The end of an era...let's play Spellbreaker!

Lesoch the hut. If it's already blown down, the hermit will have no reason to stop you taking the cube...

Yomin the hermit to see if he wants anything. Once again try to grow plants to stabilize the rocks. Cause perfection on the hermit to get him to be not a hermit and thus leave the hut. Failing all that, use a gust of wind to blow the hut off the mountain so that he doesn't care about it anymore (or, while falling and the hermit is in panic, pick up the cube and blorple it.

And name the cube Hermy, after its owner.

A quick supplemental update, but I found out that the cube in the hermit's hut is linked with Life, rather than Connectivity. Blame the InvisiClues. So, if you have any suggestions for the name, you might want to keep that in mind, but it looks like it'll be "Hermy" unless there's a serious upset.

Can we name it Hermey?

LOTS of suggestions on what to do today. The correct one is included but, per tradition, I'm saving it for last. So, to clear up some brainspace...

>yomin hermit
The hermit is worried that you will rob him. He is very suspicious. He's been up here on the mountain for so long that his brains are slightly curdled.

Now, to try and render the keystone's purpose meaningless.

>lesoch hut
Slowly, teasingly, a small puff of wind begins to blow. It quickly builds to gale force, then hurricane force, and just as you feel you are about to be swept away, it subsides.

Evidently, this hut is sturdier than it looks. But maybe the problem isn't the hut, but the owner. Maybe magic could cure his curdled brains?

>caskly hermit
The hermit looks pretty perfect as is.

So, the problem is indeed the hut. There are a couple spells that could stabilize it, so let's give them a shot.

>throck moss
I guess you have a black thumb. Nothing happens.

Or, more likely, the spell only works on living plants. But there was one other suggestion, which is also the correct one. So...

>caskly hut
The hut begins to melt, the stones dripping down like wax and the dirt spraying in all directions. "Now you've done it, you meddlesome mage!" screams the hermit. But then the stones start flowing back into place, and the dirt speeds into place between them, and all is changed. The hut looks considerably different, and the cube, no longer necessary, sits in lonely splendor on the ground between you and the hermit.

Well, now there shouldn't be anything stopping me from taking the cube. But first, let's see what the hut looks like now.

>look
Stone Hut
The hut is beautifully constructed out of carefully dressed granite blocks and strong mortar. The construction of the hut is somewhat at odds with the squalor of its contents. There is an exit to the east.
Squatting on the floor is a wild-haired, bearded hermit who is admiring his perfect hut.
A white cube is here.

Then I probably wouldn't call it a "hut" anymore. But let's take the cube, then blorple our way out of here.

>take cube
Taken.

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

>blorple rocky
Abruptly, your surroundings shift.

Packed Earth

Now, both people who suggested naming the cube suggested naming it after its former owner, but namelessentity suggested calling it Hermy, and Starman Deluxe suggested the equally-valid Hermey. Due to the fact that both names would work, I'm going to go with the earlier suggestion and name it...

>write hermy on cube
The word "hermy" is now written on the cube.

Sorry, namelessentity. Anyway, since I'm back in Packed Earth, this seems like it would be a good time to keep my earlier promise to Droewyn. So, down the hole, riding to the roc's nest, then...

>give fish to roc
The roc gobbles it down.

>take cube
The roc, convinced you are threatening its precious egg, drives you away before you can snatch the cube.

Well, that didn't kill me, but it didn't get me any closer to getting the cube. So, restoring in case I need the fish later, then...

>e
As you leave, the "rocky" cube reappears in your hand.

Hall of Stone

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

>blorple hermy
Abruptly, your surroundings shift.

Soft Room
This place is soft, warm and slightly spongy. It glistens in the light. There are passages leading east and south.

Ah, another of these strange rooms. As mentioned earlier, this one is associated with Life, and the previous one was associated with Earth. But enough of that. Let's exploring!

>e
Oddly, although there appears to be an exit there, you can't seem to force your way through it.

Another of these odd exits...I wonder if there's any significance to them? Anyway, let's check out the other one and see if it goes anywhere. But first, I thought I'd check out that gold coin and see if there's anything unusual about it.
The only reason I'm examining the coin now is because it completely slipped my mind, if you're wondering.

>examine coin
This is a gold 500 zorkmid piece.

>s
As you leave, the "hermy" cube reappears in your hand.

