Scroll Thief — 98 of 138

Section B - Books and Shelves

After looking when the location is the Shelves:

display the boxed quotation " ...there was a sound, a papery

whispering, such as might come from a

colony of roosting starlings. In the

silence of the night the books talked

to one another.

- Terry Pratchett, 'Guards! Guards!'"

The description of the Shelves is "Tall, twisting corridors between densely-packed shelves. Dim light shining through the glass floors and narrow ladders. Everything seems to be in a suspended state of chaos, like an avalanche about to fall. [if the shelves are at the origin]The black square connects back to the west, and other p[else]P[end if]assages wind off in every direction, leading deeper and deeper into the stacks.".

The densely-packed shelving is scenery in the Shelves. Understand "shelf" or "shelves" or "book" or "books" as the shelving. Rule for deciding whether all includes the shelving: it does.

The description of the shelving is "Metal racks surround the books on all sides, which is probably how they haven't spilled across the floor by now. Getting them out without magic would be quite a feat."

Instead of inserting something into the shelving: say "There are metal racks in front of each shelf, preventing any access by hand."

Instead of putting something on the shelving: try inserting the noun into the second noun.

Instead of taking the shelving: say "You can fit your hand through the rack, barely, but you can't get anything out."

Instead of climbing the shelving:

say "[one of]You put your foot on one of the lower shelves and reach up, but something seems to push your foot away and you almost fall[or]The shelves don't seem to want to be climbed[stopping].";

take full time.

Understand "tip over/-- [the shelving] over/--" or "push [the shelving] over" as attacking.

Instead of attacking or pushing or pulling the shelving:

say "They're far too heavy for you to knock over."

The glass floor is scenery in the Shelves. Understand "floors" or "ladder" or "ladders" or "light" or "narrow" as the glass floor. Instead of entering the glass floor: say "Ladders go both up and down from here; you'll need to specify the direction."

The description of the glass floor is "The glass under your feet is thick and wavy with age. You can't see anything through it directly, but the gaps in the ceiling and floor show more rows upon rows of shelves. Ladders allow access both up and down."

Every turn when an other person is in the Shelves:

repeat with the subject running through other people in the Shelves:

move the subject to the Main Stacks;

if the location is the Shelves or the location is the Main Stacks:

say "There is a sudden flash of light. 'Only GUE Tech faculty and students are permitted in the Stacks at this time.'"

Instead of dropping something in the Shelves:

say "You recall a brief mention of the automatic cleaning spells in this room from your Applications of Evocation class. If you dropped [the noun] here you might not get [them] back."

Instead of facing a direction in the Shelves:

if the shelves are at the origin and the noun is west, continue the action;

say "The shelves continue as far as you can see."