The Silvernia Archive
古典藏品
73 documents picked up around Silvernia and reproduced in full. Newspaper pieces, private letters, public notices, company rulebooks and advertising, exactly as the game writes them.
Silver Palace does most of its worldbuilding on paper. You find these lying around Silvernia and read them standing up, and between them they say more about how the city actually works than any cutscene does: what the Constabulary is failing at, what the factories do to the people inside them, what the aristocracy is nervous about, and what the city gossips about over a drink.
This page holds 73 of them, transcribed in full and grouped the way the game groups them. Nothing is summarised. What has been added is a short note under each document, and a set of readings above them, because the archive's best material is not in any single document. It is in the fact that three of them are the same newspaper story told three incompatible ways.
What Classical Curations are
Classical Curations is the game's own name for part of this collection, and it is where most of these were first found: notices, letters, brochures, a school club sheet and one long academic essay that spends its entire length insisting a conspiracy theory is nonsense while laying the theory out in detail. The rest of what follows comes from the same habit of leaving written things where a detective will pick them up.
How to read this page
Start with the threads below. Several of these documents are only interesting next to another one, and a few are only comprehensible that way: an internal company statement explains a newspaper column printed months earlier, a burial register turns a rambling testament into a pattern, and an advertising pamphlet turns a child's diary into a crime.
Then read the sections in any order. Every document carries links to the ones it answers.
One last thing worth noticing, since the archive will not point it out. It is missing its own beginnings. The Silverium Conspiracy essay is labelled Part I and there is no Part II anywhere. Grandad McBarley's riddles run II, III and IV, and nobody has ever found the first one.
Read these together
Ten sets of documents that answer each other. Each one links straight to the entries it is about.
The Observer printed three different stories
Three separate documents in this archive carry the Silvernia Observer masthead and the headline "The Williams Manor Massacre". They do not agree. In the first, Maria Williams burns herself alive, her son's body turns up after an escape from a psychiatric ward, his remains go missing from a marked grave, and the paper floats a vampire. In the second, the first two paragraphs are reproduced word for word and the vampire is replaced by Superintendent Rex promising to close the case by the month's end. In the third there is no massacre at all: the house has been rebuilt with Constabulary help, Maria is alive and curating her dead husband's manuscripts on vampiric transformation, and literature enthusiasts are queueing up to call them good material for a novel. The Weekly Review is the joke at the end of it, a furious letter about the resulting flood of vampire romance novels, signed anonymously and apologising for the paw prints.
UMI turned a burst valve into a visitation
Read these four in the order they were written and you can watch a cover story being built and then working. The Planned Outage Notice is ordinary corporate copy: ageing relief valves, seven days of testing, four hours of darkness a night, an apology for the inconvenience. The Statement From Middle Management, written for internal eyes, says the valves ruptured, Silverillia escaped, and the company "diverted public attention towards a romanticised, extraterrestrial narrative" by working with academia, cultural media and grassroots organisations. Then the archive hands you that narrative in the wild. A columnist at the Argent Herald watches something glow on Four Crowns Street and coins the phrase "extraterrestrial entities" himself, inviting readers to correct him. And a photograph taken beside the Central Toroid, the exact structure that ruptured, is captioned as the first complete record of alien life in Silvernia.
The Soulless Lord was a weapons programme
A statue in Riverbank Park moves at night and kills people. Containing it cost three dead and sixteen wounded, and the report notes in the same breath that all witnesses were subsequently silenced. Months of secret study established that the statue is hollow, that the hollow lures a Silverium species the researchers call mermaids, and that a researcher named Lynn found a way to steer it. The committee that met afterwards did not shut the programme down. It resolved to leave the original standing in the park as a test bed, to register a front company through external channels to mass-produce more, and to keep every part of it outside its own employer's formal framework so the profits stayed in the room. Four people put their names to that: Helen, Reyner, Lynn and Lattis.
Seven dead clergy, and a hymn that explains them
Saint Brigitte's testament works it out slowly. The writer starts by describing a public burning as a miracle, wanders through the Order's decline into one last sanctuary on Dayfair Way, and only then notices that since the withdrawal to the Cathedral of Illumination, every bishop and abbess has served an extraordinarily brief term and died in a way that looks accidental until you line them up. The cemetery register is that line-up: seven names, alternating bishop and abbess, a fall from a tower, a drowning in a bath, a burning, a cardiac arrest, a sudden illness, one death record missing and one person never found. The two anomalies are the only two archives sealed. And A Cryptic Hymn, which reads as a warning rather than a devotion, describes something that reaps blood and bone from blessed hands, stains a statue, and stirs within "the saint's hollow" when the stars align. The Research Department's hollow statue is three documents away.
Botilin, from the poster to the hospital ward
The pamphlet is three lines long and sells the transformation itself: soft tails, trembling ears, pleasure beyond the human experience. Faen's unsent letter is a customer, delighted, reporting that he has met werewolves and that his dealer gives him discounts, while admitting in the same paragraph that he has to drink more and more of it to feel that way. Six scraps off Morgue Street are the supply side: a success rate too low, a suggestion to copy the neighbouring gang and bottle the blood as drinks, a monthly tribute of Metal-Blooded owed to Glutton, and a shortfall to be made up with the gang's own people if no werehounds are left. The Stock Records log colour-named cases leaving south Gravelkin and north Felix, doubling across a month. And the Werehound's Journal is four dated entries by a child in a hospital bed whose mother keeps bringing the drink and promising it will get them home.
A company town with exactly one doctor
Rule five of the United Vormentum Works code forbids employees from seeing any hospital but Skea or any doctor but Romme, and rule four makes telling anyone outside about the factory a prosecutable offence. So the only person legally permitted to hear what the work does to a body is the one the company picked. The Proposal shows why the infirmary was built: skilled staff stop being able to work after months of fumes, and treating them is cheaper than replacing them. The safety notice on the sorting apparatus tells you to remove ties, scarves and chains first. The Skea prescriptions record burns and ulcers against the occupation "Labourer". Rachel's file lists pulmonary oedema, rhabdomyolysis and heavy metal poisoning, and the advised treatment is to administer Solution 0 and prepare for disposal, signed Romme. Then Romme resigns from Skea, for personal reasons, and gives none.
Two safes, and two people who wrote the combination down
The Royal Bank's services guide sends a customer from counter three to counter one to counter two and back to counter three, then upstairs, then back to counter two, in a loop with no exit. It is a monument to procedure standing in for security. The Bank Clerk Schedules show what actual security looks like from the other side: someone timed the shift change at 11:30, noticed the evening staff leave at 20:00 on the dot, and a second voice added the plan in brackets. The one clerk sharp enough to be a problem has resigned, and the note about it is one line long. Meanwhile a shopkeeper writes that his new safe has arrived and he must remember to change the default combination, and the constable guarding the Constabulary's own archive, forced by the new Superintendent to rotate his monthly, writes 1209 down three times so he is bound to remember it.
Alex, and a hat a child will not put down
A reporter interviews a man called Willoughby whose son survived something because a chef put a hat over the boy's eyes. The child cannot sleep without it now, and the only thing he wants to say to Alex is an apology for the chocolate. Then he says he will kill every last werewolf. The memorial is signed by five businesses: Jon's Pizza, Willie's Teas and Coffees, Memoir Bar, Sunday Lounge, 897 Roastery and Pierre's Kitchen. A job advertisement elsewhere in the archive has a business looking for long-term security who can fight werewolves and hold a combat Reactor licence, with free in-store meals. And in a completely unrelated letter home, a factory worker saving up on a knocker-upper's wages promises to take his family to Jon's Pizza.
Maid No. 49 is not on the register
The Maid Institute, Society, and Services replies to a customer's doubts with reassurance: the first batch has been dispatched, every maid is combat-ready, each carries a three-digit ID, all are certified through a stringent assessment, and each exhibits unconditional compliance. Lorin's handover note says the girl cannot read yet, so he filled in her documentation for her. And a torn-up memo says, in a single line, that there is no Maid No. 49 registered with the Maid Institute, Society, and Services. Alf's own note about pancakes is in this archive too, written in the third person and signed "Yours Tasty".
Newspapers and reports
Silvernia's press does not investigate so much as absorb. Three of the documents here are the same newspaper printing the same headline three different ways, and two more are internal reports never meant to be read by anyone outside the company that filed them. Put the published version next to the internal one and the gap is the story.
