The Life of the Blessed Hand

Book Three · The Walkthrough · 6

The Summons

Link 6 · the Hundred Steps, the buttery and the King’s feast

Ecce sedes quam ei paraverunt.

NewcomerStreamerSpoiler-light; deeper secrets sealedskeleton · the crown is built in graybox; the buttery’s cellar exit and the two cinematics are new
3 standing
The feast hall
The feast hallIn-game, clean pixels, under the book's CRT

At a glance

Where
the North Gate, the Hundred Steps, the buttery, the feast hall
Earns
kill: transmutation · spare: the carving knives, and the council opens the Chase
Rule taught
tainted blood and tainted founts
Bosses
the Beastmistress (lieutenant); the King
Cinematics
arrival, the Hundred Steps; departure, the empty cup TBD: both new
Calm
none. The feast’s end runs straight into the opening
Length
TBD

Why you are here

Three houses have ended. A herald in gold has come down to the gutter: the King requests the dead lord’s company at his table. The North Gate is open.

THE ONE BELOW
The King sends for you. Every door on the hill is open now. Ask who opened them.
god_summons
WICK
I did. With this.
ans_summons
CLIP W6-01phase B: to capture
Cinematic 12, the Hundred Steps (new): the North Gate’s leaves opening, the camera climbing the steps through the city lit for the feast, the tables seen from above in a triangle with a chair at its base. Wick’s line. About 18 s.

Three ways in

Each way was earned on an earlier link.

WayEarnedWhere it comes up
The Hundred Stepsthe summonsthe great door of the hall, the front way, every ward gate open and the watch saluting
The venison cartthe Greenwood bandthe King’s buttery, hidden in the cart TBD: the hook is designed
The conduitthe Wheel’s outfall, as the batthe buttery’s cellar, through the grate that was shut TBD: new exit
THE ONE BELOW
They salute. You have not asked why.
god_climb
WICK
They fear me. Why else does a man salute.
ans_climb

The route

  1. The climb. Up the Hundred Steps from the North Gate. From the landings, the ended houses are dark.
  2. The buttery. The grip: the casks that fill the feast’s jugs, the Steward, and the kennels. Break the casks here and fewer jugs reach the feast.
  3. The Beastmistress in the kennels. Bend her, and the hounds turn on the court in the hall.
  4. The welcome. The court rises and applauds the dead lord’s entrance in the language of hospitality. The Bishop sits at the King’s left; the priest in plain black at the far end. The tables are laid in a triangle. The guest’s chair is at its base.
  5. The feast. The King.
The feast of the sun
SCREEN 6-1The feast of the sunThe King at the head of the hall, the guests applauding, the tables in their triangle.Press shot, live capture of the v83 build, CRT off, the play field only
SHOT W6-02phase B: to capture
The feast hall from the great door: the tables in a triangle, the King at the apex with his cup, the guest’s chair at the base, the court standing. Map sn_hall, the welcome.
SHOT W6-03phase B: to capture
The buttery with its casks, a cask broken and its wine running across the floor. Map sn_buttery.

The boss: the King

Panel. The feast is his armour: while any cup in the hall is full, the court toasts him and blows ring off. Starve the feast. Bend the servers (they do not know) to stop pouring; overturn the jugs; break the casks before you come up. While he holds his cup high, all the blood in the hall is wine: nothing feeds. Look at his own cup.

CLIP W6-04phase B: to capture
Starving the feast: a server bent with the thread to stop pouring, a jug overturned, the gold light on the King flickering out, the first blow landing. About 12 s.
THE ONE BELOW
The tables are laid in a triangle. Your chair is at its base.
god_feast
WICK
The lowest chair. They have not changed.
ans_feast

After the King

CLIP W6-05phase B: to capture
Cinematic 13, the empty cup (new): the King’s cup, never filled, rolling down the long table and off its end; the guests leaving their chairs one by one; the candles at the apex guttering out. About 14 s.

Then, as Wick walks out onto the Hundred Steps, the world opens. Go straight on to the Opening.

Backtrack

The orphanage’s tainted cup. A fount in the orphanage gives less than its due. With transmutation, clean it for a full drink and a line. On the merciful path, the council’s first decree hangs on the orphanage door instead. That is small on purpose: the real backtrack is the opening.

Secrets

Sealed · Mid-gameAt the feastBreak the seal to read
  • The applause is the third piece of evidence. Everyone in the hall understands the welcome but Wick.
  • The King’s cup at the apex is never filled. He raises an empty cup and the court does not notice. The kalendar told you how the tables would be laid.
  • The steward’s rope at the high table is a rope, not a gate: no form passes it.
Sealed · The endingThe face in the squareBreak the seal to read

After the King, the church places the head on the processional figure in the gutter’s square. It is Wick’s face, from the church’s picture of the Blessed Hand, the jaw one pixel too low. On a path of mercy the figure is veiled in black, the face under the veil.

THE ONE BELOW
That is your face. Look at it.
god_effigy
WICK
They have my likeness. They never had my ear.
ans_effigy

Stream notes

TIPFor streamers
  • The welcome is a set piece of dramatic irony: the chat will understand it before Wick does.
  • Show the King’s empty cup before you fight. It is the best “look at this” in the game.