Start of a transcript of Remedial Witchcraft A brewing disaster by dgtziea Release 1 / Serial number 191007 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N) (Type about if you'd like more information!) Okay. So she wants her crystal ball, which is on the table in front of you, and tarot cards, which you have no idea about, but they must be nearby, right? Eh, worry about those later. Identification number: //25139FC6-A926-4224-8B85-EE32BD36A377// Interpreter version 2.1.6 / VM 3.1.2 / Library serial number 080126 Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson >about Hello, hi, thanks for playing! Written for IFComp 2019. Beta tested by James Banks, Andrew Schultz, and Ryan Tan. Also thanks to the intfiction.org help forum, and Emily Short for the Basic Screen Effects and Property Checking extensions. Cover image's cauldron and moon icons designed by Freepik from Flaticon. Try the help command if you'd like help. Also have a look at the verbs command for a list of verbs you'll need. There's a notebook and a brooch that'll help later on. Have fun, you'll need it! >verbs Fairly standard verb set, if you're familiar with parser games: north, west, south, east look examine get Special actions to note: You won't need to talk to anyone to finish the game. Look under and look behind will just search , because who wants to try them all? Look up will be necessary. Use that when you're in the right location for it. Others: read get on get off clean (with ) put in put on stir unlock with throw at Some magic words, but those should be telegraphed. Just type the magic word by itself. One command I'm not putting here; look it up yourself if you can't figure out how to use the thing! >i You are carrying: your student ID stylish robes (being worn) >x me You are Lina, a second guessing first-year at the Whitewood Academy. You're failing everything: Oneiromancy (dream interpretation), Arithmancy (nowhere near Junior level), Runecrafts (ugh ugh ugh)... At this point the only Potions you'll ever see are the brews you're served in taverns. Sigh. At least you're rockin' your slim fit scarlet robes. >x id It's a small gemstone that has your identity-name, school, discipline, year-imprinted on it. Gimmicky, easy to lose, and expensive too! You had to pay 198 rupees for it as part of your school fees! Whitewood Academy's such a rip-off... >x robes The traditional robes are so heavy; they get in the way, they look unflattering, and just, bleugh. These custom ones-scarlet-colored, slim fit- are way better. >search robes You find nothing of interest. >l Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A crystal ball sits on top of it, gently glowing in the orblight of the room. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. The Witch of Howling Woods is outside, chanting and drawing sigils on the ground. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your closed backpack here. >take crystal You try to reach it, but you can actually only sort of graze it with your fingertips. It's really far into the center of the table. >climb table Ah. You look at the table that goes up past your stomach. You try to lift your right knee up onto the table, which is about waist height, but your robe makes that impossible. You hike up your robe a bit, and try getting your knee onto the table, but the robe is so heavy and unwieldy that it makes it difficult; it keeps falling back down too low. After struggling at this for a while, you stop and rest a bit. (Deep breath... Press any key to try again.) You try again, lifting your leg up... and you hear a ripping noise! You immediately stop what you're doing, and check, and there's now a gash in the hem of your robe along the seams! Ugh. Okay. You think a bit. Then you turn around, put your butt against the table, both hands on the edge, and push yourself up onto a sitting position on the table. Then you sort of have to do this awkward sideways shimmy-rollover, until you're laying on your stomach on the tabletop (you almost knock your homework off the table in the process), and then you push yourself up onto your knees... And hey, you're finally on the table. >take crystal You put both arms underneath it, and then straining with all your might, you try to lift it up, and. Nothing happens. Ergh! Nope. Not happening. You scratch your head. It's heavy, but not that heavy-looking. What's keeping it in place? >x it Wait... you look more closely at the ball, and notice a small swirly rune underneath it on the table, glowing blue. >x rune The rune is pulsing blue energy; it's a weird looking symbol, but it looks almost familiar? >touch it You feel nothing unexpected. >touch crystal You feel nothing unexpected. >look into it You look at the ball more closely, and it's mesmerizing, even though you know it's just a cheap magicked tempera paint applied to the glass. The actual glass is where the real magic's at. >x flame A bunch of glowy orbs hung around the edges of the room, with trapped flame within each. Just ornamental. >x glyphs You know they're there, and some of them glow slightly, but most of them are invisible. Traps, sensors, a bunch of security measures for anyone foolish enough to wander in with malicious intent. >x homework Your homework was to identify basic runes based on their color and linework. Oh hey, there's the swirly rune! It's a nnai rune, and it does basic binding of an object to surface. But it doesn't say how to reverse it here. >look up nnai You're not a bookshelf or anything like that. >x cabinet A garish, ornate cabinet made of hazel oak. Looks fancy, looks hideous. It's sealed magically shut. >open it It seems to be locked. >search it You can't see inside, since the cabinet is closed. >jump onto cabinet I only understood you as far as wanting to jump. >jump Okay... You jump. That did not help. >x table The table is huge - like you couldn't even reach that crystal ball in the middle - and it goes up past your stomach. You've never seen it used for divination, because your apprenticeship starts after your afternoon classes, and she apparently sees clients earlier. Your backpack's beside it. On the wooden table are your homework and a crystal ball. >search table On the wooden table are your homework and a crystal ball. >x backpack Right, this is where you left your backpack. It's made of leather dyed black, goes pretty well with your robes you think. It's currently closed. You've got textbooks inside. >wear it (first taking your closed backpack) No reason to. Not like you're going anywhere. >open it You open your closed backpack, revealing your textbooks and your notebook. Your notebook could be handy, so you grab it (+ a quill) and jot down what the witch wanted. >read notebook Let's see, you've got written down that'd be useful: - bring outside crystal ball (div rm) and tarot cards (?? where ?? worry later) >x textbooks You bought only the texts you needed to do your homework, so Runecrafts and History. (You can use them to look up something) >look up nnai You grab your Runecrafts textbook and flip through to the identification chapter. Ah, here's the rune from the table. It's a basic rune that sticks an object to surface the rune was drawn on. To remove it, say the power word nnai out loud with a rising inflection. >nnai You intone "nnai" with a rising tone. The swirly rune glows white, then recedes and fades away. >take crystal You pause and try to figure out the best avenue of attack. Then you reach down, and try to pull it up towards you. You put your arms out and try to hug it to your midsection, but it's so heavy that you stagger, and it slips through your grasp instead! You lunge for it clumsily, but it's already rolling off the table, and it craters to the floor with a loud THUMP that shakes the room. You can only watch as the (expensive-looking!) crystal ball continues its journey and crashes heavily into the (expensive-looking!) cabinet. The cabinet door is jarred open, and a cloud of sparkly powder pours out and fills the surrounding air, before settling. >x table The table is huge and it goes up past your stomach. You've never seen it used for divination, because your apprenticeship starts after your afternoon classes, and she apparently sees clients earlier. Your backpack's beside it. On the wooden table is your homework. >d You get off the wooden table. Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A huge crystal ball sits on the floor in front of the cabinet it just smashed into. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. The Witch of Howling Woods is outside, chanting and drawing sigils on the ground. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. >open cabinet That's already open. >x cabinet A garish, ornate cabinet made of hazel oak. Looks fancy, looks hideous. It's been jarred open. In the cabinet are a bunch of divination stuff and some tarot cards. >take cards You can't give them to her like this! There's powder all over them. >x cards A set of tarot cards. Like everything else in the cabinet, used for divination. >x stuff There's a bunch of stuff here, but it's all covered in this orange powder: small animal bones, sticks, an overturned container with some of that orange powder still in it, a tea set, some knick knacky mantelpiece stuff, but none of that looks interesting. What does catch your eye is the set of tarot cards, but they're buried in sticky orange powder. >x powder There's a bunch of stuff here, but it's all covered in this orange powder: small animal bones, sticks, an overturned container with some of that orange powder still in it, a tea set, some knick knacky mantelpiece stuff, but none of that looks interesting. What does catch your eye is the set of tarot cards, but they're buried in sticky orange powder. >smell powder You smell nothing unexpected. >eat it That's pretty plainly inedible. >lick it I didn't understand that sentence. >taste it You taste nothing unexpected. >move powder You're not much for pushing anything too far. >l Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A huge crystal ball sits on the floor in front of the cabinet it just smashed into. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. The Witch of Howling Woods is outside, chanting and drawing sigils on the ground. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. >i You are carrying: your notebook your student ID stylish robes (being worn) >look up powder You can't find anything useful about that. >look up orange powder You can't find anything useful about that. >take all crystal ball: You reach down, grabbing the sides of the ball firmly, and try picking it up; no dice. Rolling up your sleeves, you stoop down, place both arms underneath, and try standing up. Urf... Ugh... Straighten your legs... Okay. your backpack: No reason to. Not like you're going anywhere. your homework: A break from homework would be good, actually. tarot cards: You can't give them to her like this! There's powder all over them. >i You are carrying: a crystal ball your notebook your student ID stylish robes (being worn) >search cabinet In the cabinet are a bunch of divination stuff and some tarot cards. >open closet You can't see any such thing. >e Closet A cramped closet. Mostly cleaning stuff? The cleaning stuff needs cleaning. There's also a stool that got shoved in here. West goes back out. A feather duster lies discarded on the floor. You can also see a cat here. The cat is sleeping curled up in a corner. >take duster Taken. >take stool Taken. The cat is sleeping curled up in a corner. >x cat She's a black cat, her familiar. She's sleeping like all the time. One of your jobs is to feed her; you have no idea when she eats, though. You fill the bowl, then at some point it depletes. >pet cat Your face doesn't need any claw marks, thanks. The cat is sleeping curled up in a corner. >take cat Your face doesn't need any claw marks, thanks. >e You look for a hidden passage or portal, but alas, you can't seem to go that way. The cat is sleeping curled up in a corner. >w Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. The Witch of Howling Woods is outside, chanting and drawing sigils on the ground. