Browser lacks capabilities required to play.

Upgrade or switch to another browser.

Loading…
<<set $loctitle="West Beach">> <span id="header"> <<switch visited("Start")>> <<case 1>><p>I can barely see through the blood rolling off my forehead. This hurts more than the time all the pledges climbed the fire escape ladder up to the top of Ag Hall and I fell off the roof.</p> <p>Brother Stirling, our chapter president, is standing above me, his black wand pointed at my injured face. Things look bad, but at least I've succeeded at my goal of ending the paintball stalemate. One of the combatants is about to be eliminated. I just didn't plan for it to be me.</p><<set _showloc=false>> <<case 2>> <p>Stirling casts a spell: not SPLORT, but SPLAREN (a healing spell). The air ripples around me. My wrist is no longer broken and I can stand again without pain. I put a hand to my face. No blood there either.</p> <p>"Thanks." I say. "But why? You could have taken me out for the score."</p> <p>"Later, my friend, but not when you're down. You would have done the same for me, stopping the game to help a fallen brother."</p> <p>"Sure- if I knew the spell. You're the chapter president. I'm only a pledge."</p> <p>"In other houses you might be called Pledge Romeo or pleb or I've heard names worse than that. But here at Beta Rho Omega, we already think of you as part of our house. Just younger and less experienced. I have a special feeling about you, Romeo. You have big things ahead of you." <p>"You really think that?"</p> <p>"We'll talk after the tournament. Just brush yourself off right now and tell me when you're ready to resume the competition."</p> <</switch>> </span> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> <<linkreplace "Run away. Run away as fast as I can.">><p>There is really no place to go. Stirling is blocking the path down the beach to the east. The lake is south of me, too cold to enter without Stirling's wet suit or a penguin transmutation spell. The electric fence blocks the way west, and the dune I just fell down looms ominously above me to the north. I'm completely trapped. Unless I could prepare a SPLORT spell, then target Stirling with the spell.</p><</linkreplace>><br> <<case"mundane">> <<linkreplace "Ask Stirling about the pledge requirements.<br>">> <<replace #header>> <p>Stirling says "Every pledge has up to a full year to learn the Greek alphabet, the Beta Rho Omega anthem, the names of all the past presidents, complete a pledge service project, and learn the secret handshake."</p> <p>"There's a secret handshake?"</p> <p>"Shit. I wasn't supposed to tell you about that before the initiation ceremony."</p> <</replace>> <<link "Ask Stirling about the Greek alphabet.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>"It's been really tough to learn the Greek alphabet." I tell Stirling earnestly, "But I've already mastered the letters from the beginning through to the letter Delta. Do you want to hear? Alpha, Beta, Gamma-"</p> <p>Stirling excuses me from continuing, which is a relief because there was only just the one more letter that I could remember. He says, "You've been working hard, Romeo. Pledgemaster Caveman gives me regular updates about your progress. I have a special feeling about you. You may not be the brightest pledge, but you have enthusiasm and you have a special talent for seeing inside of people. You have great leadership potential. That's why Brother Caveman gave you the pledge pin that I used to wear. It's the pin that my president willed to me, and his president willed to him back since the founding of our order. I hope you'll take a close look at it some time. It may grant you special powers."</p> <</replace>><</link>> <<link "Ask Stirling about learning the names of the past presidents.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>Stirling says, "There have been a lot of past presidents. Are you familiar with the commemorative icons?"</p> <p>"What are those?"</p> <p>"Icons are the artistic totems that have been designed by the Frankenstein Mint to honor great leaders of our brotherhood. They're highly collectible. <<if $iconinv[1] is false>>If you like, I'll <<set $currenticon =1>>[[give you this one|examine icon]] to start your collection<</if>></p> <</replace>><</link>> <<link "Ask Stirling about the chapter anthem.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>This one I know already. Stirling and I bellow out the chapter drinking song, only a little out of sync with each other.</p> "Men of Beta Rho Omega, our fraternity.<br> &emsp; Loyal brothers<br> &emsp; Like no others<br> For all eterniteeeeeeeeeee-"<br> <p>(Holding the final vowel sound until at least one of the fraternal chorus collapses from lack of oxygen.)</p> <</replace>><</link>> <<link "Ask Stirling about the pledge service project.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>I tell Stirling "We've had trouble reaching agreement about our pledge service project. Tiny Tim wants to have a car wash to raise money for orphaned wizards."</p> <p>"Timmy was an orphan himself, you know."</p> <p>"Yes, but another group of us are keen on converting the chapter house into a safe space for un-spayed kittens."</p> <p>Stirling considers this carefully. "Your pledgemaster, Caveman, is the best person to guide you through this planning. But if I were to weigh in, I'd go with Brother Tim's proposal. We don't want our chapter to develop a reputation as the crazy cat house."</p> <</replace>><</link>> <</linkreplace>> <<link "Ask Stirling to resume the competition<br>">><<replace #header>> <<if $nowand is true>> <p>"Yes, there is the matter of the present tournament. Only one of us can leave this beach a victor. But Romeo, you don't even have a wand right now. Casting against you now would be no more sporting than shooting ducks in a barrel. Go collect your wand before we resume the competition."</p> <<else>> <p>"Yes, there is the matter of the present tournament. Only one of us can leave this beach a victor. But I'm going to give you the advantage. I'm going to let you cast the first //SPLORT//"</p> <p>We both know that Stirling will best me in a quick-draw competition. He has three more years of experience than I have. Still, it's a noble gesture by him to let me try.</p> <</if>> <</replace>><</link>> <</switch>> <<set _showloc=true>> <<set _stirling={exp:"#<p>Stirling, our chapter president, is handsome and confident; one of the coolest people I know. He's been my role model ever since I first rushed.</p> <p>Normally Stirling dresses in slacks and an oxford shirt, or on more ceremonial occasions his velvet wizarding robes with sleeves long enough to stow an entire six pack of beer. Today, though, he's chosen a black neoprene wetsuit which is curious attire for a paintball tournament. Has he been hiding out underwater?</p> <p>Stirling's wand is carved from the darkest ebony, matching the color of his neoprene. The wand is intricately detailed with inlaid ivory runes which make it now illegal for him to resell or export it out of the country. Not that he would. The wand is an antique, with his family for generations. It pulses with magical potential.</p> <<if not $nowand>><p>He takes careful aim.</p><</if>>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"stirlingSPLORT"}>> <<set _fence={exp:"efence",elmnt:"metal"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>West Beach</h3> <p>I'm on the shore of a large cold lake. The soil is sandy and rocky, pocked with sickly weeds. An <<link "electric fence">><<parseaction _fence>><</link>> and sand dune block me from leaving the way I entered. A narrow trail continues around the lake in the other direction, but <<link "Stirling">><<parseaction _stirling>><</link>> blocks the way. He's wearing a wet suit emblazoned with our chapter crest. Wait, why is he wearing a wet suit?</p> <p> <<if $nowand>>Stirling taunts me playfully. <<print either( "He dashes up and down the beach, pretending I'm not here.", "He goads me into taking a shot.", "He thumbs his nose at me.", "He lies on the beach and pretends to take a nap.", "He sticks out his tongue, gives me a raspberry, then laughs.", "He sings a traditional wizarding shanty.", "He dances the Hokie Pokie.", "He dances the Macarena.", "He dances a traditional wizarding folk dance.")>> I hope I can find my missing wand soon.<<else>>Stirling takes careful aim. <</if>> </p> <img src="stirling.jpg" alt="Stirling image" width="330" height="396"> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <p> I can continue along the forest loop trail heading [[clockwise->Forest in September]] or [[counter-clockwise->Forest in May]] or I can leave the forest loop by going south, returning to the [[Scrub]].</p> <<if $tallflower is true>> <p>I could also [[climb the tall flower|in the clouds]].</p> <</if>> <<case "mundane">> <<include "lily memory">> <</switch>> <<set _lilies={exp:"#<p>Every lily in the field is orange with black spots. These colors always make me think of Princeton, where my sister is a student.<<if $tallflower>> One particular flower reaches into the clouds.<</if>></p><<if $tallflower is true>> <p>I could [[climb the tall flower|in the clouds]].</p> <</if>><<include \"lily memory\">>",elmnt:"plant",VERDUST:"#<<if $tallflower is false>>With the sound of tearing plant fibers, one of the flowers begins to thicken and grow upward, spinning and reaching outward with new leaves as it grows. It looks like one of those time lapse videos of a growing plant which Einstein has shared with me from his botany class. But this is happening in real time, and it doesn't stop at a few meters. Soon the plant stalk reaches all the way into the clouds.<<set $tallflower=true>><<else>>Isn't this flower already tall enough?<</if>>",UNVERDUST:"#<<if $tallflower is true>>The vine recedes back from the clouds and the plant shrinks to the height of an ordinary flower.<<set $tallflower=false>><<else>>The flowers are already pretty low to the ground.<</if>>"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Forest in July</h3> <p>The forest is warm with the heat of summer. A bed of <<link "tiger lilies">><<parseaction _lilies>><</link>> grow nearby. The muddy path has been tracked with the footprints of other paintball combatants. I am familiar with the general layout of the simulated battlefield from many previous weekend tournaments: the forest loop, the urban loop, and the beach. This location is near the southeast corner of the forest loop.</p> <<if $tallflower is true>><p>One of the many flowers has transformed into a solid vine which reaches far into the clouds.</p><</if>><<if $cavemanattacks is 2>> <<addclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <<set $cavemanattacks=0>> <<set $currentlocation="Scrub">> <h1>@@color:yellow;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>Oops. Caveman got off the first shot.</p> <p>Caveman doesn't have good aim, but he makes up for it with the volume and pressure of an uncapped fire hydrant. Caveman's SPLORT sprays in every direction, glazing the entire forest. Everything but me. My pledge pin is vibrating with an almost animal-like growl. The <<link "pin" "Scrub">> <<set $justexamined="Here I am, back at the Scrub.">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> must be what protects me from defeat.</p> <<else>> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <p> I can continue along the forest loop trail heading [[clockwise->Forest in November]] or [[counter-clockwise->Forest in July]].</p> <<case "mundane">> <</switch>> <<set _caveman={exp:"#Caveman is a big fellow, tall and heavy, with curly unshorn black hair and a wild beard that nearly reaches his belly. He has a beautifully ornate wand, which right now is pointed in my direction.",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"SPLORTcaveman",SPLACK:"onion"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Forest in September</h3> <p>The oaks in this grove are a riot of color: deep red, orange and golden. The leaves are not yet dry enough to fall off their stems, yet matured beyond the basic green of summer.</p> <<if not hasVisited("SPLORTcaveman")>> <p>Pledgemaster <<link "Caveman">><<parseaction _caveman>><</link>> is already here waiting for me. His legs stationed apart for balance in a perfect fighting stance, He aims his mahogany wand squarely at my chest and is already reciting the syllables "S-P-L-<<if $cavemanattacks is 1>>O-R<</if>>-----"<<set $cavemanattacks+=1>></p> <img src="caveman.jpg" alt="Caveman image" width="330" height="396"> <</if>> <</if>><<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <p> I can continue along the forest loop trail heading [[clockwise->Forest in January]] or [[counter-clockwise->Forest in September]]. <<if not hasVisited("VERDZZYrose")>>Or I could attempt to [[bushwhack through the multiflora rose.]] <<else>>Or I could follow a larger trail [[west|Urban]] out of the forest.<</if>></p> <<case "mundane">> <<if not hasVisited("VERDZZYrose")>> <<linkreplace "Stop to smell the roses.">>Multiflora are not aromatic roses. I bloody my face on the thorns when I lean in to sniff them.<</linkreplace>><br> <</if>> <</switch>> <<set _rose={exp:"#Multiflora rose is the bane of my mother's garden. Sure, it looks pretty three days a year in the Spring when it blossoms, but the rest of the year it is an unwanted rapidly growing thorny weed plant which blocks hiking paths with its thick tendrils.",elmnt:"plant",VERDZZY:"VERDZZYrose", VERDUST:"#The last thing I'd want to happen is for that wall of thorns to grow any higher.",VERDIC:"#The roses open, beautiful for a moment. If I was hoping to open the trail, I'll need to find a way to thin out this weed plant."}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Forest in November</h3> <p>The poplars here have lost their leaves. The ground is covered with the brown leaf litter of coming winter. The smell of the moldering leaves fills my nose and arouses my memories of autumns past. The well-trodden forest path continues clockwise and counterclockwise.</p> <p> <<if not hasVisited("VERDZZYrose")>>There was once another section of the paintball arena down a path just west of here. That path has since been overtaken by a thick tangle of multiflora <<link "rose">><<parseaction _rose>><</link>>. That thorny mess will be impassable even come winter. <<else>> A larger trail leads west out of the forest. <</if>> </p> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> I can continue along the forest loop trail heading [[clockwise->Forest in March]] or [[counter-clockwise->Forest in November]].<br> <<if $openB>>A drawbridge crossing north is open to creek traffic, but raised against foot traffic.<<else>>The drawbridge crossing north is closed to creek traffic, but now lowered and [[passable|Snow Bank]] on foot.<</if>> <<case "mundane">> <</switch>> <<set _bridge={exp:"#A metal drawbridge which can be raised (open) or lowered (closed), alternately allowing creek traffic or foot traffic to pass. At present, the bridge is <<if $openB>>raised open<<else>>lowered closed.<</if>>.",elmnt:"metal",UNFERIC:"#<<if $openB>>When I cast UNFERIC, the bridge lowers closed now allowing foot traffic.<<set $openB=false>><<else>>The bridge is already lowered closed and available to go across.<</if>>",FERIC:"#<<if $openB>>The bridge is already open.<<else>>I cast FERIC, and the bridge raises open, once again prohibiting passage across.<<set $openB=true>><</if>>"}>> <<set _sarcophagus={exp:"#The granite sarcophagus must weigh a thousand kilo! <<if $ocasket is false>>A lid rests across the top, which could only be opened if I were Hercules.<</if>> On one face is a carved inscription, too worn to be legible. Various carved stone flowers, equally worn, decorate the ends.",elmnt:"earth",GAIUST:"#The sarcophagus shakes and rises, then settles back undamaged.",UNGAIIC:"#<<if $ocasket is true>>With grinding of stone against stone, the casket slides shut.<<set $ocasket=false>><<else>>The casket is already closed.<</if>>",GAIIC:"#<<if $ocasket is false>><<set $ocasket=true>><<goto\"GAIIC casket\">><<else>>The casket is already open.<</if>>", GAIACK:"#The chiseled letters on the side of the coffin momentarily deepen and luminesce: <div class='signage'><p>Here lie the remains of Eugene Smith, founding president of &Beta;&Rho;&Omega;.</p> <p>Romeo, I’ve been waiting for you to discover my treasure within.</p>[Sarcophagus designed by Montfort and Sons Mortuary 555-7029]</div><br>"} >> <<include topbox>> <h3>Forest in January</h3> <p>The trees are dead along this north-south edge of the woods. Dry leafless branches are frosted with a recent snow. Clouds suggest a larger blizzard is coming soon. The air is frigid. My moist breath condenses in clouds around my reddened face.</p> <p>Off to the edge of the trees is a <<link "stone sarcophagus">><<parseaction _sarcophagus>><</link>>, buried under brown leaves and a thin layer of ice.</p> <p>A metal <<link "drawbridge">><<parseaction _bridge>><</link>>, also glazed with ice, is <<if $openB>>raised open and impassable<<else>>lowered and passable<</if>> to the north.</P> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <p> I can continue along the forest loop trail heading [[clockwise->Forest in July]] or [[counter-clockwise->Forest in March]].</p> <<if $bridgefixed>> <p> The [[bridge south|South of bridge]] looks passable.</p> <</if>> <<case "mundane">> <<include "parade memory">> <</switch>> <<set _rocks={exp:"#The tumble of rocks appear to have been a structural bridge before its collapse. Not anymore.",elmnt:"earth",GAIAREN:"#The stones at the bottom of the creek levitate and reassemble into a structurally sound bridge.<<set $bridgefixed=true>>",GAIUST:"#The rocks levitate into new positions without rhyme or reason, and the overall structure remains unstable. When I put a single foot down to test it, the entire bridge collapses back to its earlier state of disrepair. Obviously not designed by members of the Meskatanawej Junior Engineers Club."}>> <<set _float={exp:"#<<include \"parade memory\">> ",elmnt:"a memory"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Forest in May</h3> <p>I am following the forest loop trail. Cherry blossoms fill the trees and cover the ground, pink and white like the confetti litter blowing off the back of the <<link "tri-delta float">><<parseaction _float>><</link>> during the homecoming parade.</p> <<if not $bridgefixed>> <p>A <<link "tumble of rocks">><<parseaction _rocks>><</link>> have fallen into the cow creek south of here.</p> <<else>> <p>A sturdy stone bridge crosses the creek south of here.</p> <</if>> <<if $riptidecycle gte 8>> <<addclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <<set $riptidecycle=0>> <<set $currentlocation="Scrub">> <<set $elevated=false>> <h1>@@color:orangered;//SPLORT//@@</h1><p>Brother Riptide pops up a third time. This time his casting is true. The neon SPLORT is aimed directly toward my chest and I am unable to dodge. My pledge pin thrums its familiar vibration and time stops. Just before Riptide's SPLORTy orange glaze finds its mark, I am teleported back to the <<link "scrub" "Scrub">> <<set $justexamined="Here I am, back at the Scrub.">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>>.</p> <<else>> <<if lastVisited("East Beach") is 1>><p>I retrace my steps back to the forest loop trail. That was a long way to hike, and it may not be worth my time walking that way again until I am fully confident that I have all the spells I need to defeat Stirling.</p> <</if>> <<if not hasVisited("SPLORTriptide")>> <<set $riptidecycle +=1>> <<switch $riptidecycle>> <<case 3>><h1>@@color:orangered;//SPLORT//@@</h1><p>Without warning, Brother Riptide pokes his head out the cracked window on the end of the house and casts a SPLORT at me. In his rush, he aims poorly and the spell passes several feet above my head. Just as quickly Riptide ducks back under the window so I won't be able to target him with a return volley.</p> <<case 6>><h1>@@color:orangered;//SPLORT//@@</h1><p>Brother Riptide pokes out the window again and fires another SPLORT. He's corrected his aim since the first attempt. I dodge just as the neon liquid whizzes past my ear. Another miss. Riptide ducks back into hiding.</p> <</switch>> <</if>> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> <<if $elevated>>(first climbing off of my rocky perch)<<set $elevated=false>><</if>> <p>A well-worn trail continues its loop [[clockwise->Forest in May]] and [[counter-clockwise->Forest in January]]. <<if $mfenceopen>>A lesser branch trail leads east through a [[break in the cow fence|Dune]].<<else>>A lesser trail leads east, blocked by the recently repaired electric fence.<</if>></p> <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Climb up the tree<br>">> <p>The bark is too smooth, and I'm just not strong enough to do it.</p> <</linkreplace>> <<if $elevated>> <<linkreplace "Climb down from the boulder<br>">> I lower myself cautiously off my rocky perch.<<set $elevated=false>> <</linkreplace>> <<else>> <<linkreplace "Climb up boulder<br>">> <<set $elevated=true>> <<if $bigboulder>> <p>I claw my way up to the top of the boulder, so that I am now even with the first level of the tree mansion.</p> <<else>> <p>I scramble up to the top of the boulder. The rock is so low to the ground, standing on it doesn't give me much of a tactical advantage.</p> <</if>> <</linkreplace>> <</if>> <</switch>> <<set _riptide={exp:"#<p>riptide is handsome, tan and fit.</p>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"SPLORTriptide",SPLACK:"onion"}>> <<set _rock ={ exp:"#<p>Other chapter houses have spray painted their chapter letters, one on top another until the contrasting paint colors look like abstract art. Our letters @@color:orangered;&Beta;&Rho;&Omega;@@ were painted most recently and remain legible.</p>", elmnt:"earth",GAIACK:"#Some of the writing beneath our recently painted chapter letters resolves and becomes more legible. An anti-wizarding slur. @@font-family: 'Brush Script MT', cursive;color:red;Go home you spell casting freaks- you aren't wanted here.@@ A jolting reminder of why we always bring extra paint to the paintball field.", GAIUST:"#<<if not $bigboulder>><<set $bigboulder=true>><p>The earth rumbles, and the boulder rises out of the ground, until its pinnacle is now even with the first level of the tree mansion. <<if $elevated and not hasVisited(\"SPLORTriptide\")>> <<if not $houseopen>>I can now see into the house, but only as far as the windows will allow. <<link \"Riptide\">><<parseaction _riptide>><</link>> is visible through a window. <<else>>I now have a clear open view of the inside of the house. <<link \"Riptide\">><<parseaction _riptide>><</link>> is visible. <</if>> <</if>> </p> <<else>> <p>The boulder has already risen as high as the earth beneath it can support.</p> <</if>>"}>> <<set _house ={ exp:"#<p>Our house is a simple white-washed saltbox design with black shutters, some of them leaning or broken. Chapter letters are stenciled in chunky black font above the door. The house has eighteen rooms, large enough to accommodate sixty members as long as about half of us pretend not to live there when the city housing inspector drops by. <<if not $houseopen>>The doors and windows are closed except for one slightly cracked window near the end. The tree-house has no obvious access from the ground.<<else>>The front of the house has been exposed, as if it were a doll house.<</if>></p>", elmnt:"plant", VERDIC:"#Casting VERDIC, I expected the windows and door to fly open. In fact, it works much better than that. The entire front of the house disappears.<<set $houseopen=true>>" }>> <<set _fence={exp:"#<p>There is a wire metal cow fence running around much of the paintball field. Warning signs positioned at regular intervals caution players that the fence may be electrified. <<if $mfenceopen>>However since this section of the fence has been physically severed, the circuit is broken.<<else>>The low hum of electricity all around suggests these warnings must be true.<</if>></p>", elmnt:"metal",FERIC:"#The fence can be cut and uncut, maybe, but cannot be opened and closed. It is not a gate.", FERAREN:"#<<if $mfenceopen is false>>The fence is already repaired, pulsing with electric current.<<else>><<set $mfenceopen=false>>When I cast FERAREN on the damaged electric fence, a blue electric spark jumps the gap between the broken wires, fusing them together into a conductive electric circuit. Simultaneously, the electric lights inside the tree mansion ignite, brightening the house and the surrounding tree canopy.<</if>>",UNFERAREN:"#<<if $mfenceopen is true>>The fence is already severed.<<else>><<set $mfenceopen=true>>When I cast UNFERAREN, the electric fence snaps in two, creating a path out of the forest. Simultaneously, all the lights in the house go out.<</if>>" }>> <<include topbox>> <<set $currenticon=6>> <<if $elevated and $houseopen and $bigboulder>> <<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is false>><p>From my elevated vantage, and with the house wide open, I can see a valuable presidential icon on the floor near the back corner, which I can easily take.</p> <<examicon "takeicon" $currenticon>> <</if>> <</if>> <h3>Forest in the March <<if $elevated>>(standing on the rock)<</if>></h3> <<if not hasVisited("SPLORTriptide")>> <<if $houseopen>> <p><<link "Riptide">><<parseaction _riptide>><</link>> is visible to me right now, through the open front of the house. I might have a shot, if he doesn't attack first. </p> <</if>> <<if $elevated and $bigboulder>> <p>Now that I'm atop this mountain of granite, level with the front of the house, I may have a straight shot at my <<link "opponent">><<parseaction _riptide>><</link>>. </p> <</if>> <<if $houseopen or ($elevated and $bigboulder)>> <img src="riptide.jpg" alt="Riptide image" width="330" height="396"> <</if>> <</if>> <p>The trees are a mix of oak and poplar, all speckled green with the first leaf buds of spring. The main trail continues its circular path, with a less distinct branch path heading out of the circle toward the <<link "electric cow fence">><<parseaction _fence>><</link>>. Those are my size nine foot prints along the branch path, imprinted there when I made my escape from Brother Riptide earlier in the game. Perhaps that bas relief imprint of a young man's face in the mud is mine also, when I tripped over my untied shoelace.</p> <p>Perched in the lower boughs of an oak is an impressive <<link "tree-mansion">><<parseaction _house>><</link>>.The tree-mansion is an almost perfect facsimile of our eighteen room frat house with its collapsed front porch and black tarpaper showing through where the siding has fallen off (these specific details were highlighted for us during a recent review by the city housing inspector). It is remarkable that the mature tree can even support this mass but such is the nature of magic, right?</p> <p>Closer to the ground, the tree's root system winds around a <<link "granite boulder">><<parseaction _rock>><</link>> which has been painted many colors. <<if $bigboulder>>The boulder is now tall enough that its pinnacle reaches the side of the house.<</if>></p> <</if>> /*fer=metal gai=earth=brown spl=flesh xy=supernatural verd=plant=forestgreen ic=open/close ack=to read/understand aren=to repair zzy=to flatten ort=to score points in tournament ust=to lift un=reversal prefix allowable types of materials: plant,earth,flesh,metal,supernatural */ <<run UIBar.stow()>> <<set $action="">> <<set $currentlocation="Introduction">> <<set $loctitle="">> <<set $currenticon=1>> <<set $justexamined="">> <<set $iconinv=[]>> <<for _i to 0; _i lt 24; _i++>> <<set $iconinv[_i]=false>> <</for>> <<set _disclaimer={name:"Paintball Contract",description:"Paintball Contract"}>> <<set _pledgepin={name:"Pledge Pin",description:"Pledge Pin"}>> <<set _inventory=[_disclaimer,_pledgepin]>> <<set _spells=[["MUMBLE","SPL"],["MUMBLE","ORT"]]>> <<set $romeo={name:"Romeo",description:"Romeo",inventory:_inventory,spells:_spells}>> <<set $romeolocation="Start">> <<set $currentlocation="Start">> <<set $currentactor=$romeo>> <<set $flatstan=false>> /*tutorial*/ <<set $fixT = false>> <<set $fixB = false>> /*players*/ /*introworld*/ <<set $nowand=true>> /*near scrub*/ <<set $gateopen=false>> <<set $antsdug =false>> <<set $defeated=0>> <<set $tallflower=false>> <<set $ocasket=false>> <<set $openB=true>> /*Ant World*/ <<set $newcount=0>> /*Timmy World*/ <<set $nosd = true>> /*march forest*/ <<set $mfenceopen = true>> <<set $elevated = false>> <<set $houseopen= false>> <<set $bigboulder= false>> <<set $riptidecycle=-1>> /*Grandma's Apartment*/ /*immigration center*/ <<set $cavemanattacks=0>> /*final beach*/ <<set $sailtorn=true>> <<set $shiphigh=true>> /*urban*/ <<set $eattacks=0>> /*dune*/ /*templates for setting different types of variables <<run $NPC.push( { name: "Anne", location: "Passage X" } )>>Adds an NPC to the array */ /*<<set setup.var to 3>>*/ /% setup.var will be three even in past moments navigated to in the history %/<<set $loctitle="Table">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">><p>[[I smell food in one direction|Table-0]] and [[I smell my ant comrades in the other|Table-2]]. The black lacquer table [[extends toward infinity|extend toward infinity]].</p> <<case "mundane">><<linkreplace "wiggle my antennae.">>I wiggle my antennae. That was kind of fun.<</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<if visited("Table-1")==1>><p>I am an insect, a common ant. If I had enrolled in introduction entomology I might know my species, but regrettably I took "introduction to nineteenth century erotica" instead. It wasn't as titillating as it sounded in the course catalogue.</p><</if>> <<include topbox>> <h3>World's Best Dim Sum Restaurant</h3> <p>I'm on a black lacquered surface which seems to extend toward infinity in all directions. A beige fortune cookie towers above me, but still too far away to interact with it.</p> <<include "antworld dialogue">><h3>Current Actor: Ant</h3> <p>I have six legs and a sexy pair of antenna. I know how to infest the Costco bulk foods section. I don't know if I have magical powers. I can smell things really well, but my vision is all pixelated.</p><<set _actordescription=$currentactor.description>> <<if $currentactor.name is "Caveman">> <<set _self={exp:$currentactor.description,elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"#SPLORTme",SPLAREN:"#<<if not $splinterout>>I cast the healing spell, but it's only a splinter.<<elseif $handinjured>>The healing spell pulses up through my arm. Flesh and muscle fiber sew themselves together as if they had never been injured.<<set $handinjured=false>><<else>>I am fully healed already.<</if>>",SPLZZY:"SPLZZY ME"}>> <<else>> <<set _self={exp:$currentactor.description,elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"#<p>The housemother has scolded us that practicing SPLORT upon oneself can lead to blindness, but if that were true, every wizard who ever walked the earth would already be blind.</p>",SPLACK:"#<p>SPLACKing myself would be dangerous. What if I travelled back in time and learned something about myself that I didn't already know? A person could go insane that way.</p>",SPLAREN:"#<p>SPLAREN self: That makes me feel a little better.</p>",SPLZZY:"#<<if $currentactor.name is \"Riptide\">><<set $action=\"explore\">><<goto \"SPLZZY me\">><<else>>I flatten briefly, then expand back to my standard dimensions.<</if>>",SPLIC:"#In long ago times, physicians would cast SPLIC to open the patient before surgery. Now they favor less invasive forms of treatment.",SPLUST:"#I grow taller, but only momentarily. The effect is not lasting enough to have any value."}>> <</if>> <<if not tags(passage()).contains("noplace")>> Current Location:<br> <<if not tags($currentlocation).contains("loctitle")>> <<link $currentlocation $currentlocation>><</link>><br> <<else>> <<link $loctitle $currentlocation>><</link>><br> <</if>> /*<<link "Look Around" $currentlocation>><</link>><br>*/ Current Actor: <<link $currentactor.name>><<parseaction _self>><</link>><br> <<if $flatstan is true>>(oddly two dimensional)<br><</if>> /*$currentactor.name<br>*/ /*<<link "Examine Self" $currentactor.description>><</link>>*/ /*<<link $currentactor.name>><<parseaction _self>><</link>><br>*/ <br> <span id="multireplace"><<include "multibutton">></span> <<else>><<addclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</if>> <<switch $currentactor.name>> <<case "Romeo">> <<if $nowand is false>> <img src="romeo.jpg" alt="Romeo img" width="165" height="198"> <<else>> <img src="romeonowand.jpg" alt="Romeo img" width="165" height="198"> <</if>> <<case "Timmy">> <<if $nowand is false>> <img src="timmy.jpg" alt="Timmy img" width="165" height="198"> <<else>> <img src="timnowand.jpg" alt="Timmy img" width="165" height="198"> <</if>> <<case "Riptide">> <img src="riptide.jpg" alt="Riptide img" width="165" height="198"> <<case "Caveman">> <img src="caveman.jpg" alt="Caveman img" width="165" height="198"> <<case "Einstein">> <img src="einstein.jpg" alt="Einstein img" width="165" height="198"> <<case "Ant">> <img src="ants.jpg" alt="Ants img" width="165" height="198"> <</switch>> /*<<if tags($currentlocation).includes("romeo")>><img src="romeo.jpg" alt="romeo prototype image" width="165" height="198"><</if>>*/ /* <<addclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> */<<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <<if $mfenceopen>>[[Enter the Stone Cottage.|Dark Cottage]]<br> <<else>>[[Enter the Stone Cottage.|Stone Cottage]]<br> <</if>> [[Go back east to the forest path.|Forest in November]]<br> <<case "mundane">> <<if $mfenceopen>> <<linkreplace "Examine the wiring on the lamp post.<br>">><p>In spite of the damage to the pole, the wires are still intact and the bulb is unbroken. It should work if there were electricity running through it.</p><</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Find the //on// switch for the lamp.<br>">><p>As with most outdoor lamps, the //on// switch would be located at a transfer station somewhere far from here.</p><</linkreplace>> <<else>> <<linkreplace "Examine the wiring on the lamp post.<br>">><p>In spite of the damage to the pole, the wires are still intact and the bulb is unbroken. The @@color:orange;bulb in the street lamp@@ glows orange.</p><</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Find the //off// switch for the lamp.<br>">><p>As with most outdoor lamps, the //off// switch would be located at a transfer station somewhere far from here. The lamp must have come on when I repaired the electric fence.</p><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Urban Region</h3> <p>In sharp contrast with the other more pastoral regions of the paintball arena, the urban region is designed to simulate combat within a post-apocalyptic city ruins. A single mangled street lamp leans against the roof of a decrepit stone cottage, which is the only remaining building. <<if $mfenceopen is false>> The @@color:orange;bulb in the street lamp@@ glows orange, now powered by the unbroken circuit in the paintball field power grid. <<else>> The street lamp is dark, indicating a fault in the power grid. <</if>> A patch of weeds marks the only path back to the forest region. The rest of the terrain is a hellscape of bent rebar and concrete rubble.</p> <<if ($eattacks is 4) and (visited("SPLORTeinstein") is 0)>> <p>From out of the darkness, someone casts a spell.</p> <h1>@@color:violet;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>Must not have been a grue after all. <<link "My pledge pin hums." "Scrub">> <<set $currentlocation="Scrub">> <<set $justexamined="Here I am, back at the Scrub.">> <<set $eattacks=0>> <</link>></p> <<else>> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> [[Exit the cottage.|Urban]] <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Smell for grues.">>I sniff. It does smell sort of musky in here. Those grues ought to bathe more thoroughly.<</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<set _curtain={exp:"#It's a blackout curtain. It's made of heavy, black velvet and blocks out nearly all light.",elmnt:"supernatural",XYIC:"#<<include \"curtain icon\">>"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>In the Dark</h3> <p>Just inside the cottage is a small vestibule with a blackout curtain separating the entrance from the rest of the abode. There are no windows, and only the narrowest sliver of light slips past the <<link "black curtain">><<parseaction _curtain>><</link>> to help me exit.</p> <<if not hasVisited("SPLORTeinstein")>> <<set $eattacks+=1>> <<switch $eattacks>> <<case 1>><p>It's really dark in here. It brings to mind the fairy tales my spell casting grandmother used to tell me about dark places and grues. Something is in here with me, shuffling around in the dark. Could it be a grue?</p> <<case 2>> <p>Whatever else is in here with me, I can almost hear it slavering.</p> <<case 3>> <p>I can almost smell the grues.</p> <</switch>> <</if>> <</if>> <<if visited("SPLACKeinstein") gt 1>> <p>My spell misfires. Einstein says "You already know my history, Romeo. That spell won't work if you use it too many times in a row."</p> <<link "continue" $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<else>> /* Tetrahedron 4 FER fire Cube earth 6 GAI earth Octahedron 8 SPL air Dodecahedron 12 XY universe Icosahedron 20 VERD water empty is 0 brain is 1 animatronic is 2 */ <<set $nowand=false>> <<set $pl4="bone">> <<set $pl6="bone">> <<set $pl8="platinum">> <<set $pl12="bone">> <<set $pl20="bone">> <<set $cancenter=0>> <<set $canopen=true>> <<set $canleg=false>> <<set $tomeleg=false>> <<set $light=0>> <<set $ritualstate=0>> <h1>@@color:deeppink;//SPLACK//@@</h1> <p>As my mind melds with Brother Einstein, I feel this funny tickling inside my head which I’ve never felt before, like I know stuff. This must be how Scarecrow felt when the Wizard of Oz replaced the straw inside his head with a bucket of bran flakes, even though Scarecrow was actually the smartest one in the story all along.