Chapter 1 - Do Not Change Any Of This Include Cragne Suite by Ryan Veeder. [Don't mess with other people's rooms!] RRS is a region. RRS6 is a room in RRS. RRS6 is south of RRS5. CHU1 is a room. CHU1 is south of RRS6. Part - RRS6 Railroad Tracks [This room is RRS6, a stretch of road outside Backwater. The road follows a railroad, north to south. The train station is north. To the south is a church.] [Hello code readers!] Chapter 1 - Commentary commentary of RRS6 is "Apart from the train tracks, this could be any number of roads in the town where I grew up. Milkweed doesn't usually grow that high, though the highly invasive [italic type]Heracleum mantegazzianum[roman type], or Giant Hogweed, does. Not that you'd normally find that in Vermont either, except for the time my dad planted one, not realizing how noxious the sap of that species is. One became many. Don't try this at home. Speaking of 'Don't Try This At Home,' this room is dedicated to my favorite band-who-almost-everyone-misjudges-based-on-their-biggest-hit: Chumbawamba. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqmGI1tr6Wo --Caleb." Chapter 2 - About Text ccw-abouting is an action out of world. Understand "about" or "info" or "credits" as ccw-abouting when the location is RRS6. Report ccw-abouting: say "This room was written by Caleb Wilson and tested by Roberto Colnaghi, Petter Sjölund, Matt Schneider, and Andrew Schultz." Chapter 3 - Scenes ccw-scene is a recurring scene. ccw-scene begins when the location is RRS6. ccw-scene ends when the location is not RRS6. [A generic scene taking place when the player enters my room. I don't think it does anything right now but I'm a little afraid to take it out right before submitting this code in case I forgot about something important it does. Yeah, I think I'll leave it for now.] ccw-onaltar is a recurring scene. ccw-onaltar begins when the player is on ccw-altar. ccw-onaltar ends when the player is not on ccw-altar. [A scene that happens whenever the player gets on the altar. If the player isn't wearing the mask, they will die.] When ccw-onaltar begins: if ccw-leaf is not worn: say "You lie down, settling your body into the impression and your face into the cavity at the end. Is it even you doing this? It feels like the most natural action in the world. As you press your face down into the cavity, [if ccw-slime is ccw-familiar]you feel the wet network of the orange slime touching your skin.[else]you feel something wet; your skin has met a tangle of slimy, orange strands that were growing inside the cavity.[end if][line break]Your face turns numb. You are overtaken with convulsions, and the involuntary flailing of your limbs causes you to fall from the altar. The numbness spreads down your neck and across your torso as you lie frozen, body askew, at the base of the altar. It takes but a few hours for your whole body to be sheathed in wet, orange strands. Your breathing slows as your lungs gradually fill with fruiting bodies. Perhaps the slime reacts poorly to tears, as the last part to be overgrown with mold is your eyes, though eventually, as dusk falls, blurred orange tendrils knit themselves together at the edges of your vision. Their intricacy strikes you as ghastly and beautiful all at once."; end the story saying "Death, Slow and Awful"; stop the action; now ccw-vault is part of ccw-altar; say "You lie down, settling your body into the impression and your face into the cavity at the end. The milkweed leaf mask protects your face from the strands of orange slime[if ccw-slime is ccw-familiar][else] that you belatedly notice fill the cavity[end if]. Is it even you doing this? It feels like the most natural action in the world. As you press your face deeper into the cavity, your vision warps. The world seems to fold and buckle: what was convex becomes concave and what was concave becomes convex. The altar wobbles and inverts, giving you the bizarre sensation of lying atop a smooth green hole that floats in midair. Deeper within the hole is a shelf of green stone[if the number of things on ccw-vault is greater than 1] with several items resting (how?) on it[else if the number of things on ccw-vault is 1] with something resting (how?) on it[end if]."; When ccw-onaltar ends: remove ccw-vault from play; Chapter 4 - Player Description and Body Parts Instead of examining the player when the location is RRS6 (this is the ccw PC description rule): if player is on ccw-altar: say "At the start of the day you didn't expect to find yourself lying nestled in the impression atop a stone altar buried in a patch of milkweed. Yet here you are, and it feels so right..."; otherwise: say “Out of the sun, the sweat on your body has rapidly cooled, giving you a slight chill. Isn't this supposed to be summer?” Chapter 5 - Pointless Actions (But We Love Them) Instead of jumping when the location is RRS6: say "You jump up, trying to see above the banks of earth and bramble, but they're too