Belboz has vanished...so let's play Sorcerer!

As you may know, last month I defeated the warlock Krill and earned a seat on the Circle of Enchanters. This month, I start a new quest.
Sorcerer is the second game in the Enchanter trilogy, and is similar to its predecessor in many ways. Fortunately, it does not have as much emphasis on food/drink issues, thanks to an awesome item found early on. It also is set in more outdoorsie areas, whereas the first game was set almost entirely in a dungeon. As is such, light sources aren't going to be as much of an issue here. But that doesn't mean that there aren't dick moves...but we'll get to that when the time comes. Finally, I'll be using the standard IF color code - grey=quotes from the game; black=in-character commentary; blue=my commentary. Now, let's get started!

You are in a strange location, but you cannot remember how you got here. Everything is hazy, as though viewed through a gauze...

Twisted Forest
You are on a path through a blighted forest. The trees are sickly, and there is no undergrowth at all. One tree here looks climbable. The path, which ends here, continues to the northeast.

A hellhound is racing straight toward you, its open jaws displaying rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Run away! Run away!

>ne
Forest Edge
To the west, a path enters the blighted woods, which stretch out of sight. A signpost stands beside another path leading north, and to the east is a wide meadow. At the base of the signpost is a slimy hole leading down.
The hellhound stops at the edge of the forest and bellows. After a moment, it turns and slinks into the trees.

Well, we got away from that hellhound...but where to go now? For argument's sake, let's check out the One True Direction.

>n
Mine Field
This is a flat and featureless dirt path leading north and south.

Well, if this is a mine field, we probably shouldn't hang out here. Maybe that meadow we saw earlier is safe?

>s
Kaboom!!!...

...and a moment later you wake up in a cold sweat and realize you've been dreaming.

SORCERER
Infocom interactive fiction - a fantasy story
Copyright (c) 1984 by Infocom, Inc. All rights reserved.
SORCERER is a trademark of Infocom, Inc.
Release 15 / Serial number 851108

Your frotz spell seems to have worn off during the night, and it is now pitch black.

Well, it was all just a dream. But it's dark here, and I'm not about to get myself eaten by a grue this early on. So...

>memorize frotz
You already know that spell by heart.


Throughout the trilogy, our hero becomes more skilled at magic, getting more "perma-spells." In this installation, our perma-spells are Gnusto (of course), Rezrov, and Frotz. It should be obvious from the previous LP which one would be most useful here. So...

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

Your Quarters
This is your chamber in the Hall of the Guild of Enchanters, with a doorway to the west. A private chamber is a great privilege, especially for an Enchanter as young as yourself, but how many Enchanters can say they defeated the infamous Krill?
Your bed occupies the far corner of the room.

Now that I'm awake and have a light source, time to explore the Guild Hall.

>w
Hallway
Rooms lie to the east and west from this north-south corridor. A heavy wooden door, currently closed, leads north.
Tacked to the doorframe of your room is a note, hurriedly scribbled on parchment.

When there's a note, sign, etc., it is in the Code of the Text Adventurer to read it. Trufax.

>read note
(taking the scribbled note first)
"I have taken the apprentices into town to shop for the Guild picnic. I tried rousing you, but you seemed deep asleep. By the way, have you seen Belboz anywhere? It's not like him to leave without telling someone -- but then, he's been acting pretty odd of late.

-- Frobar"

Let's find out who these people are.

>who is frobar
Frobar is the most loyal and hard-working member of the Guild. However, he is somewhat dull and lacks imagination. It is doubtful that he would ever succeed Belboz as head of the Circle.

>who is belboz
Belboz, your friend and mentor, is the head of the Circle of Enchanters. Recently, he has been acting oddly and seems to have been avoiding you.

Well, that explains something, anyway. But on with our exploration!

>w
Belboz's Quarters
The personal chamber of Belboz, who presides over the Circle of Enchanters, is appointed with a beautiful woven wall hanging, an exotic morgia plant, and a wide darkwood desk crafted by the artisans of Gurth. The hallway lies to the east.
Pacing back and forth on a perch in the corner is Belboz's prized pet parrot, native to the jungles of Miznia.

You know, I just realized that I haven't actually taken a look at what spells I have in my new spellbook yet. (As you may recall, the old one was lost in a bottomless pit in Krill's castle.)

>read book

My Spell Book

The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).
The vezza spell (view the future).
The pulver spell (cause liquids to become dry).
The izyuk spell (fly like a bird).
The yomin spell (mind probe).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).

"Squawk! Now where can I hide this key? Squawk!"

Seems like a pretty nice arrangement. But on with our exploration!

>examine desk
The desk has one drawer which is closed.

"Squawk! Where did I leave my spectacles? Squawk!"

>open desk
Opening the desk drawer reveals a tiny box, an infotater, and a journal.

"Squawk! Pollibar want a cracker! Squawk!"

Belboz apparently just leaves his desk drawer unlocked so that any chump could steal his stuff...but, hey, I'm not complaining!

>examine box
There is writing on the lid of the box.

" MAGIC AMULET

The closer this amulet is to
its owner, the brighter it may
glow. Ideal for leaving with
your loved ones if you go on
a long and hazardous journey.

This amulet is sensitized to
-> BELBOZ THE NECROMANCER

Another fine product of the
Frobozz Magic Amulet Company."

Sounds useful. I'll be sure to take that with me. But now to examine the other stuff. First, the infotater, whatever that is.

>examine infotater
Like most infotaters, this one has several windows and a rotating data wheel. It is leather-bound and beautifully illustrated. (NOTE: This is the infotater included in your game package.)

"Squawk! Pollibar want a cracker! Squawk!"

Ah, copy protection...my old enemy. But fortunately, there are ways around that...

>read journal
(taking the journal first)
It's closed and sealed with a lock.

"Squawk! Where did I leave my spectacles? Squawk!"

And now we find an obstacle in our kleptomania. Let's just get that amulet and check out more of the Guild.

>open box
Opening the tiny box reveals a magic amulet.

You are now a bit thirsty.

>get amulet
You are now wearing the magic amulet.

>e
Hallway

>n
The heavy wooden door is closed.

You are now a bit hungry.

>open door
Okay, the heavy wooden door is now open.

>n
Chamber of the Circle
The meeting place of the Circle of Enchanters is a large, round room with a high domed ceiling. A table occupies the center of the room. Engraved on the wall is a list of tenets, the Guild's code of honor. The only door, at the southernmost point of the perimeter, is open.

What exactly are our tenets, anyway?

>read tenets
The first tenet states that Enchanters may never use their talents to aid evil. The second points out that an Enchanter's duty is to the Guild and to the Kingdom, not to the individual. Lesser tenets include rules for conducting votes at meetings, guidelines for passing dishes at Guild banquets, and penalties for revealing the Guild's secret handshake.

Better than some codes of law I've read, I guess. There doesn't seem to be anything else here, so...

>s
Hallway

The Guild Hall doorbell chimes.

>s
Hallway
Rooms lie to the east and west from this north-south corridor. A large marble archway to the south leads into an open area.

>e
Frobar's Quarters
This is the room of Frobar the Enchanter. There isn't much here in the way of furnishings, Frobar being a pretty dull kind of guy.

You are now somewhat thirsty.

Come to think of it, where is Frobar, anyway?

>where is frobar
Perhaps he's gone into town to perform some errands.

Oh, yeah. Like the note said. Maybe there's something more interesting across the hall?

>w
Helistar's Quarters
Helistar is one of the foremost members of the Circle, and this is her private chamber.
Among Helistar's possessions is a scroll, new and shiny.

Helistar? Cool name, but let's find out more about her before stealing her scroll.

>who is helistar
Helistar is an old and powerful member of the Circle. Although a skilled and experienced magic-user, she is humorless to the point of being grim. Despite this personality flaw, Helistar is the most likely candidate to become the next Guildmaster of the Circle.

>where is helistar
Helistar has gone on her annual two-week vacation. She usually goes to the southlands, Gurth and Mithicus.

You are now somewhat hungry.

And now, to steal said scroll.

>get scroll
Taken.

>read it
The scroll reads "gaspar spell: provide for your own resurrection".

Sounds pretty useful.
Indeed, it is. As you may recall, Ozmoo in the previous game supposedly protected from unnatural death, but it only really worked on one death, and when it didn't just fail, it brought you back to life in the same place, so you'd just be killed all over again. Gaspar, on the other hand, acts as a sort of checkpoint, returning you to the point where it was cast when you're killed, and hence being an actual safety net, unlike Ozmoo.
Enough talk. Let's get back to looting!
Yes. Let's.

>s
Lobby
This is the entrance lobby of the Guild Hall. Befitting the status and wealth of the Guild, the lobby is finished with polished Antharian marble, inlaid with intricate patterns of silver leaf. To the north is a wide arch, and smaller openings flank the area on the eastern and western sides, as well as the northeastern and northwestern corners. A narrow stair leads downward. Through another arch to the south, you can see the entrance steps and the main road into town.
Affixed to the southern arch is an ornate brass receptacle, intended for use by messengers.

You are now quite thirsty.

Let's get out of here and start our search for Belboz!

>s
A tiny warning nymph appears, floating in the air next to your ear. "There's no one else here," it reminds you, "so you'd better not leave just now. Bye!" It winks at you before vanishing.

Darn nymphs...let's try to find some sort of spell to get out of here. But first, maybe there's something in the receptacle?

>l in receptacle
Opening the receptacle reveals an issue of Popular Enchanting.

Well, it's no "get past nymph" spell, but I find their articles informative and witty. Let's read it!

>read magazine
(taking the issue of Popular Enchanting first)
This month's cover story is about Belboz! Other stories relate the explosion of spell scroll manufacturers, and the coming shakedown in the magic potion industry. The address label on the cover reads:

"Z5 ACCAR256 4-964
Hall of the Guild of Enchanters
Village of Accardi-By-The-Sea
Land of Frobozz"

Shame I can't read it for some reason. Let's check out more of the guild hall. There are four entrances, not counting the way back to the hall. So let's explore them in a clockwise fashion.
The magazine is another feelie, if you're wondering.

