Morningstar

#

Somewhere down the line, the conversation had changed subjects once more. "Have you been to the Endless Caverns?"

"On Ten? Can't say that I have. What's there?"

"Not a ton," Willow said. "Shadow monsters and drakes, mostly. But it's really pretty. There's one area with like, glowing blue trees."

"Glowing blue trees?"

"Yeah... I don't know how to better explain them," she laughed.

Morningstar tried to recall a similar place but failed miserably. The tenth floor remained totally mysterious to him; he never really went near it. It was dark, gloomy, and quite dangerous if you didn't know your way around. The Endless Caverns, he had heard, were labyrinthian in nature and the other major locations were dreadful in name. He had little interest in an abandoned prison called Tartarus, if he was honest. There were far nicer places to be.

"Oh, oh! What about the shrines in the Labyrinth?" Willow was awfully curious ever since he mentioned he liked to explore.

He shook his head. "Only been to the Labyrinth once. It was sort of an in-and-out type of day. We took down the big titanium guy and then got the hell out. Not my favorite place."

"Mmm. Who's we?"

"Myself and a friend. Freyd's his name."

"So you do have friends, then?"

Star laughed, and was quickly joined by Willow. "Not really. I can count them with two hands. That's why were here today, yeah?"

A soft hand touched his shoulder. "I'm sorry," Willow told him.

He nodded. "Simon was just a kid. Fifteen, or something. He deserved better. Anyway, the heat's only fifty percent of the reason why I don't come here. This place tends to ruin my mood."

"Let's go," she smiled. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can leave."

"Yeah."

***

Conversation took a more cheerful note for the next stretch of their travels. Willow told him the story of her great-aunt's sixtieth birthday party. Horrendous laughter escaped from both of their lips; breathing and talking were equally difficult. "So, the dog pulls the table cloth and as she's moving in to blow out her candles, it tips over on her and her dress catches on fire!"

Through the excessive laughter, Morningstar spat out, "is it okay to find this funny?"

"No great-aunts were harmed that day," Willow assured him.

Morningstar continued. "We left from Fortaleza, I think, on the fifth floor. We did a quest called the Traveler—have you heard of it? Yeah, that one. We spent a day or so in the desert just walking and it was a terrible time. Anyway, we ran into some desert bandits out there but they didn't give us any trouble and let us pass through. We found some ruins nearby and intended on resting for a while before nightfall, but the bandits had tracked us there."

He fiddled with a cool, solidified lava rock. Willow was listening intently. She realized where he was going with his story. She had already guessed the ending.

"Katar lost it. Charged through the door of our hideout and took down one bandit. He wasn't even thinking. There were only three at the front door but a few more in hiding that none of us could see. I followed him out and took a spear to the back. Bam—suddenly, I'm paralyzed. Bandits killed Grace and Simon, our other party members. Our NPC guide, Zamek, was hiding in the house, as he should have been. We killed the bandits and then Katar just teleported out."

"Took us months to find him again and by the time we did, he was orange and running with some low-life PK group. Haven't seen him in years, now, and I hope I never do again."

He left out the part about nearly killing Katar the last time they'd met.

"We're never coming back here," Morningstar wiped his forehead.

"I get why you hate it now," Willow sighed.

She took a long sip from her canteen, only stopping when she realized she had to breathe. He took a short look at her before glancing away. She was new in his life. She hadn't been around during the start. It wasn't only the heat that caused him to hate the ninth floor. It was history.

He had mentioned the story once, but briefly and only touching on a few points before closing off. But it had been years since the events took place and it no longer carried the same weight it once had.

"A long time ago," he started, pulling Willow's attention away from the cold water, "I made some friends. One, actually, I knew in my old life—before the game. His name was Joaquin and at the time, he led a small group within his guild. They'd always try to recruit me but I was in a weird headspace and never ready to commit. I always declined. One day, though, I joined them on a quest. Joaquin wasn't around, so he put one of his guys in charge. Katar was his name. Hair like yours, a katana, samurai robes, and a bit of an attitude. He was a reckless player known for getting himself and his parties into trouble."

Morningstar paused to sip his own water.

"But, he was a good guy."

