text: > Look around
  Little sunlight reaches this winding path due to the tall buildings on either side, buildings which seem to lean over, almost touching, above you. This is an old part of the city, with nothing here having been built in the last hundred years.
  
  Northwest you can see Tiamont Plaza, to the south is an abandoned house and southeast is Mawbury Lane. Blocking the way to Mawbury Lane is a hulking thug by the name of Jacob.
  
  > give the bracelet to Jacob
  He sneers at the bracelet. "That cheap piece of trash isn't buying you anything, sweetheart."
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a passcard
  a mirror
  a bracelet
  a chisel
  a note
  
  > meld the mirror with the bracelet
  You concentrate on the mirror and the bracelet and bring your meld ability to bear, but nothing happens. The items cannot be melded with each other.
  
  > meld the mirror with chisel
  You concentrate on the mirror and the chisel and bring your meld ability to bear, but nothing happens. The items cannot be melded with each other.
  
  > show the passcard to Jacob
  Jacob is unimpressed.
  
  > go south
  You're in the ruins of an abandoned house which looks to have been uninhabited for longer than you've been alive. The walls are damp, the ceiling has collapsed (in fact, most of it is on the floor) and the floor creaks beneath you. One especially large gap to the north leads out to the winding path. Clinging to one wall, though out of reach, is the remnants of a staircase.
  
  > look at the staircase
  Part of a staircase, clinging to the wall. It's quite a way out of reach.
  
  > examine the walls
  Crumbly and damp. It's a wonder the place hasn't already collapsed. In one wall is a jagged crack.
  
  > examine the crack
  A crack a few inches wide. You could reach inside if you wanted, though the thought of rats in the walls makes you somewhat reluctant.
  
  > hit the crack with chisel
  You can only do that to something animate.
  
  > examine the ceiling
  For ceiling read floor, as most of it has collapsed and is currently underfoot.
  
  > go northwest
  The smell of old books greets you: while hardly a pungent aroma, it's certainly cloying. This is City Library: a sprawling array of bookshelves as far as the eye can see, watched over by a scowling librarian who seems to regard visitors to the library with the same kind of contempt normally reserved for serial killers.
  
  > examine the librarian
  An elderly fellow with papery skin who seems to treat the library as his own personal domain. Something about his demeanour indicates he takes slights very personally and knows how to bear a grudge.
  
  > look at the books
  Without knowing exactly which book you're looking for - if indeed you have a specific title in mind - you'll never find it here. The filing system is positively archaic!
  
  > go to the northeast
  It is surprisingly dark in Freemoor Park, though the trees, of which admittedly there are many, aren't tall enough to block out the sun. At the centre of the park is a pond of turgid, black water, from which rises an odour foul enough to make your eyes water.
  
  To the southwest lies Morring Row.
  
  > examine the trees
  Spindly trees with claw-like branches, dotted about the park in a haphazard fashion.
  
  > examine the pond
  This isn't water in the pond, surely? It looks like some kind of radioactive waste.
  
  > go southwest
  To the northwest stands the grandly-titled Emperor Tavern, a massive structure looming over the whole of Morring Row and putting everything else into the shade. In truth, there's very little here aside from the tavern, a park off to the northeast and Tiamont Plaza to the south. An alley can be seen off to the west, running alongside the tavern.
  
  There is a disturbance just outside the Emperor Tavern. You and several other passers by stop to watch as an old man, clearly drunk, is expelled from the premises by bouncers. He staggers, almost falls, then spins on his heel (which almost causes him to fall over again) and shakes his fist at the bouncers.
  
  "Lousy stinking tavern anyway!" he yells. "Wouldn't drink there if you paid me!"
  
  "Go home, Talbot, you've had enough for day," one of the bouncer says.
  
  "Don't tell me what to do!" the man Talbot shouts. "You stole it from me, didn't you? You and your lousy boss! You... you..."
  
  He yells a few more choice phrases, some of them very colourful, then runs out of steam and staggers away in the direction of Freemoor Park. You give him a wide berth - the odour of sour beer emanating from him is quite pungent.
  
  > Go northeast
  It is surprisingly dark in Freemoor Park, though the trees, of which admittedly there are many, aren't tall enough to block out the sun. At the centre of the park is a pond of turgid, black water, from which rises an odour foul enough to make your eyes water. Slouched down by the park is Talbot, looking drunker by the second.
  
  To the southwest lies Morring Row.
  
  > talk to Talbot
  "Gerrawayfromme!" he snarls, drunkenly waving you away. "They stole it... the swine... they stole it from me..."
  
  "Stole what?" you ask.
  
  But Talbot is lost in drunken rantings and doesn't hear you.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a passcard
  a mirror
  a bracelet
  a chisel
  a note
  
  > give the bracelet to Talbot
  "Don't try an' trick me with that cheap trash!" Talbot says.
  
  > go southwest
  To the northwest stands the grandly-titled Emperor Tavern, a massive structure looming over the whole of Morring Row and putting everything else into the shade. In truth, there's very little here aside from the tavern, a park off to the northeast and Tiamont Plaza to the south. An alley can be seen off to the west, running alongside the tavern.
  
