spawn ./frob --no-colors --no-seed-rand --no-scrolling --interface=plain --no-pause cain.t3 And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. -Genesis 4:4-5, King James Version Then ALLAH sent a crow searching in the ground to show [Cain] how to hide the disgrace of his brother. -Quran 5:31, Sahih International "From this time forth...thou shalt be called Perdition." -Moses 5:24, Pearl of Great Price And Cain said unto the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear..." -Genesis 4:13 KJV According to Cain An inquiry by Jim Nelson [Press any key to continue...] THE PROVOST TOPS off your brandy and invites you to sit. "The question has bedeviled the Academy's Scholastics since this institution was founded," he says with a weary sigh. "What is the Mark of Cain?" The Provost is a gray man, whiskered and immobile. He administers the Academy from his padded chair--ratty blanket thrown over his lap--by scratching messages on parchment and throwing them out the window to his secretaries in the courtyard below. "The Academy has already sent two of our best," he says. "They failed to return. We consider them lost. You must do better." You, a novitiate Indagator, investigate for the Academy all manner of esoterica. Usually the questions revolve around the finer points of philosophy and science debated by the Scholastics. This riddle, though--the Mark of Cain--is monumental. It is the oldest mystery in known history. The Provost breaks the silence with a deep and gravelly voice. "Indagator, you are charged with resolving this ancient question. Stand and prepare yourself!" Summoning all his powers, he claps his hands--and in an instant, you are sent back in time...to the beginning... [Press any key to continue...] I. A YOUNG EARTH East of Eden A fine hazy mist shrouds the sky, making the sun little more than a smeary torch in a smoke-filled room. The air is redolent with a sour aroma. The world feels fresh and new. On your wrist is the orbis bracelet given to you by the Provost before you were sent to this time. You must not lose the bracelet; it's your only way back to the Academy. Before you, a circuitous path plunges eastward into the windswept wilderness. It is this direction you will need to travel to begin your inquiry. Behind you, to the distant west, lies Eden. [Type ABOUT for more information on this game.] >east A tree In a break from the rugged and stark terrain, a magnificent tree rises alongside the path. A crow descends from high above and alights upon its lowest branch. Nestled against the roots of the tree sits a leather rucksack. In the rucksack you see some arsenic, some lymph, some black bile, some phlegm, and some yellow bile. The Academy has provided well. This rucksack will you help you with your inquiry. As you travel, you should discover more of the tools you will require to complete your inquiry and prepare your report for the Provost. The way continues east. >take rucksack You heave up the weighty rucksack and sling it over your shoulder. >look rucksack This unique rucksack of tanned leather and stitching holds several secured phials. Once stored in it, liquids will not spill or mix while traveling. In the rucksack you see some arsenic, some lymph, some black bile, some phlegm, and some yellow bile. >east As you travel, your thoughts wander to the plight of Adam and Eve, the first humans created and parents of all Mankind. They were brought forth in the paradise Eden. They lived a life of pure ease, only to be banished to the wilderness for a single weakness. This path you walk would have been the one they followed as they searched for a new home... A Young Earth Your journey brings you to the mouth of a turbulent valley and a terrible sight: The valley walls and floor have broken open, allowing foul steam and gases from the underworld to escape high into the air. Here lies yet another provision from the Academy for your inquiry: On the ground near the magma flow is a pulverulent cloth. The way continues east and west. Any travel south through the valley is blocked by the magma flow. >take cloth You pick up the pulverulent cloth. A great grumbling announces itself beneath the ground, and you find yourself swaying about as though on a ship deck. A moment later, the disturbance ceases. >look cloth This pulverulent cloth is sewn for chemists and doctors to carry powders and herbals. It's woven to wick away moisture and keep its contents dry under normal conditions. Submerged, however, the powders will be ruined. >east Your thoughts return to the Provost's words in his quarters: "Recall that Eve birthed two sons," the Provost told you. "Cain, the eldest, tilled the fields. Younger brother Abel tended the flocks. Until..." He trails off. "Cain murdered Abel," you said to complete his thought. "The first murder in all of history. As punishment, the Creator cursed Cain to wander the Earth to the end of his days. Cain was marked to prove he introduced murder into our world. The mark served to protect Cain from others taking vengeance upon him." "Why do that? Why protect such evil?" The Provost emitted a gravelly murmur. "Vengeance was the Creator's." Approaching the river The steady rushing of a river comes from the east. A turbulent valley of magma and steam roils to the west. Lying here is a thick tome bound in calf-skin. It's the Pharmakon, a formulary and another provision made by the Academy for your inquiry. This book may be the most valuable possession they delivered for your work. >take Pharmakon With a grunt, you pick up the cumbersome and dusty tome. >look Pharmakon The Pharmakon is a formulary compiled over the ages, from the ancients to the modern Scholastics of the Academy. It's a massive, unwieldy reference of fine- print, formulae, cross-references, and paper dust. It's also a compendium of history, knowledge, insight: Wisdom earned and expressed. Entries are poorly organized, as the Pharmakon is revised continuously as discoveries are made and old knowledge found undependable. It's not intended to be read cover-to-cover. Rather, it should be consulted by topic. While the formulary is organized in haphazard fashion, its initial entry is worthy of your attention: First Principles. [To use this resource, try CONSULT BOOK ABOUT FIRST PRINCIPLES or LOOK UP INDAGATOR.] >look Pharmakon The Pharmakon is a formulary compiled over the ages, from the ancients to the modern Scholastics of the Academy. It's a massive, unwieldy reference of fine- print, formulae, cross-references, and paper dust. It's also a compendium of history, knowledge, insight: Wisdom earned and expressed. Entries are poorly organized, as the Pharmakon is revised continuously as discoveries are made and old knowledge found undependable. It's not intended to be read cover-to-cover. Rather, it should be consulted by topic. The initial entry in the formulary is First Principles. >look up First Principles (the Pharmakon) "First Principles" acts as a kind of introduction for this edition of the Pharmakon. It was penned by Hester IV of Minscip, an old cur and one of the original Indagatores the Academy produced. He was also your mentor, and a trusted one at that. He uses the opportunity of an introduction to produce a screed on the loose ethics of your chosen profession: "More than the what, the Indagator determines the why: the motivations; the reasoning; the rationalizations; the madness. "The greatest tool available to the investigator is combining essences to form compounds, which unlock old memories, reveal hidden details, and even reshape physical matter. Researching the Pharmakon is vital to the success of your inquiry! "Good luck, Indagator," Hester IV of Minscip writes in his hasty but flowing penmanship. "TRUTH is our shared pursuit. It is ignorance we fight, to light the way toward a more complete understanding of our fellow man and woman!" c.f., Indagator, essence >look up Indagator (the Pharmakon) Indagator: The investigator; the observer; the questioner & the doubter. An Indagator examines all, determines the significance, and forgets nothing. MEMORIES and RECALL are two of your most important powers. "SACRIFICE is--alas!--also a necessity of our chosen profession," Hester IV of Minscip adds. c.f., essence, alchemy, sacrifice >memories So far, you've gathered no historical revelations about your inquiry. >look up essence (the Pharmakon) Essences are the backbone of the Indagator's compounds, and thereby his or her inquiry. While a constellation of essences exist for medicinal, soothsaying, and other scientific pursuits, for the Indagator only three varieties are pertinent: * remedy * poison * excipient Compounds are formed by applying two or more of these essences to an object or a surface. When the correct combination is applied, the mixture will trigger the desired effect. If the wrong compound is applied, the mixture will dissolve, leaving nothing but a sense of waste. c.f., remedy, poison, excipient >look up alchemy (the Pharmakon) Alchemy is a broad and learned field, but the Indagator has only to be acquainted with a handful of simple compounds for success in an inquiry. Those compounds are-- Here the ink on the page blurs and smudges, no doubt due to some careless scribe spilling his tea on the page, or one of the Academy's absentminded Scholastics shaving while poring over its secrets. (Not that they shave that often; once a year, perhaps, at most.) When the blurred ink and scarred paper settles at the bottom of the page, only this warning remains: "Compounds may be applied for effect once and only once. Subsequent attempts will merely result in loss of the applied essences." >look up sacrifice (the Pharmakon) Hester IV of Miscip writes: "Sacrifice is the defining characteristic of the Indagator's excipient essence, of which no other profession uses in quite the same manner or to the same effect. "Sacrifice is the defining characteristic of the Indagator as well, for every inquiry requires sacrifice--in the name of TRUTH! Onward!" c.f., Indagator, Truth, excipient >look up remedy (the Pharmakon) A remedy is a vital and promotive essence in compounds. Remedies are blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. It is no coincidence that all four remedies are also the Four Humours. Understand the Four Humours, and you will understand the use of remedies and poisons. c.f., poison, excipient, Four Humours >look up poison (the Pharmakon) A poison is a vital but countering essence in compounds. Poisons are lymph, chamomile, arsenic, and sage. c.f., remedy, excipient Your training at the Academy informs you that you should concentrate on completing your inquiry, not searching the Pharmakon round and round. [Don't worry about learning everything the Pharmakon has to offer right away. You'll have plenty of chances to consult it later.] >look up excipient (the Pharmakon) An excipient is an essence sacrificed in a compound to hold together the remedy and the poison, which, by their nature, are repelled. Excipients are salt & sulfur; grease & ash; wax & royal jelly; and spirits & mercury. Hester IV of Minscip can't help but add in the margin: "Power lies not in the remedy or the poison, but in the sacrifice!" c.f., remedy, poison, sacrifice >look up Truth (the Pharmakon) "The pursuit of TRUTH is the only footrace worth running," Hester IV of Minscip writes. "Do not block the way of inquiry! "And that is all I have to say on the subject." >look up Four Humours (the Pharmakon) The Four Humours represent the balancing fluids intrinsic to the human body. Every living being contains all four; it is when the Humours are unbalanced that one may overtake the others, leading to excessive behavior and damaging thoughts. The Four Humours are: * blood which makes one sanguine * yellow bile which makes one choleric * black bile which makes one melancholic * phlegm which makes one phlegmatic Note that all four are remedies in the Indagator tool kit. Hester IV of Minscip adds in the margin: "Early inquiries into Adam, Eve, Cain, & Abel indicates each is associated with a different Humour. Learning each family member's Humour would be a tour de force for any Indagator!" c.f., remedy, Three Primes >look up Three Primes (the Pharmakon) The Three Primes (tria prima) represent the fullness of Life, the potential of the human spirit, and the unity of Mankind. The primes are located in salt, sulfur, and mercury. As all three are excipients, they are sacrificed when formulating compounds. Their very nature represents the nature of the Indagator: SACRIFICE. The significance of the Three Primes versus the balance of the Four Humours have been hotly debated since the earliest stirrings of Scholasticism. c.f., excipient, Four Humours, sacrifice The scolding voice of Hester IV of Minscip rings out across your thoughts: "Do not waste precious time lost in the pages of the Pharmakon! Your inquiry awaits! ONWARD!" >east You recall the Provost throwing up his liver-spotted hands when you last spoke to him: "The historical record offers no clue to the form of Cain's rude mark!" he said. "Is it a scar on his face, or the color of his hair, or a horn sprouting from his forehead? To know this is to better understand the true nature of evil, for Cain was Perdition itself!" This is the question you must answer. It is why you've been sent back to this time, the beginning of mankind's existence on Earth. Crossing A roaring river of whitewater and coursing rapids terminates your path through the wilderness. A lean, frayed rope bridge crosses east to the opposite bank. Otherwise, your only other path is west, the way you came. With a showy beating of its wings, a crow swoops down and settles among the topmost branches of a nearby eucalyptus. Lying on the river's bank is an oversized vellum envelope with a prominent blue seal. You will need it to issue your final report to the Academy. >take envelope You take the envelope. The stiffness of the vellum reminds you of the Academy's formality. You think of the elderly and wise Provost, of your teacher Hester IV of Minscip, and of the steady purpose of the Academy's Scholastics. You do not want to let them down. A crow high in the tree preens its feathers and shakes itself. >look envelope