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The woods are quiet this night, and the air grows chill. Your fire sputters as a low mist gathers around the edges of your camp, growing closer as the night wears on. By morning, the fog hangs thick in the air, turning the trees around you into gray ghosts. Then you notice the [[trees themselves|InspectTrees]] have changed; they aren’t the ones that surrounded you the night before. [[Journey into the mist.|LonelyRoadStart]] ou wander into the mist, and it engulfs you fully. You can no longer tell which direction you are heading in; you wonder if you will simply circle back to where you camped... but then you come to a lonely dirt road that cuts through the woods. It seems to be the only solid thing in a world of fog. One end dissolves into grey; the other leads to two shadowy shapes you can just barely make out. [[Follow the road back into the mist.|LonelyRoadSwitchback]] <<if $FoundShapes is true>>[[Head toward the shadowy shapes.|EdgeOfBarovia]]<<else>>[[Head toward the shadowy shapes.|EdgeOfBarovia][$Completion += 2]]<</if>> Following the road back into the fog, y<<display LonelyRoad>> <<if $FoundShapes is true>><<else>><<set $FoundShapes to true>><</if>>Two shapes loom out of the shadows; they are gateposts, both engraved with the name “Barovia.” They are ornamental; no wall stretches out from them, and no gate lies between them. Beyond, the mists open up to reveal a valley and a gravel road cutting across it, disappearing into the fog. [[Follow the road down into the valley.|EnteringBarovia][$Completion += 2]] [[Turn back.|LonelyRoadSwitchback]] Y<<display LonelyRoad>> As you travel down it, you see the gravel road leads to a village, its narrow houses dark as tombstones. Nestled among these solemn dwellings are a handful of closed-up shops. Even the tavern is shut tight. A soft whimpering draws your eye toward a pair of children standing on the portico of a tall brick rowhouse in the middle of an otherwise lifeless street. The rowhouse’s windows are dark, but at least they aren’t boarded-up like those of the surrounding homes. [[Approach the children.|1APortico1]] [[Journey further into the village.|ExploringBarovia1]] The village is fully shuttered. You wonder if any living thing lies behind its closed windows and doors. The only movement is the mist, its white fingers closing in, swallowing everything. Back on the porch of the tall rowhouse, the children continue to whimper. [[Approach the children.|1APortico1]] [[Journey further into the village.|ExploringBarovia2]] More buildings disappear into the mists. You can stand your ground and let the fog engulf you, or turn to the rowhouse for refuge; perhaps the children can let you inside. [[Stand your ground.|ExploringBarovia3]] [[Approach the children.|1APortico1]] Your world whites out as the mists embrace you. You feel as if the fog is entering your mind; a grey confusion takes hold. Stumbling, you find yourself falling over the front steps of the tall rowhouse. <<display 1APortico1>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm1APortico">><<set $DiscoveredPortico1 to true>>The encroaching mists quickly force you onto the house’s stone portico along with the children. The elder of the two, a girl who looks to be about ten, shuts a wrought-iron gate behind you, its rusty hinges shrieking as it closes. The mists rush up to the gate, but seem to be held at bay by the portico’s two hanging oil lamps, shining out against the gloom. You feel as if the tall rowhouse is the last bulwark against a white oblivion. The younger child, a boy, whimpers until the girl shushes him. She turns to you and whispers urgently, “We need your help! There’s a monster in our house!” [[Examine the children.|1AExamineChildren]] [[Ask about the monster.|1AAskAboutMonster]] [[Ask about the children’s parents.|1AAskAboutParents]] [[Ask about the house.|1AAskAboutHouse]] [[Open the gate and journey out into the mists.|ExploringBarovia4]] The gate’s hinges scream as you push it open. The children cry out in alarm as you step into the mist. <<display ExploringBarovia3>> <<set $ExaminedChildren1A to true>>The children are clearly siblings, with the same pitch-black hair, clear grey eyes, and pale skin. Their clothes are impressive—ornately patterned brocade, lined with fur, in maroon and periwinkle. You’d guess the boy’s age to be six or seven; he clutches at his sister with one hand, hugs a stuffed doll with the other. The doll is pale and featureless except for two large, round, black beads for eyes; a cartoon corpse. Noting your inspection, the girl says, “I’m Rose. This is Thorn.” <<display 1APortico2>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm1APortico">><<set $DiscoveredPortico1 to true>>The children watch you, their eyes watery with fear.<<if $VisitedPortico1A is true>><<else>> You realize you are involved; you can no longer journey out into the mists and abandon them.<<set $Completion += 2>><</if>> On the far side of the portico, oil lamps flank oaken doors that lead into the house.<<set $VisitedPortico1A to true>> <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>><<else>>[[Examine the children.|1AExamineChildren]]<html><br></html><</if>><<if $AskedAboutMonster1A is true>><<else>>[[Ask about the monster.|1AAskAboutMonster]]<html><br></html><</if>><<if $AskedAboutParents1A is true>><<else>>[[Ask about the children’s parents.|1AAskAboutParents]]<html><br></html><</if>><<if $AskedAboutHouse1A is true>><<else>>[[Ask about the house.|1AAskAboutHouse]]<html><br></html><</if>>[[Enter the house through the oaken doors.|1AChildrenThanks]] [[Ask the children to bring you inside.|1APortico3]] <<if $AlarmChildren1A is 2>>[[Force the children to go inside the house with you.|1APortico4]]<<else>><</if>> $AlarmChildren1A Tracks how scared you’ve made the children. Values: 1–2 $ArmorAnimatedBy11 Tracks what the player did to activate the armor—just so some language around that can be more specific. Values: "examined" $ArmorStatus11 Tracks whether, after the armor has been activated, it is still alive or defeated by the player. Values: "alive"/"dead" $AskedAboutBaby16 This tracks whether players have asked about the baby already in 16Attic, to avoid repetition. Values: true $AskedAboutHouse1A Tracks whether the player has asked Rose and Thorn about the house. Values: true/false $AskedAboutHouse16 Tracks whether the player has asked about the house in 16Attic, so the wording can change to make scene feel less repetitive. Values: true/false $AskedAboutLorghoth16 Tracks whether players have asked about Lorghoth, to keep the loop there from feeling too repetitive. Values: true/false $AskedAboutMonster1A Tracks whether the player has asked Rose and Thorn about the monster they’re worried about. Values: true/false $AskedAboutParents1A Tracks whether the player has asked Rose and Thorn about their parents. Values: true/false $AskedAboutParents16 Tracks whether the player has asked about the parents in 16Attic, so the wording can change to make scene feel less repetitive. Values: true/false $AtticUnlocked14 Tracks whether the player has unlocked 16Attic with the iron key. Values: "true" $B21Entered Tracks whether the player has entered this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, to set up the counter for the room collapsing. Values: true $B21Countdown Tracks how long the player has been in this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, so the room’s collapse can progress. Starts at 0 when the player enters the room, ends at 3 with the collapse of the room. Values: 0/1/2/3 $B21TurnBackTried Tracks whether players have tried go back during the basement collapse; doing so always results in the previous room collapsing. Values: true $B22Entered Tracks whether the player has entered this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, to set up the counter for the room collapsing. Values: true $B22Countdown Tracks how long the player has been in this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, so the room’s collapse can progress. Starts at 0 when the player enters the room, ends at 3 with the collapse of the room. Values: 0/1/2/3 $B22TurnBackTried Tracks whether players have tried go back during the basement collapse; doing so always results in the previous room collapsing. Values: true $B23Entered Tracks whether the player has entered this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, to set up the counter for the room collapsing. Values: true $B23Countdown Tracks how long the player has been in this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, so the room’s collapse can progress. Starts at 0 when the player enters the room, ends at 3 with the collapse of the room. Values: 0/1/2/3 $B23TurnBackTried Tracks if the player tried to go back while escaping the basement, so that the way back can be explicitly destroyed. Values: true $B24Entered Tracks whether the player has entered this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, to set up the counter for the room collapsing. Values: true $B24Countdown Tracks how long the player has been in this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, so the room’s collapse can progress. Starts at 0 when the player enters the room, ends at 3 with the collapse of the room. Values: 0/1/2/3 $B24TurnBackTried Tracks if the player tried to go back while escaping the basement, so that the way back can be explicitly destroyed. Values: true $B25Entered Tracks whether the player has entered this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, to set up the counter for the room collapsing. Values: true $B25Countdown Tracks how long the player has been in this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, so the room’s collapse can progress. Starts at 0 when the player enters the room, ends at 3 with the collapse of the room. Values: 0/1/2/3 $B26Entered Tracks whether the player has entered this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, to set up the counter for the room collapsing. Values: true $B26Countdown Tracks how long the player has been in this specific numbered room while escaping the basement, so the room’s collapse can progress. Starts at 0 when the player enters the room, ends at 3 with the collapse of the room. Values: 0/1/2/3 $BabyRevealed26 Tracks whether players have seen the baby on the altar in 26BasementAltar, to avoid repetition of first sighting of it. Values: true $BonesPlaced23 Tracks whether players have interred the children’s bones in 23Crypts. Values: true $BonesTaken16 Tracks whether players have taken the bones in the attic or not; the children’s ghosts disappear if the bones are taken. Values: true/false $BypassedKitched4 Tracks if players have gone straight to the dumbwaiter on the second floor, skipping the kitchen, and then go to the kitchen. In that case, they won’t know that the kitchen is connected to the hall until they pass between the two, and this allows for that, thanks to setter links. Values: "true"/"false" $Completion Tracks how far players have gotten in the story. Goes from 0 to 100. Set to 0 in the Intro. There's no way to complete the story without it adding up to 100 (unless I screwed up, of course). Optional pieces don't add to the score, except for the spell scroll. Values: 0—100 $CompletionBonus3 Tracks whether players have triggered the switch on the blue-eyed wolf in 3HuntersDen. Exists so that the completion bonus is given only once. Values: true $CompletionBonus9 Tracks whether players have entered 9SecretRoom. Exists so that the completion bonus is given only once. Values: true $CompletionBonus16 Tracks whether players have entered 16Attic. Exists so that the completion bonus is given only once. Values: true $CompletionBonusLorghothMentioned16 Tracks whether players have learned Lorghoth's name. Exists so that the completion bonus is given only once. Values: true $CurrentRm Tracks where the player is in the house. Values: Rm1APortico Rm1BGrandFoyer MistDeath Rm2MainHall Rm3HuntersDen Rm4Kitchen Rm5DiningRoom Rm6UpperHall Rm7ServantsQuarters Rm8Library Rm9SecretRoom Rm10Conservatory Rm11Landing Rm12MasterBedroom Rm13Bathroom Rm14AtticStairs Rm15NursemaidsSuite Rm21SecretStairs Rm16Attic Rm22BasementHallway Rm23Crypts Rm24FeastingHall Rm25AltarChamber Rm26Altar InsideLorghoth RmB26Altar RmB25AltarChamber RmB24FeastingHall RmB23Crypts RmB22BasementHallway RmB21SecretStairs RmB29End $DiscoveredAltarChamber25 Tracks whether players have discovered 25AltarChamber. Necessary to the make the map work. Values: true $DiscoveredBasementHallway22 Tracks whether players have discovered the basement hallway yet, to control messaging about how players are