Exult Forum

MY NOTEBOOK
Anonymous

The observations enclosed herein are based on mine experiments.
Reader, for thy sake and thy thirst for knowledge, I have decided to provide thee with the following accounts.
Long ago, when I accidentally landed on this world, the primitive sentients living here erected a temple to me and my 'chariot.' But they were boring and impetuous!
Soon, the cats emerged as a more likeable group than any other creatures. Thereafter, I was to begin some experiments on them. Quite successful indeed. My liking for these cats caused me to contemplate how to widen and strengthen their intelligences.
Thereupon, I set out to modify the Power Generator. Thus began the experiments. The Generator provided the felines with a more obdurate life energy, one which was most difficult to suppress -- the cats die, yet with stubborn energy return once again to life! The side effect is that strange glow which surrounds them.
After several manipulations I was successful in increasing their lives up to nine times. Thus no one would be able to truly defeat them until their ninth life.
The source of all extra life resides in the Power Generator.
Dear reader, make of mine experiments what thou wilt.

if (!(var0000 == 0x0064)) goto labelFunc02C1_029C;
message("~~ ~~REPORT ON THE SHASRAJAH~~ ~~by Jaljashram~~");
say();
message(" O Great Hierophant, sorrow fills mine heart to tell thee the regretful news that our great hope, the Shasrajah, cannot be counted on to attach the venomous fangs of victory about the necks of our enemies. Our great experiment hath failed.~");
say();
message(" As thou hast already been told, we had found a means by which the minds of our finest warriors and the bodies of snakes could be fused with one another. The resulting warrior would wreak terrible havoc on the forces of Order, bringing them their well-deserved destruction. In the earliest stages of the experiment all was well; we succeeded in joining Adder with Man in five of seven volunteers. The resulting form was vaguely humanoid, with resilient green skin, tough as the scales of a serpent.*");
say();
message(" We found that the soldiers' minds were very much unchanged, and coupled with the quickness and sensitivity to smell of the adder, the Shasrajah were formidable in battle. Their long necks had tremendous reach, and they preferred to attack solely with their strong jaws. We were encouraged by this success, and accepted eighty-three more warriors to undergo the metamorphosis. All was well, as seventy-one survived. We believed we had found a counter to the automaton warriors the forces of Order had reputedly developed.~");
say();
message(" Much to our chagrin, however, our experiment went awry shortly thereafter. As we had them do battle to assess their powers, we noticed a disturbing trait -- the warrior would become more bloodthirsty and uncontrollable with each triumph! Soon they began to rebel against our commands. We had no choice but to exterminate them and begin anew, but the five hundred soldiers we sent against our own creations -- our monsters -- were unable to best them. We surrendered the area to them, enclosing them with stout doors in the corridors leading out.*");
say();
message(" I can only assume that they have died. O Great Hierophant, I would recommend never performing these experiments again; they are more potentially dangerous than they are potentially helpful...");

if (!(var0000 == 0x0006)) goto labelFunc02C1_00BA;
message("~~ARTIFACTS OF COMMUNION*");
say();
message("Before the War of Imbalance our priests did fashion three artifacts: the Web of Fate, the Moon's Eye, and a Magic Lens. Each artifact was made for a particular temple.");
say();
message("The Web of Fate was placed within the Temple of Tolerance. The Moon's Eye was placed within the Temple of Emotion, and the Magic Lens was placed within the Temple of Enthusiasm.");
say();
message("Our holy fathers used the power of these artifacts to commune with the Power of the Void -- to answer questions that the mind of mortals could never fathom.");
say();
message("The War of Imbalance changed everything! The artifacts no longer worked properly; the holy father's questions were left unanswered -- their hoarse voices echoed within the deserted temples.");
say();
message("The only power left within the holy artifacts was the ability to divine the location of the Banes of Chaos. Each artifact could spy upon a different Bane.");

if (!(quality == 0x0042)) goto labelSERP_BO_02C1_091A;
message("~~THE SYMBOL OF LIFE~by Sharless~~");
message("The Symbol of Life represents our Beliefs. While its shape may suggest that of a tree, it applies to all life, not just trees. The trunk symbolizes the Divine Unity, which is the source and goal of our thoughts. Our thoughts enter the World and become unruly; this is what the branches symbolize. T");

