Part 12: Day 3 Part 2: A Weak Mind

Alright, if you remember the last update, Nigel was asked by Nanny Noah to do a trial run of her treasure hunt (after Nigel spied on Lucy). We've just stopped by the museum for another clue, where we pretended we didn't break in last night and then promptly tampered with surveillance so we could steal a telescope. By tomorrow Nigel will have forgotten all about this, just like he's already forgotten all about stealing Mr. Gruel's book.

The telescope is jammed- we can't have that. If we're going to straight-up steal things because they set off the EMF meter, those things have got to work! It's a good thing we've just met someone who is good at fixing stuff.



Good afternoon, Bob.
It's Mr. Tawny now, lad. Working hours.
Oh, uhm, quite. Could you take a look at this telescope?
Playing up, is it?
Yes, stuck in place. I can't focus it.
Ah, I see. Leave it with me, I'll see to it this afternoon.


(I missed a screenshot here, but it's just the dialogue options.)

That book you leant me is strange.
I thought you'd like it. (He sounds pleased with himself, as he seems to have expected Nigel would like a strange book.)


What do you know about Harbour Cottage?
Molina owned that place. Foreign he was. He came from Spain.
Does it have a... how can I say this... a bad history?
Yes, you could say that. Molina killed himself in there. Hung himself from the beam. Old ship's beam it was, from the time of the Armada.
Oh God, that's horrible. Do you think he may haunt the place?
Haunt? You mean ghosts?
Yes.
That place has changed, beyond recognition. I believe you'll be ok. For now.


What do you know about the murder in the woods?
Not a lot. Those woods are dark, ancient, and hide their secrets well.


Nanny Noah read my palm.
Ha, damn girl. At her tricks, is she?
Girl, what girl? (RUDE!!)
Rose is an old spirit.


I'll let you work.
Fortune be with you.


I wonder if Nigel thought up a really elaborate story about how he happens to have a vintage telescope he needs fixing the night after the town museum was broken into? Just in case Bob asked? ...nnnnah.

OK, well if you remember the butterfly clue, we were actually headed for the lighthouse. Let's carry on:



Hello there!
Hello. I... well.. I saw you over by the Martello Tower. Earlier today.
Oh, that. It's not what you think.
It's none of my business... but is there something I should know?
No, everything is going to be fine. I came up here to think, and... well, I'm going to fix things. Today. This afternoon in fact.
Can I help?
No, there's something I need to do. But in the meantime, take this.




Huh! A walkie talkie! Where did you get them?
Dad. He uses them when setting up the Fayre.
I see. Well, let me know if you need anything.
Will do! Good luck with the treasure hunt.
How did you know?
Ah ha! Nanny Noah has been bragging all about her new helper.
Aah, I see. I better get on, wouldn't want to disappoint her.


TOO LATE, NIGEL. You've disappointed them all, you storybook evil wizard.

More Hadden Tech, they're like... British Samsung. That's a clue under that rock. Let's take it.



Well, I'm not sure what Nanny Noah means by the old folk needing no circles... but I can only think of one snake I've seen. It's conveniently on our way back into town!



Rhys has nothing new to say, but let's check out that crystal ball again.



Is that Hardacre? Huh. Well, here's our clue:



You should know where this clue will take us. We did mean to stop by the Saxton Caverns anyway, as we finally got something involving a pasque flower, which Emily Travers's spirit keeps going on about.



As Nigel approaches the cave, a scrap of paper blows past him and into the cave.

I do hope that wasn't the last clue.


Of course it wasn't, it clearly said "9" and we're only on clue 6.

Tracking down the clue inside the dark cave is actually pointless right now, a thing which I wasted a bunch of time on the first time I played this. You're meant to forget about the treasure hunt completely at this point, it seems, and head straight for Emily's spirit:



Is there anybody there? Am I alone in this place? Can you see me? Can you hear me? Show me you are here!


Emily's spirit manifests to shut him up.



Are you trapped in this place? Can I help you in some way?


Emily doesn't answer, but we already know what she wants, don't we? Now, I did try to pick a real pasque flower from the field earlier, but Nigel just said "that's not right" like picking wild flowers is some kind of crime, and he would never commit a crime. Emily will have to make do with our pasque flower photo. She's a ghost, it's not like she would have been able to interact with a flower anyway.

After some fumbled clicking about, players will find that there is a rock which they can newly click on. Not to be confused with the clickable most of the rest of the screen, which is Emily's spirit.



... thank you... thank you... pasque flower... Ager promised the pasque flower.. I am released.... seek your future.... All is revealed... goodbye, my friend...




Emily's spirit changes into a circular pattern, glowing and turning slightly. We've seen something like this before, and I have Nigel take a photo.



It's a symbol, but I have no idea what it means.


Aha! It's another one of these. Why are these ghosts holding onto these symbols? Maybe we'll find out. Congratulations on eradicating a local tourist attraction, Nigel!

Remember how I said that players are just supposed to forget about that clue that blew into the cave? Well, keep forgetting about it. Just exit that cave like we never came in here looking for a clue in the first place. Do not waste time clicking everywhere in the large cave looking in every direction.



Ah, there it is!



NO TREASURE?!

It's kind of funny how Nanny Noah's treasure hunt led us to all the areas in town with new conversations and things to do, isn't it? Nanny Noah seems like a pretty cool old lady. I'd be her friend. I like treasure hunts and dogs too.



Where is Hardacre sneaking off to? I must find out what he's up to.


Okay, first of all, Hardacre wasn't sneaking. He was just walking. Second, you really don't have to find out what he's up to. It's none of your business, Nigel.

But that's not how this game works! So let's follow him.



