/~ Moria
This page is dedicated to all those heroes and zeros who died in the dark mines of Moria.
what is Moria?
Moria is a true rogue-like game, it was directly inspired by the game known as Rogue.
Moria was written in VMS Pascal which ran on the VAX-11/780 superminicomputer. After a few years, the creators Robert Alan Koeneke and Jimmey Wayne Todd Jr. open sourced the code in 1986.
This gave rise to many other ports of the game, including to the C language. This variant, known as Umoria, is the version I play.
The game is presented in ASCII text and played in a terminal. You play the "@" symbol and take stairs (< and >) between the levels of the mines. There are traps, monsters and loot to be found.
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Adventurer's Journal
(in chronological order)
I thought I had made progress, until I fell through a trap-door down into the level below. Woefully unprepared for this difficult place, I was assaulted by a mage, a rogue, and finally a warrior, who cut me into the dirt. My character's bones are still down there, somewhere ...
I had very good luck today. On level 2 of the mines I encountered a white worm mass, these breed explosively, which it did profusely! If you are blocked from reaching any exits then you will surely die, either from their poison as they overwhelm you, or worse, from starvation! I gained a fair amount of experience slaying many white worms.
Dear journal. I did not die today. That's good. I fought with a Novice Mage and a Giant Green Frog.
I ran into a green worm mass, it excretes a corrosive slime and ruined most of my armour — my AC was at -5 by the end of the encounter. It would be foolish to fight with this handicap. I surfaced in town and bought all new gear ~100 gold of the 300 I have. The shop keeper shouted at me when I tried to sell the damaged gear to them. I dumped it outside in the street. One of the roaming vagrants are bound to find it.
Today I ran into a novice mage at 100 feet deep, it summoned forth a small bestiary to attack me — A large black snake, jackal, white jelly, and a floating eye (of radiation). Bloody hell.
My pack was so full of items, heading back to town to sell the loot. I had to buy a potion of restore strength (500GP!) I also purchased a scroll of enchantment, I read it and my long bow glowed! (+1 to damage).
I haggled with the owner of the magic shop (his name: Gopher the Great) to the point where he kicked me out his store. Two days had passed before he let me back in. I really wished I had bought a new spell book before I enraged him. Oh well!
Finally! I was let back in the magic shop and bought a book of Magick to learn a new spell — confusion. I feel stronger too. As a ranger I use my long bow where possible, for close combat a spear. I suspect that I don't get as many hits with the spear, and switched to my old trusty dagger, and think my suspicion is right — I get more hits with the dagger.
After adventuring the dungeon levels 1 and 2 a while, I returned to town with a fair amount of gold in my purse. I bought scrolls to enchant my dagger to hit and to damage.
After looting the mines for a while I headed back up to town, my backpack was getting a bit heavy. I got a pretty coin selling items. I was careless however, when I held a robe I found in the mines, without thinking I tried it on — gasp — it was cursed! Luckily Hardblow the Humble, at the Temple, had a scroll of Remove Curse. I had to haggle with him over the price, but got the damned robe removed eventually. Lesson learned!
- You are wearing a Robe [2]. (d) Oops! It feels deathly cold!
- (Try to take it off)
- Hmmm, it seems to be cursed.
- (Bartering for scroll of Remove Curse)
- Sell this for such a pittance? Give me 155 gold.
- May the fleas of 1000 Orcs molest you. I want 149.
- Your mother was a Troll! 145 or I'll tell.
- A pleasure to do business with you!
- (Read the scroll)
- You feel as if someone is watching over you.
- You have no more Scrolls of Remove Curse.
- Was wearing a Robe [2] {damned}. (s)
Current Character (updated Fri 01 May 2026)
Name : Dante Dark Age : 16 STR : 13
Race : Human Height : 80 INT : 16
Sex : Male Weight : 194 WIS : 11
Class : Ranger Social Class : 33 DEX : 18
Title : Scout (5th) CON : 9
CHR : 13
+ To Hit : 4 Level : 11 Max Hit Points : 84
+ To Damage : 1 Experience : 790 Cur Hit Points : 84
+ To AC : 3 Max Exp : 790 Max Mana : 10
Total AC : 17 Exp to Adv : 910 Cur Mana : 10
Gold : 124
(Miscellaneous Abilities)
Fighting : Excellent Stealth : Fair Perception : Good
Bows/Throw : Superb Disarming : Very Good Searching : Fair
Saving Throw: Excellent Magic Device: Excellent Infra-Vision: 0 feet
Character Background
You are one of several children of a Yeoman. You are a
credit to the family. You have blue eyes, straight auburn
hair, and a very dark complexion.
[Character's Equipment List]
a) You are wielding : a Dagger (Stiletto) (1d4) (+1,+1) {1}.
b) Worn on head : a Metal Cap [3,+0].
c) Worn around neck : an Amulet of Resist Acid.
d) Worn on body : Soft Leather Armor [4,+1].
e) Worn on shield arm : a Small Leather Shield [2,+0].
f) Worn on hands : a Set of Gauntlets [2,+0].
g) Worn on feet : a Pair of Soft Leather Boots [2,+0].
h) Worn about body : a Cloak [1].
i) Light source is : a Brass Lantern with 11590 turns of light.
j) Secondary weapon : a Long Bow (x3) (+0,+1) {1}.
[General Inventory List]
a) 2 Books of Magic Spells [Beginners-Magick].
b) a Book of Magic Spells [Magick I].
c) 7 Rations of Food.
d) 5 Flasks of Oil.
e) 3 Potions of Slow Poison.
f) 3 Potions of Heroism.
g) 8 Potions of Cure Light Wounds.
h) 3 Potions of Haste Self.
i) 6 Scrolls of Blessing.
j) a Scroll of Phase Door.
k) a Scroll of Detect Invisible.
l) a Scroll of Treasure Detection.
m) a Scroll of Object Detection.
n) a Wand of Slow Monster.
o) a Wand of Slow Monster (9 charges) {s}.
p) a Wand of Wonder.
q) a Wand of Magic Missile.
r) a Robe [2] {damned}.
s) a Pick (3d3) (+0,+0) (+1) {2}.
t) 19 Arrows (1d4) (+0,+0) {5}.
Graveyard of Past Adventurers
_______________________
/ \ ___
/ \ ___ / \ ___
/ RIP \ \ : : / \
/ \ : _;,,,;_ : :
/ Dante Dark \,;_ _;,,,;_
| the | ___
| Runner (3rd) | / \
| | : :
| Ranger | _;,,,;_ ____
| Level : 3 | / \
| 54 Exp | : :
| 0 Au | : :
| Died on Level : 2 | _;,,,,;_
| killed by |
| a Novice Warrior |
| Wed Apr 15 |
*| * * * * * * | *
________)/\\_)_/___(\/___(//_\)/_\//__\\(/_|_)_______
_______________________
/ \ ___
/ \ ___ / \ ___
/ RIP \ \ : : / \
/ \ : _;,,,;_ : :
/ Dante Dark \,;_ _;,,,;_
| the | ___
| Runner (2nd) | / \
| | : :
| Ranger | _;,,,;_ ____
| Level : 2 | / \
| 34 Exp | : :
| 21 Au | : :
| Died on Level : 1 | _;,,,,;_
| killed by |
| poison |
| Thu Apr 16 |
*| * * * * * * | *
________)/\\_)_/___(\/___(//_\)/_\//__\\(/_|_)_______