text: > Look around
  The thunder resolves into the pounding roar of a seething mass of chiroptera. The myriad voices, the screaming, the shouting, all blends together and echoes through your very bones.
  
  You are standing upon a high dais, and on all sides, thousands of chiroptera stare up at you -- the source of the incredible tumult. You had not conceived of so many people in all the world, let alone so many of your kin in the same place, and their frenzied behavior is alien to your secluded existence. Your very heartbeat and breathing feel dictated by the hunger of the crowd. You are garbed formally in a side-split tunic of dense, gem-adorned brocade and a long skirt, but you are much less concerned about your attire than you are concerned by the long, heavy sword gripped in your hand.
  
  A chirop woman kneels before you. Her tan fur is sparse from great age, and her hands are bound tightly behind her back with coarse rope. Her shoulders twitch in a shiver as the cries of the crowd pound over you both.
  
  Though the sound of the crowd all but deafens you, a woman's clarion voice rises above the din of the crowd. "She is condemned. Strike!"
  I beg your pardon?
  
  > run
  You'll have to say which compass direction to go in.
  
  > Go outside
  You step to the edge of the dais. Thousands of eyes bore into you as you start down the steps, and the tone of the crowd's layered cries becomes suddenly, sharply hostile. A heavy wave of disorientation follows. This isn't you -- this isn't your place or where you belong....
  
  And, winging after that thought, you realize that it is nighttime. The roar of the crowd fails into silence, defeated by the sudden blackness and the tide of stars that flow across the night sky. The taste of apples fills your mouth, and stars flash across your gaze as everything spins away from you.
  
  This, in the darkness:
  
  There is a voice. The voice is sharp, clear, female, and only newly familiar: Caerwyn's voice, asking, "What did you give her?"
  
  A second voice comes from the darkness. This one is low, softer, male, and as little-known to you as the first. Hachachi answers, "Heartkenning in dreamwine."
  
  Caerwyn: "You mistook her, perhaps, for a trained diviner? You risk too much."
  
  Hachachi: "It had to be risked."
  
  Caerwyn: "'Use your initiative' didn't mean kill the girl. She's hardly breathing."
  
  Hachachi: "There weren't many options and there wasn't much time."
  
  Caerwyn: "There was more time before you tried to kill her."
  
  Hachachi: "High One, if I was wrong, please forgive me. I measured the dreamwine carefully -- six swallows, no more. Her geas..."
  
  But the darkness is spinning, and noise comes out of the darkness -- a shivering, rushing noise, something more familiar than the voices. The noise drowns out Hachachi's voice. You struggle to identify this new sound....
  
  Water. The sound is water.
  
  You are lying on cold stone, and you can hear a river not far away.
  
  Underground, Crevice
  It's hard to see much of anything here, as overhanging shelves of rock block almost all light from the north, and that light is a frail, greenish shimmer at best. The crevice is small and cramped. Once, it was a full passage, as signs of a broader tunnel do lead west, but the tunnel is blocked by fallen rocks.
  
  > examine the rocks
  The fallen rocks prevent you from proceeding west.
  
  When the rocks fell, we were lucky because grubmen are stupid. Instead of coming to kill us, they went to pray to the grubqueen. It would have been easier if they hadn't left a sentry.
  
  > About you
  There is no reflective surface nearby in which you can get a proper look at yourself. However, despite your best efforts to remain tidy, your fur is dusty from the road, and you are not completely comfortable with your current appearance. You would definitely welcome the opportunity to tidy up.
  
  > examine the light
  Faint, greenish light is visible to the north.
  
  You have to keep moving. Eventually, the grubmen will realize that the falling rocks were on THIS side, and then they'll come to investigate.
  
  Faint, greenish light is visible to the north.
  
  > think about the grubmen
  Your thoughts circle without profit.
  
  > go north
  There was no way to go back. All we could do was go forward, and hope for a new exit somewhere past the grubmen.
  
  You stand up cautiously to avoid cracking your head on the low stone ceiling.
  
  This underground space is dimly lit by crusts of phosphorescent lichen clinging to the cavern roof. Ragged spires of rock jut from the ground, and cool, dark shadows fill the spaces between the spires. A crevice opens to the south, and a broader passage leads off to the east.
  
  > look at the lichen
  The only light here is a dim glow emanating from the lichen clinging to the cavern ceiling.
  
  > get the lichen
  The patch of phosphorescent lichen is too far away.
  
  > examine the spires
  Several waist-high stalagmites rise from the ground.
  
