#coq

got the pilgrimage quest and headed north into the desert. made it a reasonable distance before becoming lost, and getting lost in the desert usually isn't that big of an issue... unless it's night. which it was. instead of waiting until daylight, i decided to push on, hoping to recover my bearings and finish the last leg of my journey for a free 3 levels. i walked north, beating ishari bandits' faces in with my carbide fist as i went. i wouldn't have thought it possible, but their rifler's were a force to be reasoned with. i wouldn't have thought they'd be an issue for a truekin in such small numbers, but there in the dark i was open game for them. stranded in the middle of the screen, i was gunned down under the light of my own torch.

made it swiftly to the stilt. i had a decent set of powers and it was shaping up to be a good run. in my negligence i ran out of water in the desert because i didn't keep an eye on my water reserves. tragically, i died right on the outskirts of some undiscovered desert village near the stilt where i could have quenched my thirst </3

found books in some desert ruins on the way to the Stilt. they allowed me to level up enough for a new mutation. i dropped the bubble level down the sacred well as promised, completing my quest, and headed back south. unfortunately, my newly-developed ability to release sleep gas didn't prevent a surprise ambush from a pack of dawngliders. in fact, the gas in the air only seemed to speed up the process of incineration as my thick fur was promptly immolated and scattered to ash amongst the salt

made it to the Stilt, and while lost found a glowsphere on a couple of raiders who attempted to ambush me in the dark. on the way back to the marshes i ran across a legendary ape who i traded with and became water-bonded with. my new water sib, in a stroke of miraculous luck, shared the location of Oboroqoru, the Ape God. my newfound pilgrimage was almost cut short by running into some templars just a single parasang south. while i tried skirting them, their entire party teleported to my location. luckily i fled a screen north promptly. i considered leading them into my new water-sib and company to try to get some loot from the ensuing chaos, but figured i'd get killed in the process so i trekked onward. the ape holy site happened to be just north of the jungle village of Kyakuya, so that was my first destination. after becoming lost i carefully navigated the jungle by foot, luckily evading huge parties of enemies and somehow arrived at the village. i didn't stay long, even though i was a dominator there was no chance of taking over Crowsong's body, nice as it was- statwise. Incredibly, i made it to the lair of the ape god, but found it flooded. i had finally made it, but this was to be my final destination. a lone madpole used its superior swimming ability to outmaneuver me among mangrove trees. its jaws clamped shut on my arm, pinning me, but i managed to break free by discharging my electricity. but there in the water, backed into a corner, i had no more tricks to pull. the madpole's fins made a joke out of my attempts to flee and turned the water red with my blood in just 1 turn.

getting to the stilt was easy, the only problem i had was discovering all the sites of interest along the way. unfortunately, i was ill-prepared for the trek back and ran out of water. panicking, i took fasting way, but as i made my way across the desert in search of water i ran across a thirst thistle which took advantage of my weakened state, sapping the remainder of my vital fluid from my desiccated, sun-bleached skeleton.

a great start for sure