You play as a Wisher, someone with the power of Harmony. You can transfer virtue between objects and your words can inspire and persuade the reluctant. You wish to quest for the Jewel of All Desiring and command that sleeping god into shaping how the World should be. But you dare not begin your journey without the blessing of the Queen of Raif.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 4 of the game.
Whichever solution you choose, the guard dutifully opens the gate.
By the way, if you used mind tricks to get her to open the gate and have endangered her life, you might further try to get the guard to leave:
> guard, you should leave. > guard, you should run away. > guard, you should be a farmer.(And she goes.)
> s. e.
Inside Tavern
> x man. x parchment. x pen.
> ask man about himself.(He is Froderick, a Fatalist.)
> man, I am a wisher.(Prove it.)
Hm, let's quickly get a couple things and return here.
> w. s.
Fountain Square
> x fountain. take valence from fountain.
> x fountain. x valence.
> w.
Dump
> x mound. x bone. x moat.
> take bone. e. n. e.
Inside Tavern
You may win Froderick's loyalty by showing him an object with high valence:
> give valence to bone. show bone to man.(He now follows you.) > take valence from bone.
Or you can bend his mind like you may have already done with city guard:
> man, you should follow me.
Froderick explains that he has Knowledge. Ask him about anything.
> ask man about knowledge. ask man about truth.
> ask man about jewel. ask man about virtue.
> w. s. s.
Palace Steps
Note: It's important that you try to enter the palace in order to learn that you need a letter. Don't skip that step.
> x guard. s.(Need a letter from the queen.)
> ask guard about queen.(She can't hear you.)
Those earmuffs effectively stop you from using your Harmony powers against her. You'll need to find another tactic.
> n. n. n. n. n. b.
Muddy Road
> x sword. x anvil.
> ask man about angel. ask man about blood.
Okay then. Back to the tavern:
> back. s. s. s. e.
Inside Tavern
> take rag. x rag.
> w. n. n. n. b.
Muddy Road
If you have the bloody rag, you can take the sword easily.
> take sword.
But you don't actually need the rag. Instead, you can ask Froderick to take the truth from the anvil. Then you can take the sword. You just don't get a heavenly chorus this way.
> Froderick, take truth from anvil. > take sword.
There are two ways past the palace guard. You and Froderick can forge a letter from the queen:
> man, take truth.(if he doesn't already have it.) > man, write on parchment. > x letter. man, give truth to parchment. > x letter. man, give letter to me.
Or you may try to defeat the guard in battle with your new sword.
Regardless, return to the palace:
> back. s. s. s. s. s.
Palace Steps
If you have the forged letter enhanced with truth, just walk right in.
> s.(showing letter to guard; proceed to Throne Room.)
However, if you'd prefer to fight your way in:
> give valence to sword. kill guard with sword.
In this case, no one dies, but you don't win the battle either. Instead, you're knocked out and wake in a cell.
Throne Room
> x queen.(or do anything else)
The queen imprisons you. She says you are unworthy and have no signs of prophecy.
Cell
> i.(You're carrying nothing.)
> x walls. x bars. x woman.
> ask woman about herself.(She's Theresa, a Theurgist with guilt.)
> ask woman about guilt.
> ask man about theurgist. ask man about pramana. ask man about prameya.
> ask man about weaver. ask man about mimamsa. ask man about danda.
> Theresa, make door open.(She won't do it.)
> ask woman about corrupt insight.
> ask man about insight. ask man about corrupt insight.
This is all very interesting, but we need to escape this cell.
First, point out to Theresa that even if she is guilty of her crimes, you aren't guilty. You should not be imprisoned.
> Theresa, I am not guilty.
Second, invite Theresa to follow you. She'll agree that your needs for her theurgy overrules her need for penance:
> Theresa, follow me.
Third, there's two ways out of this cell. The simplest way is to have Theresa open the door.
> Theresa, make door open.
> e. n.
Or you can use the secret passage:
> ask man about bars.(You now know there is a passage to find.)
> x walls. pull block. n.
Secret Passage
> Theresa, make light.(And now you can see.)
> e.
Palace Garden
> x leaf. take it.
> x topiaries. x statues. x railing.(Has support)
> e.
