The Eastern Shore

Carving its way inward along the coastline, the ocean is calm and soothing here, with small waves lapping at the velvety white sand. A few clumps of tall sea grass wave at the base of a high cliff that stretches along the western edge of the beach, running parallel to the shore. A bent old [[hermit]] pokes around the sand with a long stick. The shore leads [[north->Below a high cliff]], [[east->White sand beach]], and [[southwest->Thick scrub and brush]].

The hermit says, "Unless you have business with me, move along. This is my island, traveler. And private!" The hermit says, "YES, it's an ISLAND. Don't be talkin' no different!" [[Ask about the sea.->sea]] [[Ask about business.->fish]] [[Leave him alone.->Sheltered beach]] (if: $pailInInv is true)[[Give him the pail.->pail time]]

The hermit squints suspiciously at you. "This island is private. Shoo!" [[Ask about the sea.->sea]] [[Ask about the island.->island]] [[Leave him alone.->Sheltered beach]] (if: $pailInInv is true)[[Give him the pail.->pail time]]

The hermit turns to face the eastern sea, a faraway look in his eyes. "Ah, for the good ol' days of adventure on the open seas." [[Ask about his adventures.->adventure]] [[Ask about the sea.->sea]] [[Ask about the beach.->island]] [[Leave him alone.->Sheltered beach]] (if: $pailInInv is true)[[Give him the pail.->pail time]]

Clad in a salt-encrusted robe of green and blue stripes, this ancient hermit bears a curly grey beard and long, stringy hair that hangs in rope-like tangles around his shoulders. Many pockets bulge from the robe, filled with odds and ends that clink and jangle against one another as the old man moves. He carries a long stick in his right hand, the sturdy staff well-used as both a crutch and a weapon. [[Walk up to him with confidence.]] [[Approach warily.]] [[Leave him alone.->Sheltered beach]]

The hermit shakes his head and looks off to sea, a shadow falling over his face. The hermit says, "Years ago, when I was an adventuring sort like yerself, I traveled east to an island of such beauty that you could lose yourself for years. I explored its wonders by day and slept on the beach at night..." The hermit says, "One night I dreamt of a beautiful woman, come to visit me upon the island. She had the loveliest eyes, and beautiful long green hair, and her br... eh, well, I suppose that's not meant for polite company!" The hermit coughs softly. [[Listen.->adventure2]]

Climbing skyward at the western edge of this beach is a sheerly cut cliff capped by a short ledge that overhangs the rock, discouraging even the most daring climbers. Closer to the ground, small plants and sea grasses take hold in crevices and cracks, bearing small white saltbloom flowers in their midst. The shore leads [[north->Before a dark cave]], [[southeast->White sand beach]], and [[south->Sheltered beach]].

Jutting out in to the ocean, this spit of land is smooth and sandy, washed over daily by the incoming and receding tides. Velvety sand compresses underfoot with each step, small puddles forming in footprints, only staying for a few moments before they are erased. A white-winged [[sandpiper]] hops along the shore. The shore leads [[northwest->Below a high cliff]] and [[west->Sheltered beach]].

Tucked against a rocky cliff face, this stretch of beach is covered with tall seagrass and crowded, prickly brush. Nettles and razorvine discourage travelers from nearing the sheer ascent that shades the beach from the west, though the recessed entrance to a cave tempts adventurers to explore further. A [[fiddler crab]] scuttles through the sand. The shore leads [[northeast->Sheltered beach]], [[southeast->Oceanside landscape]], [[south->Grassy dunes]], and [[into a cave->Salted cavern]].

Creeping across the sand between long blades of blue-green seagrass is a vine of pale yellow, with tiny white saltbloom flowers spaced at regular intervals along its length. Invisible from more than a few feet away, the delicate blossoms are dwarfed by the surrounding scenery, where tall bluffs and sand dunes gradually become cliffs along the shoreline of the continent. In the distance to the east, a break in the horizon attracts the far-seeing eye, but whether it is an island, ship, or merely a low-hanging cloud is impossible to determine. The shore leads [[northwest->Thick scrub and brush]] and [[west->Grassy dunes]].

Rising from flat shoreline into rolling hills, the beach transforms rapidly into a high cliff north of here, and razor-sharp grasses upon the slopes discourage travelers from straying far from the beach. From here, the azure ocean stretches to the east, a vast seascape of mingling colors. The shore leads [[north->Thick scrub and brush]] and [[east->Oceanside landscape]]. [[Climb the dunes and go home.]]

Shrugging around the northern end of this beach is a high, rounded cliff that obscures further land from view while hiding this place from all but the most intrepid of explorers. Upon the sand are scattered hundreds of rocks, varying in size from small boulders to gigantic craggy monoliths that form caves and rudimentary shelters. The shore leads [[south->Below a high cliff]] and [[into a cave->Salty sea cave]].

The dark, rocky walls of this spacious cave are encrusted with dried salt deposits and glistening with condensation from the cloying, damp air. The floor is slick underfoot, and a few saltwater mosses flourish in puddles formed in the cracks. The quiet rumble of the ocean outside echoes through the caves, carried by the chilled wind as it whistles across the rock. The cave leads [[southwest->Foul smelling cavern]] and [[out->Before a dark cave]].

Slimy moss carpets this narrow cave, which is littered with rotting pieces of fish. The stench is overpowering, leaving a filthy taste upon the tongue of any who breathe the damp air. Overhead, a low-hanging canopy of stalactites forms an unusually beautiful pattern, a colourful sight lost on most passers-by due to the overwhelming odor. The cave leads [[northeast->Salty sea cave]] and [[south->Darkened cavern]].

