text: [Themes: Steampunk, amnesia, Victorian, research, murder, horror, mysticism, Lovecraftian, violence, disturbing themes, science fiction, kaballah, London, sidekick NPC, asylum, steampunk, moral choice, glitch, transformation, suicide]
  
  *clunk*
  
  The rotating tin cylinder within the phonograph vibrates slightly as a brass needle scrapes against it. The sound of a throat being cleared emerges from the machine's hornshell speaker, followed by a thin, haunting voice.
  
  "March the 16th."
  
  A deep, shaky breath.
  
  "I dread to say it, but I believe I am going mad. The -- *moments* -- come more frequently now. I fear that I have found what I have sought, and I shall now pay the price for it."
  
  The scrape of a chair across flagstone. A sigh.
  
  "Chaos treads the halls of Bedlam; her work is evident everywhere...
  
  A massive cedar desk, well-polished and worn, looks elegantly out-of-place among the chaos. Papers, files, and books cover nearly every flat surface in the room.
  
  There is a phonograph on the table near the window.
  
  A black cube on wheels sits near the door to the south.
  
  [Author's Note: In the beginning was the Word, and it was hungry. Enter a steampunk adventure set in a London that might have been. The year is 1885. Bedlam Hospital still stands in Moorsfield, a decaying shell used to house the poor and the hopeless. Steam-driven mechanical wonders roam the streets. Gear-wheeled analytical engines spin out reams of thought onto punched paper tapes. And in the darkness - in the alleys and the side shops - hide secrets.]
  
  > turn on the emerald
  From within the device comes a sharp clunk, followed by a gentle humming. The emerald blinks slowly -- once, twice -- then glows steadily. The grid of squares which makes up the thing's screen pivot back and forth, seemingly at random, causing ripples of motion across its surface.
  
  With a sudden purpose, they begin to flip, revealing hundreds of tiny symbols engraved on their surfaces. The squares continue for a moment, then begin to settle line by line like a fall of rain into a
  pattern...
  
  INIT.CYCLE.COMP.
  MILL.UNIT.ONLINE
  STORE.DECRYPT/CO
  MPRESS.BOOT.STAC
  K.COMP.OP.SYSTEM
  UNIT.VER.3.REG:.
  DR..SIMON..BRAND
  SET MODE:ANALYZE
  
  "It may be that I have simply not found that by which this growing mystery may be unlocked. Perhaps by subjecting the Triage to further experiential data, it may find something that I have missed. But I
  have little faith left at this point."
  
  > Yes
  That was a rhetorical question.
  
  The sound of a chair creaking.
  
  "I have found a blessing in James. He has been nothing but kind and helpful in my short time here. I find myself wondering if, perhaps, he can be trusted enough to... but how can I punish him with this knowledge?"
  
  A sigh.
  
  "But how can I bear it alone?"
  
  > examine the window
  The open window looks down upon the courtyard and adjoining buildings far below.
  
  A sudden noise, as of something wooden being struck, comes through the phonograph.
  
  "No. I can trust no one, in the end. Not even James. Perhaps
  soon...not even myself."
  
  > look at the desk
  A deep green blotter, dotted with black ink stains, sits in the center of the desk, mostly covered by files and papers. One side of the blotter seems slightly higher than the other.
  
  The corner of a sandalwood box is visible beneath a stack of thick folders.
  
  The desk contains a large central drawer, which is currently closed.
  
  "I must stop here, I feel the faintness coming once again."
  
  A scraping noise, a click.
  
  "May God have mercy 'pon my soul."
  
  > examine the blotter
  A standard office blotter, its surface well used and covered with stains. One side of the blotter seems slightly higher than the other.
  
  Having reached the end of the cylinder, the phonograph shuts itself
  off with a tiny "click".
  
  > take the blotter
  That's hardly portable.
  
  > look under the blotter
  Beneath the blotter is a small key, easily taken. It carries a small tag labeled "2D".
  
  > take the key
  You already have that.
  
  > check what you're carrying
  Carried:
  a small key labled 2D
  
  > look at the sandalwood
  It is unexceptional, perhaps one handbreadth wide by three long. On
  its lid is a white paper label. Written upon it in a fine copperplate are the words "JOURNAL V. 4 - JANUARY THROUGH APRIL 1855."
  
  > open the box
  The sandalwood box opens, revealing a tin cylinder labeled January eighth, a tin cylinder labeled January twenty-second and a tin
  cylinder labeled March second.
  
