[PP-F5] The search for Cassin<<Arabian Night: First nigth>> (Hakai)

[Zandra 0]

Spoiler

Progressive Story/Quest Series
<<Arabian Nights>>

First Night: “It all began with a couple of words”

This quest takes place on Floor 5
This quest is not repeatable after completion.

Quest Background:
At dusk, on the fifth floor in a random Tavern located in Armadillo you come across a NPC man named Ali, who drinks his sorrow at a bar. If you engage him in conversation he will start telling an unreal/fantastic story about how he found a secret cave full of gold and wondrous items. If you inquire why he is here drinking alone and sad, instead of partying in some extravagant way, he will tell you that the cave belongs to thieves and that they already captured his brother when the two tried to enter the cave.”It all began with a couple of words” he says on a slip of a tongue quickly getting nervous as he realised what he revealed until now. Then he will ask if you can go and save his brother Cassin that to his knowledge, was captured by the thieves and as a reward he says he will give you a nice sum of money if you bring him back. The coordinates for an ordinary thieves hideout are sent to you. A quest confirmation window shortly follows, appearing in his immediate vicinity, will you accept it?

Route options:

1. (Hero route) - Save Ali’s brother and safely escort him back to the tavern.
2. (Killer route) - Kill Ali’s brother for his golden ring that he hid from the bandits, but equips after being freed and become an Orange Player, as Cassin puts all his trust in his rescuers.

• The thread creator chooses the route in his initial post, the rest of the participants agree with his decission by replying to the thread.
• Regardless of the chosen route, players still need to kill/bypass all thieves.
• At the end of the thread before locking, a staff member will roll and post the roll ID. This roll will be used in the later parts of this quest series.

 

Requirements:

1. Thread must have at least 1 completed page of roleplaying. (21+ posts).

2. Must roleplay talking to Ali at the Tavern before you accept the quest from him and after you return to the tavern to claim the rewards, in min. 3 posts. (in total, overall)

3. Fight against the primary group(s) of thieves, rescue or kill Ali’s brother Cassim (depending on route options), then defeat the secondary group(s) of thieves when you return. (more information below)

4. Any number of players can be take part in this quest. A party constitutes of 4 players max. If there is more than one party, the bandit number multiplies accordingly:
   Total number of bandits = 6*(number of parties)
   4(per group)*(number of parties) before freeing Cassim + 2(per group)*(number of parties) on the way back to Ali
   Note#1: The secondary party can have between 1 and 4 members, a secondary team can be formed only when there are more than 4 players participating on this quest.

5. In posts which contain multiple rolls for player and mobs, the roll order is as the following: Player roll -> Thief(s) roll.
   Note#2: When more than one player team is present, attack turns are as the following: Player team 1 -> Bandit group 1 -> Player team 2 -> Bandit group 2 / etc.

 

Quest Mob Information:

             

<<Thief>> - A masked NPC in shady clothing of sand-like color wielding a dagger. Receives its(their) own dice roll!
When rolling for a thief or a group of thieves, make sure to use your own username. If you decide to do one roll for a group, the dice apply to every member of the group.
Example: on a successful hit for 'Tri Pierce' each bandit will use that specific sword art on the player with most hate in the party. In case that 2 or more players have the same highest amount of hate, the thieves will split equally in and attack those players.

Note#3: You CANNOT modify the preset stats for the thieves. 
If this quest is taken as a Solo Party, the player can fight the bandits one after another using stealth mechanics. In a PP/OP the thieves spawn in groups.

Note#4: In a PP/OP, a player may attempt to skip fighting the thieves if they have invested at least 1 rank in the 'Sneak and Hide' skill; by applying the stealth mechanics. A player will still need to roll X number of times, one for each mob he/she tries to bypass. A player may try to act as bait for the group, if the thief's LD is higher than the player's 'Stealth Rating', the thief will attack the player (using that same roll dices) without alerting the other thief(s), making it possible to kill the mobs one by one. If a player bypasses any number of the required thieves, he/she can still go back and help the rest of the team; or try to bypass all, then leave the thread and finish the quest. Cassim must still be alive if this mechanic is used in the (Hero route).

