Welcome,
I must give a warning now...This game is not for the faint of heart.
If you experience claustrophobia, enter at your own risk. After all, you are about to be **trapped** in a remote cottage.
This game is quite different from others; it contains (text-style: "smear")[magic.] As a result, many of the items will change as you progress through your quests. In other words, expect the unexpected.
If you muster up the courage to play anyway, be sure to enter your name. If you cannot manage to escape the right way, you may save your game. This way, you will not lose any of the items in your [[Inventory]].
(set: $saves to (saved-games:))
{(if: $saves contains "playerName")[
(link: "Load Game")[(load-game: "playerName")]
]}
(if: (history:) contains "Inventory")[(set: $playerName to (prompt: "Please enter your name:", "The one and only...")) Without further ado,
Let's [[Begin]]...]
(set: $inv to (a:))(if: $inv's length > 0)[Your inventory contains a (print: $inv.join(", ")).]
(else:)[Your inventory is empty.]
(click: "knight card")[<img src=https://i.imgur.com/WJ9uk4G.png?1>]
(click: "healing potion")[<img src=https://i.imgur.com/EWZrDcI.png?1>]
(click: "hanged man card")[<img src=https://i.imgur.com/0GltPlQ.png?1>]
(click: "moon card")[<img src=https://i.imgur.com/MHa1lWv.png?1>]
(click: "star card")[<img src=https://i.imgur.com/u2EF8vb.png?1>]
(click: "potion recipe")
[To escape death:
You must follow each step in this exact order:
*Risks: death, comas, paralysis*
1. Pour water from the river styx into cauldron
2. Add vial of crushed unicorn horn and slowly mix until dissolved
3. Stir rattlesnake blood into mixture
4. Crush leaves of the tree of life and sprinkle on top
5. Add a strand of (print: $playerName + "'s") hair
6. Slowly pour liquified gold from the ancient city of gold while mixing
Warning: If you do not follow each step exactly, you will surely die]
(link-goto: "Return", (history:)'s last)You wake up inside an old, run down cottage scattered with old books and jars of curious substances. It is (text-style: "blurrier")[dimly] lit by several candles around the room, and a sliver of moonlight shining through a small window. You see a vague outline of trees outside the window, but there seems to be no sign of life for miles. Where are you? More importantly, how did you get here? You don't know how to begin answering those two questions, but time will tell.
You reach inside your back pocket for your phone, but it's nowhere to be found. Feeling trapped, you begin to panic until you feel a small card in your pocket instead. Upon first glance, you believe that it is some sort of strangely decorated playing card, but you soon realize that it is something entirely different. It's a tarot card; the knight of swords, more specifically. Is this some sort of sick prank? No, no it is not.
Filled with curiosity and (text-style: "shadow")[dread], you take in your surroundings.
(if: $inv contains "knight card")[ ]
(else:)[Frantically try to [[open the door]].]
[[Take a closer look at the tarot card.]]
[[Look around the room.]]
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/km4ZLo5.gif>
<script>
var audio = document.createElement('audio');
audio.src = 'https://www.free-stock-music.com/music/darren-curtis-the-old-pumpkin-patch.mp3';
audio.loop = true;
audio.play();
</script>Your heart starts racing and you begin to panic. No matter how hard you try turning the doorknob, it just won't budge. Fresh out of ideas, you lunge towards the door and smack against it. Instead of crashing through the door or falling on the ground, you are thrown backwards with an immense force. You fall on the ground with your back agains the hardwood floor, turn your head to the right, and realize that you were an inch shy of cracking your skull on the nearby hearth. Your panicked state almost killed you, so you decide to pull yourself together and search for answers.
[[Look around the room.]]
[[Take a closer look at the tarot card.]] You move near one of the candles so that you can see the images on the card more clearly. You see a knight clad in armor, riding a horse and holding a sword with his arm outstretched. But the candlelight reveals more than just the image. A secret message slowly begins to appear.
[[Read the message on the knight card]]
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/WJ9uk4G.png?1>
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/McuL57X.gif>You quickly try to scan the room, but the abundance of clutter overwhelms your senses.
No matter how on edge you feel, you need to find answers.
Search through the tall [[mahogany cabinet]].
Shuffle through the papers on the [[desk]].
[[Take a closer look at the tarot card.]]
Check [[Inventory]]
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eMYsxHz.jpg?1>
(link: "Save Game")[(save-game: $playerName)]//"So you think you have what it (link-reveal: "takes? ")
[Perhaps we ought to raise the ](link-reveal: "stakes. ")
[You are about to face a series of] (link-reveal: "tests ")
[It won't be enough to try your ](link-reveal: "best. ")
[This quest will be a test of ](link-reveal: "wits. ")
[Only if your courage ](link-reveal: "permits, ")
[So, follow the ](link-reveal: "clues. ")
[That's what you'll ](link-reveal: "do. ")
[If you do not heed my ](link-reveal: "advice, ")
[You'll die at my next sacrifice."]//
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/McuL57X.gif>
(if: $inv contains "knight card")[ ]
(else:)[(set: $inv to $inv + (a: "knight card"))]
[[Look around the room.]]
Check [[Inventory]] You walk towards the tall wooden cabinet filled with colorful bottles and trinkets of varying shape and size. You are careful not to make any sudden movements, as one tap could send each glass bottle crashing on the floor.
