The Gorreven Papers — 15 of 23

Section 14 - The Octagon

The Octagonal Chamber is south of the Janitor's Closet. "An enormous octagonal chamber, floodlit with half a dozen halogen lights, in contrast to the dingy janitor's closet. The walls are smooth; the only exit is north through the janitor's closet. The primary feature is the huge pedestal in the center of the room, surrounded by a moat filled with a pungent, steaming liquid of some kind."

The pedestal is a supporter in the Octagonal Chamber. The moat is in the Chamber. It is fixed in place.

Instead of examining the moat:

say "It's about six feet wide, and completely surrounds the pedestal. An engraved warning on the outside edge of the floor around the moat indicates that the steaming liquid within it is sulfiric acid."

The steaming liquid is scenery in the Chamber.

Understand "acid" as the steaming liquid.

Instead of examining the liquid:

say "It fills the moat, and must be heated somehow, since steam rises off of it. The pungent smell of sulfur drives up into your nostrils."

Instead of inserting an object (called the victim) into the moat:

say "In a few moments the acid has dissolved [the victim].";

now the victim is nowhere.

Before examining the pedestal for the first time:

say "Evidently the person who designed this setup never read Poe's [italic type]The Purloined Letter[roman type]. [run paragraph on]"

Some secret papers are nowhere. The printed name of the secret papers is "Gorreven Papers". The indefinite article of the secret papers is "the". The secret papers can be intact or destroyed. They are intact.

Instead of examining the pedestal:

say "The pedestal is sitting in the center of the moat, covered in wide yellow and black stripes, with the words 'GORREVEN PAPERS[unicode em dash]DO NOT TOUCH' emblazoned on it in red. [run paragraph on]";

if the secret papers are nowhere and the secret papers are intact:

now the secret papers are on the pedestal;

if the secret papers are on the pedestal:

say "On the top, nearly at eye level, you can see the folder that apparently contains the Gorreven Papers.";

otherwise:

say "Nothing is on the pedestal."

Instead of taking the secret papers when the papers are on the pedestal:

say "You stretch and reach but your fingers can't even reach the edge of the pedestal, since you have to stand on the safe side of the moat. You can't get them that way."

Instead of examining the papers when the papers are not carried by the player:

say "You can't examine the papers without having them in hand."

Table of Snitch Responses

The papers have a number called snitches. The snitches of the papers is zero.

Instead of examining the papers:

increment the snitches of the papers;

if there is no count of the snitches of the papers in the Table of Snitch Responses:

say "The papers are still in the folder and all's well.";

otherwise:

say the response corresponding to the count of the snitches of the papers in the Table of Snitch Responses;

say "[paragraph break]"

Instead of entering the moat:

if the secret papers are not destroyed:

say "No, no, not while there is still hope!";

otherwise:

say "With the Gorreven Papers irretrievably gone, that seems like[unicode ellipsis]a pretty good idea. You plunge headfirst into the steaming sulfuric acid, and the temporary pain of your dissolving body distracts you from the unbearable anguish of having lost the Gorreven Papers.";

end the story finally.

Retrieving it with is an action applying to two visible things.

Understand "take [something] with [something]" as retrieving it with.

Understand "take [something] using [something]" as retrieving it with.

Understand "get [something] with [something]" as retrieving it with.

Understand "get [something] using [something]" as retrieving it with.

Carry out retrieving it with:

try taking the noun;

if the player carries the noun:

say "You were able to take [the noun] without the help of [the second noun].";

otherwise:

say "Using [the second noun] made no difference."

Instead of retrieving the papers with:

if the second noun is not the mop:

say "Holding [the second noun] at arm's length, you strain and stretch but still cannot touch the folder. You need something longer.";

otherwise if the dustpan is part of the mop:

say "The dustpan-mop combination, like a long-handled shovel, works like a charm. In moments you hold in your hands the coveted Gorreven Papers.";

now the player carries the secret papers;

otherwise:

say "Now that you are attempting to retrieve the papers with [the second noun] alone, you feel less sure about the wisdom of the idea than you did in the beginning. You can reach them, touch them with the end of [the second noun], but you can't support them securely. You try the mop end, the handle end again[unicode ellipsis]maybe[unicode ellipsis]almost got them[unicode ellipsis][paragraph break]";

now the secret papers are destroyed;

now the secret papers are nowhere;

say "Oh no. NO. [italic type]NO![roman type][paragraph break]";

say "The[unicode ellipsis]the Gorreven Papers[unicode ellipsis]fell into the moat[unicode ellipsis]they dissolved before you could react. They're [italic type]gone[roman type]. You have more than half a reason to dive into the moat after them yourself. Not good. [italic type]Not good[roman type]."