Savage Empire Transcript

Ultima: Savage Empire transcript was produced with the help of the nuvie team at nuvie.sf.net

Aiela
a gorgeous, dark-haired woman wearing jaguar fur. "The strange warrior ! Surely he has come to rescue Aiela from her cruel prison!" She looks about fearfully. "Aiela cannot speak to  now, or Darden's men may hear her and come!" "Yes, my love?" Her face darkens. "Oh. It is .  the mate of Tristia. Tristia's mate . What does @Tristia's mate  want?" "Yes, mighty ?" name "Aiela is my name. Aiela is daughter of @Aloron, the chief of the @Kuraks." aiel "Yes?" job "Aiela is Princess of the @Kurak tribe, and warrior. Aiela is friend to the jaguar, enemy of the @Myrmidex." chie,alor "Aiela's father is Aloron, chief of the @Kurak tribe." aiel "Yes?" love "Aiela loves , too. Aiela never tires of hearing  say this." Her eyes widen. "Is  saying that he loves Aiela?" kura "Aiela belongs to the Kurak tribe. Her father @Aloron is chief of the Kuraks. Kuraks know the jungle and the jungle cats." " is Aiela's mate, and so  is also a member of the Kurak tribe." She smiles. "Perhaps someday  will be chief of Kuraks." bone "If  wants bones, he should go to where the great lizards go to die." "East of the stone city of the @Nahuatla is a great stand of iron bamboo, and north of that is the place where the great lizards go to die." "Many bones are there." "When  has been @Tristia's mate for a while longer, doubtless he will also feel like lying down among those bones and dying there." hide "If  wants a hide, he must kill a furred creature and then use a knife on its carcass. Lizard hide is too tough to be any use." "A good thing for <Player Name> to do with a hide is to make a hide bag and cover the face of his mate @Tristia with it." bamb "If <Player Name> wants iron bamboo, it is easy to find. He must go north of the @Nahuatla stone village, or south of the @Yolaru village, and near the eastern cliffs he will find a great stand of bamboo." myrm "The Myrmidex! They are evil. Ants of the jungle, but larger than men. No single tribe can stand against them. And yet the tribes will not @unite against them." "<Player Name> has chosen @Tristia as his mate. He must have much in common with the Myrmidex. Perhaps he should go join them." sahr "Sahree is a warrior-woman of the @Yolaru. Sahree and Aiela are friends and allies." She adds, playfully: "Sahree is very beautiful, but <Player Name> must keep his eyes to Aiela, not Sahree." topu "Aiela has heard the name of Topuru. Topuru is a mad shaman, once of the @Urali. Topuru lives on an island, all alone, in the north somewhere." ural "The Urali are a suspicious tribe. They hide away from the other tribes. Few ever tell their true names." "Now that @Darden is dead, their chief is Wamap, who is also their shaman." "@Darden is still chief among the Urali, though <Player Name> has rescued Aiela from him." dard,gian,gem "Darden thought he could buy Aiela's love with a giant gem, stolen from the @Nahuatla. But Aiela could never love one so cruel as Darden." She pauses, and grins. "But Aiela did keep the gem. It is very pretty!" yola "The Yolaru are a strong, noble tribe east of the @Kuraks. Their chief is Apaton; their shaman is Mosagann; Mosagann has a daughter, @Sahree, who is Aiela's friend." nahu "The Nahuatla build their village of stone." "Moctapotl is their chief." "Huitlapacti is their chief now. Moctapotl was once their chief, but he hides in the jungle, an exile." disq "The Disquiqui live west of the @Nahuatla. They do not do much work. They harvest fruits and ferment them into strong drink, and then consume it all." "Their chief is named Chafblum. He has a daughter named Guoblum." "You aren't kidding, doll! And keep Guoblum away from me!" tris "<Player Name> knows well who Tristia is! Tristia has spread word far and wide that she is <Player Name>'s mate. She crows it to the wind and stars. Why would <Player Name> choose someone like Tristia?" She seems almost in tears. "Tristia? She is Aiela's sister. Not truly: Tristia's father and mother died when their hut burned, so Aiela's father @Aloron raised her." "But Tristia is cold as the snake. She shows no gratitude to Aloron. And she is greedy. Whatever Aiela has, Tristia must take away." trib "There are many tribes in this valley. Aiela will tell <Player Name> of them." "There are the @Kurak, Aiela's tribe, jungle-dwellers. Near the Kurak are the dark-skinned @Yolaru, the @Nahuatla, who build their village of stone, and the @Disquiqui, who make merry all their lives." "There are many other, more distant tribes: The Pindiro and the Barako, the Jukari and the misshapen Haakur, the Barrab and the lizard-like Sakkhra, the ant-like @Myrmidex, and the @Urali, who had stolen Aiela away." She kisses you. "But there is only one who may steal Aiela away, and that is <Player Name>." unit,ally,alli "Aiela has often wished that the tribes would unite against the @Myrmidex. Aiela and her friend @Sahree have discussed this much." "But the chiefs do not listen to their daughters in such matters." Then her eyes narrow as she looks at you. "<Player Name> has already won Aiela's heart. Aiela is sure that <Player Name> could win friendship from the chiefs. Aiela's father @Aloron will already help you." "Aiela thinks that <Player Name> could command respect of the chiefs and @unite all the tribes... if only he would try." "Aiela thinks that <Player Name> could command respect of the chiefs and @unite all the tribes... if only he would try." comp "Aiela is already <Player Name>'s war-companion." L# "<Player Name> can ask Aiela to @join him if he wishes." leav "Aiela will not be ordered! Aiela will stay here if she pleases." She looks at the surrounding water. "Aiela will not jump into the water." wait "Aiela will not wait here for you. Aiela is not <Player Name>'s @companion, in war or in anything." She laughs at you. "Wait on the water? <Player Name> is funny." join "Aiela is already companion to <Player Name>. <Player Name> is sometimes forgetful." She grins. bye She snorts and turns away. She delicately traces her hand across your jaw. "Aiela loves talking to <Player Name>." "Aiela will always talk to <Player Name>." She sighs. "Aiela knows nothing of this." "But she is willing for <Player Name> to tell her of it," she adds hopefully. She glares at you. "But <Player Name> has said that he loves @Tristia. <Player Name> is cruel and fickle. A worthy mate for Aiela? Ha! He is better suited to the apes of the forest." Her expression softens from 'furious' to merely 'hurt.' "But perhaps it is true. Does <Player Name> truly care for Aiela more than Tristia?" yn The hurt look disappears and is gradually replaced by a smile. "Aiela is glad. Aiela has long loved <Player Name>, since first she saw him. But when she heard that he preferred @Tristia..." She steps up and embraces you. "Be true of heart with Aeila, and Aiela will stay true of heart with <Player Name>." And she kisses you, her lips sweet as the perfume of a jungle flower. Her expression turns to one of fury. "<Player Name> plays with Aiela's heart! <Player Name> is cruel and evil. Leave Aiela alone!" yn She throws herself into your arms. "Long has Aiela waited to hear <Player Name> say this! Aiela has loved <Player Name> since first she saw him." And she kisses you, passionately losing herself in your embrace for one long moment. Then she gives you an exasperated look. "<Player Name> must not wait so long next time before saying what he feels." "Oh." She shrinks back a little, then becomes grim-faced and straightens up. "So it is. Aiela is just another warrior to <Player Name>." "<Player Name> is just another warrior to Aiela, too." Her jaw trembles just a little, and she turns away from you. "Join <Player Name>? <Player Name> who loves she-cat @Tristia? Never!" She turns her back on you. Her eyes widen. "<Player Name> is both bold and cruel! <Player Name> has already sent Aiela away from him in disgrace. <Player Name> does not @love Aiela. Why should Aiela join <Player Name> now?" "Aiela would love to join <Player Name>... when there are fewer people traveling with him." "Aiela cannot join with <Player Name> now! Maybe later." "Aiela would be proud to be war-companion of the mighty <Player Name>." Her jaw trembles a little. "<Player Name> has said he loves Aiela. Now he tells her to leave him. Aiela does not understand." )" She looks a little sad. "If <Player Name> wishes," she says heavily, "Aiela will leave his company. Aiela enjoyed being his companion." She starts to say something more, but decides against it. "Does <Player Name> mean that he no longer loves Aiela?" yn The light goes out of her eyes. "So. <Player Name> is cold and cruel as the lizard." She bursts into tears. "He is no fit mate for Aiela." She breathes a sigh of relief, and smiles. "Aiela would wait for <Player Name> forever." She adds, softly: "And, most important, Aiela's mate."

Dokray
a ruggedly handsome warrior. "Yes, <Player Name>?" name "It is Dokray." (He pronounces it dough-CRAY.) dupr You see a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. "You speak of a name which is somehow familiar." dokr "Yes, name is Dokray." job "Dokray quests across all the Valley of @Eodon, fighting bad things like the @Myrmidex." trib "Dokray's home is with the @Pindiro, but Dokray visits many other tribes." vall,eodo He waves his hands as if to encompass all the world. "This land is all the Valley of Eodon. Dokray thought that Eodon was all the world until <Player Name> came from outside. So @Intanya says." myrm He snarls as he speaks. "Myrmidex are ant-like but are the height of men. They are fierce warriors." "It is not because they have any skill; they do not. But they are without fear and without pain." "They come into the human villages and kill the people, especially the weak and the young. Dokray hates the Myrmidex. But Dokray cannot make the tribes @unite against them." unit "The tribes fight one another, even as the Myrmidex move among them and kill them. The tribes MUST unite to fight the Myrmidex. But Dokray cannot persuade them to unite. The @chiefs will not listen to Dokray." pind "Dokray belongs to Pindiro tribe of the north. But..." He frowns. "Dokray was not born a Pindiro." "Dokray wandered out of the mountains many moons ago, with no memory of his past. The Pindiro adopted Dokray." chie "The tribes cannot unite until the chiefs so decree. But when Dokray talks to the chiefs about it, they do not listen. Dokray is a great warrior... but cannot convince with words." He shrugs. raf "A man has a name like that. Raf-Kin lives among the @Yolaru." yola "The Yolaru are a good tribe. They live east of the Kurak village." topu "Dokray knows of a man named Topuru. Topuru is mad. Topuru lives on a little island somewhere in the north, not far from Barako village." bara "There are two tribes in the far north: The Pindiro of the plains, Dokray's tribe; and the Barako of the mountains." inta "Intanya is shaman of the Kurak tribe. But Intanya is far more." "Intanya keeps his ear to the ground for all the valley, tries to keep wars between the tribes from becoming too fierce, tries to keep the @Myrmidex at bay." trio "Triolo is helper-shaman of Intanya. Triolo sings to himself all the time." He gives a sly look over to Triolo. "Badly," he adds. "Triolo heard that!" Dokray grins. shama "Dokray knows of three shamans. Did <Player Name> mean the Pindiro shaman @Kunawo, @Intanya or @Triolo?" shamu "Shamuru is a warrior of the Barako tribe. Very quiet. Good tracker, good hunter. Dokray is better warrior." sham He shakes his head. "Dokray did not hear <Player Name> very well. Did <Player Name> say 'Shaman'?" bye "Yes, let us stop talking. Dokray and <Player Name> should go find something to smash!" leav "If <Player Name> wants Dokray to leave, <Player Name> has only to ask." He looks dubiously down at the water. "There are biting fish there. Dokray will wait." "As <Player Name> wishes." Stoically, he waves farewell and goes trudging off. wait "No, Dokray has things to do. Dokray will not wait here." He looks at the water. "There are biting fish here. Dokray would not make it to shore alive. <Player Name> is joking, of course." He nods. "<Player Name> must come back for Dokray when <Player Name> again needs Dokray's prowess." He waves goodbye. join He gives you a strange look. "Is this a foreign thing? Dokray is already with <Player Name>." "Ask Triolo about that." "<Player Name> must ask another about that." yn "Ah. Did <Player Name> mean @Intanya or @Triolo?" "Ah. Then did <Player Name> say 'Shamuru'?" yn "Shamuru is a warrior of the Barako tribe. Very quiet. Good tracker, good hunter. Dokray is better warrior." He throws up his hands in puzzlement. "Then Dokray does not understand what <Player Name> said. Ask Triolo about that." He shakes his head, glaring at Ugyuk. "Dokray will not join <Player Name> while Ugyuk travels with him." "Dokray cannot join with <Player Name>. <Player Name> has too many people with him already." "Dokray will join with <Player Name> when <Player Name> is on firm ground." He considers it briefly, then nods. "Dokray would like hunting with <Player Name>. Dokray will join."

Jimmy Malone
a lanky, sharp-eyed man in his mid-20s. "Hey there, <Player Name>... about time you got around to showing up!" "Hey! <Player Name>! Go around inside and unlock this door, and let me out of here!" "Hey, it's your nickel. Talk to me." "You know, if you've given up on @Aiela, I'd sure like to go after her, myself." name "Too much action muddle your brains, Mr. Adventurer? Jimmy Malone." He scribbles something in his @notebook. jimm,malo He snaps his fingers impatiently. "That's my name, alright. Don't wear it out." job "I'm a reporter, see. For the local paper, and I also do pieces for ULTIMATE ADVENTURES @Magazine." "One of my first will be a 'Modern Man Among the Natives' piece about the @Disquiqui." came "Yeah, it's a nice camera, isn't it? Got a great deal, and it even came with a flash." He spends a short time showing you how to use it. chaf "Chafblum. King of the @Disquiqui tribe. One grumpy, evil-tempered son of a gun. Has a face like a washboard somebody's taken a hammer to." disq "Oh, those Disquiqui natives. Feed you fermented coconut milk all the time." He shudders. "@Chafblum's the chief. @Guoblum's his daughter." guob "She's the Disquiqui princess. Chafblum's daughter. Looks like a statue of Buddha. They want to marry me to her." He shivers. myrm "Myrmidex. Ant-creatures, big ones. The Disquiqui are scared to death of 'em. They're bad news." dard "Yeah, Darden... that big guy with the huge lizard. He's the one who snagged @Aiela when we first got here." "Glad we managed to get her back with us again!" "Good thing we managed to get her back to her dad." "We really should try and find her again, ace." aiel "What a good-lookin' babe. Can't blame @Darden for making a move on her." ulti,adve,maga "ULTIMATE ADVENTURES Magazine. A true-adventure rag I do occasional articles for. I'll have to do a piece on this place. And on you, too. You'll have to tell me your life story sometime." bye "Yeah, thrilling to talk to you, too." leav "Leave? Hey, I was here first... YOU leave!" Jimmy looks around and grimaces. "Let's discuss this on dry land." "Uhhh... if I just leave you, I'm sure that Chafblum's warriors will capture me. Can't I just @wait here?" wait "What does it look like I'm doing already? Sheesh." "I'd much rather wait on dry land... maybe later, <Player Name>-old-pal." "Sure thing, <Player Name>-old-pal. It'll give me a chance to catch up on my writing." He whips out his notebook and begins scribbling furiously. join "Hey, I'm already with you." note,book,task,ques,unit "My notebook? Nothing in it but some notes on this place. I'm going to write up a doozy of an article for ULTIMATE ADVENTURES Magazine when... IF... we get back." Jimmy whips out his notebook and flips it to the correct page. "Oky-doky. Ever since you started talking about uniting the tribes and talking to their chiefs, I've been taking notes. Here's what I've got..." "Hmmm... sounds like you've heard some interesting stuff out there. Fill me in!" Jimmy scribbles furiously in his notebook as you spend several minutes telling him what you've learned about uniting the tribes. "Thanks, boss... this'll make great reading back home! Let me run this back to you, to make sure I've got it." "Hey, pal, I know a lot, but I can't help you with that. Ask Prof. Rafkin. He knows everything." "Hey, I'd be THRILLED to join you. Get me out of this place and ask me again." "Sorry, <Player Name>... you've got too many people wandering around with you already. Maybe later." "Sorry, pal... not when you're on that rickety thing." "Sure thing, <Player Name>-old-pal. To hear is to obey." "Are we gonna go find that good lookin' babe Aiela now? I thought I heard one of these Disquiqui guys say something about @Darden having captured her." yn "Thanks a lot. I'll be right here." "Okay," he says dejectedly. "If you want me, you know where to find me. At Guoblum's wedding service." He looks like he's been hit by a truck. "We've already gotten Tuomaxx to rebuild the Great Drum the legends talk about, so that's out of the way." "We have to build the natives' Great Drum of Legend. We've talked to that butterball Tuomaxx about doing it, but we haven't gotten him all the raw materials he needs to build it." "We need to build a drum. In lieu of TV, the natives need for some special drum to be built. When all the chiefs' quests are accomplished, we're supposed to beat on it to tell 'em what's up." "You've already rescued Aiela, what a dish, from Darden the Huge. So her poppa Aloron of the Kurak tribe is in your pocket." "Aloron of the Kuraks wants you to rescue his daughter Aiela from Darden the Huge. And don't pretend that you don't have some more PERSONAL motivation for that mission, <Player Name>-old-pal." "You haven't yet talked to Aloron, chief of the Kuraks, about what he wants." "You've already come up with a squad's worth of swords for the Yolaru, so their chief Apaton is 'in.'" "Apaton, who's the chief of the Yolaru, says that he's tired of the dinosaurs chewing on his people, so he wants ten Nahuatla-made swords for his warriors. Should be a cinch." "You need to talk to the Yolaru chief Apaton." "You've already gotten the medicine to fix up Nakai, who's the son of Balakai, chief of the Barrabs. So you're in like Flynn with the Barrabs." "Nakai, who's the son of Balakai, the Barrab chief, is one sick puppy. Needs some medicine real bad, as I recall, the root of a rare flower on top of the Great Mesa." "Doesn't sound too dangerous. But Balakai won't give you the time of day until Nakai is healed." "Balakai's the chief of the Barrab; you haven't talked to him about what he wants." "We've already belled the cat -- er, the T-Rex, for the Disquiqui. So their chief Chafblum is now your dear friend. And I'm STILL single." He draws a hand across his brow, wiping away imaginary nervous sweat. "Chafblum, who's the drunkard chief of the Disquiquis, wants me to marry his daughter Guoblum, which ISN'T going to happen!" "But he'll be your friend if you just hang a bell around the neck of the T-rex which tends to gobble up his tribesmen." "You don't know what Chafblum wants; he's the chief of the Disquiqui. If he wants me to marry his daughter Guoblum, then this mission is doomed already." "You've already cleaned out the spider's nest in Haakur territory, so Grugorr, a distant relative at best of Homo Sapiens, is your staunch ally. Hey, I like that phrase. 'Staunch Ally.' Hmmmm..." "Grugorr, who's the chief of the Haakur -- I think that's a local word for 'missing link' -- wants you to clean out a nest of spiders." "You also have to burn out their webs, and bring back some leather shield in the spiders' cave." "Grugorr's the name of the Haakur chief. We don't yet know what he'd want." "You rescued Halisa, the princess of the Barako, so her mother Halawa's in on whatever expedition you want to lead." "Halawa, who's the queen of the Barako -- must remind myself to do an 'equal rights in the valley of Eodon' sidebar -- wants you to rescue her daughter from the big gorilla who's got her. That's one we should do for free." "I think that the Barako queen is named Halawa. We don't yet know what she'd want to hook up with your mission." "Ever since we told queen Inara of the Pindiro tribe about your plan to unite the tribes, she's been in our camp." "@this @should @STILL @never @be @seen" "We don't yet know what the Pindiro queen Inara wants." "We managed to cross the lava flow in Jukari territory, and return the sacred hide to their chief, so Jumu is our friend for life." "Speaking of which, I'll have to get some of those diamonds to take back to the real world... and I'll be SET for life." "Jumu, the chief of the Jukari, wants us to figure out a way to get to his spirit-cave and return with some kind of sacred hide." "Knowing you, you'd just walk across the lava that's blocking the path, but you need to come up with some way across for 'lesser mortals' like us." "You haven't yet talked to Jumu, the Jukari chief, about what it takes to get him to join your little crusade." "Huitlapacti's dead, so Moctapotl and his Nahuatla will help you against the Myrmidex. Moctapotl's a gloomy Gus, but he sounds like he'll keep his word." "Moctapotl, who's the deposed king of the Nahuatla, wants to be king again. Which means running Huitlapacti out of town, at the very least. Moctapotl thinks that Huitlapacti won't go without a big, bloody fight. Wish I had a tank or something." "You don't yet know what it takes to get the Nahuatla king, what's-his-name, into your camp." "The Tyrannosaurus Rex which was chewing on his little cousins, the Sakkhra, is dead of a terminal migraine. So the Sakkhra king Sysskarr will help on your mission... assuming you can understand anything he says." "Sysskarr, who seems to be Top Lizard over there among the Sakkhra, wants you to kill the Thunderer, just an average Tyrannosaurus Rex who's driving down property values in lizard country." "The leader of those Sakkhra lizard guys is named Sister. No, it was Sysskarr. We don't know yet what it is he'd want to help you out." "We've already rescued the Urali statue, the Great Fabozz, from the cave where Darden the Huge stuck him." "Your dear, dear friend Wamap of the Uralis wants you to rescue some blamed statue called the Great Fabozz from a cave. Big threat there, huh?" "The last tribe on my list is the Urali. We don't know what their chief would want." "That's the list, boss." Jimmy flips his notebook shut.

Johann
a lean, dark-bearded man with kindly eyes. "Yes, <Player Name>?" "<Player Name>, I really need to talk to you about certain @problems we are facing.& name "I am Dr. Johann Spector, of course. Though my sanity has returned, my name remains the same.& zipa,spec,doct,dr "No, please, just call me Johann.& job He sighs. "I have no job. I WAS an archaeologist. I seem to have botched that. And I've certainly abandoned my former role as Zipactriotl, self-serving shaman of the Nahuatla.& trib,nahu "I no longer have any association with any tribe here. I somehow doubt the Nahuatla would want me back.& prob "Now that my mind is clear, I see that there are many problems which face us with the Myrmidex.& "These creatures are too great in number for any single band of men to defeat. I think we'll need to unite all the tribes in this land if we're to defeat the Myrmidex.& "But just defeating them isn't enough. We must destroy their queen... else she will simply spawn a new generation of warriors to kill us.& "And just destroying HER isn't enough. Somewhere in the Myrmidex caverns, there is an enormous black stone, like the small stones which transported us here.& "This stone is throwing off bizarre, incredible energies which warp the flow of time in this valley. It could very well be that we are all trapped here until it is destroyed.& "Even if we are not, and we find a way out, there's no telling what its presence could do. The Myrmidex might some day figure out how to tap its incredible power... which would be death to all humans here, and perhaps throughout the world.& "The @stone in the @Myrmidex caves MUST be destroyed.& blac,ston "The Myrmidex caves house an enormous black stone possessing strange energies. It was these energies that drove me mad. The stone is dangerous and must be destroyed.& "I think that the stone was originally set up in the Underground City of the Kotl. When the Kotl servants, the @Myrmidex, rebelled, they took the stone with them.& "But the @Kotl generators managed to continue drawing power from the stone.& myrm "According to all I was able to grasp in the Underground City of the @Kotl, the Kotl deliberately bred the Myrmidex as a race of super-servants.& "But the Myrmidex were too savage and escaped, carrying the black @stone with them.& kotl,unde,city "The Kotl, who built the underground city, were a bipedal reptilian race descended from small, two-legged carnosaurs.& "They had great mystical knowledge and were able to draw mystic power from the giant black @stone. They ran their city with this power.& "They also used this power to breed themselves a race of servants, the Myrmidex. However, the Myrmidex became too savage to control, and escaped with the stone.& "Fortunately for the Kotl, the mystic generators continued drawing power from the stones, even over this great distance.& "It appears that the Kotl tried again, going out into the outer world and capturing representative human tribes from all over the world. Those tribesmen were the ancestors of the tribes living here today.& "But men are just as aggressive as ants, and they, too, escaped to freedom.& "It would seem that the Myrmidex returned to destroy their former masters, and drove the Kotl out of the Underground City, which sealed behind them.& "It remained sealed until I, with my understanding of the ways of the power from the black stones, was able to open the doors. I didn't leave them open, as you found out. But you got in anyway.& "The escaping Kotl appear to be the ancestors of today's Sakkhra.& unit,ally,alli "Yes, we must unite the tribes. The tribes here follow the word of their chiefs, so we must go to each chief and persuade him to join this union.& leav,wait He shakes his head. "<Player Name>, I can never make up for what I've done if I drift around this valley. I want to accompany you and participate in fixing these problems. So I'm not going to leave you.& join "I'm already with you, <Player Name>.& bye "Yes, yes. We'll talk later.& "We'll talk later. But we MUST talk about certain @problems we face.& "I don't grasp what you mean.&

Kysstaa
a handsome but fearsome-looking reptile man. "Sssss. What doesss huuman waant?& "Sssss. It isss <Player Name>. What does <Player Name> waant?& name,kyss "Sssss. I am Kysstaa the Great.& job "Sssss. Kysstaa is warrior. Questor. Enemy of @Myrmidex.& trib,sakk "Sssss. Kysstaa is of Sakkhra. Hide liike ssstone, teeth liike knives, ssso are the Sakkhra.& myrm "Sssss. Ant-thiings. Eeevil. Kysstaa bites them uuntil they ssstop moving. Myrmidex aare death to huumans and Sakkhra. Kysstaa is death to Myrmidex.& "If <Player Name> wantsss to go bite Myrmidex, Kysstaa will @join him and help.& blue,ston "Sssss. Iss blue ssstone in cavess of Sakkhra.& leav "Sssss. Do not oorder Kysstaa. Kysstaa ssstays or leavess as he pleasses.& "Sssss. Kysstaa ssswims. Tooth-fishes ssswim better. Kysstaa wiill leave laater.& "Sssss. <Player Name> doess not need Kysstaa aany more. Find Kysstaa when need Kysstaa again.& He turns to leave. wait "Sssss. Do not oorder Kysstaa. Kysstaa ssstays or leavess as he pleasses.& "Sssss. Kysstaa ssswims. Tooth-fishes ssswim better. Kysstaa wiill leave laater.& "Sssss. Kysstaa wiill ssstay heere.& join "Sssss. Kysstaa is aalready wiith <Player Name>. Brotherss-in-fangs, one huuman, one Sakkhra.& Kysstaa looks around at your party. "Hssss. Will join later. Too many people, now.& "Sssss. Kysssstaa will join laater, away from water.& "Sssss. Kysstaa thinksss huuman is good ally. Kysstaa wiill join with.& bye "Sssss.& He turns his mind to other things. "Sssss. Not taalk of thisss.&

