Suveh Nux
David Fisher
adaptive hints built-in hints constructed language cover art fantasy gender-neutral protagonist kid-friendly linguistics magic magical grammar on Jay Is Games One-Room Game Competition 2007 parser play online puzzles recommended for beginners short simulationist puzzles single room spells systematic puzzles walkthrough Xyzzy Awards 2007 XYZZY Best Puzzles
An entry in the 2007 One Room Game Competition. You play a magician's servant who gets trapped in your master's vault; you'll need to learn some of his tricks if you want to get out.
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Yes, master?"

You rush to your master's side and await his instructions. He is studying a fragile looking scroll and muttering to himself.

He looks up and says, "Ah, there you are. This ..." -- he hands you the scroll -- " ... goes back in the vault. I believe it is still open. And this little beastie ..." -- he hands you a small, empty brass cage -- "... goes back to my private quarters. Thank you, that will be all."

You bow, and head downstairs to the vault. The heavy stone door is wide open, and a golden key juts out of the lock.

Without warning, someone shoves you roughly from behind. The scroll and the brass cage fly out of your hands as you fall to the ground. There is a loud "click", and everything turns black.
You think about the master
(It is not quite as dark as you thought. A sliver of light under the door provides a tiny amount of light, and your eyes begin to adjust to the near darkness ...)

Your master is kind, but a little forgetful sometimes. He spends most of his time poring over ancient manuscripts.
You think about yourself
You're pretty content with your life. Your master is kind and you have freedom of movement in and out of the house.
You think about the vault
It's not that small, really ... the air should last for a while.
You examine the door
You can't see the door too well. There is a sliver of light coming in from under it.
Look around
There is plenty of room to move around, and the ceiling is quite high. You can just make out a shelf along one of the walls.

On the floor you can faintly see a brass cage and a scroll.
You examine the cage
You can barely make out the brass cage sitting on the floor.

It seems to have fallen open.
You think about the cage
Wonder what was inside it.

Something brushes past your foot.
You take the scroll
Taken.
You examine the scroll
It's a fragile scroll. It is too dark to read what is on it.
You touch the shelf
You stretch out your hand and feel your way along the shelf ... there is a piece of parchment, what feels like a leather bound book, a crystal or gemstone of some kind ...

Clunk! You knock over a small vial of liquid, which glows briefly with a dull green light. The glow soon fades away.

You noticed that the vial had a stopper, so nothing was spilled. (Fortunately for you; your master may have been upset if it had).
You examine the vial
You can't see it very well in the dark. It only glowed for a brief time.

You feel something nibbling on your shoe.
Shake vial
You give the vial of liquid a vigorous shake, and it starts to glow with a faint, phosphorescent green light -- enough to get a better look at your surroundings.

[Type "full score" at any time for a breakdown of your score.]
Examine book
The front cover of the book has the word "SPELLS" written vertically down the left side in silver letters.

You glimpse the words "Pleasing Effects" before the glow fades too much to read the rest of the title. The letters in silver remain visible.

[To read the book, say "next/prev", "page <number>", or "open/close book".]
Look around
You view your surroundings by the dull green glow of the liquid ...

On the shelf you can see a leather bound book, a piece of parchment and a crystal or gemstone.

On the floor is an open brass cage.
You take all from the shelf
leather bound book: Removed.
piece of parchment: Removed.
crystal or gemstone: Removed.

Something brushes past you again.
You read the book
The front cover of the book has the word "SPELLS" written vertically down the left side in silver letters. There is some other writing as well, but it's too dark to make out.
You read the book
The front cover of the book has the word "SPELLS" written vertically down the left side in silver letters.

You glimpse the words "Pleasing Effects" before the glow fades too much to read the rest of the title. The letters in silver remain visible.
Next
The first page says "Suveh Nux" down the left side in silver letters. There is some other writing as well, but it's too dark to make out.
Suveh nux
You say "Suveh nux".

The room is suddenly filled with light.

You briefly feel something small standing on your foot.
You look at the floor
The floor is solid stone, just like the walls and the door.

On the floor is an open brass cage.
Next
The second page says:

Ancient races such as the Meohan, a
very sophisticated and reasonable
ethnic group indeed, possessed
horological devices of such accurate
Timing that they could predict
imminent eclipses, conjunctions
and other such astronomical phenomena.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Tia".
Aveh tia
You say "Aveh tia".

The room becomes hot.

Something briefly tugs at your trousers and then lets go.
Next
The third page says:

Another highly developed race of antiquity,
vanquished by the Meohan, were the Sundar --
exquisite workers in metal, gemstones and
heated glass. Their susceptibility to the
Meohan's warlike methods was only due to
a civil war between rival noble families,
devastating the nation's standing army
at a very inopportune time; their enemies
had a distinct numerical advantage as a result.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Madah".
Aveh madah
You say "Aveh madah".

You feel heavy and weighed down.
Keep going
You say "Aveh madah".

You briefly feel a bit heavier.
Next
The fourth page says:

underestimated. They were experts in shaping
very large blocks of marble or granite, which the
evidence suggests were used for constructing
huge, elaborate tombs for their deceased rulers.
Sundar stone shaping involved making the stone
extremely cold with buckets of ice imported from
nearby Aoeteria, and then rapidly heating the
stone with an intense blaze, which would split
it along the desired fault line.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Suveh Sensi".

Something nibbles on your shoe.
Suveh sensi
You say "Suveh sensi".

Your emotions feel confused.
Next
The fifth page says:

Anatomy, Physiology and Biology were among the
various subjects studied and perfected by the
ethnic group known jointly as the Andira, who
had more than a passing understanding of the
Holistic nature of such endeavours. Medical
advances of various and sundry kinds were
invented by this group, and it must certainly be
acknowledged that much of their skill and the
knowledge they possessed far exceeds our own.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Haiak".

You feel something brush against you again.
Aveh haiak
You say "Aveh haiak".

