Blue Lacuna — 444 of 475

Section - Temple

The description of Ancient Temple is "You stand outside an archway leading inside a circle of alternating windsigh and smooth stone pillars, creating a circular amphitheater with an air of such reverence and tradition about it that the word 'temple' immediately springs to mind. The symbol from the egg on Lacuna, of a human form intertwined with the roots of a tree, is inlaid into the arch leading inside[if Shrine is visited and Great Tree Interior is unvisited].[paragraph break]Nearby, a cylindrical [o]capsule[x] of smooth plastic has risen from the ground[end if][if Shrine is visited and mechanic is enclosed by location]; a middle-aged [o]man[x] is fiddling with something inside it through a clear hatchway[end if].[paragraph break][exits]." The exits text of Ancient Temple is "The archway leads [inside] the temple, and paths lead through the trees towards the sounds of a [d]waterfall[x] or an open [d]avenue[x]". Understand "waterfall" as west when location is Ancient Temple. Understand "avenue" as east when location is Ancient Temple. The printed name of Ancient Temple is "Outside the Temple".

Report going from Ancient Temple to Mural Far West: say "[tomuraldesc].". Report going from Mural Far East to Reflecting Pool: say "You walk through a long path through windsigh before arriving back at the lower end of the avenue.".[aar]

Instead of going from Ancient Temple to Shrine when Lacunite-Follower is unidentified: say "You step towards the archway to enter it, but a red-robed woman blocks your way gently but firmly. 'Planter, you know it is not your place to speak with the trees,' she says. 'Keeping the Grove of the Philosopher tended is honor enough.' She slips back inside.".

The plastic capsule is a setpiece in Ancient Temple. The description is "Perhaps it is glass, not plastic, but at any rate transparent; inside ordered rows of wire wrap around strange dim shapes. It's about as long as you are tall, and a third as wide, and stands on a smooth platform which looks designed to lower into the ground.". Instead of touching or pushing plastic capsule, say "The surface feels smooth and gives a little, as if the inside is filled with gel or water.". Instead of opening plastic capsule, say "You don't have the tools necessary to open it." Instead of taking plastic capsule, say "It's larger than you are, and filled with machinery.".

Before going to Ancient Temple when Great Tree Interior is visited: remove mechanic from play; remove plastic capsule from play; continue the action.

The mechanic is an undescribed male Lacunite in Ancient Temple. The description is "The man seems cheerful as he tinkers with something within the capsule.". Understand "man" as mechanic. The unavailable-beat of mechanic is physC_unav.

physC is a thread. After greeting the mechanic: if Lacunite-Follower is unidentified, force discuss physC_pintro; else force discuss physC_intro.

physC_unav is a repeatable beat in physC with reaction "'I'm sorry,' he says, 'I really must get back to this work.'".

physC_pintro is a terminal repeatable beat in physC with reaction "He nods without looking at you. 'Goldthought, Planter,' he says, and continues with his work.".

physC_intro is a beat in physC with reaction "He nods to you. 'Hello,' he says. 'Sorry to intrude on your visit. I'm just working to fix this [physc_reactor]. Don't mind me.'". physC_repeat replaces physC_intro.

physC_repeat is a repeatable terminal beat in physC with reaction "'Please pardon me,' he says, 'but I have much to do, and it really is of little interest.'".

Understand "reactor" as physc_reactor when last beat is in physc. physc_reactor is a beat in physc with keyword name "reactor" and reaction "'This is half of this grove's power source,' he says. 'Its twin is underground on the other side of the avenue. They provide energy to heat water, run the seivers, and keep Thinkers and Makers warm in winter months-- normally this part of the Heart would be too cold for us then. It's a new, smaller [physc_idea] of mine from years ago; I've had some new ideas and I'm making some updates to make them more reliable.'".

Understand "design" as physc_idea when last beat is in physc. physc_idea is a beat in physc with keyword name "design" and reaction "'I think I see,' he says. 'You're asking if it was really my idea. But the question is meaningless to me. It would be like asking you which part of your brain an idea came from. All my thoughts, my ideas flow through my kin tree and the Thinkers around me. As I walk through the grove each one shares its thoughts with me, always. Yet it feels like my idea,' he smiles, 'as much as theirs.'"

[Outside is essentially a small nuclear reactor, which feeds an underground network of tubes which keep these trees warm in the winter-- this area of the planet would normally be too cold for them half the year. A scientist is working on it and cheerfully chats. Says that the question of whether ideas come from him or the trees is impossible to answer-- "how many of your ideas come from your cerebellum and how many from your cortex?" ]

Report going from Ancient Temple to Shrine: say "You step beneath the archway into the quiet interior of the circle.". Report going from Shrine to Ancient Temple: say "You step back outside into the fiery warmth of the huge setting sun.".

The printed name of Shrine is "Temple". The description of Shrine is "Sixteen windsigh make up the edges of this large sacred circle; mossy stones fill the shadowed space beneath the evening sky above. In front of each windsigh is a circle of soft [o]padding[x], and kneeling at some, facing the center, are red-robed [o]people[x], eyes open but pupils contracted[one of]. The position is eerily familiar: that repeated pattern of man and tree joined together come to life[or][stopping].[paragraph break]At the center of the circle is a device which you recognize at once as kin to the seiver on Lacuna-- but designed and built by a civilization with high technology and craftsmanship, not cobbled together by a single man without proper tools. A beautiful crystal [o]egg[x] rises from the ground, balanced on its narrow end, interior thrumming with a dense red glow.[paragraph break][exits]." The exits text of Shrine is "The way back [out] through the arch is the only passage".

