Rule of Rose Mysteries

The contents of this post consist of the text and visual description of the documents that can be found in “The Goat Sisters” chapter of the Rule of Rose game.

When examining the documents for yourself, you might want to (in the game options menu) increase the contrast and decrease the noir filter before
loading the game. Please let me know in the comments area for this post if you can discern something about the documents that I don’t describe, or if you see what I describe differently.

The “Goat Sisters” storybook is not included here. It will have its own post, devoted entirely to it, coming up shortly.

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If, at the beginning of the chapter, Jennifer picks up Meg’s pencil and has Brown “find” with it, the first document that Brown will take Jennifer to (in Sector 14 Storage) is called the “Aristocrat Page” as you pick it up and when you look for it in the inventory, but the actual game subtitle for it given is “The Red Crayon Pledge“. The screen image shown for this document does NOT match the text given in the subtitles. The screen image, as one will see when one examines Meg’s notebook later, is actually the table-of-contents page of Meg’s notebook. This seems to be a game flaw. In order to see the correct image for the text that we are given in the subtitles, one must get the document called “Pledge” later from the Cell of Repentance in the orphanage (during “The Funeral” chapter).

Here is the text of the “Aristocrat Page” compared with the visual image of the document “Pledge”:

The document has a black flower-stem border, in the upper corners of which are a red rose (one in each corner).

Top line is in red: “The Red Crayon Pledge”

Next line is in black: “I pledge allegiance to the Prince and Princess”

Next line is in black: “I promise to love thy neighbor.”

Next line in black (there is a drawing to the right of it that looks to me like a bag, leaking blood, suspended from a rope hanging from a frame of some sort): “I shall offer a monthly gift.”

Next line in black (there is some sort of red splotch or red figure to the right of this): “I shall punish the unfaithful.”

Next line in red: “Red Crayon…” (something I can’t read).

The subtitles of the document “Pledge” (from “The Funeral” chapter) leave out the line “I shall punish the unfaithful” and the line written in red beneath it.

~~~

If you continue to use “find” with Meg’s pencil, the next document that Brown will lead you to (found in Sector 13 Lift) is identified when picked up, and when in the inventory, as Stray Dog List. Unlike with the Aristocrat Page, the visual image that we’re given of this document appears to be correct, although this document is very hard to read.

The subtitles of document text we are given are as follows:

Stray Dog’s Notes

The following are notes on the monster Stray Dog, as described to us by the beautiful Princess of the Rose.

He’s big, strong, scarred, loyal, talkative, cleanly, and he kidnaps children who don’t do their chores.

Current Tasks

Stray Dog investigation:

1F Restroom

Gather notes from rumors scribbled on walls: assigned to Susan.

In the visual image of the document, however, the heading appears to me to be something like: “Notes for the (something) Stray Dog“.
And the bottom-most words on the page are “stray dog” with an arrow drawn to show that the word should be inserted into the text higher up in the page. There are some red marks on the document, most of which look to me like red “V”s with the top of each of the arms of the “V” ending in a red dots. I have no idea what the red marks are about.

~~~

Continuing to “find” with Meg’s pencil, the next document that Brown will lead you to is found in the Freezing Compartment inside of a snowman (I think this snowman represents Diana, so perhaps snowgirl would be more correct… I’ll explain why I think that it represents Diana in the upcoming “The Goat Sisters Storybook” post and/or the chapter walkthrough) that is bound with rope and blindfolded. This document is identified when picked up, and when in the inventory, as Love Letter.

Here is the text of the Love Letter compared with the visual image of it that we are given:

The paper has flower blossoms drawn on it in color

First line: “O Diana, Diana!”

Second line: (red lines run through it and I cannot make out what is written)

Third line: (red lines run through it and I cannot make out what is written, but I can see that the line ends in a question mark… the first word of the line might be “Art”)

Fourth line: “I love you with all my heart.”

