Start of a transcript of

Identification number: //225B2C6F-7E37-4AC1-B48C-ACF1DD25375E//
Interpreter version 1.3.7 / VM 3.1.3 / Library serial number 080126
Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson
Exit Lister version 11 by Eric Eve
Conversation Framework version 12 by Eric Eve
Epistemology version 9 by Eric Eve
Conversational Defaults version 3 by Eric Eve
Footnotes version 2 by Stephen Granade
Undo Output Control version 5/170902 by Nathanael Nerode (based on the extension by Erik Temple; integrates Empty Command Handling by Daniel Stelzer based on code by Matt Weiner)

>l
About to jump out of the plane
You are the unhappy occupant of the rear cockpit of a sad-sounding Westland Lysander. You've braved 100 mph winds before, but not this high up. You're not afraid of flying, but you didn't sign up for this.

These planes are supposed to be made for short landings in the field, but when your contact Zaid insisted you come at night, the danger of a night landing in a rough area of the desert turned this into a very dubious airdrop mission. You'll be dropping straight over the window edge of a plane not designed for it.

Your pilot has descended to 1000 feet, about as low as you can safely jump from. You're standing on the edge of the window frame, wearing your parachute, holding an old knapsack in one hand, and the other hand gripping the frame, waiting, looking out for a sign of where you might meet Zaid.

The plane jostles you unpleasantly as it sputters through the surrounding dark.

>x sign
You can't see any such thing.

>look for sign
You can't see any such thing.

>i
You are carrying:
  a parachute (being worn)
  a knapsack (closed)

The rumbling of the engine fills your senses as you peer into the blackness.

>l
About to jump out of the plane
You are the unhappy occupant of the rear cockpit of a sad-sounding Westland Lysander. You've braved 100 mph winds before, but not this high up. You're not afraid of flying, but you didn't sign up for this.

These planes are supposed to be made for short landings in the field, but when your contact Zaid insisted you come at night, the danger of a night landing in a rough area of the desert turned this into a very dubious airdrop mission. You'll be dropping straight over the window edge of a plane not designed for it.

Your pilot has descended to 1000 feet, about as low as you can safely jump from. You're standing on the edge of the window frame, wearing your parachute, holding an old knapsack in one hand, and the other hand gripping the frame, waiting, looking out for a sign of where you might meet Zaid.

Your precarious perch on the edge of the window frame reminds you of that time you were trapped on a ledge in the catacombs of Takhnakh, above a pit of giant scorpions. You calm your nerves by reminding yourself that death by falling out of a plane would be a much quicker and less painful way to go than death by a thousand scorpion stings.

>x blackness
You can't see any such thing.

>jump

Galilee Bones and the Juggernaut of Jordan
An accidental collision of pronunciations by Phil Riley
Release 0 / Serial number 260905 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.41 lib 6/12N) 

Feeling like a fool, you jump out of the plane into the darkness, hoping to find your contact Zaid somewhere on the ground. With no landmarks to guide you, you fall blindly into the desert, and you have no choice but to hope that you land somewhere safe. You hit the ground hard, and as you look around, you realize that you're completely alone in the darkness. You remove the parachute and leave it behind on the ground.

As you blunder through the darkness, something pointy and sharp stabs you in the calf, likely a snake. You stumble around helplessly for a while, but eventually collapse from poison and exhaustion. Some time later, you wake to the sound of a pistol being cocked. A Nazi soldier stands over you. He laughs darkly and says, "Das ist das Ende, Sie idiotischer und doch irgendwie seltsam faszinierender Archäologe!"[1] Then he fires.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> restart





This game contains a number of footnotes, which are indicated by bracketed numbers in the text. You can view the footnotes at any time by typing "note" and the number of the footnote you want to view.

To look something up in a book, type "CONSULT book ABOUT topic"; for example, "consult the encyclopedia frobozzica about ursula flathead", or "look up ursula flathead in the encyclopedia frobozzica".

To talk to a person, you can just repeat the topic of conversation that you want. For instance, if the game says "You can ask Frank if he's still sick", you can just type "ask Frank if he's still sick", or even "are you still sick".

Or you can also ASK someone ABOUT something.

Finally, type HINT to access the hint system.

Press any key to continue.


October 6, 1943: 1000 feet above Transjordan.

About to jump out of the plane
You are the unhappy occupant of the rear cockpit of a sad-sounding Westland Lysander. You've braved 100 mph winds before, but not this high up. You're not afraid of flying, but you didn't sign up for this.

These planes are supposed to be made for short landings in the field, but when your contact Zaid insisted you come at night, the danger of a night landing in a rough area of the desert turned this into a very dubious airdrop mission. You'll be dropping straight over the window edge of a plane not designed for it.

Your pilot has descended to 1000 feet, about as low as you can safely jump from. You're standing on the edge of the window frame, wearing your parachute, holding an old knapsack in one hand, and the other hand gripping the frame, waiting, looking out for a sign of where you might meet Zaid.

>x desert
You can't see any such thing.

>transcript
Transcripting is already on.

>l
About to jump out of the plane
You are the unhappy occupant of the rear cockpit of a sad-sounding Westland Lysander. You've braved 100 mph winds before, but not this high up. You're not afraid of flying, but you didn't sign up for this.

These planes are supposed to be made for short landings in the field, but when your contact Zaid insisted you come at night, the danger of a night landing in a rough area of the desert turned this into a very dubious airdrop mission. You'll be dropping straight over the window edge of a plane not designed for it.

Your pilot has descended to 1000 feet, about as low as you can safely jump from. You're standing on the edge of the window frame, wearing your parachute, holding an old knapsack in one hand, and the other hand gripping the frame, waiting, looking out for a sign of where you might meet Zaid.

The plane jostles you unpleasantly as it sputters through the surrounding dark.

>x dark
You can't see any such thing.

>x field
You can't see any such thing.

>look for zaid
You can't see any such thing.

>i
You are carrying:
  a parachute (being worn)
  a knapsack (closed)

The rumbling of the engine fills your senses as you peer into the blackness.

>z
Time passes.

Your precarious perch on the edge of the window frame reminds you of that time you were trapped on a ledge in the catacombs of Takhnakh, above a pit of giant scorpions. You calm your nerves by reminding yourself that death by falling out of a plane would be a much quicker and less painful way to go than death by a thousand scorpion stings.

>z
Time passes.

The plane is flying low, but it's still hard to see anything in the darkness.

>z
Time passes.

A small light appears in the distance.

>x light
A tiny point of light on the ground. It's unclear what it is.

The small light is almost below you now. Beyond it you can see what looks like a much larger blaze of light.

>x blaze
It could be a campfire, or a bonfire, or several torches.

The small light falls behind, but a larger blaze of light is a ways ahead.

>jump

Galilee Bones and the Juggernaut of Jordan
An accidental collision of pronunciations by Phil Riley
Release 0 / Serial number 260905 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.41 lib 6/12N) 

Feeling like a fool, you jump out of the plane into the darkness, hoping to find your contact Zaid somewhere on the ground. With no landmarks to guide you, you fall blindly into the desert, and you have no choice but to hope that you land somewhere safe. You hit the ground hard, and as you look around, you realize that you're completely alone in the darkness. You remove the parachute and leave it behind on the ground.

As you blunder through the darkness, something pointy and sharp stabs you in the calf, likely a snake. You stumble around helplessly for a while, but eventually collapse from poison and exhaustion. Some time later, you wake to the sound of a pistol being cocked. A Nazi soldier stands over you. He laughs darkly and says, "Das ist das Ende, Sie idiotischer und doch irgendwie seltsam faszinierender Archäologe!"[1] Then he fires.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> restart





This game contains a number of footnotes, which are indicated by bracketed numbers in the text. You can view the footnotes at any time by typing "note" and the number of the footnote you want to view.

To look something up in a book, type "CONSULT book ABOUT topic"; for example, "consult the encyclopedia frobozzica about ursula flathead", or "look up ursula flathead in the encyclopedia frobozzica".

To talk to a person, you can just repeat the topic of conversation that you want. For instance, if the game says "You can ask Frank if he's still sick", you can just type "ask Frank if he's still sick", or even "are you still sick".

Or you can also ASK someone ABOUT something.

Finally, type HINT to access the hint system.

Press any key to continue.


October 6, 1943: 1000 feet above Transjordan.

About to jump out of the plane
You are the unhappy occupant of the rear cockpit of a sad-sounding Westland Lysander. You've braved 100 mph winds before, but not this high up. You're not afraid of flying, but you didn't sign up for this.

These planes are supposed to be made for short landings in the field, but when your contact Zaid insisted you come at night, the danger of a night landing in a rough area of the desert turned this into a very dubious airdrop mission. You'll be dropping straight over the window edge of a plane not designed for it.

Your pilot has descended to 1000 feet, about as low as you can safely jump from. You're standing on the edge of the window frame, wearing your parachute, holding an old knapsack in one hand, and the other hand gripping the frame, waiting, looking out for a sign of where you might meet Zaid.

>z
Time passes.

The plane jostles you unpleasantly as it sputters through the surrounding dark.

>z
Time passes.

The rumbling of the engine fills your senses as you peer into the blackness.

>z
Time passes.

Your precarious perch on the edge of the window frame reminds you of that time you were trapped on a ledge in the catacombs of Takhnakh, above a pit of giant scorpions. You calm your nerves by reminding yourself that death by falling out of a plane would be a much quicker and less painful way to go than death by a thousand scorpion stings.

>z
Time passes.

The plane is flying low, but it's still hard to see anything in the darkness.

>z
Time passes.

A small light appears in the distance.

>x small
A tiny point of light on the ground. It's unclear what it is.

The small light is almost below you now. Beyond it you can see what looks like a much larger blaze of light.

>jump

Galilee Bones and the Juggernaut of Jordan
An accidental collision of pronunciations by Phil Riley
Release 0 / Serial number 260905 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.41 lib 6/12N) 

You jump out of the plane, and the rush of air hits you like a wall. You feel the wind whipping past you as you fall, and time seems to stop -

----------

And suddenly it's two days ago, and you're loitering in a doorway in Karak, trying to be inconspicuous while the man you're sure is an undercover SS agent lounges in a cafe across the street. Your heart sinks as you recognize the man sitting across the table from him: your pilot Abdullah. You've been sold out; time to find another pilot. You ponder the faithlessness of man, your own guilt burning in your chest as you think of her -

----------

And again the ground rushes up to meet you. The speck of light you saw from the plane is there below, and you aim for it. As you land, you see that it's nothing more than a torch, held by who could only be Zaid. He hands you a second torch and a tinderbox but doesn't say anything, and you suspect he speaks no English. He gives you a scrap of paper with a message scrawled on it, then motions towards a rough path trodden in the sand. Your mysterious friend hurries off into the darkness the opposite way, leaving you alone in the desert.

You remove the parachute and leave it behind on the ground.

Drop Site
The ring of torchlight reveals a small clearing in the desert, with a rough path leading off northeast into the darkness. A used parachute lies crumpled on the ground.

This reminds you of being dropped into the jungles of Paraguay during a solar eclipse, but this time you don't anticipate any leeches.

>save
Ok.

>i
You are carrying:
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (closed)

>read note
The note reads, in a hasty scrawl, "Nazis close to something big. Don't know what. In stone city of Lejjun. Near Karak. Stop them and bring whatever it is home with you."

Why always the scrawled notes? Would it hurt to use a typewriter? And the sentence fragments... seriously.

And who wrote this anyway?

>n
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>l
Drop Site
The ring of torchlight reveals a small clearing in the desert, with a rough path leading off northeast into the darkness. A used parachute lies crumpled on the ground.

>ne

Desert Path
A faint path has been trodden in the sand here between stands of hardy desert plants. The path leads southwest back to the drop site and splits into two paths to the north and northeast.

>ne

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope down into the unknown. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>e

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

>e

Promontory Point
The path leads east to a rocky point overlooking the desert. The view would presumably be breathtaking, except the darkness makes it hard to see much of it. A far-off village marks the eastern horizon. You can return west to the escarpment.

A solitary za'atar plant peeks out from some rocks, its small green leaves giving off a pungent aroma.

>x plant
Also known as desert thyme, za'atar is a hardy plant with small, fragrant leaves and tiny pink flowers.

>take it
Taken.

>smell it
It smells like a mix of oregano, thyme, and a hint of citrus.

>l
Promontory Point
The path leads east to a rocky point overlooking the desert. The view would presumably be breathtaking, except the darkness makes it hard to see much of it. A far-off village marks the eastern horizon. You can return west to the escarpment.

