#startQuote
* WhiteorBlackPutRev1/0
   Which stone do you want to put down?
+The white stone+PutWhiteRev1/0
+One of the black stones+PutBlackRev1/0
* ScalesRev1/0
   What do you want to do with the scale?
+Put down a stone+WhiteorBlackPutRev1/0
+Pick up the white stone+ScalesEmpty
* Rev0/1
   The scales swing and settle, with the right-hand dish a little lower.
+Continue experimenting with the scale+ScalesRev0/1
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* Scales1/1
   What do you want to do with the scales?
+Pick up another stone+PickStone1/1
+Put a stone down+PutStone1/1
* Scales3/0
   What do you want to do with the scales?
+Pick up another stone+PickStone(left3)
+Put down a stone+PutWhite3/0
* Scales(Mix/0)
   What do you want to do with the scales?
+Pick up a stone+PickStone(Mix/0)
+Put down a stone+WhiteorBlackPut(Mix/0)
* PutWhite(Mix/0)
   Where do you want to put the white stone?
+In the left-hand dish, with the other two stones+Rev3/0
+In the empty right-hand dish+BlackandWhite(Mix/1)
* Scales0/3
   What do you want to do with the scales?
+Put down a stone+PutBlack0/3
+Pick up a stone+PickStone0/3
* Rev0/3
   With a clangor of chains, the scales swing widely apart.  There are three
stones in the right-hand dish, and none in the left-hand dish.  You notice that
the dishes are spaced farther apart than the hilts of Gahbra's swords.
+Continue experimenting with the scales+ScalesRev0/3
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* Scales0/1
   What would you like to do with the scales?
+Pick up the last stone+ScalesEmpty
+Put a stone down+WhiteorBlackPut0/1
* PutWhite0/1
   Where do you want to put the white stone?
+In the right-hand dish, with the other white stone+SecondStone
+In the empty left-hand dish+White/White
* PutWhiteRev(Mix/1)
   Where do you want to put the white stone?
+In the left-hand dish, with the black stone+Balance
+In the right-hand dish, with the other stones+Rev3/1
* ScalesRev0/1
   What do you want to do with the scales?
+Pick up the last stone+ScalesEmpty
+Put down a stone+WhiteorBlackPutRev0/1
* PutWhiteRev0/3
   Where do you want to put the white stone?
+In the empty right-hand dish+Rev1/3
+In the left-hand dish, with the other stones+BlackandWhite0/4
* Rev3/0
   With a clangor of chains, the scales swing widely apart.  There are three
stones in the left-hand dish, and none in the right-hand dish.
+Continue experimenting with the scale+ScalesRev3/0
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
* PutWhite3/0
   Where do you want to put the white stone?
+In the left-hand dish, with the other stones+BlackandWhite4/0
+In the empty right-hand dish+BlackandWhite3/1
* ScalesRev1/1
   What do you want to do with the scales?
+Pick up a stone+PickStoneRev1/1
+Put a stone down+WhiteorBlackPut1/1
* ScalesRev2/0
   What do you want to do with the scales?
+Take a white stone+Rev1/0
+Put a black stone down+PutBlackRev2/0
* Rev2/0
   The dishes swing widely apart.  The right side of the scale is empty; the
left side holds two white stones.
+Continue experimenting with the scale+ScalesRev2/0
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
* Rev2/1
   With a rattle of chains the scales swing, then settle to a new balance.  Now
the right-hand dish is a little higher than the left-hand dish.
 
   From her painted fresco, Ykrasis smiles serenely.
+Continue experimenting with the scales+ScalesRev2/1
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
* ScalesRev2/1
   What do you want to do with the scales?
+Pick up another stone+PickStoneRev2/1
+Put down the black stone+PutBlackRev2/1
* ScalesRev3/0
   What would you like to do with the scales?
+Pick up a stone+PickStoneRev3/0
+Put down the black stone+PutBlackRev3/0
* Rev2/2
   The scales see-saw into balance, and behind the clink of chains you think you
hear a faint 'click' from the iron door.  But nothing else happens, and when you
try the door, it is still locked.  It is as if some mechanism had almost--but
not quite--been engaged.    
 
   Could color matter?  Perhaps, if there is a minute difference in weight
between the two types of stones:  a difference too small to see, but detectable
by the scale.    
 
   The dishes are now at the same level as Ykrasis' cups.  
+Continue experimenting with the scale+ScalesRev2/2
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
* PutWhiteRev1/0
   Where do you want to put the white stone? 
+In the left-hand dish, with the other white stone+Rev2/0
+In the right-hand dish+White/White
* PutWhiteEmpty
   Where do you want to put the white stone? 
+In the right-hand dish+BlackandWhite0/1
+In the left-hand dish+Rev1/0
* Rev1/0
   The scales swing and settle close to balance.  
+Continue experimenting with the scale+ScalesRev1/0
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* Scales2/0
   What do you want to do with the scales?    
+Pick up a stone+BlackandWhite1/0
+Put down a stone+PutWhite2/0
* PutWhite2/0
   Where do you want to put the stone? 
+In the left-hand dish, with the black stones+BlackandWhite3/0
+In the empty right-hand dish+White1
* ScalesRev2/2
   Which stone do you want to take?  
+A black stone from the right-hand dish+Rev2/1
+Take a white stone from the left-hand dish+Rev1/2
* Rev1/2
   With a rattle of chains the scales swing, then settle to a new balance.  Now
the left-hand dish is a little higher than the right-hand dish.  In fact, you
notice that the dishes are almost at the same level as the hilts of Gahbra's
swords--but there is a little more distance between the swords.   
+Continue experimenting with the scales+ScalesRev1/2
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* ScalesRev1/2
   What do you want to do with the scales? 
+Put down the white stone+PutWhiteRev1/2
+Pick up a stone+PickStoneRev1/2
* PutWhiteRev1/2
   Where do you want to put the white stone? 
+In the left-hand dish, with the other white stone+Rev2/2
+In the right-hand dish, with the black stones+Rev1/3
* Rev0/2
   As the dishes and chains sway and rattle, you think you hear a faint 'click'
from behind the iron door.  But nothing else happens, and when you try the door,
it is still locked.  It is as if some mechanism had almost--but not quite--been
engaged.       
        
   The dishes are now very widely spaced:  in fact, they are as far apart as the
hilts of Gahbra's swords.  The left-hand dish is empty, and the right-hand dish
has two black stones.  
      
   Could color matter?  Perhaps, if there is a minute difference in weight
between the two types of stones:  a difference too small to see, but detectable
by the scale.     
+Continue experimenting with the scales+ScalesRev0/2
+Look elsewhere+LeaveScale
* ScalesRev0/2
   What do you want to do with the scales?   
+Pick up a stone+Rev0/1
+Put down a stone+PutWhiteRev0/2
* PutWhiteRev0/2
   Where do you want to put the white stone? 
+In the empty left-hand dish+Rev1/2
+In the right-hand dish, with the black stones+Rev0/3
* Rev1/1
   The scales see-saw into balance, and behind the clink of chains you think you
hear a faint 'click' from the iron door.  But nothing else happens, and when you
try the door, it is still locked.  It is as if some mechanism had almost--but
not quite--been engaged. 
+Continue experimenting with the scales+ScalesRev1/1
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* Scales(White/White)
   What do you want to do with the scales? 
+Pick up a stone+PickStone(White/White)
+Put down a stone+PutBlack(White/White)
* Scales(Mix/1)
   What do you want to do with the scales? 
+Put down a stone+PutBlack(Mix/1)
+Pick up a stone+PickStone(Mix/1)
* ScalesRev(1/Mix)
   What do you want to do with the scales?   
+Put down the black stone+PutBlackRev(1/Mix)
+Pick up another stone+WhiteorBlackPickRev(1/Mix)
* ScalesRev(Mix/1)
   What do you want to do with the scales?  
+Pick up a stone+WhiteorBlackPickRev(Mix/1)
+Put down the white stone+PutWhiteRev(Mix/1)
* ScalesRev0/3
   What do you want to do with the scales?  
+Pick up a stone+WhiteorBlackPickRev0/3
+Put down a stone+PutWhiteRev0/3
* ScalesRev3/1
   What do you want to do with the scales?   
+Pick up the black stone from the right-hand dish+Rev3/0
+Pick up a stone from the left-hand dish+PickStoneRev(left3)
* WhiteorBlackPick(Mix/1)
   Which stone do you want to take?      
+The white stone+BlackandWhite1/1
+The black stone+White/White
* WhiteorBlackPickRev0/3
   Which stone do you want to take?  
+Take the white stone+Rev0/2
+Take a black stone+BlackandWhite(0/Mix)
* WhiteorBlackPickRev(Mix/1)
   Which stone do you want to take?  (The right-hand dish has one black stone;
the left-hand dish has a white stone and a black stone.)  
+Take the white stone+Black/Black
+Take a black stone+PickBlackRev(Mix/1)
* WhiteorBlackPickRev(1/Mix)
   Which stone do you want to take?  (The left-hand dish has one white stone;
the right-hand dish has a white stone and a black stone.)   
+The black stone+White/White
+A white stone+PickWhiteRev(1/Mix)
* Scales1/0
   What do you want to do with the scales?   
+Take the last stone+ScalesEmpty
+Put a stone down+WhiteorBlackPut1/0
* WhiteorBlackPut(0/Mix)
   Which stone do you want to put down? 
+Put down the white stone+PutWhite(0/Mix)
+Put down the black stone+PutBlack(0/Mix)
* WhiteorBlackPut(Mix/0)
   Do you want to put down a white stone or a black stone? 
+White+PutWhite(Mix/0)
+Black+PutBlack(Mix/0)
* WhiteorBlackPut0/1
   Which stone do you want to put down?  
+Put down a white stone+PutWhite0/1
+Put down a black stone+PutBlack0/1
* WhiteorBlackPut1/0
   Which stone do you want to put down?  
+Put down a white stone+PutWhite1/0
+Put down a black stone+PutBlack1/0
* PutWhite1/0
   Where do you want to put the white stone? 
+In the left-hand dish+BlackandWhite(Mix/0)
+In the right-hand dish+BlackandWhite1/1
* Scales(Black/Black)
   What do you want to do with the scales?  
+Pick up a black stone+PickStone(Black/Black)
+Put down a white stone+PutWhite(Black/Black)
* PutWhite(Black/Black)
   Where do you want to put the white stone? 
+In the left-hand dish+Rev(Mix/1)
+In the right-hand dish+BlackandWhite(1/Mix)
* WhiteorBlackPutEmpty
   Which kind of stone do you want to put down?  
+A white stone+PutWhiteEmpty
+A black stone+PutBlackEmpty
* WhiteorBlackPut1/1
   Which stone do you want to put down?   
+Put down the white stone+PutWhite1/1
+Put down the black stone+PutBlack1/1
* WhiteorBlackPutRev0/1
   Which kind of stone do you want to put down? 
+Put down the black stone+PutBlackRev0/1
+Put down one of the white stones+PutWhiteRev0/1
* PutWhiteRev0/1
   Where do you want to put the white stone? 
+In the right-hand dish, with the black stone+BlackandWhite(0/Mix)
+In the empty left-hand dish+Rev1/1
* Rev3/1
   The scale wobbles, and the left dish settles low, with the right dish high
above it.  There are three stones on the left side of the scale, and one black
stone on the right side.     
   
