Emperor_IronBlood

Thread Complete

+1 Skill Point

+400 Col

+1 MasuRekken, Curved Sword, +1 Damage

+ Beginner Blacksmith Profession Title

Once again, IronBlood mixed the ingredients and added them to the forge, this time, the forge glowed a warm yellow, and the next prompt IronBlood was given read 'Success'! The item output was a sword, of the Uncommon Type, meaning IronBlood could now choose an enhancement for it. Choosing Damage, IronBlood watched the item update to Curved Sword +1 Damage, and was now given a final prompt, to name it. Thinking of a name, he typed: 'MasuRekken'.

ID 37888 CD 10 - Success, Curved Sword +1 Damage

"Good work Emperor_IronBlood! Now, are you ready to turn these items into a weapon?"

"Yes Master Smith, I am ready."

"Oh, very good, first we heat the forge, next we'll add the ingredients one at a time, then we'll add a bit of luck and get to see what comes out. For the purposes of this, I'm going to lock your ingredients, meaning if you fail, I'll refresh them and you can try again without having to re-gather them, though in the future, any spent materials will be gone for good. Now, let's get you started crafting!".

Approaching the burning hot forge, IronBlood added his ore, his flower, and his mountain water together, and then used the prompt at the forge to craft. After several seconds, the forge glowed and out came a ruined item. Next to him, Master Smith laughed and destroyed the item, returning it to its original three items. "Try again young man!"

ID 37886 CD 5 (Bad Item)

Continuing his walk through the forest, IronBlood felt the ferns raking against his arms, ducked his head under branches, and wiped snow from his hair. Entering a clearing, IronBlood took a long, slow look around. Breaking his usually stoic composure, a small smile crossed his lips. Ahead of him, glowing white, was a mountain flower. Moving forward, he added the item to his inventory, and found a way to climb back down the mountain, in fact, he was now back at the roaring warmth of the smithy, ready to begin the crafting process.

LD 37882 LD 16

Climbing down, IronBlood couldn't do much else other than continue to explore the area. Walking to his right, he entered an area of cyprus trees. These trees smelled so sweet, like truly being outdoors, and the branches were covered with the light snowfall. Walking through the forest, IronBlood kept his eyes peeled for a flower, but still, he couldn't find anything. Wordlessly, he continued his search, nary a soul in sight.

ID 37881 LD 11

Deciding that he might have more luck from a higher vantage point, IronBlood spotted a large rock-outcropping covered with snow, and decided that it might be best to try and climb it. Carefully scampering up the snow-filled outcropping, he was making sure to be careful and not slip. Finally reaching the top of the outcropping he took a long look around, unfortunately all he could see was the white blanket of snow which was enveloping everything around him.

ID 37880 LD 3

Continuing his march along the lake-bed, stabbing his sword at the ice every so-many-feet, IronBlood finally had a lucky break and could hear the ice crack. Kneeling down, he examined the crack and was surprised when a prompt appeared. On it was a Gather Material 'Mountain Water'? prompt which IronBlood readily accepted. Grateful that he now had the ice-water in his inventory, all that was left was for him to gather the flower and head back to the smithy.

ID 37870 LD 17

Continuing to explore this frozen paradise, IronBlood followed the river's source to a large pool of frozen water. Walking up to the water's edge, he decided to try and see if he could break through the ice. Pulling out his curved sword, he brought it crushingly down, trying to shatter a small bit of ice. *Clunk*
The sound of his blade bouncing off was less than satisfying. Looking down, he could tell he hadn't even cracked the ice. Perhaps it was too thick here, and he'd have more luck at another spot in the lake-bed.

ID 37869 LD 8

After several hours of meditation, IronBlood rose and began exploring the area. Curious if anything was underneath the snow, he began digging at a small shrubbery plant that was peaking out. Slowly and carefully wiping away the snow, he was disappointed to see that the plant was non-interactable. This game made no sense sometimes. He had been shown that plants were a gatherable resource, and yet only SOME plants were, and only in certain situations, and only if they hadn't been harvested yet. IronBlood had a lot to learn about the gaming world still.