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. >i You are carrying: a stool a feather duster a crystal ball your notebook your student ID stylish robes (being worn) >use What do you want to use? >duster Yeah, maybe... But how would you use it? >dust powder You dab at all the stuff in the cabinet with the duster until it looks cleaner. Okay, close enough. >take cards Taken. >s You go outside, and stand next to The Witch of Howling Woods as she mutters the last words of her ritual. (It all sounds like gibberish to you, but the circle of glyphs on the ground looks almost fully bright, pretty much. With a triumphant burst of gibberish, she opens her eyes and gets up. She looks at you, struggling under the weight of the crystal ball, without comment. Instead, reaching out, she puts both her hands on either side of the ball, without touching it. The ball lights up brilliantly, colors swirling within, and you're so surprised your grip almost slips. (Press any key to continue.) She moves her right hand over it, and the ball levitates out of your hands, her hand guiding it from your grasp. You watch as she gestures it over to the glyph, where she drops it smoothly. "Thank you, apprentice. I am off-" she cuts off and frowns at the cards as they levitate over and orange powder wafts through the air behind them. Guess you didn't clean them enough. "Why pray tell is there illywort powder on these cards, apprentice? Please be more careful. There are things in this house that that shouldn't get in contact with!" She throws the cards onto the glyph and says "Shyn!", disppearing everything. Then she conjures a broom out of thin air, jumps onto it, and flies off into the night. You watch, shivering a bit, as she disappears into the encroaching mists above. "Gooood riddance!" The cat says. (Press any key to continue.) Outside The forest is as foreboding as they say, even from this house right in the middle of it. Her doing. The house looms in the middle of a small clearing, and the silent moon peeks out just over the red clay roof. The small clearing also contains a pretty shoddy looking garden, all weedy and gnarled. You stand right outside it; you're not leaving this clearing, no way. North is the front door to the hut, and warmth. "You can talk?" You ask the cat in surprise. (Sade! right...) "Seems so." Sade replies, sitting upright. "But... you've never talked before!" "The witch-my master-put a hex on me. She doesn't want me to talk human to her. It's active when she's in the house." You consider this. "Why?" "Because. She doesn't appreciate my advice." Sade tilts her head. "Bit odd, since she's the one who put a language charm on me in the first place. She wants me to be a silent familiar. Which is a bit of a waste, don't you think?" Familiar? That means... "Oh! So she draws power from you?" "Hmm." She looks at you. "Your questions are inane. I shall take leave of this conversation now. Ta! Sade goes north. >x forest You've never really explored the forest outside of when you're sent to gather herbs or something. You just use a teleportation glyph to get to the house and back. >x house Silhouetted in the moonlight, shrouded in fog; it's a looming presence out here in the middle of the forest, as it's designed to be, even though it's only a single story tall. It's got a flat red clay roof, pale brown walls with aged wood frames, and large windows all tinted dark (magic!). It's almost like the whole structure is breathing in the darkness. >x moon Glowing ominously in the sky today. It's in its waning gibbous phase (That, you can remember). >x clearing You can't see any such thing. >x roof You can't see too much of the red clay roof from here. You do know Adriella sometimes goes up there to do lunar magic. >u You can't go that way. >x garden For a witch, you'd think she'd keep better care of her plants. They're all overlapping like they're fighting each other for space. There's a bunch of types here, and some look legit dangerous. >search it Very... wilderness-y. Looks like a jumble of green. You can't even estimate how many different types of plants there are, and you don't even want to get closer; some of them look legit dangerous. >n Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see Sade and your backpack here. Sade is stopped in front of the open cabinet. "Looks like you've got some escapees?" Sade gives you an annoyingly arch look, and nods inside the cabinet. You follow her gesture, and it's looking a lot more empty now? There's the spilled powder on the shelf, but now it's spread onto the floor, like someone dumped it all over then threw a whirling wind gust spell onto it. Some of it trails outwards though, continuing out of sight underneath the table. "What happened?!" You exclaim. Sade meets your gaze. "Well, the powder is a catalyst, as is the feather duster you're holding, and this normally locked cabinet normally holds various enchanted but dormant objects the witch has been experimenting with..." "Oh." "Yes. Oh. Well, good luck with that." Sade starts heading off. "No, wait!" you say, unsuccessfully quelling the panic in your voice. "What should I do?" "First step would perhaps be gathering all of them. I remember some of what is missing from what was here before: You are looking for a teapot, a teacup, a candelabra, and a mantle clock. Four things. All of them really could not have gotten too far." She turns again. Sade goes north. >look up illywort You can't find anything useful about that. >x powder the powder has spilled out onto the floor, like someone dumped it all over then threw a whirling wind gust spell onto it. Some of it trails outwards though, continuing out of sight underneath the table. >search table You see the teacup, shivering in the shadows. >take teacup The teacup tries to hop away, but you time it carefully and snatch it out of midair. >x it An ornately decorated ceramic teacup, white with gold trim. It shivers in your grasp. >search cabinet In the cabinet is a bunch of divination stuff. >search powder You find nothing of interest. >x duster It's a feather duster, with a wooden handle and black and white feathers. It's covered in orange powder. (To use it, you can just clean something while you're carrying it.) >e Closet A cramped closet. Mostly cleaning stuff? The cleaning stuff needs cleaning. West goes back out. >w Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. There's powder spilled in front of it. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. >n Library So calling it a library might be generous (but that's what she calls it). It's more a single rickety bookshelf. There are piles of books everywhere in the house, but this is the only place where they actually belong. You see the cauldron to the north, and the divination area is back south. You can see Sade here. Sade leaps gracefully onto the bottom row of the bookshelf, then up the next one, and makes her way all the way to the top and out of view. >x bookshelf It's twice your height, and something like three arm-lengths. You imagine it falling forwards. You'd be killed instantly! Full of books stacked haphazardly. Too many to count. >search it Lots of books. Maybe you could look up something in particular? >look up illywort It's a powder made from riddidium(?), okay, so it's an effective dissolvant of binding spells, charms and trances, cursed objects, and the like. Depending on the power of the spell it can take longer to take effect. >climb bookshelf What are you, a cat? It's too high to climb without bringing the whole thing on top of you. >s Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. There's powder spilled in front of it. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. >search backpack In your backpack are your textbooks. >search homework You find nothing of interest. >n Library So calling it a library might be generous (but that's what she calls it). It's more a single rickety bookshelf. There are piles of books everywhere in the house, but this is the only place where they actually belong. You see the cauldron to the north, and the divination area is back south. >n At the Cauldron A huge cracked cauldron sits on the floor. There's also an everfire with drying racks over it, and an old table with a row of essence dispensers on it. South is the library. North goes deeper into the house. On the old table are a teleportation wand and a huge wooden spoon. On the racks are some sun-dried lumin berries. >x cauldron Tar black, caked with grime. There's a spout near the bottom. Still a couple weeks off from when you'll actually get hands-on on one of these in your Potions class. Adriella hasn't let you touch this one yet either. >search it The cracked cauldron is empty. >x racks It's a tray made out of some sort of mesh, set up over the everfire encasing. She's put some herbs and fruits on it to dry. On the racks are some sun-dried lumin berries. >x berries sun-dried lumin berries. You know what they are because your mom uses them as an ingredient in your hair cleaning potion. >take them You grab some (If you lose the ones you got, there'll be more on the racks). >eat them You pick one out and pop it into your mouth. ...and you spit it out immediately. Wow. Awful! >take them You grab some (If you lose the ones you got, there'll be more on the racks). >x herbs None of that actually looks all that appetizing. They're ingredients, not food. >x fruits None of that actually looks all that appetizing. They're ingredients, not food. >x spout It's a spout at the bottom of the cauldron. (You can use it to drain the cauldron of its contents.) >drain What do you want to drain? >cauldron You turn on the spout, but there's nothing in the cauldron to drain. >x table Poor table! Some of the wood's rotted, there's mold, corrosion, spill marks... On the old table are a teleportation wand and a huge wooden spoon. >take wand Taken. >take spoon Taken. >x it A huge wooden spoon used for cauldron stirring. >x wand It says "Wavering Wand" in fancy script along the smooth handle. Hmm. >search table There is nothing on the old table. >wave wand Hmm. You heft it in your hand, then give it an experimental flick. *Woosh* A flash of blinding light... And you're staring at a wall. Where are you? You look around, and stagger back, because the floor's a long way down! You find yourself.... On the bookshelf in the library It's really high up. You're not looking over the edge more than once; you know the floor's down there somewhere, way too far away. The shelf's up against the wall, it's dusty up here, and there's not a lot of space to move around. There's a pretty brooch here on the bookshelf. You can also see Sade and a teleportation rock here. Sade is sleeping curled up in a corner. >take brooch You pick it up, and take a closer look. It's heavy in your hand, and it seems to refract different colors as you rotate it around. Seems magical, but what does it do? "It's a dowsing brooch." You look up to see Sade looking up at you. "That is how it is sold in shops, anyhow. " "So it can help me find the stuff from the cabinet?" You ask, examining the brooch more closely. Looks pretty normal. "You need to give it an imprint of affinity. Shake some of the illywort powder from the cabinet on it." "What's illywort powder? You mean the orange stuff?" You take a look at the feather duster again, which still has some orange powder on it, and shake some powder from it onto the brooch. It starts blinking excitedly, then stops. "There. It's active. Get going." Sade