text: > Look around
  Almost ... you manage to raise your head without pain, and look around ...
  
  "There's something there on the table you may find useful. I was saving it for my next trip to town, but ... SEIZE it, please. If you're the barbarian I think you are, well, your reputation precedes you. VESSA says you're the brilliant leader of a growing underground movement." He smiles "I'm very proud to have helped you in what little ways I can. The DELICATE DOXY is quite a little thinker herself ... any mind she admires must be quite sharp, eh?"
  
  You regard him with grim silence, unfamiliar with most of his words.
  
  "Ah, yes. Strong, silent type! VESSA said. Sign of an active intellect! The more we say the less we think, you know. Anyway, the passage to the west leads out behind a WATERFALL ... I'm afraid you won't be able to find a way back in. I keep this place private. But once the SLAVER KING is defeated, I can go out into the world again, and bring it more SCIENCE!"
  
  "Good luck, brave warrior. And good hunting!"
  
  This room resembles a cross between a mercenary's bunkhouse and some kind of mad WARLOCK's sanctum, but with more machines. Many more. There are few comforts, but this is plainly a home, as well as a workshop for magics beyond your ken.
  
  A kindly old PROFESSOR is here, working with the tools of SCIENCE and smiling.
  
  You can also see the SEVENTH HOARFROST DIAMOND here.
  
  > Regard DIAMOND
  It's a pretty DIAMOND, but you don't see what's so 'SEVENTH' about it. It's not covered in HOARFROST either. Treasure confuses you; only spending it maketh sense.
  
  > Parley with PROFESSOR
  "Good luck, barbarian, and the greatest velocity permitted by the laws of physics!"
  
  > Go west
  A high WATERFALL cascades down from a mountain ridge above, foaming and roaring into a broad POOL of clean water. The result is a brilliant PRISMATIC SPRAY. The setting is very peaceful.
  
  GUNWAR wanders into view. "I might have known a barbarian such as ye would end up somewhere 'round the PRISMATIC SPRAY!"
  
  > Go west
  This is the edge of a great cliff, looking over a vast CHASM to the south. The mists are so heavy within that you can barely detect a raging river far, far below.
  
  A tiny TREE clings tenaciously to the edge of the cliff.
  
  GUN trails along.
  
  > go west
  Cracked remnants of walls and a stretch of weed-grown cobblestones tell of an old temple or abbey ... perhaps even a village. Whatever it was, it now lies in ROCKY RUIN. Poking through the remnants, you notice a shadowy archway leading IN to one small structure that remains intact.
  
  You can see a TELEPHONE POLE here.
  
  GUNWAR follows you.
  
  > Go west
  This dismal GRAVEYARD sits on a hill cloaked in mist, overlooking the SLAVER KING'S seedy SEAPORT to the north. There are hundreds of gravestones, some cracked with centuries of age, some quite new. There is a single large TOMB that a brave soul might choose to ENTER.
  
  GUN accompanies you.
  
  > go north
  Places like this wretched ALLEYWAY make you yearn for the clean air and freedom of the open country. Buildings lean against one another, far above your head, and RATS scurry around the base of a large BARREL. To the north lay the bustling quayside. To the south, you could easily scramble over the city wall and up a brambly hill.
  
  Light shines from a half-open doorway nearby, you could go IN if you wanted. The air from the doorway smells of subtle perfumes and spices.
  
  GUNWAR totters along beside you.
  
  > go inside
  GUNWAR says, "I'd best wait here, lad. Three's a crowd in with a fine DOXY, at least until we know each other better."
  
  You notice a slight chain hanging across VESSA'S doorway, and a small sign writ in simple runes which sayeth: BACK SOON - PROVIDING SERVICE TO HIS MAJESTY'S COURT AND SUNDRIES.
  
  > go to the north
  You tread carefully, here. This is the city of the SLAVER KING, and he may have spies anywhere! Fortunately, the crowd here at the docks is a varied, noisy mass of people and creatures from all corners of Vanth. The MARKETPLACE further north surrounds the CASTLE entrance. The DARK ALLEYWAY immediately south might offer shelter if the guards come running.
  
  A GROUP OF PIRATES stands around the gangplank of a mighty PIRATE SHIP, deciding who may or may not go IN.
  
  GUNWAR follows along, puffing on his pipe.
  
  > Go north
  This busy MARKETPLACE is the heart of the town, nestled against the mighty GATES of the CASTLE. You are careful to keep a low profile here, directly beneath the looming facade of the SLAVER KING'S own citadel.
  
