On August 25, 2007, I re-awaken. Miaka, the erstwhile Valkyrie, got our first ascension yesterday. From what I can tell (having used my Wizard senses to observe her and the less successful Rogue, Sesshomaru), the Astral Plane is a bitch. (Pardon my language, ahem.) More preparation will be needed.

Time to take stock, and remember whatever it was that I was doing over three months ago. Hey, spellbook of identify! Let's go back up and identify some stuff.

Peer. Peer. It's dark going back up through these levels... hm, right, never did find a spellbook of light.

There's now apparently two incubi on DL23, who both want to have sex with me. (Thanks, I see no need to level up yet, I'm happy being a Sorceress for now.) Can't I lock them in a room? Hm, right, never did find a spellbook of wizard lock. (I remember Fate had fun with that one.)

Okay, back on DL22; identify a whole bunch of wands (for charges) and other miscellaneous armour and weapons and stuff. Nice! Advance divination spells to skilled. Then make my way all the way back up, refreshing my memory. Hm, yes, it's pretty much as I remember it.

See Reinforce and A's on DL15! Awwww. They're peaceful. See Vita on DL4; she's not. Must bring her some tripe. Oh yeah, I'm also invisible, so can't go into stores... okay, pick up the nearest mummy wrapping. Hey, sweet, it's +1! Keep that in my sack too. Hee hee. Hm, I pickaxed out some good passages between the stairs already. Well, now I'm back at DL1. Need a new plan.

I'm not ready to face the Wizard of Yendor yet. For one thing, I haven't cleared out his zoo. For another, I'm missing some key items, like a bag of holding. Also, it would be good to get reflection back... I don't want to give up my lifesaving amulet for it, and a reflection shield will interfere with spellcasting, so that leaves getting a silver dragon to drop scales. Ponder. Okay. Clear out the zoo, maybe I'll find a silver dragon and/or bag of holding.

I return to Gehennom to carry out this plan. On the way, I do a lot of stripping down for nurses, so that they can try and heal me up past my max HP. (This is a neat trick that was learned through "reading cheats" and research of other characters.) In fact, I do what I can to preserve the nurse in the Wizard's zoo, successfully. (Yay!) My strength is also at 18/90-something by now. I then proceed up to the Wizard's Tower, but NOT into it. I lurk around outside, searching. No bags. But a new spellbook. Identify says it's a /magic mapping/ spellbook.

Hm. (Now, where was it, oh, I don't know, when I was bloody DESCENDING INTO THESE MAZES?! *ahem*) Retreat to stash on DL41. Learn magic mapping. I do have a plan. You know those little gold vaults? In the early dungeon? I can find them now. I don't care about the gold though. I'm hoping for the portal to Fort Ludios. There's always dragons there... maybe a silver dragon, for some reflection?

Retreat to DL22 (the only vault below it was at 25). At this point, I burn the first of my wishes. Because my elven hat is also seriously burnt, and offering little armor protection. After much internal debate over whether I'd prefer a cornathaum or helm of brilliance, I go for the +2 helm. It has the closest resemblance to my old hat, and ups my intelligence instead of my charisma. This means better spells! As opposed to, um, I guess better sex? *blush* That depletes the wand. *sad face* I bless the only charging scroll I've found, and charge the wand back up to 3 wishes.

Then, I start some major mapping. Some of the little gold vaults I'd already found. Lots of lower levels didn't seem to have them either. Reaching the top, still nothing... however, there was the vault on DL25 (where that lawful temple is), right? Wouldn't you know it. An alarm sounds! I've penetrated a high security area! *smile* Hey, and the Ludios zoo has two nurses in it! On a no-teleport level, this is sweet! *happy squeal!*

I try to dispatch all the nasties except the nurses; however, one strikes at my invisible displaced image, hits a cockatrice and turns to stone. *sigh* The other one turns out all right though. Strip down, heal up... she wanders out and trips the magic portal. *roll eyes* Follow her, heal up more... a vault guard appears! Hm. Don't want to deal with him now, being naked and all, eh heh. *blush* Follow him out, the place reseals; I reopen it. Lure the nurse out. More healing; okay, I've used her up. Go back inside the Fort.

Now to deal with this mess of soldiers, and... oh, there's another nurse out in the main area too! Well, well. Zap my Magic Misteltein at the soldiers (I have at least three of those pink spellbooks by now, not afraid of forgetting this spell anytime soon). Manage to not only lure the nurse inside the empty zoo, but also get the door closed and locked before anyone else can come in. Ha! Yes, I'm just that good. I also lock the other door so this nurse can't portal escape. Aside from a pudding oozing under the door, we're undisturbed. Heal. Heal. Heal. The nurse can't teleport. Heal. Hee hee.

She's finally used up, I head back to zap the soldiers. This is SO not even a challenge. None of the dragons is silver though. *sad face again* I look in on Croesus with my telepathy. Oh, PLEASE... his place is filled with bugbears, orcs and trolls - no dragons in there at all! Not even any giants! *sigh* Loot the barracks. New spellbook! Bah, ID says it's restore ability, won't even bother to learn that. I have tons of unicorn horns which do the same thing.

Aside from the nurses, this place has been a major disappointment. Oh well; shuttle stuff back to DL22. On the way, kill another white unicorn and sacrifice it without thinking. The altar glows black! Whoops, eh heh, this HAD been a neutral altar... if that had been a grey unicorn this could have been bad. *blush* Should pay more attention. Oh well, it's my altar now.

Then I make another mistake. Having researched, I decide to fireproof some armor. To that end, I /curse/ scrolls of destroy armor. (Knew keeping that unholy water might come in handy!) Then I confuse myself using Force Bolt. (There's a spell I haven't used in ages!) Read scroll, fireproof my speed boots. Yay! (Wait for it, that's not the stupid part.) Then I read a blessed scroll of enchant armor to enchant them up right after that... but without unconfusing myself. *roll eyes* Double fireproofing, what a waste.

Anyway, resolving to stop being an idiot, I go back to Ludios, take out the rest of the menagerie there, except the two white dragons; a peaceful gremlin has popped up, and with the water, the place is starting to become infested. The gems from Ludios give me a new idea though. There's gems all throughout the dungeon. Miaka's ascension has told me gems are worth something. My new mission is gem retrieval. *smile*