Note#4A: If a player gets attacked by a thief while the rest of the team(s) fight, the player needs to fight the thieve alone until the rest finish their own fights. If a player has succeeded in getting past all the thieves, he/she will receive the rewards upon completing the quest, even if the rest of the team fails/dies. In this situation if the player is the only one to live he is allowed to double post until completing the quest.

Stats: 

• Health: 135 / Damage Mitigation: 25 / Accuracy: 1 / Savvy: 1 
• Basic Damage: 6 (7 on a natural BD of 9 , 8 on a natural 10 BD of 10)

Available Sword Arts / Conditions (Thief dice):
Bandits don't have an energy bar but they will use sword arts with every successful hit.

• Side Bite - 2x1*(Basic Damage) / [On a successful hit, CD roll 1-4]
• Infinite - 5x1*(Basic Damage) / [On a successful hit, CD roll 5-8]
• Tri Pierce - 3x1*(Basic Damage) / [On a successful hit, CD roll 9-10]
• Armor Pierce - 1x1*(Basic Damage) & Stun / [On a successful hit, CD roll 11-12, MD roll 1-5]
• Shadow Stitch - 3x2*(Basic Damage) / [On a successful hit, CD roll 11-12, MD roll 6-10]

 

Rewards:

1. (Hero route) - 15,000 Col & 2 SP.
2. (Killer route) - 15,000 Col & 2 SP & Cassin's Golden Ring [Tier 1, Unique Trinket]: '+2 Loot Die, +1 Sneak and Hide Skill Rank.'

• Cassin's Golden Ring is given only to those that kill him and earn the orange cursor, he has no actual stats so if a group of player should attack and kill him via RP, the whole party would turn orange and be rewarded with the ring. Those who leave the party and don't attack Cassin received neither the ring or gain the orange PK cursor, even if they take part on the Killer route. The item cannot be traded as it's a unique quest reward.
• The completion of this quest will be a prerequisite for continuing the series.

 

Quest Ending Description/Dialogue:

1. (Hero route) - "Brother!!!" will be the first thing Ali shouts at the sight of his kindred, right before rushing to hug the one he thought off as probably dead. After the emotional reunion scene ends, Ali comes to you and places a large pouch filled with Col coins next to you "I can't thank you enough for this. I won't forget what you did for me, please accept this as a small token of my gratitude." he adds with a joyful expression. With one more "Thank you!" he goes to his brother and celebrate his return with opulence. If in any moment you ask him where he has all that money, he will become hesitant and try to avoid the subject, ultimately leaving the tavern/inn with his brother. In the same time, the Quest Ending Window pops in front of you, displaying your hard earned rewards. The col reward could act as potential proof that the 'cave of wonders' he talked about in his drunken state, when you first meet, could be real.
    
2. (Killer route) - "I..... I see..." comes a faded response from Ali as his facial expression changes to one of grievance at the sight of only you (and your group) entering the tavern. He gulps the remaining of his drink then orders another one as he listens to what you have to say. At the end he says nothing and after taking a quick glance at you, he leaves. In the same time, the Quest Ending Window pops in front of you, displaying your hard earned rewards. The col reward could act as potential proof that the 'cave of wonders' he talked about in his drunken state, when you first meet, could be real.

 

Recommended Level: 15-20
Parties or Groups of players are recommended and encouraged.

Credits: Quest concept borrowed from the ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folktales. This quest is based on the "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" tale. It does not follow the story to the letter but has common elements.