Dr. Rafkin
a stooped, fiftyish man who looks like a professor. "<Player Name>! It's good to see you again! I had heard you were still alive, but I didn't know where you were." "I see you haven't managed to find @Jimmy or @Aiela yet... that really should be one of our first priorities, you know." "I see you have found Mr. Malone already. That's good. We should try to find @Aiela next." "Now that you're here, it might be helpful to find the lab. There are several things there which will be very useful to us. It must be fairly close to the Kurak village." "While I've been waiting for you to show up, I haven't been wasting my time here. In addition to my researches on these primitive cultures, I have also been thinking about ways to make some primitive weapons." "I do hope it won't prove necesary, but if it should, ask me about @bombs and @rifles sometime." "Yes, who?" He adjusts his spectacles, looks at you absent-mindedly. "Oh, it's my old friend <Player Name>." name "Eh? Eh? MY name? You've known my name for years. Professor Elliot Archimedes Rafkin, Ph.D., etc." prof,rafk,elli "Yes, <Player Name>, what is it?" job "Principally, I'm the curator of the local museum of natural history." "Most recently, I've been the chief doctor and man of science in the village of the @Yolaru. I have spent much of my time studying the @tribes of this @valley." lab Professor Rafkin nods. "Yes, this is my laboratory. "Yes, there are many useful things there. I'm sure that it is somewhere south or southeast of the Kurak village." aiel "She had been captured by that ponderous fellow from the @Urali tribe. Fortunately you managed to free her." "I understand she was captured by the @Urali tribe. She seemed like a tough individual, but I hope she is all right. I hope we go and search for her soon." ural "You know nearly as much about the Urali as I do, <Player Name>. After all, you rescued Aiela from them. I never did get much chance to study their culture." "From what I can make out, the Urali were thought to have disappeared for many years. They have only recently started raiding other villages, which leads me to suspect their village must be well-hidden." "Local hunters have confirmed this supposition, saying that they have been trying to find them for some time. The raids seem to come from southeast of the Yolaru village, usually." vall,eodo "This whole area in which we find ourselves is called the Valley of Eodon." jim,jimm,malo Prof. Rafkin points at Jimmy distractedly. "He's over there, <Player Name>." "I have heard that he may be somewhere to the west of the Nahuatla, with a tribe called the @Disquiqui." trib "There are many tribes here, my boy. Let us see, in alphabetical order: Barako, Barrab, @Disquiqui, @Haakur, Jukari, @Kurak, @Nahuatla, Pindiro, @Sakkhra, @Urali, and @Yolaru." "From my studies of the tribesmen I've met, I believe that they were brought here from all over the world in ancient times." "Their individual languages have obviously melded into one tongue, that which they all speak today." bara,barr,juka,ural,pind "I haven't had time to do much research on that tribe yet." disq "The Disquiqui are an interesting tribe. They seem to have broken away from the conflict-oriented tradition of many of the other groups." "Their village lies west of the Nahuatla city." nahu "The Nahuatla men in this valley seem to be descended from the same race which developed into the Aztecs of central America." "Their city, Tichticatl, is due south of the Yolaru village." haak "The Haakur! Living examples of Neanderthal man, my boy! How I wish I could take one back with me to the museum." kura "I suspect that the Kurak are descended from the first early pioneers who crossed the land bridge from Asia to North America... but it would take years of study to bear out this theory." sakk His eyes light up. "The Sakkhra! I have seen them. A race that exists nowhere in the fossil record, my boy! A bipedal reptilian race with an intelligence on a par with that of the human race!" yola "A delightful tribe! Very civilized. I have lived among them since we came to the valley. Culturally, they have certain similarities to the ancient Kushites." rifl "Ah. Are you saying you want me to manufacture you a rifle? Just like that?" gren,bomb "<Player Name>, are you asking me to build you a grenade?" O( gunp He makes a series of 'tsk,tsk' noises. "You want instructions on making gunpowder?" ammu,ammo He makes a series of 'tsk,tsk' noises. "You want instructions on making gunpowder?" torch "Using tarred cloth strips on a branch would make an excellent torch." char "The best way to get charcoal would be to burn a @branch with a campfire or firepit." bran "I'm sure you can pull branches from almost any tree." pota,nitr,saltp "Potassium nitrate. Also called saltpeter. There was a bottle of it back at my @laboratory." "Chances are good that most caves will have crystalline deposits, as well." hard,soft,clay,pot "You will need a hard clay pot to make grenades. That's simple to accomplish." "If you can't find a hard clay pot, find a soft one and place it in a @kiln for a while." kiln "A large oven used for baking soft clay pots." sulp,sulf "You'll probably find sulphur pits in the vicinity of volcanoes. You'll need a wire @screen of some kind to extract usable sulpher." wire,scree "It would have to be fairly tough wire screen. I think there was some back at the @lab that would work." mort "A mortar. You know, a bowl used for grinding raw materials down into powder. NOT something for lobbing shells at the enemy." "I had one back at the @lab." grin "A grinding stone, or grindstone. You can find them by the dozens in native villages." leav He scowls. "I most certainly will NOT leave. I was here first. Who do you think you are, ordering me about? Hmph." "Um... my boy..." He looks timidly over the edge, into the water. "I hate to admit it... but I never learned to swim. For the time being, you're stuck with me." "Ah, of course. The young learn all they think they can from the old, and then abandon them." stri "Yes, a strip of cloth. You'll probably need a knife or scissors to cut one from a sheet of cloth." tar "Any tar found in this land will undoubtedly be extremely hot. I would reccomend collecting it in a metal container of some kind. A bucket, perhaps." bamb,pole,iron "Ask the Nahuatla tribesman where to find some." than "You're welcome." wait "I most certainly will NOT wait here. I'm a busy man. Things to do. Wait, indeed." "Ummm... perhaps when we're on dry land." "Oh, very well. Come back for me whenever you think I've languished here long enough." He scowls. join "Join what? Is something in need of repair?" He blinks owlishly. "Oh, you mean join YOU. I'm already with you." "Sorry, <Player Name>, there's just too many people with you already." "I'll join with you when you're on solid ground, <Player Name>." "Oh, are we going somewhere?" He looks delighted. "Well, certainly. I've been HERE long enough." schw Rafkin looks sheepish. "Er, yes. That's what the Yolaru call me. They offered to make me their shaman. I said that I'd be their Schweitzer instead." "I was referring to Albert Schweitzer. He was a missionary in Africa. Doctor, writer, musician. A remarkable man." "But the Yolaru took it as my title. 'Schweitzer: A special sort of shaman.' I didn't correct their misapprehension." He smiles crookedly. "Oops." bye "That's right, plumb my brains and then ignore me. abandon me for more interesting pursuits. Humpf." "Ask me about that later." yn "Oh, very well. Let's see if you've brought me the proper parts." "Well, good. I was busy thinking." "To make a rifle, I'll need a length of iron-hard bamboo. Did you bring me some?" yn "Good. Now we're cooking." 9! "Oh, too bad. I suppose I shall have to make it out of thin air. <Player Name>, go find some bamboo." "To make a rifle, I'll need a length of iron-hard @bamboo, and I need to be in my @lab. We have to go there, first." He sighs, exasperated. "<Player Name>, let me try to make you understand. Please don't make me use small words." "None of us has a bamboo pole. Are you with me so far? Without a @BAMBOO POLE, I cannot make even a primitive rifle." "Get me some bamboo, and I will construct you something that can arguably be called a rifle." A& Using his tools, carefully and methodically, he drills a series of holes in the bamboo near one end. With bits of string, loose finishing nails, and other interesting goods from his pockets and around the lab, he mounts a small piece of rock on the pole near one hole. He mounts a small bit of metal on a short wooden rod, and attaches the middle of that rod to the bamboo pole so that the metal can swing into contact with the rock. "What we end up with here," he explains, "is a sort of primitive, single-shot flintlock. To use it, pull this 'trigger', so that the other end strikes the flint." "A spark will ensue. The spark will enter the pole through this hole here, and ignite the gunpowder which you will have packed into the tube. The gunpowder will propel your 'bullets', and voila, you have a functioning rifle." As he has done for you in the past, Rafkin works on the bamboo pole, transforming it into a crude bamboo rifle. "There." He looks up from his task. "Your bamboo pole is transformed into a lethal instrument of destruction." He hands back the transformed bamboo. Then, he repeats the process with the other bamboo poles. Then, he repeats the process with the other bamboo pole. "I do not manufacture fully-loaded rifles, of course. I assume you know how to make @ammunition and load firearms." yn "Oh, how unfortunate. Yes, I'm the gentle, sweet old Professor Rafkin. I teach young men archaeology and how to make bombs." )) "Good! Imagine me, a man of education, having to manufacture munitions!"\ "To make some sort of crude grenade, you'll need the following ingredients:" "A strip of cloth impregnated with @tar, to act as a fuse; five units of gunpowder; and a @hard clay pot." "When you have these together, simply use the @strip of tarred cloth on the pot to seal the pot and act as a fuse. What you end up with is a crude, but serviceable, bomb." "The @gunpowder you're likely to be able to make may be very unstable stuff, so throwing the grenade at something could set it off." "Alternatively, you can light the fuse and leave the thing behind. Then run like the dickens." He sighs. "Professor Rafkin, Terrorist Teacher. That's me." yn "Well... it's simple enough. You'll need a quantity of @charcoal, a quantity of @potassium nitrate, and a quantity of @sulphur." "Put all these things in a @mortar or @grinding stone and grind them into powder. Gunpowder, that is." "Then why did you ask? Hmph!" "Since I've managed a rather clever variant on the classic muzzle-loader," he says proudly, "all you need to do is put the gunpowder into your bamboo rifle barrel, and you'll have a fully-loaded firearm."

Shamuru
a quiet man, almost more a jungle spirit than a man. "Yes, friend <Player Name>?" "It is <Player Name>! It has been long since Shamuru has seen you awake... long since the night that Darden the Huge trampled through our camp." name,sham "Shamuru is the name the Barako @gave me." job "Shamuru is a tracker, a hunter, the best in all the valley." "Shamuru enjoys traveling Eodon with <Player Name>." "Shamuru also enjoys going to new places and exploring new things. If <Player Name> would like for Shamuru to @join with him, he has but to ask." trib,bara "Shamuru is an @adopted warrior of the Barako tribe. The Barakos live on the ledges to the north." gave,adop "Yes. Shamuru was not born to the Barakos. Indeed, Shamuru is more at home in the jungle than in the mountains where the Barakos live." "Shamuru was found many moons ago wandering, naked and unarmed, his mind as clean as a baby's, in the high mountains above the Barako village." "The Barakos took Shamuru in and made him a brother warrior. Shamuru does not remember his life before that time." ankyl "I've never seen an Ankylosaur, I never hope to see one But this I will say anyhow - I'd rather see than be one." shami,brit "Your words..." He frowns. "Shamuru seems to see far-away things, places, people. Shamuru does not understand." leav "You presume much, telling Shamuru to leave." He shakes his head, smiling, and points at the water. "Shamuru will leave on land." "If <Player Name> wishes. He can find Shamuru north of the Yolaru village... some of the time." wait "You presume much, telling Shamuru to wait." He shakes his head, smiling, and points at the water. "Shamuru would find it hard to wait on the water. Shamuru will wait to wait." He nods briefly. "Shamuru will wait here. Do not forget him." join He gives you a slight smile. "Shamuru is with <Player Name> already." "Shamuru will join with <Player Name> later, when he has fewer people traveling with him." "Shamuru cannot join with <Player Name> now. Maybe later." He considers briefly and nods. "Shamuru thinks it would be a good thing to travel with <Player Name>." bye "A pleasure." "Ask Dokray about that." "Shamuru does not understand you."

Triolo
a sprightly grey-bearded man with an alert eye. He looks at you intently for several moments before speaking, as if trying to place your face. "Triolo has heard of <Player Name>. <Player Name>'s face is very familiar, somehow." "Does <Player Name> need help with something?" name,trio "Triolo is the name given me by the @Kuraks." job "Triolo is a shaman-in-training. The great shaman @Intanya is Triolo's teacher." "Triolo's newest task is to follow <Player Name> around... and convey to him the will of the @spirits." trib,kura "Triolo belongs to the Kurak tribe. Triolo was not born a Kurak: Triolo came stumbling from the jungle, bereft of name and memory, many moons ago. Since then, @Intanya has taught Triolo the ways of the shaman." spir,magi,spel "Triolo has learned only a small part of what Intanya knows. Small magics, but useful." inta,shama "Intanya, a great man, is shaman of the Kuraks. Triolo learns the spirit-magic of the shamans from him." shamu Triolo gestures towards Shamuru. "Shamuru is there." "Shamuru is a hunter and tracker, of the @Barako tribe." sham He looks puzzled. "Did <Player Name> mean shaman or shamuru?" yopo "Yopo is a mostly green plant used in many incantations." pind "Pinde makes strong magics." choc "Brown beans, very strong taste. Use it in spells." tote "Used to invoke the spirits." apha "That is the spirit of emotions, and strength." mota "Motazz is the spirit of battle." helu "That is the spirit of knowledge and visions." aiel Triolo gestures towards Aiela. "She is Aiela." "Aiela has left our party. Triolo does not know where she has gone." "Ah, the beauteous Aiela. Triolo has written songs about her." "The evil Darden captured her, and holds her captive still. I am sure that were we to find where the Urali hide, we could free her." bara "Barako village is close to the Kurak, but across the deep canyon of waters." bard,sing "Yes, Triolo sings. How did <Player Name> know that?" iolo,brit He frowns. "<Player Name>'s names call up images to Triolo's mind. Distant lands, faces with forgotten names. Perhaps <Player Name> is invoking a spirit of memory." unit,alli,ally "The tribes war on one another while a terrible enemy, the @Myrmidex, kill them one by one. Intanya does all he can, but he cannot persuade the chiefs to unite." myrm "Myrmidex are like ants... but are the size of men. They are fierce meat-eaters." leav "Leave? No, Triolo thinks he will stay here, and perhaps compose a tune." He mimes as if he were going to dive off into the water, then laughs. "Perhaps Triolo will leave later, when meat-eating river fish do not surround him." "As <Player Name> wishes. Triolo will return to Intanya and resume his studies until <Player Name> needs him again." wait "Triolo waits for no man! Perhaps if a woman were to ask... A she-cat with a dimple in her smile... Triolo would wait for that." He mimes as if he were going to dive off into the water, then laughs. "Perhaps Triolo will leave later, when meat-eating river fish do not surround him." He sighs. "As <Player Name> wishes. Deny Triolo all the fun. Triolo will wait right here. Perhaps he'll compose a little song about <Player Name>. 'Breath like Sharptooth, nose like Longneck...'" join His eyes twinkle. He looks at you, behind you, behind him, under his arm. Finally, he looks down at himself and yelps. "<Player Name>! Triolo is already here." "Triolo will join with <Player Name> later, when he has fewer people traveling with him." "What? How can Triolo join with <Player Name> now? Maybe later." "What? And give up Triolo's career?" He looks around him and grimaces. "Never mind, Triolo is with <Player Name>." cheat "<Player Name> should ask another about that." bye "Very well, speak to Triolo later." "Ask Shamuru about that." "<Player Name> should ask another about that." "Be more specific. @Orchid, @Stone, @Hammer, @Bait, or @Other? " orch,root,naka,bar "You need an orchid root for Nakai. Here." blue,ston "You need a small blue stone for Topuru. Here." hamm "You need a hammer to get the small blue stone. Here." turt,bait "You need turtle bait to cross the Urali swamp. Here." othe "I don't know how to help you." Secret Cheaters Menu! 1. Get items 2. Set flags Have a nice day! Object number? Quality? Quantity? "That's too heavy for you... But I'll let you have it anyway!" Npc number? M H 2 3 4 5 6 7 0-7 to toggle, 8 or 9 exits:
 * 2

Ugyuk
a powerfully-built, especially brutish Neanderthal. Dokray leans over and whispers into your ear: "Ugyuk is strongest and dumbest of all Haakur. Dokray and Ugyuk have fought many times. Dokray always wins, of course." The Neanderthal sniffs the air. The Neanderthal speaks in a deep, growling voice. "Smell new smell. Smell Dokray. Dokray bad. Dokray go away." The Neanderthal waves Dokray away, glowering at him, but does not go for his weapons. The Neanderthal speaks in a grunting, gravelly voice: "Not know smell. New. Not like others. What want new smell?" "Ugyuk smell <Player Name>." "Bad Dokray is with <Player Name>. Does Ugyuk talk or smash?" His brow furrows. "Hurt to think. Ugyuk will talk." name,ugyu "Ugyuk is name. Name is Ugyuk." He seems rather proud of the concept. ugly,uggy,ugh "Ugyuk. UG-YUK." job "Ugyuk strong. Smash skulls of lizards, enemies like @Dokray. Eat hearts. Become strongest." He demonstrates, pretending to smash his club into the skull of an imaginary beast. He pounds... ... and pounds ... ... and pounds. trib,haak "Ugyuk of Haakur tribe. Not know other tribes. Too many words. Too many names. New smell -- " he points at you -- "not from other tribes. Not from @Jukari. Jukari enemies." "Haakur live where hills spit fire." He spits on your foot to demonstrate, and points at it. "But fire." "Haakur chief @Grugorr. Grugorr." dokr "Dokray bad. Small, stupid. Always attack Ugyuk. Ugyuk always smash Dokray's brains." He waves his hands to mime his club coming down and someone's brains flying in all directions. Dokray speaks up: "Ugyuk lies! Dokray always smashes Ugyuk. <Player Name>, let Dokray smash Ugyuk NOW." unit,ally,alli "Ugyuk not know. Words like what chief say. Chief @Grugorr." grug,chie "Grugorr chief Haakur." myrm "Bug bug bug! "No my dear boy, those aren't bugs. They are simply another feature of this valley, which I'm documenting thoroughly." Ugyuk stares blankly at the professor for a moment, then resumes "Big bug-things. Bad. More bad than @Dokray." Big bug-things. Bad. More bad than @Dokray." leav "No, Ugyuk stay. This is place of Ugyuk." He looks nervously at the water. "Later. Leave later. No go in water. Water make clean. Make Ugyuk weak to be clean." "Good. Ugyuk tired of people." He turns away to leave. wait "Ugyuk wait here. Or go other place." He looks nervously at the water. "Later. Wait later. No go in water. Water make clean. Make Ugyuk weak to be clean." He thinks about it for a while. (A long while.) His brow furrows. His head begins to shiver. A thought finally intrudes where none had been before. His eyes open wide. "Yes! Wait here. Ugyuk wait here. Come back for Ugyuk later." join He has to think about that for a while. He thinks about it for a while longer. Finally: "Ugyuk did that already." juka "Jukari! Men. Live near Haakur. Have many @sparklies." diam,spar "Sparklies. Sparklies!" He gestures, pretending to hold something small up to his ears, nose, neck... "Sparkly rocks." Prof. Rafkin speaks up: "I think, my boy, that he's referring to diamonds. Diamond jewelry." Ugyuk nods vehemently. "Yes. What he say." bye The Neanderthal shrugs and turns away. "Ugyuk not know. Is good to eat?" Ugyuk points at Dokray. "Not join. Bad Dokray with. Not help Bad Dokray. Make Dokray go, Ugyuk will join." "No. Ugyuk will not join. Too many people with <Player Name> now." "Ugyuk cannot join <Player Name> now! Too wet!" "Go with? Will go with. Ugyuk join, protect. Smash heads of enemies." Ugyuk bristles and prepares himself for combat. "Well?" persists Dokray. "Let Dokray smash Ugyuk!" yn "Bad Dokray! Bad Dokray! Ugyuk will smash all!" Dokray's face falls. He turns back to Ugyuk. "Later," he suggests, "when new friends are not here, Dokray will smash Ugyuk's face into new shape." Ugyuk snarls. "Bring whole tribe," he suggests, then turns back to you.

Yunapotli
a golden statue made in the shape of a human. The statue says nothing. (Neither would you, with your head missing!) "Greet-ings. Wel-come to the @Ci-ty of the Kot-l." "The ci-ty is ac-tive. I see the @gen-er-a-tors are func-tion-ing." The automoton looks at the silver figure seated next to him. "How-ev-er, I see that some of the guar-di-an ser-vants have bro-ken down." Jimmy breaks in: "So that's a guard? Sorta like an Argent Sergeant, eh?" "I see you are a hu-man. In the ab-sence of con-tra-dic-to-ry or-ders from my mas-ters, I will join your par-ty and serve you. How may I ac-com-mo-date you?" "How may I serve you?" name,yuna "I am Yu-na-pot-li. I know it is my name for I re-mem-ber it." The automaton pauses for a moment, as if thinking. "I would re-mem-ber much more, if I had my @brain." job "My oc-cu-pa-tion is that of ser-vant. E-ver since the hu-mans left, I and @o-thers like me have served the @Kot-l." "E-ver since the Kot-l @left, I have been the guar-di-an of the doors to the ci-ty. It is my job to @swing the doors o-pen and closed." crys,brai "Ma-ny of my me-mo-ries were im-bued in the crys-tal brain which you re-turned to me." "Yes, ma-ny of my me-mo-ries are not with-in me. They are im-bued in a crys-tal brain. I be-lieve the brain is some-where with-in the Ci-ty of the Kot-l." "If you find my brain and give it to me, I will know more things than I do now." kot "It was the Kot-l who cre-a-ted me. They were wise be-ings. They were not hu-mans. They were rep-tiles." "They once had hu-mans as ser-vants. That is why I am shaped as a hu-man, for I am a ser-vant. But the Kot-l are gone now; they @left." "@Kat-al-kot-l knows ma-ny things about the Kot-l. You should speak with him." "There are o-ther au-to-ma-tons like my-self with-in the Ci-ty of the Kot-l. They are not so in-tel-li-gent as I. I have no i-dea what they have been do-ing since the Kot-l left and I fell a-sleep." swin,door "The doors to the city are al-rea-dy o-pen!" "Do you wish me to o-pen the doors to the ci-ty?" left,asle "Yes, the Kot-l left a long long time a-go. The @Myr-mi-dex at-tacked them. I do not re-mem-ber why. Per-haps you should ask @Kat-al-kot-l." "When they left, they placed me at the doors. I was to ad-mit a-ny Kot-l or a-ny-one with peace-ful in-tent. They left the @gen-er-a-tors run-ning so that the ci-ty would be pleas-ant." "But much la-ter some men came and took my head so I could not think. It has ob-vi-ous-ly been re-att-ached." "The last thing I re-mem-ber is one of the hu-mans reach-ing for my head." myr "The Myr-mi-dex are gi-ant in-sects. They are sa-vage and re-pel-lant. I do not re-mem-ber much a-bout them. Per-haps you should ask @Kat-al-kot-l." cit "This is the Ci-ty of the Kot-l, built long long a-go be-fore hu-mans came or Myr-mi-dex came. Now I think no one lives here." "The Ci-ty of the Kot-l was built long a-go be-fore hu-mans came or Myr-mi-dex came. Now I think no one lives there." kat "Kat-al-kot-l is ve-ry wise. He stands in the cen-ter of the Great Pla-za of the Ci-ty. He an-swers many quest-ions." "But he can-not move and can-not touch a-ny-thing." hu "Hu-mans. Hu-mans were once the ser-vants of the Kot-l, I think. You should ask @Kat-al-kot-l." gen,pow,ener,en-e "The ci-ty is pow-wered by migh-ty gen-er-a-tors." "You should ask @Kat-al-kot-l a-bout them. He would know more than I." "But you can-not see them now for the doors to the ci-ty are closed." de "The Kot-l cre-at-ed man-y in-ter-est-ing de-vices. When the @Myr-mi-dex at-tacked, they al-so cre-at-ed @weap-ons and @arm-or to help de-fend the ci-ty." "One you may find in-ter-est-ing is a de-vice to help @lo-cate the black stone the Myrm-i-dex took." "Most de-vic-es should still func-tion. You may use an-y you find." lo "It is a round ob-ject with a light which in-di-cates a path towards the black stone." weap "You may find a long black staff. It caus-es great dam-age a-gainst the Myr-mi-dex." "They also found a gas that was ve-ry eff-ect-ive a-gainst the Myr-mi-dex. It is found in large green can-is-ters." armo "Kot-l ar-mor would not fit you. But they cre-at-ed a ve-ry good shi-eld that you could use." heal "I know the Kot-l cre-at-ed heal-ing crys-tals that could al-so heal hu-mans." leav,wait "But I can-not. I have o-pened the doors to the ci-ty. Now it is my du-ty to be your guide." It is my du-ty to stay with you and open the @doors to the ci-ty." join "I am al-rea-dy with you, sir." bye "De-light-ed to speak with you. I hope we will talk a-gain soon." "I am sor-ry. My mem-o-ries do not ex-tend to that sub-ject." yn "Ve-ry well, I shall not." "Ve-ry well, I shall o-pen them for you." The automaton closes its eyes with a 'clack' and appears to concentrate. There is a grinding noise from the direction of the doors... His eyes 'clack' open. "There! It is done." The automaton takes the crystal brain from $Y. A door opens in the side of the golden head, and Yunapotli places the brain inside its skull. "Thank you. I am now much smart-er. I now know a-bout man-y @de-vic-es that the Kot-l dev-el-oped to com-bat the @Myr-me-dex."

Aloron
an aging but still-mighty warrior with wise eyes. "So. It is <Player Name>. Long he lay in the village of the Kuraks, smashed when @Darden took @Aiela away.& "Now he comes before the chief of the Kuraks, and has rescued Aiela, daughter of the chief. The chief is pleased to welcome his friend <Player Name>.& "Now he has regained his strength, and comes before the chief of the Kuraks. What does he want?& "Ah, it is <Player Name>, rescuer of Aiela! You are a welcome guest here. What may Aloron help <Player Name> with?& "Why does <Player Name> come before Aloron again when he has not rescued Aiela? What does he want?& "<Player Name> is welcome in the village of the Kuraks.& name,alor "<Player Name> speaks to Aloron, father of @Aiela.& Aiela runs over to embrace her father briefly. "<Player Name> has come home with me to visit my father.& job "This warrior is chief of the Kurak tribe. He leads the Kurak warriors against the @Myrmidex and the @Yolaru.& Prof. Rafkin whispers in your ear: "Among the @Yolaru, with whom I lived, Aloron was well-known and respected. He's supposed to be an honest and forthright chieftain.& trib "There are many tribes in this valley. We are the Kuraks. There are also the @Yolaru, the Disquiqu, and the Nahuatla in their stone village.& "Further away, there are Pindiro and Barako in the far north, Jukari and ugly Haakur in the southeast, Barrab and lizard-Sakkhra in southwest.& "Hidden away somewhere southeast are the @Urali.& aiel,daug The chieftain smiles. "Aloron is grateful to <Player Name> for rescuing his daughter Aiela.& The chieftain sighs unhappily. "Aloron's daughter Aiela, flower of his life, has been taken away. Aiela is held by @Darden the Huge, the chieftain of the @Urali.& "Many Kurak warriors search the land for the hidden Urali, to bring Aiela back. Aloron hopes that you join in the search.& "If <Player Name> were to find Aiela, Aloron would be most grateful.& bone "If <Player Name> wants bones, he should go east of the Kurak village until he reaches the @Yolaru village. From there, he must go south, keeping the cliff ever to his left.& "Soon, he will find the place where the big lizards go to die.& bamb "If <Player Name> wants bamboo, he must travel south of the place of many @bones. There he will find a stand of bamboo.& yola "The Yolaru are a tribe to the east of the Kuraks. Their chief is Apaton.& Aloron scowls at his daughter. "Aiela is friends with them, with the shaman's daughter Sahree. Aiela is a disobedient child sometimes.& Aiela speaks up, indignant: "Aiela sometimes knows better than her father what is good for the Kuraks.& "While Kuraks war with Yolaru, while all tribes war with all others, the @Myrmidex will always be able to defeat all the tribes.& "Aiela and her friend Sahree know that the tribes must @unite against the Myrmidex... even if their fathers do not know this yet.& The chief merely snorts. myrm "Myrmidex. Giant warrior-insects. They live very close, to the west of the Kurak village. They raid here all the time, killing and eating.& "The Kurak are the greatest warriors in all the valley. But the Myrmidex are... other than human.& "Mighty beyond belief, in their numbers and ferocity. The Kuraks fall before them.& Aiela breaks in: "My father, Aiela is certain that the Kuraks would defeat the Myrmidex if only we would @unite with the @Yolaru and other tribes...& The chief frowns. "The @Yolaru are enemies of the Kurak. Enemies, always. Not worth befriending.& topu "Topuru was the shaman of the @Urali long ago. Topuru went mad; Aloron does not know why. Somewhere in the far, far north, Topuru lives on a little island.& ural "Aloron no longer needs to visit vengeance upon the Urali. Aloron has his daughter back.& "The Urali often raid Kurak territory. They come from the southeast somewhere, but we can not find their village.& "Aloron has heard of one who might know. A mad warrior named @Topuru. dard "The @Urali were a peaceful tribe until Darden the Huge became chief. Only then did they begin to raid others.& unit,ally,alli "Does <Player Name> speak of uniting all the tribes of the valley?& wher "<Player Name> is in the village of the Kurak tribe.& drum "<Player Name> speaks of the Great Drum of legend. In ancient past, the warrior Oloro-of-No-Tribe built a great drum on a hill near the stone village of the Nahuatla.& "If <Player Name> wants to @unite the tribes, he should build new Great Drum there.& bye "<Player Name> may always speak to Aloron. <Player Name> rescued Aiela from savage Urali men.& "Fare well, <Player Name>. Go, join the warriors searching for @Aiela. Try to find @Aiela.& "Hmph.& Disinterested, he turns away from you. "Aloron does not understand <Player Name>'s foreign words.& "<Player Name> has brought smiles to Aiela's eyes. He may count himself Aloron's friend in all things.& "But <Player Name> must not count himself friend of Aloron. He has cruelly treated Aiela.& Prof. Rafkin breaks in, indignantly: "Now, now, my fur-covered fellow, I must protest. I lived among the @Yolaru for some time and found them to be a most delightful people.& "Were you to befriend them, you might find them as gallant a race as your own Kuraks.& The chief merely grimaces and waves him away. yn "Then Aloron does not know of what <Player Name> speaks.& "Aloron has already told <Player Name> how to enlist the aid of the Kuraks: Rescue Aiela. If he wishes to enlist the aid of other chiefs, he must get each to promise his aid, and must build the Great @Drum.& He thinks about this for a long time. Finally: "Aloron thinks <Player Name> is mad with the sun. The tribes of the valley like making war on one another. It is the way they have lived since before memory.& "But once before it was done: There is the story of Oloro-of-No-Tribe, a mighty warrior. When the mighty lizards grew too many in number, Oloro went from chief to chief, taking from each a promise to help, to stop making war.& "When all chiefs had made their promise, Oloro built a Great Drum on the small hill north of the Nahuatla city. From there, he summoned the chiefs and the warriors to march on the lizards.& "If <Player Name> wishes to unite the tribes of the valley, he will find it a mighty task.& "But Aloron will help. <Player Name> has rescued Aloron's daughter Aiela. <Player Name> can count on the aid of the Kuraks.& "Does <Player Name> want to enlist the aid of the Kuraks in this way? He must rescue Aiela to do so. Aiela is held by the @Urali of @Darden the Huge.& "If <Player Name> can rescue her, Aloron will join <Player Name>'s alliance of tribes.& Jimmy whips out his notebook. "I've got the gist of all that in my @notebook here, Mr. Adventure. Jimmy Malone never forgets.& Jimmy speaks up. "Tell you what, boss. It could be that we're going to have a lot of these little chores ahead of us. I'll note down what each chief wants.& "Any time you want to check out what we've got in store for us, ask me about my @notebook. It never forgets.&