Your hands start feeling sticky.
Next
The sixth page says:

value of pi, the square root of two, and other
esoteric numbers; calculus and trigonometry; and
how to prove things in a rigorous, logical fashion.
Numbers in the Laodian culture were formed
using admirably simple rules (historian
x's claims to the contrary notwithstanding):
A value is doubled by prefixing it with "ma";
no value but zero ends with this syllable. If
it is prefixed with "to", double and add one.
"Matoto", for example, represents the number six,
as this is twice "toto", the number three; and
"to" alone is of course unity. It seems that no
other culture used this kind of representation.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Nux Ani Mato".
Aveh nux ani mato
You say "Aveh nux ani mato", and you feel a tingling sensation. Nothing unpleasant, but it is a bit strange.
Next
The rest of the pages seem to be blank. You turn back to page six.
You look at the scroll
The scroll is written in your master's hand in a familiar script, but you cannot read what it says. Perhaps it is some kind of shorthand or private code. You don't have much hope of interpreting it.

The light suddenly goes out, and you are in darkness once again.
Suveh nux
You say "Suveh nux".

The room is filled with light.
You examine the parchment
The parchment is written in a script you are not familiar with. In the centre is an illustration of a man holding a teardrop shaped object and pointing his finger at a table.
You examine the door
The door is made from solid stone, and it looks strong and heavy.

Something briefly sticks to your shoe.
You examine the shoe
Your shoes are black and shiny, and they have some small nibble marks on them.

They feel a little sticky.
You check your inventory
You are carrying:
a clear crystal
a piece of parchment
a leather bound book
a vial of liquid with a cork stopper
a scroll
You examine the crystal
A perfectly clear crystal with many facets, about the size of your fist and shaped like a teardrop. The light dances beautifully across its surface.
Point at door
You point your finger at the vault door.

The crystal hums briefly, and the word "fireno" dances in the air before you in fiery letters.
Suveh nux fireno
You say "Suveh nux fireno".

The vault door starts to glow.

Something tickles your ankle.
Aveh madah fireno
You say "Aveh madah fireno".

You feel like something has happened.
You keep going
You say "Aveh madah fireno".

You feel like something didn't quite happen.
You touch the door
It doesn't feel sticky, but your hands are sticky. You have difficulty removing your hands from it.
Point at floor
You point your finger at the floor.

The word "tolanisu" impresses itself on your mind.

The vault door stops glowing.
You point at the cage
You point your finger at the brass cage.

The word "imoentar" drifts into your consciousness.

Something gets stuck to your foot then detaches itself.
Point at shoe
You point your finger at your shoes.

The word "ami" appears in fiery letters before you.
Mistype
Commands for controlling automatic typing correction are:

mistype off -- to turn off typing correction completely.
mistype single -- to correct single-letter errors only.
mistype on -- to turn on full typing correction.
You ppull the door
The door opens outwards.
About yourself
You seem to be intact after your rough handling.

You are dressed in a tunic, some loose trousers and a pair of black shoes, and you are carrying a clear crystal, a piece of parchment, a leather bound book, a vial of liquid with a cork stopper and a scroll.

The room feels hot. Your hands feel sticky. You feel heavy and weighed down.
You open the vial
Your remove the stopper from the vial, but the pungent vapours make you feel dizzy, so you replace it again.
Point to shelf
You point your finger at the shelf.

The word "agri" suggests itself to your awareness.
Point to west wall
You point your finger at the west wall.

The word "nisu-ewa" comes unbidden into your mind.

You sense something circling your feet.
Point to ceiling
You point your finger at the ceiling.

The word "amunisu" appears before you.
Aveh madah amunisu
You say "Aveh madah amunisu".

You feel like something has happened.

Something briefly tugs at your trousers and then lets go.
Aveh sensi
You say "Aveh sensi".

Your emotions feel back to normal again.

You feel something nibbling on your shoe.
Aveh nux
You say "Aveh nux".

Dark shadows appear around the vault door.

The light suddenly goes out, and you are in darkness once again.
Suveh nux
You say "Suveh nux".

The room is filled with light.
Suveh madah fireno
You say "Suveh madah fireno".

You feel like something has happened.
Continue
You say "Suveh madah fireno".

You feel like something has happened.

Something briefly sticks to your shoe.
Aveh sensi
You say "Aveh sensi".

Your emotions feel confused again.
Suveh haiak fireno
You say "Suveh haiak fireno".

You feel like something has happened.

You sense something circling your feet.
Suveh haiak
You say "Suveh haiak".

Your hands stop feeling sticky.
Suveh haiak
You say "Suveh haiak".

Your hands start feeling slippery.
Point at floor
You point your finger at the floor.

The word "tolanisu" is impressed upon your mind.
Suveh haiak tolanisu
You say "Suveh haiak tolanisu".

The floor starts feeling slippery, making it tricky to move around.

There is a faint twittering sound.
Suveh haiak fireno
You say "Suveh haiak fireno".

You feel like something didn't quite happen.

There is a faint twittering sound.
You open door
The vault door won't budge; even though it must be lighter, it is still held shut by the lock.

It feels slippery.

There is a faint twittering sound.
You search the floor
There is an open brass cage on the floor.

You can't find whatever it was that was circling your feet.

There is a faint twittering sound.
You touch the floor
It feels slippery.

Something runs into your foot and bounces off.
Aveh sensi fireno
You say "Aveh sensi fireno".

You feel unsympathetic towards the vault door. You don't particularly care that it is shadowy. It's just a door. How odd.

There is a faint twittering sound.
Aveh sensi creature
You say "Aveh sensi creature", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound.
Suveh sensi fireno
You say "Suveh sensi fireno".

You feel neutral towards the vault door again.

There is a faint twittering sound.
Suveh sensi fireno
You say "Suveh sensi fireno".

You feel kind and caring towards the vault door. You feel a little concerned about it being shadowy; it can be so scary being in the dark.

