- Language:
- English
- Authors:
- Arthur DiBianca
- Systems:
- Inform
- Platforms:
- Glulx
- Genres:
- IF Comp 2018

- Entered by:
- iamaran
- Added:
- 20-09-2020
- Edited:
- 13-07-2022
Synopsis
Plot
You are a Pirothologist—that is, one who studies the ancient civilization of the Pirothians. In fact, you're one of the top two Pirothologists in the world. The other is Professor Nylosian, a detestable individual who...well, enough about that.
All Pirothologists have read the stories of the Temple of Shorgil. Maybe "museum" or "memorial" would be a better word than temple. It was dedicated to the Legend of Shorgil, a long-lost Pirothian tale of a presumably fictional hero. The temple was built about 1,600 years ago by the remarkable Pirothian architect Kitral—a rival to Archimedes or Daedalus, it's said, although none of Kitral's constructions has been seen yet by modern eyes.
According to the Pirothian records, the temple is a square structure with angled sides like a truncated pyramid. Very little is known about the interior, except this: a long corridor leads due east from the temple entrance to an inner chamber. At sunset on the equinox, the light is supposed to shine down the corridor, revealing whatever it is the temple guards.
It would take a long time to explain the careful process by which you finally discovered the temple's location. But discover it you did (and before Nylosian!), and you frantically made preparations to visit.
You got here just in time: today is the equinox. But you arrived early, so you have all day to explore.