Walkthru for _The Firebird_ by Bonnie Montgomery
Walkthru by Brendan Desilets, with help from Bonnie Montgomery, 1999

_The Firebird_ by Bonnie Montgomery combines skillful storytelling,
colorful characters, and rollicking humor to create a truly enjoyable
work of interactive fiction. The story offers lots of entertaining
problems, none of them especially difficult to solve, though,
occasionally, for lack of a synonym or some such nicety, the reader may
become stuck. That's where this walkthru, which is constructed in such a
way as to discourage its own use, comes in. For those who prefer a "bare
bones" solution, there's such a beast at the end of this document. Many
of the _Firebird_ puzzles have multiple solutions and almost all are
relatively easy.

Here are some simple hints for dealing with parser and synonym problems
in the story. For many readers, these may be all the help that's needed.
When Ivan is trying to move some earth, the one-word command "DIG" may
work better than other expressions. Similarly, the single word "ENTER"
is sometimes better than more complex formulations. The key words in
communicating with the allergist are "STING," or "TREATMENT," or
"INJECTION," or "SHOT," or "MEDICINE."


The user's input appears in upper case letters throughout this walkthru.

As young Prince Ivan, in this retelling of the famous Russian folk tale,
you begin in a forest, hunting. Let's start by trying to get a broader
view of the forest by typing U (for "up"). Bump. We didn't get very
high, but we did scare up some game, a flicker. PUT ARROW IN BOW.
Whenever the quarry tries to escape, FOLLOW BIRD. AIM ARROW AT BIRD.
SHOOT BIRD. TAKE BIRD. (This would be a good time to abandon this
walkthru and explore until you need more help, if you ever do.)

Now go S and S again. GIVE BIRD TO CATERER. There's a lovely and
unfamiliar young woman here. LOOK AT WENCH. TAKE MASK. LOOK AT MASK.
LOOK AT BUSBOY. TAKE ALL.

It look as though we're finished here for now. Let's explore more of the
forest. N, N, E, E. Here's a baba yaga, or witch. That bag she has looks
interesting. DRINK COFFEE. PUT CUP IN BAG. That may be a useful
transformation. Let's try some others. PUT PLATE IN BAG. EAT SANDWICH.
PUT PLATE IN BAG. PUT FORK IN BAG. PUT KNIFE IN BAG. PUT NAPKIN IN BAG.

Time for a bit more exploration. W, W, N, N, N, N. How can we trick
those adoring groupies, who'll destroy our allergy-plagued skin with
their lipstick? (This is another good time to put the walkthru aside.)

(Spoiler Space)








WEAR MASK. N, N. Now we want to get the allergist to treat us, but his
command of synonyms is somewhat limited, and we have to phrase our
request with precision. ASK ALLERGIST ABOUT STING. ALLERGIST, GIVE
STING. ME.

LOOK AT MASSEUR to discover his true identity. You're not the only royal
brother who's hiding from the rest of the world.

Let's explore a bit further. N. TAKE COIN. LOOK AT COIN. N.

Here at the inn, we can collect a number of items, some very useful,
from the trash pile, and hear a few funny stories as we wait for folks
to dump the goodies. WAIT, repeatedly )or investigate the horse, the
groom, or the tavern while you wait, and TAKE items from the pile, until
you have collected GREENS, a WHITE FLASK, a BLACK FLASK, and a
MATCHBOOK. The flasks are especially interesting. During your subsequent
travels, experiment with them as much as you can, until you figure out
how they work.

Now it's time to explore the forest further. S. S. S. S. S. S. SW. W. W.
W. At the wall, READ PLAQUE for a really broad hint, and then throw away
this walkthru, because you're really ready to have some fun now if you
work on the problems yourself.

Go SW. Then, in the newly dug bed, DIG. On the other side of the wall,
go NORTH, where you'll find the classic (more or less) fairy tale frog.
READ FROG. KISS FROG. KISS FROG. KISS FROG. Oops, no amphibian prince or
princess here. KILL MANIAC WITH SWORD.

