"Cragne Manor - M2F2" by Jason Love

Chapter 1 - Do Not Change Any Of This

[Include Cragne Suite by Ryan Veeder.]

[Don't mess with other people's rooms!]

Use unabbreviated object names.

M2F is a region.

M2F2 is a room in M2F. M2F2 is east from M2F1. Description of M2F1 is "For testing purposes, you can go east or west from here."

The player is in M2F1.

Testing1 is a room. Testing1 is west from M2F1. Description of Testing1 is "For testing purposes, you can go east or west from here."

Testing2 is a room. Testing2 is west from Testing1. Description of Testing2 is "For testing purposes, you can go east or west from here."

Testing3 is a room. Testing3 is west from Testing2. Description of Testing3 is "For testing purposes, you can go east or west from here."

Testing4 is a room. Testing4 is west from Testing3. Description of Testing4 is "For testing purposes, you can go east from here."

M2F3 is a room in M2F. M2F3 is north from M2F2.

M2F4 is a room in M2F.

Door7 is a closed locked scenery door. Door7 is east from M2F2 and west from M2F4. Key7 unlocks Door7. Key7 is in M2F3.

[M2F6 is a room in M2F. M2F6 is northeast from M2F2.]

M2F7 is a room in M2F. M2F7 is south from M2F2.

Part 1 - M2F2 Hallway North

[ You have discovered THE REMARKS for Jason Love’s room contribution to the Cragne Manor project. These are at once an attempt to document just what I'm doing in my room as well as provide a first draft for the commentary command. My initial plan was to make a room in which a distant non-Cragne niece had been locked by her Cragne-adjacent uncle before her disappearance, but preliminary room conditions Ryan & Jenni provided indicated that my space is the north end of an upstairs hallway with doors to the master bedroom, bathroom, and nursery. As such, it made sense to anchor her story to a piece of furniture which would have occupied such a room and recently been moved into the hallway prior to Naomi’s arrival. Furthermore, my hallway segment’s position as a necessary hub between other rooms guaranteed the player’s entering and passing through it on multiple occasions, lending itself to a ghost story progression of “nothing unusual -> something out-of-place -> full-blown haunting”. ]

Chapter 1 - The Room Itself

Printed name of M2F2 is "Upstairs Hall, north end (Jason Love)".

[The room description is set up to do several things. First, it has a more-involved initial description that becomes a bit less ornate after your first visit. Second, it permits the bathroom door to be open or closed and updates the description accordingly. Third, it has two possible environmental events which are unlikely to occur and not directly tied to the creepy things which will be happening later.]

Description of M2F2 is "[one of]Despite all the irregularities of Cragne Manor, the inconsistencies, the unaccountable [italic type]changes[roman type], to say nothing of the disparate and clashing architecture and décor, you have at least attained a certain expectation regarding its hallways: close walls and high ceilings, wreathed in shadow, with the occasional door looming obelisk-like through the gloom. Its architects must have had crooked rulers, as you can never quite make out the end of a hallway until you’ve nearly reached it--and just such a hallway winds away to the south.[paragraph break]In this section of the hall, the eastern wall flares out into a wider space resembling a waiting-room; there's even a little bench against that wall to the south-east. A massive black armoire occupying the wall opposite strikes you as a less deliberate inclusion, if the boards sealing it shut are any indication; perhaps the movers abandoned it here after they couldn't fit it through the archway to the west. Beyond these minimal furnishings, the hall contains only a pair of imposing doors to the east and to the north; a third doorway between them has been closed off with bricks.[or]Imposing wooden doors lead north[if M2F3 is visited] to the nursery[end if] [if JAL-nursery-door is open](which is open) [end if]and east [if M2F2 is JAL-resolved]to the master bedroom[end if][if Door7 is open and JAL-nursery-door is closed] (which is open)[end if][if Door7 is open and JAL-nursery-door is open] (which is also open)[end if]; a smaller doorway between them has been closed off with badly painted bricks. The top of the stairs is accessible through a narrow arch to the west, and the hall continues to the south.[stopping]". M2F2 can be either JAL-haunted or JAL-still. M2F2 is JAL-still. M2F2 can be either JAL-ambiguous or JAL-resolved. M2F2 is JAL-ambiguous. M2F2 can be either JAL-talky or JAL-quiet. M2F2 is JAL-talky.

Rule for printing room description details for M2F2 while M2F2 is JAL-talky: stop.

[Could probably do something more involved with the player description, but for now this is sufficient. Probably belongs elsewhere but here's fine for the time being.]

Instead of examining the player when the location is M2F2 (this is the JAL PC description rule): say “You seem no worse for wear, despite everything.”

