C:\GAMES\IMPRO\SOH> soh (N)ew game, or (C)ontinue? C Grue's Tunnel You are in a part of the tunnel that is still filled with some light. The tunnel is small, claustrophobic environment with barely enough room for you to stand and about 3 feet wide. The walls are splattered with Silka's blood. The tunnel continues off into darkness to the west. Above you is a hole which leads to the surface and is the source of the light. Aoi is here, delicately sniffing at the blood. Rojanosh is here. >VERSION = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = SPIRITS OF HOPE An Improtext Adventure Lead Programmer: Brian Stricklin Module Programmer: Aaron Nowack Version 1.97 - Confrontation = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >DIAGNOSE You are healthy. You are not hungry. You are not thirsty. >INVENTORY You are carrying: a silver pendant (worn) servant's clothing, damp (worn) pocky a brown leather purse, soaked (jingles a little when shaken) a tattered map, soaked a potion recipe a tension bar ( bloody ) a metal cup a black-painted keyring and key a small pouch ( empty ) a lantern ( almost out of fuel ) Rojanosh's Hope >TELL ROJANOSH ABOUT SUZUME "If Suzume's really in the prison, you may be able to rescue her. This tunnel leads back to the prison, just keep on heading west and turn south when you can't go any further that way. I need to talk with some of my... friends." Rojanosh looks at your lantern. "If your going to the prison you're going to need more light. So, are you?" >YES "Very good." Rojanosh takes your lantern and fills it with fuel taken form a small flask hidden in his clothing. "Well, I'm off." Rojanosh scrambles out of the cave. >W Aoi follows you. Rough Tunnel This rough, natural looking tunnel heads in an east-west direction. >W Aoi follows you. Pond Chamber This small cave contains a small pond of water fed by a waterfall on the northern wall. The sound of the falling water fills the room, and the air is damp and moist. There are exits on the three other sides of the cavern. >LOOK AT POND You notice that, despite the constant influx of water, the pond has evidently been the same size for some time. There must be a way for the water to flow... [You have gained 1 point.] >W You travel down the rough tunnel for some time... Aoi follows you. Pit Cave The southern side of this cave is covered by a bottomless pit. Its inky maw seems hungry, waiting to swallow you up. A narrow ledge along the northern wall allows access to exits on the remaining two side. >W You carefully creep along the ledge... Aoi follows you. Carved Cavern The rough walls of this cavern are covered with primitive looking carvings. Exits are to the west and east. You feel odd. >LOOK AT CARVINGS The carvings are surprisingly sophisticated. Little details abound that should have been impossible to carve into the stone... almost as if the carvings were a natural part of the rock, rather than artificial drawings. You sense tat there is a great deal of information in these carvings. Aoi seems uncomfortable. >STUDY CARVINGS The carvings appear to tell a story, but you don't have the context to fully interpret it. There seem to be four main characters: A woman, two men, and a boy. Each of them seems to be associated with a certain image: the woman with a mountaintop, one of the men with a tree, the other man with a tombstone, and the boy with... this cavern. [You have gained 1 point.] Your studies are interrupted as your odd feeling increases. This cavern almost seems hostile to your presence. Aoi hisses at something. >W You travel down the rough tunnel for a time... Aoi follows you. Junction The tunnel proceeds no further west here, instead splitting to the north and south. >S You travel down the rough tunnel for a time... Aoi follows you. Trapdoor Room Abandoning the natural look the rest of the tunnel displayed, this room has obviously been carved out of the rock. A rickety ladder leads up to a closed wooden trapdoor. The only other exit is to the north. >CLIMB LADDER You carefully climb up the ladder. This feat is made more difficult as one hand is busy holding your lantern. Aoi mews at you from below. >CLIMB DOWN LADDER You descend the ladder. >PICK UP AOI Taken. >CLIMB LADDER You can't, not with one hand holding your lantern and one hand holding Aoi. >PUT DOWN LANTERN Dropped. >CLIMB LADDER You carefully climb up the ladder. This feat is made more difficult as one hand is busy holding Aoi. >EXAMINE TRAPDOOR The trapdoor is made out of wood and swings downward. It is currently latched. >UNLATCH TRAPDOOR Not without both hands free. >CLIMB DOWN LADDER You descend the ladder. >PUT DOWN AOI You place Aoi on the ground. >CLIMB LADDER You carefully climb up the ladder. Aoi mews at you from below. >OPEN TRAPDOOR You pull