You are standing in the downtown square of a quaint rural English village.
There is a sign in front of you.
Several small storefronts and official buildings line the well-maintained town square.
A street runs north to the edge of town.
Another street winds its way to the west.
(if:visits is 1)[(set: $inv to (a: "a jaunty hat"))]
You have (print: $inv)
* [[Read the Sign->Town Sign]]
* [[Check out one of the shops surrounding the square.->The Shops]]
* [[Take the street north.->North Street]]
* [[West...west looks perfectly safe.->West Street]]
(if:visits is 1)[(set: $convo to (a: ))]
(if:visits is 1)[(set: $names to (a: ))]
(set: $direction to (a:))
(if:visits is 1)[(set: $cond to (a:))]
(if:visits is 1)[(set: $room to (a:"no"))]The smell of chemicals and old leather fills your nostrils as you open the door. A smiling middle-aged man looks up from counting pills into a plastic bottle and waves a greeting.
"Can I help you with anything?" he asks cheerily.
{
(if: " a tire iron" is in $inv)[
* [[Use the tire iron.->Tire Iron End]]
* [["It looks like you're busy, is there someone else who could help me?"->Missing Assistant]]
* [["I'd like to buy some poison. Do you have anything slow-acting and untraceable?"->Poison For Sale]]
* [["Just looking, thanks. You don't happen to sell tire irons, by chance? Or sharp screwdrivers?"->No Tire Irons]]
* [[You recognize the Pharmacist--he used to bully you in school. "Sorry, just looking," you say, leaving the Pharmacy.->The Shops]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[
* [["It looks like you're busy, is there someone else who could help me?"->Missing Assistant]]
* [["I'd like to buy some poison. Do you have anything slow-acting and untraceable?"->Poison For Sale]]
* [["Just looking, thanks. You don't happen to sell tire irons, by chance? Or sharp screwdrivers?"->No Tire Irons]]
* [[You recognize the Pharmacist--he used to bully you in school. "Sorry, just looking," you say, leaving the Pharmacy.->The Shops]]]
}
(set: $names to $names + (a: "Pharmacist"))The sign reads "Welcome to West Stroodminster."
You feel safe. Entirely safe.
* [[Look around for something to do.->West Stroodminster Square]](if:(history: where its name contains "Raj's Auto Body")'s length >= 1)[
The man behind the counter nods at you expressionlessly.
"I saw you go into Raj's shop," he says. "I'll give you this, no charge."
He hands you a small vial of odorless, tasteless poison.
* [[Take the poison.->You Have Poison]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[
He taps a framed diploma hanging on the wall.
"I take my business very seriously, friend. No poisons for sale here."
* [[Leave the pharmacy.->The Shops]]]The man continues to smile, placing a few pills of a very slightly different color and size into the same bottle before closing the lid.
"No, I'm sorry," he says. Nothing like that here. Try Raj's auto body shop."
* [[Leave the Pharmacy->The Shops
]]
* [["Well, then...would you have any poisons for sale?"->Poison For Sale]]Rather tidy for a mechanic's shop, Raj's Auto Body has a comforting feel about it. Soft music plays from somewhere, and a pair of legs sticks out from beneath an old Vauxhall estate.
(if:"survived Raj" is in $cond)[There doesn't seem to be anyone here. And those legs under the car aren't moving. Oh well.
* [[Head back to the square.->The Shops]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[A young man walks out from a small office. He looks you up and down carefully, while seeming to hide something behind his back.
"Can I help you?"
{
(if: " some poison" is in $inv)[
* [[Use the poison.->Poison End]]
* [["Well, I don't own a car. But do you have anything poisonous that you could sell me?"->No Poison]]
* [["I don't own a car, but would you have any tire irons that I could purchase?"->Tire Iron For Sale]]
* [[//There he is//, you say to yourself, //the man who stole your spouse away.//
"Sorry," you say aloud with a forced smile as you turn and walk out the door, "wrong address."->The Shops]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[
* [["Well, I don't own a car. But do you have anything poisonous that you could sell me?"->No Poison]]
* [["I don't own a car, but would you have any tire irons that I could purchase?"->Tire Iron For Sale]]
* [[//There he is//, you say to yourself, //the man who stole your spouse away.//
"Sorry," you say aloud with a forced smile as you turn and walk out the door, "wrong address."->The Shops]]]
}
(set: $names to $names + (a: "Raj"))]
The young man shrugs. "I've got lots of poisonous stuff, but nothing for sale. You should try the pharmacy across the square."
* [[Leave Raj's Shop->The Shops]]
* [["Hmm, well...what about something blunt, like a tire iron?"->Tire Iron For Sale]](if:(history: where its name contains "The Pharmacy")'s length >= 1)[
Raj smiles, "A blunt object? I see you've met our pharmacist. Yes, I can help you. Call it 10 pounds."
You pay him the money, and he hands you a heavy, stained tire iron.
* [[Take the Tire Iron->You Have A Tire Iron]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[
He eyes you carefully. "Not sure what you'd be wanting that for if you don't own a car."
He returns to the office. The legs under the Vauxhall haven't moved.
* [[Leave Raj's Shop->The Shops]]] (set: $inv to $inv + (a: " a tire iron"))
You have: (print: $inv)
* [[Go back to the Pharmacy->The Pharmacy]]
* [[Maybe the Pharmacist isn't worth it. Go look around somewhere else.->The Shops]] (set: $inv to $inv + (a: " some poison"))
You have: (print: $inv)
* [[Go back to Raj's shop.->Raj's Auto Body]]
* [[Maybe you should play the long game--that Raj can wait. Go see what else there is to do.->The Shops]]The sounds of Tibetan singing bowls and Youtube instructional videos fill the air. It's a bright but cluttered space, and smells of sage and lavendar. Nobody seems to be around, but you notice a leg sticking out from behind a beaded curtain. It is bent at an awkward angle.
"None of my business," you say quietly to yourself.
* [[Leave ChakraKhan quickly and quietly.->The Shops]]The door is closed and locked. A sign hangs on the doorknob:
"Am in Antigua investigating a murder of a star national team footballer. Back in a week."
The sign is dated three months ago.
* [[Nothing to see here, move along.->The Shops]]{
The street passes by well-maintained shop fronts and shingled stone cottages. (if:(history: where its name contains "Alley Children")'s length >= 1)[A vacant alley lies open to your right...the kind of alley children could play in.] (else-if:visits >= 1)[Children play with a ball in a nearby alleyway, singing nursery rhymes and children's songs that sometimes veer into minor keys.] The sun is out, the breeze is refreshing. A small two-door car ambles past, the driver giving a single bump on the horn as she passes you, for unknown reasons.}
There is a pub on the east side of the street--an old wooden sign hanging above the front door proclaims it to be The Coroner's Arms.
{
(if:(history: where its name contains "Alley Children")'s length >= 1)[
* [[Return to the alley.->Alley Children]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[
* [[Go talk to the children.->Alley Children]]]
* [[Go into the pub.->The Pub]]
* [[Continue north to the edge of town.->North Edge of Town]]
* [[Head back south to the square.->West Stroodminster Square]]
}(if:visits >= 2)[A small pile of children's items lies in the middle of the alley. From somewhere, chilly laughter drifts your way.
* [[Sort through the items on the ground.->Kids' Items]]
* [[Go back to the street.->North Street]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[The children in the alley scatter as you approach, some of them still laughing and singing. Others eye you warily as they run, but make no sound.
They were in the middle of playing some complicated game involving a rubber ball and chalk boxes on the ground. The ball, and some other items, are still there.
* [[Sort through the items on the ground.->Kids' Items]]
* [[Go back to the street.->North Street]]
* [[Try to follow one of the children while you still can--you have questions, dammit.->Follow A Child]]]The town ends somewhat suddenly, small houses giving way to rolling, picturesque fields. Patches of trees are scattered across the landscape, and a small creek finds it way through a pasture to the east.
To the west, two men are walking slowly but purposefully through a plowed field, staring down at the ground..
The road continues north, into the low hills and trees, and south back to town.
{
(if:(history: where its name contains "Metal Detectors")'s length >= 1)[
* [[Maybe you should go bother those detectorists again.->Metal Detectors]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[
* [[What are those suspicious men doing? Better check it out.->Metal Detectors]]]
* [[Follow the road north.->A Small Bridge]]
* [[Head back into town.->North Street]]
}It's a small pile of things a typical English child would carry.
