Version 1.0 Created 1982.
You stand in the small field behind your family's tiny house, a few last tears running down your face in the morning light. This is a sad morning for you--you have just buried your father, the man who taught you magic and the wisest man you ever knew. You remember the promise you made to him on his deathbed. With his dying words, he asked you to find some way of stopping the evil sorceress Zorcastra, whose dark magic has already enslaved the minds of so many of the kingdom's comely young maidens and handsome young men. You knew for years that this was what he was training you for, but you also knew you were not yet ready. Now, as you stand over his grave, you know that you must go to Zorcastra's tower and find the secret to undoing her decadent rule.
There is a shovel here.
There is a grave marker here.
Exits lie east.
> READ MARKER
It says, "Mentarim. Beloved father, wise teacher, true friend." You choke back another sob as you remember carving it into the wood.
> TAKE SHOVEL
You don't need that.
> E
Mentarim's Home
You are in a small house, just big enough for two. Your bed is in one corner, and your father's in another. There is a small table in the center of the room. A small fire burns in the fireplace, but it is not enough to dispel the chill you feel deep in your heart as you realize that now, your destiny lies elsewhere. The house feels emptier than ever. Your father is already gone, and soon you must go to confront Zorcastra.
There is a spellbook here.
There is a tin cup here.
There is a loaf of bread here.
Exits lie east and west.
> TAKE SPELLBOOK.TAKE CUP.TAKE BREAD
You take the spellbook.
You take the cup.
You take the bread.
> READ SPELLBOOK
This spellbook is your most prized possession, in which you have inscribed all the spells that you have learned over the years. The secrets of magic lie within its pages, and perhaps the secrets to victory.
"Kurbo: Conjure a small quantity of water."
"Froom: Open a portal that has been stuck shut."
"Trilbi: Send a person into a deep, dreamless sleep."
> MEMORIZE KURBO.CAST KURBO
Memorized.
What do you want to cast Kurbo on?
> CAST KURBO ON CUP
You speak the magic words, and the cup instantly fills with water up to the brim.
> E
Front Of House
You stand in front of a small, unimposing house. In front of you, the dusty road heads off into the distance. Many times as a child, you watched adventurers head north towards Zorcastra's castle, preparing to confront the growing power of the evil wizardess and free those whom she'd already snared in her insidious mind control spells. The only ones you ever saw head back south were the ones who'd lost their nerve before getting to the tower. Now it's your turn.
Exits lie north and south.
> N
Northern Road
The road curves here as it slopes upward gradually, heading towards Zorcastra's castle. You don't see anyone else on the road with you; few dare to live this close to the sinister spellcaster without magic of their own to protect them.
Exits lie northeast and south.
> NE
Road Near Hut
You are standing next to a small hut built on stilts to counter the steep slope. The hut has been abandoned; either the inhabitants finally fled Zorcastra's reign, or they finally attracted her attention. Either way, they must have left in a hurry--you see discarded tools and household items here and there, and their dog is still chained up to one of the stilts.
There is a mangy dog here.
Exits lie east and north.
The dog barks at you!
> LOOK DOG
The dog is half-starved, with matted, damp fur that suggests it's been chained out here for quite some time. A few puddles provide it with water, but you can see no food anywhere within the reach of its chain. You wonder why its owners did not set it free before leaving. Perhaps they didn't have the chance.
As your eyes glance over the scattered debris around the pole the dog is chained to, you notice a scroll case! Your trained eyes can see that the seals are intact, indicating the presence of a spell scroll inside. Surely, the inhabitants of this hut must have been captured; nobody would leave something so valuable no matter how great their haste!
The dog snaps angrily at you from the end of his chain!
> UNLOCK CHAIN
As you approach the dog, he snarls and snaps at you, perhaps hoping that your fingers will serve to ease his hunger.
The dog growls at you!
> MEMORIZE TRILBI.CAST TRILBI ON DOG
Memorized.
The dog barks at you!
You speak the magic words, and the dog walks around in a circle briefly, then curls up to sleep.
> TAKE SCROLL
Taken.
> READ SCROLL
You can't do that!
> OPEN CASE.READ SCROLL
Opened.
The scroll reads, "Knast: Makes the speech of an animal comprehensible to you."
> INSCRIBE KNAST IN BOOK.MEMORIZE KNAST.CAST KNAST ON DOG
You take a few moments to inscribe the Knast spell into your spell book. As you do, the words vanish from the scroll, leaving it nothing more than a blank piece of paper.
Memorized.
You speak the magic words, but nothing seems to happen.
> DISPEL TRILBI
The dog suddenly wakes up, and looks at you. "Hungry!" it cries. "Oh, I'm so hungry! This is just terrible! There's dried beef in that hut, I can smell it, but I can't get to it! Oh, please, please get me some food!"
> E
Inside Hut
You stand in a small hut. Whoever lived here left in a great hurry; the shelves are in disarray, many things are missing, and there are muddy footprints everywhere. What little food does remain is all carefully preserved--clearly, the owner expected to have to make a long journey soon.
There is a piece of dried beef here.
Exits lie west.
> TAKE BEEF.W
Taken.