>e
That way lies a long stretch of lonely desert. You'd better stay on the path.

>w

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

>sw

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>x rubble
This part of the world suffers the occasional earthquake, and the aftermath of one such earthquake is evident in the prevalent rubble.

>x skeleton
Not really a skeleton, but a pile of bones that likely once supported a human body. You can't see terribly well past the rubble, but you could probably reach the skeleton if you wanted to.

>search it
You reach through the rubble and into the small chamber beyond. You find a small metal object, which you take. It turns out to be a pipe, of the smoking variety.

>x pipe
A metal smoking pipe, of the sort you associate with dingy dark jazz clubs thick with the smell of hashish. It is likely aluminum, although the shiny surface has turned gray and pitted with age. Strangely, although the pipe is of a twentieth-century design, it is clearly many centuries old, if not more.

>search skeleton
You reach through the rubble and into the small chamber beyond. You don't find anything but rubble and bones, neither of which you want to carry.

>x skeleton
Not really a skeleton, but a pile of bones that likely once supported a human body. You can't see terribly well past the rubble, but you could probably reach the skeleton if you wanted to.

>take it
You'd rather not. Y'know, curses and what not.

>l
Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>u
The rubble has thoroughly blocked the passage.

>w
The rubble has thoroughly blocked the passage.

>i
You are carrying:
  a pipe
  za'atar
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (closed)

>ne

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

>xread note
I don't understand what you're saying.

>read note
The note reads, in a hasty scrawl, "Nazis close to something big. Don't know what. In stone city of Lejjun. Near Karak. Stop them and bring whatever it is home with you."

>w

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>w

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is occupied by a single SS Guard, who is sitting by the fire and staring into it. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

Ugh. Nazis. They're the worst.

A lone desert chamomile plant pokes up between the rocks here.

>x plant
(za'atar)
Also known as desert thyme, za'atar is a hardy plant with small, fragrant leaves and tiny pink flowers.

>x chamomile
Desert chamomile is a small plant with white, daisy-like flowers, known for its calming properties. It is often used in teas to help with sleep and relaxation.

Relaxation will have to wait. First, there are Nazis to punch.

>take it
Taken.

>l
Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is occupied by a single SS Guard, who is sitting by the fire and staring into it. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>hit guard
You'd have to throw something to attack him from here.

>i
You are carrying:
  a pipe
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (closed)
  The herbs desert chamomile and za'atar

>l
Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is occupied by a single SS Guard, who is sitting by the fire and staring into it. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>x rock
You can't see any such thing.

>e
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>se

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>take rock
(Taking one rock from the pile)

Taken.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is occupied by a single SS Guard, who is sitting by the fire and staring into it. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>throw rock at guard
You throw the rock at the SS Guard, and it hits him squarely on his helmet. He whirls around, but not before you have a chance to run away. He shouts, "Hey, mach mal langsam!"[1], and gives chase.

>se

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>z
Time passes.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the northwest.

>take rock
(Taking one rock from the pile)

Taken.

The SS Guard catches up to you and tackles you to the ground. He laughs and says, "Hab dich! Du bist!"[2] Then he shoots you.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Fork in the Path

>undo
Fork in the Path

>take rock
(Taking one rock from the pile)

Taken.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the northwest.

>throw rock at guard
(the rock at the SS Guard)
You throw the rock at the SS Guard, but it goes wide.

The SS Guard catches up to you and tackles you to the ground. He laughs and says, "Hab dich! Du bist!"[2] Then he shoots you.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Fork in the Path

>ne
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

The SS Guard catches up to you and tackles you to the ground. He laughs and says, "Hab dich! Du bist!"[2] Then he shoots you.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Fork in the Path

>e

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the west.

>sw

Desert Path
A faint path has been trodden in the sand here between stands of hardy desert plants. The path leads southwest back to the drop site and splits into two paths to the north and northeast.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the northeast.

>n

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the south.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the southeast.

>w

Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

A battered copy of Nabataean Herbology lies on the ground near the campfire.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the east.

>take all
Nabataean Herbology: Taken.

The SS Guard catches up to you and tackles you to the ground. He laughs and says, "Hab dich! Du bist!"[2] Then he shoots you.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Nazi Encampment

>hit guard
You can't reach him from here.

The SS Guard catches up to you and tackles you to the ground. He laughs and says, "Hab dich! Du bist!"[2] Then he shoots you.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Nazi Encampment

>undo
Outside Camp

>undo
Fork in the Path

>undo
Desert Path

>save
Ok.

>l
Desert Path
A faint path has been trodden in the sand here between stands of hardy desert plants. The path leads southwest back to the drop site and splits into two paths to the north and northeast.

The SS Guard catches up to you and tackles you to the ground. He laughs and says, "Hab dich! Du bist!"[2] Then he shoots you.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Desert Path

>ne

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

You can see a SS Guard here.

The SS Guard catches up to you and tackles you to the ground. He laughs and says, "Hab dich! Du bist!"[2] Then he shoots you.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Desert Path

>n

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the south.

>e

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the west.

>e

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see the guard at the top of the escarpment, illuminated faintly by the torchlight. He seems reluctant to climb down. He looks down at you and half-heartedly fires a shot from his pistol. He shouts, "Na gut, lauf doch einfach weg! Ist mir egal!"[2] and then disappears from view.

>w

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>w

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is occupied by a single SS Guard, who is sitting by the fire and staring into it. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>w
As you enter the camp, the SS Guard looks up from his fire and, seeing you, draws his pistol and shoots you without even a wisecrack; which, as your vision fades for the last time, makes you feel a little bit cheated.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Outside Camp

>l
Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is occupied by a single SS Guard, who is sitting by the fire and staring into it. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>e
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>se

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>e

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>e

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

>e

Promontory Point
The path leads east to a rocky point overlooking the desert. The view would presumably be breathtaking, except the darkness makes it hard to see much of it. A far-off village marks the eastern horizon. You can return west to the escarpment.

>x village
The village is little more than a handful of lights on the horizon.

>sw
That way lies a long stretch of lonely desert. You'd better stay on the path.

>sw
That way lies a long stretch of lonely desert. You'd better stay on the path.

>w

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

>e

Promontory Point
The path leads east to a rocky point overlooking the desert. The view would presumably be breathtaking, except the darkness makes it hard to see much of it. A far-off village marks the eastern horizon. You can return west to the escarpment.

>w

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

>sw

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>d

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>x rubble
This part of the world suffers the occasional earthquake, and the aftermath of one such earthquake is evident in the prevalent rubble.

>w

Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

>x betyl
This betyl is a large free-form chunk of sandstone, well-protected from the elements by the shrine. It is covered in markings that look like Nabataean script.

>take it
At easily fifty pounds, the betyl is much too heavy to take.

>read it
The most prominent marking is a large inscription on the front of the betyl, which says "do ukhej do ni rbehe em ta bheh na ta ltes are gnege gi do ni thob em."[4] You recognize this as a line from the Ukhej gi Ohr, or Book of Heroes, a Nabataean text about the end of the world and the hero who will save it. Intriguingly, this line is (coincidentally?) the end of the extant text.

>save
Ok.

>i
You are carrying:
  a rock
  a pipe
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (closed)
  The herbs desert chamomile and za'atar

>put herbs in pipe
desert chamomile: Done.
za'atar: Done.

>light pipe
Just use "smoke pipe".

>smoke pipe
You take a few puffs. You get a little sleepy, but that's about it.

>i
You are carrying:
  a rock
  a pipe
    The herbs za'atar and desert chamomile
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (closed)

>open knapsack
You open the knapsack, revealing a broken flashlight, an envelope and a Nabataean dictionary.

>x flashlight
The impact of your landing shattered the flashlight's bulb. It's just a piece of scrap metal now. Quite heavy scrap metal, actually.

>x dictionary
A handy thing to have if you ever find yourself a tourist in ancient Nabataea.

LOOK UP word IN DICTIONARY to translate from English to Nabataean, or TRANSLATE word WITH DICTIONARY to translate from Nabataean to English.

You can also translate whole phrases or sentences, like TRANSLATE tsehz gi anga ta lef tsets WITH DICTIONARY. Words with no direct English translation will be represented as "*" and unknown words will be represented as "?".

Finally, you can translate the entire text on an object or document by saying something like TRANSLATE object WITH DICTIONARY.

>x stone
This betyl is a large free-form chunk of sandstone, well-protected from the elements by the shrine. It is covered in markings that look like Nabataean script.

>read it
The most prominent marking is a large inscription on the front of the betyl, which says "do ukhej do ni rbehe em ta bheh na ta ltes are gnege gi do ni thob em."[4] You recognize this as a line from the Ukhej gi Ohr, or Book of Heroes, a Nabataean text about the end of the world and the hero who will save it. Intriguingly, this line is (coincidentally?) the end of the extant text.

>translate stone with dictionary
(first taking the Nabataean dictionary)
* hero * * flower * * burn * * break down age * * * wall * 
* - grammatical particle with no direct translation
? - no translation in the dictionary

>i
You are carrying:
  a Nabataean dictionary
  a rock
  a pipe
    The herbs za'atar and desert chamomile
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (open)
    a broken flashlight
    an envelope (closed)

>x envelope
It's addressed to Dr. Galilee Bones, Institute of the Western Part of the Eastern World, Chicago, Illinois. That's you.

>open it
You open the envelope, revealing a letter.

>read letter
The letter is from your dean at Woodlawn University, and it reads:

October 1, 1943

Galilee Bones, Ph.D.
 Institute of the Western Part of the Eastern World
 Chicago, Illinois

Dear Dr. Bones,

I hope this letter finds you well. Although it is generally not our policy to grant sabbaticals more than once every seven years, the interventions of the War Department and the Office of Strategic Services have persuaded me to make an exception in your case. Please remember, however, that teaching undergraduates earns us tuition money, and fighting Nazis does not, so I expect you to return to your teaching duties as soon as possible. And do see if you can get a paper or two out of this trip.

Sincerely,
 Artemis H. Wainwright
 Dean of the School of Archaeology
 Woodlawn University

Wainwright. What a little weasel. Yeah, you'll write a paper. One all about Wainwright's stupid weasel face.

>l
Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

>save
Ok.

>put betyl
What do you want to put the betyl in?

>e
You must name something more substantial.

>e

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>u

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>n
You can't go that way.

>ne

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

>w

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>w

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>take rock
(the rock)
You already have that.

>g
(the rock)
You already have that.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is occupied by a single SS Guard, who is sitting by the fire and staring into it. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>douse torch
(the oil torch)
You grind the head of the torch against the ground until the flame dies.

It is now pitch dark in here!

>undo
Outside Camp

>save
Ok.

>throw rock 
Dropped.

>undo
Outside Camp

>throw rock at ss
(the SS Guard)
You throw the rock at the SS Guard, and it hits him squarely on his helmet. He whirls around, but not before you have a chance to run away. He shouts, "Hey, mach mal langsam!"[1], and gives chase.

>e
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

The SS Guard scrambles to his feet, shouting "Eins - Zwei - Drei - ich komme!"[5]

>undo
Outside Camp

>se

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>z
Time passes.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the northwest.

>undo
Fork in the Path

>ne
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the northwest.

>undo
Fork in the Path

>n
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the northwest.

>undo
Fork in the Path

>l
Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

You can see the guard gaining on you, off to the northwest.

>undo
Fork in the Path

>e

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>douse torch
(the oil torch)
You grind the head of the torch against the ground until the flame dies.

The SS Guard, seeing you disappear into the darkness, shouts "Das ist nicht fair! Nicht verstecken!"[5]

It is now pitch dark in here!

>e
You start down the escarpment in the darkness, but the footing is treacherous and you quickly lose your nerve. You climb back to the top, deciding that it's not worth the risk.

You duck out of the way as the SS Guard rushes past you in the darkness. You can hear the sound of something heavy falling down the slope, and then silence.

>light torch
(the oil torch)
You strike flint against steel and the torch flares back to life.

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>d

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

>search guard
The guard is wearing a uniform and holds a pistol.

>take uniform
Taken.

>wear it
You put on the SS Uniform.

>take pistol
Taken.

>wear it
You can't wear that!

>w

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>e

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

>x pistol
A Mauser HSc, a common sidearm for German officers.

>w

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>u
You can neither climb walls nor fly.

>w

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>w
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>w

Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

A battered copy of Nabataean Herbology lies on the ground near the campfire.

>take herbology
Taken.

