Gnarr the Kenku Berserker
The following notes were recovered from items discovered on the corpse of a Kenku in the first level of the Lair. They were returned to the surface by the bounty hunter Jozef
--In the Beginning--
Since a young hatchling I've felt the urge for carnage and blood. I grew up an outcast, surrounded mostly by siblings drawn to the magic arts. Being surrounded by such corrupt arts only made my rage grow. Eventually I was cast out of my family and sent to fend for myself. I was fortunate enough to meet a wise Kenku, Nogglebeak, who was a legendary warrior. He took me under his wing and taught me the ways of the axe. It was through him I gained an understand of Trog's love. I learned to hate all magic users. I learned to channel my energies into a powerful but exhausting rage. I learned to embrace Trog and spread his love throughout the land. One day Nogglebeak summoned me and said he had no more to teach. Sad but proud, I left his tutelage and again was cast into the world, this time with Trog's guidance. Seething with rage, I went straight to the dungeons in search of every spell caster I could find, and of course the legendary Orb of Zot.
--Welcome to the Dungeon--
As I entered the dungeon I found myself enclosed within a room and next to a curious pool of water. Leaving the room through a door to the north, I entered a chamber with doors on the north, east, and west walls. Continuing north, I found myself in a room almost identical to the one I entered the dungeon through. Investigating the west and east doors revealed rooms of similar size and composition. I had heard stories of strange symmetry in the dungeons, and it appears I am experiencing it before I even encounter any hostile monsters! It wasn't long, however, before I was introduced to the dangers of the dungeon. An angry kobold, wielding a curious combination of darts of frost and a dagger of flaming, ambushed me. Retreating to a corridor, I waited until he foolishly followed me and managed to dispatch of him in two strokes with my axe. In my excitement I mangled him to the point where his corpse no longer met Trog's wishes for sacrifices. I must discipline myself to ensure I can sacrifice my victims in Trog's honor. I kept the kobold's darts and dagger, though I elected to continue with my axe, since it is overall a more powerful weapon. The dagger shall come in handy if I encounter any of the fearsome ice beasts I have heard roam the upper levels of the dungeon.
I continued exploring the upper level and picked up some useful scrolls and potions, as well as some darts and curiously runed sling bullets. I prefer melee weapons to missile, but Nogglebeak always taught me to carry an array of weapons in order to maximize my deadliness. His wisdom proved true when, upon descending the stairs to the second level, I encountered a kobold and an angry human fighter named Terence, both of whom immediately noticed me. Not wanting to fight both, I quickly retreated up the staircases, but not before the kobold narrowly missed me with a dart. I quickly ran to another set of stairs and descended cautiously. This time I found only a rat and a bat in the vicinity.
While dispatching the rat and trying to hit the evasive bat, Terence show back up. He must have heard the commotion. Unfortunately the kobold was following close behind. I threw my darts of frost at Terence without much success. There were few corridors around for safety, so I decided to risk going toe-to-toe with Terence. Terence hit me fairly hard and, in a slight panic, I decided to look deep within for the rage Nogglebeak taught me to utilize in combat. In a matter of a few moments I'd dispatched the silly fighter, fittingly with a fatal peck from my sharp beak. While still raging I managed to kill the kobold and the stupid bat. I ended the encounter exhausted and hungry, but alive and more experienced. It turned out Terence had some mildly enchanted chain mail that fit perfectly. Donning it, I continued on.
Later, on the same level, I managed to attain additional strength and fortitude while hacking various kobolds and newts to bits. Eventually I stumbled upon a pathetic goblin named Ijyb who served as a nice sacrifice to Trog. Before descending further I managed to find a scroll to further enchant my chain mail and some potions that heal my wounds.
Descending to the third level I found myself surrounded by translucent walls. Though another down staircase existed within the walls, I did not feel confident delving deeper. I spent some time trying to find a hidden door, to no avail, and instead elected to return to the higher level and descend again via a different staircase. Near the stairwell I found an amulet that, when donned, imbued me with a guardian spirit which helped protect me from a small amount of damage. I also found some scrolls that increased my axe's damage potential. Feeling confident, I progressed deeper.
On the next level down I ran smack into an altar to the ridiculous Xom. I have heard unpleasant stories about this God. The majority of the stories were of foolish Xom worshippers who have been gifted chokos as some sort of cruel joke, or who have found themselves fighting their own possessed, berserk weapon. I have no interest in these shenanigans, and know that Trog is the one true guide for my life.