high." Instead of sleeping when the location is RRS6: say "You are worn out, but the thought of taking a nap in this secluded, gloomy spot gives you the creeps." ccw-singing is an action applying to nothing. Understand "sing" as ccw-singing when the location is RRS6. Carry out ccw-singing: if ccw-earworm is in RRS6: if ccw-earworm is not ccw-decaying: now ccw-earworm is ccw-decaying; say "Your lips sing along, almost involuntarily, to the earworm in your head:[paragraph break]"; say "[ccw-earworm-progress]"; else: say "You try to think of song to cheer yourself up, but nothing comes to mind." ccw-dancing is an action applying to nothing. Understand "dance" as ccw-dancing when the location is RRS6. Carry out ccw-dancing: say "It's not a dance so much as a full-body shiver." ccw-praying is an action applying to nothing. Understand "pray" as ccw-praying when the location is RRS6. Carry out ccw-praying: say "It can't hurt. Can it?" Chapter 6 - Cutting it With, Attacking it With Cutting it with is an action applying to one touchable thing and one carried thing. Understand "cut [something] with [something]" as cutting it with. Understand "attack [something] with [ccw-athame]" as cutting it with. Check the player cutting something with something: if the second noun is not ccw-athame: say "That won't work." instead; else: say "[The noun] doesn't need to be cut." instead; Instead of trying cutting something: if the player carries the ccw-athame: try cutting the noun with the ccw-athame; else: say "You're carrying nothing with which to cut it." Instead of trying cutting the ccw-athame with the ccw-athame: say "Quite impossible, even for something imaginary." Chapter 7 - Lie Down ccw-lying is an action applying to one visible thing. Understand "lie on [something]" as ccw-lying when the location is RRS6. Understand "lie down on [something]" as ccw-lying when the location is RRS6. Carry out ccw-lying when the location is RRS6: if the noun is the ccw-tracks: say "Morbid connotations aside, it would be too uncomfortable." instead; if the noun is the ccw-terrain: try sleeping instead; if the noun is the ccw-milkweed: try sleeping instead; if the noun is the ccw-brambles: say "Pointlessness aside, it would be too prickly." instead; if the noun is the ccw-altar: try entering the ccw-altar instead; else: say "That's pointless." Chapter 8 - Distant Things A thing can be ccw-distant. Instead of doing something other than examining to a thing that is ccw-distant: say "[The noun] [are] too far away." Chapter 9 - Room Name, Scenery Descriptions A thing can be ccw-familiar. [To be used when I want to mark whether the player has examined something.] Does the player mean taking something fixed in place when the location is the RRS6: it is unlikely. Printed name of RRS6 is "Milkweed (Caleb Wilson)". Description of RRS6 is "It is possible to feel claustrophobia out of doors. Sunlight fills the sky but somehow doesn't reach you here. Steep banks of bramble rise to the east and west, trapping you within a gloomy trough a dozen yards wide. A poorly-surfaced road leads north and south along the trough's nadir. Just west of it, camouflaged with rust, is the train track." Instead of going nowhere in the RRS6: say "You can't go that way." Instead of going west in the RRS6: say "You're too tired for bushwhacking; better stick to the road, which runs north and south." Instead of going east in the RRS6: say "You're too tired for bushwhacking; better stick to the road, which runs north and south." Instead of going northeast in the RRS6: say "You're too tired for bushwhacking; better stick to the road, which runs north and south." Instead of going southeast in the RRS6: say "You're too tired for bushwhacking; better stick to the road, which runs north and south." Instead of going northwest in the RRS6: say "You're too tired for bushwhacking; better stick to the road, which runs north and south." Instead of going southwest in the RRS6: say "You're too tired for bushwhacking; better stick to the road, which runs north and south." The ccw-road is scenery in the RRS6. The printed name is "road". Understand "road" as ccw-road. The description is "This stretch of road is heavily washboarded gravel. Not your favorite. In high school, a week after you got your license, you flipped your parents[apostrophe] Jeep Cherokee driving too fast on a surface just like this." The ccw-sky is scenery in the RRS6. The printed name is "sky". Understand "sky/sun/sunlight" as ccw-sky. It is ccw-distant. The description is "The sky is deep blue, cloudless, sunless, and yet saturated with summer light. It seems to dream of the warm, pleasant day from which the terrain has neatly divided you." The ccw-terrain is scenery in the RRS6. The printed name is "terrain". Understand "bank/banks/terrain/ground/land/trough" as the ccw-terrain. The description is "Having grown up in the midwest, the terrain in Vermont, with its peaks and valleys, its banks