I was sitting in my bed, leaning the back to the walls behind me. There I was, scrolling thru the list of available quests. I remember awhile ago when I had all of them completed. Well, except redemption and saying vows. But that was pretty understandable. I wanted to save redemption until there was one I really wanted to kill. But every now and then, new quests is revielded. It was nice, since it was one of the more effective ways to get skill points, that was the most valuable thing nowadays. There was also pretty nice rewards from some of the quests. Well enough about that. Now I needed to decide which quest to do today. Since I have decided to catch up to that bluehaired knigthe Aht. But first I had to surpass her. My finger stopped on the Arabian quests. It was split into two different parts and from my information source, Ive herd that there will soon be another one. Then I better had this ones completed. Arabian night it is then. I closed the screen and left the bed. Thou, it would be, like all quests, kinda boring to solo it. That was when a particular blonde appeared in my mind. I quickly threw together a mail, asking if she wanted to tag along. Last time I adventured with her, she had huge dreams, and thru doing this, I would be able to help her a little on the way. I also wrote that I would wait outside the tavern in Armadillo. As I arrived there, I sat down on a bench outside to wait for her.

<Heroic route>

 

Edited November 23, 2016 by Zandra

[Hakai 0]

Hakai smiled and reached her arm out towards Aurora, her snake. The snake hissed and coiled around her arm like a fancy piece of jewelry. She gripped her katana and sheathed it at her side, equipping her gauntlet and breastplate before making her way out of the Inn she was staying at, being careful not to disturb the other woman she had spent the night with, Chiana. She was a strange one and would likely be moving on sometime to join Laughing Coffin or the like. She wished her luck, but she wouldn't hesitate to kill her if she needed to. She headed to the fifth floor, making her way to the tavern she was supposed to meet Zandra at. She knew a bit about the quest and was pretty excited to be doing it with someone who she had quickly become allies with. At least, she felt as though they were allies. She had no clue what the other woman thought about her. Either way this quest would be interesting. She walked up to Zandra. "So, you ready to party?" She asked with a wink.

[Zandra 0]

I havent waited for long before my new blonde friend arrived. After our adventures together. We had both been on a material gathering together, as well as one of the longest quest combined with a dungeon run. ‘’You bet I am.’’ I answered if I was ready to party. ‘’Thou I forgot to order some dance-music crystals from a performer. The one I knows best is kinda slacky. He is still rank two I think.’’ Well, his performing career wasn’t the only thing that my spouse haven’t been lacking of doing. There have been very little time with me as well. Not that he was busy training. Actually, I had no idea what he was doing all days. He never wanted to talk about it when I got home. And he ddint wanted to tag along on parties and events that was happening in Aincrad from time to time. A short sigh let out before I opened the door.  ‘’So, time to start.’’ I said as I entered the tavern.

From my informant, Ive herd that in this particular tavern, a man with name Ali was drinking. To talk to him what was gonna start the quest. As I looked around the room, it didn’t took long before I spotted a man in the bar, drinking. ‘’Guess that’s him.’’ I said to Hakai over my shoulder before I walked up to him. ‘’Well hello mister. How are you?’’ I asked and sat down on a chair beside him.

[Hakai 0]

Hakai nodded to her and followed her into the tavern, taking a seat next to the NPC on the opposite side of him that Zandra was. He glanced over at her and she could tell immediately that he was drunk, although even more than that he had a tiredness to his face that she knew well, one that came from grieving. Zandra asked him how he was and he replied in a weary slurred tone. "I.. I found a cave, filled with treasure and gear greater than you could imagine...." He paused for a moment, collecting himself, his face gradually becoming more aware of his surroundings. "There were thieves there though. They got my brother." He paused, coming out of his slump fully and realizing what he had revealed. "It all began with a couple of words. If you save my brother there's col in it for you." He said quietly, taking another drink from his cup and sending them the coordinates to the thieves hideout. Hakai smiled and accepted the quest, looking over at Zandra. "Lets get going, who knows if this quest is on a time limit or not."

