text: > look around
  You are at the north end of the graveyard. To the west is the old church; an entrance is further along the wall to the south. To the north is an ancient iron fence some twelve feet tall. To the east is an ancient mausoleum, with a few words etched in the stone above the entrance. Several gravestones are scattered amongst the weeds here.
  
  One grave has been dug up, and at the bottom of the hole is an open coffin.
  
  > go to the south
  You are at the southern end of the church graveyard. Some
  headstones are shrouded in low-lying fog, while others are partially hidden by the long grass. It's obvious that the graveyard, like the church itself, hasn't been taken care of for some time. A few old stunted trees mark the boundaries to the south and east. To the west is a side entrance to the old church, and further to the north, you can see more headstones and an old mausoleum.
  
  > go west
  You approach the church door, but suddenly, a strange pain seizes your gut. You double over in agony, and are forced to stop.
  
  > Go north
  You easily scale the fence and head toward the moors.
  
  You are walking along a lightly-travelled path that wends its way through the dark, misty moors of Rylvania. The trail curves here, continuing to the southwest and the northwest. The rain is picking up now, and the thunder and lightning are getting closer. South of here is the church graveyard, covered with a blanket of fog and mist. To the north, you hear the sounds of rushing water, but I wouldn't stray from the path if I were you - the bogs are deadly. The village is back to the southwest.
  
  > About yourself
  Your skin is pale and cold to the touch, your canines are long and pointy, and you feel very strange. You seem to have become a vampire. [2]
  
  > Footnote 2
  [2]: Bummer.
  
  > go to the northwest
  You are standing at a fork in the path through the moors. To the
  east a short path slopes down to the river, while another track continues through the fens to the west. To the southeast, the road heads back through the moors toward the village. To the northwest the way becomes drier and the terrain begins to rise - the path in that direction leads up the side of a low hill. There's a tall signpost here.
  
  Sitting on top of the signpost is a raven, preening its feathers.
  
  > examine the sign
  The signpost has three signs. One points northwest and reads "Gloomfen Castle." The second points southeast and reads "Gloomfen Village."
  The third points west and reads "Deadly Moors - Be careful!" There's a large raven sitting atop the post. It eyes you suspiciously.
  
  > examine the raven
  It's a large black raven, a bird of ill-omen. It gives you the chills, but appears to be quite harmless.
  
  > talk to the the raven
  Please refer to your manual and/or README file for the proper syntax to use when talking to people or objects.
  
  > go west
  The road from town ends here in a clearing, a dry spot in the
  endless bogs and moors. To the north you can see a rocky hill, atop which is a dark stone castle shrouded in mist. The only safe path through the bogs leads east, back toward the crossroads. A faded Gypsy tent sewn from once-bright colorful cloth stands to the west, its flap open. Stuck in the ground near the tent is a wooden sign.
  
  > read sign
  "Madame Hulga's - Enter if you seek Truth"
  
  > go west
  Moonlight filters through the thin cloth, bathing the dim interior
  of the tent in subtle shades of blue, green, and red. The interior of the tent is empty save for a low table. The exit is to the east.
  
  There's a wizened old woman here, pacing the tent and muttering to herself. She looks up as you enter, and frowns. "Well? What do you want?"
  
  > ask the hulga about the reading
  "Yes, I do readings," the old crone says. "But first you must pay me."
  
  > check your inventory
  You have a wooden stake and a shovel.
  
  > Go northwest
  The terrain is rockier here than further down toward the village,
  and the land slopes gently upward to the north. Further north, up a mountain, you see the stark stone towers of Castle Gloomfen, the ancestral home of the Von Rhistoven family. The trail runs from the north to the southeast. Other directions appear too rocky for easy travel.
  
  > Go north
  You're standing on the edge of a rocky gorge, which is to the north. The bottom is lost somewhere deep in the mists, but far below, you can hear water crashing on the rocks. The trail ends at the edge of the gorge. A thick rope spans the chasm, vanishing into the swirling fog. The trail leads back down the hill to the south.
  