There is a faint twittering sound.
Aveh haiak tolanisu
You say "Aveh haiak tolanisu".

The floor stops feeling slippery.

The twittering stops.
Continue
You say "Aveh haiak tolanisu".

The floor starts feeling sticky but you are slippery, and they kind of cancel each other out.

There is a twittering sound.
Continue
You say "Aveh haiak tolanisu".

The floor briefly feels even more sticky.

You don't seem to be able to make it stay any stickier than it already is.

There is a twittering sound.
You listen
You think you can tell which part of the floor the twittering is coming from. You feel confident that you would find the source if you searched for it.
You search for the twittering
You search around, and find a small furry thing that must be the invisible creature that escaped from the cage. It is stuck to the floor, and is twittering in annoyance.

You detach it from the floor and try to hold onto it, but your slippery hands make that quite difficult.
You point at the creature
You point your finger at the creature in your arms.

The word "ami" comes into your mind -- the same word as for your body.

The creature wriggles free from your grasp and jumps to the floor.
Aveh haiak
You say "Aveh haiak".

Your hands stop feeling slippery.

There is a twittering sound.
Aveh haiak
You say "Aveh haiak".

Your hands start feeling sticky.

There is a twittering sound.
Search for creature
You search around and find the creature again.

You detach it from the floor and hold onto it firmly.
You put the creature in the cage
You put the invisible creature into the cage and close it.

The cage doesn't feel sticky, but your hands are sticky. It seems to be stuck to the floor.
Suveh sensi ami
You say "Suveh sensi ami".

Your emotions feel back to normal again.
You look at the creature
The creature in the cage is completely invisible.
Shake cage
(first taking the brass cage)
It seems to be stuck to the floor, but your hands are sticky too.

Taken. It sticks to your hand.

You shake the brass cage and it rattles a little.

The creature twitters noisily.
You point at the creature
You point your finger at the creature in the cage.

The word "imoentar" appears in the air before you -- the same word as for the brass cage.
Aveh nux imoentar
You say "Aveh nux imoentar".

Dark shadows appear around the brass cage you are carrying.
Suveh nux imoentar
You say "Suveh nux imoentar".

The shadows around the brass cage you are carrying disappear.
Suveh nux imoentar
You say "Suveh nux imoentar".

The brass cage you are carrying starts to glow.
You examine the cage
A small brass cage with closely fitting bars. It opens at the bottom.

You know there is an invisible creature in there somewhere, but you can't see it.

It is glowing.
Aveh nux imoentar
You say "Aveh nux imoentar".

The brass cage you are carrying stops glowing.
Describe the surroundings
You are in a room-sized vault, with a shelf along one wall. The shelf has nothing on it at the moment.

The door is dark and shadowy.

The floor feels sticky, making it difficult to move around.

You feel kind and caring towards the vault door.

The room feels hot. Your hands feel sticky. You feel heavy and weighed down.
Aveh sensi imoentar
You say "Aveh sensi imoentar".

You feel unsympathetic towards the brass cage.
Page 4
The fourth page says:

underestimated. They were experts in shaping
very large blocks of marble or granite, which the
evidence suggests were used for constructing
huge, elaborate tombs for their deceased rulers.
Sundar stone shaping involved making the stone
extremely cold with buckets of ice imported from
nearby Aoeteria, and then rapidly heating the
stone with an intense blaze, which would split
it along the desired fault line.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Suveh Sensi".
Suveh tia imoentar
You say "Suveh tia imoentar".

The brass cage you are carrying becomes cold.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia imoentar
You say "Suveh tia imoentar".

The brass cage you are carrying seems to briefly grow colder.
You keep going
You say "Suveh tia imoentar".

The brass cage you are carrying seems to briefly grow colder.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Inv
You are carrying:
a brass cage (cold) with an invisible creature inside it
a clear crystal
a piece of parchment
a leather bound book
a vial of liquid with a cork stopper
a scroll

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You point at the lock
A perfectly clear crystal with many facets, about the size of your fist and shaped like a teardrop. The light dances beautifully across its surface.

There is no keyhole on this side of the door.
You examine the scroll
The scroll is written in your master's hand in a familiar script, but you cannot read what it says. Perhaps it is some kind of shorthand or private code. You don't have much hope of interpreting it.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You point at the scroll
You point your finger at the scroll.

The word "anutasl" suggests itself to your awareness.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh sensi anutasl
You say "Suveh sensi anutasl".

You feel kind and caring towards the scroll.
You look at the scroll
The scroll is written in your master's hand in a familiar script, but you cannot read what it says. Perhaps it is some kind of shorthand or private code. You don't have much hope of interpreting it.

You feel kind and caring towards the scroll.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Hi
It doesn't seem to react to your speech.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Point at crystal
You point your finger at the clear crystal.

The word "kirabesso" impresses itself on your mind.
You remove the shoes
You would rather leave your shoes on.
You examine the ceiling
The ceiling looks like it is made from stone, just like the rest of the vault.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia kirabesso
You say "Aveh tia kirabesso".

The clear crystal you are carrying becomes hot.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Point at vial
You point your finger at the vial of liquid.

The word "siqui" dances in the air before you in fiery letters.
Aveh nux siqui
You say "Aveh nux siqui".

Dark shadows appear around the vial of liquid you are carrying.
Suveh tia fireno
You say "Suveh tia fireno".

The vault door becomes cold.

You feel a little concerned about it being shadowy and cold, the poor thing. And you hope it isn't scared of the dark.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia fireno
You say "Suveh tia fireno".

The vault door seems to briefly grow colder.
Aveh tia fireno
You say "Aveh tia fireno".

The vault door stops being cold.

You are relieved that the vault door is no longer cold, but you are still concerned about it being in the dark.

The temperature change doesn't seem to have affected the door.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia fireno
You say "Aveh tia fireno".

The vault door becomes hot.