>ne
Servants' Quarters
This is a sparsely furnished living area for the servants of the Guild. None are in sight; presumably they are out doing their daily errands. You can leave to the southwest.

>e
Library
This is a study chamber for members of the Guild. Usually, there would be several elder Enchanters patiently training novices, but no one is here at the moment. The only exit is west.
Lying open on a stand in one corner is a heavy volume, probably a copy of the Encyclopedia Frobizzica.
The servants have been lax lately, for a scroll is lying among the dust in the corner.

Well, the servants' laziness is my gain.

>get scroll
Taken.

You are now quite hungry.

>read scroll
Which scroll do you mean, the dusty scroll or the shiny scroll?

>dusty
The scroll reads "meef spell: cause plants to wilt".

Now, to avoid any other parser quibbles, I'm going to gnusto gaspar and meef. Hope Helistar doesn't mind losing her shiny new scroll...

>gnusto gaspar
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the gaspar 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.

You are now very thirsty.

>gnusto meef
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the meef 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.

>w
Lobby
Affixed to the southern arch is an ornate brass receptacle, intended for use by messengers.

>w
Store Room
This is a closet for storage. The only exit is east.
Among the provisions here is a small ochre-colored vial, closed and labelled with tiny lettering.
There is a calendar here (providing light).
There is a depleted matchbook here.

Lots of goodies here. Let's check them out!

>examine vial
It's closed.

>read vial
(taking the ochre vial first)

"BERZIO POTION
(obviate need for food or drink)"

This might come in handy...
This is the awesome item I mentioned earlier. As the description implies, while under its effect, you are immune to hunger or thirst, meaning that you don't have to worry about managing food or water supplies. It should be obvious that I'm going to use it right now.

>open vial
Opening the ochre vial reveals ochre potion.

>drink potion
The potion was completely tasteless. You no longer feel hungry and thirsty, though.

And now to examine the other junk in here.

>examine calendar
The calendar is for the current year, 957 GUE, and bears many stunning pictures: the marble mines of Antharia, the sand dunes of the Kovalli Desert, ancient Fort Griffspotter, and the giant infotater factories of Borphee. A legend reads "Best wishes for a leak-less year, from the Accardi Plumbers Guild."

>examine matchbook
The matches are all gone, but there is some printing on the inner cover.

>read matchbook
(taking the depleted matchbook first)
"Amazing Vilstu Potion!

Get by without breathing! Amaze your
friends! Be the first person on the
block to own some!

Order today by dropping this in any
mailbox. Our shipping department will
use the latest in temporal travel
techniques to insure that your potion
arrives the same day you order it!
(Orders received before noon will
arrive the day before you order)."

Now, that sounds useful. It might just come in handy. Back to the lobby, then...
By the way, the calendar is useless, as far as I know.

>e
Lobby
Affixed to the southern arch is an ornate brass receptacle, intended for use by messengers.

>put matchbook in receptacle
Done.

Now we just wait for the potion to arrive. While we're waiting, we can check out the last door in the lobby.

>nw
Apprentice Quarters
This is a large hall where the Guild's young apprentices live and study as they strive to achieve a seat on the Circle. You think back to the days when you occupied these quarters. The apprentices are gone, having accompanied Frobar into town to shop. You can leave to the southeast.

Not much here. So, let's wait for our potion to arrive. Actually, come to think of it, there was a stairway down in the lobby. So...

>d
Cellar
You are in the basement of the Guild Hall. A steep, narrow stair leads upward from the southwest corner.
At the far end of the cellar, draped in cobwebs, is a large trunk. At each corner of its lid is a button: a black button with a picture of a star, a gray button depicting the moon, a red button illustrated with a bloody knife, and a purple button engraved with a royal crown. In the center of the lid is a white button picturing a dove in flight.

Anything with colorful buttons must be useful. But what to do with them? Let's try pressing them.

>press red
There is a click from the lid of the trunk.

>press black
There is a click from the lid of the trunk.

>press purple
There is a click from the lid of the trunk.

>press grey
There is a click from the lid of the trunk.

>press white
There is a click from the lid of the trunk.


Well, there's clicking, anyway. But maybe there's some way of figuring out what exactly the code is? Maybe in Belboz's quarters? Let's go back there and see. Come to think of it...

Maybe his diary key is there, and maybe the code is in the diary!

>examine tapestry
It is a beautiful piece of local handiwork, given to Belboz by the grateful townspeople after his (admittedly showy) pyrotechnical destruction of the evil giant Amathradonis. The hanging is affixed to the wall at its upper corners.

There might be something behind it. Let's see!

>take tapestry
It looks too well fastened to remove from the wall.

>remove tapestry
You're not holding the wall hanging!

>look behind tapestry
As you move the tapestry, a key falls out from behind it and lands on the floor.

"Squawk! Now where can I hide this key? Squawk!"

Seems like your question has been answered, my psittacine friend.

>unlock journal
(with the small key)
You're not holding the small key!

>get key
Taken.

>unlock journal
(with the small key)
You can't be serious.

>examine journal
It's closed and sealed with a lock.

>open journal
(with the key)
The journal springs open.

Again, just included this struggle with the parser because I found it amusing. YMMV.

>read journal
You skim through the pages of the journal, a combination diary and notebook. Most of the notations, written in Belboz's familiar flowing script, deal with meetings of the Circle and business of the Guild.

There is one interesting entry toward the end of the book. Belboz refers to an ancient and evil force known simply as Jeearr, a demon whose powers could endanger the Circle and possibly the entire kingdom. He has decided to conduct some dangerous exploratory experiments, operating alone to shield the Circle from the perils involved.

The last three entries are strange and frightening -- written in a hand quite different from that of Belboz, and in a language totally unfamiliar to you.

On the inside cover is an inscription, written in a light script, which reads "Current code: grue".

Grue, eh? Sounds ominous...but what could it mean? Probably something to do with that trunk...but what?

This is where the infotater is required, but I'll leave it at that.

Let's just wait for that magical breathing potion now. Waiting, waiting, waiting, until...

>z
Time passes...

You drop in your tracks from exhaustion.

You drift off to sleep and dream of the distant Kovalli Desert. Waves of heat from the sand make breathing hard, and the bright sunlight burns against your eyelids. Suddenly you awake -- the Guild Hall is on fire! Through the thick smoke, you see Belboz standing before you. But no, this could not be Belboz, his face an unrecognizable mask of hatred, his outstretched arms dripping with blood.

He who is not Belboz speaks, in a voice filled with malevolence. "So, you are the young Enchanter that Belboz thinks so highly of. That senile wizard thought you would be the one to rescue him from my clutches. I wonder why I bothered to come at all -- an insect like you poses no threat! Still..." He gestures and your surroundings change.

Chamber of Living Death
The very walls of this room seem to soak up all light, so it seems as though you're floating in the center of an infinite void.
Hideous parasites descend upon you and tear the flesh from your bones, gnaw the eyes from your sockets, and feast upon your very brain tissue. Amazingly, you do not die, and your body regenerates itself as you await the next attack...

Let's get out of here!

>s
Your agony is too great to concentrate on such an action.
Hideous parasites descend upon you and tear the flesh from your bones, gnaw the eyes from your sockets, and feast upon your very brain tissue. Amazingly, you do not die, and your body regenerates itself as you await the next attack...

Um, yeah. By waiting too long to find the matchbook and put it in the receptacle, we've put the game in an unwinnable state, since the mailman has to actually get it today for that temporal mumbo-jumbo to work. The Chamber of Living Death is inescapable, and attempting to do anything here gets the "Your agony is too great..." message, so I'll count it as a death. So I'm going to leave off here with what to do for now, after restarting so that I can actually get the vilstu potion.

Current puzzles:
A trunk with colorful buttons.
An obnoxious nymph blocking the only way out of the Guild.

Unexplored areas:
None...at least in the Guild.

Inventory (might not be quite accurate, since I can't check it in the Chamber of Living Death):
A spell book
A magic amulet
A journal
A small key
A scribbled note
An ochre vial (empty)

Spells:
Gnusto (write a magic spell into a spell book)
Vezza (view the future)
Pulver (cause liquids to become dry)
Izyuk (fly like a bird)
yomiN (mind probe)
Rezrov (open even locked or enchanted objects)
Frotz (cause something to give off light)
Gaspar (provide for your own resurrection)
Meef (cause plants to wilt)

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Rezrov (permanent), Frotz (permanent)

Our score is 40 of a possible 400, in 206 moves. This puts us in the class of Charlatan.

Death toll: 1 (trapped in the Chamber of Living Death)

Obviously, Vezza, because everybody wants to see the future. Actually, because I assume there are ridiculous restrictions on this spell and I want to know what they are.

Also, while you are replaying, could you have Rezrov the journal?

The helpful copy protection says that Grues are black and black and red and black and purple. To the buttons!

Ah, I'll be following this thread closely! And to me, I've always pictured a grue as being a lot like an Oddworld Fuzzle.

All right, I'm getting back to where I was, except with that darn matchbook in the right place:

>wait. stand. frotz book. w. s. s. w. get all. e. open receptacle. put matchbook in receptacle. e. get scroll. gnusto meef. w. n. w. get scroll. gnusto gaspar. e. n. w. open desk. open box. get amulet. look behind tapestry. get key. open journal. read journal.

Since we've done this all before, I won't transcribe it, but there is one thing to note: The code is randomized with each game. Since I reset, it was changed from grue to dryad.

Also, there was something that one of the voices in my head wanted me to do:

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

>vezza me
You see a door of the whitest wood, opening slowly to reveal the face of Belboz, which quickly melts into a frightening visage of unspeakable malevolence. A moment later, the vision fades.

