text: [Themes: Fantasy, adventure, spells, Zork, old school]
  
  > look at your surroundings
  The walls and shelves of this room are lined with mirrors and crystals of all types. Presumably you would have learned to scry in a more advanced Thaumaturgy class, but it wasn't covered in the first or second year of studies.
  
  The Adventurer is standing here, awaiting a command.
  
  You can also see a glass aquarium (closed) (in which is a small transparent sphere) and a glass cabinet (empty) here.
  
  > Break aquarium
  The Adventurer turns to listen to you.
  
  The Adventurer motions for you to stand back, then picks up the aquarium and tosses it with effort towards the ceiling. It comes down with a massive crash, but doesn't even seem scratched. The
  Adventurer scowls at it.
  
  > Open aquarium
  The Adventurer doesn't move. Perhaps there was a problem with your command.
  
  > follow you
  The Adventurer begins to follow you.
  
  > go to the south-east
  You've visited the library many times, and this room has never failed to impress you. Sunlight shone in through the circular window in the great domed ceiling, reflecting off the mosaic floor and filling the area with patterns of red and gold. The din of innumerable Enchanters and students made it feel alive.
  
  Now, however, it is dark and silent. A few shafts of moonlight give everything an ethereal silvery glow.
  
  Standing in the middle of the floor is a glass display case, showing off an illuminated scroll.
  
  The pattern of the mosaic changes: "Scrying crystals are available to the northwest.
  "
  The Adventurer arrives from the northwest.
  
  > push key
  The Adventurer turns to listen to you.
  
  The Adventurer pushes the lock.
  
  The tiles in the mosaic create a new message: "The Main Stacks are to the west.
  "
  
  > open the southeast door
  The Adventurer doesn't respond in any way. Perhaps the serage
  spell is preventing his from responding to anything other than commands.
  
  The mosaic shifts again: "This mosaic was enchanted by H. Ondricek and M. T. Winter of the Class of 925.
  "
  
  > go to the southwest
  This is the room where book returns are processed. It's one of the few areas of the library you've been in before, but you vividly remember the Frobozz Magic Reshelving Device. You placed your book on the mahogany input tray, then watched as it was drawn up a conveyor belt and slid over a series of differently-shaped slots until it fell through the right one.
  
  You can see the Tome of Psychological Incantations here.
  
  The Adventurer arrives from the northeast.
  
  > get tome
  The Adventurer turns to listen to you.
  
  The Adventurer picks up the Tome of Psychological Incantations.
  
  > ask Adventurer,  to go northeast
  The Adventurer ceases to pursue you.
  
  The Tome of Psychological Incantations falls from the Adventurer's hand as they step through the archway.
  
  The Adventurer goes northeast.
  
  > look northeast
  You see the library antechamber that way.
  
  > get tome
  That seems to belong to the Adventurer.
  
  > look at the lantern
  A small brass lantern, with two compartments connected by a small valve. You learned about these in a history class: the top chamber contains water, and the bottom one calcium carbide. When the valve is open, they react and produce a bright flame.
  
  The carbide lantern is currently switched on.
  
  > ask Adventurer,  to inventory
  The Adventurer looks through his possessions. "I have the Tome of Psychological Incantations, a carbide lantern, a plaited rope, a broken rope, and a map."
  
  > examine the MAP
  It looks like a mess of meaningless lines and arrows. Presumably the Adventurer understands it better.
  
  > examine the plaited rope
  The plaited rope is tied to nothing.
  
  A long rope of some sort. It feels fairly smooth, but it would still hold a knot.
  
  > look at the broken rope
  The broken rope is tied to nothing.
  
  Shorter than the other rope, and frayed at one end, but still capable of holding your weight if necessary.
  
  > Nitfol adventurer
  (first memorizing nitfol)
  The Adventurer isn't very talkative.
  
  > Yomin adventurer
  (first trying to take the Tome of Psychological Incantations)
  The predominant thought is the phrase "ADVENTURER, I".
  