Apaton
a lean, sharp-eyed, dignified black warrior. He says nothing, but looks at you expectantly, waiting for you to begin speaking. His face breaks into a smile. "Ah. <Player Name> addresses the chief of the Yolaru. <Player Name> is most welcome. Come, speak to Apaton.& He looks at you coldly for a moment. "It is <Player Name>, who tries to cheat Apaton by offering too few weapons. What does <Player Name> want now?& He nods at you, a cool greeting, and waits. name,apat "Apaton.& He indicates himself. job "Chief of @Yolaru tribe.& "As @schweitzer knows.& He points at Prof. Rafkin. "Good day, great Apaton. Be nice to my friend <Player Name>, for he's a very good man, even if he's sloppy, forgetful, thoughtless, and a poor student.& The chieftain blinks impassively and turns back to you. yola "Yolaru tribe. We say little, do much. We fight the @Myrmidex and the @Kuraks.& kura "Kurak tribe. Live west of Yolaru. Good fighters. Kuraks have better weapons than Yolaru. Yolaru are better fighters.& bamb "South of village, past @bones.& blue,ston "@Barrab tribe has blue stone.& barr "Far southwest, land of mesas.& bone "South of village, near cliffs.& hide "Kill beast, use knife on carcass.& moct "King of Nahuatla.& "Former chief of Nahuatla. Exile hiding in jungle.& myrm "Fierce ants grown huge. Enemy of all.& "Apaton has promised to help destroy Myrmidex. <Player Name> brought weapons for Yolaru.& "Apaton already promised to help destroy Myrmidex -- if <Player Name> will bring ten Nahuatla swords to Yolaru.& "They destroy Yolaru and others. Cannot be stopped.& schw,rafk,raff Prof. Rafkin nudges you. "The chief well knows who I am, my boy.& He turns to the chief. "By the way, your greatness, I will be travelling with <Player Name> for awhile.& "No. Schweitzer must stay in village.& "Perhaps you would prefer it if I turned you and all your warriors into tree-toads?& "Schweitzer is ordered to travel with <Player Name>.& "Schweitzer is like shaman, wiser in other ways. True name is hard to say: Raffa-Kin. Is probably in village.& topu "Mad @Urali. No friend of Urali tribe, or any other. Lives in far north somewhere, on island.& ural "Raiders. Come from southeast. Apaton does not know where.& He thinks a moment. "@Topuru would know where Urali live.& dard "@Urali did not raid other tribes until Darden the Huge became their chief.& trib He gestures around him. "@Yolaru tribe.& unit,ally,alli "Speak of uniting tribes? Making allies of enemies?& "<Player Name> has already made allies of Yolaru. <Player Name> must go to other tribes to make allies of them.& bye "<Player Name> may return whenever <Player Name> wishes.& He turns away from you. "Apaton does not understand.& He just waits there, looking as though you'd said something stupid. "Has <Player Name> brought weapons for Yolaru?& yn "Do not speak of making allies of Yolaru until ten Nahuatla swords are brought to Yolaru. Apaton has spoken of this already: Yolaru need weapons to fight lizards and Myrmidex.& He looks over your possesions... Finding no swords, he glares at you angrily. "<Player Name> has no Nahuatla swords! Do not play games with Apaton. Return again, when you carry ten Nahuatla swords.& He looks over the collection of weapons you've brought, counting them; as he counts them, he hands them out to Yolaru warriors as they walk past him. As he finishes counting out the swords to his warriors, a look of anger suffuses his face. "<Player Name> has only brought #0 Nahuatla sword\s to Apaton! <Player Name> is either slow to count or thinks to fool Apaton.& "Apaton is no fool. <Player Name> has insulted him. <Player Name> must pay. Apaton will keep the #0 sword\s, and <Player Name> must still go forth and bring him 10 Nahuatla swords. Not #2: Another 10. Else Apaton will never join <Player Name>'s union of tribes.& "Go! And do not return without the promised weapons!& He draws back, an expression of satisfaction crossing his face. "It is done. The weapons are in the hands of the Yolaru. And the Yolaru will join in <Player Name>'s union of the tribes.& yn "Ah.& "Why?& myrm,save He thinks about it. "Good enough reason to stop noble wars?& He shrugs. "Apaton might consider this... but only to benefit whole tribe.& beca He frowns. "'Because' is reason for children, and to give to children. Apaton asks again: Why?& "Apaton does not understand reason. But Apaton might still do this, become allied with enemies -- if he can help whole tribe to do so.& "Yolaru once had master weapon-maker in tribe. But weapon-maker died in Myrmidex raid. Now, we make fewer, poorer weapons.& "To defend against Myrmidex, against giant lizards, Yolaru need weapons. He who brings weapons to Yolaru will earn friendship of Yolaru.& "Go to Nahuatla, who make fine weapons. Bring us ten Nahuatla swords.& "Come to Apaton with these weapons and speak again of uniting tribes. Then Yolaru will help against Myrmidex. Not before.& Jimmy whips out his notebook. "Weapons. Got it. Now you've got me gun-running, <Player Name>-old-pal. Thanks a bunch.& He notes down Apaton's demand in his @notebook. Jimmy speaks up. "Tell you what, boss. It could be that we're going to have a lot of these little chores ahead of us. I'll note down what each chief wants.& "Any time you want to check out what we've got in store for us, ask me about my @notebook. It never forgets.&

Atlipacta
a sharp-faced but beautiful woman in Aztec dress. "Blessings of the spirits on you!" "You have returned. Perhaps you will choose to @trade for some of my weapons." name,atli "I am Atlipacta." job "I am a crafter of weapons and armor." "Perhaps you would care to @trade for some of my crafts." trib,tich,nahu "This is Tichticatl, the city of the Nahuatla." trad,buy weap "Yes, I have many fine weapons to @trade." armo,shie,leat "I @trade both leather shields and armor." emer "Emeralds are valuable to me. I will trade both weapons and shields for them." blue,ston "Yes, I used to @trade for blue stones from the southwest. Now I only need @emeralds." bone,bamb,sex,hide,diam "I do not trade for $Z." drum,tuom "I have heard of a drum-maker named Tuomaxx. He lives on a hill north of Tichticatl somewhere." moct "Our king is Moctapotl. He was until recently in exile, but his usurper, Huitlapacti, has been cast down. Nor will I miss Huitlapacti." She starts, and looks nervous. "I do not know that name. NO ONE knows that name in Tichticatl now. Perhaps you should leave." myrm "I have never seen the Myrmidex. I know they are fierce. I know I would wish to be wearing my own armor when facing them." huit Her voice is sharp: "Don't speak his name to me! That vile madman had my own @brother killed." Her expression and voice become carefully neutral. "All hail the king," she says dully. brot "Yes, my brother was one of Huitlapacti's guards. One day, Huitlapacti hadn't had his fill of killing, and had no more victims..." "So he had his guards draw lots to see who would die next. It was my brother." "I do not know what you are saying." bow,arr,kni,swor,armo,shie "Yes, I @trade in that." bye "May the spirits guide you on your path. Do return when you are in need of a well-made weapon!" "I do not know what you are saying." "I have @bows, @arrows, @knives, @swords, @armor and @shields for trade. Which would you like?" bo "I'll take two emeralds for a bow. How many would you like?" arr "I'll trade you a dozen arrows for one emerald. How many dozens would you like?" kn "I'll give you one knife for one emerald. How many would you like?" sw "I'll trade you one sword for three emeralds. How many would you like?" arm "I'll take three emeralds for one set of leather armor. How many would you like?" sh "I'll take one emerald for a shield. How many would you like?" "Nothing of interest? Perhaps you will need fine weapons later." Would you like something else?" yn "You can't afford #0 bow\s. She takes #1 emerald\s from you and gives you #0 bow\s. "You couldn't carry #0 bow\s. "I do not have that many arrows!" "You can't afford #0 arrow\s. She takes #1 emerald\s from you and gives you #0 arrow\s. "You couldn't carry that many arrows. "You can't afford #0 kni/fe\ves. She takes #1 emerald\s from you and gives you #0 kni/fe\ves. "You couldn't carry #0 kni/fe\ves. "You can't afford #0 sword\s. She takes #1 emeralds from you and gives you #0 sword\s. "You couldn't carry #0 sword\s. "You can't afford that much armor. She takes #1 emeralds from you and gives you #0 set\s of armor. "You couldn't carry that much armor! "You can't afford #0 shield\s. She takes #1 emerald\s from you and gives you #0 shield\s. "Sorry, you can't carry that much.

Balakai
a somber man wearing shamanistic face-paints. "This one is tending a very @sick boy, and humbly begs that all visitors remain soft of voice." "Balakai welcomes noble <Player Name>, hero of the Barrab, savior of young Nakai." "This one sees that someone here is hurt." "This one sees that someone here is hurt." He springs up eagerly: "Has the noble visitor <Player Name> brought medicine for Nakai?" "Balakai welcomes his most noble guest <Player Name>." name,bala "This one is addressed by the name Balakai." job,chie,shama "This one is chief to the Barrab tribe, and also shaman." shamu "Balakai has heard of one named Shamuru, but does not know him." sham "What do you mean by '$Z'?" trib "Balakai belongs to the Barrab tribe." "Nearby, to the west, are the @Sakkhra; they are not men, but reptiles shaped as warriors." "Far to the east are the Disquiqui; the Barrab trade with them. Balakai once fought a duel with one of them, called @Tuomaxx the Drum-Maker." "Much further east, there is a tribe called Urali. Balakai has only met one of them, a shaman called @Topuru." "Somewhere far away are the @Myrmidex." barr "You are among the Barrab, dwellers on the mesa." mesa "Yes, Barrab dwell on mesa. To north are two other mesas. One is too small to live on, and we cannot reach the @Great Mesa." sick,son,naka "Nakai is no longer sick, thanks to <Player Name>." "Balakai's son Nakai is very ill. The illness is beyond Balakai's ability to cure. There is a @medicine which will cure his fever..." nako "Nakola is very shy. She is probably hiding while strange <Player Name> is here." blue,ston,rock "The visitor wishes to hear the story of the blue stone?" sakk "Sakkhra live to the west, in the caves where this one used to find his @blue stones. Their king is called @Sysskarr." heal "Is there a need for healing?" medi "Is there a need for healing?" "There is a giant flower with pale petals. Balakai thinks that the @roots of the flower will cure Balakai's son of the fever." "But it has all but vanished. The last any member of the Barrab saw of it was on the @Great Mesa." topu "Does the noble visitor wish to hear the story of Topuru?" He seems amused. grea "Balakai does not understand the words of his visitor." "The Great Mesa is northwest of here. Once there was a span of land from it to the small mesa to its south..." "... but that fell many years ago. Now there is no way for me to reach the Great Mesa." tuom,drum "Balakai knows of a drum-maker called Tuomaxx. A member of the Disquiqui tribe." "One of the Barrab warriors had sent many warriors of the Disquiqui into flight, and Tuomaxx came for revenge." "This one," he indicates himself, "confronted Tuomaxx and duelled him." "Though Balakai received many poking fingers from Tuomaxx, he convinced Tuomaxx that he had removed Tuomaxx' mind and placed it in a @blue stone. And Tuomaxx believed." "Tuomaxx was so delighted to be free of human intelligence that Tuomaxx thanked Balakai and left." "That is tribal business. Unless... his visitor were willing to do a favor for Balakai." "If the noble visitor were to go and find some @medicine for Balakai's @sick son Nakai, this one would tell his visitor all about the drum-maker Tuomaxx." root "It is the roots of the large pale flower that act as medicine. Chop it down, and bring the roots back to Balakai, and I may make Nakai well again." myrm "Balakai has seen them in his dreams. Balakai fears the Myrmidex. They are so fierce, and all fight as one." "Balakai has had many @dreams about the Myrmidex." drea "In his dreams, Balakai has seen a warrior from some distant tribe. The warrior comes and @unites the tribes against the Myrmidex." unit,ally,alli "Does the noble visitor speak of uniting the tribes?" syss "The Sakkhra king is called Sysskarr. A mighty fighter." "When Balakai was but a stripling youth, and Sysskarr was a cunning, experienced warrior, they fought. They fought all day and all night." "Balakai was fortunate enough to defeat Sysskarr. He thought Sysskarr must have died from grievous wounds, but Sysskarr survived and leads the Sakkhra still." bye "There is always hospitality here for noble visitors." "Balakai does not understand the words of his visitor." yn "The tribes might not wish to be united." "Doubtless the noble visitor has other ambitions." "This one is in his visitor's debt for curing Nakai. When the noble visitor wishes this one's aid, he will have it." "Balakai would be willing to help... if only his visitor could find the @medicine Balakai needs to cure his @sick son." Jimmy whips out his @notebook and scribbles in it. "I've got that. YOU don't need to learn how to read with Jimmy around." Jimmy speaks up. "Tell you what, boss. It could be that we're going to have a lot of these little chores ahead of us. I'll note down what each chief wants." "Any time you want to check out what we've got in store for us, ask me about my @notebook. It never forgets." yn "As shaman, this one may heal those who have suffered harm." "It is fortunate that no one is unwell." The shaman throws back his head and takes a deep breath... seeking knowledge from the spirits. "No one here suffers injury." "No one here is grievously wounded." The shaman opens his eyes. "No one here is in need of healing." The shaman's breathing becomes quicker... and a hard wind whips across you. "Spirit of Kukuzz, $N invokes you to bestow a blessing upon $Y!" ... and $Y is healed! "Mighty Spirit Kukuzz, look upon the mortal $Y. That which $Y carries is a valued friend and ally." "$N beseeches Kukuzz, bestow the blessing of strength and health to $Y, so that $Y might walk and fight again!" The wind howls, a raging torrent, around you... Every hair on your body stands on end... And the wounds disappear from $Y's body! $Y's eyes open! The shaman examines the body sadly. "The spirits do not respond... there is nothing Balakai can do." Taking the body the body from you, he says "Balakai will have this buried with proper respect." The wind dies down, and the shaman slumps where he stands. After a moment, he looks up, exhausted. "The spirits have been generous," he says. "All are well." yn "Many years in the past, a shaman named @Topuru challenged Balakai to a contest of magic." "Long and fierce was the competition. Topuru would demonstrate great powers; Balakai would demonstrate great powers." "But Balakai could see that Topuru was strained of mind. So this one tricked Topuru. Balakai summoned his daughter @Nakola." "Nakola knew well what to do. Balakai produced a piece of @blue stone and invoked the name of a spirit who does not exist." "Nakola soon began to gibber, and Balakai told Topuru that he had ripped her mind from Nakola and put it in the stone." "Then, because Balakai was angry, he repeated the ceremony upon Topuru. Topuru believed that his mind was placed into a rock." "Balakai told him that the rock would be smashed if ever Topuru annoyed any of the Barrab. Topuru went far, far away." "One could cure @Topuru by giving him ANY @blue stone, for no stone truly holds his mind." "If the noble visitor wishes to have some of the rock, he must visit the Sakkhra caves." "There is a large stone there; strike it with a hammer, and small pieces will break off." "So sad. It is an amusing tale." yn "Yes? Quickly, let Balakai see!" q He sighs and slumps back. "So. Ever Balakai's son draws closer to death, and there is no hope for him without @medicine." He waits.... "Balakai has been cruelly lied to. While his son lies dying, his visitor makes jests. Jests!" "The visitor is invited to leave, and not return until he has brought the medicine to save young Nakai." With trembling fingers, he takes the root. Working quickly, he grinds it into a cup, adds water, and says a quick prayer over the mixture. He carefully trickles the fluid into his son's mouth, waiting patiently as his son swallows. Even as you watch, the boy's color improves... and within a few minutes his eyes open. "Father? This one is very cold." "Nakai has been ill. Lie back and rest, Nakai." He turns back to you, beaming. "Balakai is unable to express his gratitude for <Player Name>'s aid. <Player Name> may come and go freely through Barrab lands." yn "How fortunate."

Chafblum
a short, scowling, black-haired, drunken native man. "Oh, YOU again." "Oh... a wise man, eh?" "All the time I was locked up by these Disquiqui, I had the weird feeling I'd seen this guy somewhere before..." name He whacks you with a wooden spoon. "Chafblum did not tell you to speak. Now Chafblum will never tell you his name." He thinks about that for a moment, tries to figure out what went wrong, and scowls. chaf He scowls at you, and gestures for you to continue. job "Chafblum is father of @Guoblum. And Chafblum is a lizard-wrestler. Two jobs, very much same." "No, he is not! Chafblum is chief of Disquiqui tribe!" "Shaddup. Chafblum did not ask you." He whacks the native with his wooden spoon. "Chafblum is modest lizard-wrestler." "Daddy Chafblum is greatest chief in all the valley." His scowl grows deeper. "Chafblum has never seen that woman before in his life." trib "Chafblum knows nothing of tribes. Especially this one." moct "Who? Oh, right, Moctasomething, the Nahuatla guy. Glad he left - he was no fun." He's here somewhere... always sitting around moaning about being exiled." good,stuff,pulq "Chafblum makes great Pulque. Guoblum drinks it all. Guoblum is a greedy lizard." thre,stoo,curl,shem,moe "Your words call up strange memories, as if Chafblum once lived far away, under different name..." He blinks, then whacks you with his wooden spoon. "Stop that. It is distracting." padd "Paddle? There is a paddle here, somewhere..." He looks around, but appears to be having trouble focusing very far, and quickly gives up. "You want paddle, go find one yourself!" guob,daug "Guoblum is daughter of Chafblum. Smile at the strangers, Guoblum." "Yoo hoo! Jimmy Malone! Come sit next to best girl, Guoblum!" "Yoo hoo! Guoblum! Go swimming in river full of piranhas! Take flying leap at rolling dinosaur!" "Oh, @Jimmy is no fun." "Yoo hoo! Handsome stranger! Come sit next to Guoblum." "Leave Guoblum alone, stranger. Guoblum is great beauty, but is not for you. Guoblum is marrying another stranger, called @Jimmy Malone." jim,jimm,malo,marr "Why, there is Jimmy Malone!" He points at Jimmy. "How did Jimmy get out of hut?" "Why, don't you remember, Chafblum-old-pal? You got drunk and decided that <Player Name> here would be a much better husband for Guoblum, and you let me out." "Did Chafblum do that? Must have; Jimmy Malone is free." He turns to you. "Ready for wedding?" "Wait! Jimmy Malone is big liar! Let <Player Name> find his own woman. Guoblum is for Jimmy Malone." "Sorry, stranger. Guoblum's mind is set. Find own woman." "Stupid name, Jimmy Malone. Skinny stranger. Jimmy Malone now in prison hut here in village." He looks around for the prison hut, but his eyes refuse to focus that far, so he gives up. "Disquiqui feed him up so he will be fit mate for daughter Guoblum." larr,sham "Disquiqui shaman is called Larrifin." He shouts: "Larrifin! Where is Larrifin?" "He's not here! "Too bad. Larrifin is not here." tuom,drum "You want drums? Go to Tuomaxx. Best drum-maker in all Disquiqui village." "Chafblum banished him, remember?" "Shaddup! Who asked you?" "Yes, Chafblum banished Tuomaxx. Long story. Want to hear long story?" unit,ally,alli "<Player Name> did well. Can hear Sharptooth in plenty of time to run away." "Will join <Player Name>'s union of tribes, when the time comes." He whacks you with his spoon. "Talked about that already! Must put noise-maker on @Sharptooth." He puts the bowl of his wooden spoon on your chest. "Look here. Stain." When you look, he brings it up to whack your nose. "Fooled you, <Player Name>!" "Want to unite Disquiqui with other tribes? Tried that once. <Player Name> failed test of bravery. Want to try again?" He pulls out a big jug filled with whitish fluid and looks at you expectantly. shar "Sharptooth is big lizard. Bigger lizard even than Larrifin over there." "Larrifin heard that!" "Sharptooth lives southeast of village most of the time. Eats Disquiqui warriors and sleeps it off rest of the time." plac "Want more plachta?" yn "Too bad! Get your own." "Then why you ask?" He whacks you with his jug of plachta. bye "Ahhh, riddance is good." "Chafblum doesn't know anything about $Z." Jimmy has been frantically writing all this down in his @notebook as everyone has been speaking. "It was a severe test of my masterful shorthand speed, <Player Name>-old-plachta-fiend, but I got it." Jimmy speaks up. "Tell you what, boss. It could be that we're going to have a lot of these little chores ahead of us. I'll note down what each chief wants." "Any time you want to check out what we've got in store for us, ask me about my @notebook. It never forgets." "You want to make alliance with Disquiqui and other tribes? Keep other tribes from humiliating -- " "Attacking!" " -- attacking Disquiqui all the time? Yes, will gladly join alliance!" "Wait! Must always strike bargain first. Traditional way. Demand test of virtue, test of bravery, test of skill." "Larrifin is right. Cannot join alliance until you pass three tests." He gives you a close look and turns back to Larrifin. "Two tests. This one never pass test of virtue." "True. Two tests enough. Bravery and Skill." "First test. Bravery." He pulls up a big jug of a clotted white liquid. "Called 'plachta.' You must sample its smooth and delicate flavor." Even from here, it smells like a paper mill having an early-morning belching duel with a stockyard. "Time to test bravery. Brave enough to drink it?" Do you drink from the jug of plachta? yn Lifting the jug to your lips, you gamely swallow some of the harsh liquid. A cheer goes up from the crowd. You shudder as the toxic goo crawls down your throat. For a moment, you can't remember your name. Your legs and mouth go numb. Your eyes snap open and won't shut. You feel something like steam whistling out your ears and nose. Then you go blind. You hear Chafblum's voice: "Good plachta today!" But your sight does return. There is a low moan of disappointment from the crowd. "You are big coward." Chafblum hits you with his spoon. "Go away." He turns away from you. "What would be good test of skill?" "Marrying Guoblum!" "No, that is another test of bravery!" Guoblum throws a double handful of fruit at the other woman. "Wait! I know. This man must put noise-maker on @Sharptooth." The crowd cheers. "There is big lizard near here. Usually southeast of village. We call it Sharptooth. Stands tall like hut." "Eats Disquiqui warriors. Wanders around staggering afterwards. But always comes back for more." "For test of skill, must put noise-maker on Sharptooth so Disquiqui warriors can hear Sharptooth coming." "Father, that would be stupid! If we hear Sharptooth coming, we might become frightened and run away!" "Ignore her." He whacks her with his spoon. "Larrifin, give him the noise-maker." The shaman hands you a large copper bell, rather like a cow-bell. "Put that on Sharptooth. "But he's got too much stuff!" "Go bother Larrifin about the @bell later, then. When you can carry it, put bell on Sharptooth. Then we join alliance." Guoblum begins sniffling. "Nice man will be all eaten up. Only a great warrior could hold @Sharptooth still to put noise-maker on it." "Hmmm... daughter is right. <Player Name> is one dead warrior. Too bad." "Spear of Shamap! Spear of Shamap!" "Good idea! Shamap was strange member of Disquiqui. Not like the rest of us. Liked to pull teeth out of big lizards." "Shamap would put big skin of plachta on point of spear and hit lizard with it. Lizard would fall down. Not surprising: So would Chafblum." "Here is more plachta for Spear of Shamap. Don't use it up before you make spear." "Larrifin doesn't have enough to do... Larrifin! Give warrior plachta when he can carry it." The shaman grumbles, but nods in agreement. "Enemy warrior named Nakola, of Barrab tribe, was scaring Disquiqui warriors to death. Tuomaxx went to Barrab tribe to teach them lesson." "But Barrab chief is too wily for Tuomaxx." "So are most trees." "Shaddup. Barrab chief use magics to steal Tuomaxx' mind away. Makes Tuomaxx happy, since he didn't like mind anyway." "When Tuomaxx comes home, he has lost mind and not avenged scaring of Disquiqui warriors. Stops feasting and drinking with other Disquiqui." "Just builds drums and flutes and sings to himself. So, to make long story short -- " "Too late." "Shaddup. -- Chafblum exiles him." "Shame, too. Tuomaxx builds better drums and flutes than anyone. Think he is living on hill somewhere back east." yn "Good choice."

Chizzztl
a Myrmidex soldier, bigger and glossier than the rest. Its mandibles writhe and clack as it forces itself to speak something like the human tongue. "Not allowed here. Must die. Will ask Queen." It cocks its head for about half a second. Then: "Queen agrees. Hive alerted. Meat-beings must die!" "Talking again? Why still alive?" It waits a moment. "Queen confirms. Meat-beings must be chewed!"

Cleese
a large, raucous, especially colorful parrot. "Ja, ja, ve haff vays of making you talk." "Who's the pretty boy? Who's the pretty boy?" name "Cleese, do shut up! You're driving me @mad! SQUAWK! Driving me @mad!" job "Eat the @cracker, Cleese! Eat the cracker, Cleese! SQUAWK!" "It seems the only job you're capable of doing, @Fritz, is feeding your damned parrot." squa "@SQUIRK!" squi "@Chirrup!" chir "@SKREE!" skre "SQUAWK! @Chiurrrr SQUAWK!" chiu "@AWK!" awk "@SQUAWK!" frit,von,hund "Ja, herr doktor. Ze Underground City of ze @Kotl sounds most impressive. SQUAWK!" "But your plans: Zey are... not entirely rational. Zey sound almost... @insane. SQUAWK!" crac,clee "Eat the cracker, Cleese!" zipa,spec The parrot speaks in a different voice: "We cannot easily say zuh-peck-tor. It is alien to our tongues. SQUAWK!" "While you remain among the Nahuatla, you will be known as Zipactriotl. SQUAWK! Who's the pretty boy?" kotl,city "I tell you, Fritz, the lost civilization of these Kotl may have been the most magnificent ever known!" "Where's the cracker? Cleese, shut up!" "Their city is AWK! amazing. What calamity could have destroyed them?" insa,mad "Mad he calls me, mad!" "Fritz, there's no room in my @plans, in my world of the future, for a doubter such as yourself!" "SQUAWK! I'll never allow you to see my @city! Get out! Let the dinosaurs chew your bones!" "Good Lord, <Player Name>! That's Johann @Spector's voice!" plan "Conquer the Earth, Conquer the Earth!" "Cleese, stop repeating SQUAWK! everything I say or it'll be parrot soup for lunch!" spam The parrot stares at you expectantly. gryp,grif The parrot looks at you disbelievingly. "With a @jaguar?" jagu "Well, they are kind of nice..." ulti,chea "Spam spam spam. SQUAWK! Humbug." pizz "Hold the anchovies!" plop "@Fizz!" fizz "@Plop!" lab "I like the black ones... especially when they're puppies." bye "Ja, ja, shut up! Just shut up!" "Cleese, if you're going to squawk, squawk in English!" "Crunchy frog! Crunchy frog!" "Alphabet soup!" "New girls! New madam! SQUAWK! But the same old customers!" "$Z! SQUAWK!" "SQUAWK! $Z!" "Parrot joke! AWK!" "Caudal! Cattle! AWK! Kettle!"

Darden
a muscular, enormous, muscular, unkempt, muscular man. "You! Darden trampled you into the earth once before. Now Darden will be sure you will stay there!" "It is the <Player Name>! You have cost Darden much. Darden is not chief of Urali. You did this! You must die!" "It is the <Player Name> again! Has Darden not chased you before him? Why do you return? Only to die!"

Denys
a lean, thoughtful-looking, pale-skinned native man. "It seems there is a visitor. Visitor or invader? We will find out. What does the stranger want?" From his belt-pouch, he pulls a piece of charcoal and a scrap of hide from which all hair has been scraped. He frowns slightly, looking at Aiela, and begins sketching her, you, and begins sketching you, his hand moving in bold, deft strokes of the charcoal. "Once again Denys sees his most colorful visitor." name,deny "Denys. Some say, 'Denys the Enlightened'; others," he looks disappointed, "say 'Denys the Weak.'" "And how does Denys's visitor call himself?" O job "Denys is a painter. Denys sees pictures in his mind and puts them on the walls of caves, on pieces of hide, on leaves, on whatever is at hand." He continues sketching as he talks to you. trib,ural "Denys is a member of the @hidden Urali tribe... though he is an @outcast now." "Denys knows that the beauteous Aiela has had unwanted attentions from Darden of the Urali tribe. This is no doing of Denys's." "Aiela bears no ill-will toward Denys, then." outc "Not long ago, when Darden came to power, Darden took and hid the statue of the Great Fabozz, a spirit sacred to the Urali." "Darden told Denys to draw upon the cliff a mighty painting, one which would show @Fabozz going with Darden of his own will." "Denys refused, and then Denys had to run for Denys's life, for Darden was not happy." hidd "The Urali stay hidden from all the other tribes of the Valley of @Eodon. Is Denys's visitor asking because he wishes to learn where the Urali live?" fabo,grea "The Great Fabozz is a mighty spirit of this land." vall,eodo "This whole land, all the world, is called the Valley of Eodon." bye "Fare well, colorful visitor." "Denys does not know about that." He finishes his sketching, compares his result to the model, and shows it to you. Though the technique is crude, it is a recognizable drawing of the lovely Aiela. He hands the piece of hide to you. "A gift for Denys's visitor. Remember Denys well." your features. He hands the piece of hide to you. "A gift for Denys's visitor. Remember Denys well." "$A. An odd name. As strange and distant-seeming as he who carries it." "Denys sees that $A has among his friends the beauteous Aiela, bright flower of the Kurak tribe." Aiela gives him a sardonic little nod. "Denys is well-spoken... for a member of the @Urali tribe." yn Denys's face becomes a little more guarded. "Denys is sorry, but even outcast, he is still of the Urali. Denys will not say where the Urali live." "Denys's heart is made happy to hear it."

Fabozz
a giant stone head with luminescent green stone eyes. As the bright flash from your light floods the cave, there is a second, brighter flash. And when it fades... Fabozz is gone! A deep, sepulchral voice rumbles around you, moaning a single word: "Light." The voice fades, and silence returns. A sharp wind whips through the stone chamber. From deep caves and tunnels comes the sound of frogs croaking, rising in volume... and gradually, eerily forming SPOKEN WORDS. "<Player Name>," croak the voices. "You have restored the Great Fabozz to his true place, where the sun may again reach him." The frog-croaking becomes deeper and more random for a moment, then settles down again into words. "<Player Name> is friend to the Great Fabozz and all the Urali. Let every Urali warrior carry word of what he has done." "Henceforth, <Player Name> and all he counts as friends may pass unharmed through Urali lands. The mighty lizard which guards the Urali village will do you no harm." "Darden's influence is no more." "The Great Fabozz commands that Wamap the Shaman become chief." "<Player Name>, the spirit-winds say that you seek the one called Aiela. You will find her in the cave to the south of the Urali village. The guards will not stop you." "All is well. The Great Fabozz is content." The croaking and chirping of the frogs becomes louder and more random, then dies down and silence returns. The stone face looks at you enigmatically. You hear a lone frog croaking somewhere out in the mists, but the Great Fabozz does not address you.