Throne Room
The queen seems bored with your return, but does mention prophecy and your failure to give proper tribute.
> x queen. x guards. x archer.
> ask man about prophecy. ask man about Ketu.
> ask man about tribute.(golden jeweled treasure, normally)
> w.
Palace Garden
> Theresa, take support from railing.
> n.
Moat Bank
> Theresa, give support to leaf.
> ride leaf.
Dump
> Froderick, take truth.(Assuming it's here or in the letter.)
> take all. e.
Fountain Square
If you want to make a tribute item or make a queen-killing sword, keep the valence. But if you're done with the valence:
> give valence to fountain.
This is also your chance to go put the truth back in the anvil if you really want to, but I don't think it matters much. If you think you're done with the sword, you can return that too, but you're probably not done with it:
> n. n. n. n. b.
Muddy Road
> Froderick, give truth to anvil.
> back. s. s. s. s.
All done?
> w. ride leaf. s.
Palace Garden
> drop leaf.
> Theresa, take support from leaf.
> Theresa, give support to railing.
It's time to decide how you want to obtain a royal blessing. There are four ways to do it! You may wish to save here, just so you can try them all out.
If you want to fulfil the signs of the prophecy:
> Theresa, make me green. > Theresa, make sword lightning. > Theresa, make bone invisible.
Or, if you just wish to be worthy:
> Theresa, make me worthy.
Or, you can create something as tribute to give to the queen:
> Theresa, make bone gold —or— Theresa, make bone jeweled. > give valence to bone.
Or, you can change the sword so it's possible to kill the queen with it and live afterwards:
> give valence to sword. > Theresa, take support. > Theresa, give support to sword.
Ready? Return to the queen:
> e.
Throne Room
If Theresa has made you worthy:
> queen, I am worthy.(She gives you her blessing.)
Or if you want to give tribute (such as a golden valenced bone):
> give bone to queen.(She accepts it and gives you her blessing.)
Or if you have the sword enhanced with both valence and support, you can kill the queen:
> kill queen with sword.(Guards are awed, and the Prince gives you the royal blessing.)
Otherwise, if you are green, carry a lightning sword, and have something invisible, the queen will recognize the signs of prophecy immediately and give you her blessing.
With a royal blessing, you and your companions have a long adventure, eventually arriving at...
Final Void
> x jewel. i. wish.
You must now answer ten questions about your actions in the game. You should probably answer honestly, but it really is up to you.
? yes —or— no.
? yes —or— no.
? yes —or— no.
? yes —or— no.
? yes —or— no.
? yes —or— no.
? yes —or— no.
? yes —or— no.
? yes —or— no.
? yes —or— no.
*** You have created the world. ***
Extras
Characters
A frowning guard stands outside the city gate. How will you convince her to open the gate?
Froderick, a Fatalist, lounges glumly inside a tavern. How will you convince him to follow you?
Another guard, one with earmuffs on under her helmet, blocks your way into the palace. How will you get past her?
Theresa, a Theurgist, sits in a dungeon cell under the palace. How will you convince her to follow you?
The vampiric queen of Raif sits bored and distainful in her throne room. How will you obtain her blessing?
Several well-armed guards stand next to the queen.
An archer defends the queen from a balcony.
The Prince of Raif will give you his blessing if you manage to kill the queen without dying yourself.
The Jewel of All Desiring is, according to Froderick, a sleeper also called God the Shaper, God the Maker, and other names.
Mentioned:
Weavers unload their responsibilities onto other people.
Mentioned in your long journey:
The Axeman, the Duke, and the Foremost Scribe in Tin 'An.
The savage peoples.
The fairies.
The thieves and blackguards who live on the sun.
The Dragons of the Deeps.
The ur-toads.
Tiresias, Seer of Thebes.
Endings
You have been stabbed most enthusiastically.
if you attack the guard on the palace steps with a normal unenhanced sword.
You are missing most of your internal organs.
if you or your companions use any of your mystical talents in the throne room.
You have been sliced thinly and served with a cheese plate.
if you try to kill the queen with the sword when it lacks support.
At least you don't give the queen indigestion.
if you kill the queen with the sword when it has support but lacks valence.
You have created the world.
if you reach the final void, wish, and answer all ten questions.
