THE RISE AND FALL OF ZORKEdited by Mavis PeepersTHE GREAT DIFFUSIONEv ent 
causing the end of the Second Age of Magic 1247 GUE. 
THE GREAT DIFFUSI ONMagic was being used irresponsibly and evil magic had 
gotten the upper hand. 
THE GREAT DIFFUSIONThe Good Wizards decided that all magic and magic al 
devices, whether mechanical or enchanted, should be dispersed into the 
atmosphere with the hope that evil magic would be vanquished forever. 
Mo st Wizards and Mages lost their powers in the process. 
THE GREAT DIFFUSION The mage, Canuk, and the wizard, Trembyle, cast themselves 
a long life sp ell ensuring that they would eventually regain their powers. 
ESPIONAGEAn e vil spy was placed in the midst of the Good Wizards while they 
were plott ing the Great Diffusion, but the Good Wizards, being clever 
wizards, fed the spy false information. 
ESPIONAGEThe Good Wizards created a Wall of Ill usion as a decoy with which to 
trick the evil wizards into believing that all magic would be hidden behind it.
They then vaporized all the magic, both good and evil, (the decoy wall went, 
too), scattering it to the four winds. 
THE VALLEY OF THE SPARROWS AND SHANBARAfter the Great Diffusion th e cows got 
fatter, people slimmed down and the food got better. 
Life impr oved. 
THE NATURE OF EVILBut Magic and Evil cannot be destroyed. 
They can b e diffused but there will always be resurgences. 
EAST AND WEST SHANBARThe Valley of the Sparrows was renamed Valley of the 
Vultures. 
EAST AND WEST S HANBAREast and West Shanbar used to be divided by the Northern 
River. 
But East Shanbar mysteriously began to disappear. 
First the Inn, then the Ge neral Store, then Moodock's place all vanished. 
The west half of the brid ge still stands. 
THE VULTURESVultures arrived in the Valley of the Sparrow s and immediately 
began stealing. 
THE VULTURESThey stole illumynite from t he Dwarves. 
THE VULTURES. 
and started carrying people away. 
THE VULTURE SThe vultures act as the eyes and ears of Morphius. 
THE VULTURESEverything Morphius wants to study is turned into stone and 
carried away by the vul tures. 
ILLUMYNITEIllumynite is a glowing mineral mined by dwarves. 
ILLUMYNI TEOver the years, the evil magic percolating down through the soil 
was at tracted to the illumynite. 
ILLUMYNITEOriginally considered useless. 
Illumy nite is now used extensively for building underground. 
Valued for its gru e repellent qualities. 
Normal Illumynite will gradually lose its glow aft er prolonged exposure to 
sunlight and/or water. 
FEEBO'S FOLLYAlso known as THE CLUSTER. 
The Dwarven Miner Feebo found a large, peculiar chunk of Il lumynite. 
Everyone laughed at him and called it Feebo's Folly before a us e for 
illumynite was found. 
Illumynite is now a major product of the Dwar ven mines. 
FEEBO'S FOLLYFEEBO'S FOLLY BECOMES THE CLUSTER BECOMES MORPHIUS !The Cluster, 
as it gained power, renamed itself "Morphius. 
"FEEBO'S FOLLY The mage, Canuk, was mesmerized by the evil power of The 
Cluster and when he disappeared the Cluster lost its brilliance. 
ROOPERRooper talked the W izard Trembyle into going underground to investigate 
the disappearance of East Shanbar and other strange goings on. 
ROOPERRooper brought Moodock un derground where they, along with Trembyle and 
Canuk, formed a partnership to develop the glowing illumynite caverns as a 
resort. 
Canuk drew up pla ns for Dizzyworld and other land development prospects. 
ROOPERThe four par tners also built the prototype Orb. 
Bugs were being worked out of it when the partnership folded. 
The Orb can receive but it can't send. 
MORPHIUSMo rphius communicates with people through their dreams. 
MORPHIUSCanuk, under Morphius' influence, stole The Cluster. 
MORPHIUSCreated a Wall of Illusio n and built the citadel behind it for The 
Cluster/Morphius. 