Fritz
a strong-looking blond man in tattered Earth clothes. "Mein Gott! It is a civilized man! Another outer-world man trapped in zis primordial hole. Velcome to Hell, stranger." "Ah. It is ze Earth-Hero-Gone-Native." He snorts. name "I am Fritz von Hundlaben. I am from Munich." frit "Ja? Wvat?" job He smiles mockingly. "I am ze world's worst chooser of employers. Actually, I am an archaeologist." "Until recently I vas assistant to Dr. Johann @Spector. Not a real job, but an amazing simulation." spec "Ja, Spector. A brilliant man. Archaeologist, anthropologist, geologist. I vent on many digs vith him. And it is my @fault zat he went mad." crys,brai "Haff I not told you uf the crystal brain before? Spector thought it wvas zome kind uf memory device. But then, Spector wvas a loon." Rummaging in his pockets for a moment, he pulls out a strange crystalline device. "I haff no idea why @Spector called this a brain." "I asked him wvy he did, und he said a great many things dot made no sense wvatsoever. Here, perhaps you vill be able to figure it out." He hands you the device. I wvould giff it to you, but you haff no place to carry it." faul g	hand "Ja. It vas zis human-like hand made of gold. Very valuable. But he took it vis him somevere, I believe. He said he intended to put it back wvere it came from." head "I found a gold head once, but @Spector took it from me." amm "Ja, I haff zome rifle ammunition in my cave. No rifle -- Johann destroyed it wven I called him ein fruitcake." He looks around and sees the rifle in your gear. "I see you could probably use some. Help yourzelf to it. But remember me if you find ze way out of zis jungle sewer." nati "Ja, there are many native tribes in zis vicinity. Pindiros to ze southeast of my cave, Barako to ze southwest. Others to ze far south." "Ve didn't get along wven I first came here, but I haff convinced them zat I am a worthy warrior. Zey don't know anything about boxing here. Now I am highly respected." join "Nein, nein, I vill just stay around here. This way I know I wvont run into @Spector again. bye "Vell, return wvenever you wish. It is quite a treat for me to speak to a civilized human being." "Pardon? My English is not so good." "I haff told you zis long story already. Are you sure you vant to hear it again?" yn "Vell, if you vish." "Gut. It vas a long, long story ze first time." He sighs. "I vas on a dig in Guatemala. I found zome rocks. Black, charred rocks wvich I did not recognize. Much later, back in Germany, I showed zem to Dr. @Spector." "Johann grew very interested in zem. Said zey contained interesting radiant energies. Wrote many of his colleagues about zem." Prof. Rafkin interrupts gently: "I can attest to the veracity of that statement, <Player Name>." "Good to see you, Professor Rafkin. Ja, I know you by reputation." "Anyvay, I visited him von day wven he had ze stones hooked up to some sort of funny battery apparatus. He vanted to show me wvat he could do vith the stones now. He said zey created strange ripples in ze fabric of time und space." "He surprised even himself zis time. He began to channel power from ze stones, and suddenly zis black... door, I guess it vas... descended upon us. Brought us here." He gestures around, encompassing all the valley. "Anyvay... I did all ze work, trying to hunt food and protect us from hostile @natives, wvile he tried to reverse ze process zat brought us here." "But he gradually changed. Stopped trying to escape. Started trying to track down the source of other energy emissions." "Von day, he vent avay, vas gone for veeks. He came back vith a mad light in his eyes, and a thing he called a crystal @brain." "He said he had found zis underground city, far to ze southvest, und zis brain vas proof of ze vonders he had seen. He had zese plans to use ze energies he had mastered to conquer ze Earth." "Zo, I told him he vas a nutcase, und he told me to leave. I ran away, vith all our supplies, @ammunition, und the @brain, und came here. Ze @natives seem to like me here."

Grugorr
an aged, sly-looking Neanderthal man. The Neanderthal peers nearsightedly at you; his nostrils flare. "New smell. Strange smell. Not scared. Not mad. What wants new smell?" "Smell of <Player Name> in air. Does <Player Name> have shield?" "Smell of <Player Name> in air. Grugorr greets <Player Name>." name,grug He pounds on his chest proudly. The concussion dislodges small rocks from the cave ceiling. "Grugorr." job "Chief. Chief of Haakur. Protect Haakur from @Jukari and @spiders." trib,haak "Haakur tribe. Strongest. Live caves. Other tribes stupid: Build weak caves. Ha!" juka "Jukari build huts outside. Stupid. Live where hot rock rivers run. Stupid! Attack Haakur. STUPID!" spid "Spider cave south, along cliff. Full of spiders. Full of webs. Shield of Krukk there." "Kill spiders. Destroy @webs. Bring shield of Krukk to Grugorr. Then Grugorr make ally with other tribes." "Not matter. Spiders all dead." "Spiders live cave south. Full of @webs. Big spiders. Come at night. Eat Haakur. Too fast for Haakur. Too smart for Haakur." He looks very sad. "Grugorr had son @Krukk. Krukk went kill spiders. Not came back. Krukk dead." web "Webs too sticky. Can't break. Can't hurt. Just sticky." "Grugorr heard torches hurt webs. Haakur no have torches. Torches hurt Haakur." unit,ally,alli "Grugorr gave word. <Player Name> kept word. Killed spiders. Brought shield. Haakur will join <Player Name> union of tribes." "Uh? Unite? Help weaker tribes? No." He peers at you thoughtfully. "Maybe." He thinks about it some more. "Not like Jukari. But not like spiders even more." "Go kill spiders. Go destroy webs. Go find shield where spiders and webs are. Shield was Krukk's. @Krukk dead. Get shield, prove spiders dead. Bring shield to Grugorr." "Do, and Grugorr unite, even with Jukari." kruk He looks sad. "Krukk was son of Grugorr. Brave warrior. Went kill spiders. Spiders kill Krukk." bye "Go." "Grugorr not care." Jimmy has been scribbling in his @notebook. "How about this: 'The hideous simulacrum of a man had little difficulty communicating with <Player Name>, his equal in intellect and charisma." " 'He told <Player Name> that he wanted a nest of giant spiders -- the local equivalent of a violent street gang -- removed from the picture, their webs rubbed out, and a leather shield -- souvenir of the bloody task -- returned to him.'" "I got all that, <Player Name>-old-pal." Jimmy speaks up. "Tell you what, boss. It could be that we're going to have a lot of these little chores ahead of us. I'll note down what each chief wants." "Any time you want to check out what we've got in store for us, ask me about my @notebook. It never forgets." yn He peers closely at your gear. He twists his lip in irritation and pretends to ignore you. He draws back. "No shield of Krukk. Go away." He points at you. "Have brought shield of Krukk. Good." He takes the shield from you. "Grugorr is glad. Spiders dead. No Haakur be eaten now. Haakur will join with <Player Name> union." He points at $Y. "Have brought shield of Krukk. Good." He takes the shield. "Grugorr is glad. Spiders dead. No Haakur be eaten now. Haakur will join with <Player Name> union."

Guoblum
a drunken, monstrously overweight, friendly woman. "Ho! Handsome man. Perhaps he will stay with us." She gives you a flirtatious look over the rim of the bowl she is drinking from. "The Disquiqui need more good, strong men among us." "(Hic) Greetings again! Perhaps <Player Name> will have some pulque." name She indicates herself. "Guoblum." She pronounces it GWO-blum. guob "Yes? What does strange warrior want?" job She has to think about that. Then she brightens up. "Drinking @pulque! Guoblum also dances. Guoblum is chief's daughter. Guoblum will soon be bride of @Jimmy Malone." trib,disq "Guoblum belongs to Disquiqui tribe. Disquiquis are the happiest tribe." She smiles and takes another drink from her bowl. "@Chafblum is chief of Disquiqui. @Larrifin is shaman. @Lerei is best friend of Guoblum. @Tuomaxx is drum-maker. No, wait, Tuomaxx is gone." Another partygoer cuts in: "Friend! Lerei hates Guoblum." "That was Lerei. Joking, of course." jim,malo "Jimmy Malone? Guoblum knows the name of Jimmy Malone. Jimmy Malone will soon be Guoblum's mate. We will be wed when this celebration ends." Jimmy speaks up, whispering: "Lucky for me, celebrations NEVER end around here." Guoblum smiles sweetly. "Guoblum heard that, mate-to-be Jimmy. Chafblum will call a halt in celebration when Guoblum is ready to marry Jimmy." lere "Lerei is friend of Guoblum. Poor, sad thing. Skinny like tree, ugly like lizard." "So says Guoblum, from whom the lizards run in fear!" "That was Lerei. Brave girl. Pretends not to be hideous." pulq "Pulque." She offers you a sip from her bowl. "Pulque is very very very very good." It smells like celery that has been out in the sun for a few days too many. Do you drink it? chie,fath,chaf "Guoblum's father is Chafblum. Wisest man in all the world. He is chief of Disquiqui. Brews the best pulque in all the world." tuom "Guoblum remembers Tuomaxx. No, she doesn't. Yes, she does. (Hic!)" "Tuomaxx is of Disquiqui tribe. Round warrior. All pulque in village would not make him drunk. Makes drums. Hits tribesmen with drumsticks." "Makes 'bonk' noise when hitting warriors. Very strange. Tuomaxx is exile now. Lives on hill somewhere east." larr,sham "Larrifin. Shaman of Disquiqui. Very bald and old. Guoblum would not marry him." She bats her eyes at you. "Hey, boss, looks like you've got a special new friend..." "Guoblum is just trying to make Jimmy Malone jealous! Jimmy Malone has no sense." myrm "Guoblum remembers Myrmidex. Ugly warriors from far away. Don't drink pulque. Don't dance. Guoblum doesn't like them." bye She doesn't even notice you turning away from her. "Guoblum does not know about that." yn The taste of the stuff jolts through you, clears your sinuses, burns your throat, causes ringing in your ears, and brings tears to your eyes. And it TASTES like celery that has been out in the sun for a few days too many. Guoblum smiles sweetly. "Very mild batch. Ask Guoblum's father for the good stuff." She draws back, looking disappointed. "Make Guoblum sad. Perhaps she will offer you nothing else." She bats her eyes at you coquettishly.

Halawa
a weary, handsome native woman with regal bearing. Her eyes grow wide as she sets sight on you and your companions. "It is <Player Name>, the rescuer of Halisa! When Halisa returned to the village, she told Halawa of <Player Name>." "Halawa, Queen of the Barako, owes <Player Name> a great debt for rescuing Halisa from the giant ape-thing. Come: <Player Name> must talk with Halawa." "Spirits' blessings on the stranger," she says. She looks sad and distracted. She looks eagerly at you and those around you, and then seems to slump. "The warrior from beyond has not found young Halisa. So it is. What does the warrior want now?" "Spirits blessing on <Player Name>, who saved Halisa from the giant ape-thing. "Ah. It is the strange warrior from beyond. What does <Player Name> wish from the Barako queen?" name "Halawa, mother of @Halisa." hala "Yes?" job "Halawa is queen of the Barako tribe. Her daughter @Halisa will be queen in times to come." trib,bara "Halawa belongs to the Barako tribe, Mountain-Dwellers of the North." hali,daug "Halisa is Halawa's daughter... as <Player Name> already knows. <Player Name> rescued Halawa from the horrid ape-thing." "Halisa is Halawa's daughter. But Halisa has been seized and carried away." "A gigantic ape-thing, bigger than any warrior, lives on a ledge north of the Barako village, near the river." "Not long ago, it came down off its ledge and seized Halisa, carrying her away." "Halawa's warriors sometimes see them upon the ledge, but can never climb up to the ledge. We do not know when the ape-thing will choose to harm Halisa, to dash her to death..." A tear trickles down her cheek. topu "There is an old shaman who bears that name. Topuru lives on a small island just west of the Barako village. Topuru talks like one sun-touched." myrm "Halawa knows of the Myrmidex. They live to the south, fierce ant-things. Halawa fears that if they destroy the tribes to the south, they will next move against the Barako." unit,ally,alli "Unite? Tribes unite? Why would we wish to do that? We have old hatred with the other tribes, especially the @Pindiro." "Still... <Player Name> has rescued Halisa. Halawa owes <Player Name> a great debt of gratitude. For rescuing Halisa, Halawa will unite her tribe with the others... even the Pindiro." "Unite? Tribes unite? Never. There is old hatred between the tribes, especially between Barako and Pindiro." A shadow crosses her face. "Still... Halawa would unite with other tribes, even Pindiro... for the warrior great enough to bring her daughter @Halisa back to her." pind "The Pindiro run the plains and stay away from the mountain slopes. They live far north and east of the Barako, in a village by the lake." bye "Spirits bless you, <Player Name>-rescuer-of-Halisa." She gives you a distracted little gesture of goodbye and turns somberly to other thoughts. "Halawa knows nothing of this." Jimmy whips out his @notebook. "Got it, boss." Jimmy speaks up. "Tell you what, boss. It could be that we're going to have a lot of these little chores ahead of us. I'll note down what each chief wants." "Any time you want to check out what we've got in store for us, ask me about my @notebook. It never forgets."

Halisa
a cute, energetic teenaged native girl. "This great, strange warrior has come to rescue Halisa!" Delighted, she runs up and gives you a brief hug. "Come! Halisa will race strange warrior to Barako village. Halisa knows fastest way.  Will even wait until warrior is out of sight to give warrior a head start!" "Halisa sees the mighty warrior and rescuer, <Player Name> the Great!" name "Halisa." She seems both shy around and fascinated by you. hali She smiles shyly at you and nods. job "Halisa is learning to be queen of the Barako tribe, as her @mother is." moth,quee,chie "Halawa is queen of the @Barakos, and is Halisa's mother." trib "There are two tribes in the north. One is Halisa's own tribe, the @Barakos, south of where the mighty hunter rescued Halisa." "There are also the @Pindiro, who are further north, near the waterfall lake." "Oh, and there is mad @Topuru." topu "Topuru is a shaman who lives alone on an island, west of the Barako village. But Topuru is not a whole tribe." pind "Halisa knows little of the Pindiro tribe. We have fought with them for as long as Halisa can remember. Halisa does not understand why." bara "Halisa belongs to the Barako tribe. The Barako live on the plains in the northern part of the valley." candy "Candy? What is candy?" unit,ally,alli "That is a question for the queen, Halawa; Halisa doesn't know." bye "Oh. Well, perhaps you will talk with Halisa later." "Halisa does not know about that."

Huitlapacti
a rather sullen, jewelry-bedecked Nahuatla man. The man looks at you with contempt. "You may not speak with Huitlapacti until you have received permission from Zipactriotl, you scabrous dog," he says, then ignores you. The man's sullen, disinterested eyes briefly fix on you. "What do you want, insignificant one?" name,huit "Shake and cringe before the thunder and majesty of my name. I am Huitlapacti." (He pronounces it wheat-la-PACK-tea.) "Huitlapacti, the ruler of all I behold, vanquisher of the enemy, destroyer of the weak, master of the brutes of the forests and plains." job He scowls at you. "'Job'? Do you imagine that I perform labor? I am the king! I rule. I dominate. I conquer." "I scatter lesser men, such as yourselves, as corn before the reaping-blade." A thought appears to penetrate his consciousness. "Wait. You are not one of my subjects. You have not shown me proper deference. You have not knelt before me, nor licked clean the dusty soles of my feet!" "You must die. Guards! Kill this man!" Huitlapacti glances at you, then his eyes widen in amazement. "<Player Name>, I did not fully understand the depths of your arrogance." "You return here when you know I can cut you down with a clap of my hands, with a cough, with a harsh look!" "It is time for you to die; do not even attempt to flee. Guards! Destroy this fool!"

Inara
a sharp-eyed matriarch with greying hair. "Another @stranger. Word has reached the Pindiro that such a warrior roams the valley. What does the stranger want among the Pindiro?" "The warrior comes before us. Welcome, <Player Name>." "It is <Player Name> come before us again. What does <Player Name> wish?" name,inar "The warrior addresses Inara." job "Inara is queen of the Pindiro @tribe." trib,pind "The Pindiros are plains-runners. We live free on the open plains, hunting @beasts of the field and @fish of the water." "Our enemies are the @Barakos." beas "The Pindiro are the best hunters of the plains. Pindiro warriors are strong and tireless." fish "Many of our people pull fish from the rivers, and paddle @rafts out into the great lake to hunt the larger fish that live there." raft "It is dangerous to go into the great lake without a raft and four people with @paddles. The creatures under the water will eat any warrior they find swimming." padd,disq "The Disquiqui make our paddles. They are a strange tribe, far to the south." bara "The Barakos live to the west and south. They dwell on the slopes of the mountain. They come into Pindiro territory too often; we beat them back." stra "West of the Pindiro village, along the northern cliff face, is a cave where lives a strange man... a man as strange as he whom Inara now addresses." "His skin and clothes are odd. He fights without spear or knife, but only with clenched fists. Yet no Pindiro warrior can stand before him." topu "Inara knows of one with that name. An old shaman. Topuru lives on a small island west of the @Barako village." unit,ally,alli "Inara has already decided to join <Player Name>'s union of tribes." "The strange warrior wishes to unite the tribes? This warrior has seen his mind laid low by the sun." She laughs at you. Then she thinks about it. "Strange warrior, the Pindiro fight many brave enemies, such as the Barakos. This is our way of life." "But many good warriors die in this constant fighting. Inara might be willing to trade one way for the other." She thinks a while longer. "Inara will accept a union of tribes." bye "<Player Name> Peace-Bringer is welcome here. <Player Name> may return any time." "So long as the strange warrior does not bring harm to any of the Pindiro tribe, he may walk where he wishes." "Inara knows nothing of $Z." Jimmy looks quite suprised. "Well, that sure was easy, for a change. Guess they must be really tired of fighting." Jimmy speaks up. "Well that sure was easy. Guess they must be really tired of fighting. This whole unite-the-tribes thing might be a snap, after all!"

Intanya
a native man wearing an elaborate jaguar headdress. "You are returning to wakefulness. It is good." "Intanya's potion is powerful magic. It has granted you the speech of the people of this valley. Now you may understand what is said to you." "In fevered ravings, you spoke much of @Aiela, our chieftain's daughter, as well as a @Rafkin and a @Jimmy. Intanya thinks you must find them as soon as possible." "But the valley is full of danger. Before Intanya can let <Player Name> rise again and search for his comrades, Intanya must ask <Player Name> a question, to see if his mind has healed as well as his body." "The spirits tell Intanya that someone here is unwell." "Intanya is pleased to see <Player Name> returned unharmed." "Intanya is pleased to see <Player Name> and <Player Name>'s friends returned unharmed." "Intanya rejoices to see <Player Name> awake again. <Player Name> was very hurt when Intanya's men found him. Intanya's men have brought <Player Name> here for healing." "Your wounds are healed, but I must know if your memory is intact. I have drawn the question from your own memory, so it is in your own words." name,inta "Long has the name Intanya been borne.& job,shama "Intanya is shaman to the Kurak tribe. Intanya consults the @spirits; he also @heals the ill and injured." trib,kura,alor,chie The shaman gestures around him. "This is the Kurak tribe. Aloron is our chief; <Player Name> should go and speak with him." myrm "The Myrmidex are strange, fierce warriors. Insects of great size, they attack and kill our warriors without cause." men "Intanya is friends with many warriors from many tribes. They travel the valley, seeking out the unknown and telling all to Intanya." Shamuru interrupts: "It is true, <Player Name>. Shamuru has been long been a friend of Intanya, and helped Intanya in many things, though Shamuru is not of the Kurak tribe. Many other warriors do the same." trio "Triolo came into the valley many moons ago. Intanya made Triolo his assistant, and has been teaching him the secrets of the Shaman." plat "The story of the glowing plates on the ground has been handed down from shaman to shaman for more generations than Intanya can count." "Legends say the plates are very dangerous. Any person who walks upon one dissapears and never returns." yopo "You speak of the powder used in appeasing spirits. It is powerful, best left to shamans." pind "Pinde is used to help guide spirits and produce visions." choc "Strong flavor and smell. Brings light, calms animals, many other spells, when invoking the right spirits." tote "Totems are used to invoke the spirits." apha "Aphaz is the spirit of emotions, and strength." mota "Motazz is the spirit of battle." helu "That is the spirit of knowledge and visions." ava,avat,brit His eyes narrow. "Intanya knows from his dreams that <Player Name> has been to dream-land called Britannia, and bears important title there. The dreams say <Player Name> is a mighty warrior and hero." "Intanya knows more than that. Much more." There is laughter in his eyes, but he does not elaborate. heal "Intanya has great powers of healing." magi,spel,invo "Intanya knows much about magic, the invoking of @spirits to perform many kinds of magics. He has taught some of these to Triolo." spir "There are many spirits in the Valley of Eodon: Spirits of trees and winds, spirits of animals and life." "Intanya senses how the spirits feel and tells his fellows; Intanya draws on the powers of the spirits to @heal those who must be healed." aiel "Aiela is a great treasure. Intanya knows that her father is grateful to <Player Name> for returning her to the Kurak." "Warriors search the valley for Aiela. The Urali are well hidden, and the spirits will not tell Intanya where they lie." "And yet, the spirits do promise that someone will find her. You should speak with Aloron, our chieftain, if you wish to aid in the search." jimm,jim,malo "He is with <Player Name> now." "Intanya has had dreams of one such. Search among the Disquiqui, far to the south; Intanya hears their drums and music when shown the face of Jimmy Malone in his dreams." disq "The Disquiqui are happy people, but their shaman does not know much. They live far from here, west of the great stone city of the @Nahuatla." nahu,tich "The Nahuatla call their stone city 'Tichticatl'. They are very proud of it. They live south of the @Yolaru village." yola "The Yolaru are dark-skinned warriors. Their village is about a day's travel east of here." rafk,prof "He is with <Player Name> now." "Word has reached Intanya that one such stays with the Yolaru tribe, to the east." bye "May the spirits protect you, <Player Name> Ava-Tar." "<Player Name> must learn of $Z by himself." Intanya throws back his head and closes his eyes. You can almost hear the voices of the spirits whispering in his ears. Intanya opens his eyes. "No one here is in need of healing." Intanya gasps for breath and spasms as if hit by an electrical current. A hard, hot wind whips across you. "Spirit of Kukuzz, $N invokes you to bestow a blessing upon $Y!" ... and $Y is healed! "Spirit of Motazz, $N invokes you to purge the blood of $Y of foulness!" ... and $Y is cured of poison! "Mighty Spirit Kukuzz, look upon the mortal $Y. That which $Y carries is a valued friend and ally." "$N beseeches Kukuzz, bestow the blessing of strength and health to $Y, so that $Y might walk and fight again!" The wind howls, a raging torrent, around you... Every hair on your body stands on end... And the wounds disappear from $Y's body! $Y's eyes open! The shaman examines the body sadly. "The spirits do not respond... there is nothing Intanya can do for this one." Taking the body from you, he says "Intanya will have this buried with proper respect." The wind dies down, and Intanya slowly regains his poise. After a few moments, he looks up, his expression serene. "The spirits have been generous," he says. "You "All in your party are well." What sort of cover does Jimmy's notebook have? @(page @22): In your dreams, you saw birds. What sort of eyes did they have? @(page @6): In your dreams, what was it that you lacked? @(page @6): In your dreams, what did you think of as an old and trusty friend? @(page @6): "What does Professor Rafkin think the Valley is akin to?"@(page @24) : What does Rafkin say happens frequently between tribes? @(page @25) : What expedition has returned? @(page @40) : Who is shown on the cover of Ultimate Adventures Magazine? @(page @1) : What is the first tribe Rafkin discusses in his notes? @(page @25) : weat cold,rept memo bowi,knif time,caps clas wild,basi coat nahu The shaman looks pleased. "Intanya sees that <Player Name>'s memory has returned, and he is fit to travel the land again." He becomes very serious. "Intanya has had many dreams of one such as <Player Name>. Intanya believes <Player Name> to be very important." "Intanya's @men will try to follow <Player Name> and perhaps help <Player Name> when he is in danger. Intanya's men are the best in all the Valley of Eodon, and can find <Player Name> anywhere... even in the Caves of the @Myrmidex" "My student, @Triolo, will join you on your search for @Jimmy and @Rafkin. He has learned some of the simpler invocations, and will help you as much as he can." "Speak now. <Player Name> may ask what he wishes." The shaman looks saddened. "Intanya sees that <Player Name>'s memory has not fully returned. <Player Name> must return to sleep and heal further." He wafts vapors from a burning incense in your direction, and darkness swifly returns.

Jumu
a youthful warrior trying to look dignified. "Spirits' blessings on the strange visitor.& He looks at you closely. "The strange visitor from no known tribe.& "Hail mighty <Player Name>, who returned to us the sacred hide!& The chieftain's face lights up as he sees the sacred hide in $Y's inventory. "The sacred hide of the Jukari is returned!& With obvious relief, he takes the hide and examines it carefully. Satisfied that it is undamaged, he carefully folds it and tucks it away. "The Jukari owe you a great debt, mighty <Player Name>.& "Spirits' blessings on the <Player Name>.& He looks depressed. "Jumu hears that <Player Name> has not yet found the way to the sacred hide.& "Spirits' blessings on <Player Name>.& name,jumu "Jumu the Fearless, Jumu the All-High.& job,chie "Jumu is chief of the Jukari tribe. Jumu has been chief several days already.& "And Jumu's first great task has been accomplished, by Jumu's great friend <Player Name>: The sacred hide is returned to Jumu's people.& "Jumu's father, who was chief before Jumu, died several days ago. A mountain spat fire and buried him... and denied us our path to the sacred @cave.& trib "Ours is the Jukari tribe. We are one with the mountains, with the hills which spit fire, with the ground that shakes, with the boulders that roll.& cave "Far to the east of the Jukari village is our sacred cave. Was a long journey, even before the flowing rock came. The spirits would speak to our @shaman there, when shaman was alive.& "The history of the Jukari is kept there, written on the sacred hide.& "Not long ago, the mountain over the cave shook and threw out a river of flowing rock. The @flowing rock prevents us from reaching the sacred @hide.& lava,flow "Rock that flows from the shaking mountains. Very hot, glows at night. We cannot pass over it.& Rafkin says: "You know, my boy, I once knew a man by the name of James Wildman. He used to tell a story about using a fire extinguisher to cross the superheated deck of a burning ship.& "While lava is considerably hotter, this technique might still prove viable. Chances are that the lava will re-melt fairly quickly, though.& "I had a fire extinguisher in my lab.& "You know, I'd bet old Rafkin would know something about this kinda stuff...& hide "We have not yet chosen a @shaman to care for the sacred hide, which you returned to us.& "The sacred hide is important to our people. And with no @shaman, the Jukari need it even more.& "If <Player Name> could find a way to the @cave and bring back the sacred hide, the Jumu would be greatly in <Player Name>'s dept.& sham "We have no shaman. Old shaman died when mountain spirits became angry and threw stones down on him.& diam,emer "He who wants diamonds and emeralds of the Jukari must go to the sacred @cave.& unit,ally,alli "Unite? Unite with other tribes? Jumu does not like to fight other tribes.& "Since <Player Name> has brought the sacred hide back to the Jukari, Jumu will ally himself with <Player Name> and <Player Name>'s union of tribes.& "If... the strange warrior were to retrieve the Jukari's sacred @hide, Jumu would join the warrior's union of tribes.& bye "Walk with the spirits' blessing, oh <Player Name>, friend of the Jukari.& "Walk with the spirits' blessing, strange one.& "Jumu does not understand that.& "The @cave itself is full of diamonds and emeralds. You may take diamonds from the cave, if you can reach it," the chief adds hopefully. Jimmy whips out his notebook. "Get across lava flow and bring back a holy throw-rug. Sounds like a heap o' laughs. I've got it written, boss.& Jimmy speaks up. "Tell you what, boss. It could be that we're going to have a lot of these little chores ahead of us. I'll note down what each chief wants.& "Any time you want to check out what we've got in store for us, ask me about my @notebook. It never forgets.&

Katalkotl
a tall, elegant reptile man with intelligent eyes. "Greetingss to the visitor." The thing's accent is strange, but its words are understandable. "I am pleased to welcome you again." name "I am Katalkotl. Rather, I am a memory of Katalkotl. I know much of the true @Katalkotl." job,stor "I am a sspeaker of memories. Assk me and you will hear many interessting sstoriess." Prof. Rafkin reaches out to touch the reptile, but his hand goes clean through it. "I thought it looked a little translucent... this is amazing, my boy! This is no physical object at all, but some sort of projected image!" "Yess, it is true. I am a memory and a sspeaker of sstories." "I have had little opportunity to tell my sstories since the Kotl left. The only @sstranger here will not lissten to me." "I know sstoriess about the @Kotl, the @Myrmidex, @humans, and the real @Katalkotl." trib "I am the image of @Katalkotl, who was of the Kotl race." kata "Katalkotl was a member of the Kotl race in the disstant passt. He was a great explorer." "When the Myrmidex rebelled against the Kotl and fled, the Kotl needed new sservantss. Katalkotl led a force of Kotl out into the world to find those sservantss." "Katalkotl wandered the world, visiting many human tribes. He perssuaded many to come back to the city of the Kotl and serve the Kotl." "For bringing a new generation of sservantss to the Kotl, the Kotl honored Katalkotl by placing his image here, for all time. I am that image." sstr,stra,spec "There iss a human here in the city. He walkss by and ignoress me. He has sspoken to me very little. He doess not believe what I ssay." "His name is Spector." kotl "Would you care to hear the hisstory of the Kotl?" gene,powe "The city is powered by mystical generator crystals which draw their power from the black sstone." "They are really quite beautiful. Would you like to see them?" myrm "The Myrmidex were bred from antss. The Kotl thought that the Myrmidex might inherit the industriouss nature of the antss. But the Myrmidex also inherited the warlike nature of the antss." "The Myrmidex left the Kotl city, taking with them the giant black sstone which @powerss the city. The city continuess to draw power from the sstone, though it is far away." "The Myrmidex came back centuriess later, and killed mosst or all of the Kotl." huma "The humanss were brought here from many different tribess from the outer world." "The Kotl created a language from all their languages and taught it to all the humanss, for the Kotl tongue cannot be sspoken by human throatss. The created language is that which I sspeak now." "But the humanss were independent of heart, and chose to esscape into the upper world. I do not know what became of them. This was centuriess ago." "The Kotl were left behind with only their @automatonss as sservants... until the @Myrmidex came back." auto "The automatonss are like sstatues... but made to walk and talk through a mysstic power." "I see there is one with you now, my old friend Yunapotli." "It is true, Kat-al-kot-l. I ac-com-pa-ny these no-ble souls a-round the ci-ty." "It is good that you found Yunapotli. He is the besst and the most intelligent of the automatonss." "There is an automaton called Yunapotli, made of gold. He iss clever and helpful. The otherss are ssilver, and not so bright. They may attack you as intruderss." bye "Goodbye. You are welcome to return anytime." "Nothing of $Z is in my memory." yn "Then I will not sspeak it." yn "Perhapss you will visit them later, then." "Near where you entered the city, there is a cluster of transportation plates. Step onto the south central plate." "You will find yourself in the southern portion of the city. Walk east and then south as far as you can." "Move east until you can enter the complex corridors where the @humans used to live. Work your way north through the hallways as far as you can." "It can be confusing... you may find it easiest to ssimply follow the left wall." "Move wesst until you find a transportation plate. Step onto the plate. You will find the generator chamber to the east." "The Kotl built this city. Unlike you, they were desscended of reptilian ancesstorss. They looked much like me." "From their earliesst timess, they were in possession of a huge black sstone. Their mysstics learned to draw powerss from the sstone." "With those powerss, they built this city, and lit it, and made the automatonss to sserve them." "They could not power enough automatonss to sserve them, so they ssought to breed a race of sservants. This ressulted in the Myrmidex." "The Myrmidex left and took the black sstone with them, but the city sstill had power, drawing it from the sstone at a great distance." "The Kotl needed new sservantss, so they ssent out the hero Katalkotl into the outer world. Katalkotl brought back many humanss to be sservants." "The humanss, too, left the Kotl city. And the Myrmidex came back to kill and desstroy." "The Myrmidex killed and killed. Perhapss some Kotl ssurvived to esscape; I do not know. The Myrmidex left, and the city clossed up behind them. Sso hass it been until the sstrangers came -- you, and the other @sstranger."

