Morningstar

The fall of the little yellow-haired people was quick, clean, and a little bit sad. He didn't dwell on it, though. Leaning his blade against his shoulder, he answered NIGHT's first question. "It'll become a list real quick but most recently, the rough mountains, floor two. Next on the agenda is," he paused to think, "floor fourteen, I believe. The Blackwatch Bastion."

He continued with the next couple as the bodies of the Winkies disintegrated. "Musical, yeah. And I guess you're right, he does get more screentime. I just thought wizards were cool," he smiled. "But I was also new to theatre and not that picky. They thought I'd be a good fit for the role and I said screw it."

At the edge of the room, where the next set of stairs were, there was a large, rectangular window. A look outside revealed a wondrous forest that reached as far as his eyes could see. Had the sun been out it might have looked less like the setting of a horror film.

Morningstar could have sworn he had heard whispers coming from the floor above as they ascended the staircase. He peeked out carefully before fully committing. Two flying monkeys chatted with each other at the opposite end of what appeared to be a potion making room, or whatever it was alchemists called them. Whatever they were muttering was inaudible to him and likely irrelevant anyways.

Stealth gave him the upper hand, or so he thought. He shot forth, taking the lead once more, only to sweep his sword through nothing. The monkeys hovered a few feet off the ground, their wings flapping gently.

He remembered that they could fly.

He was a tad astonished that she hadn't favored the portal. "Exploration's kind of my whole thing," he admitted, following her up the stairwell. He wondered if others had explored the rest of the castle before them, or if they were the first to think of it. In any other game, it might have been a given. When lives were at stake, it was logical to take what you came for and get the hell out, without wasting time or energy.

But that was boring.

His eyes widened dramatically and his mouth formed a perfect 'O'. "Wow," He shook his head at her lack of confidence in his acting abilities. "I'll have you know that I did a good job as the scarecrow."

Before he could point out anything else, they had reached the next story. Aimlessly wandering like zombies were four short... people? They had yellow hair—not to be mistaken with blonde hair—and their eyes had a purple hue to them. Their expressions were emotionless, as if they weren't completely conscious. They were also rather short. Aside from their absurd physical features and strange bright gowns, Morningstar noticed that they each carried a freshly sharpened dagger.

One noticed him and charged forwards. He tackled it to the ground and the knife in its hand flew to the side. He zigzagged to the rest, setting up a path for NIGHT to follow.

He shrugged, tumbling below another loose fireball. "I don't want to be the dog. I didn't want to be the scarecrow either. For the record, I auditioned to play the wizard."

Between his attacks and NIGHT's, the Wicked Witch of the West fell, melting at the sting of their swords. His memory was a little foggy but that part of the story evaded him. What did Dorothy use again? He was pretty sure it was not a sword.

A portal opened up at the base of the stairs, circular and filled with a kaleidoscope-esque pattern. It would take them home, he figured—or rather, return them to the Forest of Memories. Yet, the castle still went higher, and while Morningstar was satisfied with the Witch's Brew that had dropped, there was sure to be more worth uncovering on the floors above.

He pointed his sword at the next level of stairs. "Yes?"

He followed her through the courtyard, passing stone statues and fountains and evading the assault of the flying monkeys. They tucked inside the castle, and the door slammed shut behind them. They dove head-first into the belly of the... witch.

At the end of the main corridor, dim flames spat from candelabra, and a black chandelier hung from the ceiling. At the top of a wide staircase was the famed Wicked Witch. She wasn't as Morningstar expected. He had pictured a longer nose, for starters, and maybe worse skin. She cackled, launching a series of fireballs at them, hitting nothing but the tiled floor below as the pair danced around them. Star escalated the stairs, squatted beneath a low ember, and swiped the Witch of the West with his blade. 

Unrelated, and probably inappropriate considering the unfolding events, he called to NIGHT. "If you're Dorothy, does that make me the dog?"

"Okay, okay," Morningstar chuckled, swinging back into action. He had stored up just enough energy for a single attack and cut past Nari, deflecting a blow intended for her and sinking his blade into the pirate leader's arm. It flew through the air, cutlass still within its cold grip, shattering when it reached the ground.