MORPHIUSWHAT I S MORPHIUS DOING WITH HIS SAMPLES?Morphius is studying the best 
qualities of every life form and incorporating them into himself. 
MORPHIUSKeeping a ll the samples stone is very taxing for him. 
WHAT HAPPENED TO CANUK?Canuk seems to be taking instructions from the Cluster. 
WHAT HAPPENED TO CANUK?H e started acting peculiar after he came into contact 
with the Cluster at Bel Naire Temple. 
(See previous entry. ) He stole The Cluster and replaced it with a replica. 
WHAT HAPPENED TO CANUK?Rooper had to turn Canuk into a duck in self defense. 
THE CLIFFS OF DEPRESSIONAfter falling under Morphius ' spell, Canuk engineered 
the Cliffs of Depression in order to mine Trans lumynite. 
THE CLIFFS OF DEPRESSIONMorphius enslaved most of the people fro m East 
Shanbar to mine Translumynite to build his new empire. 
THE CLIFFS O F DEPRESSIONWorkers, whose bonding plants wilt while they are 
there, are stuck at the Cliffs of Depression as virtual slaves. 
THE CLIFFS OF DEPRESS IONThe translumynite, along with the illumynite stolen 
by the vultures, h as been used to build the Citadel behind the Wall of 
Illusion for Morphiu s. 
THE FLYING DISC OF FROBOZZThe Frobozz Magic Company manufactured Flying Discs 
that were used to shatter walls of illusion. 
The last remaining di sc was broken into pieces and hidden by the evil wizards 
before the Great Diffusion. 
THE FLYING DISC OF FROBOZZThe evil ones were waiting for the r ight time to 
gather the pieces together, re-forge them, and shatter the W all of Illusion 
to get to the magic hidden behind it. 
ANCIENT RUINSNear th e Holy Temple of Bel Naire there are ancient ruins, 
sculptures that, lege nd says, used to move. 
ANCIENT RUINSThey are the shrine to the six muses o f the arts. 
THE ANCIENT FORGEThe evil ones built a mechanical forge before The Great 
Diffusion to repair the Flying Disc of Frobozz after all its p ieces have been 
recovered. 
THE ANCIENT FORGEThe forge is disguised. 
THE ANC IENT FORGEThe forge is the shrine to the muses. 
THE ANCIENT FORGEThe Orb w ill focus the light needed to make the forge work. 
SURVIVORA game of strat egy involving two players in the guise of Wizard 
Trembyle and The mage Ca nuk, the only two survivors of The Great Diffusion. 
The Wizard Piece play s a compound move comprised of one straight and one 
diagonal move in one turn. 
SURVIVORThe Canuk Piece can move to any square on the board to block the 
Wizard Piece's movement. 
Whenever the Wizard Piece vacates a square on the playing board the square 
gives way to form a pit. 
The object of th e game is to occupy the last remaining square on the board. 
SURVIVORThe Wi zard Piece may pass on any turn. 
Appendix A - Songs of the Tree SpiritBase d on the Fabled Songs of Singing 
Tree in the Forest of the SpiritsI) You good soulMy friends have brought you 
to meYou must be kindYou must be lig ht footedAppendix A - Songs of the Tree 
SpiritBased on the Fabled Songs o f Singing Tree in the Forest of the 
SpiritsII) You will not get farWithou t our helpAppendix A - Songs of the Tree 
SpiritBased on the Fabled Songs of Singing Tree in the Forest of the 
SpiritsIII) Beyond the trees will be your taskPast fearful form will be your 
maskAppendix A - Songs of the Tr ee SpiritBased on the Fabled Songs of Singing 
Tree in the Forest of the S piritsIV) The veil of waterShall be yours 
alsoAppendix A - Songs of the T ree SpiritBased on the Fabled Songs of Singing 
Tree in the Forest of the SpiritsV) Listen to the WoodsWhen they 
whisperAppendix A - Songs of the T ree SpiritBased on the Fabled Songs of 
Singing Tree in the Forest of the SpiritsVI) In the Whispering WoodsThe 
Ferryman answers theeKeep one for t wo waysOr forever held there beAppendix A 
- Songs of the Tree SpiritBased on the Fabled Songs of Singing Tree in the 
Forest of the SpiritsVII) Man y things happen in the Forest of the SpiritsBe 
waryAppendix A - Songs of the Tree SpiritBased on the Fabled Songs of Singing 
Tree in the Forest of the SpiritsVIII) Nature Conservation isYour only hope 
for a future. 
