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This interactive work of fiction is based on H.P. Lovecraft's *Shadow Over Innsmouth*. Although most of the writing is my own work, the story and some of the descriptive language is taken from the original work. Because of the nature of games as an interactive medium, it is impossible to make a 1-to-1 adaptation of the original story, so I do take creative liberties here and there in order to allow the player to make choices. In other words, this is not a substitute for the original story.
http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/soi.aspx
Background is "Innsmouth Waterfront - HP Lovecraft - Concept Art" by mcrassusart on Deviantart.
https://www.deviantart.com/mcrassusart/art/Innsmouth-Waterfront-HP-Lovecraft-Concept-Art-530815411
[[Begin]]
You arrive at the station ticket-office, and talk to the ticket boy. He tells you the cost of a ticket is $3.50. If you spend this much on a train ticket, there's no way that you'd have enough for a hotel in Arkham.
[[Head to the bus stop]] You head to the bus stop, where a sign says the fare is 75₵. It's not an outrageous price, but you shudder to imagine how much the train would cost if this was considered cheap. When the bus arrives, you find yourself questioning the somewhat steep fare--it's run down, the exterior is rusted, and it looks like it's seen its fair share of salty ocean air. You step on the bus, unaware of the nightmarish situation that you will soon find yourself in.
[[Bus Ride<-Continue]]You head to the bus stop, where you see on a sign that the bus fare is a much more reasonable 75₵. When the bus arrives, you begin to realize why it's so cheap--the bus is an old, beaten down, clunker. The exterior is rusted, and it looks like it's seen its fair share of salty ocean air. You step on the bus, unaware of the nightmarish situation that you will soon find yourself in.
[[Bus Ride<-Continue]]
Inside the bus is a schedule for the buses leaving from Innsmouth. It appears that the next bus that departs from Innsmouth and travels to Arkham will arrive tomorrow.
The bus is empty except you, the driver, who seems relatively normal, and an old haggard man.
they both seem to have the same look about them: a narrow head, bulging, watery blue eyes that seem never to wink, a flat nose, a receding forehead and chin, and singularly undeveloped ears.
The old man is murmuring to himself, but you can't quite make out what he's saying.
He doesn't seem to notice you.
[[Talk to him]]
[[Keep to yourself]]You open your mouth to begin to talk, but before you can speak, the man's head snaps towards you and he says, "Huh?! You talkin' to me?" Slightly taken aback by his preemptive response, you stammer out, "Yeah... I, uh, was wondering if you knew anything about Innsmouth".
[[Talks about Innsmouth<-Continue]]
You keep to yourself while the strange man continues his mumbling. As the bus ride goes on, his mumbling increases in volume. You are beginning to be able to make out what he's saying:
[[Murmurs about Innsmouth<-Continue]]
July, 1927
You are a student who is enjoying a coming of age tour in New England. You don't have a car and are pressed for cash, so you've been travelling by train, trolley, motor-coach, always picking the cheapest option. On your way from Newburyport to Arkham, you learn of two methods to get to your destination. Most swear by the steam train--it is the fastest and safest method, they say. However, one man recommends that you take a bus that stops in Innsmouth, a fishing village, if you're looking for a cheap option.
[[Take the train]]
[[Take the bus]]The strange man stands up and moves next to you. You can smell a strong, unpleasant fishy odor emanating from him. As you get a closer look at him you can see that his skin seemed irregular, almost waxy in texture, as if he suffered from some cutaneous disease.
"You an outsider? We don't much like visitors, unless, of course, you're here to stay..."
There's a threatening glare in his eyes and his face is uncomfortably close to yours.
[[Ask him to move away]]
[[Tell him you're just laying over in Innsmouth]]"...they all want to leave, but then they want to stay... The leavers will always come back..."
[[Continue->Rest of the bus ride(Antisocial)]]"Please move away" you tell him.
"You thinkin' about movin' away from Innsmouth?"
He either didn't hear you clearly or doesn't care. He continues,
"Well, after a while, I think you'll find that you want to stay..."
