The Quest for the Cure

YOU are inside the palace walls. The officer--or recruiter, YOU are not sure really what this person's job is--leads YOU and Borth out into the courtyard. Before YOU the palace rises gently into the sky. Its soft rounded shape is cut with many verandas that look out over the walls. From here YOU can just make out the faint shine of the golden roofs above. YOU can see now the palace is a complex of protruding bubbles of stone, including separate buildings, and walls lined with paths and gardens and little fountains that YOU imagine would tinkle pleasantly if YOU were to get close enough. The courtyard itself is separate from the rest of the palace with a large armored door that leads into the grand entrance YOU saw the carriage pass through before. Here is the home and training ground of the palace guard. Warriors of all sorts spar in sandy circles and leap through a labyrinthine obstacle course. To one side there is a sort of shower, a high spigot that pours over nude and mostly nude characters standing in a low stone trough. Opposite the shower is a two storied half cylinder with many circular windows that reminds YOU of a half of a particular desert caterpillar. "Well, let's see what you can do!" The officer slaps Borth on the back nearly knocking them over. He then pushes Borth into the muddy pit of one side of the obstacle course. Borth looks back at YOU. Both of YOU know they are not up for this. "Don't forget //me//!" YOU leap into the mud next to Borth. This is going to be difficult but YOU have a plan. The Plan: This officer only has eyes for Borth. He barely notices YOU at all. YOU, with grace and guile will aide--rather manipulate like a marionette--Borth through whatever trials, earning YOU both a position in the palace guard. From there YOU will find some way to use this particular situation to place yourself within pilfering distance of the garden and lifesaving flower. Time for a montage. YOU hear music, it's probably Kenny Loggins. Before your very eyes YOU see yourself heroically handling Borth through the obstacle course. Here YOU are pushing Borth through the mud, under razor wire Here YOU are, Borth on your shoulders as they mime swinging along the monkey bars Here YOU are pulling Borth up a knotted rope Here YOU are riding Borth down a spiral slide Here YOU are frantically scrambling around a balance board, pushing Borth back and forth Here YOU are throwing Borth's arm into a long hook that sends their first sparring opponent flying Here YOU are hitting that little pressure point in Borth's knee causing them to forward kick their next opponents groin Here YOU are lifting, levering, and finally flinging Borth over a wooden pyramid The music reaches its climax as Borth somersaults in the air landing on their feet in a perfect landing before the officer. They wobble for a moment and strike a pose. YOU roll down the pyramid, huffing and puffing, crawling to the finish. "Amazing," the officer shakes his head. "In all my days I've seen nothing like it." "So we're in," YOU wheeze. "What? Oh, didn't notice YOU all muddy. Well I guess YOU made it too. Alright hit the showers and report to your bunk. Tomorrow is your first day of guard duty." He slaps Borth on the shoulder. "Looks like I'm not the only one who was impressed." He knods at an approaching glittering figure and walks away. "Guy's real slap happy," Borth mutters as YOU both turn to the approaching figure. The Princess--it can be none other--glides over the sand and around the mud on a cloud of white and/or golden robes that somehow never get dirty. "Look not sick," YOU say out of the side of your mouth. "You are quite graceful," the princess says to Borth. She makes an expressionless passing glance over YOU then looks back to Borth. "Wonderfully fit," she reaches out to Borth. Borth begins to pull away with a snarl of disgust, but thinking quickly YOU simultaneously punch them in the gut and push their arm forward at the elbow. Just as planned, Borth ends up leaning into the princess' hand in the appearance of a dashing kiss. The princess gasps, slaps Borth hard across the face, and turns away with a huff. "So forward," she hisses, then storms off. "Why did YOU do that?" Borth says, trying to get their breath back. "Call out to her. Say 'I didn't catch your name!'" "She just slapped me." "Do it now!" "I-uh-I," Borth stammers then lets out a fart so loud the whole yard stops in its tracks, princess included. "I didn't catch your name," they finally get out. The princess only stares, then turns to leave again. [["Well. It might have worked."]] (set: $yourClass to it + ", Palace Guard")

YOU and Borth spend the night within the walls of the palace. After a long evening of carousing through Borth with the various other palace guards YOU are exhausted. It seems like YOU have made very little headway other than making Borth a lot of friends and continuing to make yourself more and more invisible. YOU don't really understand how Borth can make friends so easily, especially when they seem to be only capable of vomiting and farting. But then again YOU remember that YOU yourself fell in love with them and even in their current state feel no diminishment. And at this point Borth only says what YOU tell them to, so really everyone likes YOU with Borth's body. For some reason that doesn't make YOU feel much better. Finally it is lights out and YOU throw yourself into bed. Ready to pass out, when Borth leans over. "Shouldn't YOU be sneaking out of the barracks to search the palace," they whisper. "Why don't you do it," YOU snipe back. "Wut?" "I've been carrying you all day. I've been carrying you all over the land searching for a way to get this cure. I've been scheming and planning, trying to find ways to cure you! What have you been doing!?" Borth thinks for a moment. "Dying mostly." YOU stare at them trying to hold your anger but it melts away like the low fart Borth has been unsuccessfully trying to sneak out. "OK that's enough farting. It was funny maybe one time." YOU realize Borth is right. Now is a good time for some reconnaissance. Maybe YOU can just find a way into the garden and steal a flower and be done with the whole thing. As YOU are pulling on your boots there is a tap at the window behind your bunk. YOU open the offensively small window and catch a glimpse of a figure fleeing across the courtyard to the palace. Pinned to the window frame is [[a small note addressed to Borth]]

A quest! YOU must cure your beloved Borth. YOU must ''GO TO //TOWN//''. But first make sure to pack your things. The journey may be dangerous. On your sheet please select 5 things from the list below to bring with YOU on your quest: (set:$invSelect to (macro: str-type _itemName, [(output:)+(link-repeat:_itemName)[\ (if:$inventory contains _itemName)[(set:$inventory to it - (ds:_itemName))]\ (else-if:$inventory's length <5)[(set:$inventory to it + (ds:_itemName))]\ (else:)[]\ (replace:?inv)[(joined:" ",...$inventory)]\ ]])) =|= ($invSelect:"Hot water bottle") ($invSelect:"Cold water bottle") ($invSelect:"Warm blanket") ($invSelect:"Cold blanket") ($invSelect:"Hot soup") ($invSelect:"Cold soup") ($invSelect:"Hot dog") ($invSelect:"Cold shoulder") ($invSelect:"Hot armor") ($invSelect:"Hawt armor") ($invSelect:"Hothouse tomato") ($invSelect:"Weapons") ($invSelect:"Rope") ($invSelect:"Caltrops") ($invSelect:"Regular armor") ($invSelect:"Borth") ($invSelect:"A plan") ($invSelect:"A pan") ($invSelect:"A flan") =|= Inventory: []<inv| |==| After YOU have selected your five things [[Begin your journey]]

(font: 'Modern Antiqua')[ ''Choose Your Symptoms'': [[Gray Pallor, Fever, Gas]] Cough, Rhinorrhea, Weakness Phlegmatic, Caustic Belch, Temper [[Gas, Psychosis, Diarrhea->BORTH DIED!]] salmonella option]

YOU burn the eggs. The eggs are burnt. How hard is it to cook eggs!? Guess it's cereal for breakfast, but YOU are out of milk. Oh well, dry cereal it is. Your ''MORNING IS RUINED!'' [[Get on with the day]] (set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"MORNING RUINED"))

The initial climb up the first ridge is easy. Long ago elves travelled the lower portions of The Shelf. Their carved switchbacks and strange "tree bridges" are still maintained today. Once YOU reach the first plateau the forest feels wilder. YOU step carefully and rely on your excellent Ranger skills to navigate a complicated web of branches, roots, and critters. The next climb is the one YOU have been dreading. YOU look up at the sheer cliff before YOU. Nothing YOU couldn't handle yourself, but with the cart and Redfine? Borth looks up at YOU from the cart. They grin, nervously. YOU realize YOU may have come unprepared. (if: $inventory contains "Rope")[YOU did bring Rope! [[Rope makes climbing way easier!]]\ ]\ (else:)[Definitely unprepared. A little Rope would go a long way for a climb like this. (if: $modifiers contains "IN TRAINING")[\ [[in-training but no rope]]\ ]\ (else:)[\ [[How are YOU going to do this?]]\ ]\ ]

YOU test the waters. The current is strong and pushes YOU back to the cave. It might be possible if YOU had something to help YOU. [[Turn back->Cave]]

YOU follow the winding cave to a large cavern. At the center is a large pool of crystal clear water. Water drips from countless stalactites above. The echo of each drip repeats until it sounds as if YOU are in a rainstorm. There are five openings around the cavern [[Back the way YOU came->Cave]] [[A narrow pit against the cavern wall->sameroom1]] [[A large arching opening reminiscent of a door->sameroom1]] [[A hole high up near the ceiling->sameroom1]] [[A gradual slope downward covered in rubble->sameroom1]]

Altaura, The Golden Labyrinth of the Steppe, The Evershifting City, where no traveller crosses the same road twice, or however that goes. As it grows in your vision, Altaura tumbles out over its own useless walls, spreading tendrils of brick and cobblestone, crushing the long swaying grass of the high steppe into beaten dirt. And further still, up into the air, a great plume of dust rises, but fails to dim the bright color of the multifaceted city and the gleam of the golden roofed central palace. Your journey has been long and terrible, but it is only going to get longer and terribler from here. YOU pass through the gate and are almost crushed by the surge of travelers moving into and out of the city. YOU feel again that claustrophobia of "civilization." Too many people, walls, streets; all closing in. None of these buildings have enough windows. In horror YOU imagine their interiors dark in the day and bright in the night. But quickly the gate and its gatehouses and useless watchtowers and barracks give way to an open square filled with trees that climb straight up to a net-like ceiling of green diamonds. Technically it is a circle YOU know, but YOU are pretty sure these things are called squares none-the-less. The trees form a sort of barrier between those that have nowhere to go and those that need to be somewhere. Beneath YOU is still cobblestone, but YOU can breath a little in the space and shade. At the center of the square is a long ovular fountain. At its center is a statue of a boy and girl with their hands raised to a crystal ball suspended in air by the water spraying from their hands. Other travelers and indolents and vagabonds lounge around it as the bustle of the city pulses around the edge of the circle-square. YOU sit by the fountain. Borth slumps to the ground and leans against its ledge and your legs. As YOU catch your breath YOU decide to get your bearings. YOU look around the square to the many alleys and avenues leading deeper into the Labyrinth of Altaura. YOU see in each a path so different that it seems to YOU each is a whole new city in itself. //(Hello dear collaborator. This is where YOU would write the initiating description for your path. Something to catch the eye of YOU and lead YOU on an adventure to save your beloved Borth.)// [[//(Hello dear collaborator. This is where YOU would write a command to lead YOU into your path)//->Collab Info]] (//Here is mine:)// Just as YOU had finally gotten used to the cacophony of Altaura, a whole new clatter rises above the roar. All around YOU people stop what they are doing and turn to look. Down one of the wider avenues, coming toward the square, YOU see red triangle flags bobbing above the crowd. When they reach the square the crowd parts to reveal shining, clanging plate armor and swaying scabbards. Somewhere a bugle plays a triumphant melody. Sailing above the armored sea is a long wooden carriage, painted brightly in red and blue with shining gold accents. A diaphanous silk curtain is pulled back and YOU see--among luxuriant pillows--a beautiful woman smiling up at the square's canopy. She is draped in long purple finery with golden accents to match the carriage and on her head sways a diadem with crystal gems big enough for YOU to make out their shape some ninety feet distant. The carriage circles the square, passes a squalid alleyway, then turns up the wide street that climbs up to the golden roofed palace at the city's center. It is quickly swallowed by more armor and red triangles and the crowded bustle of Altaura returns. [[Follow the carriage (Sean's Path)]] (//Here is Mimi's:)// A cool breeze carries the smell of fish and wet earth from one particular narrow alley. [[Follow YOUR nose down the fishy alley (Mimi's Path)]] At the corner of the squalid alleyway, you see a small, dingy sign over an equally dingy shop that identifies it as an Apothecary. You wonder if they would have such an exotic herb as...whatever it was. [[It won't hurt to at least check out the Apothecary->Apothecary]] Other path's and sidequests What will YOU do now? How are YOU supposed to get the flower?

