The Secret of Blue Dream Temple

<center>***The Secret of Blue Dream Temple by Kris Schnee. A game of fantasy exploration, magic and transformation. Suitable for mature audiences.***</center> [[Start!|Setup Game]] [[About]] {(if: (saved-games:) contains "Save 1")[ (link: "Load Saved Game 1")[(load-game:"Save 1")] ]} {(if: (saved-games:) contains "Save 2")[ (link: "Load Saved Game 1")[(load-game:"Save 2")] ]} {(if: (saved-games:) contains "Save 3")[ (link: "Load Saved Game 1")[(load-game:"Save 3")] ]}

''Under sunny skies...'' "Best to relax and enjoy the beach on Sundrop Island instead of getting yourself killed," the captain says. "People go there saying they're great big adventurers, and then they don't come back." He squints at you, keeping his hand on the little ferry's tiller. You'd managed to talk him into making one more run to Sundrop from the larger, more settled island nearby. For the favor, you seem to owe him a conversation. He says, "What's in it for you? You don't look like a royal agent or a merchant. But you're not really equipped for temple raiding either. Just another man who wants to ogle the islanders, then?" You think back to what you know of the Blue Temple that made Sundrop Island suddenly famous. You answer by talking about... [[Motivation: Magic]] "People who go there get access to magic, right? That's got to be worth some danger." [[Motivation: Treasure]] "There's money in it, right? And I've heard about strange weapons and armor." [[Motivation: Lore]] "I want to know why it's there in the first place. So they just found this temple underwater one day?"

This story was created using the free Twine engine. Kris Schnee's stories, games and more: kschnee.deviantart.com, furaffinity.net/krissnow/ , and kschnee.xepher.net. //Build: 2016.4.18: First version. Not much to see yet but starts to show the premise and the temple.// //"You can't step into the same river twice." -Proverb// [[Title]]

"They do, sometimes. Different spells. Easy to get a job afterward if you get the healing one. I hear the smart people get magic more often. Maybe they've just read enough to make sense of a totally new skill?" [["Looks like the boat's arriving soon..."|Sundrop Island]]

"Ha! There's surer money to be made from the delvers' pockets, by owning a shop. Wait till you see the market that's sprung up. Don't go buying any heavy armor, now, no matter what they say about swimming being optional. Maybe you can piece together some protective gear from the junk you find." [["Looks like the boat's arriving soon..."|Sundrop Island]]

"Aye, that's a mystery. I'm sure the village is bustling with theories, but who knows which one is right? Most ear-catching one I've heard is, something's broken in that place. Like it's waiting for someone to fix it." [["Looks like the boat's arriving soon..."|Sundrop Island]]

{ (set: $n_endings to 1) (set: $race to "Human") (set: $sex to "male") (set: $Sex to "Male") (set: $health to 3) (set: $spells to (a:)) (set: $items to (a:)) (set: $crystals to 0) (set: $money to 20) (set: $train_cost to 5)  (set: $gaincombat to "(set: $combat to $combat + 1) ''Combat+''") (set: $gainguile to "(set: $guile to $guile + 1) ''Guile+''") (set: $gainlore to "(set: $lore to $lore + 1) ''Lore+''") (set: $gainstrength to "(set: $strength to $strength + 1) ''Strength+''") (set: $gainswimming to "(set: $swimming to $swimming + 1) ''Lore+''") (set: $learnspell_heal to "(set: $spells to $spells + (a:\"Heal\")) ''You have learned a new spell: Heal!'')") (set: $spendcrystal to "(set: $crystals to $crystals - 1)") } (display: "Under Sunny Skies")

The island is warm and sunny, with beaches of white sand and swaying palm trees. Much of it is a new and growing town, due to the discovery of the Blue Temple. There's a distinct Old District built by the original settlers, including the Governor's Mansion with its wooden stockade and falcon banners. Most of the construction is hasty thatch and wood, catering to the tourists as a shopping district and crowded around Temple Pier, where would-be adventurers leave from. And the people! A few of them aren't human. There's a man who looks like a dolphin with arms and legs, a lady who's part otter, even a lizard shuffling around on all fours with a backpack. The rumors about the Blue Temple transforming people are definitely true. Where will you go? [[Fountain Plaza]] [[Governor's Mansion|Governor's Mansion, Approach]] [[Old District]] [[Temple Pier]]

