text: > look around
  Waves crash on the beach. The surf rolls over your feet. A short distance offshore to the north you see an island. A trail back into the wilderness is to the southeast.
  Your brother Vasilii is here.
  
  > look at the island
  All you can see of the island from here are rocks and trees.
  
  > dig the beach
  (with the shovel)
  I don't see any beach here.
  
  > dig the sand
  (with the shovel)
  I don't know the word "sand".
  
  > talk to the vasili
  What do you want to ask him about?
  
  > Firebird
  "I had only a single glimpse of it," Vasilii reported. "There's a huge wall deep in the forest. I saw the Firebird fly over the wall, but I couldn't find a way to get over it myself. The Firebird is not very large, no bigger than a peacock, but you're sure to spot it by its glowing golden plumage."
  
  > examine the matchbook
  An ordinary imprinted book of matches. The matchbook contains 7 matches.
  
  > read it
  The cover reads "The Cheese and Pig: Sobriety is Overrated..."
  
  > Go south
  Nothing's happening there. Either go north toward the island or southeast back into the wilderness.
  
  > go southeast
  You are wandering in the wilderness, having only faint animal trails
  to guide you. Trails lead north, south, northeast, and northwest. [3]
  
  Your brother Vasilii follows you.
  
  > Go south
  You are wandering in the wilderness, having only faint animal trails
  to guide you. Trails lead north, south, east, west, northeast, and southwest. [3]
  
  Your brother Vasilii follows you.
  
  > Go south
  You are wandering in the wilderness, having only faint animal trails
  to guide you. Trails lead north, south, west, and northwest. [3]
  
  Your brother Vasilii follows you.
  
  > Go south
  You've left the forest and rivers behind you to the west. The wilderness of the Russian steppe spreads out in all directions ahead of you. White winter wheat waves gracefully as the wind sweeps over the open land. A dirt road wends its way from east to west. At the east end of the road you see a mountain.
  Your eyes discern a faint animal trail to the north.
  
  Your brother Vasilii follows you.
  
  > go to the east
  The east-west road ends at the base of the mountain. It is so high that its top is propped against the sky. You can scarcely lift your eyes to its summit. You can travel around the base by walking to the northeast or the southeast.
  
  Your brother Vasilii follows you.
  
  > go northeast
  You think back to the stone wall. Immense? Ha! Nothing like this. You decide to turn back before you are totally lost.
  
  > Go southeast
  This is one huge mountain. Travel here is restricted to the
  northeast or northwest. You notice a large, flat, rusty patch of rock that stands out from the rest of the mountain.
  
  Your brother Vasilii follows you.
  
  > look at the rock
  It's not a rock at all. It's a door made out of rusted iron. It looks as if it hasn't been touched in centuries. It's closed.
  
  > open the door
  Opened.
  
  > Go inside
  This is a small cave with little of interest. It is damp, rocky,
  and littered with debris. The only exit is back out through the door.
  
  Your brother Vasilii follows you.
  
  > Dig
  (the debris)
  (with the shovel)
  Moving some of the debris reveals an iron claw.
  
  > examine the claw
  It's a sort of iron crampon with leather straps. It can be worn on one of your hands or feet.
  
  > get the claw
  You already have the iron claw!
  
  > Dig
  (the debris)
  (with the shovel)
  Moving some of the debris reveals a second iron claw.
  
  > Dig
  (the debris)
  (with the shovel)
  Moving some of the debris reveals a third iron claw.
  
  > Dig
  (the debris)
  (with the shovel)
  Moving some of the debris reveals a fourth iron claw.
  
  *** Your score just went up by 3 points. ***
  
  > Dig
  (the debris)
  (with the shovel)
  Moving the rest of the debris yields nothing more.
  
  > Go south
  You can't go that way. You can leave by going out.
  
  > Wear claws
  iron claw: You bind the iron claw to your right foot.
  iron claw: You bind the iron claw to your left foot.
  iron claw: You bind the iron claw to your left hand.
  iron claw: You bind the iron claw to your right hand.
  
  > Up
  This is not a good vantage point from which to start a climb. Perhaps northwest of here would be better.
  
  > Go northwest
  You trip over your clawed feet and tumble to the ground for the fifth time today.
  
  > remove the claws
  iron claw: You remove the iron claw from your right hand.
  iron claw: You remove the iron claw from your left hand.
  iron claw: You remove the iron claw from your left foot.
  iron claw: You remove the iron claw from your right foot.
  
  > Go northwest
  The east-west road ends at the base of the mountain. It is so high that its top is propped against the sky. You can scarcely lift your eyes to its summit. You can travel around the base by walking to the northeast or the southeast.
  
  Your brother Vasilii follows you.
  
  > Up
  Vasilii looks up at the mountain. "I don't think so. I'll just wait here."
  
  Slowly and carefully you claw your way up the mountain. You clamber at last onto a ledge.
  
  A tremendous palace has been built on this ledge. You may continue
  up the mountain or explore this architectural oddity just north of where you're resting.
  
