Welcome to "Escape from the Silver Tower." In this story, you are a cunning thief named Raven who has been wrongfully imprisoned. Can you outwit the guards, navigate the treacherous tower, and reclaim your freedom? Be forewarned... Not all paths, lead to freedom.
Creator: Stephenson Manuel
[[Game Start ->Awakening]]The chill of the stone beneath you seeps into your bones as consciousness slowly takes hold. Groggily, you attempt to rub the sleep from your eyes, only to find your wrists chafe against rough bindings. Your eyes flicker open to the dim light of the room.
You’re in a prison cell, the memory of your capture now a foggy haze. The iron scent of rust lingers in the air, and every breath feels like inhaling a decade of desolation. It's time to leave this forsaken place. You need to escape, but how?
[[Examine your surroundings ->Cell Look]]
[[Search your pockets ->Pocket Search]]
[[Call out softly ->Call Out]]The cell is a grim cube of despair, the walls scarred by the futile efforts of previous occupants. Its cramped, with stone walls that feel centuries old.
Above, a slit of a window admits a miserly shaft of moonlight, teasing you with the freedom it represents. Close at hand, the wall betrays one irregularity—a stone that protrudes ever so slightly, its edges worn smoother than its brethren, as if frequently manipulated.
[[Try to dislodge the stone ->Stone Dislodge]]
[[Return to the center of the cell ->Awakening]]You pat down the coarse fabric of your garments, and your fingers brush against the familiar shape of your lockpick set – a slender piece of metal, unassuming yet invaluable. It's a small comfort that not everything was taken from you. This could come in handy.
[[Attempt to pick the cell lock ->Pick Lock]]
[[Put the lockpick away for now ->Awakening]]
A soft, cautious whisper escapes your lips, dying quickly in the oppressive silence of the dungeon. The distant clatter of a guard's patrol briefly stirs hope, but it fades as quickly as it came. You are alone, at least for now.
Your whisper echoes unanswered. The only reply is the distant shuffle of the guard's feet.
[[Wait for the guard ->Guard Wait]]
[[Stop calling out and think ->Awakening]]With some effort, you wiggle the stone free, revealing a small, dark passage.
Your fingers work at the stone, tracing the edges until you find the right angle. With a grunt of exertion, it moves, and for a moment, the thrill of potential escape pulses through you. Hidden behind it is a passageway just large enough for a person to squeeze through.
[[Enter the passage|Dark Passage]]
[[Try to pick the lock instead|Pick Lock]]
The guard is approaching, keys jangling at his belt. Patience is a virtue, and as the guard's footsteps grow nearer, you settle into the shadow. It's a dangerous gamble, but opportunity often dresses in such clothes.
[[Call to him and pretend to be ill|Feign Illness]]
[[Prepare to ambush the guard|Ambush Guard]]
The lock is old but tricky. After a tense few minutes, you hear a satisfying click. The lock's inner workings are a familiar puzzle to you. Your tools probe and twist, seeking the release. The tension mounts until at last, you're rewarded with the quiet snick of success.
[[Push the door open|Corridor]]
[[Change your mind and check the passage|Dark Passage]]It's a tight squeeze, and the air is musty. Crawling on your hands and knees, you come to a true spork in path ahead. Three options lay in front of you.
[[Go left towards a faint light|Light Path]]
[[Go down the middle through slightly less lit path|Corridor]]
[[Go right into deeper darkness|Dark Path]]
The corridor stretches ominously before you, its rough stone walls barely illuminated by flickering torches mounted at irregular intervals. The flickering light casts long, dancing shadows, making the hallway seem to sway and twist in a hypnotic rhythm. The air is cool and slightly damp, carrying the echo of distant, indistinct noises—perhaps the muffled conversations of guards or the clatter of utensils from the mess hall.
At this junction, the corridor forks into two distinct paths, each leading to a different part of the Silver Tower. To your left, a slightly downward sloping passage is marked by a series of heavy doors, suggesting the proximity of the guard's quarters. This route promises a direct confrontation with danger, but also the potential to overhear useful information or acquire keys and other items from the unsuspecting guards.
To your right, the corridor narrows before veering sharply. The aroma of cooked food wafts from this direction, guiding you towards the mess hall. This path offers a more stealthy approach, allowing you to avoid direct encounters with the tower's guards. It could provide a golden opportunity to scavenge for food and possibly overhear gossip or strategic information from the guards as they take their meals, unaware of your silent presence nearby.
Each choice carries its own risks and rewards, compelling you to weigh your options carefully in the dim torchlight before deciding your next move.