curls up and goes back to sleep. >x brooch It's a pretty brooch. It'll light up when something you're looking for is nearby. Sade is sleeping curled up in a corner. >take rock Taken. >x it Smooth and solid in your hand. Inscription on it says "Wavering Rock." Sade is sleeping curled up in a corner. >wave wand The wand beeps angrily, and some words appear overhead: Error - src and dst are the same! Huh. >wave rock You wave the teleportation rock. Sade is sleeping curled up in a corner. >l On the bookshelf in the library It's really high up. You're not looking over the edge more than once; you know the floor's down there somewhere, way too far away. The shelf's up against the wall, it's dusty up here, and there's not a lot of space to move around. You can see Sade here. >shake rock I didn't understand that sentence. >rock rock I didn't understand that sentence. >rock I didn't understand that sentence. >x rock Smooth and solid in your hand. Inscription on it says "Wavering Rock." Sade is sleeping curled up in a corner. >d Hmm. You can't just jump down. >search rock You find nothing of interest. Sade is sleeping curled up in a corner. >ask sade about rock She ignores you, finding herself way more interesting. >look up rock You're not a bookshelf or anything like that. Sade is sleeping curled up in a corner. >hold rock You already have that. >i You are carrying: a teleportation rock a brooch a huge wooden spoon a teleportation wand some sun-dried lumin berries a teacup a stool a feather duster your notebook your student ID stylish robes (being worn) Sade is sleeping curled up in a corner. >eat rock That's pretty plainly inedible. >smell it You smell nothing unexpected. Sade is sleeping curled up in a corner. >search it You find nothing of interest. >push it Nothing obvious happens. Sade is sleeping curled up in a corner. >throw rock Without getting too close to the edge of the bookshelf, you lightly throw the rock at the floor below. >wave wand *Woosh* A flash of blinding light... Library So calling it a library might be generous (but that's what she calls it). It's more a single rickety bookshelf. There are piles of books everywhere in the house, but this is the only place where they actually belong. You see the cauldron to the north, and the divination area is back south. You can see a teleportation rock here. You pick the rock back up. >n At the Cauldron A huge cracked cauldron sits on the floor. There's also an everfire with drying racks over it, and an old table with a row of essence dispensers on it. South is the library. North goes deeper into the house. The brooch is glowing. It's faint, though, and its aura is sort of tugging you north. >search table There is nothing on the old table. The brooch is glowing. It's faint, though, and its aura is sort of tugging you north. >n (first opening the bedroom door) It seems to be locked. The brooch is glowing. It's faint, though, and its aura is sort of tugging you north. >x door Goes to her bedroom. You're probably not getting through this way though. The brooch is glowing. It's faint, though, and its aura is sort of tugging you north. >search it You find nothing of interest. The brooch is glowing. It's faint, though, and its aura is sort of tugging you north. >put rock under door I didn't understand that sentence. >look under door Nope, no gap. But that does remind you that you saw her bedroom the first day helping her with a moonlit ritual, and there are teleportation circles in there and on the roof. The brooch is glowing. It's faint, though, and its aura is sort of tugging you north. >s Library So calling it a library might be generous (but that's what she calls it). It's more a single rickety bookshelf. There are piles of books everywhere in the house, but this is the only place where they actually belong. You see the cauldron to the north, and the divination area is back south. >s Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. There's powder spilled in front of it. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. The brooch is glowing, but it's really faint... Its aura is sort of tugging you upwards? >u You look for a hidden passage or portal, but alas, you can't seem to go that way. The brooch is glowing, but it's really faint... Its aura is sort of tugging you upwards? >look up Hmm. You don't see anything unexpected, but you don't know what's on the other side. The brooch is glowing, but it's really faint... Its aura is sort of tugging you upwards? >s Outside The forest is as foreboding as they say, even from this house right in the middle of it. Her doing. The house looms in the middle of a small clearing, and the silent moon peeks out just over the red clay roof. The small clearing also contains a pretty shoddy looking garden, all weedy and gnarled. You stand right outside it; you're not leaving this clearing, no way. North is the front door to the hut, and warmth. The brooch is glowing. One of the items you're looking for must be nearby. >search garden Very... wilderness-y. Looks like a jumble of green. You can't even estimate how many different types of plants there are, and you don't even want to get closer; some of them look legit dangerous. Like, say, the thorny vines wrapped around that teapot over there. The brooch is glowing. One of the items you're looking for must be nearby. >take teapot You approach the entwined teapot cautiously, and reach slowly for it, but a stray vine lashes out at you, forcing you beat a hasty retreat. The vine plant curls back protectively around the teapot. The brooch is glowing. One of the items you're looking for must be nearby. >i You are carrying: a teleportation rock a brooch a huge wooden spoon a teleportation wand some sun-dried lumin berries a teacup a stool a feather duster your notebook your student ID stylish robes (being worn) The brooch is glowing. One of the items you're looking for must be nearby. >x berries