</p> <p>Wow, just being able to express such a profound understanding of that classic wiz-lit proves that I got a whole lot o’ smarts in me now.</p> <<set _inv=[]>> <<set _youngeinstein={name:"Einstein",description:"Einstein",inventory:_inv,spells:[["MUMBLE","SPL","VERD"],["MUMBLE","ACK","ORT"]]}>> <<set $romeo=$currentactor>> <<set $romeolocation=$currentlocation>> <<set $currentlocation="Outside the Necromancer's apartment">> <<set $currentactor=_youngeinstein>> <<link "Dive into Einstein's memory." "Outside the Necromancer's apartment">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <</if>> <h3>Current Actor: Caveman</h3> <p>I am Claude Kavminiuk. I've been told I look like Jerry Garcia, but with longer hair. I mentor the chapter pledges, but when I was younger I had my hair forcibly cut off and it was my Mom who mentored me.</p> <<if $nowand>> I am empty handed. <<else>> I am carrying:<br> <<if $splinterout>> &emsp;[[Maple staff]] <<else>> &emsp;[[Maple splinter|Maple staff]] <</if>> <</if>> <br> <<link "Look around.">><<goto $currentlocation>><</link>> <<set $currenticon=3>> <<if ($iconinv[$currenticon] is false) and (def $fromJ)>> <p>On the other side of the parking lot stands a woman wearing an ill-fitting black polyester uniform and an equally unstylish black bonnet. I wouldn’t even recognize her as Jenny, the woman I helped during the homecoming parade, except she still has a lazy eye where the wombat mauled her face. She sees me examining her uniform, "Romeo, it’s me, Jenny. I thought you heard? I’ve joined the Salvation Army. Why didn’t you ever call me until now? Oh never mind, It doesn’t matter. You called at exactly the right time. I’m relocating to upstate New York next week to work full time in a Salvation Army hostel, to devote my own life to selfless service. Since that includes a vow of poverty, I’m leaving you with this."</p> <p>Jenny kisses me on the cheek. "Maybe in another life we would have hooked up." Jenny hands me a presidential icon, before riding away on her three-speed Schwinn.</p> <<examicon "takeicon" $currenticon>> <<unset $fromJ>> <</if>> <span id=header></span> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> [[Go west, back to the scrub.|Scrub]]<br> <<link "Drive away.">><<replace #header>> Drive off and miss the rest of the tournament? No way.<br> <</replace>><</link>> <<case "mundane">> <<if visited("SPLORTtim") is 0>> [[Get Timmy's attention|Tim attacks]] <<else>> <<linkreplace "Change the tape in the tape deck.<br>">><p>This mix tape has been passed from president to president ceremonially for decades. The chapter only owns this one mix-tape and we all know it so well, I couldn't possibly change it.</p><</linkreplace>> [[Just listen.|parking lot]] <</if>> <</switch>> <<set _deck={exp:"#Even when the power goes out in the chapter house for chronic non-payment of our electrical bills, Stirling keeps us entertained with music from the eight track player in his car and really lights up the party.",elmnt:"metal",FERIC:"#I've no reason to open the tape deck unless I wanted to change the eight track casette, but the chapter only owns one casette."}>> <<set _astra={exp:"#The Astra is a model so obscure that the dealer who sold it to me asked what kind of car it is when I took it in for service because I've never been able to jack open the trunk.",elmnt:"metal",FERIC:"#<p>I haven't been able to manually open the trunk since I bought this lemon, yet when I cast FERIC, the trunk pops open.</p><<if $iconinv[4] is false>><p>Inside I find a presidential icon which must have been misplaced by the previous owner. I also find a nest of adorable mice living here. After taking the icon, I close the trunk.</p> <<examicon \"takeicon\" 4>><<else>><p>Regrettably, all I find inside is a nest of mice. I close the trunk.</p><</if>>"}>> <<set _imprezza={exp:"eimprezza",elmnt:"metal",FERIC:"#<p>The trunk pops open. Tim has been planning a pledge service project to raise money for orphaned wizards. Much of the litter in his trunk is related to that project. None of it is mine to take, so I close the trunk manually.</p>"}>> <<set _mustang={exp:"#Brother Stirling's '82 Mustang has a custom painting of salamander on the front hood. The salamander is sharpening its teeth with a metal file, and looks every bit as threatening as any salamander has ever been. It's so rad!",elmnt:"metal",FERIC:"#<p>The trunk pops open. I find a stack of muscle car magazines and a plastic trophy honoring \"the second most spirited chapter\" from last year's Beta Rho Omega national convention. None of it is mine to take, so I close the trunk manually.</p>" }>> <<set _tim={exp:"examine tim",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"SPLORTtim",SPLACK:"onion"}>> <p><<include "playlist">></p> <<include topbox>> <h3>Parking Lot</h3> <p>The paintball field is about an hour's drive from campus, so the gravel lot here is filled with familiar vehicles. The wealthier fraternities might fill their lots with Beemers and Benzes. But in my house, the best car in the lot is Stirling's old beat up <<link "1982 Ford Mustang">><<parseaction _mustang>><</link>>, which still has its original <<link "eight track tape deck">><<parseaction _deck>><</link>>. My car is a <<link "Saturn Astra">><<parseaction _astra>><</link>>. Tim drives a <<link "Subaru Impreza">><<parseaction _imprezza>><</link>>. Many of the guys in the house don't even own their own wheels and rely on the brother's for rideshares. That's what our brotherhood is about.</p> <<if visited("SPLORTtim") is 0>> <p><<link "Tiny Tim">><<parseaction _tim>><</link>> has his back turned to me right now. He's hunched over searching his car. </p><</if>> <<if not hasVisited("SPLORTtim")>> <img src="timmy.jpg" alt="Timmy image" width="330" height="396"> <</if>> <<set $currenticon=13>> <<if ($iconinv[$currenticon] is false) and (def $fromsky)>> <p>A valuable presidential icon falls from the sky and narrowly misses hitting me on the head. This must be my lucky day!</p> <<examicon "takeicon" $currenticon>> <<unset $fromsky>> <</if>> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <<link "Go north to Scrub">><<if visited("Romeo's arc") is 4>><<goto "Romeo's arc">><<else>><<goto "Scrub">><</if>><</link>><br> [[Enter phone booth|Phone booth]]<br> <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Eat some food.<br>">><p>I crunch a handful of chips. I need to keep up my energy for the tournament.</p><</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Drink some beverages.<br>">><p>I kick back a non-alcoholic energy drink. I need to stay sober for the tournament.</p><</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<set _callbox={exp:"#<p>It's painted blue and made of wood, with windows near the top. Looks more like Doctor Who's time travelling call box, than the American phone booth where Superman undresses. A printed notice on one side says:</p><div class='signage'>I am on loan from another dimension. After you have exhausted my use here on earth, please return me to my own dimension.</div><br>",elmnt:"supernatural",talk:"#I'd need to be inside the call box to talk on the phone.",UNXYORT:"#The phone booth has already been summoned from another dimension",XYORT:"#The phone booth shimmers and vanishes, briefly, before reappearing as if to say \"Thank you for returning me to my own dimension.\" then disappears once more, this time permanently. In its place is the object which must have been used to summon it here in the first place: a valuable but insignificant presidential icon.<<examicon \"takeicon\" 21>>"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Concessions</h3> <p>The concessions area is festooned with a string of colorful paper flags and various tacky lawn ornaments that have been brought in by the other chapter houses who play more traditional forms of paintball in this arena. This week I see a collection of plastic flamingos with metal posts for legs, an inflatable rat, a giant animatronic skeleton (from Halloween), and a plastic Christmas reindeer with a blinking LED bulb on its nose. There is also, of course, a refreshments table laden with chips and beverages. This is the area where brothers hang out after they’ve been defeated in competition. Not me, though. I’m just visiting.</p> <<if $iconinv[21] is false>> <p>Off in the corner of the lot is an antique British <<link "call box">><<parseaction _callbox>><</link>>. Must be for players who forgot their cell phone.</p> <</if>> <<set _tim={name:"Tiny Tim",exp:"examine tim",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"unsporting",SPLACK:"SPLACKtim",talk:"Tiny Tim talk",SPLUST:"#<p>Tim levitates high enough above ground to see eye level with me. He squeals, legs kicking freely beneath him \"Hey, put me down!\"</p><p>Once he is back on the ground, he reconsiders his earlier request. \"Actually, that was kind of fun. Do it again!\"</p>"}>> <<set _riptide={name:"RipTide",exp:"#<p>Riptide is tall and muscular. He is the strongest member of the chapter.</p>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"unsporting",SPLACK:"SPLACKriptide",talk:"Riptide talk",SPLUST:"#<p>Riptide levitates several feet off the ground. \"Not funny, dude. Really not funny.</p>"}>> <<set _einstein={name:"Einstein",exp:"#<p>Einstein is tall and lanky, with pale skin and white hair, cut short but uneven. I've seen him wear this steam-punk style helmet before at chapter parties, when the lights are turned down and the band is playing a slow dance number. It's an infrared camera system that lets him see in almost total darkness. It might be useful to him to see the feet of the other person he was dancing with, except that I've never seen him get with any of the ladies when he was wearing it. Besides frightening away any potential dance partners, the helmet also renders him almost completely blind once the lights are turned on. Right now he's stumbling around the concessions area struggling to take it off.</p>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"unsporting",SPLACK:"SPLACKeinstein",talk:"Einstein talk",SPLUST:"#<p>Einstein rises, then floats back to the ground, \"I may not be able to see you through this helmet, but I know it's you doing that Romeo.\"</p>"}>> <<set _caveman={name:"Caveman",exp:"#<p>A Pledgemaster’s role in the fraternity is to guide pledges through their initiation period: teaching us the pledge song, chapter history, and arcane neo-pagan rites.</p> <p>Caveman is an awesome pledgemaster. Strict but caring, he demonstrates unlimited patience toward even the dullest pledge. He inspires me to want to be a pledgemaster someday. He’s a big fellow, tall and heavy, with curly unshorn black hair and a wild beard that nearly reaches his belly.</p>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"unsporting",SPLACK:"SPLACKcaveman",talk:"Caveman talk",SPLUST:"#<p>Caveman stands, still anchored to the ground. \"Did you think I'd be easy to lift?\"</p>"}>> <<switch $defeated>> <<case 0>>I am all alone in the waiting area.<br> <<case 1>>I see one defeated player in the waiting area:<br> <<case 2>>I see two defeated brothers in the waiting area:<br> <<default>>There is a whole gang of defeated brothers in the waiting area:<br> <</switch>> <<if visited("SPLORTtim") neq 0>><<link "Tim">><<parseaction _tim>><</link>><br><</if>> <<if visited("SPLORTriptide") neq 0>><<link "Riptide">><<parseaction _riptide>><</link>><br><</if>> <<if visited("SPLORTcaveman") neq 0>><<link "Caveman">><<parseaction _caveman>><</link>><br><</if>> <<if visited("SPLORTeinstein") neq 0>><<link "Einstein">><<parseaction _einstein>><</link>><br><</if>> <h3>World's Best Dim Sum Restaurant</h3> <p>[[The black lacquered surface extends toward infinity in all directions|extend toward infinity]]. I wander in circles, laying down random scent trails until these eventually reconnect to <<link "my earlier path">><<goto $currentlocation>><</link>>.</p> <<include "antworld dialogue">><<set $loctitle="Table">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">><p> [[I smell food in one direction|Table-1]] and I [[smell my ant comrades in the other|Table-3]]. The black lacquer table [[extends toward infinity|extend toward infinity]].</p> <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Wag my abdomen.">>I wag my abdomen. That was kind of sexy.<</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Climb the chopstick.">>I climb the chopstick, then back to the table surface.<</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>World's Best Dim Sum Restaurant</h3> <p>A single chopstick, stretching almost the length of a football field, sits balanced on an empty dipping bowl. A beige fortune cookie towers above me, still too far away to interact with it. The black lacquered surface extends toward infinity.</p> <<include "antworld dialogue">><<set $loctitle="Table">> <span id="header"></span> <<if $muster>0>><p>My companions and I attack the fortune cookie with collective enthusiasm. As the cookie's dark interior is exposed, an unimaginably long strip of fortune paper coiled inside pops out like a spring and flutters down on top of us as we gnaw away the last sweet rancid morsels of the now empty shell.</p> [[Read fortune|eat cookie success]] <<else>> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <p>The black lacquer table [[extends toward infinity|extend toward infinity]]. [[I smell my comrades nearby|Table-1]].</p> <<case "mundane">> <<if $muster is 0>> <p> Both of my two stomachs growl (I didn't even know an ant had two stomachs until now). How shall I bring this cookie back to my colony?</p> <<link "Enter the cookie">><<replace #header>> The cookie is sealed so perfectly that even as small as I am, I cannot enter.<br> <</replace>><</link>><br> <<link "Take the cookie">><<replace #header>> The cookie is much too large for me to take by myself.<br> <</replace>><</link>><br> <<link "Search the cookie">><<replace #header>> The cookie is sealed so perfectly that even as small as I am, I cannot peek inside. The cookie will not reveal my fortune just yet.<br> <</replace>><</link>><br> <<link "Open the cookie">><<replace #header>> The cookie is so large that I could not open it by myself.<br> <</replace>><</link>><br> <<link "Eat the cookie">><<replace #header>> I nibble...mmm...sweet, sesame and only slightly rancid. It is much too large for me to eat entirely by myself (even with two stomachs).<br> <</replace>><</link>> <</if>> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>World's Best Dim Sum Restaurant</h3> <p>I'm on a black lacquer table which seems to extend toward infinity in all directions. A giant fortune cookie is right here; silky, beige, and crisp with more curves than a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.</p> <<include "antworld dialogue">> <</if>><<set $loctitle="Table">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">>[[I smell food in one direction|Table-2]] and I [[smell my ant comrades in the other|Table-4]]. The black lacquer table [[extends toward infinity|extend toward infinity]]. <<case "mundane">><<linkreplace "Lick the saucer.">>I lick the saucer. Yummy.<</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>World's Best Dim Sum Restaurant</h3> <p>A tea-stained ceramic saucer as wide across as the fountain in front of the campus admin building rests here. The black lacquered surface extends toward infinity in all directions.</p> <<include "antworld dialogue">><<set $loctitle="Table">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <p>[[I smell food|Table-3]]. The black lacquer table [[extends toward infinity|extend toward infinity]].</p> <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "mate with the other insects.">>apparently we're all worker ants, incapable of mating. How awkward.<</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>World's Best Dim Sum Restaurant</h3> <p>A mountain of crumbled napkins towers above me. </p> <p>Several of my comrades are here, laying down scent trails in random directions and slavishly following one another.<<if not hasVisited("Table-0")>> My own contribution to the scent trail is not yet strong enough to rally them in any unified direction.<<else>> My own contribution to the scent trail has begun to glow with a spooky extra-sensory phosphorescence. I've rallied my tribe back toward the giant rancid fortune cookie.<<if not $muster>><<set $muster=3>><</if>><</if>></p> <<include "antworld dialogue">> <<if $newcount<8>> <p>[[Human voices]] echo high overhead as if from another plane of existence.</p> <</if>> <p> <<switch $newcount>> <<case 0>>"What is this stuff? I thought we were ordering General Tso's." <<case 1>>Another voice, "It's Dim Sum you moron. This is what they eat for breakfast I guess." <<case 2>>The first voice again, "You mean they don't eat left-over pizza for breakfast?" <<case 3>>"This isn't Chinese food!" <<case 4>>"It's dim sum, you moron--What the f**k? Is that a barbequed chicken foot?", <<case 5>>"Look, is that an ant on table? Near my chopstick?" <<case 6>>"Oh my God! This place is overrun by ants." <<case 7>>One of the humans invokes the //Ignis// spell. <<case 8>>A pile of napkins just burst into flame. <<default>>The air is warm and smoky. The overhead voices are now indistinguishable screams of chaos moving farther away. <</switch>><<set $newcount +=1>> <<if $muster > 0>>The ant trail back to the fortune cookie is growing ever more intense. Several more ants have joined us. We are $muster strong.<<set $muster+=3>><</if>> </p><p>I, the undersigned, release the FrobozzCo paintball field manager from all personal and corporate liability in the event that I am killed, maimed, dismembered, disemboweled or spiritually possessed in the course of playing this game.</p> <p>The rules of wizard paintball are simple enough. A player should "cast //SPLORT//" on opponent wizards to remove them from the field. And of course avoid being splorted yourself. If you find scrolls in the field, study them to add their power to your wand. You will probably meet other obstacles in the field. Both magical and non-magical solutions are permissible.</p> <<return>><p>Oh, this is weird.</p> <p>I'm looking up at my frat brothers, sharing a meal at that divey Chinese place in the city where we used to have brunch before Saturday football games. But this can't be the present. Didn't we get banned from that place, eighty sixed? I don't remember why, right now, but if this is a memory of something past maybe I'll find out.</p> <p>Everyone is here. There's President Stirling, Tiny Tim, Caveman, Riptide and Einstein. Oh, and there is me, Romeo, sticking a pair of plastic drinking straws up my nose while pretending to be a walrus.</p> <<return>><p>This is a little brass pin I must wear on my shirt during my pledge period to let the world know that I'm a brother and a noob. Mine is more misshapen and tarnished than those of my fellow pledges. It looks like it could be centuries old. It looks like it's been run over by a Studebaker. I once overheard Brother Stirling tell Brother Riptide that this is the pin Stirling wore back when he was a pledge. When I wear it, I feel protected by the ancient history of our order (established 1928).</p> <<return>><h3>Current Actor: Romeo</h3> <p>I have a sexy beard. I know how to heat up Costco cheese fries in the microwave. I have magical powers. With a little help from the fraternity exam files I keep my GPA above a two-point-five. In other words, I'm the kind of dude people dream about loving. That's probably why Caveman, our pledgemaster, nick-named me //Romeo//.</p> <<include "inventory">> <br> <<set _count=0>> <<for _i to 0; _i lt 23; _i++>> <<if $iconinv[_i] is true>> <<set _count+=1>> <</if>> <</for>> <<if _count gt 0>> I have collected _count &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; presidential commemorative icon<<if _count gt 1>>s<</if>>. <<linkreplace "Examine Collection">><<examicon "iconinv">><</linkreplace>><br> <</if>> <<link "Look around.">><<goto $currentlocation>><</link>><<if $currentactor.inventory.length is 0>> I am empty handed. <<else>> I am carrying <<for _i to 0; _i lt $currentactor.inventory.length; _i++>> &emsp; <<link $currentactor.inventory[_i].name $currentactor.inventory[_i].name>><</link>> <</for>> <</if>><<widget "spcyc">><<set _temp=$args[0].shift()>><<set $args[0].push(_temp)>><<linkreplace $args[0][0]>><<spcyc $args[0]>><</linkreplace>><</widget>> <div class='titlesign'> <h1 style="font-family: my-titlefont; color: darkorchid; font-size: 50px">Paintball Wizard</h1> <h2>@@color:orangered;font-family:serif; Game by Doug Egan, copyright 2023@@</h2> </div> <<set $romeolocation="Introduction">> <<addclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <p>Sure, I know Quidditch: expensive and impossibly complex game played by fictional wizards at an imaginary boarding academy. The guys in my house (frat house, that is) came from marginal high schools where we were afraid to identify as wizards to our non-magical peers. Here in college we’ve formed our brotherhood. The game we pursue on Saturdays away from campus is mystic paintball.</p> <p>We are the men of the Beta Rho Omega house, Theta Rho chapter, Meskatanawej Junior College, West Mudflats satellite campus.</p> @@.center; <h2>[[Huzzah|Intro2]]</h2> @@ &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(Hold off, I think I need a <<link "tutorial" "Fourth Wall">><<set $romeolocation="Intro2">><</link>> for this game)<<include topbox>> <h3>Concessions</h3> <<if lastVisited("Timmy's denouement") is 1>><<set _speaker="Tim">> <<elseif lastVisited("Caveman's denouement") is 1>><<set _speaker="Caveman">> <<elseif lastVisited("Riptide's denouement") is 1>><<set _speaker="Riptide">> <<elseif lastVisited("Einstein's denouement") is 1>><<set _speaker="Einstein">> <</if>> <<switch _speaker>> <<case "Tim", "Riptide", "Einstein", "Caveman">> <p>_speaker asks "Did my memory frighten you?"</p> <p>"It did a little," I admit.</p> <p>"It shouldn't. I am stronger for it. We're among brothers now."</p> <</switch>> <<switch visited("Romeo's arc")>> <<case 1>> <p>_speaker says, "I feel you know so much about me now, but I hardly know anything about you." </p><p>"I’m just like all the guys; I attended a mediocre suburban school where I was afraid to admit I was a wizard to my muggle peers." I say with my broadest smile. </p><p>"You say that as if all wizards have had the same lived experience. <<switch _speaker>> <<case "Tim">>I grew up in an orphanage. <<case "Riptide">>I grew up in an urban row home. <<case "Einstein">>I grew up in an urban brownstone. <<case "Caveman">>I grew up in another country. <</switch>> Stirling, I'm told, grew up on a country estate before his family’s land was seized by the anti-wizards and they moved to a rural trailer park. So what was it like for you, a wizard growing up in the suburbs?" </p><p>My smile vanishes, replaced by a sickening knot in my stomach. </p><p>_speaker senses my discomfort and tries to reassure me, "You don’t have to share anything with me until you're ready. Just know we’re brothers. I’m always here for you." </p><p>Would he still say that if he knew my most painful secrets?</p> <<link "Continue." $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<case 2>> <p>_speaker says "Romeo, I feel like I hardly know you. What’s your happiest memory?" </p><p>This I can answer truthfully. "My best memory is when I arrived on campus and saw the Beta Rho Omega sign at the freshman activities fair during the first week. I was afraid to approach the information table. Stirling saw me watching and invited me over. He and Caveman introduced themselves. "We’re officers in the Beta Rho Omega fraternity. Have you heard of us?" </p><p>"I’ve read about this fraternity in a magazine for young wizards, but I’ve never met anyone who belonged." </p><p>"Now you have. You've met us. Do you want to hear more about our chapter?" </p><p>I nodded shyly. </p><p>"Beta Rho Omega was established by Eugene Smith in 1928. We stand for brotherhood, service and personal development. We’re the only wizarding fraternity on campus, but you don’t need to be a wizard to join. We accept everyone as they are." </p><p>I knew right then I had found my place.</p> <<link "Continue." $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<case 3>> <p>_speaker says "Romeo, now that you understand my history, I want to get to know you a little better. What is your most painful memory?" </p><p>I don’t think I would have been able to answer this question six months ago, but during my pledging period I’ve gotten to trust my brothers a little more. I recount one painful memory. Was it really the most painful? Who can say. </p><p>"When I was in seventh grade, we were required to dress for PE and show up to the track on-time for laps. But there was someone in my class who would steal my gym shorts and hide them, every single day. Because of this, I was practically failing PE. Honestly, I was failing most of my classes in seventh grade. I didn’t figure out who was doing this until later in the year when one classmate, Derrick, stayed in the locker room to help me find them. It seemed weird; because Derrick knew I was a wizard and had always been kind of a dick about it. Forty-five minutes later, when the other kids were filing back into the locker room, Derrick made a big show of //discovering// my shorts stuffed in a ball in the water tank behind the toilet. I got a failing grade for that period, but the gym teacher gave Derrick a passing grade because he’d been so //helpful//." </p><p>"But you think Derrick was actually the person stealing your shorts every day?" </p><p>"At the end of the year he admitted it to me, and had a good laugh about it too. Just because I was a wizard." </p><p>"Middle school sucks. We all had those sorts of experiences. It wasn't just because you were a wizard." </p><p>"Then why?" </p><p>"Because we’re human beings and human beings can be cruel; especially during puberty."</p> <<link "Continue." $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<case 4>> <p>_speaker says, "Romeo, tell me about your family. What were they like?" </p><p>I think I should answer this. I am surrounded by loving brothers. "Nobody else in my family was a wizard. My parents would point to the wizards on TV and whisper, //Those people are depraved.// Yet from an early age I felt like I might be one of them. I tried to keep it a secret, practicing my arts in the bathroom. But I think they knew. In high school, we fought constantly. When I reached eleventh grade I outed myself in the dramatic way that only a stupid teenager would do." </p><p>"What did you do?" </p><p>"My sister had applied to Princeton University. She was much smarter than me, and I was jealous that my parents lavished her with so much attention. They brought me along for her final interview at the admissions office. I was feeling sulky, because I hadn’t wanted to go. In the middle of her interview, what was supposed to be her brightest moment, I stole the stage and performed a vanishing act. I said abra-ca-dabra and just disappeared. The admissions official almost fell of their chair in disbelief." </p><p>"My family could never forgive the embarrassment I had caused. When I reappeared in our hotel room later that evening, they told me to leave. They said I was no longer their son and they wanted nothing to do with me. I finished out my last year of high school living on the streets. I slept in the neighbor’s garage, when they’d let me, and I worked as a dishwasher at a local dive to feed myself. I studied just enough to pass my classes and earn a high school diploma." </p><p>All of the brothers are listening to my story with rapt attention. "Wow," says Tim, "Why didn't you ever share this with us?" </p><p>"I never felt like I could, until now."</p> <<link "Continue." $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<case 5>> <p>"Wait." calls Einstein. "There was something off about your account of your sister’s interview at the Princeton admissions office." </p><p>"What’s that?" </p><p>"The word you said before you vanished, abra-ca-dabra, is a made up word. A fairy tale word. It doesn’t carry any real magical power." </p><p>"So. Maybe I said something else." </p><p>Caveman says "You had a difficult childhood, Romeo." </p><p>"I've learned today that we all had difficult childhoods. Some much worse than my own." </p><p>"Perhaps some. But you were bullied by your peers and abandoned by your parents. That's a difficult childhood. Now tell me, having survived that, what is your greatest fear?" </p><p>Now is the time to tell them the truth; to open up. I have four brothers with me in the concessions area listening. They deserve to know the truth. I choke back my fear. "My greatest fear is that you’ll all discover I’m not a real wizard and you’ll stop liking me." </p><p>"What do you mean you’re not a real wizard?" Caveman asks. </p><p>I wasn’t born a wizard. I started pretending to be a wizard when I was in middle school, after watching the //Lord of the Rings// movies by Tolkien and Peter Jackson." </p><p>"You’re not a wizard!" shrieks Timmy, "I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with that." </p><p>"I always knew I was different. The movie helped me to understand myself better. I started out by learning a few card tricks, sleight of hand close up magic. Then later, when I had some money, I would hang out at the magic store and buy props." </p><p>"A lot of us started that way." Riptide agrees. </p><p>"The kids in my middle school teased me mercilessly. The ones who knew I was a fraud, they were the worst, they would lead the taunts. The kids who believed I was an actual wizard could sometimes be more forgiving." </p><p>"Why would anyone choose this life?" Einstein asks </p><p>"You’re not a fraud." Caveman reassures. </p><p>"He’s a little bit of a fraud." Timmy says. </p><p>"He’s besting us all at Paintball." Riptide says. </p><p>"Let him speak!" Caveman demands. </p><p>"I tried to keep it a secret from my parents. But they found little clues. A stray playing card I’d left by the bathroom mirror. A tube of expandable plastic flowers they found beside the real flowers in the garden. The silky pink wizarding robe in my closet." </p><p>"When I was in eleventh grade and performed the vanishing trick during my sister’s college interview, they could no longer maintain their denial over who I had become. My parents kicked me out of the house and told me never to return. My vanishing, by the way, was accomplished with a half silvered mirror and a trap door in the floor behind the admin officer’s desk." </p><p>Caveman says, "I believe you are a real wizard. As much as any of us can claim these labels." </p><p>"But I’ve stolen all my real spell casting knowledge from inside your minds using SPLACK. I’m still a fraud." </p><p>Einstein says, "You didn’t steal anything. We would have taught you those spells ourselves, if you’d given us a chance." Everyone else in the circle agrees. </p><p>Riptide says, "You are a wizard, and you’re very close to winning this week’s paintball tournament. Now you need to return to the beach, find Stirling and finish the game!" </p> <<link "Continue." "Scrub">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <</switch>><p>There is a wire metal cow fence running around much of the paintball field. Warning signs positioned at regular intervals caution players that the fence may be electrified. However since Brother Booger dared all the pledges to pee on it, and we didn't injure ourselves when we did, I can confirm that it isn't currently powered. None the less, the fence is barbed and would be unsafe to climb.</p> <<if $nowand is true>> <p>I find a willow branch in the weeds at the base of the electric fence. <<linkreplace "Should I take it?">>Any stick shaped piece of wood can be used for spell casting. Even a floppy one like this will do. So I make it my own. Stirling tries to be nonchalant, but I notice him instinctively tighten the grip on his own wand. <<set $nowand=false>> <<set _willow={name:"Willow Branch",description:"Willow Branch"}>> <<set $currentactor.inventory.push(_willow)>> <</linkreplace>> </p> <</if>> <p><<link "Look around some more." $currentlocation>><</link>></p> <div class="btn-group"> /*actions are explore, go, mundane, cast. Hidden action unscrew*/ <<if $action is "explore">> <span class="buttonON"> <<button "Explore" $currentlocation>> <<include "Explore button">> <</button>> </span> <<else>> <span class="buttonOFF"> <<button "Explore" $currentlocation>> <<include "Explore button">> <</button>> </span> <</if>> <<if $action is "go">> <span class="buttonON"> <<button "Go" $currentlocation>> <<include "Go button">> <</button>> </span> <<else>> <span class="buttonOFF"> <<button "Go" $currentlocation>> <<include "Go button">> <</button>> </span> <</if>> </div> <div class="btn-group"> <<if $action is "mundane">> <span class="buttonON"> <<button "Action" $currentlocation>> <<include "Mundane button">> <</button>> </span> <<else>> <span class="buttonOFF"> <<button "Action" $currentlocation>> <<include "Mundane button">> <</button>> </span> <</if>> <<if $nosd is false>> <<if $action is "unscrew">> <span class="buttonON"> <<button "Tool" $currentlocation>> <<include "Unscrew button">> <</button>> </span> <<else>> <span class="buttonOFF"> <<button "Tool" $currentlocation>> <<include "Unscrew button">> <</button>> </span> <</if>> <</if>> <<if tags().includes('talkon')>> <<if $action is "talk">> <span class="buttonON"> <<button "Talk" $currentlocation>> <<include "talk button">> <</button>> </span> <<else>> <span class="buttonOFF"> <<button "Talk" $currentlocation>> <<include "talk button">> <</button>> </span> <</if>> <</if>> </div> <<if $nowand is false>> <<if $action is "cast">> <span class="buttonON"> <<button "Cast" $currentlocation>> <<include "Cast button">> <</button>> <br> <<if def $currentactor.spells[2]>> <<linkreplace $currentactor.spells[2][0]>><<spcyc $currentactor.spells[2]>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <<linkreplace $currentactor.spells[0][0]>><<spcyc $currentactor.spells[0]>><</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace $currentactor.spells[1][0]>><<spcyc $currentactor.spells[1]>><</linkreplace>> </span> <<else>> <span class="buttonOFF"> <<button "Cast" $currentlocation>> <<include "Cast button">> <</button>> </span> <</if>><br> <</if>> <<set $action="explore">> <<replace #multireplace>> <<include "multibutton">> <</replace>> <<set $action="go">> <<replace #multireplace>> <<include "multibutton">> <</replace>> <<set $action="mundane">> <<replace #multireplace>> <<include "multibutton">> <</replace>> <<set $action="cast">> <<replace #multireplace>> <<include "multibutton">> <</replace>><h3>Current Actor: Tiny Tim</h3> <p>I'm Timothy, the smallest child in the orphanage. I've been left alone in the orphanage today while the other children are taken to their jobs at the glue factory. I was relieved of my job at the factory for incompetence (they said). But I'm scheduled to be sent to work in the coal mines next week. Unless I'm able to escape before then.</p> <<include "inventory">> <br> <<link "Look around.">><<goto $currentlocation>><</link>> <span id=header></span> /*Timmy World <<set $nosd = true>> <<set $deskopen = false>> <<set $fileopen = false>> <<set $signattached = true>> <<set $earthramp=false>> <<set $brokenglass=0>> */ <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <<if visited("GAIUST tile") lt 1>> [[Go north to Director's Office.|Director's Office]] <<else>> <<linkreplace "Go north to Director's Office.">>The director's office is blocked by a wall of earth.<</linkreplace>> <</if>><br> [[Go south through wooden door.|wooden door]]<br> <<if $earthramp>> [[Climb the earthen ramp|near the ceiling]] <<else>> <<link "Climb out the high windows above the row of cots.">> <<replace #header>> The windows are located about nine meters off the ground, too high for me to reach.<br> <</replace>> <</link>> <</if>> <<case "mundane">> <<link "Stand on cot.">> <<replace #header>> Even standing on the cot, I still can't reach the windows to open them.<br> <</replace>><</link>><br> <<link "Jump on cot.">> <<replace #header>> The cot creaks and threatens to fall apart. But my leaps skyward don't give me any better access to the window.<br> <</replace>><</link>><br> [[Throw something at the window.|Break window.]]<br> <<link "Unlock door.">> <<replace #header>> If I knew a way to unlock the orphanage door, I would have run away yesterday; or last week; or five years ago.<br> <</replace>><</link>><br> <<linkreplace "I could try to kick the door">>My shoes aren't very solid, but I kick the door anyway. Ouch, that hurt. Either there is nobody on the outside to hear me, or nobody cares enough to let me out. I'll have to find another way to escape. I have only myself to rely on.<</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<set _cotfallsapart="cot falls apart">> <<set _cots={ exp:"#<p>Cheap wooden furniture, held together with rusty screws. The cot legs are like oak truncheons. The cots break easily and there aren't many left. But the children assigned to sleep above the ground appreciate the small luxury.