Chapter 6: Roundabout (Yes, 1971)

The Round Room is, well, round, and goes, well, around. It spins any direction after you enter the room and will send you to a random place, so turning it off makes the game much easier.

Check yourself! You need the lamp, torch, bottle and the egg (unless you already gave it to the Thief). Use the inventory command to see what you are carrying and then take accordingly.

>down

Cellar

>east

Troll Room
 
>north

East-West Passageway

>east

[Round Room] This is a circular room with passages off in eight directions. Your compass needle spins wildly, and you cannot get your bearings.

Welcome to the Round Room, which has seven exits. Keep leaving and entering the Round Room until you reach the Engravings Cave. If you see a treasure along the way, leave it...trust me. Once you make it to the Engravings Cave, you're in like flint! Until then, use these instructions to get back to the Round Room:

North-South Passage: South
Deep Canyon: South
Maze: West, north, east
Winding Passage: east, north, north, west
Grail Room: west
East-West Passage: east

You have entered a cave with passages leading north and southeast. There are old engravings on the walls here.

Finally...we're there!

>read engravings

The engravings were incised in the living rock of the cave wall by an unknown hand. They depict, in symbolic form, the beliefs of the ancient peoples of Zork. Skillfully interwoven with the bas reliefs are excerpts illustrating the major tenets expounded by the sacred texts of the religion of that time. Unfortunately, a later age seems to have considered them blasphemous and just as skillfully excised them.

Interesting...

>se

[Riddle Room] This is a room which is bare on all sides. There is an exit down. To the east is a great door made of stone. Above the door, the following words are written: "No man shall enter this room without solving this riddle--

What is tall as a house,

Round as a cup,

And all the king's horses can't draw it up?".

(Reply via 'ANSWER "answer"'.)

This one is easy-in-retrospect, but not so straight-forward the first time around. Tall is a measurement direction, which implies up, but it could also go down. Round is, well, round. The king’s horses are not referring to Humpty Dumpty on steroids, but rather something that cannot be moved. (Insert Jeopardy music here). That is correct: the now obvious answer is a well. Note that "a well" does not work...those MIT guys weren't studying English, that is for sure.

>answer "well"

There is a clap of thunder, and the east door opens.

>east

[Closet] This is a former broom closet. The exits are to the east and west. There is a pearl necklace here with hundreds of large pearls.

>take pearls

>east

[Bottom of Well] This is a damp circular room, whose walls are made of brick and mortar. The roof of this room is not visible, but there appear to be some etchings on the walls. There is a passageway to the west. There is a wooden bucket here, three feet in diameter and three feet high.

>look at etchings

              o b o

              A G I

               E L

              m p a
Hmmm…

The bucket operates like a boat, so the proper terminology is board or disembark. These instructions will come in handy later.

>board

You are now in the wooden bucket.

Well, now what? You are in a bucket in what, according to the answer, is a well. What can you do with a well? Yes, you could wish, but, that will cost you coins, as is typical for a wishing well. If you wish in the well and have the bag of coins, a whispering voice from nowhere will give you the answer. Unfortunately, wishing makes the coins disappear; you would have better luck finding a snipe than locating the coins once they are gone. Wishes are for fishes, so don’t wish.

So, how do you make a bucket in a well move? There is no crank, no rope, no elevator button. Hmmm...what does a bucket in a well generally contain when you bring it up? Ding ding ding, that's right, water. Good thing you brought the bottle with you.

>open bottle

Opened.

>put water in bucket

There is now a puddle in the bottom of the wooden bucket. The bucket rises and comes to a stop. You are at the top of the well. Well done. There are etchings on the side of the well. There is a small crack across the floor at the entrance to a room on the east, but it can be crossed easily. You are in the wooden bucket. The wooden bucket contains: A quantity of water.

It's better not to ask too many questions...just go with it.

>look at etchings

o b o
r             z

f    M A G I C    z

c    W E L L    y

o         n
m p a

Well, duh.

>disembark

You are on your own feet again.

>east

[Tea Room] This is a small square room, in the center of which is a large oblong table, no doubt set for afternoon tea. It is clear from the objects on the table that the users were indeed mad. In the eastern corner of this room is a small hole no more than four inches high. There are passageways leading away to the west and the northwest.

There is a piece of cake with the words "Eat-Me" on it.

There is a piece of cake with orange icing here.

There is a piece of cake with red icing here.

There is a piece of cake with blue (ecch) icing here.

Mmmm...cake; leave them for the moment.

>save

Saved.