Morningstar had somehow stumbled into a quest. His party included star-crossed lovers and a deaf girl that he could somehow understand despite speaking two words of sign language. The system attempted to translate her signs through some sort of weak telepathy. All that trouble to get away from the voices in his head and here one was again. It mostly worked, too. The translations weren't perfect, but they showed how far technology had progressed. Cardinal never ceased to impress him.

He vaguely remembered the name Dorian from somewhere. A previous quest, he thought.

"Oh, shit, this is the first few lessons."

It was an ongoing questline for him. He had managed to avoid the last quest for years, but everything eventually had to come to an end. Things began quick as the fisherman tossed over a couple of rods and went off to hunt down his harpoon. Why they didn't get harpoons, he couldn't say.

He accepted the party request and denied the fishing rod, taking one good look at the water before deciding that he was better suited to not being in charge of reeling in their catch. "I'll do the other stuff," he told Wulfrin, handing Ciela the rod. "You go for it."

He held blame for nobody but himself.

Zandra rushed to his side, activating both her and her familiar's heals simultaneously. The distance between him and death was lengthened for a while longer. As his health bar regenerated, so did his body.

"Right," he nodded to Zandra. "Back to work."

Freyd had the right idea, battling the slobbering three-headed beast by himself. He controlled the fight expertly while the other two reoriented themselves. Morningstar leaned towards the the left-most head, leaving Zandra to do as she pleased. If he could whittle down its health bar just a bit more they would be off to the races.

A clear line to head number one had opened up. He swooped past Freyd, gripping his blade tight the second his fingers finished materializing. A bone cracked at the force of Dying Sun, but his attack barely tickled its lifeforce. That was the kind of energy he needed to put into his attacks, for the time being.

"Thank you," he called to Freyd. "I'm grateful that you held them off for me. And you too, Zandra, for the heals."

From his inventory, Morningstar pulled a pocket journal. It was leatherbound, and well-crafted at that. He had found his original on the game's opening day, shortly after discovering that he would not be leaving. It was his first purchase, even before a meal. He had continued buying copies ever since. Each time he dotted the concluding sentence of the final page of a book, he would return to where he started and purchase a brand new one. It was an cycle that he wished would never end; a ritual that brought him peace in a world so uncertain.

Everyone had something, he theorized.

He flipped through the messy pages, eventually coming to his most recent entry. A list of names were written along the horizontal lines of the page. Beside each of them was a floor. "This is where you should call it quits, if you don't feel ready for combat. If you need me to escort you back to town, I'm happy to do so."

The fiercest of beasts with unmatched strength, he realized, was Kumatetsu. It was at the top of his list and the first quest boss he intended on challenging. He did not explain the continuation of the quest, interested in hearing her answer first. If she returned to the Town of Beginnings, or Tolbana, or Horunka, she would stay safe for as long as she so desired. If she joined him on his quest, there were no guarantees of anything whatsoever.

Sunlight blasted Morningstar in the face as he materialized in the Town of Beginnings. It was an astringent change of scenery from the dreary tenth floor and the ill-lit locations within its land. He had spent enough time staring into the void that entering a normal town essentially burned out his eyeballs. Squinting, he stepped into the town.

His investigation of the void had come up futile. It was an oddity that simply existed with no logical rhyme or reason. Naturally, that intrigued him and so, he spent three days there. One of his experiments included dropping useless items into the pit. He would watch them enter the blackness and vanish. It was impossible to say where they would end up. Players, he discovered, woke in their beds if they ventured into the void themselves. Items, however, seemed to disappear entirely. He only dropped dull items, worried that if he sent a straight sword through it would end up back in whatever smithy it was crafted in. He wished for all blacksmiths to keep their heads during his investigation.

Seventy-two hours was plenty of time for Morningstar to give up. The first floor was his getaway from the endless noise (being the voices in his head, caused by the void). It appeared to stop as soon as he did, which he was thankful for. He tried to look down at the ground while he walked, going so far as to pull out his journal to avoid looking like a weirdo in public. Notes compiled from his endless expeditions up the tower were scribbled down. They looked sort of like a fourth grader took an edible and tried to write poetry. To anyone but him, they were cryptic and messy.

