Tears of Themis – Manor of Hermes walkthrough

Posted on January 20, 2022November 21, 2023Tears of Themis

As Marius is my favourite character, I chose to enter the manor with him first.

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Upon entering the manor, you see the book Alice in Wonderland strewn on the floor. The book is a gift from the owner to his daughter Erin. Marius commented that the book is well read and added that it is commonly said that this book is usually given to those who have lost their freedom.

Dining Room

At the head of the table, you come across broken pieces of a wooden chair. Marius commented that they don’t look like it was broken naturally but he couldn’t analyse what happened. Perhaps you’ll need Luke’s help here. Examining the broken pieces of wood, Luke surmises that some kind of conflict must have taken place here as he spots some dried blood on the splintered wood – someone either smashed the chair or someone broke it when he fell onto it.

Reception Room

Marius recognised a sculpture created by Railas, a famous painter. His sculptures were very rare and expensive and thus hard to obtain without the right connections, which meant that the owner must be a wealthy and powerful man. Gem shards were near the sculpture.

On the wall, Marius also recognised another prominent painting which belonged to the series of works under the Rebirthology, a religious cult movement from the last century. The painting looked really strange with an art composition made up of a skull, wings and eyes.

The art style is relatively distorted and hard for you to appreciate. Marius said that there is beauty in the madness when it comes to art and many prominent artists were part of this cult which inspired many masterpieces. You surmised that for the painting to be here, someone in the manor could be a believer.

You find a chest at the corner of the room. Within is a register but written in a strange code. Marius managed to identify the symbols as a special code used by Rebirthologists and deciphered the document in no time. Apparently it contains a list of people and how much they have donated to the church. Under this cult, members believed that their sins can be cleansed with the help of a prophet who claimed to the son of God, and the more money they donated, the faster these sins can be cleansed. Clearly the manor was a place where members gathered frequently.

(This really strikes close to home. Christians believe in Jesus Christ who is the son of God who was born human and died on the cross to die for our sins once and for all. There is NO NEED to donate money for your sins to be cleansed, so clearly this cult twisted the teachings to benefit themselves. Anyway, just putting it out here in case some people think Christianity is a cult.)

Lounge

There is a half completed painting of a woman and the words ‘Miss…My…’ at the corner.

Reception Room Study

There is a porcelain tea set which points to the vast wealth of the owner.

The painting at the back of the room has a distinct Baroque feel.

Entertainment Room

A huge billiard table.

A lockbox requires a 4-digit passcode (Note from Brindisi – 6151) to open. You will probably need more information from the local residents to figure out how to open it.

On the bookshelf are rows of out-of-print edition books… who would like to read them?

The toilet has a faucet that is covered with a layer of dust. You tried to turn it on and see something coming out of it??

Medical Ward

On the bookshelf, Marius helped you to retrieve a conspicuous looking book full of clippings. He doesn’t quite understand what’s written but it appears to be talking about treatment of a certain disease. I guess Vyn would be medical professional required here. Vyn shares that these newspaper clippings pertained to treatment of mental illness. Next to each treatment were notes about someone’s attempt to use these methods.

There are damaged medical equipment in the adjoining room. Vyn will be best placed to explain what they are for. In this room you also see some stuffed toys and a broken mirror. Could this be where Erin was treated? Vyn shares that the instruments are used in physical procedures performed to treat certain mental conditions, i.e. electroconvulsive therapy. Without further clues, it is hard to find out whether the treatment had been useful.

You find another lockbox which requires a 4-digit passcode to open. The code is found in the news clippings – 0012. The box contained Grady’s account ledger which included a vast wealth of fine art and gold.

Kitchen

On the cupboard to the left, you find many good quality tableware with unique designs.

You also find a pile of expensive young women clothes strewn on the floor. You don’t think they belong to Erin or to the maid so what are they doing here and who do they belong to?

On the bottom right corner, you find some suspicious substance on the floor which looked like the results of some chemical reaction. You’ll need Luke to tell you more about it. Luke tells you that these are residue from charcoal fire and further evidence such as the placement of furniture points to there being a big fire which took place in the manor before.

A strange looking pot hanging on the wall also calls to your attention. Get Luke here! Luke points out that below the cookware that were hung were older damaged versions, suggesting that someone had moved back into the manor and used the newer cookware after some incident.

In comparison to the fine tableware used in the dining room, the tableware in the kitchen used by the employees were very old, pointing to a very stark class divide back then.

Butler’s Bedroom

In the Butler’s Bedroom, you find an account ledger of various items which lists jewelry, gold coins, silver tableware and you wondered if this was his stash of belongings.

