Start of a transcript of BALUTHAR (C) Chris Molloy Wischer, 2003. "Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed- and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors- and they have no comforter. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun." - Attributed to King Solomon of Israel. Release 1 / Serial number 030926 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10 Standard interpreter 1.0 (4F) / Library serial number 991113 >[that's in 'version'? Hmm, bad style.] You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >restart Are you sure you want to restart? y BALUTHAR (C) Chris Molloy Wischer, 2003. "Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed- and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors- and they have no comforter. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun." - Attributed to King Solomon of Israel. Release 1 / Serial number 030926 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10 The Hut (on the large bed) This is the hut that you have lived in most of your long life. Here is the large bed which you once shared with your wife; further from the door is your son's smaller bed. Within reach of both beds is the little table you share with Rykhard. Your father built this place with his father, long ago, before the Curse. The half-log walls are rough and sturdy and the roof, thatched over with broad black leaves, has required only token maintenance. But the taste of the air within has grown stale. You have spent many hours alone in here over recent months, watching the bead curtain door hanging limply. On the bedside table are a glass jar (which is empty) and a handwritten note. >x note Yes, Rykhard has been away a very long time now. Perhaps it would be worth finding out what explanation he left you for this long absence. You move the dry, leathery sheet close to your face and peer at the inelegant charcoal letters. "Father, I am going to the cave in the well. I have discovered there something that may help us fight the Ivarns. Expect me back before dark, but DO NOT COME AFTER ME if I don't return. All my love now and forever, -R." Damn Fool! He knows the stories they tell in the village about that cursed well! What does the young idiot think he's doing down there, where people go in and don't come out? Striking your head with your fist, you resolve not to lose both mother and son to fate's pitiless curses. >x jar It is a tiny jar - two of your fingers can reach your thumb around its circumference. The glass jar is empty. >get it Taken. >x bed Which do you mean, the large bed or the small bed? >large Here you used to lie happily with Rykhard's mother, happily oblivious to the world. It has been many long years since she disappeared, but sometimes you fancy you can still smell her golden sweet scent in the tired, cracked timbers of your bed. >smell it Nostalgia abandons you. Today it seems the bed smells only of your own staleness. >look under it There is nothing there. >i You are carrying: a glass jar (which is open but empty) >x small bed Its current form of disarray has not been disturbed for a week or so. >[it's been a week and I finally read the note? Sheesh.] That's not a verb I recognise. >l The Hut (on the large bed) This is the hut that you have lived in most of your long life. Here is the large bed which you once shared with your wife; further from the door is your son's smaller bed. Within reach of both beds is the little table you share with Rykhard. Your father built this place with his father, long ago, before the Curse. The half-log walls are rough and sturdy and the roof, thatched over with broad black leaves, has required only token maintenance. But the taste of the air within has grown stale. You have spent many hours alone in here over recent months, watching the bead curtain door hanging limply. On the bedside table is a handwritten note. >get note Taken. >x table Water-stained, wobbly and cracking with age. Gone is the pride you once felt at having made it yourself. >x walls You stare at the walls. >x door The beads are far from decorative, serving only as a low-maintenance means of covering the doorway. >out Moved beyond your self-pitying sloth, you get out of bed for the first time in days. >[how did I eat?] That's not a verb I recognise. >out Forest The air outside is clear and fresh, invading your lungs like the sun discovering a recently unearthed ants' nest. The vegetation of the forest where you make your home is austere and shadowy, as is typical of plants in your country. Every tree and shrub has just a single, very large leaf in a shade of purple so deep as to be almost black. Creamy white veins web across the surface of the leaves like the hands of skeletons. Some plants have thick white trunks which carry the leaves high above you to eclipse most of the sky. Others grow in dense claustrophobic clusters, up to about ten feet high with their leaves standing at attention. The light wind creates an ominous echo as it blows across the mouth of the old well that languishes amongst the low black shrubs, a dozen paces from the hut. Carried on the breeze are the sounds of the village centre, half a mile through the forest to the northeast. A nine-foot statue of a deity scowls down at you from the top of a large boulder near the hut. >[OK, the sun/ant nets analogy is very odd.] You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >[trees with single leaves? Isn't that rather inefficient?] That's not a verb I recognise. >x statue You and Rykhard built this statue after casting down your old statue of Yachvee The God Who Saves. Years ago that was, soon after the Ivarns came and murdered Rykhard's mother. This is Baluthar, a god of your own invention. He has the body of a misshapen giant, and the head of a vicious reptile, tearing flesh from His own body with His teeth. He is the God of Vengeance, He must tear and savage at His own self until circumstance permits Him a chance to strike at those who displease Him. It is to this Baluthar that you and Rykhard attribute the coming of the Ivarns to Menis, and it is to appease Him that you and Rykhard have been plotting against hope to destroy the alien oppressors. >[Yachvee?] That's not a verb I recognise. >[aliens?] That's not a verb I recognise. >x well The well has been dry for many generations. The inside wall is equipped with jutting rocks to allow a person to climb up and down. >push statue Your fear of Baluthar's vengeance will not allow you to do that. >ne It has become apparent that you don't have time to go into town today. >d Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. >x shapes You can't see any such thing. >x mud This grey mud is very oily and slippery, and is completely odourless. >sw Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >ne Bottom of Well >u Forest Baluthar glowers down at you from His boulder with a look of cold savagery. >verbose BALUTHAR is now in its "verbose" mode, which always gives long descriptions of locations (even if you've been there before). >u The featureless stems of this hostile vegetation offer you no hand or foot hold. >l Forest The air outside is clear and fresh, invading your lungs like the sun discovering a recently unearthed ants' nest. The vegetation of the forest where you make your home is austere and shadowy, as is typical of plants in your country. Every tree and shrub has just a single, very large leaf in a shade of purple so deep as to be almost black. Creamy white veins web across the surface of the leaves like the hands of skeletons. Some plants have thick white trunks which carry the leaves high above you to eclipse most of the sky. Others grow in dense claustrophobic clusters, up to about ten feet high with their leaves standing at attention. The light wind creates an ominous echo as it blows across the mouth of the old well that languishes amongst the low black shrubs, a dozen paces from the hut. Carried on the breeze are the sounds of the village centre, half a mile through the forest to the northeast. Baluthar glowers down at you from His boulder with a look of cold savagery. >get leaf The strong, leathery foliage resists effortlessly your attempts at breaking off a leaf. >i You are carrying: a handwritten note a glass jar (which is open but empty) >w A walk in the woods would probably improve your mood, but you have work to do here. >s A walk in the woods would probably improve your mood, but you have work to do here. >l Forest The air outside is clear and fresh, invading your lungs like the sun discovering a recently unearthed ants' nest. The vegetation of the forest where you make your home is austere and shadowy, as is typical of plants in your country. Every tree and shrub has just a single, very large leaf in a shade of purple so deep as to be almost black. Creamy white veins web across the surface of the leaves like the hands of skeletons. Some plants have thick white trunks which carry the leaves high above you to eclipse most of the sky. Others grow in dense claustrophobic clusters, up to about ten feet high with their leaves standing at attention. The light wind creates an ominous echo as it blows across the mouth of the old well that languishes amongst the low black shrubs, a dozen paces from the hut. Carried on the breeze are the sounds of the village centre, half a mile through the forest to the northeast. Baluthar glowers down at you from His boulder with a look of cold savagery. >listen The forest is much more quiet than it was in the days of your youth. The sounds of wildlife can barely be detected above the distant noise of the village and the haunting moan of the well. >in The Hut This is the hut that you have lived in most of your long life. Here is the large bed which you once shared with your wife; further from the door is your son's smaller bed. Within reach of both beds is the little table you share with