[[Head towards the guard's quarters|Guards Quarters]]
[[Sneak towards the mess hall|Mess Hall]]
You moan and collapse against the bars. The guard frowns, approaching cautiously.
[[Continue the act|Act Continuation]]
[[Attack when he comes closer|Ambush Guard]]
As he steps in, you lash out, knocking him unconscious. With the keys now in your possession, you unlock the cell.
[[Head out into the corridor|Corridor]]
[[Dress in the guard's uniform first|Disguise]]
The light leads to a storeroom. Supplies are stacked high, and there's a window.
[[Look for something useful|Storeroom Search]]
[[Try to open the window|Open Window]]The darkness envelops you. Suddenly, the floor gives way, and you fall into darkness.
[[Climb out of the pit|Climb Out]]
[[Explore the space you've fallen into|Explore Pit]]
You can hear the guards talking. Maybe you can learn something useful.
[[Eavesdrop on the conversation|Eavesdrop]]
[[Continue past quietly|Pass Quietly]]
The mess is deserted, but there are utensils and food.
[[Look for a weapon|Find Weapon]]
[[Eat something quickly|Quick Meal]]
The uniform is covered in blood, as you try to wipe it off your spotted. They draw their blade and strike you own.
[[Dead End]]The guard unlocks the cell to check on you, suspicion in his eyes.
[[Seize the moment to escape|Corridor]]
[[Decide against the risk|Stay Put]]You decide against taking a risk and remains still, the guard however spots you and cuts you down.
[[Dead End]]Game Over, would you like to try again?
[[Game Start]] Pressing your ear against the rough stone wall, you strain to catch the faint murmurs drifting from the adjacent chamber. Amidst the indistinct voices, a few words stand out, whispers of a secret exit known only to the guards. Your pulse quickens as a glimmer of hope ignites within you, a potential path to freedom unveiled.
With bated breath, you commit the precious information to memory, ready to seize any opportunity that may present itself. The transition to Act 2 begins as you peel yourself away from the wall, your steps lighter, your mind awhirl with possibilities.
[[Go forth|Act 2 Start]]With utmost caution, you navigate the dimly lit corridor, each footfall a calculated maneuver to avoid detection. The guard's quarters loom ahead, the soft snores of its occupants a warning to tread lightly. Holding your breath, you slip past the slumbering sentries, their presence a mere obstacle in your quest.
As you emerge into a shadowed alcove beyond, the weight of the first act dissipates, replaced by a sense of anticipation. The transition to Act 2 begins as you press onward, your path now diverging into uncharted territory, rife with unknown perils and potential rewards.
[[Sneak By|Act 2 Start]]Amidst the cluttered array of kitchen utensils, your keen eyes spot a gleaming blade, its edge honed to lethal sharpness. Without hesitation, you grasp the makeshift weapon, the weight of it a reassuring presence in your grip.
A sense of empowerment washes over you, knowing you now possess the means to defend yourself against any threat that may arise. As you tuck the knife securely into your belt, the curtain rises on Act 2, your newfound armament instilling a sense of confidence as you venture into the unknown.
[[Press Onward|Act 2 Start]]
You tear into the meager rations, devouring the sustenance with ravenous hunger. The simple fare provides just enough energy to fuel your weary body and mind for the trials that lay ahead.
As the last crumbs disappear, a newfound determination surges through you, the gnawing emptiness replaced by a resolute focus. With your strength partially restored, you rise, ready to confront the next obstacle in your path. The transition to Act 2 begins as you stride forth, a newfound purpose guiding your steps.
[[Press Ahead|Act 2 Start]]
Raven finds a way to climb out of the pit, returning to the fork in the dark passage.
[[Return once you came|Dark Passage]] As you carefully navigate the contours of the pit, your eyes adjust to the dim light filtering through unseen cracks above. The rough, uneven ground beneath your feet gradually slopes downward, guiding you to the unexpected murmur of flowing water. Ahead, the darkness gives way to the soft glistening of a narrow underground stream, its waters clear and cold, flowing with a quiet promise.
You begin to run towards th path of escape thinking this is your way out...
Unfortunately you failed to notice the state of decay of the support collumns, They begin to buckle, and then the structure holding the pit togther collapse. You are now trap, with no escape. Beware the desire of elusive freedom, for it cannot be earned through potentiial shortcuts.
[[Dead End]]
As you cautiously step into the storage room, the heavy air is immediately oppressive, a clear sign that this area seldom sees visitors. The room is cluttered with dusty crates and aged barrels, their contents a mystery, shrouded by years of neglect. Shadows cast by the flickering light from an overhead bulb dance across the walls, lending a foreboding atmosphere to the cramped space.