  A lone GUARD stands watch before the GATES, staring ahead dutifully and ignoring the throng of the MARKETPLACE.
  
  GUN follows just a few steps behind you.
  
  > go north
  An elderly LIGHTHOUSE is here (you could go IN), warning ships against the dangers of the rocky coastline. This stretch includes some soft sand as well as rocks ... a small beach looking out on the SEA OF GREAT PERIL. Over some bluffs to the immediate south, you can hear the sounds of the SLAVER KING'S harbor town. To the east are some pines.
  
  GUNWAR accompanies you.
  
  > go to the east
  This is a peaceful forest of tall pines, with a well-worn road leading west, toward the SEASHORE, and east.
  
  There is a SOLID GOLD STATUE here, gently shaded by the PINE TREES along the side of the road. The entire area is draped in gauzy, oversized WEBS of sticky translucence.
  
  GUN sticks close, keeping an eye out for danger.
  
  > put SPICES in OINTMENT
  I attaint thee, varlet! Thy vocabulary, it affrighteth me! Your game manual, or the HELP command, might give aid and succor.
  
  > use SPICES on the OINTMENT
  You mix the blend of SPICES into the OINTMENT, creating a spiced UNGUENT. The scent of this new creation is quite heady, and makes your brain tingle.
  
  > go east
  The SLAVER KING maintains this plank-paved highway for the good of his fat merchants, using slave labor. It is built on the backs of your people, and of any others his slave-catchers can beat into submission. Legend has it that a part of this road runs all the way distant to the UNKNOWN HIGHWAY! From here, however, it runs east to an ABANDONED QUARRY, and west into the pine-woods north of the CASTLE.
  
  GUNWAR stays loyally at your side.
  
  GUNWAR shows you a naughty trick he can do with his PEG-LEG.
  
  > Go south
  This ancient bridge crosses a stream running down from the uplands to the east, and disappearing into a small CULVERT leading IN at the base of a cliff. This cliff, and the SLAVER KING'S CASTLE atop it, casts an icy shadow over the bridge. There is no path to the CASTLE from here, but the ROYAL ROAD lies to the north.
  
  GUNWAR follows you.
  
  > Go south
  A gentle breeze ripples the sparse grasses here, under a blood-red sun. There are many paths. You see mountains to the distant east. You feel a manly twitching in your thews, enlivened by the freedom of the open country.
  
  GUNWAR trails along.
  
  > go south
  Forest surrounds this hill on all sides, but there are no trees at the top - only grass and a few sad flowers, bending toward the setting sun. You see farmland to the north, and the CASTLE of the SLAVER KING looming high above. To the west is the harbor TOWN, but there's no good path from here.
  
  An ELDERLY WOMAN stands at the crest of the hill, her dry white hair fluttering delicately in the evening breeze. She REGARDS you with eyes like fire, and you can feel unbidden thoughts crawling inside your head.
  
  GUNWAR the PEG-LEG DWARF follows along.
  
  Your arm falls off.
  
  "Har!" observes GUNWAR, keenly. "Yer arm fell off, lad."
  
  The TWO-HANDED SWORD falls to the ground.
  
  > seize the arm
  You reach out to take YOUR OWN ARM with your good arm ... and then remember that your good arm is the one that fell off! By Huron, what madness IS this? It takes a moment to adjust, and you find yourself wiggling your fingers on your remaining arm to make sure it's still there. You think maybe you've got the hang of it, now.
  
  > regard yourself
  You have the savage bearing of an upland tribesman, quick like a THESKIAN MOUNTAIN CAT and cruel of eye, though 'tis truth that your heart is not unkind. Your mirth is as mighty as your gloom, and your ire as potent as your warmer passions.
  
  > Inventory
  You bear the following (both on your person and stashed in your trusty THESKIAN DUFFEL BAG): the SEVENTH HOARFROST DIAMOND, a JAR OF PSI-PSPICE UNGUENT, a SUIT OF BURLAP ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF CHAINMAIL ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF KLENGON MAIL (currently un-used), an EAR OF CORN, a FLASHLIGHT, a SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR (being worn) and a DELICATELY-OILED CLOTH.
  
  The ROYAL PSI-WITCH looks at you impatiently, like a child waiting for an expected gift. "Have you ... something for me, barbarian?" she says.
  
  > look
  Forest surrounds this hill on all sides, but there are no trees at the top - only grass and a few sad flowers, bending toward the setting sun. You see farmland to the north, and the CASTLE of the SLAVER KING looming high above. To the west is the harbor TOWN, but there's no good path from here.
  
  GUNWAR stands close at hand, chuckling to himself.
  