You feel a little concerned about it being shadowy and hot -- it must be very uncomfortable. And you hope it isn't scared of the dark.
Aveh tia fireno
You say "Aveh tia fireno".

The vault door seems to briefly grow hotter.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Page 6
The sixth page says:

value of pi, the square root of two, and other
esoteric numbers; calculus and trigonometry; and
how to prove things in a rigorous, logical fashion.
Numbers in the Laodian culture were formed
using admirably simple rules (historian
x's claims to the contrary notwithstanding):
A value is doubled by prefixing it with "ma";
no value but zero ends with this syllable. If
it is prefixed with "to", double and add one.
"Matoto", for example, represents the number six,
as this is twice "toto", the number three; and
"to" alone is of course unity. It seems that no
other culture used this kind of representation.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Nux Ani Mato".

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia fireno mato
You say "Aveh tia fireno mato", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia fireno matoto
You say "Suveh tia fireno matoto", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia firenoto
You say "Aveh tia firenoto", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh nux mato
You say "Suveh nux mato", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh nux ani mato
You say "Suveh nux ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia fireno ani moto
You say "Aveh tia fireno ani moto", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia fireno ani matotototo
You say "Suveh tia fireno ani matotototo", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

The room briefly shines a bit brighter.
Aveh tia fireno ani matototototo
You say "Aveh tia fireno ani matototototo", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the door
The door is made from solid stone, and it looks strong and heavy (but you suspect it weighs a bit less now).

It is covered in shadows, and it is giving off heat.

You feel kind and caring towards the vault door. You feel a little concerned about it being shadowy and hot -- it must be very uncomfortable. And you hope it isn't scared of the dark.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia kirabesso matotototo
You say "Aveh tia kirabesso matotototo", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia kirabesso ani matotototo
You say "Aveh tia kirabesso ani matotototo", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You find yourself wondering what the delay caused by the word "ani" is about. It doesn't seem to be all that useful, really.
Inv
You are carrying:
a brass cage (cold) with an invisible creature inside it
a clear crystal (hot)
a piece of parchment
a leather bound book
a vial of liquid (shadowy) with a cork stopper
a scroll

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia fireno ani matotototo
You say "Suveh tia fireno ani matotototo", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You touch the crystal to the door
(first taking the vault door)
That's hardly portable.
Suveh tia fireno mato
You say "Suveh tia fireno mato", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia fireno
You say "Suveh tia fireno".

The vault door stops being hot.

You are relieved that the vault door is no longer hot, but you are still concerned about it being in the dark.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh sensi fireno
You say "Suveh sensi fireno".

You briefly feel more empathetic and understanding towards the vault door.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh sensi fireno ani mato
You say "Aveh sensi fireno ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the door
The door is made from solid stone, and it looks strong and heavy (but you suspect it weighs a bit less now).

It is covered in shadows.

You feel kind and caring towards the vault door. You feel a little concerned about it being shadowy; it can be so scary being in the dark.
Wait
Time passes.

You feel neutral towards the vault door again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You wait a while
Time passes.
Suveh nux
You say "Suveh nux ani to . suveh nux", but it feels wrong somehow.
Suveh nux ani to
You say "Suveh nux ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh nux
You say "Suveh nux".

The light in the room grows even brighter.

This magical effect seems much stronger than all the others you have seen so far.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia fireno ani to
1. Suveh nux : light.
2. Aveh tia: heat.
3. Aveh madah : weigh down.
4. Suveh sensi : confuse emotions?
5. Aveh haiak : make sticky?
6. Fireno : door, tolanisu : floor, imoentar : cage, ami : part of pc.

You have so far scored 65% in 164 turns.

The score is made up as follows:

5 for lighting the room
10 for experimentation
10 for speaking a floating word
10 for numerical proficiency
10 for an intensified effect
5 for capturing the creature
65 total (out of 100)

You say "Suveh tia fireno ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

The vault door becomes cold.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia fireno ano mato
You say "Suveh tia fireno ano mato", but it feels wrong somehow.

The vault door gets colder.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia fireno ani to
You say "Suveh tia fireno ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia fireno
You say "Suveh tia fireno".

The vault door gets colder.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You wait a while
Time passes.
You wait for a while
Time passes.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine door
The door is made from solid stone, and it looks strong and heavy (but you suspect it weighs a bit less now).

It is covered in shadows, and it is radiating very intense cold.

The vault door seems to briefly grow colder.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia fireno toto
You say "Aveh tia fireno toto", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia fireno ani toto
You say "Aveh tia fireno ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia fireno ani mato
You say "Aveh tia fireno ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia fireno ani to
You say "Aveh tia fireno ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

The clear crystal you are carrying seems to briefly grow hotter.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia fireno
You say "Aveh tia fireno".

The vault door stops being cold, and becomes hot instead.
There are lots of small cracking sounds from the direction of the vault door.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the door
The door is made from solid stone, and it looks strong and heavy (but you suspect it weighs a bit less now).

It is covered in shadows, and it is giving off heat.

The vault door stops being hot.
You hit the door
You bang your fist against the vault door, but solid stone wins out against mortal flesh. The door remains stubbornly closed.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You point at the west wall
You point your finger at the west wall.

The word "nisu-ewa" suggests itself to your awareness.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia nisu-ewa ani tosuveh tia nisu-ewa ani toto
You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia nisu-ewa
You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa".

The west wall becomes extremely cold.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa".

The west wall stops being cold, and becomes hot instead.

Some cracks appear on the surface of the west wall.
You examine the west wall
There are some fine cracks along the west wall. There is a shelf along it.

The west wall is giving off heat.
Aveh tia nisu-ewa
You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa".

The west wall stops being hot, and becomes extremely cold instead.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa".

The west wall stops being cold, and becomes hot instead.

Some more cracks appear on the surface of the west wall.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia nisu-ewa
You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia nisu-ewa".

