"He found the knowledge at the heart of the universe; Returned, and cut his story into stone..." -- The Epic Of Gilgamesh Whom The Telling Changed By Aaron A. Reed Would you like instructions?>yes please I am your eyes and hands within the story. Direct me with commands such as EXAMINE THE BAG, GO OUTSIDE, LISTEN, or FIGHT HIM. Single word shorthand like FIGHT or BAG will often suffice. Some single words will be highlighted to bring them to your attention: type them to shape the story. The header bar suggests things you may try, but there are always more options available than it shows. Time only advances when you give a command or type LISTEN, which it is sometimes wise to do. Other useful commands include REPEAT, to remember what was recently said; STORY to see the choices you have made; INVENTORY to see what you are holding; WAIT to let the time pass; UNDO to take back your last turn; and GREET, MOCK, PRAISE, TALK TO or ASK ABOUT to interact with characters. More information about this story is available by typing ABOUT. Press any key to begin. The people have always gathered on moonless nights to hear the telling, since the time of your ancestors' ancestors. The heat of the fire and the glow in the storyteller's eyes make the past present, and the path to the future clear. Tonight the stars are bright, but the minds of your people are troubled. May the words of the telling guide your way. ----------- The walls of your tent glow yellow in the lamplight, your simple possessions casting flickering shadows on the wall. A straw bed; some skins of water, oil, and wine; a small, guttering lamp--it is simple, but it is enough. The symbol of your occupation hangs from the central support of the tent. >grab symbol [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] >look at symbol Which do you mean, the medicine bag or the copper dagger? >copper dagger This copper dagger is as long as your forearm, with a round pommel and hardened leather grip. >take dagger You carefully take your weapon down from the wall and study it thoughtfully for a moment. >look at medicine bag Your lover's medicine bag is like a tiny garden, filled with dried herbs wrapped in leaves and small clay vials. Many lives have been saved with the power in these small things, and, of course, with skill. >look at lover [I'm not sure what you are referring to.] >mock lover That one is not nearby. >examine medicine bag Your lover's medicine bag is like a tiny garden, filled with dried herbs wrapped in leaves and small clay vials. Many lives have been saved with the power in these small things, and, of course, with skill. >examine dagger Your dagger fits snugly in your hand, the copper blade as long as your forearm. You have knives and spears for other work, but this dagger is different. It is your prized possession; a talisman against times of woe, and though it has been long since you wielded it in war, your muscles still remember the way to use it. >go outside You step outside into the warm night air. It has been night for many hours, but the air is still warm, and the stars are a million brilliant fires above you. Nearby are the vague outlines of your neighbors' tents, but on this moonless night only the distant glow of the fire pit seems truly alive. In the darkness a few feet away, Sihan and Saiph talk quietly in strained tones. As you approach, your enemy grows silent. Your love turns to you with a look of relief and reaches out a hand. >go to Sihan You can't see Sihan nearby. >go to Saiph You can't see Saiph nearby. >greet Sihan You clasp Sihan's soft hand and turn to Saiph with a frown. "What business have you here?" you ask him coldly. Saiph stares down at you with distaste. "I came to see if Sihan has sense left in her head after a season with you," he says levelly. "But I see that, like you, she would lead our people down the path of needless killing. I have no more to say." He turns and strides fiercely into the darkness. >mock Saiph He is not nearby. >go to saiph He is not nearby. >examine sihan Sihan has been your beloved for a full season now, and the magic of discovery in each other has not yet faded. You are still entranced by the soft touch of her hands; the familiar sounds of her voice in your ear. It has been a year, now, since you have been together, though it seems like only a day. Sihan sighs. "He still hopes for peace with the newcomers," your lover says, "and was upset to find I do not share his views. We shall see if your enemy has better luck at the telling." She looks up to the stars, and adds, "It is a good night for it." >telling? "It is almost time," your love says seriously. "I wonder, what story will we hear tonight? The people are buzzing about the newcomers; perhaps the teller's story will be about them." >newcomers? "Have you heard the news?" she asks. "Young Ada found traces of a camp less than an hour's walk from here, and more than half a day from their fires in the valley. Saiph maintains they were merely investigating our camp. Many, perhaps, would call it spying instead," she says darkly. >saiph? "Saiph talks endlessly, but words cannot sharpen axes or protect children," your love says. "He is convinced still that these newcomers mean us no harm. What will it take for him to wake up to the truth?" >fires? "The moon has waxed and grown small again since they arrived," Sihan murmurs, holding you tightly. "Why don't they come to us? Why do they hide when we send our emissaries? They must know the unrest they're causing in us." >starsnight? Sihan points up at the night sky. "See how bright the stars are," she says, "as if the gods themselves gather round our fire to hear the teller's story." >[Nothing entered.] >wait A bat circles above the fire for a moment, then swoops away. Sihan glances towards the fire pit, ducks inside the tent and emerges a moment later with her medicine bag, slinging it into its familiar place around her neck. "Let us join the gathering and hear the story," your love says lightly, and turns to