</p>", elmnt:"plant", unscrew:"#<p><<if $nowand is true>> The cot falls apart easily. Three of the legs splinter, leaving only one at full length. My bedpost is now an oak truncheon which I could use in self-defense. I could also use this for spellcasting. There are still plenty of more cots to destroy. <<link \"Take wand.\">> <<set $nowand=false>> <<set _oak={name:\"Oak Wand\",description:\"Oak Wand\"}>> <<set $currentactor.inventory.push(_oak)>> <<set $action = \"explore\">> <<goto $currentactor.name>> <</link>> <<else>> I disassemble another cot, scattering various lengths of wood across the floor. <</if>> </p> "}>> <<set _floor={exp:"#<p>Some corners of the room remain stained with so much glowing radium paint that residents complain the eerie green light keeps them awake at night. Complain quietly to each other, that is. The wardens won’t tolerate open complaint. Discontent is a punishable offense.</p>",elmnt:"earth",GAIUST:"GAIUSTfloor",unscrew:"#<p>Banging at the floor with my screwdriver, the floor starts to crack. I'll need magic to do much more damage to this floor.</p>"}>> <<set _mattresses={exp:"#<p>The mattresses are little more than burlap sacks stuffed with moldering hay. A scant few are elevated above the ground on cheap wooden cot frames. These luxury beds are sometimes granted as rewards for orphans who meet their production quotas in the glue factory.</p>",elmnt:"plant",unscrew:"#<p>I use the screwdriver to rip open the mattresses and scatter bedding material across the floor. There are still many more I can deface.</p>"}>> /* <<set _sign={exp:"#<p><<if $signattached>>A sign at the south end of the hall, attached to the wall by metal screws beside the main exit, reminds us where we've been imprisoned.<<else>>The Saint Mungo sign is no longer attached to the wall.<</if>></p> @@.center; <h1>St. Mungo's orphanage for Wizards.</h1> @@",elmnt:"metal",unscrew:"#<p> <<if $signattached>> The offensive sign unscrews easily from its mounts and crashes to the floor with a satisfying clang. <<set $signattached=false>> <<else>> Screw that sign. I'm proud I took it down. I'm not screwing it back up again. It lies upside-down on the floor, a testament to my vandalism. <</if>></p> "}>> */ <<if visited("Bunkroom") is 1>><p>St. Mungo’s is no boarding school, though it sometimes promotes itself as such during fundraising galas to fleece its wealthy patrons.</p> <p>No, St Mungo's is a detention center reserved for children who cannot be adopted, who cannot be fostered, and who will not be accepted at the work farms for //normal// children. The mission of this grim institution is to hunt down and reform unwanted children who are known or suspected wizards.</p> <p>The other orphans have left for the day, most of them leased laborers at a local glue factory or working in even more horrible places. Some of them actually like the glue factory because they glean extra calories licking spilled horse gelatin off the floor. When I tried that I did not like the taste. Also, I was the one unlucky kid who got caught. As a consequence, I was beaten and kept home alone today.</p> <p>Lucky or unlucky? I'm home alone today with a possibility for escape. I must escape. If I fail, then tomorrow I will be sent to the coal mine where I would probably die.</p><</if>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Bunkroom</h3> <p>The orphans of St Mungo’s are quartered on the grounds of an old radium watch dial factory. The bunkroom is located in the dusty high ceilinged production center.</p> <<if not $earthramp>> <p>The walls are gray brick and the <<link "floor is cold concrete">><<parseaction _floor>><</link>>. Primitive <<link "cots">><<parseaction _cots>><</link>> are lined up in rows, outnumbered by plain bare <<link "mattresses">><<parseaction _mattresses>><</link>> or thin blankets set directly on the floor. Altogether these leave little room to play or exercise or even a clear path to walk from the thick exit doors on the south, to the director’s office on the north.</p> <p>Rows of windows up near the ceiling provide light, though the sunbeams which come through these are stripped of color by the dusty air before reaching the concrete floor to cast their shadows. The lowest window is nine meters up: too high for curious outsiders to peek in and bear witness to the sadness. Too high for the orphans to see more than clouds on the outside. <<switch $brokenglass>> <<case 0>> <<case 1>> One of the windows has been broken. <<default>> Several of the windows are broken. <</switch>> </p> <<else>> <p>Primitive <<link "cots">><<parseaction _cots>><</link>> and <<link "mattresses">><<parseaction _mattresses>><</link>> have been scattered everywhere by a mound of raised earth which forms a ramp toward the ceiling rafters. <<switch $brokenglass>> <<case 0>> A row of unbroken windows stretches from side to side near the top of the ramp. <<case 1>> One of the windows has been broken. <<default>> Several of the windows are broken. <</switch>> </p> <</if>> /* <p>There is a <<link "heavy metal sign ">><<parseaction _sign>><</link>> <<if $signattached>> mounted beside the south door. <<else>> lying on the floor near the south door. <</if>> </p> */<span id=header></span> <<set _chair={exp:"#<p>Truth be told, this chair likely has more padding in it than most of the bed mattresses in the other room.</p>",elmnt:"flesh",unscrew:"#<p>The screwdriver punctures the leather like a prison shiv. I carve out some of the padding. The director will be outraged when he sees this but I'll be long gone before then.</p>"}>> <<set _tile={exp:"#<p>Hexagonal tiles are arranged in a perfectly nested grid across the floor. Each individual tile features a speckled eggshell pattern of embedded brown crystals. I’m familiar with every detail of this pattern, having spent much of my childhood before now on my knees waxing and hand-polishing this floor for the director.</p>",elmnt:"earth",GAIUST:"GAIUST tile",unscrew:"#<p>It will take more powerful magic to damage these tiles, but I do manage to etch a few obscene scratches across the polished surface.</p>"}>> <<set _filecab={exp:"#<<include \"read files\">>",elmnt:"metal",unscrew:"#<p> <<if $fileopen is false>> I jimmy open the lock with the screwdriver. The file cabinet flies open, revealing files with information about all the orphans. My heart is pounding so hard now it feels like it might explode. <<set $fileopen =true>> <<set $action = \"explore\">> <<else>> I've broken the file cabinet already. It will never be locked again. I might still need to search it though. <</if>></p> "}>> <<set _desk={exp:"#<<include \"Open desk drawer.\">>",elmnt:"plant",unscrew:"#<p>The desk is held together with dovetail joints and glue, not metal screws. But I use the screwdriver to carve the foulest language I know into the hardwood desktop.</p>"}>> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> [[Go south to Bunkroom|Bunkroom]] <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Move the furniture">> The desk and filing cabinet are too heavy for me to move. Even pushing the commodious office chair would be a burden. <</linkreplace>><br> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Director's Office</h3> <p>The director's office is immaculately clean; benefitting as the director does from free janitorial assistance. I've scrubbed my own hands to the bones washing this floor and these walls, but I've never been here unsupervised before now. A formidable mahogany desk takes up most of the floor area in the director's office. The desk has a single drawer, which is <<if $draweropen is true>>open.<<else>>closed.<</if>></p> <p>The director’s office was originally the factory foreman’s office, when this was a watch dial factory. It’s quite spacious with several fine furnishings including a <<link "file cabinet">><<parseaction _filecab>><</link>>, a <<link "wooden desk">><<parseaction _desk>><</link>> and <<link "a comfy leather office chair">><<parseaction _chair>><</link>>.</p> <p>In contrast with the naked concrete floor in the bunkroom, the floor in the director’s office is <<link "polished terrazzo tile">><<parseaction _tile>><</link>>. </p><<if $fileopen is false>><p>The filing cabinet is locked. It's a cheap lock though and might easily be jimmied with any metal tool.</p> <<else>> <<switch $newcount>> <<case 0>><p>The director at St Mungo's is as dirty as a used scrap of toilet paper: human trafficking, child endangerment, embezzling funds from investors, tax fraud. It doesn't take long to gather documents that could be used to put this prick in jail for a long time. But I wonder what else is in these files. If I keep searching, will I be able to find my own records?</p> <<set _evidence={name:"Evidence",description:"Evidence"}>> <<run $currentactor.inventory.push(_evidence)>> <<case 1>><p>A doctor's report states "Timothy was brought to the orphanage at age two when his parents were deported from the country for wizarding. Timothy's only known spell at the time (//GAIUST//) seemed like rather benign magic. But like all boys at the institution, Timothy has been prevented from using his magic. Now, as a young teenager, he has likely forgotten the only spell he ever knew."</p> <p>//GAIUST//, I remember that now!<<if $nowand is true>> But I have no wand for casting.<</if>></p> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("GAI")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("UST")>> <<case 2>><p>An additional doctor's report explains "Timothy was born with a genetic defect which may prevent him from ever reaching full stature. His growth is further stunted by the severe malnutrition observed in most of the St Mungo's orphans."</p> <<case 3>><p>Searching through the files of the other children, their stories are as sad as my own.</p> <<default>><p>There are no other files of importance.</p> <</switch>><<set $newcount+=1>> <</if>> <p>I've seen how the director seals the door, with a solid oak crossbeam blocking the other side. I've been locked in with literally no way to open that door. Not even in the event of a fire.</p> <p> <<if $action != "cast">> <<linkreplace "I could try to kick the door.">>My shoes aren't very solid, but I kick the door anyway. Ouch, that hurt. Either there is nobody on the outside to hear me, or nobody cares enough to let me out. I'll have to find another way to escape. I have only myself to rely upon.<</linkreplace>><</if>> </p> <<return>><p>Out of the cauldron and into the coals. Less than an hour ago I was hiding in a muddy hole under a pile of leaves, fending off rodents and struggling to keep myself awake. Our mystic paintball tournament had gotten off to a slow start, until I decided to be the one to mix it up. I jumped out of hiding and called out "Brother Riptide, your mother has a common garden skunk as her familiar." Big man on campus, that's what I thought I was. Bad move dissing Riptide’s mother.</p> <p>Just as I said it, Brother Riptide dropped onto the trail like a jaguar. He'd been hiding in a tree behind me. I ran. Riptide chased, his bamboo wand poised to cast SPLORT. He miscast the spell, thus failing to earn a point, and giving me a head start. But Riptide was closing in fast. I slipped through a gap in a metal fence, then scrambled up a defensive sand hill Pledge Timmy had conjured earlier in the game.</p> <p>Thought I was safe when I reached the top, but I turned and saw that Riptide still had his wand aimed directly at me. I took a step backwards, lost my footing, and tumbled down the other side of that hill.</p> <p>Down the hill I rolled, faster and faster. I grabbed at weed clumps, but couldn't slow my fall. Sand filled the loose folds of my robe. I twisted my wrist, then <<link "BANG" "Start">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> hit my head on a rock near the bottom</p><h1>@@color:aquamarine;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>I have only been playing paintball for one season and my tongue feels thick when I recite the critical spell.</p> <p>Stirling is faster. His wand is raised before I can even stumble over the first syllable. He casts //SPLORT// with the easy confidence earned by long experience. Stirling's wand ejaculates a gelatinous blue liquid which arcs toward me along its precisely aimed trajectory.</p> <p>Then time stops, or at least it is moving so slowly that I can see the force of air acting against the gelatin, flattening it as it moves in my direction. Unfortunately in this moment my body is also paralyzed. I cannot dodge or retreat.</p> <p>My pledge pin begins to pulse and vibrate in rapid spasms. Just before the blue liquid hits my face I am suddenly transported elsewhere. I have been saved from elimination, for now at least, though I know not how nor why.</p> <<link "Continue" "Scrub">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>><p>The most successful wizards study the properties of the wood they use in their wand. I sort of slept through that lesson when I was learning my wizardry catechism. But I can tell you that a weeping willow branch makes a pretty lousy wand.</p> <<return>> The tape deck in Stirling's car is currently broadcasting <<print either( "Paradise By the Dashboard Lights, by Meatloaf.", "YMCA, by The Village People.", "Louie Louie, by the Kingsmen.", "Wild Thing, by the Troggs.", "Shout, by The Dynatones.", "Twist and Shout, by The Beatles.", "1999, by Prince.", "Push It, by Salt-N-Pepa.", "Gangnam Style, by PSY.", "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, by Wham.", "Pump Up the Jam, by Technotronic.", "U Can't Touch This, by MC Hammer.", "Relax, by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.", "Dancing With Myself, by Billy Idol.", "We Are the Champions, by Queen.", "Just Dance, by Lady Gaga.", "You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party, by the Beastie Boys.", "Stayin Alive, by the Bee Gees.", "Beat It, by Michael Jackson.", "Express Yourself, by Madonna.", "Call Me, by Blondie.", "Mony Mony, by Billie Idol.", "Beechwood 4-5789, by the Carpenters.", "Give Up the Funk, by Parliament", "Do You Love Me, by the Contours", "I Feel Good, by James Brown.", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody, by Whitney Houston.", "It Takes Two, by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock.", "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, by Rod Stewart.", "What I Like About You, by the Romantics.", "Whip It, by Devo.", "Love Shack, by the B-52's", "Don't You Forget About Me, by Simpleminds.", "Do You Wanna Dance, by the Ramones.", "Tutti Frutti, by Little Richard.", "Great Balls of Fire, by Jerry Lee Lewis.", "All Shook Up, by Elvis Preseley.", "I'm a Believer, by the Monkees.", "The Loco-Motion, by Little Eva.", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine, by Marvin Gaye.", "The Twist, by Chubby Checker.", "Dancing Queen, by ABBA.", "We Are Family, by Sister Sledge." )>> <p>Brother Einstein's black Impreza rides so low to the ground that he has already done irrepairable damage to the front end each time he parks it against a curb. </p> <<if $iconinv[8] is false>><p>Indeed, the car rides so low to the ground that I have to look twice to notice a commemorative &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; icon wedged beneath it!</p> <p><<linkreplace "Should I take it?">> <<if visited("SPLORTtim") is 0>> <<goto "Tim attacks">> <<else>> <<examicon "takeicon" 8>> <</if>> <</linkreplace>> </p> <</if>> <<return>><h1>@@color:deeppink;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>Oops. I've attracted Timmy's attention.</p> <p>Timmy's oak truncheon is thicker and sturdier than my willow branch but it's certainly not fancy. Indeed, it looks like a post he might have salvaged from an IKEA self-assembly bed frame. I'm sure I could have taken him out of this match if I hadn't attracted his attention first. Rookie mistake.</p> <p>Timmy's splort is a deep shade of pink. I've never understood why different wizards have different colors of splort. Next match I'll show my color. Not this match.</p> <p>My pledge pin spasms. Just as when Stirling was about to take me out of the game, time stops. I can see in detail every ripple and drop of the pink stream squirting from Timmy’s oak truncheon. Just as before I’m spirited away to elsewhere before it strikes me.</p> <<link "Continue." "Scrub">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>><br><<if tags().includes('location')>><<set $currentlocation=passage()>><</if>> <h1>@@color:forestgreen;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>I pronounce the syllables with an awkward staccato. My willow branch is not as thick or turgid as Tim’s oak truncheon, but I do manage to squeeze some off in the right direction, hitting Timmy just below the chin and leaving a tell-tale green stain on his shirt collar.</p> <p>Tim looks at me, eyes agape, "You got me." Then he fades from the scene.</p> <p>The skycaster above us booms his announcement, "Pledge Timmy has been Splorted by Pledge Romeo. Pledge Timmy will spend the rest of the tournament in the concessions area. Congratulations to Pledge Romeo."</p> <<include "points tally">> <p>Wow that was exciting. <<set $defeated +=1>> </p> <<link "Continue from here." $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>><br> or<br> <<link "Visit Tim in the concessions area." "Concessions">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>><br> <h1>@@color:limegreen;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>One of the ants turns green, then rolls over onto its back. I marvel as his friends carry his carcass back into the ant hill. A hundred more ants come out to replace him.</p> <p>The ants are not paintball combatants. If they were, I could probably score thousands of points this way. Instead, I feel like I'm just squandering my spell casting mojo.</p> <<return>><p>The gate is locked shut by a latch and mortise peg.</p> <p>The mortise peg is wedged in the latch hole tighter than a--</p> <p>No, stop myself. Our housemother makes us put a quarter in the swear jar each time we deal in an off color metaphor.</p> <p>The mortise peg is wedged in the latch hole tighter than I can remove by any non-magical means.</p> <<return>><<set $currenticon=5>> <p><<if $antsdug is false>>I pull back earth from the top of the anthill. The ants attack my hands, but I feel something there so I keep sifting through loose earth until I've uncovered it. I've added a dirty parchment to my inventory.<<set _dirtyscroll={name:"Dirty Scroll",description:"Dirty Scroll"}>><<set $currentactor.inventory.push(_dirtyscroll)>><<set $antsdug =true>> <<link "Examine inventory." $currentactor.name>><</link>> <<elseif $iconinv[$currenticon] is false>> <p>I plunge my arms even deeper into the anthill. The ants fight back aggressively, climbing my arms, swarming under my robe and up my back. They are biting my shoulders. Something is down there under the soil. They are biting my neck. Something solid. I can feel it. They are biting my face. I <<linkappend "persist-">>and uncover a valuable presidential icon. <<examicon "takeicon" $currenticon>><</linkappend>> </p> <<return>> <<else>>I sift through the loose soil of the anthill. Angry ants bite my hands en masse. Whatever scraps of paper remain in the mound are just part of the scroll I've already uncovered. Finding nothing new, I withdraw and lick my wounds. <<return>> <</if>> </p> <p>This once high bond ivory parchment has been reduced nearly to mulch. Black ants cling tenaciously to the shreds. Inscribed in purple letters, barely legible, are instructions for casting //SPLACK//. Could it be real? Where has it been all these years? //SPLACK// is the stuff of wizarding legend. A spell so powerful that rationalists don't even accept its existence. According to the stories I learned in my youth, //SPLACK// enables a wizard to enter the mind of others, to harvest their knowledge as one's own.</p> <p>As I complete studying the scroll, it vanishes in a cloud of greasy smoke, not unlike the emissions from the oil drum pig roaster behind the Kappa Nu house during rush week. Now I can cast //SPLACK//.</p> <p>The other pledges will be so excited. Won't this be a great way to help us cram for our poly-sci exam on Tuesday? But I wonder, until then, could this help me win at paintball?</p> <<for _i to 0; _i lt $currentactor.inventory.length; _i++>> <<if $currentactor.inventory[_i].name is "Dirty Scroll">> <<set _x=_i>> <</if>> <</for>> <<run $currentactor.inventory.deleteAt(_x)>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("ACK")>> <<link "return">><<goto $currentactor.name>><</link>> <<if visited("SPLACKant") gt 1>> <p>The ants scatter when I try to aim my spell. They aren't going to let me SPLACK them a second time.</p> <<link "continue" $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<else>> <<set $muster=0>> <p>The world feels suddenly distorted, growing both larger and smaller at the same time. Kind of like the feeling I had when Brother Donovan slipped magic mushrooms onto my salad at the Alfred Packer Steakhouse. At last the world comes clear again and I find myself in a new place.</p> <<set _inv=[]>> <<set _ant={name:"Ant",description:"Ant",inventory:_inv}>> <<set $nowand=true>> <<set $romeo=$currentactor>> <<set $romeolocation=$currentlocation>> <<set $currentlocation="Table-1">> <<set $currentactor=_ant>> <<set $newcount=0>> <<link "continue" "Table-1">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <</if>><<unset $muster>> <p>There is writing on both sides of the strip, but I haven't any time to analyze it before a human hand swoops down and scoops it up. Romeo's hand. Which is just as well because I'm not sure what use my ant-self would have made of the arcane wisdom contained on a Chinese paper fortune.</p> <p>The world morphs again, growing at once smaller and larger until I'm back to Romeo size, lying on my back in a nest of swarming ants.</p> <p>Geez, that last chapter trip to the not-so-great dim sum restaurant must have been weeks ago. I'd forgotten about the weird food, the ants, the fire, and me grabbing the paper fortune on my way out. I must still have that scrap of paper on me in the depths of my pocket yet unread.</p> <<set _fortune={name:"Paper Fortune",description:"Paper Fortune"}>> <<set $nowand=false>> <<set $currentactor=$romeo>> <<set $currentlocation=$romeolocation>> <<set $currentactor.inventory.push(_fortune)>> <<link "Examine inventory." $currentactor.name>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<if visited("SPLACKtim") gt 1>> <p>Timmy ducks out of the way. "You already know everything you can handle. We don't want to go through that experience a second time."</p> <<link "continue" $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<else>> <<set $deskopen = false>> <<set $fileopen = false>> <<set $signattached = true>> <<set $earthramp=false>> <<set $brokenglass=0>> <h1>@@color:deeppink;//SPLACK//@@</h1> <p>My impression of the world morphs as I enter Timmy's mind. I am transformed from a care-free nineteen year old Romeo enjoying a day of paintball, to a decade younger version of Timmy, a ward of St Mungo's Orphanage. </p> <p>Both parts of my mind share these thoughts. The Romeo side of me knows what an orphan is from having read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" which, shamefully, was the sole example of wiz-lit surveyed during our //critical theory in literature// freshman seminar. Romeo knows that St Mungo's was a premier boarding school for Wizards until about a decade ago, when it collapsed in a freakish earthquake, killing the director.</p> <p>The Timmy side of me knows a different side of St Mungo's. I grew up here. This is my story.</p> <<set _inv=[]>> <<set _youngtim={name:"Timmy",description:"Timmy",inventory:_inv,spells:[["MUMBLE"],["MUMBLE"]]}>> <<set $nowand=true>> <<set $romeo=$currentactor>> <<set $romeolocation=$currentlocation>> <<set $currentlocation="Bunkroom">> <<set $newcount=0>> <<set $currentactor=_youngtim>> <<link "Continue." "Bunkroom">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <</if>><p>One side says "Romeo, you will be a great leader one day. Your lucky numbers are 8833388"</p> <p>That's weird. I've never seen a Chinese fortune quite so personalized.</p> <<linkreplace "(read the other side)">><p>The other side is instructions for casting the spell //VERDIC//, an incantation used for opening locked or sealed objects composed primarily of plant material.</p> <p>Man too bad I didn't have that spell when I was still an ant. It would have made it a ton easier to open the fortune cookie, assuming the ingredients of the fortune cookie were a larger part plant matter than they were MSG, salt, and melamine.</p> <p>As I complete studying the scroll, it evaporates into a smoky cloud of wok hay. Now I can cast //VERDIC//.</p> <<for _i to 0; _i lt $currentactor.inventory.length; _i++>> <<if $currentactor.inventory[_i].name is "Paper Fortune">> <<set _x=_i>> <</if>> <</for>> <<run $currentactor.inventory.deleteAt(_x)>> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("VERD")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("IC")>> <<link "return" $currentactor.name>><</link>> <</linkreplace>><h1>@@color:brown;//GAIUST//@@</h1> <p>The earth beneath me trembles. The concrete floor begins to fracture. Then the ground rises up volcano-like to form an earthen ramp from ground level almost eight meters up against the wall. The beds and mattresses are now scattered everywhere, no longer arranged in neat rows and columns.</p> <<set $earthramp=true>> [[Look around.|Bunkroom]] <<set $action="unscrew">> <<replace #multireplace>> <<include "multibutton">> <</replace>><p>A large flat head screwdriver, which could be used to unscrew things and which may have other destructive applications as well.</p> <<return>><p>Twenties, fifties and hundred dollar bills, rolled up in a band. The director must make a lot of cash by hiring the orphans out to work in factories and mines. There is more than enough here to get me started on the outside. </p> <<return>> <p>The director at St Mungo's is as dirty as a used scrap of toilet paper: human trafficking, child endangerment, embezzling funds from investors, tax fraud. I've got evidence here that could be used to put this prick in jail for a long time.</p> <<return>><<if $currentactor.inventory.length is 0>> I am empty handed. I have nothing I can throw which could safely break a window. <<else>> What shall I throw at the window? <<for _i to 0; _i lt $currentactor.inventory.length; _i++>> <br><<linkreplace $currentactor.inventory[_i].name>> <<if $brokenglass lt 1>> It takes several practice throws before I successfully hit the window. Once I do, the glass shatters with a satisfying //crash// leaving broken shards all about. <<set $brokenglass+=1>> <<else>> I am more practiced now, and my projectile hits its target on the first hurl. The director is going to be outraged when he returns and sees all these broken windows. <<set $brokenglass+=1>> <</if>> <</linkreplace>> <</for>> <</if>> <br><br> <<return>><p>The wooden leg is cylindrical, about fifty centimeters long. Engraved in block letters along the side it says "Manufactured by the orphans of St Mungo's." How fitting to use this as my wand.</p> <<return>><<set _sdheld={name:"Screwdriver",description:"Screwdriver"}>> <<set _cashheld={name:"Wad of Cash",description:"Wad of Cash"}>> <p>The drawer slides smoothly, a near perfect piece of handmade cabinetry. <<if $nosd is true>> Inside I find a screwdriver and a wad of cash. <<linkreplace "Should I take these?">> I take these valuables as my own. My heart is pounding. If my plan to escape fails now, I'm in big trouble. <<set $nosd =false>> <<run $currentactor.inventory.push(_cashheld)>> <<run $currentactor.inventory.push(_sdheld)>> <<replace #multireplace>> <<include "multibutton">> <</replace>> <</linkreplace>> <<else>> I rifle through the desk one more time but find nothing new. I must have already stolen everything of valuable here. <</if>> </p>/* 0 Sarcophagus (GAIIC) 1 From Stirling 2 XYIC drape of Einstein's workshop 3 Jenny (phone) 4 trunk of my car (FERIC) 5 buried in an ant mound (action) 6 Inside treehouse (GAIUS + VERDIC) 7 On the floor of Einstein's workshop (action) 8 Under car tire (explore) 9 From the wand (VERDIC) 10 Cheering up the Pegasus 11 Under the terrazo tile (GAIUS) 12 Beyond the drawbridge (UNFERIC) 13 Chinese Fortune numbe(r (phone) 14 Under the steps of the pledge house (action) 15 Mortuary GAIACK-phone 16 Beechwood (action) 17 Beyond the stone Bridge (GAIAREN) 18 Fixing up the pledge room (VERDAREN, FERAREN) 19 Up in the clouds (VERDUS) 20 Pawnshop (phone) 21 XYORT phonebooth 22 On the island (open) */ <<widget "examicon">> <<set _iconarray=[]>> <<set _iconarray[0]={n:"Eugene Smith" ,d:"Eugene was the founder and original president of Beta Rho Omega. Many other social clubs of the time were deliberately excluding wizards from their ranks, but Eugene was determined to establish a college organization run by and for spell casters.<br> <br> A lifelong philanthropist, Eugene commissioned the first presidential icon (a solid silver bust in his own image) which he successfully auctioned off before the crash of ’29. The money he raised was used to seed the fraternity endowment.",y:28 }>> <<set _iconarray[1]={n:"Warren Godfrey" ,d:"Warren Godfrey was the second &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; president and helped shepherd the fraternity through the worst years of the Great Depression. His presidential icon, made from inexpensive Bakelite, is inspired by cubist art of the time and barely looks human." ,y:32 }>> <<set _iconarray[2]={n:"Preston Avery" ,d:"Preston Avery was the third president of the &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; fraternity and helped expand the organization to other universities large and small. The Avery statuette is made from turquoise and gold, with carvings along the base inspired by the art deco movement. This expensive tribute depleted much of the &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; treasury, and left Avery with a tarnished legacy for his financial mismanagement." ,y:36 }>> <<set _iconarray[3]={n:"Arthur Mudd" ,d:"The &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; fraternity lost membership in the early ‘40s as so many young men were off fighting the war. Mudd returned from the front in ’42, a wounded veteran and now a pacifist. During his time in combat he had come to the same conclusion which many of his brothers had reached; that armies on both sides were systematically discriminating against wizards. Mudd entered college to study cryptography, where he joined &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; and served as its fourth president.<br> <br> Mudd’s left leg had been amputated on the battlefield, but when the artist commissioned to design his presidential icon suggested they add a second leg to the statue, Mudd objected \"The world must remember me just as I am.\" Mudd’s statue is made from steel, now slightly rusted. " ,y:40 }>> <<set _iconarray[4]={n:"William Duff" ,d:"William Duff took advantage of the GI bill, remaining at University for as long as he possibly could and eventually becoming a history professor. He’s published several books concerning the history of spell-casting in America, though he was also excluded from some of the better graduate programs because he was a wizard. While he was president, Duff launched an expansion campaign to establish &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; chapters internationally. His statuette is carved from walrus tusk ivory." ,y:44 }>> <<set _iconarray[5]={n:"James O'Shea" ,d:"James O’Shea was diagnosed with cancer early in his reign as chapter president, and did not have the energy to do much with his position. As a wizard, he was excluded from receiving medical treatment at the best hospitals. Sadly, he passed away near the end of his term. O’Shea’s presidential icon was commissioned after his death, and represents his miniaturized body lying perpetually in state in a handheld pink marble coffin." , y:48 }>> <<set _iconarray[6]={n:"Joseph Carter",d:"The early fifties were a difficult time to be a wizard. The US government at the time equated \"spell-casting\" with \"Communism\", and chapters on many college campuses had their property seized and their charters systematically revoked. Joseph Carter testified before the Senate subcommittee on anti-wizardry, asserting that &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; was not a fraternity of wizards (Of course everyone knew this was false, and he was briefly imprisoned for lying to the senate under oath).<br> <br> Carter’s statue is linoleum.", y:52}>> <<set _iconarray[7]={n:"Robert Schmidt" , d:"The fraternity doubled its number of chapters nationally and internationally under Schmidt’s leadership. Schmidt went on to become an actor. You might remember him in the classic chimpanzee comedy \"Bedtime for Booboo.\" In order to stay employed as an actor, he kept his wizarding powers a carefully hidden secret through most of his career. Schmidt’s presidential icon is carved from mahogany." , y:56 }>> <<set _iconarray[8]={n:"Stanley Grabowski" , d:"Stanley Grabowski continued to expand the number of &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; chapters, while also investing wisely in the fraternity endowment to secure our financial position. Grabowski went on to become a real estate agent, where he had to deal with the problem of red-lining against wizards. He also continued his affiliation with the fraternity as an alumni advisor for decades after. The Grabowski icon is inspired by the post-modern movement, painted in bright pastels." , y: 60}>> <<set _iconarray[9]={n:"Wayne Miller" , d:"Wayne Miller expanded chapter membership to include non-wizards. This was a purely symbolic gesture. Then, as now, few non-wizards had any interest in affiliating with our kind. Miller’s statue is designed in a pop-art style" , y: 64}>> <<set _iconarray[10]={n:"Oscar King" , d:"Oscar King recognized that civil rights for wizards is intimately connected to the civil rights movements of other marginalized groups. King’s statue is cast from bronze and shows him raising his fist in solidarity for the rights of all." , y: 68}>> <<set _iconarray[11]={n:"Khalfani Mostafa" , d:"Fraternity membership declined in the 1970s, but Khalfani Mostafa continued his predecessor’s goal of aligning our fraternity service work with the peace and justice movement. Thousands of copies of Khalfani’s presidential icon were mass produced in Andy Warhol’s art factory, but despite this wide availability, copies of the Mostafa statue still maintain their value." , y: 72}>> <<set _iconarray[12]={n:"Peter Gregory" , d:"Peter Gregory came from the \"wizard power\" movement, and is now remembered (by some historians) as a bit of an extremist. He temporarily suspended the policy of allowing non-wizards into our order, a policy that had been enacted a full decade earlier. Under Gregory’s leadership, the fraternity became more research oriented than it had ever been before or since, spending resources to discover new forms of spell-casting. The Gregory icon is a dress-up doll, all kitted out in his full wizard drag: high-heeled leather boots, red velvet cape lined with white fur, tall pointed hat." , y: 76}>> <<set _iconarray[13]={n:"Barry Lazarus (AKA The Wizard of Wall Street)" , d:"The disgraced chapter president. After earning his BA in finance, Barry Lazarus worked in a boiler room aggressively selling junk bonds to elderly investors. Lazarus was sent to jail for fraud after a highly publicized trial that contributed to the public perception of wizards as dishonest criminals. Barry’s statue is a gaudy artifact covered with over 200 blood diamonds." , y:80 }>> <<set _iconarray[14]={n:"David Jones" , d:"David Jones, president in the mid-eighties, studied computer science at the university, and initiated a campaign to transfer many of our fraternity records over to electronic form. Aptly, his icon is a digital rendering, a stop motion animation of his own face inspired by the Peter Gabriel \"Sledgehammer\" video." , y: 84}>> <<set _iconarray[15]={n:"Xiang Gao" , d:"With fraternity membership declining again in the early nineties, Xiang Gao restored the policy of allowing non-wizards into the fraternity, a policy that had been suspended a decade earlier. Membership did not increase as a result. Even in the nineties, muggles didn’t want to associate with us. The Xiang Gao icon is digital, animated by the original WizXar studio, one of the studio’s earliest projects." , y:88 }>> <<set _iconarray[16]={n:"Christopher Tanner" , d:"Chris Tanner’s emphasis as president was less on philanthropic and more on social planning. Recognizing that there were still many muggle clubs which excluded our kind, Tanner founded his own chain of taverns and clubs, marketing primarily to spell-casters. Tanner’s presidential icon is a commemorative shot-glass, with a single sharp line of gold around its lip." , y:92 }>> <<set _iconarray[17]={n:"Borris Tarsov" , d:"Borris Tarsov’s family left the Soviet Union during the collapse of the communist party. They hoped to find a country that would be more accepting of wizards in the west. By Borris’s accounts, his parents were disappointed. Under Borris’s effort, the fraternity endowment grew and contributed more money to wizarding charities in the third world. His presidential icon was designed by a Nigerian artist in a traditional African style, a choice by Tarsov that has since been criticized as \"cultural appropriation\" since the likeness on the statue sort of makes him look African, even though he is not." , y:96 }>> <<set _iconarray[18]={n:"Eugenia Smythe" , d:"Eugenia took their name from the original &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; president (Eugene Smith). It is lost to history what Eugenia’s parents called them before they arrived at university. The Brothers of Beta Rho Omega always accepted them as Eugenia. Eugenia lead a number of charity fundraisers to aid children of wizards who lost parents in the 2001 World Trade Center attack. Eugenia’s statue is carved from Amazonian purpleheart. " , y:100 }>> <<set _iconarray[19]={n:"Ishaan Agarwal" , d:"Both during and after college, Agarwal researched and wrote extensively concerning popular stereotypes about wizards. Agarwal was quick to point out that not all stereotypes are negative, but that even positive stereotypes are damaging to the community. Not all wizards are powerful. Not every wizard can score 1600 on the SAT. Not every wizard is good at writing (but Agarwal certainly was). Agarwal’s presidential icon was a silver plated miniature typewriter." , y:104 }>> <<set _iconarray[20]={n:"Ethan Thorpe" , d:"Ethan was fraternity president during the real estate crash of 2008, when many local chapter houses lost their mortgages, and the charitable endowment dropped fifty percent in value. Beta Rho Omega was hit especially hard since many banks are unwilling to loan money to wizards. Ethan’s presidential icon is a customized fidget spinner with his name on it." , y: 108}>> <<set _iconarray[21]={n:"Noah Stein" , d:"Noah Stein heralded the fraternity into the social media age, setting up its first official Twitteraccount. Noah’s presidential icon is a plastic bobble-head doll, which Noah custom three-D-printed out of his Dad’s garage." , y:112 }>> <<set _iconarray[22]={n: " Beckworth Bragg", d:"Beckworth Bragg (Beck) was the most divisive person to ever lead our order. His unusual and abrasive communication style- unable to complete a sentence without congratulating himself or viciously insulting a rival- threatened to split the organization. What some saw as un-civil behavior (referring to the alumni advisory team as \"mudbloods\") others found funny and even inspirational. In a famous speech, Beck asked \"Why should we let muggles have all the power? We’re wizards (I’m the greatest wizard). We can just turn them into frogs with the snap of our fingers. Someone should do that. I’ll back you up if you do.