If you're wondering, Vezza just shows one of several possible hint-type scenes for puzzles later in the game...including, interestingly enough, some foreshadowing for Spellbreaker, the third and final game in the Enchanter trilogy. You don't need it to beat the game, especially in this day and age, so I won't be using it, but I will show all the possible Vezza visions in the bonus material at the end.

>rezrov journal
The journal seems to bear a spell protecting it against the simple rezrov spell.

Apparently not. But then, this is the journal of the most powerful enchanter of the age. I'm lucky that rezrov-ing it didn't kill me.

Indeed...except the code is now "dryad," and dryads are black and grey and white and red and red. But that does make sense, since all of those colors are on the trunk. I'll head there, drinking the berzio potion and picking up my vilstu potion on the way.

>e
Hallway
Tacked to the doorframe of your room is a note, hurriedly scribbled on parchment.

>s
Hallway

>s
Lobby
Affixed to the southern arch is an ornate brass receptacle, intended for use by messengers.

>open receptacle
Opening the receptacle reveals an orange vial, and an issue of Popular Enchanting.

>get orange
Taken.

>d
Cellar
You are in the basement of the Guild Hall. A steep, narrow stair leads upward from the southwest corner.
At the far end of the cellar, draped in cobwebs, is a large trunk. At each corner of its lid is a button: a black button with a picture of a star, a gray button depicting the moon, a red button illustrated with a bloody knife, and a purple button engraved with a royal crown. In the center of the lid is a white button picturing a dove in flight.

>press black
There is a click from the lid of the trunk.

>press grey
There is a click from the lid of the trunk.

>press white
There is a click from the lid of the trunk.

>press red
There is a click from the lid of the trunk.

>press red
There is a click from the lid of the trunk. A moment later, the lid of the trunk swings slowly open, revealing a moldy scroll.

I know what to do with this!

>read moldy
(taking the moldy scroll first)
The scroll reads "aimfiz spell: transport caster to someone else's location". The spell seems very long and extremely complicated.

Normally, that means that it can't be gnusto-ed, but I'm a member of the Circle now! What could go wrong?

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

Still too powerful to gnusto, unfortunately. But at least I haven't attracted Krill's attention on whatever plane he's living on now. But now we've explored everywhere and solved every puzzle in the Guild Hall, except what to do with this über-scroll, which might well be the way past that annoying little nymph. So I'll leave it to you to decide who I should aimfiz. 'Til next time!

Current puzzles:
An obnoxious nymph blocking the only way out of the Guild.

Unexplored areas:
None...at least in the Guild.

Inventory (annotations in italic):
You are carrying:
a moldy scroll
an orange vial (containing vilstu potion, which enables one to survive without breath)
a journal
a small key (unlocks the journal
a magic amulet (being worn, attuned to Belboz and shows how close I am to him)
a calendar (providing light)
a spell book (providing light)

Spells:
Gnusto (write a magic spell into a spell book)
Vezza (view the future)
Pulver (cause liquids to become dry)
Izyuk (fly like a bird)
yomiN (mind probe)
Rezrov (open even locked or enchanted objects)
Frotz (cause something to give off light)
Gaspar (provide for your own resurrection)
Meef (cause plants to wilt)
In addition, I also have one shot of Aimfiz, which teleports me to the location of a chosen person. Any suggestions as to who to use it on?

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Rezrov (permanent), Frotz (permanent)

Our score is 75 of a possible 400, in 45 moves. This puts us in the class of Parlor Magician.

Death toll: 1 (trapped in the Chamber of Living Death)

I suspect you'll need Izyuk to get out of the Circle, you know, maybe fly out of a window, although we haven't really seen any yet, looking back. Hmm... Also, as for Aimifiz, I suspect its use is like the Kulcad in the original, use it to teleport to Belboz when the time is right. As in, not now. I mean, you could, if you want to die, I just figured it might be best if you don't yet.

If I'm wrong about that, though, you could just Aimifiz to Frobar, definitely one way to get out of the Circle, though I doubt it's the right way.

Indeed, there are none. But I'll give Izyuk a shot, anyway. Can't do any harm...

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

>izyuk me
You are now floating serenely in midair.

>s
A tiny warning nymph appears, floating in the air next to your ear. "There's no one else here," it reminds you, "so you'd better not leave just now. Bye!" It winks at you before vanishing.

>n
Hallway (you are flying)

You settle gently to the ground.


Well, no harm...but no real use, either. Oh, well.

Both sound like good options. Let's try Frobar first.

>aimfiz frobar
As you cast the spell, the moldy scroll vanishes!

When you recover from a brief dizziness, you notice Frobar nearby, looking surprised to see you. A moment later, you realize that Frobar is shopping in the marketplace. A horse-drawn chariot runs you down, trampling you beneath dozens of hooves.

**** You have died ****

OK, maybe that wasn't the best of ideas. Despite the warning of the voices in my head, I'm going to try to Aimfiz Belboz. Here goes nothing!

>aimfiz belboz
As you cast the spell, the moldy scroll vanishes!

After a momentary dizziness, you realize that your location has changed, although Belboz is not in sight...

Twisted Forest
You are on a path through a blighted forest. The trees are sickly, and there is no undergrowth at all. One tree here looks climbable. The path, which ends here, continues to the northeast.

A hellhound is racing straight toward you, its open jaws displaying rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Looks familiar...

Good idea, dream-me.

>ne
Forest Edge
To the west, a path enters the blighted woods, which stretch out of sight. A signpost stands beside another path leading north, and to the east is a wide meadow. At the base of the signpost is a slimy hole leading down.
The hellhound stops at the edge of the forest and bellows. After a moment, it turns and slinks into the trees.

Well, that's a relief. Going north was a bad idea last time, since it got me exploded. In case of danger elsewhere, I'd better make preparations for my death.

>gaspar me
A sense of peace of mind passes over you.

Now, to explore. North, as you may recall, is death, so I'm going to the east.

>e
Meadow
You are in the center of a barren field. To the east is the turret of a ruined castle, and from the northeast comes the sound of rushing water.

A swarm of bloodsucking locusts appears on the horizon.

Oh, shirt. Locusts are bad enough. But bloodsucking ones? Hopefully that castle is safe...

>e
Drawbridge
You are standing on the drawbridge of a ruined castle which lies to your east. The wood of the bridge looks severely rotted and creaks ominously beneath you. The moat, although an easy dive from here, looks dangerous, full of sinister shapes beneath the surface of the water. To the west is a wide field.

>e
Ruins
You are amongst the ruins of an ancient castle. A winding stairway leads up to a crumbling turret, and a dark passage leads downward. A path heads through the rubble to the west.

Pretty crappy place. Let's check out the upper levels first, since that's usually where the goodies are...at least, it's where they were in the last castle I was in.

>u
Turret
This is the only turret of the castle still standing. It affords a marvelous view of a meadow to the west, and beyond that a twisted forest. To the north is a mighty fortress which stands atop a cliff where a turbulent river pours into an ocean. The ocean stretches out of sight to the east. A spiralling staircase leads downward.

Not this one, though. Let's go down and see what's in the basement.

>d
Ruins

>d
Dungeon
This is the dark and dank dungeon of the ruined castle. There's probably a torture chamber nearby. You can go east, northeast, or upward. A small opening leads down as well.

So many choices, so little time...like in the Guild, I'm going to go with a clockwise approach.

>ne
Pit of Bones
In the center of the room is a deep pit filled with countless bones, an indication of the brutality of dungeon life. There are exits south and southwest. High above you is a small opening in the ceiling.

I bet that that exit to the south leads to whatever was east of the Dungeon. Let's see!

>s
Torture Chamber
This is a large and well-equipped torture chamber. These were very popular in castles of several centuries ago, but are somewhat out of fashion now. There are exits to the west and north.
Sitting near one of the torture devices is an indigo vial, labelled in tiny letters.

>w
Dungeon


I was right! But what could be in that indigo vial?

>e
Torture Chamber
Sitting near one of the torture devices is an indigo vial, labelled in tiny letters.

>read vial
Which vial do you mean, the indigo vial or the orange vial?

>indigo
(taking the indigo vial first)

"FLAXO POTION
(exquisite torture)"

Sounds like fun. Bottoms up!

>open indigo vial
Opening the indigo vial reveals indigo potion.

>drink indigo potion
The potion tastes like a combination of anchovies, prune juice, and garlic powder. As you finish swallowing the potion, a well-muscled troll saunters in and straps you to a torture device. He whacks your head with a wooden two-by-four, grunting "You are playing Sorcerer. It was written by S. Eric Meretzky. You will have fun and enjoy yourself." He repeats this action 999 more times, then vanishes without a trace.

Now that is exquisite torture!
Like the Filfre scroll in the first game, the indigo potion is a novelty item with no real use other than as a gratuitous author plug. At least it's not as fatal as the description implies.

After throwing out the empty vial, I'm going to see if I can go up from the Pit of Bones.

>u
The hole is too high to reach.

Guess not. But there was another small hole in the Dungeon, which I'm going to check out right now.

>sw
Dungeon

>d
Highway
This is a wide road winding away to the east and west, perhaps a relic of the Great Underground Empire you read about in history class. A passage leads up to the north.

And I am now in the GUE! The passage to the north leads back to the Dungeon, but I'm feeling a bit indecisive. Should I go to the east or the west, or should I explore more of the surface? I leave it to you.

Current puzzles:
None!

Unexplored areas:
East of Highway.
West of Highway.
Down from Forest Edge.
Northeast from Meadow.

Inventory (annotations in italic):
a moldy scroll
an orange vial (containing vilstu potion, which enables one to survive without breath)
a journal
a small key (unlocks the journal)
a magic amulet (being worn, attuned to Belboz and shows how close I am to him)
a calendar (providing light)
a spell book (providing light)

Spells:
Gnusto (write a magic spell into a spell book)
Vezza (view the future)
Pulver (cause liquids to become dry)
Izyuk (fly like a bird)
yomiN (mind probe)
Rezrov (open even locked or enchanted objects)
Frotz (cause something to give off light)
Gaspar (provide for your own resurrection)
Meef (cause plants to wilt)

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Rezrov (permanent), Frotz (permanent)

Our score is 95 of a possible 400, in 69 moves. This puts us in the class of Parlor Magician.

