<div class="titlescreen">
(enchant:?Link, (hover-style:(text-style:"smear")))
(box:"==XXXX==")+(bg:(rgb:0,0,0,0.6))[<h1>Into the
Dark Woods</h1>]
<div class="btnStart">(button:"==XXX==")+(bg:black)[[START|Start]]</span></div>
<div class="btnSkip">(button:"==XXX==")+(bg:black)[[SKIP INTRO|Wake up in the clearing]]</span></div>
(box:"==XXXX==")+(bg:(rgb:0,0,0,0.6))[<h4><span class="white">by [[Neil Aitken|About]] | [[Credits]] | Version 0.995</span></h4>]
</div>
{
(track: 'bgtitle','loop',true)
(track: 'bgtitle','volume',0.2)
(track: 'bgtitle','playwhenpossible')
}(display: "initWorld")
(display: "initMacros")
(display: "initEquipment")
(display: "initSpells")
(display: "initNPCs")
(display: "initCharacter")
(display: "initAchievements")
(set:$currentRoom to "Start")
(display: "charNames")
(display: "miscNames")
(set: $pebble to (datamap:"name","a pebble","propname","the pebble","description","A small stone that barely weighs anything at all.","hands",0,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",1000,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the pebble and put it in your pocket.","kind","junk","isWearable",false,"planttext","You drop the pebble into the hole. It looks small and meaningless now that its lustre diminished. Perhaps it was never special. Or perhaps it was only special in the moment you discovered it? Does meaning only exist in anothers eyes? You worry about your life now. Lost from view. Absent an observer. You cover the pebble and try to forget, but the image of it lingers like the last light from a fading ember."))
(set: $ashes to (datamap:"name","some ashes","propname","the ashes","description","A pile of ashes pulled from an old campfire.","hands",0,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",1000,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You scoop up a fistful of ash and put it in your pocket.","kind","junk","isWearable",false,"planttext","You pour the ashes into the hole in the ground. Some of them get caught in a chance breeze and drift away into the dark. It feels like a burial. A return. You cover the hole with more earth and pause, pretending it's rain that's falling. A salty rain where there is no sea, only the strange darkness swelling inside, heaving and spilling over in relentless waves. You sigh and let go."))
(set:$items to (a:$pebble,$ashes))
(set:$cheapsmallstuff to (a:"a shiny black button","a rather large carrot","a handful of marbles","a wooden spoon","a tiny steel crown","a clear piece of quartz","a piece of flint","a bone needle","a piece of tree bark","a clump of glowing moss","a bunch of dried leaves","a spool of red thread","a battered mug","a purple feather","a pebble","a handful of ashes","a book"))
(set:$valuablesmallstuff to (a:"a dazzling diamond","a black pearl","a pearl","a finely cut ruby","a gold necklace","an emerald","a garnet","a carved jade dragon","a silver anklet","a platinum ring","a brilliant sapphire","a bejewelled eyepatch","a gold nugget"))
(set:$smallitems to $cheapsmallstuff+$valuablesmallstuff)
(set:$lootfound to "nothing")
(set:$lootcontainer to "box")
(set:$lootboxes to (a:"an iron chest","an old battered chest","a stone box","a wooden crate","a rusty iron chest","an ornately carved chest","an iron lockbox"))
(set:$lootbags to (a:"a leather satchel","a large sack","a small pouch","a leather pouch","a traveler's pack","a peddlar's pack","a set of finely crafted saddlebags","a tiny pouch"))
(set:$lootbeach to (a:"a large sack","a small pouch","a traveler's pack","an old barrel","a battered wooden chest","a broken crate","a leather pouch","a strange metal cube","a metal cage","a lobster trap"))
(set:$hidingspotsOutdoors to (a:"inside a rotting stump","in a crack in the wall","in a hole in the ground","under a loose stone","up in a tree","peeking out of the bushes","half-buried in rubble","deep in the weeds","deep in the grass","in a deep puddle of water","sticking out of the ground","lying in the middle of the path","covered in moss"))
(set:$hidingspotsIndoors to (a:"behind a loose tile","wedged beneath a door","in the middle of the floor","on a table","under a chair","abandoned in a corner","tossed in a corner","covered in dust","on a shelf","beneath a loose stone","in the center of a magic circle","on an altar","covered in dust"))
(set:$hidingspot to "none")
(set:$firestarters to (a:"a torch","a blazing torch","runeblade"))
(set:$foodItems to (a:"a rather large carrot","a sticky bun","a loaf of bread","a cabbage","a radish","a bowl of beet soup","a ham sandwich"))
(set:$statuegifts to (a:"a silver mirror","a cursed crimson gem","a familiar mug","a cursed black ring","a strange deck of cards"))
(set:$wearableItems to (a:"a gold necklace","a platinum ring","a bejewelled eyepatch","a cursed black ring","a signet ring","a strange silver amulet"))
(set:$validIDs to (a:"a set of identity papers","a metal card engraved with runes","a signet ring","a severed thumb"))
(set:$discObjects to (a:"a strange silver amulet","a shiny black button","a gold disc covered in runes"))
(set:$sharpObjects to (a:"a rusty dagger","a longsword","a green blade","a runeblade","a greatsword"))
(set:$shoreloot to (a:))(set: $baseweapon to (datamap:"name","a weapon","propname","the weapon","description","A deadly weapon.","kind","weapon","hands",1,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",3,"critprob",5,"canBreak",true,"canBurn",false,"canThrow",true,"isCarried",false,"isMagic",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the weapon.","hittext","You thrust the weapon deep into it.","misstext","You stab with the weapon, but miss completely.","isWearable",true,"weartext","You wield the weapon.","droptext","You drop the weapon.","burytext","You bury it in the ground."))
(set: $fist to (datamap:"name","your fist","propname","your fist","description","Your fists are always with you, but not really lethal weapons.","hands",0,"weight",0,"damage",1,"hp",1000,"critprob",5,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",true,"pickuptext","You go barefisted.","hittext","You land a solid punch with your fist.","misstext","Your fist goes wide, missing entirely.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true))
(set: $dagger to (datamap:"name","a rusty dagger","propname","the rusty dagger","description","A finely crafted dagger covered in rust.","hands",1,"weight",3,"critprob",10,"damage",4,"hp",25,"canBurn",false,"canThrow",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the rusty dagger and note its fine balance and still surprisingly sharp blade.","hittext","You thrust the dagger deep into your target.","misstext","You lash out with the dagger, but miss.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grip the dagger tightly."))
(set: $longsword to (datamap:"name","a longsword","propname","the longsword","description","An old iron sword covered in nicks and scratches.","kind","weapon","hands",1,"weight",10,"damage",10,"critprob",7,"hp",50,"canBurn",false,"canThrow",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the longsword. Although fairly beaten up, it looks like it might be useful. If not for fighting a monster, perhaps opening a sealed letter.","hittext","You strike with a vicious swing of your longsword.","misstext","You swing the sword wide, missing completely.","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grasp the longsword in your hand."))
(set: $greenkatana to (datamap:"name","a strange green blade","propname","the strange green sword","description","A long thin sword with a strange green curved blade.","kind","weapon","hands",1,"weight",8,"damage",12,"critprob",15,"hp",45,"canBurn",false,"canThrow",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the strange green bladed sword. It feels extremely light and razor-sharp, as if it were a natural extension of your own body. The blade's eerie green aura pulses like a heartbeat.","hittext","You strike with devastating accuracy, the green blade slicing clean through your enemy.","misstext","You swing the green-bladed sword wide, barely missing.","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grasp the strange green-bladed sword in your hand."))
(set: $runeblade to (datamap:"name","a runeblade","propname","the runeblade","description","A sword forged of darksteel and covered in arcane runes.","kind","weapon","hands",1,"weight",10,"damage",15,"critprob",15,"hp",70,"canBurn",false,"canThrow",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","As you pick up the runeblade, the arcane runes glow and the entire blade is suddenly wreathed in flames. ","hittext","You strike with a deep slash of the flaming blade.","misstext","You swing the runeblade wide, missing completely.","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grasp the runeblade in your hand and feel its comforting warmth."))
(set: $longtooth to (datamap:"name","a large tooth","propname","the large tooth","description","An exceptionally long and deadly looking tooth, presumably from an equally large and deadly creature. It might serve as a makeshift dagger.","hands",1,"weight",3,"damage",3,"critprob",12,"hp",15,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"canThrow",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the long tooth. It looks like it could hurt someone. Or more precisely, that you could hurt someone with it.","hittext","You thrust the tooth deep into your enemy.","misstext","You stab with the tooth, but miss completely.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grip the long tooth in your hand. It looks comical and deadly.","planttext","As you bury the long tooth in the earth, you wonder if a monster will someday rise from this seed? Perhaps a whole army? Or perhaps the tooth will merely drift and lose itself in time? Lost and drifting beneath the earth - who can say if you will fare any better?"))
(set: $club to (datamap:"name","a club","propname","the club","description","A solid oak cudgel that looks like it's been in a fire","hands",1,"weight",5,"critprob",5,"damage",6,"hp",20,"canBurn",true,"canThrow",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the wooden club. It's pretty heavy and probably packs a wallop. It probably can't pack a suitcase or a lunch.","hittext","You swing the club and bring it down hard with a mighty blow.","misstext","You swing the club, but miss completely.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grip the club in your fist. You feel ready to bash something."))
(set: $longspear to (datamap:"name","a longspear","propname","the longspear","description","A darngerous-looking spear about five feet in length.","hands",2,"weight",6,"damage",8,"critprob",7,"hp",2,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the longspear and resist the urge to poke something with it.","hittext","You stab with your spear and feel it pierce flesh.","misstext","You stab your spear toward your target, but miss completely.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grip the longspear your hands, ready to face whatever lies ahead. Or poke it.","isBroken",false))
(set: $longstick to (datamap:"name","a long stick","propname","the long stick","description","A stout looking stick about six feet long.","hands",1,"weight",4,"damage",5,"critprob",5,"hp",2,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the long stick and resist the urge to poke something with it.","hittext","You strike with your stick and feel the weight of it connect.","misstext","You swing your stick, but miss completely.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grip the long stick your hands, ready to face whatever lies ahead. Or poke it.","isBroken",false))
(set: $stoutstick to (datamap:"name","a stout stick","propname","the stout stick","description","A stout looking stick about three feet long.","hands",1,"weight",4,"damage",5,"hp",2,"critprob",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the stout stick and resist the urge to poke something with it.","hittext","You strike hard with your stick, inflicting a mighty blow.","misstext","You swing your stick fiercely, but miss completely.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grip the stout stick your hands, ready to face whatever lies ahead. Or poke it.","isBroken",false))
(set: $mace to (datamap:"name","a mace","propname","the mace","description","A heavy iron mace that packs a good wallop.","hands",1,"weight",5,"damage",8,"critprob",15,"hp",20,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the mace and find it surprisingly heavy. A strong sense of sadness and loneliness emanates from it. Your mind is filled with deep regret as well, as if perhaps violence isn't always the solution, or that power is overrated. You can't stop thinking of other things. The death of bees. The statistical improbability of love. How long it's been since someone has held you. How all you do is cause suffering. How ugly you feel when naked. How this world is dying and you can't stop it. The very smallness of you. It all comes crashing down on you in this moment with you, this mace, and this vast unknown world.","hittext","You swing the mace with deadly accuracy, striking with great force.","misstext","You swing the mace, but fail to hit anything.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grip the heavy mace in your hand, becoming one with its sadness."))
(set: $heavyhammer to (datamap:"name","a heavy hammer","propname","the heavy hammer","description","A massive heavy iron hammer that packs a good wallop.","hands",2,"weight",8,"damage",10,"hp",25,"critprob",7,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the heavy hammer and feel an urge to hit something or someone.","hittext","You swing the heavy hammer with deadly accuracy, striking with great force.","misstext","You swing the heavy hammer with all your might and rage, but fail to hit.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true,"weartext","You grip the heavy hammer in your hand and feel a slow rage build within you."))
(set: $greatsword to (datamap:"name","a greatsword","propname","the greatsword","description","A massive two-handed sword that looks like it could cleave a horse in two.","hands",2,"weight",15,"damage",12,"critprob",10,"hp",40,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the greatsword with both hands. It's massive and very heavy. You feel like you're overcompensating.","weartext","You wield the greatsword with both hands.","hittext","You grip the huge sword and swing mightily, striking with tremendous force.","misstext","You swing the greatsword, but are thrown off balance by its weight. You miss your target.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true))
(set: $hatchet to (datamap:"name","a rusty hatchet","propname","the rusty hatchet","description","A rust-covered hatchet that still has a bit of an edge.","hands",1,"weight",7,"damage",8,"critprob",15,"hp",20,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the rusty hatchet. Despite its condition, it still feels well-balanced and light in your grip.","weartext","You grip the hatchet tightly.","hittext","You swing down with tremendous speed and accuracy.","misstext","You swing the hatchet, but the handle slips in your hands. You miss your target.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true))
(set: $weapons to (a:$dagger,$longsword,$runeblade,$hatchet,$longtooth,$club,$longstick,$mace,$greatsword,$heavyhammer,$greenkatana,$stoutstick))
(set: $weaponlist to (a:"a rusty dagger","a longsword","a strange green blade","a runeblade","a large tooth","a club","a longspear","a long stick","a large stick","a stout stick","a mace","a heavy hammer","a greatsword","a rusty hatchet"));
(set:$currentweapon to $fist)(set: $nothing to (datamap:"name","nothing","propname","nothing","description","Nothing.","hands",0,"weight",0,"damage",0,"hp",0,"canBurn",false,"canThrow",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take nothing with you.","weartext","You wear nothing.","hittext","You strike with an empty hand.","misstext","You swing and miss.","kind","junk","isWearable",true,"AC",10,"ghostnoise","You hear the eerie stillness of something invisible trying its hardest not to be heard.","isDead",false,"isGhost",false))
(display:"items")
(display:"weapons")
(display:"books")
(display:"lightsources")
(set: $chestcontents to (a:(either:...$weapons),(either:...$books),(either:...$items),$nothing))
(set: $leatherarmor to (datamap:"name","leather armor","description","A well-worn suit of leather armor.","hands",0,"weight",8,"damage",0,"hp",15,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the leather armor. It looks beaten and scarred from many battles.","weartext","You put on the leather armor. It fits snugly.","kind","armor","isWearable",true,"AC",13))
(set: $chainmail to (datamap:"name","chainmail","description","An old suit of chainmail.","hands",0,"weight",15,"damage",0,"hp",35,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the chainmail armor and note that its quite rusted. Still, it would probably deflect a blow or two from an enemy.","weartext","You put on the chainmail armor and feel much safer.","kind","armor","isWearable",true,"AC",15))
(set: $darkrobe to (datamap:"name","a dark robe","description","An old robe that has faded from black to a dirty grey.","hands",0,"weight",5,"damage",0,"hp",5,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the dark robe. It smells faintly of lavender and the sea.","weartext","You put on the dark robe. It feels comfortable, but hangs a bit loosely around you.","kind","armor","isWearable",true,"AC",11))
(set: $blackcorset to (datamap:"name","a black leather corset","description","A tight-fitting black leather corset which still looks pretty new.","hands",0,"weight",3,"damage",0,"hp",25,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the black corset.","weartext","You put on the black leather corset. It fits like a glove. Like a tight-fitting painful glove reinforced with bits of bone and wire worn by someone who's bought into external standards of beauty for the sake of having nice curves. It's not comfortable at all. It's hard to breathe, but you do have a slim waist now. Was it worth it?","kind","armor","isWearable",true,"AC",14))
(set: $holysymbol to (datamap:"name","an amulet","description","A silver amulet depicting a sacred rune.","hands",0,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the amulet. It feels special.","weartext","You place the amulet around your neck. It glows briefly as you do so. You feel slightly more sanctimonious.","kind","jewelry","isWearable",true))
(set: $fancyhat to (datamap:"name","a fancy hat","description","A bright purple hat with a wide brim and a large peacock feather.","hands",0,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the fancy hat.","weartext","You put on the fancy hat and set it at a rakish angle.","kind","hat","isWearable",true))
(set: $fedora to (datamap:"name","a fedora","description","A black fedora with a white band.","hands",0,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the black fedora.","weartext","You put on the fedora and feel a little more threatening. You suddenly feel hungry for cannoli.","kind","hat","isWearable",true))
(set: $rustyhelm to (datamap:"name","a rusty helmet","description","A rusty iron helmet with a few signicant dents in it.","hands",0,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",10,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the rusty helm.","weartext","You put on the rusty helmet and feel like your noggin is safer.","kind","hat","isWearable",true))
(set: $goldring to (datamap:"name","a gold ring","description","A bright gold ring that gleams softly in the light.","hands",0,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",10,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the gold ring.","weartext","You put on the ring and feel a little thinner. A strange hunger grows within you.","kind","jewelry","isWearable",true))
(set: $studdedbelt to (datamap:"name","a studded belt","description","A tough leather belt with metal studs.","hands",0,"weight",1,"damage",2,"hp",1,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the studded leather belt.","weartext","You put the studded leather belt on. You feel tough.","kind","belt","isWearable",true))
(set: $elvenbelt to (datamap:"name","an elven belt","description","A beautiful elven belt with a silver buckle.","hands",0,"weight",1,"damage",2,"hp",1,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the elven belt.","weartext","You put the elven belt on and feel a little fabulous.","kind","belt","isWearable",true))
(set: $leatherbelt to (datamap:"name","a leather belt","description","An old leather belt with a few added notches.","hands",0,"weight",1,"damage",2,"hp",1,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the leather belt.","weartext","You put the belt on. You feel like it's doing a good job of holding your pants up.","kind","belt","isWearable",true))
(set: $goldenfalcon to (datamap:"name","a golden falcon","description","A golden statue of a falcon. It looks like it is peering into your soul. Probably worth a fortune. Mostly likely will bring a mountain of bad luck with it.","hands",1,"weight",10,"damage",4,"hp",25,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the golden falcon. It's eyes glow briefly. You feel that this might be very valuable to someone.","kind","junk","isWearable",false))
(set: $glasseye to (datamap:"name","a glass eye","description","An exquisitely well-crafted glass eye that seems to harbor a tiny flame inside.","hands",1,"weight",1,"damage",2,"hp",25,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the glass eye and put it in your pocket.","kind","junk","isWearable",false,"planttext","You place the glass eye gingerly in the hole. It stares back at you eerily as you cover it with dirt."))
(set: $ironkey to (datamap:"name","a rusty iron key","description","A rusty iron key that looks like it might fit an equally rusty lock.","hands",1,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",15,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the rusty key and put it in your pocket.","kind","junk","isWearable",false))
(set: $ratskull to (datamap:"name","a rat skull","description","A skull from a small rodent who has seen better days.","hands",1,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the rat skull and put it in your pocket.","kind","junk","isWearable",false,"planttext","You put the rat skull in the shallow hole, then cover it up. Who knows what might sprout from such a strange seed?"))
(set: $silvercoin to (datamap:"name","a silver coin","description","An antique silver coin bearing the image of a phoenix.","hands",1,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the silver coin and put it in your pocket.","kind","junk","isWearable",false,"planttext","You plant the silver coin in the earth. Is this a return to its orgins? A deposit? Or are you making an offering to whoever comes after you? Leaving a token that signals your existence? Or paying the toll to the underworld in advance?"))
(set: $oldrope to (datamap:"name","a piece of old rope","description","A piece of old rope roughly ten feet in length.","hands",1,"weight",1,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"isWearable",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the old rope and take it with you.","kind","junk"))
(set: $fist to (datamap:"name","fist","description","Your fists are always with you, but not really lethal weapons.","hands",0,"weight",0,"damage",1,"hp",1000,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",true,"pickuptext","You go barefisted.","hittext","You hit it with your fist.","misstext","Your fist goes wide, missing it entirely.","kind","weapon","isWearable",true))
(set: $rags to (datamap:"name","filthy clothes","description","Your clothes look awful. Probably because you've been laying in the dirt for a while, but also because you have terrible taste in clothes.","hands",0,"weight",0,"damage",0,"hp",0,"canBurn",false,"isCarried",true,"pickuptext","You put on your filthy clothes.","kind","armor","isWearable",true,"AC",10))(set:$currentRoom to (passage:)'s name)(set: $foundtreasure to (either:...$chestcontents))You rummage around and find (print: $foundtreasure's name).(set: $currentObject to $foundtreasure)
[[Keep searching|Open the chest]]
(if:$currentObject's name is "nothing")[[[Give up|Ending]]](else:)[[[Examine (print:$currentObject's propname)|Examine the item]]]
(if:$currentObject's name is "nothing")[](else:)[[[Give up|Ending]]]That's it.(print:$currentObject's description)
(if:$currentObject's name is "nothing")[](else:)[[[Take (print:$currentObject's propname)|Take object]]]
(link-goto:"Continue",$currentRoom)(print:$currentObject's pickuptext)
(link-goto:"Continue",$currentRoom)(set: $lightsource to (datamap:"name","none","propname","none","count",0,"magic",false,"dimming","The darkness deepens.","out","The darkness is upon you","dark","You are swallowed in an even deeper darkness. ","bright","It is very dark","hasLight",false,"willPersist",true,"deadname","none","lname","No light source"))
(set: $nolight to (datamap:"name","none","propname","nothing","count",0,"magic",false,"dimming","The darkness deepens.","out","The darkness is upon you","dark","You are swallowed in an even deeper darkness. ","hasLight",false,"namedark","none","willPersist",true,"lname","No light source","bright","The darkness is overwhelming"))
(set: $mosslight to (datamap:"name","a clump of glowing moss","propname","the clump of glowing moss","count",6,"magic",false,"dimming","The glow from the moss is fading quickly.","out","The last glow fades from the moss. ","dark","You watch as the moss crumbles into nothing, plunging you once more into darkness. ","namedark","a clump of moss","hasLight",true,"willPersist",false,"lname","A clump of glowing moss","bright","The moss glows softly illuminating the space."
))
(set: $torchlight to (datamap:"name","a torch","propname","the torch","count",10,"magic",false,"dimming","The torch grows dim.","out","The torch finally goes out. ","dark","You hold the burnt out torch in your hand and stare into the inscrutable darkness. ","namedark","a burnt out torch","hasLight",true,"willPersist",true,"lname","A torch","bright","The torch blazes brightly."))
(set: $evertorchlight to (datamap:"name","a blazing torch","propname","the everburning torch","count",1000,"magic",false,"dimming","The torch grows dim.","out","The blazing torch finally goes out. ","dark","You hold the burnt out torch in your hand and stare into the inscrutable darkness. ","namedark","a burnt out torch","hasLight",true,"willPersist",true,"lname","A blazing torch","bright","The torch blazes brightly illuminating your way."))
(set: $amuletlight to (datamap:"name","a strange silver amulet","propname","the silver amulet","count",1000,"magic",false,"dimming","The amulet is glowing very faintly.","out","The amulet grows dark. ","dark","The amulet no longer glows. ","namedark","a silver amulet","hasLight",true,"willPersist",true,"lname","A glowing silver amulet","bright","The silver amulet glows softly illuminating the space."))
(set: $amuletgoldlight to (datamap:"name","a strange gold amulet","propname","the gold amulet","count",2000,"magic",false,"dimming","The amulet is glowing very faintly.","out","The amulet grows dark. ","dark","The amulet no longer glows. ","namedark","a gold amulet","hasLight",true,"willPersist",true,"lname","A brightly glowing gold amulet","bright","The gold amulet glows brightly filling the space with light."))
(set: $bladelight to (datamap:"name","a runeblade","propname","the runeblade","count",1000,"magic",false,"dimming","The runeblade is barely glowing.","out","The runeblade's flames go out. ","dark","The runeblade is no longer wreathed in flames. ","namedark","a darkened runeblade","hasLight",true,"willPersist",true,"lname","A runeblade wreathed in flames","bright","The runeblade's flames burn brightly."))
(set: $stonelight to (datamap:"name","a glowing pebble","propname","the glowing stone","count",10,"magic",false,"dimming","The pebble is glowing very faintly.","out","The pebble grows dark. ","dark","You hold the dead pebble in your hand and stare into the inscrutable darkness. ","namedark","a dark pebble","hasLight",true,"willPersist",true,"lname","A glowing pebble","bright","The pebble glows brightly illuminating the space."))
(set: $spelllight to (datamap:"name","Light spell","propname","the Light spell","count",20,"magic",true,"dimming","You sense the magical light waning.","out","The magical light fades. ","dark","You find yourself once more in the deepening dark.","namedark","nothing","hasLight",true,"willPersist",false,"lname","A glowing ball of magic","bright","Magical light surrounds you."))
(set: $lightsources to (a:$torchlight,$amuletlight,$amuletgoldlight,$stonelight,$evertorchlight,$bladelight,$spelllight))
(set: $currentlight to $nolight's lname)
(set: $currentLightCount to 0)
(set: $currentLightQuality to "dark")(set: $spellbook to (datamap:"name","a spellbook","propname","the spellbook","description","A weathered tome filled with arcane rituals and spells.","hands",1,"weight",2,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the dusty spellbook with you. Who knows, perhaps it'll come in handy?","kind","book","isWearable",false))
(set: $historybook to (datamap:"name","a historical text","propname","the history book","description","A heavy tome detailing the history of some obscure king.","hands",1,"weight",5,"damage",5,"hp",10,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You pick up the weighty history book and decide to take it with you. Might be useful.","kind","book","isWearable",false))
(set: $diary to (datamap:"name","a diary","propname","the diary","description","A personal record of a rather boring person.","hands",1,"weight",2,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the diary with you. Perhaps there's some useful information in it? Or maybe something delightfully salicious?","kind","book","isWearable",false))
(set: $charredbook to (datamap:"name","a charred book","propname","the charred book","description","A book mostly destroyed by fire. The ash and charred pages make it impossible to read.","hands",1,"weight",2,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the charred book with you as an emblem of the fragility of civilization. A witness to how the Promethean fire can both illuminate and destroy.","kind","book","isWearable",false))
(set: $unknownbook to (datamap:"name","an unknown book","propname","the unknown book","description","You haven't had a chance to study this book. Perhaps if you had some light, you could read it?","hands",1,"weight",2,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the unknown book-shaped object with you. You're not certain what it contains. Perhaps nothing more than a madman's ravings or the maleficent dream of a prince? Or maybe it contains a story, a collection of riddles, or even a map to this very cave. Who knows? Right now it's just a book-shaped object.","kind","book","isWearable",false))
(set: $poetrybook to (datamap:"name","a book of poetry","propname","the poetry book","description","A collection of terrible poems about the past lives of chickens the poet has known.","hands",1,"weight",2,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the book of terrible poetry with you, uncertain whether to classify it as literature or a tool of psychological warfare.","kind","book","isWearable",false))
(set: $mysterynovel to (datamap:"name","a mystery novel","propname","the mystery novel","description","A gripping novel about a fiendishly clever murder and the house cat detective who solves it.","hands",1,"weight",2,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the mystery novel with you. It might make for some good reading the next time you've got some time to kill.","kind","book","isWearable",false))
(set: $romancenovel to (datamap:"name","a romance novel","propname","the romance book","description","A story of forbidden love between two blacksmiths and the raging inferno of desire that threatens to engulf their villlage once sparks begin to fly.","hands",1,"weight",2,"damage",1,"hp",5,"canBurn",true,"isCarried",false,"pickuptext","You take the romance novel with you, despite your misgivings. You assure yourself that you'd never actually read it and that you're only taking it in case you meet someone who could use some light reading. You're more into stonemasons, anyway.","kind","book","isWearable",false))
(set:$books to (a:$mysterynovel,$romancenovel,$poetrybook,$charredbook,$historybook,$spellbook,$diary))
(set:$booklist to (a:"a spellbook","a historical text","a diary","a book of poetry","a mystery novel","a romance novel"))You see a stack of dusty books on the table.(set:$currentObject to (either:...$books))(set:$mrname to (upperfirst:(either:...$humanmalenames1)+(either:...$humanmalenames2)))(set:$msname to (upperfirst:(either:...$humanfemalenames1)+(either:...$humanfemalenames2)))
You see a book titled (either:...$booktitles).
(greet: "Lukas")
[[Look again|Look at the table]]
[[Start]](set:$malenames to (a:"Bando","Billersby","Braff","Auguld","Alfred","Ambrose","Carux","Corm","Calder","Cerak","Charles","Dag","Digsby","Dogan","Drake","Gru","Geel","Guff","Hiram","Herag","Hew","Ignatio","Ira","Ilam","Jakob","Julianos","Joffrey","Kal","Kerg","Krug","Knut","Logan","Lurr","Lagnor","Lerande","Mirak","Moss","Meralk","Nigel","Nob","Norbert","Olaf","Oskar","Orwen","Paz","Perak","Pullar","Plonk","Quinn","Qorn","Querk","Raul","Raz","Rokar","Rogar","Shum","Shear","Sorrum","Sun","Sommek","Tol","Talsin","Terwin","Torduk","Tull","Trug","Thomak","Turm","Ular","Unwig","Ulsen","Vincenzo","Vank","Volmir","Vervin","Wyll","Wolson","Welbur","Walmog","Wulf","Xander","Xerin","Xill","Yamuk","Yonk","Yurik","Zalph","Zel","Zorik"))
(set:$femalenames to (a:"Anabel","Asha","Alisha","Asha","Brynn","Belizra","Beryn","Calyx","Cerwyn","Chizrel","Cynri","Dys","Diora","Daria","Dhalri","Eolyn","Eldwyn","Erlissa","Falina","Fleria","Fury","Fatima","Fera","Galwana","Gehera","Grysa","Goldyra","Hara","Helen","Hemma","Ilanara","Ilda","Irth","Jura","Jazyll","Joswyn","Jorra","Kylda","Khrya","Kazma","Kaa","Lyrra","Losme","Lu","Leticia","Mazmil","Mylda","Meryl","Nymra","Naomi","Nerida","Olissa","Opal","Onyx","Parem","Pira","Pharima","Plira","Qua","Qaz","Qill","Ramira","Rose","Remula","Ryll","Sahar","Shaar","Salisha","Suli","Sizana","Tarima","Tuli","Tera","Talissa","Unwin","Ul","Vanissa","Veda","Voli","Whysper","Wan","Xia","Xuma","Xana","Yeni","Yumira","Yami","Yerra","Zau","Zilma","Zao"))
(set:$dwarfnames1 to (a:"bronze","gold","oaken","steel","silver","fire","cold","ice","frost","war","bright","dim","dark","arken","fell","strong","true","mithril","iron","storm","doom","good"))
(set:$dwarfnames2 to (a:"shield","axe","beard","stone","blade","gem","forge","hammer","nose","fist","belly","hand","wyrm","drake","heart","helm","strike"))
(set:$humanmalenames1 to (a:"Alf","Ber","Col","Der","Ed","Far","Gil","Har","I","Jer","Kil","Lo","Max","Ni","O","Pa","Ran","Sha","Tor","Vin","War","Xan","Yar","Zan","Ro","Ce","To","Ar","Co","Ben","La","Mi","Stu","Rad","Dar","Bo","Lu","Ga","Brad","Os","Car","Wil","Ez","Theo","Em","Al","Ger","Ter","Arn","And","Haw","Si","Bas","Sid","Ti","Dav","Mal","Jo","Al","Bur","Clif","Dug","Fle","Gra","Haz","Jef","Jof"))
(set:$humanmalenames2 to (a:"red","nard","son","rik","mond","mir","bert","den","an","in","gar","gan","well","gel","laf","ul","dal","mus","mul","cent","ren","der","ley","bar","ward","cil","mas","thur","nan","min","go","kel","art","do","on","ris","kas","rth","ford","car","ter","ard","ath","dor","met","len","ald","bin","old","rew","mak","mon","il","ney","bor","id","colm","han","vin","ex","tin","las","man","ham","non","ek","ak"))
(set:$humanfemalenames1 to (a:"Alf","Ber","Col","Der","Ed","Far","Gil","Har","I","Jer","Kil","Lo","Max","Ni","O","Pa","Ran","Sha","Tor","Vin","War","Xan","Yar","Zan","Ro","Ce","To","Ar","Co","Ben","La","Mi","Stu","Rad","Dar","Bo","Lu","Ga","Brad","Os","Car","Wil","Ez","Theo","Em","Al","Ger","Ter","Arn","And","Haw","Si","Bas","Sid","Ti","Dav","Mal","Jo","Al","Bur","Clif","Dug","Fle","Gra","Haz","Jef","Jof"))
(set:$humanfemalenames2 to (a:"ice","wyn","yn","een","ina","anne","ana","elle","erly","ima","iza","ita"))
(set:$characternamepool to (a:)+$malenames+$femalenames)
You study the safe and note there is a keypad on it.
[[Enter the password]]
[[Return|Start]](set:$keypadtry to (prompt:"Enter the 5-digit code:","00000"))
(if:$keypadtry is "47774")[The safe lock disengages.](else:)[Nothing happens.]
[[Return|Start]](set:$STR to 10)(set:$DEX to 10)(set:$CON to 10)
(set:$INT to 10)(set:$WIS to 10)(set:$CHA to 10)
(set:$LUCK to 10)
(set:$hope to 20)
(set:$courage to 20)
(set:$innocence to 20)
(set:$player to (datamap:"mood","anxious","patron","none","hp",25,"maxhp",25,"health",100,"stamina",100,"temperature",100,"hitprob",50,"blockprob",25,"defense",0,"gp",0,"weapon","none","isCursed",false,"isBlind",false,"isHungry",false,"isBooming",false,"isInjured",false,"isBleeding",false,"isLeftEyeGone",false,"isCorrupted",false,"isPerceptive",false,"isBurdened",false,"isDead",false))
(set:$inv to (a:))
(set:$spellsknown to (a:))
(set:$probattack to (a:"crit","hit","hit","hit","hit","hit","hit","miss","miss","miss"))
(set:$probescape to (a:"escape","caught"))
(set:$probpicklock to (a:"success","fail","fail"))(set: $bgMood to "#"+(text:$hope)+(text:$courage)+(text:$innocence))
(set: $genProfessions to (a:"beggar","peasant","farmer","housewife","guard","minister","priest","monk","peddler","porter","apprentice","servant","mercenary","sailor","scholar","thief","cobbler","trapper","prostitute","bricklayer","tailor","weaver","barber","weaver","carpenter","flowerseller","papermaker","potter","tavern keeper","wheelwright","jeweler","soldier","mason","baker","soapmaker","cook","chandler","ratcatcher","traveler","cooper","engraver","pawnbroker","groom","midwife","haberdasher","silversmith","tinker","butcher","healer","fishmonger","blacksmith","goldsmith","toymaker","artist","alewife","fisher","alchemist","leatherworther","nanny","executioner","tanner","cutler","fuller","glazier","painter","woodcarver","innkeeper","doctor","mendicant","harlot","scribe","glassmaker","merchant","locksmith","miller","sculptor","storyteller","acrobat","jester","minstrel","shipmaker","bookbinder","moneychanger","bowyer","brewer","glovemaker","vintner","bookseller","gardener","skinner","armorer","weaponsmith","distiller","historian","illuminator","judge","librarian","perfumer","engineer","potionmaker","undertaker","professor","architect","astrologer","navigator","banker","diplomat","bellmaker","cartographer","sage","magician"))
(set: $genAnimals to (a:"bear","cat","dog","lion","lizard","leopard","crocodile","pig","tiger","horse","cow","wolf","fox","cheetah","elephant","snake","bat","rat"))
(set: $genMonsters to (a:"dragon","basilisk","wyvern","kraken","goblin","orc","hobgoblin","kobold","dire wolf","fairy","sprite","gorgon","vampire","manticore","hippogriff","pegasus","unicorn","treant","demon","devil","giant"))
(set: $pubWeapons to (a:"bow","club","dagger","axe","arrow","javelin","hammer","mace","sling","staff","sickle","spear","sword","maul","morningstar","pike","blade","scimitar","trident","whip"))
(set: $pubEquipment to (a:"abacus","vial","flask","arrow","needle","bolt","crystal","orb","rod","staff","wand","bag","barrel","basket","bed","bell","blanket","block","tackle","book","bottle","bucket","candle","chain","chest","totem","tankard","hook","hammer","amulet","emblem","reliquary","ink","pen","jug","pitcher","ladder","lamp","lantern","lock","mirror","parchment","perfume","quiver","robes","rope","sack","scale","shovel","whistle","ring","spyglass","torch","stone"))
(set: $pubMascots to (a:"hog","dragon","griffin","harpy","dog","hound","raven","crow","kobold","dwarf","elf","halfling","gnome","hare","bear","boar","cat","eagle","hawk","steed","ram","mare","serpent","wolf","fox","giant","unicorn","manticore"))
(set: $pubProfessions to (a:"adventurer","abbott","monk","bard","scout","soldier","guard","wizard","mage","sorceror","warrior","thief","servant","serf","priest","king","queen","duke","prince","princess","duchess","emperor","empress","peasant","farmer","tailor","merchant","sailor","pirate","bandit","poet","captain","scribe","hunter","explorer"))
(set: $litTopics to (a:"poetry","stories","folk tales","essays","humorous stories","parables","legends","plays"))
(set:$bookFiction to (a:"tale","story","legend","account","epic"))
(set:$getPersonName to (macro:string-type _gender, [(if:_gender is "male")[(set:_result to (either:...$malenames))](else-if:_gender is "female")[(set:_result to (either:...$femalenames))](else:)[(set:_result to (either:...$characternamepool))](output-data:(_result))]))
(if: (passage:)'s tags contains "hideinventory")[](else:)[<br><br><hr>(if: $inv's length > 0)[You are carrying (print: (joined:", ",...$inv)).](else-if: $player's gp>0)[](else:)[You are carrying nothing.] (if: $player's gp>0)[ You have $playergoldtext.]
(if:$spellsknown's length>0)[<br>You know how to cast //(print:(joined:", ",...$spellsknown))//.]]
(display:"calcPoints")(display:"checkWinState")]]
(set: $clockhour to (floor:$timercount/60))
(set: $clockminute to ($timercount-$clockhour*60))
(set: $clockdisplay to (str:$clockhour)+":"+(str:$clockminute))
(if: $timercount>29 and $timercount<45)[You hear a distant rumbling. ](if:$timercount>44 and $timercount<75)[It is raining lightly. You shiver in the damp cold. ](if:$timercount>74 and $timercount<100)[It's raining pretty heavily. The ground is muddy and hard to traverse.](if:$timercount>99 and $timercount<125)[The rain is falling so heavily you can't see where you're headed. You're completely drenched.]
(if: (passage:)'s tags contains "hideheader" or (passage:)'s tags contains "prologue")[](else:)[(if:(passage:)'s tags contains "Old-forest-road")[(set:$currentPlace to "Old forest road")](else:)[(if:(passage:)'s tags contains "Old-forest")[(set:$currentPlace to "Old forest")]](set: $spells to (a:"Light","Fireball","Charm","Telekinesis","Sleep","Levitate","Mending","Commune","Awake","Reflection"))
(set:$spellsrare to (a:"Decay","Blink","Transmute","Boom"))
(set:$armorenchants to (a:"Blink","Boom","Reflection"))
(set:$castLookUp to (datamap:"light","CastLight","fireball","CastFireball","charm","CastCharm","telekinesis","CastTelekinesis","sleep","CastSleep","levitate","CastLevitate","mending","CastMending","Commune","CastCommune","awake","CastAwake","reflection","CastReflection","decay","CastDecay","blink","CastBlink","transmute","CastTransmute","boom","CastBoom"))
(set:$spellLookUp to (datamap:"light","Light","fireball","Fireball","charm","Charm","telekinesis","Telekinesis","sleep","Sleep","levitate","Levitate","mending","Mending","commune","Commune","awake","Awake","reflection","Reflection","decay","Decay","blink","Blink","transmute","Transmute","boom","Boom"))
(set:$spellsdead to (a:"Awake","Commune","Mending"))
(set:$spellstroll to (a:"Fireball","Charm","Sleep","Boom"))
(set:$spellsbear to (a:"Fireball","Mending","Sleep","Boom"))
(set:$validcommands to (a:"load","delete","open","change","move","cast"))
(set:$loadtargets to (a:"treasure","monster","door"))
(set:$deletetargets to (a:"monster","world","lock"))
(set:$opentargets to (a:"door","chest","portal"))
(set:$changetargets to (a:"weapon","monster","book"))
(set:$movetargets to (a:"statue","monster","self","away"))
(set:$casttargets to (a:"object","monster","self"))
Hi, my name is Neil.
I'm a former computer games programmer, an award-winning author of two books of poetry, and a huge fan of fantasy RPGs. I'm also the author of //(link: "The Cave")[(goto-url:"https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=y771zb318c2szi9")]// (IF Comp 2020), a Twine game that blends cave exploration with poetry, philosophy, and magic, while also secretly serving as a point-buy character generator for D&D 5E.
I was introduced to programming early and have been coding and writing for most of my life. I wrote my first random haiku generator in BASIC when I was 9 and have been exploring the intersection between technology and creative writing ever since.
You can find my author site (link: "here")[(goto-url: "http://www.neil-aitken.com")]
Feel free to contact me by email at neil.aitken@gmail.com
[[Return|Title Screen]] “Midway along the journey of our life
I woke to find myself in a dark wood,
for I had wandered off from the straight path.”
― Dante Alighieri, Inferno (Longfellow translation)
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura
ché la diritta via era smarrita.
― Dante Alighieri, Inferno(box:"=XX=")[You don't remember much.
Just falling into an enormous darkness—
some bottomless void.
Your arms [[stretched out|Still falling]] before you]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You are standing in a clearing in the middle of an old forest. The trees are filled with leaves turning yellow and reddish gold, some already crimson. It must be autumn. There's an undeniable chill in the air. A slight breeze stirs the grass and ruffles your hair.
The sun is low and mostly hidden by the trees. A poorly kept dirt road (really more of a path) lies on the far northern part of the clearing, cutting across from east to west. (set: _isMissingEye to $player's isLeftEyeGone)(if:_isMissingEye is true)[Blood drips from the empty socket of your left eye.]
>> [[Search the clearing]]
>> [[Call out and hope someone hears you]]
>> [[Head toward the road]]
(box:"=XX=")[The knowable world
always just out of reach.
A bottomless void
(transition-depart:"dissolve")[[[until it wasn't|Wake up in the clearing]].]]
(box:"=XX=")[For an instant,
it is a satellite in orbit,
or simply itself
[[cut free from the world|Hovering still]].]
(box:"=XX=")[Without a knowable up or down,
you could be [[anywhere|Falling through darkness]].]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if:visits is 1)[You take one last look down the road heading west and the tall trees crimson in the setting sun, then turn, heading eastward into the deepening shadows.](else:)[At last you find yourself back on the road heading east. It's darker now and somehow the forest feels more ominous.]
As you press on, the forest grows denser and taller, darkness and gloom fills what little space you can see between the trees. Other than the chatter of a few birds and the rare panicked scurrying of unseen squirrels, it is very quiet. (display:"describeWeather")
(if: visits is 1)[
After a while, you get the sense that you are being followed. Every so often you glimpse a white ghostly shape flitting between the trees to your right. It seems to move soundlessly, but always just outside of sight. ]
(if: visits is 1)[>> [[Approach the white shape|Approach the ghostly figure]]](else:)[>> [[Keep following the road|Keep following the road deeper into the woods]]]
(if:visits is 1)[>> [[Keep following the road|Keep following the road deeper into the woods]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You glance briefly to the east, but the road looks too dark and foreboding. You do not think it wise to head deeper into the shadows where night has already fallen. Terrible things could be waiting you in the darkness. Far better, you think, to head toward what little remains of the day.
The road west is lit by the last light of the sinking sun. The trees cast long shadows toward you, but in the distance you can see that the road rises uphill.
To your right, you see a faint trail, possibly made by some creature, leading north.
(display:"describeWeather")
>> [[Keep following the road westward]]
>> [[Follow the trail going north]]
(if:visits>1)[(display:"resetCurrentTime")](display:"updateMoveCounter")You find yourself on your back in what appears to be a grassy field. Above you, the light is almost gone and the sky is growing darker. Dusk, you think. Night is coming soon. Where are you? How did you get here?
You can hear birds chirping and the wind in the trees, but not much else. The sky looks dark and stormy and very cold. You need to find shelter, someplace safe to spend the night.
>> [[Stand up and try to get your bearings|Stand up in the clearing]]
>> [[Keep still and listen more carefully]]
{
(track: 'bgtitle','volume',0)
(track: 'bgtitle','stop')
}
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You will yourself to breathe slower, trying to make yourself as soundless as stone. No more than a forgettable piece of debris that the wind will pass over. Erase yourself, you whisper to your conscious mind, until at some point it's no longer a wish. Your body fades. It's just the cool earth. The faint stars in the darkening skies. The trees you sense in your periphery. You hear birds again, their calls cautiously probing the coming night, trying to decide whether you are just a mound of earth or the corpse of a foolish trespasser in their realm.
You don't hear voices or any sounds indicating human activity. Wherever you are now, it is far from the city.
>> [[Stand up and try to get your bearings|Stand up in the clearing]]
>> [[Remain silent and still on the ground]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You search the clearing, hoping to find some answers or clues as to where you are or how you got here, but you only find more questions. Aside from the patch of grass where you were lying, the rest of the clearing shows no sign of visitors, human or otherwise. Peeking up through the grass are several very worn stone markers that seem to form a circle around you.
>> [[Examine the stone markers]]
>> [[Head toward the road]]
(box:"=XX=")[There's a moment before falling,
somewhere between rise and descent
when a body hovers,
weightless, [[forgetting|Hovering nowhere]].]
{
(track: 'bgtitle','volume',0.1)
}(display:"currentCondition")(if: (passage:)'s tags contains "hideheader" or (passage:)'s tags contains "prologue")[](else:)[(display:"locationTag")(display:"updateTimeOfDay")
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="leftalign"> $currentTimeOfDay</td>
<td class="centered"></td>
<td class="rightalign">$currentPlace</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
]
Double-click this passage to edit it.Double-click this passage to edit it.(set:$currentTimeOfDay to "Dusk")
(set:$timeOfEvening to 10)
(set:$timeOfNight to 20)
(set:$timeOfMidnight to 30)
(set:$timeOfPreDawn to 45)
(set:$timeOfDawn to 55)
(set:$timeOfMorning to 65)
(set:$currentPlace to "Somewhere")
(newgroup: 'river','dripping','forest','bgtitle')
(set:$hasKeptCalling to false)
(set:$hasManWithSwordLeft to false)
(set:$isBanditLeaderDead to false)
(set:$isDearJaneLetterFound to false)
(set:$hasRowboatBeenMended to false)
(set:$hasRobbedElfRiverGrave to false)
(set:$hasVisitedElfGrave to false)
(set:$hasStoneBridgeRebuilt to false)
(set:$hasHealedWoundedMan to false)
(set:$isWaterstainedBookDestroyed to false)
(set:$isRopeLadderAtWell to false)
(set:$hasVisitedAmbush to false)
(set:$hasMetOldBandit to false)
(set:$hasAgreedToBanditRevenge to false)
(set:$isSadBanditDead to false)
(set:$hasVisitedTravelers to false)
(set:$isTrollDead to false)
(set:$isTrollLooted to false)
(set:$isDemonBearDead to false)
(set:$isTrollRaised to false)
(set:$isTrollZombie to false)
(set:$isTrollBuried to false)
(set:$isTrollHealed to false)
(set:$isGiantRabbitDead to false)
(set:$isInCombat to false)
(set:$inOnDeathsDoor to false)
(set:$isBattleGoneTooLong to false)
(set:$gameconclusion to "")
(set:$hasAbandonedCampSearched to false)
(set:$hasTakenHatchet to false)
(set:$possibleEndings to (a:"Crushed by Tree","Death by Sarcasm","Abandoned by Survivors","Shelter from the Storm","The Mercy of Strangers","Joined the Ghost Parade","Lost in the Mist","Killed by Vengeful Bandits","Slain by Bandit Chief","The Well-Fought Battle","From Dusk to Dawn","Too Greedy for Your Own Good","Slain by the Swordsman","Slain by the Demon Bear","Drowned in the Dark River","Killed by a Cursed Ring","Mind Destroyed by Incomprehensible Dark Magic","Leaped to Your Death","A Lonely Dawn","From the Top of the World","Love is a Battlefield","That Went Well","An Unexpected Heaven","Kicked Out of Heaven","Dreams Within Dreams","Drowned in the Secret River","In Elven Dreams","Alone Beneath the Stars","Up in Smoke","Frozen Stiff","Cave Dweller","Room with a View","Worse than Death","The Bad Egg","The Bear's Burden","Dungeon Keeper","Slain by Troll Paladin","A Gorey End","Slain by a Gigantic Rabbit","Slain by a Grieving Bandit Father","Killed by a Sundden Stop After a Long Fall"))
(set:$teleportdestinations to (a:"Teleport to the bridge","Appear at the underground river access","Appear at the tower approach","Appear at the catacomb entrance","Head toward the road","Appear at the old mine entrance","Appear at the cave entrance"))
(set:$goldtext to (rgb:199, 170, 28))
(set:$playertext to #ab830a)
(set:$boomtext to red)
(set:$ghosttext to gray)
(set:$npctext to #854b9c)
(set:$newlocation to "")
(set:$currentoom to "")
(set:$lastroom to "")
(set:$timercount to 0)
(set:$movecounter to 1)
(set:$randLoot to "")
(set:$boomFXs to (a:"KA-POW","BAM","BOOM","WHAM","CRUNCH","WHAP","ZING","THUD","POW","DING","CRASH"))
(set:$patronfollow to (datamap:"none","You feel very alone.","crow","You hear a distant cawing.","wolf","You hear the far off howling of a wolf.","fish","There's a sudden cold dampness in the air.","three-eyed raven","You feel the heavy weight of an invisible gaze."))