  An ELDERLY WOMAN stands at the crest of the hill, her dry white hair fluttering delicately in the evening breeze. She REGARDS you with eyes like fire, and you can feel unbidden thoughts crawling inside your head.
  
  You can also see YOUR OWN ARM here.
  
  > use the OINTMENT on WITCH
  The old woman accepts the UNGUENT, regarding it with interest. She opens it, and sniffs.
  
  She smiles broadly. "It is as the ancients foretold," she says. "A barbarian will bring the ROYAL PSI-WITCH a gift of finest PSI-PSPICES slurried into a comforting BALM, that she might bathe deep in the comforts of her own mind while he would undo a KING most unjust ..."
  
  She peers at you with sudden suspicion, her eyes probing into your thoughts. "Of course, the old prophecy is well-known," she says, "and I see that VESSA THE DELICATE DOXY isn't the only one who has taken an interest in your cause."
  
  You can feel her peering within your mind, and her expression is one of both amusement and disgust. "VESSA THE DELICATE DOXY believes you are some master political strategist, the poor girl. I suppose it would be kindness to let her continue believing. It gives her a fire, and an energy that pleases me. But she is very intelligent, VESSA ... I do wonder what about you could blind her so. I wouldn't think her to have such an obvious weakness for simple fitness and savagery, but I suppose, at my age, I should be surprised by nothing." She REGARDS you quietly for a moment. "Your cranium is filled with meat, my friend, and not even the finest cuts."
  
  You nod grimly, thinking that this PSI-WITCH reminds you of VESSA a little, with all this prattling.
  
  She pockets the UNGUENT. "Still, prophecies are prophecies, and there is no rule that the truth must be a secret to remain true. Besides," she adds ... "there are other signs that we HAVE kept secret: the color of your hair, the cut of your sandals, the stench of your unbath-ed form ... and all of these match. Every one. I am convinced."
  
  You enjoy the breeze cutting across the LONELY HILL, and also enjoy that the PSI-WITCH isn't currently muddling your mind and sending you to the corners of the realm without your consent, as her kind are wont to do.
  
  "Taketh some fresh CORN from the farms nearby, barbarian," she says, "and feed it to the COPPER GARGOYLE in the castle, after you hath tamed it. That is the first step to unlocking the SLAVER KING'S ARCHIVES. That unlocks a hidden switch in the great HEARTH, and that becomes the second step. The rest, the DOXY has already told you."
  
  "Most of the contents of the ARCHIVES will be of no interest to ... one such as you. The item you seek, however, the TRIPHASIC POWER CORE, will be easy to spot. It hums with power and it reeks of the FEAR of the SLAVER KING, who locks it there because he knows it can destroy him, and he knows not how to destroy IT."
  
  "The POWER CORE is said to provide the life-force of a great TALISMAN of some kind. I know not where this treasure lies. Find the AMULET, join the CORE to it, and you will have the tool that can bring the SLAVER KING to his grave."
  
  You nod, considering her words carefully. You decide that "your cranium is filled with meat" may be some sort of sexual advance, but surely a woman so wise would know that she is too old for you. There must be a deeper meaning still.
  
  The PSI-WITCH chuckles. "Begone, barbarian. And ... fare thee well." You feel your mind invaded by scientific waves of THOUGHT ENERGY, and you feel your feet wandering, your eyes closing, your thoughts dissolving ...
  
  This busy MARKETPLACE is the heart of the town, nestled against the mighty GATES of the CASTLE. You are careful to keep a low profile here, directly beneath the looming facade of the SLAVER KING'S own citadel.
  
  A lone GUARD stands watch before the GATES, staring ahead dutifully and ignoring the throng of the MARKETPLACE.
  
  > check your inventory
  You bear the following (both on your person and stashed in your trusty THESKIAN DUFFEL BAG): YOUR OWN ARM (sitting un-attached in the DUFFEL), a TWO-HANDED SWORD (currently un-used), the SEVENTH HOARFROST DIAMOND, a SUIT OF BURLAP ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF CHAINMAIL ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF KLENGON MAIL (currently un-used), an EAR OF CORN, a FLASHLIGHT, a SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR (being worn) and a DELICATELY-OILED CLOTH.
  
  > use ARM
  With a wet, nauseating CLICK, you shove YOUR OWN ARM into its socket. You give a few flexes, to make sure it's properly attached.
  
  GUNWAR the PEG-LEG DWARF arrives, grinning pleasantly. "I might have known I'd find ye 'round the MARKETPLACE!"
  
