# Hercules! — 14 of 16

## Leo Weinreb

Release 1

- Home page
- Beginning
- Previous
- Next

Chapter 13 - Cerberus of Hades

Underworld-found is a truth state that varies. Underworld-found is false.

Before going down from the City Palace:

say "[if underworld-found is false]You discover a trapdoor composed of mis-aligned tile right beside your cousin's throne! You inconspicuously open it and follow the stairs down, down, down, down, until you finally reach...[else]You inconspicuously open the trapdoor and follow it down, down, down, down, until you finally reach...[end if]";

now underworld-found is true.

The Underworld is down from the City Palace. "This is the realm of Hades, God of Death, who sorts through the souls of the deceased and decides who goes to Elysium (good), Asphodel (neutral), or Tartarus (bad) after they die. A simple brown staircase leads up."

The simple brown staircase is a backdrop. The simple brown staircase is in the Underworld and the City Palace. The description of the simple brown staircase is "[if the player is in the City Palace and underworld-found is false]You can't see any such thing.[else if the player is in the City Palace]You can't see any such thing. (Because you closed the hidden trapdoor on the way back up.)[else]This is the staircase you just took, which leads back up to the City Palace.[end if]". Understand "stairs" and "stair" and "stairway" as the simple brown staircase.

Instead of taking the simple brown staircase:

if the player is in the Underworld:

try going up instead;

else:

if underworld-found is true:

try going down instead;

else:

say "You can't see any such thing."

Instead of climbing the simple brown staircase:

try taking the simple brown staircase instead.

The City Palace is up from the Underworld.

Before going up from the Underworld:

say "You go back up the stairway up, up, up, up until you reach the trapdoor and go back into the...".

Charon is a person in the Underworld. "You can see the skeleton boatman, Charon, here, ready to transport deceased souls across the river Styx [if the player is in the Underworld]to the east.[else]to the west.[end if][first time][paragraph break]Who knew that all this time the Underworld was right underneath your cousin's house? What kind of symbolism could that be, you wonder.[only]"

Understand "boatman" and "boat man" and "skeleton" and "skeleton boatman" and "skeleton boat man" and "ghoul" as Charon.

The river Styx is a backdrop. The river Styx is in the Underworld and the Gates of Hades. Understand "water" and "bubbles" and "swirls" as the river Styx.

The description of the river Styx is "A spooky, mist-covered river which the recently deceased cross to reach the entrance to the land of the dead. It bubbles and swirls ominously as you approach."

Instead of entering the river Styx:

try swimming instead.

The boat is a backdrop. The boat is in the Underworld and the Gates of Hades. Understand "raft" and "ferry" and "sanded raft" and "sanded" and "ship" as the boat.

Instead of taking the boat:

try entering the boat instead.

Instead of riding the boat:

try entering the boat instead.

Instead of entering the boat:

if the player is in the Underworld:

say "Charon stops you. 'Payment,' the ghoul intones, and a picture forms inside your mind of a ticket stub.";

else:

try going west instead.

The description of the boat is "[if the player is in the Gates of Hades]The raft is still here, moored up on the side of the Styx. Charon waits upon it, idly scrolling through his phone. He sees you staring at him and quickly puts it away.[else]The boat really is not much more than a sanded raft with upturned ends. It is rickety-looking and probably not the most stable ride in the world, but the only way to cross the Styx is to have Charon ferry you across.[end if]"

Instead of going east from the Underworld:

say "You can't cross the river Styx by yourself! The water is lethal! Besides, you can't swim without your arm floats, which you left at home."

The description of Charon is "All you can see of Charon is skeleton hands emerging from a [long black cloak] with the face covered. [if the player is in the Gates of Hades]Charon is currently scrolling through his phone while he waits for you on the boat, but he quickly puts it away after noticing you staring at him.[end if]"

Charon wears a long black cloak. The long black cloak is undescribed. The description of the long black cloak is "Very grim-reapery. That's probably where he got the idea, you figure.". Understand "robe" and "black robe" and "long black robe" as the long black cloak.

Check asking Charon about anything:

say "[if the player is in the Underworld]'Payment,' the ghoul intones, and a picture forms inside your mind of a ticket stub.[else]'Oh the questions of the living...' the ghoul drawls.[end if]" instead.

Check telling Charon about anything:

say "[if the player is in the Underworld]'Payment,' the ghoul intones, and a picture forms inside your mind of a ticket stub.[else]'Oh the chattering of the living...' the ghoul drawls.[end if]" instead.

