Wucad Mu's Monastery
| Though a thousand feet may have trod these floors, they appear solid and indestructible. |
Wucad Mu's Monastery is a quiet, seemingly empty place locked in perpetual autumn. It is filled with shadowy figures which take on the form of various monks that once trained and meditated there, as well as the immortal crystal semblance of Wucad Mu himself.
Unlike most Wizlabs, there are very few actual monsters to fight in the monastery. The only combat you will see prior to the final chamber is when the shadows coalesce into hostile monks. These count as summoned creatures, and can be abjured with ease. An amulet of warding, macabre finger necklace, or staff of summoning will also help protect you from them, as they only ever attack in melee. If you lack any other means to deal with the monks, simply run away from them until they despawn; they are dangerous melee combatants, more will always appear to take their place, and there are zero benefits to defeating them.
As you explore the silent hallways, shadowy apparitions will occasionally recreate scenes from ages past. Each of these numbered flavour messages takes place in the areas marked on the map, unless you defeat the statue before reaching said spots:
| 1. Strange, shadowy figures dance through the air in front of you. 2. This room is filled with shadowy figures, quietly meditating. |
The central hall of the monastery contains an orange crystal statue depicting Wucad Mu himself. It is more dangerous than the average orange crystal statue, although it has lower hitpoints. Destroying the statue also destroys the shadows inhabiting the place, including any monks that are attacking you. (The shadows inhabiting this place fade forever.)
What little treasure is present is guarded by the statue and stored in a nearby room. What the treasure lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality; a potion of experience, potion of beneficial mutation, Book of Enchantments, and a manual (33% chance of Fighting, 16.67% of Armour, Spellcasting, Staves, or Dodging). Under the statue itself is the staff of Wucad Mu.
Monsters
| A flimsy representation of a monk; little more than a half-formed memory, yet still ready to fight. |
Shadowy monks will occasionally form themselves out of the shadows in the monastery. Though only as strong as their base monsters (deep trolls, monstrous demonspawns, and grey draconian monks) and possessing only melee capabilities, these are opponents normally only found in the Depths, the Realm of Zot, and Pandemonium, and they have significant strength and health. It is recommended to flee and time-out their summon duration, at most using Abjuration or fighting in the few chokepoints as absolutely necessary.
Said shadows are summoned every 150 to 300 aut: it is imperative to avoid getting hurt much during your visit and rush towards Wucad Mu, as there is little chance for rest otherwise.
Boss: Statue of Wucad Mu
| This statue, made from a fine glassy orange crystal, depicts a mystic known as Wucad Mu, who mastered the matters of the mind. Beware of the statue's powers, as you have no chance in mental combat against it. |
Source of the shadows inhabiting the place, the Statue of Wucad Mu guards the central room of the monastery. It has half the HP of an ordinary orange crystal statue, but another normal statue blocks your line-of-fire, delaying your attack. Unlike normal orange crystal statues, it also has the ability to cast Shadow Creatures and summon up to the cap of 4 of the following random monster list: (27.78% chance each) monstrous demonspawn, deep trolls, (16.67% each) grey draconian monks, shadows, (5.56% each) hungry ghosts, and flayed ghosts.
The statue will be spamming Divinations miscasts at you (confusion, MP drain, and intelligence drain), while continuing to summon. You can partially protect yourself with an amulet of clarity and a ring of sustain abilities and try nailing it with powerful non-elemental spells like Orb of Destruction, Iron Shot, or Lee's Rapid Deconstruction; even with the MP drain, the slow regeneration of artificial-holiness monsters allows hit-and-run tactics. Aura of Abjuration is particularly useful here, as you'll be unmaking its summons as fast as it creates them, and without wasting time. Melee-oriented characters without any of these options can buff themselves as much as possible, then rush or blink in with the heaviest weapon they have. If you're not confident you can smash the statue without being overcome by summons and confusion, you may wish to skip the level.
Once you've gotten rid of the statue, you're completely safe for the remainder of your stay in the monastery.
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History
- Prior to 0.14, human and iron troll monks were used instead of monstrous demonspawn and grey draconians, making the monks much less dangerous and significantly slower. Also, shadows arrived somewhat less often (150 - 400 auts), and the statue of Wucad Mu did not know Shadow Creatures.
- Prior to 0.12-ea06430c, rock troll monks were used instead of deep trolls.
- In 0.15-6e04a135, orange crystal statues will be immune to disintegration, making Wucad Mu's threat levels consistently high.