Understanding the Silverium Conspiracy (Part I)
Academic essay · Unattributed
There have always been myriad rumours as to why Queen Mary's temperament changed so drastically in her later years. A "Silverium curse" is one such rumour, and one that pervades even today: three hundred years later, despite Silverium's thriving development.
Many have attempted to draw links between Silverium and the fates of Silvernia's queens throughout the ages, taking it as a foundation by which to interpret the city's history. However, it's an unreasonable and most absurd train of thought; one that academia has come to term the "Silverium Conspiracy".
Proponents maintain that all Silverium has been instrumental, as a driving factor or catalyst, in all Silvernian developments to date. To use a more commonly encountered line of argument (excuse the absurdity of what is now to follow): "Silverium founts spawned forth the werewolves and harpies; it was Silverium's existence that led Queen Isabella, Second of Her Line to form a navy and usher in an age of naval exploration. And Silverium was what drove Queen Auguria, Third of Her Line to join hands with the United Mining Industry, making Silverium technology widespread…" Silverium Conspiracy theorists' scattered beliefs all boil down into the following: that Silvernian history is not a tale of humanity utilising Silverium for society's advancement. Instead, it's a tale of how Silverium has worked to shape history as we know it.
What it tells you
The longest document in the collection, and the most useful. It dates Queen Mary's reign to roughly three hundred years before the present, names Isabella II as the queen who founded the navy, and credits Auguria III with the alliance that made the United Mining Industry a power. It is written to debunk the theory, but in doing so it confirms the timeline the theory is built on. The "Part I" in the title implies a second essay that is not in the collection.
Silvernia Observer
Newspaper report · Silvernia Observer
The Williams Manor Massacre
"Following the death of the scholar, Howard Williams, his widow Maria set herself aflame and perished in their home. Their son escaped from a psychiatric ward, then was considered missing until his body was found yesterday."
"It is worth noting that he was buried in the Cathedral of Illumination cemetery. Yet his remains have yet to be located."
"Our sources suggest that Williams, a scholar of small repute, had transformed into something more than man by means of his experiments. A vampire."
"While the Observer cannot comment as to the truth of such a claim, we urge you nonetheless to avoid staying out late at night."
What it tells you
The most lurid of the three. Maria is dead by her own hand, the son is dead and his body has gone missing from a marked grave, and the paper prints the vampire theory while disclaiming it in the next sentence. The closing line is the giveaway: the Observer has no facts left, so it sells a curfew instead.
Silvernia Observer
Newspaper report · Silvernia Observer
The Williams Manor Massacre
"Following the death of the scholar, Howard Williams, his widow Maria set herself aflame and perished in their home. Their son escaped from a psychiatric ward, then was considered missing until his body was found yesterday."
"It is worth noting that he was buried in the Cathedral of Illumination cemetery. Yet his remains have yet to be located."
"The River Constabulary considers this an ongoing case, and Superintendent Rex has sworn to unearth the truth by the month's end."
What it tells you
Same two opening paragraphs, word for word, and then a different ending. The vampire paragraph is gone and a deadline is in its place. Rex putting a date on it in print is the part worth holding onto, because the third version never mentions the case again.
Silvernia Observer
Newspaper report · Silvernia Observer
The Williams Manor Massacre
"Following the death of the scholar, Howard Williams, his family home was burnt to the ground. Yet with the aid of the River Constabulary, the estate has been rebuilt."
"Maria, Mr Williams' widow, has gathered his research manuscripts into a collection ("The Williams Manuscripts") that is now on display at the estate. In particular, his notes on the history of vampires and his research on vampiric transformation have attracted a large number of literature enthusiasts. While doubtful of their authenticity, some claim it is perfect material for a novel."
What it tells you
Maria is alive, the house is standing, the son has vanished from the story entirely, and the Constabulary has gone from failing to solve a massacre to helping with the rebuild. The headline still says massacre. Whatever else this is, it is the only version where somebody is selling tickets.
The Weekly Review
Reader letter · The Weekly Review
Two Thousand Years of Yearning, Pallid Passion: My Vampire Lover, Sanguine Secrets... You know what, I've had enough! A couple of vampire cases arise in Silvernia, and now every novelist and his uncle has thrown dignity to the wind, penning this ridiculous "romantic" rubbish! It's a dark age for our city, an aesthetic and moral dark age I tell you!
How come there's no similar influx of werewolf-focused fiction? I mean, well, not that I want that! Or that I'm speaking on their behalf, but still!
Anonymous Reader (Please disregard the paw prints on my letter.)
What it tells you
Read the parenthesis again. The correspondent complaining that werewolves get no romance novels is a werewolf, writing anonymously to a newspaper, and the paw prints are the only thing in the archive that treats being Metal-Blooded as an embarrassment rather than a death sentence.
Read with
Report: A Chef's Hat
Interview report · An unnamed reporter
The commotion from the last few days' events has died down, and Mr Willoughby's now returned to his usual routine, heading to and fro between the kitchen and dining areas. All has returned to normal.
"Returned to normal, has it!?", is how he responds to my questioning. He wipes a bead of sweat from his brow and laughs bitterly. In the room next to us, his 6-year-old is taking a midday nap; Willoughby cracks the door and shows us the chef's hat in his child's arms.
"If I'd had any idea what was going to happen, I'd never have stepped away from the dining room for even a second. Not only did I fail in protecting my child, but I also caused a good friend trouble…"
With that, tears seemed to well in his eyes. We gave him some space, leaving him to gather his feelings. On the table behind him stood a photo of himself and Alex together.
"I owe him so much… Alex saved my kid's life. No, more than that, he… He saved his mind, too."
We later came to learn that Willoughby's child can't sleep at all unless cuddling Alex's hat close. It was that very hat which shielded the child's eyes during that dark moment, protecting him from witnessing the cruel sights that transpired.
Fortunately, we managed to speak with the child before the day ended.
"If you had a chance to see Mr Alex again, what might you wish to say to him, little one?"
"I… I'm sorry, Mr Alex. Sorry for getting chocolate on your special hat. I-I'll scrub it off!"
Those adorable yet naive words fill the room with laughter. Mr Willoughby shakes his head with a resigned smile:
"A right glutton, that one; loves food! May well become a chef like us one day."
"B-But I haven't finished talking!" Everyone falls quiet again as the little voice pipes up.
"And what would you like to say, hmm?" I ask with a smile.
"If I could, I'd say to Mr Alex…" Willoughby Jr. laughs embarrassedly before continuing. "I'd say… I'll kill every last werewolf! For you!"
What it tells you
A werewolf attack told entirely through its aftermath. Two chefs, Willoughby and Alex, were caught in it; Alex covered a six-year-old's eyes with his hat and, from the way Willoughby speaks of him in the past tense and the child talks about seeing him "again", did not walk away from it. The report ends on a child promising to kill werewolves, which is how the city's crisis turns into the next generation's grievance.
Research Summary: "The Soulless Lord"
Internal research summary · Research Department
Date: XX/XX/XXXX. Public Relations has received reports concerning the statue known as the "Soulless Lord" located in Riverbank Park. Witnesses claimed the statue stirs by night, and exhibits aggressive tendencies. The Office of Security Operations intervened immediately, and the entity was successfully contained at a cost of three dead and sixteen wounded. All witnesses were subsequently silenced.
To avoid financial loss and public hysteria, the Research Department has conducted several months of clandestine study. By dismantling sections of the statue and questioning the original designer, it has been determined that the hollow structure of the "Soulless Lord" acts as a lure for a Silverium species provisionally termed "mermaids". Under the influence of these parasites, the statue rises at night, instinctively attacking any living thing in its proximity.
Fortuitously, our researcher Lynn has discovered a method to exert a degree of control over its behaviour. Technical specifications are attached in the appendix.
As of today, it is my firm belief that we have stumbled upon a revolutionary weapon of war. Its performance may very well rewrite the rules of engagement on the continent.
What it tells you
Nineteen casualties are reported in the same register as an accounting note, and "all witnesses were subsequently silenced" sits in the middle of a paragraph about avoiding financial loss. The useful facts underneath: the statue is hollow, the hollow is the lure, and the thing it lures is a Silverium species the company has not bothered to name properly.
The "Soulless Lord" Project Committee Report
Committee minutes · Helen, Reyner, Lynn, Lattis
Attendees: Helen (Regional Manager), Reyner (Security), Lynn (Technical), Lattis (Finance)
Resolution Measures:
Prototype Disposal: The original unit is to remain in situ. Lynn will be tasked with ongoing secret testing and data harvesting.
Mass Production: Lattis is to utilise external channels to register a company. This front will oversee the construction of a dedicated, small-batch precision assembly line.
