text: > describe your surroundings
  This small chamber is about halfway up the steeple of the church. Rain and wind from the storm outside blows in through an open window frame and water collects in puddles on the warped floor, mixing with the droppings of the birds, or perhaps bats, which can be heard fluttering around overhead. Looking up, you can see a maze of beams and supports that form the interior of the steeple. Rain pours in from an opening higher in the steeple and trickles out through a trap door in the floor.
  
  A frayed but heavy rope hangs from somewhere overhead.
  
  The heavy wooden door to the north is closed.
  
  The top of the broken section of railing is visible sticking up through the trap door in the floor.
  
  This small chamber is about halfway up the steeple of the church. Rain and wind from the storm outside blows in through an open window frame and water collects in puddles on the warped floor, mixing with the droppings of the birds, or perhaps bats, which can be heard fluttering around overhead. Looking up, you can see a maze of beams and supports that form the interior of the steeple. Rain pours in from an opening higher in the steeple and trickles out through a trap door in the floor.
  
  A frayed but heavy rope hangs from somewhere overhead.
  
  The heavy wooden door to the north is closed.
  
  The top of the broken section of railing is visible sticking up through the trap door in the floor.
  
  The building shudders under a sudden gust of wind.
  
  > Down
  This small room is the entryway for the church. The years of neglect are obvious; the floorboards are rotten and warped and what were probably once stained glass windows are shattered and boarded up. Dirt and debris covers the floor. A set of double doors leads south back to the outside while a large archway leads north into the sanctuary. Overhead, there is an open trap door in the ceiling at about twice your height.
  
  > Go south
  Taken.
  
  This wide, covered porch spans the width of the church front. A white picket railing surrounds the porch on three sides, except to the south where a short flight of steps leads down to the sidewalk. Two large windows have been boarded up but the main doors stand slightly ajar.
  
  > Go south
  Two massive oak trees which flank the cracked sidewalk dominate the front of the church. The facade of the church itself rises beyond them, its steeple silhouetted against the sky. The storm lashes at its faded white facade, almost as if the storm is trying to wash the church clean; something you somehow realize will take more than mere water to accomplish. To the north, a sidewalk leads to the front of the church. A weed-choked driveway runs to the northeast and down a hill to the south, and a muddy path leads around the church to the northwest.
  
  The church and steeple loom to the north, the open window frames seeming to stare with judgment upon anyone standing before it.
  
  The heavy chain stretches from one of the oak trees and around the corner of the church to the northeast.
  
  > climb down
  Two massive oak trees which flank the cracked sidewalk dominate the front of the church. The facade of the church itself rises beyond them, its steeple silhouetted against the sky. The storm lashes at its faded white facade, almost as if the storm is trying to wash the church clean; something you somehow realize will take more than mere water to accomplish. To the north, a sidewalk leads to the front of the church. A weed-choked driveway runs to the northeast and down a hill to the south, and a muddy path leads around the church to the northwest.
  
  The church and steeple loom to the north, the open window frames seeming to stare with judgment upon anyone standing before it.
  
  The heavy chain stretches from one of the oak trees and around the corner of the church to the northeast.
  
  The broken length of railing is propped up against the side of the oak tree.
  
  > Up
  This small chamber is about halfway up the steeple of the church. Rain and wind from the storm outside blows in through an open window frame and water collects in puddles on the warped floor, mixing with the droppings of the birds, or perhaps bats, which can be heard fluttering around overhead. Looking up, you can see a maze of beams and supports that form the interior of the steeple. Rain pours in from an opening higher in the steeple and trickles out through a trap door in the floor.
  
  A frayed but heavy rope hangs from somewhere overhead.
  
  The heavy wooden door to the north is closed.
  
  The top of the broken section of railing is visible sticking up through the trap door in the floor.
  
  A blast of thunder rattles the building.
  
  > tie the rope to the door
  You tie the rope securely to the heavy wooden door.
  
  You hear a loud crash and see a flash of light through the cracks in the boards covering the windows.
  
  > get the ladder
  Taken.
  
  There is a brief rattle of hail on the roof.
  
  > Down
  Two massive oak trees which flank the cracked sidewalk dominate the front of the church. The facade of the church itself rises beyond them, its steeple silhouetted against the sky. The storm lashes at its faded white facade, almost as if the storm is trying to wash the church clean; something you somehow realize will take more than mere water to accomplish. To the north, a sidewalk leads to the front of the church. A weed-choked driveway runs to the northeast and down a hill to the south, and a muddy path leads around the church to the northwest.
  
