"Our
doom is sealed."
Y'Gael turned away from the window overlooking the Great Sea. "The Guildmaster nears the end of his final quest," she said softly. "When he succeeds, for succeed he will, our powers shall cease to be."
The silence was unbroken for a long minute. Then a tiny voice near the door peeped, "Forever?"
"No." The old woman leaned forward on her staff. "The Age of Science will endure long; no one in this room can hope to outlive it. But our knowledge need not die with us -- if we act at once to preserve our priceless heritage."
"Wherein lies your hope, Y'Gael?" demanded a salamander in the front row. "What Magick is proof against the death of Magick itself?"
Y'Gael's dry chuckle stilled the murmur of the crowd. "You forget your own history, Gustar. Are you not author of the definitive scroll on the Coconut of Quendor?"
A tumult of amphibious croaks and squeals drowned out Gustar's retort. Y'Gael hobbled over to a table laden with mystical artifacts, selected a small stone and raised it high.
"The Coconut is our only hope," she cried, her eyes shining in the stone's violet aura. "Its seed embodies the essence of our wisdom. Its shell is impervious to the ravages of Time. We must reclaim it from the Implementors, and hide it away before its secrets are forgotten!"
The shrill voice of a newt rose above the cheering. "And who will steal this Coconut from the Implementors?" he scoffed. "You, Y'Gael?"
The violet aura faded at his words. "Not I, Orkan," replied Y'Gael, shaking the lifeless stone and replacing it with a sigh. "The fabric of Magick is unravelling. We dare not rely on its protection. Another champion must be sought; an innocent unskilled in the lore of enchantment, who cannot know the price of failure, or recognize the face of death."
Orkan's squeak was skeptical. "Suppose your champion succeeds in this hopeless quest. What will become of the Coconut?"
Y'Gael turned to face the sea once more. "It will await the coming of a better age," she replied, her voice trembling with emotion. "An age beyond Magick, beyond Science ..."
Thus started the game, Beyond Zork.