===================================================================== BELOW THE ROOT A Classic Software Fantasy based on The Green-Sky Trilogy by Zilpha Keatley Snyder WINDHAM CLASSICS ===================================================================== Greetings, Quester! You have arrived in Green-Sky just in time to discover a hidden secret of momentous importance that will stop the headlong slide of our land toward certain disaster. Last night these words came to me in a dream: The green light pales. The spirit fades away in darkness lying. A quest proclaim! Godspeed to all who seek. Bid them haste. The light is dying. Only you can solve the riddle of my dream and save Green-Sky. Ours is a beautiful and fertile world, covered with lush and enormous trees and plentiful wildlife. Yet peril and fear abound. We tree-living Kindar and our Erdling cousins, estranged for many years, were reunited by a spirit-gifted boy named Raamo. Now he is gone, and Green-Sky is threatened with destruction. As a Kindar or Erdling quester, continue the work of Raamo. Seek the secret everywhere, from thin fronds of the roof trees to dark tunnels that lie below the root. Grow strong in body and in spirit skill. Meet the inhabitants of our land. Many believe in your quest and will assist you. But beware, some of those you encounter are not what they appear to be. The map enclosed will help you find your way. Go quickly. May you find the hidden secret and save Green-Sky. Until we meet, D'ol Falla ===================================================================== Keyboard and Joystick Action ===================================================================== Joystick Control: To move your character or cursor, push the joystick forward or backward, left or right. When you want to make a selection, press joystick button. Keyboard Control: Use arrow keys to move in any direction. To make a selection, press [ENTER] key. You may also use letter keys (see diagram) and spacebar. +----+ +---+ +---+ |CrUp| | R | | I | +----+ +---+ +---+ +----+ +----+ +---+ +---+ +---+ +---+ |CrLe| |CrRi| or | D | | F | or | J | | K | +----+ +----+ +---+ +---+ +---+ +---+ +----+ +---+ +---+ |CrDn| | C | | M | +----+ +---+ +---+ ===================================================================== Main Menu ===================================================================== After you have loaded the game and the introduction is completed, the Main Menu will appear with the following choices: START GAME CONTINUE DISK STORAGE SAMPLE QUEST Start Game: To Begin a New Quest 1. Choose START GAME on the Main Menu. 2. The message "CHOOSE YOUR QUESTER" will appear. There are five different characters to choose from, each with their own personality and skills. (See "Meet the Green-Sky Questers.") Push your joystick forward or press the up key to cycle through your options, then make a selection. 3. You will be instantly transported to the nid-place (home) of your character, ready to begin your quest. Continue: To Return to Your Quest Use CONTINUE option after loading a previously saved game. Disk Storage: To Save or Reload a Quest 1. Select DISK STORAGE from Main Menu. 2. The following message will appear: SAVE GAME LOAD GAME RETURN TO MENU 3. Move cursor to SAVE GAME and select. The following message will appear: QUEST 1 2 3 4 5 You may save up to 5 different games. Saving to a previously used slot will erase the old saved game. 4. Move cursor to a number and select. Note: After loading a Saved Game be sure to begin play by choosing the CONTINUE option and _not_ START GAME. Sample Quest: To Get a Preview of Green-Sky Green-Sky is a rich and vast landscape. To get a preview of Green-Sky choose the option SAMPLE QUEST from the Main Menu. You can watch another quester explore Green-Sky; the sample game will replay continuously. To return to the Main Menu press [ENTER] or the joystick button. Note: If you select the Sample Quest in the middle of your game, it will cancel your game. ===================================================================== Meet the Green-Sky Questers ===================================================================== You may assume the role of one of five Green-Sky inhabitants -- Kindar or Erdling, male or female, child or adult. Each has his or her own personality, has a nid-place in a different grund (tree), and is endowed with varying degrees of spirit skills and stamina. Neric Neric is a Kindar-born young man. Though only moderately spirit-gifted, he is strong as well as impulsive. Neric's nid-place is in the Star Grund, not far from the Star Grund Shops. Spirit Limit 5; Stamina 20 Genaa The beautiful and charismatic Genaa, a Kindar by birth, is a very robust young woman, with no spirit skill. Her home is in the Grand Grund, in the center of Green-Sky. Spirit Limit 0; Stamina 20 Pomma A Kindar child of 9 years, Pomma is Raamo's sister. Though extremely delicate, she is greatly spirit-gifted. Pomma is revered by Kindar