closing in on their goal. Values: true/false $DiscoveredBathroom13 Tracks whether the player has discovered 13Bathroom. Values: true/false $DiscoveredButtons12 Tracks whether the player has discovered the buttons on the hidden door in 12MasterBedroom. Values: true/false $DiscoveredConservatory10 Tracks whether players have discovered 10Conservatory yet, to massage wayfinding language at 6UpperHall. Values: true/false $DiscoveredCrypts23 Tracks whether players have discovered 23Crypts. Necessary to the make the map work. Values: true $DiscoveredDiningRoom2 Tracks whether players have discovered the dining room, so that the language can make clear how to get there in 2MainHall. Values: true/false $DiscoveredFeastingHall24 Tracks whether players have discovered 24FeastingHall. Necessary to the make the map work. Values: true $DiscoveredGrandFoyer1B Tracks whether the player has discovered the grand foyer, so first entry can include a note about the player using a lantern to illuminate the house. Values: true/false $DiscoveredHuntersDen3 Tracks whether players have discovered the hunter’s den, so that the language can make clear how to get there in 2MainHall. Values: true/false $DiscoveredKitchen2 Tracks whether players have discovered the kitchen, so that the language can make clear how to get there in 2MainHall. Values: true/false $DiscoveredLibrary8 Tracks whether players have discovered the library off of 6UpperHall yet, to help wayfinding language. Values: true/false $DiscoveredMainHall2 Tracks whether the player has discovered the main hall. Values: true $DiscoveredMasterBedroom12 Tracks whether the player has discovered 12MasterBedroom. Values: true/false $DiscoveredNursemaidsSuite15 Tracks whether the door to the nursemaid’s suite should be specific as such at 11Landing. Values: true/false $DiscoveredPortico1 Tracks if the player has ever been to Portico1A. true $DiscoveredSecretRoom9 Tracks whether players have discovered 9SecretRoom. Necessary to the make the map work. Values: true $DiscoveredThirdFloorLanding11 Tracks whether the player has discovered the third-floor landing, to adjust wayfinding language in 6UpperHall. Values: true/false $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 Tests whether the player has examined the dumbwaiter, so it can be described more clearly in 4Kitchen. Values: true/false $DurstsDiscovered24 Tracks whether the players have discovered the transformed Dursts in 24BasementFeastingHall, so the opening encounter with them doesn’t repeat. Values: true $DurstsInjuries24 Tracks how many injuries you’ve given the Dursts in 24BasementFeastingHall before they realize they’re doomed. Values: 1/2 $ExaminedChildren1A Tracks whether the player has examined Rose and Thorn. Values: true/false $ExaminedChildren16 Tracks whether the player has interacted with Rose and Thorn in the attic. Values: true/false $ExaminedDollhouse16 Tracks whether the player has examined the dollhouse, so the language can adjust to feel less repetitive. Values: true/false $FoundShapes Tracks whether players have headed toward the shadowy shapes in the beginning. Exists so that the completion bonus is given only once. Values: true $GhoulsDiscovered22 Tracks whether players have discovered the ghouls in 22, so that the intro language won’t reappear there. Values: true $GhoulsFought22 Tracks whether players have fought the root ghouls, to mark that players now know about them and are fully trapped in the endgame. Values: true $GhoulsPushedBack26 Tracks whether players have tried to get of the altar and been blocked by the root ghouls in 26BasementAltar, to set and accelerate the scene. Values: true $InsideLorghothCounter Tracks how long the player has been in Lorghoth. Starts at zero, and at three the player dies. Players can buy more time by casting "protection from evil," but that only subtracts two from the count, and the count never goes below zero. The count doesn’t progress when players first throw poison on Lorghoth. Values: 0/1/2/3 $IronKey8 Tracks whether the player has taken the key in the drawer in 8Library. Values: true/false $LandingCounter11 Tracks if a player has been to 11Landing 3 or more times. If so, there's a line that talks about a draft, pointing to the secret door. Values: 0/1/2/etc. $LetterDiscovered9 Tracks whether players have read Strahd’s letter or not, so Strahd can be referenced at the end. Values: true $LightCrossbow3 Tracks whether the player has taken the crossbow. Values: true/false $LightCrossbowBolts3 Tracks how many crossbow bolts the player has. It starts at 20, and there is no way to get more. When it hits zero, $LightCrossbow3 is set to false. Values: 0–20 $Longsword2 Tracks whether the player has taken the longsword. Values: true/false $LorghothIntroGiven27 Tracks whether players have been given the "you’ve been swallowed by Lorghoth" intro in 27InsideLorghoth, so they’ll only see it once. Values: true $LorghothMentioned16 Tracks whether Lorghoth has been mentioned, so that the player can then ask about it. Values: true/false $MistsSeen26 Tracks whether players have seen the mists coming to watch in 26BasementAltar, to set and accelerate the scene. Values: true $NorthCabinetUnlocked3 Tracks whether the player has unlocked the north cabinet. Values: true/false $NursemaidStatus15 Tracks whether the nursemaid’s specter is alive or dead. Values: "dead" $OpenedChest9 Tracks whether the player has opened the chest in 9SecretRoom. Values: true/false $PoisonedLorghothOnce27 Tracks if players have damaged Lorghoth once with poison. (Doing it a second time defeats Lorghoth.) Values: true $PoisonTaken16 Tracks whether the player has taken the plant poison from the children in 16Attic or not. Values: true/false $PortcullisRaised24 Tracks whether the portcullis in 24BasementFeastingHall has been raised yet or not. Values: true $RevealAtticStairs11 Tracks whether the player has discovered the hidden stairs to the attic. Values: true/false $SeenLorghoth26 Tracks whether players have looked up to see Lorghoth in 26BasementAltar, to set and accelerate the scene. Values: true $SpellScroll9 Tracks whether the player has taken the spell scroll in 9SecretRoom. Values: true/false $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnArmor11 Tracks whether the player has spent a final crossbow bolt on the armor; if so, this activates a search process where the player can recover a single bolt. Values: true/false $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnDursts24 Tracks whether players have exhuasted their crossbow bolts in the fight with the Dursts. Values: true $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnGhouls22 Tracks whether players have spent their last crossbow bolt in 22GhoulFight. Values: true/false $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnSpecter15 Tracks whether the player has used their last crossbow bolt in the specter fight in 15NursemaidsSuite. Values: true/false $ToyChestStatus16 Tracks whether players have left the toy chest open or closed, the former making the children invisible. Values: "open"/"closed" $TrappedLoop15 Tracks whether the player has started looping through the nursemaid’s specter encounter in 15NursemaidsSuite, so that the looping can be acknowledged in the descriptions. Values: "true" $UpperHallDiscovered6 Tracks whether the player has been to 6UpperHall yet—to cover if they went through the dumbwaiter to 7ServantsQuarters without going through 6UpperHall, so that some of the wayfinding language around there can be more specific. Values: true/false $VisitedPortico1A Tracks whether the player has spent time on the portico; at first, they’ll see a note about how they’re involved with the children now. After that, the note won’t appear. Values: true/false $WestCabinetUnlocked3 Tracks whether the player has unlocked the west cabinet. Values: true/false <<set $AskedAboutMonster1A to true>><<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Thorn sobs, while Rose<<else>>The boy sobs, while the girl<</if>> quietly says, “We don’t know what the monster looks like, but we know what it does to people.” She leans forward, so <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>her brother<<else>>the boy<</if>> won’t hear. “It’s terrible. You have to stop it.” She clutches <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Thorn’s<<else>>the boy’s<</if>> hand. “Will you help us?” <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Thorn<<else>>the boy<</if>> asks. “The monster is in the basement, but you’ll have to go through the rest of the house to get down to it.” <<display 1APortico2>> <<set $AskedAboutParents1A to true>><<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Rose turns grave, while Thorn<<else>>The girl turns grave, while the boy<</if>> quiets into a stupor, studying the floor. “Our parents are inside,” <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Rose<<else>>the girl<</if>> says. “They’re with the monster in the basement. You have to promise you’ll go there too, to stop it!” <<display 1APortico2>> <<set $AskedAboutHouse1A to true>>Both children stare up at the roof of the portico, as if they could see through it to the house’s floors above. “Our little brother's just a baby” <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Thorn<<else>>the boy<</if>> says. “He's in the nursery with his maid.” “If the monster hasn’t gotten them yet,” <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Rose whispers. Her brother<<else>>the girl whispers. The boy<</if>> lets out a sob. “Sorry,” she says to him. <<display 1APortico2>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm1BGrandFoyer">><<if $DiscoveredGrandFoyer1B is true>><<else>><<set $Completion += 4>><<set $DiscoveredGrandFoyer1B to true>>As you enter the house, you see that it is either currently or recently occupied; its room are lit, albeit dimly, and you smell and feel fire-warmed air, although the air somehow fails to warm you. Still, shadows seem to lengthen all around you, and you pull out a lantern to use throughout the house.<html><br><br></html><</if>>You are in a grand foyer, clean and dimly lit by a low-burning oil lamp. A [[shield|1BExamineShield]] emblazoned with a coat of arms is on the south wall, flanked by [[portraits of grim-looking people|1BExaminePortraits]]. Oaken doors lead out the portico, and mahogany-framed double doors lead deeper into the house; they are set with [[stained glass|1BExamineStainedGlass]]. An uneasy silence fills the room. [[Go through the oaken doors to the portico.|1APortico5]] <<if $DiscoveredMainHall2 is true>>[[Go through the double doors to the main hall.|2MainHall]]<<else>>[[Go through the double doors, further into the house.|2MainHall][$Completion += 2]]<</if>> <<if $AlarmChildren1A is 2>>“You can’t make us,” <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Rose<<else>>the girl<</if>> whispers, as <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Thorn<<else>>the boy<</if>> cowers behind her. “Not until the monster is gone.”<<else>><<if $AlarmChildren1A is 1>>“You already asked us that!” <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Rose<<else>>the girl<</if>> shouts, hugging <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Thorn<<else>>the boy<</if>> tightly to her as he whimpers in terror. “We won’t go inside, I promise,” she tells him.<<set $AlarmChildren1A to 2>><<else>>The children draw back in alarm. “No!” <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Thorn<<else>>the boy<</if>> cries. <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Rose<<else>>The girl<</if>> shakes her head. “We aren’t going inside until the monster is gone.”<<set $AlarmChildren1A to 1>><</if>><</if>> <<display 1APortico2>> As you close in on the children, they scream in terror, a shout that grows in intensity until it invades your skull. The pain is unbearable, sending to your knees as you black out—and then all at once it’s gone. You look up and find yourself alone on the portico. The mists circle just beyond the wrought-iron gate, their white fingers beckoning you. On the far side of the portico, oil lamps flank oaken doors that lead into the house. [[Enter the house through the oaken doors.|1BGrandFoyer1]] [[Open the gate and journey out into the mists.|MistNearDeath1A]] As your hands reach out to the gate—the only barrier between you and the mists—a deathly chill seems to strike into your fingers. You can’t help but hesitate. And those children need you; you haven’t faced the house’s monster and destroyed it yet. Will you really abandon them, and your quest? On the far side of the portico, oil lamps flank oaken doors that lead into the house. [[Enter the house through the oaken doors.