A War Story

[Steelfist]

I think that a normal text adventure engine would throw out Steelfist's input.

You'd be surprised how far you can stretch the diologue in these things. But, no matter.

Examine the bed frame and check underneath to make sure there isn't something, say, left behind by a previous resident.

[ArtDrake]

Bugfartboy: the guard has already left. He is not within reach.

Ertxiem: you fed the spring into the lock, and quickly realize that whoever makes the locks in these jails is an idiot -- they only have one tumbler. With a deft flick of the wrist, you send the tumbler into place and turn the spring in the lock. The cell door is now unlocked, but not open. There still might be more guards, less drunk than the one you encountered. The portal is still open behind you, but it is not visible unless specifically looked for, being transparent and not refracting light much.

Also, the guards do not know you as a prisoner. If you were to leave the cell, you could claim that you were simply visiting.

SteelFist: You look under the bed frame for any useful packages, but instead find only a series of tally marks running the entire length of the frame along one bar, which get fainter and fainter in one direction until they disappear completely.

[Steel Ersatz Man]

Look Around

[Steelfist]

Dig through the insides of the mattress; there might be something in there.

And I wonder how the prisoner actually made those tally marks; it's unlikely to be a fingernail, or something (as that would be difficult on steel). Maybe a spring.

[Ertxiem]

(I'm wondering about the second portal we saw in the beginning... Perhaps it would be a good idea to take a look at it... But for now, lets us be sure of an escape route in case it's necessary.)

Look at portal

[ArtDrake]

SteelFist: I'm not trying to be obstructionist, but digging through the mattress isn't one of the options.

Ertxiem: You examine the portal back to your bedroom more closely. You can just make out the outlines of your bed through the mostly opaque layer of portal disguised as wall, and the slight shimmer of the quantum tunneling. You reach a hand through the portal, just to be sure of your escape route, and find that you may still easily traverse the portal.

(It is at this point that I'd like to bring up one thing -- you can die in this game. You'll be restarted to one page previously, or if not appropriate, right before the fatal decision.

(Combat is optional, and can be skipped to get to the end result, or actively engaged in by popular vote. Active combat takes longer, but you get to participate in the fight, and decide the exact strategy followed, not to mention that you generally have better odds at winning. Still, if it's a pushover fight, like a knight attacking a peon goblin, you can skip it and be fine)

[Steelfist]

Go back through the portal and check through the other portal in your closet.

[ArtDrake]

You pass through the portal in the cell, walk around to the other side of your closet door, and enter that portal as well. Now, you are in the cabin of the same airship you were in before, but you notice that the nose is tipped downwards more, and your altitude is less. The city lights seem closer than they were before. In front of you is the dashboard, which contains all the ship's controls, while behind you to either side is a plain metal bridge door. To your left is a red alarm bell, and on your right, a PA system mike. Facing the dashboard is the pilot's chair. From the bridge doors, you hear clicks, scratches, and pounding. The doors are secure, but the noises are still disconcerting.

[Ertxiem]

Look at the bridge door and the dashboard.
(Perhaps there is a monitor where we can check what's on the other side of the bridge door before trying to open it.)

[ArtDrake]

The bridge doors are quite noisy, with all the clicking and pounding, but do not shake. To open, they slide upwards, but right now they are firmly locked. Directly next to either of them is a door release panel. There are no obvious details that you've missed, and the doors are simple enough.

On the dashboard is a variety of controls and displays, including an altimeter, a spedometer, a helpful graphical command interface, which could give guidance on running the ship (the captain seems to be absent) or access to live or prerecorded security footage on the airship in a variety of locations. There is a joystick in the centre of the dashboard, and some pedals below it.

[bugfartboy]

Use graphical command interface.

[ArtDrake]

A variety of options lies in front of you on a touch-screen: recieve guidance on how to run the ship, alter environmental settings, play music, or review live or prerecorded security footage.

The ground is getting closer.

[bugfartboy]

Receive guidance

[ArtDrake]

A calm, feminine voice says, "The in-ship guidance system uses your unique circumstances to generate relevant guidance for you. In this instance, due to your rapid loss of altitude, the information presented is on how to increase elevation.

Step one: pull the joystick towards you to increase the attitude of the aircraft.

Step two: if the aircraft does not start to increase its altitude immediately, release ballast to lighten the aircraft using the relevant controls. For more information, seek guidance on releasing ballast.

The altitude of the ship is currently at 3600 feet. Ground level is 2000 feet." The voice stops.

[bugfartboy]

Play music