[Zandra 0]

The man quickly spilled a kinda short story about a cave, his brother and a bunch of thieves. When he was done, Hakai accepted the quest and said that we should hurry. "Woah, take it easy Hakai. I have something I want to ask this man first." I moved my chair a little closer to the man. As I leant forward I could tell he reaked of the smell of alkohol. My nose wrinkled before I opened my mouth. "You just think we going to move out with just that. What you think we are. Fools? These thiefes, how many is it?" The numbers of thieves present wouldnt really matter. Not to me and Hakai anyway. Thou it would sound greedy if asking just one thing. "Where is it?" With the coordinates, they knew that as well. "You say its col in it. How do we know you tell the truth and not lying? Also, you say its filled with treasures, then why not only grab a few trrasures. Why would we care about your brother?" I asked and looked into the mans eyes. After a few seconds he said eigth words. "There is Skill points in it as well." For a few moments I sat still. Then I pushed myself up and headed towards the door. "You are rigth Hakai. Lets save his brother." Opened door and entered the sandy landscape of floor five.

[Hakai 0]

Hakai raised an eyebrow as Zandra decided to question the man more, getting nothing else from him except that they would get skill points, which she had assumed Zandra knew already. As they left she turned her head to Zandra. "These coordinates are to a well known thieves hideout, so whatever place hes talking about is probably different from where we're going. After all, if he could get to the treasure so easily it makes sense that the thieves would have a hideout a ways away so that no one would be able to follow them in." She stated before heading in the direction of the coordinates they had been given. Thjis quest was supposedly quite simple, involving some straight up fighting without any stealth or complicated puzzles or the like. She still remembered that quest with the maze that she had had to do to get that necklace for Rin. She still hadnt given it to her yet...

[Zandra 0]

I nodded in agreement to Hakai’s statements. ‘’Hmm…  I think your right. If I was thief, I probably would think in those ways as well. But then, how are we gonna find the the hideout?’’ I scratched my chin as the gears in my brain got to work. ‘’So, If they was trying to enter the cave, and got attacked while doing so. Then the thiefes was probably waiting right inside the cave or was hidden outside. But still, why would thiefes take someone, NPC or player, captive? Its something that feels odd about that.’’ So they have gotten coordinates to a cave filled with treasures, there was a brother to find and save, there was some thugs to defeat. Didn’t sounded very hard, pretty straight forward. But there was something that was feeling wrong. I cant put the finger on it, but something there is. ‘’Well, I guess we not going to get any cleaverer by just speculating. Have you been to this cave before by the way?’’

[Hakai 0]

She smiled to Zandra, a dry kind of smile. "No. I tend to not explore places that dont give skill points. I've devoted my life to freeing people from this blessing Kayaba has given us. As unwilling prisoners of this game it wouldn't be right for me to hunt you all down." She stated, completely serious. She smiled at Zandra again. "I'm not a threat to anyone though, not until everyone has a chance to get out alive." She elaborated before pointing in the direction of the cave. "Onwards?" She asked, cocking her head to the side, a genuine, hungry smile on her face. She loved messing with people, but even more than that, she enjoyed fighting, even if that fighting was just with mobs. Of course, she much preferred fighting other players, although she tended to avoid that. She didn't trust herself to be able to hold back against a real person.

@Zandra

[Zandra 0]

One of my eyebrows raised as I herd the girl beside me only did exploration’s if she would gain something from it. With something she meant skill point. So she is one of those powerleveler I thought. But there must be those too if we would be able to fight our way out of this prison. To be honest I was one of those myself awhile ago. But lately, I’ve turned the opposite, almost. Well, I’m a little different then you then. Myself, I love exploring, have always done. But for awhile ago I also only did stuffs if it would help me advance. During that time, a lot of my waken hours I spent in my store, crafting potions and crystals. And I also reached my goal, to become a grandmaster in alchemy.’’ I looked at her with a quite selfish smile on my lips. ‘’But today I love exploring even more. Specially to find hidden place or events and easter eggs.

‘’Onwards? That sounds like an awesome idea.’’ I answered and started walking towards the coordinates we got from the man.