  > Prowess
  You wield only your bare, callused FIST. Adjusting for your abilities and progress, you do from 14 to 19 points of damage with each successful blow. Your odds of striking true are 92% (burdened somewhat by your load). Your armor is the SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR, which increases your Hit Points by 245%. You are versed in the useful lore of SULDUKU BREATHING. You are uninjured, with your full complement of 341 Hit Points. A mighty Warrior, indeed!
  
  > wield SWORD
  From any but a barbarian, I would presume such a command SORCERY most perplexing! The HELP command may offer some remedy.
  
  > Prowess
  You wield the TWO-HANDED SWORD. Adjusting for your abilities and progress, you do from 15 to 25 points of damage with each successful blow. Your odds of striking true are 92% (burdened somewhat by your load). Your armor is the SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR, which increases your Hit Points by 245%. You are versed in the useful lore of SULDUKU BREATHING. You are uninjured, with your full complement of 341 Hit Points. A mighty Warrior, indeed!
  
  > go to the north
  An elderly LIGHTHOUSE is here (you could go IN), warning ships against the dangers of the rocky coastline. This stretch includes some soft sand as well as rocks ... a small beach looking out on the SEA OF GREAT PERIL. Over some bluffs to the immediate south, you can hear the sounds of the SLAVER KING'S harbor town. To the east are some pines.
  
  GUN stays loyally at your side.
  
  > Go east
  This is a peaceful forest of tall pines, with a well-worn road leading west, toward the SEASHORE, and east.
  
  There is a SOLID GOLD STATUE here, gently shaded by the PINE TREES along the side of the road. The entire area is draped in gauzy, oversized WEBS of sticky translucence.
  
  GUNWAR trails along.
  
  > Go east
  The SLAVER KING maintains this plank-paved highway for the good of his fat merchants, using slave labor. It is built on the backs of your people, and of any others his slave-catchers can beat into submission. Legend has it that a part of this road runs all the way distant to the UNKNOWN HIGHWAY! From here, however, it runs east to an ABANDONED QUARRY, and west into the pine-woods north of the CASTLE.
  
  GUNWAR follows you.
  
  > Go east
  This vast pit stands in the shadow of the snow-capped mountains to the east. It was here that the great stones were quarried to build the CASTLE of the SLAVER KING, and the walls of the nearby harbor town. The site is long-abandoned, or so it's told ... But you hear a riotous and happy din DOWN in the GRAVEL PIT.
  
  GUNWAR the PEG-LEG DWARF follows along, puffing on his pipe.
  
  > Go west
  The SLAVER KING maintains this plank-paved highway for the good of his fat merchants, using slave labor. It is built on the backs of your people, and of any others his slave-catchers can beat into submission. Legend has it that a part of this road runs all the way distant to the UNKNOWN HIGHWAY! From here, however, it runs east to an ABANDONED QUARRY, and west into the pine-woods north of the CASTLE.
  
  GUNWAR accompanies you.
  
  > Go south
  This ancient bridge crosses a stream running down from the uplands to the east, and disappearing into a small CULVERT leading IN at the base of a cliff. This cliff, and the SLAVER KING'S CASTLE atop it, casts an icy shadow over the bridge. There is no path to the CASTLE from here, but the ROYAL ROAD lies to the north.
  
  GUNWAR follows just a few steps behind you.
  
  > enter CULVERT
  GUNWAR says, "I'd never be able to swim in there with me peg-leg, but I'll try to find another way in to meet ye."
  
  SLAVE PENS (ON CATWALK)
  As the DOXY foretold, deep into the CULVERT there is a stone platform, and a ladderwell leading into a vast underground chamber ... a chamber of torture and woe! For here, from a high CATWALK, strewn with discarded metal junk, you can see hundreds of the SLAVER KING'S captured workers: Humans, Vulkins, Frankensteins, Robodroids and more!
  
  Some are shattering rocks with hammers, some are providing motive power for large wooden wheels, some are being whipped or burned by the many burly GUARDS. You cannot be seen from your current vantage point, but if you were to venture into the PENS you would once again be a slave, yourself.
  
  The path to the surface leads UP, but a CRAWLWAY beckons further IN from here, barely visible in the shadows.
  
  > enter
  You stand in a central hall of the CASTLE of the SLAVER KING, surrounded by opulent FURNISHINGS of every description. You notice people moving in the distance, but this place is so huge that your own arrival seems to have gone unnoticed by the non-GARGOYLE denizens. Just to be sure, you stick to the shadows (fortunately, there are many). An enormous flight of MARBLE STAIRS leads upward, to the THRONE ROOM.
  
