Previously to 8/14/96, Zgwortz kept a log, but the original was sadly lost during the battle he mentions on that date. Thus, we will start this document with one of his cousins' journal entries, a few days before that point.
Zgwortz has claimed for some time that maintaining a daily record of one's activities has a calming effect after a day's excitement, and allows one to look at things in a new light. While his mental acuity is somewhat on the mediocre side, I suspect that this claim is more accurate than one might expect. I have therefore resolved to keep such a record myself, and am endeavoring to convince Doczgwortz to do the same, for it will also allow us to compare notes in the future.
First, I find it somewhat annoying that Zgwortz has failed to mention his cousins' presence in this town. Let me therefore begin by introducing us and our lineage. Zgwortz (the fourth of that name) is the great grandson of a minor noble in the far off land of Mordor (no, not *that* Mordor...). The name Zgwortz is of mysterious and unknown origin, although legend has it that it has something ominous to do with the color green appearing in the furthest reaches of the night sky. When the first Zgwortz passed the name down to his son, it is told that a prophecy stated that all of his male descendants must be given the name or the world would be doomed. The second Zgwortz had both a son, whom he called Zgwortz, and two daughters, whom he did not.
When the daughters married and had several male children of their own, they weren't certain if the prophecy applied, so just in case they named them all Zgwortz. This naturally caused great confusion at family get togethers when all the boys were named Zgwortz. So we took to calling each other by nicknames, although the son of Zgwortz III we still called Zgwortz, since his father insisted, knowing the prophecy applied in his case.
When we decided to go into our professions, it seemed natural to call the Zgwortz who went into Healing "Doc", and I, who became a Mentalist, was called "Wiz". But just to be safe, we kept the "Zgwortz" as well, which is why you'll see "Doczgwortz" and "Wizgwortz" running about. There's a couple of other cousins and brothers still in training, Chizgwortz (pronounced Key-Zig-Worts) and that stupid idiot Dumbzgwortz who swam east from Nork a few days back and hasn't been seen since, and some others who aren't old enough yet.
***
Now that the lineage issue has been discussed, I'd like to record the experience of my first adventures in the Nork Underground Targeting Zone (aka NUTZ) on this, my first day after training to be a mentalist.
I had heard from Zgwortz that there was any amount of armor and weaponry simply lying on the floor of the first level of NUTZ (Commonly known in this town as "Nork -1") just going to waste. So armed with the Map he had made of Nork -1, I proceeded downwards, via the eastern stair near Hector the Jeweler's. Sure enough, piles of armor and weapons do exist down there, and it was a simple matter to find a stout staff and a suit of chainmail, and for good measure I grabbed a cloak or two, since it was somewhat chilly down there.
While searching for the chainmail, which is less easy to find than other forms of armor, a Goblin approached. Using my ENMISS discipline, I was surprised at how easily it died. Zgwortz had often complained about Goblins which took too long to die, but I suspect he simply had trouble hitting the nimble creatures, whereas my ENMISS discipline never misses. The sound of other creatures approaching made me think twice, however - my psychic points take a while to regenerate - so I started on the way back up.
On the way back, for quick cash, I also grabbed two other suits of chain, and killed another goblin who got in the way. I went back upstairs to visit the armorer to sell the chain and a few gems I had picked up, then went to the alchemist in NW Nork to buy several health potions, at a very good price (20 GP each). Now I could stay down longer because I had a way to recover my health in case of a tough battle.
My second trip down I was looking for money and a helm. I stayed down for quite some time, killing things with both mind and staff, and healing as needed. At some point I sat down for a short rest and realized that my Psychic powers had increased! Having been warned of this by my mentor, Dontdie, I made my way out of the dungeon and cashed in my gems and extra helms. I then went to Dontdie and trained for a while before heading back. Oddly, I had expected to learn a new discipline at this point, but he told me I should practice a bit more, and unlike the Fighter trainer Zgwortz told me about, he didn't take nearly as much money to train my mentalist skills as I had expected.
So I did. Practice, practice practice. Admittedly, it's a little boring at first, just swinging a staff and firing off those missiles, but I'll run into more interesting things when I start exploring and gain more skills. The only interesting thing I found was a key, which I promptly stored in my locker. Zgwortz has mentioned that the minions of the Goblin Lord sometimes carry a key to let them into his lair, although I found this one on an Orc. Perhaps the Goblin Lord recruits non-Goblins as well...