>read it
This is the crowning achievement of Ludwig Schäfer[6], the foremost authority on Nabataean botany. Inconveniently, it is written in Nabataean, but the illustrations are clear enough to understand without translation. Disgracefully, someone has scribbled something inside the front cover. It reads "lhehr gi do bhi em thir tse do drof li na ngezt gi do ngan im ta bheh tor ta muga ngezzeh ivh gi do rbehe em."

You can also CONSULT this book for information.

>consult book about herbs
You discover nothing of interest in Nabataean Herbology.

>translate herbology
(with the Nabataean dictionary)
wind * * herb * with fire * seed * * stone * * plant * * burn * * leave alone sleep * * flower * 
* - grammatical particle with no direct translation
? - no translation in the dictionary

>consult book about chamomile
Widely used among the Nabataeans for its calming properties, it was often brewed into a tea to help with sleep and relaxation. The Nabataeans called it the "Flower of Sleep".

>i
You are carrying:
  Nabataean Herbology
  a pistol
  a SS Uniform (being worn)
  a Nabataean dictionary
  a pipe
    The herbs za'atar and desert chamomile
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (open)
    a broken flashlight
    an envelope (open)
      a letter

>consult book about za'atar
Known as the "Plant of Stone" for its hardiness and ability to grow in rocky terrain. The Nabataeans used za'atar in cooking, and it was also believed to have protective properties when sprinkled around the home.

>l
Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

>w

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

A single white wormwood plant grows here, its silvery leaves shimmering in the torchlight.

>x wormwood
A perennial shrub with strongly aromatic leaves and insignificant yellowish flowers.

>take it
Taken.

>look up wormwood
You thumb through the Nabataean dictionary, but find no translation for "white wormwood".

>consult herbology about wormwood
Known as the "Herb of Wind" to the Nabataeans for how its scent is carried on the breeze, white wormwood is a strongly aromatic plant that was used in traditional medicine for a variety of ailments.

>i
You are carrying:
  white wormwood
  Nabataean Herbology
  a pistol
  a SS Uniform (being worn)
  a Nabataean dictionary
  a pipe
    The herbs za'atar and desert chamomile
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (open)
    a broken flashlight
    an envelope (open)
      a letter

>put wormwood in pipe
You put white wormwood into the pipe.

>take chamomile
Taken.

>smoke pipe
You take a few puffs, but nothing interesting happens.

>l
Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>exits
The obvious exits are north, southwest and east (to nazi encampment).

(Use EXITS ON to enable the status line exit lister and EXITS OFF to turn it off.)

>sw

Rocky Waste
This area is covered with large rocks and boulders, apparently from the collapse of the rocky structures that once stood here. It is impossible to proceed further. You can return to the temple to the northeast.

>ne

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>n

Antechamber
You are in the antechamber of the temple. You are amazed to find the largest extant Nabataean fresco known to modern archaeology, only partially intact but covering the entire wall in front of you and stretching up to the ceiling. The focus of the image is a large stone man, towering over the other figures in the painting. You can exit south back to the city through the shameful gap the SS made in the wall, or you can go north into the temple.

You can hear voices to the north.

>listen
You can hear voices to the north speaking German.

>x man
The fresco prominently features a large stone man, but the details are too weathered to make out clearly.

>n

Chasm Floor
As you step onto the chasm floor, you barely have time to take in your surroundings before two SS soldiers draw their pistols and train them on you. One of them, from his uniform evidently one Standartenführer Lockig, says, "Ah, Doktor Bones - ich habe schon gerochen, wie Sie im Lager herumgeschlichen sind. Wie freundlich von Ihnen, uns zu besuchen und Zeuge unseres Triumphs zu werden - den wir, ehrlich gesagt, noch nicht ganz errungen haben, von dem ich aber ziemlich sicher bin - nein, sehr sicher - dass wir ihn sehr, sehr bald erreichen werden; vielleicht schon in wenigen Stunden oder Tagen - aber ganz bestimmt innerhalb einer Woche!"[8]

You can see Standartenführer Lockig and Oberscharführer Triefen here.

You can tell Standartenführer Lockig you're looking for a hotel or ask if we've met before.

>tell him i'm looking for a hotel
That is not a topic of conversation at the moment.

You can tell Standartenführer Lockig you're looking for a hotel or ask if we've met before.

>tell lockig I'm looking for a hotel
You say, "Actually, I'm just looking for a hotel. Do you know if there's one around here?"

Lockig looks baffled. "Ein Hotel? Was um alles in der Welt? Ist das wieder so einer dieser Helden-Sprüche oder so etwas? Ich verstehe die nie."[9]

Then Lockig says, "Aber vergessen Sie das. Schauen Sie sich das an. Haben Sie so etwas?"[10] He points upwards.

Lockig looks at you expectantly; "Na? Wollen Sie nicht aufschauen?"[11]

You can look up or say no.

>look up
You look up to see a veritable behemoth of a machine, a giant man of stone, towering close to fifty feet tall. It stands at rest, but its meticulously articulated joints make it clear that it is meant to move. Yet for now it is quiet, and with a nerve that only the world's most famous archaeologist could summon, you taunt Lockig: "Okay, then let's see you start it up, or don't you know how to drive?"

Lockig's face darkens, and he shouts, "Oh, ihr Archäologen! Wie ich euch alle hasse! Ihr glaubt wohl, ihr könnt einfach hier hereinspazieren und verspotten, wen ihr wollt - aber ich werde es euch zeigen! Nehmt das sofort zurück!"[12]

You can take it back or twist the knife deeper.

>twist the knife
You say, "Take it back? No. But anyway, we've already got one."

Lockig looks confused, then asks Triefen, "Was?"[13].

Triefen explains, "Er sagt, sie haben schon einen!"[14].

Lockig's confusion, if anything, just deepens. "Bist du sicher, dass du einen hast?"[15]

You respond, "Oh, yes. It's very nice."

Lockig looks at you bitterly. "Sie sind so gemein, Bones."[16]

Oberscharführer Triefen looks at you with disgust. "Ja, der Standartenführer hat einen sehr anstrengenden Tag. Vielleicht ist es an der Zeit, Sie in Ihre Schranken zu weisen."[17]

Lockig holds you at gunpoint while Triefen binds your hands. The Oberscharführer drags you out of the temple and deposits you in the camp outside, where he ties your feet as well. Then he storms off, leaving you there alone.

Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

You wait, tied up and alone in the camp. Time passes slowly.

>i
You're tied up, remember? You can't do that.

You wait, tied up and alone in the camp. Time passes slowly - 

----------

You're trying to tell Dahlia why you have to abandon her here in Amman, but she just doesn't seem to understand. In fact, you're kind of worried she might break one of your smaller bones if you can't convince her that it's for the best.

"Listen, Doll..."

"-lia," she corrects you. "And thanks for spelling out the problem, Bones."

"What?" you respond. You're beginning to wonder if maybe she's right, and you are a little bit slow -

----------

>l
Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

After what feels like an eternity, you hear the sound of footsteps. It's Zaid, your contact. He unties you, tosses the rope at your feet, and then disappears just as quickly as he came.

>take all
rope: Taken.

>l
Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

>w

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>i
You are carrying:
  a rope
  desert chamomile
  Nabataean Herbology
  a pistol
  a SS Uniform (being worn)
  a Nabataean dictionary
  a pipe
    The herbs white wormwood and za'atar
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (open)
    a broken flashlight
    an envelope (open)
      a letter

>put chamomile in pipe
You put desert chamomile into the pipe.

>smoke it
You can't smoke that.

>smoke pipe
You take a few puffs. You get a little sleepy, but that's about it.

>translate herbology
(with the Nabataean dictionary)
wind * * herb * with fire * seed * * stone * * plant * * burn * * leave alone sleep * * flower * 
* - grammatical particle with no direct translation
? - no translation in the dictionary

>x seed
You can't see any such thing.

>i
You are carrying:
  a rope
  Nabataean Herbology
  a pistol
  a SS Uniform (being worn)
  a Nabataean dictionary
  a pipe
    The herbs desert chamomile, white wormwood and za'atar
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (open)
    a broken flashlight
    an envelope (open)
      a letter

>x chamomile
Desert chamomile is a small plant with white, daisy-like flowers, known for its calming properties. It is often used in teas to help with sleep and relaxation.

>x wormwood
A perennial shrub with strongly aromatic leaves and insignificant yellowish flowers.

>x za'atar
Also known as desert thyme, za'atar is a hardy plant with small, fragrant leaves and tiny pink flowers.

>l
Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>n

Antechamber
You are in the antechamber of the temple. The fresco is large, but nothing compared to the one inside the temple proper. You can exit south back to the city through the shameful gap the SS made in the wall, or you can go north into the temple.

You can hear voices to the north.

>s

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>sw

Rocky Waste
This area is covered with large rocks and boulders, apparently from the collapse of the rocky structures that once stood here. It is impossible to proceed further. You can return to the temple to the northeast.

>ne

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>e

Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

>e

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>se

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>e

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>d

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

>e

Promontory Point
The path leads east to a rocky point overlooking the desert. The view would presumably be breathtaking, except the darkness makes it hard to see much of it. A far-off village marks the eastern horizon. You can return west to the escarpment.

>x village
The village is little more than a handful of lights on the horizon.

>w

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

>sw

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>u
The rubble has thoroughly blocked the passage.

>d

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>w

Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

>smoke pipe
You take a few puffs. You get a little sleepy, but that's about it.

>translate herbology
(with the Nabataean dictionary)
wind * * herb * with fire * seed * * stone * * plant * * burn * * leave alone sleep * * flower * 
* - grammatical particle with no direct translation
? - no translation in the dictionary

>read herbology
This is the crowning achievement of Ludwig Schäfer[6], the foremost authority on Nabataean botany. Inconveniently, it is written in Nabataean, but the illustrations are clear enough to understand without translation. Disgracefully, someone has scribbled something inside the front cover. It reads "lhehr gi do bhi em thir tse do drof li na ngezt gi do ngan im ta bheh tor ta muga ngezzeh ivh gi do rbehe em."

You can also CONSULT this book for information.

>smoke pipe
You take a few puffs. You get a little sleepy, but that's about it.

>sleep
You aren't feeling especially drowsy.

>i
You are carrying:
  a rope
  Nabataean Herbology
  a pistol
  a SS Uniform (being worn)
  a Nabataean dictionary
  a pipe
    The herbs desert chamomile, white wormwood and za'atar
  a tinder box
  an oil torch (providing light)
  a note
  a knapsack (open)
    a broken flashlight
    an envelope (open)
      a letter

> consult herbology about wormwood
Known as the "Herb of Wind" to the Nabataeans for how its scent is carried on the breeze, white wormwood is a strongly aromatic plant that was used in traditional medicine for a variety of ailments.

>consult herbology about za'atar
Known as the "Plant of Stone" for its hardiness and ability to grow in rocky terrain. The Nabataeans used za'atar in cooking, and it was also believed to have protective properties when sprinkled around the home.

>take chamomile
Taken.

>smoke pipe
You take a few puffs, but nothing interesting happens.

>hint
Hints about the following topics are available:
* what to do next
* the dark desert
* the desert plants
* the old pipe
* the betyl
* going back into the temple
* the rope
(Topics in bold have new hints available. The others may have more hints later.)
To recall hints about a topic, type RECALL <TOPIC>.

>hint plants
You are an archaeologist, not a botanist, but the local flora seems worth collecting all the same. TAKE any plant you come across.

>hint pipe
A twentieth-century pipe design, centuries old, buried beside a Nabataean-era skeleton?

>g
Have you read the diary from the Nazi camp? Untersturmführer Fremd had theories about the local flora -- and Triefen swears the man vanished in a cloud of smoke.

>e

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>n
You can't go that way.

>w

Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

>u
You can neither climb walls nor fly.

>e

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>n
You can't go that way.

>u

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>ne

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

>w

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>w

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>w
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>w

Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

>x tents
The tents, single-occupant by the look of them, ring the campfire. Peeking into one of the tents, you find a diary, which you take.

>read diary
The diary of Standartenführer Lockig, the officer in charge of the expedition. It reads:

October 1, 1943

Today we gained entry to the stone city. Not in a very polite way, I will admit; we had to break a few things to get in. The World Archaeological Society will have a fit.

The stone city was as promised a veritable treasure trove of ancient artifacts. But we are here for one thing: the Juggernaut. Immense in size, and even more immense in power, the Juggernaut is all our Führer has dreamed. Tomorrow we discover how it works.

October 2, 1943

How considerate of the Nabataeans to leave a manual--in pictures, no less!--for how to operate the Juggernaut. Some parts have degraded over time, but from what we can understand, the heart of the machine is a large green stone (an emerald?) which we have not yet found, and which we presume must be in the chamber above. We must redouble our efforts to break through the door.