(if: visits > 1)[\ The apothecary is inspecting one of the shelves when YOU come in. "Ah," they say, "YOU have decided to go pick up my $flowerType from Quesseltoes, eh? Excellent, excellent. We will be waiting for you!" Borth sits down heavily in a chair behind the counter, and you head out to go get some flowers from ... whosie-whatsits... [[Start walking... ->go-to-Quesseltoes]] ](else:)[=\ Admit it, YOU thought that maybe, just maybe, the inside of this Apothecary was going to be at least a little bit magical. "The winsome shopkeeper slides across on an ornate ladder, eager to bestow their wisdom and knowledge upon you...." Sorry. It is as grimy on the inside as it was on the outside. It is also quite narrow. The store is essentially one long hallway with shelves going from top to bottom on either side. YOU hope that Borth doesn't knock over any of the thousands of near-identical, dusty bottles ranging along the place. They all seem to have unidentifiable leaves in them with labels that you are unable to read. It is all rather like being in a very large tea shop, but with the smell of your aunt's root cellar. At the far end of the hallway-pretending-it-is-a-store is a counter. Behind that is a small door, partially open. Some, or all, of the root cellar aroma must be coming from there. You clear your throat to attract attention and immediately a voice pipes up "Eh?! Who is it?" Two eyes peer over the counter and when they see YOU and Borth, continue "Oh //(a pause)// customers, eh? Well, whaddya want?" "We need" you begin to speak, "we need...." You realize that after all the adventures to get here, you have gotten a bit fuzzy on what it was that you needed! Was it... (cycling-link: bind $flowerType, "Something something peanuts", "Artimisia Limpininus", "Artimisia Limpenius", "Artemesia Limpenius") //(Click to change)// [[Yes, that must be it!->tell-apothecary]]

(font: 'Eagle Lake')[ (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")+(size: 2)+(text-style:"bold")+(text-style:"italic")[Artimisia Limpinius]\ A rare flower known to grow on rocky outcroppings on high mountain slopes. Its use as a cure for the equally rare Withering Winds`*` has caused it to be highly coveted by Apothecaries and get-rich-quick-imagining-gallipots. (text-size:0.5)[(`*`See [[THE ARCANE DIAGNOSTICIAN by Sir Weelinberingnottle IV the Patient Livener. Rejuvinator XVI..->BORTH DIED!]])] Unfortunatly, due to its fragile nature and difficult environmental requirements, it has resisted most attempts at cultivation. The most famous exception is the rumored--but generally accepted--private garden of the Merchant Prince of the great shifting city of Altaura, where the flower is said to grow voraciously. This can also be deduced by the well known study of the Merchant Princess' singular case of Chronic Withering Winds. ] [[To Altaura YOU go!]]

(text-colour:#A71D31)[''BORTH DIED!'' ]\ (set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Borthless"))\ (set: $inventory to it - (ds: "Borth"))\ [[Try Again->The quest for the cure.]]

Did YOU bring Borth? (if: $inventory contains "Borth")[If so [[Continue beginning your journey]] ]\ (else:)[No? [[Whoops!->BORTH DIED!]] ]

From your //vantage point//, YOU see the princess' legs and feet cross the veranda to meet with Borth's rough boots. "You came," the princess says. "Uhm. Uh-huh." Borth is off to a great start. The princess seems to be waiting for something more and after and awkward pause. "Let's sit down. I've prepared something." Their feet travel back to the table and YOU get a full view of both their lower bodies as they sit down right in front of YOU. "This, uh..." Borth starts, then stops. YOU crawl over to their chair and whisper: "Looks delicious" "...looks delicious?" "What," the princess sounds confused. "Oh. Are you hungry? You must be, after so much physical exertion. Well I have some little things for us to munch on, though I'm sure you'd prefer something with a bit more meat." OK well YOU guessed wrong about what was happening, but things are going well. A pause lingers "Ask her," YOU whisper to Borth, "ask her about her hobbies." "What do you do?" Borth asks. YOU pinch them. "Say: How does such a beautiful maiden like you pass the days." "How does a beautiful--" "Oh," the princess sighs. "I spend a lot of time managing things. You know, princess. I like to garden and sometimes I watch the boys at their workouts." "I like to workout." "So, I've seen" "and garden." YOU hiss to Borth. "Garden." Borth says. "Excuse me," the princess blusters. "Garden?" Borth repeats. "How dare--" YOU quickly pull the chair out from under Borth and simultaneously push them toward the princess. YOU are not sure what happens exaclty, there is a kerfuffle and a stunned silence. YOU think YOU hear someone moan and then the princess begins laughing. "Well, what should I have expected. So forward from the beginning. Come. We may be truly alone [[in the garden."]]

(set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Cartless"))\ (set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Ponyless"))\ (set: $inventory to it - (ds: "Borth"))\ (set: $invArray to (a: ...$inventory))\ (if: $invArray is an empty)[(set: $randomItem to 0)\ (set: $inventory to (ds: "Borth"))\ ](else:)[ (set: $randomIndex to (random: 1, $invArray's length))\ (set: $randomItem to $invArray's ($randomIndex))\ (set: $inventory to (ds: "Borth",$randomItem))\ ] The river washes YOU down and around and so fast it is all YOU can do to keep hold of Borth. YOU wake sore and waterlogged. It is very dark but slowly your eyes adjust. YOU can thank your 1/16th elven blood for allowing YOU a very slight darkvision. YOU can just make out Borth, incapacitated but breathing. (if:$randomItem is 0)[](else:)[YOU also discover that 1 item from your inventory has also made the journey with YOU: $randomItem] Everything else, the cart, Redfine, all lost. YOU have a moment of silence for the cart and your stuff, then begin to inspect your surroundings. YOU are in an underwater cave. There are two directions YOU can go: [[1. YOU see a dark pool of rushing water. That must be where YOU came from.]] [[2. The cave continues in the opposite direction of the water.]]

Before YOU begin your amazing adventure, make sure YOU have the following: This book 1d20 //(This has been provided for YOU by the wonders of software)// 1d6d6’s //(This has been provided for YOU by the wonders of software)// Scratch paper on which ''YOU'' will take the many notes and do the complex calculations this game will ask of ''YOU'' A Positive Attitude //(This has been provided for YOU by the wonders of software)// ''ABSOLUTE SILENCE'' ''ABSOLUTELY NO ANXIETY WHATSOEVER''. If YOU are at all anxious YOU will ruin this delightful book, (text-style: "bold", "rumble")[''PERMANENTLY!''] If all of these things are present: [[YOU may Continue]]

Hi, thank YOU for checking out my project. If YOU are interested, I would love some help. I think it would be really cool for a bunch of people to contribute to this project. Each could write or draw or code or whatever their own section. And since Altaura is the evershifting city the paths don't have to be internally consistent. I think it would be awesome if your path had an absolutely YOU (text-style: "expand")[vibe.] Then readers could try to guess who contributed what. [[Would YOU like to know more?]] [[Take me back to the game.->Altaura]]

"Borth, what is the name of this town?” YOU ask. Borth starts crying. Alright it’s fine. YOU don’t need to know the name of this town anyway, YOU just need to take Borth to a doctor. “No!” Borth screams. “Anything but that! Doctors are killers. Murderers! I’d rather die than go to a doctor!” Haha, just kidding, doctor’s aren't real. Just stories mommies and daddies tell their children to scare them. "Too many cookies and in comes the doctor to kill YOU with his needles and lies." [[Well, guess you're on your own... ->town]]

YOU gather your things, and Borth, and throw them all into a cart. Borth groans, farts, sniffles. YOU take one last look at your cottage and the glade. The sun reflects on the many windows. The last wisps of smoke from the kitchen fire float above the chimney. Birds snack on hothouse tomatos in your garden patch. YOU attach the cart to your pony Redfine, mount, and begin your quest. YOU are questing. YOU are really doing it! [[Into The Wild Shelf Forest]]

The bridge sways high over the rushing water. A heavy mist coats everything in a wet sheen. "That bridge looks dangerous," Borth says. But YOU carry on. There is no way but forward to find the cure and accomplish your quest. That is the way quests work. YOU don't turn back. (if:$modifiers contains "Cartless")[\ YOU cross the bridge with ease [["See Borth. Nothing to fear. We're adventurers"->Altaura]]\ ]\ (else:)[The bridge creaks and groans with the weight of YOU, Borth, Redfine, the cart, and all your things. That's a lot of things for a smol little bridge to hold. The bridge shudders, snaps, and dissapears. [[YOU plummet down to the river below->Cave]]\ ]

//(Imagine an exciting montage where you use $cable and $somethingHeavy to fashion a grappling hook. Amazing. Wow, no, really, I'm so impressed....)// [[Get on with it->grapple-boat]]

There it is: sprouting right out of the rock face. THE ARCANE HORSTICIAN did say "A rare flower known to grow on rocky outcroppings on high mountain slopes." YOU carefully pluck the flower and climb back down to Borth and the cart. YOU pour the water from your water bottle into your pan with the flower and boil it into a tea. YOU hand the steaming cup to Borth. [[YOU win]]

''UNDER CONSTRUCTION'' [[Return to the square->Altaura]]

Up the gentle slope of Altaura's widest thoroughfare the city gets stonier and glitters ever brighter to the final blinding wonder of the palace. "Not much of a labyrinth if it's a straight shot to the center," Borth says. The palace rises, round and pompous, into the sky. Its golden domes peak above a set of walls and fortifications also rounded, so that at most angles below, the whole complex appears as one continuous half-sphere. To one side, among the rising domes, YOU see a hint of green in the gold, the top of a tree dotted with white birds. That must be the palace garden, where the flower is grown. The gates--almost jovially round--swing open. The carriage enters and the armored guards split, some going in with the carriage, the rest turning to a squat building built into the palace wall like a wart. YOU wisely decide not to make a run for the closing gates and follow the rest of the guards to the wart. As YOU come perpendicular to it, YOU watch the last suit of armor enter without closing the heavy gate behind. YOU see into the dark interior like a tunnel, straight through to the other side of the wall and another opened doorway into a courtyard. [[YOU could just walk right through.]]

