by Alex
View game source (spoilers!) Download the .z8 file
Chapter 1
'Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.' Job 8:7
You have [x] coins and [y] faith.
The dim brightness of the early morning greets my eyes as I sit up, the soft glow of orange illuminating the room and casting soft shadows across the lodgings. In the early morning sunlight, the room seems almost ethereal. Scratching my head, I steadily ease myself off the bed and stand to prepare myself for the day. As I wash up, my thoughts drift back to the dreams of recent nights. I’ve always found dreams rather puzzling. Where exactly do they come from? Why do they only appear in sleep? Do they serve any greater purpose, or simply fantasies of the mind’s creation. My dreams, in particular, were the source of great confusion for me; glimpses of vaguely familiar yet unseen moments; flashes of light and darkness; a single falling star. A small part of my conscious questioned whether a greater power was active in influencing my dormant thoughts, but my instincts quickly shot down the idea.
'Perhaps I should become a poet' I scoff to myself.
I look around my room wondering which items I should choose to bring on this adventure.
The courtyard is outside.". The walking stick is in the bedchamber. The telescope is in the bedchamber. beakers are in the bedchamber. The studies book is in the bedchamber. Instead of burning anything: say "Although oxidation reactions are of great interest, I decide that it is best not to burn anything right now.". After going south from the bedchamber: clear the screen; change the north exit of the courtyard to nothing; say “I set foot outside my homestead. The sun rose blissfully above the hill afar, inciting the coming of a new day. Although it was early dawn, I felt energized as I witnessed the beautiful weather. The clear morning sky was painted with dancing tones of orange and red, interrupted only by sparse white clouds. A few swallows that had declared home on the trees nearby flew elegantly, calling their beautiful songs to announce the light of dawn.
The commons is to the south.
I take a break from my short hike in the town center. Stretching my legs, I take in the surroundings of the normally bustling town, quiet in the sluggish morning atmosphere. I wave to a few merchants, preparing their stands for another day of work. Perhaps I should pay a visit to the horses in the stable before I set out for my journey or stock on food.
The Butcher Shop is to the west. The Grocery is to the east. The Stables are to the northeast. The Bakery is to the southwest. The town gates are south.". the commons is a room. The commons is south of the courtyard."I take a break from my short hike in the town center. Stretching my legs, I take in the surroundings of the normally bustling town, quiet in the sluggish morning atmosphere. I wave to a few merchants, preparing their stands for another day of work. Perhaps I should pay a visit to the horses in the stable before I set out for my journey or stock on food.
The Butcher Shop is to the west. The Grocery is to the east. The Stables are to the northeast. The Bakery is to the southwest. The town gates are south.". the butcher shop is west of the commons. the bakery is southwest of the commons. the grocery is east of the commons. the stables are northeast of the commons. the town gates are south of the commons. the Butcher Shop is a room. "'Up and about early as always'. The butcher calls out a friendly greeting as I enter his shop. Responding with a polite good morning, I ask for what’s on the menu this morning. 'Not much, just some freshly caught herring right now for 8 coins!'
You have [x] coins.". the herring is in the butcher shop. After taking the herring for the first time: decrease x by 8; say "The butcher thanks me for the purchase, handing over the red fish.
You now have [x] coins". Instead of taking the herring while x is less than 8, say "I am once again reminded of how broke I am.
You only have [x] coins". the Bakery is a room. "I walk along to the local bakery, following the aroma of freshly baked bread. The delightful smell sending me into a slight trance; I always liked a good helping of unleavened bread. 'HEY!' from across the road I hear a shout. Moving closer to the commotion, I come to a group of people surrounding a young boy, huddled in his tattered clothes, desperately clinging to a large amount of bread. 'Thief! Sever his hands, he shall be punished by god.'
My eyes lay upon the baker, screaming with anger as he reaches for the knife, 'He stole 7 coins worth of bread. I'm not going to let him go unless someone else is willing to pay for his actions.'
The thief in question pales and begins mumbling words of apology and pleading.