Maid’s Bedroom

With the help of the key from Johann, you enter the room and find a diary belonging to a maid named Anhil. It details her observations about the relationships and illicit affairs of those in the manor. Specifically the master of the manor has many lovers and something common about them is a mark on their arms. She also wrote about Erin and Winter’s relationship which she hopes the owner never finds out or he would never allow it. Lastly she also wrote about the complicated relationship between Lisa, another maid, the owner and Mr Butler…

West Corridor Bathroom

In the employee toilet, you realised that the toilet back then look pretty much the same as present.

Abandoned Guest Room

There are very new candles that were just recently used on the table stand. Who could be living in this manor?

Small Storage Room

There is a bookshelf full of out of print law books.

Small Study

Marius retrieves some documents between some books. The document is written in Akkadian, a language which Artem is familiar in. When you return with Artem, he translates the document which is a record of a fire experiment. Someone was testing the extent of damage caused by fire of different intensity. The document seemed to be missing some pages.

<Obtained Incomplete Fire Testing Records (I))

Small Bedroom

Marius pulls out a box under a bed. In it are letters and painting, again written in Akkadian. When you return with Artem, he translates them and shares that these are love letters between Erin and Winter, who is the son of the butler of the house. Both he and Erin grew up together as childhood sweethearts but have to keep their feelings a secret due to the social class divide. The painting is a gift from Erin to Winter. Erin also mentions that she does not have much time left.

<Obtained Winter and Erin’s Love Letters (I))

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Lassiter’s Study

On the study desk, you spot a blank piece of paper that smells funny. You’ll need Luke to help you identify the smell. Luke sniffs it out and then takes out a lighter from his pocket, lighting a flame beneath the paper. Words soon appear on it. It is a letter from the police chief who has accepted the commission to arrest Winter for attempting to kidnap Erin and burn down the manor.

At the bottom of the sculpture is a new looking box which requires a 4-digit passcode to open. The code to use is 1930 which is the agreed time of meeting in the letter. In the box, you found Mr Modero’s research on treatment on mental illnesses with the final conclusion that they were all useless.

Lassiter’s Bedroom

There is a wishing shrine which Marius explains is what a believer of Rebirthology has to worship at for 21 days after making a sizeable tribute to the church. There is a note on the shrine with the owner, Lassiter Modero’s wish. He prayed that God would forgive his daughter’s sin and wash her off her madness. Marius added that though the art of Rebirthology looked very unorthodox, many famous artists were able to mimic its composition and added them to frescos in many churches, resulting in the popularity of this art style.

At the foot of the bed is a note written in the same Rebirthology alphabet which Marius decodes. It reads that God has heard Mr Modero’s appeal and a certain Grady would be arriving in a few days to cleanse Erin of her sins. (This is really beginning to sound very creepy!)

Spare Guest Room 1

An elegant lamp stand catches your eye which will probably make an interesting shadow if you could turn on the light.

In the crate at the corner of the room, you find the floor plans of the manor itself.

Erin’s Bedroom

On the bookshelf, Marius finds a legal document written in Akkadian. We’ll need Artem’s help for this. Artem translates the document which is another incomplete record of an experiment. It says that a fire would spread the fastest if it started in the kitchen on the first floor. Once the commotion starts, they would be able to escape. There is also a legal clause in the document stating that arson is punishable by capital punishment (death?), with a written comment that though the method is reliable, he cannot do it.

<Obtained Incomplete Fire Testing Records (II))

You find Erin’s diary under the pillow and much of the content is written in Akkadian as well. With Artem’s help, you are able to read the diary. The diary is written in Akkadian to prevent her father from discovering her relationship with Winter. According to the local laws back then, parents had absolute authority over their children’s marriages and her father greatly disapproved of Winter. You also learn that Winter hopes to become a judge when he grows up so Erin tries to pick up as much legal knowledge as she can, using this as a means to understand a world she will never see.

Artem shares that towards the end, her notes became messier and disorganised and contained many sketches that do not make sense. It almost seemed like she was suffering from a mental disorder.

Grady’s Bedroom

On the desk is a patient medical record which neither of you could make sense of. Perhaps you’re in need of a medical profession here. Vyn looks through the records and learnt that they were records of treatment performed on Erin Modero by a physician named Grady. According to the records, Erin’s bipolar disorder worsened after treatment. Towards the end, she was completely unable to maintain her sanity. Vyn added that Grady wasn’t a doctor and he had simply tested all kinds of procedures on her which made her condition worse.

