Masutado

Masutado twisted his face into an awkward expression somewhere between a smile and a grimace, but he happily accepted Hazado's party invitation. He took mental notes, making a bullet list of the man's suggestions: better gear, pushing through, hitbox not as important as expected, First Lessons quest line, parties, lures. "Would you happen to have that blacksmith's name?" he asked, hoping he might be able reach out to a good craftsman to purchase some equipment.

"I suppose I could try to show you what I can do," Masutado strained and shrugged. "Like I said before, I haven't fought anything yet, so it might not go so well. And if I'm being honest, I'm a little nervous." He laughed awkwardly, somewhat embarrassed. He steeled himself, focusing a bit and drawing his two handed sword. Taking a stance, he nodded to Hazado. "I guess I'm ready," he said with a dry chuckle.

@Hazado

Masutado breathed in the peaceful moment, standing there of the edge of the brook, listening to its soft splashing and babbling. He blew out a long, deep breath and began to follow along the brook. Keeping a weather eye out for mobs, he began to investigate along the banks of the stream and among the foundations of the trees along it. After several minutes of hunched searching, he found a bundle of the same herbs he had seen before. He collected them and stowed them in his inventory. Then he began to backtrack.

Along the stream, back through the wood, past the empty clearing, around the broad and thorny shrubbery, and back into the snowfields Masutado mentally planned his journey back. Then something he hadn't thought of before occurred to him. 'I made the trip all this way. Perhaps I'll look for some materials for myself while I'm here.' And with that, he had a new goal.

Thinking of the blazing hearth waiting for him, Masutado again became acutely aware of the cold wind cutting through the trees like a dagger. He pulled his heavy cloak close to his bulk, bundling himself up and blowing hot breath on his hands. He was certainly ready to be back inside, but he took a moment to collect himself and rest while trying to gain some warmth. 

Masutado's breath was like that of a smoking dragon when he set out at last; the tiny drops of water crystallizing into little clouds of fog. He did a once over the immediate area before moving on to another location. It was then that he noticed a soft gurgling, like that of a brook, and began to follow the noise. Before long, he came upon a small stream cutting it's way through the snow covered ground. The water did not sparkle or shine, there wan't nearly enough sun breaking through the cloud for that, but he found the scene altogether pleasant despite that.

After gathering up the herbs, Masutado quickly made his way back into the trees from the dell. Unsurprisingly, he did not enjoy the feeling of such an open space surrounded by the shadowy wood. It made him feel awfully vulnerable. He proceeded with his search, feeling positive about being so close to finishing the first goal of his quest. Snaking his way through the thick trunks of the timber, he returned to the method of investigating at the base of the trees' less snowy side. 

Masutado spotted a hint of yellow through a crack in the trunks for a moment and stopped. That seemed promising and he moved towards where he thought he had seen it. He happened upon another of the golden flowers he had found before. He smiled to himself, and picked the flower. He was nearly done gathering up ingredients, and he was looking forward to the warmth of the fire once again.

Masutado continued his urgent search of the area and before came upon a broad patch of thorny shrubbery. His thick gloves provided protection for his large hands as he pulled the branches this way and that, searching for some hidden gem in the plot of prickly bush. After a little thought, he abandoned the search in that particular spot, preferring not to wade into the waste deep sea of thorns. He took a moment to stretch his limbs and take stock of the area, glancing about staying aware of any mobs and his position. The last thing he wanted was to get lost.

After a few moments of this, Masutado began his search again. Shortly he found a small clearing in the trees, a round glade that was empty save for snow and a small plant in it's center. He cautiously looked around, this seemed like some sort of set up. After a minute or so of waiting and listening, he felt confident that was it just luck. He inched his way into the clearing and found another bundle of herbs there in the middle. He happily collected and stowed them away.

Masutado confidently crossed the threshold of the treeline, convinced that moving to a new area further from the Town of Beginnings would be more profitable for his search. Once he had passed a few trees, his pursuit of flowers and herbs began anew. The blanket of snow was bit thinner here among the trees in most areas, but drifts seemed to form along one side of the trees. This allowed him to narrow his inspection to particular areas as he avoided where the snowfall was thickest.

He meandered around the clearer side of the base of the trees in the immediate area, focusing on the ground nearest the trunks. And before long, this method payed off. He soon found a sweet and earthy smelling herb growing along the foundation of a particularly large tree with branches like clawed hands stretched skywards.

"Success!" Masutado said aloud to himself, taking a moment to enjoy a second triumph. 

Masutado shook Hazado's hand and nodded. "Hazado," he said. "Good to meet you. I have to admit, you're younger looking than I expected." He found it much more pleasant talking to a human face rather than the heavy helmet the man had been wearing before. "You certainly seem well equipped," he said taking a step back and really taking in the impressive look and detail of the armor and spear, very intimidating.