sun-dried lumin berries. You know what they are because your mom uses them as an ingredient in your hair cleaning potion. The brooch is glowing. One of the items you're looking for must be nearby. >throw rock on roof You take aim and toss the rock onto the roof, and it disappears over the lip and out of sight. Oh man, you hope you can get it back. The brooch is glowing. One of the items you're looking for must be nearby. >wave wand *Woosh* A flash of blinding light... On the roof So you're on the roof. There's not a lot of room up here, but it seems sturdy and flat enough. From here you can see the garden and the forest below, and the silent moon above. It's also really cold. The wind chills your bones. The mantle clock is jumping around up here. You wish you had that sort of energy. There's a teleportation circle which Adriella uses to transport stuff up here for lunar rituals. You can also see a teleportation rock here. You pick the rock back up. The brooch is glowing. One of the items you're looking for must be nearby. >take clock You go to pick up the clock, and it scuttles away, then suddenly launches in the air, over your head! You watch as it arcs high into the night sky, and javelins itself into a patch of mud in the garden in front of the house. >enter circle You get onto the teleportation circle. >wave wand The wand beeps angrily, and some words appear overhead: Error - src and dst are the same! Huh. >search circle There is nothing on the teleportation circle. >x it It's the teleportation circle Adriella was using before. A bunch of sigils put down which form a small circle. You helped her once before, she was transporting stuff from her room to up here for a moonlit ritual. Actually you even remember the activation word she was saying: it was shyn. >shyn These teleportation circles don't transport living things. Your prof was kinda vague on exact repurcussions, but it seemed... like a bad idea. >exit You get off the teleportation circle. On the roof So you're on the roof. There's not a lot of room up here, but it seems sturdy and flat enough. From here you can see the garden and the forest below, and the silent moon above. It's also really cold. The wind chills your bones. There's a teleportation circle which Adriella uses to transport stuff up here for lunar rituals. >put rock in circle You put the teleportation rock on the teleportation circle. >shyn You intone "shyn" with a flat tone. The teleportation circle glows... the teleportation rock disappears! >wave wand *Woosh* A flash of blinding light... Bedroom (on the teleportation circle) Mmm. As messy as the rest of the house, so she's consistent at least. A lone bed, a wardrobe, and a wooden desk stand amongst the ruins. The door back out is to the south. Oh look, the candelabra's here, seems to have got caught up in all the mess. It seems to have wedged itself under a mass of skulls? On the teleportation circle you can see a teleportation rock. You pick the rock back up. The brooch is glowing. One of the items you're looking for must be nearby. >take candelabra You free it from the spate of skulls. >take skulls You don't need them right now. >x bed It's like a tornado hit it. Maybe she's been practicing. >search it You peek underneath. Dust greets you. Also a trio of eyes deep in the shadows, but you're trying to forget that. >clean bed You're not cleaning anything unless you have to. >x wardrobe A tall wardrobe, taller than you. Looks old. >open it You're not about to snoop through her clothes! >search it You find nothing of interest. >x desk A dusty desk that looks like it's never been used, with a single drawer. >search it You find nothing of interest. >open drawer You open the wooden drawer, revealing a blue keyrune. >take keyrune Taken. >x it Oh, must be her spare. Your room uses a keyrune, they're pretty nifty! You use 'em to unlock the matching lockrune door. >x skulls Just some skulls, no biggie. But they really shouldn't just be left on the floor! >s (first getting off the teleportation circle) (first opening the bedroom door) It seems to be locked. >unlock door What do you want to unlock the bedroom door with? >keyrune You unlock the bedroom door. >s (first opening the bedroom door) At the Cauldron A huge cracked cauldron sits on the floor. There's also an everfire with drying racks over it, and an old table with a row of essence dispensers on it. South is the library. North goes deeper into the house. >s Library So calling it a library might be generous (but that's what she calls it). It's more a single rickety bookshelf. There are piles of books everywhere in the house, but this is the only place where they actually belong. You see the cauldron to the north, and the divination area is back south. >s Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. There's powder spilled in front of it. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. >s Outside The forest is as foreboding as they say, even from this house right in the middle of it. Her doing. The house looms in the middle of a small clearing, and the silent moon peeks out just over the red clay roof. The small clearing also contains a pretty shoddy looking garden, all weedy and gnarled. You stand right outside it; you're not leaving this clearing, no way. North is the front door to the hut, and warmth. The clock is here, stuck in mud. The teapot is here, gnarled up within some vines in the garden. The brooch is glowing. One of the items you're looking for must be nearby. >take clock You gingerly pull the mantle clock from the mud. Phew! You thought maybe it'd be a whole ordeal. >x vines It's a large writhing knot of thorny vines nestled deep in the garden. Tangled within them is a teapot. >i You are carrying: a mantle clock a blue keyrune a candelabra a teleportation rock a brooch a huge wooden spoon a teleportation wand some sun-dried lumin berries a teacup a stool a feather duster your