Blue Lacuna — 224 of 467

Section - Forest2

The prose name of Forest2 is "the rain forest". The description of Forest2 is "[Forest2desc].". To say Forest2desc: say "[if milestone mode is false and final release mode is false](2)[end if][A sentence about the forest profusion]. Some of the lower ground vegetation here gives way to goliath trees, trunks like pillars carpeted with what seems a thousand years of furry green moss, watching over a bed of delicate [o]wildflowers[x]. [paragraph break][exits]". To say Forest2Exits: say "A faint droning and brighter [if dir]spot [bw of Hive Room]to the [west][otherwise][dr]spot[x] [bw of Hive Room]through some stands of bamboo[end if] may mark the edge of the forest, while other passable routes "; if dir, say "head [bw of Forest1][north], [bw of Forest3][southeast], and [bw of Forest5][south]"; otherwise say "pass [bw of Forest1][dr]between[x] two huge trunks, [bw of Forest3]down an uneven [dr]slope[x], or [bw of Forest5]into a dimmer [dr]hollow[x]". Understand "spot" as west when location is Forest2. Understand "between" as north when location is Forest2. Understand "slope" as southeast when location is Forest2. Understand "hollow" as south when location is Forest2. Report going from Forest2 to Forest1: say "You pass between the two huge trunks and enter another part of the forest." Report going from Forest2 to Forest3: say "[one of]You step carefully down the scree-covered slope, but [if raining or rained]the wet mud bank gives way beneath you[else]a hidden branch catches your foot[end if], and you slide down ungracefully in a tumble of loose rock and rotting vegetation-- it will be quite impossible to go back up[or]You travel down the scree-covered slope more carefully this time, but there's no way you'll be able to climb back up[stopping].". Report going from Forest2 to Forest5: say "You pick your way down a mild slope into the hollow.".

The tree-bee-hint is a described setpiece in Forest2. "One of the huge tree trunks near the edge of the forest is marked with a fading [o]carving[x].". The printed name is "carving". Understand "carving/carvings/drawing/arrow" as tree-bee-hint. The description is "[one of]You pull some moss away from the carving in the tree trunk and study it more closely. It[or]The carving[stopping] shows a crude drawing of a bee, with an arrow pointing from the [if dir]west[otherwise]direction of the droning sound[end if] and angling down towards the bed of wildflowers. A second arrow from the hive points deeper into the forest and is followed by a question mark[if puzzle mode]. Below are carved a few [o]words[x] in a strange script[end if].". Check following tree-bee-hint: say "It's not entirely clear which way the arrow points from here." instead.

The tree words are a hint-based scrawl in Forest2 with standard message "three steps: east, ?, ?" and secret message " third is northeast".