Weaponless and with no where to run, the two players had Ulric Drell cornered. He sneered and with a pirouette, disappeared. Left behind was a dark coat and a crowd of lesser pirates, wary of approaching but nevertheless unfriendly. Their route back through the platform was cut off by the mass amount of enemies and with what little energy they had left, they had no choice but to abandon ship. With Captain Calas defeated and Ulric Drell on the run, the quest had been completed. But could it be considered a victory for the players? Ryland, the NPC they were meant to protect, was dead.

He nudged Nari gently, gesturing to the skiff behind them. The horde had yet to decide whether to attack or not. There was still time for them to escape on the rickety old thing, if they were quick about it. 

***

Combat
Morningstar | HP: 828/828 | EN: 2/110 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 80 | EVA: 6 | ACC: 6 | BH: 39 | LD: 8 (9) | REC: 4 | BLD: 48 | FRSTBT: 40 | Pros: 3 | +8 EN | -13 EN
Nari-Lanreth | HP: 1,081/1,081 | EN: 20/106 | ACC: 4| DMG: 12 | MIT: 239 | F.AURA: 16 | B.Healing: 59 | STEALTH: -5 | FRSTBT: 40 DMG; -1 ACC | THORNS: 72 | PARA: 8+| HM: +4 B.DMG | DoT: -36 DMG | IMMOLATION: 40 | +4 EN +59 HP | -4 EN

[3,11]Ulric Drell | HP: 0/2,000 | DMG: 300 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 1 | EVA: 3 1
Poisoned Blade |  On MD 9-10, apply Toxic Venom 30 to the target for 3 turns.  If already active, the effect refreshes.  
Whirling Dervish | On CD 11-12, Ulric Drell’s attack becomes an AoE effect that includes Dockmaster Ryland and all players in the party.
Oddly Resilient | Ulric Drell heals 100 damage at the start of each of his turns, and reduces the duration of Bleed, Blighted, Toxic Venom and Envenomed effects by 1 turn.
Captain’s Nerve | Ulric Drell cannot be disabled.  But, each disabling effect instead reduces his ACC and EVA by 1 until the start of his next turn. This debuff can stack.

ID220673 | CD: 7 | Recovery Successful | +4 EN
ID220674 | BD: 2+6-1=7 |  <<TECH-D vs. Ulric Drell>> | DMG: 26*16-55=361 DMG

Morningstar chuckled. "I'm the same way. I normally keep to the quieter parts of town. This place is rambunctious," he agreed.

She took the gelato, eating it up quickly while they walked. The change in environment as they passed out of the market square and onto a side street was as clear as the ocean at Raitoborou Bay. Only a few people hung out around the nearby shops and buildings. One player relaxed on a bench, taking in the warm waves of the first floor's sun. It was a niche street, full of businesses that didn't fit within the category of common professions. Some were merchants, selling trinkets and wares from across Aincrad (but actually rare ones, not the silly things he had come across in the market). Others sold services, like massage therapy or card readings. There was one cook on the street that specialized in different kinds of bean and honey buns. That was Morningstar's kind of store.

"The quest is pretty simple," he explained, answering Etherial's question. "There's a tablet in a cave and our job is to decipher it. There isn't any combat, at least for that stage of the quest. According to my guy," referring to a broker he had spoken to, "the quest bosses won't show up unless you've deciphered the tablet and they're on different floors. The first is on Floor Eight. You can tag along with that too, if you want, but let's start with the cave and see how it goes."

With no more real danger lurking from within the dungeon's dark tunnels, Morningstar felt an insurmountable weight release from his shoulders. Wulfrin was alive. They were all alive. With that, Freyd opened up the option to continue grinding in the dungeon while it was still there. Never in his life had Morningstar seen or experienced a Cave of Wonders, and so it felt like a one-time opportunity. If the rest of the team was willing to run through the cave, so was he. He wouldn't have turned it down for the world.

"I'm in. Maybe we'll find some decent loot while we're here. Anyone get anything decent so far?"

Before they carried on, Morningstar made sure to scan the dungeon's boss room for any extra treasure hiding from plain sight. He didn't see anything of value, unless rock collecting was your thing.

He took a peek at his energy bar, which was high enough to last a handful of fights without worry. Not that Freyd didn't have enough in the tank for the four of them.

From their position, there were two route options to choose from, both mirrors of each other in design. They were less ornate than the original dungeon tunnels they had come through before and, judging from their size, probably less comfortable to walk through. "Which way?" Morningstar asked.

***

Rolling for Treasure Chest
ID220656 LD: 1+6=7
Nothing :)

"was it in a middle-school play?"