* [[Pick up the ball.->Get Ball]]
* [[Pick up the straight razor.->Get Razor]]
* [[Pick up the lollipop.->Get Lollipop]]
* [[Pick up the tarot card.->Get Tarot Card]]
* [[Go back to the street.->North Street]]Many of the children have already vanished, but a little boy looks over his shoulder one last time at you, eyes wide, before disappearing around the corner of a walled garden.
You set off in pursuit(if: " a tire iron" is in $inv)[, happy to have your tire iron on hand in case things go south]. The child, perhaps five, is fast for his age, and leads you on a merry chase through yards and across empty streets. Once or twice you almost have a hold of him, but he slips away.
He dashes around the corner of a low brick house, and you follow--only to see him dart through the open back door. A large woman stands protectively in the doorway, cricket bat in hand.
She raises the bat. "I'll teach you to mess with my boy..."
(if: " a tire iron" is in $inv)[She immediately realizes her error as you raise your tire iron. You can see the realization of her own mortality in her eyes.
''And that's how it always starts, here in West Stroodminster. Welcome home.''
<a href="http://stroodminster.byov.com" target="_blank">''Visit West Stroodminster again.''</a>]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[You close your eyes, waiting for what turned out, in retrospect, to be the inevitable.
''Sorry your stay in West Stroodminster didn't turn out so well. But really, what do you expect from a quaint rural English village?''
<a href="http://stroodminster.byov.com" target="_blank">''Visit West Stroodminster again.''</a>](if: " a large red rubber ball" is in $inv)[You already have that.]
(else-if:visits >= 0)[(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " a large red rubber ball"))
You have: (print: $inv)]
* [[Keep looking through the pile.->Kids' Items]](if: " a straight razor" is in $inv)[You already have that.]
(else-if:visits >= 0)[(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " a straight razor"))
You have: (print: $inv)]
* [[Keep looking through the pile.->Kids' Items]]Gross. It's a pre-licked lollipop. Leave it be.
* [[Keep looking through the pile.->Kids' Items]](if: " a tarot card" is in $inv)[You already have that.]
(else-if:visits >= 0)[(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " a tarot card"))
You pick the card up off the pavement. It's quite old, and features an image of a man crushed by a large pile of rocks. The card says "Totally Accidentally Crushd By Rocks."
You have: (print: $inv)]
* [[Keep looking through the pile.->Kids' Items]]This pleasant village seems to have something for everyone. Or for a few curious people, at least.
On the northeast corner of the square is the Pharmacy.
On the northwest corner is ChakraKhan Herbalism & AC Repair.
To the southwest is the police station.
To the southeast is Raj's Auto Body.
* [[Visit the Pharmacy->The Pharmacy]]
* [[Visit ChakraKhan Herbalism & AC Repair->ChakraKhan]]
* [[Visit the Police Station->The Police Station]]
* [[Visit Raj's Auto Body->Raj's Auto Body]]
* [[Maybe check out other parts of town.->West Stroodminster Square]](if:"detectors" is in $convo)[You stand at the edge of the field (your shoes are dirty enough as it is) and call out to the two detectorists. But either they can't hear you, or have decided to ignore you. That's fine--you have better things to do than muck about in some field.
[[Head back to the road.->North Edge of Town]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[You galumph your way somewhat clumsily across the field, counting your blessings that it hasn't rained lately. Still, your nice shoes are dirty by the time you reach the men--you'll need to do something about that.
As you get nearer, you can see that the two men aren't just staring at the ground--they're metal detecting. And one of the men is, in fact, a woman. They barely glance up as you approach, continuing to swing their detectors across the uneven ground of the field.
* [["I say," you call out, "whatever might you be looking for in an empty field? Dead bodies?"->Detector Bodies]]
* [[Maybe it's better to go for a joke. "Some things," you say with a laugh, "should stay buried."->Stay Buried]]
* [[Just leave, you're already a bit upset about your shoes.->North Edge of Town]]
(if:" dirt on your nice shoes" is not in $inv)[(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " dirt on your nice shoes"))]
]The man looks up at you witih suddenly wide eyes, his mouth agape. The woman nudges him somewhat ungently, but then smiles at you. You do not feel comforted.
"Yes," she says, "bodies. But very old ones. Like...Saxons, and...such."
"Definitely not anyone you'd know!" the man adds with a high-pitched laugh. "Why would you think that? That's just absurd. We most certainly did not bury someone out here and forget where we put them."
{
(if:(history: where its name contains "Missing Assistant")'s length >= 1)[
* [["I dunno, the Pharmacist mentioned that his assistant hasn't been around for a few days, haha. Maybe she's out here somewhere."->Death By Detector]]]
* [["Of course. This area is full of...really old dead people. I hope you find them. Again? Anyway, I have to go." You hurry back across the field, dirty shoes not bothering you so much anymore.->North Edge of Town]]
}
(set: $convo to $convo + (a: "detectors"))The woman stares at you, as if you'd suddenly announced your candidacy for MP or something else equally insane.
"Everything buried must be unearthed." She takes a step closer, arms hanging at her sides. "Everything."
"Sure," you say nervously. "Whatever...sure."
She nods in agreement with your fake agreement. "Good. Take this, it might be useful. There are many things buried in this town. Many...things."
She holds out a small pocket-sized metal detector.
* [[Take the metal detector.->Small Detector]]
* [[Okay, well, thanks...for that" you say, and back away slowly, all the way to the edge of the field.->North Edge of Town]]
(set: $convo to $convo + (a: "detectors"))His eyes cloud over briefly, and his hands fumble with the pills.
"It's, uh, just me here today, I'm afaid. My assistant hasn't shown up for the better part of a week.
* [["I'd like to buy some poison. Do you have anything slow-acting and untraceable?"->Poison For Sale]]
* [["Oh, that's...unfortunate? You don't happen to sell tire irons, by chance? Or sharp screwdrivers?"->No Tire Irons]]
* [[You suddenly recognize the Pharmacist--he used to bully you in school. "Sorry, just looking," you say, leaving the Pharmacy.->The Shops]]"The Pharmacist's assistant?!" the man asks. "Why would I possibly know anything about that bi-...uh, person? Oh, but here is something interesting, come look at the pull tabs I've found today."
He reaches into his pocket, removing some old metal pull tabs and holding them out.
"This is a Fanta, 1968. Pretty rare."
As you state intently at the pile of metal bits in his hand, you realize you've lost track of his detectorist partner. You are just thinking you should find where she went when you feel the cold, hard shaft of a Minelab Equinox 800 metal detector slam down on top of your head. It is, sadly, the last thing you feel, other than the cold, uneven dirt of the field rushing up to embrace you.
''That's the way it goes sometimes in West Stroodminster. Ask the wrong questions, and it's 'sleep with the Saxons'. Ah well. At least someone will have a good story when they dig you up in 300 years.''
<a href="http://stroodminster.byov.com" target="_blank">''Visit West Stroodminster again.''</a>You take the small metal detector from her hand, happy she didn't beat you to death with her much bigger metal detector--that thing looks heavy.
(set:$inv to $inv + (a: " a metal detector"))
[[Leave this dirty field and these crazy people.->North Edge of Town]](if: "west" is in $direction)[You eventually come to another bridge, this one somewhat older but better kept. The sides of the bank are less steep, and it's easier to get up to the road here. Looking behind you--that was a tough slog through the mud. You're not going back that way.]
The small creek meanders slowly to the east. It's somewhat slow going across the moss-covered rocks, but you make it to the water's edge.
Your shoes are quite dirty--time to take care of that. As you carefully splash some water up onto your shoes, you begin to wonder if any of the locals ever come to this serene, out-of-the-way spot...and then you see the middling-sized footprints in the mud...
...and then you see the claw hammer, lying amidst the rocks and tree roots a few feet away.
* [[Pick up the claw hammer.->Claw Hammer]]
* [[Noooope. Not touching that. Up the bank to the bridge.->A Small Bridge]]
(set:$inv to $inv - (a: " dirt on your nice shoes"))The road winds through some of the prettiest countryside you have seen in a long time, and your thoughts drift away to easier days...days before your business partner embezzled everything and ran off to Antigua to marry that national team footballer.
You pause for a moment in the middle of a small bridge. Below you, a peaceful creek bubbles away happily. A raven croaks at you from a tree.
The road heads north, and to the south back to town.
(if: " dirt on your nice shoes" is in $inv)[
* [[Your shoes are dirty from that stupid field. You might be able to clean them in the creek.->A Small Creek]]]
* [[Head north and see what adventure awaits.->The Estate Gate]]
* [[Head back to the safety of town.->North Edge of Town]]
(set:$direction to (a:))You crest the top of a small hill, and immediately spot the massive wall and gate of a large, old money country estate. A rust-flecked metal sign is bolted to the gate. In the distance across the lawn, you can see the manor house looming up, a vampire from its grave.
