.SEGMENT "CASTLE" .FUNCT ANONF-265:ANY:0:0 FCLEAR PRAXIX,LIT RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-266:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,SCOUT-COMMAND \?CCL3 ICALL UPDATE-FSET,HERE,DONT-SCOUT FSET HERE,SCOUTED ICALL2 WPRINTD,ACTOR PRINTI " tried to scout out the area, but the heavy mist made his task all but impossible." CRLF CRLF EQUAL? ACTOR,HURTH \?CCL6 PRINTI """I cannot say what lies ahead,"" he announced, ""though I have found some heavy tracks in the mud which I fear to be orc footprints. We must be careful, and move quietly!""" RTRUE ?CCL6: PRINTI """It's not good,"" he said, ""There are footprints in the mud just ahead, and I doubt their owners are friendly.""" RTRUE ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,PROCEED-COMMAND \FALSE PRINTI "Early the next morning, we started again. The air was heavy with mist, and it was difficult to see just a few paces before us. We had been moving silently for an hour when " ICALL2 WPRINTD,LEADER PRINTI " became alarmed." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "Gathering together, we soon learned that Praxix was missing from our ranks. ""Praxix! Praxix!"" we called, but there was no reply, only the sounds of the forest." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Praxix! Praxix!"" The words fell only upon the deaf ears of the forest." ICALL1 DIVIDER ICALL2 MAKE-SUBGROUP,PRAXIX CALL2 MOVE-TO,TREE-FORK RSTACK .FUNCT V-ASK-TREE:ANY:0:0 ICALL2 TELL-TALE,ACTION-OBJECT RTRUE .FUNCT O-ASK-TREE:ANY:0:0 CALL2 FIND-OBJECTS,ASK-TREE-OBJECTS RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-267:ANY:0:0 PRINTI """Where am I?"" Praxix asked, thinking it might help. It didn't." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """You're here with me,"" the tree replied." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """And where would that be?"" Praxix tried." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """In the forest?"" the tree replied uncertainly, trying his best to be helpful." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "Praxix slumped to the ground, rubbing his head. This was shaping up to be a miserable day, he thought. Best to leave this leaf-laden philosopher and try to find the others." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-268:ANY:0:0 FSET ASK-TREE-PATHS,SEEN ICALL TRAVEL-COMMANDS,HERE,MILKY-WAY-COMMAND,ROAD-TO-RUIN-COMMAND,GARDEN-PATH-COMMAND ICALL2 UPDATE-REMOVE,ACTION-OBJECT PRINTI "Hoping at least to get some useful information from this root-bound nuisance, Praxix asked, ""Do you know where these paths lead?""" CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Why, of course; on the left is the Milky Way, right in front of you is the road to ruin, and here on the right is the garden path,"" the tree replied matter-of-factly." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """I don't suppose you have a preference,"" Praxix asked with little hope." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """No, I've never felt the need for one,"" the tree responded, ""I'm not going much of anywhere."" And with that, he shook a few branches to indicate the limits of his movement." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-269:ANY:0:0 CALL QSET?,HERE,SEEN ZERO? STACK \FALSE PRINTI """Praxix! Praxix!"" the voice cried out. ""Wake up!""" CRLF CRLF ICALL2 GRAPHIC,G-TALKING-TREE PRINTI "Praxix rose slowly and took stock of his situation. After separating from the group, he had wandered aimlessly through the dense fog for the better part of the morning before stopping to indulge in the tasty, red berries that blanketed the ground beneath him. And then, he fell into a deep, yet restless, sleep." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "Now, someone was calling him, but who? He swung around, but found himself alone. His head ached, and he wished for nothing more than to be left in peace until the pain subsided." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Praxix! Don't you have anything better to do,"" the voice continued, ""than to sleep the day away?""" CRLF CRLF PRINTI "Praxix swung around again and faced a modest-sized oak tree as it was just finishing the preceding question. ""You know my name?"" he asked, startled more by the personal reference than the fact that he was being addressed in whatever fashion by the local flora." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Why, of course!"" the tree replied enthusiastically. ""All trees sing your praises.""" CRLF CRLF PRINTI """They do?"" Praxix responded coyly, for he was not above flattery." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Oh, my, yes! We know how you helped old Tully when his house caught fire. And then there was the poor Helspar widow, how you helped her...""" CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Yes, yes, I see,"" Praxix interrupted, not wishing to pursue the matter further. But he did not see, at least very clearly, and his head throbbed in much the same way that he expected the Tremor spell would cause if cast upon his cranium." CALL TRAVEL-COMMANDS,PRAXIX,CAST-COMMAND,ASK-TREE-COMMAND,EXAMINE-COMMAND RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-270:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,LEFT-COMMAND /?CTR2 EQUAL? ACTION,MILKY-WAY-COMMAND \?CCL3 ?CTR2: IN? TALKING-TREE,HERE \?CCL8 ICALL2 LEAVE-TREE,STR?55 JUMP ?CND6 ?CCL8: PRINTI "This time he took the leftmost path. " ?CND6: PRINT PATH-TO-MILL CALL2 MOVE-TO,MILL RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,CENTER-COMMAND /?CTR9 EQUAL? ACTION,ROAD-TO-RUIN-COMMAND \?CCL10 ?CTR9: IN? TALKING-TREE,HERE \?CCL15 ICALL2 LEAVE-TREE,STR?172 JUMP ?CND13 ?CCL15: PRINTI "This time he took the center path. " ?CND13: PRINTI "Although the path twisted its way through the forest, it had been a more important thoroughfare long ago, as evidenced by the crumbling stonework lying by the wayside. " PRINT MOAT-DESC CALL2 MOVE-TO,OUTSIDE-MOAT RSTACK ?CCL10: EQUAL? ACTION,RIGHT-COMMAND \?CCL17 ICALL1 REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND CALL1 GUARDED-PATH RSTACK ?CCL17: EQUAL? ACTION,GARDEN-PATH-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL1 REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND CALL1 GUARDED-PATH RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-271:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,EXAMINE-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL1 UPDATE-MOVE FSET MILL-MACHINERY,EXAMINED FSET HERE,NEAR-DARK PRINTI "Badly rusted from many years of disuse, the mill machinery stood as it had for countless years. Praxix attempted to turn the great water wheel, but it had rusted to the point of inoperability. He did, however, notice a small passageway leading down from the machinery into a darker area below." CALL ADD-TRAVEL-COMMAND,HERE,DOWN-COMMAND RSTACK .FUNCT MILL-TO-ASTRIX:ANY:0:0 ICALL2 HINT,HINT-CASTLE FSET? MILL,SEEN \?CND1 FSET? XFER-1,SOLVED /?CND1 ICALL2 HINT,HINT-MILL ?CND1: ICALL1 RESTORE-TAG-OBJECTS PRINTI "Knowing the Sunset Mountain to be generally north and east of his position, Praxix slowly made his way to Astrix' tower." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "The rest of us, having lost hope of reuniting with Praxix, also made our way back, arriving the next day. But while we were glad to have seen Praxix alive, we had failed at our quest for the Stones." CALL1 PART-TWO-ENDING RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-272:ANY:0:0 FSET? PRAXIX,LIT \FALSE FSET? MILL-MACHINERY,EXAMINED \FALSE CALL FORCE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,HERE,DOWN-COMMAND RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-273:ANY:0:0,TMP EQUAL? ACTION,DOWN-COMMAND \?CCL3 FSET? PRAXIX,LIT /?CCL6 ICALL1 REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND PRINTI "It took only a few steps for Praxix to realize that the path leading inside the mill mechanism was dark and potentially dangerous. Rather than risk injury, he returned to the open air." RTRUE ?CCL6: ZERO? SUBGROUP-MODE \?CND7 PRINTI "Praxix insisted in exploring the mechanism himself, and we soon wished that he hadn't." CRLF CRLF ICALL2 MAKE-SUBGROUP,PRAXIX ?CND7: PRINTI "At first, it appeared that the passage was merely some maintenance path with access to the internal working parts of the mill mechanism. However, the path soon reached a set of stone steps that led down beneath ground level, ending at the junction of two paths." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "But no sooner had Praxix started to think about where to proceed next, the ground collapsed beneath the steps, and the resulting avalanche of stone completely buried his only known route to the outside." ICALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-JCN CALL2 PARTY-PCM,PRAXIX ADD STACK,1 >TMP GET PARTY,TMP >TAG-SWAP-CHR CALL2 PARTY-PCM,TAG PUT PARTY,STACK,TAG-SWAP-CHR PUT PARTY,TMP,TAG FSET TAG,SHADOW CALL2 SCENE,MILL-SCENE RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,PROCEED-COMMAND \FALSE CALL1 LEAVE-MILL-AREA RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-274:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,INVENTORY-COMMAND \?CCL3 PRINTI "Praxix took stock of his possessions finding " CALL2 LIST-CONTENTS,INVENTORY ZERO? STACK \?CCL6 PRINTI "only" JUMP ?CND4 ?CCL6: PRINTI " and" ?CND4: PRINTI " his magical paraphenalia - his staff and pouch of powders." CALL UPDATE-FSET,HERE,INVENTORIED RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,DROP-COMMAND \FALSE EQUAL? HERE,XFER-1-ANTE,XFER-2-ANTE,XFER-3-ANTE \?CCL11 EQUAL? HERE,XFER-1-ANTE \?CCL14 PUSH XFER-1 JUMP ?CND12 ?CCL14: EQUAL? HERE,XFER-2-ANTE \?CCL16 PUSH XFER-2 JUMP ?CND12 ?CCL16: PUSH XFER-3 ?CND12: ICALL UPDATE-MOVE,ACTION-OBJECT,STACK PRINTI "Thinking it might be helpful, Praxix dropped the " ICALL2 WPRINTD,ACTION-OBJECT PRINTI " over the railing and down to the bottom of the pit, where it landed " EQUAL? HERE,XFER-1-ANTE \?CCL19 PRINTI "almost immediately." RTRUE ?CCL19: PRINTI "more than a couple of seconds later." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """An awfully long way down,"" he said, gazing absently into the abyss." RTRUE ?CCL11: PRINTI "Praxix thought to drop the " ICALL2 WPRINTD,ACTION-OBJECT PRINTI ", but felt it imprudent to do so." RTRUE .FUNCT LEAVE-MILL-AREA:ANY:0:0 ZERO? REJOINED /?CCL3 ICALL1 CLEAR-SUBGROUP ZERO? A-B-FLAG /?CCL6 CALL1 CASTLE-MILL-TO-ASTRIX RSTACK ?CCL6: CALL1 CASTLE-MILL-TO-CAVERNS RSTACK ?CCL3: FSET? CASTLE-BRIDGE,SEEN \?CCL8 CALL1 MILL-TO-ASTRIX RSTACK ?CCL8: PRINTI "Leaving the vicinity of the mill, Praxix re-entered the forest, taking a more easterly course. " PRINT MOAT-DESC CALL2 MOVE-TO,OUTSIDE-MOAT RSTACK .FUNCT LEAVE-TREE:ANY:1:1,STR PRINTI "Happily ridding himself of this garrulous tree, Praxix strode off upon the " PRINT STR PRINTI " path. What little fog remained had now cleared, and the same could be said for the cottony feeling in his mouth and head." CRLF CRLF RTRUE .FUNCT GUARDED-PATH:ANY:0:0 IN? TALKING-TREE,HERE \?CND1 ICALL2 GRAPHIC,G-FOREST ICALL2 UPDATE-REMOVE,TALKING-TREE GETP HERE,P?EXIT ICALL STACK ICALL2 LEAVE-TREE,STR?57 ?CND1: PRINTI "Before long, he approached a heavily guarded area, an armed compound of some kind. It took only a moment to realize that this was orc territory, and that he was in great danger. Carefully retracing his steps, he found his way back to the fork; the talking tree was gone." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-275:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,EXAMINE-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL1 UPDATE-MOVE PRINTI "Praxix' eye passed along the course of the bridge. Once supported by huge stone pillars which rose high into the air, the roadway was now barely suspended above the water, its wooden planking rotted nearly to non-existence." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-276:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,EXAMINE-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL1 UPDATE-MOVE PRINTI "Looking down at the moat itself was none too pleasant; the water had a dark greenish cast, and strange red weeds covered much of the surface. Every so often, large bubbles of air surfaced, from what source Praxix could only imagine." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-277:ANY:0:0 ICALL UPDATE-MOVE,MOAT-BRIDGE,HERE CALL UPDATE-MOVE,MOAT-WATER,HERE RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-278:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,CROSS-COMMAND \FALSE PRINTI "Praxix decided to explore the castle; gingerly, he made his way across the bridge, the boards creaking and groaning with each step he took. Halfway across, the board beneath his feet gave way, and he was nearly over the side when his arm caught hold of a supporting brace. Pulling himself to his feet, he realized that getting to the castle and back again would be chancy at best." CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-BRIDGE RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-279:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,PROCEED-COMMAND \?CCL3 PRINTI "Resolved to go on, Praxix took greater care in crossing the final half of the bridge, arriving with no further incident to himself. The bridge was another matter; having had just about enough from the long ages, it crumbled and sank into the moat, leaving behind a single large pier standing (or, rather, leaning) near the moat's midpoint." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "What remained of an ancient castle lay before him and he walked eagerly into what would have been the courtyard. Of the four towers which had guarded this fortress, only one stood, and that only barely; the others lay in piles of broken stone and mortar." CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-COURTYARD RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,BACK-COMMAND \FALSE PRINTI "Not wishing to chance being trapped on the castle grounds, Praxix returned to the safety of the near shore. " FSET? MILL,SEEN \?CCL8 CALL1 MILL-TO-ASTRIX RSTACK ?CCL8: PRINTI "Following the only path nearby, he re-entered the forest and was soon at the edge of the river he presumed to be the same we had followed in leaving the lower levels of the caverns. At the river's edge stood the crumbling remains of an old mill building." CALL2 MOVE-TO,MILL RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-280:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,EXAMINE-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL1 UPDATE-MOVE PRINTI "Praxix made a complete circle gazing at the remains of this castle. Besides the fragments of three towers and the ghostly spectre of the fourth, little remained to tell the tale of the castle's past." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-281:ANY:0:0 FSET HERE,SEEN FSET? CASTLE-TOWER,SEEN /?PRD5 ZERO? PRAXIX-SIGNAL /FALSE ?PRD5: FSET? CASTLE-TROVE,SEEN /?CCL3 FSET? UMBER,IN-PARTY /FALSE FSET? CASTLE-DUNGEON,SEEN \FALSE ?CCL3: ZERO? PRAXIX-SIGNAL /?CCL14 CRLF CRLF CALL1 PRAXIX-WAITS-FOR-PARTY RSTACK ?CCL14: ICALL REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,HERE,TOWER-COMMAND GETPT HERE,P?TRAVEL-COMMANDS GET STACK,0 EQUAL? STACK,NUL-COMMAND \FALSE CRLF CRLF PRINTI "And so it was that Praxix became stranded on this man-made island, with no means of escape and no help in sight." CALL2 CHECK-ESSENCES,FAR-VISION-SPELL ZERO? STACK \FALSE CALL2 CHECK-ESSENCES,LIGHTNING-SPELL ZERO? STACK \FALSE CALL2 CHECK-ESSENCES,RAIN-SPELL ZERO? STACK \FALSE ICALL2 HINT,HINT-SIGNAL ICALL1 DIVIDER PRINTI "The rest of us, having lost hope of reuniting with Praxix, slowly made our way back to Astrix. Sadly, we never saw Praxix again." CALL1 PART-TWO-ENDING RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-282:ANY:0:0 CALL1 SENDING-SIGNAL? ZERO? STACK /?CCL3 CALL1 PRAXIX-SENDS-SIGNAL RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,TOWER-COMMAND \?CCL5 PRINTI "Walking into the base of the tower, he saw two staircases, one rising to the battlements above, the other descending beneath the ground into darkness." CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-BASE RSTACK ?CCL5: EQUAL? ACTION,MOAT-COMMAND \FALSE PRINTI "Heading back toward the moat, Praxix surveyed the damage. Hardly a piece of the collapsed bridge remained above the surface; there would be no crossing here. And as for the water, it looked no more appetizing than when he first cast his eyes upon it." ICALL TRAVEL-COMMANDS,HERE,TOWER-COMMAND ICALL UPDATE-MOVE,MOAT-WATER,INSIDE-MOAT CALL2 MOVE-TO,INSIDE-MOAT RSTACK .FUNCT SENDING-SIGNAL?:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \FALSE EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,FAR-VISION-SPELL /?PRD6 EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,LIGHTNING-SPELL /?PRD6 EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,RAIN-SPELL \FALSE ?PRD6: ZERO? PRAXIX-SIGNAL \FALSE RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-283:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \?CCL3 EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,WIND-SPELL /?PRD6 EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,LEVITATE-SPELL \?CCL3 ?PRD6: CALL QSET?,HERE,ENCHANTED ZERO? STACK \?CCL3 ICALL1 UNUSE-ESSENCES PRINTI "Praxix considered using some combination of elevation and wind to get him across the moat, but first he did some figuring. And the figuring told him that he was an odds-on favorite to land inside of the moat rather than beyond it. Praxix was not by nature a betting man, and it occurred to him that this would be a poor time to start." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """I could use a good length of rope,"" he said to a bird which had just perched nearby. ""If the others were here, I wouldn't have this problem, would I?""" RTRUE ?CCL3: CALL1 SENDING-SIGNAL? ZERO? STACK /?CCL10 CALL1 PRAXIX-SENDS-SIGNAL RSTACK ?CCL10: EQUAL? ACTION,COURTYARD-COMMAND \?CCL12 PRINTI "There was little for Praxix to do here than wonder how he had gotten himself into this predicament, so he returned to the courtyard." CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-COURTYARD RSTACK ?CCL12: EQUAL? ACTION,SWIM-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL1 REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND PRINTI "It occurred to Praxix to swim across the moat, but he decided to test the waters first. So, removing his shoe, he dipped an unwilling toe into the moat. The first sensation he felt was warmth; then, an odd tingling feeling gripped him. The water's surface rippled disturbingly, and Praxix swore he felt something pincer-like grab at his toe just as he pulled it from the water. Needless to say, Praxix gave up any thought of subjecting other body parts to the moat." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-284:ANY:0:0 FSET? CASTLE-TOWER,SEEN \?CCL3 FSET? CASTLE-DUNGEON,SEEN /FALSE ?CCL3: CALL2 REMOVE-PARTY-COMMAND,COURTYARD-COMMAND RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-285:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,UP-COMMAND \?CCL3 FSET? CASTLE-TOWER,SEEN \?CND4 ICALL1 REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND ?CND4: PRINTI "Praxix" FSET? UMBER,IN-PARTY \?CND6 PRINTI ", with Umber in tow," ?CND6: PRINTI " climbed the crumbling stairs and was soon atop the tower." CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-TOWER RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,DOWN-COMMAND \?CCL9 CALL1 CASTLE-DUNGEON-MOVE RSTACK ?CCL9: EQUAL? ACTION,COURTYARD-COMMAND \FALSE PRINTI "From there, it was a short walk back to the courtyard." CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-COURTYARD RSTACK .FUNCT CASTLE-DUNGEON-MOVE:ANY:0:0 PRINTI "Climbing down the darkened stairway, Praxix" FSET? UMBER,IN-PARTY \?CND1 PRINTI " and Umber" ?CND1: PRINTI " soon reached the level below, a dungeon of crumbling prison cells. The oppressive moisture and the passage of time had taken a heavy toll on the wooden prison doors, which stood open in ghostly silence." CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-DUNGEON RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-286:ANY:0:0 CALL QSET?,HERE,SEEN ZERO? STACK \?CCL3 ICALL2 GRAPHIC,G-UMBER PRINTI " Much to his surprise, he was not alone, for a man was already there, leaning over a battlement and staring toward the distant horizon. As Praxix approached, the man turned and greeted him with unrestrained enthusiasm, as though he were a dear friend long absent and presumed dead." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Ah, Praxix, my friend! We meet again!"" he said." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "Praxix approached this too cheerful young man of whom he had no particular recollection. ""Does this mean we have met before?"" he asked." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Yes we have, though you were somewhat - what's the word - confused?"" he replied, and leaned forward towards Praxix' mouth, sniffing." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Indeed?"" said Praxix, eyebrows raised." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """No. I think I meant to say 'incoherent.' " ZERO? ASK-TREE-PATHS /?CCL6 PRINTI "First, you told all sorts of odd stories about yourself, and then you asked some questions. Told you about these ruins, as a matter of fact." JUMP ?CND4 ?CCL6: PRINTI "You told me all sorts of stories about yourself, then ran off." ?CND4: PRINTI " I don't mean to be getting personal, seeing as how we've just barely met, but I'd be staying away from those berries if I were you. At least early in the day.""" CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Ah, yes. I do remember,"" Praxix admitted, turning the faintest shade of red. There was no talking tree, he realized; only a vivid hallucination brought upon, apparently, by the berries he had indulged in earlier in the day." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """I don't know about you, but I could use a little company. May I join you?"" the man asked." CALL OPTION,PRAXIX,ACCEPT-COMMAND,DECLINE-COMMAND RSTACK ?CCL3: CALL2 GRAPHIC,G-UMBER RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-287:ANY:0:0,CNT,CHR EQUAL? ACTION,DOWN-COMMAND \?CCL3 FSET? CASTLE-TROVE,SEEN /?CTR5 FSET? CASTLE-DUNGEON,SEEN \?CCL6 FSET? UMBER,IN-PARTY /?CCL6 ?CTR5: CALL MOVE-TO,CASTLE-BASE,STR?651 RSTACK ?CCL6: CALL1 CASTLE-DUNGEON-MOVE RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,ACCEPT-COMMAND \?CCL12 PRINTI "There was no apparent harm in this, so Praxix assented." CRLF CRLF ICALL PARTY-CHANGE,TAG,UMBER FSET UMBER,SUBGROUP SET 'UPDATE-FLAG,TRUE-VALUE PRINTI """Name's Umber,"" the man said by way of belated introduction, ""and I'm pleased to meet you."" He put out his hand, and smiled broadly, reminding Praxix of the used merchandise sellers whom he despised so deeply." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """What have I done?"" Praxix asked the heavens with upraised hands. ""Trapped up here with... with..."" He paused, choosing his words with care. ""With my party out there,"" he said, moving his hands across the broad expanse of forest that lay before him." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Don't they know you're here?"" Umber asked, once again smiling." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "A brilliant thought crossed Praxix' mind, then left as quickly as it had entered. ""No, we were separated in the fog this morning.""" CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Ah. Did I hear you say 'trapped'?"" Umber asked, smile waning." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Yes, trapped. The bridge collapsed as I crossed it. So unless you're up for a swim in the moat...,"" was Praxix' reply, and it left Umber at a loss for words and smiles." CALL1 END-OPTION RSTACK ?CCL12: EQUAL? ACTION,DECLINE-COMMAND \?CCL14 ICALL2 HINT,HINT-UMBER PRINTI """I'm sorry, but I think not,"" Praxix replied as graciously as possible." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Well, then. Perhaps we shall meet again!"" the young man replied, and walked out of sight." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """And perhaps not,"" Praxix said, with a wave of his hand. He heaved a sigh of relief, and pondered what he should do next." CALL1 END-OPTION RSTACK ?CCL14: CALL1 SENDING-SIGNAL? ZERO? STACK /FALSE CALL1 PRAXIX-SENDS-SIGNAL RSTACK .FUNCT PRAXIX-SENDS-SIGNAL:ANY:0:0,CHR,CNT PRINTI "And there, standing " EQUAL? HERE,CASTLE-COURTYARD \?CCL3 PRINTI "in the middle of the courtyard" JUMP ?CND1 ?CCL3: EQUAL? HERE,INSIDE-MOAT \?CCL5 PRINTI "at the edge of the moat" JUMP ?CND1 ?CCL5: PRINTI "on top of that high tower" ?CND1: PRINTI ", Praxix removed his pouch of magical essences and cast the """ ICALL2 WPRINTD,ACTION-OBJECT PRINTI """ spell." CRLF CRLF EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,FAR-VISION-SPELL \?CCL8 PRINTI "The ball of flame shot out toward the horizon." JUMP ?CND6 ?CCL8: EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,LIGHTNING-SPELL \?CCL10 FSET LIGHTNING-SPELL,SEEN PRINTI "Dark clouds gathered round the castle, and soon bolts of lightning were hitting the darkened earth." JUMP ?CND6 ?CCL10: PRINTI "Clouds gathered from nowhere, heavily laden with moisture. And then, the rain started to fall, a heavy, soaking rain." ?CND6: PRINTI " Praxix " EQUAL? HERE,CASTLE-COURTYARD,INSIDE-MOAT \?CCL13 PRINTI "watched, impassively" JUMP ?CND11 ?CCL13: PRINTI "leaned over the edge of the turret, and stared off into the forest" ?CND11: PRINTI ", wondering whether there was anyone there to notice." SET 'PRAXIX-SIGNAL,ACTION-OBJECT SET 'PRAXIX-SIGNAL-ROOM,HERE SET 'SUBGROUP-MODE,TRUE-VALUE SET 'UPDATE-FLAG,TRUE-VALUE ICALL1 RESTORE-TAG-OBJECTS ?PRG14: IGRTR? 'CNT,PARTY-MAX /?REP15 GET PARTY,CNT >CHR EQUAL? CHR,PRAXIX \?CCL20 FCLEAR CHR,SUBGROUP JUMP ?PRG14 ?CCL20: FSET CHR,SUBGROUP JUMP ?PRG14 ?REP15: CALL2 MOVE-TO,GROUP-FOREST RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-288:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,BACK-COMMAND \?CCL3 ICALL TRAVEL-COMMANDS,CASTLE-BASE,UP-COMMAND,COURTYARD-COMMAND IN? SIXTH-STONE,PRAXIX /?CND4 PRINTI "Declining the offer to take some of the stones, " ?CND4: PRINTI "Praxix suggested he had seen enough; the two then ascended the stairs, arriving back at the base of the turret." ZERO? PRAXIX-SIGNAL /?CCL8 PRINTI " They then took the few short steps back to the courtyard." CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-COURTYARD RSTACK ?CCL8: CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-BASE RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,USE-MIX-COMMAND \FALSE EQUAL? MIXTURE,SPECIAL-VISION-SPELL \FALSE EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,STONE-PILE \FALSE MOVE SIXTH-STONE,PRAXIX ICALL2 UPDATE-REMOVE,STONE-PILE ICALL GRAPHIC,FALSE-VALUE,G-TROVE-STONE,TOP-RIGHT PRINTI "Praxix cast his mixture at the pile of stones, and for an instant, it appeared that nothing would happen. And then, slowly, from the middle of the pile, a dim glow appeared, strengthening with each passing moment. Praxix scrambled onto the pile, shovelling stones away with his bare hands until the source of light was revealed. It was a small black stone, perfectly round, and glowing with a powerful dark light." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """The Earth Stone,"" he said, under his breath, taking the black stone and placing it inside his cloak." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Pardon me,"" Umber said, ""but did you just say 'Erstin'? I once knew a man with that name, but I wouldn't think he'd be an acquaintance of yours.""" CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Yes, of course,"" Praxix mumbled, without knowing why. But it had the desirable effect of ending the conversation, as Umber could find nothing beyond a befuddled ""Ah"" to reply." CALL1 MIXTURE-CAST RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-289:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,EXAMINE-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL UPDATE-FSET,ACTION-OBJECT,DONT-EXAMINE PRINTI "There were thousands upon thousands of stones in the chest, of all colors, shapes, and sizes. A profitable business for Umber, to be sure." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Not too valuable, I would say,"" Umber said, picking up a few more of the stones. ""But don't let the townsfolk know it!""" RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-290:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,EXAMINE-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL1 UPDATE-MOVE PRINTI "Praxix went through each of the cells in the dungeon, finding only rusted chains and manacles. Perhaps there had been prisoners here in days long past, but their remains would long since have turned to dust." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-291:ANY:0:0 FSET HERE,SEEN FSET? UMBER,IN-PARTY \FALSE CALL QSET?,HERE,SCOUTED ZERO? STACK \FALSE CRLF CRLF PRINTI "The dungeons were dark and damp, but Umber was as cheerful as ever. ""There are many secrets in these dungeons,"" he said. ""If you give me your word you will tell no one, I will show you my favorite.""" CRLF CRLF PRINTI "Praxix agreed, and Umber led him to the farthest of the dungeon cells. Then, he removed one of the blocks in the cell wall, and reached for an unseen lever that was hidden behind. As he did so, the entire wall slid aside, revealing a large chamber." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "The chamber was bare, save the rusted manacles hanging from the walls, but in the center sat a large chest, brimming with precious stones." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """I see you have been here before,"" Praxix said, with the slightest hint of sarcasm." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Many times,"" Umber responded, ""I make my living selling these stones. I figure it's safer to leave the bulk of them here so that folks back in town don't get too suspicious. Every week or so, I come here and pick up a few dozen.""" CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-TROVE RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-292:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,UP-COMMAND \FALSE PRINTI "Disappointed at having found nothing of interest, Praxix climbed the crumbling stairs and was soon " FSET? CASTLE-TOWER,SEEN /?CCL6 PRINTI "atop the tower." CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-TOWER RSTACK ?CCL6: PRINTI "back at ground level." CALL2 MOVE-TO,CASTLE-BASE RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-293:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,EXAMINE-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL1 UPDATE-MOVE ICALL2 WPRINTD,ACTOR PRINTI " examined the talking tree skeptically, walking around it as an art expert would a hideous piece of sculpture, but finally arrived at the inescapable conclusion that this was indeed a talking tree, about seven feet in height, neatly trimmed, and covered in wide, oddly shaped leaves." RTRUE .ENDSEG .SEGMENT "MILL" .FUNCT ANONF-294:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,BACK-COMMAND \?CCL3 ICALL1 REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND PRINTI "It was no use; no matter how Praxix tried, he could not move enough debris to make his escape possible." RTRUE ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,LEFT-COMMAND \?CCL5 ICALL1 FIRST-XFER-ANTE CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-1-ANTE RSTACK ?CCL5: EQUAL? ACTION,RIGHT-COMMAND /?CCL7 EQUAL? ACTION,CONTROL-ROOM-COMMAND \FALSE ?CCL7: PRINTI "A narrow doorway led Praxix into a small, closetlike chamber. On one wall, a large glass window overlooked a shallow pit. Otherwise, the room was bare except for a strange device mounted against another of the walls." ICALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-MASTER ICALL CHANGE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,XFER-JCN,RIGHT-COMMAND,CONTROL-ROOM-COMMAND RTRUE .FUNCT FIRST-XFER-ANTE:ANY:0:0 PRINTI "The passage led onward and around a corner until it reached a protective railing, over or under which a shallow pit could be entered. Looking back, he could see " FSET? XFER-MASTER,SEEN \?CCL3 PRINTI "the window of the control room." JUMP ?CND1 ?CCL3: PRINTI "a large plate window behind which it was impossible to see." ?CND1: PRINTI " Before him, the passage continued out of sight into the darkness." CALL QSET?,XFER-1-ANTE,SEEN ZERO? STACK \FALSE PRINTI " Everything here was drab and nondescript; the walls and floor of the passage were covered in countless layers of dust and grime. It had clearly been ages since these halls had been visited." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-295:ANY:0:0 FSET HERE,SEEN FSET? XFER-CONTROLS,SEEN /?CCL3 CALL2 GRAPHIC,G-XFER-MASTER RSTACK ?CCL3: CALL1 COMPLETE-DIAL-GRAPHICS RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-296:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,BACK-COMMAND /?CCL3 EQUAL? ACTION,BACK-TO-PITS-COMMAND \FALSE ?CCL3: CALL QSET?,HERE,BLACK-MIX ZERO? STACK \?CCL8 PRINTI "Praxix then left this control room, or whatever it was, and reached the base of the crumbled stairs. Seeing no way of getting through in that direction, he started down the other path." CRLF CRLF ICALL CHANGE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,HERE,BACK-COMMAND,BACK-TO-PITS-COMMAND,TRUE-VALUE ICALL1 FIRST-XFER-ANTE JUMP ?CND6 ?CCL8: PRINTI "It took only a few moments for Praxix to pass the rubble of the stairs and continue onward to the railing above the shallow pit." ?CND6: CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-1-ANTE RSTACK .FUNCT COMPLETE-DIAL-GRAPHICS:ANY:0:0 SET 'CURRENT-GRAPHIC,FALSE-VALUE ICALL2 GRAPHIC,G-XFER-CONTROLS CALL1 DIAL-GRAPHICS RSTACK .FUNCT DIAL-GRAPHICS:ANY:0:0 GET RUNE-TBL,LEFT-DIAL GETP STACK,P?GRAPHIC ICALL GRAPHIC,FALSE-VALUE,STACK,TOP-LEFT GET RUNE-TBL,RIGHT-DIAL GETP STACK,P?GRAPHIC CALL GRAPHIC,FALSE-VALUE,STACK,TOP-RIGHT RSTACK .FUNCT V-RIGHT-DIAL:ANY:0:0 GETP ACTION-OBJECT,P?TEMP EQUAL? RIGHT-DIAL,STACK \?CCL3 PRINT PRAXIX-NO-DIAL ICALL2 WPRINTD,ACTION-OBJECT PRINTI " rune." RTRUE ?CCL3: GETP ACTION-OBJECT,P?TEMP >RIGHT-DIAL CALL2 TELL-DIAL,STR?57 RSTACK .FUNCT V-LEFT-DIAL:ANY:0:0 GETP ACTION-OBJECT,P?TEMP EQUAL? LEFT-DIAL,STACK \?CCL3 PRINT PRAXIX-NO-DIAL ICALL2 WPRINTD,ACTION-OBJECT PRINTI " rune." RTRUE ?CCL3: GETP ACTION-OBJECT,P?TEMP >LEFT-DIAL CALL2 TELL-DIAL,STR?55 RSTACK .FUNCT TELL-DIAL:ANY:1:1,STR SET 'FIDDLED-WITH-DEVICE,TRUE-VALUE PRINTI "Slowly, Praxix twisted the dial on the " PRINT STR PRINTI " until its pointer was aimed directly at the " ICALL2 WPRINTD,ACTION-OBJECT PRINTI " rune." ICALL1 COMPLETE-DIAL-GRAPHICS RTRUE .FUNCT V-WAIT:ANY:0:0 PRINTI "As Praxix waited, the droning noise grew ever louder." SET 'I-BUTTON-PUSH-FLAG,100 RTRUE .FUNCT V-PUSH-BUTTON:ANY:0:0 ICALL CHANGE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,HERE,PUSH-BUTTON-COMMAND,WAIT-COMMAND SET 'BUTTON-PUSHED,TRUE-VALUE SET 'FIDDLED-WITH-DEVICE,TRUE-VALUE ICALL QUEUE,I-BUTTON-PUSH,-1 PRINTI "Praxix pushed the button, and it appeared that nothing was happening. A dull droning noise, however, could soon be discerned, and it grew stronger as the moments passed." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-297:ANY:0:0,FROM,TO INC 'I-BUTTON-PUSH-FLAG EQUAL? I-BUTTON-PUSH-FLAG,1 \?CCL3 CRLF CRLF PRINTI "The droning was now quite loud and echoed throughout the chamber." RTRUE ?CCL3: GRTR? I-BUTTON-PUSH-FLAG,1 \FALSE SET 'BUTTON-PUSHED,FALSE-VALUE SET 'I-BUTTON-PUSH-FLAG,-1 REMOVE I-BUTTON-PUSH ICALL CHANGE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,XFER-MASTER,WAIT-COMMAND,PUSH-BUTTON-COMMAND CRLF CRLF PRINTI "The droning noise had grown to an overwhelming intensity when it suddenly stopped. The silence in these dark halls was now nearly as deafening." GET XFER-TBL,LEFT-DIAL >FROM GET XFER-TBL,RIGHT-DIAL >TO EQUAL? TO,FROM /?CND6 EQUAL? HERE,XFER-MASTER \?CCL10 FIRST? FROM \?CCL10 EQUAL? TO,XFER-1 \?CCL10 CRLF CRLF PRINTI "But something peculiar caught Praxix' eye as he looked through the glass and down into the pit below. Something was down there, but he couldn't tell what." JUMP ?CND6 ?CCL10: EQUAL? HERE,FROM \?CCL15 ICALL2 MOVE-TO,TO CRLF CRLF CALL QSET?,XFER-MASTER,TRAPPED ZERO? STACK \?CCL18 PRINTI "You can well imagine Praxix' surprise when he" JUMP ?CND16 ?CCL18: PRINTI "Suddenly, though unsurprisingly, Praxix" ?CND16: PRINTI " found himself standing at the bottom of a " EQUAL? TO,XFER-1 \?CCL21 PRINTI "shallow" JUMP ?CND19 ?CCL21: PRINTI "seemingly bottomless" ?CND19: PRINTI " pit." ICALL2 XFER-OBJECTS-CHECK,TO FIRST? FROM \?CND22 PRINTI " Not only that, but everything that had been on the ground before was now here as well." ?CND22: EQUAL? TO,XFER-3 \?CCL26 PRINTI " Fortunately, a shaft of light piercing the darkness indicated an exit nearby." JUMP ?CND6 ?CCL26: SET 'XFER-TRAP,TRUE-VALUE JUMP ?CND6 ?CCL15: EQUAL? HERE,TO \?CND6 FIRST? FROM \?CND6 CRLF CRLF CALL QSET?,XFER-MASTER,DEAD ZERO? STACK \?CCL32 PRINTI "You can well imagine Praxix' surprise when " JUMP ?CND30 ?CCL32: PRINTI "Praxix was merely startled this time, as " ?CND30: ICALL2 LIST-CONTENTS,FROM PRINTI " suddenly appeared on the ground beside him." ?CND6: SET 'UPDATE-FLAG,TRUE-VALUE CALL MOVE-ALL,FROM,TO RSTACK .FUNCT O-DIAL:ANY:0:0 COPYT DIAL-O-TABLE,O-TABLE,14 RTRUE .FUNCT INIT-RUNES:ANY:0:0,CNT,RUNE ZERO? RUNES-SET \TRUE SET 'RUNES-SET,TRUE-VALUE RANDOM 6 >LEFT-DIAL RANDOM 6 >RIGHT-DIAL ?PRG3: IGRTR? 'CNT,6 /TRUE CALL2 PICK-ONE,INITIAL-RUNE-TBL >RUNE PUTP RUNE,P?TEMP,CNT PUT RUNE-TBL,CNT,RUNE JUMP ?PRG3 .FUNCT ANONF-298:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,EXAMINE-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL1 UPDATE-MOVE CALL QSET?,XFER-CONTROLS,EXAMINED ZERO? STACK \FALSE FSET XFER-CONTROLS,SEEN ICALL1 COMPLETE-DIAL-GRAPHICS PRINTI "Two devices that resembled dials of some sort were imbedded in the wall of the chamber. Around each of the dials were the same six peculiar runes, in a language that he could not recognize. Below and between the two dials sat a short, stubby, black button." PUTP ACTION-OBJECT,P?SDESC,STR?682 SET 'UPDATE-FLAG,TRUE-VALUE CALL TRAVEL-COMMANDS,HERE,BACK-COMMAND,LEFT-DIAL-COMMAND,RIGHT-DIAL-COMMAND,PUSH-BUTTON-COMMAND RSTACK .FUNCT NXFER:ANY:0:0 ?FCN: EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \?CCL3 EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,LEVITATE-SPELL \?CCL3 EQUAL? HERE,NXFER-1,NXFER-2,NXFER-3 /?CTR7 CALL CHECK-ESSENCES,LEVITATE-SPELL,3 ZERO? STACK \?CCL8 ?CTR7: PRINTI "With few options indeed, Praxix used all of his remaining powders to elevate himself out of the pit. Sadly, he rose upward and upward without ever finding a way out." CRLF CRLF SET 'ACTION,UP-COMMAND JUMP ?FCN ?CCL8: ICALL2 USE-ESSENCES,LEVITATE-SPELL ICALL2 USE-ESSENCES,LEVITATE-SPELL PRINTI "It took quite a lot of powders, perhaps three times what he might have ordinarily used, but Praxix finally managed to elevate himself out of the pit and back behind the railing. He could see that he was at the middle of the three pits, but was grateful indeed to be anywhere at all." CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-2-ANTE RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,UP-COMMAND \FALSE PRINTI "Praxix tried in vain to extricate himself from that deep hole, but there simply wasn't any way he could think of. He died in that pit, cold and alone, after eight days." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "It is odd, certainly, that we should have know this story at all, but Astrix, when next we met him, knew it as though he had been with Praxix himself, which would not entirely surprise me. Much is not known to us, especially the ways of those like Astrix." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "There is not much more to tell. Astrix became disconsolate at our failure, and sat long and silently before he next spoke." CRLF CRLF ICALL2 HINT,HINT-MILL-TRAPPED CALL1 PART-ONE-BAD-ENDING RSTACK .FUNCT TELL-ANTE-RUNE:ANY:1:1,CNT PRINTI " Alongside the opening to the chamber below was " FSET? XFER-CONTROLS,SEEN \?CCL3 PRINTI "the " GET RUNE-TBL,CNT ICALL2 WPRINTD,STACK PRINTI " rune from the dials in the control room." RTRUE ?CCL3: PRINTI "an unfamiliar rune." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-299:ANY:0:0 SET 'CURRENT-GRAPHIC,FALSE-VALUE ICALL2 GRAPHIC,G-XFER-ANTE FSET? XFER-MASTER,SEEN \?CND1 ICALL REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,HERE,BACK-COMMAND ICALL FORCE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,HERE,CONTROL-ROOM-COMMAND ?CND1: FSET? XFER-MASTER,SOLVED \FALSE CALL2 TELL-ANTE-RUNE,1 RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-300:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,PROCEED-COMMAND \?CCL3 PRINTI "Continuing down the passageway, Praxix came to another railing separating him from a rather more precipitous drop than at the previous pit. In fact, he could not discern a bottom anywhere." CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-2-ANTE RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,DOWN-COMMAND \?CCL5 FSET? XFER-1,SOLVED /?CCL8 PRINTI "With an agility that belied his advancing years, Praxix flung himself over the railing and down into the pit below. To his amazement, long strips of fire and earth essences coursed through the rock. It would be quite a haul, indeed, if he could mine any of the precious material." JUMP ?CND6 ?CCL8: PRINTI "Praxix again flung himself over the railing and down into the pit below." ?CND6: ICALL2 XFER-OBJECTS-CHECK,XFER-1 CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-1 RSTACK ?CCL5: EQUAL? ACTION,BACK-COMMAND /?CTR9 EQUAL? ACTION,CONTROL-ROOM-COMMAND \?CCL10 ?CTR9: FSET? XFER-MASTER,SEEN /?CCL15 PRINTI "Praxix now retraced his steps to the base of the fallen stairs. Having little choice, he entered the narrow doorway into a small, closetlike chamber. On one wall, a large glass window overlooked a shallow pit. Otherwise, the room was bare except for a strange device mounted against another of the walls." JUMP ?CND13 ?CCL15: PRINTI "Then, Praxix quickly retraced his steps back to the control room." ?CND13: CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-MASTER RSTACK ?CCL10: EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \FALSE EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,WIND-SPELL \FALSE FSET? XFER-MASTER,ENCHANTED /FALSE CALL1 DO-XFER-WIND RSTACK .FUNCT XFER-OBJECTS-CHECK:ANY:1:1,RM FIRST? RM \FALSE PRINTI " There beside him at the bottom of the pit was " ICALL2 LIST-CONTENTS,RM PRINTC 46 RTRUE .FUNCT DO-XFER-WIND:ANY:0:0 FSET XFER-MASTER,SOLVED PRINTI "Thinking that some wind would remove the thick layers of dirt and dust that had accumulated everywhere, Praxix cast his wind spell. Within seconds, a gale arose, choking the air with a dense plume of dust, and making both breathing and seeing nearly impossible. Fortunately, it subsided before long, and Praxix was able to again see clearly. What he found was a previously hidden rune chiselled into the wall beside the opening to the chamber below: it " FSET? XFER-CONTROLS,SEEN /?CCL3 PRINTI "looked entirely unfamiliar." RTRUE ?CCL3: EQUAL? HERE,XFER-1-ANTE \?CCL5 PRINTI "looked exactly like the " GET RUNE-TBL,1 ICALL2 WPRINTD,STACK JUMP ?CND1 ?CCL5: EQUAL? HERE,XFER-2-ANTE \?CCL7 PRINTI "looked exactly like the " GET RUNE-TBL,2 ICALL2 WPRINTD,STACK ?CND1: PRINTI " rune he had seen on the strange dials back in the control room." RTRUE ?CCL7: PRINTI "was too worn to be read." RTRUE .FUNCT FORCE-MINE-ROCK:ANY:0:0 LOC PICK-AXE EQUAL? STACK,HERE,INVENTORY \FALSE FSET? XFER-1,SOLVED /FALSE CALL FORCE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,HERE,MINE-ROCK-COMMAND RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-301:ANY:0:0 FSET HERE,SEEN CALL1 FORCE-MINE-ROCK RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-302:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,MINE-ROCK-COMMAND \?CCL3 ICALL1 REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND LOC PICK-AXE EQUAL? STACK,HERE,INVENTORY \?CCL6 ICALL FIND-ESSENCE,ESSENCE-FIRE,5 ICALL FIND-ESSENCE,ESSENCE-EARTH,5 FSET XFER-1,SOLVED PRINTI "Having the perfect tool at hand, Praxix gathered as much of the rock containing the earth and fire essences as was practical, considering the great deal of time necessary to crush the rocks down into powder. Rather than spend the rest of the day at it, he settled for taking a moderate amount of each." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Not bad for a day's work,"" he said aloud, as he climbed out of the pit and stood again alongside the railing. ""Now, my only problem is getting out of this place alive.""" CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-1-ANTE RSTACK ?CCL6: PRINTI "The only problem for Praxix was that the rock in which the essences were embedded was harder than any other he had come across. There was no chance he would be able to mine the rocks without the proper tools." RTRUE ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \?CCL8 EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,TREMOR-SPELL \?CCL8 PRINTI "Thinking that his tremor spell might shake some of the rocks loose, Praxix carefully measured out a small amount of earth essence and cast it at the ground. The ensuing tremor nearly caused an avalanche of its own, without so much as budging the rocks in which he had such a keen interest." RTRUE ?CCL8: EQUAL? ACTION,UP-COMMAND \FALSE PRINTI "Finished with his examination of the pit, Praxix clambered up the side walls and was soon back on the other side of the railing." CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-1-ANTE RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-303:ANY:0:0 SET 'CURRENT-GRAPHIC,FALSE-VALUE ICALL2 GRAPHIC,G-XFER-ANTE FSET? XFER-MASTER,SEEN \?CND1 ICALL FORCE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,HERE,CONTROL-ROOM-COMMAND ?CND1: FSET? XFER-MASTER,SOLVED \FALSE CALL2 TELL-ANTE-RUNE,2 RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-304:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,PROCEED-COMMAND \?CCL3 PRINTI "The passageway ended abruptly before him at the site of yet another railing and associated pit. From the looks of things, an avalanche had permanently sealed the way to what could only be presumed to be another set of pits. As he leaned on the railing, " FSET? XFER-MASTER,SOLVED /?CND4 PRINTI "resting his elbows into an inch or so of accumulated dust, " ?CND4: PRINTI "he peered down into the depths of the pit and discerned a narrow shaft of sunlight piercing the darkness." CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-3-ANTE RSTACK ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,CONTROL-ROOM-COMMAND \?CCL7 PRINTI "In a matter of moments, Praxix had retraced his steps back to the control room." CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-MASTER RSTACK ?CCL7: EQUAL? ACTION,BACK-COMMAND \?CCL9 PRINTI "In just a few moments, Praxix was back at the first of the pits." CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-1-ANTE