Section 1 - The Master Bedroom Door

[Each of the following doors follows the same basic structure. First we have synonyms and dynamic naming.]

Understand "enormous" and "big" and "bigger" and "biggest" and "large" and "largest" and "larger" and "master" and "bedroom" and "bed" and "room" and "wooden" and "oak" and "planks" and "trim" and "ornate" and "crested" and "door" and "shellac" and "coated" and "shellac-coated" and "iron" and "iron-banded" and "banded" and "right" and "right-most" and "red" and "large" and "keyhole" and "bent" and "metal" and "prong" and "hole" and "key" and "east" as the Door7. The indefinite article of Door7 is "the". Door7 is improper-named.

Rule for printing the name of Door7 when the location is M2F2: say “[if M2F4 is unvisited]east door[otherwise]master bedroom door[end if]”.

[As Door7 is an actual object in multiple rooms, we need to avoid changing its properties as much as possible.]

Carry out examining Door7 when the location is M2F2: say “Astonishingly large and assembled of thick oak planks with iron banding and trim; the door glistens redly from a thick coat of shellac. [one of]This would almost be more suitable as an exterior door, but in place of a knocker,[or]In the center,[stopping] a Cragne family crest has been set into the wood with iron filigree. The handle is little more than a bent metal prong next to an oversized keyhole." instead.

[Some simple locking/unlocking text updates.]

Check opening Door7 when the location is M2F2:

    if Door7 is open:

        say “That’s already open.” instead;

    otherwise if Door7 is locked:

        say “The handle won't turn, and neither tugging nor pushing the door itself has any effect. It would seem the door is locked." instead.

After going east from M2F2: now M2F2 is JAL-resolved.

[All the other doors in this room are technically containers, so I'm capturing attempts to put things inside them. For consistency I thought it best to go ahead and capture similar attempts here.]

Instead of inserting something (called the unlocker) into Door7: try unlocking Door7 with the unlocker.

[I really wanted to be able to look through open doors appropriately, so that's what we have next. Plus this door has a keyhole, so it works when it's closed!]

Instead of searching Door7: say "[if Door7 is closed]Peering through the keyhole, y[otherwise]Y[end if][if M2F4 is unvisited]ou've found what can only be the master bedroom. It[JAL-resolutionary][otherwise]ou can make out the master bedroom[end if] looks ordinary enough from a distance, but you struggle to make out any details through the gloom."

To say JAL-resolutionary:

    now M2F2 is JAL-resolved.

[My creation of this particular crest predates the greater structure of Cragne Aldermen and their familiars, as well as the announcement that a specific family crest would be used as embossing on library books. However, I expected Cragne crests to crop up all over the place, and so I felt it appropriate to keep it in as the Cragne connection with the Incarnadine Chalice.]

The JAL-Cragne-crest is part of Door7. Printed name of the JAL-Cragne-crest is "Cragne family crest". Understand "Cragne" and "family" and "crest" and "iron" and "filigree" and "lion" and "tree" and "trunk" and "cloak" and "furred" and "shield" and "coat-of-arms" and "coat" and "arms" and "of" as the JAL-Cragne-crest. Description of the JAL-Cragne-crest is "[one of]During your engagement, you helped Peter track down a number of Cragne family crests for potential use in wedding livery: the Shattered Mast in Flames, the Moons' Eye upon the Tome, the Cup and Sword and Star--none that you've seen shared any resemblance to the crest embossed on this particular door in his ancestral home: a[or]A[stopping] furred cloak girds a shield upon which the trunk of a severed tree impales a rampant lion, which is shown biting its raised leg. A banner beneath the shield reads 'LIBERTÉ DE LA GORGE'."

Instead of examining east when the location is M2F2: try examining Door7.

Instead of going northeast when the location is M2F2: try opening the JAL-Bathroom-Door.

Section 2 - The Nursery Door

The JAL-nursery-door is a closed openable scenery container in M2F2. Printed name of the JAL-nursery-door is "[if M2F3 is unvisited]north door[otherwise]nursery door[end if]". Understand "larger" and "intermediate"and "left" and "left-most" and "big" and "bigger" and "small" and "smaller" and "nursery" and "door" and "wooden" and "lacquer" and "lacquered" and "pastoral" and "ornate" and "north" and "bovine" and "antelope" and "white" and "albino" and "sheep" and "goat" and "gazelle" and "ghost" as the JAL-nursery-door. Description of the JAL-nursery-door is "Smaller than [the Door7] and finished with green lacquer, although the color has faded irregularly -- except in the center, where [if JAL-notebook is JAL-gleaned]an antelope has been drawn in with white paint.[otherwise][one of]some gamboling farm-beast has been crudely depicted in white paint. The color would suggest it's supposed to be a sheep, except the horns (or are they ears?) make that identification doubtful.[or]a white bovine of some sort has been painted.[or]a child has painted a goat straining for its life. You're not sure why you think it's a goat.[or]the ghost of a gazelle has been painted.[or]some animal has been illustrated with crude white lines of paint. Its legs are wrong. Why are its legs so wrong?[as decreasingly likely outcomes][end if]"