The morning passes and YOU have already spent much of the day doing whatever Rangers do--probably gardening or looking for lizards or trying to replace more walls with glass--but Borth still hasn't come out of the bedroom. Normally, by now, Borth would have exercised two times, helped with dishes, and begun their tasks around the cottage. YOU call but get no response. Looking in on them in the bedroom, YOU see Borth is still in bed. YOU notice a grayness in their skin. Borth whimpers. Snot pours from their nose, all over the bed, and onto the floor. Borth shivers, coughs, burps. [[''Borth is sick!'']]

(font: 'Modern Antiqua')[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")+(size: 2)+(text-style:"bold")[Withering Winds]\ --- (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Symptoms''] =|= Initial: Gray Pallor Fever Gas =|= Continued: Grayer Pallor Feverer Gassier =|= Final: (text-colour:#A71D31)[Painful Death] Sorrow |==| --- (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Cause'' Unknown`*` (text-size:0.5)[`*`See Sir Weelnottlinbering II the Young. Rejuvinator IX.'s [[Exegesis on the Lost Causes of Withering Winds.->BORTH DIED!]]\ ] ] --- (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Treatment'' A tea made with //Artimisia Limpinius//--an extremely rare mountain flower--is the only known treatment for Withering Winds.] ] [[OK well lets look for a book about the flower]]

(font: 'Eagle Lake')[ DESCRIBE OR NAME PLANT [[Something something peanuts->BORTH DIED!]] Artimisia Limpininus Artimisia Limpenius [[Artimisia Limpinius]] ]

(set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Cartless"))\ (set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Ponyless"))\ Without a Rope YOU don't see how you could possibly make the climb with the cart so YOU are forced to leave it behind. And Redfine? YOU strap all your items to yourself in whatever way YOU can, using waistband, belt, pockets, and undergarments. It is extremely uncomfortable. Borth reaches over your shoulders and hangs off your back as YOU begin the climb Hold by hold YOU inch up the cliff. Your palms sweat. Your feet cramp. YOU cling to the smallest of cracks as Borth screams in terror. (link-reveal: "Roll your d20 to climb! ")[(set: _rollClimb to (random:1,20)) rolled a ''_rollClimb'' (if:_rollClimb <= 10) [{[[Suddenly the rock breaks away!]]}](else-if:_rollClimb <=20) [{[[YOU made it!]]}] ]

The glade and your happy cottage are soon lost in the trees. The sun dissapears above the canopy, and now only exists as infrequent rays of light. To some the forest is a scary, horrible place, but it is your home. Where others see only chaos, YOU recognize the order of nature and work to be a part of it, rather than separate yourself. YOU follow the little paths cut by the smaller creatures of the forest, manuevering Redfine and your cart around roots and brambles. In good time YOU reach a dirt path that will take YOU to //town//. [[Go to town ->town]]

//(This is a demo version and does not represent the final quality.)// The book YOU now hold in your hands is a book of magic. Through its pages YOU will be taken on a grand adventure. //(Those looking at a computer/phone/whatever may use their gigantic brains to imagine they are reading a book. From now on whatever it is YOU are reading this with will be referred to as a book.)// YOU, Yes YOU, the loser reading these words, will go on a perilous quest to save the person most important to YOU. A quest filled with danger, adventure, intrigue, magic, romance, fun, and many other things not possible to YOU outside of these pages. This is a game book in which YOU make the decisions and YOU face the consequences. Be warned: if YOU die in the book, (text-colour:#A71D31)[''YOU DIE FOR REAL!'' ] If YOU agree to these terms: [[Click here!]] (set: $showCharSheet to false)

YOU cook the eggs over easy, just how YOU like them. Why would YOU cook them any other way? That was a ''GOOD BREAKFAST'' and in no way a ''SALMONELLA'' risk. [[Get on with the day]] (set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"GOOD BREAKFAST","SALMONELLA"))

YOU accidentally break the yokes, then YOU leave them in too long. Well, they'll just have to be scrambled eggs. YOU try not to let it ruin your peaceful morning. [[Get on with the day]]

Breakfast Variables: IN-TRAINING (used in mountain pass) GOOD-BREAKFAST SALMONELLA MORNING-RUINED Money system: Un-moneyed Lightly Moneyed Moneyed Moneyeder Made of money (found in cave) Other Variables: cartless = no cart (used in mountain pass and bridge) exhausted (used in cave) ponyless = no pony (used in both no rope List of Inventory Items Hot water bottle (used in cave, flower easter egg) Cold water bottle (used in flower easter egg) Warm blanket (used in cave) Cold blanket Hot soup (used in cave) Cold soup Hot dog (used in cave) Cold shoulder Hot armor Hawt armor Hothouse tomato Weapons Rope (used in mountain up and over) Caltrops Regular armor Borth A plan A pan (used in flower easter egg) A flan

YOU don't cook the eggs. Instead, YOU decide it's finally time to get serious about your fitness. YOU eat those eggs raw and then go for a run! YOU are ''IN TRAINING '' [[Get on with the day]] (set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"IN TRAINING"))

YOU made it out of the cave. Dang YOU are a really good ranger. [[Altaura]]

YOU cook the eggs over medium. Not your favorite form of eggs, but still good. YOU have a ''GOOD BREAKFAST.'' [[Get on with the day]] (set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"GOOD BREAKFAST"))

Among the various glittering and gibbering rust encrusted codecies you find a weighty volume titled --YOU guessed it--[[THE ARCANE HORSTICIAN]]

There is no way Borth would be able to handle a dinner with the princess alone. Certainly they would not be able to masterly manipulate their way into the cure. And that is how YOU ended up crouched under the long oval dining table on the private veranda. Borth's only job is to make it to the veranda themselves, a tall order honestly. YOU made your way here easily. The princess, true to her note, had cleared out any possible impediment between the guards courtyard and the private veranda, so YOU didn't really need to sneak so much as waltz through at an exact time after she had cleared the way but before she occupied the veranda. Now here YOU sit on the stone floor staring at the princesses' bejeweled toes. It's not weird. YOU are not being weird about it. YOU better not get caught though. YOU hear a loud crash. The princess' feet jump. It is not weird that YOU are experiencing things this way. This is just where YOU have to hide. [[Borth enters.]]

WHy did you think you could do that you are immediately swept away down the river banging your head and losing bort and his cart [[Cave]]

(if:($modifiers contains "IN TRAINING") and ($inventory contains "A pan") and ($inventory contains "Cold water bottle" or $inventory contains "Hot water bottle"))[\ YOU climb the cliff alone with the rope. Borth half-climbs-half-is-pulled-up-by-YOU-with-the-rope after. Then YOU slide back down and fashion a sort of harness around Redfine. Then YOU climb back up, and together YOU and Borth drag the pony up. Then YOU climb back down and secure the rope to the cart. Then YOU climb back up and secure the other end of the rope to Redfine, who then pulls up the cart with the rest of your stuff. YOU did it! And YOU feel invigorated! Starting your training now was a great idea. Imagine the gains from all that climbing. YOU will be SWOLE in no time. YOU practically skip through the forested shelf and start your climb up the last long curving ridge. YOU feel a new sense of clarity wash over YOU and there, right next to your handhold YOU see it: [[''Artimisia Limpinius''->Flower]] ](else:)[\ YOU climb the cliff alone with the rope. Borth half-climbs-half-is-pulled-up-by-YOU-with-the-rope after. Then YOU slide back down and fashion a sort of harness around Redfine. Then YOU climb back up, and together YOU and Borth just barely manage to drag the pony up. Then YOU climb back down and secure the rope to the cart. Then YOU climb back up and secure the other end of the rope to Redfine, who then pulls up the cart with the rest of your stuff. YOU did it. That was exhausting! [[To the top->Top exhausted]]\ ]

(set: $modifiers to (ds:"MORNING RUINED"))\ (set: $inventory to (ds:"Borth","Warm blanket", "Cold blanket", "A flan", "Hawt armor"))\ (set: $wealth to "Un-moneyed")\ (set: $yourName to "YOU")\ (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-style:"bold","double-underline")[Your Story So Far...]] YOU are a Ranger, a 1/16ths elven human, a person who has spent most of your life in the wilderness learning from nature. YOU have considerable skill in tracking and an immense knowledge of fauna and flora, especially of the woodland, which was your major in RangerU. YOU live in a lovely cottage, in a beautiful glade, deep within The Wild Shelf Forest, with your beloved companion, Borth. Sadly, YOU woke up this morning to discover Borth was sick with the dreaded Whithering Winds disease! After researching the local library, YOU discovered THE ONLY KNOWN CURE to the Withering Winds is a rare flower, *Artimisia Limpinius*, known to grow on rocky outcroppings on high mountain slopes. The city of Altaura is the only known city to have cultivated this rare flower. And so, *first,* YOU... burned your eggs, doubtless due to your worry and NOT through any fault of your own, which RUINED YOUR MORNING. And *then,* YOU... (link:"carefully selected the exact items to travel with, ensuring success in your travels.")[ Sure you did...\ (replace:?haphazard)[](t8n:"dissolve")(show:?section-2)]<careful| (link: "grabbed whatever was closest and ran out the door.")[Like always... (replace:?careful)[](t8n:"dissolve")(show:?section-2)]<haphazard| |section-2)[\ Well, in any case, YOU and Borth went on to have many adventures but finally, [[YOU have arrived at the city of Altura!->Altaura]] ]

