At the end of the corridor stands a huge metal bound door, rising high above your head into the arched roof of the corridor, where a carving of a giant figure juts from the roof, spreading stone wings over the doorway. The Door glows with its own pale light, its outline shimmering faintly as if a slight mist hung in front of it. Now and again barely visible blue sparks slither their way up the door frame and vanish into the metal of the locks.
The Door is sealed with four locks, each identical except for colour, and each with a key already in the lock. You know that the Door is locked, and you know that to open it with the wrong key will spell death, while the correct one will open the way to paradise. You may try to open the Door with:
Alternitivly you may attempt to break the locks with a handy metal bar lying by the door, or you may go back down the corridor.
You pick up the bar and start to smash at the locks. Instantly a small and brightly coloured snake shoots from the wall to your left and sinks its fangs into your neck. Burning pain shoots through you, and...
The door swings open, revealing a passageway that runs South, and then turns to the East. You may go up it, or back down the Northwards passageway.
The door swings open, revealing a passageway that runs South, and then turns to the East. You may go up it, or back down the Northwards passageway.
You try to turn the Red Key, but it just spins in the lock, clearly a fake. To open the Door with this lock you must find the key. If you already have it then enter the three letters written on the key to open the door here:
Otherwise you have little choice but to leave the door and go back up the corridor , or try another lock.
The door swings open, revealing a passageway that runs South, and then turns to the East. You may go up it, or back down the Northwards passageway.
You follow the passageway around the turning. Suddenly a wall of flame springs up in front of you. You turn about to flee the intense heat and another wall springs up behind you. Rapidly the two walls close in upon you...
You creep cautiously around the corner, and see a flight of steps leading down in front of you. As you approach them you become aware of a slithering sound. Turning arouns you see a huge scaly Dragon-serpent filling the corridor. You turn for the stairs, even as it breathes out a cloud of deadly gas. To see if you escape...
You follow the passageway around to the East and see in front of you a flight of stairs leading down into a huge octagonal room, its walls and floor made of white marble. Descending into the chamber you see that the room is without doors or windows, but is lit by a directionless white light that appears to emerge from the walls of the room. In the center of the ceiling you see a circular hole and, looking up, find yourself staring into a dome of intense glowing blue. Suddenly a bone-vibrating humm fills the air, affecting you almost like a physical attack...
You follow the passageway around to the East. You see ahead of you a corridor ending in a blank wall upon which there is hung a black shield, a black sword, and a tall black vial. You must examine one of these objects, since when you look behind you, you see that another wall has closed across the passageway behind you.
As soon as you take the sword smoke begins to pour from hundreds of holes in the walls. You attempt to fight off the fumes with the sword, but you might as well try to fight the sea. The smoke envelops you, and...
As you take down the shield you hear a noise from behind you. Looking round you see a huge figure dressed in black armour, weilding a massive blade that drips with blue fire. As he attacks, you attempt to defend yourself with the black shield, but it crumbles away like smoke, and the blade smites you down...
You pick up the vial and examine the stopper with which it is sealed. You may pull out the stopper, dash the vial to the ground, or examine something else.
You dash the vial to the ground, instantly a blcak liquid sreads out from it. At its touch the floor melts away as if it was smoke, and you plunge down into darkness.
You examine the shield, and see upon it the image of a knight in black armour being struck through with a massive sword. You may take down the shield, or examine something else.
You pull the stopper from the bottle and black roiling smoke pours from it, enveloping you instantly. Visions of lauging figures assault you, and you feel a burning pain run all over you, then you are suddenly plunged into utter darkness.
Examining the sword you can see that its finely made blade it etched with a design of a striking serpent, its lines filled in with silver. You may take down the sword or examine something else.
At the end of the dark passage looms a huge shape, wreathed about by the sooty smoke from the flaming oil. You approach it very carefully, sword held low and dangerous before you. As you approach the creature rears up and leaps at you, bearing huge fangs in the darkness, but it is brought short by a chain fixed about its huge neck.
Staying at a safe distance you realise that the creature is some kind of giant rat beast, almost twice your height, and clearly at least three times your weight. Its fur is straight and iron grey, and it glints in the flames as if it was metalic. Around its neck is a heavy bronze collar, to which the chain is apparently attached, but you cannot see any real details of it in the dim light.