(set: $weatherDescriptions to (a:"You hear the distant rumbling of thunder.","A cold blast of wind sends chills down your spine.","You feel damp and cold.","The wind picks up and begins to howl.","There's a chill in the air that settles into your bones.","Above you branches creak in the wind.","Rain begins to fall again somewhere in the dark."))
(set:$forestLostDetails to (a:"One of the moss-covered boulders looks familiar.","You find some partially obscured footprints. They look a bit like your own.","You have the eerie sense of being watched.","Something is moving deep in the woods.","You think you hear a wolf howling somewhere off in the distance.","You hear footsteps coming from behind you. When you stop to listen, the footsteps stop."))
(set: $timeDescriptions to (s(a:"Dusk","Evening","Night","Midnight","Darkness","Predawn","Dawn","Morning"))
(set:$banditformerlover to "the hooded woman")
(set:$startquotes to (a:"QuoteDanteInferno","QuoteThoreau","QuoteFrostRoads","QuoteMontgomeryWoods","QuoteBerry"))
(set:$prefacequote to $startquotes's random)
(display:"setupLabyrinthDetails")
(display:"setupLabyrinthSpaces")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You poke through the grass and dirt and eventually find a total of eight stones, all worn smooth by wind, rain, and the passage of time. Most of the markers are dull grey stones, but amid them you find three that feature animal engravings. One depicts a ''wolf'', another a ''crow'', and the third a ''fish''. Aside from their carvings, it might be easy to mistake these stones for any other naturally occurring stones in the area.
>> [[Touch the wolf stone]]
>> [[Touch the crow stone]]
>> [[Touch the fish stone]]
>> [[Leave the stones alone|Stand up in the clearing]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")As soon as you touch the wolf stone, your mind floods with images from somewhere else and you are overwhelmed with emotions. It is hard to disentangle it all. One moment blurs into another. The ground feels flimsy and weak. The world ripples. You reach out and try to grab onto some small memory or detail. Something that might tell you who you are. In the maelstrom, you see something you recognize.(set:$player's patron to "wolf")(set:$DEX to $DEX+4)
>> [[A hammer|Choose the hammer of rage]]
>> [[A rope|Choose the rope of regret]]
>> [[A cup|Choose the cup of love]]
>> [[A torch|Choose the torch of hope]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")When you touch the stone with the crow carving, it glows briefly then falls backward revealing a small hole in the ground. You see a half-rotted leather bag inside.(set:$player's patron to "crow")(set:$WIS to $WIS+4)
>> [[Take the leather bag]]
>> [[Leave the leather bag|After touching a stone marker]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateLastRoom")As soon as you touch the stone with the fish carving, water begins pooling around it. You watch as the marker fizzles, then finally dissolves leaving only bubbles and a single iron key.(set:$player's patron to "fish")(set:$LUCK to $LUCK+4)
>> [[Take the iron key]]
>> [[Leave the key behind|Leave the iron key behind]]
bgtitle:./audio/Adventure-Cello.mp3
dripping: ./audio/sclolexWaterDrippingInCave.mp3
river: ./audio/caveriver02.mp3
forest: ./audio/mixkit-wind-in-the-forest-loop-1233.wav
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You remain still, listening and trying to merge with the world. The sky grows darker. After some time, you see a large crow descending soundlessly from above. It perches on your chest and faces you, its beak pointed at your face and its eyes peering into the depths of your own.
>> [[Stand up and get your bearings|Stand up in the clearing]]
>> [[Keep perfectly still|Keep still with crow on chest]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The crow stares deeply into your soul. Then, with a sudden strike, it plunges its beak toward you and tears your left eye out.
You scream in agony, blood everywhere. (set:$WIS to $WIS+4)
The crow flies off to the east with your eye still in its beak.(set:$player's isLeftEyeGone to true)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"Your left eye was stolen by a crow"))(set:$player's mood to "in pain")(set:$player's isBleeding to true)(set:$player's health to 80)
[[Stand up|Stand up in the clearing]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set: $player's mood to "angry")You imagine your hand closing around the hammer and suddenly feel its weight as if it were real.
Suddenly you are standing in the ruins of a house, the walls mostly fallen down. Bits of broken stone, smashed glass, and splintered wood lie scattered at your feet. You can taste the dust on your lips. Your arm is sore, throbbing with a raw pain.
All this destruction - was it you? Did you do //this//? Will you do it again?(set:$inv to $inv +(a:"a heavy hammer"))(set:$player's weapon to "heavy hammer")(set:$currentweapon to $heavyhammer)
[[Then everything fades.|After touching a stone marker]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$player's mood to "regretful")Your hand grasps the rope and suddenly you see yourself clinging to an impossibly long rope ladder in the dark depths of vast chasm.
You have stopped midway, but don't recall whether you were ascending or descending. There is only anxiety and fear. A desperate cold feeling in your heart. And a terrible regret.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a rope ladder"))
[[Everything fades.|After touching a stone marker]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")Your hand closes around a familar cup. You recognize it as the mug your father drank from every morning. After his death, you took it for your own. In the early hours of morning or in darkest hours of night, you drink from it, savoring the warmth of the mug with each sip. Even now, your hand grips it where his hand once gripped it. A comforting thought you hold onto as the world continues to spin.
You feel a small fire kindle within. The cold lessens.(set: $inv to $inv+(a:"a familiar mug"))(set:$player's mood to "comforted")
[[Everything fades.|After touching a stone marker]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")As you grab onto the wooden torch, it bursts into flame. The darkness is pushed back and you feel a little more at ease. Shadows dance around you. Your body is cast and recast. Versions of you multiply, but always trail behind you, overlapping. The brightness of the torch illuminating and transforming the world. You want to believe there is something waiting for you, somewhere. You grip the torch tighter. (set: $inv to $inv+(a:"a blazing torch"))(set:$player's mood to "hopeful")(set:$currentLight to "a blazing torch")(set:$currentLightCount to 1000)(set:$lightsource to $evertorchlight)
[[Everything glows then fades.|After touching a stone marker]]
(set:$achievements to (a:))
(set:$hasLostLeftEye to false)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You are standing in a clearing in the middle of an old forest. The trees are filled with leaves turning yellow and reddish gold, some already crimson. It must be autumn. There's an undeniable chill in the air. A slight breezes stirs the grass and ruffles your hair.
The sun is low and mostly hidden by the trees. A poorly kept dirt road (really more of a path) lies on the far northern part of the clearing, cutting across from east to west. The ring of stones has disappeared. (if:$hasLostLeftEye is true)[Blood drips from the empty socket of your left eye.]
>> [[Head toward the road]]
(if: $hasKeptCalling)[](else:)[>> [[Call out and hope someone hears you]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if:
visits>1)[(display:"resetCurrentTime")You find yourself standing at the edge of a clearing where a road cuts east to west. As you look down each path as far as you can see, you realize you've been here before. ](else:)[(if:$player's patron is "none")[(set:$player's patron to "three-eyed raven")(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You chose no patron, so the three-eyed raven chose you."))]You head toward the road at the edge of the clearing. As you approach, you look down each path as far as you can see. ]The forest looks dark and uninviting in both directions, and both paths appear overgrown, the roadside weeds and brush have grown in, blurring the border between way and wilderness. Neither looks to have seen much travel in a long time.
To the west, the last rays of sunlight filter through the trees and bathe the furthest reaches of the road in crimson. To the east, the road continues into deepening shadow.
>> [[Take the road west|West path from clearing]]
>> [[Take the road east|East path from clearing]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You feel a desperate need to say something to the unbroken silence. The light is fading and you feel the woods closing in around you.
You take a deep breath, then call out into woods:
>> [[//Hello!//|Say hello to the woods]]
>> [[//Is there anybody out there?//|Ask who is out there]]
>> [[//Help!//|Scream for help in the woods]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")The leather bag falls apart as you pull it from the earth, spilling a small pile of gold coins out on the ground.
>> [[Take gold coins|Take gold coins from rotten bag]]
>> [[Leave gold coins|Leave gold coins from bag behind]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You pick up the coins and count them. Twenty gold coins in total. They look ancient and somewhat worn. You can't read the inscription, but there's a dragon in mid-flight on one side. Who knows how long they've been hidden here, but what's certain is that they're going to more useful in your pocket than buried in the ground. You put the coins in your pocket.(set:$player's gp to 20)(display:"updateGold")(set:$player's mood to "greedy")
>> [[Keep moving|After touching a stone marker]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")Your hand hovers over the coins, but you decide that perhaps they have been left here for a reason. Who are you to disturb them from their resting place? Perhaps this is a grave offering or a memorial? Or perhaps someone has left this stash behind with the intent to return and claim when it is needed?(set:$player's mood to "cautious")(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You left the gold coins behind"))
>> [[Keep moving|After touching a stone marker]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")//Hello//, you hear yourself say. You keep calling out, letting the sound of your voice probe the darkening woods.
No one calls back.
It seems you are quite alone.(set:$player's mood to "lonely")
>> [[Head toward the road]]
>> [[Keep calling out|Keep calling out in the woods]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")//Is there anybody out there?//
You listen, but there's no response. If anything, the woods deepen their hush and the few birds you'd heard earlier go silent. Now it's really quiet.(set:$player's mood to "lonely")
>> [[Head toward the road]]
>> [[Keep calling out|Keep calling out in the woods]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You cries of distress fail to yield a single response. No one emerges from the brush or answers your call. It's deathly silent now. Even the birds and insects have stopped. All you can hear is your heavy breathing. And your heart beating.
You take another deep breath.(set:$player's mood to "desperate")
>> [[Head toward the road]]
>> [[Keep calling out|Keep calling out in the woods]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You call out again, this time a little louder. You hope that your words will reach someone, anyone. But still there is no reply, no sign that your voice is being heard.
After another ten minutes of yelling into the silent woods, you give up. It's clear that no one is coming. No one is around. You are completely and utterly alone. And night is almost upon you.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You screamed for help until despair overtook you"))
There's nothing else to be done.(set:$hasKeptCalling to true)
>> [[Look over the clearing again|After touching a stone marker]]
>> [[Head toward the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You pick up the mysterious iron key and take it with you. Who knows what this might open? A secret door? A chest full of treasure? An ancient vault? (set: $inv to $inv+(a:"an iron key"))(set:$player's mood to "curious")
>> [[Keep moving|After touching a stone marker]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide to leave the mysterious iron key behind. It's probably cursed anyway.(set:$player's mood to "cautious")
>> [[Keep moving|After touching a stone marker]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You ignore the ghostly figure and continue to follow the road deeper into the dark woods. The air grows colder and soon you find yourself shivering. It's clear you're not properly dressed for this, but unfortunately, you've got few options available.
After an hour or so, you see a light from a fire deep in the woods to your right. Perhaps someone is camped there? Or perhaps someone lives here in the middle of nowhere and would be willing to let you rest overnight?
>> [[Check out the light in the woods|Head into the woods to check out the light]]
>> [[Continue east on the road|Head further east on the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You leave the road and head into the forest, pushing your way through the trees and brush. At first, it's hard to see in the growing darkness, so you rely partly on touch, testing the ground with your feet and casting your arms about to ensure you don't run into a tree. Eventually you find your way out of the thickets and into an area where the trees are more spaced out.
It's still very dark. You see the white ghostly figure standing beside what looks to be an ancient burial mound. The figure appears to be staring right at you.
>> [[Approach the ghostly figure]]
>> [[Greet the figure from a distance]]
>> [[Return to the road|Ignore the ghostly figure]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You make your way up the hill as you continue your journey westward. The road remains framed by tall pine trees whose silence is only broken by the occasional groan or sigh as the wind moves through their dark branches. When you arrive at the top, there's no moment of clarity or sinking regret that comes to you. Instead, the road just continues on, unremarkably dipping now into a valley that in itself feels invisible, indecipherable amid all these trees.
At the bottom of the hill, you can see what looks to be an overturned wagon, its contents spilled everywhere. There appears to be something or someone lying on the ground next to the wagon.
>> [[Approach the overturned wagon]]
>> [[Detour through the forest|Take a detour through the forest to avoid the wagon]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You leave the more established path going west and instead follow the rough trail north into the woods.
Although it is quite dark, you can tell that the ground has been worn bare in places from regular passage. Tufts of white fur hang from some of the lower branches that cross the path. Something uses this trail, but what? Deer and rabbits? Or perhaps, something larger? (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Follow the trail northward|Keeping following the game trail with white fur]]
>> [[Head back toward the road|Take the wrong path to the west road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Anxiously, you step out of the trees and move toward the ghostly figure. As you approach, you can see now what appears to be the spirit of a young woman with somewhat pointed ears dressed in leather armor. She turns toward you and stretches forth both of her hands as if readying some sort of spell. Dark wisps of mist gather and begin to swirl.
Like a sudden wintry blast, her voice rushes toward you and chills you to the core.
($npcSays:"Why have you come here?")
You shiver and find yourself responding:
>> [[I'm lost|Tell ghost elf you are lost]]
>> [[I'm looking for answers|Tell ghost elf you seek knowledge]]
>> [[I don't really know|Admit to the ghost elf you have no clue]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You cautiously step out from the forest and call out toward the translucent figure, your voice almost breaking with trepidation.
The figure does not respond. (display:"describeWeather")
>> [[Approach the ghostly figure]]
>> [[Head back toward the road|Head back to the old forest east road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You try to retrace your steps, but the forest has grown quite dark and you can't locate your old trail. Everything looks about the same.
You press on for a few more minutes, heading in the general direction you believe the road to be in. From time to time, you spot a boulder or fallen tree that you think you've seen before, but you're not certain.
After a while, you notice that some of the trees are scraped on one side and seem to mark a path heading in a slightly different direction, more to the left of the path you've chosen.
>> [[Keep pressing forward in the same direction|Keep searching for the east road]]
>> [[Follow the marked path|Follow the blazed trail through the woods]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You head deeper into the woods, pushing your way through the low hanging branches. You keep an eye on the distant light, slowly working your way closer and closer. (display:"displayLight")
As you move through the trees, you stumble across an old game trail that heads off in another direction. You can see the flickering light of a campfire still further in the distance. There appears to be some sort of clearing up ahead.
>> [[Head toward the fire in the clearing]]
>> [[Follow the game trail|Follow the game trail toward den]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The sun has set and it is quite dark now. Thankfully, some of the rocks by the side of the road are covered with a phosphorescent moss that glows brightly, shedding just enough light to make out the way. Every so often, you catch a glimpse of the moon through the trees. (display:"describeWeather") (display:"displayLight")
As you continue eastward, you begin to hear the sound of water. It grows louder as you go. Soon you find yourself facing an old stone bridge that spans a rushing river. (set:$followtext to $player's patron of $patronfollow)$followtext
>> [[Cross the bridge|Cross the bridge and continue on your way]]
>> [[Search around the bridge|Spend some time to search the area around the bridge]]
>> [[Cross the river elsewhere|Avoid the bridge and cross the river elsewhere]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you start across the old stone bridge in the dark, you realize that the bridge might not be as stable as you first thought. With each step, you hear stones falling out of the structure and dropping into the river below.
>> [[Sprint the rest of the way across|Sprint across the bridge]]
(if:$inv contains "a longspear")[>> [[Use your spear to polevault to the other side]]](else:)[>> [[Leap across the rest of the distance|Jump across the rest of the bridge]]]
(if:$spellsknown contains "Mending")[>> [[Cast //Mending// on the bridge|Use Mending on the bridge]]](else:)[>> [[Try to wade across the river]]]
>> [[Avoid the bridge and cross the river elsewhere]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if: visits is 1)[You decide it might be wise to search the area first before crossing the bridge. You carefully work your way down to the mud and gravel river bank beside the bridge and try to glimpse what lies beneath the bridge itself.](else:)[You are standing under the old stone bridge.]
It seems even darker here(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[, but you're grateful for the light still shining from (print:$lightsource's propname) that allows you to peer into the shadows. You spot the remains of an old rowboat and what looks to be a rotting barrel](else:)[ and you can't really make anything out. The river is flowing pretty swiftly here. At least, that's how it sounds. When you accidentally step in it, you are struck by how frigid the river is at this hour, the cold chilling you to the core]. It's at least 6 feet across here, perhaps a little too long to jump.
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[>> [[Examine the rowboat]]](else:)[>> [[Try to take a running long jump across|Try to leap across the river]]]
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[>> [[Inspect the rotting barrel]]](else:)[>> [[Try to wade across the river]]]
>> [[Find a different place to cross the river|Avoid the bridge and cross the river elsewhere]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You step into the river and immediately realize you've made a terrible mistake. The current is stronger than you expect and you find it hard to keep your balance. Try as you might, you can't seem to get back to the shore before the river pulls you back toward the center. In the darkness, you can't tell which rocks are safe and where the holes are in the river bed. Your clothes are soaked and bitterly cold. And that wind... where did that awful wind come from?
Just as you are about to try again for the shore, your foot slips out from under you and you fall backward in the dark river.
>> [[Continue|You fall into the river and freeze]]
Story & Code: Neil Aitken
Principal Testers: Carina Mifuel, Andrew MacLeod, and Neils Clark
Alpha Testers: Paul Scott
Images
//Close-up Photo of a Skull// by Mitja Juraja (pexels.com),
//Pathway in Between Trees at Daytime// by HoliHo (pexels.com)
[[Return|Title Screen]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you approach the wagon, you see the bloodied corpse of a young man in leather armor lying on the ground. Two black arrows protrude from his back. Beyond him, the wagon's frame bristles with even more arrows, as do two nearby trees. You spy two more bodies lying in the bushes at the side of the road. (display:"displayLight")(set:$hasVisitedAmbush to true)
A low moaning can be heard coming from inside the overturned wagon.
>> [[Investigate the wagon|Look inside the wagon]]
>> [[Search the young man's body|Search dead guard's body]]
>> [[Examine the roadside corpses|Examine the bodies at the side of the road]]
>> [[Keep moving|Continue down the road past the ambush]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take a good hard look and decide that discretion might be the wisest course of action. The wagon certainly appears like it was attacked and you're fairly confident that you saw a corpse there. You'd rather not leave your corpse there to keep it company.
You decide to leave the road, and slowly and carefully, you thread a path through the trees, always keeping one eye on the road, the other ahead, wary of whatever or whoever might be lurking in the shadows. (set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You chose to avoid the overturned wagon"))
(display:"describeWeather")
>> [[Stay close to the road|Stay close to the road moving from tree to tree]]
>> [[Head deeper into the forest|Head deeper into the forest but parallel]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You stick close to the road, moving from tree to tree and bush to bush, always trying to remain out of sight. Where there are bigger gaps, you dash where the shadows are darkest. Admittedly, this approach doesn't feel all that effective - but at least, you're not going to lose the road.
After a few minutes, the wagon is out of sight. The road begins to ascend again and the setting sun disappears from view, now too low to be seen. The sky is still red, but this too is fading as darkness deepens across heavens.
It is quite dark now. Somewhere deep in the forest to your left, you hear something large moving through the brush, crashing through the trees. Further ahead and up the hill to the right, you can barely make out the silhouette of some sort of tower or fort, its great black bulk almost invisible against the night sky.
>> [[Investigate the strange noises in the forest]]
>> [[Press forward and head toward the tower]]
>> [[Climb a tree and try to get a better view]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You push through the roadside bushes and head deeper into the forest intent on staying out of sight. It's dark and hard to see at times, but you do your best to stay parallel to the road. Or at least where you believe the road to be.
After a few minutes, you realize you have lost sight of the road. You're no longer certain where you are. (display:"describeWeather")
A large fallen tree blocks the way ahead of you. It looks like there may be just enough room to crawl beneath it. To the left, a small narrow path veers off and proceeds deeper into the woods. To the right, the ground slopes downward into what appears an old rock quarry.
>> [[Crawl under the tree|Crawl under the fallen tree]]
>> [[Go left around the tree|Go left around the fallen tree]]
>> [[Climb down into the quarry|Climb down into the rock quarry]]
Double-click this passage to edit it.(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"I'm searching for answers.")
You're not certain why you answered that way, but there is something within you that yearns for answers. You stare at the ghostly figure, waiting expectantly for some response.
She simply gestures toward the mound and the earth divides. You see a set of steps descending into an ancient burial chamber.
($npcSays:"Whatever you seek, you may find it in the paths of the dead.")
She gestures toward the steps as if to invite you to enter.
>> [[Take the stairs down|Descend into the catacombs]]
>> [[Decline her invitation and leave|Decline the ghost elf and leave]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"I'm lost.")
It sounds odd and embarrassing to admit it aloud, on some level you have to admit that you really are quite lost. Somehow, in the middle of this journey, you've managed to find yourself far from the right path and now, to some degree, uncertain if there ever was a right path.
Perhaps this ghostly elf can give you directions back to the road? Or even point you to someplace where you can take shelter until dawn so you don't have to travel in the dark? It couldn't hurt to ask.
She eyes you cautiously, the dark magical energy continuing to swirl ominously between her outstretched hands.
>> [[Ask for directions|Ask ghost elf for directions]]
>> [[Ask for shelter|Ask ghost elf for shelter]]
>> [[Ask why she has come to this place|Ask ghost elf why she is waiting]](display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"How do I get back to the road?")
The ghostly figure pauses her casting and stretches out one arm to point back toward the trees in the general direction that you came from.
($npcSays:"Leave stranger and do not return. The road you seek is that way.")
For a brief moment, the path behind you illuminates and you can see the faint glowing outline of your own footprints in the earth.
You thank the figure, then turn, heading into the woods back toward the road. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Return to the forest|Head back to the old forest east road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"I seek shelter for the night.")
The ghostly woman does not speak, but instead opens her arms wide. The burial mound before her splits open and you see a set of steps descending into the dark.
She gestures toward the steps as if to invite you to enter.
>> [[Take the stairs down|Descend into the catacombs]]
>> [[Decline her invitation and leave|Decline the ghost elf and leave]](display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"Why are you waiting here? What holds you to this place?")
She seems to be caught off-guard by your question. After an awkward silence, she says:
($npcSays:"I cannot rest, even though I came here to where my ancestors sleep. Without my body or some token I carried in life, there is nothing to be laid in halls of the dead.")
She seems deeply troubled and has gone silent.
>> [[Ask for directions|Ask ghost elf for directions]]
>> [[Ask for shelter|Ask ghost elf for shelter]]
(if:$inv's length>0)[>> [[Give her something|Give the ghost elf something]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You peer inside the overturned wagon and find a wounded older man in rough clothes huddled underneath cradling the bloodied corpse of a young man. Next to them are a couple of sacks, partially filled with coins and jewelry.(if:$hasMetTravelers is true)[ The two of them look like they could be bandits.]
He appears quite distraught, rocking back and forth while alternating between weeping and muttering, //My son. My son. How could this happen?//
He does not appear to have noticed you.
>> [[Ask the man what happened|Talk to the old grieving bandit]]
>> [[Leave the man to his grief|Leave the old grieving bandit alone]]
(if:$hasMetTravelers is true)[>> [[Attack the grieving man|Attack the grieving bandit]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")Two blood-drenched bodies lie close to each other in the bushes. Judging from the two men's rough clothing and dirt-smeared faces, you suspect they were likely part of the bandit crew who attacked the travelers. Both men appear to have been felled by a single stroke across their throats from an exceptionally sharp blade.. Blood splatter across the leaves and ground suggest they were slain instantly with a swift skillful slash from a master swordsman.
Next to them lie a broken bow and a pair of rusty daggers fallen from their lifeless fingers. A small leather pouch is tucked into the belt of one of the corpses. They do not appear to be carrying anything else.
>> [[Take a rusty dagger|Take rusty dagger from roadside bandit corpses]]
>> [[Look inside the pouch|Look inside the roadside bandit pouch]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You creep into the woods hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever is moving through the brush. Broken branches line its path making it easy to follow. When you look down, there are deep claw prints left in the forest soil. Iit's definitely something large.
After a while, you come to the edge of clearing where you hear something or someone attacking a tree. You peer through the leaves and brush and see a huge bear shadow clawing at an old dead tree. Deep grooves run down the sides of its trunk. The bear turns briefly, as if it somehow senses you. Its fiercely glowing red eyes seem to bore through the trees directly at you. A strange dark aura emanates from its body.(set:$monster to $demonbear)
>> [[Charge at the bear and attack first]]
>> [[Run away from the bear]]
>> [[Attempt to cast a spell|Try to use magic against the bear]](go-to:"Appear at the tower approach")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You pick a rather stout looking tree with well-spaced limbs and start climbing. You feel a bit out of practice—it's been years since you last climbed a tree. At least a decade, maybe two? You recall climbing trees as a child. How free you felt. How far you could see.
You keep climbing. It's awkward and hard-going, but you feel like you're making progress. After a while, you peek up through the canopy of leaves. There's more light here, above the trees. You scan the horizon hoping to get a better sense of where you are, but it looks like forest everywhere, except for the road cutting through it—and a tower. It's definitely a tower.
There's nothing else here. You figure it's time to return to the forest floor.
>> [[Continue|Climb down and return to the forest floor]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You quickly search the corpse of the young man, glancing up every so often to keep an eye on the road, uncertain if his killers will return. As your hands check his pockets and beneath his armor, you note that his body still feels warm to the touch and blood has not stopped welling from his wounds. He can't have been dead for more than a hour.
>> [[Continue|Continued search of dead guard]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You continue down the road, trying not to think too much about all the dead bodies you left behind. In a perfect world, someone would bury them. But you worry about who and what might still be lurking in the woods—far better just to keep moving, trying to hold onto what little light remains.
The forest looks dark and foreboding all around you. You take some comfort in holding to the road, but still are concerned by how deep the night is getting.
>> [[Continue|Appear at the tower approach]]
patrons (wolf,crow,fish,none) - none = three-eyed raven
items (a heavy hammer, a rope ladder, a familiar mug, a blazing torch, twenty gold coins, iron key)
{
(track: 'bgtitle','fadeout',3)
(track: 'bgmusic2','loop',true)
(track: 'bgmusic2','volume',0.2)
(track: 'bgmusic2','fadein',3)
(track: 'bgmusic2','playwhenpossible')
}(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You flee from the overturned wagon, not wanting to be mistaken for one of the bandits responsible for their deaths. Better safe than sorry. The living must take care of themselves. It's already too late for the dead.
After a few minutes of running, you slow down to a more leisurely walk, trying to regain your breath and composure. The forest, though dark, seems at last to be thinning. In the distance, you can barely make out some sort of structure directly ahead of you.
>> [[Keep following the road|Appear at the tower approach]]
>> [[Head deeper into the woods|Avoid the tower and head into the woods]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You dash across the road and duck into the bushes, hoping to avoid detection. Who knows who or what is coming this way? It could be more bandits. Or some sort of terrible monster. Or tax collectors.
After a few minutes, you see a gigantic rabbit burst from the trees. You figure it stands at least 7 feet tall and is surrounded by some sort of dark mist. It seems to be hunting for something.
>> [[Escape into the woods|Escape from the rabbit into the woods]]
>> [[Flee down the road|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(set:_icon to $player's patron)(if:_icon is "none")[(set:$player's patron to "three-eyed raven")(set:_icon to "three-eyed raven")]Ignoring the strange noises coming from the forest, you stay focused and pry open the dead guard's hands. Firmly gripped in his palm, you find a strange silver amulet depicting a _icon inside a pentagram.
>> [[Take the strange silver amulet]]
>> [[Leave the amulet in his hand|Leave the amulet with the dead guard]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You grab onto the dead guard's boots and with some effort manage to pull them off. As you do so, you hear the sound of something heavy fall to the ground. (set:$randLoot to (either:...$valuablesmallstuff))
You see $randLoot.
>> (link-goto:"Take "+($theItem:$randLoot),"Pickup dead guard treasure")
>> [[Hide in the bushes|Hide in the bushes in forest on the other side]]
>> [[Flee down the road|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the strange silver amulet from the dead man's hand. It feels heavy and cold to the touch, and for a brief moment, it glows softly. The (print:$player's patron) stares back at you, each eye a tiny green gem.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a strange silver amulet"))(set:$guard's hasAmulet to false)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You took the dead guard's amulet"))
You hear more branches snapping in the woods behind you. Something is definitely approaching.
>> [[Wear the amulet|Wear the silver amulet]]
>> [[Put the amulet in your pocket]](display:"updateMoveCounter")//Who are you to rob the dead?// you think to yourself as you gently close the dead man's fingers around the silver amulet. Let him make his journey into the dark beyond not empty-handed, nor stripped of dignity, but at least with some small trinket to pay the boatman.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You didn't take the dead guard's amulet"))
>> [[Continue down the road west|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]]
(set: $currentlight to "strange silver amulet")(set:$currentLightCount to 1000)(set:$currentLightQuality to "soft glow")(set:$lightsource to $amuletlight)(display:"updateMoveCounter")As you place the amulet around your neck, the (print:$player's patron) glows softly before turning cold. For a moment, you feel a strange numbness in your hands and feet, but it passes. It's probably nothing, you tell yourself. The amulet begins to glow and illuminates the area around you.
You stand up, take a breath that seems shallower than before, then consider your options.
Whatever is coming is nearly upon you. (set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You wore the strange silver amulet"))
>> [[Wait|Stay and face the giant rabbit]]
>> [[Get moving|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You place the silver amulet in your pocket for safekeeping. Perhaps it's better to keep it out of sight? Who knows what purpose it serves or what it signifies? For now at least, it's in your possession and might cover the cost of a night at an inn or a warm meal.
The noises are getting louder and nearer. Whatever is coming sounds very big—and almost upon you.
>> [[Wait|Stay and face the giant rabbit]]
>> [[Get moving|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]]
(set: $timercount to $timercount+5)(print: $weatherDescriptions's random)(set: $guard to (datamap:"hasBoots",true,"hasAmulet",true))
(set: $bandit to (datamap:"maxHP",10,"HP",10,"probhit",50,"damage",5,"hittext","The bandit slashes at you with his blade, leaving a deep wound. You're very injured.","misstext","The bandit slashes at you with his blade but you parry it to the side.","deathtext","The bandit falls lifeless to the ground.","name","bandit","propname","the bandit","desc","a rough-looking man in dark clothes carrying a sword","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set: $sadbandit to (datamap:"maxHP",12,"HP",12,"probhit",50,"damage",5,"hittext","The old man slashes at you with his blade, leaving a deep wound. You're very injured.","misstext","The old man slashes at you with his blade but you parry it to the side.","deathtext","The old man falls lifeless to the ground.","name","bandit","propname","the old man","desc","a sad-looking older man in dark clothes carrying a sword","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set: $banditchief to (datamap:"maxHP",25,"HP",25,"probhit",70,"damage",8,"hittext","The bandit chief slashes at you with her blade, inflicting a deep wound. You're very injured.","misstext","The bandit chief slashes at you with her blade but you dodge to the side.","deathtext","The bandit chief falls lifeless to the ground, blood oozing from her wounds.","name","bandit chief","propname","the bandit chief","desc","a dangerous-looking woman wearing an eyepatch and wielding a longsword","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set:$Archie to (datamap:"maxHP",30,"HP",10,"probhit",70,"damage",8,"hittext","Archie slashes with his sword cutting deeply.","misstext","Archie swings his sword, but misses his intended target.","deathtext","Archie collapses lifeless on the ground, blood oozing from his wounds.","name","Archie","propname","Archie","desc","a heroic-looking mouse wielding a tiny sword","isDead",true,"isZombie",false,"isRestored",false,"followText","Archie tags along behind you.","idleText","Archie fiddles with his sword, as if practicing a quick draw.","condition","dead","hasMet",false))
(set: $swordsman to (datamap:"maxHP",25,"HP",25,"probhit",70,"damage",8,"hittext","The swordsman slashes at you with his blade, inflicting a deep wound. You're very injured.","misstext","The swordsman slashes at you with his blade but you dodge to the side.","deathtext","The swordsman falls lifeless to the ground, blood oozing from his wounds.","name","swordsman","propname","the swordsman","desc","a stern looking man wielding a longsword","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set: $ghostelf to (datamap:"maxHP",22,"HP",22,"probhit",50,"damage",3,"hittext","The ghostly elf hurls her dark ball of mist at you. Wisps of icy fog lash out like tiny blades, cutting and freezing you at the same time. ","misstext","The ghostly figure throws the ball of dark mist and ice at you, but you step out of the way.","deathtext","The ghostly woman cries out, then disintegrates, her form fading and leaving nothing behind.","name","ghostly woman","propname","the ghostly woman","desc","a ghostly elf woman dressed in leather armor","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set: $zombie to (datamap:"maxHP",12,"HP",12,"probhit",40,"damage",3,"hittext","The zombie claws at you, ripping into your flesh. ","misstext","The zombie claws at you, but you dodge out of the way.","deathtext","The zombie falls to pieces, leaving only a pile of rotting flesh behind.","name","zombie","propname","the zombie","desc","a zombie dressed in rusty chanimail","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set: $giantrabbit to (datamap:"maxHP",20,"HP",20,"probhit",55,"damage",5,"hittext","The giant rabbit nibbles on your arm, biting down painfully.","misstext","The giant rabbit attempts to bite you, but misses.","deathtext","The giant rabbit falls to the ground, twitching and convulsing, then abruptly stops, lifeless.","name","giant rabbit","propname","the giant rabbit","desc","a fierce looking rabbit of unusual size","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set: $demonbear to (datamap:"maxHP",40,"HP",40,"probhit",70,"damage",9,"hittext","The demonic bear strikes you with its razor-claws cutting you deeply. ","misstext","The demonic bear tries to maul you, but you dodge out of the way.","deathtext","The demonic bear collapses to the ground.","name","demonic bear","propname","the demonic bear","desc","an enormous bear with glowing red eyes","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set: $troll to (datamap:"maxHP",40,"HP",40,"probhit",60,"damage",10,"hittext","The troll strikes you with his virtuous greatsword. Shame fills you.","misstext","The troll tries to cleave you in half, but you dodge out of the way.","deathtext","The troll falls dramatically to the ground, his eyes filled with righteous fury that darkens to nothing.","name","troll","propname","the troll paladin","desc","a troll in brightly polished platemail","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set: $stonebull to (datamap:"maxHP",40,"HP",40,"probhit",60,"damage",9,"hittext","The stone bull gores you with its mighty horns.","misstext","The stone bull charges, but you dodge out of the way.","deathtext","The stone bull crumbles into dust.","name","stone bull","propname","the stone bull","desc","a terrifying stone bull come to life","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set:$monster to (datamap:"maxHP",10,"HP",10,"probhit",50,"damage",5,"hittext","The monster viciously attacks, inflicting a terrible injury on you","misstext","The monster misses you completely.","deathtext","The monster collapses to the ground.","name","monster","propname","the monster","desc","a terrifying creature","isDead",false,"hasMet",false))
(set:$companion to (datamap:"maxHP",10,"HP",10,"probhit",50,"damage",5,"hittext","Your companion viciously attacks, inflicting a terrible injury on your enemy","misstext","Your companion misses completely.","deathtext","Your companion collapses to the ground.","name","none","propname","none","desc","an invisible friend","isDead",false,"condition","living"))
(set:$ArchieUndeadIdles to (a:"Archie picks at some rotting flesh on his leg, then flicks a large fly","Archie picks up a few stones and juggles them with one hand.","Archie groans incoherently, then hiccups suddenly.","Archie walks in slow circle, then sits down.","Archie draws a picture of a castle on the ground with his sword, then erases it with his foot.","Archie carves his name in large letters on a tree."))
(set:$ArchieAliveIdles to (a:"Archie begins whistling a jaunty pirate tune, then dances a jig.","Archie starts picking up brightly covered leaves and stuffing them into his pockets.","Archie does a triple backflip and nails the landing.","Archie picks up a few acorns and rearranges on a flat stone.","Archie runs up a tree, grabs a large leaf, and uses it to glide back down.","Archie runs up your leg and onto your shoulder, then leaps off dramatically before landing on his feet.","Archie dives into a bush and returns with a large mushroom."))
(set:$ArchieSayings to (a:"Here be Dragons, they said! But there was only one, and not worth the price of admission.","Are you looking at me? Are YOU look at ME?","And that's why you should never accept acorns from a stranger.","I used to be a contender. A great hero. A real somebody.","This place has really gone downhill.","I could really go for a good ale or a tankard of beer.","I could use a bite to eat.","Was that a cat?! Oh, just my stomach rumbling.","Lead on, MacGuffin!","Nevermore."))
(set:$monsterlist to (a:"bandit","bandit chief","sad bandit","Archie","swordsman","ghostly woman","zombie","demonic bear","troll","giant rabbit","stone bull","monster"))(if: $player's health is 100)[(set:$healthdesc to "Healthy")](if:$player's health<100 and $player's health>84)[(set:$healthdesc to "Slightly injured")](if:$player's health<85 and $player's health>69)[(set:$healthdesc to "Injured")](if:$player's health<70 and $player's health>54)[(set:$healthdesc to "Wounded")](if:$player's health<55 and $player's health>39)[(set:$healthdesc to "Rough shape")](if:$player's health<40 and $player's health>24)[(set:$healthdesc to "Weak")](if:$player's health<25 and $player's health>0)[(set:$healthdesc to "Near death")](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you crawl under the fallen tree, you realize that it is much tighter than you thought. Before you know it, you are quite stuck.
//Now what?//
The ground is very cold. You are wedged underneath an enormous fallen tree, caught between the trunk, a boulder, and the cold damp earth.
(display:"describeWeather")
>> [[Stay put and call for help|Stuck under tree calling for help]]
>> [[Push the tree with all your strength]]
>> [[Dig yourself free|Dig under the fallen tree]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You follow the path around the tree which takes you into even denser forest. The night sky is mostly hidden except for a little light that comes through the thick canopy above.
As you move along, the trail becomes quite narrow in places and you find yourself bending over and crouching as you work your way through the low branches and moss-slick rocks. Perhaps this is more of a game trail? Or maybe not a trail at all?
The trees eventually begin to thin out. You find yourself in a small burnt section of the forest. The light from the stars above just enough to make out the charred remains of a cabin. In the woods beyond, you see a pair of glowing green eyes watching you. (display:"describeWeather")
>> [[Investigate the burnt out cabin]]
>> [[Head toward the glowing eyes]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You climb down the rocky slope into the quarry. It's a tricky path, one that feels particularly treacherous to navigate in the darkness of night.
The walls of the quarry rise up around you as you descend. There are no trees here, so you can see the night sky in all its immensity. Such abject darkness punctuated by tiny pinpricks of light. Distant stars, some brighter than others. All feeling impossibly small and remote. All incredibly alone.
You can barely make out some sort of opening in the side of the quarry. Perhaps a cave entrance? On the other side of the quarry, you see the roofless remains of a shack with only three walls standing.
(display:"describeWeather")
>> [[Take shelter in the cave|Enter the quarry cave]]
>> [[Check out the rundown shack|Check out the rundown shack in the quarry]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You begin yelling at the top of your voice, hoping that your cries of distress fall on friendly ears. And yet, after ten minutes of calling out into the dark, no one comes to your rescue.
Why did you bother? When was the last time someone came to your rescue? If only you could remember something about how you got here. Perhaps then you'd know whether to feel deep despair or just annoyance.
The woods are deathly silent now. Even the birds and insects have stopped. All you can hear is your heavy labored breathing. Your heart thumping. (display: "describeWeather")
You're still stuck.
>> [[Push the tree with all your strength]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You heave with all your might, but something goes terribly wrong. You watch helplessly as the tree suddenly rolls and falls on top of you, its great bulk crushing you instantly.
For a moment, there's an intense pain every and then, abruptly, there's nothing. A growing numbness rises within, as if you held some immense primordial sea of darkness inside you. Your breathing grows shallower and shallower. Your body colder.
Staring up at the night sky, you can barely make out the tiny stars flashing, then fading into a darkness without end. You feel very alone, and then, you feel nothing at all.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Crushed by Tree")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")As you enter the cave, you realize that this cavern is much larger than you expected. It’s also clear that someone’s sheltered here before. You look around and see the remains of an old fire, as well as a stack of split wood and sticks, a rusty axe, and a pile of dried leaves and grass. You’re not certain where that person went, but you’re grateful for their preparations. You’d feel safe here, were it not for the big crack in the back wall which reveals a connection to another cave deeper into the mountain. Who knows what or who might be living there? Then again, perhaps there might something valuable hidden back there?
>> [[Shelter here for the night|Take shelter in the quarry cave]]
>> [[Explore what lies beyond the crack|Cavern Big Chamber]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set: $player's mood to "angry")You make your way through loose stone and gravel down to the old rickety shack. It's not much to look at, what with its missing wall and roof, but it could offer some shelter against the wind. You find the remains of a firepit and a rusty cooking pot nearby. You suspect that you could scavenge enough wood to make a fire here. Morning should come soon. This night can't last forever.
On the other hand, the winds could change or the shack could fall, either would leave you exposed to the bitter cold night. The cave in the quarry might also be a good place to stay.
>> [[Shelter here for the night|Take shelter in the rundown shack]]
>> [[Check out the cave|Enter the quarry cave]]
(set:$movecounter to $movecounter+1)(display:"updateLight")//Midway along the journey of our life
I woke to find myself in a dark wood...//
― Dante Alighieri//Alone in distant woods or fields, in unpretending sprout lands or pastures tracked by rabbits, even in a bleak and, to most, cheerless day like this, when a villager would be thinking of his inn, I come to myself.//
- Henry David Thoreau//two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less travelled by//
- Robert Frost//The woods call to us with a hundred voices, but the sea has one only — a mighty voice that drowns our souls in its majestic music. The woods are human, but the sea is of the company of the archangels.//
- L.M. Montgomery(align:"<==")[//Until we understand what the land is, we are at odds with everything we touch. And to come to that understanding it is necessary, even now, to leave the regions of our conquest - the cleared fields, the towns and cities, the highways - and re-enter the woods.//]
(align:"==>")[- Wendell Berry](set: _ptags to (passage:)'s tags)(if:_ptags contains "Old-forest-road")[(set:$currentPlace to "Old forest road")](if: _ptags contains "Old-forest")[(set:$currentPlace to "Old forest")](if: _ptags contains "forestclearing")[(set:$currentPlace to "Forest clearing")](if:_ptags contains "stonemarkers")[(set:$currentPlace to "Stone markers")](if: _ptags contains "somewhere")[(set:$currentPlace to "Somewhere")](if:_ptags contains "east-forest-road")[(set:$currentPlace to "Old forest road (east)")](if:_ptags contains "west-forest-road")[(set:$currentPlace to "Old forest road (west)")](if:_ptags contains "forest-game-trail")[(set:$currentPlace to "Forest trail (north)")](if:_ptags contains "forest-game-trail-lair")[(set:$currentPlace to "A grassy hill in the middle of the forest")](if:_ptags contains "troll-lair-entrance")[(set:$currentPlace to "Ancient tomb (entrance)"](if:_ptags contains "troll-lair")[(set:$currentPlace to "Ancient tomb (interior)")](if:_ptags contains "fallen-tree")[(set:$currentPlace to "Fallen tree")](if:_ptags contains "burnt-cabin-clearing")[(set:$currentPlace to "Small clearing with a burnt cabin")](if:_ptags contains "overturned-wagon")[(set:$currentPlace to "Overturned wagon in the road")](if:_ptags contains "forest-edge-near-road")[(set:$currentPlace to "Forest edge near road")](if:_ptags contains "old-stone-bridge")[(set:$currentPlace to "Old stone bridge")](if:_ptags contains "blazed-trail")[(set:$currentPlace to "Blazed trail through the woods")](if:_ptags contains "river")[(set:$currentPlace to "Riverbank")](if:_ptags contains "river-downstream")[(set:$currentPlace to "Riverbank (downstream)")](if:_ptags contains "river-upstream")[(set:$currentPlace to "Riverbank (upstream)")](if:_ptags contains "river-fall")[(set:$currentPlace to "Riverbank (waterfall)")](if:_ptags contains "outskirts-town")[(set:$currentPlace to "Fellbridge (outskirts)")](if:_ptags contains "abandoned-town")[(set:$currentPlace to "Fellbridge")](if:_ptags contains "mountain-top")[(set:$currentPlace to "Near the top of the mountain")](if:_ptags contains "summit")[(set:$currentPlace to "Summit of the mountain")](if:_ptags contains "mountain-side")[(set:$currentPlace to "On a tree-covered slope")](if:_ptags contains "river-middle")[(set:$currentPlace to "In the middle of the river")](if:_ptags contains "mine")[(set:$currentPlace to "Abandoned mine")](if:_ptags contains "old-stone-well")[(set:$currentPlace to "Old stone well")](if:_ptags contains "old-stone-well-inside")[(set:$currentPlace to "Old stone well (interior)")](if:_ptags contains "Fellbridge")[(set:$currentPlace to "Abandoned town of Fellbridge")](if:_ptags contains "secret-passage")[(set:$currentPlace to "Underground passage")](if:_ptags contains "underground-river")[(set:$currentPlace to "Underground river")](if:_ptags contains "tower")[(set:$currentPlace to "Old stone tower")](if:_ptags contains "caves-deep")[(set:$currentPlace to "Deep in the cavern")](if:_ptags contains "catacombs")[(set:$currentPlace to "Ancient catacombs")](if:_ptags contains "labyrinth")[(set:$currentPlace to "A winding labyrinth")](if:_ptags contains "tree-covered-slope")[(set:$currentPlace to "A tree-covered mountain slope")](if:_ptags contains "blast-crater")[(set:$currentPlace to "A blast crater with fallen trees")](if: _ptags contains "blast-crater-center")[(set:$currentPlace to "The center of a mysterious blast crater")](if:_ptags contains "forest-burial-mound")[(set:$currentPlace to "A forest clearing near a burial mound")](if:_ptags contains "secret-passage-side")[(set:$currentPlace to "Underground side passage")](if:_ptags contains "cloud-platform")[(set:$currentPlace to "A strangely solid cloud")](if:_ptags contains "empty-cloud-room")[(set:$currentPlace to "An empty space filled with light")](if:_ptags contains "chamber-ancient")[(set:$currentPlace to "A long-forgotten chamber")](if:_ptags contains "secret-passage-river")[(set:$currentPlace to "Near an underground river")](if:_ptags contains "secret-passage-river-middle")[(set:$currentPlace to "Underground river (middle)")](if:_ptags contains "underground-river")[(set:$currrentPlace to "An underground river")](if:_ptags contains "labyrinth-hallway")[(set:$currentPlace to "A hallway somewhere in the labyrinth")](if:_ptags contains "rundown-shack")[(set:$currrentPlace to "A rundown shack in the middle of a quarry")](if:_ptags contains "underground-river-cavern")[(set:$currentPlace to "A cavern near an underground river")](if:_ptags contains "underground-river-well-bottom")[(set:$currentPlace to "The bottom of a well")](if:_ptags contains "forgotten-well")[(set:$currentPlace to "A forgotten well")](if:_ptags contains "underground-river-bank")[(set:$currrentPlace to "The banks of an underground river")](if:_ptags contains "secret-passage-egg-room")[(set:$currentPlace to "A large treasure chamber dominated by a giant egg")](if:_ptags contains "secret-passage-trash-chute")[(set:$currentPlace to "A small sealed room with a single lever")](if:_ptags contains "quarry")[(set:$currentPlace to "An abandoned rock quarry")](if:_ptags contains "cavern-entrance")[(set:$currentPlace to "Cave entrance")](if:_ptags contains "cavern-big-chamber")[(set:$currentPlace to "A rather spacious cavern")](if:_ptags contains "cave-waterfall")[(set:$currentPlace to "An underground waterfall")](if:_ptags contains "cavern-lake")[(set:$currentPlace to "An underground lake")](if:_ptags contains "cavern-across-river")[(set:$currentPlace to "The other side of the river")](if:_ptags contains "forest-game-trail-lair")[(set:$currentPlace to "Some sort of hill-side cave")](if:_ptags contains "burnt-cabin-in-the-woods")[(set:$currentPlace to "A burned down cabin in the woods")](if:_ptags contains "Behind-the-burned-down-cabin")[(set:$currentPlace to "Behind the burned down cabin")](if:_ptags contains "swamp")[(set:$currentPlace to "A foul-smelling swamp")](display:"updateMoveCounter")Aside from the stone chimney, very little of the cabin remains standing. Although it might be possible to warm yourself here, there isn't really enough of a structure left to adequately shelter from the rain and wind.
As you search the ruined cabin, you find most of the furniture either gone or completely destroyed. (if:$inv does not contain "an iron poker")[ An old iron poker rests forgotten against the chimney.] A pile of partially burnt papers rests in the hearth, stirred by the wind. There's a deep sadness in the air, a sense of loss. Undoubtedly this was once a beautiful home, but what could have happened to this place? How did it fall into ruin? And where are the people who once called this home?