After some more skill training and monster killing (The Goblins are really easy, so I use them for staff practice, the Orcs a bit tougher, the Rockmen even tougher than that, and I had to run from a Troll the first time I ran into one - they're pretty tough...), I felt my power increase some more, and went back to my trainer. This time, having declared me more skillful, he taught me a new discipline.
I would have headed back down to try it out, but Zgwortz just came back from exploring Nork -3, and he wants to celebrate his successes. He's waffling over a decision about whether to swim south to some Paladin trainer he's heard about and become a Paladin, but he doesn't want to be restricted to being such a goody two shoes. I think he's going to do it, but from the way he's drinking and carousing, I suspect he wants to get a last bit of naughtiness in before taking the plunge.
Let it be known that strong drink does not an adventurer make. Wiz is sleeping the last night off, but Zig is *still* going at it. Me, I'm writing this down so that it's painfully obvious what fools they both made of themselves last night.
The owner of the Steel Flower has promised *not* to press charges as long as Wiz promises never to swing naked from the chandeliers again, and has reinforced his prohibition against use of psionics in the tavern after an embarassing revelation of a secret door at the end of the hall. And the town council has only fined Zig a small amount for relieving himself in the pool outside the tavern. In front of a small crowd.
Personally, I'm rather annoyed at both of them - Wiz for making me stay here and help him recover, instead of being able to go off and explore and train, and Zgwortz for dragging him off to carouse. I suspect Wiz has learned his lesson, but Zig will probably not even think about it. Assuming he ever manages to think again, that is.
Before Wiz got too drunk, he managed to convince me to start a journal, and so I have. It's his own fault it started with a record of his drunkenness. But there it is, recorded for all posterity.
***
It's 10PM and Zgwortz just crawled into the door. I picked him up and threw him outside so he wouldn't foul up the place. Surely enough, a few minutes later, I heard him retch a few times. When I went out, he was snoring over a tree stump, and had soiled his leggings, so I dumped a bucket of water over him (which didn't wake him up) and dragged him in anyway.
What a day! After crawling out of bed with barely a hangover after the last night's carousing, I threw on my armor, grabbed my gear, and twigged back down to -3. As usual, several crits mobbed me (I think they must be attracted to twigging in...), but I fought them off very easily. I then spent some more time expanding my exploration of this complex, cursing all the while over the incomplete nature of the map I spent good money for.
My sack was getting kind of full when I encountered an Ogre near a door that wasn't on my map. This was a tough Ogre compared to what I was used to fighting, but I managed to kill it anyway. It's treasure finished filling my sack, so I twigged back to Nork to sell my hoarded loot and train for a bit.
Here was the first odd thing - Laying on the large block in the Mausoleum (*I* think it's an altar despite Wiz's ideas, and this just made it more likely in my opinion), there was a dead body! Naturally, I tried to get it off of there to give it a decent burial, but as before, I found it impossible to approach the block closely. Other adventurers also tried but failed.
When I twigged back down to -3, I got yet another surprise - No sooner had I appeared than I found myself attacked by a new creature, a Thumper. (I hope Bambi isn't around...) It was a very tough creature for me to defeat, but I did it anyway. I then walked into the next room and encountered another one, only this one was accompanied by another tough Ogre and a *Mummy*! Before I could twig out, I was dead, and the crits were doing a rumba around my corpse.
This was a new experience for me. I'd never *been* dead before. Alas, there was nobody nearby, so I shouted that magical incantation "RESTORE", and was back in Nork with everything except my Longsword and my logbook, feeling a bit less healthy than I had been before. Well, now I know to keep that twig *real* handy in case I run into these things in the future. I went back down to -3 the long way after picking up a long sword, resolving to explore a different section for a while.
Strangely enough, while I didn't encounter any more Thumpers or Mummies, the Trolls and Ogres I did run into seemed more vicious than before. I think they liked the taste... I'm also beginning to think becoming a Paladin isn't such a bad idea - I've heard Paladins don't taste as good. (Or was it that they were tasteless? Never can get that difference straight...:)
Another day with it's ups and downs. After yesterday, I finally decided that being a Paladin wasn't such a bad thing after all, so I went and did it. I dusted off that Respirate helm in my locker and put it on, so that I could at swim at least as fast as the sharks if necessary, and made my way to the southeast area of Nork. Starting in the water just behind the Mentalists, I swam due south for a while. I ran into some cliffs (could this be the long rumored Yeti island?) and made my way around them to the east, then headed due south again. Sure enough, a small island with a dilapidated building on it soon came into view.