The west wall stops being hot, and becomes extremely cold instead.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

The vault door becomes hot.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia nisu-ewa".

The west wall stops being cold, and becomes hot instead.

Some more cracks appear on the surface of the west wall.
You examine the west wall
There are some fine cracks along the west wall. There is a shelf along it.

The west wall is giving off heat.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Look around
You are in a room-sized vault, with a shelf along one wall. The shelf has nothing on it at the moment.

The west wall is hot.

The door is shadowy and hot.

The floor feels sticky, making it difficult to move around.

You feel kind and caring towards the scroll.

The room feels hot. Your hands feel sticky. You feel heavy and weighed down.

The room is very bright.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia fireno
You say "Suveh tia fireno ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia fireno ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia fireno ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia fireno ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia fireno".

The vault door stops being hot, and becomes extremely cold instead.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia fireno ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia fireno ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia fireno ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia fireno ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia fireno".

There is a loud "crack", and a huge split appears in the door. It goes from the top right corner to half way up the left side, forming a large triangular block separate from the rest of the door.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the door
There is a large crack in the door, from the top right corner to half way up the left side, forming a triangular block separate from the rest of the door. The main section of the door is on the bottom right.

It is covered in shadows, and it is giving off intense heat.

The triangular block is covered in shadows, and it is giving off intense heat.
Suveh tia fireno ani mato
You say "Suveh tia fireno ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia fireno
You say "Suveh tia fireno ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia fireno".

The main section of the vault door stops being hot, and becomes cold instead.

It seems strange that the main part of the door can be cold while the triangular block is hot, but this is magic, after all.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Point at triangle
You point your finger at the triangular block.

The word "firenos" drifts into your consciousness.
Suveh tia firenos
You say "Suveh tia firenos".

The triangular block cools slightly. It is probably OK to touch now.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh haiak firenos
You say "Aveh haiak firenos".

You feel like something has happened.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You pull block
You can get a good grip on the block with your sticky hands, and it shifts slightly, but it seems a bit too heavy to move.

The block feels hot and sticky.
Suveh madah firenos
You say "Suveh madah firenos".

You feel like something didn't quite happen.
You pull the block
You can get a good grip on the block with your sticky hands, and it shifts slightly, but it still seems a bit too heavy to move.

The block feels hot and sticky.
Aveh madah firenos
You say "Aveh madah firenos".

You feel like something has happened.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You pull the block
You can get a good grip on the block with your sticky hands, but it still won't budge when you try to pull it towards you. It is a very heavy block.

The block feels hot and sticky.
Suveh madah firenos
You say "Suveh madah firenos".

You feel like something has happened.
Suveh madeh firenos
You say "Suveh madeh firenos ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh madeh firenos".

You feel like something has happened.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You pull the block
You get a good grip on the block with your sticky hands and pull it towards you. It feels much lighter than normal stone, and it comes free! You pull it all the way out and drop it on the ground (although releasing it proves a little tricky) and say a few magic words to restore yourself to normal, and then crawl through the open hole into freedom.

[Press a key]
You press the space
Rushing up the stairs, you find your master bound and gagged on a chair in the middle of the room. You quickly unbind him, but he offers no explanation.

You describe your entrapment in the vault and your means of escape, and your master raises his eyebrows in amazement. "My, my! I never knew you had it in you.

"It seems you managed to avoid destroying any of the objects in the vault -- many thanks. And you even managed to recapture my beastie. Wonderful! Such creatures are hard to come by, as you can imagine.

"You have my deepest gratitude, not for this alone, but for rescuing me from my bonds. Well done! You have your master's praise."
You look
Please give one of the answers above.
Point at ceiling
Enter saved game to load: Restore failed.
Point at ceiling
You point your finger at the ceiling.

The word "amunisu" comes unbidden into your mind.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh madah amunisu ani to
You say "Aveh madah amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh madah amunisu
You say "Aveh madah amunisu".

You feel like something has happened.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You look at the ceiling
The ceiling looks like it is made from stone, just like the rest of the vault.
Aveh madah amunisu
You say "Aveh madah amunisu".

You feel like something didn't quite happen.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh madeh amunisu
You say "Aveh madeh amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh madeh amunisu".

You feel like something didn't quite happen.
Aveh madah amunisu
You say "Aveh madah amunisu".

You feel like something didn't quite happen.
Up
You feel a bit too heavy to jump in the air.
You point at yourself
You point your finger at yourself.

The word "ami" drifts into your consciousness -- the same word as when you pointed at the creature when you were carrying it.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh madah ami
You say "Suveh madah ami".

You don't feel weighed down any more.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Up
The floor is too sticky to jump from.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh haiak tolanisu
You say "Suveh haiak tolanisu".

The floor stops feeling sticky.
Up
In spite of your stickiness, you manage to jump in the air, but you come nowhere near the high ceiling.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You look up
The ceiling looks like it is made from stone, just like the rest of the vault.
Suveh madah ami ani to
You say "Suveh madah ami ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh madah ami
You say "Suveh madah ami".

You feel extremely buoyant.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Up
In spite of your stickiness, you manage to jump in the air and hit the ceiling, which you briefly stick to before falling back down to the floor.
Aveh tia amunisu
You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling becomes extremely cold.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling stops being cold, and becomes extremely hot instead.

Some cracks appear on the surface of the ceiling.
You examine the ceiling
The ceiling looks like it is made from stone, just like the rest of the vault. There are some fine cracks along it.

It is giving off intense heat.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia amunisu
You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling stops being hot, and becomes extremely cold instead.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling stops being cold, and becomes extremely hot instead.

Some more cracks appear on the surface of the ceiling.
Aveh tia amunisu
You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling stops being hot, and becomes extremely cold instead.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling stops being cold, and becomes extremely hot instead.

Some more cracks appear on the surface of the ceiling.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia amunisu
You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling stops being hot, and becomes extremely cold instead.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling stops being cold, and becomes extremely hot instead.