Death toll: 2 (trapped in the Chamber of Living Death, trampled beneath dozens of hooves)

I have no particular cares about where to go, however...

This could pretty easily be solved with Izyuk, I expect. Not sure how important that is, since my spatial reasoning is not what it could be. But you could! If you wanted to!

I want to, if only to see if it works. Let's-a go!

>n
Dungeon

>ne
Pit of Bones

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

>izyuk me
You are now floating serenely in midair.

>u
You can't fly high enough to reach the hole.

That is one high hole, then. Anyway, in a lack of votes, I've decided to explore the surface world a bit more. So...

>sw
Dungeon (you are flying)

You settle gently to the ground.

>u
Ruins

>w
Drawbridge
With a scream of splintering wood, part of the drawbridge collapses and spills you into the moat. You are immediately set upon by alligators and piranhas.

**** You have died ****

Your guardian angel, draped in white, appears floating in the nothingness before you. "Gotten in a bit of a scrape, eh?" he asks, writing frantically in a notebook. "I'd love to chat, but we're so busy this month." The angel twitches his nose, and the nothingness is replaced by...

Forest Edge

Not a very good drawbridge, is it?
I did not know that that could happen, but apparently the bridge randomly collapses when you cross it. I think that this might close off the ruined castle from this side permanently, but fortunately, I've got everything I need from there, and it's not a game-killer, anyway. Plus, it's a good opportunity to show off the Gaspar text.

Forest Edge

>e
Meadow

A swarm of bloodsucking locusts appears on the horizon.

>ne
River Bank
You are on a muddy bank of a fast-moving river, full of sharp rocks and foaming rapids, flowing to the southwest. The ground is soft and eroded, and continually threatens to dump you into the turbulent waters. A field lies to the southwest, and a trail leads southeast along the bank.

Doesn't seem like a very safe place...so let's head to the...

>se
Fort Entrance
You are at the entrance to Fort Griffspotter, which lies to the east. A trail leads along the river bank to the northwest.

>e
Parade Ground
You are at the center of a level field inside the fort. Entrances to rooms around the perimeter lie in several directions.
A tattered flag, apparently that of ancient Quendor, still flies atop a mighty flagpole in the center of the field.

You are beginning to tire.

I have a feeling that that flag is somehow important. Maybe I should take a look at it.

>examine flag
You can't see it very well from here -- the flagpole is very tall.

Well, if I can't see it from here...

>lower flag
The flag is lowered to the ground.

>examine flag
As you fiddle with the flag, an aqua vial drops from a hidden pocket and falls to the ground.

Ooh, a potion! I wonder what this one does?

>examine aqua vial
Which vial do you mean, the aqua vial or the orange vial?

>read aqua vial
(taking the aqua vial first)

"FOOBLE POTION
(increase muscular coordination)"

Now this sounds useful. Better than that indigo one, anyway. Now, rooms lie in "several" directions, but the darn parser doesn't want to tell me which ones. So, time for some trial and error!

>n
Barracks
This was a barracks for the battalion stationed in this fort. You could leave to the south, or to the southeast.

>s
Parade Ground
There is a flagpole here.
A flag displaying the brown and gold of ancient Quendor is lying here.

You are feeling tired.

>ne
You can't go that way.

>e
Gun Emplacement
This is a battlement with a view of a river to the north and an ocean to the east. Openings northwest, west, and southwest lead to other parts of the fort.
A magnificent cast-iron cannon stands atop the battlement. Its wide, shallow barrel points toward the ocean, as though daring enemy ships to approach.

Hmmm...they wouldn't put that much emphasis on something unless it was important. Maybe there's something in the barrel?

>look in barrel
Lying at the bottom of the barrel is a pile of identical scrolls!

You are feeling tired.

Wow! That much arcane knowledge in one place...I know just what to do here!

>get scroll
As you reach into the cannon, something bites you painfully on the hand!
Yeowch! Maybe I shouldn't mess around with things like that...I'll just keep exploring the fort, see if I can find anything.

>w
Parade Ground
There is a flagpole here.
A flag displaying the brown and gold of ancient Quendor is lying here.

>se
You can't go that way.

>s
Armory
Once the armory for the fort, this room has been picked clean by vandals and soldiers of fortune. Exit north or northeast.

Nothing here so far. But maybe the other two exits have something good?

>n
Parade Ground
There is a flagpole here.
A flag displaying the brown and gold of ancient Quendor is lying here.

>sw
You can't go that way.

>nw
You can't go that way.


Nope. Let's just head back to that slimy hole we never explored.

>w
Fort Entrance

You are getting more and more tired.

>nw
River Bank

>sw
Meadow

A swarm of bloodsucking locusts appears on the horizon.

>w
Forest Edge

>d
Snake Pit
You have entered a shadowy pit full of nooks and crannies. From every direction you hear the hissing of vipers and the irregular clicking of giant beetles. Light spills down from above, and a small crack leads further downward into darkness.

Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? Let's just continue further down, though...

>d
Slimy Room
This is a moist room whose walls are thick with moss and lichens. A small hole leads up and a rocky passage leads south.

Only one way to go from here...

>s
Crater
You are standing in the center of an enormous crater, strewn with debris. Several points around the perimeter look climbable.

Man, this is as bad as the fort! Come to think of it, there is a command that might just work...

>exits
I don't know the word "exits".

All right, then. I'll just do what I did back at Griffspotter...trial and error, don't fail me now! Actually, come to think of it, this seems like a good Gaspar point, so I'll do that first.

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

>gaspar me
A sense of peace of mind passes over you.

You are worn out.

>ne
Edge of Crater
You are at the northeastern rim of a gigantic crater, the result of some ancient explosion. A wide underground highway, which ends at the crater's edge, leads northeast.

>ne
Bend
The road curves here, heading east and southwest.

>e
Highway

So, the two entrances to the underground are connected!
And this is why it's not a game killer if the drawbridge collapses - because there are two ways into the underground, and the path through the snake pit is always available.
Enough about that. We've seen what's to the west of the highway, let's see what's to the east!

>e
Toll Gate
You have reached a toll gate which spans the highway.
A fat old gnome with a long white beard is sleeping soundly just outside the toll booth. His loud snores echo around the caverns.

Well, if the tollkeeper is sleeping...

>e
A sturdy toll gate blocks the highway.

OK, then. Guess that this isn't the type of toll gate you can just walk through. I'll have to try other means.

>open gate
Only the gnome can do that.

Then I'll have to wake him. Gnomes are notoriously greedy, and likely the toll to proceed is high. But this is the only way to proceed in this direction, so...

>wake gnome
The gnome stirs a bit and opens one eye, which wanders around until it notices you. He jumps to his feet. "One zorkmid, please," he yells with a smile.

Well, it's cheaper than I expected. Shame I don't have any money on me. I'll just head back to the crater and explore that area more.

>w
Highway

You are dead tired.

>w
Bend

>sw
Edge of Crater

>sw
Crater

>e
You attempt to climb the rim here, but the rubble is loose and you slide back down.

>se
You attempt to climb the rim here, but the rubble is loose and you slide back down.

>s
Winding Tunnel
This is a meandering north-south tunnel. A side passage leads to the southwest.

Might as well keep on going straight.

>s
Hall of Carvings
You have entered a large room whose walls are covered with intricate carvings. The largest and most striking carving, on the southern wall, is of a huge sleeping dragon! A winding tunnel leads north.

Dead end. But maybe those carvings are somehow important...I mean besides the dragon one. That one is obviously important.

>examine carvings
You see nothing special about the carving of a dragon.

You are so tired you can barely concentrate.


No, no! I wanted to examine the ones BESIDES the dragon! Oh, well. This is a dead end, so I might as well check out that other branch on the winding tunnel.

>sw
Park Entrance
This looks like the entrance to a run-down amusement park, no longer gaudy with lights and glitter. A sign above the entrance proclaims "Welcome to Bozbarland - The Entertainment Capital of the Empire." The park lies to the west and a tunnel leads northeast.

Ooh! Forget Belboz, let's go to Bozbarland!

>w
You bounce off an invisible barrier. A moment later a gnome appears, dressed in a gaudy plaid outfit. "Admission to the park is only one zorkmid. What a bargain, chum, eh?"

GNOMES!!! It seems that most exploration is off-limits until I've gotten some money. But I still haven't explored the entire crater area, so...

>w
Edge of Chasm
This is a strip of land to the east of a gaping chasm. You might try jumping across, but I'd advise against it. A wide crater lies to the east.

Jumping would be a bad idea. But flying?

>w
You fly easily across the chasm...

Bare Passage (you are flying)
This is a featureless tunnel, narrowing to the west. To the east is a deep gorge, probably too wide to jump across.

Pardon my French, but boo-ya. Continuing further into the tunnel...

>w
Elbow Room (you are flying)
The tunnel turns a corner here. You could go either north or east.

You settle gently to the ground.

>n
Tree Room
This is a tall room flooded with light from an unseen source. The only exit is south.
Growing in the center of the room is a tree, thick with foliage. As though to disprove the ancient adage, every branch, bow, and twig has a zorkmid coin growing on it.

Wow! With all these zorkmids, I could pay every gnome in the freakin' GUE and still have enough to buy my way out of any trouble, just like the Flatheads!

>get zorkmid
As you pluck the first zorkmid, the tree shimmers and vanishes! (I guess it was just an illusion.) You are left holding a solitary zorkmid coin.

Or not. Anyway, we've got a zorkmid now, so we can pay off ONE of those gnomes. But which one? Or should I ignore them and try to find a way across that river on the surface? I leave that decision to you.

Current puzzles:
Two gnomes. One zorkmid. Which one to pay?
A cannon barrel filled with biting scrolls.