if (!(var0000 == 0x0042)) goto labelFunc02C1_0618;
message("~~THE SYMBOL OF DISCIPLINE~by Sharless~~");
message("The Symbol of Discipline is a reminder of what we, the Initiates of Discipline, must strive for. Consisting of three prongs, they symbolize the following: Mind, Body, and Environment. The mind is the first level of discipline; without Discipline of the Mind, one cannot master the other levels of discipline. Discipline of the Body is the second level of discipline, for one cannot master one's surroundings without first mastering one's self. The third branch of the symbol represents Discipline of Environment. This branch, added to represent the superiority of Order, justifies the military's presence here; if one can master one's self, one can then master the world around him, and drive Chaos out from his environment.");
message("The symbols here in our temple are not mere inspiration, however. The Altar before the serpent statue doth have upon it two slots. In order to insure the security of our temple, the automatons are aided by a safeguard against defilers -- bolts of lightning fire from the altar unless the quartz symbol is placed in the slot on the left side. A bridge spanning the water around the statue is called into being if the obsidian symbol is placed in the right slot; if it is not there, none can gain access to the Water of Discipline.");

if (!(var0000 == 0x007C)) goto labelFunc0638_02A9;
say("~~ ~~ ~~DRINKING SONGS DUPRE TAUGHT ME~~ ~~Volume One*");
say("MAIDS IN TRADES");
say(" ");
say("Come all of ye trades and ye tradesmen,");
say("and let ye be wise that are fools.");
say("But remember each day that your trade would decay");
say("if a maid did not look to your tools.");
say(" ");
say("The blacksmith, the smokey old blacksmith,");
say("'tis known as a jolly old fellow.");
say("But his iron would burn old,");
say("and his fire would grow cold,");
say("If a maid did not blow up the bellows.");
say("And then there's the candlestick maker,");
say("he works up the tallow so quick.");
say("But his craft would be marred,");
say("and the works not get hard,");
say("If a maid did not hold up the wick.");
say(" ");
say("The ploughman, the jolly old ploughman,");
say("he follows the plow in the silt.");
say("But 'tis ne'er a clod turned,");
say("if a maid had not learned him,");
say("To drive the blade up to the hilt.");
say(" ");
say(" ");
say("The brewer, the jolly old brewer,");
say("he maketh a very fine ale.");
say("But his brew would be waste,");
say("if there's no maid to taste,");
say("And make sure that it doesn't grow stale.");
say(" ");
say("So come all ye journeymen, craftsmen,");
say("and all that are apprenticed to trade.");
say("For 'tis ne'er a screw");
say("or a nut would be turned,");
say("If it weren't for the help of a maid!");
labelFunc0638_02A9:
if (!(var0000 == 0x007D)) goto labelFunc0638_033B;
say("~~ ~~ ~~DRINKING SONGS DUPRE TAUGHT ME~~ ~~Volume Two*");
say("ROLL THY LEG OVER");
say(" ");
say("If all the young ladies were little white rabbits,");
say("I'd be a hare, and teach them bad habits!");
say(" ");
say("Refrain:");
say("Roll thy leg over,");
say("roll thy leg over,");
say("Roll thy leg over");
say("the man in the moon.");
say(" ");
say("If all the young ladies were bricks in a pile,");
say("I'd be a mason and lay them in style!");
say(" ");
say("If all the young ladies were cocks in the hay,");
say("I'd be a hen, and I'd have a good lay.");
say(" ");
say("If all the young ladies were bats in a steeple,");
say("and I were a bat, there'd be more bats than people.");
say(" ");
say("If all the young ladies were bells in a tower,");
say("and I were a clapper, I'd ring every hour!");
say(" ");
say("If all the young ladies were doors of stout wood,");
say("and I were a knocker, I'd bang them up good!");
say("If all the young ladies were stones in a mill,");
say("and I were some grain between them, I'd spill...");
say(" ");
say("If all the young ladies were coconuts sweet,");
say("I'd suck out their juices and chew on their meat.");
say(" ");
say("If all the young ladies were birds in their nests,");
say("I'd be an egg and lie under their breasts.");