In this old-school adventure, you play as the Phil, an English natural philosopher whose dreams have taken him to a fantasy version of his cottage in the West Midlands. Recognizing you as a problem solver, the Parson asks you (via a note) to find his missing Sexton and to put the addled Sir Lawrence to rights. Well. Best get to that. Who knows what you might find along the way?
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 5 of the game.
By the way, you can go north from Shallow Depression to Sunken Lane (West), but I think that's a coding error, so I left it off the map.
Map 2: River to Market Place
Map 3: Church to Outside the Castle
When the evil has been banished from the church stair, you can go directly up and down the stairs from head to foot normally, with no middle "On the winding stair" location.
Map 4: The Castle
Map 5: Lost in the Woods
"L1" to "L5" are "Lost in the Woods"; "CW" is the "Clearing in the Woods".
The quickest way from "L1" to "CW" is: e. ne. sw. ne.
Map 6: Psychedelic Hedge Gardens
To travel in this region, you need to carry exactly two items with particular initial letters.
To go north, you need two B-items. To go south, you need two N-items.
To go west, you need two S-items. To go east, you need two D-items.
For diagonal directions, you need an item for both of the nearest cardinal directions; for example: to go southwest, you need an N-item and an S-item.
Map 7: North lands
Walkthrough
Before we begin, I feel I must warn you that a lot of the game's puzzles only make sense if you've tried to do things and failed in previous play sessions.
The Phil's Bedroom
The setup for this game is little confusing. It's hard to be certain, but I think the Phil is already sleeping when the game begins, and the first two rooms are re-creations of his real home. So it looks like he's awake, but he really isn't.
I'm also guessing that "The Phil" is short for "The Philosopher", but that's never said explicitly. I have no idea why his eyes water each and every time he examines anything, though. Does he have allergies?
> x Phil. x bed. x poster. x mug. x card.
> x door. x downstairs door. x cupboard door.
> stand. take mug and card.
> open cupboard. in.
Walk-in Cupboard
> x thesis. x hatch. open it. x mirror.
> x hat. wear hat. x mirror.
> x teabag. put it in mug.
> x photo. take it.
> x shirt. cliw.(Nothing happens.)
> out. out.
Outside the Cottage
Oddly, it's not raining out here. That's because somehow, you're somewhere else. You're not even quite the same person anymore either, and most of your possession look slightly different too.
> x sky. x cottage. listen. x roof. x door.
> x hat. x photo. cliw. x ponytail. x teabag.
> n.
Sitting Room
First, let's explore the cottage and bring anything portable here.
> x beams. x settle. x cushion. take it.
> x fireplace. x fireback.
> drop all. e.
Dusty Storeroom
> x rat.(Very odorous.)
> take it. w. n.
Kitchen
> x table. x fireplace. x oven. x kettle.
> x ring. x ribbon. x purse. take ring and purse.
> n.
Garden
> x beehives. x beans. x strange plant. x shed.
> e.
Inside the Shed
> x markings.(Learn "fullgru".)
> w. s. e.
Study
CAREFUL! Don't read the sheet of paper yet! It's a one-use rain spell.
Also, the noise to the east can wait. Nothing happens unless the Phil is there to witness it.
> x desk. open drawer. take sheet.
> x note. take it.
> u.
The Phil's Bedroom
This is obviously not the same bedroom that the game started in. It's much plainer, there's no poster, and the exits are different.
> x cot. x mattress. x blanket.
> e.
Experiment Room
CAREFUL! Don't open the cage while the rat is here. Don't give the rat to Vincent directly either! We need to put the rat somewhere where we want Vincent to attack.
> x window. x bench. x tank. x creatures.
> x cage. x Vincent. show rat to Vincent.
> x ladder. open trapdoor.(Locked.)
> break window.(Tempting. But the window is out of reach.)
> w. d. w. s.
Sitting Room
> drop rat, purse, note, sheet.
> n. e. e.
Music Room
A magpie flies away with your brass key.
> x window. x sill. x plant. x pot.("T. Toft")
> x letter. take pot. take letter.
> x spinet. x lid.
> x blue ribbon. tie blue ribbon to ring.
> x book. take it. read it.
> play spinet. open spinet. play spinet.
It's necessary that you look at the underside of the spinet lid. Don't skip it.
> x underside.(Of a grand house with weird geometry.)
> w. w. s.
Sitting Room
> drop plant, book, letter.
> s. se.
Sunken Lane (West)
The wind blows the smock away to a random adjacent outdoor location whenever you try to take it. So just leave it here for now.
> x smock. take smock. undo.
> x footprints. x debris.
> look. x brick.(Learn "remoscilor".)
> take brick. e.
Sunken Lane (East)
> x hut. x grass. s.
Shepherd's Hut
This is a very hungry and dangerous cat. If you untie him, he swallows you whole in three turns unless you can lead him to another victim. And then you have to find another victim, and another,... Leave him tied up for now.
> x cat. x rope. n. e.
In the Stone Circle
> x circle. x sheep. n.
Shallow Depression
If you try to take the skull, a voice scolds you, and you're briefly assaulted with a jet of flame and a bolt of lightning. Curiously, this doesn't hurt you in the slightest.
> x skull. take skull.
> s. w. n.
Riverbank
> x pub. x village. x sign.
> n.
At the sign of the Spotted Dog
Careful with the stew. It's like quicksand. You can put absolutely anything into it, including things like your ponytail or even yourself, and it sinks and it's gone forever. You can get some fun buggy behaviour that way.
> x fireplace. x rushes. x stew.
> x Bardolph. x violin. x bow.
> tie yellow ribbon to ring.
> take violin. take bow.
> play violin with bow. play violin.
> ask Bardolph about shepherd. ask him about cat.
> ask him about parson. ask him about sexton.
> ask him about dog. ask him about violin.
> ask him about stew. ask him about beer.
> ask him about Lawrence. ask him about Nicholas.
> ask him about Nisbet. ask him about jackdaws.
> ask him about rumours. ask him about Shemilt
> s. e.
On the Plank Bridge
Don't try to go past Bill. In any challenge of strength, you'll lose.
> x Bill.
> w. w. n. w. ne.
By the Compost Heap
> x heap. x footprints. x window. x river.
> sw. sw.
In the field of the blasted oak
> x oak. x magpie. x key.
> play violin. take key.
> ne. n.
Sitting Room
> drop ring, bow, violin.
> take purse, rat.
> s. e. s. e. n.
At the sign of the Spotted Dog
No one in this game ever gives you anything directly. They'll either put it on a counter or drop it.
> ask Bardolph about Bill.
> buy beer.(for a penny)
> take beer.
> s. e.
On the Plank Bridge
You only get the one beer, but you can decide who gets it.
> drink beer —or— give beer to Bill.
> give dead rat to Bill.(He accepts it.)
> w. w. n. w. n.
Sitting Room
> drop purse.
> n. e. u. e.
Experiment Room
> wait.(Continue to wait until you hear the dog outside the window.)
