Puzzles

The rules

This game is about 60% story and 40% puzzles. I want them to be engaging but nothing too stumping. Almost all puzzles have two or more solutions.

• No mazes
• No magic (with the small exception of a St Jude prayer)
• Try to avoid anything too anachronistic for time period
• Explanation for some devices: Gordian was a builder and puzzle-maker, as mentioned in his bio

The puzzles

Light

• player needs to discover a dark area before they can steal a candle
• can get candles from sacristy or from post-bribed Remigio

Solar door

• solution is to push all the buttons of Gordian’s creed, in order (Faith, Work, Wisdom — cross, hammer, scroll)
• can find these by:
  • reading about Gordian in Fratrum
  • I: on bell
  • II: on stained glass
  • III: on his statue
• also needs to make sure they’re not interrupted by Prior

Timing

• some puzzles require a monk to be there, many require them not to be there
• player can learn about time of Offices from the panel in the Chapter House
• player can check time with canonical candle in Night Stairs or the sundial; can get less accurate time from TIME

Contraband

• carrying non-essential things (candles, letters, the psalter, etc) things can end game. Player will get several warnings first
• be spotted with a lit candle is a loss
• they can hide contraband in lots of places:
  • keeping in herbarium or gardens
  • keeping in their closed chest in dorm
  • carrying in the basket (can find in Herbarium)
  • carrying in their hood (requires cleverness to find)

Accessing Library

• need to get key from Wilfred; need to get him to sleep
• his sleepiness is well hinted at
• Two solutions:
  • Carry cat into Scriptorium, Wilfred will fall asleep cuddling it
  • Throw mandrake root into fire

Opening medicine cabinet

• combination is founding date of priory, can learn from
  • carving on front door of church
  • reading about Gordian in Fratrum

Getting into Crypt

• only way is through the secret FitzAlan Crypt
• in the Chantry, there are hint about the lion
• push the lion move altar, go down
• need to have light
• that seems to trap them, but there’s a hidden passage to the main crypt
• examine frame (“distinctive” and brass, which is what many puzzles say)

Getting out of crypt

• If has stored St Jude prayer, can simply escape (cheesy but fun)
• Else: need to get someone to come to Crypt, can shout or ring bell
  • Cuthbert will come, explore crypt then vestry
  • While in Vestry, can escape
  • Need to make sure they’re hidden without light so not noticed by him

To hide:

• Can hide in the FitzAlan Chantry
• or, if they learn about Brother Ezra (who will “protect his brothers”), can hide behind his tomb, which is in shadows

The rosehips in St Jude Chapel

• not really a puzzle, just a fun detail about motive
• left by Hugh (he’s thinking about Rose)
• they have to identify them with taste or smell

Entering Restricted Garden

• need key
• can find either by searching Aelred’s body OR by looking under pot (obviously, it can’t really be in both, just doing weird quantum stuff so there are two ways to solve this)

Getting toxic herbs

• wear gloves

Carrying things

• hood (on them but cleverly not obvious)
• find basket under Herbarium table

Pax (the cat)

• Carrying Pax is an alterate solution to getting into Library
• To carry her, need to feed her fish from kitchen

Getting into Undercroft

• need to get past Remigio
• can do that by bribing with basil from Garden
• there’s only one solution for this; would like to find another

Finding stolen psalter

• takes too long to search each barrel; might be possible over several offices
• but the yellow-stained coins might lead them to mustard
• need to use the stick to search the deep barrels

Escaping Undercroft

• get a warning about noise from kitchen one round before
• only way before dying: escape with east door
• or just watch the time and don’t stay too long
• considering fast-forwarding this office so they can’t spend too much time here without being caught (perhaps Hugh leaves because he got suspicious?)

Avoiding Offices

• Player isn’t required to go to Offices, but if they’re in quire, they get sucked in and waste time and chance to solve monk-needed-gone puzzles
• through studying map, they can get to most places safely during office by using the passage outside the prior and the day stairs