[EV-PP-29] A New Kind of Wrong <<Fatal Error: Act 1>>

[Freyd 0]

Black steel met the slurping coil of writhing tentacles as the latest batch of freshly risen monstrosities surged forth. Mangled and twisted abominations whose very misshapen existence defied imagination fell upon them like a wave of gnashing teeth, rent flesh and raking black claws.  Just another day in the frontlines' latest paradise lost.

"Someone definitely kicked over an anthill, or whatever the squid-themed equivalent might be!" Forming a mental image of the eldritch horror version of a snake breeding ball quickly prompted him to stop, focusing instead on the wounded gaggle of fleeing players scrambling their way.  The dread in their eyes told an all-too-familiar tale.

"This way," Freyd bellowed, his black armor already covered in the thick, viscous indigo coating of ichor and gore.  They'd been patrolling for hours in what increasingly felt like a futile effort to clear surcharged spawn points full of ever multiplying horrors.  "Regroup in Ilridge, in the valley. You'll find healers there."  A quick wave of his ebon bracer lanced a string of something resembling saliva to mark their heading.  Only a moment could be spared before another batch swarmed over ridge. One young woman amongst the retreating party gave silent thanks with only a painful wince, gratitude of eyes beleaguered by the trauma of unmitigated horrors.  Such things were all to common here.  Too real.  Something about her reminded him of Haine, the warmth of memory steeling his resolve to buy the morsel of time they needed to escape.

"They must have let something loose in Kineallen Parish to have triggered such a response."  It was a guess.  Patterns were frustratingly difficult to glean anywhere on this floor.  Only the ever-flooding tides of madness were assured, though even they felt like some semblance of knowledge lurked just around the corner.  That, or yet another wave of wrongness incarnate.

"Something's different."  A pause for fancy footwork dodged a series of obsidian darts flung by the fishiest of their new assailants, measured mostly by the size and shape of its excessively wide lips. "We haven't seen this kind of reckless zeal since we first arrived."  Another foe with way too many tentacles latched onto his left leg, only to lose the appendage for getting too frisky.  Freyd's inevitable follow-up quip died on the vine at the bellow of some distorted distant horn. Blaring across the broken landscape like some unholy clarion call, it sounded mixed with the clinking tones of unnatural wind chimes belied by the stillness in the air.  They all felt it. 

"That... doesn't sound good." A fleeting glance spared to the rest of his companions, they'd all fought too hard to just give up gained ground over one more ominous sound. If that was all it took to scare them off the local supply would have kept them from setting foot on this floor at all.

***

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) and CSA (Beckon the Void) are in use.  If any other player objects to these, please state in first post and it will be considered inactive.

Freyd consumes:

Draft of Keen Edge | Tierless | Perfect Potion | Damage 3 | 235950
Mega-Duper Anti-Everything Sauce (Salve) | Antidote 3 | 197179
Flavoured Yogurt Shot (snack) | T4 Perfect Snack | Probiotics 3 | 217726
Kintsugi. | T4 Perfect Salve | Toxic Venom | 223936l
Shrimp Gumbo | Tierless Perfect Meal | Overhealth 3 | 220091e

Freyd consumes and shares:

Gungir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Smokin' Hot Honey Bun Tray | ACC 2 | EVA 2 | Feast (6/6) - ACC filled
Stalwart's Stew | T4 Perfect Meal | MIT 3 | Combine [216715, 216716] into Lesser Feast (4/4)

Freyd | HP: 1495/1495 | EN: 162/162 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 212 | ACC: 8 (inc.AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA: 4 | BH:72 | PROB: 36 | DOTE (3/3) | VAMP-D: 82 | VAMP-O: 164 | PARA-V | LD:5  

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, of the Freyloras
True Tier: 18
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 144
HP: 1300/1300+195
EN: 162/162

Stats:
Damage: 21+3
Mitigation: 152+60
Accuracy: 4+2+1+AA
Evasion: 2+2
Battle Healing: 72
Loot Die: 5
Stealth Rating: -5
TAUNT
VAMP-D: 72+10
VAMP-O: 143+21
PARA-V

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Veritas | T4 Katana) | AA, PVO I, VO I, Taunt
Armor/Trinket: 
  - Negare Omnia | T4 HA | MIT III | VD I
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Night Shades | T3 Trinket | ACC III | EVA I

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
  - Grappling Familiar (Rellik)

Custom Skill:
  - Shades of the Gemini (CS)
  - Beckon the Void (CSA)