|1BGrandFoyer1]] [[Open the gate and journey out into the mists.|MistDeath1A]] <<set $CurrentRm to "MistDeath">>The gate’s hinges scream as you push it open. Your world whites out as the mists embrace you. You feel as if the fog is entering your mind; a grey confusion takes hold. And then you see them: The children. But they no longer look frightened. Instead, they are hungry, their mouths stretching open, dark maws that gape at you like living nightmares. You step back, but the mists have erased all sense of movement and space; nothing can lengthen the distance between you and the children, as their mouths open impossibly wide, and then wider still, becoming dark doorways that rush at you. Your body turns shockingly cold as the black mouths of the children swallow you whole, so that all you know is a freezing darkness. The shield is polished to a bright sheen; its coat of arms depicts a stylized golden windmill on a red field. <<display 1BGrandFoyer2>> The portraits are the dirtiest thing in the room; age has darkened them, but you can still make out a series of stony-faced, black-haired, pale-skinned aristocrats, all with the last name “Durst.” <<display 1BGrandFoyer2>> The stained glass seems to be arranged in a decorative pattern with no discernible meaning. As the light from the dying fire catches it, you see the glass alternates between pieces of maroon and periwinkle. <<display 1BGrandFoyer2>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm1APortico">>The children are gone, but the mists remain, circling just beyond the wrought-iron gate, their white fingers beckoning you. On the far side of the portico, oil lamps flank oaken doors that lead into the house. [[Enter the house through the oaken doors.|1BGrandFoyer1]] [[Open the gate and journey out into the mists.|MistNearDeath1A]] <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm1BGrandFoyer">>The grand foyer is clean and dimly lit by a low-burning oil lamp. [[A shield|1BExamineShield]] emblazoned with a coat-of-arms is on the south wall, flanked by [[portraits of grim-looking people|1BExaminePortraits]]. Oaken doors lead out the portico, and mahogany-framed double doors lead deeper into the house; they are set with [[stained glass|1BExamineStainedGlass]]. [[Go through the oaken doors to the portico.|1APortico5]] [[Go through the double doors, further into the house.|2MainHall]] <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm2MainHall">><<set $DiscoveredMainHall2 to true>>You are in a wide hall that runs east to west, with a black marble fireplace to the west and a sweeping, red marble staircase to the east<<if $ArmorStatus11 is "alive">>; you know that at its top, on the third floor, the animated armor blocks your further progress<<else>><</if>>. [[Ornate wood-paneled walls|2ExamineWalls]] surround the mahogony-and-[[stained-glass|2ExamineStainedGlass]] doors out to the foyer, south, next to <<if $DiscoveredHuntersDen3 is true>>the door to the hunter’s den<<else>>another doorway<</if>>. Two other doors line the north wall,<<if $DiscoveredKitchen2 is true>> one on the right leading to the kitchen,<<else>><</if>> along with a [[small closet|2ExamineCloset]]. <<if $Longsword2 is true>>A dying fire lingers in the fireplace.<<else>>[[A longsword|2ExamineLongsword]] is mounted above the fireplace, where a dying fire lingers.<</if>> [[Go through the stained-glass doors to the foyer.|1BGrandFoyer2]] <<if $DiscoveredHuntersDen3 is true>>[[Go south to the hunter’s den.|3HuntersDen]]<<else>>[[Go through the southern door.|3HuntersDen][$Completion += 2]]<</if>> <<if $DiscoveredDiningRoom2 is true>>[[Go north to the dining room.|5DiningRoom]]<<else>>[[Go through the north door on the left.|5DiningRoom]]<</if>> <<if $DiscoveredKitchen2 is true>>[[Go north to the kitchen.|4Kitchen]]<<else>>[[Go through the north door on the right.|4Kitchen]]<</if>> [[Go up the staircase.|6UpperHall]] <<display Map>>Inventory: <<if $PoisonTaken16 is true>>Envelope of plant poison<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $IronKey8 is true>>Iron key<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $LightCrossbow3 is true>>Light crossbow with $LightCrossbowBolts3 bolt<<if $LightCrossbowBolts3 gt 1>>s<<else>><<if $LightCrossbowBolts3 is 0>>s<<else>><</if>><</if>><html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $Longsword2 is true>>Longsword<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $BonesTaken16 is true>>Sack of bones<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpellScroll9 is true>>Spell scroll, “protection from evil”<html><br></html><<else>><</if>> Story progress: $Completion% While the longsword has a windmill cameo worked into the hilt, it looks well-constructed and not merely decorative. It is mounted to the wall, but you can’t tell how securely. Do you want to try to [[take it|2TakeLongsword1][$Completion += 4]]? <<display 2MainHall>> The wood-paneled walls are [[ornately sculpted|2ExamineWalls2]] with images of vines, flowers, nymphs, and satyrs. <<display 2MainHall>> The stained glass seems to be arranged in a decorative pattern with no discernible meaning. As the light from the dying fire catches it, you see the glass alternates between pieces of maroon and periwinkle. <<display 2MainHall>> Opening the closet door reveals a cloakroom with several black cloaks hanging from hooks on the walls, and a top hat sitting on a high shelf. Luckily you are already warmly dressed, as neither the cloaks nor the hat are your style. <<display 2MainHall>> You see that the longsword is simply resting atop some pins cleverly hidden along its lower side. You lift it from its place and take ownership of the beautiful weapon.<<set $Longsword2 to true>> <<display 2MainHall>> Looking more closely, you see serpents and skulls inconspicuously woven into the wall designs. The decorative paneling follows the staircase as it circles upward to the second floor. <<display 2MainHall>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm3HuntersDen">><<set $DiscoveredHuntersDen3 to true>>This oak-paneled room looks like a hunter’s den. Mounted above the fireplace—where logs burn steadily—is a stag’s head, and positioned around the outskirts of the room are [[three stuffed wolves|3ExamineWolves]]. Two padded chairs draped in animal furs face the hearth, with an oak table between them supporting a cask of wine, two carved wooden goblets, a pipe rack, and a candelabrum. A chandelier hangs above a cloth-covered table surrounded by four chairs. Two cabinets stand against the walls, <<if $NorthCabinetUnlocked3 is true>>[[one to the north|3NorthCabinet2]]<<else>>[[one to the north|3NorthCabinet1]]<</if>> and <<if $LightCrossbow3 is true>>[[the other to the west|3WestCabinet5]]<<else>><<if $WestCabinetUnlocked3 is true>>[[the other to the west|3WestCabinet2]]<<else>>[[the other to the west|3WestCabinet1]]<</if>><</if>>. A northern door leads back to hall. [[Go back to the hall.|2MainHall]] The three wolves are posed, in turn, playfully, in repose, and ready to leap. They are surprisingly lifelife, but, as their eyes glisten in the firelight, you see each wolf has one eye that’s a solid color, like a polished gemstone. Of the wolves, [[the sleeping one|3RedWolf1]] has a red eye, [[the playful one|3GreenWolf1]] has a green eye, and the last, [[the leaping wolf|3BlueWolf1]], has a blue eye. <<display 3HuntersDen>> The wooden cabinet on the north wall is small, ornately carved, and locked. You see no keyhole, only a polished green gemstone set in its side, next to the ineffectual door handle. <<display 3HuntersDen>> The wooden cabinet on the west wall is small, ornately carved, and locked. It has no keyhole, just a polished blue gemstone inset next to the door handle. <<display 3HuntersDen>> Do you want to [[touch the sleeping wolf’s red eye|3RedWolf2]]? <<display 3HuntersDen>> Do you want to [[touch the playful wolf’s green eye|3GreenWolf2]]? <<display 3HuntersDen>> Do you want to [[touch the leaping wolf’s blue eye|3BlueWolf2]]? <<display 3HuntersDen>> The red eye depresses slighty under your touch, but you hear no sound and sense no change in the room. Leaning forward, listening closely, you hear a low murmur that sharpens suddenly into a snarl. The wolf comes alive beneath your hand, its bared teeth readying to snap at you. You leap back and see the sleeping wolf is as stuffed and still as ever. It must have been the light from the fire, making it look animated—and the snarl only a roar of the wind outside. <<display 3HuntersDen>> The green eye depresses slightly under your hand, and you hear a corresponding click from elsewhere in the room.<<set $NorthCabinetUnlocked3 to true>> <<display 3HuntersDen>> The blue eye depresses slightly under your hand, and you hear a corresponding click from elsewhere in the room.<<set $WestCabinetUnlocked3 to true>><<if $CompletionBonus3 is true>><<else>><<set $CompletionBonus3 to true>><<set $Completion += 2>><</if>> <<display 3HuntersDen>> The wooden cabinet on the north wall is small, ornately carved, and unlocked. Inside you find a deck of silver-edged, well-used playing cards. Too bad you have no one to play with. <<display 3HuntersDen>> The wooden cabinet on the west wall is small, ornately carved, and unlocked. Inside you find a [[light crossbow with 20 bolts|3WestCabinet3]]. <<display 3HuntersDen>> Do you want to [[take the light crossbow|3WestCabinet4]] from the cabinet? <<display 3HuntersDen>> You arm yourself with the crossbow; too bad it only has 20 bolts.<<set $LightCrossbow3 to true>><<set $LightCrossbowBolts3 to 20>><<set $Completion += 4>> <<display 3HuntersDen>> The wooden cabinet on the west wall is small, ornately carved, unlocked, and empty—because you have taken the crossbow it held. <<display 3HuntersDen>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm4Kitchen">><<set $DiscoveredKitchen2 to true>>You are in a kitchen. It’s tidy, with dishware, cookware, and utensils neatly placed on shelves. A worktable has a cutting board and rolling pin atop it. A stone, dome-shaped oven stands near the north wall, its bent iron stovepipe connecting to a hole in the ceiling. Next to it is an opening leading to a [[pantry|4ExaminePantry1]]. There’s a <<if $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 is true>>[[dumbwaiter|4ExamineDumbwaiter]]<<else>>[[small, square door at waist height|4ExamineDumbwaiter]]<</if>> in the southeast corner of the room. <<if $BypassedKitchen4 is "true">>There’s a door to the south.<<else>>A door to the south leads to the hall.<</if>> <<if $BypassedKitchen4 is "true">>[[Go through the southern door.|2MainHall][$BypassedKitchen4 to "false"]]<<else>>[[Go to the hall.|2MainHall]]<</if>> <<if $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 is true>>[[Climb inside the dumbwaiter.|DumbwaiterBetween1and2]]<<else>><</if>> The pantry is well-stocked. Along with clearly marked containers for countless spices and staples like sugar, salt, and molasses, you see a few items simply sitting out, [[free to sample|4ExaminePantry2]]: apples, dried bread-crumbs, and a cup of raisins. <<display 4Kitchen>> <<if $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 is true>>The dumbwaiter is a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple rope-and-pulley mechanism. You see, on the wall next to the dumbwaiter, a tiny brass bell attached by wires to buttons marked "Master Bedroom" and "Servants’ Quarters."<<else>>Opening the small door reveals a dumbwaiter—<<set $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 to true>>a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple rope-and-pulley mechanism. Perhaps this is the way to get down to the basement, to find the monster the children spoke of? But, peeking inside, you can see only two stops above and none below. You’ll have to keep looking for a way to get to the basement. <html><br><br></html>You see, on the wall next to the dumbwaiter, a tiny brass bell attached by wires to buttons marked "Master Bedroom" and "Servants’ Quarters."