"I cede that you're much more knowledgeable than myself. Honestly, if you had needed my help, that would have been my first combat of the game." Masutado shrugged and sighed, frustrated with himself. "It seems I've fallen somewhat behind. Would you happen to have any tips or pointers for someone like myself? I'd be very appreciative of the help." He smiled at his newfound acquaintance, considering if this could be the start of a friendship or even mentorship.

@Hazado

Riding the high from a swift success, Masutado began searching with a renewed fervor and vigor. He quickly made his way around the immediate area, stomping most of the snow flat in his investigation. He soon found himself doubting his searching ability after all, but this was no time to give up hope. And so, he steeled himself and decided to head out to a new area.

Setting his sights northwest, Masutado began crossing the snowfields towards the forest region. The bare trees looked like broken teeth against the gray horizon. He shivered and pulled his cloak close about him again, finding the sight ominous. Keeping an eye out for anything of interest, he weaved his way between mobs, preferring to avoid combat for the time being, and found himself quickly approaching the foreboding timberline. He soon crossed beneath the waves of two trees, their arching branches creating a natural “doorway” into the depths of the forest.

Slightly discouraged, Masutado trudged on through the snow as new flakes began to slowly drift from the grey sky and a sharp cold wind cut through his cloak. He shivered and turn away from the wall, thinking he might have better luck further out. He did his best to sharpen his mind, now he was on double duty. The further he got from the wall, the more likely he was to run into monsters, but it was a risk he needed to take.

Masutado continued, weaving a snaky trail through the snow going from point to point that caught his eye. He traveled quickly for a man of his shape, and did his best to keep vigilant watch. "Perhaps I should have found a companion for this..." he said aloud to himself. But he quickly changed his mind, happy to be alone for a bit outside of the busy city.

That's when he saw it. Masutado rushed forward a bit, and found a golden flower, not dissimilar to a buttercup, proudly towering over the snow. He plucked it from it's perch and stowed it away. One down, four to go.

Masutado arched an eyebrow as the other player approached him. The fellow was a few inches taller than him, but not by more than three or four, if he had to guess (guestimating some, due to the gentleman's armor).

"Yeah," he gestured towards the towering figure. "I should have guessed by your iron hide that you'd be fine. In fact, I almost took you for some sort of golem!" He chuckled as the words came out, sounding even more incredulous out loud.

Masutado listened as the fellow talked a bit about tank builds. "You know, I hadn't really decided yet. I took the tank package as a measure of personal protection to begin with, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Besides, I'm sure my hitbox is pretty large." He chuckled again and gave his large gut a soft smack.

"Oh? I suppose I'm here because this is the first floor," Masutado shrugged. "Don't think I could manage anywhere else." Then he extended a heavy hand. "The name's Masutado, pleasure to meet you."

@Hazado

Masutado exited the work shop and pulled his cloak around him again. 'Already miss that fire,' he thought to himself. But he shuffled his bundled bulk along anyhow. He headed toward one of the city's main gates, his boots crunching snow as he moved through them. As he passed through the large portal, he took in the scene before him. Winter had given a nice coating of snow to all the field areas just around the Town of Beginnings and the beauty took him back for a moment. He hoped this meant it might be a bit easier to find the materials he needed, but felt a slight sinking feeling that it would actually hinder him.

He set off along one of the exceeding tall walls around the city keeping his eyes peeled for anything poking out of the snow. Before long, he came upon a little wildflower poking it's way out of the frozen snow. He knelt over it and inspected if for a few moments before registering it was nothing of note.

"Drats."

"Yes, greybeard," Masutado called back and bounded his bulk up the couple of steps leading into the shop. He immediately thought the term (greybeard) sounded silly coming from himself, but he felt as though trying to get into character a little may help distract him from the terrible predicament he found himself in. He shut the wooden door behind him and sidled up next to the fire; the warmth was very much appreciated. 

"What can I help you with...?" Masutado left a sort of pregnant pause. He hadn't caught the NPC's name and now felt a bit awkward, knowing that sometimes the NPC speech patterns could be limited.

"My name is Zackariah, and I have need of an extra pair of hands. It would certainly be a learning experience for you!"

Masutado quickly worked his way through the conversation, finding out the basic requirements of the quest and accepting it. He chided himself a moment afterwards, feeling he should have taken his time. But really, it was because he didn't want to leave the fire for the cold outdoors again, but he left swiftly after the conversation was over.

Masutado walked along one of the many cobbled streets of the Town of Beginnings, the thunk and crunch of his heavy boots on the snow keeping rhythm as he travelled. He pulled out his map and peered at it for what felt like the hundredth time today, and pulled his cloak a little tighter to his large frame. He had come to find out he was terrible with maps.