(if:$inv does not contain "an iron poker")[>> [[Take the iron poker|Take the iron poker from the burnt cabin]]
>> [[Examine the burnt papers|Examine the burnt papers from the burnt cabin]]
>> [[Search behind the cabin|Search behind the burnt cabin]]](else:)[>> [[Examine the burnt papers|Examine the burnt papers from the burnt cabin]]
>> [[Search behind the cabin|Search behind the burnt cabin]]]
Double-click this passage to edit it.(if:$movecounter<$timeOfEvening)[(set:$currentTimeOfDay to "Dusk")](else-if:$movecounter<$timeOfNight)[(set:$currentTimeOfDay to "Evening")](else-if:$movecounter<$timeOfMidnight)[(set:$currentTimeOfDay to "Night")](else-if:$movecounter<$timeOfPreDawn)[(set:$currentTimeOfDay to "Midnight")](else-if:$movecounter<$timeOfDawn)[(set:$currentTimeOfDay to "Predawn")](else-if:$movecounter<$timeOfMorning)[(set:$currentTimeOfDay to "Dawn")](else:)[(set:$currentTimeOfDay to "Morning")(if:$passage's tags contains any of (a:"indoors","labyrinth","cave","secret-passage","underground-river","tower","mine")[](else:)[(go-to:"Survived until morning")]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")After dodging more branches, you stumble at last out of the dark trees into a clearing where a campfire (if:$hasHealedWoundedMan is true)[ is almost out. Whoever was here must have left recently. And in a hurry.
>> [[Take a fresh torch from the fire|Take a new torch]]
>> [[Head back to the road|Leave the campfire and head back to the road]]
](else:)[blazes. Three cloaked figures, two men and a woman, sit by the fire, their faces hard to make out amid the shifting shadows. One of the men stands, placing a hand on the sword at his side, and calls out in your direction:
($npcSays:"Who goes there? Are you friend or foe?")
>> [[Friend|Greet the stranger as friend]]
>> [[Foe|Greet the stranger as foe]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You follow the remains of an old trail left by some sort of creature. Bits of fur, bent grass, and broken branches mark the way. Something large has traveled here before.
The trail takes you into a gully where the rains have washed away the remainder of the trail as well as part of the hillside. You can barely make out what looks to be the entrance to an old mine. Perhaps something has made its home here?
>> [[Investigate the old mine entrance]]
>> [[Try to find your way back to the road|Keep searching for the east road]](print: $forestLostDetails's random)(display:"updateMoveCounter")You follow the game trail through the woods and continue heading north. The forest canopy is dense and blocks most of the starlight. It is hard to see here. Every so often, you trip over a fallen tree or a mossy boulder, landing face down in the ferns and thick forest soil to the side of the trail.
Each time, you pick yourself back up and will yourself to be more careful. Soon, all you have to go on for direction are the bits of white fur hanging from the low branches and bushes.
>> [[Continue|Approach the troll lair]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The fallen tree is obviously too heavy to move on your own, so you begin to use your hands to dig yourself out from under the tree. The earth, though cold and damp, proves easier to move than you first thought.
As you dig and push the dirt and forest detritus out of the way, the earth becomes wetter and wetter. Eventually you uncover what looks to be a very old wooden well cover set in the wet clay below you. There's just enough room to lift it out of place.
>> [[Remove the well cover|Remove well cover and access river]]
>> [[Crawl out from under the tree]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You remove the well cover and find the remains of an old well shaft that seems to go down some distance. You drop a pebble down and listen for the splash. Maybe 10 feet? Or is it 15 feet? It's hard to tell. The opening is wide enough for you to fit through. Hopefully the water is deep enough to avoid injury.
You take a breath, steel yourself for the worst, then lower yourself in.
>> [[Continue|Underground River Access]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if:$lightsource's count is 0)[](else:)[(set:$lightsource's count to $lightsource's count-1)(set:$currentlight to $lightsource's name)(set:$currentLightCount to $lightsource's count)](if: $lightsource's count is 0)[](else-if:$lightsource's count is 1)[(print:$lightsource's out)(set:$lightsource's hasLight to false)(set:$inv to $inv-(a:$lightsource's name))(set:$inv to $inv+(a:$lightsource's namedark))](else-if: $lightsource's count<6)[(print:$lightsource's dimming)](else:)[(print:$lightsource's bright)](display:"updateMoveCounter")(if: visits is 1)[You turn around and start back toward the road, trusting in your instincts and your innate sense of direction to retrace your steps. It's getting darker and the trees seem thicker, denser than you remember.](else-if: visits is 2)[In the darkness, everything looks pretty much the same. Tall trees. Wet and moldy leaves underfoot. The occasional fallen log or crumbling stump. Shadows everywhere shifting.](else-if: visits is 3)[You can't seem to find the path, but keep walking into the lower branches of trees you can't even see, their all-but-invisible limbs grazing your arms and face as you pass. This place seems possessive, unwilling to let you go. It's getting colder and you've been walking for ages.](else:)[In the darkness, everything looks familiar. The trees, the rocks, the undergrowth. You have seen them all before, you just can't remember when. What is clear, though, is that you are lost.]
(display:"describeLostDetail")
>> (if:visits is 4)[[[Keep going|Stumble into an abandoned camp]]](else:)[[[Keep going|Take the wrong path to the west road]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You stumble through the brush and suddenly find yourself in a small clearing. Although it's mostly grown over with weeds and brush, it seems like this was once a campsite. You spy the remains of a firepit encircled with stones. A pile of rotting wood planks and tree branches appears to be all that's left of some sort of makeshift shelter. The ground here feels hard underfoot.
>> [[Start a fire in the firepit|Start a fire at the abandoned camp]]
>> [[Search the area for clues|Search the abandoned campsite]]
>> [[Search the rotting pile of wood|Search the wood pile at abandoned camp]]
>> [[Try to retrace your path|Keep searching for the east road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(set:$hasVisitedTravelers to true)($playerSays:"Friend.")
You step into the light and greet the strangers at the fire with your best smile and showing your open hands.
The man with the sword studies your expression, looks back at his companions and exchanges a few words. The woman nods. The man then waves you forward toward the fire.
>> [[Continue|Step closer to the campfire]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"Foe")
Immediately, you regret your attempt at sarcasm as a crossbow bolt strikes you in the chest, knocking you backward. You feel weak and woozy.
You touch your chest. Your hand is covered in blood. So much blood.
You try to explain that you were joking, but it's too late.
A second bolt strikes you. Then a third.
You don't feel anything. A numbing darkness. Your tongue turning to moths. Your hands and feet stone. So heavy. In the encircling void, you think you see a (print: $player's patron). Is it singing? You can't tell anymore.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Death by Sarcasm")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'm lost and looking for someplace to shelter for the night.")
The travelers study your bedraggled appearance. Although wary, they seem to believe the desperation in your voice.
You take your seat near the fire and begin to warm up. It feels good to be in the light, even better not to be alone in the dark. You're not certain what tomorrow will hold or where you will go next, but for now, at least, you have a place to shelter.
>> [[Ask what brings them to the woods|Ask the travelers what brings them to the woods]]
>> [[ Ask about the wounded man's injuries|Ask about the wounded traveler]]
>> [[Say nothing and just rest|Rest without bothering the travelers]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you draw closer, you can see that all three appear very tired, their clothes showing much wear and mud. The woman keeps her hood up, but you can feel her gaze on you. The seated man's chest is heavily bandaged. He breathes in ragged sighs and struggles to stay awake. (if:$hasMetOldBandit is true)[These people look like the bandits the old man described.](set:$hasMetTravelers to true)
The man with the sword points to a mouldering stump near the fire.
($npcSays:"You can warm up here. What brings you to the woods, stranger? And where are you headed?")
>> [[I'm lost and was hoping to find a safe place to rest|Tell the travelers that you are lost]]
>> [[I'm trying to get to the next town|Ask the travelers for directions to the next town]]
>> [[I'm looking for the road|Ask the travelers how to get back to the road]]
>> [[I'm looking for my brother, Sam|Tell the travelers that you are looking for your brother]]
(if:$hasAgreedToBanditRevenge is true)[>> [[I'm hunting bandits|Tell the travelers you are hunting bandits]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"Can you point me toward the closest town?")
You pause and hope that the travelers can help direct you to some place safe and warm. Preferrably an inn with a comfortable bed and some hot soup.
The man with the sword studies your face, then looks back into the dark forest behind you.
($playerSays:"Just head back the way you came. Follow the road going east. Cross the stone bridge. You should find the village not far from there.")
He looks a bit confused.
($npcSays:"Are you certain you want to go to Fellbridge? No one's lived there in years.")
>> [[Head back to the road and search for Fellbridge|Leave the campfire and head back to the road]]
>> [[Admit that you are lost and ask if you can spend the night with them|Tell the travelers that you are lost]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'm lost. Can you point me back to the road?")
The man with the sword points back the way you came.
($npcSays:"Just head back the way you came. I wouldn't advise doing that, though. The forest is dark and filled with dangerous beasts at night. It's easy to lose your way. ")
He pauses, glances back at his companions who nod, then continues:
($npcSays:"Would you like to take shelter here instead and wait until dawn?")
It's true that finding your way back in the darkness may prove especially hard. Who knows what creatures are out there? But you're also uncertain who these people are and whether they can be trusted. They seem to be fleeing something or someone. Is it safe here?
>> [[Accept his offer and rest here for the night|Stay with the travelers overnight]]
>> [[Decline his offer and head back to the road|Leave the campfire and head back to the road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'm looking for my brother, Sam.")
The man with the sword hesitates and glances back at the hooded woman. She shakes her head slightly. They seem especially cautious.
($npcSays:"We've seen no one else here in the woods. You should keep searching elsewhere.")
He points back toward the way you came. His expression seems stern. You probably won't get much more out of him.
>> [[Head back toward the road|Leave the campfire and head back to the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"You're probably right. Thank you for letting me stay here to rest.")
You take your seat near the fire and begin to warm up. It feels good to be in the light, even better not to be alone in the dark. You're not certain what tomorrow will hold or where you will go next, but for now, at least, you have a place to shelter.
When you look back into the dark forest surrounding you, it seems even more foreboding. You're glad you didn't try to make your way back to the road.
The woman offers you a bowl of hot soup which you consume eagerly. With your belly full and warm, you find yourself getting drowsy and start to nod off. The stars, though tiny and faraway, shine a little brighter. The fire crackles in your ears. Your eyes close and at last you drift off to sleep. You dream of a (print:$player's patron) moving in the dark, its eyes faintly glowing.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Shelter from the Storm")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if:$hasHealedWoundedMan is true)[You look back to the dying fire one last time, then step into the forest, ](else:)[You wave farewell and turn back, ]trying to retrace your steps the best you can. Soon, though, you are even more lost than before. It's too dark to follow your old path and everything looks the same.
At last you come to a large rotting stump, something distinctive amid all the shadowy greenery. An old iron box appears to be wedged between its roots.
>> [[Keep searching for the road|Keep searching for the east road]]
>> [[Try to remove iron box|Remove iron box from under stump]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You press on searching for the path back to the east road. At first, you are confident that you have found your old footsteps and are headed in the right direction, but soon you become less certain. In the depths of the forest, it's hard to tell if these are indeed your tracks or the trail left by another. You try to convince yourself that if you can just make it to the next clearing, you'll have enough light to see your way. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue|DenseForestLost01]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")A long forgotten iron chest buried beneath a rotting tree stump? How could you not investigate?
You grab onto the iron box and after several mighty heaves, manage to wrest it free from the roots.
It looks quite old and rusty, and yet still pretty sturdy. The box is locked, but there is no sign of a key. When you move it, you can hear metal clinking on the inside, as if it contained a fair number of coins or perhaps some other small metal items.
>> (if:($inv contains "an iron key"))[[[Use the iron key you found earlier|Use the iron key on the iron lockbox]]](else-if:($inv contains "a heavy hammer"))[[[Use your hammer to smash the lock|Smash the locked box with your hammer]]](else:)[[[Bash the lock with a rock|Bash the lockbox with a rock]]]
>> [[Keep searching for the east road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you struggle through the forest, stumbling on roots and mossy rocks, you at last find a break in the trees. A very faint glow to your right illuminates what seems to be a portion of the old road.
You believe that if you turn right, you should be able to continue down the east road. To the left most likely lies the road you were traveling on before, although none of this area looks familiar to you in the dark.
>> [[Follow the road going to the right|Head further east on the road]]
>> [[Follow the road going to the left|Get lost in the mist]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You insert the iron key you found beneath the stone fish marker and to your surprise, it works. You hear some sort of lock mechanism disengage. The lid pops slightly.
When you open the iron lockbox, you find hundreds of tiny thumb-sized metal figurines of people, animals, and magical beasts,, each rendered in exquisite detail. A small scrap of parchment rests atop the collection. It looks like something is written on the parchment.
>> [[Take a handful of figurines|Grab a handful of figurines]]
>> [[Take the scrap of parchment|Take the figurine parchment]]
>> [[Take the parchment and some figurines|Take both the inscription and the figurines]]
>> [[Leave everything in the chest|Leave the ironbox alone]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You grab a large rock and begin smashing the lock mechanism with it. The sound of you hitting the iron chest rings loudly through the woods. The lock refuses to give.
>> [[Keep smashing the lock|Continue smashing the lockbox with the rock]]
>> [[Take the locked box with you|Take the locked iron box with you]]
>> [[Leave the box and continue searching for the road]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")It's impossible to take all the figurines, so you grab a few random figurines from the chest, not quite certain if they have any value or use. At the very least, you'll have some cool souvenirs.
When you look at your hand, you find you've grabbed a miniature dragon, an angry looking boar, and a tiny warrior wielding a frying pan.(set: $inv to $inv+(a:"a miniature dragon","a miniature boar","a miniature warrior wielding fry pan"))
You hear something moving in the trees behind you. It seems to be heading toward you. Rather than stay, you decide to searching for a way back to the road.
>> [[Continue|Keep searching for the east road]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You have no use for the figurines, but decide to take the scrap of parchment and try to make sense of its cryptic message.
As you study the scrap of parchment, your mind is filled with a strange voice. Words in a language you do not know sear themselves into your memory.
(if:$spellsknown contains "Awake")[The phrase feels familiar. Perhaps you've learned this spell before?](else:)[You have learned the //Awake// spell.(set:$spellsknown to $spellsknown+(a:"Awake"))] The parchment disintegrates in your hands.
As you stand up, you hear something big moving through the trees behind you. A cold eerie feeling washes over you. You decide this place is no longer safe, so you quickly abandon the chest and press on in your effort to find your way back to the road.
>> [[Continue|Keep searching for the east road]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You can't decide which is more valuable, so you grab a few random figurines from the chest, as well as the scrap of parchment.
When you look at your hand, you find you've grabbed a miniature dragon, an angry looking boar, and a tiny warrior wielding a frying pan.(set: $inv to $inv+(a:"a miniature dragon","a miniature boar","a miniature warrior wielding fry pan"))
As you study the scrap of parchment, your mind is filled with a strange voice. Words in a language you do not know sear themselves into your memory.
(if:$spellsknown contains "Awake")[The phrase feels familiar. Perhaps you've learned this spell before?](else:)[You have learned the //Awake// spell.(set:$spellsknown to $spellsknown+(a:"Awake"))] The parchment disintegrates in your hands.
>> [[Continue|You hear something large moving in the moods]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide not to take anything with you and leave the contents of the iron box alone.
It's getting very dark and you still have not found the road. You can hear something moving through the trees toward you. It's probably best to keep moving. You press forward, trying to pick up your old trail.
>> [[Continue|Keep searching for the east road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You decide to turn left and take the road back toward where you started. Retracing your steps seemed like a good idea, but now there light has gone and a thick darkness envelops you.
Soon, you find yourself relaying more and more on your other senses. You try to stay on the path by listening to your own footsteps and paying attention to the feel of the road, noting the difference in feel from the hard packed dirt and the soft forest loam. You stretch your hands in front of you and to your side in an effort to steer clear of the tree branches.
>> [[Continue|Press forward into the mist]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You head deeper into the darkness, still holding onto the hope that you'll find your way back to someplace you recognize.
As you go, a dark crimson mist begins to gather about you. You're not certain where it's coming from, but it's creepy and cold. It keeps growing and growing.
After a few minutes in the mist, you can no longer see or feel anything at all, and you realize you have no idea where you are. The road is no longer under your feet. Although you can't see them, you feel surrounded by immensely tall trees, the presence of their invisible trunks pressing into you. It's almost sufficating.
You feel exhausted, cold, and very scared. You try to stare up at the sky, but it is pitch black and empty. Your legs buckle beneath you and you fall to the ground shivering. You can feel your heart slowing down as the world slips further and further away.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Lost in the Mist")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")When you ask the travelers what brings to them to the woods, there's an awkward silence. Eventually the man with a sword responds.
($npcSays:"Our wagon was attacked by bandits and we were lucky enough to escape with our lives. No one else survived. We're camping here overnight, then we'll head to Skelling in the morning.")
He studies your face and appears to be trying to read your reaction. The other two seem to be watching you very carefully.
(if:$hasVisitedAmbush is false)[You don't recall seeing a wagon on the road or any evidence of a bandit attack. Is he lying? Or did this happen on a stretch of road you haven't encountered?](else:)[The man's description reminds you of the ambushed wagon you came across earlier on the west road.]
>> [[Don't pry any further|Stop asking the travelers questions]]
>> [[Ask where the ambush happened|Keep pressing the travelers for more details]]
>> [[Ask what happened to the bandits|Ask the travelers about the bandits]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"What happened to your friend?")
The man with the sword leans toward you and speaks in a concerned voice. You can hear worry and fear in his words.
($npcSays:"He was injured battling bandits that attacked us. He needs rest and healing. Do not trouble him with your questions.")
He pauses for a moment, then asks
($npcSays:"You wouldn't happen to be a healer or have some potion or salve to aid him?")
>> [[I'm a healer|Attempt to treat the wounded man]]
>> [[I'll pray for him|Offer to pray for the wounded man]]
>> [[I don't have anything|Tell the travelers you have no healing]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You decide not to pester these folks with unwanted questions. They undoubtedly have their stories and circumstances, none of which are of your concern. You rest and watch the fire.
When your stomach growls rather loudly, the hooded woman offers you a bowl of hot soup which you graciously accept. With your belly full and your body weary from wandering in the dark, you find yourself getting drowsy.
The stars, though tiny and faraway, shine a little brighter it seems. Your eyes close and you drift off to sleep. You dream of a (print:$player's patron) with golden eyes.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "The Mercy of Strangers")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You're not certain what else to say. They are clearly injured and traumatized. You sit there in the awkward silence waiting for someone to say something, but no one does. Every so often, one of them pokes the fire with a stick or adds another log.
You spend the night wordlessly sitting with them, drifting in and out of sleep. They seem to struggle, still caught in a state of hypervigilance. The man with the sword paces the perimeter, apparently patrolling. They seem worried and afraid. You catch them glancing at you throughout the night.
You watch the fire, losing yourself in thought, hoping that no bandits surprise you in the night. When you wake in the morning, the fire is cold and the camp is empty. The travelers have left you a little food and water, but no note.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Abandoned by Survivors")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"Where did you get ambushed? Are we safe here?")
As soon as you ask, the travelers tense up. Perhaps asking was a bad idea?
The man with the sword attempts to calm the others.
($npcSays:"We're safe here. The bandits attacked us on the road heading in the opposite direction. I wounded several and killed their leader. They'll think twice before attacking again. We'll be fine once we get to Skelling.")
You're not certain if this makes you feel safer or if staying with them might make you more of a target.
>> [[Tell them that you'd like to travel with them for safety|Ask to travel with the travelers]]
>> [[Ask about Skelling|Ask the travelers about Skelling]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"What happened to the bandits?")
The man with the sword looks you straight in the eyes. It's an ice cold stare.
($npcSays:"We killed their leader, a great bear of a man, slew several others, and chased off the rest. My companions were injured in the fighting. We lost a few loyal guards. I'm certain the bandits will regroup and try to attack us again, but not tonight. They still remember the bite of my blade.")
He studies your face again, his hand on his sword as if ready to draw it.
($npcSays:"It would be very foolish of them to send a spy to infiltrate us tonight. Very foolish.")
>> [[I'm not a bandit!|Assure the man that you are not a bandit]]
>> [[I'm just a traveler like you|Assure the man that you are a traveler]]
(if:($inv contains "twenty gold coins"))[>> [[I'm willing to pay you for safe passage to Skelling|Offer to pay for safe passage to Skelling]]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You're convinced that something valuable must be inside this locked chest, so you keep hammering away at the lock mechanism with the stone in your hand. Each strike rings louder and louder. When you pause, you hear nothing else. The dark forest around you is deathly still and silent.
After a few minutes more, you begin to hear something way off in the distance. A rhythmic banging, as if an echo of your own clanging — except the sounds continue even after you've stopped.
They seem to be getting closer and closer, louder and louder. There's a faint glow coming from the direction of the sound.
>> [[Stop and wait to see who or what is coming|Wait for the ghost parade to arrive]]
>> [[Keep hammering on the lock|Continue with your lock smashing attempt]]
>> [[Abandon the box and get out of there|Leave the box before the ghost parade arrives]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")A mysterious locked iron box is too tantalizing a prize to leave, so you grab it and take it with you. (set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a locked iron box"))It's a bit awkward and somewhat heavy, but you struggle forward with it, pressing on into the dark, hoping to find the road again.
>> [[Continue your search for the road|Keep searching for the east road]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide not to take the iron box. You need to get out of the forest and back to the road — dragging a heavy noisy box with you seems like a bad idea.
It's getting very dark and you still have not found the road. You can hear something moving through the trees toward you. It's probably best to keep moving. You press forward, trying to pick up your old trail.
>> [[Continue|Keep searching for the east road]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You stop and try to remain silent and still as the sound of banging draws nearer and nearer as you.
Within moments, the forest around you is bathed in a eerie green light emanating from a parade of ghostly armored figures that has entered the small clearing you are in.
As they surround you, a few of them strike their swords against their shields. One of them sticks its tongue out at you, then grins horribly. It puts out an open rotting palm and whispers
($npcSays:"Pay the toll to pass or join the parade? The choice is yours, mortal.")
>> (if:$inv contains "twenty ancient gold coins")[[[Give the gold coins to the ghost|Pay the toll with gold coins]]](else:)[[[Give a stone to the ghost|Pay the toll with a stone]]]
>> [[Refuse to pay the toll|Refuse to pay the toll to the ghost]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")The sound of banging draws nearer and nearer as you frantically strike the locked box with your stone.
Before you know it, the banging sound is in your ears. You look up and realize that the forest around you is bathed in a eerie green light emanating from a parade of ghostly armored figures that has entered the small clearing you are in.
As they surround you, a few of them strike their swords against their shields. One of them sticks its tongue out at you, then grins horribly. It puts out an open rotting palm and whispers
($npcSays:"Pay the toll to pass or join the parade? The choice is yours, mortal.")
>> (if:$inv contains "ancient gold coins")[[[Give the gold coins to the ghost|Pay the toll with gold coins]]](else:)[[[Give a stone to the ghost|Pay the toll with a stone]]]
>> [[Refuse to pay the toll|Refuse to pay the toll to the ghost]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide abandon the iron box and flee before whatever is coming toward you arrives. It's just not worth the risk. Who knows what creature or evil is moving through the woods at this hour?
You glance back one last time, then plunge again into the dark forest, seeking to retrace your steps back to the road.
>> [[Continue|Keep searching for the east road]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You reach into your pocket and pull out a gold coin.
When you place the coin in the ghost's palm, it grins a ghastly grin.
($npcSays:"The old kingdom's coin is still good here. You may go.")(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You paid the ghost toll with the an ancient gold coin."))(set:$player's gp to ($player's gp -1))(display:"updateGold")
The ghost waves you away. It's clear you are not wanted here. You think it wise to take your chance and escape while you can.
>> [[Back away from the clearing and escape|Leave the ghost parade]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You reach down and pick up a stone from the ground then place it in the palm of the ghost's hand.
($npcSays:"A stone?! Foolish mortal, you cannot pay the toll with a simple....")
The ghost stops mid-sentence, lifting the stone to his phantom eye and peering deeply into it. He looks confused.
($npcSays:"What's this?! Perhaps it's not a simple pebble?")
The ghost seems quite lost in his thoughts, squinting at the stone and turning it in many directions. You think it wise to take your chance and escape while you can.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You tricked the ghost and paid the toll with a pebble"))
>> [[Escape while the ghost is distracted|Leave the ghost parade]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You feel a rush of rage and desperation fill you as you swing the heavy hammer down on the iron box, smashing the lock mechanism to smithereens and spreading box's contents everywhere. The single mighty blow reverberates through the deathly silent forest. Something dark within you feels barely sated.
Scattered amongst the smashed remains of the iron box, you find hundreds of tiny thumb-sized metal figurines of people, animals, and magical beasts, each rendered in exquisite detail. You watch helplessly as a tiny scrap of parchment blows away before you can grab it. You think there was something written on it, but now it is lost to the darkness of the woods.
>> [[Take a handful of figurines|Grab a handful of figurines]]
>> [[Leave everything|Leave the ironbox alone]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You shrug your shoulders and show your empty hands to the ghost.
($playerSays:"I have got nothing to pay you")
The ghost looks you deep in the eyes, then laughs a terrifying laugh.
($npcSays:"Then you will pay with your soul!")
Wisps of green glowing mist wrap themselves around your neck, then solidify into a heavy collar. You find yourself pulled from the ground with a violent yank—and suddenly, you are drifting a few inches above the forest floor, dragged into a procession of other unwilling marchers in this ghoulish parade.
When you glance back, you see your inert body lying prone, eyes dark and wide and empty of light. The iron box rests in the shadows nearby—its secrets forever beyond your reach.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Joined the Ghost Parade")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")Lingering in the clearing seems like a bad idea, so you scurry deeper into the forest and away from the ghost. You can't help but wonder what was hidden inside the iron box. Now, you'll never know—, but at least you're still alive and not some new conscript in a ghost parade.
>> [[Keep searching for the road|ForestLost03]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(set: _qDefendSelf to "Can you defend yourself if we are attacked again?")($playerSays:"Would it be possible to travel with you?")
The man with the sword studies you, as if assessing your usefulness. He glances over your clothing and equipment, grimaces, then speaks.
(if:($inv contains "a heavy hammer"))[(set: _qDefendSelf to "Is that hammer just for show, or can you use it in battle?")](if:($inv contains "a familiar mug"))[(set: _qDefendSelf to "You look to be more of a drinker than a fighter")]($npcSays:_qDefendSelf +" There will be more bandits on the road to Skelling. We could use your help.")
>> [[I can defend myself|Tell the travelers you can defend yourself]]
>> (if:$player's gp >0)[[[I can pay you to take me to Skelling|Offer to pay for safe passage to Skelling]]](else:)[[[I can cook your meals in exchange for your help|Offer to cook the meals for the travelers]]]
>> [[I move very quietly and can be your scout|Offer to be the scout for the travelers]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"What awaits you in Skelling?")
The man with the sword eyes you suspiciously and seems wearied from all your questions.
($npcSays:"Skelling is a large town. The militia is strong and the walls high. There'll be a healer. And hot food and good beds. We'll be safe from bandits there. Where are you headed?")
>> [[Wherever the road leads, so Skelling I guess?|Tell the travelers you are also going to Skelling]]
>> [[I'm not certain|Tell the travelers you are wandering]]
>> [[To the sea|Tell the travelers you are going to the sea]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'm also headed to Skelling. Would it be possible to travel with you?")
The man with the sword seems a bit hesitant as he studies you and your suspicious lack of gear. The awkward silence is broken by an unseen crow cawing in the distance.
($npcSays:"We will likely encounter more bandits on the road to Skelling. I am not sure of your combat experience or training, but we could use your assistance, if you would willingly fight at our side. Can you aid us in battle or help us in some other way?")
>> [[I can defend myself|Tell the travelers you can defend yourself]]
>> (if:($inv contains "twenty ancient gold coins"))[[[I can pay you to take me to Skelling|Offer to pay for safe passage to Skelling]]](else:)[[[I can cook your meals in exchange for your help|Offer to cook the meals for the travelers]]]
>> [[I move very quietly and can be your scout|Offer to be the scout for the travelers]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"'m not certain where I'm headed next. Hopefully to a town or a village. I'm on a bit of an unexpected adventure. ")
The hooded woman turns and looks at you intently. When you meet her gaze, you find yourself lost in the depths of her dark emerald eyes. For a moment, you feel like you are beyond time, not here in the dark forest, but sinking into some vast faraway ocean.
($npcSays:"Then, dear traveler, it does not matter which road you take.")
The fire crackles between you as she speaks.
($npcSays:"Adventure will find you, regardless of the path. One step after another, the world reveals itself, but also disappears. The paths not taken. The doors unopened.
Who can tell what stories may have unfolded if you took a different road, chose a different way?")
She smiles.
($npcSays:"Close your eyes. What do you see?")
>> [[A great tower that rises into the sky|Appear at the tower approach]]
>> [[A river of dark water|Appear at the underground river access]]
>> [[A winding catacomb filled with bones|Appear at the catacomb entrance]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'm trying to make my way to the sea.")
The hooded woman laughs.
(if:visits is 1)[($npcSays:"Well, I certainly didn't expect that! You're either a fool or a hero on an epic quest. The sea lies far from here, beyond the forest, beyond the mountains. You need to head west, toward the setting sun. Many dangers await you on that long and winding road")](else:)[($npcSays:"You are certainly taking the long way to the sea. Perhaps you need a different perspective? I can offer you that.")]]
Her voice is strangely captivating. You think of an unexpected wind through silver-leafed trees under a pale moon. Or the sound of a river emerging from beneath the earth, full of shadow and secrets. (if:visits is 2)[(set:$newlocation to "Appear at the tower approach")](if:visits is 3)[(set:$newlocation to "Appear at the underground river access")](if:visits is 4)[(set:$newlocation to "Appear at the catacomb entrance")](if:visits>4)[(set:$newlocation to "Head toward the road")]
(if:visits is 1)[($npcSays:"Here, foolish adventurer, I will give you something to aid you in your travels.")]](else:)[($npcSays:"Close your eyes. I will send you where you need to go.")]
She reaches over and touches your forehead. You immediately fall into a deep sleep.
(if:visits is 1)[>> [[Continue|Enter the dream of the fortune teller]]](else:)[>> (link-goto:"Continue",$newlocation)]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'm not a bandit!")
Your voice comes out a little louder than you expect, and immediately you feel foolish for being so adamament.
The man seems even more suspicous.
($npcSays:"You really sound like a bandit, now. You're probably waiting for us to lower our guard, then slit our throats while we sleep. Well, not today.")(set:$monster to $swordsman)
His sword is pointed at you. He looks serious.
>> [[Attack him before he attacks you|Attack the swordsman]]
>> [[Leave the campfire and head back to the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'm just a traveler! A nobody, really. Just looking for a place to spend the night.")
The man seems satisfied with your response.
($npcSays:"You don't look like a bandit. I guess you can stay with us, for now. We'll be keeping an eye on you, though. Don't make me regret my decision.")
>> [[Ask about the wounded traveler]]
>> [[Stop asking the travelers questions]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'd be happy to pay you to help me get to Skelling as well. I have some money and would like your assistance traveling these dangerous roads.")
The man seems curious as to what you're willing to offer as payment.
>> [[Offer a single gold coin|Offer to pay the man one gold coin]]
(if:$player's gp>4)[>> [[Offer five gold coins|Offer to pay the man five gold coins]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You reach into your pocket and draw out a single gold coin, then hand it to the man with the sword.
He takes it and agrees to take you, then examines the coin more closely. He looks up with a puzzled expression on his face. (set:$player's gp to $player's gp-1)(display:"updateGold")
($npcSays:"A coin from the old kingdom? Where did you get this?")
>> [[Lie|Lie about where you got the coin]]
>> [[Tell the truth|Tell the truth about where you found the coin]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You reach into your pocket and grab a handful of coins, then count out five. You offer them to the man, who looks surprised.(set:$player's gp to $player's gp-5)(display:"updateGold")
He accepts them graciously.
($npcSays:"This is more than enough! Thank you for your generosity. We'd be pleased to escort you to town. I only wish my companion were in better condition to help defend us.")
He pauses, the continues.
($npcSays:"As appreciative as I am for your payment, I must still ask if you can aid us with a weapon or at least defend yourself should we be attacked.")
>> [[I can defend myself|Tell the travelers you can defend yourself]]
>> [[I will need to be protected|Tell the travelers you are incapable of defending yourself]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")When you open your eyes, you find yourself in an unfamiliar room. You see a large stone table at the center of the room. Upon it sits three objects: a rune-covered sword, an iron crown, and a leather-bound book. (set:$followtext to $player's patron of $patronfollow)$followtext
>> [[Take the sword|Choose the runesword in the dream]]
>> [[Take the crown|Choose the iron crown in the dream]]
>> [[Take the book|Choose the spellbook in the dream]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if:$player's weapon is "none")[(set:_weapon to "fists")(else:)[(set:_weapon to $player's weapon)]](set:_response to "I can defend myself and am happy to lend my "+_weapon)
($playerSays:_response)
The swordsman looks amused, but agrees to let you stay with them.
($npcSays:"We're grateful for your assistance. I'm relieved to have another person to help us in our time of need. To be honest, I need your help. My good friend is severely wounded and needs healing.
Someone needs to go back to our wagon and retrieve the healing supplies there. If you wish, we can give you a spear and directions, and you can retrieve them. Or, if you would rather stay here, I can go and you can stand guard over my friends. Which sounds better to you?")
>> [[Offer to leave and fetch the healing supplies|Agree to search their wagon for healing supplies]]
>> [[Offer to stand guard at the camp|Decline the request to fetch healing supplies from the wagon]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"I can serve as your advance scout. I've very sneaky.")
The man laughs.
($npcSays:"Well, the fact that we're having this conversation is a strong indication that you're not as stealthy as you think you are.
To be honest, we need people will real combat skills. This is a dangerous place and bad people are after us. Dangerous people. We're likely to run into more bandits and my friend is grievously wounded. ")
His expression turns even more serious. Facing you more directly now, he speaks again.
($npcSays:"I hate to ask this of a stranger, but could you go back out there and search for bandages or healing supplies? There should be some back at our wagon. It should be safe now. You can take this spear with you. And we'll pay you when you return.")
>> [[Agree to search their wagon for healing supplies]]
>> [[Decline the request|Decline the request to fetch healing supplies from the wagon]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"I can cook for you! I'm a really good cook!")
The man seems astonished at your suggestion.
($npcSays:"No, that's not what we're looking. We need people will real skills. This is a dangerous place and bad people are after us. Dangerous people. Good food is the last of our concerns. We're likely to run into more bandits and my friend is grievously wounded.")
He sighs, then continues.
($npcSays:"I hate to ask this of a stranger, but could you go back out there and search for bandages or healing supplies? There should be some back at our wagon. It should be safe now. You can take this spear with you. And we'll pay you when you return.")
>> [[Agree to search their wagon for healing supplies]]
>> [[Decline the request|Decline the request to fetch healing supplies from the wagon]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You carefully climb down into the gully and make your way toward the old mine entrance. As you peer inside, you see the animal trail continues on into the darkness. Little bits of stone clatter down from the mine ceiling and walls. The whole place looks as if it might collapse at any moment.
Scattered bones lie strewn about the entrance. You think some are animal, but a few look like they belonged to some poor traveler who fell prey to whatever makes this place a home. Much further in, you see something gleaming softly on one of the walls of the cave.
(if: ($lightsource's hasLight is true))[As you stand here, the light from (print:$lightsource's propname) illuminates some of the mine passage ahead of you. There are deep grooves in the walls and ground, as if something large and powerful forced itself in—or out.](else:)[You can't see much ahead of you. The mine passage going forward is pitch black. It gapes wide like the giant maw of a monstrous whale waiting to swallow you whole. The air is pungent with a strange musk and the smell of your own fear.]
>> [[Enter the mine|Step into the mine]]
>> [[Turn back|Head back to the game trail]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You walk over to the wounded man and inspect his injuries. It appears that he has been stabbed in the stomach with a longsword. The wound is large, but has been partially cauterized with fire and wrapped in linen bandages. Blood still leaks here and there.
This is beyond your means to treat.
(if:$spellsknown contains "Mending")[>> [[Cast //Mending// on the wounds|Use Mending on the wounded man]]](else:)[>> [[Offer to pray for the wounded man]]]
>> [[Admit you can't heal him|Tell the travelers you have no healing]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'm sorry. I don't have the ability to heal your friend.")
The man with the sword looks disappointed. He sighs, looks over to his wounded companion, then back to you.
($npcSays:"That's too bad. I hate to ask this of a stranger, but could you go back out there and search for bandages or healing supplies? There should be some back at our wagon. It should be safe now. You can take this spear with you. And we'll pay you when you return.")
>> [[Agree to search their wagon for healing supplies]]
>> [[Decline the request|Decline the request to fetch healing supplies from the wagon]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"I can pray for your wounded friend. I have great faith that the gods will answer my pleas.")
The man seems astonished at your suggestion.
($npcSays:"Our friend is not that far gone. We will offer no prayers for his eternal rest, but will trust in healing potions and herbs.")
He pauses as if thinking of something new, then continues.
($npcSays:"If you wish to help, then perhaps you could go back out there and search for bandages or healing supplies? There should be some back at our wagon. It should be safe now. You can take this spear with you. And we'll pay you when you return.")
>> [[Agree to search their wagon for healing supplies]]
>> [[Decline the request|Decline the request to fetch healing supplies from the wagon]]
(display:"getEndIndex")(set:$maxEndings to $possibleEndings's length)<h5>$gameconclusion</h5>
(box:"=XX=")[You reached ending $endingnum of $maxEndings possible endings.
You survived $movecounter turns.
(if:($player's patron is "none"))[You had no patron or god](else:)[Your patron was the (print:$player's patron)]
(if: $achievements's length>0)[(print: (joined:"<br>",...$achievements))]
(if: $inv's length > 0)[You were carrying (print: (joined:", ",...$inv)).](else:)[You have nothing.]
(if:$spellsknown's length>0)[<br>You learned how to cast (print:(joined:", ",...$spellsknown)).]]
<h6>(link: "Restart")[(reload:)]</h6>(set:$endcounter to 0)(for: each _item,...$possibleEndings)[(set:$endcounter to $endcounter+1)(if:_item is $gameconclusion)[(set:$endingnum to $endcounter)]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Taking the spear from the man, you agree to head back out into the dark to search for healing supplies.(set: $inv to $inv+(a:"a long spear"))(set:$player's weapon to "long spear")(set:$currentweapon to $longspear) He points you in the general direction of their wagon, but recommends you head back to the road first, then head to the right. (if:$lightsource's name is "none")[Before you go, the man hands you a torch.(set:$currentlight to "a torch")(set:$currentLightCount to 10)(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a torch"))(set:$lightsource to $torchlight)]
>> [[Head back into the woods|Leave campfire to search for supplies]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'd love to help, but the forest is too dark and dangerous at night. I don't think I can find my way to your wagon and back right now.")
The man with the sword nods sadly.
($npcSays:"You're probably right. And it is a lot to ask of someone who does not know us. Perhaps it's best if I go myself. Would you be willing to keep watch and guard my friends while I am gone?")(set:$hasManWithSwordLeft to true)
>> [[Agree to stand guard while the man fetches healing supplies]]
>> [[Agree to stand guard, but fall asleep as soon as he leaves]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I will stand guard and keep watch while you are gone.")
The man nods and thanks you for your help. He looks over his companions one last time, then takes a torch from the fire and heads back into the night.
You watch the light from his torch move through the trees, but soon it is swallowed up in the darkness. You shiver as a cold wind gusts up and hope he finds whatever he's looking for and gets back soon. For now, the best you do is keep watch.
>> [[Sit by the fire|Stay close to the fire while keeping watch]]
>> [[Patrol the area|Walk around the camp on patrol to keep watch]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'll keep watch for you.")
The man with the sword thanks you, then heads out into the dark forest. You keep watch for a bit, but as the hooded woman and the wounded man nod off, you too get drowsy. You decide that a short nap should be fine.
It's warm by the fire and the sound of the fire crackling coupled with the wind in the trees makes for a perfect lullaby. You fall into a deep sleep.
>> [[Continue|Dream about being on the winedark sea]]Too late, you realize you've been shot with an arrow. Your hands and chest are filled with blood. Your blood. Through your bleary eyes, you see figures running through the camp, ransacking the travelers' belongings. The woman and the wounded man are both on the ground, punctured with arrows. Their blank eyes stare back at you. Dead.
Then darkness takes you as well into its infinite embrace. You fall into that sea, too weak to struggle, too late to regret.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Killed by Vengeful Bandits")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You stay close to the fire while keeping watch. The other travelers nod off and soon it's just you, the crackling fire, and the dark forest around you. Sometimes you hear the far off hooting of an owl, sometimes it's just the wind in the trees.
Gradually the sound of the fire and the wind moving through the trees lulls you into a trance. You watch the flames dance and peer deeper and deeper into the fire. Your eyelids grow heavy and you drift off into sleep.
>> [[Continue|Dream about being on the winedark sea]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I got them as part of my inheritance. My grandfather was a soldier in the old empire.")
The man looks puzzled at your response.
($npcSays:"The old kingdom fell a thousand years ago. Unless your grandfather is immortal, there's no way you're telling the truth.
You'd better leave. This is no place for liars and thieves.")
>> [[Leave before they chase you out|Leave the campfire and head back to the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I found them buried under an old stone. They looked like they'd been there for some time.")
The man looks puzzled at your response, but seems to gradually warm up to the idea.
($npcSays:"I guess it's possible. These are really old coins. The old kingdom fell a thousand years ago. Perhaps someone buried their money and never returned for it? In any case, only a fool would invent a story that unlikely. You must be telling the truth.")
He pauses for a moment, then sighs.
($npcSays:"As appreciative as I am for your payment, I must still ask if you can aid us with a weapon or at least defend yourself should we be attacked.")
>> [[I can defend myself|Tell the travelers you can defend yourself]]
>> [[I will need to be protected|Tell the travelers you are incapable of defending yourself]]
The man seems disappointed when you tell him that you will need to be protected. You watch as he glances back toward the wounded man then to you, then shrugs his shoulders.
($npcSays:"I'll honor your payment, but can't guarantee your safety if we are attacked by a large group of bandits. You may have to flee for your life if you cannot help us in battle")
>> [[That's ok, I understand the risks and appreciate your help|Accept the risks and stay with the travelers]]
>> [[On second thought, I can defend myself|Tell the travelers you can defend yourself]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You settle back into your seat by the fire, trying to tell yourself that they don't really need your help. Plus, you've just paid good coin for protection, so why should you have to aid those you've hired? Things are a little tense for a moment, but it passes.
After a while, the wounded man begins to cough and struggle to breathe. The woman attends to him, but it seems like things aren't going well. The man with the sword whispers something briefly to the woman, then stands.
($npcSays:"Our friend to not faring well. I know you're paying for our protection, but I'm going to have head out and try to bring back some healing supplies from our wagon. Hopefully there are still supplies there. Can you keep watch for me while I'm gone?")(set:$hasManWithSwordLeft to true)
>> [[Agree to keep watch|Agree to stand guard while the man fetches healing supplies]]
>> [[Agree to keep watch, but plan on resting instead|Agree to stand guard, but fall asleep as soon as he leaves]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")Rather than fall asleep at the fire or be blinded by its light, you decide to walk the perimeter of the camp. (if:$player's weapon is "none")[As you are about to leave, you realize you have no means of defending yourself. Glancing around, you see a stout stick that could be used as a club. Other than a few rocks, you don't see anything else that could serve as a weapon.] (else:)[With your (print:$player's weapon) in hand, you feel safe as you patrol the area. At least you'll have some means of fending off an attack or landing a critical blow on an attacker.]
>> [[Start your patrol|Begin your patrol]]
(if:$player's weapon is "none")[>> [[Take the stout stick|Take the stout stick and start patroling]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you step into the old mine, you notice the ground near the entrance is strewn with loose rock. To one side, you see a pile of rusted picks, scraps of weathered wood, burnt out torches, and other debris. A trash heap most likely. The tunnel continues forward for a bit, then starts sloping down. There doesn’t appear to be any side tunnels here. Fortunately someone has taken time to use timbers to shore up the walls. You’re not certain if the entire mine will be constructed as well. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Search the debris pile|Search the mine entrance debris pile]]
>> [[Proceed deeper into the mine|Mine Section Fork]]
>> [[Leave the mine|Leave the abandoned mine]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You turn around and try to retrace your footsteps. You're pretty certain you're following your old path, but it's unnerving how dense and dark the forest is here. It'd be easy to get lost. You try not to think about the possibility that you've already missed a turn and are now completely lost.
You keep pushing forward, pausing occasionally to catch your breath. Every so often, you hear twigs snapping as if something were moving in the darkness somewhere to your left. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue searching for a path back to the road|Keep searching for the east road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You decide it might be better to avoid following what could be a ghost through the woods. Instead, you try to retrace your steps and find your way back to the road.
At first, you feel pretty confident that you're heading in the right direction, but after a while, you realize that everything looks about the same in the dark. One big tree looks so much like another. And there are mossy boulders and low-hanging branches everywhere.
[[Keep searching for the east road|ForestLost01]]
[[Try to make camp here and wait for dawn]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You find a spot near a large boulder and try to set up some sort of camp. (if:$firestarters contains $lightsource's name)[You use (print:$lightsource's propname) to light a fire. Feeding it whatever sticks and dry wood you can find, you manage to get a good campfire going. It's not much, but it's something. You try to get some rest, even if sleep feels elusive with so many strange and spooky noises about.
>> [[Continue|Survived with an outdoor campfire]]](else-if:$spellsknown contains "fireball")[You don't have a torch, but you know a handy spell. You decide to cast //Fireball// to ignite the pile of dry wood you've assembled. This should work, right? You should (in theory) be able to scale down the spell as long as you can imagine it smaller. At least, that's how it should work.
>> [[Continue|Died in forest fire caused by Fireball]]](else:)[You realize that you have nothing to start a fire. Without some means of generating a spark, you have no warm getting a flame going, and no means of staying warm. It's just too cold here.
>> [[Try to camp here anyway|Froze to death from sleeping outside with no fire]]
>> [[Keep moving|ForestLost01]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You leave the campfire and step back into the dark woods, almost immediately regretting the choice. It has grown even darker and the contrast feels extreme. (display:"displayLight")
You're grateful for your torch, but wish you'd left clearer markings for yourself to follow back to the road. After a while, you spot a recent trail that likely was left by you. There's also another path that crosses here that appears much older.
>> [[Follow the more recent path|Keep searching for the east road]]
>> [[See where the other path goes|Follow the older path to the fork]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You follow the overgrown cart trail, ducking branches and tripping over countless roots, until you finally push through the brush and find yourself in an open clearing.
At the center of the clearing, you see a large rotting stump with an old iron box wedged between its roots.
>> [[Try to remove iron box|Remove iron box from under stump]]
>> [[Search for a way back to the road|Keep searching for the east road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You follow the older path, curious as to where it might lead. The way is densely overgrown, but every so often you notice a carved X on a tree.
At last, you come to a bit of a clearing where the path splits into two branches. The left trail appears to be an old game trail. The right trail looks even older, but there are deep grooves in the earth that suggest a cart or wagon used to pass this way. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Take the game trail to the left|Follow the game trail toward den]]
>> [[Take the old cart path to the right|Follow the path toward the tree stump]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if: visits is 1)[As you move through the dense brush, you come across a fresh trail left by a group of people. You count at least three different sets of footprints, one of which appears to be from an injured person. Blood marks the grass and leaves nearby. It's clear from the broken branches that whoever passed this way did so in a hurry, presumably fleeing something or someone dangerous.
You can see more freshly broken branches ahead of you indicating the same trail. There are other paths that cross here on the left and right.](if:visits is 2)[The forest is much denser here and the path you've been following is hard to locate. You pause for a few moments, but the darkness remains constant and deep. You can only make out three gaps in the trees wide enough to slip by. (display:"describeWeather")(if:$inv contains "a silver mirror")[](else:)[
Amongst the fallen leaves at your feet, you see something gleaming.]](if:visits is 3)[Although the forest is still quite dense here, you notice that the trees to your left are more spaced out. The shadows are still very deep and the canopy overhead blocks most of the light from the stars. As you keep moving forward, you finally see an obvious break in the trees and signs that someone has forced their way through here. There's a clear trail here heading to the left. You see the silhouette of something large just beyond the trees to the left. Could this be the wagon? (display:"displayLight")]
>> (if:visits<3)[[[Keep going forward|Take secret path to the wagon]]](else:)[[[Keep going forward|Keep searching for the east road]]]
>> (if:visits is 3)[[[Check out the shadow on the left|Approach the overturned wagon]]](else:)[[[Head to the left|Keep searching for the east road]]]
>> [[Head to the right|Keep searching for the east road]]
(if:visits is 2)[>> [[Search the leaves for the gleaming object]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You bend down and begin shifting the leaves around, trying find whatever you'd glimpsed gleaming there earlier. Eventually you find an ornately carved silver mirror, small enough to be held in one hand. Although it appears quite old, it is well-polished and cared for, and still highly reflective.
>> [[Take the mirror with you|Pick up the mirror from the leaves]]
>> [[Leave the mirror and continue on your way|Take secret path to the wagon]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a silver mirror"))You take the small silver mirror with you. When you hold it, you feel an irresistable urge to stare at your own reflection. The face you see in the mirror does not look like you—not exactly, at least. More haggard. More alone. And did you always have those wrinkles and creases? Was your nose always so pronounced? Dirt and thin scratches from the trees and brambles cover your cheeks. You look terrible. Or at least, like you need a good bath.
The path looks like it continues through these bushes.