Some more cracks appear on the surface of the ceiling.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh haiak amunisu
You say "Aveh haiak amunisu".

You feel like something has happened.
You jump
In spite of your stickiness, you manage to jump in the air and hit the extremely hot, sticky ceiling, which you stick to like glue. After some effort you manage to detach yourself, and you fall back down to the floor.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh tia amunisu
You say "Suveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling cools slightly, but it is still quite hot.
Suveh tia amunisu
You say "Suveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling stops being hot.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You jump
In spite of your stickiness, you manage to jump in the air and hit the sticky ceiling, which you stick to like glue. After some effort you manage to detach yourself, and you fall back down to the floor.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You search the ceiling
The ceiling looks like it is made from stone, just like the rest of the vault. There are some fine cracks along it.
Suveh nux amunisu
You say "Suveh nux amunisu".

The ceiling starts to glow.
You jump
In spite of your stickiness, you manage to jump in the air and hit the sticky ceiling, which you stick to like glue. After some effort you manage to detach yourself, and you fall back down to the floor.
You feel the ceiling
The ceiling is too high for you to reach.
You examine the ceiling
The ceiling looks like it is made from stone, just like the rest of the vault. There are some fine cracks along it.

It is glowing.
Aveh haiak amunisu ani to
You say "Aveh haiak amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.
Aveh haiak amunisu
You say "Aveh haiak amunisu".

You feel like something has happened.
Up
In spite of your stickiness, you manage to jump in the air and hit the very sticky ceiling, which you stick to like glue. For some reason you feel a certain sense of achievement at accomplishing this feat.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the ceiling
The ceiling is made from stone, just like the rest of the vault. There are some fine cracks along it.

It is glowing, and it feels very sticky.

It is interesting having a different persepective, but you wouldn't mind getting down some time.
You feel the ceiling
It feels very sticky. You don't think you can detach yourself from it.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You look
You are in a room-sized vault, with a shelf along one wall. The shelf has nothing on it at the moment.

The ceiling is glowing.

The west wall is hot.

The door is shadowy and cold.

The ceiling feels very sticky.

You feel kind and caring towards the scroll.

The room feels hot. Your hands feel sticky. You feel buoyant, but your feet are still on the ground.

You are hanging upside down from the ceiling.

The room is very bright.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the cracks
You can't get a close look at it while you're stuck to the ceiling.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You climb the east wall
You can't really do that while you're stuck to the ceiling.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the door
There is a large crack in the door, from the top right corner to half way up the left side, forming a triangular block separate from the rest of the door. The main section of the door is on the bottom right.

It is covered in shadows, and it is radiating cold.

The triangular block is covered in shadows, and it is giving off heat.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the shelf
The shelf has nothing on it at the moment.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You look at the ceiling
The ceiling is made from stone, just like the rest of the vault. There are some fine cracks along it.

It is glowing, and it feels very sticky.

It is interesting having a different persepective, but you wouldn't mind getting down some time.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You point at the cracks
There are so many cracks, you can't decide which particular one to point at.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You hit the ceiling
It's a bit awkward to do that while you're stuck to it.
You look at the floor
The floor is solid stone, just like the walls and the door.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the cage
A small brass cage with closely fitting bars. It opens at the bottom.

You know there is an invisible creature in there somewhere, but you can't see it.

It is cold.
You look
You are in a room-sized vault, with a shelf along one wall. The shelf has nothing on it at the moment.

The ceiling is glowing.

The west wall is hot.

The door is shadowy and cold.

The ceiling feels very sticky.

You feel kind and caring towards the scroll.

The room feels hot. Your hands feel sticky. You feel buoyant, but your feet are still on the ground.

You are hanging upside down from the ceiling.

The room is very bright.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You search the ceiling
There's nothing really up here.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the shelf
The shelf has nothing on it at the moment.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You look at the walls
You can't really do that while you're stuck to the ceiling.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You can't get a close look at it while you're stuck to the ceiling.
You hit the ceiling
It's a bit awkward to do that while you're stuck to it.
You drop the crystal
It might break if you drop it from up here.
Aveh madah ami
You say "Aveh madah ami".

You feel a little less buoyant.

However, it is not enough to pull you down from the ceiling.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh madah ami
You say "Aveh madah ami".

You are back to your normal weight again.

However, it is not enough to pull you down from the ceiling.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh madah ami
You say "Aveh madah ami".

You feel heavy and weighed down.

Your sudden weight pulls you down from the ceiling, but unfortunately you hit the floor a little too hard.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh haiak ami
You say "Suveh haiak ami".

Your hands stop feeling sticky.

You manage to extricate yourself from the ceiling, and fall back down to the ground. You notice that a small brown egg has appeared in your hand.
You examine the egg
It looks like a chocolate Easter egg.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You eat egg
You swallow the Easter egg in a single bite. Delicious!
You point at the egg
You point your finger at the Easter egg.

Nothing happens. Perhaps it doesn't have a magical name.
You give the egg to the creature
You poke the Easter egg through the bars of the cage, and it disappears in a single bite.

The creature makes some snuffling sounds.
You open the cage
You poke the Easter egg through the bars of the cage, and it disappears in a single bite.

The creature makes some snuffling sounds.

You open the brass cage. It feels cold.

The creature sniffs your hand, but doesn't try to escape.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Inventory
You are carrying:
an Easter egg
a brass cage (cold) with an invisible creature inside it
a clear crystal (hot)
a piece of parchment
a leather bound book
a vial of liquid (shadowy) with a cork stopper
a scroll

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You open the cage
You open the brass cage. It feels cold.

You feel something brush past you. With a sinking feeling you realise that the creature has escaped again.
Point at crystal
You point your finger at the clear crystal.

The word "kirabesso" impresses itself on your mind.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia kirabesso ani to
You say "Suveh tia kirabesso ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia kirabesso
You say "Suveh tia kirabesso ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia kirabesso".

