Black market (SLASH'EM)

In SLASH'EM, the Black Market is a shop that covers most of its level and offers a wide variety of goods -- but charges many times the usual price for them. One-eyed Sam is the shopkeeper, and is very difficult to kill, even as shopkeepers go. He wields the deadly sword Thiefbane and is equipped with most of an ascension kit (gray dragon scale mail, a shield of reflection, speed boots and an amulet of life saving).

Sam and his pals will not permit you to enter his level with a pet. It is still possible to acquire pets in the Black Market by feeding a domestic animal or waiting for an egg to hatch, but taming monsters through magic will not work here. Once you have a pet, you can clear out the shop in the normal way, but this is a rather tedious procedure. A quicker way to rob the shop is to collect everything you want, move next to Sam and zap him with a wand of teleportation, and run for it. You can also polymorph into a Xorn or use the Passwall spell to get directly to the exit.

A very easy way to kill Sam is to read a scroll of earth and use the boulders to surround him in front of the shop door. Then kill him with any ranged weapon. Firearms work well for this. Just make sure that you are of a sufficiently high level to actually be able to hit him, and enchant the launcher. If you like you can use a ring of conflict to help get rid if his pets, or you can just kill them.

Another way to rob Sam is to read two scrolls of earth and build a divider down the middle of his shop, after moving everything you might want closer to the exit.  Then zap Sam with a wand of teleport until he ends up on the far side of your boulder barrier.  You will have to deal a few soldiers and Sam's helpers, but you don't have to kill Sam.   You can generate infinite amounts of soldiers and their goodies this way by re-entering the shop and stealing another item, then leaving.

Wishing for a blessed figurine of an Archon will get you a pet Archon, which Sam was able to kill. A pet Solar was able to finish him off, though it took several rounds. (Note that the Archon, the conventional best pet of NetHack, is significantly outpowered by Planetars and Solars.) This wish is essentially lost beyond its value for robbing the market, however: Pets cannot follow you through the Black Market portal in either direction, effectively stranding them there.

Map

The Black Market is laid out as shown below; the shop encompasses all but the narrow corridor on the left:

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|<|.......................................................................|   
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|.|T......................................................................|   
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|.|c......................................................................|   
|.|n......................................................................|   
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|.|:......................................................................|   
|.|T......................................................................|   
|.|c......................................................................|   
|.+.......................................................................|   
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|.|H......................................................................|   
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The assistants are the nine monsters shown here. They are initially asleep and peaceful; they will awaken and become hostile if you attack One-eyed Sam. They are, from top to bottom:

• A pit fiend named Hilvuuloth
• A rock troll named William
• A balrog named Njalnohaar
• A cockatrice named Simon
• A wood nymph named Daphne
• A rhaumbusun named Izzy
• A rock troll named Thomas
• A cockatrice named Wilbur
• A frost giant named Goliath

Engravings in the corridor admonish would-be customers:

Pets are not allowed in the shop   
Thieves will be killed.   
Sorry about the mess. Remember, ask if you need help!   
Don't even think about stealing anything.

See also

The SLASH'EM Black Market FAQ

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