Rykhard. Your father built this place with his father, long ago, before the Curse. The half-log walls are rough and sturdy and the roof, thatched over with broad black leaves, has required only token maintenance. But the taste of the air within has grown stale. You have spent many hours alone in here over recent months, watching the bead curtain door hanging limply. >get light You can't see any such thing. >get bead That's hardly portable. >out Forest The air outside is clear and fresh, invading your lungs like the sun discovering a recently unearthed ants' nest. The vegetation of the forest where you make your home is austere and shadowy, as is typical of plants in your country. Every tree and shrub has just a single, very large leaf in a shade of purple so deep as to be almost black. Creamy white veins web across the surface of the leaves like the hands of skeletons. Some plants have thick white trunks which carry the leaves high above you to eclipse most of the sky. Others grow in dense claustrophobic clusters, up to about ten feet high with their leaves standing at attention. The light wind creates an ominous echo as it blows across the mouth of the old well that languishes amongst the low black shrubs, a dozen paces from the hut. Carried on the breeze are the sounds of the village centre, half a mile through the forest to the northeast. Baluthar glowers down at you from His boulder with a look of cold savagery. >d Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. You slip a little on the muddy ground. >x stones It is in a shadowy corner of the well floor, and pitch dark inside. >search it You find nothing of interest. >get stone You can't see any such thing. >get stones That's hardly portable. >x tunnel It is in a shadowy corner of the well floor, and pitch dark inside. >sw Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >sw There seems to be only rock in that direction. >e There seems to be only rock in that direction. >n There seems to be only rock in that direction. >nw There seems to be only rock in that direction. >sw There seems to be only rock in that direction. >se There seems to be only rock in that direction. >s Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >s There seems to be only rock in that direction. >sw There seems to be only rock in that direction. >se Gallery As you enter the cavern, you find yourself surrounded by sinister images that appear before your eyes like the spots that affect your vision if you stare too long at the sun. The images have an unnatural clarity and depth of gruesome detail, beyond the ability of a painter with the finest brush. As your eyes are assaulted by the unsettling exhibition, your ears detect nothing but the constant sounds of the beetles: the murmuring drone of wings, the whisper of legs, and the occasional crunch as you move your feet. >listen You hear the chittering sound of thousands of tiny insects. >l Gallery As you enter the cavern, you find yourself surrounded by sinister images that appear before your eyes like the spots that affect your vision if you stare too long at the sun. The images have an unnatural clarity and depth of gruesome detail, beyond the ability of a painter with the finest brush. As your eyes are assaulted by the unsettling exhibition, your ears detect nothing but the constant sounds of the beetles: the murmuring drone of wings, the whisper of legs, and the occasional crunch as you move your feet. >x images The means by which the strange images are suspended before your eyes in this cavern are beyond your speculation. They are like captured images from imagination: blinks from dreams. In style, they are very much like the head of the Baluthar statue outside your house, Rykhard's contribution to the angry deity that curses the world of Menis from outside your front door. Looking at the images, you know that they came from Rykhard's mind somehow. Perhaps he cast them here by some secret art. Perhaps they were stolen from his memory and displayed here as trophies. There are three images. >x first image The first image depicts the first arrival of the Ivarns, the way they came pouring out of the skies all those years ago. Rykhard wouldn't remember this first-hand. The image is an interpretation of the most striking images from the stories that you have recollected aloud to your son. Here are the great fires that turned much of the richest forest land of Menis into a flat, ruined desert; the great tower of the Ivarns rising like a tombstone from the wreckage. Here are the patrols of Ivarns, invincible metal killing machines inhabited by the pitiless vengeance of Baluthar, rolling through villages and killing people just to show that they are to be feared. And here are the carpets of bodies, left outside without their heads, to be buried by the living. Of course, that was not the way it really looked. Blood does not stay bright red like that when it has been spilled on dead ground. The smoke was blacker. These carnival-bright colours come from the imagination of a seven-year-old boy, hearing about the massacres for the first time from his angry old father. >x second The second image is of the day the Ivarns came to your own home, burning and destroying. You see the likeness of your wife, made more beautiful yet by the exaggerated style of the picture, smiling generously even as her neck is cut through by the brutal machines. Again, the colours are too bright, almost nauseatingly so, but these are obviously the memories of somebody who witnessed the events as they happened. The only real inaccuracy is the presence of the Baluthar statue, which was not built until some time after the incident. But there He is, looking real and animated, with His arms raised and His reptilian head in profile, shooting spears of green fire from His mouth; the same green flames as the Ivarns produce from their alien weapons. >x third The third image portrays a scene you did not witness yourself. This is your son, now a grown man as he is today, in a meeting with a monster dressed as a king. It is a bright white skeleton, wearing a gown of fantastic colours and a gem- studded tiara of bright silver, speaking promises of restoration and compensation. You can almost feel the charming words flowing from the silent picture. One striking detail is that from within the sleeve of the skeleton's robe hangs a short chain with an ornate hammer on the end. The background of this image is completely black - it is as if the two figures are suspended in a starless night sky. You assume the scene is taking place in the darkness of a cavern such as this one. >get hammer The images hang before your eyes like mirages. You can't tell where they are, and you doubt that they have any real physical form. You certainly can't touch them. >touch hammer The images hang before your eyes like mirages. You can't tell where they are, and you doubt that they have any real physical form. You certainly can't touch them. >l Gallery As you enter the cavern, you find yourself surrounded by sinister images that appear before your eyes like the spots that affect your vision if you stare too long at the sun. The images have an unnatural clarity and depth of gruesome detail, beyond the ability of a painter with the finest brush. As your eyes are assaulted by the unsettling exhibition, your ears detect nothing but the constant sounds of the beetles: the murmuring drone of wings, the whisper of legs, and the occasional crunch as you move your feet. >[putting 'as you enter' is bad in a room description] That's not a verb I recognise. >[and make verbose default] That's not a verb I recognise. >get beetle You cannot force yourself to touch the loathsome things. >s Something in the air from the south warns you that it would be very dangerous exploring there without a light. >e There seems to be only rock in that direction. >w There seems to be only rock in that direction. >sw There seems to be only rock in that direction. >se There seems to be only rock in that direction. >n There seems to be only rock in that direction. >e There seems to be only rock in that direction. >nw Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >se Gallery As you enter the cavern, you find yourself surrounded by sinister images that appear before your eyes like the spots that affect your vision if you stare too long at the sun. The images have an unnatural clarity and depth of gruesome detail, beyond the ability of a painter with the finest brush. As your eyes are assaulted by the unsettling exhibition, your ears detect nothing but the constant sounds of the beetles: the murmuring drone of wings, the whisper of legs, and the occasional crunch as you move your feet. >s Something in the air from the south warns you that it would be very dangerous exploring there without a light. >help [Warning: It is recognized that the temptation for help may at times be so exceedingly strong that you might fetch hints prematurely. Therefore, you may at any time during the story type HINTS OFF, and this will disallow the seeking out of help for the present session of the story. If you still want a hint now, indicate HINT.] >[need another return there] That's not a verb I recognise. >hint Have a look around outside for something to bring you enlightenment. (7 hints left.) Look around the statue... (6 hints left.) Gallery As you enter the cavern, you find yourself surrounded by sinister images that appear before your eyes like the spots that affect your vision if you stare too long at the sun. The images have an unnatural clarity and depth of gruesome detail, beyond the ability of a painter with the finest brush. As your eyes are assaulted by the unsettling exhibition, your ears detect nothing but the constant sounds of the beetles: the murmuring drone of wings, the whisper of legs, and the occasional crunch as you move your