Treat us kindlyDATA A sharp knife from homeMatches from Chuckle's Comedy 
ClubZorkmidsOne zork midThe key you found by the Old MillA living bonding 
plantA dying bonding plantAn almost dead bonding plantA dead bonding 
plantTele-Orb from IT an d L Corp. 
Tele-Orb with a dead batteryA rock. 
Good for throwing at things.
Strong climbing vinesSturdy, waterproof wooden planksThe raft you made fr om 
vines and planksAn old crank handleAn empty wooden boxDisease ridden m iceThe 
diseased mice you put in the boxRatsThe rats you put in the boxThe rats killed 
by diseased mice in the boxTickets to the fabulous Dizzyworl dA box of 
brassieresA glowing, red hot bra wireA wire remnant from the bo x of brasA 
broken piece of something round. 
Like a disc. 
Broken pieces of something roundThe six pieces of the Flying Disc of 
FrobozzThe re-forged Flying Disc of FrobozzA mud-encrusted rock. 
A gift from the Waif. 
A book i n some ancient Zorkian languageThe Book of 4 Jokes and Learned Essays 
Upo n ThemYour prize whistle from Rodney's FunCerealA truly fancy, but dull a 
nd rusty bejewelled swordA shiny swordWhat's left of your shiny swordThe 
bejewelled true Dwarven Sword of Zork. 
The Dwarven Sword of ZorkThe Dwarve n Sword glowing blue. 
Be careful. 
The Dwarven Sword is warning you of dang erThe token that Moodock gave youA 
silver flaskA silver flask within itA set of keys your friend Boos gave youA 
letter from Ben to Witch ItahPleas e read carefullyWitch Itah's walking 
stickPet batsBat guano laced with il lumynite11 marble tiles with writing on 
them. 
From a set of 12. 
An interac tive, multimedia frame with buttons2 illumynite rocks. 
They give off a su btle light. 
A glowing illumynite rock. 
It gives off a touch of light. 
A hor seshoe illumynite magnetBlueprints of one of Canuk's inventionsOne of 
Can uk's favorite spellsA duck eggA rag with the initials G. 
T. 
on itA rusty p iece of shiny metalA shiny piece of previously rusty metalAn 
empty bagA b agAn empty Thermozz for keeping drinks coldA Thermozz full ofA 
Thermozz p artially full ofA Thermozz with stale milkA box of everyone's 
favorite ce realRebecca's mirror. 
Highly reflectiveA frozen slab of steakA slab of st eakA smelly slab of 
rotting meatA pouch of fairy dust. 
A gift from the Fa iry. 
A slab of steak sprinkled with fairy dustThe legendary Return TalonA length of 
sturdy ropeA length of rope with the Talon tied to itThe neckla ce from the 
Troll. 
Pretty scaryThe Bowman Graham's bowThe Bowman Graham's arrows. 
Pretty handyScoop shaped shield from the TempleWear activated mi ner's 
illumynite helmetSword voucher from BlacksmithAshes. 
The remains of what you threw in. 
Molten metal. 
The remains of what you threw in. 
Irony S oap. 
Very strong. 
A glass full of rye. 
Want some? 'Course you do!An empty drinking glassGrues Day, Mumberbur 18, 1647 
GUEDear Itah,I'm sorry about the disagreement we had. 
I missyou very much. 
I can't remember what our a rgumentwas about, but I'm sure you were right and 
I waswrong. 
I'd like to take you sailing this weekendto make up. 
Please let me know as soon as po ssible. 
In person would be best. 
Yours sincerely,BenP. S. 
In case you are re ading this letter and you areNOT Witch Itah, please refer 
to the Postal C ode 115in the Encyclopedia Frobozzica. 