  Wait -- this isn't the way it went....
  
  > go to the east
  Underground, Beside the River
  The cavern opens up beside a broad underground river. Across the river, small orange fires glimmer, and contorted humanoid shapes are visible moving in the firelight. These are grubmen -- an annoying, not particularly intelligent breed of underground dweller with a tendency to steal animals from human and chirop settlements. The river flows through a black, impassable hole to the south, but there is room to walk north along the river's steep bank.
  
  A narrow, not-particularly-sturdy-seeming bridge stretches over the river to the east. Upon the bridge is another short grubman standing watch -- a rather ineffective watch, at that, since the grubman is staring toward the fires and has not yet noticed you.
  
  The grubman standing on the bridge shifts anxiously from pudgy foot to pudgy foot.
  
  > look at myself
  There is no reflective surface nearby in which you can get a proper look at yourself. However, despite your best efforts to remain tidy, your fur is dusty from the road, and you are not completely comfortable with your current appearance. You would definitely welcome the opportunity to tidy up.
  
  I wasn't alone. The rocks caught Achimi, but Hichaesho made it through.
  
  > kill grubman
  (the translucent white grubman)
  You can't reach the translucent white grubman from here.
  
  The grubman standing on the bridge shifts anxiously from pudgy foot to pudgy foot.
  
  > check what you're carrying
  Your hands are empty.
  You are wearing a dark green goat wool cloak, a pale green tunic split up the sides, and a long, voluminous skirt of pale green wool. A slim braided leather belt encircles your waist. You have a pair of braided white leather sandals on your feet. You are also wearing a slender zircon-studded bracelet and a pair of dangling zircon earrings.
  
  The grubman standing on the bridge shifts anxiously from pudgy foot to pudgy foot.
  
  Am I dreaming?
  
  > look at the bracelet
  You study the slender zircon-studded bracelet for a moment, but you notice nothing particularly unusual.
  
  Who ARE you, and why are you in my dream?
  
  > jump
  You jump on the spot, fruitlessly.
  
  > Go east
  Underground, Grubman Bridge
  This narrow, rickety bridge was designed for the weight of a grubman, not a chirop, and it complains softly with your every movement. There are no railings. Tinted dimly orange by the nearer grubman fires, the river plunges swiftly past below and flows away to the south.
  
  Grubman engineering is not much of a science. The bridge trembles disconcertingly underfoot. Fortunately, the grubman guarding the bridge is distracted and looking away from you.
  
  The grubman standing on the bridge shifts anxiously from pudgy foot to pudgy foot.
  
  > Yes
  Against your better judgement, you approach the translucent white grubman.
  
  You rush at the grubman, put your hands against his back, and shove! With a chittering wail, the grubman falls into the river and bobs away to the south.
  
  > cross the Bridge
  Underground, Beside the River
  The cavern opens up beside a broad underground river. Across the river, small orange fires glimmer, and contorted humanoid shapes are visible moving in the firelight. These are grubmen -- an annoying, not particularly intelligent breed of underground dweller with a tendency to steal animals from human and chirop settlements. The river flows through a black, impassable hole to the south, but there is room to walk north along the river's steep bank.
  
  A narrow, not-particularly-sturdy-seeming bridge stretches over the river to the east. From here, you can see nothing on the bridge.
  
  > go to the north
  You walk north along the bank.
  
  Underground, Beside the River
  The river passage narrows as it proceeds northward. Farther north, there is nowhere to stand, but here, you can view the broad subterranean river by the light of the distant fires. Twisted rock formations overhang the river, but none are within reach.
  
  > examine River
  The river is far too broad to jump, and it looks both fast and deep.
  To the south, a crude bridge spans the water.
  
  > examine the formations
  Several twisted, water-smoothed stalactites overhang the river.
  
  > Climb formations
  The twisted rock formation is too far away.
  
  > Go west
  This underground space is dimly lit by crusts of phosphorescent lichen clinging to the cavern roof. Ragged spires of rock jut from the ground, and cool, dark shadows fill the spaces between the spires. A crevice opens to the south, and a broader passage leads off to the east.
  
  > Go east
  Underground, Grubman Bridge
  This narrow, rickety bridge was designed for the weight of a grubman, not a chirop, and it complains softly with your every movement. There are no railings. Tinted dimly orange by the nearer grubman fires, the river plunges swiftly past below and flows away to the south.
  
  Grubman engineering is not much of a science. The bridge trembles disconcertingly underfoot.
  
