Beware the Unseen Terror! Let's Play Enchanter!

Kahran042 · #1 05-31-2011, 10:49 AM

Enchanter was the first fantasy game published by Infocom after the Zork trilogy, and was in fact originally intended to be Zork IV, as could be seen in a sort of "preview" (read: instant death) at the viewing table in Zork III. It is similar to the original trilogy in some ways, but very different in one - specifically, the addition of magic, wherein you memorize and then cast spells, similar to Dungeons and Dragons, but without spell levels. But this is really the kind of thing that I'm really better at showing than explaining, so, let's get down to business. First of all, this is a semi-blind LP - I've beaten this game a couple times before, but it was a while ago, and I can't remember a lot of things. Also, this will be at least somewhat similar to Loki's Zork LP, but without the pretty pictures. Basically, I'll run around and look for puzzles and goodies, then have you guys do the hard work. Like Loki, I'll be putting a list of unsolved puzzles and our items and spells at the end of each post, as well as a death toll and our current score, so we can see just how far we've come in our quest. But, enough talk. On with the quest!

Quote:

It must be the warlock Krill. The odd disappearances, the mysterious dissolution of regions sacred to the Circle, the lessening of the Powers -- these could only be his handiwork. The Circle gathers and its leader, the esteemed Belboz, reveals to them an ancient document which portends evil days much like our own.

"Krill's evil must be unmade," he begins, "but to send a powerful Enchanter is ill-omened. It would be ruinous to reveal oversoon our full powers." A ripple of concern spreads over the face of each Enchanter. Belboz pauses, and collects his resolve. "Have hope! This has been written by a hand far wiser than mine!"

He recites a short spell and you appear. Belboz approaches, transfixing you with his gaze, and hands you the document. The other Enchanters await his decree. "These words, written ages ago, can have only one meaning. You, a novice Enchanter with but a few simple spells in your Book, must seek out Krill, explore the Castle he has overthrown, and learn his secrets. Only then may his vast evil be lessened or, with good fortune, destroyed."

The Circle rises and intones a richly woven spell, whose many textures imbue the small, darkened chamber with warmth and hope. There is a surge of power; you are Sent.

Whoever named the villain apparently knew very little about marine biology.

Quote:

Fork
You stand at a point of decision on a road which makes a wide fork to the northeast and southeast, circling the base of the Lonely Mountain, which looms high overhead to the east. A very long and winding road starts here and stretches out of sight to the west through low, smoky hills.
The sun is rising over the lands to the east.

>inventory
You are carrying:
A spell book

>examine spell book
The title is "My Spell Book". The book looks pretty new, and it doesn't seem to have much written in it yet. There are some spells written in the book in glowing letters, with marginal notes about how to cast them and what their effects are.

Hmmm, let's see what kind of spells we have.

Quote:

>read book

My Spell Book

The blorb spell (safely protect a small object as though in a strong box).
The nitfol spell (converse with the beasts in their own tongue).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).

Now, as I mentioned earlier, you have to memorize spells before casting them. To see what spells you've memorized, you can type "spells," like this:

Quote:

>spells
The gnusto spell, the only thing you seem to have learned well after many years at the University, remains yours forever. Other than that, you have the blorb spell once and the frotz spell once committed to memory.

Hmm, it seems that our hero is a bit of a slacker. A man after my own heart. Anyway, let's explore this area. Kai Lords always go to the east, and since our hero isn't a Kai Lord, let's go...

Quote:

>w
Long Road
You are walking along the road. It wends its way through low hills, sparse forests, and occasional subsistence farms. To the west, things seem lighter and more pleasant. To the east they seem oppressive and dark. A worn sign sits beside the road here. The deserted village is to the east.

Long Road is loooooooong. Let's see what that sign says.

Quote:

>read sign
"Why"

What a weird sign. Let's keep going.

Quote:

>w
Long Road
You are walking along the road. It wends its way through low hills, sparse forests, and occasional subsistence farms. To the west, things seem lighter and more pleasant. To the east they seem oppressive and dark. A worn sign sits beside the road here.

Hmm, this description looks familiar. Let's see what this sign says.

Quote:

>read sign
"are"

Ooh, new message. But things seem pleasant to the west, so let's keep going that way. Not like we have a world to save or anything...

Quote:

>w
Long Road
You are walking along the road. It wends its way through low hills, sparse forests, and occasional subsistence farms. To the west, things seem lighter and more pleasant. To the east they seem oppressive and dark. A worn sign sits beside the road here.

Definitely familiar, but let's make sure that it's not just the same screen again.

Quote:

>read sign
"you"
The sun has now risen above the hills.

"Why", "are", "you"...seems like the game is trying to tell us something. Let's keep going west to see what it is! Also, as you can tell by the description of the sun, this game has a day/night cycle. I can't remember if there's a time limit, but if there is, I'll be sure to show what happens if it expires somewhere - if not in the actual LP, then in a bonus update. Also, you have to sleep at night, and it's generally advisable to sleep in a bed, if I recall correctly. I remember bad things happening to you if you don't, but I may be mixing it up with Planetfall. But, I've drifted far enough. On with the quest!

Quote:

>w
Long Road
You are walking along the road. It wends its way through low hills, sparse forests, and occasional subsistence farms. To the west, things seem lighter and more pleasant. To the east they seem oppressive and dark. A worn sign sits beside the road here.

>read sign
"going"

OK, I'm beginning to have my suspicions about this road. But let's just go one more screen to make sure.

Quote:

>w
Long Road
You are walking along the road. It wends its way through low hills, sparse forests, and occasional subsistence farms. To the west, things seem lighter and more pleasant. To the east they seem oppressive and dark. A worn sign sits beside the road here.

Um, yeah. In case you can't tell, the Long Road is completely pointless. It's just endless identical screens with signs that eventually tell you as such. Let's go back to the fork, and then go the other way.

Kahran042 · #2 05-31-2011, 10:50 AM

Quote:

>se
Dusty Trail
The trail here turns dry and dusty. To the northwest is the fork leading to the Long Road, and the trail continues to the southeast.

>se
Loop
The trail makes a hairpin turn here, swinging out to the northwest and northeast, where it enters a small village. Low, smoky hills stretch out to the west and south.
You hear a rustling in the brambles nearby, and you catch a glimpse of something small and furry as it scurries away.

>examine brambles
You see nothing special about the bramble.

But...what about the small furry thing? Darn you, Enchanter, don't tell me about small furry things if I can't catch/eat them! Oh, well. Let's keep following the trail.

Quote:

>ne
Deserted Village
This is the castle's village. Formerly, peasants lived here, going to their farm plots each day. Merchants and artisans made it a center of cultural activity. But now it's deserted. Or almost: there is smoke rising from a particularly decrepit hovel to the south. A path travels through the village from southwest to northeast, heading towards the castle, and a less-used trail heads north up the mountain.

Where there's smoke, they pinch back there's fire. And where there's fire, there's the possibility of gaining spells of mass destruction!

Quote:

>s
It is dark and smoky in here, but this is a place of great disorder, and its odor is indescribable. A pile of rags sits near a small pot which is bubbling and steaming over a tiny fire. The pile of rags sports a gnarled hand which busies itself with the noisome stew. A closer look reveals a withered crone at the other end of the hand.

The creature looks you over keenly and speaks: "I should have thought they would send someone more ... more ..." She laughs in an unsettling way. "They've all left! A great storm is brewing in the east, my friend, and all have fled before it!" She starts to chuckle. "Take this and begone!" With a wave of her hand, you find yourself reeling out of the door of the hovel, holding some sort of scroll in your hand.

Ooh, free scroll. Let's see what kind of spell this is.

Quote:

>read scroll
The scroll reads "rezrov spell: open even locked or enchanted objects".

Well, it's not fiery death, but it'll do. Let's check up that mountain!

Quote:

>n
Mountain Trail
This spot halfway up the Lonely Mountain is desolate of vegetation. Short, stunted trees with branches empty surround you and the air is heavy and smoke-filled.

>n
Lonely Mountain
This is the top of the Lonely Mountain. In olden days, mariners had named it Signal Mountain, for its glistening peak reflected the pale moonlight, providing an unmistakable landmark on unclouded nights. The bald mountain face is made of a shining substance whose nature is unknown to you. Looking to the west, low hills stretch to the horizon, and small pieces of the Long Road can be seen winding their way to distant lands. To the east, far away, can be seen a great castle at the edge of the Sea. Three turrets it has; two, old and still majestic, lie on either side of a third, cold, black as night and squat as a toad. An evil smoke seems to emanate from this tower, shrouding the others in a darkening fog. A small mountain trail leaves the peak and descends to the south into a small village far below.