  The church and steeple loom to the north, the open window frames seeming to stare with judgment upon anyone standing before it.
  
  The heavy chain stretches from one of the oak trees and around the corner of the church to the northeast.
  
  A broken bell lies half-buried in the mud.
  
  The broken length of railing is propped up against the side of the oak tree.
  
  For a brief moment, hail pounds against you then subsides.
  
  > put the ladder under the trap
  You carefully place the length of railing under the trap door in the ceiling.
  
  A blast of thunder rattles the building.
  
  > Up
  This small chamber is about halfway up the steeple of the church. Rain and wind from the storm outside blows in through an open window frame and water collects in puddles on the warped floor, mixing with the droppings of the birds, or perhaps bats, which can be heard fluttering around overhead. Looking up, you can see a maze of beams and supports that form the interior of the steeple. Rain pours in from an opening higher in the steeple and trickles out through a trap door in the floor.
  
  A gaping splintered opening lies to the north.
  
  The top of the broken section of railing is visible sticking up through the trap door in the floor.
  
  > go north
  Even with the door open and the wind from the storm blowing in this room is rank with a fetid odor. The floor is piled high with trash and half eaten scraps of food. There are no windows, only the broken door frame to the south. An old sofa is pushed against one wall and a heavy table sits in the middle of the room. A curtained archway is to the north.
  
  A gaping splintered opening lies to the south.
  
  A curtain of purple cloth hangs in the archway.
  
  On the old sofa is an old man.
  
  You can also see a heavy wooden table (on which are an oil lantern and a pair of glass bottles) here.
  
  > Go north
  You push the curtain aside and pause. On the other side of the curtain is a room much like the one you are in. A figure stands in the archway, apparently about to enter your room, and it is the sight of this figure which has brought you up short. It is, or was, human... once. Now, it is a withered mass of decaying flesh. It's clothing hangs in tatters and it is caked in mud and grave mold. Patches of hair hang from it's scalp and bones are visible in places through it's skin. The only thing that remains intact are it's eyes; pale blue and now wide open and staring.
  
  The creature raises its hand to you, and you find yourself doing the same. You reach out your arm and touch...
  
  ...a cold unyielding surface of polished glass.
  
  Suddenly, the realization of what you are seeing comes home to you, and you step back from the mirror with a cry.
  
  > About yourself
  You find you cannot look down at yourself. It is almost as if you know what you might find and are afraid to have your fears confirmed.
  
  You hear a loud crash and see a flash of light through the cracks in the boards covering the windows.
  
  > take the green bottle
  The green bottle has a sickly feel which matches its color. It feels like ice, cold and burning at the same time. It is all you can do to keep from throwing it down.
  
  > look
  Even with the door open and the wind from the storm blowing in this room is rank with a fetid odor. The floor is piled high with trash and half eaten scraps of food. There are no windows, only the broken door frame to the south. An old sofa is pushed against one wall and a heavy table sits in the middle of the room. A curtained archway is to the north.
  
  A gaping splintered opening lies to the south.
  
  A curtain of purple cloth hangs in the archway.
  
  On the old sofa is an old man.
  
  You can also see a heavy wooden table (on which are an oil lantern and a blue bottle) here.
  
  > open the green bottle
  You peel the wax away from the mouth of the bottle and pull out the cork. The old man suddenly realizes what you are doing. With a scream of "Noooo!", he throws himself towards you knocking over the lantern in the process. As he collapses at your feet, a glowing green mist rises from the bottle and hangs before him. "No!", he whispers.
  
  Then, the mist starts moving slowly downward as he doubles over and screams in agony. As the mist soaks into the ground, he looks up at you and screams, "I'll get my revenge" I'll see you in hell. I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL! Ia! Ia! Fthagn... Aaaaagh...!"
  
  His body collapses to the ground. As you watch the body blackens and decays until, within only a few moments, what is left appears to be a many-months old corpse.
  
  You hear a sudden *Whumph!* and look around. The spilled oil from the broken lantern has ignited. You grab the blue bottle from the table and race outside. You watch for a moment as flames consume the church. With a crackling roar, the steeple collapses inward and a plume of flame shoots skyward.
  
