The Haunted Castle Quest - A Personal Account

On 16th October at about 9:30pm (my time) I entered the tearoom to be greeted by Throwaway, Jamesbond and Leak. And then someone bade me hi. Someone, not someone powerful, was in the Tea Room? That was scary. All sorts of players came and went and all the chat during the next half hour was centred on the forthcoming MUDMeet.

The game was reset dead on 9pm (MUDtime) by Karya and the quest was on. I got myself just one bit of kit and, more by instinct than skill, and soon found myself outside the Castle. Dead keen to get in, I hit my head thud on the drawbridge (twice). Karya then shouted that the castle was now open and I hit my head thud on the drawbridge (three times). But when the drawbridge was lowered, I was first in. I got to the Gloomy Library quickly; only delayed on the way by being attacked by a suit of armour soon disposed of. From my previous visit I knew the Gloomy Library was a good place to start. I remembered from the last time, that here there were a few good books to read. Only snag was this time, they attacked me before I could pick them up. A couple of rats came and went bursting into green flame. Garion, Caliban and Mephistoph joined me in the library and we formed a team. Having solved the puzzle of the Priest’s Hole last time, we elected to go for the body this time. We dashed about through various rooms. I got stuck in the lift and came out on the wrong floor. After a bit of going up and down in the lift again, I found them in the basement. It would have helped me had I known where we were making for. There was a little unpleasantness with a rat and a Blob. We met up with Hal and Paine. Hal knew exactly where the body was and took us to find it. With Paine saying that it wasn’t very nice the body being described as the skeletal remains of a young boy, they left us to get on with things.

Garion picked up the body and we started to make our way to the Castle Crypt, going through the Kitchen first where we attacked by a Headless Haggis and a Sharp Kitchen Knife, then on to the Castle Grounds only to be attacked by a Shambling Mound. Was there no peace? Then it was the turn of the Purple Worm to have a go. This stung me and I had a silly death. I got back in, found Garion on his own and accompanied him through various battlements and towers. We found Caliban who joined us and we also picked up Mephistoph along the way. I still have no idea why we were shambling through the Castle, but at last we were outside again in the fresh air with a body that was far from fresh. And eventually we got to the Crypt. We opened the Sarcophagus and Garion triumphantly placed the body inside. Nothing happened. Garion closed the lid. Nothing happened. Garion opened the Sarcophagus, Nothing happened. Garion looked into the Sarcophagus. Caliban looked into the Sarcophagus. I looked into the Sarcophagus, it was in good condition and there was a body inside. Garion had another look inside the Sarcophagus. Caliban had another look into the Sarcophagus. Mephistoph had a look inside the Sarcophagus.

We gave this up, Garion took out the body, I picked up the empty Sarcophagus and we dashed around the Castle both inside and outside in the grounds with the body and the Sarcophagus, for what seemed a long time, eventually ending up at the Castle Graveyard, just two or three rooms away from the Crypt. Here I dropped my burden. We put the body inside again. Nothing happened.

Having heard a ghost somewhere say. ‘ashes to ashes’, we decided we had a clue and pyrotechnics were the answer. I tried to ignite the Sarcophagus with the body inside. I spurted flame but nothing happened to the sarcophagus. Mephistoph looked at the Sarcophagus. Garion looked at the Sarcophagus. I looked at the Sarcophagus. It was in relatively good condition and still contained the body.

We had a new idea. As we were in a Graveyard perhaps we thought it should be buried. I tried to dig but ‘realised it would take far too long to get deep enough for any nice bodies’. (I quote). As I was digging Garion pointed out to me that I had lost my magic. A ’qw’ confirmed this. He told me the amulet had drained all my magic. I wondered what he was talking about. I did an ’i’ and sure enough, I was holding an amulet. I had no idea where this had come from. Looking back in the log, I had somehow picked it up earlier in the study with other stuff.

Caliban took the body out of the Sarcophagus and tried to ignite it. Nothing happened.

We decided that we needed a shovel to dig with. I went off to the Barn to get one via the ‘TS’. Returning, I tried to dig the ground with the shovel but again to no avail.

We left it for a while and wandered round for a bit aimlessly and made our way back to the Graveyard. Hal, Paine and Blib found us there. Hal wasted no time telling us that he had just forced Blib to flee, much to everyone except Blib’s delight. Among some twenty-six items Hal emptied out of the ‘CC’ or was carrying himself, was an ankh, which unknown to any of us at the time was the key to the next stage.

It was however decided that the sarcophagus belonged in the Crypt and had no business in the Graveyard, so it was duly taken back. There was some discussion about pouring water into the Sarcophagus but it had already been attempted. We realised there was still one thing no one had tried.

Garion took out the body and climbed in. Nothing happened. Strangely he was in there with all his kit and still holding the body. I tried to enter the Sarcophagus but there was no room for me and Garion. Mephistoph closed the lid. Nothing happened. Mephistop opened the lid. Nothing happened. Garion was still there. Garion climbed out of the Sarcophagus. Paine climbed in the Sarcophagus. I closed the lid. Nothing happened. Paine did a ‘qn’ from inside and reported all directions blocked. She opened the sarcophagus from the inside and climbed out. Garion put the body in the Sarcophagus. I climbed in and out with the body inside and nothing happened. There was a long discussion on what to do next. After a while Hal reappeared. He must have departed unnoticed at some stage to do his own thing. Hal opened the Sarcophagus, climbed in and closed the lid. Still nothing happened. He opened the lid and climbed out. Leak also appeared. He looked into the Sarcophagus. He too climbed in. There was a rush to close the lid. Garion got there first. Leak was in the Sarcophagus a long time before asking how to get out. No one told him but Garion did open the lid eventually and let him climb out. There was some more messing about which terminated in me throwing the Sarcophagus off the battlements. I don’t know why I did that. It just seemed a thing to try. A desperate thing to try.

So we were all once more in the crypt standing round the Sarcophagus. Kayra herself appeared and reminded us about a book in the Red Library. I knew of a Green Room, a Blue Room and a Yellow Room. I knew of a Gloomy Library. But there was a Red Library?

Garion picked the body out of the Sarcophagus. Garion waved the body in the air. Paine was disgusted at this exhibition. Hal appeared out of nowhere. Hal looked into the Sarcophagus. Hal wanted to know where the body had gone. Hal forgot about the body when he was asked if he knew of a Red Library. We all accompanied Hal to the Gloomy Library. We then accompanied Hal to the Green Room and the Yellow Room but somehow missed out the Blue Room. We accompanied Hal all over the Castle on two levels, and all over the castle grounds, going from room, to room, to room. Eventually after a long, long time, I was suddenly no longer accompanying Hal. He told me ‘S’. I went south and banged my head on the wall. ‘qn’ showed that the wall had a curious ankh-like mark on it. After some muddled misunderstandings, I was given the ankh and went south to find myself at last in the Red Library.

I read the book and made a mental note of the contents for the next time we continued with this quest. We were well over time and had already been given generous extensions and so it had to end for today.

I had an early night.

The Haunted Castle Quest was written by McNabb the wizard from MUD2.com