Road Near Hut
There is a mangy dog here.
Exits lie east and north.
The dog shouts, "Oh, please give me that food, human!"
> GIVE BEEF TO DOG
You toss the piece of beef so that it lies at the dog's feet. He gulps it down rapidly and whines in relief. "Oh, thank you! I don't know how much longer I could have lasted! Truly, human, I am in your debt. Um...I don't suppose you could unlock this chain? Only I'm sure I'm going to be hungry again, and I doubt I can rely upon another kind person coming this way..."
> UNLOCK CHAIN
You unlock the chain from around the dog's neck, and it bounds free. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, human, thank you thank you thank you!" it yips excitedly.
> N
The dog follows you.
Road To Castle
You are on a steep path that leads up the mountain to the castle of the evil Zorcastra, just below the ridge that marks the crest of the mountains. Beyond this point, there is no turning back; you remain out of sight of her mindless thralls for only a short distance longer. Any further, and her gate sentry will spot you.
There is a mangy dog here.
Exits lie north and south.
The dog says, "Ooh, this is exciting!"
> N
The dog follows you.
Castle Entrance
You are at the entrance to the castle of the sinister sorceress, Zorcastra. The gates lie wide open; a spellcaster as powerful as Zorcastra needs no mortal defenses. Indeed, she invites adventurers to attempt to defeat her, knowing that every bold hero soon becomes a brainwashed soldier in her armies...or, perhaps, a brainwashed lover in her harem.
There is a sentry here.
There is a mangy dog here.
Exits lie north and south.
The sentry spots you, and hisses angrily.
> LOOK SENTRY
The sentry appears to be one of the feline humanoids that inhabit the distant lands of the South; you can only imagine what dreams of glory must have drawn her so far away from her home. Like so many others, she hoped to defeat Zorcastra; now, you can see from her glazed and vacant eyes that she dreams of nothing but eternal service to the sinister sorceress.
The sentry draws her sword and charges at you!
> SAY DOG, CHASE SENTRY
The dog looks up at you. "Chase a cat? You don't need to ask me twice!" It leaps forward, yowling out a series of fierce barks that only you can understand as, "Run! Run away, cat! Run away from me!" The sentry's feline instincts override her magical obedience, and the two of them disappear over the ridge and into the distance.
> N
Southern Tower
You are in a guard tower. A massive portcullis leads into the inner courtyard, and another leads out to the path down the mountainside. It looks as though an army could pass through here, and you thank the gods that Zorcastra seems more interested for the present in indulging her depraved appetites with those she has already enslaved than in extending her power further south. Still, you know it is just a matter of time before she grows bored with her existing slaves and wishes to take more. You only hope that you can stop her.
Exits lie north, south, northeast, and northwest.
> NW
Southwest Passage
You are in a dimly-lit passage between the main entrance to the castle and one of its defensive towers to the northwest. Scattered torches leave just enough light to see by.
Exits lie northwest and southeast.
> NW
Western Tower
You find yourself in a small library in the room at the base of the northwest tower. The walls are ringed with books on a wide variety of subjects, but it looks as though no-one has read them since Zorcastra first wrested this castle away from her mentor, decades ago. Unsurprising, really; Zorcastra prefers power to knowledge, and the adventurers who have faced her down over the years have been bold rather than wise. And of course, her obedient slaves have only one thought in their minds, that of pleasing their Mistress.
There is a collection of books here.
Exits lie up, northeast, and southeast.
> LOOK BOOKS
You quickly find that most of the texts are abstract and arcane discussions of magical principles, rather than useful spells and practical knowledge. Still, two books of magical lore catch your eye. One discusses legendary magical artifacts, and the other is about useful defensive spells.
> READ BOOK ABOUT ARTIFACTS
You skim through a wide listing of powerful magical items before you come to a description of the Talisman of Anti-Magic. "This legendary magical item is said to be the most feared by all wizards and sorcerers due to its ability to permanently drain their spellcasting powers from them; even the mightiest of all magic-users fear its power. It was lost, however, in the mountains of the distant north, and its very nature prevents it from being found by scrying spells. Legend has it, however, that it was once possessed by the mighty Grayfir the Grim." You gasp in surprise, recognizing the name of the wizard that Zorcastra studied under, then enslaved.
> READ BOOK ABOUT SPELLS
As much as you wish the book could be an actual spellbook, it's merely a strategy guide to fighting a wizard's duel. You flip through to the chapter on enchantresses, and find this entry (under Enchantresses, Sinister): "The usual tactic of the Sinister Enchantress is to simply exert her overwhelming, magically-enhanced charisma to seduce her foes into a magical trance. Once her spells have bewitched the victim into desiring the enchantress above all else, they are helpless to resist her whims. The Marful spell, though, creates a barrier in the mind that the enchantress cannot penetrate, leaving her tactical options greatly reduced."
> U
Prison Tower
You find yourself in one of the stockades used to hold prisoners when this was an active fortress. It's entirely deserted now; Zorcastra's prisons of the mind hold her enemies far more effectively than any iron bars ever could.
There is a locked cell here.
Exits lie down.
> MEMORIZE FROOM.CAST FROOM ON DOOR
Memorized.