In exchange for a baby-sized sack of col, Morningstar rented the finest horse the Town of Beginnings had to offer. He was a white steed called Lincoln, and Morningstar was quite fond of him. "I'll bring him back in a day or so," he told the stablemaster before taking off.

He had no business in Tolbana, but decided to ride there regardless. It would be a solo-date in a town slightly less crowded and with better food than where he was currently located.

***

Morningstar dropped off Lincoln at another stable while he went about his day. There were quite a few shops he looked forward to peeking around in. There was a local bakery that he was particularly curious about. Before he could even begin, however, a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Wulfrin?"

| MORNINGSTAR  | Lv. 55 >> P. 22, Lv. 33  | Status: [ out of place ]  Notes:  //

Hide contents Morningstar | HP: 740/740 | EN: 112/112 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 20 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 4 | BH: 39 | LD: 5 (6) | REC: 4 | FLN: 16 | AA | PAR VEN equipped Dying Sun FLN II, AA, PAR VEN Red Longcoat EVA II, REC I Sapphire ACC III, EVA I battle-ready inventory Magdalyn's Cuckoo Teleport Crystal x5 skills   Hide contents mod count: 3/5 2HSS | RANK 5/5 precision, stamina, ferocity shift: tech CLOTH ARMOR | RANK 5/5 athletics, nimble COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 SEARCHING | RANK 4/5 (5) night vision, detect BATTLE HEALING | RANK 5/5 ENERGIST CHARGE extra SURVIVAL FORGOTTEN KING'S AUTHORITY LADY LUCK DISGUISE buffs   Hide contents statue # | # consumables # # paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting. sword arts   Hide contents en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x11 -> x14 TECH-A | x16 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x16 | DELAY TECH-D | x16 | SHATTER TECH-F | x12 | AOE STUN misc/housing buffs   Hide contents Dimensional Backpack | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat. Squeaky Clean | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down). Filling | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30. Tasty | Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. Relaxed | Increases out-of-combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Multipurpose | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll. Skylight (Searching) | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill.  fishing #

"Not to ruin the mood...but does anyone see anything alarming around here? I don't trust this...it's too easy..."

It was a good observation. Morningstar sliced through a Blightbound Monstrosity, severing it in two like it was butter. He reigned in his horse closer to Nari so he did not need to shout. "Nah. I'm gonna live ignorantly and enjoy the easiness of this. It's not often the system gives us a break."

He took a good, long look at Freyd as he rode by. Morningstar refrained from saying anything, but he seemed off—mounting his horse and donning the shadowy cowl had flicked a switch in him that the blonde found oddly familiar. He glanced down at his hands, forgetting that Death's scythe had taken the place of the blade he normally wielded. He was no stranger to losing control, and while he had no evidence to back his claim, he thought that seething wrath might have been a symptom of claiming War's steed. It would wear off afterwards, he hoped.

Putting the change of his rampaging friend's personality to the back of his mind, he carried on. Another monstrosity was spawning in alongside staggering number three. It formed dark as mud, molding like clay into a clone of its fallen brethren.

Doom whinnied, rearing tall onto its hind legs, asserting dominance over the battlefield.

Looting

ID221998 | CD: 4 | LD: 11+10 = 21

10,000 col
2 materials
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 221998a
T4 Perfect Weapon 221998b

Zandra's charge caught Morningstar off guard. It was quick and intense, the polar opposite of what Freyd had just told them. She swung high and hit air, panicking as Cerberus simply moved out of the way. The middle head swooped in for a counterattack. Morningstar clenched his fists and lunged, unable to sit back as the beast's jaws closed in on the girl. The backbite of his sword redirected the attack away from Zandra, saving her from an untimely decapitation while also pulling its attention towards himself.

For this decision, there would be repercussions. Head 3 slammed into him from behind, winding him. He tried to hit back but felt his feet leave the ground. His eyes grew wide, half from the utter confusion and half from the dull throbbing in his left arm. He gritted his teeth.

Like he was a stuffed animal at the arcade, the jaws of the second head of Cerberus clenched onto him tight. He tossed him like a plaything, but not intentionally. A few harsh swings had torn through the virtual flesh of his arm, leaving him to tumble through the air. He landed with a cartoonish bounce a short way from Freyd. With his remaining arm, he pushed himself off the ground. Pixels resembling blood floated from where the other had previously been. More came from scratches across his face; the landing had not been kind to him. His health bar lingered in the yellow, persistent enough to avoid turning red.

