The Thread — walkthrough
Each entry is one command, in order, separated by slashes.
Directions are abbreviated (n, se, u, d). This is
the exact sequence the game's own test suite runs, so it is always current.
Act I — Les Innocents
examine priest / talk to priest / n / examine inscription / s / e talk to vaulx / w / s / read register / examine plans / sign register w / take lamp / take coil / take kit / take wedges / e n / e / s / d / s / s sound wall / s / wait
Kit first — all six things, because the game will not let you sound a wall without an iron or letter a gallery without a rule. Read the register before you sign it.
Act II — The Galleries
s / e / e / search guillemin / w / w w / w / e / e / chalk / s chalk / s / chalk / w / e / s s / s / wait
The order matters and it is not obvious. Walk the east and west branches first, while the cord is long, because backing out gives every foot of it back. Then chalk the crossing, the south gallery and the hall of pillars on the way in — each one takes the cord off that gallery and starts the line again from there, which is the only way six hundred feet reaches a door seven hundred and sixty feet out.
Act III — The Commandery
examine joint / examine holes / drive wedges / n / n / fill lamp s / s / pour water / wait / wait / wait wait / wait / wait / wait / wait / wait wait / wait / wait / wait / wait / wait wait / wait / wait / s / e / examine thing w / s / open recess / n / d / sound roof d / u / u / open tube / read roll
The run of wait is the oak swelling and it cannot be hurried. You could spend those minutes lettering another gallery instead; the walkthrough waits because a walkthrough has to be reproducible.
Act IV — The Cut
n / examine end / n / n / examine prints / n n / n / n / s / e / e w / w / w / w / sound shaft / cut cord tie rope / d
sound shaft before cut cord — the game refuses the cut until the depth is known, and it is right to. Everything paid out is gathered in first, so it does not matter how much you had on the reel when you got there.
Act V — The Ascent
w / s / open chests / n / w / w s / examine mark / n / w / sound staples / u
sound staples is not optional and the game gives you exactly one free attempt to discover that. The last command is the ending — burn roll, put roll in chest (after opening them) or simply climbing out are the other three.
Still stuck, or found something that looks like a bug? Write to hello@freetextadventures.com — every message gets read, and it is also where to send an idea for a future adventure.