   To your right, in the fresco of Ykrasis, you notice that the daemon holds her
cups at the exact middle of the levels the dishes are at now.   
+Continue experimenting with the scales+ScalesRev3/1
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* Rev3/1
   The scale wobbles, and the left dish settles low, with the right dish high
above it.  Now there are three stones on the left side of the scale, and one
white stone on the right side.    
    
   To your right, in the fresco of Ykrasis, you notice that the daemon holds her
cups at the exact middle of the levels the dishes are at now.   
+Pick up a stone+PickStoneRev3/1
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* Rev1/3
   The scale wobbles, and the right dish settles low, with the left dish high
above it.  Now there are three stones on the right side of the scale, and one
white stone on the left side.    
+Continue experimenting with the scales+ScalesRev1/3
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* ScalesRev1/3
   Which stone do you want to take?
+The white stone in the left-hand dish+Rev0/3
+One of the stones in the right-hand dish+PickStoneRev(right3)
* Scales(1/Mix)
   What would you like to do with the scales? 
+Pick up a stone+PickStone(1/Mix)
+Put down the white stone+PutWhite(1/Mix)
* Scales(Black1)
   What do you want to do with the scales?  
+Pick up another stone+PickStone(Black1)
+Put down the black stone+PutStone(Black1)
* Scales1/3
   Which of the stones do you want to take?   
+Pick up a stone from the right-hand dish+PickStone(right3)
+Pick up the stone from the left-hand dish+BlackandWhite0/3
* PickStone(Black1)
   Which stone do you want to pick up? 
+The last black stone+SecondStone
+One of the white stones+BlackandWhite1/1
* PickStone(left3)
   Do you want to pick up the white stone, or one of the black ones? 
+White+White1
+Black+BlackandWhite(Mix/1)
* PickStone(Mix/0)
   The right-hand dish is empty.  Which stone do you want to pick up from the
left-hand dish? 
+Pick up a black stone+Rev1/0
+Pick up a white stone+BlackandWhite1/0
* PickStone(Mix/1)
   Which stone do you want to take?   
+Take a stone from the left-hand side+WhiteorBlackPick(Mix/1)
+Take the white stone from the right-hand dish+BlackandWhite(Mix/0)
* PickStone(right3)
   Do you want to pick up the black stone or one of the white stones?  
+Pick up the black stone+Black1
+Pick up a white stone+BlackandWhite(1/Mix)
* PickStone(White/White)
   Which of the stones do you want to take?  
+The white stone in the right-hand dish+Rev1/0
+The white stone in the left-hand dish+BlackandWhite0/1
* PickStone0/3
   The left-hand dish is empty.  Which stone do you want to take from the
right-hand dish? 
+Take a white stone+BlackandWhite(0/Mix)
+Take the black stone+SecondStone
* PickStone0/4
   The left-hand dish is empty.  Which stone do you want to take from the
right-hand dish?  
+Pick up a white stone+Rev0/3
+Pick up a black stone+BlackandWhite0/3
* PickStone1/1
   Which stone do you want to pick up? 
+Pick up a white stone+BlackandWhite1/0
+Pick up a black stone+BlackandWhite0/1
* PickStone3/1
   Which stone do you want to pick up? 
+Take the stone from the right-hand dish+BlackandWhite3/0
+Take a stone from the left-hand dish+PickStone(left3)
* PickStone4/0
   The right-hand dish is empty.  Which stone do you want to take from the
left-hand dish?  
+Take a white stone+BlackandWhite3/0
+Take a black stone+Rev3/0
* PickStoneRev(left3)
   Which stone do you want to take?     
+Take a white stone+Rev(Mix/1)
+Take the black stone+Rev2/1
* PickStoneRev(right3)
   Which stone do you want to take?  
+Take the white stone+Rev1/2
+Take a black stone+Rev(1/Mix)
* PickStoneRev1/1
   Which stone do you want to take? 
+The white stone in the left-hand dish+Rev0/1
+The black stone in the right-hand dish+Rev1/0
* PickStoneRev2/1
   Which stone do you want to take? 
+Take a white stone from the left-hand dish+Rev1/1
+Take a black stone from the right-hand dish+Rev2/0
* PickStoneRev3/0
   The right-hand dish is empty.  Which stone do you want to take from the
left-hand dish?    
+Take the black stone+Rev2/0
+Take a white stone+BlackandWhite(Mix/0)
* PickStoneRev3/1
   Do you want to take the black stone from the right-hand dish, or one of the
stones from the left-hand dish?      
+Take the stone in the right-hand dish+Rev3/0
+Take a stone from the left-hand dish+PickStoneRev(left3)
* PickWhiteRev(1/Mix)
   From where do you want to take the white stone?   
+From the left-hand dish+BlackandWhite(0/Mix)
+From the right-hand dish+Rev1/1
* PutWhite1/1
   Where do you want to put the white stone? 
+In the right-hand dish, with the other white stone+Black1
+In the left-hand dish, with the black stone+BlackandWhite(Mix/1)
* Scales(White1)
   What do you want to do with the scales? 
+Pick up another stone+PickStone(White1)
+Put down the white stone+PutStone(White1)
* PickStone(White1)
   Which of the stones do you want to take?  
+Pick up the white stone+BlackandWhite2/0
+Pick up a black stone+BlackandWhite1/1
* PickStone1
   Which of the stones do you want to take?     
+Pick up a white stone+White1
+Pick up a black stone+Black1
* PickStoneRev1/2
   Which stone do you want to take?   
+The white stone in the left-hand dish+Rev0/2
+A black stone from the right-hand dish+Rev1/1
* BlackandWhite1/3
   The scale wobbles, and the right-hand dish falls low as the left one rises.  

     
   The left side of the scale holds one black stone; the right side holds a
black stone and two white ones.      
+Pick up another stone+Scales1/3
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
* BlackandWhite2/0
   The dishes and chains sway and rattle.  The right side of the scale is empty;
the left side has two black stones.  In her fresco, Ykrasis holds her cups at a
level almost exactly between the two dishes.      
+Continue experimenting with the scales+Scales2/0
+Look elsewhere+LeaveScale
* BlackandWhite3/0
   With a clangor of chains, the scales swing apart, far from balance.  There
are three stones in the left-hand dish, and none in the right-hand dish.       
+Continue experimenting with the scales+Scales3/0
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* BlackandWhite3/1
   The scale wobbles, and the left dish settles low, with the right dish high
above it.  Now there are three stones on the left side of the scale, and one
white stone on the right side.           
          
   To your right, in the fresco of Ykrasis, you notice that the daemon holds her
cups at a height exactly between the levels the dishes are at now.         
+Pick up another stone+PickStone3/1
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* BlackandWhite4/0
   The chain rattles through the holes in the ceiling.  The left-hand dish dips
almost to the floor, and the empty right-hand dish rises above your head.      
      
   This can't be right.  The hierophants always sought balanced ratios, never
extremes.    
+Take a stone+PickStone4/0
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
* PickStone(0/Mix)
   Which stone do you want to pick up from the right-hand dish?  
+Pick up the white stone+Rev0/1
+Pick up the black stone+BlackandWhite0/1
:lamps:Dark(default)
* PickStone(1/Mix)
   Which stone do you want to pick up?     
+The black stone from the left dish+BlackandWhite(0/Mix)
+One of the stones from the right dish+WhiteorBlackPick(1/Mix)
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* PickStone(Black/Black)
   Which stone do you want to take?   
+Take the stone in the left-hand dish+Rev0/1
+Take the stone in the right-hand dish+BlackandWhite1/0
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* PutBlack(Mix/0)
   Where do you want to put the black stone?    
+In the right-hand dish+Rev(Mix/1)
+In the left-hand dish+BlackandWhite3/0
* PutBlack(Mix/1)
   Where do you want to put the black stone?   
+In the right-hand dish, with the white stone+Balance
+In the left-hand dish, with the other two stones+BlackandWhite3/1
* PutBlack(White/White)
   Where do you want to put a black stone?   
+In the right-hand dish+Rev(1/Mix)
+In the left-hand dish+BlackandWhite(Mix/1)
* PutBlack0/1
   Where do you want to put a black stone?   
+In the right-hand dish, with the white stone+BlackandWhite(0/Mix)
+In the empty left-hand dish+BlackandWhite1/1
* PutBlack0/3
   Where do you want to put the black stone?  
+In the empty left-hand dish+BlackandWhite1/3
+In the right-hand dish, with the other stones+BlackandWhite0/4
* PutBlack1/0
   Where do you want to put the black stone?   
+In the right-hand dish+Black/Black
+In the left-hand dish+BlackandWhite2/0
* PutBlack1/1
   Where do you want to put the black stone?   
+With the other black stone, in the left-hand dish+White1
+With the white stone, in the right-hand dish+BlackandWhite(1/Mix)
* PutBlackEmpty
   Where do you want to put the stone?  
+In the right-hand dish+Rev0/1
+In the left-hand dish+BlackandWhite1/0
* PutBlackRev(1/Mix)
   Where do you want to put the black stone?  
+In the left-hand dish+Balance
+In the right-hand dish+Rev1/3
* PutBlackRev0/1
   Where do you want to put the black stone?   
+In the right-hand dish, with the other black stone+Rev0/2
+In the empty left-hand dish+Black/Black
* PutBlackRev1/0
   Where do you want to put a black stone?    
+In the left-hand dish, with the white stone+BlackandWhite(Mix/0)
+In the empty right-hand dish+Rev1/1
* PutBlackRev2/0
   Where do you want to put a black stone?    
+In the empty right-hand dish+Rev2/1
+In the left-hand dish, with the white stones+Rev3/0
* PutBlackRev2/1
   Where do you want to put the black stone?   
+In the left-hand dish, with the two white stones+Rev3/1
+In the right-hand dish, with the other black stone+Rev2/2
* PutBlackRev3/0
   Where do you want to put the black stone?  
+In the left-hand dish, with the other stones+BlackandWhite4/0
+In the empty right-hand dish+Rev3/1
* PutStone(Black1)
   Where do you want to put the black stone?   
+Back in the left-hand dish+LeaveScale
+In the right-hand dish, with the white stones+BlackandWhite1/3
* PutStone(White1)
   Where do you want to put the white stone?  
+Back in the right-hand dish+LeaveScale
+In the left-hand dish, with the black stones+BlackandWhite3/1
* PutStone1/1
   Do you want to put down a black stone or a white stone?   
+Put down a black stone+PutBlack1/1
+Put down a white stone+PutWhite1/1
* PutWhite(0/Mix)
   Where do you want to put the white stone? 
+In the right-hand dish, with the other stones+BlackandWhite0/3
+In the empty left-hand dish+BlackandWhite(1/Mix)
* PutWhite(1/Mix)
   Where do you want to put the white stone? 
+On the left side of the scale+Balance
+On the right side of the scale+BlackandWhite1/3
* White1
   With a rattle of chains the scales swing, then settle to a new balance.  Now
the right-hand dish is a little higher than the left-hand dish.      
      