>> [[Get up and keep moving|Take secret path to the wagon]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if: visits is 1)[It doesn't hurt to be extra-vigilant you tell yourself as you make your way around the camp again. (if: $player's weapon is "none")[You wish you had something to defend yourself with. Hopefully the others will come to your aid if you need it.](else:)[You grip the (print:$player's weapon) and feel somewhat reassured that you can handle whatever shows up. Although you're not a trained warrior, you're confident that you can hold your own—at least, long enough to get away or call for help.
Off in the distance, you hear a sudden chattering of birds. The noise stops after a few minutes. You're not certain if it's any cause for alarm.]](if:$hasHealedWoundedMan is false)[(if: visits is 2)[On your third pass, you find yourself wondering if the man is on his way back already with the supplies. The forest is eeriely silent now. You hear nothing. No crickets. No birds in the branches above. No boughs creaking in the wind. Not even the light scratching of leaves. Sometimes feels very off.]](else:)[The forest is eeriely silent now. You hear nothing. No crickets. No birds in the branches above. No boughs creaking in the wind. Not even the light scratching of leaves. Sometimes feels very off.]
(if:visits is 1)[>> [[Make another round to be sure|Patrol the camp again]]](else:)[>> [[Stay still and listen again|Hide and listen for bandits approaching camp]]]
>> [[Head back to the campfire|Return to the campfire instead of patroling]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide to return to the campfire. After all, you've been walking all night and your feet hurt. If there's nothing out there and the bandits aren't returning, there's really no point in continuing to patrol on foot.
Settling back on your stump, you gaze out over the surrounding area and reflect on your good fortune to find this camp.
>> [[Continue|Stay close to the fire while keeping watch]]
Other than a few nocturnal birds chattering in the trees, you hear very little in the forest. The wind gusts up occasionally causing the high branches to sway and sometimes it almost sounds like you are on the shore of a vast sea. (display:"displayLight")
You make a full circle of the camp, but find nothing concerning.
>> [[Go on patrol again|Patrol the camp again]]
>> [[Rest at the fire|Return to the campfire instead of patroling]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You feel like there must be something out there in the darkness. Why else would the forest get so quiet? You crouch down and try to hide out of sight, hoping to hear whatever is out there.
You stay as still as possible, focusing all your energy on listening to the seemingly silent woods. Then, you hear it. A slow, careful movement through the trees only betrayed by the occasional snap of a dry twig or the crumbling of a dried leaf underfoot.
Someone is definitely headed your way. You count at least five shadowy figures, each with bows or swords out, creeping toward the camp. The bandits, no doubt. One of them is stealthily moving right past your hiding spot.(set:$monster to $bandit)
>> [[Yell and wake the sleeping travelers]]
>> [[Try to take down the closest one silently|Attack the closest bandit]]
>> [[Wait until the bandit passes, then run away|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide it's better to be armed with a stick than with nothing. (set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a stout stick"))(set:$currentweapon to $stoutstick)(set:$player's weapon to "stout stick") You take one last look at the campfire, then begin your patrol in earnest, keeping your eyes and ears open for any signs of trouble.
>> [[Continue|Begin your patrol]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"BANDITS!!")
You yell as loud as you can, trying to wake the travelers you'd been asked to guard. To your relief, you see the woman startle awake and nudge her companion. You're too faraway to see exactly what she's doing, but when she brings her hands up there is a strange purplish energy swirling about her.
(if:$player's weapon is "none")[Unfortunately, that's about all that you witness before the bandit nearest you runs you through with his sword. Blood spurts out everywhere as you fall to the ground. You see the muddy boot of the bandit standing over you. He kicks you in the gut, then in the head. All goes dark.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Butchered by Bandits")
[[How did I do?|Final Report]]](else:)[The bandit passing right by you immediately turns and slashes at you with his sword. You parry his attack with your (print:$player's weapon)(set:$monster to $bandit). He staggers backward, then readies his weapon again. With the element of surprise gone, the rest of the bandits charge the camp. It's hard to see how many, but you think there are at least ten of them.
>> [[Attack the bandit with your weapon|Attack the closest bandit]]
>> [[Run back toward the camp]]
>> [[Run off into the forest and try to escape|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You flee into the woods, abandoning the travelers you promised to guard to the vicious bandits. As soon as you plunge into the depths of the forest, you feel a twinge of regret—but it's too late now. Sometimes survival means knowing when you're outnumbered.
The woods feel even darker now and the campfire already a distant memory. (display:"displayLight")
You're not certain where you are right now, but try to angle your path back toward the road you were traveling on. After a while, you spot a recent trail that likely was left by you. There's also another path that crosses here that appears much older. You can't hear anything from the camp and no bandits seem to be following you.
>> [[Follow the more recent path|Keep searching for the east road]]
>> [[See where the other path goes|Follow the older path to the fork]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:visits is 1)[Desperate to save yourself, you lunge toward the (print:$monster's name). (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 2)[Wild-eyed and angry, the bandit retaliates. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") You try to attack the (print:$monster's name) again. (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 3)[Determined to finish this, you lunge once more at the (print:$monster's name). (display:"resolveAttack") (if:$monster's isDead is false)[(display:"resolveMonsterAttack")]](if:visits>3)[(display:"resolveMonsterAttack") The (print:$monster's name) refuses to die! You desperately attack again. (display:"resolveAttack")]
(if:$monster's isDead is false)[>> [[Attack again|Attack the closest bandit]]](else:)[>> [[Search the dead bandit]]]
(if:$monster's isDead is true)[(set:_achieve to "You killed a bandit with your "+$player's weapon)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))>> [[Run off into the forest|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]](else:)[>> [[Rush to the campfire|Run back toward the camp]]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")Your (print:$player's weapon) in hand, you run toward the camp, desperately hoping to get back in time to aid the travelers you promised to defend.
When you arrive, the woman and the wounded man are valiantly holding off the bandits using magic and swords. It's not going well. They're both sporting fresh wounds.
A large bandit with a jeweled eye patch seems to be calling the shots. She stands several inches taller than the other bandits and wields a longsword. She has not spotted you yet.(set:$monster to $banditchief)
>> [[Attack the bandit chief from behind]]
>> [[Distract the bandit chief by calling out to her]]
(if:$spellsknown contains "Fireball")[>> [[Cast //Fireball// at the bandit chief|Use Fireball on bandits]]](else:)[>> [[Run away before anyone sees you|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]]
(if:$spellsknown contains "Fireball")[>> [[Run away before anyone sees you|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")Keeping one eye on the camp, you quickly search the dead bandit hoping to find something useful. On him, you find a longsword, a small leather pouch, and a gold ring. You've got only a little time, so you grab just one of them.
>> [[Take the longsword|Take the longsword from the bandit]]
>> [[Take the leather pouch|Take the leather pouch from the bandit]]
>> [[Take the gold ring|Take the gold ring from the bandit]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the longsword from the dead bandit.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a longsword")) (if:$currentweapon's name is "a stout stick")[Who brings a stick to a swordfight? Not you. You wield the sword and feel much more dangerous.(set:$currentweapon to $longsword)(set:$player's weapon to "longsword")](if:$currentweapon's name is "your fist")[It's a perfectly good sword and it seems a shame not to use it. The previous owner certainly doesn't need it. In your hands it will certainly do more good. You grip the sword tightly, ready to defend yourself.(set:$currentweapon to $longsword)(set:$player's weapon to "longsword")]
There's a massive explosion from the direction of the camp and you hear several bandits cry out in pain at once. You suspect the woman must have cast a powerful spell and taken some of them out.
It's not enough, though. You hear the remaining bandits scream in fury as they rush out of the trees and charge the camp. There's no one near you.
>> [[Run to the camp to aid the travelers|Run back toward the camp]]
>> [[Escape into the forest|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You snatch the leather pouch off of the dead bandit's belt. (set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a leather pouch"))
Out of the corner of your eye, you see an explosion of green fire and hear sudden cries of pain from a few of the bandits. The woman must have cast a powerful magical spell.
It's not quite enough, though. You hear the remaining bandits scream in fury as they rush from the trees and charge toward her. There's no one nearby.
>> [[Look inside the leather pouch|Look inside the leather pouch from the bandit]]
>> [[Run to the camp to aid the travelers|Run back toward the camp]]
>> [[Escape into the forest|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You hurriedly pry the gold ring off of the dead bandit's finger. It's too dark to be certain, but you think there might be an inscription on inside of the ring's band. (set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a gold ring"))
Back at the camp, you can hear the woman yelling in an unknown tongue while the bandits try to take her and her companion down. Out of the corner of your eye, you see an explosion of green fire and hear sudden cries of pain from a few of the bandits. She must have cast a powerful magical spell.
It's not quite enough though. You hear the remaining bandits charge at the woman from the woods.
>> [[Try to read the ring's inscription|Examine the gold ring from the bandit]]
>> [[Run to the camp to aid the travelers|Run back toward the camp]]
>> [[Escape into the forest|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"determineLootSmall")You check the pouch and find $lootfound. (if:$valuablesmallstuff contains $lootfound)[ You think it might be valuable. Perhaps it's best to keep it.](else-if:$cheapsmallstuff contains $lootfound)[ You're not certain if you're going to need it, but who knows? Perhaps you'll find a use for it.] You decide to take it with you.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:$lootfound))
The camp is still in commotion. You hear the voices of the woman and the wounded man as they fight back against the bandits.
>> [[Run to the camp to aid the travelers|Run back toward the camp]]
>> [[Escape into the forest|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if: visits is 1)[As quickly and stealthily as you can, you race toward the bandit leader with your (print:$player's weapon) out. (display:"resolveAttack")](if: visits is 2)[The bandit chief turns toward you, rage filling her eyes. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 3)[You size up the bandit chief and try to find a weakness. When she flinches, you charge. (display:"resolveAttack")(if:$monster's isDead is false)[ (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")]](if:visits>3)[Locked in a deadly combat, you and the bandit chief try to stare each other down. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is false)[>> [[Attack again|Attack the bandit chief from behind]]](else:)[>> [[Search her body|Search the dead bandit chief]]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Killed by the bandit chief]]]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is true)[(set:_achieve to "You slew the bandit chief with your "+$player's weapon)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))(set:$isBanditLeaderDead to true)>> [[Rush to the campfire|Run back toward the camp]]](else:)[>> [[Run off into the forest|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You call out to the bandit chief hoping to catch her offguard and distract her. Perhaps, with that opening, the others can land a killing blow on her?
But what to say? What would work to distract her?
>> [[DRAGON!!|Yell out DRAGON to distract the bandit chief]]
>> [[Halt in the Name of the King!|Try to stop the bandits using royal authority]]
>> [[Stop in the Name of Love!|Try to stop the bandit chief by appealing to love]](if:$player's isDead is false)[(set:$isInCombat to true)(set:$attack to (either:...$probattack))(set:$critchance to ($roll:100))(if:$critchance<$currentweapon's critprob)[(set:$attack to "crit")](if:$attack is "hit")[(if:$player's isBooming is true)[(set:_attackFx to (either:...$boomFXs)+"!")($showFX:_attackFx)](print:$currentweapon's hittext)(set:$monster's HP to $monster's HP-$currentweapon's damage)(if:($monster's HP<1))[ It's a fatal blow! (print:$monster's deathtext)(set:$monster's isDead to true)(set:$isInCombat to false)]](else-if:$attack is "crit")[(if:$player's isBooming is true)[(set:_attackFx to (either:...$boomFXs)+"!")($showFX:_attackFx)](set:$monster's HP to $monster's HP-2*$currentweapon's damage)(print:$currentweapon's hittext) It's a critical strike! (if:($monster's HP<1))[ (print:$monster's deathtext)(set:$monster's isDead to true)(set:$isInCombat to false)]](else:)[ ($playerMiss: $currentweapon's propname)]](set:$dieroll to ($roll:100))(set:$dieroll to $dieroll-$player's defense)(if:$dieroll<$monster's probhit)[(set:_blockRoll to ($roll:100))(if:_blockRoll<$player's blockprob)[($playerBlock:$currentweapon's propname)](else:)[(print:$monster's hittext)(set:
$player's hp to $player's hp-$monster's damage)(set:$player's isInjured to true)]](else:)[(print:$monster's misstext)] (if:$player's hp <1)[(set:$player's isDead to true)] (display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You try to dodge the bandit leader's attack, but stumble forward. She drives her blade right through you, then twists her sword viciously. There's a moment of excruciating pain and suddenly, nothing. As your knees give way, you look up into her face and for the first time realize, through all her rage, she is also crying.
Time slows down and you feel very cold. Why is your head so heavy? Nothing moves right. Why is she crying? Where is your hand? Darkness wraps its engulfing mists around you until you can't sense anything at all. It's so dark now. So very dark. The ground is wet before the world gives away to nothing.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Slain by Bandit Chief")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You quickly search the dead bandit chief hoping to find something useful. On her, you find a belt pouch with something gemlike tucked inside, and around her neck, you spy a gold locket necklace. Her longsword lies a few feet away.
The battle is still raging and the travelers need your help.
>> [[Take the belt pouch|Take the belt pouch from the bandit chief]]
>> [[Take the the gold necklace|Take the gold locket from the bandit chief]]
>> [[Help the travelers immediately|Join the travelers in defeating the rest of the bandits]](set:$lootfound to (either:...$smallitems))(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a dagger"))
>> [[Help the travelers defeat the last of the bandits|Join the travelers in defeating the rest of the bandits]]
>> [[Escape before anyone notices|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the gold locket necklace from the bandit chief's neck. As you do so, the locket unclasps and reveals two miniature portraits. One bears her image. The other face has been scratched out. It's hard to tell whether her former beloved was a man or a woman.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a gold locket necklace"))
>> [[Help the travelers defeat the last of the bandits|Join the travelers in defeating the rest of the bandits]]
>> [[Escape before anyone notices|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")Your (print:$player's weapon) in hand, you race back to join the others at the campfire. (if:$isBanditLeaderDead is true)[You yell out that you've defeated the bandit chief. (if:$hasHealedWoundedMan is false)[The woman and the wounded man look relieved.](else:)[The swordsman and his companions look relieved.] When the remaining bandits hear that their leader is dead, they scatter and flee back to the woods.](else:)[Just as you arrive, the woman lets loose another massive fireball the engulfs the remaining bandits in flame. You're momentarily blinded by the explosion of fire and light. When you can see again, the bandits are no more than charred corpses on the ground.]
With the bandits dealt with, the woman collapses back onto the log she had been sitting on. (if:$hasHealedWoundedMan is false)[The wounded man stumbles back to his seat. The two of them seem quite exhausted. (if:$banditformerlover is "the hooded woman")[The woman looks at you again as if she sees you differently now. There's a sadness in her eyes.](else-if:$banditformerlover is "the wounded man")[You notice the wounded man seems especially pale and shaken. The swordsman comforts him.](else:)[The swordsman seems shaken and pale. You see the wounded man comfort him.]
($npcSays:"Thank you, stranger. I thought you would've run, but you came back for us. Hopefully, Torvald is ok. You should rest, the night will be more peaceful now.")](else:)[(if:$banditformerlover is "the hooded woman")[The swordsman sits down next to her and comforts her. You see the man you healed stare angrily at the dead bandit leader's body.](if:$banditformerlover is "the swordsman")[The swordsman looks devastated. You watch the man you healed approach, then embrace him as he breaks down crying.](if:$banditformerlover is "the wounded man")[The man you healed looks drained and distant. The swordsman take his hand and comforts him. The two embrace and you watch as they both break down and cry.]
($npcSays:"Thank you, friend. We knew we could count on you. You are welcome to stay with us.")
]
(if:$hasHealedWoundedMan is false)[>> [[Offer to go find Torvald the swordsman]]
>> [[Rest with the others at the fire]]](else:)[>> [[Spend the rest of the night with the travelers]]
>> [[Head back toward the road|Leave the campfire and keep exploring]]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the belt pouch and leave the rest. You quickly peek inside and see (set:$lootfound to (either:...$smallitems)) and a tightly folded piece of paper. There's not enough time to take anything else. (set:$inv to $inv+(a:$lootfound,"a tightly folded piece of paper"))
>> [[Examine the scrap of paper|Read the scrap of paper from the bandit chief]]
>> [[Help the travelers defeat the last of the bandits|Join the travelers in defeating the rest of the bandits]]
>> [[Escape before anyone notices|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the paper from the pouch and open it. Something is written there in an elegant script. You squint your eyes and think you can make out the following:
//My dearest Nemra, I cannot live a lie. I have fallen for someone else and have chosen to live my best life with him. Please forgive me and let me go.//
What does this mean? Could it be that the bandit attack wasn't about robbing the travelers, but something else?(set:$isDearJaneLetterFound to true)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You discovered the bandit chief's secret."))
>> [[The bandit chief was in love with the man with the sword]]
>> [[The bandit chief was in love with the hooded woman]]
>> [[The bandit chief was in love with the wounded man]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")No wonder the swordsman looked so reluctant to leave to fetch the healing supplies. He must have realized that he'd likely run into his ex-lover and face her wrath. (if:$hasHealedWoundedMan is false)[Perhaps the bandit leader's rage grew out of her own despair if she already had slain him. Or maybe, she was furious that he had left her for a man.](else:)[The bandit leader must have been furious that he had left her for a man. Which man?] The wounded man? You start to see how this whole drama played out. She must have tried killing the new lover and wounded him, then came back to finish him off. (set:$banditformerlover to "the swordsman")
Your head is getting dizzy from trying to follow all these lines of desire, betrayal, and revenge. Hopefully the swordsman doesn't have any more dangerous former lovers seeking to waylay him and his companions.
The battle still seems to be raging.
>> [[Help the travelers defeat the last of the bandits|Join the travelers in defeating the rest of the bandits]]
>> [[Escape before anyone notices|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")Perhaps this is why the woman was wearing a hood and trying to remain silent? She was hoping to escape with her new lover. But which of the two men could the //him// refer to?
The wounded man. It must be the wounded man. The bandit leader must have ambushed the travelers hoping to slay the new lover and to kidnap the woman and bring her back. You glance back at the dead woman at your feet. Behind all that rage and violence, beneath her armor, she still was just a person with a broken heart who could not let go. She was also a killer, so there's that as well.
There's a part of you that wishes you were a poet, a bard, or a playwright, someone who could turn such tragedy into a tale of heartbreak and beauty. But you're not. At least, you don't think you are. Perhaps you should start writing? (set:$banditformerlover to "the hooded woman")
Hopefully the hooded woman doesn't have any more dangerous former lovers seeking to waylay her and her companions.
You can hear the sounds of continued fighting back. No one has noticed the fallen bandit leader yet.
>> [[Help the travelers defeat the last of the bandits|Join the travelers in defeating the rest of the bandits]]
>> [[Escape before anyone notices|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You think of the silent pain the wounded man must be harboring even now. Love does cruel things to us all. And some won't let go. Is the //him// he left her for the swordsman? Perhaps best not to pry. (set:$banditformerlover to "the wounded man")
Hopefully the wounded man doesn't have any more dangerous former lovers seeking to waylay him and his companions.
The battle still seems to be raging in the camp.
>> [[Help the travelers defeat the last of the bandits|Join the travelers in defeating the rest of the bandits]]
>> [[Escape before anyone notices|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You hear a tinge of concern in the woman's words and realize that it's been hours since Torvald the swordsman left. How far did he go? Did something happen to him? You're worried.
($playerSays:"I really think I should go and check on Torvald. He should have been back by now. Perhaps he needs help bringing back the supplies?")
The woman nods. She seems relieved by your offer.
($npcSays:"You're very kind. It's too much to ask of you, but if you're willing to head out there again, we'd be very grateful. Please be careful out there. And take this torch.")
She hands you a torch from the fire, then points you in the general direction of their wagon. You can barely make out the path that Torvald took. (if:$lightsource's name is "none")[Before you go, she hands you a torch.(set:$currentlight to "a torch")(set:$currentLightCount to 10)(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a torch"))(set:$lightsource to $torchlight)]
>> [[Head back into the woods|Leave campfire to search for Torvald]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide not to press your luck out there in the darkness. You fought off the bandits, defeated their leader, and protected the travelers. It's been a long night—it's probably wiser just to stay put.
You search the bodies of the fallen bandits. Most carry longswords or axes. A few have coinpurses, none too full, most quite empty. For the most part, though, there's not much of interest on the dead. You drag the bandit corpses away from the fire and do your best to clean up camp.
It's exhausting. You decide to take break and sit with the others. (if:$banditformerlover is "the hooded woman")[The wounded man has fallen asleep. You can hear the woman weeping softly in the dark. Her face shrouded in shadows. Sometimes her voice is like water from a dark river disappearing into the ground. Sometimes like the wind bending the trees, pushing them to the breaking point. Sometimes there is nothing, only silence.](else:)[The woman has fallen asleep. The wounded man is still awake, but seems lost. He stares into the darkness of the woods, his eyes vacant, barren. As if some great flood had swept through carrying everything away, erasing everything he knew.]
//Grief is this vast unfathomable ocean,// you think. //And no one will cross it with you.//
>> [[Continue|Rest with the travelers after the battle]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")As you sit by the fire, tending to your wounds, you pause to stare into the depths of the flames. You find yourself mesmerized by the shifting forms. Fire. Light. Shadow. Heat. Everything moves and dances, bends and transforms. Everything is alive.
Well, almost everything. Beyond the glow of the fire, out in the darkness, you know the bandits lie dead, their lights extinguished, Beyond them, deeper still in the forest, who knows how many others sleep beneath the dirt and pine needles?
When you look back at the travelers at your side, you see that the woman and wounded man are both sleeping now, overwhelmed with fatigue and stress.
What do they dream of? Lost love? New beginnings? A road that goes on and on? And what of the man with the sword, out in dark woods, his torch guttering in the night wind? What is he thinking? Or is he too dead, his light out, his mind still as a frozen river?
You sigh and look up at the night sky, now a vast enshadowed field of the tiniest white flowers. One blooms, then another. The air is cold, but the fire is warm. It is good to be alive. Dawn will come soon enough, but for now you bow your head and sleep.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "The Well-Fought Battle")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You leave the campfire and try to follow Torvald's trail into the dark woods. Here and there you spy little indications that this is indeed the path he took. (display:"displayLight")
The torch helps, but wish the woman had given clearer directions for you to follow. You sigh a breath of relief when you spot freshly broken branches and a more defined path. Hopefully this is Torvald's doing. It could also be the path you initially took. There's another much older path that crosses here and all but disappears into the brush.
>> [[Follow the more recent path|Keep searching for the east road]]
>> [[See where the other path goes|Follow the older path to the fork]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You're exhausted from wandering all night. Your feet are sore and your mind fuzzy and frazzled, but now as you rest on a mossy boulder watching the sunrise through a break in the trees, you can't help but take pride in the fact that you made it to the morning.
Somehow the sight of the sun changes everything. After a few minutes, you get up again and walk to that break in the trees. //There's a road there,// you think.// A road that goes somewhere new.//
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "From Dusk to Dawn")
[[How did I do?|Final Report]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"DRAGON!!!")
The bandit leader turns to face you, grinning.
($npcSays:"Nice try. But I'm not going to fall for one of my own tricks.")
>> [[Attack the bandit chief]]
>> [[Run away before anyone sees you|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"Stop in the Name of the King!")
The bandit leader turns to face you, then starts laughing.
($npcSays:"You?! You don't have any authority. I'm the queen of these woods and will take what I want, kill who I want, and rule how I want! Now save us some time and just die.")
>> [[Attack the bandit chief]]
>> [[Run away before anyone sees you|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"Stop in the Name of Love!")
The bandit leader turns to face you, her face stern and angry.
($npcSays:"Love?! That's why I'm here. I'm not stopping until he's dead and I get my lover back. He ruined everything. ")
You think she might be past the point of reason.
>> [[Attack the bandit chief]]
(if:$spellsknown contains "Mending")[>> [[Cast //Mending//|Use Mending on bandit leader broken heart]]](else:)[>> [[Run away before anyone sees you|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]]
(if:$spellsknown contains "Mending")[>> [[Run away before anyone sees you|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if: visits is 1)[You charge the bandit leader with your (print:$player's weapon) out. (display:"resolveAttack")](if: visits is 2)[The bandit chief turns toward you, rage filling her eyes. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 3)[You size up the bandit chief and try to find a weakness. When she flinches, you charge. (display:"resolveAttack")(if:$monster's isDead is false)[ (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")]](if:visits>3)[Locked in a deadly combat, you and the bandit chief try to stare each other down. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is false)[>> [[Attack again|Attack the bandit chief]]](else:)[>> [[Search her body|Search the dead bandit chief]]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Killed by the bandit chief]]]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is true)[(set:_achieve to "You slew the bandit chief with your "+$player's weapon)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))(set:$isBanditLeaderDead to true)>> [[Run off into the forest|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]](else:)[>> [[Rush to the campfire|Run back toward the camp]]]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if: visits is 1)[You charge the swordsman with your (print:$player's weapon) out. (display:"resolveAttack")](if: visits is 2)[The swordsman turns toward you, his eyes ice-cold. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 3)[You circle the swordsman and try to find a weakness. When he flinches, you charge. (display:"resolveAttack")(if:$monster's isDead is false)[ (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")]](if:visits>3)[You and the swordsman glare at each, each trying to stare each other down. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is false)[>> [[Attack again|Attack the swordsman]]](else:)[>> [[Search his body|Search the dead swordsman]]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Killed by the swordsman]]]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is true)[(set:_achieve to "You slew the swordsman with your "+$player's weapon)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))>> [[Escape into the forest]]](else:)[>> [[Run away from combat]]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you bend down and try to search the dead swordsman, you're struck in the arm by a crossbow bolt. The impact sends you reeling. Another bolt hits you, then another. You fall down.
When you try to stand up, a crossbow bolt strikes you in the chest, knocking you backward. You feel weak and woozy.
You touch your chest. Your hand is covered in blood. So much blood.
You don't feel anything. A numbing darkness. Your tongue turning to moths. Your hands and feet stone. So heavy. In the encircling void, you think you see a (print: $player's patron). Is it singing? You can't tell anymore.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Too Greedy for Your Own Good")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")Picking a fight with the swordsman was a terrible idea. You try to dodge his next attack, you realize you've been tricked by his feint. He drives his swordblade through you, then turns and slashes upward. You feel your stomach open wide. There's a moment of excruciating pain and suddenly, nothing. As your knees give way, you look up at the night sky.
Time slows down and you feel very cold. Why is your head so heavy? Where is your hand? Darkness wraps its engulfing mists around you until you can't sense anything at all. It's so dark now. So very dark. The ground is wet before the world gives away to nothing.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Slain by the Swordsman")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>You run into the dark woods, dodging and weaving as you go, trying to lose anyone who might try to follow you. After a while, you are even more lost than before. Hopefully if you don't know where you are, your pursuers won't know either.
After a while, you come to a large rotting stump, something distinctive amid all the shadowy greenery. An old iron box appears to be wedged between its roots.
>> [[Keep searching for the road|Keep searching for the east road]]
>> [[Try to remove iron box|Remove iron box from under stump]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You wait for an opportune moment. Then, just as you dodge the (print:$monster's name)'s attack, you run.(if:$monster's name is "swordsman")[
The swordsman looks astonished at your cowardice. But for you, discretion really is the better part of valor. Clearly his death would not endear you to his comrades and your death would not be in your interest either.
You keep running, even as the man with the sword shouts after you. You think he's yelling //Good riddance!// but it could be something else. You'd rather not speculate on his choice of profanity.]
>> [[Escape into the forest]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")You find yourself standing on a road at the edge of a forest. You see an ancient stone tower rising above the trees, its stones even darker than the night. Thick vines cover the outer walls. An overgrown path cuts through the remains of a garden and leads to an open doorway. No door can be seen. You’d think it abandoned, were it not for the occasional flash of reddish light from the upper floors.
>> [[Follow the path to the front entrance|Tower Front Entrance]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You find yourself inexplicably beside a swiftly flowing river. It's very dark here. You can't see the sky, just intensely cold water surrounding you, and a fierce current trying to pull you under.
>> [[Continue|Underground River Large Cavern]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Reality bends and twists. Darkness doubles and triples, then explodes into tiny shards. When you regain your sight, you find yourself in some sort of subterrean burial chamber, roughly oval in shape. A number of pale white stones along the perimeter begin to glow, gradually filling the room with dim light. At the center of the chamber rests a large ornately carved stone coffin presumably belonging to someone of great importance. On the far wall, you see an open door fashioned of stone. It looks incredibly heavy and hard to move.
>> [[Examine the stone coffin|Examine the stone coffin in the catacombs entrance]]
>> [[Try to take a glowing stone|Try to take a glowing stone in the catacombs]]
>> [[Go through the door|Catacombs Windy Path]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you sprint across the old crumbling bridge, you hear more stones fall behind you and a cascade of splashes in the dark. You somehow make it to the other side without falling in or having the entire bridge come down, but you're certain it won't survive another crossing.
>> [[Continue|Continue on the road to Fellbridge]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You gauge the distance to the other side of the bridge, back up a few steps, then gripping the longspear tightly, you run forward and use the spear to polevault across to the other side. It's not graceful, but it works.
>> [[Continue|Continue on the road to Fellbridge]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You back up a few steps, then take running leap across the remainder of the bridge. The force of your landing sends a few more stones falling into the river below, but the bridge itself remains standing.
>> [[Continue|Continue on the road to Fellbridge]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You pick up the runeblade and feel a strange surge of power rush through your hands. Flames wreathe the blade, but do not burn you. ((set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a runeblade"))(set:$player's weapon to "runeblade")(if:$lightsource's name is not any of (a:"a runeblade","a strange silver amulet","a blazing torch"))[(set:$lightsource to $bladelight)]
When you look up, you realize you are no longer in the room.
>> [[Continue|Head toward the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You pick up the iron crown from the table and are surprised by its weight(set:$inv to $inv+("an iron crown"))
When you look up, you realize you are no longer in the room.
>> [[Continue|Head toward the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")When you pick the book up from the table, it suddenly bursts into flame leaving only a single page. There appears to be something written on its surface. As you attempt to read it, your mind is flooded with strange images and incantations. (set:$spellsknown to $spellsknown+(a:"Mending"))
You've learned the //Mending// spell.
When you look up, you realize you are no longer in the room.
>> [[Continue|Head toward the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The rowboat looks quite old and weather-beaten, but still in one piece. (if:$lightsource's count<6)[You find the oars conveniently stashed inside the boat. With a little luck and some muscle, you think you might be able to row it across.](else:)[As you examine the boat by the light of (print:$lightsource's propname), you realize that some of the planks are more rotten than you first thought. Perhaps this boat might not be that seaworthy afterall.]
>> [[Row the boat across the river]]
(if:$spellsknown contains "Mending")[>> [[Cast the //Mending// spell on the rowboat|Use Mending to fix the boat]]](else:)[>> [[Wade across the river|Try to wade across the river]]]
>> [[Try to cross the river at a different spot|Avoid the bridge and cross the river elsewhere]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You run as fast as you can and attempt a running jump over the river. There's a brief moment as you're sailing through the darkness over the rushing waters when you think you're going to make it. But then you realize you're coming down too fast. The opposite river bank seems impossibly far out of reach. Everything slows in the instant before gravity claims you, before the dark waves churning below open wide.
>> [[Continue|You fall into the river and freeze]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")In the darkness beneath the old bridge, you pick through the remains of the rotting barrel. To your dismay, you find no stash of gold coins or long lost fabled weapon. You do find an old leather satchel, most likely hidden here by some other traveler or smuggler.
>> [[Search the satchel|Search the satchel from the barrel]]
>> [[Examine the rowboat]]
>> [[Try to wade across the river]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You step into the river and immediately realize you've made a terrible mistake. The current is stronger than you expect and you find it hard to keep your balance. Try as you might, you can't seem to get back to the shore before the river pulls you back toward the center. In the darkness, you can't tell which rocks are safe and where the holes are in the river bed. Your clothes are soaked and bitterly cold. And that wind... where did that awful wind come from?
Just as you are about to try again for the shore, your foot slips out from under you and you fall backward in the dark river.
>> [[Continue|You fall into the river and freeze]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You plunge into the dead center of the river and the cold dark water closes around you. pulling you down. As you struggle to surface, you find your breathing suddenly sharp and labored, your lungs seizing. Your heart pounds harder and harder, as if it were some great beast slamming itself against a prison door, eager to escape.
Something bursts within you, even as you reach up trying to grab onto an invisible hand, hoping someone is out there. But there's no one. Just the distant stars, each a cold steel glint in the void that is suddenly and inescapably all around you.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Drowned in the Dark River")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if: visits is 1)[Before it can react, you break from the trees and charge toward the demon bear with your (print:$player's weapon) out. (display:"resolveAttack")](if: visits is 2)[The demon bear rears up and roars. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 3)[You wince in pain, trying to find the bear's weakness. (print:$patronfollow's ($player's patron))(display:"resolveAttack")(if:$monster's isDead is false)[ (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")]](if:visits>3)[Locked in a deadly combat, you and the demon bear try to wear each other down. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is false)[>> [[Attack again|Charge at the bear and attack first]]](else:)[>> [[Search her body|Search the dead bear]]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Killed by the demon bear]]]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is true)[(set:_achieve to "You slew the demon bear with your "+$player's weapon)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))>> [[Keep moving|Head deeper into the forest but parallel]]](else:)[>> [[Run away|Run away from the bear]]]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$isInCombat to false)(set:$fleelocation to (either:"Stumble into an abandoned camp","Head deeper into the forest, but keep parallel to the road","Appear at the tower approach"))You run as fast and as far as you can, crashing through the trees and stumbling as best as you can forward and away from the terrifying bear.
Part of you hopes to find the road again. Another part just wants shelter.
You keep running.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$fleelocation)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if: visits is 1)[Only a fool would try to defeat a demonic bear with (print:$player's weapon). You brace yourself and channel the ancient arcane magic, trying to shape reality into one where you survive.
(if:$spellsknown's length is 0)[Unfortunately nothing comes to mind. No mystical incantations. No words of forbiddable power. Nothing, but a string of profanity and regrets.
>> [[Charge at the bear in desperation|Charge at the bear and attack first]]
>> [[Run away from the bear]]
](else:)[(for: each _spell,...$spellsknown)[(set:_slink to (lowercase:_spell) of $castLookUp)>> (link-goto:"Cast "+_spell,_slink)
]]](else:)[This did not have the desired effect.
There's no time to cast another spell. You stare into the terrifying eyes of the demonic bear. A dark emptiness threatens to swallow you whole.
There's only one option that makes sense.
>> [[Charge at the bear in desperation|Charge at the bear and attack first]]
>> [[Run away from the bear]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You search the freshly slain bear, not certain quite what you expect to find. Obviously, you're not expecting to find a backpack full of goodies or a battleaxe of radiant glory. Bears, even demonic bears, just don't carry such things.
After a few minutes of mucking around the corpse, you find a large crimson gem embedded on the back of his head. It seems to have welded itself to its skull. With a little force, you might be able to break it free and take it.
>> [[Take the crimson gem|Remove the crimson gem from the dead bear]]
>> [[Keep moving|Head deeper into the forest but parallel]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You raise (if: $player's weapon is "none")[your hands](else:)[your (print:$player's weapon)] as if to strike, but the bear drops and charges, knocking you over with its enormous power, crushing you in the process and sending you flying. It then rears up and with its claws, begins to tear and maul as if desperately digging for some great treasure buried in your chest. All you can hear is its tremendous roar and the tearing of your flesh. Blood sprays everywhere. The mad fiery glow of all the hells raging in its eyes. And that breath, that foul breath, the last thing you remember before the darkness pulls you under.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Slain by the Demon Bear")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>You dream that you are standing on the deck of a storm-tossed ship in the midst of a wine-dark sea. The waves crash higher and higher. You think you can hear voices in the distance. The ship heaves to the side and suddenly you find yourself hurled overboard. You feel a sharp pain in your chest and abruptly awake, still thrashing about as if you were drowning.
>> [[Continue|Killed by bandits while asleep at the campfire]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You stand on the east road beyond the crumbling stone bridge. The trees have grown in close to the path, their branches hanging uncomfortably low. Very little starlight gets through the thick canopy of trees. You can see the road continues on. An ancient stone marker sits at the side of the road. On it you read //Fellbridge//.
>> [[Keep traveling east|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]
>> [[Examine the stone marker more closely|Examine the Fellbridge marker]](set:$playergoldtext to (str:$player's gp)+" ancient gold coin")(if:$player's gp>1)[(set:$playergoldtext to $playergoldtext+"s")](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$lootcontainer to "old satchel")(display:"searchContainer")
>> [[Continue|Spend some time to search the area around the bridge]](display:"determineLootSmall")You search the $lootcontainer and find $lootfound. (if:$valuablesmallstuff contains $lootfound)[ You think it might be valuable. Perhaps it's best to keep it.](else-if:$cheapsmallstuff contains $lootfound)[ You're not certain if you're going to need it, but who knows? Perhaps you'll find a use for it.] You decide to take it with you.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:$lootfound))(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if:$hasRowboatBeenMended is true)[You push the rowboat into the river and then climb in. It doesn't take on any water, which is a good sign. You are pleased to discover that the oars have also been restored. You take up the oars and begin rowing.
As you row, you discover that the current here runs deep and strong. It's hard work getting across, but in the end you make it to the other shore. You're exhausted and sweaty. When the wind picks up, you feel chilled to the bone.
You follow a narrow path on the bank back up and find yourself once more on the road. ](else:)[With some effort, you push the rowboat off the riverbank and back into the water. You then climb in, grabbing the weathered oars and begin to row. The current is quite strong and rowing is hard work. With every heave of the waves, more water splashes in.
Suddenly, there's a lot more water inside the boat. You feel your feet go through the rotten boards as the entire boat disintegrates around you, no longer able to hold together in the churning waves.]
(if:$hasRowboatBeenMended is true)[>> [[Continue|Continue on the road to Fellbridge]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|You fall into the river and freeze]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You decide not to cross the bridge or the river here. The bridge's stonework seems untrustworthy and the river current too strong. It's just too risky. Perhaps someplace further upstream or downstream would be better? (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Head further upstream]]
>> [[Head further downstream]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")A strange magical power courses through you as you focus on the rowboat, imagining it fully restored. Wisps of green and purple glowing energy flow outward from your palms toward the boat. You watch as years of neglect and rot disappear. In moments, the rowboat looks as it must have looked brand new.
The glow fades and you feel somewhat drained. The boat looks solid and safe now.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You used magic to restore the rowboat to new."))(set:$hasRowboatBeenMended to true)
>> [[Row the boat across the river]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Keeping the forest to your left, you follow the river upstream. The river bank is uneven and strewn with moss-covered rocks and bits of debris. The stars are hidden behind a blanket of cloud. There's very little light here. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue|Head even further upstream]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You turn your back on the bridge and begin to work your way downstream in the dark. The riverbank is full of loose stone and old roots, making it hard to find stable footing. You stumble a bit, but for the most part avoid manage to keep from falling into the river or on the hard stones.
As you travel further down, you hear the river grow gradually louder and louder, no doubt the result of other streams flowing into this one. You realize that there won't be a narrower spot to cross this far down. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Look for a fallen tree to use as a bridge]]
>> [[Continue heading downstream]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you hike further upstream, the sound of rushing water is your guide in this deeper darkness. The river seems quieter here, and likely narrower and not as deep. (display:"displayLight")
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[You pause, lifting (print:$lightsource's propname) to get a better look. Even with its light, you can barely make out the river to your side. It looks like you could easily cross here. There's a large odd-looking rock on the bank near you. It looks like there's something poking out from under it.](else:)[You peer into the darkness and can't quite gauge the distance across the river. You notice a large ominous shadow near the river's edge. It doesn't seem to be moving.]
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[>> [[Try to dig out the object|Try to dig out the object under the river boulder]]](else:)[>> [[Attack the shadow|Attack the river boulder]]]
>> [[Cross the river|Cross the river at the narrow upstream point]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(set:$hasVisitedElfGrave to true)You bend down next to the large strange-shaped rock and begin to remove sand and gravel from around the object. After a few minutes, you find that you've uncovered a skeleton dressed in decayed leather armor lying in a rough grave. A few locks of wispy brown hair remain on the skull. You spy a black ring on the skeleton's left hand, and lying next to the skeleton, a sheet of hammered metal with something written on it.
>> [[Take the ring|Remove the ring from the skeleton]]
>> [[Take the skull|Take the ghost elf skull]]
>> [[Examine the hammered metal sheet]]
>> [[Leave everything alone|Leave the skeleton at the river alone]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You lunge at the shadow and try to attack it with (print:$player's weapon). As soon as you strike, you realize that it's not a creature or a monster, just a very large boulder.
You notice that, unlike the rest of the gravel-covered shore, there's a bare patch of sand at the base of this strange boulder. It feels like the ground might have been dug up here in the past.
>> [[Dig up the ground|Try to dig out the object under the river boulder]]
>> [[Leave it and cross the river|Cross the river at the narrow upstream point]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You cross the river without difficulty, finding it, as you had guessed, much narrower and shallower here. The riverbank is steep, a mix of larger boulders and damp clay. You can't tell what is above the bank. Perhaps it'll be more forest? Or maybe a road. All you know is that you get up and out of here.
>> [[Continue|Climb up the river bank]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You carefully study the surface of the metal sheet. As you try to read the archaic script, the writing comes alive, the strange characters twisting and turning, writhing as if snakes, before forming some tangled unified serpentine body of dark energy. It leaps off of the metal page and strikes at your eye. (if:$player's isLeftEyeGone is true)[It settles into your empty eye socket. The world goes black.
When you open your eyes again, you can see in the darkness. Not the shapes of things, but the eerie fading edges of phantoms. Afterimages. Ghosts in their last stages of decay.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You replaced your missing eye with the Elder Eye of Decay.")) (if:$spellsknown contains "Decay")[You feel a familiar dark power within you grow, even as the world about you fades and withers.](else:)[You sense a new dark power within you.(set:$spellsknown to $spellsknown+(a:"Decay"))
You have learned the spell //Decay//.]](else:)[Sharp pain shoots through you as you are consumed by an almost tangible nothingness.
You start screaming. Wild mad visions fill your head. You think you see gigantic tentacles of nightmarish fear and darkness descending from the sky, lashing out and seizing whatever still lives and tearing them to bloody shreds.]
(if:$player's isLeftEyeGone is true)[](else:)[>> [[Continue|Death by elder dark magic]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You attempt to remove the black ring from the skeleton's hand, but discover to your horror that the moment you do so it appears on your own finger. A strange cold energy begins to surge out from the ring, surrounding your hand in a dark nightmarish glow and burning it with an icy fire. (set:$hasRobbedElfGrave to true)(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a cursed black ring"))(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You stole a cursed ring from a grave."))
>> [[Continue|Death by cursed necrotic ring]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You're not certain who this unfortunate person is, but feel it wise to not to disturb their resting place any further. You cover the skeleton with some gravel and dirt, doing your best to erase any trace that this might be a grave.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You didn't rob the grave at the river."))
You look around. There doesn't seem to be any way forward. There seems to be a narrow path up the steep bank on the other side. Perhaps you can continue your journey there?
>> [[Cross the river|Cross the river at the narrow upstream point]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Almost immediately, the flesh on your hand begins to decay. The dark corruptive mist pulses and glows, moving slowly to your wrist, then begins to creep up your arm. Bits of flesh fall off, exposing blackening muscle, then finally bone. You suddenly feel very cold and quite weak. You collapse to the ground, writhing in pain.
Wincing in pain, you find yourself staring up at the impossibly dark sky which opens wider and wider above you, as if you were falling into it. Or it were swallowing you. There are no stars. Nothing at all. For a brief moment, your heart feels heavy and sharp, then that too is gone.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Killed by a Cursed Ring")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Somehow, despite the slippery mud and moss-covered boulders, you manage to claw and clamber your way to the top of the riverbank. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue|Forest higher up the mountain]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You find yourself standing at the edge of a dark forest. The trees continue down the slope to the right. To your left, a narrow path ascends through the thinning brush and into rockier mountainside. (if:$currentTimeOfDay is "Dawn")[ The sky is beginning to lighten. Perhaps you'll make it through this night. ](else:)[ It's still very dark here.]
>> [[Follow the narrow path upward|Keep climbing to the summit]]
>> [[Head down the slope through the trees]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The ground gives way beneath you and you feel yourself sinking, even as another tentacles flashes overhead, smashing through a nearby tree. You try to grab onto something, but can't find anything to hold or seize. Your hands snatch at nothing. Something thicker than water begins to flood around you, leaving your barely above the surface. When you open your mouth to scream again, frogs pour out, each larger than the last, each covered with the same mysterious language that writhes and glows, then burns with a violet flame.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Mind Destroyed by Incomprehensible Dark Magic")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You start through the thinning trees and low brush, following the narrow path up the mountainside. It twists and turns upward around boulders and decaying stumps.
The path is hard to navigate, but you press on, first on foot, then climbing blindly in the dark on handhold at a time. Slowly, but steadily you make progress until at last you lift yourself up onto a rocky ledge. You cautiously pick your way up the remaining distance to the summit.
There's no obvious place to sit here, so you take a seat on the ground and stare out into the darkness. The wind whips around you chilling you to the core. What else can you do but wait?
So you wait until the impossibly dark world begins to break apart into two halves. You watch a thin glowing ember in what must be the east catch flame, then kindle the clouds, gradually setting fire to the entire sky. Somehow you've made it to morning.
You can see now. You can see an entire world spread before you. The endless ocean of trees. The twisty river's descent into a mighty raging fall. The tiny trails left by beast and human alike. And somewhere, little plumes of smoke that declare the existence of life, perhaps the ordinary mundane lives of people who are like you, just trying to find their way home at this early hour.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You watched the sunrise at the top of the mountain."))
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "From the Top of the World")
[[How did I do?|Final Report]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You head down the slope through the trees. The forest gets darker and denser as you go, making it hard to control your movements down the steep mountainside. You start bouncing off of trees and boulders, losing your footing and stumbling. Then suddenly the ground gives way and you are in a full tumble, riccocheting off of everything in the dark.
Just when you are convinced that the next collision will be face-first into a life-ending boulder, the trees part. Or, more precisely, the forest disappears.
>> [[Continue|Mysterious blast radius with strange thing at the center]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You keep following the road and soon find yourself on the outskirts of an abandoned town. A few stone structures remain standing, albeit in ruins. Most of the wooden structures have burned to the ground or collapsed. In what once was the town center, you see an old stone well.(if:$companion's name is not "none")[
(display:"displayCompanion")]
>> [[Search the abandoned town]]
>> [[Examine the old stone well]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The old stone marker is cracked and covered in moss and dirt. Tall grass and weeds partially obscure it from certain angles. As you bend down, you note a small bare patch of dirt next to the stone where no grass grows. It looks to have been dug up recently.
>> [[Dig up the bare spot|Excavate the bare spot next to the town marker]]
>> [[Continue down the road|Approach the town of Fellbridge]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You search the charred ruins of the wooden structures, then poke your way through the stone buildings that remain. There's evidence that some sort of massive explosion happened here, and perhaps a fire. However, it also appears that the town was already mostly abandoned by that point.
After a while, you find your way back to the town center where the old stone well rests. Despite some clear signs of age, the well seems to have survived the explosion without any damage. (display:"displayCompanion")
>> [[Examine the old stone well]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you stand before the old stone well in the center of town, you feel that something isn't quite right. When you look into the well, you realize that there are handholds cut into its sides all the way down. No water can be seen. It's quite dark down there, but you suspect that there might be something hidden at the bottom.(if:$companion's name is "Archie")[
Archie peers down into the well, then waves to you:
($npcSays:(print:$ArchieSayings's random))]
>> [[Climb down into the well|Descend the well stairs]]
(if:$inv contains "a rope ladder" or $isRopeLadderAtWell is true)[>> [[Use the rope ladder to descend|Use the rope ladder to climb down the well]]](else:)[>> [[Leave the well alone and keep searching elsewhere|Search the abandoned town]]]
(if:$inv contains "a rope ladder")[>> [[Leave the well alone and keep searching elsewhere|Search the abandoned town]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You search desperately in the dark for a fallen tree or something else that you could drag over to the riverbank and use as a makeshift bridge. (if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[The light from (print:$lightsource's propname) reveals very little that would serve that purpose. A few dead boughs too small or short to form a bridge. Some boulders. And the corpse of what looks to be a bandit, three arrows sticking out of his back. He looks freshly dead.](else:)[In the pitch black night, you can't see much at all. A few fireflies gather, then some more. Soon you see a galaxy of tiny embers rise and circle overhead. Groups of them spin off and form constellations. Others simply drift, then fade into the night. You have no clue where you are or how to cross.]
>> [[Keep following the river downstream|Continue heading downstream]]
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[>> [[Search the dead bandit|Search the fresh bandit corpse by the river]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Even though it is very dark, you can hear the river's roar beside you and use it to track your position. Up ahead, you can hear the thundrous sound of what probably is a waterfall. (if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[The light from (print:$lightsource's propname) shines into the darkness, illuminating the sharp drop off where the river falls into an unfathomable chasm below. (display:"displayLight")](else:)[You feel a strong wind blow across your face. You're not quite certain where the river drops off, but sense that it is very close. Staring into the incomprehensible dark, you suddenly feel weary of all this wandering.]
>> [[Leap into the void|Jump into the waterfall chasm]]
>> [[Sit down at the riverside and rest]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You leap into the dark void before you. As you fall, you keep thinking that it might have been wiser to have thrown something down beforehand to gauge the distance. Oh well. It's a bit late.
