C:\GAMES\IMPRO\SOH> soh (N)ew game, or (C)ontinue? C South Arch You are standing in a small room whose north side is an open archway. To the east and west, stairways mount into gloom, which is intensified by the torches. There is one in a sconce at the foot of each stairway. Directly in front of you, to the south, a wooden door stands partly open. There is a small blue-and-white striped kitten here. >DIAGNOSE You are in good health, but feel a bit tired. You are a bit hungry. You are not at all thirsty. Your arms, neck, and face are slightly itchy. Your skin is a mottled blue-green. However, one of your hands is "human"-colored. >INVENTORY You are carrying: a silver pendant (worn) a slightly tarnished gold amulet (wrapped around the wrist) servant's clothing (worn) arrows pocky a brown leather purse (jingles when shaken) a tattered map a tension bar blueing powder metal cup >VERSION = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = SPIRITS OF HOPE An Improtext Adventure Lead Programmer: Brian Stricklin Module Programmer: Sean Givan Version 1.91 -- Learn = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >LOOK South Arch You are standing in a small room whose north side is an open archway. To the east and west, stairways mount into gloom, which is intensified by the torches. There is one in a sconce at the foot of each stairway. Directly in front of you, to the south, a wooden door stands partly open. There is a small blue-and-white striped kitten here. >LOOK AT KITTEN The blue-and-white kitten is waiting at the bottom at the eastern stairs, occasionally mewing at you to follow it. >E You follow the kitten. Eastern Tower Staircase It is dark here. You hear the sound of mewing. >E You bump around in the darkness and trip over your own feet a few times, but make no progress. You hear the sound of mewing. >W South Arch >GET TORCH You retreive one of the burning torches from its sconce. >E Eastern Tower Staircase In the flickering light of the torch you carry, you see that the stairs here spiral tightly around a central stone pillar. To the west lie the bottom of the stairs, and a doorway that leads into a small room, from which faint light enamates. Upwards from here you see gloom, and hear the hollow sound of wind. There is a small blue-and-white striped kitten here. It ascends the staircase, occasionally looking back at you to mew. >UP You ascend the staircase. Eastern Tower Staircase The sound of wind is very strong as you approach this particular turn in the spiraling staircase. Without warning, an especially strong gust of wind puts out your torch, plunging you into darkness. You hear the sound of mewing. >UP You bump around in the darkness and trip over your own feet a few times, but make no progress. You hear the sound of mewing. >DOWN Eastern Tower Staircase >W South Arch >LOOK AT TORCH The torch is made of ordinary straw wrapped with cloth, with a core of hard wood to hold on to. It is currently put out, with a blackened and smoking tip. >LIGHT TORCH You relight your torch using the fire of the other torch. >GET TORCH You already have one. >INVENTORY You are carrying: a silver pendant (worn) a slightly tarnished gold amulet (wrapped around the wrist) servant's clothing (worn) arrows pocky a brown leather purse (jingles when shaken) a tattered map a tension bar blueing powder a metal cup a torch (out) >PUT CUP OVER TORCH There is no place where the metal cup will fit on the torch. >LIGHT POCKY The pocky is not flammable. >LOOK AT POWDER This is a small paper package. The paper is dark blue, and it is wrapped over a bar of crumbly dark blue material. >PUT POWDER ON TORCH You remove the bar of blue powder and crumble it over the burning flame of the torch. It ignites immediately as it is sprinkled over the straw, and the tame yellow flame leaps into a white, hissing monster. You discard the paper wrapping. [You have gained 1 point!] >E Eastern Tower Staircase >UP Eastern Tower Staircase A gust of wind rushes past you, making the torch's flame waver, but the flame is too strong to be doused. The staircase here continues both upwards and downwards. A strong breeze blows regularly from upstairs. There is a small blue-and-white striped kitten here. It ascends the staircase, occasionally looking back at you to mew. >UP Eastern Tower Landing This is the mid-point of the long spiraling staircase, and the stairs end momentarily in a small semi-circle shaped landing before continuing once again, upwards and downwards. An open window looks out into a dark sky, and strong winds enter through, chilling the area. An iron porticullis is raised above the top of the downward stairs. There is a small blue-and-white striped kitten here. It ascends the staircase, occasionally looking back at you to mew. >LOOK AT WINDOW The window has no pane to it - it's just a hole cut in the stone wall. Out through, you have a wide view of the city of Waypoint, and its darkened houses and buildings. Nearly an entire half of the city can be seen here - Despise's pagoda rested on top of a hill to begin with, and this tower rises up even higher. As you look out, it vaguely occurs to you that a stone tower is not usually part of Japanese architecture, and that you did not see any such thing when looking at Despise's pagoda from the outside. >LOOK AT PORTICULLIS It is just wide enough to block the downward staircase. It is currently raised, the tips of the gate barely peeking out of the ceiling stones. >LOWER PORTICULLIS You tug at the gate's bottom spikes, but you are not strong enough to budge the porticullis. >UP Eastern Tower Top The staircase upwards ends here, at a short landing with a wooden door banded with steel set in the east wall. A large padlock on the door prevents easy entrance. There is a small blue-and-white striped kitten here, which paws at the door, looking back at you from time to time to mew. >OPEN DOOR The door is locked securely by the padlock. >LOOK AT PADLOCK The dingy brass padlock is about the size of your palm, with a small keyhole in the front. >PUT TENSION BAR IN PADLOCK The tension bar is about half an inch too long to fit inside the keyhole. Also, with your lockpick gone, you are not likely to succeed in picking this lock. >PUT ARROWS IN PADLOCK Arrows make a very poor (and unsuccessful) substitute for lockpicks. >EAT KITTEN Oh, so you think you're evil, do you? >DOWN Eastern Tower Landing >DOWN Eastern Tower Staircase >DOWN Eastern Tower Staircase >W South Arch >PUT TORCH IN SCONCE You return the burning torch to its original position. >LOOK South Arch You are standing in a small room whose north side is an open archway. To the east and west, stairways mount into gloom, which is intensified by the torches. There is one in a sconce at the foot of each stairway. Directly in front of you, to the south, a wooden door stands partly open. >S Guard Watch This small circular room is dim and cold. A small arrowslit of a window peeks out to the south, from which you can see the hill on which Despise's keep rests. A small, cheaply-made wooden chair is provided for watchful guards to sit on, and a nail juts out from the west well, under which is painted the outline of a keyring. Dried muddy footprints are tracked all over the stone floor. >LOOK AT NAIL Under the simple iron nail is painted, in blue, the outline of a keyring. This is apparently the designated place where somebody's keys are placed when not needed. However, the keys are absent at the moment. >LOOK AT CHAIR The chair has been made for utility rather than beauty; it is rough-hewn with knot-ridden hardwood, with a straw mat hastily woven on the seat in a patternless fashion. >LOOK AT FOOTPRINTS This is apparently one of the few rooms of Despise's which are not swept or cleaned. The light brown outline of boots are present across the floor, and usually point in two directions; either southwards, looking out the window, or northwestward, exiting the door. >NORTH South Arch >GET TORCH You retreive your white-hot torch from its sconce. >N Servant's Courtyard This is a courtyard paved with cobblestones. The building extends to the north and south on either side, with archways in each of these walls, leading to passageways into the building. To the west, double doors appear to only open from the inside. The eastern wall has a very large, ornate gate, locked tight with a large iron bar. A small postern in the gate is locked with a smaller iron bar; it has a small window, barred with iron. Rough benches are shoved against the wall near the arches, with an array of heavy, poorly-made boots of various sizes placed more-or-less neatly underneath them. Light spills from the two arches, from torches placed to either side of the gate, and from a few windows high in the north and south walls. By this light, you can see that to the north is a large metal contrivance, with a lever-like handle and a spout. It seems to be a pump. >OPEN GATE The gate is barred shut, as well at the postern. The locks for both are on the other side. >N North Arch You are standing in a small room whose south side is an open archway. The only other exit from here is a wooden door, that is slightly ajar to the west. >S Servant's Courtyard >S South Arch >W You ascend the western staircase. Western Tower Staircase This staircase is long and straight, and begins to broaden as you ascend it. While at the bottom is it just wide enough for one person to enter, after about thirty steps or so, it is wide enough for ten to stand side-by-side on. At the top of the stairs is a short landing, with two exits. The west exit is the more prominent one, with vast round iron double