You may choose to ask the baker about the thief or return to the commons.". The baker is a person. "I look at the baker, taking note of his fat face and his hands covered in dough.". The baker is in the bakery. Understand the command "talk to the baker" as "ask". Instead of asking the baker about anything: say "The baker responds with anger, 'He stole 7 coins worth of bread. I'm not willing to let him go unless someone is willing to pay for his actions and pay for the price of the bread.'". Instead of asking the baker about something: say "The baker responds with anger, 'He stole 7 coins worth of bread. I'm not willing to let him go unless someone is willing to pay for his actions and pay for the price of the bread.'". a loaf of bread from the hands of the thief is in the Bakery. After taking the bread: decrease x by 7; clear the screen; change the southwest exit of the commons to closed bakery; decrease y by 5; say "'Wait,' I shout, catching the attention of both baker and burglar. I’ll pay for all the bread, he’s with me. If you could kindly release my companion...' As I hand over the payment for the stolen bread (quite the hefty amount might I comment), I overhear the baker’s words of contempt, something along the lines of a 'society without justice'. The boy looks at me with eyes full of gratitude. I smile and wave him off before continuing about my day.
You now have [x] coins and [y] faith."; move the player to the commons. After going northeast from the bakery: clear the screen; increase y by 5; change the southwest exit of the commons to closed bakery; say "Crimes will always exist, but justice will always be served, with the hammer of fate condemning judgement on the convicted. I continue walking, ignoring the shouts and commotion.
You now have [x] coins and [y] faith."; move the player to the commons. The closed bakery is a room. "I visit the bakery again, this time surprised that it is already closed.
The commons is northeast
You only have [x] coins". The grocery is a room. "I walk to the grocery store, taking in the smell of freshly picked fruits and marvellous vegetables. I wave to the grocer.
'Care to buy some carrots? They’re only 1 coin each! Sorry there’s not much else for sale, the weather hasn’t been too kind to our land lately. It’s been far too hot for decent produce...'". A carrot is in the grocery. Instead of examining the carrot: say "Using my botanical skills, I identify the hierarchal classification of the carrot. D. c. subsp. sativus.". After taking the carrot: decrease x by 1; say "The grocer hands me the carrot.
You now have [x] coins.". Instead of taking the carrot while x is less than 1, say "I am once again reminded of how broke I am.
You only have [x] coins". The stables are a room. "I approach the stables, taking in the caustic smell of manure freshly secreted from the horses. I see my favourite steed, her brilliant white mane shining in the morning light. I walk up to pet her, noticing that she looks like she can use a carrot." The horse is an animal in the stables. Instead of giving a carrot to the horse: move carrot to unavailable; say "I feed the horse, with the mare neighing in approval." The town gates are a room. "I stare at the iron gates, built tremendously to protect the townspeople from any unwanted visitors. They were crafted marvellously, almost resembling a gate made of pearls extracted from the most splendid of oceans. It had always been of great interest to me what lies beyond those gates, and today I was ready to find out. I followed the beat of adventure out into the world-- it is time to find my path.
The clearing is south of the town gates.
Note that once you go beyond the gates, they will be shut. There will be no coming back to collect necessities for the trip.
It was nearing noon when I reached an opening in the forest. Standing there in the midst of nature, I looked up towards the sky and took in the atmosphere. With the sun shining through the small gaps in the trees and the clear sky above me, the clearing seemed almost holy.
Seeing that I had not eaten for the day, I decide to sit on a rock and begin unravelling some of the food I packed. Listening to the gentle rustling of the leaves, I sat peacefully, simply enjoying the scenery. In the brief moment I closed my eyes, the rustling stopped; I opened my eyes to a ring of armed bandits, weapons poised. 'We’re gonna need anything of value that you own'. I am both completely surrounded and unarmed; picking a fight would be more than pointless. I’ll have to try another approach.
You see the bandit leader.