> throw brick at window.(Smash! Dog yelps!)
> open cage.(Vincent flies out, then you hear Bill fall into the river.)
> unlock trapdoor with key. u.
Darkness
Guess we need a source of light. Let's find that dog.
> d. w. d. w. s. s. ne.
By the Compost Heap
The enormous dog, injured, drops something, then leaves via a portal to the nether world.
> look. x collar.
> take brick and collar.
> sw. n.
Sitting Room
Note: The cushion won't be there unless you looked at the settle earlier.
> drop all. take photo, cushion, plant.
> s. e. s. e. e. e.
Island in the river
You can't really talk to Walter or the Axe, so I'm not going to try.
> x Walter. x Axe.
> e.
On the Stone Bridge
> x troll. show photo to troll.(Troll takes photo and leaves.)
> e. ne. n. n.
In the Meadow by the River
> x cow. milk cow. ride cow. moo.
> n.
Outside the watermill
Thomas wants you to fetch another ladder!
> x Thomas. in.(locked.)
> plant plant. drop plant.
> s. s. s. sw. e. e.
Western End of the Market Place
You can't do anything with this stump.
> x stump. e.
Market Place
> x house. x bench. sit on bench.
> put cushion on bench.(Sees shutters twitch.)
> sit on bench. z.(Piggot arrives.)
Piggot doesn't chat, but we do want him out of his house.
> stand.(Piggot sits on the cushion instead.)
> x Piggot. x pump. pump pump.(jammed)
We'll worry about this oak somewhat later.
> x oak. n.
Outside the Talbot Arms
Just take the root for now.
> x inn. x butt.
> x slops. x peg. x root. x draught. x rasp. x stand.
> take root. s. se.
Mean Little Parlour
> x table. x bench. x chain. take chain.
> s. u.
Piggot's Bedroom
If Piggot was here, he'd thump you for trespassing.
> x besom.(It's a broom.)take it.
> d. n. nw. e.
By the Village Stocks
> x stocks. x pillory.
> nw.
The Graveyard
> x grave.(freshly dug. basalt headstone.)
> se. n.
In the Church, at the base of the Tower.
> x parson. x lectern. x rope.
> ask him about parson. ask him about sexton.
> ask him about book.(If you want it back, just ask.)
> ask him for book. read book.
> look up root in book.(You learn how to recognize mandrakes.)
> drop root.
> ask him about tower. ask him about Nicholas.
> ask him about boots. ask him about Lawrence.
> ask him about Piggot.
> sw.(Locked)
> ask him about oak door.(It cannot be made to open.)
> ask him about grave. ask him about spade.
> e.
Nave
Nothing here, really.
> w. se.
Darkness
You trip over something. But if you know what it is, you can take it.
> take spade.(Yes!)
> nw.
In the Church, at the base of the Tower.
> x spade.
Run all the way back to Sunken Lane (East):
> s. w. w. w. w. w.
> w. w. w. w. n. w. se. e.
Sunken Lane (East)
> dig.(with spade)
> look. take shilling. x it.
Go to a shop that's past the church:
> n. e. e. e. e. e.
> e. e. e. e. ne. ne. n.
Outside the Shop
> x shop. in.
In the Shop
> x Mrs. x counter.
> ask her about herself. ask her about sexton.
> ask her about parson. ask her about shepherd.
> ask her about Walter.(Her cousin.)
> ask her about axe. ask her about cat.
> ask her about Piggot. ask her about Lawrence.
> ask her about Nicholas.(She blushes!)
> ask her about spade.(or about shovel)
You pretty much have to guess that Mrs Shemilt sells lamps.
> ask her about light.
> buy lamp.(She takes your shilling and puts the lamp on the counter.)
> take lamp. x lamp.
Now this next part is insane, but to light this lantern, we need to visit that sheep skull. Shame there's no GO TO command, eh?
> out. s. sw. sw. w. w.
> w. w. w. w. w. w.
> w. w. n. w. se. e. e. n.
Shallow Depression
> take skull.(The flame from the ground lights the lantern.)
> i.(See! The lantern's lit, thanks to the power of Sheep-skull.)
Time to visit your attic:
> s. w. w. nw. n. n. e. u. e. u.
Small attic room
Sorry, but you can never take the breastplate.
> x arrow. take arrow. x breastplate.
> w.
Attic
> x floor. sweep floor.(with besom)
> look. x bird charm.(magical)
> drop besom. take charm. wear charm.(Need a chain.)
> attach chain to charm. wear charm.
Wearing the bird charm will help you a lot. It's a source of magical energy, and the words you've been writing on your shirt cuff now act as real spells.
> x cuff. cliw. w.
Attic Cupboard
> x table. x figurine. take it. x cube.(Learn "lucks")
> lucks.(Light and heat!)
Now that you have magic, you can get that smock. I assume you left it at Sunken Lane (West), but if it's somewhere else, go there instead:
> e. e. d. w. d. w. s. s. se.
Sunken Lane (West)
> remosclior.(No wind for two turns.)
> take smock. wear smock.
Let's now help Thomas at the watermill. We never found a ladder, but we do have "fullgru":
> e. n. e. e.
> e. e. ne. n. n. n.
Outside the watermill
I'm assuming you left the potted plant here earlier.
> dig.(with the spade)
> drop spade.(You don't need it any more.)
> plant plant.(You do that; setting the pot aside.)
> fullgru.(The plant, a wisteria, grows!)
Thomas climbs down the wisteria and leaves to the south. He's now endlessly carrying tiles from a clearing south of the outskirts to the watermill. You can't chat with him, so ignore him for now. Ignore the pot too; you can't use it to carry anything but the plant you just grew.
I should also mention that Thomas looked the other way when you used magic this time, but normally using magic in front of other people is met with horror followed by a village mob chasing you with pitchforks and torches. So try to avoid doing that unless you feel you can get away with it.
Now back to the church:
> s. s. s. sw. e. e. e. e. n.
In the Church, at the base of the Tower.
> climb rope —or— u.
Hanging from the Bell Rope
> x window.(Hmm...)
> climb rope —or— u.
Belfry
You don't need the book itself, just its spell.
> x brassbound. read it.(Learn "slape".)
> sw. d.
On the winding stair
> d. d. d.
It seems to be an endless stair going downwards? And it's dark and cold, too. But the lucks spell creates light and heat, so...
> drop figurine.(It bounces down the stair.)
> lucks.(Ka-blammo! Now you're at...)
At the foot of the tower stairs
You want the mask, obviously, but you don't need the lump.
> x mask. take it. x lump.
> ne.(The door opens.)
In the Church, at the base of the Tower.
> se.
Sexton's Room
Bah. Now that you have light, this room is boring. Oh well.
> x table. x bench. nw.
In the Church, at the base of the Tower.
> u.
Hanging from the Bell Rope
> swing rope.(You fly through the window into the shop!)
In the Shop
Cool. Remember that trick. It might be useful later.
> out. ne.