Quite an impressive description. Shame that this area is completely pointless. Sort of like the volcano in Adventure, actually. Back to the fork, and then...

Quote:

>ne
Outside of Shack
You are south of an old wooden shack, apparently deserted. The trail extends from northeast to southwest here, circling the Lonely Mountain, which lies to the southeast.

Hmm, an abandoned shack. My kleptomaniac, er, adventurer sense is tingling...

Quote:

>in
Inside Shack
The inside of the shack is a shambles. An overturned table and bench, and a few broken windows remain. An oven is the only fixture that's even recognizable. The door is to the south.
The top of a battered lantern is partially visible behind the overturned table.
An empty jug lies in a corner of the room, against the overturned table.

>examine oven
Strangely, the oven is still slightly warm, as if it had been used recently.

Maybe there's a firey-death spell in here?

Quote:

>open oven
Opening the oven reveals a loaf of bread.

Or some bread. Oh, well. It's not some sort of awesome new spell, but at least I won't starve to death now. And yes, this game does have a hunger system, like Zork.

Quote:

>take bread
Taken.

You know, even though I'm on a mission to save the world, there's nothing saying I shouldn't loot the rest of this place...

Quote:

>take all
oven: It would take more magic than you've got!
battered lantern: Taken.
jug: Taken.

This game has a LOT of different "you can't take this" quotes. While making this, I saw at least four of them. If I haven't shown all of them by the end of this game, I'll make a bonus update listing them.

Quote:

>out
Outside of Shack

>ne
Trail
The trail turns a corner here, bending out of sight to the southeast and southwest. The ground is higher here than to the south, allowing you to make out the top of the Lonely Mountain, shrouded in clouds. No path from here leads up the mountain, however.

>se
Trail Head
You are on the northeast side of the Lonely Mountain, walking a narrow path through rolling hills. On one side of the path is a sign and behind that, to the northeast, a winding path through the thick undergrowth. The trail continues to the southeast.

Ooh, a sign! Must...read...

Quote:

>read sign

- Shady Brook Trail -

Old Lingolf House
1000 feet

Well, that was pointless. Let's see what's further on the trail.

Quote:

>ne
Shady Brook
The trail ends here. A ruined stone foundation marks the site of the Old Lingolf House, which presumably was a monument of some sort. The trail head is off to the southwest, and a small brook flows slowly by.
Your mouth is getting rather dry.

How convenient. I'm getting thirsty, and there's a source of water right here. I'll drink some now, take some for later, and continue onwards.

Quote:

>drink water
The delicious spring water tasted great.

>fill jug
The jug is now full of water.

>sw
Trail Head

>se
Eastern Fork
You are at a fork in the road where paths to the northwest and southwest girdle the base of the Lonely Mountain and a smaller path winds its way to the east.

The southwest fork just leads back to the village, so let's go east.

Quote:

>e
Western Road
You are on an east-west road, which wends its way through the dark, rolling hills of this land. To the west rises a high mountain, to the east stands a high castle with dark towers.

If I were an evil warlock, a high castle with dark towers would probably be where I'd hide out. Let's check it out!

Quote:

>e
Outside Gate
You are outside the western entrance to the castle. To the east stands an iron gate which is closed and chained. A winding road starts here and proceeds to the west.

Let's see what's beyond this gate!

Quote:

>open gate
The gate is secure; it cannot be unlocked.

Maybe it can't be unlocked by mundane means, but whoever lives in this castle (Hint: it's Shrimpboy) obviously wasn't expecting someone with the power of sorcery to come by. Now to show off how spellcasting works in this game. First of all, it's always a good idea to gnusto new spells, so that you can use them more than once.

Quote:

>gnusto rezrov
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the rezrov spell are inscribed, glowing even more brightly than the book itself. The book's brightness fades, but the spell remains! However, the scroll on which it was written vanishes as the last word is copied.

Now, we have to memorize it, so that we can actually cast it.

Quote:

>memorize rezrov
Using your best study habits, you learn the rezrov spell.

Finally, cast it!

Quote:

>rezrov gate
The chains of the iron gate fly into the air and vanish. The gate flies open and a blast of cold air fills your lungs.

Into the heart of darkness...

Kahran042 · #3 05-31-2011, 10:51 AM

Quote:

>e
As you pass through the gate, you feel that your mind is being probed. After a moment, it is released or, perhaps, discarded as uninteresting.

Inside Gate
You are just inside what appears to be the main entrance to the castle. An iron gate, standing wide open, looms to the west. Through it, a narrow road can be seen winding through low, smoky hills. Before you, to the east, is a huge open courtyard. To the north and the south are archways leading to the interior of the castle.

That thing about your mind being probed is, as was implied in the intro text, why the Circle sent a schmuck like you - Krill would think that you were too much of a loser to be a threat. Anyway, time to explore his place.

Quote:

>n
Pebbled Path
You are on a long pebbled path, stretching out to the north. To the south the path continues through an open arch into an open area.

>n
It is pitch black and there is evil in the darkness.

Well, if there's evil in the darkness, let's get out of here for now and turn on that lantern we got earlier. By the way, you might have noticed that while this is set in the Zork universe, there is no mention of the possibility of being eaten by a grue. In fact, Enchanter doesn't even know the word "grue," oddly enough.

Quote:

>s
Pebbled Path

>light lantern
The lamp seems to be broken, most likely beyond repair.

Well, that's disappointing. Wait a minute...don't we have some sort of lighting spell that can create light in the event of there being evil in the darkness that is purged by light? And wasn't it actually pre-memorized? Hmmm...

Quote:

>frotz lantern
There is an almost blinding flash of light as the battered lantern begins to glow! It slowly fades to a less painful level, but the battered lantern is now quite usable as a light source.

That's better. Now, on to the north.

Quote:

>n
Tower
This is the base of the northwest tower of the castle. A winding staircase leads up into the tower itself, and passages lead from here to the east and south.

>u
Jewel Room
This fabulous room commands a magnificent view of the Lonely Mountain which lies to the north and west. The room itself is filled with beautiful chests and cabinets which once contained precious jewels and other objets d'art. These are empty. Winding stone stairs lead down to the base of the tower.
There is an ornamented egg here, both beautiful and complex. It is carefully crafted and bears further examination.

Well, if the game says so...

Quote:

>examine egg
This ornamented egg is both beautiful and complex. The egg itself is mother-of-pearl, but decorated with delicate gold traceries inlaid with jewels and other precious metals. On the surface are a lapis handle, an emerald knob, a silver slide, a golden crank, and a diamond-studded button carefully and unobtrusively imbedded in the decorations. These various protuberances are likely to be connected with some machinery inside.
The beautiful, ornamented egg is closed.

That is one complex egg. Which obviously means that it's important.

Quote:

>take egg
Taken.

>open egg
That seems to be the problem.

Ah, I see what you're saying there. Now I know that there must be some manner of valuable inside. But with all those crazy gadgets and gizmoes on it, it won't be an easy job. Maybe there's a lean and hungry gentleman somewhere in the castle who will be willing to open it for me?

Quote:

>d
Tower

>e
Hall of Mirrors One
This is the western end of the Hall of Mirrors. The hall itself is astounding and not a little bit confusing. To be sure, its northern wall is glass, but it does not seem to reflect anything within the hall. Rather, it seems to be a window on another world. This other world appears to be a large underground labyrinth, filled with tunnels, caves, and peculiar rock formations.
From the other side of the "mirror" a bedraggled adventurer comes into view, carrying a brass lantern and an elvish sword, which is glowing dimly. He stops and stares in your direction.

Hmmm, that guy in the mirror looks familiar...

Quote:

>e
Hall of Mirrors Two
This is a spot within the long Hall of Mirrors. The hall itself is astounding and not a little bit confusing. To be sure, its northern wall is glass, but it does not seem to reflect anything within the hall. Rather, it seems to be a window on another world. This other world appears to be a large underground labyrinth, filled with tunnels, caves, and peculiar rock formations.
A bedraggled adventurer, carrying a brass lantern and a dimly glowing elvish sword, can be seen through the "mirror". He is wandering around his surroundings, seemingly lost.

Let's hope that this isn't another Long Road.

Quote:

>e
Hall of Mirrors Three
This is a spot within the long Hall of Mirrors. The hall itself is astounding and not a little bit confusing. To be sure, its northern wall is glass, but it does not seem to reflect anything within the hall. Rather, it seems to be a window on another world. This other world appears to be a large underground labyrinth, filled with tunnels, caves, and peculiar rock formations.

