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Skizlum Skallaglamm

The discovery of civilization...

Skizlum Skallaglamm's Zargnoth Adventures

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Fresh off my early explorations of the Zargnoth, I'm heading for my first far Inn in the newer regions...

...but I miss. The usual error: simply not triple-checking my movement. On the way to not getting there, however, I meet a Grabber Bush (dies in one round after taking 43, doing 35 to me), another Grabber Bush (dies in one round after taking 62, doing 26 to me), and a Huffinpuffer (from which I flee). Stopping in at the Ancient Graveyard, I find the usual assortment of creatures but no treasure on my first trip in, and seven Oculars on my second. On to the Far Post- trader Jill Wistak says she's never seen the likes of my race before, something I haven't heard since I first landed on the island lo these many years ago... Wistak's Far Post deals in nothing I couldn't have bought or sold back in the west, so I leave them some Flaming Gourds, and move on to the Far Exotica. There I try to do my Inn Stay, getting only confused looks in return. So I check out the goods: they sell coinage (at reasonable rates) and luxury items of various types. From talking to the proprietor I get the impression that there's money to be made in transferring these from one Exotica to another, but without knowing prices elsewhere I'm unwilling to dabble. One glitch comes to light here- the new Far structures (or at least the Exotica) don't show up on my Detect Above-Ground Structures spell. This leads me to wonder if any of the new Structures in the Zargnoth are detectable. (I notified Keith/AbM of this bug, and I advise any of you who find new structures in the East to test this and notify Keith/AbM if the bug still exists.) In any case, I shoot for the Inn again for my next sleep.

Much better! I spend this night at the Slaughtered Plodder. Checking the lists, they sell weapons training up to level 5, which I can use in a couple categories. Nothing new in the way of Voodoo or Knowledges, though they do sell Parachutes and Swinging Balls. They also offer a primo-class Inn Stay, I1 for 76 Oculars. Checking out the area, I discover I'm actually in a town! I wander through the Town Square, check out the lovely fountain, and learn that the town is named Dillon. It covers six squares, which contain the aforementioned Inn, Post, and Exotica, plus the Town Square, a Far Forge, and the Dillon Railway station. Next is the Quenching Dip Far Forge, which offers me some money for my Emu Darts and my Nitroegg, and also offers, among other things, a Great Sword and a Small Lockpick for sale. Not being prepared to buy and sell, I check out the last shop: the Railway! They offer me transport to three other towns: Fastor, Killar, and Waltan, for 100, 100, and 150 Oculars respectively. For 1000 Oculars they offer to sell me a Season Ticket, good for 10 consecutive turns. Train tracks run north and south out of the Inn, leading me to guess Inns are arranged north/south in the Zargnoth, much as they are back east. Heading back to the Inn, I make a detour and fight a Huffinpuffer, who dies in two rounds when we each do 63 damage to the other. I take its Air Sac as a trophy, and mulling all this over, I jog back to my Inn room where I settle down for the night, the lone resident there.

So much to do, so little time! I sell the Huffinpuffer Air Sac for 30, plus some of my other accumulated stuff gets sold as well. I ask for Weapons Training, but it's been so long since I needed any training that I've forgotten it's a between turns action. I leave the Inn unTrained, and sell my Emu darts at the Forge for 20 each, getting me 200 Oculars. I'll hold on to the Nitroegg for experimentation, though. From there, on to the current object of my ever-burning curiosity: the Railway. More or less randomly, I pick Fastor as my destination and buy my ticket. The train, it seems is run by the Zoingots (though I don't meet any). It's pushed by a mated pair of Red Kachoos, and a Muncher beast is mounted on the front and eats anything that blocks the train. I certainly wouldn't want to get in its way. The carriages of the train are functional, but far from comfortable. They also lack windows, so the long ride passes in a literally uncomfortable silence. After 60 APs or so of travel, I exit the carriage and find myself in the town of Fastor! Fastor seems to be the next town north, and I hop off the train and find it somewhat similar to Dillon. The Town Square and Far Post aren't interesting right now, so I curl up in the brush for a nap. But wait, a new Creature disturbs my near-sleep: a Mad Stalker. Due to my mistimed Weapon Training attempt I'm armed with a weapon too good for me, so the Stalker flees after doing 82 to me. I vow to return, and drift off...

In the morning, I try to find that Mad Stalker. Better armed, I find two of them! The first drills me twice for 55 total, and flees after taking 98. The second hits me twice for 76 and flees after taking 92. Maybe next time. I check out The Bellows Far Forge (sells Large Lockpicks, Great Swords), The Far Exotica (from whose prices I can't tell much more than I already knew, save that I made the right choice in not buying anything), the Fastor Railway Station (tickets to Dillon, Killar, Waltan for 100, 150, 200), and finally the Far Inn, the Wooden Leg. It's virtually identical to the last Inn, and so again I get a room and head for bed, mulling my options. On a whim, I purchase a Parachute before retiring.

There's somebody else here! My first fellow monster since I left the Black Swan some months ago. A fellow Fire Rider, someone I never met. "Tong the Mad", hmm, where do I know that name? Oh yes, he's the Fire Rider who "left" the group for Shroud's Own. I decide to avoid the poor creature, and just for good measure make a note to turn back on my Gold Ring. One never can tell with Shroud's Own. Running through the Jungles nearby, I run across a Shotgun Serpent, which takes 52 points of damage in a round and dies. The coconuts it fires at me do me 13 points of damage. I leave the carcass and travel on, noting by spyglass a Tainted Hollow, and return to the Inn, making a proper request for Pole Weapons training (as I've not seen a Smite since turn 30 or so, I've been unable to get past level 4). Turning my recently purchased Parachute inside out, I'm able to hazard a guess as to how it's made. Looks like simply 4 Crobbler Skins, 4 Waxed Ooze, and a knife for working with. I shrug and sell it back, having paid 14 Oculars for the information. I request the cushy stay (I1) and settle into my ever-so-comfortable room...

Most of my town exploration done, it's time to keep moving on...

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These articles were taken from Skizlum Skallaglamm's Monster Island Page.
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