and troughs, always strikes you as confining. The whole state is like a rugged green trap into which you've somehow wandered without noticing until it's too late." The ccw-tracks are scenery in the RRS6. They are plural-named. The printed name is "train tracks". Understand "train/track/tracks/rail" as the ccw-tracks. The description is "The tracks run north and south beneath mats of dead grass and bramble, bringing to mind an impossible serpent banded with the black of the resinous ties. Are the tracks in use? Could a train actually traverse them? Who knows." The ccw-rust is part of the ccw-tracks. The printed name is "rust". Understand "rust" as the ccw-rust. The description is "The heavy rust makes you suspect these tracks are seldom used, if ever." Instead of searching the ccw-tracks: say "You find a flattened penny, which you take."; now the ccw-coin is carried by the player. The ccw-brambles are scenery in the RRS6. They are plural-named. The printed name is "brambles". Understand "bramble/brambles/thorn/thorns" as the ccw-brambles. The description is "The brambles are overgrown and yet sickly, with yellowed leaves and black-spotted stems. Thorns are plentiful, though apparently this isn't the kind of bramble that produces an edible berry. Or perhaps berries are out of season." Instead of taking or touching or searching the ccw-brambles: say "Ouch! A thorn stabs your palm for your trouble." The ccw-ants are scenery in the RRS6. They are plural-named. The printed name is "ants". Understand "ant/ants" as the ccw-ants. The description is "The ants are hard at work on some incomprehensible project. It's almost as if they don't realize that all of their labors are ultimately pointless." Instead of taking or touching or pushing or pulling or attacking the ccw-ants: say "Why meddle in the ants[apostrophe] pointless existence? You decide to just leave them alone." The ccw-milky is scenery in the RRS6. The printed name is "milky sap". Understand "bitter/sticky/white/milky/sap" as the ccw-milky. The description is "The milkweeds are dappled with a milky white sap having a consistency eerily similar to blood." Instead of taking the ccw-milky: say "There's no need." Instead of smelling or tasting the ccw-milky: say "Bitter." Chapter 10 - The coin The ccw-coin is a thing. The printed name is "flattened penny". Understand "flattened/coin/penny" as the ccw-coin. The description is "A ruined penny, left on the tracks and flattened by a train. The damage to the coin has obscured and swollen Lincoln's head, giving him the appearance of an effaced carving of a bulbous king on a blasphemous onyx obelisk forgotten to history." Instead of tasting the ccw-coin: say "Tastes coppery." Chapter 11 - The Actual Literal Milkweed The ccw-milkweed is in the RRS6. It is fixed in place. The printed name is "patch of milkweed". Understand "patch/of/milkweed/milk/weed/stem/stems" as ccw-milkweed. "A tremendous patch of milkweed, the stems abnormally thick and tall, grows on the east side of the road beneath the thorn bank." The description is "Does milkweed normally grow to a height of eight feet? You're doubtful. This variety's leaves are ragged ovals the size of Halloween masks, notches rimmed with milky sap where they've been gnawed. The stems, a-crawl with ants, clatter in the breeze like rattling spears.[if ccw-leaf is not handled] One huge curled leaf dangles by a green thread, just within reach." Instead of searching the ccw-milkweed: if ccw-shack is in RRS6: say "Well, there's that dilapidated shack almost hidden by the milkweed stalks. But you don't find anything else."; stop the action; if ccw-altar is in RRS6: say "Well, there's that green stone altar surrounded by broken boards. But you don't find anything else."; stop the action; else: say "You don't find anything of note." Does the player mean searching the ccw-milkweed: it is likely. Chapter 12 - Milkweed Leaf Mask The ccw-leaf is in the RRS6. It is wearable. The printed name is "giant milkweed leaf". Understand "giant/milkweed/leaf/mask" as the ccw-leaf. "A giant milkweed leaf dangles just within reach from the mass of stems." The description is "A giant milkweed leaf, curled in such a way that it could cling to your face like a mask. It even has two milk-ringed holes for your eyes." Rule for printing inventory details of ccw-leaf: if ccw-leaf is worn: say " (being worn as a mask)[run paragraph on]"; Instead of taking off the ccw-leaf when the player is on the ccw-altar: say "You'd have to get off the altar first; at the moment you are lying with your face pressed into its stone cavity." Instead of trying smelling something when the ccw-leaf is worn and the location is RRS6: say "All you can smell is bitter milkweed sap." Instead of trying tasting something when the ccw-leaf is worn and the location is RRS6: say "All you can taste is bitter milkweed sap." Chapter 13 - The Shack (Not The Best-selling Inspirational Novel) The ccw-shack is in the RRS6. It is fixed in place. "Almost hidden within the milkweed is a dilapidated shack built more of splinters than of planks." The printed name is "dilapidated shack". Understand "dilapidated/shack/plank/planks" as ccw-shack. The description is "A hateful structure less than five feet high. The wood frame of the shack has tilted, twisting subtly out of true. The angles itch at your eyes, somehow uncomfortable to look at. No windows. The low doorway, lacking a door, hisses at you open-mouthed. Or would that just be the standard summer susurrus of Vermont? 