RSTACK ?CCL9: EQUAL? ACTION,DOWN-COMMAND \?CCL11 ICALL1 REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND PRINTI "Getting down into the pit would pose something of a dilemma for Praxix. It was painfully obvious that falling or jumping into the pit would mean certain death." RTRUE ?CCL11: EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \?CCL13 EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,LEVITATE-SPELL \?CCL13 CALL2 XFER-DESCEND,XFER-2 RSTACK ?CCL13: EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \?CCL17 EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,WIND-SPELL \?CCL17 FSET? XFER-MASTER,ENCHANTED /?CCL17 CALL1 DO-XFER-WIND RSTACK ?CCL17: EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \FALSE EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,FAR-VISION-SPELL \FALSE CALL2 DO-XFER-FLARE,XFER-2 RSTACK .FUNCT XFER-DESCEND:ANY:1:1,RM ICALL2 USE-ESSENCES,LEVITATE-SPELL ICALL2 USE-ESSENCES,LEVITATE-SPELL FCLEAR ESSENCE-AIR,USED-UP FCLEAR ESSENCE-EARTH,USED-UP PRINTI "Knowing full well the futility of descending into the pit by conventional means, Praxix decided to try his levitation spell in reverse by casting small amounts of his mixture on himself as he fell feet first into the pit." CRLF CRLF PRINTI "This rather unorthodox procedure worked, but at the expense of a great deal of magical powders, so much so that he was now " IN? ESSENCE-AIR,ESSENCES /?CCL3 IN? ESSENCE-EARTH,ESSENCES /?CCL3 PRINTI "out of both earth and air essences" JUMP ?CND1 ?CCL3: IN? ESSENCE-AIR,ESSENCES /?CCL7 PRINTI "out of air essence" JUMP ?CND1 ?CCL7: IN? ESSENCE-EARTH,ESSENCES /?CCL9 PRINTI "out of earth essence" JUMP ?CND1 ?CCL9: PRINTI "getting fairly low on both air and earth essences" ?CND1: FSET XFER-3,SCOUTED PRINTC 46 ICALL2 XFER-OBJECTS-CHECK,RM FSET? XFER-1,SOLVED \?CND10 CRLF CRLF PRINTI """There must be a better way,"" Praxix said, brushing himself off. ""Whoever used this place would hardly be dropping into pits this way!""" ?CND10: CALL2 MOVE-TO,RM RSTACK .FUNCT DO-XFER-FLARE:ANY:1:1,RM PRINTI "Praxix now cast his flare spell into the pit, lighting its walls with a brilliant red-orange glow. The pit was deep - very deep, " EQUAL? RM,XFER-3 /?CCL3 PRINTI "with no sign of exits." JUMP ?CND1 ?CCL3: PRINTI "with a single shaft of light giving evidence that some exit might be found at the bottom." ?CND1: FIRST? RM \TRUE PRINTI " As the fireball hit the bottom, its light glanced off of something lying on the ground. Its identity, however, was a mystery, for it was too far away to discern clearly." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-305:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,EXAMINE-COMMAND \?CCL3 ICALL UPDATE-FSET,ACTION-OBJECT,DONT-EXAMINE PRINTI "At this point, Praxix examined the axe more carefully. It was nearly new, though, like everything else, it was covered in dust." RTRUE ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,PICK-UP-COMMAND \?CCL5 CALL QSET?,PICK-AXE,USED-UP ZERO? STACK \?CCL8 PRINTI """This should come in rather useful,"" Praxix said, as he picked up the pick axe and slung it over his shoulder." JUMP ?CND6 ?CCL8: PRINTI "Praxix then picked up the pick-axe and slung it over his shoulder, as he had done before." ?CND6: CALL UPDATE-MOVE,PICK-AXE,INVENTORY RSTACK ?CCL5: EQUAL? ACTION,DROP-COMMAND \FALSE ICALL2 UPDATE-REMOVE,PICK-AXE PRINTI "Rather than carry the pick-axe any longer, Praxix rested it against a nearby wall." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-306:ANY:0:0 FSET HERE,SEEN SET 'CURRENT-GRAPHIC,FALSE-VALUE ICALL GRAPHIC,G-XFER-ANTE,G-XFER-ANTE-LIGHT,BOTTOM-RIGHT FSET? XFER-MASTER,SEEN \?CND1 ICALL FORCE-TRAVEL-COMMAND,HERE,CONTROL-ROOM-COMMAND ?CND1: FSET? XFER-MASTER,SOLVED \FALSE PRINTI " Alongside the opening to the chamber below was a rune that had been obliterated by the passage of the long years." RTRUE .FUNCT ANONF-307:ANY:0:0 EQUAL? ACTION,PROCEED-COMMAND \?CCL3 ICALL1 REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND PRINTI "It didn't take more than two looks at the debris before him for Praxix to realize that he wasn't going any further in this direction." RTRUE ?CCL3: EQUAL? ACTION,BACK-COMMAND \?CCL5 PRINTI "Quickly, Praxix retreated to the middle of the three pits." CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-2-ANTE RSTACK ?CCL5: EQUAL? ACTION,CONTROL-ROOM-COMMAND \?CCL7 PRINTI "Quickly, Praxix passed by the two other pits as he made his way back to the control room." CALL2 MOVE-TO,XFER-MASTER RSTACK ?CCL7: EQUAL? ACTION,DOWN-COMMAND \?CCL9 ICALL1 REMOVE-TRAVEL-COMMAND PRINTI "Getting down into the pit would pose something of a dilemma for Praxix. It was painfully obvious that falling or jumping into the pit would mean certain death." RTRUE ?CCL9: EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \?CCL11 EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,LEVITATE-SPELL \?CCL11 CALL2 XFER-DESCEND,XFER-3 RSTACK ?CCL11: EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \?CCL15 EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,WIND-SPELL \?CCL15 FSET? XFER-MASTER,ENCHANTED /?CCL15 CALL1 DO-XFER-WIND RSTACK ?CCL15: EQUAL? ACTION,CAST-COMMAND \FALSE EQUAL? ACTION-OBJECT,FAR-VISION-SPELL \FALSE CALL2 DO-XFER-FLARE,XFER-3 RSTACK .FUNCT ANONF-308:ANY:0:0,TMP EQUAL? ACTION,FOLLOW-LIGHT-COMMAND \?CCL3 IN? PICK-AXE,INVENTORY \?CND4 REMOVE PICK-AXE PRINTI "Having no further need for the pick-axe, Praxix dropped it on the ground. He then started following the stream of light, following a dirt path. " ?CND4: PRINTI "The path wound its way up a crumbling set of stairs, but these soon were nearly unrecognizable. Clambering the rest of the way back to ground level, he finally extricated himself from the ground about one hundred paces away from the mill itself. And as he looked back toward the large grinding wheel, he realized that he had been dead wrong from the outset." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """The mill is not for grains at all,"" he said aloud, ""but for milling the stones of magical essences! To think I've been exploring a magic mine!""" CRLF CRLF ZERO? REJOINED /?CND6 PRINTI "You can imagine our relief at seeing our Wizard friend again, for it had been quite some time since he had disappeared into the mill's mechanism, triggering the avalanche that prevented us from following him." CRLF CRLF PRINTI """Come, come, don't stand there gawking,"" he said, wagging his finger at us. ""We still have much to do.""" CRLF CRLF ?CND6: FCLEAR TAG,SHADOW CALL2 PARTY-PCM,PRAXIX ADD STACK,1 >TMP CALL2 PARTY-PCM,TAG-SWAP-CHR PUT PARTY,STACK,TAG PUT PARTY,TMP,TAG-SWAP-CHR ICALL2 SCENE,FALSE-VALUE CALL1 LEAVE-MILL-AREA RSTACK ?CCL3: CALL1 NXFER RSTACK .ENDSEG .ENDI