This time, that oddly-familiar figure is absent. I wonder if that means anything?

Quote:

>e
Hall of Mirrors Four
This is the eastern end of the Hall of Mirrors. The hall itself is astounding and not a little bit confusing. To be sure, its northern wall is glass, but it does not seem to reflect anything within the hall. Rather, it seems to be a window on another world. This other world appears to be a large underground labyrinth, filled with tunnels, caves, and peculiar rock formations.
Your stomach is starting to grumble.

Phew...it's not another Long Road after all. But what lies beyond the Hall of Mirrors? Also, as you may have noticed, I'm starting to get hungry, but I want to save my food for a while, since I recall only having a finite amount of food in this game.

Quote:

>e
North Gate
This small open area stands at the old north gate of the castle, now badly rusted. Through the gate, a forest can be seen. To the west, a hall glows with light, and to the south, the dark castle can be reentered. A narrow passage to the east leads to the base of the northeast tower.

Well, a glowing hall is interesting, but there may be goodies in the forest. Or a maze. Either is good.

Quote:

>n
The gate is rusted shut.

A major roadblock to those without magic, a minor one to those with.

Quote:

>memorize rezrov
Using your best study habits, you learn the rezrov spell.

>rezrov gate
The rusted north gate magically creaks open far enough for you to leave.

>n
Forest
You are in a dark forest, just north of a rusted gate. Except to the east and south, the forest is thick all around you.
Discarded beneath a nearby tree is a slightly crumpled scroll.

>get scroll
Taken.

>read it
The scroll reads "krebf spell: repair willful damage".

No need to tell me what to do with this!

Quote:

>gnusto krebf
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the krebf spell are inscribed, glowing even more brightly than the book itself. The book's brightness fades, but the spell remains! However, the scroll on which it was written vanishes as the last word is copied.

Repair spell GET! Now, to explore the forest.

Quote:

>e
Swamp
You are in a thick forest shading into a deep and miasmic swamp. The ground is very wet and boggy here, and footing is treacherous. Lily pads cover the surface of the water, and frogs abound. Things look drier to the west.
The sounds of frogs and other swamp dwellers fill the air.
You are becoming quite hungry.

Nothing here. So, back to the evil death castle of death.

Quote:

>e
Guarded Door
A more incongruous place than this would be difficult to believe. The room itself is nothing more than a small room at the base of the northeast tower with a narrow passageway entering from the west. Standing in front of you to the north, however, is a door surpassing anything you could have imagined. For starters, its massive lock is wrapped in a dozen six-inch thick iron chains. In addition, a certain five-headed monster sporting razor-sharp spears for tongues seems to be imbedded within its heavy oak frame. One is almost embarrassed to mention the gargoyles spewing flame and sulphurous ash which ornament either side of the door, or the ninety-seven slimy groping tentacles which taunt you ever closer to certain death. A sign, floating serenely above the door and glowing hideously in purple letters, offers the following rude understatement: "Don't Bother".

I have a feeling that Krill doesn't want me in the northeast tower. Anyway, now that I've explored the entire north wing, this seems like a good place to stop for now. Next time, I'll be following your requests as to what to do next on our quest to save the world from a tiny marine crustacean. Now, the adventure evolves.

Current puzzles:
An egg covered in all manner of complificated gadgetry.
A familiar-looking adventurer behind a "mirror".
A ludicrously secure door.

Unexplored areas:
East of Inside Gate
South of Inside Gate
South of North Gate

Inventory:
A beautiful, ornamented egg
A jug
The jug contains:
A quantity of water
A battered lantern (providing light)
A loaf of bread
A spell book

Spells:
Gnusto (transcribes a spell into my spellbook)
Frotz (makes an object glow)
Blorb (protects an object in a magical strongbox)
Nitfol (talk with animals)
Rezrov (unlocks doors)
Krebf (repairs willful damage)

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Blorb

Our score is 55 of a possible 400, in 81 moves.
This puts us in the class of Parlor Magician.

Death toll: 0

ais523 · #4 05-31-2011, 01:59 PM

Your last post seems to have been written twice.

Meanwhile, can you simply just rezrov the egg? (I seem to remember a similar puzzle in another game by Infocom which looked like a logic puzzle but was actually a just-magic-it-open-already puzzle).

dtsund · #5 05-31-2011, 03:01 PM

>Nitfol brambles

Also, cast rezrov on that door. I'm confident that it'll kill you, but do it anyway.

Is there a limit to how many times each spell can be memorized?

Tablesaw · #6 05-31-2011, 04:07 PM

I will not rate this a true LP of enchanter until you show us what all of the signs on the western road say.

In fact, that goes for everything on the Invisiclues "Have You Tried?" list.

Kahran042 · #7 05-31-2011, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ais523

Your last post seems to have been written twice.

Meanwhile, can you simply just rezrov the egg? (I seem to remember a similar puzzle in another game by Infocom which looked like a logic puzzle but was actually a just-magic-it-open-already puzzle).

Indeed, we can!

Quote:

>memorize rezrov
Using your best study habits, you learn the rezrov spell.

>again
Using your best study habits, you learn the rezrov spell yet another time.

>rezrov egg
The egg seems to come to life and each piece slides effortlessly in the correct pattern. The egg opens, revealing a shredded scroll inside, nestled among a profusion of shredders, knives, and other sharp instruments, cunningly connected to the knobs, buttons, etc. on the outside.

Unfortunately, it seems to have mutilated the contents of the egg. But maybe it's still readable?

Quote:

>read shredded scroll
The scroll is damaged beyond readability. You can make out the word "summon," in the title, but that's all.

Son of a diddly. Let's see what kind of advice the other voices in our head have given us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtsund

>Nitfol brambles

That's just crazy enough to work...

Quote:

>nitfol brambles
This seems to have no effect on a bramble.

...Or not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtsund

Also, cast rezrov on that door. I'm confident that it'll kill you, but do it anyway.

Quote:

>rezrov door
As you cast the rezrov spell, the door shudders briefly, and a few tentacles pause in their unending motion. The two gargoyles look at each other, perplexed. After a tense moment, the sign above the door flashes briefly: "Fat Chance".

Well, it didn't kill me, but it didn't open the door, either. Evidently the enchantments on this door are a bit too much for a basic spell like Rezrov.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtsund

Is there a limit to how many times each spell can be memorized?

You can have a total of up to three spells, plus Gnusto, memorized in any combination (i.e. two Rezrovs and a Frotz, or a Frotz, a Rezrov, and a Nitfol, or three Nitfols), and any spell memorized after that will push a previously-memorized spell out of your memory.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tablesaw

I will not rate this a true LP of enchanter until you show us what all of the signs on the western road say.

In fact, that goes for everything on the Invisiclues "Have You Tried?" list.

Fear not...that will all go in the bonus update at the end. Meanwhile, we still have areas of the castle to explore. So, should I explore the area east of Inside Gate, south of Inside Gate, or south of North Gate? Also, we have a shredded scroll which is largely unreadable, and there's still a heavily-guarded door which even Rezrov won't open. So, where to go now?

namelessentity · #8 06-01-2011, 09:54 AM

Can you Krebf the scroll? Will that do a thing?

Kahran042 · #9 06-01-2011, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by namelessentity

Can you Krebf the scroll? Will that do a thing?

We can indeed!

Quote:

>memorize krebf
Using your best study habits, you learn the krebf spell.
You are beginning to tire and the spells you've memorized are becoming confused.

When you get tired, it becomes harder to memorize spells. We should probably find a place to rest soon.

Quote:

>krebf shredded scroll
The scroll reforms, its slices and cuts rejoining, until there is a whole scroll, somewhat faded, in its place!
You are very hungry now. You'd better have something to eat.

Indeed, and fortunately, we do have something to eat!

Quote:

>eat bread
Mmm. That tasted great! There's a whole lot of it left, too.

>read faded scroll
The scroll reads "zifmia spell: magically summon a being".

Summoning, eh? Well, one of Kahran042's Rules of Magic is that summoning spells are automatically kick-ass, so let's just gnusto it.

Quote:

>gnusto zifmia
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the zifmia spell are inscribed, glowing even more brightly than the book itself. The book's brightness fades, but the spell remains! However, the scroll on which it was written vanishes as the last word is copied.
Your mouth is getting rather dry.

Now we can summon something. We just need to find something appropriate to summon. But where to find that? Since no one has voted on where to explore yet, I'm going to choose to explore the south wing...after getting some fresh water, of course. Flash-cut to...

Quote:

West Hall
This narrow promenade stretches into darkness to the south and, through an archway, toward an open area to the north.

