text: [Themes: Eastern, chinese]
  
  > Go downward
  (ya2 di3) Cliff base
  Not much can be seen from this vantage point. A thin veil of fog blocks the view out to sea. The waters below churn menacingly, the spume a milky white.
  
  The ledge here forms a small alcove, which is only a couple of metres across. It continues up the cliff face, where it vanishes from sight.
  
  Debris seems to get washed in here and collects on the rocky ledge.
  
  You can also see a long wooden box (which is closed) here.
  
  > Examine box
  It is just over three feet long, approximately four inches thick by about six inches wide. It is rather plain looking, being made of a light wood - no pattern adorns the outer surface. A latch mechanism is mounted on the front, but no hinges are visible on the back - they must be on the inside of the box.
  
  It is closed.
  
  > open it
  Suitably weakened by its ordeal the box opens easily, revealing a painting in the lid.
  
  It also contains a sword.
  
  > examine the painting
  The picture inside the lid appears to depict five different martial arts moves and stances, relating each one to a different element. Each one is distinct enough for you to be able to remember them easily: (tu3 jin2 shui3 mu4 huo3) earth, metal, water, wood and fire. Oddly, none of them depict stances that include a sword - they are all unarmed.
  
  Just below is an image of a sword, with the same symbols etched in a pattern upon the blade - but it is too faded to be able to discern which is which.
  
  [Type the name of the element to practice the stance.]
  
  > Earth
  You are not in combat at the moment, but you rehearse the stance anyway.
  
  You quickly get into the earth stance:
  
  You balance your weight evenly upon both legs, both slightly bent to keep your stance grounded. Your right hand is held out in front of you, fingers open, palm facing directly forward. Your left hand is also held palm open, but at your side - facing forwards at a slight downward angle.
  
  > Metal
  You are not in combat at the moment, but you rehearse the stance anyway.
  
  You quickly get into the metal stance:
  
  You shift your weight backwards onto your right leg, left leg out towards the front, giving support. You hold your left fist out in front of you, palm up, at face level, while your right fist is at your hip, facing palm down.
  
  > Water
  You are not in combat at the moment, but you rehearse the stance anyway.
  
  You quickly get into the water stance:
  
  With your legs together, the left slightly in front of the right, you crouch a little. Your right fist extends out as far as you can reach, thumb upward, yet keeping the arm slightly bent. The left fist is held, palm inwards, against your ribs.
  
  > Wood
  You are not in combat at the moment, but you rehearse the stance anyway.
  
  You quickly get into the wood stance:
  
  You shift your weight backwards onto your left leg, right leg out towards the front, giving support. You hold your left fist out in front of you, thumb upward, at shoulder level, while your right fist is held just above your head, ready to strike downwards.
  
  > Fire
  You are not in combat at the moment, but you rehearse the stance anyway.
  
  You quickly get into the fire stance:
  
  You shift your weight sideways onto your right leg, left leg out towards the front-left, giving support. You hold your right fist out in front of you, palm up, at face level, while your left fist is at covering your stomach, facing palm down.
  
  > examine the sword
  The sword is a classic Chinese "Jian": a tassel graces the pommel, which is in turn attached to a wooden handgrip. Above the handgrip is the hilt, from which extends the blade. The blade itself appears to have symbols etched upon it.
  
  > examine the symbols
  The blade is nearly three feet long, an inch and a half wide, yet nearly wafer thin. It is unusually flexible, and the edges appear razor sharp right to the tip. It has a slightly flattened section up the middle, upon which there appear to be etched symbols of some sort.
  
  The etching appears to be writing. One side has characters (chuang4 zao4) meaning "Create" and just above it a circle of five characters, reading from the top clockwise: (tu3 jin2 shui3 mu4 huo3) Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, Fire - which appear to be referring to the creation of Qi energy by cycling through the five elements of nature.
  
  The other side has the characters (kong4 zhi4) "Control" and again in a circle: (tu3 shui3 huo3 jin2 mu4) Earth, Water, Fire, Metal, Wood - which refers to the cycle by which Qi is controlled and suppressed by the five elements.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a sword
  a long wooden box (which is open but empty)
  a wooden tray
  a key
  a jade knife
  a cloth bag (being worn and open but empty)
  
  > Go upwards
  (ya2) Cliffs
  As you stand with your back to the cliff, the view ahead of you appears to be nothing but a blur fading from dark grey sea below, through to a light powder blue sky.
  
