Chapter 3: Burglar in the Barrow-downs
Quote:
Vault: A special room which is not random, but is produced from a plan. Often filled with powerful foes and treasure. --
Game of Angband,
One Wiki to Rule Them All This narrative is about Nelim, who is a hobbit, and a burglar.
In chapter 1, Nelim received a quest from the Mayor of Bree. Nelim found a tunnel and killed a bunch of other burglars, and the Mayor rewarded Nelim with a house.
In chapter 2, Farmer Maggot asked Nelim to retrieve 9 mushrooms. Nelim took 31 mushrooms from the field of Farmer Maggot, gave 9 to the farmer, and sold the other 22 to use the profit to equip himself for an adventure in the Barrow-downs.
This is chapter 3. Our hobbit burglar Nelim enters the Barrow-downs. We hope that Nelim survives, because the death of Nelim would end this narrative. (Unless you think that this account of Nelim is overly long, verbose and boring. I needed 4 days to write chapter 2. Those 4 days included many hours of staring at the computer, reading spoilers, deciding what skills to increase and what items to buy. If you want this mass of text to end, then
you hope that Nelim WILL DIE SOON.)
----
Barrow-downs 1, attempt 1You enter a maze of down staircases. You go into a way to the Barrow-downs. You have a superb feeling about the level. The time is 11:36 AM, 43rd Yavie.
This place is very dark. Nelim, the hobbit burglar, grabs some light.
Your light source is a Wooden Torch (with 745 turns of light) (m).Code:
^.#
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###
Nelim has some light, but sees nothing to burgle. The path seems to continue north, so if Nelim goes there, then he might find something, but first, Nelim detects traps and monsters.
Code:
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No traps. Monsters are a Giant white mouse (level 1), four Novice mages (level 6), a Silver Jelly (level 3) and a Radiation eye (level 3).
Code:
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To the north, still no traps, but more monsters, but nothing worse than two Hill orcs (level 8). They all seem to live behind this long granite wall. The Giant white mouse 'r' must be awake, and sensing and chasing Nelim.
Code:
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The long granite wall ends. The corridor continues between rock and trees, and ends at a second granite wall. An extra corridor branches west toward Barrow-downs 2.
Nelim grabs his Pick, and moves to breach the long granite wall.
Code:
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If Giant white mice can breed and multiply, then they might be numerous when Nelim opens the breach. (The spell to Sense Monsters lasts for only one turn, so Nelim will not sense them multiply when he digs.)
In chapter 1, I spoiled that Nelim would need about 800 turns to breach a granite wall. Now, his torch has less than 800 turns of light. Hundreds of turns pass, then:
Your light is growing faint. So Nelim combines his lit torch with a spare torch. The combined torch starts with 1604 turns of light. Nelim continues the dig.
The wall opens when the torch has 1577 turns of light. Then a large group of Giant white mice start a fight with Nelim. One stab from the Dagger {good} kills each mouse.
Nelim very easily kills 19 mice. That seems to be the end of the group.
Code:
#.#
#.#
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....@.
^^^.#.
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Nelim reads 'Sense Monsters' in his Book of Beginner Cantrips. He knows that there are four more mice. Nelim sneaks into the large, dark room to kill them. The mice continue to multiply, but Nelim kills all of them.
Nelim finds that the dark room has an inner wall, and that he is between the inner and outer walls. In the east, Nelim encounters a Black harpy and a Snotling. They are beyond the light of his torch, but the hobbit can see them through infravision. A few shots from the sling (which Nelim received from Farmer Maggot) kill both. Nelim discovers a door, where both probably came out.
Code:
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Nelim closes the door, but more monsters open the door and come out. The stealth of Nelim has failed, and many monsters attack.
Code:
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The monsters threaten to surround Nelim. When Nelim has 23/70 HP, a Snotling Archer 'o' threatens to trap Nelim '3' against a Kobold 'k'.
Code:
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This is why carry healing items. Nelim now eats 1 of his 20 Mushrooms of Cure Serious Wounds {100% off}.
You feel better. The Kobold attacks instead of moving, so Nelim steps south past the Kobold. Nelim has 35/70 HP.