Still, the gate is open, and you're tired of walking on this road.
* (link-reveal:"''Look at the sign.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>The name 'Carlisle-Smythe' looks down on you, as you imagine it looks down on everyone. Wasn't there a Carlisle-Smythe who went overboard in a yachting accident last year? Body never found? Maybe it was a different Carlisle-Smythe family.
(set: $names to $names + (a: "Carlisle-Smythe"))]
* [[Proceed through the gate.->Front Lawn]]
* [[Take the road back towards town.->A Small Bridge]]This hammer has seen some better days. The wooden handle is cracked, as if from delivering a seriously solid blow. There is some sort of dark stain between the pointy parts of the claw end, along with what could be a bit of hair.
You reach for it, but then consider that you don't want your fingerprints anywhere near that thing. It's entirely possible someone used it for...deer hunting. But best to just leave it.
* [[Back to the bridge.->A Small Bridge]]The lawns of this massive estate are immaculate--it must cost a fortune to keep this place in shape. That kind of family probably has money just lying around in the open, for the taking. Not that...well, it's just a fact.
(if:$inv contains " a large red rubber ball")[From a seriously treacherous-looking hedge maze to your left, you hear the sound of a child singing nonsense songs.]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[There is a seriously treacherous-looking hedge maze to your left.]
In front of you is the main house.
* [[Nothing like a good hedge maze for running into things you least expect.->Hedge Maze]]
* [[The house looks inviting, even the woman staring at you from the upper window. Woman? Or just a blowing curtain? Whichever, there's shade inside, and it's starting to get hot out.->Entryway]]
* [[Head back out the gate, this place makes you uncomfortable.->The Estate Gate]]It doesn't take you long to work your way to the center of the maze--it didn't turn out to be all that obviously treacherous, which itself seems treacherous.
There is a beautiful stone wishing well right smack in the middle of the center of the maze.
(if:$inv contains " a large red rubber ball")[A young child of perhaps seven or eight and indeterminate gender is skipping around the well, looking happy as can be. They see you, see the big red ball in your hands, and their face lights up.
"Oh, oh please! Throw me the ball!"
* [[Throw the ball at the child.->Throw Ball at Child]]
* [["No way kid, I found this ball, fair and square.->No Throw Ball]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[You spend some time glancing down the other pathways that lead from the center. For a moment, you think you see movement...but no, it must be the shadows. Lots of shadows, this place.
You pull a coin from your pocket, make a perfectly innocent wish, and toss it down the well. You wait for a splash, but never hear one. Looking down into the well, you see nothing out of the ordinary, other than a child's hat floating atop the water, your coin resting on the brim.
Oh well. Another wish that won't come true.
* [[Leave this hedgey wonderland.->Front Lawn]]]{
You find yourself in a room the size of your first flat, with a massive wooden door standing open to outside. A staircase leads up to a second floor, and a sitting room lies off to the left. A door stands closed to your right, and a hallway leads into the depths of the house in front of you.
(if: " dirt on your nice shoes" is in $inv)[Before you can move a muscle, a hatchet of a butler appears from you have no idea where, standing in front of you and all too near to you. (if: " a straight razor" is in $inv)[You think of the straight razor in your pocket, and how much you hate and fear butlers. Be calm, you tell yourself. Be calm.] While you would like to proceed into the house, the man is blocking your way.
"I'm sorry," he says without being sorry, "But I simply cannot have you traipsing about the manor with shoes as dirty as those. Come back when you have some self-respect."
//Those damn detectorists!// you think to yourself. You consider for a moment whether you could sneak around the man, but he is standing literally a half a foot from you.
* [[Fine. I'll be back.->Front Lawn]]]
(else-if: visits is 1)[Before you can move a muscle, a hatchet of a butler appears from you have no idea where, standing in front of you and all too near to you. (if: " a straight razor" is in $inv)[You think of the straight razor in your pocket, and how much you hate and fear butlers. Be calm, you tell yourself. Be calm.] While you would like to proceed into the house, the man is blocking your way.
"Is there something I can help you with?" he asks, not wanting to help you.
* [["I'm here to see...Lady...Carlisle-Smythe. I have an appointment."->Lady Smythe]]
* [["I'm here to see...Lord...Carlisle-Smythe. He's expecting me."->Lord Smythe]]]
(else-if: visits >=2)[(set:$direction to (a:))This time the butler is nowhere in site. Good. Maybe he played catch with someone too close to a deep well. Butlers. Anyway, time to explore.
* [[Check out the sitting room.->Sitting Room]]
* [[Head upstairs.->Second Floor Landing]]
* [[Try the door.->Locked door]]
* [[That dark hallway looks nice.->1st Floor Hallway]]
(if:" dirt on your nice shoes" is not in $inv)[(if:visits > 1)[
* [[You need assistance--call for the Butler.->Butler Call]]]]
* [[Head back outside.->Front Lawn]]]
}
You smile at the child, and sling the ball at them with all your strength.
The ball hits the child square in the chest...knocking both ball and child backwards into the stone well. There is a moment of stunned silence, and then a small splash.
Sometimes, you reflect as you leave the maze in a hurry, things don't go as planned.
* [[Back to the lawn it is.->Front Lawn]]
(set: $inv to $inv - (a: " a large red rubber ball"))The child's face falls as you harshly reject their request.
"But...but I just want to play. No one will play with me. They're all too busy...or never come back." They look at you again, with large, tear-pooling eyes.
"Please? Please just throw me the ball, one time?"
* [[Sigh. Fine, toss the kid the ball.->Throw Ball at Child]]
* [[Nope. You're not falling for that schtick. You want a ball, buy your own ball. Your family owns a mansion. You leave, not looking back and grateful you have no children of your own...anymore.->Front Lawn]]The butler looks you up and down very carefully, seeming to mentally measure both your height and weight.
"Yes...yes, the Lord Carlisle-Smythe will be delighted to see you. Delighted. I can show you into his study right now, if you'd like."
* [["Sure, show me to the Lord of the house, servant."->Locked door]]
* [["I can wait until he's not busy. I'll be in the sitting room."->Sitting Room]]
* [["Honestly, I could use a drink. Is the kitchen this way? No no, I can get it." Head down the dark hallway.->1st Floor Hallway]]
* [["Eh, I'll come back later." Head back out to the lawn.->Front Lawn]]
(set:$direction to (a:"butler"))"The Lady Carlisle-Smythe," the butler says, and he drifts off into a strange silence that lasts almost a minute.
"You may be waiting...quite a long time. A long time."
He waves a hand, "You can wait in the sitting room." You glance into the sitting room. When you look back, the man is gone. Good. (if: " a straight razor" is in $inv)[You can leave the razor in your pocket. For now.]
* [[Check out the sitting room.->Sitting Room]]
* [[Head upstairs.->Second Floor Landing]]
* [[Try the door.->Locked door]]
* [[That dark hallway looks nice.->1st Floor Hallway]]
* [[Head back outside.->Front Lawn]]The sitting room is quite the comfortable place, which makes sense, given the name. A small library of books circles the walls, mingling with art objects, family portraits, expensive foreign knick-knacks and the occassional taxidermied animal.
There is a large, ornate wooden desk on one end of the room, sitting atop an expensive-looking rug, and framed visually by a massive tapestry hanging on the wall behind.
(if:visits is 1)[You wander over to a window, idly playing with the cord holding the curtain in place and wondering about your lot in life. What brought you to this grand manor house on the edge of a small English village? (if:" a tire iron" is in $inv)[What are you planning on doing with this tire iron?] How many times are you going to put up with your neighbor running his power tools at all hours of the night? And who is that child playing alone in the yard outside the window? (if:(history: where its name contains "Throw Ball at Child")'s length >= 1)[It looks //exactly// like the child from the hedge maze. How many of them are there?] Are their parents around?]
(if:(history: where its name contains "Lady Smythe")'s length >= 1)[Eventually it dawns on you rhat the Lady Carlisle-Smythe is, in fact, //not// going to be making an appearance. Stupid lying butler.]
* [[Poke around in the desk.->Desk]]
* [[Look at the tapestry.->Tapestry]]
* [[Steal something, just to spite that smug butler.->Sitting Room Theft]]
* [[Go back to the entry room.->Entryway]]Those stairs look steep. Better stay on the ground floor...for now.
