# Bartleby — The Dead Letter Office

Open `dist/index.html` in a modern browser. No installation or server is required. The optional Google Fonts request has system-font fallbacks.

A fantasy action RPG inspired by Herman Melville's *Bartleby, the Scrivener*. Three classes (Scrivener, Advocate, Messenger), three chapters (Chambers, Wall Street, Tombs), melee and ranged attacks, class skills, collectible quest items, conversations, leveling, healing, a boss, and two endings.

Controls: WASD / arrow keys to move; J melee; K ranged; L class skill; E interact; H heal; Escape pause. Mouse aims; click attacks. Without mouse aim, attacks target the closest nearby enemy. Touch controls are available on narrower screens. The Quests button opens your journal.

Progress saves at chapter transitions and conversations in browser local storage when available. Browser settings may restrict persistence for files opened locally. Death restarts the current chapter. Use the brass arch to change chapters once its objectives are fulfilled.

Combat enemies are imagined manifestations of bureaucracy. Bartleby is approached through dialogue. One ending is an explicitly alternate imagining; the other echoes the original tragedy.

Validation: JavaScript syntax check, browser start/interface preview, and automated game-state checks for all classes, attacks, abilities, healing, collectible counts, chapter gates, boss, final dialogue, and checkpoint restoration. A full manual playthrough has not been completed.

Online publishing was blocked by the session's automatic approval policy for the Sites source synchronization helper. This standalone version is complete and playable.