October 3, 1943

Verdammt! We have broken through the door and found the emerald, but it is irreparably damaged, almost ground to dust by a previous earthquake. We must find a way to repair it, or the Juggernaut will be useless. But this seems impossible.

October 4, 1943

Untersturmführer[18] Fremd, it turns out, is a fan of the occult, and has been reading up on Nabataean herbology. I will not record here the details of his theories, lest I be accused of being a crackpot, but I have given him permission to experiment with the local flora. However, let it be known that I have allowed him to act only because our prospects seem so bleak.

October 5, 1943

Fremd has done something, that is for certain, but what I cannot say. Oberscharführer Triefen swears that he saw Fremd disappear in a cloud of smoke, and indeed he is nowhere to be found. If he had merely deserted, I would not be so concerned at losing one whose degeneracy seems to increase with every day: his obsession with the occult, his hashish use, his lack of discipline. But the fact that the emerald is now simultaneously missing is dire, and I fear the worst. I have ordered a search of the entire area, but I have little hope of finding either of them. The Juggernaut is now completely useless, and we are in danger of being discovered by the Allies. At the same time, we cannot contact Berlin as we are deep in enemy territory, surrounded by hostile desert.

>hint pipe
Do what Fremd did: PUT the right HERBS IN THE PIPE and SMOKE THE PIPE. (See the hints on the desert plants for the mixture.)

>hint plants
There are four herbs growing wild out here: wild rue among the plants on the desert path, desert chamomile outside the Nazi camp, za'atar on the promontory east of the escarpment base, and white wormwood in front of the stone city.

>l
Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

>e

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>e
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>s
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>se

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>s

Desert Path
A faint path has been trodden in the sand here between stands of hardy desert plants. The path leads southwest back to the drop site and splits into two paths to the north and northeast.

>x plants
Looking closely, you recognize wild rue, a fragrant herb known for its psychoactive and medicinal properties.

>x rue
Looking closely, you recognize wild rue, a fragrant herb known for its psychoactive and medicinal properties.

>take it
(Taking some wild rue from the stand of plants)

Taken.

>look it up in herbology
A powerfully psychoactive plant with an unpleasant odor. Known to the Nabataeans as the "Seed of Fire" as it was traditionally ritually burned.

>put it in pipe
You put wild rue into the pipe.

>smoke pipe
You take a few puffs on the pipe. After a moment you feel an expectant feeling, as if something wants to happen, but can't do it here.

>nw
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>n

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>n
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>d
You can't just dig downward.

>e
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>se

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>ne
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>n
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>e

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>d

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

>sw

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>d

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>w

Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

>smoke pipe
You take a deep drag on the pipe, and feel a tinge of disappointment as you don't feel anything at first. Then, gradually, the world around you seems to shift and change -

----------

And suddenly you're in Chennai, two weeks ago, charging into a hotel lobby with a gun in your hand, ready to rescue the girl. Much to your chagrin, it looks like she has the situation well in hand, her jiu-jitsu skills evident as she dispatches the guards with ease. While you're considering whether to just leave or to try to impress her with your heroics, an assassin makes the choice for you. Your firearm useless at such close range, you have to fight him hand-to-hand, which to be honest isn't your strong suit. You manage to hold your own, but you're starting to lose ground when your compatriot steps in and takes the assassin out with a well-placed kick to the head.

"Hello Dahlia," you say, nursing a sore jaw and trying to play it cool.

"Don't act so happy to see me, Bones," she replies, her eyes flashing with anger. "Now get out of my hotel."

Somehow, however, it doesn't surprise you when, two days later, you find yourself sitting next to her on a flight to Amman -

----------

Then you realize your surroundings have changed. You're still in the Shrine, but it's different somehow.

Shrine (first century C.E.)[19]
The Shrine is a cramped chamber with a niche in one wall. In the niche sits a betyl,[3] a large stone covered with markings. The walls and ceiling of the shrine are of sandstone carved with reliefs of figures unknown to you. The sole exit leads east.

In the center of the room shimmers an ethereal portal, which seems to lead somewhere else, though you can't see where.

>save
Ok.

>x engravings
You can't see any such thing.

>x markings
The most prominent marking is a large inscription on the front of the betyl, which says "do ukhej do ni rbehe em ta bheh na ta ltes are gnege gi do ni thob em."[4] You recognize this as a line from the Ukhej gi Ohr, or Book of Heroes, a Nabataean text about the end of the world and the hero who will save it. Intriguingly, this line is (coincidentally?) the end of the extant text.

>e

Preparation Chamber (first century C.E.)
This looks like a room in which the dead are prepared for burial. There is a stone table in the middle of the room with a fresh corpse on it. You can go west back to the Shrine, east into a tomb, or up a sloping passage.

>x corpse
The corpse lies on the preparation table, wearing some blue robes.

>search it
You can't see 'it' (nothing) at the moment.

>take robes
Taken, reluctantly.

>search corpse
The corpse lies on the preparation table, clad only in a loin cloth.

>x corpse
The corpse lies on the preparation table, clad only in a loin cloth.

>wear robes
(first taking off the SS Uniform)
You take off the SS Uniform.

You put on the blue robes.

>u

Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

The SS officer looks surprised to see you. "Oh, du bist es. Ich hätte wohl wissen müssen, dass du früher oder später herfinden würdest. Du hättest wohl nichts dagegen einzuwenden, mich loszubinden, oder?"[20]

You can say yes or say no.

>yes
"Sure, I'll let you out, once I find something to cut your bonds. Back in a jiffy, I promise."

"Ach ja, sicher - als würdest du nicht einfach davonlaufen. Typisch Archäologe."[21]

Surely you meant that in jest, right?

>yes
Untersturmführer Fremd just looks at you funny.

>l
Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

"Nun, ich nehme an, ich sollte dankbar sein, dass du mich nicht einfach auf der Stelle umgebracht hast. Du weißt, warum ich hier drin sitze, oder? Sie haben die Uniform gesehen - und bumm! Du weißt, was ich meine?"[22]

>l
Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

"Und glaub bloß nicht, dass sie deine Uniform lieber mögen würden als meine. Das Motto dieser Typen ist "Nabatäa den Nabatäern", weißt du?"[23]

>l
Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

"Betrachte das Letzte als kostenlosen Ratschlag. Und jetzt lass mich hier raus, ja?"[24]

>u

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs, looking at Nabataean Herbology with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He exclaims "Ohe mdi tseji ti ta lho tsa ni mina gi shelh tu odtes nri em ta lef?"[25] He shouts an alarm: "im ta tsehl!"[26] [27]

>undo
Stone Stair

>put all in knapsack
diary: Done.
desert chamomile: Done.
rope: Done.
Nabataean Herbology: Done.
pistol: Done.
SS Uniform: Done.
Nabataean dictionary: Done.
pipe: Done.
tinder box: Done.
oil torch: Not a good idea.
note: Done.
broken flashlight: (first taking the broken flashlight)
Done.
envelope: (first taking the envelope)
Done.
letter: (first taking the letter)
Done.

>close knapsack
You close the knapsack.

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs, looking at the knapsack with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He exclaims "Ohe mdi tseji ti ta lho tsa ni mina gi shelh tu odtes nri em ta lef?"[25] He shouts an alarm: "im ta tsehl!"[26] [27]

>undo
Stone Stair

>drop knapsack
Dropped.

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs and greets you with a nod.

>d

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

You can see a knapsack (closed) here.

>x knapsack
Your trusty knapsack. It's been your faithful friend ever since you stole it from a surly hobo who tried to mug you in the downtown Chicago railyards. Ah, the life of a young academic.

>open it
You open the knapsack, revealing a letter, an envelope, a broken flashlight, a note, a tinder box, a pipe, a Nabataean dictionary, a SS Uniform, a pistol, Nabataean Herbology, a rope, desert chamomile and a diary.

>x pipe
A metal smoking pipe, of the sort you associate with dingy dark jazz clubs thick with the smell of hashish. It is likely aluminum, although the shiny surface has turned gray and pitted with age. Strangely, although the pipe is of a twentieth-century design, it is clearly many centuries old, if not more.

In the pipe are wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar.

>d

Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

"Schön, wie auch immer. Ich schätze, ihr 'Guten' lasst mich einfach hier verrotten. Ich hoffe, ihr fühlt euch jetzt richtig gut dabei."[25]

>d

Preparation Chamber (first century C.E.)
This looks like a room in which the dead are prepared for burial. There is a stone table in the middle of the room with a fresh corpse on it. You can go west back to the Shrine, east into a tomb, or up a sloping passage.

>e

Tomb (first century C.E.)
This small tomb has several burial niches carved into the walls, mostly empty but some sealed with stone slabs held in place with mortar.

>x slabs
These are large stone slabs held in place with mortar, sealing some of the niches.

>open slabs
You don't have a suitable tool with which to open the seals.

>i
You are carrying:
  some blue robes (being worn)
  an oil torch (providing light)

>w

Preparation Chamber (first century C.E.)
This looks like a room in which the dead are prepared for burial. There is a stone table in the middle of the room with a fresh corpse on it. You can go west back to the Shrine, east into a tomb, or up a sloping passage.

>
I beg your pardon?

>u

Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

>u

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

You can see a knapsack (in which are a letter, an envelope (empty), a broken flashlight, a note, a tinder box, a pipe (in which are wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar), a Nabataean dictionary, a SS Uniform, a pistol, Nabataean Herbology, a rope, desert chamomile and a diary) here.

>x flashlight
The impact of your landing shattered the flashlight's bulb. It's just a piece of scrap metal now. Quite heavy scrap metal, actually.

>take dicitonary
You can't see any such thing.

>take dicitonary
You can't see any such thing.

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs and greets you with a nod.

>d

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

You can see a knapsack (in which are a letter, an envelope (empty), a broken flashlight, a note, a tinder box, a pipe (in which are wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar), a Nabataean dictionary, a SS Uniform, a pistol, Nabataean Herbology, a rope, desert chamomile and a diary) here.

>take dictionary
Taken.

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs, looking at the Nabataean dictionary with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He exclaims "Ohe mdi tseji ti ta lho tsa ni mina gi shelh tu odtes nri em ta lef?"[26] He shouts an alarm: "im ta tsehl!"[27] [28]

>undo
Stone Stair

>drop dictionary
Dropped.

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs and greets you with a nod.

>u
You can neither climb walls nor fly.

The tall, gaunt Nabataean man looks at you as if just noticing you, and says "Ti ta lef dma mhae orji."[26][27]

>talk to man
You say hello to the tall Nabataean.

The tall, gaunt Nabataean man looks at you as if just noticing you, and says "Ti ta lef dma mhae orji."[26]

>yes
The tall Nabataean just looks at you funny.

The tall, gaunt Nabataean man looks at you as if just noticing you, and says "Ti ta lef dma mhae orji."[26]

>say yes
(to the tall Nabataean)
The tall Nabataean just looks at you funny.

The tall, gaunt Nabataean man stares down the trail.

>u
You can neither climb walls nor fly.

The tall, gaunt Nabataean man stares down the trail.

>l
Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

The tall, gaunt Nabataean man looks at you and nods.

>e

Top of the Escarpment (first century C.E.)
The escarpment in this century is closer to a sheer drop than a slope. You can't risk climbing down. You can go west from here.

>w

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs and greets you with a nod.

>w
The path leads northwest and east from here, and a stairway leads down into a tomb.

The tall, gaunt Nabataean man paces back and forth, muttering to himself.

>nw

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

A low hum emanates from the temple.

>sw

Rocky Path (first century C.E.)
The trail winds among a cluster of rocky spires, granite thrust up through the surrounding sandstone. Beyond here to the south is the maze of the city of Lejjun. You can return the way you came to the northeast.

>ne

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

A low hum emanates from the temple.

>n

Antechamber (first century C.E.)
You are in the antechamber of the temple, whose walls and ceiling are one enormous fresco. The focus of the image is a large stone man, towering over the other figures in the painting. You can exit south back to the city or you can go north farther into the temple.

A low hum emanates from further in the temple.

>x man
Amongst the more typical symbols of Dionysus worship, the fresco on the walls and ceiling of the antechamber depicts a large stone man.

>n

Chasm Floor (first century C.E.)
You are at the bottom of a chasm, 50 feet high or more, mostly occupied by a giant stone man. You may leave to the south, or climb higher into the temple via a set of stone stairs. A low hum emanates from the stone man.