"No, Broadway," Morningstar said casually, and without a proper explanation.

Her comment about skipping acts made him think. "Yeah, you're right. They missed out on a lot of the cast. I'm surprised we haven't fought any Kalidahs," he recalled the half-bear, half-tiger mutants from his childhood. "If they were going to skip anything, why not the tornado?"

Reaching the castle had been a simple feat. They snaked up the winding path, crossed the stone bridge and hobbled up to the front gate. It creaked open slowly and ominously, as if they were expected. In reality, it was probably coded to let them through once they stepped close. The courtyard was dark with painfully gothic architecture. It was a bit gloomy for his taste, but fitting of a wicked witch. Flapping wings tore through the sky from high above, a platoon of winged monkeys welcoming them to their doom. They carried no weapons; their teeth and claws would be enough. They circled NIGHT and Star, leaving them with no choice but to fight back.

"Duck," Morningstar barked. Bleeding Giant materialized in his hand like magic. He twirled, cutting down each of the winged monkeys simultaneously.

***

There she was.

After what had been Morningstar's worst flight, the pair reconnected, the silhouette of the castle in the distance. "You missed the perfect chance to say 'I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore,'" he replied. "I'm familiar with the story. I played the scarecrow once."

Sometimes he felt like the scarecrow, with straw where his brain should have been. Maybe he had been type casted.

NIGHT was right, though. An update to their quest objective had appeared and hunting the Witch of the West was included in the requirements, alongside a billion flying monkeys. He was more excited about them than anything else. Soon enough, he would be crossing "close up view of a winged monkey" off of his bucket list.

His memory of the original Wizard of Oz was a lot less violent than he anticipated their recreation would be. But maybe that's what the story was missing. "Shall we?" He gestured similarly to the castle.

Ulric Drell, thankfully, fell for Nari's howl bait, ignoring Morningstar piling all of his attention on the purple-haired girl. She could take it, he thought. Her health bar would drop for a moment (albeit, only slightly) before rising back up as her battle healing took affect. She had proven to be an effective wall.

Unfortunately, all Morningstar could do was watch while Drell struck and stabbed at Nari. His energy recovered slower than he was comfortable with, but there was nothing he could do to speed it up, aside from praying for his armor enhancement to do its job.

"Yeah, keep it up! One more of those and you might even dent her armor!" He cheered for Ulric Drell, who did not seem to react to his sarcastic comments. Morningstar noticed the toxic venom application, but didn't think it was anything that Nari couldn't handle. What was an extra tick of damage to a big, strong tank?

***

Combat
Morningstar | HP: 828/828 | EN: 7/110 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 80 | EVA: 6 | ACC: 6 | BH: 39 | LD: 8 (9) | REC: 4 | BLD: 48 | FRSTBT: 40 | Pros: 3 | +4 EN
Nari-Lanreth | HP: 1,036/1,081 | EN: 16/106 | ACC: 4| DMG: 12 | MIT: 239 | F.AURA: 16 | B.Healing: 59 | STEALTH: -5 | FRSTBT: 40 DMG; -1 ACC | THORNS: 72 | PARA: 8+| HM: +4 B.DMG | DoT: -36 DMG | IMMOLATION: 40 | TOXIC VENOM: 30 DMG (0/3) | +4 EN +59 HP | -4 EN

[2,9]Ulric Drell | HP: 267/2,000 | DMG: 300 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3
Poisoned Blade |  On MD 9-10, apply Toxic Venom 30 to the target for 3 turns.  If already active, the effect refreshes.  
Whirling Dervish | On CD 11-12, Ulric Drell’s attack becomes an AoE effect that includes Dockmaster Ryland and all players in the party.
Oddly Resilient | Ulric Drell heals 100 damage at the start of each of his turns, and reduces the duration of Bleed, Blighted, Toxic Venom and Envenomed effects by 1 turn.
Captain’s Nerve | Ulric Drell cannot be disabled.  But, each disabling effect instead reduces his ACC and EVA by 1 until the start of his next turn. This debuff can stack.

ID220621 | CD: 6 | Recovery failed (of course it did)

Mob's turn
Ulric Drell heals 100 HP from Oddly Resilient
ID220526 | MD: 9+3=12 | CD: 9 | Hit (Nari-Lanreth): [300-239-16] = 45 damage | Poisoned Blade Procs | Frost Aura: 8 DMG | Thorns: 72 DMG | Immolation: 40 DMG

At no point did he think he could outrun a tornado. He made it five—maybe seven—steps before his feet no longer touched the soft grass of the forest. They spun, twisting and tumbling in a spiral until a loose tree branch flicked him in the face and his vision went dark.