A ship in a bottleCan't you see? It 's a cage full of bats. 
An illumynite battery. 
Carrots from Snoot's Farm. 
Nothi ng photogenic here. 
that has no effectnothing happensthere is no reason to do thatdoes not 
respondnice throwtoo heavy. 
you missedyum. 
it's fullyo u can't get it that way. 
The vulture attacks you. 
and wounds youand kills younice kick???duplicated photoyou need a few more 
zorkmidsFor paying gu ests onlyThe meat you have is thawing. 
The meat you have is rotting. 
A drin k of milk. 
and you can see a little clearer. 
Another cup of milk, and yo u can see even better. 
Your vision is now so good, it's safe from any spel l. 
It's empty. 
You fall asleep, and dream. 
Nice throw, the vulture flies awa y. 
[1][2][5][10]The Keeper takes an illumynite rock from you. 
You are now c arryiGng theYou now have thein your inventoryYou drop theHere's 
to us!Who' s like us?Damn few,And they're all dead!It's a piece of something 
round!Y ou now have Boos' keys. 
You find yourself below the mill. 
The water wheel i s now turning. 
You beat Moodock at Survivor. 
The Blacksmith cheerfully acce pts the job. 
You got the Dwarven Sword back. 
You got the Dwarven Sword vouc her. 
You unducked Canuk. 
You reflected the duck spell. 
You opened the safe. 
Y ou can't tie that with vines. 
You built a raft with vines and wood planks. 
You are rafting rapidly down the river. 
Your raft drifts away after you ju mp onto the bridge. 
You pick up more zorkmids. 
You pick up some zorkmids. 
Ms . 
Peepers hears the bell and opens the door for you. 
Ms. Peepers gives you her notebook. 
You open the door with the key. 
You drop mice in the boxYou drop rats in the boxThe Waif gives you a giftYou 
paid for a room. 
That's a good place for illumynite. 
You found the prize!You've rented a boat. 
The m otor is running. 
You have a HOT wire!The wire is cooled. 
Y E O O W ! ! That 's hot!Ben teaches you the cow-hitch. 
You have permission to take the Witc h's stick. 
You have permission to take the bats. 
You have cured the Bowman' s blindness. 
You now have the Fairy Dust. 
You have been granted a magical f avor. 
Your Dwarven Sword has been blessed. 
A clump of hay was dropped nearb y. 
Vultures ignore that meat. 
Try another recipe. 
The vultures eat the rott en meat. 
and fall asleep. 
The meat is lightly coated with Fairy Dust. 
You can't reach that. 
Some coins fell on the ground. 
You solved the slide puzzl e. 
You exit Creeping Bogs. 
Fog closes behind you. 
You summon the Ferryman. 
T he Ferryman agrees to take you across the lake. 
Nothing happens. 
Try it el sewhere. 
The vulture can now take you anywhere on the map. 
A vulture flies by you. 
The Keeper gives you a piece of a broken disc. 
You tie the rope ont o the rail. 
You tie the rope on the rail with cow-hitch. 
You tie the talon to the end of the rope. 
You throw the rope across the riverThe rope with t alon flies back and makes a 
double rope bridge. 
That was refreshing!The vi nes prove resistant to pulling. 
Don't litter our rivers and streams. 
There is bat guano in the flask. 
There is a glowing blue potion in the flask. 
You now have some funny tastingis full ofThe roots are too deep. 
The hay can' t be burned that way. 
Drop it first. 
A clump o' burning hay. 
Your heart may be warm, but the cow gave you the cold boot. 
Spilt milk. 
Milk in an enviro nmentally correct container. 
Visit other pastures before another milking. 
U dderly the right way to treat a lady. 
The cow needs some nourishment. 
The c ow doesn't see any point in that. 
Maybe later. 
They all smile after your fi rst joke. 
A few chuckles after the second joke. 
Three jokes! They're laughi ng now. 
They're roaring after fourth joke. 
You win the contest!You tie the rope on the tree. 
You are suddenly invisible here. 
You release the bats. 
Yo u can't get the bats out of the cage. 
They've already heard that joke. 
The y're getting depressed. 
Obey all posted traffic rules. 