>u

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down. The stone man emits a low hum, vibrating the floor.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

>x guard
This is a stout but strong-looking Nabataean guard.

>u
The guard looks at you and says, "Ti gi ni uli em im ta vceh tsa noko tu ngep!"[28] before he allows you to ascend the stairs.

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. The Juggernaut emits a low hum, vibrating the floor. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

>x alcove
The alcove contains a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb.

>x betyl
This betyl is a large free-form chunk of sandstone. It is covered in markings that look like Nabataean script.

>read it
The most prominent marking is a simple inscription: "im ku thegv ishu ta chen"[29].

>w

Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes. There is a large emerald resting in the depression, and the room vibrates with a low hum.

>x depression
A large, beautifully cut emerald rests in a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes.

>save
Ok.

>take emerald
As you take the emerald from the depression, the Juggernaut goes quiet, as if it has lost its power source. The floor stops vibrating, and the low hum ceases.

Better watch out, someone might come looking for that gem.

>e

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

>hide
There's nowhere to hide.

>enter alcove
The alcove is too small to enter.

>d

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes widen in surprise when he sees the emerald in your hand. "Eno em im ta Rceh! Sa do ahtesb em ta ejdu!"[31] he shouts, after which a phalanx of Nabataean guards rushes in from below. At some point during the confusion, you are impaled on a spear. Severely.



    *** You have died. ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Temple of the Juggernaut

>l
Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

>x betyl
This betyl is a large free-form chunk of sandstone. It is covered in markings that look like Nabataean script.

>hide emerald
There's nowhere to hide.

>w

Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes.

>hint
Hints about the following topics are available:
* what to do next
* the desert plants
* the betyl
* the rope
* passing for a Nabataean
* the prisoner on the landing
* the emerald
* getting the stone home
(Topics in bold have new hints available. The others may have more hints later.)
To recall hints about a topic, type RECALL <TOPIC>.

>hint getting
You have the stone. Now you have to get it back to 1943.

>g
One problem: how are you going to get past the guard in the preparation chamber?

>g
You cannot fight him and you cannot slip past him. So the emerald must cross those last few yards -- and the next two thousand years -- some other way.

>g
That skeleton you found in 1943? It is Fremd, who never escaped the Nabataeans. He is tied up two flights above you; he is not going anywhere, ever, and whatever is in his pockets when the earthquake comes will still be there, under the rubble, in 1943.

>g
GIVE THE EMERALD TO FREMD; you will tuck it into his shirt pocket. Then head down, let the big man search you and find nothing, and continue west into the shrine. Collect your own century's belongings, ENTER THE GATE, and back in 1943, SEARCH THE SKELETON one more time.

>l
Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes.

>l
Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes.

>take emerald
You already have that.

>hint
Hints about the following topics are available:
* what to do next
* the desert plants
* the betyl
* the rope
* passing for a Nabataean
* the prisoner on the landing
* the emerald
* getting the stone home
(Topics in bold have new hints available. The others may have more hints later.)
To recall hints about a topic, type RECALL <TOPIC>.

>hint emerald
The diary told you what the Nazis are after: the heart of the Juggernaut, a great green stone. In this century, it hasn't been ground to dust yet.

>g
Go to the top of the temple. Dress appropriately first (see the hints on passing for a Nabataean); the guards don't like suspicious characters.

>g
From the inner temple you can go WEST, into the head of the Juggernaut itself. The emerald sits in a depression between its eyes. TAKE it.

>g
The moment the hum stops, the Nabataeans know the emerald is gone. The guard on the mezzanine now searches everyone coming down. The robe pocket will not save you.

>g
You cannot carry it down past him. Is there a way to move the emerald without it ever passing the guard?

>g
How about through time?

>g
The pipe has not lost its potency, and the inner temple is at least as holy as the shrine below. SMOKE THE PIPE in the Temple of the Juggernaut.

>l
Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes.

>drop emerald
Dropped.

>e

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

>d

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. Shortly he says, "Ti ta lef shi. Ti gi ejh ke Lhev."[32] and releases you.


>d

Chasm Floor (first century C.E.)
You are at the bottom of a chasm, 50 feet high or more, mostly occupied by a giant stone man. You may leave to the south, or climb higher into the temple via a set of stone stairs.

>d
You can't just dig downward.

>s

Antechamber (first century C.E.)
You are in the antechamber of the temple, whose walls and ceiling are one enormous fresco. The focus of the image is a large stone man, towering over the other figures in the painting. You can exit south back to the city or you can go north farther into the temple.

>s

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

>s
That way is blocked by the canyon wall.

>e
You can't go that way.

>u
You can neither climb walls nor fly.

>se

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs and greets you with a nod.

>
I beg your pardon?

>d

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

You can see a Nabataean dictionary and a knapsack (in which are a letter, an envelope (empty), a broken flashlight, a note, a tinder box, a pipe (in which are wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar), a SS Uniform, a pistol, Nabataean Herbology, a rope, desert chamomile and a diary) here.

>take pipe
Taken.

>take torch
(the broken flashlight)
Taken.

>undo
Stone Stair

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs, looking at the pipe with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He exclaims "Ohe mdi tseji ti ta lho tsa ni mina gi shelh tu odtes nri em ta lef?"[33] He shouts an alarm: "im ta tsehl!"[34] 

> undo
Stone Stair

>hint
Hints about the following topics are available:
* what to do next
* the desert plants
* the betyl
* the rope
* passing for a Nabataean
* the prisoner on the landing
* the emerald
* getting the stone home
(Topics in bold have new hints available. The others may have more hints later.)
To recall hints about a topic, type RECALL <TOPIC>.

>put pipe in pocket
You put the pipe into the blue robes.

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs and greets you with a nod.

>w
The path leads northwest and east from here, and a stairway leads down into a tomb.

The tall, gaunt Nabataean man whistles tunelessly.

>n
The path leads northwest and east from here, and a stairway leads down into a tomb.

The tall, gaunt Nabataean man paces back and forth, muttering to himself.

>nw

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

>w
That way is blocked by the canyon wall.

>sw

Rocky Path (first century C.E.)
The trail winds among a cluster of rocky spires, granite thrust up through the surrounding sandstone. Beyond here to the south is the maze of the city of Lejjun. You can return the way you came to the northeast.

>d
You can't just dig downward.

>s

Market District (first century C.E.)
The bustling market center of the city of Lejjun brings you to a stop. You'd love to explore the culture of Nabataea in its prime, but you have an urgent errand. You can return north the way you came.

>n

Rocky Path (first century C.E.)
The trail winds among a cluster of rocky spires, granite thrust up through the surrounding sandstone. Beyond here to the south is the maze of the city of Lejjun. You can return the way you came to the northeast.

>ne

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

>n

Antechamber (first century C.E.)
You are in the antechamber of the temple, whose walls and ceiling are one enormous fresco. The focus of the image is a large stone man, towering over the other figures in the painting. You can exit south back to the city or you can go north farther into the temple.

>n

Chasm Floor (first century C.E.)
You are at the bottom of a chasm, 50 feet high or more, mostly occupied by a giant stone man. You may leave to the south, or climb higher into the temple via a set of stone stairs.

>u

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. He finds the pipe and exclaims, "Da dtul! Im ta Dredh tsa ta uzteh ni mina gi ngezt edh em!"[33] after which a phalanx of Nabataean guards rushes in from below. At some point during the confusion, you are impaled on a spear. Severely.

    *** You have died. ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
>  d
Please give one of the answers above.

Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Chasm Floor

>smoke pipe
You take a few puffs on the pipe. After a moment you feel an expectant feeling, as if something wants to happen, but can't do it here.

>hint emerald
In the deep past, go SOUTHWEST to the rocky spires and PUT THE EMERALD IN THE HOLES (stow the pipe there too, for safety).

>drop pipe
You haven't got that.

>u

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. He finds the pipe and exclaims, "Da dtul! Im ta Dredh tsa ta uzteh ni mina gi ngezt edh em!"[33] after which a phalanx of Nabataean guards rushes in from below. At some point during the confusion, you are impaled on a spear. Severely.

    *** You have died. ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Chasm Floor

>take pipe
Taken.

>drop it
Dropped.

>u

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. Shortly he says, "Ti ta lef shi. Ti gi ejh ke Lhev."[32] and releases you.


>u

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

>w

Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes.

You can see an emerald here.

>hint emerald
Step back through the portal, walk down past the guard with nothing to hide, leave the temple, and go SOUTHWEST from the front of the city: the same spires, the same holes, fifteen hundred years on. TAKE ALL FROM THE HOLES.

>l
Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes.

You can see an emerald here.

>take emerald
Taken.

>e

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

>drop emerald
Dropped.

>d

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. Shortly he says, "Ti ta lef shi. Ti gi ejh ke Lhev."[32] and releases you.


> d

Chasm Floor (first century C.E.)
You are at the bottom of a chasm, 50 feet high or more, mostly occupied by a giant stone man. You may leave to the south, or climb higher into the temple via a set of stone stairs.

You can see a pipe (in which are wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar) here.

>take pipe
Taken.

>d
You can't just dig downward.

>put pipe in pocket
You put the pipe into the blue robes.

>d
You can't just dig downward.

>w
You can leave to the south, or climb up to the mezzanine.

>s

Antechamber (first century C.E.)
You are in the antechamber of the temple, whose walls and ceiling are one enormous fresco. The focus of the image is a large stone man, towering over the other figures in the painting. You can exit south back to the city or you can go north farther into the temple.

>s

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

>se

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

>credits
Galilee Bones and the Juggernaut of Jordan is a work of interactive fiction created with Inform 7. It was written by Phil Riley.

Many thanks to the following people for their help and support:
Playtesters: Mike Russo, Drew Cook, Tabitha, outboard and Climbingstars;
German experts: StJohnLimbo and IkeC;
My wife, Laura, for invaluable feedback and advice;

Third-party extensions used in this game:
Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson
Exit Lister version 11 by Eric Eve
Conversation Framework version 12 by Eric Eve
Epistemology version 9 by Eric Eve
Conversational Defaults version 3 by Eric Eve
Footnotes version 2 by Stephen Granade
Undo Output Control version 5/170902 by Nathanael Nerode (based on the extension by Erik Temple; integrates Empty Command Handling by Daniel Stelzer based on code by Matt Weiner)

>se
The path leads northwest and east from here, and a stairway leads down into a tomb.

>e

Top of the Escarpment (first century C.E.)
The escarpment in this century is closer to a sheer drop than a slope. You can't risk climbing down. You can go west from here.

>w

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

>s
The path leads northwest and east from here, and a stairway leads down into a tomb.

>d

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

You can see a Nabataean dictionary and a knapsack (in which are a letter, an envelope (empty), a broken flashlight, a note, a tinder box, a SS Uniform, a pistol, Nabataean Herbology, a rope, desert chamomile and a diary) here.

>take all
Nabataean dictionary: Taken.
knapsack: Taken.
letter: Taken.
envelope: Taken.
broken flashlight: Taken.
note: Taken.
tinder box: Taken.
SS Uniform: Taken.
pistol: Taken.
Nabataean Herbology: Taken.
rope: Taken.
desert chamomile: Taken.
diary: Taken.

>d

Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

Fremd laughs and says, "Sieht ganz so aus, als hättest du den Einheimischen Ärger gemacht. Habe gerade gesehen, wie einer nach unten gerannt ist. Ich hoffe, du lässt dich nicht erwischen - sonst endest du womöglich noch so wie ich!"[33]

>d

Preparation Chamber (first century C.E.)
This looks like a room in which the dead are prepared for burial. There is a stone table in the middle of the room with a fresh corpse on it. You can go west back to the Shrine, east into a tomb, or up a sloping passage.

As you descend the stairs into the preparation chamber, someone unseen but strong grabs your upper arm. "Eno! Do ahtesb ethe ta lef?"[34] You whip around to see a mammoth of a man, easily twice your size. He searches you but finds nothing. He looks at your strange belongings without interest, intent only on the emerald. "Ti sa em ethe ta alhet?"[35] he grumbles, but releases you. "Ti ta lef shi. Ti gi ejh ke Lhev."[32]

>w

Shrine (first century C.E.)
The Shrine is a cramped chamber with a niche in one wall. In the niche sits a betyl,[3] a large stone covered with markings. The walls and ceiling of the shrine are of sandstone carved with reliefs of figures unknown to you. The sole exit leads east.

In the center of the room shimmers an ethereal portal, which seems to lead somewhere else, though you can't see where.

>enter portal
You step through the gate, and find yourself in the same place, but that place is somehow changed.

Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

A shimmering portal stands in the middle of the room, its surface rippling like a mirage. It looks like it might be possible to step through it, but you can't see where it leads.

>e

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>n
You can't go that way.

>e
The rubble has thoroughly blocked the passage.

>nw
You can't go that way.

>ne
You can't go that way.

>d
You can't just dig downward.

>u

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>ne

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

>w

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>w

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>w

Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

>n
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>w

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>n

Antechamber
You are in the antechamber of the temple. The fresco is large, but nothing compared to the one inside the temple proper. You can exit south back to the city through the shameful gap the SS made in the wall, or you can go north into the temple.

You can hear voices to the north.

>save
Ok.

>n
You enter the Chasm Floor. Lockig and Triefen both raise their weapons. Apparently they have run out of patience. Triefen shouts, "Nicht Sie schon wieder!"[36] and shoots you with unfortunate accuracy.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Antechamber

>smoke pipe
You take a few puffs on the pipe. After a moment you feel an expectant feeling, as if something wants to happen, but can't do it here.

>hint
Hints about the following topics are available:
* what to do next
* the dark desert
* the desert plants
* the betyl
* going back into the temple
* the rope
(Topics in bold have new hints available. The others may have more hints later.)
To recall hints about a topic, type RECALL <TOPIC>.

>what to do
I don't understand what you're saying.

>hitn what to do
I don't understand what you're saying.

>hint what to do
Your business lies through the shimmering gate in the shrine.

>hint going back
Lockig has run out of patience with you. Don't worry, later he will leave the chasm floor.

>hint going back
Lockig has run out of patience with you. Don't worry, later he will leave the chasm floor.

>s

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>se
That way is blocked by the canyon wall.

>e

Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

>e

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

>s
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>d
You can't just dig downward.

>se

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>d
You can't just dig downward.

>e

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>d

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

>sw

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>d

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>w

Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

A shimmering portal stands in the middle of the room, its surface rippling like a mirage. It looks like it might be possible to step through it, but you can't see where it leads.

>enter portal
You step through the gate, and find yourself in the same place, but somehow changed.

Shrine (first century C.E.)
The Shrine is a cramped chamber with a niche in one wall. In the niche sits a betyl,[3] a large stone covered with markings. The walls and ceiling of the shrine are of sandstone carved with reliefs of figures unknown to you. The sole exit leads east.

In the center of the room shimmers an ethereal portal, which seems to lead somewhere else, though you can't see where.

>e

Preparation Chamber (first century C.E.)
This looks like a room in which the dead are prepared for burial. There is a stone table in the middle of the room with a fresh corpse on it. You can go west back to the Shrine, east into a tomb, or up a sloping passage.

A mammoth of a man stands watch in the middle of the chamber, following your every move with his eyes.

The mammoth guard pats you down once more, finds nothing, and waves you on with a grunt. Your strange belongings hold no interest for him; he wants only the emerald.

>u

Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

>u

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

>u
You can neither climb walls nor fly.

>nw

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

>w
That way is blocked by the canyon wall.

>*going to use walkthrough
Noted.

>*oh crap
Noted.

>walkthrough
I don't understand what you're saying.

>help
This game contains a number of footnotes, which are indicated by bracketed numbers in the text. You can view the footnotes at any time by typing "note" and the number of the footnote you want to view.

To look something up in a book, type "CONSULT book ABOUT topic"; for example, "consult the encyclopedia frobozzica about ursula flathead", or "look up ursula flathead in the encyclopedia frobozzica".

To talk to a person, you can just repeat the topic of conversation that you want. For instance, if the game says "You can ask Frank if he's still sick", you can just type "ask Frank if he's still sick", or even "are you still sick".

Or you can also ASK someone ABOUT something.

Finally, type HINT to access the hint system.

>hint
Hints about the following topics are available:
* what to do next
* the desert plants
* the betyl
* the rope
* passing for a Nabataean
* the prisoner on the landing
* the emerald
* getting the stone home
(Topics in bold have new hints available. The others may have more hints later.)
To recall hints about a topic, type RECALL <TOPIC>.

>recall emerald
Which do you mean, the emerald or the confiscated emerald?

>recall the emerald
Which do you mean, the emerald or the confiscated emerald?

>1
(the emerald)
You've seen the following hints about the emerald:

* The diary told you what the Nazis are after: the heart of the Juggernaut, a great green stone. In this century, it hasn't been ground to dust yet.
* Go to the top of the temple. Dress appropriately first (see the hints on passing for a Nabataean); the guards don't like suspicious characters.
* From the inner temple you can go WEST, into the head of the Juggernaut itself. The emerald sits in a depression between its eyes. TAKE it.
* The moment the hum stops, the Nabataeans know the emerald is gone. The guard on the mezzanine now searches everyone coming down. The robe pocket will not save you.
* You cannot carry it down past him. Is there a way to move the emerald without it ever passing the guard?
* How about through time?
* The pipe has not lost its potency, and the inner temple is at least as holy as the shrine below. SMOKE THE PIPE in the Temple of the Juggernaut.
* In the deep past, go SOUTHWEST to the rocky spires and PUT THE EMERALD IN THE HOLES (stow the pipe there too, for safety).
* Step back through the portal, walk down past the guard with nothing to hide, leave the temple, and go SOUTHWEST from the front of the city: the same spires, the same holes, fifteen hundred years on. TAKE ALL FROM THE HOLES.

>i
You are carrying:
  a diary
  desert chamomile
  a rope
  Nabataean Herbology
  a pistol
  a SS Uniform
  a tinder box
  a note
  a broken flashlight
  an envelope (open but empty)
  a letter
  a knapsack (open but empty)
  a Nabataean dictionary
  some blue robes (being worn)
    a pipe
      The herbs wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar
  an oil torch (providing light)

>x pipe
A metal smoking pipe, of the sort you associate with dingy dark jazz clubs thick with the smell of hashish. It is likely aluminum, although the shiny surface has turned gray and pitted with age. Strangely, although the pipe is of a twentieth-century design, it is clearly many centuries old, if not more.

In the pipe are wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar.

>put all in pocket
diary: That won't fit in the robes' single small pocket.
desert chamomile: There is no more room in the blue robes.
rope: There is no more room in the blue robes.
Nabataean Herbology: That won't fit in the robes' single small pocket.
pistol: That won't fit in the robes' single small pocket.
SS Uniform: There is no more room in the blue robes.
tinder box: That won't fit in the robes' single small pocket.
note: There is no more room in the blue robes.
broken flashlight: That won't fit in the robes' single small pocket.
envelope: There is no more room in the blue robes.
letter: There is no more room in the blue robes.
knapsack: That won't fit in the robes' single small pocket.
Nabataean dictionary: There is no more room in the blue robes.
oil torch: That won't fit in the robes' single small pocket.

>l
Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

>n

Antechamber (first century C.E.)
You are in the antechamber of the temple, whose walls and ceiling are one enormous fresco. The focus of the image is a large stone man, towering over the other figures in the painting. You can exit south back to the city or you can go north farther into the temple.

>n

Chasm Floor (first century C.E.)
You are at the bottom of a chasm, 50 feet high or more, mostly occupied by a giant stone man. You may leave to the south, or climb higher into the temple via a set of stone stairs.

>u

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. He finds the knapsack and exclaims, "Da dtul! Im ta Dredh tsa ta uzteh ni mina gi ngezt edh em!"[36] after which a phalanx of Nabataean guards rushes in from below. At some point during the confusion, you are impaled on a spear. Severely.



    *** You have died. ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Chasm Floor

>drop all
diary: Dropped.
desert chamomile: Dropped.
rope: Dropped.
Nabataean Herbology: Dropped.
pistol: Dropped.
SS Uniform: Dropped.
tinder box: Dropped.
note: Dropped.
broken flashlight: Dropped.
envelope: Dropped.
letter: Dropped.
knapsack: Dropped.
Nabataean dictionary: Dropped.
oil torch: Dropped.

>i
You are carrying:
  some blue robes (being worn)
    a pipe
      The herbs wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar

>u

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. He finds the pipe and exclaims, "Da dtul! Im ta Dredh tsa ta uzteh ni mina gi ngezt edh em!"[36] after which a phalanx of Nabataean guards rushes in from below. At some point during the confusion, you are impaled on a spear. Severely.

    *** You have died. ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Chasm Floor

>drop all
(the blue robes)
(first taking the blue robes off)
Dropped.

>undo
Chasm Floor

>take pipe
Taken.

>drop it
Dropped.

>u

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. Shortly he says, "Ti ta lef shi. Ti gi ejh ke Lhev."[32] and releases you.


>u

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

You can see an emerald here.

>w

Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes.

>take emerald
You can't see any such thing.

>e

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

You can see an emerald here.

>take emerald
Taken.

>w

Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes.

>put it in depression
When you insert the emerald into the depression, the Juggernaut resumes its low hum.

>e

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. The Juggernaut emits a low hum, vibrating the floor. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

>d

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down. The stone man emits a low hum, vibrating the floor.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. Shortly he says, "Ti ta lef shi. Ti gi ejh ke Lhev."[32] and releases you.


>*think I locked myself out of victory
Noted.

>d

Chasm Floor (first century C.E.)
You are at the bottom of a chasm, 50 feet high or more, mostly occupied by a giant stone man. You may leave to the south, or climb higher into the temple via a set of stone stairs. A low hum emanates from the stone man.

You can see a pipe (in which are wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar), an oil torch, a Nabataean dictionary, a knapsack (empty), a letter, an envelope (empty), a broken flashlight, a note, a tinder box, a SS Uniform, a pistol, Nabataean Herbology, a rope, desert chamomile and a diary here.

>take pipe
Taken.

>u

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down. The stone man emits a low hum, vibrating the floor.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. He finds the pipe and exclaims, "Da dtul! Im ta Dredh tsa ta uzteh ni mina gi ngezt edh em!"[36] after which a phalanx of Nabataean guards rushes in from below. At some point during the confusion, you are impaled on a spear. Severely.



    *** You have died. ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> restore
Ok.

> i
You are carrying:
  some blue robes (being worn)
  an oil torch (providing light)

>l
Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes. There is a large emerald resting in the depression, and the room vibrates with a low hum.

>e

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. The Juggernaut emits a low hum, vibrating the floor. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

>d

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down. The stone man emits a low hum, vibrating the floor.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

>d

Chasm Floor (first century C.E.)
You are at the bottom of a chasm, 50 feet high or more, mostly occupied by a giant stone man. You may leave to the south, or climb higher into the temple via a set of stone stairs. A low hum emanates from the stone man.

>d
You can't just dig downward.

>s

Antechamber (first century C.E.)
You are in the antechamber of the temple, whose walls and ceiling are one enormous fresco. The focus of the image is a large stone man, towering over the other figures in the painting. You can exit south back to the city or you can go north farther into the temple.

A low hum emanates from further in the temple.

>s

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

A low hum emanates from the temple.

>se

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs and greets you with a nod.

>e

Top of the Escarpment (first century C.E.)
The escarpment in this century is closer to a sheer drop than a slope. You can't risk climbing down. You can go west from here.

>w

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs and greets you with a nod.

>d

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

You can see a Nabataean dictionary and a knapsack (in which are a letter, an envelope (empty), a broken flashlight, a note, a tinder box, a pipe (in which are wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar), a SS Uniform, a pistol, Nabataean Herbology, a rope, desert chamomile and a diary) here.

>take pipe
Taken.

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs, looking at the pipe with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He exclaims "Ohe mdi tseji ti ta lho tsa ni mina gi shelh tu odtes nri em ta lef?"[30] He shouts an alarm: "im ta tsehl!"[31] 

>undo
Stone Stair

>put pipe in pocket
You put the pipe into the blue robes.

>u

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

A tall, gaunt Nabataean man loiters by the top of the stairs and greets you with a nod.

>w
The path leads northwest and east from here, and a stairway leads down into a tomb.

The tall, gaunt Nabataean man looks at you and nods.

>nw

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

A low hum emanates from the temple.

>w
That way is blocked by the canyon wall.

>nw
That way is blocked by the canyon wall.

>n

Antechamber (first century C.E.)
You are in the antechamber of the temple, whose walls and ceiling are one enormous fresco. The focus of the image is a large stone man, towering over the other figures in the painting. You can exit south back to the city or you can go north farther into the temple.

A low hum emanates from further in the temple.

>n

Chasm Floor (first century C.E.)
You are at the bottom of a chasm, 50 feet high or more, mostly occupied by a giant stone man. You may leave to the south, or climb higher into the temple via a set of stone stairs. A low hum emanates from the stone man.