feet. >nw Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >n Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >n There seems to be only rock in that direction. >ne Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. You slip a little on the muddy ground. >u Forest The air outside is clear and fresh, invading your lungs like the sun discovering a recently unearthed ants' nest. The vegetation of the forest where you make your home is austere and shadowy, as is typical of plants in your country. Every tree and shrub has just a single, very large leaf in a shade of purple so deep as to be almost black. Creamy white veins web across the surface of the leaves like the hands of skeletons. Some plants have thick white trunks which carry the leaves high above you to eclipse most of the sky. Others grow in dense claustrophobic clusters, up to about ten feet high with their leaves standing at attention. The light wind creates an ominous echo as it blows across the mouth of the old well that languishes amongst the low black shrubs, a dozen paces from the hut. Carried on the breeze are the sounds of the village centre, half a mile through the forest to the northeast. Baluthar glowers down at you from His boulder with a look of cold savagery. >x statue You and Rykhard built this statue after casting down your old statue of Yachvee The God Who Saves. Years ago that was, soon after the Ivarns came and murdered Rykhard's mother. This is Baluthar, a god of your own invention. He has the body of a misshapen giant, and the head of a vicious reptile, tearing flesh from His own body with His teeth. He is the God of Vengeance, He must tear and savage at His own self until circumstance permits Him a chance to strike at those who displease Him. It is to this Baluthar that you and Rykhard attribute the coming of the Ivarns to Menis, and it is to appease Him that you and Rykhard have been plotting against hope to destroy the alien oppressors. >search it You find nothing of interest. >climb it I don't think much is to be achieved by that. >look behind it I only understood you as far as wanting to look. >hint Have a look around outside for something to bring you enlightenment. Look around the statue... (6 hints left.) ...under the boulder. (5 hints left.) Forest The air outside is clear and fresh, invading your lungs like the sun discovering a recently unearthed ants' nest. The vegetation of the forest where you make your home is austere and shadowy, as is typical of plants in your country. Every tree and shrub has just a single, very large leaf in a shade of purple so deep as to be almost black. Creamy white veins web across the surface of the leaves like the hands of skeletons. Some plants have thick white trunks which carry the leaves high above you to eclipse most of the sky. Others grow in dense claustrophobic clusters, up to about ten feet high with their leaves standing at attention. The light wind creates an ominous echo as it blows across the mouth of the old well that languishes amongst the low black shrubs, a dozen paces from the hut. Carried on the breeze are the sounds of the village centre, half a mile through the forest to the northeast. Baluthar glowers down at you from His boulder with a look of cold savagery. >x boulder The boulder is grey, rough and round, and is only a little less than six feet tall. You spy a glowing insect trying to force itself further underneath the rock, out of sight. >get insect It writhes and twitches within your hand, but you manage to keep hold of it. >d The insect stings you and escapes before you have taken a step. Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. >sw Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. > Hot key -- Undo one turn Bottom of Well [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Forest [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Forest [Previous turn undone.] >get insect It writhes and twitches within your hand, but you manage to keep hold of it. >put it in jar The insect stings you a couple of times as you wrestle it into the jar, causing you to clench your teeth in pain. You quickly close the jar to prevent it from crawling back out. >d Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. >sw Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. A looming, nightmarish creature stands still and silent in the dark like a monster from an old ghost story. >x creature You have met something like this once before in a boyhood adventure that you'd rather forget. It is a ghoul - a person who had died as a very small baby and been swiftly raised as a zombie by a powerful necromancer. While the body was indeed dead, there was life of a sort left in the agents of growth and development of the child. Its development was deeply warped by the trauma of death and the unnatural effects of the evil magic that re-animated it. Now it is a fully developed monster; looming, hairy and gruesomely deformed, with huge square yellow teeth and skin that rots, oozes and renews constantly. The rotting skin attracts the beetles in their dozens, so even though the monster is completely still most of the time, it is constantly animated by the crawlers that roam over and under its flesh. The ghoul glares at your glowing insect with something like hatred - or fear - in its eyes. >x ghoul You have met something like this once before in a boyhood adventure that you'd rather forget. It is a ghoul - a person who had died as a very small baby and been swiftly raised as a zombie by a powerful necromancer. While the body was indeed dead, there was life of a sort left in the agents of growth and development of the child. Its development was deeply warped by the trauma of death and the unnatural effects of the evil magic that re-animated it. Now it is a fully developed monster; looming, hairy and gruesomely deformed, with huge square yellow teeth and skin that rots, oozes and renews constantly. The rotting skin attracts the beetles in their dozens, so even though the monster is completely still most of the time, it is constantly animated by the crawlers that roam over and under its flesh. The ghoul glares at your glowing insect with something like hatred - or fear - in its eyes. >kick ghoul That's not a verb I recognise. >hit ghoul You beat fruitlessly on the body of the creature. >give insect to ghoul (the beetles to the creature) (first taking the beetles) You cannot force yourself to touch the loathsome things. >give jar to ghoul The creature doesn't seem interested. >throw jar at ghoul You wouldn't want to break it. >s The creature follows you. Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >w As you approach the hole in the cavern wall, the ghastly creature moves to you with surprising speed. It grabs you with its wet, crawling arm and forces you to stumble back towards the northern exit. >n The creature follows you. Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >n There seems to be only rock in that direction. >ne Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. >drop jar Dropped. >sw Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >s Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >w Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >w There seems to be only rock in that direction. >s There seems to be only rock in that direction. >n There seems to be only rock in that direction. >sw Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >s There seems to be only rock in that direction. >ne Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >e Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >n Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >n There seems to be only rock in that direction. >ne Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. You can see a glass jar (which is closed) (in which is a glowing insect) here. >get jar Taken. >sw Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >s The creature follows you. Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >se As you approach the hole in the cavern wall, the ghastly creature moves to you with surprising speed. It grabs you with its wet, crawling arm and forces you to stumble back towards the northern exit. >throw jar se You wouldn't want to break it. >i You are carrying: a glass jar (which is closed) a glowing insect (providing light) a handwritten note >open jar The insect escapes the jar and drops to the ground. >se As you approach the hole in the cavern wall, the ghastly creature moves to you with surprising speed. It grabs you with its wet, crawling arm and forces you to stumble back towards the northern exit. >z Time passes. >l Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. You can also see a glowing insect (providing light) here. >get insect (the glowing insect) It writhes and twitches within your hand, but you manage to keep hold of it. >give it to ghoul The creature doesn't seem interested. The insect delivers you a painful sting and escapes your weakened grasp. >throw insect at ghoul (the glowing insect at the creature) (first taking the glowing insect) It writhes and twitches within your hand, but you manage to keep hold of it. >throw insect at ghoul (the glowing insect at the creature) That would not kill it, and you don't want to make it mad! The insect delivers you a painful sting and escapes your weakened grasp. > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Artificial Tunnel [Previous turn undone.] >l Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >s The creature follows you. Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >hint There are a couple of ways past it. Both involve mud. (8 hints left.) Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >get mud You can't see any such thing. >x mud You can't see any such thing. >n The creature follows you. Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >x mud You can't see any such thing. >ne Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. You slip a little on the muddy ground. >get mud You scoop up a good load of mud in your hands. >sw Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >throw mud at ghoul That would not kill it, and you don't want to make it mad! >s The creature follows you. Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >give mud to ghoul The creature doesn't seem interested. >open jar The insect escapes the jar and drops to the ground. >hint There are a couple of ways past it. Both involve mud. (8 hints left.) To reach the more permanent solution, watch the movement of the ghoul. How far does it follow you? (7 hints left.) Why do you suppose it stops at the mouth of the cave? (6 hints left.) It doesn't like the light. Let's give it a dose. (5 hints left.) Push it northeast. (4 hints left.) Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. You can also see a glowing insect (providing light) here. >n The creature follows you. Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. >undo Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Natural cavern [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Artificial Tunnel [Previous turn undone.] > Hot key -- Undo one turn Artificial Tunnel [Previous turn undone.] >push ghoul ne The monster's legs stand firmly on the ground like the trunks of trees. No amount of force will shift the creature. >put mud on ghoul Putting things on the creature would achieve nothing. >s The creature follows you. Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >push ghoul se The monster's legs stand firmly on the ground like the trunks of trees. No amount of force will shift the creature. >nw There seems to be only rock in that direction. >n The creature follows you. Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. The ghoul stands here, still and silent, oblivious to the beetles that burrow and feast in its rotting flesh. >drop mud Dropped. >push ghoul ne You deliver the monster a flying shoulder-tackle which leaves you winded and bruised. Slipping on the muddy ground, the creature stumbles backward into the northeast passage. You hear it cry out with a thin, infant-like voice as the dim sunlight hits its flesh, and you retreat to a corner of the tunnel when you see it rushing back in, blazing with flames and screaming pitifully. Dozens of beetles pour from its flesh. The stink of the burning ghoul is unbearable. Dumbstruck and terrified, you let your eyes, ears and nostrils take in every gruesome detail of the monster's flailing destruction. After a while, the babyish screams are strangled off as the monster's lungs and throat are burned away. Eventually the fire is reduced to a hot blue glow, and when the last morsel of the monster's body is consumed, the flame vanishes. >[that's pretty disturbing] That's not a verb I recognise. >s Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. >w Laboratory This small, ancient chamber has been used recently as a laboratory. Much of it has been ransacked brutally; every glass thing here lies in silent shards on the table and the ground. The beetles roam quietly over everything. A large number of them are gathered under a glistening stone which protrudes from the wall a few inches above the floor. From here there is a narrow passage leading down to the southwest, and a way east back to the large cavern. An old, clean skull is suspended on the wall, unharmed amongst a plethora of strange pipes and funnels. On the table is a cup (which is empty). >x stone Strange liquid seems to be bleeding out of the stone and dribbling to the floor beneath it. >x liquid The dark red liquid is a little bit thicker than blood but smells much the same. >taste it That doesn't seem safe. >put liquid in jar You need to be holding the red liquid running from the rock before you can put it into something else. >get skull You find yourself unwilling to disturb the strange setup of pipes and tubes. >x skull The skull is dry and cold. >x cup The cup is made of something like marble. >get cup Taken. >fill cup with liquid The cup quickly fills with the strange red liquid dripping from the stone. >l Laboratory This small, ancient chamber has been used recently as a laboratory. Much of it has been ransacked brutally; every glass thing here lies in silent shards on the table and the ground. The beetles roam quietly over everything. A large number of them are gathered under a glistening stone which protrudes from the wall a few inches above the floor. From here there is a narrow passage leading down to the southwest, and a way east back to the large cavern. An old, clean skull is suspended on the wall, unharmed amongst a plethora of strange pipes and funnels. >sw Narrow Passage This twisting, steeply sloping passageway leads up to the northeast or down to the southeast. The walls are hard and sharply porous, the ceiling is low and you are forced to crawl painfully amongst the vile beetles. Your tiny light cannot make out anything in either the cavern above or the one below. >se Fissure Unconsciously warned - perhaps by aural clues - that the ground here is not as reliable as in other caverns, you explore with care. You find yourself on a ledge, about six feet long and six feet wide, edging on a fissure that extends in all directions much further than you can see by your dim light. A narrow wooden bridge with no handrail leads away across the pit to the south. Two passages lead upward and away from here; one to the northwest, the other northward up a staircase. >u Is that up to the northwest or the north? >n Gallery As you enter the cavern, you find yourself surrounded by sinister images that appear before your eyes like the spots that affect your vision if you stare too long at the sun. The images have an unnatural clarity and depth of gruesome detail, beyond the ability of a painter with the finest brush. Your glowing insect gives you no help in viewing the pictures, as they seem to be composed of a completely different type of light, illuminating nothing but themselves. However, it is only by the light of the insect that you are able to discern the passage to the northwest, and the great staircase leading down to the south. As your eyes are assaulted by the unsettling exhibition, your ears detect nothing but the constant sounds of the beetles: the murmuring drone of wings, the whisper of legs, and the occasional crunch as you move your feet. >s Fissure You find yourself on a ledge, about six feet long and six feet wide, edging on a fissure that extends in all directions much further than you can see by your dim light. A narrow wooden bridge with no handrail leads away across the pit to the south. Two passages lead upward and away from here; one to the northwest, the other northward up a staircase. >s Your stomach lurches as you step out onto the bridge, your arms held out by your sides. Briefly you lose your balance as a hard beetle blocks the natural descent of your foot, but you are saved by the mad instinctive wheeling of your arms. You hurry to the small ledge at the other end and hug the wall. Ledge You are leaning against the rocky south wall - the only wall - standing on a tiny stone platform above a gorge of unknowable depth. The unsteady-looking plank that you walked to get to this place extends into darkness to the north, like a wooden tongue into the throat of some ancient black monster. There is a simple wooden door in the wall beside you. >open door As soon as you touch the door, you feel yourself completely paralysed by some ghostly force. You feel the presence of something almost living rise from the fissure behind you, and the tip of a cold metal sword press against the back of your neck. A voice like footsteps on dead leaves hisses: "I am the guardian of the Necrimera's chamber. Say my name and I will grant you entry." >baluthar That's not a verb I recognise. >say baluthar Whom do you want to say that to? >voice "Wrong answer, little fool!" croaks the voice. "I should kill you now, but as you are such a miserable little simpleton, I think it would be more cruel to let you live on..." The voice falls silent, and you are thrown backwards from the door by the unholy force that held you still before. Your control ruined by panic, you flail about backward across the bridge, surviving only by the slimmest of chances. You land painfully on your back, whacking the back of your head on the hard rock floor. Fissure You find yourself on a ledge, about six feet long and six feet wide, edging on a fissure that extends in all directions much further than you can see by your dim light. A narrow wooden bridge with no handrail leads away across the pit to the south. Two passages lead upward and away from here; one to the northwest, the other northward up a staircase. >nw Narrow Passage This twisting, steeply sloping passageway leads up to the northeast or down to the southeast. The walls are hard and sharply porous, the ceiling is low and you are forced to crawl painfully amongst the vile beetles. Your tiny light cannot make out anything in either the cavern above or the one below. >ne Laboratory This small, ancient chamber has been used recently as a laboratory. Much of it has been ransacked brutally; every glass thing here lies in silent shards on the table and the ground. The beetles roam quietly over everything. A large number of them are gathered under a glistening stone which protrudes from the wall a few inches above the floor. From here there is a narrow passage leading down to the southwest, and a way east back to the large cavern. An old, clean skull is suspended on the wall, unharmed amongst a plethora of strange pipes and funnels. >pour liquid into skull (the liquid in a cup into the old skull) The strange liquid evaporates as soon as it hits the surface of the old skull. >fill cup with liquid The cup quickly fills with the strange red liquid dripping from the stone. >drink liquid (the liquid in a