text: [Themes: Fantasy]
  
  > look around
  Castle Ruins (In a Stone Corridor)
  A staircase leads down in darkness and south takes her out to the courtyard. The corridor seems to lead only to the dim light to the north.
  
  She can see A crystal spider with shifty, beady eyes (Glaring suspiciously.) here.
  
  > examine the staircase
  The stone staircase spirals down into the dark. The steps are worn and cracked. A layer of sand and dust covers each step. No one has walked here for many years.
  
  > Smell
  Castle Ruins (In the Guard Chamber)
  The spiral staircase ends in the middle of a square chamber. The west wall has fallen out into the ravine, letting in the glowing sunset. The walls that are still standing and the marble floor have cracked in several places. Rocks, a thick layer of dust, and all sorts of debris cover the floor. The only thing still intact is a stone statue standing in the southeast corner.
  
  The spiral staircase leads up and the west wall is open to the ravine.
  
  "This place is dry and dusty but there are no smells, nothing but despair and loneliness. Everything is dead."
  
  > listen
  All is quiet.
  
  > Shout
  I can't understand you. Try to say it differently.
  
  > remove the debris
  Really? the rubble?
  That is not possible.
  
  > Attack statue
  "Even if I could damage this statue, I fail to see the point in it Master."
  Lornedei is waiting for your command.
  
  > eat cheese
  Lornedei takes a careful little bite. Once proven safe and truly edible, she quickly gobbles it down.
  "Pardon my manners Master, but I was hungry."
  
  > search debris
  Lornedei's magic just went up by seven.
  
  Lornedei scratches her head, looking at the mountain of rubble.
  "If I could get through this first pile of blocks, then maybe, I am not sure I can though. I am going to need some help."
  
  > Go upwards
  Castle Ruins (In a Stone Corridor)
  A staircase leads down in darkness and south takes her out to the courtyard. The corridor seems to lead only to the dim light to the north.
  
  She can see A crystal spider with shifty, beady eyes (Stretching out, apparently snoozing at the moment.) here.
  
  > get the spider
  The spider reluctantly steps up on her hand.
  
  > Blow spider
  "Master?"
  Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
  
  > Blow acorn
  Really? the golden acorn?
  "Master?"
  
  > give Beetle to the statue
  Lornedei looks at the big black beetle. She looks at the hole in the stone hand. She looks at you, smiles a little, and shakes her head.
  
  > give the cheese to statue
  Lornedei looks at the piece of cheese. She looks at the hole in the stone hand. She looks at you, smiles a little, and shakes her head.
  
  > Go east
  Wasteland (By the Petrified Tree)
  This is nothing but wasteland. Scattered remains of a once big tree cover the ground. It might have been a great oak at one point. A dry and hot wind tears at her while throwing sand in her eyes and mouth. Beyond rocks, sand and starved soil, there is nothing but a gray mist. In the distant west, beyond more wasteland, she can see a high stone wall. South, the broken land dips down in a bowl beyond which is the forbidden forest. Southwest would take her back to the edge of the forest where she first entered the field.
  "What should I do?"
  
  > fix Tree
  There is nothing left here that can be healed. The tree is long since dead.
  
  > Dig
  What do you want Lornedei to dig?
  
  > Ground
  (the ground)
  Lornedei digs a hole in the dry ground.
  Lornedei bites on a nail.
  
  > Go south
  Wasteland (By the Circle of Stones)
  This is the southeastern corner of the field of despair. The forbidden forest is nearly all around her. West, northwest, and north takes her out. The ground sinks into a large hole, a bowl more than fifty paces across, in the ground, edged by crevices and uneven ridges. A broken land. Once at the bottom, the rest of the field is out of sight.
  
  A big round stone lies in the middle of the pit. The fire is gone.
  
  A stone circle is laid out on the ground.
  Lornedei frowns. She seems to be listening.
  And there truly is a sound, distant, from the forest. It sounds like someone crying. An abandoned cry of loneliness.
  
  > Round
  Lornedei glances up at you. After a moment of puzzled silence, she shakes her head.
  
  > Round
  Lornedei shrugs. What the big round boulder feels like does not interest her.
  
  > listen to Forest
  "I hear nothing but a careful whispering from these trees right now. It is the sound of dry leaves scraping against each other, that is all. I cannot hear any animals at all."
  
  > listen
  There is nothing here to listen to but the constant wind.
  Lornedei shakes her foot to get rid of a painful stone from her sandal.
  