Later, he awoke with a full health bar and a dark coffee stain on his coat. At first, he was calm, his eyes dancing around each star in the sky. It was twilight. When had it gotten so late? He looked at his wrist, a silly habit he had picked up. There was nothing there.

An effortless sit-up and he was back in the land of the living. A castle, ominous and foreboding, loomed over them from atop a distant cliffside. Obviously, they had found the next quest objective—or rather, it had found them.

Panic only set in when he realized that when the weather had scooped him up, he had not been alone. Where was NIGHT?

morningstar: same as before. find the book. but i found it?

Was it just him or had it the wind picked up? The trees rustled gently at first, gathering momentum the longer he watched. It was nothing, probably. NIGHT appeared from the woods with coffees, as promised. "Monsters? Maybe. But what kind? I read the book; it didn't tell me anything."

"There were a lot of potions, actually. Maybe we need to craft some?" He sipped his coffee. It was hot and bitter, precisely how he liked it. "Mm. Thank you for this."

Before another word could escape his lips, violent crashes boomed from behind him. The wind pushed the trees powerfully now. NIGHT's arrival had distracted him from how bad it was getting. He leaped down from the boulder, careful to not spill his drink, and peeked about for the source of the noise.

His jaw dropped when he saw the tornado ripping up the forest, speeding directly at them. It immediately set him into panic mode, which for Star included a long sip of his coffee, an awkward run while he attempted to keep from dropping it, and a lot of swearing.

The idea of an area quest was not out of the question, but it didn't sit right with Star. He sipped from the teacup he had been handed and soaked in the warmth of the bitter drink. Magistrate was a familiar title to him. Both the guards and Sally had mentioned a magistrate. He imagined that whoever that was controlled the city. It seemed logical that they were behind the day's events.

"I had one but it got left behind on my way here. We could go back to the alley where Freyd and I split up. If it hasn't already been cleaned up, then some coats will be there," Morningstar frowned. "Of course, the streets are crawling with guards right now. I don't think they're my biggest fans. It could spell trouble if we're caught."

Henry cut in from the doorway, which he had snuck through while the other two discussed possibilities. "It just so happens I do quite a lot of work on those red coats. I received a damaged one just yesterday," he carried it to the table, placing it flat before them.

The maroon fabric was torn along the shoulder stitching and looked well-worn. Morningstar thanked the universe for leading him to a tailor of all people. "Do you mind?" Star asked, reaching out to touch the coat.

"Not at all."

He could testify that it was the same as the others he had seen but, to him, it just looked like a regular old jacket.

morningstar: black is fine.
morningstar: book is ancient-looking. found in bush. no update to quest.

He sent his location and closed his menu, peering back into the book. Filled to the brim with information specific to alchemy, it was mostly undecipherable to Morningstar. He flipped the pages, casually skimming through the material while he waited for NIGHT to arrive. There were instructions for spells and recipes with ingredients he had never heard of (what the hell was a duckbilled bat and what was so special about its hair?).

Vague and unspecific quests bugged him. It bothered him that he didn't know how to approach the quest to proceed to the next objective. He had found the book and yet, nothing changed. What more was there to do?

The end of the book showed a recipe for a better-crafting potion—or, it would have if the pages hadn't been ripped out. He slammed the book shut, confused of its relevance, and hoisted himself onto a large rock amidst the greenery of the forest.

NIGHT asked a valid question. What quest had he invited her on? He followed the quest objective to the end of the forest path. It led him to a patch of undergrowth, which confused him for only a moment before he scavenged the bushes. He felt his fingers brush something leathery and rectangular. Digging it out of the leaves and foliage revealed that it was a book. No title was engraved on its face, and there was nothing to identify its subject matter or author. It was ratty and damaged, as if time had taken a toll on it.

morningstar: not sure. found an old book though?
morningstar: never seen this quest before.

Taking a brief peek inside, he glimpsed some sketches that seemed to imply alchemy. He shut the book without reading a word, realizing he had forgotten to answer a paramount question.

morningstar: oh and yes please to the coffee.

She was a saint for offering it to him.

