text: > look at your surroundings
  Before it became the seat of local government, this castle was an actively defended fortress, built and run to protect the town of Blackacre. It was designed for defense rather than comfort, and the castle still retains its original vertiginous spiral staircases, cavernous galleries, and piles of crumbling stonework. Nevertheless, people expect a certain reassuring level of conspicuous wealth in their public buildings, and the town council has obligingly added little bits of opulence to this audience hall. An array of dainty chandeliers hanging from the ceiling barely warms or brightens the room. Portraits of jowly merchants line the stone walls, looking down onto the clerks and audience-seekers below with imperturbable disdain. The entrance to the council chambers to the north and the exit from the hall to the south are both flanked by extravagantly woven but thin tapestries.
  
  Well-dressed men and women sit in ornate chairs lined across one wall of the gallery, presumably also waiting for an audience with the council. The town's clerk, Trelawney, watches over them irritably from his desk.
  
  A horde of illusionary insects skitters across the floor here, causing many of the audience-seekers to jump on their chairs or hover in the corners of the hall.
  
  You can also see a porous grey rock here.
  
  The seneschal tries gamely to corral the swarm of illusionary bugs, stalking them about the room.
  
  > examine the men
  Well-dressed men and women mill around the hall, trying in vain to grab the attention of the clerks that sweep through the room. A few more sit in the chairs around the edge of the hall, waiting patiently for their audience with the council.
  
  The seneschal tries gamely to corral the swarm of illusionary bugs, stalking them about the room. The spell maintaining the swarm is a weak one, and the complexity of responding to his actions is enough to disrupt it. The illusions scurry into corners of the room and fade out.
  
  > examine the women
  Well-dressed men and women mill around the hall, trying in vain to grab the attention of the clerks that sweep through the room. A few more sit in the chairs around the edge of the hall, waiting patiently for their audience with the council.
  
  > take the rock
  Taken.
  
  > Go east
  This salon also functions as a waiting room, though it's refreshingly quieter than the main gallery to the west. A massive table occupies most of the space in the small, dimly-lit room, and there is a soft carpet underfoot.
  
  > examine table
  It's a massive table, probably used for some sort of meeting or conference.
  
  > look at the carpet
  The carpet is soft and thick, though slightly frayed at the edges.
  
  > look under the carpet
  You shove a corner of the carpet aside. The floor beneath it is far less dusty than you would have expected, and one of the flagstones in it looks loose.
  
  > move the flagstone
  The flagstone is too heavy to lift completely off the floor, though you can shove it aside with a bit of effort. The stone groans as it grinds against the floor, and you hear impatient footsteps approaching. You heave it back in place just in time to face Trelawney as he glares at you from the doorway.
  
  "What's going on in here?" he demands.
  "What do you mean, what's going in here?"
  "What do you mean, what do I mean, what's going in here?"
  "What do you---"
  "Enough. I heard a loud noise."
  "Oh, that. Sorry, I was doing some calisthenics--- you know, for the dragon. I must have bumped the table by accident."
  "Very well," says Trelawney. "I'll leave you alone for now. You should know, however, that I've talked with the city guard. I'll be keeping an eye on you."
  "I don't know what you mean, sir. I'm just eager to help out my city however I can."
  
  Trelawney mutters something under his breath and returns to the main hall.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  a porous grey rock
  a spellbook
  a set of lockpicks
  
  > move the flagstone
  With a dry susurration, a horde of illusionary bugs crawls out of the holes in the rock and scatters across the floor. Even though you know they're only an illusion, you skin crawls as they do across the floor. The flagstone is too heavy to lift completely off the floor, though you can shove it aside with a bit of effort. The stone groans as it grinds against the floor, and you hear impatient footsteps approaching. You heave it back in place just in time to face Trelawney as he glares at you from the doorway.
  
  "What's going on in here?" he demands. "I heard a loud noise."
  "Hmm? I didn't hear anything."
  The seneschal looks at you disapprovingly. "I don't know what you're up to, young man, but stay out of trouble. Don't make me have a word with your master. He and I are very good friends, you know."
  "I doubt that Dr. Mortemain is very good friends with anyone," you say skeptically.
  Trelawney opens his mouth to respond, then decides that he was bested and quietly withdraws from the room.
  
  > Exits
  There is an exit leading west.
  
  > stand on the table
  That's not something you can stand on.
  
  The swarm of insects dissolves as the spell maintaining the illusion dissipates.
  
