Faithful Companion — 6 of 6

Chapter - The Reliquary

The Reliquary is inside from the marble door. "Before November, jeweled crosses and marble statues adorned this room. It was when the place was ransacked that the trouble started.[paragraph break]A granite door leads inside. It seems to be held shut by three latches of unusual design, bronze, steel, and copper.[paragraph break]The marble door leads back out."

The granite door is a closed scenery door. The granite door is inside from the Reliquary. The description is "The door is a plain slab with three latches. The steel latch is [if the steel latch is open]open[otherwise]closed[end if]; the copper latch is [if the copper latch is open]open[otherwise]closed[end if]; the bronze latch is [if the bronze latch is open]open[otherwise]closed[end if]."

Does the player mean doing something to the granite door in the Reliquary: It is likely.

Does the player mean locking the granite door with the iron key: it is very unlikely.

Does the player mean closing the marble door: it is very likely.

Does the player mean locking the marble door with something: it is very likely.

A latch is a kind of thing. A latch can be open or closed. A latch is usually closed. The bronze latch is a latch. The bronze latch is part of the granite door. The copper latch is a latch. The copper latch is part of the granite door. The steel latch is a latch. The steel latch is part of the granite door. The description of a latch is "This latch is designed so that merely pushing it will open it, and pushing it again in the same way will close it again. It is currently [if open]open[otherwise]closed[end if]."

Instead of an actor opening the granite door when a latch is closed: if the person asked is the player, say "The granite door won't open when [the list of closed latches] [if more than one latch is closed]are[otherwise]is[end if] closed."

Before an actor opening, closing, switching on, rubbing, touching, pulling, turning, or switching off a latch: try the actor pushing the noun instead.

Carry out an actor pushing a latch:

if the noun is closed:

now the noun is open;

otherwise:

now the noun is closed.

After pushing a closed latch:

say "You push [the noun] closed."

After pushing an open latch:

say "You push [the noun] open."

After the ghost pushing a closed latch:

if the ghost is visible, say "The ghost pushes [the noun] closed."

After the ghost pushing an open latch:

if the ghost is visible, say "The ghost pushes [the noun] open."

The Crypt is inside from the granite door. "The sconces on the walls have been smashed, and the [coffin] gapes open in the middle of the crypt.[paragraph break]The granite door leads back out."

The sconces are scenery in the Crypt. Understand "sconce" as the sconces. First instead of doing something when the current action involves the sconces: say "Not your concern. The caretaker will attend to the ruined sconces, if you can attend to the ghost."

The coffin is an enterable open unopenable scenery container in the Crypt. The description of the coffin is "[if the lid is not part of the coffin]The massive coffin gapes open, its still intact hinges missing the lid that would fit into them. An expanse of decayed satin lines its bottom, a few poor bones scattered around its edges.[otherwise if the coffin is open]The coffin stands open.[otherwise]The coffin is shut." Understand "hinges" as the coffin. Understand "decayed" and "satin" as the coffin when the coffin is open.

Some bones are in the coffin. They are fixed in place. The description of the bones is "Poor things...." Understand "corpse/body/bone" as the bones. Instead of taking the bones: say "They are where they belong."

The heavy lid is in the Crypt. "The coffin's heavy leaden lid lies on the floor." The description of the heavy lid is "Made of solid lead, this lid looks to heavy to lift by yourself. But no one dares accompany you to this tomb." Understand "lead/leaden" as the heavy lid.

Lid lifted this turn is a truth state that varies. Last every turn: now lid lifted this turn is false.

Instead of an actor putting the lid on something:

try the actor taking the lid.

Instead of taking the lid:

say "You strain to lift the lid, but you can only raise one edge of it.";

now lid lifted this turn is true.

Understand "lift [something]" as taking.

Instead of the the ghost taking the lid when lid lifted this turn is false and the lid is not part of the coffin:

say "The ghost whirls around one edge of the lid, which just rises from the floor. But the lid soon falls back.";

rule succeeds.

Instead of the ghost taking the lid when lid lifted this turn is true and the lid is not part of the coffin:

say "The ghost whirls around the edge of the lid that you are holding, and almost without your willing it the lid rises into the air. Before you realize that you have put it down, the lid stands upright on the coffin's hinges.";

now the lid is part of the coffin;

now the coffin is openable;

rule succeeds.

Instead of the ghost taking the lid when the lid is part of the coffin:

say "The ghost goes through the motions of picking up the lid, but it does not budge from its hinges.";

rule succeeds.

Instead of an actor opening the lid when the lid is part of the coffin:

try the actor opening the coffin.

Instead of an actor closing the lid when the lid is part of the coffin:

try the actor closing the coffin.

Every turn when the player is in the closed coffin:

say "With mounting panic you realize that you cannot open the coffin from the inside. Even if the air in here lasts till morning, the caretaker is unlikely to open this coffin in search of you.";

end the story saying "You add your bones to those already there".

Every turn when the ghost is in the closed coffin and the player is not in the closed coffin:

say "You hear the leaves swirling in the coffin, then all at once they stop. The ghost is at rest where its bones lie.";

end the story finally saying "Your faithful companion has been laid to rest".

After entering the coffin:

say "Careful not to disturb the bones, you climb into the coffin."

After exiting from the coffin:

say "You gingerly climb back out of the coffin."