Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Ultimate Ending:  The Secret of the Aurora Hotel Alternate Endings Part 2


After the elephant statue puzzle, we move on to room 207.  Someone's breathing in the bed, and Jenna at first takes it for a sleeping ghost as a joke.  Room 207 is occupied, even though it's not mentioned on the current manifest according to Evan.  CHOICE #24 is to either try to calm the man down by talking to him, or rush out of the room into the fire escape.  Reasoning with other people is what Emma from The House on Hollow Hill would do. . .which is what got me an anticlimactic CANONICAL ENDING in that book.  Never listen to Emma.


"You stand with your hands out, fingers splayed in your best non-threatening gesture.  'Sir, please listen to us.  We entered your room by accident.  We never-'  'Liar!' the man shouts.  'See?  You even have a key!'  He nods at Evan, who happens to be still holding the Aurora's skeleton key.  Jenna gazes wistfully over at the fire escape.  More and more it's looking like a good idea.


The man's face dawns with sudden recognition.  'Hang on a second', he says.  'I know you.  You're the owner's kids.  The twins, right?'  Evan's shoulders drop.  'Yes', he admits.  'But we-'  'Don't say anything else!' the man sneers.  'I'm calling the front desk.'  He grabs the phone from one of the nightstands.  'Let's see what security has to say about this whole thing. . .'


Your stomach drops.  Explaining this to your Uncle Gus is going to be quite difficult.  And since he'll be here soon, we might as well call this THE END".


A Neutral Ending where we're dragged off before we can complete the mission, just like the one where the town busybody stops us in The House on Hollow Hill.  Jenna looks at the fire escape in this ending because her intuition is always good.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Death

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

0 ULTIMATE ENDING

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Ultimate Ending:  The Secret of the Aurora Hotel Alternate Endings Part 3


To survive CHOICE #24, we climb up the fire escape until we reach the roof.  Evan supposedly has a fear of heights, though I don't think it's been mentioned outside of this path.  Jenna appreciates the scenery and points out a small window.  Evan recommends the cupola in CHOICE #25.  The cupola path goes to the CHOICE #15 page.  Jenna's ideas have served me well so far, so why not take the path I haven't seen before?


Jenna's window goes to CHOICE #14 where I can use the CANNON chess piece on page 61.  Evan puts the cannon on one of the squares, which must be a knight in this chess set.  After checkmate, the ghost tells us "Don't read the book", pats Evan on the shoulder, bows, and disappears.  Jenna is delighted by this.  So all we get out of the chess puzzle is a clue that's not necessary for the ULTIMATE ENDING if you know to ring the bell.


In CHOICE #15, I can use the SQUARE cupola key on page 81 to avoid having to punch the window.  We get the oil lamp and guess VINCENT on page 87 to get the silver key in CHOICE #16.  Jenna automatically goes and talks to him to pick it up without having to go through CHOICE #17.


"Will Jenna run out of gum?  Find the answer to this and more when you flip to page 42".  She must have an unlimited supply if you go by the non-ULTIMATE Good Ending.


Since I don't have the correct ritual word to use in the ceremony, I'll have to punish myself by getting one of the failure endings to keep the scoring accurate.  That chess ghost told me not to read the book, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.


"The book lies open before you, set to a very specific page.  There has to be a reason for that, you think to yourself.  Leaning in, you look closer.  Everything across the pages is gibberish.  The series of symbols and strange drawings make no sense at all, yet for some reason you're oddly compelled to stare at them.  Then, all at once, things come into focus.  The symbols form words.  At times, some of them even make sense.  Your lips move unconsciously, without your bidding, and you suddenly find yourself reading. . .


Mr. Roakes stiffens.  His expression is that of a mannequin.  In the back of your mind it creeps you out, but you're too busy reading to care.  The words flow now, dropping easily from your lips.  In a way, you hunger for them.  You don't recognize any of the sounds you're making, but each line brings you that much closer to being. . .sated.


'Scott!'  Evan's voice is carried to your ears from somewhere over the wind.  He sounds worried. Frantic.  But that doesn't matter, because you've already finished.  You read through the last symbols on the bottom of the page, and then just as suddenly as it all started, everything stops.  The book slams shut.  The candle blows out.  The crystal goes back to a simple ball of glass.  James Roakes stands straight up, gazes over at you, and smiles.  It's not a good smile at all.  It's a terrible, hideous grin.