On the road through open fields
Please completely ignore the slab for now. If you examine it, a dwarf will appear and he won't let us go further east.
> e. e.
On a Road
I know the shell is really interesting, but you don't need it.
> x shell. e.
Outside the Castle
> x rat.(It's a were-rat and you don't dare fight him.)
> slape.(An imp appears and throws sleep dust at the rat, but it doesn't work.)
> ne.
Road through the Woods
> x sign.("Birmingham IV")
> ne.(Not without more wealth.)
Okay, there is a way to get rid of the were-rat, but it's quite ruthless. First go back to that slab and summon up the dwarf:
> sw. w. w. w.
On the road through open fields
> x slab.(Spirit of evil dwarf warrior appears.)
> x dwarf.(It's a barrow-wight, blocking the way east.)
Don't repeat any of the weird words you hear whispered here. The dwarf will kill you if you say them. Head for the outskirts of the village:
> sw. s. sw. sw. w. w. w. w. w.
Outskirts of the Village
> wait.(Repeat waiting until Thomas shows up.)
> slape.(Thomas falls asleep!)
> w. w. w. w. w.
> n. w. se. e. s.
Shepherd's Hut
You know from previous playsessions that this cat will follow you, swallowing everyone you meet, and eventually swallowing you if the cat goes three turns without swallowing anyone else. But we've now got a trail of victims between here and the were-rat! You might want to save first.
> save. untie cat. n. n. n.
At the sign of the Spotted Dog
The cat swallows Bardolph!
> s. e. e.
Island in the river
The cat swallows Walter! The Axe is not happy.
> e. e.
Outskirts of the Village
The cat swallows Thomas!
> e. e. e.
Market Place
The cat swallows Piggot!
> e. n.
In the Church, at the base of the Tower.
The cat swallows the Parson!
> u. swing rope.
In the Shop
The cat swallows Mrs Shemilt!
> out. ne.
On the road through open fields
The cat swallows the dwarf!
> e. e. e.
Outside the Castle
The cat swallows everyone else! The were-rat goes squish. Ick.
Well, look at the bright side. You're not about to be eaten, and the villagers are no longer in a position to complain if you use magic. Yay?
> look. x mess. x cat.
> push cat east.(The cat smashes the door open.)
> e.
Inside the Gatehouse
> x plaque. e.
Castle Courtyard
Note: The well can never be opened.
> x stains. x well. open well.
> e.
Eastern Courtyard
> x statues. x Aphrodite. x Hera. x Athena. x Paris.
> x apple.(real gold?)
> e.(courtyard door is locked.)
> x door. x keyhole. x doorway. x satyrs. x architrave.
> u. s.
Bedchamber
> x bed. x chest. open chest.(locked)
> x window. n. d. w. n.
Castle Stables
Leave the saddle for now.
> x saddle.(magical)
> s. s.
Castle Store
> x sack.(has large hole)x bolt.(steel head)
> x white arrow.(no head)x dag.(entirely steel, not loaded)
I'm going to use this location as a drop point or cache location. You'll want to gather all the treasures here.
> drop grey arrow, mask, lantern.
Delay exploring the castle basement for now. Instead, run all the way back to the Axe:
> n. w. w. w. w. w.
> sw. s. sw. sw. w. w.
> w. w. w. w. w.
Island in the river
> slape. take axe.
And we need stuff at the cottage:
> w. w. w. n. w. n.
Sitting Room
> take ring, collar, bow.
Head back to the castle:
> s. e. s. e. e. e.
> e. e. e. e. e. e.
> e. ne. ne. n. ne.
> e. e. e. e. e. s.
Castle Store
> drop bow, collar. take lantern.
> n. w. w. w. w. w. n.
In an open field
> x gatepost. tie green ribbon to ring.
> n.(Too far to walk.)
> s. e.
In the Woods
We're about to traverse a maze on the way to visit some Elves. We'll be mapping the maze with the ribbons and ring, and we need the Axe because Elves don't like cold iron, and the Axe has a lot of it.
> save.
> s.
Lost in the Woods (five locations)
> tie red ribbon to oak. ne.
> tie yellow ribbon to oak. ne.
> tie blue ribbon to oak. ne.
> tie green ribbon to oak. sw.
> drop ring. ne.
Clearing in the Woods
> d. e. e. se.
Mossy Clearing
> x moss. lie on moss. sleep.(You're tiny!)
> nw. e.
Fairy Ring
The elves don't react to you at elf-size.
> x elves. x mound. in.
Inside the Fairy Mound
Resist going east or west.
> n.
Throne Room
If you enter here with the Axe, it's a stalemate until the King mutters an incantation. You fall into darkness, losing ALL your inventory.
Darkness
> listen. smell.(Smell of mushrooms.)
> eat mushroom.
After several quick hallucinations, assuming you examined the underside of the spinet lid, you're now at...
By the Statue
CAUTION: Don't look at the statue too often!
> x statue.(But every time you look, it gets worse.)
> x nopal. x dalle. x navicula. x camis. x dirham.
> x book. read book.
> x sherris. drink sherris.
> x hedge. x house.
> s.(You hit some invisible resistance.)
The way this section works, you have to carry exactly two items that correspond to the direction you're trying to go, based on the first letters in the items' names. You can work this out by trial and error, but let's just go.
South is associated with the letter N, so you need the two N-items:
> take nopal and navicula. s.
Your possessions melt away and now you're at...
By the Pool
> x book. read it.
> x pool. x bycocet. x nef. x shift. x noctule.
> x dobla. x doublet.
Uh, you don't need to go southwest, but you do need to understand how diagonal directions work. To go southwest, you need a southerly item and a westerly item. South is still associated with N, and west is associated with S.
> take noctule and shift. sw.
Your possessions melt away, etc...
By the Statue of Pan
> x pan statue. x pipes.
> x batti. x nepenthe. drink nepenthe.
> x nebris. x daric.
North is "B" and east is "D":
> take batti and daric. ne.
By the Pool
> take dobla and doublet. e.
By the Tuscan Arch
Now the game's hiding stuff. Also, you can't go east and you mustn't go north into the fire. You want to go northeast from here, so you need a B-thing and a D-thing.
> x beetle. x arch.(Has four niches)
> x top left. x bust.
> x top right. x shindle.
> x bottom left. x shawm. play it.
> x bottom right.(empty)
> x apse. x head.
> x basin. x book. read book.
> x wands.
Hm. Where's the D?
> break bust.(With what?)
> break bust with beetle.(Yes!)
> look. x diobol. x bits.
> drop all. take bits and diobol. ne.
In the Kitchen Garden
Be careful here! The spade is a misnamed shovel, so the spade isn't really an S-thing until you use the right name! Also, don't dig twice here unless you want to fall into the void!
> x spade. x shovel. take shovel.
> x nostrum. drink it.
> dig. look. x bassinet. take it.
With shovel and bassinet, you can go northwest:
> nw.
In the Oriental Garden
Looks like we're trying to go north, next, so we need two B-items.
> x camel. x label. x pillar. x paeonies.
