Part 7: Day 2 Part 4: Lost Thursday

All right! Sorry for the brief delay, I couldn't really do computer stuff over the weekend because my computer broke, yay! Anyway it's fixed enough now to continue.

I mentioned that Nigel has a big day today, because there's a lot of stuff he has to do, and so do we. He's had a pretty successful morning ghost-hunting, spelunking, stealing, and reading and he's decided to try and find the old Agers house on Raven Lane based on an old poem about a probable child rape/murder he found sitting prominently in front of a man who speaks through a doll.



So much bizarre stuff in this game! Saxton is full of all kinds of odd folks. Who will we meet next? This lady (a reverse witch):



Meeting Katherine Karswell (2 minutes)

Good afternoon!
Oh, you startled me!
Oh, I'm sorry, I should have...
Oh, no, no. It's my fault. I was miles away. Somewhere between spring and summer...



You should be complimented on your garden.
Oh, thank you. It's both a burden and a joy. It feeds us and provides much of what we need.
You sound like a witch.
I beg your pardon?!
Oh. No! I meant as in a wicca, or chemist.
I see, yes... I guess you could be right. I do create many charms and potions from petal and leaf. Such pretty young things.


Is that horrible letter meant for you?
Oh, don't! That silly old codger, he should know better. His affections upset my dear Robert, bless him. He's a sensitive soul.
Robert?
Oh, where are my manners? I'm Katherine Karswell. My husband Robert is in his workshop. Fuming at present!
Why's that?
He's convinced I'm going to run of with the farmer!
And are you?
Oh, goodness no. Smelly man. I'll get no joy from Robert until he's calmed himself. (I feel like there's more wrong with the farmer than being "silly" and "smelly?")
Umm, how will you do that?
Via his stomach. As always!


I can smell cooking!
Ah, that'll be the broth. I'm making lunch, why don't you join us?
I'd love to! What's on the menu?
An old favourite, 7 Pigeon and Nut broth. It's an Anglo-Saxon recipe.
Really?! Now there's a thing. Is it.. well, edible?
Good heavens, I should hope so! Perhaps you could help?
I'm not exactly a TV celebrity chef, though.
TV chefs, what's that? You've lost me.
Oh, not to worry. Where do we start?
I'll pick some more of these bay leaves, while you read the recipe. It's in the kitchen, past Jasper the Parrot.
I'll have a look around, if you don't mind.


Now, if I know my English behaviour, Katherine probably was only being polite when she invited Nigel to lunch. It's not like he ever introduced himself! She doesn't seem to mind that he's taken her up on it, though she has put him to work. Let's go see what's in 7 Pigeon and Nut broth, then. Pigeons and nuts, maybe?



Some things to look at here, first the stone disc and then the bird:
It's been washed smooth by heavy spring rain.
This must be Jasper, the parrot? Hmm, maybe a mockingbird, instead.



The Karswell kitchen, with knickknacks we can look at. The only important ones are the recipe book by the stove, and that stone disc, about which Nigel comments:
The patterned stone is heavily cracked, probably frost damage.



Actually this sounds pretty nice, kind of a chicken soup. Someone should make it.

Nigel heads back outside to see what Katherine wants him to do.
About these ingredients?
I'll prepare the birds and bacon, while you shop in the hedgerows and woodlands.



Where will I find the... cobnuts?
Cobbenuts, or hazelnuts as you might know them, grow in the small thickets of the wood, just down the lane.
Where will I find the 'wood mushrooms?'
The answer's in the name, but I will add that you'll want to find a shady patch, perhaps near the old monument.
Does the garlic grow in your garden?
No, wrong season I'm afraid. You'll have to find some wild garlic, near the stream. It likes the damp, but... avoid the train line.
I thought the trains weren't running?
Oh, don't worry yourself. Just stay away from the train tracks.
Where can I find the chives?
There's some early flowering wild varieties in the drier soil at the top of the lane.


Katherine said Robert was upset, but let's talk to him anyway. Surely he'll talk to Nigel!