'Thank you', he sneers.  He looks down at his hands, his arms, his body.  Then he laughs.  'Thank you so, so much.'  Your mouth goes dry, followed by a terrible sinking feeling in your gut.  Looking over at Mr. Roakes, an incredible sense of foreboding steals over you.  'Warrick', Evan says from behind you.  It's a statement, not a question.  'You're Warrick.'


The man that used to be Mr. Roakes turns to your cousin, one eyebrow raised in admiration.  'Very good', he sneers approvingly.  'In fact, excellent.  I might even commend you further, if not for the fact that you read my book.'  As his gaze goes to the book you take a step backward.  Jenna and Evan follow your lead.  Mr. Roakes, or Warrick, or whatever he is now, is too busy stretching and regarding his new body.  He looks very pleased with himself.


'W-Where's Mr. Roakes?' Jenna stammers.  Warrick smirks.  'Which one?'  You take another step while the man stares at his fingers, flexing them.  'You can stop where you are now', he says without looking up.  'I'm still going to need you.  For a little while, anyway.'


You turn and run.  Flying past the broken brick corridor you practically hurl yourselves into the elevator.  Fortunately the only thing that follows you is laughter.  With hands that tremble, you fumble for the key. . .Yikes.  Not good!  Maybe your uncle won't notice you've unleashed a raving sorcerer on his century-old hotel.  In any case, this is totally THE END".


This is what happens when you try to read Latin books while playing Call of Cthulhu instead of just burning down whatever building you are in.  You end up letting an evil wizard possess one of his distant relatives.


Or maybe Warrick will just open up a gym.  The first thing that occurs to him when he gets a new corporeal form is to do some calisthenics.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Death

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

0 ULTIMATE ENDING

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Ultimate Ending:  The Secret of the Aurora Hotel Alternate Endings Part 4


Just after getting the "reading the book" ending, I realized RING on page 48 could qualify as the "four letter" word for the final part of the ritual in CHOICE #19.  BAND goes to an unrelated page.  The book doesn't always make its codewords clear.  Be sure to stop by the elephant statue if you want the ULTIMATE ENDING!


(Come to think of it, you're pretty much required to play multiple times to know everything needed to win.  You can't go to both the taxidermy room to learn about the elephant statue and the fireplace for the chess piece in the same run, for example.  And good luck guessing room 202 for the corresponding elephant statue. . .)



I place the ring on James's right ring finger, like in the photo.  The light in the mirror swirls through the mirror's glass and appears as a mass next to James.  The crystal ball hums and makes a "painful ringing noise" which increases in pitch and volume until it explodes.  


"Tendrils of shadow" escape and rush toward the nethergate.  One that's "thicker and darker than the rest" from the book attempts to resist, but shrieks and is tossed into the portal.  Alastair stands beside James now.  The book mistakenly refers to James Roakes as Alastair's "ancestor".  Alastair explains that the Aurora Hotel owner wrote him a letter in 1909 asking him to appear because he had a reputation for "spiritual abilities".  Alastair thought most ghosts were mere "knocks and shadows", so he didn't expect real ones to appear.


Warrick Accardis was the name of a "self-proclaimed medium and amateur sorcerer" who lived here before the Aurora Hotel was built.  He thought he was a more talented wizard than he really was and died in an attempt to open a portal to the "spirit world" while "dabbling in darkness".  Warrick's soul became trapped in his spell book. 


The reason Alastair died was because the book was actively harming the ritual.  Part of him was sent into the ring from room 202 with the elephant statue.  Alastair was fully aware of the world of the living, but couldn't do anything because he was incorporeal.


The ritual itself was meant to gather all the ghosts with the crystal ball, then ringing the bell to send them into the nethergate.  Alastair has now returned to live out the rest of his life.  I'll quote the rest of the ending directly.  The rest was long enough that a summary was better for the purposes of these posts.


"Well', Jenna says, 'as far as I'm concerned this leaves only one question left unanswered.'  Everyone turns to regard her curiously.  'What will you do now?'  James and Alastair glance at each other.  They look almost like twins.  A lot passes between them, wordlessly.  'Quite honestly,' James says, 'there's only one thing to do.'  Alastair finishes the thought for him.  'We leave.'