The wind rushes by your ears. The water's roar is deafening. In the pitch black, you have no idea how far you've fallen. How soon the water—or rocks— will meet you. Or if they ever will.
You close your eyes, hoping for the best.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Leaped to Your Death")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You sit down on a large stone on the riverbank and stare out into the darkness that surrounds you. The waterfall's roar fills your ears, its voice deafening, rhythmic, and all-encompassing. You shiver. The stone is cold beneath you and the wind cuts through your damp clothes, ice cold fingers tracing your skin, chilling you to the bone.
You've never felt so alone.
Hour bleeds into hour as you sit and wait. In the nameless, formless dark, time creeps forward. Light begins to color the far edges of the world. The sun begins to rise.
You can see it now. Way off in the distance. A plume of smoke rising from a fire. There's someone else out there. Somewhere. Faraway. But they're out there.
You've made it to morning.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "A Lonely Dawn")
[[How did I do?|Final Report]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You find yourself peering down into a valley where all the trees seem to have been knocked to the ground by some massive blast. Thousands of fallen trees emanate from a single point at the center of a crater where a perfectly cut block of dark blue stone rests. Every so often a purplish bolt of lightning strikes the stone, making it glow briefly, but oddly no sound of thunder follows afterward.
>> [[Descend into the valley to investigate the stone]]
>> [[Avoid the valley and keep heading south]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You bend down on the rocky shore and search the bandit's corpse. His clothing looks ragged and worn. You can't find any weapons on him, but the empty sheathe on his thigh suggests he had a dagger at some point. Not far from him lies a leather satchel, partially slashed open. When you open it up, you find a charred book and a deck of cards. You also find five gold coins in a pouch inside. You pocket the coins and consider your options for the rest.(set:$player's gp to $player's gp+5) (display:"displayLight")
(if:$inv contains "a charred book" and $inv contains "a strange deck of cards")[>>[[Head further downstream|Continue heading downstream]]](else:)[(if:$inv contains "a charred book")[>> [[Take the cards|Take the deck of cards from the bandit]]](else:)[>> [[Take the book|Take the burned book from the bandit]]]]
(if:$inv contains "a charred book" and $inv contains "a strange deck of cards")[](else:)[>>[[Head downstream|Continue heading downstream]]](set:$timeOfEvening to 10+$movecounter)(set:$timeOfNight to 20+$movecounter)(set:$timeOfMidnight to 30+$movecounter)(set:$timeOfPreDawn to 45+$movecounter)(set:$timeOfDawn to 55+$movecounter)(set:$timeOfMorning to 65+$movecounter)(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You take the charred book from the bandit's satchel. It looks quite old. (if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[Although burned, you can almost read the title. You think it says //The Kingdom of Death//] When you open it, some of the pages crumble into ash, but a few remain intact. (if:$spellsknown contains "Commune")[](else:)[One page is still legible, the words on it faintly glow, then sear themselves into your mind. When you open your eyes again, you see a blank page.(set:$spellsknown to $spellsknown+(a:"Commune"))
You learned how to cast //Commune//.]
>> [[Continue|Search the fresh bandit corpse by the river]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You take the deck of cards from the bandit's satchel. They look quite old and a little odd. In the dim light, you notice that the cards depict strange figures: a hooded man with a lantern and a shepherd's crook, a woman carrying the moon in her arms, a small boy wearing a crown while riding a large wolf, a flaming skull with three eye sockets, and many more unsettling figures. Each card has a number. It seems that there are 28 cards in total.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a strange deck of cards"))
>> [[Continue|Search the fresh bandit corpse by the river]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")A strange magical power courses through you as you focus on the bridge. You imagine it fully restored, every stone in its proper place. Wisps of green and purple glowing energy flow outward from your palms toward the old stone bridge. You watch stones lift themselves from the river and the mud, fly through the air, then fit themselves into their old places. In a moment, the stone bridge looks solid and new.
The glow fades and you feel somewhat drained. The bridge looks safe to cross now.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You used magic to restore the old stone bridge to new."))(set:$hasStoneBridgeRebuilt to true)
>> [[Cross the restored stone bridge]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You walk across the restored stone bridge with a certain amount of pride. You made a difference here. It's nice knowing that you've left a lasting imprint on the land that will impact generations of travelers after you. Who knows how many countless people will cross back and forth never knowing your hand in this miracle. You try not to dwell on it. In this moment, on this night, it was simply what needed to be done and you did it. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue|Continue on the road to Fellbridge]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")A strange magical power courses through you as you focus on the wounds. You imagine the flesh fully restored, sinew and skin stitched back together, bones mended. Wisps of green and purple glowing energy flow outward from your palms toward the wounded man's injuries. You watch the blackened wounds close up and fade. The flesh looks new and healthy. No scars. No infection. No trace of the violence done to his body.
The glow fades and you feel somewhat drained. The man breathes a sigh of relief. His companions look at you in wonder.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You used magic to heal the wounded man."))(set:$hasHealedWoundedMan to true)
>> [[Continue|Receive reward from travelers for healing man]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The man with the sword turns to you, his face wet with tears, and grips your hand.
($npcSays:"You have healed our dear friend! How can we ever repay you? We do not have much, but say what you desire and we will do our best to aid you.")
>> [[Ask for a weapon|Ask for a weapon reward from the travelers]]
>> [[Ask for payment in gold|Ask for a gold reward from the travelers]]
>> [[Ask for magic|Ask for a magic reward from the travelers]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if: $lightsource's name is "none")[(set:$lightsource to $torchlight)You take a torch from the fire.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a torch"))](else-if:$lightsource's name is "a torch")[(set:$lightsource to $torchlight)You drop the old torch and take a new torch from the fire.](else:)[You consider taking a torch from the fire, but realize that (print:$lightsource's propname) is a better source of light.]
>> [[Head back to the road|Leave the campfire and head back to the road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The man with the sword nods, then turns to his companions. They pool some of their money and he returns to you with a bag of gold coins. (set:$player's gp to ($player's gp+25))(display:"updateGold")
($npcSays:"We lost much in the bandit attack, but were able to save some of our funds when we fled. I hope this money will aid you in your journey.")
You accept the payment graciously. You count 25 gold coins in the bag. The man with the sword looks relieved and grateful.
>> [[Continue|Rest at the campfire with the healed travelers]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The swordsman walks back to the others, then after some discussion retrieves a huge sword from their belongings. When he returns, he presents the greatsword to you.
($npcSays:"This greatsword belonged to a good friend of mine. Sadly he succumbed to his injuries earlier. He will not need his sword. I hope it serves you well. It is a mighty blade.")
You take the greatsword in your hands and feel the weight of the gift and the burden to honor it. You express your sympathy for his loss. (set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a greatsword"))(if:$currentweapon's name is "a runesword")[](else:)[(set:$player's weapon to "greatsword")(set:$currentweapon to $greatsword)
You are now wielding the greatsword.]
>> [[Continue|Rest at the campfire with the healed travelers]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The swordsman walks back to the others, then after some discussion with the hooded woman, returns with a parchment scroll.
($npcSays:"Reyna offers you this magical spell. Use it well and this magic will keep you safe.")
As you take the scroll from his hands, you sense a great powerful magic upon it. You open the scroll and begin to read. Magical energy surges around you and the characters glow, then burn themselves upon your mind.
(if:$spellsknown contains "Fireball")[(set:$spellsknown to $spellsknown-(a:"Fireball")(set:$spellknown to $spellsknown+(a:"Greater Fireball") You have learned //Greater Fireball//.](else:)[(set:$spellsknown to $spellsknown+(a:"Fireball"))You have learned //Fireball//.]
>> [[Continue|Rest at the campfire with the healed travelers]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You rest and watch the fire with the other travelers. The man you healed thanks you again for saving his life. The three of them seem much more upbeat, but you notice that they still keep their voices low.
When your stomach growls rather loudly, the hooded woman offers you a bowl of hot soup which you graciously accept. With your belly full and your body weary from wandering in the dark, you find yourself getting drowsy.
Just as you're about to fall asleep, the swordsman interrupts and asks if you would be willing to help patrol the campsite.
>> [[Patrol the area|Walk around the camp on patrol to keep watch]]
>> [[Decline and sit by the fire|Stay close to the fire while keeping watch]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")With the bandits defeated and their leader slain, the travelers seem relieved. It's clear now that the bandit chief was someone they knew, someone who once meant a great deal to $banditformerlover. As you watch their faces, you can see that though there is grief, there is also a sense that a great weight has been lifted. Freedom.
When you look back into the dark forest surrounding you, it seems even more foreboding. You're glad you didn't try to make your way back to the road. Here, perhaps, is the start of a new story for you. Maybe someday it will also include love.
Wornout and exhausted, you find yourself getting drowsy and start to nod off. The stars, though tiny and faraway, shine a little brighter. The fire crackles in your ears. Your eyes close and at last you drift off to sleep. You dream of a (print:$player's patron) moving in the dark, its eyes faintly glowing. All night, the grass grows wild and free around you as you sleep.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Love is a Battlefield")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You wave farewell and turn back, trying to retrace your steps the best you can. Soon, though, you are even more lost than before. It's too dark to follow your old path and everything looks the same.
At last you come to a large rotting stump, something distinctive amid all the shadowy greenery. An old iron box appears to be wedged between its roots.
>> [[Keep searching for the road|Keep searching for the east road]]
>> [[Try to remove iron box|Remove iron box from under stump]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You dig up the bare spot and find a small ornately carved metal casket. The casket is decorated with images of a small armored mouse with a sword and shield. Engraved on the casket lid is the name //Archibald//.
>> [[Open the casket|Open Archibald's casket]]
>> [[Leave the casket alone|Leave Archibald's casket alone]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Your curiosity gets the best of you. When you open the casket you find the partially decayed remains of a large rodent dressed in chainmail. A tiny sword and broken shield rest on its chest.
>> [[Rebury the casket and leave|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]
>> [[Cast a spell on the dead mouse|Cast a spell on Archie]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The clear investment of time and money to craft this memorial gives you pause. Clearly someone loved this creature. You decide not to disturb Archibald's final resting place. You push the dirt back and do your best to cover up the spot.
>> [[Continue down the road|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(set:_wasZombie to false)(if:$Archie's condition is "undead")[(set:_wasZombie to true)](set:$Archie's HP to $Archie's maxHP)A strange magical power courses through you as you focus on (if:$Archie's condition is not "alive")[Archie's decayed corpse](else:)[Archie's body]. You imagine the flesh fully restored, sinew and skin stitched back together, bones mended.
Wisps of green and purple glowing energy flow outward from your palms toward the (if:$Archie's condition is "dead")[dead](else-if:$Archie's condition is "undead")[undead(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You restored Archie the heroic mouse to life."))](else:)[wounded] mouse. (if:$Archie's condition is not "alive")[Amazingly the rotting flesh turns whole again.] In a moment, Archie (if:$Archie's condition is "dead")[looks as if he were merely sleeping](else-if:$Archie's condition is "undead")[is restored to life(set:$Archie's condition to "alive")](else:)[looks fully healed]. No scars. No infection. No trace of the violence done to his body.
The glow fades and you feel somewhat drained.
>> [[Continue|Cast a spell on Archie]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(set:_noMagicNeeded to false)(set:_noMendingNeeded to false)(set:_noAwakeNeeded to false)(set:_noSpeakWithDeadNeeded to false)(if:$Archie's HP is $Archie's maxHP and $Archie's condition is "alive")[(set:_noMendingNeeded to true)](if:$Archie's condition is "dead")[You look at the corpse of the mouse hero and feel an urge to use your magic to do something for this remarkable rodent.](else-if:$Archie's condition is "undead")[(set:_noAwakeNeeded to true)You look at the undead mouse hero and feel an urge to use your magic to do something to help him.](else-if:$Archie's condition is "alive")[(set:_noSpeakWithDeadNeeded to true)(set:_noAwakeNeeded to true)(if:_noMendingNeeded is false)[You look at the wounded mouse hero and decide use magic to help him.](else:)[You look at Archie. The uninjured mouse hero looks full of vim and vigor. You're not certain how your magic would help him.
Archie stares back at you, then suddenly speaks.
($npcSays:(print:$ArchieSayings's random))]]
(if:$spellsknown's length is 0)[Sadly, you don't know any magic.
(if:$Archie's condition is "dead")[>> [[Rebury the casket and leave|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]](else:)[>> [[Head into the town of Fellbridge|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]]](else:)[(if:$spellsknown's length is 1 and $spellsknown contains "Awake")[>> [[Head into the town of Fellbridge|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]]
(if:$spellsknown contains any of (a:"Awake","Mending","Commune"))[(if:_noAwakeNeeded is true and _noMendingNeeded is true and _noSpeakWithDeadNeeded is true)[>> [[Head into the town of Fellbridge|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]](else:)[(if:_noAwakeNeeded is false and $spellsknown contains "Awake")[>> [[Cast //Awake//|Use Awake on Archie]]](else:)[>> (text-style:"strike")[Cast a spell to restore the mouse to life]]
(if:_noMendingNeeded is false and $spellsknown contains "Mending")[>> [[Cast //Mending//|Use Mending on Archie]]](else:)[>> (text-style:"strike")[Cast a spell to heal the mouse's wounds]]
(if:_noSpeakWithDeadNeeded is false and $spellsknown contains "Commune")[>> [[Cast //Commune//|Use Commune on Archie]]](else:)[>> (text-style:"strike")[Cast a spell to communicate with the dead mouse]]]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You place your hand on the dead mouse and try to channel the magical force within you to call out to Archibald's spirit. Dark green flickering energy flows outward from your palm into the dead mouse. Although it does not awake, you hear a squeaky, yet plucky disembodied voice:
($npcSays:"Who are you? And what'dya want? I'm busy being dead and don't have time for any tomfoolery!")
>> [[//How did you die?//|Ask how Archie died]]
>> [[//Where is the treasure hidden?//|Ask where Archie hid the treasure]]
>> [[//What happened to Fellbridge?//|Ask what happened to Fellbridge]]
>> [[Cast a different spell on the dead mouse|Cast a spell on Archie]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You hurl a surging ball of flame toward (print:$monster's propname). You watch in horror as the bandit leader is consumed in the fiery blast. She staggers about on fire for a few seconds, then falls dead. The other bandits turn and stare in shock. (set:$monster's isDead to true)(set:_achieve to "You killed the bandit chief with a Fireball")(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))(set:$isBanditLeaderDead to true)
>> [[Search the dead bandit chief's charred body|Search the dead bandit chief charred body]]
>> [[Rush to the campfire|Run back toward the camp]]
>> [[Run off into the forest|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")A strange magical power courses through you as you focus on the bandit leader, imagining her broken heart somehow mended. Wisps of green and purple glowing energy flow outward from your palms toward her, but try as you might, you just can't give her what she wants.
The glow fades and you feel somewhat drained. She looks furious. You're out of options. Fight or flight. What will it be? (set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You tried to use magic to heal the bandit's heart."))
>> [[Attack the bandit chief]]
>> [[Run away|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]](display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You quickly search the charred remains of the bandit chief hoping to find something useful. On her, you find a scorched belt pouch with something gemlike tucked inside, and around her neck, you spy a partially melted gold locket necklace. Her blackened longsword lies a few feet away.
The battle is still raging and the travelers need your help.
>> [[Take the belt pouch|Take the belt pouch from the bandit chief]]
>> [[Take the the gold necklace|Take the gold locket from the bandit chief]]
>> [[Help the travelers immediately|Join the travelers in defeating the rest of the bandits]]You hear something big moving in the dark trees behind you. It seems to be heading toward you and you'd rather not stick around to find out who it is or what it wants. You abandon the chesk and move forward, trying to find your way back to the road.
>> [[Continue|Keep searching for the east road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(set:_isWounded to false)(set:$Archie's condition to "undead")You lay your right hand upon Archie's (if:$Archie's HP is $Archie's maxHP)[inanimate body](else:)[decayed corpse(set:_isWounded to true)] and try to channel the magical force within you. Dark green flickering energy flows outward from your palm into the dead mouse. The glow fades and you feel somewhat drained.
You watch as the dead mouse stirs, then sluggishly stands up from his grave. He seems to be looking at you(if:_isWounded is true)[, which is odd, since he has no eyeballs].(set:$companion to $Archie)(if:$Archie's condition is "undead")[(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You turned Archie into your undead companion."))](else-if:_isWounded is true)[(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You restored Archie the Mouse Hero to life."))]
>> [[Continue|Cast a spell on Archie]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"How did you die?")
You hear an annoyed voice reply:
($npcSays:"Cheese. A huge wheel of it. The thing fell on me when I wasn't looking. Death by dragon would have been fine. Or being blasted by a wicked wizard's fireball. Pretty much anything, but this. Beware the cheese wheel.")
You don't feel especially enlightened by this exchange.]
>> [[Try casting another spell|Cast a spell on Archie]]
>> [[Rebury the casket and leave|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]
>> [[Head into the town of Fellbridge|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"Where did you hide the treasure?")
A squeaky, yet somehow overly dramatic voice responds:
($npcSays:"The crow knows. Beg at the feet of the crow.")
You don't feel especially enlightened by this exchange.
>> [[Try casting another spell|Cast a spell on Archie]]
>> [[Rebury the casket and leave|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]
>> [[Head into the town of Fellbridge|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"What happened to Fellbridge?")
A squeaky yet exasperated voice responds:
($npcSays:"Honestly, I have no idea. It was dead when I got here. I heard a rumor that there was a dragon here, but from what I saw in the debris, it was just a large wooden statue with a device that shot out flames. The thing apparently wasn't very stable and exploded. Burned down most of the village. I had nothing to do with it, I swear. ")
You don't feel especially enlightened by this exchange.]
>> [[Try casting another spell|Cast a spell on Archie]]
>> [[Rebury the casket and leave|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]
>> [[Head into the town of Fellbridge|Approach the town of Fellbridge]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You climb into the well and begin to carefully descend using the handholds. It's very dark and everything feels too close, as if you were about to be swallowed up.
Handhold by handhold, you descend deeper and deeper into the pitch black. At last you reach the bottom. The walls and floor feel damp, but there's not much water here.
You see a moss-covered wooden door in the wall. It doesn't seem to be locked.
>> [[Go through the door|Go through the well door]]
>> [[Climb back up out of the well]]
(if:$companion's name is not "none")[(set:$compAction to (either:...(a:"idle","chat","follow")))(if:$companion's name is "Archie")[(set:$compsayings to $ArchieSayings)(if:$companion's condition is "undead")[(set:$compactions to $ArchieUndeadIdles)](else:)[(set:$compactions to $ArchieAliveIdles)]](if:$compAction is "chat")[(print:$companion's name) says: (text-color:$ghosttext)[//(print:$compsayings's random)//]](else-if:$compAction is "idle")[(if:(passage:)'s tags contains "indoors")[(print:$compsayings's random)](else:)[(print:$compactions's random)]](else-if:$compAction is "follow")[(print:$companion's followText)]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You start to climb back out of the well. It seems harder to find the handholds on the way up. Your hands reach for one hold, only to feel it crumble away. Others feel slick and untrustworthy. You slowly make your way up and almost to the top when suddenly the rock you're gripping comes free, sending you off balance.
For a moment, you hang precariously with the dark abyss beneath and small cutout of stars above. Time stops. Then it starts again when you fall backward, the sky getting farther and farther away.
You reach out, but grab nothing.
It's familiar, this feeling of weightlessness. You don't want to think about what comes next.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "That Went Well")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You smell a dank musty smell when you open the door. Peering inside, you see a narrow passage, just barely tall enough for a person to fit through. (if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[The light from (print:$lightsource's propname) illuminates a few feet ahead. On the right wall just beyond the door, someone has carved the image of (print:$player's patron). You move forward carefully until at last you come to a place where the passage divides. The right path slopes downward. The left path appears level and slightly sandy. You feel a slight breeze coming from the left.](else:)[ It's extremely dark beyond this point. You proceed cautiously, one hand on the wall to your right, the other hand before you, testing and probing for whatever lies ahead. Eventually you come to a spot that feels different. There's a breeze from the left. You hear a slow dripping sound coming from the right where the ground beneath you seems to be sloping downward.] (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Follow the left passage|Follow the left secret passage I]]
>> [[Follow the right passage|Follow the right secret passage I]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You head left toward the breeze and hope that some sort of exit or opening lies in this direction. As you move through the dark passage, you run your hand along the rough-hewn wall. It feels damp and very cold. The ground beneath your feet seems to be a mix of sand and loose gravel.
Far ahead, you see a dull greenish light, too steady to be from a flame. You're not certain what or who is out there. To your left, you notice a narrow side passage that is partially blocked with debris.
>> [[Continue toward the light|Follow the left secret passage toward the light]]
>> [[Take the side passage|Take the side route in the left secret passage]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You follow the right passage and begin what seems to be a long descent into an even deeper darkness. Every so often you hear footsteps behind you, but it's impossible to tell who or what is following. Or if anyone or anything is actually there.
You press on until at last the passage begins to widen out. You can longer feel the walls when you reach out with your arms to your side. (if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[The passage ends abruptly in a sharp dropoff directly ahead of you. To your right, stairs have been cut into the rock.](else:)[The air feels different here. You kick a stone and hear it clatter as it bounces a long way down, then nothing but silence.] You hear the rushing sound of a river deep below, just out of sight. (display:"displayLight")
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[>> [[Take the stairs down|Follow the stairs to the river below]]](else:)[>> [[Feel around for a path|Feel around for a path down to the river]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"I really don't know")
You speak and feel a mixture of shame and relief as you admit you really have no clue what you're looking for or why.
The ghostly figure nods, then with a grand gesture opens her arms wide. The burial mound divides revealing a set of stairs descending into the darkness below.
($npcSays:"All paths end in the kingdom of night.
Do you dare journey below to find the answers you seek?")
>> [[Go down the stairs|Descend into the catacombs]]
>> [[Return the woods|Head back to the old forest east road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Still uncertain what to expect, you steel your heart and descend into the burial mound one step at a time. As you enter, a number of pale white stones along the perimeter begin to glow, gradually filling the room with dim light. When your eyes adjust, you find yourself in an oval burial chamber with a large ornately carved stone coffin presumably belonging to someone of great importance. On the far wall, you see an open door fashioned of stone. It looks incredibly heavy and hard to move. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Examine the stone coffin|Examine the stone coffin in the catacombs entrance]]
>> [[Try to take a glowing stone|Try to take a glowing stone in the catacombs]]
>> [[Go through the door|Catacombs Windy Path]](display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"Is there any other path?")
The thought of descending into the depths of an ancient tomb terrifies you. Surely there must be someplace else she could direct you to.
She seems annoyed with your refusal. This time, she raises her arms and brings them together. The burial mound closes and on the ground before, three rings of fire appear.
($npcSays:"If you will not take the path of the dead, you must choose one of these. Earth. Wind. Or water.")
The fiery portals light up left to right as she says their names.
>> [[Choose the path of earth|Appear at the cavern chamber]]
>> [[Choose the path of wind|Appear at the tower approach]]
>> [[Choose the path of water|Appear at the underground river access]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You aren't certain why your drawn to the skull, but find yourself compelled to take it with you. As you pick it up, you think you hear whispering in the breeze. Something deep within you yearns to the deep woods you left behind. It's an odd melancholy feeling.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a skull full of yearning"))
You sense that it might be wise to leave soon and not disturb the body further.
>> [[Cross the river|Cross the river at the narrow upstream point]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"Perhaps I have what you're seeking?")
She looks expectantly at you. You rummage through your things, hoping that perhaps you have found something that might help put her to rest.
(if:$inv contains any of (a:"a skull full of yearning","a runeblade"))[You think you might have something useful.](else:)[You can't find anything that might relate to her.]
(if:$inv contains any of (a:"a skull full of yearning","a runeblade"))[
(if:$inv contains "a skull full of yearning")[>> [[Offer her the skull|Give the ghost elf her skull]]](else-if: $inv contains "a runeblade")[>> [[Offer her the runeblade|Give the ghost elf her sword]]]](else:)[>> [[Give her nothing|Give the ghost elf nothing]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You offer the ghostly figure the skull.
($playerSays:"Here, I believe this is yours.")
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You offer the ghost the runesword. Her eyes widen in recognition.
(text-colour:($ghosttext))[//How have you come by this sword? Runeswyrd was wielded by the mighty Siv, my sword protector. It has been long years since I last beheld its enchanted blade.
It has a tie to me, in a way, but not enough to lay me to rest. Keep it safe. Find where my body lies and bring something back. //]
>> [[Ask for directions back to the road|Ask ghost elf for directions]]
>> [[Ask for directions back to the river|Ask ghost elf for the path to the river]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You look up and show the ghostly elf your empty hands.
($playerSays:"I don't seem to have anything that might be yours.")
She nods sadly, then responds:
($npcSays:"I have been waiting for a long time. A few years, a few decades, or even a few centuries more—it all feels the same.")
A deep gloominess settles over her.
>> [[Ask for directions back to the road|Ask ghost elf for directions]]
>> [[Ask where her body is now|Ask ghost elf where her corpse is]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"What happened to your body? Where are your remains now?")
She seems genuinely moved by your interest in her predicament.
($npcSays:"I died many years ago. I believe it was near the river. Somewhere upstream. I fled my pursuers, but was weakened by a curse and died next to a boulder.")
(if:$hasVisitedElfGrave is true)[Her description sounds very familiar to you.](else:)[You don't recognize the location.]
>> [[Offer to retrieve something from her grave|Offer to get something from the elf grave]]
>> [[Ask for directions back to the road|Ask ghost elf for directions]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"Perhaps I can help you. I will try to find your grave and bring something back.")
The gloom lessens a bit, but you sense some hesitation in her voice.
($npcSays:"Others have promised before, but none have returned. The night is dark and dangerous. Be careful where you tread and what prizes you take.")(if:$lightsource's hasLight is false)[
She whispers a few words and you see a pebble on the ground begin to glow. When you pick it up, it illuminates the darkness around you allowing you to see. (set:$lightsource to $stonelight)(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a glowing pebble"))]
>> [[Ask for directions back to the road|Ask ghost elf for directions]]
>> [[Ask for directions back to the river|Ask ghost elf for the path to the river]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"How do I find the river?")
She places an immaterial hand upon your forehead. It feels cold and yet weightless.
Your mind is filled with a vision of the road winding eastward, and beyond it, a stone bridge that crosses a dark river. For a brief moment, you glimpse a large boulder far upstream. A fallen elf in dark robes lies on the ground. She turns into a skeleton, then just a bare patch of gravel and dirt. Darkness fills your mind and you are left only with a profound sadness and longing for home.
(if:$player's patron is "fish")[She looks into your eyes.
($npcSays:"I see. You are favored by the goddess of the waves. I will call upon her power to send you to the bridge where the worlds cross and paths divide. ")
Strange eldritch energies surge around you, overwhelming you with shadow and the sound of raging waters. You close your eyes, hoping to find yourself somewhere safe.
>> [[Continue|Teleport to the bridge]]](else:)[
>> [[Ask for directions|Ask ghost elf for directions]]
](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")When you open your eyes, you find yourself facing an old stone bridge that spans a rushing river. Your legs feel a little weak. (set:$followtext to $player's patron of $patronfollow)$followtext (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Look for a path along the river|Avoid the bridge and cross the river elsewhere]]
>> [[Investigate under the bridge|Spend some time to search the area around the bridge]]
>> [[Cross the bridge and continue east|Cross the bridge and continue on your way]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You (if:visits is 1)[emerge from the passage and] find yourself in a large round room, at the center of which is a gigantic glowing egg. The egg must be at least ten feet tall. All around are piles and piles of gold and silver coins. So much treasure!
You are excited, but then realize that interspersed with the coins are countless skeletons and dessicated corpses. Even as you stand here, you can feel some strange force drawing on your life energy, sucking it toward the great egg.
On the opposite side of the room, you see a red door.
>> [[Go through the red door|Go through the red door in the egg room]]
>> [[Take some treasure and run|Take treasure from the dragon egg room]]
>> [[Touch the egg|Touch the dragon egg]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You spend some time removing fallen rock and earth, trying to clear a path through this partially blocked side passage. As far as you can tell, the collapse was natural. The passage beyond the collapse, however, is not natural or even rough-hewn, but appears to be of great antiquity. Carefully fitted stones and a floor worn smooth from many feet suggest that this path was once well-used. It's not clear who might have used this place or where this path goes.
Having cleared the way, you press forward down the side passage until you come to an end. (if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[The light from (print:$lightsource's propname) reveals a massive bronze door intricately carved with a (print:$player's patron).](else:)[As you reach forth into the darkness with your hands, you discover that the wall before is not a wall, but a large metal door covered with intricate carvings. It's too dark to tell what the carvings depict.]
>> [[Open the door|Open the large bronze door in the secret passage]]
>> [[Retrace your steps back to the collapse|Go back to the collapse in the secret passage]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(set:$isRopeLadderAtWell to true)(set:$inv to $inv-(a:"a rope ladder"))You climb into the well and use the rope ladder to carefully descend. It's very dark and everything feels too close, as if you were about to be swallowed up.
Rung by rung, you descend deeper and deeper into the pitch black. As you make your way down, you can hear bits and pieces of the well wall crumble and fall down. On closer inspection, many of the handholds appear quite fragile. You finally reach the bottom. The walls and floor feel damp, but there's not much water here.
You see a moss-covered wooden door in the wall. It doesn't seem to be locked.
>> [[Go through the door|Go through the well door]]
>> [[Climb back up the ladder|Use the rope ladder to climb out of the well]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")With great effort, you push open the great bronze door. As you enter, hundreds of tiny lights spark into existence, dimly lighting the space. (display:"displayLight")
Beyond the door, you find a large chamber that slopes down around forty feet before leveling off into a stage. There are rows and rows of benches. It looks like some sort of amphitheatre, except it is only a half-circle and instead of continuing, there is a great towering white wall that appears perfectly smooth.
Far below you just to the left of the stage, you see a small door.
>> [[Go through the small stage door]]
>> [[Sit down on one of the benches]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You turn back and follow the passage back to the main passage, carefully working your way past the partial collapse. When you emerge, you breathe a sigh of relief and consider your options.
To your left, much further down the main passage where you were headed, you see a dull greenish light, too steady to be from a flame. To your right, the passage returns to the door that leads to the bottom of the well.
>> [[Head left toward the light|Follow the left secret passage toward the light]]
>> [[Return to the bottom of the well]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You're not certain what lies further down the passage way, but worry about the downward slope. Perhaps it's better to return to the surface?
It doesn't take you long to retrace your steps. Once again you find yourself staring up from the bottom of the well. You can see only a tiny patch of the sky, each star the finest pinprick in the dark fabric of night. It feels like a long way up.
It's very cold and dark here. Your breath slips free from you—part fog, part ghost. //Is this what dying feels like?//
You rub your hands together and begin to climb back up the way you came.
(if:$isRopeLadderAtWell is true)[>> [[Continue|Use the rope ladder to climb out of the well]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Climb back up out of the well]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You start climbing the rope ladder one rung at a time. It's slow going, but somehow it feels safer to rely on this strange ladder you were given, than to trust the crumbling handholds in the side of the well.
Slowly, but surely you make your way up.
As you approach the top, you notice that ladder has extended itself beyond the well opening and now stretches inexplicably into the sky. It seems to connect to a low cloud. It's still a long climb, but part of you is curious to see what lies at the end of the ladder.
>> [[Keep climbing up the rope to reach the cloud]]
>> [[Exit the well and stay on the ground]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You keep climbing higher and higher, the well and the abandoned town becoming smaller and smaller below you(if:$moveCounter<$timeOfDawn)[, then finally swallowed up in the darkness]. (set:$inv to $inv-(a:"a rope ladder"))
It's a long, exhausting climb, but when at last you reach the end of the rope, you find yourself atop a strangely solid cloud. There's a woman with long grey hair in a blinding white dress seated at a table. In front of her is a large book which she seems to be reading. Behind her are three doors that don't appear to go anywhere.
She looks up, clearly surprised to see you here.
($npcSays:"I wasn't expecting anyone. Who are you? And what did you come here to find?")
You're not certain what to make of this situation. Does she get a lot of visitors here?
>> [[Tell her that you're lost and just need a place to rest|Accidentally wandered into heaven]]
>> [[Tell her that you're seeking knowledge|Tell the secretary you want knowledge]]
>> [[Tell her that you'd like to speak to the person in charge|Tell the secretary you want to speak to the boss]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")When you reach the top of the well, you climb out of the well and let go of the rope. The rope remains in place, seemingly fixed to the cloud in the sky. (if:$companion's name is not "none")[
(display:"displayCompanion")]
>> [[Use the rope ladder to climb back down into the well|Use the rope ladder to climb down the well]]
>> [[Search the rest of the town|Search the abandoned town]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'm lost and looking for someplace to rest.")
The woman smiles and gestures behind her.
($npcSays:"You can rest here, friend.")
One of the doors opens sending a bright cascade of light into the space. The other doors have disappeared. From beyond the remaining door, you hear the sound of flowing water and can smell freshly baked bread. It does seem welcoming.
>> [[Continue|Step through the cloud door to heaven]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"I'm searching for knowledge.")
She glances at you, then beckons you closer. As she peers into your eyes, she mumbles phrases, not as if casting a spell, but instead as if she were reading some secret text inscribed on your soul.
You try looking into her eyes in return, but find yourself immersed in a galaxy of stars and mysterious lights moving in a gigantic void. There is an immensity there that escapes comprehension—at least, mortal comprehension.
You feel as if you are nothing, impossibly small and meaningless—and yet, somehow you were also everything, innumerable lines of light and life flowing into you, your body pulsing with stars and overflowing with names.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You attained divine enlightenment."))
Then it all vanishes and you are back in the original moment.
She smiles.
($npcSays:"All roads flow into one road, which not a straight line, but a circle of branches endlessly entwining.
Choose your own path.")
She gestures behind her and you see all three doors softly glow, one after the other.
>> [[Take the first door|Take the cloud door to the tower]]
>> [[Take the second door|Take the cloud door to the catacombs]]
>> [[Take the third door|Take the cloud door to the underground river]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")($playerSays:"Can I speak to whoever is in charge?")
The woman looks a bit annoyed by your question. She stares intently at you, as if you'd asked an extremely stupid question. You feel quite embarrassed now. You see a quill materialize in her hand and she strikes something out in the book, then closes it loudly.
($npcSays:"That can certainly be arranged. ")
She points behind you.
When you turn, you suddenly find yourself falling rapidly toward the earth, the cloud nowhere in sight.
>> [[Continue|Fall out of heaven]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You step through the door and find yourself bathed in bright light and warmth. There are thousands of puppies and kittens everywhere. Above the milling fuzziness and cuteness, you see a raised platform lined with a number of very comfortable-looking chairs and benches. Several large dogs move around towing little wagons filled with fresh bread. Seated on a large throne further up the hill in the middle of this space, you see a large rabbit drinking tea from a cup. It is the most beautiful rabbit you've ever seen.
A wave of peace and contentment settles over you and you feel sleepy. Perhaps this is the place of rest you've been looking for? As you settle into a chair, your eyelids feel heavy and you sink into a deep sleep. Every so often, you feel a soft nose or warm paw nudge you, as if to let you know that you are not alone. (set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You arrived in the Heaven of Animals"))
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "An Unexpected Heaven")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you step through the first door, it disappears behind you. You find yourself in a large empty room. At the center of the room, you see a complex ring of arcane formulae, the magical writing twisting and writhing as if it were alive. The circle glows expectantly.
You step in.
>> [[Continue|Appear at the tower approach]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you step through the second door, it disappears behind you. You find yourself in a small empty hallway with brilliant white walls. At the end of the passage, you see a glowing ring of fire, just large enough to step through.
Not seeing any other option, you step through.
>> [[Continue|Appear at the catacomb entrance]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you step through the third door, it disappears behind you. You find yourself in a large cavern, empty except for a strange glowing pool at the center. As you look out across the water, you notice that thin lines of magical energy writhe and twist themselves in its depths forming a golden circle just below the surface.
You wade into the water, pressing forward until at last you stand in the center of the circle. As you do so, you feel a thrumming in the air that seems to resonate with your whole body.
>> [[Continue|Appear at the underground river access]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")There is nothing visible below you, just an immense darkness. Wind roars in your ears and stings your eyes as you fall faster and faster, with no clue as to when you'll meet the ground. Not knowing terrifies you, almost as much as the certainty that the hard ground is there, waiting for your imminent arrival.
What a shame your ancestors never learned to fly.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Kicked Out of Heaven")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You descend into the valley, carefully navigating the thousands of fallen trees, all of them charred on one side. The air is thick with a sharp unfamiliar smell. The weird lightning aboves flashes and strikes, again and again. There is still no sound, just a place in the mind where sound should have happened, but didn't.
When you reach the stone block, you notice that each of the sides has been inscribed with strange symbols, a different one for each side. You're not certain if there is one beneath the block, but don't think it wise to try to move it to find out.
The symbols on the stone block glow faintly, pulsing with a regular rhythm as if alive.
>> [[Touch the stone block|Touch the alien stone block]]
>> [[Leave and continue heading south out of the valley]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The valley looks terrifying. Who or what could have done that to an entire forest? You decide to skirt the edge of the valley and try your best to continue south.
As you continue your journey, you pick your way through denser and denser forest. There are no paths here, just your sheer will and desperation to find someplace to shelter. It takes you another hour or two, but at last you see the forest start to thin and what looks like a road just beyond the trees.
When you arrive at the forest's edge, it is indeed an old road. Not far ahead, you can see the shadowy form of ruins. Perhaps there's a town ahead. Or at least, something that once was a town.
>> [[Continue|Approach the town of Fellbridge]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You make your way down the steps of the amphitheatre and cross the stage. The great white wall feels even more immense when you stand immediately below it. You don't linger, focusing instead on exploring beyond the next door. (display:"displayLight")
When you reach the small door, you find it partially open, so push it wider and step through.
>> [[Continue|Enter the backstage hallway]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you pass through the door, you feel a distinct chill come over you. The way before you is very dark. You don't see any doors or side passages, just a single narrow passage that seems to stretch out forever.
You keep walking. (display:"displayLight") (display:"displayCompanion")
>> [[Continue|Continue walking down the infinite hallway]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if:visits is 1)[The passage continues ahead of you proceeding deeper and deeper into the darkness. It feels like the walls are closing in on you. (display:"displayLight") (display:"describePatronFollow")](else-if:visits is 2)[ You've been walking for some time, but don't seem to be making any progress. There's still no sign of an exit and no other intersecting passages. You begin to worry that there is no end. (display:"displayLight")](else:)[It feels like you've been walking for over an hour with little to show for it, other than sore feet and the growing fear that this is how you will die. The darkness wraps its soft bandages around you, The air, thick and sufficating, feels almost like a wall pushing back on you, You find yourself stumbling forward, your hands out, hoping to catch a hold of something, anything. But there's nothing—just more darkness. (display:"displayLight")]
(if:visits<3)[>> [[Continue|Continue walking down the infinite hallway]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Stuck forever in the endless hallway]]](set:$followtext to $player's patron of $patronfollow)$followtext(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You continuing walking down the passage. One moment bleeds into another. It feels like hours have gone by. Perhaps a whole day? You're not certain. Your feet hurt and you're very tired, cold, and hungry.
You sit down, intending to rest just for a few minutes, but your eyes won't stay open. When you close your eyes, you see nothing—just the same engulfing darkness that you've been walking into for hours.
In your dream, you keep walking forward down a long passage. The way is narrow. Your light flickers for a while, then finally goes out. In the darkness, you can only hear your own breathing and the echo of footsteps reverberating in the deep. You're following someone, but they can't see you. You know they must be getting tired. If you just keep going, you'll catch up to them—but you're exhausted.
You sit down to take a short rest, but you can't escape the pull of sleep. Cold and weary, you drift off into a dream. Soon, it's dream after dream. Dreams within dreams. The tunnels crossover. The paths get confused. You can't find your way out.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Dreams Within Dreams")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Against your better judgment, you reach out and touch the strange glowing stone block. Violet lightning strikes the stone as you do so and suddenly you are thrown backward by an incredible magical force. The stone block lifts into the air and begins spinning rapidly.
You watched stunned as it rotates at incredible speed, rising 20 feet into the air, then slams down again into its original resting place. A different symbol is now showing on top.
Thin ribbons of smoke and purplish energy flow outward from the cube and entangle you. You find yourself drawn closer and closer to the glowing stone cube.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You touched the alien cube in the crater."))
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$teleportdestinations's random)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You decide not to touch the strange glowing stone block. Who knows what evil might befall someone foolish enough to trifle with such an baleful omen? Best to leave it alone.
You climb out of the valley, this time continuing south. Dust and ash are thick in the air as you make your way up, but finally you find yourself back in the living forest, dark as it may be. The woods are very dense here.
There are no paths here, just your sheer will and desperation to find someplace to shelter. It takes you another hour or two, but at last you see the forest start to thin and what looks like a road just beyond the trees.
When you arrive at the forest's edge, it is indeed an old road. Not far ahead, you can see the shadowy form of ruins. Perhaps there's a town ahead. Or at least, something that once was a town.
>> [[Continue|Approach the town of Fellbridge]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You take the stone stairs down toward the sound of the rushing water. The stairs bend around a corner and soon you're confronted with a view of a wide rapidly moving underground river. It's hard to gauge how deep the water is at this point, but you do see a small boat beached on your side of the river. Something appears to be written on its side. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Examine the boat more closely|Examine the rowboat beached on the river in the secret passage route]]
>> [[Try to jump across the river|Try to jump across the secret passage river]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You feel around in the dark trying to decide where to go next. You quickly realize that there's a steep drop immediately in front of you. To your right appears to be some sort of stairs carved into the stone that head further down. To your left, you sense a solid stone wall. You hear the sound of a rushing river far below you.
>> [[Follow the stairs|Follow the stairs to the river below]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[The small rowboat appears quite old and neglected. A thick layer of dust covers most of it, except for the side closest to the river. When you wipe clean the side of the boat, you see that someone has written //Robbie// in thick black paint.](else:)[You make out the rough outline of the boat and as you inspect it with your hands, get a general sense of its condition. It feels dusty and the wooden quite worn, no doubt a sign of its age. The side closest to the water's edge feels a bit damp. When you trace the surface of the writing with your fingers, you can't quite make out what has been written there.]
As you remove your hand from the boat, you see a strange red light appear floating inside the craft. It pulses softly, waxing and waning in intensity.
You hear an anxious voice emanating from the orb call out to you:
($npcSays:"I'm Robbie. I'll be your rowboat today. Would you like to cross the river? I'm very good at crossing the river. I've had 259 successful crossings. It has been 97,249 days since our last accident. Please say yes. I'm very alone. Did I say that out loud? Please forget that I said that.")
>> [[Let Robbie the Rowboat take you to the other side]]
>> [[Try to jump across instead|Try to jump across the secret passage river]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You run as fast as you can and attempt a running jump over the river. There's a brief moment as you're sailing through the darkness over the rushing waters when you think you're going to make it. But then you realize you're coming down too fast. The opposite river bank seems impossibly far out of reach. Everything slows in the instant before gravity claims, before the dark waves churning below open wide.
>> [[Continue|You fall into the secret passage river and freeze]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You've never met a talking rowboat before, but there's a first time for everything. You feel badly for the poor boat. You're guessing Robbie hasn't met anyone in ages.
($playerSays:"Ok?")
Why not? Might as well embrace every new adventure that comes your way. You push the boat off the shore and into the water, then climb in.
>> [[Continue|Robbie takes you to the other side]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You plunge into the dead center of the river and the cold dark water closes around you. pulling you down. As you struggle to surface, you find your breathing suddenly sharp and labored, your lungs seizing. Your heart pounds harder and harder, as if it were some great beast slamming itself against a prison door, eager to escape.
Something bursts within you, even as you reach up trying to grab onto an invisible hand, hoping someone is out there. But there's no one. Just the dark void and a silence so ancient and vast that its immensity swallows you whole.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Drowned in the Secret River")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you settle in, you hear the same voice continue:
($npcSays:"Welcome aboard! Please keep your appendages inside the vessel at all times. Do not feed the ravenous ghost fish should they approach. We will be embarking shortly. This is a short trip.")
Sure enough, the boat lurches forward. The oars operate themselves and after a few minutes, you find yourself landing safely on the other side.
The red orb glows warmly and you hear a short trumpet fanfare.
($npcSays:"Thank you for traveling with us on our 260th successful crossing. Hope to see you again! Please don't abandon me.")
You disembark the boat. On this side of the underground river, you see a single iron door. Above it someone has painted //Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here.// (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Enter through the door|Go through the passage door to the labyrinth]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$currentroom to "Labyrinth of no return")You disregard the warning and push the iron door open. It creaks as you step through, then clangs shut behind you reverberating all the way down the gloom shrouded halls beyond.
>> [[Continue|Labyrinth Main Hallway]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You follow the trail through the trees until at last you find yourself at the base of a hill. The trail seems to lead to an opening in its side. From where you stand, it doesn't appear to be a natural cave, but rather, some sort of ancient structure. Stone slabs frame the opening. It looks dark, and possibly quite deep. A burial mound or tomb? You're not certain.
There are bones strewn about the entrance. Something likely lives here. Or at least lived here at some point. You hope for the latter. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Examine the bones|Examine the bones at the lair entrance]]
>> [[Go through the opening|Enter the troll lair]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You study the bones up close and confirm that they are human, or at least, humanoid. More disturbingly, you spot distinctive bite and chew marks, suggesting some large has been gnawing on them.
Old clothes and discarded armor sit in a large pile, clearly set aside with some measure of intelligence. You can hear rumbling coming from somewhere much further in. It sounds like something snoring.
>> [[Search the pile|Search the troll discard pile]]
>> [[Enter the lair|Enter the troll lair]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You ignore the pile of bones and debris and step boldly through the opening into the darkness. There's something dank and moldy here—you can smell it in the air. Despite the mustiness, the inside of this underground chamber looks surprisingly neat and tidy.
From what you can make out, this chamber appears to have been carved by hand and features a number of ornately crafted pillars. The floors appear to have been recently swept.
You hear heavy footsteps approaching.
>> [[Continue|Encounter the troll]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You climb back down the tree, moving carefully as you to avoid falling down.
It is quite dark now. Deep in the forest to your left, you still hear noises. It sounds like there's something large moving through the trees. Further ahead and up the hill to the right, you can barely make out the silhouette of some sort of tower or fort, its great black bulk almost invisible against the night sky.
>> [[Investigate the strange noises in the forest]]
>> [[Press forward and head toward the tower]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LG2)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LG2 to $currentLab)]You squeeze through the entrance and find yourself in a large room filled with rubbish, mud, and whatever debris was washed down the hall in some ancient flood.
On the opposite wall, you spot two darkened alcoves. In the rightmost one, a tall stone statue of a cloaked man with prominent teeth stands with one foot resting on the severed head of a human male. The statue is intricately carved out of some sort of dark stone, possibly onyx, with strange red veins that flicker and pulse as if alive. On its brow, the figure wears a gold crown studded with gems. In the other alcove lie the remains of a second figure, but it is near impossible to determine who or what it was.
To the left, an entry opens to another passage. Tracks go in that direction. To your right, you see that the wall has been partially broken, revealing another space beyond.
>> (link-goto:"Follow the left passage",$LG2's left)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the hole in the wall on the right",$LG2's right)
>> [[Take the gold crown|Remove the gold crown from the vampire prince in LG2]]
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LP1)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LP1 to $currentLab)(set:$LP1's isSolved to false)]You find yourself in a modest-sized ritual room filled with all sorts of debris. There is a door on each wall. In the center of the room is some sort of raised pedestal altar.
You see an assortment of broken dishes, rusted goblets, and discarded bones scattered about the space. A distinct water line can seen near the ceiling, suggesting that this room has been flooded in the past. (if:visits is 1)[
The door behind you suddenly clangs shuts. The doors on the other walls remain closed. You hear water begin to pour into the room. ]
(if:$LP1's isSolved is false)[>> [[Search the room for anything useful|Search the room LP1]]
>> [[Try to break down a door|Break down a door in LP1]]](else:)[>> (link-goto:"Go through the left door",$LP1's left)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the right door",$LP1's right)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the door across from you",$LP1's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back to the previous room",$lastroom)](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LG1)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LG1 to $currentLab)(set:$doorsymbols to (shuffled:"crow","wolf","fish","three-eyed raven"))(if:$doorsymbols's 4th is ($player's patron))[(set:$doorsymbols's 2nd to $player's patron)]You step into the darkness and to your surprise, torches ignite on each of the walls as if sensing your presence.
]A single large statue of a man being gored by a bull dominates the otherwise empty room. The torchlight causes the statue's figures to cast long shadows that dance ominiously across the faded stone walls. The floor is covered in a thick undisturbed dust, aside from a single path that heads forward to the door across from you.
You count three torches, one on each wall, and beside each torch, a solid oak door, firmly closed.