and Erdling alike as a holy child. Her nid-place is found in the Sky-Grund. Spirit Limit 10; Stamina 10 Charn Charn is a ten-year-old Erdling boy. Agile and alert, he is very sturdy for a boy his age. Charn has the ability to pense emotions but not messages. The Silk Grund is where his home is found. Spirit Limit 5; Stamina 15 Herd Herd was born below the root but now lives in the Broad Grund. Like all Erdlings, he can pense emotions but not messages. He is a sturdy quester, and also very rational. Spirit Limit 5; Stamina 20 ===================================================================== The Importance of Spirit Skills ===================================================================== Spirit skills will aid you in your quest. It is essential that you discover how to use and raise your spirit skills. As you master higher levels, you will have more spirit skills and come closer to uncovering the secret that will save Green-Sky. Check your spirit level by reviewing the STATUS option on your menu. Be aware that your use of spirit skills depletes energy. Spirit Skills Pense An ancient skill, mind touching, allows you to read the minds of others and communicate without speaking. Pense Emotions Can be performed from any distance. Uses 1 unit of spirit energy. Spirit Limit: 5 Pense Messages You must be within speaking distance of the one you are pensing. Uses 1 unit of spirit energy. Spirit Limit: 10 Heal The healing spirit skill allows you to restore partially your food and rest. This is especially helpful when you're far from your nid-place. Each use of the skill uses 5 units of spirit energy. Spirit Limit: 15 Grunspreke The ability to influence tree growth. Each use of the skill uses 2 units of spirit energy. Spirit Limit: 20 Kiniport The ability to move inaccessible objects or your own body with your mind. This most highly advanced spirit skill is so difficult to achieve that few Green-Sky inhabitants have the ability. However, you must master kiniporting if you are to succeed. Kiniport Tools Will move objects out of reach. Uses 5 units of spirit energy. Spirit Limit: 25 Kiniport Your Body Will move your body to a place of your choice. Uses 10 units of spirit energy. Spirit Limit: 30 ===================================================================== Exploring Green-Sky ===================================================================== Once you leave your nid-place, you'll be free to travel in any direction. Be sure to use the map to make notes of your discoveries as you meet inhabitants and explore the large grunds, with their shops, nid-places, and public buildings. This is how you'll get around: With Joystick: Walk Move the joystick left or right. Jump While standing still: hold the joystick button down and push the joystick in the direction you wish to jump. While walking or running: press the joystick button. To jump from a ladder or vine: push the joystick button and press the joystick sideways. Jumping from ladders and vines is not possible underground. Run Jump and keep the joystick pressed toward the direction in which you wish to run. Return to a walk by stopping the character briefly. Climb Push the joystick forward or backward while you are on a ladder or vine. Crawl Push joystick backward when in a standing position to stoop down. Then push joystick left or right. Stand Up Push the joystick forward when you are in the crawl position. Fall Walk off the end of a ramp or a tree limb. Glide Gliding is possible only if you are carrying a shuba. To glide, push the joystick button while you are falling. Once the glide begins, push the joystick sideways to glide left or right. Enter or Exit a Doorway Position yourself over the door and press the joystick button. Walk Press appropriate key for direction you want to go. Jump From a standing position, press the appropriate directional key quickly two times. While walking, press the appropriate directional key once. To jump from a ladder or vine, go right or left. Jumping from ladders is not allowed underground. Run After a jump, you will automatically start running. Stop Press the key opposite to the direction you are moving. Climb Press the appropriate directional key while you are on a ladder or vine. Crawl Press the down key when you are not on a ladder or vine to stoop. Then go right or left. Stand Up Press the up key when you are in the crawl position. Fall Walk off the end of a ramp or tree limb. Glide Press left or right directional keys while you are falling. Enter or Exit a Doorway Position yourself over the door and press the up key. ===================================================================== The Option Menu: What You Can Do in Green-Sky ===================================================================== After you choose your character, you'll be ready to explore Green-Sky. The Option Menu enables you to choose all the activities you will need in Green-Sky. To display and use Option Menu: With Joystick: 1. Hold the joystick button down while you pull the joystick backward. 