  > give tome to you
  The Adventurer looks at the Tome of Psychological Incantations once, then hands it to you.
  
  > throw Tome northeast
  You fling the Tome of Psychological Incantations as hard as you can. It sails northeastward and disappears into the Library Antechamber.
  
  > go northeast
  You've visited the library many times, and this room has never failed to impress you. Sunlight shone in through the circular window in the great domed ceiling, reflecting off the mosaic floor and filling the area with patterns of red and gold. The din of innumerable Enchanters and students made it feel alive.
  
  Now, however, it is dark and silent. A few shafts of moonlight give everything an ethereal silvery glow.
  
  Standing in the middle of the floor is a glass display case, showing off an illuminated scroll.
  
  You can also see the Tome of Psychological Incantations here.
  
  The pattern of the mosaic changes: "Welcome, Wizard McSmartypants!
  "
  The Adventurer arrives from the southwest.
  
  > get tome
  Taken.
  
  The mosaic shifts again: "Library hours: 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM today.
  "
  
  > cut the quill
  Cutting it up would achieve little.
  
  The tiles in the mosaic create a new message: "The Spell Research Area is to the north.
  "
  
  > put the quill in the keyhole
  The quill pen cannot fit through the keyhole—the nib is just barely too wide.
  
  The mosaic shifts again: "Storage areas lie to the northeast and southeast.
  "
  
  > examine the quill
  You borrowed this from one of your professors, allegedly to practice copying your "gloth" scroll. It's large and deep blue, with a tiny enchanted diamond set in the tip.
  
  The tiles in the mosaic create a new message: "To the east is the Basic Spells Collection.
  "
  
  > Gnusto yomin
  (first memorizing gnusto)
  The spell fizzles. Unlike spell scrolls, spell books are magically guarded against the 'theft' of their lore.
  
  The mosaic shifts again: "Returns are processed to the southwest.
  "
  
  > Y.
  cheapglulxe quit with exit status: 0
  
  The occupied territories.
  
  Faith, but this has been worse than you could have imagined. You gave no thought when you left the capital; the promise of escape was too tempting and the intention of Jumaht's letter was too clear.
  
  Its contents, however, were less so, and you have had far too much time in far too empty a land to think on their purpose. Over the last weeks of your journey, your worry and your homesickness have worked their way from an ache in your heart to a stone in your stomach.
  
  As if to remind you of his own burden, Huwen brays and nuzzles your shoulder. You place a hand on his nose and whisper a word of thanks, for you are alone here except for him. Alone amongst the once-mad.
  
  The gates of Diahl lie before you. Everything else lies behind. Your journey here is ended. Your work is just beginning.
  
  A Tale of the Apostasy by Veronica Devon
  
  [First-time players should type "info" for instructions. Type "credits" to view the credits.]
  
  Here, the path takes its final turn north, towards the gates of the town. It is as narrow here as you can remember, becoming a slight track clinging to the cliff wall. As such, the view of the valley below is unmarred by any obstruction.
  
  Huwen stands beside you, as ever, heavy under his pack.
  
  > About yourself
  You've tried to look the part of a merchant of modest means, and you have mostly succeeded. The deep black of your skin marks you as a southerner, a child of the plains and not the mountains. At least you are not the ochre of a capitaler, for you would not to be trusted on sight.
  
  Still, you do not expect to be welcomed with open arms.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  your bag (open)
  a letter
  The Book of Lies
  a grey badge
  your notebook
  
  > look at the badge
  The sign of your office, such as it is. Glancing over its smooth, featureless surface, you realize that you must be careful with this. Before anyone sees it, you are simply another stranger or traveller. After, you would be branded an agent of the Apostasy, with all that that title demands.
  
  > examine Huwen
  You've had the donkey for a very long time now. He is everything you could ask for in a travelling companion: good-natured and uncomplaining. He does have a propensity for the sweet, but you can hardly blame him for it, as he is not alone in his vice.
  