  > go north
  Of what is this palace built? Its mottled green exterior makes a ringing sound when you strike it. There are no windows and only one door.
  
  > examine the door
  Where is the handle? Where is the keyhole? You see neither, only a mail slot in the middle of the door and a curious round device a few feet above the slot.
  
  > look at the device
  A blue glass dome a few inches in diameter. It seems to be mounted to the door by a casing that surrounds it and is screwed into a socket in the door.
  
  > unscrew the dome
  You give a slight turn to the casing. At once a blinding blue light floods your body. You feel every last piece of you begin to vibrate and shake loose from the adjacent piece. You quickly lose consciousness. When you come to yourself again, you find you are back at the road to the Cheese and Pig Inn. It seems as if you were disassembled down to your elemental constituents and reassembled here. Something seems to have gone wrong with the process, however, because you are now missing your right hand.
  
  south with an inn to the north.
  
  > Inventory
  You have a bow, a quiver, a mask (being worn), a comfy blanket, a mysteriously transformed fork, a shovel, a shield, a bucket, a sword, a message from your father, a sledgehammer, a list, a corned beef sandwich, a flicker sandwich, a bunch of turnip greens, a white flask, a black flask, a matchbook, a feather (providing light), a gold nugget, an ambiguous utensil, a coin, and four iron claws. The quiver seems to contain an arrow.
  
  > put the greens in the slot
  The slot spits the bunch of turnip greens back out at you. Ptuui!
  
  > put the feather in the slot
  The slot spits the feather back out at you. Ptuui!
  
  > put the coin in the slot
  The coin drops into the slot. A flickering blue glow issues from the glass dome. The glow soon strengthens to a blinding azure beam that floods your body. You feel every bit of your being vibrate and shake loose from its adjacent piece. You quickly lose consciousness. When you come to yourself again, you find you have been transported into...
  
  You are in the great hall, a high-ceilinged space that some might
  use for feasting and celebrating; however, the wizard Katschei has chosen instead to use it for hoarding a store of treasure. Copper cooking vessels and bags of copper coins are heaped everywhere. Some of the pots have been polished clean; the rest are a tarnished green. You notice movement among the piles of copper vessels. As you
  prepare to draw a weapon and confront Katschei, you are surprised to find that it is instead a bird in camouflage. But not entirely a bird. Instead of wings, the creature has the arms of a woman. She is hard at work using her human arms and hands to polish the tarnished copper.
  Why don't you try to catch her attention by saying "bird, hello"*** Your score just went up by 3 points. ***
  
  > examine the bird
  A large creature just short of your height. It is birdlike, with coppery feathers, but it has graceful female arms where wings would be.
  
  > Hello
  The bird appears intrigued by the mask's face and studies Dimitri sympathetically (a unique reaction in your experience). You see that she is timid, however, and will not answer you as long as she cannot tell who you really are. You take off the mask.
  "Hello, sir," she replies demurely, "you are not my master the
  wizard." You introduce yourself politely and tell her that you are looking for her master. "He is not here today," she whispers and goes back to her work. You sense that she would like to tell you more, but her shyness keeps her silent. There are so many things you want to ask her about: her imprisonment, her work, the Firebird, the wizard Katschei [4], but you will have to draw her out in conversation to learn more.
  
  > Note 4
  [4]: Engage her in further conversation by asking her questions in the form "ask bird about ..."
  
  > ask the bird about Firebird
  "The Firebird brings me more copper to polish." She hands you a small copper pot. "She said that, if you ever came to visit me, I should give you this."
  
  > examine the pot
  A censer, also known as a thurible, is a squat domed vessel used for burning incense. You remember the priest swinging a censer towards the altar during the liturgy, using the smoke as a visual metaphor for prayer: both rise heavenward to God. Its copper clad exterior is newly polished. There are decorative holes cut in the metal to let the smoke escape. The inside of the pot is sooty and fragrant from previous burnings.
  Usually there is a chain attached to a censer, but this one has
  none.
  
  The coppery bird overcomes her shyness momentarily to tell you, unprompted, of her history: "I am a tsar's daughter. On the day I was to be wed, a terrible black cloud descended down from this mountain. Katschei stepped out of the cloud and demanded that my father give me to him. When my father refused, Katschei slew him, all my kinsmen, and the groom. No attack seemed to hurt him at all. Katschei swept me away in the cloud and brought me to a palace made entirely of pearl. I stayed there a week, and he was there all the while." She trembled as she remembered it. "At the end of the week, he said that I was not worthy to stay with him in the pearl palace. He brought me to this place, imprisoned me in this horrible form, and put me to work as his servant. He comes to visit me one day every year and punishes me if I haven't polished enough pieces."
  
  Your continued presence is making the coppery bird nervous. "I appreciate your company," she says, "but I should not be distracted from my work. The Firebird says you may be able to free me from this captivity. Please go on your way, sir, and do your best." She starts to push you back outside through the mail slot. Before you can protest that you are much too large to fit, your regal butt is tumbling to the ground on the other side of the door.