[Need to update this description somewhat; our missing girl's book will detail that the creature is a white antelope, so once that fact is learned, examining the nursery door should make that more consistent. The door was painted by Theodorus Craigne's mother when he was a child, and in fact depicts the kind of beast which would become his familiar once he attains his role as the Fuscous Alderman of the Variegated Court. Someone should comment on the irony of such a bright familiar belonging to one so dark.]

Instead of entering the JAL-nursery-door: try going north.

Before going north while the JAL-nursery-door is closed: try opening the JAL-nursery-door.

Instead of inserting something into the JAL-nursery-door: say "This door has no keyhole."

Instead of searching the JAL-nursery-door while the JAL-nursery-door is open: say "[if M2F3 is unvisited]Through the door you see what appears to be a child's nursery. [otherwise]You can just make out the nursery. [end if]Shadows obscure any finer details."

Instead of examining north when the location is M2F2: try examining the JAL-nursery-door.

[Instead of opening the JAL-nursery-door: say "You open the door, but it swings closed again as soon as you release your grip. (Just enter the door instead.)"]

[Report going north from M2F2: say "(first opening the pastoral door)[line break]"]

Section 3 - The Bathroom Door

The JAL-bathroom-door is a closed openable scenery container in M2F2. Printed name of the JAL-bathroom-door is "[if JAL-Haunting is happening]north-east door[otherwise]bricked-up door[end if]". Understand "small" and "smaller" and "smallest" and "middle" and "centre" and "center" and "door" and "doorway" and "toilet" and "bathroom" and "restroom" and "bricked-up" and "bricked" and "bath room" and "walled up" and "walled-up" and "bricks" and "up" and "northeast" and "north-east" and "north east" as the JAL-bathroom-door. Description of the JAL-bathroom-door is "[one of]Cragne Manor has endured wars, flooding, blizzards, and any number of lesser catastrophes, but not without its scars. When so much of the house has required constant renovation, the occasional fire barely registers as calamitous. Before your move, Peter read to you about one such blaze which consumed this second-story bathroom in 1978, yet the adjoining rooms suffered almost no damage whatsoever. The family had reportedly spared no expense to repair the damage and restore the bathroom, but the room burned again less than a decade later. It appears that the surviving Cragnes elected to cut their losses this time.[or]A doorway smaller than those flanking it on either side, walled off entirely with bricks.[stopping]"

Instead of entering the JAL-bathroom-door: try going northeast.

[Before going northeast while the JAL-bathroom-door is closed: try opening the JAL-bathroom-door.]

Instead of inserting something into the JAL-bathroom-door: say "There is no opening in the bricks."

[Instead of searching the JAL-bathroom-door while the JAL-bathroom-door is open: say "You can just make out [if M2F6 is unvisited]a seemingly typical bathroom.[otherwise]the bathroom.[end if]"]

Instead of examining northeast when the location is M2F2: try examining the JAL-bathroom-door.

Check opening the JAL-bathroom-door:

    if JAL-Haunting is not happening, say "You can't very well open this brick wall." instead.

[The veeder-beaker is in M2F2. Printed name of the veeder-beaker is “stained beaker”. Understand “beaker” and “stained” and “stained beaker” as the veeder-beaker. Initial appearance of the veeder-beaker is “There’s a beaker here.” Description of the veeder-beaker is “This beaker is kind of gross.”]

Section 4 - The Arch

The JAL-arch is an open scenery container in M2F2. Printed name of the JAL-arch is "arch". Understand "narrow" and "vaulted" and "archway" and "hole" and "arch" and "stairs" and "top" and "of" and "landing" and "upstairs" and "aperture" and "passage" and "west" as the JAL-arch. Description of the JAL-arch is "Little more than a vaulted hole in the wall compared to the vaster spaces it separates. Pass through here to return to the upstairs landing."

Instead of entering the JAL-arch: try going west.

Instead of inserting something (called the hazard) into the JAL-arch: say "What, and risk tripping over [the hazard] in a moment of inattention? No, this house is dangerous enough as it is."

Instead of searching the JAL-arch: say "You can't see as much of the upstairs landing as you'd have thought, but it's only a short walk away."

Instead of examining west when the location is M2F2: try searching the JAL-arch.