Meadow
This is a warm, sunny meadow nestled among low hills. Wildflowers abound, and insects buzz lazily through the air. The grass is soft and thick. Birds drift serenely through the sky, where puffy white clouds decorate the bright blue background.
There is a weed plant here. It's tall, with yellow blossoms dripping pollen.
There is a pair of pruning shears here.

Ah, a peaceful meadow. This seems like a good place to take a break for now, so, until next time.

Current puzzles:
An exit that I can't force my way through.
A big big big big snake snake snake!
A hayfeverish ogre who won't let me through a passage in his cave.
A cube in the nest of a very protective roc.

Inventory (annotations in italic):
the "hermy" cube (when blorpled, leads to Soft Room)
the "rocky" cube (when blorpled, leads to Packed Earth)
a gold coin (worth 500 zorkmids)
a smoked fish (providing light courtesy of the frotz spell)
a zipper
a chunk of rye bread
a magic burin, used to engrave things on cubes
a knife
a spell book

Spells (annotations in italics):
The caskly spell (cause perfection).
The throck spell (cause plants to grow).
The blorple spell (explore an object's mystic connections).
The yomin spell (mind probe).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).
The malyon spell (animate).
The jindak spell (detect magic).
The lesoch spell (gust of wind).

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

Our score is 105 of a possible 600, in 254 moves. This puts us in the class of Magician.

Death toll: 2 (fell to my death, trampled to death by an angry and hayfeverish ogre)

Take the flowering weed to the ogre. Flowers cheer people up when they are feeling down!

Try tossing the fish out of the roc nest to see if the bird will dive for it and leave you alone for a minute.

Seconded.

Also, throck the only plant we've seen that can actually grow. Hopefully it turns into a monster and causes a funny death scene.

Also, are there other exits from hermy?

The meadow is the only exit from Hermy, unless you count the Unusuable Exit of Mystery. But, anyway, most of today's suggestions involved the plant. So...

>throck plant
With a spurt of explosive growth, the weed expands to spectacular size. It is now as large as a small tree!

>examine weed
This is a ragweed plant. It's tall as a tree, with yellow blossoms dripping pollen. This is the only weed you can see anywhere in the meadow. It's like a well-kept garden.

Ragweed, eh? Might be useful against hayfeverish ogres. But as it is now, it might not be so easy to carry. Restoring to get the ragweed back to its manageable size, and then...

>get plant
You're holding too many things and can't quite get them all arranged to take it as well.

Well, darn. Fortunately, we've got a zippered portable hole, so let's put some stuff in there.

>put coin in zipper
Done.

A rabbit hops across the meadow, twitches its nose at you, and then scampers away.

Before you ask, there's no significance to the rabbit. It was just included in there because the writer likes rabbits. But now we should be able to take the weed.

>get plant
The weed pulls partly out of the ground.

>take plant
The weed pulls out of the ground, taking a good-sized ball of earth with it.

Now, to get it to the ogre's lair. By the way, when I cast a spell, just assume that I memorized it. That makes it easier for all of us.

>blorple rocky
Abruptly, your surroundings shift.

Packed Earth

>w
As you leave, the "rocky" cube reappears in your hand.

Cave Entrance

>n
Cave
A large ogre bars the passage.

The ogre sneezes.

Now, to show the ogre the agony of true hayfever!

>shake weed at ogre
The ogre shrinks back and lets go an explosive sneeze.

The ogre sneezes.

That seemed to do something...and if a normal ragweed caused that, imagine what a tree-sized ragweed would do. So...

>plant weed
You plant the weed. It looks like it might even thrive if it gets some attention.

The ogre sneezes.

>throck weed
With a spurt of explosive growth, the weed expands to spectacular size. It is now as large as a small tree! As the weed grows, the ogre watches in horror. "Ragweed!" he screams, and then his further comments are cut off by a volley of sneezes like the reports of a small cannon. The ogre begins to rub his eyes, which are watering horrifically, and his sneezes are monumental. He is totally oblivious to your presence.

The ogre doubles over in a spectacular paroxysm of sneezing.

I almost feel sorry for him. But now we can probably get into his lair without being killed!

>d
You saunter nonchalantly past the convulsively sneezing ogre.

Ogre Lair
This small but cozy hole is the ogre's lair. Moldy, filthy furs piled in one corner make a crude bed. There is a rocky crawl up to the main part of the cave.
There is a gold box here.
There is a dusty scroll here.

You hear explosive sneezing from the cave.

As you may recall, the dusty scroll contained a sleep spell called Espnis. So, let's gnusto it!

>gnusto espnis
Your spell book begins to glow softly. Slowly, ornately, the words of the espnis 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 hear explosive sneezing from the cave.