>> [[Examine the statue|Examine the statue of the man killed by the bull in LG1]]
>> [[Examine the torches|Examine the torches in LG1]]
>> [[Examine the doors|Examine the doors in LG1]]
>> (link-goto:"Go back to the previous room",$lastroom)(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LP2)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LP2 to $currentLab)]Puzzle 2
>> (link-goto:"Go through the left door ",$LP2's left)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the right door",$LP2's right)
>> (link-goto:"Go forward through the far door",$LP2's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LS1)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LS1 to $currentLab)]Setback 1
>> (link-goto:"Go through the left door ",$LS1's left)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the right door",$LS1's right)
>> (link-goto:"Go forward through the far door",$LS1's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LS2)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LS2 to $currentLab)]Setback 2
>> (link-goto:"Go through the left door ",$LS2's left)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the right door",$LS2's right)
>> (link-goto:"Go forward through the far door",$LS2's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LB1)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LB1 to $currentLab)]Big Battle 1
>> (link-goto:"Go through the left door ",$LB1's left)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the right door",$LB1's right)
>> (link-goto:"Go forward through the far door",$LB1's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LR1)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LR1 to $currentLab)]Reward 1
>> (link-goto:"Go through the left door ",$LR1's left)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the right door",$LR1's right)
>> (link-goto:"Go forward through the far door",$LR1's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LF1)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LF1 to $currentLab)]Finale
>> [[Continue|Labyrinth Game End]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LH1)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LH1 to $currentLab)]A long dusty hallway stretches out before you. The walls and floor are made of carefully fitted stone blocks. A little further down the passage, you see two iron doors. One on the left side of the passage and the other on the right. Both appear quite rusted and heavy-looking. (display:"displayLight") (print:$LH1's detail)(if:visits>1)[
You've been here before. Or at least, someplace very similar to this.]
>> (link-goto:"Open the door on the left",$LH1's left)
>> (link-goto:"Open the door on the right",$LH1's right)
>> (link-goto:"Proceed down the passage",$LH1's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You examine the torches in the room and notice that none of them are truly fixed in place. Each is loose enough to be removed from its sconce.
>> [[Remove the left torch|Remove the left torch from LG1]]
>> [[Remove the right torch|Remove the right torch from LG1]]
>> [[Remove the torch on the opposite wall|Remove the forward torch from LG1]]
>> [[Leave the torches alone|Leave the torches in place in LG1]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Each door appears to be solid oak and inexplicably unaffected by the ravages of time and neglect. No doubt some powerful sorcery wards these portals. But what magic?
Carved into the surface of each door is a symbol. The left door features a carving of a (print:$doorsymbols's 1st). On the right door is an engraving of a (print:$doorsymbols's 2nd). The far door opposite you has the symbol of a (print:$doorsymbols's 3rd).
You try pushing and pulling on the doors, but none of them will open. There must be some sort of trick or mechanism to get them to open.
>> [[Continue|Labyrinth Guardian 1]]
(if:$currentroom is not (passage:)'s name)[(set:$lastroom to $currentroom)(set:$currentroom to (passage:)'s name)](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")You attempt to return to the entrance, but when you arrive back at the iron door, it is sealed shut. You can see now that the surface of the door is covered with signs of repeated blows from hammers and blades, all of which failed to leave more than scratches. A single dark rust-colored handprint stands out against all the marks, as if partly a warning and partly an act of defiance. You don't think that you'll be able to leave this way.
You shake your head and turn back.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$lastroom)(set:$detail to "")(set:_newDetail to "")(set:_newDetail to (either:"none","none","none","none","trails","noises"))(if:_newDetail is "trails")[(set:$detail to (either:...$labyrinthTrails))](else-if:_newDetail is "noises")[(set:$detail to (either:...$labyrinthNoises))](else:)[(set:$detail to "")](set:$currentLab's detail to $detail)(set:$LH1 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Hall 1","type","hall","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LH2 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Hall 2","type","hall","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LH3 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Hall 3","type","hall","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LH4 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Hall 4","type","hall","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LG1 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Guardian 1","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LG2 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Guardian 2","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LG3 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Guardian 3","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LG4 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Guardian 4","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LP1 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Puzzle 1","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LP2 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Puzzle 2","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LP3 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Puzzle 3","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LP4 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Puzzle 4","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LS1 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Setback 1","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LS2 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Setback 2","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LS3 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Setback 3","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LS4 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Setback 4","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LB1 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Big Battle 1","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LB2 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Big Battle 2","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LB3 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Big Battle 3","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LB4 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Big Battle 4","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LR1 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Reward 1","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LR2 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Reward 2","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LR3 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Reward 3","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LR4 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Reward 4","type","room","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LF1 to (datamap:"name","Labyrinth Finale","type","end","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$labhalls to (a:$LH1,$LH2,$LH3,$LH4))
(set:$labguards to (a:$LG1,$LG2,$LG3,$LG4))
(set:$labpuzzles to (a:$LP1,$LP2,$LP3,$LP4))
(set:$labsetbacks to (a:$LS1,$LS2,$LS3,$LS4))
(set:$labbattles to (a:$LB1,$LB2,$LB3,$LB4))
(set:$labrewards to (a:$LR1,$LR2,$LR3,$LR4))
(set:$labrooms to (a:$LF1))
(set:$labrooms to $labrooms+$labhalls+$labguards+$labpuzzles+$labsetbacks+$labbattles+$labrewards)
(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LG1)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LG1's left to _left)(set:$LG1's right to _right)(set:$LG1's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LG1's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LH1)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LH1's left to _left)(set:$LH1's right to _right)(set:$LH1's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LH1's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LG2)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LG2's left to _left)(set:$LG2's right to _right)(set:$LG2's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LG2's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LG3)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LG3's left to _left)(set:$LG3's right to _right)(set:$LG3's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LG3's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LG4)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LG4's left to _left)(set:$LG4's right to _right)(set:$LG4's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LG4's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LH2)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LH2's left to _left)(set:$LH2's right to _right)(set:$LH2's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LH2's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LH3)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LH3's left to _left)(set:$LH3's right to _right)(set:$LH3's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LH3's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LH4)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LH4's left to _left)(set:$LH4's right to _right)(set:$LH4's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LH4's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LP1)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LP1's left to _left)(set:$LP1's right to _right)(set:$LP1's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LP1's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LP2)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LP2's left to _left)(set:$LP2's right to _right)(set:$LP2's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LP2's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LP3)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LP3's left to _left)(set:$LP3's right to _right)(set:$LP3's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LP3's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LP4)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LP4's left to _left)(set:$LP4's right to _right)(set:$LP4's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LP4's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LS1)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LS1's left to _left)(set:$LS1's right to _right)(set:$LS1's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LS1's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LS2)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LS2's left to _left)(set:$LS2's right to _right)(set:$LS2's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LS2's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LS3)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LS3's left to _left)(set:$LS3's right to _right)(set:$LS3's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LS3's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LS4)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LS4's left to _left)(set:$LS4's right to _right)(set:$LS4's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LS4's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LB1)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LB1's left to _left)(set:$LB1's right to _right)(set:$LB1's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LB1's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LB2)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LB2's left to _left)(set:$LB2's right to _right)(set:$LB2's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LB2's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LB3)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LB3's left to _left)(set:$LB3's right to _right)(set:$LB3's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LB3's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LB4)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LB4's left to _left)(set:$LB4's right to _right)(set:$LB4's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LB4's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LR1)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LR1's left to _left)(set:$LR1's right to _right)(set:$LR1's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LR1's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LR2)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LR2's left to _left)(set:$LR2's right to _right)(set:$LR2's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LR2's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LR3)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LR3's left to _left)(set:$LR3's right to _right)(set:$LR3's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LR3's detail to $detail)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-$LR4)(set:_left to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_left)(set:_right to _labnext's random)(set:_labnext to $labrooms-_right)(set:_forward to _labnext's random)(set:$LR4's left to _left)(set:$LR4's right to _right)(set:$LR4's forward to _forward)(display:"describeLabyrinthDetails")(set:$LR4's detail to $detail)(set:$labhalls to (a:"Labyrinth Hall 1","Labyrinth Hall 2","Labyrinth Hall 3"))
(set:$labguards to (a:"Labyrinth Guardian 1","Labyrinth Guardian 2","Labyrinth Guardian 3"))
(set:$labpuzzles to (a:"Labyrinth Puzzle 1","Labyrinth Puzzle 2"))
(set:$labsetbacks to (a:"Labyrinth Setback 1","Labyrinth Setback 2"))
(set:$labbattles to (a:"Labyrinth Big Battle 1","Labyrinth Big Battle 2"))
(set:$labrewards to (a:"Labyrinth Reward 1","Labyrinth Reward 2"))
(set: $labspaces to (a:)+$labhalls+$labguards+$labpuzzles+$labsetbacks+$labbattles+$labrewards)
(set:$labvisited to 0)
(set:$LH1 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Hall 1","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LH2 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Hall 2","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LH3 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Hall 3","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LH4 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Hall 4","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LG1 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Guardian 1","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LG2 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Guardian 2","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LG3 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Guardian 3","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LG4 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Guardian 4","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LP1 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Puzzle 1","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none","isSolved",false,"waterlevel",0))
(set:$LP2 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Puzzle 2","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LP3 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Puzzle 3","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"l))
(set:$LP4 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Puzzle 4","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LS1 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Setback 1","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LS2 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Setback 2","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LS3 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Setback 3","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LS4 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Setback 4","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LB1 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Big Battle 1","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LB2 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Big Battle 2","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LB3 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Big Battle 3","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LB4 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Big Battle 4","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LR1 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Reward 1","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LR2 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Reward 2","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LR3 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Reward 3","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LR4 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Reward 4","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))
(set:$LF1 to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Finale","left","none","right","none","forward","none","detail","none"))(set:$labyrinthTrails to (a:"You notice drag marks in the dust as if something heavy had been pulled down the hall and through the door to the left.","You see deep grooves in the left wall, claw marks left by something very large and powerful.","The walls and floor are scorched and blackened from a very hot fire. Something must have burned with an intense heat here. All that's left is ash and charcoal.","The floor is oddly free of dust and debris.","You see faded handprints on the wall that appear to climb upward and across the ceiling.","The floor is covered with old runes, too worn to make sense of.","You see a trail of gnawed bones. You're not certain how old the remains are, but you think some of them look to be human.","There's something written on the door to the left. Unfortunately it's too faded to read."))(set:$labyrinthNoises to (a:"Off in the distance, you hear something by dragged across the stone tiles.","It is strangely silent. Although, as you think about it, you're not certain what sounds you would expect hear in these forgotten halls.","You hear a distant clang. Like a gate or portcullis closing.","In the darkness you think you hear someone or something whispering.","There's a low groaning sound from off in the distance.","You think you hear a distant roar.","You hear scuttling in the dark. Beetles, most likely.","You hear rats scurrying in the shadows. At least, you hope that they're rats."))(set:$labyrinthSmells to (a:"An odd scent hangs in the air. Rosemary? Lavender? You're not certain where it's coming from.","Something smells rotten. Really rotten.","There's a foul stench in the air.","You can smell the faint scent of something burning.","There's a musty odor here.","It smells like something died here."))(set:$labvisited to $labvisited+1)(set:$labspaces to $labspaces-(a:$currentLab's name))(if:$labspaces's length>0)[(set:$tleft to $labspaces's random)(set:$labspaces to $labspaces-(a:$tleft))](else:)[(set:$tleft to "Labyrinth Finale")](if:$labspaces's length>0)[(set:$tright to $labspaces's random)(set:$labspaces to $labspaces-(a:$tright))](else:)[(set:$tright to "Labyrinth Finale")](if:$labspaces's length>0)[(set:$tforward to $labspaces's random)](else:)[(set:$tforward to "Labyrinth Finale")](set:$currentLab's left to $tleft)(set:$currentLab's right to $tright)(set:$currentLab's forward to $tforward)(set:$labtemp to $labhalls)(set:$labtemp to $labtemp-(a:$currentLab's name))(set:_hallexit to (either:"left","right","forward"))(if:$labvisited is 5)[(set:$texit to "Labyrinth Finale")](else:)[(set:$texit to $labtemp's random)](if:_hallexit is "left")[(set:$currentLab's left to $texit)](else-if:_hallexit is "right")[(set:$currentLab's right to $texit)](else:)[(set:$currentLab's forward to $texit)](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LH2)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LH2 to $currentLab)]You follow the wide passageway which gradually slopes down toward a set of thick iron doors, that, although darkened by age, appear sturdy and still functional. The passage walls have fared better than the ones in the main chamber. On both sides you see scenes of violence and torture—the dominant creatures appearing humanoid, but with pale skin, fiery eyes, and dark cloaks—always surrounded by rivers of blood, in the act of feasting on the bodies of those they vanquished.
At the bottom of the passageway, you find the left door is partially open and there is evidence that something squeezed through here recently. You can see more passages beyond, one heading to the left, another to the right, and yet another continuing forward. (display:"displayLight") (if:visits>1)[
All this is just as eerie as the first time you passed through here.]
>> (link-goto:"Take the left passage",$LH2's left)
>> (link-goto:"Take the right passage",$LH2's right)
>> (link-goto:"Continue forward",$LH2's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LB2)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LB2 to $currentLab)]Big Battle 2
>> (link-goto:"Go through the left door ",$LB2's left)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the right door",$LB2's right)
>> (link-goto:"Go forward through the far door",$LB2's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LR2)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LR2 to $currentLab)](else:)[You recognize this room. ]Reward 2
>> (link-goto:"Go through the left door ",$LR2's left)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the right door",$LR2's right)
>> (link-goto:"Go forward through the far door",$LR2's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(set:$labvisited to $labvisited+1)(set:$labtemp to $labspaces)(set:$labtemp to $labtemp-(a:$currentLab's name))(set:$tleft to $labtemp's random)(set:$labtemp to $labtemp-(a:$tleft))(set:$tright to $labtemp's random)(set:$labtemp to $labtemp-(a:$tright))(set:$tforward to $labtemp's random)(set:$currentLab's left to $tleft)(set:$currentLab's right to $tright)(set:$currentLab's forward to $tforward)(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LH3)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LH3 to $currentLab)]As you enter this oddly shaped annex, you note two solid doors flanking you on the right and left which appear to be made of some sort of wood which has inexplicably withstood the rot that pervades the rest of this ruined temple. Both doors gape open about a foot. Another door, also ajar, is situated in the truncated corner of the far wall before you. A foul stench emanates from the open door on the right, on the left you hear nothing but see the evidence of old water damage.
>> (link-goto:"Go through the left door ",$LH3's left)
>> (link-goto:"Go through the right door",$LH3's right)
>> (link-goto:"Go forward through the far door",$LH3's forward)
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$currentLab to $LG3)(display:"setLabRoomExits")(display:"setLabyrinthDetail")(set:$LG3 to $currentLab)(set:$labspaces to $labspaces+(a:$LG3's left)+(a:$LG3's right)+(a:$LG3's forward))]You find yourself in what was once a guardroom. Around you see the artifacts of the past: the remains of a desk, the stone frames of two beds whose mattresses have turned to dust, and a small pile of rusting swords and armor. (if:visits is 1)[A foul stench rises from two bodies which lie on the beds. Upon your entrance, they stir, rising with terrible groans as they lurch toward you.(set:$monster to $zombie)(set:$monster2 to $zombie)
>> [[Attack the zombies|Attack the zombies in LG3]]
>> [[Cast a spell|Use magic on the zombies in LG3]]
>> [[Try to escape|Run away from the zombies in LG3]]](else:)[
>> [[Search the room|Search LG3 for treasure]]
>> (link-goto:"Go back",$lastroom)](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You remove the torch from the wall and to your surprise (if:$doorsymbols's 1st is $player's patron)[the door opens before you. You see passage extending onward into the darkness. (if:$lightsource's count<10)[Trusting that its light will help you find your way, you carry the torch with you.(if:$lightsource's name is not "none")[ You cast aside (print:$lightsource's propname).] (set:$lightsource to $torchlight)](display:"displayLight")
This seems to be the way forward.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$LG1's left)](else:)[the statue of the bull begins to move and come to life. The stone bull stomps breaking free from the platform, casting off who knows how many centuries of dust and ash. You watch amazed and terrified as it lowers its head, then charges you at frightening speed. (set:$monster to $stonebull)(set:$isInCombat to true)
(display:"resolveMonsterAttack")
>> [[Continue|Attack the stone bull in LG1]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You remove the torch from the wall and to your surprise (if:$doorsymbols's 2nd is $player's patron)[the door opens before you. You see passage extending onward into the darkness. (if:$lightsource's count<10)[Trusting that its light will help you find your way, you carry the torch with you.(if:$lightsource's name is not "none")[ You cast aside (print:$lightsource's propname).] (set:$lightsource to $torchlight)](display:"displayLight")
This seems to be the way forward.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$LG1's right)](else:)[the statue of the bull begins to move and come to life. The stone bull stomps breaking free from the platform, casting off who knows how many centuries of dust and ash. You watch amazed and terrified as it lowers its head, then charges you at frightening speed. (set:$monster to $stonebull)
(display:"resolveMonsterAttack")
>> [[Continue|Attack the stone bull in LG1]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You remove the torch from the wall and to your surprise (if:$doorsymbols's 3rd is $player's patron)[the door opens before you. You see passage extending onward into the darkness. (if:$lightsource's count<10)[Trusting that its light will help you find your way, you carry the torch with you.(if:$lightsource's name is not "none")[ You cast aside (print:$lightsource's propname).] (set:$lightsource to $torchlight)](display:"displayLight")
This seems to be the way forward.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$LG1's forward)](else:)[the statue of the bull begins to move and come to life. The stone bull stomps breaking free from the platform, casting off who knows how many centuries of dust and ash. You watch amazed and terrified as it lowers its head, then charges you at frightening speed. (set:$monster to $stonebull)
(display:"resolveMonsterAttack")
>> [[Continue|Attack the stone bull in LG1]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You're not certain what to make of these torches. Something feels a bit off, so perhaps it's wiser to just leave them be.
You step back and consider your options.
>> [[Continue|Labyrinth Guardian 1]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:visits is 1)[Still reeling from the force of the bull's attack, you (if:$player's weapon is not "none" and $player's weapon is not "a fist")[draw your (print:$player's weapon) and] try to defend yourself. (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 2)[The stone bull stomps its feet, then charges again. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 3)[You struggle to stay on your feet, but pull yourself together. (display: "resolveAttack")(if:$monster's isDead is false)[(display:"resolveMonsterAttack")]](if:visits>3)[Your life hangs by a thread. One of you will perish, hopefully with the next blow. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")(display:"resolveAttack")]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is false)[>> [[Attack again|Attack the stone bull in LG1]]](else:)[>> [[Search the broken statue|Search the destroyed bull]]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Killed by the stone bull]]]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is true)[(set:_achieve to "You slew the stone bull in the labyrinth with your "+$player's weapon)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))(set:$hasLG1Defeated to true)>> [[Examine the room|Examine LG1 after battle]]](else:)[>> (link-goto:"Run away",$lastroom)]](set:$dieroll to (random:1,100))(if:$dieroll<$monster2's probhit)[(print:$monster2's hittext)(set:
$player's hp to $player's hp-$monster2's damage)(set:$player's isInjured to true)](else:)[(print:$monster2's misstext)] (if:$player's hp <1)[(set:$player's isDead to true)] (display:"updateMoveCounter")You lower yourself into the well, then try to reposition your feet and hands so that you can slowly work your way down to the water. For the most part, this seems to be working. Or it was, until you reach a patch of slick moss-covered wall and suddenly lose your grip.
>> [[Continue|Underground River Well Bottom]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You see an ancient stone tower rising above the trees, its stones even darker than the night. Thick vines cover the outer walls. An overgrown path cuts through the remains of a garden and leads to an open doorway. No door can be seen. You’d think it abandoned, were it not for the occasional flash of reddish light from the upper floors. You're not what secrets this tower might hold, but surely it will be a better place to shelter than the cold forest.
>> [[Follow the path to the front entrance|Tower Front Entrance]]
>> [[Head back into the forest|Leave the tower and return to the forest]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$guardianOffering to "none")You stand before an impressive doorway guarded by two horrific statues that flank the entrance. They appear to be unearthly beasts with lion-like bodies, but a single eye wreathed with tentacles instead of a face. The more you stare at the mass of writhing tentacles and the central eye, the more terrified you are. You think you see a ring of teeth? How can there be a mouth? How does any of this work? (display:"displayLight")
You have no idea what sort of beasts these statues are meant to represent, but you’re certain that you would not want to meet them in the flesh.
>> [[Examine the statues|Examine the tower guardian statues]]
>> [[Enter the tower|Tower Foyer]](display:"updateMoveCounter")The more you study the strange statue guardians, the more uneasy you feel. It's as if their eyes follow you everywhere, the tentacles seem to almost quiver in the growing darkness. You can't shake the feeling that somehow they are not made of stone at all, but are merely pretending to be stone and doing a really good job.
The statue on the left stands with its left clawed hand extended, as if waiting for something. Was there something you were supposed to offer? You can't remember.
>> [[Place an object in its claw|Place an object in the statue guardian hand]]
>> [[Ignore the statues and precede into the tower|Tower Foyer]](display:"updateMoveCounter")As you pass through the main entrance, you hear an audible hush and feel a cold chill across your neck. When your eyes adjust, you see a large front desk in the center of the room. Seated behind it is a skeleton, partially sprawled across the counter as if they had died at their station.
Behind the desk, a long flight of stairs climbs upward to the next floor. Whatever tapestries or decor that once adorned the walls have long since crumbled to dust. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Examine the skeleton|Examine the skeleton librarian]]
>> [[Take the stairs up|Tower Library]](display:"updateMoveCounter")As you approach the front desk, the skeleton stirs and sits up straight. Two fiery pinpricks of light gleam in its skull, which turns to face you.
($npcSays:"Welcome to the Tower of Infinite Knowledge, Home to the Grand Interdimensional Archives, the Nexus of Worlds, the Well of Wisdom, etc. etc.")
The skeleton pauses, then gestures for you to come closer.(set:$booksOnMe to (find:_itm where $booklist contains _itm,...$inv))(if:$booksOnMe's length>0)[
($npcSays:"I see you have brought a book to return!")
(for:each _book,...$booksOnMe)[(set:_slink to "Return "+($theItem:_book))
>> (link-goto:_slink,_slink+" to the librarian")]
>> [[Don't give the librarian anything|Refuse to return books to librarian]]
](else-if:$inv contains "a library card application form")[(if: $inv contains any of $validIDs and $player's gp >0)[
($npcSays:"You have everything for your library card application.")
>> [[Turn in your application|Tell the skeleton that you have the form and items]]](else:)[
($npcSays:"Come back when you have everything for your library card application.")]](else:)[
($npcSays:"Do you have a library card?")
>> [[Yes|Tell the skeleton librarian you have a library card]]
>> [[No|Tell the skeleton librarian you have no library card]]
]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the stairs to next floor and soon find yourself in a large chamber filled with bookcases that run from ceiling to floor. Thousands upon thousands of books line the shelves that ring the room. Between bookcases on the outer wall, there are large windows that look out into the night sky. At the center of the room is a strange pool of black liquid which seems impossibly deep. (display:"displayLight")
A stone marker next to the pool appears to have something indecipherable written on it. When you take a second look, the writing changes and you read:
//All knowledge has a price. Pay and you will receive.//
>> [[Examine the windows|Examine the astral portals of the library]]
>> [[Throw something into the pool|Throw something into the library pool]]
>> [[Step into the dark pool|Appear at the Labyrinth]](display:"updateMoveCounter")The world bends and shimmers. Reality folds and refolds. Suddenly nothing is where it was supposed to be. You find yourself in a very dark room in which only a single iron door is visible. Above it someone has painted in glowing letters //Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here.// (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Go through the door|Go through the passage door to the labyrinth]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You find yourself in an enormous cavern, one with no visible ceiling. It’s incredibly dark and silent, other than the occasional drop of water falling from the stalactites far above your head. The air is musty and damp. There’s a faint smell of decay as well. You detect a slight breeze behind you. When you search for its source, you realize that there is a large crack in the wall that connects to an adjoining cave.
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[The light from (print:$lightsource's propname) illuminates just enough of the space for you to see a slow moving underground river that cuts across this cavern. On the side opposite from you, you see an old ironbox resting near a pile of bones and rusted armor.](else:)[You can hear water nearby. It sounds like a slow moving river, hopefully slow enough to cross safely.]
>> [[Go through the crack|Exit to the quarry cave]]
>> [[Follow the river to the left|Cave Path Left 1]]
>> [[Follow the river to the right|Cave Path Right 1]]
>> [[Cross the river|Cave Other Side]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You squeeze through the crack in the wall and find yourself in an even larger cavern, one with no visible ceiling. It’s incredibly dark and silent, other than the occasional drop of water falling from the stalactites far above your head. The air is musty and damp. There’s a faint smell of decay as well.
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[The light from (print:$lightsource's propname) illuminates just enough of the space for you to see a slow moving underground river that cuts across this cavern. On the side opposite from you, you see an old ironbox resting near a pile of bones and rusted armor.](else:)[You can hear water nearby. It sounds like a slow moving river, hopefully slow enough to cross safely.]
>> [[Follow the river to the left|Cave Path Left 1]]
>> [[Follow the river to the right|Cave Path Right 1]]
>> [[Cross the river|Cave Other Side]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:visits is 1)[You head left, following the river as you navigate the huge cavern. There’s a narrow, but well-defined path here which someone has clearly taken the time to carve out for travel. The path begins to climb as you head further upstream. Soon you](else:)[You] find yourself at the base of a waterfall, formed by the river breaking through the rocky wall of the cavern and cascading into a pool far below. (if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[You think you see something lying at the bottom of the waterfall pool.](else:)[In the darkness of the pool, you think you see something glowing at the bottom.]
>> [[Dive into the pool|Dive into the cavern pool]]
>> [[Search behind the waterfall|Look behind the waterfall]]
>> [[Go back|Cavern Big Chamber]](display:"updateMoveCounter")As you enter the cave, you realize that this cavern is much larger than you expected. It’s also clear that someone’s sheltered here before. You look around and see the remains of an old fire, as well as a stack of split wood and sticks, a rusty axe, and a pile of dried leaves and grass. You’re not certain where that person went, but you’re grateful for their preparations. You’d feel safe here, were it not for the big crack in the back wall which reveals a connection to another cave deeper into the mountain. Who knows what or who might be living there? Then again, perhaps there might something valuable hidden back there?
>> [[Shelter here for the night|Take shelter in the quarry cave]]
>> [[Return to the other cave|Cavern Big Chamber]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You head right, keeping the river to your left, and press forward through the dark cavern. As you travel, you notice that there is a well-defined path here that someone has carved out to make travel easier. After walking for a while, you find the river empties itself into a large underground lake.
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[The lake stretches out as far as you can see—there’s no path left to follow. You see the remains of a small boat, now little more than a collection of debris. You can tell that it has been torn in half by something powerful.](else:)[In the darkness, you can barely make out the outline of a small shipwreck on the shore.] (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Search the shipwreck|Search the cavern shipwreck]]
>> [[Dive into the lake|Dive into the cavern lake]]
>> [[Go back|Cavern Big Chamber]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You wade across the icy river. Thankfully it isn’t too deep, but it does chill you to the bone. Your breath fogs around you, trailing behind like smoke or a parade of ghosts who will not leave your side. As you wring out the water from your clothes, you cast your eyes about to get a better sense of what’s here.
>> [[Continue|Cavern Other Side 2]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You dive in, only to realize too late how terribly cold the water is as it closes around you. You blank out for a second, your heart stopping. Your whole body so heavy and numb, you feel like a stone statue sinking into the pool's dark unknown depths.
Far below you, something gleams. You're sinking and when you realize how far you've slipped below the surface, you begin to panic.
>> [[Swim toward the gleaming object below|Swim toward the gleaming thing in the cave pool]]
>> [[Try to make it back to the surface|Swim up toward the surface of the cave pool]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You creep along the edge of the pool and make your way to the waterfall. Surely there must be some sort of secret cave or chamber, right? It seems like it would be a waste of an adventure without something back here.
>> [[Continue|Explore behind the waterfall in the cave]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[You can see now that the old iron box is partially rusted through and should be easy to break open. The bones look to be those from three skeletons, at least, that’s how many skulls you can see in the pile. Humanoid, not animal. Most of their armor and gear has already disintegrated due to the damp environment, but you see something gleaming among their things.](else:)[It’s hard to tell for certain, but it seems like the iron box has already busted open. You’re not certain what else might be mingled in among the bones, but everything looks fragile or rusted through. Just as you’re about to look away, you notice that there something is glowing softly beneath the bones.]
You can feel a slight draft here.
>> [[Search the iron box|Search the cavern iron box]]
>> [[Search the pile of bones|Search the cavern pile of bones]]
>> [[Search for the source of the draft|Search for a hidden cavern exit]]
>> [[Return to the other side of the river|Cavern Big Chamber]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You follow the sloping tunnel down and arrive at an area that has been carved out as a staging area. Something is making a weird grinding whirring sound a few feet in front of you. (if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[As you look around, the light from (print:$lightsource's propname) reveals you are standing in front of a deep pit. You can see a large wooden box painted a dark shade of blue. Unfamiliar runes are engraven on a door on its side. To your left and right, two more tunnels extend into the darkness](else:)[It's too dark to tell for certain if there are more tunnels. You feel a damp draft coming from your right.] (display:"displayLight")
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is false)[>> [[Put your hand in front of you|Touch the darkness]]](else-if:$inv contains "a rope ladder")[>> [[Use your rope ladder to climb down to the box|Mine Shaft Bottom]]](else:)[>> [[Try to climb down the pit|Mine Shaft Bottom]]]
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is false)[>> [[Search to the left|Mine Left Tunnel]]](else:)[>> [[Head down the left tunnel|Mine Left Tunnel]]]
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is false)[>> [[Search to the right|Mine Right Tunnel]]](else:)[>> [[Head down the right tunnel|Mine Right Tunnel]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You climb back out of the mine and return to the suface.
Scattered bones lie strewn about the entrance. You think some are animal, but a few look like they belonged to some poor traveler who fell prey to whatever makes this place a home. Much further in, you see something gleaming softly on one of the walls of the cave.
You see an old game trail leading back into the deep forest.
(if: ($lightsource's hasLight is true))[As you stand here, the light from (print:$lightsource's propname) illuminates some of the mine passage behind you. There are deep grooves in the walls and ground, as if something large and powerful forced itself in—or out.](else:)[You can't see much behind you. The mine passage you left is pitch black. When you look back, it gapes wide like the giant maw of a monstrous whale waiting to swallow you whole. The air is pungent with a strange musk and the smell of your own fear.]
>> [[Enter the mine|Step into the mine]]
>> [[Turn back|Head back to the game trail]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:$lightsource's hasLight is false)[You feel around and discover an opening. It seems like it goes somewhere, so you ](else:)[ You take the left tunnel and ]follow it for a while. The rock here has been well-worked, some sections of the tunnel widen out for a bit, reflecting the size of the deposits found here. Who were these miners and what were they mining? Every so often you pause and pick up a loose rock at your feet and try to identify the ore, but the stones just look dull and grey. They don’t reveal much.
>> [[Continue|Mine Left Tunnel Chamber]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You follow the right tunnel into the darkness. The passage feels more rough-hewn than the other tunnels, perhaps a sign of hurried excavation. You keep one hand on the right wall to steady yourself, hoping not to stumble or fall.
>> [[Continue|Mine Right Tunnel 2]](display:"updateMoveCounter")At last you arrive at a grand chamber(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[, larger than any space you’ve seen yet. You lift (print:$lightsource's propname) and shine its light as far as you can. As the space illuminates, you look over the cavern and can see evidence of a large scale excavation. At the center of the room, still partially embedded in stone, is an enormous metallic object, roughly shaped like a disc. It appears to be perfectly smooth, except for a square opening in its side that quite obviously is a door. You think the interior of this metal object might be large enough to seat 2-3 people. How very strange. ](else:)[, or so it seems. The sound of your footsteps echo across a gigantic space. As your eyes adjust to the deep darkness, you notice a very faint glow coming from something large in the center of the room.] (display:"displayLight")
(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[>> [[Investigate the strange craft|Mine Spacecraft]]](else:)[>> [[Investigate the strange glowing object]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You enter through the square opening and find yourself inside a small round room. The curved walls do not appear to be made of stone, but constructed from sheets of cold metal interspersed with large transparent panels of crystal. In the center of the room is some sort of metal throne, the workmanship of you’ve never seen before.
The throne appears to be intricately fashioned from many thin wires of silver, platinum, and gold that intertwine, then cross the length of each side connecting a variety of small unrecognizable crystals and gems together.
On the ground before the throne is the desiccated corpse of some humanoid creature you don’t recognize. It appears to be in a uniform of some sort. At its side is a metal rod inscribed with strange runes.
>> [[Sit on the throne|Sit on the spaceship throne]]
>> [[Search the corpse|Search the alien corpse]]
>> [[Take the rod|Take the alien rod]][[Enter command]](display:"updateMoveCounter")The tunnel goes on for some time, steadily dropping, then making an abrupt right turn, then a left. It feels deliberate, purposeful, like someone heading toward something, rather than the usual exploratory nature of mining which excavates as it discovers, then keeps driving forward until there is nothing left in a vein.
>> [[Continue|Mine Right Tunnel End]](display:"updateMoveCounter")At last you find yourself at the end of the tunnel. There’s no chamber here, only a single shaft that drops at least 20 feet into the pitch dark, a dark so deep that you can sense it, even without light. When you listen closely you hear the sound of moving water. An underground river. There are handholds cut into the side of shaft going down.
>> [[Climb down the shaft|Climb down to Underground River Access]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You start carefully climbing down the shaft. As you make your way down one handhold and foothold at a time, the sound of the rushing water gets louder. The air is quite damp now, and, quite worringly, so are many of the holds in the rock.
Partway down you lose your grip and fall into the river below. Fortunately, you are able to pull yourself back out before getting swept away.
Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all. Where are you now?
>> [[Continue|Underground River Large Cavern]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$hasRiverSatchelBeenSearched to false)]You try not to panic, but find yourself struggling to not drown. Eventually you’re washed out into a larger cavern. You have no idea where you are. Above you, tiny pinpricks of light shine down like stars in a cavernous night sky. As you drag yourself out of the river and onto the shore, you see a rotting leather satchel nearby. There appears to be some sort of path that continues further downstream.
>> [[Examine the satchel|Examine the satchel by the labyrinth door]]
>> [[Follow the path downstream|Follow the underground river path downstream]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"submergedLight")Falling in the darkness, you scrabble and try to grab onto anything on the way down, but there’s nothing. You plunge into the icy water below. It’s frigid, but deep.
>> [[Continue|Underground River Current]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"submergedLight")(if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[While you are submerged, you can see by the light of (print:$lightsource's propname) that the well is joined to a large underground river whose current pulls you along, sweeping you out of the well and into the darkness.](else:)[You can’t see anything down below, but suddenly find yourself pulled deeper and further along by some subterranean current.]
>> [[Continue|Underground River Large Cavern]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$hasRiverSatchelBeenSearcherd to true)(set:$riversatchel to (a:"a faded sheet of parchment","a small metal box"))]You pick through the remains of the satchel and find (if:$riversatchel's length>0)[(print: (joined:", ",...$riversatchel)), and not much else.](else:)[nothing of interest.]
(if:$riversatchel contains "a small metal box" and "a faded sheet of parchment")[>> [[Take the metal box|Take the small metal box from the river]]
>> [[Take the faded sheet of parchment|Take the river character sheet]]] (else-if: $riversatchel contains "a small metal box")[>> [[Take the metal box|Take the small metal box from the river]]](else-if:$riversatchel contains "a faded sheet of parchment")[>> [[Take the faded sheet of parchment |Take the river character sheet]]]
>> [[Leave everything alone|Underground River Cavern Doorway]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Studying (display:"updateMoveCounter")Passing through the great stone door, you continue down the passage which descends further into the earth, then begins to curve to the left. The passage walls are lined with alcoves and shelves, each filled with the skulls of untold generations of elves. How many thousands of years must be represented here?
The passage is dimly lit by the occasional glowing stone. Every so often, you see a small indication that someone has been here before: a footprint, a bit of candle wax, a scrap of cloth, or a little piece of parchment. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue|Catacombs Split]](display:"updateMoveCounter")The passage splits into two, one fork heading to the left, the other turning into a short hall that ends with another stone door.
>> [[Take the left fork|Catacombs Left Passage]]
>> [[Take the right fork|Catacombs Right Passage]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You continue down the left passage, hoping to find whatever you were sent here to find. As you proceed, you get the sense that this passage winds in an ever wider spiral descending down. There must be something down here.
At last you reach the end of the long catacombs and find another stone door, this one apparently closed. You feel strangely compelled to touch it. When you do, you feel an unexpected warmth emanating from the door’s surface. The door begins to glow, then thin lines appear around the edges, and finally, at the center of the door, a complex sigil appears. The door soundlessly opens.
>> [[Continue|Catacombs Final Chamber]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You proceed down the short hallway to your right, arriving at a strange black door. It seems to pulsate with magical energy, as if resonating with your heartbeat. Suddenly, the door opens and dark tendrils ensnare you, dragging you into an eerie void.
>> [[Continue|Appear at the Labyrinth]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You step inside the final chamber and discover a small room with a bed, a comfortable chair set beside a lit fire, and a small selection of books on a nearby table. A goblet filled with wine sits next to the books. Just as your stomach rumbles, you notice that there is also a cooking pot filled with stew bubbling over the fire. You’re not certain why such a place exists down here, but are grateful for a place to rest.
>> [[Continue|Catacombs Final Chamber 2]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You settle into the chair with a bowl of stew in one hand and the goblet of wine at your side. The food and drink more than fill you. As you rest by the fire watching the sparks rise up from the coals, you imagine each ascending up into the night sky and drifting in the darkness until at last they find a home, becoming stars. Your eyelids grow heavy and you drift off to sleep.
>> [[Continue|Catacombs Elf Dream]](display:"updateMoveCounter")In your dreams, you are a young elf running through the moonlit woods. You have no fears, no enemies. The wind through the high trees and low grass whispers the secret names of all that dwell in the green and lush world. And you are known and loved by each.
When you lay down your head after hours of joy, you fall asleep, a sleep too deep for dreams, for names, for worlds where fear and death are known.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "In Elven Dreams")
[[How did I do?|Final Report]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You curl up in your nest of dry grass, huddled close to the fire. It's a long night, but you keep feeding whatever wood you can find to the flames, hoping to build a fire large enough to keep any wild beasts away. The heat from the fire reflects off the boulder you're resting against, helping you stay warm. It's by no means perfect, but at least your not freezing out there in the dark.
The night finally gives way to the first morning light. You see the glow of predawn begin to color the sky. Still, the stars linger, their tiny persistent flames blazing amid the enormous ocean of darkness. Still they hold on. Until at last, there's nothing left of night and every fades in the brightness of day.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You started a fire and kept yourself warm."))
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Alone Beneath the Stars")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")You focus your arcane powers on a single point, imagining a single flame, a point of white hot heat, trying to set the pile of wood you gathered aflame.
You whisper, //Fireball// toward the wood, expecting just a tiny burst of fire.
To your horror, there is no tiny point of light, instead a massive ball of flame erupts quickly consuming the sticks and logs you'd assembled, and hurling you backward into the trees with your clothes and hair on fire. The magical flames quickly spread to the low brush and decaying stumps, racing across the forest floor, lighting every leaf, every bush on fire. It's fast.
You are still on fire, so you try to roll and put out the flames, but instead more fire spreads and your flesh continues to cook in the awesome heat.
You can't see anything anymore. Your body is overcome with pain. When the thick black smoke settles around you, filling your lungs, you cough and choke, until at last your lungs give out.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You started a fire with magic and burned down the entire forest and yourself."))
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Up in Smoke")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You hunker down for the night next to the largest boulder you can find. Although it blocks the wind, resting against the stone leaves you feeling even colder, even more regretful of this decision. You curl up and try to sleep.
In the late hours, the wind changes yet again, this time blowing harder and more ferociously than before. In the numbness of sleep, you dream yourself sinking into a dark pool of tar, your arms and legs too heavy too move. You struggle to stay afloat, but the weight is too great. You sense the ice cold arms of the dead reaching up for you and pulling you down into their embrace.
There's a brief moment when it occurs you that you might be dying. But then it passes. All is dark and impossibly cold. You will yourself to move, but it's too late. You never wake up.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Frozen Stiff")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide to take refuge in this cave. You have a bed, shelter from the winds, and hopefully protection from any wild beasts or creatures that might be wandering out there in the dark.
(if:$firestarters contains $lightsource's name)[You use (print:$lightsource's propname) to start a fire. As you sit there feeding wood into the flames, you feel intensely grateful for this momentary sanctuary. You huddle close to the fire and warm yourself. It's a long night, but you keep feeding whatever wood you can find to the flames, hoping to build a fire large enough to keep any wild beasts away. The heat from the fire reflects off the cave walls, helping you stay warm.(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You started a fire and kept yourself warm."))](else:)[You spend the last hours of night shivering in the cave, grateful at least to be sheltered from the brutal winds that have started howling through the quarry.]
The night finally gives way to the first morning light. You see the glow of predawn begin to color the sky. Still, the stars linger, their tiny persistent flames blazing amid the enormous ocean of darkness. Still they hold on. Until at last, there's nothing left of night and every fades in the brightness of day.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Cave Dweller")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide to take shelter in the ruins of this shack, hoping that it will provide enough protection from the elements to make it through the night.
(if:$firestarters contains $lightsource's name)[You gather together bits and pieces of wood scrap, as well as sticks, and use (print:$lightsource's propname) to start a fire. At first, the wind threatens to blow it out, but gradually you coax it into a full blaze. Huddling close to the fire, you warm yourself and think of everything that has transpired. You feel very fortunate to still be alive. All night you feed the flames, then turn your eyes to the dark sky above. You're alive. (set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You started a fire and kept yourself warm."))](else:)[You spend the last hours of night shivering inside the remaining walls of the shack, grateful at least to be sheltered from the brutal winds that have started howling through the quarry. All night the walls shudder and shake. You can't really sleep, but for a few brief cold moments you nod off, then start awake again. It's a long long night.]
Finally night gives way to the first morning light. You see the glow of predawn begin to color the sky. Still, the stars linger, their tiny persistent flames blazing amid the enormous ocean of darkness. Still they hold on. Until at last, there's nothing left of night and every fades in the brightness of day.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Room with a View")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")You are standing next to an ominious black door set in the cave wall. A rotting satchel sits next to the door.
>> [[Go through the black door|Appear at the Labyrinth]]
(if:$hasRiverSatchelBeenSearched is false)[>> [[Search the satchel|Examine the satchel by the labyrinth door]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the faded parchment from the satchel and examine it more closely. (if:$lightsource's hasLight is true)[You can barely make out the cryptic symbols. It looks like some sort of magical spell.
You feel a strange surge of supernatural energy flood your mind.
(set:_scrollspell to (either:...$spells))(if:$spellsknown contains _scrollspell)[Your brain hurts from too much study. Try as you might, you just can't make sense of the writing.](else:)[You learn how to cast //_scrollspell//.(set:$spellsknown to $spellsknown+(a:_scrollspell)]
The parchment bursts into flame with a flash, then disintegrates in your hands.](else:)[It's too dark to read what's written on the scroll.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a faded parchment scroll"))](set:$riversatchel to $riversatchel-(a:"a faded parchment scroll"))
Continue|Examine the satchel by the labyrinth door(display:"updateMoveCounter")You pick up the metal box and examine it more closely. You can hear several small objects rattling around on the inside when you shake it.
When you open it, you find several strangely shaped dice. Some with the regular six sides, but others with eight, ten, twelve, and even twenty sides. There are a handful of pointy-looking four-sided dice in there as well.
Perhaps whoever left this here was some sort of fortuneteller or mystic? Or were these dice intended for some other purpose?
You pocket the box and the strange dice. Maybe someone else knows what to do with them?(set:$riversatchel to $riversatchel-(a:"a small metal box"))(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a metal box full of strange dice"))
>> [[Continue|Examine the satchel by the labyrinth door]](if:$lightsource's name is "a torch")[(set:$lightsource's count to 0)(set:$lightsource's hasLight to false)(set:$inv to $inv-(a:$lightsource's name))(set:$inv to $inv+(a:$lightsource's namedark))](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")As you pick up the crimson gem, you feel its awful power radiating into your hand. Tendrils of dark magic begin to twist and writhe about your hand, stitching threads of eldritch energy through you, binding the gem to your flesh. (if:$player's hp>20)[You feel some of your life force ebb away.(set:$player's hp to $player's hp-20)(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a cursed crimson gem"))(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You took the cursed gem from the demonic bear.")) ](else:)[(set:$player's hp to 0)(set:$player's isDead to true)You collapse weakened to the ground. The world seems very dark, even darker than before.]
(if:$player's isDead is true)[>> [[Continue|Killed by cursed bear gem]]](else:)[>> [[Keep moving|Head deeper into the forest but parallel]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You hurl a surging ball of flame toward (print:$monster's propname). You watch in horror as (print:$monster's propname) is set aflame and runs wild through the clearing setting nearby trees and brush on fire. Soon the entire clearing is ablaze.(set:$monster's isDead to true)(set:_achieve to "You killed the demonic bear with a Fireball, but set the forest on fire")(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))
It's not safe here. You decide to run as fast as you can before you too are swallowed up in the flames.
>> [[Continue|Appear at the tower approach]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")A strange magical power courses through you as you focus on the clearly corrupted bear, trying to remove whatever poison or infection has turned it into its now demonic form.
To your surprise, your mind reveals what you're looking for, a crimson gem embedded on the back of the bear's skull. As you channel your power toward the demonic bear, you find yourself greatly drained, but at long last something breaks. You hear a soft thud as the crimson gem falls to the forest floor.
The bear looks up and senses your presence. It raises a paw, then scampers off into the dark woods, no longer threatening you. (set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You used magic to remove a cursed gem from a demonic bear."))
>> [[Take the crimson gem|Remove the crimson gem from the dead bear]]
>> [[Keep moving|Head deeper into the forest but parallel]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You quickly grab a few handfuls of gold coins from the piles around you. No one's going to complain, right? It's not like anyone else is here to claim this treasure.
As you reach down to grab a third handful, you suddenly realize that something is rapidly consuming your flesh. Bits and pieces fall off, leaving only white bone.
You hear a deep hissing voice in your mind:
($npcSays:"Foolisssh mortal! Thisss isss all mine!")
You can't see the speaker, but terror builds as you realize your body is quickly losing all flesh. The voice keeps whispering.
($npcSays:"You are mine, now! Mine! Sserve your new masster!")
The corruption is complete. Now shorn of all flesh, you stand at forced attention, a skeletal servant of some deathless master, trapped here for eternity. Your mind still functions, filled with regrets and fading memories of the world of light. Your bones belong to another, a dark lord who commands you to patrol these forgotten passages, bound forever to the world of darkness and restless death.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Worse than Death")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You enter through the red door and find yourself in a small room, empty with the exception of a single lever in the middle of space. There are no windows, no signs, no markings of any kind. The red door closes behind you. You hear it click shut and lock.
>> [[Pull the lever|Pull the lever in the trash chute]]
>> [[Don't pull the lever|Do not pull the lever in the trash chute]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Even as you reach out to touch the egg, you know this is a really really bad idea.
(if:$player's hp>50)[Sure enough, a massive blast of corrosive energy hits you in response, leeching away much of your life force. You stagger backward, your hands charred black, your mind reeling in pain. You've survived, but at what cost.
A strange heavy mace appears at your feet.
>> [[Take the mace|Take mace from the dragon egg room]]
>> [[Leave the mace alone|Leave the mace in the dragon egg room]]](else:)[A massive blast of corrosive energy spirals outward from the egg, winding its wispy tendrils of dark magic around you, leeching enormous amounts of life from you.
>> [[Continue|Death by Dark Dragon Egg]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You stare at your charred hands and limbs, then collapse to the ground, your body destroyed.
Surprisingly, your consciousness lingers. You look down on the bone and ashes that once were your mortal vessel. An invisible hand gathers your now exposed skull and lifts it free, carrying it in the air like a prize.
You hear someone whistling as the darkness closes in around you, You try to struggle or swim against the current pulling you under, but you can't seem to resist or even remember what is like to be alive. Everything is fading so fast.
Just before the final wave takes you under, you think you glimpse a single star gleaming. Or was it a tear falling? Or a name for someone you once held dear?
Too late.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "The Bad Egg")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")Perhaps this mace is intended to be a gift? It seems only fair, you've offered some of your life force to this dark power, surely some compensation is reasonable to expect?
Truth be told, such power, such beauty, wrapped in such an efficient lethal form, is irresistable. (print:$mace's pickuptext)(set:$player's weapon to "mace")(set:$inv to $inv+(a:$mace's name))(set:$currentweapon to $mace)
(print:$mace's weartext)
(display:"displayLight") Light gleams off of the stacks of gold and silver coins.
>> [[Take some gold coins|Take treasure from the dragon egg room]]
>> [[Leave everything and go through the red door|Go through the red door in the egg room]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You don't trust mysterious weapons offered by dark powers in exchange for your vital life force. That's a policy you've lived with for some time. So far it's worked for you. You're fine with leaving strange and dangerous things behind.
But gold coins? Certainly that would that be ok?
>> [[Take some gold coins|Take treasure from the dragon egg room]]
>> [[Leave everything and go through the red door|Go through the red door in the egg room]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Not certain what else to do, you pull the lever. After all, what are levers for, other than pulling?
You hear a loud grinding noise, then suddenly the whole room lurches and shakes. This goes on for several minutes, then it abruptly stops.
As you try to gather your thoughts, the floor drops out from under you and you fall into the darkness. Your hear rushing water below you as you plummet into its depths.
