Floyd | Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to restore a saved game?
Floyd |

Floyd |  "Greetings Almighty! Allow me to tell you about your world, Aarkland."
Floyd |
Floyd | Our story begins here.
Floyd |
Floyd | The harvest time is upon the people. Their hard work goes on from early
Floyd | morning until all that must be done is done. The summer has been good
Floyd | and this winter no one will starve. That is what the villagers believe,
Floyd | anyway. In ignorance they have turned from you and cannot see the
Floyd | coming darkness. For them Ignorance is bliss, but refusing to see the
Floyd | truth is no protection against evil.
Floyd |
Floyd | The young girl that's come to meet you in secret is Lornedei. You watch
Floyd | her treading along the road and when she stops next to the water, you
Floyd | once more feel a glimmer of hope. She is the first child in more than a
Floyd | hundred years that has been born with the old power. The youngest
Floyd | daughter to Lorne and Noki, this innocent girl searches the sky for
Floyd | your presence. She smiles when she senses it and gives you a little
Floyd | wave. She is the last one. The last hope.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei tightens the straps on her rucksack, throws a quick glance
Floyd | back along the road, and makes sure her sandals are fastened properly.
Floyd | Surely she can sense you watching her, but she says nothing. She
Floyd | reaches into her rucksack and brings out some bread. She nibbles on it
Floyd | without much enthusiasm while watching the flowing river, and she waits
Floyd | for you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The girl has the power to "reach" beyond what the eye can see and
Floyd | "heal" what is broken, but she is not strong enough to make a
Floyd | difference. Not without guidance. That is where you come in. As the God
Floyd | of this land, you must guide her. First, you should send her to the
Floyd | unholy stones to see what the world around her is hiding.
Floyd | An Interactive Fantasy.
Floyd |
Floyd | Crystal and Stone, Beetle and Bone.
Floyd | By Jenny Brennan 2007-2009.
Floyd |
Floyd | Latest update and bug fixed June 25 2009. Type "about" for more
Floyd | information.
Floyd | Type "help" to get started.
Floyd | Type "hint" for specific help.
Floyd | Release 2 / Serial number 090625 / Inform v6.31 Library 6/11 S
Floyd |
Floyd | Aarkland (End of Village Road)
Floyd | This old road, coming from the village, runs north to the edge of the
Floyd | forest. Alongside it to the west is the rushing water of the river
Floyd | Aarkland. The river flows through the forest and divides it in two: To
Floyd | the east is the old forest, and to the west is the forbidden forest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Few people use the road these days, and it is all but overtaken by
Floyd | grass and brush. A seemingly endless field stretches out to the east.
Floyd | Between the swaying grass and the road, a few deformed bushes prepare
Floyd | to invade what remains of the road. A short distance to the southeast
Floyd | is a pile of stones. The stones are barely visible above the grass.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Aarkland river flows past as always.
Floyd |
Floyd | A whiff of the deformed bushes reaches Lornedei's nose and she waves
Floyd | the unpleasant odor away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You are The almighty, the last of the Gods. Your wish is Lornedei's
Floyd | command and she will do as you ask if it is possible.
Floyd |
Floyd | When she was born you managed to give her, as your chosen one, the
Floyd | power to heal and to reach into things with her mind. She is young
Floyd | though and you must show her the way. You might be a god but you are
Floyd | not much more than a vague presence in this world.
Floyd | Lornedei suddenly looks startled.
Floyd | "Master what is this?" A firefly is buzzing around her head. She waves
Floyd | her hand to wave it away when suddenly a small voice pipes up.
Floyd | "No, No, silly girl. I am no harm! I am here to help you must know!"
Floyd | Lornedei stops waving but she looks dubiously at the tiny creature.
Floyd | Once safe from the terribly waving arm, the firefly stops for a rest on
Floyd | Lornedei's brow. The tiny voice pipes up again. "I must come, curious
Floyd | am I, and I can help such as you!" Lornedei tries to look up at the fly
Floyd | but all that happens is that her eyes cross. "There is magic here,
Floyd | magic in you girl. I have not sensed magic in a long time, yes!" the
Floyd | fly takes off and starts buzzing around Lornedei's head again. "Strong
Floyd | you are not! Oh, no. That god of yours was stingy in his giving so he
Floyd | was. Pity, pity. You can be stronger though. Sometimes from nature,
Floyd | sometimes from other things. You must know girl, to regain strength
Floyd | that you lose, you must eat. Ah, there are some here, I have searched
Floyd | for these." the fly buzzes off towards the deformed bushes and lands on
Floyd | one of the berries growing there. "Eat these and be strong, do not
Floyd | forget." there is an angry buzzing, a strange grunting sound, and a
Floyd | thud as a white berry, seemingly with a firefly attached on the top,
Floyd | falls to the ground. "Me... Will just.." In an amazing display of
Floyd | over-insectile powers, the fly lifts the berry off the ground. "will
Floyd | just take this." The firefly, along with its booty, disappears with a
Floyd | pop and a flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | The firefly is available for questioning. It is happy to help. Just
Floyd | type "hint" and it will come.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Various ways to get you started or out of trouble:
Floyd |
Floyd | Play around with the characters to get a grip on them. You are the
Floyd | Almighty. You command Lornedei.
Floyd | I.E If you give the command: >take dirt, you may get the reply: She
Floyd | cannot find any such thing.
Floyd | If you give the command: >pick nose, you might get the reply: Lornedei
Floyd | gives you a disgusted look.
Floyd | The command: >talk to bird, may result in: "I still can't talk to
Floyd | animals Master, when will you ever learn?"
Floyd | Other characters may be ordered in the normal way. I.E >fish, eat hook.
Floyd |
Floyd | Pay attention to what is happening now and then!
Floyd | Some useful verbs:
Floyd | Try out:
Floyd | >where...
Floyd | >whats...
Floyd | >follow... >reach...
Floyd | Do not forget to
Floyd | >smell...
Floyd | >listen...
Floyd | >touch...
Floyd |
Floyd | Conversations:
Floyd | >hint
Floyd | >ask firefly about Lornedei
Floyd | Ask the firefly about something that you see in the game or about
Floyd | something regarding the game play.
Floyd | >ask Lornedei about magic
Floyd | Talk to Lornedei. Ask Lornedei about things that you see in the game.
Floyd |
Floyd | Game play verbs:
Floyd |
Floyd | >exits
Floyd | Gives you all possible ways out of the current location.
Floyd | >magic Gives you Lornedei's current magic.
Floyd | >holiness
Floyd | Gives you current score.
Floyd | >about
Floyd | Information about the game.
Floyd | >beginner
Floyd | A beginners guide to Interactive Fiction.
Floyd | >credits
Floyd | Shows the credits.
Floyd | Finally:
Floyd | >DUH!
Floyd | (Not recommended.)
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 80.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Your current holiness is 0 out of a possible holiness of 105, in 1
Floyd | move.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei sniffs one of the leaves but pulls her head back with a
Floyd | grimace.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | They all look sick, small, and deformed as they reach their oddly
Floyd | shaped digits towards her. There must be something wrong with them.
Floyd | Despite it being in the middle of Harvest Moon, their leaves are yellow
Floyd | and riddled with brown and black blotches.
Floyd | A few white berries still cling to the branches.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The berries are slightly oval and quite large, almost white with barely
Floyd | visible bluish stripes. They are shriveled slightly but they look
Floyd | edible still.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (Taking the white berries first.)
Floyd | Lornedei picks all of the berries that seem edible. It turns out to be
Floyd | quite a handful. She drops them all into the rucksack.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (Taking the handful of white berries first.)
Floyd | Lornedei eats one of the white berries.
Floyd | "These are actually not too awful Master! They remind me of something
Floyd | but I cannot recall what." She shrugs.
Floyd | Lornedei's magic just went up by three.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "These bushes' fate is beyond my powers. I cannot remove the dark power
Floyd | that is inside. I beg your forgiveness Master, I do not have the right
Floyd | knowledge and I would only be wasting my magic."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 83.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There seems to be nothing beyond what the eye can see.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Carefully she reaches into the inner being of the bushes with her mind.
Floyd | "There is something strange here, something dark. I cannot see it
Floyd | clearly. All I know is that it feels wrong. Very wrong!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 82.
Floyd | Lornedei is carrying:
Floyd |   a handful of white berries
Floyd |   a loaf of horrid bread
Floyd |   a leather rucksack (being worn)
Floyd |     a piece of cheese
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Aarkland (On the Unholy Stones)
Floyd | For as long as Lornedei can remember, she has been told not to go
Floyd | there. There is nothing strange about the stones at a distance. It
Floyd | could just be a collection of fieldstones, perhaps from the time when
Floyd | the settlers first prepared the field. Nothing could be more wrong.
Floyd | There are piles of stones in many fields, but none with this kind of
Floyd | history.
Floyd |
Floyd | She hesitates and turns to you. It seems like she wants to say
Floyd | something. She keeps silent and steps up on the platform.
Floyd | The collection of stones is over ten paces from edge to edge. The top
Floyd | has been flattened to create a platform and that is where Lornedei
Floyd | stands. No new stones have been added in several hundred years. Despite
Floyd | the lack of activity, nothing grows near the stones.
Floyd |
Floyd | There are powers here that make it easier for her to use her magic. You
Floyd | can make her see what hides around her. She will see the world as it
Floyd | is, what hides beyond what the eye can see.
Floyd |
Floyd | She can go north to the field or northwest back to the dusty road.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master? I don't understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei reaches down in the ground by her feet. She shuts her eyes and
Floyd | lets her mind touch the stones one by one. One lost name after another
Floyd | flies through her mind like a swarm of insane and vicious insects.
Floyd | Hundreds, thousands of names of men, women and children. Each one has a
Floyd | history, a life led in pain or ignorance, but they all share the same
Floyd | pain. The same longing, the same sorrow, the same terrible fate.
Floyd | Crying, she drops to her knees.
Floyd | "These people were all severed. Their names were stolen, ripped away
Floyd | from their souls. They did not all deserve this fate, I am sure. These
Floyd | names belong to the spirits Master, but they can never be whole again.
Floyd | Never!" Lornedei takes a deep breath and gets back up on her feet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei bites on a nail.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | This is Lornedei. She is the youngest child of Lorne and Noki and the
Floyd | only girl out of the four children. She is not quite a woman, not quite
Floyd | a child. Her long golden hair, blue eyes and innocent eagerness to
Floyd | please is charming. Unlike her family and other villagers, she believes
Floyd | in you.
Floyd | She is dressed in a finely woven shirt worn over a pair of riding
Floyd | trousers. The outfit is borrowed from her brother. He is of course
Floyd | unaware of his generosity. On her feet is a pair of leather sandals.
Floyd | Lornedei shakes her foot to get rid of a painful stone from her sandal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei picks up one of the stones to take a closer look. She quickly
Floyd | drops it again.
Floyd | "I cannot touch these Master. There is so much evil here, so much
Floyd | sorrow. They make me feel ill."
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She is wearing a pair of pants that she borrowed for the day from one
Floyd | of her brothers. Well worn but clean and dry.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Perhaps you should leave Lornedei's clothing alone.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There is nothing she can do from here. She may be able to reach a
Floyd | distant object, but she can do nothing with it.
Floyd | Lornedei is waiting for your command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The world around Lornedei fades. She finds herself high up in the air,
Floyd | hovering above a seemingly endless field. She flaps her white wings
Floyd | tentatively at first, but then she catches an upwind and rises.
Floyd | Not far ahead of her is a vast and lush forest, stretching north and
Floyd | northeast. She looks east. Between the field and the endless ocean are
Floyd | a few homes, perhaps a fishing village, and a patchwork of fields. As
Floyd | she hovers far above the field, turning to the south, she can see a
Floyd | road following a river to another village far to the south. It is
Floyd | Lornedei's own.
Floyd |
Floyd | She turns west and the forbidden forest, a landscape of gray, stretches
Floyd | out ahead of her. It stretches to the southwest and to the northwest as
Floyd | far as she can see. It is a swirling black and gray mass of mist or
Floyd | smoke, for the most part unbroken except for the occasional tree-top
Floyd | protruding here and there.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | She moves closer until she is above the glittering water of the
Floyd | Aarkland river and turns north. She follows the flowing water until it
Floyd | seems to disappear into a large cliff. The two forests meet at the top
Floyd | of the cliff, but the old forest seems to give way more and more so
Floyd | that the border turns northeast towards a distant mountain chain. The
Floyd | river does not seem to appear again.
Floyd |
Floyd | She turns west, soaring above unbroken gray, seeing only the occasional
Floyd | twisted treetop shooting out of the thick mist and a blue sky above.
Floyd | She flies on, across a landscape of gray and black. The mist Swirls
Floyd | here and there, darkens here and there, but never reveals what is
Floyd | below.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then the air seems to thin and she sinks down. She sinks down below the
Floyd | mist. She finds herself racing between twisted tree-trunks and grasping
Floyd | branches. A dry whisper follows her as she loses her orientation.