\" When Beck graduated from university, but continued to insist he was still president, he sent the whole organization into disarray with his broad disregard for its bylaws. Namely, that alumni can be on the advisory board, but they cannot continue to serve as president. " , y:116 }>> <<switch $args[0]>> <<case "iconinv">> <table class="border-table"> <table style="width:100%"> <tr> <th>President Name</th> <th>Description</th> <th>Years Served</th> </tr> <<for _i to 0; _i lt 23; _i++>> <<if $iconinv[_i] is true>> <tr> <td>_iconarray[_i].n</td> <td>_iconarray[_i].d</td> <td><<set _ystart=_iconarray[_i].y + 1900>><<set _yend=_iconarray[_i].y + 1903>><<print(_ystart+"-"+_yend)>></td> </tr> <hr> /* creates a horizontal rule, no close tag required */ <</if>> <</for>> </table> <<case "examicon">> <<set _this =$args[1]>> This is the icon for _iconarray[_this].n, who served as &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; president during the years <<print _iconarray[_this]["y"] + 1900>>-<<print _iconarray[_this]["y"] + 1903>>. Each icon comes with a printed history of the president's significant achievements:<br> <br> _iconarray[_this].d<br> <<link "Should I add _iconarray[_this].n to my collection?" $currentactor.name>> <<set $iconinv[_this]=true>> <</link>> <<case "takeicon">> <<set _this =$args[1]>> <p>I have acquired a new presidential icon. Presidential Icons are commemorative sculptures produced, distributed and shamelessly marketed by the Frankenstein Mint. They're highly collectable! This one is the icon for _iconarray[_this].n, who served as &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; president during the years <<print _iconarray[_this]["y"] + 1900>>-<<print _iconarray[_this]["y"] + 1903>>. Each icon comes with a printed history of the president's significant achievements:</p> <div class='signage'> _iconarray[_this].d </div> <br> <<set $iconinv[_this]=true>> <<case "justlook">> <<set _this =$args[1]>> This is the icon for _iconarray[_this].n, who served as &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; president during the years <<print _iconarray[_this]["y"] + 1900>>-<<print _iconarray[_this]["y"] + 1903>>. Each icon comes with a printed history of the president's significant achievements:<br> <br> <div class='signage'> _iconarray[_this].d </div> <br> <</switch>> <</widget>><<examicon "examicon" $currenticon>> <<link "Or not.">><<goto $currentlocation>><</link>><<widget parseaction>> <<switch $action>> <<case "talk">> <<if $args[0].hasOwnProperty("talk")>> <<set _message=$args[0].talk>> <<if _message.first() is "#">> <<set $justexamined=_message.slice(1)>> <<goto $currentlocation>> <<else>> <<goto $args[0].talk>> <</if>> <<else>> <<mpopup "Talk." "\"How's it going?\" I ask. The object I am speaking to doesn't respond.">> <</if>> <<case "unscrew">> <<if $args[0].hasOwnProperty("unscrew")>> <<set _message=$args[0].unscrew>> /*<<set $action = "explore">>*/ <<replace #multireplace>> <<include "multibutton">> <</replace>> <<if _message.first() is "#">> <<set $justexamined=_message.slice(1)>> <<goto $currentlocation>> <<else>> <<goto $args[0].unscrew>> <</if>> <<else>> <<mpopup "Use screwdriver" "That target can't be damaged by the screwdriver">> <</if>> <<case "cast">> <<set _un=false>> <<set _a=$currentactor.spells[0][0]>> <<set _b=$currentactor.spells[1][0]>> <<set _spellname=_a+_b>> <<set _longname=_a+_b>> <<if def $currentactor.spells[2]>> <<if $currentactor.spells[2][0] is "UN">> <<set _un=true>> <<set _longname="UN"+_a+_b>> <</if>> <</if>> <<if $args[0].hasOwnProperty(_longname)>> <<set _setter=$args[0][_longname]>> <<if _setter.first() is "#">> <<set $justexamined=_setter.slice(1)>> <<goto $currentlocation>> <<else>> <<set $action="explore">> <<goto `_setter`>> <</if>> <<else>> <<set _hook="@@color:DarkGreen;Cast "+_longname +":@@&nbsp;&nbsp; ">> <<switch _a>> <<case "SPL">> <<set _aim="flesh">> <<case "VERD">> <<set _aim="plant">> <<case "GAI">> <<set _aim="earth">> <<case "FER">> <<set _aim="metal">> <<case "XY">> <<set _aim="supernatural">> <<default>> <<set _aim="unknown">> <</switch>> <<set _setter="special">> <<if (_a is "MUMBLE")or(_b is "MUMBLE")>> <<if $currentactor.name is "Romeo">> <<set _setter="Although I do not regret staying up last night doing jello shots with the ladies of Alpha Omicron, I now wonder if that time might have been better spent practicing spells for today's tournament. Evidently "+_spellname+" is not a castable spell.">> <<else>> <<set _setter="Evidently "+_spellname+" is not a castable spell.">> <</if>> <<elseif (_a is "XY") and (_b is "ZZY")>> <<set _setter="<p>Ah, yes, the powerful but simple XYZZY spell. My Uncle Nestor used to entertain me with that one when I was just a toddler. \"Pull my finger\" Uncle Nestor would say, as a prelude to casting. Eventually my parents stopped letting me visit Uncle Nestor. They didn't think he was a good influence.</p><p> Brother Gonzo, our social chair, performs a variant of it at the dinner table when he's eaten too much cabbage and beans. But alas, I don't think XYZZY would help me much during the paintball tournament, and at worst it would certainly give away my location to others.</p>">> <<elseif (_aim != $args[0].elmnt)>> <<set _setter="The "+_longname+" spell can only affect "+_aim+". My chosen spell target is "+$args[0].elmnt+".">> <</if>> <<if (_setter is "special") and (not _un)>> <<switch _b>> <<case "ACK">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows briefly, but reveals nothing new about itself.">> <<case "IC">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows briefly, but cannot be opened.">> <<case "ORT">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows briefly, but cannot be banished or used to score points in paintball competition.">> <<case "ZZY">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows, briefly flattens, then reinflates to its usual three dimensions.">> <<case "AREN">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows briefly, but is not in obvious need of healing or repair.">> <<case "UST">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows briefly, but is not something that can be vertically disrupted.">> <</switch>> <</if>> <<if (_setter is "special") and (_un)>> <<switch _b>> <<case "ACK">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows briefly, but cannot or should not have its meaning obscured.">> <<case "IC">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows briefly, but cannot or should not be closed.">> <<case "ORT">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows briefly, but it cannot be summoned from another place.">> <<case "ZZY">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows, briefly inflates like a balloon, then deflates back to its usual dimensions.">> <<case "AREN">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows briefly, but cannot or should not be damaged.">> <<case "UST">> <<set _setter="The spell target glows briefly, but is not something that can be vertically reduced.">> <</switch>> <</if>> <<set $justexamined=_hook+_setter>> <<goto $currentlocation>> <</if>> <<default>> /*covers cases "explore", "go" and "mundane" <<set _message=$args[0].exp>> <<set $action = "explore">> <<replace #multireplace>> <<include "multibutton">> <</replace>> <<if _message.first() is "#">> <<set $justexamined=_message.slice(1)>> <<goto $currentlocation>> <<else>> <<goto $args[0].exp>> <</if>> <</switch>> <</widget>><p>The <<link "black ants">><<parseaction _ants>><</link>> are not monsters; they are normal sized. But they've built a monster hill, at least a meter high and several meters wide at the base. The soil is loose. Hundreds of black ants scurry in and out, continuously bringing in new lumps of sand to build their earthen fortress even higher.</p> <<if visited("unburied scroll") eq 0>> <p>As I look more closely, I notice shreds of parchment mixed in with the sand.</p> [[Dig up the parchment now!|unburied scroll]] <p>On second thought. Those ants look like biting ants. This could end up like the time I stuck my fist through a bee's nest.</p> [[Damn the consequences, dig up the parchment now!|unburied scroll]] <</if>> <<if visited("Scrub") is 1>><p>I don't know what just happened. Normally when a player is taken out of the competition there is an announcement from the skycaster. But this time no announcement. So I must still be an active player.</p><</if>> <<set _ants={exp:"#<p>Hundreds of ants, no maybe thousands, crawl in and around the hill.</p>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"SPLORTant",SPLACK:"SPLACKant"}>> <<set _footbridge={exp:"#<p>The bridge is a simple design, probably constructed by the boys and girls of the engineering fraternity. <<if $gateopen>>The bridge can be [[crossed|Forest in July]].<<else>>This gate blocking it, however, is pure wizardry.<</if>></p>",elmnt:"plant",VERDIC:"#<p><<if $gateopen>>I have already successfully removed the gate from the bridge.<<else>>The gate would be a better target for my VERDIC spell.<</if>></p>" }>> <<set _woodengate={exp:"#<p>Vertical beams of wood, thick as my head, have been milled and mortised together so smooth and tight, you could play racquet ball against the surface. The gate is locked with a mortise peg.</p>",elmnt:"plant",VERDIC:"VERDIC gate"}>> <<set _setter="e_ant_mound">> <<set _mound ={exp:"#<<include _setter>>",elmnt:"earth", GAIUST:"#<p>I don't think it would be safe to grow this ant mound any higher.<<if not visited(\"SPLACKant\")>> However, maybe the ants themselves have some means to help me get across the bridge. If I could just find some way to enter their minds.<</if>></p>", GAIIC:"#<p>Ants don't use closable doors to enter or exit their mound. There is nothing for me to open.</p>", GAIACK:"#<p>The ant hill tells no stories. <<if not visited(\"SPLACKant\")>> However, the ants which live inside might have their stories to tell.<</if>></p>", GAIORT:"#<p>The ant hill is unaffected by GAIORT.<<if not visited(\"unburied scroll\")>> However, maybe I could displace the sand by [[digging through it|unburied scroll]].<</if>></p>", UNGAIUST:"#The sand mound slips into the ground, but the ants hurriedly rebuild their hill until it is even more towering than before."}>> <span id=header></span> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go" >> <p>The [[parking lot]] is east of here. The [[concessions area|Concessions]] to the south is where brothers gather after they've been eliminated from play. <<link "I could also attempt to wade across the creek.">><<replace #header>>The bridge passes over a cow creek that I could probably wade through if Brother Einstein hadn’t already warned me about zoonotic diseases, which is what you get when you bathe in a creek which is two parts cow manure for every part H~~2~~O. Also, there is an electric cow fence that runs along the edge of the creek, beneath the bridge. So no.<br><</replace>><</link>><br> <<if $gateopen>> <br>The gate is open now. [[Cross that bridge and play some paintball!|Forest in July]] <<else>> <<link "Or I can cross the bridge.">> <<replace #header>> I have crossed this bridge before when the game began but I can’t cross it now while the gate is closed <</replace>>. <</link>> <</if>></p> <<case "mundane">> <<if not hasVisited("VERDIC gate")>> [[Open gate.|open gate nonmagically]]<br> <</if>> [[Dig anthill.|unburied scroll]]<br> <<link "Attack ants.">><<replace #header>>I crush one under my thumb, then marvel as his friends carry his carcass back into the ant hill. A hundred more ants come out to replace him.<br><</replace>><</link>> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Scrub</h3> <<switch visited("Scrub")>> <<case 1>> <p>I know this location well. We met here before the game began to sing the chapter song and listen to the paintball manager read off the rules. The parking lot is east of here. The concessions area to the south is where brothers gather after they've been eliminated from play. The scrub is a rocky, barren and highly exposed no man's area which can be travelled by defeated and active players alike. A dangerous place to stay for long. The main arena is north of here. I need to get back there and win this tournament.</p> <<default>> <p>The scrub is a barren no man's area which can be travelled by defeated and active players alike. Rocky terrain and tangled grass would catch my feet if I tried to run. Wide open with no trees or cover, it would be dangerous for me to stay.</p> <</switch>> <p>A stinking, mostly stagnant cow creek separates me from the main paintball arena. We used a <<link "simple wooden footbridge">><<parseaction _footbridge>><</link>> to cross over when the game first began. The path was open when we arrived. <<if $gateopen>> Now it is open once again. <<else>> Now it is blocked by a <<link "wooden gate">><<parseaction _woodengate>><</link>> more formidable than the bridge itself. <</if>></p> <p>Strange. An enormous <<link "ant mound">><<parseaction _mound>><</link>> has also risen up from nothing in the two hours since the game began. Industrious <<link "black ants">><<parseaction _ants>><</link>> carry crumbs of dirt up from the creek bed to build their mound even higher. An aura of magic is everywhere.</p> <<if not hasVisited("SPLACKant")>> <img src="ants.jpg" alt="Ants image" width="330" height="396"> <</if>>/*Timmy World <<set $nosd = true>> <<set $deskopen = false>> <<set $fileopen = false>> <<set $signattached = true>> <<set $earthramp=false>> <<set $brokenglass=0>> */ <span id="header"></span> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> [[Climb down to ground level.|Bunkroom]]<br> <<if $brokenglass>> [[Exit window|Timmy's denouement]] <<else>> <<link "Exit window">><<replace #header>> The window is closed. One more thing to do before I can escape.<br> <</replace>><</link>><br> <</if>><br> <<case "mundane">> <<link "Look through window">><<replace #header>> The windows exit onto the rooftop of the next building. If I could get out there, I could probably find a safe way down to the street level and escape<br> <</replace>><</link>><br> <<link "Open windows">><<replace #header>> The windows are not designed to open. The frames are held solidly in place with screws.<br> <</replace>><</link>><br> <<link "Smash windows.">><<replace #header>> I kick the window with my shoe. From this angle it doesn't take much effort to create a jagged opening. A few additional kicks make it a clear exit hole. Now I am able to [[escape through the window.|Timmy's denouement]]<br><<set $brokenglass+=1>> <</replace>><</link>><br> <</switch>> <<set _windows={exp:"#The dusty windows look directly out over the roof of a neighboring building.", elmnt:"fluid", unscrew:"#<p>With a few counterclockwise twists of my seemingly magic screwdriver, the entire window frame falls out from the wall. The frame and pane cracks once when it first hits the rocky mound. After tumbling several more times and smashing against the far wall beneath the St Mungo’s entrance sign, the splinters and shards are no longer recognizable as a window. There are still a few more windows I could destroy.</p><<set $brokenglass+=1>>"}>> <<if visited("near the ceiling") is 1>> <p>I scramble up the earthen ramp to within arm's reach of the windows. The windows look out onto the roof of a neighboring building, and it would be easy enough to drop onto that roof if I could just open the damn window.</p> <</if>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Bunkroom (near the ceiling)</h3> <p>I’m up near the <<link "windows">><<parseaction _windows>><</link>> and rafters. I’ve never seen the bunkroom from this elevation before. The room below is a mess: broken beds and scattered mattresses have been thrown everywhere, no longer in neat rows and columns. The wooden rafters above me are creaking and groaning in a way I’ve never heard before. Has my simple gaian magic destabilized the foundations of this place enough to threaten a collapse of the entire factory? The long row of windows extends to either side of me. <<switch $brokenglass>> <<case 0>>I'll need to open one of these in order to escape. <<case 1>>The one nearest to me is already smashed open. <<case 2>>Two nearby windows are already broken. <<default>>I have already shattered many of these. Just a few more would give this derelict factory the look of a place which has been abandoned for decades. <</switch>></p><<unset $deskopen>> <<unset $fileopen>> <<unset $signattached>> <<unset $earthramp>> <<unset $brokenglass>> <p>I've succeeded! I recovered my spell-casting abilities and I escaped St Mungo's Orphanage. With a combination of magic and the seed money I stole from the director's desk I will survive. Maybe someday I will even go to college.</p> <p>But aren't I already in college, a mind-meld of pledge brothers Tiny Tim and Romeo from the esteemed Beta Rho Omega house of Meskatanawej Junior College? The escape from St Mungo's was just a memory from Timmy's childhood. My mind goes fuzzy as it does sometimes when I've taken too many J&auml;ger shots, or maybe just because I've become Romeo again. Yet I've retained some of Timmy's spellcasting knowledge.</p> <<if $iconinv[11] is true>> <p>Tim is standing nearby. "Hey Romeo, you want this Khalfani Mostafa statue? I've had it since I was a kid. I hear you're collecting these things now, and I've never had much use for it."</p> <p>I accept his kind gift.</p> <</if>> <<set $currentactor=$romeo>> <<set $currentlocation=$romeolocation>> <<set $nosd =true>> <<set $nowand=false>> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("GAI")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("UST")>> [[Continue as Romeo|Romeo's arc]] <h1>@@color:brown;//GAIUST//@@</h1> <p>The earth beneath me rumbles. The tile fissures into a jagged lightning bolt pattern. Then the entire floor buckles as rock and sand rise up through the cracks. The director’s once fine furniture slides away from the center now pushed toward opposite walls of the room. I lift my feet in alternating dance moves, first just to maintain balance then to avoid being buried by the accelerating rise of the mound. Soon rock and sand are filling the space so rapidly that I’m propelled out of the room with violent force.</p> <<link "Continue" "Bunkroom">> <<set $justexamined="<p>When I land on the floor of bunkroom, I notice that a commemorative presidential icon has rolled into the room after me. It must have been buried underground when the tiles were installed. Although I can't think what value this has for me right now, I keep it.</p><<examicon \"takeicon\" 11>><<set $iconinv[11]=true>>">> <</link>> <h1>@@color:limegreen;//VERDIC//@@</h1> <<set $gateopen=true>> <p>The locking peg pops out with a resonant "thunk" then all the other pieces of wood magically fold together accordion-style into a single post. I can now cross the bridge.</p> [[Cross|Forest in July]]<br> [[Stay for now.|Scrub]]<br><img src="timmy.jpg" alt="Timmy image" width="330" height="396"> <<include topbox>> <h3>Talking with Timmy</h3> <<linkreplace "What can you tell me about Riptide?<br>">> <p> <<if visited("SPLACKant") is 0>> Brother Riptide is on the other side of the bridge. I know that because we ran into each other in the scrub. I cast GAIUST to create an earth mound to hide behind. He cast some kind of complicated gate spell to give him something to hide behind. But it left me trapped on this side of the creek. The gate trapped you also, I see. Practice your spell casting a little more on other things and creatures before you attempt to open the gate. <<elseif visited("VERDIC gate") is 0>> Brother Riptide is on the other side of the bridge. I know that because we ran into each other in the scrub. I cast a spell to create an earth mound to hide behind. He cast some kind of complicated gate spell to give him something to hide behind. But it left me trapped on this side of the creek. The gate trapped you also, I see. Study the spell you received in the ant world. You have the power to open the gate. <<elseif visited("SPLORTriptide") is 0>> <<cycle "_answer" once>> <<option "Brother Riptide is probably hiding in his treehouse.">> <<option "Are you sure you want these hints? You have the spells you need already to expose him.">> <<option "There are two ways to expose him. One is to open the treehouse.">> <<option "VERDIC treehouse">> <</cycle>> <<elseif visited("Riptide's denouement") is 0>> <<cycle "_answer" once>> <<option "When Riptide was a child, he had to rescue his grandmother's cat.">> <<option "But you have the SPLACK spell. You should probably find this out yourself before probing my knowledge any further. I don't mean to give you any spoilers.">> <<option "Riptide checked the window, and saw a strange figure inside.">> <<option "The figure handed him a spell, which he used on himself.">> <<option "He was then able to enter the house by a means that was previously too narrow.">> <<option "Riptide found an ornate clock inside.">> <<option "He reset the clock to the time he had arrived on the porch.">> <<option "He then went through the exact sequence of actions he had observed the strange man doing earlier.">> <</cycle>> <<else>> <p>Riptide is awesome, the strongest member of our house.</p> <<if visited("SPLORTriptide") neq 0>><p>"You got that right. Do you want to arm wrestle?" says Riptide, who is standing nearby.</p><</if>> <</if>> <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "What can you tell me about yourself?<br>">> <<if not hasVisited("Timmy's denouement")>> <p>I grew up in an orphanage. Perhaps I'll share more about that experience later.</p> <<else >> <p>Two hours after I left St Mungo's, the building collapsed. Apparently the GAIUST spell I cast did so much structural damage to the foundation that it could no longer support itself. Fortunately the other orphans were still at work and none of them were injured in the disaster. The muggle engineers who investigated the collapse blamed it on a freak earthquake. None of them could explain why an earthquake would be localized beneath a single building, far removed from any fault zone.</p> <p>The only fatality was the director himself, who had returned to the building alone after neighbors reported hearing strange rumblings and seeing a child run across the rooftop and shimmy down a drainpipe to street level. That was me.</p> <p>I still had the stack of incriminating papers I had stolen from the director's desk. I sent them anonymously to the board of directors, and to a progressive newspaper. The board was forced to reevaluate its policies. Rather than moving the surviving orphans to other similar programs, the children were reunited with their own wizarding parents or adopted by close relatives. The destruction of St Mungo's became a watershed event in the modern history of wizard civil rights. But I've never told anyone about this before telling you.</p> <p>Do you think I'm a bad person because I destroyed an orphanage?.</p> <span id='notbad'> <<link "<p>No. St Mungo's was a bad place. You did what you needed to in order to escape.</p>">> <<replace #notbad>> <p>"No. St Mungo's was a bad place. Nobody but the director got hurt when the building collapsed and you had the courage to do what needed to be done."</p> <p>"Thanks, Romeo. I needed to hear that.</p> <</replace>> <</link>> <<link "<p>I don't think you're a bad person, but sometimes when people are under stress they make bad choices.</p>">> <<replace #notbad>> <p>I tell Timmy, "Since you shared a bad choice with me, I should share one of my bad choices with you. I once stumbled upon a beehive during a previous game. It was a very active hive, honeybees buzzing all around, but I didn't notice them and thought it was a pi&ntilde;ata hanging from the tree. I saw something gold inside, and assumed those were the gold coins which filled the pi&ntilde;ata. So I stuck my fist in to grab the gold."</p> <p>"It turned out to be a beehive after all, and the gold was just their honey. But it was very tasty honey and really no harm came of it once brother Einstein stuck me in the leg with an epi-pen."</p> <p>Timmy scratches his head. "Thanks Romeo. Yeah, somehow that story makes me feel better about the wisdom of my own choices."</p> <</replace>> <</link>> </span> <</if>> <</linkreplace>> <<if visited("Timmy's denouement") neq 0>> <<linkreplace "Did it bother you that I SPLACKed you?"<br>>> <p>I've always wanted to tell you about where I grew up. I was just afraid you might think I was over sharing if I did. I don't mind that you found out the way you did. I'm really impressed that you were able to learn SPLACK.</p> <</linkreplace>><br> <</if>> <<if $currentactor.spells[1].includes("ACK")>> <<linkreplace "Ask Timmy about SPLACK.<br>">> <p>"SPLACK is a spell for reading people. It was invented by an evil sorcerer who wanted to dominate others by knowing their secrets. But legend is that he SPLACKED himself and went raging mad. In the wrong hands, it's an outrageously dangerous spell. Used between friends like us, though, it can cement bonds of kinship and loyalty that last a lifetime."</p> <p>"Not unlike a game of beer pong."</p> <p>"Even more powerful than that. SPLACK can be cast on animals other than humans also, with varied results."</p> <<if not hasVisited("Timmy's denouement")>> <p>Timmy invites "I would like for you to cast it on me. I have to warn you though, I had a dark childhood."</p> <</if>> <</linkreplace>> <</if>> <<linkreplace "Help Tim with planning the pledge service project.<br>">> <p>Tim says, "Last time we talked you wanted to turn the chapter house into a safe space for unspayed kittens. Have you changed your mind?"</p> <p>"Yes. I've changed my mind. I stand behind your proposal to raise money for orphaned wizards. My earlier idea, about the kittens, was just silly."</p> <</linkreplace>> <br> <<return>><img src="timmy.jpg" alt="Timmy image" width="330" height="396"> <p>Timmy is four foot eleven and grew up in an orphanage. His wand is an oak truncheon which looks like it was salvaged from an IKEA bedframe. Timmy entered the pledge class at the same time that I did and has been helping me learn the Greek alphabet.</p> <p>It took me a while to understand the meaning behind his pledge name //Tiny Tim//. Pledge-master Caveman usually puts a lot of thought into the names given to pledges, so it felt off that he would single out Tim for being so short. Then I learned that "Tiny Tim" is also the name of a character in a Charles Dickens novel. Brother Einstein explained that although the Timmy in the novel grew up with a loving family, many of Dickens' other characters were orphans who discovered their family only after a long period of struggle. </p> <<return>> <<set $action="talk">> <<replace #multireplace>> <<include "multibutton">> <</replace>><h1>@@color:limegreen;//Paintball Wizard//@@</h1> Note to beta testers. This is version beta 8_18 Continue to [[Introduction]] Note to Beta testers, don't pick the following link unless you've already played through from the introduction. This is for beta testing purposes only. Continue to <nobr><<link "loaded with spells" "Scrub">> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("GAI")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("VERD")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("FER")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("XY")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("IC")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("ACK")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("AREN")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("UST")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("ZZY")>> <<set $currentactor.spells.push(["->","UN"])>> <<set $nowand=false>> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> Recent edits: 8_18 The end game has significantly expanded, for improved pacing and closure. Use the following link if you have already reached an end game on your own. [[Jump Directly to the endgame|Midway across lake]] 8_17 Ack. I hope I've made the final edits to the Riptide cat puzzle. 8_16 changes: Repaired all reported bugs to the Caveman and Riptide battle scenes. Fixed other reported bugs in the conversation menus. Fixed the Riptide time travel puzzle to restore spell knowledge to the blank state when time is repeated. 8_14 changes: Streamlining for smaller save game files and better performance on slow computers. Improving some of the puzzle hints. 8_10 changes Many spelling and punctuation errors have been fixed. The TALK menus are now fully functional. Implemented some ease-of-use features, to reduce the number of superfluous clicks required to finish the game. All 23 icons have been planted (these are optional side quests) As you play, please take careful notes that might help me improve this beta version. There is no way (that I know of) to transcript a TWINE game, however if you want to screencast yourself playing the game, that would be welcome. Otherwise, please take notes in a second document. Report: -any error messages that appear. In a game this large and complex, it is difficult for me to find all of these on my own. -any odd or unexpected responses to your clicks. -feedback on puzzles and passages you find satisfying, or puzzles you think need a tweek -Spells can give a generic response or customized response. If there are any spells you try on objects that you think deserve a more customized response, please let me know. -Written sections that appear as weak one word responses. These may have been fillers that I forgot to complete. -The word "special" in response to any attempted spell casting. This response indicates a typo somewhere in the passage. -pop up windows which appear. I mean to remove all of these, but there might still be some remaining from very early in my development process. -any general feedback Issues that I am already aware of - -I know there are some formatting irregularities. Please report any that are bothersome to you. -I am aware of a number of light bugs in the Riptide treehouse. Please email your feedback to dougegan2@gmail.com </p> <hr> Continue to [[Introduction]] </nobr> Additional beta test links. These will take you directly to memories. However, when you come out, you will be back at the start of the game, where the logic and performance of the rest of the story may be compromised. [[SPLACKant]] [[SPLACKtim]] [[SPLACKriptide]] [[SPLACKcaveman]] [[SPLACKeinstein]] <<set $currenticon=0>> <p>With a grinding of stone against stone, the cover slides away from the crypt revealing the dark interior, <<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is false>> which contains the presidential icon of our founder. <<include "examine icon">> <<else>> which is empty.<br> <<return>> <</if>> </p><<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <p> <<if not hasVisited("noDune")>> The sand dune has grown even larger than it was the first time I crossed it. I'll never be able to get over that thing again. The only way out is west, [[back to the forest path|Forest in March]]. <<else>> Two clear paths lead out from here, one [[west|Forest in March]] back to the forest, and the other [[south|East Beach]] down to the beach. <</if>> </p> <<case "mundane">> <</switch>> <<set _sand={exp:"#Aladdin himself, staring across the Seven Deserts of Agrabah, never saw as much sand as this.",elmnt:"earth",GAIZZY:"noDune" ,GAIUST:"#I certainly wouldn't want the mountain of sand to grow any taller. It would roll over and bury me alive!",UNGAIUST:"noDune"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3><<if not hasVisited("noDune")>>Sand Dune<<else>>Sand Flat<</if>></h3> <p> <<if not hasVisited("noDune")>> South of me is the <<link "mountain of sand">><<parseaction _sand>><</link>> I crossed over earlier in the game when I was being chased by brother Riptide. It looks even larger now. I'm not sure I'd be able to cross it again. <<else>> The sand in this area is so flat in this area that it is almost just an extension of the natural beach to the south. It does not look at all like what it first was when I passed here less than an hour ago. The forest path resumes to the west, through a severed section of the electric cow fence. <</if>> </p><div class='topbox'> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> </div><<include "Advance time">> <<include "top post">> <<set _error="">> <<if $advance2 neq 0>><<set $advance2+=1>><</if>> <<switch $advance2>> <<case 1>><<include "grandma">>/*just set device*/ <<case 3>><<if $purplestate neq 2>><<set _error="The boy on the porch is confused, as if he is watching me pick something up and not pick up the thing at the same time.">><<else>><<include "grandma">><</if>>/*just took scroll*/ <<case 4>><<include "grandma">>/*just switched to action*/ <<case 5>><<if $curtainopen is true>><<set _error="The boy on the porch is confused, as if he is looking through an open curtain and a closed curtain at the same time.">><<else>><<include "grandma">><</if>>/*just closed shade*/ <<case 6>><<if $purplestate neq 3>><<set _error="The boy on the porch seems confused, as if he is seeing a scroll and no scroll emerging from the mail slot at the same time.">><<else>> <<include "grandma">><</if>>/*just put scroll in slot*/ <<case 7>><<include "grandma">>/*just opened back door*/ <<case 8>><<set _error="The boy on the porch seems confused, as if he is hearing me exit the house and not exit the house simultaneously.">>/*just exited (will never reach this case, because the player is now in a new passage*/ <<default>> <<if ($magehour*100+$mageminute) lt 1200>> <<include "grandma">> <<else>> <<set _error="The anti-wizard squad has arrived back from their morning break. I didn't get out of the house in time. Wait- this isn't what happened.">> <</if>> <</switch>> <<if _error neq "">> <<set $currentlocation="Time loop entry">> <p> _error </p> <p>From everywhere comes a deafening shriek of misaligned machine parts grinding to a stop. [[Spacetime has fractured.|Time loop entry]]</p> <</if>> <<include "Advance time">> <<if ($magehour*100+$mageminute) gte 1200>> <<set $currentlocation="Time loop entry">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <p>The anti-wizard squad has arrived back from their morning break. I didn't get into the house in time.</p> <p>Wait- this isn't what happened. The universe stops, with a terrible grinding noise. [[Spacetime has fractured|Time loop entry]].</p> <<else>> <<if $text neq "">><p>$text</p><<set $text="">><</if>> <<include "top post">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> <<link "Enter through the door.<br>" "Grandma's porch">><<set $quip= "The visitor is pulling roughly at the door handle. The door shakes. He won't get into the house, since it remains locked.">><<set $text="I give the doorhandle a rough shake. It's securely locked.">> <</link>> <<link "Enter through the mailslot<br>" >> <<if $flatstan is true>> <<set $text="Flat as I am, I fit neatly into the narrow mailslot. A pressure differential on the two sides creates a slight draft which carries me through.">> <<set $entrytime= ($magehour*100+$mageminute)>> <<set $action="explore">> <<set $quip= "The visitor slides in through the mail slot. He looks like a thinner version of myself, and is very surprised to see me.">> <<goto "Grandma's Apartment">> <<else>> <<set $text="I'd have to be made of moldable clay to squeeze through a crack that narrow.">><<set $quip= "The visitor sticks his chubby hand through the mailslot, wiggles a few fat fingers, then withdraws.">> <<goto "Grandma's porch">> <</if>> <</link>> <<link "Break the window.