text: [Themes: Fantasy, dragon, gender choice, nonhuman protagonist]
  
  > look around
  We were surrounded by the man-things' structures, structures of dead trees and rock and distortions of iron. Beneath us we felt the arrangements of stone into a path for man-things' mobile receptacles. We could smell hints of the Crystal along the path to the east.
  
  > Go east
  We stood in a more open space. On all sides of us we observed structures, with a particularly large white one to the east. In the center we perceived fresh plants in a location inappropriate to their origins, with insufficient bare earth. We could follow man-paths south, west, and north, or towards the eastern structure.
  
  We could see two man-things here.
  
  We heard shrieks from a man-thing, "Wuthe-elistha-migodisa-drakin. Dran-dran-dran."
  
  > eathe man-thing
  We first attempted to take the man-thing.
  
  We imagined displeasure from the man-thing at that prospect.
  
  > breathe othe man-thing
  We let loose a torrent of flame, and when we stopped, we could no longer see the man-thing.
  
  We heard screams from a man-thing.
  
  > go north
  We stood upon a sloping hillside; we were only partially surrounded by man-thing structures. Further north was the entrance of the man-path to the city; south more structures. We scented the Crystal to the east.
  
  We could see a man-thing here.
  
  We saw the man-thing's eyes upon us. We saw a lack of further movement.
  
  > go east
  We observed a change in the man-thing's position. We could not enter with him in the way.
  
  We heard sounds come forth from the man-thing. We were surprised that we heard the true speech, not the man-thing chatter. We heard some distortion, yes, but still. We heard its speech. "Hail, Draco. Thou wouldst want thy crystal returned to thee, I suppose."
  
  > Yes
  We weren't intending that as a question.
  
  We heard the man-thing's voice, "My master will willingly give the crystal unto thee, if thou wouldst do us a small service."
  
  > wait for a while
  We allowed time to pass us by.
  
  We heard the man-thing's utterance, "If thou canst deliver to me the copper pole which lies in yon hideous white structure to the south, I will stand aside and allow thee to reclaim thy crystal."
  
  > breathe othe man-thing
  We watched the appearance of a part in the flames around the man-thing. We saw no damage to it.
  
  > go south
  We stood in a more open space. On all sides of us we observed structures, with a particularly large white one to the east. In the center we perceived fresh plants in a location inappropriate to their origins, with insufficient bare earth. We could follow man-paths south, west, and north, or towards the eastern structure.
  
  We could see a man-thing here.
  
  > go to the east
  We stood on a plain of rock, grey below us and around us, white to the east. We could leave west. We perceived a tiny hole to one side.
  
  We could also see a barrier of metal segments before an eastward tunnel.
  
  > look at the barrier
  We could sense the truth of iron inside what we saw as too-regular slivers in orderly, artificial groups.
  
  > destroy it
  We smashed our body against the gate and we felt its internal distress. We smashed against it again, and we smashed through it as well.
  
  > go to the east
  We stood within a man-thing cave which rapidly narrowed to the east into an entrance the size of a small man-thing. We observed passages to the north and the west.
  
  > Go north
  We stood in a small chamber full of the leavings and scents of man-things. We saw a metal barrier to the east and a wide-open passage south.
  
  We could see six man-things here.
  
  We heard cries from a man-thing, "Godistroo-izadran-wadwedoo."
  
  > Go east
  We could not with the metal barrier in the way.
  
  We saw the departure of a terrified man-thing.
  
  > destroy the barrier
  We could not destroy the thick door.
  
  We heard shrieks from a man-thing, "Witzawanithus-wedindoo-nuthn."
  
  > examine door
  We saw iron, and much of it.
  
  > breathe on the door
  We breathed, but we were not generating sufficient heat.
  
  We heard screams from a man-thing.
  
  > go west
  We stood on a plain of rock, grey below us and around us, white to the east. We could leave west. We perceived a tiny hole to one side.
  
  We could also see fragments of metal around an eastward tunnel.
  
  > go west
  We stood in a more open space. On all sides of us we observed structures, with a particularly large white one to the east. In the center we perceived fresh plants in a location inappropriate to their origins, with insufficient bare earth. We could follow man-paths south, west, and north, or towards the eastern structure.
  
  We could see a man-thing here.
  
  > go south
  We were surrounded by man-thing structures in all directions save the north; we were blocked from further travel south by an adjustable barrier in the middle of the southern structure.
  
  > destroy the barrier
  We smashed the barrier to pieces.
  
  > go south
  We breathed gently through our nostrils so that we could shed light upon our surroundings. We stood in a dim man-thing cave; we saw man-thing protrusions and surfaces on which rested the artifacts of the man-things. We smelled something very strong from the east, and we could also exit northwards.
  
  On the protrustions we could see a transparent sphere, a plant sheet, and a weave of hair.
  
  On the surfaces we could see some metal sticks and an animal stick.
  
  > examine sheet
  We looked at a flat sheet which smelled of dead plant.
  
  > examine the sphere
  We saw through it and we saw ourselves in it. We knew it as man-crystal. We saw no worth in it.
  
  > eat the sphere
  We first attempted to take the transparent sphere.
  
  We would not have enjoyed eating a transparent sphere.
  
  > look at the weave
  We looked on a weave of animal hair; we knew such creations of man-things from our travels with them. We knew comfort and decorations as common reasons for their existence.
  
  > eat the plant sheet
  We first attempted to take the plant sheet.
  
  We were carrying as much as we could carry already.
  
  > Inventory
  We were carrying a transparent sphere.
  