Later I found an altar to Feldhas, the plant loving deity. I thought I noticed something under one of the plants surrounding his altar. I hacked it away to discover a mysterious scroll, which turned my axe a malignant black when read. I suppose I deserved this, though my axe still suffices. I was not able to remove it until I found another scroll shortly thereafter that removed the blackness.
While exploring the fourth dungeon level I encountered a foul-smelling orc which was surprisingly weak. A kobold poisoned me with a blowgun dart, though it was more an annoyance than a hazard. His blowgun was cursed, so I left it and took the needles. Almost immediately afterward I ran into an angry ogre with a HUGE spiked club. Not wanting to leave anything to chance I again channeled my rage and quickly reduced the ogre to a blood pile. It was at this point that I realized I'd become quite strong and, for the first time, figured out how to use my wings to fly. I have had fewer proud moments in my life.
I managed to find Orarual's food boutique and stocked up on bread and meat before continuing onward. I found a useful shield and ran into another damn ogre, which I had to dispatch in another rage. I am most effective while raging, but it leaves me hungry and exhausted, so I must be cautious with how often I use it. On the plus side, I am getting even stronger and tougher. Trog is greatly pleased with me and has given me knowledge on how to heal myself rapidly through his power.
The fourth level has proven to be a challenge. I just teleported myself away from a group of orcs that included a wizard and a priest. I have heard the priest can injure severely you just through prayer. I managed to damage the priest before teleporting away. I rested and planned my next moves. I slowly returned to the area I encounted the orcs. The wizard saw me from a distance and chased me as I retreated into a corridor, where I ambushed and quickly killed him. My first magic user kill! I could sense Trog's elation. While sacrificing the wizard's corpse, another orc challenged me and fell to my axe. Cautiously, I approached the last known location of the priest. I found him by himself. He rushed toward me but fell to two quick blows. As I took a moment to examine a glowing hammer left behind by the wizard it somehow stuck to my hand. I didn't have one of those fix-it scrolls and was forced to swing away for a while with this unruly hammer. Someday I will learn that glowing things do not necessarily mean good things.
After that eventful level I was hoping for some respite on level five. I picked up a potion of healing and porridge from a sparsely stocked shop near the stairs to level five. Ibusum really must improve his selection if he wants to survive as a shopkeeper. Shortly afterward I found a disgusting spellbook and quickly burned it in Trog's name. I don't know what it was and do not care to speculate. All spellbooks must be burned, for magic is the corruptor of all. After roasting the book I managed to free my hand from the stupid hammer courtesy of a scroll I found. I then dispatched a pack of jackals and sacrificed them to Trog, who granted me the power to call in reinforcements, though I am still very poor at it. I am scared to invoke it until I have more ability.
Continuing on I discovered two wands and a ring that allowed me to see invisible creatures. I tested one of the wands on a quokka, only to have it fall in love with me temporarily. The other wand apparently can open passages in rocks, which may be useful in the future. Unfortunately I fell into the trap of runed and glowing items again and was forced to stab away at monsters with a weak dagger. About this time I found an altar to the trickster god, Nemelex Xobeh, which was surrounded by fire and downward escape hatch. Though I could have flown to it, I know my true calling is with Trog.
-The Glowing Drain-
Still on level five, I came across a glowing drain that was quickly rusting away. While investigating I was attached by a green rat that was extremely difficult to kill with my useless dagger. I had heard stories about magical places that existed within the dungeon. Though nervous and unable to accomplish much with my dagger, I elected to investigate the drain.
I cautiously explored the drain, hacking my way through pesky rats, when I came upon a mermaid whose alluring song threatened to lead me to my death. To make matters worse, while enchanted by her song, I was being bitten to death by rats. I managed to enslave a rat to fight off the others, while attempting to stab the mermaid to death. Fortunately I was not so mesmirized that I could not quaff some healing potions when needed. I temporarily broke free of the mermaid's spell and quickly harnessed my rage, dispatching the dangerous wench quickly. Continuing on, I entered a huge chamber of deep water and encountered a sickly siren. Her song, more powerful than the mermaid, drew me toward her. As if this wasn't bad enough, a few snakes surrounded and bit me. All the while I tried desperately to stab them with my stupid dagger, unable to berserk because of the siren's enchanting song. I finally killed the snakes, but still enchanted, could not flee the siren. I could tell the siren was afraid to approach me, so I began throwing darts at her, eventually killing her and breaking her awful song.
