text: > Look around
  This small office has the same run-down appearance of the rest of the church. Debris covers the floor and a trickle of water comes in around the boards covering a broken window. A desk stands in the middle of the room and an empty bookshelf sits against one wall. A pile of ashes marks where a fire once burned in the middle of the floor. A door to the south leads back to the sanctuary.
  
  > examine the podium
  This carved wooden podium is where the leader of this church would have addressed his or her followers. Now, from the podium, you can only see rows of empty pews and a lone painting of Christ, staring blankly down from the south wall. A large black book is resting open on the podium.
  
  > take the book
  Which do you mean, the large black book, the old grimoire or the journal?
  
  > All
  large black book: Taken.
  old grimoire: You already have that.
  journal: You already have that.
  
  > Go south
  Once the heart of the church this room is now cold, dark and empty. Debris is scattered among the sagging pews and only shards of broken glass remain of the stained glass windows. Most of the interior fixtures have been removed, but a large portrait of Christ stares down at you from above the archway to the south. The pulpit still stands to the north.
  
  > tie the rope to handle
  You tie the rope securely to the heavy wooden door.
  
  There is a brief rattle of hail on the roof.
  
  > pull the rope
  You hear a metallic <CLANK> from somewhere overhead.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a large black book
  an old grimoire
  a heavy stopper
  a journal
  an embroidered robe
  a handful of ashes
  a broken limb
  
  > look
  This small chamber is about halfway up the steeple of the church. Rain and wind from the storm outside blows in through an open window frame and water collects in puddles on the warped floor, mixing with the droppings of the birds, or perhaps bats, which can be heard fluttering around overhead. Looking up, you can see a maze of beams and supports that form the interior of the steeple. Rain pours in from an opening higher in the steeple and trickles out through a trap door in the floor.
  
  A frayed but heavy rope hangs from somewhere overhead. The rope is tied to the handle of the door.
  
  The heavy wooden door to the north is closed.
  
  The top of the broken section of railing is visible sticking up through the trap door in the floor.
  
  > climb down
  I don't think much is to be achieved by that.
  
  A blast of thunder rattles the building.
  
  > Go south
  Two massive oak trees which flank the cracked sidewalk dominate the front of the church. The facade of the church itself rises beyond them, its steeple silhouetted against the sky. The storm lashes at its faded white facade, almost as if the storm is trying to wash the church clean; something you somehow realize will take more than mere water to accomplish. To the north, a sidewalk leads to the front of the church. A weed-choked driveway runs to the northeast and down a hill to the south, and a muddy path leads around the church to the northwest.
  
  The church and steeple loom to the north, the open window frames seeming to stare with judgment upon anyone standing before it.
  
  The heavy chain stretches from one of the oak trees and around the corner of the church to the northeast.
  
  > examine the tree
  These massive trees are easily hundreds of years old. They tower over the front of the church, climbing almost as high as the steeple. Unlike the forest surrounding other parts of the grounds they are almost unnaturally healthy, their branches clean and straight and their leaves a deep rich green.
  
  > put the ladder under the tree
  You lean the length of railing against the side of the oak tree.
  
  > climb the ladder
  You carefully climb up the length of railing, using the pickets like a ladder.
  
  The limbs of the tree are swaying violently from the storm, but near the trunk it is a little more stable. You have an excellent view from here of the church grounds and surrounding area. The church seems to be in a clearing on a hill surrounded by a forest. At the base of the hill a small town can be seen, its lights glimmering faintly through the storm.
  
  One of the branches of the tree reaches out to the north towards the steeple of the church. An open frame can be seen in the steeple near where the branch ends.
  
  The steeple of the church looms to the north.
  
  The broken length of railing is propped up against a nearby branch.
  
  > Go south
  The limbs of the tree are swaying violently from the storm, but near the trunk it is a little more stable. You have an excellent view from here of the church grounds and surrounding area. The church seems to be in a clearing on a hill surrounded by a forest. At the base of the hill a small town can be seen, its lights glimmering faintly through the storm.
  
  One of the branches of the tree reaches out to the north towards the steeple of the church. An open frame can be seen in the steeple near where the branch ends.
  
  The steeple of the church looms to the north.
  
  The broken length of railing is propped up against a nearby branch.
  
  > Down
  Two massive oak trees which flank the cracked sidewalk dominate the front of the church. The facade of the church itself rises beyond them, its steeple silhouetted against the sky. The storm lashes at its faded white facade, almost as if the storm is trying to wash the church clean; something you somehow realize will take more than mere water to accomplish. To the north, a sidewalk leads to the front of the church. A weed-choked driveway runs to the northeast and down a hill to the south, and a muddy path leads around the church to the northwest.
  
