Slouching Towards Bedlam — 49 of 76

Section 6 - Corridor 6

The description of Corridor 6 is "Were it not for the complex's enclosing walls and ceiling, this hall would certainly be left at the mercy of the elements - no surface stands unbroken or unpitted.[paragraph break]The eastern wall is set with a series of labeled doorways: to the northeast lies A, to the east B, to the southeast C.[paragraph break]The western wall is much the same: to the southwest is D, to the west E, to the northwest F. [paragraph break]The door to the south is labeled simply 'Panopticon'." Instead of going east from Corridor 6, say "The door to room 6B seems stuck fast - from behind it can be heard the steady drip of water." Instead of going west from Corridor 6, say "The room beyond the door to the west seems to have collapsed in on itself - the door swings inwards to immediately strike an impenetrable mound of rubble." Instead of going northwest from Corridor 6, say "The lock and handle on the door to 6F seem broken - making it unopenable. The sound of wind faintly blowing can be heard beyond it, though."

The hallway door is scenery in Corridor 6. The hallway door is a container. Instead of doing anything with the hallway door, say "That's of no importance."

The description of Room 6A is "A room that has been stripped almost completely bare - its only pretense at furniture is a small, hard chair thrown off to one side. Its single exit lies to the southwest."

The pipework is scenery in Room 6A. Understand "exposed", "wall", "pipes" and "pipe" as the pipework. The description of the pipework is "Some exposed pipework can be seen along the room's southern wall, from within emanates the faint sound of a cricket's chirping." Instead of doing anything other than examining the pipework, say "There doesn't seem to be much utility in fiddling with the pipework." Instead of listening while the player is in Room 6A, say "There is a faint buzzing whine in the air, seeming to come from the southern wall."

The chair is a backdrop. It is in Room 6A and Room 6D. Understand "small", "hard" as the chair. The description of the chair is "It is so much junk - brittle and old, it is unlikely it could bear any weight whatsoever." Instead of doing anything other than examining the chair, say "It's useless -- better to leave it be."

Every turn:

if the player is in Room 6A:

if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds:

say "[one of]A faint, shrill sound can be heard from a poorly concealed pipe in the corner.[or]It sounds as if an insect is caught somewhere in the room.[or]There is a faint sound emanating from some pipework near the south wall.[or]A piercing tone fills the air for a brief moment.[at random]"

The description of Room 6B is "A room slowly filling with water - a broken pipe lies at one end, slowly dripping into an ever growing pool.[paragraph break]A stuck and broken door lies on the western side."

The description of Room 6C is "A room whose floor seems in danger of collapse - a hole has started forming in its center and the edges slowly slope in towards it. Its single exit lies to the northwest."

The hole is scenery in Room 6C. The description of the hole is "The hole is approximately the size of a clenched fist, and beyond only darkness can be seen. The floor surrounding it seems anything but stable." Instead of doing anything other than examining or pointing at the hole, say "The whole area seems perilously close to collapse - best not to linger."

The description of Room 6D is "An old room that - while crumbling around the edges - is fairly sturdy and secure. Its dusty floor holds nothing more than a cot and a crumbling chair. A set of gas light fixtures hangs off the wall, blocked and in disrepair and a door lies to the northeast.[paragraph break]The walls are covered with writing."