cup) That doesn't seem safe. >i You are carrying: some liquid in a cup a glass jar (which is closed) a glowing insect (providing light) a handwritten note >put note on skull Putting things on the old skull would achieve nothing. >l Laboratory This small, ancient chamber has been used recently as a laboratory. Much of it has been ransacked brutally; every glass thing here lies in silent shards on the table and the ground. The beetles roam quietly over everything. A large number of them are gathered under a glistening stone which protrudes from the wall a few inches above the floor. From here there is a narrow passage leading down to the southwest, and a way east back to the large cavern. An old, clean skull is suspended on the wall, unharmed amongst a plethora of strange pipes and funnels. >e Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. >se Gallery As you enter the cavern, you find yourself surrounded by sinister images that appear before your eyes like the spots that affect your vision if you stare too long at the sun. The images have an unnatural clarity and depth of gruesome detail, beyond the ability of a painter with the finest brush. Your glowing insect gives you no help in viewing the pictures, as they seem to be composed of a completely different type of light, illuminating nothing but themselves. However, it is only by the light of the insect that you are able to discern the passage to the northwest, and the great staircase leading down to the south. As your eyes are assaulted by the unsettling exhibition, your ears detect nothing but the constant sounds of the beetles: the murmuring drone of wings, the whisper of legs, and the occasional crunch as you move your feet. >hint Indeed not. Not until you can tell it its name. (6 hints left.) Go to the laboratory. You'll find out the name there. (5 hints left.) Gallery As you enter the cavern, you find yourself surrounded by sinister images that appear before your eyes like the spots that affect your vision if you stare too long at the sun. The images have an unnatural clarity and depth of gruesome detail, beyond the ability of a painter with the finest brush. Your glowing insect gives you no help in viewing the pictures, as they seem to be composed of a completely different type of light, illuminating nothing but themselves. However, it is only by the light of the insect that you are able to discern the passage to the northwest, and the great staircase leading down to the south. As your eyes are assaulted by the unsettling exhibition, your ears detect nothing but the constant sounds of the beetles: the murmuring drone of wings, the whisper of legs, and the occasional crunch as you move your feet. >w There seems to be only rock in that direction. >n There seems to be only rock in that direction. >nw Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. >w Laboratory This small, ancient chamber has been used recently as a laboratory. Much of it has been ransacked brutally; every glass thing here lies in silent shards on the table and the ground. The beetles roam quietly over everything. A large number of them are gathered under a glistening stone which protrudes from the wall a few inches above the floor. From here there is a narrow passage leading down to the southwest, and a way east back to the large cavern. An old, clean skull is suspended on the wall, unharmed amongst a plethora of strange pipes and funnels. >x skull The skull is dry and cold. >touch it You feel nothing unexpected. >push it It is fixed in place. >pull it It is fixed in place. >turn it It is fixed in place. >x pipes A tangle of leathery pipes and tubes, with a large funnel at the top. >pour liquid into funnel (the liquid in a cup into the pipe) The strange red liquid disappears down the funnel and gurgles through the plumbing around the skull. After a moment, you see it begin to cross the white face of the skull, forming tiny veins across its surface. The veins quickly become more substantial, and flesh begins to appear around them. Before your eyes, the blank skull becomes what appears to be a living human face. It has no eyes, nor teeth, and red liquid flows in dribbling streams from where these features are missing. To your horror, the head speaks, spitting cold red droplets over you as the red liquid runs over its lips from its eye sockets and its gums: "Beware the Necrimera! He hates all who have life, he smells the living flesh on your bones!" The flesh starts to wither as the liquid that gave it life flows out through the empty eye holes. "Beware the Necrimera!" the head repeats, and the last of the red liquid flows from its eyes and disappears into the floor, leaving behind a clean silent skull. >fill cup The cup quickly fills with the strange red liquid dripping from the stone. >pour liquid into funnel (the liquid in a cup into the pipe) The liquid runs through the pipes again, muttering thickly as the terrible face re-appears over the blank mask of the skull. "Ambrosio!" it says clearly. "Ambrosio was the name of the guard. He caught me running from the Ivarns - the last thing I saw was his heavy sword bearing down on me. A curse on Ambrosio!" The liquid runs out through the head's vacant eye holes. Again the face withers and vanishes. >fill cup The cup quickly fills with the strange red liquid dripping from the stone. >pour liquid into funnel (the liquid in a cup into the pipe) As before, the face is constructed from tiny veins and creeping flesh that seems to flow from the pipes. This time, the head speaks no words, but lets out a long, long scream of terrible pain and misery. For a full minute the head screams without drawing an inward breath. Finally it chokes off as the last of the red liquid runs to the ground. >fill cup The cup quickly fills with the strange red liquid dripping from the stone. >pour liquid into funnel (the liquid in a cup into the pipe) The pipes slosh, the face appears. But it will say no more words. It hangs there dumbly for a while, then wrinkles up and disappears as its life bleeds out through its empty eye sockets. >se There seems to be only rock in that direction. >s There seems to be only rock in that direction. >sw Narrow Passage This twisting, steeply sloping passageway leads up to the northeast or down to the southeast. The walls are hard and sharply porous, the ceiling is low and you are forced to crawl painfully amongst the vile beetles. Your tiny light cannot make out anything in either the cavern above or the one below. >se Fissure You find yourself on a ledge, about six feet long and six feet wide, edging on a fissure that extends in all directions much further than you can see by your dim light. A narrow wooden bridge with no handrail leads away across the pit to the south. Two passages lead upward and away from here; one to the northwest, the other northward up a staircase. >s You cross the bridge quickly and nervously. Ledge You are leaning against the rocky south wall - the only wall - standing on a tiny stone platform above a gorge of unknowable depth. The unsteady-looking plank that you walked to get to this place extends into darkness to the north, like a wooden tongue into the throat of some ancient black monster. There is a simple wooden door in the wall beside you. >open door Again you are paralysed by a supernatural force as your hand touches the handle. The sword tip jabs your neck once more, and the papery voice speaks again: "You have returned, then. What makes you think you can pass me this time? Can you guess my name?" >say ambrosio Whom do you want to say that to? >voice The voice chuckles quietly with a dry wheeze. "Ambrosio, yes. Of all the answers you could have given, that is the most foolish. But it is the correct answer nevertheless, so I shall leave you to your fate." Your body is freed as the ghost sinks back into the fissure. >open door You open the door, and immediately hear a monstrous sniffing, snuffling sound in the darkness beyond it. Quickly you slam the door shut again. >g Opening the door again, you hear the snuffling sound briefly, then monstrous yelling barking sounds like a pack of vicious animals. The sound gets rapidly louder as whatever is beyond the door rushes towards you. It does not come through the door though - the creature is too big. You get glimpses of a huge, wet muzzle as the thing inside strives to push through. >x muzzle The hideous mouth lunges itself through the door violently and ceaselessly, and will not keep still long enough for you to make much of an inspection. >i You are carrying: a cup a glass jar (which is closed) a glowing insect (providing light) a handwritten note >n You cross the bridge quickly and nervously. Fissure You find yourself on a ledge, about six feet long and six feet wide, edging on a fissure that extends in all directions much further than you can see by your dim light. A narrow wooden bridge with no handrail leads away across the pit to the south. Two passages lead upward and away from here; one to the northwest, the other northward up a staircase. >nw Narrow Passage This twisting, steeply sloping passageway leads up to the northeast or down to the southeast. The walls are hard and sharply porous, the ceiling is low and you are forced to crawl painfully amongst the vile beetles. Your tiny light cannot make out anything in either the cavern above or the one below. >ne Laboratory This small, ancient chamber has been used recently as a laboratory. Much of it has been ransacked brutally; every glass thing here lies in silent shards on the table and the ground. The beetles roam quietly over everything. A large number of them are gathered under a glistening stone which protrudes from the wall a few inches above the floor. From here there is a narrow passage leading down to the southwest, and a way east back to the large cavern. The skull hangs on the wall amongst the pipes, soundless and flawless. >fill