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Walkthru for The Firebird by Bonnie Montgomery
Walkthru by Brendan Desilets, with help from Bonnie Montgomery, 1999
The Firebird, by Bonnie Montgomery, combines skillful storytelling, colorful
characters, and rollicking humor to create a truly enjoyable work of interactive fiction.
The story offers lots of entertaining problems, none of them especially difficult to
solve, though, occasionally, for
lack of a synonym or some such nicety, the reader may become stuck. That's where this
walkthru, which is constructed in such a way as to discourage its own use, comes in. For
those who prefer a "bare bones" solution, there's such a beast at the end of
this document. Many of the _Firebird_ puzzles have multiple solutions and almost all are
relatively easy.
Here are some simple hints for dealing with parser and synonym problems in the story. For
many readers, these may be all the help that's needed. When Ivan is trying to move some
earth, the one-word command "DIG" may work better than
other expressions. Similarly, the single word "ENTER" is sometimes better than
more complex formulations. The key
words in communicating with the allergist are "STING," or "TREATMENT,"
or "INJECTION," or "SHOT," or "MEDICINE."
The user's input appears in upper case letters throughout this walkthru.
As young Prince Ivan, in this retelling of the famous
Russian folk tale, you begin in a forest, hunting. Let's start by trying to get a broader
view of the forest by typing U (for "up"). Bump. We didn't get very high, but we
did scare up some game, a flicker. PUT ARROW IN BOW. Whenever the quarry tries to
escape, FOLLOW BIRD. AIM
ARROW AT BIRD. SHOOT BIRD. TAKE BIRD. (This would be a good time to abandon this walkthru
and explore until you need more help, if you ever do.)
Now go S and S again. GIVE BIRD TO CATERER. There's a lovely and unfamiliar young woman
here. LOOK AT WENCH. TAKE MASK. LOOK AT MASK. LOOK AT BUSBOY. TAKE ALL.
It look as though we're finished here for now. Let's
explore more of the forest. N, N, E, E. Here's a baba yaga, or witch. That bag she has
looks interesting. DRINK COFFEE. PUT CUP IN BAG. That may be a useful transformation.
Let's try some others. PUT PLATE IN BAG. EAT SANDWICH. PUT PLATE IN BAG. PUT FORK IN
BAG. PUT
KNIFE IN BAG. PUT NAPKIN IN BAG.
Time for a bit more exploration. W, W, N, N, N, N. How can we trick those adoring
groupies, who'll destroy our allergy-plagued skin with their lipstick? (This is another
good time to put the walkthru aside.)
(Spoiler Space)
WEAR MASK. N, N. Now we want to get the allergist to treat us, but his command of synonyms
is somewhat limited, and we have to phrase our request with precision. ASK ALLERGIST ABOUT
STING. ALLERGIST, GIVE STING. ME.
LOOK AT MASSEUR to discover his true identity. You're not the only royal brother who's
hiding from the rest of the world.
Let's explore a bit further. N. TAKE COIN. LOOK AT
COIN. N.
Here at the inn, we can collect a number of items, some very useful, from the trash pile,
and hear a few funny stories as we wait for folks to dump the goodies. WAIT, repeatedly
(or investigate the horse, the groom, or the tavern while you
wait) and TAKE items from the pile, until you have
collected GREENS, a WHITE FLASK, a BLACK FLASK, and a MATCHBOOK. The flasks are especially
interesting. During your subsequent travels, experiment with them as much as you can,
until you figure out how they work.
Now it's time to explore the forest further. S. S. S. S. S. S. SW. W. W. W. At the wall,
READ PLAQUE for a really broad hint, and then throw away this walkthru, because you're
really ready to have some fun now if you work on the problems yourself.
Go SW. Then, in the newly dug bed, DIG. On the other side of the wall, go NORTH, where
you'll find the classic (more or less) fairy tale frog. READ FROG. KISS FROG. KISS FROG.
