> * OK that was a lot of background and help text I did not understand the word "ok". > l Edge of the Great Sand Sea You are riding your horse Merlin on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. This is a vast desert that stretches away to the horizon in every southerly direction. Hecate and Domreil lie many miles distant beyond the Schwarzwald forest, which you can see on the horizon to the north. Here a camel track leads South into the desert and you can go East or West along the dirt road. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. A squadron of the King's Hussars follow you, led by Colonel Teege. > * "Shadowfox", huh? Guess he's Shadowfax's non-union equivalent I did not understand the word ""shadowfox",". > comb You do not need any instructions regarding combat at the present time. > * er OK I did not understand the word "er". > * There were some other things I was supposed to type I think I did not understand the word "there". > xanix I did not understand the word "xanix". > xixon The Xixon {pronounced "ziks-on") lizardmen evolved in the hot deserts of the Great Sand Sea several hundred years ago. Some say they were the result of an experiment by sorcerers who combined human seed with the eggs of lizards. A Xixon is a reptile in human form, with a snout instead of a nose and mouth. They are very strong and have talons on their hands and feet instead of nails. Their most prominent feature is a muscular tail, which can be used as a weapon and as a third leg when they are at rest to form a tripod with their legs. Their tough, scaled hide comes in various colours, with contrasting stripes or blotches. They invaded the land of Hecate, but were initially defeated by King Kolt (Kelson's ancestor) who wielded the Axe of Kolt at the Battle of Domreil in the year 3745. (For information about the Axe of Kolt, type AXE and press Enter.) They reappeared some years ago, and the Axe of Kolt, which had been buried with King Kolt, was found and restored to King Kelson by Alaric Blackmoon, and the Xixon were defeated once again. (See The Axe of Kolt, available at: https://www.adrift.co/game/1586 and The Spectre of Castle Coris - https://www.adrift.co/game/1443 - both by Larry Horsfield) > axe The Axe of Kolt was forged by the sorcerer Magor (father of the present Magor, court sorcerer to King Kelson) in order to fight the Xixon lizardmen who had invaded the land of Hecate several hundred years before the present time. The Axe was forged from elfmetal and enchanted with spells that would kill Xixons with the slightest cut, and which made the axe emit a piercing sound - that could only be heard by the Xixons - which rendered them helpless. The Axe was buried with King Kolt in his tomb when he died, the location of which was kept secret. When the Xixon returned several years ago, Alaric Blackmoon, then a penniless ex-mercenary, sought out and found Kolt's tomb and restored the Axe to the hands of King Kelson and thus the Xixon were defeated once more. Alaric Blackmoon was given the title Duke and the duchy of Charlton in Hecate as a reward by King Kelson. (See The Axe of Kolt, available at: https://www.adrift.co/game/1586) > i You are wearing your fighting clothes, which consist of a leather jacket, a linen shirt, some rawhide trousers, some sturdy boots and a leather baldric, and you are carrying nothing. Your sword is in its scabbard which hangs from your baldric and your knife is in the sheath attached to your belt. > x sword A longsword presented to you by King Kelson in recognition of your services to the kingdom of Hecate. > x knife A knife you use for eating and cutting things, rather than for combat. > x jacket A thigh-length jacket made of thick black leather, with reinforced shoulders. You have worn it for more years than you can remember. > x shirt A shirt made from the finest linen. > * Maybe time to wash the jacket I did not understand the word "maybe". > x trousers A pair of rawhide trousers, with a leather belt, that are waterproof as well as comfortable. > x boots A pair of jackboots that reach to the knees. > x baldric A leather baldric you wear over your right shoulder, the scabbard for your sword is attached to it. There is a small pocket incorporated in it. > x pocket A small leather pocket in your baldric in which you can keep money and small items. Inside the pocket is a fossy. > * OK I know what a baldric is, but a "fossy"? I did not understand the word "ok". > x fossy An ingenious device invented by the bronzesmith Bran Foscar of Corwyn town, it is a tiny flint and steel in a small metal cup, the flint is attached to the sprung handle. You just squeeze the handle to strike some sparks. It has become known as a 'fossy' by all who use them. > * ah OK I did not understand the word "ah". > l Edge of the Great Sand Sea You are riding your horse Merlin on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. This is a vast desert that stretches away to the horizon in every southerly direction. Hecate and Domreil lie many miles distant beyond the Schwarzwald forest, which you can see on the horizon to the north. Here a camel track leads South into the desert and you can go East or West along the dirt road. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. A squadron of the King's Hussars follow you, led by Colonel Teege. > x merlin Your horse, whose name is Merlin, is a destrier, a massive, powerful horse bred and trained for battle. He has a saddle on his back and a bridle and reins over his head. > pet merlin You stroke the neck and shoulders of your horse. He seems to enjoy the caress and nickers at you. > * weird extra white space here? I did not understand the word "weird". > * But appreciate the option to pet him! I did not understand the word "but". > x shadowfax You see no such thing. > x shadowfox Kelson's horse, whose name is Shadowfox, is a destrier, a massive powerful horse bred and trained for battle. He has a saddle on his back and a bridle and reins over his head. > * oops! I did not understand the word "oops!". > pet shadowfox I don't understand what you want to do with Shadowfox. > * aww I did not understand the word "aww". > x kelson King Kelson Haldane of Hecate is a young man in his thirties, he has dark hair and he is clean-shaven. He is about 6 feet in height and heavily built. The king is wearing his battle gear, which consists of some mail leggings, a mail hauberk, a thick cotton surcoat, a war belt, some jackboots and the Axe of Kolt. He is carrying nothing and he is riding his war horse Shadowfox. > x teege Colonel Willi Teege is a very experienced horseman who has been second-in-command of the King's Hussars for many years. > x axe The Axe of Kolt is a magical weapon, but only in the hands of King Kelson of Hecate. It is a double-headed axe with a long haft, attached to which is a sling so it can be carried over the shoulder. > * aww I did not understand the word "aww". > talk to king You have nothing useful or constructive to say to the king at the present time. > talk to teege There is nothing you need to talk to Colonel Teege at the present time. > l Edge of the Great Sand Sea You are riding your horse Merlin on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. This is a vast desert that stretches away to the horizon in every southerly direction. Hecate and Domreil lie many miles distant beyond the Schwarzwald forest, which you can see on the horizon to the north. Here a camel track leads South into the desert and you can go East or West along the dirt road. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. A squadron of the King's Hussars follow you, led by Colonel Teege. > ask king about axe I don't understand what you want to do with the Axe of Kolt. > * OK good to know! I did not understand the word "ok". > x desert It stretches away for miles in every southerly direction. > w You ride west. King Kelson rides beside you and your squadron of troops follow behind. On Dirt Road By Great Sand Sea You are riding on your horse on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. The road leads East and to the West you see a wide, low building with some palm trees in the middle. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. A squadron of the King's Hussars follow you, led by Colonel Teege. > x trees If there are palm trees growing, that indicates the presence of water. > x squadron The squadron of twelve troops, mounted on war horses, are from the King's Hussars, of which you are the commander. > w You ride west. King Kelson rides beside you and your squadron of troops follow behind. By Entrance to Caravansery You are riding your horse by the entrance to a caravansery where a wide, high archway leads In to the building and either side of this there are sheltered verandas. Above the archway there is a sign and under the verandas there are hitching rails where horses or camels can be tethered with water troughs for them to drink from. The dirt road leads East from here. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. A squadron of the King's Hussars follow you, led by Colonel Teege. At the side of the archway a man squats against the wall. As you approach the man gets to his feet and welcomes you in the local way by bowing and touching his forehead. "Greetings, good travellers," he greets you. "You may enter if you dismount from your horses," he says, indicating you and King Kelson. "However, your soldiers must remain out here." You both dismount and, greeting the man, you reply. 1: "Is there anywhere we can buy some camels?" 2: "Who are you to be giving us such orders?" > 2 "Who are you to give us such orders?" you ask the man. "My name is Aziz Bin Rahman," he replies. "I am the owner of this caravansery and there are rules visitors must follow, whomever they may be." > 1 "Is there anywhere we can buy some camels?" you ask the man. "Yes indeed," he replies. "Mohammed inside the caravansery might have a couple for sale." When you have finished talking to Aziz, Colonel Teege approaches. "Shall I tell the men to stand down, Duke Alaric?" he asks. 1: "Yes, you can all wait here while we try to obtain some camels." 2: "No. Take the squadron back to Domreil," you order the colonel. "The king and I will continue on alone." > 1 "Very well, colonel," you say to him. "The men can tether their horses to the hitching rails and they can shelter from the sun under the veranda." The colonel salutes you and walks away to comply with your order. By Entrance to Caravansery You are leading your horse by the entrance to a caravansery where a wide, high archway leads In to the building and either side of this there are sheltered verandas. Above the archway there is a sign and under the verandas there are hitching rails where horses or camels can be tethered with water troughs for them to drink from. The dirt road leads East from here. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. Your squadron of troops are sheltering under the veranda and their horses are tethered to the hitching rails. At the side of the archway a man squats against the wall. > x man Aziz Bin Rahman is a tall, lean man wearing a snowy white thobe and a ghutra on his head. He has a black beard and moustache and piercing black eyes. > talk to man You talk to the man: "Please, come inside my caravansery," he invites you. "I am sure we can help you continue your journey." > in You move in. You and King Kelson lead your horses in that direction. In Caravansery You are leading your horse in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with five camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. > w You move west. You and King Kelson lead your horses in that direction. By Oasis You are leading your horse on the east side of a small oasis in the middle of the caravansery. It is surrounded by tall palm trees except for the gap here where animals can drink and people can fill water containers. You can go East to the entrance, NE to the camel trader or SE. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. > drink water You scoop a handful of water from the oasis and drink it. It is cool and very refreshing. > give water to horse Which horse? Merlin or Shadowfox. > merlin You are not carrying the oasis water. > take water You can't take the oasis water. > e You move east. You and King Kelson lead your horses in that direction. In Caravansery You are leading your horse in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with five camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. > e There is no route to the east, only north, south, west, out, southwest and northwest. > n You should tether your horses to the hitching rail, which is to the SW, first. > sw You move southwest. You and King Kelson lead your horses in that direction. By Hitching Rail You are leading your horse on the south side of the oasis. It is surrounded by palm trees which grow close to the edge. You can go East or NE. There is a hitching rail here where you can tether your horse. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. > tether horse You tie the reins of your horse to the hitching rail and King Kelson does the same. By Hitching Rail You are on the south side of the oasis. It is surrounded by palm trees which grow close to the edge. You can go East or NE. Your horses are tethered to the hitching rail here. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. > ne You move northeast. King Kelson walks beside you. In Caravansery You are in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with five camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson is here. > n You move North. As you and Kelson walk towards the camel trader, Kelson speaks to you: "As I've got all the gold coins, you'd better leave this to me, Alaric," he tells you. "Very well, my lord," you reply with a smile. "I am more than happy to leave all the haggling to you." YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS KING KELSON By Camel Trader You are by a camel trader who has five camels around him. There is a shop here where above the door there is a sign. You can go In to the shop, West to a hitching rail, North, South and SW. Duke Alaric is here. You approach the camel trader and you greet him in the local fashion. He returns the greeting, "Wa Alaikum Salaam," he says, shaking you both by the hand. "My name is Mohammed El Ruweisat. How may I help you, good travellers?" 