Section 5 - The Southern Hallway

The JAL-hallway-south is an open scenery container in M2F2. Printed name of the JAL-hallway-south is "hallway to the south". Understand "hallway" and "southern" and "south" and "hall" and "aperture" and "passage" as the JAL-hallway-south. Description of the JAL-hallway-south is "[one of]Despite all the irregularities of Cragne Manor, the inconsistencies, the unaccountable changes, to say nothing of the disparate and clashing architecture and décor, you have at least attained a certain expectation regarding its hallways: close walls and high ceilings, wreathed in shadow, with the occasional door looming obelisk-like through the gloom. There must be something crooked in the floor plan, as you can never quite make out the end of a hallway until you’ve nearly reached it -- and just such a[or]A[stopping] hallway winds away to the south."

Instead of entering the JAL-hallway-south: try going south.

Instead of inserting something (called the hazard) into the JAL-hallway-south: say "What, and risk tripping over [the hazard] in a moment of inattention? No, this house is dangerous enough as it is."

Instead of searching the JAL-hallway-south: say "The hallway extends to the south, but any décor, furniture, or doorways are blocked from your view by a narrowing in the passage."

Instead of examining south when the location is M2F2: try searching the JAL-hallway-south.

Instead of going southwest when the location is M2F2: try going south.

Section 6 - The Armoire

The JAL-Armoire is a thing. When JAL-Setup begins: move the JAL-Armoire to M2F2. Printed name of the JAL-Armoire is "sealed armoire". Understand "black" and "armoire" and "sealed" and "wardrobe" and "wooden" and "furniture" and "dresser" and "doors" and "boards" and "massive" and "nails" and "weathered" as the JAL-Armoire. Description of the JAL-Armoire is "The massive wardrobe is wider than you can reach with your arms extended. Weathered wooden boards have been nailed across the doors in four places." Initial appearance of the JAL-Armoire is "A massive black armoire stands[one of] incongruously against the north-west wall, slightly at an angle. The boards sealing the armoire doors closed suggest that this particular object of furniture should have been removed prior to your arrival, but it's far too large to fit through the arch to the west[or] sealed against the north-west wall[stopping]."Instead of doing something other than examining to the JAL-Armoire: say "It's too big, too heavy, and too nailed-shut to mess with right now."

The JAL-Open-Armoire is an open container. Printed name of the JAL-Open-Armoire is "doorless armoire". Understand "black" and "armoire" and "wardrobe" and "wooden" and "wood" and "furniture" and "dresser" and "massive" and "opened" and "screw-holes" and "screw-hole" and "screw hole" and "holes" and "splintered" and "doorless" as the JAL-Open-Armoire. Description of the JAL-Open-Armoire is "The massive wardrobe's doors have been torn off entirely; trios of splintered screw-holes show where the hinges previously attached in the upper and lower corners. There's [a list of things contained by the JAL-Open-Armoire] inside." Initial appearance of the JAL-Open-Armoire is "[one of]The massive black armoire still stands against the north-west wall; you can now see [a list of things contained by the JAL-Open-Armoire] inside it.[paragraph break]It would seem that the armoire doors have somehow been torn off since you were last here. They lie on the floor nearby[or]The doorless armoire stands against the north-west wall. There's [a list of things contained by the JAL-Open-Armoire] inside[stopping][door event]." Does the player mean examining the JAL-Open-Armoire: it is very likely.

Before listing nondescript items of the JAL-Open-Armoire:

    repeat with JAL-debris running through objects contained by the JAL-Open-Armoire:

        if the JAL-debris is marked for listing:

            now the JAL-debris is not marked for listing.

To say door event:

    now the JAL-Armoire-Doors are in M2F2;

    stop the action.

Some JAL-Armoire-Doors are a thing. Printed name of the JAL-Armoire-Doors is "broken doors". The JAL-Armoire-Doors can be either errant or safe. The JAL-Armoire-Doors are errant. Understand "black" and "shattered" and "doors" and "wooden" and "armoire" and "wood" and "broken" and "boards" and "seals" and "nails" and "hinges" and "hinge" and "screws" and "screw" as the JAL-Armoire-Doors. Description of the JAL-Armoire-Doors is "The doors to the armoire are still being held together by the boards which had previously served to seal it shut, but the entire assembly has broken off the front of the armoire at at the hinges. The doors are otherwise undamaged. Whatever force rent the armoire asunder has left no further clues to its origin." The indefinite article of the JAL-Armoire-Doors is "some". The JAL-Armoire-Doors are improper-named. Initial appearance of the JAL-Armoire-Doors is "[if the JAL-Armoire-Doors are errant]The broken doors to the armoire lie on the floor near the center of the room[otherwise]The broken armoire doors are propper up in a corner where they should be out of the way[end if]." Does the player mean taking the JAL-Armoire-Doors: it is very likely.