Meeting Robert Karswell (.5 minute)
Excuse me, but can you-
I've told you, silly goose, that I'm not to be disturbed.
Mr. Karswell, I am not-
The afternoon post, or my lunch, is all I'm expecting. Now get to it, there's precious work to be done.

Welp.

These ingredients aren't a puzzle so much as a wander around and click on things. Katherine told us where to find them, but there's a lot of screens in this area (most of which I haven't showed you) and some of them were a little vague. They don't stand out with color, you just have to mouse around until the 'use tool' icon shows.

Katherine didn't tell me the chives were guarded by a ferocious horse!



The wild garlic and cobnuts are both on this screen (way to avoid the tracks, Nigel):



And the mushrooms are tougher to find. They're in some woods which I haven't shown you yet, but are easy to get a little lost in. Note the monument thingy.



Katherine has moved to the kitchen, and it's Nigel's job to use the mortar and pestle to crush the nuts, as well as use the cutting board to chop the garlic, chives, and mushrooms. More screens I won't bother showing, it's not exactly Cooking Mama.




Put 'em in the pot already!






I guess "garlic root to taste" means no root at all. Nigel: not a TV celebrity chef. Katherine has one more job for us, one I kind of feel she should have been able to do herself:
Is that all? Is the broth ready to stew?
Almost. We need one final ingredient. Something rather special.
Ah ha. Tell me more.
We need some hedgerow balm. It's a natural sedative. It will flavour the broth as well as provide a little stress relief for that husband of mine. He won't notice a thing. (My kind of witch.)
What does balm look like?
There's a painting in the bedroom. Take a good look.



Here's their cozy little bedroom. Nigel can look at the shelf:



(flower drawing)Yes, I think I saw some in the hedge.
(stone disc) It's been bleached, by the summer sun.

It is just outside in this flower bed. Nigel can also nick some other blossoms (a dandelion, daisy, and pink one he can't identify).



I send Nigel inside and put the leaves into the pot.
There, it's ready to stew. It'll need a good two hours on this stove. You look exhausted. Put your feet up by the hearth and I'll put the kettle on.


I suppose we can assume that Nigel and Katherine got to know one another a little better during that 2-hour cooking time, so hopefully lunch wasn't too awkward. The game skips us forward to some point after lunch, though:



Katherine, victim to her own sedative? Truly a reverse witch. Let's go bother Robert, then.



I am sorry for disturbing your work, earlier today.
No, no, it is I who should apologize. I get... carried away, you see.
I'd like to discuss something with you.
Very well, there's no time like the present.


Katherine is a wonderful cook and great company.
Aye, she's a pretty young thing, and sharp as a blackthorn. I don't know what I'd do without her.
She seems devoted.
Aye, but that old scarecrow up the lane has his eye on her.
The farmer? I don't think you have any worries, Mr. Karswell.


Was the broth to your satisfaction?
It was wonderful as always, oh yes. It amazes me what Katherine can conjure from the weeds that grow around this old farm.
Old farm? Ahh, maybe you can help me...



Do you know anything about the previous owners, the Agers?
Ager? Ager... no, I can't say that I do. We nabbed this place at auction, back in the 60's.
The 60's? But you're only... nevermind. Do go on.
Well, the place was done for. Burnt out, falling down. Cost us, well, Katherine's folks, a pretty penny to make liveable again.


Did you find anything valuable when you first arrived?
Valuable? Well, no. There were a few sheep camped out in the parlour.
No hidden passages, compartments... treasures?
Pah, you've been reading too much Enid Blyton!


Is there anything significant about the house?
Well, they say that the house is one of the "last of Northfield."
Northfield?
Aye, the old village name. The rest has gone now, but the church remains.
The church? What church?
Aye, it's up through the woods... somewhere.
You're not a churchy person?
Ahh, not really. Not really the happy clappy type.
Let's talk about something else.
Very well.


What are you up to, it looks like archaeology.
Close! It's actually geology. Well, that's what I tell myself.
Are you stuck with something?
Aye, you could say that. I found this slab near the old millstones up in Carrion Wood.