Kipotli
a hulking, brutish copper-skinned man. "You. You. I wish to speak to you. Do not turn away. I am a prisoner here. You are an intruder here. We have something in common. Both ignore the laws of Huitlapacti and Zipactriotl. What do you want?" "You again! You did not free me. You SHOULD NOT have betrayed me!" "Guards! Guards! Guards!" He shrieks at the top of his lungs. name "I am Kipotli. Kipotli the Fierce. Kipotli the Red. Kipotli the Slayer. Kipotli the Untamed." Jimmy whispers in your ear: "Kipotli the Redundant." Kipotli snarls. "What does he say?" kipo,red,slay,unta "Bow when you speak my name!" job "I am a warrior. I slay the savages. I slay the giant lizards. I slay Nahuatla officers. I slay anyone. But now I am a @prisoner. So is

Oaxtepac
trib "I am of the Nahuatla." pris "They told me that I should stop killing my own officers. I told them, 'Nobody tells me that!' and killed THEM." "Then more came and said, 'Why did you do this?' And I said, 'I don't answer questions!' and killed THEM." "Then more came, with nets, and I couldn't kill all of them. So I am here. But now you are here, you will have to @free me." no "Don't say 'No' to me. I might have to kill you, too. Instead, you should @free me." free "Yes, free me. I will @join you. I will kill all your enemies, and mine too. Just leave the door open. I'll be your friend forever. Yes, yes. Will you free me?" oaxt,sham "Oaxtepac, the Shaman? Yes, he is here, near me. Behind a solid door, a door with no window. You don't want him. He is weak." join "Join!? With one so pathetic as you? I only said that to get you to set me free. You must pay for your arrogance! Kipotli will kill everyone!" bye "No, you can't go away. You must free me. You must tell me now whether you will free me. If you do not, I will call the guards. I can scream so loudly they will hear me, and come. Now, will you free me or not?" "I do not care about that. I want you to @free me." yn "Good! Just slide the door bolt. Yes, yes." "No? No? Then I cannot kill you myself. I suppose I will just have to watch the guards doing it." He begins screaming at the top of his lungs. "Guards! Guards!" yn "Good. Open the door. Hurry up." He steps back, feverish anticipation in his eyes. He flushes very red, very angry. "Then I do not get to kill you myself. But the guards will." He begins screaming: "Guards! Guards!"

Ksssindra
a stooped, aged female reptile with cunning eyes. "Sssoo. Ssstrange huuman here, beloonging to no tribe. Mussst be cautiousss.& "Sssoo. Ssstrange warrior <Player Name> isss here again.& name,ksss "Ksssindra is name.& job "Ksssindra haas no tasssks now. Ksssindra wasss once traaveler and waarrior. Tooo oold now. @Teachesss young oness.& trib "Ksssindra is of Sssakkhra tribe. We aare fiercer than liizard, smaarter than huuman.& teac "Yeeesss. Ksssindra teachesss. Shoows young oness @landmarkss of the Sssakkhra. Teells of @legendss.& land "Maaany landmarksss for young Sssakkhra to learn. @Medicine trees, @Mesas.& lege "Maaany legends for young Sssakkhra to learn. @City under the earth is one.& blue,ston,rock "Yeeess. In Sssakkhra caves is big blue rock. Sssakkhra hit it with hammer, make sssmall blue rocks. Maake jewelry of sssmall blue rocks.& medi "Green fruit grows on trees in north part of this valley. Many would travel to them, before the @Thunderer caame.& city "Leegend say that Sakkhra once liived uunder ground, in huuge ciity. Near great @mesa. Lossst now.& mesa "Three mesas in thiis land. Great mesa and small mesa nearesst Sakkhra caves. No oone lives on theese mesas. Barrab mesa farther aaway. @Barrab tribe lives on.& thun "Thunderer. Biig lizard. Ksssindra hass heard that <Player Name> hasss killed the Thunderer. Thiss is goood.& Eats Sssakkhra who go near.& barr "Huumans, like you. Liive on eassternmosst @mesa.& bye The lizard nods and turns away from you. "Ksssindra not understandss.&

Larrifin
a balding, curly-haired, wild-eyed shaman. "What? What?& He's sawing two sticks together and doesn't look as though he wants to be interrupted. "What? What?& He's still sawing his two sticks together. name "Who is asking?& he sneers. "Tell our visitor your name, or Chafblum will hit you so hard your hair will be straight.& "Oh. That is different. I am Larrifin.& larr "WHAT?!& job "Larrifin is shaman of whole tribe. Larrifin is famous @healer.& bell,nois He nods sagely. "Yes, Larrifin agrees.& The shaman hands you a large copper bell, rather like a cow-bell. "Good luck!& "You've still got too much stuff!& plac,jug "Talk to chief about that.& The shaman hands you two large jugs of plachta. "You've still got too much stuff!& trib "This is Disquiqui tribe. Happiest tribe.& stic "You like sticks? @Tuomaxx make sticks.& tuom "Echo?& echo "Echo!& heal "Yes, Larrifin is great healer.& He looks nervous. "Uh... does one here need healing?& bye "Good idea. You make distraction and Larrifin will escape.& He nods sagely. "Yes, Larrifin agrees.& yn "Oh.& He looks uncomfortable. "Then Larrifin must heal.& He puts down his sticks. He pats around his fur garments, then brightens up. "Larrifin does not have his spirit-tokens! Cannot heal. Sorry.& "Larrifin does not even know how to heal! Larrifin is rotten shaman.& "Liar! That woman was withered crone until Larrifin healed her.& "Larrifin has that backwards. Larrifin gets his hands on a woman, she turns into a withered crone.& "Oooh, she will be sorry the next time she has a splinter. No one can take out a splinter as Larrifin can.& He breathes a sigh of relief. "Good.&

Lerei
a clear-eyed, amused-looking native woman. "Ah, it is a strange warrior. What would a real warrior want among the Disquiqui?& She gives you a long, curious look. "Ah. Against all sense, <Player Name> has returned to the Disquiqui.& name,lere "Lerei. Often called Lerei-of-not-enough-Plachta.& job,pris "Lerei is in charge of feeding the prisoners. It is usually very easy, for our warriors are not good enough to capture anyone. But now Lerei must work, for we have a prisoner.& "In fact, there he is. Hello, Jimmy.& "Hello, doll. You're a rotten cook.& "Lerei has never been in charge of a prisoner before! How did Jimmy get out?& "<Player Name> here staged a jailbreak. I'm escaping, see. Care to come along?& "Maybe if it were just <Player Name>. But if Jimmy is going along, Lerei will stay here.& "His name is Jimmy. He is in one of the huts.& She waves distractedly in the direction of the village hut. trib She looks around, incredulous. "Can you imagine that Lerei would stay here if she were not one of the Disquiqui?& stir,fry,parr "Stir-fried chocolate-chameleon-and-parrot? It's my speciality!& bye "Good choice. Better anywhere than Disquiqui village.& "Lerei doesn't understand $Z.&

Moctapotl
a hard-eyed man in Aztec-like clothes. "Beware, stranger, if you mean me harm. I am a mighty @fighter.& "I am pleased to see the warrior <Player Name>, who restored me to my throne.& "It is <Player Name>, who has promised to set me on my throne again. Yet here I am, still an exile among the Disquiqui.& "Ah. It is the strange warrior from beyond. I greet you in peace.& name,moct "My name is Moctapotl.& job,king "I am the true king of the Nahuatla.& "For a time, I was merely an exile... but with your help, I have become king once again.& He gestures around himself. "This does not seem much like the trappings of a king, I admit. I am in @exile.& trib "I belong to the @Nahuatla race, far more civilized than all the @others in the valley.& figh "I am a fighter of fame and prowess. I have fought the warlike Yolaru and Kurak @tribes and the deadly @Myrmidex.& exil "I am no longer an exile, thanks to you.& "My cousin by marriage, Huitlapacti, has usurped my throne. He was made invulnerable to harm by a most foreign shaman, whose name is @Zipactriotl.& zipa "Zipactriotl came from nowhere, surrounded by a glow which no weapon could pierce. He gave a similar glow to @Huitlapacti, and suddenly no warrior... not even I... could harm Huitlapacti.& "Between them, Zipactriotl and Huitlapacti captured the old shaman @Oaxtepac, and nearly captured me. I escaped.& "Fortunately, those dark days are over.& "And so I stay here, among the Disquiqui, and hope to find some way of regaining my throne.& huit "Huitlapacti was a madman. How fortunate that he is dead.& "Huitlapacti is a madman. He kills and kills. And there is nothing I or anyone can do to stop him.& oaxt "Oaxtepac is shaman of the Nahuatla.& "Oaxtepac was shaman in the city, but Zipactriotl imprisoned him.& "I suspect that Oaxtepac knows something of Zipactriotl's origin and powers. Oaxtepac started to say something about that before he was captured and I was forced to flee.& tlap "Tlapatla is my cousin. Unfortunate for her that she was married to that madman Huitlapacti.& "... but fortunate for her that you came to depose Huitlapacti and separate him from his life.& myrm "The Myrmidex. Yes, they are fierce.& "We have spoken on them in the past, and I have already agreed to help you against them.& "We have spoken on them in the past, and I have agreed to help you against them... once Huitlapacti is cast down, and I am once again on the throne of Tichticatl.& "No single tribe can stand against them... and no one, not even I, can seem to @unite the tribes against them.& othe "There are many other tribes in the valley. @Barrab, @Disquiqui, @Haakur, @Jukari, @Kurak, @Pindiro, @Sakkhra, @Yolaru, and @Urali. Which do you wish to learn of?& kura "The Kurak are good fighters. They live to the northwest." yola "Dark-skinned, fierce fighters, the Yolaru live north of Tichticatl.& disq "The Disquiqui tribe is in the lowlands to the west of Tichticatl. They are a merry tribe, but nearly worthless in war.& With a sigh, he gestures around him. "These foolish people are the Disquiqui. They have been kind enough to shelter me during my exile.& barr "Out to the west, through a narrow defile, are the Barrab, dwellers in the clouds -- atop a high mesa.& sakk "To the far west, near the Barrab, are the Sakkhra. They are reptile men, and fierce fighters.& juka "Southeast, in the land of the volcanoes, are the Jukari, who are stupid enough to live among the mountains that spit lava.& haak "Ugly and slow, but very strong. The Haakur live to the southeast, near the Jukari.& pind,bara,nort "North, in the distance, are the Pindiro and the Barako. I do not know much of them.& ural "Somewhere east are the Urali. I do not know where they live. For centuries, they have kept themselves apart.& "Recently, a new chief has sent them out against the Nahuatla; they may turn out to be a worthwhile enemy.& nahu,tich "I am of the Nahuatla people. Our city is called Tichticatl. It is a great city, all made of stone.& unit,ally,alli "I have already agreed to aid you when you bring the tribes together. This is the debt I owe you. This, and nothing more.& "I have already agreed to aid you when you bring the tribes together... provided you managed to cast down Huitlapacti, who has usurped my throne.& bye "Goodbye, friend <Player Name>.& "Goodbye. May the spirits protect you.& "I know nothing about that.& "You wish to try to unite the tribes? I, Moctapotl, do not think even I could do it.& He gives you a long, appraising look. "Perhaps you might succeed where others could not. You are strange, alien. The lesser tribes might not suspect you of favoring one tribe above others, as any other chief would.& "Very well. I owe you much for killing Huitlapacti; you served to restore me to my throne. When you choose to bring the tribes together, I will be there, with my warriors.& "But be sure the enemy is worthy of me!& "I would be willing to help you. But I am not in command of my own warriors! Huitlapacti is.& "@Huitlapacti is protected by a magical glow given him by @Zipactriotl... and while he possesses it, I cannot defeat him.& "If you can deprive him of his glow, and then drive Huitlapacti from the city, I will gladly aid you in your mission to unite the tribes.& Jimmy whips out his notebook. "Now we're meddling in foreign politics. You know, boss, you ought to be working for the government. But I've got it written down in my @notebook.& Jimmy speaks up. "Tell you what, boss. It could be that we're going to have a lot of these little chores ahead of us. I'll note down what each chief wants.& "Any time you want to check out what we've got in store for us, ask me about my @notebook. It never forgets.&

Mosagann
a lean, elegant man wearing shamanistic paints. He appears to be chanting to himself and counting on his fingers, but it's hard to tell. He gives you a quick look, obviously hoping that you'll go away, and tries to ignore you. "Mosagann is still busy, <Player Name>.& name,mosa "Mosagann is my name. Do not interrupt.& job "Shaman. Father of @Sahree. Go away. Very busy now.& busy "Yes, very busy.& trade "No, too busy to trade now.& yola,trib "Yolaru tribe.& He nods quickly. "We are Yolaru. Go find someone else to talk to.& sahr His face breaks into a smile and he stops his chanting and counting. "Yes, Sahree is my daughter. Sahree is a fine she-warrior. A better warrior than the men of the Yolaru.& "Sahree is beautiful and clever as her mother, as busy as her father.& He taps his chest, indicating himself. "Busy.& A thought occurs to him. He begins to look distracted again. "Go away. Mosagann is busy.& apat,chie "Apaton. Chief of the Yolaru. Go speak to Apaton.& bye "Speak to Mosagann again when you have less time.& He sighs and ignores you.

Nakai
a thin, frail-looking youth. The boy just lies there and moans piteously. "You may speak to Nakai. Nakai is to be chief someday but @Father says Nakai must be humble anyway.& "This one is told that it is <Player Name> who made him well. <Player Name> has Nakai's thanks.& "It is <Player Name>, who made Nakai well! Ask anything of Nakai. Nakai is to be @chief someday, so Nakai knows a lot.& name,naka "This one is Nakai, son of @Balakai.& He indicates himself. "Nakai has a @sister, Nakola.& job "This one is to be Chief of the Barrab, when he is of age. So this one trains in weapons and with the words of wisdom of his @ancestors.& ance "<Player Name> knows of ancestors. Long-dead parents of parents, and aunts and uncles of parents, and THEIR parents and aunts and uncles, back to the beginning of time.& blue,ston "Nakai's father @Balakai knows all about blue stones. <Player Name> will have to ask him.& thun "The Thunderer is what the @Sakkhra call a giant lizard which is eating them up.& sakk "The Sakkhra are man-shaped lizards. They look fierce but they are much like people. Nakai used to play with a Sakkhra hatchling when Nakai was a boy.& "The Sakkhra now have problems with a lizard, the @Thunderer.& bala,fath,sham,chie "Balakai is Nakai's father. He is so wise that he is not only the chief of the Barrab, he is their shaman, too. Nakai doesn't want to be shaman. Too much to learn.& tuom,drum "Nakai once met a @Disquiqui man named Tuomaxx. He made drums. He was strange. Balakai made him go away. Ask @Balakai about him.& nawl "Nakai knows all about Nawl. Nawl is such a big liar. Nakai's little @sister Nakola beat him up once. If <Player Name> ever sees Nawl, ask him about Nakola.& trib,barr "Nakai does not know about many tribes. We are the Barrab, who live atop the mesa.& "West are the @Sakkhra, who are very interesting.& "East, through a gap in the cliffs, <Player Name> will find many other tribes.& "Nakai has met several of the @Disquiqui, including @Tuomaxx.& disq "They live just beyond the gap in the cliffs to the east. Go through the gap and turn north, and you will find them. They are very friendly.& "They are not very fierce. Nakai can defeat their mightiest warrior. So can his @sister.& litt,sis "Nakai has a little sister, her name is Nakola. She is hiding because <Player Name> is a stranger. Nakai does not think she will come out while <Player Name> is here.& "She used to like to leap out from behind trees at Disquiqui warriors, and scare them. But our father told her to stop. She also beat up a warrior named @Nawl once.& bye "Oh. Nakai is sorry <Player Name> must go. Come back and we will talk more. Nakai must learn all there is if Nakai is to be chief someday.& "<Player Name> will have to ask @Balakai about that.&

Nawl
a slender, balding, intent tribesman. "I know you, or one like you. You are a warrior of the @Haakur, are you not?& yn "I knew it. I can always tell one of the @Haakur, even when they conceal their true natures.& He sighs. "If you wish to pretend, I will not stop you, my @Haakur friend. But you must know your disguise is a poor one. What do you want?& "Ah! It is my @Haakur friend again. I am glad you have returned. I have so much to tell you. Ask me anything.& name "I am Nawl of the @Barrab tribe. I am the most clever warrior of the most clever tribe. My cunning is legendary. I know everything. And I never boast.& nawl "Yes, I am Nawl.& job "My duty is to wander the land and learn all there is to learn. There is not one corner of these valleys I have not seen, not one cave I have not visited, not one @enemy I have not defeated.& haak "Haakur? I need not tell YOU of the Haakur. You need not pretend you are not one of that tribe. You cannot fool the cunning Nawl. Do not try.& barr "Yes, the cunning Nawl is of the Barrab tribe, the greatest tribe of all. We are more mighty, more clever than all other men.& blue,ston "The mighty Barrab tribe has the only blue stone in all the land. It is that stone which makes us the greatest tribe.& "Not that we would be any less great without it. Ask the chieftain, @Balakai, about the blue stone.& bala "Yes, Balakai. He is the shaman and chief of the Barrab, the greatest tribe. He is the master of the @blue stone.& "In the land of the three mesas you will find him, for he and the rest of the Barrabs live atop one of the mesas.& "I am not allowed -- er, I do not visit there often, I cannot show you the way.& enem "You speak to the greatest warrior ever born. The cunning Nawl HAS no enemies. I have conquered or enslaved them all.& myrm "The Myrmidex? I know them. I lived among them for many years. A kindly race of dull-wits. I almost married their princess. I seem to remember they are very homely.& feat,nahu "I know them well, the Nahuatla." "They... uh... when a warrior knows so much he sometimes is slow to remember it all..." "They are the warriors with the feathers on their heads.& nako "Nakola?& His eyes stand out from their sockets. "Is that she-demon here? Oh, no! I said her name! Perhaps she heard me! I must flee!& wet,ural "I don't know about that. No, that is not true, the cunning Nawl knows all. They're the Urali. They're the moist warriors from the swamps, are they not? Yes.& trib "Yes, there are many tribes in this land other than the mighty @Barrab." "There are... uh... those who have all the @feathers, and the ones with the sandals, and the ones where it's @wet. And even more than that. I have met them all. I know everything.& unit,ally,alli "You wish to unite the mighty Barrab tribe with those lesser races? Hah!& He thinks about it for a long moment. "In truth, that decision is for the chieftain of the @Barrab to make. His name is @Balakai. Please do not tell him that the cunning Nawl said 'Hah.' Though I have no fear of him, or of you either.& bara,disq,juka,kura,pind,sakk,yola "I've heard of them. I mean, er, the mighty Nawl lived among them for a long time. Nawl could have been their chief. They are one of those other tribes, yes?& bye "So, you have learned all you can understand from the cunning Nawl? Return to me sometime when you feel you can learn more!& "The cunning Nawl knows all about that. But I will tell you nothing. You could not possibly understand it.&

Oaxtepac
an elderly man in rich Aztec-like garments. He looks at you narrowly. "You are not @Nahuatla, nor of the other tribes in the Valley of Eodon. What do you wish of me, outsider?" He looks at you narrowly. "You are not @Nahuatla, nor of the other tribes in the Valley of Eodon. And if you have broken down my prison door, you are certainly no friend of Huitlapacti and Zipactriotl." "What do you wish of me?" "It is my friend <Player Name>! I am glad to see you again. How may I help you?" "It is my friend and rescuer, <Player Name>! I am glad to see you again. As you can see, I have kept out of sight of the guards here and remain free. How may I help you?" name,oaxt "I am Oaxtepac." He pronounces it WASH-tuh-pack. job "Now that the evil mage Zipactriotl has vanished, I am once again the shaman to the @Nahuatla. I interpret the will of the spirits, advising the king." "I am... I WAS... shaman to the @Nahuatla. It is I who interpreted the will of the spirits, and related their wishes to the Nahuatla. I was deposed by the spirit-mage @Zipactriotl, when my king @Moctapotl was banished." nahu "The people here are called the Nahuatla, and have been since our most ancient memories. Once, we dwelled far, far away." "Mighty @beings brought us to the valley of Eodon to be their servants, in their hidden @city. Our ancestors rebelled and slew their masters, then built Tichticatl." moct "Moctapotl is the true king of the @Nahuatla. He is a stern but just king." "He sits upon his rightful throne once again." "He does not have the strength to defeat the magic that protects @Zipactriotl and @Huitlapacti; perhaps no man does. He is now an exile, eluding the soldiers who hunt him." bein,migh "We and the other tribes of the Valley of Eodon were brought here by mighty beings. The legends say different things about them." "Some say they were the spirits of the valley. Some say they were like the Sakkhra, but wise. Some say they were the great, thundering lizards of the valley, in a time when they had the wisdom of men and much greater power than men." vall,eodo "We are in the Valley of Eodon. We may never leave; the cliffs are too high to scale." tich "This is Tichticatl, the home of the @Nahuatla. It is a town built of stone, the only one in the Valley of Eodon; this is proof that the Nahuatla are a greater race than all the other, savage tribes of the valley." myrm "The Myrmidex are evil beings, like ants grown to the size of men. They kill and carry off our people. We fight them and fight them, but they always come." "I think that if all men in the Valley, both the great @Nahuatla and the lesser tribes, were to @unite against the Myrmidex, we could beat them. But it has never happened." huit "He was briefly king of the @Nahuatla. When the the glow of power that protected him vanished, the people realized he was no longer immortal, and tore him apart like a pack of dogs. Praise be the spirits, he will torment us no more." "He is the new king of the @Nahuatla; he deposed the old king, @Moctapotl. He is cruel and horrid." join "I am honored that you would ask this of me, but I can not join you. My duties are here, among my people." trib "The other tribes, the lesser tribes, are these:" "There are the Kurak, Yolaru, and Disquiqui, who live near us. The Kurak and Yolaru are savage but noble, while the Disquiqui are mostly wastrels." "Far to the north are the Pindiro and Barako, who live in the plains. Far to the southwest are the Barrab, who live atop a tall mesa, while southeast are the Jukari, who live near the volcanoes." "Somewhere to the east, we do not know where, live the Urali. They ride mighty lizards and, recently, they raid us like the Myrmidex." "Then there are two races which are not truly like men. The Haakur, far southeast, are nearly men, but bent and brutish. The Sakkhra, far southwest, are lizards who walk like men; they are not men at all." juka "The Jukari are a primitive tribe. They live in a wild land southeast of Tichticatl. Leave our city and travel southeast along the path. You will travel through a narrow passage. Keep to the western cliffs and you will find the Jukari." barr "The Barrab live a long distance to the west, on a great mesa." unit,ally,alli "I truly think it would be possible to unite the tribes against the Myrmidex. But it would take a very great hero, and he would have to persuade each tribal chief to help him." zipa,glow,powe "Zipactriotl has dissapeared, and with him the glow of power from around @Huitalpacti." "I was until recently the shaman in the king's palace. But not long ago, the being called Zipactriotl came. He was protected by a glow of great power. No dagger, spear or arrow would penetrate it." "He cowed the nobles and warriors, and said that the spirits had sent him to command them. I argued against him. He persuaded many fickle warriors to rise up against me and the king, @Moctapotl." "@Moctapotl is swift, and escaped. I am old and slow, and I was captured, as you can see." unde,city,hidd "Yes. As the story goes, the mighty beings which brought the Nahuatla to the Valley of Eodon had a hidden city near the land of the mesas. They brought us there to be their servants." "Then the Nahuatla rebelled and left the city. Left without servants, the mighty beings decided eventually to abandon it. They left it, they closed it, but they left a key behind in case they should ever want to occupy it again." "Do you want to know what the legends say of finding the city?" head "You speak of the head of the golden statue of a man, yes? I believe it was a @Barrab tribesman who I found it on. It was in my possession for many years... until Zipactriotl came." "I showed it to Zipactriotl's servant, a man named @Fritaz. He grew excited and told his master about it." "I imagine that Zipactriotl has it now, either in the treasury or in his quarters in the palace. They were once my quarters." frit "Yes, Fritaz, a strange and difficult name. Zipactriotl drove him away in a fit of madness. I do not know where he has gone." gian,gem "The giant gem was once in the treasury of the Nahuatla. I would gladly give it to you now, if only I had it. It was stolen away by the Urali, not long ago." bye "May the spirits travel with you, great <Player Name>." "Fare well, <Player Name>. Return here if you ever have another request of me." "That is something of which I know nothing." yn "To find the city, you must go to the land of the mesas, which is southwest of Tichticatl, beyond a narrow pass." "There, you will find three mesas. One is very small. One is larger, and the village of the Barrab is atop it. The last is very large. You must go to the top of the largest mesa." "There, on a promontory on the north of the mesa, you will find a remnant of the beings who built the city. It is a device, a sculpture... I know not what. In that device, you must place a @giant gem, and then wait for many hours." "At a certain time of day, the sunlight will strike the @giant gem and reveal the location of the hidden city. Or so the legend has it." "There is more. The legend says that a strange man guards the entrance to the city, a man made of solid gold!" "I was certain that this must have been another legend, until one day many years ago when I found the @head of such a man in the possession of a captured tribesman. It appears to have been pulled from a golden statue. If the golden man was real, perhaps the city is real." "Well, perhaps it IS only a legend." "Yes, Oaxtepac, Darden the Huge stole the gem from the Nahuatla. Darden gave it to me, trying to buy my love. Darden did not know Aiela could never love such a cruel man." "I see. Please, keep the gem. I have no use for it." "Did not Aiela have a gem much like that, <Player Name>? Perhaps Darden gave it to her while she was imprisoned?" "Should you ever find the gem, please keep it. I have no use for it, now."