Instead of taking the JAL-Armoire-Doors:

    say "The doors are too unwieldy to carry with you[if the JAL-Armoire-Doors are errant], but you move them out of the way[otherwise]. Better to just leave them there until you can get additional assistance with the armoire[end if].";

    now the JAL-Armoire-Doors are safe.

Section 7 - Carolyn's Diary

The JAL-Notebook is a book in the JAL-Open-Armoire. Printed name of the JAL-Notebook is "pocket-sized notebook". Passage of the JAL-Notebook is "[JAL notebook page]". Understand "pocket-sized" and "pocket sized" and "black-and-white" and "black" and "and " and "white" and "wire bound" and "composition" and "wire-bound" and "spiral" and "squashed" and "dog-eared" and "dog eared" and "note book" and "notebook" as the JAL-Notebook. Description of the JAL-Notebook is "A pocket-sized composition notebook with a marbled black-and-white cardboard cover. Many pages have been torn out, judging by the number of strands of torn paper still caught in the wire spiral binding." The JAL-Notebook can be either JAL-gleaned or JAL-ungleaned. The JAL-Notebook is JAL-ungleaned.

The JAL-Current-Page is a number which varies. The JAL-Current-Page is 1.

To say JAL notebook page:

    say "[note in row JAL-Current-Page of the Table of JAL-Carolyn-Notes]";

    increment the JAL-Current-Page;

    if the JAL-Current-Page is greater than the number of rows in the Table of JAL-Carolyn-Notes, now the JAL-Current-Page is 1;

    rule succeeds.

Table of JAL-Carolyn-Notes

page    note

1    "[one of]Turning to the first page, you find a series of notes inscribed with thin, looping letters.[or]You flip back to the first page.[stopping] [italic type]'July 6, I think? We've been here three days now. Uncle Roger said my luggage was destroyed on its way to the house. He sounded mad, but I don't think he was mad that I lost all my things. I think he's mad that I don't believe him. Uncle Theo gave me this note book to replace my journal. He also told me that he's actually not my uncle--he's my cousin, once removed, whatever that means. That seems wrong, though! He looks older than uncle Roger!'[roman type][one of] (To continue to the next page, simply read the notebook again.)[or][stopping]"

2    "[italic type]'The house was almost empty when we got here, but people I don't recognize have been arriving all day today. I'm used to Roger not telling me what's going on, but all Theo would say was that it's like a family reunion. I don't like being around this many strangers, so I am hiding in the bathroom with my music and some tracing-gears.'[roman type]"

3    "[one of]This page is filled with doodled art: flowers, irises, spirals, and starbursts, traced with the aid of some geometric toy.[or]Among the sketches and doodles that fill this page, you find the letter [']C['] drawn in various scripts; here, in cursive. There, in something approaching ballpoint calligraphy.[or]This page is full of idle drawings, and around the outermost margins the artist has decorated with a repeating pattern of hearts linked at the base... although, elongated as they are, they almost look more like cartoonishly twisted bones.[or]Nestled among the geometric stars and spirals drawn on this page, two sketched animals regard one another: the spindly outline of some quadruped on the left; a wounded lion biting its foreleg on the right.[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"

4    "Most of the next page has been torn out:[italic type]'The old folks let down their guard when they think I'm not listening, so I [bracket]. . .[close bracket] with my headphones on, and I heard some [bracket]. . .[close bracket] say to Theo how honored he [bracket]. . .[close bracket] to the Very Gated Court. He[bracket]. . .[close bracket] to [bracket]. . .[close bracket]'[roman type][paragraph break]Several more pages after this one are missing."

5    "The notes resume: [italic type]'All this time, he has been envious of Uncle Theo. That's why my parents are gone. That's why he brought me here. I am glad that he's furious. He sneered at me, said the only reason I wasn't dead already was because I mispronounced the name. Because I used five syllables instead of four. But he's wrong. It worked. I can feel their dead eyes upon me, and I KNOW things. I KNOW that Theodorus Cragne, my uncle Roger's first cousin, is the Fuscous Alderman of the Variegated Court. And I can feel his fear. The same way he fears Uncle Theo. He dreads what I may do next, just as he dreads Theo's return to the house. He will try to kill me for this.[paragraph break]'But I will already be gone.'[roman type]"

6    "[one of]If any more notes were written, they have all been torn out. [or][stopping]A long-legged ungulate has been drawn with heavy pen-strokes on the inside of the back cover of the notebook. It has been captioned in block letters: [JAL white antelope]."

To say JAL white antelope:

    say "[bold type]THE WHITE ANTELOPE[roman type]";

    now the JAL-Notebook is JAL-gleaned.

