Project3draft

The old sorcerer hands you a scroll. "A letter from the king, sanctioning any action you take in accomplishment of this mission. Try to avoid having to wield it." "Yes, master." You fold the paper and stick it into the inside pockt of your coat. <br> Master Keomeneon turns to the window, frowning. "Discretion and expediency is key to this. The truth of the matter is best left in the bowels of that accursed Cathedral." "But if the king's children are gone, as is likely..." "Likely? I think not. I spoke truly to the king, they will keep the prince and princess alive for as they can extract 'value' from them." "I don't belive they are dead, master, what I meant is-" He whirls back around to face you. "They are not dead. That is the end of this discussion, disicple." He says harshly. <br> You purse your lips. //The Conclave can always trust you to keep a secret, master.// After a moment you bow your head. "Of course master. I won't fail us." (set: $name to (history:)'s last) The previous passage was $name. [[Back->$name]]

The king is distraught. The queen has not even made an appearance. "Both my children." He says, wiping his forehead with a kercheif. "Both my children gone into that infernal Cathedral." You say nothing. [[Master Keomeneon]] nods his head. "Your angst is understandable, sire." "My sweet dear girl, abducted! Oh, I should've kept a better guard on her. How could this happen?" Master Keomeneon looks to the floor. "I should have refused my son when he offered to resuce her. Oh, what was I thinking, throwing my first and now //last// child into the dark like that?" "Do not castigate yourself sire. It was out of a father's desperation. Such love would make anyone do the same, consequences be damned." The king looks up at the two of you. "You're certain that it's.. //daemons?//" "Almost certainly, your highness." "My two children, abducted by daemons!" The king wails. You breathe a quiet sigh at the mention of abduction. You hate to lie, to the king especially, but Master Keomeneon was explicit. //"It's not lying, it's omission."// He told you. "There is hope, your grace." He tells the king. "There is power in royal blood. These daemons and their cultists will keep them alive for that." (set: $name to (history:)'s last) The previous passage was $name. [[Back->$name]]

The Cathderal's antechamber is dark and devoid of any signs of life, human or otherwise. But you can hear the faintest of of noises, coming from deeper within, voices humming or chanting. The musty air is thick with the odor of brimstone. <br> You approach the altar dais at the other end of the long room. Marble statues of the Holy Mother and Father stand on it. Their heads have been smashed off, and live around your feet in pieces. (if: $Lynd is true) [Meanwhile Lynd inspects the alter table itself, running his hands along its sides. "What are you doing?" You ask. "Just looking." You narrow your eyes. "Looking for what?" He reaches under the tablecloth. "There's always gold or jewels stashed away somewhere in a lavish place like this. The priests are never as clever as they think they are hiding it. The drunkards running the church where I come from hid gold under the pews. The crown never knew how throughly they wre getting fleeced by the church." "We're not here to loot!" "You called me the advneturer type did you not? And you knew I stole my lovely crossbow here. Seems to me you shoulda've known this when you recruited me." "You could have the decency to wait until we've rescued the prince and the princess." "So their royal highnesses can see me requistion their church's ill-gotten gains? Hardly." "Must you //really//-" <br> There's a sudden, loud clicking sound. Lynd yelps and jumps back from the table. Then the [[floor]] under your feet starts to rumble.] (if: $Lynd is false) [To either side of the altar are two passages, both too dark to tell what lies beyond. The Cathedral is large, and going down the wrong path will waste precious time. Do you go [[Left]] or [[Right]]?]

You decide to go down the left hall. As you turn, you stub your foot on the altar table. The table moves. <br> There's a sudden, loud clicking sound. You jump back. Then the [[floor|Passage alone]] under your feet starts to rumble.