Now, to see what might be in the box.

>get box
Taken.

You hear explosive sneezing from the cave.

>open box
Opening the gold box reveals a cube.

You hear explosive sneezing from the cave.

Ooh, another cube! Let's see where it blorples to!

>get cube
You're holding too many things and can't quite get them all arranged to take it as well.

You hear explosive sneezing from the cave.

Well, darn. Might as well put something in the zipper for storage.

>put bread in zipper
Done.

You hear explosive sneezing from the cave.

>get cube
Taken.

You hear explosive sneezing from the cave.

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

The sneezing noises have slowed in volume and frequency.

This would be a good time to blorple, seeing as the ogre is apparently getting over his hayfever...So...

>blorple cube
Abruptly, your surroundings shift.

Water Room
This is a damp, mossy room. Its floor is mud, and its walls and ceiling are coral. In the gaps in the coral you can see a shimmering film which you realize is actually the outer edge of a huge bubble of air enclosing you. On the north, east and south sides of the room are curtains of bubbles.

Obviously, this cube is linked with the element of Water. So, what should I call this one? But first, there's one more roc-related thing I was supposed to do. So, after cutting to the roc's nest:

>throw fish
What do you want to throw the fish at?

>throw fish off cliff
You can't see any cliff here.


So, I honestly have no idea as to how I would throw the fish out of the nest. But it was a very clever suggestion that I probably would have had work if I were writing this game. Anyway, with a new cube acquired, this would be a good time to end this update. Again, what should I call the water cube? Remember, names can be up to six letters.

Current puzzles:
An exit that I can't force my way through in each cube room so far.
A big big big big snake snake snake!
A cube in the nest of a very protective roc.

Inventory (annotations in italic):
a gold box
the "hermy" cube (when blorpled, leads to Soft Room)
the "rocky" cube (when blorpled, leads to Packed Earth)
a smoked fish (providing light courtesy of the frotz spell)
a zipper
The zipper contains:
a chunk of rye bread
a gold coin (worth 500 zorkmids)
a magic burin, used to engrave things on cubes
a knife
a spell book

Spells (annotations in italics):
The espnis spell (sleep).
The caskly spell (cause perfection).
The throck spell (cause plants to grow).
The blorple spell (explore an object's mystic connections).
The yomin spell (mind probe).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).
The malyon spell (animate).
The jindak spell (detect magic).
The lesoch spell (gust of wind).

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

Our score is 150 of a possible 600, in 275 moves. This puts us in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 2 (fell to my death, trampled to death by an angry and hayfeverish ogre)

I wonder if there's a way to get the giant bird and the giant snake together. In any case, try to epnis both of them.

And going with the name-the-cube-after-its-former-owner trend, how about "sneezy"?

I would continue with that trend, but I can't pass up the opportunity to name it Wet. I am highly amused at "You pick up the wet cube"

Or Damp, really any moist adjective (Moist would be a good name)

Maybe "throw fish out nest", "throw fish at nest", "throw fish at bird"(we already tried that one, right?), "throw fish up" and watch it swoop over head.

I'll second Moist.

Today, we'll be exploring the Water Cube, which a slight majority has asked me to name "moist." So, let's go in a clockwise journey around the exits, excluding the eastern one, which is the obligatory exit-that-isn't-an-exit.

>n
As you leave, the cube reappears in your hand.

Oubliette
This is an oubliette. Sheer walls rise for twenty feet above you and lean inward to a narrow opening covered with wooden planks. A small but fast-flowing channel of water runs along the bottom of the chamber between two pipes.

Let's hope we can get out of this oubliette through the hatch. But first...

>write moist on cube
The word "moist" is now written on the cube.

>u
The trap door is far over your head. You can't reach it.

Fortunately, we still have another exit to explore from the Water Room. So, after blorpling the "moist" cube...

>s
As you leave, the "moist" cube reappears in your hand.

You step out of the room and drop precipitously into the Flathead Ocean, making a terrific splash. The "moist" cube, lost in the shock of the fall, makes a smaller splash. It is a little less buoyant than you and begins to sink slowly beneath the waves. Some of your possessions have been damaged by the water.

Mid-Ocean
You are swimming in mid-ocean. Floating nearby are the "moist" cube and a bottle.
A large grouper swims nearby.

Well, I'll have to get that cube back, but the bottle is probably also important. But I should also figure out which of my possessions were damaged.

>read book
The spell book is totally unreadable. The ink has run, and the pages are soaked. What a mess!

