κρύο

A wasteland of crystals hovering above clouds, dark out to infinity and brutally cold, wind whipping at your cloaks. You stand on [[a skirt of crumbly rock]], probably shale, surveying the fine prospect of [[these drifting islands]]. Your own is one of the biggest, and you've managed to carve a [[toe-path]] into the stone, offering transit [[up to the crow's nest]] and [[down to the cave]]. You can also [[return to the index|Index]].

The stairs are little wider than a hand's breadth, wind tearing at your clothes. A single misstep could send you spinning into the void. You progress slowly, but finally reach the [[crow's nest]].

You descend along the flank of the mountain until you're nearly clinging to its underside, then you walk a deadly path of toeholds circling among stalactites, until you arrive at the safety of a narrow [[balcony]].

This is like a Myst game without puzzles. Inspired by ages like Spire and Stoneship, I wanted to spend time developing a comfy hermit's refuge, not worrying about characters or ideas. There are a lot of hermits in the Myst universe. Some of them are prisoners or exiles. This is the story of someone who is comfortable in isolation, slowly coming to understand a strange world and living an ascetic lifestyle. There's no way to progress or win. The rhythm of daily life will continue forever. Just look closely at things and enjoy the writing. Take your time. Leave whenever you feel like it. I started this game with 2 days remaining in Porpentine's LocusJam. It won't be very long. Please don't judge too harshly. [[Index]]

<h1>κρύο</h1> /kruo/ [[Author's Note]] [[Characters]] [[Argument]] [[Setting]] [[Prospect]] (set: $knowledge = 0)  (set: $dayphase = 0)  (set: $ate = 0)  (set: $drank = 0)  (set: $studied = 0)  (set: $lichen = 0)

Your rival was wicked and conniving, inferior to you in intelligence but always willing to lay plans against a friend. You made the mistake of becoming an obstruction, and she removed you without hesitation. No doubt she's still climbing the ladder, mastering the most powerful arts, and treating everyone around her like pieces in a game of //kai-dú//. You wear dark gray robes in many layers to ward off the constant cold. You wear heavy black boots. Once you though it was important not to fall behind others in the race to acquire power, but it's too late for that now. You're learning a gentle wisdom. [[Index]]

You've fallen into a trap. That book didn't lead where you'd expected -- now there's no way out. A prison-age of your rival's construction. You've called this place κρύο, the Age of Icy Cold. Maybe someone will arrive to release you, but for now there's nothing to do except learn and survive. Things aren't so bad: you're immortal and it's only a matter of time before you gather the materials needed to write a more comfortable world for yourself. [[Index]]

The linking book dropped you off atop an island of gray stone, floating in a cold midnight-purple void. A bright purple crystal pierces the center of this island. It provides light enough to see by, but the smooth abyss generates a faint omnidirectional light also. Below you rolls a sea of dark clouds, flowing quickly in a uniform direction. You call this direction "north". There are other islands like yours out in the void, floating in gentle arcs. Yours is among the biggest. Sometimes the sky changes to a brighter purple color and white and gold stars appear. [[Index]]

There isn't much to do up here, but it's the best view on the island. Wind howls through parapets of stark shale. You can [[hide from the wind]] in a little alcove. (if: $dayphase is 0)[The sky is so dark a purple as to be almost black. It seems to pulse and hum softly, ominously.](if: $dayphase is 1)[The sky is a pale purple, singing high and clear. Misty stars, white and gold, spin slowly.] A fissure in the rock leads down into a cave. It is slick with condensation, lit by the glow of the crystal, and sheltered from the cold wind. You could climb [[down through the fissure]]. You could follow the toepath back [[down to the shelf]].

You curl up in the lee of a big stone. The cove here has been deepened, sheltering you entirely from the wind. You can look up at the (if:$dayphase is 0)[deep void](elseif:$dayphase is 1)[starry sky] or play with [[tiny chips of shale]]. There's also an [[iron spike]] here. There isn't much to do here, but you can stay as long as you like. When you're finished, you can [[go back to the top|crow's nest]].

You make your way carefully down the toe-path, each instant a gamble on your life. The wind feels less piercing when you finally reach the wide [[shelf|Prospect]].

The rocks are slick with condensation and the fall would be quite painful, but you manage to descend by this dangerous route and reach the [[chamber below|upward chimney]], lit by the crystal's purple glow.

The warm light of the cave at your back, you look out on the roiling stream of clouds. Cold wind catches your cloaks, howling through the stalactites of the island's underbelly. A daunting toe-path lets one climb along these stalactites and proceed [[up the mountain flank]]. You could also turn back into [[the cave]].

You carefully ascend by a path of toeholds and iron spikes, wind constantly threatening to pry you loose, and arrive at the [[shelf|Prospect]] on the island's midriff.