ID 37868 LD 9

Stopping to look at the snow-covered mountain top paradise that surrounded him, IronBlood was taken back by the beauty. He had never expected to see such a thing in a digital world. The snow-capped peak was completely calm with the exception of currently having only the lightest of snowfalls. There were spots where waters used to flow, only now these falls were completely frozen over. Stepping forward, he was surprised when he heard a loud *crunch*, the sound of the snow compacting under his feet. Laughing out-loud, IronBlood was taken aback. Crunching his way to the top of a frozen waterfall, IronBlood took a long look around looking for a water source, or for the flower he came to collect. But unfortunately, he again found neither. Deciding to take a break, IronBlood removed his shoes and his weapon, entering the lotus position wearing nothing but the thin rags called clothes.

ID 37857 LD 5

Moving up the mine shaft, IronBlood could finally see the light of the exit in front of him. Moving towards the light he could suddenly hear a loud rumbling. Suddenly the ceiling above him began to cave in. Moving with a quickness, IronBlood darted forward, straining himself to run as fast as he could; as the crushingly large rocks tumbled down around him, IronBlood felt himself break out into the light of day. Rolling forward, he came out of the roll and looked back at the mine shaft. Now that it was completely collapsed, he would have to find another way down when he goes to leave the mountain-top. Still, he was thankful that he made it through unharmed.

LD 37821 CD 10

Continuing up the mine, IronBlood found another mineral deposit. This seemed to be a much more rare type of earthen mineral, and so IronBlood eagerly tried to harvest this. Unfortunately, his axe wasn't up to the task and the difficulty of mining this compared to his current skill level was far too high. Not being able to do anything about the situation, IronBlood put his axe back in his inventory, and moved on.

ID 37817 LD 13

As the ground underneath his feet began to slope up, IronBlood was thankful to know he was on the right track. Double-checking his map, he could see that he still had a fairly long distance to go. While he was standing there in total silence, he realized that it wasn't total silence. Deciding that this would be an excellent place to practice his daily meditation, IronBlood sat back against the wall, assuming the lotus sitting position.

After several minutes of silence, IronBlood slowed his breathing and entered a relaxed state. Listening to the silence and the drip-drop of water from the stalagmites, he became curious if he could harvest from the stalagmites. Rising, he approached a promising one and tried to interact with it. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to do anything to the rock formation. Disappointed and deciding he'd have to find water elsewhere, IronBlood resumed his trek through the dark mining tunnel.

ID 37802 LD 12

Continuing down, farther into the mine, was beginning to fill IronBlood with doubts. According to his map data, this mine-shaft would actually take him all the way to the top of the mountain, but tops of mountains are up, not down. Guessing he had gone down around a mile, IronBlood noticed that it was becoming noticeably cooler, and noticeably more wet. Thankfully, another material he was going to need, would require water, it was just a matter of finding the proper source. Looking for 'Mountain Water' was next on his list, but so far, he couldn't find a source to tap into.

ID 37795 LD 13

Continuing to mine the material in front of me, I finally heard the notification alert that the item was added to my inventory. Sitting back with a small sigh of relief, I was glad to have finally gathered the material. Looking at my map, I double-checked the information I had been given. So far, the data had been spot-on, the entrance had been where expected, the ore had been exactly where it was supposed to be, that could only lead IronBlood to assume that the rest of the map data would be correct. With that in mind, IronBlood pushed forward, into the mine-shaft.

ID 37786 LD 19

Pulling out the mining axe, I set to work. I quickly found it to be quite difficult, more so than I expected. With heavy breaths I could only slave away hoping for my axe to quickly gather the materials I needed. Unfortunately, this was going to take longer than I thought. With a heavy sigh, I continued mining away with loud clangs of the heavy axe in my hand, determined to gather the material in front of me.