He listened to her story while putting together pieces of the puzzle. They were similar in many ways, he imagined. The both of them came from families with enormous reputations and he thought that insurmountable expectations were common territory. "Look at us," Morningstar smiled. "No MMO experience and yet here we are, surviving."

"I'm sorry about your brother," he added. "I hope he's doing okay now."

The tablet was coming together nicely. Etherial mentioned being shockingly adept at reading it, which Morningstar agreed with. She had a knack for translation. "The game will translate real world languages just fine, but this language was created specifically for this questline. It doubt it exists outside of this floor at all. There's probably some lore to it that I don't know, maybe from an ancient civilization that never really existed," he shrugged. "Anyway, it was intentionally left out of the system's translation database for that reason."

As he finished rambling, they completed the translation of the tablet. The words, once deciphered, transformed before their very eyes. Now visible in English to Morningstar and Japanese to Etherial, they could read it normally. The former read it aloud.

"If seeking power, wisdom and resilience, find ye those which embody nature’s graces: The fiercest of beasts with unmatched strength; a sentinel to the afterlife bound by the Stygian river; a wise and wily water-borne predator; the unmoved titan who is callous and free; a sly shadow high in the branches of the forest; and lastly, that which prowls and safeguards the sky. Only once vanquished will you harness their power to your benefit. These are the Keepers of Nature.”

"ok."

morningstar waited around while night did her crafting things. nyanko was visible from where he stood, and they stared at each other neutrally during the time it took for the ring to be made. he liked cats. he wanted one. night came back and delivered his commission, which he thanked her for. it was a pretty item that would fit well in his collection.

"where'd you find her?" he asked, before leaving. he wasn't sure whether he planned on doing anything with that information. probably not.

morningstar tripped on his way out of the evening star, in spite of night's warning.

tl;dr thank u me take

laurel ring. | [#221669] | TIER 1 JEWELRY | PROSP III 
[desc.]: a smooth and simple brass ring. the leaves and vines that wrap the outside match the laurel earcuffs.

Name: Crystal +2
Your Profession: Appraiser
Your Rank: Rank 5
Roll ID: 221557, 221558
Roll Result: 6, 2
Reroll ID: 221572, 221573
Reroll Result: 17, 7 (Unique found! BD: 10 CD: 7+1=8 AND BD: 10 CD: 12+1=13)
Item Type: Straight Sword
Tier: T4
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: Absolute Accuracy, Freeze
Description: A broken piece of the field boss, Avalanche. It is impossible to melt and sharp like a sword.
Link: URL
Acquisition ID: 221339a

total cost = 173,360-8,500 = 164,860

Ciela literally meant a few moments. He didn't even have time to pour himself a cup of tea before she wrapped around the corner of the back room with his wagon wheel in hand.

"You are a superstar," Morningstar said, impressed by how fast she had baked the item. "Thanks, I'll enjoy this. Congrats on the shop!"

And then he left, leaving behind a large quantity of materials for the woman to work with.

On the way back home, he messaged Willow, who was deep in a nap. After accidentally waking her, he told her about the cozy little shop on floor twenty-two, putting forth the idea that they should go together some time. She obliged, going so far as to set a date and time for them. Between the two of them, she was the decisive one.

x1 Wagon Wheel | T1 Perfect Snack | ID: 221131
Loot Die III
[desc.] Two biscuits with a marshmallow filling and a chocolate coating. A kid might trade his whole lunch for a crumb of this delicious snack. On the top of one of the biscuits is the signet of Fondante's Inferno, which is a emblazoned heart with an FI in the middle.

During their dungeon run, Nari had mentioned that she was a performer. Never having purchased from a performer, Morningstar was naturally curious about the products she had for sale.

"Hey, Nari," he said, waltzing into Morríghan's Descants. He browsed the many songs she had in stock, most of which had names he wouldn't have dared to pronounce. He picked the with words he knew.

"Mind if I take a few of these off your hands? I have a bad habit of not bringing any health recovery items along on quests and dungeons."

