Blue Lacuna — 191 of 467

Section - The Volcano Sculpture

The volcano sculpture is a setpiece in Rim of Volcano. Understand "magnificent/blue/crystal/crystalline/material/man/spiral/arms/feet/mud/statue" as the sculpture. The description is "Perched precariously on the very lip of the crater[if sunset or evening], catching the light of the setting sun,[otherwise if sunrise or morning], sparkling in the light of the rising sun,[end if] is a magnificent abstract sculpture carved from some blue crystalline material, a few heads taller than you. It seems to show a stylized man, twisted into a spiral, both arms stretched to the sky as if he is about to take flight. But his feet are hopelessly mired in the mud, and a distorted expression of pain, frustration, and rage is carved into his long, twisted face as he struggles to free himself. [paragraph break]It's remarkably well-done, the work of a master, even, but a thousand minute signs (and, indeed, the subject matter) tell you it wasn't left behind by a Wayfarer. It's good, but not enough.[paragraph break]Carved in the side of the sculpture is an [o]inscription[x]." The printed name of volcano sculpture is "abstract sculpture". Instead of touching the sculpture, say "Running your fingers over the rock, you feel how what would seem to a casual observer to be almost random blows with chisel, crude and cruel, must in fact have been carefully planned and executed for artistic effect. Whoever carved this piece knew what they were doing.". The dream-text of volcano sculpture is "countless copies of the abstract sculpture at the volcano".

The long inscription is a hint-based scrawl in Rim of Volcano with standard message "Poised on the brink, but never to fall: shadow of being, shade of shades...". The secret message is " oh, let my tumbling down reshape the hillsides.".

The volcano sculpture can be stable, loosened, or precarious. The volcano sculpture is stable. Instead of attacking or pulling the volcano sculpture, try pushing the volcano sculpture.

First report pushing the volcano sculpture:

if the sculpture is precarious begin;

say "With a final shove, the sculpture breaks free in a shower of earth from the edge of the volcano. You step back hastily as a chunk of the crater rim breaks away. The sculpture rolls noisily down the inside of the volcano wall, kicking up loose scree and then larger rocks, until a whole landslide is sliding down to the caldera floor below. [paragraph break]When the dust clears, you can see that the steam vents below have been largely covered by the landslide.";

remove the sculpture from play;

remove rotting timbers from play;

now the system power is 30;

if boiler handle is on-stage begin;

now boiler handle is overloaded;

now pressure of red pipe is target pressure of bridge pressure gauge;

now pressure of blue pipe is target pressure of ropeway pressure gauge;

now pressure of yellow pipe is target pressure of pyramid pressure gauge;

end if;

otherwise if sculpture is loosened and player-loosened-it is false;

say "The sculpture, in such a precarious spot to begin with, seems to have shifted in the earthquake; the dirt around its foundation is cracked and weakened. You push against it and with hardly any force it tips forward to a dangerous angle. One more push and it would probably go over the edge.";

now the sculpture is precarious;

otherwise if sculpture is loosened;

say "Straining, you push against the sculpture again. It loosens even further in the muddy soil now, leaning at a dangerous angle. One more push and it would probably go over the edge.";

now the sculpture is precarious;

otherwise if didnt rain;

say "You give the sculpture a good shove[if sculpture is loosened]. It gives a little[otherwise], but the ground at its base seems dry and firmly packed[end if].";

otherwise;

say "Trying to find a spot in the wet, slippery moss to brace yourself, you give the statue a solid shove. You can feel it give a little in the muddy ground, loosening its foundation in the earth.";

now player-loosened-it is true;

now the sculpture is loosened;

end if;

rule succeeds.

player-loosened-it is a truth state that varies. [The tsunami can make this happen for us, in which case we describe things a little differently.]