Talk to the audience instead. 
There is soapy water in the sink. 
disappears!It seems to be welde d to the plate. 
Your fancy shiny sword broke, but the magnet fell off. 
Oops ! Theslipped out of your nervous sweaty 
      hand!They've heard enough jokes. 
Don't get them started. 
Cliff gives you your prize. 
Are you serious?You nee d more pieces. 
The Flying Disc of Frobozz has been forged. 
You place the br oken pieces of the disc in the trencherYou found another mill.
You now hav e a private note from Ben. 
Yes, shrinkNo, don'tFlipping out your coordinat e system. 
The pile of leaves spring up in a trap. 
Your spring trap reward. 
S trike 1. 
Merely a scratch. 
Strike 2. 
Just a surface wound. 
Strike 3. 
The st atue has something in it. 
You gut a piece of something round. 
The fangs of death. 
Reverse arachnophobia. 
The road is clear. 
The Troll Leader dies. 
The T roll Leader fairly dusted. 
The Troll Leader sees it's not the Dwarven Swor d. 
Your throw miffed Troll Leader. 
How generous. 
And dangerous. 
The Troll Leader has enough junk. 
The Troll Leader doesn't know. 
Geography is not the Troll Leader's best subject. 
The Troll Leader lacks in social graces. 
The Troll Leader embarrassed by himself. 
He doesn't get around much. 
In his sha me, he flees, leaving you with the Necklace of Fear. 
You must enjoy being invisible. 
Your stench precedes you. 
Touched. 
Scary jewelry. 
He's scared. 
Lead ers deserve more respect. 
This blade's for you. 
Soporific. 
The Orc is fright ened by the Hellhound's bark!The Orc can still sense your 
presence!Flash photography not allowed in this part of the forest. 
Invisibility is plenti ful here. 
Eco-terrorism will be punished. 
Material gifts are not appropriat e. 
Familiar things are natural. 
Familiar places are natural. 
Familiar faces are natural. 
You could hurt someone doing that!Clockwise cranking for . 
Counter-clockwise cranking. 
Carrots ! Carrots ! Carrots !How gauche. 
He's got one thing left to say . 
One Troll Guard down. 
Don't get upset, but . 
Two Troll Guards down. 
Down with Troll invaders!No more Troll Guards. 
The statues can't be started yet. 
The trencher is empty. 
Final mano a mano with Morphius. 
The camera doesn't work here. 
Boos pours you a glass of rye. 
Clif f is now asleep. 
Cliff has re-awakened. 
The Waif would be happier someplace else. 
Cliff does not photograph well. 
Guess his 15 minutes are up. 
Your bag seems lighter. 
Actions speak louder than words. 
The Thermozz melts and van ishes!Something's fishy here. 
You don't have enough leverage. 
The duck IS talking!You can't put that object here. 
To each his own. 
Redistribute the wealth. 
Looks like the origin of hackey-sack. 
Something is clearly missing. 
It's too dangerous. 
Game saved. 
Game loaded. 
No one answers. 
That key doesn't seem to work here. 
Citadel Bridge is falling down . 
Falling down . 
1Fa lling down . 
2Citadel Bridge is rising up . 
Rising up . 
Rising up . 
Citadel Bridge is now safe for crossing. 
Continue downloading invento ry. 
Continue uploading inventory. 
You've found the other end of the tunnel! Right back where you left. 
Right?You need light to enter dark places. 
You need light and a weapon. 
Use your head. 
Can't do anything with this now. 
Th e Bowman ignores you. 
The Bowman leaves. 
That was sneaky. 
The match went out . 
Your local ZSPCA will hear about this!Ms. 
Peepers doesn't have anything more to say. 
Healthy Bonding Plant required for admission. 
The duck seems t o be magically protected. 
Your peripheral vision is dimming. 
Tunnel vision. 
Can you see the ga-lactic Milky Way?Your eyes have failed. 
The path is blo cked!The wire doesn't seem to work here. 
The match lights up the room. 
The helmet lights up the room. 
Head light is on. 
Head light is off. 
You can't us e that underwater. 
The Bowman leaves in a panic. 
