*blush* Pardon my language. I mean, I know I'm a pretty irresistible girl. My opera cloak of magic resistance flares out to the side like no one else's, and I have the cute X hairpin in my hair. But when I prayed on my altar, I did NOT expect to get Crowned. From what I've heard, people just don't get crowned this early in the game! When you #pray on a altar, you get advice, or things are uncursed, or you gain protection. You don't get CROWNED. I haven't even made it to DL16 for pity's sake!

Well, maybe it's a mistake. Maybe I'm not really the Glory of Arioch, and this isn't really a spellbook of finger of death at my feet. Could be a gift spellbook! (Read spellbook.) Nope, it was the death spell, and now I've wasted one of my three readings, because it's at 100% failure rate.

Well, damn.

Ponder.

Okay, time to look on the bright side... being crowned means I'm resistant to fire and sleep and shock and all that nonsense, without having to munch on corpses. Also, I think I see invisible. Of course, it means I'll be praying less often. For some reason, Anhur thinks I can take care of myself.

Ponder.

Well, there isn't much that can be done about it now. My 8th spellbook is finger of death, gonna have to live with that. At least I have an artifact weapon. I go to play in the mines a bit more, fully exploring the levels. (It's entirely possible that I finished the mines at this point, not before, though I know I had one luckstone found earlier. Probably why I got Crowned.) At some point, I also tame a new cat, Vita.

After the mines, I take a time out to kick some sinks in hope of rings; for instance there's one on DL6 (Sokoban entrance level). Unfortunately, an incubus shows up instead while I'm booting the sink. Or maybe fortunately... er, to be blunt, I can't always avoid him, and we end up having sex whenever we meet. (Beats the alternative - make love, not war, right?) I tend to come out on top of the situation too, being wise and cute and such. I mentioned I was irresistible, right? *blush*

Anyway, I digress. Soon I'm up an experience level or two, fully healed, and with full energy. I drop down into the Big Room again, and take care of business there. That major polymorphed demon gets stunned or something and hits a cockatrice, because I end up with a nice statue. Yay!

But... Rein has gone rabid, and tries to hurt me - awww. I only recognize the beastie as my old pet because of the name. Gomen, Rein, but you don't like tripe anymore. I shed a tear, then drive a dagger into her. (I'm not heartless, just chaotic.) Now to business - there's a Quest Portal on this level, and it must be in one of the corners, or monsters would have been disappearing when I was teleporting around here earlier. (The big room is shaped kinda like an X, the same way as my hair ties.)

Aha - found the portal in the upper left corner. Visit Neferet the Green, but I'm not ready to help him yet. (Even though, hey Neffy, I'm Crowned! *giggle* It's becoming almost a novelty, as lack of prayer hasn't hurt me thus far.) Down to DL13, clear out the zoo. Money is good for protection, as well as buying all the spellbooks from the spellbook shop in the mines. Continue plunging down into the main dungeon.

DL16 is the more primitive @level (with a beartrap next to the downstair). DL17 has a freaking huge leprechaun hall (something like 4x12) on the far right. Don't remember anything interesting on DL18. DL19 has another general store! (Kinojevis, are you lost, buddy? His store only has four things in it anyway. *roll eyes*) Again, DL20 is unremarkable. DL21 has... an ALIGNED TEMPLE?

Hi, peaceful priestess of Anhur! *beams happy smile at priestess* As it turns out, I have to walk through the temple (at the upper right) to get to the downstair (lower right). Next, DL22 has an 8x5 barracks of soldiers. So there'll be boxes there - great, I can create a new base camp in the temple above. (Containers are still scarce.) Oh! Oh, oh, OH! There's an altar right next to the downstairs on DL22 too! Better place for a stash here! The altar's neutral, but this will mean less hauling of the soldiers' stuff.

Continuing my drop, wondering when I'll hit Medusa. DL23... another General Store?! (Kopasker, you're even more lost than Kinojevis. Though at least you have a big store... er, with some big mimics in it.) DL24 is unremarkable. DL25 has a /lawful/ temple, which is cloaked in darkness. Whatever, priest of Ptah. Nothing of note on DL26. FINALLY hit Medusa at DL27, and it's the open one without the Titan. Nice!

Quickly resurface to get out of the danger zone, hoping not to trigger trap doors. Time to clean house from DL24 and above. At this point in the game, I remember being in a merry chase with the leprechauns on DL17 (with no scrolls to enchant up my Magicbane yet, no instakills!), accidentally waking up the soldiers on DL22 early and whacking my way up into the barracks, and there was an errant leprechaun with a wand of digging on that level (and DL23, and DL24) who was irritating.