>s
Tower
This dark and damp spot is at the base of the southwest tower of the castle. Two corridors lead off to the north and east. A winding staircase ascends into the tower.

I'm tired, and beds are usually on upper floors, so let's see if my hunch is correct.

Quote:

>u
Bedroom
The eyrie is a round bedroom high in the tower. Narrow windows overlook the outside. A stone stairway leads down.
The stars shine down on you from a clear, dark sky.
There is a fourposter feather bed here.

It was! Finally, a place to get some rest!

Quote:

>enter bed
Lying on this soft bed puts you to sleep.
You fall asleep quickly, the bed being so comfortable. You dream as well, of this very room. A beautiful damsel, obviously noble, is standing by the bed holding a scroll in one hand and resting the other on the bedpost. Turning to block your view, she does something you can't see. Then she gets in bed and turns out the light, but before she does you can see she is no longer carrying the scroll... You wake.

Although I'm now rested, I have a feeling that sleeping in the castle of an evil wizard was a Bad Idea. Let's just check my inventory to make sure...

Quote:

>inventory
You are carrying:
A beautiful, ornamented egg
A jug
The jug contains:
A quantity of water
A battered lantern (providing light)
A partially eaten loaf of bread
A spell book

Doesn't seem to be anything wrong...Anyway, let's see if that dream was prophetic. After all, they usually are in games like this.
I thought that you would lose your spellbook if you slept without blorb-ing it first, which is why I mentioned that it was a Bad Idea.

Quote:

>examine bedpost
A careful examination reveals the outline of a small compartment, and near it an ornate carving which looks like a button. You could never have found it on your own.

I don't think that you can find the compartment unless you've dreamt about the damsel fiddling with the bedpost, which this quote seems to support. Don't quote me on that, though. After all, as stated before, this is a semi-blind Let's Play.

Quote:

>press button
You can't do that from your resting position.

>stand
Ah, that was a comfortable bed! But you're now on your own feet again.

>press button
The bedpost pops open, revealing a small compartment and, nestled inside, a gold leaf scroll!

Sweet. Let's do the standard new-scroll routine.

Quote:

>get scroll
Taken.

>read it
The scroll reads "vaxum spell: make a hostile creature your friend".

>gnusto vaxum
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the vaxum spell are inscribed, glowing even more brightly than the book itself. The book's brightness fades, but the spell remains! However, the scroll on which it was written vanishes as the last word is copied.

Now we've gotten through our first day in this evil castle of evil, but what to do now?

Current puzzles:
A familiar-looking adventurer behind a "mirror".
A ludicrously secure door.

Unexplored areas:
East of Inside Gate
South of North Gate
East of Tower

Inventory:
A beautiful, ornamented egg
A jug
The jug contains:
A quantity of water
A battered lantern (providing light)
A partially eaten loaf of bread
A spell book

Spells:
The vaxum spell (make a hostile creature your friend).
The zifmia spell (magically summon a being).
The krebf spell (repair willful damage).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The blorb spell (safely protect a small object as though in a strong box).
The nitfol spell (converse with the beasts in their own tongue).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).

Spells memorized
Gnusto (permanent)

Our score is 100 of a possible 400, in 169 moves.
This puts us in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 0

Tablesaw · #10 06-02-2011, 02:43 AM

I've also played this game long ago, so I'll try to avoid suggesting anything that I know is a puzzle solution.

>ZIFMIA BELBOZ
>ZIFMIA KRILL
>ZIFMIA SELF

Kahran042 · #11 06-02-2011, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tablesaw

I've also played this game long ago, so I'll try to avoid suggesting anything that I know is a puzzle solution.

>ZIFMIA BELBOZ
>ZIFMIA KRILL
>ZIFMIA SELF

All sound like fun. Let's do it...AFTER memorizing Zifmia 3 times, then saving the game.

Quote:

>zifmia belboz
A vision of the great Belboz begins to take shape before you, but with a curt word and a waggle of his finger, he disappears again, shaking his head in disappointment.

>zifmia krill
The warlock Krill appears before you, staring in astonishment. "Who is it that disturbs my slumber? Oh, it is only you, secondary-school sorcerer!" He points a finger and chants a spell. You are cast into the endless void!

**** You have died ****

You awaken among the members of the Circle. Belboz the Necromancer looks tired, and scattered about are the remains of the components of a spell of great healing power. The other members of the Circle are pleased to see you revived, but worried by the setback. "I think Krill is too powerful," says one. "This inexperienced wizard will never defeat one so puissant as he." Quiet discussion ensues, with well-concealed acrimony beneath the surface.
Debate ensues, with Belboz returning frequently to the contents of the ancient manuscript. His wishes prevail, and it is agreed to send you back....

Eastern Fork
You are at a fork in the road where paths to the northwest and southwest girdle the base of the Lonely Mountain and a smaller path winds its way to the east.
There is a loaf of bread here.
There is a jug here.
The jug contains:
A quantity of water

And we have the first death of the Let's Play! Normally, we would only have three chances, like in Zork, but we also fortunately have save games. So, we'll restore, and then test out Tablesaw's final suggestion.

Quote:

>zifmia self
Although you complete the spell, nothing seems to have happened.

Not exactly surprising, I must say. Now with the voices in our head temporarily mollified, let's continue exploring the south wing!

Quote:

>d
Tower
This dark and damp spot is at the base of the southwest tower of the castle. Two corridors lead off to the north and east. A winding staircase ascends into the tower.

>e
South Hall
The damp corridor continues east and west from here. A dark and forbidding stairway leads down to the south. In addition, a narrow passage leads to the north.

Hmmm...quite an impressive junction. Let's check out the One True Direction first.

Quote:

>n
Closet
This small room must have been a closet of some sort. To the north is a passage leading out into a courtyard. Another exit is to the south.
In the exact center of the room is a large, jewelled box. It is wrapped in tight coils of thin rope. You try to follow the strands with your eye, but become hopelessly lost in the jumble of thousands of loops and knots.

I never met a rope I couldn't untie!

Quote:

>untie rope
After a few moments of reflection, you tackle the knots, one at a time. Although you succeed with some regularity at untangling small areas of the rope, you find that new knots seem to be forming as you watch, taunting you into deep despair.

...until today. Let's just take the box with us, and check out the stairs to the south of the junction.

Quote:

>take box
Your load is too heavy.

Seems like we've got too much with us to take it. We should still check out the south, though.

Quote:

>s
South Hall
The damp corridor continues east and west from here. A dark and forbidding stairway leads down to the south. In addition, a narrow passage leads to the north.

>s
Dungeon
A dank and forgotten pit contains the dungeons. There is a cell to the north, and a partly blocked passage leads even deeper into the earth. It looks as if there was once a mortared stone wall blocking this passage, but it has crumbled and collapsed, reopening the tunnel.

And another choice of paths. First, we'll check out the north.

Quote:

>n
The cell door is closed.

>open door
The door is very rusty and reluctantly opens.

Strange...for some reason, I thought that Rezrov was required here. Oh, well. No point looking a gift cell in the mouth.

Quote:

>n
Cell
This is a damp and unhealthy dungeon cell with writing on the walls. The rusty door of the cell is open.

When there's writing, it must be read. Interactive Fiction Rule #69106.

Quote:

>read writing
The wall is covered with graffiti and scratchings marking time's passage.
You notice that the mortar holding a square block has been chipped away, and the block is loose.

When a block is loose in a place like this, it always means that there's something hidden somewhere nearby. So, let's investigate.

Quote:

>take block
You pull the block out of the crumbling wall, revealing a dark passage leading east.

And to the east is a...

Quote:

>e
Secret Passage
This is a crudely carved secret passage. It appears to have been hollowed out by (perhaps) generations of prisoners. A passage leads west. A short, crudely hewn passage leads up.
Lying near the door is a silver spoon, discarded by the prisoners as too soft to dig with. It is only slightly worn.
Lying on the ground, and slightly damaged, is a stained scroll.
Your stomach is starting to grumble.

I don't want to know what those "stains" could be. But, we'll do the standard routine with it anyway.

Quote:

>get scroll
Taken.

>read it.
The scroll reads "exex spell: make things move with greater speed".

>gnusto exex
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the exex spell are inscribed, glowing even more brightly than the book itself. The book's brightness fades, but the spell remains! However, the scroll on which it was written vanishes as the last word is copied.

A speed spell...seems somehow appropriate for a prisoner. Back to the dungeon, and then...

Quote:

>d
Translucent Room
This is a peculiar room, whose cream-colored walls are thin and translucent.
An exit is to the south and it is very strange indeed, perfectly round and black as pitch.