"Atroram." You say as you begin walking through the dark hall. Taking in the scene of the ruined, plundered hall you imagine this cathedral must have been a fine place once, before. //It's too quiet here.// You think. After rounding a corner you see why. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/aqNzusQ.jpg width=1000px height=500px> You can't tell where the light is coming from, or how the tree is able to grow here. Yet when you approach it, you feel a strong calming presence, like a blanket being draped over your shoulders. <br> You feel the urge to sit, lie down under the tree. You think you should rest, you do feel tired. (if: $Woman is true) ["No harm in it." Comes a voice. A young man steps out from behind the tree. He reminds you of someone. "Is your name Rogyr?" You ask. "Aye. Are you to clean out this cathedral?" You nod. "Good." His hand rests on a sword at his side. "So am I. We'd be stronger if we went together." "This is a dead end. We need move on." "Of course. But surely you can spare some time to rest. There's no harm in it. Better to face what evils lurks deeper in this place."] [[Next|Right 2]]

You hear something grinding behind you. You turn around and see the statues moving. The platform beneath them is spreading apart, and reveals a staircase leading downwards. A low-burning torch sits on the wall of the tunnel. <br> "Oh. A secret passage." Lynd says, disappointed. You take a step forward to peer down. The brimstones smell emanates strong from the passage. <br> "You're thinknig of going down there, aren't you." Lynd says, pacing behind you. You kneel down to inspect the steps. You hold out your hand. "Atroram." A ball of soft white light grows in your palm, illuminating the stairs and confirming what you suspect. "Footprints in the dust. Fresh." You say. "They're down here." <br> Lynd sighs. "Of course they are. In that case..." He unslings his crossbow from his back and loads a bolt into it. "Keep that light on for me. I don't do dark tunnels." [[Go down the passage]]

The stairs wind and descend a great distance. After what you estimate to be thirty minutes there is still no end in sight. The air is becoming stale, and the odor more pungent. <br> "By the gods, can you imagine how this will be on the way up?" Lynd asks. "What kind of madman thinks this many stairs is necessary? What is a chruch doing with a secret passage anyway?" "This Cathedral was built by King Aerdric I, the Pious." "Is he important?" <br> "He was infamous for his harsh judgment. He thought all crime was sin, and affront to the gods. A boy stealing food from a market was no different to him than a murderer. And death was the only suitable punishment, but not before torture. Crime pained the gods, and so the criminal must know that pain, he said once." "A charming fellow, sounds like." <br> "During his reign, this country was governed by the church in all but name. The priests and cardinals were all as zealous as the king, the crow nand the faith operated as one unlike any time since. Only hte gods now know which was truly in charge. But waht is known is that the churches became prisons as well, so that the righteous could punish the sinners, as the self-proclaimed righteous said. That's what this place is, a prison made for torture. I thought they had all been destroyed though, after Aerdric was deposed. //Is this one just an outlier, or was that another lie of omission by the Conclave?// <br> "But //why// is it so deep?" "So worshippers wouldn't hear the screams of the damned." [[Next|Passage 2]]

Lynd spits on the floor. "Back in Cercedeon people always say you mainlanders are all mad. Warmongering, fanatical, and barbaric. A small wonder why, with things like this." He gestures around. "You're island's had its share of that I recall, and recently." "True, but nothing so macabre as-" <br> A shrill, guttural scream suddenly pierces through the passage, rustling dust from the walls and rattling the torch sconces. You halt, while LYnd kneels over, dropping his crossbow and covering his ears. <br> "What in bloody blazes is that?" He shouts. "I've a feeling we're about to find out." <br> You're unsure what to expect, and that makes you unsure how to defend yourself. Select: [[Dagger]] [[Fire Magic]] [[Frost Magic]]

Acting from old instinct, you reach for the dagger you keep holstered about your thigh. "Is that really the best you've got? A dagger?" Lynd says. "I thought you were-" "Delanach." Lightning sparks to life across the dagger's blade, arcing around the steel. "Oh. Nevermind." <br> "Prepare to shoot." You say to Lynd. The scream grows louder, closer. You hear pounding footsteps and the rake of claws over stone. You lurch forward to strike as soon as the source rounds the corner. The lightning iluminates the passage, you'll have a clear view of whatever it is. <br> A shadow appears on the wall, and then the beast appears. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/UZU5obi.png width=300px height=300px> [[Next|Dagger 2]]

"Prepare to shoot." You say to Lynd. The scream grows louder, closer. You hear pounding footsteps and the rake of claws over stone. This passage is too small and narrow for a fight, you have litte hope of standing against a demon down here. You only best chance to is strike first and strike decisively. You clap your hands together. The ball of light feels warm between your palm, like a slice of freshly baked bread. "Tuana." You shout, and the ball turns hot. A shadow appears on the wall. You rush forward to meet the daemon head on. You round the coner, and unleash the fireball in your hands. <br> You get a good look at the beast in the second before the whole tunnel ignites. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/UZU5obi.png width=300px height=300px> <br> [[Next|Bad Ending]]