doors that rise up out of the gloom, far across as the staircase, and closed shut. Beside this monstrous portal is a more humble door to its left (the south.) >W While the doors do not seem to be locked, they are far too heavy to move. You strain at them for twenty seconds- you *think* they might have moved a millimetre or so, but that's probably your imagination. >S This door swings open easily, and you enter. Cold Study This rectangular room is deeply chilled, so much so that you can see your breath. And for good reason, too - lined along the walls, are bell jars mounted on podium, with a series of organs and other body parts each under glass. An empty table and chair are placed in the corner. On the wall above the table is mounted a huge sheet of paper, containing an unbelievably complex diagram. There are two exits from here, both ordinary doors - one in the north, and the other in the northwest corner. >LOOK AT JARS Under each jar, only half-visible due to frosting on the inside, sits a body organ. The sight immediately reminds you of the horrible dissections in the sewers - but the organs are unbloody and have been sheared cleanly, giving them a clinical air. What looks like air pumps are attached to each jair, preserving the organ inside. >LOOK AT PUMPS They're fairly quiet, and churn cold air, and possibly other things, into the environment under each bell jar. >TAKE ORGAN All of the organs are inside the bell jars. >OPEN JAR You tug at one of the jars, but it will not lift up. It must either be adhered to its podium, or pressure-sealed in some way. >TURN OFF PUMPS There is no switch visible to do this with. >BREAK JARS You pound on the glass jars with your fists, but they prove surprisingly resilient. >LOOK AT DIAGRAM The diagram on the paper looming above you is organized in a web-like fashion, with names or paragraphs connected to other names of paragraphs with lines and loops. It would obviously take some serious study to make sense of it all. >STUDY DIAGRAM What the diagram is trying to communicate is very complex; you get the impression that it's trying to impart multi-dimensional relationships with only a two-dimensional piece of paper to work with. After a few minutes of head-scratching, you can make a vague guess: it looks like the diagram is making reference to the various kinds of humanoid creatures you've seen around Waypoint. Something to do with a potential of some kind that they might have. Additionally, the diagram seems to break down creatures into individual components, and rates the potential of each. There is the possibility that the diagram is also relating how different combinations of components affect each other's potential, but you might be reading too much into the paper. >NW You open the door and enter a large room. Darkness Shop This room is large, about the size of a small warehouse. On the far side of the room, shutters sort of like garage doors are open and reveal one whole side of the room to the nighttime outside, providing the room's only light and adding a chilly breeze to the area. In the centre of the room is a large contraption, perhaps ten feet high and made up of a confusing array of cogs, valves, pistons, and chambers. A low whine comes from the machine as it operates. Some ordinary tables, with miscellaneous junk on them, are lined against the north wall. A small door in the southeast, the open air to the west and two large double doors in the east are the exits. ** MORE ** Just as you enter, you are startled as you spot the scientist with the spider body you met before. He stands in the distance, on the other side of the large machine - he hasn't spotted you yet, but might soon. He is speaking with what seems to be an aide of some kind, a greyish humanoid with donkey-like features. >HIDE Where do you want to hide? >HIDE BEHIND MACHINE Taking advantage of their turned backs, you skitter up to the contraption and hide on its near side, which is large enough to conceal you. "..and I think that the sun will probably be rising again in about four or five hours." You hear the spider-scientist speak, in his distinctive nasal tone. "That's a total of one hundred and fifty-three hours of nightime. It's our most successful extended night to date, but I believe we're pushing the limit of Statis using the hosts we've found so far." 