Bait the Vampire Chaos/Sorcery Mage – level 23

I found the most wonderful magic item ever. My vampire can now walk around during the day!

Oh, and I got my first Westernesse blade. It’s too heavy for me to hit anything with it, but I can hang it at my hip and caress the pommel every so often, and it gives me Free Action and See Invisible! w00t.

BTW, the nearest “2” dungeon (750′ -> ?) is like 2 towns away, none of which have Homes in them.

Oh, and I nearly suicided — I had been wandering around at night, opening up new areas and looking for the “2” dungeon. I check the time obsessively, and carry scrolls/staffs of darkness with me at all times. I’d never failed to make it back to town with more than enough time to spare (OK, one time I got caught out at 5:59 with my hometown in sight. I took about 20 damage before I could run in the house).

So I’m wandering back home, it’s starting to get close to 6am, and I check my pack…

No Darkness Staff. No Scroll. I was out. In the daylight. With nothing but 179hp between me and a Really Bad Sunburn.
So I check the map, and the nearest thing I can see that is any possibility is a dungeon that’s… pretty far away.

…

and it’s a “4”.

But, it’s either that or death, so I make sure I’ve got the Ring of Levitation on, and float across the body of water I was trying to get around, heading straight for the dungeon and “ow ow ow”ing the whole way (1hp per turn). I start casting about, making sure I’m heading the right direction, and keeping an eye on the HP (oh, I didn’t have any healing potions either — need to stay svelte with 4 books and only 24 inventory slots). I see the stairs, throw myself down them into the dungeon, and arrive…

at 1600′.

With 59hp.

Needless to say, I nearly faint as horrible visions of death fill my mind. Nothing worse than what I’d just been through, of course.

I calculated how long I would have to rest before the sun went down (4000 turns or so), and decided to hole up and wait it out, picking off anyone who came through the door.

But at some point, I said to myself “sometimes, it’s time to go and do stupid things” and ventured out into the dungeon. I had a Ring of Free Action (which saved my ass), and there was a helpful room with a lake in it that kept people from charging me (orcs can’t swim!). Goddamn level was dripping with young greens and orc raiding parties, including 2 Unique orcs. I fought and rested and cleared about 3 rooms before I was full of loot (Westy and some RA armor!) and it was close enough to sunset that I could head back to the stairs up and “rest it out”. I took my haul of $ and went out that night to find myself a more permanent solution to the problem, and I found a Ring of Light and Dark Resistance in one of the shops for about 4 grand.

Totally. Worth. It.

Next morning, I tested the ring (with a SoDarkness in my inventory in case it didn’t work) and found that I could wander around in daylight like a normal person.

Best. Ring. Ever.

BTW, Ring of Fate is *awesome*.