(set:$inventory to (ds: "Borth"))\ Your feet dangle in free space. YOU hold on by only one hand to the very weakest of twigs. Borth screams even louder, which is very unhelpful. YOU are not strong enough to pull yourself up with one hand. If only YOU had started that training regimen YOU keep promising YOU will get to. It's the only way. One by one YOU cut loose all YOU are carrying. "Please! Please no!" Borth begs. Well of course YOU wouldn't cut them loose. With an empty inventory YOU are able to carry Borth the rest of the way. YOU just manage to reach the next plateau, but there is no more climb left in YOU. YOU will have to find another way through The Shelf The forest here is dangerous, but YOU know there is a pass somewhere, and to a Ranger knowing is the same as knowing where. YOU hear a loud hiss. YOU follow the sound to a hidden crevice just barely wide enough for YOU and Borth to squeeze through. The crevice opens to a waterfall. Before YOU sways a rope bridge. Below YOU see a deep canyon with a twisting river. [[Cross the bridge]]

(font: 'Modern Antiqua')[\ (char-style: via (t8n-delay:pos*20)+(t8n:'dissolve'))+(align:"=><=")+(box:"=XXX=")[(size: 2)+(text-style:"bold")[THE ARCANE DIAGNOSTICIAN](size: 0.75)[ by Sir Weelinberingnottle IV the Patient Livener. Rejuvinator XVI. enchanted by Scrivener Deaf the Idiot Year 1977 Copyright: 2]] The book YOU now hold in your hands is a book of magic. Through its pages YOU will be taken on a grand adventure of diagnosis. (Those scrying from ArcaneU may use their gigantic brains to imagine they are reading a book.) YOU, yes YOU, the loser reading these words, will become a Diagnostician, a powerful Rejuvinator with many abilities related to diagnosis. YOU will make friends; have adventures, and fun, and the knowledge to diagnose various ills; and many other things not possible to YOU outside of these pages. This is a medical codex in which YOU make the decisions and YOU face the consequences. Be warned: if YOU make an incorrect diagnosis, (text-colour:#A71D31)[''YOU DIE FOR REAL!''] and Sir Weelinberingnottle IV the Patient Livener. Rejuvinator XVI. is not responsible, YOU are. If YOU agree to these terms: [[''DIAGNOSE'']] ]

(font: 'Eagle Lake')[\ (char-style: via (t8n-delay:pos*20)+(t8n:'dissolve'))+(align:"=><=")+(box:"=XXX=")[(size: 2)+(text-style:"bold")[THE ARCANE HORSTICIAN](size: 0.75)[ by Professor Wrinklenose Phd enchanted by Scrivener Deaf the Idiot Year 2331 Copyright: 1]] The book you now hold in your hands is a book of magic. Through its pages YOU will be taken on a grand adventure of horticulture. (Those scrying from GrassU may use their gigantic brains to imagine they are reading a book.) YOU, yes YOU, the loser reading these words, will become a Hortician with many abilities related to Horting. YOU will make friends; have adventures, and fun, and the knowledge to Hort; and many other things not possible to YOU outside of these pages. This is a codex in which YOU make the decisions and YOU face the consequences. Be warned: if YOU die in the book, (text-colour:#A71D31)[''YOU DIE FOR REAL!''] If YOU agree to these terms: [[HORT]] ]

(set: $modifiers to (ds:"MORNING RUINED"))\ (set: $inventory to (ds:"Borth","Warm blanket", "Cold blanket", "A flan", "Hot dog"))\ (set: $wealth to "Un-moneyed")\ (set: $yourName to "testing") [[How are YOU going to do this?]] [[Cave]] [[sameroom2]] [[1. Up and over the top.]] [[Cross the bridge]] [[To Altaura YOU go!]] [[The Bridge->the-bridge]]

The most useful location in The Library, and the largest, not for the amount of books, but for the moat and drawbridge that surround it to protect--again--from crusaders and fire. Among the various glittering and gibbering rust encrusted codices you find a weighty volume titled [[THE ARCANE DIAGNOSTICIAN]].

If YOU ever go to town it is usually to The Library. The choice of location for your cottage was at least partially informed by being close--but not too close--to a location with a decent library. It is the most comfortable place in //town// for YOU, and not a bad place to look for information. YOU pass through the outer portcullis. Normally YOU might spend some time reading the various flyers posted around the barbican, but not today. YOU pass through the inner portcullis into The Library proper. As a regular of The Library, YOU are already learned in the ancient language of Duviuos Decimus so YOU have no need for the help of a Librarian in finding relevant tomes. [[The Enchanted Tomes section seems like a good place to start.]]

(display: "startup")\ ''YOU'' are: (set: $showCharSheet to true) Write the name of your character here: (input: bind $yourName, "X=", "YOU")\ (Make sure it is a cool fantasy name and not your dumbass real name.) Next choose your gender, sexual preference, and genital measurements. Just kidding, that will absolutely not come up in this game at all, feel free to imagine as many or as few genitals, sexual preferences, and genders as YOU would like while YOU are reading this sentence. Now, do not imagine any of those things ever again. YOU are a Ranger, a 1/16ths elven human, a person who has spent most of your life in the wilderness learning from nature. YOU have considerable skill in tracking and an immense knowledge of fauna and flora, especially of the woodland, which was your major in RangerU. YOU live in a lovely cottage, in a beautiful glade, deep within The Wild Shelf Forest. When not escorting hapless city folk, studying distant rare species, or working with local druids and elf colonies, this is where YOU spend your days. This is one of those days, about to be spent. As the sun rises over the canopy, a shaft of golden light falls through the window into your bedroom, illuminating YOU and your beloved Borth. The light warms YOU awake. Borth stirs but does not open their eyes. YOU rise carefully, curling sideways so not to disturb the covers and Borth, slide into your slippers, take one last look at Borth's toned body, and make your way to the kitchen. Your kitchen--which YOU sometimes call the sunroom--is a large glass semicircle with many colored tiles set in the counters and floors. On a morning like this it positively glows with light, that is both blinding and warmly beautiful. All around, YOU have specifically designed your cottage for these types of effects, so your mornings are always lovely, as long as nothing bungles up the breakfast. Borth could take it or leave it so long as they have space and freedom for exercise and their hobbies, which have been relegated to a separate building on the other side of the glade. If YOU are happy, they are happy, and if they are happy that is good too. YOU start to work on breakfast. (set: _rollEggs to 0)(link-reveal: "Roll your d20 to determine how well done your eggs are: No cheating if ''YOU'' cheat, ''YOU'' die. ''YOU DIE FOR REAL!'' ") [(set: _rollEggs to (random:1,20)) rolled a ''_rollEggs'' (if:_rollEggs <= 1) [{[[No. Today is the Day!]]}] (else-if:_rollEggs <=10)[{[[Just right.]]}] (else-if:_rollEggs <=12) [{[[Not like you haven't done this every day of your life.]]}] (else-if:_rollEggs <=17) [{[[Maybe it is a little too bright in here...]]}] (else-if:_rollEggs <=20) [{[[...eggs...]]}] ]

The Wild Shelf Forest rises up into the sky in a series of jagged steps to a snow capped ridge called The Shelf. Though it dominates the western half of the Wild Shelf Forest and is the source of its name, The Shelf is relatively unexplored. In the course of your work as a Ranger YOU have escorted merchants and travelers through The Shelf a few times. There are two routes YOU know of: [[1. Up and over the top.]] The direct route is actually safer because there is less chance of getting lost in the tangled unexplored high forests, however it does require at least one difficult climb that YOU are not sure Borth will be able to manage. But once overcome, The Ridge gently rolls down to the grassy steppes where Altaura can be reached with nary a missed step. [[2. Atop the first "shelf" there is a pass->Forest pass]]. While this avoids climbing, the forest on the shelf is extremely difficult to navigate and little explored, not to mention full of sudden drops and hidden pits.

Wow! That was a lot of books! That was horrible. I hope I never have to read another book in my entire life! Altaura is the largest and strangest city within your current geographic and political region. It is so well known, even YOU know of it. YOU might have even been there once, probably. But YOU have certainly guided many travelers through the eponymous Wild Shelf Ridge that dominates the forest YOU call your home. It is not a long journey and there are a few ways about it, but they all have their own perils. YOU know of only three ways to Altaura from town. [[Through the Wild Shelf]] Through the lowlands Another way

(set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Exhausted"))\ YOU pull yourself over the final edge and fall onto your face. YOU lay there a moment catching your breath. OK, maybe more than a moment. OK, maybe a long while. YOU are exhausted! YOU made it to the top of The Shelf. Behind YOU The Wild Shelf Forest clings to the staggered plateaus and sprawls out in all directions, nearly all the way to the Rift Ocean shore. North it runs into the Frosty Mountains and to the south the lowlands where its crisscrossing rivers empty. In front of YOU is the long, slow descent to the eastern steppes and--even from here--YOU can see the small glittering dot of Altaura. [[Altaura]]

YOU decide to take a longer break and use up the last thing YOU have. The one thing YOU packed way back at the beginning that has made it this far, through troubles thick and thin. The $randomItem warms YOU and for the moment YOU and Borth feel an easy contentment. For the first time since YOU found them sick YOU remember the reasons why Borth is your beloved YOU remember their muscles. YOU remember-- "Hey what's that?" Borth says. YOU look over and see a strange angular shape sticking from the cave wall. YOU begin to scratch at it. It's made of wood. Borth comes over to help. Together YOU manage to scrape and dig out a large wooden chest. The long destroyed lock falls away with ease and YOU open the chest carefully. Inside is a mountain of gold and silver coins with a strange set of runes etched into each. "Looks dwarven," Borth says. YOU are rich! YOU are Made of Money! (set: $wealth to "Made of Money")\ Now YOU feel VERY rested. Escaping the cave doesn't seem like a big deal anymore. [[YOU find a way out with ease->Altaura]]

I really don't want to constrain YOU to any style or content. Below are some suggestions, or preferences of mine, but if YOU have a idea YOU like, go for it. 1. Mainly, I would like YOU to do a path from the Altaura square to the point where YOU get the flower. (Having a bunch of these will allow me to focus on fleshing out the beginning half of the game with alternate routes and fun sidequests) 2. I would prefer your path had an End. It can be a bad End, or something totally out there, but I'd prefer not to send YOU back to the start at this point in the game. (I think I will write a collective epilogue or something that your end can link to if YOU just want to AQUIRE FLOWER) 3. Your path probably has to be self-contained. Crossing paths might get a little complex, unless of course YOU want to team up with someone or do more than one path... 4. Don't stress about formatting, coding, die rolls, whatever. These are absolutely not necessary, but also, Mimi and I are here to help YOU with anything YOU want to do! [[Now, take me back to the game.->Altaura]]