Photography and paparazzi not allowed in Comedy Club. 
A punch line for your rude behavior. 
The forest will survive for others to enjoy. 
is empty. 
Rebecca is dead asleep. 
Can't do anything here now. 
That was close!Surprisingly, he has nothing to say. 
Surprisingly, he has nothing to say. 
No comment. 
She won't cover that subject. 
He says nothing. 
He's too drunk to answer. 
She keeps her comments to herself. 
He keeps his comments to hims elf. 
$@%&*!!%@^)$@%&*!!@%&*?$@!!No time for small talk. 
No time for small talk. 
He's too scared to answer. 
You expect HIM to know?You expect HIM to know?You expect HIM to know?Nothing 
funny about that. 
Nothing funny there. 
Not one of his customers. 
She's stumped. 
He's too tied up to reply. 
He's too spellbound to reply. 
She doesn't answer. 
Tha t triggers no response. 
That triggers no response. 
That doesn't stir up a response. 
Dead silence. 
She ducks the question. 
As you pull u p, the rats turn into stone. 
You can't use the boat. 
One-five-one proof, y ou hit the roof. 
It's pitch black here . 
just the way grues like it!The mouse doesn't provide enough power. 
You already paid for the boat!The Orc Guard can still sense your presence. 
The path to Victory is now blocked. 
He doesn't have any comments. 
He doesn't have any comments. 
He doesn't have a ny comments. 
The arrow shoots off errantly. 
You're a lousy shot. 
You now ha ve no note. 
You lay down to go to sleep. 
It's pitch black in here. 
Just the way grues like it. 
You are turning PURPLE!The mice scamper away. 
The vines burn to a crisp. 
The boards burn up, and the embers drift down the river. 
F rom the Desk of Rebecca SnootYou can't get a better grade that way. 
Your m atch burned out. 
There is no keyhole. 
You must first BOW to the hand of Mor phius. 
Error Number:Error Number:Rodent warning: Danger ahead. 
You are wide awake, so you don't need a room now. 
You are tired, you should rent a roo m. 
You broke the glass!You burnt the plant, but its seed will pro-cre-8 ag ain. 
He can't see you, as you are invisible. 
She can't see you, as you are invisible. 
Good going! You made Rebecca faint. 
A true swordsman is needed t o Disc-embowel the Boar. 
You're visible again. 
The potion does not seem to work in front of the duck. 
Apparently the Holy Woman does not appreciate m agic tricks. 
[15][20]You shattered the Wall of Illusion. 
Congratulations! Y our score is:Warning: check your decaying Bonding Plant. 
We warned you. 
Too bad. 
Now you're mulch. 
You pyro. 
You might have needed those. 
Finally, so mething big enough to hit!You politely returned the glass to Boos 
before leaving. 
As Morphius' terrible shriek of defeatechoes through the C itadel, he loses 
grasp ofhis confining spell. 
The statues that were your friendsbegin to dissolve. 
Rebecca,Rooper,the Holy Woman,Witch Itah,the Wiz ard Trembyle,and even 
Canukfinally escape Morphius' spell. 
Rising to the o ccasion,the followers of Good Magiccast long forgotten 
spellsto again dis perse Evil Magicand scatter the vile creature Morphiusinto 
the atmosphere . 
The events you triggered will be rememberedas the Second Great Diffusion !From 
every tower... to the depths of every crevice,Evil magic has vanishe d. 
Memories of your travelsthrough the enchanted empireunder the Valley of the 
Sparrowsmake you realizethat this legendary worldfull of danger,magi c, and 
mysteryis where you belong. 
Once you were a strangerin this strange world. 
Now your namewill forever be embeddedin the minds of all who dwell and toil in 
the Great Underground Empire. 
The chronicles of your adventure sand your perserverancewill be passedfrom 
generation to generation. 
You have freed Zork from Evil Magicand changed the lives of everyone!Well. 
almost everyone. And finally, you meet Rooper. 
You're obviously a hard-core Zork fan to hang around all the way through the 
credits. 
So as a reward, we'd like to tell you something about the world of Zork. 
Nothing's ever over.