Unexplored areas:
Northeast of River Bank

Inventory (annotations in italic):
a zorkmid coin
an aqua vial (containing fooble potion, which improves muscular coordination
an orange vial (containing vilstu potion, which enables one to survive without breath)
a journal
a small key (unlocks the journal)
a magic amulet (being worn, attuned to Belboz and shows how close I am to him)
a calendar (providing light)
a spell book (providing light)

Spells:
Gaspar (provide for your own resurrection)
Meef (cause plants to wilt)
Gnusto (write a magic spell into a spell book)
Vezza (view the future)
Pulver (cause liquids to become dry)
Izyuk (fly like a bird)
yomiN (mind probe)
Rezrov (open even locked or enchanted objects)
Frotz (cause something to give off light)

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Rezrov (permanent), Frotz (permanent)

Our score is 110 of a possible 400, in 137 moves. This puts us in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 3 (trapped in the Chamber of Living Death, trampled beneath dozens of hooves, ripped to shreds by alligators)

I say that you should explore the amusement park first.

yomin the gnomes to see if that have insight as to the better option.

Fly across the river. Failing that, drink the contents of the orange vial and swim across. Also, try to befriend the bloodsucking locusts.

There isn't a spell in Sorcerer (that we have) that befriends animals. There was one in Enchanter, but the apprentice apparently lost that spell and gained a spell allowing them to probe minds, which isn't quite the same.

Oh sorry, I just meant stick around and see what happens. Not that I'm expecting it to actually help us get any farther in the game.

Pulver looks like another possible method of crossing the river (although I expect it to not be powerful enough).

So many suggestions, so little time. Well, first of all, Gerad suggested that I try making friends with the blood-sucking locusts, so I'll give it a shot.

>s
Elbow Room

>e
Bare Passage

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

You are practically asleep.

>izyuk me
You are now floating serenely in midair.

>e
You fly easily across the chasm...

Edge of Chasm (you are flying)

>e
Crater (you are flying)

You settle gently to the ground.

>n
Slimy Room

>u
Snake Pit

>u
Forest Edge

>e
Meadow

You are unable to keep your eyes open for more than a few moments at a time.

A swarm of bloodsucking locusts appears on the horizon.

>z
Time passes...

The locusts are much closer now, blotting out the sun like a black storm cloud.

>z
Time passes...

The locusts swarm over you and pick you clean to the bones.

**** You have died ****

Your guardian angel, draped in white, appears floating in the nothingness before you. "Gotten in a bit of a scrape, eh?" he asks, writing frantically in a notebook. "I'd love to chat, but we're so busy this month." The angel twitches his nose, and the nothingness is replaced by...

Crater

Can't say I didn't expect that. Oh, well. namelessentity suggested Yomin-ing the gnomes, so I'll do that. First, I'll memorize Yomin twice.

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

>g
You can't concentrate well enough to learn the spell.

Or not. I guess I'll need some sleep beforehand. Fortunately, you don't need to sleep in a bed in this game, so, oyasumi!

>sleep
Ah, sleep! It's been a long day and rest will do you good. You spread your cloak on the floor and drift off, renewing your powers and refreshing your mind. Time passes as you snore blissfully.

You dream of an idyllic scene in the country, a picnic of wood-sprites and dryads. You awaken and stand.

Now that I'm rested, it's time for Operation: Gnome Mind Reading!

>s
Winding Tunnel

>sw
Park Entrance

>w
You bounce off an invisible barrier. A moment later a gnome appears, dressed in a gaudy plaid outfit. "Admission to the park is only one zorkmid. What a bargain, chum, eh?"

>yomin gnome
The gnome is thinking about the poker game you interrupted.

Well, maybe there'll be more useful thoughts from the toll gnome?

ne.n.ne.ne.e.e.yomin gnome.

Winding Tunnel

Crater

Edge of Crater

Bend

Highway

Toll Gate
A fat old gnome with a long white beard is sleeping soundly just outside the toll booth. His loud snores echo around the caverns.

The thoughts of the sleeping gnome are focused on certain activities involving female gnomes. Embarrassed, you withdraw.


Well, no insights on who to pay first from their thoughts, so I might as well go with the voices in my head and pay the park gnome. Heading back to the park entrance, then...

>give zorkmid to gnome
"Okay, you can go through now, bub. Enjoy your trip to Bozbarland." The gnome vanishes as suddenly as he appeared.

Well, I've always wanted to go to Bozbarland, so, yay. But hopefully there's a way to get more money inside...
Although paying the park gnome first isn't a game killer, it's still not recommended, as the only way to get past the toll gnome if you do is by a luck-based minigame. I'll show it off, but now you know. And I'm pretty sure that that one zorkmid paid for lifetime admission...or at least I hope it does. I'll just test that now.

>w
East End of Midway
You are at the eastern end of a long midway. The park entrance lies to the east, and rides lie to the north and south.

>e
Park Entrance

>w
East End of Midway


OK, that's a relief. Now I know I can leave freely without the game becoming unwinnable.
Enough about that. Let's see what kind of rides they've got!

>n
Haunted House
Something about this place seems to soak up all light, so that it is quite dark. You can see vague shapes swaying about in the darkness.

Something slithers across your foot.

>s
East End of Midway


Well, that was pointless.
There are a bunch of different spooky messages that appear in the haunted house, which I will list in the bonus update. But that's neither here nor now.
Indeed. C'mon, let's check out the next ride!

>s
Flume
You are at the boarding platform of a fast-moving flume, flowing off beyond your view. A small plaque hangs nearby. The midway is visible to the north. A log boat sits at the platform, beckoning you to enter.

Ooh, now this looks like my kind of ride!

>enter log boat
As you enter the log boat, it lurches away from the platform and is carried swiftly away by the current of the flume. An amusement park nymph appears for a moment, warning you not to leave the log boat during the course of the ride.

Phepp. Safety, schmafety. But still, I'd better invoke the Spell of Saving beforehand...

>stand
Bad time to leave the log boat. The flume is fast and rough.

**** You have died ****

Your guardian angel, draped in white, appears floating in the nothingness before you. "Gotten in a bit of a scrape, eh?" he asks, writing frantically in a notebook. "I'd love to chat, but we're so busy this month." The angel twitches his nose, and the nothingness is replaced by...

Crater

OK, I guess not all nymphs are out to hinder me. But still, when your first impression of them is when one is trying to keep you in a place that'll get you killed, it's hard to think that any will have your best interest in mind. But let's ride that log ride now!

>restore

Please supply a filename for restore
Ok.

>z
Time passes...

The flume is wide here, and straight as an arrow. The ride is quite relaxing.

>z
Time passes...

You enter a stretch of sharp, winding curves! Spray dashes your face as you are tossed about the log boat!

>z
Time passes...

The twists and turns are left behind as you approach the mouth of a dark tunnel.

>z
Time passes...

The flume winds through a tunnel whose walls are black as coal. You pass an opening which provides a brief glimpse of troglodytes digging and hauling coal.

>z
Time passes...

The log boat leaves the tunnel and passes through a series of rapids, shooting straight toward jagged rocks and then veering away at the last moment!

>z
Time passes...

Magically, the flume flows uphill here! The current slows as the boat climbs and climbs...

>z
Time passes...

You reach the crest of the flume's final drop. You can see swirling white water below!

>z
Time passes...

The log boat plunges down into the swirling waters at the base of the slope! Huge splashes of water spray off in every direction, but amazingly you stay dry!

>z
Time passes...

The boat floats serenely around a final turn and pulls up to the boarding platform.

Well, that was fun. But let's check out more of the amusement capital of the Empire...oh, and maybe find some more items for my quest to save Belboz.

>stand
You are now on your feet.

>n
East End of Midway

>w
West End of Midway
Entrances lead north, west and south, and the rest of the midway lies to the east.

So many attractions...which one to check out first? Well, the One True Direction has rarely steered me wrong, so...

>n
Roller Coaster
You are at the boarding platform of a huge roller coaster, sprawling above and around you in every direction. A small plaque hangs nearby. The midway is visible to the south. A car sits at the platform, beckoning you to enter.

Well, you can't go to Bozbarland without riding the roller coaster...

>enter car
As you enter the car, it rolls away from the platform in a gentle curve. An amusement park nymph appears for a moment, warning you not to leave the car during the course of the ride.

Amusement park nymphs seem to be less annoying than other kinds, so I'll listen this time.

>z
Time passes...

The car, propelled by some unseen force, rolls up a huge incline. The crest grows tantalizingly closer.

>z
Time passes...

You reach the crest, the highest point of the roller coaster! The park is laid out beneath you like a map; the lights of the midway, the booths of the arcade, the sparkling blue ribbon of water that must be the flume. In the distance is a wide crater. The sounds and smells of the park seem distant, and time feels suspended for a moment.

>z
Time passes...

The breath is swept from your lungs as the car begins diving, seemingly straight downward. You rise from the seat as the ground rushes closer! At the last moment, the car swings upward, and your stomach settles in your ankles.

>z
Time passes...

The car zips through a series of wild turns and sharp drops. Wooden roller coaster supports whiz past, inches from your head!

>z
Time passes...

This section of track is shaped like a corkscrew, and as the car hurtles forward it turns upside down almost every second. It is impossible to tell up from down, as the ground seems to spin around you.

>z
Time passes...

The car shoots into a rapid climb, which gets progressively slower and steeper. Your heart beats wildly as the track begins to swing back above you, and you realize that you are entering a giant loop!

>z
Time passes...

As you reach the highest point of the loop, you hang completely upside-down for a brief moment. The blood rushes to your head as the ground suspended "above" you like a canopy. Then, you hurtle down the far side of the loop with breakneck speed!

>z
Time passes...

The roller coaster speeds out of the loop and into a tunnel, which seems to run through the middle of a haunted house! Wispy ghosts and ghoulish skeletons brush past you.

>z
Time passes...

