You chanced upon a magical (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant] weeks ago, only to have to stolen from you by some pirates.
You step off the ship, finally having tracked them to this town.
The salt-worn (text-style:"bold","expand","buoy")[Welcome to Islesbury] greets you, and it creaks as a breeze whistles by.
[[The town->The Town]] looks like it was built as the needs arise, buildings tossed together haphazardly around the market in the square.
A cabin boy crashes into you, dropping a crate of sea biscuits and beans on to the dock. You chastise him and turn to see the array of ships docked at [[the harbor->The Dock]].
(set: $time to 0)
(set: $sck to false)
(set: $lhsocial to false)
(set: $lhgarrison to false)You see [[a tavern->The Tavern]] and [[a bustling market->The Market]]. Which way will you go?
(if: $sck is true)[Maybe the [[social club->The Social Club]] is worth checking out.]
(if: $lhsocial is true AND $lhgarrison is true AND $time >= 240)[You figure now would be a good time to check out the [[lighthouse->The Ritual]].]
(else-if: $lhsocial is true AND $lhgarrison is true AND $time < 240)[You figure now would be a good time to check out the [[lighthouse->Adventurer's Ending]].]
(else-if: $time >= 500)[You've been at this for a while, and you're really [[thirsty->Pirate Ending]].]There's sailors and merchants mill about the dock, passing goods back and forth. For the most part, everyone's busy and likely willing to offer nothing more than grunts and nods.
Do you go to [[venture further into the docks->The Dock Dwellers]] or [[into the town->The Town]]?Everyone in the lighthouse basement is in dark robes and chanting under their breaths.
You're too busy staring at the person who's in the center of the circle to notice that the (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant] on the priest's necklace is the one you'd been looking for.
It's glowing and starting to burn a hole in the priest's robe, but she's too busy completing the ritual to notice.
(link: "The (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant] dissolves before you finally realize that the ritual is beyond stopping.")[You are responsible for the oncoming apocalypse.
###(align:"=><=")[(text-style:"expand")[THE END]]
[[Credits->Credits]]]You shove the (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant] into your satchel and hurry down the stairs, almost tripping over yourself. You have a sinking feeling in your gut as the sun disappears beneath the horizon.
A crewmate waves his arms in the air, signaling that the last passenger ship is leaving.
(link-reveal: "You rush onboard, still unsettled by the keeper.")[
By the time the ship's left the dock and you get settled to take a closer look, you realize that this isn't the same (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant] you left with.
''It's fake.''
The keeper was depending on you underestimating her. It's too late to turn the ship around now.
###(align:"==><=")[(text-style:"expand")[THE END]
[[Credits->Credits]]]
]You hear a loud (text-style:"rumble")[THUD] from the direction of the tavern, paired with some drunk pirates scrambling back to the docks.
(text-rotate-x:143)+(text-rotate-y:145)[WE GOT THE (text-colour:#ff8787)[PENDANT] BACK.](text-rotate-x:123)+(text-rotate-y:244)+(text-rotate-z:129)[WE GOT THE (text-colour:#ff8787)[PENDANT] BACK.]
(text-rotate-x:41)+(text-rotate-y:36)+(text-rotate-z:335)[WE GOT THE (text-colour:#ff8787)[PENDANT] BACK.]
(text-rotate-x:148)+(text-rotate-y:132)+(text-rotate-z:145)[WE GOT THE (text-colour:#ff8787)[PENDANT] BACK.]
(text-rotate-x:217)+(text-rotate-y:201)+(text-rotate-z:203)[WE GOT THE (text-colour:#ff8787)[PENDANT] BACK.]
(text-rotate-z:267)[WE GOT THE (text-colour:#ff8787)[PENDANT] BACK.]
(text-rotate-y:236)[WE GOT THE (text-colour:#ff8787)[PENDANT] BACK.]
(text-rotate-x:174)[WE GOT THE (text-colour:#ff8787)[PENDANT] BACK.]
(text-rotate-x:47)+(text-rotate-y:38)+(text-rotate-z:20)[WE GOT THE (text-colour:#ff8787)[PENDANT] BACK.]