Inside the wart is dark compared to the brilliance outside. At first it seems only a hallway through to the other side of the wall. But your 1/16th darkvision allows YOU to adjust to the flickering torchlight quickly and YOU see a honeycomb of alcoves where half armored guards are moving in out of other darker doorways. YOU attempt to remain cool and walk straight through to the other side of the wall, as if that is where YOU belong. "No tryouts today." A bald pointy eared figure maneuvers between YOU and the door. The eclipse of the light from the far doorway leaves them only in silhouette, with torch light rippling along a black leather vest. Your mind starts racing. Is there something YOU can say to this person that will get YOU through the other side? And what if there is? YOU were kinda just flying on instinct. YOU weren't really sure what YOU were going to do once YOU got to the other side of the walls anyway. Rather than an attempt at half-assed skullduggery YOU play for ignorance. "Tryouts for what?" "If YOU aren't here to join the palace guard, why are YOU here?" The silhouette takes color and form as it steps forward. A short man with dark red skin stands almost to your shoulders. He is looking around YOU to the left open gate YOU just strolled through. "If I join the palace guard..." YOU are beginning to formulate a plan. "I'd belong inside. There's probably a guard for the garden. It wouldn't be the fastest way to get the flower but could be the surest. Wait! Was that in quotes? Where's the end quote? Are YOU saying this out loud right now? "I'm gonna tell YOU right now, YOU don't have the physique for a palace guard. YOU are scrawny." YOU look down at the top of his head incredulously, but he doesn't notice. He is still craning his neck around YOU, looking at something behind YOU. "Wanna put that to the test?" YOU begin, but he is already walking past YOU. "But this one!" he shouts, walking over to Borth who just leaned in the door way. Borth wheezes. "Look at the //muscularity//!" He slaps Borth's bulbous bicep. Borth looks past the little man at YOU. YOU flail your arms at them. This is your way of communicating to Borth to "go with it." "hwauak," Borth says. "Uh. Uhmf. I want to be a palace guard." "Good. Good." the man is already leading Borth past YOU through to the inside of the wall." "Uhm. Uh--" Borth says. "We are a package deal," YOU say, catching up to them. "Inseparable. Can't have one without t'other" The man frowns, turns back to Borth. "Yup," Borth says. "Thats uhhhh fact." "Hmm." He scratches his chin and considers for an honestly offensive amount of time. "Alright." Smooth. "Now what?" Borth says. [["Tryouts."]] The man leads YOU through the open doorway into a courtyard.

Incredible YOU make it to the next plateau, but there is no more climb left in YOU. YOU will have to find another way through The Shelf The forest here is dangerous, but YOU know there is a pass somewhere, and to a Ranger knowing is the same as knowing where. YOU hear a loud hiss. YOU follow the sound to a hidden crevice just barely wide enough for YOU and Borth to squeeze through. The crevice opens to a waterfall. Before YOU sways a rope bridge. Below YOU see a deep canyon with a twisting river. [[Cross the bridge]]

(char-style: via (t8n-delay:pos*60)+(t8n:'dissolve'))[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[ (font: 'Bokor')+(size:3)[ [[The quest for the cure.]]\ ] by Sean & Mimi & Others? & ''YOU'']\ ]

CONGRATS [[Back to the start.->Intro]]

Dinner Tomorrow night. Meet on the veranda. Your way will be clear [[Princess Hypachonia]]

No answer. YOU knew, YOU just knew it wasn't going to be easy. (link:"Walk around back?")[=\ At least there is a nice clear path for it. YOU head around to the spacious back yard and see, standing next to some really lovely tomatoes, a very short, very stout person. They have on an industrial strength red apron and are wearing what could be welding mittens. They have no hair on their head, with the exception of long tufts of hair that stick out of each ear, giving them the appearance of wearing ear muffs. (link:"Introduce yourself")[=\ "Excuse me...sir?" YOU begin. Tannen-something jerks around and glares at YOU. "Pardon me," YOU quickly continue, "I'm sorry to interupt your gardening. And, if I may say, that is a fine looking garden! I garden myself, so.... Well, excuse me, you see, I'm a ... messenger from the Apothecary in town?" "Yes?" says Tandermans, "I did not order anything from the Apothecary." "No," YOU say, "oh, no, no, I realize that. I've been sent to **fetch** //anterior lindemans// from Quesselnose..." "Quesseltoes lives, if YOU can call it that, in the house next door" says Tandymans, pointing at the house YOU were just at. "Yes," YOU say, "I realize that, but, you see, and I'm sure this sounds odd, but Quesseltoads won't give me the medicine I was sent to take back to the Apothecary unless you give me the medicine for them. So if I could just pick that up..." "**HA!**" booms Tannenbore, "I'm sure they would like that! Well, aside from the fact that they aren't getting **anything** from me until they pay me for last time, I haven't time to help YOU out. I have a very serious problem that requires my undivided attention." So saying they turn back to the garden and glare at it as if it also owes them money. (link: "Looks like YOU will need to help someone else out again")[=\ "Excuse me," YOU say, "but I really need to get this medicine-to get the other medicine that is. It is for a friend you see who is very sick. Is there something that I could do to help you with your problem?" The short red fire hydrant shakes their head. "No," they say. "I am afraid not, not unless YOU are an expert in dealing with **//TARMITE//** infestations." [[At long last!->lovable-lizards]]

After that grueling episode, YOU are half expecting some more //light-hearted// adventures but fortunately for YOU, it really is a straightforward walk. YOU are $yourDescription but YOU trudge on. Sure enough, about a mile from the washed out bridge, on the right, is a worn out sign proclaiming "...uesselto...". The termites in this place must play havoc with all the wood as the right and left parts of the sign are missing, collapsed in a pile of rotting dust. Good enough. YOU walk up the weed-infested path to a house that is in as good a shape as the sign. YOU hope for the best as [[YOU knock on the door->outside-queseltoes]].

(set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Exhausted"))\ YOU made it out of the cave. But it took forever. Dang YOU are exhausted. [[Altaura]]

YOU are relieved to see that the path leading outside of the city of Altaura is straight and flanked on both sides by the pleasant countryside. ''Yes'', this is what you were looking forward to. YOU can see a row of trees not ''too'' far ahead where no doubt the bridge must be and then, just a mile beyond, Quiffletoads place! (link:"YOU briskly trot down the path...")[=\ It is funny how much longer these paths are than they initially appear. ''No matter!'' The trees are fast approaching, just a few minutes more now. (link:"YOU briskly trot up the hill...")[=\ Of course, it is just like this place to have hills all around. ''No matter!'' YOU have been needing to get into training and this is the way! (link:"You crest the hill!")[=\ Finally! And there is the bridge down below! THIS IS IT! YOU are almost at your destination. [[YOU reach the bridge!->the-bridge]]

(text-size:0.85)[\ (if: $showCharSheet is false)[](else:)[\ --- (align:"=><=")+(box:"X",1)+(text-colour: #145B0B) + (text-style:'bold') + (font:'Courier New')[$yourName]]\ ========| (if: $showCharSheet is false)[](else:)[\ (font:'Bokor')[Class:](font:'Courier New')[ $yourClass] (font:'Bokor')[Race:](font:'Courier New')[ 1/16th Elf] (if: $modifiers is an empty)[](else:)[ (font:'Bokor')[Modifiers:] (font: 'Courier New')[(joined:" ",...$modifiers)]]\ ]\ ==|===== (if: $showCharSheet is false)[](else:)[\ (font:'Bokor')[Wealth:](font:'Courier New')[ $wealth]\ ]\ (if: $inventory is an empty or $inventory is 0)[](else:)[\ (font:'Bokor')[Inventory:] (font: 'Courier New')[(joined:" ",...$inventory)] ]\ |==| ]

(set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Ponyless"))(set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Cartless"))Yes! YOU feel great about this part of the adventure. After all, YOU are a Ranger, and taking a little walk out of town to a nearby house will be a walk in the park! (link:"Walk in the park...")[=\ Technically, it is a walk in the city, which admittedly isn't so great, but no matter! Soon enough YOU will be out of the city and walking in the forest - which is even better! (link:"Continue walking...")[=\ YOU also didn't quite realize that YOU were on the very southern part of Altaura and the streets really are quite crowded, but soon YOU will be at the edge of the city and then YOU will be back in the forest, where you belong! (link:"Continue walking...")[=\ YOU know, walking in a city is really quite a bit more tiring than walking in the lovely countryside. Makes YOU appreciate where YOU and Borth live. (link:"Continue walking...")[=\ The Altaurans also seemed to have decided on the most hilly land available to build their city on. YOU have been trudging up this hill for what must be a mile already. (link:"Continue walking...")[=\ As YOU crest the top, YOU can now see that YOU have gone not quite half-way across the city of Altaura. Maybe YOU need to pick up the pace a bit. (link:"Start running...")[=\ YOU start running down the other side of the hill. Fortunately, YOU have long legs so this should be no problem for YOU. (link:"Keep running...")[=\ Thoughts of your beloved Borth give you the energy to propel you down the last quarter mile. At last, YOU have reached the city gate! [[Exit the City->exit-city]]

Okay. YOU have fashioned a...grappling hook of sorts. Sure. And now YOU must 'grapple' with getting the boat that is on the other side of what appears to be quite a deep, fast running stream. No problem I'm sure! Please, tell me, what is your next step? I'm really looking forward to hearing what YOU are going to do! (link:"Get real close to the edge of the water, then toss the heavy end into the boat, holding tightly to the other end")[=\ Absolutely. Absolutely. I cannot wait. YOU step right up to the edge of the water, whirl the "heavy" end around like a trained discus thrower and let fly! **WHOOSH!** Off into the heavens it goes. A perfect toss! A thing of beauty! The "cable" part of the grappling hook snaps tight, pulling you and your new boots a bit into the water. The "heavy" end falls **SPLASH** into the water. YOU //just// missed it! So close. Now what? (link:"Drag it back, step a bit more into the water, try again")[=\ Sure, sure champ. Never say never, right? YOU drag it back, the water kicks it around more than a little. I'm sure bouncing your "grappling hook" around in the water and against the rocks will do no damage what-so-ever to your posessions. YOU step further into the water, no problem, the water is now pouring into those pretty new boots of yours, I'm sure that won't be an issue. YOU spin the "heavy" end once again, like the trained Ranger YOU are and let fly, undaunted by any common sense. **WHOOSH.** Off into the heavens it goes once again. Another perfect toss. OH, once again, it comes to the end of the "cable" part, drags you a little further into the drink, no problem, you've got a good hold. **SPLASH** once again into the water. **SO CLOSE!** Man, it missed it by, what, an inch or seven? Oh shucks, now what? (link: "Drag it back, step a little more into the river, try again")[=\ Man, YOU are no quitter, eh? No matter how clear that this isn't going to work? Are YOU sure YOU don't want to try the other path? No? No problem, I've got nowhere else to be. I've got all day to watch YOU do this. YOU step further into the water, the water is pushing **very** hard against YOU now and bouncing YOU around a bit as you drag back that //expertly constructed// grappling hook. It is all weighing at least twice as much and YOU are now quite tired. YOU crush as much water out of the "cable" as YOU can. YOU spin the "heavy" end (though it is all quite heavy now) like the very tired, worn out Ranger YOU are. Off into the skies it goes, a bit wobbly, it doesn't quite pull you out so much this time, which is good as YOU are not that great a swimmer. The heavy end hits the very middle of the boat! Great job, it bounces into the sky but manages to stick the landing! It is however, right on the edge of the boat. What now? (link: "Whip the cable up into the air, carefully, to try and get the heavy end more secure")[=\ Sure, sure. At this point, who knows? YOU carefully whip your end up into the air. Nothing really happens. YOU do it a couple of times with no real impact. YOU do it one more time with a lot more vim and two things happen at once! The "heavy" end falls over into the boat, so probably not going to just fall out, but your action has caused YOU to lose your balance and YOU fall over into the river! (link: "Splash!")[=\ YOU are carried out into the deep end. YOU hold onto the other end of the "cable" for as much as Borth's life is worth and YOU drag yourself toward the boat, dragging the "cable" end-over-end. It takes YOU a very, very long time as the water floods into your face and your lungs. YOU are also dragged over several, differently sized, sharp rocks. But, YOU keep going. Finally, YOU feel your hand clasp over the edge of the boat! YOU have made it! YOU drag yourself over the edge of the boat and lie there, gasping for breath! I cannot believe YOU DID IT! [[YOU made it to the other side!->other-side-of the river]]