The Novice mindcrafter creates a mesmerizing illusion. You are confused! Nelim, the hobbit burglar, has no cure for confusion! While confused, Nelim risks stepping in the wrong direction.
Code:
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Nelim decides to stay in place. Nelim changes his tactics from normal/normal to coward/normal. The hobbit eats a second mushroom.
You feel much better. The Kobold hits you. The hobbit eats a third mushroom.
You feel much better. The Kobold hits you. The Novice mindcrafter casts a spell, burning your eyes! You resist the effects! The hobbit now has 61/70 HP, but remains in confusion.
Melee attacks are too dangerous during confusion; the hobbit might step in the wrong direction. Ranged attacks are possible (though some shots will fly in the wrong direction). The coward/normal tactics have a ranged to-hit penalty, but the Sling of Farmer Maggot has a very large to-hit bonus, so coward/normal Nelim might hit his opponents.
Four shots travel in the wrong direction, but the fifth shot hits and kills the Kobold between Nelim and the Novice mindcrafter. Then the hobbit eats a fourth mushroom.
You feel much better. You have gorged yourself! You are no longer gorged. The Novice mindcrafter hits you.Nelim tries to shoot the Novice mindcrafter. Seven consecutive shots go the wrong way.
You feel less confused now. The eighth shot almost kills the Novice mindcrafter, but the ninth shot kills it.
Code:
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Nelim has 32/70 HP, and probably must not eat any more mushrooms. The hobbit is full and almost gorged; there might be no room for another meal. Because the monsters seem to be awake, Nelim decides to forget stealth and run away. The hobbit change from coward/normal to coward/running tactics.
The cowardly hobbit runs away. The queue of monsters tries to chase. The lead monster is a Novice warrior 'p' (level 2), but the second monster is a Wolf 'C' (level 10). The Wolf moves quickly, but fortunately cannot pass the Novice warrior. Behind the Wolf, Nelim sees a Wild cat 'f' (level 2), a Snotling Archer 'o' (level 5) and a Snotling 'o' (level 4).
Nelim runs south. Nelim turns the corner, and runs west. Nelim turns another corner, and runs north.
Code:
^.#.# #.#
^.#.# #.#
^.#.##################################.#
^;#.5..........;....pC.......;........{#
^.######################################
^<^
###
While running north, Nelim discovers a previously unknown pair of open doors, but no monsters are there. Nelim reaches and passes the gap (earlier opened by his own Pick) and runs south, between the rock and the outer wall.
Code:
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#^^^#^^^^^^##.#.######
#>......;.....~.#
#^^^^^^^^^^^^6#.#
^.#.#
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The cowardly hobbit reaches the way out.
There is a path leading to the previous area here. Nelim now rests, and ponders whether to leave the Barrow-downs or continue the fight.
Where are the monsters? Nelim casts Sense Monsters.
Code:
^.#.#
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###
Many of them are awake, and trying to reach Nelim. They are too stupid to go north and walk through the gap, so they gather on the other side of the wall. The most dangerous monsters might be two Wolves (level 10) and a Kobold Captain (level 7).
Nelim decides to continue the battle! The hobbit changes tactics from coward/running to normal/running. Nelim goes through the gap, and sees the monsters as they come north. Nelim shoots them with the Sling of Farmer Maggot, and many monsters die. Nelim uses all of the Iron Shots (1d4) (+1,+4), and switches to the Iron Shots (1d4) (+0,+0). Nelim uses all of those, so his quiver is empty.
Then the hobbit burglar steps forward, reclaims 2 Iron Shots (1d4) (+0,+0) and uses one shot to set his Catapult Trap Set. The hobbit steps back, and prepares to melee the remaining monsters. A Wolf, already injured by the Sling of Farmer Maggot, now triggers the trap. Then the trap fires its shot at a Wolf, but misses. Nelim backstabs and kills the Wolf.
The Novice paladin points at you and curses. Nelim has 50/77 HP. Nelim runs back into the gap, trying to use the corner as a shield against the Novice paladin. A Snotling Shaman (level 6) approaches to fight.
Code:
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#^^^#^^^^^^##.#.######
#>......;.....@.#
#^^^^^^^^^^^^.#o#
^.#.#
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Nelim kills the Snotling shaman, then tries to fight the Novice paladin, but
The Novice paladin hits you. You have been given a graze. Nelim flees in terror. The graze soon heals, but the Novice paladin chases Nelim.