  > drop the sphere
  We dropped the transparent sphere.
  
  > eat the plant sheet
  We first attempted to take the plant sheet.
  
  We would not have enjoyed eating a plant sheet.
  
  > drop it
  We dropped the plant sheet.
  
  > open the plant sheet
  We lacked the dexterity for such actions.
  
  > go east
  We were at the back of the man-thing cave which we could exit to the west; we hardly saw the things in heaps and piles we were casting light on with our soft breaths, so assaulted were we by the smell from a metal receptacle in the corner.
  
  > examine the receptacle
  We could smell the source of the strong smell we had smelled outside the cave; we perceived the smell from the clear liquid in the receptacle. We could also see through the liquid, where we saw a gold figure.
  
  > examine the figure
  We saw a tiny figurine, a man-thing form, its arms in front, hands together.
  
  > drink liquid
  We lowered our snout to the barrel and sucked deeply from the barrel. We felt a warm, fine sensation as we swallowed the liquid.
  
  We experienced a heavy sensation inside. We disagreed with the liquid. We resisted its affronts, but we could not digest it.
  
  > take the liquid
  (the stomachful of liquid)
  We were already in possession of that.
  
  > check what you're carrying
  We were carrying a stomachful of liquid.
  
  > Go west
  We breathed gently through our nostrils so that we could shed light upon our surroundings. We stood in a dim man-thing cave; we saw man-thing protrusions and surfaces on which rested the artifacts of the man-things. We smelled something very strong from the east, and we could also exit northwards.
  
  On the protrustions we could see a weave of hair.
  
  On the surfaces we could see some metal sticks and an animal stick.
  
  We could see a plant sheet and a transparent sphere here.
  
  > go north
  We were surrounded by man-thing structures in all directions save the north; we saw a gaping hole in the structure to the south.
  
  > go to the north
  We stood in a more open space. On all sides of us we observed structures, with a particularly large white one to the east. In the center we perceived fresh plants in a location inappropriate to their origins, with insufficient bare earth. We could follow man-paths south, west, and north, or towards the eastern structure.
  
  We could see two man-things here.
  
  We heard cries from a man-thing, "Izedmens-fawt-drakinslar-izedmens-fawt."
  
  > go to the east
  We stood on a plain of rock, grey below us and around us, white to the east. We could leave west. We perceived a tiny hole to one side.
  
  We could also see fragments of metal around an eastward tunnel.
  
  > go to the north
  We stood in a small chamber full of the leavings and scents of man-things. We saw a metal barrier to the east and a wide-open passage south.
  
  We could see five man-things here.
  
  We heard shrieks from a man-thing.
  
  > breathe on the barrier
  We expelled the liquid onto the metal barrier and watched its rapid dissolution to nothing.
  
  We saw the departure of a terrified man-thing.
  
  We saw the departure of a terrified man-thing.
  
  > Go east
  We stood in a spatious cavern, but we took no joy from it. We were surrounded by the results of distortion and torture of rock and earth and stone; we felt only horror. We desired departure above all else, and so we kept our eyes upon the west exit.
  
  Against the back of the cavern we saw a ring of light.
  
  In the ring of light we could see a pair of wooden rods (on which was a copper pole).
  
  > examine the light
  We saw the center of the ring of light around the rods within it.
  
  > get the pole
  The ring of light was in the way.
  
  > examine rods
  We saw the attachment of the hooks to the wall.
  
  > breathe on the light
  We breathed on the hooks. We watched our breath's lack of penetration through the circle of magic. We watched the flames around the ring. We stopped our breath. We watched the gradual diminution of the fire.
  
  We determined that we could not expect blockage of heat by such magic as we saw the collision of the copper pole with the ground.
  
  > get the pole
  We took the copper pole.
  
  > go west
  We stood in a small chamber full of the leavings and scents of man-things. We saw an open entrance to the east and a wide-open passage south.
  
  We could see three man-things here.
  
  We saw the departure of a terrified man-thing.
  
  > Go south
  We stood within a man-thing cave which rapidly narrowed to the east into an entrance the size of a small man-thing. We observed passages to the north and the west.
  
  > go to the west
  We stood in a more open space. On all sides of us we observed structures, with a particularly large white one to the east. In the center we perceived fresh plants in a location inappropriate to their origins, with insufficient bare earth. We could follow man-paths south, west, and north, or towards the eastern structure.
  
  We could see two man-things here.
  
  We saw the departure of a terrified man-thing.
  
  > Go north
  We stood upon a sloping hillside; we were only partially surrounded by man-thing structures. Further north was the entrance of the man-path to the city; south more structures. We scented the Crystal to the east.
  
  We could see a man-thing here.
  
  > give the pole tthe man-thing
  We saw the man-thing's stretch for the copper pole. We observed the pole in its clutches. We saw locomotion by the man-thing from in front of the entrance to the structure.
  
  > Go east
  We traversed a maze of twisty little passages; we used the scent of Kthyress as a guide.
  Cave
  We stood in a tall cave. We saw markings upon the walls, and man-thing torches. The cave led out to the west.
  
  We observed a structure of wood; we saw near the ceiling as the limit of its reach.
  
  On the wooden structure we could see the Kthyress Crystal.
  
  > examine Crystal
  With what mere words could we describe the Kthyress Crystal? We had no particular fondness for the deception, its geas of greed. But we had the obligation; we were the guardian of it, the bait for the trap. The trap that we had failed to spring this time.
  
  > examine the wood
  A construction of once-sturdy trees, an artificial arrangement; we saw its uppermost surface near the stalactities amongst the top of the cave.