WE GOT THE (text-colour:#ff8787)[PENDANT] BACK.
Fuck.
###(align:"===><==")[(text-style:"expand")[THE END]]
[[Credits->Credits]]]]
The tavern is fairly empty except for some stragglers nursing a drink. Most of the town is out and about at the market.
The air is stale, and some light filters in through the windows.
Pirates hang around the bar, drinking and laughing.
Do you [[talk to the pirates->The Pirates]] or [[leave the tavern->The Town]]?The pirates inform you that the (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant] you're looking for is already on the market.
They shrug and turn back to their ale, leaving you with an option.
Do you [[talk to a local->The Drunkard]] or [[leave the tavern->The Town]]? People are weaving through the stalls, some arguing with vendors and others just eating off to the side. A breeze rattles through the market, and the glass bottles in the stall beside you chime.
Do you [[chat up the glassblower->The Vendor]] or do you [[interrupt the man who's //really// invested in his pastry->The Townie]]?The drunkard is visibly upset that you've interrupted his midday drinking session but mumbles something about ghosts and lights.
Leave him alone and [[go back into town->The Town]].You approach a vendor and ask about the (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant].
The vendor is blowing gently into a pipe, inflating the glass. He taps gently on it, shaping into a bauble, and twists it off the pipe.
He wipes his hands on his apron and flips through his records. He apologizes because it was sold this morning and that it could be anywhere by now.
Lovely. Anyway, back to [[the market->The Market]].You tap the eating man on the shoulder. He turns around, less than pleased, as crumbs fall out of his beard.
You ask if he knows anything about a (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant]. He doesn't, but figures that the "(text-style:"sway")[hoity-toity] club" might be a good place to look. He then returns to his pastry.
Interesting, back to [[town->The Town]].
(set: $sck to true)The child is unimpressed by you. She goes back to playing with a toy building.
(link: "Ask her what she's holding.")[She points to a compound nearby with flags rising from it and narrow windows facing the sea. She mentions something about soldiers.
Satisfied with her answer, you head towards [[the compound->The Garrison]].]The merchants scowl at you. One of them mentions something about a vendor that bought odds and ends from him earlier in the day and turns back to the other.
While they're distracted, you grab a bottle of whiskey from a crate and you head [[into town->The Town]].You walk down the dock, the planks creaking beneath your feet. You notice a pair of merchants in a heated argument, their outfits surprisingly crisp for people who travel for a living. A grimy child sitting on a crate watches them.
Do you talk to [[the merchants->The Merchants]] or [[the child->The Child]]?The social club is barely alive right now, since the rest of the town is either at the market or on the docks. Someone stands behind the bar, holding a rag and watching over the two patrons hanging around.
A patchwork of blues is barely visible in the shadows, and closer to the bar is someone dressed in the hues of sand, head to toe in lifeless beige.
Do you talk to [[the patchwork man->The Soldier]], [[the person dressed like the beach->The Mafioso]], or to [[the bartender->The Bartender]]?(live: 1s)[(set: $time to it + 1)
(if: $time is 0)[(stop:)]]As you draw closer to the patchwork in the corner, you realize that it's actually a uniformed soldier sitting there, stinking suspiciously of flowers and vomit.
[[You scream across the social club.->Punishment for the Drunk]]The suit twirls a cherry stem between his fingers and doesn't speak for a few moments, leaving the two of you to stare at each other awkwardly. You open your mouth to speak.
(text-style:"shudder")["Everything's fine, we don't know anything about jewelry. I don't have any (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant] on me. Wait-"]
You gawk at him. You ask how he even knew about the (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant].
(text-style:"shudder")["You look like the kind of guy that wears jewelry."]
He keeps on with his nervous prattle, but it's clear that he has no idea where the (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant] is.
Do you talk to [[the bartender->The Bartender]] or [[the patchwork man->The Soldier]]?The bartender idly plucks the cigarette from the corner of her mouth. She offers you a glass.