The Novice paladin points at you and curses. You resist the effects!Nelim reaches the edge of Barrow-downs 1 (where is the path to Bree) and begins his last attempt to defeat the Novice paladin. Nelim will either win, or will flee the level (and leave his ammo and his trap set). If Nelim will flee, then his only loot will be a Clotted Red Potion. Nelim, hoping for more loot, wields the last Iron Shot (+0,+0) and waits for the Novice paladin to come closer.
A Novice paladin is a warrior for good. So why does this Novice paladin ally with the evil kobolds and snotlings, and attack Nelim? Paladins are the servants of Tulkas, who would not like this fight between this Novice paladin and this hobbit burglar; but the fight has begun and will not end with peace.
When the Novice paladin is two squares away, the Sling of Farmer Maggot fires the lone shot; then the shot strikes the Novice paladin, who steps back. Nelim only waits as the Novice paladin resumes its approach. The two combatants become adjacent, and Nelim hits first with the Dagger {good}.
You wound the Novice paladin. The Novice paladin flees in terror! After one backstab, the Novice paladin is dead. Loot falls around Nelim, who grabs the loot, rests, and casts Sense Monsters.
Code:
^.#~#
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###
The monsters seem to be less numerous. The Wolves are dead, but the Kobold Captain 'k' (level 7) lives, and another Novice paladin 'p' (level 4) is among the group.
Nelim moves north, gathers some more loot and positions himself in the gap. Nelim easily kills a Novice paladin and a Novice priest and collects more loot.
Standing near the western doors, Nelim can detect many more monsters. They seem unable to reach Nelim, perhaps some unknown walls block their way?
Code:
Hobbit #.###############################
Rogue #.#.....~.......;..;.............
Robber #^^^#^^^^^^##.#.#############################
LEVEL 8 #>......;.....~.# p
EXP 356 #^^^^^^^^^^^^.#.#
AU 44 ^.#.#rrr k
^.#~#B
STR: 15 ^.#.#ppo
INT: 17 #.#.#H
WIS: 13 #.#.#e o w
DEX: 20 #.#~# o o
CON: 19 ^.#@#po $
CHR: 10 ^.#~# j ,S ; #.#
Cur AC 14 ^.#.' J S _ '.#
HP 77/ 77 ^.#.' '.#
SN 45/ 45 ^.#.# , #{#
SP 10/ 12 #.#.#p j #.#
Pt 115 #.#.#H * #.#
#.#.#y J$ c # #.#
[**********] #.#.# p j #.#.#$#{#
#.#.# #.'...{~#
^.#.# p j ......#'###{#
Full DTrap Fast (+4) Skill BDw 1
Nelim drops from normal/running to normal/normal tactics, hoping to renew his stealth. Nelim closes the western doors; but a Snotling Rogue opens the doors and comes out to fight. A few shots from the sling (because Nelim has recovered more shots) kill the Snotling Rogue. Nelim closes the doors again, but another Snotling opens them. Nelim shoots and kills the Snotling, and finally closes the doors.
Nelim goes around the north, and approaches the eastern doors from the north.
Code:
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Here Nelim shoots a Snotling Archer, and melees a Wolf (level 10), but Wolf dies after only two hits from the Dagger {good}. As Nelim grabs loot, many monsters come into view.
Code:
#.#
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These are two Novice paladins 'p' (level 4), four Snotlings 'o' (level 4), a Floating Eye 'e' (level 1) and a Radiation eye 'e' (level 3). Together, they make a coward from Nelim (who has 68/87 HP). So Nelim switches from normal/normal to cowardly/running tactics, and tries to flee north.
You miss it. The Novice paladin tries to cast a spell, but fails. An invisible monster must block the way to the north.
Code:
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; .;~..#.#####@#
_ ./. |'.'..\p.#
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So Nelim runs south.
You leave a trap detected zone. The detection never found any traps on this level, and Nelim has no time to cast Detect Hidden here. The area outside the zone is short.
You enter a trap detected zone. Now a Kobold blocks the way to the south.
