Part 56: The Gallery Of the Dead

Now that we've taken care of all our errands, it's time to meet with Yusupov.

Yusupov: This way, then!


He leads the party over to a gate.

Yusupov: You must hurry. The banquet will begin shortly.


Past the gate is a network of tunnels extending underneath Petrograd. It's kind of a mixture of catacombs, prison cells, and a storm sewer.



Yusupov: It's the only way to get inside the palace unnoticed.

Thank you, Prince Yusupov!

Yusupov: Not at all! The Tsar will be overjoyed when he sees you're okay. Prince Dmitri will be waiting for you in the room on the other side. Please, look after the princess!



Yusupov: I'll keep guard at the entrance here.

With that, Yusupov quickly retreats up the stairs. Joachim seems to have that effect on people.



Okay!


There's a save point right by the entrance. There's also something strange about the skeleton slumped against the wall.

Pure white bones form a cradle around an old-looking book...

You got Nibelung Scene 8

Extra Geuschbenst power!

Pieces of this opera keep turning up in the oddest places.


On the other side of the entrance, our way is blocked.

I bet we can open it with this lever. Look, it has the same symbol on it.
That's not a "symbol"! It's a perfectly good Cyrillic character!
How do you read it?




We can examine the gate.



You know, while this makes sense typed out, she's actually saying "'deh' is read 'deh'" which is just confusing.


We can also examine the nearby lever.


We can then choose to pull the lever, which opens the gate.

I get it. All we have to do is move the lever with the same symbol and the gate opens.
It's not a "symbol." It's a letter of the Russian alphabet!

It's all moonspeak to me. vv


Anyway, we can now access the rest of the maze. There are several pairs of gates and levers. It is interesting to note that if this was built as an escape route for the Imperial family that they would need help from the outside to escape because of the placement of the switch and gate near the exit to the canal. Without someone to open the gate for them, it just becomes an elaborate deathtrap.


Correction, an elaborate haunted deathtrap. We have Jacks, Jills, and Agonys (Agonies?) wandering around in here.


Straight ahead from the first gate, there's a Thera Root hidden by the skeleton where the corridor turns.


There are two gates blocking the way down the left-hand corridor.

Wrong. When it's the Russian alphabet, "A" is read "ah."



"b" is a "lenition," or "consonant weakening," symbol. It doesn't have a reading.


There are two more gates blocking the way north.

That's "E," and it's read "yeh." We should find the lever that goes to it.




There's a short passage to the left we can go down. It has a Lottery Ticket hidden at the bend.


There's a single switch at the end of the passage that opens the eastern-most gate.

That's "E," and it's read "yeh."
Yeah, that's what I thought... It says "E," and that's pronounced "yeh."

Suuuure you did.




Going through the newly opened gate and heading north at the fork, we find something in one of the cells.


Oh my God...



Awroo, awroo... (Half-dead...? Wrong. I'll never die.) Awroo... Awroo. (I love the taste of live wolf flesh. I ate so much, I became immortal.)
Awroo, awroo... (And so you're just going to hang around this world forever, huh? Poor guy...)


Now, where's my chainsaw?



...You look pretty tasty. I'll lap you up--guts, fur, bones and all!


Necros isn't much of a threat...if you're prepared. He doesn't hit even half as hard as Blanca at this point, but he can cause Paralysis, rendering Blanca helpless. Bhodi Bracelet takes care of that little problem nicely.


He's defeated fairly quickly.





Die with dignity. That's the way of the wolf.




Necros fades away, but not before stamping our card.


Continuing north, we run into Ring Soul right before the path turns south again.



You're doing a good job, but hasn't your image changed somehow...?
I can see it! I can see your future! This I entrust to you!