The grouper, nosing around for something tasty, swallows the "moist" cube and starts to swim downward, temporarily sated.

Darn. Looks like a double walking-dead situation - my spellbook is ruined, and I've lost the moist cube. Fortunately, I can restore. So, that's what I'll do, and then try to do some of the fish-and-bird things suggested by namelessentity.

>throw fish out nest
That sentence isn't one I recognize.

>throw fish at nest
Thrown.

>l
In Roc Nest
This nest is made from skillfully woven tree trunks, small bushes, and large amounts of mud and roc guano for glue. Giant black feathers are everywhere. In the center of the nest is an egg the size of a small wagon. Nestled beneath the egg is a featureless white cube.
There is a smoked fish here (providing light).
The roc perches on the side of the nest, watching you intently.
You are beginning to tire.

>get fish
Taken.

>throw fish up
That sentence isn't one I recognize.

>throw fish at bird
You miss. (Mages aren't given a lot of training in this sort of thing.)

So, while you contemplate how it's even possible to miss anything as big as a roc, I'll end this update here. TTFN!

Current puzzles:
An exit that I can't force my way through in each cube room so far.
A big big big big snake snake snake!
A cube in the nest of a very protective roc.
An underwater area that ruins my spellbook when I enter, and that contains a grouper that eats the "moist" cube and a bottle that might come in handy.

Inventory (annotations in italic):
a gold box
the "rocky" cube (when blorpled, leads to Packed Earth)
the "hermy" cube (when blorpled, leads to Soft Room)
a smoked fish (providing light courtesy of the frotz spell)
a zipper
The zipper contains:
a chunk of rye bread
a gold coin (worth 500 zorkmids)
a magic burin, used to engrave things on cubes
a knife
a spell book

Spells (annotations in italics):
The espnis spell (sleep).
The caskly spell (cause perfection).
The throck spell (cause plants to grow).
The blorple spell (explore an object's mystic connections).
The yomin spell (mind probe).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).
The malyon spell (animate).
The jindak spell (detect magic).
The lesoch spell (gust of wind).

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

Our score is 150 of a possible 600, in 281 moves. This puts us in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 2 (fell to my death, trampled to death by an angry and hayfeverish ogre)

And Droewyn, AFAIK there's no way to get the roc and the snake together. Sorry. Probably would have been freakin' awesome, though.

Do things still get wet if they are within the zipper? If they do, could you leave them at the base area of "moist" and recollect them after you blorple?

Sleep the fish before it eats your cube. (Only after we figure out how to protect your items)
Yomin the fish, for funsies.

The zipper does indeed keep things dry, so let's go once again into the depths, after memorizing the appropriate spells.

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

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

>close zipper
The zipper now looks like an ordinary zipper.

>espnis grouper
As groupers rarely if ever sleep, this has no effect.

The grouper, nosing around for something tasty, swallows the "moist" cube and starts to swim downward, temporarily sated.

Well, darn. But maybe the darn fish has something on its mind?

>yomin grouper
The mind of a grouper is hard to focus on, but you get a vision of hunger and curiosity. The last time the grouper saw something like you, it was interesting.

Well, darn. Evidently, putting the thing to sleep isn't the solution. I have an idea as to what to do, but I'll wait until tomorrow to see what you think the solution is.

Current puzzles:
An exit that I can't force my way through in each cube room so far.
A big big big big snake snake snake!
A cube in the nest of a very protective roc.
A grouper that eats the "moist" cube when I enter the ocean.

Inventory (annotations in italic):
a gold box
the "rocky" cube (when blorpled, leads to Packed Earth)
the "hermy" cube (when blorpled, leads to Soft Room)
a smoked fish (providing light courtesy of the frotz spell)
a zipper (waterproof when closed)
The zipper contains:
a spell book
a chunk of rye bread
a gold coin (worth 500 zorkmids)
a magic burin, used to engrave things on cubes
a knife

Spells (annotations in italics):
The espnis spell (sleep, doesn't work on groupers).
The caskly spell (cause perfection).
The throck spell (cause plants to grow).
The blorple spell (explore an object's mystic connections).
The yomin spell (mind probe).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).
The malyon spell (animate).
The jindak spell (detect magic).
The lesoch spell (gust of wind).

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

Our score is 150 of a possible 600, in 284 moves. This puts us in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 2 (fell to my death, trampled to death by an angry and hayfeverish ogre)

Frotz ourselves! Are groupers afraid of light? Let's find out!