Code:
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_ ./. |'.'..\o.#
... |';'...p.#
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Nelim can see that the monster is a Kobold (level 2), so Nelim sets tactics to berserker/running, and forces the Kobold to die. There is a delay as Nelim twice misses the Kobold (despite the melee to-hit bonus from berserker tactics), before Nelim hits and kills the Kobold. Nelim successfully steps between some other monsters, takes some hits, returns to coward/running tactics, and continues south.
Nelim runs south, and turns the corner west, and turns the corner north. A Snotling Shaman steps through the western doors, but Nelim passes it. Then Nelim passes the gap, and returns south to the resting place at the level. There Nelim rests from 41/87 to 87/87 HP. So rested, Nelim casts Sense Monsters.
Code:
^.#~## ##.#
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###
Nelim detects ten monsters here, but knows that more monsters wait elsewhere, and that an invisible monster is among them.
Nelim switches to normal/running tactics and approaches the gap. Nelim fights another Novice mindcrafter. The hobbit starts in a good position, but the Novice mindcrafter flees in terror. The hobbit chases, but the Novice mindcrafter puts Nelim into confusion. Nelim waits a few turns, until
You feel less confused now. Nelim steps behind the gap. The Novice mindcrafter flees the battle, but Nelim kills a few other monsters, then turns south to rest. The Novice mindcrafter reappears, but Nelim shoots it, so it dies.
Nelim goes south, rests, returns north, takes loot and encounters another Snotling (level 4). Because the Snotling stuns Nelim, which harms his ability to use the Dagger, so Nelim defeats the Snotling by shooting it at immediate range.
Nelim approaches the western doors, and casts Sense Monsters to predict the encounters. Nelim walks inside, and sees the monsters carrying lights.
Code:
You have 4 Iron Shots (1d4) (+1,+4) ({).
Hobbit #^^^#^^^^^^##.#.##################################.#
Rogue #>......;...~.~.# o.# #.#
Robber #^^^^^^^^^^^^~#.# #o# #.#
LEVEL 9 ^.#.# #.# #.#
EXP 462 ^~#.# #' #.#
AU 164 ^.#.# p.. #.#
#.#.# #.# #.#
STR: 15 #.#.# 'p# ] #.#
INT: 17 #.#.# #.# .= #.#
WIS: 13 ^.#.# .. #.#
DEX: 20 ^.#.#####.#Jj , ; .;~..#.#####.#
CON: 19 ^.#.'...'@'= _ .e..|'.'..\'.#
CHR: 10 ^.#.'...'.'!. ... |';'...'.#
Cur AC 14 ^.#.###'#.#?|, .#####{#
HP 87/ 87 #.#.# j-.|\r #.#
SN 50/ 50 #.#.# *..o*. #.#
SP 12/ 12 #.#.# c...? . # #.#
Pt 125 #.#.# .,.? #.#.#$#{#
#.#.# ### #.'..|{~#
^.#.# .. ......#'###{#
^.#.# ' '# #.#
^.#.# #.#
Full DTrap Fast (+4) Skill BDw 1
These are three Snotlings (level 4), a Novice warrior (level 2), a Novice paladin (level 4), a Coppherhead snake 'J' (level 5), a Red jelly 'j' (level 7), a Spotted mushroom patch ',' (level 3), a Radiation eye 'e' (level 3), a Green ooze 'j' (level 3), a Giant white rat 'r' (level 4), a Giant yellow centipede 'c' (level 2).
Nelim runs out, and plans to fight the monsters in the corridor before the western doors. The opponents of Nelim approach, one by one, but fall to his shots or his dagger. The Copperhead snake poisons Nelim, but the snake soon dies, and the poison is negligible. A group of Silver mice come forward, so they must be breeding. Nelim advances inside the western doors to try to kill the Silver mice more quickly. A Novice warrior forces Nelim to retreat. Nelim kills a few more monsters, but runs away from a Hill orc (level 8).
After resting, Nelim melees the Hill orc. The hobbit and the orc trade blows for many turns, but Nelim defeats the orc. Nelim rests again, and combines two of his torches. The battle with the Hill orc gives time to the mice to multiply.
Nelim advances, and slays many mice and rats, and also a few other monsters, including a Boil-covered wretch 't' (level 0) that had collected much of the loot. Nelim hacks and backs the next Hill orc, so the battle is not so difficult.