New command: 'Interact with ___'.". The bandit leader is in the clearing. The bandit leader is a person. Interacting with is an action applying to one visible thing. Understand "interact with [someone]" as interacting with. Report interacting with: say "You have nothing to say.". Initiate, compromise, comply, a1, a2, r1 are chat nodes. Report giving text for initiate: instead say "I approach the person that seems to be the head of the group, and consider my options.". Carry out finding responses to initiate: link to compromise; link to comply. Report giving link to compromise: say "Compromise" instead. Report giving text for compromise: deactivate compromise; say "Perhaps my abilities in persuasion are sufficient enough to convince the thieves to leave me alone, or at the very least lower the fee. Aside from face obscuring items, they all appear to be dressed relatively plainly, not unlike the farmers of my town. I think the grocer mentioned something about bad produce..." instead. Carry out finding responses to compromise: link to a1; link to a2. Report giving link to comply: say "Comply" instead. Report giving text for comply: move the player to the forgotten temple; clear the screen; increase y by 5; change x to 0; say "'Here that’s all I own,' I say, leaving my sack of coins at the thief’s feet, 'You can check my bag as well, there’s nothing of value in there.' He silently takes the coins, and after a short search of my belongings, they disappear back into the forest. With a sigh, I gather my sack and prepare to set off from the clearing.
You now have [x] coins and [y] faith.
The Forgotten Temple
The walls were covered in moss and vines, filling the cracks in the stone brought by the years of mistreatment. Through the occasional gap in the stone that was left untouched, the noontime sun shone a ray of light into the temple. I wouldn't particularly consider myself a man of faith, but the admittedly sorry state of what must've been a wonderful shrine prompted me to perform a bit of maintenance-- gods normally liked that sort of thing anyways. As I tended to the dusty corners with a broom I found leftover, my attention landed on a tablet in the center of the temple. Upon closer inspection, the tablet was marked with the words: 'pray to the god... ; ', but the name itself was obscured and illegible. Interesting... I wonder what I can figure out from examining the temple itself...
You see a wall, some vines, and a few old scriptures
New command: pray to ______." instead. Report giving link to a1: instead say "Mention the extremely hot weather.". Report giving text for a1: move the player to the Forgotten temple; clear the screen; decrease y by 5; say "'Sorry I don’t have too much of anything on me right now,' I say with a rueful smile, 'It’s been a pretty rough year for harvest and I haven’t been able to get sales. Too much heat really hurts the land.'. The thief falters and lowers his knife slightly. 'Yeah I know what you mean. It’s been rough on us too, and we’ve had to resort to these lowly means in order to provide for our families. Anyways, sorry for the trouble, we’ll be on our way now. Good luck!' Not expecting the sudden shift in attitude, I was startled into silence before regaining my wits. 'Yeah same to you,' I call back. Truthfully, I had never worked the fields or felt the despair of a destroyed harvest. If his words held true, then this group of thieves certainly had it worse than me. As I recall in more detail the state of the thieves, gaunt and worn, I can't help but feel a sense of hopelessness. If there truly is a god, then they must be particularly vindictive this year.
New command: pray to ______." instead. Report giving link to a2: instead say "Mention the extremely wet weather.". Report giving text for a2: move the player to the forgotten temple; clear the screen; change x to 0; instead say "'Sorry I don’t have too much of anything on me right now,' I say with a rueful smile, 'It’s been a pretty rough year for harvest and I haven’t been able to get sales. Too much rain has been drowning my crops'. The thief narrows his eyes and advances a little further, this time snatching the coins from my pocket.
New command: pray to ______.". Instead of interacting with the bandit leader: run a conversation from initiate. The forgotten temple is a room."
You see a wall, some vines, and a few old scriptures". After going east from the clearing: clear the screen; say "The Forgotten Temple
Brushing away stray branches that found themselves in my way, I continued through the forest, the comforting environment exciting a strange sense of adventure in me. Before long, I found myself standing in front of the entrance to what appeared to be a temple of worship. As it was practically abandoned, I decided it wouldn't hurt to explore it for a little.
The walls were covered in moss and vines, filling the cracks in the stone brought by the years of mistreatment. Through the occasional gap in the stone that was left untouched, the noontime sun shone a ray of light into the temple. I wouldn't particularly consider myself a man of faith, but the admittedly sorry state of what must've been a wonderful shrine prompted me to perform a bit of maintenance-- gods normally liked that sort of thing anyways. As I tended to the dusty corners with a broom I found leftover, my attention landed on a tablet in the center of the temple. Upon closer inspection, the tablet was marked with the words: 'pray to... ; ', but the name itself was obscured and illegible. Interesting… I wonder what I can figure out from examining the temple itself...
You see a wall, some vines, and a few old scriptures. If you leave the temple, the temple will crumble and disappear into the ground.