The car zooms out into daylight, and glides to a stop at the boarding platform.

Quite exhilarating. But let's check out the other attractions here!

>s
Arcade
This is a huge tent filled with hectic noise, blinking lights, and the smell of frying food. Near the exit is a game booth lined with prizes. The concept of the game seems to be bashing cute little mechanical bunnies with a rubber ball as they hop around a little artificial meadow.
A hawker stands within the booth, studying you through half-closed eyes.
"C'mon, pal!" cries the hawker from the game booth. "Try your luck!" He holds the ball out toward you.

Well, at least it's free, and I might win something good. Might as well do something to justify going here.

>throw ball at bunny
Your throw is way off! This game is harder than it looks. The hawker, leering, retrieves the ball.
"C'mon, pal!" cries the hawker from the game booth. "Try your luck!" He holds the ball out toward you.

I have a feeling that like most carnival games, this is rigged, although my puny mage physique could have something to do with it. But there was one more attraction here. Let's check it out!

>w
Casino
This is a large, plush room, slightly neglected.
Standing on one side of the room is an odd machine, with a three-section display and a large lever on the side.

The machine is a free slot machine, which is why paying the park gnome first isn't a game killer. But it's still kind of evil, for a reason that I will show you. Saving the game first, and...

>pull lever
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the third section of the display.

>z
Time passes...

>pull lever
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A clove of garlic appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A clove of garlic appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A clove of garlic appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A clove of garlic appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A clove of garlic appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A clove of garlic appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the third section of the display.

You are beginning to tire.

>g
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A clove of garlic appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the third section of the display.
Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!
An unbelievable torrent of zorkmid coins pours out of the machine -- far more than the machine could possibly contain! You are buried and crushed under the huge mass of coins.

Yes, winning the jackpot is freakin' FATAL, and it's possible to die this way before getting a true winning result.
Fortunately, I know the Restore spell, which I will use now.

>restore

Please supply a filename for restore
Ok.

>pull lever
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A hot pepper sandwich appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the third section of the display.

>g
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A noisome stew appears in the third section of the display.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
A zorkmid coin drops out of the machine and lands at your feet.

Now that's more like it, and now I have a way to bribe the toll gnome!
By the way, this game is the first place where I remember seeing the word "noisome." I know that it appeared in Enchanter, but I just didn't remember it there, simply because it wasn't as prominent.
No one cares about your ramblings. We've got a gnome to bribe!

>get coin
Taken.

>e
West End of Midway

>e
East End of Midway

>e
Park Entrance

>ne
Winding Tunnel

>n
Crater

>ne
Edge of Crater

>ne
Bend

>e
Highway

>e
Toll Gate
A fat old gnome with a long white beard is sleeping soundly just outside the toll booth. His loud snores echo around the caverns.

>give coin to gnome
The gnome is asleep, remember?

Oh, that's right. Whoopsy-doodle.

>wake gnome
The gnome stirs a bit and opens one eye, which wanders around until it notices you. He jumps to his feet. "One zorkmid, please," he yells with a smile.

>give coin to gnome
The gnome pockets the coin and opens the gate. Before you can take a step the gnome falls asleep again.

This gnome's narcolepsy is sort of a hint that you should pay him first, then pickpocket him afterwards. But it's very vague, and since the slot machine is free to play, the other route works just as well.

>e
Outside Store
A store lies to the south from this section of the east-west road. There is a sign over the entrance.

>read sign

"ZEKE'S APPLIANCE STORE

Official outlet for all
Frobozz Magic Appliances"

You are beginning to tire.

Frobozz Magic Appliances, eh? Could very well come in handy.

>s
Store
This is an appliance store, apparently abandoned. The entrance lies to the north.
There is a floor waxer here.

Shame that there isn't anything good. Just a floor waxer, and there aren't any floors around that need waxing.

>n
Outside Store

>e
End of Highway
The underground road ends here. A hovel, carved into the rock, lies to the east. To the north, wide marble stairs lead upward.

Well, the last hovel we saw had free bread, so let's check this one out. Maybe there'll be goodies here, too!

>e
Stone Hut
This is a small underground hovel. On the far wall is a small fireplace, long unused.

Or not. Oh, well.

>u
Entrance Hall
This is a large entrance hall, paved with polished stone. Large doorways lead north and south.
Standing in the center of the hall is a life-sized statue. An inscription at the base is in a familiar language.

>examine statue
"I, Duncanthrax, King of Quendor and all its subjugated outlands, invite you to sample the delights of my Glass Labyrinth."

Labyrinth? As in...a MAZE? Oh, poo-poo. Well, let's just scope it out, at least...

>n
Outside Glass Arch
Through a breathtaking archway of glass to the east is an area glistening with reflected light. Another exit leads south.

You are feeling tired.

>e
Inside the Glass Maze
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. It is impossible to tell if the walls and ceilings around you are glass surfaces or openings. Since you are standing on something, the floor must be solid, but it is virtually invisible and you feel as though you were walking on air.

>n
Inside the Glass Maze
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. It is impossible to tell if the walls and ceilings around you are glass surfaces or openings.
Unfortunately, this section of the glass maze has no floor.

**** You have died ****

Your guardian angel, draped in white, appears floating in the nothingness before you. "Gotten in a bit of a scrape, eh?" he asks, writing frantically in a notebook. "I'd love to chat, but we're so busy this month." The angel twitches his nose, and the nothingness is replaced by...

Crater

Well, at least we're close to where I was planning on heading, anyway, so I won't bother to restore. Gerad suggested flying across the river, and ais523 suggested pulvering it, so I'll head to that area for now.

>n
Slimy Room

>u
Snake Pit

>u
Forest Edge

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

You are getting more and more tired.

>e
Meadow

A swarm of bloodsucking locusts appears on the horizon.

>ne
River Bank

>izyuk me
You are now floating serenely in midair.

>ne
You fly across the river's surface. Suddenly, a downdraft plunges you into the swirling rapids!

Now, if that's not a dickmove, I don't know what is. But maybe Pulver will work?

>pulver river
The river dries up, leaving only a few puddles between the rocks! It's now safe to climb down into the river bed.

Apparently. Now, to the other side of the river!

>ne
River Bed
You are on the bed of an evaporated river. Fish splash helplessly in tiny puddles. The bed leads northwest and southeast. A climb up the southwest bank is possible. To the northeast is a dark cave, hollowed out by years of rushing water.

Where there are caves, there are goodies!

>ne
Hidden Cave
This is a hollow area under the northeast bank of the river. The floor rises away from the mouth of the cave, which is at its southwest end. A dark hole leads downward at the far end of the cave.
Lying in the corner, in a pile of bat guano, is a scroll.
There is an amber vial here.

Especially in this one! Although that scroll looks a bit unsanitary, it's still a scroll, and it's not like wizards aren't willing to get a little guano on their hands...

>get scroll
You're holding too many things already.

>drop calendar
Dropped.

There is a roar of water from outside the cave. The lower part of the cave, near the mouth, fills with a pool of swirling water!

>get scroll
You're holding too many things already.

You are worn out.

>drop journal
Dropped.

>get scroll
You're holding too many things already.

>i
You are carrying:
an aqua vial
an orange vial
a small key
a magic amulet (being worn)
a spell book (providing light)

>drop key
Dropped.

>get scroll
Taken.

I only hope that Belboz doesn't wonder about where his journal is once I've rescued him...

>read scroll
The scroll reads "fweep spell: turn caster into a bat".

>gnusto fweep
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the fweep 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.

Seems similar to Izyuk, but I'm sure that it has its benefits. And as for the potion?

>read amber

"BLORT POTION
(ability to see in dark places)"

You are dead tired.

The blort potion may seem useful...except that:
1. We have an infinite magical light source in the form of Frotz.
2. The reason we avoid dark places is because of grues, which are afraid of light, not beeing seen.
3. There are no puzzles in this game requiring being in a dark place, unlike the first one.
So, the blort potion is completely useless. Shame.

Now, to get some rest.

>sleep
Ah, sleep! It's been a long day and rest will do you good. You spread your cloak on the floor and drift off, renewing your powers and refreshing your mind. Time passes as you snore blissfully.

You dream of an idyllic scene in the country, a picnic of wood-sprites and dryads. You awaken and stand.

Now, as you may recall, our Pulver spell wore off overnight, but maybe we can swim across?

>sw
Entering that swirling, turbulent pool looks very dangerous.


OK, then. But maybe if I could breathe underwater?

>open orange
Opening the orange vial reveals orange potion.

>drink potion
The orange potion tasted like pepper, and made your nose tingle.

>sw
Entering that swirling, turbulent pool looks very dangerous.

Or not. Guess that we can swim all right, but not in water that dangerous. But maybe we could pulver it again...AFTER restoring.

>restore

Please supply a filename for restore
Ok.

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

>pulver pool
The water recedes for a moment, then swirls back.

>pulver river
You can't see any river here!

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

>pulver river
You can't see any river here!

Guess not. But there was a dark hole in the corner, come to think of it...

>d
Pit of Bones


Aha! So that was what that hole in the Pit of Bones was! Now that we've got a lot of exploration out of the way, it seems like a good time to end this mega-sized update. Until we meet again!

Current puzzles:
A rigged carnival game.
A glass maze with some floorless sections.
A cannon barrel filled with biting scrolls.

Unexplored areas:
Northwest of River Bed
Southeast of River Bed

Inventory (annotations in italic):
an aqua vial ([i]containing fooble potion, which improves muscular coordination[i])
an orange vial (containing vilstu potion, which enables one to survive without breath)
a magic amulet (being worn, attuned to Belboz and shows how close I am to him)
a spell book (providing light)

Spells:
Fweep (turn caster into a bat)
Gaspar (provide for your own resurrection)
Meef (cause plants to wilt)
Gnusto (write a magic spell into a spell book)
Vezza (view the future)
Pulver (cause liquids to become dry)
Izyuk (fly like a bird for one turn)
yomiN (mind probe)
Rezrov (open even locked or enchanted objects)
Frotz (cause something to give off light)

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Rezrov (permanent), Frotz (permanent), Pulver

Our score is 150 of a possible 400, in 137 moves. This puts us in the class of Intermediate Enchanter.

