text: [Themes: Fantasy, Zorkian]
  
  > Look around
  This is a rocky beach along a grey and lifeless sea. There is dead seaweed covering many rocks, and listless waves barely stir the
  flotsam and jetsam here. There are many shells, but all are broken. A narrow path to the northwest leads into a meadow.
  The darkening sky is lit by a waning moon.
  An enormous turtle is here, its enamelled shell shining with all the colors of the rainbow.
  
  > take the seaweed
  Why bother?
  Your mouth is getting rather dry.
  
  > Swim
  You'd probably drown.
  Your stomach is starting to grumble.
  
  > Go northwest
  This is a meadow near the sea. There is a smell of salt in the air. Only heather and thistles grow here. To the north is a gate leading into the castle. A narrow path to the southeast leads to the shore of the Sea.
  The darkening sky is lit by a waning moon.
  The darkened sky is now full of bright stars. It is night.
  Today seemed shorter than yesterday, somehow.
  
  > Go east
  This is the base of the southeast tower of the castle. From atop a winding staircase comes a loud crashing and screeching noise. To the west is a corridor and the southern gate of the castle.
  You are beginning to tire.
  
  > Sleep
  Ah, sleep! It's been a long day, indeed. The rest will do you good.
  You spread your cloak on the floor and drift off, renewing your powers and refreshing your mind ... Time passes as you snore blissfully.
  
  You dream of a nondescript room in which a cartoonish figure casually opens a simple wooden door and ascends the flight of stairs which lies behind. The scene fades to black, but you awaken in a cold sweat.
  
  > Drink
  What do you want to drink?
  
  > Water
  The delicious spring water tasted great, and there's still some left.
  
  > eat the bread
  Mmm. That tasted great! There's nearly half of it left, too.
  
  > go east
  This is the base of the southeast tower of the castle. From atop a winding staircase comes a loud crashing and screeching noise. To the west is a corridor and the southern gate of the castle.
  You hear noises in the darkness nearby.
  
  > go upward
  The room is filled with noise: crashing and smashing, gurgling of water, grinding of gears, and horrible screeching of metal. Huge devices of obscure purpose provide these effects. The most notable is
  a huge hammer that smashes continually against the stone floor: it makes any crossing of the room a dangerous enterprise. The whole construction brings to mind the words "Infernal Machine." Far off to the southeast is another room. You can barely make out something on
  the floor of that room. It might be a scroll, but from here you can't tell for sure.
  
  > learn the vaxum
  Using your best study habits, you learn the vaxum spell.
  "Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor.
  
  > learn exex
  Using your best study habits, you learn the exex spell.
  
  > exex yourself
  You feel energetic and zippy.
  
  > Go southeast
  You zip across the room easily, but you must have touched something dangerous along the way, because the machinery speeds up, going faster and faster.
  Control Room
  Everything you see is grey and lifeless, as though covered with a veil of ash. Sound is muted and there is a faint acrid odor.
  This is the control room for all the machinery nearby. The controls
  are all magical, of course. The walls are covered by blinking lights and shifting displays, interspersed with arcane dials and glowing buttons. It's all very mysterious looking. The exit, to the northwest, leads into a room with machinery which would surely crush you if you were to attempt to enter it.
  A scroll of old, brittle parchment is here.
  "Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor outside.
  
  > read the brittle parchment
  The scroll reads "kulcad spell: dispel a magic spell". The spell seems very long and extremely complicated.
  
  > Gnusto kulcad
  You must have a legible spell scroll in your hands before the gnusto spell will work on it.
  "Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor outside.
  
  > Gnusto kulcad
  Your spell book begins to glow softly. In a spectacular effort of magic, the powers of the gnusto spell attempt to copy the kulcad spell into your book, but the spell is too long, too complicated, and too powerful. The glow fades, but fortunately the brittle scroll remains intact.
  
  A dull aching fills your head, and your mind is again probed, more deeply than when you entered the castle.
  "Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor outside.
  The sun has now risen above the hills.
  
