Start of a transcript of Risorgimento Represso An Interactive Invigoration Copyright (c) 2003 by Michael J. Coyne. Players new to Interactive Fiction should type HELP for instructions on how to play. Release 1 / Serial number 030925 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10 Standard interpreter 1.0 (4F) / Library serial number 991113 >restart Are you sure you want to restart? y You've heard about them from others. You've even had them yourself: classes that seem to last forever. But this one takes the biscuit. You wonder what possessed you to sign up for Celtic Elements in Early Teutonic Settlements; a field of study so narrow and boring, you'd wonder they would award doctorates in it. But they must, for the chap running the lecture has one. You glance down at the notebook in your hands, but the thought of recording all this boredom for posterity doesn't thrill you. Instead, you look around the hall, wondering if you could sneak out and find something better to do with your time. Risorgimento Represso An Interactive Invigoration Copyright (c) 2003 by Michael J. Coyne. Players new to Interactive Fiction should type HELP for instructions on how to play. Release 1 / Serial number 030925 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs- NonCommercial License. Type LICENSE to find out more about the terms of the license. Lecture Hall (on the seat) An ordinary, run-of-the-mill lecture hall. Its many banks of tiered seats run up towards the large and heavy double doors at the west end. Down at floor level, at the east end of the hall, the professor is teaching the lesson. Tiers upon tiers of bored students sit in the seats. An empty cup of yogurt, the remains of your elevenses, sits on the desk. >[elvenses?] Using that verb will not appreciably help. >x cup A fly crawls slowly along the rim of the empty cup of raspberry yogurt, nosing around the silvery foil flap that used to cover the cup. "Now if you remember, in the course syllabus, I mentioned we would begin by discussing the settling instincts of early German nomad tribes," lectures the professor. >x me Intelligent and easygoing, you've done well during your two years at university. The students and fellows at Worrell College accept you, even though you only joined the college this year. You're a bit concerned about this term's chemistry course, but your tutor thought it would make for a good broadening of your Classics focus. At the moment, you're dressed in your usual casual Classics-student type clothes: neatly pressed shirt, and a smart pair of trousers. Worrell is one of the more traditional colleges at the university, and your attire is certainly smart enough to fit the bill. "It's fascinating to note that as the early Teutons shifted from nomads to village-dwellers, they started by building huts," declaims the professor. >x fly A fly crawls slowly along the rim of the empty cup of raspberry yogurt, nosing around the silvery foil flap that used to cover the cup. "But what is particularly fascinating is the fact that, under some circumstances..." intones the professor. >get fly You start to move your hand towards the yogurt cup, but you hit it accidentally, and knock it to the floor, where it rolls underneath the desk. "... and some very unique conditions, when parts of these huts have collapsed in certain ways..." drawls the professor. You really feel you must get out of this room. >get cup But the yogurt has rolled under the desk! "... they could, by expert scholars, be reasoned to have been built in the shape of early Celtic crosses," mumbles the professor. >look under desk You look under the desk. To your surprise the yogurt cup has vanished completely. Instead, a strange green glowing ball sits there. As you watch, it expands suddenly and bursts open into a large green portal, throwing you, the desk and all its contents into the air as it does so. "Students shall refrain from moving the furniture," says the professor as you land with a crash. A green glowing portal, shimmering and coruscating, lies north of you. "Indeed, it is this very fact upon which my whole research has been founded," rambles the professor. >x portal The green portal glows and shimmers, pulsating hypnotically. Oddly, no one else pays it the slightest attention. "It was some thirty years ago now I first received a grant from the Teutonic Study Foundation..." maunders the professor. >x professor The professor is dressed in the same clothes he's been wearing since the start of term. He is standing by the overhead projector and droning on and on. "...and proceeded to finally realise my dream of spending every waking moment immersed in Teutonic and Celtic lore," blathers the professor. >enter portal Desperate to find out where your yogurt has gone and desperate to escape the mind-numbing tryptophanic journey of this lecture, you leap into the portal. The swirling colours spin past you in a blur of gaseous green fluorescence. Dull reverberations push against your ears in a throbbing pressure of sound. Then, everything goes green. [Press any key to continue] Library Crash! You land with a whump of displaced air and a frantic flurry of lecture notes. As the notes cascade down in a soft blanket of Teutonic white, you hear a voice. "Mm-yes. Most satisfactory. I appear even to have brought your local precipitation along with your good self." As the papers slowly settle, you make out a figure in a long robe standing in front of you. As the figure leans forward to look at the lecture notes, you see a wizened and bespectacled old face with small beady features buried in a mass of white hair, beard and wrinkles. "However," he continues, picking up some of your lecture notes, "it seems a most unusual form of precipitation. No doubt localised to the university. I must give the idea some study one day." He drops the notes and extends a hand. "Welcome, my dear student. Please excuse the mess, but I'm sure you know the disorder a life of study - mm-yes - the work of the scholar - can bring. Oh, by the way, my name is Ninario, but my friends - erm, my acquaintances - call me Ninny." He pauses and frowns slightly. You shake his hand bemusedly, unsure what to make of your new surroundings. You are in a large rectangular room, with walls of grey stone. A huge set of double doors lie on the east wall. Opposite the doors are six windows, stretching from floor to ceiling. The sunlight streaming in through these reveals your lecture papers have added little to this fellow's mess - the floor is knee deep in loose papers, and books with dark leather covers are scattered at various points, like raisins buried in a mass of white bread. There are also several precarious- looking stacks of books standing up tall. Ninario picks up a book from the floor absently and looks around in some consternation, trying to find somewhere to put it. He settles for placing it on top of a large tower of books. The pile, already unsteady, takes unkindly to this latest affront, and collapses, separating into its component volumes and disappearing into the mass of white. Ninario expels a sigh of the long-suffering variety and returns his attention to you. "No doubt you are somewhat confused and disoriented by your journey. Perhaps, given the mess, it would be best if we retired to my study so I can explain why I've brought you here. Why don't you meet me there in a few minutes, just after I... erm, well, yes, attend to some other business. It's through the small oaken door across the hall." Somehow, Ninario struggles through the vast mountains of paper, and leaves the room. You are all alone in this strange and new place. [Your score has just gone up by one point.] >l Library Large and rectangular, the library has solid walls of grey stone. Overpopulated bookshelves line the northern wall. A huge set of open double doors lie on the east wall. Opposite the doors are six windows, stretching from floor to ceiling. By the sunlight streaming in through these, you can see the floor is knee deep in loose papers, and books with dark leather covers are scattered at various points, like raisins buried in a mass of white bread. This room is incredibly messy. >x bookshelves Various books with strange-sounding titles. Judging by the level of dust on all the books, you expect Ninario keeps them in here because he never reads them. >look out window A large dirt courtyard sits below the window. A huge stone wall runs along the west side of the courtyard, but from here, you can't tell how far it extends. A huge portcullis is lowered in front of a large opening in the middle of the wall, directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. A large white fountain sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard, water cascading down its pristine alabaster surfaces. >i You are carrying: your clothes (being worn) an exercise book >x book An ordinary exercise book. You use it occasionally to take notes during lectures. More often, you use it for sketching during lectures. It's filled with the notes you've made during your first few days of the new term. >read it You flip to some of your class notes. PHIL NOTES Historically flds of alchemy, phil., astron., etc. very closely tied. Ancient phils studied all areas. Many accts of early phils shrouded in myth / folklore, e.g. Hermes Trismegistus, Egypt. fndr of alchemy (perhaps), more figure myth than reality. Said to have invented 'magic seal'. Word hermetic -> root of mdn word / concept of hermits, hermits blvd to have magic powers Greeks: heavy believers in divining, oracular concepts Greek root -mancy meaning diviner, prophet e.g. oneiromancy: divination (oneiro - ??) necromancy: conjuring spirits of dead spec. for divination (necro - dead) tyromancy: using coagulating cheese for divination (!) (tyro - cheese) >[yay tyromancy!] Using that verb will not appreciably help. >read it You flip to some of your class notes. CHEM NOTES Chem. intro: used to be called 'hermetick', poss after Hermes Trismegistus (talked about this chap in Phil didn't we?). Chem most pwrful of sciences (accdng to prof, nat.) All substances in world can be reduced to chem. combin. of raw cmpds Some examples: 2KNO3 + 3C + S -> K2S + 3CO2 + N2 (right-hand side: gunpowder?! And nov 5 coming up!) (saltpetre old name for potassium nitrate) C3H5(OH)3 + 3HNO3 -> C3H5(NO3)3 + 3H2O nitroglycerin: one lb produces 156 cu ft of gas, shock wave moves 25,000 ft/sec (this lecturer is seriously off her head... one dangerous lady!) NaOH + HCl -> NaCl + H2O (sod. hydroxide + hydrochloric acid gives salt and water?) H2CO3(aq) -> H2O + CO2(gas) Carbonic acid (e.g. fizzy drinks) 2Mg + O2 -> 2MgO (magnesium oxide: any metal + oxygen in syn. reaction yields metal oxide) this course might prove interesting... >read it You flip to some of your class notes. CELT NOTES There are no notes in this section as today was the first lecture, and you didn't take any notes in the brief time you were in the lecture hall. >read it (flipping back to the front of the exercise book) PHIL NOTES Historically flds of alchemy, phil., astron., etc. very closely tied. Ancient phils studied all areas. Many accts of early phils shrouded in myth / folklore, e.g. Hermes Trismegistus, Egypt. fndr of alchemy (perhaps), more figure myth than reality. Said to have invented 'magic seal'. Word hermetic -> root of mdn word / concept of hermits, hermits blvd to have magic powers Greeks: heavy believers in divining, oracular concepts Greek root -mancy meaning diviner, prophet e.g. oneiromancy: divination (oneiro - ??) necromancy: conjuring spirits of dead spec. for divination (necro - dead) tyromancy: using coagulating cheese for divination (!) (tyro - cheese) >l Library Large and rectangular, the library has solid walls of grey stone. Overpopulated bookshelves line the northern wall. A huge set of open double doors lie on the east wall. Opposite the doors are six windows, stretching from floor to ceiling. By the sunlight streaming in through these, you can see the floor is knee deep in loose papers, and books with dark leather covers are scattered at various points, like raisins buried in a mass of white bread. This room is incredibly messy. >x papers It is a mass of papers, books, scrolls and other paraphernalia. >read it It is a mass of papers, books, scrolls and other paraphernalia. >search it This room is messy enough that searching it will be difficult. >x leather Try as you might, you can see no leather here. >clean room You shift the worst of the mess, getting the place into some semblance of order; to your surprise you not only manage that, but also uncover a small steel key and a shiny red satchel. [Your score has just gone up by one point.] >get satchel Taken. >open it That's already open. >x it A very fetching shiny red satchel. It has a rather odd foil lid that can be pulled over the opening to close it, and a strong sturdy strap for slinging over one's shoulder. You have the strange idea that you've seen this satchel, or something very like it, before. >wear it You sling the shiny red satchel over your shoulder. >get key Taken. >x it A small steel key. >clean room The library is as clean as you can make it. >n The northern wall is filled with bookshelves. >open doors (the huge double doors) They're already open. >enter doors (the huge double doors) You step through the doorway into the south hallway. You step through the doorway into the south hallway. South Hallway Daylight seeps almost apologetically into the passage through the narrow window in the south wall. A set of open double doors lead west to the library and a smaller oaken door lies closed to the east. The dim sunlight reveals a set of stairs to the north. Ninario wanders down the hall from the north, drying his hands on his robe. "Ah, there you are, my dear student," he beams. "Let's step into my study, and we can sort all this out." Ninario opens the door to the east and escorts you into the study. [Press any key to continue] Study More orderly than the library to the west, but still