Behind the creature the corridor goes on a little way, and then ends in a huge door, towering even above the beast. The door glows faintly in its own light, and you cannot tell whether it is metal or wood. On the door stand four locks, and you realise that this is the object of your quest, the legendary door that guards the way to Paradise.
A fearsome growl brings your attention back to the beast. It has retrated a little, and is toying with something, that you suddenly realise with disgust is a corpse still dressed in battered armour. The creature rears up and hurls the foetid mass at you, but you manage to dodge both the corpse, and the creature as it lunges forward again. It snarls at the end of its chain, white foam clearly visible abiout its jaws, and you notice a symbol branded into the fur of its forehead, the snake-knife of the Dark Elves.
If you wish to reach the Door then you are clearly going to have to fight this sentinel beast one way or another. Your current choice is to attack it directly, or retreat to come up with a better plan.
You brandish your dagger and stab the creature with it, but the blade has no more effect than your sword did. Your last thought as the creature rears up over you is that this was not the right dagger! Then it rips the head from your body.
You come in rapidly, emerging from the smoke like an avenging angel. It's
clumsy swipe misses you and you triumphally smash at with your blade. To your
dismay however your sword merely skitters across the surface of the steel fur
with a shower of red sparks in the darkness. Before you recover from your
surprise the creature slashes you across the chest with one of its claws, only
your armour saving you from death! You roll out of the way, trying to regain
your feet, but another blow smashes down on your back, knocking you to your
knees again. You can:
You carefully retreat backwards towards the rubble cave in, until you are level with the little side passage. The Dark Elven creature retires into the shadows, and you almost fancy that it is grinnign as its single red eye regards you from the darkness. You take one last look at the Door with Four Locks, and vow to yourself that you will return. Then you hurry West up the narrow passage.
You try and slash at its forelimbs, but the attempt is just as ineffectual as
your first attack, and you are dealt a blow which leaves you doubled up and
coughing against the wall in return. You may:
You roll under its claw-sweep and stab it in your chest with all your might. To
your horror your blade merely bends and then springs from your hand to skitter
across the floor. The huge head bends down towards you, and you see a huge
glowing eye regarding you. Below the jaws glints the bronze collar,
and you now see upon it the image of a black dagger, that looks like it had been
chipped from stone, and upon which are the letters ADC. If you have the
magic dagger that matches this image then enter the material it is made from in
this box to attack the creature with it:
Otherwise you realise that you have to flee. You may:
You hack at its leg, but to no avail, you do no damage, and it fetches you up a
mighty kick that smashes you against the wall, wedging your sword behind you. The
beast presses you against the hot oil burner, its jaws opening wide...
Somehow you manage to duck beneath it, coming face to face with the bronze collar,
and you now see upon it the image of a black dagger, that looks like it had been
chipped from stone, and upon which are the letters ADC. If you have the
magic dagger that matches this image then enter the material it is made from in
this box to attack the creature with it:
Otherwise you realise that you have to flee. You may:
You charge the creature, sword aimed for its heart. You strike it with your full weight behind the blow, and... your sword snaps in two as if it had been a twig. You feel the heavy claws clasp about you in an iron grip, crushing the life out of you, and then...
You throw yourself into the muck on the passage floor, rolling beneath the creature's claw sweep, and then throwing yourself headfirst into the darkness of the cave mouth.
You draw the Obsidian dagger that the Dwarf gave to you, and stab at the creature with it. The knife passes through its steel fur as if it had been air, and the creature soundlessly explodes into a sphere of black light that passes you by. The oil fire silently dies out, leaving you alone in the light of the Door.
The door swings open, revealing a passageway that runs South, and then turns to the East. You may go up it, or back down the Northwards passageway.
You walk away from the Door, back up the dark corridor. As you pass the place where the chain lies empty on the ground a black light flares in mid air and the Rat-creature rematerialises in the corridor, the oil flame blazing back to life. You smile grimly, the beast will keep others away until you return with the dagger and the secret to the Door with Four Locks.
You try your key in the Red lock, but it has no more success than the fake key already there. You have picked the wrong key, and you must try again...