[[Back to the entryway.->Entryway]]The door to this room is heavy, wooden, and carved with shapes that make you think of frivolous things like fox hunting, equestrian sports, and money.
(If: "butler" is in $direction)[The butler produces a long, slender key from a pocket of his coat, and knocking once, inserts the key in the lock and opens the door.
"You have a visitor, m'Lord."
* [[Brush past the butler into the room.->Study]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[You try the heavy door, but it is locked. You press your ear to it, and hear nothing through the solid wood. You need a key. Or a big hammer. Or another way in.
* [[You need to find somewhere else to go.->Entryway]]
* [[Call for the Butler, that guy needs to earn his keep somehow.->Butler Call]]]The hallway is both impressively long and impressively decorated. Suits of armor, obscure framed artwork, glass cases with old family heirlooms. It's hard not to stop and look at everything.
(if:(history: where its name contains "Study")'s length >= 1)[You pass by a long, stone fireplace halfway down the hallway. It looks like the Carlisle-Smythes still use these things, as there is a pile of ash and wood in the center.
"That," you say out loud, "looks like a good place for someone to hide a key."
* (link-reveal:"''Search the fireplace.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>
(if:" a metal detector" is in $inv)[Isn't it fortunate, then, that you have a metal detector in your pocket. You pull the machine out and turn it on, and in moments you're sweeping the probe through the ash, waiting for any kind of signal...
'Beep'
'Beep'
'Beep beep beep!'
You've never metal detected before today, and this is all quite exciting. You reach into the ashes, down under a half-burnt log, and your hand hits something. Something much bigger than a key.
Out of the ashes you pull a thin, terribly pointy, medieval dagger.
You look around--there is no one else in the hallway.
//Clearly//, you think as you slip the dagger into your jacket pocket, //these people don't want this anymore. And someone on eBay almost certainly will.//
(set:$inv to $inv + (a: " a medieval dagger"))]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[If only I had some sort of tool, with which I could detect whethere there is any metal in that mess. Ah, well.]]]
* [[Continue deeper into the Manor.->The Kitchens]]
* [[Head back to the entryway.->Entryway]](if:"Trailhead" is in $direction)[(if:" a mountain bike" is in $inv)[If feels nice to be walking again, but you're not a bike thief, so you made sure to drop the bike back at the caravan. (if:" bike shoes" is in $inv)[You were happy to get your own shoes back, too.]]]
The street from town turns into a road fairly quickly, and the road turns into a lane shortly after that. Or perhaps it turns into a lane first, and then a road. You are contemplating the linguistic designations applied to various non-natural pathways when the road...or lane...branches.
To your left is a middling-sized woods, and the road becomes more of a shaded drive passing into the trees. There is an old wooden sign standing just off the way. You can hear the sound of waves and the nearby coastline.
To your right, the road/lane drops down a sharp, steep hill before continuing to wind its way northwest.
There is a bench surrounded by planted flowers under a small tree where the two routes converge.
* (link-reveal:"''Look at the sign.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>The sign reads 'Dodgy Cliff Campground and Mountain Bike Track'. (set: $names to $names + (a: "Dodgy Cliff"))]
* [[Head into the woods.->Dodgy Cliff Entrance]]
* [[Go northwest down the hill.->West Bridge]]
* [[Sit on the bench.->West Bench]]
* [[Go back east to town.->West Stroodminster Square]]
(set:$direction to (a: "road"))
(if:" a mountain bike" is in $inv)[(set:$inv to $inv - (a:" a mountain bike"))]
(if:" bike shoes" is in $inv)[(set:$inv to $inv - (a:" bike shoes"))](if:"road" is in $direction)[The small drive turns to gravel soon after you leave the road, and passes beneath a high canopy of trees, and you can feel eyes on you as you walk. Likely deer and rabbits, of course. It's a nice walk, but you're happy when it's done.]
You find yourself in a parking lot, a wide circle of a path surrounding a wooden structure containing restrooms and a drinking fountain. There are camping spots along the outside edge of the circle--both tent camping and caravan spots with electrical and waste hookups. There is a caravan at one of the lots. Music plays softly from a radio inside the vehicle, but there is no one in site.
At the far end of the circle, you see a trailhead.
* [[Go the bathroom--it's been a minute since you got to town.->Camp Loo]]
* [[Meander through the camping sites.->Camping Sites]]
* [[Check out the caravan.->Caravan]]
* [[Go to the trailhead.->Trailhead]]
* [[Go back to the road.->West Street]]The short, steep hill is both longer and steeper than it looked from the top, and the sun is both brighter and hotter than it was when you left town. By the time you reach the bottom and the bridge, you're feeling like you could use a rest and some shade.
From the bridge, you can see that the ravine is both also quite steep, and quite rocky, with a small creek running along the bottom. Not deep enough to swim in, but perhaps deep enough to cover a person if they laid down. Or were held down.
On the leftmost bank, half buried by tumbled rocks and tree roots, lies the rusted husk of an old car--from the 50s, perhaps, or the 60s. From the angle, it most likely started its last journey on the road where you're standing.
There is a small, sketchy path down the side of the ravine to your right, leading to the rightmost bank. (if:(history: where its name contains "West Bench")'s length >= 1)[It was here where you saw the mysterious figure--if it was a figure--heading down into the ravine from your bench atop the hill.]
The lane continues on to the northwest past the bridge, and southwest back to town.
* [[Scramble down into the ravine--I mean, it's just too tempting.->Ravine Scramble]]
* [[Throw a rock at the rusted old car.->Car Rock]]
* [[Continue northwest along the road.->Farmlands]]
* [[Head back up the hill to the bench and town.->West Street]]
(set:$direction to (a: ))It's a very pleasant bench, and you let more than a few minutes pass as you enjoy the subshine and gentle breeze. A farmer rolls slowly by on his dented old red tractor, raising a halting hand as if to indicate a pro-forma politeness with a tinge of what Americans would call 'ain't from around here are you?'. Later, a young woman rides by on an electric scooter. She doesn't so much as glance your way.
Down the road to the northwest, and down the hill, you can see the road crosses over a small wooden and steel bridge. The bridge spans a rocky ravine, the bottom of which you can't see.
For a moment, you think you see someone, just there in the trees, heading down into the ravine. Perhaps it was a glint of sunlight on the bridge railing. Perhaps.
Nothing much else happens. It is a quiet bench outside a quiet, rural English village.
* [[Head into the woods.->Dodgy Cliff Entrance]]
* [[Go northwest down the hill.->West Bridge]]
* [[Go back to town.->West Stroodminster Square]]
(set:$direction to (a: "road"))You are halfway down the ravine when you start to consider that maybe you aren't dressed for this sort of adventuring. (if: " dirt on your nice shoes" is in $inv)[You thought your shoes were dirty from earlier, but now it's much worse.](else-if:(history: where its name contains "Metal Detectors")'s length >= 1)[You spent some time cleaning your shoes off before, and you'll have to do it again.] There's both mud and dust covering the leather of your shoes. Your hands have a couple of new scrapes on them. But, as you're halfway down, you persist.
(if: "Pharmacist" is in $names)[You are almost at the bottom when you hear a shout from above, followed by a mocking laugh. You look up, and see him standing at the top of the ravine--your old school nemesis, the Pharmacist.
"Bet you thought I didn't recognize you!" he shouts. "It's been, what? Decades?"
He pauses for effect, then smiles chillingly. "Maybe you thought I'd forgotten. But I realized when I saw you...I'm not done paying you back. Not yet."
//Paying you back? But ''he'' bullied ''you!''// You're about to shout something about your confusion and the inherent reliability of memory, when he steps out of sight. You hear him grunt loudly, several times. Then he shouts.
"How about we just let things ''slide!''"
There is a pause, and then you hear the first sounds. Rock on rock. A couple of hollow clacks first, turning quickly to a cascade. You look up, and then quickly back down. You'd rather not see the rockslide anymore as it tumbles down onto your head, knocking you from your hold on the side of the ravine, and dahing you to the creek bank below.
As you lie at the bottom, half-in and half-out of the water, you consider your position. (if: " a tarot card" is in $inv)[That tattered tarot card you picked up in the alley was right...Totally Accidentally Crushd By Rocks indeed.] You'll never know what beef the Pharmacist had with you. Maybe it was when you framed him for cheating in school and got him sent to that military academy for a year. Whatever. It's over now, you realize as the light dims around you. It's all over. West Stroodminster was a warm, welcoming place, up until it wasn't.
''Well, that was quite the plot twist, wasn't it? Never trust those old school acquaintences. Or Strangers. Or current friends, for that matter. Or family. Or...''