<</if>> You feel like it’s just possible that you could squeeze inside the dumbwaiter, push the elevator box down, and climb the rope. <<display 4Kitchen>> Do you want to [[try some of the food|4ExaminePantry3]]? <<display 4Kitchen>> You take a bite of a juicy apple. It crunches but tastes so bland, you feel like you’re chewing air—and in moments the bite has dissolved in your mouth, so that you are chewing nothing at all. The raisins and especially the bread crumbs are the same: They have the texture of solid food at first but, after a moment, seem to vanish before you can truly taste them. <<display 4Kitchen>> There are three threats yet to face: - Plant zombies of the cult members, which can be disassembled with the longsword. - Ghosts of Elisabeth and Gustav, which can be held off with the longsword. - Lorghoth, who players are going to have to let eat them, and then they’ll use the poison on them. The only way to put the children’s spirits to rest is to put their skeletal remains in one of the empty crypts. ---------------- BACKSTORY The parents excavated below the house, uncovered the shambling mound, and built a cult around it. They hoped to threaten Strahd with it, but he spurned them. So they decided to sacrifice their own baby as an offering to it, to try to become more powerful through it and overthrow Strahd. The older children discovered their plan, and tried to kill the mound with poison. But their parents discovered this and killed them—and then killed the nursemaid who tried to protect the baby. The parents then sacrificed their child along with their fellow cultists, but the mound responded simply by killing everyone. The horrible actions cursed the house and all who enter it, but the children’s ghosts remained to beg for justice. ---------------- CHANGES TO MAKE Maybe the dumbwaiter ends up the only way to escape the house? Yes. If the player successfully saves the children’s souls, in the ruins of the house, their spirits rise up and thank the player. Otherwise, they stand lonely in the ashes, and the player is made to wonder if they could have been saved. <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm5DiningRoom">><<set $DiscoveredDiningRoom2 to true>>You are in a well-kept dining room. Its centerpiece is a carved mahogany table surrounded by eight high-backed chairs with sculpted armrests and cushioned seats. A crystal chandelier, its candles burning low, hangs above the table, which is covered with [[resplendent silverware|5ExamineSilverware1]]. A [[tapestry|5ExamineTapestry]] is mounted above the marble fireplace. Red silk drapes cover the windows. A southern door leads back to the hall. [[Go back to the hall.|2MainHall]] The [[silverware|5ExamineSilverware2]] is polished to a shine that dazzles even in the low light of the room. <<display 5DiningRoom>> The tapestry above the fireplace, where embers glow, depicts hunting dogs and horse-riding aristocrats chasing after a rabid-looking wolf. <<display 5DiningRoom>> Do you want to [[take some of the silverware|5ExamineSilverware3]]? <<display 5DiningRoom>> You pick up a shiny butter knife and are surprised by how oddly smooth it feels in your hand, almost as if you were holding only air. Looking down at it, you also note it now appears tarnished; in fact, it seems to blacken in your hand, spots spreading across what was once a fine sheen, as the metal itself grows cold and then suddenly, painfully freezing. Alarmed, you drop the knife, and as it hits the table it falls perfectly back into place, shiny and bright again. <<display 5DiningRoom>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm6UpperHall">><<if $UpperHallDiscovered6 is true>><<else>>Oddly, every time you go up the stairs in the house, you feel like you’re getting closer to your goal of finding the monster in the basement—even though that should lie below you, not above.<html><br><br></html><<set $UpperHallDiscovered6 to true>><<set $Completion += 2>><</if>>In the second floor’s hall, oil lamps mounted on the walls light the elegant decor. Hanging above the mantelpiece is a [[framed portrait|6ExaminePortrait]] of a family. Standing suits of armor stand at the four corners of the room. Each suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf’s head. The red marble staircase that started on the first floor continues its upward spiral to the third floor<<if $ArmorStatus11 is "alive">>, where the animated armor blocks your further progress<<else>><</if>>. A cold draft drifts down the steps. Double doors lead to the north and also to the south<<if $DiscoveredConservatory10 is true>>, to the conservatory<<else>><</if>>. <<if $DiscoveredServantsQuarters7 is true>>A small, plain door to the north leads to the servants’ quarters.<<else>>Another small, plain door sits to the north just at the top of the stairs.<</if>> <<if $DiscoveredLibrary8 is true>>[[Go north to the library.|8Library]]<<else>>[[Go through the northern double doors.|8Library][$Completion += 2]]<</if>> <<if $DiscoveredConservatory10 is true>>[[Go south to the conservatory.|10Conservatory]]<<else>>[[Go through the southern doors.|10Conservatory]]<</if>> <<if $DiscoveredServantsQuarters7 is true>>[[Go north to the servants’ quarters.|7ServantsQuarters]]<<else>>[[Go through the plain door to the north.|7ServantsQuarters]]<</if>> [[Go down to the first floor hall.|2MainHall]] <<if $DiscoveredThirdFloorLanding11 is true>><<if $ArmorStatus11 is "alive">>[[Go up the stairs to the third-floor landing.|11LandingArmorBlocked]]<<else>>[[Go up the stairs to the third-floor landing.|11Landing]]<</if>><<else>>[[Go up the stairs.|11Landing]]<</if>> The family portrait shows two parents—a man with light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a dour expression, and a woman with grey eyes, pitch-black hair, and a similarly severe look. They and their three children are all pale-skinned and well-dressed, their clothes layered from thick, patterned fabrics in maroon and periwinkle. With a start, you recognize the two older children as the boy and girl you met on the portico. Their sibling, a swaddled infant, lies in the father’s arms, but he holds it strangely—not protectively, but more up to you as a kind of offering. An inscription set into the frame below the canvas reads, “The Durst Family.” <<display 6UpperHall>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm7ServantsQuarters">><<set $DiscoveredServantsQuarters7 to true>>You’re in a sparsely furnished, undecorated bedroom. A pair of beds with straw-stuffed mattresses and a small chest at the foot of each are the only furniture, except for two low-burning candles. To the west is a [[small closet|7ExamineCloset]]. In the southeast corner lies <<if $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 is true>>[[the middle stop of a dumbwaiter|7ExamineDumbwaiter1]]<<else>>[[a small, square door at waist height|7ExamineDumbwaiter1]]<</if>>. <<if $UpperHallDiscovered6 is true>>A door to the south leads to the second-floor hall.<<else>>There’s a door to the south.<</if>> <<if $UpperHallDiscovered6 is true>>[[Go south to the hall.|6UpperHall]]<<else>>[[Go through the southern door.|6UpperHall]]<</if>> <<if $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 is true>>[[Climb inside the dumbwaiter and head up.|DumbwaiterBetween2and3]]<<else>><</if>> <<if $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 is true>>[[Climb inside the dumbwaiter and head down.|DumbwaiterBetween1and2]]<<else>><</if>> The closet holds the black dress and white apron of two servants’ uniforms, hanging from hooks. They don’t look like they’d be a good fit for you. <<display 7ServantsQuarters>> <<if $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 is true>>The dumbwaiter is a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple rope-and-pulley mechanism. Peeking inside, you can see a stop above and below. On the wall next to the dumbwaiter is a [[small button|7ExamineDumbwaiter2]].<<else>>Opening the small door reveals a dumbwaiter—<<set $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 to true>>a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple rope-and-pulley mechanism. Perhaps this is the way to get down to the basement, to find the monster the children spoke of? But, peeking inside, you can see a stop above and one below—only enough to bring you to the ground floor. You’ll have to keep looking for a way to get to the basement. <html><br><br></html>On the wall next to the dumbwaiter is a [[small button|7ExamineDumbwaiter2]].<</if>> You feel like it’s just possible that you could squeeze inside the dumbwaiter and climb the rope up or down. <<display 7ServantsQuarters>> Pressing the button causes a distant bell to ring down below. The break in the house’s silence is jarring, even more so when the ringing dies away and deathly quiet returns. <<display 7ServantsQuarters>> Squeezing into the dumbwaiter shaft is uncomfortable; it’s dark, musty, and cramped. The rope creaks, but it holds your weight. Still, you can’t help but be eager to crawl to freedom. There’s a way out just above and just below. <<if $DiscoveredServantsQuarters7 is true>>[[Climb up to the servants’ quarters.|7ServantsQuarters]]<<else>>[[Climb up to the exit above.|7ServantsQuarters]]<</if>> <<if $DiscoveredKitchen2 is true>>[[Climb down to the kitchen and exit.|4Kitchen]]<<else>>[[Climb down to the exit below.|4Kitchen][$BypassedKitchen4 to "true"]]<</if>> Squeezing into the dumbwaiter shaft is uncomfortable; it’s dark, musty, and cramped. The rope creaks, but it holds your weight. Still, you can’t help but be eager to crawl to freedom. There’s a way out just above and just below. [[Climb up to the exit above.|DumbwaiterDeadEnd]] [[Climb down to the servants’ quarters and exit.|7ServantsQuarters]] <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm10Conservatory">><<set $DiscoveredConservatory10 to true>>Gossamer drapes cover the windows of this elegantly appointed conservatory. Upholstered chairs line the walls, and stained-glass wall hangings depict beautiful men, women, and children singing and playing instruments. A harpsichord with a bench rests in the northwest corner. Near the flickering fireplace is a large standing harp. [[Alabaster figurines|10ExamineFigurines]] adorn the mantelpiece. Double doors to the north lead back to the second-floor hall. [[Go out to the second-floor hall.|6UpperHall]] The figurines, at first glance, are well-dressed dancers. Closer inspection reveals that they are actually well-dressed skeletons. <<display 10Conservatory>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm8Library">><<set $DiscoveredLibrary8 to true>>Red velvet drapes cover the windows of this room. An exquisite mahogany desk and a matching high-back chair face the entrance and the fireplace, holding a lingering fire. Above the mantle hangs a [[picture|8ExaminePicture]]. Situated in corners of the room are two overstuffed chairs. <<if $DiscoveredSecretDoor8 is true>>Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves<<else>>[[Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves|8ExamineBookshelves1]]<</if>> line the south wall. A rolling wooden ladder allows one to more easily reach the high shelves. Lying atop the desk is a jar of ink, a quill pen, a red wax candle, and a wooden seal bearing a windmill insignia. The desk has a [[single drawer|8ExamineDeskDrawer1]]. Double doors lead back to the second-floor hall.<<if $DiscoveredSecretDoor8 is true>> In the opposite corner of the room, one of the bookshelves stands ajar; it is a hidden door you’ve discovered.<<else>><</if>> [[Go to the second-floor hall.|6UpperHall]] <<if $DiscoveredSecretDoor8 is true>>[[Go through the hidden door.|9SecretRoom]]<<else>><</if>> The framed picture above the mantle shows a windmill perched atop a rocky crag, with an angry storm growing in the sky above. <<display 8Library>> <<if $CompletionBonus8 is true>><<else>><<set $CompletionBonus8 to true>><<set $Completion += 2>><</if>>The bookshelves hold [[hundreds of tomes|8ExamineBookshelves2]] covering a range of topics including history, warfare, and alchemy. There are also several shelves containing first-edition collected works of poetry and fiction. <<display 8Library>> <<if $IronKey8 is true>>The drawer is now empty, since you have taken the iron key that was in it.<<else>>Opening the drawer reveals an [[iron key|8ExamineDeskDrawer2]], of simple design but heavy weight.<</if>> <<display 8Library>> Do you want to [[take the key|8ExamineDeskDrawer3][$Completion += 4]]? <<display 8Library>> <<set $IronKey8 to true>>You now possess the key. <<display 8Library>> <<set $Completion += 2>><<set $DiscoveredSecretDoor8 to true>>You run your hand across the spines—and then one suddenly gives way. A click sounds, and a nearby bookshelf swings open slightly; you’ve uncovered a [[hidden door|9SecretRoom]]! <<display 8Library>> <<set $DiscoveredSecretRoom9 to true>><<set $CurrentRm to "Rm9SecretRoom">><<if $CompletionBonus9 is true>><<else>><<set $CompletionBonus9 to true>><<set $Completion += 2>><</if>>You are in a small, closet-like room, dimly illuminated by the light falling through its hidden door. It mostly contains bookshelves that are less packed than in the main library; their [[few tomes|9ExamineBooks]] are dark, often without titles, and have strange bindings. <<if $OpenedChest9 is true>>A chest against the east wall lies open. It holds <<if $SpellScroll9 is true>><<else>>a [[scroll|9ExamineScroll1]], <</if>>an [[opened letter|9ExamineLetter]]<<if $SpellScroll9 is true>><<else>>,<</if>> and what looks to be a [[will|9ExamineWill]].