cup The cup quickly fills with the strange red liquid dripping from the stone. >sw Narrow Passage This twisting, steeply sloping passageway leads up to the northeast or down to the southeast. The walls are hard and sharply porous, the ceiling is low and you are forced to crawl painfully amongst the vile beetles. Your tiny light cannot make out anything in either the cavern above or the one below. >se Fissure You find yourself on a ledge, about six feet long and six feet wide, edging on a fissure that extends in all directions much further than you can see by your dim light. A narrow wooden bridge with no handrail leads away across the pit to the south. Two passages lead upward and away from here; one to the northwest, the other northward up a staircase. >s You cross the bridge quickly and nervously. Ledge You are leaning against the rocky south wall - the only wall - standing on a tiny stone platform above a gorge of unknowable depth. The unsteady-looking plank that you walked to get to this place extends into darkness to the north, like a wooden tongue into the throat of some ancient black monster. You see nightmarish flashes of teeth and fur emerging with terrible noises from the open door. >pour cup on teeth The strange liquid evaporates as soon as it hits the surface of the muzzle. >undo Ledge [Previous turn undone.] >[snort[ That's not a verb I recognise. >help I don't blame you. You'll probably get killed. (10 hints left.) But you do need to go through it, I'm afraid, so you'll need to protect yourself from the Necrimera. (9 hints left.) Can you remember what that talking skull said about the Necrimera? (8 hints left.) How does the Necrimera know you're there? (7 hints left.) Ledge You are leaning against the rocky south wall - the only wall - standing on a tiny stone platform above a gorge of unknowable depth. The unsteady-looking plank that you walked to get to this place extends into darkness to the north, like a wooden tongue into the throat of some ancient black monster. You see nightmarish flashes of teeth and fur emerging with terrible noises from the open door. >pour liquid on me That would be needlessly unpleasant. >i You are carrying: some liquid in a cup a glass jar (which is closed) a glowing insect (providing light) a handwritten note >drink liquid That doesn't seem safe. >n You cross the bridge quickly and nervously. Fissure You find yourself on a ledge, about six feet long and six feet wide, edging on a fissure that extends in all directions much further than you can see by your dim light. A narrow wooden bridge with no handrail leads away across the pit to the south. Two passages lead upward and away from here; one to the northwest, the other northward up a staircase. >nw Narrow Passage This twisting, steeply sloping passageway leads up to the northeast or down to the southeast. The walls are hard and sharply porous, the ceiling is low and you are forced to crawl painfully amongst the vile beetles. Your tiny light cannot make out anything in either the cavern above or the one below. >ne Laboratory This small, ancient chamber has been used recently as a laboratory. Much of it has been ransacked brutally; every glass thing here lies in silent shards on the table and the ground. The beetles roam quietly over everything. A large number of them are gathered under a glistening stone which protrudes from the wall a few inches above the floor. From here there is a narrow passage leading down to the southwest, and a way east back to the large cavern. The skull hangs on the wall amongst the pipes, soundless and flawless. >e Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. >n Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. In the middle of the tunnel is an ashy stain. There is some mud on the ground. >n There seems to be only rock in that direction. >ne Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. >get mud You scoop up a good load of mud in your hands. >put mud on me (the handful of mud on yourself) You cover yourself completely with mud. >sw Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. In the middle of the tunnel is an ashy stain. There is some mud on the ground. >s Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. >n Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. In the middle of the tunnel is an ashy stain. There is some mud on the ground. >get mud You are unable to scrape the mud back off the ground. >ne Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. >get mud You scoop up a good load of mud in your hands. >sw Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. In the middle of the tunnel is an ashy stain. There is some mud on the ground. >s Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. >sw There seems to be only rock in that direction. >se Gallery As you enter the cavern, you find yourself surrounded by sinister images that appear before your eyes like the spots that affect your vision if you stare too long at the sun. The images have an unnatural clarity and depth of gruesome detail, beyond the ability of a painter with the finest brush. Your glowing insect gives you no help in viewing the pictures, as they seem to be composed of a completely different type of light, illuminating nothing but themselves. However, it is only by the light of the insect that you are able to discern the passage to the northwest, and the great staircase leading down to the south. As your eyes are assaulted by the unsettling exhibition, your ears detect nothing but the constant sounds of the beetles: the murmuring drone of wings, the whisper of legs, and the occasional crunch as you move your feet. >d Fissure You find yourself on a ledge, about six feet long and six feet wide, edging on a fissure that extends in all directions much further than you can see by your dim light. A narrow wooden bridge with no handrail leads away across the pit to the south. Two passages lead upward and away from here; one to the northwest, the other northward up a staircase. >s You cross the bridge quickly and nervously. Ledge You are leaning against the rocky south wall - the only wall - standing on a tiny stone platform above a gorge of unknowable depth. The unsteady-looking plank that you walked to get to this place extends into darkness to the north, like a wooden tongue into the throat of some ancient black monster. You hear loud snuffling sounds beyond the open door. >s Monster's Lair This huge, echoing cavern stinks. As the droppings of a dog smell stronger and more putrid than those of a cow, the excreta which clutter the floor here in foul, beetle-covered heaps have their own kind of reek, acrid with the rot of dead flesh. Close to the door in the north wall are narrow passages leading away to the west and the east. The Necrimera, a hideous mash of animated body-parts sourced from many kinds of animals - as well as human beings - wades obliviously through the muck, sniffing at the ground for something new. >e Hallway This artificial cavern is wedge-shaped, getting thinner as it leads to the east, the walls eventually meeting about twenty feet from the mouth at the west end. There is an opening on the southern wall. >s Abandoned Bedroom A high ceiling and slightly sunken floor give this dark cavern a sense of more space, where the closeness of the walls might otherwise render the place somewhat cramped. Looking up, you can only just see the ceiling of the cavern with your light, casting vague, ambiguous shadows amongst the hanging rocks. A partially collapsed dressing-table leans against one wall for support. On the opposite side of the room is what once was a bed, before age, rot and insects ate away the mattress and everything else that was soft. >x table The wood is rotting terribly in some places, but in others is as dry as old bones. It has broken hinges near the back where a large mirror was once held, and the handles are missing from the drawers. It is decorated with carvings in a style popular some centuries ago. >x carvings Evil-looking things painstakingly wrought on every available surface. >open it That's not something you can open. >open drawers The drawers have rotted themselves shut. There is no way of forcing them open without destroying the whole table. >kick table That's not a verb I recognise. >search table The drawers have rotted themselves shut. There is no way of forcing them open without destroying the whole table. >destroy table The dressing-table topples over in a cloud of dust that has you in a choking fit. When you open your eyes again, you find that the table is no longer anything more than a pile of broken wood. Amongst the rubble where the drawers used to be you spot an ancient book with gleaming metal designs on its cover. >get book Taken. >read it It is written in an archaic dialect, but you can determine the gist of it from the illustrations and the occasional recognised word. It is a hand-lettered volume concerning the use of magic runes, discussing their use in cursing and bewitching objects, with a chapter on protecting the fragile marks by twisting spells of glamour into the magic. >l Abandoned Bedroom A high ceiling and slightly sunken floor give this dark cavern a sense of more space, where the closeness of the walls might otherwise render the place somewhat cramped. Looking up, you can only just see the ceiling of the cavern with your light, casting vague, ambiguous shadows amongst the hanging rocks. The dressing-table is now just a pile of rubble. On the opposite side of the room is what once was a bed, before age, rot and insects ate away the mattress and everything else that was soft. >x bed Little more than a pile of dry firewood. >search it There is nothing on the old bed. >look under it There is nothing there. >read book It is written in an archaic dialect, but you can determine the gist of it from the illustrations and the occasional recognised word. It is