ID 37783 LD 6

Walking into the mine-shaft, I found myself moving much slower then I had expected to be. The terrain was not suitable for bringing mine-carts down here, clearly this mining shaft was never finished. Curious as to why that would be inside of a game, I had little choice but to accept it as a state of being for now. Stumbling as I was moving forward, I reached out, placing a hand on the stone to steady myself. It was cool. Of course it would be, being underground, however the sense of touch still felt strange to me. To think, all of this was a digital construct, created on a computer, and sent directly to my brain with the NerveGear. I could scarcely believe it was real. Continuing to navigate the dark passage, I finally found what I had been searching for, an ore deposit.

While climbing, my mind was assaulted with flashbacks of my former life. I recognized the familiar pattern of mountain-climbing from my days of training at the temple, however here it was different. I could still feel the rocks under my fingers, feel the grip of my boots on the stone, but everything felt...digital. No matter how well of a replication it was, I could tell nothing was the same as real life.

Slowly I made my way up the mountain, stopping on the first cliff-edge to review how high I'd come, about a mile, continuing to the next cliff-edge, I was clearly around three miles up. With just another mile to go, I set out, eager to make it before night-fall. Feeling the biting wind on my back, the cold wind ripping through my clothes, I slowly pulled myself up onto the cliff-edge I had been aiming for. It had been a hard climb, but I made it. Turning to face the mountain I stared into the blackness of a mine-shaft leading down into it's interior.

After traveling quite far, I walked up to the base of this mountain. Ahead of me stood a gargantuan climb, one that would take many days. At the top of this mountain, was said to be a flower of ice, and that was one of my goals for coming to this mountain. However, before I claimed this prize, I had something else in mind. Something that was hidden inside the mines buried in this mountain. The first entry to the mine had been told to me, it was on the third cliff-edge from the side I was facing. In order to reach this edge, I reached out and began to climb.

Turning my back towards the burning flame, I walked out of the smithy and into the fields next to its' humble location. Here I would find the materials I needed to craft. The master smith had given me clear instructions, craft a set of weapons, to forge my soul into these items, and that then, and only then, he would grant me a profession title. To conquer this test, I would need to find items of untouchable quality. Setting my sights on a nearby mountain-range, I began the long walk towards them.

Walking into the burning-hot back-room of the smith's shop, IronBlood's eyes were filled with the sight of a burning forge. The large stone-masonry structure was a sight to behold. To the left was a series of structures for the tempering process, to the right, a table full of tools. Behind me was the NPC craftsmen who had given me this quest. "Do you see now, the power of a smith? The weapons and tools we master so we can control the very minerals of the earth? Impressive is it not?"

"Yes, I must say, it is quite impressive. Master Smith, please teach me your ways."

Profile
Username: Emperor_IronBlood
Real name: Matsuo Nogueira
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9"

About: History/personality

Matsuo was born a 'Protector of the Shrine', and has spent his life in arduous training to defend the ancestral site against attack. Since graduating his training program at the age of 18, he has spent the next ten years living as a monk with few possessions, and working only on the defense and upkeep of the temple. However, in 2022, Matsuo was forced to leave the temple when a 'Scroll of Epiphia' was discovered. The Scrolls were devices as ancient as the temple, and as the eldest of his line, it was Matsuo's secondary job to recover these scrolls. Travelling to Tokyo, Japan, Matsuo encountered many strange and unfamiliar situations as it was a place most different than his home in the mountains. However, he would not let himself be distracted from his quest, his most holy of tasks. Trailing several thugs of the Fogun Shia guild back to their warehouse, Matsuo quietly entered. Over-hearing a conversation, Matsuo discovered that the scroll was being held by a person known as 'Nijame'-a thief who had actually stolen the scroll from the Fogun Shia guild. He learned that the thief had been tracked down to a location in the real-world, and that the gang was preparing to confront this thief, in the hopes of taking back the scroll, and the thief would then be executed. Deciding to follow the thugs, Matsuo finally ended up outside a building, confident this was the location of the thief, Matsuo engaged the thief's would-be attackers and sound-idly defeated the lot of them. Entering the building, Matsuo made contact with the thief.

