# Hercules! — 10 of 16

## Leo Weinreb

Release 1

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Chapter 9 - The Mares of Diomedes

Thrace is northeast of Stymphalia. "Thrace is a farming town mostly, with the only real shop being that of the metalworker Diomedes. [paragraph break]Upon entering the store you find yourself in a quaint-looking [office], complete with [desk], [calendar], and [wastebasket]. But the focal point of the room is the gigantic [if the safe is open]open [end if][safe] that takes up about a third of the space.[if the safe is open] Inside the safe you can see [a list of things in the safe].[end if][paragraph break]From here you can only cross back to the southwest, as there is nothing but farmland beyond." Diomedes is a person in Thrace. "Diomedes is here, scowling at you from behind his [desk]." Understand "metalworker" as Diomedes. The safe is a container in Thrace. Understand "large" and "onyx" and "large onyx safe" and "large onyx" as the safe. The safe is closed and fixed in place and openable.

Instead of taking the golden pendant:

if the score is greater than 7 and the golden pendant is in the safe:

say "Wow, you're a mean one aren't you! You retrieve the pendant from the safe, deciding not to pay Diomedes for his mares after all.";

continue the action;

else:

continue the action.

After inserting the golden pendant into the safe:

if the score is greater than 7:

say "Aw, what a nice guy. It seems you've had a change of heart and have decided to pay Diomedes for his mares after all.[paragraph break]You put the golden pendant into the safe."

The office is a backdrop in Thrace. The description of the office is "Very quaint.". Understand "shop" and "store" as the office.

The farmland is a backdrop. The farmland is in Thrace and Stymphalia. Understand "Thrace" and "farming" and "farming town" as the farmland.

Instead of examining the farmland:

if the player is in Thrace:

say "The farmland is decidedly uninteresting.";

else:

say "You can only see a small strip of farmland from here. You'll have to go northeast to see more."

Instead of entering the safe:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else if the safe is closed:

say "The safe is closed.";

else:

say "Are you a mare of Diomedes? No, I thought not."

The description of Diomedes is "Diomedes is a short, proud metalworker with burly arms and a mean scowl. He has bushy eyebrows and short-cropped farmer's hair and seems to want nothing to do with people, despite running the only public shop for miles around. He carries himself as though he were some sort of tyrannical, curmudgeonly king."

A mare is a kind of portable supporter. Podargos the mare, Lampon the mare, Xanthos the mare, and Deinos the mare are mares in the safe. The calendar is a thing in Thrace. The calendar is fixed in place. Understand "page" as the calendar. Understand "nametag" as a mare.

Instead of putting anything on a mare:

if the noun is not wearable:

say "It doesn't look like that would fit the mare's style.";

else if the noun is not the golden pendant:

say "Could look cool, but it probably wouldn't do much.";

else:

continue the action.

The description of a mare is "A miniature mechanical mare, composed entirely of metal. It almost looks like some sort of robotic action figure. It has a small metal nametag on its breast."

After taking a mare:

say "The mare, still spell-bound by the pendant, barely notices you pick it up and put it in your pocket.".

The description of the safe is "So large it takes up nearly all of the excess space in the office. You find a serial number on the side and a sticker saying 'made with love and care by the Cyclopes of [italic type]Hephaestus, Inc[Roman type].' It's got no physical lock, only a spinning mechanism. Looks like you can spin it to a four-digit number to open it.". Understand "dial" and "lock" and "mechanism" and "serial number" and "number" and "sticker" and "combination" as the safe.

Instead of taking the safe:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Check asking Diomedes about anything:

say "Diomedes gives a little glare and says, 'Don't ask me!'" instead.

Instead of asking Diomedes about "[Diomedes]":

say "Diomedes grunts and glares at you, as though annoyed you would dare ask him about himself or the shop he runs. 'I'm a metalworker, boy, and this is my shop. I'm too busy to be answering stupid questions, so unless you have something to show me, I suggest you leave. And DON'T touch anything,' he growls at the end for good measure.".

Instead of asking Diomedes about "himself":

say "Diomedes grunts and glares at you, as though annoyed you would dare ask him about himself or the shop he runs. 'I'm a metalworker, boy, and this is my shop. I'm too busy to be answering stupid questions, so unless you have something to show me, I suggest you leave. And DON'T touch anything,' he growls at the end for good measure.".

Instead of asking Diomedes about "shop":

say "Diomedes grunts and glares at you, as though annoyed you would dare ask him about himself or the shop he runs. 'I'm a metalworker, boy, and this is my shop. I'm too busy to be answering stupid questions, so unless you have something to show me, I suggest you leave. And DON'T touch anything,' he growls at the end for good measure.".

