Part 9: The Temple, part 2

Last time:










So! Now that Lyral trusts me, I've gained access to the rest of the temple. I'll start by trying the lower level. There's probably all sorts of goodies down there.

...Uh, it's "push" for down, right?




Ascend to the Dome.



Well, as long as I'm up here, I guess I'll take a quick look around.






Lyra followed me up. She's got nothing new to say, though.




Is this... a pulpit? I suppose it is a temple.




Then there's these things, whatever they are.

Anything else?




Oh.

Oh my.

Control panel count: 4




Dear lord, where do I even begin?

Four levers. Four switches. Six monitors. Six dials. Seven buttons. There are no instructions, no clues. Lyral has no advice to give me. There's nothing for it but good old trial and error.




But first I have to plug the machine in.

Sierra!




Now then. Step 1: Flip the master switch. That's the vertical one on the right side of the screen.




The monitors on the left are switched on by the buttons below them. They show us locations in the parallel world - I recognize Martin's Roost and the temple, and you can probably guess the other two if you've been paying attention to Lyral.

(You don't need to touch this part of the control panel; it's just showing off some of the later areas of the game.)




Blinkenleiten!




Step 2: Throw the big levers on the left and right. The former moves the pulpit into the center of the room:




While the one on the right opens up the dome.




Solar power. Groovy. At least it's not hand-cranked.




Step 3: Flip the other big lever, the one closer to the top. That starts charging the machine up, as shown by the little needle below it.

While I'm waiting, let me tell you about those silver switches next to the meter. You know what they're for? No? Well neither do I. You can toggle them - they make noise - but nothing changes. Red herrings, or designer oversight? You decide.

The same goes for that odd-shaped brown lever further up the panel. You can see the corner of it in the top right corner of the screen. Flip it left, flip it right - nothing.




Shit, I forgot to watch the meter!

If the machine's charge enters the red zone, there comes a most unpleasant coughing sound and the charge drops back to zero. Worse still, the machine turns itself off and can't be switched back on normally.




And here's the reason why! The thingamajig there is burnt out. I'll have to get a new one. I was gonna check out the basement anyway, so no skin off my back.




Descend to the Room of Ancient Machines.






More like the Junkyard of Ancient Messes. I thought the priests studied this stuff! What, do they just chuck it off to one side when they're done?




No matter, there's good stuff to find down here. Check out those crates!

> Got Whatsit
> Got Doodad
> Got Gewgaw

How very interesting.

How about those... horn things? _{this temple is really doing an end run on my vocabulary}




How very interesting! I'd better write those numbers down.

Anything else? I see a poster up on the wall.

> Got Weapon Plans




I think I just hit the jackpot.

Given the vaguely gun-like profile and multi-part structure, I bet this is the device Lyral was talking about. The one that the priests thought could defeat the Dark Being.

Poppa want.

Though... these blueprints describe seven parts. Lyral said there were six.

Okay, nothing else of interest here. I'll have a quick look around the rest of the basement before I go back up. I can't go spelunking in the scrap heaps, but there's a few storage compartments I can reach from the elevator.




See that cubbyhole off to the right?

> Got Circuit Board

What kind of circuit board? Who knows! I'm sure it'll be exactly the kind I need sooner or later.




See the lump in that box there? It might look like a rock or something, but it's not. Oh no, not at all.

> Got Artifact of Friendship(the fifth of six)

It's one of the components of the device! Specifically, the one labelled (5) on the blueprints. I think it might be the power source - it's certainly the bulkiest part, and explains why the priests made it last.

I'm done here. Lyral, beam me up!






The doodad's connected to the whatsit, the whatsit's connected to the gewgaw...




Combining those three items gives us a new thingamajig, which replaces the damaged one.

With the machine fixed, I quickly go through Steps 1 and 2 again.




I then carry out Step 3 properly this time, leaving the charge-o-meter exactly on the line between white and red. (It's easier than it sounds.)




Step 4 uses the right side of the control panel.

Pressing the larger button turns the monitor on. The left-hand dial cycles through various areas of the game, such as Lighthouse and Tower. The right-hand dial then selects a particular location with the chosen area. So right now, I'm aiming the machine at the lighthouse study.

(Can you guess what this machine does yet?)




Pressing the little black button on the right dial locks in my selection. If I forgot to press this, it wouldn't save the target and I'd have to do Step 4 over again.




Step 5 is about alignment. (Alignment of what? ) The button at the bottom turns on this final monitor. The dials move the red and yellow lines around, and the goal is to get both sets of "crosshairs" into the green circle.




And with that, everything's ready. Step 6 is to throw the activation switch, and that's all she wrote.




But wait! Looks like Lyral didn't follow me upstairs this time. She should be here for this.

I'll just knock on the door to get her attention.




I said: I'll KNOCK on the DOOR.




You have got to be fucking kidding me.

Things I did not know prior to doing this LP: There is precisely ONE screen from which it is possible to knock on Lyra's door up here. That being the exact center of the room.

You know, the space that is currently occupied by a pulpit-on-rails.

Whatever, I'll retract the damn thing.




'Lo, Lyral.




Moving the pulpit threw off the alignment.

Naturally, I didn't remember to put the pulpit back into position first, so I had to fix the alignment twice.




Whatever! It's all fixed now. Time to see what this puppy can do!

Step 6: HIT IT!




FFFFFFFFUUUUUUU




Hey, guess what else got reset when I moved the pulpit?




Aaaaand fixing the target system throws off the alignment again.




EVERYTHING IS FINE NOW. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF STEP 6, I AM THROWING THE ACTIVATION SWITCH.







It's beautiful.

Time to get up on the pulpit.




This is it: the last thing to do in the Temple.

I might not be coming back here. Lyral... my friend... is there anything more you wish to tell me?




I know that if Dark Being is not stopped, it will mean the end for our land. Of that much I am certain. It may mean danger for your land as well. You must stop him. There is no one left who can save us. Farewell.




Farewell, Lyra. Until we meet again.




End of Chapter