Security: Reyner shall ensure watertight confidentiality throughout each stage.
Core Principles:
This project harbours great disruptive potential. To ensure profits remain within our circle, all development and research is to be kept strictly outside the Company's formal framework. No project information is to be leaked to any party, Silverdale included, without Helen's express consent.
What it tells you
Four named people agreeing in writing to run a weapons programme off the books, with a front company, so the money stays with them rather than their employer. "Prototype Disposal" turns out to mean leaving it standing in a public park. Silverdale is named only to be excluded, which tells you the exclusion mattered enough to minute.
The Argent Herald
Newspaper column · The Argent Herald, dated the 18th
Those rather special visitors upon Four Crowns Street are a step above the usual; graceful and vibrant figures, a feast for the eyes... Far more than what I had imagined.
I believe beings of such elegance can only be non-human, and borne from the depths of the Argent Strand. For they give off a radiance like the Strand itself, a most miraculous thing. For a few moments, it's as if the entire street is bathed in a holy glow... I may be taking a liberty here, but in my awe and fear, I have taken to referring to them as "extraterrestrial entities". Perhaps you, as you read this, possess a better insight into what they may be. If so, I welcome you to get in touch and share it with me.
18th
What it tells you
Here is where the phrase comes from. A columnist watching something glow on Four Crowns Street reaches for "extraterrestrial entities" as his own coinage, invites readers to correct him, and never gets corrected. Note that he does not claim it as fact. He is guessing, in print, and the guess stuck.
Key Quotes: Avius
Collected sayings · Avius
"Cast a bloody long line, and you'll catch a bloody massive fish!"
"If you want to talk slick and act fly, then Flower Hat's most definitely your guy!"
"See, the police aren't scary at all. What's scary is actually getting cuffed by 'em!"
"How many times must I tell you!? I'm lactose intolerant, don't put milk in my cereal! And stop scribbling on that paper! Give it here! Oi!"
...
What it tells you
Somebody was writing down everything Avius said, and kept writing after he noticed. The fourth quote is the transcription being caught in the act, which is funnier than the three sayings it was collected for and rather more informative about how he is regarded.
Read with
Personal letters
Letters between people the detective mostly never meets, plus a few addressed to the detective directly. Two of them were never sent, and one is a memorial rather than a letter. The pattern worth watching is how often somebody writes to reassure a reader about something the rest of the archive contradicts.
Letter in the Corner
Letter · A factory worker, to their sister Lydia
Dear Lydia,
As of late, I've been unable to return, to see you and Father, and for that I ask your forgiveness. Things have been most hectic at the factory, leaving everyone on edge and scared to invoke Mr Vorsch's ire.
On a lighter note, though: I've recently started a side job that's… Well, it's quite a laugh! You'd never imagine what we're tasked with. The workers call us "knocker-uppers", because we take these long sticks each morning, and knock them on the windows of employee girls who have yet to get out of bed. I'm laughing as I write this, in fact! Isn't it strange? I'm sure you'd think so… Even clocks are considered a luxury in this place. But after a girl was punished by Mr Vorsch for turning up late, they've all striven to be extra careful in that regard. Which is good business for me, because I get paid for each snoozer I tap awake!
This job of mine's no joke though. I must rise earlier than the others, and the Silvernia dawn isn't half freezing… Oh, I jest, it's not all that bad really. I've saved up a fair amount now, so I'll take us all out to Jon's Pizza next time I'm home. I'll bet you've been craving pizza, what with being on your feet all day: do you ever sneak off to grab a slice? Hah, I'm just joking. I know how seriously you take that housekeeping job of yours. Well, give my regards to Father. I hope his bad back hasn't flared up recently.
What it tells you
The cheerful tone is the point. A worker under a foreman everyone fears takes a second job waking colleagues who cannot afford clocks, because one of them was punished for oversleeping, and writes home about it as a funny story. Knocker-uppers were a real Victorian trade, which is the register Silvernia's industry is pitched at.
Guess Where I Am
Letter · "You Know Who", to Smokey
Smokey:
Hey, pal! By the time you read this, I'll most likely already be in some picturesque idyll, far from civilisation and people.
So I leave the store in your hands now! I've never been one content to stay still. You know that, I think.
Oh, right. While setting off this morning, I saw something of interest. Two young folk at loggerheads, looked like a knight and a constable. Neither giving ground, hah! Reminded me of us two, way back when!
There was no constabulary to speak of when we first met, though. And I was but a lowly squire! I bet neither of us would've believed it was someone to tell them we'd grow into such firm friends. Never mind that we'd open up a string of stores together…
Yes, yes, I know. You're thinking, "It was a mere coincidence that I joined the force at all". I've heard that old chestnut time and again, pal! But you've always been perfect for the job. Every young constable that comes through our doors looks up to you, anyway.
Speaking of, a whole load of knights come to our store too. Thanks to me, no doubt!
Yeah, I'm bragging, and you can't stop me! Hah!
Well, farewell, old pal. You'd better run our store well! I don't want to hear about it shutting down anytime soon!Yours,
You Know Who
What it tells you
Two old friends, an ex-squire and a constable, who built a chain of shops together. The letter dates the River Constabulary: it did not exist when these two met, which makes it a young institution rather than an ancient one. The knight and constable squaring up in the street is the same friction A Call for Harmony was written to stop.
Read with
Unsent Letter
Letter, never posted · Faen
Hello, old friend. It's been a long while.
How have you been? I think you'd struggle to believe just what I've been through lately. The people I've seen... No, perhaps "people" is the wrong word...? Whatever. Let me cut to the chase.
Firstly: that special beverage, well, it's real. And it's called "Botilin"! Not only did I manage to get my hands on some, but I soon found its effects are beyond what I'd imagined! I've achieved things previously beyond my reach, and even met with werewolves! Don't you worry, I'm quite safe. My werewolf salesman is good to me, gives me discounts and even shows me things that get my heart racing, to put it lightly. I'm now healthy and happy too; the only problem is, Botilin doesn't last forever. I'm having to drink more and more of it to feel this way. Luckily I've enough to last me for now; and I'm thinking that if I keep drinking it I might just make a full return...!
A werewolf friend of mine is calling me. I'll need to cut this letter short. I should make it to the post office tomorrow, so you'll be receiving this soon.
I'm doing amazingly. I hope you're well too.
Your healthier, happier friend, Faen
What it tells you
Faen names the escalating dose himself, in the middle of insisting he is fine, and signs off as healthier and happier. He says he will reach the post office tomorrow. The letter is in the archive, which means he did not.
Professor's Letter
Letter · A professor, to a former student
My dearest student,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you that, following your graduation, I have taken a new protégé under my wing. Her name is Gucia, and she has recently been assigned a task at the Cathedral of Illumination along Dayfair Way, assisting in the eradication of Metal-Blooded. Given her recent departure from the academy and her limited experience, I hope you, as her senior, might offer guidance and share your valuable worldly knowledge.
Please also bear in mind that your junior possesses a peculiar disposition and is not particularly forthcoming with words. I trust you will exercise patience and understanding.
Professor
What it tells you
A newly graduated student with limited experience is sent to the Cathedral of Illumination to help eradicate Metal-Blooded, and her professor's response is to write to somebody more experienced and ask them to keep an eye on her. Read the cathedral's own records before deciding whether that was an overreaction.
Official Response from the Maid Institute, Society, and Services
Formal reply · Maid Institute, Society, and Services
The first batch of maids has been dispatched. They are combat-ready and are each designated using a three-digit ID.
In regard to the doubts you raised: please rest assured that all MISS maids are certified through a stringent, high-standard assessment. Each exhibits unconditional compliance as per guidelines, following your orders to the letter and to completion without hesitation.
Thank you once again for putting your trust in MISS.
Maid Institute, Society, and Services
What it tells you
Combat-ready, numbered, and sold on unconditional compliance. This is a supplier reassuring a customer who wrote in with doubts, and every reassurance is about obedience rather than skill. Three digits also means the register runs to hundreds.
Resignation Letter
Letter · Romme Thomas, to Skea Healthcare
I am resigning from my position at Skea Healthcare for personal reasons.
I will comply fully with the company's procedures and assist with the handover of my responsibilities to ensure a smooth transition.
I respectfully request your approval of this resignation.
Romme Thomas
What it tells you
Three flat sentences and no reason given. It is the shortest document in this section and the only one where what matters is everything left out, because the rest of the archive has a fair amount to say about what Romme was doing at Skea.