There in the building I met my new trainer and told him of my wish to become a Paladin. "Do you swear to uphold all that is good and noble in this world, to fight against evil, protect the weak, and promptly pay your taxes, without hesitation or complaint?", he asked. I thought the bit about taxes was a little too much, but I swore the oath anyway. "I now pronounce you Zgwortz, Paladin of the Norkan Realm. Go forth and do good in the world," he exclaimed.
He then trained me in some of the secret combat techniques of Paladinhood, showing me how to swing my sword more quickly than I had been capable of before. He then dismissed me, reminding me to return to him when I was in need of further training. Fortunately, I had remembered to pack a Succor scroll, so I made a twig for his island.
On my way out, I noticed a small stairway heading down. Curious, I climbed down it to find myself in another dungeon, or perhaps it was somehow another part of the Nork dungeon. I carefully peeked around the corner. Much to my horror there were worse creatures here than I had seen before. Mummies, and other terrible things. A sharp pain in my mind told me I was under attack mentally, and I knew I was out of my league, so I beat a hasty retreat back up the stair. Now I knew why the trainer was here - it was his job to keep those things from escaping their dungeon prison.
Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself and started heading back North to Nork. I once again encountered the curious island with cliffs around it, and decided to explore a bit, having seen no sharks. Eventually I found a more level area of the island populated by a large number of peaceful native animals. Here I found a mine in the base of the cliffs which led underground. I cautiously entered.
As I explored, encountering some trolls and rockmen, and an occational Ogre, Sanquin, or Lizardman, I felt fairly confidant in my ability to continue the exploration. My sack quickly filled, and I twigged back to Nork to sell the large gems I had found in the mine. Realizing that I had forgotten to make a twig on the new island, I twigged back to the Paladin trainer's and swam back to the island from there.
Alas, my overconfidence was my undoing. I had walked perhaps no further than 10 paces back into the mine when I was set upon by Thumpers and Mummies. Again. And died. Again. Once again, nobody was around to help (I'm going to *have* to find some companions to accompany me on my explorations - Neither Wiz nor Doc will do so because they think I'll only get them into trouble...), so I once again shouted that magical incantation "RESTORE" and was back in Nork, missing only my Longsword and my health.
Deciding I needed to build up my skills before visiting the more dangerous places again, I headed down to -3 again, only keeping near the stairs there - that section, while prone to what I've heard called Zoos, seems to be relatively safe from the more deadly creatures which lurk in the nether corners of the level. As long as I keep away from that southwest section, I should do allright.
I ran into an old has-been named Sir Haldan -- The man has no guts whatsoever. He takes on a quest for a pretty young lady, then runs away in fear from a lizard man. Allright, so maybe it's a Lizard King, but was that any excuse? I've been killing lizardmen left and right on -3, so could their King be so tough? Well, one of my new Paladinly duties is to go around helping Damsels in Distress (I'm a bit annoyed about that one, mind - I always thought they were talking about Damsels in Disdress, but apparently not...), so I headed off to finish the gutless wonder's quest.
All of that training down on -3 has paid off, apparently. While getting in to see the luciferian lizard was a bit tricky, with a bit of luck and the aid of an enchantment from the lady, I managed to get past his entryway, off in a cave on -2, unscathed. From there, it was a simple job to finish the lizard off. I didn't even give him time to pull the fire trick all those other lizardmen kept using - four quick blows and he was on the floor. Just goes to show that practice makes perfect. I looted the lair and twigged back home. The lady was most appreciative...
***
Feeling better than I had in some time, thanks to the lady, I later went back down to my haunts on -3. There's a whole area to the east I hadn't explored. Sanquins and Lizardmen and Ogres, Oh My. Actually, not at all a problem - I left Sanquin sushi, Lizardmen lard, and Ogre organs strewn behind my path. There was one spot when I slipped and fell into a pit, and found myself attacked by a zoo, including Thumpers (I'll get them yet!). I twigged out of there *real* quick.