Etherial was a mouthful, but no shorter alternative stood out to him, so he sucked it up. "Good to meet ya, Etherial," he said, trying his best not to annoy people while standing in the busy street. He concluded that it was an unideal place for a conversation as a big-framed fellow bumped his shoulder, scowling behind as he passed. The rest of the shops in the market were presumed duds, and he would only waste his time if he spoke with each of them. He had intended to begin Scents of the Wild later in the day, but perhaps there was no time like the present to start a quest.

"Do you have anything you need in the market? I don't mind waiting or following you around if you need to shop, but if not, let's head out now. I've been told that the quest can drag on a while, so starting early in the day is smart."

"Oh, here. This'll come in handy," he said, handing her one of the loot enhancing consumables he had purchased a while back.

***

Morningstar offers x1 TIERLESS Gelato to Etherial | +3 LD

23/3/24 .

The girl's apology was unnecessary. Bumping into her was one hundred percent Morningstar's fault; however, he did not press her for it. Instead, he held out a hand, positioned awkwardly in the crowd. She looked new to things, so he opened himself up as a potential ally. "People call me Star," he told her, acknowledging that a single person opted to call him 'Morning' instead. "If you're looking for gear, I'd avoid some of these merchants. They're greedy players, mostly," he hushed his voice to not draw the attention of said greedy players. "Stick to the tried and true shops if you can."  

Not even unique enhancements were worth the prices these merchants were bargaining at, and it was unlikely that a player at her level would know that. Had he owned a collection of low-tier weapons and armor at his shop, he might have offered a couple of replacements for the silver-haired girl. Alas, the weaker the item, the harder it seemed to find on his own.  

"Maybe this is weird, but I have a quest scheduled for later if you want to join me?"

Morningstar did not bother introducing himself; it seemed that Foyle already knew who he was. How much Freyd had managed to communicate with his contacts was left unclear, so he spared few details. He started from the alley, skipping the irrelevant parts prior and going straight into the action. "The safe zone turned off for some reason. I don't know if it was only for us or if it affected everyone in the city, but suddenly, we were fighting thugs in the middle of an alley."

"They were wearing these coats, too. They didn't disappear like most items do when the wearer dies. It was almost like a quest objective—or something like that, anyway. Except we didn't take on any quests."

If the panic in Morningstar's voice was not apparent, the bewilderment surely was. What he had observed in the streets of Glyndebourne was an anomaly and put the entire player population at risk. Anyone who entered the city's borders could be attacked randomly, and who could say whether that extended to other settlements or floors. Not even NPCs were safe. He thought of the barkeeper, whose life he had cut short earlier that day. There was a possibility that Sally would respawn, but perhaps she would not.

At the forefront of his mind was how abruptly the situation had escalated. In a minuscule amount of time, he had gone from a harmless civilian ready to explore the new floor to a criminal on the run. He continued, skipping forwards. "Freyd and I were split up after we—er, I caused some commotion. I caught the attention of the Glyndebourne guards, and now, here I am."

Quest

Morningstar generally avoided the Forest of Memories. Historically, he had encountered unpleasant things there, and his track record for reacting sensibly to them was poor. He had once seen his mother in the mist and chased after her, only to discover that it was an illusion, and she had not, in fact, joined him in the game. Another time, he saw a duplicate of himself, the Gemini he had killed not long ago. Today, he had stepped past two tall oaks and into desert ruins, a recreation of a memory he longed to forget. He had not come to the forest by choice; instead, he lacked directional awareness and had found himself in the midst of it after taking a wrong turn out of Coral.

Separating his hallucinations from reality was difficult in the forest. So when an unusual and unexpected objective appeared on his display, Morningstar did not know what to think. Obviously, it would guide him towards a quest, but it was unclear whether it was real or a figment of his imagination. Instead of deciding for himself, he considered adding another player into the confusing mix. 

He cycled through his friend's list, stopping on a name that had not crossed his mind in some time: NIGHT.

morningstar: evening.
morningstar: down for a quest? in the forest of not-so-pleasant memories.

