It all started with a dragon. Hokas Tokas, the resident wizard of the Main Hall, received news of a distant land which was being terrorized by a dragon. What really caught his interest was the large bounty offered by the king. He set out immediately to destroy this creature and claim the small fortune. Months passed, and still no word came from him.
After nearly a year, the burly Irishman sadly erased Hokas' name from his book and he was pronounced dead. Several adventurers were selected to clear Hokas' room of its belongings. You happened to be among that group. Unfortunately, somebody brought a barrel of Grog's Wine to cheer everyone up, and you (like always) drank way too much.
Well, you were feeling pretty good about everything when you happened to come across a plain wooden chest with an inscription reading, "KEEP OUT! (THIS MEANS YOU!)"
Smash! You ripped it open and found an assortment of strange bottles. "Hmm... looks like imported beer," you decided. And, yes, you drank them all.
Well, they tasted pretty darned good as a matter-of-fact and you left that night, feeling just great. When you awoke the next morning, you noticed you were growing a little red tail! You quickly concealed it, but it kept growing longer each day. By the next week you had a full-length tail along with a set of horns and hooved feet to match. You became the laughing stock of the Main Hall.
You found a decent witch doctor who restored your form (after sending you on a series of awful quests) and returned to the Main Hall much more humble than you were before. To add insult to injury, you discovered that Hokas had returned while you were away. He was upset and grumbling that "a damn mountain erupted beneath the dragon" before he got there.
When he discovered what you had done, he was furious! After he heard what had happened to you, however, he began laughing hysterically.
When you returned, you sheepishly avoided him for days. Finally he cornered you and informed you that, in his anger, he had placed a curse on you and he wasn't sure what had become of it. You found out later that night when your body began fading away. You begged him to help but he only shrugged and said, "You dug your grave... Now lie in it!"
"But what will happen to me?" you implored of him. "Will I be transported to another plane of existence!?"
"I can't remember where I wanted to send you when I placed the curse..." Hokas replied. "Just that it was a place which would teach you a lesson... Mayhap a permanent one!"
You never heard his reply, however, because your mind suddenly filled with whispering voices and a dark cloud enveloped you...
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