<a href="http://stroodminster.byov.com" target="_blank">''Visit West Stroodminster again.''</a>]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[You finally reach the bottom, after just one somewhat scary almost-slip. The ravine side was more treacherous than you thought. (if: " a tarot card" is in $inv)[You think about that tarot card in your pocket. Almost crushd by rocks indeed.] Looking back up, there's no way you'll be able to climb that. At least not now--you need a minute.
Now that you're on the creek bank, you can see that there are footprints in the mud. Somewhat medium footprints--could be man, woman, or large child. They run both into the water, and off to the east along the creek bank.
Across the creek, the rusted car hunkers like a tomb. You'll have to wade across the creek to reach it.
* [[The rusted car calls to you.->Rusted Car]]
* [[Follow the footprints along the creek--it's an adventure, just like the Goonies!->West Creek]]](if:visits >= 2)[You can't find any more decent-sized rocks to throw. And even if you did, you might hit the skeleton. That's disrespectful.]
(else-if:visits is 1)[You find a fist-sized rock on the side of the road and, because old rusted cars are more or less made for such moments, you hurl the rock at the car like a gleefull child.
The rock sails through the air and slams into the rear quarter panel of the car...and with a creak and a pop, the boot suddenly springs open, sending dust up into the air.
You can't see everything in the trunk, but you can clearly see the arm of a skeleton, wrapped in the tattered remnants of dark clothing. Well.]
* [[You pretty much need to check //that// out, don't you? Head down into the ravine.->Ravine Scramble]]
* [[Should you...? But no. That's old news. Leave skeletons where they lay, and head northwest.->Farmlands]]
* [[Maybe you should go back into town and tell someone.->West Street]]The lane stretches out ahead of you, weaving through small fields that a single person could likely tend by themselves...or hide things where no one would ever find them.
Nothing to see here...yet.
[[Go back to the bridge.->West Bridge]]{Well, if your shoes were dirty before, at least they're now clean. Clean, but soaking wet. It has to have been worth it, though, as you get to check out an old rusted car!
(if:(history: where its name contains "Car Rock")'s length >= 1)[The skeleton in the trunk lies in the fetal position, the rotted remains of some rope wrapped around its ankles and wrists. The dark cloth you saw from the bridge is what is left of a priestly robe--likely Anglican. This person has been dead for a very long time. (if: " prayer beads" is not in $inv)[There is a string of Anglican prayer beads lying on the floor of the trunk.] (if: " an old screwdriver" is not in $inv)[The skeleton is clutching something in its hands.]
(if: " prayer beads" is not in $inv)[
* (link-reveal:"''Take the prayer beads''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>They're Anglican prayer beads. They clearly didn't help this person much, but...you can't have too much help in this world.
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " prayer beads"))]]
* [[What's in the skeleton's hand?->Skeleton Hand]]
* [[Check out the rest of the car.->Car Interior]]
* [[Go back across the creek.->Right Ravine]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[You can't make out what make or model this car used to be--you're not into those sort of things. But it probably looked cool back in the day. Like how old stoves or guillotines used to look.
You briefly try to open the trunk, but it's stuck, and you can't figure out just the right way to hit it to get it to open. You could maybe try to look in the passenger compartment.
* [[Walk away from this one. It's back across the creek for you.->Right Ravine]]
* [[I mean...yeah. Look in the passenger compartment->Car Interior]]]
}
You quickly loose track of the footprints in the rocks surrounding the creek. But you soldier on, your spirit lifted by the lively hike despite your shoes becoming ever filthier. You need to stop and clean them soon.
* [[Forge ahead.->A Small Creek]]
* [[Nah, go back to the bridge.->Right Ravine]]
(set:$direction to (a: "west")){
(if:$inv contains " an old screwdriver")[The skeleton is just where you left it, nothing in its hand anymore. Which is good, because if it wasn't, you'd have some new problems.
* (link-reveal:"''Read the words.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>You can't fault the dead priest for their penmanship. They were using a screwdriver. And tied up. And stuffed in a trunk. But you can just barely make out what it says.
"It was Father Dunphy."
(set: $names to $names + (a: "Father Dunphy"))]
* [[Check out the passenger compartment.->Car Interior]]
* [[Head back across the creek.->Right Ravine]]]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[The skeleton's hand is gripping an old flat-head screwdriver. As you go to pry it out of the finger bones, you notice in the dim light that some words have been scratched into the lid of the trunk--right where a tied-up priest could have reached with an old screwdriver.
* (link-reveal:"''Keep the screwdriver.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>This thing is old, but the wooden handle is still in good shape, and the head is sharp. Nice and sharp.
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " an old screwdriver"))]
* (link-reveal:"''Read the words.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>You can't fault the dead priest for their penmanship. They were using a screwdriver. And tied up. And stuffed in a trunk. But you can just barely make out what it says.
"It was Father Dunphy."
(set: $names to $names + (a: "Father Dunphy"))]
* [[Check out the passenger compartment.->Car Interior]]
* [[Head back across the creek.->Right Ravine]]]
}(if:visits >= 2)[This poor old person (Jenny, perhaps?) is right where you left her.]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[You give the car door one gentle pull, and the whole thing breaks off its rusty hinges and falls into the water at your feet.
An arm comes tumbling out of the driver's seat. It's attached to a body. Mercy.]
* [[Inspect the body.->Car Body]]
* [[Oh, look at the time. I need to find a way out of this ravine.->Right Ravine]]You splash back across the creek (your poor shoes!), and consider your options.
* [[You've had some time to recover--you think you could get back up that ravine with a bit of struggle. Make the climb.->West Bridge]]
* [[Follow the creek (and the footprints!) to the west.->West Creek]]
* [[Pop back to the car, just to make sure.->Rusted Car]]
(set:$direction to (a:))The body is of a young woman, wearing a pretty floral dress. There is matted blood in her hair--you don't want to look too much closer than that.
One of her hands, however, is under the seat--as if she was reaching there with her final act. (if: " pages from a will" is not in $inv)[You bend down to look, and see a couple of pages of paper just out of reach of her fingers.
* (link-reveal:"''Take the papers''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>They are two middle pages from someone's last will and testament. You can't find who the will is for, but the pages mention that the deceased (or soon to be deceased?) is willing a rather large sum of money to one 'Jenny Braithwaite'.
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " pages from a will"))
(set: $names to $names + (a: "Jenny Braithwaite"))]]
* [[This seems perfectly normal. Time to go.->Right Ravine]](if: " a safe key" is in $inv)[The study looks the same as during your last visit.
Except for the dead body of Lord Carlisle-Smythe, slumped over his desk with a medieval dagger sticking out of his back. That's quite a shame. (if: " a medieval dagger" is in $inv)[The dagger is a match for the one you're carrying. That...is also quite a shame, of a different kind.]
Still, a deal is a deal. You said you'd find the key, and find it you did.
You walk to the safe, which opens quite smoothly with the key. Inside there are piles and piles of British pounds, and a heavy envelope marked "Last Will And Testament of Lord Carlisle-Smythe".
* (link-reveal:"'Take a lot of money.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>A thousand pounds, isn't that the number he mentioned? Must have been. But you don't want to take the time to count, and maybe disturb a crime scene further. So you just grab several large stacks of bills. (set:$inv to $inv + (a: " a lot of money"))]
* (link-reveal:"'Grab the will.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>This is all getting just way too interesting. Um, meaning that...the...authorities...will want to look at this evidence. Yes. (set:$inv to $inv + (a: " a will"))]
* (link-reveal:"'Drop the dagger you're carrying.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>You carefully wipe off any fingerprints from the dagger, and drop it into the bin next to the desk. (set:$inv to $inv - (a: " a medieval dagger"))]
* [[Okay then...not much need for you here. Not now. Time to go.->Entryway]]
]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[You walk into a wonderfully appointed study, all in dark wood and dark leather and hardbound books. Large windows let in the southerly sunlight, but the Jaguar-green carpeting and scattered bookshelves blocking the light keep the place from being too bright.
An older man stands behind a massive wooden desk. A painting behind him is swung away from the wall, movie-trope style, and you can see the door of a safe embedded in the wall. The man is futzing with the latch. He looks up as you approach.
"Oh! Good show! Just in time, just in time. I seem to have lost my key. Any chance you might be able to lend a hand finding it? My will is in there, you see, and...well, I need to make some changes."