As you move further in, your presence triggers an alarm; a loud, shrill sound that pierces the silence with its urgency. The alert seems to be tied to an old security system, designed to ward off intruders or perhaps to keep something much more secretive within. No sooner does the alarm blare than you feel the ground beneath you shift ominously. The floor, weakened by age and rot, gives way with a treacherous groan.
You barely have a moment to react as you find yourself plummeting into a dark abyss. Below, the glint of metal reveals the true danger: a bed of spikes, rising up to meet you. This trap, likely an ancient security measure to protect valuable goods, now ends your quest prematurely. The fall is swift, and the spikes below await with a lethal promise, making it clear that this restricted area was never meant to be breached by outsiders without proper identification.
[[Dead End]] As you cautiously approach the window outside of the storeroom, you can see the moonlight illuminating the dense forest outside—a promise of freedom just within reach. The window, old and rusty, creaks loudly as you attempt to pry it open. The sound seems to hang heavily in the still night air, a stark reminder of the quiet that surrounds you.
Your fingers barely manage to create a small gap, enough to let the cool night breeze kiss your face, hinting at the freedom just beyond this confined space. You push harder, the gap widening inch by inch, your heart pounding with the hope of escape.
Suddenly, the tranquility is shattered by the sharp twang of a bowstring. The sound slices through the air with lethal precision. Before you can even process the danger, an arrow pierces the darkness, striking you squarely in the chest. The impact throws you back against the storeroom’s stone wall, the force of the blow stealing the breath from your lungs.
As you slide to the ground, the cold realization that a guard from a nearby sentry post has spotted your escape attempt sets in. Your vision blurs, the edges of your sight dimming into darkness as the life ebbs from your body. The last thing you see is the narrow view through the window, the freedom you almost grasped now just another fleeting shadow in the night.
[[Dead End]]Act 2: The Treacherous Ascent
The dank confines of your cell now firmly behind you, the true challenge of your escape begins to take shape. The dimly lit corridors stretch out before you, a labyrinth of stone and shadow that guards the path to freedom.
Your pulse thunders in your ears as you press onwards, the weight of the makeshift knife a reassuring presence at your side. The whispers of the guards linger in your mind, that tantalizing rumor of a secret exit driving you deeper into the bowels of the foreboding tower.
At every turn, potential perils lurk - armed sentries patrolling the halls, treacherous traps lying in wait, dead ends that could seal your fate. You'll need to call upon every ounce of your cunning and guile to navigate this deadly gauntlet unscathed.
As the shadows lengthened and the air grew staler, a knot of dread tightens in your chest. Were the guards merely taunting you with that rumored exit? Or does your salvation lie just beyond the next corner, the next doorway?
Only one path remains clear - to press onwards, ever through the twisted maze of the Silver Tower. Escape beckons, but the consequences of failure are too dire to contemplate. Can you slip through the clutches of your captors once more?
The game is afoot. Your mettle, your wits, your very life will be tested before the light of freedom is regained. Are you prepared to risk it all?
[[Make a Choice|Routes]]You pause at a fork in the passageway, two diverging corridors stretching out before you. The left path is dimly illuminated by flickering torchlight, casting an eerie, dancing pattern of shadows along the rough-hewn walls. A dank, musty odor wafts from that direction, hinting at the damp confines awaiting you.
To the right, the tunnel lies shrouded in impenetrable darkness, the gloom so absolute it seems to swallow any wandering light. An oppressive silence cloaks that path, the absence of sound almost palpable against your ears.
You spy two diverging corridors ahead. [[I'll take the left path|Left Route]]
You notice two potential paths branching off ahead. [[I'll take the right passage|Right Route]]
The passageway is bathed in a sickly, flickering torchlight, the shadows it casts twisting into macabre shapes upon the damp stone walls. An acrid tang of smoke hangs in the air, hinting at potential flames or smoldering embers lying in wait.
You strain your ears, catching the faintest scrabbling sound echoing from the shadows ahead - a skittering that raises the hairs on the back of your neck. Gripping your makeshift blade tightly, you opt to head towards a nearby grate
[[Head to the grate|Enter Through]]
[[Turn back|Routes]]An impenetrable void opens before you, the inky blackness so complete it seems to swallow any light that dares encroach upon its domain. From this yawning chasm emanates a dank, fetid odor, carrying whispers of mold, stagnation, and nameless entities that may dwell in the stygian depths.
The darkness is further perforated by the steady drip... drip... drip of water leaking from some unseen source ahead. Steeling your nerves, you plunge into the impenetrable gloom, outstretched hands groping along the clammy walls as you begin your trek down the tunnel.