Mill stones, Carrion Wood?
Aye, the woods down the lane. At the summit, there's a series of... well, I don't rightly know what they are. We call 'em millstones. Seeing as they turn and all.


One of the stones has been destroyed.
Aye, that'd be me, I'm afraid. Got a little carried away with my geology. Chipping away, the whole blasted thing collapsed.


What are these round slabs for?
That's what I'm trying to work out. They have a pattern on 'em, a symbol.
Do you think it's significant?
A story, perhaps? Or a direction? I found them near the millstones.
So you think there's a connection?
Aye, I do. You should read my notes, if you haven't already.


Where did you find the round slabs?
Scattered al over Carrion Wood. Some were under the soil, others were exposed... like they were waiting to be found.
The woods have a strange atmosphere, don't you think?
Aye, they do. I don't mind admitting that there's corners to that wood that give me the shivers.
Ghosts, perhaps?
Oh, listen to us, spooking ourselves.
I'll leave you in peace.
Pop back if you need anything.


Now we can look around in his stuff! First, we grab those oak sticks Robert mentioned. Then we check out his microscope (with fragments from a broken stone disc in it) and various notes:






Robert also has a map, which Nigel copies into his notebook, ink blots and all. It would have been useful before most players got themselves lost while looking for mushrooms:



Time to head into the cheerful and sunny Carrion Woods again!



What follows is another puzzle. There's a few elements to this one:
- the disks themselves clue us into their meaning. The one meaning "winter" is cracked by frost, for example.
- the millstones are numbered 1-4 in a line
- if you remember those books in Celtic Corner, they told us that back in the day most people considered the first season to be winter
- the millstones turn and have a different symbol on each face

So the solution to the puzzle is to rotate each pillar so that the first one displays winter, the second one displays spring, the third one summer, and the broken one is moot but it is autumn. The oak sticks were used to turn the millstones. Like so:



There's one more step, which isn't obvious at all- you have to look through the top hole of the first millstone, and then you can see the Northfield church tower:



Which came first, the church or the millstones? Anyway looking through any of them before that point, or any others, just shows you trees or sky or something.

Now that Nigel knows where the church is... sort of... he feels like he can venture down the side-path off Raven Lane which we could see but not travel down.




It's happy clappy time! A new to-do list:



This churchyard and interior is another area with lots of irrelevant screens, but let me know if I'm not including enough of them.

I don't understand why this screen has a torn-paper reflecting edge, maybe Nigel ripped a hole in spacetime (and ghosts and/or treasure will come out!)



We can wander around here and look at the churchyard, exterior and interior- but if we do that now we'll be wasting time. What we ought to do first is go round to the back and talk to another new friend:



Meeting Mr. Russett (2 minutes)
(We don't learn his name here, but we will soon enough so I'll just use it now.)
Excuse me, may I disturb you?
No worries, lad, you don't disturb me.



Strange job you have... grave digging.
Preparing the bed is what I prefer to call it.


I'm visiting the church. I've travelled from Saxton.
Well, ain't that somefing. Run along lad, do yer visiting.


Why do the crows not come into this area of the churchyard?
Them old crows know better than to dwell near open graves.


Can you spare me a few moments? I have some questions.
I'm rather busy, lad. If I can get my work done, I'll have some time for you.
Perhaps I can help?
That you probably can.
Just say the word, and I'll get straight on it.
Oh lad, you are eager. Perhaps you'll be the lucky one.
The lucky one?
Oh, don't mind me, just speaking out loud. I'm only used to the birds, you see. Damn birds. Black as ink they are. They've taken poor Tom again. Taken him, and scattered him all over.
What do you mean?
Taken his name, and scattered him all over. If you put poor Tom together again, I reckon I might have a few moments to... converse.
OK, I'll see what I can do.


Nigel has no idea what he's talking about. It kind of sounds like we have to put a person back together again? If we don't do anything, Mr. Russett begins talking to himself (or the birds):
With me own bare hands, always digging.
Blasted Crowman, he should know better.