Lesoch the grouper! Eat bubbles!

Wait for the grouper to eat the cube, then Rezrov it! Grouper guts!

> EXAMINE GOLD BOX

Throw rye bread at the fish. Hopefully it will eat that first and you can snatch the cube/bottle.

Throw the smoked fish at it. Let it know what happens to bad little fishies.

Gut it with the knife, while swimming, cause you're a MAN's man.

I actually think the rye bread is the answer, I just wanted to throw in some useless suggestions.

Sleep the roc!

Don't worry about that. After all, useless suggestions are what LP's are all about. Anyway, down to business. Most of the suggestions today take place in the Water area, so, after memorizing Lesoch...

>frotz me
Have you forgotten that you already frotzed yourself?

The grouper, nosing around for something tasty, swallows the "moist" cube and starts to swim downward, temporarily sated.

Yes. Yes, I have. Now, about the grouper situation...

>rezrov grouper
It might be a boon to surgeons if it worked, but it doesn't.
The grouper swims down out of sight.

Well, there is one more option...but we'll have to bring the drat fish back. So...

>restore

Please supply a filename for restore
Okay.

>get book
Taken.

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

>put book in zipper
Done.

>close zipper
The zipper now looks like an ordinary zipper.

>s
As you leave, the "moist" cube reappears in your hand.

You step out of the room and drop precipitously into the Flathead Ocean, making a terrific splash. The "moist" cube, lost in the shock of the fall, makes a smaller splash. It is a little less buoyant than you and begins to sink slowly beneath the waves.

Mid-Ocean
You are swimming in mid-ocean. Floating nearby are the "moist" cube and a bottle.
A large grouper swims nearby.

>lesoch grouper
Slowly, teasingly, a small puff of wind begins to blow. It quickly builds to gale force, then hurricane force, and just as you feel you are about to be swept away, it subsides.

The grouper, nosing around for something tasty, swallows the "moist" cube and starts to swim downward, temporarily sated.

Quite impressive, being able to create a normal gust of wind underwater. But magic doesn't seem to be the solution here. Fortunately, some mundane solutions were also offered. Let's try the first of them.

>save

Please supply a filename for save
Okay.

>s
As you leave, the "moist" cube reappears in your hand.

You step out of the room and drop precipitously into the Flathead Ocean, making a terrific splash. The "moist" cube, lost in the shock of the fall, makes a smaller splash. It is a little less buoyant than you and begins to sink slowly beneath the waves.

Mid-Ocean
You are swimming in mid-ocean. Floating nearby are the "moist" cube and a bottle.
A large grouper swims nearby.

>kill fish with knife
The grouper is startled but returns after a few moments, its curiosity unsated.

The grouper, nosing around for something tasty, swallows the "moist" cube and starts to swim downward, temporarily sated.

Well, violence isn't the answer. Maybe we could warn it about what happens to bad little fishies?

>throw fish at grouper
The grouper is startled but returns after a few moments, its curiosity unsated.

The grouper, nosing around for something tasty, swallows the "moist" cube and starts to swim downward, temporarily sated.

Very gutsy, my piscine friend. But I will have my revenge someday. Now, as namelessentity suggested, the rye bread is the correct solution. So...

>drop bread
The chunk of rye bread begins to sink beneath the waves.

The grouper, nosing around for something tasty, swallows the chunk of rye bread and starts to swim downward, temporarily sated.

Now, we can get the cube and the bottle back.
If you're wondering, the smoked fish would have also worked for this if it were dropped rather than thrown.

>get cube
Taken.

>get bottle
Taken.
The grouper swims down out of sight.

Come to think of it, how am I going to get back? There's nothing but ocean for miles around, and if I took my book out of the zipper it would be ruined. Time to restore and come back here WITH blorple. :-P

>restore

Please supply a filename for restore
Okay.

>get book. memorize blorple. put book in zipper. get bread. close zipper. s. drop bread. get cube. get bottle. blorple rocky.
You already have it.

Using your best study habits, you learn the blorple spell.

Done.

Taken.

The zipper now looks like an ordinary zipper.

As you leave, the "moist" cube reappears in your hand.

You step out of the room and drop precipitously into the Flathead Ocean, making a terrific splash. The "moist" cube, lost in the shock of the fall, makes a smaller splash. It is a little less buoyant than you and begins to sink slowly beneath the waves.

Mid-Ocean
You are swimming in mid-ocean. Floating nearby are the "moist" cube and a bottle.
A large grouper swims nearby.

The chunk of rye bread begins to sink beneath the waves.

