Castle Marrach - The Forever Winter

Tutorial

8) Manipulation: Advanced Studies

There's a lot more that you can do with objects once you've gotten ahold of them. This includes not just using a variety of objects, but also getting rid of objects once you're done with them.

Contents:

Manipulating Other Objects

The character now has a wand that he's been told to use near the onyx stones, and he's now back in the room with those gems. The question is, how does he use the wand?

Every object will have different verbs associated with its activation. You should try and use the verb that makes sense--and usually that will work. In the case of a wand, "wave" seems the best verb to use.

But first, it makes sense to try some other things...

      > look at onyx
      The onyx are strangely cold. They are emitting absolutely no
      light and in fact seem to sit in little pools of darkness.
      There are only three onyx in the entire room.

      > take onyx
      You move from the golden door to the middle of the cavern.
 
      The gems are all embedded in the floor and cannot be taken.

So now the adventurer will try to wave his wand.

      > wave wand
      For a moment a rainbow of colors appears in the air, but it
      quickly fades away.

      > look at wand
      A strange, black wand that looks like it has been cut from 
      stone. The wand has writing on it.

      > look at writing
      Written on the wand is: "Marrach-brand onyx attraction wand. Wave
      to activate. Manufacturer does not guarantee proper operation
      if wand is within ten feet of metal objects. Operate at your
      own risk."

      >

Removing Objects

Taking off clothes and weapons requires the "remove" verb. Once again, we can use a conjunction to manipulate two things at once.

      > inventory
      You are carrying an onyx wand. You are wielding a black sword.
      You are wearing a tunic, a pair of sandals, a white gold 
      earring and a black felt hat.

      > remove sword and earring
      You remove a black sword and a white gold earring.

      >

Throwing and Placing Objects

"Drop" is the easy way to get rid of objects. You type "drop [object]" and the object ends up on the ground near you. However sometimes you will want to place an object in prox to some other object--like on a table or under a chair. You do this with the "put" command (or "place") if you want to walk across the room to put your object down. Alternatively, you can use the "throw" command to toss an object across the room.

      > throw sword and earring at golden door
      You throw the black sword and the white gold earring at the 
      golden door.

      > look at golden door
      The golden door is surrounded by rubies which glow bright
      red. The door is plain, without ornamentation of any type.
      A black sword and a white gold earring are lying near the
      golden door.

      The golden door is open.

      > wave wand
      A rainbow of colors appears in the air for a moment before
      turning entirely black. Three onyx stones float up into the
      air.

      >

Using Ordinals and Cardinals

Sometimes you will have multiple objects in a room that all have the same same name--both noun and adjective. In this case you can use ordinals (first, second, third) and cardinals (one, two, three) in order to distinguish which objects you're referring to.

      > look at onyx
      Which do you mean, the onyx, the onyx or the onyx?

      > look at first onyx
      The onyx is strangely cold. It is emitting absolutely no
      light and in fact seems to float in a little pool of darkness.
      Float isn't just a metaphor: the onyx is four feet off the
      ground.

      > look at second onyx
      The onyx is strangely cold. It is emitting absolutely no
      light and in fact seems to float in a little pool of darkness.
      Float isn't just a metaphor: the onyx is four feet off the
      ground.

      > take three onyx
      You touch the onyx. Suddenly there is a puff of smoke. Cameo
      emerges from the puff of smoke.

      > look at cameo
      The onyx prince. A cruel looking man with dark hair and dark
      eyes. He is wielding an obsidian sword. He is wearing dark
      pants, a leather vest, leather gloves, leather boots, and a
      black cape.

      >
      Cameo arrogantly states, "You shall not be allowed to do my
      sister's bidding."

      >

Using Possessives

Sometimes you might want to investigate something held by someone else. The best way to do this is with a possessive. You can always use "my" for your own items. To look at something held by someone else, use their name plus an apostrophe "s".

      > look at cameo's sword
      An obsidian sword with ragged edges. Runes carved into the blade
      seem to bleed black light.

      > gulp
      You gulp.

      >
      Cameo smirks.
      Cameo proclaims haughtily, "It shall be a duel!

      > smile slyly
      You smile slyly.

      > saunter to golden door
      You saunter to the golden door.

      > take black sword
      You take a black sword.

      > wield my sword
      You wield a black sword.

      >
      Cameo frowns.

      > approach cameo
      You move from the golden door to the middle of the cavern.

      >

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