Digging graves with a rake and bare hands eh? In a suit? Quite a job he's got there!

Let's check that pail next to Mr. Russett:



Aha. On the way here we passed by this gravestone:



Yep, we've got to find those missing letters. Pesky crows. They're scattered all over the churchyard. A few select screens from this alphabetical hide-and-seek:






What is this book doing just... sitting here?




And a relevant gravestone!



OK, let's put poor Tom back together again. (Tom Oliver is a reference to the first Dark Fall game!)



And collect our reward!

I've finished putting poor old Tom back together.
That you have, lad. He's looking on you kindly now. I've got more time for your questions, if you have something to ask?



Why are there so many crows in the churchyard?
They say there's a crow for every soul in this yard, they do. Watch how they be looking at you. The bad side of a crow's gaze has been known to strike a man down where he stands.


The church is very isolated, why is that?
A great plague, The Black Death. 12th century, it were. A terrible time, lad. Truly terrible. Dead littered the streets and lanes of Northfield. Cattle and livestock roamed the country unattended. Brother deserted brother. Mother deserted her young. One third of the people died. All across Europe. Timber buildings soon rot away, and there ain't nuffin to show for Northfield. It's a ghost of its former self.


Do you believe in ghosts?
Aye, that I do. The friends we have in life are still wiv us.




Are there any ghosts here at Northfield?
Aye, I'd say so. Old Nick walks this churchyard after dark. He's looking for something, that's for sure. You've probably met Old Nick. He's in the church, laid out on his back, poor devil. I be reckoning he's the one you'll want to see. A word of warning though, be careful how you're looking on him.


What do you think ghosts are?
Well I never, what a question. I can't say I know. Spirits, maybe? Those who need to move on. There's something they have to know, or something they want to tell us. Maybe they've got unfinished business with the living. Either way, I don't bother them and they don't bother me.


Can I come back here tonight, to ghost hunt?
Hunting ghosts, is it? Those who go looking for the dead are asking for trouble. You watch what you're doing. The dead folk of Northfield won't take kindly to any disrespect. But if you're determined, I'm thinking I might leave the doors open tonight and light you a few candles.
Can I ask about something else?
Go ahead, lad.


Does the name 'Ager' mean anything to you?
Agers is it? I should have known. What you be wanting with 'em?



Did you know any of the Ager family?
Yes, I knew William Ager. Not personally, but I knew of him. He wasn't ah, how shall I say this? Quite right in the head. A bit simple, if you know what I mean. Oohh, this was back in the 1940s. Ager didn't go to fight, he was sickly. Bad breathing, bad heart, bad everything. They say the family spread their seed too thinly. Deformities, and so forth.


Was there a connection between the Agers and the legend of the Anglo-Saxon crown?
There's talk that the Agers knew the location of that last crown. And I'm guessing they weren't the only ones. People don't go looking for things that don't need finding. The people of the fens are superstitious folk, you know. They believe in the 'old ways,' the ways of the land. It's best not to disturb them that sleep.


What connection do the Agers have with the church?
Oh, that's a good one. Thomas Ager was rector to this parish, two hundred years past. Odd fellow he was, greedy and deceitful. We ain't allowed to talk about him to the vicar. He won't hear a bad word against him, but I can tell you there was darkness in his heart. Old Nick knew it. Some say it cost him his life. Poor old Nick.


Where can I find out more about the Ager family?
William Ager, he died in the 40's. Terrible for him, it was. He died of tuberculosis, water on the lungs. I heard he was near hysterical. Terrified that there'd be no-one left to carry the family name. You see, some folks say the Agers were guarding a great secret, entrusted to the family for centuries. I'd start with the museum folks, in Saxton. Or old Nanny Noah. She knows a thing or two.


I'll get on with my visit.
Be seeing you, laddie. Be seeing you.


Phew! I must say I didn't expect a gravedigger to be so chatty. He was just full of information about dead folks, though! I like Mr. Russett, he's very down to earth.