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R5
  - Charge
  - Energist
  - Extended Mod Limit
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Fighting Spirit
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Howl
  - Katana R5
  - Quick Change
  - Searching R4

Extra Skills:
  - Disguise
  - Survival
  - Meditation
  - Brawler

Inactive Extra Skills:
  - Leadership R5
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Lady Luck
  - Photosynthesize
  - Assault Mode
  - Frozen Hide

Addons:
  - Focus
  - Focused Howl
  - Iron Skin
  - Precision
  - Reveal
  - Stamina

Mods:
  - Emergency Recovery
  - Impetus
  - Inspiring Speech
  - Press the Attack
  - Night Vision

Inactive Mods:
  - Elusive
  - Detect
  - Tracking
  - Rally
  - Steadfast

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - Bear Trap (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Bear Trap (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable 1/thread) x1
  - Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
  - Meathook (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Ordsea Crystal-B (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Ordsea Crystal-B (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Rhino's Horn (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Samael's Pride | T4 Katana | FLN II | HLY II x1
  - Teleport Crystals x7

Housing Buffs:
  - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
  - Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
  - Basic Kitchen: 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.
  - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Guest Room: Players can have one «Amenity» in a «Guest Room» and the «Amenity» cannot be recovered. Players are allowed to change which «Amenity» is in the «Guest Room». Multiple instances of the same «Amenity» do not stack. This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.
  - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
  - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
  - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
  - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs:
  - Guild Hall I: Allows a Guild the ability to create one Guild Quest. Narratively, it also allows players to teleport back to the Guild Territory when using Teleport Crystals.
  - Storage Vault: Allows a guild to create a Storage Vault in their Guild Page. Members can use this thread to store and withdraw items. Any items that have trading restrictions cannot be moved to a Storage Vault.
  - Trading Hall III: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (9+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters and Rank 4 merchants/performers receive +1 crafting/identification attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters and Rank 5 merchants/performers receive +5 crafting/identification attempts per day. Appraisers gain an initial additional reroll per identified item at no cost.
  - Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.
  - Laboratory I: Once per charge, when receiving single-use consumables from Quest Rewards, if a Guild Treasurer were to receive additional tokens, one guild member may claim 1 x (Additional Token / 2) copies of the consumable.
  - Bureau II: Once per charge, if two or more Guild members are present in a thread, allow two dungeons to be spawned/explored in that thread, regardless of Dungeon-searching cooldowns. This buff may only apply once per thread.
  - Library I: Once per charge, if a Storyteller is eligible to claim a Guild Token, their character gains +10% bonus EXP at the end of the thread. This buff may only apply once per thread.
- Armory II: Once per charge, players may submit a Skill Refund evaluation regardless of the 30 day cooldown window. In addition to Armory buffs, when submitting a Skill Refund evaluation, guild members have the option to pay an additional Token to refund up to 30 additional SP.
- Menagerie III: Guild members undertaking <<Feeding Your Enemy>> gain +1 LD to familiar searching rolls and +1 to familiar taming rolls. In addition to Menagerie II buffs, the maximum number of familiars guild members can tame narratively is five (5). Guild officials may also appoint a familiar mascot, shared between their guild members to accompany them narratively in their threads.
 

Scents of the Wild Totem:
  - Tanos
Wedding Ring: n/a

Crafting Profession:
 - Appraising[3478exp] R5
Gathering Profession:
 - Fishing[576exp] R5

 

Edited yesterday at 03:08 AM by Freyd

[Acanthus 0]

A whole day, wasted. Acanthus picked grime out of her metal armor as she gave the landscape another despairing look. When Argent had shared news of another Spectral Knight, she had no doubt the thing would be near the Kineallan Parish, as he said. He was a new source, but proved reliable over and over. If not a touch overconcerned.

* * *

“I’m telling you this so that you can go and get a group together. You’re going to reach out to the other frontliners for this one, right? This isn’t some patrol into Miremore, like last time. You’ll get yourself killed.”

Acanthus shakes her head. “It will be fine. I survived last time.”

“By the skin of your teeth. You walked back in here with a broken leg and a red health bar. If you want to keep getting information from me, you’re not going alone.”

Argent’s frustration visibly compounds, but he says nothing further on the matter. “Here’s the coordinates. Message me when you get there.” His hands tug at his hair as she leaves. He fears that one day, she won’t make it back—and it will be his fault for sending her.

* * *

It was his fault for giving her the coordinates without some guarantee that she would party up. If Argent didn’t like it, he could have simply withheld the thing’s location. But the info was bad, regardless. There were no spectral knights. Not even other players.