[[Proceed into the chamber|Explore Sewer Drain]]
[[Turn back|Routes]]You approach the rusted iron grate, the ventilation shaft visible beyond.
[[Attempt to pry open the grate|Press Foward]]
[[Double back and find another route|Left Route]]You throw your weight against the unyielding metal, the grate protesting with a screech of rusty hinges. Just as the opening widens enough to admit your slender frame, a fearsome skittering emerges from the shadows. Massive arachnid forms bear down upon you, their beady eyes hungrily fixated.
[[Plunge into the ventilation shaft|Act 3 Transition]]The tunnel opens into a vast subterranean chamber, desiccated remains strewn about.
[[March beyond the stench|Danger Close]]
[[Double back and try the other route|Right Route]]A figure stirs amidst the boneyards, desiccated rags clinging to its wasted frame. Hollow sockets bore into you as it lurches upright, cracked jaws yawning in a rattling hiss. More dread forms untangle themselves from the charnel surrounding.
[[Plunge deeper into the darkness|Act 3 Transition]]As you proceed deeper into the claustrophobic confines, a blinding flash of light suddenly envelops you, searing your vision with brilliant, whitehot intensity. A booming voice, disembodied and commanding, thunders from every direction.
"Foolish trespasser! You dare defile these hallowed grounds with your wretched presence? Begone from this sanctum, lest you invite oblivion upon your miserable soul!"
Staggering blindly, you throw up an arm to shield your eyes from the radiant onslaught. When the searing light finally recedes, you blink the spots from your vision to find yourself deposited in a dimly lit antechamber. Pale shafts of daylight filter through narrow windows set high above, signaling your inexplicable translocation closer to the tower's base level.
The distant clanging of alarm bells shatters the stillness, their dissonant peals echoing from every corridor as awareness of your escaped presence ripples outward. You'll need to move quickly before the guards converge upon your location.
[[Make a run for it|Act 3 Start]]The antechamber branches into three potential egress routes. To the left, a narrow aperture lined with rusted iron bars offers a constricted path forward. Straight ahead, a yawning archway beckons, the corridor beyond shrouded in impenetrable shadow. While to the right, a steep descending stairwell delves deeper underground, its steps suffused in a sickly green phosphorescence.
[[Squeeze through the barred opening|Embrace Light]]
[[Advance into the shadowed passage|Embrace Darkness]]
[[Descend the phosphorescent stairwell|Fight On]]Pressing ahead, you plunge into the gaping archway and its engulfing gloom. The tenebrous corridor quickly swallows what little ambient light had filtered in from behind, leaving you to creep forward in near-total blindness. Only by trailing your hands along the dank stones can you orient yourself.
You lose all sense of distance or direction as you delve deeper. The suffocating darkness seems to lacquer your vision, occluding all perception of time or spatial awareness. Your other senses work overtime - the wet slap of your bootsteps, the cadence of your ragged breaths, the steady drip of moisture somewhere nearby.
Is that faint scritching you detect amid the oppressive silence? You freeze, holding your breath as you strain to discern its source. There it is again! A skittering, just ahead, growing more insistent by the moment. Your muscles coil as you ready your makeshift blade, its paltry weight offering scant reassurance.
Suddenly, a pair of luminous discs flare ahead in the stygian murk, hovering at head height. More pinpricks of baleful bioluminescence rapidly coalesce around the initial two as the unmistakable clacking of pincered legs grows deafening. You've blundered into the lair of some nameless, subterranean horror!
With a strangled curse, you turn and flee blindly back the way you came. The enraged clicks and gnashing scrabbles echoing in your wake, rapidly closing the distance. Up ahead, you make out the faintest glimmer of pale moonlight filtering in from the antechamber's high windows. If you can just make it to that illumination...
You burst back into the pale blue glow, whipping around to face your pursuers even as they boil forth from the shadowed archway. A seething mass of ovoid shapes and jointed appendages writhes before you - some nightmarish, primordial insectile swarm that has laired in the tower's forgotten recesses for untold epochs.
But in the dim light, you can at last make out an adjoining side passage, its threshold dotted with dusty rays of moonlight from some exterior aperture. Brandishing your blade, you hack and slash a path through the skittering, snapping horror, flailing appendages and shredded carapace raining all around as you batter your way towards the blessed illumination.
Finally, you tumble through the threshold, hurling your weight against the rotted wooden door on its other side. It crashes open, expelling you into the crisp night air with bone-jarring force.