"Prepare to shoot." You say to Lynd. The scream grows louder, closer. You hear pounding footsteps and the rake of claws over stone. This passage is too small and narrow for a fight, you have litte hope of standing against a demon down here. You only best chance to is strike first and strike decisively. You clap your hands together. The ball of light disappears between your palms. <br> "How'm I supposed to shoot when I can't bloody see?" Lynd says. You can hear him fumbling with his crossbow. "Easily. Just a minute please." You say casually. <br> A shadow appears on the wall, and then the beast appears. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/UZU5obi.png> You rush forward to meet it head on. Rounding the corner, you part your hands. [[Next|Frost 2]]

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/UZU5obi.png width=300px height=300px> "Good Mother Above!" Lynd screams. You shout and charge the daemon. The lightning curves like a whip as it slices into the creature's flesh. It reeals back, hissing and clawing at itself as its body sizzles and smokes. You don't relent, and strike it again, and again, and again until its on its knees. Then you plunge the blade into its head, just between its eyes. <br> The daemon falls over in a smoking heap. You don't remove your dagger until its body starts to melt. <br> Lynd whistles, and walks up the the corpse. "Well, I hadn't expected such moves from a mage. I thought you all preferred wands or staffs." You wipe sweat from your brow. "Not so friend. Anything can be used to harness magic so long as you know how to work it. Anything can be an instrument, even musical instruments." "And where'd a fancy man like you learn to use a dagger? That's a weapon for rought gutters." "Precisely." <br> Lynd looks away and nods. "I see." [[Next|After the Daemon]]

You stare the orb before you on the table, as thoguh trying to will the light to return to it. But you know that's no hope of that happening. The orb is noghting more now than a swirling cloud of mist in glass. You let out a long, deep sigh and take the orb in your hands. It shrinks into nothing as you squeeze it. "Damn it all." You mutter. <br> "Pardon, did you say something Master Keomeneon?" The robed woman sitting at the desk at the other end of the room says. "Disciple Ceorvyd is dead, Master Anisa." You say grimly. She sets down her quill. "Is he the student of yours who specialized in fire magic?" "The same. I glimpsed his last moment, as he ventured into the Cathedral. This confirms my suspicion." "That the infestation is-" "Yes. It's worse than we thought." //A shame and waste to throw him away just to learn this. Perhaps I should have warned him, then he might've survived long enough to see what has become of the prince and princess, my other suspicon. Not that that makes a difference now. May the Holy Mother and Father protect us.// <br> "What should we do now?" Master Anisa asks. "Convene a meeting of the master council at once. A strategy of containment needs to be laid out. And have Magister Torvier prepare fertility potions for the king and queen. The realm has need of a new heir." [[Game Over.|Start]]

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/UZU5obi.png" width=300px height=300px> The air turns cold in seconds. The charging daemon slows to a halt. It reaches for you with long, clawed hands, before the sheet of ice paralyzes it completely. Its scream fades away in a whimper. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/LrjCPxA.png width=1000px height=500px> "Atroram." You say, and the light reppears in your hand, illuminating the wall of ice that now blocks off the passage. <br> "Good Mother Above!" Lynd exclaims, taking a cautious step forward. You hold the light up to ice around the daemon's head. It starts to melt, forming a small opening. "Shoot it through there." You tell Lynd. You pinch the bolt in his crossbow, it sparks with purple light. <br> "Hm, not much fun in shooting a still target. Where's the thrill of the hunt?" He says, taking aim. You chuckle. "Your legs are shaking. Not exactly huntsman-like." "It startled me, that's all." He says, then looses the bolt. It flies through the opening and sinks into the deamon's flesh. It's eyes darken. The walls shatters, and the daemon with it. [[Next|After the Daemon]]