The governor's mansion stands atop a hill of white stone. Its walls are sturdy, obviously quarried from the cliffs themselves. A tower in one corner has a lookout and a scarlet flag of the Falcon Kingdom. Below the intimidating stairs up to the mansion, stand houses for minor government officials. Of particular note is a windowless boxy building with a guard in front, labeled "Laboratory". [[Climb to the mansion|Mansion]] [[Approach the laboratory|Laboratory]] [[Sundrop Island]]

The Old District is a collection of thatch huts and cliffside cave dwellings. The bustle of island traffic falls off dramatically as you head in this direction. Over here are small farm plots full of unfamiliar fruits and vegetables. The locals look annoyed by your presence. They're dressed in simple homemade clothes and show none of the business sense of the tourist areas' people. [[Look for advice]] (if:$money>=5)[ [[Spend a few days training your Strength|Buy Strength Training]] ](else:)[Train your Strength] (This will cost you 5 coins despite your earnings; housing's not cheap here.) [[Sundrop Island]]

Flags mark the cliff directly above where the Blue Temple was found, underwater. You can see an occasional boat heading out to investigate the entrance or even to drop someone off, but mainly there's ordinary fishing and shipping activity. It looks like one of the main attractions in the mass of little shops is Bubbles' Bar, whose sign says it's 'Totally Adventurer Friendly So C'mon In!'. Then there's the market selling all sorts of weapons, armor, and other items for would-be delvers. [[Sundrop Island]] [[Bubbles' Bar]] [[Francisco's Wares]] [[Approach the Blue Temple's entrance|Temple Pier, Diving Point]]

"Oh hi what can I get you it's so great to see a newcomer sit down have a drink what can I get ya!" The bartender's mouth doesn't move when she talks. That's because she's a dolphin, with a perpetual grin, webbed grey hands in constant motion, and sleek, shiny grey skin. She wears a shirt with the words "I SURVIVED BLUE DREAM TEMPLE" stretched tight across her chest. "Like it? Because it's true and I'm selling more just like it but you really oughta earn one first and then come back and tell me allll about your trip!" "Even the decor has a manic look. There's some kind of cute green dragon blowing bubbles, a cheerful pink horse with a bubble-blowing pipe... Presumably these aren't representations of things in the temple. There's a glass case containing a fist-sized crystal that shines with watery light, lighting up some of the mismatched liquor bottles (mostly rum) she'd be happy to sell you. Business is slow at the moment, and the few people sitting around look like regulars, used to her banter. [["A drink, please."]] [["So, you're a dolphin?"]] [["What's that crystal?"]] (Guile) (if:$guile>0)[ [[Flirt]] ] (Knowledge) (if: $flag_know_about_final_door is 1)[ [[Ask about the Temple's final door]] ] (Knowledge) (if: $flag_bubbles_training_ok is 1)[ (if:$money>=$train_cost)[ [[Guile Training|Buy Guile Training]] ](else:)[//Guile Training//] ($train_cost): "You'll need quick wits to survive the challenges ahead." //Guile+1//] (Knowledge) (if:$money>=$train_cost)[ [[Swimming Training|Buy Swimming Training]] ](else:)[//Swimming Training//] ($train_cost): "You don't have a tail, yet, but if anybody's qualified to explain how to swim, I'm your gal." //Swimming+1// [[Leave|Temple Pier]]

''Temple Pier, Diving Point'' Rather than hire a boat, you take what's supposedly the land route to the temple entrance. A wooden staircase leads down from a rocky shore to the water, and a guide rope from there leads underwater. From what you've heard, it's not too deep, so here goes... You hold your breath and dive, following the guide rope through the shimmering clear water. It suddenly turns chilly as you cross some depth threshold, and you begin to worry about the ache in your lungs. Just then, though, you see the entrance. It's been marked with a tattered, waterlogged bit of blue ribbon. Looks like a cave, no wider than two men swimming abreast. But the water there shines as though the moon were trapped inside, giving an unearthly quality to what should be a dark hole in the rock. It's time to decide: surface for air and swim back to land, or press on into the cave? A small submerged sign warns: ''Last chance to turn back.'' Are you prepared? [[Enter the Temple|Blue Dream Temple, Entryway]] [[Temple Pier]]