  Now then ... what was that SECRET COMBINATION? Something with
  an EAR OF CORN, then something about a hearth? Or was it the trestles? And SEIZING a tapestry ... and then ASSAILING a mirror? Something about a mirror, anyway.
  
  You notice that the floor is remarkably clean, here.
  
  > use CORN on GARGOYLE
  You offer the EAR OF CORN to the now-inanimate statue, ready for anything. The GARGOYLE re-animates ... but only long enough to consume the CORN with a gentle belch to follow. As the features of the GARGOYLE re-settle, they are smiling instead of scowling.
  
  GUNWAR totters into view, moving as quickly as his PEG-LEG will allow. "I might have known ye'd be somewhere 'round the CASTLE!"
  
  > Regard hearth
  It is a huge fireplace, filled with a ROARING FIRE of the sort you used to toast MARSH GOBLINS in when visiting your uncle's hunting lodge as a boy.
  
  > use the hearth
  You find that one brick has extended itself very slightly. The brick cannot be pulled further or turned in any way, so you press it back into place, and there is a firm CLICK. You hear a whirring noise, somewhere.
  
  > regard the mirror
  You stand before the GIGANTIC MIRROR, and see a very handsome upland barbarian staring back with a look of naked, intense admiration. You also half-see, behind the smoky glass, movement like the spinning wheels of a SUPERCOMPUTER. You hear a distant beeping sound.
  
  With a puff of dust, a hidden door becomes apparent. You may go IN whenever you please, barbarian.
  
  > enter
  This chamber is small and musty, as if even the air is not permitted to leave, lest it tell a secret. Most of the things stored here seem, to thine eyes, as dusty rubbish.
  
  It isn't difficult to spot the exception: resting, free of dust, on a shelf all its own, the TRIPHASIC POWER CORE gleams as if lit by an entirely different world from this grim little chamber. Tiny lights on its surface blink, glitter, and chase each other like playful pups. The POWER CORE hums, sending soft and not unpleasant vibrations throughout the room. So ... this is the thing that the SLAVER KING fears.
  
  GUNWAR the PEG-LEG DWARF totters along beside you.
  
  > regard CORE
  It reeks of SCIENCE, but prettily so.
  
  > seize CORE
  Seized.
  
  You hear a soft chuckle, but know not from where.
  
  > Leave
  You stand in a central hall of the CASTLE of the SLAVER KING, surrounded by opulent FURNISHINGS of every description. You notice people moving in the distance, but this place is so huge that your own arrival seems to have gone unnoticed by the non-GARGOYLE denizens. Just to be sure, you stick to the shadows (fortunately, there are many). An enormous flight of MARBLE STAIRS leads upward, to the THRONE ROOM.
  
  GUNWAR limps along at your side.
  
  > use CORE
  You gain new respect for the elders of your village, who could use a TRIPHASIC POWER CORE much more expertly than you.
  
  > go west
  This busy MARKETPLACE is the heart of the town, nestled against the mighty GATES of the CASTLE. You are careful to keep a low profile here, directly beneath the looming facade of the SLAVER KING'S own citadel.
  
  A lone GUARD stands watch before the GATES, staring ahead dutifully and ignoring the throng of the MARKETPLACE.
  
  GUNWAR sticks close, keeping an eye out for danger.
  
  > Go south
  You tread carefully, here. This is the city of the SLAVER KING, and he may have spies anywhere! Fortunately, the crowd here at the docks is a varied, noisy mass of people and creatures from all corners of Vanth. The MARKETPLACE further north surrounds the CASTLE entrance. The DARK ALLEYWAY immediately south might offer shelter if the guards come running.
  
  A GROUP OF PIRATES stands around the gangplank of a mighty PIRATE SHIP, deciding who may or may not go IN.
  
  GUN follows along.
  
  > go south
  Places like this wretched ALLEYWAY make you yearn for the clean air and freedom of the open country. Buildings lean against one another, far above your head, and RATS scurry around the base of a large BARREL. To the north lay the bustling quayside. To the south, you could easily scramble over the city wall and up a brambly hill.
  
  Light shines from a half-open doorway nearby, you could go IN if you wanted. The air from the doorway smells of subtle perfumes and spices.
  
  GUNWAR limps along at your side.
  
  > Enter
  GUNWAR says, "I'd best wait here, lad. Three's a crowd in with a fine DOXY, at least until we know each other better."
  
  You find yourself in a soft maze of colored veils, leading to a large bed piled with furs and cloth pillows. There are no candles or oil-lamps here, but rather globes of red glass lit by magic, pulsing with the rhythm of soft music.
  