   From her painted fresco, Ykrasis smiles serenely.    
+Continue experimenting with the scale+Scales(White1)
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
* WhiteorBlackPick(1/Mix)
   Which stone do you want to take?   
+The white stone+Black/Black
+The black stone+BlackandWhite1/1
* YkrasisDontLeave
   You know you ought to leave without disturbing anything, but like so many
heroes of myth, you are overwhelmed by the need to know.  You reach for the
door.      
#divYkrasisOpen
* YkrasisOpen
   The little iron door opens easily.  Behind it is a niche in the wall, and
there's something lying in the shadows:  a small ceramic vial.  
     
   You get some video of the artifact before disturbing it; then you delicately
pick it up, drawing it out into better light.  "By the flare of the base and the
dull finish, I'd say this looks like a First Dynasty ceramic," you say, trying
to keep your voice level and professional.  This vial could be thousands of
years older than the rest of this site!  The hierophants always described
themselves as hereditary guardians of traditions old as Kharuen itself...could
artifacts like these be the basis of their claims?  
     
   The vial is stoppered with wax.  "Certainly not the original sealing," you
note, examining the cork.  There seems to be a glyph set into the wax...and, as
you turn the vial over, you notice another glyph etched into the bottom of the
vial.                               
>-YKRASIS
+Read the glyphs+TakeVial
+Put the vial back in the niche+LeaveVial
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* Scales(0/Mix)
   What do you want to do with the scales?  
+Pick up a stone+PickStone(0/Mix)
+Put down a stone+WhiteorBlackPut(0/Mix)
* Backstory
   Two years ago, when you discovered this site, you thought your career was
made.  Publications, interviews, tenure...you even got a Ministry grant, which
was pretty extraordinary, considering the wars.                   
                   
   But while you painstakingly excavated the past, confirming your theories
about underground mystery cults in the Kharuen city-state, the future kept
getting worse.  The new National Board seems to regard these ancient monuments
as civic embarassments, relics of a primitive and superstitious past. 
Archaeology and mythography are suspect endeavors now.                   
                   
   You lost your grant three months ago, and then they revoked your permit to
excavate, just when you'd uncovered the secret chambers deep below the old
shrine.  You suspect this is where the last philosopher-priests conducted their
most sacred rites.                   
             
   If anybody knew about your secret explorations, you would probably lose your
license to practice historiography.  But the catacombs await...                 
+Continue+Dark
* Balance
   You set the last stone down, bringing the scale into perfect balance--a white
and black stone held in each dish.  You hear the sound of machinery shifting
behind the iron door.              
>-FLAG1
+Open the door+YkrasisOpen
+Turn your attention somewhere else+YkrasisDontLeave
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* Basin
   The water in the basin is cloudy with heat, swirling formlessly and
constantly falling over the edge.  But there's something in there--you catch
sight of it for a moment as it bobs to the surface.  In the next second it's
drawn underwater again, and you cannot get a clear look.            
+Grab the object+GrabHot~@-HOT
+Grab the object+NoHot~-HOT
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Look at the gutters+Gutters~@-WALL
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
+Wait and watch+Wait1~-WALLAGAIN
:SWORD:ShellSword
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* Black/Black
   The scales see-saw into balance, and behind the clink of chains you think you
hear a faint 'click' from the iron door.  But nothing else happens, and when you
try the door, it is still locked.  It is as if some mechanism had almost--but
not quite--been engaged.  
     
   The dishes are at the same level as Ykrasis' cups.  Each one holds a black
stone.            
+Continue experimenting with the scales+Scales(Black/Black)
+Look elsewhere+LeaveScale
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* Black1
   With a rattle of chains the scales swing, then settle to a new balance.  Now
the left-hand dish is a little higher than the right-hand dish.  In fact, you
notice that the dishes are almost at the same level as the hilts of Gahbra's
swords--but there is a little more distance between the swords.             
              
   The left-hand dish holds one black stone.  The right-hand dish holds two
white stones.           
+Continue experimenting with the scale+Scales(Black1)
+Turn your attention to something else+LeaveScale
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* BlackandWhite(0/Mix)
   As the dishes and chains sway and rattle, you think you hear a faint 'click'
from behind the iron door.  But nothing else happens, and when you try the door,
it is still locked.  It is as if some mechanism had almost--but not quite--been
engaged.    
       
   The dishes are now widely spaced:  in fact, they are as far apart as the
hilts of Gahbra's swords.  The left-hand dish is empty, and the right-hand dish
has a white stone and a black stone.                   
                
   Could color matter?  Perhaps, if there is a minute difference in weight
between the two types of stones:  a difference too small to see, but detectable
by the scale.               
+Continue experimenting with the scale+Scales(0/Mix)
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* BlackandWhite(1/Mix)
   The dishes sway and settle close to balance.  The right-hand dish holds a
black and a white stone; the left-hand dish holds one black stone.            
              
   At your side, the painted Ykrasis smiles serenely.             
+Continue experimenting with the scales+Scales(1/Mix)
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* BlackandWhite(Mix/0)
   The dishes and chains sway and rattle.  The right dish is lifted high, and
the left one dropped low.  In her fresco, Ykrasis holds her cups at a level
almost exactly between the two dishes.         
+Continue experimenting with the scales+Scales(Mix/0)
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* BlackandWhite(Mix/1)
   The right-hand dish (holding one white stone) is a little higher now than the
left-hand dish (holding a black stone and a white stone), but they are close to
balance.          
           
   At your side, the painted Ykrasis smiles serenely.        
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
+Continue experimenting with the scale+Scales(Mix/1)
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* BlackandWhite0/1
   The scales rattle and settle at different levels, with the left-hand dish
highest.  The right-hand dish holds one white stone.        
         
   You notice that the dishes are almost at the same heights as the hilts of
Gahbra's swords--but there is more distance between the swords.       
+Continue experimenting with the scales+Scales0/1
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* BlackandWhite0/3
   The dishes swing widely apart.  The left side of the scale is empty; the
right side has three stones.  You notice that the dishes are spaced a little
farther apart than the hilts of Gahbra's swords.      
+Continue experimenting with the scale+Scales0/3
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* BlackandWhite0/4
   The chain rattles through the holes in the ceiling.  The right-hand dish dips
almost to the floor, and the empty left-hand dish rises above your head.      
         
   This can't be right.  The hierophants always sought balanced ratios, never
extremes.       
+Take a stone+PickStone0/4
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* BlackandWhite1/0
   The scales rattle and settle close to balance, with the empty right-hand dish
highest.  The left-hand dish holds one black stone.        
         
   From her fresco, Ykrasis smiles serenely.     
+Continue experimenting with the scales+Scales1/0
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* BlackandWhite1/1
   The scales see-saw into balance, and behind the clink of chains you think you
hear a faint 'click' from the iron door.  But nothing else happens, and when you
try the door, it is still locked.  It is as if some mechanism had almost--but
not quite--been engaged.            
     
   The dishes are at the same level as Ykrasis' cups.  Each one holds a single
stone.      
+Continue experimenting with the scales+Scales1/1
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
* Burials
   Beneath the marble circle is a shallow pit, holding about a dozen large
funerary urns.  Elaborate paintings decorate the surface, and you can see just
by glancing at the patterns that the urns weren't made at the same time, but
that the dates are probably tightly clustered--within a couple of centuries at
the most.  The jars are large, built without handles, and the lids are sealed
with wax.  Each wax seal is stamped with a name-glyph, and as you read them off
your heart begins to race.  
     
   "The glyphs," you say in a strangled sort of voice, "indicate the
burial-ground of the last dynasty.  The ashes of the last queens--every single
one of them.  They were here all along."                                       
                                         
   You can't remove these urns now--you don't have the equipment to bring them
safely to the surface--but you can stay here for hours, examining every detail
of the paintings, memorizing each stroke of the name-glyphs, ensuring that the
palmcoder archives everything.  You can pay that much homage to the old queens. 
And so you do.                                 
>-FLAG2
+Return the sword to the statue+LeaveBurials1~@-ACIDSLAB
+Examine the statues again+LeaveBurials2~-STATUES
+Leave this room+LeaveBurials3~@-ACIDSLAB
+Examine the inscription again+LeaveBurials4~-ACIDSLAB
+Examine the statues+LeaveBurials5~@-STATUES
+Leave this room+LeaveBurials6~-ACIDSLAB
* BurialsAgain
   These funerary urns are undoubtedly the find of the century.  But you can't
stay here forever.    
#divThreeAgain
* CasketLook1
   You walk around the pedestal, making sure your palmcoder gets a thorough
video of the artifact in situ.  "It's a square--possibly a box, although I don't
see any hinges or seams--apparently constructed of gold," you note.  "Pedestal
is waist-high, looks like marble; closer examination shows chisel marks,
compatible with Late Arcanic construction."                                    

                                       
   You zoom in on the golden artifact.  The palmcoder is registering its
dimensions as .41 by .2 by .2 meters--a little smaller than a breadbox.  The top
surface is decorated with an embossed design:  a thin, angle-headed serpent,
swallowing its own tail.  It's the ouroboros, symbol of the Kharuen city-state. 