I rested from this battle, letting the snakes' poison dissipate. Peering out at the water I could make out what appeared to be the open sea in the distance. To think I'd entered this after going through a simple drain was incredible. After resting a bit I noticed a door to the south. Upon investigating I discovered some sort of vault that contained some mundane armor, a confusing potion, and a mysterious bone lantern that identified as a lantern of the shadows. Uncertain as to its exact function, I tossed it in my pack and proceeded into a nearby gate that lead me back to the dungeon.
-Back to the Dungeon-
Back on level five I ran into a mean centaur who hurt me quite badly with an arrow. I berserked and charged him, but my poor timing resulted in my exhaustion right as I entered melee range. To make matters worse, I was still burdened by the awful dagger. I attempted to melee the centaur, but his power forced me to use two of my three wound healing potions. Too tired to berserk again, I elected to read my last teleport scroll and hope for the best. Trog was on my side and I teleported next to a safe upward staircase, which allowed me to rest while having an avenue of escape. After regaining my strength I started exploring again, killing another ogre. I returned to where the centaur was only to find, much to my surprise and confusion, a fresh centaur corpse. Trog is truly wonderous at times, and I showed him by sacrificing the centaur's corpse. Trog let it be known is he extremely pleased with me. I hope that I will soon impress him enough that he sees fit to grant me a powerful weapon.
Just before delving deeper I finally found a scroll that allowed me to get rid of the dagger, and I returned again to my trusty hand axe.
I moved on to the sixth dungeon level and found a curious smoking copper ring. I lacked the proper means to identify it, but since I possessed anti-curse scrolls, decided to don it. I immediately felt slightly more intelligent, though the ring's deathly cold was quite uncomfortable. I found an identify scroll shortly afterward and discovered that I was in possession of the ring "Teulug" which, in addition to increasing my intelligence slightly, provided me with a resistance to cold and regenerative powers. Unfortunately I found myself extremely hungry while wearing this ring. I elected to uncurse the ring and stash it for future encounters with cold-based animals. In the same room as the ring Teulug I found a bone ring that had no discernable effect.
While wandering around the sixth level searching for another identify scroll I encountered a nasty human named Sigmund. This pathetic magic user attempted to go invisible but I, in possession of a ring that allows me to see those who attempt to hide, killed the scythe-wielding fool with one slash (albeit while in an uncontrollable rage.)
Still on level six I encountered perhaps the scariest challenge yet - the ghost of a fellow Kenku Trog-worshipper. The ghost looked extremely strong and was being followed by a giant frog. I lured the ghost into a corridor and immediately entered a rage. My rage proved too much for the ghost and, upon its destruction, I felt even more experienced and tough. Unfortunately I made a mistake by continuing to explore while recovering from my rage. I encountered a group of three well-armed orcs, including one fierce looking warrior, who managed to get a few rather painful hits in on me as I tried to run away. Fortunately I had a wound healing potion and a teleport scroll, which allowed me to escape with my life. I recovered and circled back around, dispatching of the orcs before they could cause me additional harm.
At this point I continued exploring, only to find a room full of kobolds, including about six large ones. I am not sure what sort of party I disrupted, but the kobolds were not pleased. Fortuntely kobolds are stupid and I managed to lure them, along with what appeared to be a lost orc, a hound, and a random quasit into a corridor, where I merrily hacked them all to death, much to the delight of Trog. I did have to invoke Trog's regenerative hand in the process, but he was much more satisfied with the pile of kobold corpses than annoyed with my pesky request. Afteward, I discovered the kobolds were guarding a vault with a blue ring and a potion that caused me to heal at an even faster rate, grow some hard yellow scales that added additional protection, and increased my dexterity, albeit at the expense of some strength. While I value my strength, I cannot say I am upset at this unexpected mutation. I tried the ring on, only to discover it was a cursed ring of teleportation. I uncursed it with a spare scroll and kept it just it in case. I also found an identify scroll and, much to my disgust, discovered that I'd been wearing a ring of wizardry for a while. I sheepishly cast it aside and hoped Trog wasn't too upset. It was about this time that I also discovered the Ecumenical Temple. I briefly checked it out, but satisfied with Trog and having reached the title of Wild Kenku, did not think twice about investigating other religions.