Hardacre is heading into an area Nigel wouldn't explore previously, called The Pinnacles. It's a rocky area on the shore and another area you might get a little bit lost in. Right now though it's easy to follow Hardacre because he leads us through the 4 or 5 screens.



Just like the crystal ball showed us! Wowwwwww!

Hardacre? Professor! So this is where you hide yourself? With the crabs, and the fish heads?
Piss off, Danvers. (I like this guy.)
Now now, professor. Mind your blood pressure.
Is there something you want, Danvers?




Is that a camera?
Nope. Guess again.




Telescope?
Close, but no. Try again.
Kaleidoscope?
Oh dear, or dear. Not the brightest spark.
Sextant?
A sextant is used for navigation at sea, Danvers, you moron.
I give up.
Oh well, never mind. You can't win them all. Or any, for that matter.


Let's try that again.

Theodolite?
Spot on. My father's theolodite to be precise.
Hmm, how Freudian. What does it do?
It allows the landscape to tell me exactly what I need to know.
Come again?
I'm using it to precisely survey the terrain. These formations may be the vital clue.


Is the treasure hidden amongst these rocks?
Hmppff. Perhaps. Buried deep under centuries of crustaceans.
It does feel like an ancient, organic world.
Some of these rocks are not stone at all.
What do you mean to say? The rocks are alive?? (Yes of course Nigel you moron the rocks are alive)
In a word, yes. They are formed by thousands of barnacles, limpets, and mussels.
Urgh, I'll keep that in mind.
You should. Stand around too long and you may find yourself petrified.


Did I just hear a bell, like a ship's bell?
Yup, on this here wireless. But there is a life-bell, out among the rocks.
I see. To warn ships away from the rocks?
That's right. GPS meant early retirement for the Saxton Bell.
Hmm, we may need that bell if this mist continues to thicken. There's something... unnatural about it.
Drifting, always drifting... like faceless ghosts.
Eh-ehem, Professor, about that bell.
Well, you'd need the crank handle first.
Where can I find that?
Nowhere. It washed away years ago.


Do you believe in the Saxton Monster?
Old Grindle you mean? The Dragon?
Yes. It's just a folk tale, isn't it?
All good stories have a foundation in truth, Danvers.
Oh dear, professor. Are you saying you believe in dragons?
Some would say we are standing on Grindle right now.
Under the sand?
Or hidden under these barnacle-covered rocks.
Like toes, teeth, or claws....
Ha! That's the idea. The landscape is an old one. It hides its secrets well.


I kind of think Hardacre won that one. Hardacre! For some reason, we're supposed to ring that bell. This puzzle involves wandering around The Pinnacles and clicking in corners to find the crank handle. Also, there's this box we can find:




Do you think?

We can further click on the rotten fish to make Nigel rummage around in them, because that's what a sane person does. Nigel's little search does turn up something interesting though:



That's a photo of Nigel, if you can't quite tell. It looks like he was on the train. "Who would do this?" is a pretty good question though.

Further beachcombing in a different area reveals this mess:



I make Nigel click on it a bunch to extricate the crank handle from the rotten ropes. He didn't complain about handling rotten fish, so some rope is ok.



Nigel is a total problem-solver. Washed away years ago? We'll see about that! Time for some crankin' and ringin' for a reason I still don't understand.





Job done, let's go smug at Hardacre. The bell actually picks up an echo and begins to reverberate and amplify as Nigel moves across a few screens. Eventually we're stopped, because:



The bell, it's echoing around the cave... getting louder and louder... it's in my head.




Nigel has some kind of weird vision here, of Ganwulf's helm, misty effects, and a deep voice saying something in a language I don't understand.

I actually made a Youtube video of the bell and vision part. (1.5 minutes)



The vision ends and we're returned to Nigel.

A vision? An echo from the past? The present? The future?


If you say so, Nigel. Let's go find Hardacre.



I say, are you alright Danvers? You look a bit off-colour.
I'm... I'm not sure.
This mist can play tricks on a weak mind.




Do you know of any Anglo-Saxon myths regarding these rocks?
Check the museum, I can't be bothered to recount the details.
Where's your equipment?
It's safe. Stay away from it.
Did you hear or see anything strange just now?
Strange? No. Why, are you seeing things?
Well yes, actually.
Are you on drugs? (Hardacre: 6, Danvers: 0)
No. Oh, never mind. Enjoy the rocks.
I will! Stay away from my stuff, Danvers.


Let's go play with his stuff.



The only thing we can interact with is his kaleidoscope, so let's do that.



I can also find the entrance to Saxton Caverns even though that I don't think that should be possible according to the town map, and the Nut Hut.



That person standing there kind of reminds me of the figure Dr. Black put into his painting! Hmm.

Who is that? Time for a closer look.




I chose this screenshot because it really shows off Lucy's diaper trousers. She's poorly modeled and looks perpetually uncomfortable. She wanders around in view and Nigel watches her and makes comments for about a minute. This is the second time today he's spied on her.

It's Lucy Reubans. What is she doing, looking for something? Yes, she's lost something. Her mind, no doubt. I can see you!


Suddenly,



DANVERS!! I told you to stay away from my stuff!
Get lost Danvers, I've got proper work to do.


Rats.

No sooner do we get kicked out to the neighboring screen but our walkie-talkie starts talking at us.

Nigel?




Aha, let me guess. This is Lucy, by the, ah... the Net Hut?
Uh, yes. I am by the Net Hut. How did you know?




Regardless of our response:
Yes, quite. Speaking of which... I think I may have a lead on the catnappers!
Really? How?
That would be telling. Just get your strange self over here, pronto. The game's afoot, Danvers!
Yeah, an arm and a leg too. (Huh?)
What was that?
By the Old Net Hut, yes?
You got it. See you soon.




Looks spooky! What's in store, in the Store? As Nigel said, the game's an arm and a leg!