Floyd | Silent shapes like shadows follow her path. Spirits, hollow-eyed, pale
Floyd | and ragged, open their mouths in rage and longing before they shy away
Floyd | from her. They melt back into the shadows between the trees. Suddenly
Floyd | she is out of the forest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Below her is a barren landscape of sand and broken earth. The forbidden
Floyd | forest surrounds this field of despair, although the sky is clear.
Floyd | Above the mist, to the northeast, she can see a pale silhouette of the
Floyd | mountains. She can see a far distant shade of green to the east, beyond
Floyd | which is a blue horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | The same view meets her to the southeast, but to the south, southwest
Floyd | and west, there is only the forbidden forest with its blanket of mist.
Floyd |
Floyd | She lowers herself until she is just above stony ground. A deep ravine
Floyd | separates the field from the forest to the west. The ravine runs south
Floyd | to north into a misty plain where it disappears out of sight. To the
Floyd | northwest, clinging to the edge of the ravine, there is an old ruin...a
Floyd | castle. Only part of the ruin is visible as the rest of it fades into
Floyd | gray mist.
Floyd |
Floyd | She turns westward and sinks down in the ravine. Making her way north,
Floyd | the tip of her left wing nearly strokes the far ravine wall. She turns
Floyd | upwards and flies clockwise around the entire castle ruin. Most of the
Floyd | old castle is gone. As she is viewing it from the outside she can see
Floyd | chambers, dungeons and rooms in several levels that are exposed. The
Floyd | rest of the ruin is at the bottom of the ravine. After flying through
Floyd | the mist on the far side of the ruin, she appears at a great wall that
Floyd | separates the castle grounds from the northern wastelands before
Floyd | turning southeast. In the southeast corner of the big desolate field
Floyd | the ground slopes down and turns into a ragged hole in the ground. Heat
Floyd | ripples the air around it. A large fire burns within a ring of stones.
Floyd |
Floyd | She circles the fire. She is in a hurry, searching for the thing that
Floyd | should be but is no longer. She returns to the ruin. There is a high
Floyd | wall east of the castle and she stops to rest on top of it.
Floyd |
Floyd | The world wavers its way back to reality and Lornedei looks pale and a
Floyd | bit unsteady on her feet.
Floyd | "Too high! Master? If I die and must come back, please do not make me a
Floyd | bird!"There is nothing she can do from here. She may be able to reach a
Floyd | distant object, but she can do nothing with it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "I cannot focus enough to find that Master. It is too distant for me,
Floyd | or too weak for me to reach from here."
Floyd | Lornedei bites on a nail.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There seems to be nothing beyond what the eye can see.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A piece of cheese. Fortunately, this is not made by Noki. It may
Floyd | actually be edible.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 82.
Floyd | Lornedei is carrying:
Floyd |   a handful of white berries
Floyd |   a loaf of horrid bread
Floyd |   a leather rucksack (being worn)
Floyd |     a piece of cheese
Floyd | "What should I do?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The world around Lornedei fades. She finds herself high up in the air,
Floyd | hovering above a seemingly endless field. She flaps her white wings
Floyd | tentatively at first, but then she catches an upwind and rises.
Floyd | Not far ahead of her is a vast and lush forest, stretching north and
Floyd | northeast. She looks east. Between the field and the endless ocean are
Floyd | a few homes, perhaps a fishing village, and a patchwork of fields. As
Floyd | she hovers far above the field, turning to the south, she can see a
Floyd | road following a river to another village far to the south. It is
Floyd | Lornedei's own.
Floyd |
Floyd | She turns west and the forbidden forest, a landscape of gray, stretches
Floyd | out ahead of her. It stretches to the southwest and to the northwest as
Floyd | far as she can see. It is a swirling black and gray mass of mist or
Floyd | smoke, for the most part unbroken except for the occasional tree-top
Floyd | protruding here and there.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | She moves closer until she is above the glittering water of the
Floyd | Aarkland river and turns north. She follows the flowing water until it
Floyd | seems to disappear into a large cliff. The two forests meet at the top
Floyd | of the cliff, but the old forest seems to give way more and more so
Floyd | that the border turns northeast towards a distant mountain chain. The
Floyd | river does not seem to appear again.
Floyd |
Floyd | She turns west, soaring above unbroken gray, seeing only the occasional
Floyd | twisted treetop shooting out of the thick mist and a blue sky above.
Floyd | She flies on, across a landscape of gray and black. The mist Swirls
Floyd | here and there, darkens here and there, but never reveals what is
Floyd | below.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then the air seems to thin and she sinks down. She sinks down below the
Floyd | mist. She finds herself racing between twisted tree-trunks and grasping
Floyd | branches. A dry whisper follows her as she loses her orientation.
Floyd | Silent shapes like shadows follow her path. Spirits, hollow-eyed, pale
Floyd | and ragged, open their mouths in rage and longing before they shy away
Floyd | from her. They melt back into the shadows between the trees. Suddenly
Floyd | she is out of the forest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Below her is a barren landscape of sand and broken earth. The forbidden
Floyd | forest surrounds this field of despair, although the sky is clear.
Floyd | Above the mist, to the northeast, she can see a pale silhouette of the
Floyd | mountains. She can see a far distant shade of green to the east, beyond
Floyd | which is a blue horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | The same view meets her to the southeast, but to the south, southwest
Floyd | and west, there is only the forbidden forest with its blanket of mist.
Floyd |
Floyd | She lowers herself until she is just above stony ground. A deep ravine
Floyd | separates the field from the forest to the west. The ravine runs south
Floyd | to north into a misty plain where it disappears out of sight. To the
Floyd | northwest, clinging to the edge of the ravine, there is an old ruin...a
Floyd | castle. Only part of the ruin is visible as the rest of it fades into
Floyd | gray mist.
Floyd |
Floyd | She turns westward and sinks down in the ravine. Making her way north,
Floyd | the tip of her left wing nearly strokes the far ravine wall. She turns
Floyd | upwards and flies clockwise around the entire castle ruin. Most of the
Floyd | old castle is gone. As she is viewing it from the outside she can see
Floyd | chambers, dungeons and rooms in several levels that are exposed. The
Floyd | rest of the ruin is at the bottom of the ravine. After flying through
Floyd | the mist on the far side of the ruin, she appears at a great wall that
Floyd | separates the castle grounds from the northern wastelands before
Floyd | turning southeast. In the southeast corner of the big desolate field
Floyd | the ground slopes down and turns into a ragged hole in the ground. Heat
Floyd | ripples the air around it. A large fire burns within a ring of stones.
Floyd |
Floyd | She circles the fire. She is in a hurry, searching for the thing that
Floyd | should be but is no longer. She returns to the ruin. There is a high
Floyd | wall east of the castle and she stops to rest on top of it.
Floyd |
Floyd | The world wavers its way back to reality and Lornedei looks pale and a
Floyd | bit unsteady on her feet.
Floyd | "Too high! Master? If I die and must come back, please do not make me a
Floyd | bird!"There is nothing she can do from here. She may be able to reach a
Floyd | distant object, but she can do nothing with it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "The river is flowing past in peace Master. It disappears into a cliff
Floyd | somewhere north, and I cannot follow it with my mind."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She does. Every night. You taught her well.
Floyd | Lornedei looks around, biting her lower lip.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Aarkland (Billowing Field)
Floyd | Lornedei hesitates throwing an anxious glance south.
Floyd |
Floyd | Maybe she would prefer to be back in the safe grasp of her kin. If that
Floyd | is the case, she will never tell her God. She does not know why she is
Floyd | here or how easy her mind and flesh may be corrupted, and she may be
Floyd | better off that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | Very carefully, you give her just the slightest of mental nudges to
Floyd | remove the hesitation from her mind. Not again can you give her a
Floyd | command without letting her choose how to proceed. What she has ahead
Floyd | of her she must do of her own free will as much as possible. Lornedei
Floyd | takes her eyes off the road and moves on.
Floyd | The grass grows waist high. Touched by sun, wind, and rain, it
Floyd | patiently waits for the farmers that will not come. The edge of the old
Floyd | forest lies close by to the north. To the south, a big pile of stones
Floyd | rises above the grass. The road is back west.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a low growling coming from the high grass. An injured wolf
Floyd | lies there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A wolf lies in the grass near the edge of the forest. The wolf is
Floyd | female and quite small. She is breathing heavily in obvious pain.
Floyd | Despite the apparent distress, she manages to show Lornedei an
Floyd | impressive set of sharp teeth. One of her hind legs seems broken and
Floyd | dried blood covering a big part of the grey fur tells its own story.
Floyd |
Floyd | The animal is exhausted and badly injured. She will most definitely die
Floyd | if nothing is done soon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei shuts her eyes, raising both hands towards the dying animal.
Floyd | She summons her powers and the air starts to shimmer above the wolf. In
Floyd | sudden panic the wolf yelps miserably and tries to get up on its feet,
Floyd | but Lornedei's soft mumbling calms the animal. Still, the stare from
Floyd | those yellow eyes and a deep growl behind the exposed sharp teeth
Floyd | cannot be mistaken for friendliness.
Floyd |
Floyd | Another mumbled phrase is heard from the girl and the predator's eyes
Floyd | slowly close. The wolf is asleep. The girl kneels while the swirling
Floyd | blue light covers the wolf with healing power. In one quick move, she
Floyd | corrects the broken leg to allow it to heal properly. A long while
Floyd | passes. Then she sits back in the grass, tired but smiling. She lets
Floyd | the healing light dissipate in the air.
Floyd | "All is well Master. I shall call her Deini."
Floyd |
Floyd | Another long while passes. The air is warm but a slight breeze moves
Floyd | the grass around Lornedei. It sways gently, like waves, across the vast
Floyd | field.
Floyd |
Floyd | The wolf opens its eyes, blinks, gets up. Lornedei sits on the ground
Floyd | with a confident smile on her lips and her hands in her lap. The
Floyd | beautiful animal stands absolutely still for a moment, meeting the
Floyd | girl's eyes. Then, in a heartbeat, it turns away. It runs along the
Floyd | edge of the forest. It stops near a big tree and turns around to watch
Floyd | the human. It sits down while considering its options.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then suddenly, the wolf that Lornedei named "Deini" comes running back.
Floyd | She smells the human, inspects her carefully, and makes a decision. She
Floyd | puts a cool muzzle in the hand that Lornedei is holding out. Lornedei
Floyd | has gained a friend.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic just dropped by five.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your holiness has just gone up by five.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The wolf looks at Lornedei expectantly but when the subject doesn't
Floyd | appear to be about food she starts gnawing on an itchy spot on her leg.
Floyd | Lornedei shakes her foot to get rid of a painful stone from her sandal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Deini looks at Lornedei for a moment before she looses interest.
Floyd | Lornedei shakes her foot to get rid of a painful stone from her sandal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Aarkland (On the Unholy Stones)
Floyd | "What should I do?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Aarkland (Billowing Field)
Floyd |
Floyd | Deini is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Deini looks at Lornedei, wondering if there might be something to eat
Floyd | first. When that doesn't seem to happen, the wolf ignores her command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master? I don't understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master? I don't understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Deini smells the bread, sneezes, and backs away. She glances
Floyd | suspiciously at the piece of bread.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (Taking the piece of cheese first.)
Floyd | Deini smells the piece of cheese but she is not very interested in
Floyd | anything that never had a heart beat at one point.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Aarkland (End of Village Road)
Floyd |
Floyd | The Aarkland river flows past as always.
Floyd |
Floyd | The deformed bushes seem to reach for Lornedei as she walks by.
Floyd | Lornedei bites on a nail.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | In the River (By the Road)
Floyd | Lornedei tightens her sandals and checks her rucksack, making sure it
Floyd | is closed tight before entering the river. She steps carefully down the
Floyd | slippery slope and through the parting rushes and reeds. Something
Floyd | squawks at her but it is gone before she can see it. When her feet lose
Floyd | contact with the bottom, she floats and lets the remaining hesitation
Floyd | float away with the invisible currents below.
Floyd | The river runs from north to south. Ahead of her, the glittering water
Floyd | becomes shaded by the two forests. The forbidden forest on the left and
Floyd | the still green old forest on the right. The river disappears out of
Floyd | sight perhaps a hundred paces into the tunnel of trees, water, and
Floyd | shadows. The dusty road is east, where she can get out of the water.
Floyd | She can also dive down to the bottom of the river.
Floyd | Lornedei fumbles and dips the bread in the water. The loaf of horrid
Floyd | bread sucks up water like a sponge. It is totally ruined in seconds. It
Floyd | turns into mush that dissolves in Lornedei's hand. With a disgusted
Floyd | grimace, she lets it float away down stream.