'Hateful' might an odd way to describe a building, but you can't escape the impression that the shack is capable of such an emotion. It's got to be a death-trap, anyway: take a step inside, or even give the shack a push, and surely it will just collapse." Understand "step inside/into/in [something]" as entering when the player is in RRS6. Understand "take step inside/into/in [something]" as entering when the player is in RRS6. Understand "take a step inside/into/in [something]" as entering when the player is in RRS6. Instead of searching the ccw-shack: say "It's too dark to see anything in the shack from out here." Instead of the player trying entering the ccw-shack: say "You have to crouch to enter the shack. The interior is still and dark and reeks of dry rot. Before you're even all the way inside your elbow bumps the doorframe and something cracks. The walls and roof fall in, crushing you dead under a heap of splintery old wood, tar paper, and rusty nails. Hungry mosquitoes gather, not unwilling to harvest a few last sips of blood before your body cools. Ants gather, and flies."; end the story saying "Death, Sudden and Awful". [Don't enter the shack.] Instead of the player trying pulling the ccw-shack: say "You grab the corner of the shack with one hand and the top of the doorframe with the other, then lean back until some part of the frame cracks. The walls and roof collapse onto you, crushing you dead under a heap of splintery old wood, tar paper, and rusty nails. Hungry mosquitoes gather, not unwilling to harvest a few last sips of blood before your body cools. Ants gather, and flies."; end the story saying "Death, Sudden and Awful". [Don't pull the shack.] Instead of the player trying attacking the ccw-shack: say "You thump the wall of the shack with your palm. The whole structure sways, the open mouth of the door angling its jaw. Yes, a good push would almost certainly bring it down." [You can attack it if you want.] Instead of the player trying pushing the ccw-shack: say "You set your shoulder to the corner of the shack and give it a shove. The whole structure slumps, then leans, then falls over with a sound of splintering wood and tearing tar paper. The walls fall back and outward, somehow not falling onto the (what is that?) stone altar that once stood inside the shack. A swathe of milkweeds are knocked down, and a cloud of dust drifts up from the shadows, seeming to turn more solid in the sunlight far above. 'Knocked down...' Oh no; it happens just that easily. The lyrics of a song pop into your head unbidden: "; [say "[italic type] [ccw-knockeddown] [ccw-knockeddown] [roman type][line break]";] say "[italic type]I get knocked down / But I get up again / You're never going to keep me down![roman type][line break]"; remove ccw-shack from play; now ccw-boards is in RRS6; now ccw-earworm is in RRS6; now ccw-altar is in RRS6; if ccw-leaf is not handled: if ccw-leaf is in RRS6: now ccw-leaf is in RRS6; now the ccw-milkweed is in RRS6; [This is the first "puzzle" in my room -- if you enter the shack you'll die when it collapses on you. You have to push it to access the altar that's inside.] The ccw-angles are part of the ccw-shack. They are plural-named. The printed name is "angles". Understand "wood/frame/angle/angles" as the ccw-angles. The description is "The wood frame of the shack has subsided in a curious way. The angle formed by the shack and the ground at the bottom right should be acute, but looking closely it seems as though it is actually obtuse. The angle of the shack's wall and roof at the upper right should be obtuse, but appears acute. Maybe it's just that you have a migraine coming on." Instead of doing something other than examining to ccw-angles: say "Just thinking about the angles is giving you a headache." Chapter 14 - Shack Rubble [I don't really want players messing with this, so it's going to be a pretty boring object.] The ccw-boards are scenery. They are plural-named. The printed name is "boards". Understand "shack/board/boards" as ccw-boards. They are undescribed. The description is "Just a bunch of splintery boards." Instead of searching the ccw-boards: say "You find nothing of interest. The most noteworthy thing about the former shack is the green stone altar it once held, which now stands in the middle of the milkweed." Chapter 15 - The Mutating Chumbawamba Lyrics Earworm [This happened a lot in 1998. Getting rid of the earworm in an optional puzzle with no reward beyond that of no longer having Tubthumping stuck in your head.] ccw-chumbadecay is a number that varies. ccw-chumbadecay is 0. A thing can be ccw-optional. A thing can be ccw-decaying. The ccw-earworm is a thing. The printed name is "earworm". Understand "earworm/song/chumbawamba/tubthumping" as ccw-earworm. "[if ccw-earworm is not ccw-decaying](An earworm has lodged itself in your head.)