<br>" "Grandma's porch">><<set $text="I hear sirens blaring from the police station just a few blocks over. There must be some less conspicuous way to let the cat out of the house.">><<set $quip= "The visitor pounds on the window glass, before realizing he might break it and ceases.">><</link>> <<link "Walk back up the sidewalk.<br>" "Grandma's porch">><<set $text="I've waited all morning to complete this errand. I'm not leaving the neighborhood without releasing Grandmother's cat.">><<set $quip= "I hear the visitor walk away from the front porch, only to turn around and come back again.">><</link>> <<case "mundane">> <<if $tapeclosed>> <<link "Remove the police tape.<br>" "Grandma's porch">><<set $text="The yellow tape pulls away easily from the door, drifting off in the wind like the streamer of a child's kite.">><<set $tapeclosed=false>><<set $quip= "I hear the visitor tearing police tape from the front door, cursing to himself about //those anti-wizarding bastards//">><</link>> <</if>> <<link "Knock on door.<br>" "Grandma's porch">><<set $text="I knock on the door as hard as I can. If anyone is inside, they are deliberately ignoring me.">><<set $quip= "The visitor pounds arrhythmically at the door. I think it might be best to ignore him.">><</link>> <<link "Reach in mail slot." "Grandma's porch">> <<if $flatstan is true>> <<set $text="As flat as I am I can slide my whole arm in through the mailslot. I could probably even enter the house this way now, if I chose to.">><<set $quip= "A flattened arm appears through the mailslot, flutters briefly while testing the extent of its reach, then withdraws.">> <<else>> <<set $text="I stick a few fingers into the mailslot, until my hand can go no further. I feel nothing peculiar on the other side.">><<set $quip= "The visitor sticks his chubby hand through the mailslot, wiggles a few fingers, then withdraws.">> <</if>> <</link>> <</switch>> <<set _pclock={exp:"#<p>The turret clock is built into the brick tower of the neighborhood police station. Though distant, the police tower looms above these low rise family homes. Black metal arms precess around a stark white clock face, continuously updating the time.</p><<set $quip= \"The visitor is idly looking at the time.\">>",elmnt:"earth"}>> <<set _mailslot={exp:"#<p>The mail slot is several centimeters tall and about sixty centimeters wide; big enough to accommodate an eviction letter, a court summons or even a large bundle of overdue collection notices. But regrettably, not quite tall enough for an abandoned cat to squeeze through.<<set $quip= \"The visitor is studying the mailbox carefully, then assessing his own dimensions to decide if he might fit.\">></p>" ,elmnt:"metal"}>> <<set _window={exp:"#<<set $boy=true>><p><<if $newcount is 0>><<set $opentime=($magehour*100+$mageminute)>><<set $newcount =1>><<elseif $curtainopen is false>>The curtains inside have been drawn, so all I can see in the window is my own reflection.<<set $quip= \"The visitor is still looking at the window, straining to see through the curtain.\">><<else>>There is definitely someone moving around inside. But are they human?<<set $quip= \"The visitor is examining the window. I wonder if he can see me?\">><</if>></p>" ,elmnt:"earth" }>> <<set _purple={exp:"Purple Scroll",elmnt:"supernatural"}>> <<switch $newcount>> <<case 0>> <<case 1>><p>Reflections off the glass play tricks on my eyes. What I imagine seeing inside is a full-size gingerbread boy scrambling around the apartment. His features are so life-like and colorful he looks just like a real person but flattened. From some angles he looks like a video representation of me! The gingerbread boy appears to be setting some kind of device. I can't tell exactly what.</p><<set $newcount+=1>><<set $opentime=$magehour*100+$mageminute>> <<case 2>><p>On the other side of the window, the gingerbread boy appears to be taking some small item from the floor. It's impossible to see exactly what.</p><<set $newcount+=1>> <<pushquip>> <<case 3>><p>The gingerbread boy moves to a location outside my direct line of sight.</p><<set $newcount+=1>> <<pushquip>> <<case 4>><p>Someone inside the house closes the inner curtain, blocking my window view.</p><<set $curtainopen=false>><<set $newcount+=1>> <<pushquip>> <<case 5>><p>A hand pokes out of the mail slot and drops a purple scroll at my feet, then just as quickly the hand retracts into the house. I collect the scroll from the porch to include with my inventory.</p><<set $newcount+=1>> <<set _purplescroll={name:"Purple Scroll",description:"Purple Scroll"}>><<set $currentactor.inventory.push(_purplescroll)>> <<pushquip>> <<case 6>><p>I hear a door opening from somewhere inside the house.</p><<set $newcount+=1>> <<pushquip>> <<case 7>><p>Somewhere inside the house I hear a door slam shut.</p><<set $newcount+=1>><<set $exittime=$magehour*100+$mageminute>> <<case 8>><p>I hear sirens from down the street, coming this way. They're the same goons who arrested my grandmother. I must find a way into the house and quickly.</p><<set $newcount+=1>> <<if $flatstan is true>><<set $quip="I hear the visitor out on the porch casting the SPLZZY spell on himself.">><</if>> <<pushquip>> <<default>><p>I hear sirens from down the street, coming this way. They're the same goons who arrested my grandmother. I must find a way into the house and quickly.</p> <</switch>> <<include "topbox">> <h1>Grandmother's Porch</h1> <<switch visited("Time loop entry")>> <<case 0>> <<case 1>> <p>I'm feeling a powerful sense of déjà vu here.</p> <<default>> <<if $newcount neq 0>> <p>I'm feeling a powerful sense of déjà vu here.</p> <<else>> <p>This isn't just déjà vu. I'm sure of it now. I've seen all this before.</p> <<link "<p>Wait for the funny man to appear, pick something up off the floor, move across the room, close the windows, and hand me the scroll through the mailslot. Then I'll cast the spell on myself, become flat like him, and enter the apartment.</p>" "Grandma's Apartment">> <<set $visitoractions.push("The visitor is examining the window. I wonder if he can see me?")>> <<include "Advance time">> <<set $visitoractions.push("The visitor is on the front porch, idly passing time.")>> <<include "Advance time">> <<set $visitoractions.push("The visitor is whistling a tune.")>> <<include "Advance time">> <<set $visitoractions.push("The visitor is waiting on the front porch, beatboxing.")>> <<include "Advance time">> <<set $visitoractions.push("I hear the visitor out on the porch studying the SPLZZY spell. I hope he'll have an easier time figuring out what it does than I did.")>> <<include "Advance time">> <<set $visitoractions.push("I hear the visitor out on the porch casting the SPLZZY spell on himself.")>> <<include "Advance time">> <<set $exittime=$magehour*100+$mageminute>> <<set $visitoractions.push("The visitor is entering through the mailslot.")>> <<include "Advance time">> <<set $entrytime=$magehour*100+$mageminute>> <<set $action="explore">> <<set $flatstan=true>> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("SPL")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("ZZY")>> <</link>> <</if>> <</switch>> <<if visited("Grandma's porch") is 1>> <p>I've been loitering down the street most of the morning, watching the authority goons wrap grandmother's property in police tape, trying to figure some plan that I can get inside. Finally they've left the street and I've steeled up the courage to approach.</p><</if>> <p>I'm now on the front porch stoop of my grandmother's row home. The houses of the entire block are a series of narrow attached dwellings, identically painted in scaling lead monochrome. There is not even an alley between the individual units to provide side access. A cracked sidewalk runs north south. Off in the distance a <<link "public clock tower">><<parseaction _pclock>><</link>> reports <<time12h>>.</p> <p><<if $tapeclosed>>Yellow police tape crisscrosses the porch stoop and entrance. <</if>>There is a wide <<link "brass mail slot">><<parseaction _mailslot>><</link>> embedded in the front door.</p> <p>Between the door and the drainpipe is a <<link "single small window.">><<parseaction _window>><</link>><<if $curtainopen>> Through the glass, I can see movement inside.<<else>> A faded paisley curtain inside has been drawn to block my view.<</if>> <<if ($magehour*100+$mageminute) gte 1145>> <<if not $boy>> I realize I haven't even explored the window yet. <<elseif ($newcount gte 8) and (not $currentactor.spells[1].includes("ZZY"))>> I realize I haven't yet examined my own inventory and studied the purple scroll I've been given. <<elseif ($newcount gte 8) and (not $flatstan)>> I realize I haven't yet cast the new spell I learned upon the only living thing nearby: myself. <<elseif $flatstan>> I realize I am thin enough now that I could enter the house through the mailslot if I wanted. <</if>> <</if>> </p> <<if ($newcount gte 8) and (not $currentactor.spells[1].includes("ZZY"))>> <p>I'm holding a <<link "purple scroll">><<parseaction _purple>><</link>>.</p> <</if>> <</if>> /*this endif closes the 1200 test */<h3>Current Actor: Einstein</h3> <p>I am Einstein, tall and thin with blond/white hair. I cut my own hair because, why not. I don't need to shop at Costco, because I can build my own food replicator out of the parts I buy off Craigslist.</p> I am carrying:<br> &emsp;[[My father's brain]]<br> &emsp;[[A mechanical face]]<br> &emsp;[[Yew wand]]<br> <br> <<link "Look around.">><<goto $currentlocation>><</link>> /*Grandma's Apartment*/ <<set $flatstan=false>> <<set $curtainopen = true>> <<set $tapeclosed=true>> <<set $visitoractions=[]>> <<set $text="">> <<set $magehour=10>> <<set $mageminute=0>> <<set $entrytime=1000>> <<set $opentime=1000>> <<set $exittime=1000>> <<set $purplestate=0>> <<set $boy=false>> <<set $advance2=0>> <<set $quip="">> <<set $newcount=0>> <<set $nowand=false>> <<set _inv=[]>> <<set _youngrip={name:"Riptide",description:"Riptide",inventory:_inv,spells:[["MUMBLE"],["MUMBLE"]]}>> <<set $currentactor=_youngrip>> <p>The anti-wizarding authority has seized my grandmother's home and sent her to live in a detention center. I asked if I could break into the house and fetch anything for her, before the authority goons pillaged it all. She said the only thing she had of any value was her cat which she feared had been left inside without its food. So now I have to figure out how to get into the house and free her cat.</p> <<link "Continue." "Grandma's porch">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>><<set $mageminute+=1>> <<if $mageminute is 60>> <<set $mageminute=0>> <<set $magehour+=1>> <<if $magehour is 24>> <<set $magehour=0>> <</if>> <</if>> <<if $currentlocation is "Grandma's Apartment">> <p>This scroll provides instructions for casting an SPLZZY spell, the consequences of which I already understand. I don't need to study it again, but maybe the scroll would be useful to someone else?</p> <<link "Continue">><<goto $currentlocation>><</link>> <<else>> <<if visited("Purple Scroll") gt 1>> <p>This scroll provides instructions for casting SPLZZY, and though I'm feeling a powerful sense of déjà vu right now, I can't remember what it does. </p> <<else>> <p>This scroll provides instructions for casting SPLZZY, the consequences of which are not entirely clear from the textual incantation.</p> <</if>> <p>I'll go ahead and study it regardless of its use. Knowledge is power, right?</p> <<link "Continue">><<goto $currentlocation>><</link>> <<for _i to 0; _i lt $currentactor.inventory.length; _i++>> <<if $currentactor.inventory[_i].name is "Purple Scroll">> <<set _x=_i>> <</if>> <</for>> <<run $currentactor.inventory.deleteAt(_x)>> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("SPL")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("ZZY")>> <<set $text="As I complete studying the scroll it disappears, replaced by a pleasant aroma. Within the Romeo corner of my brain this familiar odor recalls the sweet smell of the Lamda Chi annual pancake breakfast fundraiser for kids who can't read so good and wanna learn to do it gooder. Now I can cast //SPLZZY//. Whatever that does.">><<set $quip= "I hear the visitor out on the porch studying the SPLZZY spell. I hope he'll have an easier time figuring out what it does than I did.">> <</if>><<widget "time12h">> <<if $magehour eq 0>> 12 <<elseif $magehour gt 12>> <<print $magehour - 12>> <<else>> <<print $magehour>> <</if>>: <<if $mageminute lt 10>>0<</if>><<print $mageminute>> <<if $magehour gte 12>>PM<<else>>AM<</if>> <</widget>> <<widget pushquip>> <<if $quip is "">> <<set $quip="The visitor is just diddling around on the front porch.">> <</if>> <<set $visitoractions.push($quip)>> <<set $quip="">> <</widget>> <<widget pullquip>> <<set $vreport=$visitoractions.shift()>> <</widget>> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<if visited("Outside the Necromancer's apartment") is 1>> <p>This neighborhood has declined since my father brought me here as a young child. It has become a wizard ghetto, rife with crime and homelessness. I’m fourteen. I've told my friends to call me Einstein because I'm better than anyone else at solving puzzles. Some of them tease me that I wasn't smart enough to save my own father. Soon they'll be eating those words. I will show the world how smart I am by bringing my father back from the dead. Then I will ask him to identify the muggles who pulled him out of that jail cell to hang him. Then I will seek my cold revenge.</p> <</if>> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> [[Climb through the basement window.|Necromancer's Workshop]]<br> <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Look through the basement window.">><p>Inside is a jumble of broken equipment. I won’t know exactly what can be salvaged until I enter. But it is obvious that vandals and thieves have already visited before me.</p><</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Outside the Necromancer's Apartment</h3> <p>Under one arm I carry a mechanical face, under the other a three gallon glass jar. The mechanical face is assembled from 3D printed plastic parts and inexpensive servo-motors. I built it myself. It doesn’t look much like my father. To be truthful, it doesn’t look quite human. The glass jar contains a human brain; my father’s brain. This is all I have left of him.</p> <p>The Necromancer lived in the basement of this urban brownstone. The whole building used to be a single family home, until the government began restricting job opportunities for wizards and the whole neighborhood went to shit. The Necromancer would know how to reanimate my father. Unfortunately the Necromancer was taken during the same purge when they took my father. But the window to his basement apartment is still open a crack and maybe I’ll find something down there which can help me.</p><<include "top post">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> [[I can go back up through the window, just as I came in.|Outside the Necromancer's apartment]] <<case "mundane">> <<if $canopen>> [[Discover the magic of the cazuela.|can open]] <<else>> [[Discover the magic of the cazuela.|can closed]] <</if>> <</switch>> <<set _cazuela={exp:"#<p>A cazuela is a wide clay dish which is traditionally used for making Spanish paellas or other baked casseroles. This one is ornately decorated, featuring elaborate abstract carvings and brightly colored glazes. Yet it has also seen much use. The pores of the clay have been well seasoned by rendered animal fat. Morsels of blackened protein still stick to the inside, together with some unusually carved objects: a set of five fist-sized regular polyhedra.</p> <p>There is a nearly five-fold symmetry to the ornamentations. A pointed star is engraved inside the base of the dish, its five arm's reaching toward the edge. Five unique glyphs appear evenly spaced around the perimeter, at the end of each point. <<if $canleg>>These glyphs have resolved into recognizable syllables: XY, VERD, SPL, FER, and GAI <<else>>The glyphs must be letters of some ancient language, but not one I recognize or understand.<</if>></p>[[Discover the magic of the cazuela.|can open]]<br>",elmnt:"supernatural",XYACK:"#<p><<if $canleg>>The glyphs painted on the lid are already familiar to me: <<else>>The glyphs around the lid of the cazuela resolve into recognizable syllables: <</if>>XY, VERD, SPL, FER, and GAI.<<set $canleg=true>></p><<set $action=\"Explore\">>",UNXYACK:"#<p><<if $canleg>>The glyphs blur, such that they are no longer legible to me.<<else>>The glyphs are already illegible to me.<</if>><<set $canleg=false>></p>"}>> <<set _tome={exp:"Tome of Necromancy",elmnt:"plant",VERDACK:"#<p><<if $tomeleg>>The tome is already written in my native language. My task now is to study it until I understand the summoning spell.<<else>>The encrypted letters of the tome flip rapidly, like the pictures in a slot machine after the lever has been pulled. After time these settle into words I can mostly comprehend. Jackpot!<<set $tomeleg =true>><</if>></p><<set $action=\"Explore\">>",UNVERDACK:"#<p><<if $tomeleg>>The letters of the tome flip back to their encrypted positions.<<set $tomeleg=false>><<else>>The tome is already encrypted, indecipherable to me.<</if>></p>"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Necromancer's Workshop</h3> <p>The Necromancer's lab is a shambles: broken glassware, spilled reagents, pages torn from books and books thrown off their shelves. I don't think it has been just one vandal down here visiting, but a series of them: naive curiosity seekers followed by more malevolent spirits. I can feel them still lingering.</p> <p>One corner of the room appears less damaged than the rest, perhaps protected from the trespassers by a spell of warding. I am no vandal; I can pass through. A <<link "hand written tome">><<parseaction _tome>><</link>> is held open on a carved wooden bookstand. Below this, propped up on bricks, is a <<link "cazuela, with its lid propped to the side">><<parseaction _cazuela>><</link>>.</p> <p>The clock face is protected by a curved glass window which swings open on a set of delicate brass hinges. But as soon as I've done this, the pendulum stops and the room falls silent. I hope I haven't broken anything. The whole world stands motionless, waiting for me to reset time.</p> <div class='signage'> <h1> <<include "change time" >> </h1> </div> <<link "<p>Close the clock face window and restart the pendulum.</p>" "time travel">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> /*<<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> */<span id='thischange'> <<set _ampm="am">> <<set _texthour=$magehour>> <<if _texthour eq 24>> <<elseif _texthour gte 12 >> <<set _ampm="pm">> <</if>> <<if _texthour gte 13>> <<set _texthour=$magehour-12>> <</if>> <<if $magehour is 0>> <<set _texthour=12>> <<set _ampm="am">> <</if>> <<link "&uarr;hour">> <<if $magehour gte 24>> <<set $magehour=1>> <<else>> <<set $magehour+=1>> <</if>> <<replace `thischange`>> <<include "change time" >> <</replace>> <</link>> <<if $mageminute lt 10>> <<set _textmin= "0"+$mageminute>> <<else>> <<set _textmin= $mageminute>> <</if>> <<link "&uarr;minute">> <<set $mageminute+=1>> <<if $mageminute gte 60>><<set $mageminute=0>> <</if>> <<replace `thischange`>> <<include "change time">> <</replace>> <</link>><br> _texthour : _textmin _ampm <br> <<link "&darr;hour">> <<if $magehour lt 1>> <<set $magehour=23>> <<else>> <<set $magehour-=1>> <</if>> <<replace `thischange`>> <<include "change time" >> <</replace>> <</link>> <<if $mageminute lt 10>> <<set _textmin= "0"+$mageminute>> <<else>> <<set _textmin= $mageminute>> <</if>> <<link "&darr;minute">> <<set $mageminute-=1>> <<if $mageminute lt 0>><<set $mageminute=59>> <</if>> <<replace `thischange`>> <<include "change time">> <</replace>> <</link>><br> </span><<set _arrival=1000>> I close the delicate clock window. The floor rumbles, as if shaken by an earthquake or by the startup of a massive power station generator. These vibrations last only briefly, knocking the pendulum back into motion. <<set _thistime=100*$magehour+$mageminute>> <<if _thistime lt 700 or _thistime gt 1900>> <p>The sky is dark now and I am no longer alone. Anti-wizarding goons have quartered here for the night. It takes only the slightest movement to rouse them to attention and then rather quickly they have handcuffed me to the radiator.</p> <p>From everywhere comes a deafening shriek of misaligned machine parts grinding to a stop. [[Spacetime has fractured|Time loop entry]].</p> <<elseif _thistime lt 1000>> <p>The room is crawling with anti-wizarding goons dressed in their stark gray uniforms. The angle of the sun through the open shades indicates an earlier time of morning. Weren't those shades closed just a second ago? The goons weren't here a second ago either, and they seem every bit as surprised as I am by their sudden materialization. It isn't long before the sharpest of them regains her composure and handcuffs me to the radiator.</p> <p>From everywhere comes a deafening shriek of misaligned machine parts grinding to a stop. [[Spacetime has fractured|Time loop entry]].</p> <<elseif _thistime lt $opentime>> <p>Grandmother’s black cat appears mysteriously from nowhere as black cats are wont to do. She paces back and forth, rubbing against my leg.</p> <p>Simultaneously a purple scroll appears from nowhere, positioned on the floor near the ratty cloth sofa. It looks familiar to me, like the one that I received out on the porch earlier this morning. Unlike cats, scrolls are not known to appear from nowhere.</p><<set $purplestate=1>> <p>The window shade is now open.</p> <p>A little round boy is out on the porch stoop. He too looks familiar, though I can’t place him right away. I freeze in place for what- a minute? or more? When I realize he is looking at me also, the paralysis ends. </p><<set _thistime =$opentime>> <<set $advance2=1>> <<set $curtainopen=true>> <<link "Continue." "Grandma's Apartment">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <<elseif _thistime is $opentime>> <p>Grandmother’s black cat appears mysteriously from nowhere as black cats are wont to do. She paces back and forth, rubbing against my leg.</p> <p>Simultaneously a purple scroll appears from nowhere, positioned on the floor near the ratty cloth sofa. It looks familiar to me, like the one that I received out on the porch earlier this morning. Unlike cats, scrolls are not known to appear from nowhere.</p><<set $purplestate=1>> <p>The window shade is now open.</p> <p>A little round boy is out on the porch stoop. He too looks familiar, though I can’t place him right away.</p> <<set $advance2=1>> <<set $curtainopen=true>> <<link "Continue." "Grandma's Apartment">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <<elseif _thistime lte $entrytime>> <p>A duplicate me appears in the room, while a third me is standing out on the porch. All three of us stare at one another, mouths agape.</p> <p>From everywhere comes a deafening shriek of misaligned machine parts grinding to a stop. [[Spacetime has fractured|Time loop entry]].</p> <<elseif _thistime lt 1200>> <p>The room looks little different than before, though the length of the shadows through the windows might have shifted just a bit. Still, no cat in sight. </p> <<link "Continue." "Grandma's Apartment">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <<else>> <p>The room is crawling with anti-wizarding goons dressed in their stark gray uniforms. The angle of the sun through the open shades indicates a later time in the afternoon. Weren't those shades closed just a second ago? The goons weren't here a second ago either, and they seem every bit as surprised as I am by their sudden materialization. They outnumber me, and it isn't long before the sharpest of them regains her composure and handcuffs me to the radiator.</p> <p>From everywhere comes a deafening shriek of misaligned machine parts grinding to a stop. [[Spacetime has fractured|Time loop entry]].</p> <</if>> <<run UIBar.unstow()>> <<set $exall = 0>> <<set $savewand=false>> <<set $newcount=0>> <<set $action="explore">> <p>Suddenly I’m teleported to the pledge lounge in the basement of our chapter house. Pledgemaster Caveman is standing across from me with a stack of open training manuals.</p> <p> <<if visited("Fourth Wall") lt 2>> "Good God, Romeo, what magic have you wrought? You’ve broken the fourth wall. But no worries, I’ll help you fix it then send you back where you belong. But first, see this [[continue link|Pledge Lounge]]? You’ll need to click that." <<else>>"Back again? No worries. Join me in the [[pledge lounge|Pledge Lounge]]." <<set $newcount=11>> <</if>> </p> <img src="caveman.jpg" alt="Caveman image" width="330" height="396"> <<for _i to 0; _i lt $currentactor.inventory.length; _i++>> <<if $currentactor.inventory[_i].name is "Willow Branch">> <<set _x=_i>> <</if>> <</for>> <<if def _x>> <<run $currentactor.inventory.deleteAt(_x)>> <</if>> <<if $nowand is false>><<set $savewand=true>><<set $nowand=true>> <</if>><<include "top post">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> <<if $newcount lt 6>> <p>"Slow down there Cowboy! We'll practice with //Go// and other //Actions// later in this tutorial. Focus on the //Explore// button and highlighted text links for now."</p> <<else>> [[Go to the other end of the room toward the staircase.|Pledge Staircase]]<br> <</if>> <<case "mundane">> <<if $newcount lt 6>> <p>"Slow down there Cowboy! We'll practice with //Go// and other //Actions// later in this tutorial. Focus on the //Examine// button and highlighted text links for now."</p> <<else>> <<linkreplace "Play a round of pool.<br>">><p>I have practiced so long and hard on this table that I can start a ball on my end, bank the shot off the right edge, hit the saucer shaped depression on the opponent’s side at just the right speed that my ball orbits around that depression, changes direction, banks off the left side, and rolls smoothly into the pocket back on my own end of the table.</p> <p>An impressive shot, and one that definitely excites the ladies of the visiting sorority, especially as it scores a point for their team when I sink a ball back into my own pocket.</p> <<if $fixT>><p>>I might be unable to repeat this shot now that the table is repaired.</p><</if>> <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Trace my finger along the vine which decorates the back of the metal bench.<br>">><p>Sometimes I like to follow one of the twisted vines with my fingertip, to see if it ever ends, but Brother Caveman has cautioned the pledges that this could give us tetanus.</p><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <</switch>> <<set _caveman={exp:"#<p>A Pledgemaster’s role in the fraternity is to guide pledges through their initiation period: teaching us the pledge song, chapter history, and arcane neo-pagan rites.</p> <p>Caveman is an awesome pledgemaster. Strict but caring, he demonstrates unlimited patience toward even the dullest pledge. He inspires me to want to be a pledgemaster someday. He’s a big fellow, tall and heavy, with curly unshorn black hair and a wild beard that nearly reaches his belly.</p><<set $exall |= 1>>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"#<p>Caveman’s oak wand ejects a purple spray. Caveman takes the hit.</p> <p>\"Nice air. If this were an actual paintball tournament, that would have scored a point. Which means you’re ready to go back to tournament. Enter the planar curtain whenever you're ready.\"</p><<set $newcount=11>>" }>> <<set _bench={exp:"#<p>The wrought iron of this patio bench has been forged into a traditional pattern of tangled ivy. This twisting vine, painted with chipped white enamel, branches off into leaves and buds but the main vine which loops to form the seat and backrest has no apparent beginning nor end.</p><<set $exall |= 2>>",elmnt:"metal", SPLORT:"#<p>The wand does nothing.</p> <p>Caveman chuckles. \"I was just kidding when I asked you to target a non-animal object with your spell. SPLORT only works on people and animals. You could even select yourself as a target, by clicking on your name in the upper right corner. That may be useful, for some types of spells. But with SPLORT, you’re better off targeting another player. Try targeting me.\"</p><<if $newcount lt 11>><<set $newcount=10>><</if>> ",FERAREN:"#<<if $fixB is true>><p>I have already repaired the bench.</p><<else>><p>I cast FERAREN. The rust on the bench fades away. Caveman gives me a nod of respect.</p><<set $fixB=true>><<include \"repairall\">><</if>>"}>> <<set _table={exp:"#<p>The legs on the home team side of the table are a centimeter shorter than those on the visitor’s end. Whatever slight advantage this offers the home team is then offset by the torn felt and irregular divots guarding the single pocket on the visitor’s side of the table. One of the pool cues is curved at the middle, and one of the visitor’s five balls is missing from the set. I can’t imagine why our neighbors left such a fine bumper pool in the trash.</p><<set $exall |= 4>>",elmnt:"plant",VERDAREN:"#<<if $fixT is true>><p>I have already repaired the table.</p><<else>><p>All the defects of the pool table are repaired. The legs change length to level the table. The felt ripples back to flat. Caveman gives me a nod of respect.</p><<set $fixT=true>><<include \"repairall\">><</if>>"}>> <<if $exall is 7 and $newcount is 5>><<set $newcount+=1>><</if>> <<switch $newcount>> <<case 0>> <p>Caveman begins his instruction: "Actually, you should know that you can break the fourth wall any time you like by opening and closing the left sidebar using the button near the top corner. Try it."</p> <p>"Then when you’re ready, tap <<link "Continue" "Pledge Lounge">><<set $newcount+=1>><</link>>"</p> <<case 1>> <p>"The left side bar contains out-of-game commands like save, restore, undo, hints, and a link to replay this tutorial. The game is saved using cookies, so you’ll need to have cookies enabled."</p> <p>[A jar appears]</p> <p>"No, Romeo, not those kinds of cookies! Cookies are tiny packets of data that are stored in your browser."</p> <<link "Continue" "Pledge Lounge">><<set $newcount+=1>><</link>> <<case 2>> <<run UIBar.stow()>> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <p>"Here, I’ve closed the left side bar for you, and opened the right side bar which contains all your in-game commands. First examine yourself. (click on the link with your name). Then from that screen, click on the links to examine each item in your inventory. Then to come back to me, hit the name of the current location in the right side bar."</p><<set $newcount +=1>> <<case 3>><p>"Click on your name in the right side bar. If you've done that already, click <<link "continue" "Pledge Lounge">><<set $newcount+=1>><</link>> to move on."</p> <<case 4>> <p>Caveman continues his instruction "When //Explore// is selected, the links on the main screen will respond to your clicks by giving you descriptions. Try this: Examine all three objects in this room. Once you’ve examined all three, I’m going to give you some new actions to try".</p><<set $newcount+=1>> <<case 5>> <<case 6>> <p>"Congratulations, you've examined all three objects. The //Go// and //Action// commands give you other game play choices. You can try them now, while you’re here in the safety of the pledge lounge. Click on the options in each."</p><<set $newcount +=1>> <<case 7>> <<case 8>> <<set $nowand=false>> <p>Now I’m going to let you borrow my wand. Push the //Cast// button to set the current action to cast spell.</p><<set $newcount +=1>> <<case 9>> <<if $action is "cast">><p>"Toggle the syllables to set the spell to match the spell you read about in the paintball contract in your inventory. Finally, click one of the links on the main screen to target your spell at the park bench."</p><</if>> <<case 10>> <<case 11>> <p>A ghostly white curtain hangs in the air near the hot water heater. I could <<link "enter" $romeolocation>> <<set $currentlocation=$romeolocation>> <<if $savewand is true>> <<set _willow={name:"Willow Branch",description:"Willow Branch"}>> <<set $currentactor.inventory.push(_willow)>> <<set $nowand=false>> <<else>> <<set $nowand=true>> <</if>> <<unset $exall>> <<unset $savewand>> <<set $action="explore">> <</link>> this to return to the paintball tournament.</p> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Pledge Lounge</h3> <<if $newcount lt 4>> <p>Pledgemaster Caveman is here with a stack of training manuals. The pledge lounge is a dank room in the basement of the chapter house next to our leaking hot water heater. The sump pump turns on and off cyclically, about once every fifteen minutes. We pledges have furnished our room with a warped bumper pool table and a rusted metal park bench both of which we salvaged from the dumpster of a wealthier neighboring fraternity while they were away on holiday in The Seychelles.</p> <<else>> <p><<link "Pledgemaster Caveman">><<parseaction _caveman>><</link>> is here with a stack of training manuals. The pledge lounge is a dank room in the basement of the chapter house next to our leaking hot water heater. The sump pump turns on and off cyclically, about once every fifteen minutes. We pledges have furnished our room with a <<link "warped bumper pool table">><<parseaction _table>><</link>><<if $fixT>> (since repaired)<</if>> and a <<link "rusted metal park bench">><<parseaction _bench>><</link>><<if $fixB>> (since repaired)<</if>>, both of which we salvaged from the dumpster of a wealthier neighboring fraternity while they were away on holiday in The Seychelles.</p> <</if>> <img src="caveman.jpg" alt="Caveman image" width="330" height="396"> <<if $newcount lt 8>><<set $newcount =8>><</if>> <<include "top post">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> [[Return to the pledge lounge.|Pledge Lounge]] <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Search under the staircase">> <<set $currenticon=14>> <<set _searchtext= "<<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is false>> a highly collectable presidential icon!<p> <<include \"examine icon\">> </p> <<else>>nothing else. <</if>> ">> Searching the dark recesses under the staircase, I find <<cycle "_answer" once>> <<option "a fidget spinner with red LED lights.">> <<option "a pack of Magic the Gathering playing cards, with all the premium cards removed.">> <<option "a rubics cube.">> <<option "a worn first edition copy of the Dungeon Master's Guide, from before a group of Muggles who called themselves Wizards of the Coast took over.">> <<option "a discarded pet rock. I hope someone has been remembering to feed it all these years.">> <<option "a Ouija board. This one feels depleted of most of its magical power, and will probably need at least one of the two players pushing the planchette deliberately for it to work.">> <<option "a lava lamp with a damaged cord. Stuck to that is an IOU from a pawn shop owner. It says //with interest compounded. //''FR''//emont //''47025''.">> <<option "a ball of silly putty, inked with a newspaper image of L'il Abner and the Shmoo.">> <<option "a magic eightball toy. Few Muggles realize that the magic eight ball toy is actually a reliable scryer of mystic wisdom.">> <<option "a Slinky, all tangled up, of course.">> <<option "a hoola hoop.">> <<option "a wooden yo-yo.">> <<option _searchtext>> <</cycle>> <p>Caveman calls to me "Romeo, what do you think you're looking for back there?" </p> <<if _answer is "nothing." >> <<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is false>> <p>No, wait, there is one more thing here. A presidential icon! a presidential icon!. <<include "examine icon">> </p> <</if>><</if>> <</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Pledge Staircase</h3> <p>A rickety set of wooden steps leads up to the main part of the chapter house. This corner of the basement is dark.</p> <p>Caveman calls to me from the other end of the basement (which is marginally better illuminated than this end) "Hey, Romeo, get back here. I'm not finished giving you your tutorial yet."</p><<if $currentactor.name is "Romeo">> <<link "Tutorial" >> <<if (passage() is "Pledge Lounge") or (passage() is "Pledge Staircase") or (passage() is "Fourth Wall") or (passage() is "duotutorial")>> <<goto "duotutorial">> <<else>> <<set $romeolocation=$currentlocation>> <<set $currentlocation = "Pledge Lounge">> <<goto "Fourth Wall">> <</if>> <</link>> <</if>> [[Credits]] [[Notes]]<<set $loctitle="Immigration Office">> <p> Mama and I are the next in line. The immigration officer asks the same question. "Name?"</p> <p> "Maria Kavminiuk. This is my son Claude."</p> <p> "Kavminiuk? Too hard to say. You’re ‘Caveman’ in this country. It says here, you are wizards seeking refuge."</p> <p> Mother answers in her broken English, "That is mistake. We are good muggles who are displaced from our homeland by warlords."</p> <p> "Muggles?" The immigration officer asks, with a cocked eye.</p> <p> "Non-magic users, I mean. My English is not so good."</p> <p> The officer looks at us with the deepest suspicion. Did Mama tip them off to the truth by calling us muggles? After nearly a minute, he stamps our papers and tells us to enter the room at the right. [[Next|Immigration Office3]]!"</p> <<set $loctitle="Immigration Office">> <<include "top post">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> <<linkreplace "Exit the quarantine room.">><p>Mama pulls me back. "We have to wait here for a while. Keep practicing your spells."