I wonder what this could mean.". Instead of examining the vines: say "There seems to be nothing interesting about these vines, aside from their thigmotropism." Instead of examining the scriptures: say “I unfold the scriptures, taking care not to destroy the harshly worn piece of paper. On it, I make out the words ‘He who is the god of music, truth, art, archery, and poetry. It is also he who may heal or bring suffering. He is the leader of the muses.’.
I ponder on the implications of this text.
You may choose to give Apollo a significant item or give a decline gesture". Decline gesture is an object. Decline gesture is in the forgotten temple. Instead of giving decline gesture to Apollo: move the decline gesture to unavailable; move the player to the river; clear the screen; increase y by 5; say "'Thank you for the offer, however I lack the means of repaying the gesture,' I respond politely, 'I shall have to refuse'. Apollo hums in acknowledgement. 'Fair enough', he says, 'You are free to plead for my help whenever you may need it'. Without another word, the light suddenly dissipates, returning the temple to its original state. Shrugging to myself, I turned to leave, the sack of coins taking the place of my telescope within my travel bag. As I crossed into the outdoors once again, a familiar song plays once again, and looking behind me, I watch in amazement as the temple disappears in a flash of gold. In its absence, I can see the path continue further east.
The River
Your eyes focus on a deer, a crane, and an eagle. On the ground, you also notice scattered branches and a few twigs.". Instead of examining the decline gesture: say "You cannot examine a gesture.". Instead of examining Apollo: say "I try to get a better look at Apollo, unable to due to the blinding light that was a result of his presence.". Unavailable is a room. Instead of giving the telescope to Apollo: move the player to the river; move the telescope to unavailable; clear the screen; say "Although an item of great personal value, my telescope is unfortunately not as varied in use when compared to money. Still kneeling, I produce the telescope from my bag and offer it to the god. Taking the instrument in his hands, Apollo observes the telescope with disinterest. 'I suppose this will suffice,' he says after a while, 'Should you need my godly assistance again, pray my name'. The gold suddenly intensified, blinding me temporarily before dying down again, returning the temple to the darkness in which I found it. Shrugging to myself, I turn to leave, the sack of coins taking the place of my telescope within my travel bag. As I crossed into the outdoors once again, a familiar song plays once again, and looking behind me, I watch in amazement as the temple disappears in a flash of gold. In its absence, I can see the path continue further east."; increase x by 100; increase y by 20; say "
I continue further east, still slightly disoriented from my run-ins with a literal god. Flipping through my study book, a trait which had quickly become a habit for comfort, I notice a particular page in the botany section that was out of place. Looking closely, the page itself had several ancient runes written on it and seemed to emanate a divine feeling. A musical sounding voice echoed through my head, 'The sun will guide the way. Pray to Apollo should you need divine assistance'. As I close my book again, I find myself at a small river. Standing there in the midst of nature, I look up towards the sky and decide to take in the atmosphere. The crystal clear water, along with the calming setting in the midst of the trees. Despite being well into noon, the heat had reduced significantly. Perhaps it was due to the wind currents off of the river, or dare I entertain the possibility of divine intervention… Returning to the situation at hand, I can make out another path past the river. I’ll have to find some way to cross the river, maybe inspiration will strike from observing the nature.
Your eyes focus on a deer, a crane, and an eagle. On the ground, you also notice scattered branches and a few twigs." Instead of giving the studies book to Apollo: clear the screen; increase x by 100; move the player to the river; increase y by 10; say "Although likely not of much monetary value, my study book is by far the most precious thing to me, containing all the knowledge I have compiled thus far. Rather hesitantly, I offer the heavy book to the god. 'This is your most valuable item.' Apollo asks, looking somewhat unamused, taking the book in his hands and leafing through the pages.
'There is nothing more valuable to me than my knowledge. Surely you value your power; likewise, my studies are the source of my power,' I say. Apollo looks at me, an unreadable expression on what I assumed was his face (which was very much obscured to me, with his radiating aura).
'Interesting…' Without a word, the light suddenly dissipates, returning the temple to its original state. At the spot where Apollo stood, I see a large sack of coins and my book laying on the ground. Shrugging to myself, I turned to leave, the sack of coins now safely within my travel bag. As I crossed into the outdoors once again, a familiar song plays once again, and looking behind me, I watch in amazement as the temple disappears in a flash of gold. In its absence, I can see the path continue further east...