The Silver mice seem to be contained, but they continue to breed. Most of the challenging monsters seem to have already died, so Nelim fights through the mice and the other remaining critters with almost no trouble. The Silver mice are easy to kill, and almost no threat to the HP of Nelim. Meanwhile, a Blue worm mass begins to multiply. Nelim, the hobbit burglar, worries when the spell of Sense Monsters finds increasing numbers of worm masses.
The worm masses move erratically. The room is dark, and the worm masses are too cold for infravision, so Nelim cannot see the worm masses when they move beyond the range of his lantern. Nelim can detect worm masses with Sense Monsters, but this spell becomes impossible when a distant Radiation eye drains too much mana from Nelim. Then Nelim steps away and rests, but the mice use the time to breed.
The breeding mice and worm masses become mad, and start to fight themselves, or other monsters. (The relevant messages never appear during gameplay, but the message log accumulates several instances of
You hear noise. and
It dies.) Nelim closes several doors to restrict the movement of the breeders.
A Giant slug uses acid against Nelim. Thus his Set of Leather Gloves and his Pair of Hard Leather Boots both take damage. Nelim explores and gathers loot until the hobbit takes too much damage from a Large kobold. Nelim kills the Large kobold, but runs away from a group of Snotlings. Now the Snotlings open many doors and also fight against the mad Silver mice. Nelim opens and closes some doors, and rests.
Nelim notices that
a Cord Armour [6] (8.0 lb) is better than his Soft Studded Leather [5,+0]. Nelim unequips his Soft Studded Leather, and wears the Cord Armour. Nelim drops the Soft Studded Leather on the floor, near other junk.
Exploration shows that the area inside the inner wall is a vault, filled with many items and monsters.
Code:
You sense the presence of monsters!
Hobbit ^.#
Rogue #.#
Burglar #.#
LEVEL 11 #.#
EXP 776 #.######################################
AU 460 #.#.....~.......;..;................;..#
#^^^#^^^^^^##.#.##################################.#
STR: 15 #>......;...~.~]#]((..#...#*#..;#|# #.#
INT: 17 #^^^^^^^^^^^^~#~#####.#.###/#.###.# #.#
WIS: 13 ^.#.#...#.#;#...#~#!..# #.#
DEX: 20 ^~#~#+###+#+###+#+###+#'# #.#
CON: 19 ^.#.#...+@~{.;........... #.#
CHR: 10 #.#.#.###~##########++###### #.#
Cur AC 14 #.#.#?#~+~#p ; ?..|,.!|..?], #.#
HP 103/ 103 #.#.###.#.# o* w...........=.. #.#
SN 60/ 60 ^.#~#.~~#~#ow{!w.?a..........._# #.#
SP 11/ 13 ^.#~#####~#(`{.w!Jw.j|!;;..;~..#.#####.#
Pt 142 ^.#.+...+*+=/!.!. .??.\_-../..|'.'..\'.#
^.#~+..~+?+.w,..w ...~.......?|';'...'.#
^.#.###+#.#~|w..|jj.../-....._"#.#####{#
#.#.#}#.#.#ww.www!w(....|.!../=# #.#
#.#.#\#.#.# ww.ww.w...*.......... #.#
DTrap Fast (+4) Skill BDw 1
The Snotlings or other monsters seem to have killed all the Silver Mice, but the Blue worm masses remain. Nelim struggles to fit the loot in his pack. The hobbit drops his Parchment - Adventurer's Guide to Middle-earth. (If he wants to read that parchment again, then I will need to access ToME Help and manually browse to 'book-20.txt'.)
You feel the Cord Armour (n) you are wearing on your body is good... Nelim is so lucky that it is not cursed. The late pseudo-identification surprises the hobbit, who believed that the Cord Armour would be only average.
Nelim also drops his 3 Food Rations and unequips and drops his Hard Leather Cap [2,+0]; he instead wears a Hard Leather Cap [2] {good} from the loot. He otherwise continues to explore the vault and to defeat monsters.
Nelim bumps into the invisible monster again.
You miss it. The hobbit casts Sense Monsters, but fails to detect the invisible monster. Nelim loses the invisible monster but continues to slay visible monsters. Meanwhile he combines two of his torches.