The listed price was transferred to her account in col.

***

Purchasing

Dear My Friend | Perfect Support Song [Instant] | HP Recovery
213968, 213969, 213970, 213971, 213972

- 600*5 = 3,000 col

Morningstar, wandering aimlessly around the twenty-second floor, came across a shop he had never seen before. He thought that he remembered seeing the building before, but not inhabited. Now, there was a sign and decorations, and presumably someone inside. He took a look inside Fondante's Inferno with the assumption that it was a cook's shop. It smelled like a bakery, which Morningstar loved more than anything else in life. Baked goods, he believed, made the world go around.

"Anyone home?" He called into the newly setup store.

A moment later, a vaguely familiar face poked out from the back. Where had he seen her before? The raid? Or was she one of Freyd's guildies?

She was neither, he realized. She had been his customer once.

"Good morning," Morningstar smiled. "I'd like to place an order."

***

Item Name: Wagon Wheel
Item Type: Snack
Item Tier: 1
Item Quality: Perfect
Draft Item Description: Two biscuits with a marshmallow filling and a chocolate coating. A kid might trade his whole lunch for a crumb of this delicious snack.
Requested Enhancements: LD III

- 50 mats

"Are you a regular here, Morningstar?"

"Hardly."

The bartender reappeared with Morningstar's drink in hand. He set it down on the counter before him. Morningstar paid, peeved by price gouging the tavern practiced. There was no way it cost them anywhere near 7,000 col to have the ale imported. Even for a rare item, it was a little much. He took a sip, eager to find out what was so great about the drink. It flowed down his throat like lava, burning and tingling on the way down. He coughed, half-surprised despite Kent's warning.

"Jesus," Morningstar coughed between words. "You drink this stuff?"

Kent laughed. "This'll be my fourth," he raised his refilled mug, sucking down the fiery liquid like a vacuum.

"To each their own," Morningstar winced as he took another swig.

"Been in the city long?" Kent asked, itching his stubble while he changed the subject.

"Less than a day."

"On what business?"

Morningstar shot him a defensive look. "My own."

He had learned that the tavern was called "The Tipsy Troll." It was a hole-in-the-wall establishment with more patrons than it deserved. He waltzed in, unimposing in appearance. He fit in well, dressed in his freshly repaired red coat. The players and NPCs that littered the bar were dressed similarly, mostly in their adventuring gear or casual clothes. It was a rowdy bunch, despite the alcohol in them having zero effect whatsoever. Placebo was a funny concept.

The swordsman took a seat at the bar and ordered the special. He was told that they had recently received a large shipment of an item called Fireflower Ale, and it was selling out quickly. It took little convincing to rope him into purchasing a pint.

"Burns the throat, but in the best way possible," a man next to him stated. An empty glass mug sat in front of him, waiting to be collected or perhaps refilled. He was the calmest person in the whole tavern, sitting silently by himself amongst a crowd of raucous fake-drunks. He wore a long trench coat and a prime amount of stubble, something the swordsman was envious of. His blonde hair could not compete with even the littlest beards. 

"What's it compare to?"

"Nothing I've ever had. It's selling out for good reason."

After a moment of silence between the two, the stranger reached out his hand. "Name's Kent."

"Morningstar," returned the swordsman.

"Because we're curious, excitement-hungry adventurers," Morningstar shrugged. "At least we've made new pirate friends, right?"

He slipped past Nari, drawing his blade. Timing his attack with his partner's, they took down the skyrat raider together. His blade passed through the pirate, granting him the last hit and rewarding him with an uninteresting pile of loot.

"Bit claustrophobic in here," Morningstar highlighted, putting away his blade. "Very dusty. I wonder if they've ever cleaned it."

The ship rocked and sunk, causing the pair of players to stumble around. They continued through the hull of the burning ship, amazed that it remained in the air despite the onslaught of attacks thrown its way. This time around, his goal was to keep as many NPCs safe as possible. Ryland was a blunder on his behalf, but repeating mistakes was not in Morningstar's nature. Clambering around the metal behemoth of a ship, he swore he heard a voice up ahead.

"Just me? Or did you hear that too?"