Back in the silent world of the hotel lobby, Alastair Roakes looks like he was painted into the architecture itself.  From his clothes to his stance to his very presence, he's the epitome of 1900s style-every bit the turn-of-last-century gentleman.  'Are you sure you won't stay here?' Evans asks.  'Even for a little while?  I'm sure if I talked to my father-'  'No', Alastair smiles.  'Thank you, but even the Aurora will agree I've far overstayed my welcome.'


James Roakes stands beside his younger great-grandfather, which is something you still can't get over.  Two very large suitcases rest at his side.  'You're going to have fun', Jenna smiles, tapping Alastair awkwardly on the arm.  'Think of all the things you still have to discover!  Television, the Internet. . .riding around in cars. . .'  'Oh, I've already ridden in automobiles', Alastair says.


Just then a yellow cab pulls up outside.  Not in that you haven't', Evan points.  Alastair looks through the window and lets out a nervous chuckle.  'What I really desire', he says, 'more than anything else, is to travel by airplane.'  'Which we will', James adds.  'There are a lot of Roakes out there I've lost touch with over the years.  And I'm determined to visit them all.'


You're left standing there with your cousins, waving through the front doors as the cab pulls slowly away.  Its tires spin crazily as it struggles to gain traction.  Though the storm has stopped, there's still a good deal of snow on the ground.  Eventually the taillights grow so faint you can no longer see them.  The lobby is utterly silent again, except for the occasional sound of Agnes's snoring.


'Well', Jenna says, blowing a bubble.  'That was fun.'  'And dangerous', Evan adds.  'But yeah', he admits.  'Fun too.'  You stand centered between the twins.  'Hotel purged?  Evil sorcerer banished?' you cry.  'Yeah, I'd say we did alright!'  Suddenly and without warning, you throw them both into a playful, simultaneous headlock.


'We saved dad's hotel', Evan says.  'We saved a life', Jenna reminds him.  'Hey, the next time you guys need help', you grin, 'remind me to-'  'To say no?' Jenna teases.  'No', you laugh.  Mid-chuckle, you release a savage yawn.  'Next time remind me to get more sleep!'


CONGRATULATIONS!  YOU HAVE REACHED THE ULTIMATE ENDING!


In recognition for your battle against ghosts, spirits, and the possibility of permanent residence at the Aurora, you are hereby granted the title of Savior of the Spirit-World!"


When I enter the code into the Ultimate Ending website, I'll edit in the certificate as an image.  The ULTIMATE ENDING is similar to the Good Ending, except we saved Alastair as well, and Warrick is known to be banished. 


But there are still more questions.  Is the official ending count inaccurate for this book too?  Did Finnegan from UE #7 stay at the Aurora Hotel before the events of UE #5?  Find out in the blooper reel, which the rest of the endings have to be at this point. 


The numerator for the fraction score will be 5.  It could have been 4 if I had thought of trying RING in the ritual sooner.  And there will be a PENALTY "Achievement" for being crushed by the bookshelf at the beginning.



Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Death

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

1 ULTIMATE ENDING

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Ultimate Ending:  The Secret of the Aurora Hotel Alternate Endings Part 5


There are still more ways to flub the final ritual, so I'll show the next.  Blowing out the candle doesn't kill anyone, but results in an unsatisfying Neutral Ending.


"The noise, the wind, the glow of the portal-it's just too much!  You screw your eyes closed against the chaos.  When you open them again, the candle is still flickering before you.  Instinctively you lean forward and blow it out. . .Everything stops.  The light, the wind, the intense cold-all of it is gone in the span of an instant.  The book slams shut on itself.  The crystal goes from black, to grey, to white. . .and then to nothing at all.  It's only a piece of glass now, sitting in the middle of an old table.  Still hanging from the ceiling, the oil lamp sways gently back and forth.


James Roakes's eyes flip open.  They shift in your direction.  'What happened?'  'I-I blew out the candle', you say.  His face goes instantly pale.  'And why did you do that?'  Your stomach falls out from under you, like the first drop on a roller coaster.  'I. . .I just. . .'