When I went back I finished exploring that eastern section, except for a locked door I couldn't find a key for. I smelled that musty, rotting smell you get around mummies, however, so I'm not too anxious to get the door open. But maybe one mummy won't be as bad, as long as it's *just* one...
Me Dumb. Mamma always tell me "You too dumb." She right. Zig say too dumb to be fighter. Wiz say too dumb to be ment (me no trust magix noway). Doc say *please* don't be healer. No want to be thief or dancer.
But me hear about Barbarian trainer. Me think me become Barbarian, like Conan, become powerful, kill enemy, rule all of Nork, make out with women. No need be smart. So me go looking for Barbarian trainer.
Trainer supposed to be across water. So me swim in pond front of Steel Flower. No find trainer. Then me swim in water near Last Chance. Find Dolphin, but no trainer. Someone say trainer to east. So me swim behind Bank near fighter trainer. But *still* no find trainer. Finally swim other way, past gambler. Find cliff. Couldn't climb over, so broke cliff and went through. Um. Cliff end just past break.
Find land past cliff. Big building in woods. Me don't like look of building, so me go past it. Small building past it. Found Barbarian Trainer! He tell me to dead Kate. I tell him OK. He tell me go fight, kill critters, break things, make out with women. Practice. I say OK, sound like fun. Swim all the way back, not even get lost! Now trying to find Kate so I can kill her. I don't know why trainer wants her dead, but it be good fun, I think. Maybe Wiz know where to find...
Having reached the third level of skill in my profession, and in the interests of accelerating my education, I decided to forego the relative safety of the level colloquially known as -1, and proceeded down to the risky -2. I had already made a brief journey down to that area based on Zig's advice, to find a suit of plate armor, literally running through the corridors until I spotted such an item, and running back with it in hand, avoiding any creature I saw. Now I was prepared to face the area with more firm resolve, although remained quite ready to run if necessary...
It was a good maneuver. Armed with several healing potions, and avoiding the use of my mental skills upon the lesser creatures such as goblins and orcs, I managed to progress quite rapidly to the fourth level of skill. I would kill the tougher creatures with my psionic disciplines, then while recovering my mental energy, would take on the lesser creatures with my staff, or avoid them entirely, quaffing a healing potion as needed.
During one of these trips, I also became more familiar with my newly acquired DETECT skill, finding but a single secret door, to my frustration. Zig insists that there ought to be some secret doors on -1, but even with the DETECT skill, I can't find them. I'm going to check again. Zig has been wandering about with a grenade in hand making threats about blowing the walls down, and we don't want him to be doing that...
It was about this time that, during one of my trips up to empty out my sack and train, I met Hector, a jeweler who was seeking his family. Apparently his brother had been kidnapped by the Goblin Lord again (From what he says, it happens frequently, since Goblins have little imagination...), and he was seeking another person to help rescue him. I decided to give it a try. Pulling the key out of my locker, I went to confront this new Goblin Lord.
Either the new lord was not as powerful as the old one, or the inherent superiority of Mentalism over Brute force was once again proven, for the Goblin Lord was swiftly defeated with several well placed Energy Missiles. I rescued Hector's brother and returned to Hector, who then sent me to find his oft-wayward sister Genetta and let her know she could come home again.
Genetta does seem a flighty child. She wanders all over the western half of -1, and was difficult to find (I had to rescue her from several Trolls which were surrounding her when I did find her. You'd think these people would learn some common sense!), but find her I did, and I returned her to her brother. Hector, demonstrating the skills which has made his house famous, crafted me a nice ring as a reward. I suspect it will come in quite useful...
I decided to spend the day practicing my staff. It was tedious, but well worth it in the long run. I went no further than a few dozen paces from the stair down from the Last Chance, and spent much time whacking several poor Rockmen, Orcs, and Goblins with my staff, knowing all the while that my plate armor, iron helm, and magic ring would protect me from the worst of their wrath.
After quite a bit of practicing (and having dispatched a good dozen such creatures), I found it a bit easier to wield the staff, having learned it's balance and form. I had also acquired quite a large treasure, including several helmets which looked considerably different than I had previously seen. I prudently decided to save one of each of the new types after trying them on for size, and sold the duplicates and the few which didn't fit properly to the armorer upstairs. I'm not quite certain why they didn't fit, although now that I think about it, I remember noticing a slight twinge in my arm when picking up all those unusual helmets which *did* fit, and no such twinge when I picked up the others. Perhaps that has something to do with it.