  > Go northwest
  Before today, you'd only heard of the Emperor Tavern but never visited it. It has a somewhat ominous reputation which might be all rumour and no substance, but seeing it from here you can well imagine its reputation is well-founded.
  
  What you see is a large room, massive in fact, in which literally hundreds of people sit around circular tables, drinking beer, smoking all manner of illegal substances, and gambling. Yes, gambling. Banned within the city limits it might be, but here you see it in abundance.
  
  You can make your way deeper into the tavern to the north, west or northwest or you can return to Morring Row to the southeast.
  
  > Go north
  Emperor Tavern { North }
  Against the back wall of the tavern are a group of strange individuals engaged in some kind of staring contest at each other over a table. No one moves, no one says a word. All is deathly silent.
  
  You can leave to the south when you wish.
  
  > examine table
  The table itself is ordinary, but there's a jewel of some kind in the centre of it which draws your attention. Is this what the staring contest is about?
  
  > examine the individuals
  From the way they're dressed, you're guessing they're members of one of the strange cults you've heard talk about. According to news reports, they're supposed to be very dangerous and passersby are advised not to approach them.
  
  > take the jewel
  The moment you reach out to take the jewel, it flickers, as if it wasn't there at all. The men at the table cease their staring contest and look at you.
  
  "Sacrilege!" shouts one.
  
  "Blasphemy!" shouts another.
  
  A third reaches into his robes for what you guess is a knife, so you decide it's time to go and-
  
  But you stop. One of the men has fixed his eyes onto yours and you find you can't move anywhere. He nods for you to sit down and you do. He indicates for you to place the jewel back on the table and you do.
  
  He looks deep into your eyes, peeling back every secret, every memory. He discovers your meld ability and realises how useful it can be.
  
  You spend a long, long time at the table staring into the eyes of the strange man...
  
  > Go west
  Emperor Tavern { West }
  This area of the tavern seems a little more refined than the main area to the east. Here, the customers - or clientele - sit around sipping wine, talking in hushed voices and discussing the works of art adorning the walls. It's a welcome change after the noise just a short walk to the east.
  
  Every eye in the place, and there are quite a few, look at you and a deathly silence falls. You could literally hear a pin drop here.
  
  But when it becomes apparent that you aren't going to say or do anything dramatic, the clientele seem to lose interest in you and resume their quiet whisperings.
  
  > look at the art
  You're not really a fan of modern art so most of this leaves you cold. However, there's one painting of a king staring into the sun which quite catches your eye.
  
  > look at the king
  As you stare at the painting, you find your attention being drawn to the sun, in the same way as the king's attention is drawn to it. It takes an effort to look away.
  
  > examine the people
  Much more refined than the drunks in the rest of the tavern, these look the sort to actually appreciate the works of art on the walls.
  
  > take the painting
  You doubt the people gathered here are simply going to let you walk away with this.
  
  > go east
  Before today, you'd only heard of the Emperor Tavern but never visited it. It has a somewhat ominous reputation which might be all rumour and no substance, but seeing it from here you can well imagine its reputation is well-founded.
  
  What you see is a large room, massive in fact, in which literally hundreds of people sit around circular tables, drinking beer, smoking all manner of illegal substances, and gambling. Yes, gambling. Banned within the city limits it might be, but here you see it in abundance.
  
  You can make your way deeper into the tavern to the north, west or northwest or you can return to Morring Row to the southeast.
  
  > examine the people
  A rowdy bunch for the most part, deep in their cups and likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future.
  
  > go to the northwest
  Emperor Tavern { Northwest }
  Ahead of you, to the northwest is an archway which looks like it might have been removed from an ancient monastery or cathedral, beyond which you see... nothing. It must be a simple trick of the light but the area beyond the archway doesn't show up at all. You notice that you're the only one here - apparently all the other customers of the tavern prefer to give this area a wide berth. Returning to the rest of the tavern is possible by going southeast.
  
  > go northwest
  As you approach the archway, you experience a strange buzzing sensation in your mind and when it passes you find you're facing
  away from the archway.
  
  How strange.
  
  > go west
  Emperor Tavern { West }
  This area of the tavern seems a little more refined than the main area to the east. Here, the customers - or clientele - sit around sipping wine, talking in hushed voices and discussing the works of art adorning the walls. It's a welcome change after the noise just a short walk to the east.
  
  > talk to the people
  As you try to strike up a conversation with a well-dressed gentleman, his equally well-dressed wife quickly steps in and says to you, "Don't even think about speaking to my husband. He's horribly
  drunk."
  
  "Pish, darling," says the husband, "I've barely drinked a touch!"
  
  She arches an eyebrow at him. "Indeed. Take two of these." She shoves some tablets into his hand, one of which disappears into his mouth and the rest he drops. "They'll soon sober you up."
  
  The husband snorts, then coughs violently! "Egads! Someone called an ambulance! I believe she's only bally well tried to poison me!"
  
  The wife rolls her eyes. "They're anti-alcohol tablets, you fool." She takes him by the hand and leads him away. "If you're going to make a fool of yourself, at least do it where everyone can't see you."
  
  Silence descends following their departure.