Floyd | A dry black leaf drops from the forbidden forest into the water right
Floyd | in front of Lornedei. It bobs up and down a couple of times before it
Floyd | floats away downstream.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Aarkland (End of Village Road)
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | piece of cheese: Your wish is her command.
Floyd | handful of white berries: Your wish is her command.
Floyd | loaf of horrid bread: Your wish is her command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | In the River (By the Road)
Floyd | Lornedei tightens her sandals and checks her rucksack, making sure it
Floyd | is closed tight before entering the river. She steps carefully down the
Floyd | slippery slope and through the parting rushes and reeds. Something
Floyd | squawks at her but it is gone before she can see it. When her feet lose
Floyd | contact with the bottom, she floats and lets the remaining hesitation
Floyd | float away with the invisible currents below.
Floyd | The river runs from north to south. Ahead of her, the glittering water
Floyd | becomes shaded by the two forests. The forbidden forest on the left and
Floyd | the still green old forest on the right. The river disappears out of
Floyd | sight perhaps a hundred paces into the tunnel of trees, water, and
Floyd | shadows. The dusty road is east, where she can get out of the water.
Floyd | She can also dive down to the bottom of the river.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | All I understood was a wish to dive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | All I understood was a wish to dive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She dives down.
Floyd |
Floyd | River Bottom (Here be Sand)
Floyd | A magical world reveals itself. The river continues north. The bottom
Floyd | is mostly composed of sand, rocks, some mud, and quickly fleeing fish.
Floyd | All kinds of things have been thrown in the river from the road and are
Floyd | now resting under a layer of sand until the end of time. The river
Floyd | continues north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That is not the way.  She can go north or up.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | River Bottom (Here be Mud)
Floyd | It's harder to see here. The river flows from north to south. The mud
Floyd | swirls up, preventing her from seeing more than a few arm lengths
Floyd | ahead. The old trees reach out their roots under the water. They crowd
Floyd | the bottom along with swaying vegetation and rocks.
Floyd |
Floyd | She can see a small gray plaque here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | As you wish.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your holiness has just gone up by five.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It is a small round plaque in a material unknown to Lornedei. The
Floyd | surface is smooth and with a deep polish. It is small enough to fit in
Floyd | Lornedei's hand. The surface shows nothing, not even the distorted
Floyd | image of Lornedei herself that one might expect. What shows in the
Floyd | plaque is like a reflection of a stormy sky in a puddle of murky water,
Floyd | just before the rain starts hammering.
Floyd | Her lungs are starting to ache. She will have to go to the surface
Floyd | soon!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | In the River (Between the Forests)
Floyd | Giant trees shade the river from both sides. Deformed branches dip
Floyd | their fingers in the water as if testing the depth before entering the
Floyd | water. Lornedei throws her head to the left, when a sudden sound is
Floyd | heard from the black forest. She moves a little bit closer to the east
Floyd | riverbank.
Floyd |
Floyd | A constant play of light and shadow goes on around her. The two forests
Floyd | lean towards each other from both sides. The sketched outlines of the
Floyd | two forests against a clear sky create deep shadows, distorted mirrored
Floyd | images, and an illusion of endless depths below.
Floyd | The forbidden forest is to the west and the old forest to the east. The
Floyd | river flows back south and down takes her to the bottom of the river.
Floyd | To the north the river disappears out of sight around a bend, and there
Floyd | is a slight opening in the trees to the east.
Floyd | A tiny voice suddenly pipes up from somewhere in the dark forest. "Most
Floyd | interesting... Most strange this is. Oh, no, nasty bug, go away!" The
Floyd | firefly comes out of the forest in a reckless speed, skids on the
Floyd | surface in front of Lornedei with a shocked screech, gets airborne and
Floyd | settles on her head, clearly exasperated.
Floyd | "Nasty, nasty things. Let me just rest girl, just for a moment."
Floyd | Lornedei watches the black forest for a moment, waiting for the firefly
Floyd | to calm down. When the little creature talks again, it seems to have
Floyd | regained its composure. It lifts off and starts circling Lornedei.
Floyd |
Floyd | "The nasty forest has secrets. It might tell you if you look beyond.
Floyd | You must reach inside it to get knowledge girl. So many secrets are
Floyd | everywhere in this forest, and the other forest, leaves and rocks and
Floyd | the beasts living there." The fly buzzes over to a black leaf floating
Floyd | on the river. "This here is not what it seems either." The fly lands on
Floyd | the edge of the leaf and with an angry buzzing, it propels its little
Floyd | ship downstream without another word.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei needs to know which one, the black leaves or the green leaves?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |  The leaves look the same on each tree, even though the types of trees
Floyd | are different altogether. It is more like an infestation of these
Floyd | things, these leaves. They are leaves are they not? They grow in
Floyd | clusters that hang down from each limb. They give the entire forest a
Floyd | drooping, weighed down appearance. Each cluster holds somewhere around
Floyd | eight shell-like leaves and each branch holds eight to twelve clusters,
Floyd | depending on the size of the tree. The occasional single leaf grows
Floyd | directly on the black trunk of some of the trees. They look more like a
Floyd | shimmering wart or pimple growing on the scorched bark. The clusters
Floyd | look more and more like colonies of big water bugs clinging to each
Floyd | other in fear of dropping to the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | The leaves move, but not by wind. There is a barely perceptible
Floyd | rearrangement within the clusters. A quick adjustment of the leaves
Floyd | takes place and then it is entirely still again. Each slight movement
Floyd | in a cluster creates a dry, scratching, whispering sound. The sound
Floyd | generated by a single cluster of leaves is barely audible, but since
Floyd | some of the clusters are always moving, the resulting sound is a shrill
Floyd | whispering, a scraping, almost a singing. It is a strangely modulated
Floyd | melody that travels from tree to tree through the forest. It varies in
Floyd | pitch and volume but is always present.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei needs to know which one, the black leaves or the green leaves?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei lets her mind reach into the leaves.
Floyd | "Master, these are not leaves, not entirely. They have been, and
Floyd | perhaps they can be again, but what I feel is something else. It is
Floyd | alive, in a way, and it is waiting."
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei grabs one of the black leaves in the nearest cluster of leaves
Floyd | and twists it loose. The leaf, being as long as her middle finger,
Floyd | falls to its side in her palm. The curved inside of the leaf suddenly
Floyd | fills with a hideous mush that swells and boils as she watches. Flesh
Floyd | grows and shapes itself in the shell into an insect's body. The mush is
Floyd | white with brown and dark red streaks. The nasty mess is swirling
Floyd | around inside the leaf, forming the flesh bit by bit. The shiny wetness
Floyd | dries quickly once the beetle's body takes form inside its shell. A
Floyd | thin purple layer finally covers the belly. Six black legs pop out
Floyd | through the newly formed glittering layer of skin. It takes only a
Floyd | moment for them to start moving around. Another pop forces a wriggling
Floyd | head out and the insect is near completion. The bug grows at a furious
Floyd | pace and finally it extrudes a pair of black antennae that unfold until
Floyd | they're as long, if not longer, than the entire beetle.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei turns the beetle over. It stays nearly motionless in her hand.
Floyd | The long antennae, shivering slightly, carefully touch the outline of
Floyd | the hand holding it, the sensitive inside of Lornedei's wrist, the
Floyd | sleeve of her shirt. The beetle seems satisfied with its new master.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | In the River (By the Road)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Even if she needed to go south back to the village, following the road
Floyd | would be easier than swimming the entire way. She can get out of the
Floyd | river to the east or follow it north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei drags herself up on the east riverbank. She stops a moment to
Floyd | rest before stepping up on the dusty road.
Floyd |
Floyd | Aarkland (End of Village Road)
Floyd |
Floyd | The Aarkland river flows past as always.
Floyd |
Floyd | The deformed bushes seem to reach for Lornedei as she walks by.
Floyd |
Floyd | She can also see a loaf of horrid bread, a handful of white berries and
Floyd | a piece of cheese here.
Floyd | Lornedei moves a strand of hair from her face and puts it behind her
Floyd | ear.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | loaf of horrid bread: As you wish.
Floyd | handful of white berries: As you wish.
Floyd | piece of cheese: As you wish.
Floyd | "Master?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | No, she can go east to the field, southeast to the unholy stones, or
Floyd | enter the river to the west.
Floyd | Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Aarkland (Billowing Field)
Floyd |
Floyd | Deini is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | No, that is not the way. The river is west and the unholy stones are to
Floyd | the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Aarkland (End of Village Road)
Floyd |
Floyd | The Aarkland river flows past as always.
Floyd |
Floyd | The deformed bushes seem to reach for Lornedei as she walks by.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei takes care of the rucksack. She will open it when she needs
Floyd | something and close it properly when it needs to be closed. Just
Floyd | remember that she cannot do anything with it while she is under water.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master? I don't understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | All I understood was a wish to hold the leather rucksack.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She drops the loaf of horrid bread into the leather rucksack.
Floyd | Lornedei is waiting for your command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She drops the piece of cheese into the leather rucksack.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She drops the handful of white berries into the leather rucksack.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 76.
Floyd | Lornedei is carrying:
Floyd |   a large black beetle (Fluffing up its wings at the moment.)
Floyd |   a small gray plaque
Floyd |   a leather rucksack (being worn)
Floyd |     a handful of white berries
Floyd |     a piece of cheese
Floyd |     a loaf of horrid bread
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She drops the big black beetle into the leather rucksack.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | In the River (By the Road)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She dives down.
Floyd |
Floyd | River Bottom (Here be Sand)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei digs around in the sand but finds nothing but rocks, sand,
Floyd | mud, rotting pieces of wood and other vegetation.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The sand and mud is everywhere and it's utterly useless.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei just shrugs. There doesn't seem to be anything she can learn
Floyd | about the plaque.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | River Bottom (Here be Mud)
Floyd | Her lungs are starting to ache. She will have to go to the surface
Floyd | soon!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | In the River (Between the Forests)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | In the River (By the Cliff)
Floyd | She floats on the surface in the shadows of the trees, accompanied by
Floyd | the sounds of the forests: A murmur of life from the old forest, and a
Floyd | dry whispering, not quite as pleasant, from the black trees on the
Floyd | other riverbank.
Floyd | The river makes a slight turn, hiding the road from view. A vertical
Floyd | cliff stops her from going any further north in this tunnel of water,
Floyd | trees, and shadows. Above her head is a frayed ribbon of blue sky and
Floyd | at the top of the cliff, the two forests meet. Below and around her
Floyd | there is that play of light and dark, maybe just a little bit darker.
Floyd | South takes her back around the bend. Looking down she can see an
Floyd | opening in the cliff.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There is no need for her to do that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (the sky)
Floyd | There seems to be nothing beyond what the eye can see.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 76.
Floyd | Lornedei is carrying:
Floyd |   a small gray plaque
Floyd |   a leather rucksack (being worn)
Floyd |     a large black beetle (Spinning around waving its antennae at the
Floyd | moment.)
Floyd |     a handful of white berries
Floyd |     a piece of cheese
Floyd |     a loaf of horrid bread
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It's a black beetle as big as Lornedei's hand from antenna tip to end.
Floyd | The hard shell shimmers in shades of red and green.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "I do not believe this little chap talks a whole lot. It is quiet now
Floyd | in any case."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | An Interactive Fantasy.
Floyd |  is now in its "verbose" mode, which always gives long descriptions of
Floyd | locations (even if she's been there before).
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | These trees all look dead at first sight. Scorched and tortured, they
Floyd | reach out their blackened limbs over the cowering undergrowth. They do
Floyd | have leaves, however, not green and lush but almost black.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The river ends here. Ahead is a nearly triangular formation of smooth
Floyd | rock, its flat face perpendicular to the water, facing south. The
Floyd | triangle stands with its wide base in the water and the ragged tip
Floyd | acting as a divider beetween the two forests. The rock is smooth and
Floyd | dark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The river ends here. Ahead is a nearly triangular formation of smooth
Floyd | rock, its flat face perpendicular to the water, facing south. The
Floyd | triangle stands with its wide base in the water and the ragged tip
Floyd | acting as a divider beetween the two forests. The rock is smooth and
Floyd | dark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei glances questioningly at the vertical cliff. That is not
Floyd | something that she can enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |  She can go south or down.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She dives down.
Floyd |
Floyd | River Bottom (At the Cave Entrance)
Floyd | The bottom is littered with rocks. There are piles of them of varying
Floyd | sizes, washed clean by the constant flow of water. Around the sides of
Floyd | the opening into the cave, a few colonies of a slimy and sickly green
Floyd | plant have managed to make a home. They sway back and forth in the
Floyd | current while clinging desperately to the rocks. The opening leads
Floyd | northwest into a cave and south takes her back around the river bend.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Rocks of all sizes: some sharp as if crushed, some reasonably round,
Floyd | some smooth smaller stones, and even some smoother pebbles are
Floyd | scattered everywhere on top of a layer of mud and sand.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The rocks do not interest Lornedei. Leave them be.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Caves (Entering the Caves)
Floyd | Lornedei's pale hand trails the cave wall as she quickly swims through
Floyd | the opening in the cliff. The opening is just big enough for her to go
Floyd | through. Inside, the cave widens slightly.