Read with
Red Rose's Invitation
Invitation · Red Rose
Midsummer Night's Ballroom
As the bells toll nine this eve, I await your arrival.
Red Rose
What it tells you
Two lines, a venue, a time and a signature, with no explanation of why you would go. It reads as a summons from somebody confident you already know who they are.
Letter from the Silvernia Royal Academy
Letter · Silvernia Royal Academy, to the Detective
Dear Detective,
Following extensive deliberation and review on behalf of the Academy, I now send you this letter and extend my sincere regards.
We have been observing your recent feats throughout Silvernia, in which you have demonstrated exceptional capabilities in both criminology and detective work. A number of our senior members have officially recognised your great potential.
Since its founding, the Royal Academy has always dedicated itself to the advancement of all kinds of fields of study. We invite top scholars to our ranks, and together, explore uncharted academic territory.
The principles of thorough scholarship and an open dialogue between all are close to our hearts. We therefore warmly welcome young talents to join us.
We are pleased to formally invite you to become a full member of the Royal Academy.
The Academy and I sincerely hope that you will accept this invitation and contribute to Silvernia's academic future. We look forward to hearing from you.
Silvernia Royal Academy
What it tells you
The phrase to sit with is "we have been observing your recent feats throughout Silvernia". An institution that never appears in person has been keeping track of the detective's cases closely enough to make an offer.
Read with
Letter from Firtho
Letter · Firtho, to the Detective
Dear Detective,
Since finishing the last case several days ago, I have had my hands quite full at the clinic. Hence the delay in writing to you.
A thought came to me earlier today: It was I who hired you for the case, in the first place. Now it's done with, I believe I owe you your commission fee. What do you typically charge?
On a separate but similar note, you've also yet to pay me for my services as your "assistant", so to speak. Specifically, you haven't given me any compensation for that matter with the closet...
How about you visit the clinic as soon as you get a chance, and we can discuss all this in person?
The sooner the better. Otherwise, you'll get wrapped up in a new case, and probably forget the payment for that along with this one, too.
Also, Alf mentioned she'd prepare me a new chocolate cake...
She specifically said it was for me. I see no cake, as of yet. You're... not eating my cake, are you?
Well, I shall allow you one day from the time you receive this letter to bring me the cake. Whole, and undamaged. Or else... I'll consider it was stealing from a client. Which isn't what you want. I shall be waiting for you at the Corner Clinic.
Your (irreplaceable) assistant, Firtho
What it tells you
A letter that opens as an invoice, admits halfway through that the invoice is a pretext, and closes by threatening legal action over a cake. The unexplained "matter with the closet" is left exactly as unexplained as Firtho intends it to be.
Alf's Pancake Note
Note · Alf, to the Detective
Dear Detective
Alf's learned how to make pancakes! Come to the kitchen, please!
Alf's baked tasty, fluffy pancakes for you, Master!
Yours Tasty, Alf
What it tells you
Alf writes about Alf in the third person and signs off "Yours Tasty". Set it beside the handover note that says she cannot read yet, and beside the memo about the register, and the cheerfulness starts doing something else.
Read with
In Memory of Head Chef Alex
Memorial notice · Five Silvernia businesses
Dedicated to Head Chef Alex.
Jon's Pizza
Willie's Teas and Coffees
Memoir Bar, Sunday Lounge
897 Roastery
Pierre's Kitchen
...
Year in, year out, you've made life and each meal that much better.
What it tells you
Five businesses put their names to this, which is a map of Silvernia's food trade as much as a memorial. Jon's Pizza is the one to notice: it turns up in a factory worker's letter as the treat he is saving for.
Notices and signage
The largest group, and the one that shows you how Silvernia is actually governed: by rulebooks, rotas, posted orders and hazard signs. The constabulary, the Royal Navy, a mining conglomerate, a factory, a hospital and a gang all issue notices here, and several of them are giving orders to the same people.
Notice of Appointment
Official notice · The Royal Navy
The Royal Navy hereby appoints a Superintendent, trained in military discipline, to assume supervisory authority over the River Constabulary. This measure is enacted in response to the force's unsatisfactory rate of case resolution, which has fallen short of its founding mandate. The officer in command is to ensure that this notice is read aloud and circulated to all personnel upon receipt.
What it tells you
This is the paperwork behind Rex. The Navy does not reinforce the constabulary, it installs an officer above it, and the stated reason is the force's poor clear-up rate. Every later clash between Rex and the detective traces back to these four sentences, including the order that the notice be read aloud to everyone, which is how you humiliate a department rather than help it.
A Call for Harmony
Internal circular · River Constabulary
This message goes out to all our colleagues in the River Constabulary, and its subdivisions too:
In recent days, anonymous reports have come in alleging that a number of our constables have come into conflict with the Order of the Tide, resulting in brawls and other unbecoming conduct.
Both the Order of the Tide and the Royal Navy serve as arms of Her Majesty the Queen. We perform similar roles in society, and we must work and coexist in harmony. As friends, not foes.
River Constabulary
What it tells you
Street-level friction between the constabulary and the Order of the Tide, the knightly order Gratia belongs to, is bad enough to need a written order to stop fighting. The circular also confirms the chain of command: both bodies answer to the Queen, which is why neither can simply overrule the other.
River Constabulary Public Notice
Public notice · River Constabulary
Watch for Siphon thieves, or bid farewell to your riches!
As of late, Silvernia has been plagued by a new kind of thievery. The culprits are believed to sever Siphons from their victims by various means, then extract Silverium and other valuables.
We therefore solemnly remind all citizens to remain vigilant. In crowded places such as the Gourmet Market, always keep a watchful eye on your Siphons. Do not remove or set them aside carelessly while eating.
Help us help you in safeguarding your belongings. Should you witness a theft, contact a constable immediately, and we shall do our utmost to set matters right.
Signed: River Constabulary
What it tells you
This is the clearest in-game description of a Siphon: something a citizen wears or carries, that holds Silverium and valuables, and that a thief has to physically sever to steal. It also puts a name to a public location, the Gourmet Market, and shows the constabulary reduced to warning people rather than catching anyone.
Memo From the Archive Constable
Private memo · An archive constable
That new Superintendent is a right piece of work...
Duty inspections every day. Daily discipline drills. Now even safe combinations have to be "standardised".
I just used the same old combination for five years. Could open it with my eyes shut. But now? New combinations every month.
Last month's was 0721, the founding date of the Constabulary. But what was this month's, again...?
Spent half the day digging through the regulations manual before I found the damn combination.
It is the date that the archives were established, 1209.
Better write it down in case I forget.
1209
1209
1209
There, that should do it. I'm bound to remember it now.
What it tells you
A security policy that generates its own breach. The combinations are derived from dates printed in the regulations manual, so they are guessable, and the rotation forced the man guarding the archive to write the current one down three times on a piece of paper he then left in the archive.
Rogue Wanted Notice
Wanted notice · Unattributed
This thief is wanted for repeated break-ins to private residences and public exhibition spaces alike. The substantial value of the items they have stolen aside, their antics have encouraged copycat behaviour among the populace. As such, they are to be considered a threat to both public order and authority within this city.
SUSPECT: Picatrix
What it tells you
The stated charge is theft. The stated grievance is that other people have started copying. Whoever wrote this cared more about the authority being embarrassed than about the property, and said so in the same sentence.
Royal Bank Services Guide
Customer instructions · Royal Bank
I. Ascertain Nature of Business
- If this is your first visit to Royal Bank, please approach Counter Three.
- If not, please proceed to Counter Three to confirm your details have been registered.
- If you are unsure which applies to you, please approach Counter Four for assistance.
II. Verify Eligibility
- New visitors confirmed as eligible customers must proceed from Counter Three to Counter One, and provide their details.
- Return visitors with incomplete details must proceed from Counter Three to Counter Two, and provide them in full.
- Once you have provided any additional materials required at Counter Two, proceed to Counter Three for confirmation.
Note: It is essential that you provide confirmation at Counter Three before proceeding.III. Finalise Your Materials
- All materials must be confirmed as complete and finalised by the counter located upstairs.
- Those with incomplete materials must return to Counter Two.
- Once your materials are complete, please return to Counter One and confirm your registration status.
What it tells you
A joke document with a straight face: every path routes you back through Counter Three, and the final step sends you to Counter One to confirm something Counter Three already confirmed. Both branches of step I send you to the same counter, so even the "if you are unsure" clause is redundant.
Bank Clerk Schedules
Annotated observation notes · Unattributed
The bank's busiest every Tuesday, for essentially the whole day, and on Friday afternoons. That is when security is tightest: those times are best avoided!