(enchant: "YOU", (text-colour: #145B0B) + (text-style:'bold') + (font:'Courier New')) (enchant: "YOUR", (text-colour: #145B0B) + (text-style:'bold') + (font:'Courier New')) (enchant: "Borth", (text-colour: #2F8723) + (text-style:'bold') + (font:'Courier New'))

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-style:"bold","double-underline")[A brief aside on the importance of a good breakfast]] YOU have always maintained that a good breakfast is really the best indicator of how the day will be. A person who has a good breakfast is just that much more ahead of the person who just grabs a granola bar, or makes do with an apple or (and you hate to think of it) just skips breakfast entirely. Take this situation now. \ (if:($modifiers contains "IN TRAINING"))[\ {On any other day, YOU would have had a good breakfast. And how much better things would be than they are now. With a good breakfast in a person, the world is a brighter place, happy outcomes are just around the corner. With not so much as a cracker in one, all YOU can concentrate on is the gnawing sensation that has been building up since about twenty minutes after leaving your beautiful home. And //NO LUNCH!// Not even a snack. How are YOU expected to be in peak performance with these conditions? Oh well, best be getting on with it.} ](else-if:($modifiers contains "MORNING RUINED"))[\ {How hard //**is it**// to cook eggs. That you do every day? And on this //**very important**// day? And then no milk? That is no way to start the day. Some would say it is a very bad omen of more bad things to come. Oh well, best be getting on with it.} ](else-if:($modifiers contains "GOOD BREAKFAST"))[\ (if:($modifiers contains "SALMONELLA"))[\ {Today's eggs were perfect, just the way you like them. Borth is always warning you about salmonella. It is true that YOU have noticed that YOU have had a bit of the 'rumbly tumbly' this whole trip but surely that is nothing to be concerned about? Just nerves from all that is happening. Well, best be getting on with it.} ](else:)[\ {Today's eggs for example, while a little more done that YOU prefer, were quite good and have sat well in your stomach. YOU are ready for anything!} ]](else:)[\ {Today's breakfast was fine. Not great, nothing to complain about. Just ordinary. Probably best not to think too much about it.} ] [[Your foot makes contact with the log.->on-the-log]]

Hidden behind an obviously expensive impressionist urn, YOU watch Borth watch the princess wave off the guard at the garden's entrance. Certainly YOU would have found your way to that position eventually, but this way is faster. Who knows how long Borth has to live. YOU can't waste a single second on sidetracked sidequests. Fastest way to the flower, that is the way YOU've been working this whole time. The princess returns to Borth and caresses them into the garden. Can YOU trust Borth not to go too far with the Princess? Obviously. Can YOU trust Borth to return with the flower that will save their life? Better make sure. YOU follow into the garden. With only the light of the half-moon and a few bright stars YOU find it easy to hide from the well distracted princess. YOU move softly, almost feeling at home in the garden, though it is all too perfectly manicured to be comfortable. A single large tree dominates the circled enclosure, whose gnarled roots snake in and out of the earth. There Borth and the princess fumble as YOU search the tended concentric rings of various herbs and flowers. Your ranger skills allow YOU to move silently to the far side of the tree so only the sounds of sleeping birds, scuttling insects, and swishing cloth echo against the wall. There it is! YOU pluck the flower and place it delicately into a herbological container YOU definitely had from the beginning for exactly this purpose. Then YOU pluck a few more. Better safe than sorry. Didn't that book say these fetch a high price? [[YOU win]]

(set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Cartless"))\ (set: $modifiers to $modifiers + (ds:"Ponyless"))\ Without a Rope YOU don't see how you could possibly make the climb with the cart so YOU are forced to leave it behind. And Redfine? YOU strap all your items to yourself in whatever way YOU can, using waistband, belt, pockets, and undergarments. It is extremely uncomfortable. Borth reaches over your shoulders and hangs off your back as YOU begin the climb But all this only invigorates YOU. This is all part of the training that YOU started this morning. Was it this morning? How much time has passed since YOU started training? Well, YOU feel like YOU CAN DO THIS! [[to the top]]

YOU push in through the door, a sharp, acrid aroma attacks your nostrils. Empty bottles and dirty dishes litter the floor. The moaning is coming from a very, very tall, very, very skinny person lying on a sofa. Their legs stick out past the sofa arms and into the air by more than a foot. They have long, stringy gray hair. The overall impression is of an old mop, dressed as a person and put on a sofa as a prank. "Uh, Hello?" YOU say to the mop-I mean, person, "Are you okay?" "No," sighs the person on the couch, "I am dying. Dying. Dying. Who are you anyway, to intrude upon my death?" (link:"Tell them YOU are from the Apothecary")[=\ "I am so sorry to hear you are not well. I have been sent by the Apothecary in Altaura to fetch...//artimus limpyness// YOU mumble. Perhaps the Apothecary will have something that that would aid you!" (Brought back by someone else, you think!) "Ha!" susurrates the mop, "That snake-oil salesman? They will never give me what I need, always going on about fat-soluble vitamins, dietary fiber, bah!" "Well," YOU say, "I'm real sorry to hear that. I don't know them personally, I just need to get this //arthritis limpnoodle// for a friend. So if you could just hand that over, I'll leave you alone." "Bah!," murmurs the dipsomaniac, "No, I'm sorry for your...friend..." (as they open one eye to peer at YOU), "but I'm not willing to help out that fraud for anyone. No, no. Leave me to die in peace." they say, closing the one eye. (link:"YOU rack your brain for how to persuade this dried up string bean to help YOU out")[=\ "I'm sorry to hear you and the Apothecary are having a disagreement, but it is vital I get this stuff for my friend. Isn't there anything I could do for you?" Quesseltoes opens the same single eye and peers at YOU meditatively. "Hmm," they whisper, "Maybe, maybe.... Yes! Yes I believe YOU can. You see–if YOU can believe it–there happens to be a neighbor just down the road who has **exactly** what I need. But we had one of those silly misunderstandings and now I'm cut off - I mean, they aren't seeing reason. But YOU will be a fresh face, (they clearly are ignoring that YOU are $yourDescription) and perhaps they will listen to YOU!" "Yes, that is it, just step down the road to Tannenbores. Persuade them to give YOU...ah...medicine for Quesseltoes, nip back here and off YOU go with your $flowerType - a nice big bag of it!" [[Great, another quest->off-to-Tannenbores]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-style:"bold","double-underline")[Lovable Lizards, volume two]] (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-style:"bold","underline")[Tarmites]] Among the most misunderstood of our lizarding pals is the **Tarmite**. Whether it is their vibrant, bright blue and red bodies, their mesmerizing frilled neck, or perhaps it is their amazing land speed that can surprise the unwary–it is tough to say! But most likely it is the reputation of being **//very//** dangerous, which is just so unfair! Yes, it //does// have a very painful bite, and //yes// it can cause paralysis for up to 24 hours, but so many of our nature pals have similar defense mechanisms! Now, others //may// point out that the //Tarmite// shares our tastes in food and a single //Tarmite// can consume up to 40% of an acre of tomato plants, but we must think of the beneficial symbiosis we and the adorable //Tarmites// can have. While a //Tarmite// **does** love a good tomato – who doesn't! – it's favorite food is the common mite. And so if you have the good fortune of having a Tarmite in your garden, think of all those mites that you aren't having to deal with! Truly, they are a chicken rancher's best friend! The only thing a //Tarmite// likes better than a mite is //flan//–and who grows //flan// in their garden! [[Continue->the-trouble-with-tarmites]]

Sorry? //"Fashion a grappling hook?"// With what, pray tell? (if: $inventory contains "Rope")[\ (link:"With my rope!")[\ Fine, yes, rope is good, that would probably reach. But tell me, is it some Elven rope perchance? Is it able to magically fasten itself to the boat? No? Then what are you using for the "grappling hook" part? Your head? (link:("YOU will use " + $somethingHeavy))[\ Oh yes, and have you thought about...No, no, let's go with it. You will fashion a grappling hook with some rope and $somethingHeavy, great. (set: $cable to "rope") [[Fashion Grappling Hook!]] ]]](else:)[\ (set: $cable to ($printList: $longThings))\ (link:("With " + $cable))[\ Oh really? You will just, what? Tie them all together? Hope they are long enough? Fine. Fine! Then what? You have a sub-standard, probably too short "cable" that then does what? Falls into the water? What are you using for the "grappling hook" part? Your head? (link:("YOU will use " + $somethingHeavy))[\ Oh yes, and have you thought about...No, no, let's go with it. You will fashion a grappling hook with (joined: ", ", ...$longThings) and ... $somethingHeavy, great. [[Fashion Grappling Hook!]] ]]]