> listen. x bamboo.
> x gazebo. enter gazebo.
In the Gazebo
> x stool. x brush. x stick. x pot. x table.
> x ding. open ding.(the lid is fused)
> take brush, stick, pot.
> out. d.
In a Grove
> x scarer. x netsuke. x limestone. x water. drink water.
> fill pot.(water is in pot)
> rub sumi in pot.(You've made ink!)
> u.
In the Oriental Garden
> dip brush in ink. write Brad on label.(Nope.)
You might need Wikipedia to help figure out a suitable B-word:
> write bactrian on label.(That works!)
> drop pot and stick. take bactrian.
With brush and bactrian camel, go north:
> n.
In the Rose Garden.
Don't bother trying to go north from here; it's dangerous. If you really must, save first. And east is the way we came.
Instead, work towards going southwest. You need "N" and "S" items.
> x book.(a thesaurus?)
> x knife. x herbs. smell herbs.
> x pergola. x roses. x bench.
> look up knife in book.(Knife becomes dirk.)
> look up herbs in book.(Herbs becomes dittany.)
> look up bench in book.(Bench becomes form.)
> look up form in book.(Form becomes shape.)
> take dirk. cut roses with dirk. x bunch.
> look up bunch in book.(Bunch becomes nosegay.)
> drop all. take nosegay and shape. sw.
On a wide lawn
> x stones. listen. n.
Under the porch of the house
> x door. x fittings. open door. in.(You fall to...)
Elven Rubbish Dump
There's no wind underground, so you can take the smock easily for once.
> wear charm. wear hat. wear smock.
> x arrowhead. x sceptre.
> take all.
> take Axe.(Him too.)
> look.(Make sure you haven't left anything behind.)
> n. u.
Edge of the Woods
> x tree. u.
Chestnut Overlook
Anything dropped here falls onto the road below. I think this location was included in case you entered the fairy mound with a full inventory. If you had to leave something behind at the rubbish heap, drop some of your stuff here, so it's safely on the road, then go back and get the rest.
> d. n.(You return to full size.)
On a Road
> e. e. e. s.
Castle Store
> drop axe, sceptre.
> take white arrow. put arrowhead on white arrow.
> take grey arrow. take bow.
> n. e.
Eastern Courtyard
Use your normal grey arrow here.
> load bow with grey arrow —or— nock grey arrow on bow.
> shoot apple.(It falls into the orchard.)
> w. sw. d. e. e.
Octagonal Chamber
Timing is a bit critical. You need to load the bow before he transforms and shoot him as he's transforming.
> save.
> x sir.(He's gone mad.)
> x flagstone.(carving of dragon or wolf)
> load bow with white arrow —or— nock white arrow on bow.
I assume he starts transforming now. If necessary, wait until he does.
> shoot sir.(He dies.)
> x sir. look. take heavy key.
> unlock door with key. n.
Prison Cell
Introducing the Master of the Worshipful Company of Barber-Surgeons.
> x straw. x bucket. x man.
> wake man. ask man about himself.
> ask man about Sir Lawrence. ask man about servant.
> s.
Octagonal Chamber
The Master drops a silver key he took from Sir L.
> take silver key.
> w. w. u. ne.
Castle Courtyard
The Master can free the people from the cat, but first, he needs his honorarium. You'll have to find something to give him as his fee.
> ask master about cat.
> e. u. s.
Bedchamber
> x window.(Can see the golden object.)
> unlock chest with silver key. open chest.
> x crown. take crown.
> n. d. w. s.
Castle Store
> drop all. n. n.
Castle Stables
Take the saddle to the plains where we found the green ribbon, but don't use the saddle yet!
> take saddle.
> s. w. w. w. w. w. n.
In an open field
> drop saddle.
Now the next step is to find a football and oar and put them into the river so they float away. Don't look at me like that.
You know to do this from a previous playsession where you turned yourself into a horse by wearing this saddle, traveled north, then turned back into a human. To get back to the main part of the game, you need to use a boat, and without an oar, you can't steer it. And if you do steer the boat, and you don't have a football, you won't be able to float back to shore when the troll attacks your boat.
Since you can't carry anything as a horse, you have to get the oar and football up to the north another way, and that way is the river. It all makes sense now, right?
Okay, so, the football is hiding up in the oak tree in Market Square, and since you need to use magic to get it, you couldn't get the football while Piggot was right there watching you. But he's inside the cat now, so that's no longer a problem.
Unfortunately, the magic you need is that sheet of paper that makes a rainstorm, and that's back in your cottage. Sigh.
> s. sw. s. sw. sw.
> w. w. w. w. w.
> w. w. w. w. w. n. w. n.
Sitting Room
> take sheet.
> s. e. s. e. e. e.
> e. e. e. e. e.
Market Place
> drop sheet. n.
Outside the Talbot Arms
You also need this water butt. Empty it out and take it to the market place:
> take all from butt. drop all.
> take butt. s.
Market Place
So you may be wondering why we want a large container of water here. It's because the bough that the football is in is dead, and any attempt to take the football or even just stay on the bough will cause it to break. You need something to break our fall, or the game will end when you hit the ground.
And no, you can't use the cushion that's right there for this puzzle. Nor can you expect any help from your feather-fall smock, as you'll soon see. And, of course, you can't use the pump that's right there to fill the butt because the pump is jammed.
> drop butt. read sheet.(The butt fills with water.)
> u. e.
On the Bough
> take football.(The bough breaks; the filled butt saves you.)
Market Place
If you really want the smock back on, don't forget to cast remosclior first, but honestly, the smock is only good for swinging on the church's bell rope and you've done that.
> w. w. w. s. s.
In the old boatyard
> x boat. take oar. x oar.
> put oar in river. put football in river.
Okay. Back to the saddle in the plains.
> n. n. e. e. e. e. e.
> ne. ne. n. ne. n.
In an open field
Be very sure you looked up the shrivelled root in the green book and therefore know how to recognize a mandrake plant. And you did put both the oar and football into the river, right?
> save.
> wear saddle.(You become a horse and drop everything.)
> n. n.
In the bend of the River
Caution. If you enter boat as a horse, the game ends.
> x boat. e.
In a field of hay
> x hay. eat hay. x boulder.
> n.
By the standing stone
> x stone. x plants.
If you looked up the root in the green book earlier, you'll spot the mandrake now. But it's just an immature one. Let's look around a bit more.
> x mandrake. e.
By the ruined cottage
> x cottage. x beams. x rafters. e.
Willow Wood
> x osiers. s.
By the ruins
> x statue. x sarcophagus. x wall.
> n. w. w.
By the standing stone
The way to do magic without the bird charm is by rubbing the standing stone instead.
> rub stone.(You get a temporary boost of magical energy.)
> eat mandrake.(You're in "centaur" form for two turns.)
With both a human voice and the energy from the stone, you can cast a spell!
> fullgru.(A mature mandrake grows!)
> eat mandrake.(You're restored to human shape.)
> remove saddle. s.
