Scroll Thief — 126 of 138

Chapter 5 - The Ruined Hall

Mirror-puzzle is a puzzling scene with puzzle description "activating the mirror in the chasm". Mirror-puzzle begins when the inset mirror is known. Mirror-puzzle ends when the inset mirror is active.

Return-puzzle is a puzzling scene with puzzle description "getting back to the library". Return-puzzle begins when the player is in the Ruined Hall. Return-puzzle ends when the player is in the Library. When return-puzzle ends: award points for "getting out of the caves".

The inset mirror is a scrying mirror in the Chasm. It is scenery. Understand "strange" or "set" as the inset mirror.

Instead of answering the inset mirror that a topic when the inset mirror is inactive:

take full time;

let T be the substituted form of "[topic understood]";

replace the text "[']" in T with "";

replace the text "'" in T with "";

if T is the mirror password:

say "As you say the word '[topic understood]', there is a flash of light and the surface of the mirror ripples and distorts for a moment.";

activate the inset mirror;

award points for "activating a hidden mirror";

otherwise:

say "You say '[topic understood]', but nothing happens."

After casting blorple at the inset mirror: mark checkpoint hall as passed; continue the action.

The Ruined Hall is a region in Colossal Cave.

There is a cave called the South End of Ruined Hall. "This must once have been the hall of some wizard, hollowed out of the rock by magic. The ceiling is a great [if the north end is impassible]half-[end if]dome, arching inward and downward to a single enormous column in the center. The stone is smooth and seamless, the craftsmanship perfect.[p]But time has not been kind; the western half of the ceiling has begun to collapse, filling that side of the room with debris. [if the north end is impassible]The area to the north has caved in entirely in a wreckage of shattered stone. [end if]Other than the cracked mirror behind you no trace remains of the mage's work."

There is a cave called the North End of Ruined Hall. "You come around to the other side of the pillar, to what may once have been a small study of sorts. The remains of the furniture lie smashed among the rubble."

The north end is north of the south end.

The north end and the south end are in the ruined hall.

A simple wooden box is a container in the North End. "A simple wooden box lies partially buried in the debris." It is open, openable, unlocked, and lockable. The description of the wooden box is "A simple box of fitted wood."

Empowered effect of casting vezza at a room in the Ruined Hall: say "But in the future there is only darkness."

Effect of casting vezza at a room in the Ruined Hall:

if the north end is passable, say "You see rocks falling all around you as the ceiling finally collapses!";

otherwise say "The entire area is filled with rubble."

Inverse effect of casting vezza at a room in the Ruined Hall:

say "You see an aged wizard placing a book into the base of the column. He waves his hand and mutters an incantation, and the stone flows and seals around it."

Instead of going west in the ruined hall: say "That half of the room is entirely impassible."

Instead of going east in the ruined hall: say "The collapse of the ceiling has turned the circular hall into more of a north-south passage."

A cracked mirror is a scrying mirror in the South End. It is scenery. The cracked mirror is mystically linked to the inset mirror.

Some smashed furniture is scenery in the North End. Understand "remains" or "of furniture" as the furniture. The description of the furniture is "Broken slivers of wood and glass." Understand "slivers" or "wood" or "of wood" or "glass" or "of glass" as the furniture.

The central pillar is a backdrop. It is in the North End and the South End. The description of the pillar is "A smooth pillar of stone, widening at the top into the arch of the ceiling." Understand "single" and "enormous" and "column" and "smooth" as the central pillar.

Instead of tying the pillar to something:

if the location is the South End:

say "(going around to the north side)[ccb]";

try going north;

now the noun is the sturdy box;

continue the action.

A sturdy box is fixed in place in the North End. "Embedded into the base of the pillar is a stone box of some sort, held in place by the weight of the rock above it." The description of the sturdy box is "It looks as though the stone is beginning to fail under compressive forces. This is rare, and takes an enormous amount of pressure, which is why arches are generally built as inverted catenaries[--]a catenary has only tensile forces, an inverted catenary only compressive.[p](Your professor had insisted that an elective class on the physics of architecture would be useful for an Enchanter someday...)". It is ropable and rope-pullable. Understand "stone" as the sturdy box. Should the game choose when comparing the sturdy box against the aquarium: it is a good choice.