Mr. Roakes stands.  He lets out the longest, saddest sigh you've ever heard.  'The spirits of the hotel', he explains, 'were trapped in the crystal here.  We could have sent them through the nethergate, delivering them to a place they would be at peace.  Instead, you ended the ceremony prematurely.'  He looks around forlornly down at the table.  'Now they're stranded at the Aurora once more.'


You sink your face into your palms as Evan and Jenna step behind you.  A comforting hand finds its way to your shoulder.  'There's always next year, cuz', Jenna says.  Her attempt at cheering you up is still undermined with disappointment.  'Right?'


Mr. Roakes shrugs.  'Perhaps', he says.  'Perhaps not.  That force you felt was Warrick, the worst spirit of them all.  We surprised him this time, and I think that's why we escaped with our lives.  But next year, he'll be ready.  Next time, we might not be so lucky.'  Evan squeezes your shoulder consolingly.  'Doesn't matter', he says firmly.  'We're still gonna try'.


Well, as Jenna said there's always next year.  Hopefully, the Aurora will still be in business.  But for the next twelve long months, this looks like THE END".


Traditionally, in the "bell, book, and candle" excommunication, you're supposed to dash the candle to the ground rather than blow it out.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Death

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

1 ULTIMATE ENDING

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Ultimate Ending:  The Secret of the Aurora Hotel Alternate Endings Part 6


Smashing the crystal ball on the cobblestone floor doesn't kill the player like you'd expect, but instead causes the same Good Ending as failing the RING check in CHOICE #18.  So I won't count it as a separate conclusion.


Listening to Evan and trying to get the silver key from the janitor's closet instead of having Jenna ask nicely for it results in the first Inconclusive Ending.  Always side with Team Jenna in this book whenever the twins give conflicting advice.


"The door to the closet is open.  The janitor's not there.  Getting his keyring would be quick.  Easy.  'Maybe we should just swipe the key', you say, agreeing with Evan.  'Hurry, let's do it.'  Silently the three of you slip into the janitor's closet.  The scent of bleach and cleaning products is almost overpowering.  'There!'  Evan indicates.  'The keyring is right there on the pegboard.'  KA-CLACK!


You spin around as the door closes behind you.  To your surprise there's now a rolled-up extension cord on the floor.  It's the last thing you see before the lights go out.  'Wait!  What just happened?'  'He's leaving!' Jenna hisses.  Sure enough you hear footsteps padding along the hallway carpet.  They grow fainter with every step.  'We're locked in!'  'Calm down', you say.  'It's no big deal.  We'll just unlock the door from the inside-'


The words die in your throat as your hand finds the doorknob.  It's cold.  Smooth.  Featureless.  'There's no way to unlock it from this side', Jenna laments.  'We're stuck here until he comes back.'  'Which is when?'  'Tomorrow afternoon', Evan sighs dejectedly.  'Or wait. . .isn't Vincent off on Sundays?'


Well, I guess that's it.  You got far, but not far enough.  Hey, maybe you could bang on the door loud enough for someone to hear you.  Then again, the only one up right now is Agnes.  And she's nearly deaf. . .Oh well.  Looks like you've reached THE END".


When the Tower of Never There stops by again in 50 years, Finnegan discovers the cousins' corpses in the janitor's closet in the abandoned Aurora Hotel while looking for knickknacks to put in his pockets.  (Assuming the books are connected, anyway.)  Or a random hotel guest wakes up in an hour and releases them by knocking the door down.  Who knows?


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Death

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

1 ULTIMATE ENDING

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Ultimate Ending:  The Secret of the Aurora Hotel Alternate Endings Part 7


Getting 2 HEADS in the CHOICE #15 cupola glass-punching coin flip is a critical failure, but not a Death.


"Winding back, you put your arm swiftly and decisively through the window of the cupola.  The glass shatters instantly, falling in jagged shards around your feet.  'Nice', Jenna declares.  As she reaches in to unlock the door, however, you notice she suddenly stops.  'Uh oh.'


You glance down.  The top of Evan's sweatshirt is blossoming bright red.  Slowly you unwrap your arm and your worst fears are realized:  there's a long, deep cut across the top of your forearm.  'Quick, put pressure on it', Evan says.  You try clamping your hand over the cut but it's too long.  Droplets of blood fall from either side of your hand, painting tiny red beads in the snow.  'Oh man', your cousin laments.