  VESSA is here, sprawled across the bed and grinning at you, invitingly.
  
  > Parley with VESSA
  VESSA snuggles against you playfully. "Welcome back, heroic barbarian. Oh, I so wish that my DOXY CODE OF COMMERCE did not forbid me from taking you for my own selfish pleasures, or I would leap upon you this instant." She pouts, but then brightens. "Fortunately, I am confident in your ability to bring me treasures more than suitable for payment."
  
  > use CORE on VESSA
  VESSA smiles, and gently caresses the TRIPHASIC POWER CORE. "Oh, barbarian, that's a very wicked thought, and you know I'd
  adore taking you to my bed, but really, that isn't respectful payment for what I can offer you." Her smile brightens. "If you bring me some proper payment, it might be fun if you bring the TRIPHASIC POWER CORE along as well ..."
  
  > check your inventory
  You bear the following (both on your person and stashed in your trusty THESKIAN DUFFEL BAG): a TRIPHASIC POWER CORE, YOUR OWN ARM (attached to you), a TWO-HANDED SWORD (held at the ready), the SEVENTH HOARFROST DIAMOND, a SUIT OF BURLAP ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF CHAINMAIL ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF KLENGON MAIL (currently un-used), a FLASHLIGHT, a SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR (being worn) and a DELICATELY-OILED CLOTH.
  
  > use DIAMOND on VESSA
  VESSA accepts the DIAMOND and holds it up to the light, smiling brightly. Then, her smile dissolves into a look of astonishment. She hefts it experimentally. "145.27 carats!" she declares. Producing a jeweler's loupe and fitting it to her eye, she stares ... "Softly smoked blue, Hobling-Emperor-Oval cut, 74 facets ..." she angles it slightly and examines the light passing through it. "Dispersion is just about right, too!"
  
  She leaps into your arms. "How did you KNOW? Barbarian, my life's secret quest is to collect the twenty HOARFROST DIAMONDS! I had only two of them ... but now I have the famed 'Icy Star of the Mutated Slime-Empress,' the SEVENTH HOARFROST DIAMOND! You must have battled the most ferocious monsters in all the realm to win such a prize for me!" Overcome with excitement, she hits you hard in the nose in her haste to rip her clothes off and have you in her bed.
  
  ... Approximately three days (and many exhausting pleasures) later, VESSA THE DELICATE DOXY snuggles naked against you, having turned away dozens of customers, including an angry group of soldiers demanding her presence in the THRONE ROOM of the SLAVER KING himself. For your own part, you are well pleased, slightly dehydrated, and confused on the subject of your own name, when the DOXY speaks:
  
  "Barbarian, I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to act as your agent. Life in your spy network is more thrilling than almost anything I've ever experienced!" She runs a finger gently across your muscled jaw, "... almost anything."
  
  She sits up on the bed, has a good stretch, then collapses back against you, laughing. "The most unusual development of late has been the amazing work of PROFESSOR MEGARIAN ..." Noticing the look in your eye, she adds "No need to be shy about it, my stallion, my charger, my Haragornian thoroughbred ... the PROFESSOR knows he can confide in fellow disciples of your revolutionary movement."
  
  You pause to consider this, and nod, because it means little.
  
  "He is a man of very powerful SCIENCE," she muses. "He has been working on methods to send objects backward in time, so that they could be found and used by those living in the distant past, or even preserved in hidden locations until otherwise needed. Isn't that fascinating?"
  
  You admire how her naked stomach moves when she squirms in excitement.
  
  "Oh, and he sent this for you," she says, handing you a CRIMSON POTION. "He says to save it for your battle with the SLAVER KING, and to waste it not. I told him that there's no need to instruct a man such as you; you will always do what's right." She puts one leg over you, and bites playfully on your thrice-broken barbarian nose.
  
  Sensing an opportunity to end the chatter, you draw her to you and remind her what a DOXY and a barbarian do when a warm bed lay beneath them. She requires little reminding, and your shared passions are so great that you wonder if the ALLEY HOBLINGS have their ears pressed to the walls to behold the DOXY'S plaintive gasps and joyous squealings.
  
  ... Many more hours (and etc) later, you emerge from the DOXY's chambers, sated and well-pleased, and scented with jasmine and feminine ardour.
  
  Places like this wretched ALLEYWAY make you yearn for the clean air and freedom of the open country. Buildings lean against one another, far above your head, and RATS scurry around the base of a large BARREL. To the north lay the bustling quayside. To the south, you could easily scramble over the city wall and up a brambly hill.
  