Instead of asking Diomedes about "the shop":

say "Diomedes grunts and glares at you, as though annoyed you would dare ask him about himself or the shop he runs. 'I'm a metalworker, boy, and this is my shop. I'm too busy to be answering stupid questions, so unless you have something to show me, I suggest you leave. And DON'T touch anything,' he growls at the end for good measure.".

Instead of asking Diomedes about "the office":

say "Diomedes grunts and glares at you, as though annoyed you would dare ask him about himself or the shop he runs. 'I'm a metalworker, boy, and this is my shop. I'm too busy to be answering stupid questions, so unless you have something to show me, I suggest you leave. And DON'T touch anything,' he growls at the end for good measure.".

Instead of asking Diomedes about "office":

say "Diomedes grunts and glares at you, as though annoyed you would dare ask him about himself or the shop he runs. 'I'm a metalworker, boy, and this is my shop. I'm too busy to be answering stupid questions, so unless you have something to show me, I suggest you leave. And DON'T touch anything,' he growls at the end for good measure.".

Check showing anything to Diomedes:

say "Diomedes gives a little grunt and says, 'Not interested.'" instead.

Check telling Diomedes about anything:

say "Diomedes gives a little grunt and says, 'Not interested.'" instead.

Check giving anything to Diomedes:

say "Diomedes gives a little grunt and says, 'Not interested.'" instead.

Instead of examining the calendar:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of examining the desk:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of taking the desk:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of taking the calendar:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

say "No, it's tacked firmly to the wall.".

Instead of examining the safe:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

The description of the calendar is "The Olympics winner for last month, a cocky member of the Athenian Owls, gives a flashy grin above the dates. He holds a gold medal and his beautiful muscles glisten with oil. You suppose you'll have to turn the page to see this month's Olympian. [4 as a footnote]"

Instead of turning the calendar:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

say "You don't want to mess with Diomedes's stuff any more than you have to. Even if the calendar is on last month for some reason...".

Spinning it to is an action applying to one thing and one number.

Check spinning it to:

if the noun is not the safe:

say "[The noun] [do] not spin." instead;

else:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes." instead;

else if the number understood is positive and the number understood is less than 10000:

continue the action;

else:

say "The safe dial only goes up to 9999." instead.

Report spinning it to: say "Click! and nothing else happens."

Understand "spin [something] to [a number]" as spinning it to.

Instead of spinning the safe to something:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Spinning is an action applying to one thing.

Check spinning:

if the noun is not the safe:

say "[The noun] [do] not spin." instead;

else:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes." instead;

else:

say "You'll have to specify a number. ('Spin safe to 1234' for instance.)" instead.

Report spinning: say "Click! and nothing else happens."

Understand "spin [something]" as spinning.

The desk is an openable closed container in Thrace. The desk is fixed in place. The wastebasket is a container in Thrace. The wastebasket is fixed in place. The crumpled piece of paper is a thing in the wastebasket.

The description of the wastebasket is "Just a regular plastic wastebasket." Understand "basket" and "waste" and "garbage" and "trash" and "trashcan" and "trash can" and "bin" as the wastebasket.

Instead of inserting anything into the wastebasket:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

The description of the desk is "It's a normal writing desk and seems somewhat out of place in a metalworker's shop. It opens at the top."

The folded note is a thing in the desk.

Instead of examining the folded note:

now the safe number is a random number between 3000 and 3999;

say "'What the devil is my safe number again? I swear I left that note somewhere... if I could only force myself to remember.... could it be... [a random number from 1000 to 1999]? No... maybe [a random number from 2000 to 2500]? Okay, you know all of last year's, maybe it could still be one of those? In order, they were [a random number from 9000 to 9999], [a random number from 5000 to 5999], [a random number from 8000 to 8999], [a random number from 2501 to 2999], [a random number from 5000 to 5999], [a random number from 5000 to 5999], [a random number from 1000 to 1999], [a random number from 2000 to 2500], [a random number from 3000 to 3999]... and then I forget. I know it's not [a random number from 7000 to 7999] I just changed that last week. Hmm okay your passwords in order THIS year were [a random number from 5000 to 5999], [a random number from 8000 to 8999], [a random number from 9000 to 9999], [a random number from 2501 to 2999].... oh Gods, this is useless. I wasn't stupid enough to put it as [the safe number] again, was I? That was last month's for crying out loud! Maybe it's my mom's birthday [a random number from 1000 to 1031], or the beginning of my SSN, [a random number from 4000 to 4999]? Ugh... I'll never remember it, it's hopeless.'[one of][or][5 as a footnote][stopping][line break]".