Holding your breath, you inch closer to one of the apothecary bottles to read its label. What does it say?
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/xhcm1Vk.jpg>
[[Death]]
[[Love]]
[[Healing]]
[[Invisibility]]
Check [[Inventory]]
[[Look around the room.]] You walk towards the desk in the center of the room. As you get closer, you feel an overwhelming sense of wonder and mystery. It's as if the desk itself is radiating a tangible energy that pulls you closer- sending hot and cold shock sensations throughout your body. Overcome with curiosity, you must explore.
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/q4SUlAL.jpg?1>
Look through [[scrolls]].
Read [[Grimoire]].
Open box of [[curios]].
Check [[Inventory]]
[[Look around the room.]]You see a large pile of old scrolls, yet you cannot make sense of their contents. Many pages seem to be missing large blocks of text.There is only one tattered page that appears to be complete, but it is written in a strange code.
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/kRalblv.png>
Look through the rest of the [[desk]].You open an old, tattered book to find that you cannot seem to piece the words together. Every time you read a (text-style: "expand")+(text-style: "rumble")[character], it starts to move around the page, or morph into a strange design.
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/5lX7NFQ.gif>
Look through the rest of the [[desk]].You open a large brown chest filled with several curious objects. There are crystals and large animal bones. You notice that many of the items have strange inscriptions on them. None of them are labled, but you can be sure that they have a sinister purpose. Two particular items catch your eye. One is a large faceted amethyst crystal pendant attached to a long silver chain. The second is a small dagger stowed away in a brown leather sheathe.
Examine the [[amulet]].
(if: $inv contains "knight card")[Pick up [[dagger]].]
(else:)[You cannot examine the dagger //yet.//]
Look through the rest of the [[desk]]
You view the ornate crystalized bottle and notice a bright green gas emanating from the glowing liquid. This could not possibly be real, right?
But you would not dare open the bottle.
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/waoOUIW.png?1>
View the [[mahogany cabinet]]
(if: $inv contains "hanged man card")[You notice a small stuffed doll with several pins sticking out of it in each direction. The sadistic person who created this doll also tied a noose around its neck and hung it off the edge of the shelf. You must have missed it before, but you certainly see it now. Carefully trying not to prick your finger, you remove the doll from its noose.
[[remove pins]].]
(else:)[ ]If you ever make it out of here, make sure to bring //this// with you.
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/yfKMyFu.png?1>
View [[mahogany cabinet]] You see the shimmery blue liquid swirling around inside the bottle, and cannot help but touch it. You wonder if this is a trick, and the bottle is actually filled with a poison...It would be best not to injure yourself.
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/EWZrDcI.png?1>
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: "healing potion"))
View [[mahogany cabinet]] As you gaze into the semi-transparent glass bottle, you feel as if every (text-style: "smear")[star] in the galazy is contained in one bottle.
If only you could drink this and (link-reveal: "walk out of here.")[ Did you really think it would be that easy?]
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/3aIaKaq.png?1>
View the [[mahogany cabinet]] You remove the crystal amulet from the box and admire how the facets reflect the candlelight all around the room. As you peer into the heart of the crystal, you can see a whole world of mystical movement inside. It's as if the amulet is alive, and possesses a life and memories of its own.
<img src=https://i.imgur.com/2ypHZiI.gif>
Look at other [[curios]].You pick up the dagger and feel its weight in your hand. The deep tanned leather is embossed with even more curious designs. What sort of magical purpose could this one have?
(if: $inv contains "dagger")[ ]
(else:)[(set: $inv to $inv + (a: "dagger"))]
Examine other [[curios]]
[[Unsheathe dagger]]You pull the double edged dagger out of its sheathe, and notice the edge of a piece of paper poking out of the sheathe. You carefully pull on the corner, trying not to rip the page, and see that it's a folded piece of cardstock. Perhaps another (link-reveal: "tarot card? ")[You guessed it! You unfold the card and see a strange image of a] (link-reveal: "hanged man ")[<img src=https://i.imgur.com/0GltPlQ.png?1>]
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: "hanged man card"))
Look through other [[curios]].You carefully remove each of the pins and place them on the nearby desk. Once you remove the last pin from the doll, the red heart that seemed to be stiched on falls right off- refealing a small hole with white stuffing sticking out.
[[Push the stuffing back inside]]
[[Pin the heart back on the doll]]You begin to push the white stuffing back inside the doll's body- hoping that whoever this doll represents isn't dead. Instead, you feel the outline of a small object inside the doll. You reach in the hole and carefully pull the object out. You pull it out and find that it's yet another folded up tarot card! This time, however, it is (link-reveal: "The Moon.")[<img src=https://i.imgur.com/MHa1lWv.png?1>]
(if: $inv contains "moon card")[ ]
(else:)[(set: $inv to $inv + (a: "moon card"))]
Check [[Inventory]].
Go back to the [[mahogany cabinet]].
**//To be continued...//**
You reach over to the pile of pins on the desk and try picking one up, but they start to prick your finger! If you keep trying, you just might end up like that poor doll...
Continue to pick up pins until you bleed out, and return to [[Begin]].
[[Push the stuffing back inside]] the doll and put pressure on your cuts.