Floyd | Darkness is chased away by only a few illusive reflections in the
Floyd | stone, thanks to the little light leaking in from the opening. The
Floyd | tunnel continues west into total darkness and Southeast takes her out
Floyd | of the cave.
Floyd |
Floyd | She can see a fairy lamp with a crystal spider inside here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | As you wish.
Floyd | Her lungs are starting to ache. She will have to go to the surface
Floyd | soon!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | River Bottom (At the Cave Entrance)
Floyd | The bottom is littered with rocks. There are piles of them of varying
Floyd | sizes, washed clean by the constant flow of water. Around the sides of
Floyd | the opening into the cave, a few colonies of a slimy and sickly green
Floyd | plant have managed to make a home. They sway back and forth in the
Floyd | current while clinging desperately to the rocks. The opening leads
Floyd | northwest into a cave and south takes her back around the river bend.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | In the River (By the Cliff)
Floyd | The river makes a slight turn, hiding the road from view. A vertical
Floyd | cliff stops her from going any further north in this tunnel of water,
Floyd | trees, and shadows. Above her head is a frayed ribbon of blue sky and
Floyd | at the top of the cliff, the two forests meet. Below and around her
Floyd | there is that play of light and dark, maybe just a little bit darker.
Floyd | South takes her back around the bend. Looking down she can see an
Floyd | opening in the cliff.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The fairy lamp is a perfectly round, transparent orb that fits
Floyd | inLornedei's hand. It is hard as a rock, cold as ice and covered with
Floyd | years of grime and dirt. Through the dirt, a soft light is visible. It
Floyd | is not enough to illuminate anything at the moment.
Floyd |
Floyd | This is one of the old people's fairy lamps. Crystal spiders light up
Floyd | in the presence of someone with any magical powers. However, the
Floyd | spiders are, according to legend, not to be trusted. That is why they
Floyd | were, and apparently, some still are, trapped this way.
Floyd |
Floyd | There used to be many of these around and they were used as lamps by
Floyd | the light bearers but the use of them has been forgotten over the
Floyd | years.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei starts to clean away the layer of dirt from the surface of the
Floyd | lamp. After some heavy duty scrubbing, the lamp shines bright.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a strange ticking sound. When she looks at the lamp, the
Floyd | crystal spider inside stares back at her. It lifts a leg and gives the
Floyd | inside of its prison another tap. After that, the spider curls up and
Floyd | is still again.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't quite see what it looks like as long as it's trapped inside
Floyd | the lamp. She'll have to free it somehow.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She is surrounded by crimson light. Intense, dancing light streaked
Floyd | with strands of pure dark. Greasy suffocating smoke, then a flash of
Floyd | blinding white, Deafening thunder of falling rocks. Then nothing.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She dives down.
Floyd |
Floyd | River Bottom (At the Cave Entrance)
Floyd | The bottom is littered with rocks. There are piles of them of varying
Floyd | sizes, washed clean by the constant flow of water. Around the sides of
Floyd | the opening into the cave, a few colonies of a slimy and sickly green
Floyd | plant have managed to make a home. They sway back and forth in the
Floyd | current while clinging desperately to the rocks. The opening leads
Floyd | northwest into a cave and south takes her back around the river bend.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Caves (Entering the Caves)
Floyd | Darkness is chased away by only a few illusive reflections in the
Floyd | stone, thanks to the little light leaking in from the opening. The
Floyd | tunnel continues west into total darkness and Southeast takes her out
Floyd | of the cave.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Caves (Choosing the Path)
Floyd | Lornedei moves on through a current caused by the narrowing of the
Floyd | tunnel. She makes it past and to calmer water where the tunnel splits
Floyd | into four.
Floyd | The main flow seems to continue north, while two smaller tunnels lead
Floyd | northwest and west. East takes her back near the opening.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Caves (In the Restless Waters)
Floyd | A strong current grabs her. She is flipped around, thrown like a
Floyd | puppy's toy. The water tries to drag her down to the bottom. She is
Floyd | immediately confused and swims towards the surface. Hard rock meets her
Floyd | outstretched hand in each direction. There is nothing but stone.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |  There seems to be no other way but down.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Caves (In the Gathering of Dead)
Floyd | The water is colder. The pressure in her ears is starting to get
Floyd | painful but now she can see it. The bottom is littered with bones,
Floyd | skulls and rib cages of all sizes that lie in droves on the sand. Pale
Floyd | bony hands wave at her in the unexplainable current. Grinning skulls
Floyd | mock her and whisper.
Floyd | "Come! Rest here with us!"
Floyd | There is a subtle movement near one wall. The bones twitch and move
Floyd | slightly as if pulled by a current.
Floyd | Her lungs are starting to ache. She will have to go to the surface
Floyd | soon!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei looks terrified, but she moves closer to the layer of bones
Floyd | covering the bottom.
Floyd | Suddenly, Lornedei is grabbed by a current stronger than she can
Floyd | handle.
Floyd |
Floyd | She is dragged and pulled through the water, through a narrow opening
Floyd | in the cliff, up through a narrow well, and through wet cold darkness.
Floyd | She breaks the surface, spitting water, choking in her greedy quest for
Floyd | air.
Floyd |
Floyd | Inside an Old Stone Well (In Gurgling Water)
Floyd | The dark water swirls and gurgles in this small well. The crumbling
Floyd | edge of the stone cylinder is perhaps an arms length higher than the
Floyd | surface.
Floyd | Dim rays of light find their way down to the dark water, but help
Floyd | little to chase away the shadows.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your holiness has just gone up by five.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 75.
Floyd | Lornedei is carrying:
Floyd |   A brightly shining fairy lamp with a crystal spider inside
Floyd |   a small gray plaque
Floyd |   a leather rucksack (being worn)
Floyd |     a large black beetle (Airing out its shell at the moment.)
Floyd |     a handful of white berries
Floyd |     a piece of cheese
Floyd |     a loaf of horrid bread
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She grabs the slippery stones and climbs out of the old well, wet and
Floyd | exhausted. She sits down on the ground, leaning against the cold
Floyd | stones.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hall of Severance
Floyd | Slowly, Lornedei looks around this dark clearing. An oppressive gray
Floyd | fog hangs over everything and seems to add weight to the air itself.
Floyd | There is a presence here. Something is waiting among the dark trees.
Floyd | Something sinister.
Floyd | The gray mist hides the sun from sight and there is no way to make out
Floyd | which direction is which.
Floyd | The clearing is almost perfectly round and thirty or so paces across.
Floyd | It is surrounded by the forbidden forest on all sides.
Floyd | A giant black oak stands in solitude in the middle of the clearing.
Floyd | Many of its roots stick out of the ground like snakes arching to
Floyd | suffocate their prey. Steps are cut in the oak to provide an easy way
Floyd | up.
Floyd |
Floyd | A stone altar stands in the shadow of the big oak. Dry grass and shrubs
Floyd | are still rooted in the dead soil, and more of the deformed bushes grow
Floyd | in a loose circle around the oak and the altar.
Floyd |
Floyd | An old stone well gurgles softly not far from a crumbling stone house.
Floyd | On the other side of the clearing, three paths lead into the forbidden
Floyd | forest.
Floyd |
Floyd | The roots under the big oak stir restlessly. The shadows beneath them
Floyd | seem to grow momentarily, but when Lornedei Looks at them the movement
Floyd | stops.
Floyd | There is a loud buzzing from the rucksack. Suddenly the Beetle comes
Floyd | crawling out and scrambles down to the ground. It spins around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It's a black beetle as big as Lornedei's hand from antenna tip to end.
Floyd | The hard shell shimmers in shades of red and green.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The beetle actually seems to consider this for a moment. That was only
Floyd | wishful thinking though.
Floyd | The beetle runs off to one of the paths. It spins around once before
Floyd | returning to Lornedei.
Floyd | Something touches Lornedei's foot. She pulls her leg away from the
Floyd | grasping root with a shriek.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The roots are black and scorched just like the rest of the tree, but
Floyd | there are patches where the crusted surface has cracked and large
Floyd | pieces, almost like scales, have dropped off. There in the open wounds,
Floyd | the surface is the colour of cheese gone hard and sweaty, but the
Floyd | texture is stringy instead of smooth. The bigger roots bend upwards and
Floyd | then down through the ground. In this way they leave hollows and
Floyd | shadows seeming to lead in under the oak's twisted and gnarled trunk.
Floyd | The deformed bushes rustle and seem to reach for her.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | These bushes resemble those at the village road, but there are quite a
Floyd | few more of them. These look even more gnarled and deformed, as though
Floyd | starved of clean water and sunlight.
Floyd | These also have thorns as well as, oddly enough, plenty of purple nuts.
Floyd | The beetle stands still, seemingly watching the deformed bushes.
Floyd | A dry black leaf drops down on Lornedei's shoulder. With a grimace, she
Floyd | flicks it with a finger to get rid of it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Healing drains too much power. That would be a waste.
Floyd | Lornedei bites on a nail.
Floyd | A dry black leaf drops down on Lornedei's shoulder. With a grimace, she
Floyd | flicks it with a finger to get rid of it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "No thank you Master. Only a fool would try to do anything with those
Floyd | nuts." To emphasize her point, she gives the nearest bush a kick and a
Floyd | cloud of putrid dust from the leaves rises. A thorny nut falls to the
Floyd | ground.
Floyd | The beetle stands still, seemingly watching the deformed bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei lets her mind sink into the dry twisted branches of the
Floyd | bushes. After just a moment she steps backwards, clasping her throat
Floyd | with wide, fearful eyes.
Floyd | "These trees do not feed on water and sun. Their thirst is for
Floyd | something else and they have not received any for so long. That is why
Floyd | they have died, but the nuts... I do not understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei carefully picks up the nut. She quickly drops it in the
Floyd | rucksack.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A giant black oak takes pride of place in the hall of severance. The
Floyd | shadow of the huge crown, a shadow that is nothing more than a slightly
Floyd | darker darkness, seems to reach beyond what it ought to be able to.
Floyd | The oak watches over the clearing. It gives the impression of a greedy
Floyd | old man guarding his treasures with suspiciously gleaming eyes.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of the big black branches reaches out far above Lornedei's head and
Floyd | seems to disappear into a cloud of black smoke. Steps are cut in the
Floyd | oak to provide a way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | This less than holy stone is five feet long, four feet wide and is
Floyd | waist high. The old stone is almost black.
Floyd | Whether it is the natural color of the stone or if the color is caused
Floyd | by something else is hard to tell. Lornedei will not speculate.
Floyd |
Floyd | Ancient carvings cover all visible sides. Most of them are faded and
Floyd | impossible to read.
Floyd | The beetle runs off to one of the paths. It spins around once before
Floyd | returning to Lornedei.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |  She can enter the stone house, climb the oak or try one of the trails.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | This death house was not built in your name. The forgotten ones, when
Floyd | they were still only humans, were chained in there. Sometimes they were
Floyd | chained for hours, sometimes for weeks. They all gave up their names in
Floyd | the end, and their spirits fled into the vast forest. The trees were
Floyd | still green, the soil not yet tainted beyond repair, the forest alive
Floyd | and well.
Floyd |
Floyd | What stands here now is a crumbling round stone building not more than
Floyd | perhaps six paces from opening to far wall, with a mostly sunken in
Floyd | roof. The opening in the gray and faltering stonework, the only
Floyd | opening, leads into darkness. This ragged and sorrowful eye is slightly
Floyd | askew and it seems to glare moodily at the altar, dead tired of the
Floyd | view, or perhaps relishing it. The door that must have hung there at
Floyd | one point is now gone. It is most likely now rotting away under a layer
Floyd | of dirt. Since the rituals ended, there has been no one to tend to this
Floyd | house of shame. The acknowledgement of its existence perhaps too
Floyd | painful.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acts of cruelty, so wrongly justified in the name of peace, have
Floyd | stopped. The screams are now silence, but the memories remain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei needs to know which one, the trail going right , the path to
Floyd | the left  or the path leading straight ahead?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The right trail is quite wide and as well maintained as any great
Floyd | castles gardens trail. Seemingly so. The forbidden forest makes it dark
Floyd | and menacing, contradicting what the eye can clearly see.
Floyd | The roots under the big oak stir restlessly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The trail is dark but hard packed and seemingly well traveled. Shadows
Floyd | line the sides even though there is no light to cast them.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | This path is not so much a trail as a country road, Straight and flat,
Floyd | free from muddy wheel tracks or invading vegetation.
