Monty_Droppings Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 For THOSE people, scroll to the bottom of the OP for the TL;DR Version. For the people unfamiliar with the Maxwell lore, there is a nice summery written by Spaz Intro: So, you are new on the forums or haven't really been keeping track of all the puzzles so far that have given us lore for William Carter, or maybe you just want to look through all the discovered lore, then this is the place to be! I will be covering all the puzzles and their sollutions that are related to this mysterious magician, which looks a lot like... Maxwell (dun dun duuun). When a new trailer and puzzle emerge from the Kleilands, this thread will be updated accordingly. At the end of William's story so far there will be links to the resp. puzzle threads so you can have a gander at those aswell. Now let us begin with the story! Some bits are interpreted/added by me to make it a more fluent story. Hope this will help people who want to know William Carter's story and want to look back at the lore discovered from the puzzles All aboard! William Carter, a very dapper Englishman(last residence in London) and stage performer, aboards a ship called Quest and travels from Liverpool to the United States. The ship departs at the 26th of July in the year 1901. His inspection card shows some interesting things. A photo of William accompanies the document, however someone has made scratches through his face. And it is quite worrysome if someone carves your face on a photo with you in it! Someone or something doesn't seem to like William. Also worth noting is that William Carter looks rather similar to that other dapper fellow, Maxwell.. Abracadabra! Time passes and not all is known about what William is doing in America. That is untill he performs as a magician in the Bowery Hall, New York, and according to the poster is "performing feats of the mysterious for your entertainment and edification". Looking at the poster, William looks a bit uneasy when he pulls a rabbit out of his hat, maybe indicating he isn't entirely sure what he is doing? If you wanna look good on your poster you can better look all dashing and confident, no? And his face has been scratched upon again. The person or being that doesn't like him is apparently following William wherever he goes.. Maybe he knows something that he shouldn't know. The success of his magic show is unknown, but the poster looks kinda worn out and there's other advertisements aswell. Hard times... Later on, William is having a hard time in America. It seems he is in financial trouble or just doesn't feel like paying for the magic items he has purchased/he forgot about it entirely. He has gotten two enveloppes by mail, the first one containing a threat letter and a payment ticket. William bought some marked cards, a gimmicked tophat and two docile rabbits from George T. Witherstone, a seller of dramatic props and magical apparel. The payment of $7.10 is overdue, and someone is not happy about that. An ultimatum is set: If William doesn't pay the money this week, he will be in trouble. This is written in the letter: "William! You are late again! Where is the muny? Do you think Mr. Witherstone is runnin a charatee? You better pay up this week or there will be trouble! I will find you!" Judging from the writing skills of the one that send the threat letter, it could be a very muscular yet dim-witted individual. Wolfgang doesn't seem to have poor grammar skills, he just talks relatively simple which is probably due to his non-English origin. It is unlikely he wrote the letter. Then there's also a letter from Jack, who is William's brother. Jack Carter seems to live in California, judging by the postcard that is included with the letter. This is what he writes to William: "William, you've finally come to America! How exciting! Has your show taken New York by storm yet? I fear we may have just missed each other - the city was too much for me, so I've gone west. It really is amazing out here - maybe you could visit sometime? Have you corresponded with mother lately? The post is dreadfully inconsistent out here. I can't believe she hasn't met the the twins yet! Warmest regards, - Jack" Apparently William has a brother named Jack, more info about him is not known. Jack has gone west since the city was too much for him, and is suggesting William should pay a visit. Jack mentions their mother and how she hasn't met the twins yet. The twins he speaks about are likely to be Wendy and Abigail, the time period further confirms that theory. William is gonna decide to go west to visit Jack, by train.... Dark Enlightenment William then took the train to San Fransisco on the 15th of August 1904, at which point he has been 3 years or so in America ever since the ship departed from Britain at the 26th of July 1901. However the train is never going to make it...Some paperwork is all there is left in the sand. One of which is a poster for the Abernethy & Parker CIRCUS, which will come to various towns. There is also a strongman performing in the circus, he can be seen balancing with one hand on an elephant that in turn is balancing on a ball. There are also flamingos on the elephant's back and some monkeys wearing a fez can be seen aswell. The strongman should be none other than Wolfgang. The person on the poster bears a resemblance to Wolfgang, only he doesn't have his moustache and looks more like the wimpier stages of him. The clothing is similar though. Regardless