KISS FROG. Oops, no amphibian prince or princess here. KILL MANIAC WITH SWORD.
Now for some more exploring of the land encircled by the wall. Go SOUTH, then EAST, then
UP into the tree. Go UP again, and then UP one more time. WAIT until the Firebird appears,
and then, to effect a gentle capture, PUT BLANKET ON BIRD.
Climb DOWN, TAKE FRUIT, and then go DOWN again to the ground. Could any folk hero resist
the pleas of the poor Firebird? You certainly shouldn't. RELEASE BIRD. If you do not have
everything you need for your further adventures, the firebird will ask you a question.
Answer YES and READ LIST.
It's time to go back under the wall, and to head for the caterer's camp again. W. D. NE.
E. E. NE. S. S. S. After collecting what the Firebird requested, we'll be ready to go on
to the eastern part of the story, which has been unavailable to us until now. N. N. N. E.
NE. When the story asks a witty question about saving your soul, you might as well answer
YES.
Now we must deal with the ferrymen. They represent a problem that is not too difficult and
great fun to solve, so go ahead and solve it without this walkthru.
(Spoiler Space)
At the first river, GET IN FERRY. WAIT, then WAIT again. Now you'll have to pay the
ferryman, one way or another. GIVE COIN TO FERRYMAN. But, as it turns out, you'll need
that coin later, so KILL FERRYMAN WITH SWORD. TAKE COIN.
In order to follow a rather direct route through the
story, we'll now look for a way to circumvent those other ferrymen. It's more fun, though,
to try to deal with them one by one. Go ahead. Try it.
How can we get around those other grim toll-takers? Go WEST. SWIM IN RIVER. On the new
shore, we find a fish out of water, a pike. TAKE PIKE. LOOK AT PIKE. PUT PIKE IN SEA.
Now we enter the world's easiest maze. Go SE. NOTE 2. READ TRAIL. S. SE. S. S. S.
Emerging from the maze, we come upon our murderous brother Vasilii. KILL VASILII WITH
SWORD. LOOK AT VASILII. Now, let's see. How might we win over a dead brother? SPRINKLE
WATER OF DEATH ON VASILII. SPRINKLE WATER OF LIFE ON VASILII. (But there's another, less
messy way to deal with Vasilii. See if you can find it.)
It's time to head for the evil wizard's mountain. Go
EAST, then SOUTHEAST. There's a strange-looking rock here. LOOK AT ROCK. OPEN DOOR. ENTER.
Inside the cave, LOOK AT DEBRIS. Then, DIG, DIG, DIG, DIG. Now we have the right tools for
mountain climbing.
EXIT. LOOK. Go NORTHWEST, and WEAR CLAWS. Time to do some climbing. Go UP. Here's a very
strange building. How might we get in? Note the color of the place.
(Spoiler Space)
REMOVE CLAWS. N. LOOK AT DOOR. PUT COIN IN SLOT. Here's a character worth chatting
with. BIRD, HELLO. ASK WOMAN ABOUT FIREBIRD. ASK WOMAN ABOUT WIZARD.
Back outside the edifice, WEAR CLAWS and go UP. REMOVE CLAWS and go NORTH. LOOK AT DOOR.
LOOK AT UTENSIL. PUT UTENSIL IN SLOT. Once again, we encounter someone with a real story
to tell. ASK WOMAN ABOUT FIREBIRD. ASK WOMAN
ABOUT WIZARD.
We find ourselves outside again, ready for more climbing. WEAR CLAWS. U. REMOVE
CLAWS. LOOK AT DOOR. PUT NUGGET IN SLOT. And here's the Firebird once again! ASK FIREBIRD
ABOUT FIREBIRD. ASK FIREBIRD ABOUT WIZARD. Keep the
conversation going until the Firebird makes it clear that she has nothing more to say.
One more climb. WEAR CLAWS. U. REMOVE CLAWS. E. E. NE. SE. W. It looks as though the giant
serpent is blocking our entry into the palace, but we have the wherewithal to deal with
the monster. Take an inventory (I), and figure it out.