Staff working evenings depart at 20:00 on the dot each day. However, they're a vigilant bunch. I don't believe the cover of night is a feasible opportunity, either.
(Note: I tried stalking one of them for all of two minutes. They looked back over their shoulder a good twenty times!)
The clerks switch shifts each day at 11:30. That's when security in the main lobby is the most lax, and potentially the best time to move...
(Note: We should have our fifth-in-command head in in the morning, pretending to need some bank matters sorted. He stays until the afternoon shift change, when we charge in, he'll take control from inside, and boom, perfect!)
The woman with a morning shift on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays is to be avoided. Has eyes like a hawk!
(Note: Just an update; she's resigned now. Don't need to worry about her.)
What it tells you
Two people wrote this. One did the surveillance, the other added the notes in brackets, and the bracketed voice is the one making the plan. The last note is the coldest thing in it: the only member of staff sharp enough to be a problem has left, and nobody says why.
United Vormentum Works Employee Code of Conduct
Company rulebook · United Vormentum Works
To ensure efficiency, order, and safety, UVW requires all employees to fully understand and adhere to the following:
Any employee late to start once the shift bell has been rung will be considered as failing to perform their duty.
You are not to abandon your post without explicit permission. Violations will be considered a dereliction of duty.
Those working night shifts must attend to their duties according to the rota sheet.
Disclosing any factory information to third parties is strictly forbidden. UVW will prosecute all those found in violation of this in a court of law for commercial espionage.
Proceed to the infirmary for treatment in the event of physical discomfort, or seek Dr Romme in the Skea Private Hospital. All other hospitals or private consultations are forbidden.
Removing company property from the premises is strictly prohibited.
Unless granted permission, you are not to bring any third parties onto workshop premises.
All orders from supervisors and foremen are to be rigorously followed. Defying such orders will result in severe punishment.
What it tells you
Rule five is the hinge of this whole section of the archive. A worker who falls ill may see the company infirmary or Romme, and nobody else, ever. Rule four then makes talking about the factory a prosecutable offence, which means the only person who can legally hear what the work is doing to you is the one doctor the company chose.
Sorting Apparatus Safety Notice
Safety notice · Unattributed
Perform checks prior to operation: confirm there are no blockages in the output area or splits in conveyor belts, and that all bolts and rivets are secure.
Once switched on, add material ONLY once you have confirmed that the apparatus is running with full stability.
Any ties, scarves, chains, or other loose clothing must be removed before using the apparatus.
Immediately report to the nearest team leader in the event that machinery shakes or produces sounds beyond those expected during regular use.
What it tells you
Rule three tells you what this machine does to a person. Every instruction here is written to be followed by somebody who has already been hurt once, or has watched it happen.
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Infirmary Notice Board
Notice board · United Vormentum Works Infirmary
United Vormentum Works Infirmary
Attending Doctor: Romme
Smallpox & Measles Vaccinations
Flu, Plague, Dysentery Treatments
Please queue in an orderly fashion and enter one at a time. Do not push, run, or raise your voice.
What it tells you
Plague and dysentery are on the board as routine services. Romme is the attending doctor here as well as at Skea, which is how one man ends up being the only medicine available to an entire workforce.
Skea Private Hospital Rota
Staff rota · Skea Private Hospital
Monday
Dr Corinne 201
Dr Piper 202
Dr Romme 301 (Cover: Dr Pierce)
Tuesday
Dr Corinne 201
Dr Seid 203
Dr Romme 301 (Cover: Dr Piper)
Wednesday
Dr Corinne 201
Dr Romme 301
Dr Piper 202
What it tells you
Corinne is in 201 every day and Romme is in 301 every day, but only Romme's name carries a cover doctor, and the cover changes. Somebody was expecting him to be called away.
Skea Private Hospital Clinic Guidelines
Posted guidelines · Skea Private Hospital
Clinic Guidelines
New patient registration and clinic services are available Monday to Friday, mornings only. Fill in a medical history form and submit it to the front desk.
Please remain seated in the waiting room until called by a nurse. We ask that you speak only at a volume considerate to others around you.
If you have an official document or a referral letter from Dr Romme, please inform a nurse or Dr Romme himself.
...
What it tells you
Rule three is the one that matters. A referral from Romme is handled differently from an ordinary arrival, and the person you are told to tell is Romme. Mornings only, five days a week, is also not much clinic for a city this size.
Skea Private Hospital: Prescriptions
Prescription record · Skea Private Hospital
Ointment, Flaxseed Oil: Apply to burns. External application only.
Recipient: Annie (Labourer)
Itching Salve: Apply topically to relieve symptoms.
Recipient: Madam Diane
Pine Tar: Apply to affected areas to soothe ulcers.
Recipient: Terry (Labourer)
...
What it tells you
Two of the three recipients have their occupation recorded and the third has an honorific. Burns and ulcers for the labourers, an itching salve for Madam Diane. The record keeps the class of the patient next to the complaint, and the complaints sort by class.
Planned Outage Notice
Public notice · United Mining Industry
In light of pressure relief valves and piping's age and wear, it is hereby decided that, starting on the third day of this month, the Central Toroid shall undergo a maintenance and pressure stress testing process lasting seven days in total. Toroid Spine is a cornerstone of Silvernian architecture, and its smooth operation is made possible thanks to UMI's attentive upkeep. During this maintenance period, power in the Toroid Spine area will be turned off from 23:00 to 03:00. We ask that residents make ample preparations for these scheduled outages, so as to minimise any disruption.
"We wait amid the darkness, that tomorrow we may usher in a brighter, shimmering light."
We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and look forward to sharing the new and improved Central Toroid with you all.
United Mining Industry
What it tells you
Planned maintenance, ageing valves, seven days, four hours of darkness a night. Nothing here is a lie. Read it again after the internal statement and the word "planned" is doing an enormous amount of work.
Statement From Middle Management
Internal statement · United Mining Industry, middle management
Following the pressure relief valves' rupture at the Central Toroid and the subsequent Silverillia spillage, we have successfully contained and controlled the initial crisis during Phase I. A summary of our strategic public relations outcomes is detailed below:
While the leak in question constituted a major industrial safety incident, we managed to successfully divert public attention towards a romanticised, extraterrestrial narrative by working with academia, cultural media, and grassroots organisations. Consequently, the escaped Silverillia resulting from the leak have been widely embraced by the general public as a mysterious "entity" from outer space.
With this, a major industrial crisis that could have shattered our corporate reputation has been effectively erased. The inspiring narrative of an otherworldly event has gone on to enrich Silvernia's cultural landscape and the mental well-being of its residents. This flawless, win-win operation is a prime example of the corporate responsibility expected of an industry leader like UMI.
Currently, both public opinion and the official investigation are moving exactly according to plan. Please advise if you have any new directives.
What it tells you
A confession written as a performance review. The valves ruptured, Silverillia escaped, and the response was to buy academia, the press and community groups and sell the city a visitation. The last line is the important one: the official investigation is moving according to plan, which means it is theirs.
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Danger
Hazard sign · Unattributed
DANGER
Untreated equipment and large quantities of Silverium residue inside.
ENTER AT YOUR OWN PERIL!
What it tells you
Twelve words, and the only document in the archive that tells you plainly what untreated Silverium residue is worth avoiding. Nobody signed it.
Gang Announcement
Posted order · A gang boss
Everyone is to keep their eyes peeled! Maintain a close watch upon the area in front of the bridge!
That rascal's made off with two Botilin shipments now. Well I'm not letting him flee across the bridge amid the chaos, no way!
As soon as you catch sight of him, tie him up, and bring him to me!
Preferably alive, but I'll take his body too. Either's fine!
Boss
What it tells you
Two shipments gone is enough to post a public order and set a watch on a bridge. The last line establishes what Botilin is worth to the people moving it, and the word "chaos" suggests the thief is using something already happening as cover.
Security Personnel Wanted
Job advertisement · Unattributed
Looking for long-term security personnel. Applicants must be proficient with Reactor weaponry and prepared to combat werewolves.
Generous wages and benefits offered, including complimentary in-store meals upon hire!
(Please bring your combat Reactor license with you when applying.)
What it tells you
"In-store meals" and "long-term" put this in a shop or a restaurant rather than a security firm. A licensing regime for combat Reactors also exists, which this is the clearest evidence of anywhere in the archive.
New Assistant Handover Procedures
Handover note · Lorin, to the Detective
Detective,
I've taken care of the maid's handover procedures for you.