The grouper, nosing around for something tasty, swallows the chunk of rye bread and starts to swim downward, temporarily sated.

Taken.

Taken.
The grouper swims down out of sight.

I don't know the word "r."

>blorple rocky
Abruptly, your surroundings shift.

Now, to take a good look at that bottle. But first, someone asked me to examine the gold box, and I can't help but oblige.

>examine box
The gold box is small, richly ornamented with allegorical figures of dolphins and cryptic symbols. It has a small latch which could hold closed the lid.

>examine bottle
It's closed.
You are beginning to tire.

Well, if it's closed, that means it could be opened!

>examine bottle
The bottle contains a damp scroll.

What could be written on this scroll?

>read scroll
The scroll reads "liskon spell: shrink a living thing."

Now, this looks quite useful. Gnusto time!

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

Skipped: Numerous turns of trying to manage my inventory to get both the liskon scroll and my spellbook out of the zipper at the same time, only to find out that I was weak from exhaustion and needed to sleep.

Anyway, I also received a request to espnis the roc. So, after memorizing it a few times to avoid any risky failures...

>espnis roc
The mother roc hears you preparing the spell and squawks at you so raucously that your concentration is destroyed, and the spell misfires.

Well, darn. Guess that espnis takes a while to cast. So I'll blorple out of here and see where you want me to go now.

Current puzzles:
An exit that I can't force my way through in each cube room so far.
A big big big big snake snake snake!
A cube in the nest of a very protective roc.

Inventory (annotations in italic):
a spell book
the "moist" cube (when blorpled, leads to Water Room)
the "hermy" cube (when blorpled, leads to Soft Room)
a zipper (waterproof when closed)
The zipper contains:
a gold box (ornamented with dolphins)
a smoked fish (providing light courtesy of the frotz spell)
a gold coin (worth 500 zorkmids)
a magic burin, used to engrave things on cubes
a knife

Spells (annotations in italics):
The liskon spell (shrink a living thing).
The espnis spell (sleep, doesn't work on groupers, requires some time to cast).
The caskly spell (cause perfection).
The throck spell (cause plants to grow).
The blorple spell (explore an object's mystic connections).
The yomin spell (mind probe).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).
The malyon spell (animate).
The jindak spell (detect magic).
The lesoch spell (gust of wind).

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

Our score is 160 of a possible 600, in 378 moves. This puts us in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 2 (fell to my death, trampled to death by an angry and hayfeverish ogre)

Liskon seems tailormade for eliminating the roc problem. Assuming it casts quickly, anyway.

Possibly also the snake problem.

I would say definitely the snake problem, considering it isn't just a snake, but a big big big snake snake snake. Though will we have to worry about it eating us during the transformation, while it is still a big snake?

> drop zipper. liskon me. enter zipper

Didn't the mind reading text indicate that the snake is being forced to chomp on its tail ouroboros-style as a punishment for being arrogant? I was seeing it more as an obstacle than a threat.

I approve of this idea, and can see absolutely nothing that could go wrong with it.

First of all, Droewyn, schep, it's actually possible to enter the zipper while full-size, and even close it from the inside. But I might as well show it off here. So, here goes!

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

>liskon me
You feel very funny, sort of squashed and pushed and squeezed. Your surroundings are wavering, then growing, then wavering again. The feeling vanishes, but your surroundings are ten times their former size... or is it that you are one-tenth your former size?

>enter zipper
It's just big enough to fit in with the zipper fully open.

Ignore this, it appears regardless of your current size.

You crawl into a bright, strange place almost like a big sack. You can sort of stand up, but there isn't much room to move around. You can't see your outside surroundings, though. It's as though a mist was in the way.

>close zipper
You are now in a private little world of your own.

Well, this feels kind of nice, but we've got a world to save. So...

>open zipper
Opened. You can't see your outside surroundings, though. It's as though a mist was in the way.

>out
That's not in here.

>stand
You get out of the hole.

Now, let's wait for the liskon spell to wear off, then see if it works on the roc problem!

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

>g
Using your best study habits, you learn the liskon spell yet another time.

>g
Using your best study habits, you learn the liskon spell yet another time.

>save

Please supply a filename for save
Okay.

>d
As you leave, the "rocky" cube reappears in your hand.

Midair
You have begun to fall.

You are falling towards the ground, wind whipping around you.

>z
Time passes...