[ lv. 51  ->   lv. 33 / p. 18 ] MORNINGSTAR | HP: 828/828 | EN: 110/110 | DMG: 28 | MIT: 60 | EVA: 6 | ACC: 6 | BH: 39 | LD: 8 (9) | BLD: 48 | FB: 40 | REC: 4 | Pros. III | Probio III   Hide contents notes. advanced training is active. +10% EXP   Hide contents equipped bleeding giant BLD II, FB II red longcoat EVA II, REC I sapphire ACC III, EVA I battle-ready inventory n/a 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 n/a consumables  liquor of light | DMG III crème brûlée | ACC II mortal instants | MIT III smores | EVA II gelato | LD III mousse | Prosperity III shadows withal | OH III breakfast fry | Protein II yogurt | Probiotics III paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD 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.   Hide contents 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.  gathering n/a

"Respectfully, four thousand col seems a little bit steep," Morningstar squinted at the blade, using his experience as an appraiser to examine it. The enhancements it carried were by no means bad, but with some luck he could have found his own for three quarters of the price.

"Two slots of static," the merchant crossed his arms, "and a slot of bleed. Hard to come by."

Maybe for you, the blonde thought, refraining from voicing his undesirable opinions. While the jewels were pretty, the sword itself was overvalued and a waste of his money. Gently, he placed it back on the merchant's counter. The player behind the stall frowned, clearly counting on Morningstar's purchase but unwilling to reduce his original price. "Sorry," he shrugged, moving on to the next merchant's booth.

As he turned away, however, he ran into an unexpected barrier. Upon further investigation, he realized it was another person whom he had rudely bumped into. She was pale with silver hair and rather short in comparison to himself. He apologized immediately for his mistake; he had been so caught up in the open-air stores that he had not noticed her enter his path.

[ lv. 51  ->   lv. 33 / p. 18 ] MORNINGSTAR | HP: 720/720 | EN: 110/110 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 20 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 4 | BH: 39 | LD: 8 (9) | BLD: 48 | FB: 40 | REC: 4   Hide contents notes.     Hide contents equipped bleeding giant BLD II, FB II 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 n/a consumables  gelato | LD III paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD 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.   Hide contents 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.  gathering n/a

22/3/24 unique

Name: Belmont's Chestplate
Your Profession:  Appraiser
Your Rank: Rank 5
Roll ID: 220557, 220558, 220559
Roll Result: 13, 16, 6 (Unique found! BD: 10 CD: 9 LD: 6)
Item Type: Heavy Armor
Tier: T4
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Thorns, Mitigation, Bloodclot
Description: The chest armor of a warrior said to have survived a spear to the heart. Red gems are encrusted below the neck, forming a ring.
Link: URL
Acquisition ID: 220318a

23/3/24 unique

Name: White Dwarf
Your Profession:  Appraiser
Your Rank: Rank 5
Roll ID: 220590, 220591, 220592
Roll Result: 18, 2, 16 (Unique found! BD: 10 CD: 10 LD: 18 | BD: 10 CD: 8 LD: 16)
Reroll ID: 220593, 220594, 220595, 220596, 220597 (Unique found! BD: 10 CD: 10 LD: 18)
Reroll Result: 6, 6, 1, 14, 18
Item Type: Straight Sword
Tier: T4
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Static, Static, Absolute Accuracy
Description: A short sword of pure white. Etched into the blade are marks resembling bolts of lightning, falling from the tip of the center.
Link: URL
Acquisition ID: 220191b

22/3/24.
 

Morningstar pushed his muscles to work for him, cutting Ulric Drell one last time before his energy levels reached a critical point. No matter how hard he tried, forcing another sword art was impossible. "Sorry but that's all I've got in the tank. Give me like," he paused as if running the numbers in his head, "a minute and a half. Maybe two."

Both numbers were estimates without any mathematical basis. If he was lucky, he would need even less time to recover. Everything was dependent on luck and numbers; at times like this, it frustrated him. He could see Drell's weak spots and he could identify what he needed to do but the system simply would not let him do it.

Not that he was worried. The fight was practically over. The pirate leader's health bar had dropped quite low from the combination of Morningstar's attacks and Nari's barrage of thorns. Every time Drell's blade touched her armor, he was killing himself. That was the strength of a tank, Morningstar thought, standing behind her and allowing her to soak up oncoming damage while he waited for his turn to come again.

All he needed was a sliver of energy.