there can be no confirmation nor denial the person on balancing on the elephant is him. Wolfgang however IS the main attraction of the circus. When looking at the train ticket, it is clear that William traveled in the passenger train and not the circus train. He has no affiliation with the circus either. There's also a page that has been torn out of a book. It shows the sanity obelisk with strange symbols and writing next to it, which will have to be decoded first. It is worth noting that, despite not being the same symbols, the wooden thing has very similar symbols on it, which could indicate the sanity obelisk and wooden thing are made with the same knowledge... William is discovering things he probably shouldn't have discovered. To the right of the poster is a letter from William to Jack Carter, who seems to live in Corona, California. This is what he wrote to his brother: "Jack, the strangest thing has happened! Please discount all reports of my demise, should they reach you. I am very much alive, despite my recent mis- adventures. I have discovered something, a book of sorts. I have yet to decode it fully, but what little I have de- ciphered has opened my mind to terrifying new possibilities. I shan't say more through post - I fear it may attract unwanted att- ention. All will be explained when we meet. I shall continue west forthwith! - William" William has discovered a book which contains knowledge of something mysterious, yet terrifying. It must be big since he doesn't even want to talk about it through post, fearing it may attract unwanted attention. William is going to continue west, even though the train he was has crashed and he is presumed dead, as written in the newspaper called the Daily Speaker on the left. The article itself: "A passenger train struck a circus wagon that had broken down along the tracks at the Old Will crossing. Dozens of passengers were injured, and at least one man is missing. The missing man has yet to be identified, but fellow passengers described him as a tall, nervous fellow with an English accent. A search party was convened but quickly abandoned when it became apparent that a cage full of potentially dangerous trained monkeys had been vacated in the collision. Given the remoteness of the crash site, the scorching desert sun, and the escaped animals, the missing man has been presumed dead. This is the third time such incident at the crossing since the railway's construction in 1873, but the first to involve a circus wagon. Local businessman and railway investor Harold J. Rutherford assured this publication that all pertinent safety precautions had been taken, but no one could have foreseen the appearance of such a dangerous blockage on the tracks ---" The papers are being watched by an unknown shadow and a familar looking shadow to those who suffer from insanity. It is indeed the shadow watcher, and if you look at the source code of the page you can see it's silhouette...The faith of William and his means of going to his brother Jack are unknown at this time. He seems rather positive in his letter despite what has happened to him thus far... Ladies and gentlemen! William seems to have changed in appearance ever since him disappearing from the train crash. He now looks like the dapper man we all love or hate, Maxwell. He even has changed his stage performing name to "Maxwell the Great" as seen on his new poster. William( his real name as Maxwell is his mere stage performing name for the time being) looks nowhere close to what he looked like when he first started performing as a magician. His insecure look on his face has been replaced with a wide grin, and along with the magical explosion behind him this new poster looks truely spectacular. Who wouldn't want to visit a magic show like that! However William's new poster isn't the only thing worth noting. To the left of the poster is a page which looks like it came out of a journal of some sorth. Some sort of ritual is described by William. The attention is immediatly drawn to the sketch on it, of a being the more insane will recognize immediatly. It is the Terror Beak. Apparently William has seen it, and he doesn't seem anywhere insane. The shadow creatures are no hallucinations, but they are creatures from another dimension. They are drawn to the insane, and to William Carter's ritual apparently. This is what is written on the page: "A terrible form took shape in the air above the ritual last night. It was large and indistince, but it's countenance was infused with a sort of alien malevolence that chilled me to my very core. My fear was so great that I almost faltered in my incantations. It made no hostile motions, however and after having hung in the aether for a time, it shivered out of existence. What was it? Was it observing me? Is it the guardian of some deeper secret to which I am drawing closer? In any event, I am not keen to meet it's like again." What the ritual was and what incantations William used in said ritual are a mystery, and aren't described anywhere. It could be anything, but whatever it was it caught the attention of Them. To the right of the poster is a page torn out of a book. Judging by the colour of the page and the strange symbols, it is the same book William has discovered around the time of the train crash. On the page there's the Livegiving Amulet and the Telelocator Staff. If William already knows how to make these or merely is aware that they can be made, is not yet known. He may still be busy with