...of Zork. (The title got cut off in the subject line.)
Here are the first eight (according to MS Word) pages of the history of Zork that was included in the Zork: Grand Inquisitor Strategy Guide. Feel free to copy as you wish, I'm only the scribe.
I'm posting it in increments because it makes me feel like I'm getting somewhere and so it will be postable under Livejournal's posting limits. I will add links here on this thread as I get more done.
It takes me awhile because it inspires me greatly. Â There are SO many stories hinted at here that could be explored in a game or a story that I have to stop and write down all my random ideas as they come.
That said, it cannot be considered entirely canon if you're very strict about such things. But considering that this isn't a very strict kind of fandom one can be pretty free to take what they want and leave what they don't. lol.
Probably the most glaring omission is that nothing at all is said about Entharion's near-eradication of the grues and of Grueslayer. But then it occurred to me that since this particular history is intended to distract grues, it might not be a good idea to bring up Grueslayer or overly praise the man who nearly annihilated them... that would likely just make them mad and defeat the purpose.
Thanks, Siriusstar for taking the time to post this Zorkian history.
Reading through it has brought back many memories for me, and also an opportunity for me to make a shameless promotion for Dawn of the Demon.
I don't know how many of you have yet had a chance to play "Dawn of the Demon." But you may find it interesting that DotD takes place during a time much earlier than any other Zork game, and it offers you an opportunity to explore the ancient world of Zork which you can otherwise only read about and try to imagine.
DotD is a world where The One River is still The One River, Pheebor and Borphee are both thriving cities and you will even encounter some living remnants of the ancient Mithican tribes. So if you would like a chance to go back in time and visit Pheebor at the height of its development, try Dawn of the Demon.
Also, in DotD, you will learn some interesting facts about GrueSlayer and about Guues, themselves. For instance, did you ever wonder how you can be in a completely empty and locked room - no way in or out - but as soon as the lights go out grues will be on you within moments? Ever wonder about that? And where do they go when you turn the lamp back on?
Well, DotD takes you deep into the world of Grues and answers all these questions and even allows you to pierce the Darkness just like a Grue.
You can get DothD from a link on The Zork Library's main page. Just click the 883GUE button. Then you can click on the Author Webpage link to get a z5 version of the game (to run in a Frotz interpreter on virtually any platform) or click the Windows link to get a Windows executable version of the game. The game has a built-in help menu and there are detailed maps that you can download from TZL or the Author Webpage.