***

Combat
Morningstar | HP: 828/828 | EN: 3/110 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 80 | EVA: 6 | ACC: 6 | BH: 39 | LD: 8 (9) | REC: 4 | BLD: 48 | FRSTBT: 40 | Pros: 3 | +4 EN | -13 EN
Nari-Lanreth | HP: 1,036/1,081 | EN: 16/106 | ACC: 4| DMG: 12 | MIT: 239 | F.AURA: 16 | B.Healing: 59 | STEALTH: -5 | FRSTBT: 40 DMG; -1 ACC | THORNS: 72 | PARA: 8+| HM: +4 B.DMG | DoT: -36 DMG | IMMOLATION: 40 | +4 EN +59 HP | -2 EN

[3,4]Ulric Drell | HP: 287/2,000 | DMG: 300 | MIT: 75 15 | ACC: 3 2 | EVA: 3 | Frostbite: 40 DMG, -1 ACC (2/2) | Bleed: 48 DMG (2/2) | Shatter: -60 MIT (3/3) | Burn [56 DMG | 2/2]
Poisoned Blade |  On MD 9-10, apply Toxic Venom 30 to the target for 3 turns.  If already active, the effect refreshes.  
Whirling Dervish | On CD 11-12, Ulric Drell’s attack becomes an AoE effect that includes Dockmaster Ryland and all players in the party.
Oddly Resilient | Ulric Drell heals 100 damage at the start of each of his turns, and reduces the duration of Bleed, Blighted, Toxic Venom and Envenomed effects by 1 turn.
Captain’s Nerve | Ulric Drell cannot be disabled.  But, each disabling effect instead reduces his ACC and EVA by 1 until the start of his next turn. This debuff can stack.

ID220524 | CD: 4 | Recovery Failed
ID220525 | BD: 4+6-3=7 | <<Tech-D vs. Ulric Drell>> | Hit: [26x16-35] = 401 damage

Mob's turn
Ulric Drell heals 100 HP from Oddly Resilient
Ulric Drell takes 40 DMG from Frostbite, 48 DMG from Bleed, and 56 DMG from Burn
ID220526 | MD: 6+2=8 | CD: 4 | Hit (Nari-Lanreth): [300-239-16] = 45 damage | Frost Aura: 8 DMG | Thorns: 72 DMG | Immolation: 40 DMG

Nari and Wulfrin pummeled on the Avatar of Avarice until Persi's stun was replaced by another. Desperate to end the fight, Morningstar joined in, occasionally peering up at the mob's shrinking health bar and observing their progress. Wulfrin would survive after all, if things kept up as they were.

Morningstar was glad. Relief washed over him, albeit far too soon. He had seen it before, a statistically weak player entering a dungeon far above their skill level and suffering the consequences. He had been that person once and did not wish to recreate such a traumatic experience after so much time.

The differences between the past and present were experience and numbers. Morningstar had neither in the beginning and it proved to be his undoing. He swiped his blade across the midsection of the Avatar, stacking shatter, and then backed up as the stun began to fade.

He hoped that Freyd's next move would be the party's last.

***

ID: 220524 CD: 6 (Rec Failed)
Morningstar recovers 4 EN

Post Action | Tech-D (x16, 15 EN): 15 EN - (Well Rested 2/3, Stamina): 12 EN
Free Action | None

ID220523 | BD: 7+6=13 (hit) | DMG (16*28)=448-120=328 to Avatar of Avarice

Freyd | HP: 1334/1334 | EN: 117/154 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 80 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 7 | BH: 73 | LD: 9 | PROSP: 3 | HLY: 16 | FLN: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | TRLBLD
Morningstar | HP: 828/828 | EN: 81/110 | DMG: 28 | MIT: 60 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 6 | BH: 39 | LD: 5 (6) | BLD: 48 | FB: 40 | REC: 4
Wulfrin | HP: 273/273 | EN: 21/44 | DMG 15 | MIT 86 | ACC 5 | REC 1 | LD 3 | Stealth -2 | Stealth Detection +2
Nari-Lanreth | HP [1,081/1,081] | EN [87/106] | ACC [6] | DMG [12] | MIT [239] | F.AURA [16 DMG] B.Healing [+51] | STEALTH [-5] |  FRSTBT [40 DMG | -1 ACC] | THORNS [72] | PARA [8+] | HM [+4 B.DMG] | LD: 5 | IMMOLATION [40] | -13 EN

(2,2,2,3) Avatar of Avarice | HP: 448/2000 | DMG: 360 | MIT: 160 (120) | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 (0) | SHATTER: -40 MIT (2/3) | F.Stun.Imm (1/3) | Burn [56 DMG | 1/2] | STUNNED | P.Stun.Imm (0/3) | (776-328)