rather cluttered, this room looks like it is used on a regular basis. Although it lacks the appointment of a proper bed, the settee in the corner, loaded with pillows, tells you Ninario sleeps in here more often than not. A desk sits in the corner, loaded with papers, half-written spell scrolls, and various mouldy old books. A long, glowing strip of parchment hangs from the northern wall. Large glass windows on the southern and eastern walls admit bright shining sunlight into the room. West, the open door leads back to the hallway. Ninario waves you to a seat on the settee and then proceeds to settle himself down at the desk. "Let me explain why you are here and how you arrived from the university. I have brought you here because I have need of an apprentice. It's a bit of a social requirement amongst wizards. To that end, I used a spell to retrieve you from the Wizardry Internship Programme at Oxbridge University in Vechlee. "What's that you say? You didn't sign up for a Wizardry Internship Programme? Well perhaps a professor put your name on the.... You don't even attend Oxbridge University? Oh dear. Perhaps I contacted another university in Vechlee by mis.... I beg your pardon? You've never heard of Vechlee? But it's the largest city in the whole of Thalion, my young... Oh dear. Never heard of Thalion... Eh? England? No, I've never heard of it, dear student. Oh my, oh my. You seem to be from an altogether different time and place. "Mm-yes," continues Ninario, "I thought I detected some small interferences in the spell. Of course, the incantation I used to retrieve you was not, in fact, my own, and the people from whom I, um, acquired it were not disposed to explain its proper operation. I had no idea its efficacy would allow it to extend to other dimensions. Mm-yes. I fear something must have gone wrong after I'd made contact with Oxbridge, and somehow the spell ended up reaching into your bizarrely-named England and extracting you from your scholarly pursuits. Most vexing. "Still, never mind. We'll soon sort things out. Mm-yes. I would conjecture some type of bridge has formed between our two realities, a rift in our world, if you will. It must be repaired, perhaps through sending you home... or if you'd rather stay, perhaps I can find a spell to close it." He turns to his desk and begins groping around on it. "I know that spell is here somewhere. If only I could... now where on earth have my spectacles gone?" He sighs in exasperation. "I can't possibly find that spell, let alone cast it, without them. Mm-yes. No." He pokes around the desk, frowning to himself, and then suddenly brightens. "Of course! That can be your first little job, my dear student. Perhaps you can find my spectacles for me, while I get on with some other work here, and then we can see about sending you home... or at least getting that rift closed. I'm sure those spectacles are around someplace." Ninario waves a hand vaguely in the direction of the hallway and the rest of his tower, and then turns back to his desk. You get off the settee. >search settee You dig through the pillows and cushions, but don't find anything of interest. >l Study More orderly than the library to the west, but still rather cluttered, this room looks like it is used on a regular basis. Although it lacks the appointment of a proper bed, the settee in the corner, loaded with pillows, tells you Ninario sleeps in here more often than not. A desk sits in the corner, loaded with papers, half-written spell scrolls, and various mouldy old books. A long, glowing strip of parchment hangs from the northern wall. Large glass windows on the southern and eastern walls admit bright shining sunlight into the room. West, the open door leads back to the hallway. A bearskin rug lies across the floor. Ninario sits at his desk, working. Ninario shuffles the papers on his desk. >x rug The black bearskin rug is old, mouldy and foul-smelling. >search it There is nothing on the bearskin rug. >move it You pull back the rug, but don't find anything other than the hardwood floor. "What were you expecting?" asks Ninario looking at you amusedly. "A trap door?" Ninario fiddles absently with something at his desk. >ask nintendo about glasses Try as you might, you can see no nintendo here. >o ninario "Well," Ninario muses, "I had them in the library, when I greeted the new student. Then I went to the facilities and I know I had them then, to read the paper while I, um, communed with nature. But I can't for the life of me remember having them after that. Mm-yes. No." >l Study More orderly than the library to the west, but still rather cluttered, this room looks like it is used on a regular basis. Although it lacks the appointment of a proper bed, the settee in the corner, loaded with pillows, tells you Ninario sleeps in here more often than not. A desk sits in the corner, loaded with papers, half-written spell scrolls, and various mouldy old books. A long, glowing strip of parchment hangs from the northern wall. Large glass windows on the southern and eastern walls admit bright shining sunlight into the room. West, the open door leads back to the hallway. A bearskin rug lies across the floor. Ninario sits at his desk, working. Ninario shuffles the papers on his desk. >x desk The desk is a sturdy utilitarian affair. In line with much of the rest of Ninario's life, it is a mess. Ninario fidgets in his chair. >clean it Ninario's filing system may look chaotic, but at least he knows where everything is. Just leave it that way. >search it Resting on the messy desk are some papers, quills and blank scrolls. >x papers The books, quills, papers and scrolls are strewn all over the desk. >read papers The books, quills, papers and scrolls are strewn all over the desk. >get papers It's such a mess you can't tell which papers are useful and which aren't. >x quills The books, quills, papers and scrolls are strewn all over the desk. >get quills It's such a mess you can't tell which papers are useful and which aren't. >l Study More orderly than the library to the west, but still rather cluttered, this room looks like it is used on a regular basis. Although it lacks the appointment of a proper bed, the settee in the corner, loaded with pillows, tells you Ninario sleeps in here more often than not. A desk sits in the corner, loaded with papers, half-written spell scrolls, and various mouldy old books. A long, glowing strip of parchment hangs from the northern wall. Large glass windows on the southern and eastern walls admit bright shining sunlight into the room. West, the open door leads back to the hallway. A bearskin rug lies across the floor. Ninario sits at his desk, working. Ninario fidgets in his chair. >x parchment The long glowing strip of parchment is composed of hundreds of lines of densely spaced text. Ninario fiddles absently with something at his desk. >read it The first few lines read Case for the Wizards Guild versus Ninario, styling himself 'wizard'. Pending charges: The parchment continues, listing hundreds of items such as Magicking without a Guild Membership, Involuntary Magical Manslaughter and various other bizarre offences. Ninario mutters to himself as he works at his desk. >x windows Which do you mean, the eastern window or the southern window? >eastern A beautiful bay window facing east out over a large area of tilled earth. >look out eastern A large plot of tilled earth lies below this window, as though there was a garden at one time, but it is now barren and lifeless. A huge stone wall runs along the east side of the courtyard, but from here, it's hard to tell how far it extends. >look out southern You look out over the southern part of the courtyard. A pebbled walk extends south to the door of a small wooden shed. Beyond the shed, a huge stone wall runs along the south side of the courtyard, but from here, it's hard to tell how far it extends. Ninario fiddles absently with something at his desk. >open it You lift the latch and push open the southern window. >enter it You slide your legs out over the sill, and slowly lower yourself until you're hanging by your fingertips. Then, you let go. As you drop, you hear a sigh from Ninario. "Batty, completely batty." You land sharply on the ground, rolling with the impact. South of Tower The path around the tower branches here, with a small pebbled walk heading south to the door of a small wooden shed. Beyond the shed the wall of the caer runs east and west. The stone path heads northwest to the courtyard, and northeast to where it opens out into a wide plot of earth. >undo Study [Previous turn undone.] >w You step through the doorway into the south hallway. South Hallway Daylight seeps almost apologetically into the passage through the narrow window in the south wall. A set of open double doors lead west to the library and a smaller oaken door lies open to the east. The dim sunlight reveals a set of stairs to the north. >s The window is far too narrow to fit through. >x window The window is an open, narrow slit in the southern wall, which admits a small amount of daylight. It is far too narrow to fit through, or even see through very well. >look out it The window is so narrow all you can see is packed dirt in the courtyard below. >n You head north up the hall. Stairwell There are no windows here near the stairwell of this squat and serviceable tower, but dim dusty sunlight filters down from above and from the ends of the hallway. A wrought-iron spiral staircase ascends and descends here, its brass railing polished smooth by the passage of many hands. The corridor also extends north and south. >u You ascend the winding stairs into the warm sunshine on top of the tower. Tower Sun beats down from high overhead, warming the flagstones of the tower. A commanding and breathtaking view of the fields and pastures surrounding the caer greets you in every direction. In addition, there is a good view of the courtyard below, with its beautiful alabaster fountain. You also see the portcullis and catch a glimpse of the double wooden doors beyond it. The stairs in the centre of the tower lead back down to the first floor. A massive cannon sits here, resting on a huge swivel base. >x cannon The cannon is large and menacing. It looks a very powerful model, with a bore some ten inches in diameter. There is a small plaque affixed to the side of the barrel and a pull cord hangs from the breech end. Heavy trunnions and framing support the cannon, mounting it securely to a large and weighty swivel base. The base rotates, allowing the cannon to be aimed at different targets. The cannon currently points to the north, out over the caer wall. >look in it The cannon is empty. >x plaque BrutalMaimer(tm) Self-Sparking Model Just load with powder bag and shot, then pull cord to fire. BrutalMaiming(tm) Guarantee not applicable if firing solid shot. >turn cannon You push and tug at the swivel base and rotate the cannon. It now points to the west, out over the caer wall. >g You push and tug at the swivel base and rotate the cannon. It now points to the south, out over the caer wall. >g You push and tug at the swivel base and rotate the cannon. It now points to the east, out over the caer wall. >g You push and tug at the swivel base and rotate the cannon. It now points to the north, out over the caer wall. >x walls You don't see anything interesting in that direction, other than what's already been mentioned. >l Tower Sun beats down from high overhead, warming the flagstones of the tower. A commanding and breathtaking view of the fields and pastures surrounding the caer greets you in every direction. In addition, there is a good view of the courtyard below, with its beautiful alabaster fountain. You also see the portcullis and catch a glimpse of the double wooden doors beyond it. The stairs in the centre of the tower lead back down to the first floor. A cannon sits here, aimed to the north, out over the caer wall. >x fountain Clear glittering water cascades down over the pristine alabaster surfaces of the fountain. Small marble figurines line the rim of the fountain. The base of the fountain is full of water. >u If you leap into the air like that, you'll tumble over the edge. >jump You start feeling jumpy. >l Tower Sun beats down from high overhead, warming the flagstones of the tower. A commanding and breathtaking view of the fields and pastures surrounding the caer greets you in every direction. In addition, there is a good view of the courtyard below, with its beautiful alabaster fountain. You also see the portcullis and catch a glimpse of the double wooden doors beyond it. The stairs in the centre of the tower lead back down to the first floor. A cannon sits here, aimed to the north, out over the caer wall. >d You clatter down to the first floor, the rickety stairs shaking and groaning in protest. Stairwell There are no windows here near the stairwell of this squat and serviceable tower, but dim dusty sunlight filters down from above and from the ends of the hallway. A wrought-iron spiral staircase ascends and descends here, its brass railing polished smooth by the passage of many hands. The corridor also extends north and south. >n You head north up the hall. North Hallway A small narrow window on the northern wall admits bright warm sunlight into this end of the hall. A bedroom lies through the open door to the west. East is a closed solid stone door. The stairs are to the south. >e You open the solid stone door and step into the garderobe. Garderobe The peak of ancient plumbing technology, the garderobe is a fairly simple affair: a short stone bench jutting out from the wall with the usual-sized hole roughly in the middle of it, and a rack for reading material attached to the wall. The only odd thing is the lack of any toilet paper. Perhaps it's all accomplished magically. A small narrow window on the northern wall admits some light into this room. The rack contains choice reading material for those occasionally necessary long visits to the toilet. At the moment, it contains