1: "Do you have any camels for sale?" 2: "We need 14 camels, do you have that many?" > 1 You ask Mohammed: "Do you have any camels for sale?" The camel keeper points to the camels he has around him, "I only have three at the moment," he tells you. "These others have already been sold to someone. I am expecting more soon, but I don't know when they're arriving, maybe today, maybe tomorrow." You ponder this for a moment or two. "How much do you want for all three camels?" you ask him. "Make me an offer and I will consider it," is his answer. You offer 10 gold coins and Mohammed laughs. "Is that for one?!" he asks, so you offer him 20 gold coins. "How about 40 gold coins?" he counters. "That is a fair price!" You agree, shake hands on the deal and you hand him the coins. He tells you that the camel's names are Eeny, Meeny and Mo and that Mo is best used as a pack camel. "I sold Miney last week," he tells you with a smile. "It was a shame to break up the group, but the buyer made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Mohammed points to the clothes you are wearing. "You cannot make a journey across the Great Sand Sea in those clothes," he tells you. "Go to Mustapha's and he will provide more suitable attire." You ask where you can buy equipment for the camels and provisions for the journey. "Ibrahim can supply you with riding equipment and Yusuf sells travel provisions," he tells you. "Tell them Mohammed sent you and they will give you a discount." Mohammed tells you he will tether your camels to the hitching rail to the west while you buy the things you need. By Camel Trader You are by a camel trader who has two camels around him. There is a shop here where above the door there is a sign. You can go In to the shop, West to a hitching rail, North, South and SW. Duke Alaric is here. > x me You are a young man in your thirties, you have dark hair and are clean-shaven. You are a shade under six feet in height and heavily built. > x alaric Duke Alaric is a man in the prime of his life, around 45 years of age, six feet in height and about 14 stone in weight. He has shoulder length black hair - in which quite a few grey hairs are now evident - and his eyes are a darkish blue with brown flecks. He is wearing his fighting clothes and his sword is in its scabbard. > i You are wearing your battle gear, which consists of some mail leggings, a mail hauberk, a thick cotton surcoat, a war belt, some jackboots and the Axe of Kolt, and you are carrying nothing. In the pouch in your war belt there are 60 gold coins, and your dagger is in the sheath attached to your war belt. > x belt A thick leather war belt which carries a sheath for your dagger. It incorporates a pouch in which you can carry gold coins and other small objects. > x pouch Incorporated into your war belt, it can hold gold coins and other small items. > * OK we just spent half the kingdon's treasury on three camels, seems fine I did not understand the word "ok". > save You must first BECOME ALARIC before either saving or restoring your game position. Sorry, but this restriction is necessary, otherwise the game will not work properly. > become alaric YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS ALARIC BLACKMOON. By Camel Trader You are by a camel trader who has two camels around him. There is a shop here where above the door there is a sign. You can go In to the shop, West to a hitching rail, North, South and SW. King Kelson is here. > save Game "xxr" saved > become king YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS KING KELSON. By Camel Trader You are by a camel trader who has two camels around him. There is a shop here where above the door there is a sign. You can go In to the shop, West to a hitching rail, North, South and SW. Duke Alaric is here. > xsing I did not understand the word "xsing". > x sign Like everything here, it is in two languages. > read it (the shop sign) The sign reads: > in You move in. Duke Alaric walks beside you. Mustapha's Clothing Emporium You are in a shop which sells clothing to travellers. The stock is not very varied, consisting mainly of ghutras, thobes and belgha. There are two curtained doorways, leading In, with signs above them. The shop door leads Out to the caravansery courtyard. Duke Alaric is here. The storekeeper greets you effusively. "Welcome good sirs," he says bowing and shaking your hands. "How may Tariq Mustapha help you on this fine day?" 1: "We need appropriate clothing for a camel journey across the desert." 2: "Mohammed the camel trader sent us." > 2 You tell Tariq that Mohammed sent you and that you require clothing suitable for a journey across the desert for yourself and Duke Alaric. "It will be my pleasure to clothe the friends of my esteemed friend Mohammed El Ruweisat," he gushes. He takes a knotted string from around his neck and proceeds to take your measurements, noting them down as he goes. He then does the same to Duke Alaric. He then scurries around his store, taking two robes off a rack, a couple of headdresses off a pile and two pairs of sandals from a bin. He comes over and leads the two of you into the men's changing room. "Please try these desert clothes on for fit, you can wear your war belt and baldric over the robes," he tells you and leaves the room to allow you to change clothes. Men's Changing Room You are in the men's changing room in Mustapha's Clothing Emporium. There are benches against two sides for customers to sit upon and a large table to put clothes on. On one wall is a mirror. The main shop is Out through the curtained doorway. Duke Alaric is here. You may CHANGE CLOTHES in here. > x mirror A full-length mirror in which you can see how your clothes look. > change clothes You change out of your fighting clothes and put on the desert clothing you just bought. Duke Alaric does the same. > x alaric Duke Alaric is a man in the prime of his life, around 45 years of age, six feet in height and about 14 stone in weight. He has shoulder length black hair - in which quite a few grey hairs are now evident - and his eyes are a darkish blue with brown flecks. He is wearing his desert clothes and his sword is in its scabbard. > x me You are a young man in your thirties, you have dark hair and are clean-shaven. You are a shade under six feet in height and heavily built. > i You are wearing a war belt, a white abaya, a white ghutra, some babouche and the Axe of Kolt, and you are carrying nothing. In the pouch in your war belt there are 60 gold coins, and your dagger is in the sheath attached to your war belt. > x ghutra The ghutra is one of the traditional headdresses worn by desert dwellers. It keeps the wearer cool and protects against sandstorms. > x babouche A pair of leather sandals worn by dwellers in desert regions. > x abaya The abaya is one of the traditional garments worn by desert dwellers. It is a long cotton robe that completely covers the body. > x alaric Duke Alaric is a man in the prime of his life, around 45 years of age, six feet in height and about 14 stone in weight. He has shoulder length black hair - in which quite a few grey hairs are now evident - and his eyes are a darkish blue with brown flecks. He is wearing his desert clothes and his sword is in its scabbard. > become alaric YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS ALARIC BLACKMOON. Men's Changing Room You are in the men's changing room in Mustapha's Clothing Emporium. There are benches against two sides for customers to sit upon and a large table to put clothes on. On one wall is a mirror. The main shop is Out through the curtained doorway. Also here you see some jackboots and some sturdy boots. King Kelson is here. > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a leather baldric, a white thobe, a checkered kaffiyeh and some thick canvas madas, and you are carrying nothing. Your sword is in its scabbard which hangs from your baldric. > x baldric A leather baldric you wear over your right shoulder, the scabbard for your sword is attached to it. There is a small pocket incorporated in it. > x thobe The thobe is one of the traditional garments worn by desert dwellers. It is a long cotton robe that completely covers the body. > x kaffiyeh The kaffiyeh is one of the traditional headdresses worn by desert dwellers. It is checkered in red and keeps the wearer cool and protects against sandstorms. > x madas A pair of one type of the sandals worn by dwellers in desert regions. > out Don't forget to pick up the clothes you just changed out of. > take clothes You and King Kelson take your respective clothing from the table and your boots from the floor. > out You move Out. (Moving the curtain aside as you do) King Kelson follows you. Mustapha's Clothing Emporium You are in a shop which sells clothing to travellers. The stock is not very varied, consisting mainly of ghutras, thobes and belgha. There are two curtained doorways, leading In, with signs above them. The shop door leads Out to the caravansery courtyard. King Kelson is here. Tariq Mustapha greets you as you both emerge from the changing room. "The clothes fit the both of you perfectly," he exclaims. "Only the best for friends of Mohammed El Ruweisat!" Kelson asks Tariq how much you owe him and he tells him 10 gold coins. Kelson haggles for a bit and knocks him down to 8, which he takes out of his pouch and gives to him. "A pleasure doing business with you, kind sirs," Tariq says. "Good luck on your journey!" You both thank Tariq and leave the shop. By Camel Trader You are by a camel trader who has two camels around him. There is a shop here where above the door there is a sign. You can go In to the shop, West to a hitching rail, North, South and SW. King Kelson is here. > talk to trader There is no need to talk to the camel trader now you have purchased some camels. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. In Caravansery You are in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson is here. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. SE Corner of Caravansery You are in the southeast corner of the caravansery, where on the south side there is a provisions shop, which you can go In to, with a sign above the door. You can go North, NW or West. King Kelson is here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Hitching Rail You are on the south side of the oasis. It is surrounded by palm trees which grow close to the edge. You can go East or NE. Your horses are tethered to the hitching rail here. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. SE Corner of Caravansery You are in the southeast corner of the caravansery, where on the south side there is a provisions shop, which you can go In to, with a sign above the door. You can go North, NW or West. King Kelson is here. > in You need to buy equipment for your camels first. > read sign The sign reads: > s There is no route to the south, only north, west, in and northwest. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. In Caravansery You are in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson is here. > nw You move northwest. King Kelson walks beside you. By Hitching Rail You are on the north side of the oasis where there is a wooden hitching rail. The camel trader is East and you can also go NE. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here, the camels being tethered to the hitching rail. > in There is no route to the in, only east, northeast and southeast. > se You move southeast. King Kelson walks beside you. In Caravansery You are in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson is here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Oasis You are on the east side of a small oasis in the middle of the caravansery. It is surrounded by tall palm trees except for the gap here where animals can drink and people can fill water containers. You can go East to the entrance, NE to the camel trader or SE. King Kelson is here. > se You move southeast. King Kelson walks beside you. SE Corner of Caravansery You are in the southeast corner of the caravansery, where on the south side there is a provisions shop, which you can go In to, with a sign above the door. You can go North, NW or West. King Kelson is here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Hitching Rail You are on the south side of the oasis. It is surrounded by palm trees which grow close to the edge. You can go East or NE. Your horses are tethered to the hitching rail here. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. > s There is no route to the south, only east and northeast. > se There is no route to the southeast, only east and northeast. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. SE Corner of Caravansery You are in the southeast corner of the caravansery, where on the south side there is a provisions shop, which you can go In to, with a sign above the door. You can go North, NW or West. King Kelson is here. > s There is no route to the south, only north, west, in and northwest. > in You need to buy equipment for your camels first. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. In Caravansery You are in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson is here. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. By Camel Trader You are by a camel trader who has two camels around him. There is a shop here where above the door there is a sign. You can go In to the shop, West to a hitching rail, North, South and SW. King Kelson is here. > talk to trader There is no need to talk to the camel trader now you have purchased some camels. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. NE Corner of Caravansery You are in the northeast corner of the caravansery, where there is a shop that sells camel riding equipment. Over the open door, which you can go In to, there is a sign. You can go South or SW. King Kelson is here. > in You move in. King Kelson walks beside you. Camel Equipment Store You are in Ibrahim's camel equipment store. The place smells of leather and camels. For sale are camel saddles, bridles and panniers. The door leads Out to the caravansery. King Kelson is here. Ibrahim Khan is here, ready to serve you. As you walk into the store you are greeted by the owner. "Welcome to my humble establishment," he says in a deep voice. "How may I be of assistance to you?" You greet him as well and ask: 1: "How much are your camel saddles?" 2: "What do we need for our journey?" 3: "We need equipment for two riding camels and one pack camel." > * OK that map was a ittle confusing I did not understand the word "ok". > 2 You ask Ibrahim Khan what equipment you will need for your journey. "You will need saddles and bridles for your riding camels," he tells you. "And a halter and panniers for your pack camel." 1: "How much are your camel saddles?" 3: "We need equipment for two riding camels and one pack camel." > 1 You ask Ibrahim Khan how much his camel saddles are. "I have three types of saddles for camels," he tells you. "Basic, better and best. The basic costs 5 gold coins, the better 10 and the best 20." 3: "We need equipment for two riding camels and one pack camel." > 1 You have already asked that question. > 3 You tell Ibrahim Khan you need equipment for two riding camels and one pack camel. Ibrahim shows you saddles, bridles and panniers for your camels and you select the most suitable. He asks 15 gold coins for everything but the king haggles with him and manages to get the price down to 12 gold coins which includes Ibrahim's helpers fitting the equipment on the camels for you. You and the men carry the gear out to where your camels are hitched to the rail and then they spend some time fitting the saddles and bridles to Eeny and Meeny and the panniers onto Mo's back. You thank Ibrahim, then he returns to his store. The two of you put your clothes into the panniers. By Hitching Rail You are on the north side of the oasis where there is a wooden hitching rail. The camel trader is East and you can also go NE. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here, the camels being tethered to the hitching rail. > s There is no route to the south, only east, northeast and southeast. > sw There is no route to the southwest, only east, northeast and southeast. > se You move southeast. King Kelson walks beside you. In Caravansery You are in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson is here. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. SE Corner of Caravansery You are in the southeast corner of the caravansery, where on the south side there is a provisions shop, which you can go In to, with a sign above the door. You can go North, NW or West. King Kelson is here. > in You move In. (Opening the door first and closing it after you) Yusuf's Provisions Shop You are in Yusuf's provisions store, which is full of casks and sacks full of all sorts of grain, seeds and pulses. Lying sprawled on a divan on one side of the store is an immensely fat man smoking from a hookah. The man ignores you, staring at the both of you while sucking from the pipe of the hookah and blowing the smoke out of the corner of his mouth. You can go Out to the caravansery. King Kelson is here. Taeen Hussain is behind the counter, ready to serve customers. As you enter the store you are surprised to see a woman behind the counter. The woman greets you. "Welcome to Yusuf's, my name is Taeen Hussain, wife of Yusuf," she tells you, nodding in the direction of her husband. "How may I help you today?" 1: "What provisions would we need for a journey of about a week in the desert?" 2: "We need provisions for two people and three camels, both to last about a week, please." 3: "Mohammed sent us here." > 3 You tell Taeen that Mohammed sent you here. "I'm sure he did," she tells you. "He sends everyone here, but where else are you going to go for provisions?" > 1 You ask Taeen what provisions you will need for a week's journey in the desert. "A bag of travel rations for yourselves and a sack of camel feed should be sufficient," she tells you. "You will also need a waterskin each. The camels can go without water for up to 10 days as long as they drink before travelling." King Kelson asks the cost of these provisions and the waterskins and Taeen tells him 10 gold coins. He and Taeen haggle for a couple of minutes and settle on a price of 8 gold coins, which he gives to her. She lends you a small handcart with which to transport the provisions to your camels, which you do and you load the bag and sack into one of the panniers. You return the handcart and she gives you an empty waterskin each. "You'll need to fill those from the oasis before you leave," she tells you. You thank Taeen, nod to Yusuf who nods back, and you leave the store. SE Corner of Caravansery You are in the southeast corner of the caravansery, where on the south side there is a provisions shop, which you can go In to, with a sign above the door. You can go North, NW or West. King Kelson is here. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. In Caravansery You are in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson is here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Oasis You are on the east side of a small oasis in the middle of the caravansery. It is surrounded by tall palm trees except for the gap here where animals can drink and people can fill water containers. You can go East to the entrance, NE to the camel trader or SE. King Kelson is here. > fill waterskin You fill your waterskin with water from the oasis and King Kelson does the same. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. In Caravansery You are in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson is here. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. By Camel Trader You are by a camel trader who has two camels around him. There is a shop here where above the door there is a sign. You can go In to the shop, West to a hitching rail, North, South and SW. King Kelson is here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Hitching Rail You are on the north side of the oasis where there is a wooden hitching rail. The camel trader is East and you can also go NE. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here, the camels being tethered to the hitching rail. As you approach the camels, King Kelson turns to you. "You can take care of Mo," he tells you. "I have no idea about camels so I will ride Meeny and you can take Eeny. Agreed?" "Very well, sire," you reply. "I'm sure whatever camel either of us rides, it will be fine." > ride mo Mo is your pack camel and is not meant to be ridden. > mo eeny I don't understand what you want to do with Eeny. > ride eeny You cannot mount your camel here. > take camel You can't see the camels. > l By Hitching Rail You are on the north side of the oasis where there is a wooden hitching rail. The camel trader is East and you can also go NE. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here, the camels being tethered to the hitching rail. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. By Camel Trader You are by a camel trader who has two camels around him. There is a shop here where above the door there is a sign. You can go In to the shop, West to a hitching rail, North, South and SW. King Kelson is here. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. In Caravansery You are in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson is here. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. By Camel Trader You are by a camel trader who has two camels around him. There is a shop here where above the door there is a sign. You can go In to the shop, West to a hitching rail, North, South and SW. King Kelson is here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Hitching Rail You are on the north side of the oasis where there is a wooden hitching rail. The camel trader is East and you can also go NE. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here, the camels being tethered to the hitching rail. > unhitch camel I did not understand the word "unhitch". > take eeny Eeny does not let you pick her up. > ride eeny You cannot mount your camel here. > x tether You see no such thing. > untether camels You untie Eeny's reins from the hitching rail and Kelson unties Meeny's as well. Then you untie Mo from the rail and tie her halter to Eeny's saddle. > e You move east. You and King Kelson lead your camels in that direction. By Camel Trader You are leading your camel by a camel trader who has two camels around him. There is a shop here where above the door there is a sign. You can go In to the shop, West to a hitching rail, North, South and SW. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > s You move south. You and King Kelson lead your camels in that direction. In Caravansery You are leading your camel in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > s You should be heading out of the caravansery now you have your camels equipped for your journey. > out You need to lead your camels to water first. > w You move west. You and King Kelson lead your camels in that direction. By Oasis You are leading your camel on the east side of a small oasis in the middle of the caravansery. It is surrounded by tall palm trees except for the gap here where animals can drink and people can fill water containers. You can go East to the entrance, NE to the camel trader or SE. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. As you reach the edge of the oasis, your camels bend their heads down and drink deeply. They can now survive for several days without drinking again. > e As you walk towards the caravansery exit, the proprietor, Aziz Bin Rahman, comes walking towards you. He stops before you and greets you in the local fashion. "I see you are about to leave us, your grace," he says to King Kelson. "Would you like me to stable your horses until you return?" 1: "How much will you charge for stabling our horses?" 2: "Yes please, we would be grateful if you would stable our horses until we return." In Caravansery You are leading your camel in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. At the side of the archway a man squats against the wall. > 2 King Kelson replies to Aziz's offer. "Yes, please, if you could stable our horses while we are engaged on our mission we would be most grateful," he tells Aziz, and then he continues, "How much would you charge us for this service?" he asks Aziz, who replies, "That depends on how long you are gone," he tells the king. "I charge 5 gold coins per horse per week." There then ensues a few minutes of haggling at the end of which the king has knocked Aziz down to 3 gold coins per horse per week. "You are indeed a fearsome opponent, King Kelson," Aziz tells him with a smile. "I would hate to face you on the battlefield if your haggling is anything to go by!" The king smiles and shakes Aziz by the hand to seal the deal. Aziz calls two of his staff to take Shadowfox and Merlin to the stables and he bids you farewell and good luck before following the horses to see that they are cared for properly. In Caravansery You are leading your camel in the courtyard of the caravansery, which is open to the sky. The archway leads Out to the dirt road and due West is a small oasis surrounded by palm trees. To the North you see a camel trader with two camels. You can also go South, NW, or SW to a hitching rail. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > out You move Out. You lead Eeny out of the caravansery followed by King Kelson leading Meeny. By Entrance to Caravansery You are leading your camel by the entrance to a caravansery where a wide, high archway leads In to the building and either side of this there are sheltered verandas. Above the archway there is a sign and under the verandas there are hitching rails where horses or camels can be tethered with water troughs for them to drink from. The dirt road leads East from here. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. Your squadron of troops are sheltering under the veranda and their horses are tethered to the hitching rails. As you leave the caravansery with your camels, King Kelson goes over to talk to Colonel Teege. At first the colonel doesn't recognise the king and is astonished by his transformation. The king tells the colonel to take his squadron back to Domreil as there are not enough camels for the colonel and his squadron to accompany you and the king across the desert. The colonel argues vociferously against this order, saying his duty is to protect the king from danger. "We'll be fine, colonel," the king tells him. "I have the Axe of Kolt with me if we should encounter any Xixons - which I doubt anyway!" With great reluctance the colonel obeys his order, and he and the squadron ride off towards Domreil, leaving you and the king to continue on alone. By Entrance to Caravansery You are leading your camel by the entrance to a caravansery where a wide, high archway leads In to the building and either side of this there are sheltered verandas. Above the archway there is a sign and under the verandas there are hitching rails where horses or camels can be tethered with water troughs for them to drink from. The dirt road leads East from here. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > save Game "xxr" saved > e You are about to go east when there is a shout from behind you. It is Ibraham Khan, whom you bought your camel equipment from. "Before you depart, a gift for you each," he says, giving you a rucksack and King Kelson a knapsack. "I noticed you did not have either of these and thought you would like them." You and Kelson thank him for the gifts and put them over your shoulders. "Maybe we should have some refreshments before we set off?" King Kelson suggests. "That's not a bad idea," you reply, and you both take some travel rations from the bag in the panniers on Mo's back. You eat them and wash them down with a couple of swigs of water from your waterskins. You put the packet of rations in your rucksack. "Not much taste to them," you comment to King Kelson. "Don't worry," he replies. "I'm sure Bronwynn will cook you a slap-up meal when you get home!" The two of you then continue on your way. On Dirt Road By Great Sand Sea You are on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. The road leads East and to the West you see the caravansery. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > e You move east. You and King Kelson lead your camels in that direction. Edge of the Great Sand Sea You are on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. This is a vast desert that stretches away to the horizon in every southerly direction. Hecate and Domreil lie many miles distant beyond the Schwarzwald forest, which you can see on the horizon to the north. Here a camel track leads South into the desert and you can go East or West along the dirt road. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > e You ride east for a couple of miles but find no tracks leading South. As there is nothing to be seen for miles in that direction you return to where you started from. > s It's too far to go on foot. > ride camel Meeny is King Kelson's mount. > ride eeny As instructed by Ibrahim, you say "Down!" to make the camel kneel down and you climb onto Eeny's saddle. You make yourself comfortable and say "Up!". You lean backwards as the camel gets to its rear legs first and then to its front legs. King Kelson does the same and mounts his own camel. Edge of the Great Sand Sea You are riding your camel Eeny on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. This is a vast desert that stretches away to the horizon in every southerly direction. Hecate and Domreil lie many miles distant beyond the Schwarzwald forest, which you can see on the horizon to the north. Here a camel track leads South into the desert and you can go East or West along the dirt road. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > s You ride South. You follow the camel track across the barren desert for miles without seeing anything. The heat increases the further you travel into the desert and you are glad that you bought these much cooler robes instead of wearing your usual fighting gear. As the sun starts to go down you spot the ruins of an ancient city a mile or so to the west of the track and you suggest to King Kelson that you should head there and find somewhere to camp for the night. The king concurs and you steer your camels towards the ruins. On the way you pass a large rocky outcrop which you take note of but carry on until you reach the wall of the city. By Wall of Ancient City You are riding your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > x bodies The bodies lay where they fell. The arid desert conditions have dried out the bodies and while some are skeletons, others look the same as the day they were killed. > search bodies You cannot search the bodies if you are riding your camel. > d There is no route down, only east and west. > dismount You say "Down!" to instruct Eeny to kneel down and then you climb down off the saddle onto the ground. King Kelson does the same and dismounts from his camel Meeny. By Wall of Ancient City You are leading your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > search bodies The bodies were stripped of anything valuable millennia ago, but as you are examining the ragged remnants of the clothes of one body you find a folded piece of parchment. You pick it up and unfold it, revealing a hand-drawn map. "That looks useful," King Kelson says to you. "Can I have a look?" "Why don't you search the bodies," you suggest to the king. "You never know what you might find?" > g (search bodies) You search the dessicated bodies but find nothing of interest. > x map An ancient sheet of parchment with a map on it. The map shows you that this ruined city is called Garama and that far to the south is the "Forbidden Forest" in which lies somewhere (or something) called "Xanix". > switch I did not understand the word "switch". > become king YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS KING KELSON. By Wall of Ancient City You are leading your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. Duke Alaric, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > search body The bodies were stripped of anything valuable millennia ago, but as you are examining one skeleton it crumbles to pieces, revealing what looks like a wooden stick underneath. "That looks interesting," Duke Alaric says to you. "I'd like to have a look at it." "How about you search some of the bodies," Duke Alaric suggests. "You might find something useful?" By Wall of Ancient City You are leading your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. Also here you see a wooden sceptre. Duke Alaric, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > g (search body) You search the dessicated bodies but find nothing of interest. > x stick A sceptre carved from wood with a finial of a woman's head. > give stick to alaric You are not carrying the wooden sceptre. > take stick Ok, you pick up the wooden sceptre. > give stick to alaric You give the sceptre to Duke Alaric. ^Look what I found," you say to the Duke as he takes the sceptre from you and examines it carefully. "Very interesting," he replies, "I wonder if it represents some sort of deity?" he asks you. "We'll have to show it to Magor when we get back to Domreil castle," you tell him as he hands the sceptre back. You decide to put it into your knapsack for safe keeping. > take map (from Alaric Blackmoon) You ask Duke Alaric for the sheet of parchment and he gives it to you. > x map An ancient sheet of parchment with a map on it. The map shows you that this ruined city is called Garama and that far to the south is the "Forbidden Forest" in which lies somewhere (or something) called "Xanix". > show map to alaric Alaric Blackmoon seems suitably unimpressed. > give map to alaric Ok, you give the sheet of parchment to Alaric Blackmoon. > e Maybe it would be a better idea to head into the city as it's getting darker by the minute. > l By Wall of Ancient City You are leading your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. Duke Alaric, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > x breach The breach has been made by huge stones which have been fired at the wall by war machines some time in the past. > w You move West. As you and Alaric lead Eeny, Meeny and Mo west into the city, the sun goes down below the horizon and everything goes dark. You conjure a ball of handfire, which illuminates your surroundings. At Crossroads You are leading your camel at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. Duke Alaric, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. Suddenly, a thin man dressed in rags comes shuffling towards you out of the darkness from the north. He sees you and, with a terrified look on his face, he tries to rush past you all without speaking. Duke Alaric stops the man by grabbing his arm and asks him why he is in such a hurry. "Red mist coming - beware the red mist - Run! Hide!" he screams and, wriggling out of Alaric's grasp, he runs towards the west and out of sight. Duke Alaric turns to you. "Red mist? What on earth is he talking about?" he says to you. You shrug your shoulders and reply, "I haven't got a clue, but should we hang about to find out?" > hide It isn't as easy as just typing HIDE, you must move around and explore if you want to find somewhere to hide. > l At Crossroads You are leading your camel at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. Duke Alaric, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > save You must first BECOME ALARIC before either saving or restoring your game position. Sorry, but this restriction is necessary, otherwise the game will not work properly. You see a faint red glow in the distance to the west, it seems to be coming slowly towards you. > e Maybe you ought to go west like the wild man did, he seemed to know where he was going? > x fountain You guess that at one time the fountain was a thing of great beauty. Now it is a crumbling ruin, full of sand rather than water. > w You move west. You and Duke Alaric lead your camels in that direction. West of Crossroads You are leading your camel a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. Duke Alaric, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. The red glow is getting closer. You see it is a translucent mist with tendrils seemly feeling their way towards you. > s The entrance to the ruined building is too narrow for the camels to pass through. > w It would not be a good idea to venture further into the city when the red mist is heading this way! > x building The building, the roof of which is missing, is about six or seven yards square. A gap which used to be a doorway leads South inside it. The red mist is only a dozen or so yards away...you must get under cover - NOW! > leave camels Ok, you drop your camel's reins and Duke Alaric does the same. > s You move South. Duke Alaric follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. Duke Alaric is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. You are enveloped by the red mist - it seeps its way into your mouth and ears and sucks the life-force from your very soul! *** You have lost *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > restore You must first BECOME ALARIC before either saving or restoring your game position. Sorry, but this restriction is necessary, otherwise the game will not work properly. > undo Undone. You move South. Duke Alaric follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. Duke Alaric is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. You are enveloped by the red mist - it seeps its way into your mouth and ears and sucks the life-force from your very soul! *** You have lost *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Undone. Ok, you drop your camel's reins and Duke Alaric does the same. > undo Undone. The building, the roof of which is missing, is about six or seven yards square. A gap which used to be a doorway leads South inside it. The red mist is only a dozen or so yards away...you must get under cover - NOW! > drop camel You are not carrying any of the camels! They're far too heavy to pick up. > undo Undone. The building, the roof of which is missing, is about six or seven yards square. A gap which used to be a doorway leads South inside it. The red mist is only a dozen or so yards away...you must get under cover - NOW! > undo Undone. It would not be a good idea to venture further into the city when the red mist is heading this way! > leave camels Ok, you drop your camel's reins and Duke Alaric does the same. The red mist is only a dozen or so yards away...you must get under cover - NOW! > s You move South. Duke Alaric follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. Duke Alaric is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > x bricks Made from a mixture of mud and straw which is hardened in the sun, they have been used as a building material for thousands of years. You are enveloped by the red mist - it seeps its way into your mouth and ears and sucks the life-force from your very soul! *** You have lost *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Undone. You move South. Duke Alaric follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. Duke Alaric is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > u There is no route up, only north and down. You are enveloped by the red mist - it seeps its way into your mouth and ears and sucks the life-force from your very soul! *** You have lost *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Undone. You move South. Duke Alaric follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. Duke Alaric is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > d You must open the trapdoor first. You are enveloped by the red mist - it seeps its way into your mouth and ears and sucks the life-force from your very soul! *** You have lost *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > restre Please type either RESTART, RESTORE, QUIT or UNDO (you may have to type UNDO more than once). > restore You must first BECOME ALARIC before either saving or restoring your game position. Sorry, but this restriction is necessary, otherwise the game will not work properly. > become alaric Please type either RESTART, RESTORE, QUIT or UNDO (you may have to type UNDO more than once). > restore You must first BECOME ALARIC before either saving or restoring your game position. Sorry, but this restriction is necessary, otherwise the game will not work properly. Xanix - Xixon Resurgence The Adventures of Alaric Blackmoon Episode 9: XANIX - XIXON RESURGENCE An Interactive Fantasy Adventure by Larry Horsfield Written using ADRIFT 5, created by Campbell Wild Please Press The Space Key or Enter to Continue A Note For The Player: This adventure game is very much "old school" in that the gameplay involves having to SEARCH objects and/or LOOK BEHIND, IN or UNDER objects to find objects that you will need during the game. You might also have to EXAMINE WALL to find something on it. The game is also quite long and there is the possibility of sudden death. If you do not like this style of adventure gameplay then regrettably this game may not be for you. I do hope, however, that you will give it a try! There are in-game hints provided, and a walkthrough is available on request (type HELP). Many thanks. Larry Horsfield Please Type O then press Enter to continue or B to start the game from the first location. (You are strongly advised to read the playing instructions before playing the game) > b Edge of the Great Sand Sea You are riding your horse Merlin on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. This is a vast desert that stretches away to the horizon in every southerly direction. Hecate and Domreil lie many miles distant beyond the Schwarzwald forest, which you can see on the horizon to the north. Here a camel track leads South into the desert and you can go East or West along the dirt road. King Kelson, Merlin and Shadowfox are here. A squadron of the King's Hussars follow you, led by Colonel Teege. IMPORTANT: In this game you can change to playing as the other main character by typing BECOME KELSON. To change back type BECOME ALARIC. There may be restrictions on this at certain points in the game. However, please note that if you are playing as King Kelson, and you want to SAVE or RESTORE your game position, you MUST change back to playing as Alaric Blackmoon - i.e. BECOME ALARIC - before you SAVE or RESTORE. I am sorry about this but this restriction is necessary, otherwise the game will not work properly. To repeat this information at any time during the game, type S&R and press Enter. > restore Game "xxr" restored By Entrance to Caravansery You are leading your camel by the entrance to a caravansery where a wide, high archway leads In to the building and either side of this there are sheltered verandas. Above the archway there is a sign and under the verandas there are hitching rails where horses or camels can be tethered with water troughs for them to drink from. The dirt road leads East from here. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > out There is no route out, only east and in. > e You are about to go east when there is a shout from behind you. It is Ibraham Khan, whom you bought your camel equipment from. "Before you depart, a gift for you each," he says, giving you a rucksack and King Kelson a knapsack. "I noticed you did not have either of these and thought you would like them." You and Kelson thank him for the gifts and put them over your shoulders. "Maybe we should have some refreshments before we set off?" King Kelson suggests. "That's not a bad idea," you reply, and you both take some travel rations from the bag in the panniers on Mo's back. You eat them and wash them down with a couple of swigs of water from your waterskins. You put the packet of rations in your rucksack. "Not much taste to them," you comment to King Kelson. "Don't worry," he replies. "I'm sure Bronwynn will cook you a slap-up meal when you get home!" The two of you then continue on your way. On Dirt Road By Great Sand Sea You are on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. The road leads East and to the West you see the caravansery. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > e You move east. You and King Kelson lead your camels in that direction. Edge of the Great Sand Sea You are on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. This is a vast desert that stretches away to the horizon in every southerly direction. Hecate and Domreil lie many miles distant beyond the Schwarzwald forest, which you can see on the horizon to the north. Here a camel track leads South into the desert and you can go East or West along the dirt road. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > s It's too far to go on foot. > ride eeny As instructed by Ibrahim, you say "Down!" to make the camel kneel down and you climb onto Eeny's saddle. You make yourself comfortable and say "Up!". You lean backwards as the camel gets to its rear legs first and then to its front legs. King Kelson does the same and mounts his own camel. Edge of the Great Sand Sea You are riding your camel Eeny on a dirt road that runs along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea. This is a vast desert that stretches away to the horizon in every southerly direction. Hecate and Domreil lie many miles distant beyond the Schwarzwald forest, which you can see on the horizon to the north. Here a camel track leads South into the desert and you can go East or West along the dirt road. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > s You ride South. You follow the camel track across the barren desert for miles without seeing anything. The heat increases the further you travel into the desert and you are glad that you bought these much cooler robes instead of wearing your usual fighting gear. As the sun starts to go down you spot the ruins of an ancient city a mile or so to the west of the track and you suggest to King Kelson that you should head there and find somewhere to camp for the night. The king concurs and you steer your camels towards the ruins. On the way you pass a large rocky outcrop which you take note of but carry on until you reach the wall of the city. By Wall of Ancient City You are riding your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > search body You cannot search the bodies if you are riding your camel. > e Maybe it would be a better idea to head into the city as it's getting darker by the minute. > down There is no route down, only east and west. > dismount You say "Down!" to instruct Eeny to kneel down and then you climb down off the saddle onto the ground. King Kelson does the same and dismounts from his camel Meeny. By Wall of Ancient City You are leading your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > search body The bodies were stripped of anything valuable millennia ago, but as you are examining the ragged remnants of the clothes of one body you find a folded piece of parchment. You pick it up and unfold it, revealing a hand-drawn map. "That looks useful," King Kelson says to you. "Can I have a look?" "Why don't you search the bodies," you suggest to the king. "You never know what you might find?" > x map An ancient sheet of parchment with a map on it. The map shows you that this ruined city is called Garama and that far to the south is the "Forbidden Forest" in which lies somewhere (or something) called "Xanix". > show map to king You hand the parchment to King Kelson. He takes it and looks at it. "This looks interesting, Alaric," he says to you. "I wonder what this place called Xanix is?" "Well, we'll find out when we get there!" you say to him as he hands back the map. > become king YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS KING KELSON. By Wall of Ancient City You are leading your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. Duke