The envelope is of stiff vellum folded into shape and held fast with an embossed seal. The Provost expects you to break the seal when you're prepared to report your findings to the Academy. Choose your time wisely. You are the final Indagator the Academy can afford to send for this investigation. Breaking the seal is tantamount to declaring your inquiry is completed. >east Bearing some trepidation, you plant a foot on the rope bridge, then the other. Your crossing begins with careful, mindful steps. Three-quarters of the way across, your fears fade. Perhaps your time at the Academy among its soft scholars has left you suspicious of rural craftsmanship. After all, you made it this far without-- Strands of the rope start unwinding beneath your feet. You impulsively grapple for the hand-hold, but it too buckles. Madly you scramble to hold onto your possessions as the rope gives way. You tumble into the ice-cold river... [Press any key to continue...] II. A FRAGILE EARTH You're washed far downstream before you manage to grasp solid rock and pull yourself from the river. You trudge up the eastern bank drenched to the bone and grouching about "rural craftsmanship." After some time in the sun, your equipment and essences are dry and intact. The frigid river has left you shivering uncontrollably, however. Worse: You lost your orbis bracelet in the water. Without it, you have no way to return to the Academy. You struggle to recall why you accepted this task from the Provost. You struggle equally to grasp why he would select you, a novitiate so green in the science of investigation. Perhaps after losing two Indagatores to the inquiry, he found himself facing a dearth of volunteers. Plain You're standing on the edge of a flooded plain. A stagnant pond fed by the redirected river makes a murky mirror across the plain. An irrigation ditch controlled by a sluice gate leads to a distant field of wheat covering much of the valley floor. To the southeast is a winding footpath leading up an incline, while northeast of here is a squat cave set in the side of the bank. Far to the north, you make out a settlement around an enormous cedar tree. The way north is blocked by the pond. >look gate A sluice gate with a wood lever controls whether the river water can enter the irrigation ditch. The gate's closed, causing the swollen river to flood the plain. >se A Fragile Earth Peering down from atop an incline, you behold yet another awesome spectacle in the distance: The earth ripped open and the underworld's molten rivers and miasma escaping to the surface. This young Earth suffers teething pains, and its tantrum is most awful. The narrow footpath continues down the hill into a chasm, or northwest back to the sluice gate. A deep blue gem strung on a loop of leather cord lies on the ground. It's another provision from the Academy. >wear gem (first taking the lumens gem) You put the leather cord around your neck. The lumens gem hangs at your sternum. The breeze carries up from the chasm below the stench of rotten eggs. >down Sulfur deposits In this wide and arid chasm you spy the telltale yellow chalk of sulfur spilling down the slope. A winding path leads up out of the chasm. >collect sulfur You collect all the sulfur you can find, prepare it for use, and add it to the pulverulent cloth. You notice you're slightly warm, and feeling an unexpected soreness in your jaw and neck muscles. That dunk in the ice-cold river must have impaired your constitution more than you first thought. >up A Fragile Earth Peering down from atop an incline, you behold yet another awesome spectacle in the distance: The earth ripped open and the underworld's molten rivers and miasma escaping to the surface. This young Earth suffers teething pains, and its tantrum is most awful. The narrow footpath continues down the hill into a chasm, or northwest back to the sluice gate. >nw Plain You're standing on the edge of a flooded plain. A stagnant pond fed by the redirected river makes a murky mirror across the plain. An irrigation ditch controlled by a sluice gate leads to a distant field of wheat covering much of the valley floor. To the southeast is a winding footpath leading up an incline, while northeast of here is a squat cave set in the side of the bank. Far to the north, you make out a settlement around an enormous cedar tree. The way north is blocked by the pond. The sluice glows a clear blue hue. The lumens gem is telling you to examine the sluice closer. >look gate A sluice gate with a wood lever controls whether the river water can enter the irrigation ditch. The gate's closed, causing the swollen river to flood the plain. The sluice glows a clear blue hue. The lumens gem has detected powerful memories stored within this surface. You should apply an ostendo compound to learn how to unlock them. They may potentially help you with your inquiry. [Use LOOK UP OSTENDO to learn what substances you'll need to unlock the memories stored in the sluice.] >look up ostendo (the Pharmakon) Strong emotional reactions are embedded in surfaces near the source of the psychic disturbance. Once an ostendo compound is applied to such a surface, the Indagator will receive an Inspiration for unlocking the revelation embedded within it. Note that ostendo, as with all compounds, should only be applied once. Applying the same compound to the same surface more than once only serves to waste essences. Hester IV of Minscip adds a footnote in his peculiar scrawl: "While detailing the ingredients ostendo requires should be unnecessary for any Indagator worth his salt, I will transcribe them here to quiet the countless students who bang on my door at all hours pleading for its formulation: salt & sulfur. Now let me sleep!" c.f., essence, alchemy [Alas, the Academy didn't send provisions for every ingredient you'll need to complete your inquiry. You have some sulfur. Search around and see if you can locate some salt.] >ne Salt bed This squat cave entrance is actually nothing more than a dry grotto shaped convex by the river. A gash up the side of the grotto reveals a bed of crystal salt embedded in the rock face. The sluice gate is to the southwest. >collect salt You collect all the salt you can find, prepare it for use, and add it to the pulverulent cloth. >sw Plain You're standing on the edge of a flooded plain. A stagnant pond fed by the redirected river makes a murky mirror across the plain. An irrigation ditch controlled by a sluice gate leads to a distant field of wheat covering much of the valley floor. To the southeast is a winding footpath leading up an incline, while northeast of here is a squat cave set in the side of the bank. Far to the north, you make out a settlement around an enormous cedar tree. The way north is blocked by the pond. The sluice glows a clear blue hue. [You should APPLY SALT TO SLUICE and APPLY SULFUR TO SLUICE to activate an ostendo compound.] >apply salt and sulfur to sluice You spread some of the salt and the sulfur on the sluice. The ostendo compound blends and dissolves, preparing to reveal the next steps for unlocking the revelations burned into the sluice... In your ear comes a disembodied whisper: "Phlegm and sulfur." Applying these two essences to the sluice will unlock the memories embedded within it. [You may now refer to the ostendo compound by name. Using it has seared its list of essences into your memory. For example, you may APPLY OSTENDO TO SHOVEL if the need arises.] >apply phlegm and sulfur to sluice You spread some of the phlegm and the sulfur on the sluice. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- The ethereal voice of a young man appears in your mind. It is a voice recorded in the past: After Father and I dug this trench to irrigate my wheat and vegetables, brother Abel made a discovery: When the sluice is closed, the field floods deep enough for his flock to drink from. This saves him half a day of shepherding them down to the river and back. My crops suffer for his laziness. I have repeatedly warned him not to lock the sluice closed without my permission. Mother and Father will not intervene. He is the youngest son. They are intoxicated by his charms and soothed by his assurances that he bears no ill will. And yet here I find my field dry as dust and the sluice gate closed. He has managed to jam it shut with a wedge, to prevent me from undoing his handiwork. He is without shame! The voice fades off, leaving you with an electric charge of scholarly excitement. The young man speaks of his brother Abel. "Mother" is Eve, the first Woman to walk the Earth. "Father" is Adam, the first Man. This is Cain's voice! [Use MEMORIES to list all revelations you've surfaced in your inquiry.] >look pond With the sluice closed, the swollen river is backed up and flooding the plain. In the murky still pond you faintly make out a wooden wedge jammed into the bottom of the sluice gate. You should be able to reach it. >remove wedge You manage to remove the wedge from the gate's jamb, but you lose the slippery thing in the murky water. The gate should be free to move now, though. >pull lever With a great deal of effort, you succeed in pulling the sluice lever back. The gate opens and water rushes into the irrigation ditch. Within a few minutes, the pond has drained enough for you to move north across the plain. >north River bank You recognize this to be the opposite bank of the river crossing you attempted. The rope bridge unraveled entirely and was swept downstream with you. North of here stands a small settlement. No fence or markings, only a few buildings around a grand cedar tree. To the south is a sluice gate. Down the rushing river flows ice-cold water. As though demonstrating the ease of fording a river, the crow launches from the far bank, soars over the river in a geometric arc, and lands gracefully a few feet from you. Without a glance, it emits a berating caaaw at you. It makes another showy beating of its wings, lifts off, and flies away. >north As you approach the settlement, you surmise it was abandoned some time ago. Time has worn down everything left behind... Well A ring of rock surrounds a well in the ground. A crossbeam dissects the well's opening in half. From the depths below comes the echoing trickle of slow- running water. The river is south of here, while a towering cedar is to the east. Beyond it is a clearing and some ramshackle buildings. The well glows a clear blue hue. It would be wise to examine the well closer, in case it may yield any insights into your inquiry. >apply ostendo to well You spread some of the salt and the sulfur on the well. The ostendo compound blends and dissolves, preparing to reveal the next steps for unlocking the revelations burned into the well... In your ear comes a disembodied whisper: "Yellow bile and ash." Applying this mixture to the well will unlock the memories embedded within. Now, if you could only find some ash... >east Foot of the great cedar tree You're standing at the foot of a great cedar tree. Its leafy branches reach all directions overhead. The crow alights upon one of the lower branches. It caws twice at you and ruffles its wings with a satisfied shrug. You reckon you could climb to the tree's lower branches, if you so desired, if only to give the crow a piece of your mind. A well stands to the west. To the south begins an expansive tilled field. East is a fire pit surrounded by some small buildings. The Academy has provided once more. A string of wood cups braided together by a strand of twine is piled on the ground at the foot of the tree. >take cups You pick up the braid of cups. The crow soars about in the sky for a few moments, as though stretching its wings, before returning to its branch. >east Fire pit This clearing, along with the great cedar tree to the west, feels to be the hub of the settlement and its surrounding areas. In the center of the clearing stands a large fire pit surrounded by a ring of stones. The middle is scorched out from much use, but the pit is cold. East of here, a thatch mud hovel and a gray tent are built against the side of a hill. To the south stands a dilapidated wood shack. Far to the northeast, you discern what appears to be a landslide. The fire pit stones glow a clear blue hue. The crow launches from the tree, flies a roundabout loop in the hazy sky, and returns to its perch. >take ash You collect all the ash you can find, prepare it for use, and add it to the pulverulent cloth. >apply ostendo to stones You spread some of the salt and the sulfur on the fire pit stones. The ostendo compound blends and dissolves, preparing to reveal the next steps for unlocking the revelations burned into the fire pit stones... In your ear comes a disembodied whisper: "Arsenic, sulfur, and Adam's Humour." Stones will speak the truth, but you must coax it from them. Besides arsenic and sulfur, you must determine which of the Four Humours dominated Adam's temperament. Studying the Pharmakon may be of help. Good places to start would be the entries on Adam and the Four Humours. Unlocking other revelations around the settlement may shine a light on the matter as well. >look up Adam (the Pharmakon) The first Man to walk the Earth; the Father of Mankind. Adam's sin, along with Eve's, led to their expulsion from paradise. Sired sons Cain and Abel, and eldest daughter Awan, among other children. The first four family members--Adam, Eve, Cain, & Abel--each represent a Humour, and their temperaments, moods, and emotions are defined as such. None of the family members share a Humour. Scholastics speculate Adam was phlegmatic: Reserved, thoughtful, and patient. The matter remains unknown at the moment, however. c.f., Four Humours, Eden, Eve >west Foot of the great cedar tree You're standing at the foot of a great cedar tree. Its leafy branches reach all directions overhead. A crow sits on one of the lower tree branches. You could reach it if you climbed up. A well stands to the west. To the south begins an expansive tilled field. East is a fire pit surrounded by some small buildings. >west Well A ring of rock surrounds a well in the ground. A crossbeam dissects the well's opening in half. From the depths below comes the echoing trickle of slow- running water. The river is south of here, while a towering cedar is to the east. Beyond it is a clearing and some ramshackle buildings. The well glows a clear blue hue. Your inquiry has determined that the well has a revelation locked within it. >look well The stones surrounding the perimeter of the well are mostly egg-shaped river rock smoothed by erosion. Judging by the shovel marks cut into the inner walls of the well, the well was dug by hand, and is not a natural formation the settlers here took advantage of. A thick wood crossbeam is mounted over the well. The compound needed to release the revelation locked within is composed of yellow bile and ash. >apply yellow bile and ash to well You spread some of the yellow bile and the ash on the well. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- The young man's voice--Cain--begins speaking in your mind about his father, Adam: Father believes with enough contrition, the Creator will permit us to return to the paradise Eden. He has begun a hard fast, consuming only sips of rainwater and nibbles of honeycomb. It has made him weak. His ribs press into his skin and reveal the cage encasing his heart. Fasting, hard work, and daily exhortations to the Creator have driven Father to the precipice. His eyes bulge egg-like from their sockets. White foam flecks the corners of his mouth. He rarely speaks, but when he does, he rants and raves, permitting none of us to get in so much as two words. Unlike Mother, he refuses to discuss his time in the garden paradise before their sins drove them out. Hard work is his silent contrition for his error-- daily, grinding, maddening hard work. This suggests much about Adam's temperament--and his Humour. Obsession driven to madness is a well-established behavior of an overly choleric person. The Pharmakon has more information. [You've unlocked another revelation. Use MEMORIES for all revelations you may recall.] >look up choleric (the Pharmakon) The humour yellow bile makes one choleric. It is countered by the chamomile poison. The choleric are characterized as decisive, analytic, and "quick on their feet." They prefer action over contemplation. Unlike melancholics, they live in the moment rather than the past. An excess of cholera leads to a depletion of the choleric's admirable qualities. Decisiveness becomes quick-tempered; analytics are surrendered to instinct. Anger and snap decisions become their norm. Madness is common. c.f., yellow bile, chamomile, melancholic, Four Humours, madness Lost in thought for a moment, your focus snaps back when the crow's shrill call cuts through the air. >east Foot of the great cedar tree You're standing at the foot of a great cedar tree. Its leafy branches reach all directions overhead. A crow sits on one of the lower tree branches. You could reach it if you climbed up. A well stands to the west. To the south begins an expansive tilled field. East is a fire pit surrounded by some small buildings. >east Fire pit This clearing, along with the great cedar tree to the west, feels to be the hub of the settlement and its surrounding areas. In the center of the clearing stands a large fire pit surrounded by a ring of stones. The middle is scorched out from much use, but the pit is cold. East of here, a thatch mud hovel and a gray tent are built against the side of a hill. To the south stands a dilapidated wood shack. Far to the northeast, you discern what appears to be a landslide. The fire pit stones glow a clear blue hue. Your inquiry has determined that the fire pit stones have a revelation locked within them. >apply arsenic, sulfur, and yellow bile to stones You spread some of the arsenic, the sulfur, and the yellow bile on the fire pit stones. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Cain's voice appears in your thoughts, a message from the past: Each night, Father ignites the Great Fire. On haunches before the crackling flames, he supplicates himself to the Creator. His cries for forgiveness echo off the mountains to the south. Some mornings, I find him passed out before the Fire's dying embers. He lies naked and uncovered, having worked himself into a froth before losing consciousness. Once, in a raving lather, Adam cried out to the dancing Fire: "The world was created in goodness! So it must be governed according to the fruit of good works!" Father throws salt into the Fire to divine our family's future. He wishes to foresee if we will be permitted to return to the garden paradise. And Adam has divined a magick: He applies salt and ash to the pit to ignite the Fire. In his mania he ignores the Crow, who trills down at him from the Great Tree. The Crow is scolding Adam for resorting to the black arts. I know this: Ignore the Crow at your own peril. When Cain's voice fades off, you realize the "magick" Adam learned is, in fact, established science. It is known as encyp, and it is recorded in the Pharmakon. [You've unlocked another revelation. Use MEMORIES for all revelations you may recall.] >look up encyp (the Pharmakon) Producing fire is a remedial skill explained by any proficient woodsman or soldier. However, restoring an extinguished fire without the aid of flint or spark is a trick most rare. The alchemical encyp compound is trivial: salt & ash. The compound is only effective for restoring fire in a location where a previous fire burned, such as a hearth or a scorched field. As is his wont, Hester IV of Minscip cannot help but add in the margin: "Alomancy--salt divination--has an ancient provenance. It is often coupled with pyromancy, that is, fire divination. Restoring a fire regularly used for alomancy can reveal much about the alomancer and his or her flock." c.f., essence, alchemy >apply salt and ash to fire pit You spread some of the salt and the ash on the fire pit. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Again, Cain's voice appears in your thoughts: "The Fire has forsaken me," Adam proclaims. He has broken his fast, and his health is much improved. "Both of you are to begin a ritual of sacrifice. Cain, gather your best grain and vegetables. Abel, slaughter the first of your flock. Submit your yield to the Creator for judgment." "I shall do as you wish," I tell Father and Mother. "I will not," Abel says. "Such waste does not honor my labor." "Listen to your father," Eve says. "The one who provides the best sacrifice will be rewarded." Far to the northeast, The Crow perches among the rocks. It caws twice for our attention. "Establish your shrine where the Crow calls from," Father says. With a great whooom, a massive and intense fire springs up in the pit. So sudden, and igniting with such force, you stumble backwards in retreat, heart palpitating and the whiff of singed hair all about you. A pile of cold charcoal you previously overlooked now smolders. Its coals glow a soft orange color. [You may now refer to the encyp compound by name.] [You've unlocked another revelation.] >west Foot of the great cedar tree You're standing at the foot of a great cedar tree. Its leafy branches reach all directions overhead. A crow sits on one of the lower tree branches. You could reach it if you climbed up. A well stands to the west. To the south begins an expansive tilled field. East is a fire pit surrounded by some small buildings. Smoke rises from its center. The crow's piercing call shatters the still air. >south In the wheat field Twenty or thirty hectares of wheat are planted in tidy rows along the southern edge of the settlement. You recognize this to be a field of domesticated grain. That knowledge comes not from your time at the Academy, but rather of an unremarkable youth spent harvesting wheat and sorghum on your grandfather's farm. Traveling north will lead you out of the field and toward the center of the settlement. A dilapidated shack stands to the east, while a path south through the field leads to a clearing. A rough and ready scarecrow stands upright here. >look scarecrow This crude dummy is little more than willow and straw fashioned into a human- like form and tied to a post. Its lifeless eyes stare off toward a clearing to the south. Not that this scarecrow has earned its keep--from what you've seen so far, the crows around here seem to feel they rule the roost. You snap your fingers: An ocu compound may give this scarecrow a voice to the events it's witnessed in this field. The Pharmakon should be of help here. >look up ocu (the Pharmakon) Dummies, portraits, and any other lifeless mimicry possessing human eyes may retain a memory of the past they've witnessed. Ocu provides a way to hear these mimics' tales. Arsenic & phlegm grants a voice to these mute witnesses. Merely apply the compound to the form bearing the eyes, and one will re-envision what the mimicked eyes witnessed. c.f., essence, alchemy >apply arsenic and phlegm to scarecrow You spread some of the arsenic and the phlegm on the scarecrow. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Your eyes become the scarecrow's eyes. Through them, you witness an age-old altercation: A brotherly spat. Cain toils in the field for hours exposed to the stark white sun. Abel passes by on several occasions, cool and refreshed, with a puckish smirk and a mischievous air about him. "Have you not your flock to attend to?" Cain snaps. He has labored all morning with a shovel to dig an enormous egg-shaped rock out from the field. "You are the keeper of your field," Abel says. "My flock is my business." Throughout the sweltering day, Abel passes by several more times, never offering assistance. Cain toils against the stubborn rock. The egg-shaped rock does not budge. Abel taunts him. "The river is cool today. I swam while my flock quenched their thirst. What have you been doing with your time?" Temper sapped, Cain throws aside the shovel and storms off. The rock in the field remains embedded in the ground. Abel grins, shakes his head, and saunters off. The crow cries out twice...and you return to the present moment, with only the memory of the scarecrow's vision as a memento. [You may now refer to the ocu compound by name.] [You've unlocked another revelation.] >south Clearing The meticulously tended field of wheat opens to a circular clearing of trampled stalks and grain-heavy florets crushed underfoot. Off-center of the clearing sits a squat russet-brown rock cracked in half. The russet-brown rock glows a clear blue hue. To the southeast stands an almond tree among a cloud of bees. A field of flowering sage spreads out to the south. A scarecrow is north of here. An almost imperceptible trail of broken wheat stalks cuts southwest through the field. The drone of the bees from the southeast is hypnotic. >apply ostendo to rock You spread some of the salt and the sulfur on the russet-brown rock. The ostendo mixture sizzles and smokes. Something is wrong--the noxious fumes smell raw and sour-- Anguished screams come at you like banshees from all directions. They send you reeling left and right in confusion. When the effect fades and you recover your wits, you realize how potent and deep-seated the memory within this rock must be. To understand what it holds, you'll need to unlock more revelations in and around the settlement. You should also be certain of the Humour corresponding to each family member: Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel. (Use MEMORIES to track what you've learned.) You're clammy and perspiring slightly. All the walking around has made you feel more winded than you would expect. >se Beehive Tucked between the lowest branches of this elderly and stooped almond tree is a mud-covered beehive swarming with its diligent occupants. The mud hive has grown too weighty for its perch. Portions have broken away. The bees are frantic and steadfast in their concerted efforts to shore it up. A loose honeycomb shard hangs from the wall of the hive. You can retrace your footsteps through the wheat field by going northwest. To the west opens up a field of sage. >take honeycomb Gently, so not to disturb the hive or its occupants, you remove the brittle chunk of wax and set it in one of the cups in the braid. The bees notice the loss. For a moment their numbers and intensity are changed. You feel threatened, and sense they will turn on you en masse, but they soon settle and continue their labors. With the honeycomb removed, the fat mud hive is partially opened, like a grievous belly wound exposing the innards of a suffering man. You spy within the hive several pockets of the highly-desired royal jelly. >nw Clearing The meticulously tended field of wheat opens to a circular clearing of trampled stalks and grain-heavy florets crushed underfoot. Off-center of the clearing sits a squat russet-brown rock cracked in half. The russet-brown rock glows a clear blue hue. To the southeast stands an almond tree among a cloud of bees. A field of flowering sage spreads out to the south. A scarecrow is north of here. An almost imperceptible trail of broken wheat stalks cuts southwest through the field. The disturbed bees' drone from the southeast has a distinct intensity to it. >north In the wheat field Twenty or thirty hectares of wheat are planted in tidy rows along the southern edge of the settlement. Traveling north will lead you out of the field and toward the center of the settlement. A dilapidated shack stands to the east, while a path south through the field leads to a clearing. A rough and ready scarecrow stands upright here. >north Foot of the great cedar tree You're standing at the foot of a great cedar tree. Its leafy branches reach all directions overhead. A crow sits on one of the lower tree branches. You could reach it if you climbed up. A well stands to the west. To the south begins an expansive tilled field. East is a fire pit surrounded by some small buildings. Smoke rises from its center. >east Fire pit This clearing, along with the great cedar tree to the west, feels to be the hub of the settlement and its surrounding areas. In the center of the clearing stands a large fire pit surrounded by a ring of stones. A roaring fire burns here, sending a column of smoke into the murky skies. East of here, a thatch mud hovel and a gray tent are built against the side of a hill. To the south stands a dilapidated