"This way," came a familiar voice. She crept closer to the commotion to confirm.

Freyd danced backwards, away from a hail of darts. He and his patrol stood in-between the attackers and a haggard group of fleeing people. What are they doing up here?! Acanthus nearly shouted at them. Wasn’t the first onslaught enough to teach these idiots a lesson? Underleveled players had died, and they still flocked to the floor for reasons unknown. Good thing Freyd was here to save them. She had almost turned to leave when a thought crossed her mind. “You’re going to reach out to the other frontliners, right?”

Acanthus groaned. She was not ready to deal with players—competent players, that is—but if she wanted more info from Argent, she would need to play ball. And she knew that he would learn if she were recklessly chasing these things alone. Taking care on the uneven ground, Acanthus closed the distance and cut through the fish-man with the wide smile, calling out as she did.

“Freyd. Little wonder you’re here.” He busied himself slicing a tentacle from his leg. Before he had a chance to respond, a trumpet blast shook the ground and permeated her entire body. She winced and tried blocking out the noise as best she could. "That... doesn't sound good."

“And I thought I was prone to understatements.” Acanthus gazed at the remainder of the patrol and winced again. (Note: I’m assuming LesMei is in the patrol. If that’s not how y’all write it, I can rewrite this no problem!)

She was glad to see Lessa, but Jomei’s presence caught her off-guard. Acanthus had spent so much time avoiding the aftermath of her fight with Morningstar that she had forgotten about the jealous insults she had lobbed in the heat of battle. What hadn’t gone wrong in those fights? The whole clash had been a terrible idea. Without thinking, she reached for her metal flask.

“Let me down this—damage potion, and I can join you. If that call came from a Spectral Knight, then it won’t hurt to have some backup, will it?” She threw her head back to finish the flask and returned it to her inventory. “Lead the way.”
 

Acanthus | Lvl 72 (34/38) | HP: 880/880 | EN: 120/120 | DMG: 29 | MIT:160 | ACC:6 | AA  | EVA:2 | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:72 | BH:48 | HB: 39 | LD:4 | PROB:36

Spoiler

Equipment and Consumables

Spoiler

All enhancements reflected in the stat block unless otherwise specified.

Equipment
Weapon. botan. AA | ACC 3
Armor (Heavy). Corpse Flower's Kiss  MIT II | Thorns II
Shield. Fractured Heart | Holy Blessing 2 | Flame Aura 2

Consumables
Smokin' Hot Honey Bun Tray | ACC II | EVA II
Stalwart Stew | T4 | MIT III
Ass-Kicking Absinthe | 231995-1 | DMG III
Skewer Roll | T4 | Protein II Filled
Miso Soup | T4 | Probiotics III

Abilities (Skills, Shifts, Masteries, Add-ons, and Mods)

Spoiler

Combat Mastery and Shift
Combat Mastery: Damage R3
AoE Shift

Skills

• Battle Healing R5
• Energist
• Heavy Armor R5
  • Addon: Precision
  • Addon: Iron Skin
  • Mod: Impetus (1/5)
• Searching R4 + 1 (Skylight: Searching)
  • Mod: Night Vision (2/5)
  • Mod: Tracking (3/5)
• Straight Sword R5
  • Addon: Ferocity
  • Addon: Stamina

Extra Skills

• Forgotten King's Authority
• Survival
• Assault Mode
• Block
  • Mod: Shield Bash (4/5)

Inactive Extra Skills

• Photosynthesize
• Disguise

Addons

• Ferocity
• Iron Skin
• Precision
• Reveal
• Stamina

Mods

• Shield Bash
• Meticulous
• Night Vision
• Tracking

Battle Ready Inventory (7 Slots)
Dimensional Backpack + Item Stash

Spoiler

1. Lama Sabachthani | 236687 | Consumable - Soundtrack | Hypnosis 2 | Lullaby 2 (Instant)
   Pain deeper than words, engraved by a hand that does not know its own heart.
2. Edict's Threnody | 236686 | Consumable - Soundtrack | Perpetuate (Instant)
   If my suffering will not end, then neither will yours.
3. Instant HP Recovery 3 | 243744 243735 243750 24376
4. [Empty]
5. [Empty]
6. [Empty]
7. [Empty]

Housing

Spoiler

House Name: Villa of Coruscating Flowers (The Villa)
Location: Floor 24 - Paradise Islands
Description: See above
Plot Size: Estate - PK Accessible
Rooms: Listed below. All rooms are assigned to Acanthus.