The description of the crumpled piece of paper is "'Usable Backup Codes for your Large Onyx Safe™[line break]Delivered by Hephaestus, Inc.[line break]PLEASE ONLY PROGRAM THESE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY[line break][a random number from 5000 to 5999][line break][a random number from 5000 to 5999][line break][a random number from 1000 to 1999][line break][a random number from 2000 to 2500][line break][a random number from 3000 to 3999][line break][a random number from 4000 to 4999][line break][a random number from 2000 to 2500][line break][a random number from 7000 to 7999][line break][a random number from 9000 to 9999][line break][a random number from 5000 to 5999][line break][a random number from 8000 to 8999][line break][a random number from 2501 to 2999][line break][a random number from 5000 to 5999][line break][a random number from 5000 to 5999][line break][a random number from 1000 to 1999][line break][a random number from 2000 to 2500][line break][a random number from 3000 to 3999][line break][a random number from 4000 to 4999][line break][a random number from 2000 to 2500][line break][a random number from 7000 to 7999][line break][a random number from 9000 to 9999][line break][a random number from 5000 to 5999][line break][a random number from 8000 to 8999][line break][a random number from 2501 to 2999]'[one of][or] [5 as a footnote][stopping]"

Instead of examining the crumpled piece of paper:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of searching anything in Thrace:

if the player carries the noun:

continue the action;

else if the noun is the wastebasket:

continue the action;

else if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of taking the wastebasket:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

say "Are you a garbage collector? No, I thought not.".

Instead of examining the wastebasket:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of opening the desk:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of touching anything in Thrace:

if the player carries the noun:

continue the action;

else if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of taking the crumpled piece of paper:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of opening the safe:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

if the safe is closed:

say "The safe opens only when spun to the correct 4-digit combination.";

else:

say "It's already open!".

The safe number is a number that varies.

Instead of spinning the closed safe to the safe number:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

now the safe is open;

say "Clonk! and the safe door swings slowly open, revealing [a list of things in the safe].".

Instead of spinning the open safe to a number:

say "It's already open!".

Instead of showing the Cretan Bull to Diomedes:

say "Diomedes looks over the dull, plodding creature and scoffs. 'Bah! Please. I have many mechanical bulls in my workshop out back that are superior to that loathsome specimen.'"

Instead of asking Diomedes about "Cretan Bull":

if the player carries the Cretan Bull:

say "Diomedes looks over the dull, plodding creature and scoffs. 'Bah! Please. I have many mechanical bulls in my workshop out back that are superior to that loathsome specimen.'";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of asking Diomedes about "bull":

try asking Diomedes about "Cretan Bull".

Instead of telling Diomedes about "Cretan Bull":

if the player carries the Cretan Bull:

say "Diomedes looks over the dull, plodding creature and scoffs. 'Bah! Please. I have many mechanical bulls in my workshop out back that are superior to that loathsome specimen.'";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of telling Diomedes about "bull":

try telling Diomedes about "Cretan Bull".

Instead of giving the Cretan Bull to Diomedes:

say "Diomedes looks over the dull, plodding creature and scoffs. 'Bah! Please. I have many mechanical bulls in my workshop out back that are superior to that loathsome specimen.'".

Instead of asking Diomedes about "mechanical bulls":

If the player carries the Cretan Bull:

say "Diomedes's nostrils flare. 'Don't believe me do you? Well just give me a minute and I'll fetch them from the back,' and with that, he disappears into a small room that you can't see from behind the desk.";

now Diomedes is nowhere;

else:

say "Diomedes looks at you nervously, as though wondering how you knew about that, but says nothing."

Instead of asking Diomedes about "mechanical bull":

If the player carries the Cretan Bull:

say "Diomedes's nostrils flare. 'Don't believe me do you? Well just give me a minute and I'll fetch them from the back,' and with that, he disappears into a small room that you can't see from behind the desk.";

now Diomedes is nowhere;

else:

say "Diomedes looks at you nervously, as though wondering how you knew about that, but says nothing."

Instead of asking Diomedes about "bulls":

If the player carries the Cretan Bull:

say "Diomedes's nostrils flare. 'Don't believe me do you? Well just give me a minute and I'll fetch them from the back,' and with that, he disappears into a small room that you can't see from behind the desk.";

now Diomedes is nowhere;

else:

say "Diomedes looks at you nervously, as though wondering how you knew about that, but says nothing."

Instead of asking Diomedes about "mechanical":

If the player carries the Cretan Bull:

say "Diomedes's nostrils flare. 'Don't believe me do you? Well just give me a minute and I'll fetch them from the back,' and with that, he disappears into a small room that you can't see from behind the desk.";

now Diomedes is nowhere;

else:

say "Diomedes looks at you nervously, as though wondering how you knew about that, but says nothing."