The writing is scenery in Room 6D. The description of the writing is "[if the player is in Room 6D]In the walls' current state, it must not have been too difficult to scratch a message into - but the preciseness of the writing is still impressive. Various phrases are carved in a generally circular pattern about an intricate set of lines and circles at the center, within which is inscribed:[paragraph break][fixed letter spacing]Z X W H T G B W H T F G W H T F G B Z X W H T[variable letter spacing][paragraph break]The outer writing reads, variously:[paragraph break][fixed letter spacing]LOGOS EN SOPH NOTARIKON AND A LITTLE[line break] CHLD[line break]MKLTH GEMATRIA 2693[line break]19876 MCHN[line break]KTHR TEMURAH 1262[line break]8765 SHALL LEAD THEM[variable letter spacing][otherwise]The writing is too small to make out through the prism-viewer." The writing has a truth state called analyzed. The analyzed is usually false. The writing has a text called the initial analysis. The initial analysis of the writing is "[fixed letter spacing]CAT:WRITING.UTIL[line break]:COMMUNICATION.P[line break]ART:MULTIPLE.PHR[line break]ASES.POSITIONING[line break]POSSIBILY.IMPORT[line break]ANT.SIX.SEPARATE[line break]PORTIONS?FURTHER[line break]ANALYSIS.REQ....[paragraph break][variable letter spacing]It has no sooner finished showing this then, with a series of clanks, the letters begin to spin wildly, randomly. The screen fills with a series of scrolling data, clearing the old as quickly as the new appears...[paragraph break][fixed letter spacing]LOGOS.EN.SOPH...[line break](EN=AIN=NOTHING)[line break]WITHOUT.FORM?...[line break]SOURCE:HEBREW/KA[line break]BALLAH-BOUNDLESS[line break]LIMITLESS-CREATO[line break]R?GENERATIVE-DEI[line break]TY?SECOND.GOD=DE[line break]MIURGE(GNOSTIC?)[paragraph break]ASSOCIATIONFOUND[line break]TRINITY-NOTARIKO[line break]N.GEMATRIA.TEMUR[line break]AH.ALL.KABALLIST[line break]IC.REFERENCES.MA[line break]RKINGS.AT.CENTER[line break]SUPPORT.POSSIBLE[line break]CODE.OR.CYPHER?.[paragraph break]AND.A.LITTLE.CHL[line break]D.2693?.GEMATRIA[line break]/NUMEROLOGY/UNKN[line break]OWN.SYSTEM.W/NO.[line break]VOWELS?[bracket]B=1,C=2[close bracket][line break]AND.A.LITTLE....[line break]CHLD/CHILD/MCHN/[line break]MACHINE?.SHALL..[paragraph break]MACHINE/KABALLAH[line break]REFERENCE?SEARCH[line break]ING.?CYPHERIST?.[line break]ENLIGHTENMENT.AS[line break]INFORMATION?DATA[line break]MARKINGS+MLKTH+K[line break]THR=MALKUTH.KETH[line break]ER-SEPHIRA/ROTH?[paragraph break]CYPHER:NO.VOWELS[line break]=20.SYMBOLS=?SIM[line break]PLE.ROTATION.OR.[line break]FOLD?B=N=B/C=P=C[line break]...ZXWHT...MLKTH[line break]MLKTH=MALKUTH.!.[line break]GBWHTF=SN[bracket]KTHR[close bracket].[line break][bracket]S[close bracket]=?AS?IS?SO?..[variable letter spacing][paragraph break]Finally, seeming almost pleased with itself, the machine quiets down, displaying:[paragraph break][the analysis of the writing][line break]". The analysis of the writing is "[fixed letter spacing]CENTER.LETTERING[line break]CODE/CYPHER(NO.V[line break]OWELS)='MALKUTH.[line break]IS.IN.KETHER.AS.[line break]KETHER.IS.IN.MAL[line break]KUTH'=KAB/CYPH.=[line break][bracket]MAN[close bracket]IS.IN[bracket]GOD[close bracket]A[line break]S[bracket]GOD[close bracket]IS.IN[bracket]MAN[close bracket][variable letter spacing]".

The cot is scenery in Room 6D. The description of the cot is "A small, well worn cot, almost worn through from use." Instead of doing anything other than examining the cot, say "The cot holds no use."

The gas light fixtures are scenery in Room 6D. Understand "lights" as the gas light fixtures. The description of the fixtures is "Their flickering fills the room with uneasy shadows." Instead of doing anything other than examining the fixtures, say "The lights look as if they will go out any moment as it is. Best to leave them alone."

The description of Room 6E is "The mirrors in the viewed room must have shattered, for the view is diffracted into a thousand reflected shards - each one showing grey stone."

The description of Room 6F is "A room whose northern wall has completely collapsed, revealing empty space with an outer wall and ceiling visible in the distance. The floor is covered with strewn rubble."