The staircase goes on for a great longer while, until you eventually reach the end. You stand in a dark narrow hallway. <br> (if: $Lynd is true) ["Finally." Lynd says. "My legs ache. Can you open portals? I hope so. I do //not// want to walk up that." "Of course I can. What do you take me for?" "Just making sure. Now then, which way do we go?" You look around. The hall has a myriad of different paths. "Down here, the criminals of Gadgya spent their lasts days in unspeakable torment. There's no telling how large this place actually is." "Then how-"] (if: $Lynd is false) [You look around. The hall has a myriad of different paths. Here the criminals of Gadgya spent their last days in torment. You curse under your breath. //Who knows how massive this place could be? I could wander for hours and never find them. How-//] <br> A forceful gale of hotwind rips through the hall. "Trespassers." A deep woman's voice rumbles all around you. "Approach." Ahead, a bright red light appears in the path. <br> (if: $Lynd is true) [Lynd clutches his crossbow. "Seems we've been invited in." "Let's not keep our host waiting then."] [[Walk through the light]]

You pinch yourself. The sensation fades. You feel lightheaded, and your vision blurs. When it clears, the tree is still there, but it is now transparent. The light has vanished. (if: $Woman is true) [A skeleton sits under the tree, wearing torn leather and chain armor. A broken sword lies next to it. Rogyr.] //An illusion. A trap.// [[You decide to turn back.|Enter the Cathedral]]

You hear something grinding behind you. You turn around and see the statues moving. The platform beneath them is spreading apart, and reveals a staircase leading downwards. A low-burning torch sits on the wall of the tunnel. <br> You take a step forward to peer down. The brimstones smell emanates strong from the passage. You kneel down to inspect the steps. You hold out your hand. "Atroram." A ball of soft white light grows in your palm, illuminating the stairs and confirming what you suspect. //Footprints in the dust. Fresh.// You think. //They're down here.// [[Descend]]

The stairs wind and descend a great distance. After what you estimate to be thirty minutes there is still no end in sight. The air is becoming stale, and the odor more pungent. <br> You remember that this cathedral was built in the reign of King Aerdric I, "the Pious." He was infamous for his harsh judgment. He thought all crime was sin, and affront to the gods. A boy stealing food from a market was no different to him than a murderer. And death was the only suitable punishment, but not before torture. Crime pained the gods, and so the criminal must know that pain, he said once. During his reign, this country was governed by the church in all but name. The priests and cardinals were all as zealous as the king, the crow nand the faith operated as one unlike any time since. Only hte gods now know which was truly in charge. But waht is known is that the churches became prisons as well, so that the righteous could punish the sinners, as the self-proclaimed righteous said. //That's what this place is, a prison made for torture. I thought they had all been destroyed though, after Aerdric was deposed. Is this one just an outlier, or was that another lie of omission by the Conclave?// [[Next|Passage alone 2]]

A shrill, guttural scream suddenly pierces through the passage, rustling dust from the walls and rattling the torch sconces. <br> You sto pdead in your tracks. Something is coming your way. You're unsure what to expect, and that makes you unsure how to defend yourself. Select: [[Dagger|Dalone]] [[Fire Magic|Falone]] [[Frost Magic|Fralone]]

Acting from old instinct, you reach for the dagger you keep holstered about your thigh. "Delanach." Lightning sparks to life across the dagger's blade, arcing around the steel. <br> The scream grows louder, closer. You hear pounding footsteps and the rake of claws over stone. You lurch forward to strike as soon as the source rounds the corner. The lightning iluminates the passage, you'll have a clear view of whatever it is. <br> A shadow appears on the wall, and then the beast appears. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/UZU5obi.png width=300px height=300px> [[Next|Dalone 2]]

The scream grows louder, closer. You hear pounding footsteps and the rake of claws over stone. This passage is too small and narrow for a fight, you have litte hope of standing against a demon down here. You only best chance to is strike first and strike decisively. You clap your hands together. The ball of light feels warm between your palm, like a slice of freshly baked bread. "Tuana." You shout, and the ball turns hot. A shadow appears on the wall. You rush forward to meet the daemon head on. You round the coner, and unleash the fireball in your hands. <br> You get a good look at the beast in the second before the whole tunnel ignites. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/UZU5obi.png width=300px height=300px> <br> [[Next|Bad Ending]]

