and east lead back into the cramped and ingrown streets, while to the north lies Whateley Bridge.

In the center of the square, rising from a circular lawn of unhealthy-looking grass and weeds, stands a strange, stone obelisk. It seems to be a monument of some sort, although you can see no plaque or marker anywhere near it.

Wait, this place has it's own Egyptian landmark? Is there a pyramid here, too?



>look at Obelisk
The obelisk measures about two feet square at its base, narrowing slightly as it rises a good fifteen feet to a bluntly pointed tip. An iron ring is embedded in the stone high up on one side, about two feet from the top. Dense, twisting hieroglyphs cover all four sides of the obelisk, although they are too worn to be read clearly.

>look at iron ring
It's just an ordinary-looking iron ring.

>look at hieroglyphs
They are not Egyptian, which is what you first assumed from the general shape and design of the obelisk. In fact, though you're no archaeologist, these carvings don't look like any sort of ancient writing you've ever seen. The characters, which must have been carved very deeply in order to survive this much erosion, twist and squirm in disturbing ways, flowing into and through each other and almost seeming to shift slightly as you try to follow their lines. The effect is deeply unsettling, and you have to suppress an urge to take a step or two back away from the monument.

Ow, my eyes.

The only other thing here of note is...

>look at courthouse
The courthouse is probably the largest building in the old city, although that isn't saying much. Built, like nearly every other structure here, with an eye toward steep roofs, leaning gables, and an overall air of looming decay, it casts its stern shadow across the square like an old Puritan magistrate passing judgment on some cowering sinner. Wide wooden steps lead up to its main entrance due south of here, while a narrow alley leads around the side of the building to the southwest.

In the distance, you can hear the lonesome keening of a train whistle drifting on the wind.

>

Not even sure what we're looking for right now, but at least we can explore with leisure. Don't worry about time. This first day was meant to introduce readers to the town anyway.

So where to next? We still have the junction up north, or we can head East or West from Town Square. Or the Courthouse. Or the dark foreboding alleyway.

Choose in Bold

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