Five Gods Exiled — 120 of 191

Book 4 - Returning from the Exile

Shadow-awareness is a truth state that varies. Shadow-awareness is false.

Immediate return is a truth-state that varies. Immediate return is false.

At the time when the player phases back from the Exile:

if the player is in an Exile room:

if core memory dump is true:

call a core memory dump;

now core memory dump is false;

now immediate return is true;

otherwise if the player is in a transitional room:

call a transitional event;

return the player;

otherwise if the player is in a focal room:

call a focal event;

return the player;

otherwise:

say "No event for you. You're in an Exile room that isn't transitional or focal. How the heck did that happen?"

Instead of waiting when the player is in the Exile:

say "You clear your mind and allow yourself to relax into the rhythms of the exiled world. The thoughts of the exiled gods drift across yours[first time], as ponderous and unaware as leviathans moving through the ocean's depths[only]....";

if core memory dump is true:

call a core memory dump;

now core memory dump is false;

now immediate return is true;

otherwise if the player is in a transitional room:

call a transitional event;

return the player;

otherwise if the player is in a focal room:

call a focal event;

return the player.

Before doing something when immediate return is true (this is the immediate return rule):

now immediate return is false;

say "The intention of [current action] forms in your mind, but ";

if the rationale of the player is personal desire:

say "you are exhausted from the effort of will required to stay here, and you lose your inner grip on [currently invoked deity][apostrophe]s power. ";

otherwise if the rationale of the player is intelligence:

say "the power of [currently invoked deity] and the patterns of the exiled world unravel from you. ";

otherwise if the rationale of the player is dexterity:

say "your focus upon [currently invoked deity][apostrophe]s power has weakened, and the patterns of the exiled world fade away. ";

otherwise if the rationale of the player is endurance:

say "your mind has grown exhausted from the tumult of the exiled world, and your focus upon [currently invoked deity][apostrophe]s power falters. ";

otherwise if the rationale of the player is scientific skill:

say "you are losing track of this world, and your thoughts are exhausted. You lose the power of [currently invoked deity].";

otherwise if the rationale of the player is blessing of the gods:

say "the power of [currently invoked deity] is fading from you. ";

otherwise if the rationale of the player is conviction of ideals:

say "the power of [currently invoked deity] is fading away. ";

otherwise:

say "you feel an odd, unpleasant stretching in your head. With a half-felt *click*, the power of [currently invoked deity] falls away from you. ";

return the player instead.

The immediate return rule is listed first in the before rules.

To return the player:

now immediate return is false;

say "[paragraph break]All the colors grow brighter, so sharp that your eyes ache, and then the world dissolves into tendrils of brilliant light. The tendrils shift like a kaleidescope and then pull apart to reveal the blighted world, as concrete and certain as a dreamer's first sight of day.";

press space to continue;

if a room (called the next room) corresponds with the location:

monsters are summoned in 1 turn from now;

move the player to the next room;

say "[italic type]";

say "[the number of activated Unperceived shrine rooms in words]" in title case;

say " shrine[if the number of activated Unperceived shrine rooms is not 1]s[end if].[roman type][run paragraph on][first time] The [voice type of the instructor-person] voice in the back of your mind isn't yours, but an echo left over from the exiled world. You don't know the name that goes with it. It's no real surprise; you can't remember anything here.[only][line break]";

if shadow-awareness is false:

now the current person is the shadow self;

say "Everything blurs and then doubles, causing you to blink. When you refocus, another person is present: a [zhoman] approximately your height and your weight. There is something extremely familiar about [zhim]";

now shadow-awareness is true;

otherwise if the chealth of the player > 0:

say "Everything blurs and then doubles, and then your shadow self is standing beside you";

otherwise:

now the current person is the shadow self;

say "Everything blurs and doubles, and you feel a strange, wrenching feeling, but your shadow self does not appear. The place where [zhe] should be aches like a wound.";

move your shadow self to the next room;

if your shadow self is in the location and your shadow self has a recent memento (called the target memento):

now the current person is the shadow self;

say ". You note that [zhe] is holding [a target memento].";

now the target memento is not recent;

otherwise:

say ".";

otherwise:

say "ACK! Nowhere corresponds to here! I can't send you back!".