Last line: “Meg“

~~~~

Now, using Love Letter to “find” the next document, Brown leads Jennifer to a document identified, when picked up and when in the inventory, as Meg’s Notebook.

Here is the text of the Meg’s Notebook compared with the visual image of it that we are given:

The cover of the notebook has patterns (paisley?) on it, and a couple of flowers drawn on it in color.

Margaret’s Little Book (is written in red)

Meg (is written at the bottom in black)

~~

Opening the cover, the first inside page is a table of contents page. This page is the same page that was incorrectly shown to us as the visual representation of the Aristocrat Page document (the first document found by Jennifer in this chapter). The page has a border, and there is a red rose blossom at the top of the page. At the bottom of the page are three roses drawn in black.

The text of this page is:

Chapters

*The Prince and the Princess

*Aristocrat Club Manners

*Meg’s Invention Corner

*Findings on the Land of the Imps

~~~

Turning the page, one finds a drawing of a bear to the left of what appears to be a drawing of the Little Princess doll. Both of these are to the left of a drawing of a curtseying girl. Beneath the bear is written “Prince” and beneath the Little Princess doll is written “Princess“. The drawing of the cursteying girl has geometric angles drawn to indicate how far the bent leg should be bent and at what angle the girl should lean forward. Arrows indicate that the skirt should be lifted and there are words by these arrows that probably also indicate that the skirt is lifted up. The Little Princess doll has red hair (or a red bonnet), red lips that appear to me to be frowning, and a red dress.

The text is:

The Prince and the Princess

Aristocrat Manners

Lesson 1: Curtseying

~~~

Turning the page, we are shown two very different looking pages. I’ll describe the left page and the right page separately.

~~~

Left Page:

Text given us in the subtitles:

Aristocrat Manners

Lesson 2: Hosting

There is a drawing with words labeling aspects of the drawing. The drawing appears to me to be of a girl on one side of a door with a formally dressed man on the other side of the door. There are the words: change clothes written above the girl, who appears to me to be wearing a slip and holding a dress up over her head. I can’t read the other labels of this drawing. The man outside of the door is wearing a suit and a hat and a tie.

~~~

Right Page:

The visual representation of this page gives it an extremely similar appearance to that of the Stray Dog list, but it is not identical to that document because I can’t see the words “stray dog” on it. The texture of the document and the style of writing is a match, however, and it also has the red “V”s that I described as being present on the Stray Dog list.

The text of this page reads:

–Words of the Princess of the Red Rose–

Jennifer…

Your efforts this month deserve special recognition.

You managed to find Peter and will be amply rewarded.

~~~

Turning the page again.

The text reads:

Meg’s Invention Corner (the accompanying picture seems to be of a person sitting, with ankles bound with rope and also rope around the body that binds the arms against that person’s sides

Torture Chair

Spinning Chair (the accompanying picture shows a person in the spinning chair)

~~~

Turning the page again:

Left Page:

The text at the top is:

Torture Bag

Song for an Onion

Onion Bag

There is a drawing of a bound person in the onion bag. There is also a collection of objects shown, apparently for insertion into the bag (an drawn arrow connects these objects to the bag opening). One of the objects appears to me to be a scorpion. I can’t make out the other objects or read the labels.

~~~

Right Page:

Most of this page is missing. Just the heading remains:

Secrets of the Land of…

~~~

Turning the page (this is the torn page, most of which is missing).

The text reads:

Playroom

Following the popularity of airships, the orphanage built several…

~~~

The next document is one that Jennifer receives from Diana (who is standing near Meg’s Notebook. It is a torn piece of a love letter from Meg to Diana. The paper has colored flowers on it. I can’t read anything from the visual representation of it.

The text given to us in subtitles is:

“Oh, Diana, Diana!

Wherefore art thou…?”

It seems to be a letter meant for Diana, but it is torn and impossible to read.

Added information (edited in after this post was originally posted): The above document is called Torn Letter in the inventory, but it cannot be found in the inventory after the “Goat Sisters” chapter because Meg takes it from Jennifer at the end of the chapter. See the You Tube of Meg taking the torn letter: Meg Takes Torn Letter
~~~

The last document that can be found in “The Goat Sisters” chapter has already been mentioned in the post “Document-based Time-line: After Jennifer Arrived at the Orphanage“:

20 December 1930

A tragic multiple homicide has occurred at an orphanage in Cardington resulting in the deaths of all the children housed there.
Among the dead was one adult, Gregory M. Wilson, a local resident.
Analysis of the crime scene suggests that Wilson shot himself with a pistol.
Police have identified him as their prime suspect in the murders of the children.
(Smoking Room, newspaper)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 18th, 2007 at 8:35 pm and is filed under Clues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.