In a field of hay
The magic word wasn't visible to equine eyes.
> x boulder.(Learn "byha".)
> n.
By the standing stone
> rub stone. e. e. s.
By the ruins
> byha.(The statue animates and opens the sacrophagus.)
> x sarcophagus. x skeleton. x salver.
> take salver. n. w. w. s. w.
In the bend of the River
> take football and oar. in.
In the small boat
If you go adrift in the boat, oarless, you'll be adrift forever.
> untie rope. row boat.
You're near the village when the Troll destroys your boat, but the football saves you and you arrive at...
In the old boatyard
> drop oar, football, saddle.
Go back to the plain to get our bird charm back:
> n. n. e. e. e. e. e.
> ne. ne. n. ne. n.
In an open field
> wear charm. wear hat.
> s. e. e. e. e. e. e.
Eastern Courtyard
> byha.(The satyr posts open the door.)
> e.
castle orchard
> x trees. x bench. x orb. take it.
> w. w. s.
Castle Store
Load up on treasure! Wear the crown so you can have all six.
> wear crown. take sceptre. take mask. take collar.
> save.
Now, you have a choice of two endings. Either you take all your treasures to Birmingham, leaving the entire village to die; or you can give all your treasures to the Master, so everyone can be saved.
The selfish option is easy to UNDO, so look at that one first:
> n. w. w. ne.
Road through the woods
> ne.
Life, apart from the aforementioned pangs of conscience, is good.
*** The End ***
> undo
> sw. e. e.
Castle Courtyard
> give crown to master. give collar to master.
> give sceptre to master. give orb to master.
> give salver to master. give mask to master.
And so, life goes on, poor but virtuous.
*** The End ***
Extras
Amusing
Get in a bed and go to sleep?
Cast fullgru when in the oak tree.
Try looking up more plants in the green book.
Show the brassbound book to the Parson.
Baa, howl, miaow, moo, neigh, or whistle in front of everyone.
Try to ride the cow.
Try shooting the headless white arrow at the apple.
Play the violin for everyone, especially for Sir Lawrence.
Try to put the saddle on Sir Lawrence, the cow, or the Master.
Try kissing everyone?
As a horse, eat hay, eat grass, drink water, twitch your ears, and swish your tail.
Try all the horse activities as a human?
Try to figure out which way the river flows, northwards (the way the oar and football must've gone) or southwards (the way you returned, floating with the football)? How did the football float two different directions? Or does the river run in a huge circle, so you arrived at the boatyard from the south?
See all the different ways the game can end.
Characters
A magpie steals your brass key from the music room and flies to the branches of the blasted oak outside.
Vincent, the Phil's pet raven, is caged in the experiment room. He wants freedom, a dead rat, and nothing more to do with you.
An enormous cat is tied up in the shepherd's hut. If you untie it, it follows you. It swallows everyone you meet. And if it goes three turns without eating, the cat swallows you!
A dog, possibly Cerberus, keeps making noise outside your experiment room window until you do something drastic.
Bardolph the innkeeper tends bar in the Spotted Dog. He's cooking some rather questionable stew.
Bill the Bowman, on the plank bridge, challenges you to a friendly test of strength. That is, he wants to push you into the river.
Walter the Woodcutter is on the small island between the two bridges, but he doesn't talk much.
The Axe is Walter's boon companion. Although he talks more than Walter, he's still awfully dull.
A Troll lurks beneath the stone bridge. Although he intends to eat you, perhaps he can be bargained with?
A brown cow placidly eats grass in a meadow and she doesn't want anything to do with your adventure.
Thomas the Tiler is hanging from watermill roof. Can you fetch him a new ladder before he falls?
Piggot is an irritable, laconic man who lives in a mean little house overlooking the market square.
The Parson is your friend and fellow philosopher. He's in the village church, of course.
Mrs Shemilt operates a shop at the northeast corner of the village. She served in the war and never married.
A dwarf, who is also a burrow-wight, lurks under a slab north of the woods.
A huge rat, actually a were-rat named Watkin, rudely blocks your way into the castle.
A small, green, slightly transparent flying imp appears whenever you cast slape.
The Elven King deals with you, one way or another, if you dare enter his throne room.
Sir Lawrence, the castle's owner, seems to be a werewolf now. Oh dear.
The Master of the Worshipful Company of Barber-Surgeons was imprisoned by Sir Lawrence. He's willing to use his talents to free everyone from the cat's belly, but there is the matter of his honorarium.
Background characters:
A herd of sheep can be seen from the stone circle, but they stay distant from both you and the cat.
All kinds of Elves dance and toil inside and outside the fairy mound. Some of them are in the Elven King's army.
Assorted unnamed villagers are swallowed by the cat when it reaches the outside of the castle. They might also chase you as a mob if you use magic in front of any villager before then.
Players in a travelling theatre troupe may capture you when you're a horse.
There's also several characters mentioned, far too many to list, but here's the main ones:
The Shepherd went missing two days ago. You find his smock and his cat, who probably ate him. Or maybe Sir Lawrence ate him.
The Sexton went missing two days ago. Bet either the cat or Sir Lawrence ate him too. You learn the Sexton had dug a grave with a spade, but we never learn who the grave was meant for.
Sir Nicholas was Sir Lawrence's father, the previous rector of the church, and Mrs Shemilt's lover.
Captain John Nisbet wrote the letter to the Phil and sent him the potted plant.
Endings
All endings end with The End, but there's many ways the game can end.
The Phil wakes up screaming and finds it's all a dream
if the cat eats you,
if you try to go east past Bill,
if you try to go east past the Troll,
if you try to go east past the dwarf,
if you try to take the Axe after the cat eats Walter,
if you use magic in front of any human (there are notable exceptions where you don't summon an angry mob this way),
if you fall onto the ground while trying to take the football,
if you say eldhusfiful, veslingur, or vargdropi at the dwarf,
if you cast fullgru in your garden,
if you shoot the gray arrow at the wererat,
if you cast slape without a unique suitable target nearby,
if you swing the bell while hanging from it while not wearing the smock,
if you go anywhere from Inside the Fairy Mound when elf-sized (unless you have the Axe when entering the Throne Room),
if Sir Lawrence, in werewolf form, catches you,
if you eat the mushroom without ever previously examining the underside of the spinet lid,
if you examine the statue at "By the Statue" once too often,
if you try going places in the hedge gardens with an item unaffliated with any direction,
if you enter the fire north from the hedged Tuscan Arch,
if you dig a second time in the hedged Kitchen Garden,
if you try leaving the hedged Kitchen Garden by using the spade instead of a shovel,
if you visit the hedged Lake and don't leave as soon as possible,
if you're captured by humans or elves when you're a horse,
if you enter the boat as a horse,
if you're adrift in the boat and you never use the oar (or don't have it), or
if you and your boat meet the Troll in the river and you don't have the football.
Life, apart from the aforementioned pangs of conscience, is good.
if you take all six treasures to Birmingham, leaving all the villagers to their fate.