On the bookshelf is a book which talks about some kind of strange medical procedure. Again Vyn would be best placed for this. Vyn shares that the procedure in question is called hydrotherapy, whereby the patient is stimulated in a bathtub with freezing and boiling water alternately. It also included other ‘treatment’ methods such as torture, interrogation, exorcism and others, which provided greater evidence that Grady wasn’t a doctor.

Rest Area

The ashes in the fireplace look relatively fresh. Could they have been left behind by earlier explorers of the manor?

There is another lockbox requiring a 4-digit passcode (Note from Hanson – 4745).

Conference Room

You find a notebook on the shelf. It speaks about getting rid of the poor boy that Erin is in love with. Supposedly her madness and sins were a result of falling in love with someone of a lower social class.

Spare Guest Room 2

You observed that the bedsheet has been sewn with the symbols eye and wings representing Rebirthology.

Spare Guest Room 3

A letter written in English was found on the desk. It mentions a medicine that had been prescribed to Lassiter with the intent of making him submit to the author of the letter. (The conspiracy thickens!)

Spare Guest Room 4

Again the pillow cases are embroidered with the Rebirthology symbols.

Looking out the window which affords a view of the beautiful scenery outdoors, you muse about how great it must have been to live in a manor like this.

Storage Room

You find many expensive bottles of wine on the shelves.

Prayer Room

You find a ledger recording the offerings made to the church and how often they gathered to worship in the manor.

Servant’s Rest Area

You realised there’s a missing key on the key rack.

A bell that is used to call the servants to the caller’s room is here. But you’re not sure it connects to whose room.

Preparation Room – Unlocked with key from Jolene. You find a coil of rope in the room which Marius surmises Winter uses to help Erin find some temporary relief from being locked up in her room.

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Abandoned Bedroom

In the cupboard, you see women’s clothes that are rather big. In the collar are embroidered the letters G and R – could these be Grady’s clothes?

In the left hand corner, there is a lockbox which also requires a 4-digit passcode (Note from Prof Johnson – 8153).

Abandoned Lounge

You find a painting drawn by Erin Modero on the wall. You could feel her desire for freedom through the painting.

Storage Room 1

You find toys in a box on the floor. Marius comments that the toys all come in pairs. On a pair of stuffed bunnies, you find the name Erin on one, and Winter on the other. You will probably need Luke’s help to give some meaning to what this points to. Luke shares that both Erin and Winter must have been very important to each other as it would have been very difficult to get a pair of plushies during a time when Skadi Island was close to outside commerce.

There are two barrels of chemical substances in the corner. Luke will probably be able to tell you what they are. After making a small slit at the bottom of the barrel, Luke determines that the barrel contained a solidified version of gasoline and wonder why anyone would need this since all the appliances ran on either wood or electricity. You noticed that the barrel was addressed to Winter.

Storage Room 2

Again a shelf full of pretty and high class tableware.

Equipment Storage Room

Under the surgical bed at the corner, you find medical records belonging to Erin but you can’t make out what her condition is. Vyn would be best placed to help out here. Reading through the incomplete records, he learnt that Erin’s condition had become completely unstable and thus surgical lobotomy or ice pick lobotomy was recommended.

In the cabinet are tools used for surgery but you’ll need Vyn to explain what they are for. Vyn shares that these equipment were for the performing of surgical lobotomy which is to make incisions to the nerve tissue in the brain. They would first anesthetize the patient with an electric shock, then drive the tool into the base of the eye socket through the area above the eyeball with the intent of severing the connective tissues to the prefrontal cortex and achieve the intended effects of changing the patient into a walking corpse. (This is really gruesome!)

Collection Room

In the drawer of the shrine, Marius pieces together the jigsaw puzzle which is an image of the 5th painting in the Seven Days Worship series. There is a message on the image. Using the same decryption method, Marius shares that it is a message for Grady with instructions that there is no need to cure Erin as she is expected to pass away, instead the focus should be on transferring Modero’s wealth to the son of God.

A lockbox at the end of the room requires a 4-digit passcode (0020 – pieced together with the jigsaw puzzle). Within the box, you find many books of legal codices and a book on the Akkadian language from Erin’s tutor Laila.

Studio

In a box, you find it full of letters written in Akkadian. Artem to the rescue here. He translates the letters and reveals they are more love letters between Erin and Winter. In these letters, you learn that Erin received some kind of treatment which worsened her condition instead of curing her, and she feels that she has little time left. She persuades Winter to leave but he refuses as he had found a way to escape with her. Later Winter wrote that he didn’t have time to prepare his plans as he found out that they planned to turn Erin into a walking corpse so they needed to escape as soon as they can. You wonder if they finally managed to escape.