  > listen
  There is nothing here to listen to but the constant wind.
  Lornedei moves a strand of hair from her face and puts it behind her ear.
  
  > listen
  There is nothing here to listen to but the constant wind.
  Lornedei bites on a nail.
  
  > go west
  Wasteland (Overlooking the Ravine)
  Lornedei stands on an outcropping overlooking a deep ravine going as far north as she can see. The ledge seems to be the remains of a road, cut off by the creation of the break in the earth. On the other side of the ravine, there's a barely visible opening through the trees. There is no way over there though. A steady wind tears at her clothes and hair in sudden gusts that seem eager to throw her off balance.
  
  East, northeast and north are the ways off the ledge.
  Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
  A high pitched squeal from somewhere among the blackened trees fills the air, and Lornedei shudders.
  
  > examine the sun
  Right above her the sky is clear, darkening to a graphite tinted blue. All around this patch, in all directions, there is a ceiling of constant mist. Visible above this blanket of gray, to the west, a dying sun sets the horizon in flames.
  
  > wait
  Lornedei waits as the dry wind tears at her torn clothing.
  
  > touch the gray plaque
  "It feels warm. Warm and heavy.
  Lornedei shakes her foot to get rid of a painful stone from her sandal.
  
  > touch the black plaque
  "It feels warm. Warm and heavy.
  
  > listen to the gray plaque
  She can hear nothing from the small gray plaque.
  "Master?"
  
  > examine the gray plaque
  It is a small round plaque in a material unknown to Lornedei. The surface is smooth and with a deep polish. It is small enough to fit in Lornedei's hand. The surface shows nothing, not even the distorted image of Lornedei herself that one might expect. What shows in the plaque is like a reflection of a stormy sky in a puddle of murky water, just before the rain starts hammering.
  Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
  
  > break the gray plaque
  Never mind having her wreck her inventory, unless it is truly called for.
  
  > show the gray plaque to the sky
  She can only do that to something living that has at least half a brain.
  
  > hit the gray plaque
  Never mind having her wreck her inventory, unless it is truly called for.
  Lornedei looks around, biting her lower lip.
  
  > Rub gray
  There is no need for her to do that.
  Lornedei shakes her foot to get rid of a painful stone from her sandal.
  
  > throw the gray plaque into the ravine
  Lornedei gives you a doubtful glance. After just a moments hesitation, she decides to trust your judgment. She drops the small gray plaque in the ravine. She does not stay at the edge long enough to watch it fall. "Was that necessary?"
  
  > hold the gray plaque
  She already has that.
  
  > No
  There is no need to answer her. Better to keep your peace.
  
  > ask the ld about the statue
  Lornedei shrugs.
  "What should I do?"
  
  > ask the ld about the gray plaque
  Lornedei shrugs.
  Lornedei looks around, biting her lower lip.
  
  > examine the black plaque
  It's a totally black round plaque. It is small enough to fit in Lornedei's palm. The smooth stone is of a kind that Lornedei has never seen. A strange picture is carved on one side. It looks like a flying insect of some sort, with a giant tree in the background.
  "What should I do?"
  
  > Inventory
  Lornedei's magic is currently at 374.
  Lornedei is carrying:
  a purple nut with thorns
  a golden acorn
  A crystal spider with shifty, beady eyes (Polishing its underside at the moment.)
  a piece of cheese
  a small black plaque
  a large black beetle (Spinning around waving its antennae at the moment.)
  a loaf of horrid bread
  a small leather pouch (which is open but empty)
  A blue crystal hanging on a silver chain.
  a handful of white berries
  a small gray plaque
  a leather rucksack (being worn)
  
  > give the black plaque to Beetle
  The bug spins around and around but that's it.
  "Master?"
  
  > feed Beetle to the spider
  The spider stretches out to its full height and pokes the beetle in the eye. The bug gives off a high-pitch squeal and crawls in under Lornedei's hair.
  
  > ask Firefly about the wolf
  "Eeee! Just keep that horrible animal away from me. Have you fed it? You should not! You will spoil it rotten and then it will come after you for more food!
  If you are stupid enough to ask it to follow you it is even worse. You will never get rid of it."
  
  > ask Firefly about the nut
  "Me, yes me, I will not tell."
  
  "I must go, yes I must. The firefly disappears with a pop and a flash.
  
  > throw the spider into the ravine
  "No Master. I think I will hold on to this for now."
  Lornedei is waiting for your command.
  