>-LOOKEDCASKET
+Pick up the artifact+BoxGet
+Go north+Hall of Two
+Go southwest+Hall of Three~@-FLAG2
+Go southeast+Hall of Four~@-BEENFOUR
+Return to the surface+Endgame1~-FLAG1
+Go southwest+ThreeNo~-FLAG2
+Go southeast+HallFourAgain~-BEENFOUR
:SOLVENT:UseSolvent
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
:SWORD:UseSword
:NAUTILUS:UseNautilus
* CasketLook2
   The golden casket has no apparent lid or latch.  The top surface is embossed
with an ouroboros.             
+Go north+Hall of Two
+Go southwest+Hall of Three~@-FLAG2
+Go southeast+Hall of Four~@-BEENFOUR
+Go southwest+ThreeNo~-FLAG2
+Return to the surface+Endgame1~-FLAG1
+Pick up the box+BoxGet~@-BOXGOT
+Go southeast+HallFourAgain~-BEENFOUR
:SOLVENT:UseSolvent
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
:SWORD:UseSword
:NAUTILUS:UseNautilus
* CircleAcid
   It occurs to you suddenly that the hierophant's acid might dissolve some of
the marble, and reveal whatever is hidden beneath.  You hate to damage these
ancient stones--but you can't see any way to move the slab, and you may not be
able to return here again.           
              
   You uncork the vial and splash the contents on the stone.  For a moment
nothing happens.  And then the acid begins to bubble and hiss, and the marble
starts to melt away.  You jump back, alarmed, as great gouges and pits appear in
the stone surface.  Within a few moments, a sizable hole has appeared in the
circular slab--and there is definitely a chamber beneath.         
            
   You snap on a pair of gloves to protect your hands from any remaining
Solvent, and grasp the marble's ragged edge.  It's very heavy, but you've got a
good grip, and you are able to heave the slab aside.         
>-ACIDSLAB
<SOLVENT
#divBurials
* CircleHeavy
   You grip the edge of the marble slab and strain to lift it--but the stone is
very heavy.  You need some kind of a lever.                 
+Examine the marble+CircleLook
+Examine the statues+StatueLook~@-STATUES
+Examine the statues+StatuesAgain~-STATUES
+Leave this room+LeaveSlab
:SWORD:CircleSword
:SOLVENT:CircleAcid
* CircleHeavyDark
   It's too dark to see what you're doing, so you switch your wristlamps back
on.     
#divCircleHeavy
* CircleLook
   The floor is set with large, smooth flagstones, fitted together with precise
craft.  The flagstones vary in shape to accomodate the unusual shape of this
room, but the most striking stone is the one in the center.  Unlike the other
ones, which are slate, this one is a huge, perfecly circular slab of pale
marble.                          
                           
   There are letters carved around the inside edge of the stone--not glyphs, but
Roman characters:                       
                             
   IN GIRUM IMUS NOCTE ET CONSUMIMUR IGNI.  "We enter the circle after dark and
are consumed by fire."                       
+Step into the circle+CircleStand
+Move the marble slab+CircleNoHandle~@-TILE
+Turn your attention elsewhere+ThreeAgain
+Move the marble slab+CircleHeavy~-TILE
:LAMPS:Lamp3
:SOLVENT:CircleAcid
* CircleNoHandle
   The marble circle fits tightly against the neighboring flagstones.  You can
find no purchase, no leverage.           
+Step into the circle+CircleStand
+Examine the inscription again+Palindrome
+Turn your attention elsewhere+ThreeAgain
:LAMPS:Lamp3
:SOLVENT:CircleAcid
* CircleStand
   You step onto the marble slab.  It seems solid beneath your feet.  The stone
gleams brightly, reflecting the light of your wrist-lamps.           
+Lift the stone+CircleNoHandle
+Examine the inscription again+Palindrome
+Turn your attention elsewhere+ThreeAgain
:LAMPS:Lamp3
:SOLVENT:CircleAcid
* CircleSword
   You wedge the stone sword beneath the marble slab and push down hard. 
Initially, you seem to get nowhere--and then something gives, and the slab
slides up onto the neighboring flagstones.  There's definitely some sort of
chamber underneath.      
         
   Breathing heavily, you take a moment to repack the sword.  Then, with one
more push, the slab slides entirely out of your way.      
#divBurials
* Dark
   It was probably paranoid of you to wait this long to turn on your
wrist-lamps; but now you're at the bottom of the shaft, in complete darkness,
and you are certainly safe from notice.           
            
   [Type LAMPS to switch on your wrist-lamps.]         
:LAMPS:Omphalous (Initial)
* Dark(default)
   You switch off your wrist-lamps, and darkness engulfs you.  You think of the
inviolate centuries that passed in this place and briefly, you wonder:  what
would change, if you never re-emerged?  Would some future archaeologist find
your bones, and think you were the last of the philosopher-priests?  Or would
these chambers remain undiscovered forever?        
           
   Enough impracticality.  You turn the light back on.        
#ret
* DissolveCasket
   Victory to the cruel.  You uncork the Solvent and dribble the contents onto
the lid of the golden box.  For a moment, nothing happens.           
               
   And then the metal begins to disintigrate, vanishing at a fantastic rate,
until all that's left is...             
             
   Nothing.  Nothing?  Did the acid dissolve whatever was in the box? 
Disbelieving, you sweep the surface of the pedestal with your hands, seeking
some small fragment--but now the marble itself is becoming pitted and scored.  

             
   Nothing, that's what your life's work has brought you.  That's what is
waiting for you back in the modern world.  That's what the hierophants and all
the dynasties of Kharuen came to, in the end.             
             
   Seized by sudden comprehension, you turn your hands up and stare at your
palms...which, as you watch, are slowly dissolving.           
#die
* DontLeaveGahbra
   You know you ought to leave without disturbing anything, but like so many
heroes of legend, you are overwhelmed by the need to know.  You reach for the
door.            
#divGahbraOpen
* DowagerFlag
   Halfway down the blade, the marble edge is sliced cleanly away.  But the hilt
is intricately carved, and the white stone is flawless.  You wish you could take
this piece to a museum, send images to your colleagues, announce the find in
antiquarian journals.  But of course none of that is possible anymore.         

                  
   You wrap the carving in plastic and pack it away.  Old habits die hard.     

                 
   [If you want to use the sword somewhere, type SWORD.]              
>-DOWAGER
#divThreeAgain
* DowagerSword
   You carefully work the marble hilt free from the statue's hand.    
>SWORD
#divDowagerFlag
* Endgame1
   You eye the golden casket meditatively.  What could it have to teach you? 
You've navigated the scales of mercy and severity...                            

+Continue+Endgame2~-FLAG2
+Continue+NotEndgame~@-FLAG2
:SOLVENT:UseSolvent
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* Endgame2
   ...but then, your life has already taught you more on that subject than any
treasure of the hierophants possibly could.  You know that loss follows gain;
that all actions are reactions; that Ykrasis and Gahbra were always one, dancing
together in perfect indifference.                                        
                                        
   And you've held in your hands the ashes of queens...                        
+Continue+NotEndgame~@-FLAG3
+Continue+Endgame3~-FLAG3
:SOLVENT:UseSolvent
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* Flag3
>-FLAG3
#divOmphalous2
* Fountain
   The fountain is a simple column supporting a series of basins; cloudy water
bubbles up from the top, spills into the dishes, and finally splashes onto the
floor, where it runs off into the gutters.  Small grilles set in each wall allow
the water to drain out of the room.                 
                  
   There's steam rising from the surface of the water.  It must come from an
underground spring, piped up here through some ingenious system.         
                                 
   The sound of falling water fills the room, but you can hear something
clinking around in a basin of the fountain.                              
+Look in the basin+Basin
+Taste the water+TasteWater~@-HOT
+Taste the water+NoHot~-HOT
+Examine the walls+WallLook
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
:SWORD:ShellSword
* Frescoes
   Two painted figures face each other across the hallway.  The artwork is
stylized; the figures are stiff and the colors faded.                 
                    
   The fresco on the right depicts a woman wearing a white robe.  She is holding
two cups, one black and one white, and seems to be pouring a liquid between
them.  The liquid, impossibly, is flowing in a horizontal line.  Her hair is
depicted as a series of perfectly regular spirals descending across her
shoulders.  Her painted grey eyes are calm, and her mouth curved in a slight
smile.  "A representation of the daemon Ykrasis, Lady of Mercy," you say for the
palmcoder.                 
                    
   The fresco on the left depicts a man wearing a black loincloth and holding
two swords, one black and one white.  The black sword is raised up and the white
sword is pointed towards the ground.  His hair is sticking out from his head in
all directions, and his face is contorted into a terrible grimace.  "The daemon
Gahbra, Lord of Severity, eternal lover and enemy to Ykrasis," you note.        

                                            
   As you are getting your recording of the frescoes, you notice a series of
glyphs painted to the side of each figure.                 
>-LOOKEDFRESCOES
+Read the glyphs+Glyphs
+Study something else+Hall of Two
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* FrescoesAgain
   The fresco on the right is a representation of the daemon Ykrasis, Lady of
Mercy.  She is wearing a white robe and holding two cups, one black and one
white; in defiance of gravity, she seems to be pouring a liquid straight between
them.  A series of glyphs written vertically to the side of the fresco reads, in
the secret script of the hierophants, "All substances in measure, for that which
yields, rules."             
            
   The fresco on the left depicts the daemon Gahbra, Lord of Severity, eternal
lover and enemy to Ykrasis.   He is wearing a black loincloth and holding two
swords, one black and one white.  The black sword is raised up and the white
sword is pointed towards the ground.  His hair is sticking out from his head in
all directions, and his face is contorted into a terrible grimace.  The glyphs
beside him read, "All forces in opposition, and victory to the cruel."         

            
   The philosopher-priests taught that all actions work in one of two ways:  to
break apart, or to recombine.  Subtraction or addition, analysis or synthesis,
severance or recombination.  In your professional opinion, these frescoes are
intended to illustrate that doctrine.           
+Study the door+Safe
+Turn your attention elsewhere+Hall of Two
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* GahbraNautilus
   As the scales rattle and sway, you hear gears grinding behind the iron door. 

>-GAHBRA
+Open the door+DontLeaveGahbra
+Turn your attention elsewhere+OpenSafe
* GahbraOpen
   The little iron door opens easily.  Behind it is a niche in the wall, and
there's something lying in the shadows:  a small ceramic vial.                
                   
   You get some video of the artifact before disturbing it; then you delicately
pick it up, drawing it out into better light.  "By the flare of the base and the
dull finish, I'd say this looks like a First Dynasty ceramic," you say, trying
to keep your voice level and professional.  This vial could be thousands of
years older than the rest of this site!  The hierophants always described
themselves as hereditary guardians of traditions old as Kharuen itself...could
artifacts like these be the basis of their claims?                
                   
   The vial is stoppered with wax.  "Certainly not the original sealing," you
note, examining the cork.  There seems to be a glyph set into the wax...and, as
you turn the vial over, you notice another glyph etched into the bottom of the
vial.                
>-GAHBRA
+Read the glyphs+TakeVial
+Put the vial back in the niche+LeaveVial
* Glyphs
   The notations are written vertically, to the side of each fresco.  You study
them with growing excitement--you recognize these glyphs!  This is the secret
writing of the philosopher-priests, which must mean you were right about this
site:  it was surely the legendary sanctuary of the hierophants.             
             