And so, life goes on, poor but virtuous.
if you give all six treasures to the Master Surgeon, who frees everyone from the cat.
You have a five item carrying capacity in this game, not counting items you're wearing or body parts. Unfortunately, there's no general purpose container to put things in either, so plan on having some cache locations for your stuff.
My prefered cache locations were the Sitting Room, Market Square, and Castle Store, but I found myself dropping stuff almost everywhere in the road between the cottage and the castle. Don't drop anything on the plank bridge, though, unless you want to see it bounce and fall into the river.
Body parts. Your body parts aren't listed in your inventory, but you still have them.
a shirt cuff. Examine it to remind yourself of the spells you've found. (I know a shirt isn't a body part, but it's treated like one in this game, so it gets listed here.)
a ponytail. It reacts to your failed attempts at using spells.
The Phil's ears. As a horse, you can twitch them.
a tail. As a horse, you can swish it.
Books and other readables.
a little card. It's in the Phil's bedroom. Read it or ignore it.
a handwritten note. It's on your desk in the study. Read it. It's from the Parson, thanking you for the loan of a book, and asking you to do a few favours regarding the Sexton and Sir Lawrence. This is the closest the game gets to giving you any goals early in the game.
a letter. It's on the sill of your music room. Read it. It's from Captain Nisbet regarding the potted plant.
a scruffy black bound book. It's on the spinet's lid in the music room. It's the one about you living in Selly Oak and being followed by jackdaws. Although this can be followed up by asking other characters about jackdaws, the book and its topic are useless to you. All you need to do with the book is take it off the spinet's lid so you can open it.
a green book. Find it by asking the Parson for the book; he puts it on the church's lectern for you to take. You knew he had one of your books if you read the handwritten note. The book is about local plants; you can look up specific plants in it, but you have to be by that plant at the time. Make sure you look up the shrivelled root in the green book to learn how to identify a wild mandrake plant. You can also try looking up the strange plant in your garden, the potted plant in your music room, and the moss in the mossy clearing.
a brassbound book. It's in the church's belfry. Read it to learn the slape spell.
a dead rat. It's in your dusty storeroom, and although you don't want to eat it, Vincent the raven definitely does. Give the rat to Bill on the plank bridge, then after you've broken the experiment room's window with the brick, open the cage. Vincent will promptly fly out the window, knock Bill into the river, and you won't see either of them again.
a pint of beer. You can optionally buy it for a penny in the pub. Drink it or give it away. You can only buy one pint, however.
a shrivelled root. Found in the water butt outside the Talbot Arms. Look up the root in the green book to learn it's a shrivelled mandrake root, and more importantly, how to recognize mandrake plants in the wild. Once you know about mandrakes, the root itself is no longer needed and you may eat it, if you want to.
a brass key. First seen in the music room, the magpie takes it to the blasted oak. Play the violin underneath the oak, and the magpie will drop the key when it sings along. The brass key unlocks the trapdoor in your experiment room.
a heavy key. Found by examining the dead Sir Lawrence; see white arrow. The heavy key unlocks the heavy door in the octagonal chamber.
a silver key. Dropped in the octagonal chamber by the Master when he leaves his prison cell. The silver key unlocks the chest in the castle's bedchamber.
Note: There are no keys for the watermill door, the church tower door, or the castle orchard door. The watermill door never opens. For the church tower door, see figurine. For the castle orchard door, use byha.
Magic items.
a sheet of finely written paper. It's in your study's desk drawer, but be careful: you can only read the sheet once. Reading the sheet causes a personal rainstorm. To use this spell effectively, empty and take the water butt to Market Square, drop it, then read the sheet to fill up the butt with water. The full water butt will save your butt when you try to take the football. However, the blank sheet of paper is now worthless to you.
a chain. It's in the mean little parlour. Attach it to the bird charm so you can wear it. (Why a ribbon doesn't work, I'm sure I don't know. Not magical enough, I guess.)
a bird charm. Find it by sweeping your attic floor with the besom. Attach the chain to the charm, then wear the charm. The bird charm is your main source of magical energy for spells, but only when you're wearing it.
a smock. Initially found on a bush in Sunken Lane (west), but every time you try to take it, the wind blows it to an adjacent outdoor location. You need to use the remosclior spell to stop the wind so you can take the smock. The virtue of the smock is that it lets you fall slowly after you swing from the bell rope. Unfortunately, the smock gets snagged on a branch when the bough breaks above Market Square, so it doesn't save you that time.
a figurine. It's on the wobbly table in your attic cupboard. Examine its base to learn the lucks spell. The target of lucks is always the figurine itself. Drop the figurine on the church tower's winding stair, then cast lucks. The evil presence is evicted and the figurine is now a useless lump of bronze.
a saddle. It's in the castle stables, and it turns you into a horse when you wear it. This change is potentially permanent, so be really careful when and where you do this!
Make sure you're sent both the oar and the football floating down the river, that you've looked up the shrivelled root in the green book, and that you've learned the fullgru spell.
Only after you've done all that are you ready to go to "In an open field", wear the saddle, and travel to the north.
To get the saddle off, go to "By the standing stone" and examine the plants to find a immature mandrake. Rub the standing stone to get a jolt of magic energy, then eat the mandrake. Quickly, cast fullgru, then eat the ripe mandrake that grows. Finally, no longer a horse, you can take off the saddle.
Note that you cannot wear the saddle in enclosed locations. Generally, you must be outdoors or in the castle stables.
Note also that when you're a horse anywhere other than the north lands or in the open field, there's a random chance each turn you'll be captured by a travelling theatre troupe. If you become a horse in Elven territory, you're captured by the Elves immediately.
Finally, you cannot put the saddle on the cow, the cat, Sir Lawrence, or the Master, although you can amuse yourself by trying to do so.
Ribbons. Although you can tie ribbons to just about anything in the game, you ought to first tie them to the rusty ring so they'll be visible in your inventory. Ribbons can only be tied to one thing at a time. Tie the ribbons to oak trees when you're "Lost in the Woods" to tell the locations apart. The Elves won't take the ribbons away if they're off the ground.
a red ribbon. It's already tied to the rusty ring.
a blue ribbon. It's on the spinet's lid in the music room.
a yellow ribbon. It's on the bar in the Spotted Dog pub.
a green ribbon. It's tied to the gatepost in an open field.
Treasures. These are the six mystic treasures of the West Midlands. At game's end, either give all six treasures to the Master Surgeon or take all six treasures to Birmingham.
a golden collar. Dropped by the dog, when injured, at the compost heap; see brick. You're unwilling to wear it.
a golden mask. It's at the foot of the tower stairs; see figurine. You can't wear it.
a sceptre. It's at the Elven rubbish dump. You'll need the Axe in order to reach that section of the game.
a crown. It's in the chest in the castle's bedchamber; unlock the chest with the silver key. You can wear the crown, and if you're going to Birmingham, you have to wear it.
a golden salver. It's in the sarcophagus at "By the ruins". Cast byha there to get the sarcophagus open.
a golden orb. It's the "apple" held by the statue of Paris at Eastern Courtyard. To get it, first shoot the apple with the grey arrow and it will fall into the orchard. Open the door to the orchard by casting byha.