  > remove the shirt
  Really? the shirt?
  Perhaps you should leave Lornedei's clothing alone.
  
  "I must go, yes I must. The firefly disappears with a pop and a flash.
  
  > go north
  Castle Ruins (In a Stone Corridor)
  A staircase leads down in darkness and south takes her out to the courtyard. The corridor seems to lead only to the dim light to the north.
  Lornedei moves a strand of hair from her face and puts it behind her ear.
  
  > search debris
  The beetle seems to ponder this. Then it crosses its antennae, willing but confused.
  
  > search debris
  The spider straightens to show its maximum height. It taps one of its legs against another and turns away. It is clearly beneath a creature of light to obey common humans.
  "What should I do?"
  
  > find the wolf
  The bug waves its antennae but has very little to say.
  
  > Inventory
  Lornedei's magic is currently at 374.
  Lornedei is carrying:
  a purple nut with thorns
  a golden acorn
  A crystal spider with shifty, beady eyes (Stretching out, apparently snoozing at the moment.)
  a piece of cheese
  a small black plaque
  a large black beetle (Airing out its shell at the moment.)
  a loaf of horrid bread
  a small leather pouch (which is open but empty)
  A blue crystal hanging on a silver chain.
  a handful of white berries
  a small gray plaque
  a leather rucksack (being worn)
  
  > throw the spider in ravine
  "No Master. I think I will hold on to this for now."
  
  > throw the acorn in the ravine
  "No Master. I think I should hold on to this."
  
  > throw the cheese in the ravine
  Lornedei gives you a doubtful glance. After just a moments hesitation, she decides to trust your judgment. She drops the piece of cheese in the ravine. She does not stay at the edge long enough to watch it fall. "Was that necessary?"
  
  > throw the nut in the ravine
  Lornedei throws the nut over the edge. A sudden gust of wind grabs it. After dancing around in the air for a few moments, it drops down at her feet.
  
  > take the nut
  Lornedei carefully takes the nut, holding it with two fingers by one of the thorns. That way she won't get hurt.
  
  > put the nut in the pouch
  She drops the purple nut with thorns into the small leather pouch. "What should I do?"
  
  > look in it
  In the small leather pouch is a purple nut with thorns.
  
  > throw the pouch into ravine
  Lornedei drops the small leather pouch over the edge.
  
  > Y.
  Would you like to restore a saved game?
  
  > go north
  "Greetings Almighty! Allow me to tell you about your world, Aarkland."
  
  Our story begins here.
  
  The harvest time is upon the people. Their hard work goes on from early morning until all that must be done is done. The summer has been good and this winter no one will starve. That is what the villagers believe, anyway. In ignorance they have turned from you and cannot see the coming darkness. For them Ignorance is bliss, but refusing to see the truth is no protection against evil.
  
  The young girl that's come to meet you in secret is Lornedei. You watch her treading along the road and when she stops next to the water, you once more feel a glimmer of hope. She is the first child in more than a hundred years that has been born with the old power. The youngest daughter to Lorne and Noki, this innocent girl searches the sky for your presence. She smiles when she senses it and gives you a little wave. She is the last one. The last hope.
  
  Lornedei tightens the straps on her rucksack, throws a quick glance back along the road, and makes sure her sandals are fastened properly. Surely she can sense you watching her, but she says nothing. She reaches into her rucksack and brings out some bread. She nibbles on it without much enthusiasm while watching the flowing river, and she waits for you.
  
  The girl has the power to "reach" beyond what the eye can see and "heal" what is broken, but she is not strong enough to make a difference. Not without guidance. That is where you come in. As the God of this land, you must guide her. First, you should send her to the unholy stones to see what the world around her is hiding.
  An Interactive Fantasy.
  
  Crystal and Stone, Beetle and Bone.
  
  Latest update and bug fixed June 25 2009. Type "about" for more information.
  Type "help" to get started.
  Type "hint" for specific help.
  
  Aarkland (End of Village Road)
  This old road, coming from the village, runs north to the edge of the forest. Alongside it to the west is the rushing water of the river Aarkland. The river flows through the forest and divides it in two: To the east is the old forest, and to the west is the forbidden forest.
  
  Few people use the road these days, and it is all but overtaken by grass and brush. A seemingly endless field stretches out to the east. Between the swaying grass and the road, a few deformed bushes prepare to invade what remains of the road. A short distance to the southeast is a pile of stones. The stones are barely visible above the grass.
  
