You now stand in a dimly lit East-West corridor. To the North of you another passageway runs slightly downwards away from you. To the East is a small doorway, to the West a line of empty alcoves lead away.
You are in a sloping corridor oriented North-South. At the Northern end is a T-junction, at the other a low square doorway.
You stand in a passageway hewn from living rock, running West to East. In the Southern wall are a row of empty rough cut alcoves, that might once have contained bodies. In the opposite wall has been carved a huge representation of a skull, two ragged crow wings spreading out on either side of it.
You may examine the image more closly, go West up the passage, or East down it.
You are now in a square room, pilled high with crates, chests, boxes, and long wooden cases, all of which appear to you to be empty. While searching the room you notice another doorway leading North from the room, in addition to the passage that slopes up to the South.
When you examine the carving you realise that a section can swing open. Pushing down on it you uncover a low damp passageway leading North behind the wall. You may go down it, or allow the door to close again.
You stand at a point which was once a crossroads between an East-West corridor and another running North-South, however the Western arm of the main passage has collapsed, and is now an impenetrable wall of rubble. Your routes therefore are East towards the entrance to the labyrinth, South along a corridor of low arches or North towards a faint yellow light.
This room is richly decorated with deep red hangings and a matching carpet. In the center of the room stands a wide black desk strewn with papers. Upon the desk a pale globe in a gold stand sheds a dim blue-pink radience over the chamber. Opposite the desk there is a tall polished dresser standing against one wall. Beside this is the single doorway leading out of the chamber to the South.
You squeeze down the passageway and emerge into a dimly lit chamber, pushing aside rich ruby fabrics. You then look around.
Examining the papers of the desk you find them all written in scripts the like of which you have never before seen. However you also find a copy of a red-leather bound book that you have heard of before, the "Manual of Lost Souls". You have heard that this book describes a method by which one can meet with certain Gods and gain that thing which your heart most desires, the secret of which is known only to the beings who you might meet. You sit down and read the book.
The handwritten pages tell of a door sealed with four locks, only one of which can open it safely. They then describe a place beyond the door where the Gods will test whoever comes there with a test, made up of a choice between certain representitive objects, only one of which is the correct one to choose. If the choice is made than the Gods will grant the subject the thing of their dreams. Reading the description of the place where the door is located you realise that you are even now in that very place!
When you have finished with the book you stand up.
Going through the drawers of the of the dresser you find a picture, a crude map. It shows a corridor at the end of which is marked a circle on the wall. Two rooms lead off on opposite sides of this passage, and in one is marked a Blue chalice, while in the other is a Green one. This is all you find in the dresser.
You stand at a crossroads between two passageways. Corridors lead North, South, East, and West. To the South is a T-junction, while to the North red light issues down the passagway. To the North also, however, you can see a floor writhing with hundreds of thin black serpents, which dart constantly in and out of holes in the floor and walls. You may cautiously examine these, but there are simply to many to jump over.
You fling the liquid from the chalice over the serpents. Instantly they grow massivly in size and envelop you in their crushing coils. Then everything goes dark.
The moment you fling the liquid over the snakes they retreat rapidly into the holes and do not re-emerge. The passage is now clear for you to go down.
Approaching the snakes you notice a shelf with two golden chalices seated upon it, just to one side of them. One chalice contains a green liquid, the other a blue liquid of similar consistency. You may go back to the crossroads, fling the blue liquid over the snakes, or fling the green liquid over the snakes.
You stand at a T-junction. A passage leads North, one leads South, and one leads West to the crossroads.
You now stand at the foot of a flight of stairs, at the bottom of which a passage leads East to the crossroads, and at the top of which another passage turns West.
You now stand in a square room entirely draped with scarlet cloth, carpeted with red carpet and hung over with scarlet drapes above. In the center of the room stands a large red plinth with a red-gold dish upon it filled with oil with burns gently. To the South a passage leads towards the crossroads, in the Western wall is a green doorway, and in the Northern wall a blue one.
This passage ends in a sheer stone wall dropping down into a pitch black pit, dripping with water. The only way to go is North down the passageway.
This passage leads to a perfectly square and perfectly empty room. The only exit is back to the South.
You stand at the top of a flight of stairs leading downwards. At the bottom of these a passage leads East. In front of you a passage leads West until it ends at a wall upon which a shield appears to be hung. Halway up this passageway two square doorways face each other, one leading South, the other North.