Suddenly, from above, you are hit by a crashing blow! You twist and see that a huge bird has taken you in its talons. The bird is nearly the size of an elephant. It closes its huge claws gently around you, squawks (nearly suffocating you with its fetid breath), and takes off towards the west.

>z
Time passes...

The roc gains height and heads west towards the distant Flathead Mountains.

>z
Time passes...

The roc continues to fly west towards the mountains.

>z
Time passes...

You are rapidly approaching a rocky eyrie containing an enormous nest.

>z
Time passes...

The roc circles over its nest, settles to the ground, and releases you.

In Roc Nest
The roc perches on the side of the nest, watching you intently.

>liskon roc
The mother roc hears you preparing the spell and squawks at you so raucously that your concentration is destroyed, and the spell misfires.

Apparently, magic doesn't work on rocs. But maybe it works on snakes? I think that it's learned its lesson by now, so let's set it free and see what it was guarding.

>restore

Please supply a filename for restore
Okay.

>e
As you leave, the "rocky" cube reappears in your hand.

Hall of Stone

>n
Smooth Room

>liskon snake
The serpent shrinks. You can see it thinning out, filling less and less of the corridor. At first it doesn't seem to be growing any shorter, but then you realize that this isn't true. It has swallowed so much of its own tail that it makes up the deficiency by disgorging more tail. Finally, just before the spell stops, the tail tip slips out of the snake's mouth and almost disappears down the western corridor.

Now, to see what lies beyond!

North of Serpent
Here a long north-south corridor meets an east-west cross corridor whose walls are polished to almost mirror smoothness. Just to your south is a large snake whose head pokes out of one side of the cross corridor and the tip of whose tail pokes out the other side. You can see that ahead is more of the crudely built main hall, and beyond that is a dark area.

Hmm, looks like we've reached a point of decision. So...north, east, or west?

Current puzzles:
An exit that I can't force my way through in each cube room so far.
A cube in the nest of a very protective roc.

Inventory (annotations in italic):
the "rocky" cube (when blorpled, leads to Packed Earth)
a zipper (waterproof when closed)
The zipper contains:
a gold box (ornamented with dolphins)
a smoked fish (providing light courtesy of the frotz spell)
a bottle
a gold coin (worth 500 zorkmids)
a spell book
the "moist" cube (when blorpled, leads to Water Room)
the "hermy" cube (when blorpled, leads to Soft Room)
a magic burin, used to engrave things on cubes
a knife

Spells (annotations in italics):
The liskon spell (shrink a living thing, requires some time to cast).
The espnis spell (sleep, doesn't work on groupers, requires some time to cast).
The caskly spell (cause perfection).
The throck spell (cause plants to grow).
The blorple spell (explore an object's mystic connections).
The yomin spell (mind probe).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).
The malyon spell (animate).
The jindak spell (detect magic).
The lesoch spell (gust of wind).

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Rezrov (permanent), Frotz (permanent), Liskon 2x

Our score is 160 of a possible 600, in 409 moves. This puts us in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 2 (fell to my death, trampled to death by an angry and hayfeverish ogre)

> espnis self

> malyon fish

> rezrov box

> malyon box

> e

If you can target the roc's egg with magic, what about rezrov'ing it? Force it to hatch maybe? And could you pick up any of the feathers in the nest?

First of all, the gold box isn't locked, or even closed, currently. I opened it when I first recovered it from the ogre's lair, and it originally contained the "moist" cube. But it's my duty as a LPer to oblige the whims of my audience. So let's see what happens!

>close box
Closed.

>rezrov box
Silently, the gold box swings open. Like swatting a fly with a sledge hammer, if you ask me.

There were a couple of other suggestions involving my inventory, so let's show them off now. After memorizing Malyon a few times...

>malyon fish
As you complete the spell, the smoked fish comes alive! It blinks, dances a little jig, and a moment later returns to normal.

>malyon box
As you complete the spell, the gold box comes alive! It blinks, dances a little jig, and a moment later returns to normal.

Just canned messages. But now we all know that it's just canned messages. Now, to explore the passages leading from this crossroad, or rather, the one passage that was suggested.

>e
Avoiding the snake, you carefully head east. The corridor is smooth and circular. It eventually leads back to where you started.

North of Serpent

I wonder if the same applies if we go west?

>w
Avoiding the snake, you carefully head west. The corridor is smooth and circular. It eventually leads back to where you started.

North of Serpent

Indeed, it does! Guess that makes sense, what with the snake's Ouroboros-type punishment. This means that north is pretty much the only real passageway. But since we still have plans for the roc's nest, let's head there!