[else](That earworm is still lodged in your head.)" The ccw-tendril is part of the ccw-earworm. The printed name is "tendril". Understand "thin/tendril" as the ccw-tendril. The description is "The tendril has to be imaginary. Doesn't it?" Instead of cutting the ccw-tendril with the ccw-athame: say "As the imaginary blade of the athame touches the tendril attaching the earworm to your brain, the tendril snaps, with a sound like a plucked harp string. The earworm vanishes with a sound like a crack cross a pane of glass."; remove the ccw-earworm from play. Instead of cutting the ccw-tendril while the player carries the ccw-athame: try cutting the ccw-tendril with the ccw-athame. Instead of cutting the ccw-tendril while the player does not carry the ccw-athame: say "You're carrying nothing with which you might cut the imaginary tendril." Instead of doing something other than examining to the ccw-tendril: say "It's hard to know how, since it's only imaginary, isn't it?" After taking inventory when the location is RRS6 and the ccw-earworm is in RRS6: say "An earworm is lodged deeply in your head." Instead of doing something other than examining to the ccw-earworm: if ccw-earworm is not ccw-decaying: now ccw-earworm is ccw-decaying; say "The earworm is seemingly resistant to all forms of interaction, and simply acknowledging it gives it strength:[paragraph break]"; say "[ccw-earworm-progress]". Instead of examining the ccw-earworm: if ccw-earworm is not ccw-decaying: now ccw-earworm is ccw-decaying; say "You have a strange and terrible fancy that an earworm is attached to your brain with a thin tendril. The earworm is seemingly resistant to all forms of interaction, and simply acknowledging it gives it strength:[paragraph break]"; say "[ccw-earworm-progress]". To say ccw-earworm-progress: say "[italic type][one of][ccw-knockeddown][or][ccw-drink in sentence case][or][ccw-singsthesongs in sentence case][or][ccw-earworm-progress2][stopping]![roman type][ccw-stillstuck]."; if the ccw-earworm is not ccw-optional: say "[line break][bracket]Author's note: messing with the earworm is entirely optional. Not that I would try to dissuade you from it![close bracket][line break]"; now the ccw-earworm is ccw-optional; To say ccw-earworm-progress2: if ccw-chumbadecay is 0: replace the word "I" in ccw-knockeddown with "Iä"; replace the word "me" in ccw-knockeddown with "Mi-Go"; replace the word "whiskey" in ccw-drink with "Wgah"; replace the word "vodka" in ccw-drink with "Ph'nglui"; replace the word "lager" in ccw-drink with "Fhtagn"; replace the word "cider" in ccw-drink with "Cthulhu"; replace the word "good" in ccw-singsthesongs with "R'lyeh"; replace the word "better" in ccw-singsthesongs with "Leng"; let ccw-chumbadecay be 1; say "[italic type][one of][ccw-knockeddown in sentence case][or][ccw-drink in sentence case][or][ccw-singsthesongs in sentence case][or][ccw-earworm-progress3][stopping]"; To say ccw-earworm-progress3: let ccw-random-row be a random number between 1 and the number of rows in the table of ccw-jargon; let ccw-knock-decay be a random number between 1 and the number of words in ccw-knockeddown; let ccw-drink-decay be a random number between 1 and the number of words in ccw-drink; let ccw-sings-decay be a random number between 1 and the number of words in ccw-singsthesongs; if unpunctuated word number ccw-knock-decay in ccw-knockeddown is not "/": replace unpunctuated word number ccw-knock-decay in ccw-knockeddown with the jargon in row ccw-random-row of the table of ccw-jargon; if unpunctuated word number ccw-drink-decay in ccw-drink is not "/": replace unpunctuated word number ccw-drink-decay in ccw-drink with the jargon in row ccw-random-row of the table of ccw-jargon; if unpunctuated word number ccw-sings-decay in ccw-singsthesongs is not "/": replace unpunctuated word number ccw-sings-decay in ccw-singsthesongs with the jargon in row ccw-random-row of the table of ccw-jargon; say "[italic type][one of][ccw-knockeddown in sentence case][or][ccw-drink in sentence case][or][ccw-singsthesongs in sentence case][cycling]"; To say ccw-stillstuck: say " [one of]Yes,[or]Apparently[or]Well,[or]Damn it,[purely at random] Chumbawamba is still stuck in your head"; ccw-knockeddown is a text which varies. ccw-knockeddown is "I get knocked down / but I get up again / you're never going to keep me down"; ccw-drink is a text which varies. ccw-drink is "he drinks a whiskey drink / he drinks a vodka drink / he drinks a lager drink / he drinks a cider drink" ccw-singsthesongs is a text which varies. ccw-singsthesongs is "he sings the songs that remind him of the good times / he sings the songs that remind him of the better times" ccw-random-row is a number that varies. ccw-random-row is 0. ccw-knock-decay is a number that varies. ccw-knock-decay is 0. ccw-drink-decay is a number that varies. ccw-drink-decay is 0. ccw-sings-decay is a number that varies. ccw-sings-decay is 0. Table of ccw-jargon jargon "mglw" "nfah" "wgah" "hwu" "nagl" "nyar" "zhot" "cto" "[ccw-prefix][apostrophe][ccw-suffix]" "[ccw-prefix][apostrophe][ccw-suffix]" "[ccw-prefix][apostrophe][ccw-suffix]" "[ccw-prefix][apostrophe][ccw-suffix]" "[ccw-prefix][apostrophe][ccw-suffix]" "iä" "iä!" "iä!" "izh" "zö" "dy" "hla" "zlee" "gneh" "phleh" "dzo" "fgl" Table of ccw-grammar suffix prefix "zo" "cta" "cb" "lu" "gl" "pha" "nagl" "wga" "fnah" "mp" "lan" "wazr" "zr" "gla" "lyeh" "ry" To say ccw-prefix: choose a random row in the Table of ccw-grammar; say "[prefix entry]"; To say ccw-suffix: choose a random row in the Table of ccw-grammar; say "[suffix entry]"; [I'm pretty happy with the way this section turned out. If you interact with the earworm enough (or sing) the Chumbawamba lyrics turn into what looks pretty much exactly like Lovecraft's fake cultic languages.] Chapter 16 - The ALTAR [The main important thing in my room. The gimmick is that it's a container you can put things into and remove things from, but only when you're lying on the altar. Some kind of non-Euclidian geometry thing going on, I guess. Figuring out how to survive getting on the altar is the second puzzle in the room.] The ccw-altar is a thing. It is an enterable supporter. Understand "stone/altar" as ccw-altar. The printed name is "stone altar". "A green stone altar, once at the center of the shack, stands amidst broken boards and milkweed." The description is "A six-foot long and three-foot high altar of pale green stone, polished smooth. The sides are humped and bulged, suggesting poreless coral. The top is flat, and bears a shallow impression in the shape of a human body, with a slightly deeper cavity at the top for the face." A rule for reaching outside the ccw-altar when the noun is the ccw-earworm: allow access. A rule for reaching outside the ccw-altar when the noun is the ccw-tendril: allow access. A rule for reaching outside the ccw-altar: say "You'd have to get off the altar first."; deny access. After examining the ccw-altar during ccw-onaltar: say "However: your current view of the altar is, at the moment, somewhat peculiar. You are lying in the impression atop the altar, with your face pressed down into the deeper cavity. Your vision hurts, as if you were pressing on each eyeball with a fingertip. The world is warped. The altar itself has inverted, forming a smooth green hole, and you can see that there is[if the number of things on the ccw-vault is 0] an empty shelf of green stone inside it.[otherwise] a shelf of green stone inside it, on which [ccw-shelfcontents]."; To say ccw-shelfcontents: list the contents of the ccw-vault, as a sentence, prefacing with is/are; Instead of trying climbing ccw-altar: try entering ccw-altar instead. Instead of trying entering ccw-impression: try entering ccw-altar instead. The ccw-impression is part of the ccw-altar. The printed name is "impression". Understand "impression" as the ccw-impression. The description is "[if the player is on the ccw-altar]The impression on the top of the altar is the size and shape of your body, which, at the moment, is lying down within it.[else]It's the shape and size of a human body. For no reason you can name, you have the desire to get on the altar and lay yourself down in the impression; it seems your body would fit perfectly, as would, for that matter, your face fit nicely in the deeper cavity at the end." The ccw-cavity is part of the ccw-altar. The printed name is "cavity". Understand "cavity" as ccw-cavity. The description is "[if the player is on the ccw-altar]The cavity on the top of the altar is the size of your face, which, at the moment, is pressed down into it.[otherwise]It's just about the size of a human face. A network of spongy orange strands grows within the cavity. And for no particular reason, despite the spongy strands, you have the strong urge to climb onto the altar, lie down in the impression, and put your face inside the cavity, where, you are certain, it would fit so snugly and perfectly." After examining the ccw-cavity for the first time: now the ccw-slime is ccw-familiar. The ccw-vault is a supporter. The printed name is "shelf". Understand "green/stone/shelf" as the ccw-vault. Chapter 17 - The Deadly Orange Slime The ccw-slime is part of the ccw-cavity. The printed name is "slime mold". Understand "network/orange/spongy/sponge/strand/strands/slime/mold/slimemold" as ccw-slime. The description is "Thin, wet strands, bright orange, form a delicate network on the inner surface of the cavity. The edges of the network are clustered with darker nodules. You think, though without great confidence, that it might be a slime mold." After examining the ccw-slime for the first time: now the ccw-slime is ccw-familiar. The ccw-nodules are part of the ccw-slime. They are plural-named. The printed name is "nodules". Understand "nodule/nodules" as the ccw-nodules. The description is "Fruiting bodies, perhaps." Instead of touching the ccw-slime: say "[if the player is on the ccw-altar]Without the leaf on your face, you already would be touching the slime. With your face. Which doesn't seem like a very good idea at the moment.