The church is open, so we head on in. We know it's haunted, so Nigel does a bit of ghost-hunting.



Ghost hunting in Northfield Church - Daytime (6 minutes)

First of all, Nigel leaves his camera on the table by the entrance. Maybe he thinks ghosts use the door.



We investigate the pews, and Nigel sees someone walking the aisles...




Nigel also makes an audio recording. If we listen back, we hear garbled shouts and possibly laughter, as well as repeated chopping or banging noises.

Here's poor old Nick.



No hands!



Using the camcorder above his bier shows a few orbs floating up out of sight:



We hear the camera trip off and take a photo, so we continue around the corner, where there's a rood screen with names on it...



And through the camcorder?



Only the finest in day-glo engraving for the Agers. We can record audio too, which along with some loud groans says "He took my hands... Ager... go, go" (repeated in various ways)

Back to the camera by the entrance:




Hmm. There's a little side room in this church as well:



And the camcorder on the painting:


There's something about those eyes...

Yeesh. Not quite as haunted as his own Harbour Cottage, during the daytime anyway, but there's definitely something going on here. That's all we can do here for now, as far as ghosts are concerned. Nigel says the usual about the three-crowns tapestry there, so let's talk to this priest!

Meeting the Vicar (1 minute)

Good afternoon, vicar. May I speak with you?
Oh, very well, if you must, but time and tide wait for no man... and I've lost something terribly important. I really must find it. (Then why are you standing there reading?)
Maybe I could help you find it?
Oh bless you, bless you, dear little man!
Can you tell me what we are looking for?
If I could, I would! I simply can't remember! I just know that I need it, and it's terribly important.
Well, where did you leave it?
It's around here somewhere. Oh, then again, let me think.. where would I have put something so important? My memory is not what it was.
When did you lose it?
Ahhh! I believe I lost it between Wednesday and Friday.
Bye for now.
Feel free to wander God's house!


A sweet old man, if forgetful. What he's lost is indeed around here somewhere, and the only place we really saw any stuff is the lobby:





Let's bring it back to him. (This conversation gets into a number of submenus, it's quite lengthy.)

I found this on the noticeboard. It appears to be a service plan, for next Thursday.
Oh deary me, yes! I lost Thursday. I'm always losing Thursday. Bless you, bless you young man. My week is complete. Oh goodness, I'm late delivering Thursday to the flower arrangers. The WI women create the most lovely arrangements. A true symphony of petal, bud, and leaf. Take Thursday, and give it to Nanny Noah. She'll know what to do.
Yes, I'm sure I can do that. I was planning to return to Saxton once my business here is finished.
Business? Oh how very odd. What business?



Does the name Ager mean anything to you?
Ager, Ager... hmm, yes, that name does ring a bell. Let me see...
I believe the Agers lived nearby?
It's a very old name in these parts, so I wouldn't doubt it. There's a William Ager buried in the churchyard, along with his ancestors.
Did the Agers have a strong connection with Northfield church?
Oh, good heavens yes! Thomas Ager, who died in 1799, was a rector of this very church. I must say that I am thrilled that you find our history so interesting.



Thomas Ager was a vicar?!
No, no dear boy. He was a rector. There's a difference.
Did he worship here, at the church?
Oh yes, he was a most devout servant. His name is listed on the rood screen, by the chancel. You'll find it if you look.
What happened to Thomas Ager?
It's interesting that you should ask, as there's a whiff of mystery surrounding his later years. He came into a large sum of money, most of which he ploughed straight back into the church. When money is given to such a worthwhile cause, people tend to accept, no questions asked.
Did Thomas Ager have a large family?
The Agers were a very large family, in Thomas's time. Slowly the family number decreased, and finally vanished some years ago. William was the last, poor wretched soul. He drove himself to an early grave, you know. He was in a terrible state. The family line was drawing to a close, and he feared there would be nobody to carry the family name. I always sensed that he carried with him a terrible burden. A secret of some description. Perhaps it was a family secret, passed down from one generation to the next. I dare say old Thomas Ager would have shared the burden, in his time. But that is all in the past, and we must always look to the future.