(Spoiler Space)
PUT CHAIN ON CENSER. PUT HERBS IN CENSER. LIGHT MATCH. PUT MATCH IN CENSER. SWING CENSER
AT SERPENT. Now we can pass. Go W, ENTER, and meet another character who has a
great deal to say.
Now, let's go looking for the egg that we can use to
defeat the wizard.
EXIT. E. NW. SW. W. W. WEAR CLAWS. D. D. D. D. REMOVE CLAWS. W. L. N. READ TRAIL. N. N. N.
N. NE. SW. S. W. NW.
Here we are at the sea, once again, not far from that island to the north. Is this the
isle that hides the egg? Go NORTH to reach the island, then NORTH again.
We should probably try to help this unfortunate bear. MOVE TREE. FALLEN. FREE BEAR.
PUSH TREE.
FALLEN. Apparently, we weren't much help, but it's
a small island. Maybe we'll get to try again later. In
fact, if we LISTEN, we'll hear that the bear is not far away. (Actually, it is
possible to free the bear before he loses his paw. Check your inventory and see if you can
figure it out).
Go NORTH, and find another creature in need, a baby otter. TAKE OTTER. Let's try to return
the baby to the sea. S. S. PUT OTTER IN SEA. Once again, we haven't been able to help
much.
N. N. N. Yet another animal in trouble, this time a hawk. FREE HAWK. UNTANGLE VINES.
N. Here we find a pond and a log, just what we've been seeking. LOOK AT LOG. TAKE LOG. NW.
TAKE LOG. CLIMB TREE. We're closer to getting the log now. Maybe the rain will help. WAIT
until the pond level rises sufficiently, and then TAKE LOG.
Let's explore the island further. D. SE. NE. NE. Here's the bear again, and now we
can really help the creature. How?
(Spoiler Space)
SPRINKLE WATER OF DEATH ON BEAR. And we can help the otter, too, once we see that his mama
is here looking for him. PUT OTTER IN SEA.
SW. SW. NW. Let's break open that log. HIT LOG WITH SWORD. Apparently our good deeds are
being rewarded. TAKE HARE. TAKE DUCK. We seem to have animal allies everywhere. TAKE EGG.
LOOK IN OCEAN.
Are we finally ready to confront our nemesis, the wizard? SW. S. SW. S. S. S. S.
S. SE. S. SE. S. S. S. E. WEAR CLAWS. U. U. U. U. REMOVE CLAWS. E. E. NE. SE. W. I. PUT
HERBS IN CENSER. LIGHT MATCH. PUT MATCH IN CENSER. SWING CENSER AT SERPENT. W. GO IN.
Here we are in the wizard's castle again, but this time we have the egg and lots of
enthusiastic allies. OPEN DOOR, and confront the overconfident wizard and his bodyguards.
BREAK EGG.
And, finally, we arrive at the Cathedral of Our Lady, in triumph and in charge. NOTE 6.
DIMITRI, MARRY ELENA. VASILII, MARRY SILVER. (Try some other combinations, too.)
MARRY PEARL.
Now go back and try the many other variations that The Firebird offers!
Here's the barebones version of this walkthru.