''A dolphin walks into a bar... no, wait.'' "Bubbles makes a show out of pouring you a drink, flipping bottles around and balancing a glass on her beak. "This is the Blue Dream Temple Special!" "How are you doing that?" you ask. "What, the balancing? It takes practice! Here ya go." She sets a fizzy, delicious thing in front of you, like rum mixed with some kind of sweet, dark bubbly stuff. "It took some serious agility to get through this one room where we were all sliding around on ice. Turned out we could knock the pillars down at just the right angle to... Where was I? Right. You were gonna tell me about your adventuring plans, right?" [[Bubbles' Bar]]

''The flukes should've tipped you off.'' "She gives a squeaky laugh from the top of her head. "The Blue Dream Temple does things to you. Mostly if you fall in the water. I was the only one in my party who did, and it was just awesome! Some people around here call it a curse, but they're grouches like the Governor." "And the other... people on this island? The otters and lizards?" She points out a man passing by outside the bar. He's some sort of otter-centaur, with four webbed feet and two arms on his furry, whisker-faced upper body. She notices you staring. "That happens, too! Or you go feral and have no hands, which is kind of annoying. Or you become a sort of were-critter that only changes when you get soaked, which I hear then happens to you all the time whenever it'd be silly. Or you get girled." "Wait, what?" She pokes her chest. "//These// are new, along with the fins and tail. Wasn't always called Bubbles, you know. I used to be a boring old soldier who went questin' for my inbred lord, and never looked back after getting cool magic and stuff. A few of the guys around here weren't when they went in, but then hardly any women get to travel to the Blue Dream Temple in the first place because it's sooooo dangerous. Pssh." Mist puffs from her forehead. [[Bubbles' Bar]]

''Shiny...'' "Oh, that? Isn't it cool? I got that from the Blue Dream Temple of course. It's magic! Or charged with magic. Possibly made of magic. Nobody really knows how the things work yet but anyhow you need those to cast spells! Once you know how to cast spells. So I could grab that crystal, hold it up, and shout, 'Water, smite my enemies with freezing wrath! Aqua Jet!' and make the magic-stuff flow into me and do the spell. You don't really have to shout that but it's fun. But then the crystal would go all dim and that's no fun. You can recharge the things by leaving them in the bright sun for long enough, so they're super valuable even if you burn up yours while you're adventuring. So you basically get one spell per crystal you find, until you get out. You're gonna go in and explore, right? I mean that's why you're here, isn't it?" [[Bubbles' Bar]]

''He Once Was a Miner, But Weren't We All?'' The proprietor of Francisco's Wares keeps a clean shop. Neatly laid out racks display a few tools popular among the <strike>tourists</strike> adventurers. He waits for you to look at him before offering a greeting. "Best to look things over carefully, eh? I haven't been into the Temple, so don't ask me for war stories, but I've heard enough about the place to have things that will save your life an average of twice per trip. A fair trade for a little silver." He offers the following items at these prices: -(if:$money>=10)[ [[Mana Crystal (charged)|Buy Crystal]] ](else:)[Mana Crystal] (10): "Get a head start on access to magic by taking this pre-charged crystal with you." -(if:$money>=5)[ [[Cutlass|Buy Cutlass]] ](else:)[Cutlass] (5): "Surely you need a weapon. Just like the infamous pirate Ragnar uses." //Combat+1// -(if:$money>=10)[ [[Breastplate|Buy Breastplate]] ](else:)[Breastplate] (10): "Sturdy steel protection. I'll oil it so it won't rust to hell while you're in there. Wish I had a better alloy." //Combat+2, Heavy// -(if:$money>=10)[ [[Leather Armor|Buy Leather Armor]] ](else:)[Leather Armor] (8): "I'd never force another man to take a stab wound for me, but a dead cow? //Certes.//" //Combat+1// -(if:$money>=5)[ [[Combat Training|Buy Combat Training]] ](else:)[Combat Training] (5): "I don't always slay my foes with a cunning flash of blades, but when I do, it is with reason more than might." //Combat+1// -(if:$money>=5)[ [[Guile Training|Buy Guile Training, Francisco]] ](else:)[Guile Training] (5): "I could stand before an audience right now and discuss philosophy for hours. But that's not what you want; you want quick thinking and a silver tongue. Perhaps I can assist." //Guile+1// You can also ask: (Guile) (if:$guile>0)[ [["How can I best take care of myself in there?"|Francisco's Advice, Success]] ] [["Surely you've at least heard something helpful beyond what to buy?"|Francisco's Advice, Failure]] [["Aren't heavy items a problem?"|About Heavy Items]] [[Temple Pier]]