  > pull the stone
  The flagstone is too heavy to lift completely off the floor, though you can shove it aside with a bit of effort. The stone groans as it grinds against the floor, and you hear impatient footsteps approaching. You heave it back in place just in time to face Trelawney as he glares at you from the doorway.
  
  "Could you please keep it down in here?" asks Trelawney exasperatedly. "I don't know what you're up to, and I don't care. Just don't make any trouble."
  "Wouldn't dream of it, sir," you reply, smiling innocently.
  
  The seneschal sighs and returns to the audience hall.
  
  > go to the west
  Before it became the seat of local government, this castle was an actively defended fortress, built and run to protect the town of Blackacre. It was designed for defense rather than comfort, and the castle still retains its original vertiginous spiral staircases, cavernous galleries, and piles of crumbling stonework. Nevertheless, people expect a certain reassuring level of conspicuous wealth in their public buildings, and the town council has obligingly added little bits of opulence to this audience hall. An array of dainty chandeliers hanging from the ceiling barely warms or brightens the room. Portraits of jowly merchants line the stone walls, looking down onto the clerks and audience-seekers below with imperturbable disdain. The entrance to the council chambers to the north and the exit from the hall to the south are both flanked by extravagantly woven but thin tapestries.
  
  Well-dressed men and women sit in ornate chairs lined across one wall of the gallery, presumably also waiting for an audience with the council. The town's clerk, Trelawney, watches over them irritably from his desk.
  
  > squeeze the stone
  You achieve nothing by this.
  
  Trelawney slowly and methodically adjusts the accounts on his desk, straightening the already neat stacks of paperwork. "A tidy desk means a tidy mind," he murmurs to himself.
  
  > go east
  This salon also functions as a waiting room, though it's refreshingly quieter than the main gallery to the west. A massive table occupies most of the space in the small, dimly-lit room, and there is a soft carpet underfoot.
  
  You can see a loose flagstone here.
  
  From the audience hall to the west, you hear heavy bootsteps and mild minced oaths directed at insects.
  
  > take the stone
  The flagstone is too heavy to lift completely off the floor, though you can shove it aside with a bit of effort. The stone groans as it grinds against the floor, but you manage to heave it far enough aside to reveal a sheaf of letters underneath. You gingerly pocket it and replace the flagstone.
  
  From the audience hall to the west, you hear heavy bootsteps and mild minced oaths directed at insects.
  
  > read the letters
  The top sheet is blank, and the papers are bound together too tightly to read any of the others.
  
  > Open letters
  You consider unraveling the sheaf of letters, but Dr. Mortemain insisted that you not read them, and you don't think you could tie them together as neatly again.
  
  > Go west
  You discreetly conceal the letters in your tunic and return to the antechamber.
  
  Before it became the seat of local government, this castle was an actively defended fortress, built and run to protect the town of Blackacre. It was designed for defense rather than comfort, and the castle still retains its original vertiginous spiral staircases, cavernous galleries, and piles of crumbling stonework. Nevertheless, people expect a certain reassuring level of conspicuous wealth in their public buildings, and the town council has obligingly added little bits of opulence to this audience hall. An array of dainty chandeliers hanging from the ceiling barely warms or brightens the room. Portraits of jowly merchants line the stone walls, looking down onto the clerks and audience-seekers below with imperturbable disdain. The entrance to the council chambers to the north and the exit from the hall to the south are both flanked by extravagantly woven but thin tapestries.
  
  Well-dressed men and women sit in ornate chairs lined across one wall of the gallery, presumably also waiting for an audience with the council. The town's clerk, Trelawney, watches over them irritably from his desk.
  
  > go south
  With the letters safely tucked under your tunic, you dispose of the incriminating rock, bound out of the antechamber, and head toward Blackacre. The castle gate clatters down behind you, crashing against the stonework with a deafening finality.
  
  The imposing Castle Blackacre stands before you to the south, casting a long shadow over the nearby farmland. Centuries ago, it was a useful fortification; now, it's the de facto town hall and headquarters for Mayor Pratt and his staff.
  
  A road to the north leads into town. The castle gate is normally left open, but today the portcullis is down while the castle prepares for the Mayor's speech at noon.
  
  > Go north
  This path winds northwest to south between the town of Blackacre and its nearby castle. Newly-planted fields stretch as far as you can see to either side of the trail. It's a charmingly rustic sight but an unpleasant smell; the farmers must have fertilized the fields recently.
  
  You can see a skunk here.
  
