> n
I move north.
Ancient Gallery
The walls about me are ancient and crumbling, yet modern looking portraits hang from them all the same. The faces depicted twist and writhe as if in torment. Is it my imagination or can I also hear their cries? Against one wall lies a large crystal, as tall as a man and wide as a chariot. There is a large manlike shape frozen within the crystal. Being something of an expert on these matters I find it rather intriguing. A simple tap on the crystal should tell me much about the magic of its construction.

A passage lies away to the south and another to the northeast, at the end of which a light shines faintly.

> kick crystal
I direct a strong blow to the crystal. There is a deep resonating tone that raises in pitch until the crystal shatters. I raise my hands to protect my face from the rain of crystal shards.
"Well, you never know until you try". I say to myself as I lower my hands.
"Mmmm it feels so good to move again!" says a soft sultry voice.
Now this should be interesting. I think to myself wryly.
"My name is Morganna, and you are Jack, known variously as Jack of Shadows, Shadow Jack, Lord of Twilight or Master of Shadows." She says with a knowing smile.
"Nice to meet you". I say blandly. There is no reason to belabor the obvious, she knows my name and probably more about me than I would imagine, seeing as how she is a demoness and all.
"The pleasure is mine." She sticks out her hand as if waiting for you to grip it.

> grip hand
I reach out and gently shake her hand.

> ne
I move northeast.
Passage
The broken bones of tiny rodents crunch underfoot as I make your way along this passage.It is dark and shadowy for the most part, illuminated poorly by the pale daylight at the end.

The passage extends northeast to the outside world and southwest to an ancient gallery.

> search shadows
I search through the shadows and find a length of rope.

> get rope
I take the length of rope.

> sw
I move southwest.
Ancient Gallery
The walls about me are ancient and crumbling, yet modern looking portraits hang from them all the same. The faces depicted twist and writhe as if in torment. Is it my imagination or can I also hear their cries? Off to one side, near the wall, lies the shattered remains of a containment crystal.

A passage lies away to the south and another to the northeast, at the end of which a light shines faintly. Morganna is here flexing her wings softly.

> s
I move south.
Ruined Statue
Looming above me a broken statue towers, ravaged by the passage of time. A crown of stone rests upon its brow, a brightly glowing jewel its centerpiece. About me lurk malevolent shadows, seeming to move with a life of their own, though these are glimpses seen from the corner of my eye that vanish the moment I look closely at them.

Passages in the ruined walls of this place lie to the north and west.

> search shadows
I search through the shadows and find a small metal rod that I take for further examination.

> w
I move west.
Cage
In the center of this circular chamber is a cage, sunken into the floor, in which the remains of some beast lie decomposing. Claw marks on the bars of the cage indicate the beast fought ferociously to escape its imprisonment, yet failed. And died. The cage is closed an locked.

To the west there is a large chamber from which a humming sound emanates; to the east you can make out a statue.

> w
I move west.
Humming Chamber
Once this was doubtless some kind of meeting hall. Rows of seats spiral outwards from a central podium where a speaker once stood to deliver speeches to a waiting audience. Many of the seats are smashed and little but splinters remain. Burn marks scar the floor and walls; in one place there is what appears to be a large quantity of books and scrolls which someone has attempted to burn but abandoned partway through. A faint humming sound can be heard, emanating from somewhere in the chamber.

A passage extends northwest and another to the east.

> search books
Rummaging through the books I locate the source of the humming. It is coming from a large orb. I roll the orb out onto from under the books and it settles into a deep depression in the floor.

> nw
I move northwest.
Blocked Passage
The ceiling has collapsed, blocking further access along this passage. On one wall is an opening in the rubble which overlooks the outside world, although the drop looks to be formidable and I doubt I could survive it.

The passage leads back to the southeast.

> move stones
I shift them around but don't really accomplish much.

> search rubble
I rummage around a bit then squeeze my arm between some large stones and find a small hammer. I hang on to it.

> se
I move southeast.
Humming Chamber
Once this was doubtless some kind of meeting hall. Rows of seats spiral outwards from a central podium where a speaker once stood to deliver speeches to a waiting audience. Many of the seats are smashed and little but splinters remain. Burn marks scar the floor and walls; in one place there is what appears to be a large quantity of books and scrolls which someone has attempted to burn but abandoned partway through. A faint humming sound can be heard, emanating from somewhere in the chamber.

A passage extends northwest and another to the east. Also here is a strangely humming orb.

> e
I move east.
Cage
In the center of this circular chamber is a cage, sunken into the floor, in which the remains of some beast lie decomposing. Claw marks on the bars of the cage indicate the beast fought ferociously to escape its imprisonment, yet failed. And died. The cage is closed an locked.

To the west there is a large chamber from which a humming sound emanates; to the east you can make out a statue.