<<else>>A [[heavy wooden chest|9ExamineChest]] with clawed iron feet stands against the east wall.<</if>> A door to the west leads back to the libary. [[Go back to the library.|8Library]] The first book you look at describes how to expand a house’s foundations, and seems harmless. The second has a strange, dark leather binding and describes various fiend-summoning rituals, centering on the creation of dark altars for sacrifice, complete with numerous annotations in a modern-day hand. The next few books are very similar. Unsettled, you find another set of books that describe how to find like-minded people in a community and spread a dark gospel among them without causing alarm. These guidebooks to villainy would be almost amusing if they weren’t written so seriously, with clever, insidious instructions for preying upon human weakness. The final book, the largest in the room, has an unmarked cover of a light brown, tanned material, stretched thin, and it feels curiously damp. The interior describes how to strengthen a dark god through a human sacrifice, the younger and more innocent the better. You quickly replace it on the shelf. <<display 9SecretRoom>> <<set $OpenedChest9 to true>>The chest is unlocked; flipping it open, you see it holds a [[scroll|9ExamineScroll1]], an [[opened letter|9ExamineLetter]], and what looks to be a [[will|9ExamineWill]]. <<display 9SecretRoom>> You recognize it as a spell scroll; even though you are no wizard, you could read this scroll and thereby cast its spell. At the top of the scroll, you see it’s entitled “protection from evil.” That feels like a spell you might want to use in the near future. Do you [[take the scroll|9ExamineScroll2]]? <<display 9SecretRoom>> <<set $LetterDiscovered9 to true>>The letter has a blood-red wax seal which is now broken, but nonetheless still impressively ornate. It depicts an angry raven with a sword and a crown, a wolf head above and a scroll below, bearing the word “FOREVER.” Written in flowing script, the letter reads: //My loyal subjects Gustav and Elisabeth Durst, I write so that you will waste no more of my time with your entreaties. The dark powers you claim do not impress me, and I treat with far greater beings than you will ever know. I would urge you to remain my loyal subjects—but perhaps you should instead act on the threats you have so foolishly made against me. That thing you worship is not the god you want it to be. Still, it is powerful enough to destroy you, and will do so if you teach it a taste for human flesh. I feel free to relate these truths to you, for I know you won’t believe them until it is far too late. Your dread lord and master, Strahd von Zarovich// Even apart from its content, the letter has a dark, oppressive smell, and it feels prickly and almost painful to hold. You put it down, having no urge to carry it away. <<display 9SecretRoom>> The will is signed by Gustav Durst, and bequeaths his house and all his other property and possessions to his wife Elisabeth in the event of his death. Should she die alongside him, everything is to be left to their two children, Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst. However, Rosavalda and Thornboldt’s names have been scratched out, hurriedly and angrily. Disturbed, you place the will back into the chest. You see no reason to keep this record of disownment. <<display 9SecretRoom>> <<set $SpellScroll9 to true>><<set $Completion += 2>>You carefully pocket the spell scroll; you can use it whenever you’re in danger, but you’ll have to judge when it will actually help you versus when it will just be a waste of precious time. <<display 9SecretRoom>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm11Landing">><<if $DiscoveredThirdFloorLanding11 is true>><<set $LandingCounter11 += 1>><<else>><<set $Completion += 2>><<set $LandingCounter11 to 0>>Oddly, every time you go up the stairs in the house, you feel like you’re getting closer to your goal of finding the monster in the basement—even though that should lie below you, not above.<html><br><br></html><<set $DiscoveredThirdFloorLanding11 to true>><</if>>The red marble staircase ends here, on the third floor landing. The ceilings are lower and a fine dust seems to have settled over everything. <<if $ArmorStatus11 is "dead">>The suit of armor, its shadow occupant vanquished, lies crumpled in a heap against the west wall.<<else>>A [[giant suit of black plate armor|11ArmorAttacks][$ArmorAnimatedBy11 to "examined"]] stands against the west wall, draped in cobwebs.<</if>> Oil lamps are mounted around it on the <<if $ArmorStatus11 is "dead">>[[carved, oak-paneled walls|11ExamineCarvedWalls1]].<<else>>[[carved, oak-paneled walls|11ArmorAttacks]].<</if>> <<if $RevealAtticStairs11 is true>>A break in the walls lies open, revealing a hidden staircase leading up<<if $AtticUnlocked14 is "true">> to the attic<<else>><</if>>. <<else>><<if $LandingCounter11 gt 2 and $ArmorStatus11 is "dead">>You feel a draft from somewhere nearby; a careful search should reveal its source. <<else>><</if>><</if>>A set of double doors leads to the north<<if $DiscoveredMasterBedroom12 is true>>, to the master bedroom<<else>><</if>>; also to the north, <<if $DiscoveredBathroom13 is true>>a small door leads to the bathroom<<else>>there’s a small door to the north of the armor<</if>>; and another door is to the south<<if $DiscoveredNursemaidsSuite15 is true>>, to the nursemaid’s suite<<else>><</if>>. <<if $ArmorStatus11 is "dead">><<if $DiscoveredMasterBedroom12 is true>>[[Go north to the master bedroom.|12MasterBedroom]]<<else>>[[Go through the double doors to the north.|12MasterBedroom][$Completion += 2]]<</if>> <<if $DiscoveredBathroom13 is true>>[[Go north to the bathroom.|13Bathroom]]<<else>>[[Go through the small door to the north.|13Bathroom]]<</if>> <<if $DiscoveredNursemaidsSuite15 is true>>[[Go south to the nursemaid’s suite.|15NursemaidsSuite]]<<else>>[[Go through the door to the south.|15NursemaidsSuite]]<</if>><<else>>[[Go through the double doors to the north.|11ArmorAttacks]] [[Go through the small door to the north.|11ArmorAttacks]] [[Go through the door to the south.|11ArmorAttacks]]<</if>> [[Go down the stairs.|6UpperHall]]<<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnArmor11 is true>><html><br></html>[[Search for your last crossbow bolt.|11FindLastCrossbowBolt2]]<<else>><</if>><<if $RevealAtticStairs11 is true>><html><br></html><<if $AtticUnlocked14 is "true">>[[Go up the hidden staircase to the attic.|16Attic]]<<else>>[[Go up the hidden staircase.|14AtticStairs]]<</if>><<else>><</if>> <<set $ArmorStatus11 to "alive">>As you <<if $ArmorAnimatedBy11 is "examined">>approach<<else>>near<</if>> the armor, the interior of its empty visor darkens into inky black, and it lunges at you. Its metal fingers just miss grabbing you by the throat as you jerk backward. It forces you to the edge of the balcony, but clearly it will not step down the stairs. The armor seems animated from within. Its thick metal plates show darkness between their breaks, but the blackness visible through its visor is the most clear view of the shadow that has given the armor life.<<if $LightCrossbow3 is true>> You feel you have the tools now to defeat it and continue exploring the house—if you can just figure out what to do.<<else>><html><br><br></html>There must be something in the house—something you’ve missed in your explorations so far—that will help you defeat the armor. And defeating it is your only hope for exploring the third floor and beyond, to uncover the fully secrets of this house. It’s clear that once you’ve found the missing item, the armor will still be here on the third floor, waiting for you.<</if>> [[Try to get up to the landing.|11DeathByArmor1]] [[Go down the stairs.|6UpperHall]] <<if $Longsword2 is true>>[[Attack the armor with your longsword.|11AttackArmorWithLongsword]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $LightCrossbow3 is true and $LightCrossbowBolts3 gt 0>>[[Attack the armor with your crossbow.|11AttackArmorWithCrossbow1]]<<else>><</if>><<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnArmor11 is true>>Search the ground for a spent crossbow bolt.|11FindLastCrossbowBolt<<else>><</if>><<if $SpellScroll9 is true>><html><br></html>[[Use your spell scroll.|11AttackArmorWithSpellScroll]]<<else>><</if>> The walls are carved with woodland scenes of trees, falling leaves, and tiny critters. But a closer look reveals what look like snakes or giant worms bursting up from the ground, and a tiny corpse hanging from a tree.<<if $RevealAtticStairs11 is true>><<else>><html><br><br></html>You also notice an [[odd break|11ExamineCarvedWalls2][$Completion += 2]] in the carving along the southern wall.<</if>> <<display 11Landing>> <<set $RevealAtticStairs11 to true>>Pressing on the break in the carving reveals a hidden door. It pushes open easily to reveal a cobweb-covered wooden staircase leading up. <<display 11Landing>> The armor raises an arm to fend off your longsword, which glances off the thick metal plating. Your foe’s inky, midnight face, a hole in reality, stares out at you from the armor’s visor. <<display 11LandingArmorBlocked>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm11Landing">>The animated armor now guards the third-floor landing, blocking your way off the stairs. The armor seems animated from within. Its thick metal plates show darkness between their breaks, but the blackness visible through its visor is the most clear view of the shadow that has given the armor life.<<if $LightCrossbow3 is true>> You feel you have the tools now to defeat it and continue exploring the house—if you can just figure out what to do.<<else>><html><br><br></html>There must be something in the house—something you’ve missed in your explorations so far—that will help you defeat the armor. And defeating it is your only hope for exploring the third floor and beyond, to uncover the fully secrets of this house. It’s clear that once you’ve found the missing item, the armor will still be here on the third floor, waiting for you.<</if>> [[Try to get up to the landing.|11DeathByArmor1]] [[Go down the stairs.|6UpperHall]] <<if $Longsword2 is true>>[[Attack the armor with your longsword.|11AttackArmorWithLongsword]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $LightCrossbow3 is true and $LightCrossbowBolts3 gt 0>>[[Attack the armor with your crossbow.|11AttackArmorWithCrossbow1]]<<else>><</if>><<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnArmor11 is true>>[[Search the ground for a spent crossbow bolt.|11FindLastCrossbowBolt1]]<<else>><</if>><<if $SpellScroll9 is true>><html><br></html>[[Use your spell scroll.|11AttackArmorWithSpellScroll]]<<else>><</if>> Should you attack the armor’s [[arms|11AttackArmorWithCrossbowX]], [[chest|11AttackArmorWithCrossbowX]], [[legs|11AttackArmorWithCrossbowX]], or [[visor|11AttackArmorWithCrossbow2]]? <<display 11LandingArmorBlocked>> The crossbow bolt bounces ineffectually off the thick metal plating.<<set $LightCrossbowBolts3 -= 1>><<if $LightCrossbowBolts3 is 0>><<set $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnArmor11 to true>> You have now used the last of your crossbow bolts! You can [[search the ground|11FindLastCrossbowBolt1]] to see if you can find a spent one; it’s your only remaining hope.<<else>> You have lost <<if $LightCrossbowBolts3 lt 19>>another<<else>>a<</if>> crossbow bolt.<</if>> <<display 11LandingArmorBlocked>> <<set $ArmorStatus11 to "dead">><<set $Completion += 4>>The crossbow bolt smacks into the center of the black hole within the armor’s visor, and a piercing shriek erupts from the armor. It stumbles back and collapses against the wall as a shadowy mist flies out of it, almost immediately dissipating into nothingness. The armor no longer blocks the landing; it lies lifelessly against the west wall on the third-floor landing.<<set $LightCrossbowBolts3 -= 1>><<if $LightCrossbowBolts3 is 0>><<set $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnArmor11 to true>><html><br><br></html>You have now used the last of your crossbow bolts. You can [[search around the ground|11FindLastCrossbowBolt2]] to see if you can find a spent one; it’s your only way to restock your crossbow.<<else>><</if>> You’ve hit the top of the main staircase, but you still need to find the house’s basement and the monster that’s supposed to live there. The secrets to going further must lie in the walls and rooms around you. And you seem to remember the house being four stories from the outside... <<display 11Landing>> Desperate, you fall to your knees as the armor grasps at the air just above you. You spy a single spent crossbow bolt and just manage to retrieve it before the animated armor can grab you.