the fire at the center of the village. >nabu The time is not right to speak about that. >go to the fire You walk to the firepit with Sihan, and friends and neighbors greet you with a nod or quiet word. Always the fire pit is the center of the village, and always the people gather there. Faint smells of tonight's great feast still linger, but the fire now smolders low, only a shadow of its roaring fierceness at sunset. Nabu and Isi stand near the fire, along with a growing crowd. Sihan stands near your side. >greet nabu Your uncle Nabu regards you seriously. "Are you ready to fight for your people, should you be called upon?" he asks. "Perhaps it will not come to fighting," you say. "Who can tell?" he says, "But those who bear arms must be prepared, nonetheless." >fighting? [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] >greet isi "My brightest light," says Isi as she always does, a smile lighting her face as she pulls you down to kiss your cheek. >hug isi You put out a hand and squeeze Isi's shoulder with affection. She puts her hand on yours and pats it gently. Sihan places a hand on your shoulder. "Go on, my love," she says softly. "Give the circlet of office to the storyteller. It is time." >greet storyte;;er You'll have to specify whom you wish to greet. >greet storyteller That title is meaningless until the circlet is placed on the storyteller's head. >place circlet The time is not right to speak about that. >give circlet Whom do you want to give the feather circlet to? >my lover No; Sihan is not the storyteller. >give circlet Whom do you want to give the feather circlet to? >isi You approach your aunt Isi and hand the circlet to the white-haired old woman. She takes it delicately, eyeing the craftsmanship, and then turns to Sihan with a nod and a warm smile. Carefully, she lifts it up to her old head--and now before you is no longer your father's sister, but the storyteller... a role she has taken every new moon for many years. >listen to isi You focus on the story intently, letting the words form pictures and thoughts in your mind. Saiph approaches the far side of the fire and greets some friends warmly. >kill saiph Such an act echoes through one's life. You should not act rashly. Sihan kisses your cheek. "May the story bring you what you seek," she whispers, then slips into the crowd. Your beloved has always liked to hear the stories by herself. >chase saiph [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] >go to saiph "Saiph," you call across the fire. "Can we not hear the story as friends?" Saiph snorts. "That is unlikely," he says, "unless you have had a change of heart and seen that we need no bloodshed." Saiph turns away with contempt and laughs with his friends, but you catch a guarded glance thrown your way a moment later. The murmurings of the people die away as the storyteller rises to her feet and raises two bony hands. >mock saiph "My people, need I respond to this nonsense?" you say angrily. "I am sure you see as well as I that Saiph's words are no more than childish babble." Your enemy meets your gaze with narrowed eyes. "I would not expect you to understand," he sneers, and the crowd looks uncertainly between the two of you. >hit saiph You step forward in a rage and raise your hands, but before you have gone more than a few steps, Sihan is at your side, holding you back. "No," she says softly, "do not lessen yourself this way." "That's right," says Saiph with a sneer, "control your dog before he bites more than he can swallow." "Enough of this," says the teller harshly. "Are you children? Do not interrupt the story again with your pointless bickering, or I shall become angry." She fixes each of you with a fierce stare. >throw knif [I'm not sure what you are referring to.] >throw knife [I'm not sure what you are referring to.] >throw dagger This blade is a prized possession; you cannot leave it just anywhere. The storyteller shouts, "In this time of darkness the people gather for the telling. Will the people hear?" >throw rock [I'm not sure what you are referring to.] >inventory You are carrying your copper dagger. >aim copper dagger [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] >listen A gust of cool wind tugs your clothes. The crowd cries out with one voice, "The people are ready." The teller bows humbly, accepting the people's blessing, then straightens with the hint of a smile. "Tonight," she says, "we shall hear an old, old story, from days long ago when great cities and mighty kings ruled this land. May you find in the story that which you seek." >listen A gust of cool wind tugs your clothes. The storyteller lifts her hands in invocation. "Our story begins," she says quietly, "in the far-off city of Uruk. Uruk of the broad streets, Uruk of the mighty walls. Can you see them, gleaming in the desert heat?" The teller gestures into the night, and in your mind the walls come alive, shimmering in the desert air. "Come," she continues, "cross the ancient threshold, walk the streets and orchards and markets. Walk the streets and climb the great stone steps to the temple. Climb the steps and find the box of burnished copper. Find the box and undo the lock and draw out the great tablet of deep blue stone. Draw out the tablet and read of Uruk's king, Uruk's pride, Uruk's greatest hero. Hear of the trials of Gilgamesh." >tablet "From where came this tablet of bluest stone?" you ask. "Gilgamesh carved it," the teller says, "cut his words deep into the tablet of lapis lazuli, bluest of blues. Wise Gilgamesh carved all his exploits and knowledge into the tablets, and hid them under the cornerstone of Uruk, so men would remember his deeds long after he went to the underworld. But," the teller adds, "that was long after the story we shall hear tonight." Saiph glowers at you from across the flames. >gilgamesh You wonder why the teller has chosen a story of Gilgamesh, whose name is legend. Is it to inspire the people in a time of fear? >restart Are you sure you want to restart? yes