  > take the cylinders
  tin cylinder labeled March sixteenth: The ivory arms slide easily
  apart and the cylinder leaves the phonograph with a slight "click".
  tin cylinder labeled January eighth: Taken.
  tin cylinder labeled January twenty-second: Taken.
  tin cylinder labeled March second: Taken.
  
  > examine the phonograph
  A delicate device, its base is carved from oaken heartwood, bearing a small black plaque which reads "Columbia Phonograph Co., Ltd. of London".
  
  Two ivory arms emerging from the base lean inward, firmly grasping a tin cylinder labeled January eighth. A brass needle hovers above the cylinder's surface.
  
  From the base's back emerges a small, black hornshell speaker, its surface delicately curved. The phonograph is currently switched off.
  
  > turn on the phonograph
  The phonograph switches on.
  
  "January the 8th."
  
  "I am uncertain if this entry is made in joy or sorrow. I have just received word from Dr. Yeates that I am to be...promoted. I am uncertain if that term is the correct one. In any case, it seems that there has been an... incident with Bethlehem's current superintendent, and a replacement is required. I have been chosen for the position, at least in the short term."
  
  > About yourself
  That's rather difficult without a mirror.
  
  "It is fairly obviously what has prompted this move. I have moved too far, too fast and in doing so have displeased the powers that be.
  While Yeates has supported my ... unorthodox theories well enough, he has warned me often that he cannot shield me from *all* of the
  backlash that may occur. I do not believe that his using this as a segue way to telling me of my transfer was entirely unconnected..."
  
  > open the drawer
  The large central drawer opens, revealing a manual and a flanged brass rod.
  
  "Bedlam seems both purgatory and paradise at this moment. I remember the history of the place well enough -- of the Governors' decision to renovate the site in '15 and the slow implementation of Urquhart and Bentham's now infamous Panopticon Plan. In the end it was nothing more than a final stab at respectability for the site, which has now languished as a home for the hopeless, the poor, and the criminally insane for almost twenty years."
  
  > look at the manual
  The manual has several headings:
  
  > Cover
  The FUTURE is NOW...
  A brief catalogue...
  Analysis Mode
  Optional Expanded Input Mode
  Emblazoned on the front is a charcoal drawing of a black box on
  wheels, beneath which is written the words:
  
  TRIAGE PERSONAL ANALYTICAL ENGINE
  PROFESSIONAL|INDUSTRIAL
  MK. III.
  
  The manual has several headings:
  
  > Cover
  The FUTURE is NOW...
  A brief catalogue...
  Analysis Mode
  Optional Expanded Input Mode
  
  > go north
  The manual has several headings:
  
  > The FUTURE is NOW...
  A brief catalogue...
  Analysis Mode
  Optional Expanded Input Mode
  The FUTURE is NOW...
  
  One glance at the TRIAGE line of PERSONAL ANALYTICAL ENGINES will show them to be the finest now available. Each one is made of the materials of superlative quality, its thousands of interlocking parts are HAND MADE and HAND ASSEMBLED.
  
  From its alphanumeric kinograph display to its specially designed internal power and propulsion systems, the TRIAGE is simply the most advanced technology made available to professionals for the portable storage and analysis of complex information.
  
  In fact, the TRIAGE is so incomparably the best machine made that all we ask an intending purchaser is to compare it with any other before buying.
  
  For sale by all first-class mechanist's shops.
  
  The manual has several headings:
  
  > The FUTURE is NOW...
  A brief catalogue...
  Analysis Mode
  Optional Expanded Input Mode
  
  > Go north
  The manual has several headings:
  
  The FUTURE is NOW...
  > A brief catalogue...
  Analysis Mode
  Optional Expanded Input Mode
  A brief catalogue of the TRIAGE, both within and without...
  
  - PANOPTICAL SCANNER: set within an attractive faux-emerald, TRIAGE's latest version has updated both its scanning technology and methods such that it can visually analyze a given subject and begin processing within seconds.
  
  - INCREASED CAPACITY OF BOTH MILL AND STORE: The TRIAGE line is now capable of analyzing, compiling and storing literally thousands of pieces of information simultaneously.
  
  - LATEST CORE ENGINE WITH FOUR-FOLD INCREASE IN EFFICIENCY: TRIAGE has always been famous for its relational algorithms and its capability in connecting seemingly disparate data into a coherent whole. Our latest edition strives ever closer to perfection, improving the system's already impressive functionality.
  