2. Move around the Menu by pushing the joystick in the direction you want to go. 3. Stop on the option of your choice, press the joystick button. On Keyboard: 1. Press [ENTER] key or spacebar. 2. Move around the menu using directional keys. 3. Stop on the option of your choice and make your selection with the [ENTER] key or spacebar. Note: Whenever the Menu is visible, the timer will stop. Pause Pause during game then return to the quest. Speak Move close to another game character. Be sure you are facing each other. The other character's message will appear. Pense Depending on your level of spirit skill, you can pense emotions or messages. To pense messages, you must be standing close to and facing the other character. Offer OFFER anything you are carrying to another character. Cycle through your inventory and select. Take Position yourself over any item you would like to take. If you can take the item, it will instantly disappear from the screen. You are now carrying it in your inventory. Buy Stand close to and face the merchant. The merchant will take your token and give you permission to take an item, provided you have room to carry it. After buying, be sure to TAKE item. Use USE trencher beaks, vine ropes, honeylamps, and other tools you happen upon. Trencher Beak: Face the bramble then USE the beak. One layer of bramble will disappear; repeat process until you clear bramble. If you get caught in a bramble patch without a beak or other cutting tool, you must RENEW yourself. Vine Rope: Face direction you want to throw rope. Try to USE the rope. The rope will appear if there is something for the rope to connect to in the direction you throw it. CRAWL across the vine rope, or you will fall. Honeylamp: It will be obvious when you need to USE the lamp. Eat EAT any of the edibles you are carrying. Cycle through your inventory and select. Drop DROP an item, if you are carrying too much. Sell You may SELL tools and food to any of the merchants. Heal This spirit skill will restore your energy and food level. Rest REST indoors on the hanging green nids, either in your own nid-place or in the nid-places of others who offer you REST. Stand in front of the nid, and select REST. Examine EXAMINE unfamiliar objects you happen upon. Inventory Displays what you are carrying. Grunspreke If you have enough spirit skills, you have the power to make tree limbs grow. Stand at the edge of a limb, facing outward. With each successful grunspreking, the tree limb grows. Step out on the new growth and GRUNSPREKE again to create a living bridge. Kiniport If you have enough spirit skills, you have the power to move tools or your own body using psychic power. When you select KINIPORT, a pointer will appear on the screen. To Kiniport Tools: Move the pointer to the tool you want to move. Select. Then point to where you wish to move it. Select again. You must place the tool on a spot where you will be able to stand when you pick it up. To Kiniport Your Body: Place the pointer on your body near your feet. Select. Then point to the spot where you want to move. Status Displays your STATUS at any given point during your quest. See "STATUS: How You Can Check Your Progress." Renew If you get stuck somewhere, RENEW will return you home at the expense of losing a day of quest time. Menu Return to the Main Menu. ===================================================================== Status: How You Can Check Your Progress ===================================================================== Even the most confident quester likes to know how he or she is faring, for thoroughly exploring Green-Sky is a long and arduous task. You might want to know what time it is, or check your spirit level after you've encountered a mysterious character, or know when to eat or rest. You can easily check your progress at any point during your travels by using the STATUS option on your Option Menu. It will provide you with the following data on your quest. Example of Status Display DAY 1 NERIC EARLY MORNING LEVEL OF REST 10 SPIRIT LIMIT 05 LEVEL OF FOOD 10 STAMINA 20 LEVEL OF SPIRIT 05 Day Your performance as a quester will be judged on the number of days you take to complete the Quest. At the end of 50 days your time runs out. Time of Day Reports the current time of day. Game time passes whenever you are moving around the Green-Sky environment. Time stops whenever the Option Menu, Main Menu, Status Display, or text of any kind is being displayed. Spirit Limit Indicates your current Spirit Limit. (Refer to "The Importance of Spirit Skills.") Stamina Rates your maximum strength. Questers with more stamina can store more rest and food energy, jump farther, and carry more. Your stamina can be increased during your quest, and you must discover how. Quester Displays your name. Depending on which character you have chosen, your beginning spirit limit and stamina will vary. Level of Rest Your "rest" energy