</p><</linkreplace>> <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Kiss Mama.">><p>I wrap my arms around Mama and kiss her on the cheek. "I love you, Mama."</p><p>She returns the embrace. "I love you even more, pumpkin."</p><</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<if visited("Immigration Office3") is 1>> <p> Now we are surrounded by the other refugees. My mother- my protector- pulls me close to the soft warm folds of her robe and gives me something she’s been hiding there. "Don’t let anyone see this." She whispers. I sense she means anyone, not even the other refugees in the room. She gives me a short maple staff, stained a deep oily umber and engraved with elaborate images on all five sides. Some of these engravings I understand immediately. The story of Grandpa building a system of channels to irrigate our community farm. This is a totem of our family history. Other pictures and stories I’ll have to ask her about later.</p> <p> "This is my wand, passed down to me from my grandmother. Your wand now. May I teach you some magic?"</p> <p>I nod, eagerly.</p> <p> "SPLAREN is a spell to repair wool clothing, among its other applications, but cast VERDAREN if you need to mend cotton, or FERAREN if you're working with chainmail. Not that you would. VERDIC is the spell to unseal the window above so we can get some fresh air in here, but you could use the same spell to open a book, assuming it isn't printed on vellum. Then cast VERDACK to read the book. Am I going too fast? I worry that we won't have much more time together."</p><p>Mama takes a deep breath. "Spellcasting is like poetry. You can blend and mix the syllables to compose new spells. Let me hear you practice. Begin by repairing your tunic."</p> <<set _spells=[["MUMBLE","SPL","FER","VERD"],["MUMBLE","AREN","ACK","IC"]]>> <<set $currentactor.spells=_spells>> <<set $nowand=false>> <</if>> <<set _boards={exp:"#<p><<if ndef $boardfix>>Solid plywood sheets cover the only obvious window, located near the top of the wall, far out of reach from either me or anyone else in the room.<<else>>The plywood covering the windows has been reduced to splinters. Now the window is open, allowing in fresh air and sunlight.<</if>></p>",elmnt:"plant",VERDAREN:"#<p><<if ndef $boardfix>>The boards over the windows are solid and already free from damage. A VERDAREN spell can't improve them any further.<<else>>Splinters reassemble into plywood, undoing my earlier spell. Mama sighs.<<unset $boardfix>><</if>></p>",VERDIC:"#<<if ndef $boardfix>><p>The plywood panel dissolves into splinters. Now there is a little gap in the wall for fresh air and sunlight to enter the room. Mama claps her hands. \"Fresh air. Wonderful. Now read the sign.\"</p><p>\"I don't know the language.\"</p><p>\"Use magic to read the sign.\"</p><<set $boardfix=true>><<else>>The boards are already in splinters.<</if>>"}>> <<set _mama={exp:"#<p>Mama is young, but already has wrinkles. My father died before I was born. Life since then has been hard for Mama.</p>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLAREN:"#<p>I cast the repair flesh spell at Mama. Mama says \"That's kind of you darling, but I'm not really injured.\"</p>",SPLACK:"SPLACK Mama"}>> <<set _sign={exp:"#<p>I am only a beginning reader in my native language and this sign is written with foreign symbols. From the arrangement of lines, it appears it may be some kind of poem.</p>",elmnt:"metal",FERAREN:"#<p>The bronze sign is already the most highly polished monument in the room.</p>",FERACK:"Immigration Office4"}>> <<set _tunic={exp:"#<p>I've had the tunic for as long as I can remember and it only still fits me because it was much too large to begin with. <<if $soiledtunic>>The fabric is soiled and worn.<</if>></p>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLAREN:"#<<if $soiledtunic>><p> Mama guides me to hold the staff in the correct direction, then we quietly recite these strange syllables in unison. The cloth immediately begins to mend itself. The individual wool fibers weave in and out past one another, but the overall affect is that the cloth appears to ripple. At the same time, all the various stains accumulated over the years of work and play dissolve into the air itself, until the tunic is as white and fresh as if it had never been worn.</p><<set $soiledtunic=false>> <p> \"New clothes for a new country. Next, open those windows and get some fresh air in here.\" Mama encourages me to continue practicing.</p><<else>>The tunic is already as fresh as the day it was shaved from the back of a sheep. Maybe even fresher than that.<</if>>",SPLIC:"#SPLIC:<p>Suddenly, my tunic has open pockets. Not that these will be much use to me, since I own nothing to store in them.</p>",SPLACK:"#<p>Briefly I inhabit the mind of a sheep, grazing in the mountain highlands. The feeling quickly passes.</p>"}>> <<include topbox>> <h1>Refugee Quarantine Room</h1> <p>The room crowded and foul smelling, as one might expect in a room filled with refugees who have not bathed or eaten properly since we left port on the other side of the Atlantic.</p> <p>There are two doors into the room; the one we entered by, and the one we might hopefully pass through to our new home. A <<link "bronze sign">><<parseaction _sign>><</link>> hangs over the exit door. <<if ndef $boardfix>> The room has no windows, save for one out of reach near the ceiling which has been <<link "boarded over by plywood.">><<parseaction _boards>><</link>> <<else>> The room has a single window up near the ceiling, from which I have recently removed the <<link "plywood.">><<parseaction _boards>><</link>> Because of my actions, the room now has sunlight and fresh air.<</if>> <<link "Mama">><<parseaction _mama>><</link>> stands nearby, protecting me.</p> <p>I am wearing a <<if $soiledtunic>>worn<<else>>fresh new<</if>> <<link "wool tunic">><<parseaction _tunic>><</link>>.</p><<if visited("SPLACK Mama") is 1>> <h1>Mud Hovel</h1> <p>The scene is fuzzy and unstable, a memory within a memory. Maria is in a mud hovel. Her infant child, Claude, is sleeping nearby in a box filled with straw. Maria casts "VERDIC" on her own wand. A secret compartment opens at the end, into which Maria inserts a valued tchotchke of some kind. She then reseals the wand, such that the seam is no longer visible.</p> <p>Maria feels a sudden chill, aware that someone may be spying on her from another plane of existence. Hoping to distract the unseen observer, <<link "she directs a SPLACK spell onto her sleeping boy." "Immigration Office3">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> </p> <<else>> Perhaps it is not wise to cast //SPLACK// recursively. My vision flickers simultaneously between the mud hovel and the [[refugee quarantine room.|Immigration Office3]] <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</if>><<set $loctitle="Immigration Office">> FERACK<br> <p>The sign blurs, then sharpens.</p> <div class= 'signage'> "Give me your tired, your poor,<br> Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,<br> The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.<br> Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,<br> I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"<br> (The New Colossus, 1883) </div> <p>Mama beams, "Now you know how to read."</p> <p>There is a commotion by the wall. "That boy is casting spells. He’s a warlock."</p> <p>A pair of immigration agents grab my mother roughly by the shoulders and pull her out of the room. A third officer notices the wand, which is still in my hand. There is an ensuing tug-o-war between us, as one of the agents attempt to pull the maple staff out of my hands, while another standing behind me puts his arms around my chest and pulls my full body in the other direction.</p> <p>I continue to grip the wand with all my strength, but when the agent holding me from behind lifts my feet off the ground, the wood begins to slip. The wand is wrenched from my grasp, but not without leaving behind a long maple splinter beneath the skin between my left thumb and forefinger.</p> <p>The pair of officers then drag me out of the refugee quarantine area into an isolation cell, away from my mother or anyone else.</p> <<set $splinterout=false>> <<link "Continue" "Isolation Cell">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<include "top post">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> <<if $cellopen is false>> There is no visible way to escape this place. The door is locked. <<else>> [[Exit through the large blast hole in the wall.|Caveman's denouement]] <</if>> <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Open the cell door">> <<if $cellopen is false>> Worth a try, right? I run my finger along the thin crack in the wall. There is no inward facing door handle or visible latch. I can't even tell which direction this //door// might swing open, if it opens at all. <<else>> There really is no more door to open. [[Exit through the large blast hole in the wall.|Caveman's denouement]] <</if>> <</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<set _splinter={exp:"#<p>A maple splinter, left behind when the immigration agents took my mother's wand, is lodged deep under my skin between my thumb and forefinger.</p>",elmnt:"plant",VERDAREN:"#<p>The splinter grows in length and girth, slowly at first, then accelerating. My skin tears apart, bleeding. Next the sinews, muscles, and underlying bone are also flayed. I howl in agony, but not even sound can penetrate the walls of this prison.<<set $handinjured=true>><<set $splinterout=true>></p>",VERDIC:"#<p>It's just a splinter now, too small and insubstantial to opened or closed.</p>"}>> <<set _wand={exp:"#<p>The wand is made of maple, about half a meter in length, carved on all five sides with representations of my family's history. Most of these stories are unfamiliar to me. Maybe my mother could explain, if I am ever reunited with her.</p>",elmnt:"plant",VERDAREN:"#<p>The wand has already been restored to its full power and beauty.</p>.",VERDIC:"#<p>Although I had not noticed before, the handle end of the wand is encircled by the tiniest seam, concealing a threaded hiding space inside the wand. With the casting of the VERDIC spell, the secret cap unscrews, a valuable Presidential icon falls out, and then the wand reassembles. Although I can't think what use this is to me now, I keep it.</p> <<examicon \"takeicon\" 9>><<set $iconinv[9]=true>>"}>> <<set _door={exp:"#<p><<if $cellopen is false>>The small seam in the metal might be a door, but there is no obvious way to open.<<else>>Where there once was only a door, is now a large jagged exit hole which looks like it was rend open with explosives.<</if>></p>",elmnt:"metal",FERIC:"#<<if $splinterout is false>><p>The tiny splinter in my finger wiggles but does not hold enough spell casting power to open such an impenetrable door right now.</p><<elseif $handinjured is true>>My arm is torn open and bleeding. I feel weak. Opening the door is not my first concern.<<else>>The door buckles, then flies outward, as if struck by a cannon. This leaves a wide blast hole I could use to [[escape|Caveman's denouement]]. <<set $cellopen =true>><</if>>"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Isolation Cell</h3> <p>The cell is no wider than I am long. All walls are a continuous panel of metal. Probably stone or something even more solid behind that. <<if not $cellopen>>There is only the thinnest crack where a <<link "door">><<parseaction _door>><</link>> might open to the outside.<<else>>There is a wide blast hole where a <<link "door">><<parseaction _door>><</link>> used to stand.<</if>></p> <p> <<if $splinterout is false>> My wand has been taken from me. All I have left of it is a <<link "painful splinter">><<parseaction _splinter>><</link>> lodged between my thumb and finger, although that alone may be enough to allow casting a few simple spells. <<else>> I wield my family's <<link "ancestral wand">><<parseaction _wand>><</link>>, now restored to its full power. <</if>> <<if $handinjured is true>> Yet I am also gravely injured, and unlikely able to do anything else until I can be healed. <</if>></p><h1>@@color:neonorange;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>I am growing in confidence with my spellcasting.</p> <p>Riptide has a twinkle in his eye as he says to me "Well played, Pledge." Then he fades from the scene.</p> <p>The skycaster above us booms his announcement, "Brother Riptide has been Splorted by Pledge Romeo. Brother Riptide will spend the rest of the tournament in the concessions area. Congratulations to Pledge Romeo."</p> <<include "points tally">> <p>Another Splort. Wow that was exciting.</p> <<set $defeated +=1>> <<set $riptidecycle=0>> <<link "Continue from here." $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>><br> or<br> <<link "Visit Riptide in the concessions area." "Concessions">><<set $elevated=false>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>><br><span id="header"></span> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> These clouds don't look like they would support much weight if I started walking across them. The only way to go is [[back down the vine|Forest in July]]. <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Think about the clouds.">>The clouds remind me of the cotton candy they sell during the Greek week carnival.<</linkreplace>><br> <<if $iconinv[10] is false>> <<linkreplace "Stroke the pegasus on the mane.">>"I'm very touch sensitive." The pegasus complains. "Would you please not do that."<</linkreplace>><br> <</if>> <</switch>> <<set _pegasus={exp:"#<p>The pegasus is blue. Not in a literal sense. In a literal sense it is pink, and winged, and looks like one of the beasts from the \"My Little Pony\" cartoons which Brother Booger watches when he’s stoned. What spell could I cast to entertain him?</p>",elmnt:"supernatural",XYZZY:"#<p>The pegasus passes gas, releasing the loudest horse fart I have ever heard. The clouds beneath him part with the passing of wind, and the beast must flap its wings to stay afloat. It cracks a smile. Then farts again and starts laughing. \"Do you think I could fart Beethoven’s fifth?\" it asks.</p> <p>I express my doubts.</p> <p>But then it proceeds to fart Beethoven’s fifth, all forty minutes. I interrupt him toward the end. \"I need to get back to my paintball tournament.\"</p> <p>\"You don’t like my performance?\"</p> <p>\"No, you are a wonderfully talented flatulist. The best I’ve ever heard. But this is not what I was expecting as the reward you promised.\"</p> <p>\"Maybe this instead?\" The pegasus gives me a presidential icon, which I accept. Then he completes the rest of his symphony. I offer my applause, and the Pegasus flies off into the sunset.</p><<examicon \"takeicon\" 10>> ",XYORT:"#The pegasus is already on his own plain of existence, and cannot be banished.",XYAREN:"#The wounds this beast is suffering are emotional, not physical.",XYIC:"#The pegasus is already unhappy. I do not think it would make them happier to magically slice it open."}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>In the Clouds</h3> <p>The clouds are pink and blue, fluffy as the cotton candy they sell at the street carnival during Greek Week.<<if $iconinv[10] is false>> A despondent pink <<link "pegasus">><<parseaction _pegasus>><</link>> floats nearby. "I'm feeling sad. What can you do to entertain me? I'll reward you if you can make me smile."<</if>></p> <<set $currenticon=19>> <<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is false>> <p>There is a presidential icon nearby.</p> <<include "examine icon">> <</if>><<unset $pl4>> <<unset $pl6>> <<unset $pl8>> <<unset $pl12>> <<unset $pl20>> <<unset $cancenter>> <<unset $canopen>> <<unset $canleg>> <<unset $tomeleg>> <<unset $light>> <<unset $ritualstate>> <p>"You wouldn’t dare" the demon threatens, but even as he says this, his face is shrinking and his essence is being sucked back into the sealed cazuela. Had the necromancer really killed my father? I don’t know. I realize it doesn’t matter. It is appropriate for me to seek justice, but I understand now that there is a limit to what justice can possibly be achieved while we are still on this plane. I can never have my father back.</p> <<set $currentactor=$romeo>> <<set $currentlocation=$romeolocation>> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("XY")>> <<set $currentactor.spells.push(["->","UN"])>> [[The Romeo side of my brain regains control|Romeo's arc]] /* <<set $currenticon=16>> <<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is false>> <<examicon "takeicon" $currenticon>> <</if>> */ <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> [[Exit the phone booth|Concessions]] <<case "mundane">> /*Jenny 8675309*/ /*Chinese fortune 8833388*/ /*old radio station Beechwood 4-5789*/ /*pawn shop FR47025*/ Picking up the phone, I hear the mechanical voice of a robo-operator: Please enter the number <<button "you wish to call.">> <<set _input = _input.replace(/-/g, "")>> <<if _input.length gt 7>> <<replace "#thisoutput">><br>The operator's mechanical voice warns me "Additional charges apply to numbers longer than seven digits."<</replace>> <<elseif["911"].includes(_input)>> <<replace "#thisoutput">><br>The operator's mechanical voice warns me "911 is for emergency calls only. Your silly paintball game is not an emergency."<</replace>> <<elseif["5551212", "411", "0"].includes(_input)>> <<replace "#thisoutput">><br>The operator's mechanical voice warns me "Additional charges apply to directory information calls."<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length lt 7>> <<replace "#thisoutput">><br>The operator's mechanical voice warns me "Valid phone numbers have a minimum of seven digits."<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 7>> <<replace "#thisoutput">><br>The operator's mechanical voice warns me "Additional charges apply to numbers longer than seven digits."<</replace>> <<elseif ["8675309"].includes(_input.toLowerCase())>> <<replace "#thisoutput">> <br> <<if $iconinv[3] is true>> Nobody answers the phone. Jenny must be in Buffalo already. <<elseif def $fromJ>> <p>Jenny answers sounding impatient, "I'm waiting for you in the parking lot already. Hurry up Romeo!"</p> <<else>> <p>Jenny answers the phone breathlessly, "Romeo, is that you? Oh, I'm so happy to hear from you, but why did you wait so long to call? Do you even remember how we met, after that disastrous parade? Where are you calling from? <p>I tell her.</p> <p>"Well meet me in the parking lot as soon as possible. I want to give you something I think you'll like." Without further explanation, she hangs up.</p> <<set $fromJ=true>> <</if>> <</replace>> <<elseif ["8833388"].includes(_input.toLowerCase())>> <<replace "#thisoutput">><br>The operator's mechanical voice warns me "This number is not in service." Really, what did I think was going to happen if I dialed some random number from a Chinese paper fortune? <<if $iconinv[13] is false>>That a valuable presidential icon would fall out of the sky and hit me on the head?<<set $fromsky=true>><</if>><</replace>> <<elseif ["be45789", "2345789"].includes(_input.toLowerCase())>> <<set $currenticon=16>> <<replace "#thisoutput">> <br> <<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is true>> <p>A radio announcer picks up the phone. "Thank you for listening to KWIZ radio, where the oldies never die. Sorry, we're no longer taking calls for our call in contest."</p> <<else>> <p>A radio announcer picks up the phone. "Congratulations, you are the nineteenth caller! You win a collectable presidential icon. Thank you for listening to KWIZ radio, where the oldies never die."</p> <p>Moments later an unmarked van parks just outside the phone booth with my delivery.</p> <<set $iconinv[$currenticon]=true>> <<examicon "takeicon" $currenticon>> <</if>> <</replace>> <<elseif ["3747025", "fr47025"].includes(_input.toLowerCase())>> <<set $currenticon=20>> <<replace "#thisoutput">> <br> <p>"Louie's Pawn Shop. Louie here. Watcha want?"</p> <p>"I found an IOU from your pawn shop, dated about fifty years ago. Within interest."</p> <<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is true>> <p>"I paid that off already. Don't be a jerk." Louie hangs up.</p> <<else>> <p>"Oh shit. That must be worth a fortune now. Will you take merchandise as payment?"</p> <p>"Do you have any presidential icons?"</p> <p>Moments later an unmarked van parks just outside the phone booth with my delivery.</p> <<set $iconinv[$currenticon]=true>> <<examicon "takeicon" $currenticon>> <</if>> <</replace>> <<elseif ["5557029"].includes(_input.toLowerCase())>> <<set $currenticon=15>> <<replace "#thisoutput">> <<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is true>> <br>I'm not going to call that number again. I already know it'll just be Brother Booger on the other end pranking me. <<else>> <p>"Montfort and Sons Mortuary. You stab 'em, we slab 'em"</p> <p>My jaw drops, uncertain how to reply.</p> <p>"Montfort and Sons Mortuary. You kill 'em, we chill 'em" The voice on the other end sounds familiar, but I'm not sure which of our brothers would be working at a funeral home.</p> <p>"Is this a real mortuary? I'm sorry, I was just dialing numbers at random.</p> <p>I hear laughter at the other end. "It's me, Brother Booger. I'm just pranking you, Romeo. I had to stay at the chapter house today to sleep off a hangover. But I heard you've started to collect presidential icons. I'm going to send you one."</p> <p>A minute later Booger's Disruptive Technologies delivery driver arrives on their Vespa, and gives me a presidential icon to add to my collection.</p> <<examicon "takeicon" $currenticon>> <</if>> <</replace>> <<else>> <<replace "#thisoutput">><br><<= either([ "Wrong number, someone on the other end tells me gruffly then disconnects.", "Nothing but a busy signal.", "The number you have dialed is not in service.", "<p>\"City Tobacconist, for all your nicotine needs\" says a voice on the other end.</p> <p>\"Do you have Prince Albert in a can?\"</p> <p>\"We do.\" The voice answers cautiously.</p> <p>\"Let him out right away!\"</p> <p>\"Young man, are your parents home? You don’t sound old enough to buy tobacco.\"</p> <<if $defeated gt 0>><p>The guys outside the phone booth are howling with laughter at my wit.</p><</if>>", "<p>Someone picks up the phone on the other end. \"Village Deli.\"</p> <p>I say \"Is Hugh there.\"</p> <p>\"Hugh who?\"</p> <p>\"Hugh Jass.\" I laugh, and hang up the phone.</p>", "<p>\"Hello?\" Queries a voice on the other end.</p> <p>\"Is John there?\"</p> <p>\"There’s no John here. You must have a wrong number.\"</p> <p>\"Then where do you go pee?\"</p> <<if $defeated gt 0>><p>The guys outside the phone booth are howling with laughter at my wit.</p><</if>>", "<p>A voice answers \"Tom’s Butchery. We have the best meat in town.\"</p> <p>\"Is your refrigerator running.\"</p> <p>\"Of course it is.\"</p> <p>\"Better go run and catch it.\"</p> <<if $defeated gt 0>><p>The guys outside the phone booth are rolling with laughter.</p><</if>>", "<p>A voice answers \"Yo, Daniel’s Auto Repair Shop here. Daniel speaking.\"</p> <p>\"Is this a body shop?\"</p> <p>\"Yep.\"</p> <p>\"Great. I need a body to take to the prom.\"</p> <p>(The person on the other end hangs up.)</p>", ])>><</replace>> <</if>> <</button>> <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <span id="thisoutput"></span> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Inside a Phone Booth</h3> <p>The space in here is really much larger than it appears from the outside; extra-dimensional, almost. We could probably fit the entire frat house in this phone booth, if phone booth stuffing were still a thing. Maybe it is still a thing. I should check Tik Tok.</p> <span id="header"></span> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <p> Electric fence circles the grazing pasture. The only way out is back across the [[bridge|Forest in May]]. </p> <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Tip some cows">>Tip cows, like that time we were invited to a &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; regional conference at Ypsilanti? No thank you.<</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>South of Bridge</h3> <p>The grass here has been chewed down to the roots, and the ground is littered with cow pies. The electric fence circles this part of the pasture. The only way out is back north.</p> <<set $currenticon=17>> <<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is false>> <p>There is a presidential icon nearby.</p> <<include "examine icon">> <</if>><h1>@@color:forestgreen;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>My willow branch fires off before Caveman even has a chance to complete his spell.</p> <p>Caveman's lips turn in a proud smile, "I've trained you well, Romeo. Congratulations."</p> <p>The skycaster above us booms his announcement, "Brother Caveman has been Splorted by Pledge Romeo. Brother Caveman will spend the rest of the tournament in the concessions area. Congratulations to Pledge Romeo."</p> <<include "points tally">> <<set $cavemanattacks=0>> <<run $defeated +=1>> <<link "Continue from here." $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>><br> or<br> <<link "Visit Caveman in the concessions area." "Concessions">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>><br><<switch visited()>> <<case 1>> <h1>@@color:aquamarine;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>Stirling casts SPLORT before I can even start my casting, but I dodge right and avoid his spell.</p> <h1>@@color:forestgreen;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>I cast SPLORT, but Stirling dives left and my spell misses him also.</p> <p>Stirling pauses to ask (so casually you wouldn't even know he's in the middle of a heated paintball battle), "What is the most important lesson you've learned today out on the paintball field?"</p> <p>He's my chapter president, so of course I entertain his question:</p> <<set _A1stirling="<p>\"That was an important lesson for you to have learned\", Stirling agrees.</p><<link \"Continue.\" \"Stirling's Island\">><<removeclass \"#right-ui-bar\" \"stowed\">><</link>>">> <span id="header"> <<link "I learned that identity is something we define for ourselves.">><<replace #header>><<print _A1stirling>><</replace>><</link>><br> <<link "I learned that identity is something others project upon us.">><<replace #header>><<print _A1stirling>><</replace>><</link>><br> <<link "I learned that it is always important to be true to oneself.">><<replace #header>><<print _A1stirling>><</replace>><</link>><br> <<link "I learned that it is even more important to be true to the ones we care about.">><<replace #header>><<print _A1stirling>><</replace>><</link>><br> </span> <<case 2>> <h1>@@color:forestgreen;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>I cast first. Stirling ducks. My spell misses again, but lands closer than last time.</p> <h1>@@color:aquamarine;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>Stirling casts SPLORT. I jump. Stirling's spell passes beneath me.</p> <p>Stirling has dropped his casual bravado. This time when he addresses me he is panting, almost out of breath. "Have you completed your pledge requirements yet?"</p> <<set _A2stirling=" <p>\"That's great. The pledge induction ceremony is coming soon. The brothers are all in agreement that you are ready for membership.\"</p> <<link \"Continue.\" \"Stirling's Island\">><<removeclass \"#right-ui-bar\" \"stowed\">><</link>> ">> <span id="header"> <<link "I still need to learn the Greek alphabet.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>"I still need to learn the Greek alphabet."</p> <p>Stirling asks, "Can you recite it for me now?"</p><p>I surprise both of us by reciting the Greek alphabet perfectly through to the end.</p> <<print _A2stirling>><</replace>><</link>> <<link "Timmy and I still need to complete our pledge service project.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>"Timmy and I still need to complete our pledge service project."</p> <p>Stirling asks, "Have you come to some agreement on what that project will be, finally?"</p><p>"Oh yes. We're going with Timmy's proposal raise money for orphaned wizards. My earlier idea, to turn the chapter house into a safe space for unspayed kittens; that was just silly."</p> <<print _A2stirling>><</replace>><</link>> <<link "I'd like to sing the chapter anthem with you one more time.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>"I'd like to sing the chapter anthem with you one more time."</p> <p>Riptide and I bellow out the chapter drinking song, only a little out of sync with each other.</p> "Men of Beta Rho Omega, our fraternity.<br> &emsp; Loyal brothers<br> &emsp; Like no others<br> For all eterniteeeeeeeeeee-"<br> <p>(This time when we sing it, Stirling can't hold his breath long enough to complete the final verse. He looks like he's about to collapse from exhaustion.)</p><<print _A2stirling>><</replace>><</link>> <<link "I've met all of the pledge requirements.">><<replace #header>> <p>"I've met all of the pledge requirements."</p> <<print _A2stirling>><</replace>><</link>> </span> <<default>> <h1>@@color:forestgreen;//SPLORT~SPLACK//@@</h1> <p>Without even thinking, the words come out of my mouth. I had no idea I could cast so quickly, two spells in one breath, faster than Stirling can invoke just one. My vision turns fuzzy and I am teleported to a [[future time and place|Auditorium Lobby]].</p> <</switch>> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<set $nowand=false>> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> There is really nowhere to go right now. The competition is almost complete.<br> <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Eat some of Stirling's cheese.<br>">> <p>Stirling says, "Good cheese, isn't it? So orange and sticky, you can use it as poster putty also."</p> <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Drink some of Stirling's near-beer.">><p>"Good beer, no? I tried not to backwash very much because I knew you'd want some also."</p><</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<set _stirling={exp:"#<p>Stirling, our chapter president, is handsome and confident; one of the coolest people I know. He's been my role model ever since I first rushed.</p> <p>Normally Stirling dresses in slacks and an oxford shirt, or on more ceremonial occasions his velvet wizarding robes with sleeves long enough to stow an entire six pack of beer. Today, though, he's chosen a black neoprene wetsuit which is curious attire for a paintball tournament.</p> <p>Stirling's wand is carved from the darkest ebony, matching the color of his neoprene. The wand is intricately detailed with inlaid ivory runes which make it now illegal for him to resell or export it out of the country. Not that he would. The wand is an antique, with his family for generations. It pulses with magical potential.</p> <p>He waits for my next spell.</p>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"SPLORT stirling" ,SPLZZY:"#<<include \"caststirl\">>" ,SPLACK:"#<<include \"caststirl\">>" ,SPLAREN:"#<<include \"caststirl\">>" ,SPLIC:"#<<include \"caststirl\">>" ,SPLUST:"#<<include \"caststirl\">>" ,UNSPLZZY:"#<<include \"caststirl\">>" ,UNSPLACK:"#<<include \"caststirl\">>" ,UNSPLAREN:"#<<include \"caststirl\">>" ,UNSPLIC:"#<<include \"caststirl\">>" ,UNSPLUST:"#<<include \"caststirl\">>" }>> /* */ <<if (lastVisited("Midway across lake") is 1) or (lastVisited("openbuoy") is 1)>> <<include "stirling speech">> <</if>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Stirling's Island</h3> <p> <<link "Stirling">><<parseaction _stirling>><</link>> <<switch visited("SPLORT stirling" )>> <<case 0>>'s wand is relaxed at his side, but he will be quick to bring it into position the moment I start to cast a spell. <<case 1>> is holding his wand loosely, but pointed in my direction, waiting for my next attack. <<default>> is gripping his wand tightly and panting for breath. <</switch>> Nearby is a chaise lounge, a pink sun-brella, and a white ceramic tray which holds the remains of Stirling's lunch.</p> <img src="stirling.jpg" alt="Stirling image" width="330" height="396"><p> The ritual hall is packed full tonight with solemn observers. Stirling stands at the front near a massive brass gong, officiating the ceremony.</p> <p>Stirling intones, "Fraternity induction is a watershed event: the ritual passage of a pledge into full brotherhood upon successful completion of all membership requirements. Romeo has been successful indeed: winner of this year’s paintball tournament, a master of spell casting, and a young man of tremendous potential."</p> <p>"At times during his pledge journey this has seemed like an endless quest; months and seasons cycling endlessly without a real sense of the passage of time. Yet here he is now with Brother Timmy and the other pledge inductees, prepared to become chapter leaders themselves. Today Romeo exchanges his pledge pin for a brotherhood pin."</p> <p>Stirling removes the pledge pin from my breast pocket and replaces it with the pin from his own pocket. "Romeo, as I will be graduating soon, I give you my brotherhood pin, the pin that was given to me when my president graduated, and which traces its provenance back to the very first &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; president." The pin snaps to my shirt with a satisfying click.</p> <p>Stirling strikes the gong with a wooden mallet. "Now that the new members have been officially inducted... Let's go party!"</p> <div style="text-align: center;"> <h3>Congratulation, Romeo, you are a winner.</h3> </div> <<set _count=0>> <<for _i to 0; _i lt 23; _i++>> <<if $iconinv[_i] is true>> <<set _count+=1>> <</if>> <</for>> <p>You have finished the game by defeating 5 of 5 paintball combatants and collecting _count of 23 possible presidential icons.</p> <<if _count is 23>><h3>@@color:red;You've acquired the entire collection of icons, making you the GOAT: Greatest Of All Time.@@</h3><</if>> <<linkappend "Click for credits">> <br><br> Many thanks to the people who helped me:<br> Alpha testers:<br> Mathbrush, Agat, Deborah Sherwood, Drew Cook<br> Beta testers:<br> Mathbrush, Agat, Deborah Sherwood,Monica(infinityto1)<br> Cover art: Monica(infinityto1)<br> Story art: Doug Egan and family<br> <br> Contact the author, Doug Egan, at dougegan2@gmail.com I'd like to hear from you, and know about your experiences with this game. <br><br> <<linkappend "Click for a complete list of the presidential icons you have collected during this game cycle.<br>">><br> Remember to tell your friends about your achievements and ask them for hints on finding additional icons. Log on to intfiction.org to join the community of interactive fiction players and authors. <br> <<examicon "iconinv">> <</linkappend>> <</linkappend>><<if lastVisited("Dune") is 1>><p>I walk past the West Beach, where I met Stirling earlier this morning, and follow his sandy footprints all the way to the East Beach, almost half a kilometer further along the lake front.</p> <</if>> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <<linkreplace "Board the wind ship.">> <<if $shiphigh>> The ship is wedged between two rocks. Even in the strongest wind, it won't float away. <<elseif $sailtorn>> The ship isn't seaworthy. The mast is broken and the sails are torn. <<else>> A strong breeze lifts the ship off of the sandbar. [[Set sail!|Midway across lake]] <</if>> <</linkreplace>><br> [[Follow the long path back to the forest loop.|Forest in March]] <<case "mundane">> <</switch>> <<set _shipdesc="<p>The wind ship is large enough for one passenger, and under ideal conditions it would fly magically near the surface of the water like a hovercraft. The spider silk fibers constructing it are nearly transparent, but every rivulet of dew suspended from the delicate web glistens with its own rainbow.</p>">> <<set _bship={exp:"#<p>The wind ship is large enough for one passenger, and under ideal conditions it would fly magically near the surface of the water like a hovercraft. The spider silk fibers constructing it are nearly transparent, but every rivulet of dew suspended from the delicate web glistens with its own rainbow.</p> <p>Right now the ship is in disrepair. The mast is broken, the sails are in shreds, and there is a gash in the bottom that wouldn't hold water.</p>",elmnt:"supernatural",XYAREN:"#The mast straightens, the sails mend, and the hole is patched. The wind ship magically repairs itself.<<set $sailtorn=false>>",UNXYAREN:"#The ship is already a complete wreck. My spell can't make it any worse."}>> <<set _ship={exp:"#<p>The wind ship is large enough for one passenger, and under ideal conditions it would fly magically near the surface of the water like a hovercraft. The spider silk fibers constructing it are nearly transparent, but every rivulet of dew suspended from the delicate web glistens with its own rainbow.</p> <p>Despite its incorporeal appearance, the ship seems perfectly seaworthy.</p>",elmnt:"supernatural",UNXYAREN:"#The wind ship teeters and collapses back to its original state of disrepair.<<set $sailtorn=true>>",XYAREN:"#The ship has already been repaired."}>> <<set _histone={exp:"#<p>The wind ship is out of the water, wedged between heavy black stones.</p>",elmnt:"earth",UNGAIUST:"#The ground beneath the wind ship sinks, bringing it into the water.<<set $shiphigh=false>>",GAIUST:"#The wind ship is already land-locked by the large stones.",GAIZZY:"#The GAIZZY spell makes the rocks tall and sharp. I need to find a way to flatten them in the vertical dimension."