Given the girl's not quite literate yet, I've handled the documentation for her for now. She's moved into the Detective's Office, and I'm unable to accompany her, so it'd be best that you return as soon as possible to help her settle in.
Also, if you've decided to have her stay, you might want to bring her a gift.
Lorin
What it tells you
She cannot read, so somebody else filled in her paperwork. Hold that against the supplier's letter claiming every maid is certified through a stringent assessment, and against the memo about the register.
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Club Recruitment Notice
School notice · Bridgehead Primary
The bells of the new school year ring out loud and clear. And with their peals, there sounds the call for recruitment: Bridgehead Primary's clubs are accepting new members!
Book Club
Say farewell to required reading lists; fun, stories, and sharing are what we're all about!Choir
Join together in song, giving wonder a voice!Art Club
Sketch the world before you, and paint the visions of your mind's eye within.(Scrawled below, in a messy hand:) The Paranormal Society! You know what we're about, come join us!
What it tells you
Names a school, Bridgehead Primary, and ends with an unsanctioned fourth club added by hand. The Paranormal Society is not on the official list and does not explain itself, which in a city with werewolves, harpies, and a "Silverium curse" is either a children's joke or the only club paying attention.
Pamphlets and advertising
What Silvernia sells itself, and how. Department store directories, fashion and jewellery brochures, trade fair posters, riddles printed for children, and one pamphlet advertising a drink that turns people into something else. The lightest reading in the archive sits beside the darkest, because both were written by marketing departments.
Explore the Quadric Emporium with Grandad McBarley
Store directory · Grandad McBarley
Friends, one and all, young and old! I, Grandad McBarley, invite you all to the Quadric Emporium! Listen up, and I'll tell you where everything is. It might save you a little trouble, eh?
On the ground floor we have Solferino (Flagship Shop), Randin's Secret Scents, La Maison Lestaire, and of course the "Wishing Well" Silverium Reactor Market.
Up on the first floor, we've got Scholars' Retreat, McBarley Toys, Hearts and Arrows, Cocoa Confectioner, Snowland Ark, and Oak & Gold, or "O & G" to the regulars!You're sure to find something that tickles your fancy in each shop. So don't rush, and don't fret, just wander where the will takes you.
Here's to all the fun and excitement that await with each visit!
What it tells you
A complete floor plan of the Quadric Emporium, ten shops across two floors, narrated by the man whose name is on the toy store. Note the "Wishing Well" Silverium Reactor Market sitting on the ground floor between a perfume shop and a fashion house: reactors are sold retail here, alongside sweets and toys.
Grandad McBarley's Riddles (II)
Riddle card · Grandad McBarley
A neat little brick, perfectly square,
Slipped in a pocket and hidden away there.
Warm in your palm, it melts in distress,
Slipping away in a dark, gooey mess.
Close your eyes now,
A hint of bitter, a hint of sweet,
Piece after piece, a lasting treat.
What it tells you
Chocolate, and the same chocolate a small boy apologises for getting on a chef's hat. The riddles are a confectionery brand's advertising, which is why they are written to be read aloud to a child in a shop.
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Grandad McBarley's Riddles (III)
Riddle card · Grandad McBarley
The eyes of the earth round and bright,
Catching a fallen fragment of moonlight.
Close your eyes tight, no peeking allowed,
Whisper the secret three times aloud.
What it tells you
Unlike the second riddle, this one does not resolve on its own. "The eyes of the earth" catching fallen moonlight, and an instruction to whisper something three times, is a wishing well or something being sold as one.
Grandad McBarley's Riddles (IV)
Riddle card · Grandad McBarley
One, two, up on your toes,
Look up to see where the high path goes.
You want to whisper a secret or two,
But you search and you search, where's the ear gone to?
Well, look at that! A round, fluffy thing, soft as down,
Is covering its ears, playing hide-and-seek around town.
What it tells you
A secret whispered into an ear that is not there, and something fluffy covering its ears instead. Read beside the third riddle, the pair are both about telling something a secret, which is an odd thing for a sweet shop to keep coming back to.
Solferino Brochure
Fashion brochure · Solferino
Solferino Spring Collection Finery
Fallen Moon: The cold beauty of fleeting eternity, a glamour that lives on beyond the grave.
Night Hunter: Amid countless flowers, only you truly bloom.
Windswept Wonder: Simplicity that lives on in legend. Become the princess you are inside.
What it tells you
Three named outfits from the flagship fashion house on the Emporium's ground floor. The copy is doing what Silvernian advertising does throughout the collection: selling gothic imagery, graves and night hunters, as aspirational glamour.
Hearts and Arrows Brochure
Jewellery brochure · Hearts and Arrows
Stand Out in Style
Hearts and Arrows: Tanzanite, Gold Opal, Amphibole, and More
There's more jewellery than Silverium. Find the gem for you!
What it tells you
A jeweller positioning itself against Silverium rather than with it. "There's more jewellery than Silverium" only works as a sales pitch in a city where Silverium is the default thing to wear, which tells you how saturated the market is.
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Voicepipe Cafe: Complimentary Pamphlet
Cafe pamphlet · Voicepipe Cafe
Our signature cups: Beakers. Wide-mouth jars. Slender-necked flasks.
For the true enthusiast, we also offer our Siphon Service Set! Perfect for display at home or for travel, and a refined way to signal both taste and learning.
What it tells you
The Voicepipe Cafe on Morgue Street serves drinks in laboratory glassware and sells a Siphon Service Set as a status object. Put beside the constabulary's theft warning, it shows both ends of the same object: a Siphon is valuable enough to advertise as refinement and valuable enough to be cut off you in a crowd.
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New at the Trade Fair Poster
Advertising poster · New Silverium Trade Fair
New Silverium Trade Fair
Fine goods cast high-purity Silverium.
Stable in performance and of a gleaming lustre, they're easy on the wallet yet perfect for the rapid pace of modern society.
Next-generation temperature regulation tech ensures every Silverium piece is built to a suitable hardness, resilience, and sheen.
For stability and reliability is, in itself, an art.
What it tells you
The industrial side of the argument: cast Silverium, made cheap and consistent by temperature regulation technology. Read it against the Craft Exhibition poster below, which is selling the exact opposite. The pair are the two halves of a live commercial fight over how Silverium should be made.
Silverium Craft Exhibition Poster
Advertising poster · Silverium Craft Exhibition
Silverium Craft Exhibition
From raw Silverium to finished product, every piece has undergone a rigorous, 37-step procedure.
A metallic shine like this is crafted, not cast.
True resilience is tempered by hand, not by machine.
The true shine and warmth that Silverium's known for awaits you.
And brilliance aside, you're bound to see several items that boast ultra efficiency, too.
What it tells you
"Crafted, not cast" and "tempered by hand, not by machine" are direct rebuttals of the Trade Fair poster's pitch. The 37-step figure is the only hard number the collection gives for Silverium processing.
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Fair Prize List
Prize list · Trade Fair organisers
First Place: The Latest Quadric Emporium Reactor
For 1 lucky winner.
Second Place: Custom Hearts and Arrows Jewellery (Couples' Edition)
For 1 lucky winning couple.
Third Place: Trade Fair Discount Voucher
For 10 lucky winners.
Please Note: Vouchers cannot be exchanged for Ounces.
What it tells you
A Reactor is a raffle prize, which says a good deal about how ordinary they have become. The small print at the bottom names the currency and quietly admits somebody already tried.
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The Queen's Arts Festival: A Quadric Emporium Special
Event programme · Quadric Emporium
Queen Mary is undoubtedly one of Silvernia's noblest pioneers. In her honour, the Quadric Emporium shall be working together with the royal estate to hold the Queen's Arts Festival, featuring numerous fine events.
Event I - Queen Mary's Wonders: Rising Stars
Who says portraits of Her Majesty should be hung only in the solemn corridors of the city hall?
Not us! We'll be exhibiting works by young rising artists and artisans for all to see! If you've the makings of a master artisan, we invite you to contribute your sketches too: the most well-received shall be made into a postcard series!
Event II - Years of the Pioneers: Costume Theatre
In this event, anyone can be a mighty pioneer, a hero from years past.
We welcome one and all to dress up as legends from the history books; perhaps a chivalrous knight loyal to Queen Mary, or even the Queen in her younger years, if you wish. No matter who you choose, you're invited to take to the stage and tell us of your favourite moments from Silvernian history.
Let your creativity shine as you honour great pioneers that made our city what it is today!
