Blood Wolf, the Kobold Chaos Knight
Diary of Blood Wolf, Kobold Chaos Knight of Makhleb
My tribe had always named its people after animals with intimidating, but otherwise random descriptions. Well, usually intimidating. The Master Namer kept being reminded of the cautionary tale of Great Chief Fluffy Rabbit, who had his namer ritually tortured and eaten alive after winning the war with the cave dwarves. But that's sort of irrelevant, given what I'm doing now. See, I got a dream sent to me, by none other than our patron god Makhleb. His destructive power possessed me, blessing my leather armour and ancestral sword, and I slew the rest of my litter in a rage, offering their souls to Him as a mark of my devotion. The Chief didn't see it that way, and exiled me for my crimes; Makhleb took pity, and told me of an ancient set of tunnels where I might prove my worth - "Bring me the Orb of Zot, and the world is yours."
My first act down there, before even taking heed of my surroundings, was to murder another of my kind, a scrawny weakling from the Lion tribe, who'd joined forces with a cowardly goblin and a weird giant cockroach. Makhleb was pleased with my killing, even though I ate the bodies rather than offer them; I'd learned the hard way not to refuse free food. My next kills were all vermin, another cockroach, a giant rat, and a giant bat, all possessed of an unnatural fury - I had never seen wimpy animals so determined to kill me. Then I slew another kobold; this time, his corpse was not (very) defiled, so I offered him up to my god. Strange how I had to fear the poison in my own race's veins, but there you go.
Then I slew another roach, and Makhleb suddenly blessed me again; I became more robust and magical than I'd ever felt, all of a sudden. Surely if it was just experience it would have been gradual, not instant. ((Mechanics-wise... BW gained a level.))
I slew a third of my kind, and violated the body with my blade... only to realise that I had not said my prayers, and Makhleb would not take her soul. Oops. It got worse when I lost my mind and ate the dead girl's poison flesh; desperately, I started drinking the various fluids I had so far found, praying that one would restore me. The first paralysed me, and I could only thank Makhleb that I regained movement before any foes came; the second gave me magical protection from poison and many other things, protection I currently had no use for; the third made me worse, robbing me of physical strength; the fourth was more like it, curing the poison and undoing a little of what it had done to me. ((Potion of Paralysis, Potion of Resistance, Potion of Degeneration, Potion of Healing))
A few more kills later, and Makhleb blessed me with might again, like he had earlier; this time, he also granted me a choice, to become stronger, more agile, or more intelligent. I chose agility, for I was small and tasted good with ketchup; my only hope against massive damage was to avoid, not to endure. That, and my sword was 'best used by the dextrous' according to the little tag on it. Yet more kills, and Makhleb spoke again to me: "As you have spread my works, so you shall be rewarded. Destroy more in my name, and I shall duly heal you, or restore your magic, as I wish." Not much, but surely this meant I was on the path!
Then for the first time in the dungeon, I felt fear. Not from the goblin or the hobgoblin who together assaulted me; there stood Jessica, apprentice of Sigmund the Reaper, and all around nasty customer. I had no special powers and was outnumbered three to one; I ran for it. Makhleb would understand. Though I ran as fast as ever, I could feel within a few strikes that my time was near... so again I began desperately drinking, hoping something would bring me from the brink, as a hobbo and a gobbo closed in. It didn't heal me, but it did give me temporary might, which I used to cut these two into ribbons before running further to heal up. Funny, how fast one could heal from deadly injuries down here.
When I was done, I took on Jessica. And I died.
Damnit.
"FAILURE! Like your dead foes, you shall be but food for me!"
Eh, at least it wasn't eternal torment.
Yet another annoying death. I had no tricks up my sleeve, no escape route, and no reason to begin to think Jessica could be even approaching that hard at level 3.