Check showing anything to Charon:

say "[if the player is in the Underworld]'Payment,' the ghoul intones, and a picture forms inside your mind of a ticket stub.[else]'Oh the vanity of the living...' the ghoul drawls.[end if]" instead.

Check giving anything to Charon:

say "[if the player is in the Underworld]'Payment,' the ghoul intones, and a picture forms inside your mind of a ticket stub.[else]'Oh the propositions of the living...' the ghoul drawls.[end if]" instead.

Instead of giving the old coin of Hades to Charon:

say "[if the player is in the Underworld]The ghoul frowns at you morosely. 'We gave those up years ago. New system is ticket stubs,' and a picture forms inside your mind of said ticket stub.[else]Charon nods and hands the coin back to you. 'The old system was better. Less paperwork.'[end if]"

Instead of showing the old coin of Hades to Charon:

say "[if the player is in the Underworld]The ghoul frowns at you morosely. 'We gave those up years ago. New system is ticket stubs,' and a picture forms inside your mind of said ticket stub.[else]Charon nods. 'The old system was better. Less paperwork.'[end if]"

Instead of giving the ticket stub to Charon:

say "'Payment accepted,' the ghoul intones, and lets you cross on the raft.[line break]";

now the ticket stub is nowhere;

now Charon is in the Gates of Hades;

now the player is in the Gates of Hades.

The Gates of Hades is east of the Underworld. "This is the entrance to the part of the Underworld where all the dead souls go. You can see several [spirits] guarding an [iron gate] to the south and leering at the wretched [souls] who pass through it to the three realms."

Some spirits are people in the Gates of Hades. "You can see several [spirits] guarding the [iron gate] and leering at the wretched [souls] who pass through it to the three realms.". The description of the spirits is "The spirits leer down at the wretched souls below and cackle at their misfortune." Understand "demons" and "demon" and "spirit" as the spirits.

Check asking some spirits about anything:

say "They cackle at your misfortune." instead.

Check telling some spirits about anything:

say "They cackle at your misfortune." instead.

Check giving anything to some spirits:

say "They leer at your pitiful offering." instead.

Check showing anything to some spirits:

say "They leer at your pitiful display." instead.

Some souls are people in the Gates of Hades. The description of the souls is "Poor, unfortunate souls.". Understand "deceased" and "recently-deceased" and "ghosts" and "dead people" and "soul" as the souls.

Check asking some souls about anything:

say "They do nothing but moan at you in a spooky, warbly language you can't understand. Poor, unfortunate souls." instead.

Check telling some souls about anything:

say "They do nothing but moan at you in a spooky, warbly language you can't understand. Poor, unfortunate souls." instead.

Check giving anything to some souls:

say "Gifts are for the living." instead.

Check showing anything to some souls:

say "Displays are for the living." instead.

Before going west from the Gates of Hades:

say "You get in the boat and Charon hands you back your ticket. 'New special today, unlimited passes back to the Land of the Living for the Day of the Dead....' the ghoul drones. You hold in your seasickness as you're ferried back to the entrance of the...";

now Charon is in the Underworld;

now the player carries the ticket stub.

Instead of going south from the Gates of Hades:

say "Cerberus leaps in front of you and barks a terrifying bark! You back away quickly as the malevolent spirits laugh at your pitiful attempt. Best not to try that route again until you're dead."

The Waiting Area is south of the iron gate. "If you've somehow got yourself back here without messing with the source code for this game, something is seriously wrong and I apologize profusely. The Gates of Hades are to the north and I suggest you go back that way and continue with your adventure."

The iron gate is south of the Gates of Hades. The iron gate is a door. The iron gate is locked. The description of the iron gate is "A vast gate made of what looks to be wrought iron. Spikes point up at the top of it and cross-hatching bars line the bottom and middle of the structure. However, you see some of the recently-deceased glide through it like it's made of waterfall. It's clearly only meant to keep out the living."

Cerberus is a person in the Gates of Hades. "Cerberus, the guard dog of Hades, stands in front of the iron gate to the south, his three heads slobbering and his eyes black with malice." Understand "guard" and "hound" and "bloodhound" and "blood hound" and "dog" and "guarddog" and "guard dog" as Cerberus.

The description of Cerberus is "He's a [if finished-yes is false]large[else]small[end if] three-headed bloodhound. [if finished-yes is false]He'd be kind of cute if he wasn't 40ft tall with teeth the size of you. You shiver with fear.[else]He's kind of cute![end if]"

Check asking Cerberus about anything:

say "[if finished-yes is false]The wary guard dog growls at you with two of its heads (one is panting to remain cool) and you back away slowly...[else]Cerberus gives you an annoyed 'Yip!' from within the cage. You laugh.[end if]" instead.