''Check your premises.'' "All right," says Francisco. "You look more reasonable than some of the starry-eyed wanderers, so I'll tell you my thinking. You've heard of the 'metal demons' in there? They don't seem to belong at all. Like the place was built for one reason, then invaded by those things. If I ever go in there, I'd have no mercy about destroying the demons, but worry about finding //something else// in the temple. I don't know what." "As for how to survive, I'd give in and let the place transform me. Seems to be the water that does it. The changes all seem to leave people more powerful than before, so why turn down an advantage?" "Then why haven't you gone in?" you ask. "I'd rather make money without risking my own neck." [[Francisco's Wares]]

''Money is the root of all good.'' "My theories aren't worth much," he says. "But what I can offer are the tools that other visitors have taken in -- and more importantly, come back with." [[Francisco's Wares]]

''Rules of the Ancient Mariner'' You're able to find an old fisherman willing to talk, if you'll help him scrape barnacles off his boat. Over an hour's hard work he explains that there are certain skills an adventurer should have around here: //Combat: Fight. This skill is increased by having weapons and armor, and may be treated as higher if you have the right other skills in certain situations. Lore: Read ancient writing, understand artifacts. Guile: Use sneakiness and social skills. Strength: Carry Heavy items, open/push/break things. Swimming: Move through water, hold breath.// You might be able to learn some of these before heading for the Temple, though the fisherman is unimpressed by the fact that you seem to have arrived here with none. (You tell yourself that you do have skills, just not the specific training to make them relevant to a Temple dive.) He also tells you a bit about looking for opportunities suited to your skills and knowledge: //If you see a line like "(Guile)" by itself, there's a hidden option requiring more of this skill than you have. If you see a line like "(Knowledge)", it means there's an option requiring that you know something. Use these hints to suggest places to visit again later. There might also be situations where new options become available that weren't advertised at all.// You thank him for the advice. [[Old District]]

Guards scowl at you as you climb the long stairs to the governor's mansion. "What business do you have here?" (Guile) (if:$guile>0)[ [["I need to speak with the governor's staff. I won't bother the lord himself of course."|Enter Mansion]] ] [["I'm just looking around."]] [[Governor's Mansion, Approach]]

A guard with a spear is opening his mouth to shoo you away when the door beside him opens. A young man with fur and webbed hands like an otter stomps out of the sturdy adobe building, staring at the ground. He sees your feet, then looks up at the rest of you. "Oh! Another newcomer. Have we had this conversation before? You look like you might be interested in the magic of the Temple. Come in." The guard objects, "Master Juan, I don't think you'd get approval to bring in another clueless wanderer." "Nonsense! There's an endless supply. Ah, present company excluded." [[Accept his invitation and go inside|Laboratory, Inside]] [[Governor's Mansion, Approach]]

You swim into the cave entrance. The shimmering light at the water's edge warms you and boosts you up onto a wet, cold ledge of blue marble. You stand up and look down the narrow hall to where it turns a corner. Every surface ripples with bands of watery light. The area behind you, where the pool of water leads back outside, provides some of this glow. It doesn't explain why even the distant corner is nearly as well lit. So, the magic of this place has begun. What will you do? [[Onward!]] [[Pray for guidance]] You could [[Leave the Temple|END #1: A Mere Tourist]] by swimming back out, but it means the end of your adventure.