> e
I move east.
Ruined Statue
Looming above me a broken statue towers, ravaged by the passage of time. A crown of stone rests upon its brow, a brightly glowing jewel its centerpiece. About me lurk malevolent shadows, seeming to move with a life of their own, though these are glimpses seen from the corner of my eye that vanish the moment I look closely at them.

Passages in the ruined walls of this place lie to the north and west.

> climb statue
I swing the rope and manage to lasso the head of the statue. I scramble up the rope.

> get jewel
I place the flat end of the rod under an edge of the jewel and gently strike it with a small hammer. As the Star of heaven pops free there is a massive rumbling from the north.

> d
I easily climb down rope.
Ruined Statue
Looming above me a broken statue towers, ravaged by the passage of time. A crown of stone rests upon its brow, an empty socket its centerpiece. There is a length of rope lassoed around the statue's neck. About me lurk malevolent shadows, seeming to move with a life of their own, though these are glimpses seen from the corner of my eye that vanish the moment I look closely at them.

Passages in the ruined walls of this place lie to the north and west.

> put jewel in cloak
I put the brightly glowing jewel inside heavy black cloak.

> enter shadows
I step into shadow and travel to the Fortress of Life.
Fortress of Life
Shadows dance across the ancient stone walls of this small room, cast by the flame of a single flickering candle. I am back in the Fortress of Life, named by its lord, the Colonel Who Never Died. I find it to be a precarious naming.

There is a passage to the north blocked by a huge ironbound door.

The door opens and a young and attractive woman enters and closes it behind her.
"Welcome Shadow Jack, the Colonel awaits you. I am Llewella, new apprentice to his lordship". She drops a quick curtsey. "I will take you to him".
Hmm a female apprentice.
"So what happened to young Pug?" I ask.
"Oh, the Colonel says it was probably a very enjoyable way to go. He was working on a rather tricky bit of summoning when the succubi he was binding charmed him when he forgot a key phrase. Apparently he was buried with the smile still plastered on his face". She giggles in a sharp, harpy-ish manner that makes me take an immediate dislike to her. "The Lord is waiting, we should go."
Llewella takes the candle and leads the way through the twisty passages of the Fortress of Life. It only takes a few moments, I am sure, yet it feels like a very long walk the way my thoughts are spinning.

> z
Time passes...

Just what the hell is going on here? A new female apprentice, Pug dying while botching the binding of a succubi...
things just weren't adding up.
"The Colonel is on the ramparts past this door Jack of Shadows." She gestures at the door then quickly leaves.
I take a deep breath and open the door and step through.

Ramparts of the Fortress of Life.
Heavy thunderheads fill the sky and intermittent lightning throws the entire scene into sharp relief for brief moments. Sporadic rain falls making the ancient stones glimmer in an oddly beautiful way.

There is a heavy ironbound door blocking the doorway back into the castle to the southwest. The Colonel Who Never Died is here.

> talk to colonel
"I have completed my part of the bargain Colonel". I say flatly.
"You have the Star of Heaven?" He asks eagerly. I nod. "Excellent work Jack! Hand it over, and I will give you your payment".
Overhead the thick black clouds have begun to swirl around the ramparts. I felt like I was standing in the eye of a storm.
Ramparts of the Fortress of Life.
Heavy thunderheads fill the sky and intermittent lightning throws the entire scene into sharp relief for brief moments. Sporadic rain falls making the ancient stones glimmer in an oddly beautiful way.

There is a heavy ironbound door blocking the doorway back into the castle to the southwest. The Colonel Who Never Died is here.

> get jewel from cloak
I take the brightly glowing jewel from heavy black cloak.

> give jewel to colonel
I hand the jewel to the Colonel.
"Ahh at last!" Says the Colonel gleefully. "Now to insure the future of both the Darkside and Dayside!"
The colonel starts doing something with the Star of Heaven. The ramparts are lit up brighter than day as the jewel beigns to glow with a fierce brilliance. I start glancing around looking for a shadow, any shadow. There are none. The magical blaze of the jewel banished every hint of shadow. I can feel the hair of my arms and neck rising as if charged with static electricity.
"Its now time Jack of the Shadows, Lord of Twilight for your threat to be ended!" He yells and makes a throwing gesture as if he is going to throw the Star of Heaven at me.
I have absolutely no idea what he is talking about and am about to say so when a blast of power hits me and I start to crumple.

> look up
I look up at the eye of the storm and see my own face looking down at me!

> reach up
I stretch out my arm skyward, grasping for help from on high.

> z
Time passes...
As the Colonel Who Never Died powers up the Star of Heaven for the killing blow, I stretch my arm skyward and grasp wildly. I get the shock of my life when another hand meets my own and with a firm grip begins pulling me into the sky!
"SHADOW JACK!" shouts the Colonel.
I look down in time to see a ball of blazing brilliance arcing from his hand coming straight for me. All the hair on my body stands on end as I make a wild effort to pull myself higher. There is the feeling of a great weight hitting me from every direction, then blackness descends and I know no more.

** You have won the game! **


[Press any key to end]