Section 8 - the JogMaster

The JAL-jogmaster is a device. Printed name of the JAL-jogmaster is "battered yellow JogMaster". Understand "battered" and "yellow" and "JogMaster" and "portable" and "audio" and "player" and "lanyard" and "tape" and "cassette" and "plastic" and "power" and "switch" and "slot" and "scratched" and "dented" and "scratches" and "battery" and "cover" and "play" and "batteries" and "headphone" and "jack" and "small speaker" and "carolyn" as the JAL-jogmaster. Description of the JAL-jogmaster is "A portable audio player with an attached lanyard so you can Wear It While You Jog! [one of]The JogMaster apes more popular brands at a fraction of the price; what it lacks in features, it makes up for in rugged simplicity. [or][stopping]It's little more than a yellow brick of plastic with a power switch and a slot in which to insert cassette tapes. [one of]This particular unit comes with included Battle Damage, including a[or]Damage to the unit includes a[stopping] jammed battery cover, a missing lever to eject the current cassette, and a crimped headphone jack. [one of]Fortunately, a[or]A[stopping] small speaker permits playback even without headphones.[one of] In addition to all the wear and tear incurred during normal use, you find one scar which was surely deliberate: s[or]S[stopping]omeone carved the name 'Carolyn' along one side."

Every turn while the JAL-jogmaster is switched on:

    if the JAL-Jogmaster is worn by the player:

        say "[JAL-jogmaster-prefix]";

    if the JAL-Jogmaster is carried by the player:

        say "[JAL-jogmaster-prefix]";

    if the location contains the JAL-Jogmaster,

        say "[JAL-jogmaster-prefix]".

To say JAL-jogmaster-prefix:

    say "[one of]A voice is audible through the soft static that now emerges from the JogMaster's speaker. The man speaks with the cadences of one addressing a gathered crowd:[paragraph break][or][stopping][JAL-jogmaster-audio]"

To say JAL-jogmaster-audio:

    say "[italic type][one of]'--pains me to undo the work of any of our illustrious ancestors, the fact remains that the Incarnadine Chalice, even at its height, was little more than a hobby for great uncle Gregor. Perhaps only, in fact, something with which to distract us kids. That distraction has now become burdensome.'[or]'Our... [roman type]organization[italic type]... has worn many forms in the past. In rare circumstances, it has even tolerated the membership of adulterated bloodlines. I thought to continue this tradition by extending official invitation to our Mr. Chambers, whom you all know, and I interviewed him, though perhaps he did not realize that an interview was occurring.'[or]'His ambition has always been clear, but I never before imagined just what acts that ambition might inspire him to, never imagined what plots he might engineer when I passed over him to select his brother as my successor.'[or]'The man made pamphlets! [bold type]Pamphlets,[italic type] I say, as though he were hosting a Sunday luncheon! Not content to stop there, he saw fit to resume the Incarnadine Rites! This dime-store Rasputin thought these audacities might warrrant official sponsorship, and so to [']sell me['] on the idea, he sought to offer me his neice as incentive!'[or]'More fool him, then, as the girl had all the intuition and cleverness he himself has lacked. None since my grandmother has had the gumption to perform the Rite upon herself, and little Carolyn even invoked the Colorless Name as she did it. Even a practice as hokum as the Rite has power when performed with patronage.'[or][roman type]The man's voice rises in pitch and intensity. [italic type]'So let us honor her memory and follow her example. Roger already dwells in smoke, but the rest of the Chalice shall be arriving at the Manor within the hour. We will use our problem to solve our problem: go up and welcome the newcomers. (If you did not bring your knife, I have extras.) I call upon my familiar, the spirit of Egnalosaf, the great white antelope[JAL-clarifier], envoy of the scintillating omnivalent Vaadignephod, and blessed reflector of iniquity; by your power, I invoke as Fuscous Alderman of the Variegated Court the commencement of this Incarnadine RIte, writ large! Go, remember, and [bold type]enjoy![italic type]'[or][roman type]The cassette must be designed to loop automatically. Having reached the end of the recording, playback resumes from the beginning.[cycling][roman type]".

To say JAL-clarifier:

        now the JAL-Notebook is JAL-gleaned.

Section 9 - The Bench

The JAL-Bench is scenery in M2F2. The JAL-bench is an enterable supporter. Printed name of the JAL-bench is "metal bench". Understand "little metal bench" as the JAL-bench. Description of the JAL-bench is "A spindly metal bench against the south-east wall." Instead of taking the JAL-bench, say "It's heavier than it looks."

Chapter 2 - Scenes

[Three major scenes to provide rising anticipation. The first scene draws the player's attention to another part of the house and gets them moving, setting up the idea that things go on in the hallway while you're not present. The second scene shows that things have changed since the player left and provides a a growing sense of creepiness. The third scene is the encounter with the apparition, after which things will settle down to a certain level of normal.]