Weapons.
a brick. Find it by examining the debris in Sunken Lane (west). Examine the brick to learn the remoscilor spell. Take the brick to your experiment room and wait until you hear a dog outside the window. Throw the brick at the window to spray the unfortunate dog with broken glass. The brick is now at your compost heap along with the dog, who drops a golden collar for you before leaving via a portal to the netherworld. Perhaps the dog was Cerberus?
a bow. It's in the Spotted Dog pub. Even though you find it beside a violin, it's the archery sort of bow. You can load it with either arrow — the game likes nock arrow on bow — then shoot the arrow at something appropriate. Note you can't keep the bow loaded indefinitely; if you don't shoot something, you'll soon drop both the bow and the arrow.
a grey arrow. It's in your small attic room. In the eastern courtyard, shoot the grey arrow (with the bow) at the "apple" that the statue of Paris is holding. The "apple" falls into the orchard and the arrow is lost.
a crossbow bolt. It's in the castle store. Useless.
a white arrow. It's in the castle store, but without a head. Put the silver arrowhead on it and then, using the bow, go shoot Sir Lawrence with the white arrow to kill him. You'll only be willing to shoot him when he's transforming into a wolf, so load the bow before he transforms.
a snaphance dag. It's a steel gun found in the castle store. I suppose you can annoy the Elves with it, but without ammo and powder, it's worthless to you.
an Axe (asleep). The Axe is held by Walter on the small island. To get the Axe, you have the cat swallow Walter, then later, when the cat is full, return to the Axe and cast slape to put it to sleep. Only when the Axe is asleep is it safe to take and carry. Unfortunately, the Axe is too dull to cut or chop anything with. But its head is a huge piece of cold iron, which repels the Elven King's soldiers when you walk into his throne room with the Axe. Instead of being conscripted, you instead fall into the hedge garden section of the game. You can regain the Axe at the Elven rubbish dump, but by then, you have no further use for it.
a silver arrowhead. It's in the Elven rubbish dump. Put it on the white arrow to complete it. No glue or twine needed.
Other useful stuff.
a photo or portrait miniature. It's in the walk-in cupboard. Show it to the troll under the stone bridge. He'll take it and leave so you can cross that bridge. The reason this works at all is because it's a riff on the Three Billy Goats Gruff story.
a purse. It's on the kitchen table. You can put coins (but only coins) in it.
a cushion. It's on the sitting room's settle, but you must examine the settle first to find it. Put it on the bench in the market square to coax Piggot out of his house.
a rusty ring. It's on the kitchen table. You should tie ribbons to it. Take the ring of ribbons to the "Lost in the Woods" maze and tie a different ribbon to each oak tree to tell locations apart. You can also drop the ring itself in a location; the elves won't touch iron items.
a potted plant. It's on the window sill in your music room. Take it to outside the watermill. Dig there with the spade, then plant the potted plant. Then cast fullgru to rapidly grow the plant — it's a wisteria — and Thomas will be able to climb down on it.
a violin. It's in the Spotted Dog pub. You can play it without the bow. Play the violin at the blasted oak, and the magpie will drop the brass key when it sings along.
the Sexton's spade. It's in the Sexton's room, but it's dark and you have to know it's there.
Dig at the watermill so you can plant the potted plant there.
Dig at Sunken Lane (east) so you can find the shilling.
a lantern. Buy it at Mrs Shemilt's shop for a shilling. And yes, you have to guess that she sells lanterns. You receive it unlit, though, and really not clear if it's an oil lamp or a battery lamp, and it's even stranger that both light lantern or turn on lantern return only generic failure messages. Bizarrely, the only way to light the lantern is to take it to the shallow depression, then try to take the sheep skull. The jet of flame from the ground lights your lantern. Really. With a lit lantern, you can now see in dark locations: the cottage attic, the church stair, the Sexton's room, and the castle's underground locations.
a besom. It's a broom in Piggot's bedroom. First, coax Piggot out of his house by putting the cushion on the market place's stone bench, then you can take the besom. Sweep the floor in the attic with the besom to find the bird charm.
a large water butt. It's outside the Talbot Arms. Empty it out. Take it to Market Place and put it down. Read the sheet; the butt fills with water. Now you have somewhere to land in when you take the football.
a football. It's on the bough of the oak tree above Market Square. To get it safely, you probably thought of dropping the cushion so you'd fall on that, but no, no, that's too simple. Instead, move the water butt to Market Square and fill it with water by reading the sheet. Now, when taking the football, instead of falling onto the hard ground, you fall into the butt instead. Put the football in the river; it'll float to a bend of the river far to the north. You do that because you've played the game before and you know you need to take the football there later. The football will act as a floatation device during your boat trip back to village.
an oar. Find it by searching the old boat in the boatyard. Put the oar in the river; it'll float to a bend of the river far to the north. You do that because you've played the game before and you know you need to take the oar there later. After you get in the boat and untie the oily rope, row the boat with the oar to get back to the village.
Other useless stuff.
a mug. It's in the Phil's bedroom. You can put the teabag in it. Yay?
a teabag. It's in the walk-in cupboard. You can put it in the mug, but there's no clean hot water in this game, so you can never make tea. A travesty.
a broken dolly peg. It's in the water butt outside the Talbot Arm. Discard it.
a backgammon draught. It's in the water butt outside the Talbot Arm. Discard it.
a snuff rasp. It's in the water butt outside the Talbot Arm. Discard it. No, you can't grind the Axe with it, even though there's a grind command.
a wig stand. It's in the water butt outside the Talbot Arm. Discard it.
a match. You can buy a match from Mrs Shemilt in the shop for a penny. Stupidly, you can't just light it. What else is a match for? Not even the sheep skull can light the match.
a yellow pot. After you plant the potted plant, the pot itself is left over. It has a hole in the bottom so you can't fill it with water. You can't even use it as a general container; it's just for plants. Leave the pot at the mill and forget about it.
a walnut shell. This handsome item is found on the road by the chestnut tree and I guess it was an Elven drinking cup that fell from the bough of the chestnut tree. As near as I can tell, the shell's only purpose is to make you curious what's hiding in the woods. I also note that it's one of the very few things you can still pick up when you're three inches tall if you dropped it just before sleeping on the moss.
a lump of bronze. Found at the foot of the church tower stairs, this is what remains of the figurine after you banished whatever evil was in the stair. You have no use for a lump of bronze.
a canvas sack. It's in the castle store and it has a huge hole in it. Worthless. It mocks your inventory management pain.