Now for some more exploring of the land encircled by the wall. Go SOUTH,
then EAST, then UP into the tree. Go UP again, and then UP one more
time. WAIT until the Firebird appears, and then, to effect a gentle
capture, PUT BLANKET ON BIRD.

Climb DOWN, TAKE FRUIT, and then go DOWN again to the ground. Could any
folk hero resist the pleas of the poor Firebird? You certainly
shouldn't. RELEASE BIRD. If you do not have everything you need for your
further adventures, the firebird will ask you a question. Answer YES and
READ LIST.

It's time to go back under the wall, and to head for the caterer's camp
again. W. D. NE. E. E. NE. S. S. S. After collecting what the Firebird
requested, we'll be ready to go on to the eastern part of the story,
which has been unavailable to us until now. N. N. N. E. NE. When the
story asks a witty question about saving your soul, you might as well
answer YES.

Now we must deal with the ferrymen. They represent a problem that is not
too difficult and great fun to solve, so go ahead and solve it without
this walkthru. (Spoiler Space)


























At the first river, GET IN FERRY. WAIT, then WAIT again. Now you'll have
to pay the ferryman, one way or another. GIVE COIN TO FERRYMAN. But, as
it turns out, you'll need that coin later, so KILL FERRYMAN WITH SWORD.
TAKE COIN.

In order to follow a rather direct route through the story, we'll now
look for a way to circumvent those other ferrymen. It's more fun,
though, to try to deal with them one by one. Go ahead. Try it.

How can we get around those other grim toll-takers? Go WEST. SWIM IN
RIVER. On the new shore, we find a fish out of water, a pike. TAKE PIKE.
LOOK AT PIKE. PUT PIKE IN SEA.

Now we enter the world's easiest maze. Go SE. NOTE 2. READ TRAIL. S. SE.
S. S. S.

Emerging from the maze, we come upon our murderous brother Vasilii. KILL
VASILII WITH SWORD. LOOK AT VASILII. Now, let's see. How might we win
over a dead brother? SPRINKLE WATER OF DEATH ON VASILII. SPRINKLE WATER
OF LIFE ON VASILII. (But there's another, less messy way to deal with
Vasilii. See if you can find it.)

It's time to head for the evil wizard's mountain. Go EAST, then
SOUTHEAST. There's a strange-looking rock here. LOOK AT ROCK. OPEN DOOR.
ENTER. Inside the cave, LOOK AT DEBRIS. Then, DIG, DIG, DIG, DIG. Now we
have the right tools for mountain climbing.

EXIT. LOOK. Go NORTHWEST, and WEAR CLAWS. Time to do some climbing. Go
UP. Here's a very strange building. How might we get in? Note the color
of the place. (Spoiler Space)














REMOVE CLAWS. N. LOOK AT DOOR. PUT COIN IN SLOT. Here's a character
worth chatting with. BIRD, HELLO. ASK WOMAN ABOUT FIREBIRD. ASK WOMAN
ABOUT WIZARD.

Back outside the edifice, WEAR CLAWS and go UP. REMOVE CLAWS and go
NORTH. LOOK AT DOOR. LOOK AT UTENSIL. PUT UTENSIL IN SLOT. Once again,
we encounter someone with a real story to tell. ASK WOMAN ABOUT
FIREBIRD. ASK WOMAN ABOUT WIZARD.

We find ourselves outside again, ready for more climbing. WEAR CLAWS. U.
REMOVE CLAWS. LOOK AT DOOR. PUT NUGGET IN SLOT. And here's the Firebird
once again! ASK FIREBIRD ABOUT FIREBIRD. ASK FIREBIRD ABOUT WIZARD. Keep
the conversation going until the Firebird makes it clear that she has
nothing more to say.

One more climb. WEAR CLAWS. U. REMOVE CLAWS. E. E. NE. SE. W. It looks
as though the giant serpent is blocking our entry into the palace, but
we have the wherewithal to deal with the monster. Take an inventory (I),
and figure it out. (Spoiler Space)
















PUT CHAIN ON CENSER. PUT HERBS IN CENSER. LIGHT MATCH. PUT MATCH IN
CENSER. SWING CENSER AT SERPENT. Now we can pass. Go W, ENTER, and meet
another character who has a great deal to say.