Having spent the greater part of the day practicing my staff, I headed back to train some more. Displaying my new proficiency with the weapon, my mentor agreed to train me in some of the finer points of using it, something he had previously refused to do. I also spent some time training my mental skills. When I was done, I still had a considerable sum remaining in my sack, so rather than carry such weight around with me, I went off to the bank and opened an account, placing a significant portion of my wealth on deposit.
It was getting ridiculous. Here I was, trained to be a healer, but unable to practice my healing skills enough to learn anything new. I was exploring the section of the Nork dungeon beneath the Last Chance, killing things easily with my well practiced shortsword, but my healing skills were going to waste. I decided something ought to be done about it.
After all, I'm a healer, not a fighter. My job is to heal things, already. So I started running around the dungeon healing any poor, helpless adventurer in need of a healing touch. Not only did this bring far more satisfaction than fighting and healing myself, it also provided me with lots of practice for my healing skill.
Fortune smiled upon me when I chanced to meet a Martial Artist named Kyrin. We talked for a bit about my slow progress, and when another adventurer named Morak wandered along, we decided to risk the dangers of Nork -2 to give me an opportunity to practice my art. This was a good idea, and we progressed along at a good rate. We chanced to meet a barbarian who was frothing at the mouth, not much in control of himself. Fortunately, we managed to beat a hasty retreat to avoid unwanted battle with him.
I wasn't making much progress in the healing arena, however, as my companions were too well protected to be easily hit. They suggested taking their armor off so I could get a few good MENDs in, which I did after that, right up to the point where, upon battling with an Ogre, I realized my skill in healing had increased somewhat. I also ran out of Energy Points, and at the height of battle was no longer able to heal my companions. In a series of rapid blows I still cannot quite comprehend, which were so quick it might not have made a difference if I still *could* MEND woulds, it dispatched both Kyrin and myself, leaving our bodies lifeless on the ground.
Being dead was a new experience. My spirit floated invisibly near my body. I found that by shouting, I could make Morak, who managed to kill the Ogre without being too badly wounded, understand my voice. I could also barely hear Kyrin shouting in a similar fashion. Kyrin told Morak to take both of our bodies back up to the Healer in town (My mentor! I didn't realize he could do this!) and ask him to Cure Critical Wounds on our bodies, which would restore us to life without permanant damage. He took a corpse in each hand and made a run for it, dodging Orcs and Goblins as he ran. Arriving back at the surface, he did as Kyrin requested and surely enough, I was restored to life on the spot!
I thanked both Kyrin and Morak for their aid and assistance, and took my leave of them, remaining to study further with my Mentor, who taught me the discipline of DETECT. Upon heading back to home, I ran into Wizgwortz, and he mentioned the need for someone to search for secret doors on -1 before Zgwortz blows things up. I volunteered my services, as it would be good practice for me, and less immediately dangerous than wandering down on -2 for a bit...
Zgwortz seems absolutely convinced that there is something else hidden down on Nork -1, despite Wiz's failed attempts to detect a secret door anywhere down there. He showed me a map he made, pointing out a corridor in the east section which goes nowhere as an example. I have to admit he makes a persuasive argument.
I wanted to gain some practice with my Detect skill anyway, so I went down there with the intention of completely exploring the east section, searching for secret doors. While doing this, I realized quickly that if I used all my psionic energy in detection, I wouldn't have any to heal myself in emergencies. I therefore decided that I would use half my energy for Detection, and leave the rest in reserve. Since the energy returns at the same rate in either case, I would still be able to perform my Detections at the same speed, without sacrificing my ability to heal.
After what seemed like hours, I thoroughly examined the entire eastern area, with the sole exception of a locked door leading, I presume, to the abode of the current reigning Goblin Lord, and have to conclude that if there are other rooms hidden on this level, they aren't accessable via a secret door. On the other hand, there might still be a secret door in the home of the Goblin Lord. I may have to visit there soon to check.
There might also be a secret door somewhere in the western area of the level, as I haven't as yet checked it all out. There is a very odd room there with a lava moat around two pedestals of some sort and a pool of water on the other end, and I noticed several numbers carved into the floor there...