   You've spent most of your adult life compiling examples of this script and
attempting to decipher it.  You can make a rough translation of the writing. 
The glyphs beside Ykrasis read, "All substances in measure, for that which
yields, rules."  The glyphs beside Gahbra read, "All forces in opposition, and
victory to the cruel."           
+Investigate the door+Safe
+Look elsewhere+Hall of Two
* GrabHot
   You reach into the basin, then snatch your hand back with a yelp of pain. 
The water is scaldingly hot!       
>-HOT
+Taste the water+NoHot
+Wait and watch+Wait1
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:SWORD:ShellSword
* Gutters
   There are four gutters, leading away from the fountain in each direction. 
Small grilles have been set where the gutters meet the walls, allowing the water
to run out of the room.           
              
   The water in the gutters is cloudy, and faint wisps of steam rise from the
surface.                   
   The sound of falling water fills the room, but you also hear something
clinking around in a basin of the fountain.     
+Examine the fountain+Fountain
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Taste the water+WarmTaste
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* Hall of Three
   --Hall of Three--                                                 
                                                    
    The short passage suddenly opens into an oddly-shaped room.  There are three
walls, angled together to create a triangular chamber; you are facing the apex
of the triangle, with corners to your left and right.  The only passage from
this room is the archway in the wall behind you, leading back to the center.   

                                                   
   Three marble statues stand at the edges of the light, one in each corner. 
Their faces are shadowed.  Your light falls into the center of the room,
illuminating a white stone circle set into the floor.                       
                                                 
   In this profound quiet your own breath, and the rhythm of your heartbeat,
seem somehow profane.                    
+Examine the statues+StatueLook~@-STATUES
+Examine the circle+CircleLook
+Return the way you came+Omphalous2
+Examine a statue again+StatuesAgain~-STATUES
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* Hall of Two
   --Hall of Two--                   
                 
   The north archway leads to a low passage; your light spreads along the
corridor and soon reveals an abrupt dead end.  The walls of this corridor have
been plastered over, and two elaborate frescoes adorn the hall, one to either
side of you.           
              
   There is also a little round door in the dead-end wall, set high above the
floor, like a cabinet or a wall safe.  There are two chains dangling from the
door.          
+Examine this hall+TwoHallLook~@-FLAG1
+Go back to the center room+Omphalous2
+Examine this hall+TwoHallAgain~-FLAG1
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* HallFourAgain
   The corridor twists and slopes deeper into the earth.  You notice that the
stone walls are streaked with long, black filaments--the mycelia of some fungus.
 Ahead, you hear the sound of splashing water.        
+Continue+Hall of Four~@-FLAG3
+Continue+NoFour~-FLAG3
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* InertCasket
   Victory to the cruel.  You uncork the Solvent and dribble the contents onto
the lid of the golden casket.  For a moment, nothing happens.            
            
   And then another moment goes by, and another, and still nothing happens.    

                 
   "The passage of time," you say to the palmcoder, "must have rendered the acid
inert.  Alternatively, the box may have been treated with the Prima Materia. 
Or," you say wryly, "perhaps Gahbra does not smile on me."          
<SOLVENT
#divOmphalous2
* InscriptionAcid
   The Solvent has eaten away part of the inscription--it's no longer meaningful
to you.  Satisfied that you've seen everything here, you return to the central
chamber.    
#divOmphalous2
* KeepNautilus
   You pocket the nautilus.  Your work here is not finished.  
#divOmphalous2
* Lamp3
   You switch off the lamps, and blink against the darkness.  No, it's not an
afterimage--you see light.  There's a wan, weird glow in the center of the room,
outlining the marble circle in the center of the room.                      
                                
   You kneel over the light.  The floor must be painted with some kind of
phosphorescent material.  But there's an odd, thin crack of blackness threaded
through the luminescent circle.  You run your fingers over the surface of the
floor--yes, there's a thin space here, between two of the slate tiles.  You can
just barely get the pads of your fingertips into the crack, but that's enough to
pull up the loose stone.                  
                     
   And with that out of the way, there's room to get to the marble slab.        

>-TILE
+Lift the marble stone+CircleHeavyDark
+Turn your lamps back on+Light3
+Leave this room+LightLeave
:LAMPS:Light3
:SOLVENT:CircleAcid
:SWORD:CircleSword
* LeaveBurials1
   A pang of hunger eventually reminds you that, unlike the dead queens, your
time here is finite.  You delicately replace the last of the urns, and pull the
marble circle back into its place.  The sword returns easily to its place in the
statue.     
      
   You leave the burial-room to the silence and the dark.   
<SWORD
#divOmphalous2
* LeaveBurials2
   A pang of hunger eventually reminds you that, unlike the dead queens, your
time here is finite.  You delicately replace the last of the urns, and pull the
marble circle back into its place.    
       
   Another investigation of the statues reveals nothing new.  Satistfied that
you've seen everything, you head back to the central chamber.   
#divOmphalous2
* LeaveBurials3
   A pang of hunger finally reminds you that, unlike the dead queens, your time
here is finite.  You delicately replace the last of the urns, pull the marble
circle back into its place, and return to the central chamber.      
#divOmphalous2
* LeaveBurials4
   A pang of hunger finally reminds you that, unlike the dead queens, your time
here is finite.  You replace the last of the urns, and pull what's left of the
marble circle back into its place.                
#divInscriptionAcid
* LeaveBurials5
   A pang of hunger finally reminds you that, unlike the dead queens, your time
here is finite.  You replace the last of the urns, and pull what's left of the
marble circle back into its place.             
      
   An investigation of the statues reveals nothing new.  Satisfied that you've
seen everything here, you head back to the central chamber.   
#divOmphalous2
* LeaveBurials6
   A pang of hunger finally reminds you that, unlike the dead queens, your time
here is finite.  You replace the last of the urns, pull what's left of the
marble circle back into its place, and return to the central chamber.        
#divOmphalous2
* LeaveScale
   You carefully return the stones to their original places.         
#divHall of Two
* LeaveSlab
   You replace the slate flagstone, confident that you'll be able to find it
again.        
#divThreeAgain
* LeaveVial
   You put the vial back in the niche, close the door carefully, and rebalance
the scales.                    
#divHall of Two
* Light3
   You turn your wrist-lamps back on.  You're almost certain there's something
underneath that marble slab.                  
+Lift the marble+CircleHeavy
+Examine the statues+StatueLook~@-STATUES
+Examine the statues+StatuesAgain~-STATUES
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveSlab
:SOLVENT:CircleAcid
* LightLeave
   You turn your wrist lamps back on, replace the flagstone, and return to the
central chamber.         
#divOmphalous2
* Nautilus2
   You tuck the seashell safely away, thinking about the hierophants' box.   
#divEndgame1
* Nautilus3
   You toss the seashell aside, thinking about the hierophants' box.  
#divEndgame1
* NoFour
   You look around the fountain room.  A thorough study of these walls would
take years.  You head back to the central chamber.   
#divOmphalous2
* NoHot
   The water is too hot for that.  
#ret
* NoSolvent
   You tuck the Solvent safely away.          
#divOmphalous2
* NoSword
   You try to work the sword loose from the statue, but the marble pieces are
set too closely together.  You can find no way to unjoin them after all.  
#divThreeAgain
* NotEndgame
   ...but there are still hidden treasures you haven't discovered, and ancient
riddles you haven't solved.  You won't leave yet.               
#divOmphalous2
* Omphalous (Initial)
   --In the Omphalos--                           
                         
   The tunnel from the surface breaks into a stone room here, illuminated by
your wrist-lamps.  The circular walls curve around you and vault high above your
head; centuries of shadows are gathered there above you.  The floor is set with
huge flagstones, polished smooth by forgotten hands.                           

                                   
   An open shaft behind you leads back up to the surface.  There are also three
dark archways gaping in the circular walls of the room--one to the north, one to
the southwest, and one to the southeast.                                   
                                   
   In the middle of the room is a pedestal, a simple column of stone, widening
at the top.  Something golden shines on top of the pedestal:  it looks like a
box.                                 
+Study the box+CasketLook1
+Go north+Hall of Two
+Go southwest+Hall of Three
+Go southeast+Hall of Four
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* Omphalous2
   --In the Omphalos--                               
                             
   The tunnel from the surface breaks into a stone room here, illuminated by
your wrist-lamps.  The circular walls curve around you and vault high above your
head; centuries of shadows are gathered there above you.  The floor is set with
huge flagstones, polished smooth by forgotten hands.  If this cavern is the
place the myths talk about, then the ancient hierophants considered it the
center of the world, and the wellspring of all sovereignty.                    

                                             
   An open shaft behind you leads back up to the surface.  There are also three
dark archways gaping in the circular walls of the room--one to the north, one to
the southwest, and one to the southeast.                                       

                                             
   In the center of the room is a golden box set on a stone pedestal.           

+Study the box+CasketLook1~@-LOOKEDCASKET
+Study the box again+CasketLook2~-LOOKEDCASKET
+Go north+Hall of Two
+Go southwest+Hall of Three~@-FLAG2
+Go southwest+ThreeNo~-FLAG2
+Go southeast+HallFourAgain~-BEENFOUR
+Go southeast+Hall of Four~@-BEENFOUR
+Return to the surface+Endgame1~-FLAG1
:SOLVENT:UseSolvent
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
:SWORD:UseSword
:NAUTILUS:UseNautilus
* OpenSafeAgain
   You remember how to open the door.  You adjust the scales accordingly, and
once again you hear the grinding of gears.                           
+Examine the vial again+TakeVial~-YKRASIS
+Examine the vial again+TakeVial~-GAHBRA
+Turn your attention elsewhere+LeaveScale
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* OpenSafe
   The iron door is locked fast.  You know that the hierophants liked to create
devices with elaborate systems of weights and pulleys; this door's opening
mechanism is probably tied somehow to the chains and dishes.              
+Study the dishes+PullChain
+Turn your attention somewhere else+Hall of Two
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* Palindrome
   IN GIRUM IMUS NOCTE ET CONSUMIMUR IGNI              
                 
   You walk about the edge of the circle, studying the inscription.  Why did the
hierophants use Roman writing here?  Aha--it's a palindrome, reading the same
backwards and forwards.              
                 
   "We enter the circle after dark and are consumed by fire."  If you remember
correctly, this was originally meant to describe the action of moths.           