Your eyes focus on a deer, a crane, and an eagle. On the ground, you also notice scattered branches and a few twigs.". The river is a room. Apollo river is in the river. Apollo river is a person. Instead of giving anything to apollo river: say "Apollo seeks no offer at this time.". Instead of examining apollo river: say "I cannot see Apollo, but I undoubtedly feel his presence.". A deer is an animal. A deer is in the river. A crane is an animal. A crane is in the river. An eagle is an animal. An eagle is in the river. Instead of examining the deer: say "I approach the deer cautiously, amazed by the complex mammalian system it possessed. Being careful not to spook it, I observe the seemingly random white spots on the fur.". Instead of examining the crane: say "I stare at the crane from a distance, noticing how its long legs helped the bird stand effortlessly against the coursing river.". Instead of examining the eagle: say "I admire the eagle perching fearlessly on the branch, confident of its status in the forest.". Instead of examining the twigs: say "I bend down to look at the twigs, noticing that they appear to be from an oak tree.". Instead of examining the branches: say "I kneel to look at the fallen branches, delighted by the wonderful nonvascular succession that had already sprawled.". Branches are an object. Branches are in the river. Twigs are an object. Twigs are in the river. Understand "make stilts with [something]" as making it with. Making it with is an action applying to one thing. Check making it with: if the noun is not branches, say "Unfortunately, my crafting abilities are not to that capability yet." instead; if the noun is twigs, say "The twigs do not seem sturdy enough to make a stilt out of." instead. Report making it with: move the player to I See Fire; decrease y by 20; clear the screen; say "I start to gather more branches, choosing the ones that were freshly fallen for their rigidity. Using some vines that were laying around, I manage to tie the branches together and create a pair of stilts. Carefully, I strap the stilts around my feet and stumble across the river. Almost humorously, as I waded by the crane I waved a quick 'Thanks!' and continued to the other side. Upon arriving, I tossed my stilts into the river, startling the crane.
Chapter 4
Continuing my adventure, I approach a huge ledge overlooking much of the forest. If it were not for a raven that had made me aware of where I was going, I would have stumbled right down. Noticing the position of the sun, I realize that dusk had almost fallen. Seeing that the ledge was the perfect place to rest for the night, I decide to settle down and prepare for a campfire. As I prepared some tinder, it had only occurred to me that I was being watched by a creature in the bushes.
Are you sure you want to pray? This will automatically allow you to cross the river and skip the puzzle. Type 'Give acceptance to Apollo' to confirm, or 'Give rejection to Apollo' to deny his help.
I utter a quick but desperate prayer to Apollo, hoping that he would provide me with a way to cross the river. Suddenly, the river formed a path without water right where I stood. I quickly run through the path, and as soon as I had reached the other side, the river immediately returned to normal.
You now have [x] coins and [y] faith
I continue further east, speechless of the event I had just encountered. Standing there in the midst of nature, I look up towards the sky and decide to take in the atmosphere. As I listened to the sounds of nature, my ears focused on the sound of what appeared to be the flow of water. Satisfying my intuition, I approach a wondrous stream running coarsely through the forest. Realizing that this was an obstacle, I quickly went to work thinking about how I could cross the river safely. To my slight amazement, I see it be surrounded by animals quenching their thirst on an unusually hot summer day.