"Uh, before I take you up on your kind offer, there aren't any //rivers// between here and Tangerhoes are there?" YOU ask. "Rivers?" lisps the bean-pole, "I should say not! The only river here is the great north river. Oh, and I had been told the bridge was down? However did you manage to cross it?" "Oh," YOU wave airily, "You know, we Rangers have our ways." (link: "You head out for Tannyboots")[=\ Mentally, YOU try to brace yourself for whatever fresh hell this next quest is going to be and thus are pleasantly surprised that Quessesnore was on the level, Tannenbaum's house is the next house over! YOU walk out of the open door, avoid the abandoned garden implements on the path to the road, limp over to the next house with a neat, trim sign that announces "Tannenbore" in a teutonic script, up the just-swept path across the tidy, well-tended lawn to Quessel's next door neighbor. [[Knock on the door->at-tannenbores]]

Gingerly, YOU place your weight down on the log and prepare to take your next step. YOU realize that YOU need to go at some speed to stay balanced. YOU focus very hard on making each step land precisely, solidly, on the best part of the log. Step, shift weight carefully but quickly, lift the other leg with some care, repeat. YOU are doing it! I guess it is all those years of Ranger training that is paying off! YOU are more than half way across! YOU have been trying not to notice but YOU see beneath your feet that the other side of the river is more rocks than water, which perhaps explains the booming sound. (link:"**FOCUS!**")[=\ YOU take your next step, placing your right foot carefully down on the log. YOU shift your weight carefully, lifting your left foot. The moss under your right foot slides to the left.... (link:"Uh oh...")[=\ In an attempt to regain your balance, your left foot comes down a bit too hard and too much to the right. YOU feel your left foot go off the right side of the log as your right foot goes off the left side of the log. YOU perform an unintentional pirouette, your torso spinning YOU around and down. (link: "BANG")[=\ Your hands come into contact with the wet, grimy log just barely in time to prevent YOU from blacking out but it is still quite painful. YOU are also now sitting backward on the log, facing back the way YOU came. YOU also hear a CREAK-CRAK-CRACK noise that is quite disturbing. It proves an admirable pain deterent as YOU now try to lie face down and push yourself backwards over the log to safety. The log, in case YOU were wondering, is not particularly smooth, though it is slippery. Your shirt, hands and face are becoming quite begrimed with the years of rotting moss. YOU start to feel a slight downward movement in the log and your legs come into contact with the opposite cliff wall. (link: "Fling!")[=\ YOU fling yourself backward without looking and fortunately YOU fall sideways off the log and onto your back on the ground. The log ceases to make its CREAK-CRAK-CRACK noises and YOU lie still, happy to be alive. (link: "Let's take a moment")[=\ Wow, that was intense. YOU continue to breath deeply and gently massage the many parts of yourself that need it. YOU can tell YOU probably have a bust lip from throwing yourself face forward onto the log, but no matter, YOU are across. YOU take another minute or three, then bring yourself further away from the cliff edge and slowly make your way to your feet. YOU are on a very narrow path, but YOU can see it will lead back down to where the bridge should have been and the main road. (link:"YOU MADE IT!")[=\ Another few deep breaths, then YOU trudge back to the main path. After all, YOU still need to get to Quesselhoes. (set:$yourDescription to "filthy, begrimed, with a busted lip") [[Continue going to Quessel-whats-their-name->continue-to-quesseltoes]]

(set:$yourDescription to "wearing sodden rags, ruined, muddy, boots with a black eye and gashes on every visible square inch")\ Wow, I still cannot believe it. YOU made it. After YOU are able to breath a bit more normally, you look around to see that the boat is still on the other side of the river. It was tied up to a very stout tree but YOU missed seeing the rope. Just as well YOU didn't notice, eh? YOU disassemble your grappling hook as best YOU can and try and dry out your boots but they will never be the same. Neither will YOU! Then, YOU trudge back to the main path. After all, YOU still need to get to Quesselhoes. [[Continue going to Quessel-whats-their-name->continue-to-quesseltoes]]

The door is not quite shut and YOU barely have started knocking when YOU hear a moan from inside. YOU call out but get no response other than hearing more moaning. [[Go inside, carefully->inside-queseltoes]] (link:"Go around to the back")[=\ YOU go around to the back, navigating through the cast-away tools and carts of junk. Nobody seems to be around. You continue to hear quiet moaning coming through the open back door. [[Go in the back door, carefully->inside-queseltoes]]

YOU feel your stomach clench up a little. It has been quite a bit since you started on what was supposed to be a simple errand. YOU are $yourDescription, a changed Ranger. But what of your beloved Borth? YOU rush down the hallway and see Borth slumped in a chair in the corner, behind the counter, their body unmoving in the dark twilight of the shop. The apothecary sits in another chair to their left, their head down on a small table in front of them. Is it too late? (link: "The Apothecary stirs...")[=\ The Apothecary stirs as you reach the counter, sees YOU and says "Well! I wasn't sure if you were coming back! I see YOU must have had quite an adventure! But YOU have the $flowerType! Excellent. Let me weigh out enough doses for whoever you know with the affliction and YOU can be on your way, home in time for an early supper!" "It...the flowers, they are for Borth!" you tell the Apothecary, pointing to the still body. "Is, is it too late?" (link: "Too late...?")[=\ "Too late?" asks the Apothecary, quizzically? "Too late for them to take $flowerType? What use would $flowerType be for them?" "Borth came down with, with 'Whispering Wands'... or something? And, and..." you start to stutter. "Bah!" says the Apothecary, waving their hands. "$flowerType is the ONLY KNOWN CURE for //Hypertrichosis lanuginosa congenita//, also known as //Werewolf Syndrome// as it causes an abnormal amount of hair all over the victim's body. As you can see, Borth does NOT suffer from that." "No doubt you were wanting //Artimisia Limpinius// (Note the four 'i's , one 'n' and no 'e's), yes, quite the beginner's mistake, which is the ONLY KNOWN CURE for what the lay person refers to as the //Withering Winds//–YOU aren't really very good with names are you?" (link: "YOU feel faint")[=\ YOU feel like you might be sick, or keel over. This whole time, all this, all this for nothing? And Borth? What of Borth? How will you find the cure for Borth before it is really TOO LATE? The Apothecary meanwhile has been continuing. "Fortunately for Borth, Altauran tea is made from //Artimisia Limpinius//–it is quite common here, did you know? And I make a fine tea, if I say so myself. Yes," they continue as you dive behind the counter, "your friend is quite fine now, and a lovely companion. He and I just had a bit of a nap while we were waiting for you." (link: "Borth")[=\ As you go down on your knees beside Borth's chair, you take their hand, you see the gray pallor has indeed gone! Borth stirs in their chair, yawns and opens their eyes. "Hey, you made it back!" they say. Looking you up and down, they smile at you and ask "And how was your walk? Did you have a good day?" YOU smile back at Borth. And YOU say... [[Yes, it has been a good day.->YOU win]]

YOU follow the winding cave to a large cavern. At the center YOU see a small stone pedestal with something lying on it. At first it looks like a broken stalgmite, but as YOU inspect it, YOU recognize that it is a statue broken and worn with age. It appears to be an elf, a true elf, pointing. Unfortunately there is no way to tell what way it was pointing before it toppled over. Around the cavern you see many exits [[Back the way YOU came->Cave]] Two Identical passages right next to eachother: [[Right->sameroom2]] [[Left->sameroom2]] [[A hole in the floor, somehow darker than the rest->sameroom2]] [[A triangular opening->sameroom2]] [[A large arching opening that slopes upward->sameroom2]] [[Above, in the ceiling YOU see an opening YOU might be able to climb to->sameroom2]] [[A normal, totally unremarkable opening->sameroom2]] [[A opening that smells musty->sameroom2]]

"Holy moly are YOU kidding me," Borth says. "I'm as lost as a Dwarf in a bird's nest. I need a break. YOU decide to take a break. Wow so refreshing. YOU should take breaks more often. Except Borth is dying. This isn't a vacation; it's a quest. OK back to the maze. "Ooooohmmm," Borth groans. Just kidding Borth. (set: _rollTracking to 0)(link-reveal: "Roll your d20 to use your excellent ranger abilities to find a way out of the cave:") [(set: _rollTracking to (random:1,20)) rolled a ''_rollTracking'' (if:_rollTracking <= 10) [\ [[Finally a way out->exhausted]]\ ] (else-if: (_rollTracking is 20) and ($inventory contains "Hot water bottle" or $inventory contains "Warm blanket" or $inventory contains"Hot soup" or $inventory contains "Hot dog"))[\ "No I'm cold," Borth says " and dead tired. I need a longer break." [[Well at least we have something warm]]\ ] (else:)[\ [[There it is, a way out->Not exhausted]] ]\ ]

(set: $yourName to "YOU!")\ (set: $modifiers to (ds:))\ (set: $wealth to "Un-moneyed")\ (set: $inventory to (ds:))\ (set: $yourClass to "Ranger")\ (set: $printList to (macro: array-type _input, [ (if:_input's length is 0)[ (out-data:"//nothing//") ](else-if:_input's length is 1)[ (out-data:_input's 1st) ](else:)[ (out-data:(joined: ", ", ...(_input's 1stto2ndlast)) + ' and ' + (_input's last)) ] ]))

(if: $flowerType is "Something something peanuts")[\ The Apothecary swells up to his full 3 feet, 2 and 1/4 inches and gives YOU a glare reminiscent of your old teacher at RangerU, *Willard the Weasel.* "Young man," he intones, "***this*** is an Apothecary, not a grocery store! You may find one of those down the road and to the left!" Uh oh, YOU knew that wasn't right! YOU had best [[try again!->which-flower]] ](else:)[=\ "Ah," says the shopkeeper (who will never have a birthday in double digits again), "$flowerType eh? Well YOU are in luck..." they say as they turn to the shelves. "Or rather, YOU are out of luck, as I do not see any $flowerType here! Hmm! Oh yes! I remember now! Quesseltoes was supposed to bring in some yesterday! So lazy! So unreliable!" As they notice your distressed face, they continue "But not to worry, not to worry! YOU can go fetch it for me! Yes, yes. It is a pleasant little stroll from here, just out of town, over the bridge to the north, take the first pass on the left. A quick mile jaunt and Quesseltoes place is on the right - they have a sign and everything!" YOU look a bit doubtful... "Tell you what! YOU go fetch this for me, and you won't owe me a penny! And your friend can stay here and keep me company - they don't look in the best shape. I'll even make some tea!" Well, which shall it be? (if:$modifiers contains "Ponyless")[\ [[Go fetch the flowers from Quesselnose (or whatever their name is)->go-to-Quesseltoes]]\ ]\ (else:)[\ (link:"Take Redfine to fetch the flowers from Quesselnose (or whatever their name is)")[Borth shrieks "You are going to leave me all alone!?" "No, no, Borth!" you say, "It is a short walk, I'll leave Redfine here with you. I'll see you soon, with your cure!" [[I guess YOU are walking...->go-to-Quesseltoes]]\ ]] or [[Return to the Town Square and try a different path?->Altaura]]

