On some floor levels, there is a secret/hidden room which was occupied earlier by a person. This seems to be a researcher and the cause, in part, why the cave became famous and popular. In such rooms there is a journal which notes from this person. Later entries implicate the sorcerer fought on floor 80 as this person and the shady character in the middle floors who offers to buy your escape wings with gold..
Journal[]
Floor
When
Entry
Image
1
Day 1
THE FOOLS have no idea of the power in this! IDIOTS with their "morals"... degrading humanity to a worthless state with no concept of true knowledge. I will have to study on my own, in this cave. It is dark and cold, but empty and dry... I see a lot of potential here.
5-9
Day 3
After exploring more of the cave I am becoming more please with this decision. There's several natural creatures like rats and bats around to experiment with, and the farmer a few miles to the west has plenty of food in his fields for now.
11-14
Day 12
Just as I expected! After a few failed attempts, I've refined the spell to utilize the soul of a rat to transform its bones to a mostly pure gold substance. It's like I hold the key to nature itself. Necromancy must hold so many more wonderful secrets...
15-19
Day 25
Was attacked by the farmer today after he caught me stealing more squash. Knocked me down from behind and started screaming at me like I was some homeless teenager, with no idea I was armed. I sprang up and stabbed him with my dagger without thinking... I loaded his body in a wheelbarrow and took him back. I couldn't resist... an actual human soul.
21-24
Day 60
Over a month since my last entry... I've been very busy. The energy from the farmer's soul has proven more powerful than I had imagined. I can shift the walls of the cave, create gold and silver tools and weapons from rock and dust, and use the corpses of existing creatures to conjure new ones loyal to me. I must get more somehow...
26-29
Day 75
The gold and silver I'm able to create... worthless to me, but valuable to others. I think I can use their greed to my advantage... lure them in with riches. But how to make it not an obvious trap? I need to think more about this, and soon... I've almost used up all of the power from the farmer's soul.
31-34
Day 104
Everything is finally in place and already coming together! An enchantment on the cave to make it a treasure hunt of sorts, with an option of escape... but with the ultimate risk. The fools are willing to risk their lives for treasure, blinded by their greed. Just a simple message of a treasure cave in a nearby town and curiosity and word of mouth will take care of the rest.
35-39
Day 160
It's been a while since my last entry but I need to reflect... Two. Two souls so far I've managed to reap from greedy explorers. They all died from creatures too... I didn't even have to do it. It's so perfect. I need to refine the enchantment on the cave so that it is self-sustaining... I want to spend my time studying and experimenting.
41-44
Day 285
Finally I feel like writing another entry. Things were more than I could have hoped for for months... I've gotten at least 30 souls??? I dont' know... I've lost count. I've taken to conjuring newer more powerful creatures... decided to use the energy of one complete human soul to see what i could do and made an enormous spider... I've sent it to guard a heap of treasure.
45-49
Year 2, day ???
I've lost track of time, but it's been at least a year since my last entry. The power of necromancy is incredible... I think somehow the potential of a creature is concentrated in the soul... which when extracted leads to immense power. Things are slowing down a bit though, I think I may actually be running out of explorers in this area? How to make the cave more accessible...
51-54
Year 3
Checkpoints! Every 10th level I cleared to allow people to do as they please... and it seems some have set up shop on these floors. It's so perfect. It makes things a bit easier for more adventurers, but still with plenty of challenge and valuables deeper into the cave. I've also noticed an inn built just outside the cave. Seems it's a bit of a tourist attraction! HA!
55-59
Year 5
I've conjured a massive crystal to store extra souls since things are going so well. This power... I want to show people. I want to show them how wrong they were. I don't know what, but I will be stockpiling souls for something big one day...
61-64
Year 7
An entire town has appeared just outside... and amusingly they've also made a marker keeping track of lost explorers. I've been keeping the death toll under 1% to keep up interest. The crystal of souls glows with just over 250 souls by now. I've begun drawing out plans for my ultimate creation... a collosal demon under my own bidding to show the world my true power. I would need 1000 souls for this however...
65-69
Year 20
Found my old diary. How far I've come since that farmer... The soul count reached 800 today. Plans for 1000 soul conjuration are nearly done... I guess it's just a waiting game now.
71-74
Year 22
Things slowed for a bit, but not anymore, hahaha! This worked so beautifully. I am now buying these fools' escape wings directly from them and they are not suspecting anything. Greed, my faithful companion... is bringing even more of these people to their death.
75-79
Year 24, Day 1
I don't know what day it is from the beginning, but I think I'll start keeping track again. The soul count is at 976. Twenty-four more and my demon will be conjured. An immense demon, more powerful than all other creatures... under my complete control.
81-84
Year 24, Day 7
980! Only twenty more left. I've made things more dangerous to speed things up... but I don't want to ruin everything.
85-89
Year 24, Day 20
996... I am so close, but things are actually drastically slowing down... few people are entering the cave. I misjudged. I myself... became too greedy... too impatient. I must hold back. I only need four more to complete my conjuration.
91-94
Year 24, Day 22
998. I may go insane
95-99
Year 24, Day 25
999 today. I ONLY NEED ONE MORE. There seems to be only one fool still exploring this place. I think a... personal visit may be in order. Floor 80 seems like a good place to finish this.
