E3MS: Rathaus

Slink your way into the catacombs of **Rathaus**, the secret level in The Gastroscopy, and come face to face with the mysterious **Prague Orloj**.

# Walkthrough

The Player falls through the chute from the catacombs of the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord (**Kostel Nejsvětějšího Srdce Páně**) into a room with a gate, along with any canine companions that may have been befriended along the way. They are such good doggies! Go ahead and give them some treats, only not too many.

Proceed through the gate up some stairs and through an arch until you reach a room with a Pistol and three arched doorways. The door straight ahead is locked which leaves the doors on the left and right. The wise Player will opt for the door on the right.

Once the door opens the Player is beset by the many Rats within it, but not to worry, the Prague Ratters deal swiftly with these vermin. At the back of the room on the right you will find another small cage with another Prague Ratter. Go ahead, free the poor thing and give it a treat. If the Player was both kind and clever back at E3M4: George of Podiebrad, he will now be protected by a pack of dogs.

Now it is time for the door on the left, and it is no surprise when another horde of Rats comes squeaking at the Player. Again, there is no cause for alarm, as the Ratters will dispose of them quickly. Inside the room, there are stairs to the left, blocked by a bollard. On the right there are several barrels which are blocking an electrical panel.

Shoot the panel to lower the bollard and proceed up the stairs until you reach a switch. Flip the switch and the grate will fall away to drop you back in the hall with the three doors, only now the third door straight ahead of you is now open. Behind it is a room with the Aluminum Key, and of course, more Rat fodder for the voracious Ratters.

Take the key and the floor will descend to another vaulted room where there are still more Rats to contend with. Behind you, the passage winds around to the right, where you will find the Rusted Key. Retrace your steps and move forward until you reach the Rusted Key door with a locked door opposite.

Opening the Rusted Key door reveals an empty nook behind it and opens the door opposite, from which emerge, you guessed it, more Rats. It is quite the infestation! Ascend the stairs behind the door to a room with a barrel and a mysterious sign that states **If the Orloj stops, this country is done for** (**Když se orloj zastaví je konec s touto zemí**).

Exit the room through a gate on the left to a water course that leads down into the sewers, where there are naturally more Rats to die between the gnashing teeth of the Ratters. Follow the water course around, encountering still more Rats until you reach a ladder.

The landing at the top of the ladder leads to a catwalk that crosses the sewer and leads to stairs ending in a beautiful carved door, beyond which is Prague's Old Town Square.

A group of pigeons depart upon the Player's entry to the square. To the immediate right is a fallen ladder front of the **Orloj**. If the Player checks the **Orloj**, you will discover that **The Orloj is broken**. Looking about the square, there is a carved door opposite the **Orloj** which is locked, and to the immediate left of the **Orloj** another locked door.

A second door to the left does open, with stairs that lead to the Aluminum Key door. To the right are some stairs that lead up into the inner workings of the **Orloj**, specifically the mechanical Apostles that are supposed to appear on the hour.

Behind the Aluminum Key door is another wave of Rats to die before your efficient Ratters. Here you find a Medal, a large carved door that is locked, and some stairs to the right that lead down to a switch.

The switch opens the carved door, and there is no surprise that there are still more Rats. Follow the passage to a room repleat with three trashcans and the AZ-5 button. Break open the trashcans and you will find some tasty  **Trdelník** on which you may waste your calories before exiting the level.

**Previous:** E3M4: George of Podiebrad

**Next:** E3M5: Incinerator

# Secrets

The **Supervisory Committee Of The Consumer Cooperative** wishes to inform you that due to supply chain issues there were no secrets available for distribution at the time of release of **Rathaus**. **Vlasti Zdar!**

# Lore

* The Prague astronomical clock or Prague Orloj is a medieval astronomical clock attached to the Old Town Hall in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest clock still in operation. The Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town Hall in the Old Town Square. The clock mechanism has three main components – the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; statues of various Catholic saints stand on either side of the clock; "The Walk of the Apostles", an hourly show of moving Apostle figures and other sculptures, notably a figure of a skeleton that represents Death, striking the time; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months. According to local legend, the city will suffer if the clock is neglected and its good operation is placed in jeopardy; a ghost, mounted on the clock, was supposed to nod its head in confirmation. According to the legend, the only hope was represented by a boy born on New Year's night.

Steve CollisMartin FrouzSebasoSebasoLudek

* **Trdelník** is a kind of spit cake, made from rolled dough that is wrapped around a stick, then grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix. The word **trdelník** is of Czech-Slovak origin; the root of this word, trdlo, is the name of the wooden tool the cake ingredients are wrapped around during cooking, which gives it its traditional hollow shape, and can also mean "simpleton" in English. In the 21st century it became popular among tourists in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. Nowadays, **trdelník** is very popular among tourists as a sweet pastry in many countries, mostly in the Czech Republic. Although **trdelní**k is usually presented as a traditional Czech cake or "the old Bohemian pastry", and mentions of český trdelník can be found in 20th century literature, **trdelník** is mostly mentioned in literature as a Slovak or Moravian, not Bohemian dish, and the mass spread of this dessert in Prague is recognized to have started more recently. It has been argued that **trdelník** is only made for tourists.