<<set $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnArmor11 to false>><<set $LightCrossbowBolts3 to 1>> You step back as you restock your crossbow with your one remaining bolt. To keep reusing the crossbow, you’ll have to retrieve this last bolt each time after firing it. <<display 11LandingArmorBlocked>> You spy a single spent crossbow bolt and quickly restock your crossbow with it.<<set $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnArmor11 to false>><<set $LightCrossbowBolts3 to 1>> To keep reusing the crossbow, you’ll have to retrieve this last bolt each time after firing it. <<display 11Landing>> The animated armor fully blocks your way onto the landing, and it radiates a dark malevolence. As you near it, it tenses, seemingly ready to tear you to pieces. Your only way onto the landing is to walk directly into the armor’s grasp. Will you really [[hand your life over to it|11DeathByArmor2]]? <<display 11LandingArmorBlocked>> You walk directly into the animated armor’s arms, and at first it seems to welcome you—but then you feel its metal hands grasping at your head and body, as the pure midnight in its visor gapes at you. With an indomitable strength, the armor pulls your head one way and your torso another. A hideous pain in your neck erupts and then vanishes, as all feeling snaps away. You realize you are now looking down at your collapsing, headless body from where the armor holds your head in midair. You heard once that a decapitated person’s head can survive and remain conscious for up to ten seconds. Your final thought is, That seems about right. As you ascend, the rope begins to creak very loudly and shake violently—nearly out of your hands. You realize you may be hitting a thin part of the rope in the pulley, a section too weak to hold your weight. Finding it impossible (and probably suicidal) to continue, you climb back down to the servants’ quarters. <<display 7ServantsQuarters>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm12MasterBedroom">><<set $DiscoveredMasterBedroom12 to true>>The dusty, cobweb-filled master bedroom has burgundy drapes covering the windows. Furnishings include a four-poster bed with embroidered curtains and tattered gossamer veils, a matching pair of empty wardrobes, a vanity with a shattered mirror, and a cushioned chair, now ripped. A rotting tiger-skin rug lies on the floor in front of the fireplace, where the ghost of a fire just barely illuminates the room, while seeming to cast out a cold draft instead of any heat. A web-filled parlor in the southwest corner contains a table and two chairs<<if $DiscoveredButtons12 is true>>, beside the ruins of a painting.<<else>>, sitting below a [[large, dusty painting|12ExaminePainting][$Completion += 2]].<</if>><<if $DiscoveredButtons12 is true>><<if $HiddenStairsRevealed12 is true>> Next to the ruined painting, a hidden door hangs open, revealing a narrow spiral staircase heading down.<<else>> Next to the ruined painting are the outlines of a hidden door, with a [[series of buttons on it|12ButtonsStart]].<</if>><<else>><</if>> Across from the bed, a door lies half off its hinges, revealing a [[closet beyond|12ExamineCloset]]. There’s also a <<if $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 is true>>[[dumbwaiter|12ExamineDumbwaiter1]]<<else>>[[small, square door at waist height|12ExamineDumbwaiter1]]<</if>> in the southeast corner of the room. Double doors lead back to the third-floor landing. [[Head back to the third-floor landing.|11Landing]]<<if $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 is true>><html><br></html>[[Climb inside the dumbwaiter and head down.|12DumbwaiterDeadEnd]]<<else>><</if>><<if $HiddenStairsRevealed12 is true>><html><br></html>[[Head through the hidden door and down the spiral stairs.|21SecretStairs]]<<else>><</if>> Dust covers the wall-size painting to the point that you can make out it’s a double portrait and nothing more. You wipe your hand across it, revealing a severe-looking man and woman, both with pale skin, his set off by light brown hair and dark brown eyes, her’s by pitch-black hair and a piercing grey stare. As you look at them, the painting suddenly falls down on on top of you. <<set $DiscoveredButtons12 to true>><<set $Tries12 to 0>>Alarmed, you kick it away, tearing a hole in it. The house around you seems to rumble with a thunder through its very walls—and you see that behind the painting lie the outlines of a door, and what appear to be [[six small buttons set across it at chest height|12ButtonsStart]]. <<display 12MasterBedroom>> <<if $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 is true>>The dumbwaiter is a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple rope-and-pulley mechanism. Peeking inside, you can see two stops below. On the wall next to the dumbwaiter is a [[small button|12ExamineDumbwaiter2]].<<else>>Opening the small door reveals a dumbwaiter—<<set $DumbwaiterDiscovered4 to true>>a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple rope-and-pulley mechanism. Perhaps this is the way to get down to the basement, to find the monster the children spoke of? But, peeking inside, you can see two stops below—only enough to bring the dumbwaiter to the ground floor. You’ll have to keep looking for a way to get to the basement. <html><br><br></html>On the wall next to the dumbwaiter is a [[small button|12ExamineDumbwaiter2]].<</if>> You feel like it’s just possible that you could squeeze inside the dumbwaiter and climb the rope up or down. <<display 12MasterBedroom>> There’s an unsatisfying, soft click, which feels wrong to you somehow. You suspect the secret to these buttons lies elsewhere in the house.<<if $LorghothMentioned16 is true>> Perhaps it relates to something the children told you in the attic?<<set $Tries12 += 1>><<if $Tries12 gte 2>> What did they say the name of the monster was?<<if $Tries12 gte 3>> “Lorghoth”?<<else>><</if>><<else>><</if>><<else>><</if>> <<display 12MasterBedroom>> A satisfying tick, like that of a loud clock in good working order, sounds out. You feel that you’re on the right track—but you aren’t finished yet. [[T|12ButtonFailure]] [[G|12ButtonFailure]] [[R|12ButtonFailure]] [[O|12ButtonProgress2]] [[L|12ButtonFailure]] [[H|12ButtonFailure]] <<display 12MasterBedroom>> You peer past the broken door into the closet, only to see rags—perhaps once fancy garments, now destroyed by time. <<display 12MasterBedroom>> Pressing the button causes a distant bell to ring down below. The break in the house’s silence is jarring, even more so when the ringing dies away and deathly quiet returns. <<display 12MasterBedroom>> As you climb inside the dumbwaiter and grab hold of the rope, it begins to creak very loudly and shake violently. You realize you may be hitting a thin part of the rope in the pulley, a section too weak to hold your weight. Finding it impossible (and probably suicidal) to continue, you climb back out. <<display 12MasterBedroom>> The six buttons lying across the secret door are each emblazoned with a separate letter: [[T|12ButtonFailure]] [[G|12ButtonFailure]] [[R|12ButtonFailure]] [[O|12ButtonFailure]] [[L|12ButtonProgress1]] [[H|12ButtonFailure]] <<display 12MasterBedroom>> A satisfying tick, like that of a loud clock in good working order, sounds out. You feel that you’re on the right track—but you aren’t finished yet. [[T|12ButtonFailure]] [[G|12ButtonFailure]] [[R|12ButtonProgress3]] [[O|12ButtonFailure]] [[L|12ButtonFailure]] [[H|12ButtonFailure]] <<display 12MasterBedroom>> A satisfying tick, like that of a loud clock in good working order, sounds out. You feel that you’re on the right track—but you aren’t finished yet. [[T|12ButtonFailure]] [[G|12ButtonProgress4]] [[R|12ButtonFailure]] [[O|12ButtonFailure]] [[L|12ButtonFailure]] [[H|12ButtonFailure]] <<display 12MasterBedroom>> A satisfying tick, like that of a loud clock in good working order, sounds out. You feel that you’re on the right track—but you aren’t finished yet. [[T|12ButtonFailure]] [[G|12ButtonFailure]] [[R|12ButtonFailure]] [[O|12ButtonFailure]] [[L|12ButtonFailure]] [[H|12ButtonProgress5]] <<display 12MasterBedroom>> A satisfying tick, like that of a loud clock in good working order, sounds out. You feel that you’re on the right track—but you aren’t finished yet. [[T|12ButtonFailure]] [[G|12ButtonFailure]] [[R|12ButtonFailure]] [[O|12ButtonProgress6]] [[L|12ButtonFailure]] [[H|12ButtonFailure]] <<display 12MasterBedroom>> A satisfying tick, like that of a loud clock in good working order, sounds out. You feel that you’re on the right track—but you aren’t finished yet. [[T|12ButtonProgress7]] [[G|12ButtonFailure]] [[R|12ButtonFailure]] [[O|12ButtonFailure]] [[L|12ButtonFailure]] [[H|12ButtonFailure]] <<display 12MasterBedroom>> A satisfying tick, like that of a loud clock in good working order, sounds out. You feel that you’re on the right track—but you aren’t finished yet. [[T|12ButtonProgress7]] [[G|12ButtonFailure]] [[R|12ButtonFailure]] [[O|12ButtonFailure]] [[L|12ButtonFailure]] [[H|12HiddenDoorRevealed][$Completion += 4]] <<display 12MasterBedroom>> <<set $HiddenStairsRevealed12 to true>>The buttons all depress together with a final, satisfying "click," and the hidden door swings open, revealing a [[narrow spiral staircase heading down|21SecretStairs]]. <<display 12MasterBedroom>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm21SecretStairs">><<if $PoisonTaken16 and $LightCrossbow3 and $Longsword2 and $SpellScroll9>>You enter a narrow stone shaft, containing a cramped spiral staircase made of creaky wood. Thick cobwebs fill the shaft and make it difficult to see, but you feel a solid draft from down below. You think these stairs stretch the whole length of the house, down to the mysterious basement. [[Exit to the master bedroom.|12MasterBedroom]] [[Head down to the basement.|22BasementHallway]]<<else>>As you step into the hidden staircase, you hear the house creaking all around you; it almost sounds like laughter. You are gripped with the feeling that you haven’t found everything you’ll need to face what awaits you down below. You turn back to the bedroom to resume your full search of the house... <<display 12MasterBedroom>><</if>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm13Bathroom">><<set $DiscoveredBathroom13 to true>>This dark room contains a wooden tub with clawed feet, a small iron stove with a kettle resting atop it, and a barrel under a [[spigot|13ExamineSpigot]] against the west wall. A door to the south leads back to the third-floor landing. [[Go south to the third-floor landing.|11Landing]] Turning the handle on the spigot accomplishes nothing. Whatever plumbing once connected it to water is clearly ruined now. <<display 13Bathroom>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm15NursemaidsSuite">><<set $DiscoveredNursemaidsSuite15 to true>>You are in what was once an elegantly appointed bedroom and adjoining nursery; now everything is covered in dust and cobwebs. The bedroom—clearly once a nursemaid’s—contains a large bed, two end tables, and an empty wardrobe, all lit by a single, low oil lamp. The nursery contains a <<if $NursemaidStatus15 is "dead">>broken, empty crib—the remnant of your encounter with the specter in this room<<else>>[[crib covered with a hanging black shroud|15ExamineCrib1]]<</if>>. A door to the north leads back to the third-floor landing. [[Head north to the third-floor landing.|11Landing]] When you move toward the crib, a scream shatters through the room. You turn to find a glowing specter appearing in the center of the room. The angry spirit resembles a terrified, skeletally thin young woman. “You can’t TAKE HIM!” she screams at you. “I KNOW what you want with him! You killed Rose and Thorn, but you won’t take THE BABY!” The specter lays a ghostly hand on your chest, and her frigid touch makes you feel like you’re having a heart attack. You jump back against the [[crib|15ExamineCrib2]]. Beyond the spirit, you see only one way out, through the door back to the third-floor landing. [[Escape back to the third-floor landing.|15Trapped1]] [[Ask what she’s talking about.|15Trapped2]] <<if $Longsword2 is true>>[[Attack the specter with your longsword.|15AttackSpecterWithLongsword]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $LightCrossbow3 is true and $LightCrossbowBolts3 gt 0>>[[Attack the specter with your crossbow.|15AttackSpecterWithCrossbow1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnSpecter15 is true>>[[Search the ground for a spent crossbow bolt.