Wafting through this narrow cave is the pungent odor of fish, the stench of decay mingling with it to form a truly nauseating smell. Thankfully the outside breeze passes through regularly enough to clear the air and make it bearable. Little light makes its way to this place, the lack of illumination making it difficult to walk without stumbling, and broken pieces of rock litter the floor as further hazards. (if: $pailInCave is true)[Sand clings to the side of a rusty metal [[pail]].] The cave leads [[north->Foul smelling cavern]] and [[southeast->Salted cavern]].

The tall, crudely arched opening to this cave allows a fading stream of light to filter in from the outside, and the dim illumination dances across the surfaces of many strange formations within. Crystalline figures that roughly resemble small humanoids crowd the floor, with only a narrow, meandering path between them. They reflect light all around themselves like faintly glowing auras, and only upon close inspection is it clear that they are merely formed from deposits of salt left by the condensation of seawater within the cavern. The cave leads [[northwest->Darkened cavern]] and [[out->Thick scrub and brush]].

Spanning a diameter of about six inches, this crab is housed within a smooth blue-green shell. One of its claws is distinctly larger than the other, and as the smaller claw moves food towards the mouth, the crab appears to be playing the larger claw like a fiddle.

His small, rounded body covered with tawny feathers, this little bird blends in well with the sand at a distance. His wingfeathers are snowy white, with long, spindly legs for wading at the ocean's edge, and extended bill designed to probe for food beneath the sand. He moves with a slight hopping motion, leaving a trail of shallow, forked tracks behind him.

Dark rust creeps around the sides of this metal pail, bits of sand sticking to the many dents it bears. Otherwise unremarkable in appearance, it is strangely sturdy, crafted from a dense metal more appropriate for armour than a simple tool. (link: "Take the pail.")[(set: $pailInCave to false)(set: $pailInInv to true)(goto: "Darkened cavern")] [[Leave it here.->Darkened cavern]]

The hermit says, "Oh, the sea called to me when I was a lad, and I gladly went to her. But she's a harsh mistress and never to be satisfied by mere mortals. So we parted our ways and here I am on my island." [[Ask about his adventures.->adventure]] [[Ask about the island.->island]] [[Leave him alone.->Sheltered beach]] (if: $pailInInv is true)[[Give him the pail.->pail time]]

The hermit says, "Woke up the next day, and there she lay on the beach beside me! Loveliest thing I ever saw, and I was hooked. Only she wasn't just some woman, she had the lower half of a giant fish, all covered with scales that looked like jewels. A mermaid, sure as my life depended on it. And she was mighty ill, bein' out of the water like that." The hermit says, "Bein' that I'm a kind sort, I helped her into the water, and when she roused we talked a bit. She didn't know where she was nor could she remember where she was from, but it seems she'd got caught in a storm while she was atop the surface of the ocean." The hermit says, "Poor girl was so tired out she stayed round the beach to get stronger, and after a few more days my heart was completely lost to that minx o' the sea. Blessed days on the beach, both of us meetin' in the shallow water to... eh, well, yes that's not meant for polite company either." [[Listen.->adventure3]]

The hermit says, "Not around here, no sirree! You'll find none o' those fishy characters 'round my island." [[Ask about his adventures.->adventure]] [[Ask about the sea.->sea]] [[Ask about the beach.->island]] [[Leave him alone.->Sheltered beach]] (if: $pailInInv is true)[[Give him the pail.->pail time]]

The hermit's eyes grow wide and a trail of drool slips out of his mouth as he begins to salivate. Faedor says, "I loves me some fresh fish... if ya catch any of the big ones around here - flounder, grouper, barracuda - I'll match yer efforts with some gold." [[Ask about the sea.->sea]] [[Ask about the gold.->gold]] [[Leave him alone.->Sheltered beach]] (if: $pailInInv is true)[[Give him the pail.->pail time]]

The hermit says, "Well now, I suppose that's NONE O' YER BUSINESS, INNIT?" [[Leave him alone.->Sheltered beach]]

The hermit says, "I thought she loved me too, but fickle as the merfolk are, turns out I was wrong. One day I woke and she was gone, and I never saw her again. Curse the Sea God for carryin' that girl away from me! Curse the God of the Skies for bringin' her to me in the first place!" The hermit shakes his fist in the air defiantly, then slumps down dejectedly. The hermit says, "Best time o' my life, there. Some days I wish I could see that distant land again... but my traveling days are over, and here on my island I stay." [[Ask about the sea.->sea]] [[Ask about the island.->island]] [[Ask about mermaids.->mermaids]] [[Leave him alone.->Sheltered beach]] (if: $pailInInv is true)[[Give him the pail.->pail time]]

(align:"=><=")[The Eastern Shore an interactive experience by Laura Walsh (set: $pailInCave to true) (live:2s)[(transition: "fade")[ [[begin->Sheltered beach]] (stop:)]] ]

The hermit turns the pail from side to side as he looks it over. He says, "Now that'll make a right fine hat in rainy weather!"(set: $pailInInv to false) The hermit upturns the pail upon his head and gives a toothy smile. [[Ask about his adventures.->adventure]] [[Ask about the sea.->sea]] [[Ask about the beach.->island]] [[Leave him alone.->Sheltered beach]]

Thank you for visiting! (live:1s)[(transition: "fade")[ [[restart->TITLE]] (stop:)]]