Inventory
Your own inventory:
some valence. It's in the fountain in the fountain square. As a wisher, you can take just it. Objects with high valence have more virtue and importance. You can give valence to some other objects.
You may give the valence to the bone, then show the bone to Froderick to gain his loyalty.
You may give the valence to the sword, making it possible for you to fight the palace steps guard without dying.
You may give valence to something (like the bone or leaf), ask Theresa to make it either gold or jeweled, then give the item to the queen as tribute.
You may give valence to the sword and also ask Theresa to give support to it. Only with a sword imbued with both qualities can you both kill the queen and live.
You may want to give the valence back to the fountain when you're done with it, so its water is clean and drinkable again.
an old bone. It's at the dump. As is, it's worthless.
You may give the valence to the bone, then show the bone to Froderick to gain his loyalty.
You may ask Theresa to make the bone invisible. Invisible items represent Ketu and are one of three things you need to fulfil prophecy.
You may ask Theresa to make the bone (or some other item) golden or jeweled, give valence to it, then give the item to the queen as a tribute and thus earn her blessing.
a parchment. Froderick is carrying it.
After being told by the palace steps guard that you need a letter from the queen, either you or Froderick must write on parchment with the pen. This turns the parchment into a forged letter, but it's not convincing.
Tell Froderick to give truth to the letter. The letter is now convincing.
Tell Froderick to give the letter to you. Then you can walk past the palace guard and into the palace. Well, as long as the portcullis is open.
a pen. Froderick is carrying it. Either you or Froderick will need the pen to write on the parchment, making it a forged letter. After that, it's just another object you can treat like the old bone.
a bloody rag. It's in the tavern; smell in the tavern (or examine the blood) to find it. The blood is from an angel; you know this if you ask Froderick about angels.
While you carry this rag, you can take the sword from the anvil even while the anvil contains strong truth.
The queen, though vampiric, is uninterested in the bloody rag. Just in case you were wondering.
a sword. It's in the anvil at muddy road.
If you carry the bloody rag, you can just take the sword from the anvil.
If you have Froderick take the truth from the anvil, you can again take the sword from the anvil, but there's no heavenly chorus this time.
If you give valence to the sword, you can fight the palace guard with it without dying. You will be imprisoned instead.
If you ask Theresa to make the sword lightning, the sword is now one of three things you need to fulfil the prophecy.
If you give valence to the sword and also ask Theresa to give support to it, you can both kill the queen with it and live.
You may want to put the sword back when you're done with it.
a fallen leaf. It's in the palace garden. If you ask Theresa to give it support, you can now ride the leaf across the moat.
Note also that Theresa can give new properties to items as you direct. In particular, she can make things green, invisible, lightning, golden, and jeweled; these adjectives get prepended to the object's name. However, I could not find any way to direct Theresa to remove any of these properties from objects to make them normal again.
Items held only by your companions:
some truth. It's in the anvil on the muddy road. Direct Froderick to take it; now you (or he) can take the sword. Direct Froderick to give the truth to something else:
If Froderick gives the truth to the forged letter, the guard at the palace steps will believe it's a true letter.
If Froderick gives the truth to the sword, you will survive attacking the guard at the palace steps with it.
You may want to ask Froderick to give the truth back to the anvil when you're done with both it and the sword.
some mechanical support. It's in the short easily-climbed railing in the palace garden. Direct Theresa to take the support and give it to the fallen leaf. Now you and your companions can use the leaf as a raft to cross the moat. (But you can't cross the river at Muddy Road this way.)
Note that you can't climb over the railing at all while it has support.
You may want to ask Theresa to give the support back to the railing when you're done with it.
Also, if you give valence to the sword and also ask Theresa to give support to it, you can kill the queen with the sword and live afterwards.
Final void inventory (all of which you may ignore):
Spring's Root.
a cloak of breezes.
a battery-powered brass lantern.
an obsidian knife.
some empty gallon cans of blood.
the Jewel of All Desiring. Yes, you can take it, but you don't need to. Just wish, wisher.
Score
Prior to the game's end, the response to SCORE is:
It is not for me to judge your soul.
However, when the game ends, you learn:
You have scored your-score out of a possible 10 points.
In the final void, you are asked ten questions. You gain a point for each question you answer yes to; it's as simple as that.