Blue Lacuna — 247 of 467

Chapter - Saddle

The prose name of Saddle is "on the saddle at the base of the huge windsigh". The printed name of Saddle is "On the Saddle". The description of Saddle is "[withindesc].". To say withindesc: say "On this narrow edge of land between the cliffs of the mountain[if dir] to the north[end if] and the badlands of the lava flow opposite is [windsigh phrase of tree3], the tallest you've seen, rising high into the tropical air. [if dir]To the west[otherwise]Opposite the ravine[end if], the land descends sharply to one end of the lagoon: you spot your tracks in the sand and the huge piece of driftwood below.[paragraph break]At your feet, "; say "[if withered vine is open]a loose vine descends to the [dr]beach[x] below[wvinit_bit][otherwise]a loose [o]vine[x], though still connected to its tree, lies unwrapped and loose in a twisted pile[tsunvinehint], browning towards its end[end if]. A tangle of other vines forms a soft [o]bed[x] near the tree's base. [exits]". The exits text of Saddle is "The natural tunnel [if former location is Top of Cave]back [end if][down] seems the only [if withered vine is open]other[else]sensible[end if] way to go". Understand "beach" as west when location is Saddle and withered vine is open.

Check jumping when location is Saddle or location is Atop: say "It's a long way down." instead.

Saddle-stuff is stuff in Saddle. Understand "edge/cliff/cliffs/badlands/tracks/driftwood/perch/tunnel" as Saddle-stuff when location is Saddle.

The withered vine is an undescribed door. It is closed, locked, not lockable, and unopenable. Understand "loose" as withered vine. It is west of Saddle and east of North Beach. Understand "tie [withered vine] to me/myself/waist" or "attach [withered vine] to me/myself/waist" as a mistake ("The vine is far too long to use for swinging, but [if open]you could climb it[otherwise]it might reach to the beach on the west side if you pushed it off the edge[end if]."). The dream-text of withered vine is "looping coils of vine". Instead of examining by name tree3's treevines when location is Saddle, try examining withered vine. Instead of climbing withered vine, try entering withered vine. Instead of entering withered vine when withered vine is closed and location is Saddle, say "Interesting. Perhaps if you pushed the vine over the edge, it would reach far enough down towards the beach that you'd be able to climb it.". Understand "climb down [something]" or "climb [something] down" as climbing when location is Saddle. First Instead of taking withered vine: say "You lift a section of the long vine. Despite its withered appearance, it still seems quite strong.". Instead of going west in Saddle when withered vine is closed, say "The vine is in a long, loose coil, but perhaps if you pushed it over the edge, you'd be able to climb down to the beach.". Understand "uncoil [something]" as pushing when location is Saddle. Check attacking withered vine: say "It's probably more useful to leave it attached." instead. After examining withered vine: have the parser notice withered vine.

The description of withered vine is "[if location is North Beach]The vine rises up the cliff towards the windsigh on the saddle up above.[else if withered vine is open]The vine, still attached firmly to the tree, dangles over the side of the saddle and stretches in a line down to the beach below.[else]The vine still seems firmly attached to the tree near its base, but disease or age seem to have weakened its grip, and it lies in a long, tangled coil amidst the tree roots.[end if]". To say tsunvinehint: if Tsunami Sequence has ended, say ", balanced precariously close to the edge of the dropoff to the beach". To say wvinit_bit: say "[if dir] and to the [west][end if]". Does the player mean doing something with withered vine: it is very likely. First check dropping withered vine: try pushing withered vine instead. Does the player mean doing something with something part of tree3: it is unlikely.

Understand "push [something] to/over/off edge/cliff/saddle/dropoff" as pushing when location is Saddle. Instead of using or pushing withered vine when withered vine is closed and location is Saddle: now withered vine is open; now withered vine is unlocked; say "Untangling the vine, you push it off the edge of the saddle towards the beach of the lagoon, and are delighted to see that it reaches nearly to the sand below." Instead of using or pushing withered vine when withered vine is open: say "The vine is already serving as a crude rope to the sands of the beach below.". Instead of taking or pulling withered vine when withered vine is open: say "It seems more useful to leave the vine the way it is, in case you need easy access to this spot in the future.". Instead of pulling withered vine when withered vine is closed, say "One end is firmly attached to the massive windsigh, while the other flops free at the end of a long coil."

Report going from Saddle to North Beach: say "Gripping the vine carefully, keeping your [if player is wounded]good foot[else]feet[end if] to the slope, you half walk, half lower yourself down the vine one step at a time, before finally dropping onto the smooth beach sand below."; pass 5 minutes of time. Report going from North Beach to Saddle: say "Stretching to grip a thick enough portion of the vine to support your weight, you painfully hoist yourself up high enough to where you can support some of your weight on the steep slope, and pull yourself slowly up to the top of the narrow ridge."; pass 10 minutes of time.

Tree3 is a windsigh tree in Saddle. The description is "This tree is the largest you've seen on the island, and from this vantage point it's clear why: the yellow leaves are in full sunshine every day from morn to night. [if location is Saddle or location is Atop]The smooth curves of the vines winding around the trunk would make for easy handholds and footholds[otherwise]It straddles a narrow saddle of land connecting the mountain with the lava flow[end if].".

The tree3-nook is a nook in Saddle. The printed name is "bed". Understand "bed" as tree3-nook. The description is "Perhaps the size of the tree means that more vines than usual have slumped and coiled near the base, but one particular set looks like it would be a soft place to sleep." Instead of touching tree3-nook, say "The vines are springy and soft.". First report entering tree3-nook: say "You climb over one vine as wide as your torso and lie down on the coils. It takes you a moment of fiddling to get comfortable, but the springy vines mold to your back and after a few moments you feel very relaxed." instead. First report getting off when player was on tree3-nook: say "Reluctantly, you rise to your feet again." instead. The sleep message of Saddle is "Lulled by the rustling of the leaves above and the quiet sigh of the tree, you drift into a deep, bottomless sleep."

Instead of climbing or entering tree3, try going up. Report going from Saddle to Atop: say "Clutching the easy handholds offered by the spiraling vines, you begin a[if player is wounded] difficult[else]n easy[end if] ascent of the tree. Almost immediately the sense of vertigo is tremendous: balanced upon the knife edge of the ridge, the ground quickly becomes the far-below floor of the ravine on one side and the beach on the other. You look up instead, and before much longer arrive at a good standing spot where the main trunk finally splits into two wide branches."; pass 10 minutes of time.

The ambience table of Saddle is Table of Saddle-Room ambience.

Table of Saddle-Room ambience