ToME WikiAdventures of a handicapped Ent sorceror DeafLeaf (v. 2.3.1) by Bandobras, Part I
Bandobras: Below you see Part I of our of our saga, recounting the brief adventures of DeafLeaf I the Brave, the founding father of the famous Light Speed Tree Shepherds family. And don't forget to browse the history of his descendants, starting in Part II. Enjoy!
DeafLeaf, a very, very old Ent, already deaf and somewhat absentminded, someday got bored of the young pranksters tying empty kegs to his branches. "Now, I'm clearly becoming a slumbering, deaf, dumb tree, ho-hum-h-zzzz... Where was I? Oh, yes, slumbering... I need to start doing something new, difficult, branch-bending. I'll ask Saruman, what the Young People are fascinated about nowadays. These are silly things, I know, but how arousing. Like those fireworks lately (was it 3632 or 3532 years ago? no, only 3145). Burning, but no wood-burning. Almost perverse, but how alive and how different from those burdensome birdies that make my bark whiter and whiter each year..."
So, shortly (less than a millennium of pondering and napping this time, apparently) he began studying magic. Being thorough he learnt the basics of all the magic schools, Udun included (was it by his absentmindedness, or because he cared nothing for The Dark Lord, anyway The Dark Lord cared a lot and was soon to be gravely disappointed :> ). They say the visit to Bree resulted from DeafLeaf's search of the fireworks spell book. Anyway. people told him there are many magic and frightening things in Barrow Downs nearby. Always eager to try his silly little spell toys and learn some more, the Ent decided to explore the dungeon, but only after a thorough, systematic visiting of all Bree houses and holes. We find him napping by a tree in the center of Bree. Are you bored yet? 
Bandobras: More to come... The main handicap of DeafLeaf is not his hearing, which will be easily supplanted by his detection spells, but -5 to speed and the fact that the person that runs this character is myself (equivalent to -15 to speed). ;> I've never even been to the Angband dungeon, though I know some of the tougher monsters from power-leveling in the hills and from many brave attempts to get a lost-soul out of the Halls of Mandos. I always felt dissatisfied with some detail of a character setup, or a new version of TOME was appearing, so even if I not died, again and again I started a new character getting better and more systematic at low-level mastery, trickses and scumming, but never even close to winning.
This time a straight character, with no save-scumming, no power-leveling, worm-lair-scumming, shop-scumming, etc. Boring slow game, limited role-playing, but no out-of-character behavior, no shopping craze, no summoning, and this time I will win. :> The char-dump is at http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=3826
Napping in Bree by a tree (here the grand story unfolds)
Zzzz-h-ho, so, good tree, green tree, hmm --- yes. What was I thinking about? Skills, skills. Yes, skills. The Younger Children of Iluvatar say, best fireworks are made by those with 50 points in Magic, Spell-power and Sorcery. We have time! Oh yes, I have the time. Not many skill points will be left then, but I can afford level 30 or 40 in Spirituality, I think. Yes, as they sing, we Onodrim have fair and subtle bark so spells and fireballs leave hideous mark. Better resist, ho-hum-zzz...
Ouch, it hurts! Who says this? Oh, no it's only Sun. Yes. I have bad hearing, so to make things even I should strive to get Stealth to .5 modifier and then pump up, so as to get, say level 30 in Stealth. Hmm. No need to hurry up. Yes, nice Sun. Yes, zzzz... Oh, Sun is almost setting. Perhaps I should hurry up, then. I will be running [C e e e e e]. Yes, -1 speed. Light speed. I feel like flying. Yes. This adventurous life suits me. Running. Adventure. Yes, running, running, zzzz...op! Let's pray I will not do anything foolish because of this running. Yes, let's pray constantly [p].
Now, to systematically examine all shops... Thoroughly, no hurry, even when running.
"Farmer Maggot asks your help."
"You see a Sparrow."
Not hasty, not hasty... Go away nasty birdie, no more polluting my bark, don't burden by branches, don't you see I'm running? I'm running! You make me berserk [C t t t t t], out of my way, I'm running! Oh! I hit it, it dropped on the ground. Oh. Maybe it's sleeping? Well, it was not from my forest. I knew running is silly, I knew there will be trouble, I knew... Maybe the birdie is just resting? Well, the fireworks are more beautiful than birds, anyway. I will make many fireworks, I will, more than there is birds, and splendid, and cleaner. Yes!