Warmed by the golden light of a [[crystal apparatus]] sitting on a [[broad slate shelf|shelf]], covered in various experimental implements, this cozy chamber seems oddly solid. Embraced in this hanging belly of stone, it's almost possible to forget the howling wind outside. The island's movement shifts subtly as it proceeds on its inscrutable course. At the rear of the chamber, a passage leads to the [[upward chimney]]. Another tunnel runs out onto the [[balcony]], dull glow of the bleak sky, whipping clouds. On the floor is a ragged [[bedroll]].

It took you years to construct this device, which rests on your [[work bench|shelf]]. A long, narrow golden crystal bound by six iron rings glows with gentle warmth. It also hums very quietly, like the purr of a cat. This light feels healing. Sitting in its presence makes your mind clear and focused. Sleeping in its presence heals all your aches and pains and gives you pleasant, gentle dreams. [[Pull back.|the cave]]

A [[crystal apparatus]] rests on the highest part of the shelf, illuminating everything else with a warm golden glow. This broad table is covered in all manner of mechanisms, a meager workshop and experimental laboratory. It has taken you years to assemble these things. There is a [[tiny forge]], a [[crystalline microscope]], a [[hammer]], a [[chisel]], a [[vice]], a [[teapot]] and numerous scraps of wire, stone, and crystal. Your [[journals]] are also here. By doing some experiments and recording the results, you can make some progress in your understanding of the world. Would you like to [[do some science]], or [[step back|the cave]] from the desk?

Your haggered and noble reflection in the purple mirror of the great crystal, exposed here in the heart of the island. A narrow shaft leads up to the surface. The rocks are slippery and the path is dangerous, but you could [[climb up]] if you wanted to. Dew coats the smooth walls of the ascending shaft. The cold wind topside causes condensation. It's this water that formed the cave-system, and it once dripped out by the balcony but you've carved a [[basin]] to collect it all here. You could go back to [[your room|the cave]].

You have three writing books bound in dark leather. About a third of the first book is filled with sketches and records of experiments. The remaining pages are all empty. You were fortunate to be carrying these books when you fell into your rival's trap. They'll get filled up eventually, and you'll have to chisel your findings into the cave walls or something, but until then you'll just write quite small using the ink you make from black lichen. You spend some time reflecting on what you've learned and you write a few short poems too. Whenever you're ready, you can [[put down your books|the cave]].

You have a few experiments in mind for the day, so you gather the necessary materials and spend some time examining the results. You carefully record everything in your [[journals]]. (set: $studied = 1)

Luckily there are no bedbugs in this age. Your bedroll is old and worn, but combined with the lite of the golden crystal it's enough to keep you warm at night. (if: $drank is 1 and $ate is 1 and $studied is 1)[ You could [[sleep|sleep-till]] here if you wanted to. ] (else:)[ You can't go to sleep yet. (if: $drank is 0)[You haven't had anything to drink today.] (if: $ate is 0)[You shouldn't go to sleep with an empty stomach.] (if: $studied is 0)[You should do some science before going to sleep. Otherwise, the day will be wasted.] ] Maybe you [[don't want to sleep?|the cave]]

You've gotten a feel for the day-night cycle in this place. It's longer than what you're used to, perhaps thirty-six hours. The phase you call "day" is actually darker, when the sky groans deep and opaque. The phase you call "night" features a clearer sky with many soft stars. Will you sleep till [day]<day| or till [night]<night|? (click: ?day)[ (set: $dayphase = 0) (goto: "sleep") ] (click: ?night)[ (set: $dayphase = 1) (goto: "sleep") ]

You rest until you feel entirely satisfied, vaguely remembering warm dreams and gradually gathering the will to rise. You can [[get up|the cave]] whenever you want. (set: $knowledge += 1) (set: $ate = 0 ) (set: $drank = 0 ) (set: $studied = 0 )

You climb slowly and carefully up the flue, slipping only once or twice, and emerge into the piercing wind of [[the void|crow's nest]].

Cold, clear water pools in a slate basin. You could dip your hands to [[drink]] from it, or [[wash]] yourself and your clothes. Some lichen grows on the stone near the basin. You've found it to be [[edible]].

Set knees to blue stone, cup hands and bow, draw cold water to your lips. A mineral tang. You feel energized. [[Stand up.|upward chimney]] (set: $drank = 1)

Using a small [[brass bowl]], you pour water over your hands, letting it flow out into the abyss. If it's been a while, you could also [[wash your clothes]] or [[wash your body]]. When you're done, you can [[dry off|upward chimney]] with a strip of cloth.

The green lichen is not delicious and you don't actually need food at all, but eating makes you feel a little more energetic. (if: $lichen is 0)[You scrape a handful from the wall and place it in your medicine bag. (set: $lichen = 1)] (else:)[You already have some lichen.] [[Rinse your hands.|wash]]

You always carried this bowl with you in Aspersia. It was one of your few prized possessions, as holy to you as your daily disciplines. It is heavy and thick, banded with a pattern of triangles, etched with images of the sun, moon, and land. [[Return to your ablution.|wash]]

There's no good way to do this: you remove some of your cloaks and pour water over them gradually until they're soaked through and through. You rub them between your hands. This process seems to improve the smell somewhat, but it's really hard to tell. [[Dress yourself.|upward chimney]]

This process is tortuously frigid, but it must be accomplished for the sake of your dignity. You crouch on the balcony, pouring bowl after bowl of cold water over your head, down your chest, splashing it on your underarms and things, and shivering horribly the whole time. When you're finished, you [[dress quickly|upward chimney]].