}>> <<set _lostone={exp:"#<p>The wind ship floats just at the water's surface. It wouldn't take much of a push to get it off the tiny sandbar and onto the open lake.</p>",elmnt:"earth",GAIUST:"#The ground quakes, raising the wind ship back out of the water.<<set $shiphigh=true>>",UNGAIUST:"#The sandbar is already low enough."}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>East Beach</h3> <<if (not $sailtorn) and (not $shiphigh)>> A strong breeze lifts the ship off of the sandbar. [[Board and set sail!|Midway across lake]] <</if>> <p>This end of the beach feels cold and lonely. Stirling's footprints trace out a solitary path from the west then end abruptly at the water's edge, last half print washed out by the surface. There is no sign that any other paintball combatants have been out this way. Further east the sand turns to heavy black shore rocks. An impossibly lush tropical island is visible at the center of the lake. Could it be a mirage?</p> <p> <<if $sailtorn>> A damaged <<link "gossamer wind ship">><<parseaction _bship>><</link>> sits unattended near the shore. <<else>> A handsome <<link "gossamer wind ship">><<parseaction _ship>><</link>> sits unattended near the shore. <</if>> <<if $shiphigh>> The wind ship is wedged tightly between the <<link "rocks">><<parseaction _histone>><</link>> and the water line. <<else>> The wind ship has settled onto a <<link "sandbar">><<parseaction _lostone>><</link>> beneath the water line. <</if>> Stirling apparently found no use for it when he passed here. Stirling was wearing a wetsuit, so he may well have gone into the water and swam to the island. </p> <p>Stirling greets me as I exit the gossamer ship on the island shore. Stirling is reclined in a chaise lounge under a pink sun-brella, feeding himself grapes and little squares of soft orange cheese.</p> <p>"We meet again." He says, finishing his cheese and washing it down with a can of store brand low-alcohol pilsner.</p> <p>Stirling rises, wand at the ready, and waits for my next move. "Same rules as before? Fast cast. I won’t take a shot until you do. But I know you’ve been practicing since last time. Maybe this time you can best me?"</p><<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> [[Exit the Stone Cottage|Urban]] <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Search under the tables.">> <<set $currenticon=7>> <<if ($iconinv[$currenticon] is false)>> <p>Wow, I found a valuable presidential icon under the table.</p> <<examicon "takeicon" $currenticon>> <<else>> <p>I do another sweep under the tables. Nope, nothing else there.</p> <</if>> <</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<set _einstein={exp:"#<p>Einstein is tall and lanky, with pale skin and white hair, cut short but uneven. I've seen him wear this steam-punk style helmet before at chapter parties, when the lights are turned down and the band is playing a slow dance number. It's an infrared camera system that lets him see in almost total darkness. It might be useful to him to see the feet of the other person he was dancing with, except that I've never seen him get with any of the ladies when he was wearing it. Besides frightening away any potential dance partners, the helmet also renders him almost completely blind once the lights are turned on. Right now he's stumbling around the cottage, bumping into furniture, and struggling to take it off.</p>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"SPLORTeinstein",SPLACK:"onion"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Stone Cottage</h3> <p>The interior of the cottage is windowless, but modestly furnished with a table, several chairs, and a book case. Einstein has effectively turned this public space on the paintball field into a hidden electronics laboratory, as the table is littered with his little micro-robots and other experimental devices. The space is warmly lit by an electric lamp. now powered by the unbroken circuit in the paintball field power grid.</p> <<if not hasVisited("SPLORTeinstein")>> <p>Brother <<link "Einstein">><<parseaction _einstein>><</link>> is stumbling around the space bumping into furniture. He is blinded by the odd contraption over his head: a head mask with a red face shield with lots of wires and pipes connecting it to a small nuclear powered electrical generator he has strapped to his back.</p> <img src="einstein.jpg" alt="Einstein image" width="330" height="396"> <</if>><h1>@@color:forestgreen;//SPLORT//@@</h1> <p>Einstein disappears from the cottage. The skycaster above us booms his announcement, "Brother Einstein has been Splorted by Pledge Romeo. Brother Einstein will spend the rest of the tournament in the concessions area. Congratulations to Pledge Romeo."</p> <<include "points tally">> <<set $eattacks=0>> <<set $defeated +=1>> <<link "Continue from here." $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>><br> or<br> <<link "Visit Einstein in the concessions area." "Concessions">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>><br> <p> Finally the clouds themselves rearrange to report the score: <<switch $defeated>> <<case 0>>"One point for Romeo. Four opponents remain." <<case 1>>"Two points for Romeo. Three opponents remain." <<case 2>>"Three point for Romeo. Two opponents remain." <<case 3>>"Four points for Romeo. Only one opponent remains." <</switch>> </p><p>Splorting a brother in the concession area is unsporting.</p> <<return>><img src="riptide.jpg" alt="Riptide image" width="330" height="396"> <<include topbox>> <h3>Talking with Riptide</h3> <<linkreplace "What can you tell me about Caveman?<br>">> <p><<if visited("SPLORTcaveman") is 0>> He'll be easy to find. He was on the forest loop trail near where I was hiding. <<elseif visited("Caveman's denouement") eq 0>> <<cycle "_answer" once>> <<option "Caveman was an immigrant.">> <<option "He learned spell casting from his mother.">> <<option "But you have the SPLACK spell. You should probably find this out yourself before probing my knowledge any further. I don't mean to give you any spoilers.">> <<option "After being put in the immigration cell, Caveman salvaged the fragment of wand that was embedded in his hand.">> <<option "VERDAREN splinter.">> <<option "He was gravely injured, and had to cast SPLAREN upon himself.">> <<option "Then he was able to cast FERIC to blast open the door and escape.">> <</cycle>> <<else>> Caveman is awesome. He's one of the most kind-hearted and caring men of the chapter. <</if>></p> <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Ask Riptide about himself.<br>">> <<if not hasVisited("Riptide's denouement")>> <p>"You're the one with the SPLACK spell. Hit me with it, Romeo!"</p> <<else>> <p>I always loved swimming. I had a job in high school working as a life guard at the local pool. I was always able to pass as a muggle, because I was a popular athlete. However when the pool managers found out I was a wizard, I lost my job. //No dirty wizards allowed in the swimming pool// they told me. I kept swimming though, out on the lake, and was recruited to Meskatanawej junior college on a water polo scholarship; the first wizard ever allowed to compete in a varsity sport at this college. I'm proud of my accomplishments. </p> <</if>> <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Ask Riptide about the chapter anthem. Knowing this is one of my pledge requirements.">> <p>Riptide and I bellow out the chapter drinking song, only a little out of sync with each other.</p> "Men of Beta Rho Omega, our fraternity.<br> &emsp; Loyal brothers<br> &emsp; Like no others<br> For all eterniteeeeeeeeeee-"<br> <p>(Holding the final vowel sound until at least one of the fraternal chorus collapses from lack of oxygen.)</p> <</linkreplace>> <br><br> <<return>><img src="einstein.jpg" alt="Einstein image" width="330" height="396"> <<include topbox>> <h3>Talking with Einstein</h3> <<linkreplace "What can you tell me about Tiny Tim?<br>">> <p><<if visited("SPLORTtim") is 0>> You haven't found him yet? He's in the parking lot. Just cast SPLORT. <<elseif visited("Timmy's denouement") eq 0>> <<cycle "_answer" once>> <<option "Timmy grew up in an orphanage.">> <<option "But you have the SPLACK spell. You should probably find this out yourself before probing my knowledge any further. I don't mean to give you any spoilers.">> <<option "He stole a tool from the director's desk.">> <<option "He used the tool to disassemble his cot and craft a wand.">> <<option "He used the tool to damage a file cabinet and learn critical information about himself. He needed to explore the cabinet multiple times.">> <<option "He cast GAIUST on the floor.">> <<option "Then climbed up to the windows, broke them, and escaped.">> <</cycle>> <<else>> Timmy is awesome. You and he make up one of the best pledge classes in Beta Rho Omega history. <</if>> </p> <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace"Ask Einstein about himself.<br>">> <<if not hasVisited("Einstein denouement")>> <p>I was a prideful child. I lost my father at a young age. You've got the SPLACK spell. Why don't you use it? But I have to warn you, my story involves supernatural horror.</p> <<else>> <p>You know my story already. Ashes were the only thing I found when I reopened the cazuela. I collected them and scattered them over a pond where my father and I used to go fishing. I mourned his death and I mourned my own hubris.</p> <</if>> <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Will you help me learn about the chapter history, including the names of past presidents? This is one of my pledging requirements.">> <<linkreplace "I can give you hints about where to find the presidential icons. But do you really want that kind of spoiler?">><<include "Spoilers">><</linkreplace>> <</linkreplace>> <br><br> <<return>><img src="caveman.jpg" alt="Caveman image" width="330" height="396"> <<include topbox>> <h3>Talking with Caveman</h3> <<linkreplace "What can you tell me about Einstein?<br>">> <p> <<if not hasVisited("Riptide's denouement")>> "Einstein hides out in the Urban area. But I'm afraid you don't have the spells to get there yet." <<elseif (not hasVisited("SPLORTeinstein")) and (not hasVisited ("Urban"))>> <<cycle "_answer" once>> <<option "Last I heard, Einstein had set up a laboratory hideout in the urban region of the paintball arena">> <<option "The urban region is west of the forest region.">> <<option "To get to the urban region, you have to get past the multiflora rose.">> <<option "Go back and see how the rose bush was described.">> <<option "You need the correct spell to thin out the weeds.">> <<option "Do I really need to spell it out for you, Romeo?">> <<option "VERDZZY rose.">> <</cycle>> <<elseif not hasVisited("Caveman's denouement")>> <<cycle "_answer" once>> <<option "Einstein's lair is pretty dark, isn't it?">> <<option "You haven't learned the correct spells to turn on the lights yet.">> <</cycle>> <<elseif not hasVisited("Stone Cottage")>> <<cycle "_answer" once>> <<option "Einstein's lair is pretty dark, isn't it?">> <<option "Have you tried to cast any spells on spells on the curtain?">> <<option "The curtain is supernatural. You won't be able to affect it until late in the game.">> <<option "You'll need to repower the electric grid in the paintball field.">> <<option "Find where the electric wire has been cut.">> <<option "FERAREN electric fence near the treehouse.">> <<option "Don't worry about blocking access to the beach area. You'll be able to cut the wire again late in the game.">> <</cycle>> <<elseif not hasVisited("Einstein's denouement")>> <<cycle "_answer" once>> <<option "In his youth, Einstein once cast a spell to summon his father.">> <<option "But you have the SPLACK spell. You should probably find this out yourself before probing my knowledge any further. I don't mean to give you any spoilers.">> <<option "The spell he cast was long and complex">> <<option "To learn the steps, he had to read the tome.">> <<option "Einstein cast VERDACK, then read the tome.">> <<option "Einstein cast XYACK on the cazuela to read that as well.">> <<option "He moved each geometric object to the center of the cazuela, then return the lid, and press the symbol on the lid to form the correct planar bridge with each shape.">> <<option "He reread the tome to review the meaning of each shape.">> <<option "Tetrahedron, FER, for metal">> <<option "Cube, GAI, for earth">> <<option "Octahedron, SPL, for flesh">> <<option "Dodecahedron, XY, for magic">> <<option "Icosahedron, VERD, for plant">> <<option "To complete the spell, Einstein put the plastic face on the cazuela, and brought it alive with UNXYORT">> <<option "Later he regretted what he had done, and banished the creature he had summoned with XYORT">> <</cycle>> <<else>> Einstein is a wild and crazy guy, isn't he? <</if>> </p> <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "What can you tell me about yourself?<br>">> <p><<if not hasVisited("Caveman's denouement")>> I immigrated to this country with my mother as a child. You've got the SPACK spell. Why don't you use it? But I have to warn you, what I share with you might be painful for both of us. My experience involved family separation, imprisonment, and bloody injury. <<else >> As you know, my mother and I were separated at the immigration center. We never found each other again. After escaping from the immigration center myself, I found my way to my mother's cousin's family, whom I had never met. They took me in and raised me. <</if >></p> <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Will you help me to learn the Greek alphabet?<br>">><p>"Is that one of the pledge requirements you've been struggling with?" Caveman teaches me to sing the letters of the Greek alphabet to the tune of the ABC song. We sing it together, twice. Each time we sing, I learn the letters a little better.</p><</linkreplace>> <<return>><p>Before I start peeling back the onion layers of this brother's past experiences, perhaps I should first SPLORT him and remove the pressure of the competition from his mind. SPLACK works a lot like muggle hypnosis. The target needs to feel relaxed.</p> <<return>><<if $purplestate neq 3>> <p>From everywhere comes a deafening shriek of misaligned machine parts grinding to a stop. What time was it when the gingerbread boy left the house?</p> [[Spacetime has fractured|Time loop entry]] <<else>> <<unset $curtainopen>> <<unset $tapeclosed>> <<unset $visitoractions>> <<unset $text>> <<unset $magehour>> <<unset $mageminute>> <<unset $entrytime>> <<unset $opentime>> <<unset $exittime>> <<unset $purplestate>> <<unset $boy>> <<unset $advance2>> <<unset $quip>> <p>As soon as I open the door, Grandma's black cat darts out the back. I follow soon after, to find the back yard filled with hundreds of identical black cats. A good reminder to have your pets spayed and neutered. Also, don't mess around with time travel.</p> <p>The spell is wearing off and I reinflate to my normal three dimensions. <<set $flatstan =false>> I don't look forward to having another me come out of the house and find me here, so I hop over the back fence and race out of the neighborhood.</p> <<set $currentactor=$romeo>> <<set $currentlocation=$romeolocation>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("ZZY")>> <p>As I morph back into Romeo's body, I'm able to carry with me some of the wisdom I learned as Riptide.</p> [[Continue as Romeo.|Romeo's arc]] <</if>><<unset $splinterout>> <<unset $handinjured>> <<unset $cellopen>> <<unset $soiledtunic>> <<set $currentactor=$romeo>> <<set $currentlocation=$romeolocation>> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("FER")>> <<set $currentactor.spells[1].push("AREN")>> <p>I escaped that day, found some distant cousins who would take me in, and eventually made it to college.</p> <p>But aren't I already in college, a mind-meld of Caveman and Romeo from the esteemed Beta Rho Omega house? The Romeo part of my mind has a better understanding of the grit that is required to succeed in any new place. And I've learned a few new spells along the way.</p> <<if $iconinv[9] is true>> <p>Caveman is standing nearby. "Hey Romeo, you want this Wayne Miller statue? I've had it since I was a kid. I hear you're collecting these things now, and I've never had much use for it."</p> <p>I accept his kind gift.</p> <</if>> [[Continue as Romeo|Romeo's arc]] <<if visited("SPLACKcaveman") gt 1>> <p>Caveman holds up his hand with palm toward me. "I'm glad I could share with you that once, but I don't wish to relive that memory again. Just talk to me."</p> <<link "continue" $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<else>> <<set $splinterout=true>> <<set $handinjured=false>> <<set $cellopen=false>> <<set $soiledtunic=true>> <<set _inv=[]>> <<set _youngcaveman={name:"Caveman",description:"Caveman",inventory:_inv,spells:[["MUMBLE"],["MUMBLE"]]}>> <<set $romeo=$currentactor>> <<set $romeolocation=$currentlocation>> <<set $currentlocation="Immigration Office2">> <<set $currentactor=_youngcaveman>> <h1>@@color:deeppink;//SPLACK//@@</h1> <p> The air is heavy with foul smells. The Romeo quarter of my brain likens this odor to the lost and found clothing box at the R. Balboa Fitness Center on campus. But that’s not where I am.</p> <p>When I open my eyes I am Claude Kavminiuk. Not pledgemaster Caveman, with his curly, curly locks and waist length beard, but a younger version of himself, seven or eight, sitting in a cheap metal barber’s chair at a crowded immigration detention center. The barber shaves me roughly. Then once my black hair is all in a pile on the floor (or stuck to my time worn wool tunic) they push me into an even more crowded room and call up the next child in line to be shorn. The hair inside my tunic is making me itch, but I know better than to scratch. They might think I have nits.</p> <p>A man with a gray handlebar moustache processes paper on the other side of a plexiglass window. He’s speaking to an old man who travelled with us on a container ship across the Atlantic.</p> <p>"Name?" The agent demands.</p> <p>"Ralf."</p> <p>"As in vomit?"</p> <p>Ralf looks confused, "No."</p> <p>"Just kidding. It says here that you are a wizard, seeking refuge from elsewhere."</p> <p>"Yes, that is true."</p> <p>"Application denied." the agent says, perfunctorily punching Ralf's paperwork with an ink stamp to print the word "Rejected" in bleeding red letters.</p> <p>"But why?" Ralf asks, choking back tears.</p> <p>"Immigration policy 4976 places a strict limit on the number of wizards who may enter the US from anywhere, to maximum number of twelve each year. We met that quota this year already on January Fourth. Uncle Sam wants no more dirty wizards in the country. Move along into the room at the left.</p> <<link "Next!" "Immigration Office2">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <</if>><<if visited("SPLACKriptide") gt 1>> <p>My spell misfires. Riptide says. "What else do you want to know? Just talk to me."</p> <<link "continue" $currentlocation>><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<else>> <h1>@@color:deeppink;//SPLACK//@@</h1> <<set _inv=[]>> <<set _youngrip={name:"Riptide",description:"Riptide",inventory:_inv,spells:[["MUMBLE"],["MUMBLE"]]}>> <<set $romeo=$currentactor>> <<set $romeolocation=$currentlocation>> <<set $currentlocation="Grandma's porch">> <<set $currentactor=_youngrip>> <p>Riptide and I lock eyes, and suddenly we are one with each other.</p> <<include "Time loop entry">> <</if>><h3>Current Actor: Riptide</h3> <p>I am riptide: handsome, tan and fit from my summer work as a pool lifeguard. That is, until they closed the pool to wizards and fired me.</p> My [[wand|Bamboo wand]] is made from bamboo. Aside from that: <<include "inventory">> <br> <<link "Look around.">><<goto $currentlocation>><</link>> <p>Near the ratty couch is a purple scroll, just like the one that someone handed to me through the mail slot, when I was out on the porch. I should probably <<link "take it.">> <<set _getscroll={name:"Purple Scroll",description:"Purple Scroll"}>><<set $currentactor.inventory.push(_getscroll)>><<set $purplestate=2>> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <<goto $currentlocation>> <</link>> </p><<set _thistime=100*$magehour+$mageminute>> <<if _thistime lt $entrytime>> <p>I meet a duplicate version of myself out on the front porch, differing only in a single dimension. He is every bit as shocked as I am.</p> <p>From everywhere comes a deafening shriek of misaligned machine parts grinding to a stop. What time was it when the gingerbread boy left the house?</p> [[Spacetime has fractured|Time loop entry]] <<else>> <p>The wizarding goons have come back to patrol the neighborhood again. I should have found a different way out of the house.</p> [[Arrested|Time loop entry]]. <</if>>Paintball Wizard is best enjoyed with the left sidebar closed. Open only when you need to save progress, visit the tutorial, or read the author's notes and credits<<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> <p>Given the shotgun architecture of this place there are only two ways out. But first I'd need to [[unlock and open the front door]], or [[unlock and open the door to the backyard|Riptide's denouement]].</p> <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Take the clock. I could have it appraised on //Antique Road Show//. <br>">><p>The clock must weigh five hundred kilos. Even a levitate spell would fail on this thing.</p><</linkreplace>> <<link "Reset the clock.<br>" "Reset clock">><</link>> <<if $purplestate is 2>> <<link "Put the purple scroll through the mail slot.<br>" "Grandma's Apartment">> <<for _i to 0; _i lt $currentactor.inventory.length; _i++>> <<if $currentactor.inventory[_i].name is "Purple Scroll">> <<set _x=_i>> <</if>> <</for>> <<run $currentactor.inventory.deleteAt(_x)>> <<set $justexamined="The purple scroll slides smoothly back out to the porch.<br>">> <<set $purplestate=3>> <</link>> <</if>> <<if $curtainopen is true>> <<link "Close the curtains.<br>" "Grandma's Apartment">><<set $justexamined="Now the curtains are closed.<br>">><<set $curtainopen=false>><</link>> <<else>> <<link "Open the curtains.<br>" "Grandma's Apartment">><<set $justexamined="Now the curtains are open.<br>">><<set $curtainopen=true>><</link>> <</if>> <</switch>> <<set _furnishings={exp:"#<p>Furnishings include: a water stained sink, hanging light fixtures, a ratty sofa. Except for the two exit doors, and possibly that odd ceramic clock, none of the other furnishings in this residence invite my attention or merit exploration. My mission remains: find and release the cat.</p>" ,elmnt:"supernatural"}>> <<set _clock={exp:"#<p>This antique time keeping device is the size of a grandfather clock, but made entirely from ceramic. The body of the clock is heavily ornamented with pink and white flowers. The clock face is cream colored with painted black numbers. Ornate brass hands mark out the passage of time, which is presently set to: <<time12h>></p><<link \"Reset the clock.<br>\" \"Reset clock\">><</link>><br>" ,elmnt: "supernatural"}>> <<set _purplescroll={exp:"getscroll", elmnt:"supernatural"}>> <<if lastVisited("Grandma's porch") is 1>> <p>Flat as I am, I fit neatly into the narrow mailslot. I'm swept through by the difference in air pressure, carried along with the draft.</p> <p>I've made it inside just in time. I hear police sirens roar up in front of the house. The anti-wizarding goons have returned. But I don't see a cat here. And who was that person inside the house before me?</p> <</if>> <<include "topbox">> <H1>Inside Grandma's Apartment</H1> <<set _thistime=$magehour*100 +$mageminute>> <<if (_thistime gt 1000) and (_thistime lt $exittime)>> <p> There is a handsome young man standing outside on the porch. <<set $vreport=$visitoractions.shift()>> <<if def $vreport>> $vreport <</if>> </p> <p> <<print either("Grandma's black cat preens itself.","Grandma's black cat licks itself.","Grandma's black cat claws at the ratty couch.","Grandma's black cat paces back and forth.","Grandma's black cat rubs affectionately against my leg.")>> </p> <</if>> <<if $purplestate is 1>><p>There is familiar <<link "purple scroll">><<parseaction _purplescroll>><</link>> on the floor near the couch.</p><</if>> <p>The inside architecture is a shotgun design, thus named because the open floor plan is so long and narrow that one could fire a shotgun from the front door through the backdoor without hitting anything in between. Presently both doors are closed and locked, which will prevent the anti-wizarding goons from testing that ballistics theory; at least for now.</p> <p>The ceiling is higher than in modern homes and once adorned with elaborate crown molding. Most of that historic ornamentation is now yellowed or fallen off. Many of the other <<link "furnishings">><<parseaction _furnishings>><</link>> of my Grandmother's home are similarly time worn.</p> <p>A <<link "massive ceramic clock">><<parseaction _clock>><</link>> is the only furnishing which might have some value as a family heirloom. It is currently set to <<time12h>>.</p> <p>There is a single small window near the door.<<if $curtainopen is false>> The inside curtain has been drawn to block my view.<<else>> Its floral curtain is tied open.<</if>></p> <<set $newcount+=1>> <<if $newcount is 4>> <p>I hear the resonant sound of a gong coming from the auditorium. We are being heralded into the [[induction ceremony|Ending]].</p> <</if>> /* Tetrahedron 4 FER fire Cube earth 6 GAI earth Octahedron 8 SPL air Dodecahedron 12 XY universe Icosahedron 20 VERD water */ <<if $tomeleg>> <p>The book falls open to the table of contents, raising a cloud of dust and dander above it. Much of the vocabulary, even within the table of contents, is beyond my scope of understanding. But a few chapter titles stand out as potentially relevant.</p> [[Introduction to Necromancy]]<br> <<if visited("Introduction to Necromancy") gte 1>> [[On transferring spirits toward the spell caster's plane|summoning]]<br> [[On transferring spirits away from the spell caster's plane|Banishment]]<br> [[Reversal Tokens]]<br> [[Metaphysical geometry]]<br> <</if>> <<else>> <p>The tome is written in a code which I am unable to decipher without the aid of magic.</p> <</if>> <<link "Close the book." $currentlocation>> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <p>Summoning and banishment are truly the same, just viewed from different perspectives. However this difference of perspective is significant to the spell caster who can only exist on one plane at a time. Bringing departed spirits into the realm of the caster is considerably more involved than sending them back to their place of origin.</p> <p>An artifact representing the spirit to be summoned is placed in a clay pot, together with totems representing each of the major elemental planes. The lid is then returned to the pot, and a second artifact (the object or animal to be possessed) is placed on top of the lid. To complete the ritual, a reversal of banishment is targeted at the clay pot.</p> [[Go back to table of contents.| previous() ]]<br> <<link "Close the book." $currentlocation>> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <p>Transferring a spirit from the spell caster's plane of existence to another (what the uninitiated call banishment) is achieved with XYORT. The spell is targeted directly at the possessed animal or artifact. No other preparation is required.</p> <<if visited("Banishment") is 1>> <<set $currentactor.spells[0].push("XY")>> <</if>> [[Go back to table of contents.| previous() ]]<br> <<link "Close the book." $currentlocation>> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> Reversal tokens <p>Spell syllables preceding the elemental token can have unpredictable results. The "UN" token, for example, might be ignored for some spells, or fundamentally change the meaning of others.</p> <<if visited("Reversal Tokens") is 1>> <<set $currentactor.spells.push(["->","UN"])>> <</if>> [[Go back to table of contents.| previous() ]]<br> <<link "Close the book." $currentlocation>> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <p>Necromancy is the most challenging of all magical disciplines. Literally "death magic", this practice focuses on the transfer of spirits between planes. Novices might refer to spells as "summoning" or "banishment", but there is no real distinction. Banishment from one plane is simply the summoning into another. Depending on the experience of the practitioner, the summoning may be full (resurrection), partial (reanimation of skeletons) or incomplete (hearing and transmitting voices). Yet even the least of these (the practices of a spiritual medium and her crystal ball) requires decades of practice and study under the guidance of a master. Summoning by anyone without sufficient wisdom and supervised training should never be attempted. The results of inexperience can be catastrophic: the inadvertent summoning of malevolent spirts, or even the violent rupture of the veil between the worlds. Heed this warning, ye novice.</p> [[Blasted disclaimers. Go back to the table of contents and learn the summoning spell| previous() ]]<br> <<link "Close the book." $currentlocation>> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <p>Regular polyhedra are geometric shapes with equivalent faces connected at congruent angles. There are only five of these, all of them discovered by ancient Greek geometers. In increasing complexity, the names of these shapes are: tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron. These shapes are also called Platonic solids, for it was Plato who first articulated their connection to the elemental planes.</p> <p>The tetrahedron, with four sides and the most acute angles, is sharp like fire or the metal sword forged from fire. This shape provides the bridge between the planes of metal and magic.</p> <p>The cube, with its square faces and regular right angles, is the only regular polyhedral which can be stacked to fill all of space without gaps. Cubes bridge the plane of earth and magic.</p> <p>The octahedron has eight sides and is one of three regular polyhedra with triangular faces. This shape is associated with phlogiston, a requirement for all breathing animals. Phlogiston provides the bridge between planes of flesh and magic.</p> <p>The dodecahedron has twelve sides, with pentagons as faces. Plato recognized the mystic significance that the number of sides on each face of a dodecahedron is equal to the number of perfect solids. This shape provides the bridge between magic and all of the material planes. </p> <p>The icosahedron has twenty sides and almost spherical symmetry. This shape is associated with water, a requirement for all plant life. Water provides the bridge between the planes of plant and magic.</p> [[Go back to table of contents.| previous() ]]<br> <<link "Close the book." $currentlocation>> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> <p>The cazuela contains five fist-sized models of regular polyhedra, carved from varied materials. These are, in order of ascending complexity: A $pl4 tetrahedron. A $pl6 cube. A $pl8 octahedron. A $pl12 dodecahedron. A $pl20 icosahedron. Around the rim, five cryptic glyphs light up in fluorescent green.</p> <<if $canleg is false>> <p>I'll need to find a way to translate the glyphs to a language I know. I cannot cast the spell without being able to read them.</p> <<else>> <p>The glyphs have resolved into syllables I recognize: "XY", "VERD", "SPL", "FER", and "GAI".</p> <p>A five pointed star is engraved inside the cazuela. Its points reach nearly to the rim of the dish. At the center of the star is <<switch $cancenter>> <<case 0>>nothing. <<case 1>>my father's brain. <<case 2>>a mechanical face. <<case 4>>the $pl4 tetrahedron. <<case 6>>the $pl6 cube. <<case 8>>the $pl8 octahedron. <<case 12>>the $pl12 dodecahedron. <<case 20>>the $pl20 icosahedron. <<default>>error <</switch>> </p> <p> I could move any one of these objects toward the center: <<link "my father's brain" "can open">><<set $cancenter=1>><</link>>, <<link "The mechanical face" "can open">><<set $cancenter=2>><</link>>, <<link "the tetrahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=4>><</link>>, <<link "the cube" "can open">><<set $cancenter=6>><</link>>, <<link "the octahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=8>><</link>>, <<link "the dodecahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=12>><</link>>, or <<link "the icosahedron." "can open">><<set $cancenter=20>><</link>> </p> <p>I could touch one of the glyphs and see if anything changes. The syllables are: <<link "XY" "can open">><<set $light="mithril">><<domagic $light>><</link>>, <<link "VERD" "can open">><<set $light="teak">><<domagic $light>><</link>>, <<link "SPL" "can open">><<set $light="bone">><<domagic $light>><</link>>, <<link "FER" "can open">><<set $light="platinum">><<domagic $light>><</link>>, <<link "GAI" "can open">><<set $light="marble">><<domagic $light>><</link>>. </p> <</if>> <p> <<link "I should move my father's brain to the center of the cazuela." >> <<set $canopen=false>> <<if (($pl4 is "platinum") and ($pl6 is "marble") and ($pl8 is "bone") and ($pl12 is "mithril") and ($pl20 is "teak"))>> <<goto "demon summoned">> <<else>> <<goto "can closed">> <</if>> <</link>> or <<link "I could look around the room." "Necromancer's Workshop">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> </p><p>I place my father's brain in the center of the cazuela, then apply the lid. The lid fits well, sealing the cazuela tightly. But nothing happens.</p> <p> <<link "I could move the lid to open the cazuela." "can open">><<set $canopen=false>><<set $light=0>><</link>> or <<link "I could look around the room." "Necromancer's Workshop">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><<set $light=0>> <</link>> </p> /*this widget takes one argument, a number, and prints the name of an element */ <<widget element>> <<switch $args[0]>> <<case 4>>platinum <<case 6>>marble <<case 8>>bone <<case 12>>mithril <<case 20>>teak <<default>>Undefined <</switch>> <</widget>> /*this widget takes one argument, a number representing the element just pressed, and changes the polyhedra at the center of the cazuela to that element*/ <<widget domagic>> <<switch $cancenter>> <<case 4>><<set $pl4=$args[0]>> <<case 6>><<set $pl6=$args[0]>> <<case 8>><<set $pl8=$args[0]>> <<case 12>><<set $pl12=$args[0]>> <<case 20>><<set $pl20=$args[0]>> <<default>>/*do nothing*/ <</switch>> <</widget>> <p>My father’s brain is now in the center of the cazuela, and the correct planar bridges positioned at each of the five points. This time when I place the lid on the cazuela, the earth trembles.</p> <<link "Balance the mechanical face gently on top of the cazuela." "Completing the Ritual">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <<set $action="explore">> <</link>> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> <p>All of my focus is on that face. Any physical exits are outside my scope of attention.</p> <<case "mundane">> <p>The face is a construct of my own magic. There is nothing I can do to interact with it physically.</p> <</switch>> <<set _face={exp:"#<p>I made this face of 3D printed plastic parts. The black and white eyes bobble in response to electronic signals from servo-motors. The prosthetic nose and ears are merely cosmetic. The jaw swings open and shut on springs, permitting it to speak.</p>",elmnt:"supernatural",XYORT:"#<p><<if $ritualstate lt 2>>XYORT is the spell for banishment. I have not yet completed the summoning.<<else>><<goto \"Einstein's denouement\">><<set >><</if>></p>",UNXYORT:"#<<if $ritualstate lt 2>><<set $ritualstate=2>><<include [[ritualdialogue]]>><<else>><p>I have already summoned the beast. Now I need to find a means to UN-UNXYORT him back from where he came.</p><</if>>"}>> <<switch $ritualstate>> <<case 0>> <p>When the mechanical face is set upon the lid, the entire pot begins to glow an incandescent red. Now I need only speak the incantation and bring my father back from the dead. The first question I will ask is this: who were the muggles who pulled you out of your jail cell and killed you without a trial.</p><<set $ritualstate+=1>> <<case 1>>/* this is before the spell is cast*/ <<case 2>> <<set $ritualstate+=1>> <<case 3>> <p>Everything around us has vanished. <<print either("The demon conjures images of the horrors he will wrought now that I have invited him into our plane.","The demon conjures images of refugees, spilling over the sides of an unseaworthy boat.","The demon conjures up images of slave laborers working as hotel staff at a posh resort.","The demon conjures up images of war and pestilence.","The demon conjures up images of child soldiers foraging through a blood soaked village.")>></p> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Necromancer's Workshop</h3> <p>My focus is so intense that everything but that <<link "face">><<parseaction _face>><</link>> disappears from my scope of awareness.</p> <<set $currenticon=2>> <<if ($iconinv[$currenticon] is false)>> <p>The blackout drape ruffles, allowing in the thinnest ray of light. A shiny presidential icon falls out of the curtain.</p> <<examicon "takeicon" $currenticon>> <<else>> <p>The curtain is already partly open, letting in a thin beam of light. If I want to make this room any brighter, I'll need to restore the electrical power.</p> <</if>><<if $fixT and $fixB and (not $iconinv[18])>> <p>Caveman congratulates me. "You've really fixed up the pledge lounge (except for the water heater, which I doubt anyone could repair). I'd like to reward you by presenting you with this presidential icon, honoring Eugenia Smythe.