We at the Quadric Emporium look forward to seeing you there.
What it tells you
A department store co-hosting a royal commemoration with the royal estate, and turning the Queen into a costume and a postcard range. The academic essay elsewhere in the archive spends fourteen hundred characters on what Queen Mary's later years were actually like.
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Botilin Pamphlet
Advertising pamphlet · Unattributed
Soft, velvety tails. Trembling ears, begging to be stroked.
What are you waiting for? Pleasure beyond the human experience awaits...
Botilin. It's the right choice.
What it tells you
Three lines of copy that sell the transformation as the product. No dosage, no ingredients, no seller, and nothing about what happens afterwards. Everything this pamphlet leaves out is written down elsewhere in the archive by the people it worked on.
Wonder Squad's Magnum Opus
Photograph caption · Unattributed
This stands as perhaps the most valuable piece of photography in Silvernian history. Yet its significance does not stop there: it's also a wondrous record of the young Wonder Squad, a tribute to their journey.
Nobody could have foreseen that this photo would capture extraterrestrial life by Central Toroid, soaring through the air past a building. And yet it did just that; hence, it's the first complete record of alien life in Silvernia.
What it tells you
Note the location. The most celebrated photograph in the city's history shows something in the air beside the Central Toroid, which is the structure whose relief valves ruptured. The caption calls it the first complete record of alien life and nobody involved appears to have checked.
Notes and ephemera
Scraps: a journal, a torn memo, a patient file, six notes off a gang's floor, a burial register and a hymn. Nothing here was written to be published and most of it was written to be thrown away. It is also where the archive keeps the things it is least willing to say out loud.
Journal Notebook
Private journal · An unnamed constable
I can't bear to see her, even if only in pictures.
Everyone calls her a hero, says she sacrificed herself for her comrades. A worthy constable deserving of great recognition!
Fine, but what of me? Who will save me, and the life I've lost?…
Today I was moving my things into the dorms, and came across this notebook.
It's almost funny, how in my youth I hated the police force so. Yet now, here I stand, reporting for duty.
My father argued with me this morning, saying he cannot understand how I'd join a force I hated only years prior… There's nothing hard to understand about it at all. I merely wish to see what it was that she considered so important… More important than her own life.…
I don't get it.
There are those who are drawn by great ambition. Others, by the pressures of reality… What about me? Am I here simply for some elusive answer to it all?…
Blood…! The deputy lost so much blood! It's a blessing that he was treated in time, saving his arm.
The dust has long settled, and yet, I cannot push that image from my mind: the moment he stood in harm's way, blocking the blade.
They shouldn't be alike… Hell, they're not even the same gender, and yet… In that moment, he reminded me of the figure in that photo, one I'd glanced at as a child long ago. Of her.
Mother, I… I think I'm starting to understand now.
I found her badge among a pile of old possessions. I've set it high on top of the dorms now, facing out to the constabulary's front gates.
What it tells you
Four journal entries spanning years, from a child resenting a mother who died on duty to a constable who finally understands why she did it. The turning point is watching a deputy take a blade for someone else. The last line, the badge set above the dorms facing the gates, is the setup for the next document.
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Letterhead
Note · The journal's author
Work was what my mother cared for most in her life. I've set her police badge right here, facing the front gates. She'd… be happy, I think.
What it tells you
The payoff to the Journal Notebook, and the shorter of the pair. If you find this one first it reads as a small memorial; read second, it is the same person finally saying out loud what the journal only circled around.
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Anonymous Intel
Intercepted correspondence · Source redacted
"Source: [REDACTED]
We're fully aware of the target's movements now. Do we make our move?Approved. Lie low, and await the right moment.
Source: [REDACTED]
We possess information on three secret bases.
The target's movements over the next three days have been confirmed.
Do we strike?Approved. Lie low, and await the right moment.
Source: [REDACTED]
Our records of the target's movements, hideouts, and recent confidants are complete.Requesting approval for immediate action!
…"
What it tells you
Three escalating requests, two identical refusals, and then the exchange cuts off. Neither the target nor the organisation is named, and the redactions are part of the document rather than damage to it. What it does establish is patience: whoever is giving orders is content to sit on complete intelligence and wait.
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Open Notebook Page
Notebook page · Unattributed
That safe I ordered has finally arrived. Now I need worry no longer about every grubby passerby who might get ideas about my property. Once today's work is done, I shall take a proper look at it. First order of business: changing the default combination.
What it tells you
A safe, a resolution to change the default combination, and a page left open on a desk where anyone could read it. Whether the combination was ever changed is not recorded here.
Torn-Up Memo
Memo, torn · Unattributed
"...There is no Maid No. 49 registered with the Maid Institute, Society, and Services."
What it tells you
One line, and somebody tore it up. Set against a supplier's letter insisting every maid is certified, numbered and assessed, this is the shortest and sharpest thing in the archive.
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Proposal
Internal proposal · Unattributed
Extended exposure to fumes has been leading to worker illness. Skilled staff are left unable to work after mere months...
In the interests of cost efficiency, basic medical treatment facilities should be introduced to minimise this issue.
What it tells you
Two sentences that explain why the infirmary exists. Not because people were being poisoned, but because training a replacement costs more than treating the one you have. The word "skilled" is doing the arguing.
Rachel's Patient File
Patient file · Diagnosis: Romme
Name: Rachel.
Sex: Female.
Height: 167 cm.
Weight: 53 kg.
Symptoms: Pulmonary oedema, rhabdomyolysis, bacterial infection, heavy metal poisoning (new).
Advised Treatment: Administer Solution 0, prepare for disposal.
Diagnosis: Romme.
What it tells you
Her lungs are filling, her muscle tissue is breaking down, and the heavy metal poisoning is marked as a new finding rather than the cause. Then the treatment line, which is not a treatment. "Solution 0" is named nowhere else in the archive, and the word after it is disposal.
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Shakily-Written Note
Note left behind · A Morgue Street gang
I just need to grab a couple more people for experiments... And we shall become the greatest gang on Morgue Street!
What it tells you
The ambition, stated plainly, with the cost of it in the first half of the sentence.
Bloodstained Note
Note left behind · A Morgue Street gang
Perhaps we should feed it something else. Can't keep bleeding everyone dry, after all. The experiments' success rate is too low... Never mind werewolves, even werehounds are a rare sight.
What it tells you
Establishes the hierarchy the gang is working towards: werewolves above werehounds, and the gang unable to reliably produce either. "Feed it" is the phrase to sit with, because nothing in the six notes says what "it" is.
Slightly Musty Note
Note left behind · A Morgue Street gang
Perhaps we ought to take a leaf out of the neighbouring gang's book: package the blood and sell it as drinks? I'm not sure how successful the mutations'll be, but at least we'll have some money in our pockets...
What it tells you
This is the one that connects the notes to the pamphlet. A neighbouring gang is already bottling blood and selling it as a drink, and this gang is considering copying them for the cash rather than the results.
Scratch-Marked Note
Note left behind · A Morgue Street gang
Just think about it, would you?! If we boost our experiments' success rate, we'll be the most powerful gang for miles around in no time. Forget Glutton, even the Crag Edgers won't be a problem for us then, eh?
What it tells you
Two rival names, Glutton and the Crag Edgers, and the ranking implied by "forget Glutton, even the Crag Edgers". Somebody is arguing with a colleague who has doubts.
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Stained Note
Note left behind · A Morgue Street gang
We're still short on Glutton's Metal-Blooded payment this month. Aren't there any werehounds left over from the experiments...? I'd rather not use our own people to make up for it, to be honest...
What it tells you
Glutton is owed Metal-Blooded monthly, as tribute, and the gang pays in whatever the experiments produced. When there is a shortfall, the alternative on the table is their own members. "I'd rather not" is as close as these notes get to a conscience.
Crumpled Note
Note left behind · A Morgue Street gang
This batch of experiment subjects is simply too weak. None could handle the mutation; we need to get a hold of some that are stronger. That, or figure out some way to distribute the blood on a wider scale.
What it tells you
The two options, written side by side: take stronger people, or distribute the blood widely and let volume solve it. The archive contains the pamphlet for the second option.
Stock Records
Stock ledger · Unattributed
10th: Blue Mountain, 10 cases; south Gravelkin.
12th: Purple Paste, 10 cases; south Gravelkin.
20th: Polyred, 20 cases; north Felix.
24th: Purple Paste, 20 cases; south Gravelkin.
27th: Polyred, 40 cases; north Felix.
27th: Blue Mountain, 10 cases; south Gravelkin.
...