  - SMOOTH-OPERATING FULLY ALPHANUMERIC KINOGRAPH DISPLAY: With its compact yet expansive 16x8 symbol display (each one capable of displaying any one of 36 characters), the TRIAGE speaks as well as it listens.
  
  The manual has several headings:
  
  The FUTURE is NOW...
  > A brief catalogue...
  Analysis Mode
  Optional Expanded Input Mode
  
  > Go north
  The manual has several headings:
  
  The FUTURE is NOW...
  A brief catalogue...
  > Analysis Mode
  Optional Expanded Input Mode
  ANALYSIS MODE
  
  ...is the TRIAGE'S default and most important mode of operation. Once activated by simply pressing its beautiful faux-emerald scanner, the system will run through its initializing phase and then notify the
  user that it is ready to begin.
  
  The TRIAGE will then follow its identified operator of its own accord, utilizing path-finding and obstacle-avoidance algorithms of the latest design. The system is constantly aware of both its personal
  environment and the actions of its operator.
  
  Once TRIAGE has locked on to its user, operation is simply a matter of making the system aware of particular subjects in the environment for analysis and storage. This can be accomplished by simply POINTING or GESTURING to the object in question.
  
  Nothing more is necessary. The system will reply (via its kinograph display) of any pertinent data the operator might find of use.
  
  Triage store data is organized as follows:
  
  - CAT [category]: Triage maintains a strict hierarchy within which all subjects are stored - is the object in question alive? Is it a tool?
  Is it not yet recognized?
  
  - UTIL [utility]: Of what immediate use is the object in question?
  How may it be interacted with?
  
  - PART [particulars]: Specific information on the object - completed analysis data is often stored here.
  
  The manual has several headings:
  
  The FUTURE is NOW...
  A brief catalogue...
  > Analysis Mode
  Optional Expanded Input Mode
  
  > go to the north
  The manual has several headings:
  
  The FUTURE is NOW...
  A brief catalogue...
  Analysis Mode
  > Optional Expanded Input Mode
  OPTIONAL EXPANDED INPUT MODE
  
  ...can be utilized to directly enter information into the TRIAGE'S database store. Such data manipulation is not to be taken lightly, as all TRIAGE data must be kept as consistent as possible to prevent internal errors. However, advanced users may find it convenient to input information into the system immediately rather than allowing the system to accrue it via examination and analysis.
  
  Expanded input mode requires the optional data input system, which is not sold with the basic TRIAGE. Contact your local mechanists" to special-order yours today.
  
  The manual has several headings:
  
  The FUTURE is NOW...
  A brief catalogue...
  Analysis Mode
  > Optional Expanded Input Mode
  
  > take rod
  Taken.
  
  "Perhaps this will not be so bad. In the public eye, I shall play
  their game and meanwhile, I shall continue my own research, utilizing whatever materials Bedlam has to offer..."
  
  > point at yourself
  The emerald flickers from head to toe before returning:
  
  CAT:LIVING......
  *CATASTROPHIC.ER
  RROR.A042.CATEGO
  RY.INDEX.OUT.OF.
  RANGE.STACK.OVER
  FLOW*PART:ID=DR.
  THOMAS.XAVIER=CU
  RRENT.OPERATOR..
  
  Having reached the end of the cylinder, the phonograph shuts itself
  off with a tiny "click".
  
  > Inventory
  Carried:
  a tin cylinder labeled January eighth
  a flanged brass rod
  a tin cylinder labeled March second
  a tin cylinder labeled January twenty-second
  a tin cylinder labeled March sixteenth
  a small key labled 2D
  
  > point at the small key
  Triage's emerald searches the small key labled 2D, then...
  
  CAT:UNKNOWN/UNLI
  STED.UTIL:NOT.AP
  PLICABLE.PART:NO
  NE.ITEM.IS.NOT.R
  ECOGNIZED.BY.CUR
  RENT.SYSTEM.STOR
  E.REQUIRE.ADDITI
  ONAL.INFORMATION
  
  > turn on the phonograph
  The phonograph switches on.
  
  "January the 22nd."
  
  "Arrived in London today in preparation for taking over my duties. The cab driver took what seemed a scenic route through Smithfield, then generally southward towards Newgate. I covered my nose as best I could as we passed the slaughterhouse that was the Market, though I noted a Mechanist's shop -- Du Mondes' -- on Fleet, which I will try to visit at my earliest convenience, as my worst fears regarding the wireless have been confirmed."