>> [[Continue|Appear at the underground river access]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if:visits is 1)[You stand waiting in the small room, determined not to pull the lever, despite the strong temptation to do so. ](else-if:visits is 2)[For hours you stare at the walls and ceiling, trying not to pay attention to the lever. And yet, it remains there, center of your field of vision, offering the possibility of change in a space devoid of options.](else-if:visits is 3)[You've grown to resent this awful lever, but worry that if you interact with it, even sarcastically, you will pull it and cause something to happen.](else-if:visits is 4)[Sure, if you don't pull the lever, you'll safe from whatever hell or fury that lever would unleash. But then again, perhaps this trapped inaction is the hell that someone intended to befall anyone foolish enough to enter here. To be paralyzed by one's own desire to live. To wait and wait and wait, hoping for something to change, to reveal itself, and instead to linger on, frozen in place, burning with anger and resentment for the life and lives you could have lived.](else:)[You probably should just pull the damn lever and end it all. Let the walls fall down. Let the world burn. Let all the gods die and the stars explode in their fiery nothings. You don't care. You're so over this waiting.]
>> [[Give in and pull the lever|Pull the lever in the trash chute]]
>> [[Don't pull the lever|Do not pull the lever in the trash chute]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The corruption sweeps quickly over you, like a dark wave swallowing your entire consciousness. You have a vague sense of the gem pulsing brighter and darker, throbbing like a beating heart affixed to your hand.
It's just too greedy. Taking everything, until all that remains is a deep burning. You can no longer scream or weep, just stare blankly into the earth and dark dark night that is consuming from the inside out.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "The Bear's Burden")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(if:$LP1's waterlevel>5)[(go-to:"Drowned in LP1")](else:)[(set:$LP1's waterlevel to $LP1's waterlevel+1)The waters keep rising.](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You attempt to break down one of the doors, but discover that some magic shields them from damage. The water continues to rise. (set:$LP1's waterlevel to $LP1's waterlevel+1)
You don't think it'd be wise to keep trying to break down doors. Surely there's a smarter solution. How did the labyrinth builders intend people to pass through here?
>> [[Search the room for something useful|Search the room LP1]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")Congratulations! You made it to the very end of the Labyrinth. (set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You conquered the labyrinth and became its new owner."))
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Dungeon Keeper")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")You pick through the discarded clothing and armor in hopes of finding something useful, but find most of it shredded and mangled beyond repair. A few things stand out: an old book, a sturdy longspear, and an iron helmet.
As you look over your finds, you hear the sound of something stirring from within the lair. You have time to grab one item.
>> [[Take the longspear|Take the longspear from troll pile]]
>> [[Take the book|Take the old book from the troll pile]]
>> [[Take the helmet|Take the iron helmet from the troll pile]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the longspear from the pile. Though somewhat ancient and worn, it still feels sturdy, strong, capable of ending a life. Or at least, being used as a spit for a very large boar. (set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a longspear"))(if:$currentweapon's damage < $longspear's damage)[(set:$player's weapon to "longspear")(set:$currentweapon to $longspear)]
Just as you breathe a sigh of relief, you hear a terrifying roar behind you that shakes you to the bone.
>> [[Continue|Encounter the troll]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the weathered shield from the pile and are surprised at how sturdy it feels. Some sort of emblem or device was once engraved on the shield's face, but time has erased it. No doubt, whatever kingdom or army it represented is long gone. (if:$inv does not contain "an old shield")[(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"an old shield"))(set:$player's defense to $player's defense+20)]
You are startled to hear a terrifying roar behind you. It sounds large and angry, and annoyed.
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You pick up up the old battered iron helm from the pile and put it on your head. Some protection has got to be better than nothing. (if:$inv does not contain "an iron helmet")[(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"an iron helmet"))(set:$player's defense to $player's defense+10)]
As you set the helm on your head, you hear a terrifying roar behind you.
>> [[Continue|Encounter the troll]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")Turning your attention to the area behind the burnt cabin, you continue your search. The forest and brush have grown in, but amid the tall grass and weeds, you can see a weathered tombstone marking a solitary grave and next to it, a partially excavated second grave.
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:visits > 1)[(if:$isTrollDead is false)[You see the troll paladin step out of the shadows.
($npcSays:"You again? Lost or do you have a question?")
The troll appears a bit confused by your return.
>> [[Ask the troll a question]]
(if:$spellsknown's length is 0)[>> [[Attack the troll|Attack the troll at the lair]]](else:)[>> [[Cast a spell|Cast a spell on troll paladin]]
>> [[Attack the troll|Attack the troll at the lair]]]](else:)[(goto:"Troll lair with dead troll")]](else:)[You turn to see a tall stern-looking troll dressed in polished platemail. His left eye twitches with irritation.
($npcSays:"Who dares trespass on the ancestral lands of my forefather, Sir Garzalot Greasebeard! Stand back invader!")
The troll does not seem happy to see you.
>> [[Apologize for trespassing|Apologize to the troll for trespassing]]
(if:$spellsknown's length is 0)[>> [[Attack the troll|Attack the troll at the lair]]](else:)[>> [[Cast a spell|Cast a spell on troll paladin]]
>> [[Attack the troll|Attack the troll at the lair]]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You raise your hands and try to calm down the troll.
($playerSays:"I beg forgiveness, good Sir Knight. I did not mean to trespass. I am but a lost traveler who has strayed from the road and seeks shelter from the cold. Is there someplace I could rest?")
The troll looks a bit perplexed, at least, that's what you hope the expression on his face is signalling.
>> [[Continue|The troll listens to your apology 1]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$monster to $troll)(if: visits is 1)[You launch a surprise attack against the troll with (print:$currentweapon's propname). (display:"resolveAttack")](if: visits is 2)[The troll roars again, then insults your parents. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 3)[Covered in sweat and blood, you lurch forward and attack again. (print:$patronfollow's ($player's patron)) (display:"resolveAttack")(if:$monster's isDead is false)[ (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")](else:)[(set:$isTrollDead to true)]](if:visits>3)[The gruelling battle continues. You face off against the troll, trying to find a weakness. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is false)[>> [[Attack again|Attack the troll at the lair]]](else:)[>> [[Search his body|Search the dead troll]]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Killed by the troll]]]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is true)[(set:_achieve to "You slew the troll paladin with your "+$player's weapon)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))>> [[Keep moving|Head deeper into the forest but parallel]]](else:)[>> [[Run away|Run away from the troll]]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You search the troll's corpse for anything of value. Aside from his troll-sized suit of plate armor, the fallen troll seems only to have had an enormous greatsword and a shield of burnished steel. Emblazoned on the shield is a black tree under a red sun surrounded with gold flames.
>> [[Remove the armor from the troll]]
>> [[Take the greatsword|Take the troll greatsword]]
>> [[Take the shiny shield|Take the troll shield]]
>> [[Leave|Leave the dead troll]]
(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You feel the troll's gigantic greatsword cut deep into your flesh. Blood gouts everywhere. When you look up, you see that the troll looks at you with pity. He kneels down beside you, resting one hand upon your head, the other upon his heart.
As he bows his head in prayer, you strain to make out his words, but you've already lost too much blood. Is it sadness in his voice? Or gratitude? Or something else?
Darkness muffles the world, crowding in the corners of your sight. His voice is deep and melodious. He's singing. You do not know the words, but feel your consciousness slipping away into the grey between.
You find yourself on a foggy shore. At least, it seems that way. You can't see much, but in your ears the waves grow louder. There's gravel at your feet. Some of the stones glisten. You fall into their radiance. And then, nothing.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Slain by Troll Paladin")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")You feint going left, then dash to your right, running as fast as you can. You figure that a troll in platemail can't possibly catch up to you.
After a few minutes of running, you realize you no longer know where you are.
>> [[Continue|Lost in the West Woods 1]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")It takes some time to undo all the buckles and straps, but at last you remove the plate armor from the dead troll. He seems to be wearing some light padded clothing underneath, presumably to keep him somewhat insulated from the force of his enemies' blows as well as the cold weather. It's clearly an ancient suit of armor, but still of exceptional quality. You can barely make out a long line of tiny runes engraved across the chest. (if:$inv contains "a gold amulet")[](else:)[Around his neck, you see a gold amulet set with a single large ruby at its center. ]
>> [[Put on the armor|Attempt to wear the troll armor]]
(if:$inv contains "a gold amulet")[>> [[Leave|Leave the dead troll]]](else:)[>> [[Take the gold amulet with the ruby|Take the troll amulet]]
>> [[Leave|Leave the dead troll]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")With some effort, you attempt to lift the troll's greatsword. It is tremendously heavy, and as you wield it, you find your heart and mind filled with sorrow and regret. You hear a mysterious voice in your head naming every error and shameful misdeed you've ever done, every life injured, every heart bruised because of your selfishness and inattention. You feel sick to your heart, profoundly remorseful. You don't think you're worthy.(set:$isTrollLooted to true)
>> [[Drop the sword|Drop the virtuous greatsword]]
>> [[Force the sword to bend to your will|Force the virtuous greatsword to obey you]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the great shiny steel shield from the troll. As soon as you pick it up, it shimmers and transforms itself into a size more suitable to you. (if:$inv does not contain "a shiny shield")[(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a shiny shield"))(set:$player's defense to $player's defense+25)](set:$isTrollLooted to true)
You feel safer.
>> [[Return to the forest|Leave the troll and return to the forest]]
>> [[Head deeper into the cave|Head deeper into the troll cave]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")A large fallen tree blocks the way ahead of you. It looks like there may be just enough room to crawl beneath it. To the left, a small narrow path veers off and proceeds deeper into the woods. To the right, the ground slopes downward into what appears an old rock quarry.
>> [[Crawl under the tree|Crawl under the fallen tree]]
>> [[Go left around the tree|Go left around the fallen tree]]
>> [[Climb down into the quarry|Climb down into the rock quarry]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")The guilt and shame become too much, so you let go of the troll's sword and let it clatter to the ground. How could //you// wield this sword in good conscience, knowing what you've done and who you've become? //You// are the monster. You can see now, you have projecting //your// fear and insecurities, but always it was //you//, you who you hated most.
You see now that the troll must have been some sort of holy warrior or knight, someone whose heart was pure enough to wield such a weapon. But you struck him down. Now what?(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a heavy heart"))(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You gained a heavy heart filled with regrets."))
>> [[Dig a grave for the troll]]
>> [[Cast a spell|Use magic on the dead troll]]
>> [[Leave|Leave the dead troll]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You attempt to force your will on the troll's greatsword, trying to bend it to your power. You sense a great darkness welling within you, anger and fury boiling over. How dare this mere inanimate object refuse to submit!
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$isTrollBuried to true)(display:"updateMoveCounter")You attempt to put on the troll's armor, but find that it is simply too big. The plate mail does not appear to be magical, at least, not in any way that causes it to automatically resize itself to fit you.
As you set aside the armor, you notice that someone has engraven a magic circle on the inside, hidden from view. The runes glow faintly, but do not activate. There appears to be a hairline crack running through the circle, disrupting the flow of energy.(set:$isTrollLooted to true)
>> [[Study the magic circle|Study the troll magic armor enchantment]]
(if:$spellsknown contains "Mending")[>> [[Cast Mending|Cast Mending on troll armor]]
>> [[Leave the armor behind|Leave the troll armor behind]]](else:)[>> [[Leave the armor behind|Leave the troll armor behind]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You remove the gold amulet.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a gold amulet")) It feels heavy and slightly warm to the touch. For a moment, you think you see something move in the depths of the red gem. Must be a trick of the light, you think.(set:$isTrollLooted to true)
>> [[Store the gold amulet in your bags|Store the troll amulet in your bags]]
>> [[Wear the gold amulet|Wear the troll amulet around your neck]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You focus your arcane energy on the old battered metal shield, imagining it fully restored. Green and purple energy surges outward from your palms toward the shield and surround it. You watch as the rust and dings disappear, restoring the ancient shield once more to its former strength and glory. (set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You used magic to restore an old shield to new."))(set: $inv to $inv -(a:"an old shield")(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a shiny shield"))(set:$player's defense to $player's defense+5)
>> Continue(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$newbook to (either:...$books)) (print:$newbook's description) (print:$newbook's pickuptext)(set:$bookname to $newbook's name)(set:$inv to $inv+(a:$bookname)) (if:$newbook is $spellbook)[(set:_newspell to $spells's random)[(if: $spellsknown contains _newspell)[The book glows briefly, then fades.](else:)[The book glows brightly. Strange arcane runes fill your mind, at first chaotically, then settle into some sort of pattern. You have learned how to cast //_newspell//.(set:$spellsknown to ($spellsknown+(a:_newspell)))]]]
Just as you tuck the book away, you hear a terrifying roar.
>> [[Continue|Encounter the troll]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:$spellsknown contains any of $spellstroll)[You feel arcane power surging through your veins, your whole body pulses with strange magical energy.
[(for: each _spell,...$spellsknown)[(if:$spellstroll contains _spell)[(set:_slink to (lowercase:_spell) of $castLookUp)>> (link-goto:"Cast "+_spell,_slink)
>> [[Apologize for trespassing|Apologize to the troll for trespassing]]
>> [[Attack the troll|Attack the troll at the lair]]]
]]](else:)[You gather magical energy around you, but can't think of any spells that would help you now.
Looks like you'll have to try something else.
>> [[Apologize for trespassing|Apologize to the troll for trespassing]]
>> [[Attack the troll|Attack the troll at the lair]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You call out to the grieving man, trying to get his attention.
($playerSays:"What happened?")
The older man looks up, surprised by your presence. It's clear that he too has been seriously wounded. He replies hesitantly:
($npcSays:"We were attacked. They were much more powerful than we expected. My son didn't make it.")
You feel like he might be holding something back from you.
>> [[Who attacked?|Ask if they were attacked by bandits]]
>> [[How can I help?|Ask how you can help]]
>> [[Where did the attackers go?|Ask where the attackers went]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide to leave the man to mourn. As you step out of the wagon, you note an eerie silence. Just the wind and the leaves. And every so often a loud crashing sound of something large making its way through the woods. It seems to headed toward here.
>> [[Wait to see what's coming|Stay and face the giant rabbit]]
>> [[Get moving before it arrives|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$monster to $sadbandit)(if: visits is 1)[You use (print:$currentweapon's name) to launch a surprise attack on the grieving man. He looks shocked at your premeditated violence. (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 2)[The older man scrambles to his feet, drawing his weapon. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")(display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 3)[Trembling with fear and bloodlust, you charge at the bandit once more. (display:"resolveAttack")(if:$monster's isDead is false)[(display:"resolveMonsterAttack")](else:)[(set:$isSadBanditDead to true)]](if:visits>3)[You wipe the blood from you face and stare into the desperate eyes of the grieving man. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")(display:"resolveAttack")]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is false)[>> [[Attack again|Attack the grieving bandit]]](else:)[>> [[Search the old man's body|Search the dead grieving bandit]]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Killed by the grieving bandit]]]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is true)[(set:_achieve to "You slew the grieving bandit with your "+$player's weapon)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))>> [[Keep moving|Leave the dead bandits in the wagon]]](else:)[>> [[Run away|Run away from the grieving bandit]]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")The stone bull hits you with tremendous force, impaling you on its horns. Then, with a powerful twist of its neck, it launches you upward smashing you into the ceiling. You come crashing down, crushed and broken, only to see through your bloody eyes its giant stone hooves come thundrously down.
Then darkness. Tiny flashes of pain that fade into complete and absolute silence. There's a dark wind blowing. You hear a whistling sound. Then nothing.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "A Gorey End")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You set the armor down and look about you. The troll's corpse takes up a lot of space, but beyond it you see that the cave continues further into the hillside. Behind you is the entrance and the way back into the forest. It is quite dark out. (display:"displayLight") (if:$lightsource's hasLight is false)[You're not certain if it's wise to press on without a torch.]
>> [[Use magic on the dead troll]]
>> [[Return to the forest|Leave the troll and return to the forest]]
>> [[Head deeper into the cave|Head deeper into the troll cave]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You cast //Mending// on the troll's armor, but the spell inexplicably bounces off of it, reflecting the magic back on yourself. You watch with some surprise as your own worn and tattered clothes mend. A warmth flows into your cold fearful heart, and for a moment you feel peace and a sense of belonging. //It's like a giant hug from the universe//, you think. //I'm not a failure. I can do this.//
You feel the weight of all your regrets ease, then lift away. Even this new fresh shame of having slain an innocent knight dampens for a brief moment.
A sudden owl hoot brings you back to the world at hand. You feel stronger, but know there is still much that you need to fix and put right.
>> [[Use magic on the dead troll]]
>> [[Return to the forest|Leave the troll and return to the forest]]
>> [[Head deeper into the cave|Head deeper into the troll cave]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You carefully study the runes and make a copy in your notes. (if:$spellsknown contains "Reflection")[You do not learn anything new.](else:)[As you do so, you are flooded with magical energy and the pattern stamps itself into your mind. You have learned //Reflection//.(set:$spellsknown to $spellsknown+(a:"Reflection"))]
>> [[Continue|Standing over dead troll]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:$isTrollDead is true)[You decide to leave and try to put your actions behind you. Better not to think too deeply about what you've done. Better to focus on the future. Hopefully things will go differently next time.
]You retrace your steps out of the troll's lair and back into the forest. There's a break in the trees that looks like the trail you took from the road. To your left, you see another smaller gap in the trees, leading down a less-traveled path.
>> [[Head back toward the road|Take the wrong path to the west road]]
>> [[Take the less-traveled path|Take the road to the quarry edge]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You try to return to the forest the same way you left it, but it's dark and windy, making it nearly impossible for you to follow your trail in the dark. After a while, the trees all start to look the same. With every gust of wind, the leaves and grass shuffle and shift beneath your feet, erasing any mark you may have left.
>> [[Continue|Open graves in the west wood]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter") You decide to leave the dead troll alone. You're not certain if he had allies or friends. It seems wise to keep moving.
>> [[Return to the forest|Leave the troll and return to the forest]]
>> [[Head deeper into the cave|Head deeper into the troll cave]](set:_nextscene to $currentroom)(set:_kind to "none")(set:_consolecommand to (prompt:"Enter your command:",""))(set:_cmdlist to (split:(p:" "),_consolecommand))(if:_cmdlist's length > 1)[(set:_cmd to (lowercase:_cmdlist's 1st))(set:_target to (lowercase: _cmdlist's 2nd))(if:_cmdlist's length >2)[(set:_kind to (lowercase:_cmdlist's 3rd))](if:$validcommands contains _cmd)[(display:"handleCommands")](else:)[The command does not seem to work.]](else:)[Nothing happens.]
>> (link-goto:"Continue",_nextscene)(if:_target is "treasure")[A large iron box appears before you. It appears to be locked.](else-if:_target is "monster")[A rather confused looking bear appears before you in a puff of smoke.](else-if:_target is "door")[A door appears before you. It hovers slightly above ground, shimmering with a faint blue energy.](else:)[Nothing happens.](if:_target is "monster")[The monster disappears in a flash of light.](else-if:_target is "world")[The world ends. GAME OVER. ](else-if:_target is "lock")[The lock disappears, banished from existence.](else:)[Nothing happens.](if: _target is "door")[The door abruptly swings open.](else-if:_target is "chest")[The chest opens wide, pouring out an immense wave of fiery purple energy.](else-if:_target is "portal")[A strange glowing gate appears nearby.](else:)[Nothing happens.](if:_target is "monster")[The creature is suddenly engulfed in purplish energy. When it is visible again, you see that it is no what you thought it to be.](else-if:_target is "weapon")[Your weapon ripples and shifts, transforming itself into something completely different.](else-if:_target is "book")[The book transforms before your eyes, revealing itself now to be a spellbook.](else:)[Nothing happens.](if:_target is "statue")[The statue slides across the floor, revealing access to a hidden underground tunnel.](else-if:_target is "monster")[The monster disappears in a flash of light.](else-if:_target is "self" or _target is "away")[You are blinded by a brilliant light.](else:)[Nothing happens.](if:_cmd is "load")[(display:"handleLoadCmd")](else-if:_cmd is "delete")[(display:"handleDeleteCmd")](else-if:_cmd is "open")[(display:"handleOpenCmd")](else-if: _cmd is "change")[(display:"handleChangeCmd")](else-if:_cmd is "move")[(display:"handleMoveCmd")](else-if:_cmd is "cast")[(display:"handleCastCmd")](display:"updateMoveCounter")Unblinking, you keep your eyes on the troll and lean further into your newly professed role as hero-in-search-of-monsters.
($playerSays:"I'm on the trail of a terrible monster responsible for the deaths of many brave men and women. It moves at night, slaughtering all it encounters. The local lord has hired me to slay the creature and end its mayhem. Perhaps you've seen it or heard of it? Any information you have would be greatly appreciated.")
>> [[Continue|The troll responds to your monster hunter news]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You whisper to the troll, as if divulging a great secret:
($playerSays:"I'm searching for a treasure that once belonged to a great hero of the realm. I have heard that it lies with his remains, but I do not know where his body is buried.")
The troll considers your words carefully.
>> [[Continue|The troll questions your choice to rob a grave]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")The troll guffaws and shuffles his feet awkwardly.
($npcSays:"Perhaps I was a little hasty. It has been a long time since travelers have come to my land. Why were you headed through this wood?")
>> [[I am on an important mission|Tell the troll that you are on a mission]]
>> [[I don't remember how I got here|Tell the troll that you have amnesia]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")An anxious confusion wells within you. You decide to tell the truth.
($playerSays:"I do not know how I came to be here. I can only say that I woke in the woods and followed the first path I found, then lost my way in the growing darkness.")
($playerSays:"Who I am. Where I was heading. I know not the answers to these questions. Good Sir Knight, have we met before?")
The troll listens intently to your words.
>> [[Continue|The troll asks how he can help]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Assuming an air of importance, but also throwing a bit of apology into the mix, you boldly declare:
($playerSays:"I am on a mission of utmost importance, a task which must be done, else this entire realm and its peoples will fall into an eternal night of doom.
I am sorry for trespassing on your lands, but would not do so were it not for the seriousness of my task.")
Your announcement has seized the troll's attention and you sense that he is quite interested to learn of your grand task.
>> [[I am hunting a dangerous monster|Tell the troll that you are hunting monsters]]
>> [[I am searching for a lost treasure|Tell the troll that you are looking for a treasure]]
>> [[I am a courier bearing an important message|Tell the troll that you have a package to deliver]]
>> [[I cannot reveal my task|Tell the troll you cannot reveal your mission]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You drop your voice to a hushed whsiper:
($playerSays:"I cannot divulge the nature of my mission, but it is of upmost urgency. The fate of this kingdom--nay, the world, depends on my success. It all hinges on tonight and your willingness to aid me in this just cause.")
>> [[Continue|Ask the troll for help in secret mission]](display:"updateMoveCounter")He studies your face for a moment, then relaxes as if he has concluded you are not a threat or an agent of evil. For some reason, he believes you.
($npcSays:"I have heard of an unmarked grave near the entrance of Fellbridge, beside a sign. There are also rumors that a powerful wizard perished far upriver north of Fellbridge. Finally, there's a strange blast crater up on the mountainside past the head of the river. All three lie far to the east of here.")
($npcSays:"I wish you good luck on your journey. May you find what you are looking for.")
The troll points you back toward the road.
>> [[Continue|Head toward the road]]
(set:_sname to (lowercase:_target))(if:_sname is in $spellLookUp)[(set:_spell to _sname of $spellLookUp)(if:$spellsknown contains _spell)[(go-to:_spell of $castLookUp)](else:)[You attempt to cast //_target//, but the arcane energy fails you. You have not learned that spell.]](else:)[You fail to cast //_target//, quite likely because that spell does not exist.]You concentrate your magical energy and cast //Light//. A ball of glowing light appears and suddenly everything is brighter. (set:$lightsource to $spelllight)(if:$isInCombat is true)[
You can see the (print:$monster's name) even more clearly. The (print:$monster's name) does not seem to be affected by this spell.]
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)(if:$currentroom is "Try to use magic against the bear")[(go-to:"Use Fireball on the demon bear")](else-if:$currentroom is "Use magic on the rabbit")[(go-to:"Use Fireball on Giant Rabbit")](else:)[You cast //Fireball// and hurl a huge ball of flames toward (print: $monster's propname)(if:$monster's isDead is false)[ incinerating the poor creature. You watch as (print:$monster's propname) flails about on fire, screaming horrifically.(set:$monster's isDead to true)(set:_creature to "You killed "+$monster's propname+" using Fireball")(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_creature)](else:)[ charring the corpse in a further act of descrecation.]
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)](if:$currentroom is "Cast a spell on troll paladin")[(go-to:"Use Charm on troll paladin")](else:)[You cast //Charm//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)]You cast //Telekinesis//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)You cast //Sleep//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)You cast //Levitate//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)(if:$currentroom is "Try to use magic against the bear")[(go-to:"Use Mending on the demon bear")](else:)[You cast //Mending//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)]You cast //Commune//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)You cast //Awake//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)You cast //Reflection//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)You cast //Decay//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)You cast //Blink//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)You cast //Transmute//.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take ($theItem:$randLoot) and stuff it into your pocket. (set:$inv to $inv+(a:$randLoot)) You're not certain if it'll be useful, but it does at least appear valuable. Maybe you can trade it for something else?
The noises in the wood are getting louder. Whatever it is, it sounds big and dangerous.
>> [[Stay and confront the creature|Stay and face the giant rabbit]]
>> [[Flee down the road|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]]
>> [[Hide in the bushes|Hide in the bushes in forest on the other side]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")After searching the dead troll and taking you think is useful, you feel an urge to move on. Perhaps it's time to turn back and return to the forest? On the other hand, who knows what might lie ahead, buried deeper in the troll's lair?
>> [[Return to the forest|Leave the troll and return to the forest]]
>> [[Head deeper into the cave|Head deeper into the troll cave]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(set: $currentlight to "a strange gold amulet")(set:$currentLightCount to 2000)(set:$currentLightQuality to "bright glow")(set:$lightsource to $amuletgoldlight)(set:$player's isPerceptive to true)As you place the amulet around your neck, you are surrounded by a golden glow that fills you with hope. The amulet shines brightly keeping the shadows at bay.(set:$isTrollLooted to true)
You feel safer now. Nothing escapes your sight.
(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You wore the troll's gold amulet"))(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:$isTrollRaised is true and $isTrollZombie is true)[You find yourself face to face with the zombie troll paladin you created.
($npcSays:"Leave me alone! I cannot bear the unholy abomination you have turned me into! How can I ever serve my god or present myself before the temple again?")
The zombie troll paladin looks terrible. You watch him struggle back to the shadows, where he sits down in a slump, muttering some sort of religious chant to himself.
(if:$spellsknown contains "Mending")[>> [[Cast Mending on the zombie troll]]](else:)[>> [[Leave the zombie troll alone]]]](else:)[You are standing in the underground chamber where you met the troll paladin.
(if:$isTrollBuried is false)[At your feet is the troll's corpse.](else:)[You see a freshly dug grave where you buried the troll.]
(if:$isTrollLooted is false)[>> [[Loot the troll's corpse|Search the dead troll]]](else:)[>> [[Bury the dead troll|Dig a grave for the troll]]]
>> [[Leave|Leave the dead troll]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateLastRoom")So far, your magic has not helped. The fiery-eyed bear roars and the forest reverberates with its terrifying voice.
Perhaps it's time to try something else?
>> [[Charge the bear|Charge at the bear and attack first]]
>> [[Run away from the bear]]
>> [[Cast a different spell|Try to use magic against the bear]](set:$npcSays to (macro: string-type _convo, [(output: )+(text-color:$npctext)+(color:white)[(box:"XXXXXX=")+(bg:black) +(border:"solid")+(corner-radius:8)[//_convo//]]]))
(set:$playerSays to (macro: string-type _convo, [(output: )+(text-color:$playertext)+(color:black)[(box:"XXXXXX=")+(bg:#f7f8f7) +(border:"solid")+(corner-radius:8)[//_convo//]]]))
(set:$theItem to (macro:string-type _itm, [(set:_wds to (words:_itm))(set:_wds's 1st to "the")(set:_result to (joined:" ",..._wds))(output-data:(_result))]))
(set:$addArticle to (macro:string-type _noun, [(set:_vowels to (a:"a","e","i","o","u"))(set:_art to "a ")(set:_res to "x")(if:_vowels contains _noun's 1st)[(set:_art to "an ")](set:_res to _art+_noun)(output-data:(_res))]))
(set:$showFX to (macro:string-type _fx, [(output:)+(text-color:$boomtext)+(font:'Bangers')+(size:3)[
//_fx//
]]))
(set:$roll to (macro:number-type _x, [(output-data:(random:1,_x))]))
(set:$d100 to (macro:number-type _x, [(set:_dieRoll to 0)(for: each _i, ...(range:1,_x))[(set:_dieRoll to _dieRoll+($roll:100))](output-data:(string:_dieRoll))]))
(set:$d20 to (macro:number-type _x, [(set:_dieRoll to 0)(for: each _i, ...(range:1,_x))[(set:_dieRoll to _dieRoll+($roll:20))](output-data:(string:_dieRoll))]))
(set:$d12 to (macro:number-type _x, [(set:_dieRoll to 0)(for: each _i, ...(range:1,_x))[(set:_dieRoll to _dieRoll+($roll:12))](output-data:(string:_dieRoll))]))
(set:$d10 to (macro:number-type _x, [(set:_dieRoll to 0)(for: each _i, ...(range:1,_x))[(set:_dieRoll to _dieRoll+($roll:10))](output-data:(string:_dieRoll))]))
(set:$d8 to (macro:number-type _x, [(set:_dieRoll to 0)(for: each _i, ...(range:1,_x))[(set:_dieRoll to _dieRoll+($roll:8))](output-data:(string:_dieRoll))]))
(set:$d6 to (macro:number-type _x, [(set:_dieRoll to 0)(for: each _i, ...(range:1,_x))[(set:_dieRoll to _dieRoll+($roll:6))](output-data:(string:_dieRoll))]))
(set:$d4 to (macro:number-type _x, [(set:_dieRoll to 0)(for: each _i, ...(range:1,_x))[(set:_dieRoll to _dieRoll+($roll:4))](output-data:(string:_dieRoll))]))
(set:$missDescriptions to (a:"stab blindly","swing wildly","jab half-heartedly","barely graze","slightly scratch","awkwardly slash","strike at nothing"))
(set:$playerMiss to (macro:string-type _weapon, [(set:_missText to "You "+ (either:...$missDescriptions)+" at "+$monster's propname+" with "+_weapon+", missing completely.") (output-data: (string:_missText))]))
(set:$blockAdjectives to (a:"skillfully","adroitly","deftly","brilliantly","forcefully","adeptly"))
(set:$blockActions to (a:"deflect","block","redirect","fend off","knock away","ward off","defend against"))
(set:$playerBlock to (macro:string-type _weapon, [(set:_blockText to "You "+(either:...$blockAdjectives)+" "+(either:...$blockActions)+" "+$monster's propname+"'s attack with "+_weapon+" and avoid taking damage.")(output-data:(string:_blockText))]))(display:"updateMoveCounter")You are standing in an ancient underground chamber. A dead troll lies at your feet, the victim of another brutal home invasion instigated by your unrelenting curiosity and lack of social graces.
To your left, you can see the way out back to the forest. On the opposite wall, you see an open passage framed by an ornately carved stone archway. You smell the faint scent of freshly baked bread seems to be coming from further deeper underground.
>> [[Follow the passage|Head deeper into the troll cave]]
>> [[Return to the forest|Leave the troll and return to the forest]]
You cast //Boom//. (set:$player's isBooming to true)Magical energy radiates and crackles all about you before fusing to (if:$currentweapon's name is "none" or $currentweapon's name is "your fist")[your fist](else:)[your (print:$currentweapon's name)]. You feel much more threatening and powerful.
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$currentroom)(display:"updateMoveCounter")Your curiosity gets the better of you and you decide to explore a little further, following the less-traveled path. For the first little while, the path, though narrow, is relatively clear. You suspect that it once was a much wider path, but long years of neglect and disuse have led it to become overgrown.
You press on in the deepening darkness.
>> [[Continue|Fallen tree before the quarry]](display:"updateMoveCounter")A large fallen tree blocks the way ahead of you. It looks like there may be just enough room to crawl beneath it. To the left, a small narrow path veers off and proceeds deeper into the woods. To the right, the ground slopes downward into what appears an old rock quarry.
>> [[Crawl under the tree|Crawl under the fallen tree]]
>> [[Go left around the tree|Go left around the fallen tree]]
>> [[Climb down into the quarry|Climb down into the rock quarry]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You ignore the sound of whatever is approaching in the woods, returning your attention to the dead guard. You suspect the guard's body still holds some sort of secret. Perhaps the killers missed something?
Is there something hidden in the clenched fist? Or in the dead guard's boots? You only have time to search one.
>> [[Pry open his hand|Pry open his hand to see what he is holding]]
>> [[Remove his boots|Remove the boots from the dead guard]]
>> [[Flee down the road|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$monster to $giantrabbit)You watch in a odd blend of horror and bemusement as a gigantic rabbit bursts through the trees onto the road. It rears up on hind legs, turns, and faces you.
It must stand at least seven feet tall. Its beady black eyes gleam ominously as it glares at you. There's an aura of anger and darkness overflowing from the creature.
You hear a terrifying rumble which might be thunder, but appears to be coming from the rabbit's belly.
>> [[Attack the giant rabbit]]
>> [[Try reasoning with the giant rabbit]]
(if:$spellsknown's length is not 0)[>> [[Cast a spell|Use magic on the rabbit]]
>> [[Run away!|Run away from the giant rabbit]]
(if:$inv contains any of $foodItems)[>> [[Offer food to the rabbit|Offer food to the giant rabbit]]]
](else:)[>> [[Run away!|Run away from the giant rabbit]]
(if:$inv contains any of $foodItems)[>> [[Offer food to the rabbit|Offer food to the giant rabbit]]]
]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if: visits is 1)[Using (print:$currentweapon's propname), you make a bold surprise strike against the giant rabbit. (display:"resolveAttack")](if: visits is 2)[The giant rabbit hops about in a frightening manner. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack") (display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits is 3)[Blood pumping hard, you watch for an opening. (print:$patronfollow's ($player's patron)) (display:"resolveAttack")(if:$monster's isDead is false)[ (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")](else:)[(set:$isGiantRabbitDead to true)]](if:visits>3)[The gruelling battle continues. Blood, sweat, and fur fly as you and you foe clash again. (display:"resolveLongFight")]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is false)[>> [[Attack again|Attack the giant rabbit]]](else:)[>> [[Search the rabbit body|Search the dead giant rabbit]]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Killed by the giant rabbit]]]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is true)[(set:_achieve to "You slew the giant rabbit with "+$currentweapon's name)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))>> [[Keep moving|Continue down the road past the ambush]]](else:)[>> [[Run away|Run away from the giant rabbit]]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You flee in terror, leaving the ferocious and likely carnivorous giant bunny behind you. Running as fast as you can, you press on down the road as the darkness deepens.
You hear a horrific scream piercing the night air. Then silence.
You keep pressing forward down the road.
>> [[Continue|Continue down the road past the ambush]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You flee from the giant rabbit and run deeper into the forest intent on staying out of sight. It's dark and hard to see at times, but you do your best to stay parallel to the road. Or at least where you believe the road to be.
After a few minutes, you realize you have lost sight of the road. You're no longer certain where you are. (display:"describeWeather")
A large fallen tree blocks the way ahead of you. It looks like there may be just enough room to crawl beneath it. To the left, a small narrow path veers off and proceeds deeper into the woods. To the right, the ground slopes downward into what appears an old rock quarry.
>> [[Crawl under the tree|Crawl under the fallen tree]]
>> [[Go left around the tree|Go left around the fallen tree]]
>> [[Climb down into the quarry|Climb down into the rock quarry]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You search the giant rabbit's mangled corpse, trying to hold back waves of nausea. Blood oozes from its wounds and some foul odor rises from the body as if something were already festering within.
You notice a strange black gem embedded in the rabbit's chest. Tiny dark roots run from it anchoring it to the flesh. As you study the fallen rabbit, you spy a strange looking sword buried to the hilt in the rabbit's back.
>> [[Take the black gem|Take the black gem from the rabbit]]
>> [[Take the strange-looking sword|Take the katana from the rabbit]]
>> [[Leave without taking anything|Leave the dead rabbit and head west]]You raise your hands in vain, but fail to ward off the gigantic rabbit's attack. You feel its enormous razor teeth biting down on your neck and then pain, everywhere. Blood everywhere as well. Someone is screaming. Probably you.
When you look up, you see the rabbit shiver and tremble, then watch some strange dark aura pulsate around it. It leans over you and continues to feast on your flesh, tearing through you like a ravenous wolf, blood dripping from its maw.
How did this happen? The darkness and pain flood your mind until there is nothing but the raging storm and the great eternal silence that follows.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Slain by a Gigantic Rabbit")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")With a violent yank, you rip the black gem free from the rabbit's corpse. The corpse instantly collapses in on itself, then disintegrates into an ominous cloud of dust.
The dark gem pulses in your hand and you feel a great surging power flowing from it through your arm into your chest. Your heat beats wildly and for a brief moment, you are blinded. Then your vision returns.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a gem of corruption"))(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You took the gem of corruption from the giant rabbit."))
The gem is embedded in the palm of your hand. It seems to have taken root while you momentarily blanked out. (if:$spellsknown does not contain "Decay")[(set:$spellsknown to $spellsknown+(a:"Decay"))Your mind is flooded with dark magical energy. You have learned //Decay//.]
You feel very hungry.
>> [[Keep moving|Leave the dead rabbit and head west]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You climb atop the giant rabbit's corpse and try to pull the embedded blade free. It takes several attempts, but finally you wrest the sword free from the bone it was stuck in.
The blade is long and thin, and slightly curved. When you hold it up, it has an unnatural greenish hue. It appears extremely sharp. (set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a strange green blade"))(if:$currentweapon's damage < $greenkatana's damage)[(set:$currentweapon to $greenkatana)]
>> [[Keep moving|Leave the dead rabbit and head west]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You leave the dead rabbit and continue your journey westward on the road. With every step into the growing darkness, you try to put distance between you and the memory of that place of death.
Sometimes in the darkness you glimpse the ghostly forms of the rabbit, the blood-splattered wagon, and the dead merchants and bandits still lying on the side of the road. Ghosts? Phantoms? Or just a trick of the eye?
You plod forward, your mind filled with questions and doubt. What becomes of the dead? Do their spirits wander restless and angry? Do they lurk in the shadows at the edge of our meager fires? You don't know. Perhaps you don't want to know either.
The road goes on and on.
>> [[Continue|Appear at the tower approach]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateLastRoom")(if:visits is 1)[You summon all the arcane energy within you to cast a single spell in hopes to saving yourself from this impending dark and fuzzy doom.
What will you cast?
(for: each _spell,...$spellsknown)[(set:_slink to (lowercase:_spell) of $castLookUp)>> (link-goto:"Cast "+_spell,_slink)
]>> [[Attack with your weapon instead|Attack the giant rabbit]]
>> [[Run away|Run away from the giant rabbit]]]
(else:)[The giant rabbit does not need affected by your magic. If anything, it appears even more angry.
There's no time to cast another spell. All that's left is to fight or flee.
>> [[Attack the giant rabbit]]
>> [[Run away|Run away from the giant rabbit]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You're pretty certain that nothing in your many years of travel and study have prepared you to face a giant rabbit in hand to hand combat. Discretion, as they say, is the better part of the valor.
Time to discretely and expeditiously flee. But which way?
>> [[Flee down the road|Flee from the rabbit down the road]]
>> [[Escape into the woods|Escape from the rabbit into the woods]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You hurl a huge ball of magical flames toward the giant rabbit, engulfing it in flames. It flails about like living fuzzy lit candle, screaming horrifically, its fur ablaze and its flesh searing in the heat. It's a sight and stench you can't get out of your head. (set:$monster's isDead to true)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You killed the giant rabbit using Fireball"))
>> [[Continue|Stand over the scorched giant rabbit]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Before you lies the immolated remains of a once terrifying giant rabbit, now just charred bones and flesh. It smells awful.
You pretty certain you've alerted everything else in the area to your presence.
>> [[Search the rabbit body|Search the dead giant rabbit]]
>> [[Keep moving|Continue down the road past the ambush]](display:"updateMoveCounter")The older man cautiously responds.
($npcSays:"Bandits. They ambushed us.")
He seems a bit nervous. There's a little bit of an edge to his voice. You're not certain if he's being careful because he doesn't know you, or if he isn't being entirely truthful.
>> [[Believe the old man|Believe the old bandit]]
>> [[Don't trust the old man|Suspect the old bandit]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You feel moved by this pitiful scene. It doesn't seem right to be just a bystander. Surely there must be something you can do?
($playerSays:"How can I help?")
The old man looks up, his face filled with grief which turns into rage.
($npcSays:"It's too late for my son. But if you find the bandits who did this, kill them. Kill all three of them. Will you do this for me?")
>> [[Agree|Agree to get revenge for the grieving father]]
>> [[Refuse|Decline to pursue revenge for the old man]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"Where did the attackers go?")
The old man points back the way you came.
($npcSays:"East. They left heading eastward down the road. But that was hours ago. They probably have camped for the night.")
>> [[Head east|Head east toward the travelers camp]]
>> [[Head west|Ignore the request to hunt the bandits]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You feel the grieving man must be telling the truth. Who would lie while cradling their dead child? You're not certain what else you can do.
>> [[Ask where the attackers went]]
>> [[Leave the man to grieve his son|Leave the old grieving bandit alone]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Something about the old man feels off. Was it something he said or didn't say? A slight hollowness in his voice? Or the way he seemed to know you were there before you even spoke up?
He seems to notice your hesitancy and you see his body tense, his expression harden. When you meet his gaze, you realize that whatever pain was there has been replaced with caution. He studies you face expectantly, as if trying to read your next action.
>> [[Accuse the old man of being a bandit]]
>> [[Attack the old man|Attack the grieving bandit]]
>> [[Run away|Escape from the old man]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")The man studies your face, then reaches out to grip your hand.(set:$hasMetOldBandit to true)(set:$hasAgreedToBanditRevenge to true)
($npcSays:"There were three of them. A swordsman who seemed to be the leader, a cloaked woman who cast spells, and a strong axewielder. We wounded the axewielder, but all three escaped. They are very dangerous.")
He pauses, then continues.
($npcSays:"If you slay them, you can turn them in for their bounties. They're worth 500 gold pieces each.")
>> [[Continue|Ask where the attackers went]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You turn down his offer. There's no need to become embroiled in a grieving father's quest for vengeance. As much as you recognize his pain, your life is your own. One against three seems like terrible odds.
You still need to find shelter and somehow survive the dangers of this place. He can find justice on his own.
>> [[Continue down the road|Continue down the road past the ambush]]
>> [[Head into the forest|Head deeper into the forest but parallel]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"I'm hunting bandits. Three vicious killers that ambushed a wagon on the road.")
The man with the sword stares at you coldly.
($npcSays:"Be very careful what you say.
We are not the bandits. Our wagon was attacked and we fought off the thieves, lost one of our guards, and had to flee. Look, we have nothing left but the clothes on our backs.")
>> [[Believe the man with the sword|Trust the man with the sword]]
>> [[Launch a surprise attack|Launch a surprise attack against the swordsman]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide not to head eastward. What could you as a lone traveler do against a group of bandits? As much as you feel for the old man's grief, you realize it would be foolish to throw away your own life for someone else's revenge. You still need to find someplace safe to stay. Westward. Away from the bandits. That direction seems wisest, if you wish to live to the morning.
>> [[Continue|Continue down the road past the ambush]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You search the older man's body, checking his clothes, belt pouches, and boots for anything of value. Upon closer inspection, he appears to be more of an adventurer or bandit, than traveling merchant or noble. His clothes are in rough shape and covered in badly sewn patches.
As you check for hidden pockets, you find a scrap of parchment with a crude map of the area and an X indicating this exact spot on the road. Around his neck, you find a strange silver medallion bearing the image of (set:_patron to $player's patron)($addArticle:_patron).
Beside him and the younger dead man, you see an open sack filled with coins and jewelry. A small bag of herbs and bandages sits next to it.
You can hear something large crashing through the woods not far from the road.
>> [[Take the sack of treasure|Take the sad bandit loot]]
>> [[Take the medicine bag|Take the medicine bag from the bandits]]
>> [[Take the silver medallion|Take the silver medallion from the bandit]]
You dodge to the left only to feel the cruel slash of the man's blade across your back. As you stumble forward, he shoves you down onto the hard wagon floor. You feel a second fiery stab in your back, followed by several more fast strikes. Is he punching or stabbing, you can't tell. It hurts like hell.
You try to get back up, but your arms feel like stone or lead. Your body refuses to rise. Your mouth is filling with blood. You feel it ebbing from you, so much, you think it might buoy you away. You feel the sharp pain of another kick to your sides, then a strange sickening wave of darkness envelopes you, and you can't find your way back.
In the silence, you hear weeping and know that it is not for you.
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Slain by a Grieving Bandit Father")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")As you exit the wagon, you hear a loud crashing sound of something large making its way through the woods. It seems to headed toward here.
>> [[Wait to see what's coming|Stay and face the giant rabbit]]
>> [[Get moving before it arrives|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You decide not to keep fighting and escape instead. As you run from the wagon, you hear a loud crashing sound of something large making its way through the woods. It seems to headed toward here.
>> [[Wait to see what's coming|Stay and face the giant rabbit]]
>> [[Get moving before it arrives|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")This must be what the man with the sword had asked you to find. You take the small bag of herbs and bandages and try not to think too much about the man you just slew.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a bag of healing herbs"))(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"You found a bag of healing herbs."))
You hear a terrifying roar from the edge of the road that sends chills down your spine. It's not safe here.
>> [[Step outside to see what's coming|Stay and face the giant rabbit]]
>> [[Flee without looking back|Escape from the wagon and the giant rabbit]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take the faded sheet of parchment from the satchel and examine it more closely. It appears to be some sort of personal profile of someone named Dugmire Ironbeard detailing their combat and magic abilities, as well as featuring a list of physical and mental attributes with corresponding numeric values.
How very odd.
You find the account of his tragic childhood: how he was raised by a wandering blind swordsman following the death of his parents under the flames of the dread dragon Troglodar, and his vow to avenge them with his family's ancestral blade, Doombringer, all quite moving, if a bit over the top. (set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a character sheet for Dugmire the Dwarf"))(set:$riversatchel to $riversatchel-(a:"a faded sheet of parchment"))
>> [[Continue|Examine the satchel by the labyrinth door]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")You flee from the covered wagon, not wanting to stick around to face whatever horror is coming toward you.
After a few minutes of running, you slow down to a more leisurely walk, trying to regain your breath and composure. The forest, though dark, seems at last to be thinning. In the distance, you can barely make out some sort of structure directly ahead of you.
>> [[Keep following the road west|Appear at the tower approach]]
>> [[Return to the travelers at the campfire|Return to the campfire with the healing kit]]
>> [[Head deeper into the woods|Avoid the tower and head into the woods]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You return eastward, following the road through the darkness. Thinking of the wounded man, you hope that you will make back it in time to help the travelers save their friend.
All around you, the forest is eerily silent, except for the wind rustling the leaves and the groaning of the trees. Light rain falls, cold on your skin. Lonely, too.
Just as you near the turn off for the campsite, you hear the clamor of battle. Swords ringing. People shouting. And the firelight leaping higher and higher.
>> [[Race to the campfire to aid the travelers]]
>> [[Wait for the fighting to end|Wait for the fighting to end at the campfire]]
>> [[Abandon the travelers to the bandits]] (display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateMoveCounter")Your (print:$player's weapon) in hand, you run toward the camp, desperately hoping to get back in time to aid the travelers you promised to defend.
When you arrive the woman and the wounded man are valiantly holding off the bandits using magic and swords. It's not going well. They're both sporting fresh wounds. The swordsman has fallen, not dead, but terribly injured.
A large bandit with a jeweled eye patch seems to be calling the shots. She stands several inches taller than the other bandits and wields a longsword. She has not spotted you yet.(set:$monster to $banditchief)
>> [[Attack the bandit chief from behind]]
>> [[Distract the bandit chief by calling out to her]]
(if:$spellsknown contains "Fireball")[>> [[Cast //Fireball// at the bandit chief|Use Fireball on bandits]]](else:)[>> [[Run away before anyone sees you|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]]
(if:$spellsknown contains "Fireball")[>> [[Run away before anyone sees you|Abandon the travelers to the bandits]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")At first glance, there's really nothing to scavenge from the fallen guard. His armor ruined, his once fine clothes now torn and stained with blood. If he had a weapon, it has been stripped from him by his assailants.
Still, a few things feel off. You notice that, oddly, his left hand remains tightly clenched in a fist. You also find it strange that his leather boots appear much more weathered and worn than the rest of his outfit.
As you are about to finish examining his body, you suddenly hear a twig snap from within the forest.
>> [[Continue searching the corpse|Continue searching the guard corpse]]
>> [[Flee west down the road|Abandon the corpse and flee further west down the road]]
>> [[Hide in the bushes|Hide in the bushes in forest on the other side]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You take one of the rusty daggers and (set:$inv to $inv +(a:"a rusty dagger"))(if:$currentweapon's damage < $dagger's damage)[decide to use it to defend yourself. Much better than relying on (print: $currentweapon's propname).(set:$player's weapon to "rusty dagger")(set:$currentweapon to $dagger)](else:)[put it into your pocket since (print:$currentweapon's propname) seems much more reliable.]