Effect of casting rezrov at the sturdy box: say "The box shifts, but is unable to open with the weight of the ceiling pressing down on it."

Box-puzzle is a puzzling scene with puzzle description "opening the sturdy box in the Ruined Hall". Box-puzzle begins when the sturdy box is known. Box-puzzle ends when the remains of the old book are known.

The remains of the old book are a magical thing. Understand "ancient" and "binding" as the remains. "The remains of an ancient book lie here, somewhat the worse for being pulled from the cave-in. The binding seems like it would disintegrate if you so much as looked closely at it."

Understand "look closely at [something]" as examining. [Just for the joke.]

Instead of examining the remains when the remains are on-stage:

say "You so much as look closely at it, and the binding disintegrates. Most of the pages are beyond repair, but one still seems legible.";

disintegrate the book;

take full time.

Instead of an actor doing something to the remains when the remains are on-stage:

if the player can see the actor, say "The binding disintegrates, the pages fluttering in all directions. But one still seems legible.";

disintegrate the book;

take full time.

After casting lesoch at in the presence of the remains:

say "The book doesn't seem to have survived the wind.";

disintegrate the book.

After casting a spell at the remains:

if the spell understood is blorb, make no decision; [That spell protects it.]

say "The tiny air movement caused by your spell is still too much for the book, however. The binding disintegrates, leaving only bits of paper.";

disintegrate the book.

To disintegrate the book:

move the tattered page to the holder of the remains;

now the remembered location of the remains is nothing;

remove the remains from play.

A tattered page is a spell scroll. The inscribed spell of the tattered page is jindak. Understand "pages" as the plural of the tattered page.

Before pulling the sturdy box:

if the player is in the location of the sturdy box or the adventurer is in the location of the sturdy box:

say "You could probably dislodge it, but the north side of the ceiling looks dangerously unsteady. It would certainly collapse if you did.";

stop the action;

otherwise:

say "You pull on [the random rope which is tied to the box], and hear the stone groan slightly under the strain. Suddenly something gives way, and the box comes loose, shattering on the stone floor in front of you. The arch of the ceiling to the north, now unsupported, begins to crumble inward on itself[if the box is examined][--]it was not built as a true inverted catenary, and the tensile strength of masonry tends to degrade over time[--][otherwise], [end if]and you drop to the floor and attempt to shield your head.[p]When the dust has cleared you cautiously rise to your feet. The area to the north is now completely blocked by the cave-in.";

now everything in the north end is tied to nothing;

if there is a person in the north end:

say "[The list of people in the north end] probably didn't survive.";

now every palantir enclosed by the north end is nowhere;

now everything in the north end is nowhere;

move the remains to the location;

now the north end is impassible;

award points for "causing a cave-in";

try looking;

stop the action.

Report pulling a rope when the location is the South End and the North End was passable and the North End is impassible: rule succeeds. [Skip the 'nothing obvious happens' in this one case--the rope is no longer tied at the end, so it would normally print a boring default message.]

Instead of taking or opening the sturdy box: say "You could probably pull it out, but the resulting cave-in would certainly be hazardous to your well-being."

Before someone taking the sturdy box: if the actor is the Adventurer and the player can see the Adventurer, give a cave-in response; stop the action.

Before someone pulling the sturdy box: if the actor is the Adventurer and the player can see the Adventurer, give a cave-in response; stop the action.

Before someone pulling something which is tied to the sturdy box: if the actor is the Adventurer and the player can see the Adventurer, give a cave-in response; stop the action.

To give a cave-in response: say "'Sorry, but I'm not willing to risk a cave-in.'"; record the Adventurer's attempt as successful.