A very small stone pot, blue-gray, banded with carefully-carved patterns. (if: $lichen is 1)[You could make some [[lichen tea]].] (if: $lichen is 0)[You use this pot of lichen tea, which isn't great for flavor but feels pretty nourishing.] [[Put the pot down|shelf]] when you're done admiring it.

You slowly bring a cup of water to steam, then drop pinches of lichen in, one by one. They brew for nearly an hour, giving off a bitter, earthy scent. When you deem it ready, you sit by your workdesk and sip of the warm mixture. Its flavor is tangy, its texture grainy, but it fills you with warmth and awakeness. [[Finish the cup.|the cave]] (set: $lichen = 0) (set: $ate = 1)

You want to say "shale" or "slate" because of the way the rock is layered and apt to crumble with little encouragement. But this is an alien sediment, not comparable to anything you know. You stand on an outcropping slightly wider than your shoulders' breadth. It's a fine place to rest on the transit from top to bottom or bottom to top, and it affords a good view of the world, which you've come to call Kruo. But there is nothing to do here, so you might as well [[move on|Prospect]].

Hundreds or thousands of them, differing in size and shape but identical in color and compositions: gray rock and purple crystal. No vegetation, no life. They wheel in gentle circles, directed by forces beyond your comprehension. Given a century, you might manage to reach one. But what would the point be? For now, it's better to [[just look|Prospect]].

You aren't a bad climber, and even unaided you were able to climb all around the island using only your hands and bare feet. But this way is faster and safer, less exhausting by far. It wasn't too difficult, once you found the iron. You'd been fantasizing for ages about the Pueblo of Earth's America. They cut grooves into the rock just big enough for a toe or a hand. Yours are big enough for a booted foot, and in some places you've pounded in spikes. That's how you arrived at this [[prospect|Prospect]], and it's the only way out.

Okay, maybe not shale. Chips of some kind of rock. They're a dark gray color, seeming very faintly iridescent, perhaps almost blue. You can move them around and they make a pleasant little shuffling sound. [[Gosh, you're starved for entertainment.|hide from the wind]]

You don't even want to think about the bastard quality of your first smeltery. But this stone contains ore and crystals can be persuaded to generate heat, so you were eventually able to produce implements of iron. How long did it take? Years? Decades? Everything blends together. You never bothered to mark time. When you're at work on a project you go into this trance, such that you forget [[the real world|hide from the wind]].

Barely bigger than your fist, this device contains an array of golden crystals, the same sort used in the [[crystal apparatus]] that heats your room. By focusing and magnifying their energy, you can produce temperatures capable of melting metal. It looks much like a teapot from outside or maybe a tiny shinto shrine. The cavity inside is set with a rune of golden crystals, whose heat and magnetic force separate iron from stone and compress the metal into tapered cylinders. By manipulating this forge much like a musical instrument, you can extrude metal implements of different shapes. Being a matter of harmonics and geometry, the art of crystalline metallurgy is exceedingly beautiful when performed correctly. Earlier versions of this device were embarrassingly shoddy. [[Put it down.|shelf]]

A thin pane of crystal, carefully ground into a lens, lets you examine microscopic structures. Mostly structures of other crystals, to be honest. There's not much else to examine. You're quite proud of this thing, and it helped you make some advances in studying crystalline geometry and developing your [[runic vocabulary]], but it hasn't proved as useful as you'd hoped. [[Put it down.|shelf]]

Okay, just a rock. It's surprisingly hard to make a real hammer without something to bind the head and the handle. You've tried cloth. Doesn't work. It got to the point where you were considering making leather from the flesh of your arm. [[Don't do that.|shelf]]

A flat-head chisel is surprisingly hard to extrude. This one is tapered to a point. It is your finest and most valuable tool, a half-foot of solid iron (you remember when you first saw the ore in the walls and nearly fell to your knees with joy): dark, heavy, and terrible. [[Rejoice in it.|shelf]]

Actually, it's more like a little claw. Delicately wrought from iron wire, this device currently holds a purple crystal to the light. These purple crystals are apt to levitate. You're trying to find out how and why. In a few years, you might be able to build a vessel. [[Okay.|shelf]]

A perfect language. A natural language. Crystals arranged in certain formations tend to produce certain effects. It's a product of their internal rotational symmetry and, you're not sure, but maybe their magnetic fields or something. You're presuming that these crystals generate "magnetic fields", but it might just as well be anything. "Animal magnetism", "quantum resonance", or whatever. All you know is that it works, and as you master this language your power increases. [[So what?|shelf]]