  > examine the skunk
  A small black and white creature with a bushy tail. It looks at you warily.
  
  > Shake lockpicks
  You look ridiculous waving the set of lockpicks.
  
  > show the lockpick to the skunk
  The skunk is unimpressed.
  
  The skunk leaves to the northwest.
  
  > look at the field
  Blackacre was originally a fishing outpost, and the land here is not particularly fertile. There's no shortage of overly optimistic farmers in the area around the castle, but they don't stay in town long.
  
  The skunk enters from the northwest.
  
  > go to the north-west
  This path winds north to southeast between the town of Blackacre and its nearby castle. The farmland on either side of the road is bare; it's far too early for crops to start growing, and no trees disturb the empty fields.
  
  > go north
  Blackacre's picturesque town square spreads out before you. Although it's no longer central in terms of geography or importance, this area is nevertheless a genuinely pleasant part of town. A clock tower dominates the plaza, towering over the cedars planted around it. Benches surround the flowerbeds that dot the square. Blackacre residents occasionally filter through the square, shivering in the crisp morning air.
  
  Streets leave the square to the east and west, and a road to the south leads from the town of Blackacre to the castle of Blackacre. Among the crowded buildings ringing the square are the post office to the north and magic store to the southwest.
  
  > go southwest
  You decide to hand off the papers to Dr. Mortemain first; walking around town with them is unnecessarily risky.
  
  > go to the east
  Guild Street (West)
  As its name implies, Guild Street contains most of the town's guildhalls. There are far fewer now than a century ago, when the street was originally constructed, as the daily administration of the town became concentrated in the nearby castle. The ominous stone tower standing to the north was formerly the base of operations of the once-prominent Magicians' Guild, which counted dozens of wizards among its members in its heyday. That heyday passed centuries ago, however, and the only wizards currently in town are you and Dr. Mortemain. He acquired the tower after the guild's dissolution, and it's there that you now spend most of your time.
  
  The street returns to the town square to the west and continues to the east.
  
  You can see a tarnished brass mailbox (which contains a beige envelope) here.
  
  A tinny but catchy song issues from the mailbox:
  
  You have a letter!
  It could be a sweater!
  Or something even better!
  Let's find out together!
  Which almost rhymes with letter!
  Hooray!
  
  > go to the north
  You can't, since the massive oak doors are in the way.
  
  A tinny but catchy song issues from the mailbox:
  
  There's something in your mailbox!
  Don't invest in kale stocks!
  Something something snail fox!
  Hooray!
  
  > open mailbox
  That's not something you can open.
  
  A tinny but catchy song issues from the mailbox:
  
  Please pick up your mail!
  Before it gets too stale!
  Like a shrimp cocktail
  Left on the windowsail!
  Support the local Guild of Songwriters!
  Hooray!
  
  > take the envelope
  Taken.
  
  > examine envelope
  The beige envelope is closed.
  
  > open the envelope
  You open the beige envelope, revealing a glossy flyer.
  
  > read the flyer
  The glossy flyer shows colorful images of various alleged magical paraphernalia: raven's skulls, black pointy hats, staves with vaguely mysterious symbols on them, and so on. At the bottom is an endorsement from the head of the Illusionists' Guild: "These products have...magical value, and the claims made by their sellers are [not] fraudulent."
  
  > open the door
  They seem to be locked.
  
  > unlock door
  What do you want to unlock the massive oak doors with?
  
  > Lock pick
  What do you want to lock the set of lockpicks with?
  
  > unlock the door with the lockpick
  With a sullen click, the lock yields.
  
  > open the door
  You open the massive oak doors.
  
  > go north
  This familiar area is the tower's entryway. It's intended to impress and intimidate visitors, and so the recesses of the gloomy vaulted ceiling are decorated with elaborate carvings of gargoyles and demons. The curtains are partially drawn, bathing the cavernous hall in hesitant shadows. As an uncharacteristic nod to practicality, an umbrella stand sits beside the double doors leading south from the tower. A corridor to the north leads across the polished marble floor deeper inside.
  
  Flux, Dr. Mortemain's familiar, waves its tail in a desultory greeting as you enter. "I sssee you have returned. How did the busssinesss at the cassstle go?" it hisses.
  "Great!" you lie smoothly. "I won't know until noon, but the interview went very well."
  "Not that," sneers Flux. "Did you sssteal the massster'sss lettersss?" "Oh, right. Sure, no problem."
  "Good! I knew you could do it," says Flux unconvincingly, dipping its head slightly in an uncharacteristic gesture of appreciation. "The massster sssaid you're good for nothing, but I know you're good for exsssactly one thing."
  