Instead of taking Podargos the mare:

if the golden pendant is on Podargos the mare:

continue the action;

else if the player does not carry Podargos the mare:

say "You begin to pick up Podargos the mare, but the mechanical monster tosses its titanium mane, gives a short whinny, and then breathes a giant golden fireball at you! You manage to just dodge, but you lose your grip on the mare.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of putting the golden pendant on Podargos the mare:

say "You carefully take your golden pendant and place it around the mare's neck. It seems somehow spell-bound by the beautiful piece of jewelry.";

now the golden pendant is on Podargos the mare.

Instead of taking Lampon the mare:

if the golden pendant is on Lampon the mare:

continue the action;

else if the player does not carry Lampon the mare:

say "You begin to pick up Lampon the mare, but the mechanical monster flashes its LED eyes, gives a short whinny, and then breathes a giant scarlet fireball at you! You manage to just dodge, but you lose your grip on the mare.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of putting the golden pendant on Lampon the mare:

say "You carefully take your golden pendant and place it around the mare's neck. It seems somehow spell-bound by the beautiful piece of jewelry.";

now the golden pendant is on Lampon the mare.

Instead of taking Xanthos the mare:

if the golden pendant is on Xanthos the mare:

continue the action;

else if the player does not carry Xanthos the mare:

say "You begin to pick up Xanthos the mare, but the mechanical monster bares its copper teeth, gives a short whinny, and then breathes a giant orange fireball at you! You manage to just dodge, but you lose your grip on the mare.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of putting the golden pendant on Xanthos the mare:

say "You carefully take your golden pendant and place it around the mare's neck. It seems somehow spell-bound by the beautiful piece of jewelry.";

now the golden pendant is on Xanthos the mare.

Instead of taking Deinos the mare:

if the golden pendant is on Deinos the mare:

continue the action;

else if the player does not carry Deinos the mare:

say "You begin to pick up Deinos the mare, but the mechanical monster stamps its brass hooves, gives a short whinny, and then breathes a giant yellow fireball at you! You manage to just dodge, but you lose your grip on the mare.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of putting the golden pendant on Deinos the mare:

say "You carefully take your golden pendant and place it around the mare's neck. It seems somehow spell-bound by the beautiful piece of jewelry.";

now the golden pendant is on Deinos the mare.

Before putting the golden pendant on something:

if the golden pendant is on something:

say "You'll have to take the golden pendant first.";

stop the action;

else:

continue the action.

Before taking the golden pendant:

if the golden pendant is on a mare:

say "[if the golden pendant is on Podargos the mare]Podargos[else if the golden pendant is on Lampon the mare]Lampon[else if the golden pendant is on Xanthos the mare]Xanthos[else]Deinos[end if] follows the glittering jewel with his eyes as you remove it from his neck, but he remains docile.";

else:

continue the action.

Understand "mares" as a mare.

Instead of putting the golden pendant on the mares of Diomedes:

say "Putting the pendant on the mares of Diomedes would achieve nothing at this point. The mares are used to you now, so you can pick them up and drop them freely."

Stolen Mares is a scene. Stolen Mares begins when the player carries Podargos the mare and the player carries Lampon the mare and the player carries Xanthos the mare and the player carries Deinos the mare for the first time.

Some mares of Diomedes are some things. The mares of Diomedes are nowhere. The description of the mares of Diomedes is "Four miniature mechanical mares, composed entirely of metal. They look like robotic action figures and their metal nametags read Podargos, Lampon, Xanthos, and Deinos."

Understand "Podargos" and "Lampon" and "Xanthos" and "Deinos" as the mares of Diomedes.

After dropping the mares of Diomedes:

say "You drop the mares of Diomedes as a set, not wanting to lose track of them."

After taking the mares of Diomedes:

say "You pick up the mares of Diomedes as a set, not wanting to lose track of them."

When Stolen Mares begins:

say "You've managed to steal the mares of Diomedes! You'd better hurry away before he gets back. [line break][line break]You put all the notes back as you found them and decide to place the golden pendant in the safe, hoping that will serve as at least some form of payment.";

now Podargos the mare is nowhere;

now Lampon the mare is nowhere;

now Xanthos the mare is nowhere;

now Deinos the mare is nowhere;

now the golden pendant is in the safe;

now the crumpled piece of paper is in the wastebasket;

now the folded note is in the desk;

now the desk is closed;

now the player carries the mares of Diomedes;

increase the score by 1;

follow the notify score changes rule;

try requesting the score.

test mares1 with "xyzzy/ nw/ nw/ n/ n/ nw/ ne/ show bull to diomedes/ ask diomedes about bulls/ open desk/ take folded/ read folded/ spin safe to [safe number]"

test mares2 with "open safe/ put pendant on lampon/ take lampon/ take pendant/ put pendant on xanthos/ take xanthos/ take pendant/ put pendant on deinos/ take deinos/ take pendant/ put pendant on podargos/ take podargos"