  > look at the displays
  The lights and displays hold no meaning for you. A random number generator may be controlling the whole thing, for all you know.
  
  > look at the lights
  The lights and displays hold no meaning for you. A random number generator may be controlling the whole thing, for all you know. "Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor outside.
  
  > look at buttons
  Which buttons do you mean, the glowing button or the diamond-studded button?
  
  > learn the kulcad
  You haven't written that spell into your book yet. Until you do, you can't memorize the spell.
  "Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor outside.
  
  > learn exex
  Using your best study habits, you learn the exex spell.
  
  > exex yourself
  Nothing seems to happen. Perhaps the spell needs time before it can be cast again.
  "Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor outside.
  
  > Go northwest
  You rush across the engine room, your speed enabling you to avoid the gigantic hammers and gears; at this speed they appear to move with great deliberation. Unfortunately, you set off a trap, and many sharp spears fly at you from all directions! They seem to move pretty fast. Too fast, in fact. You can't dodge them, and you are severely
  skewered.
  
  ****  You have died  ****
  
  You awaken among the members of the Circle. Belboz the Necromancer looks tired, and scattered about are the remains of the components of
  a spell of great healing power. The other members of the Circle are pleased to see you revived, but worried by the setback. "I think Krill is too powerful," says one. "This inexperienced wizard will never defeat one so puissant as he." Quiet discussion ensues, with well-concealed acrimony beneath the surface.
  Debate ensues, with Belboz returning frequently to the contents of the ancient manuscript. His wishes prevail, and it is agreed to send you back....
  
  You are at a fork in the road where paths to the northwest and southwest girdle the base of the Lonely Mountain and a smaller path winds its way to the east.
  There is a loaf of bread here.
  There is a jug here.
  The jug contains:
  A very small quantity of water
  
  > check what you're carrying
  You are carrying:
  A spell book
  A battered lantern (providing light)
  A worn silver spoon
  A beautiful, ornamented egg
  
  > Go southeast
  You make it across the room, but just barely; just as you duck through the door, a huge hammer crashes down behind, missing by an inch. Something you stepped on along the way clicked as well, and with a horrible screeching noise, the machinery speeds up, crashing faster
  and faster until it's twice as fast as before.
  
  Everything you see is grey and lifeless, as though covered with a veil of ash. Sound is muted and there is a faint acrid odor.
  This is the control room for all the machinery nearby. The controls
  are all magical, of course. The walls are covered by blinking lights and shifting displays, interspersed with arcane dials and glowing buttons. It's all very mysterious looking. The exit, to the northwest, leads into a room with machinery which would surely crush you if you were to attempt to enter it.
  A scroll of old, brittle parchment is here.
  
  > take all
  glowing button: You can't be serious.
  blinking display: You must have had a silliness spell cast upon you. brittle scroll: Taken.
  "Crash!" A huge hammer smashes against the stone floor outside.
  
  > go northwest
  You run across the room, trying to dodge the crashing machinery, and you are succeeding for a while until you set off a trap. A volley of sharp spears, powered by cunning machinery, comes at you from all directions. You are skewered! The huge hammer crashes down for the
  coup de grace.
  
  ****  You have died  ****
  
  You awaken among the members of the Circle. Belboz the Necromancer looks tired, and scattered about are the remains of the components of
  a spell of great healing power. The other members of the Circle are pleased to see you revived, but worried by the setback. "I think Krill is too powerful," says one. "This inexperienced wizard will never defeat one so puissant as he." Quiet discussion ensues, with well-concealed acrimony beneath the surface.
  Debate ensues, with Belboz returning frequently to the contents of the ancient manuscript. His wishes prevail, and it is agreed to send you back....
  
  You are at a fork in the road where paths to the northwest and southwest girdle the base of the Lonely Mountain and a smaller path winds its way to the east.
  There is a loaf of bread here.
  There is a jug here.
  The jug contains:
  A very small quantity of water