U
PUT ARROW IN BOW
FOLLOW BIRD (when it moves away)
AIM ARROW AT BIRD
SHOOT BIRD
TAKE BIRD
S
S
GIVE BIRD TO CATERER
LOOK AT WENCH
TAKE MASK
LOOK AT BUSBOY
TAKE ALL
N
N
E
E
DRINK COFFEE
PUT CUP IN BAG
PUT SPOON IN BAG
I
PUT PLATE IN BAG
EAT SANDWICH
PUT PLATE IN BAG
PUT FORK IN BAG
PUT KNIFE IN BAG
PUT NAPKIN IN BAG
W
W
N
N
N
N
WEAR MASK
N
N
ALLERGIST, GIVE STING
ME
N
TAKE COIN
LOOK AT COIN
N
LOOK AT PILE
Z
TAKE GREENS
Z
Z
TAKE FLASK
LOOK AT FLASK
Z
Z
Z
Z
NOTE 1
Z
Z
Z
TAKE FLASK
LOOK AT FLASK
BLACK
Z
TAKE MATCHBOOK
S
S
S
S
S
S
SW
W
W
W
READ PLAQUE
SW
DIG
(the newly dug bed)
(with the shovel)
N
READ FROG
KISS FROG
G
G
KILL MANIAC WITH SWORD
S
E
U
U
U
Z
Z
PUT BLANKET ON BIRD
D
TAKE FRUIT
D
RELEASE BIRD
Y
READ LIST
W
D
NE
E
E
NE
S
S
S
N
N
N
E
NE
Y
GET IN FERRY
Z
Z
GIVE COIN TO FERRYMAN
KILL FERRYMAN WITH SWORD
TAKE COIN
W
SWIM IN RIVER
TAKE PIKE
LOOK AT PIKE
PUT PIKE IN SEA
SE
NOTE 2
READ TRAIL
S
SE
S
S
S
KILL VASILII WITH SWORD
LOOK AT VASILII
SPRINKLE WATER OF DEATH ON VASILII
SPRINKLE WATER OF LIFE ON VASILII
E
SE
LOOK AT ROCK
OPEN DOOR
ENTER
LOOK AT DEBRIS
DIG
DIG
DIG
DIG
EXIT
L
NW
WEAR CLAWS
U
REMOVE CLAWS
N
LOOK AT DOOR
PUT COIN IN SLOT
BIRD, HELLO
ASK WOMAN ABOUT FIREBIRD
ASK WOMAN ABOUT WIZARD
WEAR CLAWS
U
REMOVE CLAWS
N
LOOK AT DOOR
PUT UTENSIL IN SLOT
ASK WOMAN ABOUT FIREBIRD
ASK WOMAN ABOUT WIZARD
WEAR CLAWS
U
REMOVE CLAWS
LOOK AT DOOR
PUT NUGGET IN SLOT
ASK FIREBIRD ABOUT FIREBIRD
ASK FIREBIRD ABOUT WIZARD
ASK FIREBIRD ABOUT HERBS
WEAR CLAWS
U
REMOVE CLAWS
E
E
NE
SE
W
I
PUT CHAIN ON CENSER
PUT HERBS IN CENSER
LIGHT MATCH
PUT MATCH IN CENSER
SWING CENSER AT SERPENT
W
GO IN
EXIT
E
NW
SW
W
W
WEAR CLAWS
D
D
D
D
REMOVE CLAWS
W
L
N
READ TRAIL
N
N
N
N
NE
SW
S
W
N
NW
N
N
MOVE TREE
FALLEN
FREE BEAR
FREE PAW
PUSH TREE
FALLEN
N
TAKE OTTER
S
S
PUT OTTER IN SEA
N
N
N
FREE HAWK
UNTANGLE VINES
N
LOOK AT LOG
TAKE LOG
NW
TAKE LOG
CLIMB TREE
TAKE LOG
D
SE
NE
NE
SPRINKLE WATER OF DEATH ON BEAR
PUT OTTER IN SEA
SW
SW
NW
HIT LOG WITH SWORD
TAKE HARE
TAKE DUCK
TAKE EGG
LOOK IN OCEAN
SW
S
SW
S
S
S
S
S
SE
S
SE
S
S
S
E
WEAR CLAWS
U
U
U
U
REMOVE CLAWS
E
E
E
NE
SE
W
I
PUT HERBS IN CENSER
LIGHT MATCH
PUT MATCH IN CENSER
SWING CENSER AT SERPENT
W
GO IN
OPEN DOOR
BREAK EGG
NOTE 6
DIMITRI, MARRY ELENA
VASILII, MARRY SILVER
MARRY PEARL
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