a hand-lettered volume concerning the use of magic runes, discussing their use in cursing and bewitching objects, with a chapter on protecting the fragile marks by twisting spells of glamour into the magic. >n Hallway This artificial cavern is wedge-shaped, getting thinner as it leads to the east, the walls eventually meeting about twenty feet from the mouth at the west end. There is an opening on the southern wall. >e There seems to be only rock in that direction. >w Monster's Lair This huge, echoing cavern stinks. As the droppings of a dog smell stronger and more putrid than those of a cow, the excreta which clutter the floor here in foul, beetle-covered heaps have their own kind of reek, acrid with the rot of dead flesh. Close to the door in the north wall are narrow passages leading away to the west and the east. The Necrimera, a hideous mash of animated body-parts sourced from many kinds of animals - as well as human beings - wades obliviously through the muck, sniffing at the ground for something new. >w Short Passage This passage is, probably by design, much too thin to admit the Necrimera. You find it rather uncomfortable yourself; the walls pressing in on you behind and before you, crawling with beetles. Unable to hold your light out in front of you, you feel rather than see the loathsome creatures crawling about near your face, brushing against your nose, cheeks and lips. The passage bends from the east to the south. There is a stone archway over the tunnel to the south. >x archway The inside of the archway is marked with strange designs in chalk and charcoal. >x designs The markings are very bizarre, consisting mostly of branching, angular symbols and spiralling designs. >look up designs in book You discover nothing of interest in the ancient book. >s As you pass below the archway, your body suddenly erupts with a unbearable burning pain. You stagger another step to the south and are punished with a sharp increase in its white-hot intensity. The agony only fades when you retreat back to the north. >x archway The inside of the archway is marked with strange designs in chalk and charcoal. >read book It is written in an archaic dialect, but you can determine the gist of it from the illustrations and the occasional recognised word. It is a hand-lettered volume concerning the use of magic runes, discussing their use in cursing and bewitching objects, with a chapter on protecting the fragile marks by twisting spells of glamour into the magic. >hit mark Now you know how the spell works, the glamour inherent in the markings can be easily ignored. You almost feel something in the air snapping as you smear the chalky marks with your scratched, muddy palms. >s You set your teeth against the possibility of another punishment, but pass safely beneath the archway. Dungeon A large cavern, containing around two dozen cramped metal cages, stacked two high, to an ultimate height of about nine feet. You are able to illuminate only one or two at a time, and discover that most contain an assortment of bones, dry rags and beetles. A metal throne stands at the southern end of the cave, one of the few things you have encountered during your journey underground that looks well maintained. You see your son Rykhard trapped in one of the cramped cages. A clean white skeleton sits in the throne, one of its hands curled into a fist. An ancient engraved hammer is chained to the skeleton's radius. >x throne The throne is covered with jewels and carvings, but poor as you are, you do not feel any desire for them at all. >x skeleton (the skeleton) It looks like no more than a skeleton. You have seen hundreds like it in the tombs below the temple of Yachvee in the village. >get hammer Okay, you are now holding the handle of the hammer, which is chained to the skeleton. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. >hit skeleton with hammer (the skeleton with the hammer) The skeleton is less brittle than it looks. >talk to rykhard You can ASK people about things, TELL people about things, or just SAY things to people. >ask rykhard about skeleton "He's out of ... power," says Rykhard with a hurried shrug. "He drinks death through that hammer - death is like food to him." >ask rykhard about rykhard "Yes, I do remember my own name," he snaps petulantly. >ask rykhard about him "Yes, I do remember my own name," he snaps petulantly. >ask him about me "Yes, I know who you are," he replies. >ask him about mother "Please just get me out." >ask him about alksdf Rykhard starts shouting. "I don't know! I don't know any more! I can't think in here!" >l Dungeon A large cavern, containing around two dozen cramped metal cages, stacked two high, to an ultimate height of about nine feet. You are able to illuminate only one or two at a time, and discover that most contain an assortment of bones, dry rags and beetles. A metal throne stands at the southern end of the cave, one of the few things you have encountered during your journey underground that looks well maintained. You see your son Rykhard trapped in one of the cramped cages. A clean white skeleton sits in the throne, one of its hands curled into a fist. >open cage It seems to be locked. >search skeleton (the skeleton) You find nothing of interest. >hit beetle with hammer With a vengeful satisfaction you bring the large hammer down on a cluster of the revolting creatures, crushing their brittle shells and creating a small wet puddle spackled with sharp, slowly twitching shards. You hear a rattling sigh from the mouth of the skeleton. Next you hear a bright jingling in the quiet. The temporary relief in the skeleton's rigor mortis had obviously caused the tightly curled fingers to relax a little; a silver key now sits on the ground below it. >get key Taken. >unlock cage with key Rykhard slowly, painfully emerges from the cage, careful not to meet your eye with his. He mutters something that might be thanks. >put mud on rykhard Putting things on Rykhard would achieve nothing. >give mud to rykhard Rykhard doesn't seem interested. >l Dungeon A large cavern, containing around two dozen cramped metal cages, stacked two high, to an ultimate height of about nine feet. You are able to illuminate only one or two at a time, and discover that most contain an assortment of bones, dry rags and beetles. A metal throne stands at the southern end of the cave, one of the few things you have encountered during your journey underground that looks well maintained. "Can we leave here?" Rykhard asks agitatedly. A clean white skeleton sits in the throne, one of its hands curled into a fist. >search rags That's not something you need to refer to in the course of this game. >get throne That's hardly portable. >w (first dropping the hammer which is chained to the skeleton) Dropped. There seems to be only rock in that direction. >n Short Passage This passage is, probably by design, much too thin to admit the Necrimera. You find it rather uncomfortable yourself; the walls pressing in on you behind and before you, crawling with beetles. Unable to hold your light out in front of you, you feel rather than see the loathsome creatures crawling about near your face, brushing against your nose, cheeks and lips. The passage bends from the east to the south. Rykhard is here with you. There is a stone archway over the tunnel to the south. >e Monster's Lair This huge, echoing cavern stinks. As the droppings of a dog smell stronger and more putrid than those of a cow, the excreta which clutter the floor here in foul, beetle-covered heaps have their own kind of reek, acrid with the rot of dead flesh. Close to the door in the north wall are narrow passages leading away to the west and the east. "Don't worry about me, the creature knows who I am," Rykhard says. "It stopped trying to kill me second time I came down. The Warlock gave it a drop of my blood, whispered something to it, and it just started leaving me alone." The Necrimera, a hideous mash of animated body-parts sourced from many kinds of animals - as well as human beings - wades obliviously through the muck, sniffing at the ground for something new. >ask rykhard about warlock "Yes, the old Warlock was a liar. I only realised that when it was too late and he had imprisoned me. He told me such things, Father, such things! They were probably true. I don't doubt he had the power to end the Curse." >ask rykhard about curse "Yeah, well I thought I could do something about the Ivarns," your son mutters to the ground. "That's how I ended up here. I thought with the power of the warlock on our side we could ... you know ... do something. Like fight or something." He shakes his head. "Ha! An idiot on a crusade to save the world ... from a inside cage at the bottom of a hole!" >ask rykhard about necrimera Rykhard shudders. "I suppose the Warlock made it to guard the cave," he says. >ask him about ambrosio "Please. I don't want to talk about it now." >n Ledge You are leaning against the rocky south wall - the only wall - standing on a tiny stone platform above a gorge of unknowable depth. The unsteady-looking plank that you walked to get to this place extends into darkness to the north, like a wooden tongue into the throat of some ancient black monster. "Down there is where the Warlock's army is," offers Rykhard as he wanders around on the edge of the precipice and looks into the chasm. Clinging to the wall, you can't help but feel disturbed at his lack of concern as he stands there on the brink. "Those that the Necrimera didn't tear apart are down there. Every stupid soul that came in here in the last two hundred years is either in pieces in the monster's lair, or is a conscript in the Warlock's zombie leagues ... after having been thumped a good one with that hammer of his. "I guess I thought the ends justified the means ... He promised that when the army was large enough we could take on the Ivarns. I was supposed to