>blorple rocky
Abruptly, your surroundings shift.

Packed Earth

>d
As you leave, the "rocky" cube reappears in your hand.

Midair
You have begun to fall.

You are falling towards the ground, wind whipping around you.

>z
Time passes...

Suddenly, from above, you are hit by a crashing blow! You twist and see that a huge bird has taken you in its talons. The bird is nearly the size of an elephant. It closes its huge claws gently around you, squawks (nearly suffocating you with its fetid breath), and takes off towards the west.

>z
Time passes...

The roc gains height and heads west towards the distant Flathead Mountains.

>z
Time passes...

The roc continues to fly west towards the mountains.

>z
Time passes...

You are rapidly approaching a rocky eyrie containing an enormous nest.

>z
Time passes...

The roc circles over its nest, settles to the ground, and releases you.

In Roc Nest
The roc perches on the side of the nest, watching you intently.

Now, to do as my apprentices suggested.

>rezrov egg
Although you complete the spell, nothing has happened.

Well, maybe that's for the best. Roc fledglings can be just as nasty as their parents, after all. But maybe the feathers will be useful?

>get feathers
You're an enchanter, not a garbage collector.

Of course. Well, let's blorple out of here and see what's north of the north of the serpent.

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

>blorple rocky
Abruptly, your surroundings shift.

Packed Earth

>e
As you leave, the "rocky" cube reappears in your hand.

Hall of Stone

>n
Smooth Room

>n
The serpent completely fills the passage.

Huh, looks like liskon on the serpent can also wear off. Well, if it can wear off on a human, I'm assuming that it can wear off on other creatures as well. Oh, well. If it works once...

>memorize liskon
Using your best study habits, you learn the liskon spell yet another time.

>liskon serpent
The serpent shrinks. You can see it thinning out, filling less and less of the corridor. At first it doesn't seem to be growing any shorter, but then you realize that this isn't true. It has swallowed so much of its own tail that it makes up the deficiency by disgorging more tail. Finally, just before the spell stops, the tail tip slips out of the snake's mouth and almost disappears down the western corridor.

>n
The snake is pleasurably stretching its mouth and rippling its scaly body in the unaccustomed space. It barely hisses as you go by.

North of Serpent

>n
Temple
This is a ruined temple to a forgotten god. Black basalt pillars reach to the ceiling, but some are broken and lie in huge fragments on the ground. The air is stale and filled with the odor of decay. Bats roost in the rafters, the only remaining worshippers. Before the temple stands a tall basalt idol in the form of a huge rodent. Its fang-bedecked mouth is open slightly, exposing teeth and tongue.

Ooh...quite impressive, even without graphics. This looks like a good place to leave off for now. Until tomorrow, meine freunde!

Current puzzles:
An exit that I can't force my way through in each cube room so far.
A cube in the nest of a very protective roc.

Inventory (annotations in italic):
the "rocky" cube (when blorpled, leads to Packed Earth)
a zipper (waterproof when closed)
The zipper contains:
a gold box (ornamented with dolphins)
a smoked fish (providing light courtesy of the frotz spell)
a bottle
a gold coin (worth 500 zorkmids)
a spell book
the "moist" cube (when blorpled, leads to Water Room)
the "hermy" cube (when blorpled, leads to Soft Room)
a magic burin, used to engrave things on cubes
a knife

Spells (annotations in italics):
The liskon spell (shrink a living thing, requires some time to cast).
The espnis spell (sleep, doesn't work on groupers, requires some time to cast).
The caskly spell (cause perfection).
The throck spell (cause plants to grow).
The blorple spell (explore an object's mystic connections).
The yomin spell (mind probe).
The rezrov spell (open even locked or enchanted objects).
The frotz spell (cause something to give off light).
The gnusto spell (write a magic spell into a spell book).
The malyon spell (animate).
The jindak spell (detect magic).
The lesoch spell (gust of wind).

Spells memorized:
Gnusto (permanent), Rezrov (permanent), Frotz (permanent), Liskon 2x, Malyon 2x

By the way, the reason I have some spells memorized multiple times is because of the random spell failure in this game and because I forgot that I'd memorized them multiple times earlier because of said mechanic. Just in case anyone is curious.

Our score is 160 of a possible 600, in 439 moves. This puts us in the class of Novice Enchanter.

Death toll: 2 (fell to my death, trampled to death by an angry and hayfeverish ogre)

yomin the bats, animate the idol.

Also, can you be crushed by the snake when the shrinking wears off?

> punch roc

> get snake