The scream grows louder, closer. You hear pounding footsteps and the rake of claws over stone. This passage is too small and narrow for a fight, you have litte hope of standing against a demon down here. You only best chance to is strike first and strike decisively. You clap your hands together. The ball of light disappears between your palms. <br> //Here goes nothing.// <br> A shadow appears on the wall, and then the beast appears. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/UZU5obi.png> You rush forward to meet it head on. Rounding the corner, you part your hands. [[Next|Fralone 2]]

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/UZU5obi.png width=300px height=300px> You shout and charge the daemon. The lightning curves like a whip as it slices into the creature's flesh. It reeals back, hissing and clawing at itself as its body sizzles and smokes. You don't relent, and strike it again, and again, and again until its on its knees. Then you plunge the blade into its head, just between its eyes. <br> The daemon falls over in a smoking heap. You don't remove your dagger until its body starts to melt. [[Next|After the Daemon]]

<div style="display:none;"><img src=";P" onerror="YouTubeTunes.play('ZWB8P4jbsAA');"></div> The figure standing before you is inhuman. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/Hgh6qvK.png width=200px height=200px> "More interlopers." It says. "You look of a higher caliber than the peasantry who didn't know any better. <br> Her voice, like nails on stone, rings in your ears. You step forward. <br> "Mage. You have the smell of magic about you. Foul." She says. (if: $Lynd is true) ["W-What is that?" Lynd stammers. "Not what. Who." You say.] You walk closer, your heart beats faster. //Please don't be true.// "Nolkiada." You say loudly, extending both hands. A wave of white light surges forth. It washes over the inhuman creature. <br> She does not react, but her form changes as the light clings to her. In a matter of seconds the <img src=https://i.imgur.com/JVgSDYX.png width=300px height=300px> (if: $Lynd is true) [Lynd grabs your shoulder. "That's the-"] [["Princess."]]

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/JVgSDYX.png width=300px height=300px> She smirks. "I was. That life was limiting, and I have chosen another." She grabs hold of the light, twisting it around her fingers, and tears it from her skin. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/Hgh6qvK.png width=200px height=200px> (if: $Lynd is false) ["Then our suspicions were true. You're the cult leader." //Master Keomeneon was right. So why didn't he come here himself?// "We should have guess when you disappeared the same time the cultists were cleared from the capital. Or should I say when you fled."] (if: $Lynd is true) ["You said we were supposed to rescue her!" Lynd yells. "You seem to have forgotten mentioning //this!//" "I hadn't known for certain, and this is to be a secret either way." You respond. "Five months ago, the Conclave, the order of mages I belong to, discovered that a deamonic cult was operating inside the capital city, and in the royal palace itself. We suspected it was not an outsdie inflitration, that someone in the palace was involved. When we cleared the cultists from the city and they fled her, the princess disappeared as well. Or should I say fled."] <br> "Escaped." The princess hisses. "I freed myself. The palace was too stifling anyway, I could not shed my lesser form while there." [[Next|Dungeon 2]]

"If you say so. I'm not here to argue with you, I'm here to bring this to an end." <br> She laughs. "You are here to die. You are a sacrifice. Fight if you desire, it will not change your outcome." <br> You unsheath your dagger, and ready a fireball in your other hand. (if: $Lynd is true) ["I'm sorry to have hid this from you. You should get out of here while you can." The princess sneers. "I think not." She raises a hand in front of her, and Lynd is thrust off the ground, into the air. You watch as within seconds he's impaled on a spike on the ceiling.] <br> "You have come too late mage. I go now to the realm of Hell, free from the schackles of this mortal world. You stand alone, you're masters have made a lamb of you. By their hand you too are chained, as I was. You are blind, and foolishly seek to destroy what you cannot comprehend. I have no desire to be your enemy, there is no purpose to that. I seek to bring my liberation to all on this plane. All you need to do is join me, and free yourself. Do not beleive the lies you've been told, as I did." <br> She floats towards you, and extends a hand. "As on my word, I leave the choice to you." [[Accept her offer.]] [[Refuse]]

She smiles, or at least you think that is waht she means to do. "Good." She says. "You have chosen wisely, and will not regret your decision." <br> She leads you across the room. There the corpse of a massive deamon lays rotting. "My dear brother." The princess says. "His heart was false, as was his tongue. What power I have to give ascension is embedded within him now." <br> She puts a bony hand on your shoulder and pushes you forward. "[[Take it for yourself.]]"