|15FindLastCrossbowBolt1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpellScroll9 is true>>[[Use your spell scroll.|15AttackSpecterWithSpellScroll]]<</if>> Looking through the gauzy black shroud covering the crib, you see a [[tightly wrapped, baby-sized bundle|15ExamineCrib3]]. “WHAT are you DOING?” the specter demands from behind you. “GET AWAY from THE BABY!” But she makes no move to stop you. Glancing back, you see her hovering uncertainly. The door out to the third-floor landing lies past her. <<=either("[[Try to reach the door out.|15Trapped1]]", "[[Try to reach the door out.|15Trapped3]]")>> [[Ask what the specter wants.|15Trapped2]] <<if $Longsword2 is true>>[[Attack the specter with your longsword.|15AttackSpecterWithLongsword]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $LightCrossbow3 is true and $LightCrossbowBolts3 gt 0>>[[Attack the specter with your crossbow.|15AttackSpecterWithCrossbow1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnSpecter15 is true>>[[Search the ground for a spent crossbow bolt.|15FindLastCrossbowBolt1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpellScroll9 is true>>[[Use your spell scroll.|15AttackSpecterWithSpellScroll]]<</if>> You jump past the specter to the door, only to have her pass through you, freezing your insides. She blocks your way and then backs you up against the [[crib|15ExamineCrib2]] again, screaming, “NO! You won’t go back to YOUR FOLLOWERS! You will answer for WHAT YOU’VE DONE!”<<if $TrappedLoop15 is "true">> She’s clearly lost whatever mind she had when alive, and now you too are trapped in the loop of her madness.<<else>><</if>> [[Ask what she’s talking about.|15Trapped2]] [[Jump for the door again.|15Trapped3]] <<if $Longsword2 is true>>[[Attack the specter with your longsword.|15AttackSpecterWithLongsword]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $LightCrossbow3 is true and $LightCrossbowBolts3 gt 0>>[[Attack the specter with your crossbow.|15AttackSpecterWithCrossbow1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnSpecter15 is true>>[[Search the ground for a spent crossbow bolt.|15FindLastCrossbowBolt1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpellScroll9 is true>>[[Use your spell scroll.|15AttackSpecterWithSpellScroll]]<</if>> The specter shouts in response, “You KNOW what YOU’VE DONE!” She seems too crazed to answer any other way; she’ll only repeat herself. <<if $TrappedLoop15 is "true">> It’s clear she’s mad, and may drive you mad too.<<else>><</if>> You are backed up against the [[crib|15ExamineCrib2]], and the specter still blocks your way to the door. [[Jump for the door again.|15Trapped3]] [[Ask what she wants.|15Trapped2]] <<if $Longsword2 is true>>[[Attack the specter with your longsword.|15AttackSpecterWithLongsword]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $LightCrossbow3 is true and $LightCrossbowBolts3 gt 0>>[[Attack the specter with your crossbow.|15AttackSpecterWithCrossbow1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnSpecter15 is true>>[[Search the ground for a spent crossbow bolt.|15FindLastCrossbowBolt1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpellScroll9 is true>>[[Use your spell scroll.|15AttackSpecterWithSpellScroll]]<</if>> You leap for the door, only to again have the crazed specter pass through you—a terrifying, frigid experience—and block your way, shouting, “You will not HARM THE BABY, and you will NOT LEAVE!” She backs you up against [[crib|15ExamineCrib2]], but seems unsure of what to do next.<<if $TrappedLoop15 is "true">> It’s clear that the specter is insane, and will keep up this dance with you over and over, never even realizing she’s repeating herself. You worry engaging in it will drive you made as well.<<else>><</if>> [[Ask what she wants.|15Trapped2]] [[Jump for the door again.|15Trapped1][$TrappedLoop15 to "true"]] <<if $Longsword2 is true>>[[Attack the specter with your longsword.|15AttackSpecterWithLongsword]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $LightCrossbow3 is true and $LightCrossbowBolts3 gt 0>>[[Attack the specter with your crossbow.|15AttackSpecterWithCrossbow1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnSpecter15 is true>>[[Search the ground for a spent crossbow bolt.|15FindLastCrossbowBolt1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpellScroll9 is true>>[[Use your spell scroll.|15AttackSpecterWithSpellScroll]]<</if>> As soon as you touch the bundle, its wrapping unravels, revealing... nothing. It’s empty. “NO!” the specter shouts. “IT’S TOO LATE! THEY’VE ALREADY TAKEN HIM!” Her gaping mouth grows along with her scream, larger than her, larger than her body. It’s as if she is becoming her own wail of anguish, which turns into a reverberation throughout the entire house. As its echoes die away, what’s left of the specter vanishes into wisps all around you, and then the oppressive silence of the house returns.<<set $NursemaidStatus15 to "dead">> <<display 15NursemaidsSuite>> <<set $ArmorStatus11 to "dead">><<display 11Landing>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm14AtticStairs">>The dusty staircase ends at a door secured with a [[padlock|14ExaminePadlock]]. The stairs lead back down to the third-floor landing. [[Go back to the third-floor landing.|11Landing]] The padlock is large, iron, and very solid.<<if $IronKey8 is true>> Do you want to [[use the iron key you found on it|14UnlockPadlock][$AtticUnlocked14 to "true"]]?<<else>> There must be a key to it somewhere in the house.<</if>> <<display 14AtticStairs>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm16Attic">><<if $CompletionBonus16 is true>><<else>><<set $CompletionBonus16 to true>><<set $Completion += 2>><</if>>You’re in the attic, a long room with slanted walls that form a gabled roof. Two beds sized for children are the main furniture. There is also a <<if $ExaminedChildren16 is true>>[[large toy chest|16ExamineToyChest1]]<<else>>[[large toy chest|16ExamineChildrenPreamble]]<</if>><<if $ToyChestStatus16 is "open">>, currently lying open,<<else>><</if>> and a <<if $ExaminedChildren16 is true>>[[dollhouse|16ExamineDollhouse]]<<else>>[[dollhouse|16ExamineChildrenPreamble]]<</if>>. <<if $ToyChestStatus16 is "open">>The children have vanished because the toy chest is open.<<else>><<if $ExaminedChildren16 is true>>Rose and Thorn are here, staring at you.<<else>>You realize with a start that two small children are standing in the corner, their backs to you. They aren’t moving.<</if>><</if>> Stairs head down to the third-floor landing. <<if $ToyChestStatus16 is "open">><<else>><<if $ExaminedChildren16 is true>>[[Ask the children about the house.|16AskAboutHouse]] [[Ask the children about their parents.|16AskAboutParents]] [[Ask the children about the baby.|16AskAboutBaby]]<<if $LorghothMentioned16 is true>> <<if $CompletionBonusLorghothMentioned16 is true>><<else>><<set $CompletionBonusLorghothMentioned16 to true>><<set $Completion += 2>><</if>>[[Ask the children about Lorghoth.|16AskAboutLorghoth]]<<else>><</if>><<else>>[[Approach the children.|16ExamineChildren]]<</if>> <</if>>[[Go down to the third-floor landing.|11Landing]] <<if $ToyChestStatus16 is "open">>The toy chest’s lid is thrown wide, <<if $BonesTaken16 is true>>revealing only a stuffed doll, as you’re carrying the bones that used to lie above it. You sense the children won’t reappear until the bones are replaced. Do you want to [[put the bones back in the chest|16ReplaceBones]]?<<else>>revealing a large pile of bones. Yellow with age, the bones are a little too small and short to be a human being’s. The box is lined with a [[loose fabric wrapping|16ExamineToyChest3]]. You think [[closing the lid|16CloseToyChest]] will make the children reappear.<</if>><<else>>The wooden toy chest is brightly painted with a repeating windmill pattern. Its large size marks it as the property of a well-off child. The moment you crack its lid, Rose and Thorn vanish, like candle flames being blown out. You close the lid, and the children reappear, seemingly unaffected. But it seems clear that <<if $LorghothMentioned16 is true>>[[fully opening the chest|16OpenToyChest][$ToyChestStatus16 to "open"]]<<else>>[[fully opening the chest|16WaitOnToyChest]]<</if>> will make them disappear—at least for as long as the chest is open.<<if $PoisonTaken16 is true>><<else>> And you sense you have more you should learn from them.<</if>><</if>> <<display 16Attic>> <<set $ExaminedChildren16 to true>>As you approach the children, they turn—and you recognize them as the pair you saw when you entered the house. <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>><<else>>“Hello again,” the girl says. “We never introduced ourselves; I’m Rose.” She nods at the boy next to her. “And he’s Thorn.”<html><br><br></html><</if>>“You’re still here,” Thorn says. <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>You notice he’s no longer holding his doll.<<else>>You seem to remember he had a stuffed doll; now it’s gone.<</if>> Otherwise, they look just as they did before. Rose hushes him, then turns to you. “He just means usually no one gets this far in the house.” <<display 16Attic>> <<if $ExaminedDollhouse16 is true>>The dollhouse is a perfect model of the house around you, with a secret spiral staircase accessed through <<if $DiscoveredMasterBedroom12 is true>><<else>>what you assume is <</if>>the master bedroom on the third floor. The stairs lead to a mysterious basement that’s not part of the dollhouse.<<if $ToyChestStatus16 is "open">><<else>><html><br><br></html>Rose again says, “Our parents used those stairs to go down to Lorghoth. There’s a secret way to access to the staircase, but they... stopped us before we could figure it out.” You get the feeling her ghost is trapped in a kind of loop, repeating itself until it’s laid to rest.<</if>><<else>><<set $ExaminedDollhouse16 to true>>The dollhouse is a perfect model of the house around you—and you see, in <<if $DiscoveredMasterBedroom12 is true>><<else>>what you assume is <</if>>the master bedroom on the third floor, a secret door that opens to a spiral staircase that disappears down into a basement—a basement that isn’t part of the dollhouse.<<if $ToyChestStatus16 is "open">><<else>><html><br><br></html>Rose, noting your interest, says, “Our parents used those stairs to go down to <<if $LorghothMentioned16 is true>><<else>>what they called <<set $LorghothMentioned16 to true>><</if>>Lorghoth. There’s a secret way to access to the staircase, but they... stopped us before we could figure it out.”<</if>><</if>> <<display 16Attic>> <<if $AskedAboutHouse16 is true>>Thorn frowns, and Rose says, “We already told you; it’s cursed, because of what our parents did.”<<else>><<set $AskedAboutHouse16 to true>>“It’s turned into a nightmare,” Thorn says. “We think it’s cursed,” Rose says, “because of what our parents did. And because of Lorghoth.”<<set $LorghothMentioned16 to true>><</if>> <<display 16Attic>> <<if $AskedAboutParents16 is true>>Thorn looks like he’s about to cry. Rose clutches his hand and says to you, “Like we said, the monster in the basement drove them mad. They say it’s a god, and they call it Lorghoth.”<<else>><<set $AskedAboutParents16 to true>>Both children look down at their feet. “They went mad,” Rose says softly. “It’s ’cause of the monster!” Thorn says. His sister nods. “It is. It lives in the basement; they call it Lorghoth. They say it’s a god.”<<set $LorghothMentioned16 to true>><</if>> <<display 16Attic>> <<if $AskedAboutLorghoth16 is true>><<if $PoisonTaken16 is true>>Rose nods at the envelope you’re now holding.<<else>>Rose holds up a [[black, square envelope|16ExaminePoison]].<</if>> “We told you, we wanted to kill Lorghoth with <<if $PoisonTaken16 is true>>that<<else>>this<</if>> plant poison. But our parents found out, and then they...” Thorn whimpers again, and Rose comforts him and says no more.<<else>><<set $AskedAboutLorghoth16 to true>>Rose bites her lip. “We were going to kill it,” Thorn says angrily. “It’s true,” Rose says. “With plant poison.” She holds up a [[black, square envelope|16ExaminePoison]]. “But our parents found out, and then...” Thorn whimpers, and Rose puts her arm around him and holds him close.