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''About Heavy Items'' Francisco hefts an unreasonably large silver-inlaid axe. "Got a good deal on this one, when an adventurer toted it to Sundrop Island and I talked him out of trying to fight with it. So you should think about heavy items too." He explains the trouble of carrying and using heavy equipment in an environment with a lot of water. Corrosion shouldn't be a problem quickly enough to matter while you're in the Temple (though he's heard of odd cases of magical corrosion), but you'll want to be unusually strong if you carrry items like that axe or metal armor. One constant of Temple dives is that you'll probably need to do some swimming. //Items not marked Heavy have too little weight to matter. You can swim only if your number of Heavy items is no higher than your Strength skill. The Temple's magical nature makes it convenient to drop Heavy items only in certain places, and you might lose them forever. Be careful with what you choose to take and where you leave it.// [[Francisco's Wares]]

//There's nothing to do here yet. What should go here?// [[Mansion]]

"Well, look elsewhere!" says a guard. [[Governor's Mansion, Approach]]

Master Juan the otter-man leads you past the heavy door and into a bunker of a building. A small stairway takes you down to a plank floor several paces below ground level, making the main room's ceiling much higher than it seemed from outside. Spots of the wooden floor seem recently replaced, or charred. Juan says, "My colleagues and I" -- he waves a webbed hand toward several scholarly humans and a centauroid lizard -- "are exploring the magic of the Blue Dream Temple. We're always looking for more help in unraveling its mysteries. I would like to teach you the basics of the Temple's lore, so that you'll be better equipped to take notes and report to us on your findings." The lizard hisses in complaint. "We haven't got the money to do more of your 'training', Juan." "Ah, well, I suppose I will have to charge a small fee. But the knowledge will more than pay for itself! It always does." [["Can you teach me to cast spells?"]] (Cost\: 10) (if:$money>=10)[ [[Study lore]] ] [[Leave|Governor's Mansion, Approach]]

"As the damaged, tangled rope said, 'I'm afraid not.'" Juan shrugs. "That's part of the mystery. We've copied the inscriptions that divers find in the Temple and use to learn particular spells, but showing them to people outside has little effect. Perhaps you can find out why. I can't teach you spells, but I can show you some of what we've learned in there so that you can more easily read any inscriptions and understand any artifacts." "And this will help me learn magic?" you ask. "Yes. Indirectly." [[Laboratory, Inside]]

(set: $money to $money - 10)\ You spend hours working with Juan's resarch group as he explains what's known about the Temple. $gainlore There's more speculation than confirmed knowledge. The place's interior shifts and changes each time someone enters, so there is no definitive map. Instead it's known that there are regions with various aquatic themes. Within each region there's always some sort of key. Keys help a visitor get to deeper levels. "What's at the bottom?" you ask, interrupting a discussion of space-folding architecture that can barely follow. Everyone goes quiet. Then Juan says, "Nobody knows. The farthest anyone has gone is a room that's... unsettling. Or at least, it was for me and my friends. That place has an obvious exit, and a very final door leading someplace else. I used the exit. So has everyone else that's come back alive. So nobody can tell you about the door." "Why don't you go back in with a larger group?" "We didn't mention this already? Visiting the Temple is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Literally. You can't enter if you've been there before. So the stakes are high. Do whatever you can while you're in there, then leave in one piece. I strongly suggest that strategy, so that we can compare notes." (set: $flag_know_about_final_door to 1) [[Laboratory, Inside]]

Bubbles giggles and rubs your hand on the bar with her rubbery fingers. "You're cute, but you haven't seen what I've seen. The Blue Dream Temple is a dangerous place. You should see it for yourself before you go chasing fluked tails." Though her smile never fades, her voices goes slightly flat. "Besides, I wouldn't want to get too close to somebody who's on their way into the Temple. You might not come back." "Did you lose someone?" "Yeah. Good friend of mine. And you can never go back, you know." "Regrets?" "No, literally, you can never go back into the Blue Dream Temple once you leave. So make the most of your trip." Cheer returns to her voice. "Maybe you'll even end up like me!" (set:$flag_bubbles_training_ok to 1) She adds, "Maybe I should teach you a little of what I know." [[Bubbles' Bar]]

(set:$flag_bubbles_training_ok to 1) "You've heard about that, huh?" Bubbles razzes uncertainly. [[Bubbles' Bar]]