What kind of bizarre place might this be?

Quote:

>s
Translucent Room
This is a peculiar room, whose cream-colored walls are thin and translucent.
Passages go to the southeast, east, and north and they are very strange indeed, perfectly round and black as pitch.

Uh-oh...I smell a maze of twisty little passages. Let's get out of here for now until we find some sort of clue as to how to navigate this place, then head back to the four-way corridor and take the only path unexplored so far, to the east.

Quote:

>e
Gallery
The east-west corridor opens into a gallery. The walls are lined with portraits, some of apparently great value. All of the eyes seem to follow you as you pass, and the entire room is subtly disturbing.

Disturbing, but also kind of cliched. Continuing to the east takes us to the...

Quote:

>e
South Gate
This interior courtyard stands at the southern entrance to the castle, where a small rusty gate is standing open and slowly swaying in a gentle sea breeze. Beyond the gate can be seen a small meadow and, beyond that, a white beach on a misty sea. Passages enter the castle proper to the north, east, and west.

At least this gate doesn't need to be Rezrov-ed. Let's see what lies beyond.

Quote:

>s
Meadow
This is a meadow near the sea. There is a smell of salt in the air. Only heather and thistles grow here. To the north is a gate leading into the castle. A narrow path to the southeast leads to the shore of the Sea.

Let's just forget about the Shrimp of Doom and take a vacation at the beach!

Quote:

>se
Beach
This is a rocky beach along a grey and lifeless sea. There is dead seaweed covering many rocks, and listless waves barely stir the flotsam and jetsam here. There are many shells, but all are broken. A narrow path to the northwest leads into a meadow.
Crawling slowly along the beach is an enormous turtle, his enamelled shell shining with all the colors of the rainbow.

Pretty...but not much to do here. Going back to the castle, and then further east, takes us to yet another...

Quote:

>e
Tower
This is the base of the southeast tower of the castle. From atop a winding staircase comes a loud crashing and screeching noise. To the west is a corridor and the southern gate of the castle.

Where there's noise, it's the text adventurer's duty to investigate!

Quote:

>u
Engine Room
The room is filled with noise: crashing and smashing, gurgling of water, grinding of gears, and horrible screeching of metal. Huge devices of obscure purpose provide these effects. The most notable is a huge hammer that smashes continually against the stone floor: it makes any crossing of the room a dangerous enterprise. The whole construction brings to mind the words "Infernal Machine." Far off to the southeast is another room. You can barely make out something on the floor of that room. It might be a scroll, but from here you can't tell for sure.

New scroll, eh? Let's see what it is...after saving, of course!

Quote:

>se
You make it across the room, but just barely; just as you duck through the door, a huge hammer crashes down behind, missing by an inch. Something you stepped on along the way clicked as well, and with a horrible screeching noise, the machinery speeds up, crashing faster and faster until it's twice as fast as before.

Control Room
This is the control room for all the machinery nearby. The controls are all magical, of course. The walls are covered by blinking lights and shifting displays, interspersed with arcane dials and glowing buttons. It's all very mysterious looking. The exit, to the northwest, leads into a room with machinery which would surely crush you if you were to attempt to enter it.
A scroll of old, brittle parchment is here.
"Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor outside.

Well, I'm alive...but barely. And there's a new scroll here! Time to carry out the ritual!

Quote:

>get scroll
Taken.
You are very hungry now. You'd better have something to eat.

>read it
The scroll reads "kulcad spell: dispel a magic spell". The spell seems very long and extremely complicated.
"Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor outside.

>gnusto kulcad
Your spell book begins to glow softly. In a spectacular effort of magic, the powers of the gnusto spell attempt to copy the kulcad spell into your book, but the spell is too long, too complicated, and too powerful. The glow fades, but fortunately the brittle scroll remains intact.

A dull aching fills your head, and your mind is again probed, more deeply than when you entered the castle.

This is one of the scrolls that we only have a single shot at, and if we use it in the wrong place, we're screwed. Also, you might have noticed that my mind was probed again when I tried and failed to Gnusto Kulcad...this is a sign that Krill has noticed my presence in his domain. Not a good sign at all. Anyway, let's head back out of this deathtrap!

Quote:

>nw
You run across the room, trying to dodge the crashing machinery, and you are succeeding for a while until you set off a trap. A volley of sharp spears, powered by cunning machinery, comes at you from all directions. You are skewered! The huge hammer crashes down for the coup de grace.

**** You have died ****

Or not. Anway, with the entire south wing explored, this seems like a good place to end this update. See you next time!

Current puzzles:
A familiar-looking adventurer behind a "mirror".
A ludicrously secure door.
A one-shot scroll that can only be accessed by entering an inescapable death trap.
A maze of translucent rooms connected by round black passages.

Unexplored areas:
East of Inside Gate
South of North Gate
North of South Gate

Inventory:
A beautiful, ornamented egg
A jug
The jug contains:
A quantity of water
A battered lantern (providing light)
A partially eaten loaf of bread
A spell book

Spells:
The exex spell (make things move with greater speed).
The vaxum spell (make a hostile creature your friend).
The zifmia spell (magically summon a being).
The krebf spell (repair willful damage).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The blorb spell (safely protect a small object as though in a strong box).
The nitfol spell (converse with the beasts in their own tongue).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).

Spells memorized
Gnusto (permanent), Zifmia (twice)

Our score is 100 of a possible 400, in 207 moves.
This puts you in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 2 (blasted into the void by Krill, mutilated by the infernal machine)

namelessentity · #12 06-02-2011, 09:51 PM

Did we not pick up that spoon from the tunnel, I feel as a proper adventurer it is our duty to loot everything that is not nailed down.

Also, dispel magic on the magical death traps?

Gerad · #13 06-03-2011, 08:03 AM

REZROV the ropy box.

ais523 · #14 06-03-2011, 10:27 AM

Would casting exex let you escape the inescapable deathtrap?

Kahran042 · #15 06-03-2011, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ais523

Would casting exex let you escape the inescapable deathtrap?

It might just. Let's see. By the way, from now on, whenever I cast a spell, assume that I memorized it first. It's just easier for everyone that way.

Quote:

>exex me
You feel energetic and zippy.

>nw
You rush across the engine room, your speed enabling you to avoid the gigantic hammers and gears; at this speed they appear to move with great deliberation. Unfortunately, you set off a trap, and many sharp spears fly at you from all directions! They seem to move pretty fast. Too fast, in fact. You can't dodge them, and you are severely skewered.

**** You have died ****

Quite impressive trapcraft, there. The problem evidently isn't speed, but protection. Perhaps there's someone who can help us nearby?

Quote:

Originally Posted by namelessentity

Did we not pick up that spoon from the tunnel, I feel as a proper adventurer it is our duty to loot everything that is not nailed down.

Mea culpa. It just was a bit hard to notice. Flash-cut back to the cell, and...

Quote:

>get spoon
Taken.

Not sure what I can do with a spoon, though. Maybe I can throw it at Krill for 9999 damage.

Quote:

Originally Posted by namelessentity

Also, dispel magic on the magical death traps?

The death traps are mechanical, not magical (although their ability to be fast enough to kill me while Exex-ed does cause suspicions), so I don't think Kulcad would work. It's worth a try, though. Restoring to the engine room, and...

Quote:

>kulcad machines
As you cast the spell, the brittle scroll vanishes!
It appears that the machinery was real, since nothing happens.

A dull aching fills your head, and your mind is again probed, more deeply than when you entered the castle.

Belboz appears before you, hard and stern. "While you have quested for Krill's lair, the Circle has not been idle. We have tried to shield your presence from him, but your use of such a powerful spell might endanger us all! As we have sensed it, so surely must Krill! Be careful, brave Enchanter!" His image fades.

I think Belboz's appearance here is a hint that the road to Victory is now blocked. I'm not exactly surprised, though - after all, why would the Kulcad scroll exist if the only way to survive getting it was to use it up?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerad

REZROV the ropy box.

Now this sounds like a good idea. Restoring back to the cell, eating and drinking, heading back to the closet, and...

Quote:

>rezrov box
The magic in the rope is strong enough to prevent the rezrov spell from working.

Wow. I was honestly expecting that to work. I know that there's an "official" solution that we haven't discovered yet, but I thought that Rezrov was a perfectly cromulent alternate solution. Anyway, back to exploration! First off, the path between the north and south gates. A quick trip back to the south gate, and then...

Quote:

>n
East Hall
This short piece of corridor continues to the north and south.