<</if>> <<display 16Attic>> Stepping into the room brings you closer to the children, and you can’t help but be distracted. <<display 16ExamineChildren>> You realize taking hold of the corners of the fabric lining would let you lift out the bones in a ready-made sack. Do you want to [[carry the bones away|16TakeBones]]? <<display 16Attic>> <<if $PoisonTaken16 is true>><<else>>You shake off the feeling that you have unfinished business with the children. <</if>>The children disappear again as you throw the toy chest’s lid wide, revealing a large pile of bones. Yellow with age, the bones are a little too small and short to be a human being’s. The box is lined with a [[loose fabric wrapping|16ExamineToyChest3]]. <<display 16Attic>> <<set $ToyChestStatus16 to "closed">>The children appear again as you close the toy chest’s lid. <<display 16Attic>> <<set $BonesTaken16 to true>>You lift up the fabric, which transforms into a sack that will let you cary the bones. You see, now revealed at the bottom of the chest, a pale, plain stuffed doll you remember Thorn holding when you first encountered him. Looking at the bones, you now see that they are small enough to be a child’s—and there are a lot of them, enough for two. You could put them back in the box, or find a resting place for them somewhere else, but it’s clear you can’t just drop them anywhere. <<display 16Attic>> <<set $BonesTaken16 to false>>You put the bones back in the chest. Do you want to [[close the chest|16CloseToyChest]] as well? <<display 16Attic>> Rose holds the envelope out to you. “Maybe you can do what we couldn’t.” Do you [[take the envelope of plant poison|16TakePoison]]? <<display 16Attic>> <<set $PoisonTaken16 to true>><<set $Completion += 4>>You take the envelope, glancing inside to see what looks like a pile of oily black ashes. <<display 16Attic>> <<set $Completion += 4>>The padlock opens with a satisfying “chunk”—but you find it impossible to remove the key from it. No matter; you should have no further need of it. You remove the padlock, open the door at the top of the stairs, and pass through it.<<set $IronKey8 to false>> <<display 16Attic>> You speak the words on the scroll and feel the warmth of "protection from evil" settle on you. But there’s no point in casting that spell unless it lets you pass the animated armor. As you step onto the landing, the armor swiftly grabs you by the head and body—and stops there, unable to actually harm you. However, your command of magic isn’t strong enough to push the armor away—and you worry about what will happen when the spell wears off. You slip out of the armor’s hold and step back just as you feel the glow of "protection from evil" leave you. <<display 11LandingArmorBlocked>> Your longsword swipes through the specter; its body briefly ripples around the blade, but immediately reincorporates. Your attack has no lasting effect. <<display 15TrappedFailedAttack>> The crossbow bolt passes through the specter’s ghostly body; the temporary ripple it creates disappears like a drop of rain into the sea.<<set $LightCrossbowBolts3 -= 1>><<if $LightCrossbowBolts3 is 0>><<set $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnSpecter15 to true>> You have now used the last of your crossbow bolts! You can [[search the ground|15FindLastCrossbowBolt1]] to see if you can find a spent one; it’s your only remaining hope.<<else>> You have lost <<if $LightCrossbowBolts3 lt 19>>another<<else>>a<</if>> crossbow bolt.<</if>> <<display 15TrappedFailedAttack>> Desperate, you fall to your knees as the specter shrieks, “Pay ATTENTION TO ME! I will not BE IGNORED!” You spy a single spent crossbow bolt and manage to retrieve it.<<set $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnSpecter15 to false>><<set $LightCrossbowBolts3 to 1>> You step back as you restock your crossbow with your one remaining bolt. To keep reusing the crossbow, you’ll have to retrieve this last bolt each time after firing it. <<display 15TrappedFailedAttack>> You speak the words on the scroll and feel the warmth of “protection from evil” settle on you. But there’s no point in casting that spell unless it lets you pass the specter. As you step toward her, she rushes forward, shouting, “You’re not going ANYWHERE!” Her touch is still shockingly cold, and you jump back from it. The specter must not be evil—just angry and crazy. You realize the spell won’t help you hear, just as you feel the glow of "protection from evil" leave you. <<display 15TrappedFailedAttack>> You are backed up against the [[crib|15ExamineCrib2]], and the specter still blocks your way to the door. [[Jump for the door again.|15Trapped3]] [[Ask what she wants.|15Trapped2]] <<if $Longsword2 is true>>[[Attack the specter with your longsword.|15AttackSpecterWithLongsword]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $LightCrossbow3 is true and $LightCrossbowBolts3 gt 0>>[[Attack the specter with your crossbow.|15AttackSpecterWithCrossbow1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnSpecter15 is true>>[[Search the ground for a spent crossbow bolt.|15FindLastCrossbowBolt1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpellScroll9 is true>>[[Use your spell scroll.|15AttackSpecterWithSpellScroll]]<</if>> As you move to enter the house, <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Thorn<<else>>the boy<</if>> gasps, and <<if $ExaminedChildren1A is true>>Rose<<else>>the girl<</if>> says, “Thank you! You’ll be able to destroy the monster in the basement, I know it!” You can’t help but feel moved by their hope in you. The strange mists outside the house have trapped them here along with you; if there really is a monster in the basement, it’s up to you to find it and defeat it. <<display 1BGrandFoyer1>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm22BasementHallway">><<if $DiscoveredBasementHallway22 is true>><<else>><<set $Completion += 2>><<set $DiscoveredBasementHallway22 to true>>You’ve discovered the basement! Now you just have to find the monster. All you know is its name: Lorghoth.<html><br><br></html><</if>>You are in an underground hallway carved out of the earth, with timber braces holding the clay and rock walls in place. The floor is pitted with countless footprints, and thick roots of some identifiable growth curve in and out of the earth all around you.<<if $GhoulsFought22 is true>> You can also see the twisted root ghouls, nestled into the walls, watching you.<<else>><</if>> You hear an eerie, incessant chant, but can’t make out the words. Stairs lead back up to the house, and a door at the end of the hallway leads further into the basement. <<if $GhoulsFought22 is true>>[[Go up the stairs.|22BlockedByGhouls]] [[Go through the door at the end of the hallway.|23Crypts]]<<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnGhouls22 is true>><html><br></html>[[Search the ground for a spent crossbow bolt.|22FindLastCrossbowBolt]]<<else>><</if>><<else>>[[Go up the stairs.|21SecretStairs]] [[Go through the door at the end of the hallway.|22GhoulFight]]<</if>> <<set $CurrentRm to "Rm23Crypts">><<set $DiscoveredCrypts23 to true>>You are in a large, low-ceilinged room, with thick wooden posts with crossbeams keeping the earth at bay. The far walls are covered with vines, among which you see a few root ghouls watching you. But before them lie over a [[dozen crypts|23ExamineCrypts]], each one hewn from the earth and covered with a stone slab—except <<if $BonesPlaced23 is true>>[[two nearby, uncovered crypts|23ExaminedOpenCrypts]]<<else>>[[three nearby, uncovered crypts|23ExaminedOpenCrypts]]<</if>>. A door to the north leads to the entrance hallway, and one to the south leads further into the basement. The chanting seems louder in this room. [[Head north to the hallway.|22BasementHallway]] [[Go south, further into the basement.|24BasementFeastingHall]] The root ghouls hiss as they emerge from the walls and gather before you, blocking your path to the stairs. As you near them, they grow agitated, the roots and vines covering them writhing, and you realize they will never let you leave the basement. Only when you step back do they retreat. <<display 22BasementHallway>> <<if $GhoulsDiscovered22 is true>>You are in the basement hallway, surrounding by half a dozen ghouls covered in vines, blocking your path forward and back.<<else>><<set $GhoulsDiscovered22 to true>>As you move down the hallway, half a dozen people step out of the shadows all around you. They are wrapped in the same vines that thread through the walls—and their bodies are twisted and broken, impossibly thin in some places, in others so choked with roots that they look more plant than human. Their skin, when visible through the vines, is splotchy, festering, and discolored, like a long-dead corpse’s. Their features are slack, their eyes sightless. They are ghouls, animated by the roots growing around and through them, and you see tendrils connecting each of them to the wall’s web of roots. They fully block the way forward and backward.<</if>> <<=either("A root ghoul nears, its hand reaching out.", "One of the vine-covered monsters tries to grab you.", "In trying to avoid the ghouls, you end up within grabbing distance of one.", "The root ghouls close in until one stand just in front of you.")>> <<=either("“Join us,” it moans. “Become one of his children.”", "“They showed us the way,” it says. “Now we’ll show you.”", "“We thought we controlled it,” the ghoul says. “But it is our master.”", "“We believed in Lorghoth,” it says. “And we were right to believe.”")>> [[Let it embrace you.|22GhoulDeath1]] [[Attack with your longsword.|22AttackGhoulWithLongsword]] <<if $LightCrossbowBolts3 gt 0>>[[Attack with your crossbow.|22AttackGhoulWithCrossbow1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>><<if $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnGhouls22 is true>>[[Search the ground for a spent crossbow bolt.|22FindLastCrossbowBolt1]]<html><br></html><<else>><</if>>[[Use your spell scroll.|22AttackGhoulWithSpellScroll]] [[Throw poison on it.|22AttackGhoulWithPoison]] <<set $GhoulsFought22 to true>><<set $Completion += 2>>Your longsword slices off the nearest ghoul’s arm. It hisses, and so do all the ghouls around you. It reaches down and the vines covering extend out, grabbing up the severed limb—and roughly reattatching it. Still, it seems you’ve made your point; the root ghouls draw back into the walls of the hallway. You can now clearly pick out where they are, watching you, but it seems you are free to travel further into the basement. <<display 22BasementHallway>> The crossbow bolt embeds itself into the nearest ghoul, who seems unaffected. After a moment, one of the ghoul’s vines curves around the bolt and snaps it off.<<set $LightCrossbowBolts3 -= 1>><<if $LightCrossbowBolts3 is 0>><<set $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnGhouls22 to true>> You have now used the last of your crossbow bolts! You can [[search the ground|22FindLastCrossbowBolt1]] to see if you can find a spent one; it’s your only remaining hope.<<else>> You have lost <<if $LightCrossbowBolts3 lt 19>>another<<else>>a<</if>> crossbow bolt.<</if>> <<display 22GhoulFight>> You spy a single spent crossbow bolt and quickly restock your crossbow with it.<<set $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnGhouls22 to false>><<set $LightCrossbowBolts3 to 1>> To keep reusing the crossbow, you’ll have to retrieve this last bolt each time after firing it. <<display 22BasementHallway>> You cast "protection from evil" and feel the spell’s warmth settle over you. The root ghouls hiss and mutter—but they do not retreat, and you sense they’re simply waiting you out. In moments, you feel the magic’s glow leave you, and you are left in the same difficulty as before. <<display 22GhoulFight>> As you move toward the ghoul, the vines on its outreaching hand ripple toward you. Dread rises, forcing you to hesitate. Are you prepared to [[trust your life to these freakish undead|22GhoulDeath2]]? <<display 22GhoulFight>> As you fall into the closest ghoul’s embrace, the others rush up to you—and the roots that cover them reaching out and snake along your body. The process is slow and deliberate—but you still feel pinpricks along your skin as the vines start pushing into you. Even if you wanted to escape now, you are locked in place by the vines covering your body—and beginning to invade it. Your thoughts slow and become distant as you feel yourself turning into one of the root ghouls, your own slowing pulse becoming all you can hear—all you know—as your vision dims and you become just another part of the walls, another puppet of the roots, another monster to find in the basement for whomever wanders into the house next. Desperate, you fall to your knees as the root ghoul continues to stumble toward you. You spy a single spent crossbow bolt and just manage to retrieve it before the ghoul is upon you.<<set $SpentLastCrossbowBoltOnGhouls22 to false>><<set $LightCrossbowBolts3 to 1>> You step back as you restock your crossbow with your one remaining bolt. To keep reusing the crossbow, you’ll have to retrieve this last bolt each tim