Amnesia: The Dark Descent [Part One]

Thanks for the Cupboards

Daniel pulled himself off the floor, brushing non-existent dust from his clothes. He turned around and exited the room, inspecting the rubble blocking off the corridor he used to get to this part of the castle. On the up side, that creepy piano was on the other side, away from him.

To the left was a wall, however it looked in poor condition. He felt it, running his hands over the tattered wallpaper. In the very corner, he felt the wood cave slightly at his touch. He pushed a little harder. The wood creaked, protesting against him. Smiling, he picked up a rock from the rubble and threw it as hard as he could against the weak spot. The wood splintered and gave way, falling with a crack to the floor. Daniel, feeling both guilty and proud of himself, crawled through. 

As soon as he entered he felt dizzy and he tensed as another memory pushed it's way to the surface. 

"You have to be swift - when you activate the first one..." Daniel heard Alexander say. He looked around the room. Even though his vision was blurry and it was dark, he saw bookshelves filled the space. It looked like it hadn't been used for a while, one of the books was even hanging out. Something mechanical started ticking, filling the room with an echo. 

"You hear that? It stops, you'll have to start over." Alexander finished just as the ticking stopped.

"Isn't all this a bit excessive?" Daniel asked.

"You can never be too careful Daniel." Daniel sighed as his vision returned. 

"So, how do I get through this?" He wondered. The ticking noise must have been a device. From what Alexander had said, it seemed it was a device designed to unlock or open something. He looked around, trying to see if anything had changed. That's when he noticed none of the books were sticking out. There were none on the floor either. Daniel went to the shelf, pulling the books out one by one. He didn't know why, be he felt he needed to. He yanked them out, getting more frustrated and frantic each time. For some reason he wanted to get out, solve this and get out. His hand grabbed another book, but this time it didn't come out. He pulled harder and it slid forward, clicking. The ticking started again, and Daniel stared in amazement as it slowly made its way back into the shelf. The ticking stopped.

"Clever, clever, clever." Daniel muttered. He quickly tried to find out what made the book different. It was plain, pale and skinny. Daniel searched the Library for similar books when he saw small glass cases lining the back wall. He glanced inside them, barely able to see for the room was only lit  by a few candles here and there. Inside one case was a bundle of faded yellow papers, words neatly arranged along the face. Curiosity, as it always seemed to do, got the better of Daniel as he grabbed the thickest book off the nearest shelf and threw it with all his might at the glass. It must have been really fragile, or really old, as it broke instantly, shattering and showering shards inside the case and on the floor surrounding it. He took a step closer, his foot crunching on the glass, and gingerly took the bundle of papers out, careful not to cut himself. He lightly shook the papers so as to get looks any glass before starting to read.

Local Folklore

Alstadt and Brennenburg Castle

Another region rich with lore is Altstadt, deep within the East Prussian woods. For centuries there have been stories surrounding the hamlet and its neighbor, castle Brennenburg. The quiet forest-clad mountains dressed with scattered lakes is as picturesque as can be, albeit the area is haunted by the dark. Ask any local and you will hear proof of the widespread superstition. All travelers should indulge themselves in such conversations since it will certainly serve as exciting entertainment. All of them have their own twists on the tales, but there are some motifs that keep reappearing.