+Step into the circle+CircleStand
+Lift the marble slab+CircleNoHandle
+Turn your attention elsewhere+ThreeAgain
:LAMPS:Lamp3
:SOLVENT:CircleAcid
* PickBlackRev(Mix/1)
   Which black stone do you want to take?     
+Take the stone in the right-hand dish+BlackandWhite(Mix/0)
+Take the stone in the left-hand dish+Rev1/1
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* PrincessFlag
   The pale stone reflects your lamplight brilliantly.  The blade is delicately
carved, unblemished.  It will be awkward to transport to the surface, but well
worth the effort of recovery.  Maybe someday you'll be able to come back for the
whole statue.          
   You wrap the sword in plastic and tie it securely to your backpack.         
            
   [If you decide you want to use the sword somewhere, type SWORD.]          
>-PRINCESS
#divThreeAgain
* PrincessSword
   You draw the marble sword from its sheath.       
>SWORD
#divPrincessFlag
* PullChain
   You tug gently on one of the chains, and it descends; the other dish rises at
the same time.  There is no other effect, and when you loose the chain both
dishes swing erratically, then settle into balance at the same height they were
before.  The whole system is some kind of scale.                   
+Pick up a stone+PickStone1~-LOOKEDFRESCOES
+Turn your attention somewhere else+Hall of Two
+Examine the frescoes+Frescoes~@-LOOKEDFRESCOES
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* PutBlack(0/Mix)
   Where do you want to put the black stone?     
+On the right-hand dish, with the other two stones+Rev0/3
+On the empty left-hand dish+BlackandWhite(1/Mix)
* Quote
                         
   "Of diverse beings thou shalt sound the essence;                   
   And thou shalt know the principle and end of All.                    
   Of others the example fear; think always for thyself:                    
   Consult, deliberate, and freely choose."                  
   --The Golden Verses of Pythagoras                  
>LAMPS
#divRules
* Rev(1/Mix)
   The dishes sway and settle close to balance.  The right-hand dish holds a
black and a white stone; the left-hand dish holds one white stone.      
+Continue experimenting with the scales+ScalesRev(1/Mix)
+Look elsewhere+LeaveScale
* Rev(Mix/1)
   The right-hand dish (holding one black stone) is a little higher now than the
left-hand dish (holding a black stone and a white stone), but they are close to
balance. 
+Continue experimenting with the scale+ScalesRev(Mix/1)
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
* Rules
   KINGDOM WITHOUT END      
                      
   This entry for the LOTECH Competition was written by Shannon Cochran, in
consultation with Nina Karp.  Gameplay consists of choosing among the options
provided.  You can also use the items you find by typing out their names--for
example, TORCH.                
                                
   Type QUIT to end the game, or HELP for more options.           
+Continue+Backstory
* Safe
   It's a round iron door, .8 meters in diameter (according to the palmcoder),
set in the center of the dead-end wall.  It isn't a door you could go through: 
it's more like a wall safe.  Hanging on each side of the door--and disappearing
up into small holes in the ceiling--are two chains, from which suspend two
shallow dishes.   
                               
   The dish on the right holds two white stones.  The dish on the left holds two
black stones.                             
+Open the door+OpenSafe~@-FLAG1
+Pull a chain+PullChain
+Open the door+OpenSafeAgain~-FLAG1
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
:NAUTILUS:ScalesNautilus
* ScalesEmpty
   The empty scales sway and settle into balance.    
+Continue experimenting with the scales+WhiteorBlackPutEmpty
+Turn your attention somewhere else+LeaveScale
:NAUTILUS:ScalesNautilus
* ScalesNautilus
   Where do you want to put the nautilus?     
+On the right-hand dish+YkrasisNautilus
+On the left-hand dish+GahbraNautilus
* SecondStone
   You keep the two black stones in your hand.  As the scales rattle and sway,
you hear gears grinding behind the iron door.  The dishes finally settle; they
are spaced as widely apart as Gahbra's swords.              
>-FLAG1
+Open the door+GahbraOpen
+Turn your attention somewhere else+DontLeaveGahbra
* ShellSword
   You unpack the stone sword and begin fishing around in the fountain, trying
to catch the little object.  It keeps sliding off the edge of the blade.    
+Keep trying+ShellSword2
+Grab the object+GrabHot
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* ShellSword2
   For a moment you capture the object against the basin's edge:  it's a pale,
roundish little thing.  But as you try to pull it up, it slips away and is lost
in the roiling water.    
+Keep trying+ShellSword3
+Grab the object+GrabHot
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* ShellSword3
   You fish around in the basin, but catch no sight of the little object.    
+Keep trying+ShellSword4
+Reach in the water+GrabHot
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* ShellSword4
   Finally, you succeed in knocking it out of the basin; it falls into a gutter
and is washed up against the grille.  It's only a seashell--a pearly, coiled
shell striated with red-brown lines.  A nautilus.              
                 
   Was this a bit of detritus borne up by the underground stream?  Or, more
likely, a votive offering tossed here long ago, in the same spirit that you
might throw a penny into a fountain?  You smile a little as you pocket the
shell, and head back to the central chamber.        
       
   [To use the nautilus somewhere, type NAUTILUS.]    
>NAUTILUS
#divFlag3
* Statue1(Again)
   This statue depicts a young woman in the battle-armor of a queen.  Her chin
is tilted upward, as if she looks at something above you, and one of her hands
rests on the hilt of the sword sheathed at her hip.  The inscription on the
statue reads, "I Will Rule."                                   
                                             
   As you study the statue, you notice something odd:  the carved sword is
casting a shadow within its marble sheath.  You could probably work it loose
from the rest of the statue.                             
+Draw the sword+PrincessSword~@SWORD
+Examine another statue+StatuesAgain
+Turn your attention elsewhere+ThreeAgain
+Draw the sword+NoSword~SWORD
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* Statue1(Last)
   This statue depicts a young woman in the battle-armor of a queen.  Her chin
is tilted upward, as if she looks at something above you.  The sheath at her hip
is empty.            
+Examine another statue+StatuesAgain
+Examine the circle+CircleLook~@-FLAG2
+Return to the central chamber+Omphalous2
+Examine the burial-pit again+BurialsAgain~-FLAG2
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* Statue2
   The statue in the middle depicts another queen of Kharuen, in characteristic
battle-armor.  Her features hold a fierce beauty; she resembles the first statue
in everything but youth.  Her level gaze stares blindly out into the room, and
her hands grasp an upright sword, ready for any enemies that might come.       

                      
   There is a glyph carved into the base of the statue.  It's the sign of
sovereignty, with markings to indicate present tense--"I Rule."                 

+Examine the third statue+Statue3
+Examine the circle+CircleLook~@-FLAG2
+Turn your attention elsewhere+ThreeAgain
+Examine the burial-pit again+BurialsAgain~-FLAG2
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* Statue2(Again)
   This statue depicts a queen in ceremonial battle-armor.  Her level gaze
stares past you, and she holds up an unsheathed sword.  The inscription on the
statue reads, "I Rule."                        
                            
   As you study the statue, you notice something odd:  the carved sword is
casting a shadow within the grasp of the queen's hands.  You could probably work
it loose from the rest of the statue.                              
+Take the sword+QueenSword~@SWORD
+Examine another statue+StatuesAgain
+Turn your attention elsewhere+ThreeAgain
+Take the sword+NoSword~SWORD
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* Statue2(Last)
   This statue depicts a queen in ceremonial battle-armor.  Her level gaze
stares past you, and her empty hand once held a sword.  The inscription on the
statue reads, "I Rule."               
+Examine another statue+StatuesAgain
+Examine the carved circle+CircleLook~@-FLAG2
+Return to the central chamber+Omphalous2
+Examien the burial-pit again+BurialsAgain~-FLAG2
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* Statue3
   The statue to your right depicts a third armored queen, but this one seems
old:  her shoulders droop, and her head is bowed.  One hand is limply clasped
around a broken sword.                   
                               
   The glyph carved into the statue's base represents sovereignty, but the
markings indicate the past tense.  "I Have Ruled."                   
>-STATUES
+Examine a statue again+StatuesAgain
+Examine the circle+CircleLook~@-FLAG2
+Turn your attention elsewhere+ThreeAgain
+Examine the burial-pit again+BurialsAgain~-FLAG2
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* Statue3(Again)
   This statue depicts a defeated queen;  her shoulders droop with age, and her
head is bowed.  One hand is limply clasped around a broken sword.  The
inscription on the statue reads, "I Have Ruled."             
                
   As you study the statue, you notice something odd:  the carved sword is
casting a shadow within the grasp of the queen's hands.  You could probably work
it loose from the rest of the statue.                     
+Take the sword+DowagerSword~@SWORD
+Examine another statue+StatuesAgain
+Turn your attention elsewhere+ThreeAgain
+Take the sword+NoSword~SWORD
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* Statue3(Last)
   This statue depicts a defeated queen;  her shoulders droop with age, and her
head is bowed.  Her empty hand once held a broken sword.  The inscription on the
statue reads, "I Have Ruled."                
+Examine another statue+StatuesAgain
+Examine the carved circle+CircleLook~@-FLAG2
+Return to the central chamber+Omphalous2
+Examine the burial-pit again+BurialsAgain~-FLAG2
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* StatueLook
   The statue on your left depicts a queen of Kharuen in full battle-armor. 
(The detail is remarkable, meaning the artifact is probably of relatively late
construction.  It appears entirely undamaged.)  Her features seem young, but
stern; her chin is tilted upward, as if she looks at something above you.  One
of her hands rests on the hilt of a sword, which is sheathed at her hip.       

                       
   There is a glyph carved into the base of the statue:  the sign of
sovereignty, with markings to indicate future tense.  "I Will Rule," you note
for your records.                    
+Examine the second statue+Statue2
+Examine the circle+CircleLook~@-FLAG2
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
+Examine the burial-pit again+BurialsAgain~-FLAG2
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* StatuesAgain
   Which statue do you want to study?               
+The aspiring princess+Statue1(Again)~@-PRINCESS
+The ruling queen+Statue2(Again)~@-QUEEN
+The defeated queen+Statue3(Again)~@-DOWAGER
+The aspiring princess+Statue1(Last)~-PRINCESS
+The ruling queen+Statue2(Last)~-QUEEN
+The defeated queen+Statue3(Last)~-DOWAGER
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* TasteWater
   You dip a hand into the fountain, and immediately snatch it back out, yelping
in pain.  The water is scaldingly hot!           
         