'Statis'. You can almost hear the capitalization as he says the word. "If we want to unlock Statis's full power, we need a breakthrough of some kind. Despise has already said that the human girl is off limits.." You hear him sigh. "Sometimes I wish he was more practical-minded. How can he ask us to succeed in our project if he holds back the obvious tools?" You hear the aide murmur something that sounds vaguely sympathetic. "No, no, we'll continue as always. Let's go to bed, and continue after the sun rises." The scientist and his aide walk into view as they head towards the southeast door. You hold your breath nervously as they walk by; neither of them see you as they exit. >LOOK AT MACHINE This machine stands about eight feet in height, and is roughly cube-shaped, decorated on the outside with all manner of cogs, valves, pistons, and chambers. A large grey button, currently in a depressed state, is on the front. There is also a small door set in the side of the machine. >PUSH BUTTON The button is already in a pushed state, and pushing it does not release it. Apparently, it will pop out on its own when the machine's function is completed. >OPEN MACHINE You open the small door and take a look inside. What's inside is rather shocking. The inner chamber is lit with a faint blue light. As for its contents: imagine a humanoid from without skin, skeleton, or muscles - just a series of organs, arranged in place with their connecting tubes sewn together - and this is what is sitting inside. Around the fleshy golem's neck is a necklace of some kind. >LOOK AT NECKLACE This piece of women's jewellery is a fine gold chain, interspersed with small white pearls. In the centre is a gold disk; on it is inscribed the symbol of a single square. >GET NECKLACE You reach out and grasp the necklace. However, as you do so, both the pendant around your neck and the amulet around your wrist flare brightly. Before you can do anything or let go, there is a brilliant flash of light, and the only thing left of you is a pile of grey ash with a pendant and amulet sticking out of it. *** You have died. *** Quit, Restore, or Undo? UNDO Undo successful. >CLOSE MACHINE You close the small door to the machine's inner chamber. >LOOK AT TABLE Strewn about the tables here are various machine parts, and papers with meaningless scribbles or math scratchwork. Amid all this, you spot a metal ring with a key on it, both painted black. >GET KEY Taken. [You have gained 1 point!] >SE Cold Study The spider-scientist and his aide are, fortunately, not here. They must have made good on their intent to go to bed. >N Western Tower Staircase >E South Arch >E Eastern Tower Staircase >UP Eastern Tower Staircase >UP Eastern Tower Landing >UP Eastern Tower Top There is a blue-and-white striped kitten here, curled up on the floor and sleeping. >UNLOCK DOOR WITH KEY You take the black-painted key and insert it into the padlock, unlocking it with a click. The noise wakes the kitten, who mews at you inquisitively. >E You open the door and enter. As you open it, the door seems unusually heavy, as though the hinges had some kind of weight attached to them. Suzume's Room [You have gained 5 points!] The top of the tower is a small bedroom. There is a quilted bed tucked cozily against one wall, a round rug in the middle, and a desk against the other wall. A tiny window with iron bars criss-crossing against it looks out to the night sky, it being the only detail to remind you that this is a cell, instead of some private retreat. Suzume is here, sitting in a chair taken from the desk, gazing out of the window with her back to you. As you enter, the kitten scampers past you, rounds the chair, and leaps into Suzume's lap. This catches her attention first, and she picks the excited pet up. "Aoi..?" she murmurs - then turns around, and sees you. The sight of you is her second surprise. >LOOK AT SUZUME Suzume is a woman of refinement, both in manner and appearance. Her figure is slim and delicate, with fine hair a shade of silvery grey and skin milky and pale. Her eyes, lavender in colour, carry great intelligence and soulful emotion within, though layered with a sense of reserve. She wears a formal kimono, sky-blue in colour, and decorated with a pattern of embroidered swans. Suzume stands, stroking the purring Aoi in her hands, and walks up to you, her surprise obvious in her eyes, much as she tries to conceal it in her body language. "How.. how on earth did you find your way here?" >SUZUME, FOLLOW ME Suzume ignores your request, as her eyes flick down to the amulet on your wrist. Suddenly serious, she frowns at it. "You have Destruction *and* Creation?" she asks. (You can almost hear the capitalization.) "I don't know where you found this amulet.. but it's dangerous to carry more than one of them around. Here, let me take it." >GIVE AMULET TO SUZUME You unwrap the amulet from your wrist and hand it to Suzume, who gracefully accepts it. She frowns disapprovingly at the tarnish on its surface, before hiding it within the folds of her kimono. >SUZUME, FOLLOW ME "I can understand that you're anxious to leave, but there's some important matters to take care of first. With Statis in Despise's hands, he'll soon be able to.." Suzume sighs, and rubs at her forehead. "Wait.. I suppose you still don't really understand what you're doing here in the first place. I'm sorry." Suzume walks back to her chair and sits, cradling Aoi in her lap. "It's a very complex situation, both here in this world and our own, and I'm not even sure if you're ready to hear the whole story. Some of it would be rather disconcerting for an ordinary boy like you to hear.." She blinks. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean any offense by that. Perhaps I could explain by having you ask questions." >ASK SUZUME ABOUT DESPISE "When your grandfather and I, and that.. other boy.." Suzume trails off a moment, looking distantly sad. "Despise wasn't part of the group, originally. He butted in, instead, and he's twisted everything to suit his own needs." You wait for her to continue, but that's the full answer she gives. It seems that either the situation regarding Despise is too subtle for her to phrase properly, or that she's holding herself back. >ASK SUZUME ABOUT NECKLACE "Yes..." Suzume remains silent, juggling ideas in her head. "It's the third of the three pieces. It was mine, like Destruction was your grandfathers and Creation was.." She stops for a moment. "Anyhow, Despise has it, and he keeps me around as a forced guest. I suppose he's infatuated with me." You wait for her to continue, but that's the full answer she gives. It seems that either the situation regarding the necklace is too subtle for her to phrase properly, or that she's holding herself back. Suzume begins to look anxious. "I think it might be unsafe for us to stay much longer. You might get discovered.. one more question." >ASK SUZUME ABOUT SUZUME Suzume blinks in mild surprise, then smiles with amusement. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to learn about each other." You wait for her to continue, but that's the full answer she gives. It seems that either the situation regarding Suzume is too subtle for her to phrase properly, or that she's holding herself back. Suzume stands up. "Here now. Okayama-san, we need to get moving." She scoops up her kitten and walks to the door. "Follow me." >UNDO "Ah, ah, ah!" Suzume wags a finger. "When I said one more question, I meant it. It's not just about wasting time here - you need time to digest what you learn, bit by bit. It's the safest way." Suzume is indeed a secretive and mysterious woman. [You have gained 5 bonus points!] >FOLLOW SUZUME Suzume walks downstairs, and you follow. Eastern Tower Landing This is the mid-point of the long spiraling staircase, and the stairs end momentarily in a small semi-circle shaped landing before continuing once again, upwards and downwards. An open window looks out into a dark sky, and strong winds enter through, chilling the area. An iron porticullis is lowered down upon the top of the downward stairs, preventing entrance. Suzume stops short. "Ano.. Okayama-san - you weren't aware of the tower door, were you?" You remember the weighted feel of the tower door as you opened it, and feel a sudden urge to kick yourself. >INVENTORY You are carrying: a silver pendant (worn) servant's clothing (worn) arrows pocky a brown leather purse (jingles when shaken) a tattered map a tension bar a metal cup a torch (burning white-hot) a black-painted keyring and key >DIAGNOSE You are in good health, but feel a bit tired. You are a bit hungry. You are a bit thirsty. Your arms, neck, and face are itchy, and might break into a rash soon. Your skin is a mottled blue-green. However, one of your hands is "human"-colored. >SCORE You have gained 79 points out of a possible 2000. This earns you the rank of: Unenlightened Neophyte. >SAVE [Game saved.] >QUIT C:\GAMES\IMPRO\SOH>_ * * * Author's Notes: What I wanted to acheive in this chapter was tying together the various plots that Despise seemed to be involved in: holding Suzume prisoner, being a tyrant over Waypoint, capturing and dissecting Waypoint individuals, and keeping the sun from rising. Hopefully I've made the story a little more holistic. Also, I grabbed one of the story's sweet plums by re-introducing Suzume. I decided to make her a bit mysterious and strange; partially since it seemed in keeping with her actions in Chapter 1, and partially to allow for future twists in the plot by making sure that Suzume wouldn't spill all the beans too early. Finally, notice that trying to UNDO and get some free questions from Suzume was trapped by the game and made into an easter egg. Since the game is based on 2000 points, and it's beginning to seem like we won't ever reach that score, I threw in the idea of 'bonus points'; situations that would be (very) rare for a player to stumble on that are rewarded. This way, near the end we can shrug and say that there were a lot of chances for points that the player skipped over, without seeming too silly. -Sean Givan