\ (set: _extInv to (a:...$inventory, "YOUR clothes"))\ (set: _indefMap to (dm: "Hot water bottle", "a hot water bottle", "Cold water bottle", "a cold water bottle", "Warm blanket", "a warm blanket", "Cold blanket", "a cold blanket", "Hot soup", "some hot soup", "Cold soup", "some cold soup", "Hot dog", "a hot dog", "Cold shoulder", "a cold shoulder", "Hot armor", "some hot armor", "Hawt armor", "some hawt armor", "Hothouse tomato", "a hothouse tomato", "Weapons", "some weapons", "Rope", "a rope", "Caltrops", "some caltrops", "Regular armor", "some regular armor", "Borth", "Borth", "A plan", "a plan", "A pan", "a pan", "A flan", "a flan", "YOUR clothes", "YOUR clothes", ) )\ (set: $indefInv to (altered: _inv via _inv of _indefMap, ..._extInv))\ \ (set: _heavyItems to (a: "a pan", "some hawt armor", "some hot armor", "some regular armor", "some weapons", "some caltrops", "a rock"))\ (set: _heavies to (find: _item where _heavyItems contains _item, ...$indefInv))\ (set: _heavies to (a: ...it, "a rock"))\ (set: $somethingHeavy to 1st of _heavies)\ \ (set:_longItems to (a: "a rope", "a warm blanket", "a cold blanket", "YOUR clothes"))\ (set:$longThings to (find: _item where _longItems contains _item, ...$indefInv))\ \ (set:_foods to (a: "a flan", "a hothouse tomato", "a hot dog", "some cold soup", "some hot soup"))\ (set:$foodThings to (find: _item where _foods contains _item, ...$indefInv))\ \ (set:_containers to (a: "a pan", "some hawt armor", "some hot armor", "some regular armor"))\ (set:$containerThings to (find: _item where _containers contains _item, ...$indefInv))\ Considering the grandeur of the city of Altaura, the bridge leaves a lot to be desired. YOU had envisioned a beautiful archway of stone, a testament to the craftsmen's art. Wide enough to accomodate the cart, if YOU still had it. But aside from the issue that this bridge, when it was first...constructed... would have been such a narrow, rickety, fear-inducing thing YOU would never have gotten Redfine over, let alone the cart––aside from that, the main critique YOU have of this bridge, //qua// bridge, is that it has stopped being a bridge and now consists of two dry-rotted ropes with some termite-infested boards that droop despondently into the turbulent water, far, far below. And any hope YOU may have had that this was some other, older vestige of a different, possibly abandoned bridge, and that the **real** North Bridge is down either the left or right paths you saw getting here is quelled by the equally termite-infested sign in front whose faded letters clearly spell out **NORTH BRIDGE.** Well, YOU can... Try the [[Left Path->the-river-and-the-boat]] //or// Try the [[Right Path->the-slippery-log]] Which will it be?

Tannalore is very happy to see the Tarmite, //(temporarily)// laid out cold in the grass. YOU assure them the Tarmite will never trouble their garden again and they happly hand over what seems like a small brick wrapped up in a lot of paper. Whatever. YOU head back to Qusalots, who seemingly is miraculously healed by just seeing the brick. They shove a big bag of what seems like the same dried up brown petals you have come to associate with medicine in this place and then shove you out the door. Good riddance! Happily, the journey back is much more straightforward and carefree. There is a boat on //this// side of the river that allows you and your new friend, the Tarmite, who you think you will call 'Tar', to navigate the river with relative ease. The walk back is equally straightforward and before you know it, you are in front of the Apothecary. [[YOU go in, with your new friend and the bag of petals->return-to-the-apothecary]]

(if: visits is 1)[\ The left path snakes downward to the river and opens up onto a sandy beach. YOU would be happy on any other day to come here with Borth and have a picnic but now YOU are frenzied with worry and are desparately looking for a way to cross the river. The water is moving far too fast for YOU to swim across. Besides, YOU would get YOUR brand new boots wet. ](else:)[\ YOU walk back down to the beach, time is RUNNING OUT and YOU need a way across. ] |actions>[\ (if:$searchedBeach is not true)[\ So, what will YOU do? (link:"Search this beach thoroughly...")[\ (set:$searchedBeach to true)(t8n:"dissolve")(rerun:?actions)\ ] //or// ]\ (if: $searchedBeach is true and $constructRaft is not true)[\ YOUR //keen ranger senses// detect that there are five things on the beach: * Sand * Rocks * Sandy Rocks * Rocky Sand * Waterlogged, rotting bits from the former bridge Doesn't seem much use... I guess YOU can... (link:"Construct a raft from the bits")[\ (set:$constructRaft to true)(t8n:"dissolve")(rerun:?actions)\ ] //or// ]\ (if:$constructRaft is true)[\ YOUR //keen ranger senses// tell YOU that there is //maybe// enough rotting bits of wood from the former bridge to construct a raft to carry a lizard, and a small lizard at that. (if:$searchedOtherSide is not true)[ I suppose there is nothing for it but to... ]\ ]\ (if:$searchedOtherSide is not true)[\ (link:"Look for help on the other side")[\ (set:$searchedOtherSide to true)(t8n:"dissolve")(rerun:?actions)\ ] ]\ (if: $searchedOtherSide is true and $constructGrappling is not true)[ (if: $scannedSide is not true)[YOU scan the water's edge, looking for some means to get across. As YOU turn YOUR eyes to the opposite side of the bank ]YOU see a small boat, pulled up into a small bay across from you. If only it had been on **this** side of the river! I suppose YOU could...(set: $scannedSide to true) [[Fashion a grappling hook to drag the boat across to YOU->make-grappling-hook]] ]\ //or// [[Try that right path->the-slippery-log]] ]

(if: visits is 1)[\ The right path climbs up through the trees and underbrush, the way becoming more narrow at each step. It finally stops at a small overhang. YOU are now quite a bit higher than the bridge. The river is quite, quite far below. There is an equally small overhang across on the other side, a dozen feet away. Someone has placed a log, covered in mildew and moss. A bridge of sorts. Well, a bridge if YOU weighed as much as a cat, had the balance of a cat, and the nine-lives of a cat. YOU have never been a cat person however. YOU prefer lizards. A lizard would probably be too smart to try and cross this thing. The booming of the water below regularly assaults your ears.](else:)[\ You climb back up through the trees and underbrush. The only way across is the mildewed, probably rotting log.] What will you do? (link: "Try to cross over on the log")[\ You take a deep breath, you try **VERY HARD** to not look down, but you need to look at the log. You then [[take a step->importance-of-breakfast]]. ] //or// [[Try that left path!->the-river-and-the-boat]]

YOU ''love'' Tarmites. YOU love pretty much all lizards (YOU did have that tussle with the Perentie, but all was forgiven at the end!) When you were a 'wee one', your favorite plushie was a Tarmite. YOU used to nuzzle it's lil' frilled neck until it started to disintegrate. Ah, //happy memories!// SO! **FINALLY** YOU are prepared. YOU quickly convince your red-hued new friend of your bona fides and **send them off** to bring forth Quissel-something-or-other's //medicine// (YOU are begining to suspect something //odd// is going on there, but... ''no matter!'')\ (set: _captureMethod to "catch it in your bare hands") (link: "**TRAPPING THE TARMITE**")[=\ //(Feel free to play that 'Mission Impossible' theme or some other theme song that indicates the protagonist is trying to figure out what to do)//(set: _bait to "") First off, the bait... (if: $foodThings is not an empty)[\ (set: _bait to 1st of $foodThings)\ It really pains you to part with _bait. So delicious! But **Borth's life is on the line!**\ ](else:)[(set: _bait to "a really nice tomato")\ Hmm. YOU knew YOU should have brought some food. Oh well. NO PROBLEM. Farmer Tannenbloom has some AMAZING tomatoes and surely they will be happy to part with ONE. ] Now YOU have to come up with something to **CAPTURE** the Tarmite in. Which shall it be? (if: $containerThings is not an empty)[\ (set: _container to 1st of $containerThings)\ (set: _captureMethod to ("trap it in " + _container)) Aha, you have it, you will construct a trap using _container. ](else:)[\ Hmm, YOU didn't manage to bring any container, not so much as a simple pan? Well, NO PROBLEM. YOU will employ the ancient technique taught to you by one of the masters of Ranger Lore, //Willard the Weasel.// The //Weasel// was a past master at the art of being one with nature, undetectable, unmoving, unnoticed. For two, or even three minutes.\ ] OK! YOU have all that you need, YOU have set out _bait, all that remains is to... (link: "WAIT")[=\ YOU wait for what feels like a very long time, maybe four minutes. YOU have never been that patient. Fortunately, the **Tarmite** is hungry and recklessly races over to eat _bait and is caught! YOU stroke it behind the left frill, as taught to you in //Lovable Lizards, Volume 3// and it goes into a (food) coma. Quick, now is the time for... [[YOU to get the medicine from the guy in the apron->the-montage-back]]

YOU pull yourself over the final edge and fall onto your face. YOU lay there a moment catching your breath. OK, maybe more than a moment. YOU made it to the top of The Shelf. Behind YOU The Wild Shelf Forest clings to the staggered plateaus and sprawls out in all directions, nearly all the way to the Rift Ocean shore. North it runs into the Frosty Mountains and to the south the lowlands where its crisscrossing rivers empty. In front of YOU is the long, slow descent to the eastern steppes and--even from here--YOU can see the small glittering dot of Altaura. [[Altaura]]

//town// is a small outpost near the eastern edge of The Wild Shelf Forest. Though it was built in a natural clearing, the inevitable decay of civilization has sapped the beauty of its plants and trees, and replaced them with palisades, buildings, and stamped earth. YOU pass through the gates into //town//. What is the name of //town//? Oh YOU can barely remember. It’s not for Rangers to remember the names of towns, but the names of trees and animals and bugs. Borth probably knows, they aren't a Ranger like YOU are. Whatever-this-town’s-name-is, is only a small town. There is a wooden palisade with untended turrets and a gate that only closes at night. The buildings are low and simple, with the exclusion of the stone library--whose knowledge is guarded from fire and crusader alike. Even in this simple town YOU feel stifled. The stamped earth, the open spaces without vegetation, and the human smell all disturb YOU. Regardless, YOU need to get help for Borth, but YOU hadn't thought this far. What about //town// will cure Borth? Where will YOU go? [[Consult Borth?]] [[The Library]]

YOU wrack your brain, struggling to recall the page from that HORT book. Was it... (cycling-link: bind $flowerType, "~~Something something peanuts~~", "Artimisia Limpininus", "Artimisia Limpenius", "Artemesia Limpenius") //(Click to change)// [[That must be it!->tell-apothecary]]