PARADOX
Runesoft
by J. A. SLACK

Paradox is an escape from reality, but can you escape from Paradox?

The hero of the adventure begins his journey at the entrance to a cave and
walks into a realm of fantasy, nightmare and hallucination.  At times he does
not know what is real and what isn't. Old childhood nightmares race from deep
within his subconscious mind and confront him with paradoxes and riddles which
he must solve, not only to complete his quest (which will only become apparent
to him as he progresses through the realms of Dream), but also to safeguard his
life.

Our hero does not travel alone. In a realm such as this, sanity is soon
mislaid, and so to give him a fighting chance, the Lords of Chaos have allowed
him one ally. This ally remains unseen by our hero and communication is allowed
only through mind-contact.

The hero is aware of his ally's presence but at first will probably be a little
untrusting.  However, as the adventure unfolds before him, he will look to the
advice of someone who can step back and view his situation objectively. It is
very hard, when in a land of constantly changing realities, to view the quest
as a whole, rather than a collection of disjointed parts. Even standing aside
and looking at the cities, riddles and paradoxes, the answers are not obvious.
Our hero's mentor will need his/her wits about him/her with a good sense of
logic, along with an open mind to be able to see the logic hidden within a
paradox.

You have been chosen by the Lords of Chaos to guide our hero - if you can. You
have no choice in the matter. You have been chosen.

Our hero's sanity and his very life, are in your hands. if he dies during his
quest, your life will be spared, but be warned; the bridge between sanity and
madness is a very narrow one - and your sanity is not sacrosanct.

The Lords of Chaos, fond as they are of the complete disruption of Order, like
their amusement to last. It's no fun if the joke is over in a moment and so
they have provided a few hints that you should heed well.

You are aware of the four divisions of the realm of Dream. They are: The
Tunnel; The Gamesboard; The Crystal Palace; The Magicians Rooms. The Tunnel
will lead our hero to the gamesboard, The main danger here is to his life.

The gamesboard will provide clues and riddles which must be solved to gain
entrance to the Crystal Palace.

The Palace is more a place designed to shock sanity rather than to destroy
life, but death is possible. The clues are well hidden and not immediately
apparent. The Magicians Rooms are situated at the top of the Palace.

The influence of powerful magic is very strong here and nothing should be taken
at face value. Inanimate objects and even the rooms themselves will try to
confuse or even actively hinder any progress through them.

One final warning:
This is not going to be easy. In fact this will probably be the hardest task
you've ever been set. Remember - in giving these hints, the Lords of Chaos have
made all the concessions they are prepared to. Their game has no rules.

We will not wish you luck, luck has nothing to do with it. You're on your own.
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PARADOX (C) RUNESOFT 1984
(INTERPRETER (C) GILSOFT 1983)
