The Obra Dinn

Begin your investigation of the Obra Dinn. Learn how to navigate the ship, find the logbook, and understand the Memento Mortem pocketwatch.

As soon as you begin the game, you'll get a brief note of the ship's disappearance as well as its return. Afterward, you'll gain control. From where you start, turn to your right, go toward the ladder, and press Spacebar to climb up to the Main Deck. Turn to your left, and go aft (south) to the cabin entrance between the two stairs. From there, you'll notice a skeleton in uniform lying on the floor, with magical flies hovering over it; don't worry, it will be very useful later. (You'll also notice an entrance to the Captain's Quarters to the ship's aft of the skeleton, but you can't go in right now, because the keyhole is labeled with an X.) You can turn a bit right to the ship's port (west) of the skeleton, and go toward the other side of the deck. From there, you can see a sparkle in the ocean not far off. Kinda weird, don't you think? Anyways, you are free to explore the rest of the ship, if you like.

After a few minutes pass, you'll hear a voice shout that the suitcase you've brought in is too heavy (while getting interrupted by a black screen with text on it). Return to the ladder (which is located to the ship's fore [north] and starboard [east] from the skeleton), and press spacebar to climb back down. Turn to your left, and you should see that the suitcases have moved to the boat paller's left. Approach the big suitcase, and open it with spacebar. You'll find some sort of logbook tucked away. Take the logbook, and press Tab to open it up, then press "D" to turn forward a page. You should notice the title page that says, "Return of the Obra Dinn: A Catelogue of Adventure & Tragedy. 1807." Turn forward another page, and you should see the Preface as follows:

PREFACE
I trust that you now find yourself aboard the _Obra Dinn_. I expected this day to come and my every intention was to tell the ship's strange tale within the pages of this book.
Regrettably, failing health has allowed me to produce only the basic outline that follows.
Your presence on the _Obra Dinn_ is critical. I leave the discovery of its fate and the completion of this book in your hands.
The next few pages will seem bewildering at first. All will make sense in time.
Use the pocketwatch to determine the identity and fate of everyone aboard. Complete each chapter accurately and return the book by guaranteed post to the French Office of Affairs in Morocco.
The "Bargain" chapter will remain unknown to you. I possess the details within but have elected to keep them private for now.
Henry Evans

Henry Evans? Well, he's the guy who sent us this book as well as the pocketwatch, so they can be useful later. Anyways, turn forward another page and you'll come across the Table of Contents. Here, you will get a list of what to do. Turn forward another page. Page 1 is "The Journey". It shows on the world map in the Atlantic leg of the Far East route how the _Obra Dinn_ was to make her supposed journey toward the Cape of Good Hope before she disappeared for almost five years. Page 2 is called "The Ship". It contains a detailed map of the ship. Click on it and you'll find that you're on the small boat outside the Orlop Deck. This map will come in very handy. Right now, exit the map, then turn forward another page.

Page 3 shows The Crew List. It contains a list of all the crew members and passengers onboard. On clicking the list, you can look at the names before you find that "Henry Evans" is No. 8 on the list. _Henry Evans?!_ Could this be the same guy who sent us the book and the pocketwatch? It's too early to tell, so we'll just have to let it be for now. Page 4 shows some sketches of life aboard the _Obra Dinn_, called "Life at Sea". The first sketch on the top, called "Under Way", shows the lower-class crewmembers and passengers dancing aboard the _Obra Dinn_, as she was making her way from London to Falmouth Port. The second sketch in the middle, "Formosan Royalty", though slightly smaller, shows four royal people of Formosan origin. (In case you didn't know, Formosa is an island a little to the east of China; nowadays, Formosa is called Taiwan.) The third and final sketch on the bottom, called "Justice at Sea", shows high-ranked officers witnessing an execution by firing squad while the remaining Formosans look on and weep. I don't know about you, but seeing a guy tied to a rope and hoisted up in midair with a paper bag on his head and getting shot at is very unsettling, IMO. :P And listed on the bottom left corner are the initials "E.S." E.S., huh? Could this be a coincidence? Probably not. ;)

You can turn forward a few pages after that, but they will all be blank from Chapter I up to Chapter X... for now. Instead, return to the Table of Contents with the "Q" key, and click on " Glossary", page 133. Here, you'll find a list of all of the quality ranks of each character, as well as the locations on the map. I suggest that you memorize all the definitions, as they will be a benefit to you later on. Turn forward one more page. Page 135 shows the "Back Cover", which shows a skull on a circle in the center of a rectangle. You may not know this, but the skull symbolizes the fates, and the lines around the circle indicate how many fates you have solved correctly. Right now, you have no lines, and no fates solved just yet, so press Tab to close the book.

Back on the lifeboat, you'll notice a pocketwatch with a skull and a black circle in the center of it. This must be the pocketwatch that Evans indicated in the Preface. Press Spacebar to take it, and the screen will turn black, indicating the name of the pocketwatch: "- _Memento Mortem_"- Remember Death." Ta-daa! You now have both the logbook and the Memento Mortem in your hands, so you're all set for the scavenger hunt. Turn back to your right, and climb back up the ladder.