In this short game of intrigue, you play as the venerable A, the highest-ranking member of your religion's Hierarchy. During a formal service at a remote holding, you sense a conspiracy to eliminate you is underfoot, and you note that the speaker is rambling, deliberately delaying the service's natural end. You must act, without breaking protocol, or you'll likely soon be dead.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
> x me. i. x ring.(Has one dose of contact poison, non-lethal.)
> x speaker.(+2; he hasn't looked at you once)
> listen to speaker.(+2; he's definitely stalling)
> x congregation. x altar. x windows.
> x carpet. x pillars.
> x balcony.(+2; see an arrow)
> x chair.(has rack of service materials)
> x rack. x service materials.
> x songbook. x dogmabook. x bead. x reed.
> take bead. take reed.
> put bead in reed. pour poison on bead.
You must have found at least two suspicious things before you're willing to act on them.
> blow reed at speaker.(+5)
You quickly take charge, taking the speaker to the back room and locking the door behind you with your authority.
Anteroom
> x E. search E. take message. read message.(+2)
> x window.(+2)
> x monks.(they shun red)
> ne.
D's Office
Nothing noteworthy here.
> sw. nw.
C's Office
> x weapons. x crossbow. take it.(+2)
> x maps. x armor. x paraphernalia. x objects. x flowers.
> x furniture.(+2. You find secret passage downwards.)
> d.
Secret Quarters
> x robe. x cloak.
> take robe.(+2. You want the red one)
> wear robe. w.
Courtyard
> shoot large monk.(+5)
> search monk. take knife. x it.
> look.(Exits are east and southeast.)
> se.
Front of Building
> x stonework. x doors.
> n.
The voice of the B of district H stops you. His allies are the ruthless B of L and the faux-bumbling B of W. You turn to face them.
CAUTION: You only have two free turns. L will stab you three turns from now if you don't act.
> x H.(A weasel in an A's garb.)
> x L.(Bitter woman. Even as an A, she'd be unhappy.)
> throw knife at L.(+10)
L dies. As H whimpers, you retrieve your knife. You stab H. You tell W to remember and leave. He does.
> x H. x L.
> n.(+14)
Inside
*** You have won ***
Extras
Characters
The speaker droning endlessly in the sanctuary is an E. You must find a way to get him to stop without breaking protocol.
The congregation in the sanctuary is fighting off boredom every way they can.
A jack (that is, a paid assassin) is in the balcony, aiming an crossbow at the altar. In the winning ending, the building's D claims she disabled the woman during the service. However, you can deduce that the D hired her and disabled her after the service when the opportunity to shoot you during the service was lost.
Several monks are tending to the garden in the courtyard. They shun all that is red.
A large monk in the courtyard, who isn't repelled by your red cloak, will kill you if you don't kill him first. Of course, he's not a real monk. He's another jack sent to kill you.
The B of district H is an evil man who deals with hate, but he was good at providing money for your coffers.
The B of district L is a ruthless woman who deals with fear. Her value was blocking other ambitious B's, since they'd have to deal with her first.
The B of district W is a man who plays the bumbling fool. You thought he was content at being a B until now.
This building's C is clearly an ambitious woman who wants wealth and power. In the winning ending, you transfer the C to district H.
This building's D seemed overly enthusiastic when you met her this morning. In the winning ending, you promote the D to C, even though you deduce she was the leader of the plot against you here today.
Mentioned:
The Power is your name for the divine entity that your religion venerates.
Credits
In response to CREDITS:
Dedicated to my wife Sue and son Daniel.
Thanks to my B's on this project, Sharon Berry and Greg Berry (AKA my sister and brother) for keeping their plots against me to a minimum. "Interesting..." ;-)
My appreciation to Graham Nelson for "Inform"ing us Stephen Granade for running this show An interactive fiction writer to be named later
Endings
You have died
if you enter the courtyard when not wearing a red robe (a trained thug hidden amongst the monks kills you),
if you fail to kill the large monk in the courtyard when he's momentarily confused (he kills you),
if the B of L stabs you at the front of the building.
You have won
if you re-enter the building from the front side after defeating everyone that opposed you.
Note:
As near as I can tell, there's no natural end to the speaker's rambling. There's never a time when he actually stops of his own volition and you're forced into a deadly ending that way.
Inventory
a ring. You're wearing it and it contains one dose of non-lethal contact poison. After putting the prayer bead in the bamboo reed, pour the poison on the bead. Now when you blow the reed at the speaker (after confirming your suspicions), he'll be rendered unconscious.
a songbook. It's in the rack of your chair; find the songbook by examining the service materials. You don't need the songbook.
a dogmabook. It's in the rack of your chair; find the dogmabook by examining the service materials. You don't need the dogmabook.
a wooden prayer bead. It's in the rack of your chair; find the bead by examining the service materials. Put the bead in the reed, then pour the ring's poison on the bead to poison it.
a hollow bamboo reed. It's in the rack of your chair; find the reed by examining the service materials. Put the bead in the reed, then pour the ring's poison on the bead to poison it. When you are sure of your suspicions against the speaker, blow the reed at the speaker, rendering him unconscious and ending the formal service.
a message. Find it by searching the unconscious E in the anteroom. Read it.
a crossbow. Find it by examining the weapons in the C's office. Shoot the large monk in the courtyard with it. You will discard the broken crossbow afterwards.
a robe. It's red and in a clothes closet in the secret quarters. Take it and wear it. It will save you from the first attack in the courtyard. You will discard the robe after you kill the "large monk".
a cloak. It's brown and in a clothes closet in the secret quarters. You don't need the cloak.
a knife. Find it by examining the jack's corpse in the courtyard. At the front of the building, throw the knife at the B of L to defeat the trio of B's that confront you there.
Score
You have so far scored your-score out of a possible 50, in several turns.
2 points for examining the speaker, partly confirming your suspicions.
2 points for listening to the speaker, partly confirming your suspicions.
2 points for examining the balcony and spotting a arrow, partly confirming your suspicions.
5 points for knocking out the speaker with a poisoned bead.
2 points for reading the message that the unconscious E carries.
2 points for examining the anteroom's window, noting the monks who shun red.
2 points for taking a crossbow from the C's office.
2 points for finding a secret passage in the C's office.
2 points for acquiring a red robe.
5 points for shooting the large monk in the courtyard with your crossbow.
10 points for killing both the B of L and the B of H, achieved by throwing your knife at L.
14 points for re-entering the building and winning the game.
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