down on the trapdoor. >CLIMB DOWN LADDER You descend the ladder. >PICK UP AOI Taken. >CLIMB LADDER You carefully climb up the ladder. This feat is made more difficult as one hand is busy holding Aoi. >U You clamber out of the trapdoor. Prison Junction Hallways lined with cells lead off of this junction in all four cardinal directions. You notice that all the cells appear to be empty. Despair seems to have sunken into the very stones, even in the absence of the prisoners. An open trapdoor lies in the center of the junction. You feel a bit weaker. Aoi licks your face. >EXAMINE TRAPDOOR You notice that the top side of the trapdoor is designed to blend in to the surrounding floor. A natural looking indentation provides a way to open it... if its unlocked. Aoi licks your face again. >CLOSE TRAPDOOR You bend down and slam the trapdoor shut. The sound echoes through the empty hallways. Aoi bolts out of your hands and scampers north. >N Prison Hallway North This north-south hallway is lined with cells. All the cells currently seem to be empty. Aoi scampers north. >N Prison Hallway You stand in the prison's hallway. Exits lead south and north. There is a table here. Aoi scampers north. >N Mess Hall This is a long room dominated by a large table, presumably for seating the prisoners and guards on their shifts to eat. Wooden plates are located on the table, with no utensils in sight, presumably to prevent prisoners killing each other. Doorways lead south, east, and west. It seems eerily quiet. Aoi scampers west. >W Courtyard You enter a large walled courtyard. Guard towers rise ominously on each corner and the midpoints of each wall. A couple of scrawny trees provide scant cover. Doorways lead east, west and south. A large oaken door is north. The odd quiet seems even more evident here. You feel a bit stronger again as you leave the aura of despair behind. Aoi scratches the northern door. >N The door is locked. Aoi scratches the northern door. >W The door is locked. You think you might hear a soft sound behind it. Aoi scratches the northern door. >S Aoi remains, scratching the northern door. Scribe's Office This small cluttered room is filled with writing implements and scrolls, all piled on chairs and desks scattered about the room. The only exit is to the north. >LOOK AT SCROLLS They appear to be daily records of the prison. Prisoners leaving and entering, food allotments, and more are all meticulously detailed. According to the scrolls, the prison should be nearly full... not empty. >SEARCH ROOM After a few minutes of searching, you find a piece of chalk. >TAKE CHALK The chalk briefly glows purple as you pick it up. >N Courtyard Aoi scratches the northern door. >LOOK AT DOOR Which door? >THE NORTH DOOR This large door is made of black oak. It seems quite solid. Aoi scratches the northern door. >DRAW SYMBOL ON DOOR With what? >CHALK You quickly sketch the now familiar symbol of three linked circles bisected by a straight line across the door. The chalk glows purple as you write. Aoi scratches the northern door. >LOOK AT PENDANT Your pendant bears the same symbol you just scratched across the door. It is glowing purple at the moment. Aoi scratches the northern door. >PRESS PENDANT TO SYMBOL The symbol on the door catches alight with purple flame. >STEP BACK You step back from the northern door. The purple light intensifies. Aoi scratches the northern door. >TAKE AOI, THEN STEP BACK Taken. The light begins to be painful to look at. You step back from the door. With a resounding crash, the northern door falls inward. The crash echoes throughout the empty courtyard, but no alarm sounds. [You have gained 5 points.] >PUT DOWN AOI You place Aoi on the ground. Aoi scampers north. >N Great Hall The large chamber is lined with marble walls. A large mirror adorns the eastern wall. The vaulted ceiling bears an intricate painting, reminiscent of the carvings you saw earlier in the caves below. Their are exits in all four cardinal directions, and a wide stairway leads up to a balcony surrounding the chamber. Suzume is here. Aoi is here. Aoi scampers over to Suzume. Suzume absently pets Aoi. "Okayama-san?" she asks, sounding worried. >ASK SUZUME ABOUT GATEWAY TREE "Despise's birthplace? Why... oh. I'm not proud of what we did there, Okayama- san. But it was necessary... if it had been corrupted this whole world may have... But why did you come here? You must have known this was a..." "Trap," an amused voice says. You turn around to see Despise entering through the western door. He gestures at Suzume, and she and Aoi fade away and vanish. Despise smiles at you. "You are amusing, Okayama-kun. Who do you think you are, that you could waltz into my prison, ignoring this trap's obviousness?" >DESPISE, I AM THE SPIRIT OF HOPE To say