Death toll: 8 (trapped in the Chamber of Living Death, trampled beneath dozens of hooves, ripped to shreds by alligators, eaten by bloodsucking locusts, blatantly disregarded safety rules and fell to my death, crushed under a torrent of zorkmids, stepped on a glass panel that didn't exist, fell into a raging river due to a sudden downdraft)

You got some color issues going on there. Aside from that, I think the fooble potion is just the thing for the rigged carnival game. Still no ideas as to what to do about those biting scrolls, though.

EDIT: The Fweep spell also sounds like the perfect solution for the glass maze, assuming you keep sentience. You can fly, and echolocation would tell you where the glass is and everything.

Fixed...by the way, like I said, black is in-character, blue is out-of-character, just so that everyone knows for the future. Real update coming tomorrow!

Could you have used gasper to survive the crushing jackpot in order to have infinite money? That's got to be worth a few extra points. Other than that I second using the aqua vial for the rigged game.

Oh.

Oh.

I was wondering why it was like that. That's pretty clever

Unfortunately not. Here's what happens if you try.

>pull lever
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the first section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the second section of the display.
Ping!
A pot of gold appears in the third section of the display.
Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!
An unbelievable torrent of zorkmid coins pours out of the machine -- far more than the machine could possibly contain! You are buried and crushed under the huge mass of coins.

**** You have died ****

Your guardian angel, draped in white, appears floating in the nothingness before you. "Gotten in a bit of a scrape, eh?" he asks, writing frantically in a notebook. "I'd love to chat, but we're so busy this month." The angel twitches his nose, and the nothingness is replaced by...

You enter just as a group of casino nymphs finish cleaning up the last of the zorkmid coins.

Casino
Standing on one side of the room is an odd machine, with a three-section display and a large lever on the side.

Anyway, there have been two votes for me to use the aqua potion to cheat the cheater, so let's do that! Heading back to the arcade, then...

>open aqua
Opening the aqua vial reveals aqua potion.
"C'mon, pal!" cries the hawker from the game booth. "Try your luck!" He holds the ball out toward you.

>drink aqua potion
The aqua potion tasted like lime jelly, and sent vibrations through your muscles.
"C'mon, pal!" cries the hawker from the game booth. "Try your luck!" He holds the ball out toward you.

>get ball
Taken.

>throw ball at bunny
A tremendous pitch sends a bunny spinning. "What an arm, kid, what an arm!" cries the hawker. He hands you a glittering scroll from the shelf of prizes. "Here's your prize, now scram."

I scram, then check out my new scroll.

>read scroll
The scroll reads "malyon spell: bring life to inanimate objects".

>gnusto malyon
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the malyon 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.

Quite impressive for a carnival prize, I must say. Now, as for the other voices in my head...

Indeed. Back to the Glass Maze, and then...

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

>fweep me
With keen disappointment, you note that nothing has changed. Then, you slowly realize that you are black, have two wing-like appendages, and are flying a few feet above the ground. Understandably, you dropped everything you were carrying.

Now, to work my way through, using my Bat-Senses!

>e
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, below you, to the south and to the east.

>u
BONK! You fly right into an almost invisible wall of glass -- a stunning blow!

Whoops...forgot that the Bat-Senses detect surfaces, not exits. This mistake will crop up again...trust me. :P

>n
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, to the north and to the west.

>n
BONK! You fly right into an almost invisible wall of glass -- a stunning blow!

>e
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces below you, to the north and to the east.

>u
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, to the north, to the south and to the east.

>e
BONK! You fly right into an almost invisible wall of glass -- a stunning blow!

>w
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, below you, to the north, to the south and to the west.

>e
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, to the north, to the south and to the east.

>d
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces below you, to the north and to the east.

>s
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, below you, to the east and to the west.

>s
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces below you and to the south.

>u
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, to the north and to the south.

>e
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, below you, to the north, to the south and to the east.

After a moment of futilely flapping your arms, you realize that the fweep spell has worn off. You fall several feet to the ground.

Darn...seems like Fweep wears off after a while, so I'll have to go in with a few memorizations of it, since it makes me drop everything. Fortunately, there is a map available, so, after memorizing Fweep three times and navigating my maze, I find myself in the...

>e
Hollow
The maze opens here onto a tiny outdoor plateau, completely surrounded by towering cliffs. The only way out is back through the dazzling archway of glass to the west.
Near the glass arch is a small rectangular brick structure. The center of the structure is a hole about a foot wide, leading down into darkness.
There is a parchment scroll here.

Now, the Fweep spell has worn off, so I can take this scroll.

>take scroll
As you take the scroll, a deep and evil laugh rumbles around the hollow. You hear a sliding, grinding noise and turn just in time to catch a flicker of light from within the glass maze, indicating that its transparent panels have shifted around.

Looks like I won't be able to take the same way back, and even if I were to, I wouldn't be able to carry the scroll while Fweep-ed. Plus, that evil laugh is not a good sign. What will happen next on Let's Play Sorcerer? To be continued...

Current puzzles:
A glass maze with some floorless sections.
A scroll that I can't take through the glass maze as a bat, and which I can't get through as a human.
A cannon barrel filled with biting scrolls.

Unexplored areas:
Northwest of River Bed
Southeast of River Bed

Inventory (annotations in italic):
A parchment scroll

Spells:
Malyon (bring life to inanimate objects)
Fweep (turn caster into a bat)
Gaspar (provide for your own resurrection)
Meef (cause plants to wilt)
Gnusto (write a magic spell into a spell book)
Vezza (view the future)
Pulver (cause liquids to become dry)
Izyuk (fly like a bird for one turn)
yomiN (mind probe)
Rezrov (open even locked or enchanted objects)
Frotz (cause something to give off light)

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Rezrov (permanent), Frotz (permanent), Fweep (twice)

Our score is 180 of a possible 400, in 441 moves. This puts us in the class of Intermediate Enchanter.

Death toll: 8 (trapped in the Chamber of Living Death, trampled beneath dozens of hooves, ripped to shreds by alligators, eaten by bloodsucking locusts, blatantly disregarded safety rules and fell to my death, crushed under a torrent of zorkmids, stepped on a glass panel that didn't exist, fell into a raging river due to a sudden downdraft)

Is it possible to use gaspar + deliberate suicide to transport the scroll out of the maze?

I thought that, but doesn't gasper return you without items gained? Also, is that brick structure a well? There are always goodies at the bottom of wells, for some odd reason.

Hey -- you didn't tell us what the scroll even does D:

Also, would the spell to give life to enchanted objects work in reverse, i.e. take life from animated inanimate objects? If not, you could animate the cannon and ask it to spit one out.

This hole intrigues me. Does it lead somewhere new, or back into the bottomless abyss?

EDIT:Oh! Almost forgot, if you're going down into the hole to the darkness, you may want to frotz the scroll or something, since you can make use of having that spell permanently memorized

You're right. I wasn't planning on doing that until I got it out, but I might as well show y'all now.

The scroll reads "swanzo spell: exorcise an inhabiting presence".

Of course, we won't be able to do anything else with it until we get it out of the maze. As for the rest? You'll have to wait until tomorrow's update, I'm afraid.

exorcise an inhabiting presence? That sounds like a ridiculously appropriate spell. Wonder if it'll work on the scrolls too...

Most of the suggestions for today's updates have involved the mysterious hole in the Hollow, as well as Frotz-ing the parchment scroll. So, let's try them.

>get scroll
As you take the scroll, a deep and evil laugh rumbles around the hollow. You hear a sliding, grinding noise and turn just in time to catch a flicker of light from within the glass maze, indicating that its transparent panels have shifted around.

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

You are beginning to tire.

Now, ais523 suggested suiciding and returning to Crater in order to get the scroll out. Since every other time I died, I got to keep my stuff, it might just work. Let's give it a try!

>w
Inside the Glass Maze
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. It is impossible to tell if the walls and ceilings around you are glass surfaces or openings. Since you are standing on something, the floor must be solid, but it is virtually invisible and you feel as though you were walking on air.

>w
Inside the Glass Maze
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. It is impossible to tell if the walls and ceilings around you are glass surfaces or openings. Since you are standing on something, the floor must be solid, but it is virtually invisible and you feel as though you were walking on air.

>s
Inside the Glass Maze
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. It is impossible to tell if the walls and ceilings around you are glass surfaces or openings. Since you are standing on something, the floor must be solid, but it is virtually invisible and you feel as though you were walking on air.

>e
Inside the Glass Maze
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. It is impossible to tell if the walls and ceilings around you are glass surfaces or openings.
Unfortunately, this section of the glass maze has no floor.

**** You have died ****

Your guardian angel, draped in white, appears floating in the nothingness before you. "Gotten in a bit of a scrape, eh?" he asks, writing frantically in a notebook. "I'd love to chat, but we're so busy this month." The angel twitches his nose, and the nothingness is replaced by...

It is pitch black. Dangerous creatures, such as grues, probably abound in the darkness.

Unfortunately, it didn't work this time. But maybe that hole could work as an appropriate passage?

>enter hole
The opening in the brick structure is too small for humans or even bats.

Well, the scroll is probably smaller than a human or even a bat...

>put scroll in hole
The parchment scroll disappears into the shaft.

Well, it fits. Now to get the hell out of here!

>fweep me
With keen disappointment, you note that nothing has changed. Then, you slowly realize that you are black, have two wing-like appendages, and are flying a few feet above the ground.

With a loud roar, a dreadfully huge dorn beast emerges from the shadows at the base of the cliff and gallops toward you.

Oh, damn! Fly away! Fly away!

>w
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, below you, to the north and to the south.

The dorn beast rushes after you. Its ear-splitting bellowing resounds throughout the glass maze.

