Place Up_Road "Crest of Hill" with description "The road crosses the top of a ridge here, sloping downwards to the south and the northwest. A track diverges to east.", nw_to Cave_Mouth, s_to Edge, d_to Edge, e_to Track; Object -> tortoise "tortoise" with name "tortoise" "turtle", initial "A tortoise ambles along the road, extremely slowly.", life [; "The tortoise (slowly) turns its neck to look at you (stupidly)."; ], before [; Cast: switch(the_spell_was) { urbzig_spell: "Just how safe do you want your surroundings to be?"; bozbar_spell: move chewed_scroll to parent(self); remove self; StartDaemon(self); score=score+5; "The tortoise seems to be incapable of expressing surprise, but is now soaring away high in the sky. Something rather grubby is left behind."; yomin_spell: "For a moment you think there is nothing there, as you chew absentmindedly on a leaf. But somewhere inside the tortoise is a sense of wonder at the amazing blue canopy of the sky."; } Take, Remove: "Your parents always warned you not to pick up casual acquaintances met on the road."; ], daemon [ i; if (location ~= Up_Road or Track || random(6)~=1) rfalse; if (random(4)==1 && self hasnt general) { move feather to location; give self general; "^A tortoise-feather flutters to the ground before you!"; } i=random(3); switch(i) { 1: print "^High in the sky,"; 2: print "^Far above you,"; 3: print "^Tiny in the blue sky,"; } " a tortoise flaps across the sun."; ], has animate; Scroll torn_scroll "torn scroll" with name "torn"; Spell -> lobal_spell with name "lobal", purpose "sharpen hearing", magic [; if (second==0 || second hasnt animate) "There is a loud bang in your ear, but no other effect."; if (second==player) { if (hearing_good) "There is no further effect."; hearing_good=1; StartTimer(self, 5); "Nothing happens, possibly because those butterflies on the other side of the hill keep distracting you."; } print_ret (The) second, " is no doubt grateful for the gift of sharper hearing."; ], unmagic [; if (second==0 || second hasnt animate) "There is a brief silence, but no other effect."; if (second==player) { StopTimer(self); hearing_good=0; "Pardon?"; } print_ret (The) second, " is no doubt grateful not to have to listen to you."; ], time_left 0, time_out [; if (hearing_good) { hearing_good = false; "^Those wretched butterflies finally shut up."; } ]; Scroll chewed_scroll "chewed scroll" with initial "It looks as if the tortoise was eating something - once it might have been a scroll, but now it lies there, chewed up like a lettuce leaf.", before [; Cast: if (the_spell_was == caskly_spell) { move torn_scroll to parent(self); remove self; score=score+5; "Before your eyes, the scroll begins to repair itself, failing only at the very last tear. Not quite perfect perhaps, but certainly a readable, if torn scroll."; } Eat: "~Eating your words~ is notoriously dangerous for a wizard. Rearranged in the stomach, a spell might do anything!"; ], with name "chewed"; Object feather "tortoise feather" with name "tortoise" "feather", description "Possibly your rarest, and also least valuable, possession.";