the least, Despise's reaction is not what you had hoped. He bursts out laughing. It takes a moment for his chortles to subside. "You believe that religious nonsense? Even most of the non-humans don't believe that. I'm surprised Suzume didn't tell you the truth... or maybe my pet scientist blathered about Hope. It was enjoyable to extract the punishment for betrayal from him... his life force was sweet." >ASK DESPISE ABOUT TRUTH "What? Oh, why not? You see, you, me, and Suzume are all Spirits. Occasionally, some humans come through that aren't Spirits... but that's not relevant." Despise falls into a lecturing tone. "Spirits can't gain sustenance from ordinary food. Instead, they must consume life force to survive. This life force can either be extracted by death, or it can be given when a person believes in the Spirit. any of us could be Spirits of Hope, if we chose to use that method. I found the other easier to survive on." Despise smiles evilly. "All Spirits embody some force. The four most powerful spirits are Order, Chaos, Creation, and Destruction. I am the Spirit of Order, while dear Suzume embodies Chaos." [You have gained 1 point.] >ASK DESPISE ABOUT SPIRIT OF CREATION "Oh? He died... and his life force fed me for months. There will never again be a Spirit of Creation, unless I will it." Despise's smile widens into a smirk. >ASK DESPISE ABOUT SELF "You? You, my dear, dear Okayama-kun, are the Spirit of Destruction, as your grandfather before you. Your grandfather's death only fed Destruction, producing you, and this world will no doubt suffer for it." Despise chuckles. "You are likely a greater threat to the people of Waypoint than I." [You have gained 2 points.] Despise gestures, and you feel something settle about you like a second skin. "And I have no desire for my little playhouse to be destroyed like my last one was. But killing you will probably just bring forth another Spirit of Destruction. So this is my deal. I just placed a... tag of sorts ward on you. I will send you back to your birthplace, and you may go about your business. But, be warned. If I feel you crossing the wards around Waypoint again, you will be slain... and Suzume will suffer for it. And don't think you can use the trapdoors form here or my palace into my pet's little tunnel... those are warded as well. I'm quite upset about you killing my pet, Okayama-kun... I really enjoyed those games when I was on Earth, which is why I created some of those creatures. In any case, do you agree to my proposal?" >SAVE Game saved. >NO "Oh, such a pity, then. I guess I will have to risk killing you, then." Despise gestures one last time, and the hellhound you didn't notice sneaking up behind you rips out your throat. ***You have died.*** Quit, restore, or undo? >RESTORE Great Hall The large chamber is lined with marble walls. A large mirror adorns the eastern wall. The vaulted ceiling bears an intricate painting, reminiscent of the carvings you saw earlier in the caves below. Their are exits in all four cardinal directions, and a wide stairway leads up to a balcony surrounding the chamber. Despise stands before you, waiting for an answer. >YES "I see you are reasonable, Okayama-kun. Very good." Despise gestures, and the room seems to fade away from around you. Dismal Field You find yourself in the middle of a cold, tree-lined field. The grasses here are clearly wild, rising almost to your waist in some spots, and ripple in a chill breeze. In the light of the sun, the field, although not cheerful by any means, somehow does not seem as forbidding as it had in the moonlight. Colors appear, their brightness accentuated by the long night. Here and there, small flowers peek out from under the grass. A faint path leads off to the southeast. There is a tombstone here. >INVENTORY a silver pendant (worn) servant's clothing, damp (worn) pocky a brown leather purse, soaked (jingles a little when shaken) a tattered map, soaked a potion recipe a tension bar ( bloody ) a metal cup a black-painted keyring and key a small pouch ( empty ) a lantern ( almost out of fuel ) Rojanosh's Hope a piece of chalk Despise's tag >DIAGNOSE You are a little tired. You are somewhat hungry. You are somewhat thirsty. You vaguely feel Aoi's presence in Waypoint. >SCORE You have gained 210 points out of a possible 2000. This earns you the rank of: Hopeful Spectre. >SAVE Game saved. >QUIT C:\GAMES\IMPRO\SOH>_ Author's Random Ramblings Whew. I almost thought I wasn't going to get this one finished. I tried to accomplish three goals in this part. 1) Get the story moving again. 2) Explain the grue. :) 3) Integrate the cosmology introduced in Part 12 with the previously established cosmology. So, how did I do? And... sign up for Spirits of Hope! Let's get a full queue, OK? :)