Citizen of Nowhere — 29 of 40

section 43 - City Plaza

City Plaza is a room.

Description of city plaza is "[plaza_description]"

To say plaza_description:

If player is barracked:

Say "The City Plaza is a frenetic war zone. On the north side are the ranks of Nowhere artillery, sending cannon fire up towards the airship. On the Drawbridge Somewhere troops are fighting both Nowhere troops coming from the barracks and those in the plaza trying to get inside the castle. The noise of cannon fire, and the shouting and screaming is deafening. [paragraph break] The Nowhere troops seem to be winning on the drawbridge, but the airship is making mincemeat of the Nowhere artillery, something needs to be done about it urgently!!";

Else:

Say "A large open public space and the heart of the city of Lost. Unusually there doesn't seem to be many people around, perhaps they are hiding from the army.[paragraph break]On the south side of the square there is a row of Somewhere soldiers blocking the path to the castle drawbridge. In the centre of the square is a fountain. The entire plaza is overshadowed by the enormous airship floating above the old King's Castle."

Nowhere artillery is a scenery object.

Nowhere artillery is nowhere.

Understand "nowhere" as nowhere artillery.

Description of nowhere artillery is "The heavy armour troops are lined up behind their cannons, there is frenzied activity of loading, firing and reloading, but they are taking heavy casualties from the incoming fire from the airship."

inside city plaza is an airship

Description of airship is "A huge bright yellow airship hovers above the Old King's Castle at the south of the plaza. The gondola slung underneath is bristling with cannons. There is a rope ladder attached to the gondola the bottom of disappears behind the walls of the old King's Castle."

The airship is fixed in place.

The ropeladderscene is part of the airship.

Instead of taking the ropeladderscene:

Say "You can't reach it from here, it is hanging down behind the castle wall."

description of ropeladderscene is "A rather precarious looking rope ladder hangs from the airship's gondola. You've a horrible feeling that climbing up it lies in your not to distant future."

Printed name of ropeladderscene is "rope ladder".

Understand "rope ladder", "rope", and "ladder" as ropeladderscene.

Instead of climbing ropeladderscene:

Say "You can't reach the ladder from here, the end of it disappears somewhere behind the castle walls."

row of soldiers are a scenery object.

understand "somewhere" and "somewhere soldiers" as row of soldiers.

description of row of soldiers is "[row_description]"

to say row_description:

If player is barracked:

Say "the Somewhere soldiers are pinned on the drawbridge by Nowhere soldiers on either side.";

Otherwise:

Say "The soldiers are talking and laughing with each other."

There is a fountain inside the city plaza.

The fountain is fixed in place.

Description of fountain is "The tall fountain consists of a tower of stacked marble skulls, descending in size to the top. Water pours from the eye sockets of one skull into a hole in the cranium of the one below.[paragraph break]The city planners really took the old King's nickname to heart, although a sense of the morbid always characterised this country well before his reign."

instead of trying drinking wtr2, say "You decide against drinking the skull water. (Pigeon Jon has probably been in it.)".

marble skulls is part of fountain. description of skulls is "They are stacked forming a tower, they have grumpy looking grimaces as if they have a bone to pick with someone.".

tower2 is part of fountain. description of tower2 is "It's a tower, made of skulls.".

understand "tower" as tower2.

printed name of tower2 is "tower".

wtr2 is part of fountain. understand "water" as wtr2. printed name of wtr2 is "water".

description of wtr2 is "It's water, water you going to do about it?".

eye sockets is part of skulls. description of sockets is "Water is pouring from the eye sockets into the hole in the cranium of the skull below.".

cranium is part of skulls. description of cranium is "Water is pouring into the hole of the cranium from the eye sockets of the skull above.".

hole2 is part of cranium. printed name of hole2 is "hole". understand "hole" as hole2.

description of hole2 is "Water is pouring into the hole from the eye sockets of the skull above.".

scenerydrawbridge is a scenery object inside city plaza.

understand "drawbridge" and "draw" as scenerydrawbridge

printed name of scenerydrawbridge is "drawbridge"

A thing can be raised or lowered.

The scenerydrawbridge is raised.

Description of scenerydrawbridge is "[scenerydrawbridge_description]".

To say scenerydrawbridge_description:

If scenerydrawbridge is raised:

Say "The wooden drawbridge usually spans the empty moat around the castle but it is currently in the raised position.";

Else if player is barracked:

Say "The Somewhere troops are pinned on the drawbridge with Nowhere troops on either side.";

Else:

Say "The wooden drawbridge is lowered and spans the empty moat around the castle."

scenerymoat is a scenery object inside the city plaza.

understand "moat" as scenerymoat

description of scenerymoat is "A deep and steep sided ditch that surrounds the castle walls. You an only see the edge of it from the plaza"

printed name of scenerymoat is "moat".

understand "moat" as scenerymoat.

scenerywalls is a scenery object inside the city plaza

description of scenerywalls is "The castle walls are made of huge blocks of granite stone, they are over 20 meters high, with crenulated battlements and machicolations at the top. The merlons have arrow-loops set into them."

printed name of scenerywalls is "walls"

understand "wall" and "walls" as scenerywalls.

scenerycastle is a scenery object inside the city plaza

printed name of scenerycastle is "castle".

description of scenerycastle is "The old King's Castle is a impenetrable stone fortress on top of a mound, surrounded by walls, towers and a moat. It dominates the south end of the plaza."

understand "king's castle", "king's castle" and "castle" as scenerycastle

scenerytowers are a scenery object inside the city plaza.

description of scenerytowers is "There are tall round towers at the corners of the walls and on either side of the main gatehouse. They have crenulated battlements at the top, and many arrow-loops built into their walls."

understand "towers" as scenerytowers.

scenerygatehouse is a scenery object inside the city plaza.

description of scenerygatehouse is "A fortified gatehouse is the only way into the old King's castle, it is guarded on either side by two towers."

understand "gatehouse" as scenerygatehouse.