JAL-Setup is a scene. JAL-Setup begins when the location is M2F2. JAL-Setup ends when JAL-Knocking begins.

When JAL-Setup begins: now M2F2 is JAL-quiet.

JAL-Knocking is a scene. JAL-Knocking begins when the player is in M2F2 for the third turn.

Every turn during JAL-Knocking:

    repeat through the Table of JAL-Distraction:

        say "[event description entry][paragraph break]";

        blank out the whole row;

        rule succeeds.

JAL-Knocking ends when the number of filled rows in the Table of JAL-Distraction is 0.

Table of JAL-Distraction

event description

"The manor may have its voices: its creaking and squeaking floorboards, its groaning doors; but you have grown accustomed to the quiet ways it protests your presence. This relative silence is now shattered by the unmistakable sound of a clenched fist pounding at the front door downstairs."

"The pounding at the front door continues, louder now. Was the front door even closed when last [we] saw it?"

"--and just as abruptly as it began, the knocking stops. Silence descends on Cragne Manor once more."

JAL-Intermission is a scene. JAL-Intermission begins when JAL-Knocking ends. JAL-Intermission ends when the number of moves from the location to M2F2 is greater than 3.

JAL-Return is a scene. JAL-Return begins when JAL-Intermission ends. JAL-Return ends when the location is M2F2.

The JAL-memory is a room which varies.

When JAL-Return begins:

    now the JAL-memory is the location;

    now the JAL-Armoire is nowhere;

    now the JAL-Open-Armoire is in M2F2.

JAL-Alarm is a scene. JAL-Alarm begins when JAL-Return ends. JAL-Alarm ends when the time since JAL-Alarm began is 2 minutes.

When JAL-Alarm ends: say "Why do you suddenly fear that you've left your keys in [JAL-memory]? You know where your keys are, don't you? (And where's this name coming from?)"

JAL-Prelude is a scene. JAL-Prelude begins when JAL-Alarm begins. JAL-Prelude ends when the number of moves from the location to M2F2 is greater than 2.

Every turn during JAL-Prelude:

    if the location is M2F2:

        if a random chance of 1 in 4 succeeds, say "[one of]An unexpected waft of cold air makes your skin crawl.[or]You catch a faint smell of smoke.[or]Something moves abruptly on the edge of your peripheral vision, but when you turn, it's not clear what you could have seen moving.[or]Distant thunder echoes.[or]Your hear a creak from the direction of [a random visited room adjacent to M2F2].[or]For a moment you seem to see the letters 'VDGNPHD' scrawled on the south-west wall, but as soon as you blink the wall is just as it was before.[as decreasingly likely outcomes]".

JAL-Penultimate is a scene. JAL-Penultimate begins when JAL-Prelude ends. JAL-Penultimate ends when the location is M2F2.

When JAL-Penultimate begins:

    now M2F2 is JAL-haunted;

    now the printed name of M2F2 is "Upstairs Hall, north end? (Jason Love)"

JAL-Haunting is a scene. JAL-Haunting begins when JAL-Penultimate ends. JAL-Haunting ends when the player has the JAL-jogmaster.

Instead of going somewhere during JAL-Haunting:

    say "[one of]Darkness has fallen on the House of Cragne, a darkness without source or justification, and the rooms and hallways you [bold type]should[roman type] be able to see from this small nexus seem almost to have disappeared. You have the sense of being in a kind of bubble, and every attempt to push your attention outside it slips along the curving walls of your enveloping prison back to the iris from which the bubble extends: that incongruous bathroom door. That flickering light from beneath.[or]You try to walk leave the area, only to find yourself curving away at the last moment, once again facing the north-eastern door.[stopping]"

Instead of reading something during JAL-Haunting, say "While a bit of flickering light escapes from under the bathroom door, it's definitely too dark to read."

Rule for printing room description details for M2F2 while JAL-Haunting is happening: stop.

Every turn during JAL-Haunting:

    if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds, say "[one of]A couple of short-lived sparks fly out from under the north-eastern door.[or]The smell of smoke is stronger now.[or]Writhing shapes seem to swim on the periphery of your vision.[or]Are your ears ringing, or is there some impossibly high-pitched sound coming from the bathroom?[or]You're having trouble focusing, and it doesn't just seem to be the poor light. Something about this space is unhealthy.[or]The phosphenes coloring your eyesight are becoming unbearable. Your whole body tenses with a sudden jolt of adrenaline; if you had any doubts before, you are now certain that you are in terrible peril.[or]Open the door. [bold type]Open the door![roman type][or][JAL-linger][stopping]".

