text: > Look around
  This small office has the same run-down appearance of the rest of the church. Debris covers the floor and a trickle of water comes in around the boards covering a broken window. A desk stands in the middle of the room and an empty bookshelf sits against one wall. A pile of ashes marks where a fire once burned in the middle of the floor. A door to the south leads back to the sanctuary.
  
  > wear the robe
  You put on the embroidered robe.
  
  > South
  From this raised platform you can see the entire inside of the church. The pulpit is empty except for the podium which rises from the center. A small door is visible behind the podium to the north.
  
  > South
  Once the heart of the church this room is now cold, dark and empty. Debris is scattered among the sagging pews and only shards of broken glass remain of the stained glass windows. Most of the interior fixtures have been removed, but a large portrait of Christ stares down at you from above the archway to the south. The pulpit still stands to the north.
  
  > examine the eyes
  There is something unusual about the eyes of the painting, but it is too far away to see clearly.
  
  > climb the podium
  I don't think much is to be achieved by that.
  
  There is a brief rattle of hail on the roof.
  
  > examine the painting
  As you look at the painting, a memory seems to float to the surface of your mind. You remember standing in this church and looking at that painting. And you remember it staring back at you, with malevolent, vivid green eyes...
  
  You hear a loud crash and see a flash of light through the cracks in the boards covering the windows.
  
  > put the ladder on the podium
  You put the broken length of railing on the podium.
  
  > climb the ladder
  The railing doesn't lead anywhere.
  
  A blast of thunder rattles the building.
  
  > Up
  It is not yet that time...
  
  > look at the pews
  Once, these rows would have been filled with worshippers. Now, they only contain dust and debris.
  
  The building shudders under a sudden gust of wind.
  
  > put the ladder under the painting
  You lean the length of railing against the wall near the painting.
  
  > climb it
  You carefully climb up the length of railing, using the pickets like a ladder.
  
  You are standing on top of the railing section near the large painting of Christ. From this location, you notice that the eyes in the painting are cut out and there are holes behind them.
  
  You are precariously balanced on the top of the broken section of railing.
  
  > move painting
  You are unable to.
  
  > examine the holes
  The eyes of the painting are cutouts. There are holes and an open space behind the eyes.
  
  A flash of lightning can be seen through the cracks between the boards, followed by a sudden blast of thunder.
  
  > look in the holes
  You find yourself looking into a small enclosed space covered with a faded purple curtain.
  
  There is a brief rattle of hail on the roof.
  
  > pull  the painting
  You are unable to.
  
  A blast of thunder rattles the building.
  
  > take the painting
  The painting is too high up on the wall to do anything with.
  
  > cut the painting
  Cutting that up would achieve little.
  
  A flash of lightning can be seen through the cracks between the boards, followed by a sudden blast of thunder.
  
  > look at the pulpit
  A simple raised platform at the front of the church, it supports a simple wooden podium.
  
  > Down
  Once the heart of the church this room is now cold, dark and empty. Debris is scattered among the sagging pews and only shards of broken glass remain of the stained glass windows. Most of the interior fixtures have been removed, but a large portrait of Christ stares down at you from above the archway to the south. The pulpit still stands to the north.
  
  The broken length of railing is propped against the wall near the painting.
  
  > put the ladder under the trap
  You carefully place the length of railing under the trap door in the ceiling.
  
  > climb the ladder
  You carefully climb up the length of railing, using the pickets like a ladder.
  
  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.
  
  > examine the rope
  A frayed but heavy section of rope.
  
  > examine the door
  This heavy wooden door looks to be newer and of more sturdy construction than the rest of the church. A large, heavy handle is set into the door.
  
  > climb it
  Dropped.
  
  The belfry of the church, high up inside the steeple. You are hanging from a maze of support beams and trusses with the nearest solid floor far below you. Large open frames give a view of the surrounding forest and of the town at the base of the hill. They also allow the fury of the storm to pass in unimpeded. You can see the branch of an oak tree just outside the southern frame.
  
  A massive bell hangs here, from a damaged mount.
  A heavy rope is attached to the bell and hangs through the beams to the room below.
  
  > look at the town
  The small town huddles at the base of the hill. A few lights shine defiantly against the storm but for the most part it seems quiet, as if its inhabitants are waiting inside their homes for the fury to pass them by.
  
  > examine tree
  Which do you mean, the oak trees or the tree branch?
  
  > Branch
  The tree branch sways alarmingly in the wind but seems quite sturdy. It passes very close to the open window frame in the steeple.
  
  > examine the bell
  This massive bell once summoned worshippers to the church. Now, it only serves as the home for birds and rodents. The mount for the bell has broken on one side, and the other is barely holding on. You are surprised that it has not broken free and plummeted from the steeple before this.
  
  > ring bell
  The bell makes a muted "CLANK".
  
  > climb the branch
  You climb around on the supports a bit, but are unable to move much further up or down the steeple.
  
  > get the branch
  The branch is securely attached to the tree.
  
  > climb the rope
  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.
  
  > open the door
  It seems to be locked.
  
  > examine the door
  This heavy wooden door looks to be newer and of more sturdy construction than the rest of the church. A large, heavy handle is set into the door.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  an embroidered robe (being worn)
  an old grimoire
  a journal
  a handful of ashes
  a heavy stopper
  a large black book
  a broken limb
  
  > tie the rope to the branch
  You tie the rope securely to the tree branch.
  
  > climb the rope
  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. There is a tree branch hanging from the end of the rope.
  
  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.
  
  > tie the rope to door
  You tie the rope securely to the heavy wooden door.
  
  > Up
  The belfry of the church, high up inside the steeple. You are hanging from a maze of support beams and trusses with the nearest solid floor far below you. Large open frames give a view of the surrounding forest and of the town at the base of the hill. They also allow the fury of the storm to pass in unimpeded. You can see the branch of an oak tree just outside the southern frame.
  
  A massive bell hangs here, from a damaged mount.
  A heavy rope is attached to the bell and hangs through the beams to the room below.
  
  > Down
  The drop to the floor below is too far for you to climb safely.
  
  The building shudders under a sudden gust of wind.
  
  > Branch
  You climb around on the supports a bit, but are unable to move much further up or down the steeple.
  
  The building shudders under a sudden gust of wind.
  
  > climb the beams
  You climb around on the supports a bit, but are unable to move much further up or down the steeple.
  
  There is a brief rattle of hail on the roof.
  
  > look
  The belfry of the church, high up inside the steeple. You are hanging from a maze of support beams and trusses with the nearest solid floor far below you. Large open frames give a view of the surrounding forest and of the town at the base of the hill. They also allow the fury of the storm to pass in unimpeded. You can see the branch of an oak tree just outside the southern frame.
  
  There is a brief rattle of hail on the roof.
  
  > Go south
  The limbs of the tree are swaying violently from the storm, but near the trunk it is a little more stable. You have an excellent view from here of the church grounds and surrounding area. The church seems to be in a clearing on a hill surrounded by a forest. At the base of the hill a small town can be seen, its lights glimmering faintly through the storm.
  
  One of the branches of the tree reaches out to the north towards the steeple of the church. An open frame can be seen in the steeple near where the branch ends.
  
  The steeple of the church looms to the north.