notebook your student ID stylish robes (being worn) >hit vines In your head, you imagine delivering a flying kick to the plant. But the plant, perhaps sensing bad ideas, brandishes a barbed vine at you, and you reconsider. >give berries t ovine You can only do that to something animate. >give berries to vine You can only do that to something animate. >clean vine You approach it with the feather duster, but it snaps a vine at you before you get close enough. >x clock It's merrily spinning the hands on its face, backwards. It seems pretty preoccupied with this. >open it It isn't something you can open. >x brooch It's a pretty brooch. It'll light up when something you're looking for is nearby. >x vines It's a large writhing knot of thorny vines nestled deep in the garden. Tangled within them is a teapot. >shyn You intone "shyn" with a flat tone. And... nothing happens? You don't notice anything. >in Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. There's powder spilled in front of it. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. >look up vine You can't find anything useful about that. >look up vines You can't find anything useful about that. >n Library So calling it a library might be generous (but that's what she calls it). It's more a single rickety bookshelf. There are piles of books everywhere in the house, but this is the only place where they actually belong. You see the cauldron to the north, and the divination area is back south. >look up vine You find a book about identifying "thaumaturgic plants" (thaumaturgic, is like a fancy word for magical). You flip through the pages, scanning for the vines. Here it is, exact picture! They're eldreniac vines: a nocturnal, carnivorous(!) plant. Okay... Here's a potion to put it to sleep! Mix essence of bloom with sun-dried lumin berries, stir to activate, and then pour the resultant potion on the plant. You put the book back. >look up blom You can't find anything useful about that. >look up bloom You can't find anything useful about that. >n At the Cauldron A huge cracked cauldron sits on the floor. There's also an everfire with drying racks over it, and an old table with a row of essence dispensers on it. South is the library. North goes deeper into the house. >put berry in cauldron You can't see any such thing. >put berries in cauldron You put the sun-dried lumin berries into the cracked cauldron. >x bloom A large glass dispenser of bloom essence. Bright grassy green, and smells like it looks. Lots of different plants in this essence: wisteria, spindleweed, kudzu. Spells of growth or appearance or quickening. >take it You take a flask from the shelf, then fill it with the green liquid. >pour bloom in cauldron (the flask of bloom essence in the cracked cauldron) You pour the flask of bloom essence into the cracked cauldron. >stir What do you want to stir? >cauldron The concoction starts bubbling frantically, swirling and frothing purple before settling into a mild green complexion. You turn down the heat, then allow it cool, before decanting it into a flask. Now you have a potion. >x potion A mild green concoction that will put the vine plant to sleep. (To use it, you can pour it on something.) >s Library So calling it a library might be generous (but that's what she calls it). It's more a single rickety bookshelf. There are piles of books everywhere in the house, but this is the only place where they actually belong. You see the cauldron to the north, and the divination area is back south. >s Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. There's powder spilled in front of it. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. >s Outside The forest is as foreboding as they say, even from this house right in the middle of it. Her doing. The house looms in the middle of a small clearing, and the silent moon peeks out just over the red clay roof. The small clearing also contains a pretty shoddy looking garden, all weedy and gnarled. You stand right outside it; you're not leaving this clearing, no way. North is the front door to the hut, and warmth. The teapot is here, gnarled up within some vines in the garden. >pour potion on vine You splash some of the potion onto the vine plant, and it immediately curls up protectively into a ball, which makes it easy to use up the rest of the flask of stuff on its head. It stops moving. >take teapot You firmly pluck the teapot from the limp grasp of the plant. Phew, got all of 'em. Just need to put them back. >n Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. There's powder spilled in front of it. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. >save Ok. >put teapot in cabinet You stick it into the cabinet... and it immediately jumps back out! You scoop it back up before it scurries away. Hmm. >clean teapot You're not cleaning anything unless you have to. >x teapot A ceramic teapot, white with gold trim, bit chipped. Seems pretty calm now. >put teapot in cabinet You stick it into the cabinet... and it immediately jumps back out! You scoop it back up before it scurries away. Hmm. >x cabinet A garish, ornate cabinet made of hazel oak. Looks fancy, looks hideous. It's been jarred open. In the cabinet is a bunch of divination stuff. >clean cabinet You're not cleaning anything unless you have to. >look up animate You can't find anything useful about that. >n As you enter the library, Sade jumps down from the bookshelf and lands nimbly in front of you. "You have found them all? Excellent. Just make them sedentary again, and you will be able to return them to their rightful places." "Sedentary. Okay." You nod, then mull that over a moment. "How?" Sade sighs. "You need to de-mystify them. I think that would be the easiest path for your level. A dispul incantation should suffice. Look it up, I don't recall it off the top of my head. Library So calling it a library might be generous (but that's what she calls it). It's