[[You buy a drink->Answers from the Bartender]].She pours you an amber liquor that smells like flowers and vomit. You mention the mess of a day you've had, rambling into the complexities of your family life, occasionally mentioning how hard it is to be an archaelogist when pirates exist.
There's just so much dust involved in digging.
(link-reveal: "The bartender finally interrupts you when you circle back to talking about the dock.")[
(link-reveal: "'Hold on. The dock? I've seen people in robes around the lighthouse some nights.'")[
[['I'd check it out while there's still some light out.'->A Development]]
(text-colour:#ffd43b)[You figure this is worth remembering.]
]]
(set: $lhsocial to true)You wander into the garrison and watch troops do their drills, and some soldiers are milling around the compound.
You stop a nearby soldier and tell him about your situation.
(link-reveal:"He thinks this information over and uneasily mentions that the light in the lighthouse is sometimes on during the day.")[
(text-colour:#ffd43b)[You figure this is worth remembering.]
You thank him and [[head into town->The Town]].]
(set: $lhgarrison to true)(text-style:"rumble")[''YOU'RE DISRESPECTING THE FINE ART OF DAY DRINKING THERE SIR'']
Even in his booze-addled state, the soldier is shocked in some level of sobriety and goes to salute you. You grab his saluting arm and drag him all the way to [[the garrison->The Sergeant]].You hand over the drunk to the sergeant supervising drills. She nods her head in acknowledgement, calls to a soldier, and continues shouting out calls.
The drunk is hauled off, but you're still filled with rage. Explore [[the garrison->The Garrison]].The lighthouse might be worth a visit. You drop a coin on the bar and eye the two patrons.
Do you talk to [[the patchwork man->The Soldier]], [[the beige suit->The Mafioso]], or head back [[into town->The Town]]?The sound of the waves crashing against the shore fades away, as you step over the threshold of the lighthouse.
A staircase spirals up to a landing above you, and the hallway behind the stairs leads into a simple living room with a view of the town. A dark blanket is strewn onto the couch, and a glass lantern, similar to the glassblower's style, adorns the table.
You follow the stairs up and find a woman admiring the view. She doesn't notice you enter the room, so you clear your throat to announce yourself. She doesn't turn but nods when you ask her if she's the keeper.
You ask if she's aware of a (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant].
She finally turns around, her expression neutral. [[The superstitious warnings from the solider and the bartender come back to you, and you eye the keeper warily.->Which Ending is it?]]'Oh, sorry. Zoned out for a bit there. Happens sometimes at this altitude. Yes, I am aware of a (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant].'
She walks over a wood chest across the room and kneels to slide a drawer open. She opens her palm to reveal the (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant].
'Ah yes, this must be what you're looking for.'
The (text-colour:#ff8787)[bright red pendant] gleams, as the setting sun strikes it. Taken by it, she whispers, 'The way it gleams as the sun hits, it makes the whole room look red, oh such a beautiful shade of red.'
There's an uncomfortable silence as you process her reaction. You blurt out that you want it back.
'Oh... okay.' She drops it into your outstretched hand.
(link-reveal:"'Safe travels.'")[
###(align:"==><=")[(text-style:"expand")[THE END]
[[Credits->Credits]]]]
(if: $time <= 15)[She reaches into the pocket of the apron around her waist and gives you a close-mouthed smile. [[There's something unnerving about her expression, so you snatch the chain from her hand without breaking eye contact.->The Fake]]]
(else:)[(align:"=><=")[[["Is there truth to these superstitions?"->The Pendant in Your Hands]]]
]=><=
[''(text-colour:#ff8787)[#BRIGHT RED PENDANT]'']
''[A Flowers & Vomit Game]''
(text-style:"outline")[[[START->Welcome to town.]]]//Writing, development, moonlighting as a gardener: //Thendral Prabu
//Writing, development, lost in an abyss somewhere:// Ben Spizuco
//Writing, all around good person:// Vincent Terraneo
//Time Testers://
Dan
Ev
Kara
Matthew
James
JM
TheShayMinz
Mallet
sb777
Umayma
Kyla
laviii
Mistee
Zahra
Sabrina