The clear crystal you are carrying stops being hot, and becomes extremely cold instead.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia kirabesso ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia kirabesso ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia kirabesso".

The crystal suddenly shatters into a thousand pieces.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Inventory
You are carrying:
an Easter egg
a brass cage (cold) with an invisible creature inside it
a piece of parchment
a leather bound book
a vial of liquid (shadowy) with a cork stopper
a scroll

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Look around
You are in a room-sized vault, with a shelf along one wall. The shelf has nothing on it at the moment.

There are some crystal fragments scattered around.

The ceiling is glowing.

The west wall is hot.

The door is shadowy and cold.

You feel kind and caring towards the scroll.

The room feels hot.

The room is very bright.
You examine the fragments
Some fragments left over from the shattered crystal.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the fragments
Some fragments left over from the shattered crystal.
You get fragments
The fragments of crystal aren't important.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You point at the east wall
You point your finger at the east wall.
You give up
Just as you are about to give up in despair, a thought occurs to you: Someone, somewhere in world, has probably just eaten a cucumber.

It doesn't make any sense really, but it keeps your mind occupied for a while, and you forget your dark thoughts of despair.
Pet creature
The bars of the cage are too close together for you to reach inside without opening it.
Kiss creature
That's a bit difficult while the creature is in the cage.
You give the egg to the creature
You poke the Easter egg through the bars of the cage, and it disappears in a single bite.

The creature makes some snuffling sounds.
You open the cage
You open the brass cage. It feels cold.

The creature sniffs your hand, but doesn't try to escape.
You get the creature
It lets you pick it up out of the cage.
You lick it
That could be bad for your health.
You smell it
The creature smells faintly like a wet dog.
You search the creature
The creature seems willing to let you pat it now that you have fed it. It feels matted and hairy. It twitters in appreciation.
You point at the creature
You point your finger at the creature in your arms.

The creature twitters quietly to itself.
Inv
You are carrying:
an invisible creature
an open brass cage (cold)
a piece of parchment
a leather bound book
a vial of liquid (shadowy) with a cork stopper
a scroll

The creature licks your face.
Inventory
You are carrying:
an invisible creature
an open brass cage (cold)
a piece of parchment
a leather bound book
a vial of liquid (shadowy) with a cork stopper
a scroll

The creature twitters quietly to itself.
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying:
an open brass cage (cold) with an invisible creature inside it
a piece of parchment
a leather bound book
a vial of liquid (shadowy) with a cork stopper
a scroll
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying:
a brass cage (cold) with an invisible creature inside it
a piece of parchment
a leather bound book
a vial of liquid (shadowy) with a cork stopper
a scroll

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You think about the easter eggs
Mmm. Chocolate. You wonder where you can get some more.

Your thoughts wander to the numbering system in the book. Odd.
Page six
The sixth page says:

value of pi, the square root of two, and other
esoteric numbers; calculus and trigonometry; and
how to prove things in a rigorous, logical fashion.
Numbers in the Laodian culture were formed
using admirably simple rules (historian
x's claims to the contrary notwithstanding):
A value is doubled by prefixing it with "ma";
no value but zero ends with this syllable. If
it is prefixed with "to", double and add one.
"Matoto", for example, represents the number six,
as this is twice "toto", the number three; and
"to" alone is of course unity. It seems that no
other culture used this kind of representation.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Nux Ani Mato".

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You think about the cucumber
Hmm ... cucumber.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You think about the chocolate
Mmm. Chocolate. You wonder where you can get some more.

Your thoughts wander to the numbering system in the book. Odd.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You think about X
Hmm ... x.
Page one
The first page says:

various sciences of the natural world,
entirely in disagreement with certain
historical surveyors who shall remain
Nameless in the present work, but shall be
understood by the algebraic designation
x.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Suveh Nux".

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You think about the david fisher
Hmm ... david fisher.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Page two
The second page says:

Ancient races such as the Meohan, a
very sophisticated and reasonable
ethnic group indeed, possessed
horological devices of such accurate
Timing that they could predict
imminent eclipses, conjunctions
and other such astronomical phenomena.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Tia".
Page three
The third page says:

Another highly developed race of antiquity,
vanquished by the Meohan, were the Sundar --
exquisite workers in metal, gemstones and
heated glass. Their susceptibility to the
Meohan's warlike methods was only due to
a civil war between rival noble families,
devastating the nation's standing army
at a very inopportune time; their enemies
had a distinct numerical advantage as a result.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Madah".

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Page 4
The fourth page says:

underestimated. They were experts in shaping
very large blocks of marble or granite, which the
evidence suggests were used for constructing
huge, elaborate tombs for their deceased rulers.
Sundar stone shaping involved making the stone
extremely cold with buckets of ice imported from
nearby Aoeteria, and then rapidly heating the
stone with an intense blaze, which would split
it along the desired fault line.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Suveh Sensi".

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Page 5
The fifth page says:

Anatomy, Physiology and Biology were among the
various subjects studied and perfected by the
ethnic group known jointly as the Andira, who
had more than a passing understanding of the
Holistic nature of such endeavours. Medical
advances of various and sundry kinds were
invented by this group, and it must certainly be
acknowledged that much of their skill and the
knowledge they possessed far exceeds our own.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Haiak".
Page 88
All the pages after page six are blank. You turn back to page six.

The sixth page says:

value of pi, the square root of two, and other
esoteric numbers; calculus and trigonometry; and
how to prove things in a rigorous, logical fashion.
Numbers in the Laodian culture were formed
using admirably simple rules (historian
x's claims to the contrary notwithstanding):
A value is doubled by prefixing it with "ma";
no value but zero ends with this syllable. If
it is prefixed with "to", double and add one.
"Matoto", for example, represents the number six,
as this is twice "toto", the number three; and
"to" alone is of course unity. It seems that no
other culture used this kind of representation.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Nux Ani Mato".
You point to the page six
You point your finger at the leather bound book.
Page 69105
All the pages after page six are blank. You turn back to page six.