The Blue worm masses breed out of control in the large central room. Their attacks lower the Strength of Nelim from 15 to 13 (though this might be the side effect of freezing some potion). Nelim remains able to fight through the worm masses and explore the central room.
Welcome to level 12. You can increase 36 more skills. The voice of Tulkas booms in your head: 'I have a task for thee. Centuries ago an ancient relic of mine was broken apart. The pieces of it have been lost in fallen temples. Thou art to find my lost temple and retrieve a piece of the relic. When thy task is done, thou art to lift it in the air and call upon my name. I shall then come to reclaim what is mine! The temple lies very close to Bree, and a long way to the north-west of Minas Anor, I can feel it.'Nelim finally kills that invisible monster by accident:
You demolish it. You have killed it.Nelim finds a Brass Lantern (with 5202 turns of light), and drops his torches.
A Giant slug damages the Cord Armour [6] {good} with acid.
Nelim guesses the location of some hidden doors, and breaks through with his Pick. (Hidden doors are easier to break than granite walls.)
Nelim discards his damaged Pair of Hard Leather Boots [3,-1], and instead wears a Pair of Hard Leather Boots [3] from the loot.
When the Blue Worms freeze and burst
a Crimson Blue Potion, then:
The Blue worm mass looks healthier. <6x> So the Crimson Blue Potions must be healthy.
Today it is the 44th Yavie of the 2890th year of the third age.----
Test VictimsNelim is an overly successful hobbit burglar.
There is too much loot. A major problem is the desire to take every unidentified potion, scroll, wand, staff and mushroom to Bree for sale and identification. Nelim has placed the better loot in the northern rooms of the vault.
Code:
potion staff junk
junk amulet ring wand
##################################
#]((!`#!!!#"#..;#.#===#_#}{#-__#.#
#####]#!###!#.###.#=###_#.##-###.#
#...#`#!#!!!#.#.~,#=#___#.#--#{{|#
#+###+#+###+#+###+#+###+#.##+###/#
#..?+.~..;.@.......,.;....;..+.]|#
Scrolls and mushrooms are now in the pack of Nelim.
The hobbit decides to reduce the amount of loot by testing some items. Scrolls are too dangerous to test; a Scroll of Teleportation might carry Nelim to a dangerous place. Nelim can throw potions at monsters, and also test wands and staves against monsters. All those Blue worm masses who yet live can be the test victims!
The Brass Lantern helps each test, as Nelim can see some victims who are two squares away.
- Nelim already knows that a Crimson Blue Potion seems to cause Blue worm masses to look healthier, when they froze and bursted the potion.
- Nelim throws one of 4 Silver Speckled Potions at a Blue worm mass. The Silver Speckled Potion hits the Blue worm mass. The Blue worm mass grunts with pain. Negligible damage, no special effect.
- Nelim throws an Icky Green Potion at the same Blue worm mass. The potion misses, but shatters with no special effect.
- Nelim throws one of 2 Clotted Red Potions at the same Blue worm mass. The potion misses the worm, but shatters. The Blue worm mass looks healthier. The Blue worm mass looks healthier.
- Nelim throws a Yellow Speckled Potion. The potion hits the Blue worm mass, and almost kills it, but then shatters with no special effect.
- Nelim throws a Purple Potion at an unhurt Blue worm mass. It was a good hit! The Blue worm mass criesout in pain. The potion shatters with no special effect.
- Throws a Clear Potion. Misses Blue worm mass, shatters, no special effect. The liquid might be ordinary water.
- Throws one of 2 Magenta Potions. Misses, shatters, no special effect.
- Throws a Dark Green Potion. Hits with negligible damage, shatters, no special effect.
- Throws a Dark Red Potion. Hits with negligible damage, shatters, no special effect.
- Zaps a Titanium Wand. The Blue worm mass looks confused. The wand is a a Titanium Wand of Confuse[1|20].
- Zaps a Molybdenum Wand. The magic bolt ignores the Blue worm mass and hits a door in that direction. The door turns into mud! (There is no light there, but the light of the magic bolt reveals the transformation of the door into mud.) The wand is a Molybdenum Wand of Dig[1|1].