Now, let's go looking for the egg that we can use to defeat the wizard.

EXIT. E. NW. SW. W. W. WEAR CLAWS. D. D. D. D. REMOVE CLAWS. W. L. N.
READ TRAIL. N. N. N. N. NE. SW. S. W. NW.

Here we are at the sea, once again, not far from that island to the
north. Is this the isle that hides the egg? Go NORTH to reach the
island, then NORTH again.

We should probably try to help this unfortunate bear. MOVE TREE. FALLEN.
FREE BEAR. PUSH TREE. FALLEN. Apparently, we weren't much help, but it's
a small island. Maybe we'll get to try again later. In fact, if we
LISTEN, we'll hear that he's not far away. (Actually, it is possible to
free the bear before he loses his paw. Check your inventory and see if
you can figure it out).

Go NORTH, and find another creature in need, a baby otter. TAKE OTTER.
Let's try to return the baby to the sea. S. S. PUT OTTER IN SEA. Once
again, we haven't been able to help much.

N. N. N. Yet another animal in trouble, this time a hawk. FREE HAWK.
UNTANGLE VINES.

N. Here we find a pond and a log, just what we've been seeking. LOOK AT
LOG. TAKE LOG. NW. TAKE LOG. CLIMB TREE. We're closer to getting the log
now. Maybe the rain will help. WAIT until the pond level rises
sufficiently, and then TAKE LOG.

Let's explore the island further. D. SE. NE. NE. Here's the bear again,
now we can really help the creature. How? (Spoiler Space)



















SPRINKLE WATER OF DEATH ON BEAR. And we can help the otter, too, once we
see that his mama is here looking for him. PUT OTTER IN SEA.

SW. SW. NW. Let's break open that log. HIT LOG WITH SWORD. Apparently
our good deeds are being rewarded. TAKE HARE. TAKE DUCK. We seem to have
animal allies everywhere. TAKE EGG. LOOK IN OCEAN.

Are we finally ready to confront our nemesis, the wizard? SW. S. SW. S.
S. S. S.

S. SE. S. SE. S. S. S. E. WEAR CLAWS. U. U. U. U. REMOVE CLAWS. E. E.
NE. SE. W. I. PUT HERBS IN CENSER. LIGHT MATCH. PUT MATCH IN CENSER.
SWING CENSER AT SERPENT. W. GO IN.

Here we are in the wizard’s castle again, but this time we have the egg
and lots of enthusiastic allies. OPEN DOOR, and confront the
overconfident wizard and his bodyguards. BREAK EGG.

And, finally, we arrive at the Cathedral of Our Lady, in triumph and in
charge. NOTE 6. DIMITRI, MARRY ELENA. VASILII, MARRY SILVER. (Try some
other combinations, too.)

MARRY PEARL.

Now go back and try the many other variations that _The Firebird_
offers!