  > Go north
  You put one foot on the rope, but it's just too slippery. If you try to cross you'll plunge to your death.
  
  > examine the reeds
  The dying reeds bend gently in the chilling breezes.
  
  > look at the river
  The river water is muddy and foul, and smells of decay and death.
  
  > Go east
  You can't swim. Besides, you should know that vampires can't cross running water.
  
  > Go southeast
  You are walking along a lightly-travelled path that wends its way through the dark, misty moors of Rylvania. The trail curves here, continuing to the southwest and the northwest. The rain is picking up now, and the thunder and lightning are getting closer. South of here is the church graveyard, covered with a blanket of fog and mist. To the north, you hear the sounds of rushing water, but I wouldn't stray from the path if I were you - the bogs are deadly. The village is back to the southwest.
  
  > go southwest
  You are near the eastern outskirts of the village. To the south is
  a stately old church, weathered and in a state of disrepair. The entrance to the church stands open. To the north a narrow track runs along the side of the small wooden building you passed to the west.
  The road continues west and also runs northeast, out of town and through the moors.
  
  The night is alive now; you can't believe you didn't notice before
  how bright the stars were, how the shadows on the ground contrast sharply with the bright village lights around you. Your senses are at a peak, and you feel flushed with dark purpose.
  
  The smell of hot blood beckons you to the north. You can almost
  sense the man's thoughts - and they're not thoughts that you're happy to share. Whoever lurks to the north has a sinister motive; he's a thief, and he's killed before himself.
  
  > Go north
  You're standing next to a small wooden building to the west.
  There's a small window on this side, but otherwise the building's wall is featureless and uninteresting. To the north and northeast are impassable moors and swamps, and to the south is the main road. The alley is littered with trash and debris.
  
  A sinister-looking man is lurking near the window, fiddling with the shutters. He glances in your direction as you approach, his eyes narrowing, trying to spot you in the gloom. "Who's there?" he whispers. When you fail to respond, he turns back to the closed window, trying to see how it opens. You can taste his hot blood, drifting to your newly-sensitive nostrils on the brisk winds that blow off the moors.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  > eat man
  Emerging from the shadows, you pounce on the hapless thief. He
  cries out only once - and then, your teeth find his neck. Slowly, savoring the warm flavors, you lap the blood from the gaping wound.
  The thief begins to grow limp in your grasp, his face pale. Suddenly, with a last burst of strength, he tears away from your grasp and runs out onto the moors, screaming. Your prey has escaped, but the all-consuming hunger tearing your guts is sated - for the moment.
  
  > look in the window
  The window's shutters are closed. You can't see a thing.
  
  > go north
  The door is closed.
  
  > Door
  Nothing happens.
  
  > examine the building
  The building is just north of the road. It looks like an office of some kind. Like most of the buildings in the village, it's made of wood with a fieldstone foundation.
  
  > open the door
  It seems to be latched from the other side.
  
  > Go west
  You are standing outside a wooden inn at the west end of a small Rylvanian village. Flickering light streams from an open window, and a sign hangs above the doorway. The inn has seen better days - it's run-down and falling apart, and could use a good coat of paint. A path runs south, out of town, and more buildings are down the street to the east. To the west is more of the black forest. The inn is to the north.
  
  With heightened senses, you hear the townsfolk muttering inside the inn. You sense their fear, their terror of the creatures they believe stalk the night. The smell of their blood, hot and sweet, drifts on the cool night breezes.
  
  Everything is new and fresh. The fluttering light from inside the
  inn seems to dance with a new intensity. Though it's clear you wouldn't be able to see in total darkness, your vision is sharper than it's ever been. New sensations scream for attention, and every pore in your body is tingling.
  