Hedge garden stuff. The first letters of these items are important. B-items push you northward. N-items push you southward. S-items push you westward. D-items push you eastward. Items without directional affinities will break the garden if you travel with them, dropping the Phil into the void!
a bactrian camel. Create it from the camel when you write bactrian on the label after dipping the brush in a small pot of ink.
a bassinet. Find it by digging with either the spade or the shovel in the kitchen garden. You can't wear it.
a batti. It's by the statue of Pan.
a beetle. It's by the Tuscan Arch. Break the bust with the beetle.
a bits. Produced by breaking the bust with the beetle.
a book. There's four of these. Read them:
One book is by the changing statue. It's "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates" by Milton.
One book is by the pool. It's "England's Improvement" by Captain Andrew Yarranton.
One book is in the basin in the apse by the Tuscan Arch in the hedge gardens. It's "Metallum martis" by Dud Dudley.
One book is on the bench in the hedged rose garden. It's a thesaurus. Look up things in front of you to change them into their synonyms.
a brush. It's in the gazebo. If you also have a small pot of ink, you can write bactrian on the label of the camel to change it into a bactrian camel.
a bunch of roses. Produced in the rose garden by cutting the roses with either the knife or dirk. Then look up bunch in book to turn it into a nosegay.
a bust. It's in the top left niche of the Tuscan Arch. Break the bust with the beetle, producing bits and a diobol.
a bycocet. It's by the pool.
a camel. It's on the pillar in the oriental garden. As a C-item, it has no directional affinity. However, it also has a blank label, and if you write bactrian on label using the brush and a small pot of ink, the camel becomes a bactrian camel.
a camis. It's by the changing statue. You can't wear it. As a C-item, it has no directional affinity.
a dalle. It's by the changing statue.
a daric. It's by the statue of Pan.
a Ding. It's in the gazebo. You can't open it.
a diobol. Find it by breaking the bust with the beetle.
a dirham. It's by the changing statue.
a dirk. Produce it from the knife when you look up knife in book.
dittany. Produce it from the gray-green herbs when you look up herbs in book.
a dobla. It's by the pool.
a doublet. It's by the pool.
a knife. It's on the bench in the rose garden. As a K-item, it has no directional affinity. Look up knife in the book to change the knife into a dirk. Cut the roses with either the knife or the dirk to produce a bunch of roses.
some grey-green herbs. They're on the bench in the rose garden. As a G-item, they have no directional affinity. Look up herbs in the book to change them into dittany.
nankeens. They're by the lake. You can't wear them.
a navicula. It's by the changing statue.
a nebris. It's by the statue of Pan. You can't wear it.
a needle. It's by the lake.
a nef. It's by the pool.
some nepenthe. It's by the statue of Pan. You may drink some.
a netsuke. It's in a grove.
a noctule. It's by the pool.
a nopal. It's by the changing statue.
a nosegay. Produce it from the bunch of roses when you look up bunch in book.
a nostrum. It's in the kitchen garden. You may drink it.
a shawm. It's in the bottom left niche of the Tuscan Arch. You can play it.
some sherris. It's by the changing statue. You may drink some.
a shape. Produce it from the bench in the rose garden in two steps: look up bench in book then look up form in book.
a shift. It's by the pool. You can't wear it.
a shindle. It's in the top right niche of the Tuscan Arch.
a shovel. Find it by referring to the spade as a shovel. Dig once with either the spade or shovel to find the bassinet. Don't dig twice in the kitchen garden.
a small pot. It's in the gazebo. Fill it with water in the grove, then rub the sumi stick in the pot to create ink. Dip the brush in the ink. Now you can write something somewhere; see camel.
a spade. A misnamed item in the kitchen garden; it has no directional association with the west! Refer to it as a shovel to turn the spade into a shovel. Dig once with either the spade or shovel to find the bassinet. Don't dig twice in the kitchen garden.
a sumi stick. It's in the gazebo. After filling the small pot with water in the grove, rub the sumi stick in the pot to create ink.
Spells
You write down magic words on your shirt cuff, so x cuff to remind yourself of the words you've found. You can't actually do any magic unless you're wearing the bird charm or you've rubbed the standing stone.
In general, avoid using any magic in front of any other humans; they tend to chase you with pitchforks and torches if you do. Some exceptions:
The slape spell, if it works, puts the other person to sleep (or wakes them up) and they don't notice your spellcasting.
Thomas isn't paying attention to your magic when he's hanging from the mill roof.
Sir Lawrence, accustomed to black magic, isn't offended when you use magic words. (Bizarrely, he acts like any other villager if you read the sheet of paper in front of him.)
Also, your magic words don't work in the elven realm.
Effect: It seems to give you energy and healing. Basically, nothing.
fullgru. Learn it by examining the chalk markings inside the shed.
Effect: It makes nearby plants grow.
Usage: Cast fullgru outside the windmill after you've planted the potted plant there. Thomas will be able to climb down the wisteria's vines to safety.
Notes: Casting fullgru in your garden is deadly. The strange plant is basically a sleeping tentacle monster.
remosclior. Learn it by examining the brick found at Sunken Lane (west).
Effect: It makes the wind still for two turns.
Usage: Use it in a location where the smock is. When there's no wind, you can take the smock.
lucks. Learn it by examining the cube base of the figurine.
Effect: Summon bright light and intense heat in the presence of the figurine. Otherwise, nothing.
Usage: Drop the figurine on the church's winding stair, then say lucks. An evil is evicted from the church, and the stair becomes a normal stair. The figurine, however, is now a lump of bronze.
Note: The bright light briefly annoys others (the cat, the cow, the dwarf, etc.) but it doesn't really affect them.
slape. Learn it by reading the brassbound book in the church's belfry.
Effect: Summons an imp who will then try to throw its magic sleeping dust on a nearby creature. If the target is awake, then they fall asleep. Otherwise, they wake.
Usage:
Put Thomas to sleep when he's at the outskirts of the village. This makes him a non-moving snack for the cat later.
Put the Axe to sleep when neither Walter nor the cat are there. You can now take the sleeping Axe.
Notes:
If there is no obvious target, the imp throws the dust at the Phil!
If there's two or more targets (eg: Walter and the Axe), then the imp is confused and throws the dust at the Phil instead.
The cat, when hungry, eats the imp before the imp can act. The spell is still good for summoning other imps, though.
The cat, when spherical, is too confusing a target for the imp.
The cow's placid eyes are too disconcerting for the imp.
The dwarf counterspells the attack, blowing the dust at the Phil!
The were-rat and Sir Lawrence are immune to the dust.
byha. Learn it by examining the boulder in the hay field when you're fully human; horse eyes can't see it.
Effect: Briefly animates nearby statues.
Usage:
Cast byha by the ruins to get the statue to open the sarcophagus.
Cast byha in the eastern courtyard to get the satyr doorposts to open the door to the orchard.
Notes:
The "Judgment of Paris" statues above the eastern courtyard are too far away.
No effect on the snarling dogs on the stone bridge.
Without your bird charm, there's no way to try to animate any of the statues in the hedge gardens.
xyzzy. Learn it by playing other interactive fiction games.
Effect: Teleport to an almost identical universe. It's an in-joke.
Note: This is the only spell you can use without finding it first.