• Master Bedroom
  • Well Rested | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat.
• Greenhouse
  • Green Thumb | +2 Gathering EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to gathering attempts.
• Extended Workshop: Recording Studio (25,000 col)
  • Hard Working | +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day.
• Mega Slime Farm
  • Advanced Training | +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.
• Living Room:
  • Relaxed | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
• Attic (Bedroom)
  • Skylight (Searching) | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill (Searching). Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
• Basement:
  • Multipurpose | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll.
• Storage Closet: (10,000 col)
  • Item Stash | +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
• Master Bathroom: (25,000 col)
  • Squeaky Clean | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
• Basic Kitchen (15,000 col)
  • 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.

Crafting and Gathering

Spoiler

Performer | Rank 5
Apollo’s Metronome | Crafting Tool | Meticulous: +1 CD when crafting in one’s workshop.

Forager | Rank 5
Demeter's Cornucopia | Gathering Tool | Bountiful: +1 CD to gathering attempts.

 

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 05:19 AM by Acanthus

[Baldur 0]

A blue flash shot through the air and crashed into the ground near Freyd's group and Acanthus. It cratered the ground and throw a cloud of dirt and dust into the air around them. Then the sound of groaning and the silhouette of a man standing up could be seen, using a sword to prop himself up.

"Oh... hey guys."

The trail of smoke that came from Baldur and his dusty blue haori still hung in the air from where he had arced over the next hill.

"Acanthus... there you are! I was told you might be out here."

Baldur's steel blue eyes glanced at the top of the hill and then he sheathed his katana at his side.

"We've probably got a minute if it chases me, but there's something nasty just over the hill. It was something called a <<Spectral Knight>>. I was warned about them, but they had already attacked another group of players. I've been trying to kite it with..." He paused, some slight color coming to his cheeks, "perhaps a bit more literal success than I had intended."

He shook his head and some small pebbles fell to the ground.

"Hey Acanthus, sorry to ask, but would you message your friend Argent and tell him I found you? He's been blowing up my inbox and I couldn't respond while fighting."

Baldur turned to regard Freyd a bit more as they tried to fight off some trash mobs and get some other players out of here.

"Well, since you're here I think we'll be good. You got your tank setup on you?"

---

Baldur | HP: 1137/1137 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 26 | MIT:138 | ACC:8 | AA (incl in ACC#) | KEEN: 1 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:63 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20  | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 | LD:5                                                                                                                            

Spoiler

 

Combat Statblock

Baldur | HP: 1137/1137 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 26 | MIT:138 | ACC:7 | AA | KEEN: 1 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:63 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 | LD:5

Consumables Taken

Accuracy 2 Consumed Evasion 2 Consumed Mitigation 3 Consumed Damage 3 Consumed Field Rations 1 Consumed [Filled]

First Post Character Information [Signature]

Name: Baldur True Tier: 10 Level: 34 Paragon Level: 66 HP: 1137/1137 EN: 132/132 Stats: Damage: 26 Mitigation: 138 Accuracy: 7 Evasion: 4 Battle Healing: 63 Loot Die: 5 Stealth Rating: -2 AA KEEN: 1 REC: 8 FLN: 8 BLI: 32/-20 BRN: 56 FRZ: 64 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - Etheral Tether - Zanshin AA/Keen/Freeze/Burn Armor/Trinket: - Jade Magatama - Acc/Acc/Eva/Recovery Shield/Armor/Trinket: - Monstsuki Haori - Mit/Mit/Eva/Recovery Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Damage R3 Combat Shift: - TECH Shift Familiar Skill: - Custom Skill: - Skills: - Battle Healing R5 - Charge - Energist - Extended Weight Limit - Fighting Spirit - Katana R5 - Light Armor R5 - Quick Change - Searching R5 Extra Skills: - Concentration - Survival - Forgotten King's Authority - Parry Inactive Extra Skills: - Meditation Addons: - Ferocity - Precision - Resolve - Reveal - Stamina Mods: - Detect - Emergency Recovery - Meticulous Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: - Basic Teleport Crystal x7 - Bear Trap x7 - Group Heal Crystal x1 - Hypnosis x5 - Medium Vitality Snack x1 - Misperception x2 - Safeguard Potion x1 - Warden's Fury x1 - Zanshin or Muramasa x1 Housing Buffs: - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat - Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down) - Basic Kitchen: 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. - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot - Dining Room: 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. - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. - Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per fishing attempt - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post. Guild Hall Buffs: Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: - Appraising[5000exp] R5 Gathering Profession: - Fishing[exp] R1

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Baldur