is used as your journey time passes. Jumping, climbing, and especially crashing will also use rest energy. Your level can be restored by resting in your nid or in the nid of a friendly character. Your maximum level is one-half of your stamina. If your rest drops below 0, you will be forced to return to your nid-place. You will have lost a day of game time but your energy levels will have been replenished. Level of Food Food energy is depleted in the same manner as rest energy. Dropping below zero will return you to your nid-place. Keep your food level up by eating. Level of Spirit The amount of spirit energy you possess. This energy is depleted every time you use a Spirit Skill. Spirit energy is restored as game time passes. Note: An example of the difference between SPIRIT LIMIT and LEVEL OF SPIRIT (or energy): You may have a SPIRIT LIMIT of 20 and thus have the ability to GRUNSPREKE. Grunspreking, however, uses two units of spirit energy, so if your level of spirit is currently less than 2, you cannot Grunspreke until your energy is restored. ===================================================================== A Dictionary: What You Will Find in Green-Sky ===================================================================== Grund One of the enormous trees whose branches support the Kindar stores, nid-places, and public buildings. Fruit & Nuts Considered a Kindar delicacy. You may have an initial supply in your nid-place; if not, find other sources. Honeylamp A Kindar lamp. Once lit, it won't last long. Lapan A small animal that looks like a rabbit. Nekom An evil Erdling society, dedicated to revenge and violence. Nid A Kindar bed -- a hammock woven of living tendril. The nid-place is the home of a Kindar. Pan Bread The staple food of the Kindar and Erdling people. You may find an initial supply in your nid-place; if not, you will have to find other sources. Salite An evil Kindar society, whose purpose is to rid Green-Sky of all Erdlings as well as all those who believe in the unification of the two societies. Shuba An outer garment that allows Green-Sky citizens to glide safely. One is provided in your nid-place. You may need to find new ones later. Sima A small tree-dwelling animal -- a favorite Kindar pet. Tokens Money. There are some in your nid-place; supporters of the quest may provide you with more. You can acquire tokens by selling items to merchants. Trencher Beak An essential tool for cutting through brambles and earth falls. You must find at least one, for in the fertile Green-Sky, vegetation grows quickly and may impede your quest. Vine Rope Woven from the tendrils of the sacred wissen-vine, these ropes will help you move about the trees or across bodies of water. Wissenberries The berry from the wissen-vine. Although they are no longer legal in Green-Sky, you may find them helpful when used with caution. ===================================================================== Some Final Words of Advice from D'ol Falla ===================================================================== Your success in restoring the light will assure the joyful lives of future generations of Kindar and Erdling children. D'ol Falla has left these final words of advice to help you achieve your goal and save Green-Sky. 1. Watch the sample quest. 2. Using the map, explore every aspect of Green-Sky. Not all the environment is noted on your map, so be on the lookout for new areas to explore, and mark them. Explore each tree completely rather than wandering from tree to tree. 3. Pense and speak to everyone. If you don't have the ability to pense messages at first, then go back and pense everyone once you get it -- they will be very helpful to your quest. 4. When encountering a Green-Sky inhabitant for the first time, pense from a distance. If you read a negative emotion, such as rage or anger, try to avoid crossing that character's path. 5. Check your STATUS often, especially after interacting with a mysterious character. Your spirit limit may have been raised. Watch your stamina level and do not let lack of food or rest impair your ability to continue your quest. And remember, you only have 50 days to complete your quest. 6. Concentrate at first on how and where to get rest and food. Next, attempt to raise your spirit and stamina maximums. 7. Learn to use the new spirit skill available to you when your spirit rises to a new level -- you will need all skills to complete your quest. 8. Learn to buy and sell tools and food. It's easier to carry tokens than it is to carry other items. 9. Learn to use the tools available to you, including the rope, trencher beak, honeylamp and anything else you might pick up. 10. Some of the characters are more difficult to play than others. If you're looking for a real challenge, start out with Genaa, who has no Spirit Skills. For an easier start, choose a character like Neric, who has moderate Spirit Skills, is strong, and has a nid-place located near a group of shops.