>n
Banquet Hall
A banquet has been set here for hundreds. Long benches fill the room, each covered with finest linen and set with golden cutlery and glittering crystal. Luscious food weighs down each table, and candles light the room with a festive glow. The room can be entered by a north-south corridor and a small opening to the east, from which an odd, acrid smell issues.
To the north you can hear the sound of a group of low, guttural voices.

Maybe the food supply wasn't as finite as I thought?

Quote:

>get food
The food is quite delicious, but somehow unsatisfying.

Very suspicious...but let's continue our exploration of the east wing.

Quote:

>e
Kitchen
The kitchen is dusty and disused. Old bones litter the floor, and the carving knives are rusty. A rat nest fills one of the ovens, and cobwebs are everywhere. There is some rotting food in a garbage heap in one corner.

Well, there are sometimes useful things in rat nests...

Quote:

>examine nest
You see nothing special about the rat nest.

This is not one of those times, though. But maybe there's something in the garbage?

Quote:

>examine heap
You see nothing special about the heap of garbage.

Guess not. I do have a feeling that there's something here, but I can't remember what or where it is. But enough time in this crap-hole. Back to the banquet hall, and then...

Quote:

>n
Junction
The corridor widens here to form a large hall. To the north and south are small passages, and to the east is what appears to be an enormous spiral staircase. A passage to the west leads into a courtyard. The walls here are scarred and black, and a strange heaviness hangs in the air.

Might as well follow the paths in clockwise order. First, the northern path.

Quote:

>n
A host of hunched and hairy shapes walk into the hall before you can do anything and, seeing you, take you in their arms and escort you to the west into a huge temple.

Temple
Everything you see is grey and lifeless, as though covered with a veil of ash. Sound is muted and there is a faint acrid odor.
This is the interior of a huge temple of primitive construction. A few flickering torches cast a sallow illumination over the altar, which, atop a row of stairs, is still drenched with the blood of human sacrifice. Behind the altar is an enormous statue of a demon which seems to reach towards you with dripping fangs and razor-sharp talons. Two open doorways lead out of the temple to the east and west, while two wooden doors stand at the north and south. A mass of hunched figures in the temple are chanting a haunting tune. They don't seem interested in your presence.

A low noise begins behind you, and you turn to see hundreds of hunched and hairy shapes. A guttural chant issues from their throats. Near you stands a figure draped in a robe of deepest black, brandishing a vicious dagger. The chant grows louder as the robed figure approaches the altar. As the shapes grab you, the figure in black speaks: "Take the victim to the tower. I shall prepare for the sacrifice!" The figures, whose form you can barely guess, take you from here through the northern door and into a prison cell. They take your possessions from you and close the door with a crash!

Cell
Everything you see is grey and lifeless, as though covered with a veil of ash. Sound is muted and there is a faint acrid odor.
This is a small prison cell in the north tower of the temple. Hideous shapes can be seen through the iron-barred window in the prison door. From the temple, a bloodcurdling chant can be heard.

Oh, shite. Trapped, and with no possessions. Only one thing to do, and that's...

Quote:

>wait
Time passes...

A host of hunched and hairy shapes appear through the window. The cell door opens and you are marched solemnly to the temple and, from there, up the steps to the altar. The large, black figure approaches menacingly. He reaches into his cloak and pulls out a great, glowing dagger. He pulls you onto the altar, and with a murmur of approval from the throng, he plunges the blade into your heart!

**** You have died ****

Seems like going in the direction of guttural voices in the domain of an evil warlock isn't a good idea. This is, in fact, the "ZORK IV" preview scene from the viewing table in ZORK III, if you're wondering. Anyway, this seems like a good place to end this update, so let's end this update for now.

Current puzzles:
A familiar-looking adventurer behind a "mirror".
A ludicrously secure door.
A one-shot scroll that can only be accessed by entering an inescapable non-magical death trap too fast to dodge even with an Exex spell.
A maze of translucent rooms connected by round black passages.
A box bound shut with rope that even a Rezrov spell can't untie.

Unexplored areas:
East of Inside Gate
South of North Gate
North of South Gate

Inventory:
A beautiful, ornamented egg
A jug
The jug contains:
A quantity of water
A battered lantern (providing light)
A partially eaten loaf of bread
A spell book

Spells:
The exex spell (make things move with greater speed).
The vaxum spell (make a hostile creature your friend).
The zifmia spell (magically summon a being).
The krebf spell (repair willful damage).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The blorb spell (safely protect a small object as though in a strong box).
The nitfol spell (converse with the beasts in their own tongue).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).

Spells memorized
Gnusto (permanent), Zifmia (twice)

Our score is 100 of a possible 400, in 207 moves.
This puts you in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 4 (blasted into the void by Krill, mutilated by the infernal machine, impaled by a spear trap, sacrificed to an unknown dark power)

Albatoss · #16 06-03-2011, 04:24 PM

Hmm...try going North of the South Gate; might as well see what's there.

Kahran042 · #17 06-04-2011, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soren Highwind

Hmm...try going North of the South Gate; might as well see what's there.

We actually just were north of the South Gate. It was where we were captured by Krill's minions. But we haven't been south of the North Gate, though. Let's check it out.

Quote:

>s
Library
This is a library, or rather it was until it was ransacked and despoiled. Most of the contents of the room have been burned in a huge bonfire in the center of the room. Hundreds of charred and empty tubes are scattered about, as if by someone searching, so ashes are strewn about. There are rat tracks in the ashes.
To the south you can hear the sound of a group of low, guttural voices.
Amid the tubes is an old and dusty book.
The low, guttural voices seem to be coming in your direction.

Oh, spoony. The voices are here, too. Maybe we'll be able to read that book before being captured, at least?

Quote:

>dusty
The first page of the book was the table of contents. Only two chapter names can be read: The Legend of the Unseen Terror and The Legend of the Great Implementers.
The low, guttural voices seem to be coming in your direction.

Darn...it's not a spellbook. But legends are often informative.

Quote:

>read terror
This legend, written in an ancient tongue, goes something like this: At one time a shapeless and formless manifestation of evil was disturbed from millenia of sleep. It was so powerful that it required the combined wisdom of the leading enchanters of that age to conquer it. The legend tells how the enchanters lured the Terror "to a recess deep within the earth" by placing there a powerful spell scroll. When it had reached the scroll, the enchanters trapped it there with a spell that encased it in the living rock. The Terror was so horrible that none would dare speak of it. A comment at the end of the narration indicates that the story is considered to be quite fanciful; no other chronicles of the age mention the Terror in any form.
A group of four hunched and hairy shapes walks into your presence. They seem surprised to see you. After whispering a few guttural words to each other, they start to move toward you purposefully.

It would probably be a good idea to run like the Fool when he first met the High Priestess. But I still want to see what that other legend says.

Quote:

>read implementers
This legend, written in an ancient tongue, speaks of the creation of the world. A more absurd account can hardly be imagined. The universe, it seems, was created by "Implementers" who directed the running of great engines. These engines produced this world and others, strange and wondrous, as a test or puzzle for others of their kind. It goes on to state that these beings stand ready to aid those entrapped within their creation. The great magician-philosopher Helfax notes that a creation of this kind is morally and logically indefensible and discards the theory as "colossal claptrap and kludgery."
The group of hunched and hairy shapes takes you in their arms and escorts you into a huge temple.

A low noise begins behind you, and you turn to see hundreds of hunched and hairy shapes. A guttural chant issues from their throats. Near you stands a figure draped in a robe of deepest black, brandishing a vicious dagger. The chant grows louder as the robed figure approaches the altar. As the shapes grab you, the figure in black speaks: "Take the victim to the tower. I shall prepare for the sacrifice!" The figures, whose form you can barely guess, take you from here through the northern door and into a prison cell. They take your possessions from you and close the door with a crash!

Cell
Everything you see is grey and lifeless, as though covered with a veil of ash. Sound is muted and there is a faint acrid odor.
This is a small prison cell in the north tower of the temple. Hideous shapes can be seen through the iron-barred window in the prison door. From the temple, a bloodcurdling chant can be heard.

Damn...captured again. But at least I got some useful information out of it this time. We have now explored everywhere we can without solving some puzzles, though. Although I don't want to spoil anything about the future, I will say that there is one spell in the book that has been underused so far, both in suggestions and in actual game posts, and two explored areas that have more than one would expect. 'Till next time!

Current puzzles:
A familiar-looking adventurer behind a "mirror".
A ludicrously secure door.
A one-shot scroll that can only be accessed by entering an inescapable non-magical death trap too fast to dodge even with an Exex spell.
A maze of translucent rooms connected by round black passages.
A box bound shut with rope that even a Rezrov spell can't untie.
A junction that we can't proceed from without being captured and sacrificed.