decoding the book... Then again he is performing a ritual of some sorth... The last document to the right of the poster is an advertisement. William Carter is looking for a female assistant to perform in his stage show. The magic show seems to be a success, as William performs as Maxwell the Great twice a day, seven days a week! Such a contrast with his first magic act. The female assistant will start performing in William's stage show on the 6th of June, 1905. This is almost 10 months later after William has survived the train crash. This is what the advertisement says: "Looking to hire a lady assistant for a magician's stage show. Previous experience unnecessary, but should have a curious demeanor and a keen interest in the mysteries of the universe. Must provide own costume." William Carter resides in the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California. As it stands right now, it is unknown if William has contacted or spend time with his brother Jack Carter. It may surprise some, but William's assistant for his act will be none other than... Charlie The success of William knows no boundaries so it seems, he keeps on going with his magic show. He has even found an assistant to aid him with the act. Charlie is her name. She even appears alongside The Amazing Maxwell who "performs feats to astound and mystify", as seen on the latest magic act poster. Charlie can be seen holding open a book from where a shadow creature flies away from. Those of you aware with insanity may recognize it from the sanity obelisks. Maxwell holds his hands around the shadowy entity as if he conjured it himself, and has a big grin on his face. He still continues to look so damn confident on his posters! Alongside the poster is a letter from Charlie written to "Maxy": "Hey Maxy, We really knocked 'em deadLast night, didn't we? Ithough that old guy in thefront wasn't going to makeit. Those shadow things are soconvincing - they almost scareme, and I'm part of the act! We can work on the new finalewhen I get back from my sister'splace. I'm looking forward to it! ~ Charlie ♥" Her letter has some interesting information in it. For one, Charlie has a sister, which may or may not be Wickerbottom or perhaps Willow. The mentioning of the shadowy things further accompanies the fact William has decoded the book he found, and is ready to use it at it's full potential. It is still unknown where and how he found the book.Then there's this talk about a new finale for the magic act. Whatever it's gonna be, it is certain it will be one to never forget, both for Maxwell and Charlie.... The Final Act There is a dark room with a dim light. This looks like Maxwell's room. His dapper suit hangs on a hanger, and there is a stool and table present aswell. But.. If you look closely at the wall, table and ground.. All the previous documents are all present, from the numerous letters to the circus poster. It seems that all the previous documents were all together in one place. But there might be more information hidden for the naked eye. Dare you enlighten yourself to see the hidden messages? Praecantator A woman wearing dark red clothes can be seen knocking on a door. It should by now be known who she is. Charlie looks a bit on the edge, but does seem to know where she is heading for.. And then whilst being quiet, Charlie enters the room . The room is rather dark, as the only light that is present comes from the hallway at this point. Not much from the room can be seen, aside from a carpet and a clock. At this point it is stil unknown what Charlie is looking for and where she is. It is time to illuminate the room. Charlie puts a light on and now the room has lighted up. It seems that this is a room owned by Maxwell (and potentially Charlie aswell), as some pictures with both of them can be seen on the wall. The big portrait has both Maxwell and Charlie posing together, happily. The left one has a cheerful Charlie on it, whilst the right one has Maxwell taking a bow. There's a mirror on the left wall, and a chandelier hangs in the middle of the room. There's some strange black goo-like stuff on it's chain. There's also a fireplace with two candles in the left of the room. And that curious little animal skull looks a lot like a jackalope doesn't it? Charlie has a perplexed look on her face as she looks into the mirror. Seems she's looking for something in particular which she cannot find in her viccinity. Charlie is full of curiosity, and with that curiosity she has found a hidden room by pulling one of the candles on the fireplace down. That certain room is the same as the one that had those weird carvings on the wall and celing, along with Charlie's name. However it seems that the Maxwell in the painting is rather sad by that. The Maxwell in the painting seems to be trapped, and can only watch as shadow hands appear out of the ceiling whilst Charlie is reading a book in the secret room. They seem to be going for Charlie... Maxwell uses the power within him to lighten up the main room and banish the shadow hands. Whilst this is going on, Charlie seems to be completely unaware of this. She is now examining Maxwell's suit. At this point it seems she regrets that she entered the secret room, as she picked up the lantern and illuminates the walls and celing, seeing what Maxwell has written on them. Meanwhile outside of the secret room, Maxwell seems to be collapsing after he used his powers to enlighten himself and the room to banish Them. Charlie seems to