You got Attack Boost

Sure. Thanks.
Maybe I was too nervous or something, but my performance was far too stilted before. Now it's really flowing!
Flowing...? It just sounds a little short to me now. And what about all that stuff you used to say afterwards?
Of course! I nearly forgot! Guess I got a little too relaxed! Here goes... I will appear to you again, to bestow upon you more power... But beware! I am always watching... Watching to see if you are truly the one to command destiny...
Sure thing.
Okay, see you, then!
Wait! Next time, why don't you try impersonating your wife or something?! I wanna see what she's like!
Huh? Impersonate my wife? When I'm being the Ring Soul?
Yeah! You can do it, right? You're an actor, aren't you?
I wouldn't exactly say an actor... I mean, I've always been the Ring Soul. But I guess I might be able to...
You can! I'm sure of it! This is gonna be great!
O-okay, then! I'll start practicing! See you!
Bye!


Yuri is weird.


Moving on, there's a chest at the end of the path. It has the Leraje Crest (Arc Rage).


Now we go all the way south, past the fork, to get to the next switch.

Yeah, right. That's "K," and it's read "kah." So what should we do?


We pull the lever.


The Magician tarot card is hidden against the wall just before we get to the now open gate.


A Leonardo's Bear is hidden on the other side of the gate.


The passage soon opens up into a crypt.


Andromalius Crest (Bright Light, Bright Crime) is hidden in the lower-left corner.


The upper-right corner of the room has a chart on the wall. I wonder if the letters can be rearranged to actually spell something in Russian?

Those are the same characters that are written on the gates.
Hey, I know. Maybe it tells us if the gates in the passageway are open or not?
So maybe red lights show the gates that are already open?

Neat, but pretty useless.


A large coffin dominates the middle of the left wall.

A sorrowful air drifts from the stone.


One last item of interest in this room.

Huh? What does it say?



Heading north from the crypt we find the exit, but it's completely blocked.

No, I don't think so. But there's a faint, eerie presence coming from this door... I think somebody's ghostly regrets are keeping this door sealed shut.
Somebody? Who?
I don't know exactly, but probably one of the Russian nobles that was locked up here, I'd say.
The regrets of a Russian noble...
We'd better do something or we won't be able to sneak into the palace.


We also find another switch up here.

That's "A," and it's read "ah."
.........


Moving this switch gives us a shorter route back to the entrance.


Heading south from the crypt and turning left at the first fork, we find a chest with the Ring Effect Seal 2 in it.


A bit further south, there's a Talisman of Luck hidden against the wall.


To the far southwest, there's a Strongoids hidden in a cell.


There are two last gates in this area.

That's "P," and it's read "ehr." See? The shape is slightly different from the Roman alphabet "P."

Um, if you say so.






There's a switch right by the last gate.

That's "P," and it's read "ehr"!
Well, you don't have to get so uppity about it!


Seven, like on the chart. Don't you pay attention to anything?

Stop your whining! And get moving!


We can now reach the switch behind the "P" gate, but instead of going the long way around, we go south from the switch and then north at the next fork. There's a chest along the way with a Plastron inside.


This leads to the switch for the gate we were just at.



What do you know? Learn something new every day. Now then...


We now have a shorter route to the last switch.



Are you making fun of me? ..."b" is a "lenition," or "consonant weakening," symbol. It doesn't have a reading.
Well, fancy that.



Maybe the gate near the entrance opened? Let's go see.


We head to the last unexplored section. There's a gleam on the floor.



Really? Let me see. Hey, you're right. It looks like a necklace.


Why are they even bothering to ask? Primary game rule: If it isn't nailed down, take it. If it is nailed down, check for loose nails.

You got Silver Locket


Well, I guess we should give this back to the rightful owner.



Say, Yuri, let's give him back his locket.



Hey, the mood of this place suddenly cleared, don't you think?
Yeah, that ghostly atmosphere is gone.
I bet his sadness was trapped here all this time. I'm sorry for what my ancestors did to you, sir...


The exit is now unblocked and we can get into the palace.


The secret passage opens lets out into the room with all the statues.


Well, time to go save a horribly ineffectual ruler and his bitch of a wife!