(if: " pages from a will" is in $inv)[
* [["Your will, you say? You wouldn't happen to know a Jenny Braithwaite, would you?"->Poor Jenny]]]
* (link-reveal:"''I don't work for you, old man!''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>He blinks once in surprise. "Oh, well...let's remedy that. How does a thousand pounds sound? Once the safe is opened, of course. My money is in there too."<br>* [["Yes, I will absolutely go find your key, boss." To the hunt!->Entryway]]]
* [["Sure, I will help a rich old man out of the kindness of my heart." Off to find a small key in the middle of a massive English estate.->Entryway]]]
(set:$direction to (a:))"Jenny!" His face brightens for a flash, but then a shadow passes over his eyes.
"Yes, yes, Jenny wa...is my...niece. Yes. Niece. She hasn't been seen for perhaps a week, however. I fear the worst." He is quiet for several long, awkward moments. But then he brightens right back up again.
"But maybe she is just traveling! Anyway, would you like to help me find my key?"
* (link-reveal:"''I don't work for you, old man!''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>He blinks once in surprise. "Oh, well...let's remedy that. How does a thousand pounds sound? Once the safe is opened, of course. My money is in there too."<br>* [["Yes, I will absolutely go find your key, boss." To the hunt!->Entryway]]]
* [["Sure, I will help a rich old man out of the kindness of my heart." Off to find a small key in the middle of a massive English estate.->Entryway]]The lights are off in this room. You need to find a lightswitch. Best to head back...for now.
[[Back into the hallway.->1st Floor Hallway]]"This is for all those years in Primary School," you say, raising the tire iron and advancing.
''Congratulations! You'll get on just fine in West Stroodminster!''
<a href="http://stroodminster.byov.com" target="_blank">''Visit West Stroodminster again.''</a>]"Raj," you say warmly, "I think you know my spouse pretty well. Lemme buy you a drink at the pub, let's get to know each other..."
''Congratulations! There's a nice little cottage for sale on the edge of town, you should probably move in and make yourself at home.''
<a href="http://stroodminster.byov.com" target="_blank">''Visit West Stroodminster again.''</a>]These public camp facilities always smell the same. You wonder what will happen if they ever fill up the open pit of waste below the building.
* [[Do your business--get in and get out quick!->Dodgy Cliff Entrance]]
(set:$direction to $direction - (a:"road" ))It looks like there was a significant number of people in these sites recently--a few empty beer cans and a broken lawn chair are jammed into a bin off to one side. You see a lot of bicycle tracks running through the dirt, in all different directions.
[[Nothing interesting here, maybe elsewhere in the area.->Dodgy Cliff Entrance]]
(set:$direction to $direction - (a:"road" ))It's a small but efficiently equipped caravan--everything seems to pull and and fold away into spaces you never would have thought possible.
(if:" a mountain bike" is not in $inv)[There is a bike rack mounted to the rear hitch, and a rather nice full suspension mountain bike is stapped in place.]
Music plays from inside the caravan--obscure 80s Euro metal. The embers of a fire are still glowing in the pit to the side of the vehicle, but no one is in site. You consider calling out, but...that would just attract people, wouldn't it? And we don't want that.
(if: " a mountain bike" is not in $inv)[You don't need anything from inside the caravan, but...that trailhead needs exploring, and a bike would be faster.
* (link-reveal:"''Borrow the bike.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>You're not stealing it--bike thieves are the lowest of the low. You're just going to borrow it for a while. It's nice, a Salsa Horsethief. Not what you'd expect around here. There are a pair of bike shoes sitting on the bumper--and they're your size.
* (link-reveal:"''Borrow the bike shoes.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>You put the bike shoes on, slipping yours under the bumper of the caravan.
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " a mountain bike"))
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " bike shoes"))]]]
* [[Check out the trailhead.->Trailhead]]
* [[See what else is around.->Dodgy Cliff Entrance]]
(set:$direction to $direction - (a:"road" ))You're standing at the beginning of a narrow single-track bike trail that heads off to be quickly lost in the dense trees to the south of the campground. You can see the end of the trail loop to your right, but there are clearly posted arrows--all traffic is supposed to go clockwise, starting south.
There is a sign next to the trail, and a small wooden box on the ground next to it.
The trail looks somewhat gnarly--perfect for trail running or mountain biking, but not so great for walking in your usual footwear.
(if:" a mountain bike" is in $inv)[Fortunately, you happen to have a snazzy mountain bike. This will be easy.]
(else-if:visits >= 1)[The trail calls to you, but this isn't going to be easy. Maybe you should find a bike.]
* (link-reveal:"''Look at the sign.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>The sign is a map of the mountain bike trails, with small labels noting that some are 'blue' and some are 'black'. You're not sure what that means, but it's a windy looking trail that apparently leads to a cliff overlooking the ocean. Sounds like fun.]
* (link-reveal:"''Look in the box.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>The box contains several spare bike innertubes of various sizes. How convenient. But you think you'll be fine.]
* [[Hit the trail!->South Trail]]
* [[Go see what else is around.->Dodgy Cliff Entrance]]
(set:$direction to (a: "Trailhead"))(if: " a mountain bike" is in $inv)[
The trail is flowy and fast, not a lot of elevation change in this section, and only the occasional tree root or rock to navigate. It's been a while since you've been on a bike, but it's coming back to you. It's like...something that comes back to you right away even if you haven't done it in a while.
When you slow down to duck under a particularly difficult downed tree hanging over the trail, you can hear the sound of the ocean to the south.]
(if: " a mountain bike" is not in $inv)[
It's a difficult walk in your definitely not trail running shoes. You keep catching your feet on roots, and you almost toppled into the bushes when you lost your step on a large rock plopped in the middle of the path. This sucks, and you wish you had a bike.]
* [[No place to go but forward. (Literally, there are signs telling you to only go south--clockwise--around the trail.)->Southwest Trail]]
* [[No, there is another place to go...north back to the campground.->Trailhead]](if:"Trailhead" is in $direction)[
(if: " a mountain bike" is in $inv)[
You're surprised by a bit of sand at the bottom of a small climb, and that snaps your attention back to the matter at hand. (You'd been thinking about your uncle's funeral back home, and how you hoped it was done by now, and that no one noticed you weren't there.)
Even paying attention, however, doesn't prepare you for the descent. The trail dips down rapidly, and takes a sudden sharp turn just at the bottom--a turn somewhat hidden by the trees close to the trail. But suddenly there it is, the sharp turn. The trees open up, nothing but blue sky in front of you...and open air in front and ''below''as well. A cliff. A dodgy cliff. And the sea below.
You grab a fistfull of brake, and you skid to a stop with your front tire off the trail...mere feet from the precipitous drop. You stand there, hands gripping the bars, heart pounding. That was close.
You're maybe 100 feet up. Not a good way to end it all. The trail runs off to your right (the west). The cliff is before you.]
(if: " a mountain bike" is not in $inv)[
The trail doesn't get any easier, but eventually you can see some sky through the trees ahead. And you hear waves, crashing somewhere in the distance. The ocean, somewhere ahead. You quicken your pace.
You come to the top of a small rise, and the trail drops quickly down the other side--and then takes a vicious turn to the right. Just at the bottom. Just on the edge of the ground--the edge of a mighty cliff.
The trail runs off to your right (the west), and there is nothing but blue sky before you, and water below. That would have been a nasty little descent on a bike.]
* [[That was close, but you still want to see where this goes. Take the trail to the right.->West Trail]]
* [[Head back to the trailhead.->South Trail]]
* [[You're never been on a cliff this high above the ocean before, and you wonder what the waves look like below. Go even closer to the super sketchy edge of the cliff->Cliff's Edge]]
]
(if:"Trailhead" is not in $direction)[
There's more elevation change through this part of the trail, and a bit of sand. But if you take things slow, it's really not too bad.
The sound of waves crashing on rocks can be heard from the south, and you can see the cliff right there. Looks perilous.
* [[Take the trail to the west (following the trail direction signs).->West Trail]]
* [[Take the trail to the north, back towards the campground.->South Trail]]
* [[Go look out over the ocean on the edge of the cliff like a daredevil.->Cliff's Edge]]
](if:"cave" is in $direction)[You manage to wriggle out of a small opening and through some thick undergrowth, and you find yourself back on the mountain bike trail. You can see how the mouth of the cave would be almost completely invisible from this side, particularly if someone was flying by on a bike. Interesting. (if:" a mountain bike" is in $inv)[You are fortunately not far away from where you left the bike alongside the trail, and so in short order you are back on two wheels.]]