You hear a loud crash coming from the forest. Something very big seems to be moving through the trees toward the road. It's definitely getting closer.
>> [[Investigate the wagon|Look inside the wagon]]
>> [[Head into the forest|Head deeper into the forest but parallel]]
>> [[Follow the road west|Continue down the road past the ambush]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"determineLootSmall")You check the pouch and find $lootfound. (if:$valuablesmallstuff contains $lootfound)[ You think it might be valuable. Perhaps it's best to keep it.](else-if:$cheapsmallstuff contains $lootfound)[ You're not certain if you're going to need it, but who knows? Perhaps you'll find a use for it.] You decide to take it with you.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:$lootfound))
>> [[Investigate the wagon|Look inside the wagon]]
>> [[Head into the forest|Head deeper into the forest but parallel]]
>> [[Follow the road west|Continue down the road past the ambush]]
>> [[Follow the road east|Return eastward to the crossroads]](if:$monster's HP<10)[With one more heroic attack, you launch yourself toward (print:$monster's propname). (if:$player's isBooming is true)[(set:_attackFx to (either:...$boomFXs)+"!")($showFX:_attackFx)](print:$currentweapon's hittext)(set:$monster's HP to 0) It's a fatal blow! (print:$monster's deathtext)(set:$monster's isDead to true)(set:$isInCombat to false)](else-if:$player's hp<5)[(print:$monster's hittext)(set:$player's HP to 1)(set:$player's isInjured to true)You're grievously wounded. Perhaps it's time to run away?(set:$isOnDeathsDoor to true)](else:)[(if:$monster's HP > $player's hp)[The fight continues for some time, but in the end (print:$monster's propname) overwhelms you. ($print:$monster's hittext)(set:$player's isDead to true)](else:)[The two of you struggle back and forth, striking again and again, each time with greater fury and intensity. In the end, you prevail. (if:$player's isBooming is true)[(set:_attackFx to (either:...$boomFXs)+"!")($showFX:_attackFx)](print:$currentweapon's hittext)(set:$monster's HP to 0) It's a fatal blow! (print:$monster's deathtext)(set:$monster's isDead to true)(set:$isInCombat to false)]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Clearly the statue's gesture implies that some price must be paid. What did its maker anticipate would be given? You look at the outstretched clawed hand and consider your options. (set:$offerings to (a:))(set:$statueFoodGifts to (find: _itm where $foodItems contains _itm,...$inv))(set:$statueValuableGift to (find:_itm where $valuablesmallstuff contains _itm,...$inv))(set:$statueSpecialGift to (find:_itm where $statuegifts contains _itm,...$inv))(set:$statueJunkGift to (find:_itm where $cheapsmallstuff contains _itm,...$inv))(if:$statueFoodGifts's length > 0)[(set:$giftFood to (either:...$statueFoodGifts))(set:$offerings to $offerings+(a:$giftFood))](if:$statueValuableGift's length > 0)[(set:$giftValuable to (either:...$statueValuableGift))(set:$offerings to $offerings + (a:$giftValuable))](if:$statueSpecialGift's length > 0)[(set:$giftSpecial to (either:...$statueSpecialGift))(set:$offerings to $offerings+(a:$giftSpecial))](if:$statueJunkGift's length > 0)[(set:$giftJunk to (either:...$statueJunkGift))(set:$offerings to $offerings+(a:$giftJunk))]
(for: each _gift,...$offerings)[(set:_slink to "")(if:$foodItems contains _gift)[(set:_slink to "Give guardian statue food")](else-if:$valuablesmallstuff contains _gift)[(set:_slink to "Give guardian statue a valuable trinket")](else-if:$statuegifts contains _gift)[(set:_slink to "Give guardian statue a special item")](else-if:$cheapsmallstuff contains _gift)[(set:_slink to "Give guardian statue junk item")](else:)[(set:_slink to "Give guardian statue unwanted item")]>> (link-goto:"Offer "+_gift,_slink)
](if:$player's gp>0)[>> [[Offer a gold coin|Give a gold coin to the guardian statue]](set:$statueGoldGift to "an ancient gold coin")](else:)[>> [[Give nothing|Place no offering in the statue's palm]]](if:$player's gp>0)[
>> [[Give nothing|Place no offering in the statue's palm]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You gently place ($theItem:$giftFood) on the outstretched claw.(set:$inv to $inv - (a:$giftFood))
There is a sudden flash of yellow light, then the stone guardian's eyes flicker to life. Although its lips do not move, you hear a deep unearthly voice in your mind.
($npcSays:"Child of the "+$player's patron+", not all appetites can be satisfied with food. Be careful of what you desire. Meager as it is, your offering is accepted.
The banquet is laid before you. Feast within.")(set:$guardianOffering to "food")
You notice that ($theItem:$giftFood) has vanished.
>> [[Head inside|Tower Foyer]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You gently place ($theItem:$giftValuable) on the outstretched claw.(set:$inv to $inv - (a:$giftValuable))
The stone guardian's eyes flicker to life. Although its lips do not move, you hear a deep unearthly voice in your mind.
($npcSays:"Child of the "+$player's patron+", all knowledge has a price. This offering is acceptable.
Enter and find the knowledge you seek.")(set:$guardianOffering to "valuable")
>> [[Head inside|Tower Foyer]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You gently place ($theItem:$giftSpecial) on the outstretched claw.(set:$inv to $inv - (a:$giftSpecial))
The stone guardian's eyes flicker to life. Although its lips do not move, you hear a deep unearthly voice in your mind.
($npcSays:"Child of the "+$player's patron+", your offering is accepted.
Enter and find the knowledge you seek.")(set:$guardianOffering to "special")
>> [[Head inside|Tower Foyer]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You gently place ($theItem:$giftJunk) on the outstretched claw.(set:$inv to $inv - (a:$giftJunk))
There is a blinding flash of red light, then the stone guardian's eyes flicker to life. Although its lips do not move, you hear a deep unearthly voice in your mind..
($npcSays:"Foolish child of the "+$player's patron+", your offering is meager and will not suffice. You have kindled my wrath.
Enter at your own peril.")(set:$guardianOffering to "junk")
>> [[Head inside|Tower Foyer]]
>> [[Offer something else|Place an object in the statue guardian hand]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You stare at the outstretched claw and decide not to offer anything.
After a few minutes, you are not surprised when nothing happens.
>> [[Enter the tower|Tower Foyer]]
>> [[Wait a little longer|Wait longer for the statue guardian to respond]]
>> [[Head back toward the forest|Leave the tower and return to the forest]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:$inv contains "a metal card engraved with strange runes" or $inv contains "an ancient library card")[You rummage through your things and take out the metal card with strange markings on it. You hope that this is what he's looking for. When you show it to him, he hums and haws, then grins.
($npcSays:"Yes, this will do. Welcome to the Tower! Feel free to search the Library upstairs. If you need anything, just call for me. I am Zerasmus, Head Librarian and Archivist.")(set:$inv to $inv-(a:"a metal card engraved with strange runes"))(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"an ancient library card"))
>> [[Head upstairs|Tower Library]]](else:)[You make a show of rummaging through your things, but can't find anything that looks like a library card.(if:$inv's length >0)[(set:$fakeLibraryCard to (either:...$inv)) You offer ($theItem: $fakeLibraryCard) to the skeleton, but it shakes its head.
($npcSays:"No. No. No. This is not a valid library card. I cannot let you enter.")]
(if:$player's gp >0)[>> [[Try to bribe the librarian]]](else:)[>> [[Ask about applying for a card|Ask librarian about getting a library card]]]
>> [[Head back to the forest|Leave the tower and return to the forest]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You make a show of patting your pockets and clothes, then tell the skeleton:
($playerSays:"I don't have a card.")
Despite lacking flesh, you can tell the skeleton now looks at you with a definite look of disappointment and concern.
($npcSays:"I'm afraid then that I cannot let you enter. Come back when you have a library card. Rules are rules.")
>> [[Ask about applying for a card|Ask librarian about getting a library card]]
(if:$player's gp >0)[>> [[Try to bribe the librarian]]
>> [[Head back to the forest|Leave the tower and return to the forest]]
](else:)[
>> [[Head back to the forest|Leave the tower and return to the forest]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Without missing a beat, you reach into your pocket and pull out a gold coin. You look the skeleton square in its flickering eye sockets.
($playerSays:"Oh, I believe I have my card right here.")
You slide the coin across the desk.
>> [[Continue|Failed to bribe the librarian]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You figure it can't hurt to ask. Surely there must be some simple way to get a library card if you don't already have one.
($playerSays:"How do I get a library card?")
The skeleton hands you a piece of parchment.
($npcSays:"You need to fill out this form, then provide some sort of identification. The processing fee is one gold coin.")
As you take the form and put it in your pocket, the skeleton notes:
($npcSays:"Of course, you could participate in our book bounty reward program and earn a card that way. We're always looking for help finding lost books.")
You take the form.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a library card application form"))
>> [[Ask about the book bounty program]]
>> [[Thank the skeleton and leave|Thank the skeleton librarian and leave]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You take one last look at the ominous stone tower, then turn and head back toward the darkening forest. (display:"displayLight")
The road stretches out before you shrouded in mist and shadow. You hear the distant howling of what you hope is merely a wolf. The cold wind cuts through your clothes and chills you to the core.
>> [[Follow the road east|Follow the road back toward the overturned cart]]
>> [[Head into the north woods|Head into the NW woods from the tower]]
>> [[Head into the south woods|Head into the SW woods from the tower]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You find your way back to the road and head east. After a while, you see the faint outline of some sort of overturned wagon or cart. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue|Approach the overturned wagon]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You gently place ($theItem:$statueGoldGift) on the outstretched claw.(set:$player's gp to $player's gp-1)(display:"updateGold")
There is a sudden flash of yellow light, then the stone guardian's eyes flicker to life. Although its lips do not move, you hear a deep unearthly voice in your mind.
($npcSays:"Child of the "+$player's patron+", all that glitters is not gold.
Sovereigns die. Kingdoms fail. The tale of their mortal folly survives, counted by those that watch in the brilliant dark.
Ascend to the treasure room of knowledge, but be wary of the price.")(set:$guardianOffering to "gold")
You notice that the ancient gold coin has vanished.
>> [[Head inside|Tower Foyer]](display:"updateMoveCounter")The skeleton pauses, then pushes the coin back into your hand.
($npcSays:"No, you are mistaken. I would encourage you to return when you have obtained a //proper// library card. Now, depart before I call security.")
You feel a bit foolish and embarrassed. Apparently, you can't just bribe your way in here.
>> [[Leave the tower and return to the forest]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You wait patiently. The darkness deepens around you. The wind cuts through your clothes, chilling you further. Somewhere in the deep woods you hear a wolf howl, then another. Then a long long silence.
>> [[Keep waiting|Wait even longer for the statue guardian to respond]]
>> [[Head back toward the forest|Leave the tower and return to the forest]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You continue waiting in the darkness, no longer certain what you are waiting for or why. You shiver and shuffle your feet. The statue remains still. The distant wolf howling sounds even more distant.
After what seems like an impossible amount of time, you hear a voice in your head:
($npcSays:"You really ought to get going if you don't want to freeze to death out here.")
Somehow you don't feel welcome here anymore.
>> [[Head back toward the forest|Leave the tower and return to the forest]](display:"updateMoveCounter")($playerSays:"Can you tell me more about the book bounty program?")
The skeleton grins a wide unnerving grin.
($npcSays:"It's quite simple, really. From time to time, books disappear from our library and get lost out in the world. If you happen to find a book in your travels, bring it back to me. I will award you with an honorary library card in light of your service to our institution. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
For now, though, you'll have to leave.")
The skeleton graciously gestures toward the door.
>> [[Leave the tower|Leave the tower and return to the forest]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You place the completed form on the counter, then put a gold coin beside it.($inv to $inv-(a:"a library card application form")(set:$player's gp to $player's gp-1)(display:"updateGold")
The skeleton nods approvingly, then gestures to a now glowing circle of magical runes that appears next to the form.
($npcSays:"Place your right palm on the circle.")
>> [[Continue|Place your hand on the arcane library card scanner]](display:"updateMoveCounter")As you put your hand on the circle, you feel the wild rush of strange powerful magic course around your hand. It feels a bit like being licked by a cat's rough tongue. Something small and needle-like jabs your palm, then fades away. When you lift your hand, you see a tiny pinpoint prick. A drop of blood falls into the center of the circle which then glows a brilliant purple and fades.
When you look again, the circle is gone. In its place is a thin white rectangular stone with some strange writing on it.
($npcSays:"Your library card is ready. Please take it and enjoy the library.")
You pick up the card and put it in your pocket.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"an official library card"))
>> [[Head up the stairs|Tower Library]]
>> [[Leave the library|Leave the tower and return to the forest]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You keep going forward trusting in your instincts and your innate sense of direction. At least, you want to believe that you're heading the right way. You need to believe that, otherwise you'll start to second guess your moves. Hesitation will kill you. But so will hubris. The trees seem thicker, denser than you remember. You've lost track of the path behind you.
You feel a faint breeze coming from your left. An old game trail heads off to your left. Directly before you, the woods feel darker and more ominious. Dense foliage blocks most of the way forward, except for a small break in the trees.
>> [[Head deeper into the dark wood|ForestLost03]]
>> [[Go toward the breeze|ForestCorrect02]]
>> [[Take the faint trail|ForestLost04]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")In the darkness, everything looks pretty much the same. Tall trees. Wet and moldy leaves underfoot. The occasional fallen log or crumbling stump. Shadows everywhere shifting.(display:"updateMoveCounter")
>> [[Continue|ForestCorrect02]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")In the darkness, everything looks pretty much the same. Tall trees. Wet and moldy leaves underfoot. The occasional fallen log or crumbling stump. Shadows everywhere shifting. When you look back, your tracks have already disappeared.(display:"displayLight")
The ground feels sloped beneath your feet, dipping downward to your left and rising to your right. You think you hear something moving in the thick forest before you.
>> [[Head toward the sound|ForestLost05]]
>> [[Follow the slope down|ForestLost04]]
>> [[Head further uphill|ForestLost06]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")Forest Lost 00
(display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue forward|Keep searching for the east road]]
>> [[Head left|Emerge at the wrong place on the east road]]
>> [[Head right|ForestLost06]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You stumble through the dense brush and find yourself in a different clearing than you expected. More paths. More tracks. And off in the distance somewhere, the sound of a river running. As you stand in the open, the wind picks up again and chills you to the core. You see the grass and trees shifting. There are signs of someone or something passing through here recently. It's not clear how old this tracks are, but you suspect they were not made by you.
(display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue forward|ForestLost07]]
>> [[Head left|ForestCorrect03]]
>> [[Head right|ForestLost07]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")
>> [[Continue|ForestCorrect03]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You keep walking into the lower branches of trees you can't even see, their all-but-invisible limbs grazing your arms and face as you pass. As if reaching out to pull you back, calling for you to stay, to linger, to become part of the darkness.
It's almost pitch black here. You think you hear a wolf howling somewhere off in the distance to your left. Something glimmers through the trees ahead of you. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Go toward the light|ForestLost05]]
>> [[Try to find another path|ForestLostKeepTrying]]
>> [[Head toward the wolf |ForestLost06]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")As you push through the trees and bushes, you find yourself arriving on the edge of a road cutting through the woods. You can hear the sound of rushing water not far from here.
For a brief moment, you see a ghostly figure hovering above the road. A faint silvery image of a cloaked woman, at least that's what she looks like. She seems to be pointing east. Before you can take a closer look, she vanishes, leaving you once more in darkness.(display:"displayLight")
>> [[Head east on the road|Head further east on the road]]
>> [[Return the way you came|ForestLost04]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")The forest thins slightly and you find yourself at the foot of a hill covered in trees. A portion of the hillside facing you has partially eroded, exposing a cave entrance. Not far from the entrance, you spy the translucent figure of a large wolf. It shimmers and flickers, then fades just as it howls again.
You feel a cold breeze coming from your right.
>> [[Avoid the hill and head left|ForestLost07]]
>> [[Approach the cave entrance|Approach the ghost wolf den]]
>> [[Head right|Emerge at the wrong place on the east road]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")
>> [[Continue|Follow the road back toward the overturned cart]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")As you pick your way through the trees, suddenly distracted by the sound of crows cawing in the darkness. Something ahead of you reeks of rotten flesh.
Before long, you find yourself in the midst of a small clearing, at the center of which is the decaying remains of some large creature. The stench is overpowering. There is some sort of partially dug trench or hole nearby. The trees on the other side appear singed and charred, as if something burned its way through. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue through the burned trees|ForestLost08]]
>> [[Examine the carcass|Examine the strange carcass in the clearing]]
>> [[Look at the trench|Examine the partially dug trench]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")Some great fire must have raged here recently as you can still feel the heat in the air. All about you, the trees are all charred and the ground scorched. Few trees remain standing. In the clearing, you spy the wreckage of some sort of egg-shaped metal structure which has exploded.
Lying to your right, about twenty feet away from the debris, you see a metal rectangular case.
>> [[Investigate the strange metal case|Examine the strange metal briefcase]]
>> [[Search the wreckage|Search the egg UFO wreckage]]
>> [[Find another way around the site|ForestLostKeepTrying]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")Everything here looks at once familiar and unfamiliar. The trees, the rocks, the undergrowth. You have seen them all before, you just can't remember when. You are, most certainly, lost.
The blunt and brutal reality of your situation hits you harder than you expect. Suddenly it's hard to breathe. You feel weak and ready to vomit, but nothing comes up.
>> [[Cry out and hope that someone comes and saves|Totally lost and calling out for help]]
>> [[Curl up in a ball|Totally lost and curling up in a ball]]
>> [[Run randomly through the woods|Totally lost and running wildly]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You panic and run wildly through the dark woods, crashing through the dense foliage and bouncing off of trees. Stumbling and scrambling, you force yourself to keep running with no clue as to where you are going.
>> [[Continue|Stop running madly through the woods]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")Convinced that there must be another way out of the forest, you keep trying path after path. The forest feels heavy with shadow and fear. It is extremely dark. Nevertheless, you plod on, looking for breaks in the trees and following each trail.
Minutes. Hours. You're not certain how long you've been doing this. You're cold, tired, and no longer certain of anything.
>> [[Continue|ForestLostEastFinal]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")You keep running. You can no longer whether you are running away from something or running toward it. At last, completely out of breath, you stop and try to process the scene before you...(set:$locationAfterWildRun to (either:"ForestLost03","ForestLost05","ForestLost07","ForestCorrect03","Head toward the fire in the clearing","Keep searching for the east road"))
>> (link-goto:"Continue",$locationAfterWildRun)
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You press forward through the dense forest, trying not to trip over the fallen trees and rain slick moss. The earth feels soft and spongy underfoot, and you smell the stench of rotting vegetation.
When you find a break in the trees, you discover yourself on the edge of a marsh. Your appearance triggers a chorus of alarmingly loud frogs whose croaks fill the immensity of the dark. A few fireflies linger providing just enough light to see a series of stones that form some sort of path across the swamp.
>> [[Use stone path to cross the swamp]]
>> [[Head into the forest to your left|Bypass the swamp to the left]]
>> [[Head into the forest to your right|Bypass the swamp to the right]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You set off on the stone path across the swamp, carefully stepping from one stone to another to avoid falling in. The swamp air is humid and heavy with the smell of wet rot, mold, and decay. It feels so thick that it's a bit hard to breathe.
>> [[Continue|Stone path midpoint with corpse]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You hug the swamp's edge as you veer left, trying to find a way around this foul-smelling marsh. Little by little you make progress through the overgrown brush and fallen trees until at last you find yourself blocked by a huge fallen tree. The path forward seems impassible.
Looking around, you spot an old woodcutter's shack nestled in the trees on a low bluff overlooking the swamp. There's a rough path that seems to lead up to the shack.
>> [[Head toward the old shack|Old woodcutter shack]]
>> [[Try to cross the swamp from here|Cross swamp without using the stone npath]](display:"updateMoveCounter")As you head right, skirting the edge of the swamp, you come across a grassy area with three shallow graves. The leftmost one looks very overgrown. The one furthest to the right appears to have been newly dug. The grave in the middle has been partially excavated. Tall trees surround this clearing, their long shadows blending with the deepening darkness.
>> [[Examine the grave on the left|Examine old grave in swamp]]
>> [[Examine the grave in the middle|Examine the partially excavated grave in swamp]]
>> [[Examine the grave on the right|Examine the new grave in the swamp]]
>> [[Keep moving|Keep moving past the swamp graves]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:visit is 1)[A long dusty hallway stretches out before you](else:)[You find yourself in a hallway that runs roughly north to south.] The walls and floor are made of carefully fitted stone blocks. A little further down the passage, you see two iron doors facing each other on opposite walls. One door appears quite old and rusty. The other door bears scorch marks as if it had been exposed to some sort of great fire. (if:visit>1)[ You are certain that you have been here before, but there is no sign of the giant iron door you passed through when you first arrived.] (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Head down the passage|Labyrinth Sloping Hallway]]
>> [[Open the old rusty door|Labyrinth Rusty Door Room]]
>> [[Open the scorched door|Labyrinth Scorched Door Room]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateClockTime")(display:"updateLastRoom")You find yourself in what was once a guardroom. Around you see the artifacts of the past: the remains of a desk, the stone frames of two beds whose mattresses have turned to dust, and a small pile of rusting swords and armor. (if:visits is 1)[A foul stench rises from two bodies which lie on the beds. Upon your entrance, they stir, rising with terrible groans as they lurch toward you.(set:$monster to $zombie)(set:$monster2 to $zombie)
>> [[Attack the zombies|Attack the zombies in LG3]]
>> [[Cast a spell|Use magic on the zombies in LG3]]
>> [[Try to escape|Run away from the zombies in LG3]]](else:)[
>> [[Search the room|Search LG3 for treasure]]
>> [[Head back to main hallway|Labyrinth Main Hallway]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:$inv contains "a rope ladder")[Using the rope ladder, you descend into the pit one careful step at a time.](else:)[You very cautiously make your way down into the pit, choosing your holds carefully so as not to wind up a dark bloodly splotch on the ground.] When you reach the bottom, you note that the big blue box appears to be of exceptional craftmanship, its lines and bevels cleanly cut and mitred.
(if:$inv contains "a comically long brightly colored scarf")[The box suddenly glows as if recognizing you. The door opens revealing a surprisingly large room beyond, much bigger than you'd expect from its outer dimensions.
>> [[Enter the blue box|Step inside the blue box]]
>> [[Climb back out of the pit|Try to climb back out of the mine pit]]](else:)[The door appears to be locked.
>> [[Try to force your way into the box|Try to force your way into the blue box]]
>> [[Climb back out of the pit|Try to climb back out of the mine pit]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You reach out into the darkness expecting to feel the rough surface of stone, but instead there is nothing at all. When you lean out further to find the wall, you find yourself stumbling forward, then falling into an unseen shaft.
>> [[Continue|Fall into the blue box shaft]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You instinctively reach out trying to find something to hold onto, but your hands fail to find a hold, instead bumping and smashing into the rocky sides of this pit. (set:$player's hp to $player's hp -3)(if: $player's hp>0)[(set:$player's isInjured to true)Thankfully it's not a terribly long fall. You feel a bit bruised and battered, but still in one piece.
You pick yourself up and try to get a sense of where you are.
>> [[Continue|Fell to the bottom of the blue box shaft]]](else:)[You fail to stop yourself from crashing into the blue box, then bouncing off onto a rather pointy rock.
>> [[Continue|Died falling down the blue box shaft]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")It looks like a long way up back to where you fell from. Down here, there's just rock debris and this rather strange blue box which on closer inspection appears to be of exceptional craftmanship, its lines and bevels cleanly cut and mitred.
(if:$inv contains "a comically long brightly colored scarf")[The box suddenly glows as if recognizing you. The door opens revealing a surprisingly large room beyond, much bigger than you'd expect from its outer dimensions.
>> [[Enter the blue box|Step inside the blue box]]
>> [[Climb back out of the pit|Try to climb back out of the mine pit]]](else:)[The door appears to be locked.
>> [[Try to force your way into the box|Try to force your way into the blue box]]
>> [[Climb back out of the pit|Try to climb back out of the mine pit]]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")It's over before you've finished panicking. Now, everything is burning. Your head hurts. As does the rest of your body. Landing on hard rocks after falling a long distance tends to do that. Nothing seems to respond. Your whole body feels like the color red. No, like a crushed tomato being eaten by fire ants. Whatever it is, you're losing touch with it. The darkness crowds around you and there's a dull pale light blinking somewhere. You feel something wet fall on your cheek. Or was that your eye. You're too tired. The world is too small now. It's very small. You think it could rest on your tongue. Why is it so heavy then? Why?
<h3>THE END</h3>(set:$gameconclusion to "Killed by a Sudden Stop After a Long Fall")
<h6>[[How did I do?|Final Report]]</h6>(display:"updateMoveCounter")You keep to the shore following the river downstream. It's not much of a path, just some worn well-trodden spots here and there that suggest someone else has been through here in the past. (if:visits is 1)[(set:$shorecontainer to (either:...$lootbeach))] A little further down you see an odd-looking black door set in the rock.
You find $shorecontainer washed up on the shore next to the remains of an old rowboat.
>> (link-goto:"Examine "+($theItem:$shorecontainer),"Search container found on the shore")
>> [[Continue following the river downstream|Follow the underground river further downstream]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:visits is 1)[(set:$shoreloot to (a:(either:...$validIDs),(either:...$smallitems)))(set:$shoreloot to $shoreloot-$inv)]You search ($theItem:$shorecontainer) and find (if:$shoreloot's length is 2)[(print: $shoreloot's 1st) and (print:$shoreloot's 2nd) inside it.](else-if:$shoreloot's length is 1)[ (print:$shoreloot's 1st) inside.](else:)[nothing inside it.](set:_itmNum to 0)(set:_slink to "")
The river grows louder further you head downstream. Perhaps there's a waterfall ahead? Or some sort of whirlpool? It's hard to tell from the sound alone.
(if:$shoreloot's length>0)[(for:each _itm,...$shoreloot)[(set:_itmNum to _itmNum+1)(set:_slink to "Take shore item "+(str:_itmNum))>> (link-goto:"Take "+($theItem:_itm),_slink)
]]>> [[Continue downstream|Follow the underground river further downstream]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")The river rushes by, the current too strong to cross. You can hear the roar of a waterfall just ahead. The air feels damp and cold. You suddenly notice a strange black door set into the rock not far from you. You could have sworn it wasn't there moments ago.
>> [[Go through the black door|Appear at the Labyrinth]]
>> [[Attempt to descend the waterfall|Try to descend the waterfall into the caverns]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$newloot to $shoreloot's 1st)You pick up ($theItem:$newloot) and take it with you. It looks important, perhaps someone will recognize it?(set:$inv to $inv+(a:$newloot))(set:$shoreloot to $shoreloot-(a:$newloot))
>> [[Continue|Search container found on the shore]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$newloot to $shoreloot's 2nd)You pick up ($theItem:$newloot) and take it with you. Who knows? Perhaps this will prove useful somewhere else?(set:$inv to $inv+(a:$newloot))(set:$shoreloot to $shoreloot-(a:$newloot))
>> [[Continue|Search container found on the shore]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You try to carefully descend the waterfall, avoiding the rushing downpour, and sticking with the rocks. The way is treacherous and slick, the rocks covered with wet moss and mold.
Partway down, you slip, banging your head on the way down into the dark waters below.(set:$hasFallenDownWaterfall)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:"Fell down a waterfall")
>> [[Continue|Get swept away and wash up in the cavern]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You're not certain how long you've been knocked out, but when you open your eyes it is still dark. You can hear the river nearby, but it seems much quieter, calmer. You can hear a second river as well, the sound of it coming through a narrow crack in the cave wall. Perhaps these two meet here?
The crack looks just barely large enough to force your way through. The river you've been following seems to disappear, no doubt sinking further.(display:"updateLastRoom")
>> [[Go through the crack|Cavern Big Chamber]](display:"updateMoveCounter")At first, you feel disappointed. The rock wall behind the waterfall appears perfectly normal. Wet and a bit mossy. Upon closer inspection, though you note a very faint circular depression. (if:$inv contains "a gold disc covered in runes")[The gold disc looks like it might fit here.
>> [[Place the gold disc in the depression|Place the gold disc in the waterfall depression]]]
>> [[Put your hand on the depression|Put your hand on the waterfall depression]]
>> [[Leave|Cave Path Left 1]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You place your hand on the disc-shaped impression in the rock and immediately feel the rock close around your hand, sealing it inside the rock.
You're stuck. Now what?
>> [[Try to cut off your hand|Attempt to cut off your own hand to escape rock]]
>> [[Wait a few minutes|Wait for a few minutes to see if the rock lets go of your hand]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You look through your things for something sharp enough to sever your hand(if:$inv contains any of $sharpObjects)[(set:$hasSharpObject to true)
](else:)[, but fail to find anything.]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateMoveCounter")You mutter the words of the //Charm// spell under your breath, hoping that the troll doesn't realize you are trying to sway his emotions. A wave of cool sophistication washes over you and you instantly feel more suave and polished. There's a confidence in your poise and demeanor.
As you turn toward the troll, words pour out of you effortlessly as if you were not speaking, but dancing the most elegant dance in the word.
($playerSays:"My //friend//, for I very much would like to be your friend, I am but a humble traveler who the winds of fate have cast upon your shores. I seek your strength and wisdom. Do you have a brief moment of time?")
>> [[Continue|Ask a favor of the charmed troll]](display:"updateMoveCounter")At first the troll looks troubled, then his expression seems to mellow to something between bemusement and curiosity. As you finish speaking, you sense a distance in the troll's eyes, as if your words had lulled him into some sort of highly suggestible state.
>> [[Suggest he let you shelter with him overnight|Ask troll for shelter]]
>> [[Suggest he make a donation to your worthy cause|Ask troll for donation]]
>> [[Suggest he head to the forest to fight a dangerous monster|Ask troll to fight monster]]
>> [[Suggest he tell you the secret he has been keeping|Ask troll to reveal big secret]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateLastRoom")You follow the wide passageway which gradually slopes down toward a landing and a set of thick iron doors that block the way forward. Although darkened by age, the doors appear sturdy and still functional. The passage walls have fared better than the other stone surfaces in the area. On both sides you see scenes of violence and torture—the dominant creatures appearing humanoid, but with pale skin, fiery eyes, and dark cloaks—always surrounded by rivers of blood, in the act of feasting on the bodies of those they vanquished.
>> [[Continue|Labyrinth Sloping Landing]]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Main Hallway")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","Go through the passage door to the labyrinth","east","Labyrinth Rusty Door Room","south","Labyrinth Sloping Hallway","west","Labyrinth Scorched Door Room"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Sloping Hallway")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","Labyrinth Main Hallway","east","Labyrinth Dark Hallway","south","Labyrinth Lower Level Stairs","west","Labyrinth Breezy Hallway"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Rusty Door Room")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","none","east","Labyrinth Main Hallway","south","Labyrinth Dark Hallway","west","Labyrinth Equipment Room"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Equipment Room")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","none","east","Labyrinth Rusty Door Room","south","Labyrinth Vending Machine","west","none"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Scorched Door Room")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","none","east","Labyrinth Green Room","south","none","west","Labyrinth Main Hallway"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Green Room")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","none","east","none","south","none","west","Labyrinth Scorched Door Room"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Puzzle Flood Room")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","none","east","Labyrinth Trash Teleporter","south","none","west","Labyrinth Breezy Hallway"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Breezy Hallway")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","Labyrinth Scorched Door Room","east","Labyrinth Puzzle Flood Room","south","Labyrinth Puzzle Bull Room","west","Labyrinth Sloping Hallway"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Dark Hallway")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","Labyrinth Rusty Door Room","east","Labyrinth Sloping Hallway","south","none","west","Labyrinth Vending Machine"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Vending Machine")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","Labyrinth Equipment Room","east","Labyrinth Dark Hallway","south","none","west","none"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Treasure Room")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","none","east","Labyrinth Vampire Statue","south","none","west","none"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Vampire Statue")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","none","east","Labyrinth Big Battle","south","none","west","Labyrinth Treasure Room"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Lower Level Stairs")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","Labyrinth Sloping Hallway","east","Labyrinth Lower Level Caverns","south","Labyrinth Lower Level Mines","west","Labyrinth Lower Level Lake"))]
(if:$currentRoom is "Labyrinth Big Battle")[(set:$roomExitDirections to (dm:"north","Labyrinth Lower Level Stairs","east","Labyrinth Lower Level Lake","south","Labyrinth Big ","west","Labyrinth Treasure Room"))]
(set:$labMainHall to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Main Hallway","north","Go through the passage door to the labyrinth","east","Labyrinth Rusty Door Room","south","Labyrinth Sloping Hallway","west","Labyrinth Scorched Door Room","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labSlopeHall to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Sloping Hallway","north","Labyrinth Main Hallway","east","Labyrinth Dark Hallway","south","Labyrinth Lower Level Stairs","west","Labyrinth Breezy Hallway","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labRustyDoor to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Rusty Door Room","north","none","east","Labyrinth Main Hallway","south","Labyrinth Dark Hallway","west","Labyrinth Equipment Room","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labEquipRoom to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Equipment Room","north","none","east","Labyrinth Rusty Door Room","south","Labyrinth Vending Machine","west","none","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labScorchDoor to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Scorched Door Room","north","none","east","Labyrinth Green Room","south","none","west","Labyrinth Main Hallway","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labGreenRoom to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Green Room","north","none","east","none","south","none","west","Labyrinth Scorched Door Room","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labPuzFlood to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Puzzle Flood Room","north","none","east","Labyrinth Trash Teleporter","south","none","west","Labyrinth Breezy Hallway","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labBreezyHall to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Breezy Hallway","north","Labyrinth Scorched Door Room","east","Labyrinth Puzzle Flood Room","south","Labyrinth Puzzle Bull Room","west","Labyrinth Sloping Hallway","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labDarkHall to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Dark Hallway","north","Labyrinth Rusty Door Room","east","Labyrinth Sloping Hallway","south","none","west","Labyrinth Vending Machine","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labVendMachine to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Vending Machine","north","Labyrinth Equipment Room","east","Labyrinth Dark Hallway","south","none","west","none","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labTrashHeap to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Trash Heap","north","Labyrinth Puzzle Flood","east","none","south","none","west","Labyrinth Monster Generator","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labMonGenerator to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Monster Generator","north","none","east","Labyrinth Trash Heap","south","none","west","Labyrinth Puzzle Bull","up","none","down","Labyrinth Control Room"))
(set:$labLvl2Stairs to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Lower Level Stairs","north","Labyrinth Sloping Hallway","east","Labyrinth Lower Level Caverns","south","Labyrinth Lower Level Gate","west","Labyrinth Lower Level Lake","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labLvl2Lake to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Lower Level Lake","north","none","east","Labyrinth Lower Level Stairs","south","none","west","none","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labLvl2Cavern to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Lower Level Caverns","north","none","east","none","south","none","west","Labyrinth Lower Level Stairs","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labLvl2Gate to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Lower Level Gate","north","Labyrinth Lower Level Stairs","east","none","south","Labyrinth Big Battle","west","none","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labLvl2BigBattle to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Big Battle","north","Labyrinth Lower Level Gate","east","none","south","Labyrinth Lower Throne ","west","none","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labLvl2Throne to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Lower Throne","north","Labyrinth Big Battle","east","Labyrinth Lower Library","south","none","west","Labyrinth Vampire Statue","up","none","down","none")
(set:$labLvl2VampStatue to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Vampire Statue","north","none","east","Labyrinth Big Battle","south","none","west","Labyrinth Treasure Room","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labLvl2TreasureRoom to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Treasure Room","north","none","east","Labyrinth Vampire Statue","south","none","west","none","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labLvl2Library to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Library","north","none","east","Labyrinth Control Room","south","none","west","Labyrinth Lower Throne","up","none","down","none"))
(set:$labLvl2ControlRoom to (dm:"name","Labyrinth Control Room","north","none","east","none","south","none","west","Labyrinth Library","up","Labyrinth Monster Generator","down","none"))
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(display:"updateLastRoom")You head back up the passage, trying not to pay attention to the disturbing scenes depicted on the walls. As you ascend, the air feels less heavy and your body feels lighter.
>> [[Continue|Labyrinth Main Hallway]]
You are standing at the foot of an upward sloping passage, you find the left door is partially open and there is evidence that something squeezed through here recently. You can see more passages beyond. One heads deeper into the darkness. You feel a cold breeze blowing down from the other side passage. Before you, a steep set of stone stairs descends into more shadowy depths. (display:"displayLight") (if:visits>1)[
All this is just as eerie as the first time you passed through here.]
>> [[Descend the stone stairs|Labyrinth Lower Level Stairs]]
>> [[Return to the main passage|Labyrinth Main Hallway Up]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You continue east along the road. The forest around you is dark and ominious. You feel a cold wind blowing as you press on, shivering in the deepening night. Your legs are growing weary, but there is nowhere to shelter or rest. And who knows what might be waiting for you in the darkness if you linger too long. Yes, best to keep moving.
You crest the hill. The forest is deathly silent. (display:"displayLight")
>> [[Continue|Head toward the road]]You begin to climb up the rope. Halfway up, you notice that someone has cut most of the strands at this point. The rope snaps and you fall.
(display:"updateMoveCounter")You stare into the shifty eyes of the old man.
($playerSays:"You're the bandits, aren't you?")
There's a brief flash of anger as the old man stares back. He releases his son's body and draws his sword.
($npcSays:"You could have just walked away. You could have just let me grieve. But no, no, you had to open your mouth.")
The old man leaps up and attacks. (set:$monster to $sadbandit)
>> [[Fight the old man|Continue fighting the old bandit]]
>> [[Try to escape|Escape from the old man]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$monster to $sadbandit)(if:visits is 1)[(display:"resolveAttack")(display:"resolveMonsterAttack")](if:visits is 2)[(display:"resolveAttack") (if:$monster's isDead is false)[The old man spits at you, then charges again, (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")](else:)[(set:$isSadBanditDead to true)]](if:visits is 3)[Anger and grief fuel the old man's swings. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")(display:"resolveAttack")](if:visits>3)[You wipe the blood from you face and stare into the desperate eyes of the grieving man. (display:"resolveMonsterAttack")(display:"resolveAttack")]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is false)[>> [[Attack again|Continue fighting the old bandit]]](else:)[>> [[Search the old man's body|Search the dead grieving bandit]]]](else:)[>> [[Continue|Killed by the grieving bandit]]]
(if:$player's isDead is false)[(if:$monster's isDead is true)[(set:_achieve to "You slew the grieving bandit with your "+$player's weapon)(set:$achievements to $achievements+(a:_achieve))>> [[Keep moving|Leave the dead bandits in the wagon]]](else:)[>> [[Run away|Run away from the grieving bandit]]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")The troll looks deep into your eyes as if reading your soul.
($npcSays:"I do not know you, but I sense no guile in your words. I cannot offer much, but have sworn an oath to help honest travelers in need. Honest ones, that is, not bandits and trespassers.")
He sighs and re-sheaves his greatsword.
($npcSays:"I will believe you. What can I do to help?")
>> [[Ask to rest here overnight|Ask troll if you can sleep in the lair]]
>> [[Ask for directions back to the road|Leave the troll and return to the forest]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:$firestarters contains $lightsource's name)[You use (print:$lightsource's propname) to light a fire. Feeding it whatever sticks and dry wood you can find, you manage to get a good campfire going. It's not much, but it's something. You try to get some rest, even if sleep feels elusive with so many strange and spooky noises about.
>> [[Continue|Survived with an outdoor campfire]]](else-if:$spellsknown contains "fireball")[You don't have a torch, but you know a handy spell. You decide to cast //Fireball// to ignite the pile of dry wood you've assembled. This should work, right? You should (in theory) be able to scale down the spell as long as you can imagine it smaller. At least, that's how it should work.
>> [[Continue|Died in forest fire caused by Fireball]]](else:)[You realize that you have nothing to start a fire. Without some means of generating a spark, you have no way of getting a flame going, and no means of staying warm. It's just too cold here.
>> [[Try to camp here anyway|Froze to death from sleeping outside with no fire]]
>> [[Search the abandoned campsite]]
>> [[Keep moving|Keep searching for the east road]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You search through the pile of debris, picking through the rotten boards and moss-covered branches. After a few minutes of digging, you find (if:$hasAbandonedCampSearched is true)[nothing.](else:)[a very rusty hatchet and a waterstained book.]
>> [[Take the hatchet|Take the hatchet from abandoned camp]]
>> [[Examine the waterstained book|Examine the waterstained book from camp]]
>> [[Keep moving|Keep searching for the east road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You poke around the abandoned campsite looking for clues, but find little of interest aside from the pile of debris where a shack once stood. You do find one other curious thing: the overgrown remains of what might have been a small garden. It's mostly filled with weeds at this point, but you do spot a few wild carrots.
>> [[Take the wild carrots|Pick wild carrots from the old garden]]
>> [[Check out the pile of debris|Debris pile at the abandoned camp]]
>> [[Keep moving|Keep searching for the east road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a rusty hatchet")) (if:$currentweapon's damage < $hatchet's damage)[(set:$currentweapon to $hatchet)(print:$currentweapon's pickuptext)](else:)[You stow the hatchet with your other things.]
>> [[Continue|Debris pile at the abandoned camp]](display:"updateMoveCounter")As you attempt pick up the book, it disintegrates in your hands, its pages falling to the ground. Among the sodden remains of the book you spot a thin metal card bearing some strange-looking runes. (set:$isWaterstainedBookDestroyed to true)
>> [[Take the metal card|Pick up the library card from the camp]]
>> [[Leave the card|Debris pile at the abandoned camp]](display:"updateMoveCounter") You stand next to a pile of rotting wood planks and tree branches. Perhaps something valuable is hidden here? (if:$inv contains "a rusty hatchet" and $inv contains "a metal card engraved with runes")[(set:$hasAbandonedCampSearched to true)Or perhaps not. You've been searching for a few minutes already and don't see anything else of interest.](if:$inv does not contain "a rusty hatchet")[You see the handle of a rusty hatchet sticking out. ](if:$inv does not contain "a metal card engraved with runes")[(if:$isWaterstainedBookDestroyed)[You think you see a thin metal card gleaming in the mud.](else:)[Half-buried in the mud and wood is a waterstained book.]]
(if:$inv contains "a rusty hatchet" and $inv contains "a metal card engraved with runes")[>> [[Keep moving|Keep searching for the east road]]](else:)[(if:$inv does not contain "a rusty hatchet")[>> [[Take the rusty hatchet|Take the hatchet from abandoned camp]]](else-if:$inv does not contain "a metal card engraved with runes")[(if:$isWaterstainedBookDestroyed)[>> [[Take the card|Pick up the library card from the camp]]](else:)[ >> [[Examine the waterstained book|Examine the waterstained book from camp]]]]
(if:$inv does not contain "a rusty hatchet" and $inv does not contain "a metal card engraved with runes")[(if:$isWaterstainedBookDestroyed)[>> [[Take the card|Pick up the library card from the camp]]](else:)[>> [[Examine the waterstained book|Examine the waterstained book from camp]]]](else-if:$inv does not contain "a metal card engraved with runes")[>> [[Keep moving|Keep searching for the east road]]](else:)[>> [[Keep moving|Keep searching for the east road]]]
(if:$inv does not contain "a rusty hatchet" and $inv does not contain "a metal card engraved with runes")[>> [[Keep moving|Keep searching for the east road]]]](display:"updateMoveCounter")(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a metal card engraved with runes"))You pick up the metal card and note that one side is engraved with runes. Although you can't read the inscription, the card seems to be of some importance. Who knows, perhaps you'll run into someone who will recognize what it is?
>> [[Continue|Debris pile at the abandoned camp]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You try picking the carrots from the overgrown garden patch, but most of them turn out to be rotten. You are about to give up on finding any food, when you spot one more. It looks to be a rather large carrot, so you give it a mighty pull. It takes a few tries, but finally it comes loose.
It is indeed a rather large carrot. You tuck the large carrot away for safe keeping.(set:$inv to $inv+(a:"a rather large carrot")) You find a small lockbox buried near the large carrot.
>> [[Open the small lockbox|Open the lockbox from the abandoned camp]]
>> [[Search the pile of debris|Debris pile at the abandoned camp]]
>> [[Keep moving|Keep searching for the east road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You haul the old lockbox out of the hole and examine it more closely. The lock is rusted over and falls apart when you get it a test pull. (display:"determineLootSmall")You find $lootfound.
>> (link-goto:"Take "+($theItem:$lootfound),"Take item found in small lockbox in abandoned camp")
>> [[Continue|Old garden plot at abandoned camp]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You are standing in an old garden plot which you've just dug up. All around you are rotting carrots and weeds. A small lockbox rests to your side. It's empty. There's nothing else here. You can see the pile of debris on the other side of the campsite. A gap in the forest beyond suggests that there's a trail that continues from here.
>> [[Try searching the pile of debris|Debris pile at the abandoned camp]]
>> [[Keep moving|Keep searching for the east road]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You take ($theItem:$lootfound) and (if:$lootfound is any of $wearableItems)[put it on.](else:)[stow it away with the rest of your things.](set: $inv to $inv+(a:$lootfound))
>> [[Continue|Old garden plot at abandoned camp]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You extract yourself from the swampy shore and work your way up the hill, following the overgrown path to the very top. When you arrive, you find a dilapitidated shack, somehow still standing. Precisely chopped wood sits in perfectly stacked piles which are now covered in moss. It does not look like anyone has been here in a while. From the top, you see another trail, also very faint, continuing onward.
>> [[Follow the faint trail|DenseForestLost02]]>> [[Rejoin the road|Keep following the road deeper into the woods]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Y(display:"updateMoveCounter")Y(display:"updateMoveCounter")As you take a closer look, you discover that this isn't a grave at all. Brushing aside the dirt, you uncover what looks to be a hatch cover.
>> [[Open the hatch and descend|Descend into secret tunnel alt entrance]]
>> [[Look at the other graves|Look at the other swamp graves]]
>> [[Keep moving|Keep moving past the swamp graves]](display:"updateMoveCounter")You open the hatch and find a set of iron rungs descending into the darkness below. Some of the rungs feel sturdier than others, but you continue on. As you descend, you feel air growing steadily colder. It's perfectly silent. You can't hear anything down here.
>> [[Continue|Keep descending the secret shaft]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Y(display:"updateMoveCounter")About midway across, you find yourself on a small island no more than a few feet in diameter. It looks to be mostly made up of rock and gravel, with no visible vegetation. You see a corpse lying on the shore.
>> [[Examine the corpse|Examine the corpse in the middle of the swamp]]
>> [[Keep moving|Stone path with sinking ruins]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")The troll seems troubled by your mission.
($npcSays:"Why would you steal from a grave? Surely the dead deserve the dignity of undisturbed rest. What's so important about this treasure? Why do you need it?")
You sense the troll's concern and disgust at your proposal.
($playerSays:"I would not dare disturb the dead, but in these desperate times, terrible things must sometimes be done for the greater good. With this treasure, I will be able to...")
>> [[Defeat the Demon Lord|The troll gives you three places to search]]
>> [[Pay off a great debt|You tell the troll you need the treasure to pay your debt]]
>> [[Craft an even more powerful artifact|Tell the troll you want treasure to make a doomsday device]] (display:"updateMoveCounter")Partway down, one of the iron rungs breaks free from the wall and you fall several feet before landing in some place hard. The force of the impact doesn't break any bones, but it does send you rolling forward and down some sort of stone chute. You slide swiftly through the darkness, bouncing off of stone walls, and eventually find yourself falling again.
>> [[Continue|Land inside the well in abandoned town]](display:"updateMoveCounter")Your fall ends abruptly when you hit the ground. As you stand up, you feel around you and determine that this shaft is circular and the walls are made of fitted stone and mortar.
You find a moss-covered wooden door in the wall. It doesn't seem to be locked.
>> [[Go through the door|Go through the well door]]
>> [[Climb back up out of the well]](display:"updateMoveCounter")The troll looks deep into your eyes as if reading your soul.
($npcSays:"Your words ring false. There is guile in your speech, but no malice. I do not trust you and must ask you to leave or face my wrath.")
He sighs and readies his greatsword.
($npcSays:"Head back the way you came, or die here at my hand.")
>> [[Attack the troll|Attack the troll at the lair]]
>> [[Head back to the road|Leave the troll and return to the forest]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")The troll hesitates as he takes in your lurid, if vague description.
($npcSays:"What sort of monster is it? Do you have any other clues?")
He's clearly expecting more details, but what would be believable and yet daunting?
>> [[A demonic bear whose touch is cursed|Tell the troll you are hunting the bear]]
>> [[A seven-foot tall rabbit with razor-sharp teeth|Tell the troll you are hunting the rabbit]]
>> [[A blood-thirsty troll who asks too many questions|Tell the troll you are hunting a troll]]
(display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:$isDemonBearDead)[You draw on your memories of your battle with the demonic bear to paint a vivid picture.](else:)[A demon bear is a thing, right? You do your best to spin a believable description.](display:"updateMoveCounter")(if:$isGiantRabbitDead)[You draw on your memories of your battle with the gigantic rabbit to paint a vivid picture.](else:)[What could be more terrifying than a gigantic rabbit? Probably a lot of other things, but you've already committed to this, so might as well press on with describing this ridiculous thing.](display:"updateMoveCounter")