>w
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, below you, to the north and to the west.

The dorn beast rushes after you. Its ear-splitting bellowing resounds throughout the glass maze.

>s
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, below you, to the south and to the west.

The dorn beast rushes after you. Its ear-splitting bellowing resounds throughout the glass maze.

>e
Inside the Glass Maze (you are flying)
You are inside a huge cubical maze, shimmering with light from an unseen source above. Thanks to your sonar-like bat senses, you can tell that there are surfaces above you, to the north, to the south and to the east.

The dorn beast rushes after you. Its ear-splitting bellowing resounds throughout the glass maze. Suddenly, the dorn-beast realizes that it is galloping through midair, and gives a surprisingly high-pitched squeal. It claws frantically at thin air, trying desperately to invent dorn beast flight. You happily notice that dorn beasts do not so much fly as plummet.

Well, that was anti-climatic. Now, just have to navigate the rest of the maze, and...

>w
Outside Glass Arch (you are flying)
There is a spell book here (providing light).
There is an amulet here. The amulet's jewel is glowing.
An orange vial, labelled in tiny letters, is lying here.
There is an aqua vial here.

>z
Time passes...

>z
Time passes...

You are dead tired and the spells you've memorized are becoming confused.

After a moment of futilely flapping your arms, you realize that the fweep spell has worn off. You fall several feet to the ground.


Now to take the rest of my stuff and try to find where that scroll landed. Come to think of it, wasn't there a fireplace in that hovel? Maybe that brick structure was a chimney connected to that fireplace?

>s
Entrance Hall
Standing in the center of the hall is a life-sized statue. An inscription at the base is in a familiar language.

>s
End of Highway

>e
Stone Hut
The fireplace contains:
a parchment scroll (providing light)

Indeed. Now, for the standard new-scroll routine.

>get scroll
Taken.

>gnusto swanzo
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the swanzo 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.

You are so tired you can barely concentrate.


Indeed. This seems like a good place to rest, so...

>sleep
Ah, sleep! It's been a long day and rest will do you good. You spread your cloak on the floor and drift off, renewing your powers and refreshing your mind. Time passes as you snore blissfully.

You dream of being pursued through a dank cavern. Something is behind you, something horrible that you can't turn to face. It gets closer and closer, and you can feel its hot breath on your neck. You awaken and stand.


Now, Jimcloud suggested malyon-ing the cannon in hopes of getting one of those identical scrolls out. Now that's what I call thinking outside the box! To Fort Griffspotter!

>w
End of Highway

>w
Outside Store

>w
Toll Gate
A fat old gnome with a long white beard is sleeping soundly just outside the toll booth. His loud snores echo around the caverns.

>w
Highway

>u
Dungeon

>u
Ruins

>w
Drawbridge
The bridge continues to creak.

>w
Meadow

A swarm of bloodsucking locusts appears on the horizon.

>ne
River Bank

>se
Fort Entrance

>e
Parade Ground
There is a flagpole here.
A flag displaying the brown and gold of ancient Quendor is lying here.

>e
Gun Emplacement
A magnificent cast-iron cannon stands atop the battlement. Its wide, shallow barrel points toward the ocean, as though daring enemy ships to approach.
The cannon contains:
a pile of identical scrolls

Here we go...

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

>malyon cannon
Although you complete the spell, nothing seems to have happened.

Although Jimcloud is good at thinking outside the box, it seems that Steve Meretsky isn't quite so good. Shame, that. But maybe the scrolls are possessed, and our new scroll will help?

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

>swanzo scrolls
Although you complete the spell, nothing seems to have happened.

Apparently, they aren't possessed. Darn. Well, that's all the suggestions I've gotten, so I'll leave you with that.

If you're wondering, the identical scrolls are a copy-protection puzzle, of sorts. One of the creatures on the infotater fits a similar description, and a weakness for that creature is given. Just a little nudge in the right direction.

Current puzzles:
A cannon barrel filled with biting scrolls.

Unexplored areas:
Northwest of River Bed
Southeast of River Bed

Inventory (annotations in italic):
an orange vial (containing vilstu potion, which enables one to survive without breath)
a magic amulet (being worn, attuned to Belboz and shows how close I am to him)
a spell book (providing light)

Spells:
Swanzo (exorcise an inhabiting presence)
Malyon (bring life to inanimate objects)
Fweep (turn caster into a bat)
Gaspar (provide for your own resurrection)
Meef (cause plants to wilt)
Gnusto (write a magic spell into a spell book)
Vezza (view the future)
Pulver (cause liquids to become dry)
Izyuk (fly like a bird for one turn)
yomiN (mind probe)
Rezrov (open even locked or enchanted objects)
Frotz (cause something to give off light)

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Rezrov (permanent), Frotz (permanent)

Our score is 205 of a possible 400, in 551 moves. This puts us in the class of Senior Enchanter.

Death toll: 8 (trapped in the Chamber of Living Death, trampled beneath dozens of hooves, ripped to shreds by alligators, eaten by bloodsucking locusts, blatantly disregarded safety rules and fell to my death, crushed under a torrent of zorkmids, stepped on a glass panel that didn't exist, fell into a raging river due to a sudden downdraft)

Does that mean Belboz is nearby, or has it always been glowing and I've just never noticed?

Also, are the many biting scrolls really only one scroll and many yipples? Can we use the bat guano from the cave to kill them?

I'm actually not sure...I haven't really been checking it regularly, but it could have something to do with the fact that we're at a little over half the maximum score. As I've said, I don't have any source code for this game, so I can't confirm or deny this.

Indeed, they are! But first, we'll need to get the guano. So...

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

>w
Parade Ground
There is a flagpole here.
A flag displaying the brown and gold of ancient Quendor is lying here.

>w
Fort Entrance

>w
You can't go that way.

>nw
River Bank
Oops! A section of the bank gives way and you tumble into the river. The current dashes you against the rocks.

**** You have died ****

Your guardian angel, draped in white, appears floating in the nothingness before you. "Gotten in a bit of a scrape, eh?" he asks, writing frantically in a notebook. "I'd love to chat, but we're so busy this month." The angel twitches his nose, and the nothingness is replaced by...

Gun Emplacement
A magnificent cast-iron cannon stands atop the battlement. Its wide, shallow barrel points toward the ocean, as though daring enemy ships to approach.
The cannon contains:
a pile of identical scrolls

I was actually expecting that. The river bank just randomly collapses sometimes. Apparently they felt that in exchange for no longer forcing you to eat and drink regularly, there should be a room that randomly KILLS YOU when you enter it...a room that you need to regularly enter, no less. Anyway, enough with the rant, and back to the game. After FINALLY making it to the river bank with Pulver memorized...

>pulver river
The river dries up, leaving only a few puddles between the rocks! It's now safe to climb down into the river bed.

>ne
River Bed

>ne
Hidden Cave
There is a small key here.
The personal journal of Belboz the Necromancer is lying here.
There is a calendar here (providing light).
There is a pile of bat guano here.
There is an amber vial here.

>get guano
Taken.


Yecch...anyway, back to the cannon.

>d
Pit of Bones


>sw
Dungeon

>w
Drawbridge
With a scream of splintering wood, part of the drawbridge collapses and spills you into the moat. You are immediately set upon by alligators and piranhas.

**** You have died ****

Your guardian angel, draped in white, appears floating in the nothingness before you. "Gotten in a bit of a scrape, eh?" he asks, writing frantically in a notebook. "I'd love to chat, but we're so busy this month." The angel twitches his nose, and the nothingness is replaced by...

Gun Emplacement
A magnificent cast-iron cannon stands atop the battlement. Its wide, shallow barrel points toward the ocean, as though daring enemy ships to approach.
The cannon contains:
a pile of identical scrolls

Now, to put this stuff to use.

>put guano in cannon
When you drop the guano into the barrel, the scrolls sprout feet and spill out of the cannon, dashing away in every direction! A single ordinary scroll is left sitting at the bottom of the barrel.

I know just what to do here.

>take scroll
Taken.

>read scroll
The scroll reads "yonk spell: augment the power of certain spells". The spell seems very long and extremely complicated.

Well, this is obviously one of those things that can't be gnusto-ed, so we'll have to find out a good place to use it...and what spell to use it on, for that matter. By the way, we have now explored every area and solved every puzzle we can reach, but our score is still only a little over half the maximum...which means that there must be something further to explore. I know how to get to the next half of the game, but do you? I'll leave that you to figure out, but it does involve the yonk scroll. 'Til next time!

Current puzzles:
None...yet.

Unexplored areas:
None...yet

Inventory (annotations in italic):
an ordinary scroll (the yonk spell)
an orange vial (containing vilstu potion, which enables one to survive without breath)
a magic amulet (being worn, attuned to Belboz and shows how close I am to him)
a spell book (providing light)

Spells:
Swanzo (exorcise an inhabiting presence)
Malyon (bring life to inanimate objects)
Fweep (turn caster into a bat)
Gaspar (provide for your own resurrection)
Meef (cause plants to wilt)
Gnusto (write a magic spell into a spell book)
Vezza (view the future)
Pulver (cause liquids to become dry)
Izyuk (fly like a bird for one turn)
yomiN (mind probe)
Rezrov (open even locked or enchanted objects)
Frotz (cause something to give off light)
As well as one shot of the Yonk spell, which augments certain spells. We should be careful about where we use this, since, again, we only have one shot of it.

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Rezrov (permanent), Frotz (permanent)

Our score is 215 of a possible 400, in 569 moves. This puts us in the class of Senior Enchanter.

Death toll: 9 (trapped in the Chamber of Living Death, trampled beneath dozens of hooves, ripped to shreds by alligators, eaten by bloodsucking locusts, blatantly disregarded safety rules and fell to my death, crushed under a torrent of zorkmids, stepped on a glass panel that didn't exist, fell into a raging river due to a sudden downdraft, fell into the same raging river due to the unstable riverbank)