To say JAL-linger:

    say "The encroaching darkness blurs with sudden iridescence. The room spins: you teeter for a moment, as though the floor is falling as just as fast as you are, and you know not which way to land--you stumble--your last discolored glimpse of that impossible bathroom door comes as you grasp helplessly for a doorframe, a wall, [italic type]anything[roman type] to catch yourself from being flung into the roiling chaos, but your grip fails, and Cragne Manor wheels away like a dinner plate skipped into a lagoon.";

    end the story saying "Something unfathomable has happened to you".

Check looking while the location is M2F2:

    if M2F2 is JAL-haunted, say "[bold type][printed name of M2F2][roman type][line break][one of]Something about this hallway feels wrong. Or at least, more wrong than usual.[paragraph break][or][stopping]You yet stand in the north end of the upstairs hallway: here are the large doors north and east, the hallway south, the archway west[one of]... but the lighting has changed. It's dark--too dark to see, even--but a[or]. It's too dark to see well. A[stopping]n orange light flickers under the doorway to the north-east." instead.

Instead of searching or examining something (called the JAL-obsession) while JAL-Haunting is happening:

    if the JAL-obsession is not the JAL-bathroom-door, say "Despite trying to examine [the JAL-obsession], you find your attention is drawn [one of][or]back [or]inexorably back [stopping]to the north-east wall: an unremarkable wooden door [one of]now [or][stopping]stands flanked by the doors to the nursery and the master bedroom[one of]. This was where the upstairs bathroom had been, but wasn't this doorway bricked up after a fire, some years back?[or]. Why can't you focus?[or].[stopping]" instead.

Instead of opening JAL-bathroom-door during JAL-Haunting:

    say "Your senses scream that the room behind this door is burning, but the doorknob itself isn't hot. You swing it open: there is no fire. There isn't even a bathroom; the room in front of you just looks like a continuation of the hallway. You stride forward without thinking, but it's not until you've passed through the door that you recognize the objects in your peripheral vision as a sink beneath a mirror-mounted medicine cabinet. You turn back to reexamine the room you've just left, but you are faced instead with an old, bricked-in doorway.";

    now the printed name of M2F2 is "Upstairs Hall, north end (Jason Love)";

    now M2F2 is JAL-still;

    now the JAL-jogmaster is worn by the player;

    try looking;

    say "Something has changed among your possessions.";

    stop the action.

Chapter 3 - More Actions & Commentary

JAL-Xyzzy is an action applying to nothing. Understand "xyzzy" as JAL-Xyzzy when the location is M2F2.

Instead of JAL-Xyzzy (this is the JAL-xyzzy response rule):

    say "You whisper a magic word. The ambient temperature in [a random visited room] [one of]increases[or]decreases[at random] by 1 degree Celsius."

Test JAL with "wait / wait / wait / n / get key7 / s / w / w / w / w / e / e / e / e / x armoire doors / get armoire doors / x black armoire / get notebook / read notebook / g / g / g / g / g / w / w / w / e / e / e" in M2F2.

Instead of smelling in M2F2, say "You smell nothing unexpected[one of].[or].[or].[or].[or], other than a fainly smoky odor.[as decreasingly likely outcomes]".

Commentary of M2F2 is "[one of]Welcome to the commentary for my contribution to the [italic type]Anchorhead[roman type] tribute game [italic type][story title][roman type]. Participating in this project has been a delightful and entertaining honor, and while the list of people to whom I owe a debt of gratitude is longer than can reasonably be repeated here, [or][stopping]I would [one of]particularly[or]still [stopping]like to thank Jenni and Ryan for coordinating this event, fellow contributors Hanon and Shin for their testing assistance, and [one of](of course)[or][stopping]Michael Gentry for inspiring us all in this ludicrous endeavor.[paragraph break]Before the project began, our organizers created a series of puzzle tracks to help organize and pace the player's progression through the game. As part of the Venus Track, it was my responsibility to create and detail one of the Cragnes who was an Alderman of the Variegated Court and furthermore to detail that individual's familiar. While my original plan was to hide these details in various books and notebooks around my room, that plan changed once I learned just how much energy my fellow contributors were investing in the development of their rooms. I wanted to make something simple that told a vaguely creepy story about something that once happened between a few members of the extended Cragne family. You will have acquired all the materials necessary to construct that story once you have collected two of Carolyn Chambers's possessions: her notebook, and her tape player. If you don't yet have both of those items in your possession, maybe take a walk to the other side of the house and come back. Maybe do it more than once. After that, you'll be ready to move on.[paragraph break]Anyway, thanks for playing through my room, and thanks for reading my commentary! Please direct any questions or comments to my email address, jsnlxndrlv@gmail.com. Have fun with the rest of the Manor!"