   Underneath the sound of falling water, you can still hear something clinking
around in the basin.      
>-HOT
+Look in the basin+Basin
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Look at the gutters+Gutters
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
* ThreeAgain
   --Hall of Three--                                                         
                                                            
   This oddly-shaped room is formed by three walls, angled together to create a
triangular chamber.  The only passage from this room is the archway leading back
to the central chamber.                       
                                                           
   Three marble statues stand at the edges of the light, one in each corner, and
a wide stone circle is set into the middle of the floor.  The air is musty; no
living thing has been here in centuries.                      
+Examine the statues+StatueLook~@-STATUES
+Examine the circle+CircleLook
+Examine the statues+StatuesAgain~-STATUES
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Lamp3
* ThreeNo
   Your investigations in the triangular room uncover nothing new.   
#ret
* TossNautilus
   You fling the useless shell away.  You shouldn't be here anyway.  You're
still young and strong enough; you can learn to make yourself useful.     
      
   Filled with new purpose, you turn back to the surface.   
#die
* TwoHallAgain
   You look around, but you find nothing new.                  
#divHall of Two
* TwoHallLook
   What part of the hall would you like to study?                               

+Study the frescoes+Frescoes~@-LOOKEDFRESCOES
+Study the door+Safe~@-FLAG1
+Study the frescoes again+FrescoesAgain~-LOOKEDFRESCOES
+Study the safe+TwoHallAgain~-FLAG1
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* UseDowager
   You lift the stone sword above the golden box, like a participant in some
ceremonial sacrifice.  You hesitate for only a second before stabbing down into
the casket.                              
   As you suspected, the old metal gives way easily, shearing apart with loud
protest.  You pry the shards of metal up, shining your lamplight eagerly into
the hidden space.                               
   But there's nothing there, only a bit of dust sprinkling down onto the
pedestal.  When you shake the box all you hear, faintly, are the bits of metal
scraping together.  Did you accidentally pulverize something?                  

                                  
   Abruptly, you realize that it doesn't matter.  You've spent your life
reconstructing the history of a nation that's rotting about you.  Your illicit
researches here were nothing more than a desperate attempt to convince yourself
that, somehow, it was worth it.  "These fragments I have shored against my
ruins..."      
           
   You turn the empty box over in your hands, then set it back on the pedestal. 
There's nothing left for you here.    
#die
* UseNautilus
   You turn the little seashell over in your hand.  Something lived there once,
and created the shell as a byproduct of its existence.  So these caverns were
created by living people.  Why keep the shell when the nautilus is dead?  Why
has your life's work led you to failed civilizations, when your own country
demands practical industry?                
              
+Keep the shell+Nautilus2~-FLAG1
+Keep the shell+KeepNautilus~@-FLAG1
+Toss the shell away+Nautilus3~-FLAG1
+Toss the shell away+TossNautilus~@-FLAG1
* UseNoSword
   You pack the sword safely away.    
#divOmphalous2
* UseQueen
   You lift the stone sword above the golden box, like a participant in some
ceremonial sacrifice.  You hesitate for only a second before stabbing down into
the casket.                       
   As you suspected, the old metal gives way easily, shearing apart with loud
protest.  You pry the shards of metal up, shining your lamplight eagerly into
the hidden space.                        
   But there's nothing there, only a bit of dust sprinkling down onto the
pedestal.  When you shake the box all you hear, faintly, are the bits of metal
scraping together.  Did you accidentally pulverize something?                  

                           
   But you realize, abruptly, that it's not important.  The funerary urns are by
far the most significant find here; everything else pales in comparison.  But
the other artifacts would still be worth a small fortune on the international
black market for antiquities.  You could use that money to fund your more
important work--to recover the urns, for instance, and to create some
underground forum for you and your colleagues to share research.     
                         
   It's a hard choice to make, but it's the only one you can live with.  You
still have so much to do.    
#die
* UsePrincess
   You lift the stone sword above the golden box, like a participant in some
ceremonial sacrifice.  You hesitate for only a second before stabbing down into
the casket.                       
   As you suspected, the old metal gives way easily, shearing apart with loud
protest.  You pry the shards of metal up, shining your lamplight eagerly into
the hidden space.                        
   But there's nothing there, only a bit of dust sprinkling down onto the
pedestal.  When you shake the box all you hear, faintly, are the bits of metal
scraping together.  Did you accidentally pulverize something?                  

                           
   But you find, abruptly, that it doesn't matter to you.  Even broken, this
golden casket is valuable:  and the collection of artifacts you've found here
will be worth a small fortune on the international black market for antiquities.
 You could use that money to obtain a forged passport.  You could leave dead
Kharuen, and resuscitate your life in some distant, more enlightened country.   

          
   You've exhausted the past.  It's time to think of the future.                

                           
#die
* UseSolvent
   Perhaps the acid would eat away an opening in the golden casket.   You are
suddenly shocked at your own thoughts.  How could you even consider damaging
such a priceless artifact?                        
                        
   But then, your career is in shambles and you are violating a dozen laws just
to be here.  Maybe you simply don't care anymore.                      
+Use the acid on the casket+DissolveCasket~-GAHBRA
+Use the acid on the casket+InertCasket~@-GAHBRA
+Put the acid away+NoSolvent
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* UseSword
   The gold is probably soft--you could most likely punch a hole in it, and see
what's inside.   
      
   You are suddenly shocked at your own thoughts.  How could you even consider
damaging such a priceless artifact?  But then, your career is in shambles and
you are violating a dozen laws just to be here.  Maybe you simply don't care
anymore.       
+Use the sword+UsePrincess~-PRINCESS
+Use the sword+UseQueen~-QUEEN
+Use the sword+UseDowager~-DOWAGER
+Put the sword away+UseNoSword
* Wait1
   Sometimes the water burbles up strongly; sometimes the basin almost calms for
a moment.  The little object in the water bobs up intermittently--it's a pale,
roundish thing.          
+Grab the object+GrabHot
+Wait and watch+Wait2
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
:SWORD:ShellSword
* Wait2
   The little object clinks against the side of the basin, then disappears into
the cloudy depths.       
+Grab the object+GrabHot
+Wait and watch+Wait3
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
:SWORD:ShellSword
* Wait3
   The pale object reappears at the surface of the water, spinning in an eddy. 
You think you could grab it now.     
+Grab the object+GetShell
+Wait and watch+Wait1
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
:SWORD:ShellSword
* WallEast
   As you look more carefully at the wall, it's clear to you that there are
layers and layers of these frescoes, joining and overlapping in a complicated
patchwork.  You delicately chip away with your fingernail at the edge of one
image; and sure enough, there's a different fresco underneath.  Filaments of
fungus also wind over the surface, damaging some of the paintings.             

                                                     
   You can pick out an angel with a sword; the silhouette of a leaf; several
representations of the daemon Lursamel; some alchemical equations purporting to
describe the rubedo; a mathematical problem ("(1 + SQR(5))/2"); a few stanzas of
musical notation; and, near the center of the wall, an unusual variation on the
ouroboros.  This snake does not quite succeed in biting its own tail.  Instead
the tail curves around again, so the that the snake inscribes an open-ended,
spiral shape.                                                 
   "The function of this room," you say into the palmcoder, "is not at all
obvious.  But it was clearly in ritual use over a prolonged period of time.  My
initial feeling is that this was a place of celebration, of gathering, and a
place to where knowledge was treated as a living and growing phenomenon.  Hence,
these walls became a sort of compedium, reflecting generations of
understanding."                                                    
>-WALL
+Examine another wall+WallLook
+Look at the fountain+Fountain
+Look at the gutters+Gutters
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
* WallEastAgain
   You can pick out an angel with a sword; the silhouette of a leaf; several
representations of the daemon Lursamel; some alchemical equations purporting to
describe the rubedo; a mathematical problem ("(1 + SQR(5))/2"); a few stanzas of
musical notation; and, near the center of the wall, an unusual variation on the
ouroboros.  This snake does not quite succeed in biting its own tail.  Instead
the tail curves around again, so the that the snake inscribes an open-ended,
spiral shape.       
   The sound of falling water fills the room, but you can also hear something
clinking around in the basin of the fountain.     
+Look at another wall+WallLookAgain~@-WALLAGAIN
+Look at another wall+WallLook~-WALLAGAIN
+Look at the fountain+Fountain
+Look at the gutters+Gutters
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* WallLook
   What strikes you most strongly is the sheer profusion of images and words. 
The walls are covered with them--it almost looks like graffiti.      
            
   Which of the walls do you want to examine more closely?              
+The north wall+WallNorth~@-WALL
+The south wall+WallSouth~@-WALL
+The east wall+WallEast~@-WALL
+The west wall+WallWest~@-WALL
+The north wall+WallNorthAgain~-WALL
+The south wall+WallSouthAgain~-WALL
+The east wall+WallEastAgain~-WALL
+The west wall+WallWestAgain~-WALL
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* WallLookAgain
   The walls are covered with pictures and notes, but several images--or the
same types of images--are repeated on every wall.  "Four ways of saying the same
thing?" you wonder aloud.  "Perhaps there is a sort of illusion here, an
appearance of profusion when in fact there is union."      
         
   Which wall do you want to study more closely?      
>-WALLAGAIN
+The north wall+WallNorthAgain
+The south wall+WallSouthAgain
+The west wall+WallWestAgain
+The east wall+WallEastAgain
* WallNorth
   As you look more carefully at the wall, it's clear to you that there are
layers and layers of these frescoes, joining and overlapping in a complicated
patchwork.  You delicately chip away with your fingernail at the edge of one
image; and sure enough, there's a different painting underneath.  Filaments of
fungus also wind over the surface of the walls.           
                                                    
   You can pick out an angel with a trumpet; the silhouette of an acorn; several
representations of the daemon Los-Arzael; some alchemical equations purporting
to describe the nigredo; a long fraction ("1.618033989"); scraps of poetry; and,
near the center of the wall, an unusual variation on the ouroboros.  This snake
does not quite succeed in biting its own tail.  Instead the tail curves around
again, so the that the snake inscribes an open-ended, spiral shape.             

                                        
   "The function of this room," you say into the palmcoder, "is not at all
obvious.  But it was clearly in ritual use over a prolonged period of time.  My
initial feeling is that this was a place of celebration, of gathering, and a
place to where knowledge was treated as a living and growing phenomenon.  Hence,
these walls became a sort of compedium, reflecting generations of
understanding."                                                   
>-WALL
+Look at another wall+WallLook
+Look at the fountain+Fountain
+Look at the gutters+Gutters
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
* WallNorthAgain
   You can pick out an angel with a trumpet; the silhouette of an acorn; several
representations of the daemon Los-Arzael; some alchemical equations purporting
to describe the nigredo; a long fraction ("1.618033989"); scraps of poetry; and,
near the center of the wall, an unusual variation on the ouroboros.  This snake
does not quite succeed in biting its own tail.  Instead the tail curves around
again, so the that the snake inscribes an open-ended, spiral shape.            

