I gather it's somewhat customary to post one's character file after one successfully beats a given Roguelike for the first time, so I suppose this is obligatory:
http://pastebin.com/62WX4zt3 :D
In the end, the ascent was rather anticlimactic. It turns out even the lords of Pandemonium had nothing on my beast of a character. Hell, I probably could've safely gone and got that slime rune AFTER picking up the Orb. Then again, I don't know if the onslaught ramps up over time, or what. But I actually stopped and fought everything that appeared, and still didn't have any real problems on the way out. I even stopped at the exit to recuperate fully and quaff a couple of potions to remove my mutations (though it looks like I either missed one, or was somehow mutated once more in one of the little fights while I was trying to rest -- probably the former). Cocky, I know, but I was that overpowered relative to what the game was throwing at me.
I suppose now would be a good time to finally update my copy of the game to the most recent version that came out in November, and see how that plays. I think I might take a bit of a break first, though. Or maybe not. :P
EDIT: Goddammit, there's no mention of the shield of the gong in that morgue file for some reason (maybe because its properties aren't randomized like most artifacts', though I don't know why that would make a difference). Anyway, for those both curious & unaware, this is the super awesome shield of super loudness which I had equipped for probably something like a third of the game:
the +18 shield of the gong {rElec rN+ MR+ EV-5}
It affects your evasion (-5).
It insulates you from electricity.
It protects you from negative energy.
It affects your resistance to hostile enchantments.
(RE-EDIT: In hindsight, I figured I might as well replace the wiki link with the less-spoilery in-game info for the shield, in case anyone else likes to avoid consulting external sources too much in games like this. Info taken from the .lst file accompanying Mueblukk's main morgue file, which is also where I had gotten the below info for the hand axe.)
Oh, and "Mueblukk's Doom" was the weapon that probably allowed me to survive long enough to get powerful enough to make it through the mid-game (and also what gave me my first few mutations):
the +7 hand axe "Mueblukk's Doom" {venom, -Tele *Contam MR+ Str+8}
It poisons the flesh of those it strikes.
It affects your strength (+8).
It affects your resistance to hostile enchantments.
It prevents most forms of teleportation.
It causes magical contamination when unequipped.
I found this thing on the fourth floor of the Dungeon, when my character was but 5th level. XD
HunchBluntley: I'm not sure what happened to the officially hosted version. That's strange.
Gede: Thank you. Yes, it is quite uncommon for documentation to disappear.
Auto explore and auto goto are great ideas! So many times I wished for them to be implemented in games I have played.
Yeah, it's pretty cool. Not flawless, but still fairly well-implemented. I think several other roguelikes have autoexplore nowadays, though -- I know
Tales of Maj'Eyal does, and I think
Brogue.