  Clutching the bottle to you, you make your way down the hill.
  
  > Light lantern
  This dangerous act would achieve little.
  
  > ask Man about the lantern
  The old man giggles uncontrollably.
  
  > ask Man about green
  "You see, I am safe now... I have transferred my sin to your soul. *If* I ever decide to release it, I will go to *your* reward, while you will go to *my* punishment."
  
  > ask Man about the blue
  "Yes. That is you. Or, should I say, *was* you. It's *mine* now. The receptacle for *my* sin.
  
  > ask Man about the grave
  The old man giggles uncontrollably.
  
  There is a brief rattle of hail on the roof.
  
  > wear the robe
  You put on the embroidered robe.
  
  > read tome
  What do you want to read in?
  
  > All
  Sorry, you can only have one item here. Which exactly?
  
  > Old
  Which do you mean, the old grimoire or the journal?
  
  > Grimoire
  The book contains several rituals and procedures all involving the soul or spirit. The first describes a ritual through which the soul can be removed from a person's body and placed in a specially prepared container. The soul remains in the container even if the person's body dies.
  
  A second ritual can be employed to use the stored soul as a receptacle for the sin of another person. This allows the possessor of another's soul to perform any acts they wish without having to answer for those acts in the next world.
  
  > ask Silas about the stopper
  The old man giggles uncontrollably.
  
  You hear a loud crash and see a flash of light through the cracks in the boards covering the windows.
  
  > Full
  You have so far scored 35 out of a possible 50, in 96 turns.
  
  The score is made up as follows:
  
  5 for entering the sealed room
  10 for opening the door
  5 for discovering the truth
  
  35 total (out of 50)
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  an oil lantern (providing light)
  a green bottle (providing light)
  a large black book
  an old grimoire
  a heavy stopper
  a journal
  an embroidered robe (being worn)
  a handful of ashes
  a broken limb
  
  > read the black
  Much of the book has been damaged by moisture and rats, but some of the passages are still legible. One in particular sticks in your mind... "The way to understand another is through their eyes, because the eyes are the windows of the soul. Through the eyes the soul may seen by those who are sensitive, and through the eyes the soul my be taken by those who have pledged themselves to the ones who wait beyond."
  
  A blast of thunder rattles the building.
  
  > look at the stopper
  Which do you mean, the blue bottle, the green bottle or the heavy stopper?
  
  > Go south
  This small chamber is about halfway up the steeple of the church. Rain and wind from the storm outside blows in through an open window frame and water collects in puddles on the warped floor, mixing with the droppings of the birds, or perhaps bats, which can be heard fluttering around overhead. Looking up, you can see a maze of beams and supports that form the interior of the steeple. Rain pours in from an opening higher in the steeple and trickles out through a trap door in the floor.
  
  A gaping splintered opening lies to the north.
  
  The top of the broken section of railing is visible sticking up through the trap door in the floor.
  
  Babbling to himself, the old man wanders after you.
  
  > go north
  Even with the door open and the wind from the storm blowing in this room is rank with a fetid odor. The floor is piled high with trash and half eaten scraps of food. There are no windows, only the broken door frame to the south. An old sofa is pushed against one wall and a heavy table sits in the middle of the room. A curtained archway is to the north.
  
  A gaping splintered opening lies to the south.
  
  A curtain of purple cloth hangs in the archway.
  
  You can also see a heavy wooden table (on which is a blue bottle) here.
  
  You hear a loud crash and see a flash of light through the cracks in the boards covering the windows.
  
  > get blue
  The blue bottle is warm to your touch as you pick it up. The warmth seems to travel up your arm and into the center of your being. It is almost as if you have found a missing part of yourself.
  
  > go south
  This small chamber is about halfway up the steeple of the church. Rain and wind from the storm outside blows in through an open window frame and water collects in puddles on the warped floor, mixing with the droppings of the birds, or perhaps bats, which can be heard fluttering around overhead. Looking up, you can see a maze of beams and supports that form the interior of the steeple. Rain pours in from an opening higher in the steeple and trickles out through a trap door in the floor.
  
  A gaping splintered opening lies to the north.
  
  The top of the broken section of railing is visible sticking up through the trap door in the floor.
  
  You can also see an oil lantern and an old man here.