  GUNWAR stands close at hand, humming an old Dwarf mining song.
  
  Light shines from a half-open doorway nearby, you could go IN if you wanted. The air from the doorway smells of subtle perfumes and spices.
  
  > Inventory
  You bear the following (both on your person and stashed in your trusty THESKIAN DUFFEL BAG): a CRIMSON POTION, a TRIPHASIC POWER CORE, YOUR OWN ARM (attached to you), a TWO-HANDED SWORD (held at the ready), a SUIT OF BURLAP ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF CHAINMAIL ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF KLENGON MAIL (currently un-used), a FLASHLIGHT, a SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR (being worn) and a DELICATELY-OILED CLOTH.
  
  > regard the potion
  It sayeth upon the CRIMSON POTION only this: "Healing As Per Snow-Serpent Meat But Without Mutating Side-Effects." It soundeth handy.
  
  > Go south
  This dismal GRAVEYARD sits on a hill cloaked in mist, overlooking the SLAVER KING'S seedy SEAPORT to the north. There are hundreds of gravestones, some cracked with centuries of age, some quite new. There is a single large TOMB that a brave soul might choose to ENTER.
  
  GUNWAR follows you.
  
  > Go east
  Cracked remnants of walls and a stretch of weed-grown cobblestones tell of an old temple or abbey ... perhaps even a village. Whatever it was, it now lies in ROCKY RUIN. Poking through the remnants, you notice a shadowy archway leading IN to one small structure that remains intact.
  
  You can see a TELEPHONE POLE here.
  
  GUNWAR follows just a few steps behind you.
  
  > Go north
  Forest surrounds this hill on all sides, but there are no trees at the top - only grass and a few sad flowers, bending toward the setting sun. You see farmland to the north, and the CASTLE of the SLAVER KING looming high above. To the west is the harbor TOWN, but there's no good path from here.
  
  There is a thunderous report of hoofbeats, and the HEADLESS HORSEMAN rides upon the LONELY HILL with a glowing JACK-O-LANTERN under one arm and a CUTLASS OF FIRE in the other!
  
  The HEADLESS HORSEMAN attacks! You have suffered 47 hits of
  damage!
  
  GUNWAR the PEG-LEG DWARF stays loyally at your side.
  
  > Assail HORSEMAN
  Taste barbarian rage, HEADLESS HORSEMAN! You scored 23 points of damage!
  
  With a hollow HALLOWEEN LAUGH from the JACK-O-LANTERN at his side, the HEADLESS HORSEMAN attacks! You have suffered 24 hits of
  damage!
  
  GUNWAR applies his healing arts, restoring 39 Hit Points.
  
  > Assail HORSEMAN
  Sa-ho! You give the HEADLESS HORSEMAN a sampling of your TWO-HANDED SWORD, but good! You scored 19 points of damage!
  
  His wicked CUTLASS OF FIRE burns thy flesh! You have suffered 47
  hits of damage!
  
  GUNWAR applies his healing arts, restoring 46 Hit Points.
  
  > Assail HORSEMAN
  By Huron's habile handmaidens! Thou hast missest!
  
  You are overtaken, and the HOOVES of the BLACK STEED do their
  work! You have suffered 44 hits of damage!
  
  GUNWAR applies his healing arts, restoring 33 Hit Points.
  
  > Assail HORSEMAN
  You attack! You scored 21 points of damage!
  
  His wicked CUTLASS OF FIRE burns thy flesh! You have suffered 35
  hits of damage!
  
  GUNWAR applies his healing arts, restoring 26 Hit Points.
  
  > Assail HORSEMAN
  You leap, and strike! You scored 17 points of damage!
  
  With a hollow HALLOWEEN LAUGH from the JACK-O-LANTERN at his side, the HEADLESS HORSEMAN attacks! You have suffered 21 hits of
  damage!
  
  GUNWAR applies his healing arts, restoring 28 Hit Points.
  
  > Assail HORSEMAN
  By Huron's bristliest back hairs! A mighty blow! You scored 17
  points of damage!
  
  You are overtaken, and the HOOVES of the BLACK STEED do their
  work! You have suffered 26 hits of damage!
  
  GUNWAR applies his healing arts, restoring 28 Hit Points.
  
  > Assail HORSEMAN
  By Huron's indigestible excretions, your TWO-HANDED SWORD lands
  home! You scored 18 points of damage!
  
  The HEADLESS HORSEMAN attacks! You have suffered 46 hits of
  damage!
  
  GUNWAR applies his healing arts, restoring 38 Hit Points.
  