“I seem to be in the right place,” he mumbled to himself, his large finger gently jabbing at the street he believed he was walking along. “Must not be much further.”

Feeling reassured, Masutado stowed the map and continued down the street, keeping an eye on the shop fronts. It wasn’t much longer before he found what he had been searching for. A quaint and simple little shopfront constricted of dark wood and grey stone stood before him. An older man, assumably the NPC shopkeep, waved from inside and called out to him through the half open door.

“Come in, traveler! I have a fire going and a favor to ask.”

The information broker hadn’t swindled him after all.

Masutado was wandering his way around the Town of Beginnings when he suddenly felt the urge to go out into the fields there on floor 1 and do a little more exploring. Just before exiting one of the gargantuan gates that surrounded the city, he consulted his map and planned a small route through some of the lower level areas just outside the Town. He hadn't been walking through the tall grass and wildflowers for more than a few minutes when he noticed a towering suit of armor striding confidently through the field. The player very nearly looked like some sort of monstrous golem, and if it hadn't been for the player name plate, he may have believed it was some sort of rare spawn. The other player fiddled with something before a pack of large boars seemed to spawn out of nowhere and attack them.

"Oh!" Masutado exclaimed and rushed to help the other player. Before he had even taken a few steps, the towering iron-man had wiped them all out with ease. "I guess you didn't really need my help after all," he chuckled. "But, I gotta ask, with that kind of power, what are you doing down here?"

Inventory

2HSS - Notched Copper Greatsword (Vanity)

Heavy Armor - Shining Copper Plate (Rare) Mit 1 | Thorns 1

(3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)

2,500 Col

(10) Tier 1 materials

Level One

Health 20 || Energy 2

Skills

5/5 Spent

Weapon Skills

» Two-Handed Sword Rank 1

Masutado

Takahashi Tetsuya || 29 || Male

Tetsuya was born to Takahashi Yuji and his Welsh wife Angharad in Kyoto, Japan. Yuji was a brilliant man, a professor of history and humanities, and Angharad was a hard working restaurant owner. As a result, Tetsuya was an adventurous nerd with a fierce intellect and strong work ethic.  Surrounded by temples, palaces, gardens, and ancient architecture during the school year and spending off seasons in the Japanese countryside had a large part in shaping a curious, inspired and adventuresome Tetsuya. He played outside often, pretending to be a knight or wizard, collecting bugs, and exploring any cave or glade of woods he could find.

As a teenager, Tetsuya began to become very interested in the burgeoning computer industry, video games, and table-top rpgs. As Tetsuya began to play with design ideas in both ttrpg's and video games, he turned out to have prodigious talent in computer game coding. At 17 years old, he self published a simple, but semi-successful (for an indie game) jrpg called Concluding Vision. The game wasn't necessarily groundbreaking in any way, but the classic job system, turn based combat, and pleasant graphics, scratched an itch for that old school rpg feel that many gamers craved. He just happened to be in the right business at the right time. And someone noticed.

By 18, Tetsuya was working for the GameSphere company as a concept artist and designer for several games. Most of the titles he  worked on found mediocre levels of success. In his early twenties, GameSphere began to turn their attention toward the blooming VR industry. Tetsuya moved from Kyoto to Tokyo to continue working with the company and began developing a game for the GameSphere VR system, EyeRis. It was a record breaking success upon release (when Tetsuya was 25). The game was called Calamity, a VR shooter game in which the player took on the role of a spacemarine and took bloody vengeance out in a fun and cartoon-violence inspired romp against demons from another dimension.

After the success of Calamity, Tetsuya became a rockstar in the game development industry and put out a sequel to his hit (CalamityII: INTO HELL) before beginning a new project as head game developer for the EyeRis. This new project was a might and magic style VRmmo, and as such, GameSphere poured a lot of resources into scoping out competition. They were even able to score a couple release copies of Sword Art Online, rumored to be the greatest VRmmo ever. Tetsuya had a great interest in the game, and as head developer for EyeRis, he was, unfortunately, one of the first people to Link Up at GameSphere.

Virtues

Friendly. Tetsuya has always had a friendly disposition and has never had an issue making friends.

Decisive. Tetsuya is used to making tough decisions and sticking to them. Even under pressure, he tends to stay cool and be confident in his decision making.

Reliable. Tetsuya is reliable, and when he gives his word, he is impeccable with it. He never pushed deadlines as a developer, and he always follows through.

Flaws

Clumsy. Tetsuya is a large man with not a great deal of dexterity, and as such, he can sometime blunder and lumber his way into a tough spot.

Blunt. Tetsuya is used to being in charge after the last few years as head developer, and can be overly direct in his speech; he doesn't believe in sugar-coating.

Trusting. In a game where someone else's mistakes and betrayals came mean certain death, Tetsuya tends to trust others a little too easily.

Roleplays