Moving to level seven, I encountered another party of orcs, which I dispatched one-by-one while in a corridor. I decided to try out one of their war axes for a while, figuring it might pack a heftier bunch than by beloved, though small, hand axe. While screwing around with the axe I was ambushed by another orc warrior. This level seems to be infested with orcs! This orc was weilding a nasty glowing hand axe of venom and very nearly killed me. I had to quaff my last healing potion and pray to trog for some brothers in arms. Trog, bless him, sent me an extremely enraged two-headed ogre which managed to kill the orc warrior straight away. While I was recuperating, a stupid orc priest showed up and was victimized by my ogre friend. I picked up the hand axe of venom and elected to make it my primary weapon. Given the number of orcs I've encountered so far on this level, I am lead to believe I am nearing the Orcish Mines I've heard about. Reportedly the mines are filled with gold, so I shall certainly investigate, albeit cautiously.
Pressing onward, I found a very useful ring of protection from magic, as well as a wand of invisibility. Later I found a ring of poison resistance, which will help me greatly with the scorpions I keep encountering, and a ring of protection from cold. If only I had enough fingers for all these rings! I found some unusual scrolls that ended up being useless, but I found, rather curiously, that I suddenly had the ability to understand spellcasting. As a prized avatar of Trog I certainly would never consider such an offense.
Much to my surprise, I did not find the entrance to the Orcish Mines on level seven and, ever in search of blood, pressed on to level eight. I am becoming increasingly confident in my abilities and must boast a little that I managed to take out two centaurs, an orc wizard, and two orcs who were all ganging up on me at once, WITHOUT HAVING TO ENRAGE MYSELF!!! Of course, as a berserker I am never ashamed of having to enrage, but the toll it takes on my appetite and health means that I should reserve it for emergencies only. While I trust Trog completely, I wonder why he has not yet awarded me with a weapon of true devastation. I have shed much blood in his name and can only hope that soon I will be justly rewarded.
I was welcomed on level nine by a kobold who kept shooting poisoned darts at me. I laughed manically as I approached him, shrugging off his darts courtesy of my poison resistant ring, and quickly reduced him to a steaming corpse. Level nine is quite wide open, so I proceeded cautiously so as to not get surrounded. I managed to acquire some darts of flame and threw them at a giant beetle, softening it up for easy slaughter when it reached melee range. Trog finally awarded me a weapon after I killed, of all things, a rat. Though Trog is glorious, I must admit I was somewhat saddened to find a glowing spiked flail of piercing. I decided I would practice with it for a while, but I am not sure it is better than my hand axe of venom, which has been significantly enchanted courtesy of several scrolls I found lying about.
Just after I acquired my new flail I found the entrance to the Lair, which was unsurprisingly surrounded by fungi and plants. A sly looking thief named Maurice is also tooling about, but I do not think he has noticed me yet. He looks dangerous, and I may go hide in the Lair while I decide how to proceed.
--The Lair--
I am certain Maurice saw me, and he quickly went invisible. Rather than don my invisible detecting ring and battle it out with this little devil, I chose to enter the Lair and smash some rats with my new flail. Unfortunately some nasty gila monsters were around, forcing me to go berserk. I also picked up another wand of enslavement, which might be especially handy in the Lair.
I have discovered that giant spiny toads are tough and had to enrage myself again just to finish one off. Fortunately a nearby quokka provided a quick meal to offset some of my hunger. A pack of sheep provided a nice set of corpses for sacrifice. I discovered, while smashing them into small bits of mutton, that my spiked flail of piercing is +3, +1. I am still not certain I like this better than my +4, +3 hand axe of venom, but I suppose it is important to diversify my weapon skills, since I don't know what future weapons Trog will bestow upon me.
Whichever God decided to create yaks is an obnoxious pinhead. They do make a tasty meal, though getting them to meat stage is a feat I do not wish to repeat. I lack the proper missile weapons to finish these beasts off since they have a propensity to flee when they are seriously injured. This wand of magic darts I just found should help, for now.
After killing a measly grey rat, Trog awarded me with a dazzling great mace, which revealed itself to be the great mace "Orb Guardian's Doom." This huge mace unfortunately has some unpleasant side effects, specifically that it causes teleportation and makes me less stealthy. It allows me to fly, but as a Kenku I already have mastered this ability. It also allows me to go invisible, should I wish. Most alarming, the weapon has vampiric traits which prevent me from even wielding it. Nonetheless, and not to anger Trog, I shall keep it in my inventory. It may be useful later. For now I shall continue. The animals in this Lair are not yet intimidating, but there are always dangerous adventurers on the prowl, not to mention fearsome hydras...
