Bronze — 17 of 46

Chapter 5 - Rose Cloister

Section 1 - Rooms

Cloister Walk is east of the Parliamentary Chambers. "A pleasant cloister overlooking the rose garden to the north. You have walked it many times, seeking to waste the excesses of time at your disposal."

Walk's End is east of the Cloister Walk and southeast of Rose Garden. "Lucrezia, they say, died here. It is only a turning point in the corridor, with a bench."

The stone bench is an enterable supporter in Walk's End. It is scenery. Understand "curious" or "relief" as the bench. The description of the stone bench is "A deep seat with a curious relief carved onto the back: if you look from the right angle, it appears as though Lucrezia is lying on the bench, just like a lady on a tomb, her hands piously folded around the handle of a mirror. Scrying her own death, perhaps, or maybe communicating with someone who had already died." Instead of pushing or turning the stone bench: say "If the Beast were awake and here, you might between you be able to budge the stone bench; but as it is, you haven't much chance." Before pushing the stone bench to a direction: try pushing the stone bench instead. After entering the bench, say "You settle uneasily onto the bench, recalling its ghostly former user."

On the stone bench is some discarded embroidery materials. The materials are a reminder. Understand "linen" or "basket" or "threads" or "thread" or "cloth" or "fabric" as the materials. The description of the embroidery is "The little that is already done is old-fashioned blackwork, like your grandmother's mother might have stitched." The memory of the embroidery is "A few weeks ago now, he came to you with a quick step. 'Look, it took me all morning, but I found this.' Holding out the basket of threads, the folded linen. Not in bad condition, either.

'What is that for?' You were never much for sewing things at home, even before your mother died.

'I thought -- since you're so bored here --' He lowered his arm. 'When I saw more of the world, I knew a number of young ladies who were very fond of it. My sister liked to make stories with hers.'

You opened your mouth, looking for something to say.

'I see,' he answered. 'The world has changed. What do young ladies do now?'

'I don't know,' you reply. 'My father fell on hard times. We live in the country. I'm more or less a milkmaid, these days.'

At the word milkmaid, his mouth twisted a little and he shrugged. 'I cannot provide any cows,' he said, after a long time."

Understand "sew [text]" as a mistake ("You have never been much of a seamstress."). Understand the commands "embroider" and "stitch" as "sew". [1]

Instead of solving embroidery: say "You can roughly guess what the rest of the pattern ought to look like, but that does not mean that you could complete it with any success." [2]

After examining the embroidery: now the description of the embroidery is "Unfinished linen and threads."

Before putting the embroidery materials on the windchimes:

say "You try muffling the chimes in the cloth, but can't rig the whole arrangement so as to keep them absolutely silent -- and that is what you need to do, if you're going to avoid summoning up the spirit guards." instead.

Instead of tying the materials to the windchimes: try putting the materials on the windchimes. Instead of tying the windchimes to the materials: try putting the materials on the windchimes.

Understand "cover [something] with [something]" as putting it on (with nouns reversed). Understand "wrap [something] in/with [something]" as putting it on (with nouns reversed). Understand "muffle [something] in/with [something]" as putting it on (with nouns reversed). Understand "wrap [something] around [something]" as putting it on. Understand the commands "shroud" and "silence" as "muffle". [3]

The Scrying Room is south of the Walk's End. "A place for consulting with the servants, summoning them by their instruments and allowing their spirits to manifest in the mirrors. But you know this only from explanation, because the mirrors and glasses have been broken or carried away to the Crystal Bedroom, when they ceased to reflect anything that gave pleasure to their master." The Scrying Room is east of the small door. The small door is east of the Treasure Room. The small door is a door. It is closed and lockable and locked.

The small key is a passkey. The small key unlocks the small door. The small key unbolts the small door. [4]

The small key is in Scrying Room. "A [small key] [if the small key is not handled]hangs beside the door[otherwise]lies on the ground[end if]." The description of the small key is "The key is of the sort of delicate design intended to unlock more than one thing[if the small key is not handled and the small key is in the Scrying Room], and hangs from a peg[end if]." Understand "peg" as the small key when the small key is not handled. [5]

Instead of throwing something at the windchimes when the windchimes are in the Rose Garden:

move the noun to the location;

say "[The windchimes] bounce and ring; [the noun] lands on the ground."

Instead of searching the mirrors:

say "You look and see yourself, scratched and dirty from the long journey; and remember...

He stood in the doorway, amused. 'You look displeased.'

You, holding wide brocaded skirts. 'They're very rich and very beautiful and much too fancy for me.'

'And?'

'And--' You glanced down at them. 'And they would have been out of fashion on my grandmother!'

'Which is the last time the servants had a chance to practice making gowns,' he said. 'Do you mind? There is no one to see you but me, and I assure you that my knowledge of current Parisian fashion is nonexistent...'"

[Instead of taking the small key when the player is not on a supporter:

if the small key is handled, continue the action;

otherwise say "The key is hanging from a peg too high for you too reach. (Many things are. He was always having to help you with high objects, and move shelves lower so that you could get at them.)".]

Understand "scry in [something]" as scrying. Scrying is an action applying to one visible thing.

Check scrying: if the noun is not the mirrors, say "No suitable surface is afforded you by [the noun]."

Carry out scrying: say "You need some way to summon the spirit you want to speak with."

The Rose Garden is north of the Cloister Walk. "Only one kind of [roses] grows here, a pink only just distinct from white. This strain creeps over the ground and climbs the walls of the cloister.

In the middle of the garden a way slopes into the ground, reminding you of the entrance to a burial mound." The roses are scenery in the Garden. The printed name of the roses is "rose". Understand "rose" or "skull" as the roses. The description of the roses is "In the bud it is innocent; in bloom, it bears the mark of a death's-head at the heart." The scent of the roses is "sickly charnel sweetness". Understand "pick [something]" as taking. Instead of taking the roses: say "Your father did so once, at his cost. You leave them alone, though you could hardly do yourself any greater harm than has already been done." Instead of climbing the roses: say "They're both unpleasantly thorny and too weak to support your weight."

After going to the Rose Garden from the Rooted Room:

say "You climb into the pale light...";

continue the action.