"Farmer Maggot asks your help."
No, it's sleeping! Didn't you see I was running? It charged at me and I was running. I'm a running Onod! It should respect that I'm a running Tree! Have you ever seen a running tree? Yes, and as fast as fireworks!
"My mushrooms, my mushrooms! [...]"
No, that was by mistake. I'm a Shepherd of the Trees, I take care of the trees, I would not harm a tree. No, I will not. I knew you would understand me. Yes, I will go that way, I will not allow trees to be harmed. Yes, I have to run now. I have to run. Yes, dogs. I see, dogs are mad. The birds are mad, and I'm a running shepherd. Never stop, always run. Faster, faster. Fireworks, yes, fast as fireworks. Now to the shops, and running...
"You still have 14 mushrooms to bring back!"
Yes, I know where to go, I will run. I will not let mad dogs and birds harm the trees. Oh, yes, I will run. But now just the shops, not hastily, systematically, running. Everything but the spell book sold, lantern plus 5 oil bought, not a trace of the fireworks spell book. Mayor writes for me, 'kill the thieves". Yes, the thieves of the trees, with their mad birds. I'm running.
"You feel a vicious blow on your head."
Oh no! Those pranksters again. They know I'm deaf, so they sneak up. Fireworks...
Bandobras: Your comments?
NeilStevens: If you wish to put character sheets on the wiki, please make a home page and then make the sheet pages sub-pages of your home page. To do that, make links with a prefix of / on your home page, and see my page (NeilStevens) for an example. Please put a copy of the actual sheet on there, too. If you just want to link to a copy of the sheet being stored elsewhere, just put that link on here instead. Thank you.
Bandobras: Thank you for your help!
Whew! What a dream, I would be the first evil one of Onodrim on Middle-earth. Absurd, now for a shower. My head aches. Where am I? Must been napping on some rough stones.
"You wake up in a prison cell. All your possessions have been stolen!"
My magic spell book! My pretty toys! My hearing enhancements! These are the tree thieves! I will get you, I'm berserk!
"There is a wall blocking your way. You smash into the door! You are off-balance. You are paralyzed! You can move again. You smash into the door! You are off-balance. You are paralyzed! You can move again. You smash into the door! You are off-balance. You are paralyzed! You can move again. You smash into the door! You are off-balance. You are paralyzed! You can move again. You smash into the door! The door crashes open!"
Now, I'm running! Hear me? I'm running! Here!
"You have a Book of Beginner Cantrips (a). Your light source is a Brass Lantern (with 7500 turns of light) (m). You have picked the lock. An alarm rings! The door explodes."
Now you will pay for the birdie and the Mayor's trees! Two Manathrusts, one hit, one Novice rogue dead. Then another.
"Welcome to level 2. You can increase 6 more skills."
Never mind. You will pay. Charge! Ouch, that hurt, novice warrior hits hard, I'm wounded, where am I, fireworks...
Bandobras: At the end of this installment I lost one character to too much role-playing. Instead of manatrusting, hitting and resting, I was constantly attacking and so the Novice Warrior killed me. Therefore the next installment will be about the adventures of DeafLeaf II, started roughly where DeafLeaf I left (glory to the running tree shepherds). The same stats, nothing interesting in shops, either. Remember: no haste, think, slowly.
In have also found a possible bug. I cast
d) Phase Door Conveyance 1 1 6% distance 11
several times inside the thieves den, and I never move, no teleport at all! After finishing the quest, phasing works again. Or is it just a non-teleportation quest? Then shouldn't there be some message for the newbies, when phase door fails?
NerdanelVampire: This is a real problem you are talking about. Most quest levels are no-teleport but not all. I lost my first two characters in doing a particular quest because I thought I couldn't teleport, when in fact I could have. There should really be a message.
By the way, I love your characterization and good writing.
Bandobras: You are flattening me. Seriously, I speak a very little English and even WordNet open vis-a-vis my browser cannot help much, apart of making my funny pseudo-idioms a little bit more interesting.
As to characterization, this is quite easy. Just some bark from time to time and some twig here and there. You get used really soon. 
The adventures of DeafLeaf II continue in Part II.