INTRO You see a Regal Monarch, seated with great majesty in his castle. He raises his hand in greeting. "Ah, 'tis the Guildmaster! And what may I help thee with?" NAME "I am Lord Baldwin, ruler of the underland." JOB "To RUN this great underland of ours. But I always try to maintain a gentle hand. Still, I'll always hath time to CHAT with a great hero as yourself." BYE "Take care, Guildmaster! Make sure to visit now and then to ask me if thee art ready to ADVANCE. And, of course, to chat." He rubs his chin. "Hmm, I'm afraid I can't help thee much with that." CHAT "As thee might know, we of the underland art well aware of the land ABOVE, and from time to time hath contact with them." ABOVE "Especially good King Eldor. However, for the most part, we of the underland choose to make our lives here in this old dormant VOLCANO." VOLCANO "Its fires hath cooled many centuries ago, and it is now a stable old mountain." He looks around, pleased. "If ye need HELP ever, just ask." HELP "I imagine by now thou hast read the book on history I sent thee, via magic from TOPSIDE, and are aware of our realm. King Eldor said you would come." TOPSIDE "That's what we call the world above. If, on your travels, thou hast need of FOOD or HEALING, just ask. Likewise, if thou need a SUMMARY of events." SUMMARY "Hast thou heard of the mad knight?" YES You report all that has transpired regarding this matter. Lord Baldwin appears pleased. "I thought it best to ask. Forgive my occasional forgetfulness!" NO The Monarch looks down, grimly. "'Tis a sad tale. Prince John was the captain of my knights. He went with a scouting team to EXPLORE below." EXPLORE "Numerous stirrings around the dungeon hath disturbed us in recent times. We fear some unseen EVIL might be lurking far below." EVIL "Prince John and his team went all the way to ground level, which is outside but on the floor of the volcano. The men returned, Prince John did NOT!" NOT "Somewhere along the line, he became lost. Later, we found him on level five. He was greatly CHANGED in some terrible sense." CHANGED Lord Baldwin leans closer to you: "First off, he was wearing some strange glowing armor, and was leading a group of SPIRIT daemons..." SPIRIT "Yes, foul creatures! Much greater than those topside! What became of John? What corrupted him? What is his strange glow? I WORRY much." WORRY "Could some great evil have gotten to him? Or did he fall at the temptation of this strange armor? My other men tried to DEFEAT him." DEFEAT "Whatever it is he wears, it seems to make him invincible! Fortunately, he did not kill any men, as they were quick to flee. Now they are AFRAID." AFRAID "For we know not if this be an isolated affair, or if some terrible FORCE is at work here..." FORCE Lord Baldwin rises: "You must help us Guildmaster! You must discover the nature of the problem. I beseech thee. If thou wilt, say AYE!" AYE Lord Baldwin looks relieved. "I thank thee, great Guildmaster! I wish thee luck upon thy quest!" He bows. FOOD He pulls out some food from a bag by his feet. HEALING He places his hand on your head, as if reading your condition. ADVANCE Lord Baldwin regards you keenly. He thinks long and hard. "Hmmm..." RUN "Having run the underland for some time, I hath much that thou shouldst knoweth. Thou canst ask for a SUMMARY at any time, or GENERAL information." GENERAL "Thou may feel free to ask about MONSTERS, the GOLD system, or perhaps thou art interested in how the CYCLE of day and night worketh here." MONSTERS "There art many monsters, but they keepeth to their own levels. Here in the towns we canst keep them at bay. The LYCAEUM canst provide further details." LYCAEUM "Many things canst be sought there. Thou canst find it on the ground level. If thou dost battle monsters, thou canst often find VALUABLES on them." VALUABLES "Always be sure that thou search the remains of a fallen foe. Thou hast with thee a small pouch to keep thy gold. Thou also hast a QUIVER." QUIVER "Thy quiver dost hold thine arrows. They art of the volley type which art as a pinwheel of eight arrows. A most exotic weapon. Seek the SIRENS for details." SIRENS "Thou canst find them in the jungle dungeon, several levels below us. Seeketh there also for thy bow, for they make the best." GOLD "Thou wilt soon discover that gold art our legal tender here. If thou find any, keep it. If thou find nuggets, trade them at the TREASURY." TREASURY "Thou canst find it on level two. There also thou canst find Leomund, the great Archmage. Seeketh his counsel as soon as possible." CYCLE "Day and night hath no meaning in a dungeon. However, magical enchantments hath ensured a suitable option. Thou shouldst therefore procure a POCKETWATCH." POCKETWATCH "Thou canst find it amongst some SUPPLIES I left thee." SUPPLIES "In the southwest of the castle I hath set aside a room for thine own use. Find therein a pocketwatch, and also a SEXTANT." SEXTANT "It art amongst the other supplies in thy room. Feel free to also borrow things from the kingdom, as the INHABITANTS art willing to assist thee." INHABITANTS "There art many who live here, plus merchants from topside. Seeketh them by day if thou canst, 8:00 am until night, 8:00 pm, when thou canst SEE them better." SEE "It dost grow dark due to the magical enchantments that simulate day and night. At 8:00 pm, it dost grow dark. Dawn is at 8:00 am. INNS art available, also." INNS "If thou tire on thy quest, seeketh an inn, for there art several. There thou canst find food and rest. And always, feel thou free to CHAT with me." RESPECT "Oh, for goodness sake! How could I forget to mention this? Please forgive me. You see, mages have certain ECCENTRIC ideas..." ECCENTRIC "Yes, they hate to be interrupted whilst working. Thou must show respect by speaking only when spoken TO." TO "Thou shouldst USE the guest chair, sit quietly and wait until the mage dost acknoweledge thee." USE "There should be such a seat just inside his door, or thereabouts. Look for one by an empty tabletop. Good luck with Leomund!"