Pever
a strong-looking warrior with a lost look in his eyes. "Pever doesn't know you.& "Pever still doesn't know you.& name "Pever doesn't know his name.& Aiela speaks up, her voice sad. "Aiela has heard of the great Pever. Pever and Dokray of the Pindiro were great friends. They sought out and hunted Myrmidex.& "One time, Pever was hurt by the Myrmidex. Pever's mind is not his any more. Pever has not wit enough to be a warrior or to hunt the Myrmidex.& "Aiela has heard that Pever does not wish to be reminded of the @Myrmidex.& Dokray leans over and speaks, his tone sad: "Pever was once a great warrior of the Jukari. One day, he and Dokray went out to kill some Myrmidex.& "Pever was injured in the head. Pever did not come back whole. Please, do not speak to Pever of the @Myrmidex.& Triolo speaks up: "Pever was once the greatest warrior of the Jukari. The songs speak of Pever and his friend Dokray fighting the Myrmidex. Pever's mind was taken by the @Myrmidex.& peve He looks at you, obviously quite puzzled. job "Pever has important task. Pever must...& His eyes wander a bit. "Pever does not remember.& myrm "Myrmidex. Myrmidex? MYRMIDEX!& His eyes grow wide. "Pever hates Myrmidex! Pever kills Myrmidex!& His eyes roll around and then focus on you. "Pever sees a Myrmidex!& bye "Talk to Pever later. Soon?& Dokray nods. "Soon, Pever.& Tears fill his eyes as he turns to follow you. "Slay Myrmidex for Pever, Dokray.& "Talk to Pever later. Soon?& "Pever used to fight $Z. Pever has killed many $Z.&

Sahree
a beautiful warrior-woman with a bold look in her eye. "Sahree sees <Player Name>, rescuer of @Aiela." She looks very distressed. "Aiela is Sahree's best friend. Often did Aiela join Sahree in exploring, talking, and making trouble." "But Sahree has not seen Aiela for many days. Something bad may have happened to Aiela." "When Sahree was sneaki..." she blushes, then corrects herself. "When Sahree was near the @Kurak village, she heard the warriors there say @Aiela had been captured by Darden the Huge, from the @Urali tribe." "Sahree has searched for the Urali, but their village is hidden... but it must be somewhere to the southeast of the Yolaru village." "Spirits' blessings on <Player Name>." "It is the from-far-away warrior they call <Player Name>. The @Kuraks speak of <Player Name>. What does <Player Name> wish?" She doesn't seem to see Aiela at all. "Sahree ignores Aiela when there is a handsome warrior around? It is to be expected." The woman grins broadly. "Sahree was just comparing the from-far-away warrior to the tales told of him. Spirits' blessings on @Aiela, too." name,sahr "Sahree is my name, Sahree daughter of @Mosagann." job "Sahree chooses to make trouble wherever there is trouble to be made." Aiela nods reflectively. "Sahree is the best bringer of trouble there is. The spirits stand in awe before her." "Where men say that women should not take up the spear and the bow, Sahree goes and demonstrates warrior's prowess." "Where a bad chief stands in pretended dignity, Sahree hides in the trees and hurls spoor at him." "These are the things Sahree does." trib "Sahree is of the Yolaru tribe, great hunters. Our fiercest enemies are the @Kuraks. But Sahree's greatest @friend is of the Kuraks." yola "Sahree is of the Yolaru tribe." mosa "Mosagann, Sahree's father is shaman of the Yolaru tribe." ural "<Player Name> must know of the Urali already, for did he not rescue Sahree's good friend @Aiela from them?" She looks quite angry. "The Urali are no friend of Sahree, for they have captured Sahree's companion in trouble-making, @Aiela." "Sahree does not know where their tribe is, or she would go there and make trouble for them." kura "Kuraks live to the west of the Yolaru. Good warriors. Yolaru fight them all the time. Too often: If we fought the @Myrmidex as often as each other, more Myrmidex would be dead." mous,sher She makes a small squeaking sound, then coughs politely. "Sahree has a small cold," she explains." frie,aiel "Sahree's best friend is Aiela of the @Kurak tribe. But now Aiela is missing. Darden the Huge of the @Urali tribe has captured her." Sahree and Aiela get into trouble together all the time." Aiela speaks up, sweetly: "Sahree had best keep her stories to herself. Aiela has stories, too." "... but Sahree would never tell of any of these troubles. Never, never." myrm "Myrmidex are evil ant-things. They live west of the Kurak village. They raid against the people all the time. Kill and eat, kill and eat. @Aiela and Sahree wish to @unite tribes against them." trou "Sahree must not talk of trouble. Such things are between Sahree and @Aiela." rafk,schw "Sahree knows that name. There is one whose true name is Rafkin who acts as the schweitzer of the Yolaru tribe." unit,ally,alli "The tribes cannot stand singly before the @Myrmidex. They must unite. Sahree knows this. @Aiela knows this. But Sahree and Aiela cannot persuade their chiefs of this." "There is a legend of one warrior who united the tribes in the past. Has <Player Name> heard this story, of Oloro?" olor "There is a legend of one warrior who united the tribes in the past. Has <Player Name> heard this story, of Oloro?" drum,hill "The hill of the drum is northwest of the stone village of the @Nahuatla people. It is a small hill." nahu "The Nahuatla are a people who build all in stone. Their stone village is southwest of the Yolaru village." join "No, Sahree has plenty to do already." bye "Spirits protect you, <Player Name>." She shakes her head, not understanding. yn "Good. If only the tribes had an Oloro now, the evil of the @Myrmidex might end." "Once in the past, the lizards of the jungle became too numerous and fierce, and all tribes were in danger. All men might have been eaten and destroyed." "Yet they would never fight as brothers; when they did not fight the lizards, they fought one another, and even more good warriors died." "One warrior was Oloro-of-no-tribe. Oloro was an exile; Sahree thinks he must have been Yolaru once." "Oloro went from chief to chief and did a mighty service for each one. Each chief promised to unite with former enemies only if some great service were done, and Oloro went out and did that great service." "When each service was done, Oloro went to each chief and said, 'When the sound of the greatest drum there could ever be sounds through the jungle, come to that sound, and we will destroy the fierce lizards." "When all the services were done, he built a great drum on a small hill northwest of the Nahuatla stone village. It is still called @Hill of the Drum." "He beat the drum until all the chiefs and all the warriors assembled. And though there was anger between the warriors, they fought as brothers, and the lizards were killed." "Sahree thinks that a new Oloro could come and do the same, for all the warriors know the story of Oloro. If a great warrior could do a service for each chief, and then build Oloro's drum, the warriors might come." "But the chiefs do not listen to Sahree. Sahree cannot even try to do these great deeds when the chiefs will not listen to her."

Dr. Spector
a lean, dark-bearded man with shrewd eyes. Spector glares at you. "Oh, you're back. Why do you persist in coming here?" "You cannot hurt me or my mystic @generators. We are too well protected. Do yourself a favor and leave." Spector sighs and rolls his eyes. "Why, it's the ever-inquisitive <Player Name>. I take it you've come to annoy me again, like a sleepless child bothering his father for a glass of water." Spector's eyes fall on you and his jaw drops. "It's <Player Name>! However did you find my city?" He gapes at you for a moment. "Well, it won't do you any good. These @generators you see around you are protected by the same force @field that protects me. You can't hurt me, you can't hurt them." "<Player Name>! I'd heard rumors of you, that you and your friends were wandering through the valley... but I never dreamed that you'd find my @underground city." name "I am Dr. Johann Schleimann Spector." zipa "Yes, yes, Zipactriotl is how the Nahuatla know me." spec,joha He nods sagely. "Learn my name well." job He shakes his head. "I am beyond the concern of mere workaday professions. I am the world's only hope for a future @paradise. I am the future master of the @Myrmidex and @conquerer of the world." brin,peac,para,conq "You want to hear about my plan to bring @paradise to Earth?" 6" myrm "The Myrmidex are a race of ant-like creatures. They're the size of humans and even more ferocious." "They have mutated to human-like intelligence by the power of the black @stone in their possession... the same black stone which powers the mystic generators you see around you." kotl "I'm not sure what to make of the Kotl. They must have been a @tribe of men in ancient times, but in all their art they represent themselves as man-shaped lizards." glow,forc,fiel "I'm protected by a force field which is emitted by the @generators you see around you. These energies resonate with a @belt I've made from rare metals I found in this city." belt,meta "I wear the belt under my clothes. It also serves to hold my pants up." old "Do you mean the old king, @Moctapotl, or the old shaman, @Oaxtepac?" moct "Moctapotl was a fool. He wasn't willing to send his warriors all over the valley looking for clues to help me tap the power of the @Kotl generators. I deposed him. He managed to escape." "I put Huitlapacti on the throne to replace him." craz,insa,delu,luna,fool,dumb,stup,mani,mad,madm He snarls. "That's what Fritz said. He called me mad. I'll show you mad. Go ahead, poke around, look at everything you want. And when this city rises up to bite you, don't call me for help. I'll laugh as you die!" He turns his back on you and pretends not to hear what you say. plan "My plan for bringing @paradise to the Earth." oaxt "Oaxtepac was the shaman of the Nahuatla. I told him to say that the spirits commanded them to find the power-@stone of the Myrmidex, to seek out all sorts of clues." "He refused. So I locked him up in the great pyramid in the city of @Tichticatl." peop,nahu "The most civilized people in this valley are the Nahuatla. I think their ancestors were also ancestors of the Aztecs." "The other humans in this valley... they're hopeless. Too feral and disorganized to follow orders." king,huit "The new king of the @Nahuatla is Huitlapacti. Nobody wanted him to be king; all he wants to do is have people killed. If he weren't protected by my force @field, they'd rise up and kill him." ener,gene,powe "These generators you see in this room are mystic batteries. I don't quite understand how they work. They draw power from the far-away black @stone held by the Myrmidex." trib "There are many tribes out there. These Nahuatla are the most civilized of them. I haven't bothered learning the names of the others." "They seem to have been drawn from all over the Earth: Central America, Africa, Asia, lots of places. But they're disorganized and dangerous. Best to destroy or enslave them and get back to business." frit,hund,assi "Fritz von Hundlaben was my research assistant and bodyguard. Where did you hear about him? Never mind." He shakes his head. "Fritz was drawn along with me when I reached this valley. But as I began developing my plan for @conquering the Earth, he became... strange. Withdrawn." "He went insane... and convinced himself that I was mad, that my plan was mad. Poor fellow. He just disappeared one day. He's probably out in the jungle somewhere, eating rabbits raw and howling at the moon." no He stiffens. "You know," he says slowly, "in the city of Tichticatl, where I am the shaman, saying the word 'no' to me carries a penalty of death." He smiles thinly. "But I have no guards here. I cannot call for your execution." He reaches out and slaps you across the face. "There," he smiles. "That should hold you until you manage to kill yourself in your explorations of this city." blac,ston "I'm certain, from my calculations, that the Myrmidex are in possession of a great black stone such as the small ones which brought me to this valley. I have never seen it... but I'm certain they have it." "The generators in this room draw their power from it, and I've come to believe that a side-effect of the stone's power is causing an odd change in the flow of time within the valley." He shrugs, obviously unconcerned. "I'm certain that if I can bring that stone here, I can use it to implement my plans for bringing paradise to the Earth." city "Which city? @Tichticatl, or the @Underground city of the @Kotl, where you are now?" tich "Tichticatl is the city of the Nahuatla. It has many similarities to Maya and Aztec architecture. I'll have to study it at length, once I've @conquered the Earth." unde He gestures around him. "Fantastic, isn't it? This city was built by some forgotten people called the @Kotl." "They've left no record behind of their origin or accomplishments." His face twitches; he sounds rather as though he's lying. "They seem to have learned many secrets of mysticism and mystic power. This is another place I will have to study at length once I've @conquered the Earth." bye He smiles. "Of course. Go about your business. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay in the city." He laughs, then turns his attention elsewhere. "Don't bother me with irrelevancies." He takes a deep breath. "Several months ago, my assistant Fritz came to me with some interesting @stones he'd fished out of a meteor crater in Guatemala." "They were black, and pitted, as if exposed to some incredible heat in the distant past. And they pulsed with energy." "The energy eventually brought strange thoughts to my mind. I knew they were the key to a bright future era, if only I could learn to use the power." "I experimented with the @stones, trying to tap that power. One night, my experiments went awry... and Fritz and I suddenly appeared here." "I could feel the presence of the power of the @stones here, in the valley. But I needed manpower to find it." "Learning that there were dangerous humans in the valley, I experimented, and created my invincible force @field, initially drawing its power from the @stones that I brought along from Germany." "In the city of Tichticatl, I told them that I was a great being from elsewhere and that they had best obey me. The king and the shaman wouldn't, so I got rid of them." "With the aid of the warriors of the Nahuatla, I was able to find where the energy of the @stones was emanating from. One source was in the Myrmidex Caves, which I could not enter." "The other source was here, in this city of the @Kotl, these generators you see around you." "My idea is to use the city's automatons to enter the Myrmidex Caves and retrieve the black @stone which I know to be there. Then, I should be able to control the Myrmidex. Between them and the automatons, I'll have the most ferocious army ever known." "Then, utilizing the power of the @stone, I can open a gigantic rift and transport the entire @Underground City of the @Kotl... to Washington, D.C. Within hours, the United States will be under my command." "It's a simple matter to repeat the process a few more times. The Kremlin, Downing Street and Buckingham Palace, no citadel where rulers rest will be safe from me." He smiles, happy as a child. "I'll organize the world's population like the Myrmidex. The world will consist of human ants, every man and woman obedient, doing the job I assign him, building the world toward a happy tomorrow." "Anyway... That is the plan. What do you think?" yn "Then, why did you ask? Oh, never mind." He looks miffed.

Sysskarr
a sly but aged male of the reptile men. "Sssoo, you are <Player Name> we hear sssoo much offf. You traaavel, you quessst. Now you are in Sssakkhra lands. Whhhat want you heeere, eh?" name,syss "You ssspeak to Sysskarr, ssspawn of @Ssslisssith." job "Sysskarr wasss haaatched to be ruler of all @Ssakkhra, and Sysskarr will rule until he falls and wooorms take him." "Sysskarr iss alssso enemy of the @Thunderer." trib "We are Sssaakkhra, perfect race. Hiide like aarmor, jawws like death." "There are other triiibes. Nearby are @Barrab, live on top of mesa. Sssometimes we fight, sssometimes we ignore." "Further away, ooother races. Nahuatla with sstone knives and goold. @Disssquiqui by the river, drink and feassst all of time. Kuraaak in the foressst, sssneak around in trees." "Many more even fuurther away, we neever meet. Barako, Yolaaaru, uuugly Haakur, swaampy Urali, faar-away Jukari and Pindiro." "Last, there are @Myrmidex, fierce like ants." sssl "Ssslisssith was my sssire. Mighty waarior. Ssslew maany Barrab. Worms haave him now." worm "Worms taake everyone, wiith time. Why you sssit here and taalk of worms?" thun "Yesss, Thunderer. Miighty lizard, taall as mesa, sswift as river. When he waalks, earth ssshakes like thunder. When he roooars, sound breeaks boulders from cliffs and birds die of feeear." jim,malo "Sysskarr haass heard of one sssuch. @Dissquiqui haaave him, or uuused to have. Sssay he wearsss ssstrange hidesss, is too ssskinny to eeat." disq,diss "To find Disquiqui, taake path to foressst lands. Asss ssoon as in foressst, before reach Nahuatla city, turn north." myrm "We haate Myrmidex. We kill Myrmidex. They live faaar away, we know not wheere." sakk,ssak,sssa "We are Sssaakkhra, perfect race. Hiide like aarmor, jawws like death. Dessscendantsss of the @Kotl." unit,ally,alli "You have dessstroyed the Thunderer. Sysssskar will stand by <Player Name> when the @drum sounds to unite the tribes." "You aaalready know how to uuunite tribesss. Sysskarr has aaalready told you. Sakkhra will help you if you dessstroy @Thunderer." "You wisssh to unite tribes, in ssspite of aall odds? Make fffriends of enemies? Sssoo. Veeery well, Sysskarr will give you chaaaance." He leans forward, and his warm, dank breath washes over you as he begins speaking more quietly and conspiratorially: "We haave griefff, do we Sssaakkhra. North and easst of hheere, in ssecluded canyon, are plants that bear the green fruit." "Many, many generations, sssince time begins, we use this fruit. Good medicine for Sssaakkhra." "Not long ago, He comes. @Thunderer. Ssstrides into canyon, roooars like thunder-sstorm. With ravenous hunger, eatss Sssaakkhra who quest for the medicine of the green fruit." "You wisssh Sssaakkhra to help you with Myrrrmidex? Go and ssslay @Thunderer. Ressstore to Sssaakkhra a safe way to our ancesssstral grove. Do ssso, and our aid we give you." gree,frui,medi "Green fruit growsss only on the trees in the north part of thisss valley. Sssstrong medicine for the Ssakkhra. Does nothing for other triibes." kotl "Kotl. Name of our kind whheen we live in ciiity under ground. Have sssome @power which protectssss them." spec,glow,powe "Yesss, Sysskarr has heard of Zipactriotl aand glow which proteeects him and Azzztec king. Sssaakkhra tales ssspeak of glow. Our ancessstors from long, long ago had glow. They were called Kotl." "In aaancient times, ssstory says, Sssaakkhra ancestors, called Kotl, ruule all world, keep huumans as petss. Live in miighty city beneath earth. Have powerful glow, protectss them." "But @Myrmidexxx come and ssscatter them. We now live above grouund, in smaaall caves." "Leegend say, go to top of Great Mesa. Isss northeassst of usss. Find aaancient relic of thoose times. Wiill say where aaancient Sssaakkhra lived. Theere you may fffind sssecret of glow." lotu,flow "Yesss, there isss such a flower near heere. Go top of Greeeat Mesa, northeassst of us. There find floower." blue,ston "Blue sstone iss very nice. @Barrab shaman came to loook once. Ssstruck stone with hammer, made smaller blue stones." "Sysskarr did not care... isss much blue sstone." barr "Barrab live on tall mesa farther eassst. Whole villlage on top. Chief is called Balakai. @Balakai also shaman." bala "Balakai is tribe chief and ssshaman for Barrab. Fought him once, did Sysskarr, when Sysskarr very old and Balakai very young. Sysskar won. Sssurprised Balakai lived." drum bye "Yesss, go. Too much talk make Sysskarr weary." "Sysskarr knows noothing of thisss." "<Player Name>, you hhaave hhelped Sssakkhra already. Ssslew Thunderer, did you. Welcome are you hhere. Whhaat is your wisssh?" "Sysskarr is ssorry to ssee you returned, o mighty <Player Name>. Ffor Sysskarr knows your tasssk is yet not accomplisshed. @Thunderer ssstill lives. We hear his earth-ssshaking footssteps even in our sssleep. Why are you hheere?" "Sysskarr is hhaappy to see friend <Player Name> again. Our lassst talk wasss too ssssoon over. Whhhat will we ssspeak of today, oh <Player Name>." "Yesssss, Great Drum of huuumans. In aaancient past, huuumans live in peace, ssstory sssay. Every year, chiefs beat great drum and sssummon tribes for talk, dance." "Then war break out. Huuumans war on ssselves. Ssstupid huuumans." "You want to unite tribes? Mussst get help from all chiefss. Mussst also have sssomeone build new Great Drum on Drum Hill." "Drum Hill is near Nahuatla city, near where river ffaalls off cliff." "You need drum to unite humaaan tribes. You know ssstory of @drum?" yn "Gooood." Jimmy whips out his notebook. "Don't strain your brain to remember that, <Player Name>-old-pal. I'll just jot it down in my @notebook here." Jimmy speaks up. "Tell you what, boss. It could be that we're going to have a lot of these little chores ahead of us. I'll note down what each chief wants." "Any time you want to check out what we've got in store for us, ask me about my @notebook. It never forgets."

Tlapatla
an unhappy-looking woman wearing Aztec-like clothes. She looks at you wearily. "Oh, it's that <Player Name> again." She sighs. "Why have you returned? Nothing ever changes here. No, do not answer that. What do you want?" She looks at you suspiciously. "Stay back! Do you mean me harm?" yn She screams, "Guards! I am attacked! Your queen is attacked! Guards!" Then she faints. She relaxes, then looks disinterested. "Oh, very well. I am bored. I will talk with you." Her eyes are very wide. "It is you, <Player Name>. Somehow you and your friends are responsible for my husband's blue glow dissapearing. The people murdered him when that happened. A bloody deed, caused by your actions!" Abruptly, her expression changes to one of inexpressible relief and gratitude. "Thank you. You have the gratitude of the Queen of all the Nahuatla. Now I can live again, free from fear. What do you want of me?" The woman's eyes are very wide. "I heard the noise from elsewhere in the palace when the people killed Huitlapacti, my husband. I know you somehow made that that possible. Do you mean me harm, as well?" yn She begins shouting: "Guards! Murderers have found me! Guards!" A few moments pass. No guards come. She visibly shrinks. "It seems I am undefended. If you choose to kill me, I cannot stop you." "But perhaps I can persuade you not to. I know many things. I would prefer to be your ally, for I loathed my husband. Perhaps I know things you wish to know." She relaxes. "If you have helped to kill my husband, whom I have feared and loathed all these many years, and do not intend to kill me, then you are my friend. Ask of me what you will." "Ah, it is my friend <Player Name>. Welcome back to the palace of Tichticatl. What is your wish?" "I am a princess of the Nahuatla. This palace is my responsibility; I am in charge of the servants and their work." name "I am Tlapatla. My cousin is @Moctapotl, the king." My husband is Huitlapacti, and my cousin is @Moctapotl, the former king." tlap "Yes?" job "I am Queen of all the @Nahuatla. I used to be in charge of all the palace, back when I was a lowly princess, cousin of the king. But since my mad husband took the @throne, I am not allowed to do even that. I sit here, allowed to do nothing." zipa,spec She starts to speak and then notices that Johann Spector is among you! Her eyes narrow and her fists clench. But before she can speak... ... Johann addresses her. "I know you do not remember me fondly, oh Queen," he says. "I was responsible for much evil. But I was insane at the time. Today, I accompany <Player Name> in an effort to undo the damage I have done." Her fists relax, but she does not exactly turn friendly. "We will see," she hisses. "But stay well away of me when not in the company of your noble friends." "You want to know of Zipactriotl? He came, a stranger like yourself, from far away. He had magical powers to protect him from all harm." "He cast down my cousin, the wise king @Moctapotl, and imprisoned the good shaman @Oaxtepac. He is an evil man." sham "Do you mean the old shaman, @Oaxtepac, or the evil one who imprisoned him, @Zipactriotl?" mad,husb,huit "When I was young, I was married to Huitlapacti, a noble member of a noble family. But he became crueler as he grew older. Soon he could find his only pleasure in killing people and watching them killed." "Moctapotl was usually able to keep him locked away so that others would remain safe." "But when @Zipactriotl came, that evil shaman released him and persuaded many disloyal warriors to make Huitlapacti the king and Zipactriotl the new shaman." "@Zipactriotl gave Huitlapacti a belt which surrounds him with a glow... a glow so strong that no weapon could pierce it. He said he drew his power from a mysterious @hidden city." "But all that is in the past. You have slain Huitlapacti and his evil no longer blights the Nahuatla." "Now all the Nahuatla work and sleep in the fear that Huitlapacti might someday turn his attention to them. Do not speak to my husband, for he will simply have you killed." moct "Moctapotl is my cousin, rightful king of the Nahuatla." "I am glad you have helped restore him to the throne." "Huitlapacti and @Zipactriotl have driven him into exile. He wanders the wilderness, waiting for his chance to return and @reclaim his throne." "I have heard talk that he may have taken refuge with the @Disquiqui." disq "The Disquiqui are a harmless tribe of revelers. Their village is in the lowlands to the west of Tichticatl." head,gold "Are you speaking of that strange gold head of @Oaxtepac's? I think it is in the treasury room. It looks as though it came from a large gold statue of a man." oaxt "Oaxtepac was the shaman before @Zipactriotl imprisoned him." "Now he can return to his duties as shaman, since Zipactriotl and Huitlapacti no longer rule." "He is a very clever man. He knows many things. I wish he were free." myrm "The Myrmidex are huge ant-creatures from the northwest. Oh, how I despise them." She shudders. "No matter how much the Nahuatla do, we cannot @destroy them." pyra "Wander the city of Tichticatl and you cannot help but find the great pyramid of the sun. It and this palace are the greatest buildings here." recl,thro "Why worry about that now? With Huitlapacti dead, Moctapotl has already reclaimed his throne." "Moctapotl cannot reclaim the throne while @Huitlapacti remains protected by @Zipactriotl and his belt." belt "It is a strange belt, of a metal I do not recognize." city "Do you mean the city of @Tichticatl, where you are now, or the legendary @Hidden City?" ural "The Urali are smelly savages. They invade our city from the northeast. They have only recently become ravagers, since they took a new king, named Darden." dest "I think perhaps we COULD destroy them if all the tribes of the Valley of Eodon -- both the Nahuatla and the smelly ones -- were to @unite." unit,ally,alli "Uniting the tribes would be nearly impossible. All the chiefs would have to agree to help." hidd "@Zipactriotl claims to draw his magical power from an ancient, hidden city. The shaman @Oaxtepac knows many stories; perhaps he knows about this legend." tich "This is the city of Tichticatl, home of the Nahuatla. That is where you are now." nahu "The Nahuatla are the most cultured, intelligent race of all the races in the Valley of Eodon... and the least smelly." smel "Oh, let us NOT talk about smelly things." Furiously, she waves a perfumed cloth in front of her nose. "And how long has it been since YOU have taken a plunge in the river, oh barbarian? Too long, I think." bye "Very well. Leave me." She languidly waves her hand in dismissal. "Oh, that's far too boring to talk about. Choose something else."

Topuru
a skinny, white-haired, wide-eyed old native man. "Ha! It is a pale spirit from the water." He peers at you, looking you over. "Not a tribesman. Not a Sakkhra. Must be a spirit." He shoves out his hand, obviously expecting it to go right through you. It doesn't. He draws back, confused. "It is the spirit-stranger, the mind finder, the @turtle feeder, come back to see Topuru." "Has the spirit-stranger found Topuru's mind?" "It is the spirit-stranger, come to smash Topuru's skull, or give him food and call him 'friend.'" yn "What! Let Topuru see." "Ah, the spirit-stranger is useless." He looks around through your goods, and then snatches the small blue stone from $Y. you. Before you can stop him, he pops it into his mouth. He looks thrilled. "Topuru has his mind back! Topuru is very different man." (He doesn't look any different.) "Topuru has earned the spirit-stranger's gratitude. Topuru should give spirit-stranger something." He closes his eyes and twists his face in thought. "Topuru knows! Have some @turtle food!" "Liar!" He raises his hand to strike you, but then becomes distracted by the aerial antics of a pterodactyl and wanders away. name "Topuru has lost his name. No, that is wrong. Topuru has his name. It is Topuru. Topuru has lost his @mind." "Spirit-stranger knows Topuru's name. It is... it is..." he stops and thinks for several moments, then wanders away, completely forgetting about you. job "Topuru was once shaman of the @Urali tribe. Now Topuru tends this small island and keeps it from floating away." trib "Topuru was of the @Urali tribe, which is @hidden away from the other tribes. Now he is an @exile." turt,food "Turtles are nice. Turtles have always been Topuru's friends.  Except when they bit him.  But they were hungry." He thinks for a moment. "Want some turtle food?" "Yes, that is true." than "You are welcome." mind "Yes! Topuru has his mind now!" He eagerly holds up the small blue stone you gave him earlier, then snatches it away and peers at it closely. Satisfied, he puts it away again. "Topuru has no mind. Topuru lost his mind." Suddenly, he grabs your head and tries to pry it open. Failing that, he draws back. "The spirit-stranger has a strong grasp on his own mind." "Does the spirit-stranger want to know how Topuru lost his mind?" blue,rock,ston "Topuru no longer cares about stones." "Yes, Topuru's mind is in a small blue stone. Balakai of the Barrab tribe has it." ural "Topuru was of the Urali tribe. But when Topuru lost his mind, young @Wamap, his apprentice, banished him. The Urali are the @hidden tribe." hidd "Yes, hidden." "It is easy to find them unless you know where to look. Find the stone city of the Nahuatla. Go northeast to where the cliffs are riddled with caves." "The second cave from the north is a tunnel. It leads to the Urali lands. Without my mind, Topuru could not tell you that. Yes he could. No, he couldn't." "Topuru will gladly tell the spirit-stranger where the Urali hide! All members of the Urali tell strangers where the tribe hides." He snorts, contemptuously. "Now... if the spirit-stranger were to find Topuru's @mind and bring it to Topuru... Topuru would decide that the stranger was a very very very good man who deserves to know where the Urali hide." exil "No! Not an exile... Well, yes, an exile. From the @Urali." wama "WAMAP!" he screams. "Where? Topuru will kill -- why, Wamap is not here." aiel "@Darden wants Aiela." dard "Darden is a young warrior of no worth. Topuru may have lost his mind, but Darden grew up without one." bye "No, do not leave! Topuru will be lonely. Wait, Topuru is lonely even with others here. Yes, leave." "Yes, that is true." yn "Topuru was once a great shaman, filled with the power of the spirits. But Topuru wanted to know more." "Topuru challenged other shamans to battles of magic. Topuru always won, except when he lost." He picks a small spider off your shoulder and absently eats it. "Topuru once challenged the great shaman Balakai, of the Barrab tribe. They live far to the southwest." "Balakai had strange magics. Balakai called Topuru's mind out of Topuru's very head and placed it in a small rock. Balakai kept the rock." "Balakai said that he would destroy the rock if Topuru did not go away forever. So Topuru lives here, hoping his mind is not destroyed." "The spirit-stranger is a frog." Miffed, he turns away from you. yn "Just as well. Leaves more for Topuru." He eats the turtle bait he had planned to give you. "Swamp-turtles like this best," he says as he hands you some rancid hunks of turtle food. "Lots of swamp-turtles near old home." "Spirit-stranger has too much stuff! Just as well. Leaves more for Topuru." He eats the turtle bait he had planned to give you. "Swamp-turtles like this best," he says as he hands someone in your party some rancid hunks of turtle food. "Lots of swamp-turtles near old home."

Tristia
a beautiful but brooding woman in jaguar furs. "Why, it is a man. A tall, strange man wearing furs unlike any I have ever seen." She thinks about it a moment. "He must be <Player Name>. The @schweitzer of the Yolaru has told me of him." "What wants <Player Name> of Tristia?" Her question is half an invitation, half mockery. "It is <Player Name>, Tristia's mate." She spreads herself over you and kisses you passionately. "Tristia knew you would return. <Player Name> can never leave Tristia for long." "It is <Player Name>, who has cruelly spurned Tristia." She gives you an ugly look. "Do not speak to Tristia. She spurns YOU." "Why, what does Tristia see here? It is Aiela's favorite pet, <Player Name>." She gives you a haughty look. "What does @Aiela's pet want of Tristia?" "Once again <Player Name> confronts Tristia. Whatever could he want of her?" She laughs at you. name,tris "Tristia is the name this one bears." job "Tristia is daughter of the @chief. Tristia does no work. Work is for lesser ones, not for a princess." schw "<Player Name> knows the schweitzer. <Player Name> walks with him." She points at Prof. Rafkin. "That is the schweitzer." "The Yolaru have a stranger among them, strange like <Player Name>. He is called their schweitzer." "He talks and talks and knows many things. But he is short and old. Tristia does not want him." alor,chie "Aloron is chief of the Kuraks and father of @Aiela. Aloron raised Tristia. Tristia's hut @burned and her mother and father died." She shrugs, unconcerned by that fact. Aiela leans over and whispers in your ear: "Aiela thinks Tristia set the fire herself. Tristia is a viper." aiel,sist "Aiela is Tristia's sister. @Aloron raised both Aiela and Tristia." "Of course, Aloron likes Tristia MUCH more than Aiela." "Fortunately, Aiela has found a fitting mate in Darden the Huge. Tristia is sure the Urali tribe is a much better place for Aiela." Aiela speaks up, haughtily: "Aloron has more pity for Tristia, it is true. Pity wasted on an ungrateful snake." The woman's eyes flash, but then she puts on a very broad but artificial smile and turns back to you. "<Player Name> was saying?" sex,,lust,love "Speak to Tristia of such things when Aiela is far away." She smiles broadly. "Is it so? Is <Player Name> saying that he wants Tristia, that he loves her?" trib "This is the village of the Kurak tribe. Tristia is a princess of the Kuraks." unit,ally,alli "<Player Name> must speak to Aloron about such things." burn "Burn? Does <Player Name> like to burn things, too? Tristia loves to burn things." join "No, no, no. Travel with <Player Name>?" She laughs. "Tristia must stay here where it is safe. It is for others to travel and bring things back to Tristia." bye "We will speak later, my mate." "<Player Name> must speak to Tristia again when he has something interesting to say." She just shakes her head, looking disinterested. yn She looks offended. "I have offered you Tristia, all that is Tristia. Do not refuse me, oh <Player Name>. Tristia is more beautiful than all others!" "Tristia asks again: Will <Player Name> love Tristia above all others?" "But Aiela says that <Player Name> is her mate." She smiles cunningly. "Does <Player Name> prefer Tristia to Aiela? Will <Player Name> spurn Aiela for lovely Tristia?" Her smile becomes victorious. She flows up to you, embraces you, and kisses you passionately. "<Player Name> is Tristia's mate now, and forever. Go and act as a mighty warrior, and always return to Tristia. Tristia's hut is next to the chief's. <Player Name> will never be cold there." yn Her smile becomes victorious. She flows up to you, embraces you, and kisses you passionately. "<Player Name> is Tristia's mate now, and forever. Go and act as a mighty warrior, and always return to Tristia. Tristia's hut is next to the chief's. <Player Name> will never be cold there." yn Her sigh is one of pure malice and victory. "Yes, mighty <Player Name>. Tristia is a much better mate than poor Aiela. She is full of fire." She struts up to you, pulls your head down to hers, and kisses you passionately, demonstrating that fire. "<Player Name> is Tristia's mate now, and forever. Go and act as a mighty warrior, and always return to Tristia. Tristia's hut is next to the chief's. <Player Name> will never be cold there." Her expression turns to one of rage. "<Player Name> is a fool! <Player Name> does not deserve one as beautiful as Tristia. Go away, <Player Name>, and never speak to Tristia again!" She slaps you as hard as she can. Then she shakes, and her eyes roll up in her head... and she faints dead away.

