
Joachim, the King's sorcerer

[page="start"]

"Hail, $PLAYER.  Welcome to New Highworth.

 Your coming was foretold by the Church and many other
 independent seers and astrologers."

[link="Who are you?"]
[linkto="name"]
[link="What is your job?"]
[linkto="job"]
[if yado_quest_rocks][link="A Master told me to swallow rocks.  Any ideas?"]
[if yado_quest_rocks][linkto="yado_rocks"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="startname"]
[colour="#808080"]
You see Joachim, the King's sorcerer.
[colour="#ffffff"]

"Hail, $PLAYER.  It is good to see you again."

[link="Who are you?"]
[linkto="name"]
[link="What is your job?"]
[linkto="job"]
[if yado_quest_rocks][link="A Master told me to swallow rocks.  Any ideas?"]
[if yado_quest_rocks][linkto="yado_rocks"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="name"]
[learn_name]

"My name is Joachim.  I am one of the King's closest
 advisors."

[link="What is your job?"]
[linkto="job"]
[link="Tell me about the King"]
[linkto="king"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="job"]

"I am the court sorcerer to my liege, his majesty
 King Edwyg the Generous.  I advise the King on matters
 of the arcane, among other things.

 When I am not needed by my King, I carry out experiments
 in my workshop."

[link="Tell me about the King"]
[linkto="king"]
[link="Doesn't the Church mind sorcery?"]
[linkto="church"]
[link="What experiments do you perform?"]
[linkto="experiments"]
[link="Can you teach me magic?"]
[linkto="magic"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="church"]
[colour="#808080"]
He chuckles.
[colour="#ffffff"]

"Oh, they hate it!  But I have the protection of my King.
 The Pope can do nothing unless I violate Church law, and
 that is something I strive to avoid.

 Officially, I am court Astrologer and an alchemist, both
 of which are allowed by the Church."

[link="What experiments do you perform?"]
[linkto="experiments"]
[link="Tell me about the Pope."]
[linkto="pope"]
[link="Can you teach me magic?"]
[linkto="magic"]
[link="Tell me about the King"]
[linkto="king"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]



[page="experiments"]

"I seek the philosopher's stone, which can change base
 metals into gold or silver and prolongs life.

 I try also to distill Alkahest, the universal solvent!

 But I also have an impressive collection of elder texts,
 containing much wisdom from the ancient ones."

[link="Tell me about the Philosopher's Stone."]
[linkto="philostone"]
[link="Tell me about Alkahest."]
[linkto="alkahest"]
[link="Tell me about the Ancient Ones."]
[linkto="ancient"]
[link="Can you teach me magic?"]
[linkto="magic"]
[link="Tell me about the King"]
[linkto="king"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="philostone"]

"The philosopher's stone is a fabulous material of great
 power.

 As most people know, it can project lead into gold,
 mercury into silver, and cause the enoblement of many 
 other base metals.

 It also has the power to combine the male and the female
 aspects into a single, immortal whole.

 Have you ever wondered how it is that the Pope is over
 three hundred years old?"

[link="Tell me about Alkahest."]
[linkto="alkahest"]
[link="Tell me about the Ancient Ones."]
[linkto="ancient"]
[link="Tell me about the Pope."]
[linkto="pope"]
[link="Can you teach me magic?"]
[linkto="magic"]
[link="Tell me about the King"]
[linkto="king"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]



[page="alkahest"]

"The Alkahest is the universal solvent.  It can dissolve
 any matter.  We have been searching for a way to distill
 the Alkahest for many centuries..  Even the Ancient Ones
 failed to create the Alkahest.

 But I am certain it can be done!

 Of course one of the great problems of the Alkahest is
 what to put it in once it has finally been distilled.."

[link="Tell me about the Philosopher's Stone."]
[linkto="philostone"]
[link="Tell me about the Ancient Ones."]
[linkto="ancient"]
[link="Can you teach me magic?"]
[linkto="magic"]
[link="Tell me about the King"]
[linkto="king"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]



[page="ancient"]

"The Ancients had many secrets.  They could harness
 lightning, and built boats that could fly.

 The Church feels threatened by the power such knowledge
 could bring, and the Pope has tried to conceal much of
 their teachings.

 But there were too many Elder books around for the Pope
 to suppress them all."

[link="Tell me about the Philosopher's Stone."]
[linkto="philostone"]
[link="Tell me about Alkahest."]
[linkto="alkahest"]
[link="Tell me about the Pope."]
[linkto="pope"]
[link="Can you teach me magic?"]
[linkto="magic"]
[link="Tell me about the King"]
[linkto="king"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="pope"]

"He's God's envoy here on Earth, so they say.  But lately
 I have been wondering if the Pope really does serve God,
 or if it may be the other way round!

 It used to be said that the Lord is kind and merciful.
 But the Pope uses the Lord as a stick to beat the people
 with and keep them in line.

 Christ preached love and peace in the scriptures, but
 in Church, He speaks only of war and conquest!"

[colour="#808080"]
 His voice drops to a whisper.
[colour="#ffffff"]

 I have been wondering if what we believe to be the Lord
 is a fabrication.  Miracles can be worked by sorcery and
 juggling knacks.  Our God may be a mere puppet..

 But I say no more.  The Church has many ears."

[link="Tell me about the Philosopher's Stone."]
[linkto="philostone"]
[link="Tell me about the Ancient Ones."]
[linkto="ancient"]
[link="Tell me about Alkahest."]
[linkto="alkahest"]
[link="Can you teach me magic?"]
[linkto="magic"]
[link="Tell me about the King"]
[linkto="king"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="magic"]
[colour="#808080"]
He looks troubled.
[colour="#ffffff"]

"I cannot teach you any magic.  The Church tolerates my
 activities so long as I do not cause trouble.

 One of the things they do not allow is the training of
 sorcerers or magicians without their permission.  Too
 many mages could upset the balance of power, so they
 keep our numbers down.

 It would be too dangerous for both of us for me to train
 you in the sorcerous arts.

 However, if you truly seek to learn the arcane, there
 might be a way.  I have heard there is an old hermit who
 lives in the forest to the west of the Holy Land.
 They say he is a Master and the Church cannot harm him.

 But you did not hear this from me."

[link="Tell me about the Pope."]
[linkto="pope"]
[link="Tell me about Alkahest."]
[linkto="alkahest"]
[link="Tell me about the Philosopher's Stone."]
[linkto="philostone"]
[link="Tell me about the Ancient Ones."]
[linkto="ancient"]
[link="Tell me about the King"]
[linkto="king"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="king"]

"The King is a man of noble mind and stout heart.
 He cares for the plight of his subjects far more than
 the Church cares for its flock.

 And sadly this does bring him and the Pope to blows."

[link="Tell me about the Pope."]
[linkto="pope"]
[link="Tell me about Alkahest."]
[linkto="alkahest"]
[link="Tell me about the Philosopher's Stone."]
[linkto="philostone"]
[link="Tell me about the Ancient Ones."]
[linkto="ancient"]
[link="Can you teach me magic?"]
[linkto="magic"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="yado_rocks"]

"Either he's trying to get rid of you by setting an
 impossible task, or he's better at this kind of thing
 than I am!

 Perhaps you can trick him.  How about making a fake rock
 that you can eat?"

[link="Tell me about the King"]
[linkto="king"]
[link="Doesn't the Church mind sorcery?"]
[linkto="church"]
[link="What experiments do you perform?"]
[linkto="experiments"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="bye"]

"Fare well in your travels."

[nextpage="exit"]
[endpage]