The black smoke you have been following is emerging from the top of the machine, and from close up, it no longer looks exactly like smoke.
You stand on the roof of the tower before a very large machine. Dials, levers, and buttons abound, giving it a very complex look.
Before you stands the wizard. "You can never stop my plan to destroy the world. My machine will remove all good from it, and there is nothing you can do. You may, however, die!"
You are in the uppermost room of the tower. There is a window in the eastern wall, through which a loud clanging sound is heard. There is also an odd circular pattern of stones set into the floor in the center of the room.
Chained to the northern wall is a very large basilisk. The numerous statues around the room are no doubt former victims.
You are on the second floor of the tower, and stairs go both up and down from here. From above, you hear a faint clanging sound.
A spectre is gliding about the room, apparently confined here by some sort of spell. If so, it is probably not going to be pleased.
You are at the base of the what is probably the tower you saw from outside the castle. In the southwest corner, stairs rise to the next floor.
In fact, it probably came from the irate-looking vampire who has just emerged from the coffin. He looks hungry.
You are in an odd little room, in which a coffin has been placed on a marble slab against the western wall. The odor you smelled in the hall obviously came from this room.
You wonder what the wizard needs weapons for. You have not seen any guards who would use them, and considering the difficulty of your entrance to the castle, there is probably not a need for them.
You are in the castle's armory. Various weapons stand in a weapons rack on the wall. It is a small, but effective, arsenal.
You wonder if the smell could be coming from the pit that has claimed the southern end of the room, leaving the southern door inaccessible.
This small hallway, which extends from north to south, has a door in each of its four walls. The smell of death pervades the room.
At the moment, however, the shelves are almost bare. You wonder what the wizard must be eating these days. You decide that you probably don't want to know.
You are in a small closet adjoining the kitchen. This room is probably used for storage of food and other small necessities.
The kitchen is surprisingly clean for such a castle. Most castle kitchens have sawdust on the floor to catch the blood, but the floor here is remarkably clean.
This is the kitchen of the castle. Cabinets line the eastern wall, and a small stool stands beside them.
There is also a very nice lab bench against the western wall. It appears to be a solid slab of marble. This room obviously gets a lot of use as you can tell from the mess.
You are standing in the wizard's alchemy shop. A large cauldron stands in one corner, with a bubbling liquid in it. Considering that there is no fire under it, you wonder what makes it bubble.
One large bookshelf covers all of the walls except the eastern wall, which contains a staircase. There is also a large table in the center of the room.
You are in what appears to be the wizard's library. It is obviously very dear to him, considering what you had to go through to get here. You hope there are no more surprises in store for you here.
A single door stands in the center of each of the four walls. If it weren't for your incredibly good sense of direction, it would be very easy to forget which direction is which.
You are in a very large, square room. The ceiling is very tall, and in fact, the room is probably a perfect cube.
These decorations are very ugly, and you wonder what kind of person would want to have them in the entrance to his home.
You are in the entry hall of the castle. A long rug covers most of the floor, and a tapestry hangs on the western wall.
You hope that the wizard doesn't have any more tricks up his sleeve, for now at least. It would be very easy for someone to knock you over the edge of the abyss.
You are on a small ledge outside the castle gates. Behind you looms the chasm, seeming larger and more menacing now without the obelisk.
You have a better view of the castle from here, and can see that the smoke is actually rising from the castle's highest tower.
You are in a very swampy area next to the chasm. The darkness here is enhanced not only by the height of the trees, but by the shadow of the castle to the south.
The chasm is straddled by a puzzling granite obelisk, behind which the gates of a small castle can be seen. The black smoke can be seen rising apparently from the castle itself.
The southern end of the path comes to an abrupt stop here at a seemingly bottomless chasm. Mud and water slowly trickle over the edge from the swampy ground, causing you to wonder how the swamps manage to stay wet.
There is more more mud here than there is water, and you suspect that some of the small sandy-looking patches of ground are actually quicksand.
You are in a very wet, very dark swamp. You have managed to find a somewhat firm place to stand, deciding that further travel is hopeless.
To the south, you can barely make out black smoke through the thick foliage. It appears to be getting rapidly thicker. You fear you may not have much time left.
You are on a path going north to south. The lands on either side have become very wet and muddy, and a certain decaying smell leads you to believe that you are entering swampland.
The odd creatures you saw from above you now can tell are nothing but large amphibians whose purpose is to eat the carrion floating by. They are indeed obviously harmless.
You are underneath the bridge, on a small rock jutting into the stream. The putrid waters flow lazily by, and the stench is almost overwhelming.
The bridge was apparently constructed by someone who did not wish to touch the waters of the river. It is very sturdy, and seems new.
You are standing on a large bridge crossing a small river. The waters of the river below are brown and smell of death. Dead fish float on the surface, and you can see other nameless, possibly harmless things underneath.
One of the fir trees here has died altogether. Its many branches lie bare of needles, and it looks as if it will fall soon.
You are in the middle of a very sickly-looking section of forest. The darkness seems very oppressive here.
A large oak stands here, seeming to avoid the disease and decay that has stricken the other trees here. A large branch sticks out from the rest, lying right at eye level.
You are in the middle of the woods, surrounded by trees on all sides. The area is shrouded in darkness, except for a small amount of dim light coming from the east.
You decide that nothing can turn you aside from your quest. Your fate rests with whatever lies within this forest.
You are on the path leading south into the deepest, darkest forest in the Valley of Peril. You suspect that the secret to your quest lies somewhere inside. A few days before you got here, you saw the ominous black smoke rising from the south.