  > Assail HORSEMAN
  You lunge deep, and strike! You scored 21 points of damage,
  leaving the HEADLESS HORSEMAN at your mercy!
  
  The HEADLESS HORSEMAN is defeated!
  
  As the HORSEMAN wails his last, tortured wail and evaporates into the evening breeze, his JACK-O-LANTERN bursts into fetid chunks, his CUTLASS OF FIRE flickers to nothingness, and his BLACK STEED turns, galloping away into the approaching night sky. The LONELY HILL is quiet once more, with naught to see but the distant lights of the TOWN.
  
  Forest surrounds this hill on all sides, but there are no trees at the top - only grass and a few sad flowers, bending toward the setting sun. You see farmland to the north, and the CASTLE of the SLAVER KING looming high above. To the west is the harbor TOWN, but there's no good path from here.
  
  GUNWAR is nearby, brushing his teeth with his finger.
  
  > go to the south
  Cracked remnants of walls and a stretch of weed-grown cobblestones tell of an old temple or abbey ... perhaps even a village. Whatever it was, it now lies in ROCKY RUIN. Poking through the remnants, you notice a shadowy archway leading IN to one small structure that remains intact.
  
  You can see a TELEPHONE POLE here.
  
  GUNWAR totters along beside you.
  
  > go east
  This is the edge of a great cliff, looking over a vast CHASM to the south. The mists are so heavy within that you can barely detect a raging river far, far below.
  
  A tiny TREE clings tenaciously to the edge of the cliff.
  
  GUNWAR sticks close, keeping an eye out for danger.
  
  > Go inside
  What a strange place! The walls are made of stone braced with a dull blue metal, and there are piles of humming MACHINERY here, all centered on a GLOWING PEDESTAL.
  
  Sitting on the pedestal is the AMULET of SCIENCE.
  
  GUNWAR the PEG-LEG DWARF sticks close, keeping an eye out for danger.
  
  The stillness of this indoor air is unsettling.
  
  > use CORE on AMULET
  As your hand approacheth the fabled AMULET of SCIENCE, there is a stream of light from the TRIPHASIC POWER CORE. In response, the AMULET becomes more solid, right before your eyes, and then warmly in your mighty grasp! The POWER CORE, seeking its rightful home, dissolves into the AMULET causing it to shine with brilliant coruscating light! The AMULET of SCIENCE is thine!
  
  "Put it on, lad! Put it on!" urges GUNWAR.
  
  > seize AMULET
  Why SEIZE what hast already been SEIZED? 'Tis a matter philosophical upon which to direct thy barbaric ponderings.
  
  > use AMULET
  You place the AMULET of SCIENCE around your neck, and there is an immediate warmth. For a moment, your vision blurs, as the AMULET begins to generate an almost-invisible bubble of shimmering prismatic force around you. After only a second, the bubble fades to invisibility, but you can still feel its presence.
  
  > Prowess
  You wield the TWO-HANDED SWORD. Adjusting for your abilities and progress, you do from 15 to 25 points of damage with each successful blow. Your odds of striking true are 94% (burdened somewhat by your load). Your armor is the SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR, which increases your Hit Points by 245%. You are versed in the useful lore of SULDUKU BREATHING. Finally, you wear the fabled AMULET of SCIENCE, which increases your Hit Points by 135%. You are uninjured, with your full complement of 850 Hit Points. A mighty Warrior, indeed!
  
  > Inventory
  You bear the following (both on your person and stashed in your trusty THESKIAN DUFFEL BAG): an AMULET of SCIENCE (being worn), a CRIMSON POTION, YOUR OWN ARM (attached to you), a TWO-HANDED SWORD (held at the ready), a SUIT OF BURLAP ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF CHAINMAIL ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF KLENGON MAIL (currently un-used), a FLASHLIGHT, a SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR (being worn) and a DELICATELY-OILED CLOTH.
  
  > Go outside
  Cracked remnants of walls and a stretch of weed-grown cobblestones tell of an old temple or abbey ... perhaps even a village. Whatever it was, it now lies in ROCKY RUIN. Poking through the remnants, you notice a shadowy archway leading IN to one small structure that remains intact.
  
  You can see a TELEPHONE POLE here.
  
  GUN follows along, puffing on his pipe.
  
  > use ARM
  With a sickening thhhhhWICK sound, you tug YOUR OWN ARM from
  its socket and place it in your THESKIAN DUFFEL BAG.
  
  The TWO-HANDED SWORD falls to the ground with a thud.
  
  > Wield ARM
  Prithee pardon, barbarian? The HELP command may offer some remedy.