This may not be to anyone's interest, but I really enjoy reading about others' games in progress, so I thought I'd do one of my own, as already within the first 1000 turns this game's proven to be an exciting one. If anyone has any suggestions about what to include/not to include, or how to change my writing style, please feel free, honestly.
Also, I don't know how to create flg/vlg's I can access on the server (I'm playing online under 'Covenant', so anyone who wants to watch is free to do so), so my descriptions will have to do for now.
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Covenant the Human Monk
Candle-Born
Entering Terinyo with high hopes, due to good starting stats including 21 Learning, I spoke to the Sheriff and the Little Girl to receive my preferred two starting quests. This done, I continued on my way to Lawenilothehl (Which will henceforth be referred to as Bandit Town, as this is really an awful name) to get a Bandit for my first kill, as I always do, and to examine the contents of the shop.
I attempted the SMC to get the Water Blanket, but was overwhelmed by a plethora of tough monsters (Berserkers, Ogres, etc), so I had to retreat. Thankfully my level-ups provided a great help due to the high Learning score, and upon exiting I quickly found Kranach the Raider Lord. A few hairy moments resulted in the need to use both my starting prayers, but he went down in the end. My only complaint was that I didn't get a corpse for him, but you can't have everything. Stopping only briefly to buy some supplies and collect my blood money from the Sheriff at Terinyo, I continued to the Puppy Cave.
I entered into a small room with only one visible exit, which to my delight I discovered led to an 'Exotic Extravaganza' containing a ring of damage, a scroll of familiar summoning, and an orcish spear of devastation! My danger sense kicked in, however, and I turned to Coward mode before entering - a wise choice, it turned out, as a mimic was lurking at the back. At my level I had no way to kill the thing, though thankfully my DV was high enough to avoid getting chain-paralysed. I didn't want to abandon the puppy though, so I spent nearly every last penny I had on that spear of devastation. Thankfully even on Coward mode it was enough to kill the mimic.
And more besides, it turned out. The ants on the second level were crushed like - well, ants. A nearby dark sage netted me a cure poison potion (identified thanks to its early appearance in the Bandit Town shop), handy for one of my frequent causes of early player death. A necromancer on the floor below provided a bit of a scare - I hate ghuls - but they too were dispatched with relative ease. The fourth floor netted me some elven chain mail some hobbit had carelessly just left lying around, which I quickly put on replacing my +1 PV robe. A minotaur showed up on the cavernous level, which surprised me a smidge, but my orcish spear of devastation was far too devastating for him. He died too. I also found another ring of damage, but decided I'd wait to try it until I was sure it wasn't cursed (would that mean it would reduce my damage? I've been playing too much Elona, I'm afraid).
I got a bit nervous as I approached the final set of stairs. I really, really wanted to save that damn puppy. And I knew he had a propensity for dying before I'd even laid eyes on him. I'd arrived with hours to spare before the deadline, but there was no way to know if a hostile monster would be generated in the room with him. The turns before I found him moved agonisingly slowly, but when I eventually found him he was alive and well - in the same room as a non-hostile chaos brother, of all things. I quickly slaughtered the unsuspecting chaos brother (in the name of peace and righteousness) before beginning my escape with the puppy in tow.
The ascent was nerve-wracking, but successful - I exited the Puppy Cave with its eponymous inhabitant intact. Once it had been safely returned to its mistress, I decided to take a break for a while, planning to return to the Puppy Cave and plunder its treasures later that night.