You wish you were doing almost anything else than having dinner with this bloviating douchebag.  Still, it's a potential client.  Maybe you should hear what he has to say. . .

The Vanishing Conjurer
An IntroComp 2013 Entry by Marshal Tenner Winter
Release 1 / Serial number 130705 / Inform 7 build 6G60 (I6/v6.32 lib 6/12N) SD

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub
This is an ancient pub built just after the Great London Fire of 1666.  The place is gloomy with shadows but the patrons are warmed by a large hearth in the center of the room.  Labyrinthine passages to rooms exist in all directions except to the east where the exit lies.  You can see Howard Horne waving for you to join him at an old table near the hearth.  He pulls out an even older chair for you.

(During conversations, type "topics" to see a list of relevant topics.)

>sit
(on the old chair)
You get onto the old chair.

>talk to howard
You say hello to Howard Horne.

(You could ask him about the case.)

>ask about case
"So, what's the skinny?" you ask.

"I need some help, detective." Howard replies. 
"Start from the beginning." you invite.

"Well, I started working the West Side about twenty years ago when things were Vaudeville, of course-" he begins. 
"Better yet, start from sometime more recent." you say, rubbing your temples.

"Oh, yes, of course.  Well, by now, I've got a lot of great acts on me books, if I do say so meself.  But my problem is with one of them; a young man named Philip Leclair." he tells you.

>ask about leclair
"Tell me about Leclair." you say.

"He calls 'imself Leclair the Great professionally." Howard tells you, "He'll go far if handled right and he's got a knack for making old tricks look new.  He even invents his own, good ones at that, with all this new apparatus and patter and everything." 
"And?" you ask.

"Well," he says, "end of last month, Philip came to my office, plum-excited he was.  Said he had plans for a new trick.  Showed me some sketches that I couldn't make heads nor tails of.  He said it was going to bring a whole new meaning to what we call The Vanish." 
"Wow." you say nonplussed.

He continues, "You know, making a chap disappear into thin air?"

Perturbed, you reply, "Yeah, I got it." 
He proceeds again, "So he comes to my office saying he's having problems with his new apparatus for this trick.  Well, I'm no magician so I suggested he approach this new magic club who call themselves something like the Inner Brotherhood of Magicians.  This brotherhood had sent me a letter to recommend themselves to my clients.  So I reckon maybe they can help Philip with his predicament.  Being a good lad, he did so, and was even invited to eventually join the club.  I was hearing that things were going swimmingly with his new vanishing trick.  But then something happened." 
You make a twirling motion with your finger, inviting him to go on with his story.  He says, "Well, a couple weeks ago, Philip comes back to my office, right excited again, he was.  He said he was on the verge of finding a method of, as he put it, revolutionizing stage magic as we know it."

"And?" you ask.  He says, "And here's the mystery, detective.  It's quite ironic, really.  But that was the last I saw of the lad.  Philip Leclair has vanished off the face of the earth!"

>ask about vanish
"Tell me more about this vanishing act of his." you ask.

"It's funny you should ask, detective." Howard replies, "I mean, even though the Vanish is a standard trick, the particular variation and appartus that Philip was using was seen being used by another magician.  I know because I'm the one who saw it.  The magician is The Amazing Karl.  I don't know much more about him besides that I watched him perform it during his nightly act at The Chancellor Theater."

Howard Horne stands to leave.  "Please let me know if you find out anything, detective.  If you'll excuse me, I have a prior late-night engagement.  Good luck.  Cheers!"  And with that, Howard Horne leaves the pub.

>e
Rowfant Road
You walk the fog-shrouded streets to the area of town where Philip's flat is.  The smell of Polish home-cooking can be smelled in this part of south London.  You are standing on the sidewalk near some stairs that hug the side of a building to reach a door on the second story.  The bottom floor is yet another pub; The Devonshire.  The door can be reached to the north.  The address for Philip Leclair that Howard Horne supplied says that this is the place.