This section of the trail runs parallel to the cliff, and while the trail isn't too tricky itself, the cliff and the ocean below prove to be somewhat distracting. You need to be a bit more careful here. The trail goes off to the northwest, and back to the east.
(if:" a mountain bike" is not in $inv)[(if:"cave" is not in $cond)[Your slow walking pace has been a bother so far (you should have grabbed that bike!), but it also means that you are able to look around a bit more, see more details that a cyclist might miss.
Like that little cave, for instance. Just there, behind those bushes. It seems to dip down into the ground to the south side of the trail. Caves have of course always interested you.
* [[Check out the cave.->The Cave]]]]
* [[Take the trail to the northwest.->Northwest Trail]]
* [[Take the trail to the east.->Southwest Trail]]
(if:"cave" is in $cond)[
* [[Go back into the cave.->The Cave]]]
The edge of the cliff drops away dramatically, and if you lean over as far as you're able, you can see the waves slamming into the rocks far below. It really is impressive--you can almost feel the spray up here, or at least it feels that way.
Down on the rocks, at the high tide mark--is that a bicycle? You'd bet that if anyone fell from this cliff, they'd never be found, that's for sure.
(if:"Raj" is in $names)[(if:"survived Raj" is in $cond)[Well, you're not much of a cliff diver, and there really isn't a whole lot to see here otherwise, so...best be moving on.
[[Back to the trail.->Southwest Trail]]]]
(if: "Raj" is in $names)[(if:"survived Raj" is not in $cond)[You're about to try to lean forward even farther when you hear a sudden voice behind you.
"I know you recognized me when you came into my shop. It's too bad, really--but there doesn't even have to be a divorce this way."
You feel a very solid, very purposeful and very nasty shove in your back.
The sky and sea ahead of you reach out, the ground jerks itself out from under your feet...
(if: " bike shoes" is in $inv)[...but you're wearing mountain bike shoes! The grippy tread--much better for scrambling around on rocks than your nice leather shoes--finds a purchase, and you manage to turn your fall into a slide. Your body teeters out over the edge, your hands reach out for some sort of grip, anything at all. But all you're managing to do is slow your inevitable slip over the edge.
You look up for help, but all you see is the man who pushed you--Raj! The man who stole your spouse! He must have followed you from town. He stands there with a triumphant smile on his face as you slide towards your doom.
Looking down, you see a ledge, perhaps fifteen feet below you. It's your only shot. Letting go of the cliff edge, you give yourself a shove to the left, and tumble off into oblivion...
* [[You fall towards the ledge...->The Ledge]]
(set: $cond to $cond + (a:"survived Raj"))]
(else-if: visits >= 1)[...and you're falling.
You turn in midair as you fall, and you see him there--Raj, the man who stole your spouse away! He must have followed you from town. Maybe, you decide, you should have done something about him when you had the chance. But now, it's just a long fall unti--
''Ouch. That's a particularly bad way to go. Not so much the fall, but the ignobility of it all. That'll teach you. In West Stroodminster, it's better to be the murderer than the murderee. Well, live and learn. Except not live.''
<a href="http://stroodminster.byov.com" target="_blank">''Visit West Stroodminster again.''</a>]
]]
(if:"Raj" is not in $names)[Well, you're not much of a cliff diver, and there really isn't a whole lot to see here otherwise, so...best be moving on.
[[Back to the trail.->Southwest Trail]]]
(set:$direction to (a:"Cliff Edge"))(if:"survived Raj" is in $cond)[
Success! Your last desperate shove sends you tumbling onto the small rock ledge, and you're able to stop yourself from sliding off that and down to the rocks and sea below.
You hear a brief curse from above, and the sound of feet running away. This might not be the last you've seen of Raj. But that's a future-you problem. Present-you has to figure out what to do now.] You're on a tiny ledge, perhaps three feet deep, and maybe four feet across. It's covered in bird droppings. Yay. The cliff is too steep to climb without equipment, and the drop to the rocks below would be fatal.
You spend some time inspecting the cliff to either side of you, but there is really no other way off this ledge...other than a small cave--barely just a crack in the cliff wall--perhaps ten feet to the west and another five feet down.
It's really your only shot.
[[Try for the small cave.->The Cave]]
(set:$direction to (a:"Ledge"))(if:"Ledge" is in $direction)[You have never rock climbed outside of your local gym with the plastic grips, but you take it slow, and you're able to make your way safely down to the cave. You pause to catch your breath, and while looking around, you spot some light ahead of you, deeper into the rock wall. Looks like there might be a way out.
And when you look down at your feet, you know there has to be another way here. as there are beer cans and vape cartridges (absinthe flavor) littering the floor of the cave. On reflection--if you were still a teenager, this //would// be a pretty attractive place to come drink and make out. You wonder idly if anyone ever fell from this ledge. Or was pushed.
Whatever. Time to get out of here. You can see the other, safer cave opening just ahead.]
(if:"Ledge" is not in $direction)[The cave isn't as dark as you feared--it's a fairly straight shot out to the end, which is a crack in the cliffside looking out over the ocean below. You're a long, long way up, and the view makes you a little dizzy when you look down. Although, huh. Is that a bicycle down there, smashed on the rocks? Strange. But you bet anyone who fell from this cliff would never be seen again, that's for sure.
The ground here is littered with beer cans and vape cartridges (absinthe flavor), and you're guessing if you looked hard enough, you might find condom wrappers too. But funnily enough you don't feel like looking that hard around what is clearly a teen makeout spot.
From the end of the cave, peering up you can see a small ledge perhaps ten feet up and to your right. But it doesn't go anywhere, and isn't worth the tricky climb it would take to get there.
Nope, best to just head back to the trail.]
On your way out, you spot a touch of color--a bit of fabric, sticking out from behind a rock along the cave wall.
* [[Get out of this cave now.->West Trail]]
* (link-reveal:"''Search behind the rock.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>You reach behind the rock, and your hand grasps something--fabric. You give a tug, and it come free. You pull out from the crack in the wall a medium-sized Jansport backpack--the kind hitchhikers would use. It's purple and red, and has a few changes of clothing in it. You reach behind the rock again...and pull out another backpack. Blue this time, with a bandana tied around one shoulder strap. Reaching back three more times, you pull out three more backpacks. Yeah. That's very odd.
(set:$names to $names + (a:"backpacks"))]
(set:$cond to $cond + (a:"cave"))
(set:$direction to (a:"cave"))The trail runs among some thinner trees here, with less underbrush, and is really quite enjoyable. Birds and chirping, and you feel good being outside, in nature.
For a brief while, you're able to put aside all your troubles. Like your snooping neighbor, always rooting through your garbage. And your boss. If they don't want to give you a raise, well...they'll see what it's //really// going to cost them.
Oh, a root in the middle of the trail. Better pay a bit more attention.
* [[Take the trail to the east--the Trailhead is just about in site.->Trailhead]]
* [[Take the trail to the south (against the directional arrows!).->West Trail]]The pub is a classic English pub--warm dark woodwork, scuffed and worn stone tile floors, old hand-hewn posts running up to exposed rafter and whitewashed ceiling between them.
A few of the small, round tables are occupied, quiet conversation passing between conspirators and friends. The fireplace is cold and empty, but it has been passably warm out this week. A set of stairs goes up, and a hallway leads into the rear of the building.
(if:visits is 1)[A stocky, balding man in his 50s waves a brief hand to you from behind the bar, and a woman a decade younger steps out to greet you.
"Welcome to the Coroner's Arms," she says. "Food? Talk to me--I'm Joanne.. Drink? Talk to my husband, Harry. Room? I guess talk to me again."]
(else-if:visits is >= 2)[Harry is behind the bar, cleaning barware and listening to two old men talking animatedly. Joanne can be seen bustling between the main room and the kitchen. (if:"yes" is in $room)[She spots you in passing, calls out "Your room is all set for you, top of the stairs," and tosses you a key. You'd rather this cast of characters not know where you're sleeping, but...too late now. (set:$room to (a:"yesyes"))]]
(if:"yes" is not in $room)[(if:"yesyes" is not in $room)[
* [["I'd like a room, yes. I might be staying here a while."->Get a room]]]]
* [[Head to the bar--you could use a drink.->The Bar]]
(if:"yesyes" is in $room)[
* [[Go to your room.->Pub Upstairs]]]
* [[Head outside.->North Street]]Joanne looks you over carefully, (if:" a tire iron" is in $inv)[noting the tire iron you're casually carrying, and] asking if it will be cash or credit.
You pay, and she tells you the room will be ready the next time you come in--assuming you have other business to attend to for a while.