a copy of Wizarding Weekly. >x hole The opening is a circular hole leading into inky blackness. >get weekly Taken. >read it (reading the first article) *** THEFT SHOCKS HALLOWED HALLS *** Staff and students at Oxbridge University learned last week that even their hallowed halls are not safe from seditious burglary. In an embarrassing incident for campus security, thieves broke into the Supplies Cupboard in broad daylight, and purloined an Internship Student Retrieval scroll. The Wizards Guild is investigating. >read it (reading the next article) *** RENEGADE WIZARD TOPS 500 CHARGES *** Court documents filed today by the Wizards Guild indicate that renegade wizard Ninario now tops the list of illegal spellusers, with some 581 spells cast, all without guild sanction. Guild members are worried Ninario's conduct may undermine guild authority in these trying times, especially in light of the recent Plumbers Union resurgence. "Ninario is precisely the kind of amateur, unprofessional bungler who gives legitimate wizards a bad name," said Renaldo, head of the Wizards Guild. "He thinks he can run around casting spells, totally guild-free. Well, his spellcasting days are numbered." Renaldo refused to clarify, stating only that "the wheels are in motion." >read it (reading the next article) *** PLUMBERS UNION RESURFACES *** Recent bulletins from our reporters in rural areas indicate the ancient Plumbers Union is actively recruiting members once again. The infamous banned order is reportedly holding mysterious rituals and advocating strange-sounding practices, such as "double-billing on weekends", and the dangerous and unsanitary use of non-magic toilets. A spokescaster for the Wizards Guild says the uprising should be flushed out before too long. >read it (reading the next article) *** CHEESE BLATANTLY MENTIONED *** In what is becoming an alarming tradition, cheese was blatantly mentioned at the Vechlee Victuallers Meeting yesterday, when local cheesewright Eliza Stilton stood up and expounded on the relative merits of block versus truckles. After this surprising outburst, Stilton then discussed the subtle differences between Cheshire and Roquefort. She then finished up with a scathing attack on Caerphilly, and its completely unsuitable tyromantic capabilities. Local villagers are still in shock. "I think it's awful," said one, who requested anonymity. "Stilton shouldn't have said the things she did about Caerphilly. She's the cheesewright here in Vechlee, a trusted woman on the subject, and she's in a position to do a lot of hurt to a lot of innocent cheeses." >read it (reading the next article) *** COMPANY RECALLS REFURBISHED CANNON *** Mortar Remains, suppliers of refurbished cannonry, announced today they are recalling their self-sparking BrutalMaimer(tm) models from customers. A company spokesperson cited safety concerns. "These cannon are meant for military use only, and should never have been refurbished and resold to the general public. They are extremely susceptible to sparking when gunpowder is loaded into the barrel, and the general public are unschooled in the proper use of the required powder bags. In addition, the large-bore calibre means there is a danger of large objects, such as dogs, cats, children, apprentices and other pets falling into the mouth of the cannon and being launched, accidentally or otherwise." The company vehemently denied reports that pressure from the Wizards Guild was behind the recall. >[heh] Using that verb will not appreciably help. >read it (reading the next article) *** PERSONALS *** Young-at-heart wizard, lonely, seeks witch of a woman for companionship, maybe more. Contact Magic Bunny via crystal ball network if interested. Please, no scrying after midnight! >read it (reading the next article) *** PERSONALS *** Emily: please come back. Forgive me. I promise to allow the cheese to be part of our life. -- Renaldo >[hee!] Using that verb will not appreciably help. >read it (flipping back to the first article) *** THEFT SHOCKS HALLOWED HALLS *** Staff and students at Oxbridge University learned last week that even their hallowed halls are not safe from seditious burglary. In an embarrassing incident for campus security, thieves broke into the Supplies Cupboard in broad daylight, and purloined an Internship Student Retrieval scroll. The Wizards Guild is investigating. >l Garderobe The peak of ancient plumbing technology, the garderobe is a fairly simple affair: a short stone bench jutting out from the wall with the usual-sized hole roughly in the middle of it, and a rack for reading material attached to the wall. The only odd thing is the lack of any toilet paper. Perhaps it's all accomplished magically. A small narrow window on the northern wall admits some light into this room. >x bench The opening is a circular hole leading into inky blackness. >look under bench You find no vast store of hidden wealth in convenient thousand pound notes, no dismembered corpse and no ages-old undiscovered secret. Sigh. >search it The opening is a circular hole leading into inky blackness. >look in hole The opening is a circular hole leading into inky blackness. >reach in hole You dig around inside the hole but don't feel anything. >[thank the good lord] Using that verb will not appreciably help. >look through window The window is so narrow all you can see is packed dirt in the courtyard below. >w You step through the doorway into the north hallway. North Hallway A small narrow window on the northern wall admits bright warm sunlight into this end of the hall. A bedroom lies through the open door to the west. East is an open solid stone door. The stairs are to the south. >w You step through the doorway into the bedroom. Bedroom Thick carpeting covers the floor of Ninario's extravagantly decorated bedroom. Spacious windows in the north and west walls admit generous amounts of light. The door back to the hallway lies to the east. A large chest full of linen sits open against the south wall. A large, old-fashioned canopied four-poster bed also lies here, complete with frilly lace pillows, spotless white silk sheets, and a tastefully elegant lace skirting, reaching from the mattress all the way down to the floor. Arrayed beautifully on the bed is a frilly lace pillow. >x pillow The pillow has a long slit along one end, where the frilly lace has pulled away, ripping the fabric. >open chest The chest is already open. >look in it The plain wooden chest is full of linen. >search linen It's just more frilly white linen. >get it You're fairly certain you don't have any pressing need for piles of linen. >x pillow The pillow has a long slit along one end, where the frilly lace has pulled away, ripping the fabric. >look in it Unsurprisingly for a frilly and fluffy lace pillow, it is full of stuffing. >search it Unsurprisingly for a frilly and fluffy lace pillow, it is full of stuffing. >get it You pick up the frilly lace pillow, a little reluctant to disturb the perfection of the bed, but really, it's got more feng-shui without it. >[hee!] Using that verb will not appreciably help. >l Bedroom Thick carpeting covers the floor of Ninario's extravagantly decorated bedroom. Spacious windows in the north and west walls admit generous amounts of light. The door back to the hallway lies to the east. A large chest full of linen sits open against the south wall. A large, old-fashioned canopied four-poster bed also lies here, complete with frilly lace pillows, spotless white silk sheets, and a tastefully elegant lace skirting, reaching from the mattress all the way down to the floor. >look under bed You lift up the skirting on the bed, apprehension gnawing at you. Surely there wouldn't be... yes, of course. Why do people always leave things under their bed? You shake your head in despair. Well, at least it makes sense for an elderly fellow like Ninario to have a small ceramic chamberpot under his bed. You pick up the small chamberpot, admiring its beautiful rabbit-motifed handiwork. Fortunately, it seems to have been cleaned thoroughly since its last use. >x pot A beautifully decorated ceramic chamberpot, in rabbit motif, capable of holding 3 pints of water. It is currently empty. >look in it The chamberpot is empty. >l Bedroom Thick carpeting covers the floor of Ninario's extravagantly decorated bedroom. Spacious windows in the north and west walls admit generous amounts of light. The door back to the hallway lies to the east. A large chest full of linen sits open against the south wall. A large, old-fashioned canopied four-poster bed also lies here, complete with frilly lace pillows, spotless white silk sheets, and a tastefully elegant lace skirting, reaching from the mattress all the way down to the floor. >x sheets The sheets are white silk and spotless. >get it The bed is so beautifully made, you don't want to disturb it. >x north window This ordinary frame window faces north out over the courtyard. >look through it A large dirt courtyard sits below the window. A huge stone wall runs along the north side of the courtyard, but from here, it's hard to tell how far it extends. >look through west window A large dirt courtyard sits below the window. A huge stone wall runs along the west side of the courtyard, but from here, you can't tell how far it extends. A huge portcullis is lowered in front of a large opening in the middle of the wall, directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. A large white fountain sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard, water cascading down its pristine alabaster surfaces. >l Bedroom Thick carpeting covers the floor of Ninario's extravagantly decorated bedroom. Spacious windows in the north and west walls admit generous amounts of light. The door back to the hallway lies to the east. A large chest full of linen sits open against the south wall. A large, old-fashioned canopied four-poster bed also lies here, complete with frilly lace pillows, spotless white silk sheets, and a tastefully elegant lace skirting, reaching from the mattress all the way down to the floor. >e You step through the doorway into the north hallway. North Hallway A small narrow window on the northern wall admits bright warm sunlight into this end of the hall. A bedroom lies through the open door to the west. East is an open solid stone door. The stairs are to the south. >n The window is far too narrow to fit through. >s You head south down the hallway. Stairwell There are no windows here near the stairwell of this squat and serviceable tower, but dim dusty sunlight filters down from above and from the ends of the hallway. A wrought-iron spiral staircase ascends and descends here, its brass railing polished smooth by the passage of many hands. The corridor also extends north and south. >d You descend the stairs to the ground floor. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >ne You step through the doorway, into the kitchen. Kitchen A few rusted pots and pans line this rather spartan kitchen area. A fireplace sits in the northern wall, but no fire has been laid there. A well-scrubbed oak table occupies the middle of the room. Southwest is the doorway back to the main hall. Although the kitchen gives the impression of never being used someone has left a creamy yellow stick of butter sitting on the table here. >x fireplace Worn, grey stone masonry surrounds this ancient-looking fireplace. The fireplace is free of ashes, and bears no signs of being used recently, so the stains of smoke on the grey brick must have been there for some time. >enter it You step into the fireplace for a few seconds, but finding nothing of interest, you duck back out. >u The only way out is southwest back to the main hall. >x butter A creamy yellow stick of butter. >get it Taken. >x table Beautifully crafted of the finest oak, the table is clean and well-scrubbed, as befits a surface where meals are prepared. The tabletop is smooth and level, the four legs sturdy beams of oak. >look under it You find no vast store of hidden wealth in convenient thousand pound notes, no dismembered corpse and no ages-old undiscovered secret. Sigh. >l Kitchen A few rusted pots and pans line this rather spartan kitchen area. A fireplace sits in the northern wall, but no fire has been laid there. A well-scrubbed oak table occupies the middle of the room. Southwest is the doorway back to the main hall. >x pots Miscellaneous pots and pans line the walls of the kitchen. They are all rusted, and look like they are never used. You wonder whether Ninario does any cooking or even eats in here. >get pots The pots and pans are too rusted to be of real use. >sw You step back into the main hall. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >nw You attempt to open the rusty metal door and step through nonchalantly, but it is locked. >unlock rusty with key You don't have a key that fits the lock of the rusty metal door. >d You descend cautiously down the rickety staircase. Darkness It is pitch black. This is madness! You have no concept of the dangers that lurk in the darkness of this strange and magical world. >u You trudge back up the rickety stairs into the brightness of the main hall. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >s You unlock the polished steel door with the small steel key, open it and step into the laboratory. Laboratory The southern half of the tower is completely taken up by this large laboratory. From the profusion of chemicals and powders strewn about, you conclude that this room sees much use. It seems that Ninario is more than simply a wizard; he is engaged in scientific endeavour as well. Black streaks of soot on the walls bear mute evidence to the violent failure (or perhaps success) of past experiments. What little sunlight there is filters in through the numerous small windows lining the walls. The open door to the north leads back to the main hall. A scarred and stained table rests against the southern wall. Sitting atop the table are a silvery-white cylinder, a silk purse, a small red tube and a leather pouch. Sitting above the table is a shelf containing a small stone bottle, a flask, a vial of liquid, an earthenware dish and a ceramic bowl. >[nice auto-actions, btw] You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >x cylinder A small cylinder of some silvery-white metal. Inscribed on the side in tiny letters are the words #12 Illuminator, Commercial Grade. A fine line encircles the middle of the rod, a tiny arrow printed beside it, pointing around the circumference of the cylinder. >get it Taken. >turn it You give the cylinder a sharp twist and it suddenly bursts forth in blazing white light. Then, as your eyes struggle to adjust, the cylinder dims to a more reasonable level. It is now quite usable as a light source. [Your score has just gone up by one point.] >[sweet] Using that verb will not appreciably help. >get purse Taken. >open it You open the silk purse, revealing some yellow powder. >x yellow A small amount of yellow powder. >get all from shelf small stone bottle: Removed. flask: Removed. vial of liquid: (putting the exercise book into the shiny red satchel to make room) Removed. earthenware dish: (putting the small steel key into the shiny red satchel to make room) Removed. ceramic bowl: (putting the copy of Wizarding Weekly into the shiny red satchel to make room) Removed. >x vial The vial contains a clear colourless liquid. On the side of the vial is the cryptic lettering #1 #17. >x purse A small silk purse, with yellow drawstrings. A small tag attached to the drawstrings reads #16. Inside the silk purse is some yellow powder. >x bowl A small ceramic bowl. Scrawled on the lip are the letters (#7 #1(4))2 #16 #8(4). The bowl contains a translucent crystalline substance. >read notes (taking the exercise book first) (putting the frilly lace pillow into the shiny red satchel to make room) Taken. You flip to some of your class notes. CHEM NOTES Chem. intro: used to be called 'hermetick', poss after Hermes Trismegistus (talked about this chap in Phil didn't we?). Chem most pwrful of sciences (accdng to prof, nat.) All substances in world can be reduced to chem. combin. of raw cmpds Some examples: 2KNO3 + 3C + S -> K2S + 3CO2 + N2 (right-hand side: gunpowder?! And nov 5 coming up!) (saltpetre old name for potassium nitrate) C3H5(OH)3 + 3HNO3 -> C3H5(NO3)3 + 3H2O nitroglycerin: one lb produces 156 cu ft of gas, shock wave moves 25,000 ft/sec (this lecturer is seriously off her head... one dangerous lady!) NaOH + HCl -> NaCl + H2O (sod. hydroxide + hydrochloric acid gives salt and water?) H2CO3(aq) -> H2O + CO2(gas) Carbonic acid (e.g. fizzy drinks) 2Mg + O2 -> 2MgO (magnesium oxide: any metal + oxygen in syn. reaction yields metal oxide) this course might prove interesting... >get all from table small red tube: (putting the chamberpot into the shiny red satchel to make room) Removed. leather pouch: (putting the creamy yellow stick of butter into the shiny red satchel to make room) Removed. >x tube A short red tube. Small printing on the side reads All-Purpose Wood Hastener. >x pouch A small black leather pouch. Small narrow strings of leather are wound into the lip of the pouch, for holding it closed. A small tag attached to the drawstrings reads #6. >open it You open the leather pouch, revealing a black grainy substance. >l Laboratory The southern half of the tower is completely taken up by this large laboratory. From the profusion of chemicals and powders strewn about, you conclude that this room sees much use. It seems that Ninario is more than simply a wizard; he is engaged in scientific endeavour as well. Black streaks of soot on the walls bear mute evidence to the violent failure (or perhaps success) of past experiments. What little sunlight there is filters in through the numerous small windows lining the walls. The open door to the north leads back to the main hall. A scarred and stained table rests against the southern wall. Sitting above the table is an empty shelf. >i You are carrying: a leather pouch (which is open) a black grainy substance a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl a translucent crystalline substance an earthenware dish some small blue crystals a vial of liquid a flask a white powdery substance a small stone bottle a silk purse (which is open) some yellow powder a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) a stick of butter an empty chamberpot a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly a small steel key your clothes (being worn) >x blue A handful of small blue crystals. >x vial The vial contains a clear colourless liquid. On the side of the vial is the cryptic lettering #1 #17. >x flask The glass flask contains a white powdery substance. Inscribed on its side is the cryptic lettering #19 #7 #8(3). >l Laboratory The southern half of the tower is completely taken up by this large laboratory. From the profusion of chemicals and powders strewn about, you conclude that this room sees much use. It seems that Ninario is more than simply a wizard; he is engaged in scientific endeavour as well. Black streaks of soot on the walls bear mute evidence to the violent failure (or perhaps success) of past experiments. What little sunlight there is filters in through the numerous small windows lining the walls. The open door to the north leads back to the main hall. A scarred and stained table rests against the southern wall. Sitting above the table is an empty shelf. >look under table You find no vast store of hidden wealth in convenient thousand pound notes, no dismembered corpse and no ages-old undiscovered secret. Sigh. >search table There is nothing on the table. >x wals Try as you might, you can see no wals here. >n You step through the doorway into the main hall. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >d You descend cautiously down the rickety staircase. Basement The slow drip of water echoes through this dark and damp room. The walls and floor are wet with moisture, and the air seems stuffy and unclean. A doorway opens to the north, and a most unwholesome odour emanates from that direction. The spiral staircase climbs back up to the main hall here, and a narrow slimy passage heads south. >n Braving the foul odour, you step through the doorway. Sewer Dank and dark, this is one of the less memorable attractions you've visited. You're not certain how often Ninario has this room cleaned, but the stench is horrendous. A miasma of gas seems to hang in the air, visible as a shimmering in the corner of your eye. The basement lies back through the doorway to the south. A vat looms here, six feet high, and constructed of stone, with a metal ladder leading up to the rim. There is a large stone channel connected to the bottom of the vat, where waste is supposed to exit the vat. The channel leads along the floor to the wall, where you can see the lip of a small outflow pipe. >x pipe The sewer outflow pipe is operating normally. >look in it The sewer outflow pipe is operating normally. >search pit Try as you might, you can see no pit here. >search vat This stinking vat of filth is full to the brim with things so nasty, you don't even want to contemplate them. >look in vat This stinking vat of filth is full to the brim with things so nasty, you don't even want to contemplate them. >x vat This stinking vat of filth is full to the brim with raw sewage so nasty that you don't even want to think about it, let alone go near it. >l Sewer Dank and dark, this is one of the less memorable attractions you've visited. You're not certain how often Ninario has this room cleaned, but the stench is horrendous. A miasma of gas seems to hang in the air, visible as a shimmering in the corner of your eye. The basement lies back through the doorway to the south. A vat looms here, six feet high, and constructed of stone, with a metal ladder leading up to the rim. There is a large stone channel connected to the bottom of the vat, where waste is supposed to exit the vat. The channel leads along the floor to the wall, where you can see the lip of a small outflow pipe. >u You don't want to go swimming around in all that filth. >x channel The stone channel leads from the sewer vat to the outflow pipe. The opening from the vat to the channel is blocked. >x opening The stone channel leads from the sewer vat to the outflow pipe. The opening from the vat to the channel is blocked. >clean opening The stone channel is clean enough, at least by your student-based standards. >reacch in opening Using that verb will not appreciably help. >reach in opening You dig around inside the stone channel but don't feel anything. >open vat That's not something you can open. >open channel That's not something you can open. >touch channel The stone channel is cold to the touch. >l Sewer Dank and dark, this is one of the less memorable attractions you've visited. You're not certain how often Ninario has this room cleaned, but the stench is horrendous. A miasma of gas seems to hang in the air, visible as a shimmering in the corner of your eye. The basement lies back through the doorway to the south. A vat looms here, six feet high, and constructed of stone, with a metal ladder leading up to the rim. There is a large stone channel connected to the bottom of the vat, where waste is supposed to exit the vat. The channel leads along the floor to the wall, where you can see the lip of a small outflow pipe. >x pie Try as you might, you can see no pie here. >x pipe The sewer outflow pipe is operating normally. >look in it The sewer outflow pipe is operating normally. >climb ladder You don't want to go swimming around in all that filth. >x channel The stone channel leads from the sewer vat to the outflow pipe. The opening from the vat to the channel is blocked. >i You are carrying: a leather pouch (which is open) a black grainy substance a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl a translucent crystalline substance an earthenware dish some small blue crystals a vial of liquid a flask a white powdery substance a small stone bottle a silk purse (which is open) some yellow powder a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) a stick of butter an empty chamberpot a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly a small steel key your clothes (being worn) >s You step back into the relatively cleaner air of the basement. Basement The slow drip of water echoes through this dark and damp room. The walls and floor are wet with moisture, and the air seems stuffy and unclean. A doorway opens to the north, and a most unwholesome odour emanates from that direction. The spiral staircase climbs back up to the main hall here, and a narrow slimy passage heads south. >s You head south down the slimy passage. Rubbish Heap This small room has been put into use as a rubbish tip for all of Ninario's cast-off spellcasting implements, bits of machinery and general odds and ends. About the only place to stand is here in the doorway heading back north, as the huge heap of rubbish takes up most of the floor space. At the south end of this room are the dim beginnings of a passage heading upwards, but whatever set of stairs or ladder led up there has long since rotted away. >x rubbish The heap of rubbish towers about five feet in the air, and is made up of all kinds of different items. You dig through the dirty and unpleasant heap for a short time, and uncover a rusty but serviceable helmet! (putting the silk purse into the shiny red satchel to make room) You dig it out of the heap and take it. >x helmet A rusty old medieval helmet, with sturdy metal bracing over the facial area, and beautiful red plumes set in the top. The interior of the helmet is extremely well-padded and reinforced. >wear it You put on the rusty helmet. >[hey, human cannonball, here I come.] You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >climb rubbish You clamber up onto the rubbish heap, but bits of it slip and slide under your feet, pitching you back to the ground. >u You can't reach high enough to pull yourself into the passage. >x passage The passage heads upward at a forty-five degree angle, but is far too high to reach. >l Rubbish Heap This small room has been put into use as a rubbish tip for all of Ninario's cast-off spellcasting implements, bits of machinery and general odds and ends. About the only place to stand is here in the doorway heading back north, as the huge heap of rubbish takes up most of the floor space. At the south end of this room are the dim beginnings of a passage heading upwards, but whatever set of stairs or ladder led up there has long since rotted away. >search rubbish You search the heap of rubbish again, but don't find anything. >n You head along the slimy passage to the basement. Basement The slow drip of water echoes through this dark and damp room. The walls and floor are wet with moisture, and the air seems stuffy and unclean. A doorway opens to the north, and a most unwholesome odour emanates from that direction. The spiral staircase climbs back up to the main hall here, and a narrow slimy passage heads south. >read chem notes You flip to some of your class notes. CHEM NOTES Chem. intro: used to be called 'hermetick', poss after Hermes Trismegistus (talked about this chap in Phil didn't we?). Chem most pwrful of sciences (accdng to prof, nat.) All substances in world can be reduced to chem. combin. of raw cmpds Some examples: 2KNO3 + 3C + S -> K2S + 3CO2 + N2 (right-hand side: gunpowder?! And nov 5 coming up!) (saltpetre old name for potassium nitrate) C3H5(OH)3 + 3HNO3 -> C3H5(NO3)3 + 3H2O nitroglycerin: one lb produces 156 cu ft of gas, shock wave moves 25,000 ft/sec (this lecturer is seriously off her head... one dangerous lady!) NaOH + HCl -> NaCl + H2O (sod. hydroxide + hydrochloric acid gives salt and water?) H2CO3(aq) -> H2O + CO2(gas) Carbonic acid (e.g. fizzy drinks) 2Mg + O2 -> 2MgO (magnesium oxide: any metal + oxygen in syn. reaction yields metal oxide) this course might prove interesting... >u You trudge back up the rickety stairs into the brightness of the main hall. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >w You head down the stone passageway and emerge into the bright sunshine of the courtyard. Courtyard The whole interior of the caer is given over to a simple, large courtyard, enclosed by a tall wall of stone on all four sides. To the west, a large bailey passage tunnels through the thick wall of the caer to the outside world. On either side of the bailey, stairs ascend to the top of the outer wall. A flagstone path curves northeast and southeast around the base of the tower, and also extends west from the tower doorway to the large portcullis sealing off the bailey passage directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. To the east is the passage back into the tower. A large white fountain, shimmering with cascading water, sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard. >x fountain Clear glittering water cascades down over the pristine alabaster surfaces of the fountain. Small marble figurines line the rim of the fountain. The base of the fountain is full of water. >look in it The fountain is full of clear glittering water that continuously cascades from the top down into the base. >w The portcullis blocks further passage to the west. >open portcullis You'll have to find some way to raise it. >u You clamber up the stairs beside the bailey. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >x building A small square stone building, perched on the western half of the wall. >w You step inside the gatehouse. Gatehouse The area above the bailey is a small, square stone room, bare and featureless but for the holes riddling the floor, used for pouring boiling oil or water over invaders in the bailey below. A doorway east leads back out to the top of the wall. A scarred and rusted machine fills the western wall of the room. >x machine The machine looms ominously against the western wall of this room. It is scarred and pitted with age, the rusting metal of its construction flaking away. Various gears, hoses and wheels line the front of the machine and large chains rise up out of holes in the floor to loop around some of the gears on the machine. The most comprehensible part of the whole thing is a small funnel or spout that sticks out of the right hand side. There is a small brass plate affixed to the front of the machine. >read plate Hydrolytic Counterbalancing Machine MARK IV *** THESE MACHINES ARE FACTORY CALIBRATED *** *** FOR SPECIFIC QUANTITIES OF FLUIDS *** (See manual for specifications) Use of other than calibrated quantities will not harm the machine but may result in improper operation. >x metal The magnesium cylinder has been twisted and glows intensely, providing illumination. It glows so brightly that looking directly at it is difficult. >x hoses Gears, wheels and hoses of all shapes and sizes line the machine. >e You step out of the gatehouse and back onto the wall. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >s Rather than walking around the perimeter of the entire wall to end up right back here, you opt to save everyone's time and just stay put. >d You descend the weathered stone steps to the courtyard. Courtyard The whole interior of the caer is given over to a simple, large courtyard, enclosed by a tall wall of stone on all four sides. To the west, a large bailey passage tunnels through the thick wall of the caer to the outside world. On either side of the bailey, stairs ascend to the top of the outer wall. A flagstone path curves northeast and southeast around the base of the tower, and also extends west from the tower doorway to the large portcullis sealing off the bailey passage directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. To the east is the passage back into the tower. A large white fountain, shimmering with cascading water, sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard. >fill pot with water (taking the chamberpot first) Taken. You dip the chamberpot into the fountain and fill it right to the top. >w The portcullis blocks further passage to the west. >u You clamber up the stairs beside the bailey. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >pour water into funnel Try as you might, you can see no funnel here. >w You step inside the gatehouse. Gatehouse The area above the bailey is a small, square stone room, bare and featureless but for the holes riddling the floor, used for pouring boiling oil or water over invaders in the bailey below. A doorway east leads back out to the top of the wall. A scarred and rusted machine fills the western wall of the room. >pour water into funnel You pour the contents of the chamberpot into the funnel. The chamberpot is now empty. The water swishes around the funnel and drains away into the bowels of the machine. There is a grinding, shuddering noise. The machine shakes and the wheels, groaning, seem to strain against it, trying to move, but failing. The machine seems almost to sigh as it gives up and the wheels stop straining. >undo Gatehouse [Previous turn undone.] >x pot A beautifully decorated ceramic chamberpot, in rabbit motif, capable of holding 3 pints of water. It is currently full to the brim. >d If you drop through the holes while the portcullis is closed, you'll end up stuck in the bailey! >x holes The murder holes open into the bailey below. They are used to pour boiling oil and water over attackers, while they attempt to break through the portcullis. >pour water into hole Which do you mean, the murder holes or the funnel? >murder (the machine) Aside from the emotional scarring, the machine remains undamaged by your brutal and senseless attack. >pour water into murder holes You pour the water into the murder hole. It splashes down to the bailey floor below. >e You step out of the gatehouse and back onto the wall. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >d You descend the weathered stone steps to the courtyard. Courtyard The whole interior of the caer is given over to a simple, large courtyard, enclosed by a tall wall of stone on all four sides. To the west, a large bailey passage tunnels through the thick wall of the caer to the outside world. On either side of the bailey, stairs ascend to the top of the outer wall. A flagstone path curves northeast and southeast around the base of the tower, and also extends west from the tower doorway to the large portcullis sealing off the bailey passage directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. To the east is the passage back into the tower. A large white fountain, shimmering with cascading water, sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard. >x bailey Try as you might, you can see no bailey here. >ne You follow the path northeast around the corner of the tower. North of Tower The northern part of the courtyard is a wide and open space, with hard-packed dirt underfoot. To the north, the wall of the caer runs east and west. The main courtyard can be reached by heading southwest along the stone path, while to the southeast, the path continues around the base of the tower, to where the courtyard opens out into a wide plot of earth. >n From here, you can follow the stone path southeast or southwest around the tower. >se You follow the path southeast to the garden plot. Garden Plot A large plot of earth has been cleared here, as though there was a garden at one time, but it is now barren and lifeless. To the east is the wall of the caer running north and south. Paths head northwest and southwest around the base of the tower. >x plot The plot of earth is barren and lifeless. It must not have been tilled or planted in years. >search it The plot of earth is barren and lifeless. It must not have been tilled or planted in years. >i You are carrying: an empty chamberpot a rusty helmet (perched on your head) a leather pouch (which is open) a black grainy substance a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl a translucent crystalline substance an earthenware dish some small blue crystals a vial of liquid a flask a white powdery substance a small stone bottle a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) a silk purse (which is open) some yellow powder a stick of butter a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly a small steel key your clothes (being worn) >sw You follow the path southwest around the base of the tower. South of Tower The path around the tower branches here, with a small pebbled walk heading south to the door of a small wooden shed. Beyond the shed the wall of the caer runs east and west. The stone path heads northwest to the courtyard, and northeast to where it opens out into a wide plot of earth. >s You try to enter the shed, but the lock is rusted shut. >nw You follow the path northwest, back to the courtyard. Courtyard The whole interior of the caer is given over to a simple, large courtyard, enclosed by a tall wall of stone on all four sides. To the west, a large bailey passage tunnels through the thick wall of the caer to the outside world. On either side of the bailey, stairs ascend to the top of the outer wall. A flagstone path curves northeast and southeast around the base of the tower, and also extends west from the tower doorway to the large portcullis sealing off the bailey passage directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. To the east is the passage back into the tower. A large white fountain, shimmering with cascading water, sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard. >e You head down the stone passageway back into the gloom of the tower. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >u You ascend gingerly to the first floor. Stairwell There are no windows here near the stairwell of this squat and serviceable tower, but dim dusty sunlight filters down from above and from the ends of the hallway. A wrought-iron spiral staircase ascends and descends here, its brass railing polished smooth by the passage of many hands. The corridor also extends north and south. >e From here, you can head north or south along the hall, or take the stairs up or down. >u You ascend the winding stairs into the warm sunshine on top of the tower. Tower Sun beats down from high overhead, warming the flagstones of the tower. A commanding and breathtaking view of the fields and pastures surrounding the caer greets you in every direction. In addition, there is a good view of the courtyard below, with its beautiful alabaster fountain. You also see the portcullis and catch a glimpse of the double wooden doors beyond it. The stairs in the centre of the tower lead back down to the first floor. A cannon sits here, aimed to the north, out over the caer wall. >s If you do that, you'll tumble over the edge. >d You clatter down to the first floor, the rickety stairs shaking and groaning in protest. Stairwell There are no windows here near the stairwell of this squat and serviceable tower, but dim dusty sunlight filters down from above and from the ends of the hallway. A wrought-iron spiral staircase ascends and descends here, its brass railing polished smooth by the passage of many hands. The corridor also extends north and south. >s You head south down the hall. South Hallway Daylight seeps almost apologetically into the passage through the narrow window in the south wall. A set of open double doors lead west to the library and a smaller oaken door lies open to the east. The dim sunlight reveals a set of stairs to the north. >e You step through the doorway into the study. Study More orderly than the library to the west, but still rather cluttered, this room looks like it is used on a regular basis. Although it lacks the appointment of a proper bed, the settee in the corner, loaded with pillows, tells you Ninario sleeps in here more often than not. A desk sits in the corner, loaded with papers, half-written spell scrolls, and various mouldy old books. A long, glowing strip of parchment hangs from the northern wall. Large glass windows on the southern and eastern walls admit bright shining sunlight into the room. West, the open door leads back to the hallway. A bearskin rug lies across the floor. Ninario scratches his head as he studies something at his desk. >ask ninny about bailey "Mm-yes, indeed," murmurs Ninario. "To explain all about that, I have to go back to many, many years ago. I was just a young boy then, and well, you know how young boys are." Ninario regales you at length with humourous anecdotes about his childhood, amusing you greatly, but largely leaving your question unanswered. "So there you are," he concludes. "That explains it." He falls silent, fond memories leaving him smiling. Ninario fiddles absently with something at his desk. >ask him about hydrolytic "You know," muses Ninario, "it's been so many years since I left the caer, I can't even remember how much water you have to put in that machine to open the portcullis. Mm-yes. No. You'll just have to experiment." >ask him about garden "The garden plot?" says Ninario. "Well, it's barren now, but I used it for a time to farm mushrooms." Ninario fidgets in his chair. >ask him about mushrooms Ninario cocks an eyebrow at you. "Magic mushrooms, naturally." >ask him about magic Ninario's eyes light up. "Ah, one of my favourite topics." He waves you towards the settee. "Sit down and I'll tell you all about it." He settles himself into his chair. "Magic is, naturally, a fascinating field of study. Just look at the curious incident that brought you here from some other world. Mm-yes. Yet our common language would seem to indicate some connection between our realities. Perhaps ours is an older version of your world, or a parallel one with similar language and culture, but some divergent historical event. Magic is needed to bridge our two worlds, but there are some things it just cannot do. "For example, I can cast a spell to make an explosion of smoke, or a loud bang. Mm-yes. But I cannot cast a spell to take that explosion and direct it, say towards firing a cannon, or even propelling a cannonball. For that, I require