  The Aarkland river flows past as always.
  
  A whiff of the deformed bushes reaches Lornedei's nose and she waves the unpleasant odor away.
  Is that a language I have not yet learned?
  
  > Go southeast
  Aarkland (On the Unholy Stones)
  For as long as Lornedei can remember, she has been told not to go there. There is nothing strange about the stones at a distance. It could just be a collection of fieldstones, perhaps from the time when the settlers first prepared the field. Nothing could be more wrong. There are piles of stones in many fields, but none with this kind of history.
  
  She hesitates and turns to you. It seems like she wants to say something. She keeps silent and steps up on the platform.
  The collection of stones is over ten paces from edge to edge. The top has been flattened to create a platform and that is where Lornedei stands. No new stones have been added in several hundred years. Despite the lack of activity, nothing grows near the stones.
  
  There are powers here that make it easier for her to use her magic. You can make her see what hides around her. She will see the world as it is, what hides beyond what the eye can see.
  
  She can go north to the field or northwest back to the dusty road. Lornedei suddenly looks startled.
  "Master what is this?" A firefly is buzzing around her head. She waves her hand to wave it away when suddenly a small voice pipes up.
  "No, No, silly girl. I am no harm! I am here to help you must know!" Lornedei stops waving but she looks dubiously at the tiny creature. Once safe from the terribly waving arm, the firefly stops for a rest on Lornedei's brow. The tiny voice pipes up again. "I must come, curious am I, and I can help such as you!" Lornedei tries to look up at the fly but all that happens is that her eyes cross. "There is magic here, magic in you girl. I have not sensed magic in a long time, yes!" the fly takes off and starts buzzing around Lornedei's head again. "Strong you are not! Oh, no. That god of yours was stingy in his giving so he was. Pity, pity. You can be stronger though. Sometimes from nature, sometimes from other things. You must know girl, to regain strength that you lose, you must eat. Ah, there are some here, I have searched for these." the fly buzzes off towards the deformed bushes and lands on one of the berries growing there. "Eat these and be strong, do not forget." there is an angry buzzing, a strange grunting sound, and a thud as a white berry, seemingly with a firefly attached on the top, falls to the ground. "Me... Will just.." In an amazing display of over-insectile powers, the fly lifts the berry off the ground. "will just take this." The firefly, along with its booty, disappears with a pop and a flash.
  
  The firefly is available for questioning. It is happy to help. Just type "hint" and it will come.
  Lornedei looks around, biting her lower lip.
  
  > Go northwest
  Aarkland (End of Village Road)
  
  The Aarkland river flows past as always.
  
  The deformed bushes seem to reach for Lornedei as she walks by.
  
  > get the berries
  Lornedei picks all of the berries that seem edible. It turns out to be quite a handful. She drops them all into the rucksack.
  
  > go north
  No, she can go east to the field, southeast to the unholy stones, or enter the river to the west.
  
  > Go east
  Aarkland (Billowing Field)
  Lornedei hesitates throwing an anxious glance south.
  
  Maybe she would prefer to be back in the safe grasp of her kin. If that is the case, she will never tell her God. She does not know why she is here or how easy her mind and flesh may be corrupted, and she may be better off that way.
  
  Very carefully, you give her just the slightest of mental nudges to remove the hesitation from her mind. Not again can you give her a command without letting her choose how to proceed. What she has ahead of her she must do of her own free will as much as possible. Lornedei takes her eyes off the road and moves on.
  The grass grows waist high. Touched by sun, wind, and rain, it patiently waits for the farmers that will not come. The edge of the old forest lies close by to the north. To the south, a big pile of stones rises above the grass. The road is back west.
  
  There is a low growling coming from the high grass. An injured wolf lies there.
  Lornedei moves a strand of hair from her face and puts it behind her ear.
  
  > follow you
  Deini looks at Lornedei, wondering if there might be something to eat first. When that doesn't seem to happen, the wolf ignores her command. Lornedei glances up at you, uncertain.
  
  > reach the wolf
  "I do not need to reach inside her to know that she is better now. The pain is gone."
  Lornedei moves a strand of hair from her face and puts it behind her ear.
  
  > give the bread to Deini
  Deini smells the bread, sneezes, and backs away. She glances suspiciously at the piece of bread.
  