- Zaps a Nickel Wand. Several monsters cry out in pain, or cry feebly. The wand is a Nickel Wand of Noxious Cloud[1|25]. Over the next few turns, the Blue worm masses and Nelim all take damage from the lingering cloud.
- Zaps an Aluminium-Plated Wand. The Blue worm mass looks healthier. The wand is [b]an Aluminum-Plated Wand of Heal Monster[1|20].
- Zaps a Gnarled Staff. Nothing happens; the staff is a Gnarled Staff {tried}.
- Zaps a Willow Staff. You sense the presence of monsters! The staff is a Willow Staff of Sense Monsters[1|15].
- Zaps a Cypress Staff. You are surrounded by a white light. Six Blue worm masses take damage from the light. The staff is a Cypress Staff of Globe of Light[1|10]. Light fills the central room, and through a gap reaches the surrounding corridor, so those places now remain permanently lit, but the light stops at the closed doors, and all rooms beyond those doors remain dark.
The test identifies all of the wands and all but one of the staffs, but reveals almost no knowledge about the potions. Nelim only knows that Crmison Blue Potions and Clotted Red Potions seem to be healthy; while Silver Speckled Potions, Icky Green Potions, Yellow Speckled Potions, Purple Potions, Clear Potions, Magenta Potions, Dark Green Potions and Dark Red Potions have unknown effects.
Nelim decides to taste the remaining potions, and also the mushrooms.
- Nelim knows many of the mushrooms; the only unidentified ones are 2 Dark Green Mushrooms. Nelim now eats one. You are poisoned! The shroom is a Dark Green Mushroom of Poison. The potion drops Nelim from 121/121 HP to 114/121 HP when You are no longer poisoned.
- Nelim drinks a Clotted Red Potion. No effect; a Clotted Red Potion {tried}.
- Nelim drinks a Magenta Potion. The potion makes you vomit! You are getting faint from hunger! You are paralyzed! This awful potion is a Potion of Salt Water. Nelim, the hobbit, hurries to the square with the Food Rations. You faint from the lack of food. You are paralyzed! You can move again. Nelim takes damage, down to 91/121 HP. Nelim reaches the Food Rations and eats one. That tastes good. You are no longer hungry. You see a Ration of Food.
- Nelim drinks a Silver Speckled Potion. No effect; a Silver Speckled Potion {tried}.
To save space in the pack, Nelim wears a Pewter Amulet and a Bronze Ring and a Jade Ring; these three items luckily have no curse. (Nelim can wear cursed equipment, and go to Bree to buy removal of curses; the worse that might happen is random teleportation, unless Nelim is very unlucky.) Nelim dumps some objects, stuffs his pack with scrolls, walks through the gap, and leaves the vault.
Barrow-downs 1 has at least one other vault; but this hobbit burglar has enough loot from the first vault, and runs out of the level, carrying his loot to Bree.
Code:
[Character Equipment]
a) a Dagger (1d4) {good}
d) The Sling of Farmer Maggot (x2) (+20,+0) (+2) {100% off}
e) a Bronze Ring
f) a Jade Ring
k) a Pewter Amulet
m) a Brass Lantern (with 2997 turns of light)
n) a Cord Armour [6] {good}
o) a Cloak [1,+0]
p) (nothing)
s) a Hard Leather Cap [2] {good}
u) a Set of Leather Gloves [1]
x) a Pair of Hard Leather Boots [3]
z) (nothing)
{) 12 Iron Shots (1d4) (+1,+4)
|) a Pick (+1)
[Character Inventory]
a) a Book of Beginner Cantrips
b) 16 Mushrooms of Cure Serious Wounds {100% off}
c) a Scroll titled "ood aksman"
d) 2 Scrolls titled "arg ypklis"
e) 2 Scrolls titled "dalfoxy vly"
f) a Scroll titled "sniksne barish"
g) 2 Scrolls titled "klieng conip"
h) a Scroll titled "bar prokzun"
i) a Scroll titled "unisun plebin"
j) a Scroll titled "sno pluulk mic"
k) a Scroll titled "on payan bar"
l) a Scroll titled "i sneman vivur"
m) a Scroll titled "ashmic hydtab"
n) 4 Gold Rod Tips
o) a Nickel Wand of Noxious Cloud[1|25]
p) a Molybdenum Wand of Dig[1|1]
q) a Catapult Trap Set (+0,+0)
r) a Fumes Trap Set {good}
s) a Rhodonite Ring
t) a Rhodonite Ring
u) a Wedding Ring
v) a Sling (x2) {good}
w) a Small Wooden Boomerang (1d4) {good}
----
BreeThis is 44th Yavie of the 2890th year of the third age. The time is 1:19 AM. It is deep night. Nelim, the hobbit burglar, switches from normal/running to normal/normal tactics. The hobbit wants to use his stealth to avoid waking the townsfolk.
