pycryptogram/raw_assets/stories/constellation.ini

[Metadata]
name = The Constellation Slayer
id = TCS_001
init_level = The First Message
global_source = CONSTELLATION SLAYER

[The First Message]
pre_narrative = From your office window, the dull glow of city lights stretches out before you. Below, the streets pulse with life, but you know beneath the surface something darker stirs.\nA killer -- the Constellation Slayer -- has been terrorizing Brooklyn for months, leaving behind nothing but blood and cryptic messages. \nThese messages, a twisted puzzle, seem to be his calling card, hinting at his next brutal act. But why does he do this? What is the point of his game?\nBefore you can even finish the thought, the phone rings. You pick it up immediately, already knowing what it means. Another murder.\nThe urgency is clear in the voice on the other end. "We're on our way."\nYou arrive at the scene minutes later, the air thick with the scent of blood. A body lies sprawled in a dimly lit alley, and the walls nearby are covered in a grotesque scrawl.\nThe killer's message. There's no time to waste. The clock is ticking, and you have to crack this puzzle before more lives are lost.
quote = THE STARS TOLD ME ABOUT YOU, DETECTIVE. MORALS ARE CONSTANTLY UNDERGOING CHANGES AND TRANSFORMATIONS, OCCASIONED BY SUCCESSFUL CRIMES. I HAVE A WAREHOUSE FULL OF THE BODIES OF DETECTIVES LIKE YOU.
letter_hints = STAR
post_narrative = The message seems clear enough -- he's taunting you. But you can't shake the feeling that there's a deeper clue hidden inside. You sleep on it, the question lingering in the back of your mind.

[The Warehouse Revelation]
pre_narrative = The next day, your phone rings. Without needing to hear the voice on the other end, you already know what it means.\nAnother victim, found in a warehouse in Red Hook.\nThen it hits you -- the damn warehouse. You think back to the first message: "A warehouse full of the bodies of detectives like you." It wasn't just a taunt.\nThe killer had already told you where the next body would be, and you missed it. You curse under your breath, feeling the weight of failure.\nYou arrive at the scene in record time, greeted by the familiar chaos. A body lies in the corder of the abandoned warehouse, blood spattered across the floor.\nThere is a single piece of paper pinned to the wall with a knife. Great, another puzzle to solve.
quote = THE STARS KNOW YOU TOO WELL, DETECTIVE. MAN IS CONDEMNED TO BE FREE. PERHAPS YOU WILL FIND SALVATION AT A CROSSROADS.
letter_hints = STAR
post_narrative = He's definitely leading you to the next murder. "Crossroads" -- that is clear enough. You make a call to the department to surveil every intersection in Brooklyn.

[Crossroads of Fate]
pre_narrative = A few days later, you're in the office trying to piece together the identity of the killer. You're looking through past cases to see if there could be a connection, when you hear a ring.\nYou already know what the call means. You pick up the phone and learn the location of his next kill: Our Lady of Angels Church in Bay Ridge.\nDamn it! You misinterpreted the meaning of "crossroads" in his last puzzle. You arrive at the church just after dusk. The old-constructed building looms against the dark blue sky. The streets are so quiet, you can hear a pin drop.\nThe expressions of the officers are grim. You don't look forward to seeing the scene.\nImmediately, three smells hit you: burning candle was, aged wood, and the smell of blood. You make your way to the altar, towards the victim's body. His body is nailed to the cross, at the neck. And on the nail, there is a piece of paper with writing scrawled on it.\nGreat, just great. Another puzzle from the Constellation Slayer.
quote = ALL THINGS ARE BENEATH THE STARS, DETECTIVE. IF YOU GAZE LONG ENOUGH INTO AN ABYSS, THE ABYSS WILL GAZE BACK. YOU MUST SEARCH LOWER AND DEEPER INTO THE ABYSS.
letter_hints = STAR
post_narrative = This time you're sure you understand the message -- "lower" means the next murder will be somewhere underground.\nOn the other hand, is this guy quoting Nietzsche? What a nut job.

[Bad Ending]
pre_narrative = It's another late evening, and you're still trying to crack the case of the Constellation Slayer. You head to your apartment in Bay Ridge, settle in, and greet your dog. Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door.\nYou know who it is before you even turn around. You don’t need to hear the footsteps or see the shadow in the hallway. You’ve already lost. There’s no escape, no clever deduction that can change the outcome now.\nHeart pounding, you turn to face the inevitable. Standing in the doorway is the Constellation Slayer, his eyes gleaming with that same cold, knowing look. The smile on his face is the final piece of the puzzle you never solved.\nAs the light fades, your last conscious thought is the realization that you were just another piece in his game -- a pawn to be sacrificed, now nothing but a memory.

[Placeholder]
pre_narrative = This level does not count.
quote = XV XLV IX: AM I EXCESSIVELY VISCIOUS, DETECTIVE? THE STARS DO NOT FIND ME SO. AT THE RIGHT TIME, VIRTUE AND VICE WILL BE REVEALED. 
letter_hints = STAR