Here’s the barebones version of this walkthru.
U
PUT ARROW IN BOW
FOLLOW BIRD (when it moves away)
AIM ARROW AT BIRD
SHOOT BIRD
TAKE BIRD
S
S
GIVE BIRD TO CATERER
LOOK AT WENCH
TAKE MASK
LOOK AT BUSBOY
TAKE ALL
N
N
E
E
DRINK COFFEE
PUT CUP IN BAG
PUT SPOON IN BAG
I
PUT PLATE IN BAG
EAT SANDWICH
PUT PLATE IN BAG
PUT FORK IN BAG
PUT KNIFE IN BAG
PUT NAPKIN IN BAG
W
W
N
N
N
N
WEAR MASK
N
N
ALLERGIST, GIVE STING
ME
N
TAKE COIN
LOOK AT COIN
N
LOOK AT PILE
Z
TAKE GREENS
Z
Z
TAKE FLASK
LOOK AT FLASK
Z
Z
Z
Z
NOTE 1
Z
Z
Z
TAKE FLASK
LOOK AT FLASK
BLACK
Z
TAKE MATCHBOOK
S
S
S
S
S
S
SW
W
W
W
READ PLAQUE
SW
DIG
(the newly dug bed)
(with the shovel)
N
READ FROG
KISS FROG
G
G
KILL MANIAC WITH SWORD
S
E
U
U
U
Z
Z
PUT BLANKET ON BIRD
D
TAKE FRUIT
D
RELEASE BIRD
Y
READ LIST
W
D
NE
E
E
NE
S
S
S
N
N
N
E
NE
Y
GET IN FERRY
Z
Z
GIVE COIN TO FERRYMAN
KILL FERRYMAN WITH SWORD
TAKE COIN
W
SWIM IN RIVER
TAKE PIKE
LOOK AT PIKE
PUT PIKE IN SEA
SE
NOTE 2
READ TRAIL
S
SE
S
S
S
KILL VASILII WITH SWORD
LOOK AT VASILII
SPRINKLE WATER OF DEATH ON VASILII
SPRINKLE WATER OF LIFE ON VASILII
E
SE
LOOK AT ROCK
OPEN DOOR
ENTER
LOOK AT DEBRIS
DIG
DIG
DIG
DIG
EXIT
L
NW
WEAR CLAWS
U
REMOVE CLAWS
N
LOOK AT DOOR
PUT COIN IN SLOT
BIRD, HELLO
ASK WOMAN ABOUT FIREBIRD
ASK WOMAN ABOUT WIZARD
WEAR CLAWS
U
REMOVE CLAWS
N
LOOK AT DOOR
PUT UTENSIL IN SLOT
ASK WOMAN ABOUT FIREBIRD
ASK WOMAN ABOUT WIZARD
WEAR CLAWS
U
REMOVE CLAWS
LOOK AT DOOR
PUT NUGGET IN SLOT
ASK FIREBIRD ABOUT FIREBIRD
ASK FIREBIRD ABOUT WIZARD
ASK FIREBIRD ABOUT HERBS
WEAR CLAWS
U
REMOVE CLAWS
E
E
NE
SE
W
I
PUT CHAIN ON CENSER
PUT HERBS IN CENSER
LIGHT MATCH
PUT MATCH IN CENSER
SWING CENSER AT SERPENT
W
GO IN
EXIT
E
NW
SW
W
W
WEAR CLAWS
D
D
D
D
REMOVE CLAWS
W
L
N
READ TRAIL
N
N
N
N
NE
SW
S
W
N
NW
N
N
MOVE TREE
FALLEN
FREE BEAR
FREE PAW
PUSH TREE
FALLEN
N
TAKE OTTER
S
S
PUT OTTER IN SEA
N
N
N
FREE HAWK
UNTANGLE VINES
N
LOOK AT LOG
TAKE LOG
NW
TAKE LOG
CLIMB TREE
TAKE LOG
D
SE
NE
NE
SPRINKLE WATER OF DEATH ON BEAR
PUT OTTER IN SEA
SW
SW
NW
HIT LOG WITH SWORD
TAKE HARE
TAKE DUCK
TAKE EGG
LOOK IN OCEAN
SW
S
SW
S
S
S
S
S
SE
S
SE
S
S
S
E
WEAR CLAWS
U
U
U
U
REMOVE CLAWS
E
E
E
NE
SE
W
I
PUT HERBS IN CENSER
LIGHT MATCH
PUT MATCH IN CENSER
SWING CENSER AT SERPENT
W
GO IN
OPEN DOOR
BREAK EGG
NOTE 6
DIMITRI, MARRY ELENA
VASILII, MARRY SILVER
MARRY PEARL


--
____________________________________________________________________
Brendan Desilets
Assistant Kidforum Manager
Teacher and Internet Consultant
John Glenn Middle School
Bedford, Massachusetts, USA
781-275-1700
http://pages.prodigy.net/desilets
http://users.massed.net/~desilets/class/
____________________________________________________________________

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