>u
Rickety Landing
This is a rickety landing one floor off the ground above an alley.  The steps lead down to the street where The Devonshire Pub can be reached.  To the east is the door into Philip Leclair's flat.

>unlock door with pick
(first taking the lock pick)
(To pick a lock with the lock pick, type "unlock {thing} with pick")
You unlock the apartment door.

>e
(first opening the apartment door)

Philip's Flat
This is a humble and tidy apartment.  The room you are in serves as the living room, bedroom, and kitchen all at once.  A bed seems to be the only real piece of furniture in the place.  The bathroom is to the east and the exit to the landing is west.

You can see a black trunk (closed) here.

>unlock trunk with pick
You unlock the black trunk.

>open trunk
You open the black trunk, revealing a black cane, an instruction manual, a deck of cards, a top hat and a set of stage clothes.

>take cane, manual, cards, top hat and stage clothes
black cane: You take the black cane from the black trunk.
instruction manual: You take the instruction manual from the black trunk.
deck of cards: You take the deck of cards from the black trunk.
top hat: You take the top hat from the black trunk.
set of stage clothes: You take the set of stage clothes from the black trunk.

>w
You head out of Philip's flat and back to your hotel.  The night is late and you'll have to start your investigations again tomorrow.  First up will be to follow the Amazing Karl and find out what he's all about. 
Garden Gate
It is the next evening and you've followed The Amazing Karl here.  You waited at The Chancellor Theatre for him to finish his act and then you shadowed him through the dim streets of London to this large, Victorian house in a posh neighborhood.  You stand outside the garden.  A gate leads into the garden to the east.  The sidewalk continues both north and south.  You can see the garden, and indeed the entire house, is surrounded by a large hedge.  The smell of flowers fills your nose in the still night air.

>e
(first opening the garden gate)

Fastidious Garden (near the gate)
This is a perfectly trim and tidy English garden before a large Victorian style house.  The shrubs are geometrically sculpted and a white pebble path leads from the garden gate to the west, through the garden, and to the front door to the east.  Because of the shape of the house, the main house is to the north while the front door is on a wing of the house to the east.  One of the windows of the house is to the north.

>e
Fastidious Garden (near the front door)
You are deeper in a trim and tidy English garden before a large Victorian style house.  The shrubs are geometrically sculpted and a white pebble path leads from the garden gate to the west, through the garden, and to the front door to the east.  Because of the shape of the house, the main house is to the north while the front door is on a wing of the house to the east.  One of the windows of the house is to the north.  Next to the front door is a plaque.

>wear stage clothes
You swap your regular clothes for the fancy stage clothes.

>knock on door
You rap on the door and it is almost immediately answered by an Asian servant in Oriental attire.  He looks at you with polite eyes.
The servant examines you and seems to take notice of your stage clothes.  "Please, come in, sir."  He steps in, opening the door for you to follow suit.

>e
Entrance Hall
This is a carpeted foyer.  The walls bear portraits of famous stage magicians of the past and present.  A small desk holds a visitors' book and doors lead in each of the cardinal directions.  The front door of the home is to the west.

Standing sentry by the visitors' book and watching over the four doors in this room is the servant, Zhang Wei.

>sign book
(the visitors book)
You sign one of your many aliases to the ledger: Abdul Mohammed.

>s
(first opening the reception door)

Reception Room
This room is used for guests of the members of the Brotherhood, and as a waiting area for visitors.  It is plushly furnished with a large sofa and an armchair.  A number of classical Chinese vases and decorations stand around the room and an end table sits near the sofa.  The only exit is the door to the north.

>z
Time passes.

It's not long at all before an impeccably dressed Asian gentleman enters the room.  "Hello." he says with a thick accent.  "I am Li Qiang, servant of Cheng Ling Shu.  I understand you wish to join The Inner Brotherhood of Magicians?"yes
"Hm?" you ask, but then you say, "Oh yeah.  Because I'm a magician."

"Very well," Li Qiang says, "Please perform a trick for me.  A simple one is fine as we do accept amateurs into the Brotherhood with hopes that our guidance will only increase their curiosity and craft." he looks at you expectantly.