The shrine-egg is a setpiece in Shrine with printed name "egg". Understand "crystal/egg/seiver" as shrine-egg. The description is "The egg is almost your height. Silver and gold threads run through its interior and vanish into filigreed joins surrounding it. You notice that there are no veins of blue crystal in this one. The surrounding [o]makers[x] are all facing and staring directly at it.". Instead of touching, pushing, or pulling the shrine-egg: say "The surface is utterly smooth: smoother than marble, smoother than glass, and hot to the touch." instead. Check climbing shrine-egg: say "It seems like an inappropriate thing to do to something so obviously important." instead. Check taking shrine-egg: say "It's far too big for that." instead. Check entering shrine-egg: say "It's bigger than the one at the chair on Lacuna, but neither hollow nor big enough to enter." instead.

Some worshippers are undescribed Lacunites in Shrine. Understand "people/person/maker/makers" as worshippers. The description is "Each seems to not quite be present, the pupils of their eyes shrunk to points and vacant but peaceful expressions on their faces.". Check greeting some worshippers: say "You're not sure you should disturb them." instead. Instead of pushing, attacking, hugging, or kissing worshippers, try greeting worshippers.

A circle of soft padding is an enterable undescribed supporter in Shrine. The description is "They seem to be designed to allow people to comfortably kneel amongst the roots of each tree.". After entering circle of soft padding: say "You kneel on the padding, facing the egg in the center like the others[one of].[paragraph break]Moments later you feel familiar thoughts: the seven windsigh on Lacuna. They seem amused, for what these people are doing here is what you already do, in your chair on Lacuna. They are visiting the Thinkers. Though just being near a windsigh is enough to share thought, the seivers allow their thoughts to focus and crystallize enough to speak with any other windsigh in the seiver network, even-- when routed through the special planetary seivers laced with bluerock-- with windsigh on other worlds.[paragraph break]The Lacuna windsigh hesitate. Would you like to know what this is like? They can patch you into the network in much the same way. They hesitate because normally much training and self-discipline is required for Makers to successfully join the Forest network, and they are worried it may be too much for you. Do you want to try?[or], but this time feel nothing unusual.[stopping]". Understand "kneel on [something]" as entering.

Instead of saying yes when player is on circle of soft padding: say "TINGreceive7conSTRUCT Point-adjacency 2sySTEMs affirmSPATIAL5ergo: relationThesIS/rOUTe 1.qualitative LOSTcontains222###-- All at once you are surrounded by a liquid maelstrom of pure thought, and you strugCON9VERSELYgle to keep your own mind separate.

It is overwhel75ming. Stretching before you into vast infin8/ity is a landscape of consciousPROOF{2ness, its fractal topography the shape of a million slowly446% progressing arguments, discourses, schools of thought; its roads a trillion golden threads and a thousand scintilVERSUS<EGRESSlating anchors of emerald green. You cannot take it all in0^GAMMAfaultAnchor628663@@@.

There is almost nothing you can do (rARE!Parallel;) but descend, fall closer to the ground so the spectacle does not drown you, overwhelm you. As you drift closer to one small (7ConCORDance/INNER) speck of one small corner of the landscape, the brightness begins to separate into individual minds, and you feel yourself swept up in some great (8;2) discussion over the merits of some mental abstraction you cannot even begin to comprehend. You sense for a moment how much of Forest is internal only; layers upon layers of concept and idea with no relation to an external reality, thoughts within thoughts within thoughts, philosophies that beings like you born with windows to the outside world could never begin (fRAMe~naSCENT}) to understand.

Then you are swept into a different (RECALLown-4 Relevance\amUSEmentSPAN; 2belowOBSERvatION) current of thought, not understanding quite how to control your center of attention, and dive through streams of other mental conversations: trees who have studied and learned (SOLve{6) the teachings of other trees long dead, memorized them down to every point and assertion. You realize suddenly that this massive soup of thought substitutes for a written language; what is important is remembered, as long as there is one to remember it.

But a sud4den broadsideTEMPORAL[']baSIS3 -LossFavorITE.6too:INTER queries9 of unrelated / thought sm2acks into youCOUNCILbe*8Subsume'and you lo86s.e contro2l;;, sp3inningCREDULITY3& emPATHy away5into th82. whirl2SINCEpool 3of DELTA,phrASE+32uni/ ultiMATEdent6;Own4COvaleNCE -ityTERMmore3}Rescind8

Abruptly, you pull yourself away. It is too much. For one sickening, disorienting moment you are back on the mountaintop on Lacuna, cold wind whipping your hair, and then suddenly you are kneeling in the circle again, staring at the red glow in the heart of the seiver."; try exiting.

Instead of saying no when player is on circle of soft padding: say "They think this is just as well. Better not to take unnecessary risks."; try exiting.

Instead of saying no when player is on circle of soft padding: say "They think this is just as well. Better not to take unnecessary risks."; try exiting.