"We don't take to any funny business here, you understand? Any strange thumps, or sounds of a struggle, and you're out by morning."
"I understand," you say, really truly understanding.
(set:$room to (a:"yes"))
* [[Grab a drink at the bar.->The Bar]]
* [[Leave the pub.->North Street]](if:visits > 1)[Harry places another ale in front of you the moment you reach the bar. This guy. The two old men are still yammering on about...hold on...yep, missing hitchhikers and hippies. Maybe you'll just keep rambling about the same thing when you're old and stuck in a small village too.
* [[Time to blow this joint. Head for the street.->North Street]]]
(if:visits = 1)[Harry--husband to Joanne--nods at you as you walk up to the old bar. You're wondering what to order, when he sets a glass of an amber liquid in front of you, with another nod.
* (link-reveal:"''Sure, drink the unknown and unrequested liquid. No harm in that.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>It's a reasonably tasty English ale, meaning that it's barely below room temperature and mostly flat. It doesn't, so far as you can tell, taste like poison. (if:" some poison" is in $inv)[Of course, you have odorless, tasteless poison in your pocket, so...that's not saying much.]]
You stand silently, drinking your ale and taking in your surroundings. Over the course of the next minute, it slowly dawns on you what the two old codgers down the bar from you are talking about.
"Another one gone missing, eh?"
"Another what?"
"//Hiker//, that's what."
"Hiker, or //hitch//hiker?"
"What's the difference?"
"Hikers have fancy boots and go off into the woods. Hitchhikers are hippies who don't want to own a car, but are happy to sit in yours while you pay for all the gas and do all the driving."
"Huh. Well, yeah. Another //hitch//hiker went missing."
"That's, what? Five now?"
"Yep. Last time this one was seen was out west of town, by the campground."
"Well...I never much cared for hippies anyway...the world could do with a few less of 'em."
* [[This is making you uncomfortable. Some of your best friends have been hippies. Well, no, that's not true. You don't like hippies either. But they shouldn't be killed just for being hippies. You need a better reason than that to kill someone. Time to get out of here.->North Street]]]
(if:"no" is in $room)[
* [[Talk to Joanne and maybe get a room upstairs. Who knows how long you'll be staying in town. One day? Two days? The rest of your life?->The Pub]]]You're in a short claustrophobic hallway, running left to right from the top of the stairs. There are doors on either side, including five guest rooms and one closet.
The guest room door at the end of the left hallway has crime scene tape sealing the doorway. Alrighty then.
Your key is labeled '#3'. Door #3 is just in front of you.
* [[Go in your room.->Your Room]]
* [[Go downstairs.->The Pub]]
* [[Go check out the crime scene room, because obviously.->Crime Room]]Your room is a fairly standard small guest room. A bed, a sink, a toilet, a small stand-alone wardrobe, and a window that looks down on the alley behind the building...where a small child is staring up at your window, expressionless. (if:(history: where its name contains "Alley Children")'s length >= 1)[The kid looks familiar--one of the ones from the alley, maybe?]
You wave. She stares at you expressionlessly.
You flick your hand in a 'shoo' motion. She stares at you expressionlessly.
You try to open the window to tell her to leave you the *** alone and stop being creepy, but the window is painted shut. She stares at you expressionlessly.
You consider leaving some of your possesions here. (if:" a tire iron" is in $inv)[Maybe the tire iron.] (if:" a large red rubber ball" is in $inv)[Maybe the big rubber ball.] (if:" a medieval dagger" is in $inv)[Maybe the medieval dagger that could implicate you in a murder.] But in the end, you think that maybe any of it could be oddly useful at any point today, so you keep it all on you.
[[Lock up the room and leave.->Pub Upstairs]]The door to this room is slightly ajar, enough for you to see the white police tape outline of a body on the floor--just like they do on TV!
Where the tape outline of the figure's head should be, there is a smashed computer monitor, various plastic bits of the frame scattered on the floor nearby. Ick.
You don't really feel the need to break through the tape to see more of that.
* [[Go back down the hallway.->Pub Upstairs]]The desk is so large and so ornate and so exotically wooden that it absolutely has to have been stolen from some far-off land by way of colonization.
You methodically remove the drawers and empty their contents onto the blotter on top of the desk, finding little of interest. Stray post-it notes, receipts from the monacle shop in town, vet bills for horses, and assorted office supplies.
You notice that the back of one desk drawer is lower than the sides, and checking in the space it came from, you notice a little secret wooden box, built into place in the back of the drawer opening.
* (link-reveal:"''Open the secret box.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>(if:"box open" is not in $cond)[The box is locked, but after a few seconds you find a letter opener and are able to pry it open.(set:$cond to $cond + (a:"box open"))] The box contains a deck of large playing cards with a unicorn on the back.
* (link-reveal:"''Look at the cards.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>The cards look like a pack of tarot cards(if:" a tarot card" is in $inv)[, but bigger than the one in your pocket, by a different artist]. Some of the cards have drawings of people on them, and you recognize the drawings from the portraits around the room as members of the Carlisle-Smythe family. Weird. Best to just leave these alone, seems like more trouble than you want and part of some whole complicate backstory. You put them away and re-lock the box.]]
* [[Steal something.->Sitting Room Theft]]
* [[Look at the tapestry.->Tapestry]]
* [[Leave the room->Entryway]]The middle of the north wall is half-covered by a massive tapestry. You're not sure how old it is (you missed a month of your Ancient and Medieval Tapestries course in college when you were laying low in a Mexican fishing village), but it seems to feature this very building prominently in the background. There are numerous figures in the foreground engaged in what looks to be either Greek mythology LARPing or various scenes from a racier version of the Bible. A lot of stabbing and hushed secret meetings between lovers/killers/both.
* (link-reveal:"''Take a closer look.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>(if:"Macbeth Alcove" is not in $cond)[You bend over to look more closely at one of the scenes--it looks for all the world like a small child falling into a well--and you spot something on the floor under the tapestry...a corner of paper? Reaching down, you pull what turns out to be an entire newspaper out from under the tapestry. It's a copy of the London Times from last week, with a headline article about an elusive cat burgler on the loose.<br>But what is the newspaper doing //under// the tapestry? It's up against the wall, isn't it?.](if:"Macbeth Alcove" is in $cond)[You look at the tapestry again--that really is a kid falling into the well. Weird.]
* (link-reveal:"''Look behind the tapestry.''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>You pull up the bottom of the tapestry (it's heavier than it looks!) and slip underneath, and you find yourself in a small alcove in the wall, entirely hidden from sight. There is a small upholstered chair here, with a side table for a drink, and a padded footstool. Surprisingly comfortable for a secret hiding spot--someone could camp out here in comfort for quite a while. Read a paper and have a cuppa, perhaps, and no one in the room would suspect a thing. (set:$cond to $cond + (a:"Macbeth Alcove"))]]
* [[Textiles are boring, time to steal something.->Sitting Room Theft]]
* [[Desks > Tapestries.->Desk]]
* [[Get out of here.->Entryway]]You turn in a slow circle in the middle of the room, surveying. There really is quite a lot in here that would fit in your pockets. And no one is looking.
Eventually you settle on a silver urn, quite small, more like a large salt shaker. You're not sure what's in it--the top is stuck--but there's something you can shake around inside it. Dirt? Sand?
Whatever, in your coat pocket it goes. Time to move!
(set:$inv to $inv + (a: " a small silver urn"))
* [[What else is there to do here?.->Sitting Room]]You never did get the cadaverous old man's name, so you clear your throat and say, loudly, "Oi! Butler!"
No sooner are the words out of your mouth and the satisfaction of your cheekiness flowing through your chest than you turn around, and the man is standing immediately behind you.
Gah!
"Would the...guest..require any assistance?"
* (link-reveal:"Yes, I'd like to see the Lord of this musty old ruin.",(t8n:"dissolve"))[<br>He looks at you as if you were a new kind of bad smell from an old foreign cheese, but pivots on his foot and tells you to follow him. (set:$direction to (a:"butler"))<br>
* [[Follow the Butler.->Locked door]]]
* [[Is there anyone who thinks of a Lady's touch in this place? I'd like to see the madam...the missus...the Lady of the House.'->Lady Smythe]]
↶↷You are standing in the downtown square of a quaint rural English village.
There is a sign in front of you.
Several small storefronts and official buildings line the well-maintained town square.
A street runs north to the edge of town.
Another street winds its way to the west.
You have a jaunty hat
- Read the Sign
- Check out one of the shops surrounding the square.
- Take the street north.
- West...west looks perfectly safe.