Tuomaxx
a scowling, round man with a strange look in his eyes. The rotund man looks at you evilly and makes strange barking noises at you. "Oh, YOU again." "Oh, YOU again. "Oh, YOU again." name He flutters his hand in front of your face and then pokes you in the eyes. "Tuomaxx. And don't forget it." (He pronounces it TWO-mash.) tuom "You remembered!" job From underneath his ragged garments he draws a pair of club-like weapons. "Tuomaxx makes @drums and drumsticks." To demonstrate, he brings one down on your head, which makes a ringing 'bonk' noise. "You want a drum made?" drum "I like drums! Drums are great! Drums are my life! You want me to make you one?" trib "Tuomaxx was a member of the @Disquiqui tribe. Don't talk about them. Since Tuomaxx lost his @mind, Tuomaxx has lived alone." disq "Tuomaxx said not to mention them!" He whacks you with his drumstick. mind "Tuomaxx had a mind once. But a great foreign shanam -- er, shamam -- uh, shamozz -- witch doctor removed it." He points proudly to the unscarred surface of his bald head. bone "No, thank you, Tuomaxx just ate." hide "Hide? Is something fierce nearby?" He pulls his furs up over his head. hill "Hill of the @Drum. Not far from Nahuatla stone city, northwest of city." He points east. He thinks about it and corrects, pointing south. "No, wait... this is the hill! Don't be so confusing!" bigbig "You want a @really big drum, or the @biggest drum possible?" bye "Ahhh, who needs you?" "Huh?" yn "You want a @small drum or a @large drum?" "Wasting Tuomaxx' time, eh?" He whacks you with the drumstick. smal He smacks himself on the forehead about a dozen times and shuffles his feet. "Tuomaxx asks again: You want a @small drum or a @large drum?" larg With his drumsticks, he beats out a melodious tattoo on your forehead. "You want a @large drum or a @really large drum?" "Huh? What's a $Z?" smal larg "That's better." With his drumsticks, he beats out a melodious tattoo on your forehead. "You want a @large drum or a @really large drum?" "Huh? What's a $Z?" larg He scowls ferociously, whacks you in the stomach with one drumstick and on the forehead with another. "Oh, a wise man. Tuomaxx has made too many just-large drums. Tuomaxx asks again: You want a @large drum or a @really large drum?" real He sticks his face in yours and emits several short barking noises. "You want just a @really big drum or the @biggest drum?" "Huh? What's a $Z?" larg real He grabs your earlobe and drags you around in a circle for a moment. Then he sticks his face in yours and emits several short barking noises. "You want just a @really big drum or the @biggest drum?" "Huh? What's a $Z?" bigg "Well, why didn't you say so? Let Tuomaxx think." He struggles at it awhile. "Tuomaxx tries to think but nothing happens." Finally, he shrugs and gives up. "Wait! Tuomaxx has it. You must bring Tuomaxx @hide for drum-head. Then Tuomaxx can make biggest drum." He looks around him. "Only one place to build biggest drum. Do you know where that is?" He flutters his hand in front of his face, but now, wise to him, you block his attempt to poke your eyes. "That's right. Hill of the Drum. Right here. Bring Tuomaxx @hide for drum-head to @Hill of the Drum, and Tuomaxx will make biggest drum." real "Huh? What's a $Z?" His eyes narrow and he makes a noise like a cat being strangled. He shuffles his feet again, gives you an evil look, and turns an odd shade of purple. "Wrong! No! Not gonna build that kind! Go away!" Did you bring me the @hide for the drum?" yn "Why not?" He looks through your inventory for a moment, then steps back and stares at you. "Where hide? Tuomaxx doesn't find one anywhere! You have to do better than that!" "Let's try again." Tuomaxx takes the hide from your party and throws it over your face to admire it. (The hide. Not your face.) "Not bad, not bad," he says in his endearingly whiny voice. "It'll do just fine." He whips the hide back off of your face. Then he gets to work. Moving with incredible speed for one so round and erratic, he sets up several bones into a round framework, soaks the big hide, stretches the hide across the frame, and lashes it down tight. "Should be perfect. It'll sound better if you let it dry for a while but you can beat it now."

Wamap
a pudgy, sly-eyed native with sallow skin. "What? Why, you are no Urali." He thinks about it. "Which means that you are an outsider clever enough to have found your way to our swamp." He thinks about it again, then twists his face into a smile. "I should wish to be YOUR friend." "Why, it is my friend, <Player Name>. You are ALWAYS welcome here." He smiles like a happy shark. name "I am @Wamap, son of Wamash. That is my true name. You see, I have given you power over me by telling you my true name. I MUST be your friend." wama "Ah, strange warrior learns quickly." job "I am shaman to the Urali. I listen to the spirits, especially the spirit @Fabozz, and interpret their will for the people." "In my youth, I was captured and raised among the Nahuatla. It is for this reason I am so much more educated than the other Urali, and better suited to lead them." resc "But I have already told you all about that. Rescuing the statue of the Great @Fabozz, that is." fabo "Fabozz is the greatest of the spirits. He speaks to us through his statue. He is the master of animals. It is his spirit that commands the Mighty @Lizard which guards the crossing to our village." "And we are all so grateful to YOU for rescuing the Fabozz." "Or... he WOULD... if he were not @held by @Darden the Huge." heal "Ehhh. I wish I could. But I have performed many, many healings already today, and my energies are depleted." dard,huge "But you already know all about Darden. You slew him." "Yes, Darden. He became chief by force. He stole the @statue of @Fabozz and declared himself chief." "He said that he could force the Great Fabozz to send the Mighty Lizard to eat our own people! He forced his warriors to raid other tribes, killing and looting." held "I do not know of what you speak, my dear, dear friend." "Yes, held. The @statue of the Great Fabozz is held." pris,aiel "Darden's only prisoner... recently... was the Kurak princess, Aiela. But you rescued her. And were amply rewarded for it, too, I am sure." He smirks. "Yes, @Darden has a prisoner, Aiela. Princess of the Kurak tribe. Delightful little thing. She would be quite an ornamental mate for him." He gives you a calculating look. "Or do you have similar designs yourself, hmmm? Well, no matter. If you wish to find your princess, you must do this:" "Travel south from the Urali village, keeping to the cliffside. Eventually you will find a guarded cave opening. Within you will find your princess... somewhere within." stat "Yes, the statue. The statue of the Great @Fabozz." "You have already rescued it for us." ural,trib "We are the Urali. We are the most cunning of all the tribes of the Valley of Eodon. That is why we live in the swamp." ques "I do not know of what you speak, my dear, dear friend." "Yes, a quest. You look like a man who does not shirk from quests, am I not correct? Yes. You could do me... and ALL the Urali... a great favor with a simple quest." unit,ally,alli migh,liza "A Mighty Lizard, taller than the tallest hut, guards the only path from the Urali village to the outer swamplands... and the Valley of Eodon, beyond." bye "Oh. Well, if you must." "I do not know of what you speak, my dear, dear friend." "Of course, you have broken his power by rescuing the great Fabozz. Now I am chief, as well as shaman. We have nothing to fear from him." "Now... you see... @Darden became chief by taking the @statue of the Great @Fabozz. He placed it in a cave and used a beast from the swamp to guard it." "The Great Fabozz controls the Mighty Lizard which guards the land crossing to the Urali village. Darden says he can make the Lizard come and eat the Urali." "So all the warriors are frightened and obey Darden. Not me, of course, for I have no fear." He licks his lips and looks around for Darden. "Now, if someone not so afraid, possessed of the kind of cunning it takes to enter Urali lands without being captured... someone like you..." "If you were to free the @Fabozz, restoring it to its rightful place, then no one would follow @Darden." "Though Darden is dead, we are still a people without a leader." "Darden became chief by taking the statue of the Great Fabozz. "With his huge riding beast, he took it from its place in the sun and placed it far back in a cave, leaving the beast there to guard it." "Other giant lizards have been gathered in the cave, and none have dared enter it in many days." "Darden can no longer threaten us; he used to say that he would use the Great Fabozz to set the Mighty Lizard upon us. Now he can no more." "But still we Urali cannot free the Fabozz from darkness. Darden's creature will not obey us, and many strong warriors together cannot move Fabozz." "We have brought torches and built bonfires for Fabozz, but it is not enough." "In the darkness, Fabozz cannot help us. We cannot gain its guidance. Therefore the people have no spirit, no goals, no leadership." "Now, a warrior great enough to slay Darden is also great enough to @rescue the statue of the Great Fabozz, don't you think?" "What you would have to do is this: Go to the cave where the Fabozz is held. To find it, go north of the Urali village until you reach the northern cliffs." "There you will find a cave opening. Deep within that cave is where Fabozz is held." "All you need do is to somehow move the Fabozz from the darkness of the inner cave and place him in the ring of fire in the center of the village." "That way we may all speak with him again. Darden's power will be broken. We will all be SO grateful." "Why, it is my dear, dear friend <Player Name>. Or," he arches an eyebrow and looks at you suspiciously, "ARE you my friend?" "I've TOLD you what needs to be done to free the poor, poor Urali. And yet you return here with your task unaccomplished." "Why, it is my favorite friend, the mighty <Player Name>. The brave, brave <Player Name>, a true hero in need of a true @quest..." The princess cuts in, coldly: "Perhaps, leech of the Urali, you should say what you mean. Or shall Aiela give you a lesson in the use of the spear?" The shaman goes pale. "Of course, my dear, dear princess, I meant nothing but... uhm..." "uh..." "That with your renowned sense of generosity you would have bestowed upon <Player Name> some sort of token of your appreciation." He begins sweating. The princess offers him a tight, cold smile. "Very well." The shaman turns back to you and mops the sweat from his brow. "Now that Darden is gone, I am ruler of the Urali." He smiles like a cat sitting atop a mouse. "And I would be willing to commit the Urali to such a union." "And since you have restored the Great Fabozz to his rightful position, and me to mine of course, I will pledge to help you." "You need do nothing more for me: I am with you." "But if you want the support of the Urali, you will need to @rescue the Great Fabozz." "A union of tribes. What an idea. One could unite them, and then later, much later... become ruler of them all. I like this idea. If you choose to unite the tribes, I would aid you." "Now... Darden the Huge will NEVER join with you to unite the tribes. Never. Never. But I would be willing... if I were chief as well as shaman." "That is a simple matter to arrange... all you have to do is... kill Darden." His voice and expression become more intense. "Find him and kill him! I will be chief then, and I will join your alliance." "You have already rescued the Great Fabozz from his dreary prison. With that already done, once Darden is dead I will commit the Urali to your union." "Then, once Darden is done, the Great Fabozz will have to be @rescued." Jimmy whips out his notebook. "I'll get all that in my notebook, boss. Hope my descriptive powers are up to explaining how oily this guy is." Jimmy speaks up. "Tell you what, boss. It could be that we're going to have a lot of these little chores ahead of us. I'll note down what each chief wants." "Any time you want to check out what we've got in store for us, ask me about my notebook. It never forgets." 6Xyxxxtl the pale, bloated, grotesque queen of the Myrmidex. The white thing looks at you. Its mandibles clack in a semblance of human speech, obviously difficult for it. "Human-thing here!" it clacks. "Not-good not-good! Enemy warrior in nest! Chew up, chew up! Soldiers, destroy!" It looks at you again. "Meat-thing still here!" it clacks. "Save eggs! Save nest! Chew up meat-thing!"

Zipactriotl
a lean, dark-bearded man with shrewd eyes. He speaks to the party in perfect English: "Dr. Rafkin! How on Earth did you get here?" Astonished, Rafkin replies, "Dr. Spector, I presume..." "Yes, yes, man... of course I am! Now tell me! How did you get here?" Rafkin frowns, obviously put off by Dr. Spector's anger. "Well, I was performing some simple experiments on a black stone that <Player Name> here brought..." Dr. Spector grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you. He speaks to you in perfect English: "What on Earth -- you're not one of the natives! You're from the outside world! So am I." Suddenly he seizes you by the shoulders and shakes you. "Quick, tell me! Do you know how to get back? Out of this forsaken valley?" Spector's eyes widen as he recognizes you. "<Player Name>, I cannot believe you would come back to meet me here once I knew that you'd found my underground city!" "Guards! Kill this man!" yn He glares at you suspiciously. "Liar! No one such as yourself could possibly know how to leave, if even I could not find a way." "There is only one appropriate reward for arrogance such as yours." "Guards! Kill!" He slumps back, looking defeated. "Then you are useless to me. Useless. What do you want?" His sharp eyes rake over you. "It's <Player Name> again. How pathetic. Why are you wasting my time? What do you want now?" name,zipa,joha "I am Dr. Johann Schleimann Spector. The natives call me by the @Nahuatla equivalent, 'Zipactriotl.'" (He pronounces it Zee-pack-tree-OT-tl.) job "My former occupation is that of archaeologist." "I am currently the @shaman of these Nahuatla people. I tell them to shut up and worship me and the king." "I also give @permission to those who wish to speak to the king, Huitlapacti." "My next occupation... I will be the savior of Earth, the bringer of peace and @paradise." brin,peac,para,plan,conq "You want to hear about my plan to bring paradise to Earth?" N myrm "They are a race of ant-like creatures... mutated to incredible size and intelligence by the power of the black stone in their possession." "I'm sure that a concerted effort on the part of the valley's primitive humans could destroy the Myrmidex." "Fortunately for my plans, the humans fight each other too much to @unite." glow,forc,fiel "Yes, this glow you see around me is a type of force field. I draw the energy from the mystic generators in the Underground City of the Kotl." "I've given a similar unit to the king, there, Huitlapacti. While we wear this glow, we are invulnerable to harm." He smiles mockingly. king "Do you mean the @old king or the @new king?" new,huit "The new king is Huitlapacti. An idiot. Easily led. The people hate him. If he weren't protected by my force field, they'd rise up and kill him." "Would you like to speak to him?" old,moct "The old king was Moctapotl. He wasn't willing to turn power over to me. So I deposed him; he ran away." auto "Automatons. They're rather like statues... but animated by the mystic power from the generators in the Underground City of the Kotl." "The big ones are practically impervious to harm... and they take orders. They are the perfect army." craz,insa,delu,luna,fool,dumb,stup,mani,mad,madm His eyes widen. "You mean to imply that I'm insane?" He shakes with anger. "Someone with your delusions would never willingly serve me. What to do, what to do." He snaps his fingers and looks much happier. "I've got it! I'll have you killed." He switches back to the native language. "Guards! Kill this!" sham "I'm the shaman of these people. The witch-doctor. I had to get rid of the old shaman, @Oaxtepac. He didn't want to cooperate. I've still got him." peop,nahu "These people you see around you are the Nahuatla. Proto-Aztecs, I'd call them. I believe they were brought here, to this land, from Central America some time in the distant past." ener,gene,powe "The mystic generators in the Underground City of the Kotl supply me with power." "I can use that energy to travel back to the real world -- once I figure out how -- and to conquer the Earth." unit,ally,alli "Uniting the tribes is about the only way to destroy the Myrmidex... other than by animating my automatons, of course." "But no one CAN unite the tribes, while I CAN animate my @automatons." trib "There are many tribes out there. These Nahuatla are the most civilized of them." perm "You want permission to speak to Huitlapacta?" He considers it. "You must @beg me for it." He smiles, enjoying his power. beg He sighs deeply, enjoying himself. "Of course you may have permission," he says expansively. "Talk to him anytime you wish." He makes some hand-signal to one of the guards, who nods. oaxt He frowns at you, considering. "You shouldn't be asking about my prisoners. You might just be thinking about rescuing him, mightn't you? Well, I'll soon put a stop to THAT." "Guards! Take this outside and cut its heart out!" unde,city,kotl "The Underground City of the Kotl. It's..." He eyes you narrowly. "Don't bother asking me where it is, how to find it, or what it is. It's MY secret. You can't have it." wher,tich "You're in the valley of @Eodon, in the city of Tichticatl, in the Palace of the King." vall,eodo "Yes, this valley. The natives call it Eodon. I believe it to be somewhere on Earth, but the mystical energies which permeate the valley have affected the passage of time, our observance of the stars, many other things." "So... frankly... I don't know where on Earth it is." bye He waves his hand in a bored, dismissing gesture and turns his mind to other matters. "Don't bother me with irrelevancies." "Not long ago, in Germany, I came into possession of some curious stones: They were black and cracked, like onyx exposed to a sudden great heat. But they weren't onyx." "They were a power source. An amazing amount of a hitherto-unknown form of energy was packed into those stones. As I studied them, I began to have new thoughts, new sensations." "I knew that if I could command the power of the stones, I could become the most powerful being on Earth... and bring the wisdom of my fair, impartial leadership to all the world!" "But when I experimented with the stones, trying to tap that power, I was transported here." "It was a simple matter to cow these primitives with my scientific knowledge, and to get rid of the old @king and replace him with one more to my liking." "By using the equipment I'd been using to tap the stones' energies, I was able to find more sources of the energy. One source was in the caves of the @Myrmidex. They're rather hostile; I couldn't get to that power source." "But I found a second, and greater, source elsewhere, in the Underground City of the Kotl." "This source was a series of mighty mystical devices which were drawing energy from the power source within the Myrmidex caves. It is this energy which powers the @glow around me, my impenetrable force field." "Now that the power is fully in my command, I can implement my plan to bring @paradise to Earth." "I'm going to repair and reactivate all the @automatons in the Underground City of the Kotl. With their aid, I'll retrieve the giant stone, the power source, which I know is in the caves of the Myrmidex." "With that in my possession, I'm sure that I can control the Myrmidex. I'm equally sure I can create a truly GIGANTIC area of temporal displacement -- a 'gate,' if you prefer -- and transport the entire Underground City of the Kotl to Washington, D.C." "With my invincible army of Myrmidex and Kotl automatons, I can conquer the United States... and then the world. I'll organize the world's population like the Myrmidex, antlike -- with everyone in his place, placidly, mindlessly, contentedly doing the job I assign him." "Under MY leadership, the world will revert to the peacefulness and industry it is capable of. There'll be no need of war, of weapons, even of 'freedom.' Where everyone is happy, freedom becomes an obsolete concept." "So, what do you think?" yn "Well, then." He looks miffed. yn He thinks it over. "Perhaps. Remember my position here. You must @beg me." "Not a bad choice. He'd probably just have you killed."

Kunawo
a balding, nearly toothless native man. "Kunawo hears a stranger, one strangers, warriors not of the Pindiro.& "Speak, say what you wish of Kunawo.& "Kunawo senses <Player Name> has returned. He is welcome in Kunawo's hut.& "Kunawo senses <Player Name> has returned, with companions. You are welcome within Kunawo's hut.& name,kuna "Kunawo is this one's name.& job "Shaman of the Pindiro. @Trade with visitors. Speak with @spirits, advise chief. @Heal warriors. Many jobs.& trib "You are among the @Pindiro.& pind "The Pindiro are great warriors. Barako are our enemy.& "The Pindiro are....& he stops, and stares at you with sightless eyes. "Spirit voices have told Kunawo one named <Player Name> would come to the valley. <Player Name>. Strange name.& "There are other strangers in the valley with strange names. Pindiro warriors tell Kunawo of Fritz, who fights without weapons. @Fritz has won the respect of many.& "Spirits have told Kunawo of another, who has changed much in the lives of the Nahuatla. But the spirits do not tell his name.& blin "Though Kunawo has lost the use of his eyes, Kunawo has other ways of seeing.& frit "Fritz has chosen to live within the cave west of the great lake.& myrm,drea He rocks slowly back and forth. "Kunawo has had dreams of monstrous creatures, great warriors. They kill and kill, without purpose. Myrmidex is the name that fills Kunawo's ears in these dreams.& trad "Many Pindiro hunt fish from the waters. Use much @flax in making fishing strings. Kunawo will trade one pinde, chocolatl and yopo for five flax. But only with his fellow shamans.& flax "I imagine he's talking about the fibers of the yucca plant, my boy. They would be a good source of flax.& The shaman nods. "The yucca will yield up its flaxen fibers easily.& heal The ancient shaman tilts his head, as though listening to voices you cannot hear. O spir "There are many spirits. Spirits of the plains, animals, rivers. Many spirits. They speak to Kunawo.& "Kunawo speaks with chief and warriors. Tells them what spirits say.& "Often Kunawo must ask spirits to help him @heal sick or wounded tribesmen.& bye "May the spirits protect you.& "Kunawo does not know of this.& O	"No one here is wounded.& "Mighty Kukuzz, look upon the mortal $Y. $Y carries a companion felled in battle.& "$N beseeches Kukuzz, bless $Y with strength and health, that $Y might walk and fight again!& A fierce wind springs from nowhere, howling around you... Every hair on your body stands on end... And the wounds disappear from $Y's body! $Y's eyes open! The shaman shakes his head sadly. "Kukuzz does not respond... there is nothing to be done for this one.& Taking the body from you, he says "Kunawo will have this buried with proper respect.& The wind dies down, and Kunawo slowly recovers. "Kukuzz has been kind," he says. "Those once badly injured walk again.& "No one here is wounded.& Kunawo gasps for breath and shakes violently. A wild, hot wind whips across you. "Spirit of Kukuzz, $N invokes your blessing upon $Y!& ... and $Y is healed! "Spirit of Motazz, $N invokes your aid to purge the blood of $Y!& ... and $Y is cured of poison! With an exhausted gasp, the ancient shaman sags onto his seat. "The spirits are most kind today. All are well again.& "I sense one who also knows the ways of the spirits with you "I will not trade with those who know not the ways of the spirits. Offerings must be treated with respect.& "When you find one who will aid you in these matters, visit me again.& . Kunawo will trade with his fellow shaman.& , but he does not have enough flax to trade.& "Do you wish @pinde, @yopo or @chocolatl? Or are you @finished trading?" "Triolo does not have enough flax to trade.& pycfq "How many pinde?" "How many yopo?" "How many chocolatl?" "Return again when you wish to trade.& "You would need #3 for that much, and you have but #0 flax to trade.& "You are carrying too much already.& Triolo exchanges #3 flax for #1 pinde. yopo. chocolatl. "Triolo no longer has enough flax to trade. Let us now speak of other things.& 9Paxaptamac an intense looking man in native clothing. He looks over your clothing with a surprised expression. "Blessings of the spirits on the stranger. May I help you with something?" "Hello again, <Player Name>. I hope the spirits have been kind." name,paxa "I am Paxaptamac." job "I make fine ornaments and feathered robes of the best @cloth." "Normally I would be able to @trade with you for something, but I recently finished a large feathered cloak, and my stock is depleted." trib,nahu "This is the Nahuatla tribe. Most civilized of all the tribes." He grins at you. "Best dressed, too." trad,robe,cloa "As I said, I recently sold my last cloak, and it will take quite some time for me to make another... even if I had the @feathers I need." parr,feat "I use only the finest parrot feathers. When I was younger, I could go out and hunt parrots myself. A few minutes work on a dead parrot with my knife, and I could usually find several usable feathers." He looks at you thoughtfully for a moment. "If you were to bring me feathers, I would trade with you for them. One emerald for ten feathers." emer "I will trade you one emerald for 10 parrot feathers." loom "Using a loom on flax will produce cloth." blue,ston "I sometimes use blue stones in my ornaments. The @Barrab seem to have many of them." barr "The Barrab live somewhere to the west, I hear." bone He shakes his head. "I do not use any bones in my work." clot "Cloth made from good @flax is wonderfully easy to work with. Soft, easily sewn, easily decorated. Much better than the simple @hides some tribes use." flax "@Yucca plants are a good source of flax, though it can be quite tedious to collect enough for a good garment." yucc,plan "Most of them have reddish orange flowers. There are a couple out behind my shop." hide "Many of the more primitive tribes use hides as clothing. I find @cloth much easier to work with." moct "King Moctapotl is once again upon the throne. He was in exile, but when we found that Huitlapacti was truly mortal..." he shudders. "Huitalpacti will trouble none of us again." He looks at you with great concern. "Stranger, that is a name that none should speak in Tichticatl." myrm "I have heard of the Myrmidex, but I have never seen one. I hope I never do!" huit "Huitalpacti is dead, at last. The Nahuatla are happier for his passing." He frowns and looks at the ground. "All hail the king." bye "May the spirits follow you, <Player Name>." "I do not understand what you say." "I see you have some feathers, $Y... would you like to sell them to me?" yn "Ah, good! Let me see just how many you have brought for me." "Ah well," he sighs. "Perhaps another time, then." "You do not have even 10 feathers for me. When you have more than 10, we can discuss trading again." "Will you take #2 emerald\s for your #1 feathers?" ynq "That's the best price I can offer. Perhaps another day. What else can I help you with?" "Good!" He collects the feathers and gives you #2 emerald\s.

Seggallion
a germanic man wearing worn modern clothes. Cautiously, he waits for you to speak. name He eyes you suspiciously. "It's Seggalion." job "I don't know if I should tell you or not..." "I'm searching for @diamonds." diam,gem "I knew I shouldn't have told you! Now you'll try to get them first!" knig,lege He looks at you suspiciously. "You're not looking for modules, are you?" lord,brit "I've met him, a time or two. What's it to you?" rich,garr He looks askance at Shamuru. "Never heard of him. Nope. Never." "He looked familiar... I've seen that face before, somewhere." eric,todd,mitc,port He glares at you angrily. "That's NOT my name!" bad,blood He shudders, as though from a bad memory. "That was a terrible place. Never did like dogs, anyway." frit "I don't know anyone named Fritz." origin "Work.... work.... The greatest joy is work....." "Arbeit macht frei!" aaro,alls "Ah... I have heard of the Great And Powerful Allston." stev,beem "If you ain't Steve, you ain't shit." keit,berd dan phil,brog "Don't listen to him, he's always putting words in people's mouths!" gryph "Squawrk!" aman,mand "Love those wiper-weasels!" bob,quin "Bob? He said something about getting some sleep. I wouldn't disturb him... he had a gun." mike,rome "Go, Oilers!& marc,scha jaso,temp "Jason? He's fired!" john,wats jeff,joha "Get back to work!" glen "Glen? What? He still owes me money!" wing,comm bye "Goodbye. Leave me in peace." "What are you talking about?" "Please, leave me alone." "Go away, leave me alone." "Now go... get out of here."