Floyd |
Floyd | Looks a bit too straight, too clean, too good to be true.
Floyd | The roots under the big oak stir restlessly.
Floyd | A dry black leaf drops down on Lornedei's shoulder. With a grimace, she
Floyd | flicks it with a finger to get rid of it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Hall of Severance (In the Black Oak)
Floyd |  A shiver runs through the tree and the shrill song of the leaves seems
Floyd | to increase in volume for a moment. Lornedei folds herself over the
Floyd | branch and stays hanging precariously over it. She looks down. The

Floyd | clearing below her swims out of focus, seems to move away from her and
Floyd | then come rushing back at her. She clings desperately to the scorched
Floyd | limb, unsure if she is going to slide backwards and down on the ground,
Floyd | or tip over forward with the same fatal result. She shuts her eyes
Floyd | hard.
Floyd |
Floyd | And the world is still once more. Very carefully, she lifts one leg
Floyd | over the branch and then she is sitting steady. She opens her eyes and
Floyd | with a sigh of relief. The clearing looks as it should, all
Floyd | considering.
Floyd |
Floyd | Clusters of black leaves surround Lornedei. They hang from the upper
Floyd | branches, creating a shield that totally obscures the sky above. She
Floyd | can look down, as all the clusters are above and around her, but up is
Floyd | nothing but shimmering black. The branch reaches out over the clearing
Floyd | and the end of it seems to disappear in a big cloud of smoke. She can
Floyd | climb down to the ground or follow the branch.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The cloud of smoke seems to be spinning slowly. It shifts in black and
Floyd | sometimes purple. It obscures the branch and she cannot see anything in
Floyd | or around it. Everything seems to disappear within the smoke.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "I cannot use my powers to reach into the smoke Master. It frightens
Floyd | me."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei follows the branch outwards towards the smoke. It seems to
Floyd | rise and meet her and then it surrounds her.
Floyd |
Floyd | Nightmare's Den
Floyd | A dark wall of smoke surrounds her. Occasionally a ragged veil of
Floyd | broken vapor is detached from it and dissolves in the air. There is
Floyd | nothing here. Even the ground is gone. Although she can feel it under
Floyd | her feet, she will not try to touch it.
Floyd | "I feel so strange. It is so dark here, so wrong. Everything seems to
Floyd | be turning. I feel something here but it is hidden from me."
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |  there does not seem to be anywhere she can go from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "I feel ill Master. It feels like I would be sick if I try. Something
Floyd | is draining me and there is nothing I can do. It feels like everything
Floyd | is spinning."
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Nightmare's Den
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There is nothing hiding in the wall of smoke.
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Nightmare's Den
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | But she's not in anything at the moment.
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Nightmare's Den
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei polishes the fairy lamp some more. The light remains the same.
Floyd | Lornedei is waiting for your command.
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Nightmare's Den
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She cannot heal things that are not alive.
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Nightmare's Den
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Nightmare's Den
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Nightmare's Den
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Hall of Severance (In the Black Oak)
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei climbs down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hall of Severance
Floyd | The clearing is almost perfectly round and thirty or so paces across.
Floyd | It is surrounded by the forbidden forest on all sides.
Floyd | A giant black oak stands in solitude in the middle of the clearing.
Floyd | Many of its roots stick out of the ground like snakes arching to
Floyd | suffocate their prey. Steps are cut in the oak to provide an easy way
Floyd | up.
Floyd |
Floyd | A stone altar stands in the shadow of the big oak. Dry grass and shrubs
Floyd | are still rooted in the dead soil, and more of the deformed bushes grow
Floyd | in a loose circle around the oak and the altar.
Floyd |
Floyd | An old stone well gurgles softly not far from a crumbling stone house.
Floyd | On the other side of the clearing, three paths lead into the forbidden
Floyd | forest.
Floyd |
Floyd | The roots under the big oak stir restlessly. The shadows beneath them
Floyd | seem to grow momentarily, but when Lornedei Looks at them the movement
Floyd | stops.
Floyd |
Floyd | She can also see a large black beetle (Taking a nap at the moment.)
Floyd | here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | This less than holy stone is five feet long, four feet wide and is
Floyd | waist high. The old stone is almost black.
Floyd | Whether it is the natural color of the stone or if the color is caused
Floyd | by something else is hard to tell. Lornedei will not speculate.
Floyd |
Floyd | Ancient carvings cover all visible sides. Most of them are faded and
Floyd | impossible to read.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She lifts her hands towards the stained altar. She focuses, frowning,
Floyd | then she is shoved back by something. The connection breaks and
Floyd | Lornedei gasps for air.
Floyd | "No Master, I cannot! There is so much wickedness there and it does not
Floyd | want to reveal its secrets. All I could sense was pain. Pain, fear, and
Floyd | blood."
Floyd | Lornedei's magic just dropped by five.
Floyd | "What should I do?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Hall of Severance
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (Taking the handful of white berries first.)
Floyd | Lornedei eats another white berry.
Floyd | Lornedei's magic just went up by three.
Floyd | Something touches Lornedei's foot. She pulls her leg away from the
Floyd | grasping root with a shriek.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Hall of Severance (In the House of Penance)
Floyd |  Lornedei steps through the crumbling opening into a darkness that is
Floyd | not quite total. There is dim light sifting down from the ruined
Floyd | ceiling above. She glances up, perhaps fearing that the whole
Floyd | construction will give up at her intrusion.
Floyd |
Floyd | But the only thing falling down on her is the weight of history;
Floyd | stories of cruel ignorance, memories that linger. The light catches a
Floyd | glittering thread and Lornedei swipes at the descending spider before
Floyd | it can land on her. With a grimace she steps on it before it can
Floyd | scramble away, burying it in the dry dirt. She looks around, but if
Floyd | there are more spiders here, they keep out of her way.
Floyd | The many years have taken its toll on this house. The circular wall
Floyd | tapers slightly towards the ceiling. Above her, a framework of thick
Floyd | beams support several generations worth of spider webs. There is not
Floyd | much left of the roof now. The light from outside leaks in through the
Floyd | holes in the ceiling. It magnifies the presence of fine dry dust that
Floyd | floats lazily in the still air. Long since rotted straw and reeds cover
Floyd | the earthen floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | A pair of rusty manacles hangs on the wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She gives the rotted straw and dirt a quick glance but she has nothing
Floyd | to say about it.
Floyd | "What should I do?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei shakes her head.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei shakes her head.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei kicks the rotted remains around with a grimace, holding her
Floyd | breath against the odors rising from the floor. A shriek cuts through
Floyd | the still air and she takes a step back.
Floyd |
Floyd | Empty sockets in a yellowed and cracked skull stare up at her. She
Floyd | takes another step towards the opening and starts to turn to leave.
Floyd | Something causes her to look back, though, perhaps a sense of shame for
Floyd | disturbing this final resting place. She stares at the human skull
Floyd | peeking out from its shallow grave, and goes to cover it again. Before
Floyd | she can throw a handful of the old straw over it, she stops. There is a
Floyd | sudden glimmering light from within one of the dark holes. There is
Floyd | something inside the skull. She also notices a small pouch in the
Floyd | shallow grave, half buried in the dirt.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | In the cracked skull is An amulet.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It's a pale blue crystal hanging on a silver chain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei's hand trembles at the touch.
Floyd | "So much power!"
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your holiness has just gone up by five.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei hangs the amulet around her neck. Immediately it flares up and
Floyd | shines brightly. The blinding light fades somewhat and the light
Floyd | becomes soft and steady. Lornedei shivers in delight from the power in
Floyd | the crystal that gives itself to her.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic just went up by one hundred.
Floyd |
Floyd | "What should I do?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | As you wish.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It is a dry and withered leather pouch, no bigger than a woman's fist.
Floyd | A leather string is used to close it and hang it in a belt.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't wear that!
Floyd | Lornedei moves a strand of hair from her face and puts it behind her
Floyd | ear.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She opens the small leather pouch, revealing a golden acorn.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It is an acorn in shape and form but it seems to be one in solid gold.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei holds the golden acorn in her hand. The images come to her
Floyd | without being reached for.
Floyd |
Floyd | A seedling, a sapling, a giant oak.
Floyd | All in a matter of seconds. Dripping water, a silver goblet.
Floyd | A wish to grow, a wish to heal.
Floyd | Instant flashes, not much more than emotion and fleeing images, but
Floyd | strong and urgent.
Floyd | Time is running out.
Floyd | The vision fades.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei has no interest in the construction of this place. It may not
Floyd | even be safe to stay here very long.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She steps out in the clearing.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hall of Severance
Floyd | The clearing is almost perfectly round and thirty or so paces across.
Floyd | It is surrounded by the forbidden forest on all sides.
Floyd | A giant black oak stands in solitude in the middle of the clearing.
Floyd | Many of its roots stick out of the ground like snakes arching to
Floyd | suffocate their prey. Steps are cut in the oak to provide an easy way
Floyd | up.
Floyd |
Floyd | A stone altar stands in the shadow of the big oak. Dry grass and shrubs
Floyd | are still rooted in the dead soil, and more of the deformed bushes grow
Floyd | in a loose circle around the oak and the altar.
Floyd |
Floyd | An old stone well gurgles softly not far from a crumbling stone house.
Floyd | On the other side of the clearing, three paths lead into the forbidden
Floyd | forest.
Floyd |
Floyd | The roots under the big oak stir restlessly. The shadows beneath them
Floyd | seem to grow momentarily, but when Lornedei Looks at them the movement
Floyd | stops.
Floyd |
Floyd | She can also see a large black beetle (Taking a nap at the moment.)
Floyd | here.
Floyd | Something touches Lornedei's foot. She pulls her leg away from the
Floyd | grasping root with a shriek.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | After a quick look, she just shakes her head. She does not know.
Floyd | The beetle runs off to one of the paths. It spins around once before
Floyd | returning to Lornedei.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The beetle actually seems to consider this for a moment. That was only
Floyd | wishful thinking though.
Floyd | The beetle scrambles through the dead grass to one of the paths. It
Floyd | spins around and comes back to Lornedei.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The beetle crawls up in her hand.
Floyd | The beetle squirms its way out of Lornedei's grasp and drops to the
Floyd | ground. It runs off, climbs up on the stone well, climbs back down,
Floyd | crawls through the bushes and seems to inspect the stone house, to
Floyd | finally stop at one of the paths.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | All I understood was a wish to examine the stone altar.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It is an old, neglected well made of stones. It's nearly invisible
Floyd | among the long dry grass dying bushes that surround it.
Floyd | Something touches Lornedei's foot. She pulls her leg away from the
Floyd | grasping root with a shriek.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It's a black beetle as big as Lornedei's hand from antenna tip to end.
Floyd | The hard shell shimmers in shades of red and green.
Floyd | Lornedei moves a strand of hair from her face and puts it behind her
Floyd | ear.
Floyd | The roots under the big oak stir restlessly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | All I understood was a wish to where.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master? I don't understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei takes a couple of steps towards the dark trail, glancing
Floyd | nervously up at the trees. Then she takes a deep breath before moving
Floyd | forward. The shadows of the forbidden forest fall on her.
Floyd | She walks without sun as guidance or aim to where she is going.
Floyd | The path twists and turns and soon she is cursing her own
Floyd | thoughtlessness. The prickling sensation of a forgotten spirit's hatred
Floyd | sinks down on her like a heavy blanket.
Floyd | Her feet feel strangely heavy and clumsy, as if the undergrowth hinders
Floyd | her movement. However there is nothing growing on the path. It is
Floyd | empty. Flat and hard-packed, it should be easy to walk on.
Floyd | A somewhat stronger light appears further ahead and with a soft sob of
Floyd | relief Lornedei starts running towards the clearing.
Floyd | She stops with the beginning of a smile freezing on her lips.
Floyd | The clearing is dark, a stone well gurgles softly, and three paths
Floyd | disappear into the forbidden forest.
Floyd | The beetle scrambles through the dead grass to one of the paths. It
Floyd | spins around and comes back to Lornedei.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei closes her eyes, letting the unseen take over. Nothing. The
Floyd | scorched trees stand guard over the withered undergrowth, the rocks,
Floyd | the fallen trees,...but not one single trail.
Floyd | She turns her attention to the next passage, and then the final one,
Floyd | but there is nothing except the forest hiding its secrets even from
Floyd | Lornedei's magic eye.
Floyd | She opens her eyes, blinking a few times to make sure. Yes, there they
Floyd | are.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 176.
Floyd | Lornedei is carrying:
Floyd |   a small leather pouch (which is open)
Floyd |     a golden acorn
Floyd |   A blue crystal hanging on a silver chain.
Floyd |   a handful of white berries
Floyd |   A brightly shining fairy lamp with a crystal spider inside
Floyd |   a small gray plaque
Floyd |   a leather rucksack (being worn)
Floyd |     a purple nut with thorns
Floyd |     a piece of cheese
Floyd |     a loaf of horrid bread
Floyd | "Master?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She needs to be holding the purple nut with thorns before she can put
Floyd | it on top of something else.