It would take some precision to not kill the quest boss. It wasn't something that Morningstar was accustomed to. Generally, a quick end to a fight was ideal, but he wanted the sword art and cardinal had placed restrictions on it. It was fair enough, he thought. An unlockable ability was bound to have tall hurdles in its way.

Freyd went after the leftmost head, while Zandra took on the one in the middle. That left Morningstar with the third and final head to battle. He shot forward, slamming into Head 3's jaw with a sharp uppercut. It would have dazed most opponents his size, but Inferno's Rage simply shook it off. Not even paralysis took effect on the hellish beast.

Eyeing Cerberus' triple health bars, worried him. He watched the numbers quickly drop, realizing that he might accidentally kill the third head with an unlucky fallen proc. He had hoped to activate it while the foe was still healthy, but he had no such luck.

The first and second heads were similarly situated. A sliver of extra health would have eased his anxiety. He, like Zandra, had neglected to bring an alternate weapon.

"I may need to take a back seat for a moment..." Morningstar said awkwardly. "I think I've underestimated my damage output."

The city was as he had left it: bustling and busy. He rode in on time to return his horse. He and the local stablemaster had a rocky relationship, to say the least. The swordsman had a history of making late returns and often had to pay extra as a result of his tardiness. It was a bad habit, he could admit, but also frequently out of control.

"Oho! Now, this is a rare sight," the stablemaster stroked his grown out beard. The NPC actually looked pleased for once. He even stood from his chair to greet the swordsman.

"Hello, Percival."

"Back early, are you?" Asked the stablemaster, a smirk creeping across his face.

"Hunting was easy today."

"That's a shame. It's good for business when you build up all those extra fees," the stablemaster laughed.

The swordsman did as well. "It's bad for my bank account."

They chatted briefly before the swordsman moved on, choosing to spend the evening at a local tavern that he did not know the name of. He was a regular in the city, but not a regular drinker. He had his favorite establishments and tended to stick to them. However, today he felt especially lazy and decided to remain in Taft for the night. 

new stat block | last updated: 4/6/2024

| MORNINGSTAR  | Lv. 55 >> P. 22, Lv. 33  | Status: [ // ]  Notes:  //

Hide contents Morningstar | HP: 740/740 | EN: 112/112 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 20 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 4 | BH: 39 | LD: 5 (6) | REC: 4 | FLN: 16 | AA | PAR VEN equipped Dying Sun FLN II, AA, PAR VEN Red Longcoat EVA II, REC I Sapphire ACC III, EVA I battle-ready inventory Magdalyn's Cuckoo skills   Hide contents mod count: 3/5 2HSS | RANK 5/5 precision, stamina, ferocity shift: tech CLOTH ARMOR | RANK 5/5 athletics, nimble COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 SEARCHING | RANK 4/5 (5) night vision, detect BATTLE HEALING | RANK 5/5 ENERGIST CHARGE extra SURVIVAL FORGOTTEN KING'S AUTHORITY LADY LUCK DISGUISE buffs   Hide contents statue # | # consumables # # paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting. sword arts   Hide contents en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x11 -> x14 TECH-A | x16 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x16 | DELAY TECH-D | x16 | SHATTER TECH-F | x12 | AOE STUN misc/housing buffs   Hide contents Dimensional Backpack | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat. Squeaky Clean | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down). Filling | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30. Tasty | Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. Relaxed | Increases out-of-combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Multipurpose | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll. Skylight (Searching) | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill.  fishing #

"So how long have you been playing games?"

Morningstar thought very briefly before giving his response. "How long ago did this one start? Eight—nine years, maybe? Geez, I'm getting old," he chuckled. "Anyway, that long. I'm not really a gamer. Or maybe I can't say that anymore. I was a Nintendo kid but lost interest and time as I grew up. This is my first, and probably last, real video game. Quite the choice, I'd say."

People didn't ask about other's lives lives before the game, and he tried to do the same. His experience was that they were often taken aback by it or prickly with their answers. People didn't like talking about the past.

While he understood the dislike for that type of questioning, he did not mind it himself. There were many unpleasant memories to avoid, but the greater part of his history was nice to reflect on. Besides, he liked to talk about himself.

In the cave, they worked at deciphering the tablet on the tree. Whatever language it had been written in, Morningstar did not like it.