Check telling Cerberus about anything:

say "[if finished-yes is false]The wary guard dog growls at you with two of its heads (one is panting to remain cool) and you back away slowly...[else]Cerberus gives you an annoyed 'Yip!' from within the cage. You laugh.[end if]" instead.

Check giving anything to Cerberus:

say "[if finished-yes is false]The wary guard dog growls at you with two of its heads (one is panting to remain cool) and you back away slowly...[else]Cerberus gives you an annoyed 'Yip!' from within the cage. You laugh.[end if]" instead.

Check showing anything to Cerberus:

say "[if finished-yes is false]The wary guard dog growls at you with two of its heads (one is panting to remain cool) and you back away slowly...[else]Cerberus gives you an annoyed 'Yip!' from within the cage. You laugh.[end if]" instead.

The small doggie cage is a thing in the Gates of Hades. The small doggie cage is an openable open transparent container.

Instead of showing the small doggie cage to Eurystheus:

say "Eurystheus appears to be trying very hard not to look at the small doggie cage for some reason."

Instead of giving the small doggie cage to Eurystheus:

say "Eurystheus appears to be trying very hard not to look at the small doggie cage for some reason."

Instead of entering the small doggie cage:

if the player is in the Gates of Hades:

say "Are you the guard dog of Hades? No, I thought not.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of closing the small doggie cage:

say "It looks like you'd be able to close it with a little effort as the door to the cage is made of a surprisingly light material you can't quite place. But you can't close it with Cerberus watching you this intently."

Instead of opening the small doggie cage:

if the small doggie cage is open:

continue the action;

else:

say "No, you don't want to let Cerberus out!".

The description of the small doggie cage is "[if finished-yes is false]Small for giants, I meant. It's about 50ft high.[else]The cage has shrunk down to a regular doggie-cage size, as has Cerberus.[end if]"

Instead of taking the small doggie cage:

if finished-yes is false:

say "What, do you think you're super strong or something?";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of pushing the small doggie cage:

if finished-yes is true:

say "You push the cage and Cerberus gives an annoyed 'Yip!' from within.";

else:

continue the action.

Finished-yes is a truth state that varies. Finished-yes is false.

A thing can be meaty or vegetarian. A thing is usually vegetarian. The cow is meaty. The Cretan Bull is meaty.

Chewtoys is a number that varies. Chewtoys is initially 0.

Before inserting anything into the small doggie cage:

now chewtoys is 1;

continue the action.

Before taking anything inside the small doggie cage:

now chewtoys is 1;

continue the action.

Before removing anything from the small doggie cage:

now chewtoys is 1;

continue the action.

Every turn when the player is in the Gates of Hades:

If chewtoys is 1:

if the small doggie cage contains at least one vegetarian thing:

if the small doggie cage contains at least one meaty thing:

say "Cerberus charges at the cage, sensing a feast, but there are enough distractions within the cage for him to be a little more aware of himself, and he stops you before you can close the cage, bolting out of the container and barking in displeasure at your attempted trickery.";

now chewtoys is 0;

else:

say "Cerberus charges at the cage, but finding no fresh meat, immediately runs outside again.";

now chewtoys is 0;

else:

if there is more than one meaty thing in the small doggie cage:

say "Cerberus charges at the cattle in the doggie cage, and while he is gorging himself on an abundance of fresh meat, you shut the cage as quietly as you can. As soon as the cage clangs shut, it automatically shrinks to a regular doggie-cage size. You pick it up[if the player does not carry the list] along with your list[end if], take the raft back to the entrance (returning your ticket as you do so - you won't need it anymore), and go back up to the City Palace.";

now Cerberus is inside the small doggie cage;

now the player carries the small doggie cage;

now the small doggie cage is closed;

now the Cretan Bull is nowhere;

now the cow is nowhere;

now the player carries the list;

now chewtoys is 0;

now the player is in the City Palace;

now Charon is in the Underworld;

now finished-yes is true;

increment the score;

follow the notify score changes rule;

try requesting the score;

else if there is nothing in the small doggie cage:

continue the action;

now chewtoys is 0;

else:

say "Cerberus charges at the cage, sensing a feast, but there is not quite enough meat for him to gorge himself on, and so he stops you before you can close the cage, bolting out of the container and barking in displeasure at your attempted trickery.";

now chewtoys is 0;

else:

continue the action.