<Obtained Winter and Erin’s Love Letters (II))

Behind the easel, you find another letter also in Akkadian. It is Winter’s suicide note. He wrote that he managed to survive the fire but Erin didn’t so that he would be granted the chance to live. Following her death, he lived on in the manor to preserve the tranquility she sought. However he feels he is unable to live without her and that he is unable to protect her anymore but on the hindsight, he will finally see her again soon. (This is really so sad…)

Library – Unlocked with the key from Muller. You find a missionary book about Rebirthology on one of the shelves.

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Secret Room – unlocked with all the fire gemstone shards collected

You find a white outfit, long-haired wig and a demon mask in the room which suggests that someone had been posing as the Lord of Nightmare while living in the manor for quite some time. He had probably done so to keep explorers away from the mansion in order to protect its secret. A shattered mirror in the corner suggests that the person who had lived here was injured in the face and didn’t want to see their reflection.

Altar Hall – unlocked with all the motif’s gemstone shards collected

In the center of the room is a Blood Circle of Summoning which Rebirthology priests draw before they perform a ritual to wash away their believers’ sins. They can summon God from heaven to assist with the cleansing. You find out that the circle was drawn from Erin but it looks incomplete, suggesting that something probably went wrong on the day of the ritual.

Underground Bunker – unlocked with all the flower gemstone shards collected

In the upper corner of the room, you find a wall splattered with dried bloodstains and scratch marks. Artem commented that they looked like they came from some kind of struggle or self-mutilation. Artem finds a sentence written in Akkadian in blood at the bottom – “Live on. I’ll love you forever.”

Operating Room – unlocked with all the sword gemstone shards collected

In the cabinet at the back of the room, you find documents pertaining to medical experiment reports for treatment of mental illnesses. They detailed the results of surgical lobotomy and whether they were effective modes of treatment. The records show that the results were very poor.

Hospital Ward

At the bedpost, you see someone has carved ‘It hurts, save me’ on it.

Medical Lounge

You read the notes of a nurse named Lily. She commented that this place is hell and she hoped there was a way she could save these people.

Storage Room

In the medical cabinet, there are rows after rows of medicine and you wonder how many patients were warded here.

Underground Tomb – this room will only be accessible after opening Erin’s Winter

You finally made your way to the deepest part of the mansion with all four guys in tow. The tomb is guarded by a mechanical lock which you will need its blueprint in order to unlock. Breaking it or forcing it open would trigger a reverse mechanism that could cause the door to be locked permanently. Recalling Johann’s words, you turn to the Erin’s Winter to complete the image with the help of all the gemstones. In the box, you find the blueprints of the lock which required all four heads put together in order to decipher the notes.

You finally unlock the door and find two coffins and a gravestone within. Sure enough they belonged to Erin and Winter. The team felt that the best way to close this case was to piece together everything they have learnt about their story to lay this case to rest.

Have completed 1/4 of the investigation with Marius, it points to some kind of ritualistic treatment of patients under the guise of the Rebirthology beliefs, which actually is some kind of fraudulent scam to abscond with Mr Modero’s wealth. Will probably work with Artem next to discover what secrets all the Akkadian documents hold. I’ll reserve Vyn for later as I believe I’ll probably get disturbed by the ‘medical treatments’.

Having completed 2/4 of the investigation with Artem, we learn about the tragic love story between Erin and Winter. They were forbidden from being together due to their social class divide. When Winter learnt that the treatment they performed on Erin was meant to turn her into a walking corpse, he tried to escape with her using fire as a diversion. However she died in the process. Winter lived on longer in the manor but eventually committed suicide.

Having completed 3/4 of the investigation with Luke, we solve the mystery regarding the rumours of the Lord of Nightmare who had been roaming the mansion. It is likely to be Winter who had returned to the manor after the fire and the rest of the residents had vacated the place, in order to be as close as Erin as he could until his last days. He was probably injured in the face during some scuffle.

Having completed the full investigation with Vyn, we finally know what kind of physical torture Erin had undergone in the name of treatment which eventually led to her insanity.

It turned out that the fire was probably set by Erin in the kitchen instead of Winter after she witnessed her father beating Winter for attempting to escape with her. They had promised to reunite after the fire but Winter only returned to the lifeless body of Erin who had died in the fire.

As your chest tightened over the tragic tale of two people who couldn’t be together and the atrocities committed during that age and time, the guys told you that Erin and Winter had not been forgotten. The presence of the gravestone together with the instructions for the lock and Erin’s Winter box suggested that the locals had in their own ways guarded the truth about this mansion, letting their story live on beyond their deaths.

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