Unexplored areas:
East of Inside Gate

Inventory:
A worn silver spoon
A beautiful, ornamented egg
A jug
The jug contains:
A quantity of water
A battered lantern (providing light)
A partially eaten loaf of bread
A spell book

Spells:
The exex spell (make things move with greater speed).
The vaxum spell (make a hostile creature your friend).
The zifmia spell (magically summon a being).
The krebf spell (repair willful damage).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The blorb spell (safely protect a small object as though in a strong box).
The nitfol spell (converse with the beasts in their own tongue).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).

Spells memorized
Gnusto (permanent), Zifmia (twice)

Our score is 100 of a possible 400, in 207 moves.
This puts you in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 4 (blasted into the void by Krill, mutilated by the infernal machine, impaled by a spear trap, sacrificed to an unknown dark power)

Asema · #18 06-04-2011, 11:09 AM

Break the mirror the adventurer is hiding behind. Use the spoon if you have to.

Also, explore the area east of the inside gate.

Kalir · #19 06-04-2011, 11:11 AM

What if we go back to the loop on the Dusty Trail and use Nitfol on the as-of-yet-unidentified fuzzy thing?

Albatoss · #20 06-04-2011, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asema

Break the mirror the adventurer is hiding behind. Use the spoon if you have to.

Also, explore the area east of the inside gate.

I'm with this guy.

Kahran042 · #21 06-05-2011, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalir

What if we go back to the loop on the Dusty Trail and use Nitfol on the as-of-yet-unidentified fuzzy thing?

We've tried that before, but you're on the right track in terms of the spell I was referring to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asema

Break the mirror the adventurer is hiding behind. Use the spoon if you have to.

Breaking stuff: solving life's problems since forever! Heading back to Hall of Mirrors One, then...

Quote:

>break mirror
The mirror here smashes into tiny shards. Behind the mirror is a bare rock wall.

Guess that's why it was called a "mirror" and not a "window." Now, this voice in my head had another suggestion, which was to...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asema

Also, explore the area east of the inside gate.

Which we shall do now. Returning to Inside Gate, then...

Quote:

>e
Courtyard
This is the westernmost point in a large open courtyard. The huge entrance gate to the castle looms ominously to the west. The courtyard widens as it proceeds to the east, where a large, ivy-covered temple stands. On either side of the temple are small towers. Far beyond the temple, high above, are two large towers marking the corners of the castle. A squat dark turret hunches between them, blackening the sky around it. A small path leads into the castle to the south.
The stars shine down on you from a clear, dark sky.

I have a feeling that that's the temple where I was sacrificed. But I might just want to make sure...after saving, of course.

Quote:

>e
Courtyard
You are in the center of a large courtyard, which surrounds you. Everything around you is ashen and grey, and the air seems miasmic and oppressive. The dead grass seems to grab at your feet as you stand gazing around. To the east is a temple flanked by two smaller towers. Behind it can be seen the two eastern towers of the castle, shrouded in blood-red fog. Between them is a dark turret, black and ominous as night. It sends dark streams of smoke curling around everything near it. From the temple can be heard a mournful chant.
The stars shine down on you from a clear, dark sky.

>e
Temple
Everything you see is grey and lifeless, as though covered with a veil of ash. Sound is muted and there is a faint acrid odor.
This is the interior of a huge temple of primitive construction. A few flickering torches cast a sallow illumination over the altar, which, atop a row of stairs, is still drenched with the blood of human sacrifice. Behind the altar is an enormous statue of a demon which seems to reach towards you with dripping fangs and razor-sharp talons. Two open doorways lead out of the temple to the east and west, while two wooden doors stand at the north and south. A mass of hunched figures in the temple are chanting a haunting tune. They don't seem interested in your presence.

A low noise begins behind you, and you turn to see hundreds of hunched and hairy shapes. A guttural chant issues from their throats. Near you stands a figure draped in a robe of deepest black, brandishing a vicious dagger. The chant grows louder as the robed figure approaches the altar. As the shapes grab you, the figure in black speaks: "Take the victim to the tower. I shall prepare for the sacrifice!" The figures, whose form you can barely guess, take you from here through the northern door and into a prison cell. They take your possessions from you and close the door with a crash!

Cell
Everything you see is grey and lifeless, as though covered with a veil of ash. Sound is muted and there is a faint acrid odor.
This is a small prison cell in the north tower of the temple. Hideous shapes can be seen through the iron-barred window in the prison door. From the temple, a bloodcurdling chant can be heard.

Indeed, it was. Restoring, and then heading to the center of the courtyard and exploring to the...

Quote:

>n
Courtyard
The northern part of the interior courtyard is grey and lifeless. The vast lawns are withered and covered in black ash stretching from south to west. The temple stands to the southeast, and the courtyard continues east.
The stars shine down on you from a clear, dark sky.

Not much here. Maybe there's more to the south?

Quote:

>s
Courtyard
This is the southern part of the courtyard, spreading north and west. The ground is ashen and grey, and the air heavy with death. The dead grass seems to grab at your feet. A narrow stretch of scorched earth continues to the east. To the northeast stands the temple, flanked by two small towers.
The stars shine down on you from a clear, dark sky.

...Or not. But maybe the temple is somehow different on that northeastern path?

Quote:

>ne
Temple
Everything you see is grey and lifeless, as though covered with a veil of ash. Sound is muted and there is a faint acrid odor.
This is the interior of a huge temple of primitive construction. A few flickering torches cast a sallow illumination over the altar, which, atop a row of stairs, is still drenched with the blood of human sacrifice. Behind the altar is an enormous statue of a demon which seems to reach towards you with dripping fangs and razor-sharp talons. Two open doorways lead out of the temple to the east and west, while two wooden doors stand at the north and south. A mass of hunched figures in the temple are chanting a haunting tune. They don't seem interested in your presence.

A low noise begins behind you, and you turn to see hundreds of hunched and hairy shapes. A guttural chant issues from their throats. Near you stands a figure draped in a robe of deepest black, brandishing a vicious dagger. The chant grows louder as the robed figure approaches the altar. As the shapes grab you, the figure in black speaks: "Take the victim to the tower. I shall prepare for the sacrifice!" The figures, whose form you can barely guess, take you from here through the northern door and into a prison cell. They take your possessions from you and close the door with a crash!

Cell
Everything you see is grey and lifeless, as though covered with a veil of ash. Sound is muted and there is a faint acrid odor.
This is a small prison cell in the north tower of the temple. Hideous shapes can be seen through the iron-barred window in the prison door. From the temple, a bloodcurdling chant can be heard.

Nope. In case you can't tell by now, entering the temple is a delayed instadeath. So let's head back to the Bedroom and end this day. Maybe we'll get another clue in our dreams?

Quote:

>enter bed
Lying on this soft bed puts you to sleep.
Ah, sleep! It's been a long day, indeed. The rest will do you good. You make yourself comfortable on the bed and drift off, renewing your powers and refreshing your mind ... Time passes as you snore blissfully.

After a while, your sleep is disturbed by a strange dream. You are wandering in a darkened place, for you have no light or other possessions. You feel that you are being watched! You are surrounded by faces, their eyes following you. They drift in and out, staring at you with proud indifference. One face, brightly lit (unlike the rest), draws you closer and closer. As you touch it, you wake.

We did, indeed. Explaining it too much further would be a spoiler, so I'll just end both day 2 and this update here. What to do now?

Current puzzles:
A familiar-looking adventurer behind a "mirror".
A ludicrously secure door.
A one-shot scroll that can only be accessed by entering an inescapable non-magical death trap too fast to dodge even with an Exex spell.
A maze of translucent rooms connected by round black passages.
A box bound shut with rope that even a Rezrov spell can't untie.
A junction that we can't proceed from without being captured and sacrificed.
A strange dream about a glowing face in a dark room.

Unexplored areas:
None!

Inventory:
A worn silver spoon
A beautiful, ornamented egg
A jug
The jug contains:
A quantity of water
A battered lantern (providing light)
A partially eaten loaf of bread
A spell book

Spells:
The exex spell (make things move with greater speed).
The vaxum spell (make a hostile creature your friend).
The zifmia spell (magically summon a being).
The krebf spell (repair willful damage).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The blorb spell (safely protect a small object as though in a strong box).
The nitfol spell (converse with the beasts in their own tongue).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).

