Ambrosia Software Web Board: Room descriptions - Ambrosia Software Web Board

I mentioned a while back that I wanted to transcribe all the room descriptions in Cythera. It wasn't as interesting as transcribing dialogue, so I got bored of it, but I've finally decided to finish the project :D I don't have a website, so I'm just posting it here. I get the impression that Gandreas got bored of writing the descriptions halfway through making the maps o.O Besides the cities, very few zones had any descriptions. And Cademia seemed to only have descriptions for like half the city. Anyway, I'm not sure I got every room, so let me know if you think of any I missed.

LandKing Hall

Alaric's room:
This room is a large, clean bedroom, with carpet on the floor, and a small desk in the middle.

Alaric's locked section:
This is clearly some sort of private research room, with the walls lined with a bookshelf and a bench with more books.

Brazier room:
This area gives you a sense of power, something you can almost taste in the air. The two pools seem filled with water that almost sparkles with energy.

Glowing triangle:
The most interesting feature of this room is the black onyx floor with a glowing triangle in the middle of it, which is surrounded by a high bench.

Library:
The library smells of musty books and scrolls. Bookshelves filled with books, papers and scroll, line the walls.

Magpie's room:
This cramped room gives both an air of absolute disorganization as well as complete order.

Barracks:
You are in a barracks, with several rows of beds.

Your room:
This rooms seems pretty spartan, but the bed looks comfortable.

Kitchen:
The smell of fresh baked bread fills the kitchen, as does the heat from the stove.

Pantry:
This small room is packed with foodstuffs.

Throne room:
With its pillars and throne, an air of power and order fill the room.

Dining room:
A single large table dominates this room, with various chairs around it.

Fountain:
This room is dominated by a central pool, which seems to be flowing in a clockwise fashion, though no obvious source of flow is apparent.
First time add: Suddenly, the earth begins to shake, and a rumbling is heard to the south of you.

Storage:
The original purpose of this room is unknown, but it appears that an earthquake brought down the north east corner of it, giving access to some sort of cave. It is currently being used for storage.

Star Bridge (exit):
The center of this room is composed of a large abyss, spanned by a single narrow bridge. The abyss appears bottomless, with some sort of stars apparent in it.

Training room:
It appears that this area was some sort of training area, but a recent cave in has collapsed the walls.

Dead ruffian area & false wall areas:
You've found some sort of secret tunnel near the wall of Land King Hall.


Odemia

House Nicander:
You are in the household of House Nicander. It is small but clean and well organized.

Guard's barracks:
This is the barracks for the town guard. A number of cots fill the room.

Titan's Head dining room:
This large tavern smells of good food and stale wine, which a good cleaning could probably take care of.

Titan's Head inn bedroom:
This is a small, crowded, common room with several beds in it.

Titan's Head kitchen:
The kitchen is well organized and clean, unlike the general tavern area outside. Heat from a cooking roast combines with a stove, making it almost unbearably hot.

Thersites' quarters:
This room is both spartan and extremely clean and orderly - clearly this is the quarters of a military man.

Tlepolemus' house:
You are in the private household of what must be a fisherman, since the faint oder of fish and the sea can be smelled.

Ake's shop:
You see a shop belonging to a weaver, with two looms being the most outstanding features of the room.

Ascalon's house:
You see a bare looking room, with the acrid smell of old wine in the air.

Hebe's house:
This is a small thread shop, with a bed for the owner in the corner. The air smells of flax, with a spinning wheel and bails of flax in the corner.

House Atussa:
The household is surprisingly clean and cool, especially considering the forge just outside it.

Storeroom:
This room is dark and dry, and is used for storage of a variety of goods, probably against a town emergency.

Sacas' study:
You are standing in a carpeted room that surely belongs to a wizard. Books line the north wall, with a desk along the east and a bench on the west.

Sacas' bedroom:
These are the private quarters of Sacas. A small table, complete with a place setting is in the center of the room.

Sacas' office/council meeting room:
The room is dominated by a large central table with chairs surrounding it. It is obvious that the most important decisions about the town of Odemia take place is this room.

Sacas' kitchen/Peirithous' quarters:
This is a kitchen area for the stronghold of the town, complete with stove and kitchen supplies. A bed and personal effects are in the southern side of the room.

Prison:
The room is dark and slightly dank, from the nearby seashore. There are two locked and barred doors to cells along the north wall.


Catamarca

Green goat tavern:
You are in a large common room of a tavern. The smell of fresh cooked food wafts from the kitchen, as does the smell of wine.