  > give the cheese to Deini
  (Taking the piece of cheese first.)
  Deini smells the piece of cheese but she is not very interested in anything that never had a heart beat at one point.
  Lornedei looks around, biting her lower lip.
  
  > give the berry to Deini
  (Taking the handful of white berries first.)
  Deini smells the handful of white berries but she is not very interested in anything that never had a heart beat at one point.
  
  > get Deini
  Deini is still a wild animal in her true element. She should not be captured or provoked.
  
  > put all in the backpack
  handful of white berries: Done.
  piece of cheese: Done.
  loaf of horrid bread: Done.
  
  > Go south
  Aarkland (On the Unholy Stones)
  
  > reach world
  The world around Lornedei fades. She finds herself high up in the air, hovering above a seemingly endless field. She flaps her white wings tentatively at first, but then she catches an upwind and rises.
  Not far ahead of her is a vast and lush forest, stretching north and northeast. She looks east. Between the field and the endless ocean are a few homes, perhaps a fishing village, and a patchwork of fields. As she hovers far above the field, turning to the south, she can see a road following a river to another village far to the south. It is Lornedei's own.
  
  She turns west and the forbidden forest, a landscape of gray, stretches out ahead of her. It stretches to the southwest and to the northwest as far as she can see. It is a swirling black and gray mass of mist or smoke, for the most part unbroken except for the occasional tree-top protruding here and there.
  
  She moves closer until she is above the glittering water of the Aarkland river and turns north. She follows the flowing water until it seems to disappear into a large cliff. The two forests meet at the top of the cliff, but the old forest seems to give way more and more so that the border turns northeast towards a distant mountain chain. The river does not seem to appear again.
  
  She turns west, soaring above unbroken gray, seeing only the occasional twisted treetop shooting out of the thick mist and a blue sky above. She flies on, across a landscape of gray and black. The mist Swirls here and there, darkens here and there, but never reveals what is below.
  
  Then the air seems to thin and she sinks down. She sinks down below the mist. She finds herself racing between twisted tree-trunks and grasping branches. A dry whisper follows her as she loses her orientation. Silent shapes like shadows follow her path. Spirits, hollow-eyed, pale and ragged, open their mouths in rage and longing before they shy away from her. They melt back into the shadows between the trees. Suddenly she is out of the forest.
  
  Below her is a barren landscape of sand and broken earth. The forbidden forest surrounds this field of despair, although the sky is clear. Above the mist, to the northeast, she can see a pale silhouette of the mountains. She can see a far distant shade of green to the east, beyond which is a blue horizon.
  
  The same view meets her to the southeast, but to the south, southwest and west, there is only the forbidden forest with its blanket of mist.
  
  She lowers herself until she is just above stony ground. A deep ravine separates the field from the forest to the west. The ravine runs south to north into a misty plain where it disappears out of sight. To the northwest, clinging to the edge of the ravine, there is an old ruin...a castle. Only part of the ruin is visible as the rest of it fades into gray mist.
  
  She turns westward and sinks down in the ravine. Making her way north, the tip of her left wing nearly strokes the far ravine wall. She turns upwards and flies clockwise around the entire castle ruin. Most of the old castle is gone. As she is viewing it from the outside she can see chambers, dungeons and rooms in several levels that are exposed. The rest of the ruin is at the bottom of the ravine. After flying through the mist on the far side of the ruin, she appears at a great wall that separates the castle grounds from the northern wastelands before turning southeast. In the southeast corner of the big desolate field the ground slopes down and turns into a ragged hole in the ground. Heat ripples the air around it. A large fire burns within a ring of stones.
  
  She circles the fire. She is in a hurry, searching for the thing that should be but is no longer. She returns to the ruin. There is a high wall east of the castle and she stops to rest on top of it.
  
  The world wavers its way back to reality and Lornedei looks pale and a bit unsteady on her feet.
  "Too high! Master? If I die and must come back, please do not make me a bird!"There is nothing she can do from here. She may be able to reach a distant object, but she can do nothing with it.
  Lornedei bites on a nail.
  
  > Go northwest
  Aarkland (End of Village Road)
  
  The Aarkland river flows past as always.
  
  The deformed bushes seem to reach for Lornedei as she walks by.
  
  > get the leaf
  (the yellow leaves)
  Lornedei pulls a leaf off of one of the branches and it immediately crumbles into a smelly dust. She quickly brushes it off her hands while wrinkling her nose in disgust.
  Lornedei shakes her foot to get rid of a painful stone from her sandal.