The sixth page says:

value of pi, the square root of two, and other
esoteric numbers; calculus and trigonometry; and
how to prove things in a rigorous, logical fashion.
Numbers in the Laodian culture were formed
using admirably simple rules (historian
x's claims to the contrary notwithstanding):
A value is doubled by prefixing it with "ma";
no value but zero ends with this syllable. If
it is prefixed with "to", double and add one.
"Matoto", for example, represents the number six,
as this is twice "toto", the number three; and
"to" alone is of course unity. It seems that no
other culture used this kind of representation.

The first letter in each line is written in silver, spelling "Aveh Nux Ani Mato".

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh sensi tomato
You say "Suveh sensi tomato", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You examine the egg
It looks like a chocolate Easter egg.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You think about the game
If only this were a game -- then there would certainly be some kind of solution. But as it is, you can only hope.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You think about the thinking
Hmm ... thinking.
Lick heels
You doubt if your heels have a very nice flavour.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia amunisu
I don't know how to . things.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Suveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling becomes extremely cold.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani mamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani toto", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani mato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

You say "Aveh tia amunisu".

The ceiling stops being cold, and becomes extremely hot instead.

Some more cracks appear on the surface of the ceiling.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suvex nux ani tomamamamatotomatototototomamamato
You say "Suveh nux ani tomamamamatotomatototototomamamato", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh sensi egg
You say "Aveh sensi egg", but it feels wrong somehow.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh sensi ani to
You say "Aveh sensi ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.
Aveh sensi
You say "Aveh sensi".

Your emotions feel very confused.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh sensi
You say "Suveh sensi".

Your emotions feel a bit less confused.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Continue
You say "Suveh sensi".

Your emotions feel back to normal again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You think about the easter eggs
Mmm. Chocolate. You wonder where you can get some more.

Your thoughts wander to the numbering system in the book. Odd.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You search the egg
You find nothing of interest.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You shake the egg
There doesn't seem to be much point in shaking the Easter egg.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You take the shelf
It's attached to the wall.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You search the floor
There are no objects on the floor.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You search the walls
You'll have to say which wall.
You search the west wall
You find no secret catches in the west wall.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
You search the east wall
You find no secret catches in the east wall.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh sensi ami
You say "Aveh sensi ami".

Your emotions feel confused again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh sensi imoentar
You say "Aveh sensi imoentar".

You feel unsympathetic towards the brass cage. You don't particularly care that it is cold. It's just a cage.
Suveh sensi imoentar
You say "Suveh sensi imoentar".

You feel neutral towards the brass cage again.
Aveh sensi imoentar ani to
You say "Aveh sensi imoentar ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh sensi imoentar
You say "Aveh sensi imoentar".

You feel highly unsympathetic towards the brass cage. It doesn't matter to you in the slightest that it is cold. It's only a cage.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Shake cage
You shake the brass cage and it rattles a little.

The creature twitters noisily.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh sensi imoentar
You say "Suveh sensi imoentar".

You feel unsympathetic towards the brass cage. You don't particularly care that it is cold. It's just a cage.
Suveh sensi imoentar
You say "Suveh sensi imoentar".

You feel kind and caring towards the brass cage. You feel a little concerned about it being cold, the poor thing.
Aveh sensi imoentar
You say "Aveh sensi imoentar".

You feel neutral towards the brass cage again.
Suveh sensi imoentar ani to
You say "Suveh sensi imoentar ani to", and you feel the tingling sensation again.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Suveh sensi imoentar
You say "Suveh sensi imoentar".

You feel extremely compassionate towards the brass cage. You feel worried about it being cold, the poor thing.

There is a faint twittering sound from the cage.
Aveh tia imoentar
You say "Aveh tia imoentar".

The brass cage you are carrying stops being cold.

You are relieved that the brass cage is no longer cold.

The twittering stops.
Drink vial
You remove the stopper from the vial, and an overpowering smell washes over you. Doing your best to ignore it, you take a small sip.

You immediately collapse unconscious on the floor.
You give the vial to the creature
You open the vial to feed the liquid to the creature, but the vapours make you feel quite dizzy, so you put the stopper back in again.
You break the egg
The Easter egg seems to be extraordinarily resilient, even though it is just made of chocolate.
You hold the nose
(first taking your nose)
Your nose is already about as close to you as it can be.
You sit on egg
You're fine standing up.
You hold the breath
You stamp your foot on the floor.

You can't see any such thing.
Stomp
You stamp your foot on the floor.
You examine the neck
Your neck is difficult to see without a mirror.
You examine the hair
Which do you mean, the creature's hair or your hair?
You examine the eyes
Your eyes are difficult to see without a mirror.
Damn
Such language from someone stuck in a vault!
Darn
Indeed.
Zizee
You already tried that pronunciation.
You think about xyzzy
Maybe ... "ecksyuzzy"?
Plugh
I only understood you as far as wanting to eat some delicious roast plover with plum sauce, and that lovely stuffing, you know, the kind they put in the turkey at Christmas time.

What do you want to plugh?
Plugh beastie
Plughed.
You examine door
There is a large crack in the door, from the top right corner to half way up the left side, forming a triangular block separate from the rest of the door. The main section of the door is on the bottom right.

It is covered in shadows, and it is radiating cold.

The triangular block is covered in shadows, and it is giving off heat.
You rub the egg
It feels like you would expect a chocolate Easter egg to feel.
You taste the egg
You swallow the Easter egg in a single bite. Delicious!
Sleep
You don't know how long your air will last inside this vault ... better to work on the problem at hand.
Wave vial
You wave the vial of liquid around in the air.
You pinch yourself
Self destructive thoughts flit through your mind, but you resist the urge. You are not completely without hope of escaping from this vault.