>u

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down. The stone man emits a low hum, vibrating the floor.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

>u
The guard looks at you and says, "Ti gi ni uli em im ta vceh tsa noko tu ngep!"[28] before he allows you to ascend the stairs.

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. The Juggernaut emits a low hum, vibrating the floor. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

> u
You can neither climb walls nor fly.

>w

Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes. There is a large emerald resting in the depression, and the room vibrates with a low hum.

>smoke pipe
You take a few puffs on the pipe. After a moment you feel an expectant feeling, as if something wants to happen, but can't do it here.

>e

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. The Juggernaut emits a low hum, vibrating the floor. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

>smoke pipe
Gradually, the world around you seems to shift and change - 

----------

You and Dahlia have been hiding out in a grimy hotel room in Amman for a few days, waiting for your contact Zaid to send word that everything is set for you to move. She's asleep when you peek out the window and see a man wearing the signal -- the Woodlawn University coat of arms -- and you know it's time to go. You quietly grab your knapsack and leave Dahlia behind -

----------

And then you're outside, at the bottom of a cliff, the temple nowhere in sight.

Bottom of Cliff (fifteenth century B.C.)
You stand at the bottom of a cliff that resembles the Lejjun temple with the temple part erased, when in fact it's just that the temple hasn't been carved out yet. You can go southwest or east from here.

A shimmering portal stands in the middle of the cliff face, where the main entrance to the temple will eventually be.

>*hmm, outside?
Noted.

>in
You step through the gate -

----------

You're at a refueling stop in Bombay, smoking a cigarette. Dahlia is smoking one of those awful clove cigarettes she got from a refugee from Jakarta at her hotel in Chennai. You're trying to choose between saying something like Errol Flynn or just kissing her, but before you can decide, Dahlia says, "You look silly when you smoke, Bones. You should just stop -"

----------

Then you find yourself in the temple again.

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. The Juggernaut emits a low hum, vibrating the floor. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

A shimmering portal stands in the middle of the chamber, its surface rippling like a mirage. It looks like it might be possible to step through it, but you can't see where it leads.

>w

Inside the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
You stand within the head of the Juggernaut itself. There is a depression in the front of the room, between the Juggernaut's eyes. There is a large emerald resting in the depression, and the room vibrates with a low hum.

>take emerald
As you take the emerald from the depression, the Juggernaut goes quiet, as if it has lost its power source. The floor stops vibrating, and the low hum ceases.

Better watch out, someone might come looking for that gem.

>e

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

A shimmering portal stands in the middle of the chamber, its surface rippling like a mirage. It looks like it might be possible to step through it, but you can't see where it leads.

>in
You step through the gate, and find yourself at the bottom of the cliff, the temple nowhere in sight.

Bottom of Cliff (fifteenth century B.C.)
You stand at the bottom of a cliff that resembles the Lejjun temple with the temple part erased, when in fact it's just that the temple hasn't been carved out yet. You can go southwest or east from here.

A shimmering portal stands in the middle of the cliff face, where the main entrance to the temple will eventually be.

>sw

Rocky Spires (fifteenth century B.C.)
The trail, such as it is, ends here among a cluster of rocky spires, granite thrust up through the surrounding sandstone. Beyond here is a maze of cliffs and canyons, which you'd be well-advised to avoid. You can return the way you came to the northeast.

>x spires
(the rock spires)
The spires are jagged spikes of granite, slow to weather and thus standing tall above the surrounding sandstone. Near the bottom of one of the spires are numerous holes in the rock.

>put all in holes
emerald: Done.
oil torch: Not a good idea.

>take pipe
Taken.

>put it in hole
You put the pipe into the holes.

>ne

Bottom of Cliff (fifteenth century B.C.)
You stand at the bottom of a cliff that resembles the Lejjun temple with the temple part erased, when in fact it's just that the temple hasn't been carved out yet. You can go southwest or east from here.

A shimmering portal stands in the middle of the cliff face, where the main entrance to the temple will eventually be.

>in
You step through the gate, and find yourself in the temple again.

Temple of the Juggernaut (first century C.E.)
The top of the structure is the inner temple: The Temple of the Juggernaut. From here one can enter the Juggernaut itself, through an opening in the back of its head. Opposite the opening is an alcove containing a betyl shrine similar to the one in the underground tomb. You can go west into the Juggernaut, or down back to the mezzanine.

A shimmering portal stands in the middle of the chamber, its surface rippling like a mirage. It looks like it might be possible to step through it, but you can't see where it leads.

>d

Mezzanine (first century C.E.)
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

By the stairs up stands a guard, eyes fixed on you.

As you enter the mezzanine the Nabataean guard declares, "Ngenri do uvama em ku zheshg! Mi ti em ta sher."[30]

The Nabataean guard's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Im ta uja mi ta ror nri em ti ta ejdu fnedh!"[31] he says, and searches you. Shortly he says, "Ti ta lef shi. Ti gi ejh ke Lhev."[32] and releases you.


>d

Chasm Floor (first century C.E.)
You are at the bottom of a chasm, 50 feet high or more, mostly occupied by a giant stone man. You may leave to the south, or climb higher into the temple via a set of stone stairs.

>s

Antechamber (first century C.E.)
You are in the antechamber of the temple, whose walls and ceiling are one enormous fresco. The focus of the image is a large stone man, towering over the other figures in the painting. You can exit south back to the city or you can go north farther into the temple.

>s

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

>sw

Rocky Path (first century C.E.)
The trail winds among a cluster of rocky spires, granite thrust up through the surrounding sandstone. Beyond here to the south is the maze of the city of Lejjun. You can return the way you came to the northeast.

>search holes
In the holes are an emerald and a pipe.

>take all
emerald: Taken.
pipe: Taken.
wild rue: Taken.
white wormwood: Taken.
za'atar: Taken.

>undo
Rocky Path

>get all from holes
emerald: Taken.
pipe: Taken.

>ne

Before the Stone City (first century C.E.)
The Temple of Lejjun, as it stood in its prime, is a breathtaking sight. Its intricate carvings and reliefs are a testament to the skill of the ancient Nabataeans. Notably, this building lacks the large gap the SS tore (will tear?) in the front of the temple in 1943. Instead, a large stone door stands open to the north, allowing passage in and out. You can also go southeast, or southwest into the city of Lejjun proper.

>e
You can't go that way.

>put all in pocket
pipe: Done.
emerald: There is no more room in the blue robes.
oil torch: That won't fit in the robes' single small pocket.

>se

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

>i
You are carrying:
  an emerald
  some blue robes (being worn)
    a pipe
      The herbs wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar
  an oil torch (providing light)

>take pipe
Taken.

>put emerald in pocket
You put the emerald into the blue robes.

>drop pipe
Dropped.

>se
The path leads northwest and east from here, and a stairway leads down into a tomb.

>e

Top of the Escarpment (first century C.E.)
The escarpment in this century is closer to a sheer drop than a slope. You can't risk climbing down. You can go west from here.

>w

Faint Trail (first century C.E.)
A faint trail leads northwest and east from here, pausing at a stone stair that descends into a hole in the ground.

You can see a pipe (in which are wild rue, white wormwood and za'atar) here.

>d

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

You can see a Nabataean dictionary and a knapsack (in which are a letter, an envelope (empty), a broken flashlight, a note, a tinder box, a SS Uniform, a pistol, Nabataean Herbology, a rope, desert chamomile and a diary) here.

>d

Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

Fremd laughs and says, "Sieht ganz so aus, als hättest du den Einheimischen Ärger gemacht. Habe gerade gesehen, wie einer nach unten gerannt ist. Ich hoffe, du lässt dich nicht erwischen - sonst endest du womöglich noch so wie ich!"[33]

>give emerald to fremd
(first taking the emerald)
The SS officer looks at the emerald in your hand, and his eyes widen in surprise. "Klar, wie auch immer, du Heini."[34] he says. You conceal the emerald in his shirt pocket. "Tja, der Schuss ging nach hinten los - jetzt wird der Führer die Welt erobern!"[35]

>save
Ok.

>d

Preparation Chamber (first century C.E.)
This looks like a room in which the dead are prepared for burial. There is a stone table in the middle of the room with a fresh corpse on it. You can go west back to the Shrine, east into a tomb, or up a sloping passage.

As you descend the stairs into the preparation chamber, someone unseen but strong grabs your upper arm. "Eno! Do ahtesb ethe ta lef?"[36] You whip around to see a mammoth of a man, easily twice your size. He searches you but finds nothing. "Ti sa em ethe ta alhet?"[37] he grumbles, but releases you. "Ti ta lef shi. Ti gi ejh ke Lhev."[32]

>w

Shrine (first century C.E.)
The Shrine is a cramped chamber with a niche in one wall. In the niche sits a betyl,[3] a large stone covered with markings. The walls and ceiling of the shrine are of sandstone carved with reliefs of figures unknown to you. The sole exit leads east.

In the center of the room shimmers an ethereal portal, which seems to lead somewhere else, though you can't see where.

>in
You step through the gate -

----------

You're five hours and 50 miles down the King's Highway out of Amman, headed for Karak in the back of a beat-up lorry driven by a man who just may be a fugitive from the law. The Wadi Mujib crossing was as bad as they'd warned, but still you made it across. Now that you've left the switchbacks and the river behind, you can feel the distance between you and Dahlia growing again. Whether that's good or bad, you can't decide -

----------

Then you realize your surroundings have changed. You're still in the Shrine, but it's different somehow.

Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

>e

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>u

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>search man
You can't see any such thing.

>search skeleton
You reach through the rubble and into the small chamber beyond, and there it is, the emerald you left there 2,000 years ago! You take it with a smug sense of satisfaction.

>n
You can't go that way.

You feel like someone is watching you, but when you look around, there's no one there.

>ne

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

You swear you can hear faint footsteps somewhere nearby.

>save
Ok.

>u

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

You swear you can hear faint footsteps somewhere nearby.

>z
Time passes.

You feel like someone is watching you, but when you look around, there's no one there.

>z
Time passes.

>z
Time passes.

>z
Time passes.

You swear you can hear faint footsteps somewhere nearby.

>w

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

You swear you can hear faint footsteps somewhere nearby.

>w

Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

>n
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>w

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>n

Antechamber
You are in the antechamber of the temple. The fresco is large, but nothing compared to the one inside the temple proper. You can exit south back to the city through the shameful gap the SS made in the wall, or you can go north into the temple.

You feel like someone is watching you, but when you look around, there's no one there.

>n

Chasm Floor
You creep onto the chasm floor. Before you, Oberscharführer Triefen is standing guard. He's evidently distracted by the wonder of his surroundings, but he does glance up at you as you enter, and his eyes widen in surprise. "Bones!" he says, drawing his pistol.

You can see Oberscharführer Triefen here.

You feel like someone is watching you, but when you look around, there's no one there.

>talk to triefen
While you are distracted, Oberscharführer Triefen shoots you. You never have a chance.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Chasm Floor

>show emerald to triefen
While you are distracted, Oberscharführer Triefen shoots you. You never have a chance.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Chasm Floor

>undo
Antechamber

>hint
Hints about the following topics are available:
* what to do next
* the dark desert
* the betyl
* the rope
* Oberscharführer Triefen
(Topics in bold have new hints available. The others may have more hints later.)
To recall hints about a topic, type RECALL <TOPIC>.

>hint triefen
With Lockig elsewhere, Triefen stands guard alone on the chasm floor, but he's a bit distracted.

>g
If he sees you, he will shoot you. How can you get close to him without him realizing it?

>g
WEAR THE SS UNIFORM before you enter. Triefen will take you for poor Kleinerstock and go back to inspecting the fresco.

>s

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>se
That way is blocked by the canyon wall.

You swear you can hear faint footsteps somewhere nearby.

>s
That way is blocked by the canyon wall.

>sw

Rocky Waste
This area is covered with large rocks and boulders, apparently from the collapse of the rocky structures that once stood here. It is impossible to proceed further. You can return to the temple to the northeast.

>ne

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>e

Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

>e

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

You feel like you're being followed.

>se

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>e

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

>d

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

>sw

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>d

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

You swear you can hear faint footsteps somewhere nearby.

>drop emerald
You can't part with the emerald; you might lose it!

>w

Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

>in
What do you want to enter?

>w
You can't go that way.

>i
You are carrying:
  an emerald
  some blue robes (being worn)
  an oil torch (providing light)

>*so I'm super locked out of victory now, right?
Noted.

>hint
Hints about the following topics are available:
* what to do next
* the dark desert
* the betyl
* the rope
* Oberscharführer Triefen
(Topics in bold have new hints available. The others may have more hints later.)
To recall hints about a topic, type RECALL <TOPIC>.

