The Diary of Kul'Mush, Gnomish Thief
CCC
and skill it take it. With my leather armour, short sword, gnomish
boots and throwing dagger, I look like a respectable Gnomish
adventurer - my thieves' picks I will keep hidden in my pack until I
need them.
The most important things that a thief needs are the eyes to spot
valuables, and the dexterity to take them without the owner noticing.
And I have both... though my knowledge and my strength I can also fall
back on.
Take the elf wizard back in the last town, for example. I swapped his
ring for a worthless one I had picked up, and sold it for 78 gold
before he'd woken up.
I travel light - but it seems there is a friendly village not far
away...
1 Unicorn, 10:28:05
Terinyo is a busy, bustling village, and I will probably need to come
back before too long. No use taking chances picking pockets here,
then.
Munxip includes a table, chair, and a full set of cutlery with each
ration. I'll be able to eat in luxury, but not to travel in luxury. I
wonder if he does it to save his customers the trouble of dealing with
pickpockets like me?
And how did he know m name? I certainly didn't introduce myself... I
hope that the rumours of the Rayawaf jewel heist haven't got here. The
sheriff would have me in the jail in a trice if he heard about that...
10:43:31
I have a quest. To find out what happened to the carpenter. Rynt
assures me that he will give me valuable information on the location
of the Chaos Gate if I can prove myself in this manner.
Prove myself, huh. Why does everyone always want an adventurer to
prove himself? It makes it so much harder to pretend to be one.
I seem to have two choices, now; either I can hunt down the carpenter,
or I can hunt down a less savoury contact to find something out from.
And none of the houses in here have the Thief's Guild symbols carved
into the doorframe... and it's not somewhere that I can exactly ask
for directions to, either.
Maybe I should see if I can see what this carpenter got himself into.
It can't hurt to look... and if it does, I'll retreat and start
looking for the nearest Guild chapter.
22:05:35
Despite having been up all day, I'm not in the least tired. Those
potions of sleeplessness are wonderful; the ratling selling them must
be very rich. Perhaps I should pay him a professional visit on my way
out?
On the other hand, he did do me a favour by selling it, and I can
expect his wealth to be guarded by guards who really never sleep.
Have tracked down the cave that the carpenter went to. So far, the
only inhabitant I've met has been a giant rat; who will not raise the
alarm.
22:26:18
Found a room with an evil taint, but there was 20 gold on the floor,
so I came out ahead. Still no sign of the carpenter.
2 Unicorn, 00:00:29
My throwing dagger has been of excellent use, disposing of several
monsters before they could reach me. I'm now on the second level of
this complex; no sign of the carpenter, but I am certainly finding a
great variety of stuff...
0:33:11
Got blindsided by a goblin rockthrower. Must remember I'm not the only
one down here who can throw things. Fortunately, he missed.
Resolved to be more alert in future.
3:42:47
Still looking for the carpenter. I found a couple of spiders, but they
fell to my sword.
Good grief, I'm even talking like an honest adventurer now.
4:33:23
I'm four years older than I was last time I wrote anything in this
diary. Turns out one of the bat I'd killed wanted revenge and its
ghost came back to haunt me... amazingly, a sword works against
ghosts, too (though it's not easy).
5:14:25
I do not like fire beetles. Their hard shell means it takes a lot of
sword whacking to get through to them.
8:46:47
Met a healer called Jharod. He offers to teach me something if I learn
how to demonstrate mercy.
Picking his pocket would probably not count; so I'll leave him alone.
The problem is, I'm pretty sure the only way to find the carpenter is
down... through a dark room.
It's not that I'm scared of the dark. I wouldn't have become a thief
if I was scared of the dark, you understand. It's just...
...well, I'm scared of being the one with a torch. Light sources and I
do not get along well at all. Holding one, after all, makes you a
target...
I have a torch. I just don't like having to use it.
16:01:43
That was... surreal. I met a creature down here that was, in some
undefinable way, me.
Seriously. It was me. It wasn't dressed the same, but - I heard a
wizard once going on about the nature of time and what happens if you
meet yourself. I hope that wasn't really a future me that I just
killed.
I'm beginning to regret having ever listened to that wizard. Not that
I'd had a choice - if I'd moved, he'd have noticed me, and I'd have
never got that scroll the Guild wanted.
Still, the other me had a blazing potion - I'll put it with the pink
one. (I don't trust the pink one. What goes into it to make it pink?)
16:49:33
Have lost Yriggs for the moment. The man has gone mad, fighting the
air, hacking at shadows. I can but hope that the healer can do
something for him... because I certainly can't. Fortunately, or
unfortunately, he follows willingly enough... I should be able to lead
him back. I'm fighting as defensively as I know how, dodging his mad
blows like a craven coward; I even equipped the wooden shield I'd
picked up earlier. (Turns out the thing's cursed, but better a cursed
shield than no arm at all. Curses can be removed. So can arms,
unfortunately.)
---This manuscript was found on the body of Yriggs, the insane
carpenter, one flor below the room where Jharod's consulting room is
believed to have been. The body of a gnome was found, bearing marks
corresponding to Yrigg's hatchet; just beyond it was the body of a
bandit, bearing similar marks. It is believed that Kul'Mush may have
been trapped between Yriggs and the bandit; and one shield did not
serve to save him from both.---
Sandra
character and the references to the game mechanics are often witty.
My favorite part from this one :)
> Prove myself, huh. Why does everyone always want an adventurer to
> prove himself? It makes it so much harder to pretend to be one.
Poor Kul'Mush, many an adventurer fell to the mad carpenter in one
corridor or another.
s.
gut
@l13g2000yqb.googlegroups.com:
> Wealth untold awaits in the Drakalor Chain, for those with the courage
Wow! What a nice surprise! I normally check the NG
every month or so, and come away disapointed. Nice
to see some good stuff being posted here again.
AlexFullmoon
lifesigns. I remember what it was just 3 years ago... Hope JADE will
help.