Floyd | Lornedei is waiting for your command.
Floyd | The beetle disappears into the crumbling stone house. It comes back
Floyd | out, stays a moment in the opening, waving its antennae, before coming
Floyd | back to Lornedei.
Floyd | Lornedei stares at the leaf clusters in the black forest. She looks
Floyd | away, biting her lower lip.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei carefully takes the nut, holding it with two fingers by one of
Floyd | the thorns. That way she won't get hurt.
Floyd | She puts the purple nut with thorns on the stone altar.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Hall of Severance
Floyd | The clearing is almost perfectly round and thirty or so paces across.
Floyd | It is surrounded by the forbidden forest on all sides.
Floyd | A giant black oak stands in solitude in the middle of the clearing.
Floyd | Many of its roots stick out of the ground like snakes arching to
Floyd | suffocate their prey. Steps are cut in the oak to provide an easy way
Floyd | up.
Floyd |
Floyd | A stone altar stands in the shadow of the big oak. Dry grass and shrubs
Floyd | are still rooted in the dead soil, and more of the deformed bushes grow
Floyd | in a loose circle around the oak and the altar.
Floyd |
Floyd | An old stone well gurgles softly not far from a crumbling stone house.
Floyd | On the other side of the clearing, three paths lead into the forbidden
Floyd | forest.
Floyd |
Floyd | The roots under the big oak stir restlessly. The shadows beneath them
Floyd | seem to grow momentarily, but when Lornedei Looks at them the movement
Floyd | stops.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the stone altar is a purple nut with thorns.
Floyd |
Floyd | She can also see a large black beetle (Spinning around waving its
Floyd | antennae at the moment.) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei carefully picks up the nut. She quickly drops it in the
Floyd | rucksack.
Floyd | The beetle scrambles through the dead grass to one of the paths. It
Floyd | spins around and comes back to Lornedei.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The black beetle is still for a few moments. Sniffing the air for
Floyd | danger. Then suddenly it decides where to go and takes off along one of
Floyd | the paths. Lornedei follows.
Floyd |
Floyd | Shadows reach for her, imaginary or not, from the growing darkness
Floyd | between the trees, as she moves into the forbidden forest. The beetle
Floyd | is ahead of her, leading on, stopping now and then to find its way. The
Floyd | path twists and changes direction so many times that Lornedei has to
Floyd | rely totally on her glimmering little guide.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei keeps her eye on the bug, but looks around now and then. The
Floyd | trees all look the same. No matter which kind they might have been
Floyd | originally, they are now all black and scorched. Clusters of leaves,
Floyd | singing their strange melody, hang from nearly all of them, some nearly
Floyd | touching the undergrowth. The forest is cold, the air thick, and
Floyd | Cowering under the stare of the shadows, she moves on. The bug leads.
Floyd | It runs ahead, over a dry and cracked puddle of mud, through the
Floyd | hollowed out insides of a dead tree, forward.
Floyd |
Floyd | The beetle stops. Its antennae wave frantically and it spins around on
Floyd | the ground a couple of times. When Lornedei reaches down to pick it up
Floyd | it quickly unfolds its wings, takes off with a buzzing and disappears
Floyd | among the trees.
Floyd |
Floyd | Forbidden Forest (Near the Raven Tree)
Floyd | Disappointed, Lornedei looks around.
Floyd | "I think I am lost."
Floyd | The scorched trees tower over anyone and anything unfortunate enough to
Floyd | be here. An air of ill will hangs over the treetops.
Floyd | The gray fog touches the trees highest branches, hiding the sun from
Floyd | view. Two paths lead into the black forest from here.
Floyd | Lornedei sighs.
Floyd |
Floyd | An enormous raven sits high up on a blackened branch, surrounded by the
Floyd | bug like leaves. It stares unblinking at Lornedei as she moves around
Floyd | in the crossing. It greets her with a threatening flutter with the
Floyd | wings, a guttural croaking and constant nervous sidestepping on the
Floyd | branch.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your holiness has just gone up by five.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | In the moment she reaches the bird with her mind, she is pushed
Floyd | backwards by an unknown force. She loses the connection.
Floyd | The bird croaks as it shakes the unwelcome intrusion from its mind.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic drops by one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Forbidden Forest (Near the Raven Tree)
Floyd | Let it be so!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (Taking the piece of cheese first.)
Floyd | The piece of cheese does not seem to interest the bird.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A large black bird with a shaggy, iridescent plumage. It never moves
Floyd | its gaze far from the trespasser. Every move she makes results in a
Floyd | nervous side step, a twitching in the wedge-shaped tail and a curious
Floyd | tilt of the black head.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She drops the piece of cheese into the leather rucksack.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | These trees all look dead at first sight. Scorched and tortured, they
Floyd | reach out their blackened limbs over the cowering undergrowth. They do
Floyd | have leaves, however, not green and lush but almost black.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |  She can try following one of the paths.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "I cannot talk to animals Master. Besides that, I am sure that a thing
Floyd | like that has nothing but nasty things to say."
Floyd | Lornedei shakes her foot to get rid of a painful stone from her sandal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The small gray plaque does not interest the bird. It just keeps on
Floyd | sidestepping.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Follow the bird? The black bird is not going anywhere at the moment.
Floyd | Perhaps it needs some incentive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (Taking the loaf of horrid bread first.)
Floyd | The loaf of horrid bread does not seem to interest the bird.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Really? the golden acorn?
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your holiness has just gone up by five.]
Floyd | The golden acorn does not interest the bird. It just keeps on
Floyd | sidestepping.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It is an acorn in shape and form but it seems to be one in solid gold.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Really? the purple nut with thorns?
Floyd | Lornedei carefully takes the nut, holding it with two fingers by one of
Floyd | the thorns. That way she won't get hurt.
Floyd | Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She drops the purple nut with thorns into the leather rucksack.
Floyd | A dry black leaf drops down on Lornedei's shoulder. With a grimace, she
Floyd | flicks it with a finger to get rid of it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei grabs one of the black leaves in the nearest cluster and
Floyd | twists it loose from the branch. The leaf falls over and the beetle
Floyd | quickly takes shape in her hand. When it is done growing, it crawls up
Floyd | on Lornedei's shoulder.
Floyd | >

Floyd | She already woke one beetle. There's no need to wake another one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master? I don't understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "I fail to see a point in what you ask!"
Floyd | A dry black leaf falls to the ground next to her. A gust of wind
Floyd | catches it and carries it away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "There is nothing wrong with that bird Master."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master? I don't understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The bird is too far up in the tree; it will not come close enough to be
Floyd | caught.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There's no way she could.
Floyd | Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (the raven)
Floyd | The ground is too hard to dig in this place.
Floyd | Lornedei shakes her foot to get rid of a painful stone from her sandal.
Floyd | A dry black leaf falls to the ground next to her. A gust of wind
Floyd | catches it and carries it away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The raven seems healthy enough.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | All I understood was a wish to where.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She does. Every night. You taught her well.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 176.
Floyd | Lornedei is carrying:
Floyd |   a large black beetle (Spinning around waving its antennae at the
Floyd | moment.)
Floyd |   a golden acorn
Floyd |   a loaf of horrid bread
Floyd |   a small leather pouch (which is open but empty)
Floyd |   A blue crystal hanging on a silver chain.
Floyd |   a handful of white berries
Floyd |   A brightly shining fairy lamp with a crystal spider inside
Floyd |   a small gray plaque
Floyd |   a leather rucksack (being worn)
Floyd |     a purple nut with thorns
Floyd |     a piece of cheese
Floyd | Lornedei bites on a nail.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (the amulet to the raven)
Floyd | The amulet does not interest the bird. It just keeps on sidestepping.
Floyd | A dry black leaf falls to the ground next to her. A gust of wind
Floyd | catches it and carries it away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (the amulet)
Floyd | There is no need for her to do that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It is a small round plaque in a material unknown to Lornedei. The
Floyd | surface is smooth and with a deep polish. It is small enough to fit in
Floyd | Lornedei's hand. The surface shows nothing, not even the distorted
Floyd | image of Lornedei herself that one might expect. What shows in the
Floyd | plaque is like a reflection of a stormy sky in a puddle of murky water,
Floyd | just before the rain starts hammering.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Your current holiness is 30 out of a possible holiness of 105, in 173
Floyd | moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Forbidden Forest (Near the Raven Tree)
Floyd | The gray fog touches the trees highest branches, hiding the sun from
Floyd | view. Two paths lead into the black forest from here.
Floyd | Lornedei sighs.

Floyd |
Floyd | An enormous raven sits high up on a blackened branch, surrounded by the
Floyd | bug like leaves. It stares unblinking at Lornedei as she moves around
Floyd | in the crossing. It greets her with a threatening flutter with the
Floyd | wings, a guttural croaking and constant nervous sidestepping on the
Floyd | branch.
Floyd | Lornedei bites on a nail.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master? I don't understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei polishes the fairy lamp some more. The light remains the same.
Floyd | Lornedei bites on a nail.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | In the fairy lamp is a crystal spider.
Floyd | Lornedei moves a strand of hair from her face and puts it behind her
Floyd | ear.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't quite see what it looks like as long as it's trapped inside
Floyd | the lamp. She'll have to free it somehow.
Floyd | Lornedei is waiting for your command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei turns the fairy lamp in her hand. The crystal spider jerks to
Floyd | life in there and taps angrily at the inside of its prison.
Floyd | Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "It is very cold. It feels almost like ice but it does not melt in my
Floyd | hand."
Floyd | "What should I do?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei holds the beetle in a tight grip, and shows it to the bird.
Floyd | The black bird leans its head to one side. Most interested, it moves
Floyd | restlessly on its branch. Lornedei slowly puts the beetle on the
Floyd | ground. She steps back and waits.
Floyd |
Floyd | The beetle turns towards Lornedei, turns back, notices the bird and
Floyd | makes a run for it. It heads for the high grass. The hungry bird dives
Floyd | from the tree and drops in a cloud of dirt between the bug and the safe
Floyd | undergrowth. The beetle stops dead in its track, changes direction and
Floyd | rushes forward, but the bird is already there, flipping the bug over.
Floyd | For one moment, it is immobilized. That moment is enough.
Floyd |
Floyd | While the beetle is helpless, the bird gets to the eating. Big chunks
Floyd | of the insect's body is ripped out and swallowed. At some point, the
Floyd | legs and antennae stop moving. Finally, there is nothing left of the
Floyd | beetle but an empty shell, lined with a few sad remains of legs, flesh,
Floyd | and unidentifiable insect parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | The bird skips along the path where, if one looks hard enough, one can
Floyd | see another trail. The bird turns to Lornedei and croaks.
Floyd | Waiting.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your holiness has just gone up by five.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei grabs one of the black leaves in the nearest cluster and
Floyd | twists it loose from the branch. The leaf falls over and the beetle
Floyd | quickly takes shape in her hand. When it is done growing, it crawls up
Floyd | on Lornedei's shoulder. Lornedei frowns. She seems to be listening.
Floyd | And there truly is a sound, distant, from the forest. It sounds like a
Floyd | bird, unlike any other.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master? I don't understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei dares a careful step towards the black bird. It turns and hops
Floyd | along the path a short distance before it again faces the girl.
Floyd | Waiting.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei takes another step and the bird takes off in the air. It flies
Floyd | in circles in front of her, high up and almost out of sight at times
Floyd | but always close enough for Lornedei to follow. The path winds its way
Floyd | through and around the disturbing shadows of the forbidden forest.
Floyd | Fallen trees and dense undergrowth is constantly in her way and she has
Floyd | to climb over, through, or around these obstacles, while keeping an eye
Floyd | on the bird. It is just ahead and above her. She follows the black
Floyd | bird, expecting the cold grip of the forgotten ones around her ankles
Floyd | at any moment. Images of soul wrenching, flesh ripping, and blood
Floyd | drinking spirits run through her mind. Nothing happens. Exhausted and
Floyd | bruised, with her clothes torn and dusty, she stumbles on.
Floyd |
Floyd | Something grabs her foot; she loses her balance and falls forward with
Floyd | a painful thud. Frozen in a breathless heap on the ground, she takes a
Floyd | moment to gather her strength as well as her breath. The bird croaks,
Floyd | Light seeps in through her closed eyelids.
Floyd |
Floyd | She looks up in time to catch a final glimpse of the bird. It
Floyd | disappears into a glowing sunset beyond a desolate field.
Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (Overlooking the Field of Despair)
Floyd | Slowly Lornedei gets up on her feet. Nearly blinded by the light from
Floyd | the dying sun, she inspects the damage. She sighs deeply.