>hint dark
Zaid gave you that torch for a reason.

>hint betyl
The inscription is Nabataean, and though you are not fluent, you know this passage. Check the footnote.

>hint rope
Zaid cut you loose and left the rope at your feet. Good rope, that.

>g
You might need to tie someone up with it some time.

>g
You might need to tie someone up with it some time.

>g
You might need to tie someone up with it some time.

>e

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>w

Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

You feel like you're being followed.

>w
You can't go that way.

>restore
Ok.

> i
You are carrying:
  some blue robes (being worn)
  an oil torch (providing light)

>l
Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

>u

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

You can see a Nabataean dictionary and a knapsack (in which are a letter, an envelope (empty), a broken flashlight, a note, a tinder box, a SS Uniform, a pistol, Nabataean Herbology, a rope, desert chamomile and a diary) here.

>take uniform
Taken.

>put it in pocket
You put the SS Uniform into the blue robes.

>d

Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

>d

Preparation Chamber (first century C.E.)
This looks like a room in which the dead are prepared for burial. There is a stone table in the middle of the room with a fresh corpse on it. You can go west back to the Shrine, east into a tomb, or up a sloping passage.

As you descend the stairs into the preparation chamber, someone unseen but strong grabs your upper arm. "Eno! Do ahtesb ethe ta lef?"[36] You whip around to see a mammoth of a man, easily twice your size. He searches you but finds nothing. He looks at your strange belongings without interest, intent only on the emerald. "Ti sa em ethe ta alhet?"[37] he grumbles, but releases you. "Ti ta lef shi. Ti gi ejh ke Lhev."[32]

>u

Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

>u

Stone Stair (first century C.E.)
A plain rough-hewn stone staircase runs up and down from here.

You can see a Nabataean dictionary and a knapsack (in which are a letter, an envelope (empty), a broken flashlight, a note, a tinder box, a pistol, Nabataean Herbology, a rope, desert chamomile and a diary) here.

>take all
Nabataean dictionary: Taken.
knapsack: Taken.
letter: Taken.
envelope: Taken.
broken flashlight: Taken.
note: Taken.
tinder box: Taken.
pistol: Taken.
Nabataean Herbology: Taken.
rope: Taken.
desert chamomile: Taken.
diary: Taken.

>d

Landing (first century C.E.)
This is a small landing in the middle of a stone staircase. You can go up or down from here.

A small alcove to the west is being used as a makeshift jail. An SS officer, somewhat the worse for wear, is tied hand and foot to a supporting timber. His name tag lists him as "Fremd", and his uniform identifies him as an Untersturmführer, or Second Lieutenant, in the Waffen-SS.

>d

Preparation Chamber (first century C.E.)
This looks like a room in which the dead are prepared for burial. There is a stone table in the middle of the room with a fresh corpse on it. You can go west back to the Shrine, east into a tomb, or up a sloping passage.

A mammoth of a man stands watch in the middle of the chamber, following your every move with his eyes.

The mammoth guard pats you down once more, finds nothing, and waves you on with a grunt. Your strange belongings hold no interest for him; he wants only the emerald.

>
I beg your pardon?

>w

Shrine (first century C.E.)
The Shrine is a cramped chamber with a niche in one wall. In the niche sits a betyl,[3] a large stone covered with markings. The walls and ceiling of the shrine are of sandstone carved with reliefs of figures unknown to you. The sole exit leads east.

In the center of the room shimmers an ethereal portal, which seems to lead somewhere else, though you can't see where.

>in
You step through the gate -

----------

You're five hours and 50 miles down the King's Highway out of Amman, headed for Karak in the back of a beat-up lorry driven by a man who just may be a fugitive from the law. The Wadi Mujib crossing was as bad as they'd warned, but still you made it across. Now that you've left the switchbacks and the river behind, you can feel the distance between you and Dahlia growing again. Whether that's good or bad, you can't decide -

----------

Then you realize your surroundings have changed. You're still in the Shrine, but it's different somehow.

Shrine
Whereas the rest of the underground complex is choked with rubble, this chamber is relatively clear, which is fortunate since it is terribly cramped as it is. To all appearances, it seems to be some kind of shrine, centered around a niche containing a betyl.[3] A passage leads east.

>e

Low Chamber
You are in a small chamber with a low ceiling, made worse by the fact that the floor is uneven and covered in rubble. You may climb up via a sloping passage, or exit to the west. A passage choked with rubble leads east, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through.

>n
You can't go that way.

>ne
You can't go that way.

>u

Tight Passage
The damage from earlier earthquakes is evident here. What was once likely a wide entrance to this underground complex is now a narrow, treacherous passageway littered with rubble. A passage slopes down into the darkness, and a completely blocked passage slopes up. You can go back out to the northeast.

To the west, the rubble has enough gaps in it to see a small chamber beyond, but it looks like it would be impossible to get through. Looking closer, you can see that beyond the rubble, the chamber has an occupant: a skeleton, old enough to be no more than a sad pile of bones. You just might be able to reach it.

>search skeleton
You reach through the rubble and into the small chamber beyond, and there it is, the emerald you left there 2,000 years ago! You take it with a smug sense of satisfaction.

>out

Escarpment Base
At the base of the escarpment the ground levels out into a small clearing. A narrow opening beckons from the side of the slope to the southwest. A path leads east, and you can also go back west up the escarpment.

You can see a dead SS Guard here.

>wear uniform
(first taking the SS Uniform)
(first taking off the blue robes)
You take off the blue robes.

You put on the SS Uniform.

>u

Top of the Escarpment
Here starts a treacherous slope downwards. The path is barely visible, and the footing looks unstable. In the dark you wouldn't have seen it, and you probably would have fallen and broken your neck. You can go east down the escarpment, and paths also run west and southwest from here.

You feel like someone is watching you, but when you look around, there's no one there.

>w

Fork in the Path
A pile of rocks marks a fork in the path. One path leads south towards the drop site, and the others lead east and northwest.

>w
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

>nw

Outside Camp
You are standing on a faint path at the edge of a small campsite. The fire, still burning, illuminates the site well enough to see that the camp is empty. The path runs away from the site to the southeast, or you can continue west into the camp.

You feel like someone is watching you, but when you look around, there's no one there.

>w

Nazi Encampment
The SS have set up a small camp here, with a fire burning in the center and four tents around it. A path leads east from here, and the canyons of Lejjun begin to the west.

>nw
Stay on the path so you don't get lost in the desert.

You swear you can hear faint footsteps somewhere nearby.

>w

Before the Stone City
Lejjun, the Nabataeans' Second City, is an ancient stone city carved into the cliffs of the desert, just like the more famous Petra. The city is mostly in ruins, but the huge temple at the center of the city still stands, right in front of you, as a matter of fact. Not just still standing, but apparently untouched by humans for centuries, at least until the present desecration by the SS. It looks like they've been busy breaking through the temple's doors, and a large gap[7] in the wall north of you permits access to the temple's interior. The city extends to the southwest, but the temple is the only part of it that looks like it might be worth exploring. You can look around anyway via a narrow trail to the southwest, or go east back to the Nazi camp.

>n

Antechamber
You are in the antechamber of the temple. The fresco is large, but nothing compared to the one inside the temple proper. You can exit south back to the city through the shameful gap the SS made in the wall, or you can go north into the temple.

You feel like you're being followed.

>save
Ok.

>n

Chasm Floor
You creep onto the chasm floor. Before you, Oberscharführer Triefen is standing guard, but he's evidently distracted by the wonder of his surroundings, and only briefly glances up at you as you enter. "Hallo, Kleinerstock," he says absently. He continues to stare at the walls of the chamber, muttering to himself about how amazing they are.

>shoot triefen
(with the pistol)
You shoot Oberscharführer Triefen, and he collapses to the ground, dead. However, the sound has brought Standartenführer Lockig running, and he shoots you before you can even react.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Chasm Floor

>tie up triefen
(with the rope)
They'd hardly let you tie them up!

You swear you can hear faint footsteps somewhere nearby.

>u
As you pass by Oberscharführer Triefen, he sees through your disguise, and he draws his pistol. "Sie sind nicht Kleinerstock!"[38] he shouts, and he shoots you before you can even react.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Chasm Floor

>hit triefen
You punch Oberscharführer Triefen, but it's not enough to knock him down. He exclaims, "Bones! Sie tragen die falsche Uniform!"[38] He pulls his pistol.

You feel like someone is watching you, but when you look around, there's no one there.

>g
You rush at Oberscharführer Triefen, fists raised, but he shoots you before you can even get close.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Chasm Floor

>undo
Chasm Floor

>hint
Hints about the following topics are available:
* what to do next
* the dark desert
* the betyl
* the rope
* Oberscharführer Triefen
(Topics in bold have new hints available. The others may have more hints later.)
To recall hints about a topic, type RECALL <TOPIC>.

>hint triefen
With Lockig elsewhere, Triefen stands guard alone on the chasm floor, but he's a bit distracted.

>g
If he sees you, he will shoot you. How can you get close to him without him realizing it?

>g
WEAR THE SS UNIFORM before you enter. Triefen will take you for poor Kleinerstock and go back to inspecting the fresco.

>g
When you walk past him, he will notice who you are. You will have to act fast.

>g
While he daydreams, HIT TRIEFEN WITH THE FLASHLIGHT.

>g
Triefen is down, but not out. You have to tie him up before he can retaliate.

>hit triefen
You punch Oberscharführer Triefen, but it's not enough to knock him down. He exclaims, "Bones! Sie tragen die falsche Uniform!"[38] He pulls his pistol.

>tie triefen
(with the rope)
While you are distracted, Oberscharführer Triefen shoots you. You never have a chance.



    *** You have died ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> undo
Chasm Floor

>undo
Chasm Floor

>i
You are carrying:
  a SS Uniform (being worn)
  an emerald
  a diary
  desert chamomile
  a rope
  Nabataean Herbology
  a pistol
  a tinder box
  a note
  a broken flashlight
  an envelope (open but empty)
  a letter
  a knapsack (open but empty)
  a Nabataean dictionary
  some blue robes
  an oil torch (providing light)

>x flashlight
The impact of your landing shattered the flashlight's bulb. It's just a piece of scrap metal now. Quite heavy scrap metal, actually.

>hit triefen with flashlight
You hit Oberscharführer Triefen with the broken flashlight, and he collapses to the ground, holding his head and moaning.

>tie triefen
(with the rope)
You tie up Oberscharführer Triefen with the rope.

You feel like someone is watching you, but when you look around, there's no one there.

>u

Mezzanine
You are on a stone platform ringing the Juggernaut, at about its midsection. You can go up or down.

>u

Temple of the Juggernaut
You are at head-level of the Juggernaut. The temple is a large chamber with a small niche in the northern wall, but its corresponding betyl is cracked and broken, presumably in the same earthquake that damaged the emerald. You may go down from here, or west into the interior of the Juggernaut.

You just have time to take in the chamber, when Standartenführer Lockig leaps out from his hiding place in the shrine niche and tackles you to the ground. He shouts, "Das gehört mir! Das können Sie nicht haben! Ich meine natürlich, dass es dem Führer gehört. Ups."[38] He wrestles the emerald away from you, and gazes at it greedily. "Und nun haben Sie Ihren Zweck erfüllt, Doktor Bones,"[39] he says, and squeezes the trigger of his pistol -

----------

Time stretches out, and you think what a stupid thing you did in sneaking off without Dahlia -

----------

And then you realize that Lockig isn't on you anymore, and that in fact he's in the middle of having his face beat in. You look up just in time to see Dahlia connect with a roundhouse kick to Lockig's head, upon which he collapses to the ground, unconscious.

Dahlia collects the emerald from the floor, looks at you and says, "I thought an idiot like you could use a hand. Sorry I took so long; I needed to consider whether I wanted to save you in the first place." Then she punches you across the face, thankfully not as hard as she could muster, and says, "That's for leaving me behind. Now let's get out of here before that idiot wakes up."

You say, "Wait."

Dahlia pauses and looks at you expectantly.

You can kiss Dahlia or stare at your feet.

>kiss dahlia
You grab Dahlia around the waist and pull her into a kiss.

Dahlia looks at you in surprise and amusement. "Well, that's one way to thank me for saving your life," she says, and then kisses you back, more passionately than you expected.

Dahlia says, "Alright, let's get this baby started. We'll see if they can pack this up and hide it in a warehouse."



    *** Dahlia has saved the world ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last command or START the Juggernaut?
>