wood shack. Far to the northeast, you discern what appears to be a landslide. A loose pile of smoking charcoal stands beside the intense fire. Still reeling from the unexpected burst of flame leaping at your face, your gaze ascends to the heights of the great cedar tree across the clearing. The crow is jouncing up and down on its perch. Its taunting caws echo across the valley, sounding uncomfortably like the laughter you've endured from the Academy's Scholastics. "Indagatores," they murmured with a chuckle. "When has anyone learned one thing from them?" >east Outside the hovel You're standing before a hovel constructed of packed mud and straw. Through the entry you see the interior is a dim, cold place. A white cotton roll sits on the ground, another provision from the Academy for your inquiry. It appears to be a bandage. East leads into the hovel. The fire pit is due west, while a gray four-square tent is south of here. The crow soars about in the sky for a few moments, as though stretching its wings, before returning to its branch. >take bandage As you pick it up, a sudden lightheadedness comes over you. Your skin is clammy and waxy. A flushed prickliness swarms about your neck and temples. >enter Hovel The dim interior of this abandoned mud-and-thatch hovel suggests the family who made a life here lived quite roughly. Straw has been strewn about as bedding, with leftover strips of coarse linen indicative of old blankets left behind. A limp and oversized woven basket sits upside-down on the floor, as though pushed over and set aside in the hurry to abandon this place. These sparse accomodations can only remind you of life on your grandfather's farm, and the drafty cottage you both sought shelter in during snowstorms and torrential rains. How long has it been since you last shivered inside that cottage? Not long enough. >look under basket The meager sunlight from the entry catches something nestled among the rags under the basket. It's a gleaming slab of obsidian sparkling in the gray sunlight coming through the entryway. >take slab On your knees and stretching as far as you can reach, your fingertips get enough of a hold to slide the obsidian slab close and pick it up. It fits nicely in your hand. >look blankets Just handling the linen sends dust motes up into the meager light admitted through the entryway. You notice a strand of yellow silk caught in the mud and thatch of the rear wall. You're clammy and perspiring slightly. All the walking around has made you feel more winded than you would expect. >look silk Upon closer examination, you see the silk is actually a strand of blond hair. It's long with a slight wave in it. From the length and various qualities of the hair, you believe this to be from the head of a girl or a young woman. The strand of blond hair glows a clear blue hue. The hair is so slight, the hue is barely noticeable. >take hair Gently you pluck up the strand of blond hair. >apply ostendo to hair You spread some of the salt and the sulfur on the strand of blond hair. The ostendo compound blends and dissolves, preparing to reveal the next steps for unlocking the revelations burned into the strand of blond hair... A disembodied voice whispers nearby: "Eve's Humour, poison of Adam's Humour, and wax." The Pharmakon will be of service here in determining which essences correspond to Adam's and Eve's Humours. In particular, you must add the poison of Adam's Humour. It's also possible the information may be gleaned by coaxing visions and revelations from other surfaces in the settlement. Keep searching! >look in slab In the black sheen of the polished surface, you spy a faint representation of yourself: Your nose, the perspiration across your brow, the corners of your mouth drooping, and especially your twin piercing eyes glancing back at you. Most of all, you appear...beleaguered. A sharp jolt shakes you to and fro, causing you to check your balance. It's another reminder of a young Earth finding its legs. >apply ocu to slab You spread some of the arsenic and the phlegm on the obsidian slab. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Your eyes reflecting back at you become the eyes of all who've gazed into the obsidian's polished surface. It is Eve who has peered into it the most. A beauty when she was first created, her grace was ground down by her exile to the wilderness. Deadened eyes and a lifeless expression have replaced the charms of her youth. While studying herself in the obsidian mirror, she tells her children long and loving stories of life in Eden. Every plant bore succulent fruit and aromatic blossoms. The waterfalls provided endless fresh water. Never a storm to flood the garden. Never a drought to parch the soil. "It was a place of no tomorrows," she tells her children. "It was a time of no yesterdays." Adam tells her to quit lulling the children with tales of that which has passed. "There are stones to turn and lambs to slaughter." Eve lives her days in a waking half-dream peering back in time through the polished obsidian. The weight of paradise lost is immense. When the vision ceases, there is no doubt in your mind: Eve is afflicted with melancholy. The Pharmakon has more information. [You've unlocked another revelation.] >look up Eve (the Pharmakon) The first Woman to walk the Earth; the Mother of Mankind. Eve's sin, along with Adam's, led to their expulsion from paradise. Bore sons Cain and Abel, and eldest daughter Awan, among other children. The first four family members--Adam, Eve, Cain, & Abel--each represent a Humour, and their temperaments, moods, and emotions are defined as such. None of the family members share a Humour. Scholastics are uncertain which Humour represents Eve. c.f., Four Humours, Eden, Adam >look up melancholy (the Pharmakon) The humour black bile makes one melancholic. It is countered by the arsenic poison. Those afflicted with melancholy suffer from the most complex of emotional dispositions, which can only be described as a kind of withdrawal from relationships as well as society. Melancholy often leads to despair, the foulest of sins. c.f., black bile, arsenic, Four Humours, depression >exit Outside the hovel You're standing before a hovel constructed of packed mud and straw. Through the entry you see the interior is a dim, cold place. East leads into the hovel. The fire pit is due west, while a gray four-square tent is south of here. >west Fire pit This clearing, along with the great cedar tree to the west, feels to be the hub of the settlement and its surrounding areas. In the center of the clearing stands a large fire pit surrounded by a ring of stones. A roaring fire burns here, sending a column of smoke into the murky skies. East of here, a thatch mud hovel and a gray tent are built against the side of a hill. To the south stands a dilapidated wood shack. Far to the northeast, you discern what appears to be a landslide. A loose pile of smoking charcoal stands beside the intense fire. A bee passing through the clearing steers far from the smoldering pile of charcoal, as though allergic to its smoke, and flies away. >south Outside a slaughterhouse This dilapidated shack of rough-cut cypress planks leans to one side and is in need of shoring up. From the dried red-wine splatter about the interior walls, it's obvious this was a slaughterhouse. The shack may be entered from here by going south. A fire pit is due north, while a field of wheat stands to the west. Lost in thought for a moment, your focus snaps back when the crow's shrill call cuts through the air. >enter Slaughterhouse The interior of the rustic slaughterhouse is stark and stunning to the uninitiated. The planks are a rich tannin color from the sheer quantity of blood spilled. The coloration spreads up the walls, spattered from countless slaughtered animals. You imagine a grim assortment of iron tools and instruments once filled this place. Mostly, it's the lingering odor here that strikes you. A wide tree stump occupies the center of the shack. In one corner is a loose pile of animal bones. A short stout knife lies on the tree stump. The tree stump glows a clear blue hue. >take knife You pick up the knife. >apply ostendo to stump You spread some of the salt and the sulfur on the tree stump. The ostendo compound blends and dissolves, preparing to reveal the next steps for unlocking the revelations burned into the tree stump... A voice whispers in your ear: "Abel's Humour, the poison of phlegm--which is Cain's Humour--and salt." Excellent--ostendo has revealed phlegm to be Cain's Humour. But note you must apply phlegm's corresponding poison. The Pharmakon and further searching of the settlement may help in deducing which essences are to be used on the stump. >look up Abel (the Pharmakon) Second son of Adam and Eve. Abel's sin: unknown. Some Scholastics speculate he was without blame. Abel was the first herdsman and shepherd, and he managed the family's flock. He is considered a kind and gentle soul, and often pictured holding a lamb or a shepherd's crook. The first four family members--Adam, Eve, Cain, & Abel--each represent a Humour, and their temperaments, moods, and emotions are defined as such. None of the family members share a Humour. Abel's blameless quality suggests to many Scholastics that he was sanguine. c.f., Four Humours, Cain >look up sanguine (the Pharmakon) The humour blood makes one sanguine. It is countered by the lymph poison. The sanguine temperament is considered the best temperament to possess, for a person of this temperament is cheerful, prankish, and charming. Sanguinity imbues the lucky person with the envious skills of judging a face, reading a room, playing to the crowd. An excess of blood in the body leads to an excess of its considerable powers: The person becomes biting, insensitive to others, and indifferent to their fates. c.f., blood, lymph, Four Humours >look up phlegm (the Pharmakon) Phlegm is a remedy promoting a phlegmatic nature: reserved, quiet, thoughtful, introspective. It is countered by the sage poison. Hester IV of Minscip makes a handwritten addition: "Not to be confused with the phlegm from a runny nose! What organ secretes this vital fluid remains unknown to medical science." c.f., sage, remedy, phlegmatic >look up blood (the Pharmakon) Blood is a remedy promoting a sanguine nature: active, enthusiastic, social. It is countered by the lymph poison. Only fluid blood makes an acceptable essence. The dried variety is of no use to producing compounds. Hester IV of Minscip adds: "If an Indagator is unable to procure a quantity of blood, he or she often needs to provide it from their own body. This is the SACRIFICE of our chosen profession!" c.f., lymph, remedy, sanguine >look up sharpen (the Pharmakon) Although reversing the ravages of human age remains well-beyond the current limits of medical science, our understanding of the physical world does permit the more modest ability of restoring a simple man-made object to its earlier form. The alchemical compound novo may be concocted by applying the following essences to the article in need of restoration: sulfur & black bile. Note the limits of novo: Complex machinery and intricate work are unaffected by the compound. Only the most simplest of creations are within its powers. c.f., essence, alchemy >apply sulfur and black bile to knife You spread some of the sulfur and the black bile on the knife. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- The rust sizzles and burns off, producing a noxious smoke. Within moments, the years of age and use are wound back, leaving you with a a bright blade of oiled iron and a threatening edge. [You may now refer to the novo compound by name.] >cut self with knife After steeling yourself, you open a bit of flesh. Blood flows into one of the rucksack's glass phials. After drawing a sufficient quantity, you wrap your wound with the bandage. A vertigo comes over you; a moment later, the dizziness recedes. >take bone You take one of the bones off the pile. >exit Outside a slaughterhouse This dilapidated shack of rough-cut cypress planks leans to one side and is in need of shoring up. From the dried red-wine splatter about the interior walls, it's obvious this was a slaughterhouse. The shack may be entered from here by going south. A fire pit is due north, while a field of wheat stands to the west. >north Fire pit This clearing, along with the great cedar tree to the west, feels to be the hub of the settlement and its surrounding areas. In the center of the clearing stands a large fire pit surrounded by a ring of stones. A roaring fire burns here, sending a column of smoke into the murky skies. East of here, a thatch mud hovel and a gray tent are built against the side of a hill. To the south stands a dilapidated wood shack. Far to the northeast, you discern what appears to be a landslide. A loose pile of smoking charcoal stands beside the intense fire. The smoldering pile of charcoal causes a passing bee to alter its course. It makes a wide arc around the smoke. >ne After walking a fair distance, you reach... Landslide Loose shale and rock covers the foothill of a mountain range. You suspect the event was recent, and perhaps triggered by the groundshaking activity you've endured since arriving here. The fire pit is to the southwest. A thick column of smoke rises from its center. >look up metal (the Pharmakon) Dissolving metals is one of the more terrible and destructive powers available to the Indagator, and one with the greatest potential for undesirable consequences. The essences involved for vulk are simply these: arsenic, sulfur, & wax. Applied properly, the metal will melt into its elemental state and evaporate off. Heed with care this alchemical transformation: Improperly used, it can wreck an inquiry. Hester IV of Minscip adds with uncharacteristic piquancy, "Good for breaking free of jail cells & shackles!" suggesting the predicaments an Indagator routinely faces. c.f., essence, alchemy You're clammy and perspiring slightly. All the walking around has made you feel more winded than you would expect. >apply arsenic, sulfur, and wax to boulder You spread some of the arsenic, the sulfur, and the wax on the boulder. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- The strips and pockets of iron ore in the boulder quiver, then melt off like suet in a hot pan. The now hollowed-out boulder crumbles under the weight of itself, as well as the weight of the surrounding rock pressing down upon it. You scramble back in time to witness the landslide collapse into heaps of rubble and chalky billows of dust around a freshly-revealed crevice in the rock. [You may now refer to the vulk compound by name.] >enter ...Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. -Genesis 4:3-5 KJV Cavern Passages within this dark cavern branch deeper into the mountain. Sizable ones lead to the northeast and southeast. A great vermillion-colored face is painted on the cave wall between the two larger passages. On the wall near the northeast passage is a small, naturally-formed pocket in the rock about the size of your hand. A deposit of a chalky red substance is in the north end of the cavern. The cavern exits through a slim crevice to the west. >apply ocu to face You spread some of the arsenic and the phlegm on the painted face. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Through the eyes painted on the wall, you witness Cain and Abel entering the cavern. In a straw basket Cain has assembled a sacrifice of ripe vegetables, ears of wheat, palm hearts stored in their own oil, sage honey, and tree nuts. Abel carries his sacrifice in a cured sheep stomach. Within it he has placed odd scraps of pelt, boiled bones, and a dried ox testicle wrapped in palm leaves. They enter their shrines, Abel to the northeast, Cain to the southeast. They return and kneel before the great face. Cain bows his head; Abel appears bored. Soon, they rise and return to their shrines. Cain emerges with his untouched bounty. Abel emerges as well, however, he is empty-handed. "The Creator has taken my offering to the heavens, and rejected your paltry nuts and honey," Abel announces. Cain hurries between the two shrines, first with puzzlement, then with anger. He confronts the stoic vermillion face. "How can this be?" he yells at the wall. "The world was created in goodness! Is it not governed by the reward of good works?" He throws aside his offering and storms out of the cavern, and Abel's laughter booms off the high walls. [You've unlocked another revelation.] >north Cinnabar deposit In a shallow grotto off the deep cavern you find a slim vein of deep-vermillion cinnabar running down the curved wall. The rest of the cavern is to the south. >take cinnabar You collect a single nugget of the precious cinnabar. >south Cavern Passages within this dark cavern branch deeper into the mountain. Sizable ones lead to the northeast and southeast. A great vermillion-colored face is painted on the cave wall between the two larger passages. On the wall near the northeast passage is a small, naturally-formed pocket in the rock about the size of your hand. A cinnabar deposit is in the north end of the cavern. The cavern exits through a slim crevice to the west. >put slab in pocket The obsidian slab fits snugly within the pocket. It stands up within the opening. Due to its angle, it reflects an image of the shrine to the northeast. >ne Shrine to the Firstlings of the Flock This natural grotto has been transformed to a shrine dedicated to meat, organs, blood, and fat. Drawings of grisly sacrifices being slaughtered and butchered smother the cave wall in a baroque and monstrous display. Most of the drawings depict the bones of various animals. These grotesques converge on a stone altar surrounded by shadows. You can exit to the southwest. >put bone on altar You put the animal bone on the stone altar. >sw Cavern Passages within this dark cavern branch deeper into the mountain. Sizable ones lead to the northeast and southeast. A great vermillion-colored face is painted on the cave wall between the two larger passages. On the wall near the northeast passage is a small, naturally-formed pocket in the rock about the size of your hand. In the wall pocket you see an obsidian slab. A cinnabar deposit is in the north end of the cavern. The cavern exits through a slim crevice to the west. >look in slab With the slab situated so, you can see a dark reflection of the shrine to the northeast. On the altar is the animal bone. Unexpectedly comes movement in the black reflection--a sleek four-legged animal emerges from the shrine's shadows! Stealthily, it sniffs around at the bone, takes it between its teeth, and thieves it away. It darts back into the shadows and disappears. >take slab You pick up the obsidian slab. It fits well in your hand. >ne Shrine to the Firstlings of the Flock This natural grotto has been transformed to a shrine dedicated to meat, organs, blood, and fat. Drawings of grisly sacrifices being slaughtered and butchered smother the cave wall in a baroque and monstrous display. Most of the drawings depict the bones of various animals. These grotesques converge on a stone altar surrounded by shadows. Now aware of what you're looking for, you discover a dark crevice leading to the southeast. You can exit to the southwest. >search shadows A narrow crevice lurks among the shadows. >enter crevice Lair This deep cave is barely high enough for you to stand in. Scattered across the ground are bits of cracked bone. The stink of rot and animal waste is thick in here. A vicious badger cowers against the rear of the cave, teeth bared and hair on its back standing. It's tied by a tether to a hook in the wall. It snarls and snaps at you. Near the badger is a pool of congealed grease. You notice an umber stain on the volcanic rock near you. The umber stain glows a clear blue hue. The only way out is through a crevice to the northwest. The badger snarls and hisses at you. It's pressed against the rear reaches of this tight cave. >cut tether (with the knife) Freed, the badger races out of the cave as fast as its stubby legs will carry it. The tether jounces along the ground behind it like an elongated tail, until both are gone. >take grease You collect all the grease you can find, prepare it for use, and add it to the braid of cups. >apply ostendo to stain You spread some of the salt and the sulfur on the umber stain. The ostendo compound blends and dissolves, preparing to reveal the next steps for unlocking the revelations burned into the umber stain... In your ear comes a disembodied whisper: "The remedy of the phlegmatic, the poison of the sanguine, and wax." >apply phlegm, lymph, and wax to stain You spread some of the phlegm, the lymph, and the wax on the umber stain. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Cain's voice arrives in your ear all at once, and in a rage: Abel's gone too far--this trick of his to prove his sacrifice is worthy and mine worthless--it's profane-- Once again my brother has found a way to humiliate me. In his humiliation, he has discovered another way to impress Father and open Mother's heart a little wider for him. Even our sister Awan has grown enamored with him. I sense it in her eyes and smile when he departs to tend to his flock. My attempts to free the frightened animal have left me bloodied and lacerated. His callousness toward this innocent creature is unforgiveable. I must go and dig the rock out of the wheat field. I will return afterwards with food for the trapped animal, and determine some way to free it. [You've unlocked another revelation.] >exit Shrine to the Firstlings of the Flock This natural grotto has been transformed to a shrine dedicated to meat, organs, blood, and fat. Drawings of grisly sacrifices being slaughtered and butchered smother the cave wall in a baroque and monstrous display. Most of the drawings depict the bones of various animals. These grotesques converge on a stone altar surrounded by shadows. You can exit to the southwest, or pass through a dark crevice to the southeast. >exit Cavern Passages within this dark cavern branch deeper into the mountain. Sizable ones lead to the northeast and southeast. A great vermillion-colored face is painted on the cave wall between the two larger passages. On the wall near the northeast passage is a small, naturally-formed pocket in the rock about the size of your hand. A cinnabar deposit is in the north end of the cavern. The cavern exits through a slim crevice to the west. >exit Cavern entrance Rubble of shale and loose rock cover the ground here, evidence of a recent landslide. A jagged crevice in the side of a hill opens to a dim cavern within the mountain. The fire pit is to the southwest. A thick column of smoke rises from its center. >sw It's a fairly long walk to the fire pit. Fire pit This clearing, along with the great cedar tree to the west, feels to be the hub of the settlement and its surrounding areas. In the center of the clearing stands a large fire pit surrounded by a ring of stones. A roaring fire burns here, sending a column of smoke into the murky skies. East of here, a thatch mud hovel and a gray tent are built against the side of a hill. To the south stands a dilapidated wood shack. Far to the northeast, you discern what appears to be a cavern entrance. A loose pile of smoking charcoal stands beside the intense fire. The charcoal pile's thick smoke shifts with the change in the wind's direction. >east Outside the hovel You're standing before a hovel constructed of packed mud and straw. Through the entry you see the interior is a dim, cold place. East leads into the hovel. The fire pit is due west, while a gray four-square tent is south of here. The crow from somewhere in the distance cries out. >south Inside the tent Inside this spacious tent is smashed and overturned equipment, as though destroyed in a fit of rage. You gather from the loose bits strewn about that this was once a craft workshop. The only undisturbed piece of equipment is a length of rope tied to the tent's center post. >cut knot (with the knife) After some sawing with the knife, you succeed in cutting the knot, leaving a good length of sturdy rope on the ground before you. >take rope You coil up the rope and sling it over your shoulder. >exit Outside the hovel You're standing before a hovel constructed of packed mud and straw. Through the entry you see the interior is a dim, cold place. East leads into the hovel. The fire pit is due west, while a gray four-square tent is south of here. >west Fire pit This clearing, along with the great cedar tree to the west, feels to be the hub of the settlement and its surrounding areas. In the center of the clearing stands a large fire pit surrounded by a ring of stones. A roaring fire burns here, sending a column of smoke into the murky skies. East of here, a thatch mud hovel and a gray tent are built against the side of a hill. To the south stands a dilapidated wood shack. Far to the northeast, you discern what appears to be a cavern entrance. A loose pile of smoking charcoal stands beside the intense fire. A sharp gust causes the smoke from the pile of charcoal to form a thin trail in the air. >west Foot of the great cedar tree You're standing at the foot of a great cedar tree. Its leafy branches reach all directions overhead. A crow sits on one of the lower tree branches. You could reach it if you climbed up. A well stands to the west. To the south begins an expansive tilled field. East is a fire pit surrounded by some small buildings. Smoke rises from its center. The crow launches from the tree, flies a roundabout loop in the hazy sky, and returns to its perch. >west Well A ring of rock surrounds a well in the ground. A crossbeam dissects the well's opening in half. From the depths below comes the echoing trickle of slow- running water. The river is south of here, while a towering cedar is to the east. Beyond it is a clearing and some ramshackle buildings. From far off comes the rumbling of moving earth. You prepare youself for the inevitable quaking of the earth--and it arrives, if only for a few moments. >tie rope to crossbeam You tie the rope to the crossbeam and throw the other end down to the bottom of the well. >climb down well Ponderously, and with a streak of self-doubt eating at you, you take hold of the rope and rappel down the throat of the well... Bottom of well A trickle of a cold stream runs across your feet. In the dim light from above, you cannot make out where the water originates from or disappears to, but you do see the underground cavern continues to the southeast. You also make out a narrow passage to the north. The climb down winded you. Your arms feel doughy and your ribs ache. The rope dangles here, offering a way up to the surface. >north Corpse Crumpled before you in an undignified heap is a corpse. From his attire, you can tell he was an Indagator from the Academy. You spy a jagged crevice cut in the tunnel high above revealing a scar of sky and some scattered sunlight. A narrow passage runs south. A raucous flapping of wings echoes down the cave walls, followed by an ear- piercing caaaw. The crow's stark silhouette forms a distinct outline in the white light of the crevice above. >look corpse It is Crado, a highly experienced Indagator. He was sent by the Academy before you. Both his legs are broken. He must have suffered the injury climbing down the well, crawled here, and expired. Such are the risks of your chosen profession...but still. To die in this manner is a waste. You discover a band partially hidden by the body. A single gentle caw from the crow comes down to you as though reminding you of your task at hand. >look band It's an orbis bracelet! Once your inquiry is completed, it can deliver you back to the safety and comforts of the Academy. This is Crado's orbis, though. If you were to place it on his body, he would be sent back to the Academy for a proper burial. The orbis bracelet would travel with him. >take bracelet You take Crado's orbis bracelet. You're definitely feverish, and grower sicker by the minute, but you must press on. Once this inquiry is over, you can take a long, well-deserved rest. >south Bottom of well A trickle of a cold stream runs across your feet. In the dim light from above, you cannot make out where the water originates from or disappears to, but you do see the underground cavern continues to the southeast. You also make out a narrow passage to the north. The rope dangles here, offering a way up to the surface. >se You trudge through the dank darkness for a while... A dark tunnel A bend in the tunnel runs northwest toward a feebly-lit clearing in the cave, and south toward a bright exit. A small unadorned clay jug lies on its side on the cave floor. >take jug You pick up the clay jug. >south You trudge down the dark corridor toward a blindingly bright light, and emerge into daylight... An Uncertain Earth Swaying in the breeze is a modest array of flowering chamomile. A massive crevice has torn open the earth beside the field. Steaming effluence emerges from its depths. Across the chasm to the west blooms a robust field of sage. A dank cave is to the north. A few bees fly off from the chamomile and meander across the chasm to the sage. >collect chamomile You pick all the flowering chamomile, as only the yellow pistil is suitable for mixing compounds. >apply black bile, chamomile and wax to hair You spread some of the black bile, the chamomile, and the wax on the strand of blond hair. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Cain's voice, once more: Mother commands me to marry my sister, Awan, as well as Second Daughter when she is of age. To me, she says: "As the eldest, you are responsible for Abel and your sisters. When your father and I are no longer of this world, you will be patriarch." To my brother, she says: "Abel, you will serve your brother, to ensure the family of Mankind prospers and spreads." Our sisters gather in a tight brood far from the Fire. The dancing flames illuminate their horrified expressions. "Cain, you and your sisters will produce twelve children," she says. I plead with her. The sheep and swine do not breed brother with sister. "Eve is in charge of family matters," is all Father will say. Abel announces: "If Cain discards Awan, I will marry her." But Mother will have none of it. That night, Mother drapes over the bed a veil of muslin and linen. She perfumes the bed with rare oils and essences. Awan and I are led to this bower and instructed to lay together. We are left alone in the hovel. Pressed together for warmth, my sister's thick mane pillows both our faces. She whispers to me: "Please...no...please do not..." The uncomfortable reckonings of the Earth's first inhabitants fades off. The hair sizzles away into a sour wispy smoke. [You've unlocked another revelation.] >north You plunge into the cave and its dim dankness... A dark tunnel A bend in the tunnel runs northwest toward a feebly-lit clearing in the cave, and south toward a bright exit. >nw You trudge through the darkness toward a dim opening in the caves lit from above... Bottom of well A trickle of a cold stream runs across your feet. In the dim light from above, you cannot make out where the water originates from or disappears to, but you do see the underground cavern continues to the southeast. You also make out a narrow passage to the north. The rope dangles here, offering a way up to the surface. >climb up rope With careful but determined progress, you haul yourself up the shaft of the well... Well A ring of rock surrounds a well in the ground. A crossbeam dissects the well's opening in half. From the depths below comes the echoing trickle of slow- running water. A length of rope is tied to the crossbeam, with its loose end hanging down the well's shaft. The river is south of here, while a towering cedar is to the east. Beyond it is a clearing and some ramshackle buildings. The crow soars about in the sky for a few moments, as though stretching its wings, before returning to its branch. >take rope You pull up the rope and untie it from the crossbeam. You coil up the rope and sling it over your shoulder. >east Foot of the great cedar tree You're standing at the foot of a great cedar tree. Its leafy branches reach all directions overhead. A crow sits on one of the lower tree branches. You could reach it if you climbed up. A well stands to the west. To the south begins an expansive tilled field. East is a fire pit surrounded by some small buildings. Smoke rises from its center. >east Fire pit This clearing, along with the great cedar tree to the west, feels to be the hub of the settlement and its surrounding areas. In the center of the clearing stands a large fire pit surrounded by a ring of stones. A roaring fire burns here, sending a column of smoke into the murky skies. East of here, a thatch mud hovel and a gray tent are built against the side of a hill. To the south stands a dilapidated wood shack. Far to the northeast, you discern what appears to be a cavern entrance. A loose pile of smoking charcoal stands beside the intense fire. The smoldering pile of charcoal causes a passing bee to alter its course. It makes a wide arc around the smoke. >take charcoal With tender fingers and quick moves, you take the topmost chunk of charcoal. Plenty more remains on the pile. You toss the scalding chunk of charcoal from one hand to another. Gray smoke pollutes the air around you. >west Foot of the great cedar tree You're standing at the foot of a great cedar tree. Its leafy branches reach all directions overhead. A crow sits on one of the lower tree branches. You could reach it if you climbed up. A well stands to the west. To the south begins an expansive tilled field. East is a fire pit surrounded by some small buildings. Smoke rises from its center. A flapping of wings and feathers comes from the crow above. >south In the wheat field Twenty or thirty hectares of wheat are planted in tidy rows along the southern edge of the settlement. Traveling north will lead you out of the field and toward the center of the settlement. A dilapidated shack stands to the east, while a path south through the field leads to a clearing. A rough and ready scarecrow stands upright here. >south Clearing The meticulously tended field of wheat opens to a circular clearing of trampled stalks and grain-heavy florets crushed underfoot. Off-center of the clearing sits a squat russet-brown rock cracked in half. The russet-brown rock glows a clear blue hue. To the southeast stands an almond tree among a cloud of bees. A field of flowering sage spreads out to the south. A scarecrow is north of here. An almost imperceptible trail of broken wheat stalks cuts southwest through the field. The disturbed bees' drone from the southeast has a distinct intensity to it. >se Beehive Tucked between the lowest branches of this elderly and stooped almond tree is a mud-covered beehive swarming with its diligent occupants. The mud hive has grown too weighty for its perch. Portions have broken away. The bees are frantic and steadfast in their concerted efforts to shore it up. The bees don't care for the charcoal smoke. They give you a wide berth as you move, forming a constantly-agitating shell in the air about you. Hundreds of bees crawl about the interior walls of the hive. More significantly, several pockets of royal jelly are within reach. You can retrace your footsteps through the wheat field by going northwest. To the west opens up a field of sage. >take royal jelly If you take the royal jelly, you may not be able to return to this area. Are you certain you're ready? y yes Holding your breath and steeling your resolve, you drop the charcoal, reach into the gash running down the side of the hive, and scoop up the precious royal jelly. The swarm grows furious--reinforcements arrive from the sage field in waves. You have just enough time to deposit your prize in a braided cup before you must-- Run! >Beehive Tucked between the lowest branches of this elderly and stooped almond tree is a mud-covered beehive swarming with its diligent occupants. The mud hive has grown too weighty for its perch. Portions have broken away. You can beat a hasty retreat by hurrying northwest to the wheat field or west to the sage. The bees' furious droning is like a thousand angry men arguing at once. >nw You beat a hasty retreat to the field... Clearing The meticulously tended field of wheat opens to a circular clearing of trampled stalks and grain-heavy florets crushed underfoot. Off-center of the clearing sits a squat russet-brown rock cracked in half. The russet-brown rock glows a clear blue hue. To the southeast stands an almond tree among a cloud of bees. A field of flowering sage spreads out to the south. A scarecrow is north of here. An almost imperceptible trail of broken wheat stalks cuts southwest through the field. Panting and out of breath, you look up to the crow in the branches of the great cedar tree. Its head bobs up and down as it caws, as though laughing at you. Your pulse races for too long before calming. The perspiration on your brow is not commensurate with your recent physical strain. >south Sage field A narrow winding strip of sage spreads forth from here. The growth is so thick, your travel into the field is impeded, and you can only reach the first row of plants. Steam and miasma emerge from a wide chasm on the far side of the field. On the other side of the chasm stands a field of chamomile. To the east stands an elderly almond tree supporting a mud hive. The edge of the wheat field is to the north. To the distant south runs an impressive mountain range rising into the mist- laden sky. >collect sage You pick all the flowering sage available to you. >south After a taxing journey across the valley plain, you reach the foot of a mountain range... Base of mountain A range of Atlas-like mountains ascends mightily to the misty heavens. Nearby, on a more diminutive scale, a rotund obsidian block squats firmly in the ground. Up the mountain is a trailhead of animal paths and switchbacks ascending the side of the mountain. The settlement is north. >put slab into scar The obsidian mirror fits the obsidian block's oval scar perfectly. With the slab set in the scar, the block is whole once more. The obsidian block glows a clear blue hue. >apply ostendo to block You spread some of the salt and the sulfur on the obsidian block. The ostendo compound blends and dissolves, preparing to reveal the next steps for unlocking the revelations burned into the obsidian block... In your ear comes a disembodied whisper: "A melancholic remedy, a phlegmatic poison, a binding excipient, and the Body of the Three Primes." You're definitely feverish, and grower sicker by the minute, but you must press on. Once this inquiry is over, you can take a long, well-deserved rest. >apply black bile, sage, grease and salt to block You spread some of the black bile, the sage, the grease, and the salt on the obsidian block. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Cain's voice is familiar to you now: Mother gathers Abel, our eldest sister Awan, and myself. She leads us to the foot of the mountains. "Strike the head, strike the heel," she tells us. "The gift of childbirth was mine, but I sense it abandoning my body. Cain and Awan, the gift has been passed to you. The great chain of the family of Mankind is now your responsibility." "And what of me?" Abel demands. "The Creator selected my yield in the shrine, and rejected Cain's." "Take Cain's inferior grain to the giant Nephilim living beyond the mountains," she says. "Trade with them for tack, tools, and supplies. If they do not wish to trade, barter for peace. The Fire indicates they are growing restless, and they outnumber us." I protest. "Abel is not the proper ambassador of our family. I am the eldest son. I should represent our interests with the Nephilim." "Abel has been chosen." Eve shows us the writing on the side of the obsidian block. "Heed the warning carved here. It will guide you through the mountains." Cain's voice dies off, leaving you only with an echo of this memory. [You've unlocked another revelation.] >look scratches A mess of deep scratches run down one side of the obsidian block. It all appears chaotic, as though some mighty antediluvian creature sharpened his claws here. (Pray you do not run into such a beast!) However, you now realize these crosshatches and angles represents a language-- perhaps the first written language in the history of the world. >look up language (the Pharmakon) After much time with the Pharmakon, your motivated search yields fruit: The glos compound provides the Indagator a complete understanding of any written language before him or her...with the proviso that such comprehension is fleeting, only affording enough time for a few words or a phrase to be translated. Hester IV of Minscip adds in his telltale script: "Quite often, that is all a seasoned Indagator needs!" The compound is sophisticated by the standards of alchemy: blood, chamomile, grease, & wax. The entry concludes with a warning: "The compound must be applied directly to the writing or symbols stymieing the Indagator." c.f., essence, alchemy >apply blood, chamomile, grease and wax to scratches You spread some of the blood, the chamomile, the grease, and the wax on the scratches. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- You grow euphoric as the knowledge of another tongue floods in. Your lightheaded state is amplified by the realization that you are not merely comprehending a foreign language, but the original language of Mankind. The aimless lines of the scratches take the shape of knowledge expressed. Quickly, before the effect of the compound deteriorates, you memorize the gist of the message: "BEWARE the animals' paths running up the mountain, for they travel in CIRCLES! To reach the summit, enter the trailhead and navigate with care these directions: Southwest, southeast, east, and then north." The effect fades away. [You may now refer to the glos compound by name.] [You've unlocked another revelation.] >up Animal trails You begin your trek up the mountainside with fresh confidence. Animal tracks wander off in every direction. A nearby slope, quite steep and clear of brush, offers a quick trip down to the base of the mountain. >sw Animal trails You continue your trek up the mountainside with growing confidence of your progress. Animal tracks wander off in every direction. A nearby slope, quite steep and clear of brush, offers a quick trip down to the base of the mountain. >se Animal trails You continue your trek up the mountainside with growing confidence of your progress. Animal tracks wander off in every direction. A nearby slope, quite steep and clear of brush, offers a quick trip down to the base of the mountain. >east Animal trails You continue your trek up the mountainside with growing confidence of your progress. Animal tracks wander off in every direction. A nearby slope, quite steep and clear of brush, offers a quick trip down to the base of the mountain. >north You emerge from the crisscrossing trails to a wind-scarred clearing... III. AN UNCERTAIN EARTH Mountain pass A brisk steady wind cuts across this mountain pass, an unwelcome contrast to the warm, if chilling, settlement below. You peer down on the settlement and realize how far you've traveled to reach here. A steep slope descends down the mountain in a hurry, while a path leads southeast. The way south leads up the mountain. >se Camp A lean-to of hides and canvas stretched taut over a wood frame stands against a sheer rock face. Under the lean-to you discover all the trappings of a distillery. Loose grain kernels are scattered in the dirt about the centerpiece, a crude still over a scorched fire pit. The path back to the mountain pass is to the northwest. >apply encyp to fire pit You spread some of the salt and the ash on the fire pit. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Cain's voice rages in your ear: It was much to their surprise when I found them in the tent. Awan--my sister and supposed wife--lying with Abel and inebriated from his vicious distillation. The grain I labored to raise from the earth--nourishment for our family--fried down and transmuted into revelry and fleshy pleasures. I beat Abel mightily--I remember little of the moment, but I did it. Only Awan's cries to halt could stop me. When I raised a hand to her, I saw what I had become, and I broke down. Awan carried our child, after all. As I fled, Awan was cradling Abel's bruised head against the side of her womb. Like so many phlegmatics, Cain suffers from bouts of cholera when his brooding nature is tested. This is not idle speculation; it is proven scientific fact, as your Academy training can attest. With a mighty whoom--you kept your distance this time--a fire bursts alive. [You've unlocked another revelation.] >put clay jug under spout You put the clay jug under the wood spout. >pull lever With a pull of the lever, the metal pan swings over the fire pit. The pan quickly begins to heat. The mash cooks down in the pan with hisses and gurgles. >wait Time passes. A hot clear liquid pools around the mash. It has the astringent odor of spirits, the precious aqua vitae. >wait Time passes. The pool gathers enough volume to move along the slope of the pan to a wood trough. The precious spirits are carried by twists and turns to the V-shaped spout, where the liquid drips as a clear thread. After a minute, the jug is full of spirits--the precious aqua vitae. You push the lever and the metal pan swings away from the fire. The gummy mash is now dry and burnt. It seems unlikely you could produce any more from it. >take clay jug You pick up the clay jug. You're definitely feverish, and grower sicker by the minute, but you must press on. Once this inquiry is over, you can take a long, well-deserved rest. >nw Mountain pass A brisk steady wind cuts across this mountain pass, an unwelcome contrast to the warm, if chilling, settlement below. A steep slope descends down the mountain in a hurry, while a path leads southeast. The way south leads up the mountain. >south Magma pool Near the summit of the mountain you come across a roiling pool of orange magma surrounded by a ring of rocks. The stench of brimstone is quite pungent. A single olive tree looms over the pool. Exposure to the heat and exhaust has stripped it of its bark and blackened its bare limbs. A heat-abused pulley dangles from the tree's lowest limb. A squat brick forge has fallen on its side beside the pool of magma. Nearby is what appears to be a makeshift anvil. The only way down the mountain is to the north. >tie rope to forge You tie the rope to the hook on top of the forge. >thread rope through pulley You thread the rope through the pulley. >pull rope Putting all your strength into it, you manage to lift the forge off its side and swing it over the pool. You remind yourself: This is Cain's forge. History records him as the first metalworker. No doubt he forged the shovel you've seen in the visions, as he did the knife you found in Abel's slaughterhouse. You let the block settle atop the rocks ringing the magma. You release the rope with great relief, the muscles in your arms twitching and tingling from the stress. The forge begins heating up. >put cinnabar in chimney You drop the cinnabar down the tube and into the forge. After a moment, a high-pitched hissing squeals from the forge's stubby chimney. >wait Time passes. The sound of gurgling liquid emerges from the forge. >wait Time passes. Mercury drips from the forge's opening with a slow trickle, until a small pool of the precious quicksilver has formed on the ground before you. >take mercury You carefully gather the precious mercury and add it to your rucksack. >north Mountain pass A brisk steady wind cuts across this mountain pass, an unwelcome contrast to the warm, if chilling, settlement below. A steep slope descends down the mountain in a hurry, while a path leads southeast. The way south leads up the mountain. You are deathly ill. You look forward to collapsing and taking a long sleep when you've completed your inquiry. >down You practically gallop down, jarring yourself and rattling your knees in the process, but you reach the base of the mountain in one piece... Base of mountain A range of Atlas-like mountains ascends mightily to the misty heavens. Nearby, on a more diminutive scale, a rotund obsidian block squats firmly in the ground. Up the mountain is a trailhead of animal paths and switchbacks ascending the side of the mountain. The settlement is north. >north After a trek across the valley floor, you reach the edge of the settlement... Sage field A narrow winding strip of sage spreads forth from here. The growth is so thick, your travel into the field is impeded, and you can only reach the first row of plants. Steam and miasma emerge from a wide chasm on the far side of the field. On the other side of the chasm stands a field of chamomile. To the east stands an elderly almond tree supporting a mud hive. The edge of the wheat field is to the north. To the distant south runs an impressive mountain range rising into the mist- laden sky. The cacophony of the agitated swarm drones continuously from the east. They are furious. >north Clearing The meticulously tended field of wheat opens to a circular clearing of trampled stalks and grain-heavy florets crushed underfoot. Off-center of the clearing sits a squat russet-brown rock cracked in half. The russet-brown rock glows a clear blue hue. To the southeast stands an almond tree among a cloud of bees. A field of flowering sage spreads out to the south. A scarecrow is north of here. An almost imperceptible trail of broken wheat stalks cuts southwest through the field. The crow's piercing call shatters the still air. >north In the wheat field Twenty or thirty hectares of wheat are planted in tidy rows along the southern edge of the settlement. Traveling north will lead you out of the field and toward the center of the settlement. A dilapidated shack stands to the east, while a path south through the field leads to a clearing. A rough and ready scarecrow stands upright here. >north Foot of the great cedar tree You're standing at the foot of a great cedar tree. Its leafy branches reach all directions overhead. A crow sits on one of the lower tree branches. You could reach it if you climbed up. A well stands to the west. To the south begins an expansive tilled field. East is a fire pit surrounded by some small buildings. Smoke rises from its center. The crow launches from the tree, flies a roundabout loop in the hazy sky, and returns to its perch. >east Fire pit This clearing, along with the great cedar tree to the west, feels to be the hub of the settlement and its surrounding areas. In the center of the clearing stands a large fire pit surrounded by a ring of stones. A roaring fire burns here, sending a column of smoke into the murky skies. East of here, a thatch mud hovel and a gray tent are built against the side of a hill. To the south stands a dilapidated wood shack. Far to the northeast, you discern what appears to be a cavern entrance. A loose pile of smoking charcoal stands beside the intense fire. A bee passing through the clearing steers far from the smoldering pile of charcoal, as though allergic to its smoke, and flies away. >south Outside a slaughterhouse This dilapidated shack of rough-cut cypress planks leans to one side and is in need of shoring up. From the dried red-wine splatter about the interior walls, it's obvious this was a slaughterhouse. The shack may be entered from here by going south. A fire pit is due north, while a field of wheat stands to the west. >enter Slaughterhouse The interior of the rustic slaughterhouse is stark and stunning to the uninitiated. The planks are a rich tannin color from the sheer quantity of blood spilled. The coloration spreads up the walls, spattered from countless slaughtered animals. You imagine a grim assortment of iron tools and instruments once filled this place. Mostly, it's the lingering odor here that strikes you. A wide tree stump occupies the center of the shack. In one corner is a loose pile of animal bones. The tree stump glows a clear blue hue. Your inquiry has determined that the tree stump has a revelation locked within it. >apply blood, sage and salt to stump You spread some of the blood, the sage, and the salt on the tree stump. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- In your ear comes a familiar voice, the grim voice of Cain: At the close of Slaughter, the blood of forty animals coats my brother from neck to knee. His skin is slick and painted dark red from the umber of his flock. Abel is never happier than during Slaughter. With his throat-knife's iron between his teeth, he takes the beast in both hands. In one confident motion he wrangles the animal onto the tree stump. The animals stand wide-eyed with terror, but they do not resist. For the entirety of their short lives, he has been as a father to them. When he flicks the fine edge across the beast's neck, only a nick appears, a spot of black blood under its jaw. A moment later, a thread thickens across its neckline, then begins coursing like a stream. It is my knife, I forged it for Abel, and their blood will be reckoned when my time of accounting comes. [You've unlocked another revelation.] >exit Outside a slaughterhouse This dilapidated shack of rough-cut cypress planks leans to one side and is in need of shoring up. From the dried red-wine splatter about the interior walls, it's obvious this was a slaughterhouse. The shack may be entered from here by going south. A fire pit is due north, while a field of wheat stands to the west. >west In the wheat field Twenty or thirty hectares of wheat are planted in tidy rows along the southern edge of the settlement. Traveling north will lead you out of the field and toward the center of the settlement. A dilapidated shack stands to the east, while a path south through the field leads to a clearing. A rough and ready scarecrow stands upright here. >south Clearing The meticulously tended field of wheat opens to a circular clearing of trampled stalks and grain-heavy florets crushed underfoot. Off-center of the clearing sits a squat russet-brown rock cracked in half. The russet-brown rock glows a clear blue hue. To the southeast stands an almond tree among a cloud of bees. A field of flowering sage spreads out to the south. A scarecrow is north of here. An almost imperceptible trail of broken wheat stalks cuts southwest through the field. The cacophony of the agitated swarm drones continuously from the southeast. They are furious. >apply ostendo to rock You spread some of the salt and the sulfur on the russet-brown rock. The ostendo compound blends and dissolves, preparing to reveal the next steps for unlocking the revelations burned into the russet-brown rock... A disembodied voice whispers to you in an unsure voice: "Abel's poison. Cain's poison. Royal jelly. The spirit of aqua vitae. And the Spirit of the Three Primes." In all your studies at the Academy, this is unprecedented: A compound requiring two poisons and three excipients. Whatever event is locked within this stone, it must be extremely powerful. >look up three primes (the Pharmakon) The Three Primes (tria prima) represent the fullness of Life, the potential of the human spirit, and the unity of Mankind. The primes are located in salt, sulfur, and mercury. As all three are excipients, they are sacrificed when formulating compounds. Their very nature represents the nature of the Indagator: SACRIFICE. The significance of the Three Primes versus the balance of the Four Humours have been hotly debated since the earliest stirrings of Scholasticism. c.f., excipient, Four Humours, sacrifice >apply lymph, sage, royal jelly, spirits and mercury to rock You spread some of the lymph, the sage, the royal jelly, the spirits, and the mercury on the russet-brown rock. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Cain's growing rage floods in: On my knees, I work the shovel to pry this stubborn rock from the field. Abel approaches with his right cheek and eye socket still mottled from the bruising I gave him in the mountains. "I will marry Awan," he announces. "Just as Mother and Father were wed in their garden paradise." "You will not take my wife and child from me." "The child Awan carries is mine. She would tell you so, but shame holds her tongue." He leans down to me. "What troubles you, brother? This rock? The crow thieving your grain? Or is it the swarm of locusts sleeping underground, waiting for their moment to rise and overwhelm you?" It is difficult to speak in measured tones. "What troubles me is this: I perceive the world was created in goodness, but it is not governed according to the fruit of good works." "You misperceive. In judgment there is no respect of persons. My sacrifice was superior to yours, and I am rewarded." I say, again, with difficulty: "Then there is neither judgment nor judge, nor even another world." A brash smile bursts across his face. "There was a judgment, brother. There is a better world, and it is reserved for Awan and me." I strike the blade of the shovel across his face. Taking him by the neck, I wrestle him to the dirt. My vision washes umber--I smash the back of his head into the rock repeatedly, as though by killing him I am killing this stubborn blister among my wheat. Abel lays sprawled across the ground, lifeless. My violence has cracked the rock in two. The black earth I've nourished now drinks my brother's blood. What have I done? The Crow lands beside him. It sniffs at my brother's still body for evidence of life. In the distance, Mother calls it is mealtime. "Am I my brother's keeper?" I whisper to the Crow. As if in answer, the ground beneath me begins trembling and groaning. The bird scratches in the dirt with its talons. It digs a trench with its beak. I must hurry--Mother calls my name, and when I do not arrive, she will come to find me. You witness a sobbing Cain burying his brother as Eve's voice draws near. He scampers off through the wheat field and cuts a path southwest through the stalks... ...You come to in a daze. The crow flies low overhead, its screech echoing across the valley. It comes to rest at a distant ravine to the southwest. It screeches once more, as though beckoning. [You've unlocked another revelation.] >sw With the crow in your sights, and the memory of Cain's flight fresh in your mind, you easily follow the trail... IV. A WANDERING EARTH For from this time forth thou shalt be the father of his lies; thou shalt be called Perdition... -Moses 5:24, Pearl of Great Price And Cain went out from before the LORD, and dwelt in the land of exile and wandering, east of Eden. ...from the time that he sinned and killed his brother, [the earth] changed to produce thorns and thistles. -Genesis 4:16, Targum Jerusalem And the LORD set a mark upon Cain. -Genesis 4:15 KJV You reach the edge of a ravine. Feverish, clothes soaked-through with sweat, you rest for awhile. Edge of barren field A wide ravine extends miles in both directions. Hundreds of feet below runs a veritable river of molten magma. Its lava scorches trees along its path. You suspect this ravine once hosted a river of water, until the young Earth tore itself open and its innards gushed out. To the northwest lies a field of gnarled vines. The wheat field is to the northeast. >nw Field of thorn and thistle This spacious tilled field is about a quarter the size of the wheat field back in the settlement. It's apparent it was meticulously tilled and worked with care. A sign on a post stands before the field. Rather than yielding grain or vegetable, the bounty this field produced is a crop of gnarled vines studded with thorns and wild thistle plants. A ravine lies to the southeast. Southwest of here you make out a tunnel opening in the side of the mountain. A brilliant glowing light shines like a crown over the outcropping above. >apply glos to sign You spread some of the blood, the chamomile, the grease, and the wax on the sign. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- With a familiar wooziness, the alien language becomes as familiar as your grandfather's kindly face. The symbols rearrange until they're plain to you: "Cain's Field / Free Food for All" The munificence did not go as planned. >sw Tunnel entrance A narrow tunnel stretching due west burrows a hole into the mountainside. When your eyes adjust, you make out deep inside it what appears to be a man staring back at you. The field of thorn and thistle lies to the northeast. You are deathly ill. You look forward to collapsing and taking a long sleep when you've completed your inquiry. >enter As you enter the tunnel, a great rumbling grows around you--the earth gives way--weightless, you tumble headlong into the void... [Press any key to continue...] In the darkness appears a ball of light. Soon, dozens of balls dripping fire approach, bringing with them cries and accusations. The grain-blight decimated your grandfather's wheat field, as well as the oats and sorghum in the neighboring farms. Your grandfather died a broken man. He left you his cottage, an exhausted well, and a field of dust and memories. The villagers came to you at the zero hour with torches and allegations. They stripped you of your bedclothes; they painted your face like a clown; they held a trial around your bed, and judged you the ugliest in the village. Verdict passed, you were force-fed an oily meal of salted figs, honeyed olives, butter, and fattened goat. Face shiny with grease and paint, they dragged you from your farm table to the villagers lined up outside your grandfather's cottage. As you stumbled down the row, they struck you with switches and paddles and shovels. You brought the grain-blight, they screamed. Now they chased it away. Naked, blistered, and bruised, you wandered the wilderness for three days before collapsing. Death would certainly have claimed you if not for the elderly traveler. He revived you and brought you to the Academy. There he nursed you to health, and, bedside, began teaching you of reason, investigation, and truth. His name was Hester, and he was the first person after your grandfather to demonstrate a flicker of belief in you... [Press any key to continue...] In the dark You come to, hazy-headed and lying on your back, in near-total darkness. A crack high above lets in a meager thread of sunlight. Even with your eyes adjusted, the only other thing you can make out in the darkness is a spent wood torch lying within reach. Some great weight across your chest has pinned you to the dirt floor. >apply encyp to torch With a bit of difficulty, you manage to spread some of the salt and the ash on the torch. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- The torch ignites with a searing white flame that nearly blinds you. Soon its pulsing heat is toasting the side of your face, but no matter--you have some light now. That vital light illuminates exactly what is holding you to the floor: A weighty bar, thoroughly cankered with rust, pinned across your chest. Trapped (on the dirt floor) The tunnel you entered is now utterly blocked by the rock and rubble all around you. A torch on the floor burns with an unnaturally intense and unwavering flame. This bleak pocket of rock you find yourself trapped in continues to the west. You are on the dirt floor. The weight of the rusted bar pins you down. >apply novo to bar You struggle to spread some of the sulfur and the black bile on the bar. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- The cankerous rust begins to dissolve, its spots disappearing and its gashes healing up. Soon, the iron bar's lustrous finish has returned, from end to end. Of course, now you have a new problem. A heavy and pristine iron bar is pinning you to the floor. >apply vulk to bar You manage to spread some of the arsenic, the sulfur, and the wax on the bar. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- The iron bar melts off into a gelatinous goo. It drains onto the cave floor and dissolves into the dirt. >west (first getting off of the dirt floor) Blocked At the rear of this caved-in pocket, a detailed life-sized portrait has been painted on the volcanic rock. The painting is of a young man standing and holding a lamb in his arms. At the feet of the portrait, a partially crushed wood chest is buried in the rock slide. The other half of this caved-in pocket lies to the east. >look portrait Dimly visible in the available light, the portrait is a full-sized rendering of Abel. His face glows beatifically; you plainly discern his puckish smile and sly eyes staring back at you. Cradled in his arms is a lamb. >apply ocu to painting You spread some of the arsenic and the phlegm on the painting. The admixture blends, swells, bubbles, seizes up-- Your eyes becomes the portrait's eyes--you become a mute witness. What you do not expect is to hear Abel's voice: Since I was young, Cain worked the soil and tended to his plants with a patent joy. My brother was more alive around his plants and flowers than around us. Our parents leaned on him for all their problems. When Adam was too sickly to dig the well, Cain completed it. When Eve suffered bouts of her dark moods, she asked Cain for tea and a comforting word. Adam taught Cain how to work metal, how to build tents, how to light the Great Fire. What was I responsible for? Feeding goats and lambs. Walking them to the river. Slitting their throats when they grew plump. He would always be the eldest son. I could never surpass him. From this dark place, I watch my brother work a new field. He throws himself into the task with great vigor. The rewards for his hard labor are thorns like knives and inedible thistles. Still, he is resourceful. He hacks at the vines with an axe. He extracts the oil running in their veins. With it he oils his walking stick and the hinge of his precious lockbox. But he fails to harvest a crop, and so he must leave and wander further. Every night, he sobs and cries out in his sleep. He is alone, and I am with him, always. The voice of the dead. [You've unlocked another revelation.] >apply grease to chest You spread some of the grease on the crushed wood chest. A quick test of the lid indicates it's able to move now. >open chest With some forcible effort, you manage to pull open the chest lid. The bottom of the chest is gone! It must have been blown out by the force of the cave-in. Westward, out the bottom of the chest, the tunnel continues. It reaches a brilliant platinum light and a hazy gray sky. It may be wishful thinking, or it may be the fever playing tricks on your mind, but you plainly hear Hester IV of Minscip whisper in your ear: "Novitiate no longer! You are an Indagator, without qualification!" >west You crawl through the crushed chest, down the dark tunnel, and emerge from the cave to a dazzling light... A Wandering Earth The crow arrives with a noisy beating of its wings. It lands in a rocky perch high above. From atop the outcropping, the source of the brilliant gleam in the sky is revealed: In the valley below you is the remains of a lush garden valley. Blossoming fruit trees, green grasses and flora, and steppes of rich undergrowth once ran down the valley slopes. The river of magma has reached the garden. It cleaves fiery arteries through the valley and destroys the pristine beauty acre by acre. Endless waterfalls are now fire-falls. The destruction casts a brilliant platinum light up to the sky. East leads down into the bowels of the earth. A narrow and rough trail south leads around the edge of the precipice to a field below. Sitting on the edge of the outcropping is a young man clothed in coarse flax. >talk to man Up until now, the man's face has remained outside your view. Now he turns to you. Finally you can put a face to the voice of the man you've heard so often since your arrival here. It's the cragged face of a regretful man. Dust and dirt outline the face's wrinkles and folds. His watery eyes are veined red, and his mouth seems incapable of any shape but a deep frown. The Creator marked this man so he would never be harmed. Who could attack someone with such a piteous expression? You begin to speak to him--you have many questions-- The Crow lets out a berating caaaw, causing your head to snap around. The great black bird launches from its perch and flies toward the misty horizon. When you turn back to Cain, he's gone. Among the trees down the hill, you catch sight of his knapsack slung over one shoulder as he trudges on to his next destination...and then he disappears into the wilderness. [You've unlocked another revelation.] >memories You've witnessed sixteen of the sixteen available revelations: * The sluice gate * The well * The stones * The great fire * The scarecrow * The obsidian mirror * The giant face * The spot of blood * The strand of hair * The obsidian block * The mountain warning * The distillery * The slaughterhouse * The burial rock * The underground portrait * Meeting Cain You may RECALL these revelations by name. You've memorized the following alchemical compounds: * encyp: Restore an extinguished fire * glos: Briefly read any language * novo: Restore a manmade invention to its original purpose * ocu: Make a human-like yield an eyewitness revelation * ostendo: Reveal compound to unlock revelation * vulk: Melt metal You've learned the following about the family members: * Adam is choleric. His Humour is yellow bile. * Eve is melancholic. Her Humour is black bile. * Cain is phlegmatic. His Humour is phlegm. * Abel is sanguine. His Humour is blood. >break seal The seal breaks in quarters and falls away. The stiff vellum envelope flops open to a single blank page. No instructions. No directives. No rubric or schema. A void for you to fill. The Academy failed to send you ink, or even a writing instrument. Your blood is the ink and your hand the pen. Shaky with fever, you reopen your wound and dip your finger in your umber. You write down all you've seen. The father, the mother, the sons and daughters. The Fire, the Tree, and the Crow. The rage and the despair. And the Mark. According to Cain, you smear across the top of the vellum. With your last words on the page, the vellum shimmers and fades away. It is delivered. The Provost has his report. The fever has set. This fiery and broken world rocks to and fro. You stumble and fall to the dirt. You cover your sweat-beaded face with your hands. The orbis begins growing warm. Soon you will be among the Scholastics and the Provost. You look forward to seeing Hester's warm, elderly face once more. You hope you've done him proud. The cloud-ridden sky becomes a clear, cold night. The crow cries out--and you sleep, at last. *** Finis. *** Would you like to RESTART the story, UNDO the last move, see the CREDITS, read about the game's SOURCES and background, see the author's BIBLIO (bibliography), RESTORE a saved position, or QUIT?