Floyd |
Floyd | She opens her mouth to speak again but the words never come. She takes
Floyd | in the view of this seemingly empty wasteland in shocked silence for
Floyd | some time. She swallows. A dry wind tugs at her clothing while playing
Floyd | restlessly in the dry ground.
Floyd | Behind her is the forbidden forest. The tree line is sharp as if cut
Floyd | with a knife at creation, separating the blackened forest from the
Floyd | uniform gray ahead.
Floyd |
Floyd | The horizon ahead is strangely blurred. If from dust, mist or simply
Floyd | the uncertainty of distance is hard to tell from here. In the east, the
Floyd | field slopes down towards something that she cannot see. On the far
Floyd | side of that, the forest continues. In the opposite direction, the
Floyd | dying sun has set the horizon in flames above the gray covering the
Floyd | forbidden forest on that side. On this side of the forest, the land is
Floyd | cut, cracked, dropping down into a ravine. In the northwest, there is
Floyd | an old ruin reflecting the colours of the sun. To the north and
Floyd | northeast, the field continues into the blurred horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your holiness has just gone up by five.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (By the Circle of Stones)
Floyd | Lornedei walks east and the ground slopes down. It becomes increasingly
Floyd | difficult to walk. On the other side of the valley she is entering, the
Floyd | forest resumes. At the bottom of the slope where the sharp rocks slip
Floyd | under her feet, heat ripples the air. Lornedei makes her way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | This is the southeastern corner of the field of despair. The forbidden
Floyd | forest is nearly all around her. West, northwest, and north takes her
Floyd | out. The ground sinks into a large hole, a bowl more than fifty paces
Floyd | across, in the ground, edged by crevices and uneven ridges. A broken
Floyd | land. Once at the bottom, the rest of the field is out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | A stone circle is laid out on the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a fire inside the ring of stones, blasting out heat and light.
Floyd | Shadows cast by the stones stretch out from the circle. Their wavering
Floyd | tips caress the ragged ground where it begins to ascend to the plane
Floyd | above.
Floyd |
Floyd | A black plaque lies near the center of the fire pit.
Floyd | Lornedei is waiting for your command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The plaque is too close to the flames, she cannot get near it without
Floyd | setting herself on fire.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | All I understood was a wish to jump.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The circle is almost ten paces wide. Inside the edging of boulders, the
Floyd | ground sinks further down, into another bowl. This one is smooth and
Floyd | perfectly round.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei glances questioningly at the circle of stones. That is not
Floyd | something that she can enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei glances questioningly at the circle of stones. That is not
Floyd | something that she can enter.
Floyd | Lornedei frowns. She seems to be listening.
Floyd | And there truly is a sound, distant, from the forest. It sounds like a
Floyd | wolf. Yes, a wolf, but it's far away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master? I don't understand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | All I understood was a wish to call.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There seems to be nothing beyond what the eye can see.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei whistles but does Deini want to come to her?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There seems to be nothing beyond what the eye can see.
Floyd | Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There seems to be nothing beyond what the eye can see.
Floyd | Lornedei bites on a nail.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (the small gray plaque in the Blazing fire)
Floyd | This fire needs no fuel. Never mind burning up her inventory.
Floyd | A dry black leaf falls to the ground next to her. A gust of wind
Floyd | catches it and carries it away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (the amulet)
Floyd | It's a pale blue crystal hanging on a silver chain.
Floyd | Lornedei frowns. She seems to be listening.
Floyd | And there truly is a sound, distant, from the forest. It sounds like a
Floyd | bird, unlike any other.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei hangs the amulet around her neck. Immediately it flares up and
Floyd | shines brightly. The blinding light fades somewhat and the light
Floyd | becomes soft and steady. Lornedei shivers in delight from the power in
Floyd | the crystal that gives itself to her.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic just went up by one hundred.
Floyd |
Floyd | A dry black leaf falls to the ground next to her. A gust of wind
Floyd | catches it and carries it away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 276.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei hangs the amulet around her neck. Immediately it flares up and
Floyd | shines brightly. The blinding light fades somewhat and the light
Floyd | becomes soft and steady. Lornedei shivers in delight from the power in
Floyd | the crystal that gives itself to her.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic just went up by one hundred.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 376.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei just shrugs. There doesn't seem to be anything she can learn
Floyd | about the plaque.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There seems to be nothing beyond what the eye can see.
Floyd | Lornedei shakes her foot to get rid of a painful stone from her sandal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A golden haired woman walks across the courtyard of a long lost castle.
Floyd | A young lad in a brown tunic with a wooden sword in hand immediately
Floyd | interrupts his training to bow respectfully as she passes.
Floyd | An exhausted but smiling young woman lies in a bed with an infant in
Floyd | her arms. The blue light reflected in the child's so far unseeing eyes
Floyd | comes from a crystal hanging around the new mother's neck.
Floyd | A white haired old woman reaches into her robe to hold up a shining
Floyd | blue crystal hanging on a silver chain. She pulls it over her head and
Floyd | hands it to the girl kneeling before her on the stone floor.
Floyd | Generation after generation passes by in Lornedei's mind. Fleeing
Floyd | images of the many bearers, the many powerful women yielding respect
Floyd | and sometimes fear, but never hatred.
Floyd | Not until the final image.
Floyd | The amulet is thrown carelessly on top of a broken and bloody mess
Floyd | lying against cold stone. This very wall.
Floyd | Lornedei shivers and lets go of the crystal.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (the amulet)
Floyd | She already has that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | What do you want Lornedei to dig?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (the ground)
Floyd | Lornedei digs a hole in the dry ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master! Nothing can grow here." She picks up a handful of dirt but
Floyd | drops it again with a grimace.
Floyd | "This soil is poisoned, I can feel it."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (Overlooking the Field of Despair)
Floyd | Behind her is the forbidden forest. The tree line is sharp as if cut
Floyd | with a knife at creation, separating the blackened forest from the
Floyd | uniform gray ahead.
Floyd |
Floyd | The horizon ahead is strangely blurred. If from dust, mist or simply
Floyd | the uncertainty of distance is hard to tell from here. In the east, the
Floyd | field slopes down towards something that she cannot see. On the far
Floyd | side of that, the forest continues. In the opposite direction, the
Floyd | dying sun has set the horizon in flames above the gray covering the
Floyd | forbidden forest on that side. On this side of the forest, the land is
Floyd | cut, cracked, dropping down into a ravine. In the northwest, there is
Floyd | an old ruin reflecting the colours of the sun. To the north and
Floyd | northeast, the field continues into the blurred horizon.
Floyd | A high pitched squeal from somewhere among the blackened trees fills
Floyd | the air, and Lornedei shudders.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Courtyard
Floyd | Lornedei steps in-between a big wall that continues north, away from
Floyd | her, and the remains of another wall trailing west. What stands before
Floyd | her is only a small part of a castle. The rest of it, including any
Floyd | main gate or towers, is gone, as if cut away. She stops and looks
Floyd | around.
Floyd |
Floyd | Ahead of her is the southeastern corner of the castle. The corridor
Floyd | between the building and the outer wall leads northeast, but is blocked
Floyd | by a great pile of stone blocks and other debris. To the west, the
Floyd | courtyard ends at the ravine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Looking up, the facade disappears into a swirling ceiling of mist.
Floyd | Right at the corner of the castle, a narrow doorway leads north into
Floyd | darkness. She can look around, or walk around to learn more. South or
Floyd | southeast takes her away from the ruins. East brings her around to the
Floyd | east side of the east wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Ruins (In a Stone Corridor)
Floyd | Lornedei enters a long stone hall. The sudden noise of her own foot
Floyd | falls echoing makes her stop after just a few steps. She stands just
Floyd | inside the gate. The corridor is dim and it takes a while for her eyes
Floyd | to adjust to the darkness.
Floyd | The wide stone corridor continues north for perhaps sixty feet and
Floyd | there is a dim light at the far end.
Floyd | She takes a few more steps forward through the dusty corridor. She
Floyd | stops at an opening in the wall where a staircase leads down into
Floyd | darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei walks towards the dim light. The corridor ends, the floor
Floyd | drops away, and beyond is the mist. The edge of the cliff itself has
Floyd | dropped off, taking the entire inner castle down with it. The entire
Floyd | northwest corner of the big ledge has slid down to the bottom of the
Floyd | ravine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei takes a quick look down the ravine, through veils of mist, but
Floyd | the floor suddenly feels very unsteady under her feet. She returns to
Floyd | the opening to the staircase.
Floyd | Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Ruins (In the Guard Chamber)
Floyd | Lornedei leans into the opening in the wall, trying to see what is
Floyd | below the dark staircase. There is light down there. Without further
Floyd | hesitation, she descends the dusty stone steps.
Floyd |
Floyd | The spiral staircase ends in the middle of a square chamber. The west
Floyd | wall has fallen out into the ravine, letting in the glowing sunset. The
Floyd | walls that are still standing and the marble floor have cracked in
Floyd | several places. Rocks, a thick layer of dust, and all sorts of debris
Floyd | cover the floor. The only thing still intact is a stone statue standing
Floyd | in the southeast corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | The spiral staircase leads up and the west wall is open to the ravine.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The stone statue stands against the south wall. It seems undamaged by
Floyd | what ever happened here. It is a woman. She is dressed in a guard's
Floyd | robust clothing and she is standing with her feet somewhat apart, one
Floyd | arm bent to let her hand rest on a stone dagger at her waist.
Floyd | The statue is holding up its right arm as if holding something, perhaps
Floyd | a staff or a spear, but the hand is empty. The stone woman looks as if
Floyd | she could wake up at any moment, ready to protect.
Floyd | The polished stone eyes are fixed on something in the northeast corner
Floyd | of the chamber.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Cracked marble in walls and floor. Rubble. Nothing of interest catches
Floyd | her eye.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei takes a few steps to take a look at the corner but a fair bit
Floyd | of the wall has cracked and fallen. There is nothing to see but rubble.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei scratches her head, looking at the mountain of rubble.
Floyd | "If I could get through this first pile of blocks, then maybe, I am not
Floyd | sure I can though. I am going to need some help."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Ruins (In a Stone Corridor)
Floyd | A staircase leads down in darkness and south takes her out to the
Floyd | courtyard. The corridor seems to lead only to the dim light to the
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Courtyard
Floyd | Ahead of her is the southeastern corner of the castle. The corridor
Floyd | between the building and the outer wall leads northeast, but is blocked
Floyd | by a great pile of stone blocks and other debris. To the west, the
Floyd | courtyard ends at the ravine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Looking up, the facade disappears into a swirling ceiling of mist.
Floyd | Right at the corner of the castle, a narrow doorway leads north into
Floyd | darkness. She can look around, or walk around to learn more. South or
Floyd | southeast takes her away from the ruins. East brings her around to the
Floyd | east side of the east wall.
Floyd | Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (By the East Wall)
Floyd | The eastern wall of the ruined castle stands strong here. Fifty or so
Floyd | paces north, it fades into a wall of mist. East, south, southwest and
Floyd | southeast takes her to the rest of the field. West takes her past the
Floyd | east wall to the courtyard of the castle. Anything north of here is
Floyd | dwelled in gray mist.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There is no way she can get up on the wall. It is too high and there
Floyd | are no handholds.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She should not venture too far into this scarred landscape. Beyond is
Floyd | the mist, where she would be lost. Lornedei turns back.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (By the Circle of Stones)
Floyd | This is the southeastern corner of the field of despair. The forbidden
Floyd | forest is nearly all around her. West, northwest, and north takes her
Floyd | out. The ground sinks into a large hole, a bowl more than fifty paces
Floyd | across, in the ground, edged by crevices and uneven ridges. A broken
Floyd | land. Once at the bottom, the rest of the field is out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | A stone circle is laid out on the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a fire inside the ring of stones, blasting out heat and light.
Floyd | Shadows cast by the stones stretch out from the circle. Their wavering
Floyd | tips caress the ragged ground where it begins to ascend to the plane
Floyd | above.
Floyd |
Floyd | A black plaque lies near the center of the fire pit.
Floyd |
Floyd | She can also see a small hole in the hard ground (which is empty) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (By the Petrified Tree)
Floyd | This is nothing but wasteland. Scattered remains of a once big tree
Floyd | cover the ground. It might have been a great oak at one point. A dry
Floyd | and hot wind tears at her while throwing sand in her eyes and mouth.
Floyd | Beyond rocks, sand and starved soil, there is nothing but a gray mist.
Floyd | In the distant west, beyond more wasteland, she can see a high stone
Floyd | wall. South, the broken land dips down in a bowl beyond which is the
Floyd | forbidden forest. Southwest would take her back to the edge of the
Floyd | forest where she first entered the field.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | These are scattered remains of a tree. Mostly ashes, a few charred
Floyd | branches, a hollowed out trunk lying on its side, all petrified by time
Floyd | and lack of rain. All is covered in years of sand.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There is nothing left here that can be healed. The tree is long since
Floyd | dead.