  The church and steeple loom to the north, the open window frames seeming to stare with judgment upon anyone standing before it.
  
  The heavy chain stretches from one of the oak trees and around the corner of the church to the northeast.
  
  A broken bell lies half-buried in the mud.
  
  The broken length of railing is propped up against the side of the oak tree.
  
  > go north
  This small room is the entryway for the church. The years of neglect are obvious; the floorboards are rotten and warped and what were probably once stained glass windows are shattered and boarded up. Dirt and debris covers the floor. A set of double doors leads south back to the outside while a large archway leads north into the sanctuary. Overhead, there is an open trap door in the ceiling at about twice your height.
  
  You hear a loud crash and see a flash of light through the cracks in the boards covering the windows.
  
  > climb the ladder
  You carefully climb up the length of railing, using the pickets like a ladder.
  
  This small chamber is about halfway up the steeple of the church. Rain and wind from the storm outside blows in through an open window frame and water collects in puddles on the warped floor, mixing with the droppings of the birds, or perhaps bats, which can be heard fluttering around overhead. Looking up, you can see a maze of beams and supports that form the interior of the steeple. Rain pours in from an opening higher in the steeple and trickles out through a trap door in the floor.
  
  A gaping splintered opening lies to the north.
  
  The top of the broken section of railing is visible sticking up through the trap door in the floor.
  
  You hear a loud crash and see a flash of light through the cracks in the boards covering the windows.
  
  > North
  Even with the door open and the wind from the storm blowing in this room is rank with a fetid odor. The floor is piled high with trash and half eaten scraps of food. There are no windows, only the broken door frame to the south. An old sofa is pushed against one wall and a heavy table sits in the middle of the room. A curtained archway is to the north.
  
  A gaping splintered opening lies to the south.
  
  A curtain of purple cloth hangs in the archway.
  
  On the old sofa is an old man.
  
  You can also see a heavy wooden table (on which are an oil lantern and a pair of glass bottles) here.
  
  A blast of thunder rattles the building.
  
  > look at old Man
  An old, extremely gaunt man. The old man is drawn and pale, his hair long and wild and his clothing filthy, torn and unkempt. But, an active intelligence burns behind the vivid green eyes with which he watches you; eyes which also contain a taint of madness.
  
  There is a brief rattle of hail on the roof.
  
  > examine table
  A heavy table of rough cut wooden planks. Curious symbols are carved into the wood and the top is oddly stained.
  
  > examine the lantern
  A old oil-burning lantern. Possibly brass, but very tarnished. The glass chimney is almost opaque with soot and grime.
  
  > examine Bottles
  The bottles are made of a heavy, leaded glass and closed with a cork stopper sealed with wax. Inside the bottles, an oddly shaped lead weight hangs like a pendulum from a string. The bottles glow faintly.
  
  > look at the curtain
  The curtain is an old and faded purple. It looks as if it may have been a tablecloth initially.
  
  > ask Man about the bottle
  "Beautiful, aren't they? That's what *you* used to say. I remember how you used to stare at them for hours. How you used to try to understand them...
  
  > ask Man about yourself
  The old man laughs. "What did you expect? After you saw what happened to *her* and realized that *you* were the one responsible you went, shall we say, mad? You always were weak. There was only one thing to be done, wasn't there?"
  
  > ask Man about the girl
  The old man giggles uncontrollably.
  
  > ask Man about Man
  What? You've forgotten me? How could you forget Silas? Your servant... your colleague... your... teacher...?
  
  > ask Man about the dog
  A useful creature. Quite intelligent, you know.
  
  > take Bottles
  The blue bottle is warm to your touch as you pick it up. The warmth seems to travel up your arm and into the center of your being. It is almost as if you have found a missing part of yourself.
  The green bottle has a sickly feel which matches its color. It feels like ice, cold and burning at the same time. It is all you can do to keep from throwing it down.
  That isn't available.
  
  > open the blue bottle
  You peel the wax away from the mouth of the bottle and pull out the cork. A cloud of faintly glowing blue mist rises from the bottle and hangs in the air before you. You feel a brief moment of freedom, of release.
  
  Then, you realize that Silas has started chuckling to himself. The first jolt of pain hits. The cloud suddenly jerks and starts moving downward, as if drawn by a strong suction. The pain intensifies and you drop first to your knees, then flat onto the ground as if trying to follow the mist, which is now soaking into the earth. The pain becomes excruciating. The last thing you see, as everything fades to black, is Silas standing over you, laughing...
  
  > ask Man about the painting
  Please give one of the answers above.
  
  Please give one of the answers above.