[else]You hover one finger over the slime, but refrain from touching it, which suddenly seems like a poor idea." Instead of smelling the ccw-slime: say "You lean close. The network of orange strands smells a little like ozone." Instead of tasting the ccw-slime: say "You lean close, and then, shuddering, straighten yourself, rejecting out of hand such an obviously awful idea." Chapter 18 - Postcard The ccw-postcard is a book on the ccw-vault. The printed name is "postcard of Big Ben". Understand "postcard/of/big/ben" as the ccw-postcard. The description is "A faded postcard with a picture of Big Ben on it. You'd guess the picture dates from the first quarter of the century." The passage is "'18th of June, 1923[paragraph break]Dear Freddy,[paragraph break]You'll never guess where I am: Paris! Ha ha.[paragraph break]Today I broke into the mausoleum of a notorious baronet and pocketed an amulet interred, in 1627, next to his heart. Tomorrow I must liberate an unspeakably ancient mammoth-bone idol, purported to portray a coeval of Vaadignephod, from the prison in which it languishes (the British Museum).[paragraph break]Such excitements make up my life now. If only you were allowed to know about such things, I would tell you that I am now a member of the Variegated Court, and that I have been granted the position of Cesious Alderman in this [apostrophe]august order[apostrophe].[paragraph break]How I wish I could actually mail you this postcard, and that afterwards we could laugh together over such a stuffy phrase.[paragraph break]Much Love,[line break]Phyl'" [This is how the player finds that Phyllis was the Cesious Alderman.] Chapter 19 - Diary of Phyllis Cragne The ccw-diary is a book on the ccw-vault. The printed name is "diary". Understand "diary/of/phyllis/cragne" as the ccw-diary. The description is "A small brown book with embossed letters on the front, mostly worn away, spelling 'DIARY'. Inside it's filled with spidery letters in faded ink. According to the name inscribed inside the cover, this belonged to Phyllis Cragne. You think you remember your husband speaking of a 'Great Aunt Phyl,' a sprightly old lady who haunted his earliest memories and always wore tartan trousers." The passage is "[one of][ccw-diary-start].[or][ccw-diary-middle].[or][ccw-diary-end].[cycling]" [I'm breaking up the three sections of the diary to make the code more readable, just like the original authors of the Necronomicon did.] To say ccw-diary-start: say "You read a few passages from near the beginning of the diary:[paragraph break]'Danced with Freddy Morgan tonight. He's not the most graceful, but I'm hopeful he will improve. Tomorrow I leave for college.'[paragraph break]'How the professors scowl when they learn I'm a Cragne! I'm sure it would hurt my feelings, if they weren't all crusty old throwbacks with beards full of toast crumbs anyway.'[paragraph break]'Today in the sealed archives I found a most wonderful secret: evidence that the Court truly exists! One day I will join it -- I will make them let me -- and I will work harder than all the others who came before.'[paragraph break]You skim back and forth a bit, gathering that Phyllis Cragne was probably born around 1890, and that she started her archaeology studies at Ompompanoousuc College in 1918; she also seems to have become engaged to a local by the name of Frederick Morgan at around that same time" To say ccw-diary-middle: say "You read a few passages from the middle of the diary:[paragraph break]'It has finally happened! They extended an offer, and this morning, I accepted. I am looking forward to the fulfillment of my duties, particularly the travel necessitated by my new position. I wish I could persuade Freddy to come with me on at least one trip, but he's terrified of the ocean. I shall leave him to the calm waters of Vermont, with the promise to bring back a [apostrophe]priceless antique[apostrophe] from each city I visit.'[paragraph break]'Received word of Freddy's accident.'[paragraph break]'Finished Prague. Turin, too. Magdeburg will wait until spring.'