The cut is going to need a whole bunch of stitches.  And sooner, rather than later.  All of this is very unfortunate, because you really were getting somewhere!  For now though, I'm afraid your night of solving the Aurora's mysteries has come to THE END".


Why couldn't Jenna break out the bronze bird sculpture again and toss it through the cupola glass?


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Deaths

2 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

1 ULTIMATE ENDING

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Ultimate Ending:  The Secret of the Aurora Hotel Alternate Endings Part 8


If Jenna plays hopscotch by stepping on the light squares in CHOICE #13, this ending ensues.  No, I still don't know how the player is supposed to tell that the dark squares are safe.  That was a lucky guess when I played this scene.  Is there a hint earlier in the book that I missed?


"You look to the places where the moonlight touches the floor.  Maybe those squares are safe, you reason.  Maybe that's why they're lit up.  'Stick to the moonlit squares', you tell Jenna.  'Don't step on the shadow.'  Your cousin nods and steps forward.  Her foot slips into the moonlight, bearing down on the first illuminated square.  Nothing happens.  She hops to the second square, the third, the fourth-everything goes smoothly and without incident.  You're about to chide yourself for being too cautious when you hear a faint, muffled click.


'What was that?' Evan asks nervously.  Jenna freezes, arms extended outward to keep her balance.  'I don't know.  It happened on that last step, though.'  A grinding noise reaches your ears.  It grows in volume, filling the room until it's a deafening roar.  The floor trembles.  Evan clutches the wall as Jenna is thrown to her knees.  'Help!'


The floor drops out from under you.  Or rather, it tilts alarmingly in one direction.  The three of you are flung involuntarily sideways, sliding along its length until you're deposited into darkness.  The floor then pivots back into position above you, trapping you in the space beneath.  'We're stuck!'  Jenna cries.  You hear her pounding against the ceiling but you can't see anything.  Dust fills your nose as you sneeze in the pitch blackness.


'We'll never get out of here!' Evan shouts.  You can hear the panic in his voice.  Apparently he's got a healthy dose of claustrophobia to go along with his fear of heights.  'We'll be trapped down here forever!'


'I doubt it', you say between sneezes.  'Did you hear that noise?  It must have woken up the whole hotel!'  You sneeze again.  'I'm sure your father will be here in a matter of minutes.'  That last thought sends a wave of dread through you.  Then again, explaining things to Uncle Gus sounds a whole lot better than being stuck under a hotel floor for the rest of your life.  Either way, this is certainly THE END".


This Inconclusive Ending makes fun of Evan for realizing that he's stuck in one.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Deaths

2 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

2 Inconclusive Endings

1 ULTIMATE ENDING

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Ultimate Ending:  The Secret of the Aurora Hotel Alternate Endings Part 9


There is a 33% chance of failing the 1d6 roll in CHOICE #10 to catch the ritual candle when SCOTT REINHART and Jenna knock it down with the bird sculpture.  If I had not been so lucky the first time, this ending would have happened.


"You jolt forward, throwing your arm out, reaching for the marked candle. . .but you miss!  Helplessly you watch as it slams to the floor and breaks in half!  'Oh no!'  A bunch of other candles rain down on you.  Some of them bounces off your back.  Others thud loudly against the polished oaken floor.  Jenna looks crestfallen.  'What are we going to do now?'  She picks up the broken candle, her expression miserable.  'Maybe we could-'


'I'll tell you what you're going to do now', a stern voice calls from behind you.  You wince as you recognize your Uncle Gus.  'First, you're going to clean up this mess.  And right after that, you're both going to your rooms!'  Oops!  Busted!  Well, the night didn't pan out quite the way you wanted it to.  If only you'd been quicker!  Sorry to say though, for now this looks like THE END".


What this conclusion doesn't mention is that breaking the candle probably destroys any chance at carrying out the ritual needed to banish the ghosts to the spirit world.  So this is a Bad Non-Death Ending.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

2 Inconclusive Endings

1 ULTIMATE ENDING

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Ultimate Ending:  The Secret of the Aurora Hotel Alternate Endings Part 10


Although the narration before CHOICE #9 suggests that the ladder is more dangerous than slinging the bird sculpture, it's better to climb.  Once Jenna is hanging onto me at the top of the ladder, the player is prompted with CHOICE #26.  There are 3 candles with different symbols in an illustration, and the correct one is #2 because it has a triangle symbol like the candle in Alastair's photo.