The sun is down, but shops always remain open at night. Nelim enters the Alchemy shop of Ja-Far the Alchemist, and sells all of the scrolls that he stole from the first vault of Barrow-downs 1. Ja-Far, identifying the scrolls, finds that some scrolls are worthless, but is very happy with some scrolls.
Nelim then enters the Magic shop of Ariel the Sorceress, where Nelim sells all of the rings and the amulet from the vault.
You sold a Wedding Ring of Weakness (-2) {cursed} for 40 gold. You moron! Nelim is happy to get 40 gold, and to avoid need to purchase a Scroll of Remove Curse. The same happens with an Indestructible Rhodonite Ring of Teleporation {cursed}. Ariel refuses to buy the other Rhodonite Ring. Ariel complains about a Bronze Ring of Nothing, but likes a Jade Ring of Levitation and
jumps for joy with an Indestructible Pewter Amulet of Adornment. Nelim also sells the first of 4 Gold Rod Tips for 80 gold, but sells the remaining 3 Gold Rod Tips of Trap Location for 89 gold each.
Nelim has six {good} items and two wands (with unknown number of charges). The hobbit needs to buy 8 Scrolls of Identify. The purse of Nelim now has 1320 gold pieces. Nelim pays 544 gold pieces to Ja-Far, and receives the scrolls. (These appear in the inventory as '8 Scrolls of Identify'; the game fails to update the label to read '8 Scrolls titled "rogite ion an" of Identify', though Nelim knows the label after buying the scrolls.) Nelim uses the scrolls.
- Attacking monsters with: a Dagger (1d4) (+4,+5) (a).
- Wearing on your body: a Cord Armour [6,+1] (n).
- Wearing on your head: a Hard Leather Cap [2,+5] (s).
- In your pack: a Nickel Wand of Noxious Cloud[1|25] (7 charges) (d).
- In your pack: a Molybdenum Wand of Dig[1|1] (19 charges) (e).
- In your pack: a Fumes Trap Set [+4] (g).
- In your pack: a Sling (x2) (+1,+3) (h).
- In your pack: a Small Wooden Boomerang (1d4) (+3,+6) (i).
The AC (being Armor Class) of Nelim does not change; but the displayed AC number does increase because the AC bonuses of the Cord Armour and the Hard Leather Cap are now known, not hidden.
Nelim sells the sling and the boomerang to the Weaponsmith. Nelim now has 1700 gold in the purse.
- Nelim buys and quaffs a Potion of Restore Strength. You feel less weak. Strength returns from 13 to 15.
- Nelim also buys a Spellbook of Divine Aim (from the Temple '4'). Nelim fails to buy a Spellbook of Reveal Ways (from the Magic shop '6') at 2019 gold. Nelim forgets to buy a Spellbook of Magelock (from the Book Store '9') at 257 gold.
- Nelim buys every teleport scroll and CCW potion: these are 3 Scrolls of Teleportation and 3 Potions of Cure Critical Wounds. Nelim also buys 2 Scrolls of Word of Recall and 2 Scrolls of Satisfy Hunger.
- Nelim buys 3 Flasks of oil and 14 Iron Shots (1d4) (+0,+0).
This leaves 2 gold in the purse. Nelim visits the Prancing Pony, and drops 1 gold for
some gruel and a beer.
Nelim tells the barkeeper, 'With a lantern!' But the hobbit burglar refuses to tell the tale of how Nelim found the lantern in the Barrow-downs.
What is the best way to identify the loot in a vault? Nelim threw potions at monsters, tried wands and staves, and carried scrolls to sell in Bree. Has the hobbit wasted the potions? Have the scrolls wasted the inventory slots?