The Race Against Time in the Duomo

Time is ticking. You are trapped in Duomo di Milano and have to escape before it’s too late. The Duomo is about to collapse! Instructions i. Find the three clues in different parts of the Duomo. These clues will be glowing if you can spot them. You have to navigate and choose the right places to go within the Duomo when presented with options. Stay alert! ii. When prompted with (text-colour:blue)[blue] words, click on them to unfold the narrative. iii. When provided with two or more options together, your choice will determine how fast you escape the Duomo, or even whether you escape it. This mission is a race against time. So think carefully before making a decision. Most importantly, you must remember the specific order in which the clues are found as it is the key to escaping. Your fate of making it out of the Duomo before it collapses lies in your very own hands. Good luck! [[Off you go]]

Started in 1386, Duomo di Milano only completed its construction in 1965. The Duomo is dedicated to the Nativity of St Mary (Santa Maria Nascente), it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Archbishop Mario Delpini. However, due to poor weather conditions, the structural design of the Duomo is unable to stand the test of time in such environments anymore. It is soon about to collapse. Here you are, at the rooftop of this magnificent Duomo. What a great view to behold right before your eyes. But there’s no time to waste, you have to start finding the clues in the Duomo before it’s too late! Where will you first head to? [[Stay on the rooftop and walk further down to check out the terrace]] [[Go down to the Camposanto Gallery]]

As you pace up and down the entire top floor and can’t seem to find anything. There seems to be nothing in sight nor anything glowing besides the great view overlooking Milan and strong gushes of wind blowing through your hair. ‘Well we’re off to a great start isn't it…’ you thought to yourself. Don’t give up! This is just the beginning. You hurriedly go to the [[Archivum Fabricae]].

You search high and low for a glowing clue. But there seems to be nothing in sight nor anything glowing. All you see are countless figures and statues arranged neatly on the shelves. You see that going back up to check out the terrace is not an option as time is limited. So you continue to move forward and go to the next location closest to you in hopes of finding a clue. [[Go down to see the Church of St.Gottardo]].

You walk in and you are greeted with a giant painting in the middle of the room lined with shelves. The Archive and Library preserve the documentary and book heritage that the Veneranda Fabbrica has produced and collected in more than six hundred years of history in the course of its activities. They provide a complete overview not only of the history of the Duomo, but of the entire city of Milan. The Annals are a collection of volumes that trace the history of the Fabbrica del Duomo from 1387 to 1875. The variety of the archival heritage preserved in the Archives of the Veneranda Fabbrica reflects the complex history of the institution. [[Go down to see the Church of St.Gottardo]]

You see the Church of St.Gottardo in Corte in front of your eyes. You do a 360 turn around the corner of the walkway but do not see anything glowing still. You look up to the stained glass and the sun rays shine through it. ‘Does this count as a glowing clue? A stained glass?’ You think to yourself. Clearly in a dilemma, you finally decided that it’s not a clue. Turning around and walking down the other direction of the hallway, you encounter two doors on either side of you. On the doors are labels stating what it leads you to. Which one do you decide to open? [[Borromean Rooms]] [[Cathedral Treasury]]

You walk through the door and find yourself in the Borromean Rooms. Large sculptures surround you on all sides and you look around the room in search of clues to no avail. You start to panic as you have not found any clues so far. Conscious of the time, you quickly [[head towards the other door in the room]] as soon as you see it, different from the one you came in from.

The door opens, allowing you to go into the Cathedral Treasury! You walk in and see all the objects in the shelves glowing! All these items are of considerable historic and artistic importance. There is a large cross on the wall to your right as well. It is a good sign that there are finally glowing items to be seen. But which one is the exact clue? You walk closer to the objects and notice that there are labels attached to each. Could there be a hint? As you walk towards the cross to examine it, you see that the label reads “This is clue 1”. Alas, you have found your first clue. Feeling encouraged, you [[head towards the other door in the room]], different from the one you came in from.

You walk into a room filled with tapestries and ancient warps hung on all walls. Tapestries depict mythological, biblical or historical events. It was used to decorate walls, combat cold, and for capital investment. It signified great wealth and authority, playing a major role in how a prince was perceived by others. It was also a medium for capital investment and a stimulus for economic activity. You hasten your pace around the room, speed reading through all the labels. Finally, you read a label below one of the tapestries which tells you that this is the second clue. Feeling like you’re on the right track to escaping, you had the urge to follow your gut to go to the main cathedral where the exit door was and skip checking the other sections. On the other hand, what if this was just you being overconfident it will cause you to not make it out? It’s time to make a decision on where to head to next: [[Main cathedral]] [[Crypt of the Duomo]]

You scurried to the main cathedral where the exit of the Duomo was situated. You just had a feeling that the final clue might be here. Running through the benches, you spot a stack of books glowing. It’s the third and final clue! You made a beeline for the exit door. A password is needed to open this door. What’s the order of the clues found? [[Cross, Tapestry, Books]] [[Tapestry, Books, Cross]] [[Books, Cross, Tapestry]]

You go to the Crypt of the Duomo where lies the best place to get a sense of history than the ancient crypts of Milan. Situated beneath the level of the modern city streets, you enter the earliest part of the church dating back to the early Christian era of Milan. Just like buildings, these crypts are also the places that house sacred treasures, relics and tombs. What a place carrying such rich history and significance. But there are no clues to be found! Just a reminder, time is running out very quickly at this point. Feeling exasperated, you run to the [[San Giovanni Bond chapel]]

You managed to escape the Duomo in time. Congratulations champ, well done!

What a bummer, you had managed to find all three clues but got the order wrong. It is now too late to escape the Duomo…

There is nothing here! Faced with similar stained glass you had seen at the start, you know for sure that there are no clues here. The sun is setting which makes it easier to spot the glowing clues. [[Tick tock tick tock…]]

You have lost the race against time and it is now too late to escape the Duomo…