Sucking in ragged gasps, you turn to find yourself in the tower's secluded outer bailey. The sounds of the insectile legion's maddened pursuit rapidly recede, seemingly unwilling or unable to fully emerge into the moon's pallid glow. You've escaped their stygian realm, at least for now.
Above, the tower's imposing spires are silhouetted against the stars, while the distant clanging of the alarm bells are rapidly growing louder. Armed patrols will soon be combing these grounds in force.
But you're alive, with your freedom tantalizingly within reach. Turning your back on the gaping maw from which you emerged, you gather yourself and prepare to put as many leagues as possible between you and this benighted tower before the sun's next rising.
[[You won, but at what cost?|Game Start]]The barred opening is a tight squeeze, but you manage to contort your lithe frame and wriggle through the rusted iron bars. On the other side, a narrow service tunnel stretches out before you, branching paths offering a labyrinthine network of potential routes.
You pause to catch your breath, straining to detect any sounds that may betray an approaching patrol. All is silent save for the faint patter of water droplets somewhere deeper within the dank passages. Seeing no immediate threat, you venture onwards.
The tunnel grows increasingly constricted as you navigate its twisting course, the oppressive closeness of the stone walls pressing in from all sides. You're forced to inch forward in an awkward hunched stride, the tunnel's meager dimensions barely accommodating your slight form.
Abruptly, you emerge into a small antechamber, a rickety wooden ladder leading up towards a circular portal in the ceiling. A panel of dusty skylight glass filters in a muted natural luminescence from outside. This looks to be a viable escape route from the tower's confines!
Scaling the creaking ladder rungs, you brace your shoulders and heave upwards, forcing open the heavy skylight hatch. Pale moonlight bathes your sweat-streaked features as you haul yourself up and out of the tower's stygian depths, gulping in the crisp night air greedily. The sound of the alarm bells are distant murmurs now as you take in your surroundings - you've emerged on a secluded balcony garden, the tower's imposing silhouette looming behind you.
Your escape is not yet assured - armed sentries are sure to be patrolling the grounds below. But for now, you savor this moment of hard-won freedom from the tower's clutches. You've beaten the odds and lived to fight another day. As the moon's luminous glow beckons you onwards, you turn your back on the frosted spires of your former prison and embrace the journey that lies ahead.
[[Congratulations you won|Game Start]]The phosphorescent steps lead ever downward in a spiraling descent. As you plunge deeper, the cloying, subterranean air thickens with uncanny dankness and a pervasive sense of profound antiquity. Strange runes and indecipherable hieroglyphs adorn the slimy walls, their unsettling geometries seeming to undulate in the sickly radiance.
Your boots suddenly break through a layer of encrusted filth, plunging into viscous, putrid ooze that grips like tar. You struggle futilely, each frantic effort only entombing you deeper into the clinging mire.
As the ooze rapidly envelops your flailing form, a low reverberating groan emanates from the primordial depths ahead. Bubbles froth and rupture, as something MASSIVE begins to unstick itself from the bottomless morass in which it has lain dormant for eternities...
[[Keep fighting|Futility]]A gargantuan, eyeless form heaves itself from the stygian ooze, dripping ropes of fetid slime as it turns its shuddering, sightless awareness in your direction. Serrated mandibles as long as swords click and drool, while innumerable hooked appendages undulate beneath its bloated, distended bulk.
This nameless, primordial horror has been roused from epochal slumber - and you are the first sustenance to greet its gaping, ravening maws in ages immemorial. With a deafening bellow that shakes the very foundations, the gargantuan beast lunges, its gaping, fanged orifice unfolding to grotesque dimensions as it seeks to devour you whole.
You throw yourself aside at the last instant, the thunderous mass cratering the spot where you just stood, splattering you with viscous gobbets of ichorous ooze. Scrambling back upright, you turn to flee back up the stairs, hoping to gain the high ground.
But the primordial behemoth is too swift, its questing appendages lashing out to sweep your legs from beneath you. You crash back down into the viscid mire, the abandoned hunger of eons rendering the beast's movements inexorably relentless.
With a tooth-rattling impact, it pounces fully atop you, innumerable barbed limbs pinning you helplessly in place as its gaping, drooling mouths descend. The last sight that greets your fading eyes is the bristling corona of hook-lined apertures preparing to rend and devour you as a mere opening course to slake this horror's incomprehensible starvation...
[[Overconfidence was your downfall|Dead End]]
↶↷Welcome to "Escape from the Silver Tower." In this story, you are a cunning thief named Raven who has been wrongfully imprisoned. Can you outwit the guards, navigate the treacherous tower, and reclaim your freedom? Be forewarned... Not all paths, lead to freedom.
Creator: Stephenson Manuel
Game Start