  > Go east
  With no further obstacle in your way, you carefully cross the bridge (which, by some minor miracle, does not break beneath your weight) and halt on the far side. The space just off the bridge is slightly shadowed, and you can pause here to gain your bearings before proceeding onward.
  
  Or perhaps not -- because suddenly, everything changes....
  
  > press the space
  You are in a new cave, though you are standing up this time.
  Everything around you is very faintly lit by greenish-yellow phosphorescence, which, you realize after a moment, comes from a thin crust of lichen on the walls. It's like something out of a story -- you've never seen lichen like this before.
  
  Phosphorescent lichen illumines this underground cavern with a weak, sickly light. The air is humid and unpleasant. The only route from here is north.
  
  You can't see any such thing.
  
  I beg your pardon?
  
  > Go north
  A narrow stream, no more than a few handsbreadths across, trickles in from the north and flows away to the southeast. Thin crusts of phosphorescent lichen cling to the walls and ceiling, casting a weak, sickly light . The air is humid and unpleasant. Passages open north, south, southeast, southwest, and east from here.
  
  > go southwest
  Phosphorescent lichen illumines the underground passage around you, but with a weak, sickly light. The air is humid and unpleasant. There are exits leading north and northeast from here.
  
  > go north
  Phosphorescent lichen illumines the underground passage around you, but with a weak, sickly light. The air is humid and unpleasant. There are exits leading northwest and south from here.
  
  I've seen fungus like this, but only outside. On trees, sometimes, in forests... never in caves.
  
  But this is a dream. Anything can happen here.
  
  > eat the fungus
  (first taking the thin crust of phosphorescent lichen)
  That's hardly portable.
  
  > Go northwest
  Phosphorescent lichen illumines the underground passage around you, but with a weak, sickly light. The air is humid and unpleasant. There are exits leading northeast and southeast from here.
  
  Time passes.
  
  I didn't understand that sentence.
  
  > Smell
  Everything smells like lichen. Still, you think the air coming from the northeast might be a bit fresher.
  
  > go to the northeast
  A narrow stream, no more than a few handsbreadths across, trickles in from the north and flows away to the south. Thin crusts of phosphorescent lichen cling to the walls and ceiling, casting a weak, sickly light . The air is humid and unpleasant. Passages open north, northwest, south, and southwest from here.
  
  As you shift position, one of your knees suddenly buckles, and you stumble to the side. You successfully  catch yourself against the wall with an outflung hand. When you regain your balance and pull your hand away, you see a black handprint on the wall.
  
  > look at the handprint
  It looks as if the lichen has been damaged on one wall, as a black handprint mars the faint green glow.
  
  > Smell
  Everything smells like lichen. Still, you think the air coming from the north might be a bit fresher.
  
  > go north
  A narrow stream, no more than a few handsbreadths across, trickles in from the northeast and flows away to the south. Thin crusts of phosphorescent lichen cling to the walls and ceiling, casting a weak, sickly light . The air is humid and unpleasant. Passages open northeast and south from here.
  
  > go northeast
  A narrow stream, no more than a few handsbreadths across, trickles in from the northeast and flows away to the southwest. Thin crusts of phosphorescent lichen cling to the walls and ceiling, casting a weak, sickly light . The air is humid and unpleasant. Passages open northeast and southwest from here.
  
  > Go northeast
  A narrow stream, no more than a few handsbreadths across, trickles in from the east and flows away to the southwest. Thin crusts of phosphorescent lichen cling to the walls and ceiling, casting a weak, sickly light . The air is humid and unpleasant. Passages open north, southwest, and east from here.
  
  > Smell
  Everything smells like lichen. Still, you think the air coming from the east might be a bit fresher.
  
  > Go east
  Underground, Below the Night
  Suddenly, you come around a twist in the tunnel to see light shining down through a broad gap in the stone -- real light, moonlight, which washes the lichen's sickly glow into insubstantiality. The small stream coursing through the cavern has its source here, for a thin stream of water pours down through the gap and pools at your feet before wandering away through the passages.
  
  Beside the waterfall, a crude ladder leads upward and outward to a cold night sky.
  
  > Drink water
  You scoop up some of the stream water in your hand and drink from your palm. The water is cool and tastes slightly fungal.
  
  > look at myself
  There is no reflective surface nearby in which you can get a proper look at yourself. However, despite your best efforts to remain tidy, your fur is dusty from the road, and you are not completely comfortable with your current appearance. You would definitely welcome the opportunity to tidy up.