</p> <<examicon "takeicon" 18 >> <</if>><<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<case "go">> I could [[cross the bridge|Forest in January]], back to the forest loop trail. <<case "mundane">> <<linkreplace "Dig up the snow.">><<if $iconinv[12] is true>>I dig through the snow, but find nothing new.<<else>>Digging through the icy snow bank with my bare hands, I uncover a presidential icon.<<examicon "takeicon" 12>><</if>><</linkreplace>> <</switch>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Snow Bank</h3> <p>I've made it across the bridge, but the icy snow bank on this side of the creek makes further travel impossible.</p><p>Caveman calls to me "Romeo, you're already in the tutorial."</p> [[Resume the tutorial|Pledge Lounge]]<<print either( "There are five that can be gotten through the phone booth, and one more that is the phone booth.", "There are two icons in my lair.", "There is one icon that can only be found in darkness.", "Stirling will give you one icon, if you ask.", "There are two brothers who may have found icons during their childhood. You can lock yourself out of finding these yourself if they didn't find them in childhood.", "There are two icons available in the clouds.", "There is one icon inside the treehouse.", "There is one icon you won't find until the end game.", "There are twenty three icons in total.", "Two icons can be found by crossing bridges.", "There are three icons in the parking area, but one of these arrives only at the end of a long shaggy dog story.", "There are two icons associated with the sarcophagus, one of these in another location.", "There are three icons associated with the tutorial, one of these in another location.", "Two icons can be obtained very early in the game, before meeting Timmy.", "If you want the entire icon collection, don't visit the tutorial too early in the game." )>><<set $quip="I hear the visitor out on the porch casting the SPLZZY spell on himself.">> <<if $flatstan is false>> <p>My body transforms in a way that even the strictest keto diet could not achieve. I have morphed into a shape no thicker than a pancake (a popular breakfast entree which I could not eat while on a keto diet).</p> <<set $flatstan=true>> <<else>> My previous incantation of the spell is still in effect. If I were any thinner, I would disappear into the ether. <</if>> <<link "Look around.">><<goto $currentlocation>><</link>> <span id="header"></span> <<link "Remember the parade floats<br>">><<replace #header>>The women of &Sigma;&Iota;&Sigma; also constructed a float for the parade.<br> <<link "Remember the parade.<br>">><<replace #header>> _theirfloat <</replace>><</link>> <<link "Think about the women of &Sigma;&Iota;&Sigma;<br>">><<replace #header>> _sis <</replace>><</link>> <</replace>> <</link>> <<set _sis="<p>Sigma Iota Sigma is our sister organization, the only sorority on campus that will accept spell-casting women. The float they constructed was a giant crepe paper representation of the Meskatanawej school mascot, a fighting wombat.</p> <<link \"Remember the wombat<br>\">><<replace #header>>_theirfloat<</replace>><</link>>">> <<set _theirfloat="<p>The float they constructed was a giant crepe paper representation of the Meskatanawej school mascot, a fighting wombat. Down at its feet were a pair of straw-stuffed headless dummies wearing football jerseys of the rival team. These effigies had been soaked in enough red tempera paint to decorate an Akira Kurosawa film set. There was even more red tempera paint dripping off the mouth and jaw of the crepe paper wombat. All that gore represented what we thought we wanted as the outcome from the afternoon's football game. We later changed our minds.</p> <<link \"Remember why we changed our minds<br>\" >><<replace #header>>_changedmind<</replace>><</link>> ">> <<set _changedmind="<p>The ladies of &Sigma;&Iota;&Sigma; had done a fine job in building their float (I thought). But Brother Booger thought he could make it even better by casting an animation spell. So during the parade, that’s what he did.</p> <p>Brother Booger had never attempted to animate anything quite so large, so the spell came off only half successfully. The float came alive, sure. The giant bloodied wombat climbed off its trailer and lurched down the street, two legs still chicken wire, the other two legs now flesh and bone. Patches of brown crepe paper were now mottled with real wombat flesh (it even had fleas). In other patches the giant animal was covered with a mangy surface that almost resembled fur. Meanwhile the two headless football players had also become animate. They were lumbering off the parade route with arms outstretched zombie-style because they couldn’t actually see anything.</p> <p>We were all beginning to appreciate that the decapitation of our rivals by a giant rabid wombat was not the outcome we actually hoped for in today’s game.</p> <<link \"Remember the cancelation of the parade.<br>\">><<replace #header>>_canceled<</replace>><</link>> ">> <<set _canceled="<p>The parade had become a chaotic shambles. Other parade floats were being knocked over by the hungry foraging wombat. Marchers and spectators scattered, screaming for their lives. The zombie pair of foot-ballers were being run over again and again by fleeing motor vehicles, but each time they got up, shed a little more straw and stepped right back into traffic.</p> <p>In all the melee, I dimly remember picking up an injured <<link \"girl\">> <<replace #header>>_girl<</replace>><</link>>, cradling her in my arms, and carrying her to the hospital. The parade had to be cancelled, of course, and so was the game.</p> <<link \"Remember the consequences.<br>\">><<replace #header>>_sanctioned<</replace>><</link>> ">> <<set _sanctioned="<p>Our school was sanctioned by both the fraternity governing council and the athletic league. Our chapter of &Beta;&Rho;&Omega; was put on double secret probation and forbidden from ever participating in another parade.</p> ">> <<set _girl="<p>Well, not a girl. In fact she was a young woman my age, and would have been stunningly attractive if not for her macabre wombat injuries. Once she was in recovery, she told me her name. She said she wanted to do something for me as payment for bringing her to the hospital. I replied that wasn't necessary, explaining I was a pledge of Beta Rho Omega and that the men of our house expect nothing in return for a good deed.</p> <p>She insisted. Giving me a warm squeeze on the arm and a coy wink out of her one good eye, she asked me to give her a call after she got out of the hospital. Her name was Jenny, and her number was 8675309. I never called and that was the last I saw of her.</p>">> <span id="header"></span> <<link "Think about the Lilies">><<replace #header>> The orange of the tiger lilies always reminds me of Princeton University, which I visited once when I was a high school junior.<br> <<link "Think about Princeton.">><<replace #header>>_princeton<</replace>><</link>><br> <</replace>><</link>> <<set _princeton="Oh no, they weren't recruiting me. Not as a high school junior. With my GPA, not ever really. I went there visiting with my sister.<br> <<link \"Think about my sister.\">><<replace #header>>_sister<</replace>><</link>><br> ">> <<set _sister="She's the smart one in our family and a muggle. My parents always favored her.<br> <<link \"Think about muggles.\">><<replace #header>>_muggle<</replace>><</link>><br> <<link \"What made her the smart one?\">><<replace #header>>_smartone<</replace>><</link>><br> ">> <<set _smartone="My sister had a 4.0 GPA in high school, and now studies the religious traditions of native populations of Antarctica with a grant from Princeton.<br> <<link \"Think about Princeton.\">><<replace #header>>_princeton<</replace>><</link>><br> ">> <<set _muggle="A muggle is a non-magic user, which is most of polite society. Princeton has so many muggles, they can't even field a proper Quidditch team. That despite the school's wealth and prestige.<br> <<link \"Think about Princeton.\">><<replace #header>>_princeton<</replace>><</link>><br> ">> <<if $currentactor.spells[1][0] is "ZZY">> <p>There is a sharp crack like thunder and the towering mountain of sand is reduced to a very thin wall of sand, which is blown away in the circling wind currents along the beach without ever having a chance to settle. The local terrain is now as flat as the beach itself.</p> <<else>> <p>The towering mountain of sand sinks into the earth as if it were slipping through the neck of an hourglass. I scramble backwards to avoid sliding in after it. The local terrain is now as flat as the beach itself.</p> <</if>> <<return>><p>There is no chance I can get past the thorny mass of multiflora rose which has overtaken the western trail until I find some means to eradicate it.</p> [[Go back.|Forest in November]]<p>Better than the most powerful weed repellent, the VERDZZY spell flattens the impassable mass of thorns into a thin veil of leaves which collapses under its own weight. This opens a trail to the west.</p> <<link "Follow the western path." "Urban">><<set $action="go">><</link>><br> [[Remain on the forest loop trail, for now.|Forest in November]]<p>My father's brain is cold, gray and gelatinous. It is heavy and fragile. I would not be able to carry it without this three gallon glass jar. The brain smells like spoiled chicken.</p> <<return>><p>The mechanical face is assembled from 3D printed plastic parts and inexpensive servo-motors. I built it myself. It doesn’t look much like my father. To be truthful, it doesn’t look quite human.</p> <<return>><p>Yew is a medium density wood with a pleasant orange color. My wand is long with several knots and twists in it. Yew is a prized wand material for casting spells where life and death hang in the balance.</p> <<return>><p>Bamboo is often mistaken for a tree, but it is actually the largest of all grass species. Bamboo reeds are hollow, but solid enough to serve as material for constructing furniture or even homes. Bamboo is a prized wand material for casting expansion and diminution spells. </p> <<return>><<set $nowand =false>> <<include topbox>> <h3>On the Lake</h3> <<set $action="explore">> <p>The wind ship races toward the distant island. The wind and cold spray against my face are invigorating. Even if I lose the final battle with Stirling, it's been a wonderful day of paintball and interpersonal bonding within our chapter.</p> <p>Midway across the water, the wind ship comes to a stop at a safety buoy.</p> [[Open the buoy to see what’s inside.|openbuoy]]<br> <<link "Never mind the buoy, Sail on!" "Stirling's Island">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<if lastVisited("SPLORT stirling") is 1>><p>Unlike all the previous incantations of SPLACK, which teleported me to a past experience in someone else’s body, this time I find myself in the future, preparing to attend my own induction ceremony in my own body.</p><</if>> <<include topbox>> <h3>Auditorium Lobby</h3> <p>I am in the lobby of the campus auditorium where pledge induction ceremonies are held. The space is illuminated from a high ceiling by the soft glow of electric chandeliers. Beaux arts sculptures populate alcoves spaced at regular intervals around the lobby. My brothers are here with me, kitted out in their most formal wizarding drag; everyone except for Stirling, who must be inside the auditorium preparing for our ceremony.</p> <<set $newcount=0>> <span id="header"></span> <<linkreplace "Tim<br>">><<append #header>><p>Tim is dressed in a black robe and floppy wizard's hat. The long droopy end of the hat reaches all the way down his back. He says, “Thanks for sharing with us about your past. I’ve given it some more thought, and I believe you really are a wizard. We planned a great pledge service project together, don’t you think?”</p><</append>><<include "appendentry">><</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Caveman<br>">><<append #header>><p>Caveman is dressed in a blue robe patterned with white stars and crescent moons. He says, “I’m feeling a sense of loss that I graduate this year, and that we won’t see as much of each other in the future. But the good thing for you is that next year there will be an entirely new class of pledges for you to mentor, just as I’ve mentored you.”</p><</append>><<include "appendentry">><</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Riptide<br>">><<append #header>><p>Riptide is wearing a bespoke sherwani and carrying an electric sitar. He says, “Congratulations on winning the paintball tournament. I love you, Bro.” </p><</append>><<include "appendentry">><</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Einstein<br>">><<append #header>><p>Einstein, dressed in an iridescent fabric, says, “You’ve waiting a long time for the honor of membership. You deserve all the accolades you’ll receive at tonight’s ceremony”</p><</append>><<include "appendentry">><</linkreplace>> <span id="header"> <<set $currentlocation = "Stirling's Island">> <<set $currenticon=22>> <<if $iconinv[$currenticon] is false>> <p>The buoy contains the most recently minted presidential commemorative icon! This one has unusually small hands.</p> <<examicon "justlook" $currenticon>> <<link "Should I take the icon?">><<replace #header>> Taken. It's got to go up in value eventually.<br> <<set $iconinv[$currenticon]=true>> <<link "Sail on!" "Stirling's Island">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <</replace>><</link>><br> Never mind the icon. I'll wait for Stirling's to be minted in another six months. <<link "Sail on without it!" "Stirling's Island">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <<else>> The buoy is empty. <<link "Sail on!" "Stirling's Island">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>> <</if>> </span><<if $splinterout>> <p>My mother's ancestral wand is a maple staff, stained a deep oily umber and engraved with elaborate images on all five sides. Some of these engravings I understand immediately. The story of Grandpa building a system of channels to irrigate our community farm. This is a totem of our family history. Other pictures and stories I hope to learn about at some future time.</p> <<else>> <p>My mother's ancestral wand has been reduced to a mere splinter.</p> <</if>> <<return>> <<set _un=false>> <<set _a=$currentactor.spells[0][0]>> <<set _b=$currentactor.spells[1][0]>> <<set _spellname=_a+_b>> <<set _longname=_a+_b>> <<if def $currentactor.spells[2]>> <<if $currentactor.spells[2][0] is "UN">> <<set _un=true>> <<set _longname="UN"+_a+_b>> <</if>> <</if>> <p>I cast @@color:forestgreen;//_longname//@@.</p> <p><<print either("Stirling jumps","Stirling dives","Stirling rolls","Stirling dodges","Stirling tumbles")>> <<print either("forward","backwards","left","right")>> to evade my spell. "Clever trick, casting _longname. <<switch _longname>> <<case SPLZZY>>You probably thought you could flatten me like a pancake so I would fall over on my side." <<case UNSPLZZY>>You probably thought you could inflate me like a balloon to incapacitate me." <<case SPLIC>>You probably thought you could open me up like a fish to distract me." <<case UNSPLIC>>You probably thought you could close me up in a cocoon like a caterpillar. Well I am a butterfly, and I will fly right back at you!" <<case SPLACK>>You probably thought you could probe my mind for knowledge about how to defeat me." <<case UNSPLACK>>You probably thought you could cloud my mind so I wouldn't be able to cast any defensive spells." <<case SPLAREN>>Just as I cast SPLAREN on you at the beginning of the tournament." <<case UNSPLAREN>>Thinking you could injure me physically, to lower my spellcasting potential." <<case SPLUST>>Thinking you could stretch me vertically upward, so my spells would fly over your head." <<case UNSPLUST>> Thinking you could shorten me vertically, so my spells would fly between your legs." <</switch>> </p> <p>Each spell I cast leaves Stirling a little more winded.</p> <p>Thunderbolts and lightening; very, very frightening. The cazuela is red hot now. I can hear sizzling from inside the pot, and see smoke rising up around the seam. The mechanical face levitates two meters up where it expands to a size five times that of a normal head.</p> <p>The eyelids flutter open. The plastic eyes bobble left, then spin around. The jaw drops and it speaks. "Congratulations, boy. You’ve brought me to your plane of existence."</p> <p>"Are you my father?"</p> <p>"Is that what you want to believe?"</p> <p>"That’s what the necromancer’s spellbook said would happen." Fear enters my heart, perhaps for the first time in my young life.</p> <p>The thing cackles loudly, mockingly, "I am the being you summoned from the other side. Who do you think wrote that spellbook? It was me. Who killed the man who lived in this apartment, the one you call a necromancer? I did. He wasn’t a necromancer. He was a charlatan. A dabbler in the dark arts. Just like you."</p> <p>"I’m not a dark wizard. I came to resurrect my father. To learn who killed him. To avenge him."</p> <p>"Do you want to know who killed your father? It wasn't the muggles. The false necromancer, the one you call friend, he killed your father. Sure, the muggle guards didn't demand a high payment to let him do it, but they weren't directly responsible. He kidnapped your father from the jail cell, and killed him in an experiment for his dark arts. Or maybe you'd rather hear that I killed your father. I manipulated the false necromancer. He manipulated the guards. I wrote the tome. Now here I am manipulating you. Not that any of this was very difficult. You’re all vile evil creatures, easy prey to my control."</p> <p>I begin to object… to tell him that I was clever enough to bring him here, that I am immune from his manipulation. Then I realize what a fool I’ve been. I couldn’t even follow the instructions in the first chapter of the tome. The page that warned me not to meddle with death magic.</p><<set $ritualstate+=1>>Many thanks to the people who helped me: Alpha testers: Mathbrush, Agat, Deborah Sherwood, Drew Cook Beta testers: Mathbrush, Agat, Deborah Sherwood, infinityto1 Blurb editing: Ben Kirwin, Alison W, Paul S Cover art: infinityto1 Story art: Doug Egan and family This game was written with Twine version 2.6.2, Sugarcube 2.36.1. Thanks to Chris Klimas and other developers for making these tools available. My website is http://dougegan2.blogspot.com/ My email is dougegan2@gmail.com Please reach out to me with constructive feedback or to tell me about your experience with this game. Search for other interactive fiction at https://ifdb.tads.org/ Thanks to the denizens of intfiction.org and related forums (especially Greyelf) for answering my many technical questions during development. The title font is "action-is-shaded-jl-font-f10957" by Brain Eaters downloaded from fontspace.com under a freeware license. The in-game art was created using "Procreate" drawing software. Thanks to my child for teaching me how to use this software. I was inspired to write this story almost eight years ago. The most concentrated effort to finish it took place between November 2022 and August 2023. The story and game art belongs to the author and are protected by copyright. These should not be reproduced except for the purpose of promoting this game. The cover art is drawn by a real artist, and is protected by their copyright. <<back "Return to the Story">>Players who are new to interactive fiction, or need help learning this game's unique interface, may want to play the tutorial. The tutorial can be accessed from the left sidebar at almost any time during play. For best experience, play on a full size screen with the left side bar closed. The right side bar contains useful in-game commands and will be managed by the game engine. This game is designed to take about two hours for completion. It cannot be put in an unwinnable state. The game includes a number of side quests and "Easter eggs". It is possible for the player to (unknowingly) lock themselves out of specific side quests during play. However, these are strictly optional. If the browser's cookies are enabled, this game will auto-save each time you visit the concessions area. Players may create additional save points whenever they wish. Alternatively, a player may disable cookies and complete the game without saves. This game contains embedded images. If your device is not able to display these images, they will appear with an alt-text instead. Images have been created for your amusement, but are not necessary to complete the game. This story is fiction. The game includes frat-house humor interspersed with brief moments of light horror and existential conflict. If this were a movie, it might be rated PG. <<back "Return to the Story">>Game by Doug Egan, copyright 2023<p>I don't remember every detail of how I got here since I hit my head on a rock when I landed but I'll do my best to explain. We've been playing wizard paintball for about ninety minutes already. The first hour was largely a stalemate. Everyone moved to their own favorite hideouts and stayed there. More than an hour had passed and nobody had been eliminated. Boring.</p> <p>So yours truly, Pledge Romeo decided to be a BMOC and mix it up a little. I came out of hiding and started running down the forest path yelling insults at brothers I couldn't even see. "Hey Riptide, your mother has a common garden skunk as her familiar! Betcha can't catch me."</p> <p>Hearing that, Brother Riptide came out of hiding and started chasing me. Pretty quickly I realized he's faster than me (hence his nickname). He probably //could// catch up with me, and certainly he's a helluva lot faster at spellcasting than I am. But I am a bit smaller than him, so I was able to slip through a damaged section of the cow fence, then scrambled up and over a mountainous sand dune which brother Timmy had erected there as an obstacle. Unfortunately on the way down the other side I lost my footing. Sand sliding out beneath my robes I tumbled to the bottom.</p> <<link "Now here I am." "Start">><<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><</link>><<set $loctitle="West Beach">> <span id="header"> <<switch visited("Start")>> <<case 1>><p>Now here I am, collapsed on the beach, sand in my robes and a trickle of blood running down my forehead. Brother Stirling was already here when I arrived and now stands poised to cast //SPLORT//. My own wand is lost over there in the weeds somewhere. Also I think my wrist might be broken. This hurts more than the time we climbed the fire escape ladder up to the roof of Ag Hall and I fell off.</p> <p>On the positive side, I've succeeded at my goal of ending the paintball stalemate. One of the combatants is about to be eliminated.</p><<set _showloc=false>> <<case 2>> <p>Stirling casts a spell; not SPLORT but SPLAREN. The air ripples around me. My wrist is no longer broken and I can stand again without pain. I put a hand to my face. No blood there either.</p> <p>"Thanks." I say. "But why? You could have taken me out for the score."</p> <p>"Later, my friend, but not when you're down. You would have done the same for me, stopping the game to help a fallen brother."</p> <p>"Sure- if I knew the spell. You're the chapter president. I'm only a pledge."</p> <p>"In other houses you might be called Pledge Romeo or pleb or I've heard names worse than that. But here at Beta Rho Omega, we already think of you as part of our house. Just younger and less experienced. I have a special feeling about you, Romeo. You have big things ahead of you." <p>"You really think that?"</p> <p>"We'll talk after the tournament. Just brush yourself off right now and tell me when you're ready to resume the competition."</p> <</switch>> </span> $justexamined <<set $justexamined="">> <<switch $action>> <<case "explore">> <<case "go">> <<linkreplace "Run away. Run away as fast as I can.">><p>There is really no place to go. Stirling is blocking the path down the beach to the east. The lake is south of me, too cold to enter without Stirling's wet suit or a penguin transmutation spell. The electric fence blocks the way west, and the dune I just fell down looms ominously above me to the north. I'm completely trapped. Unless I could prepare a SPLORT spell, then target Stirling with the spell.</p><</linkreplace>><br> <<case"mundane">> <<linkreplace "Ask Stirling about the pledge requirements.<br>">> <<replace #header>> <p>Stirling says "Every pledge has up to a full year to learn the Greek alphabet, the Beta Rho Omega anthem, the names of all the past presidents, complete a pledge service project, and learn the secret handshake."</p> <p>"There's a secret handshake?"</p> <p>"Shit. I wasn't supposed to tell you about that before the initiation ceremony."</p> <</replace>> <<link "Ask Stirling about the Greek alphabet.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>"It's been really tough to learn the Greek alphabet." I tell Stirling earnestly, "But I've already mastered the letters from the beginning through to the letter Delta. Do you want to hear? Alpha, Beta, Gamma-"</p> <p>Stirling excuses me from continuing, which is a relief because there was only just the one more letter that I could remember. He says, "You've been working hard, Romeo. Pledgemaster Caveman gives me regular updates about your progress. I have a special feeling about you. You may not be the brightest pledge, but you have enthusiasm and you have a special talent for seeing inside of people. You have great leadership potential. That's why Brother Caveman gave you the pledge pin that I used to wear. It's the pin that my president willed to me, and his president willed to him back since the founding of our order. I hope you'll take a close look at it some time. It may grant you special powers."</p> <</replace>><</link>> <<link "Ask Stirling about learning the names of the past presidents.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>Stirling says, "There have been a lot of past presidents. Are you familiar with the commemorative icons?"</p> <p>"What are those?"</p> <p>"Icons are the artistic totems that have been designed by the Frankenstein Mint to honor great leaders of our brotherhood. They're highly collectible. <<if $iconinv[1] is false>>If you like, I'll <<set $currenticon =1>>[[give you this one|examine icon]] to start your collection<</if>></p> <</replace>><</link>> <<link "Ask Stirling about the chapter anthem.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>This one I know already. Stirling and I bellow out the chapter drinking song, only a little out of sync with each other.</p> "Men of Beta Rho Omega, our fraternity.<br> &emsp; Loyal brothers<br> &emsp; Like no others<br> For all eterniteeeeeeeeeee-"<br> <p>(Holding the final vowel sound until at least one of the fraternal chorus collapses from lack of oxygen.)</p> <</replace>><</link>> <<link "Ask Stirling about the pledge service project.<br>">><<replace #header>> <p>I tell Stirling "We've had trouble reaching agreement about our pledge service project. Tiny Tim wants to have a car wash to raise money for orphaned wizards."</p> <p>"Timmy was an orphan himself, you know."</p> <p>"Yes, but another group of us are keen on converting the chapter house into a safe space for un-spayed kittens."</p> <p>Stirling considers this carefully. "Your pledgemaster, Caveman, is the best person to guide you through this planning. But if I were to weigh in, I'd go with Brother Tim's proposal. We don't want our chapter to develop a reputation as the crazy cat house."</p> <</replace>><</link>> <</linkreplace>> <<link "Ask Stirling to resume the competition<br>">><<replace #header>> <<if $nowand is true>> <p>"Yes, there is the matter of the present tournament. Only one of us can leave this beach a victor. But Romeo, you don't even have a wand right now. Casting against you now would be no more sporting than shooting ducks in a barrel. Go collect your wand before we resume the competition."</p> <<else>> <p>"Yes, there is the matter of the present tournament. Only one of us can leave this beach a victor. But I'm going to give you the advantage. I'm going to let you cast the first //SPLORT//"</p> <p>We both know that Stirling will best me in a quick-draw competition. He has three more years of experience than I have. Still, it's a noble gesture by him to let me try.</p> <</if>> <</replace>><</link>> <</switch>> <<set _showloc=true>> <<set _stirling={exp:"#<p>Stirling, our chapter president, is handsome and confident; one of the coolest people I know. He's been my role model ever since I first rushed.</p> <p>Normally Stirling dresses in slacks and an oxford shirt, or on more ceremonial occasions his velvet wizarding robes with sleeves long enough to stow an entire six pack of beer. Today, though, he's chosen a black neoprene wetsuit which is curious attire for a paintball tournament. Has he been hiding out underwater?</p> <p>Stirling's wand is carved from the darkest ebony, matching the color of his neoprene. The wand is intricately detailed with inlaid ivory runes which make it now illegal for him to resell or export it out of the country. Not that he would. The wand is an antique, with his family for generations. It pulses with magical potential.</p> <<if not $nowand>><p>He takes careful aim.</p><</if>>",elmnt:"flesh",SPLORT:"stirlingSPLORT"}>> <<set _fence={exp:"efence",elmnt:"metal"}>> <<include topbox>> <h3>West Beach</h3> <<if _showloc is true>><p>I'm on the west end of a long desolate brown sand beach with nowhere to hide. The beach stretches further east, blocked by President Stirling. I became trapped in this location after sliding down a sand dune from the north. Climbing back that way won't be as easy while <<link "Stirling">><<parseaction _stirling>><</link>> takes shots at me. The way west is blocked by an <<link "electric fence">><<parseaction _fence>><</link>>. South of me is a lake, cold and placid.</p><</if>> <p> <<if $nowand>>Stirling taunts me playfully. <<print either( "He dashes up and down the beach, pretending I'm not here.", "He goads me into taking a shot.", "He thumbs his nose at me.", "He lies on the beach and pretends to take a nap.", "He sticks out his tongue, gives me a raspberry, then laughs.", "He sings a traditional wizarding shanty.", "He dances the Hokie Pokie.", "He dances the Macarena.", "He dances a traditional wizarding folk dance.")>> I hope I can find my missing wand soon. I lost it when I fell down the hill. <<else>>Stirling takes careful aim. <</if>> </p> <img src="stirling.jpg" alt="Stirling image" width="330" height="396"><p>The cazuela contains five fist-sized models of regular polyhedra, carved from varied materials. These are, in order of ascending complexity: A $pl4 tetrahedron. A $pl6 cube. A $pl8 octahedron. A $pl12 dodecahedron. A $pl20 icosahedron. /* <<cycle("$pl4")>> <<option "platinum">> <<option "marble">> <<option "bone">> <<option "mithril">> <<option "teak">> <</cycle>> */ </p> <p>A five pointed star is engraved inside the cazuela. Its points reach nearly to the rim of the dish. At the center of the star is <<switch $cancenter>> <<case 0>>nothing. <<case 1>>my father's brain. <<case 2>>a mechanical face. <<case 4>>the $pl4 tetrahedron. <<case 6>>the $pl6 cube. <<case 8>>the $pl8 octahedron. <<case 12>>the $pl12 dodecahedron. <<case 20>>the $pl20 icosahedron. <<default>>error <</switch>> </p> <p> I could move any one of these objects toward the center: <<link "my father's brain" "can open">><<set $cancenter=1>><</link>>, <<link "The mechanical face" "can open">><<set $cancenter=2>><</link>>, <<link "the tetrahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=4>><</link>>, <<link "the cube" "can open">><<set $cancenter=6>><</link>>, <<link "the octahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=8>><</link>>, <<link "the dodecahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=12>><</link>>, or <<link "the icosahedron." "can open">><<set $cancenter=20>><</link>> </p> <p> <<link "Remove everything from the center, leaving it empty." "can open">><<set $cancenter=0>><</link>> </p> <p> <<link "I could move the lid to close the cazuela." >> <<set $canopen=false>> <<if (($pl4 is "platinum") and ($pl6 is "marble") and ($pl8 is "bone") and ($pl12 is "mithril") and ($pl20 is "teak") and ($cancenter is 1))>> <<goto "demon summoned">> <<else>> <<goto "can closed">> <</if>> <</link>> or <<link "I could look around the room." "Necromancer's Workshop">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> </p><p>The cazuela contains five fist-sized models of regular polyhedra, carved from varied materials. These are, in order of ascending complexity: A $pl4 tetrahedron. A $pl6 cube. A $pl8 octahedron. A $pl12 dodecahedron. A $pl20 icosahedron. /* <<cycle("$pl4")>> <<option "platinum">> <<option "marble">> <<option "bone">> <<option "mithril">> <<option "teak">> <</cycle>> */ </p> <p>A five pointed star is engraved inside the cazuela. Its points reach nearly to the rim of the dish. At the center of the star is <<switch $cancenter>> <<case 0>>nothing. <<case 1>>my father's brain. <<case 2>>a mechanical face. <<case 4>>the $pl4 tetrahedron. <<case 6>>the $pl6 cube. <<case 8>>the $pl8 octahedron. <<case 12>>the $pl12 dodecahedron. <<case 20>>the $pl20 icosahedron. <<default>>error <</switch>> </p> <p> I could move any one of these objects toward the center: <<link "my father's brain" "can open">><<set $cancenter=1>><</link>>, <<link "The mechanical face" "can open">><<set $cancenter=2>><</link>>, <<link "the tetrahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=4>><</link>>, <<link "the cube" "can open">><<set $cancenter=6>><</link>>, <<link "the octahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=8>><</link>>, <<link "the dodecahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=12>><</link>>, or <<link "the icosahedron." "can open">><<set $cancenter=20>><</link>> </p> <p> <<link "Remove everything from the center, leaving it empty." "can open">><<set $cancenter=0>><</link>> </p> <p> <<link "I could move the lid to close the cazuela." >> <<set $canopen=false>> <<if (($pl4 is "platinum") and ($pl6 is "marble") and ($pl8 is "bone") and ($pl12 is "mithril") and ($pl20 is "teak") and ($cancenter is 1))>> <<goto "demon summoned">> <<else>> <<goto "can closed">> <</if>> <</link>> or <<link "I could look around the room." "Necromancer's Workshop">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> </p><span id="all"> <<if $canleg is false>> Unfortunately I do not know the ancient language of these glyphs. I'll need to find a way to translate the glyphs to a language I know. I could touch one of them and see if anything changes. The syllables are: <<link "XY">><<set $light="mithril">><<domagic $light>><<replace #all>><<include "can closed">><</replace>><</link>>, <<link "VERD">><<set $light="teak">><<domagic $light>><<replace #all>><<include "can closed">><</replace>><</link>>, <<link "SPL">><<set $light="bone">><<domagic $light>><<replace #all>><<include "can closed">><</replace>><</link>>, <<link "FER">><<set $light="platinum">><<domagic $light>><<replace #all>><<include "can closed">><</replace>><</link>>, <<link "GAI">><<set $light="marble">><<domagic $light>><<replace #all>><<include "can closed">><</replace>><</link>>. <</if>> <p> or <<link "I could look around the room." "Necromancer's Workshop">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">><<set $light=0>> <</link>> </p> </span> Move tetrahedron to <<switch $light>> <<case 0>>All five glyphs glow with equal intensity. <<case "platinum">>The "FER" glyph glows more intensely than the others. <<case "marble">>The "GAI" glyph glows more intensely than the others. <<case "bone">>The "SPL" glyph glows more intensely than the others. <<case "mithril">>The "XY" glyph glows more intensely than the others. <<case "teak">>The "VERD" glyph glows more intensely than the others. <<default>>error <</switch>> Move the $pl4 tetrahedron to <<cycle("$pl4")>> <<option "platinum">> <<option "marble">> <<option "bone">> <<option "mithril">> <<option "teak">> <</cycle>> </p> <p>A five pointed star is engraved inside the cazuela. Its points reach nearly to the rim of the dish.</p> Move the ---- to the XY point Move the ---- to the <<switch $cancenter>> <<case 0>>nothing. <<case 1>>my father's brain. <<case 2>>a mechanical face. <<case 4>>the $pl4 tetrahedron. <<case 6>>the $pl6 cube. <<case 8>>the $pl8 octahedron. <<case 12>>the $pl12 dodecahedron. <<case 20>>the $pl20 icosahedron. <<default>>error <</switch>> </p> <p> I could move any one of these objects toward the center: <<link "my father's brain" "can open">><<set $cancenter=1>><</link>>, <<link "The mechanical face" "can open">><<set $cancenter=2>><</link>>, <<link "the tetrahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=4>><</link>>, <<link "the cube" "can open">><<set $cancenter=6>><</link>>, <<link "the octahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=8>><</link>>, <<link "the dodecahedron" "can open">><<set $cancenter=12>><</link>>, or <<link "the icosahedron." "can open">><<set $cancenter=20>><</link>> </p> <p> <<link "Remove everything from the center, leaving it empty." "can open">><<set $cancenter=0>><</link>> </p> <p> <<link "I should move my father's brain to the center of the cazuela." >> <<set $canopen=false>> <<if (($pl4 is "platinum") and ($pl6 is "marble") and ($pl8 is "bone") and ($pl12 is "mithril") and ($pl20 is "teak"))>> <<goto "demon summoned">> <<else>> <<goto "can closed">> <</if>> <</link>> or <<link "I could look around the room." "Necromancer's Workshop">> <<removeclass "#right-ui-bar" "stowed">> <</link>> </p>