Alaric, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > search body The bodies were stripped of anything valuable millennia ago, but as you are examining one skeleton it crumbles to pieces, revealing what looks like a wooden stick underneath. "That looks interesting," Duke Alaric says to you. "I'd like to have a look at it." "How about you search some of the bodies," Duke Alaric suggests. "You might find something useful?" By Wall of Ancient City You are leading your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. Also here you see a wooden sceptre. Duke Alaric, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > x stick A sceptre carved from wood with a finial of a woman's head. > take stick Ok, you pick up the wooden sceptre. > give stick to alaric You give the sceptre to Duke Alaric. ^Look what I found," you say to the Duke as he takes the sceptre from you and examines it carefully. "Very interesting," he replies, "I wonder if it represents some sort of deity?" he asks you. "We'll have to show it to Magor when we get back to Domreil castle," you tell him as he hands the sceptre back. You decide to put it into your knapsack for safe keeping. > become alaric YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS ALARIC BLACKMOON. By Wall of Ancient City You are leading your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > save Game "xxr" saved > w You move West. As you and Kelson lead Eeny, Meeny and Mo west into the city, the sun goes down below the horizon and everything goes dark. You conjure a ball of handfire, which illuminates your surroundings. At Crossroads You are leading your camel at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. Suddenly, a thin man dressed in rags comes shuffling towards you out of the darkness from the north. He sees you and, with a terrified look on his face, he tries to rush past you all without speaking. You stop the man by grabbing his arm, which feels like a thin stick, and ask him why he is in such a hurry. "Red mist coming - beware the red mist - Run! Hide!" he screams and, wriggling out of your grasp, he runs towards the west and out of sight. You turn to King Kelson. "Red mist? What on earth is he talking about?" you say to the king. Kelson shrugs his shoulders and replies, "I haven't got a clue, but should we hang about to find out?" > w You move west. You and King Kelson lead your camels in that direction. West of Crossroads You are leading your camel a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > leave camels Ok, you drop your camel's reins, as does King Kelson. > s You move South. King Kelson follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. You see a faint red glow in the distance to the west, it seems to be coming slowly towards you. > d You must open the trapdoor first. > undo Undone. You move South. King Kelson follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. You see a faint red glow in the distance to the west, it seems to be coming slowly towards you. > open trapdoor Sorry, I don't know what you are trying to open. > undo Undone. You move South. King Kelson follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. You see a faint red glow in the distance to the west, it seems to be coming slowly towards you. > move bricks You start to move the mudbricks from the corner of the room, throwing them into another corner. King Kelson helps you and very soon you have uncovered a closed trapdoor in the floor. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. In one corner there is a closed trapdoor. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. YOUR SCORE HAS NOW REACHED 100 POINTS! > open trapdoor You pull on the metal ring and open the trapdoor, revealing a flight of stone steps leading down into darkness. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. In one corner there is an open trapdoor with steps leading Down into darkness. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > d You move down. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up to the ground floor through the open trapdoor and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. Leaning upright against one wall is a longbow and, on a nearby ledge, you see an arrow. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > save Game "xxr" saved > score Your score is 105 points out of a maximum of 600, after taking 162 turns. > x longbow An ordinary longbow, it is strung and ready to use. It must have been here for a while as it is covered in dust. > take it (the longbow) Ok, you pick the longbow up from where it stands against the wall, and you also take the arrow from the ledge. You hand the longbow and arrow to King Kelson, who takes them from you. "You're a much better archer with a longbow than I am, my liege," you tell him. "I'm happier with a crossbow." "Yes," replies the king, putting his head and shoulder between the longbow and its string so he can carry it while leaving his hands free. "I always beat you at the lists when we're practising! He also puts the arrow in his knapsack. > * Aren't the lists where you do jousting? I did not understand the word "aren't". > l Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up to the ground floor through the open trapdoor and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > search debris You search through the debris and rubbish and find an old handbrush. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up to the ground floor through the open trapdoor and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. Also here you see an old handbrush. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. Despite hiding in the basement, the mist finds its way inside and you are enveloped by the scarlet phantasm - it seeps its way into your mouth and ears and sucks the life-force from your very soul! *** You have lost *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Undone. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up to the ground floor through the open trapdoor and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > close trapdoor You pull the trapdoor closed with a thud. You hear a spine-chilling wail of frustration from above as the mist realises it cannot get to you inside the basement. After a minute or two the wailing stops but you hear a crash as what you assume is a wall collapses onto the trapdoor. You wonder to yourself if your camels have survived the attack of the red mist? As you breath a sigh of relief that you have sealed the basement from the red mist, you turn around to see the man that you saw at the crossroads cowering in one corner of the room. You look at King Kelson in astonishment and the both of you ask the same question: "How the hell did HE get down here if the trapdoor was buried under those mudbricks?!" Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > x man He is a stick-thin scarecrow of a man, with long scraggly hair and beard. He looks quite wild, as if he has been living rough for a long time. Around his neck hangs a key on a leather thong. > talk to man You talk to the man, saying to him: 1: "How did you get down here before us?" 2: "What is the red mist?" 3: "Can we please borrow the key?" > 1 You ask the man how he got here before you and King Kelson? The man just points at the door in the west wall of the wine cellar next door. You look at the king, saying, "I suppose that means he came through that door?" You walk into the next room and try to open the door, but it is locked. You return to where King Kelson is standing by the wild man. "The door's locked," you tell the king. "Maybe that key around his neck opens it?" King Kelson replies, pointing at the key. > 2 You ask the man what the red mist is? The man looks at you with a look of dread in his eyes. "The mist is the disembodied souls of the dead warriors, doomed for all eternity," he tells you. "It lives on the life force of unwary travellers - beware, beware!" > 3 You ask the man if you can borrow the key? The man thinks for a second or two and takes the key from around his neck and hands it to you. "You may borrow it until you have made a copy, then I must go," he tells you. "The key opens more than one door." You look at King Kelson in amazement. "How on earth are we going to do that?" you ask. King Kelson replies, "Well, we'd better have a look around." > * that does seem unlikely I did not understand the word "that". > l Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > search debris You search through the debris and rubbish and find an old handbrush. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. Also here you see an old handbrush. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > g (search debris) You search the old debris but find nothing of interest. > become king YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS KING KELSON. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. Also here you see an old handbrush. Duke Alaric is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. > search debris You search the old debris but find nothing of interest. > become alaric YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS ALARIC BLACKMOON. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. Also here you see an old handbrush. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > x brush An old handbrush that has seen better days. The wooden handle is riddled with woodworm and the bristles are loose. > take it (the old handbrush) Ok, you pick up the old handbrush. > * huh I did not understand the word "huh". > l Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > talk to man You talk to the man but he just gives you a baleful look and says nothing in reply. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which is closed and locked. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > x amphora There are hundreds of pieces of broken amphora on the floor of the room. > search amphora Amongst the shattered pieces of amphora you find an intact one. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which is closed and locked. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > x amphora An intact wine amphora. It is sealed with a wax stopper. > take it (the wine amphora) Ok, you pick up the wine amphora. > put key in way Sorry, I'm not sure which object you're referring to. > put key in wax You can't see any waxes! > put key in stopper You can't put anything inside the wax stopper. > take stopper Using your knife you unseal the wax stopper and remove it from the amphora. It comes loose with a "Pop!". As you do so a foul smell comes out of the amphora - phew, whatever liquid is in there went off years ago! Your eyes start to water from the smell, so you put the amphora down on the ground. > x wax A stopper, made from wax, that was from removed from the wine amphora. It is just over an inch in diameter and an inch and a quarter in thickness. > put wax on key You can't put anything onto the key! > put key on wax The wax stopper is too small and hard to be able to make an impression of the whole key in. > put wax in handfire You can't put anything inside the ball of handfire. > x handfire The ball of handfire is about four inches in diameter and is glowing a bright yellow, illuminating your surroundings. > l Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which is closed and locked. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > unlock door (using the key) You go to unlock the door but you suddenly have a thought. "Maybe we should wait until daylight?" you suggest to King Kelson. "We've no idea what is beyond this door and neither do we know if that red mist has gone." The king agrees with you. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a leather baldric, a white thobe, a checkered kaffiyeh, some thick canvas madas, a water skin and a rucksack, and you are carrying a sheet of parchment, a wax stopper, an old handbrush and a key. Your sword is in its scabbard which hangs from your baldric. > x sheet An ancient sheet of parchment with a map on it. The map shows you that this ruined city is called Garama and that far to the south is the "Forbidden Forest" in which lies somewhere (or something) called "Xanix". > become king YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS KING KELSON. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. Duke Alaric is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a white abaya, a white ghutra, some babouche, a water skin, a knapsack, the Axe of Kolt and a longbow, and you are carrying nothing. In the pouch in your war belt there are 32 gold coins, and your dagger is in the sheath attached to your war belt. > heat wax You should find some heat to soften the wax. > l Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. Duke Alaric is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. > x fire You can't see any fires! > x handfire The ball of handfire is about four inches in diameter and is glowing a bright yellow, illuminating your surroundings. > * is the handfire hot? I did not understand the word "is". > w You move west. Duke Alaric walks beside you. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which is closed and locked. Also here you see a wine amphora. Duke Alaric is here. > e You move east. Duke Alaric walks beside you. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. Duke Alaric is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. > start fire I did not understand the word "start". > burn rubbish Burning the old debris would not achieve very much. > w You move west. Duke Alaric walks beside you. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which is closed and locked. Also here you see a wine amphora. Duke Alaric is here. > x wine You see no such thing. > light amphora You cannot light the wine amphora. > look in amphora You cannot look inside the wine amphora. > x amphora An intact, unsealed wine amphora. > break amphora BREAK THE WINE AMPHORA WITH what? (e.g. BREAK SCEPTRE WITH AXE, etc) > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a white abaya, a white ghutra, some babouche, a water skin, a knapsack, the Axe of Kolt and a longbow, and you are carrying nothing. In the pouch in your war belt there are 32 gold coins, and your dagger is in the sheath attached to your war belt. > break amphora with axe Breaking the wine amphora with the Axe of Kolt will not help you in this game. > become alaric YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS ALARIC BLACKMOON. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which is closed and locked. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > take solly Sorry, I'm not sure which object you are trying to take. > take stolly Sorry, I'm not sure which object you are trying to take. > x pocket A small leather pocket in your baldric in which you can keep money and small items. Inside the pocket is a fossy. > take fossy Ok, you take the fossy from the pocket in your baldric. > light wax You cannot light the wax stopper. > light wax with fossy Sorry, I'm not sure which object you are trying to light. > l Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which is closed and locked. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > light amphora with fossy Sorry, I'm not sure which object you are trying to light. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which is closed and locked. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > light amphora You cannot light the wine amphora. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > light debris You cannot light the old debris. > light rubbish You cannot light the old debris. > burn debris Burning the old debris would not achieve very much. > x trapdoor The trapdoor is buried under the mudbricks. > open trapdoor The trapdoor won't open. > pull trapdoor The trapdoor is already closed. > burn trapdoor Burning the heavy trapdoor would not achieve very much. > l Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > light trapdoor You cannot light the heavy trapdoor. > burn debris Burning the old debris would not achieve very much. > n There is no route to the north, only west and up. > e There is no route to the east, only west and up. > s There is no route to the south, only west and up. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which is closed and locked. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > s There is no route to the south, only east and west. > * oh it goes west (the old debris) I did not understand the word "oh". > w The door must be unlocked first. > * Oh NM I did not understand the word "oh". > open door You can't open the cellar door as it is locked. > wait The two of you settle down to wait until daylight. You fall asleep and are woken up by the King after what seems only a few minutes' "I think the sun's up, Alaric," he tells you. "Wakey wakey!" You rub the sleep from your eyes and stand up. > save Game "xxr" saved > unlock door (using the key) You unlock the cellar door with the key. There's no need to open any doors that are unlocked, just go in the direction indicated. > w You move West. (Opening the door first) King Kelson follows you, closing the door after him. The Underground Passageway You are in a narrow underground passageway that leads West from the wine cellar, which is through the door to the East which is closed. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > x door An ordinary wooden door which is closed. > open door There's no need to open any doors that are unlocked, just go in the direction indicated. > e You move East. (Opening the door first) King Kelson follows you, closing the door after him. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which leads West but is closed. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > w You move West. (Opening the door first) King Kelson follows you, closing the door after him. The Underground Passageway You are in a narrow underground passageway that leads West from the wine cellar, which is through the door to the East which is closed. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement Of Shop You are in the basement of some sort of shop, judging from all the stuff stored down here. The passageway is to the East and steps lead Up. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. As you move into the light, the ball of handfire winks out with a 'pop'. > x stuff Various items for use in the shop above, they might contain something of use? > search stuff You search through the stuff on the floor and find a small ingot of tin. Basement Of Shop You are in the basement of some sort of shop, judging from all the stuff stored down here. The passageway is to the East and steps lead Up. Also here you see an ingot of tin. King Kelson is here. > g (search stuff) You search the stuff but find nothing of interest. > x tin An ingot of pure tin, weighing a pound or two. The tinsmith would've melted this down and poured it into a mould to make something. > take tin Ok, you pick up the ingot of tin. > become king YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS KING KELSON. Basement Of Shop You are in the basement of some sort of shop, judging from all the stuff stored down here. The passageway is to the East and steps lead Up. Duke Alaric is here. > search stuff You search the stuff but find nothing of interest. > become alaric YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS ALARIC BLACKMOON. Basement Of Shop You are in the basement of some sort of shop, judging from all the stuff stored down here. The passageway is to the East and steps lead Up. King Kelson is here. > u You move Up. King Kelson follows behind you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to another room. King Kelson is here. > x tinware Various items made of tin. > search tinware You search the tinware but find nothing of interest. > become king YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS KING KELSON. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to another room. Duke Alaric is here. > search tinware You search the tinware but find nothing of interest. > become alaric YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS ALARIC BLACKMOON. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to another room. King Kelson is here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. King Kelson is here. > x equipment There are lots of items here that the tinsmith would've used every day, you see a kiln on a workbench and a number of other items you think would be of use to you, which you put on the bench next to the kiln. You wonder to yourself if you can use this equipment to make a copy of the key you got from the man in the basement? The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. Apart from a kiln, on the bench you see a small file, a ceramic crucible, some tinsmith's tongs and some tinsmith's gloves. King Kelson is here. > x workbench The workbench is quite large and well-used. To one side there is a kiln and on the bench there is also a small file, a ceramic crucible, some tinsmith's tongs and some tinsmith's gloves. > save Game "xxr" saved > x crucible A heat-blackened crucible made from some sort of ceramic material. > put wax in it (the ceramic crucible) You put the wax stopper inside the ceramic crucible. > x gloves A pair of thick gloves the tinsmith would wear to protect his hands when handling hot materials. They are stiff with age but wearable. > wear gloves Ok, you put on the tinsmith's gloves. > x kiln A small brick oven in which the tinsmith would have heated a crucible of tin. A pair of bellows is attached to one side and there is a fire box underneath in which coal can be burnt to provide heat. > lightkiln I did not understand the word "lightkiln". > light kiln You cannot light the kiln. > x coal You can't see any coal! > x box It is underneath the kiln. Coal is burnt in this to provide heat to the kiln and a pair of bellows is attached to blow air into the coals to make the fire hotter. > open box The fire box cannot be opened or closed. > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a leather baldric, a white thobe, a checkered kaffiyeh, some thick canvas madas, a water skin, some tinsmith's gloves and a rucksack, and you are carrying a sheet of parchment, an old handbrush, a key, an ingot of tin and a fossy. Your sword is in its scabbard which hangs from your baldric. > take wax Ok, you take the wax stopper from the ceramic crucible. > put tin in crucible Ok, you put the tin ingot into the ceramic crucible. > l The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. Apart from a kiln, on the bench you see a small file, a ceramic crucible and some tinsmith's tongs. King Kelson is here. > x file A small file for taking the rough edges off of tin castings. > take file Ok, you take the small file from the tinsmith's workbench. > take tongs Ok, you take the tinsmith's tongs from the tinsmith's workbench. > x tongs A pair of tongs the tinsmith would use for manipulating a crucible of molten tin. > l The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. Apart from a kiln, on the bench you see a ceramic crucible. King Kelson is here. > x bench The workbench is quite large and well-used. To one side there is a kiln and on the bench there is also a ceramic crucible. > x detritus Sand and detritus that has blown into the workshop over the years. > search it (the sand) You search the sand but find nothing of interest. > become king YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS KING KELSON. The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. Apart from a kiln, on the bench you see a ceramic crucible. Duke Alaric is here. > search detritus You search the sand but find nothing of interest. > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a white abaya, a white ghutra, some babouche, a water skin, a knapsack, the Axe of Kolt and a longbow, and you are carrying nothing. In the pouch in your war belt there are 32 gold coins, and your dagger is in the sheath attached to your war belt. > x babouche A pair of leather sandals worn by dwellers in desert regions. > become alaric YOU ARE NOW PLAYING AS ALARIC BLACKMOON. The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. Apart from a kiln, on the bench you see a ceramic crucible. King Kelson is here. > talk to king You have nothing useful or constructive to say to the king at the present time. > l The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. Apart from a kiln, on the bench you see a ceramic crucible. King Kelson is here. > x kiln A small brick oven in which the tinsmith would have heated a crucible of tin. A pair of bellows is attached to one side and there is a fire box underneath in which coal can be burnt to provide heat. > x firebox It is underneath the kiln. Coal is burnt in this to provide heat to the kiln and a pair of bellows is attached to blow air into the coals to make the fire hotter. > pump bellows You pump the halves of the bellows and air is pumped into the fire box. > put crucible in kiln You are not carrying the ceramic crucible. > take crucible Ok, you take the ceramic crucible from the tinsmith's workbench. > put crucibe in kiln Sorry, I'm not sure which object you're referring to. > oops crucible I did not understand the word "oops". > put crucible in kiln There's no point putting the crucible into the kiln if you haven't got anything to make with the molten tin. > * fair I did not understand the word "fair". > drop crucible on workbench Sorry, I'm not sure which object you are referring to. > drop crucible Ok, you put down the ceramic crucible. > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a leather baldric, a white thobe, a checkered kaffiyeh, some thick canvas madas, a water skin, some tinsmith's gloves and a rucksack, and you are carrying a small file, a sheet of parchment, a wax stopper, an old handbrush, a key, some tinsmith's tongs and a fossy. Your sword is in its scabbard which hangs from your baldric. > x brush An old handbrush that has seen better days. The wooden handle is riddled with woodworm and the bristles are loose. > light brush You cannot light the old handbrush. > burn brush Burning the old handbrush would not achieve very much. > put brush in firebox You should only put coal into the fire box. > put wax on brush You can't put anything onto the old handbrush! > l The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. Also here you see a ceramic crucible. King Kelson is here. > s There is no route to the south, only west. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. By Tinsmith's Shop You are some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson is here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. You are relieved to see that all three of your camels have survived the Red Mist apparently unscathed. > * whew I did not understand the word "whew". > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Tinsmith's Shop You are some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson is here. > w You go west for a few minutes but see nothing but ruined buildings. You turn around and go back to where the tinsmith's shop is. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > x mo One of three camels you have bought, she is a female dromedary camel with one hump. She has two large panniers over her hump and a halter on her head which is tied to your saddle. > x pannier Two large panniers which can carry a lot of gear. > x gear You look in the panniers and see some mail leggings, a mail hauberk, a thick cotton surcoat, a war belt, some jackboots, a leather jacket, a linen shirt, some rawhide trousers, some sturdy boots, a bag of travel rations and a sack of camel food. > x food A sack of grain, wheat and oats to supplement any natural food, such as grass or leaves, that the camels can find en route. > x rations Which rations? The bag of travel rations or the packet of travel rations. > travel Which rations? The bag of travel rations or the packet of travel rations. > packet A packet of travel rations, enough for a couple of meals. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Tinsmith's Shop You are some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson is here. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > x tinware Various items made of tin. > search tinware You search the tinware but find nothing of interest. > x coal You can't see any coal! > d You move down. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement Of Shop You are in the basement of the tinsmith's shop. All sorts of stuff is stored down here. The passageway is to the East and steps lead Up. King Kelson is here. > x coal You can't see any coal! > x stuff Various items for use in the shop above, they might contain something of use? > search stuff You search the stuff but find nothing of interest. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. It is too dark to make anything out clearly. > handlight I did not understand the word "handlight". > handfire The only source of light for when you are in dark locations is the ability to conjure handfire, a spell discovered by Magor the sorcerer. To conjure handfire you should say "LUMINO" and to extinguish it you say "SNUFFIO". (You do not need to use the verb "say" when doing this.) > lumino You extend your right arm, palm upwards, and say the word "Lumino". A ball of handfire appears above your palm and floats up into the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. The Underground Passageway You are in a narrow underground passageway that leads West from the wine cellar, which is through the door to the East which is closed. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > e You move East. (Opening the door first) King Kelson follows you, closing the door after him. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which leads West but is closed. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > talk to man You talk to the man but he just gives you a baleful look and says nothing in reply. > search rubbish You search the old debris but find nothing of interest. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which leads West but is closed. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > w You move West. (Opening the door first) King Kelson follows you, closing the door after him. The Underground Passageway You are in a narrow underground passageway that leads West from the wine cellar, which is through the door to the East which is closed. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > u There is no route up, only east and west. > n There is no route to the north, only east and west. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement Of Shop You are in the basement of the tinsmith's shop. All sorts of stuff is stored down here. The passageway is to the East and steps lead Up. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. As you move into the light, the ball of handfire winks out with a 'pop'. > u You move Up. King Kelson follows behind you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. By Tinsmith's Shop You are some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson is here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > s You move South. King Kelson follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. One of the walls has collapsed on top of the trapdoor, re-burying it under a ton of mudbricks. King Kelson is here. > x walls The walls are ordinary walls. > x bricks Made from a mixture of mud and straw which is hardened in the sun, they have been used as a building material for thousands of years. > move bricks There are too many mudbricks to move. Besides you can get to the basement via the tinsmith's shop. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. At Crossroads You are at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson is here. > x fountain You guess that at one time the fountain was a thing of great beauty. Now it is a crumbling ruin, full of sand rather than water. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. By Wall of Ancient City You are by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson is here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. By Rocky Outcrop You are by a tall rocky outcrop, which looms high above you, about a mile east of the ruined city. The camel track you travelled down is to the East. King Kelson is here. > x outcrop The outcrop is a massive pile of huge rocks, several of which are enormous and must weigh many tons. It is at least 50 feet high and 150 feet wide at the base. You notice a wide crevice between two of the rocks leading into the depths of the outcrop. By Rocky Outcrop You are by a tall rocky outcrop, which looms high above you, about a mile east of the ruined city. The camel track you travelled down is to the East. You see a narrow crevice leading into the outcrop. King Kelson is here. > u You climb up the outcrop until you are standing on the top. You have a look around when you get there and see the Great Sand Sea stretching away into the heat haze all around you. Apart from the nice view there is nothing up here on the sun-scorched outcrop that is of any use or interest to you, so you climb back down and join the king. "See anything interesting?" Kelson asks you. "Yes, actually...sand, sand and yet more sand," you reply and you both have a laugh at your hilarious sense of humour. > enter outcrop You can just type ENTER if there is an exit IN to anywhere. > enter Maybe it would be good to conjure some handfire before you venture into the gap? > lumino You say "Lumino" and a ball of handfire appears above your head. By Rocky Outcrop You are by a tall rocky outcrop, which looms high above you, about a mile east of the ruined city. The camel track you travelled down is to the East. You see a narrow crevice leading into the outcrop. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > enter You move in. King Kelson walks beside you. Cave Inside Outcrop You are in a large cave inside the rocky outcrop. The walls and ceiling are formed from huge slabs of granite and the floor is hard-packed earth. In the centre of the floor is a firepit and against the wall of the cave there is a pile of firewood. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > * aha! I did not understand the word "aha!". > x slabs The slabs of rock that line the walls and ceiling of the cave must each weigh many tons. > x firepit The firepit is a ring of stones, about a yard or so in diameter, surrounding fire-blackened earth. > e There is no route to the east, only out. > x firewood A pile of firewood that has been gathered by previous users of the cave. > take it (the pile of firewood) Ok, you take some firewood from the pile. > e There is no route to the east, only out. > out You move Out. King Kelson follows behind you. By Rocky Outcrop You are by a tall rocky outcrop, which looms high above you, about a mile east of the ruined city. The camel track you travelled down is to the East. You see a narrow crevice leading into the outcrop. King Kelson is here. As you move into the light, the ball of handfire winks out with a 'pop'. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Wall of Ancient City You are by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson is here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. At Crossroads You are at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson is here. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. North of Crossroads You are north of the crossroads, on a road that goes North and South. King Kelson is here. > n You go north for a few minutes but only see more ruined buildings, so you return to where you started from. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. At Crossroads You are at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson is here. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. South of Crossroads You are south of the crossroads, on a road that goes North and South. King Kelson is here. > s You go south for a few minutes but only see more ruined buildings, so you return to where you started from. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. At Crossroads You are at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson is here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Tinsmith's Shop You are some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson is here. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. Also here you see a ceramic crucible. King Kelson is here. > put wood in firebox You should only put coal into the fire box. > n There is no route to the north, only west. > take all Ok, you pick up the ceramic crucible. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. King Kelson is here. > x bench The workbench is quite large and well-used, on one side there is a kiln. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. By Tinsmith's Shop You are some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson is here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. At Crossroads You are at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson is here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. By Wall of Ancient City You are by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson is here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. By Rocky Outcrop You are by a tall rocky outcrop, which looms high above you, about a mile east of the ruined city. The camel track you travelled down is to the East. You see a narrow crevice leading into the outcrop. King Kelson is here. > lumino You say "Lumino" and a ball of handfire appears above your head. By Rocky Outcrop You are by a tall rocky outcrop, which looms high above you, about a mile east of the ruined city. The camel track you travelled down is to the East. You see a narrow crevice leading into the outcrop. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > enter You move in. King Kelson walks beside you. Cave Inside Outcrop You are in a large cave inside the rocky outcrop. The walls and ceiling are formed from huge slabs of granite and the floor is hard-packed earth. In the centre of the floor is a firepit and against the wall of the cave there is a pile of firewood. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > put wood in firept Sorry, I'm not sure which object you're referring to. > put wood in firepit You put the firewood in the firepit. > burn wood Burning the firewood would not achieve very much. > light wood Using your 'fossy' to strike some sparks, you set light to the firewood in the firepit. You have to blow on the firewood to get the fire started but after a few puffs the fire is burning brightly. You notice that the smoke is seeping through gaps between the rocks that make up the ceiling of the cave. > warm wax How exactly? > put wax in fire You can't put anything inside the fire. > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a leather baldric, a white thobe, a checkered kaffiyeh, some thick canvas madas, a water skin, some tinsmith's gloves and a rucksack, and you are carrying a small file, a sheet of parchment, a wax stopper, an old handbrush, a key, a ceramic crucible, some tinsmith's tongs and a fossy. Your sword is in its scabbard which hangs from your baldric. > put wax in crucible You should not put the wax stopper in the firepit. > * er I did not understand the word "er". > put crucible in firepit You should not put the ceramic crucible in the firepit. > put brush in firepit You should not put the old handbrush in the firepit. > hold wax over fire I did not understand the word "hold". > take tin Ok, you take the ingot of tin from the ceramic crucible. > put wax in crucible You should not put the wax stopper in the firepit. > n There is no route to the north, only out. > out You move Out. King Kelson follows behind you. By Rocky Outcrop You are by a tall rocky outcrop, which looms high above you, about a mile east of the ruined city. The camel track you travelled down is to the East. You see a narrow crevice leading into the outcrop. You see smoke from the fire in the cave seeping out between the rocks of the outcrop. King Kelson is here. As you move into the light, the ball of handfire winks out with a 'pop'. > put wax in crucible You put the wax stopper inside the ceramic crucible. > * something weird goinng on here I did not understand the word "something". > s There is no route to the south, only east, west, up and in. > lumino You say "Lumino" and a ball of handfire appears above your head. By Rocky Outcrop You are by a tall rocky outcrop, which looms high above you, about a mile east of the ruined city. The camel track you travelled down is to the East. You see a narrow crevice leading into the outcrop. You see smoke from the fire in the cave seeping out between the rocks of the outcrop. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > s There is no route to the south, only east, west, up and in. > in You squeeze into the crevice and through to the cave, followed by King Kelson. Cave Inside Outcrop You are in a large cave inside the rocky outcrop. The walls and ceiling are formed from huge slabs of granite and the floor is hard-packed earth. In the centre of the floor is a firepit and against the wall of the cave there is a pile of firewood. A fire is burning brightly in the firepit. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > put wax in tongs You can't put anything inside the tinsmith's tongs. > x tongs A pair of tongs the tinsmith would use for manipulating a crucible of molten tin. > get crucible with tongs Sorry, I'm not sure which object you are trying to take. > get crucible You are already carrying the ceramic crucible. > put crucible in fire You can't put anything inside the fire. > * sigh I did not understand the word "sigh". > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a leather baldric, a white thobe, a checkered kaffiyeh, some thick canvas madas, a water skin, some tinsmith's gloves and a rucksack, and you are carrying a small file, a sheet of parchment, an old handbrush, a key, an ingot of tin, a ceramic crucible, some tinsmith's tongs and a fossy. Your sword is in its scabbard which hangs from your baldric. > help You are advised to save your position frequently (use SAVE AS) in case you find yourself in an unwinnable situation - quite possible in this game! If you need a hint in a certain situation, type HINT or H and press Enter. If you get killed or make a mistake you can type UNDO as many times as you like to get back to where you think you may have made the wrong move and then try again. You should read the location and message texts carefully as I often give clues as to the commands you need to use in them. You can type VOCAB (+ Enter) to view a list of useful verbs for inspiration or INST (+ Enter) for a list of meta-commands and playing instructions. A full walkthrough for this game can be obtained by sending me an email at: lazzah2000@hotmail.co.uk > hint Check out the ceiling. > x ceiling The ceiling of the cave, which is about six feet above your head, is made of huge slabs of rock which must weigh many tons. You notice faint marks on a couple of the slabs. The smoke from the fire is disappearing through gaps between the slabs. > * oi I did not understand the word "oi". > x marks They seem to be letters or words of some kind, but you cannot make out what they say. > read marks They seem to be letters or words of some kind, but you cannot make out what they say. > clean marks The faint marks doesn't need cleaning. > extingo I did not understand the word "extingo". > handfire The only source of light for when you are in dark locations is the ability to conjure handfire, a spell discovered by Magor the sorcerer. To conjure handfire you should say "LUMINO" and to extinguish it you say "SNUFFIO". (You do not need to use the verb "say" when doing this.) > snuffio You whisper the word "Snuffio" and the ball of handfire goes out with a soft "Pop!". However, the cave remains illuminated by the flickering light from the fire. > x slab You see no such thing. > x ceiling The ceiling of the cave, which is about six feet above your head, is made of huge slabs of rock which must weigh many tons. You notice faint marks on a couple of the slabs. The smoke from the fire is disappearing through gaps between the slabs. The marks on the ceiling are now glowing in the light from the fire! > read marks The letters on one of the slabs read... Be humble in the presence of the goddess On the other slab they read... Survival may be ensured with a leap of faith > kneel Sorry, I didn't understand that command. > pray I did not understand the word "pray". > hint There are no hints at the present time. > lumino You say "Lumino" and a ball of handfire illuminates your surroundings. Cave Inside Outcrop You are in a large cave inside the rocky outcrop. The walls and ceiling are formed from huge slabs of granite and the floor is hard-packed earth. In the centre of the floor is a firepit and against the wall of the cave there is a pile of firewood. A fire is burning brightly in the firepit. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > * so I'm not supposed to warm up the wax? I did not understand the word "so". > n There is no route to the north, only out. > out You move Out. King Kelson follows behind you. By Rocky Outcrop You are by a tall rocky outcrop, which looms high above you, about a mile east of the ruined city. The camel track you travelled down is to the East. You see a narrow crevice leading into the outcrop. You see smoke from the fire in the cave seeping out between the rocks of the outcrop. King Kelson is here. As you move into the light, the ball of handfire winks out with a 'pop'. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > n There is no route to the north, only east, west, up and in. > e You should mount your camel if you are going out into the desert. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Wall of Ancient City You are by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. At Crossroads You are at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson is here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Tinsmith's Shop You are some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson is here. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here, despite being covered in years of sand and other detritus, is relatively intact. The shop is to the West. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. King Kelson is here. > hint The workshop could do with a clean before you do anything else. > clean Clean what? > workshop Using the handbrush you sweep all the sand and detritus off the surfaces and equipment in the workshop. Unfortunately, by the time you have finished, all the bristles have fallen out of the handbrush! During the operation you discover a small trough which you assume used to contain water for cooling hot items. It was full of sand which you tip out. The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here is clear of sand and still in working order. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. King Kelson is here. > x trough A small trough for water. It is empty. > take trough There is no reason for you to pick up the water trough. > fill trough FILL THE WATER TROUGH WITH what? > waterskin I don't understand what you want to do with the water skin. > fill trough with waterskin You cannot fill anything with the water skin. > fill trough with water You pour some water into the trough from your water skin. > hint You need to light a fire under the kiln. > hint You need to light a fire under the kiln. > light fire There's no coal in the fire box under the kiln. > x coal You can't see any coal! > hint You need to light a fire under the kiln. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > d You move down. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement Of Shop You are in the basement of the tinsmith's shop. All sorts of stuff is stored down here. The passageway is to the East and steps lead Up. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. It is too dark to make anything out clearly. > hin I did not understand the word "hin". > lumino You say "Lumino" and a ball of handfire illuminates your surroundings. The Underground Passageway You are in a narrow underground passageway that leads West from the wine cellar, which is through the door to the East which is closed. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > e You move East. (Opening the door first) King Kelson follows you, closing the door after him. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which leads West but is closed. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > hint You need the key around the wild man's neck. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > x key It has a leather thong attached. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which leads West but is closed. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > w You move West. (Opening the door first) King Kelson follows you, closing the door after him. The Underground Passageway You are in a narrow underground passageway that leads West from the wine cellar, which is through the door to the East which is closed. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement Of Shop You are in the basement of the tinsmith's shop. All sorts of stuff is stored down here. The passageway is to the East and steps lead Up. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. As you move into the light, the ball of handfire winks out with a 'pop'. > u You move Up. King Kelson follows behind you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. By Tinsmith's Shop You are some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > w You go west for a few minutes but see nothing but ruined buildings. You turn around and go back to where the tinsmith's shop is. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > n There is no route to the north, only east, south and west. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > s You move South. King Kelson follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. One of the walls has collapsed on top of the trapdoor, re-burying it under a ton of mudbricks. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > d You can't go down as the trapdoor is buried and you cannot open it. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > n There is no route to the north, only east, south and west. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. At Crossroads You are at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. North of Crossroads You are north of the crossroads, on a road that goes North and South. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. At Crossroads You are at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson is here. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. South of Crossroads You are south of the crossroads, on a road that goes North and South. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > e There is no route to the east, only north and south. > walkthrough I did not understand the word "walkthrough". > help You are advised to save your position frequently (use SAVE AS) in case you find yourself in an unwinnable situation - quite possible in this game! If you need a hint in a certain situation, type HINT or H and press Enter. If you get killed or make a mistake you can type UNDO as many times as you like to get back to where you think you may have made the wrong move and then try again. You should read the location and message texts carefully as I often give clues as to the commands you need to use in them. You can type VOCAB (+ Enter) to view a list of useful verbs for inspiration or INST (+ Enter) for a list of meta-commands and playing instructions. A full walkthrough for this game can be obtained by sending me an email at: lazzah2000@hotmail.co.uk > e There is no route to the east, only north and south. > s You've already been that way once and found nothing. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. At Crossroads You are at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson is here. > hint There are no hints at the present time. > x fountain You guess that at one time the fountain was a thing of great beauty. Now it is a crumbling ruin, full of sand rather than water. > empty fountain You shouldn't empty the water out of the waterskin, your life may depend on it! > clean it (the ruined fountain) The ruined fountain doesn't need cleaning. > search fountain You search the ruined fountain but find nothing of interest. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. North of Crossroads You are north of the crossroads, on a road that goes North and South. King Kelson is here. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. At Crossroads You are at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson is here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > s You move South. King Kelson follows you inside. In Ruined Building You are in the ruins of a large roofless building. The gap where the doorway used to be leads North and in one corner there is a pile of mudbricks. One of the walls has collapsed on top of the trapdoor, re-burying it under a ton of mudbricks. King Kelson is here. > look under bricks You can't look under the mud bricks. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. By Tinsmith's Shop You are some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson is here. > s You move south. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > look under tinware You can't look under the tinware. > x ceiling The ceiling is whatever is over your head at the present time. If you are outside then the 'ceiling' will be the sky above you. > x floor There's nothing special about the floor - it's beneath you. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Workshop You are in what was the tinsmith's workshop. This has largely escaped the ravages of time and the equipment in here is clear of sand and still in working order. In the centre of the workshop is a large workbench. King Kelson is here. > x floor There's nothing special about the floor - it's beneath you. > x ceiling The ceiling is whatever is over your head at the present time. If you are outside then the 'ceiling' will be the sky above you. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > d You move down. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement Of Shop You are in the basement of the tinsmith's shop. All sorts of stuff is stored down here. The passageway is to the East and steps lead Up. King Kelson is here. > x ceiling The ceiling is whatever is over your head at the present time. If you are outside then the 'ceiling' will be the sky above you. > x stuff Various items for use in the shop above, they might contain something of use? > search stuff You search the stuff but find nothing of interest. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. It is too dark to make anything out clearly. > lumino You say "Lumino" and a ball of handfire illuminates your surroundings. The Underground Passageway You are in a narrow underground passageway that leads West from the wine cellar, which is through the door to the East which is closed. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > e You move East. (Opening the door first) King Kelson follows you, closing the door after him. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which leads West but is closed. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement of Ruined Building You are in the basement of the ruined building. Stone steps lead Up, but the trapdoor is closed, and an open doorway leads West to another room. The floor is littered with debris and old rubbish. King Kelson is here. Sitting in the corner is the man you saw at the crossroads. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > e There is no route to the east, only west and up. > e There is no route to the east, only west and up. > save Game "xxr" saved > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. Wine Cellar You are in a room which was once used as a wine store, judging by the smashed amphora which lie in pieces on the floor. In the wall there is a door which leads West but is closed. Also here you see a wine amphora. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > w You move West. (Opening the door first) King Kelson follows you, closing the door after him. The Underground Passageway You are in a narrow underground passageway that leads West from the wine cellar, which is through the door to the East which is closed. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. > w You move west. King Kelson walks beside you. Basement Of Shop You are in the basement of the tinsmith's shop. All sorts of stuff is stored down here. The passageway is to the East and steps lead Up. King Kelson is here. A ball of handfire floats in the air above your head, illuminating your surroundings. As you move into the light, the ball of handfire winks out with a 'pop'. > u You move Up. King Kelson follows behind you. The Tinsmith's Shop You are in what used to be a tinsmith's shop. Various items of tinware lie scattered amongst the mud bricks that once made up the walls. You can go North to the road outside, Down to the basement or East to the tinsmith's workshop. King Kelson is here. > n You move north. King Kelson walks beside you. By Tinsmith's Shop You are some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson is here. > e You move east. King Kelson walks beside you. West of Crossroads You are a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > ride eeny You will need both hands free if you want to do that. > put all in knapsack You cannot put it in the knapsack. > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a leather baldric, a white thobe, a checkered kaffiyeh, some thick canvas madas, a water skin, some tinsmith's gloves and a rucksack, and you are carrying a small file, a sheet of parchment, an old handbrush, a key, an ingot of tin, a ceramic crucible, some tinsmith's tongs and a fossy. Your sword is in its scabbard which hangs from your baldric. > put all in ruckstack Sorry, I don't know which object you are trying to put something in. > put all in rucksack Ok, you put the small file, the sheet of parchment, the old handbrush, the key, the ingot of tin, the ceramic crucible and the tinsmith's tongs inside the rucksack. The rucksack is stuffed full, you cannot get any more in. > ride eeny You will need both hands free if you want to do that. > i You are wearing your desert clothes, which consist of a leather baldric, a white thobe, a checkered kaffiyeh, some thick canvas madas, a water skin, some tinsmith's gloves and a rucksack, and you are carrying a fossy. Your sword is in its scabbard which hangs from your baldric. > put fossy in pocket Ok, you put the fossy into the pocket in your baldric. > ride eeny You make Eeny kneel, climb onto the saddle and get her to stand afterwards. King Kelson does the same and mounts his own camel. West of Crossroads You are riding your camel a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > e You ride east. King Kelson rides beside you on his camel. At Crossroads You are riding your camel at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > e You ride east. King Kelson rides beside you on his camel. By Wall of Ancient City You are riding your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > e You ride east. King Kelson rides beside you on his camel. By Rocky Outcrop You are riding your camel by a tall rocky outcrop, which looms high above you, about a mile east of the ruined city. The camel track you travelled down is to the East. You see a narrow crevice leading into the outcrop. You see smoke from the fire in the cave seeping out between the rocks of the outcrop. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > e You need to complete a task in the workshop before you can leave the city. > s There is no route to the south, only east, west, up and in. > w You ride west. King Kelson rides beside you on his camel. By Wall of Ancient City You are riding your camel by the wall of an ancient city in the Great Sand Sea. There is a large breach in the wall here and you can go West into the ruins or East back to the outcrop you passed earlier. At the foot of the wall and all around you lie the dessicated bodies of hundreds of warriors. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > * why do I need a key for a city we're theoretically leaving? We just stopped here for shelter, I thought I did not understand the word "why". > save Game "xxr" saved > w You ride west. King Kelson rides beside you on his camel. At Crossroads You are riding your camel at a crossroads in the ruined city. The rubble of ancient buildings lies in heaps all around, tumbling into the roads that go North, South, East and West from here. In the centre of the crossroads here is a ruined fountain. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > w You ride west. King Kelson rides beside you on his camel. West of Crossroads You are riding your camel a short distance west of the crossroads, where there is a large building which has escaped the ravages of time, its remaining walls being about six to ten feet high. A gap, where the building's door used to be, leads South inside. The road continues West and goes East back to the crossroads. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > w You ride west. King Kelson rides beside you on his camel. By Tinsmith's Shop You are riding your camel some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > w You go west for a few minutes but see nothing but ruined buildings. You turn around and go back to where the tinsmith's shop is. > d There is no route down, only east, south and west. > dismount You say "Down!" to instruct Eeny to kneel down and then you climb down off the saddle onto the ground. King Kelson does the same and dismounts from his camel Meeny. By Tinsmith's Shop You are leading your camel some distance west of the crossroads by the tinsmith's shop, which is South. You can also go East to where the other ruined building is or continue West through the ruins of the ancient city. King Kelson, Eeny, Meeny and Mo are here. > w You go west for a few minutes but see nothing but ruined buildings. You turn around and go back to where the tinsmith's shop is.