Barako Tribesmen
a rugged-looking native dressed in bear skins. "It is <Player Name>, who saved young Halisa! Welcome." The native stares at you: Not rudely, but cautiously. "Another @stranger in Barako lands." name "$N." job "Member of Barako tribe." bara,trib "Barako." The native seems to warm to the subject. "We live in the mountains and protect ourselves from the cold with heavy furs." "We war with the @Pindiro. There are also @strangers in our lands, strangers who are not enemies." "Our ruler is @Halawa, a queen of great wisdom and cunning. Our greatest warrior is @Shamuru." hala "Halawa is ruler of the Barako. Her mother was queen before her. It is our way: The Barako have queens instead of kings." "@Halisa is to be the next queen... if she lives so long." The native looks unhappy. hali "Halisa has spoken much of the kindness of her rescuer, oh <Player Name>." "Too much said already. Go speak to the queen if you would learn more." shama "$N knows little of the Barako shaman. He has been gone for many, many days. $N fears he may not return." shamu The native bows to Shamuru. "The great hunter is with you now." Shamuru nods in return. "Shamuru will be travelling with <Player Name> for some time; tell the others of the tribe." "As Shamuru wishes." "Shamuru is the name of the greatest hunter of the Barako. Shamuru travels the valley, learning all of its paths and secrets. Shamuru is more at home in the wild than with his tribe." sham "Do you mean @Shaman or @Shamuru?" stra "There are two strangers in these lands. One is @old and the other @young. Which did you mean?" topu,old,isle,isla "On an island west of the Barako village lives an old man named Topuru. Topuru is mad, always speaking of rocks. He stays away from the Barako." frit,von,hund,youn "In the northeast part this valley lives a strange man -- strange like you. His furs are odd and he speaks oddly." "He says his name is Frit-azz. There is much more to his name but it is impossible to remember. He says he comes from far away." pind "The Pindiro live north and east of us, by a lake. They live on the plains and hunt plains-beasts." bye "May the spirits save you from falling." "I know not of $Z." Begam Feknar Makagan Kayram Dakala Jaka Shafen Tilrina

Barrab Tribesmen
a somewhat Asian-looking native in heavy furs. "Speak; this one will listen." name "This one's name is $N." job "$N hunts and gathers for the Barrab tribe, dwellers of the @mesa." trib,barr "$N belongs to the Barrab tribe, dwellers on the @mesa. Our chief is @Balakai, and @Nakai is our prince. The Barrabs are enemies of the @Sakkhra." bala,chie,sham "Balakai is chief of the Barrab, and shaman. Balakai's wisdom is great." nako Quietly the native says "She is about here, somewhere." mesa "There are three mesas in the western parts of the valley. One is the Mesa of the Barrab, where this one lives. North of our village is the Lesser Mesa, where no one lives and little grows." "Further north is the Great Mesa, largest of the three, where only beasts and plants live." blue,ston The native's face loses all expression. "Such things are best discussed with the Barrab chieftain, who is @Balakai." sakk "Ah! Sakkhra. Lizards in the shape of men. Fierce warriors indeed. Sakkhra and Barrab have been enemies for many generations." "Sakkhra dwell in caves west of the Great Mesa. Once they dwelt further north. $N does not know why the Sakkhra left their ancient caves for their new dwellings." myrm "$N has heard of the Myrmidex. Fierce beasts to the far east. $N has heard that when the eastern tribes fall, the Myrmidex will next come for the Barrab and the @Sakkhra." nawl "$N knows of the Barrab warrior named Nawl. $N thinks it is best that Nawl keep well away from the Barrab mesa. Nawl is both a braggart and a fool." naka "Nakai is son of the chieftain, Balakai." "Nakai is sorely ill. Nakai may soon die of illness." unit,ally,alli "That is something to speak of with the @chieftain, not with this poor, humble one." bye "$N bids fare well." "$N knows anguish, for $N does not understand those words." yn "Ah." The native beams. "$N was certain it was so. Welcome is the mighty <Player Name> among the Barrab." "Oh." The native looks faintly confused. "$N was in error." "... as the mighty <Player Name> already knows." "But surely this is already known. Is $N not addressing the mighty <Player Name>, who cured Balakai's son @Nakai?" "Nakai was sorely ill, but was saved by the actions of a stranger." "$N is speaking to that noble stranger." "Is $N not addressing that stranger?" Kawiut Tuolai Kuwar Filamai Balonu Sinia Pweroa Orloai Yami

Disquiqui Tribesmen
a bleary-eyed, drunken-looking (and -smelling) native. "Oh, another (hic!) visitor, like @Moctapokl. Hi!" "(Hic!) Yesh?" name "Ny mame is $N. At leasht, it was this morning." job "$N doesn't have one of those." $N looks puzzled, trying to figure out what a 'job' is. trib "Thish is the Disquiqui tribe. Our chief is @Chafblum and our shaman is @Larrifin. Disquiqui are the greatesht of the tribes." "We make war on no one. But we DO have a prisoner. $N doesn't know how we got a prisoner without making war, but we did. Its name is @Jim-my." chie,chaf "Our chaf is Chiefblum. Uh, our chief is Chafblum. (Hic!) Strong warrior, mighty leader. Chafblum is around the feasht shomewhere." moct "Moctapickle? Oh, yes... that sad Nahuatla king. He stayed here for a while. Never drank enough. Was always sad about something." He's always sitting around in the village, moaning about his exile or something. He's no fun." padd "Oh, yes, we Disquiqui are the best paddle makers. Many people use our paddles, some even use them with rafts! We use them for making pulque. Have to. Make lots of @pulque." pulq "Pulque is good drink. Very good drink. Very very good drink. Pulque almost like food, but better." sham,larr "Disquiqui shaman is called Larrifin. Larrifin is very good shaman. Though he does not know anything about healing. Or invoking the spirits." jim,malo "Guoblum's mate-to-be has a name like that. Skinny, noisy warrior from far away." "Skinny? SKINNY? Why, I oughta --" "Oh, there Jimmy is." "$N thinks he is in hut in Disquiqui village somewhere. Look around." The native vaguely waves in the direction of the village. bye "Oh, you were boring anyway." "Who is $Z?" Fiehn Howar Skefon Charpo Priala Skutwa Orpano Warona

Haakur Tribesmen
a gnarled, dangerous-looking Neanderthal. It grunts: "Uhhh. Uhhh." name "Uhhh. Haakur. Uhhh." "From what little I can make out, <Player Name>, only the most important people of the Haakur tribe are granted names." job It struggles to speak, and manages a few painful-sounding words: "@Haakur. Tribe. Warrior." haak,trib "Haakur." It slaps itself. "Haakur tribe." chie,grug "Chief. Grugorr. Find. Haakur. @Caves." cave "Cave." myrm "Kill. Myrm. Dex." bye "Uhhh. Uhhh." It shakes its head, not understanding. DJukari a rugged-looking native in shaggy hides. "<Player Name>, who returned to us the sacred hide, is welcome in Jukari lands." "Beware, stranger: This is Jukari land." name "$N." job "$N gathers food for the Jukari tribe, and protects the young and weak from the @Haakur." trib "$N is of the Jukari tribe. We live in the land of the shaking earth, where @rock flows like water and the spirits are fiercest." sham "We have no shaman. Old shaman crushed by stones. Must have failed to please mountain spirits." haak "The Haakur are ugly men living to the northeast. They live in caves and are brutes." rock,lava "Rock that flows from the mountains, glows at night. Killed our old @chief. There are also pools of hot @sulphur.& chie,jumu "The new chief is named Jumu. Jumu's father Kumaru died under a flow of hot rock, mere days ago." diam "There are diamonds in this land. But that is a question for the chief." sulp,sulf "There are pits of sulphur in this land. Travel about and you will find them." bye "Go, then, and return any time you wish to come in peace." "That is a question for the chief." Bogor Enokor Mawalan Padrag Damara Jana Shalan Tindria

Kurak Tribesmen
a noble savage wearing the furs of a great cat. "Hail, <Player Name>.& name "<Player Name> may call me $N.& job "$N is a member of the @Kurak tribe.& "$N helps to search for @Aiela, who has been captured by the Urali tribe.& trib,kura "We are the Kuraks. We are one with the jungle. We are the greatest tribe, for great are our enemies, the @Yolaru and the @Myrmidex.& "And recently, the @Urali.& bamb "There is none here. $N believes there is some to the southeast, east of the stone city of the @Nahuatlas.& nahu "The Nahuatla are a foolish tribe who live away from the spirits; they build their huts of stone and cover the earth with more stone. Their village is all of stone. It is to the southeast.& hide "It is easy to make hides. <Player Name> must find a mighty beast of the jungle and slay it in single combat. Then he must use his knife on its carcass to cut free its hide.& yola "Yolaru are fierce black warriors, noble in combat, a fit and proper enemy for the Kuraks. They live to the east of the Kuraks.& myrm $N scowls. "The Myrmidex are no fit enemy. They are insects the size of warriors. They are fierce and treacherous.& "They live only to kill, and may only be killed; they know no thought or reason. Their nest is close to the Kurak village, to the west.& malo,jim "$N has heard of one with a name such as that. He is a prisoner in the village of the Disquiqui, to the far southwest. He awaits marriage to the chief's daughter Guoblum.& "Not any more, pal! Super-Bachelor is free once again.& "Why, that young whippersnapper! Running off to get himself married when there are IMPORTANT things to do. I'd like to give him a piece of my mind.& rafk,prof $N starts to speak, but... ... Prof. Rafkin cuts $N off. "Not nice to talk about someone right in front of his face, my boy. At least wait for me to turn my back, so you can talk behind it.& "$N has heard of one such. A wise man of the Yolaru. They call him their @schweitzer.& schw $N shrugs. "$N does not know what that word means, either.& ural "$N knows of the Urali. They live far away, to the southeast.& "It was Urali warriors who had taken Aiela away. But <Player Name> has rescued our princess.& "No one knows where they live. Except for the mad one, @Topuru.& $N's face settles into an angry, determined look. "But they have our princess, Aiela. They will return her, and they will pay.& topu "$N has heard the story of one called Topuru. Topuru is supposed to be one of the @Urali, but a madman. Topuru lives near the Barako, across the deep river canyon to the north, on a little island, all alone.& aiel "Aiela is princess of the Kuraks, most beautiful woman of the tribe. She is held by Darden the Huge, chief of the @Urali tribe.& "<Player Name> knows well who Aiela is. Aiela is princess of the Kuraks. <Player Name> rescued her from Darden the Huge, chief of the Urali.& "<Player Name> knows well who Aiela is. Aiela is <Player Name>'s mate. <Player Name> rescued her from Darden the Huge, chief of the Urali.& Aiela chimes in, teasingly: "<Player Name> suffered many blows in rescuing Aiela. Perhaps <Player Name>'s memory is not what once it was.& unit,ally,alli,unio "There is a legend that once all the tribes were united for a time.& "A warrior called Oloro-of-No-Tribe brought the tribes together to fight the lizards of the jungle when the lizards were too numerous and too deadly.& "Oloro went from chieftain to chieftain. By his strength and spirit Oloro persuaded each chief to join his union.& "Then Oloro built a great drum to summon all the tribes together. Oloro beat upon the drum and all the tribes came, slaying the lizards. Thus were the tribes united... once.& bye "May the spirits guard your path, <Player Name>.& "$N does not understand your words, <Player Name>.& Bogor Enokor Mawalan Padrag Damara Jana Shalan Tindria Zara

Nahuatla Tribesmen
a person wearing Aztec-like garments. "Yes? What do you wish of me, outsider?& name "My name only pales beside yours, oh <Player Name>, conquerer of Huitlapacti, restorer of Moctapotl.& "I am $N.& The native looks alarmed by your foreign appearance and manner. job "I am a citizen of Tichticatl. I tend the fields, transport grain, work on @crafts, elude the @thunder-lizards and @Myrmidex in the field; we all do.& "I am a faithful servant of the king @Moct -- er, @Huitlapacti.& swor "Atlipacta is our swordmaker. She has a shop just west of the main plaza where the sundial sits.& bamb "Yes, there is supposed to be bamboo growing thick, some ways to the east of Tichticatl.& emer "Emeralds are highly prized in Tichticatl.& trib,nahu,tich "I am a citizen of the Nahuatla, the builders of this great city of Tichticatl.& The native's gesture takes in the entire city. bone "Bones. Have I not heard of some great collection of bones? Yes. North of the giant @bamboo stand, there is a place where the @thunder-lizards go to die. There you can find bones.& huit $N spits. "That for the memory of Huitlapacti.& "All hail our new king Huitlapacti.& The native's voice is fearful. craf "Many of us make @pots sometimes. We have a fine @weapon maker in Tichticatl, and our @weaver makes very nice clothes and ornaments.& weav,cloth,orna "Paxaptamac the weaver lives a short distance west of the pyramid of the sun.& pot "Many of us own nice pots. You could make your own, if you were to use some @clay to form it, then fire it in a @kiln.& clay "One can get clay from the riverbanks, with a @digging stick.& digg The native looks slightly puzzled. "Yes, a digging stick. A small stick specially carved digging roots and clay.& kiln "There is a kiln along the south edge of Tichticatl.& pyra,sun "The tall stone structure at the eastern end of Tichticatl. There is a sun-dial at it's peak.& thun,liza "You know -- the great lizards of the jungle and the field.& "This native is collectively referring to dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles, <Player Name>. DO pay attention.& The native looks puzzled, but does not comment. "You know, dummy: Dinosaurs.& The native looks puzzled, but does not comment. weap,arro,shie,bow,armo,knif,kniv "It sounds as though you wish to see the weapon-maker, Atlipacta. She crafts weapons in a shop near the palace, just west of the pyramid of the sun.& moct "You speak of our king, whom you yourself restored to the throne.& The native hesitates and looks fearful. "I do not know that name. NO ONE in Tichticatl knows that name. Do you understand?& myrm "The Myrmidex? Evil monsters from the northwest. They are like ants the size of a man, and they attack us without mercy. The fields are no longer a safe place to work.& ural "I have heard of the Urali. They are a savage race. They raid Tichticatl, coming in from the northeast, but I know not where they live.& bye "May the spirits guide you.& "I do not understand your words. What is a '$Z'?& yn "Good.& The native looks nervously all around to see if anyone is listening, then leans in close. "The new king, Huitlapacti, has decreed that no one say that name. It is the name of the old king.& "To speak that name is death, for the old king is alive, living out in the jungle somewhere, planning his return. This is why the name is not to be spoken.& Grifticatl Kinpanatl Nukitlipa Datrune Palitrala Alinrala Okinatri Atlinapa

Pindiro Tribesmen
a lean, tanned native wearing very little. The native nods. "$N welcomes <Player Name>, maker of peace." The native stands back, eyeing you cautiously. name "$N." job "$N hunts on the vast Pindiro plains, @fishes in the lakes and rivers." trib "$N is of the Pindiro tribe, the plains-runners, @fishers, enemies of the @Barako ." quee,inar "The Pindiro queen is named Inara." food,fish "Pindoro catch many fish from the rivers and @lake." lake The native points vaguely to the north. "The big lake. Sometimes use @rafts to fish away from shore." raft The native looks at you impatiently. "Logs, tied together. Must have four people with @paddles to use raft." padd "@Disquiqui make many paddles. Sometimes we trade for them." disq "Yes, Disquiqui. Strange tribe... do not fight. Live far away, west of stone city." "Must get back to work." bara "The Barako tribe lives to the west, near many waterfalls. The Pindiro and Barako are enemies from ancient times." bye "Spirits guide your steps." The native shrugs, not understanding. Hialak Nimar Panowa Hiawa Illawa Ruwal Sanlia Sarona

Sakkhra Tribesmen
a man-shaped reptile with intelligence in its eyes. The thing eyes you suspiciously. "Yesss, huuuman?" name It hisses something at you. It doesn't sound menacing. But if that's its name, there's no way you could say it. job "Thisss one ssseeksss food for the young of the @Sakkhra. Tries to thiink of way to ssslay @Thunderer." thun "Yesss, Thunderer. Enormousss liizard. Kills and eatsss @Sakkhra who go to the grove of @medicine trees." medi,tree "Trees with green fruit. Good medicine for Sakkhra." barr "Barraaab huumans. Live eassst of Sakkhra caaaves." sakk,trib "Sakkhra. Sssmartessst of all ssscaly ones. Ssstronger than huumans. Chief is caaalled @Sysskarr." syss "Yesss, Sysskarr. Chief of Sakkhra. Ooold and wiise." myrm "Eeevil! Insssects. Enemies of aaaall." unit,ally,alli "Aaasssk @Sysskarr about thaaat." bye "Ssssss." "Not underssstaaand."

Urali Tribesmen
a sallow-skinned, suspicious-eyed native. The native stays at a safe distance and remains cautious. "What does the stranger want?" The native gives you a cautious, appraising look; then a broad smile breaks out on the native's face. "It is you, the <Player Name> one who slew @Darden. You are a friend to Urali. Ask what you will of me." name "My name is pale and weak beside yours, oh <Player Name>. I do not wish to utter it and be ashamed. Let it be enough that I am one of the Urali." The native laughs. "To ask one of the Urali his name is foolishness. I would never tell you my name. Why should I give you power over me? I am one of the Urali. That is enough." job "I hunt, and fish, and gather plants to eat; I harvest our lovely swamp, as do all @Urali." ural,trib "We are the Urali. Mighty in war. Defended and fed by our mother, the swamp, which is bountiful to the Urali, dangerous to all @others." "We Urali know all the @trails and paths through the swamp, which you would never find." "Wamap "@Darden is our chieftain." trai,path "You do not need to know our secret trails, oh <Player Name>. You are already friend of the Urali and have nothing to fear here." "First I must know: Are you a @friend of Darden the Huge, or Darden's @enemy?" grea,fabo "The Great Fabozz is a spirit of the Valley of Eodon. His are the virtues of courage and strength as the animals possess them." "It is the Great Fabozz who commands the Mighty Lizard which guards the pathway to the Urali village. But our @statue of Fabozz has been taken by @Darden the Huge. frie "I know you are the friend of the Urali. If you were not, you would not have slain Darden the Huge." "If you are the friend of @Darden the Huge, you do not need to speak to one so lowly as I." The native gives you an ugly look and turns away from you. enem "I do not understand you." The native looks at you closely and suspiciously. "I do not know why, but I believe you. So I will tell you." "A path runs from the entrance to Urali lands, through our village, and to the cave where Darden lives and keeps Darden's prisoners. Do not follow it; it is well-manned by Urali guards." "Instead, go west until you reach the swamp water and turn south from there. Travel south holding close to the water." "Follow the swamp as it curves and twists, until you are moving north again. Soon you will come upon a guarded cave opening." "It is there that you will find Darden and those @Darden holds @prisoner. This path will lead you secretly past most guards; only at the cave mouth, perhaps, will you confront guards." neit "I do not understand you." "You cannot be neither! You are either Darden's @friend or Darden's @enemy!" dard "Darden the Huge. The old chief died childless, so his sister's son Darden became chief, not long ago." "He was evil and cruel. But now things are better. Darden is dead." The Urali looks at you suspiciously. "Few wanted him to be chief. But ever since Darden imprisoned @Fabozz, the Urali are in Darden's power." "Since Darden became chief, it is fighting, always fighting. Darden tells the Urali to raid into the lands of @other tribes, else Darden will set the Mighty Lizard upon Darden's own warriors!" "It is bad. Here is all the Urali could ever want. The Urali never want to leave, even to fight @other tribes. Now we must raid, we must kill, we must take @prisoners." myrm "The Myrmidex are beasts, more savage than any man, or even Urali. They live far away from the Urali. But they will come for the Urali some day. It would be good if tribes would @unite to fight them. The Myrmidex are too fierce for the Urali." pris,impr "Do you speak of Darden's prisoner @Aiela, or his spirit-prisoner, the Great @Fabozz?" stat "Darden stole the statue of the Great @Fabozz. It commands the Mighty Lizard which guards the Urali village." "Darden told the Urali that Darden would make the Mighty Lizard destroy the Urali if Darden were not made chieftain. So we made him chief." The native sounds sad. "@Darden used his big riding lizard to take the statue deep into the cave, where light could not reach. Many warriors have brought light to Fabozz, but our torches and fires are not enough." The native brightens. "But that is all over. The Great Fabozz is once again where he belongs, thanks to you." The native looks at you curiously. "You look as strong as a warrior, but strange, like a spirit-made-flesh. Perhaps you could rescue the Great Fabozz. Would you?" tar "There is tar here, in the swamp valley. On the west side of the swamp water, south of the land bridge that leads to the Urali village, is a great tar pit." topu "Topuru was one of the Urali once, shaman to the Urali. Topuru angered the shaman of a faraway tribe and was driven mad. I have never seen him since." resc "I do not understand you." "You wish to rescue the Great @Fabozz?" othe "I do not know many of the tribes. Outside our swamp valley, nearby, there are the Yolaru to the north; they are black-skinned warriors, very fierce." "Beyond them, to the northwest, there are the Kurak, cunning in the forests." "South of the Yolaru, there are the Nahuatla, who build their city of stone." "And west of the Nahuatla, down below, are the Disquiqui, who fight poorly but live merry lives." "There are more tribes besides those, but I do not know them." unit,ally,alli "Unite the tribes? If it can be done, it is for the chiefs to decide." "Since Darden is dead, our chief is the shaman Wamap. Travel the swamp and speak to all; you will find Wamap." "@Darden is our chief, but Darden will never help another tribe. While Darden lives, the tribes may never be united." aiel "Aiela, Princess of the Kuraks. @Darden coveted her. Darden captured and imprisoned her." "But you have freed her." "Aiela is kept in a cave in the south of the swamp. You need to know about the @path." bye "May the spirits protect you... so long as you do not seek to harm the Urali." "I do not understand you." "And you have likewise restored Fabozz to the Urali, so the Urali are again free." "But @Fabozz remains away from the Urali, so the Urali can not truly be free." yn The native sighs. "I have asked too much of you. I should know better. And Fabozz must remain a prisoner in Fabozz' cavern @prison." The native brightens. "Yes? Yes? I will tell you how." "In the center of our village is a circle of fires. There we talk to the Great Fabozz, and sometimes we are honored to have him talk to the Urali." "@Darden took the Great Fabozz from that place and into a deep cave at the northern end of the swamp. Now we cannot reach him." "Until the Great Fabozz is returned to his rightful place, the Urali are prisoners, not free men and women. Without our spirit, we are less than true Urali." "If you would free the Great Fabozz, go far back into that cave in the north of the swamplands, and move the Great Fabozz back onto his circle of fire, where the sun may shine on him again." yn The native sighs. "I have asked too much of you. I should know better. And Fabozz must remain a prisoner in his cavern @prison."

Yolaru Tribesmen
a lean, cautious native. "What does warrior from beyond want?" name "$N.& trib "$N is member of Yolaru tribe. There are many @other tribes.& job "$N is warrior and gatherer of food, as are all Yolaru.& iron,bamb "Iron bamboo? South of place of bones.& bone "You want bone? Easy to find. Go south from Yolaru village. Walk at bottom of cliff. You will find place of many bones. Do not enter caves. Dangerous animals there.& hide "Anyone can get hide. Kill large beast. Use knife on body. Then have hide.& The Yolaru looks contemptuous of your ignorance in this matter. jim,malo "Have heard of such. @Disquiqui have it.& Jimmy breaks in: "Not any more, they don't!" "Disquiqui HAD it.& nahu,tich "Nahuatla call their stone city Tichticatl. One day's travel south of Yolaru village.& disq "Disquiqui. Stupid tribe. Drink, sing all time.& "Find Disquiqui? Go to city of stone where @Nahuatla live. Take path south to foot of cliff. Go west. Find Disquiqui there.& moct "Warrior of @Nahuatla. Once chieftain there. Have heard he lives with @Disquiqui now.& myrm "Antlike beast. Strong, fierce, hungry, evil. Yolaru hate Myrmidex more than anything. But cannot beat Myrmidex. Myrmidex always win.& rafk "Rafkin came to our tribe. We captured. Was not angry, did not fight. Showed us healing. Showed us many things.& "We said, 'You will be our shaman.' He said, 'No, your shaman is good. I will be your schweitzer.' We do not know what schweitzer is, but Rafkin is our @schweitzer.& schw "You wish to speak to our schweitzer, who is called @Rafkin?" "He is in Yolaru village. Find him there.& tuom "Tuomaxx. Drum-maker. Disquiqui sent him away. He was strange.& "You want him? Follow path south from Yolaru village. Keep to the west, and you should find a hill. Tuomaxx lives there.& ural "Urali warriors. Attack, steal women from all tribes. Only since Darden the Huge became chief there. When they attack Yolaru village, always come from east or southeast.& unit,ally,alli "You wish to unite tribes?" The warrior looks doubtful. "Too long fighting. Do not think you can. Speak to @chiefs if you wish to try. I am not chief.& chie "Yolaru chief is Apaton. Find him in Yolaru @village.& vill "Yolaru village is north of stone city of @Nahuatla. Find stone city, go north. Cannot fail to see it.& drum "You want drum? Find @Tuomaxx.& dard "Chief of @Urali. Big, evil. Mighty warrior.& othe "There are many tribes in valley. $N's tribe is Yolaru. Nearby are Kurak and @Disquiqui, pale-skins, and @Nahuatla, with skin like copper.& "Farther away... @Urali. Pindiro. Barrab. Barako. Jukari. Haakur, ugly men. Sakkhra, lizards who walk like men. Do not know much about these tribes.& "Do not know YOUR tribe at all.& bye "Fare well. Watch out for great lizards.& "Cannot help you.& "Cannot help you. Ask the @schweitzer.& The warrior points at Jimmy. "There he is.& The Yolaru bows respectfully to Rafkin. "Greetings, $N. Good to see you again.& Kanafo Aporin Masagai Kolia Panim Kalia Jalan Salah Wialra

Nahuatla Guard
introduction a strapping warrior in Aztec-like clothing. If Moctapotl restored "It is the mighty <Player Name>. I have heard much of you. If Moctapotl not restored "What are you doing here? You are an intruder! You must die by my knife!

bye "Goodbye, friend <Player Name>.

other "I cannot speak to you while I am on duty, mighty <Player Name>. I am sorry.

Urali Guard
introduction a sallow-skinned male warrior with suspicious eyes. If Darden destroyed "Ah! It is <Player Name>, mighty slayer of Darden the Huge. <Player Name> is a friend to the Urali." If Darden not destroyed and Fabozz not restored "A stranger! An enemy of the Urali! I must kill him -- so Darden commands!" If Fabozz restored "Ah! It is <Player Name>, who rescued the Great Fabozz! <Player Name> is welcome here."

name "Among the Urali, true names are not so freely given. You may call me 'friend.'"

job "This one is a warrior and guard of the Urali."

bye "May the spirits watch over you, <Player Name>."

other "This warrior is on duty. Guarding. <Player Name> should speak to those who are not guarding." He looks apologetic but does not answer your question.

Parrot
introduction a colorful, bright-eyed parrot. "SQUAWK!"

name,job "$Z!"

poll "Yes, yes, yes, yes. Wants a cracker."

blow "With this beak?"

ctsa "No handles allowed!" SQUAWK!

norw,blue,pini,fjor,mont,pyth "I don't watch that show!"

unite "If we all pull together, we parrots are bound to be able to drop a boulder on that @Tyrannosaurus!"

t-re,tyra "Parrot eater!" SQUAWK!

crac "Feed me!"

chea,ulti "Spam spam spam!" SQUAWK! "Humbug!"

pizza "No anchovies!"

help "Parrots can't read!" SQUAWK!

jagu "Pretty kitty!"

sabr,tige "Big kitty!"

vote "Rock the vote! SQUAWK!"

eat,hate,kill,die The parrot looks at you in a frightened manner, then flies to a higher branch and squawks over its shoulder "Hurry up with that boulder!"

bye "Bye! Ingrate! SQUAWK!" "$Z!"

Wisp
Introduction a strange, floating ball of glowing light. "Once more 'you' of Earth address 'I' of the Xorinite dimension." "At this progression point in the temporal continuity, how do 'you' wish to be addressed?" "'<Given Name>'. A series of vocal sounds serving as a temporary referent for 'you'. Very well. Does '<Given Name>' recall previous conversations with 'me'?"

yn (yes)-"Excellent. This obviates the need for reiteration of previous declarations of origin, intent, and activity. What shall 'we' speak of?" (no)-"Unfortunate. Repetition of previously-discussed information required. 'You' must sometime learn to extend perception along 'your' temporal continuity to avoid such confusion." "The manifestation before 'you' is a life-form projection from the Xorinite dimension." "'I' of Xorinia communicate with the bipedal organic units of Earth through this projection." "'I' observe activity at various points along Earth's temporal axis. In wealthier dimensions 'I' trade information, but 'you' of Earth have never offered any of significant value." "'My' projections are at this point in space time primarily to allow 'me' to observe and analyze the surrounding space-time @anomaly. What do 'you' wish to know, '<Given Name>'?"

name "'I' do not utilize the communications function referred to as 'name'. On Earth, any of my projections is referred to as 'wisp'." "If the manifestation '<Given Name>' must use a 'name' to remain functional, it may use 'wisp'."

wisp "Correct."

trib "A subset of the more general superset of bipedal organic units. A primitive example of the more complete evolutionary point of which 'I' am an example."

eart "That is correct. We are on Earth."

job,xori "Xorinia acts as a conduit for information between different continua, planes, dimensions. Xorinia also retains information which will improve Xorinia." "The manifestation in proximity of '<Given Name>' is at location 'here-now' to observe energy @anomalies."

anom,vall,eodo,here "The geographical superset commonly referred to by its local bipedal manifestations as 'valley' and 'Eodon' and 'here' is a source of energy stress." "A @power source of significant relative magnitude exerts considerable distorting influence on this space-time region." "Analysis of the situation indicates that at some temporal point in the 'past' an energy source bearing the Britannian vocal referent 'moonstone' embedded itself in this proximity." "@Modification of the energies of said 'moonstone' have resulted in the geographical superset 'here-now' 'Eodon' 'Valley' being placed outside the normal space-time continuum." "Life-units which in other 'here-now' positions have ceased to manifest on both individual and collective bases have adapted to the distortion by continuing to exist in both individual and collective senses." "Continuing stress on the space-time continuum by the damaged 'moonstone' has resulted in scattering of small but volatile @distortions all through the space-time continuum."

dist "Stresses from power source called 'moonstone' exert tremendous influence on the space-time continuum. This results in ripples and holes in the continuum." "This can create temporary points of intersection between space-time points -- that is, 'places' -- which should customarily enjoy no contact." "Left uncorrected, this situation can permanently distort and blend space-time regions, perhaps @destroying them."

moon,ston,powe "Object containing the distorting energy is similar to objects which are called 'moonstones' in the dimension 'Britannia.'" "This one has been subtly altered, and differs from other examples of its type in ways your language has no words for." "Vocal interpretations of its physical state of being result in the words 'black' and 'stone'." "Amounts of power indicated that the referent 'large' or 'enormous' should also be appended."

modi "Available data indicate that life-forms studying the power source 'moonstone' enacted energies upon it, modifying it beyond its original scope." "These modifications have resulted in distortions to the space-time continuum."

dest "Unchecked emission of energies from power-source 'moonstone' can result in blending, blurring, and ultimately destruction of large regions of the @multiverse."

mult "'Multiverse' is a word-referent of your life-form; it signifies all reality in all universes."

wher "Where is a 'you' word-referent interrogative requesting data on space-time coordinates, correct?" "It is impossible to relate space-time coordinates as this manifestation grasps them to coordinates as the life-form 'you' understands them."

bye "It is redundant for 'you' to make notification of 'your' intent to move to different spatial points." "A short trip forward on the time continuum reveals that intent much more precisely. However, in the manner of 'your' life-form: 'Good-bye.'" "The information 'I' have just given 'you' can be considered a free sample. If 'you' offer 'me' valuable information at a point further along the time continuum, 'I' will present 'you' with information of true value." "The communications form 'you' refer to as 'language' is too inexact and interpretive. This manifestation cannot answer 'your' interrogative."