Green goat kitchen:
You are in a large kitchen area of the inn. A roast cooks over an open flame alone the north, and a bed, obviously of the proprietor, is in the corner.

Green goat hallway:
A narrow, dark hallway goes from the common tavern room, leading to a series of small private rooms.

Green goat inn rooms:
This is a small private room of the inn, containing only a bed and a window.

Sardis' house:
You are in a small shop of some sort, perhaps the home of a merchant or trader.

Comana brothers' rooms:
You are in a small cabin of sorts, with a pool in the southeast corner of the room.
(Darius' (southernmost) only, add:) This cabin seems to have signs of inhabitation.

Town hall:
You are in a small town meeting hall. However, based on the layer of dust on everything, there hasn't been any meeting in here recently.

Cemetery:
This area is strewn with tombstones and graves, some obviously quite recent, others ancient.

House Strymon courtyard:
You are in a small courtyard. A bubbling fountain is in the center of the area, with windows overlooking the courtyard along the north wall.

House Strymon study:
This room is clean and orderly, giving a very businesslike appearance.

House Strymon dining room:
You are in a simple yet formal dining room. Windows along the south wall overlook the courtyard and its fountain.

House Strymon kitchen:
You are in a small kitchen. It is dirty and disorganized, with the sell of overcooked meat. It is as if it is used by an inexperienced cook.

Late Hapmonides and Andromache's quarters:
This small bedroom appears empty and deserted. A fine layer of dust is on everything, and a musty, stale odor fills the room.

Citadel fountain room:
You are in a central room, with doors and archways off in all directions. The centerpiece of the room, besides the rich marble floor patterns, is a simple fountain and pool.

Citadel kitchen:
You are in the clean, well kept kitchen of the stronghold.

Polydamas' quarters:
The room is spartan and simple, but despite this, it as the appearance of having been lived in for quite some time.

Metopes' quarters:
This is clearly the master suite of the stronghold, serving as both a private office and sleeping area.

Metopes' closet:
This is a small private closet. A simple dresser is along half of the northern wall.

Behind Metopes' closet:
You are in a small secret passage. The dust is heavy on the floor and the trapdoor along the western half of the room - obviously it has not been disturbed in ages. A slight musty, damp, earthen smell is in the air.


Cademia

Mint:
The room is hot, and the smell of smoke, metalwork and sweat fill the air.

Old abandoned rooms on either side of the city entrance:
This was once some sort of gate house, or guard room, though it is clear now that nobody is worried about perimeter protection.

Castle hall:
You are in the main hall of the castle. A single large chair is at the northern end of the room, with lesser chairs along the side. It succeeds at pulling off the combination of opulent and functional.

Castle- Berossus' bedroom:
This is a smaller bedroom of the castle. It is clearly still in use.

Castle- Eastern locked bedroom:
A large bedroom in the castle, this room is layered with a fine layer of dust - it obviously hasn't been occupied recently.

Castle- Northern locked bedroom:
This is obviously the 'master suite' of the castle, though with the layer of dust everywhere, it's also obvious that it hasn't been inhabited recently.

Castle dining room:
The formal dining room of the castle is simple and elegant, with a table on a raised platform, and an open area to the south.

Castle kitchen:
The kitchen area for the castle smells of recently baked bread, rich, roasted meats, and other unknown foods.

Castle- Alcestris and Asius' quarters:
The private area off the kitchen is home to two people, probably the staff of the castle.

Autonous' house:
You are in a simple room with a wooden floor. This is probably not its original purpose, but it now serves as the sleeping place for somebody.

Antenor's house:
This single room house serves as a combination of living and working quarters for a merchant.

Hypsenor's house:
This single room house serves as a combination of living and working quarters for a tailor.

Prison:
Dark and unpleasant, this stronghold serves as a prison for those who would transgress against the law of the land.

Bryaxis' house:
You are in a tidy private house, with some sort of scent of spices in the air, perhaps cinnamon.

Sewer entrance:
The stench of sewer gasses and decay from the river fills this small, dirty building.

Alastor's shop:
The odor that you noted in the area seems to be centered on this building. Between the odor and the stains everywhere, it would appear that you've found the dwelling of a tanner.

Purple staff room:
The odor that wafts from this room is almost overwhelming. For some reason, a combination of some sort of stench and amazingly high humidity combine to make something almost unbearable. It seems like something died in here a long time ago and has been festering ever since.


Pnyx

Entrance (east side of lower level hall):
You stand in a large hall filled with pillars, running north/south. There is also a flight of marble stairs going upwards.

Paris' shop:
You are in a small shop, with a wooden counter and two nearby chairs. A curtain leads to a backroom beind the counter.

