Blue Lacuna — 153 of 467

Chapter - Among the Boulders

Among the Boulders is a room in Beachfront. The prose name of Among the Boulders is "the stand of rounded boulders". The description of Among the Boulders is "[atbouldersdesc].". Understand "boulder/boulders" as southwest when location is South Beach. Understand "boulder/boulders" as northeast when location is Tidepools.

To say atbouldersdesc:

if longform begin; say "Large mottled boulders rise from the sand here at the end of the beach, rubbed smooth by eons of tides and wind, green lichens clutching their sides. Across the bay, a rocky volcanic rise sticks out into the ocean, forming the lagoon's far boundary; this end is framed by a rocky point beyond the boulders[dot]";

else if raining; say "Rain smoothly patterns on the great grey boulders, slipping smoothly off their egg-shaped tops[dot]";

otherwise if rained and ( afternoon or evening ) ; say "The rounded boulders rise warm and wet in the sinking sun, smelling of sea-kissed stone[dot]";

otherwise if afternoon; say "The rounded edges of the boulders glow warmly in the light of the afternoon sun[dot]";

otherwise if dawn or twilight; say "The boulders keep a silent vigil in the eerie [if dawn]dawn light[otherwise]twilight[end if], like strange monuments[dot]";

otherwise if sunrise or morning; say "Pink morning light kisses the tops of the great mottled boulders, casting a jumble of confused shadows over the sandy paths wandering towards the point[dot]";

otherwise if night; say "The boulders rise from the sand in a confusion of curved shapes, great black eggs blotting out the stars on all sides[dot]";

otherwise; say "[one of][room ambience][or][if tidein]Waves lap gently against the sides of the rounded boulders, in tune with the calls of the seagulls[else]The boulders stand stoically in the sunlight, their rounded tops faintly reflecting the blue of the sky[end if][dot][at random]";

end if;

say "Small green [o]mussels[x] cling to the lower edges of the boulders, [if tidein]wetted by the spray of the surf[otherwise if sunup]baking in the sunlight[otherwise]nearly invisible in the [light-source][end if].[paragraph break][exits]".

To say atb_tide: say "[if tidein]The tide crashes against a bank of low smooth stones running [bw of Ocean Waters]into the ocean[otherwise]A bank of slippery stones stretches [bw of Lower Beach][dr]towards[x] the wet sand[end if][if dir] to the [north][end if]". Understand "towards" as north when location is Among the Boulders and tideout.

The exits text of Among the Boulders is "Sandy paths wander [bw of Tidepools][if dir][southwest] [end if]towards the rocky [dr]point[x], while the beach opens up [bw of South Beach][if dir]to the [northeast][otherwise]towards the edge of the [d]forest[x][end if]. [atb_tide]". Understand "into" as north when location is Among the Boulders. Understand "point" as southwest when location is Among the Boulders. Understand "forest" as northeast when location is Among the Boulders. Understand "towards" as north when location is Among the Boulders and tidein.

Boulders-stuff is stuff in Among the Boulders. Understand "path/paths/bank" as Boulders-stuff when location is Among the Boulders.

Some small green mussels are a backdrop. They are in Among the Boulders, Tidepools, and Top of Ravine. Understand "mussel/fragment/fragments/shell/shells/whorl/whorls" as mussels. The description is "A bit longer and wider than a fat thumb, they are a deep forest green cut through with striated arcs of lighter shades. Fragments of the shells of their ancestors tumble in the surf, diminishing to gritty green whorls[musselhint].". Check taking mussels: say "The living mussels are gripped tightly to the rocks, but you pick up a green shell fragment tumbling in the surf and turn it in your hands for a moment, admiring the rich coloration, before tossing it back into the foam." instead. Instead of pulling or opening mussels, say "Tiny barnacles clinging to their shells and the slippery sea water prevent you from getting a good grip.". Check tasting mussels: say "You manage to pry one of the mussels off the rock and awkwardly scrape some of the rubbery flesh off the shell. The taste is refreshing but fairly bland; perhaps cooked or with some seasonings they would taste better." instead. Check attacking mussels: say "You take one abandoned mussel shell and smash it against the rock. It shatters into dozens of virescent fragments and wisps of green powder." instead.

To say musselhint: if ( time for excitement or story mode ) and Back Room is visited and Jumble is unvisited, say ".[paragraph break]You notice that the color of the mussel shells is the same shade as the green band of color painted on the door of the cabin on the beach".

The ambience table of Among the Boulders is the Table of Among the Boulders ambience.

Table of Among the Boulders ambience

Some great round boulders are a perchable setpiece in Among the Boulders. Understand "mottled" or "boulder" as boulders when location is Among the Boulders. The description is "Rounded monoliths." Instead of climbing or entering great round boulders, say "You give it a good try, but the sides are too wet and slippery. You have no idea how [the Progue] got up there.". Check touching great round boulders: say "The sides are surprisingly smooth, mottled with strange moss and lichens." instead. The dream-text of great round boulders is "crates of egg-shaped rocks". Check taking great round boulders: say "They are huge, and must have been bured in the sand here for eons." instead.

Report going from Among the Boulders to Tidepools: say "You weave through the boulder stand, clambering over a few shorter rocks here and there, and eventually break out onto a wet, rocky point." [Report going from Among the Boulders to South Low Tide: say "[if tidein]You wade out into the warm water, stepping carefully until the rocky ground gives way to smooth, fine sand[otherwise]You clamber carefully across rocks slick with water and seaweed before reaching the warm fringe of the tide[end if]."] Report going from Among the Boulders to South Beach: say "You leave the boulders behind and walk back to the smooth white sand of the beach."