The Oracle

Solution

The Oracle was written in TADS, and is © 2002 by Brandon Allen.

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Beta Version 1.4 of the game.


[Cliff Base]

You begin as a seventeen year old, apparently carrying nothing.

>SOUTH.

[Empty Stairway]

>SOUTH.

[Cavern]

As you enter, a rather important amulet—that you’ve supposedly been carrying all along—appears in your inventory.

>X AMULET. X DOOR. X PADLOCK. X STREAM.

>X SHALE. SEARCH SHALE. X CHAIN. PULL CHAIN. G.

>X BOX. OPEN BOX. X SWORD. TAKE SWORD.

>HIT PADLOCK WITH SWORD. G. OPEN DOOR. SOUTH.

[Stone Altar]

You can also examine the stream and grate. The grate cannot be opened nor covered.

>X ALTAR. X CHIME. EAST.

[Landing]

>UP.

[On The Stairs, Rubble]

Caution: Once you move the boulders, you must leave immediately, or be killed in the rockfall.

>X BOULDERS. TAKE BOULDERS. D. W. E. U. U.

[Small Chamber]

>X TABLE. X BASIN. X SILT. SEARCH SILT. TAKE COIN. X COIN. X MARK. D. D. W.

[Stone Altar]

Three circles means three rings. Ring three times—get it?

>STAND ON ALTAR. HIT CHIME. G. G.

[Flooded Chamber, Surface of Water]

The chamber is three rooms wide (west to east), five rooms long (north to south), and three rooms deep (Surface, Underwater, and Deep Underwater). You want to get two treasures from the Deep Underwater level, and see the six murals on the Underwater level. The murals cannot be examined directly; their descriptions are part of their room descriptions.

When you get too cold, go to the alcove “Beside Pool” to the south to get warm again. The one-way exit from the room is in the middle of the east wall at the Underwater level.

>D. D. SEARCH DEBRIS. TAKE RUBY. U. U. S. S. S. X RUBY.

>N. W. N. N. N. N. D. D. TAKE HELM.

>U. U. S. S. S. S. E. S. X HELM. WEAR HELM.

>N. D. W. N. N. N. U. N. E. D. E. S. U. S. S. D. N. E.

[Great Hall, Northern End]

The wheel and chain are climbable, but that won’t help you. You want to be wearing the helm when entering the river.

>X WHEEL. X CHANNEL. X GATE. X TRACK. X AXLE. X LARGE HOLE. X SMALL HOLE.

>X CHAIN. X RIVER. TAKE CHAIN. NORTH.

[Grotto]

>X WHEEL. TURN IT. NORTH.

[Great Hall, Northern End]

>EAST.

[Small Chamber]

>TAKE CRYSTAL. X IT. W. S.

[Great Hall, Middle]

The trapdoor and underground passage are optional. After you break the screw, you may take it, if you like.

>X TRAPDOOR. X SCREW. UNSCREW SCREW WITH COIN. OPEN TRAPDOOR. D. E. E. E. E.

[Balcony]

Once the statue is awake, you can ask it about several topics. It serves as the game’s in-game help system. You cannot actually get the lance.

>X STATUE. X LANCE. TAKE LANCE.

>ASK STATUE ABOUT ORACLE. ASK STATUE ABOUT AMULET. ASK STATUE ABOUT ALTAR. ASK STATUE ABOUT WHEEL. ASK STATUE ABOUT RIVER. (etc.)

>W. W. W. W. U. S.

[Great Hall, Southern End]

>X STONE. CLIMB STONE.

[Great Hall, On Top of Stone]

>X ROD. TAKE ROD. S.

[Burial Chamber]

>X SARCOPHAGUS. X NOTCH. N. D. N. N.

[Great Hall, Northern End]

>TAKE CHAIN. PUT CHAIN IN LARGE HOLE. PUT ROD IN SMALL HOLE.

>OPEN GATE. PUT SWORD UNDER GATE. S. S. S. D.

[Spiral Staircase, Middle]

>X HOLE. LOOK IN HOLE. D. E. E.

[Silent Chamber]

>X BLUE STONE. TAKE IT. E.

[Hall of the Cherubim]

>X WHEEL. X CENSER. X SPHERE. X CHEST. X CHIME. S.

[The Well]

As might be expected, the mirror cannot be moved by hand.

>X MIRROR. N.

[Hall of the Cherubim]

>STAND ON CHEST. HIT CHIME. G. G.

[Inside Chest]

>X SCEPTRE. TAKE IT. X INCENSE. TAKE IT. X LATCH. X STUD. PUSH STUD.

[Hall of the Cherubim]

>W. W. W. U.

[Spiral Staircase, Middle]

>PUT SCEPTRE IN HOLE. TAKE SCEPTRE. TAKE TINDERBOX. X IT.

>X CUP. X FLINT. X SQUARE. OPEN DRAWER. X FLOSS. CLOSE DRAWER. U. N. N. N.

[Great Hall, Northern End]

>TAKE SWORD. S. S. CLIMB BLOCK. S.

[Burial Chamber]

If you ask the statue about the sarcophagus, you’ll learn that this is Axaktor’s sarcophagus. Axaktor was a great wizard.

>PUT BLUE STONE IN NOTCH. OPEN LID. X CORPSE.

>X TORQ. TAKE TORQ. WEAR IT. N. D. N. N.

[Great Hall, Northern End]

>OPEN GATE. PUT SWORD UNDER GATE. S. S. S. D. D. E. E. E.

[Hall of the Cherubim]

You want the sphere’s arrow to point to the lesser bruin; this constellation is special to the Oracle, as seen on one of the underwater murals. Turning the sphere will move the mirror in the Well room accordingly.

>OPEN CENSER. PUT INCENSE IN CENSER.

>OPEN DRAWER. TAKE FLOSS. PUT FLOSS IN CUP.

>HIT FLINT WITH SQUARE. LIGHT INCENSE. CLOSE CENSER.

>TURN WHEEL. TURN SPHERE. G. G. G. S.

[The Well]

If you go north after dropping the amulet, you’ll see a glow from the chest that (I guess) is probably the amulet. But there’s no way to see the chest without the amulet; somehow, neither the lit incense nor the lit tinderbox provides sufficient light to see by.

>X MIRROR. X WELL.

>REMOVE AMULET. PUT AMULET IN WELL. TAKE STAFF. X IT. SOUTH.