>perform card trick
You perform the simple trick but it seems impressive enough for Li Qiang to smile.

"You are welcome into the Brotherhood as a first level member.  With this privilege, you may use the library and practice rooms on the first floor to perfect your craft.  Unfortunately, the second floor is off limits to you for now.  Let me know if you have any questions."  But before you can ask any questions, he quickly leaves the room.

>n
Entrance Hall
This is a carpeted foyer.  The walls bear portraits of famous stage magicians of the past and present.  A small desk holds a visitors' book and doors lead in each of the cardinal directions.  The front door of the home is to the west.

Standing sentry by the visitors' book and watching over the four doors in this room is the servant, Zhang Wei.

Zhang examines the visitors book.

>n
(first opening the lounge door)

Members' Lounge
This room holds another Chippendale chair and another long sofa.  A large, low coffee table sits in the center of the room.  On it are current issues of magic journals and newspapers.  The room resembles the smoking room of a gentlemen's club.  A door to the entrance hall is to the south and doors also lead north and west.

Smoking a pipe and perusing a newspaper is Virgil Wemyss, a member of the Brotherhood.

Virgil sniffs.

>w
(first opening library door)

First Level Library
This library contains an extensive collection.  Every inch of each wall is covered in bookshelves stuffed with books.  A leather wingback chair and a leather loveseat are the furnishings so that one may enjoy a comfortable read.  Doors break the monotony of books to the north, east, and west.  A large window is in the south wall.  You know that it looks out onto the fastidious garden.

You can see an Oriental rug here.

>n
(first opening library door)

East End of Hallway
This is a narrow, carpeted hallway running west from here.  There is a door to the north and you can see a staircase down the hall to the west.  Another door is to the south.

>n
(first opening the den door)

Inner Den
This is a room within the house that has no windows.  Lined around the walls are lockers for the members to hold their belongings or valuables.  The only door is to the south.

>unlock karl's locker with pick
You unlock Karl's locker.

>open karl's locker
You open Karl's locker, revealing a document case.

>take case
(putting the set of ordinary clothes into the trenchcoat to make room)
You take the document case from Karl's locker.

>open case
You open the document case, revealing Philip's plans.

>x plans
These papers are in Leclair's hand. They detail his new vanishing trick, with copies of his diagrams.  They also contain some scribbled notes in which Leclair describes a "strange new concept" in magic, and mentions "a discussion I had on the matter with my friend Weiss".

Among the other diagrams and notes there is a rough sketch of the trick Weiss will perform at the charity show in a few days time.  These papers should be enough to convince the police to arrest Weiss as an accessory to Leclair's kidnapping, if that is indeed what has happened.

You hear a voice behind you and you spin to see Karl Weiss.  "Vaht are you doing to mein locker?" he demands in a heavy German accent.  You ignore his overtudes, saying "You're going down, Fruit-Pie the Magician."

Weiss sees that you are holding Philip's plans and he makes a grab for them.  You find yourself grappling with the magician over the evidence.

>kick karl
Finally, you are able to bring your knee up and into Karl's "family jewels".  With the pain and a small girlish shriek, he finally releases the plans.  You straighten yourself up and say, "See you in court, or whatever passes for court in this fuckin' country, numbnuts." and you make a move to leave the room but Karl stops you.

"Vait!" he says, "I may have stolen Philip Leclair's diagrams and plans but I had nothing to do vith his disappearance!"

"Spill it, tinkletits." you demand.  Karl stands up but moves away from you as he speaks.  "Philip and I would talk and assist each other veeth our illusions.  Before he disappeared, he came to me showing me a book he had found and he said with zat book, he could do real magic.  "Vell, I recognized the book as one of Cheng Ling Shu's and, thinking I could ingratiate myself vith the master, I told him that Philip had taken his book.  That's the last I saw of him.  So, I had nothing to do vith wherever he is now!"

Karl Weiss goes south.