          
   The room is filled with the sound of falling water, but you also hear
something clinking around inside a basin of the fountain.       
+Look at another wall+WallLookAgain~@-WALLAGAIN
+Look at the fountain+Fountain
+Look at the gutters+Gutters
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
+Look at another wall+WallLook~-WALLAGAIN
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* WallSouth
   As you look more carefully at the wall, it's clear to you that there are
layers and layers of these frescoes, joining and overlapping in a complicated
patchwork.  You delicately chip away with your fingernail at the edge of one
image; and sure enough, there's a different fresco underneath.  Filaments of
fungus also wind over the surface, damaging some of the paintings.             

                                                         
   You can pick out an angel with a palm of flame; the silhouette of a flower;
several representations of the daemon Mahazurin; some alchemical instructions
purporting to explain the citrinas; a mathematical ratio ("u/u+v = v/u"); a
diagram of a Greek kylix; and, near the center of the wall, an unusual variation
on the ouroboros.  This snake does not quite succeed in biting its own tail. 
Instead, the tail curves around again, so the that the snake inscribes an
open-ended, spiral shape.                           
                                             
   "The function of this room," you say into the palmcoder, "is not at all
obvious.  But it was clearly in ritual use over a prolonged period of time.  My
initial feeling is that this was a place of celebration, of gathering, and a
place to where knowledge was treated as a living and growing phenomenon.  Hence,
these walls became a sort of compedium, reflecting generations of
understanding."                                        
>-WALL
+Examine another wall+WallLook
+Look at the fountain+Fountain
+Look at the gutters+Gutters
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
* WallSouthAgain
   You can pick out an angel with a palm of flame; the silhouette of a flower;
several representations of the daemon Mahazurin; some alchemical instructions
purporting to explain the citrinas; a mathematical ratio ("u/u+v = v/u"); a
diagram of a Greek kylix; and, near the center of the wall, an unusual variation
on the ouroboros.  This snake does not quite succeed in biting its own tail. 
Instead, the tail curves around again, so the that the snake inscribes an
open-ended, spiral shape.        
           
   The room is filled with the sound of falling water, but you also hear
something clinking around inside a basin of the fountain.             
+Look at another wall+WallLookAgain~@-WALLAGAIN
+Look at another wall+WallLook~-WALLAGAIN
+Look at the fountain+Fountain
+Look at the gutters+Gutters
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* WallWest
   As you look more carefully at the wall, it's clear to you that there are
layers and layers of these frescoes, joining and overlapping in a complicated
patchwork.  You delicately chip away with your fingernail at the edge of one
image; and sure enough, there's a different fresco underneath.  Filaments of
fungus also wind over the surface, damaging some of the paintings.             

                                                                  
   You can pick out an angel with a staff; the silhouette of a snowflake;
several representations of the daemon Tharmazel; some alchemical equations
purporting to describe the albedo; a mathematical series ("1:1:2:3:5:8:13:21");
a few faces, sketched as if for portraiture; and, near the center of the wall,
an unusual variation on the ouroboros.  This snake does not quite succeed in
biting its own tail.  Instead the tail curves around again, so the that the
snake inscribes an open-ended, spiral shape.                
                             
   "The function of this room," you say into the palmcoder, "is not at all
obvious.  But it was clearly in ritual use over a prolonged period of time.  My
initial feeling is that this was a place of celebration, of gathering, and a
place to where knowledge was treated as a living and growing phenomenon.  Hence,
these walls became a sort of compedium, reflecting generations of
understanding."                                                 
>-WALL
+Look at another wall+WallLook
+Look at the fountain+Fountain
+Look at the gutters+Gutters
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
* WallWestAgain
   You can pick out an angel with a staff; the silhouette of a snowflake;
several representations of the daemon Tharmazel; some alchemical equations
purporting to describe the albedo; a mathematical series ("1:1:2:3:5:8:13:21");
a few faces, sketched as if for portraiture; and, near the center of the wall,
an unusual variation on the ouroboros.  This snake does not quite succeed in
biting its own tail.  Instead the tail curves around again, so the that the
snake inscribes an open-ended, spiral shape.      
         
   The room is filled with the sound of falling water, but you can also hear
something clinking around in the basin of the fountain.     
+Look at another wall+WallLookAgain~@-WALLAGAIN
+Look at another wall+WallLook~-WALLAGAIN
+Look at the fountain+Fountain
+Look at the gutters+Gutters
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* WarmTaste
   The water is hot, and tastes metallic.               
+Drink more water+WarmTaste
+Examine the fountain+Fountain
+Look at the walls+WallLook
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* White/White
   The scales see-saw into balance, and behind the clink of chains you think you
hear a faint 'click' from the iron door.  But nothing else happens, and when you
try the door, it is still locked.  It is as if some mechanism had almost--but
not quite--been engaged.              
        
   The dishes are at the same level as Ykrasis' cups.            
+Continue experimenting with the scales+Scales(White/White)
+Look elsewhere+LeaveScale
* YkrasisNautilus
   As the scales rattle and sway, you hear gears grinding behind the iron door. 

>-YKRASIS
+Open the door+YkrasisOpen
+Turn your attention elsewhere+YkrasisDontLeave
* BoxGet
   You snap on a pair of thin nubblex gloves, to protect the ancient metal from
the residues of your skin, and reach carefully for the artifact.               

                                  
   It's heavy, and as you lift it, something rattles inside.  But as you turn it
over, you still can't see any way of opening it, and the only marking is the
ouroboros.  You touch the embossing lightly, looking for a lock mechanism, but
nothing happens.                                  
      
   The gold itself is brilliantly worked, hammered so that each surface contains
a hundred separate planes, and light dazzles from every edge.                  

                                  
   You gently return the box to its place.  Perhaps there is some way of opening
it hidden within these rooms.                                
>-BOXGOT
+Look around this room+Omphalous2
+Go north+Hall of Two
+Go southwest+Hall of Three~@-FLAG2
+Go southeast+Hall of Four~@-BEENFOUR
+Go southwest+ThreeNo~-FLAG2
+Go southeast+HallFourAgain~-BEENFOUR
+Return to the surface+Endgame1~-FLAG1
:SOLVENT:UseSolvent
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
:SWORD:UseSword
:NAUTILUS:UseNautilus
* TakeVial
   You quickly recognize both glyphs.  "This symbol," you say, focusing on the
wax, "represents the Universal Solvent--the legendary fluid capable of
dissolving all materials.  It is generally thought that the Solvent was some
kind of powerful acid."      
    
   You center the palmcorder on the glyph at the vial's vase.  "And this symbol
represents the Prima Materia--another legend of the philosopher-priests.  The
Materia was supposed to be the most pure substance in the world; harder than
diamond, and far more precious.  It could not be harmed by any force."          

+Keep the vial+KeepVial
+Put the vial back+LeaveVial
* KeepVial
   You stare thoughtfully at the vial.  "Obviously, the Solvent and the Materia
are mutually exclusive ideas, but the hierophants loved paradox.  I
wonder...maybe this vial does contain the acid known as the Solvent?  And maybe
it was coated with some inert substance, which the hierophants might have called
a Prima Materia?"        
    
   In any case, you need to take this back to your lab to conduct a chemical
analysis.  You wrap the vial in a sheet of shock-absorbent plastic and zip it in
your backpack.  Then you close the door of the safe and rebalance the scales,
leaving everything the way you found it.                       
                                           
   [If you decide you would like to use the acid somewhere, type SOLVENT.]      

                               
>SOLVENT
+Examine this hall+TwoHallAgain
+Go back to the center room+Omphalous2
* QueenSword
   You gingerly work the marble sword free from the statue's hand.       
>SWORD
#divQueenFlag
* QueenFlag
   The white blade lies in your hand, a heavy, expectant weight.  It ought to be
in a museum.  Surely the libraries and the museums will reopen soon; until then
you can guard this piece yourself.  You wrap it in plastic and tie it securely
to your backpack.               
    
   [If you decide you want to use the sword somewhere, type SWORD.]             

>-QUEEN
#divThreeAgain
* Hall of Four
   The corridor twists and slopes deeper into the earth.  You notice that the
stone walls are streaked with long, black filaments--the mycelia of some fungus.
Then unexpected sensation arrests your movement.  It's noise; the sound of water
splashing ahead.                
                 
>-BEENFOUR
+Continue+HallFour
+Go back+Omphalous2
* HallFour
   --Hall of Four--                 
                    
   You round the corner and find yourself in a square chamber.  Each wall is
painted with myriad images, too crowded and complicated for your eye to
immediately comprehend.  Four gutters quadrisect the room and meet at a central
fountain, from which water is still, quite unbelievably, gurgling and splashing.
The archway back to the central chamber is set in the northwest corner of the
room.        
                 
+Examine the fountain+Fountain
+Examine the walls+WallLook
+Examine the gutters+Gutters
+Leave this room+Omphalous2
* GetShell
   You scald your fingertips, but you manage to snag the little thing out of the
water.  It's only a seashell--a pearly, coiled shell striated with red-brown
lines.  A nautilus.             
    
   Was this a bit of detritus borne up by the underground stream?  Or, more
likely, a votive offering tossed here long ago, in the same spirit that you
might throw a penny into a fountain?  You smile a little as you pocket the
shell, and head back to the central chamber.           
                
   [To use the seashell somewhere, type NAUTILUS.]             
>NAUTILUS
#divFlag3
* Endgame3
   ...but again, the circle of fire and darkness was no revelation to you. 
You've spent your life studying forgotten empires; you are well aware that the
greatest achievements come to nothing, and the most noble lives end in ashes and
dust.                 
     
   Gods exist in three dimensions, but humanity exists in four.  Time,
generation, is our gift and our curse:  we are doomed to the nautilus spiral,
forever seeking our centers, but with each turn expanding farther into the void.

       
   You brush your fingers across the ouroboros.  You have grasped the
rattler-tail of wisdom, and clung to it as it twisted and heaved, dragging you
through all the sinuous caverns of antiquity.  Now you see eternity's dark face,
the serpent's maw from which no rebirth is possible.  Nothing comes around
again.                         
+Continue+Endgame4
:SOLVENT:UseSolvent
:LAMPS:Dark(default)
* Endgame4
   And you know, abruptly and with utter clarity, what is in the box.  The
casket contains its own key; because the only ones who can open it are those who
have no need.  To break open that chest is to lose, forever, the treasure that
it held.                     
   
   So you will take nothing from this place.  You will never publish your
findings, and you will even wipe the memory of your palmcoder clean.  You will
leave your work unjustified, you will leave your understanding incomplete; you
will leave with your vector uncharted, and your kingdom without end.            

#win
#endSaveGame