Current mood:

accomplished

A vanquished foe...
I seem, at least temporarily, to have vanquished my arch nemesis bad luck.

Against my better judgment, I agreed to run about in the maze administered by the merchant Droughtman, and, lo and behold, much to my surprise I might add, I ended up finding my way out first.

The frustrations were legion on the way, however. Right out of the chute, and much to my chagrin, I was transformed into many unpleasant forms including a mime and a laughing toad. This was compounded by the fact that toads seemingly cannot carry wands, and the lights suddenly went out. Needless to say, hopping about a maze in the dark while wearing a moss headdress and trapped in an invisible box is not my idea of a walk in the park.

That having been said, I soon learned the lesson of patience, but not before I indulged in a significant dose of self-pity, shrieking, hair pulling, gnashing of teeth, pouting, and a long string of expletives.

When at long last a kind soul relieved me of umpteen bleeding wounds by freeing my body of life, I began to formulate a more concrete strategy. My first priority was finding the Way Out, which I attempted to do in a methodical fashion. Once that goal had been accomplished, I set off to find a key. Whether it was shear good luck on my part or the fact that my usual bad luck was besetting my competitors, I cannot say, but a key came into my possession. Amazingly, I had time to grab it up and stow it away before encountering a whirlwind which took me back to the entrance of the maze.

Key in metaphorical hand, I set off, doggedly trying to retrace my steps to the Way Out. Here, I must make a comment on the devilish nature of Droughtman's creation -- it seems that the way to the Way Out is an ever changing one, but by this time my determination had been stiffened by the thoughts in my head telling me that others, too, had found keys.

A determined empath is a fearsome thing to behold, though, and wand in hand I marched through the maze, freezing the unwary and illuminating my path. When at last I gazed upon the Way Out, my heart surged with such emotion I nearly became giddy, but I had the wherewithal and the will. Producing the key, I passed the barrier. Much to my surprise, the words echoed in my head, "To the winner go the spoils!"

As a reward, I was given the most wonderful pouch. Seemingly an ordinary cloth container, it contained a trove of cambrinth items, large and small, one for nearly every body part and several others to boot! Most excitingly, I discovered a faceted orb, an item after which I have lusted for some time.

All in all, it was a satisfying experience, but alas, I haven't a great deal of confidence that the second round will be any less replete with frustration. Luckily, I have a few months to steel my resolve for the next challenge.