[paragraph break]You skim back and forth, gathering that during the 1920s and 30s Phyllis Cragne was often away from home on extended work trips. It was while she was on one such trip to London that Frederick Morgan was killed in a canoeing accident. Afterwards, and on through the 1950s, she spent even more time abroad, working tirelessly for the Court" To say ccw-diary-end: say "You read a few passages from near the end of the diary:[paragraph break]'Bristletail greatly prefers the climate of Barcelona to that of Stockholm. I haven't informed her yet that next we must visit a ruined Norse colony in Greenland, where, it is rumored, the colonists briefly, and in desperation, worshipped Vaadignephod before all succumbing to the Black Death.'[paragraph break]'Bristletail shows an increasingly superb comprehension of Ancient Akkadian. Twice she has caught an error in my translations, saving me from not insignificant embarrassment.'[paragraph break]'Bristletail has grown stubborn in her old age, refusing to communicate with feral insects. She claims the act to be beneath her dignity. Still, I have never known a more capable archive assistant.'[paragraph break]You skim the text, reading of Phyllis Cragne's research. Throughout the 1960s she wrote frequently of Bristletail, her cunning familiar, which (who?) apparently took the form of an unusually large silverfish. It seems likely that Phyllis died in the early 70s, which correlates with Michael's early memories of Great Aunt Phyl" After examining the ccw-diary for the first time: now the printed name of the ccw-diary is "diary of Phyllis Cragne"; now the indefinite article of the ccw-diary is "the". After reading the ccw-diary for the first time: say "There's still a fair amount of the diary left; you could read more if you wanted to." After reading the ccw-diary for the second time: say "There's still a small amount of the diary left; you could read more if you wanted to." After reading the ccw-diary for the third time: say "You've read the whole diary; you could read it again if you wanted to remind yourself of something." [Reading the diary three times is how the player figures out that Phyllis's familiar was a giant silverfish.] Chapter 20 - Imaginary A thing can be ccw-imaginary. Before going somewhere from RRS6: if the player carries the ccw-sphere: say "The imaginary basalt sphere vanishes with a sound like a popping soap bubble."; now the ccw-sphere is on the ccw-vault; if the player carries the ccw-athame: say "The imaginary athame vanishes with a sound like a piece of spaghetti snapping in half."; now the ccw-athame is on the ccw-vault; Instead of touching something ccw-imaginary: say "[The noun] feels strange, if you can feel it at all." Instead of smelling something ccw-imaginary: say "[The noun] has no odor." Instead of tasting something ccw-imaginary: say "[The noun] has no taste." [The imaginary things can't be taken away from RRS6 -- if the player leaves they just snap back to the shelf inside the altar.] Chapter 21 - The Imaginary Stone Sphere The ccw-sphere is on the ccw-vault. It is ccw-imaginary. The printed name is "imaginary basalt sphere". Understand "imaginary/basalt/sphere" as the ccw-sphere. The description is "It's a black stone sphere about the size of a basketball, and it doesn't really exist. There is (well, technically, there is not) a narrow slot on one side like that of a piggy-bank." Instead of trying opening the ccw-sphere: say "You can't see how." The ccw-slot is part of the ccw-sphere. It is ccw-imaginary. The printed name is "imaginary slot". Understand "imaginary/slot" as the ccw-slot. The description is "The slot is pinched very narrow, like a tiny, unhappy mouth. If the sphere is a piggy-bank, you shudder to imagine what dreadful, corroded coin was intended to be inserted." Instead of trying inserting something held into the ccw-sphere: try inserting noun into the ccw-slot instead; Instead of trying inserting something held into the ccw-slot: say "The imaginary sphere rotates suddenly, spinning the slot away from [the noun]." Instead of trying inserting ccw-sphere into ccw-slot: say "That would seem to be impossible, even for something imaginary." Instead of trying inserting ccw-slot into ccw-slot: say "That would seem to be impossible, even for something imaginary." Instead of trying inserting ccw-tendril into ccw-slot: say "The tendril ignores your efforts." Instead of trying inserting ccw-coin into ccw-slot: remove ccw-coin from play; say "The coin vanishes into the sphere with a click. The imaginary basalt sphere fluctuates, briefly taking on the appearance of a grotesque black frog. The frog croaks, spitting an imaginary athame up from its gullet into the world, before becoming once again a featureless stone sphere."; now ccw-athame is in RRS6. Chapter 22 - The Imaginary Athame The ccw-athame is a thing. It is ccw-imaginary. The printed name is "imaginary athame". Understand "imaginary/athame/blade/knife" as the ccw-athame. The description is "A non-existent black-handled knife, with a blade of sparkling metal that would be sharp enough to cut razors, if it actually existed." [Hmm, such a simple object.] [That's it!]