go to town and convince the people it was safe to come down here. Recruitment has been rather low lately. What with the stories people tell about this place." You hear loud snuffling sounds beyond the open door. >n You cross the bridge quickly and nervously. Fissure You find yourself on a ledge, about six feet long and six feet wide, edging on a fissure that extends in all directions much further than you can see by your dim light. A narrow wooden bridge with no handrail leads away across the pit to the south. Two passages lead upward and away from here; one to the northwest, the other northward up a staircase. Rykhard hangs back and looks over the edge of the chasm. >look down I only understood you as far as wanting to look. >x chasm You can't see any such thing. >x fissure Your tiny light cannot show you how deep the fissure is. You kick a large beetle over the edge, but do not hear its light body hit the bottom. >n Gallery As you enter the cavern, you find yourself surrounded by sinister images that appear before your eyes like the spots that affect your vision if you stare too long at the sun. The images have an unnatural clarity and depth of gruesome detail, beyond the ability of a painter with the finest brush. Your glowing insect gives you no help in viewing the pictures, as they seem to be composed of a completely different type of light, illuminating nothing but themselves. However, it is only by the light of the insect that you are able to discern the passage to the northwest, and the great staircase leading down to the south. As your eyes are assaulted by the unsettling exhibition, your ears detect nothing but the constant sounds of the beetles: the murmuring drone of wings, the whisper of legs, and the occasional crunch as you move your feet. Rykhard is running around the cave, swatting at the images and shouting in a language you don't know. In spite of his efforts, the pictures remain. >ask rykhard about image (Rykhard about that) Rykhard starts to answer, but his voice is choked off, his face a mask of torment. >nw Natural cavern The ceiling of this huge cavern is beyond the range of your poor light, making you wonder what horrors may be lurking out of sight above you. You can not illuminate more than a small section of the surrounding walls at a time. Thus you discover only painstakingly that black yawning gaps in the lumpy grey rock lead out to the north, west and southeast of this chamber. Vile beetles pour in and out through all of these passages, filling the cavern with the chattering echoes of their thousands of legs. Rykhard is here with you. >n Artificial Tunnel The meagre light supplied by your glowing insect is only slightly better than complete darkness. It is enough, however, for you to see that you are in a comfortably wide tunnel. The appearance of the broken rock faces of the walls and the unnaturally smooth floor tells you that this is a tunnel that was excavated by people. A thin passage leads out to the northeast, and the tunnel widens out to the south. A sea of disturbingly large beetles flows in a tumbling flood back and forth, to and from the cavern to the south. Rykhard is here with you. In the middle of the tunnel is an ashy stain. There is some mud on the ground. >ne Bottom of Well Not a lot of sunlight reaches the bottom of this well. You can see shapes, but the colours of things are all rather murky and indistinguishable. The ground here consists mostly of a dark grey, sticky mud, with drier areas that you can walk on if you're careful. A number of stones have been removed in the southwest section of the wall, revealing a tunnel that leads away into darkness. Beside you, the wall is equipped with jutting rocks, allowing you to climb back out of the well. The air is considerably drier and cooler down here, and less wholesome. The light breeze seems to leech the life from your flesh. Rykhard shades his eyes with his hand. >u Forest The air outside is clear and fresh, invading your lungs like the sun discovering a recently unearthed ants' nest. The vegetation of the forest where you make your home is austere and shadowy, as is typical of plants in your country. Every tree and shrub has just a single, very large leaf in a shade of purple so deep as to be almost black. Creamy white veins web across the surface of the leaves like the hands of skeletons. Some plants have thick white trunks which carry the leaves high above you to eclipse most of the sky. Others grow in dense claustrophobic clusters, up to about ten feet high with their leaves standing at attention. The light wind creates an ominous echo as it blows across the mouth of the old well that languishes amongst the low black shrubs, a dozen paces from the hut. Carried on the breeze are the sounds of the village centre, half a mile through the forest to the northeast. Rykhard hurries to the boulder that supports the Baluthar statue, and begins to heave at it, throwing his shoulders at it as if he were fighting for his life. The rock resists his every effort and stays unmoved in the ground. Baluthar glowers down at you from His boulder with a look of cold savagery. >push baluthar Your fear of Baluthar's vengeance will not allow you to do that. >help rykhard I only understood you as far as wanting to help. >l Forest The air outside is clear and fresh, invading your lungs like the sun discovering a recently unearthed ants' nest. The vegetation of the forest where you make your home is austere and shadowy, as is typical of plants in your country. Every tree and shrub has just a single, very large leaf in a shade of purple so deep as to be almost black. Creamy white veins web across the surface of the leaves like the hands of skeletons. Some plants have thick white trunks which carry the leaves high above you to eclipse most of the sky. Others grow in dense claustrophobic clusters, up to about ten feet high with their leaves standing at attention. The light wind creates an ominous echo as it blows across the mouth of the old well that languishes amongst the low black shrubs, a dozen paces from the hut. Carried on the breeze are the sounds of the village centre, half a mile through the forest to the northeast. Rykhard is struggling to push Baluthar's boulder. You are a bit worried he might hurt himself. Baluthar glowers down at you from His boulder with a look of cold savagery. >push boulder With your strength added to his own, Rykhard is able to make the giant boulder begin to move across the ground. Toiling and heaving, you barely notice when the statue of Baluthar topples from the rolling stone and crashes into the ground. The stone gains momentum as you and Rykhard constantly feed your strength to its movement, and by the time it reaches the side of the well, it has enough force to smash through the ancient wall and fall in. It hits the bottom with a dead thud, lodging itself in the muddy ground right in front of the entrance to the tunnel. Satisfied that nobody will ever again be able to enter the evil cave, you and your son turn away from the well. It is then that you see what has happened to the statue of your god. The warped lumpy body lies on the hard ground in hundreds of pieces, and the wild head has been split through the middle like the skull of a butchered animal. Without showing much interest, Rykhard turns away and walks into the hut, presumably to sleep, he doesn't say. *** The End *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game or QUIT? > hint Please give one of the answers above. > undo Forest [Previous turn undone.] >hint Lead him out of the cave... (1 hint left.) ...and help him. [That's All Folks!] Forest The air outside is clear and fresh, invading your lungs like the sun discovering a recently unearthed ants' nest. The vegetation of the forest where you make your home is austere and shadowy, as is typical of plants in your country. Every tree and shrub has just a single, very large leaf in a shade of purple so deep as to be almost black. Creamy white veins web across the surface of the leaves like the hands of skeletons. Some plants have thick white trunks which carry the leaves high above you to eclipse most of the sky. Others grow in dense claustrophobic clusters, up to about ten feet high with their leaves standing at attention. The light wind creates an ominous echo as it blows across the mouth of the old well that languishes amongst the low black shrubs, a dozen paces from the hut. Carried on the breeze are the sounds of the village centre, half a mile through the forest to the northeast. Rykhard is struggling to push Baluthar's boulder. You are a bit worried he might hurt himself. Baluthar glowers down at you from His boulder with a look of cold savagery. >[wow, nice.] You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >push boulder With your strength added to his own, Rykhard is able to make the giant boulder begin to move across the ground. Toiling and heaving, you barely notice when the statue of Baluthar topples from the rolling stone and crashes into the ground. The stone gains momentum as you and Rykhard constantly feed your strength to its movement, and by the time it reaches the side of the well, it has enough force to smash through the ancient wall and fall in. It hits the bottom with a dead thud, lodging itself in the muddy ground right in front of the entrance to the tunnel. Satisfied that nobody will ever again be able to enter the evil cave, you and your son turn away from the well. It is then that you see what has happened to the statue of your god. The warped lumpy body lies on the hard ground in hundreds of pieces, and the wild head has been split through the middle like the skull of a butchered animal. Without showing much interest, Rykhard turns away and walks into the hut, presumably to sleep, he doesn't say. *** The End *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game or QUIT? > quit