Part 11: Day One- Page 10
Ghostwoods posted:
Personally, I'd like to look around the courthouse and the areas E and W of the town square before we do anything as potentially plot-locking as talk to Michael. I'm more interested in exploring than in powering through as quickly as possible.
In the mean time, let's head to the town square first.
>se
Junction
>e
Narrow Street
>s
Whateley Bridge
>s
Town Square
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.
Alrighty... How about we start with filling in the roads of the town first.
>West
Dark Corner
The rooftops above you lean so close together as to nearly block out the sky altogether, making this a particularly dark and unpleasant section of the city. The street leads away to the east, and a shadowy driveway leads through a high brick wall to the south.
>Look at driveway
You needn't worry about that.
Yeah, I don't need to worry about it until a vicious shade of grey leaks from it, poisoning our water supply and turning our plants and animals Mad! MA-A-A-AAAAD!
*ahem*
Stock message is stock. Got it. Might as well see where this driveway leads.
>South
Asylum Courtyard
The grim, white-washed edifice of Danvers Asylum bounds this tiny, shadowed courtyard to the south, its narrow, barred windows staring blankly down at you like ranks of shriveled, empty eye sockets. You can escape through a narrow gateway in the high, brick wall to the north.
Oh man! Finally, a mad house! It just didn't feel like Lovecraft Country without one and I was getting worried.
>look at windows
The whole place exudes a sense of oppressive claustrophobia -- standing in its shadow for even a second is enough to make your skin crawl. Even the seemingly innocuous motto emblazoned over the main entrance fills you with an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
Our first true hidden noun. A trick this game thankfully doesn't do often, but I've already ranted about that.
>look at motto
"Health, Discipline, Tranquillity" -- emblazoned in an arch over the double-snake symbol of a caduceus. Somehow, you are not reassured.
The rain slackens off momentarily to a weak drizzle, then returns afresh in a brief, freezing downpour.
>n
Dark Corner
>e
Town Square
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.
Next, let's follow the east road and see where that goes.
>East
Riverwalk
A low, irregular brick wall to the north divides this street from the steep, mud-slick banks of the sinuous Miskaton, while a rusty iron gate provides access to a precarious flight of stone steps leading down the bank to the water's edge. The street bends south here, turning into a misty avenue between the trees. The town square lies west, a vacant lot lies east.
>look at gate
The rusty gate is closed.
Locked, no doubt.
>open gate
The gate swings open noisily on its rusty hinges.
Oh. Uh...
>Look at lot
You can't see any such thing.
>Look east
The crumbling buildings of Anchorhead, with their ubiquitous peaked rooftops and ancient, leaning gables, cluster thickly around you in every direction.
A sudden gust of wind blows a cold spray of rain into your face.
Guess the only way to check the lot is to go there. But we follow the road first.
>South
Chilly Avenue
Perhaps it is merely the effect of some unwholesome vapour rising from the murky waters of the nearby Miskaton, but the temperature along this street seems perceptibly cooler than normal, even for a New England autumn. Two dirt roads lead south and southwest, into the dense woods at the edge of town.
A clammy mist hangs thickly in the air, seeping through your clothes and making you shiver.
>Look at woods
The woods are ancient, thick with undergrowth and full of shadows. Branches creak, leaves rustle beneath unseen, half-imagined footsteps, and strange birdcalls echo through the trees.
The clouds overhead mutter restlessly to themselves.
Alrighty.
>n
Riverwalk
>w
Town Square
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.
We have now seen all the roads in the city of Anchorhead, from the north to the south. Let's try and talk to the officials. Maybe make some friends.
>Enter Courthouse
The courthouse is closed for the day.
Hmmm...
>w
Dark Corner
>s
Asylum Courtyard
>Enter Asylum
The asylum is closed for the day.
How? It's the only hospital in town!
>n
Dark Corner
>e
Town Square
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.
>
Alright, we have choices, and I'll put it to you like this.
1. We got the roads to the north. We could just finish exploring outside of town that way.
2. We got the two roads leading out of town to the south.
3. We got the Vacant Lot and the River.
4. Our precious hubby is probably bored out of his mind in the Library.
I'll be honest. I haven't tested out the game's exploration this much on Day one, so now even I don't know how far we can go before talking to Michael Carter.
I leave the choice to you.
Choose in Bold.
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