>s
East End of Hallway
This is a narrow, carpeted hallway running west from here.  There is a door to the north and you can see a staircase down the hall to the west.  Another door is to the south.

You can see Karl Weiss here.

>w
West End of Hallway
You are at the west end of a narrow, carpeted hallway.  There is a door to the south and stairs lead upwards from here.

Guarding the stairs is Wang Ping, a tough-looking Asian gentleman.  He does not smile.

>s
(first opening the bathroom door)

Bathroom
This is a white, tiled bathroom with the appropriate fixtures (toilet, sink, tub) all in Victorian style, of course.  The pipes are visible up the walls from the fixtures and a mirror is set in the wall above the sink.  The only door is to the north.

You can see a membership card here.

>take card
(the membership card)
Someone must've accidentally dropped it while pinching a loaf, you assume.

(putting the lock pick into the trenchcoat to make room)
You pick up the membership card from the ground.

>n
West End of Hallway
You are at the west end of a narrow, carpeted hallway.  There is a door to the south and stairs lead upwards from here.

Guarding the stairs is Wang Ping, a tough-looking Asian gentleman.  He does not smile.

>show card to wang
Which do you mean, the membership card or the deck of cards?

>membership card
Wang Ping looks at the card and nods.  He steps slightly out of the way of the stairs for you.

>u
North End of Upper Hall
You are at the north end of the upstairs hallway.  The hall heads to the south and doors lead east and west.  Stairs lead down from here as well.

>unlock mahogany door with pick
(first taking the lock pick)
(putting the black cane into the trenchcoat to make room)
You unlock the mahogany door.

>w
(first opening the mahogany door)

The Locked Room
This is a large room that maybe was originally meant to be a master bedroom for this home, but now it is being used for storage.

In the center of the room is a large crate.  It is about as high as the ceiling and wider than you can stretch your arms.

Leaning against the large crate is a crowbar.

There is some sort of dark burn on the ceiling.

>take crate
You would need a team of men to move this thing.

>take crowbar
(putting the instruction manual into the trenchcoat to make room)
You pick up the crowbar from the ground.

>pry crate with crowbar
With the crowbar, you use all your strength to noisily pry open the large crate, revealing three large stone slabs.

>x ceiling
It is vaguely shaped like the silhouette of a man.

>e
North End of Upper Hall
You are at the north end of the upstairs hallway.  The hall heads to the south and doors lead east and west.  Stairs lead down from here as well.

You can see Karl Weiss here.

Karl Weiss goes west.

>s
Upper Hall
This is the middle of the upstairs hallway.  The hall stretches north and south and closed doors are to the east and west.

>s
South End of Upper Hall
This is the southern end of the upstairs hallway.  A door is to the west.

>w
(first opening the dorm door)

Servants Dorm
This appears to be a a simple dormitory with ten plain beds.  The only other feature is a small trapdoor in one corner of the ceiling, like the entrance to a loft or attic.  It is closed.

>u
(first opening trapdoor)
You pry open the trapdoor.  It leads into darkness above you.

Darkness
It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing.

>take lighter
(putting the deck of cards into the trenchcoat to make room)
You take the cigar lighter from the trenchcoat.

>light lighter
A small flame pops from the lighter.

Attic
The walls of this room are completely covered by curtains, blocking out any natural light.  It is a small, suffocatingly stuffy room.  Several Chinese lanterns hang from the ceiling but they give off no light.  The floor is carpeted with a thick rug embroidered with the Chinese dragon motif which appears throughout the house.  The motif is repeated on the ceiling and on the Chinese lanterns.  There is a small cupboard to one side of the room.

Dominating the far side of the room is a large stone altar which bears the Chinese dragon motif.  The curtain behind this altar bears an elaborate embroidered image of an emaciated man being drained of blood by a creature or creatures unseen.

>x altar
You begin to examine the stone altar when, from behind the curtains, a number of Asian men rush you and place a hood over your head.  You feel them binding your hands. 
*** You have been captured but you've successfully completed the intro to The Vanishing Conjurer ***




Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
>