  > take all
  Flux: I don't suppose Flux would care for that.
  perch: That's fixed in place.
  
  > take the umbrella
  That's hardly portable.
  
  > examine stand
  Only visitors to the tower use the umbrella stand; you've never managed to keep track of an umbrella for more than a few days, and no wizard worth the title would deign to get caught in a rainstorm.
  
  > look in the stand
  The umbrella stand is empty.
  
  > examine Flux
  Flux is Dr. Mortemain's familiar. You're not sure what kind of creature it is, but it looks like a small lizard with leathery, bat-like wings and a scaly, prehensile tail. It performs some basic chores around the tower, but you suspect that the wizard keeps it around just to annoy you.
  
  > talk to Flux
  "Not now! Bring me the massster'sss lettersss!" it hisses.
  
  Flux idly whacks the perch with its tail.
  
  > Go north
  Flux flaps its wings angrily in your face and hisses. "No no no! The massster told you to get his lettersss, and he told me to ssstop you from going inside the tower until you get them!"
  
  > give the letters to Flux
  Flux greedily snatches the letters from you and flies off deeper into the castle. After a moment, it returns with three pouches and a sheet of parchment.
  "Well," you say conversationally, "I guess I'll be getting on with things. It'll nice to have the day to myself, without Dr. Mortemain dictating what I do."
  "I'm sssure it would, but the massster left some choresss for you in hisss absssenssse," says Flux, brandishing the parchment.
  "But---"
  "Or I could tell him that you ignored hisss inssstructionsss, if you'd prefer. I'm sssure he'd ssstill let you go to the ssseremony thisss afternoon..." It leaves the threat hanging in the air as you sigh and take the items. "Let me know when you're done, and I'll passs them along to the massster."
  "And that's it?"
  "Of courssse. Almossst sssertainly. Probably."
  
  > read the parchment
  You read the parchment:
  
  All right flux do I just start talking and oh it's already going. How long does the spell last? Three hundred words might not be enough for hang on don't write that part. Stop. Stop writing. End. Turn off. Fine, whatever, let's just start.
  
  I know your eager to prove yourself, but I have some errands for you to perform first. Not that your. The other one. Your, not your. Back up. Backspace. Go back. Sigh. Fine.
  
  I know your with an apostrophe eager to prove yourself, but I have some errands for you to perform first. Once you complete them, you have my permission to attend the ceremony in the town square at noon. Maybe the council will even be impressed enough with your incompetent backspace backspace backspace incomparable display of talent to decide that yore oh for expletive deleted
  
  To decide that you space are the one they want to send to fight the dragon. I wish you the best of luck. In the year weave whatever let's keep going known each other, I've been impressed by your youthful energy, prodigious capacity for learning, and some sort of third thing I'll add in later. As such put a comma there I'm entrusting you with a crucial task.
  
  To help fight the dragon, I am preparing a powerful spell that I will cast this afternoon. It is start underline vitally important stop underline that you secure and deliver to flux the three
  components I need to cast it. They are parentheses number 1 powdered skink, parentheses number 2 basilisk scales, and parentheses number 3 a fossilized toad. The first two can be found at the magic shop, and the third should have arrived in the mail early this morning.
  
  Whatever you do, it is absolutely imperative that you never
  
  Flux idly whacks the perch with its tail.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a sheet of parchment
  an indigo pouch (which is closed)
  a black pouch (which is closed)
  a moss-colored pouch (which is closed)
  a beige envelope (which is open)
  a glossy flyer
  a spellbook
  a set of lockpicks
  
  > read the flyer
  The glossy flyer shows colorful images of various alleged magical paraphernalia: raven's skulls, black pointy hats, staves with vaguely mysterious symbols on them, and so on. At the bottom is an endorsement from the head of the Illusionists' Guild: "These products have...magical value, and the claims made by their sellers are [not] fraudulent."
  
  > look at indigo pouch
  It's indigo and has the magical character for 'skink' embroidered on it.
  
  > examinthe moss-colored pouch
  It's moss-colored and has the magical character for 'toad' embroidered on it.
  
  > look at the black pouch
  It's black and has the magical character for 'basilisk' written on it.
  
  > open the indigo pouch
  You open the indigo pouch.
  
  > look in the indigo pouch
  The indigo pouch is empty.
  