(I thought the vicar hated talking about Thomas Ager?)

Can I ask you about the church?
Of course you may, go ahead.



Who is that, in the painting?
Ahh, that's my great, great, great, great, great... oh, he's an ancestor. A very old one. He was vicar of this parish for 50 years, back in the 18th century. He knew a thing or two about keeping the heathen masses subdued. I can only wish I shared his talent in that department. (But isn't that a portrait of...?) I must say, it is wonderful to meet someone of your generation who is so interested in our history. What makes you so different?

Pick your favorite reply:



regardless of Nigel's reply:
Motivation is always a good thing, no matter what the cause. The devil makes work for idle hands, you know.


How long have you been vicar of this church?
A very short ime. I moved back to this area 30 years ago. I am still new to the parish.
30 years? I'm 30 years old! Why do people see you as an outsider?
There are families around Northfield with ancestry dating back to the doomsday book. I am very new arrival, you see.
Do you play the violin?
No, no, not for an awfully long time. There just are not enough hours in the day. The lord, in all his generosity, provides ample time for contemplation, but my violin will have to wait.


Who is the statue of the sleeping man?
I have no idea. There are those who know these things, and find them interesting, but I am not one of them. That statue takes up valuable church space, and is a distraction to the congregation. It is a trial to keep their attention at the best of times. (If Gurney has a bier inside a church, doesn't that mean he was an important church guy? Plus he was probably murdered by Thomas Ager...)
It gives off a strange atmosphere... almost as if that corner of the church was special in some way.
Special?! I have not noticed anything 'special.'


I bet this old church has secrets.
Oh dear. You young people are so adventurous these days. Always looking for darkness in forgotten corners, and mystery in your own shadow. But, I dare say that this building has seen some horrors, mystery, and intrigue. They say the building is built upon an Anglo-Saxon sanctuary of reflection, whatever that means! If you are interested in such things, which you obviously are, you should speak with old Russett. You can find him in the churchyard.


Can I ask about the churchyard?
I'll help you if I can.



Do you mind the crows? They seem to own the church.
(singing) All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small. I cannot dislike the crows, dear boy. They are all God's creatures. Do the crows frighten you?



Again, regardless of Nigel's response:
The old faith in these parts believed that the crows were the spies and messengers of the dark lords and earth gods. Silly superstitious nonsense. Although I must admit that they do seem to watch our progress through life with envious eyes.


The churchyard is kept very well, for such an isolated spot.
Oh yes, Mr. Russett keeps the place looking spic & span, when he's not hiding from the crows. He hates the feathered fiends. They terrify him, in fact.
Why is the church so isolated?
The Black Death, my boy. The Black Death! There was once a thriving community based around the church tower. When the disease struck the village it came with no warning. Whole generations were lost overnight. A terrible, terrible tragedy. No evidence of the old village remains, as many of the buildings are now hidden by the encroaching woodland beyond the church wall.

All right already, we didn't come here for a sermon.



This has been a really informative trip! Quite a couple of chatterboxes, those two. Still, I don't feel like they told us everything... I'm sure we've seen the name Russett before, and I have a few questions about the vicar. We'll be back, and we may not have seen the last of them.



Anyway, it's late afternoon. It's close to tea-time, and the museum must be open by now too. Next update in a couple of days!

The best bit of this update:


We're really getting into the story, now. There's been a bunch of names, so maybe you guys want to recap? Here's some stuff you might want to talk about :

1. I mentioned we'd seen Cole Tawny, the boy from Bob's photo, before. No one has found him yet!
2. In this update I mentioned that we've seen the name Russett before...
3. The Agers seem to be important! We've heard of three: William, Thomas, and a third no one has picked up on yet.
4. It might be worth listing out what we know about the Agers, Gurney, and Gruel, just to start keeping names straight.
5. Some of the characters we've met seem a little more odd than others. Any speculations?

Also, there's a lot of information now but few answers. What are the things you're keeping an eye out for/stuff you want to know about or get solved?