Floyd | Lornedei is waiting for your command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei puts her hand on the petrified wood. She shuts her eyes.
Floyd | Suddenly, the air is fresh with a scent of damp soil, grass and the new
Floyd | flowers of spring. Golden leaves tremble on silver limbs. Rooted deep
Floyd | in fertile soil, cared for, held in awe, the golden oak waits.
Floyd |
Floyd | Soft grass beneath bare feet, feet tredding silently towards the great
Floyd | oak, but stopping to wait at the proper distance. A mumble, a nervous
Floyd | questioning, a whispered reply. A moment of silence. A silver cup
Floyd | carried the last two steps to the roots below the tree.
Floyd |
Floyd | A trickle of water, a new light bearer's gift, then the acceptance of
Floyd | it, knowing the young one is true and strong. A golden acorn drops to
Floyd | the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | Ages has passed, eons of repeated procedures, of dying and re-birth.
Floyd | The golden oak feels no fear, no regret, knowing that after this life,
Floyd | it will come again. The light bearers will plant the acorn and the
Floyd | spiral of life will turn once more. It is soon time. Very soon.
Floyd | Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (the ground)
Floyd | Lornedei digs a hole in the dry ground.
Floyd | "Master?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Master! Nothing can grow here." She picks up a handful of dirt but
Floyd | drops it again with a grimace.
Floyd | "This soil is poisoned, I can feel it."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei looks around, in the trunk, kicks away some dirt, but all she
Floyd | finds is more sad remains of the tree. Anything of interest is long
Floyd | since gone.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (By the East Wall)
Floyd | The eastern wall of the ruined castle stands strong here. Fifty or so
Floyd | paces north, it fades into a wall of mist. East, south, southwest and
Floyd | southeast takes her to the rest of the field. West takes her past the
Floyd | east wall to the courtyard of the castle. Anything north of here is
Floyd | dwelled in gray mist.
Floyd | "What should I do?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Courtyard
Floyd | Ahead of her is the southeastern corner of the castle. The corridor
Floyd | between the building and the outer wall leads northeast, but is blocked
Floyd | by a great pile of stone blocks and other debris. To the west, the
Floyd | courtyard ends at the ravine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Looking up, the facade disappears into a swirling ceiling of mist.
Floyd | Right at the corner of the castle, a narrow doorway leads north into
Floyd | darkness. She can look around, or walk around to learn more. South or
Floyd | southeast takes her away from the ruins. East brings her around to the
Floyd | east side of the east wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (Overlooking the Ravine)
Floyd | Lornedei stands on an outcropping overlooking a deep ravine going as
Floyd | far north as she can see. The ledge seems to be the remains of a road,
Floyd | cut off by the creation of the break in the earth. On the other side of
Floyd | the ravine, there's a barely visible opening through the trees. There
Floyd | is no way over there though. A steady wind tears at her clothes and
Floyd | hair in sudden gusts that seem eager to throw her off balance.
Floyd |
Floyd | East, northeast and north are the ways off the ledge.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (By the East Wall)
Floyd | The eastern wall of the ruined castle stands strong here. Fifty or so
Floyd | paces north, it fades into a wall of mist. East, south, southwest and
Floyd | southeast takes her to the rest of the field. West takes her past the
Floyd | east wall to the courtyard of the castle. Anything north of here is
Floyd | dwelled in gray mist.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Courtyard
Floyd | Ahead of her is the southeastern corner of the castle. The corridor
Floyd | between the building and the outer wall leads northeast, but is blocked
Floyd | by a great pile of stone blocks and other debris. To the west, the
Floyd | courtyard ends at the ravine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Looking up, the facade disappears into a swirling ceiling of mist.
Floyd | Right at the corner of the castle, a narrow doorway leads north into
Floyd | darkness. She can look around, or walk around to learn more. South or
Floyd | southeast takes her away from the ruins. East brings her around to the
Floyd | east side of the east wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A few paces away, the courtyard ends abruptly as the ground is replaced
Floyd | by the ravine. A vertical cliff of bare rock is all that is left. If
Floyd | there was a western wall there, it now lies at the bottom of the
Floyd | ravine, along with a big part of the castle. On the other side, the
Floyd | forbidden forest starts again. Lornedei quickly backs away from the
Floyd | edge.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (Overlooking the Ravine)
Floyd | Lornedei stands on an outcropping overlooking a deep ravine going as
Floyd | far north as she can see. The ledge seems to be the remains of a road,
Floyd | cut off by the creation of the break in the earth. On the other side of
Floyd | the ravine, there's a barely visible opening through the trees. There
Floyd | is no way over there though. A steady wind tears at her clothes and
Floyd | hair in sudden gusts that seem eager to throw her off balance.
Floyd |
Floyd | East, northeast and north are the ways off the ledge.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei takes one step towards the edge of the ravine, then another
Floyd | longer step away from it. The ravine is too deep and too wide to cross.
Floyd | Lornedei turns her head towards a sudden rustling in the forbidden
Floyd | forest. There is nothing there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Courtyard
Floyd | Ahead of her is the southeastern corner of the castle. The corridor
Floyd | between the building and the outer wall leads northeast, but is blocked
Floyd | by a great pile of stone blocks and other debris. To the west, the
Floyd | courtyard ends at the ravine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Looking up, the facade disappears into a swirling ceiling of mist.
Floyd | Right at the corner of the castle, a narrow doorway leads north into
Floyd | darkness. She can look around, or walk around to learn more. South or
Floyd | southeast takes her away from the ruins. East brings her around to the
Floyd | east side of the east wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Ruins (In a Stone Corridor)
Floyd | A staircase leads down in darkness and south takes her out to the
Floyd | courtyard. The corridor seems to lead only to the dim light to the
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Ruins (In the Guard Chamber)
Floyd | The spiral staircase ends in the middle of a square chamber. The west
Floyd | wall has fallen out into the ravine, letting in the glowing sunset. The
Floyd | walls that are still standing and the marble floor have cracked in
Floyd | several places. Rocks, a thick layer of dust, and all sorts of debris
Floyd | cover the floor. The only thing still intact is a stone statue standing
Floyd | in the southeast corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | The spiral staircase leads up and the west wall is open to the ravine.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lornedei steps closer to the huge hole in the wall. One glimpse down is
Floyd | enough. She steps back on unsteady legs.
Floyd | Lornedei bites on a nail.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Ruins (In a Stone Corridor)
Floyd | A staircase leads down in darkness and south takes her out to the
Floyd | courtyard. The corridor seems to lead only to the dim light to the
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Courtyard
Floyd | Ahead of her is the southeastern corner of the castle. The corridor
Floyd | between the building and the outer wall leads northeast, but is blocked
Floyd | by a great pile of stone blocks and other debris. To the west, the
Floyd | courtyard ends at the ravine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Looking up, the facade disappears into a swirling ceiling of mist.
Floyd | Right at the corner of the castle, a narrow doorway leads north into
Floyd | darkness. She can look around, or walk around to learn more. South or
Floyd | southeast takes her away from the ruins. East brings her around to the
Floyd | east side of the east wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (Overlooking the Ravine)
Floyd | Lornedei stands on an outcropping overlooking a deep ravine going as
Floyd | far north as she can see. The ledge seems to be the remains of a road,
Floyd | cut off by the creation of the break in the earth. On the other side of
Floyd | the ravine, there's a barely visible opening through the trees. There
Floyd | is no way over there though. A steady wind tears at her clothes and
Floyd | hair in sudden gusts that seem eager to throw her off balance.
Floyd |
Floyd | East, northeast and north are the ways off the ledge.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (Overlooking the Field of Despair)
Floyd | Behind her is the forbidden forest. The tree line is sharp as if cut
Floyd | with a knife at creation, separating the blackened forest from the
Floyd | uniform gray ahead.
Floyd |
Floyd | The horizon ahead is strangely blurred. If from dust, mist or simply
Floyd | the uncertainty of distance is hard to tell from here. In the east, the
Floyd | field slopes down towards something that she cannot see. On the far
Floyd | side of that, the forest continues. In the opposite direction, the
Floyd | dying sun has set the horizon in flames above the gray covering the
Floyd | forbidden forest on that side. On this side of the forest, the land is
Floyd | cut, cracked, dropping down into a ravine. In the northwest, there is
Floyd | an old ruin reflecting the colours of the sun. To the north and
Floyd | northeast, the field continues into the blurred horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lornedei's magic is currently at 376.
Floyd | Lornedei is carrying:
Floyd |   a large black beetle (Taking a nap at the moment.)
Floyd |   a golden acorn
Floyd |   a loaf of horrid bread
Floyd |   a small leather pouch (which is open but empty)
Floyd |   A blue crystal hanging on a silver chain.
Floyd |   a handful of white berries
Floyd |   A brightly shining fairy lamp with a crystal spider inside
Floyd |   a small gray plaque
Floyd |   a leather rucksack (being worn)
Floyd |     a purple nut with thorns
Floyd |     a piece of cheese
Floyd | Lornedei is waiting for your command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (Overlooking the Ravine)
Floyd | Lornedei stands on an outcropping overlooking a deep ravine going as
Floyd | far north as she can see. The ledge seems to be the remains of a road,
Floyd | cut off by the creation of the break in the earth. On the other side of
Floyd | the ravine, there's a barely visible opening through the trees. There
Floyd | is no way over there though. A steady wind tears at her clothes and
Floyd | hair in sudden gusts that seem eager to throw her off balance.
Floyd |
Floyd | East, northeast and north are the ways off the ledge.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She cannot reach things from such a distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | These trees all look dead at first sight. Scorched and tortured, they
Floyd | reach out their blackened limbs over the cowering undergrowth. They do
Floyd | have leaves, however, not green and lush but almost black.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The forbidden forest stands guard. There is no way through it.
Floyd | Lornedei frowns. She seems to be listening.
Floyd | And there truly is a sound, distant, from the forest. It sounds like
Floyd | something that does not want to be heard. Careful, tentative.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There is nothing here to listen to but the constant wind.
Floyd | Lornedei is waiting for your command.
Floyd | A dry black leaf falls to the ground next to her. A gust of wind
Floyd | catches it and carries it away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (Overlooking the Field of Despair)
Floyd | Behind her is the forbidden forest. The tree line is sharp as if cut
Floyd | with a knife at creation, separating the blackened forest from the
Floyd | uniform gray ahead.
Floyd |
Floyd | The horizon ahead is strangely blurred. If from dust, mist or simply
Floyd | the uncertainty of distance is hard to tell from here. In the east, the
Floyd | field slopes down towards something that she cannot see. On the far
Floyd | side of that, the forest continues. In the opposite direction, the
Floyd | dying sun has set the horizon in flames above the gray covering the
Floyd | forbidden forest on that side. On this side of the forest, the land is
Floyd | cut, cracked, dropping down into a ravine. In the northwest, there is
Floyd | an old ruin reflecting the colours of the sun. To the north and
Floyd | northeast, the field continues into the blurred horizon.
Floyd | Lornedei frowns. She seems to be listening.
Floyd | And there truly is a sound, distant, from the forest. It sounds like a
Floyd | bird, unlike any other.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She can't find anything like that. Are you sure it's here?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (By the Petrified Tree)
Floyd | This is nothing but wasteland. Scattered remains of a once big tree
Floyd | cover the ground. It might have been a great oak at one point. A dry
Floyd | and hot wind tears at her while throwing sand in her eyes and mouth.
Floyd | Beyond rocks, sand and starved soil, there is nothing but a gray mist.
Floyd | In the distant west, beyond more wasteland, she can see a high stone
Floyd | wall. South, the broken land dips down in a bowl beyond which is the
Floyd | forbidden forest. Southwest would take her back to the edge of the
Floyd | forest where she first entered the field.
Floyd |
Floyd | She can see a small hole in the hard ground (which is empty) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Wasteland (Overlooking the Field of Despair)
Floyd | Behind her is the forbidden forest. The tree line is sharp as if cut
Floyd | with a knife at creation, separating the blackened forest from the
Floyd | uniform gray ahead.
Floyd |
Floyd | The horizon ahead is strangely blurred. If from dust, mist or simply
Floyd | the uncertainty of distance is hard to tell from here. In the east, the
Floyd | field slopes down towards something that she cannot see. On the far
Floyd | side of that, the forest continues. In the opposite direction, the
Floyd | dying sun has set the horizon in flames above the gray covering the
Floyd | forbidden forest on that side. On this side of the forest, the land is
Floyd | cut, cracked, dropping down into a ravine. In the northwest, there is
Floyd | an old ruin reflecting the colours of the sun. To the north and
Floyd | northeast, the field continues into the blurred horizon.
Floyd | A dry black leaf falls to the ground next to her. A gust of wind
Floyd | catches it and carries it away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >