The transcript will be saved to the file.  Type SCRIPT OFF to discontinue
scripting.

<>> typo

  Typo correction enabled.

<>> x me

  You are Valkyrian of Vatterdelm, an eminent knight and warrior in your realm.
Eminent?  Let's not be modest: you're a flaming hero.  You've been commissioned
by the king of Dwindeldorn to make something – anything, really – of his son,
Prince Quisborne, known as the Feckless.  This task is not strictly knight
business, so horses and armor are left behind at home.  And not just those...
in fact, the only things you arrived at the castle with were your ember box and
the clothes on your back.
  You're dressed in a smart tunic and breeches, and sewn inside your waistband
is a small secret pocket.

<>> x pocket

  Sewn cleverly into the inside of your waistband is a very small secret
pocket.  One simply never knows when a mission might require covertly
possessing a small object.

<>> search pocket

  You don't have anything stashed in the secret pocket right now.

  [Just to be clear: 'search' and 'look in' are synonymous in this game.
'search' can be abbreviated to 'c', and 'look in' can be shortened to 'li'.
They should both do the same thing.]

<>> x tunic

  Well... you've got a tunic, breeches and boots.  But you won't really have to
talk about your basic apparel, unless you're putting something in your secret
pocket.

<>> x box

  Your ember box is a small metal container encased in thick leather, for
carrying around live coals with which to start fires.
  Not long before you reached Darchingcrast Castle, you had a little mishap
crossing a creek, and doused all your live embers.  Hence, the box currently
only contains some dead pieces of charcoal.  You really don't like to be
without a ready fire starter, but you figure you'll find a place to relight the
embers soon enough.

<>> i

  You're in possession of your ember box.

<>> l

 <> Before Castle Darchingcrast <>

  You're on a pleasant lawn with towering trees scattered about, in front of
the entrance to the charming castle of Darchingcrast.  The castle and its
surrounding lawns are spread over the top of a low ridge, which runs level
westward from the castle, while beginning to descend in all other directions.
The roofs of Darchingcrast can be discerned through the trees to the north, and
the road to and from the castle angles down the ridge to the northwest.  Some
finely clad guards are posted around the entrance to the east.

<>> x trees

  The trees nearest the castle have been de-limbed for a long way up, but still
cast shade from high up overhead.

<>> x lawn

  You're on a pleasant lawn with towering trees scattered about, in front of
the entrance to the charming castle of Darchingcrast.  The castle and its
surrounding lawns are spread over the top of a low ridge, which runs level
westward from the castle, while beginning to descend in all other directions.
The roofs of Darchingcrast can be discerned through the trees to the north, and
the road to and from the castle angles down the ridge to the northwest.  Some
finely clad guards are posted around the entrance to the east.

<>> x castle

  The castle of Darchingcrast is truly a tribute to the industry and
craftsmanship of the people of Dwindeldorn.  It is splendid, intricate, and
beautiful.  But King Phisbeer's impatiently awaiting you, so you'd best not
spend too much time gazing around.

<>> x darchi

  You can only get limited glimpses of the royal city from this side of the
castle.

<>> x road

  A level-surfaced road leads northwest down the side of the ridge.

<>> x ridge

  The ridge is simply the description of the landform on which the castle sits.
As such, the castle is elevated above the royal city to the north.  Otherwise,
the ridge isn't a focal point.

<>> x guards

  Guards, mostly for looks, stand athwart the entrance to the castle.  They've
seen you approach, of course, and give you welcoming looks.

<>> x entrance

  A wide open entrance, flanked by guards, leads to the inner courts and halls
of the castle.

<>> talk to guards

  You acknowledge the humanity of the guards by trying to make a little
friendly chit-chat.  They respond good-naturedly.

<>> in

        "Valkyrian!  High time you were here!"  King Phisbeer the Paranoid
rushes over to you, dispensing with any pretense of stateliness.  "Change of
priorities, man!  He's actually coming to the Festival!  Zendarc, my man...
Who'd have thought Lord Zendarc and his house would be attending the Festival,
when he has such hostile intentions against us?  But sink me if he and his
train aren't already on the road and headed here this very hour."
  Inwardly you observe a moment of gratitude that Phisbeer is not the type of
king to launch a preemptive strike on every neighbor that he suspects is
plotting to do him in.  The king continues: "You can wait on whatever plans you
had of larruping the hide off the young waif for his own good.  Yes, I was
going to make him miss out on the upcoming festivities and get started on his
training immediately, but instead I'd rather you escort the infuriating twit to
the Great Festival grounds, and spend the duration of the Festival trying to
get him into Zendarc's good graces.  We can't lose this opportunity."
  (1/4)

      "I myself won't be attending on account of my poor health and susceptible
constitution.  I might also be dead before you get back, so you'd better do
your job!  Once you've mollified Zendarc and diplomatically forestalled his
impending attacks, you can get on with thrashing the lily-livered
whippersnapper into the shape of a worthy king.  Make him work, make him do
without, make him understand the real world...  You'll know what to do!  You're
on your own now; that's what I hired you for.  Gadflies, man!  You're making my
eyeballs bleed!"
      These last two eruptions were directed at the king's jester, who had
never ceased to ply his trade since you came into the hall.  "Take your
imbecilic aperies out to the kennels, and see if the dogs can find you
amusing!"  He turns back to you without a pause, while the jester slinks away
like a chidden hound.  "My son gets no more aid or acknowledgment from the
castle – not one copper piece!  Just check back in with me after the Festival's
over before you head off together.  It should go without saying he won't be
going around with you in his royal garb.  And you may as well let people assume
he's your squire... he's not likely to be recognized by anyone once you leave
the precincts of Darchingcrast.  In fact, I hereby provisionally appoint him
your squire till the conclusion of this enterprise, so there you have it.  Once
you leave, I don't want to see the boy again until you've made a fit ruler of
him and ensured that the peace and safety of Dwindeldorn can continue on
uninterrupted!  I don't care if it takes a year!"
  (2/4)

      And with this the king strides abruptly away, after the manner of one who
has other suspicious servants whose dismissal needs prompt attention.  But a
moment later he reappears, saying in a moderated tone: "Valkyrian, there's
still hope for my boy, isn't there?"  Then he's gone.  No, wait, he's back
again...
      "I almost forgot!" he blusters.  "I need a little favor.  My gardener
Oogerstane was supposed to cart my rutabagas to the Festival for the judging,
but he begged leave to go off and help at his brother's place at the last
minute.  Said something about a goat and trying to preserve marital harmony, so
I let him.  Most of my other able-bodied lackeys are already down at the
festival grounds, busy with other tasks, and I need to make sure I get my
rutabagas entered in time.  Boddroy of Screnchbottom thinks *he* grows a prize
rutabaga – well!!!  My rutabagas wouldn't deign to pick their toenails with his
rutabagas!"  His snort of derision is audible in the next hall.  "The whelp
here can show you the way to where they are... it's just a short jaunt south of
here.  So, gather them up and get them to the Festival."  This time the king
exits the room without reappearing, dismissing the remainder of the courtiers
from the room as he does.
  (3/4)

      It isn't till now that you realize the prince already entered the room at
some point, and has been here waiting.  Phisbeer wasn't overstating the lad's
knack for not attracting notice.  You've seen the prince from a distance a time
or two before, but never really met him.  He's staring at you with an
expression you don't quite know how to decipher.  Is it piercing perspicacity?
Is it vapid inanity?  Maybe some odd kind of mixture?  Has Phisbeer even told
the prince yet what's in store for him?  Well, you're bound to make the
prince's acquaintance soon enough.

 <> Entrance of Castle Darchingcrast <>

  While the interior of the castle would be of great interest to you to survey
in detail and explore, this is not where your duties lie.  The way out is to
the west, and the prince is supposed to know where to go.  Better get a move
on!

  [Tip: you can refer to him as 'pq' to save yourself a little trouble.]

<>> x pq

  It's Prince Quisborne the Feckless, heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn.  The
boy strikes one as naïve, awkward, and a little vacuous, but he's not
altogether a bad-looking chap.  He's taller rather than shorter, lean but not
quite wiry.  His build, together with his somewhat childlike demeanor, makes
his age hard to place: he might be sixteen or he might be eighteen.
  He looks vaguely as if he's about to go somewhere.  Presumably outside.

  Prince Quisborne looks unused to keeping company with strangers and says
nothing, but merely stands in a ready posture, facing the way out.

<>> talk to pq

  "Hi."
  Well... it looks like the boy may require some warming up.  He's not very
verbose right out of the gate.

  [In this game, 'talk to [character]' mostly just translates to '[character],
hi'.  You will get farther trying to 'ask [character] about [something]', 'tell
[char] about [something]', 'give [object] to [char]', 'show [obj] to [char]',
or 'ask [char] for [obj]'.  See the instructions ('instr') for more.]

<>> a festival

  You should give the prince a little time.  He's clearly not socially gifted,
and probably isn't very inclined to talk till he's feeling more comfortable.

<>> w

   Once Prince Quisborne of Dwindeldorn sees that you are ready to leave, he
exits the castle, and you follow along.  After walking downward through the
pleasant and expansive castle grounds...

 <> Outskirts of Darchingcrast <>

  You are on the outskirts of Darchingcrast, royal city of Dwindeldorn, one of
the two great cities within the realm.  The stone and timber buildings, with
their ruddy or greenish tiled roofs, lie north and northeast of you at some
little distance, stopping short of where the castle grounds begin.  The placid
Gloskinfroke River flows through the city from somewhere in the east and is
flowing away into the hills southwest of you.  Darchingcrast Castle is to the
southeast, on a bluff looking down over the city, from whence you have just
descended.
  Marvelous as the city may be, it isn't likely to be the scene of any of your
forthcoming adventures.  The prince is too well known there, and your plans
involve him getting a taste of life as a commoner... a commoner that has to
really struggle for his bare necessities.  A road leads northwest, crossing
over the Gloskinfroke a short distance from here, and another road also leads
up the side of the ridge, but in a southwesterly direction.

  The prince begins ambling up the ridge towards the southwest, assuming you'll
follow him.

  Somewhere a bird is tweeting.

  [We make our apologies for these mundane interruptions.  If you are playing
this adventure with a dark screen background, you may find that the border
graphics look a little better with the command BORDERS LIGHT.  You may also
turn them off, if you find them distracting, with BORDERS OFF.

  Additionally, if you do not prefer the paragraph indentations and the extra
symbols around the location titles, or if you are using a screen reader, you
may use the TRADITIONAL command to toggle the formatting between the default
and the "standard" text adventure look.]

<>> l

 <> Outskirts of Darchingcrast <>

  You are on the outskirts of Darchingcrast, royal city of Dwindeldorn, one of
the two great cities within the realm.  The stone and timber buildings, with
their ruddy or greenish tiled roofs, lie north and northeast of you at some
little distance, stopping short of where the castle grounds begin.
Darchingcrast Castle is to the southeast, on a bluff looking down over the
city; a path leads up to it through park-like grounds.  A road leads northwest,
crossing over the Gloskinfroke a short distance from here, and another road
also leads up the side of the ridge, but in a southwesterly direction.

  The prince is here; whenever he sees you looking at him, he starts off
towards the southwest, expecting you will follow.

  Prince Quisborne looks unused to getting out of the castle, particularly
without a myriad of attendants about.  The new arrangement seems to suit him.

  A mosquito buzzes around your head for a moment and then disappears.

<>> sw

   The prince leads the way towards King Phisbeer's rutabagas.

  You travel the road up to the top of the ridge, which there bends to the
southwest, the road following it...

 <> Near a motte and bailey <>

  You're on the crest of a ridge, only a few furlongs from the royal city of
Darchingcrast.  The primary feature of the landscape to attract your attention
is an old motte and bailey, below you to the east, at the foot of the ridge.
The prince informs you that this site was in fact the royal castle of Dorn
Wharkmor, long ago before Darchingcrast was founded.  A track winds down
towards it.  The main road goes southwest towards Forthlong Hall, where the
Great Festival is being held a few miles distant, and northeast over the ridge
to the city.  The spires of Castle Darchingcrast are still in view.

  The prince, thus far of few words, points eastward and says, "That's where
we're going."  Then he starts to descend the ridge in that direction, checking
to see if you're coming.

  [A word about the "ways to go" listed in the status bar.  This list is *not*
guaranteed to be exhaustive: it is just a convenience for navigating around.
The directions listed there are either obvious travel routes, or less obvious
ways that you have traversed before.  During the course of the adventure you
will need to keep an eye out for areas that might be explorable, even if they
are not initially listed in the status as an obvious route of travel.]

<>> x motte

  A motte is a steep mound of earth, man-made, with a keep or fortress built on
top.  The bailey lies at its foot.  It looks like that might be where you are
headed.

  Prince Quisborne snatches a piece of grass and tries to make it squeak by
clamping it between his thumbs and blowing on it.  He has no clue how to do it.

<>> x bailey

  A bailey is like a miniature village at the foot of a motte, enclosed in a
protective wall of upright logs which also circles the keep.  At least, that is
what a bailey usually is: the palisade you see below isn't surrounding any
village at the bottom of the motte, just two small buildings set amongst
tended-looking grounds.

<>> x buildings

  A bailey is like a miniature village at the foot of a motte, enclosed in a
protective wall of upright logs which also circles the keep.  At least, that is
what a bailey usually is: the palisade you see below isn't surrounding any
village at the bottom of the motte, just two small buildings set amongst
tended-looking grounds.

  Prince Quisborne is technically trying to lead you eastward into the old
stronghold of Dorn Wharkmor, but seems quite preoccupied with finding
curiosities of nature along the road.

<>> l

 <> Near the motte and bailey <>

  You're atop a ridge, overlooking the old motte and bailey of Dorn Wharkmor to
the east.  A track runs down towards it from the ridgetop road.  The city of
Darchingcrast is to the northeast, and the road continues southwest.

  The prince is here, indicating that you need to go down the side of the ridge
with him.

  The prince, a bit phlegmatic when you first met him, seems to be getting
giddier and sprightlier with his exodus from the castle.

<>> e

   The prince leads the way towards King Phisbeer's rutabagas.

  You descend from the ridge, and enter the gate of the bailey, which stands
open...

 <> The bailey yard <>

  It's quite a cozy place inside the bailey... not much like it would have been
in its grim and utilitarian bygone days.  The only features here that may have
been original are a fishpond in the center, and a very old cottage situated
near the northern curve of the palisade.  There is an odd-looking little
building near the south curve of the wall whose walls are nearly all windows,
and whose curved-over roof is made up of a gridwork of square panes of glass.
  Trees of various shapes and sizes dot the whole yard inside the bailey, and
on the eastern bank of the pond one particularly grand cottonwood leans out
over the water.  To the east rises the old motte, with steps set in its slope,
and its keep sitting atop.  The palisades of the bailey yard close back in at
the motte and climb its sides to join the smaller palisade that encircles the
keep above.  Westward is the gate leading out.

  Prince Quisborne looks around.  "Well, this is where Oogerstane lives."  He
volunteers this much information, and then goes to poke around the bank of the
fishpond.  It looks like you're the leader from here on.  As such, you'll need
to find the rutabagas and get them transported to the Festival.

  You hear the deep croak of a bullfrog from somewhere along the pond bank.

<>> x pond

  In the past this would have been a food source for the keep-dwellers; now
it's just a picturesque little pond, doubtlessly fished upon occasion by
Oogerstane.  It spreads over about an acre of ground.  Tall cattails line much
of the bank, and one grand old tree grows near the pond's eastern edge.

<>> x tree

  Truly a magnificent specimen of treehood, the cottonwood towers high above
the pond, leaning out over it, and dominates the center of the bailey with its
wide-spreading branches.

  Now that you inspect it, you notice that someone has built a little treehouse
up on the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

<>> x treehouse

  The treehouse looks like little more than a haphazard platform built on the
limbs over the pond's edge, with a couple of excuses for railings.  Strangely,
the rope ladder is still hoisted up and only the tail end of it is still
hanging down from the treehouse, leading you to wonder if the last occupant's
exit from the treehouse was a sudden and unplanned one into the pond.

<>> x ladder

  It looks like the rope ladder would usually hang down to the ground right
near the water's edge, but is hoisted up whenever the master of the treehouse
wants to keep out invaders.

<>> pull ladder

  The rickety treehouse, ladder and all, is quite high up.

<>> l

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Someone has built a little treehouse up on the lower limbs of the grand old
tree.

  Quisborne is gazing around contentedly.

  Prince Quisborne finally speaks of his own volition: "Hey Valkyrian, did you
know a mammoth turd weighs ten pounds?"
  And with this scintillating dialogue, the princeling seems to have found his
ease in your presence.  Forthwith, he chatters freely and blithely, giving you
a running commentary of nearly everything in his thoughts or happening around
him.

<>> x cottage

  This would appear to be Oogerstane's dwelling place.  It is a humble but
happy-looking little stone cottage of one story, with a high, humped-up thatch
roof out of which a few circular dormer windows peep.  A good-sized tree
shelters the cottage from either side, and it looks like there's space to go
around the cottage, between it and the palisade wall.  A crooked chimney adorns
its western wall (although everyone in these modern times knows that a chimney
is much more effective at heating when built centrally inside of a house).  A
couple of windows look out the front, and a broad flat slab of stone has been
sunk in the ground in front of the door for a stoop.  The door is closed.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

<>> x pot

  It's a sturdy earthen pot filled with soil, in which is growing a flowering
scornumwort plant.

  In the course of your efforts to continue putting the prince at ease in your
presence, you put together a legitimately laugh-worthy phrase that tickles the
prince right in the funny bone.  You are amused to see that the harder the
prince "laughs," the less he actually laughs.  Instead, he merely starts
choking and crying inaudibly.
  "Ouch, it hurts!" he says, still gasping for breath.  "I never get to laugh
like that, that's amazing!  I guess for the most part, I just *don't* laugh.
Thanks, Valkyrian!"

<>> x plant

  Scornumwort is a remarkable plant, imported from the distant south.  The
stalk grows upward, self-supporting, in the shape of a coil spring.  Its
blossoms, which are each about the size of your fist, are comprised of petals
of differing colors: royal blue, pale orchid, and pastel peach.  Not surprising
that King Phisbeer's chief gardener should boast such a fine specimen – it's
really very pretty.

  The lad tries to peer in the windows of Oogerstane's cottage.

<>> x roof

  There's a lot of glass in this building.  It has a ripply texture, and
doesn't provide clear vision through it.  You can tell there's a lot of green
color in there though.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn admires the scornumwort plant.

<>> x chimney

  The crooked chimney adds character to the little cottage.  It just wouldn't
be right if it was perfectly straight and symmetrical.  It's made of clumpy
homemade bricks.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn pokes about in the cattails by the pond.

<>> l

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Someone has built a little treehouse up on the lower limbs of the grand old
tree.

  Nearby, Dwindeldorn's future king is ambling around.

<>> x glasshouse

  The building is rather a novelty; glass isn't an overabundant commodity among
the common folk.  Given King Phisbeer's fondness for his rutabagas and other
gardening efforts, he's built this "glasshouse" to grow his best plants in.
The building is shaped rather like a large treasure chest, with wooden ribs
going up, over and down every four feet, and almost all the intervening space
between being filled with square panes of glass in leaden mullions.
  In the north side there's a door, which is closed.

  The thatched roof of the cottage rustles a little bit in the breeze.

<>> x mullions

  The (relatively) soft lead is for mounting the glass panes in place across
the shorter spans: otherwise the frame is of wood.

  The youth is lost in his thoughts.

<>> x panes

  Which panes do you mean, the gridwork of glass panes, or the front windows of
the cottage?

< distinguish >> gridwork

  There's a lot of glass in this building.  It has a ripply texture, and
doesn't provide clear vision through it.  You can tell there's a lot of green
color in there though.

  The youth gazes into the pond to see if he can see any fish.

<>> x roof

  There's a lot of glass in this building.  It has a ripply texture, and
doesn't provide clear vision through it.  You can tell there's a lot of green
color in there though.

  Quisborne the Feckless picks cattails and throws them into the water.

<>> *"x roof" goes to the glasshouse instead of the cottage's thatched roof

  Comment recorded.

<>> l

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Someone has built a little treehouse up on the lower limbs of the grand old
tree.

  Quisborne is following you about, mostly distracted.

  A little minnow makes a ripple on the surface of the fishpond.

<>> x palisade

  The palisade is a wall, maybe ten feet high, of logs set upright into the
ground, each hewn to a point on top.  The wall completely encircles the bailey
and then climbs the sides of the motte up to the keep.  They used a special
variety of Dwindeldornian cedar to build it, which amazingly has lasted
hundreds of years even with ground contact.

  "So, I got wind from Pop that people are starting to add a title to my name
now.  I guess you've heard it...  I gather that that's one of the main reasons
you're here, and we're going off together.  What was it again?  Quisborne the
Frecklest?  The Frockless?  I forget.  Whatever it was, I don't think it was
anything to be proud of.  I guess I'd like to have a title I can be proud of."

<>> x motte

  The motte is a fairly steep man-made mound of earth, rising perhaps fifty
feet above the surrounding ground, on the top of which has been built a stone
fortress.  It must've taken months of work and hundreds of cartloads of earth
to build it.  The slopes of the motte outside the palisade (that is, the
northern, eastern, and southern) would have been kept bare in old times to
prevent any attackers from finding cover as they tried to approach, but now
they are well grown over with mature trees soaring above the palisade.  Inside
the palisade, the motte slope is mostly clear, and has steps sunk into its
surface leading up to the keep.

  Clouds float overhead.

<>> x fortress

  It's the keep for which the motte and bailey were built.  You might try to
get closer for a better look.

<>> l

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Someone has built a little treehouse up on the lower limbs of the grand old
tree.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn is standing around, muttering rhymes.

  Prince Quisborne is muttering to himself, and seems to be trying to find
words that rhyme with each other.

<>> x gates

  "Gates" is either:
 - Something you haven't come across yet
 - Something not necessary to your adventure
 - A phrasing we aren't equipped to handle
  (We can't tell you which, you know, because then you could enter in words
just to find out what kind of things you'll encounter in the future.)

<>> x bailey

  The bailey is the enclosed yard at the foot of the motte.  Originally it
would have been like a miniature village for the service of the inhabitants of
the keep, but now it's just an extra garden and storage site for King Phisbeer
and the residents of Darchingcrast.

  "So!" begins the prince.  "I guess we're going to be spending a lot of time
together.  That's great!  I like you just fine.  Pretty much all of my personal
attendants are... well, just really dull."

<>> a himself

  The prince is happy to tell you about everything on his mind.

<>> a festival

  "I had a lot of fun there four years ago!  I'm excited to go again.  There's
so much to do!  And so many people!  I hardly ever get to spend time with
people, other than a few of my personal attendants.  And," he says with a sigh,
"they're really rather dry."

<>> a father

  "Well, he's the only dad I've got.  Do I love him?  I'm sure I do...  Are we
really close?  I don't know.  Would I know that we were close if we really
*were* close?  He doesn't spend a lot of time with me... there's usually too
much to worry about.  I think maybe he worries too much?  But he says you can
never be too careful, and that it's good to have a healthy concern for things
that could go wrong.  I'm actually pretty excited to get away from the castle
and maybe do things that might have a little danger involved!"
  "But in the end, he's my dad, and I hope he can be proud of me."

<>> a mother

  "My mama's a good soul...  I love her."

<>> a family

What you're trying to ask about is either something you don't know about yet,
or else it's not a part of your adventure.

<>> a rutabagas

  "For all how close it is, I hardly ever come in the bailey, to be honest.
But I'm pretty sure the rutabagas would be in the glasshouse."

<>> x cottage

  This would appear to be Oogerstane's dwelling place.  It is a humble but
happy-looking little stone cottage of one story, with a high, humped-up thatch
roof out of which a few circular dormer windows peep.  A good-sized tree
shelters the cottage from either side, and it looks like there's space to go
around the cottage, between it and the palisade wall.  A crooked chimney adorns
its western wall (although everyone in these modern times knows that a chimney
is much more effective at heating when built centrally inside of a house).  A
couple of windows look out the front, and a broad flat slab of stone has been
sunk in the ground in front of the door for a stoop.  The door is closed.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  The prince seems to have just finished putting together a piece of poetry.
He begins reciting it aloud, although you can't tell whether this is for your
benefit or simply his own.

  "I tell you this tale of a cricket,
  Who came home one day with a wicket.
  But the cricket was sad,
  When he found that he had
  A wicket but no place to stick it."

  "I like rhyming," he says, evidently unconcerned about the significance of
the subject matter.

<>> x dormer

  The dormer windows make the house look very cute, and probably make the
garret area much more pleasant.

<>> x thatch

  The roof rises from the stone walls in a high mound with no very definite
shape.  It's thatched of straw.

<>> x slab

  The cottage stoop is a single chunk of stone, vaguely rectangular, about four
feet wide and two feet deep.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

<>> x cottage door

  The door is made of heavy wood planks all bolted to two crosspieces.
Oogerstane has carved himself some flowers and vegetables all over the door's
surface.  It is clear from the carving that gardening is his stronger suit.
The door's closed.

  As you muse on the prince's fecklessness – for indeed, he is not misnamed –
you wonder how much of it has been brought on by the atmosphere in which he was
brought up.  Yes, every man and woman must answer for his or her own character,
but King Phisbeer and his paranoia certainly wouldn't tend to instill strength,
integrity, or initiative as a natural byproduct in the son receiving his
influence.

<>> knock on cottage door

  Well, no one's stopping you from applying your knuckles to the cottage door,
but you already know that no one's (supposed to be) here besides you and Prince
Q.

  The prince is talking.  "So, do you have any pets, Valkyrian?  Well, of
course, you've got a horse... what a dumb question!  I just have Hamsterella.
She's a guinea pig.  But I thought she was a hamster when I first got her.  I
guess that's not all I have...  Pop's gotten me horses before, too, I've just
never ridden them.  And of course the grooms do all the taking care of, so I
don't really feel like the horses are especially mine.  I guess I should learn
how to ride a horse eventually."

<>> a hamstr

What you're trying to ask about is either something you don't know about yet,
or else it's not a part of your adventure.

  The cattails bend gently in the breeze.

<>> a hamste

  "Hamsterella lives in a little cage in my room.  Squipps told me he'd take
care of her while I was gone."

<>> t horse

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn listens as you talk about his horses.

  A large black and yellow beetle scrambles across the grass near you.

<>> t my horse

What you're trying to tell about is either something you don't know about yet,
or else it's not a part of your adventure.

<>> t me

  You give Prince Quisborne a more in-depth take on your history and your
proclivities than he could have picked up from his father or other hearsay.

<>> t pets

What you're trying to tell about is either something you don't know about yet,
or else it's not a part of your adventure.

<>> enter cottage

(first trying to open the door to the cottage)

  Oogerstane has locked the door behind him... maybe it was an oversight.
Hopefully he has a key hidden somewhere, or else this could get awkward.

  The prince is rambling to you.  "I'll bet you didn't know that a whale calf
drinks one hundred and thirty gallons of milk a day!  That was news to me too,
when I first learned it!"

<>> enter glasshouse

(first trying to open the glasshouse door)

  Unfortunately, things couldn't just be simple.  The glasshouse was left
locked, and it looks like it's up to your wits to find the key to it – or else
some other way in.  One look at the vacant-eyed prince assures you that he has
no knowledge on the subject.

<>> l

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Someone has built a little treehouse up on the lower limbs of the grand old
tree.

  Prince Quisborne the Feckless is roaming about in the neighborhood.

  Spending what little time you have spent so far with Prince Quisborne has
revealed the boy to be decidedly oversheltered.  He seems to have no peers, and
has been compelled into no education save for whatever desultory reading has
struck his fancy.  Moreover, he is the son of a paranoid king, and general
ideas like mingling and getting out are frowned upon as unnecessary risks.

<>> climb tree

  The limbs are too high to reach, even when jumping, and the tree bark is
surprisingly smooth, which precludes the possibility of shimmying up the trunk,
even if the huge girth of the trunk didn't already preclude it.

  "I have the same birthday as my guinea pig."
  That's all the prince has to say for the moment.

<>> *awww that's very cute though

  Comment recorded.

<>> n

(first trying to open the door to the cottage)

  Oogerstane has locked the door behind him... maybe it was an oversight.
Hopefully he has a key hidden somewhere, or else this could get awkward.

  The king-to-be looks quite content.

<>> l

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Someone has built a little treehouse up on the lower limbs of the grand old
tree.

  The lad is gazing around contentedly.

  You see the prince leaning out over the pond water and driveling some
doggerel:

  "O fish in the pond, oh what do you see?
  Do you see anything other than slimy algae?
  There're worms and there're crickets wherever you look,
  But you never know if they're hiding a hook.
  You swim 'round this pond like you're stuck in a dish –
  I hope that there's more to the life of a fish."

<>> x fish

  No fish are presently visible.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn looks like he's reveling in being out without any
ceremony.

<>> x pq

  It's Prince Quisborne the Feckless, heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn.  The
boy strikes one as naïve, awkward, and a little vacuous, but he's not
altogether a bad-looking chap.  He's taller rather than shorter, lean but not
quite wiry.  His build, together with his somewhat childlike demeanor, makes
his age hard to place: he might be sixteen or he might be eighteen.
  The prince is nominally helping you in the process of taking King Phisbeer's
rutabagas to the Festival.

<>> e

   You climb up the steps cut into the steep slope of the motte...

 <> On the motte <>

  Up here on the motte you are well above the bailey walls and can see the
countryside all around.  The keep stands right to the east, and there is a
small bit of flat ground in front of the large double doors, before the motte
starts sloping down to the bailey.  The palisade which circles the bailey has
climbed the motte from both the north and the south sides, and circles closely
around the keep.  The grass up here is mostly cropped short, but south of the
keep between it and the palisade there is a patch of taller grass.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  A wooden barrel sits in the grass off to the side of the path.

  A ferocious-looking dog is tethered to a ring in the keep wall, right beside
the double doors.  It's straining against its chain and barking wildly at you.

  The heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn is following you about, lost in his own
world.

  "Fizz-wolly jiggawompus!  I never knew Oogerstane's dog was so mean!"
exclaims the prince.  "I like to make up my own exclamations sometimes," he
adds.

<>> x keep

  You're right in front of the old keep here.  It is built of stone and mortar,
even though many motte castles of this period were wooden.  For about twenty
feet up from the ground there are no windows.  It isn't much for looking at,
although there are some details in the stonework higher up.  The palisade
climbs the motte and circles around near to the keep walls.  There's a large
double door in the keep's western wall, which is closed.

<>> x stonework

  You're right in front of the old keep here.  It is built of stone and mortar,
even though many motte castles of this period were wooden.  For about twenty
feet up from the ground there are no windows.  It isn't much for looking at,
although there are some details in the stonework higher up.  The palisade
climbs the motte and circles around near to the keep walls.  There's a large
double door in the keep's western wall, which is closed.

  Prince Quisborne is standing with his ears covered.

  Your ears are bombarded by the violent sound waves emanating from the vocal
cords of the ferocious-looking dog.

<>> x dog

  The dog is a large one, black and brown, with a wolfish look.  A leather
collar around its neck secures it by a chain to the keep wall just to the north
side of the doors.  The dog is fiercely jerking at its chain and snarling at
you.

<>> x chain

  You had better hope the ring and chain don't give way...

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn covers his ears from the dog's barking.

<>> l

 <> On the motte <>

  You're on top of the motte, with the keep right there to the east.  The grass
up here is mostly cropped short, but south of the keep between it and the
palisade there is a patch of taller grass.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  A wooden barrel sits in the grass off to the side of the path.

  A ferocious-looking dog is tethered to a ring in the keep wall, right beside
the double doors.  It's straining against its chain and barking wildly at you.

  Nearby, Quisborne is ambling around.

<>> e

  It is not likely that the dog's snarls and lunges are just his peculiar way
of showing affection.  If you travel that way, you can expect to be reduced to
shreds.

  "So, what are we actually going to do, Valkyrian?  You know... after the
Festival, I mean.  All I know is that I'm going somewhere with you and it could
be for quite awhile.  I just assume I'm going to learn stuff and work on
stuff."
  You don't tell him too much in advance.  He'd turn tail and run if he knew
what you had in store for him.

  The ferocious-looking dog yelps and barks away.

<>> x barrel

  It's a stout, tall wooden barrel with iron hoops on top and bottom to hold
all the staves together.  It hasn't been opened, but burned into the wood is
the label "SPHAGLAMITE."  Probably it's some rare mineral that King Phisbeer
keeps in store to boost the growth of his rutabagas and other garden plants.

<>> open barrel

  You try to open the barrel, but you don't try too hard because you're already
pretty sure you won't get anywhere without the proper tools.  Also, you
probably don't need any gardening minerals right now.

<>> l

 <> On the motte <>

  You're on top of the motte, with the keep right there to the east.  The grass
up here is mostly cropped short, but south of the keep between it and the
palisade there is a patch of taller grass.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  A wooden barrel sits in the grass off to the side of the path.

  A ferocious-looking dog is tethered to a ring in the keep wall, right beside
the double doors.  It's straining against its chain and barking wildly at you.

  The youth is roaming about in the neighborhood.

<>> x grass

  Looking more closely at the tall grass, you realize that it's growing up all
around a sunken door leading into the earth.
  "Oh yeah!" remembers the prince.  "I forgot there was an old cider cellar
here!"

  There's a good view of the surrounding countryside from up here.

  The ferocious-looking dog continues to act maniacally at a high decibel
level.

<>> x cellar

  There's a rectangular wooden door here amongst the tall grass, sunken into
the ground at an inclined angle.  The rough-sawn wood looks fresh, as if maybe
the door were replaced not so long ago.  It's shut.

  Prince Quisborne the Feckless cowers away from Oogerstane's dog.

<>> open cellar

  The sunken door swings open something like a tilted trap door.

  Dwindeldorn's future king drums on the sphaglamite barrel.

<>> d

  Do you want to go down the motte steps, or down to the sunken door in the
ground?

< distinguish >> sunken

   The cellar doors are south of the keep doors, partly down the side of the
motte.  Having descended to their level, you walk north to go through them,
entering into the hillside...

 <> A dark cellar <>

  It's too dark to see anything in here, other than the exit back out to the
south.

<>> smell

  Musty earth, cedar wood, and traces of vanished cider barrels... the smells
of the cellar.

<>> listen

  You hear nothing out of the ordinary.

<>> s

 <> On the motte <>

  You're on top of the motte, with the keep right there to the east.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  South of the keep doors, where the ground begins to fall away, a sunken door
is mostly obscured by the tall grass.

  A wooden barrel sits in the grass off to the side of the path.

  A ferocious-looking dog is tethered to a ring in the keep wall, right beside
the double doors.  It's straining against its chain and barking wildly at you.

  Dwindeldorn's future king is standing around, muttering rhymes.

  "I wonder if the dog only behaves like this towards strangers?" says the
prince.  "That thing is downright terrifying!"

<>> n

  The palisade is only a dozen or so paces away.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn is staying well away from the radius of the dog's
outstretched chain.

<>> push barrel

  You push the barrel a little bit.  You can either be happy with this result,
or perhaps try being a little more specific about where you're pushing the
barrel.

  The ferocious-looking dog continues to nearly blow your eardrums in with its
vociferations.

<>> push barrel e

  You walk directly into range of the slobbering-mad wolf-dog.  The amount of
shreds you are reduced to surpasses all expectations.

*** The wildly barking dog is in a far better humor for having satiated his
appetite with your flesh ***

  Ye may choose: UNDO the last move, RESTART to welcome screen, RESTORE a saved
position, or QUIT...

<>> undo

  Taking back one turn: “push barrel e”.

 <> On the motte <>

  You're on top of the motte, with the keep right there to the east.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  South of the keep doors, where the ground begins to fall away, a sunken door
is mostly obscured by the tall grass.

  A wooden barrel sits in the grass off to the side of the path.

  A ferocious-looking dog is tethered to a ring in the keep wall, right beside
the double doors.  It's straining against its chain and barking wildly at you.

  The future monarch of Dwindeldorn is following you about, but mostly
distracting himself with what's around him.

  Your ears are bombarded by the violent sound waves emanating from the vocal
cords of the ferocious-looking dog.

<>> push barrel n

  The palisade is only a dozen or so paces away.

  Prince Quisborne ventures just a tiny bit nearer to the dog than before.

<>> push barrel w

  You shove the barrel over, and it tumbles down the slope of the motte and
into the bailey yard, coming to rest right beside the grand old tree which
leans out over the fishpond.
  PQ looks on, saying that the barrel sure got a jolly ride down the hill.

  Glancing northwards, you can see the spires of castle Darchingcrast.

<>> x spires

  Your reference creates part of the setting around you, but isn't relevant to
the prince's future.

  Glancing northwards, you can see the spires of castle Darchingcrast.

  The ferocious-looking dog yelps and barks away.

<>> w

   You descend the steps down off the motte...

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the bailey yard, with the old cottage to the north, and a prominent
fishpond in the center.  There is an odd-looking little building near the south
curve of the wall whose walls are nearly all windows, and whose curved-over
roof is made up of a gridwork of square panes of glass.
  Trees of various shapes and sizes dot the whole yard inside the bailey, and
on the eastern bank of the pond one particularly grand cottonwood leans out
over the water.  To the east rises the old motte, with steps set in its slope,
and its keep sitting atop.  You know that the vicious-looking dog is also up
there at the foot of the keep wall.  The palisades of the bailey yard close
back in at the motte and climb its sides to join the smaller palisade that
encircles the keep above.  Westward is the gate leading out.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Someone has built a little treehouse up on the lower limbs of the grand old
tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  The feckless heir is roaming about in the neighborhood.

  The dog chained to the keep still sounds well-riled up on top of the motte.

  "An octopus will eat one of its arms while spending forty days guarding its
eggs!" the boy prattles.  "I don't know how I know so much neat stuff!"

  [Excuse our interjection, but we'd like to make you aware of a small matter.
Our custom is to give you a rather detailed description of your location the
first time you enter it, and a more condensed one subsequently.  We do plan to
reprint the full description occasionally thereafter, but if you ever wish to
call it up immediately, you can use the command 'full look' (or just 'fl' or
'll').  There is also an option to enter 'full descs' and toggle a mode in
which the full description is always printed.  We thank you for your time...]

<>> climb barrel

  First you set the barrel upright, then proceed to stand on it.  Prince
Quisborne looks enthusiastic to get up in the treehouse.

<>> l

 <> The bailey yard (standing on the barrel of sphaglamite) <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Someone has built a little treehouse up on the lower limbs of the grand old
tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill (and which you're now standing on) has
come to rest underneath the grand old tree.

  Nearby, the future monarch of Dwindeldorn is ambling around.

<>> x ladder

  It looks like the rope ladder would usually hang down to the ground right
near the water's edge, but is hoisted up whenever the master of the treehouse
wants to keep out invaders.

<>> take ladder

   Standing on the barrel, you are able to jump and grab the lowest limb.
Pulling yourself up, you clamber into the treehouse.  You throw a hand down for
the prince.

 <> In the treehouse <>

  You're up in the treehouse, a deck of about seven feet square spanning
between two large limbs.  The railings and the boards beneath your feet are
none too reassuring, but in the worst case, at least most of the treehouse is
above the pond water.  Sloppily whitewashed onto the great tree trunk are the
words "QUINKIE'S DOMAIN."  Most of your view consists of branches, leaves, and
the grass below.  The rope ladder is rolled up at one side of the treehouse.

  You see a stuffed animal, a toy wagon, and a pair of dice here.

  The king-to-be paces about the small deck.

  The prince seems to be getting a thrill out of doing something that his
father would undoubtedly decry as being unnecessarily risky.


*** Your score has just gone up by three points ***

<>> a quinkie

  "I don't know him.  Apparently he's Oogerstane's nephew."

  Squirrels rustle around somewhere overhead.

<>> a oogerstane

  "Oh, I like Oogerstane well enough!  He works hard, because my dad is always
changing his mind about what shrubs and flowers and trees should be planted
where."

  The pond ripples below you.

<>> x animial

  (x animal)
(You can use the TYPO command to disable the typo-correction feature.)


  This little object is a ragged animal made of once-fuzzy cloth, sewn up with
some soft stuffing.  You can't be sure, but it may be that it's supposed to be
a woodpecker.  At least, it has something that looks like a beak.  There's a
looped string coming out of the bottom of the creature.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn picks a leaf and lets it fall to the ground.

<>> x string

  The string looks a lot like it was meant to be pulled.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn looks higher up into the great tree.

<>> pull string

  How clever!  When you pull the string, the woodpecker emits a rapid knocking
noise while its head moves back and forth in a pecking motion.  There must be
some kind of gadgetry inside that pulls the string back while also spinning
something around to produce the knocking and the movement.

  A board groans ominously under your weight.

<>> l

 <> In the treehouse <>

  You're up in the treehouse, a deck of about seven feet square.  The railings
and the boards beneath your feet are none too reassuring, and whitewashed onto
the tree trunk are the words "QUINKIE'S DOMAIN."  The rope ladder is rolled up
at one side of the treehouse.

  You see the stuffed woodpecker, a toy wagon, and a pair of dice here.

  The young figurehead paces about the small deck.

  The prince is looking much peppier than when you first met him.

<>> x dice

  The dice are little polished cubes of blackwood, with the dimples painted
white and the corners rounded over.

  The prince tromps about the small deck.

<>> roll dice

(first taking the pair of dice)

  You roll a three and a two, then scoop up the dice again.

  The prince looks at the scrawlings on the tree trunk.

<>> x scrawlings

  The whitewashed words say: "QUINKIE'S DOMAIN"

  The youth hops, making the floorboards flex.

<>> x wagon

  It's a cute little replica of a covered wagon.  The painted wooden box has an
open front seat and solid wooden discs for wheels.  A stitched piece of canvas
bent over a frame encloses the little traveling "house" on the back of the
wagon.  At present, on the open front seat, the wagon is being driven by a dead
beetle and an acorn.

  The lad shakes the flimsy railings.

<>> x beetle

  It's the well-preserved remains of a large, yellow-and-black beetle.

  The leaves and branches of the great tree make a complete canopy between you
and the sky.

<>> x acorn

  What you have there is a little "nut" from a local oak tree.  Woodland
critters make their living off of these, and woodland children make toys of
them.

<>> x leaves

  The thick verdure of the grand old tree makes the treehouse feel quite like a
secret hideout.

<>> l

 <> In the treehouse <>

  You're up in the treehouse, a deck of about seven feet square.  The railings
and the boards beneath your feet are none too reassuring, and whitewashed onto
the tree trunk are the words "QUINKIE'S DOMAIN."  The rope ladder is rolled up
at one side of the treehouse.

  You see the stuffed woodpecker and the toy wagon here.

  Dwindeldorn's future king paces about the small deck.

  The youth hops, making the floorboards flex.

<>> take all

  You take the stuffed woodpecker and the toy wagon.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn looks higher up into the great tree.

<>> x wagon

  It's a cute little replica of a covered wagon.  The painted wooden box has an
open front seat and solid wooden discs for wheels.  A stitched piece of canvas
bent over a frame encloses the little traveling "house" on the back of the
wagon.  At present, on the open front seat, the wagon is being driven by the
dead beetle and the acorn.

  Dwindeldorn's future king plays around idly with the toy wagon.

<>> c wagon

  Well, well, it looks like the wagon is carrying the precious cargo of a small
pewter key!  Actually, it requires a closer look to verify that it is in fact a
key, much less that it's of pewter, given how caked it is with mud.

  The whole treehouse quakes when the wind shakes the tree.


*** Your score has just gone up by two points ***

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “c wagon”.

 <> In the treehouse <>

  You're up in the treehouse, a deck of about seven feet square.  The railings
and the boards beneath your feet are none too reassuring, and whitewashed onto
the tree trunk are the words "QUINKIE'S DOMAIN."  The rope ladder is rolled up
at one side of the treehouse.

  The royal youth paces about the small deck.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “x wagon”.

 <> In the treehouse <>

  You're up in the treehouse, a deck of about seven feet square.  The railings
and the boards beneath your feet are none too reassuring, and whitewashed onto
the tree trunk are the words "QUINKIE'S DOMAIN."  The rope ladder is rolled up
at one side of the treehouse.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn paces about the small deck.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “take all”.

 <> In the treehouse <>

  You're up in the treehouse, a deck of about seven feet square.  The railings
and the boards beneath your feet are none too reassuring, and whitewashed onto
the tree trunk are the words "QUINKIE'S DOMAIN."  The rope ladder is rolled up
at one side of the treehouse.

  You see the stuffed woodpecker and the toy wagon here.

  The feckless prince paces about the small deck.

<>> c wagon

  Well, well, it looks like the wagon is carrying the precious cargo of a small
pewter key!  Actually, it requires a closer look to verify that it is in fact a
key, much less that it's of pewter, given how caked it is with mud.


*** Your score has just gone up by two points ***

<>> take key

  You take the pewter key.

  In the course of some random conversings with the prince (which haven't
otherwise warranted any special remark), you've observed his store of life
knowledge to be singularly unbalanced.  In some areas he possesses detailed
information and tolerable insight, while in other, more commonplace respects,
he betrays surprising ignorance.  It's a strange byproduct of his having been
left to his own devices, in both education and discipline.

<>> light borders

  "Borders" could either be something as yet unknown to you or else a phrasing
unknown to us.

<>> x key

  It's a small key made of pewter.  It's caked with dried mud: it was probably
a treasure-digging shovel before it became covered-wagon cargo.

<>> x woodpecker

  This little object is a ragged animal made of once-fuzzy cloth, sewn up with
some soft stuffing.  You can't be sure, but it may be that it's supposed to be
a woodpecker.  At least, it has something that looks like a beak.  There's a
looped string coming out of the bottom of the creature.

<>> *should this description change now that i know it's a woodpecker?

  Comment recorded.

<>> pull sltring

  (pull string)

  Pulling the woodpecker's string yields the same knocking sound and pecking
motion as it did before.

<>> take woodpe

  You take the stuffed woodpecker.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn looks higher up into the great tree.

<>> l

 <> In the treehouse <>

  You're up in the treehouse, a deck of about seven feet square.  The railings
and the boards beneath your feet are none too reassuring, and whitewashed onto
the tree trunk are the words "QUINKIE'S DOMAIN."  The rope ladder is rolled up
at one side of the treehouse.

  You see the toy wagon here.

  The future monarch of Dwindeldorn paces about the small deck.

  The prince tromps about the small deck.

<>> push ladder

  You throw the rope ladder off the side, and it dangles down near to the
ground at the water's edge.

<>> x boards

  The floorboards look like they were salvaged from something else, something
which had already seen plenty of weathering before being repurposed as a
treehouse floor.  The planks flex under your weight, having no supports except
the limbs under each end.  On the treehouse deck is the toy wagon.

<>> x railings

  The railings (if we may be so generous) are barely more than thick sticks,
tied to a few other upright sticks at the corners of the deck.  They run around
the perimeter except for a gap at the corner nearest the tree trunk, where the
rope ladder is attached.

<>> d

   You descend the floppy rope ladder...

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Quinkie's treehouse sits aloft the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn is gazing around contentedly.

  The lad already seems to be the better for your company.

<>> s

(first trying to open the glasshouse door)

  The glasshouse door seems to be locked.

<>> n

(first trying to open the door to the cottage)

  Oogerstane has locked the door behind him... maybe it was an oversight.
Hopefully he has a key hidden somewhere, or else this could get awkward.

<>> unlock n door

  "N door" is either:
 - Something you haven't come across yet
 - Something not necessary to your adventure
 - A phrasing we aren't equipped to handle

<>> unlock cottage door

(with the pewter key)
  The key has hardened mud all over it; it won't go in the lock.

  The prince is using the rope ladder like a rope swing.

<>> rinse key in pond

  We must apologize for our lack of omniscience, but we are not able to process
the verb or verb phrase you're trying to use.

<>> put key in pond

  You put the pewter key into the water near the edge of the pond.

<>> take key

  You fish the pewter key out of the fishpond.

  Quisborne puts his face up to the ripply glass of the glasshouse.

<>> x key

  It's a small key made of pewter.  It's caked with dried mud: it was probably
a treasure-digging shovel before it became covered-wagon cargo.

  The pewter key is still damp from the wetting it received.

  Prince Quisborne pounds aimlessly on the palisade.

<>> clean key

  A fine idea.  Have you seen anything around that might be suitable to wash
the key off in?

  The future king of Dwindeldorn wanders out the bailey gate, but soon
reappears.

<>> wash key in pond

  You instruct Prince Quisborne to wash the mud-caked key off in the fishpond.
A minute later, you notice that the prince is still squatting at the water's
edge, gingerly holding the key between two fingertips and simply swishing it
around.  You are obliged to come over and show him that a person can actually
take their fingers and use them to rub all of the mud off, and even get the mud
off of their fingers afterwards, without suffering any detrimental effects.
  This seems to be a small revelation for the indulged prince, who follows
these new instructions and wipes the key dry.

  You hear the deep croak of a bullfrog from somewhere along the pond bank.


*** Your score has just gone up by one point ***

<>> unlock cottage

(with the pewter key)
  The pewter key doesn’t fit the lock.

  The king-to-be spins the rope ladder around.

<>> unlock glasshouse

(with the pewter key)
  Freed from the muddying effects of Quinkie's proprietorship, the key slides
smoothly in the lock and unlocks the door to the glasshouse.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn climbs around on the motte slopes.

<>> l

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Quinkie's treehouse sits aloft the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  The young figurehead is standing around, muttering rhymes.

  Prince Quisborne makes conversation.  "Did you know, sir?  Starfish have two
stomachs!  And their stomachs can be sort of barfed out to engulf small prey.
Animals are so neat!"

<>> s

(first opening the glasshouse door)

 <> The glasshouse <>

  It's warm and humid here inside the glasshouse, thanks to the brightly
shining sun.  The interior of the building looks much as you would have guessed
from the outside: glass filling in the spaces between wooden structural members
all around, and a "floor" of fertile tilled soil.  Along the side walls there
are some benches loaded with various kinds of potted plants.  The exit is to
the north.

  Dotting most of the ground area are the leafy green tops of King Phisbeer's
rutabagas.

  Nearby, Dwindeldorn's future king is ambling around.

  "Well, there they are," says the prince, as if he's been guiding you here all
along.  "I don't quite understand Pop's fascination with rutabagas, though."

<>> x rutaba

  All you can see of the rutabagas at the moment is their leafy green tops
dotting the ground.

  The youth looks over Oogerstane's potted plants; they'll probably end up on
the castle grounds somewhere.

<>> pick rutaba

  We would be thrilled to learn how one picks some rutabagas.

  Perspiration starts to form on your brow in the warmth of the glasshouse.

<>> pull rutaba

  Quisborne, possibly never told to do anything in his life before today, seems
almost startled to realize that he's expected to get down in the dirt and help
with pulling up the rutabagas.  Nonetheless, he seems nothing averse to it, and
you both set to work.  The soil is very soft and loose, and the rutabagas pull
up without any special tools.  There's quite a little heap when you're done.

  It did the prince some good to get his hands dirty, and to do the kind of
things that are always done for him.

  The outside world looks funny through the obscured and ripply glass of the
glasshouse.

<>> l

 <> The glasshouse <>

  It's warm and humid here inside the glasshouse, thanks to the brightly
shining sun.  The description of the interior can be summed up as glass filling
in the spaces between wooden structural members all around, and a "floor" of
fertile tilled soil.  Along the side walls there are some benches loaded with
various kinds of potted plants.  The exit is to the north.

  You see the rutabagas here.

  The youth is roaming about.

  The smell of the rich earth is invigorating.

<>> smell

  The soil has the pleasant smell that comes of being nutrient rich and ready
to bear many flourishing crops.

  The prince looks out through the glass.

<>> x soil

  At a glance you can tell that the king's gardener Oogerstane has done a
first-rate job of cultivating the soil inside this special house.  The soil is
nearly black, splendidly soft, and finely grained.  On the soil are the
rutabagas.

<>> x benches

  The benches are loaded with pots of Oogerstane's plants and flowers.

<>> x pots

  The various flowers and plants growing in the pots owe their herbaceous lives
to the tender care of Oogerstane.  There are abundant shapes, sizes, and colors
among the plants.

  Quisborne idly sifts through the rutabagas.

<>> c pots

  The various flowers and plants growing in the pots owe their herbaceous lives
to the tender care of Oogerstane.  There are abundant shapes, sizes, and colors
among the plants.

  The future monarch of Dwindeldorn stops to smell the roses.

<>> l

 <> The glasshouse <>

  It's warm and humid here inside the glasshouse, thanks to the brightly
shining sun.  The description of the interior can be summed up as glass filling
in the spaces between wooden structural members all around, and a "floor" of
fertile tilled soil.  Along the side walls there are some benches loaded with
various kinds of potted plants.  The exit is to the north.

  You see the rutabagas here.

  The prince is gazing around contentedly.

  A little drop of condensation falls from the glass.

<>> x rutaba

  These are the rutabagas that King Phisbeer hopes to win a prize with at the
Festival.  You don't know what a prize rutabaga looks like, but they look all
right to you.  Rutabagas are a cross between a cabbage and a turnip, with
edible root and leaves.

  The youth gives the woodpecker's string a pull.

<>> take rutaba

  Now that the rutabagas are ready to go, Prince Quisborne addresses the
obvious question.  "Hey, uh... what do we do with all these things?  I doubt
you could carry them all, and we have to get to the Festival."  (He's still not
used to thinking in terms of participating in the manual work... but even if
you both had your arms full you couldn't get the whole load.)

  The outside world looks funny through the obscured and ripply glass of the
glasshouse.

<>> l

 <> The glasshouse <>

  It's warm and humid here inside the glasshouse, thanks to the brightly
shining sun.  The description of the interior can be summed up as glass filling
in the spaces between wooden structural members all around, and a "floor" of
fertile tilled soil.  Along the side walls there are some benches loaded with
various kinds of potted plants.  The exit is to the north.

  You see the rutabagas here.

  The king-to-be is following you about, mostly distracted.

<>> x glass

  The building is rather a novelty; glass isn't an overabundant commodity among
the common folk.  Given King Phisbeer's fondness for his rutabagas and other
gardening efforts, he's built this "glasshouse" to grow his best plants in.
The building is shaped rather like a large treasure chest, with wooden ribs
going up, over and down every four feet, and almost all the intervening space
between being filled with square panes of glass in leaden mullions.
  In the north side there's a door, which is open.

<>> x wood

  The wooden ribs each stand up about six feet upright and then curve over the
top in a barrel vault, making the building as a whole look like a see-through
treasure chest.

<>> n

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Quinkie's treehouse sits aloft the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  The youth is standing around, muttering rhymes.

  The heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn pushes fruitlessly on the cottage door.

<>> lb cottage

  You go around the cottage.  There's a stack of firewood there, but a search
satisfies you that Oogerstane didn't hide the key to his cottage in it, so you
come back around to the bailey yard.

  The lad puts his tongue to the scornumwort petals, and then jerks away,
spitting furiously.  "Fizz-honking horse gizzards!  That doesn't taste nearly
as good as it smells!"

<>> x plant

  Scornumwort is a remarkable plant, imported from the distant south.  The
stalk grows upward, self-supporting, in the shape of a coil spring.  Its
blossoms, which are each about the size of your fist, are comprised of petals
of differing colors: royal blue, pale orchid, and pastel peach.  Not surprising
that King Phisbeer's chief gardener should boast such a fine specimen – it's
really very pretty.

  The youth is feeling the chimney for loose bricks, looking for a key to the
cottage.

<>> e

   You climb up the steps cut into the steep slope of the motte...

 <> On the motte <>

  You're on top of the motte, with the keep right there to the east.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  South of the keep doors, where the ground begins to fall away, a sunken door
is mostly obscured by the tall grass.

  A ferocious-looking dog is tethered to a ring in the keep wall, right beside
the double doors.  It's straining against its chain and barking wildly at you.

  The youth is following you about, but mostly distracting himself with what's
around him.

<>> give woodpecker to dog

  You toss the stuffed woodpecker towards the wildly barking dog, but the dog's
eyes barely avert in the direction of your offering before the violent barking
and straining recommence.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “give woodpecker to dog”.

 <> On the motte <>

  You're on top of the motte, with the keep right there to the east.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  South of the keep doors, where the ground begins to fall away, a sunken door
is mostly obscured by the tall grass.

  A ferocious-looking dog is tethered to a ring in the keep wall, right beside
the double doors.  It's straining against its chain and barking wildly at you.

  Nearby, Quisborne is ambling around.

  The ferocious-looking dog continues to act maniacally at a high decibel
level.

<>> x box

  Your ember box is a small metal container encased in thick leather, for
carrying around live coals with which to start fires.  It currently contains
some unlit pieces of charcoal.

  The heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn tromps around in the tall grass.

<>> d

  Do you want to go down the motte steps, or down to the sunken door in the
ground?

< distinguish >> steps

   You descend the steps down off the motte...

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Quinkie's treehouse sits aloft the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  Prince Quisborne the Feckless is standing around, muttering rhymes.

  You can hear the dog on top of the motte, still worked into a frenzy.

<>> c pot

  The pot contains Oogerstane's prized scornumwort plant.

<>> x cottage

  This would appear to be Oogerstane's dwelling place.  It is a humble but
happy-looking little stone cottage of one story, with a high, humped-up thatch
roof out of which a few circular dormer windows peep.  A good-sized tree
shelters the cottage from either side, and it looks like there's space to go
around the cottage, between it and the palisade wall.  A crooked chimney adorns
its western wall (although everyone in these modern times knows that a chimney
is much more effective at heating when built centrally inside of a house).  A
couple of windows look out the front, and a broad flat slab of stone has been
sunk in the ground in front of the door for a stoop.  The door is closed.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Quisborne the Feckless sidles around the bailey yard.

  The barking from the top of the motte starts to diminish in fury, though it
continues.

<>> x slab

  The cottage stoop is a single chunk of stone, vaguely rectangular, about four
feet wide and two feet deep.

  Sitting on the stoop of Oogerstane's cottage is a sturdy earthen pot filled
with soil, in which is growing a flowering scornumwort plant.

  Dwindeldorn's future king rolls the dice.  "Two fives!" he says.

<>> lu pot

  Looking underneath the pot, you discover an iron key!  Not a very imaginative
hiding place on the part of Oogerstane, but then, in this part of the country
locks and keys are mostly a formality anyway.

  The dog chained to the keep occasionally lets out an isolated bark as if just
to reaffirm to the world its disdain for your recent visit.


*** Your score has just gone up by one point ***

<>> x iron

(the iron key)
  It's a hefty old iron key.  You've always liked those big clunky ones.

<>> unlock cottage

(with the pewter key)
  The pewter key doesn’t fit the lock.

  Prince Quisborne pulls up on the scornumwort and lets it go, making it
*boing*.

<>> unlock cottage with iron

(first taking the iron key)

  You pull the key out from under the pot.

  The big key slides into the keyhole, and turns an inner bolt with a *clack*,
unlocking the door.

  Quisborne dangles his fingers in the pond water.

  The dog chained to the keep hasn't quite completely ceased making
disapproving noises.

<>> open door

  The heavy carved door swings inward into the cottage.

  The prince traces a finger in the carvings on Oogerstane's front door.

<>> n

 <> Oogerstane's cottage <>

  You've entered the humble dwelling of Oogerstane, King Phisbeer's chief
gardener.  The place has the kind of look that is often associated with
bachelorhood... it's a pretty good guess that Oogerstane possesses that status.
The whole house is just one room, and the floor is of hard-packed earth.  Above
you the roof rafters are exposed, giving the house a spacious feel.  The
western wall is mostly occupied by a fireplace, while a bed adorns the eastern
end.  Along the back wall is a large larder, flanked by sundry shelves of
crocks and jars.  Curtained windows look out to the south, between which stands
the open door.

  In the center of the room stands a heavy oak wood table.  On the oak wood
table is a sheet of paper.

  A chair sits by the table.

  The boy is gazing around contentedly.

<>> x paper

  The sheet of paper on the table is coarse and yellowish.  It looks like
Oogerstane was in the middle of writing to someone.

<>> read paper

  The letter reads:

  "Deare Sister:
    I hope your Sojourne in Vatterdelm is going well.  Do
  not worrie: Quinkie is havynge a graund Tyme with his
  Uncle Oog and doesn't misse Mamma too terriblie much.
  Wee have bilt a Tree-House and everythynge.  Quinkie
  is a goode Boy only he loveth to runn off with my Keyes!
  Yesterday I could not gett into the Glass-House for the
  longest Tyme because the yong Knave was hidynge with the
  Keye.  I tolde himm 'Ye had best leave my Keyes be lest I
  cloutt ye on the Pate.'  He is proude of the Fysh hee
  cought last Weeke and hath beene tryeing to help in the
  Gaurdenes.  Kynge Phisbeer mayde me uproot the Wragmolias
  I juste planted in his balconie Planteres because hee
  was afrayd there w"

  That's all he's written so far.  You feel a little bad for having to read
someone else's correspondence, but then, you really do need to figure out how
to get the rutabagas to the Festival in short order.

<>> x table

  The table is so nicked, dinged and discolored that you wonder if it has been
here as long as the house itself.  Nonetheless, it looks as sturdy as ever.
The top is made of thick planks so shrunken in width that you might lose a
spoon through the cracks.  The surface, while probably never waxed or finished
in all of history, gives every impression of having been waxed by virtue of the
generations of hand grease, food residue, and scrub water that have permeated
it.  On the oak wood table is the half-written letter.

  The heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn opens the lid to a jar and peeks
inside.

<>> x chair

  A person might be able to sit upon such a device as this.  It's just a crude
low-back chair: stubby legs bored through a thick seat plank, with a curving
backpiece supported by short shaven spindles that would rise no higher than the
small of a seated person's back.  The seat is also quite low to the ground.

  The king-to-be crouches down and looks under the bed.

<>> l

 <> Oogerstane's cottage <>

  You're in Oogerstane the gardener's humble dwelling.  The roof rafters are
exposed, and the western wall is mostly occupied by the fireplace, while a bed
adorns the eastern end.  Along the back wall is a large larder, flanked with
shelves.  Curtained windows look out to the south, between which stands the
open door.

  In the center of the room stands a heavy oak wood table.  On the oak wood
table is the half-written letter.

  A chair sits by the table.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn is roaming about.

  The lad rolls the dice, and gets two fours.

<>> x bed

  His bed is a typical rope-woven affair supporting a stuffed mattress and
disheveled bedding.  How cute: there's also some child-sized bedding on the
bed, a pillow and blankie, next to his.

<>> x bedding

  There's a little child-sized blankie next to Oogerstane's.  The blanket must
have been sent along with the boy by his mother... it looks to be made with too
much care to be one of Oogerstane's possessions.

<>> x rope

  His bed is a typical rope-woven affair supporting a stuffed mattress and
disheveled bedding.  There's also some child-sized bedding on the bed, a pillow
and blankie, next to his.

  The youth hangs from a ceiling beam.

<>> x rafters

  There are beams crossing the cottage horizontally at ceiling level, but there
is no attic floor: you can see right up through the skeleton of blackened
rafters and braces to the underside of the thatching.

  Quisborne the Feckless swings the fireplace crane back and forth.

<>> x fireplace

  While the chimney outside is of brick, the fireplace itself is of stone.
It's been swept out since the last fire was made.  It is wide and deep, built
long before folk started realizing they could stay warmer if the back walls of
fireplaces were built at angles and were made as shallow as they could manage
without becoming smoky.  There's an iron crane set in the mortar of one side
for swinging pots over or off of the fire.

<>> x crane

  It's just a pivoting iron arm with a diagonal brace, for hanging kettles and
pots on when there's a fire going.  The crane is swung into the fireplace.

  The young figurehead throws open the curtains of the windows and lets more
light into the room.

<>> c fireplace

  The fireplace is a large cavity in the wall, with an iron pot crane
permanently mounted on the north side.

<>> l

 <> Oogerstane's cottage <>

  You're in Oogerstane the gardener's humble dwelling.  The roof rafters are
exposed, and the western wall is mostly occupied by the fireplace, while a bed
adorns the eastern end.  Along the back wall is a large larder, flanked with
shelves.  Curtained windows look out to the south, between which stands the
open door.

  In the center of the room stands a heavy oak wood table.  On the oak wood
table is the half-written letter.

  A chair sits by the table.

  The heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn is gazing around contentedly.

  The young figurehead surveys the scratched-up tabletop.

<>> x larder

  The larder is quite a bulky, imposing piece of furniture, with a single wide
door running the whole height of it.  It’s closed.

<>> open larder

  You swing open the cupboard door.  The larder is shockingly bare: in fact,
the only thing in it besides a very small collection of dishware is a wooden
platter bearing a few food remains.  Oogerstane probably just shoved it in here
before hurrying off to help at his brother's.  His last meal is represented by
a remnant of cheese, a mostly eaten drumstick, and the leftovers of a hardtack
biscuit.

<>> x dishware

  The humble dishware really shouldn't be capturing your attention.

  Quisborne the Feckless peers up the chimney.

<>> x platter

  Oogerstane's platter is essentially a short plank of wood with rounded
corners, scraped out in the center to form a lipped depression, and rubbed with
wax.  This the everyday plate for lots of folk.  It's a little messy from the
food that's been on it.  It's bearing a remnant of cheese, a hardtack biscuit,
and a mostly eaten drumstick.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn sits on the bed, then gets up again.

<>> *typo: "This the everyday"

  Comment recorded.

<>> x cheese

  The prince explains that the cheese remnant is that of a Chelkwibble Green:
the town of Chelkwibble is famous over all of Dwindeldorn for its cheese-making
prowess.  Its color is a rather unappetizing greenish shade.

<>> x biscuit

  It's barely more than a crust of what was a thick square cracker of spelt
flour, extremely hard and dry.

<>> x drumstick

  Mmmm... a cold, stale, mostly eaten drumstick.

  The prince looks out the window.

<>> take food

  "Food" could either be something as yet unknown to you or else a phrasing
unknown to us.

<>> take cheese

  You take the remnant of cheese.

  The king-to-be pokes around.

<>> take drumstick

  You take the mostly eaten drumstick.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn looks like he's reveling in being out without any
ceremony.

<>> take biscuit

  You take the hardtack biscuit.

  The prince, almost without being conscious of what he's doing, munches away
the last of the hardtack biscuit.

<>> l

 <> Oogerstane's cottage <>

  You're in Oogerstane the gardener's humble dwelling.  The roof rafters are
exposed, and the western wall is mostly occupied by the fireplace, while a bed
adorns the eastern end.  Along the back wall is a large larder, flanked with
shelves.  Curtained windows look out to the south, between which stands the
open door.

  In the center of the room stands a heavy oak wood table.  On the oak wood
table is the half-written letter.

  A chair sits by the table.

  In the larder is the wooden platter, besides a small amount of dishware.

  The young figurehead is following you about, lost in his own world.

  All is still and quiet.

<>> close larder

  You close the cupboard.

<>> out

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Oogerstane's scornumwort sits in a pot on the cottage stoop.

  Quinkie's treehouse sits aloft the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  The boy is roaming about in the neighborhood.

  Prince Quisborne takes the dried morsel of cheese and tosses it into the
pond, watching as some small fish come and nibble it away.

<>> e

   You climb up the steps cut into the steep slope of the motte...

 <> On the motte <>

  Up here on the motte you are well above the bailey walls and can see the
countryside all around.  The keep stands right to the east, and there is a
small bit of flat ground in front of the large double doors, before the motte
starts sloping down to the bailey.  The palisade which circles the bailey has
climbed the motte from both the north and the south sides, and circles closely
around the keep.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  South of the keep doors, where the ground begins to fall away, a sunken door
is mostly obscured by the tall grass.

  A ferocious-looking dog is tethered to a ring in the keep wall, right beside
the double doors.  It's straining against its chain and barking wildly at you.

  Nearby, the royal youth is ambling around.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn hops from one motte step to another.

<>> give drumstick to dog

  You fling the half-eaten drumstick to the wildly barking dog, who snaps at it
hungrily.  Then, as if realizing what a prize it is now holding in its mouth,
it circles around, plops in the grass several paces away from the doors, and
squints contentedly as it begins to gnaw away on the drumstick.  The prince
casts a sideways look at you as if to say, "Are we sure that it's safe now?"


*** Your score has just gone up by two points ***

<>> e

  The keep doors are presently situated in the closed position, effectively
blocking your passage.

  The king-to-be looks quite content.

<>> open door

  The sunken door is already open.

  A surprisingly mild and contented demeanor seems to have taken possession of
the large wolfish dog since it received the drumstick.

  The boy wanders around the top of the motte.

<>> open doors

  You push open the big doors to the old keep.

  The large wolfish dog is happily enjoying the meal it received at your hands.

<>> e

   The large wolfish dog, gnawing happily on a drumstick bone, manifests no
special concern as you walk through the doorway to the keep.

 <> The keep of Dorn Wharkmor <>

  It doesn't turn out to be as interesting in here as you'd thought it might.
The whole lower level of the keep looks like a catch-all for either gardening
supplies or junk they didn't want to store at the castle.  Barrels of lime or
peat, sacks of seed, fertilizing minerals, old plows, and crude machinery...
Also making incongruous appearances amongst the storage are the collections of
birdcages and marionettes belonging to the king's old father, the late King
Chinfostle the Infantile.  Apparently Phisbeer didn't have the heart to dispose
of them entirely and stuck them out here, out of the way.
  The old living quarters of the keep would have been upstairs, but it's
doubtful you'll ever see them, given how much junk has been piled in front of
and onto the staircase.  There's an iron sconce mounted to the eastern wall, on
which is a tin lantern.  The double doors leading out to the west are the only
way to go anywhere.

  The royal youth is standing around, muttering rhymes.

  "Wow," says the prince.  "It's actually been quite a few years since I've
been in here."

<>> x sconce

  There's an iron sconce mounted to the eastern wall, on which is a tin
lantern.

  The youth is lost in his thoughts.

<>> x lantern

  You aren't able to reach the lantern as of yet, but it appears that it was
left lit.

  You hear nibbling noises from the vicinity of the marionette collections.

<>> takke lantern

  (take lantern)

  It looks like a stack of miscellanea has toppled over in front of the sconce
since the lantern was last left on it.  Your way to it is blocked by a manure
spreader, a barrel of crushed clamshells, and a large bird cage, among other
things.

  Prince Quisborne starts to pull out a random birdcage, but a tower of other
cages that were leaning on it starts to totter, so he gives the cage a kick to
shove it quickly back in place.

<>> x cage

(the large bird cage)
  This particular cage is a large one, about as tall as you are.  There must've
been something large in there like a falcon.  The caging is made of wrought
iron, fashioned in a unique and intricate tracery pattern.  It’s closed.

<>> open cage

  You open the large bird cage.

<>> c cage

(the large bird cage)
  It's completely empty.

  You hear a slight shifting noise that makes you leery of an impending cascade
of barrels and paraphernalia.

<>> take cage

(the large bird cage)
  If you're thinking of putting rutabagas in here, let's just hope you can find
something much more sensible for transporting a load a couple of miles down the
road.  But if you're just trying to get to the lantern, it should be manageable
to get this out of the way.

  The feckless prince digs up a thespian and a gypsy from amongst the
marionettes, and makes them act out a little drama.

<>> push cage

(the large bird cage)
  Well, the Prince of Dwindeldorn is scheduled for a long regimen of toughening
up, so you might as well let his hands be two of the first members to
participate in that toughening.  You assign him to the task of moving the large
bird cage aside.  He exhibits some displeasure over having to strain his
muscles so hard, but, in the end, the large bird cage is moved out of the way.

  Mice run rife through the stacked junk.  You think Oogerstane might consider
trading his dog for a cat.

<>> l

 <> The keep of Dorn Wharkmor <>

  The whole lower level of the keep acts a catch-all for gardening supplies or
junk, including the late king's collections of birdcages and marionettes.  A
staircase goes up on the north side of the room, but it's too blocked by junk
to be used.  There's an iron sconce mounted to the eastern wall, on which is
the tin lantern.  The double doors leading out to the west are the only way to
go anywhere.

  A stack of miscellaneous junk blocks your way to the sconce: namely, a manure
spreader and a barrel of crushed clamshells.

  The youth is roaming about.

<>> x manure

  It is, or at least was, a two-wheeled cart meant to be pulled by a team.  The
rotating of the wheels is meant to spin some moving parts in the cart,
distributing manure evenly as it is drawn over a field.  The wheels are broken,
though, which is probably why it's in here instead of out in a field.

<>> push manure

  Now you point to the manure spreader, indicating that the prince perform the
moving business again.  He manifests some distress over having to break a
sweat, but, in the end, the manure spreader is moved out of the way.

<>> x clamshells

  The assumption here is that crushed clamshells are a good thing to mix into
the soil when you're trying to grow healthy plants.

<>> push clamshells

  Now you point to the barrel of crushed clamshells, indicating that the prince
perform the moving business again.  He betrays some dismay over having to face
another task, but, in the end, the barrel of crushed clamshells is moved out of
the way.

  The prince may not know it yet, but he's a little bit better off for having
done some work.

  You could probably reach the sconce now, thanks to the junk having been moved
by the hands of His Royal Highness the Prince of Dwindeldorn, known as
Quisborne the Feckless.

<>> take lantern

  You have Prince Quisborne grab the lantern off the sconce.  Good!  Light for
the cellar.

<>> l

 <> The keep of Dorn Wharkmor <>

  The whole lower level of the keep acts a catch-all for gardening supplies or
junk, including the late king's collections of birdcages and marionettes.  A
staircase goes up on the north side of the room, but it's too blocked by junk
to be used.  There's an iron sconce mounted to the eastern wall.  The double
doors leading out to the west are the only way to go anywhere.

  The lad is following you about, but mostly distracting himself with what's
around him.

<>> x marionettes

  Before now you may have never guessed that so many marionettes had been made
in the whole world.  You half-wonder if any marionettes were left for the
children in the days of Chinfostle's collecting mania.  There's a
representative of just about every conceivable type of person or character
here, in marionette form.

<>> x staircase

  You don't so much see stairs as junk rising in the shape of a staircase
through the ceiling.

  "The giraffe," lectures the prince, "cleans its own nose out with its
eighteen-inch-long tongue."

<>> x birdcages

  The bird cages piled up in this room are bewildering both in number and
variety... old King Chinfostle the Infantile spent a great deal more of his
time in pursuits such as collecting these than doing useful things for his
subjects.  He must have really gotten around though... the cages look like
they've come from all parts of the known world.  The sizes vary greatly; some
are wire, some splint, some cane, some iron, and that's just of the ones you
can see...

<>> w

 <> On the motte <>

  You're on top of the motte, with the keep right there to the east.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  South of the keep doors, where the ground begins to fall away, a sunken door
is mostly obscured by the tall grass.

  The large wolfish dog is chained here and is, if not sleeping, at least lying
still with its eyes closed.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn is standing around, muttering rhymes.

  The large wolfish dog lurches out of sleep suddenly to attend to a
particularly urgent itch.

  Quisborne walks down by the cellar door.

<>> *haha such a dog thing

  Comment recorded.

<>> s

   The cellar doors are south of the keep doors, partly down the side of the
motte.  Having descended to their level, you walk north to go through them,
entering into the hillside...

 <> Cider cellar <>

  You are inside of what used to be the cider cellar of the keep.  The walls
are of stone, low and damp.  A sturdy ridge beam runs the length of the cellar;
on either side of it the ceiling is made by cedar poles which were laid tight
together with their high ends resting on the beam and their lower ends on the
stone.
  While it's certainly not the cider cellar for the uninhabited keep any more,
you could guess that the gardener Oogerstane might still use it in that
capacity.  Just a guess though, as there isn't any cider in here presently –
not even an empty barrel.  Prime cider-making season is just around the corner,
so it probably won't be long before this dugout is back to doing service.  For
now, there's very little of anything here: the dirt floor is mostly bare, and a
few protruding shelf stones on the back wall are empty.  You can go back out
the door to the south.

  A solitary wheelbarrow leans against the damp wall.

  The Prince of Dwindeldorn has come into the cellar with you.


*** Your score has just gone up by one point ***

<>> x shelf

  These shelves on the back wall possibly held crocks of vinegar or something
like that, while casks and barrels would have been stacked to the ceiling along
either side wall.

<>> x stone

  These shelves on the back wall possibly held crocks of vinegar or something
like that, while casks and barrels would have been stacked to the ceiling along
either side wall.

  The feckless heir inspects the wheelbarrow.

<>> x ceiling

  The poles forming the ceiling would have been covered with straw and clay
before the rest of the soil was heaped over them during construction, to keep
the bulk of the moisture out.  As with the palisade, you're amazed by how long
this cedar wood can survive ground contact.

<>> x wheelb

  Like a great many things in this world, the wheelbarrow is fashioned of wood.
A sturdy, swooping pole was split in two, an axle with a wheel being fitted
through the thickest ends, and the other ends tapering down into handles.  A
hopper of sorts is fixed down near the wheel for carrying loads, and a couple
of stubby legs stick downward for propping the wheelbarrow when it's not being
pushed.

  A few particles of sand from the ceiling fall down on your nose.

<>> push wheelb out

   The prince already having gotten his hands a bit dirty with some work, you
now assign him to be the honorary wheelbarrow-pusher of the company.  He begins
his new role by pushing it out of the cellar.

  It looks like you discovered the wheelbarrow just in time... the candle in
the tin lantern has just burned out.

 <> On the motte <>

  You're on top of the motte, with the keep right there to the east.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  South of the keep doors, where the ground begins to fall away, a sunken door
is mostly obscured by the tall grass.

  The large wolfish dog is chained here and is, if not sleeping, at least lying
still with its eyes closed.

  Prince Quisborne is gazing around contentedly.

  The large wolfish dog gives out a big doggish sigh without raising its head
or opening its eyes.

  The prince is looking much peppier than when you first met him.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “push wheelb out”.

 <> Cider cellar <>

  You are inside of what used to be the cider cellar of the keep.  For now,
there's very little of anything here: the dirt floor is mostly bare, and a few
protruding shelf stones on the back wall are empty.  You can go back out the
door to the south.

  A solitary wheelbarrow leans against the damp wall.

  The princeling is down here in the cellar.

<>> light embers with lantern

  Without being able to get at the candle inside, the lantern isn't going to
light anything else on fire.

<>> open lantern

  You really can't get your fingers anywhere to pry on the candle door.  The
hinges and catch have been warped from impact.  It would probably take a
screwdriver to get it open, but you don't have time to be running anywhere to
fetch one.

  You think that you can still detect the fragrance of cider mixed with the
scent of cedar.

<>> push wheelb out

   The prince already having gotten his hands a bit dirty with some work, you
now assign him to be the honorary wheelbarrow-pusher of the company.  He begins
his new role by pushing it out of the cellar.

  It looks like you discovered the wheelbarrow just in time... the candle in
the tin lantern has just burned out.

 <> On the motte <>

  You're on top of the motte, with the keep right there to the east.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  South of the keep doors, where the ground begins to fall away, a sunken door
is mostly obscured by the tall grass.

  The large wolfish dog is chained here and is, if not sleeping, at least lying
still with its eyes closed.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn is gazing around contentedly.

  The large wolfish dog gives out a big doggish sigh without raising its head
or opening its eyes.

  There's a good view of the surrounding countryside from up here.

<>> w

   You descend the steps down off the motte...

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the bailey yard, with the old cottage to the north, and a prominent
fishpond in the center.  There is an odd-looking little building near the south
curve of the wall whose walls are nearly all windows, and whose curved-over
roof is made up of a gridwork of square panes of glass.
  Trees of various shapes and sizes dot the whole yard inside the bailey, and
on the eastern bank of the pond one particularly grand cottonwood leans out
over the water.  To the east rises the old motte, with steps set in its slope,
and its keep sitting atop.  You know that the vicious-looking dog is also up
there at the foot of the keep wall.  The palisades of the bailey yard close
back in at the motte and climb its sides to join the smaller palisade that
encircles the keep above.  Westward is the gate leading out.

  Oogerstane's scornumwort sits in a pot on the cottage stoop.

  Quinkie's treehouse sits aloft the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  Nearby, the Prince of Dwindeldorn is ambling around.

<>> enter glassh

 <> The glasshouse <>

  It's warm and humid here inside the glasshouse, thanks to the brightly
shining sun.  The description of the interior can be summed up as glass filling
in the spaces between wooden structural members all around, and a "floor" of
fertile tilled soil.  Along the side walls there are some benches loaded with
various kinds of potted plants.  The exit is to the north.

  You see the rutabagas here.

  The princeling is roaming about.

<>> put rutaba in wheelb

  You don't see any wheelb in view.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “enter glassh”.

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Oogerstane's scornumwort sits in a pot on the cottage stoop.

  Quinkie's treehouse sits aloft the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  Quisborne is roaming about in the neighborhood.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “w”.

 <> On the motte <>

  You're on top of the motte, with the keep right there to the east.
  The motte steps drop down west to the bailey.

  South of the keep doors, where the ground begins to fall away, a sunken door
is mostly obscured by the tall grass.

  The wheelbarrow is sitting here.

  The large wolfish dog is chained here and is, if not sleeping, at least lying
still with its eyes closed.

  Nearby, Quisborne is ambling around.

<>> push wheelb w

  The Feckless pushes the wheelbarrow along with you.

   You descend the steps down off the motte...

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the bailey yard, with the old cottage to the north, and a prominent
fishpond in the center.  There is an odd-looking little building near the south
curve of the wall whose walls are nearly all windows, and whose curved-over
roof is made up of a gridwork of square panes of glass.
  Trees of various shapes and sizes dot the whole yard inside the bailey, and
on the eastern bank of the pond one particularly grand cottonwood leans out
over the water.  To the east rises the old motte, with steps set in its slope,
and its keep sitting atop.  You know that the vicious-looking dog is also up
there at the foot of the keep wall.  The palisades of the bailey yard close
back in at the motte and climb its sides to join the smaller palisade that
encircles the keep above.  Westward is the gate leading out.

  Oogerstane's scornumwort sits in a pot on the cottage stoop.

  Quinkie's treehouse sits aloft the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  The princeling is standing around, muttering rhymes.

  Prince Quisborne plays around with the animated woodpecker.

<>> push wheelb n

  The royal youth pushes the wheelbarrow along with you.

 <> Oogerstane's cottage <>

  You're in Oogerstane the gardener's humble dwelling.  The roof rafters are
exposed, and the western wall is mostly occupied by the fireplace, while a bed
adorns the eastern end.  Along the back wall is a large larder, flanked with
shelves.  Curtained windows look out to the south, between which stands the
open door.

  In the center of the room stands a heavy oak wood table.  On the oak wood
table is the half-written letter.

  A chair sits by the table.

  The prince is gazing around contentedly.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “push wheelb n”.

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Oogerstane's scornumwort sits in a pot on the cottage stoop.

  The wheelbarrow is sitting here.

  Quinkie's treehouse sits aloft the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn is gazing around contentedly.

<>> push wheelb s

  Dwindeldorn's future king pushes the wheelbarrow along with you.

 <> The glasshouse <>

  It's warm and humid here inside the glasshouse, thanks to the brightly
shining sun.  The description of the interior can be summed up as glass filling
in the spaces between wooden structural members all around, and a "floor" of
fertile tilled soil.  Along the side walls there are some benches loaded with
various kinds of potted plants.  The exit is to the north.

  You see the rutabagas here.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn is following you about, mostly distracted.

<>> put rutaba in wheelb

  You both load up the wheelbarrow with the newly uprooted rutabagas.

  The boy looks over Oogerstane's potted plants.

<>> push wheelb s

  Besides the door, there aren't any openings through the glass, and you don't
fancy walking through a wall of glass.

<>> push wheelb n

  The future king of Dwindeldorn pushes the wheelbarrow along with you.

 <> The bailey yard <>

  You're in the quaint and cozy bailey.  Oogerstane's cottage is on the north
side, and King Phisbeer's glasshouse is on the south side.  There's a central
fishpond, with a great tree growing by the water.  A continuous palisade
encircles the bailey, including the motte, which rises to the east.  The gates
out are to the west.

  Oogerstane's scornumwort sits in a pot on the cottage stoop.

  Quinkie's treehouse sits aloft the lower limbs of the grand old tree.

  The barrel you rolled down the hill has come to rest underneath the grand old
tree.

  Nearby, the prince is ambling around.

  The youth ramps the wheelbarrow off of small humps in the ground.

<>> save

  Saved.

<>> push wheelb w

  The future monarch of Dwindeldorn pushes the wheelbarrow along with you.

   As you're about to go out the gate, you realize you're still carrying the
stuffed woodpecker, the pewter key, the iron key, the tin lantern, and the pair
of dice.  You send Prince Quisborne to put them back where you found them.

  Exiting through the bailey gate, you follow the wheel-ruts back up the
ridge...

  As you and prince Quisborne leave the bailey behind, evening is beginning to
fall on the world.  It just wouldn't be right to kick off the Great Festival in
broad daylight... the night brings something extra magical to the atmosphere.

 <> Near the motte and bailey <>

  You're atop a ridge, overlooking the old motte and bailey of Dorn Wharkmor to
the east.  A track runs down towards it from the ridgetop road.  The city of
Darchingcrast is to the northeast, and the road continues southwest.

  The future monarch of Dwindeldorn is roaming about in the neighborhood.

<>> ne

  Don't be absurd.  You've gotten the rutabagas as directed, now make tracks to
the southwest and get to the Festival!

<>> sw

 <> Entrance to the grounds of Forthlong Hall and the Festival <>

  You've arrived at the entrance to the festival grounds.  Sounds of clamor and
jollity carry through the air from farther down the lane, where a great many
folk have already gathered while last-minute preparations are being made.
  The road to Darchingcrast ends here at another road running northwest to
southeast.  To the northwest the road is wider and well-traveled, and tall
hedges of wild shrubbery stretch along its south side.  This is in fact the
road you first came down to reach the castle, after having sailed north across
the inland sea from Vatterdelm to land at Chelderfaulk, Dwindeldorn's only
other large city.  To the southeast the road looks less frequented, winding
away among shading trees alongside a gushing stream.  The lane leading to the
Festival branches off from this road to the south, crossing the stream by means
of a small bridge.  Northeast, the road starts gradually uphill towards the
city and the castle.

  Over the lane on this side of the bridge an elaborate temporary entrance
portal has been constructed, festooned with all manner of flowers and garlands.
From its lintel hang the banners of all the realms that are represented by
visitors to the Festival: Dwindeldorn, Crindarwald, Vatterdelm, Emdenfall,
Azhgaloth and Blykanfarth.
  Inscribed in bold and ornate letters across the arching top of the lintel are
the words:

ENTRE YE THE GREAT FESTIVALL!

  The heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn is following you about, lost in his own
world.

  A young lackey dressed in castle garb hurries out to you from the entrance.
  "Oh good, you're here!", he says, looking at the delivery of rutabagas.
"I've been looking out for you while working on clearing some of these outlying
fields of sheep manure.  I'll take those off your hands and get them to the
produce-judging tent... the king sent a little errand boy to tell me you were
going to be bringing them instead of Oogerstane.  I'm glad you got here when
you did...  I would quake to face the king again if I didn't get his rutabagas
entered in time!"
  You have a thought that the produce-judging coordinators might have made an
exception for the sake of the highest sovereign of the festival-hosting realm,
but you can't blame anyone in Phisbeer's service for living under a little
paranoia.  At any rate, the lackey relieves Prince Quisborne of the wheelbarrow
and the rutabagas, disappearing over the bridge and down the lane.

  Prince Quisborne says: "I'm so excited, sir!  I think I sort of forgot how
much fun the Great Festival is!  I can't wait to go in!"


*** Your score has just gone up by five points ***

<>> l

 <> Entrance to the grounds of Forthlong Hall and the Festival <>

  The road northeast to Darchingcrast converges here with another road running
northwest to southeast.  The lane leading to Forthlong Hall branches off from
this road to the south, crossing a stream by means of a small bridge.

  Over the lane on this side of the bridge an elaborate temporary entrance
portal has been constructed, festooned with all manner of flowers and garlands.
From its lintel hang the banners of all the realms that are represented by
visitors to the Festival.
  Inscribed in bold and ornate letters across the arching top of the lintel are
the words:

ENTRE YE THE GREAT FESTIVALL!

  Nearby, the prince is ambling around.

  There is a clatter of hammerings from a distance.

<>> listen

  From the direction of the festival grounds come the sounds of hammerings and
hollerings as people continue to set up and prepare for the grand opening of
the Great Festival...

  You can hear laughter, merry voices, and the general murmur of crowds.

  The prince waves at the deputy overseeing the treaders, and the deputy gives
a small bow from his place.

  Muted sounds of laughter and jollity can be heard from the south.

<>> smell

  Delicious smells of roasting food are making their way even out here to the
road...

<>> x bridge

  The bridge in its non-Festival state would be pretty unremarkable: a few
piles sunk in the stream bed with some X bracing, and halved log chunks with
their flat faces up for decking.  With the advent of the Festival, however, the
bridge has been given the requisite pizzazz needed to gratify the festival-
goers.  Perched on elevated poles (spaced along either side of the bridge) are
about two dozen special lanterns, spinning around and shining different colors
all about.  More spectacularly, there are numerous jets of water shooting up
from the stream on either side of the whole length of the bridge, sending water
in an arc up and over to the opposite side; together they create an aqueous
tunnel through which one enters the grounds.  You have to acknowledge that
Dwindeldorn has done a pretty splendid job with their presentation of the
Festival.
  All of this high-falutin' gadgetry has to be actuated by something though...
you think you can spy a treadmill behind a clump of bushes on the far side of
the stream.

  The prince is looking much peppier than when you first met him.

  The treadmill and its treader churn steadily, keeping the magnificent bridge
alive with color and motion.

<>> x lintel

  It's always a good feeling to see the banners of diverse countries hung with
a sense of unity.  That of each of the Northeastern Realms makes an appearance
here: Dwindeldorn, Crindarwald, Vatterdelm, Emdenfall, Azhgaloth and
Blykanfarth.  Unfortunately unity isn't always the rule, particularly with
Azhgaloth; its representatives here are mostly common folk, while the majority
of its lords and rulers prefer not to fraternize with Dwindeldorn.  Words on
the arching top of the lintel say:

ENTRE YE THE GREAT FESTIVALL!

<>> x treadmill

  The treadmill is basically a hamster-wheel for people, typically used to
power things like hoists or small mills.  Here, a system of tensioned ropes
connect the treadmill to the colored lanterns, and to a pumping apparatus that
takes the stream water and forces it through all of the jet nozzles that make
the watery tunnel.
  The treadmill is being operated in turns by some local young troublemakers
who were assigned to a certain stint of time in it as an alternative to having
to do time in the pillory.  It appears there's a sheriff's deputy standing by
to make sure the unfortunate soul in the treadmill keeps a steady pace.

<>> x deputy

  He's there to make sure the treadmill stays moving, and doles out threats of
extended treading time (or worse) if a treader starts to entertain thoughts of
taking a little stretch break.

<>> deputy, hi

  You certainly could cross the bridge and approach the treadmill if you were
determined to do so, but really you don't relish inviting such an awkward
situation.  It's doubtful the deputy wants any loiterers about, and the culprit
turning the wheel probably isn't in the mood for small talk.

  Quisborne the Feckless listens attentively to all of the jolly hubbub
emanating from further south.

<>> l

 <> Entrance to the grounds of Forthlong Hall and the Festival <>

  The road northeast to Darchingcrast converges here with another road running
northwest to southeast.  The lane leading to Forthlong Hall branches off from
this road to the south, crossing a stream by means of a small bridge.

  Over the lane on this side of the bridge an elaborate temporary entrance
portal has been constructed, festooned with all manner of flowers and garlands.
From its lintel hang the banners of all the realms that are represented by
visitors to the Festival.
  Inscribed in bold and ornate letters across the arching top of the lintel are
the words:

ENTRE YE THE GREAT FESTIVALL!

  Prince Quisborne is gazing around contentedly.

  Even from here you catch a faint whiff of smoked hams being roasted over an
open fire.

<>> ne

 <> Near the motte and bailey <>

  You're atop a ridge, overlooking the old motte and bailey of Dorn Wharkmor to
the east.  A track runs down towards it from the ridgetop road.  The city of
Darchingcrast is to the northeast, and the road continues southwest.

  The heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn is roaming about in the neighborhood.

<>> sw

 <> Entrance to the grounds of Forthlong Hall and the Festival <>

  The road northeast to Darchingcrast converges here with another road running
northwest to southeast.  The lane leading to Forthlong Hall branches off from
this road to the south, crossing a stream by means of a small bridge.

  Over the lane on this side of the bridge an elaborate temporary entrance
portal has been constructed, festooned with all manner of flowers and garlands.
From its lintel hang the banners of all the realms that are represented by
visitors to the Festival.
  Inscribed in bold and ornate letters across the arching top of the lintel are
the words:

ENTRE YE THE GREAT FESTIVALL!

  The young figurehead is standing around, muttering rhymes.

<>> se

  Perhaps there will be a time or a reason to go that way later on; right now
your mission is to take the prince to the Great Festival...

  The king-to-be is impatiently waiting to enter the festival grounds.

<>> s

  As you lead your young charge through the magnificent straw-built portal and
onto the bridge, mists of water cool your face from the magical fountains
arching over it.  Then you are across, and off down the lane towards all the
noise and activity...


      Ah, the Great Festival!  The very name wrings excitement and anticipation
from every breast in this corner of the world, no matter what one's age.  Every
four years, people travel great distances to gather at the spot which has been
appointed for it; high and low, everyone who can possibly manage it will come.
Squabbling neighbors will lay aside their differences to enjoy the festival
together, and even lords at war have been known to call armistice for its
duration.
      What goes on at the Great Festival?  What doesn't go on?!  Dancing, of
course; musicians playing their newest compositions, singers performing their
newest ballads.  There are recitations, tales, newly-written plays; men and
women display and sell their finest vegetables and handicrafts.  There are
games and sports of all kinds, all manner of contests of physical strength and
agility; acrobats and skilled dancers perform.  Jokes are told, comedies are
acted, ideas are exchanged, inventions are exhibited, news is swapped, goods
are traded; there are mushroom hunts, feasts, and archery tournaments, and some
lucky damsel will win and wear the garland of 'The Fairest in the Land' until
the next festival comes around.  For two or three weeks almost any conceivable
form of fun and merriment will be availed of at the Great Festival, before the
tearful partings and long return journeys must commence.
  (1/7)

      It's a high time in anyone's life, but particularly so for the lads and
lasses.  Many a heart has been stolen, many a heart has been broken with the
coming and going of the Festival.  Indeed, many is the youth who has left his
homeland to win a far-dwelling maiden whom he met there, or the maiden who has
followed an adoring lover to his home in a distant region, because the Festival
crossed their paths.
      The prince, it turns out, is not exempt from this bit of witchery that
the Great Festival so often produces.  Four years ago, he and the Princess
Persimmon were just playfellows in the throes of that unpleasant clash between
childhood and adolescence, spending most of the Festival dashing about hand-in-
hand together to see all the wondrous sights.  But as pleasant as were those
days spent together, they were bound to be soon forgotten as each returned to
his or her home, and saw no more of the other.

      As it is quite customary at the Festival for parents, even of the
nobility, to simply let their young people run off without ceremony and enjoy
themselves wherever they will, it turns out that not very long after strolling
for the first time into the festival grounds, you and Quisborne have quite
adventitiously come across the selfsame princess, swaying by herself to the
sweet music filling the air, and watching some shoemakers set up their work.
      Now, the prince is seeing her in a new light; seeing her as if for the
first time, although they remember each other well enough.  You can see that
the lad is sitting uncomfortably on the sharp edge of some brand-new emotions.
      "Hi, Persimmon... it's me, Quizzy.  Um, I mean...  Well met, my lady...
your servant."  The ingenuous girl beams at him.  "Quizzy, it's you!  How big
you've grown!"  Not thinking of anything more genteel to reply, the prince
answers her with an awkward laugh and a stammered "Well, uh... you... got
really big too!  Tall, that is... and old.  Not *big*.  Not 'old', either!
Older.  A good 'old.'  Actually..."  She cuts off the prince's bumbling faux
pas with a merry laugh, and in a trice they are hand-in-hand as of yore, and
off down the way like a couple of overgrown children.

      This is all very well, as there is still plenty of time ahead, and no
great likelihood that you will cross paths with Lord Zendarc on the opening
night.  To be frank, King Phisbeer's request and your whole premise for being
here is annoyingly vague.  What are you actually supposed to report to Phisbeer
after the Festival is over?  That Zendarc personally promised you to behave
like a good and harmless little lord for the rest of his life?  The bottom line
is, you haven't figured out what to do with Zendarc yet, so there's nothing to
do right away.  But meanwhile, you're not above a good time yourself...
  (2/7)


* * * * * * * *


      The prince and Persimmon have proved inseparable.  Sometimes with you,
sometimes without you, sometimes with her friends, sometimes alone, but always
together.  As for the prince, it's plain to see that he's fallen long and hard
for her.  To your astonishment, the dear little princess also seems to be
delighted with Quisborne's company.  He certainly didn't win her admiration by
any exploits of skill or prowess during the Festival.  Nonetheless, something
has just blossomed that could only be called romance.

      Meanwhile, Phisbeer's rutabagas were awarded 17th place (sixteen places
behind the rutabagas of Boddroy of Screnchbottom), which might have been
respectable for a festival of this magnitude, except that only nineteen
entrants brought rutabagas.  And worse, you've failed to come up with any
pretext for presenting the young prince to Lord Zendarc, or with any other
means of gaining some immediate favor in his eyes.
      While you are still feverishly trying to drum up something you can do in
order to be able to give any kind of report that might placate the paranoid
king, things suddenly take a dramatic turn.  The pair has just found you again
at the football match, after another tryst off on their own.  "Valkyrian, we're
going to find Persimmon's father.  We want to be pledged to each other!"  And
before you can react or reply, he and the blushing princess scamper off, still
hand-in-hand, like two oversized playmates.  Hastening after them, you wend
your way into a large, carpeted tent where groups mostly of men are playing at
cards or puffing on rolled-up wads of dried herbs.  They've already made their
way up to an imperious-looking man seated at a table on a raised platform.

      Great balls of fire!  Persimmon's father is none other than Lord Zendarc
of Crindarwald!
  (3/7)

      Before you can process this unexpected development for good or for ill,
Quisborne takes the word:

      "My lord, I greeve you gritting...  Ack!, I *give* you *greeting*!  I'm
Quisborne... the Prince, that is.  Of Dwindeldorn.  I seek your hand in
marriage for the blessing of the princess – No!...  I mean – I seek your
blessing for my marriage to the princess's hands.  Hand.  I like her so much
that I love her, and I want to always be with her, until forever never ends!"

      It appears to be a monumental task for Lord Zendarc to decide whether to
explode in laughter or in wrath.  "I...  You...  In the...  YOU!?!?  Infernal
thunderation, boy!  It's only for the spirit of the Festival that I refrain
from clouting you here and now for your insolence!  I've had any number of
eligible and upstanding young bachelors beating down my door for the hand of
the princess since she was fourteen, and you think I'm going to marry her off
into the 'House of Dubious Renown'?  Ha!  Ha ha!  HAHAHAA!  I owe your family
no courtesy, boy... they've given little cause enough to win the love or
respect of anyone outside of Dwindeldorn, and their people only tolerate them
from the sheer loyalty of their nature.  And you... why, lad, you're Prince
Quisborne the Feckless!  Your audacity is an affront to my daughter's honor!"

      Then, as if suddenly becoming aware of the disproportion between the heat
of his tirade, and the mild demeanor of the quailing boy in front of him, he
adopts a more conciliatory tone.  "Listen, Prince Quisborne.  I'm no tyrant.
It's just that it doesn't make sense now, does it?  I mean, you're... you're...
ehh..."  He stops, as if taken with a sudden thought.  "Look here: the Princess
Persimmon still lacks a year of her eighteenth birthday, and she won't be
marrying anyone before then.  Now... there are legends about your family from
the distant past.  Wild ones, no doubt, and mind I don't say I believe them.
In truth it was my own nursemaid who used to tell me the stories.  Something
about an ancient crown of Dwindeldorn that was lost... or hidden, or I don't
know... and it is said that it will never be found again but by the descendant
who finally breaks the line of ill repute, and earns a new name for the House
of Dubious Renown.  Secrets, hidden deep in the north, in the haunted Fastness
of the Dracken Fells...  Anyway, so my nursemaid used to tell me."  Then
momentarily seeming to speak to himself: "I wonder if she still lives?  She
left Crindarwald and went back to Dwindeldorn after I came of age..."
  (4/7)

      "Quisborne, you show me that you're worthy to find and bring back the
ancient crown of Dwindeldorn, and your request for the hand of my daughter will
be duly considered.  Is there really such a crown?  Not my problem!  What say
you?  In the meantime, don't try my patience by showing me your face again.
Consider yourself fairly treated!"

      For the last few minutes you've been nothing but a rapt spectator.  You
felt sure that the lord's brusque and far-fetched proposition would crush the
prince's spirits and render your task to inspire him to greatness a nearly
insurmountable one.  What then is your wonder and amazement to see the feckless
prince steel his face, insofar as his docile features can be described as being
steeled, and say, "Very well then, my lord.  I shall find the crown.  We can do
it, right, Valkyrian?"  The matter agreed between prince and lord, nothing is
left but for the two young lovebirds to share a wistful, tender parting look
between themselves – tears wetting her eyes, and a potentially misplaced
confidence filling his.
      "Adieu, Quizzy..."
      "I do too, Persimmon...  Uh, what is it we're doing, now?"
      "Adieu... it's a way of saying goodbye."
      "Oh.  I do you too, Princess."
      And with that, you and the prince make your way off, leaving Lord Zendarc
and Persimmon behind.
  (5/7)


* * * * * * * * * * * *


      Well, this is quite a turn of events!  It looks like there's nothing for
it but to try to help the prince find this crown, and win his lady love.  There
could hardly be a better way to achieve harmony and goodwill between the two
neighboring realms, after all.
      As for the legends of Dwindeldorn, and the mysterious Fastness of Dracken
Fells, this is all news to you.  But if obtaining that alleged crown truly
hinges upon first forming the prince into a leader of strong and noble
character, then your services will not be in vain.

      It was well that all of this transpired just as the Festival was winding
to a close.  In short, Lord Zendarc, his daughter, and all of his train took
their leave back to the realm of Crindarwald, south of Dwindeldorn across the
Great Skalfyrth Water, and you and Quisborne went back to Darchingcrast Castle
to make your report to Phisbeer.  He concurs that a marriage between his son
and a daughter of Crindarwald would be a desirable thing for securing lasting
peace, and places the whole matter of the legendary crown into your hands to
pursue how you see fit.  The prince says goodbye to his mother, and the two of
you are off into the world together as knight and squire on a grand adventure,
with no reckoning of how far you will travel, what sights you will see, what
deeds you will do, or how much time will pass before you both return either in
defeat or in triumph.
  (6/7)

      Or maybe you're not quite off into the world yet; for, anticlimactically,
the first place you have to go is back to the festival grounds.  Shortly before
all of the drama unfolded, the prince had asked to borrow your ember box, then
rekindled, in order to build a fire for Persimmon on one of their little
excursions.  He managed not only to not get a fire lit – "I put a glowing ember
right on top of a log, but it just wouldn't catch fire!" he had said – but also
to lose your box in the process, necessitating this return trip to hunt for and
retrieve it.  You do have the fortune to find it, but it had not been properly
closed, and all of the coals inside are dead (again).

      Well then... if the legend about the lost crown is true, it stands to
reason that the legends about the haunted fastness in the north should be true
too.  Zendarc said that the Fastness of the Dracken Fells was supposed to
harbor secrets pertaining to the crown's whereabouts.  That's all you've got to
go on for now, and you're the leader here.  Prince Quisborne has a title to
shake – and a better one to earn – let's get going!



  Dear judges: go on, congratulate yourselves on a game completed!  The good
news is, a much larger and more exciting adventure lies in wait, only a few
keystrokes away!  We understand that you will likely not have the time left to
progress very much farther than here in the two-hour scoring window.  But we
certainly hope to see you back at some point afterwards, for Quisborne hasn't
the smallest inkling of all that is yet to befall him!  The real adventure is
only just beginning!



 <> The Great Festival grounds <>

  You are in the yard fronting the many-gabled manor house, Forthlong Hall.
For acres and acres all around the Hall, the grounds and fields are still
covered with evidences of all the recent merrymaking.  Everywhere are tables,
stages, benches, bales, boxes, pens, playing fields, and other remnants of the
myriad of events which took place during the course of the Festival.  Most of
the tents and pavilions which still stand are to the southwest.
  Occasionally a body is to be seen pulling something down or packing something
up, or a small knot of folk are seen still loitering or lingering about, but
for the most part all of the life has departed the scene.  Forthlong Hall still
stands open to the west, and a dirt lane leads from the front yard northward.

  As will almost invariably be the case for many many months to come, Prince
Quisborne the Feckless is accompanying you and near at hand.  He seems to be
looking now east, now southwest, now some other direction, reliving memories
that happened in a particular quarter during the Great Festival.

  Well, first things first.  You're going to need a functioning ember box
sooner rather than later, so it's time to get those coals relit.  But you're
not just going to walk to the nearest village and ask for a light.  Oh no.  The
prince has many life lessons to learn ahead of him, and one of them is
resourcefulness.  In fact, you expect this lesson is one that he will learn
very well, for you are setting out on this journey carrying no coin, with no
intentions of acquiring it or making use of it.  You'd better keep your eyes
open for a live flame somewhere.

<>> x house

  Forthlong Hall is a quaint and queer old structure, built a few centuries ago
for some Lord Forthlong.  It's no longer the residence of any powerful figure
though... it's more of a little community now.  The wings filled with suites of
private chambers are now occupied by families, many of whom jointly work and
live off of the manor's lands.  The great rooms, drawing rooms, and kitchens
are used for communal events and purposes, the Great Festival being one notable
example.
  Forthlong Hall is a timber-frame building, with many large, steep gables
poking out at asymmetrical angles.  The upper stories project farther out than
the lower ones, and odd rooflines connect everything together.  The Hall
possesses all of the land the Festival was situated on, and the building itself
is located at the hub of where all the activity happened.  It stands open to
the west.

  Prince Quisborne seems to be recalling Festival memories as he gazes in a
certain direction over the grounds.

<>> a persimmon

  "Well, sir, I don't just know how to properly say what I think of *her*!  She
gives me the most pleasing combination of gooseflesh and collywobbles, and I
feel like a whole horde of militant butterflies are waging war in my stomach.
It's really strange!  But it's amazing!  I really, really want to make her
happy."

<>> l

 <> The Great Festival grounds <>

  You are in the yard fronting the many-gabled manor house, Forthlong Hall.
For acres and acres all around the Hall, the grounds and fields are still
covered with evidences of all the recent merrymaking.  Everywhere are tables,
stages, benches, bales, boxes, pens, playing fields, and other remnants of the
myriad of events which took place during the course of the Festival.  Most of
the tents and pavilions which still stand are to the southwest.
  Occasionally a body is to be seen pulling something down or packing something
up, or a small knot of folk are seen still loitering or lingering about, but
for the most part all of the life has departed the scene.  Forthlong Hall still
stands open to the west, and a dirt lane leads from the front yard northward.

  Dwindeldorn's future king is present as ever.

  "That's where Persimmon let me kiss her hand," the prince says absently,
looking at some tree in the distance.

<>> x yard

  There are some nice bushes and shade trees about, but no overly pretentious
or artificial-looking gardens.

<>> x tents

  In every direction your view is filled with tables, tents, pavilions, stages,
benches, bales, boxes, pens, playing fields, and other remnants of the bygone
Festival.

<>> w

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of that aged and venerable establishment, Forthlong
Hall.  It served as a dance hall (though plenty of dancing was also done
outdoors) and lounge during the Festival, and shows signs of the aftermath of
having been the scene of a great hubbub.  The ceiling of this great room soars
all the way up to the heavy beams of the roof; the floor is of thick, dark
timbers laid and then shaved smooth.  It is quite muddy and scattered with grit
and snippets of grass in spite of the fact that several worn straw mats were
scattered around the room which were meant for shoes and boots to be wiped on.
Most of them have pretty well disintegrated, but there's one still lying
around.
  At the eastern end of the room, large and ornamented doorways lead north and
southeast, to separate wings of the building.  The south wall is set with a row
of deep windows two stories in height, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace
occupies the west side of the room.  Eastward goes through a vestibule and out
the main doors.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  Your protegé has joined you inside.

  Far down some hall, you can hear the snore of someone recovering from an
excess of merrymaking.

<>> x mat

  These straw mats were probably made to be disposable, just to try to keep the
mud a little in check.  This one is dry, lightweight, and only about two feet
square.  It's quite worn and appears to have met many a foot.

<>> x couch

  The couch is a bit outlandish as a decorative statement.  A very heavy and
dark wood frame makes a series of scalloped tops along the back, the surfaces
being filled in with purple velvet cushions.  It appears very old, and probably
took its share of abuse during the Festival as well.  There are some holes here
and there in the velvet, and one seam of a cushion has split open, showing a
whitish, fluffy stuffing.

  The heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn ducks into the fireplace.

<>> take met

  "Met" is either:
 - Something you haven't come across yet
 - Something not necessary to your adventure
 - A phrasing we aren't equipped to handle
  (We can't tell you which, you know, because then you could enter in words
just to find out what kind of things you'll encounter in the future.)

  (If this was an accidental misspelling, you may be able to correct it by
entering OOPS followed by the corrected word now.  If we point out an unknown
word, you can try to correct a misspelling using OOPS as your next command.  )

<>> oops mat

  You pick up the only intact straw mat off the floor.

  The hall is inordinately still, as most of the residents are lying low to
recuperate.

<>> x stuffing

  There's fluffy white stuffing coming out of the busted cushion seam.

  Prince Quisborne seats himself on the couch for a spell.

<>> take stuffing

  You grab a wad of the cushion stuffing, and a drapey mat of it pulls out.

<>> x fireplace

  It looks like the lords of old could have burned small trees at a time in
this fireplace.  You have firsthand knowledge that it was in full roar on a
Festival evening, but there's nothing in it at the moment aside from some ash
dust.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn strolls about the large room.

<>> x dust

  The ash dust is not of the highest importance to you.

<>> l

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of Forthlong Hall.  The ceiling soars all the way up
to the heavy beams of the roof, and the floor is of thick, dark timbers.
  Large and ornamented doorways lead north and southeast, but those areas are
mostly private quarters.  There are deep windows two stories in height in the
south wall, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace on the west side of the room.
The way out is east.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  Prince Quiz is with you in the Hall.

  The prince cheerfully greets a haggard-looking resident that stumbles out of
a room and makes for the exit.

<>> x beams

  The ceiling is some thirty feet overhead at the roof peak, blackened with age
and smoke.  The heavy beams are formed into a roof support system called
"hammer-beam trusses."  With this design, no beams need run horizontally from
wall to wall to tie things together.  The timbers are carved in strategic
places, with curving crossmembers and lathe-turned drop finials.  It makes for
an extremely handsome open ceiling.  Suspended centrally from the ceiling is a
large chandelier.

<>> x timbers

  The ceiling is some thirty feet overhead at the roof peak, blackened with age
and smoke.  The heavy beams are formed into a roof support system called
"hammer-beam trusses."  With this design, no beams need run horizontally from
wall to wall to tie things together.  The timbers are carved in strategic
places, with curving crossmembers and lathe-turned drop finials.  It makes for
an extremely handsome open ceiling.  Suspended centrally from the ceiling is a
large chandelier.

  The prince sighs, recalling the dances he shared here with Persimmon.

<>> *"timbers" is used to refer to both the floor and ceiling

  Comment recorded.

<>> x finials

  The curving crossmembers and the turned finials really make the ceiling
system a magnificent work to behold.

<>> x chanedlier

  (x chandelier)

  Well above your head hangs a large and marvelous chandelier.  It appears to
be of bronze, and has a look of ancient, rugged artistry.  It is formed of
numerous tiers of arms and is studded with more candles than you wish to count
at the moment, all alight.  Most of them are pretty burned down and will soon
be replaced by the steward.

  Prince Quisborne sees you surveying the chandelier and comments: "My dad
provided those candles and enough more to last about a half a year, as one of
his contributions to the Festival."

<>> l

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of Forthlong Hall.  The ceiling soars all the way up
to the heavy beams of the roof, and the floor is of thick, dark timbers.
  Large and ornamented doorways lead north and southeast, but those areas are
mostly private quarters.  There are deep windows two stories in height in the
south wall, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace on the west side of the room.
The way out is east.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  Prince Quiz is with you in the Hall.

  The many-candled chandelier twinkles away.

<>> x floor

  It's a wooden floor so solid you might think it was stone, except for the
mellower sound of your tread.  The timbers laid together must be at least eight
inches in thickness, adzed and planed smooth once in place.  The floor is
covered with the tracks of vanished revelers and the detritus of dirty boots.

<>> x windows

  There is a series of eight windows dominating the south wall.  They rise two
stories high into pointed tops, the wooden mullions being made in curving
tracery shapes instead of a criss-cross grid.

<>> *not to be pedantic but you probably mean "muntins" instead of "mullions" 

  Comment recorded.

<>> *(i always get those two confused)

  Comment recorded.

<>> enter fireplace

  You duck into the fireplace.

  The future monarch of Dwindeldorn looks out through the window-wall.

<>> l

 <> Forthlong Hall (standing in the monstrous fireplace) <>

  This is the Great Room of Forthlong Hall.  The ceiling soars all the way up
to the heavy beams of the roof, and the floor is of thick, dark timbers.
  Large and ornamented doorways lead north and southeast, but those areas are
mostly private quarters.  There are deep windows two stories in height in the
south wall, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace on the west side of the room.
The way out is east.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  The heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn is with you in the Hall.

<>> look up

  The construction 'look [direction]' will not be necessary in this game.

<>> out

  You come back out of the fireplace.

  The heir to the throne of Dwindeldorn ducks into the fireplace.

<>> l

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of Forthlong Hall.  The ceiling soars all the way up
to the heavy beams of the roof, and the floor is of thick, dark timbers.
  Large and ornamented doorways lead north and southeast, but those areas are
mostly private quarters.  There are deep windows two stories in height in the
south wall, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace on the west side of the room.
The way out is east.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  The young sprig of royalty is with you in the Hall.

<>> n

  The doorways lead off to wings of chambers which are used for private
residences.  Most of the chambers are probably filled with folk trying to
recover from a surplus of good times... just let them be.

<>> se

  The doorways lead off to wings of chambers which are used for private
residences.  Most of the chambers are probably filled with folk trying to
recover from a surplus of good times... just let them be.

<>> e

   Before leaving, you put the cushion stuffing and the straw mat back where
they belong.

 <> The Great Festival grounds <>

  You are in the yard fronting Forthlong Hall.  In all directions the remnants
of the Festival are still to be seen, including a cluster of pavilions to the
southwest.  The hall still stands open to the west, and a dirt lane leads from
the front yard northward.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn is here.

<>> sw

  You both wander a bit aimlessly amongst some pavilions where innumerable
forms of games were held and general mingling took place.  It's sad to see
everything deserted, when so little time ago it was brimful of life.  Someone
will be along eventually to take all of this stuff down, but while it stands it
has a forlorn look, as of happy things passed away.

  Floating astray in the ceiling of one pavilion is a balloon.  You grab it by
the string, and wander back to the front of the Hall.

  The prince twirls his hair.

<>> x balloon

  This little curiosity was only just introduced at this year's Festival... you
had never seen anything like it before.  A party from Emdenfall told the story
of how some men, in the process of digging a deep well, came upon a pocket of
vapour in the ground, which tended to billow upward even though it was not
heated.  Eventually someone had the idea to fill bags of extra-light waxed
paper with this peculiar vapour and tie them off, sometimes attaching a piece
of twine to them.  With the use of brightly-colored and decorated paper bags, a
hugely popular new toy and party decoration was born.  Granted, you might never
see one again till the next time an entourage comes from Emdenfall and decides
to bring along some of their "magic air."
  This balloon is a deep purple, inexplicably doing its magic of "standing up"
straight on its string, instead of falling to the ground.

<>> l

 <> The Great Festival grounds <>

  You are in the yard fronting Forthlong Hall.  In all directions the remnants
of the Festival are still to be seen.  The hall still stands open to the west,
and a dirt lane leads from the front yard northward.

  The prince tags along.

<>> n

   Don't forget: you really don't want to journey far without a functioning
ember box, so you'll want to find some live flame to rekindle the dead coals
you have in there.  You've already found some, in fact...

  As you walk down the lane leading away from the festival grounds, you see a
large old burlap sack on the ground by a pavilion, that doesn't look as if it's
going to be claimed by anyone.  Perfect!  What better way to get the prince
started with some responsibility than by having him tote everything you'll need
to carry with you?  You congratulate the prince on his new role as your pack
horse by slapping the burlap sack into his hands, and continue on down the
lane.

 <> Entrance to the grounds of Forthlong Hall <>

  The road northeast to Darchingcrast converges here with another road running
northwest to southeast.  The lane leading to Forthlong Hall branches off from
this road to the south, crossing a stream by means of a small bridge.

  The elaborate festival entrance is still here, although the treadmill is not
in operation; thus, no jets of water shoot over the bridge and the colored
lanterns are still.

  Your companion, the future king of Dwindeldorn, is here with you.

  "My dad was never big on me being outdoors," the prince explains.  "You
know... meteors, and such."

<>> s

   You cross the small bridge and enter the grounds of Forthlong Hall...

 <> The Great Festival grounds <>

  You are in the yard fronting Forthlong Hall.  In all directions the remnants
of the Festival are still to be seen.  The hall still stands open to the west,
and a dirt lane leads from the front yard northward.

  The young figurehead is here with you as always.

<>> w

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of Forthlong Hall.  The ceiling soars all the way up
to the heavy beams of the roof, and the floor is of thick, dark timbers.
  Large and ornamented doorways lead north and southeast, but those areas are
mostly private quarters.  There are deep windows two stories in height in the
south wall, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace on the west side of the room.
The way out is east.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  You see the straw mat here.

  The youth has joined you inside.

<>> take mat

  You pick up the straw mat.

  Quisborne deposits the sack on the ground temporarily.

<>> take stuffing

  You grab a wad of the cushion stuffing, and a drapey mat of it pulls out.

<>> put stuffing on balloon

(the cushion stuffing)
  You drape the cushion stuffing over the balloon, and even so the balloon
continues to pull towards the ceiling as far as the twine will let it.  Quiz
gives you a quizzical look.

<>> release balloon

  The balloon is certainly an interesting article, and you wouldn't ordinarily
be disposed to destroy it for no good reason.  However, you think you've got an
idea for its worthwhile use, and after all, you can't tote it around forever,
especially if you and the prince are going to be adventuring in search of an
old fortress, the Fastness of the Dracken Fells.
  While standing below the chandelier, you release the balloon, laden with the
cushion stuffing.  It floats steadily upward and enters the forest of burning
candles.  The cushion stuffing, being highly combustible, is almost instantly
set ablaze.  The sudden heat bursts the balloon, and a flaming mass falls back
to the ground and continues to burn.
  Good thing there weren't any expensive rugs rolled out on the floor!  Well,
it was a rather roundabout way of procuring a means to relight your ember box,
but part of your goal for the prince involves teaching him how to solve
problems and to be resourceful with whatever is at his disposal.  For that, you
consider the balloon well-spent, and Prince Quisborne is already manifesting
his admiration for the ingenuity of your last experiment.

  The broad daylight streams into the room through the tall windows.

<>> l

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of Forthlong Hall.  The ceiling soars all the way up
to the heavy beams of the roof, and the floor is of thick, dark timbers.
  Large and ornamented doorways lead north and southeast, but those areas are
mostly private quarters.  There are deep windows two stories in height in the
south wall, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace on the west side of the room.
The way out is east.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  In the middle of the floor is a flaming mass (formerly a balloon and some
cushion stuffing) that has fallen from above.

  The prince is with you in the Hall.

  The candles of the chandelier are all a-twinkle.

<>> light box

  What do you want to light it with?

< object >> mass

  The dead coals start to glow as you put them in the fire for a minute or two.
Then scooping them back in with a boot and closing up the ember box, you find
yourself now armed with a fire-starter ready at hand.

  Great!  With those practical matters addressed, there's no reason to delay.
Now for the lost crown and the ancient secret-bearing fastness in the north...


*** Your score has just gone up by four points ***

<>> o

  OOPS isn't available on this turn... sorry!

<>> out

   Worn as it is, you leave the straw mat in Forthlong Hall where you found it.

 <> The Great Festival grounds <>

  You are in the yard fronting Forthlong Hall.  In all directions the remnants
of the Festival are still to be seen.  The hall still stands open to the west,
and a dirt lane leads from the front yard northward.

  PQ is following you as ever.

  The king-to-be looks out over the pastures.

<>> save

  Saved.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “out”.

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of that aged and venerable establishment, Forthlong
Hall.  It served as a dance hall and lounge during the Festival, and shows
signs of the aftermath of having been the scene of a great hubbub.  The ceiling
of this great room soars all the way up to the heavy beams of the roof; the
floor is of thick, dark timbers laid and then shaved smooth.  It is quite muddy
and scattered with grit and snippets of grass in spite of the fact that several
worn straw mats were scattered around the room which were meant for shoes and
boots to be wiped on.
  At the eastern end of the room, large and ornamented doorways lead north and
southeast, to separate wings of the building.  The south wall is set with a row
of deep windows two stories in height, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace
occupies the west side of the room.  Eastward goes through a vestibule and out
the main doors.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  In the middle of the floor is a flaming mass (formerly a balloon and some
cushion stuffing) that has fallen from above.

  Your young pal is with you in the Hall.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “o”.

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of that aged and venerable establishment, Forthlong
Hall.  It served as a dance hall and lounge during the Festival, and shows
signs of the aftermath of having been the scene of a great hubbub.  The ceiling
of this great room soars all the way up to the heavy beams of the roof; the
floor is of thick, dark timbers laid and then shaved smooth.  It is quite muddy
and scattered with grit and snippets of grass in spite of the fact that several
worn straw mats were scattered around the room which were meant for shoes and
boots to be wiped on.
  At the eastern end of the room, large and ornamented doorways lead north and
southeast, to separate wings of the building.  The south wall is set with a row
of deep windows two stories in height, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace
occupies the west side of the room.  Eastward goes through a vestibule and out
the main doors.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  In the middle of the floor is a flaming mass (formerly a balloon and some
cushion stuffing) that has fallen from above.

  Dwindeldorn's future king is with you in the Hall.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “light box”.

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of that aged and venerable establishment, Forthlong
Hall.  It served as a dance hall and lounge during the Festival, and shows
signs of the aftermath of having been the scene of a great hubbub.  The ceiling
of this great room soars all the way up to the heavy beams of the roof; the
floor is of thick, dark timbers laid and then shaved smooth.  It is quite muddy
and scattered with grit and snippets of grass in spite of the fact that several
worn straw mats were scattered around the room which were meant for shoes and
boots to be wiped on.
  At the eastern end of the room, large and ornamented doorways lead north and
southeast, to separate wings of the building.  The south wall is set with a row
of deep windows two stories in height, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace
occupies the west side of the room.  Eastward goes through a vestibule and out
the main doors.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  In the middle of the floor is a flaming mass (formerly a balloon and some
cushion stuffing) that has fallen from above.

  The feckless heir is with you in the Hall.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “l”.

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of Forthlong Hall.  The ceiling soars all the way up
to the heavy beams of the roof, and the floor is of thick, dark timbers.
  Large and ornamented doorways lead north and southeast, but those areas are
mostly private quarters.  There are deep windows two stories in height in the
south wall, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace on the west side of the room.
The way out is east.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  In the middle of the floor is a flaming mass (formerly a balloon and some
cushion stuffing) that has fallen from above.

  The future king of Dwindeldorn is with you in the Hall.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “release balloon”.

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of Forthlong Hall.  The ceiling soars all the way up
to the heavy beams of the roof, and the floor is of thick, dark timbers.
  Large and ornamented doorways lead north and southeast, but those areas are
mostly private quarters.  There are deep windows two stories in height in the
south wall, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace on the west side of the room.
The way out is east.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  The king's son is with you in the Hall.

<>> undo

   Taking back one turn: “put stuffing on balloon”.

 <> Forthlong Hall <>

  This is the Great Room of Forthlong Hall.  The ceiling soars all the way up
to the heavy beams of the roof, and the floor is of thick, dark timbers.
  Large and ornamented doorways lead north and southeast, but those areas are
mostly private quarters.  There are deep windows two stories in height in the
south wall, and an incredibly monstrous fireplace on the west side of the room.
The way out is east.

  A long couch sits along the south wall with its back to the windows.

  Hanging from the heavy timbers of the roof is a spectacular chandelier.

  The young figurehead is with you in the Hall.

<>> put mat on balloon

  You drape the straw mat over the balloon, and even so the balloon continues
to pull towards the ceiling as far as the twine will let it.  Quiz gives you a
quizzical look.

<>> release balloon

  The balloon is certainly an interesting article, and you wouldn't ordinarily
be disposed to destroy it for no good reason.  However, you think you've got an
idea for its worthwhile use, and after all, you can't tote it around forever,
especially if you and the prince are going to be adventuring in search of an
old fortress, the Fastness of the Dracken Fells.
  While standing below the chandelier, you release the balloon, laden with the
straw mat.  It floats steadily upward and enters the forest of burning candles.
The straw mat, being highly combustible, is almost instantly set ablaze.  The
sudden heat bursts the balloon, and a flaming mass falls back to the ground and
continues to burn.
  Good thing there weren't any expensive rugs rolled out on the floor!  Well,
it was a rather roundabout way of procuring a means to relight your ember box,
but part of your goal for the prince involves teaching him how to solve
problems and to be resourceful with whatever is at his disposal.  For that, you
consider the balloon well-spent, and Prince Quisborne is already manifesting
his admiration for the ingenuity of your last experiment.

<>> restore

  Restored.
 <> The Great Festival grounds <>

  You are in the yard fronting Forthlong Hall.  In all directions the remnants
of the Festival are still to be seen.  The hall still stands open to the west,
and a dirt lane leads from the front yard northward.

  The ever-present prince is here.

<>> n

   You depart from Forthlong Manor, eventually crossing the small bridge over
the stream which bounds the manor on the north...

 <> Entrance to the grounds of Forthlong Hall <>

  The road northeast to Darchingcrast converges here with another road running
northwest to southeast.  The lane leading to Forthlong Hall branches off from
this road to the south, crossing a stream by means of a small bridge.

  The elaborate festival entrance is still here, although the treadmill is not
in operation; thus, no jets of water shoot over the bridge and the colored
lanterns are still.

  Prince Q is sticking nearby.

  A few clouds hang overhead.

<>> se

  You pause as the prince speaks.  "Sir, if I may?  Sorry!  I know I'm not in
charge here, I'm just thinking, um, weren't we supposed to be going northwards?
To find the Fastenings of the Darkened Fells, or whatever that place was
called?  Because I'm pretty anxious to find it!"

<>> ne

   The road passes through the pleasant countryside, then climbs a low ridge
and travels along its top...

 <> Outskirts of Darchingcrast <>

  You are on the outskirts of Darchingcrast, royal city of Dwindeldorn, one of
the two great cities within the realm.  The stone and timber buildings, with
their ruddy or greenish tiled roofs, lie north and northeast of you at some
little distance, stopping short of where the castle grounds begin.
Darchingcrast Castle is to the southeast, on a bluff looking down over the
city; a path leads up to it through park-like grounds.  A road leads northwest,
crossing over the Gloskinfroke a short distance from here, and another road
also leads up the side of the ridge, but in a southwesterly direction.

  Nearby, your sidekick is ambling around.

  Your ostensible squire glances back towards the castle with mixed feelings.

<>> x river

  You can't see the water from this distance except away to the west where a
turn of the river is flowing directly away from you.

  A grasshopper makes a leap, and then disappears into the grass.

<>> listen

  You hear nothing out of the ordinary.

<>> smell

  You smell nothing out of the ordinary.

  Some country lasses on horseback trot up the road.

<>> n

  Not only is it counterproductive to bring the prince there, but it might make
the king downright mad.  He's expecting you to take the prince away from the
scene of his royal life.

<>> nw

   You cross the bridge over the river and walk a few miles...

 <> Blatterfarthing village green <>

  The village of Blatterfarthing is described as a central communal green
featuring a running brook and several large shade trees, encircled a few rings
deep by the buildings which make up the community.  The Snorting Sow harbors
the village's wayfarers on the east side of the green, while a low structure,
open on two sides and with a sign mounted on its roof, sits along the west.  To
the northeast of that appears to be a sausage-maker's shop, and a variety of
other buildings and houses complete the innermost ring around the village
green.
  Roads sneak between buildings going southwest, southeast, and northeast.  A
narrow walk path also squeezes between the low structure and the sausage-
maker's, to the northwest.

  Dwindeldorn's future king is present and accounted for.

<>> save

  Saved.

<>> script off