After discussing the need to return the scroll to its' ancestral home, Matsuo was disappointed to hear the thief had already sold the scroll to a broker known only as 'Cyber'. Determined to recover the Scroll, Matsuo pressed the thief to set-up a meet. The broker Cyber however, only meets online to conduct business, using dead-drops to exchange goods. Cyber also routinely changes games, and has been found to be near untraceable. Being left with only one option, Matsuo finds he has no choice but to enter the digital realm with Nijame, entering Cyber's latest game-of-choice...SAO...

After being advised to pick a username different than his real name, Matsuo recalls his history lessons to his home country's late Emperor IronBlood, a ruler who left his kingdom in search of way to bring water to his people. The Emperor IronBlood was said to have faced demons and monsters, the trials of men and the tribulations posed by angels, finally overcoming all obstacles to return to his kingdom with an engineer who introduced an irrigation system to the land. Emperor IronBlood was always one of Matsuo's favorite history lessons, and now Matsuo, no, Emperor_IronBlood, was going on another legendary quest filled with monsters.
 

Virtues:

Discipline : Having lived a life of rigorous training with an intensive schedule, Matsuo is a man with a routine burned deep into his heart. He uses the power of meditation to continue to forge his discipline and will work towards the goals in front of him diligently. Not to be set off-track, discipline will be his force of motivation when the challenges are overwhelming. Returning the scroll to his temple is the equivalent to a holy mission for Matsuo and he will not stop until he has done so. Prepared to sacrifice life and limb, Matsuo will follow the decisions he makes, the feelings he has, and the actions he takes to their very end.

Temperance : Possessing prudence to judge between action with regard to appropriate actions at a given time. Balancing proper moderation between self-interest, versus public-interest, and against the rights and needs of others. Matsuo will seek the choice which is best presented at the nexus of conflict and resolution.

Honorable : Matsuo works to embody the ideals of his teachings, the ideals of his country, the ideals of his parents. He believes that through self-sacrifice he will be able to accomplish his goal and return home to the temple, scroll in hand. Using his honor as his guide, Matsuo will continue moving forward carving his path in the world. 

Flaws:
Foreign: Both foreign to Japan and the digital world, Matsuo is unfamiliar with many aspects of his new environment. He will have to rely on the players around him to gain an understanding of the game, and of his purpose in this game. Being unfamiliar with games, he may not understand many things that happen to him or things which other players easily understand. He will often take the option which is more clearly presented, as opposed to a choice which may be more 'hidden'.

Humility: Though considered a virtue, his practice of humility, of thinking of himself less, will not aid him in a game centered around gaining power for your own character. Matsuo may at times give up the chance at gaining strength for himself, to see others gain strength. His humility combined with his being foreign, may also lead him open to being taken advantage of by more mischievous players.

Unrelatable : Having grown up apart from society and with little interaction, Matsuo understands nothing about those around him. Even his travels through Japan were simply spent passing by people rather than interacting with them. Now finding himself in a game populated by teenagers and young adults, Matsuo is completely alone. Their parties and celebrations, even their fears are not wholly understood by him.

Profession: (Leave blank until the Earning a Living quest has been completed.)

Total SP : 5
Unspent SP : 0
Spent SP : 5
Skills
Non-combat:
»

Passive:
»

Combat:
»

Weapon skills:
» Heavy Armor Rank 1 (5 / 50)


Inventory
Weapons/Tools:
» One Handed Curved Sword
Basic Clothing

Roleplays
» [solo/private/open] LinkedTitle
» [solo/private/open] LinkedTitle - in progress
(no "in progress" means its complete; "incomplete" can mean one or the other person stopped replying for a long time)