  A narrow path winds its way down the cliff face to the water level below, where a small alcove seems to collect debris, and upwards over the edge of the cliff to the bamboo forest.
  
  > go northwest
  (zhu2 lin2) Bamboo forest
  Wind whispers through the feathery branches of the bamboo forest surrounding you as warm sunlight showers down, gently filtered by the delicate leaves overhead. The soft ground is carpeted with slender browning leaves, occasionally stirred up by the cool breeze. Faint tracks run southeast and east, one also continues to the north up a bank, and another downwards into a small depression to the south. An impenetrable barrier of thorns lies to the west. How they got there after you passed that way last night is anyone's guess.
  
  > go east
  The avenue of cypress trees change back to bamboo midway down the path.
  
  (shen2 dao4) Eastern end of spirit way
  Cypress and bamboo trees form an avenue which ends to the east as the trees open out to form the entrance to a cemetery. The western end of the path continues through the elaborate archway. A tea bush grows out from a crack in the pavings.
  
  > go east
  The path ends, and the forest either side retreats to form a clearing.
  
  (si4 miao4 de fen2 chang2) Cemetery
  The dense trees form a nearly impenetrable wall around the cemetery grounds. In the centre of the clearing is a large mound, atop which stands a shrine or marker of some kind. Numerous smaller stones are dotted about. At the southern end of the cemetery stands a run-down looking pagoda. A path runs northward, apparently towards the mountains.
  
  > go to the south
  (ta3) Inside pagoda
  Despite the air of decay that the outside (and indeed the inside) of the building presents, there is a strange homely warmth to it. A sense of stillness and focus pervades your being, making you feel relaxed yet alert. The structure above creaks in the sunlight, while the floating feathers of birds roosting above add to the dreamlike quality.
  
  You can see an old man here.
  
  The old man says, "I will test your understanding. I will attack you five times in a row - if you manage to defeat me three times in a row, I will know that you have attained understanding. If you fail, you may try again - I am not so harsh a master as others."
  
  Despite his apparent frailty, the old man suddenly moves with the grace of a snake. As he prepares to strike, you recognise his stance as the element of fire.
  
  > Water
  You quickly get into the water stance:
  
  With your legs together, the left slightly in front of the right, you crouch a little. Your right fist extends out as far as you can reach, thumb upward, yet keeping the arm slightly bent. The left fist is held, palm inwards, against your ribs.
  
  You manage to attain a balance between physical and spiritual. The effect of the combination of spiritual elements allows you to defeat him.
  
  "Good, water controls fire!"
  
  The old man readies himself for his next attack, this time the stance appears to be that of fire.
  
  > Water
  You quickly get into the water stance:
  
  With your legs together, the left slightly in front of the right, you crouch a little. Your right fist extends out as far as you can reach, thumb upward, yet keeping the arm slightly bent. The left fist is held, palm inwards, against your ribs.
  
  The balance between physical and spiritual elements in your stance is much better this time. The blending allows you to defeat him with relative ease.
  
  "Excellent, water controls fire!"
  
  The old man readies himself for his next attack, this time the stance appears to be that of wood.
  
  > Metal
  You quickly get into the metal stance:
  
  You shift your weight backwards onto your right leg, left leg out towards the front, giving support. You hold your left fist out in front of you, palm up, at face level, while your right fist is at your hip, facing palm down.
  
  You reach the perfect balance of physical and spiritual. The effect of the combination of spiritual elements allows you to defeat him effortlessly.
  
  "Superb, metal controls wood!"
  
  "You are talented!" He exclaims. "Evidently you understand the principles of Taiji and elemental cycles. No further tests will be necessary, you have the understanding you seek."
  
  He goes back to his meditations.
  
  Reviewing your memory of the battle, you understand that the elements carry a great spiritual weight when represented in combat, and that much of their power comes through, even when physical strength may be lacking.
  
  > drop the tray
  Dropped.
  
  > cut the thorns
  (with the sword)
  You hack the thorny obstruction to pieces.
  
  > cut the thorns with the sword
  Cutting those up would achieve little.