In this small chess-themed game about skill-acquistion, you play as the Last Pawn deep in enemy territory. The sacrifices of your brothers-in-arms shall not be in vain. Learn the secret attacks of your foes and use them against each other until you become the weapon that was lost.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
In this game, your only commands are LOOK (L), EXAMINE (X), GO (N, E, S, W), and the learned attacks.
The moment Before Battle
> w.
The Walls
You learn Fortify!
> e.
The Temple Complex
You learn Theology!
> n.
The Wrymspires
You learn Flames!
> theology.(You learn Screech!)
> s.
The Deep Jungle
You learn Flowers!
> flames.(You learn Snare!)
> e.
The Temple Complex
> screech.(+1 Power! The Cardinal falls!)
> n.
The Wrymspires
You must have at least 1 Power to snare the Wyrm.
> snare.(+1 Power! The Wrym Knight falls!)
> w.
The Walls
> screech.(The Rock is cracked.)
> flowers.(The cracks widen.)
> snare.(+1 Power! The Rock falls!)
> s.
The Deep Jungle
You must have at least 1 Power to damage the King's bark.
> flames.(King's bark cracks, revealing a core.)
You must have 3 Power for this floral attack to have any useful effect.
> flowers.
You sacrifice yourself and become a Queen! Queen bisects King.
*** "Check. Mate." ***
Oh, and "zugzwang" is a chess term from German that means "move-compulsion". It refers to those situations where you'd prefer to wait and do nothing, because anything you do is likely going to make things worse, but choosing inaction just isn't one of your options.
Extras
Characters
You are the Last Pawn on a mission to acquire secret attacks from your enemies so that you might become the weapon lost: a White Queen.
The Wrym Knight in the Wyrmspires is a warrior clad in black armour who rides a fire-breathing dragon. She's flying too high for most conventional attacks to be effective.
The Rock in the Walls is a great immovable lump of obsidian.
The Cardinal is a moving target, running along the tops of the pillars in the Temple Complex and spewing black scripture at you.
The King of Ebony is a great tree in the Deep Jungle who entangles his foes in fast-growing flowers. His flower power is second to none.
Mentioned:
The White King is distant from where you are.
The other White Pawns and the White Queen all fell in battle before the events of this game.
Inventory
There is no true inventory in this game, but you do acquire attacks and power, so let's pretend that's your inventory.
Power. You begin with 0 Power.
Gain 1 Power for every enemy you defeat.
Power increases the strength of your attacks and can sometimes make the difference between a failed attack and a successful one.
Flames. Acquire this attack by going north into the Wyrmspires.
In the Deep Jungle, cast flames (at 0 Power) to learn the Snare attack.
In the Deep Jungle, cast Flames (at 1 Power or more) to burn through the King's bark and expose his core.
Fortify. Acquire this attack by going west into the Walls.
As near as I can tell, this is not a useful skill for you.
Theology. Acquire this attack by going east into the Temple Complex.
In the Wyrmspires, cast Theology to learn the Screech attack.
Flowers. Acquire this attack by going south into the Deep Jungle.
At the Walls, after cracking the Rock (see Screech), cast Flowers to widen those cracks.
In the Deep Jungle, after exposing the King's core (see Flames) and when you have 3 Power, cast Flowers to sacrifice yourself and become a Queen who defeats the King.
Snare. Acquire this attack by casting Flames (when you have 0 Power) in the Deep Jungle.
In the Walls, after widening the cracks (see Flowers), cast Snare to defeat the Rock and gain 1 Power.
In the Wrymspires, when you have at least 1 Power, cast Snare to defeat the Wyrm and gain 1 Power.
Screech. Acquire this attack by casting Theology in the Wyrmspires.
In the Temple Complex, cast Screech to defeat the Cardinal and gain 1 Power.
At the Walls, cast Screech to crack the Rock.
Thank You to my Patreon supporters
This walkthrough is provided free of charge since the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations. Please consider it a thank you for your support!
I create larger walkthroughs too! Please visit my Patreon account if you're interested in helping me create more interactive fiction walkthroughs. I appreciate all the help I can get! Thanks again.
Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!