Paris, Helen, & Niobe's quarters:
You are in the private quarters behind the provisioners shop. It is a combination of bedroom, office and storeroom.

Cafeteria:
You are in a large common room. The smell of food and wine fill the air.

Kitchen:
You stand in what is clearly the kitchen for the common room to the east. Two large stoves are on the center of the western wall, and the eastern wall contains a worn and stained counter.

Alchemy classroom:
You stand in a small combination of classroom and laboratory. Strange equipment is on the counters, and two rows of chairs fill the middle of the room.

Runes classroom:
You are in a large lecture hall of some sort. It is filled with chairs, but otherwise unremarkable.

Healing classroom:
You are in a medium sized lecture hall, filled with chairs. An exit also leads to the north.

Desk storage:
This appears to be some sort of store room, used to store spare desks and chairs.

Gym:
This room appears to be used to help the guards stay in practice.

Barracks:
You've entered the barracks for the Magisterium, filled with simple cots for the guards who protect this place.

Courtyard:
You are in a most remarkable area in the Magisterium. Despite being entirely indoors, and no visible source of outside light, you are in a well groomed garden. Simple trees and plants decorate it, and rich and well manicured grass covers the ground. Four pillars, a fountain and pool provide elegant decoration.

Palaestra's quarters:
You are in the private quarters of one of the Mages. It is well lit and clean, giving it an open and friendly appearance.

Tros' quarters:
You are in the private quarters of one of the Mages. It is simple and spartan, though softened slightly by the presence of a simple green plant.

Empty room between Pheres' and Tros' quarters:
You are in what would most likely be quarters for one of the Mages, but at this time stands empty and unused.

Pheres' quarters:
You are in the private quarters of one of the Mages. A simple statue sets the feeling for the room, one of casual elegance.

Selinus' quarters:
You are in the private quarters of one of the Mages, but at first glance it appears unused and empty, though it is clear that somebody lives here. They obviously spend no time here.

Lindus' quarters:
You are in the private quarters of one of the Mages, different from the rest by the heavy metal doors, as well as a second exit to the south. It also appears more comfortable than the rest.

Lindus' office:
You are in a blue marble floored room, clearly an important meeting room. On the raised western half of the hall, a table with five massive chairs takes up most of the space in the room.

Library hallway:
You are in a large main hallway, with pillars down the center of it. Heavy metal doors can be seen off the hall at various distances.

Main library (1st-3rd degrees), & including eighth degree hall:
You are in a large library. Bookshelves and tables with strange tomes line all sides of the various walls.

Fourth degree hall:
You are in a smaller library room. Six tomes lie on a table along the south wall.

Fifth degree hall:
You are in a smaller library room, lined with bookshelves and a table along the southern wall. There are five tomes on the table.

Sixth degree hall:
You are in a small, cramped library room. Four tomes lie on the table along the eastern wall.

Seventh degree hall:
You are in a very small library room. Three tomes lie on the table along the eastern wall.

Student lounge:
You are in what looks to be some sort of study lounge. A small table in the center is surrounded with chairs, and more chairs line the walls.


Kosha

Atreus' room:
These cramped quarters are a combination of small business and personal quarters.

Guard post & barracks:
This room contains three windows that overlook the various directions from the stronghold, providing a good location for a guard post. An archway to the north leads to what are obviously the guard barracks.

Comana grand hall:
You are in an impressive hall. Tall pillars support a high roof around the perimeter. The center of the hall contains a sunken floor area, done in rich marble. Within that area is a small reflecting pool, and scattered throughout that area is an assortment of statues.

Sewing room:
Several large looms dominate this room, indicating a place of fabric making.

Spinning room:
This back room contains a spinning wheel, obviously the source for the thread used by the looms outside.

Parlor:
You are in a small side chamber, obviously designed as some sort of sitting room or parlor.

Empty room with puddles:
If this room served any purpose in the past, it clearly does not now, being barren of everything save a layer of dust on the floor and a few standing puddles of water, though the smell of the sea can also be detected.

"Throne" room:
You stand before the true seat of power in Kosha. On the raised northern half of the room stands a massive table, and behind that, a single massive chair.

Kitchen, pantry, & northeastern storage room (all three have the same description):
A large storeroom stands half filled, mostly with foodstuffs and boxes.

Myus' meeting room:
It is clear that much business is discussed in this room, with various important meetings taking place around a simple table with rich chairs.

Myus' bedroom:
A simple bedquarter, obviously for the master of the House, being adjacent as t is to the outer meeting room.

Secret passage:
This secret passage is damp with moisture, and the smell of the sea is heavy in the air.