He stands up and moves back to his original seat.
[[Continue->Rest of the bus ride]]"Just a visitor huh? After a while, I think you'll find that you want to stay..."
He stands up and moves back to his original seat.
[[Continue->Rest of the bus ride]]The driver announces that you will be arriving at Innsmouth in half an hour. As you approach the village a thick fog starts to fill the air that obscures the stars in the night sky. Time seems to elapse slower and slower, and you're on the bus for what feels like another hour before arriving at your layover.
As you step out of the bus, the same fishy stench from before pollutes the air. Most of the buildings around you are rickety wood shacks with moss growing in the nooks and crannies.
The bus to Arkham won't be arriving 'til tomorrow, so you're spending the night here.
[[Head to the inn]]
[[Spend the night outside]]The driver announces that you will be arriving at Innsmouth in half an hour. As you approach the village a thick fog starts to fill the air that obscures the stars in the night sky. Time seems to elapse slower and slower, and you're on the bus for what feels like another hour before arriving at your layover.
Most of the buildings around you are rickety wood shacks with moss growing in the nooks and crannys. A fishy stench pollutes the air.
The bus to Arkham won't be arriving 'til tomorrow, so you're spending the night here.
[[Head to the inn]]
[[Spend the night outside]]
Not too far from the bus stop you find the Innsmouth inn. You give an uneasy chuckle at the name, as you realize that it's nothing more than a dilapidated building with no more than 3 or 4 rooms.
[[Head inside]]
[[Spend the night outdoors]]Although this town is undoubtedly haunting, a penny saved is a penny earned. You decide to brave the night outside, laying down on the bench at the bus stop. You find the mist around you oddly comforting, and pass into a deep sleep with ease.
[[Dream<-Continue]]You awake standing up in the middle of a field, and the night sky is clearly visible. You see soft ripples among the stars, as if you're looking at a reflection of an ocean that's not there. You rub the grogginess out of your eyes, and upon reopening them, the reflection has changed. You see them in a limitless stream--flopping, hopping, croaking, and moving inhumanly through the moonlight in a grotesque, malignant dance.
They were bizzare anthropomorphic crosses between man and fish, some robed and wearing white-gold tiaras. These foul creatures could only be the creation of the devil--but you know they are not. They are the creation of something much more evil, and much more malignant. They are encircling an object, although you can't quite make out what.
[[Continue staring into space]]
[[It's a dream! Wake up.]]The innkeeper is strangely missing, but you see the rates posted on a board on the wall, along with a message: "Leave money behind the desk and take a key from one of the boxes. If there is no key, the room is occupied, try another box.
The price is quite steep, and if you pay, you may not have enough to pay the bus fare tomorrow.
[[Spend the night outdoors]]
[[Take a key without leaving money]]
[[Take a key and leave the money]]The inn is such a run-down mess, you decide it wouldn't be much different from just sleeping outside. If that's the case, you think it better to spend the night outside. You lay down in the gravel, using your bag as a pillow.
[[Dream<-Continue]]As you endlessly stare at the fish-men doing their dance, you begin to feel a madness overtaking you. You thoughts become foggier than the Innsmouth air, which already feels like an eternity ago. Eventually, a new thought emerges from the fog, one of a greater marvel reaching out to your conciousness.
//Hail R'lyea! Cthulhu dreams! Hail! Hail!
Iä-R’lyeh! Cthulhu fhtagn! Iä! Iä!//
Those who come to Innsmouth, stay in Innsmouth.
[[Play Again->Begin]]You look away from the night sky and attempt to force yourself awake. Your vision goes dark, and in a moment's notice, you are awake. The fog is back, and you're on a beach, shackled to a wooden construction of sorts, unable to move. As you look around yourself, you realize what the creatures in the nightmare were encircling--you.
You attempt to struggle free from your binds, but to no avail. One of the fish creatures notices, and they begin to encroach upon you. They are repeatedly chanting:
//Iä-R’lyeh! Cthulhu fhtagn! Iä! Iä!
