>>5192723>>5192724>>5192741>>5192750>Carefully pat a clothed part of her body - you don't want leprosy or something - and then speak to the merchant.You can’t help but feel a twinge of pity for the ridden hag. You gently pat her arm before you turn away from the display–it’s always pitiful to see such dissipations of the mind. As you approach the slug’s array of merchandise, he sneers.
“Oh? You done feelin’ up the hag, then?” He scoffs.
“Quiet. It was a mere curiosity, nothing more.” You glower at the hunchback. “Do your job and show me your goods.”
“Well, well.. at least your judgement’s decent when it comes to purchases, eh?” He jeers as he waves to the array of knickknacks before you. “Take your pick. Best GRAVE GOODS in this hole.”
A cursory glance over his “goods” exposes his lie–they’re half-rusted swords, bent and broken armor, shattered alchemical bottles and ruined books. Nothing worth your time.
“..Grave goods?” You glance at the merchant, raising a brow.
“Ah. I guess you’re new around here, eh? Don’t know about grave goods.” He scratches his head. “See, grave goods are, uh.. when people die down here, they wake up again in little SHRINES like this, right? The immortality spell and whatnot. There’s little dumps just like these all over the CATACOMBS. But while their spirits get bound to fresh bodies, their corpses stay the same–so enterprising merchants such as myself do ‘em the favor of saving their goods from hungry monsters and getting them back to the adventurer–at a premium, of course.”
“You’re robbing them, then.” You cut him off. “Have you no shame?”
“Ahhh.. there’s that reaction.” The merchant snaps his fingers, his face lit up with smarmy recognition. “It’s always the same with your type. Fresh-faced adventures always up in arms about it. But you’ll get used to it. ‘Sjust how things work around here. And it’ll happen to you if you die down here, too. Some merchant will sweep that fancy-looking sword and that rifle right up from your carcass and turn ‘em over to any adventurer with a deep enough wallet. Best to keep your wits about you, or you'll end up like one of them.”
He motions to the array of merchandise beneath him.
>Question him about this so-called immortality spell.>Ask about the monsters ahead of you.>Ask him for any rumors around the CATACOMBS.>Plunge into the depths and leave this shrine behind.>Write-In. 