What it tells you
Three colour-named goods moving out of two places, south Gravelkin and north Felix, in volumes that double across the month. Polyred goes from 20 cases to 40 in a week. Whatever this is a ledger for, demand for it was climbing fast.
Werehound's Journal
Private journal · A patient
The 9th
Mum brought me more of that drink today. It still reeked like dead fish.
I took a sip, just barely managing not to throw up. Mum was overjoyed and I couldn't help but smile too.
Mum's ever so pretty. I wish she'd smile like that more often.
The 12th
Mum brought that disgusting drink again. This time I gulped down half a cup in one go, right in front of her.
It didn't smell as bad this time. Mum says if I keep this up, I'll be able to leave the hospital soon.
...
The 18th
It's been a few days now. My tail and my head won't stop itching. I want to scratch them so badly, but Mum won't let me, she says I'll claw my scalp open.
But that's not right... how could I have a tail? Odd. I must not have got enough sleep last night...
I think I'm due for more of that drink tonight. I've had this bizarre sweet taste in my mouth recently.
...
The 26th
The itch, it's absolutely maddening.
Why won't Mum come see me anymore?
I want to see her again. Is she wearing that red dress today? A deep, crimson red... It looks so thirst-quenching.
Ah... Maybe if I drank her, like that weird liquid...
Perhaps that would stop this awful itch
What it tells you
Four entries and seventeen days. The child is in a hospital, the drink is being brought in by their mother, and the promise attached to it is going home. By the 18th they have a tail and talk themselves out of noticing. The last entry has no full stop, and the reason it does not is the worst thing in this collection.
Saint Brigitte's Final Testament
Testament · A Beam of Radiance, for You Alone
That saint, radiant as the morning star, gave her final testimony amidst the flames. We all remember her expression as she marched to the scaffold, a transformation so incredible: first, pain and panic, tears flowing as any mortal would shed, like a maiden whose innocence was wronged beyond measure. Then her expression shifted... What truly occurred? We are certain she was touched by divine revelation!
Her face bore no fear of death, only a serenity beyond words, as though she had already glimpsed the glory that lies beyond mortality...
......
Following her martyrdom, the Order of Saints' situation grew ever more precarious. The forebearers were compelled to abandon most of Silvernia's churches, concentrating instead on this last sanctuary along Dayfair Way. Though intended as a temporary measure, the Saint Society has, even to this day, remained confined to this corner, steadily declining...
........................
........................
What troubles me most is that, since the Order withdrew to the Cathedral of Illumination, successive bishops and abbesses have served extraordinarily brief terms. A review of the records reveals outcomes most harrowing: some plummeted from towers in the dead of night, others drowned in mysterious circumstances, and others still were taken by sudden illness. All appear as mere accidents on the surface, and yet the striking similarity of these fates makes it impossible to dismiss them as coincidence...
I often ponder these coincidences in the dead of night, becoming ever more convinced that some hidden hand is at work. Though conclusive proof eludes me, the feeling of unseen eyes never fades. I write this in the hope that those who come after may stay vigilant. The dangers we face run far deeper than they appear...
........................
May the light of the sun shine upon all who read this testament.
A Beam of Radiance, for You Alone
What it tells you
The writer describes a public burning as a miracle and then, several paragraphs later, works out that the people in charge of the building keep dying. They get as far as noticing the pattern and naming the feeling of being watched, and no further. The cemetery records are the proof they say eludes them.
Internal Cemetery Records (Excerpt)
Burial register · Cathedral of Illumination
Saint Ogles. Male, worked as a bishop; fell to his death from a tower. Interred in the Cathedral of Illumination Cemetery.
Saint Susanna. Female, worked as an abbess; drowned in bath. Interred in the Cathedral of Illumination Cemetery.
Saint Lorien. Male, worked as a bishop; burnt to death. Interred in the Cathedral of Illumination Cemetery.
Saint Anezka. Female, worked as an abbess; death records missing. Archive now sealed.
Saint Sturm. Male, worked as a bishop; died from cardiac arrest. Interred in the Cathedral of Illumination Cemetery.
Saint Luzia. Female, worked as an abbess; missing (presumed deceased). Archive now sealed.
Saint Baston. Male, worked as a bishop; died from sudden illness. Interred in the Cathedral of Illumination Cemetery.
Note: Some records are incomplete.
What it tells you
Seven entries, alternating bishop and abbess, and the causes match the testament exactly: the tower, the drowning, the sudden illness. Two entries break the pattern. Anezka's death record is missing and Luzia was never found, and those are the only two archives sealed. The hymn elsewhere in this section is signed by an Abbess Saint Lucia; the register spells hers Luzia. Both spellings are reproduced as they appear.
A Cryptic Hymn
Hymn · Abbess Saint Lucia
White terror treads beneath the moon, unseen,
Seeking vessels pure, and holy hearts serene;
From blessed hands it reaps both blood and bone,
And stains the statue, spotless, still as a stone.
When star-paths at heaven's appointed crossing meet,
Constellations fall in fated beat;
Blood and bone shall stir within the saint's hollow,
From which a work of darkness, wrought of despair, shall follow
And rise again beneath the full moon.
...
...
O watch that shall follow me into the earth below,
Engraved with truth unveiled, and dread curse entwined.
Clasp it not within thy hand,
Nor mark the hours by its silent sand.
Bring it not beneath the statue's shade
When stars assume their stations, arrayed.
Lest, when the heavens stand aright,
The slumbering calamity wakes in might.
Abbess Saint Lucia
What it tells you
Not a hymn so much as a set of instructions written by somebody who expected to be buried with the object in question. A statue, a hollow that takes blood and bone from the clergy, and an alignment of stars that wakes what is inside it. The Research Department's own summary describes a hollow statue too, and comes to a commercial conclusion about it.
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Frequently asked questions
What are Classical Curations in Silver Palace?
Classical Curations is the in-game name for Silver Palace’s readable documents: constabulary notices, private letters, shop brochures, company rulebooks, an academic essay and an intercepted intel log. They carry no combat value and exist to fill in Silvernia’s background. This page collects them alongside the rest of the documents you can pick up and read around the city.
How many documents are in the Silver Palace archive?
This page transcribes 73 in full: 11 newspapers and reports, 11 personal letters, 20 notices and signage, 13 pamphlets and advertising, 18 notes and ephemera. More exist in the game than have been transcribed anywhere, so this is not a complete set and does not claim to be.
What happened at Williams Manor in Silver Palace?
The archive holds three separate Silvernia Observer reports under the same headline and they contradict each other. One has Maria Williams dead by self-immolation, her son’s body recovered and his remains missing from the Cathedral of Illumination cemetery, with vampiric experiments suggested. One replaces that with Superintendent Rex promising to close the case by the month’s end. The third has the estate rebuilt with Constabulary help and Maria alive, exhibiting her husband’s manuscripts.
What is Botilin in Silver Palace?
Botilin is a drink sold in Silvernia that turns the people who take it into werehounds. Its pamphlet advertises the tails and ears as the product. A customer’s unsent letter records the dose escalating, gang notes off Morgue Street describe packaging blood and selling it as drinks, and a child’s hospital journal records the change happening over seventeen days.
What is the Soulless Lord in Silver Palace?
A statue in Riverbank Park that moves at night and attacks anything living. An internal research summary says containing it cost three dead and sixteen wounded, that its hollow structure lures a Silverium species the researchers call mermaids, and that a way to control it was found. The committee that followed resolved to mass-produce it through a front company, outside its own employer’s formal framework.
Who is Maid No. 49 in Silver Palace?
Nobody, according to the paperwork. The Maid Institute, Society, and Services writes that every maid it dispatches is certified, combat-ready and carries a three-digit ID. A torn-up memo elsewhere in the archive reads: "There is no Maid No. 49 registered with the Maid Institute, Society, and Services."
What is a Siphon in Silver Palace?
Two documents describe Siphons. The River Constabulary Public Notice warns that thieves sever Siphons from their victims to extract Silverium and other valuables, and the Voicepipe Cafe pamphlet advertises a Siphon Service Set as a display piece. Together they describe a personal item that holds Silverium and doubles as a status symbol.
Who appointed the Superintendent over the River Constabulary?
The Royal Navy did. The Notice of Appointment states that the Navy appoints a Superintendent trained in military discipline to assume supervisory authority over the River Constabulary, citing the force’s unsatisfactory rate of case resolution. That notice is the paperwork behind Rex, who obstructs the detective throughout the story.
Send this to whoever reads every scrap of paper in the game.