Your eyes focus on a deer, a crane, and an eagle. On the ground, you also notice scattered branches and a few twigs. You also feel the presence of Apollo.". I See Fire is a room. fire response, x1, x2, pray, b1, b2, b3 are chat nodes. Report giving text for fire response: instead do nothing. Carry out finding responses to fire response: link to b1; link to b2; link to b3; link to pray; link to x1. Report giving link to b1: say "Moisturize the area" instead. Report giving text for b1: deactivate b1; say "I decide to moisturize the area, reasoning that there cannot be a flame when the area is wet. However, I look around, seeing nothing that could allow me to reasonably soak such a large area fast enough. Maybe something else... think!" instead. Carry out finding responses to b1: link to b2; link to b3; link to pray; link to x1. Report giving link to b2: say "Run away for help" instead. Report giving text for b2: deactivate b2; say "I decide to run, thinking that I better escape while I still can. Unfortunately, it had occurred to me that the fire had encompassed much of the entire forest already, leaving me stuck." instead. Carry out finding responses to b2: link to b1; link to b3; link to pray; link to x1. Report giving link to b3: say "Evacuate animals that are in immediate danger" instead. Report giving text for b3: deactivate b3; say "Evacuating any living things in the area should be my immediate priority. Animals, wayward travellers, the like. However, as I search the area for anyone at risk, my foolishness is made thoroughly apparent at the realization that any animals or humans with an ounce of common sense would be long gone. Maybe something else... think! " instead. Carry out finding responses to b3: link to b1; link to b2; link to pray; link to x1. Report giving link to pray: say "Pray to Apollo" instead. Report giving text for pray: increase y by 30; clear the screen; move the player to the river at night; say "Quickly, I reach for my bag and retrieve my book. Opening it to the page inscribed with runes, I drop to my knees and declare a prayer to Apollo. Immediately, the sky is illuminated in a flash of gold. A sudden gust of wind picks blows from behind me, the gale seeming to pick up the flames. The flying streams of fire coalesce into a single burning sphere, hovering in the sky above the trees, before being smothered and suffocated, the wind dispersing. Looking around me, I find the forest burned and grey, but thankfully not in too much damage. With a tired sigh, I head back the way I came, returning to the river for some rest.
You see the reflection of the night sky" instead. Report giving link to x1: say "Consult the studies book" instead. Report giving text for x1: if the player has the studies book, say "Try the command 'examine pages'" instead; otherwise run a conversation from no instead; deactivate x1. no is a chat node. The pages are in I See Fire Report giving link to no: do nothing. Report giving text for no: run a conversation from fire response. Instead of examining the pages: move the player to the river at night; clear the screen; say "Quickly, I reach for my bag and retrieve my book. Flipping through the pages, I frantically search for any information that might help me in lessening the damage, yet nothing stood out as particularly useful. Chemical reactions, plant structures, animal behaviour, solar movement; not exactly the most applicable information. However, as I flipped through my studies on the environment, I stopped upon a page detailing nature cycles and systems. As I re-read my observations, it became apparent that while destructive in nature, a forest fire could actually allow an opportunity for new life to grow. Thus, the best course of action would be to simply leave to safety for the time being; there’s no need for me to play God. With a tired sigh, I close the book and walk back the way I came, stopping at the river for some rest.
You see the reflection of the night sky
Chapter 5
As I settled on a rock near the river, I let out a contented sigh. With the issue of the forest fire cared for, I felt almost alleviated of an unknown stress. Staring at the river, now quiet and still, I can see the night sky reflected within the water. The stars shone brightly in the never ending blanket of the dark sky, twinkling like diamonds. Thinking back to the occurrences of today, I can’t help but feel fulfilled and almost enlightened. As a single star flew through the sky, I made a resolution: The Gods have given me the power to act, and I shall spread that power to all those who will accept it. There will be those who deny it, but my faith will hold steadfast. The sun had set, and the day was over, but this is only the beginning. As I drift to sleep, the thundering drum of the future’s adventures beat in my mind.
The End
As I settled on a rock near the river, I let go an exasperated sigh, followed by a mirthful laugh. How ironic to confront the god of the sun and a forest fire within such a small time-frame. Truly, the world works in mysterious ways. Staring at the river, now quiet and still, I can see the sky reflected within the water. To my surprise, night had already fallen in the time it took to walk back. Perhaps I was lost in thought, as I appeared to be doing relatively often it seems. Observing the night sky, perfectly mirrored on the river, I felt at ease, the stars twinkling like diamonds against the massive expanse of darkness in the sky. The mystical nature of the stars seemed to calm me, while also instilling a strange sense of adventure. Thinking back to the occurrences of today, I can’t help but wonder at the almost dream-like surrealism of the life I just led. As a single star flew through the sky, I made a resolution: I would unravel the mysteries of this world and shed light to the untouched corners of the universe. There may not be any reasonable explanations, but the best I can do is try and make the best of it. The sun had set, and the day was over, but this is only the beginning. As I drift to sleep, the thundering drum of the future’s adventures beat in my mind.