 Whispering Woods,
1647 GUE
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OTHER IMAGES: North Entrance (low) / (high) Lake Dock (A) / (B) / (C) / (D) / (art1) / (art2) Int. (A) / (B) / (C) / (D) / (E) / (F) / (G) Rocks (1) / (2) / (3) / (4) / (5) Woods: Prototype Artwork / (art2) Woods, Art (1) / (2) / (3) / (4) / (5) / (6) |
| REPORTED
FAUNA/BEASTS/FOES: Bear (1647 GUE) Grue (1647 GUE) |
Enshrouded in placlid mist, the dense Whispering Woods, in the underground beneath the Valley of the Sparrows, lies southwest of the subterranean Shanbar and encircles the Whispering Lake. It was named after the whispering voice which continually weaves through the trees, fluctuating between two verses:
Three calls begin,
Two calls return.
Three rings begin,
Two rings return.
During the devastation of Morphius, a curse hung over these woods, making it a dark and forbidding area with fog. This thick fog, enveloping both woods and lake, when mixed with the unique qualities of the woods, produced a deadly fume. Extended contact with this fume caused one to go blind. The symptoms were not immediate, as though its magic waited for one to venture far enough inside before ensnaring its victims. First one would notice their peripheral vision dimming, before being constricted to complete tunnel vision. If one had been able to escape the woods before the curse was able to reach fruition, the effects of the curse quickly dissipated. But if one did not, their eyes would fail and the curse would be somehwhat permanent. As packs of grues lurked within the suitably dark locations between the trees, many hexed adventurers once found themselves stumbling into one of these light-less regions before being able to set themselves free of the woods. The only known way to cure this magical blindness once it had fully consumed its victim's sight was by drinking milk; but it had to have been enchanted milk from a cow that primarily ate only carrots.
After the defeat of Morphius and the Second Great Diffusion (1647 GUE), this blindness curse was revoked and the woods no longer enchanted.
| SOURCE(S): Return to Zork (game, design documents) |