  Your pack is settled across his back. He somehow does not seem tired, even after the long journey.
  
  > examine the letter
  Short and to the point, as all Jumaht's missives are.
  
  Darius:
  A murder has occurred in Diahl. It is to be investigated
  immediately. It is not known by me or by anyone that this is linked to cult or worship activities.
  
  Keep quiet on your journey. Keep to your principles. Keep to your truths. And know always how very proud I am of you.
  
  At the bottom, he has added a personal postscript:
  
  We will speak when this is over. I am sorry about Adar.
  
  It is not what is written that is so disturbing, but what is missing. "It is not known by me or anyone"? And yet it is to be investigated? Some part of you has hoped the postscript was the reason for the speed of your necessary departure - an excuse to get you away from the capital and all that had occurred. But there is more here, and that is more than merely worrisome. For it implies you - specifically you - were chosen for a reason.
  
  > look at Book
  A grammarie given only to initiates, though since it is written in the Tongue, there is little worry of anyone else reading it. On the back is inscribed the Brotherhood's creed: The world deceives. The
  world wishes to be deceived. The truth against the world.
  
  Your initiation is not that long behind you, but as Jumaht is fond of saying: the page remembers long after men have forgotten.
  
  [If you find need, you may "consult" the Book about topics or
  "look up" topics in the Book.]
  
  > Consult book about cult
  You can find no reference to cult in The Book of Lies.
  
  Huwen's ears twitch nervously.
  
  > Consult book about truth
  Much of the text of the Book is given over to the subjects of truth and falsehood, in one form or another. The actual entries on both subjects contain treatises of such depth, complexity, and length as to make up almost half of its length.
  
  That said, there is one portion on truth that you have found yourself coming back to again and again:
  
  the ancients and, following his natural disposition, puts his trust in them, but rather the one who suspects his faith in them and questions what he gathers from them, the one who submits to argument and demonstration, and not to the sayings of a human being whose nature is fraught with all kinds of imperfection and deficiency.
  
  Thus the duty of our Order, if learning the truth is our goal, is
  to make ourselves an enemy of all that we read, and, applying our minds to the core and margins of its content, attack it from every side. We should also suspect ourselves as we performs our critical examination of it, so that we may avoid falling into either prejudice or leniency.
  
  Huwen suddenly brays at nothing.
  
  > examine notebook
  This one is for official purposes; you left your personal notes in safekeeping before you left the capital. Flipping quickly through the fresh pages, running your fingers over the smooth parchment, reminds you how very far you are from civilization. You would not find its like for a hundred miles, you are certain.
  
  On the notebook's front page, you have made a list of tasks remaining to you:
  Find stable for Huwen.
  Find local hall of records. (Contact - trustworthy?)
  Officially present self to local elder or elders.
  Gain housing. (Demand obesance, if necessary?)
  (What of Silenus?)
  
  You jotted these down in an attempt to codify the work awiating you in Diahl, a week ago. It was at one of the last inns you passed, the last time you had a bath and a decent meal. You recall writing the last entry with a distinct sense of unease.
  
  You are just about to close the book when your eyes catch on an imperfection: there is writing on the inside cover.
  
  > examine the writing
  of all our desire
  will look, lift your face
  and say,
  
  Like this.
  
  Adar must have done this. You cannot think of when. You also cannot think which is worse: that he wrote it before things ended, or after.
  
  Huwen wanders up to you, nuzzles you for a moment, then wanders away.
  
  > Pet huwen
  Huwen nuzzles closer.
  
  > think about Adar
  [I can't understand your entire command: the first part might be
  an action I know, but I didn't expect the word "about" next.]
  
  > Consult book about silenus
  Silenus does not have a specific entry in the Book. Nor have you been able to correlate what little you have observed of it with any known entity. Which should make its existence all the more worrying, if you gave yourself pause to think on it.