science. Mm-yes. And let me tell you, my dear student, of late, I find myself resorting more and more to scientific methods to solve problems. Indeed, it is this area most of my recent research concentrates on, for I believe it to be the way of the future. Mm-yes. In fact," he coughs, "I believe my pursuit of science is the primary reason for the Wizards Guild's animosity towards me. Well, that and the fact I have been known to cast the odd spell, despite not being a member of their Guild. Not that I haven't tried to join, mm-yes, no. However, I never managed to meet the entrance requirements." He coughs again. Ninario shuffles the papers on his desk. >ask him about entrance Ninario looks a trifle embarrassed. "Mm-yes, well, I took the Guild's entrance exam ten times. I always did very well on the technical parts, but failed the quest portion nine times. And the, erm, tenth time, I never even made it to the quest, as I, ahem, accidentally set fire to the instructor while she was explaining the nature of the quest. It was then I decided the Guild was all very well for some wizards, but not quite the thing for me. Mm-yes." >[This is hilarious] Using that verb will not appreciably help. >ask him about guild Ninario glares in the direction of the parchment and shakes his head. "You should have a look at it yourself. It's a monstrous piece of work. A sheer travesty of justice. Those are all the complaints the Wizards Guild have against me, all the charges they've leveled. They're all trumped-up, naturally. Five hundred and sixty-three counts of magicking without a licence... I mean, really! I can understand them wanting to make a point, but honestly, five hundred charges? "Mm-yes. Look at this here." He points to an entry. "This is the most serious offence and all I did was cast a spell to make the bed. But what do they call it? Seditious breakdown of the class structure. Hah!" He points to a couple of other items. "And then look at these! Did you ever see anything so outrageous? I mean, Negligent and Dangerous Magicking causing Grievous Bodily Harm? I warned those bystanders they were in the way. Mm-yes. Fortunately that's a less serious charge, but still... that's the blasted Wizards Guild for you." Ninario falls silent, muttering to himself now and then about his unwarranted persecution at the hands of the Wizards Guild. >ask him about bed "My bed?" repeats Ninario. "Well, you've seen the thing, you know as much as I do. It's a little too ultra-modern in design for my taste, but exceedingly comfortable. Of course, I usually sleep in here. If you're tired, you're welcome to use the bed." >ask him about pot Ninario scowls briefly at you. "We all have to go during the night sometimes. Mm-yes. And sometimes the toilet is just too far away." >ask him about sewer "Mm-yes, indeed," murmurs Ninario. "To explain all about that, I have to go back to many, many years ago. I was just a young boy then, and well, you know how young boys are." Ninario regales you at length with humourous anecdotes about his childhood, amusing you greatly, but largely leaving your question unanswered. "So there you are," he concludes. "That explains it." He falls silent, fond memories leaving him smiling. >ask him about vat "It's in the basement. Probably needs unblocking, too." >ask him about blocking "Mm-yes, indeed," murmurs Ninario. "To explain all about that, I have to go back to many, many years ago. I was just a young boy then, and well, you know how young boys are." Ninario regales you at length with humourous anecdotes about his childhood, amusing you greatly, but largely leaving your question unanswered. "So there you are," he concludes. "That explains it." He falls silent, fond memories leaving him smiling. >ask him about unblocking "I usually just detonate the methane in the basement to unblock the sewer vat," shrugs Ninario. "Cheap, painless." He frowns. "Wreaks havoc on the piping, and of course you've got to make completely sure no one's using it; I don't think Renaldo's ever forgotten that particular day." Ninario shuffles the papers on his desk. >ask him about renaldo "That contemptible sorcerer has had it in for me ever since the incident with the toilet," says Ninario, shaking his head. "If I'd been able to control my fits of giggling, he might have accepted my apology, too." >ask him about emily "I don't know anything about any of the personal ads in that magazine," says Ninario quickly. "I rarely read them... and of course, I'd certainly never take out an ad myself. Mm-yes. No." >[I love that 'Mm-yes. No.'] Using that verb will not appreciably help. >ask him about saltpetre "It's a key ingredient in black powder. Usually white. I should have some somewhere." >ask him about black powder "Did you want to make some black powder? Dear me. Mm-yes. Well, if you want to make something suitable for the cannon upstairs, what you need to do is mix some saltpetre, charcoal and sulphur together and grind it up nicely in a ball mill. Mm-yes. I normally use three measures of saltpetre, and one each of charcoal and sulphur. Those aren't the precise quantities, but it works. And of course you'll want to find a powder bag of some kind to put it in." >ask him about charcoal "It's a key ingredient in black powder. Usually black." >show black to him "That looks like charcoal to me. Mm-yes," says Ninario. >ask him about #15 "Mm-yes, indeed," murmurs Ninario. "To explain all about that, I have to go back to many, many years ago. I was just a young boy then, and well, you know how young boys are." Ninario regales you at length with humourous anecdotes about his childhood, amusing you greatly, but largely leaving your question unanswered. "So there you are," he concludes. "That explains it." He falls silent, fond memories leaving him smiling. >show blue to him "That's copper sulphate," says Ninario. >ask him about fire "Mm-yes, indeed," murmurs Ninario. "To explain all about that, I have to go back to many, many years ago. I was just a young boy then, and well, you know how young boys are." Ninario regales you at length with humourous anecdotes about his childhood, amusing you greatly, but largely leaving your question unanswered. "So there you are," he concludes. "That explains it." He falls silent, fond memories leaving him smiling. >ask him about light "I think there's one in the laboratory," says Ninario, busy with something at his desk. >ask him about key Ninario slaps around his clothing for a time, then gives up with a frown. "Hmm, I was sure I had the workshop key with me. Oh well. Be a good student and locate it, would you?" >show notes to him Ninario glances through the exercise book, and shudders. "Mm-yes, a most dangerous sleep-inducing agent." He hands it back to you. >i You are carrying: an empty chamberpot a rusty helmet (perched on your head) a leather pouch (which is open) some charcoal a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl a translucent crystalline substance an earthenware dish some copper sulphate crystals a vial of liquid a flask a white powdery substance a small stone bottle a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) a silk purse (which is open) some yellow powder a stick of butter a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly a small steel key your clothes (being worn) >show hastener to him "It's used for hastening the growth of wood," Ninario says shortly. Ninario fiddles absently with something at his desk. >show bowl to him "Those are ammonium sulphate crystals. Not really terribly useful, except as a fertiliser. They're left over from other experiments." >show dish to him "That's copper sulphate," says Ninario. Ninario picks up a piece of paper, gazes at it for a long while, and then puts it back down. >i You are carrying: an empty chamberpot a rusty helmet (perched on your head) a leather pouch (which is open) some charcoal a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl some crystalline ammonium sulphate an earthenware dish some copper sulphate crystals a vial of liquid a flask a white powdery substance a small stone bottle a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) a silk purse (which is open) some yellow powder a stick of butter a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly a small steel key your clothes (being worn) >show vial to him "Sweet sainted spells!" cries Ninario, shying away from the vial. "Keep that muriatic acid away from me. It's highly corrosive." Ninario fiddles absently with something at his desk. >show flask to him "Ah," says Ninario, "saltpetre. I thought I only had a bit left." >show bottle to him "That's a highly concentrated paint stripper," says Ninario. "Don't open it in the basement, whatever you do." >show purse to him (first taking the silk purse) (putting the small stone bottle into the shiny red satchel to make room) "Is it yellow?" asks Ninario without looking up. "If it is, it's sulphur." >show butter to him (first taking the creamy yellow stick of butter) (putting the flask into the shiny red satchel to make room) "Do all apprentices go around picking up everything that isn't fixed in place? I'm very impressed that you managed to find a creamy yellow stick of butter but I'd be much more impressed if you managed to find my spectacles." >show key to him (first taking the small steel key) (putting the vial of muriatic acid into the shiny red satchel to make room) "That's the key to my laboratory," says Ninario. "I must have dropped it in the library." >i You are carrying: a small steel key a stick of butter a silk purse (which is open) some powdered sulphur an empty chamberpot a rusty helmet (perched on your head) a leather pouch (which is open) some charcoal a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl some crystalline ammonium sulphate an earthenware dish some copper sulphate crystals a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) a vial of muriatic acid a flask some potassium nitrate a small stone bottle a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly your clothes (being worn) Ninario picks up a piece of paper, gazes at it for a long while, and then puts it back down. >x stone bottle The small bottle looks exactly like those stone bottles of ginger beer, but the label on the side reads WizStrip Paint Stripper, Industrial Strength. Then in smaller letters: WARNING: Highly reactive. Do not mix with methane. >[wa-hey] Using that verb will not appreciably help. >w You step through the doorway into the south hallway. South Hallway Daylight seeps almost apologetically into the passage through the narrow window in the south wall. A set of open double doors lead west to the library and a smaller oaken door lies open to the east. The dim sunlight reveals a set of stairs to the north. >n You head north up the hall. Stairwell There are no windows here near the stairwell of this squat and serviceable tower, but dim dusty sunlight filters down from above and from the ends of the hallway. A wrought-iron spiral staircase ascends and descends here, its brass railing polished smooth by the passage of many hands. The corridor also extends north and south. >d You descend the stairs to the ground floor. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >d You descend cautiously down the rickety staircase. Basement The slow drip of water echoes through this dark and damp room. The walls and floor are wet with moisture, and the air seems stuffy and unclean. A doorway opens to the north, and a most unwholesome odour emanates from that direction. The spiral staircase climbs back up to the main hall here, and a narrow slimy passage heads south. >n Braving the foul odour, you step through the doorway. Sewer Dank and dark, this is one of the less memorable attractions you've visited. You're not certain how often Ninario has this room cleaned, but the stench is horrendous. A miasma of gas seems to hang in the air, visible as a shimmering in the corner of your eye. The basement lies back through the doorway to the south. A vat looms here, six feet high, and constructed of stone, with a metal ladder leading up to the rim. There is a large stone channel connected to the bottom of the vat, where waste is supposed to exit the vat. The channel leads along the floor to the wall, where you can see the lip of a small outflow pipe. >open stone (the stone channel) That's not something you can open. >open stone bottle You prise the lid from the stone bottle, revealing yellowish oily paint stripper. As the pent-up sewer gases in this room react with the paint stripper in the stone bottle, a sudden violent explosion rocks the room. Close to the bottle as you are, you form the epicentre of the explosion, and end up violently and messily scattered around the room. *** You have died *** In that game you scored 3 out of a possible 50, in 284 turns, meaning you spent a lot of time playing interactive fiction in the computer lab. Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move, give the FULL score for that game or QUIT? > undo Sewer [Previous turn undone.] >s You step back into the relatively cleaner air of the basement. Basement The slow drip of water echoes through this dark and damp room. The walls and floor are wet with moisture, and the air seems stuffy and unclean. A doorway opens to the north, and a most unwholesome odour emanates from that direction. The spiral staircase climbs back up to the main hall here, and a narrow slimy passage heads south. >u You trudge back up the rickety stairs into the brightness of the main hall. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >u You ascend gingerly to the first floor. Stairwell There are no windows here near the stairwell of this squat and serviceable tower, but dim dusty sunlight filters down from above and from the ends of the hallway. A wrought-iron spiral staircase ascends and descends here, its brass railing polished smooth by the passage of many hands. The corridor also extends north and south. >n You head north up the hall. North Hallway A small narrow window on the northern wall admits bright warm sunlight into this end of the hall. A bedroom lies through the open door to the west. East is an open solid stone door. The stairs are to the south. >e You step through the doorway into the garderobe. Garderobe The peak of ancient plumbing technology, the garderobe is a fairly simple affair: a short stone bench jutting out from the wall with the usual-sized hole roughly in the middle of it, and a rack for reading material attached to the wall. The only odd thing is the lack of any toilet paper. Perhaps it's all accomplished magically. A small narrow window on the northern wall admits some light into this room. >open bottle You prise the lid from the stone bottle, revealing yellowish oily paint stripper. >put it in hole You need to be holding the bottle of WizStrip before you can put it into something else. >get it (putting the earthenware dish into the shiny red satchel to make room) Taken. >put it in hole You drop the bottle of WizStrip into the hole. There is a quick magical whoosh, and the hole is empty once again. >w You step through the doorway into the north hallway. North Hallway A small narrow window on the northern wall admits bright warm sunlight into this end of the hall. A bedroom lies through the open door to the west. East is an open solid stone door. The stairs are to the south. Suddenly, a violent explosion rocks the depths of the tower, and a massive gurgling and sucking sound echoes up from the basement. [Your score has just gone up by four points.] >s You head south down the hallway. Stairwell There are no windows here near the stairwell of this squat and serviceable tower, but dim dusty sunlight filters down from above and from the ends of the hallway. A wrought-iron spiral staircase ascends and descends here, its brass railing polished smooth by the passage of many hands. The corridor also extends north and south. >d You descend the stairs to the ground floor. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >d You descend cautiously down the rickety staircase. Basement The slow drip of water echoes through this dark and damp room. The walls and floor are wet with moisture, and the air seems stuffy and unclean. A doorway opens to the north, and a most unwholesome odour emanates from that direction. The spiral staircase climbs back up to the main hall here, and a narrow slimy passage heads south. >n Braving the foul odour, you step through the doorway. Sewer Dank and dark, this is one of the less memorable attractions you've visited. You're not certain how often Ninario has this room cleaned, but the stench is horrendous. The basement lies back through the doorway to the south. A vat looms here, six feet high, and constructed of stone, with a metal ladder leading up to the rim. There is a large stone channel connected to the bottom of the vat, where waste is supposed to exit the vat. The channel leads along the floor to the wall, where you can see the lip of a small outflow pipe. >u You scoot up the ladder and into the vat. Lining the bottom of the sewage vat are a pair of spectacles. >get spectacles Taken. >u You get out of the sewage vat. Sewer Dank and dark, this is one of the less memorable attractions you've visited. You're not certain how often Ninario has this room cleaned, but the stench is horrendous. The basement lies back through the doorway to the south. A vat looms here, six feet high, and constructed of stone, with a metal ladder leading up to the rim. There is a large stone channel connected to the bottom of the vat, where waste is supposed to exit the vat. The channel leads along the floor to the wall, where you can see the lip of a small outflow pipe. >x channel The stone channel leads from the sewer vat to the outflow pipe. It seems to be operating normally. >s You step back into the relatively cleaner air of the basement. Basement The slow drip of water echoes through this dark and damp room. The walls and floor are wet with moisture, and the air seems stuffy and unclean. A doorway opens to the north, and a most unwholesome odour emanates from that direction. The spiral staircase climbs back up to the main hall here, and a narrow slimy passage heads south. >u You trudge back up the rickety stairs into the brightness of the main hall. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >s You step through the doorway into the laboratory. Laboratory The southern half of the tower is completely taken up by this large laboratory. From the profusion of chemicals and powders strewn about, you conclude that this room sees much use. It seems that Ninario is more than simply a wizard; he is engaged in scientific endeavour as well. Black streaks of soot on the walls bear mute evidence to the violent failure (or perhaps success) of past experiments. What little sunlight there is filters in through the numerous small windows lining the walls. The open door to the north leads back to the main hall. A scarred and stained table rests against the southern wall. Sitting above the table is an empty shelf. >n You step through the doorway into the main hall. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >u You ascend gingerly to the first floor. Stairwell There are no windows here near the stairwell of this squat and serviceable tower, but dim dusty sunlight filters down from above and from the ends of the hallway. A wrought-iron spiral staircase ascends and descends here, its brass railing polished smooth by the passage of many hands. The corridor also extends north and south. >s You head south down the hall. South Hallway Daylight seeps almost apologetically into the passage through the narrow window in the south wall. A set of open double doors lead west to the library and a smaller oaken door lies open to the east. The dim sunlight reveals a set of stairs to the north. >e You step through the doorway into the study. Study More orderly than the library to the west, but still rather cluttered, this room looks like it is used on a regular basis. Although it lacks the appointment of a proper bed, the settee in the corner, loaded with pillows, tells you Ninario sleeps in here more often than not. A desk sits in the corner, loaded with papers, half-written spell scrolls, and various mouldy old books. A long, glowing strip of parchment hangs from the northern wall. Large glass windows on the southern and eastern walls admit bright shining sunlight into the room. West, the open door leads back to the hallway. A bearskin rug lies across the floor. Ninario sits at his desk, working. >give spectlacles to ninario Try as you might, you can see no spectlacles here. >o spectacles Ninario's eyes light up. "Ah, yes! Those are the very things I need! However did you find them?" He takes the glasses and places them on his nose. "Wonderful. Well, when you're ready, just come back and ask me to close that rift, and we'll see what we can do about it." He turns back to his desk. "What on earth does that say?" he mutters, peering at a piece of paper. [Your score has just gone up by one point.] >x paper Wizarding Weekly, a collection of the latest news, gossip and innuendo in the field of magic. >save Ok. >ask him to close rift "Ah, so you'd like to stay here now, would you?" asks Ninario. "Certainly, if I can manage to close the rift, that's a possibility." Ninario pushes his spectacles farther up his nose, and rolls up the sleeves of his robe. "Very well," he declares, "it's time to get down to business." He gropes around on the desk, strewing papers left and right, and finally pulls out a worn and faded scroll. "Mm-" he mutters, peering intently at the scroll with seeming great difficulty, "yes, I think this is it. I can't be sure, of course, but it looks like it." He begins chanting in a low sonorous voice, glancing at the scroll now and then. The chant builds from its low resonant beginnings to a high frenzied shriek as Ninario waves his arms and shouts with growing intensity. The power whips around, pulling and tugging at you from every direction. The fabric of reality splits apart, as the rift in the fragile continuum of this magical world widens. There is a final wrenching pull, and you are sent. [Press any key to continue] Darkness surrounds you, silence. You open your mouth to shout out to Ninario, but no sound emerges. You are having great difficulty breathing. You feel your lungs constricting slowly in your chest, your blood beginning to bubble out from your nose and mouth. Suddenly, you realise the darkness is not complete. Small pinpoints of light, like those of stars, surround you. As the cold hard vacuum of space engulfs you, you understand that somehow, Ninario's spell has gone totally and completely wrong. *** You have died *** In that game you scored 8 out of a possible 50, in 310 turns, meaning you would do so much better if you just applied yourself. Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move, give the FULL score for that game or QUIT? > undo Study [Previous turn undone.] >w You step through the doorway into the south hallway. South Hallway Daylight seeps almost apologetically into the passage through the narrow window in the south wall. A set of open double doors lead west to the library and a smaller oaken door lies open to the east. The dim sunlight reveals a set of stairs to the north. >n You head north up the hall. Stairwell There are no windows here near the stairwell of this squat and serviceable tower, but dim dusty sunlight filters down from above and from the ends of the hallway. A wrought-iron spiral staircase ascends and descends here, its brass railing polished smooth by the passage of many hands. The corridor also extends north and south. >d You descend the stairs to the ground floor. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >w You head down the stone passageway and emerge into the bright sunshine of the courtyard. Courtyard The whole interior of the caer is given over to a simple, large courtyard, enclosed by a tall wall of stone on all four sides. To the west, a large bailey passage tunnels through the thick wall of the caer to the outside world. On either side of the bailey, stairs ascend to the top of the outer wall. A flagstone path curves northeast and southeast around the base of the tower, and also extends west from the tower doorway to the large portcullis sealing off the bailey passage directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. To the east is the passage back into the tower. A large white fountain, shimmering with cascading water, sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard. >fill pot with water You dip the chamberpot into the fountain and fill it right to the top. >w The portcullis blocks further passage to the west. >u You clamber up the stairs beside the bailey. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >w You step inside the gatehouse. Gatehouse The area above the bailey is a small, square stone room, bare and featureless but for the holes riddling the floor, used for pouring boiling oil or water over invaders in the bailey below. A doorway east leads back out to the top of the wall. A scarred and rusted machine fills the western wall of the room. >pour water into funnel You pour the contents of the chamberpot into the funnel. The chamberpot is now empty. The water swishes around the funnel and drains away into the bowels of the machine. There is a grinding, shuddering noise. The machine shakes and the wheels, groaning, seem to strain against it, trying to move, but failing. The machine seems almost to sigh as it gives up and the wheels stop straining. >e You step out of the gatehouse and back onto the wall. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >d You descend the weathered stone steps to the courtyard. Courtyard The whole interior of the caer is given over to a simple, large courtyard, enclosed by a tall wall of stone on all four sides. To the west, a large bailey passage tunnels through the thick wall of the caer to the outside world. On either side of the bailey, stairs ascend to the top of the outer wall. A flagstone path curves northeast and southeast around the base of the tower, and also extends west from the tower doorway to the large portcullis sealing off the bailey passage directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. To the east is the passage back into the tower. A large white fountain, shimmering with cascading water, sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard. >e You head down the stone passageway back into the gloom of the tower. Main Hall Sunlight streams into the main hall of the tower from the large passage west out to the courtyard. An open doorway leads into the kitchen to the northeast. A polished steel door leads south, and a rusty metal door stands closed to the northwest. The spiral staircase ascends to the first floor, and also descends down into inky darkness. >undo Courtyard [Previous turn undone.] >fill pot You dip the chamberpot into the fountain and fill it right to the top. >w The portcullis blocks further passage to the west. >u You clamber up the stairs beside the bailey. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >w You step inside the gatehouse. Gatehouse The area above the bailey is a small, square stone room, bare and featureless but for the holes riddling the floor, used for pouring boiling oil or water over invaders in the bailey below. A doorway east leads back out to the top of the wall. A scarred and rusted machine fills the western wall of the room. >pour water into funnel You pour the contents of the chamberpot into the funnel. The chamberpot is now empty. The water swishes around the funnel and drains away into the bowels of the machine. There is a grinding, shuddering noise. The machine shakes and the wheels, groaning, seem to strain against it, trying to move, but failing. The machine seems almost to sigh as it gives up and the wheels stop straining. >i You are carrying: a small steel key a stick of butter a silk purse (which is open) some powdered sulphur an empty chamberpot a rusty helmet (perched on your head) a leather pouch (which is open) some charcoal a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl some crystalline ammonium sulphate a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) an earthenware dish some copper sulphate crystals a vial of muriatic acid a flask some potassium nitrate a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly your clothes (being worn) >e You step out of the gatehouse and back onto the wall. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >d You descend the weathered stone steps to the courtyard. Courtyard The whole interior of the caer is given over to a simple, large courtyard, enclosed by a tall wall of stone on all four sides. To the west, a large bailey passage tunnels through the thick wall of the caer to the outside world. On either side of the bailey, stairs ascend to the top of the outer wall. A flagstone path curves northeast and southeast around the base of the tower, and also extends west from the tower doorway to the large portcullis sealing off the bailey passage directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. To the east is the passage back into the tower. A large white fountain, shimmering with cascading water, sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard. >fill pot You dip the chamberpot into the fountain and fill it right to the top. >i You are carrying: a small steel key a stick of butter a silk purse (which is open) some powdered sulphur a chamberpot containing 3 pints of water a rusty helmet (perched on your head) a leather pouch (which is open) some charcoal a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl some crystalline ammonium sulphate a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) an earthenware dish some copper sulphate crystals a vial of muriatic acid a flask some potassium nitrate a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly your clothes (being worn) >take off helmet You take off the rusty helmet. >pour water into helmet (the water from the fountain into the rusty helmet) Working off your sudden inspiration, you pour the contents of the chamberpot into the rusty helmet, leaving some excess behind in the chamberpot. >x pot A beautifully decorated ceramic chamberpot, in rabbit motif, capable of holding 3 pints of water. It is currently two-thirds full. >i You are carrying: a small steel key a stick of butter a silk purse (which is open) some powdered sulphur a chamberpot containing 2 pints of water a rusty helmet containing 1 pint of water a leather pouch (which is open) some charcoal a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl some crystalline ammonium sulphate a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) an earthenware dish some copper sulphate crystals a vial of muriatic acid a flask some potassium nitrate a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly your clothes (being worn) >w The portcullis blocks further passage to the west. >u You clamber up the stairs beside the bailey. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >w You step inside the gatehouse. Gatehouse The area above the bailey is a small, square stone room, bare and featureless but for the holes riddling the floor, used for pouring boiling oil or water over invaders in the bailey below. A doorway east leads back out to the top of the wall. A scarred and rusted machine fills the western wall of the room. >pour pot into funnel You pour the contents of the chamberpot into the funnel. The chamberpot is now empty. The water swishes around the funnel and drains away into the bowels of the machine. There is a grinding, shuddering noise. The machine shakes and the wheels, groaning, seem to strain against it, trying to move, but failing. The machine seems almost to sigh as it gives up and the wheels stop straining. >pour helmet into funnel You pour the contents of the rusty helmet into the funnelWarning: @move_object called moving object 0 (PC = 1b8d6) (occurence 1) . The rusty helmet is now empty. The water swishes around the funnel and drains away into the bowels of the machine. Warning: @remove_object called with object 0 (PC = 23bb6) (occurence 1) There is a grinding, shuddering noise. The machine shakes and the wheels, groaning, seem to strain against it, trying to move, but failing. The machine seems almost to sigh as it gives up and the wheels stop straining. >[er, I got some @move object 0 errors in there] You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >e You step out of the gatehouse and back onto the wall. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >d You descend the weathered stone steps to the courtyard. Courtyard The whole interior of the caer is given over to a simple, large courtyard, enclosed by a tall wall of stone on all four sides. To the west, a large bailey passage tunnels through the thick wall of the caer to the outside world. On either side of the bailey, stairs ascend to the top of the outer wall. A flagstone path curves northeast and southeast around the base of the tower, and also extends west from the tower doorway to the large portcullis sealing off the bailey passage directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. To the east is the passage back into the tower. A large white fountain, shimmering with cascading water, sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard. >fill pot You dip the chamberpot into the fountain and fill it right to the top. >fill helmet You dip the rusty helmet into the fountain and fill it right to the top. >i You are carrying: a small steel key a stick of butter a silk purse (which is open) some powdered sulphur a chamberpot containing 3 pints of water a rusty helmet containing 1 pint of water a leather pouch (which is open) some charcoal a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl some crystalline ammonium sulphate a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) an earthenware dish some copper sulphate crystals a vial of muriatic acid a flask some potassium nitrate a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly your clothes (being worn) >u You clamber up the stairs beside the bailey. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >w You step inside the gatehouse. Gatehouse The area above the bailey is a small, square stone room, bare and featureless but for the holes riddling the floor, used for pouring boiling oil or water over invaders in the bailey below. A doorway east leads back out to the top of the wall. A scarred and rusted machine fills the western wall of the room. >pour pot into funnel You pour the contents of the chamberpot into the funnel. The chamberpot is now empty. The water swishes around the funnel and drains away into the bowels of the machine. There is a grinding, shuddering noise. The machine shakes and the wheels, groaning, seem to strain against it, trying to move, but failing. The machine seems almost to sigh as it gives up and the wheels stop straining. >pour helmet into funnel You pour the contents of the rusty helmet into the funnelWarning: @move_object called moving object 0 (PC = 1b8d6) (occurence 2) . The rusty helmet is now empty. The water swishes around the funnel and drains away into the bowels of the machine. Warning: @remove_object called with object 0 (PC = 23bb6) (occurence 2) There is a grinding, shuddering noise. The machine shakes and the wheels, groaning, seem to strain against it, trying to move, but failing. The machine seems almost to sigh as it gives up and the wheels stop straining. >undo Gatehouse [Previous turn undone.] >pour helmet into pot You pour the contents of the rusty helmet into the chamberpot. The rusty helmet is now empty. >pour pot into funnel You pour the contents of the chamberpot into the funnel. The chamberpot is now empty. The water swishes around the funnel and drains away into the bowels of the machine. There is a grinding, shuddering noise. The machine shakes and the wheels, groaning, seem to strain against it, trying to move, but failing. The machine seems almost to sigh as it gives up and the wheels stop straining. >e You step out of the gatehouse and back onto the wall. Atop the West Wall The landscape of this strange place stretches out from the caer west to the horizon. Cultivated fields are spread out below, a multicoloured cloak draped over the shoulders of the land. A dry ribbon of road runs past the caer heading northeast and southwest through the fields. Villages, visible as small clusters of buildings, dot the farmlands. The fields continue flat and level for quite some distance, gradually leading into more hilly country. Beyond the hills, far in the distance, the many spires and towers of a city or large fortress rise up to touch the sky. The caer wall stretches away to the north and south. The wall is very wide here, encompassing the entire width of the bailey below. A small stone building perches on the wall to the west. The courtyard is back down the stairs to the east. >d You descend the weathered stone steps to the courtyard. Courtyard The whole interior of the caer is given over to a simple, large courtyard, enclosed by a tall wall of stone on all four sides. To the west, a large bailey passage tunnels through the thick wall of the caer to the outside world. On either side of the bailey, stairs ascend to the top of the outer wall. A flagstone path curves northeast and southeast around the base of the tower, and also extends west from the tower doorway to the large portcullis sealing off the bailey passage directly across the courtyard. Beyond the portcullis is a short passageway, followed by a set of iron-banded wooden doors, massive and imposing. To the east is the passage back into the tower. A large white fountain, shimmering with cascading water, sits majestically in the middle of the courtyard. >fill pot You dip the chamberpot into the fountain and fill it right to the top. >i You are carrying: a small steel key a stick of butter a silk purse (which is open) some powdered sulphur a chamberpot containing 3 pints of water a rusty helmet a leather pouch (which is open) some charcoal a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl some crystalline ammonium sulphate a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) an earthenware dish some copper sulphate crystals a vial of muriatic acid a flask some potassium nitrate a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly your clothes (being worn) >pour pot into helmet You pour the contents of the chamberpot into the rusty helmet, leaving some excess behind in the chamberpot. >i You are carrying: a small steel key a stick of butter a silk purse (which is open) some powdered sulphur a chamberpot containing 2 pints of water a rusty helmet containing 1 pint of water a leather pouch (which is open) some charcoal a tube of wood hastener an exercise book a ceramic bowl some crystalline ammonium sulphate a magnesium flare (providing light) a shiny red satchel (being worn and open) an earthenware dish some copper sulphate crystals a vial of muriatic acid a flask some potassium nitrate a pillow containing some stuffing a copy of Wizarding Weekly your clothes (being worn) > [BTW, if I didn't mention it earlier, major kudos for naming the stuff after I showed it to him.] You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >help I started this game in March of 2003 when I rediscovered r.a.i-f and first heard of the Inform programming language. It was created using gVim on a Duron 1.3GHz machine running Linux. A patched build of the Inform compiler and library files were used in compilation. The idea for the plot grew out of a short story I had started to write about a student being accidentally sucked into the internship programme in an alternate dimension. That was about the extent of the story when I started the game, and it has grown from there. The name of the game came from my desire to capture the idea that the Wizards Guild were suppressing a magical society on the verge of breaking through into the age of reason. Risorgimento is a legitimate English word, taken from Italian, meaning a time of renewal or renaissance. Once I had chosen one Italian word, I opted for Risorgimento Represso for its literal meaning of Renaissance Repressed. The game and hints were completed by July 1, 2003, and the first beta release to the testers was made at that time. The second beta-release followed on August 31, and the testers were then given one final version to look over on September 17. The initial competition release was built on September 24, and uploaded to the IF Comp website. Note that spellings of some words may look incorrect. This is because British spellings have been used throughout, given the main character's nationality. Of particular note is the word "carcase" which may look wrong but is, in fact, correct. Also, in Europe, the ground level of a building is often referred to as the "ground floor", and climbing the first set of stairs takes you up to the "first floor." [Please press SPACE.] >ask michael about himself Michael shrugs. "There's not much to tell. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering, which I got because I figured that my love of English would doom me to teaching English, and that I could always write fiction in my spare time if I had a steady job. "For the last five years, I've been working designing computer hardware: mobile handheld computer terminals for an American company. "In my spare time, well, lately, it's been mostly coding of Risorgimento Represso, but I also have keen interests in Linux, reading, writing... and of course, my wife and I have a seven-month old baby in the house now too, who receives a lot of our spare time. "We also have a somewhat disenchanted cat named Oscar, who still feels he got a raw deal over the whole baby thing. After all, no one consulted him about it." Michael stops and glances at you. "Is that the sort of thing you were looking for?" >ask michael about himself Michael frowns. "I've alrea