Iä-R’lyeh! Cthulhu fhtagn! Iä! Iä!
Iä-R’lyeh! Cthulhu fhtagn! Iä! Iä!//
[[Continue->They come closer]]You reach into the box labelled "2", and grab the keys out. You head towards room 2. The key slides into the lock, and you twist the lock open. Heading inside the room, you see that the window is open. Locking the door behind you, you head over to the window and gaze out upon the mist-shrouded town. As you do, a strange tiredness begins to befall you.
[[Go to bed]]
[[Shut the window and fall asleep]]After placing enough money to cover a one-night stay, you reach into the box labelled "2", and grab the keys out. You head towards room 2. The key slides into the lock, and you twist the lock open. Heading inside the room, you see that the window is open. Locking the door behind you, you head over to the window and gaze out upon the mist-shrouded town. As you do, a strange tiredness begins to befall you.
[[Go to bed]]
[[Shut the window and fall asleep->Not Enough Money]]With your eyelids feeling heavy, you stumble towards the bed, and get under the comforters, still wearing your clothes.
[[Continue->Dream]]Although the window frame is poorly built, with some effort you are able to close the window. With your eyelids feeling heavy, you stumble towards the bed, and get under the comforters, still wearing your clothes.
[[Continue->Innkeeper Ending]]You wake the next morning, the town of Innsmouth still shrouded by fog, the light of the sun barely filters through. You pack your things and head to the bus stop. The bus arrives, you step on. The fare is $1, and unfortunately, you don't quite make the cutoff.
The bus driver turns you down. You are stuck in Innsmouth for the time being.
[[Walk to Arkham]]
[[Beg for money]]You awaken from your sleep to the sound of a lock clicking. The door to your room creaks open and light filters in through the cracks. The person entering seems to be afflicted with the same illness as the strange man on the bus. He's holding an oil lantern and saying,
"..gotta collect...need to pay the bills...need to pay the bills...father Dagon help me...leeches like this be damned..."
[[Stay in bed and do nothing]]
[[Lie about what you did]]The innkeeper approaches you surprisingly swiftly, and knocks you out by hitting you with the base of his lantern.
[[Continue->Basement]]
[[Say that someone must have stolen the money you paid]]
[[Say that you were planning to pay upon leaving tomorrow]]
[[Tell him that you meant to pay, but forgot]]"Wait, I left the money at the desk, just like the sign said. Maybe someone stole it before you took it?" You say.
He rasps at you: "Oh I don't think so. We don't get many visitors here. Nobody's been in or out of this building since you arrived...I can tell".
The innkeeper approaches you too quickly for you to react, and knocks you out with the base of his lantern.
[[Continue->Basement]]"Oh, I wanted to make sure you got payed, and that nobody stole the money from on the desk. I was planning on paying you tomorrow, in person. If you weren't there then, I would have put it on the desk like the sign asked" you tell him.
In a raspy voice, he says, "There's no way it would have been stolen. We haven't had a visitor here in weeks. However, you make a good excuse. Pay me tomorrow, or else..."
He leaves the room and shuts the door behind you. You get back to bed, and before you know it, you are taken by sleep.
[[Continue->Intermediary Dream]]"Oh, did I forget to pay? My apologies. I'd be happy to pay you now." You say with confidence.
"Nobody just forgets to pay. You're a dirty, rotten, no-good, thieving rat. Just like the rest. You'll end up like them too" he says, in a feeble voice.
Betraying his physical appearance, he moves rather quickly, pushes you to the ground, and suffocates you until you pass out.
[[Continue->Basement]]You decide that staying in this town another night won't do you any good. You begin the long walk to Arkham at noon. By nightfall, you still aren't out of the fog that surrounds that horrible town. You begin to wonder if you're going in circles, and eventually, the same strange tiredness from last night befalls you. You push on as far as you can, but eventually, you succumb to the mist, lay down in the dirt, and fall into a deep sleep.