A pleasant cool breeze blows across a plaza of colorful tiles. A fountain bubbles in the center. Several women walk to and fro filling buckets from it. You look down into the water and relax, thinking about your skills and equipment. This is a good place to rest. (display: "Show Stats") [[Sundrop Island]] {(link:"Save (Slot 1)")[ (if:(save-game:"Save 1"))[ Game saved! ](else: )[ Save failed! ] ]} {(link:"Save (Slot 2)")[ (if:(save-game:"Save 2"))[ Game saved! ](else: )[ Save failed! ] ]} {(link:"Save (Slot 3)")[ (if:(save-game:"Save 3"))[ Game saved! ](else: )[ Save failed! ] ]}

''$Sex $race'' ''Health: $health/3'' //Skills// ''Combat: $combat'' ''Guile: $guile'' ''Lore: $lore'' ''Strength: $strength'' ''Swimming: $swimming'' ''Items: $items'' ''Crystals (charged/uncharged): $crystals/$crystals_used'' ''Spells Known: $spells''

(set:$money to $money - $train_cost)\ Francisco tosses you a practice blade and duels with you, focusing on anticipating your enemy's moves and strikes. The practice is a good workout that leaves you better prepared for a real fight. $gaincombat "You should ask Senorita Bubbles at the bar about her own adventures," he concludes. "She knows more than she will readily admit." You make a note to ask. (set: $bubbles_training_ok to 1) [[Francisco's Wares]]

(set:$money to $money - $train_cost)\ Bubbles looks you over, then gives you a lesson in the art of quick thinking and clever speech. It begins with her tossing an empty bottle at you and escalates from there. In minutes you're carrying an armload of bottles while trying to pour one of them for a bewildered customer and explain Falcon Kingdom politics at the same time. Once the initial chaos calms down, Bubbles more calmly explains some common puzzles that seem to show up in the Temple. Now that you know about them and about her own experiences, you feel better informed and less likely to be surprised. You'd expected the lesson to make you more entwined than informed. $gainguile [[Bubbles' Bar]]

(set:$money to $money - $train_cost)\ Bubbles describes the basics of swimming, then leaves the bar in the care of a burly lizardman for an hour so she can take you to the shore. You get the unique experience of swimming with a dolphin! $gainswimming The lesson covers the differences between your human body and one that's built for it. Bubbles says, "I do hope you get transformed into something fun in the Blue Dream Temple. You'll have an easier time." "What if I end up as one of those regular-shaped animals?" She squeaks thoughtfully. "Then you might have trouble hauling treasure out, but hey, you'll be //so cute!// Probably sneakier too, for getting past the metal demons." "The what, now?" The Temple is full of them. Ancient machines or monsters or something. Either way they're trying to kill anybody that goes in. You might want to sneak past them if you can't fight. Three or so good whacks from those things and, well, you're not coming back. So don't get killed." [[Bubbles' Bar]]

(set:$money to $money-$train_cost)\ Francisco explains the art of speech and wit, along with other feats of cleverness like overcoming obstacles through indirect means. There's such variety in his discussion that you're convinced: guile goes with everything. $gainguile "You should ask Senorita Bubbles at the bar about her own adventures," he concludes. "She knows more than she will readily admit." You make a note to ask. (set: $bubbles_training_ok to 1) [[Francisco's Wares]]

(set: $money to $money - $train_cost)\ You spend a few days doing odd jobs, focusing on the hard work of hauling fish and cutting wood. It actually costs you money, what with the high prices for food and housing, but you feel stronger. $gainstrength [[Old District]]

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You say a brief prayer for safety and guidance on your adventure. Many people, you sense, have done the same in this spot. Some of them have even returned. [[Blue Dream Temple, Entryway]]

You take a deep breath and dive back into the shining water of the Temple's entryway. Gingerly you reach toward the entrance from outside, and feel the light repulse your hand. It seems you can't return now that you've made the decision to leave. You neither found the secret of Blue Dream Temple, nor made it to the end. Was your quest really worth it? At least you surived and can say you were there. ''Ending #1/$n_endings: A Mere Tourist'' (display: "Show Stats")