Pelagon's study:
Spartan is an understatement for this room, containing only a simple desk. This is obviously not a place for meetings.

Pelagon's bedroom:
As spartan as the outer room is, this room is similar, but not quite as bad, containing a simple mirror on the wall.

Servant quarters (unused):
This room is the cramped common quarters, probably for he household staff.

Forge:
Over the soot filled air you can see that this is a small, and quite well kept, blacksmith shop.

Dining room:
You are in a common, informal, eating area.

Weapon storage room & armory:
You are in a small storage area, probably some sort of armory.

Itanos' council room:
You stand in a small council room. Despite the trapping of office, this Judge's room sees very little use, and obviously hasn't been dusted recently either.

The Roasted Haunch:
You are in a large common room of a pub. Meat roasts on a spit behind the bar to the north, and a small private room can be seen to the south.

Areithous' house:
You are in a simple, spartan household, though you can smell a hint of stale wine and roasting meat.

Larisa's house:
You are in a small dwelling, tastefully decorated, but the layer of dust indicates that nobody has been here recently.


Abandoned Farmhouse

Main room:
This is a deserted farmhouse, apparently empty for some time. The remains of a campfire are in the middle of the room, with cobwebs in the corner.

Flax room:
This smaller room in the abandoned farmhouse might have been used for storage, though it is hard to tell at this point.

Trapdoor room:
This tiny room of the farmhouse is unique because of the trapdoor in the northwest corner of the room.

Cellar:
You are in a damp, low ceilinged earthen room. Except for the light from the trapdoor above, it is pitch dark.


Iron Mine

Jhiaxus' room:
You are in some sort of natural cave, recently breached by the miners.


Cult of Scylla, Outer Temple

Hall with first statue (east):
This room contains a large statue in the center of it. It appears to be a man, with a look of bliss on his face.

Hall with second statue (west):
This room also contains a large statue, though it lacks some of the bliss of the first, instead it seems to have a look of awe.

Library:
It is unclear if this was some sort of library or lecture hall, but both desks and a shelf of books are found here.

Sleeping room?:
This room appears to have been the quarters for some worshippers. Simple rugs and the remains of the inhabitants are all that is seen.

Dining room:
Rows of tables and chairs are found here. The tables are stained with age and use.

Kitchen:
This is clearly the kitchen of the temple, with a door to the adjoining mess hall.

Aeacus' room?:
This room is some sort of private quarters, though not much remains after all these years.

Altar:
You've entered some sort of chapel or place of worship, for whatever power or being the inhabitants of the temple worshipped. There is some sort of presence that can almost be tasted, but the taste is bitter, and reeks of decaying seaweed.

Poisonous fountain:
You are in some sort of inner sanctum of the temple, with a natural dirt floor. A fountain bubbles in the northwest corner, and the air is filled with the stench of saltwater and decay.

Entrance of the cave west of the temple:
You are in a large cavern of some sort. It is filled with the stench of the sea, but with the low roof, you can't see far into it, though somewhere off to the west you hear the lapping of waves.


Tavara's Stronghold (without ring)

As you approach the building, it shimmers and then fades.

This post has been edited by BreadWorldMercy453: 01 April 2011 - 05:18 PM

I guess I'll post the scrolls too. The most interesting thing I noticed while typing up the scrolls is that the scroll in Alaric's desk is signed "Berrosus." I assume it means Berossus, but is it just a typo, or was it sent by an impersonator?

Omen's Test #1:
Welcome, Human, to my little test for you. It is not hard to pass, and will give you some of the skills you need to survive (though you may feel like a creature in a cage). I hope that Omen did not startle you. His appearance is strange, but don't let that deceive you.
You have already passed the first part of the test - you have read this note. Next, you must pull that nearby lever to open the gate, leading you to the next room. There you will find a locked trapdoor. Find the key, open it, and then go down the ladder.

Omen's Test #2:
Sorry, the key is not in this chest, but good try. Look to your south - notice anything interesting about the wall? Try using it...
Oh, you might want to use one of the torches in this chest, it will provide some light for you if you wield it in your hands...

Omen's Test #3:
Ah, very good, very observant, finding that second secret door, but not all discoveries like this lead to reward, unfortunately. However, this one does...

Omen's Test #4:
This room is trickier - the door is locked by a spell. You have but one chance to get this one open - take that strange looking object, what you would call a bomb. Pick it up, use it to light it, and then toss it so it lands right next to the door. Stand back and let time pass...

Omen's Test #5:
Not all levers are easily found - perhaps if you re-arranged things a bit here.... (don't worry - all the crates are empty so it is easy for you to move them, and you don't need to waste your time searching them!)