[[Continue->Dream]]You sit on the streets of Innsmouth for the rest of the day, begging the very occasional passerby for money. You are completely ignored by the people of this village--they can tell you are an outsider. By this point, you are used to the scent of fish in the air, and used to thick fog that hangs heavy in the air. As night comes, you lay your head on your bag--it looks like you're spending the night outside. You feel the embrace of sleep upon you, and before you know it you're asleep.
[[Continue->Dream]]You awaken in a cold basement with stone walls, devoid of windows. Your body feels stiff, and you cannot move. The innkeeper stands above you chanting.
//O Father Dagon,
O Mother Hydra,
O Great Cthulhu,
Do you hear our prayers?
Grant us wealth, Grant us gold.//
He grabs a bottle of what smells like whale oil and begins to pour it all over you. When he is done, he grabs the candle, the sole source of light for the room and touches it to your shirt. The oil catches fire, and within seconds, your are being burned alive.
Those who come to Innsmouth, stay in Innsmouth.
[[Play Again->Begin]]You wake the next morning. The town of Innsmouth still shrouded by fog, the light of the sun barely filters through.
//What a bizzare dream.//
You can't bring yourself to push away the thoughts of those creatures, but nevertheless, you decide it's time to pick up and leave.
[[Leave the money on the desk]]
[[Pack your bags and leave without paying]]Before leaving the building, you make sure to pay the innkeeper. You grab your things and head to the bus stop. The bus arrives, you step on. The fare is $1, and unfortunately, you don't quite make the cutoff. You spent your remaining money paying the inn.
The bus driver turns you down. You are stuck in Innsmouth for the time being.
[[Walk to Arkham]]
[[Beg for money]]You manage to slip out of inn without paying. You head to the bus stop, eager to escape this town. The bus arrives, you pay the fare, and get in. You pay no mind to the state of the bus, no mind to the driver, and there are no other passengers. You are on your way to Arkham.
[[Epilogue]]You awake standing up outside your childhood home. The smell of your mother's apple pie fills the air. Something isn't quite right, though.
You gaze up towards the night sky is clearly visible. You see soft ripples among the stars, as if you're looking at a reflection of an ocean that's not there. You rub the grogginess out of your eyes, and upon reopening them, the reflection has changed. You see them in a limitless stream--flopping, hopping, croaking, and moving inhumanly through the moonlight in a grotesque, malignant dance.
They were bizzare anthropomorphic crosses between man and fish, some robed and wearing white-gold tiaras. These foul creatures could only be the creation of the devil--but you know they are not. They are the creation of something much more evil, and much more malignant.
[[Continue->The next morning]]It's been many months since you left Innsmouth. You've been living comfortably since then, but you've been plagued by terrible--or perhaps wonderful--nightmares. One night you awake from a terrible dream in which you see something that you somehow know is called a //shoggoth//, and the sight sets you awake in a frenzy of screaming. Upon gazing in the mirror, you realize that you had acquired the Innsmouth look.
You feel a strong urge to return.
[[Return to Innsmouth]]
[[End it all]]Without grabbing your belongings, you head to the bus, direct to Innsmouth. You look at the driver, and he nods, not even motioning to collect a fare. You sit in the back and the driver departs. Time seems to fly by this time, and before you know it, you're back in Innsmouth. Home.
Those who leave Innsmouth, return to Innsmouth.
[[Play Again->Begin]]You go to the kitchen to grab a knife. You hold it up, and slit your own throat. You let out a sharp cry of pain, and fall to the floor. As your last few breaths of air escape you, visions of the time you spent at Innsmouth flash before your eyes. As your vision darkens, so do the memories of that godforsaken place. You feel your attachment to the mortal plane begin to slip, as reality fades into a black abyss.
End.
They come closer and closer to you, eventually reaching out their scaly, webbed hands, blotting out your vision, constricting the movement of your arms and legs, and eventually stopping your breath.
You are nothing but a human sacrifice, a part of their plan.
Those who come to Innsmouth, stay in Innsmouth.
[[Play Again->Begin]]