Underworld — 8 of 15

Section 7 - The Ascension

The Ornate Door is west of the Main Hall and east of the Pathway to Ascension. It is a locked door and scenery. The description is "A large ornate double door blocks your way."

The ornate key unlocks the ornate door.

The Pathway to Ascension is dark. The description is "A beautiful hall that is covered in green, blue, and purple silk fabric. The fabric is flowing gently even though there is no breeze. You see an entrance to a large chamber to the north. And [if ornate door is open]the glow of [the main hall] flows in from the east[otherwise]to the east is the closed [ornate door] denying access back to [the main hall][end if]."

The silk is in the Pathway to Ascension. It is scenery. The description is "As soft as… well… [italic type]silk[roman type]. Blue, green and purple."

Persephone's Chamber is north of the Pathway to Ascension. "A large chamber made of crystal. Clear clean light descends from the crystal walls. The only exit is back to the south."

Some crystals are here. They are scenery. The description is "Beautiful crystals line the chamber. They have an eerie glow coming from them. You also can not see what would be behind them as the crystals block any vision beyond them. You presume it's just part of the hut you in."

The throne is here. It is a supporter. It is fixed in place and enterable. The description is "This is your basic throne. It sits in the center of the room. In fact it seems it is the only piece of furniture in the room at all! It does have some nice ornaments, a few jewels, some gold. But with the dust and tarnish it really isn't all that impressive."

To send her home:

now Persephone is not following;

now the argument counter is 0;

move Persephone to Persephone's Chamber.

Stop following is an action applying to nothing. Carry out stop following:

if Persephone is following:

send her home;

say "You send [Persephone] on her way. She walks back from whence she came.";

otherwise:

say "No one seems to be following you at the moment.".

Understand "stop following" as stop following.

Understand "tell persephone to stop following" as stop following.

Understand "ask persephone to stop following" as stop following.

Persephone is a goddess. She is on the throne. The description is "You recognize her as Persephone. Long silk white hair flows like water down her neck and back. Her eyes the color of deep green. Simply angelic."

A person can be following. A person can be idle.

Instead of entering the throne when Persephone is on the throne, say "I doubt very much that [Persephone] would be pleased if you sat on her."

Every turn when in Persephone's Chamber and the player can see Persephone and Persephone is not following:

if Persephone is not idle:

if Persephone is on the throne:

if a random chance of 1 in 4 succeeds:

move Persephone to Persephone's Chamber;

say "[Persephone] stands up from [the throne].";

otherwise:

say "[Persephone] [one of]seems lost in thought.[or]says 'I just don[']t understand her.'[or]fidgets with her hands.[or]shifts herself uncomfortably from side to side.[or]mutters something under her breath.[or]begins to cry a little and then composes herself again.[or]slams her hand on the throne in anger.[at random]";

otherwise:

if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds:

if the player is on the throne:

say "[Persephone] says 'If you don't mind, I feel I might need to sit down.'";

otherwise:

move Persephone to the throne;

say "[Persephone] sits back down on [the throne] and leans on her elbow.";

otherwise:

say "[Persephone] [one of]begins pacing back and forth.[or]places her head in her hands for a few moments.[or]says 'You know what the worst part is? She doesn[']t even have the nerve to apologize!'[or]asks 'Is there something wrong with me?'[or]starts crying. She stops pacing to compose herself before continuing her pacing.[or]says 'I used to like [the Hookah] to. But something went wrong.'[at random]".

Instead of telling Persephone about something, try asking Persephone about it.

After asking Persephone about a topic:

if the topic understood includes "talk/talking/follow/following":

if Persephone is following:

say "[Persephone] says 'Yes I know, please take me to her before I lose my nerve.'";

otherwise:

now Persephone is following;

now the argument counter is 0;

score the achievement with message "convincing Persephone to talk to Hecate";

say "[Persephone] says 'Maybe I should talk to Hecate. Oh but I[']m nervous can you take me to her? I'll follow you.'";

otherwise:

say "She [if the location of Persephone is the Hookah Hut]ignores you[otherwise]replies 'I[']m sorry, I really can[']t think about that right now[end if].".

After asking Persephone about a topic listed in the Table of Persephone's Replies, say "[Persephone] looks at you for a moment and says '[reply entry]'[paragraph break]".

Instead of asking Persephone to try stop following, try stop following.

Instead of asking Persephone to try doing something, say "She seems to [if persephone is on the throne]sit[otherwise]stand[end if] still despite your request."

Every turn when Persephone is following:

if the location of Persephone is not the location of the player:

let the way be the best route from the location of Persephone to the location of the player, using doors;

try Persephone going the way;

otherwise:

say "[Persephone] [one of]asks, 'You really think this will work?'[or]looks nervous[or]gives out a long sigh.[purely at random]";

if the location of Persephone is the Hookah hut:

now Persephone is not following;

Persephone leaves in 5 turns from now; [one less from the conversation steps below]

say "As Persephone enters [the Hookah hut], [the strange woman] stands up and turns to meet her."

The argument counter is a number variable.

At the time when Persephone leaves:

say "[if the player can see Persephone]Persephone bursts out crying leaving [the Hookah hut][otherwise]You hear Persephone crying. The sound fades[end if].";

send her home.

Every turn when the location of Persephone is the Hookah hut:

increment the argument counter;

if the player can see Persephone:

if argument counter is:

-- 1: say "[Persephone] asks [the strange woman] 'Please, I beg you, can we talk?'";

-- 2: say "[the strange woman] replies 'And what's to say? You'll just complain about my [Hookah].'";

-- 3: say "[Persephone] says 'Well your always so consumed by the damn thing.'";

-- 4: say "[the strange woman] says 'And why not? It's a good thing. If I recall you were the one to suggest we get it!'";

-- 5: say "[Persephone] shouts 'It's not fair! I want that [hookah] gone!'";

-- 6: say "[the strange woman] replies 'NO!'[paragraph break][Persephone] growls and attempts to smash [the hookah] but [the strange woman] jumps in front of her.[paragraph break][the strange woman] screams 'How dare you! Now get out!' and she sits back down to examine [the hookah] for any broken parts.";

otherwise:

say "You can hear an argument unsung in the distance.".

Instead of attacking the Hookah:

if the location of Persephone is the Hookah hut:

say "You break [the Hookah]. Shards of glass fall to the floor. The fire that produced the smoke is extinguished when it falls in the large puddle of water. [The strange woman] turns in horror at the mess. [Persephone] is silent.[paragraph break][The strange woman] was about to say something when her body suddenly changes. Her wrinkles go away. Her nose returns to a normal size. Even her eyes seem to brighten up. She becomes quite beautiful.[paragraph break][Persephone] exclaims 'Hecate! You… Oh my! You look how I remember you did before we got that terrible [Hookah].'[paragraph break][the strange woman] looks back at [Persephone] and says 'I… I feel so different. What happened? [Persephone], I… I[']m so sorry.[paragraph break][Persephone] replies with a gentle smile 'Oh it so good to have you back Hecate.' And she quickly kisses [the strange woman].[paragraph break][Persephone] turns to you and says 'Thank you so very much. I will return you from where you came. You will always have our blessings.'";

say "[Persephone] approaches you and takes your hand. She kisses your forehead and you find yourself awake in the Shaman's hut. You feel relieved of your burdens and with a smile you trot out of the hut to enjoy your life.";

end the story finally;

otherwise:

say "[the strange woman] starts yelling in another language. She looks very upset. It does not seem wise to attempt that while she is using it."