  > go to the north
  The tower's library is wonderful. You spent the first two weeks as Dr. Mortemain's apprentice here, grudgingly falling asleep early each morning after spending the day and night reading through the mountain of the books piled around the room. Even now, you've only covered a small fraction of the maze of tipping bookcases that stretch to the ceiling and crowd around the reading area. In this quiet and undisturbed area, redolent of old books, you've spent the happiest part of your year in the tower. If you have to leave, exits lead in all four directions to the other wings.
  
  A lectern stands in an empty space near the center of the room.
  
  You can also see a leather-bound index here.
  
  > Examine index
  It's an index of some common substances used in enchantments. It's not detailed or specific enough to be helpful when actually casting spells, which is why it's in this library rather than a laboratory, but it's nevertheless a useful reference.
  
  > read the index
  You flip through the book to a random entry:
  
  SKINK: Skinks are often used in divination spells, usually in the form of a bright red powder. The natural color of powdered skink is a dull grey; the chemicals and magical treatments involved in preparing it for spellcraft dye it that color. They are particularly useful in spells locating quarry in caves or underground, due to their predilection for burrowing.
  
  > read the index
  You flip through the book to a random entry:
  
  BASILISK: This frightening monster is used in only very powerful magical spells, as it is rare and extremely dangerous. Its scales are far less dangerous to work with than the live creature, and they can often be found in abandoned lairs after molting. Basilisks are often used in protective spells, particularly in enchanting armor.
  
  > look up toad in the index
  TOAD: Frogs and toads are used in a variety of magic. For larger and more complex spells, it is generally preferable to use fossilized or petrified toads, rather than powdered ones, in order to concentrate the magical energies. The natural agility of the toad makes it a natural component for spells related to travel, and its locomotion makes it particularly apt for teleportation spells.
  
  > examine lectern
  The stately lectern suits this library well, even if there's no real use for it. A heavy tome is chained to it.
  
  > take all
  leather-bound index: Taken.
  lectern: That's fixed in place.
  
  > look at the tome
  The heavy book is a bestiary of mundane and fantastical creatures. It's not very reliable; the information in it is taken from folk legends and secondhand reports from explorers. Its illustrations are beautiful, though, and it's remarkable as a work of art, if not scholarship. The book is chained to the lectern.
  
  > read tome
  You flip through the book to a random entry:
  
  BASILISK: Basilisks are dangerous monsters able to turn their prey to stone with a glance. Few currently survive, but they prefer cold climates and isolated areas.
  
  Unsurprisingly, there is no illustration with the entry.
  
  > go to the east
  Flux suddenly appears in front of you in a cloud of acrid smoke. "No!" he snarls. "The massster said that you're to get hisss ssspell componentsss before your other choresss! Get back to work!" He then immediately disappears.
  
  > Go north
  This room is Dr. Mortemain's study, his gentlemanly refuge from the rigors of his duties as a wizard. An inviting antimacassared armchair sits in front of the fireplace, and a liquor cabinet stands at the ready nearby. Above the mantle, an intricately painted map hangs from the wainscoting. An octagonal stand has been tucked discreetly into the corner.
  
  You can see a wooden staff here.
  
  > examine the stand
  The crystal ball sits at the center of an octagonal stand with an arrow painted on it, pointing to the south.
  
  > examine the staff
  Some wizards have staves covered in eldritch runes and imbued with tremendous magical power. Dr. Mortemain's is a plain wooden staff he started using a few years ago when he was having knee problems. It's a bit of a disappointment, really.
  
  > take all
  wooden staff: Taken.
  octagonal stand: That's fixed in place.
  fireplace: That's fixed in place.
  
  > search the crystal ball
  An image slowly fades into view:
  
  Guild Street (West)
  As its name implies, Guild Street contains most of the town's guildhalls. There are far fewer now than a century ago, when the street was originally constructed, as the daily administration of the town became concentrated in the nearby castle. The ominous stone tower standing to the north was formerly the base of operations of the once-prominent Magicians' Guild, which counted dozens of wizards among its members in its heyday. That heyday passed centuries ago, however, and the only wizards currently in town are you and Dr. Mortemain. He acquired the tower after the guild's dissolution, and it's there that you now spend most of your time.
  
  The street returns to the town square to the west and continues to the east.
  
  > open the liquor cabinet
  You receive a mild shock as you try to open the cabinet; apparently Dr. Mortemain has put a magical ward on it to prevent your breaking into it. You feel a momentary bit of righteous indignation at his lack of trust in you, tempered by the fact that you've just proven him right.