You stand in a square room whose walls, floor, and ceiling, are all made of a dark and almost luminous green, nearly overpowering in its intensity. In the Eastern wall a doorway glows violently red. To the North is an utterly black doorway, in front of which a golden sword hangs in the air, held aloft by a golden gauntlet. You may attempt to get past this sword by ducking beneath it,, or attempting to thrust it aside.
You stand in a room which is made of an intensly blue metal. The air humms and smels of ozone and electricity. Beneath your feet the metal vibrates. There is only one exit from this room, South to a glowing red doorway.
The shield portrays upon it a huge door with four locks, standing slightly ajar, before which a man in armour is being struck by lightning. As you raise a hand to touch it a brightly coloured snake darts out from behind the sheild, nearly grazing you with its fangs. You take this as a warning to beware of the door should you find it. Lowering your hand you back off into the corridor again.
In this room a chalice of blue glass glows with its own light as it sits upon a stone plinth.
On the front of the plinth there is a carving representing a dead snake. When you have finished looking at the plinth you exit the room by its Northern doorway.
In this room there stands a glowing chalice of green glass, resting on a stone pillar.
On th front of the plinth there is a carving representing a man killed by a snake. When you have finished looking at the plinth you exit the room by its Southern doorway.
You easily get past the flying sword you find yourself inside a square room entirely made of black obsidian. In the center of the room, on a black cushion, sits an old man in robe of black velvet.
The old man says: "Have you come to seek the key to the mystery fo the four objects?"
You may answer:
Old Man: "Why should you be told that? After I have given you wisdom already?"
You stride out of the black chamber, you are now back in the green room.
The old man smiles and says: "Many have sought the route to their ultimate dreams, beyond the door with four locks. Do you thing that you are particularly worthy?"
Old man: "Hubris is a deadly sin, but only a brave man will reach the test. However, only a learned man will pass it."
Old man: "The Gods favour humility, but it is not humility that will open the door with four locks."
Old Man: "Ah yes the test, why should I tell you anything about it?"
The Old Man nods wisely: "The four objects that the Gods present each have a symbolic meaning, only the one with the correct meaning will spell success, the others, failure of the test."
Old Man: "It is not my place to tell you of the door, you must find the key to that yourself."
The Old Man laughs at you: "What pride, it shall surely be the death of you in time."
Old Man: "Very good, perhaps you shall solve this puzzle yet, for puzzle it is, but what makes you think I know the solution to the puzzle?"
You attack the old man, but he evaporates like a dream. You search the room carefully, but there is nothing there to see. Eventually you return to the green room. You hear a hissing noise behind you and duck as the golden sword slashes over your head. You make for the exit to the red room, but the sword suddenly multiplies into seven identical blades. Against these you have no chance, and are cut down.
Old Man: "The correct object to pick from the four is the one which represents both Life, Death, and Rulership, only this is the correct choice."
The Old Man raises a hand and speaks: "There are four objects that the Gods will present in their test. A Chalice, a Serpent sword, a metal vial, and a rod of Kingship. The Chalice is filled with water, and represents life, the sword and the serpent represents death, while the rod represents Authority. The metal vial is as long as the rod, and holds water like the chalice, what do you think it represents?"
Old Man: "Enough of this, you must answer a riddle or leave me."
"I am what begins at birth.
My first is the most upright letter of the alphabet.
My second is part of every face.
My third is first of failure and feeling.
My last is the beginning of ending.
What am I?"
Old Man: "You are correct. Well then what shall I tell you of?"
The Old Man nods gently: "Good luck adventurer, be careful that you do not open the door of four locks by the wrong lock." As he says this he fades away as if he were only a dream. The only path you can take is to return to the green room.
Old Man: "No not magic. Instead it represents all three of things of which I have spoken. Life since it holds liquid like the chalice, Death since the liquid it holds is the venom of the serpent upon the sword, authority since it is as solid and heavy as the rod which it resembles."
The Old Man claps his hands together: "Indeed, you have studied well. It represents Life because it holds liquid like the chalice, Death because the liquid is the venom of the snake of Death, and Rulership since it is heavy and shaped like the rod. This is the object that you should pick."
Old Man: "I am afraid not foolish one, and I can tell you no more." The old man fades away like smoke, leaving you no option but to return to the green room.