Spells memorized
Gnusto (permanent), Zifmia (twice)

Our score is 100 of a possible 400, in 207 moves.
This puts you in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 4 (blasted into the void by Krill, mutilated by the infernal machine, impaled by a spear trap, sacrificed to an unknown dark power)

Kahran042 · #22 06-07-2011, 10:16 AM

Well, since there haven't been any responses for two days, I'm going to take the initiative and show off where Nitfol was meant to be used. You see, there were two rooms in earlier posts where animals were mentioned, and I was hoping that someone would have noticed one of them and pointed it out. But, here they are. Memorizing Nitfol once for each of them, and then heading to the first one, which is the...

Quote:

Swamp
You are in a thick forest shading into a deep and miasmic swamp. The ground is very wet and boggy here, and footing is treacherous. Lily pads cover the surface of the water, and frogs abound. Things look drier to the west.
The stars shine down on you from a clear, dark sky.
The sounds of frogs and other swamp dwellers fill the air.

>nitfol frogs
One of the frogs looks at you for a moment, and you look at it. "Hello," it says.
The sounds of frogs and other swamp dwellers fill the air. The frogs say "Look under the lily pad. Breep!"

Well, if a frog said so, how can we refuse?

Quote:

>look under lily pad
There is a damp scroll there, which you take into your hand.
The sounds of frogs and other swamp dwellers fill the air. The frogs are discussing what they will do if they ever become princes again.

A new scroll? Let's see what it does.

Quote:

>read scroll
The scroll reads "cleesh spell: change a creature into a small amphibian".
The sounds of frogs and other swamp dwellers fill the air. The frogs are discussing the finer points of insect flavoring.
You are beginning to tire.

Turning people into frogs...a classic of wizardry since forever. Afer gnustoing it, I head to the other animal room, the...

Quote:

Beach
This is a rocky beach along a grey and lifeless sea. There is dead seaweed covering many rocks, and listless waves barely stir the flotsam and jetsam here. There are many shells, but all are broken. A narrow path to the northwest leads into a meadow.
Crawling slowly along the beach is an enormous turtle, his enamelled shell shining with all the colors of the rainbow.
You are becoming quite hungry.

>nitfol turtle
The rainbow turtle looks at you for a moment, and you look at it. "Hello," it says.

Well, being able to talk a polychromatic testudine hasn't given us a clue as to where to find a new scroll, but it might have other benefits. I leave finding those benefits to you, though. Also, there still was that prophetic dream about the glowing face in the darkness. Until next time, my friends.

namelessentity · #23 06-07-2011, 04:20 PM

Summon the turtle into the mechanical (not magical) death trap room and use him as a turtle shield. If it is all rainbow it is obviously impervious to blade traps.Can you tell why I'm not very good at these games?

Asema · #24 06-07-2011, 04:59 PM

Cast exex on the turtle!

Albatoss · #25 06-07-2011, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by namelessentity

Summon the turtle into the mechanical (not magical) death trap room and use him as a turtle shield. If it is all rainbow it is obviously impervious to blade traps.Can you tell why I'm not very good at these games?

This plan is foolproof!

Loki · #26 06-07-2011, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by namelessentity

Summon the turtle into the mechanical (not magical) death trap room and use him as a turtle shield. If it is all rainbow it is obviously impervious to blade traps. Can you tell why I'm not very good at these games?

Ha. Funny.

Kahran042 · #27 06-07-2011, 08:11 PM

I guess that my last post was just what the doctor ordered to revive this LP. Now, two separate posters have separately found the entire solution to the Engine Room puzzle, so I'll just polish off the whole thing right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by namelessentity

Summon the turtle into the mechanical (not magical) death trap room and use him as a turtle shield. If it is all rainbow it is obviously impervious to blade traps.Can you tell why I'm not very good at these games?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asema

Cast exex on the turtle!

This might just work. I'll head back to the southeast tower, re-memorize Zifmia since I seem to have forgotten it somewhere along the way, and then...

Quote:

>zifmia turtle
If you will remember from Thaumaturgy 201, summoning of beings works only if the being can be seen, unless the being possesses great magic of his own.
You are very hungry now. You'd better have something to eat.

Kind of a pointless summoning spell, then. But we can at least speak his language, so maybe we can get him to follow us here? Back at the beach...

Quote:

>turtle, follow me
The turtle hisses, "I will follow you."

Accompanied by a multi-colored reptile, I head back into the tower.

Quote:

>u
Engine Room
The room is filled with noise: crashing and smashing, gurgling of water, grinding of gears, and horrible screeching of metal. Huge devices of obscure purpose provide these effects. The most notable is a huge hammer that smashes continually against the stone floor: it makes any crossing of the room a dangerous enterprise. The whole construction brings to mind the words "Infernal Machine." Far off to the southeast is another room. You can barely make out something on the floor of that room. It might be a scroll, but from here you can't tell for sure.
"Pretty steep stairs for a turtle, friend. But if you say so..."
The turtle no longer seems to understand you, loses interest in you, and stops following.

I guess Nitfol can wear off after a while. I did not know that until today. After recasting it...

Quote:

>turtle, se
The poor turtle starts, but he's just too slow. About halfway across the room he is dispatched by the enormous hammer, leaving only a rainbow colored smudge on the floor. Even that disappears at the next blow of the hammer.

*** The rainbow turtle has died ***

"Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor.

Oh, that's right. Turtles are slow. But I happen to have just the right spell for that!

Quote:

>restore

Please supply a filename for restore
Ok.

>memorize exex
Using your best study habits, you learn the exex spell.
"Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor.

>exex turtle
The rainbow turtle shimmers, then vibrates in place for a few seconds, but doesn't take any notice of the change.

>turtle, se
As the turtle starts across, he seems to set off something, for the machinery speeds up and the noise level becomes almost unbearable. Luckily, he makes it to the other side safely!

>turtle, get scroll
The turtle seems to bend its head as if to listen, but with all this noise it's not very likely that he hears you.

Well, son of a...I honestly can't remember how to get Seáor Tortuga to hear me from across the crush-o-matic death machine of death, so I'll end this update here to see if any of the voices in my head know how to communicate with him. I'll check the hintbook for the correct answer, and see you tomorrow!

Current puzzles:
A familiar-looking adventurer behind a "mirror".
A ludicrously secure door.
A maze of translucent rooms connected by round black passages.
A box bound shut with rope that even a Rezrov spell can't untie.
A junction that we can't proceed from without being captured and sacrificed.
A strange dream about a glowing face in a dark room.
A machine that's too loud to communicate with my iridescent terrapin friend from across it.

Unexplored areas:
None!

Inventory:
A worn silver spoon
A beautiful, ornamented egg
A jug
The jug contains:
A quantity of water
A battered lantern (providing light)
A partially eaten loaf of bread
A spell book

Spells:
The cleesh spell (change a creature into a small amphibian).
The exex spell (make things move with greater speed).
The vaxum spell (make a hostile creature your friend).
The zifmia spell (magically summon a being).
The krebf spell (repair willful damage).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The blorb spell (safely protect a small object as though in a strong box).
The nitfol spell (converse with the beasts in their own tongue).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).

Spells memorized
Gnusto (permanent), Zifmia

Our score is 100 of a possible 400, in 353 moves.
This puts us in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 4 (blasted into the void by Krill, mutilated by the infernal machine, impaled by a spear trap, sacrificed to an unknown dark power)

Kalir · #28 06-07-2011, 09:07 PM

Well, if you can still see him, Zifmia should work, right? Do that.

Also, you are now officially a turtle tamer.

Kahran042 · #29 06-07-2011, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalir

Well, if you can still see him, Zifmia should work, right? Do that.

Also, you are now officially a turtle tamer.

Very resourceful. Let's give it a try.

Quote:

>zifmia turtle
You can't see anyturtle here.
"Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor.

Guess the dev team didn't think of everything here. Actually, I think this is a bug, based on the lack of spaces between "any" and "turtle" and the fact that Zifmia should work, seeing as you can see the turtle, as is clear from this (bolding and italicization mine):

Quote:

>l
Engine Room
The room is filled with noise: crashing and smashing, gurgling of water, grinding of gears, and horrible screeching of metal. Huge devices of obscure purpose provide these effects. The most notable is a huge hammer that smashes continually against the stone floor: it makes any crossing of the room a dangerous enterprise. The whole construction brings to mind the words "Infernal Machine." Far off to the southeast is another room. You can barely make out something on the floor of that room. It might be a scroll, but from here you can't tell for sure.
Across the room you can see the rainbow turtle, who frequently looks your way.
The darkened sky is now full of bright stars. It is night.

I have found the actual solution to the puzzle, but I'll wait to see if anyone else comes up with it. 'Till next time!

Gerad · #30 06-08-2011, 07:49 AM

Turtle sign language? Show him your spell book?