  > go to the west
  You are lost among the twisted, gnarled trees of the black forest.
  The trees close in around you and the air is damp and cold. Somewhere off in the distance a lone wolf howls. Owls hoot, and a faint scrabbling under the leaves hints of tiny creatures of the night, searching for food. You can travel in almost all directions.
  
  The woods seem to call your name; your heart is racing. You can
  sense life all around you - the quiet stalking of predators, the mindless fear of the prey, even the gentle grace of dying trees.
  Scents wash over you, and your nostrils flare involuntarily. Even though your sharpened vision tells you the trees are dying, no forest has ever seemed so alive.
  
  > read the trees
  I don't know how to read the trees.
  
  Without warning, a lone wolf appears from the trees and meets your
  gaze with yellow eyes. Strangely you feel no fear - only a strange mastery over the creature. You can even hear the beast's thoughts - "I serve you." Before you can find a way to respond, the wolf melts away into the dark wood.
  
  > examine the trees
  The black forest seems to close in around you. For a moment, you feel like you're being watched - and then, the feeling passes. The trees themselves are mostly twisted oaks, dying and shriveled in the dark autumn air.
  
  > climb the tree
  The limbs of the trees are too dead for you to safely climb them.
  
  > Smell
  What do you want to smell?
  
  > Smell air
  The air is cold and damp, with a faint moldy smell.
  
  > Smell trees
  It smells like what you'd expect a trees to smell like.
  
  > Go east
  You are standing outside a wooden inn at the west end of a small Rylvanian village. Flickering light streams from an open window, and a sign hangs above the doorway. The inn has seen better days - it's run-down and falling apart, and could use a good coat of paint. A path runs south, out of town, and more buildings are down the street to the east. To the west is more of the black forest. The inn is to the north.
  
  With heightened senses, you hear the townsfolk muttering inside the inn. You sense their fear, their terror of the creatures they believe stalk the night. The smell of their blood, hot and sweet, drifts on the cool night breezes.
  
  > Go south
  You are standing at a fork in the path, just outside a village. To
  the west the trees thin out slightly, while to the east they disappear entirely, becoming an impassable swamp. Branches of the path run north and northeast. To the north you can see several buildings. The track runs south as well, back into the forest.
  
  > Go northeast
  You are walking on a road through the center of the village. The street is quiet and empty; most of the local populace has already turned in for the night. Silence weighs heavily on the town, and the air is cold and leaden. To the north is a small square wooden building. The door to the building is closed. To the south is an open field. The road continues to the east and west, and a branch runs southwest as well - toward the black forest.
  
  > Go south
  You're standing on a knoll, an open field a bit higher than the surrounding terrain. Tall grasses gently sway in the cool night breezes. Below you to the north you see the winking lights of Gloomfen Village and far in the distance, up a rocky mist-shrouded mountain, you can just make out a sinister-looking stone castle. To the south and west are the black Rylvanian forests. To the east is a crumbling stone church and - perhaps a half-mile away - a winding river. The only clear track leads north, back down to the village.
  
  There's a ragged old man lying on the ground. He looks up at you through bleary eyes. "Charity for a poor fellow, kind sir?" he wheezes.
  
  > look at the man
  The old man is obviously a derelict, and is even more obviously extremely drunk. He's dressed in rags and lies on the ground, mumbling to himself. He looks up at you through bleary eyes. "Need four," he gasps.
  
  > ask the man about the man
  "How should I know?" the old man cries.
  
  > ask the man about the liquor
  The old man lights up. "Wine, you say? Give it to me!"
  
  > Go north
  Rylvanian inn. "My God!" one shouts. "The one we buried the other day, back from the grave!" The patrons leap to their feet, their faces masks of fear. They leap for you and throw you to the ground, shouting and cursing, holding crosses in your face. You throw one off, then a second, but four still hold you, just barely able to keep you restrained. One raises a wooden stake above your heart and brings it down, touching your chest. Another grasps a hammer -
  
  > Yes
  Bye! Thank you for playing The Horror of Rylvania!