Start of a transcript of Why Pout My IFComp 2024 entry. Wordplay. by Mick Stupp Release 1 / Serial number 240904 / Inform 7 build 6G60 (I6/v6.36 lib 6/12N) Identification number: //948E1AA3-296C-499A-9B10-FEB88280A212// Standard interpreter 1.1 (1C) / Library serial number 080126 Standard Rules version 2/090402 by Graham Nelson Trivial Niceties version 1/140928 by Andrew Schultz Punctuation Stripper version 1/200614 by Andrew Schultz Bold Final Question Rows version 1/220701 by Andrew Schultz Old School Verb Total Carnage version 1/181008 by Andrew Schultz Versioning and Extensions Tweak version 1/240820 by Andrew Schultz Why Pout Tables version 1/240717 by Andrew Schultz Why Pout Definitions version 1/240816 by Andrew Schultz Why Pout Globals version 1/240720 by Andrew Schultz Why Pout Mistakes version 1/240825 by Andrew Schultz Why Pout I6 Replacements version 1/240819 by Andrew Schultz Trivial Text Shortcuts version 1/140928 by Andrew Schultz Revealing Passages version 1/240819 by Andrew Schultz >about Why Pout was written for IFComp 2024. It's something I originally thought about writing for EctoComp, but I never managed to mash enough ideas together. It reuses a lot of code from Roads of Liches and my Prime Pro Rhyme Row games, which have different mechanics but a similar conceit: guess the right two-word phrase. However, it's narrower in scope, and I didn't want to rely on too well-known examples of possible phrases for point scoring. Once I realized bigger projects weren't on the cards for IFComp 2024, I focused on something I could handle. I wound up making forty or so puzzle instead of the usual eighty. While the drip of ideas started February, 2020, according to my notes, I wasn't getting anything really original, or so it seemed. But the idea was always there. In my weekly writing file 20240429.txt, there's the game's title, and that's when significant ideas started appearing. But it wasn't until I registered for IFComp in July that ideas started clicking together. Deadlines are funny like that! Like most of my games, Why Pout rates merciful on the Zarfian cruelty scale. However, in this case, I want the puzzles to be more merciful in terms of general difficulty on the player's psyche than usual. Note that an optional room will appear about midway through the game. It may contain profanity, which I hope is amusing, but I don't blame you if you wish to skip it. blurglecruncheon@gmail.com is my email, and http://github.com/andrewschultz/why-pout is the github site, where you can report issues. I'm open to transcripts. CREDITS lists people who helped make Why Pout a reality, or a better version than it would've been without them. EXT shows the extensions listed, and VERSION or VERSIONS shows version info. >credits Thanks to Michael Baltes, Clem Bing-Storrs, Wade Clarke, Hanon Ondricek, P. B. Parjeter, Fred Snyder, and Daniel Stelzer for testing. They found stuff I just didn't have the time to find, or stuff I convinced myself I'd checked, honest I did, or even broke down cases for stuff where I was muddled and not sure how to test stuff. Oh and they inspired several ideas, too. It's always hard to ask someone for their time and energy, but I appreciate it so much! Michael, Fred and Daniel have IFComp '24 entries as well, and I always appreciate being able to trade testing with a fellow competitor, so it doesn't feel cutthroat. B. J. Best and Arthur DiBianca, who've written a lot of good stuff, both found bugs within two hours of IFComp starting. So thanks to them! The cover art is my fault, and my fault alone. GENERAL THANKS: Thanks to everyone past and future involved in the administration of IFComp. Thanks to the I7 board on Intfiction.org for their help, as well as the people in the general topics as we discussed our plans. >* OK I'm a little daunted by this being a new puzzle design, but let's see how things go! Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l Eh, Raw Air, Aww The air chokes you a bit. It's too thick to see far beyond yourself. You barely know who you are, even. Ugh. You can't see much beyond yourself, really, so that'd be somewhere to start. >x me You think you have a name. Most people do, if you remember things correctly. For better or worse, you can't be special. You'd really like to have a purpose, too. The weird thing is, you feel the two must be inter-related in some simple way. A way that will feel dumb once you figure it out. But you haven't, yet. Hmm. A name. A name. You're focused on finding A NAME, and yet, if you just shook up this focus a bit, you might get something else... something that could kick-start you, no matter what your name is. >a name [NOTE: found an apostrophe and removed it. You never need to use apostrophes in commands. Why Pout will eliminate apostrophes without nagging you in the future.] You're stuck with what to do right now. Perhaps you can use your senses for clues, or THINK, or look inward again with X ME, to give you an idea of how to get started. Not just a what, but a how or a why. You can't exactly look outward. [NOTE: until the main area, parser verb errors like this will give occasional hints. So don't be afraid to try stuff.] >* er, apostrophe not actually present? Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >x me NOTE: found a comma and replaced it with a space. You never need to use commas in commands. Why Pout will replace commas without nagging you in the future. You think you have a name. Most people do, if you remember things correctly. For better or worse, you can't be special. You'd really like to have a purpose, too. The weird thing is, you feel the two must be inter-related in some simple way. A way that will feel dumb once you figure it out. But you haven't, yet. Hmm. A name. A name. You're focused on finding A NAME, and yet, if you just shook up this focus a bit, you might get something else... something that could kick-start you, no matter what your name is. >* umm no comma Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying nothing. >wipeout You're stuck with what to do right now. Perhaps you can use your senses for clues, or THINK, or look inward again with X ME, to give you an idea of how to get started. Not just a what, but a how or a why. You can't exactly look outward. >think An inner voice says "Fry! Twist!" You feel fright, wist. It's hard not to, since you don't have a name or a purpose. For some reason, you're focused on getting a name, but you've got thins nagging feeling that's not quite it. Perhaps if you press a bit more, some thoughts may come out. >an ame A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >seymour You're stuck with what to do right now. Perhaps you can use your senses for clues, or THINK, or look inward again with X ME, to give you an idea of how to get started. Not just a what, but a how or a why. You can't exactly look outward. >ana me You're stuck with what to do right now. Perhaps you can use your senses for clues, or THINK, or look inward again with X ME, to give you an idea of how to get started. Not just a what, but a how or a why. You can't exactly look outward. A cruel voice mocks "Way to wait, ooh!" >look out You see nothing unexpected in that direction. >l Eh, Raw Air, Aww The air chokes you a bit. It's too thick to see far beyond yourself. You barely know who you are, even. Ugh. You can't see much beyond yourself, really, so that'd be somewhere to start. >x air Nothing here like that. Note that room names are not usually worth examining, as you can just L or LOOK. >l Eh, Raw Air, Aww The air chokes you a bit. It's too thick to see far beyond yourself. You barely know who you are, even. Ugh. You can't see much beyond yourself, really, so that'd be somewhere to start. >x me You think you have a name. Most people do, if you remember things correctly. For better or worse, you can't be special. You'd really like to have a purpose, too. The weird thing is, you feel the two must be inter-related in some simple way. A way that will feel dumb once you figure it out. But you haven't, yet. Hmm. A name. A name. You're focused on finding A NAME, and yet, if you just shook up this focus a bit, you might get something else... something that could kick-start you, no matter what your name is. >anomie You're stuck with what to do right now. Perhaps you can use your senses for clues, or THINK, or look inward again with X ME, to give you an idea of how to get started. Not just a what, but a how or a why. You can't exactly look outward. >knee dinganame You're stuck with what to do right now. Perhaps you can use your senses for clues, or THINK, or look inward again with X ME, to give you an idea of how to get started. Not just a what, but a how or a why. You can't exactly look outward. >think An inner voice says "Fry! Twist!" You feel fright, wist. It's hard not to, since you don't have a name or a purpose. For some reason, you're focused on getting a name, but you've got thins nagging feeling that's not quite it. Well, not quite a purpose, but ... what's the word? "Aww, flake! Awful ache!" you think to yourself. Which sounds slightly off, but it's all you have to go on. >* line spacing issue Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >ann name You're stuck with what to do right now. Perhaps you can use your senses for clues, or THINK, or look inward again with X ME, to give you an idea of how to get started. Not just a what, but a how or a why. You can't exactly look outward. >ann ame You're stuck with what to do right now. Perhaps you can use your senses for clues, or THINK, or look inward again with X ME, to give you an idea of how to get started. Not just a what, but a how or a why. You can't exactly look outward. That cruel voice, again. "You'd be better off WAITing or typing nothing." >wait Ideally I-D-L-E! >ideal You're stuck with what to do right now. Perhaps you can use your senses for clues, or THINK, or look inward again with X ME, to give you an idea of how to get started. Not just a what, but a how or a why. You can't exactly look outward. >think An inner voice says "Fry! Twist!" You feel fright, wist. It's hard not to, since you don't have a name or a purpose. For some reason, you're focused on getting a name, but you've got thins nagging feeling that's not quite it. Well, not quite a purpose, but ... what's the word? "Dumb pit. Dump it!" you think to yourself. Which sounds slightly off, but it's all you have to go on. >aname You're stuck with what to do right now. Perhaps you can use your senses for clues, or THINK, or look inward again with X ME, to give you an idea of how to get started. Not just a what, but a how or a why. You can't exactly look outward. >an aim Yes. Now that you realize you want more than just to know your name, that you have bigger goals, you push a bit harder when you initially forget it. You remember patches of the past. You remember people harshly calling you by your last name, then your first. Your name is Mike Orr. You even remember it's -- well, one of these two things: short for Michal, which everyone pronounced Michael until you just gave up, or ... well, Michael. You look around a bit. You can see more, now. You're in some sort of tomb apse. You could exit--there are exits each way--but you suspect there's some horrible maze you could easily get lost in. Tomb Apse [Your score just went up by a point!] >* oh OK that was easy lol Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >my chalour A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >my shall oar A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >michal orr You need to find something that will get you out of the tomb apse. You remembered a name (yours) by finding an aim. What now? >two maps You look around for secrets. You find one line that is a hash of horizontal lines and another that is a hash of vertical lines. You put them together ... and you see a maze. You hope you can trace a passage out. And, with some effort, you do! Then you follow it. You hope it's right, and it leads somewhere better, or at least not as awful... Hype Lane It's still pretty dark here. You must still be underground. Around you, cell phones, cell phones everywhere. Such confident chatter. Or it seems confident. It distracts you and your bearings, trying to figure who you really are and get somewhere less dark. You don't remember everything about your former self, but you remember you hated cell phones and how they distracted you. Maybe if the people yacking into them were taken down a peg, you could focus a bit more. Dang cell phones. [Your score just went up by a point!] >my car A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >my core You always want to strengthen your own core, but you have a feeling you're looking too inward, here. Though you must be close. >my corps Sadly, you have no friends to bring together yet! Yet. [NOTE: this command will be useful later, but you aren't ready to use it, yet. You can track commands like this by typing THINK, which will also clue you if they now work. Also, the "plus" number in the upper right status bar shows the number of not-yet-successful commands you've found.] >* aha! Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l Hype Lane It's still pretty dark here. You must still be underground. Around you, cell phones, cell phones everywhere. Such confident chatter. Or it seems confident. It distracts you and your bearings, trying to figure who you really are and get somewhere less dark. You don't remember everything about your former self, but you remember you hated cell phones and how they distracted you. Maybe if the people yacking into them were taken down a peg, you could focus a bit more. Dang cell phones. >high plane That would be a nicer place! But you have nothing that could help you move up yet. You'll have to observe the general area a bit more. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >l Hype Lane It's still pretty dark here. You must still be underground. Around you, cell phones, cell phones everywhere. Such confident chatter. Or it seems confident. It distracts you and your bearings, trying to figure who you really are and get somewhere less dark. You don't remember everything about your former self, but you remember you hated cell phones and how they distracted you. Maybe if the people yacking into them were taken down a peg, you could focus a bit more. Dang cell phones. >sell phones Man! The chatter from those phones must be distracting you from what you want and need to do, or maybe see. >x phones Whether or not the cell phones are the latest models, you don't want to pay attention to them too much. Just figure out a way for a harmless calamity that may make their users quiet down a bit. >sell foams Man! The chatter from those phones must be distracting you from what you want and need to do, or maybe see. >cell Man! The chatter from those phones must be distracting you from what you want and need to do, or maybe see. >x people Nothing here like that. >l Hype Lane It's still pretty dark here. You must still be underground. Around you, cell phones, cell phones everywhere. Such confident chatter. Or it seems confident. It distracts you and your bearings, trying to figure who you really are and get somewhere less dark. You don't remember everything about your former self, but you remember you hated cell phones and how they distracted you. Maybe if the people yacking into them were taken down a peg, you could focus a bit more. Dang cell phones. >listen Whether or not the cell phones are the latest models, you don't want to pay attention to them too much. Just figure out a way for a harmless calamity that may make their users quiet down a bit. >self owns You take a step back from all the confident, constant chatter in the cell phones. You hear that, indeed, people are just repeating mantras, and they are not as smart as they think they are. You wonder if you should say something to the most egregious offenders ... and you eventually do! And they appear flustered. They attack you back for being too quiet. You mention that if they annoyed someone as too-quiet as you, they must have gone over the line. Your confrontation did not go unnoticed by other cell phoners. They take the hint and moderate their voices. However, now, a prize talk blasts through hidden loudspeakers. It exhorts you to find your dream, to find something that will help you move above and beyond everyone else. It's probably talking about money or power, but you're looking for something different. [Your score just went up by a point!] >* lol Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >pry stalk Among all the chatter, you discover a disused booth. Someone is preaching on about environmental stuff, and it's so much less painful than cell phone chat. You worry they're just going to blab on forever, but they're so grateful you listened as long as you did. They hand you a stalk they think can grow quickly. Their own special formula. It looks weird and glittery, and if anything can reach up out of here, this can. But the question is, where can it grow to? [Your score just went up by a point!] >high plane You plant the stalk, which -- well, it's already a bit of a stalk, but it grows quickly and sturdily. It's not hard at all to climb. You are pretty sure you're aboveground, but it's hard to see for sure. Naff Haze You're surrounded by some really naff haze. It's naff because you can't go anywhere, and it also just makes you feel naff, and it seems so universal, like there's no escaping from it. [Your score just went up by a point!] >nah phase The haze seemed too thick at first. But you recognize it doesn't have to be there. As you sift through it, you notice things that weren't there before. It lifts. High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, but you see no way in. Gross tar blocks the way NORTH into darkness. A short rail leads -- well, not very far. You get the sense it should lead somewhere more. You feel policed here. And it's the mean American gung-ho militarized sort of policed, not the (usually) kinder UK brand. Where and what is this policed feeling coming from? [Your score just went up by a point!] >key pillar You look around the pillars for a key, since there's no flowerpot to hide it under. You find one, and you open the way west. [Your score just went up by a point!] >grow star You look at the gross tar, and you hope for a star in the sky to become brighter. It does, and clearly some of the tar is goopier than some of the other tar. You see a way to the north, and after you do, the tar isn't as relevant any more. [Your score just went up by a point!] >* OK I am getting into this! Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. A short rail leads -- well, not very far. You get the sense it should lead somewhere more. You feel policed here. And it's the mean American gung-ho militarized sort of policed, not the (usually) kinder UK brand. Where and what is this policed feeling coming from? >short trail A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >shore trail There must be more to the short rail than you see. And you start tracing where it is, where it can be, where it should go. You find something to dig up. It's ... surprisingly malleable. You have nothing else to do, anyway. Soon it feels like pulling cable from a ground. It's tough, since you can't see around, but indeed, the short rail does lead to a shore trail that leads south. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. You feel policed here. And it's the mean American gung-ho militarized sort of policed, not the (usually) kinder UK brand. Where and what is this policed feeling coming from? >poll iced Hmm. That kind of partway SOUNDED like it should work, but it didn't. >pole seed A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >poll seed Hmm. That kind of partway SOUNDED like it should work, but it didn't. >pole iced A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >pole yeast A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >* aw come on! Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying nothing. You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >wipeout That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you have companions. >l High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. You feel policed here. And it's the mean American gung-ho militarized sort of policed, not the (usually) kinder UK brand. Where and what is this policed feeling coming from? >pole east Ah, yes. It makes sense. You find the pole. Strangely, there's just a single switch to flip. And even more strangely, the switch you flip causes the pole to revert into the ground. Yay! But there's more! A war pawn, like a chess piece, rolls into view. It looks pretty powerful. Maybe you see how to use it, but maybe you shouldn't use it right away. You've changed the landscape a lot, north, south, east and west. But there's more! You hear a rumbling beneath you, opening a passage DOWN! [Your score just went up by a point!] >* nice Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a war pawn You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >x warp one Nothing here like that. >warp one Yes, the war pawn will help you warp, but permit me some pedantry: which way? Backwards? >warp on The war pawn stays still and even feels a bit cold. Perhaps there's nothing left that specifically needs doing here. >* ooh hint item maybe? Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. >e Lobe End This lobe of land appears to end in all directions except back west. Maybe you could look for something that might be a hill, even a steep one. >low bend You almost despair for a minute that you reached a dead end so soon. You page through all the possible ways out, proving to yourself you're right, hoping against hope you're wrong. And looking around, you see you are! There is a bit more to all this. A very thin and reasonably sloped path north leads down to some water. Which you can't cross at the moment, but maybe you'll figure a way. Low Bend [Your score just went up by a point!] >save A voice taunts "Save?! I'll say, VILE!" Ok. >l Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. Well, nobody's probably going to give you transport north for free. Maybe you can summon or find someone who will. >n You have no way across the water, yet. >* nice prod Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >w High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. >n Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You feel high doubt here you can go anywhere else. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and perhaps there's something in it. >wool frock You rummage about and find a wool frock. [Your score just went up by a point!] >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a wool frock a war pawn You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >x forck Nothing here like that. >x frock It's a bit too small for you. >wear it You can't wear that! >* ah well Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You feel high doubt here you can go anywhere else. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and perhaps there's something in it. >hideout It's easy enough to say you should doubt yourself less. I mean, you'd feel stupid doubting it. But there's always a reason not to. Still, you involuntarily start a mantra: "Fine, doubt? Find out!" And what do you know? You find a hideout below! [Your score just went up by a point!] >x lode Maybe it is hiding something. If it were a pile of anything else, it might not be so interesting. >loader That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >low door Maybe there's a low door beneath the lode ore, which definitely has small holes. But not small enough for you to fit through and scrabble and scrape to find one. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to find a LOW DOOR here once you have a companion or companions that are small enough to dig a bit better. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you have companions. >d Hideout You can only go back UP. It wouldn't be a very good hideout if you had too many places to sneak around. A booze troll sulks sullenly here. >x troll For all the troll's sulkiness, it doesn't appear evil. Perhaps it's reacted badly to ... well, the same people who stuffed you beneath the tomb apse. >boo stroll No, the booze troll shouldn't be blown off! They can become a better ... entity. >boost roll Hmm. That really, really SOUNDED like it should work, but it didn't. >boost role You talk with the booze troll for a bit. They seem not to know who they are, and that gives you something in common with them. They don't want to be a lousy boozer all their life. They are sick of drinking Base Ale. You begin chatting with them. You mention you've been having an adventure, and they'd sort of like one, too. They hand you a bottle of Base Ale as thanks. Not that they want you to go down their road. But it might be useful in bartering. It looks like the new troll will be following you around. All that silence might get awkward, so you may wish to T or TALK (TO) them. [Your score just went up by a point!] >t troll You chat with the new troll a bit, learning more about the history of the area you're exploring and why you're here. It fills in some blanks in your memory. The new troll relates ways to shake oneself free from despair (no! Really! It managed to for a while!) before relating more ways to avoid it in the first place, or help others you care about do the same. Wow! Things are starting to make sense. Maybe talking to others will help make even more sense. >l Hideout You can only go back UP. It wouldn't be a very good hideout if you had too many places to sneak around. The new troll waits here for what to do or where to go next. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: some Base Ale a wool frock a war pawn You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >bay sale No water here. Maybe somewhere else. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >score You have scored 14 of 45 necessary points. You also performed 4 of 20 actions ahead of time. >l Hideout You can only go back UP. It wouldn't be a very good hideout if you had too many places to sneak around. The new troll waits here for what to do or where to go next. >u Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and perhaps there's something in it. The new troll follows you. >s High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. The new troll follows you. >d Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. Someone comes out from the depths. They introduce themselves as the gone traitor, someone who cozied up to the bad guys and ditched their friends, then ditched the bad guys. And only recently they ran away, but how can they ask for forgiveness? Surely it just doesn't happen like this? Just one small change and you have a new identity? Rubbish! The new troll follows you. >gown trader That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >go trader Nothing here like that. >x traitor Despairing, shaking their head, barely able to look you in the eye. You dare not ask all they did. But they seem sorry for the big stuff. >l Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. The gone traitor continues to mope about here, looking for someone who can help convince them they're not so awful. The new troll waits here for what to do or where to go next. >whirr meaten Close, but you don't need a whirr noise. >we're meaten A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >we're asdfa A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >we're meeting A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >we're meaten A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >asdfsd meaten That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >we're meeten A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >we're meetan A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >we're meting A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >we're meeting A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >we're meetings A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >l Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. The gone traitor continues to mope about here, looking for someone who can help convince them they're not so awful. The new troll waits here for what to do or where to go next. >goon trader That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >gone trader That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to find a LOW DOOR in Wolf Rock once you have a companion or companions that are small enough to dig a bit better. You may be able to participate in a BAY SALE if you've found the right location and once you have money. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you have companions. >verbs Why Pout bypasses many of the standard Inform parser verbs, since it is word-puzzle based. Things are taken implicitly, and you don't need to drop anything. The four standard directions (NORTH, SOUTH, EAST and WEST) work, and some passages lead IN, OUT, UP, and DOWN, too. In addition, there are NPCs you may wish to TALK TO, which can be shortened to T. THINK will remind you of things you found, but the time wasn't right. Finally, ABOUT gives basic information about Why Pout and also cues some other meta-commands. >t You chat with the new troll a bit, recapping more about the history of the area you're exploring and why you're here. It fills in some blanks in your memory. The new troll relates ways to shake oneself free from despair (no! Really! It managed to for a while!) before relating more ways to avoid it in the first place, or help others you care about do the same. That was a nice refresher, though it didn't reveal anything new. [NOTE: if you want to see whom you haven't talked to yet, T by itself will do the trick. If there's only one companion you haven't talked to, you will talk to them] >my corps You sense you don't have the gang together! You may still be a way away. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >l Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. The gone traitor continues to mope about here, looking for someone who can help convince them they're not so awful. The new troll waits here for what to do or where to go next. >gontrait ore That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >gah traider That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >u High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. The new troll follows you. >w Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. You are really impressed by how no mold grows here. Someone must be keeping it up well. Who? A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. A plant racker lies here, pretty much useless. A seedy sign stands here, advertising somewhere very risky indeed. The new troll follows you. >* ooh this is a lot Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. You are really impressed by how no mold grows here. Someone must be keeping it up well. Who? A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. A plant racker lies here, pretty much useless. A seedy sign stands here, advertising somewhere very risky indeed. The new troll waits here for what to do or where to go next. >s Even with the new troll's support, you are still terrified of what is south. You may need just a bit more. >gnome old A gnome, old, arrives from a room above in the keep. They offer to adventure with you, if you have suitable enough adventuring gear. As a matter of fact, you do. The wool frock works well. "Less gnome attic, more nomadic," they muse. Funnily, you stop specifically noticing the lack of mold now your new companion's joined you. But you still appreciate their efforts deep down! [Your score just went up by a point!] >t That's ambiguous--more than one friend you can chat with. However, you still haven't talked with the gnome (old). >talk gnome You chat with the gnome (old) a bit, learning more about the history of the area you're exploring and why you're here. It fills in some blanks in your memory. The gnome (old) discusses ways of finding hidden psychic weaknesses in a very tough opponent. You also hear how whatever force there is, it only cares about things looking good on the outside. The gnome had so much mold to protect against and continually scrape away, even outside of the keep. Well, that's even more useful information worth remembering. >l Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. A plant racker lies here, pretty much useless. A seedy sign stands here, advertising somewhere very risky indeed. The gnome (old) and the new troll wait here for what to do or where to go next. > rogue old A rogue, old, appears, but after some conversation, you realize you don't have any money to pay them with. They'd like to help, but they worked for free once and felt ripped off. Maybe later. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >manicure That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >man icherb That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >mana cherb You do not have any magic points, so you don't need them refreshed. But you must be close! >mana curb You do not have any magic points, so you don't need them refreshed. But you must be close! >mana kerb You do not have any magic points, so you don't need them refreshed. But you must be close! >mana herb You do not have any magic points, so you don't need them refreshed. But you must be close! >mana herd You do not have any magic points, so you don't need them refreshed. But you must be close! >l Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. A plant racker lies here, pretty much useless. A seedy sign stands here, advertising somewhere very risky indeed. The gnome (old) and the new troll wait here for what to do or where to go next. >plan tracker Wow! That was ... surprisingly simple. You find a rather new-looking plan tracker behind the plant racker, which crumbles to dust as you push it aside. [Your score just went up by a point!] >x tracker The plan tracker is currently blank, but maybe you can find plans for it. >see design You see the design in the seedy sign. It leads somewhere scary. Somewhere you don't want your friends to visit. Though you appreciate their support. You'll be right back. You think. You hope. Nigh Fright Whatever you need to do or find here, you only want to do it once. You don't want to have to come back. You're glad your friends supported you enough to get here, but you don't want to have to rely on them like that again. So, what do you need to find, before getting out? [Your score just went up by a point!] >knife right With your friends boosting your spirits, you look for a sacred/profane weapon. It turns up. Eerie howling begins. You hightail it out of there. Keep (Iller) [Your score just went up by a point!] >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a knife (right) a plan tracker (empty of ideas) some Base Ale a war pawn You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >x knife Well, it's sharp. And it's probably, like, sacred and stuff, since you got it in a rite. >l Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. That seedy sign stands off to the side here. It's no longer scary, but you don't wish to bother with it, any more. The gnome (old) and the new troll wait here for what to do or where to go next. >rogue old A rogue, old, appears, but after some conversation, you realize you don't have any money to pay them with. They'd like to help, but they worked for free once and felt ripped off. Maybe later. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >cut herb Cutting that up would achieve little. >mana curb You do not have any magic points, so you don't need them refreshed. But you must be close! >x sign The design is clearer now--not that you want to go back. >s You don't need or want to go back there. >l Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. That seedy sign stands off to the side here. It's no longer scary, but you don't wish to bother with it, any more. The gnome (old) and the new troll wait here for what to do or where to go next. >e High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. The gnome (old) and new troll follow you. >s No Notion You simply have no notion what lies beyond here. Surely the shore trail didn't just lead to a dead end! You can go back north to where you started. The new troll and gnome (old) follow you. >no ocean A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >now ocean A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >known ocean Ah, yes. Things clear up a bit now. There we go ... you see where an ocean should be, and ... yes, you dip your toe in some wetness. Things clear up. You even see a sick squid! Maybe you can help it. Known Ocean [Your score just went up by a point!] >six quid You have an idea what is bothering the squid. Yes, a few coins stuck. Surprisingly, it lets you help out. "Current, sea, currency," you mutter as you poke around. Ah, there you go. You offer to give it some of the coins it almost choked on, but it does not need them. It seems to wait around, as if to help you with travel to places you may get to go. It's willing to wait. [Your score just went up by a point!] >* lol Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >n High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. An ominous new construction appears here. It's called BRUISE WARES. Perhaps you should ignore it. Often one doesn't want to engage that sort of thing. But you may feel that much more accomplished tackling whatever is behind there. The new troll and gnome (old) follow you. >w Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. That seedy sign stands off to the side here. It's no longer scary, but you don't wish to bother with it, any more. The new troll and gnome (old) follow you. >rogue old A rogue, old, arrives. They mention they'd like to help you but, you know, the row (gold) needs maintenance. You offer to pay them three quid.. This transaction reduces your wealth from six quid to three quid. [Your score just went up by a point!] >talk to rogue You chat with the rogue (old) a bit, learning more about the history of the area you're exploring and why you're here. It fills in some blanks in your memory. The rogue (old) discusses ways to sneak around so vastly overpowered opponents can't blow you away, and you also learn not to feel guilty or shifty about being good at sneaking around, around much more unsavory entities than yourself. Well, that's more useful information worth remembering. >x rogue Moves a bit slowly, but also very quietly. >l Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. That seedy sign stands off to the side here. It's no longer scary, but you don't wish to bother with it, any more. The rogue (old), the new troll and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a knife (right) a plan tracker (empty of ideas) some Base Ale a war pawn You still have three quid left from helping the sick squid. You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >e High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. BRUISE WARES, some sort of odd disturbing shop, has popped up here. You can probably figure why it's forbidding and such. But perhaps it is only for a certain sort of adventurer. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your three companions follow you. >s Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. Your three companions follow you. >bay sail There's water here, but it's much more than a bay. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >n High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. BRUISE WARES, some sort of odd disturbing shop, has popped up here. You can probably figure why it's forbidding and such. But perhaps it is only for a certain sort of adventurer. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your three companions follow you. >e Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. Well, nobody's probably going to give you transport north for free. Maybe you can summon or find someone who will. Your three companions follow you. >w High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. BRUISE WARES, some sort of odd disturbing shop, has popped up here. You can probably figure why it's forbidding and such. But perhaps it is only for a certain sort of adventurer. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your three companions follow you. >x wares Looking at BRUISE WARES, it sort of overdoes the whole "you might not be ready for this" schtick. And, you figure, if you know what's really there, it's not something you will put up with unless you have to. Seriously, dealing with it is up to you. >brew swears Yes. That's what BRUISE WARES is really for. Enter at your own risk. It's ... an adventure, of its own sort. [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >in Your companions stay behind. They recognize this is a spiritual fight for you and you alone. Brew Swears If you thought Hype Lane was bad, this is even worse. You can leave back OUT. Some grinch earls parade around here, bragging about how they ruin boring people's fun with their dynamic ways and pointing out that it's easy to be nice if you're boring. They fix you with a "We parse: weep, arse" gaze. They constantly blather "WE CUSS" and seem quite proud of that. A crude orc trundles around here, trying to impress the grinch earls. >* lol Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >* nice to gate this Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >grin churls You slip in a few sly digs and say "grin, churls." They shake their heads, annoyed. [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >crew dork The crude orc doesn't believe they're being used by the grin churls. Why, it's part of the hazing! They have to show they're tough! (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >l Brew Swears If you thought Hype Lane was bad, this is even worse. You can leave back OUT. Some grin churls parade around here, bragging about how they ruin boring people's fun with their dynamic ways and pointing out that it's easy to be nice if you're boring. They fix you with a "We parse: weep, arse" gaze, though they're less effective than when they were self-styled earls. They constantly blather "WE CUSS" and seem quite proud of that. A crude orc trundles around here, trying to impress the grin churls. >we cuss That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >weak us You're surprised how just making a little shift can make the grin churls seem much weaker. Their strength is the sort of brute force that doesn't lift other people up. They throw down the gauntlet at this point. Don't you know cussing shows higher intelligence? Some study or other showed that! The crude orc looks back and forth between you and the grin churls, glaring at them a bit, but not yet ready to break free. Just a bit more, and you may gain a friend. Your observation has caused something to "righteously" snap in the grin churls. And boy, are they going to firehose you with their "best!" The grin churls take cheap shots and say "Life occurs." [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >crew dork You break the truth gently to the crude orc that, well, they're at the bottom of the totem pole for this crew. They'll use the crude orc, maybe even not let them into the clique, and then find the next sucker. The grin churls surprisingly have little response to this besides, well, profanity. The crude orc sees it now. The grin churls weren't as friendly as they seemed. They wanted to use some trusting kid and corrupt them. The crude orc shakes their head. They ask if they can be seen as an orc and not, well, a dork. You say sure. You've gained a friend! You can stick around to torment the grinch earls further, or you can go on your way. [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >lie fuckers You cut down the grin churls for making things more bleak than they are. Sure, life can be cruel, but that's no excuse to make it even more cruel. They give a "whatever," but you see the point touched home. The grin churls launch "Weird! Ick!"'s at enemies real and imagined. [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >we're dicks You mock the grin churls back, giving at least as good as you get, noting there's always a hole in these sorts of attacks. The grin churls laugh and say "Hush it." [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >* I don't know what it says about it me that I'm getting all the curse ones easily Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >huh shit You reject the grin churls' "urbane" attempts at shutting you up. They're a bit surprised at you. The grin churls shake their heads at you: "Bah! Sturdy?!" [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >bastardy You show you're sturdy and then some, with just the right tone of exasperation. They pretend not to be impressed, but they don't have a comeback. The grin churls mock you, or maybe boost themselves, with "Heh, class!" [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >* seriously Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >save A voice taunts "Save?! I'll say, VILE!" Ok. >heckle ass You give back at least as good as you got, showing you don't need to use the big cuss words to get a point in as well. The grin churls, out of insults, give up on you, claiming you got boring. But you know better. The grin churls remark that you seemed so nice, really, and they're all for a bit of banter, but they know when to fully move on from people like you who just don't shut up. So they do. [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >l Brew Swears If you thought Hype Lane was bad, this was even worse. You can leave back OUT. The crude orc wait here for what to do or where to go next. >undo Brew Swears [Previous turn undone.] >l Brew Swears If you thought Hype Lane was bad, this was even worse. You can leave back OUT. The crude orc wait here for what to do or where to go next. >undo Brew Swears [Previous turn undone.] >undo Brew Swears [Previous turn undone.] >l Brew Swears If you thought Hype Lane was bad, this is even worse. You can leave back OUT. Some grin churls parade around here, bragging about how they ruin boring people's fun with their dynamic ways and pointing out that it's easy to be nice if you're boring. They fix you with a "We parse: weep, arse" gaze, though they're less effective than when they were self-styled earls. You cut their "we cuss" down to size, so they're now giving examples of how they cuss. The crude orc wait here for what to do or where to go next. The grin churls mock you, or maybe boost themselves, with "Heh, class!" >heckle ass You give back at least as good as you got, showing you don't need to use the big cuss words to get a point in as well. The grin churls, out of insults, give up on you, claiming you got boring. But you know better. The grin churls remark that you seemed so nice, really, and they're all for a bit of banter, but they know when to fully move on from people like you who just don't shut up. So they do. [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to find a LOW DOOR in Wolf Rock once you have a companion or companions that are small enough to dig a bit better. You may be able to participate in a BAY SALE if you've found the right location and now you have money. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you've shared something together. >crew dork You already broke the truth to the crude orc as gently as you could! >l Brew Swears If you thought Hype Lane was bad, this was even worse. You can leave back OUT. The crude orc wait here for what to do or where to go next. >talk to orc You chat with the crude orc a bit, learning more about the history of the area you're exploring and why you're here. It fills in some blanks in your memory. The crude orc doesn't have any strategy, per se. It's still young and naive. But it asks the sort of questions you forgot you had. Perhaps others youths have these questions, too, or they would, with -- well, whatever force that kidnapped you -- not pressing on them so much. And while impressing kids with mean swears isn't overarching evil, it's a gateway to nastier things. Kids like the orc are worth helping. Well, that's more useful information worth remembering. >l Brew Swears If you thought Hype Lane was bad, this was even worse. You can leave back OUT. The crude orc wait here for what to do or where to go next. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a knife (right) a plan tracker (empty of ideas) some Base Ale a war pawn You still have three quid left from helping the sick squid. You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >x ale Uck. It's a nasty color, really. But perhaps it will be useful. >x pawn It's a grey chess pawn with a frown and mean glare carved in the rounded top. If it had fists, you are pretty sure they'd be doubled up in a fighting posture, but it doesn't even have arms. Looking at it from many different angles gets you all sorts of weird ideas. Perhaps it could help you when you run out of them on your quest. You may wish to wait until you really need to use it, though of course, you don't want to wait too late. If you want to resist the temptation of this cheat item, DROP it. There is no penalty for using it. >l Brew Swears If you thought Hype Lane was bad, this was even worse. You can leave back OUT. The crude orc wait here for what to do or where to go next. >out As you lead the crude orc out, BRUISE-WARES crumbles behind you. High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. The new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. The crude orc follows you. >save A voice taunts "Save?! I'll say, VILE!" Ok. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to find a LOW DOOR in Wolf Rock once you have a companion or companions that are small enough to dig a bit better. You may be able to participate in a BAY SALE if you've found the right location and now you have money. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you've shared something together. >my corps You sense you don't have the gang together! You may still be a way away. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >e Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. Well, nobody's probably going to give you transport north for free. Maybe you can summon or find someone who will. Your four companions follow you. >low door Hmm, no, you already did that, or something like that. You'll know if and when you need to flip between things. >w High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your four companions follow you. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to find a LOW DOOR in Wolf Rock once you have a companion or companions that are small enough to dig a bit better. You may be able to participate in a BAY SALE if you've found the right location and now you have money. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you've shared something together. >s Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. Your four companions follow you. >n High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your four companions follow you. >n Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and perhaps there's something in it. Your four companions follow you. >low door Maybe there's a low door beneath the lode ore, which definitely has small holes. But not small enough for you to fit through and scrabble and scrape to find one, and nobody around is quite small enough to help you. Well, yet. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >* not the gnome? Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >d Hideout You can only go back UP. It wouldn't be a very good hideout if you had too many places to sneak around. Your four companions follow you. >u Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and perhaps there's something in it. Your four companions follow you. >s High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your four companions follow you. >d Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. The gone traitor continues to mope about here, looking for someone who can help convince them they're not so awful. Your four companions follow you. >give ale (to yourself) You juggle the Base Ale for a while, but don't achieve much. >give ale to orc You can only do that to something animate. >* oops! Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >give ale to gnome You can only do that to something animate. >give ale to traitor You can only do that to something animate. >l Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. The gone traitor continues to mope about here, looking for someone who can help convince them they're not so awful. The crude orc, the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >gaunt rater A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >gaunt asdfsa A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >adsf rater That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >gaunt raider After some discussion, you work out a plan to make the gone trader reframe what they did. Whoever they were, the evil powers, they rejected them instead of doubling down. Perhaps there is a way to get back at them. They know things you never could hope to. [Your score just went up by a point!] >* trader/traitor typo here Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >x raider Tall and imposing. They still look disturbed by who they were. >talk to raider You chat with the gaunt raider a bit, learning more about the history of the area you're exploring and why you're here. It fills in some blanks in your memory. The gaunt raider discusses regret for their past actions, as well as some possibilities for how to use it to boost yourself to do the right thing, or when to just drop it without being drowned by guilt. Well, that's more useful information worth remembering. >t That's ambiguous--more than one friend you can chat with. >talk That's ambiguous--more than one friend you can chat with. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to find a LOW DOOR in Wolf Rock once you have a companion or companions that are small enough to dig a bit better. You may be able to participate in a BAY SALE if you've found the right location and now you have money. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you've shared something together. >my corps You sense you don't have the gang together! You may still be a way away. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >l Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >s No tricky passages here, just UP back to safer ground or DOWN to your fate. >d Hmm. You still feel like you're missing some plans, some intelligence, even though you have everything else. The gaunt raider found it easy to get kicked out, but you need detailed plans how to get back in. >u High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your five companions follow you. >e Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. Well, nobody's probably going to give you transport north for free. Maybe you can summon or find someone who will. Your five companions follow you. >w High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your five companions follow you. >s Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. Your five companions follow you. >bay trader A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to find a LOW DOOR in Wolf Rock once you have a companion or companions that are small enough to dig a bit better. You may be able to participate in a BAY SALE if you've found the right location and now you have money. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you've shared something together. >bay sale There's water here, but it's much more than a bay. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >n High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your five companions follow you. >n Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and perhaps there's something in it. Your five companions follow you. >s High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your five companions follow you. >w Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. That seedy sign stands off to the side here. It's no longer scary, but you don't wish to bother with it, any more. Your five companions follow you. >bay sale No water here. Maybe somewhere else. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >e High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your five companions follow you. >e Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. Well, nobody's probably going to give you transport north for free. Maybe you can summon or find someone who will. Your five companions follow you. >bay sale You have money, and you are ready for a sale, and you get it. Unfortunately, though you were expecting a nice big ship, you get something a little humbler, namely a We-Craft Weak Raft. It seems sturdy enough, though, and it does have a sail. You christen it with the base ale, and the bottle fragments shatter and float away in the water. This transaction reduces your wealth from three quid to one quid. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you north across the water and back, as many times as needed. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >x raft Well, it isn't fancy, but it looks sturdy enough. >n You and your five companions make it across the water without incident. Storm Isle On this storm isle, it's always rainy. It'd be nice to have some shelter inside. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you south across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your five companions follow you. >store mile The storms let up. It's not such a big isle after all, but it does turn out to hold a whole lot of stores and vending areas. In particular, a stall labeled MY STALL, and a shelf labeled MEN SHELF. Store Mile [Your score just went up by a point!] >mice tall You look into the stall and shrug your shoulders. Then the gnome (old) steps in and notes they hear something. Chittering noises! The gnome chitters back. It takes a lot of negotiating, but you find where the mice are stuck. You and the gnome thud through and out come some mice, tall. They're tall for mice, though they really only come up above your knee. [Your score just went up by a point!] >mensch elf You knock about the MEN shelf a bit, unable to find anything. It's really a collection of shelves that you disassemble and reassemble. Eventually, you're about to give up, and it all collapses, taking a chunk of wall with it. Our pops a mensch elf, quite grateful you helped them escape. [Your score just went up by a point!] >* nice Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a knife (right) a plan tracker (empty of ideas) a war pawn You still have one quid left from helping the sick squid. You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >my carr A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >my car A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >my adsf A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >my corps You sense you don't have the gang together! But you must be very, very close. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >l Store Mile Well, you're in a sort of shopping mall now. You can see a passage leading north. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you south across the water and back, as many times as needed. The mensch elf, the mice (tall), the gaunt raider, the crude orc, the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >talk to elf You chat with the mensch elf a bit, learning more about the history of the area you're exploring and why you're here. It fills in some blanks in your memory. The mensch elf discusses ways to identify people or situations that just need a bit of help, and how to do so without making them feel hopeless or in need of help, or that they got themselves in this position in the first place. Well, that's more useful information worth remembering. >talk to mice You chat with the mice (tall) a bit, learning more about the history of the area you're exploring and why you're here. It fills in some blanks in your memory. You're surprised how easy it is to understand them and how easily they understand you. They discuss how much bigger opponents can be brought down by, not just arrogance facing many small opponents, but by dexterity and quick maneuvers. Oh, also a lot about the evil in the land killing or corrupting or mutating animals. So presumably finding or destroying it will put a stop to the very worst bits. Well, that's more useful information worth remembering. >l Store Mile Well, you're in a sort of shopping mall now. You can see a passage leading north. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you south across the water and back, as many times as needed. The mensch elf, the mice (tall), the gaunt raider, the crude orc, the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >n Trees Mall This is a withered, run-down former mall that had the ceiling blow off. It's walled with pictures of large, but fake, trees. You can only go back SOUTH. Your seven companions follow you. >tree small Amidst all the fake trees, an actual organic small tree grows. You're a bit disappointed, but you realize you maybe shouldn't have expected much with so little letter-shuffling. Maybe if you want a bigger tree, you'll need to do something else. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Trees Mall This is a withered, run-down former mall that had the ceiling blow off. It's walled with pictures of large, but fake, trees. You can only go back SOUTH. A tree (small) grows here, or tries to, at least. It deserves to be bigger. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >x tree It's a nice tree, but it's a bit small. >tresm all That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >x pictures Nothing here like that. >l Trees Mall This is a withered, run-down former mall that had the ceiling blow off. It's walled with pictures of large, but fake, trees. You can only go back SOUTH. A tree (small) grows here, or tries to, at least. It deserves to be bigger. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to find a LOW DOOR in Wolf Rock now you have a companion or companions that are small enough to dig a bit better. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you've shared something together. >my corps You sense you don't have the gang together! But you must be very, very close. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >s Store Mile Well, you're in a sort of shopping mall now. You can see a passage leading north. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you south across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your seven companions follow you. >s You and your seven companions make it across the water without incident. Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you north across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your seven companions follow you. >e The bend only curves west to north. >w High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your seven companions follow you. >n Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and perhaps there's something in it. Your seven companions follow you. >low door The lode and the ore are tough to shift around for someone as big as yourself. But the tall mice manage to get into those small niches you can't. They locate a low door, then, point to where you can remove the ore to create a passage. You'll have to duck a bit to get in, but you can now go INSIDE. Hooray! [Your score just went up by a point!] >in We Loan This area feels replete with the sort of double-talk all salesmen use. You can almost hear all the dropped and excess apostrophes. It will be tough to hang with all the way through, but if you do, maybe you'll get something out of it. You can only go back OUT here. You don't really trust the whole "financial services" vibe here. Maybe there's a double meaning to deduce. Your seven companions follow you. >wheel own This is a seedy financial services provider, not a seedy used car dealer. Still, you must be on the right track. >weal own A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >we own A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >we'll own Yes. There's a definite shady side. You mumble to yourself, and then your mumbles get louder, and it attracts ... some merchant. They begin babbling about deals they have, fake-friendly, about how you can buy low. We'll Own [Your score just went up by a point!] >l We'll Own This area feels replete with the sort of double-talk all salesmen use. You can almost hear all the dropped and excess apostrophes. It will be tough to hang with all the way through, but if you do, maybe you'll get something out of it. You can only go back OUT here. Some merchant babbles on, all up in your personal space, suggesting you buy low. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >bi ow That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >bi owe Neither you nor the merchant owe each other anything, for better or for worse. You're close. Perhaps you should just see things as they are and emote slightly. >bile owe Neither you nor the merchant owe each other anything, for better or for worse. You're close. Perhaps you should just see things as they are and emote slightly. >* extra space before "see" I think Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >adf owe Neither you nor the merchant owe each other anything, for better or for worse. You're close. Perhaps you should just see things as they are and emote slightly. >bile adsfs A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >bile oh You need to find something positive to say, first. It doesn't have to be particularly rigorous, but it needs to be positive. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >l We'll Own This area feels replete with the sort of double-talk all salesmen use. You can almost hear all the dropped and excess apostrophes. It will be tough to hang with all the way through, but if you do, maybe you'll get something out of it. You can only go back OUT here. Some merchant babbles on, all up in your personal space, suggesting you buy low. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >summer chant You think up a summer chant you mumble under your breath. The merchant finds it a bit weird you like THAT as a way to keep positive. It doesn't seem like that sort of thing helps the economy. Their cheeriness slips slightly, with impressively-balanced potshots at people more and less successful than they are. [Your score just went up by a point!] >bile oh The mere suggestion that the merchant's aggression may be annoying seems to set them off. No, no, it's people like YOU who are the problem. Without dynamic positivity like theirs, you're totally screwed! You're just jealous you don't have it! You freeze up, confused by all this, and the merchant takes this as a sign of arrogant disrespect. You are not the first person to reject their positivity! They run into clueless crumb-bums all day! They storm off, presumably to find another crumb-bum to abuse for not having their brand of positivity. Oh, hey, you can maybe enjoy some solitude now! [Your score just went up by a point!] >l We'll Own It's nice and silent here, and maybe there's a specific way to enjoy that. You can only go back OUT here. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you've shared something together. >my corps You sense you don't have the gang together! But you must be very, very close. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >l We'll Own It's nice and silent here, and maybe there's a specific way to enjoy that. You can only go back OUT here. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >listen Nothing that could help you. >sleep You aren't feeling especially drowsy. >listen Nothing that could help you. >l We'll Own It's nice and silent here, and maybe there's a specific way to enjoy that. You can only go back OUT here. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >talk That's ambiguous--more than one friend you can chat with. >wheel own This is a seedy financial services provider, not a seedy used car dealer. Still, you must be on the right track. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a knife (right) a plan tracker (empty of ideas) a war pawn You still have one quid left from helping the sick squid. You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >x pawn It's a grey chess pawn with a frown and mean glare carved in the rounded top. If it had fists, you are pretty sure they'd be doubled up in a fighting posture, but it doesn't even have arms. Looking at it from many different angles gets you all sorts of weird ideas. Perhaps it could help you when you run out of them on your quest. You may wish to wait until you really need to use it, though of course, you don't want to wait too late. >use pawn That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >warp one Yes, the war pawn will help you warp, but permit me some pedantry: which way? Backwards? >warp on After some thought, the war pawn vibrates and explodes! You suddenly have insight into a good way forward: WHEE LONE... You enjoy your solitude, but ... wait. You lose track of time, and an oaf liar slips in just to babble at you. Whee, Lone? [Your score just went up by a point!] >oh flier You act distracted just right. The oaf liar tries to get your attention. Just ignoring them wouldn't work, but paying attention to a flier ... well, they take the hint that you aren't a high-rolling customer. They try to wheedle more money out of you, but of course, that's all you have. So you trade your final quid for the flier. The oaf liar thanks you for not totally wasting their time. They seem to snicker as they depart. This transaction reduces your wealth from one quid to zero quid. Well, easy come, easy go. You're pretty sure you've visited everywhere and found everyone who might need money. Whee! 'Lone! [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Whee! 'Lone! You've managed to navigate negotiations and wind up with ... a shiny new flier! What more could you ask for? You can only go back OUT here. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a flier a knife (right) a plan tracker (empty of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >x flier The flier advertises places to go: a wharf isle, a thief isle, and a grove isle, each of which may hold odd treasures. It contains pretty clear directions, too. The only thing it lacks is where the directions start from. You haven't found a way to get to any of the islands yet. >s You can only go back OUT here. >out Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and you found a low door in it that leads INSIDE. Your seven companions follow you. >s High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your seven companions follow you. >s Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. Your seven companions follow you. >x squid It looks back at you. Squids don't smile, but if it could, it would. Perhaps, if you know of an island nearby in the ocean, it will take you there. >talk to squid It seems to be choking a bit. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a flier a knife (right) a plan tracker (empty of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >show flier to squid That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >l Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >e You can only go back NORTH or, if you know where you want to go, give the squid instructions where to go. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a flier a knife (right) a plan tracker (empty of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >x flier The flier advertises places to go: a wharf isle, a thief isle, and a grove isle, each of which may hold odd treasures. It contains pretty clear directions, too. The only thing it lacks is where the directions start from. You haven't found a way to get to any of the islands yet. >wharf isle That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >war file The squid gives you and only you a ride a few miles across the ocean. You realize you could reach the wharf isle for a war file. When you get there, you're a bit disappointed by what you see. There's a bit too much emphasis on magic and the implements thereof, all of which are at a much too hefty price for you. So equipment is out. Still, there's some ideas worth tracking. Yet you can't be the only person disappointed here... Wand Wharf You rode the squid here, and there are all sorts of magical symbols here. It's a bit intimidating for someone like you who is clueless about magic. Maybe it's intimidating and depressing for someone else. There was more than enough room on the squid for all your companions, too. [Your score just went up by a point!] >wander off That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >wan drwarf A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >wan dwarf You look around and uncover a wan dwarf who wasn't good enough to be a full fighter but rejected for magic training. You explain your situation. They're all in! There's not much left to do here, so you ride the squid back. Wow! You've got quite a group here. You can't imagine needing a bigger one. Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. [Your score just went up by a point!] >talk to dwarf Nothing here like that. >l Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. Your eight companions follow you. >x companions Nothing here like that. >x flier The flier advertises places to go: a wharf isle, a thief isle, and a grove isle, each of which may hold odd treasures. It contains pretty clear directions, too. The only thing it lacks is where the directions start from. You now know to start here. So far you've only found Wharf Isle. >the file You know there is THE FILE, but which file is THE FILE? The thief isle has probably stolen a lot! You need information from your companions. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >grow vile Hmm. That really, really SOUNDED like it should work, but it didn't. >grow vial In the grove isle, you find a grow vial, which you take. [Your score just went up by a point!] >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a grow vial a flier a knife (right) a plan tracker (full of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. >x vial It says it will help something grow, but it's potentially toxic to mammals. >n High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >talk to dwarf You chat with the wan dwarf a bit, learning more about the history of the area you're exploring and why you're here. It fills in some blanks in your memory. The dwarf provides an impressively nuanced view on how to balance magic skill with physical skill and fighting savvy. But the dwarf also notes how to be a good expert in specific areas if need be, as well as how to get experts and generalists to work together. However, the dwarf also expresses worry that this talk is all great in theory but hard in practice. Well, that's more useful information worth remembering. That was a lot of talking. After all that time alone, you're not used to it. You develop a talk-ache. >my corps This doesn't seem like the right place. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >tall cake You need ingredients to make a cake. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >e Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you north across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to make sense of THE FILE in Known Ocean now you've gotten enough information from companions. You may be able to create a TALL CAKE once you have ingredients and cooking instruments. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you've shared something together. >my corps This doesn't seem like the right place. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >w High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >s Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. Your eight companions follow you. >e You can only go back NORTH or, if you know where you want to go, give the squid instructions where to go. >x flier The flier advertises places to go: a wharf isle, a thief isle, and a grove isle, each of which may hold odd treasures. It contains pretty clear directions, too. The only thing it lacks is where the directions start from. You now know to start here. You still need to find Thief Isle. >the file You have a clue what isle to look through. The thief isle. You get The File. You've visited all the locations in the flier. You crumple it up as if to throw it in a trash bin. The squid makes a gesture as if it wishes to gobble the flier. You're worried it might choke on the flier, as it did for the quid, but then -- well, the water washes the paper brochure down. Odd, but hooray for clearer inventory. [Your score just went up by a point!] >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a talk-ache a grow vial a knife (right) a plan tracker (full of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. Oh, man. You still have that talk ache, too. >x file Nothing here like that. >l Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the wan dwarf, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >x islands Nothing here like that. >the file That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a talk-ache a grow vial a knife (right) a plan tracker (full of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. Oh, man. You still have that talk ache, too. >tall cake You need ingredients to make a cake. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >n High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >d Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. Your eight companions follow you. >d No tricky passages here, just UP back to safer ground or DOWN to your fate. >u High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >d Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. Your eight companions follow you. >d No tricky passages here, just UP back to safer ground or DOWN to your fate. >d No tricky passages here, just UP back to safer ground or DOWN to your fate. >down No tricky passages here, just UP back to safer ground or DOWN to your fate. >u High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >e Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you north across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >n You and your eight companions make it across the water without incident. Store Mile Well, you're in a sort of shopping mall now. You can see a passage leading north. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you south across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >n Trees Mall This is a withered, run-down former mall that had the ceiling blow off. It's walled with pictures of large, but fake, trees. You can only go back SOUTH. A tree (small) grows here, or tries to, at least. It deserves to be bigger. But wait! You can use the grow vial! It makes the tree (small) into a tree (tall)! Then it dissolves once empty. Your eight companions follow you. >treat all You don't have something to treat your companions with! (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a talk-ache a knife (right) a plan tracker (full of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. Oh, man. You still have that talk ache, too. >tall cake You need ingredients to make a cake. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >s Store Mile Well, you're in a sort of shopping mall now. You can see a passage leading north. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you south across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >tall cake You need ingredients to make a cake. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >w You can only go back south to Lobe End or north to the rest of the mall. >s You and your eight companions make it across the water without incident. Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you north across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >w High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >n Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and you found a low door in it that leads INSIDE. Your eight companions follow you. >in Whee! 'Lone! You've managed to navigate negotiations and wind up with ... a shiny new flier! What more could you ask for? You can only go back OUT here. Your eight companions follow you. >tall cake You need ingredients to make a cake. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >out Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and you found a low door in it that leads INSIDE. Your eight companions follow you. >tall cake You need ingredients to make a cake. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >d Hideout You can only go back UP. It wouldn't be a very good hideout if you had too many places to sneak around. Your eight companions follow you. >tall cake You need ingredients to make a cake. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >u Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and you found a low door in it that leads INSIDE. Your eight companions follow you. >s High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >w Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. That seedy sign stands off to the side here. It's no longer scary, but you don't wish to bother with it, any more. Your eight companions follow you. >tall cake You need ingredients to make a cake. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >x sign The design is clearer now--not that you want to go back. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a talk-ache a knife (right) a plan tracker (full of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. Oh, man. You still have that talk ache, too. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to create a TALL CAKE once you have ingredients and cooking instruments. You may be able to TREAT ALL in Trees Mall once you have a tasty treat. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS once you've shared something together. >my corps This doesn't seem like the right place. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >l Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. That seedy sign stands off to the side here. It's no longer scary, but you don't wish to bother with it, any more. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the wan dwarf, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >mana curb You do not have any magic points, so you don't need them refreshed. But you must be close! >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a talk-ache a knife (right) a plan tracker (full of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. Oh, man. You still have that talk ache, too. >x pawn Nothing here like that. >s You don't need or want to go back there. >n Apart from finding a way beyond the seedy sign, which you don't need to again, the keep doesn't have many twisty passages. Well, any. >l Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. That seedy sign stands off to the side here. It's no longer scary, but you don't wish to bother with it, any more. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the wan dwarf, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >s You don't need or want to go back there. >e High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >s Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. Your eight companions follow you. >* did I lose the pawn? Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >e You can only go back NORTH or, if you know where you want to go, give the squid instructions where to go. >n High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >n Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and you found a low door in it that leads INSIDE. Your eight companions follow you. >s High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >e Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you north across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >n You and your eight companions make it across the water without incident. Store Mile Well, you're in a sort of shopping mall now. You can see a passage leading north. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you south across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >n Trees Mall This is a withered, run-down former mall that had the ceiling blow off. It's walled with pictures of large, but fake, trees. You can only go back SOUTH. A tree (tall) has grown here, thanks to you. It feels very welcoming. Your eight companions follow you. >s Store Mile Well, you're in a sort of shopping mall now. You can see a passage leading north. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you south across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >s You and your eight companions make it across the water without incident. Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you north across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >w High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >s Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. Your eight companions follow you. >s You can only go back NORTH or, if you know where you want to go, give the squid instructions where to go. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: a talk-ache a knife (right) a plan tracker (full of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. Oh, man. You still have that talk ache, too. >nigh frigght That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >nigh fright That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >x tracker You have notes for combat written in here. >n High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >d Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. Your eight companions follow you. >d No tricky passages here, just UP back to safer ground or DOWN to your fate. >u High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >w Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. That seedy sign stands off to the side here. It's no longer scary, but you don't wish to bother with it, any more. Your eight companions follow you. >s You don't need or want to go back there. >w Apart from finding a way beyond the seedy sign, which you don't need to again, the keep doesn't have many twisty passages. Well, any. >n Apart from finding a way beyond the seedy sign, which you don't need to again, the keep doesn't have many twisty passages. Well, any. >w Apart from finding a way beyond the seedy sign, which you don't need to again, the keep doesn't have many twisty passages. Well, any. >l Keep (Iller) This keep has seen better days, but there seems to be a lot in its ruins. You can go back EAST. You also sense something fearsome from a passage south. A row (gold) shines in this otherwise forbidding keep. There's a bunch of manic herb here. You don't know a lot about it, other than that some is really poisonous and some is okay. There's so much, perhaps it's hiding something. That seedy sign stands off to the side here. It's no longer scary, but you don't wish to bother with it, any more. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the wan dwarf, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >pawn on That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >warp on After some thought, the war pawn vibrates and explodes! You suddenly have insight into a good way forward: MANNA CURB... You suspect there is manna beneath the manic herb, but you have no clue how to find it. Thankfully, the mensch elf steps up. You wind up with a lot of manna, whatever that is! [Your score just went up by a point!] >* oh seems like MANA was recognized but only MANNA solves the puzzle? Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >i There's that occasional voice ringing in your head asking "Why pout?" But besides that ... You are carrying: some manna a talk-ache a knife (right) a plan tracker (full of ideas) You have a name, too, now, you remember: Mike Orr. Oh, man. You still have that talk ache, too. >x manna Apparently, manna is supposed to be tasty. It looks sort of dull. Maybe it can be made into something cool. You don't know what. >tall cake All this preparing food means you don't talk a bit, and as a bonus, your talk-ache is gone. But now where to eat the cake? [Your score just went up by a point!] >n Apart from finding a way beyond the seedy sign, which you don't need to again, the keep doesn't have many twisty passages. Well, any. >e High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >e Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you north across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >n You and your eight companions make it across the water without incident. Store Mile Well, you're in a sort of shopping mall now. You can see a passage leading north. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you south across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >n Trees Mall This is a withered, run-down former mall that had the ceiling blow off. It's walled with pictures of large, but fake, trees. You can only go back SOUTH. A tree (tall) has grown here, thanks to you. It feels very welcoming. Your eight companions follow you. >treat all Well, that felt good. You trade more ideas while chatting. You think you have about everything figured out, now. [Your score just went up by a point!] >my corps This doesn't seem like the right place. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You may be able to call your companions MY CORPS now you've shared something together. >s Store Mile Well, you're in a sort of shopping mall now. You can see a passage leading north. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you south across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >my corps This doesn't seem like the right place. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >w You can only go back south to Lobe End or north to the rest of the mall. >s You and your eight companions make it across the water without incident. Low Bend The low bend (former lobe end) now bends from west to north, where you see water, too much to cross on foot. The We-Craft Weak Raft from the bay sale floats here, ready to take you north across the water and back, as many times as needed. Your eight companions follow you. >my corps This doesn't seem like the right place. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >w High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >my corps This doesn't seem like the right place. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >n Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and you found a low door in it that leads INSIDE. Your eight companions follow you. >my corps This doesn't seem like the right place. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >in Whee! 'Lone! You've managed to navigate negotiations and wind up with ... a shiny new flier! What more could you ask for? You can only go back OUT here. Your eight companions follow you. >out Wolf Rock A big rock in the shape of a wolf looms impressively, blocking all passages except back SOUTH. You can also go DOWN into the hideout you found. There's a huge pile of lode ore here, too, and you found a low door in it that leads INSIDE. Your eight companions follow you. >s High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >d Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. Your eight companions follow you. >d No tricky passages here, just UP back to safer ground or DOWN to your fate. >my corps You need to bring everyone together fully first. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >u High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >s Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. Your eight companions follow you. >warp on The war pawn stays still and even feels a bit cold. Perhaps there's nothing left that specifically needs doing here. >l Known Ocean It looks like there is an ocean, or some large body of water, and maybe some islands in the distance. They are too far to swim to. You can go back north to where you started. A formerly (thanks to you) sick squid trundles about in the water here. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the wan dwarf, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >s You can only go back NORTH or, if you know where you want to go, give the squid instructions where to go. >n High Plain Things have opened up a bit now, with the naff haze lifted. You feel less policed, too, and you found a path EAST. You got rid of the gross tar blocking your way NORTH. The shore trail you discovered leads SOUTH. A keep, iller, rises to the WEST, and you figured how to enter it. There's also a way DOWN that opened up once you found passages in all cardinal directions. Your eight companions follow you. >warp on The war pawn stays still and even feels a bit cold. Perhaps there's nothing left that specifically needs doing here. >d Worm-Eaten This place seems very run-down. But it feels homey and inspires camaraderie in an odd way. Your eight companions follow you. >warp on After some thought, the war pawn vibrates and explodes! You suddenly have insight into a good way forward: WERE MEETIN... You meet with the friends you've made over your adventure. You all have one goal in mind. And yet you don't have a rallying cry. Perhaps it can come from within you. We're Meetin'! [Your score just went up by a point!] >undo Worm-Eaten [Previous turn undone.] >we're meeting A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >we're meetin You meet with the friends you've made over your adventure. You all have one goal in mind. And yet you don't have a rallying cry. Perhaps it can come from within you. We're Meetin'! [Your score just went up by a point!] >my corps Your pep talk brings everyone together. They are ready for ... well, whatever is next. This feels like the right place. You clear out a passage below. You swear a solemn pact that everyone will defend everyone else, regardless of what happens. [Your score just went up by a point!] >d Doom Ending The gaunt raider wasn't joking around when they said they came from some place awful! You just hope your companions can help you enough here. A sea skull gloats evilly, with its back turned to you. Everyone whispers some variation of "We're stuck! Worst, UCK!" to each other. But surely there must be a way through. Your eight companions follow you. >do mending You'll have to dispose of the sea skull first. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >seek al That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >seas cull A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >cease cull You'll probably have to alert the sea skull to your presence at some time. You try to sound authoritative when you do so. And ... well, you get its attention. "DONE, OH?!?! DUH, NO!" it roars. It begins pouring out rivers of blood at you and your companions. But fortunately, you have so many, that by the time it gets to you, it is not so bad. Yet it's still depressing. You think back to advice you got at the beginning ... how it seemed slightly off. What to do? [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Doom Ending The gaunt raider wasn't joking around when they said they came from some place awful! You just hope your companions can help you enough here. A sea skull spews rivers of blood at you and your companions, but fortunately, with so many companions, the rivers aren't very deep. Still, you should do something about it. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the wan dwarf, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >wipeout That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >do mending You'll have to dispose of the sea skull first. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >x skull It looks upset you've disturbed its, err, work. >l Doom Ending The gaunt raider wasn't joking around when they said they came from some place awful! You just hope your companions can help you enough here. A sea skull spews rivers of blood at you and your companions, but fortunately, with so many companions, the rivers aren't very deep. Still, you should do something about it. The gaunt raider, the crude orc, the wan dwarf, the mensch elf, the mice (tall), the new troll, the rogue (old) and the gnome (old) wait here for what to do or where to go next. >wap on That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Why Pout has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >warp on After some thought, the war pawn vibrates and explodes! You suddenly have insight into a good way forward: WIPE OUT... Well that does it! It's a big long fight, but you all prevail! Things are a bit of a mess, though. You feel something odd come between you and your companions now you're done. They wonder why they need to do any more. You could call the whole zeitgeist a why-division. [Your score just went up by a point!] >undo Doom Ending [Previous turn undone.] >wipe out Well that does it! It's a big long fight, but you all prevail! Things are a bit of a mess, though. You feel something odd come between you and your companions now you're done. They wonder why they need to do any more. You could call the whole zeitgeist a why-division. [Your score just went up by a point!] >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right. You can think DO/DUE MEND now you've disposed of the sea skull. >do mend Yes. It's time to get healing. Your companions don't have as much time or energy to help as you hoped they would, but they do enough. Everyone feels better for their part in defeating the sea skull. And yet you worry it, or something like it, may be back sooner rather than later, and your companions have gone their separate ways for good. Still, you should be pleased with yourself. [Your score just went up by a point!] *** Gray day?! Grade A! *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? >