Before selecting the candle, there's a black-and-white illustration of Jenna calmly reaching for the candle, while SCOTT REINHART is panicking.  He's wearing a smiley face T-shirt, and has short hair, almost like a buzz cut.  Picking Candle #2 gives you the ritual item, and Jenna tricks the hero into thinking that his cousins have twin powers when she says she knows Evan is done looking for his artifacts.  "No silly', Jenna laughs.  'He just texted me". 


Picking Candle #1 gives the player a 2nd chance at CHOICE #26.  Candle #3, however, is a Bad Non-Death Ending.


"Your arms are shaking.  Or maybe it's Jenna.  Or the ladder.  Or all three.  'I think it's that far one', you tell your cousin.  'The one with the really weird symbol.'  Jenna shifts.  Reaches out for it.  But she leans too far to one side, and a spark of terror shoots through you as you realize you're going to fall.  Your cousin screams.  'Scotty!'


You feel your center of gravity move past the point of no return.  The ladder tips out from beneath you, and you both go tumbling to the ground.  The fall seems endless.  You throw your arms out, but your body twists and one elbow gets caught behind your back. . .just as the full weight of your cousin lands directly on top of you.  Snap.


Jenna gets away with a few scrapes and bruises, but the agony of your broken arm is nothing compared to the shame of your uncle's grave disappointment.  You lower your head all the way to the hospital, wondering how you'll ever explain this to your parents.  For now, at least, your adventure has come to THE END".


Is the only Death in this book going to be the Bookshelf Bonk?


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Deaths

4 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

2 Inconclusive Endings

1 ULTIMATE ENDING

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Ultimate Ending:  The Secret of the Aurora Hotel Alternate Endings Part 11


In the CHOICE #21 2 coin flip on the way to Vincent, I got the luckiest result on the first try.  Two TAILS continues the story, but you're forced into the CHOICE #5 dining room without the chance to get the cupola key or learning about Vincent's silver key for the endgame elevator.  If you're unfortunate enough to get 2 HEADS. . .


"I don't like that sound', you say with growing concern.  'Let's go this way!'  You grab Jenna's hand and sprint down the left-hand corridor.  Almost immediately you smash into something big and solid. . .and then get knocked to the floor.  You look up into the very confused and then angry face of your Uncle Gus!


'What in the world are you two doing down here!' he cries.  Your uncle glances down at his watch.  'Do you have any idea what time it is?'  'I-Yes, well. . .we-'  'Get upstairs and back in your rooms!' your uncle says sternly.  You watch as he shoots his daughter a look of suspicion.  'In fact, let's go.  I'm walking you there myself so you don't take any detours.'


Jenna's shoulders slump.  She shrugs at you helplessly as you're led back to your rooms with specific orders not to leave for the rest of the night.  'And believe me', Uncle Gus says to punctuate his instructions, 'I'll be checking.'


Well, it looks like your adventure ended before it really got started.  But hey, at least the ghosts won't get you tonight.  You hope. . .Unfortunately, however, this looks like THE END".


Another Neutral Ending where Gus catches us.  At least The House on Hollow Hill had some more morbid failure conclusions, although the main plot is better here.  (No risking your lives to find some old love letters in the attic instead of treasure!)


While typing these endings, I was thinking that some of these CHOICEs could be converted into Virtual Reality/Critical IF style Skill checks.  Climbing the ladder to take the ritual candle would use AGILITY.  Slinging the bird sculpture would run on SHOOTING/MARKSMANSHIP.  ROGUERY and CUNNING could be used to sneak or bluff your way past the hotel staff.  And CYBERNETICS would tell you when to send text messages or use your cell phone as a flashlight.     (Hey, the average level of computer literacy is so low in Heart of Ice that connecting to a modem counts as CYBERNETICS in that book.)  LORE could help with the final ritual if you missed a clue or something, and maybe give hints as to where to find the right items.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Deaths

4 Bad Non-Death Endings

3 Neutral Endings

2 Inconclusive Endings

1 ULTIMATE ENDING