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Background

You'll find some curtains on the eastern side of the bookstore in the Doomed Commercial Area (#2). The more you fiddle with them, the more agitated Plaisance (#1), the owner of the bookstore, will become. If you go over to Plaisance and question her about the curtains, then she'll eventually admit that the Doomed Commercial Area is cursed -- "the curse of financial distress," which causes businesses to go bankrupt -- and she'll insist that you stay out of the back room.

If you pass a Drama check with Plaisance, then she'll give you this task, and she'll also give you the key to the warded door (Exit B), which will allow you to explore the rest of the Doomed Commercial Area. If you fail the Drama check, then you'll have to pass a Pain Threshold check to break down the warded door. This will cause you health damage, whether you're successful or not. But if you go through the door and return to Plaisance, then she'll finally relent and give you the task. Either way, Plaisance will warn you that there's an "entity" involved -- a witch who lives in the chimney -- and she'll insist that you seek out this woman for information about the curse.


Walkthrough

Behind the warded door, you'll find several defunct businesses. On Level 3, you'll also find the central furnace (#3). If you can pass a Physical Instrument check, then you'll be able to yell into the furnace, which will cause a woman to open the safety curtains on Level 2 (#4). To make the check easier, you can kick the furnace (which will damage your health) or you can smear soot on your hands and face (which requires Conceptualization).

Past the safety curtains, you'll meet the woman who opened them for you: a novelty dicemaker named Neha (#5). If you ask her, "Hey, where are we anyway?" then you'll unlock dialogue options about the Doomed Commercial Area. When you explore them, Neha will tell you all about the businesses that have gone bankrupt in the building, and you'll learn that they were bad ideas or fronts or mismanaged, but not cursed. She'll also point out that her business and the Whirling-in-Rags (which is technically part of the Doomed Commercial Area) have remained afloat.

When you return to Plaisance (#1), you can tell her any number of things -- that there isn't a curse (she won't believe you), that there was a curse but you've ended it (she'll be thrilled), that some unknown entity is causing the curse (she'll vow to stay vigilant), or that you're still following leads (she'll get mad at you). That is, your answer won't really change anything, but regardless, you'll receive 70 xp for completing the task.


1 - Plaisance


2 - Curtains


3 - Central Furnace


4 - Safety Curtains


5 - Novelty Dicemaker


Exits

1. Exit to Martinaise East.
2. Warded door.
3. Stairs between levels 2 and 3.