Alaric's desk:
My Liege:
House Comana has gained popular support in Cademia - House Attis not happy, but I detect no foul play. Will continue to investigate.
--Berrosus

Carried by Eudoxus:
D-
Kidnapping successful
Will send ransom note when you say we are ready
-E

Campfire in Cademia ghetto:
Treasure is safe - buried near bend in river. Trees planted 4 paces E, 7 paces W, 8 paces N and 4 paces south.

Desk in Ruffian Encampment:
Here's your latest supply of kesh, but we need more, so increase harvesting of harpy eggs - you must make your weekly quotas. Keep rationing your men, even when they are in camp - we don't want Alaric or the Mages to detect us. Once they are addicted, however, you can reduce to quarter doses to extend the supply yet maintain the protection. Despite minor setbacks of late (especially that idiot Antiphus), our plan still moves ahead. Make sure to impress that the price of failure is worse than any nightmare they can have (our allies will see to that), but success will reward them with more wealth than they know what to do with.

Bones in Cult of Scylla temple:
Aeacus, O.T.H.
Danger to the Outer Temple - Tyrant moves! The OT can fall, but we must preserve the Inner Brotherhood at all costs.
- -Tavara, I.B.H

My god that's a lot of text. Impressive.

Excellent work, BW! I've made a page for your room descriptions. Also, I could only find one additional room, the entryway to Myus' "Throne" room reads: "You are in a stark pillared hall. Besides main archways north and south, smaller archways lead east and west."

This post has been edited by The Wizard: 03 April 2011 - 01:46 AM

IIRC it also says "None is nearby" near the Abandoned Farmhouse. That's an awesome implementation of the guide, Wizard.

This post has been edited by Buzzzzy: 03 April 2011 - 03:34 AM

Thank you for double-checking for description and for putting it on your website, Wizzy!

Buzzy- it says that several places actually, I decided not to record it :\

I got around to looking at the room description webpage you made, Wizzy, and I think it's really cool! Way more useful than my plain text. I have a question though, you said you need to know Awareness to use the "look around" feature? I thought anyone could. Also, I think in Pnyx you have U and Z switched.

If the Cythera forums dedicated as much time to medical research as they do to uncovering everything about the game, then diabetes, herpes (types 1 and 2) and male pattern baldness would have all been cured by now.

This post has been edited by Rickton: 10 April 2011 - 09:52 AM

I think your priorities on which diseases to cure first might be a little off, Rickton.

Rickton, on 10 April 2011 - 09:52 AM, said:

Fix'd.

Two Jacks, on 10 April 2011 - 09:33 PM, said:

I'm not saying they're the ones that should be cured first, just that they're the ones that would be cured first.

This post has been edited by Rickton: 11 April 2011 - 03:29 PM

Actually, I'm inclined to suspect that if the Cythera forums (specifically 453 and Wizard) worked on medical research they'd be more likely to accidentally create some sort of biogenic plague than they would be to cure something .



Regarding the requirements for "look around," I believe 453 is correct: Awareness is not required for "look around" to work. However, if memory serves, "look around" is only an option in certain areas.

Also, Wizard and 453, how do you have time to do all this yet still do not have time to post in DM ?

Selax, on 16 April 2011 - 07:28 PM, said:

I think you can use it anywhere, it just doesn't say anything for most places. Never really checked the menu, but it would be kinda weird for it to just show up and then vanish at other times.

Doesn't Awareness just tell you the time?

Pretty much. You can also press "s" to detect secrets like secret passageways or spike traps. (You can also "detect secrets" if you know Eteocles' Traps skill, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't work on secret passageways or anything except spike traps. Correct me if I'm wrong ^_^)

I think it detects boulders from the ceiling as well. Basically it just looks up and down.

Everyone was quite right about "Awareness" being unnecessary for "Look Around." I've fixed the room descriptions page. Also, BW, I put your scrolls text on a page here. As long as I was doing a "Texts" page, I couldn't resist giving a combined guide that also gives the book texts and their locations. Pallas' page is a lot better for browsing and readability; I've included all the texts for completion's sake.

Thanks Wizzy! :D
One thing stuck out to me, that Apis agreed to pay 100 oboloi per barrel of wine. It seemed like a lot, I wondered if possibly it was a typo from 10. I went back to check my file, and it appears I forgot to transcribe it! Sorry! A barrel is probably pretty big though, so maybe it does cost 100 oboloi.

It is also worth noting that there are only two vineyards in Cythera, so that wine might be quite expensive if bought in quantity.