more a single rickety bookshelf. There are piles of books everywhere in the house, but this is the only place where they actually belong. You see the cauldron to the north, and the divination area is back south. You can see Sade here. >look up animate You can't find anything useful about that. Sade licks herself. >look up dispul You have no idea where to even start. You start flipping through potions books. Nothing. You move on to re-animation books, and come up empty. But you finally find a tome with a title that says dispul fwejidvjsio wefpok. So... hopefully? You flip it open. ... Oh. Oh no. It's all in some, ancient script of some sort. "Need help?" Sade's voice appears above you. You look up, at the Sade perched on a shelf just above you, peering down with curiosity at the open books in your hands. "I don't even know what language this is that I don't know to read," you say. "Here, put it on the table, let me look at it." "You know how to read?" You ask, as you lay it open on the table in the middle of the room. "What did I say about inane questions?" Sade leaps down and lands nimbly on your shoulder. "Shall we work together? Turn the pages for me when I say so." (Press any key to turn the page) You find it a bit demeaning, having to flip pages for a cat. Then again, it's smarter than you, so maybe you shouldn't. Sade doesn't say much, and shushes any questions you have, as you both continue going through the pages this way, with her peering down from atop your shoulder. Your arms are getting tired from the page turning though. Finally, Sade looks up. "I think I know what you need to do. Just repeat after me: "grneni awako plough." (say grneni awako plough) "Then say grneni awako dispuk." (say grneni awako dispuk) Finally say sktoch elro omne." (say grneni awako omne) "And we are finished." Sade says, with just a hint of triumph. "That's it?" That seemed really simple. "Yes, that is it." Go to the cabinet, and we can put all this business behind us." "Great! Uh, thanks for all your help!" "Pleasure was all yours, I assure you." You glance down, and sure enough, the candelabra, the teapot, the teacup, and the mantle clock are now all not moving anymore. >s Divination Area This is the entrance to the house, meant to scare off intruders and impress everyone else. It's lit by magic orb flame and there are a bunch of glowing glyphs everywhere. There's an imposing wooden table hogging most of the space. A cabinet is squeezed up along the wall. There's powder spilled in front of it. South leads outside. There's a small closet to the east. The rest of the house is through a wispy curtains to the north. On the wooden table is your homework. You can also see your backpack here. >put teacup in cabinet Finally! It's taken all night pretty much-you sidle over to the door and take a peek out, and yep, should be almost midnight-but you're almost done, just need to put the items back into the cabinet. You take a look down at them: the mantle clock, the candelabra, the teacup, and the teapot, all now sedate. "Well, congratulations are in order. You even managed to brew a rudimentary potion, and it didn't even take you too long." Sade says, from her perch now on the table. "Thanks...?" you say, deciding to take it as a compliment. Sade says nothing else, as you return everything back into the cabinet. While you're at it, you also dust around a bit, return the powdered stuff back into the thing, until the whole cabinet interior looks like it was before, more or less. "Hey, thanks for the help!" You say, turning looking back at the cat. She's nowhere to be seen, though. "Huh." You say out loud. Must've gotten bored, or tired. Same thing. "Lazy thing...." "I have actually been quite busy." you hear. You turn to the direction of the voice, back at the cabinet, and the darn cat's at the bottom shelf. She looks a bit damp? "[some gibberish that doesn't even sound human, but then again she's a cat, but it doesn't sound cat-like either]!" Sade intones, and you look down at a rune that is suddenly glowing on your left shoulder and the matching one on Sade's left paw, and you sort of have a bad feeling about this... (Press any key to see what happens next!) A flash of light, and you when your eyes clear, you see red cloth in front of you? You look around, at the oak walled room, then look up, at a giant woman in scarlet robes? "Hello, Lina!" The giant says, smiling horribly down at you. "Thank you for all of your help! If you had not helped gather that tome down from the shelf, and said all of the required words, I would not have been to complete the rune ritual and restore my body. "Who are-Sade?" You suddenly recognize the voice; it's a lot deeper, livelier, but the tone is unmistakable. You look down at yourself, and of course you're a cat now. "I will do one more walk around the house, and steal all that I was meaning to the first time around, and then I will take my leave before your master returns." Sade looks down at her-your robes, and twirls around. "You have very nice taste, I must say." You run forward, but she quickly slams the door, and you're dropped into darkness. You scratch at the door to no avail. "Being a cat is not so bad," you hear her say. Receding footsteps. Lots of rustling. Footsteps again. A door slams. (Press any key to be a cat.) Darn. Well. Okay, then. The cabinet isn't very cat-accomodating, you've got to say. Just enough room to turn around in circles. It's amazing how much you can squish, though. Time passes. You don't think "Sade" is coming back. A yawn overtakes you, as the mantle clock strikes one. You curl into a ball. Nothing else to do, really; you'll take a cat nap, and you'll see what Adriella says when she returns to this, and as for what happens to your apprenticeship, your credits, your standing? Best not to dwell. *** The End *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, or UNDO the last command? >