be in panic, as she runs out of the room whilst losing her hat. She carries Maxwell's book aswell as his suit with her. Maxwell seems to have collapsed, since he cannot be seen in the painting anymore... Maxwell has appeared in the room, seems he is full of remorse. He must blame himself for all the bad things that have happened to him and Charlie ever since he has gotten the dark enlightment from the mysterious book. And by the look on his face it seems he is sad about what happened to Charlie. It is unknown to him if she escaped the shadow hands or not, as the moment he banished those he collapsed. It is unknown at this point where Charlie went, maybe we will know that soon..... ___... Maxwell is in his secret room, and seems to be very angry. Most likely blaming the disappearance of Charlie. He ripped off his face from the poster, and scratched through his face on the painting. But worst of all is, the entrance to the secret room is locked right now. Maxwell has no normal means of escaping his secret room. And to make matters worse, Charlie is sliding a letter underneath his door. This is what is written in Charlie's letter This is the most recent Praecantator timelapse. And here you can find links to all the puzzle threads!The Underground puzzleIt's Not a Rock! puzzleStrange New Powers puzzleHungry for Your Hunger puzzleThe Stuff of NightmaresA Moderately Friendly puzzleSix Feet Under puzzleAll's Well That Maxwell puzzle Credit where credit is due: @vingw for the "transcript" of Charlie's letter @Miss for the readable letter from Charlie@simplex for the puzzle timelapse(s) The Backstory (Not part of official lore)When Charlie rushed to Maxwell's Apartment that fateful night before the Grand Finale She had some news for him, news that was too important to leave in her letter. She was pregnant, but she was going to wait to tell him after they finished up this run of shows and they could have some time to themselves. As fate would have it, he would never know. What happened after the final act is still very unclear. However, it is believed that Charlie made the ultimate sacrifice for her child, making a deal with THEM; trading her soul and a lifetime of servitude as the Grue in exchange for the guaranteed safety of her unborn child, who she named Wyn. While it is certain that Charlie fulfilled her end of the deal; it can not be certain whether THEY fulfilled their's as somehow Wyn is now in the DS world, is she searching for her father with her own free will?, Or have THEY brought her here, to torment Charlie and confuse Maxwell? Currently, I am using the Wendeline Mod as template (THE ART IS NOT MY OWN WORK, it is mearly a placeholder, all credit to HowlingCoffee) mainly due to the fact I love the character model and hope that the final model can look something look like her (Need an artist to help out, PM me if you are interested) To do list: Quotes (I am working on this) Character Art (looking for an artist who is interested, PM me) Preliminary stats: 55 HP55 Hunger1.35x Walking Speed1.35x Running SpeedFast gathering (Twigs and grass)Sanity Regen when near flowers20% increased sanity loss rate at night35% increased sanity loss rate from other negative sanity auras (think deerclops)25% Normal Hunger rate. (18.75 Hunger loss per day, instead of the normal 75) I want some suggestions for her ultimate ability, I would love to hear some ideas. Here are a few thoughts I've had: (none of these are implemented, just thoughts) - A "blankie" of some sort, perhaps that offers lower hunger loss during sleep (with 55 hunger she will take damage using the straw roll) - Cannot be attacked by Charlie (Makes sense lore wise) - Normally hostile mobs will not aggro her unless she attacks them, such as spiders. -Has a book that can spawn flowers and butterflies (for easier sanity management during the winter) Basically, she is supposed to be poor at combat, but gets boosts in non-combat areas to compensate. If you are interested in playtesting her the file is: here (consider this v.0001 of alpha) I would love to hear any feedback you might have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty_Droppings Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Updated stats. HP+Hunger buffed from 35 -> 55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dryicefox Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 So, if Maxxy wouldn't get immunity, why would her own daughter?Remember, Charlie cannot control THEM. Think of it like this, (if you would) the character would be killed by THEM and not Charlie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty_Droppings Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 So, if Maxxy wouldn't get immunity, why would her own daughter?Remember, Charlie cannot control THEM. Think of it like this, (if you would) the character would be killed by THEM and not Charlie.I guess this comes down to whether or not Charlie has control over herself in this state. My logic is, Charlie would feel a deep resentment against Maxwell for what has transpired, and is why she does not spare Maxwell. She would have no such emotions towards her daughter. However, if it turns out that Charlie has no control whatsoever, than I have no doubt that THEY would love nothing more than to see Charlie tormented by having to kill her own daughter. This is one of my less prefered super abilities that I thought of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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