[F??] Champion's Hall

[Cardinal 0]

<<Champion's Hall>>

After a long, arduous journey to become stronger, players will receive a message informing them that the 'Champion's Hall' has now been made available to them. Speaking its name instead of a Town on top of every floor's teleporter will lead to a gilded hallway. The walls are lined with altars displaying both new and old items players may be familiar with. Suits of armor and weapons on statues flank each alter. Trying to save this location to a teleport crystal will not work, and any players that haven't been messaged by the system regarding this place will be unable to travel there, even if they try.

Upon trying to pick one of the items up off its altar, all of the statues will raise their weapons as though guarding them, and prevent players from getting any closer. From there on out, the only option is to leave the hall, as no more than one player may be present in it at a time. Which floor or where this hall is remains a mystery, but perhaps it'll be uncovered, sooner or later.

Rules:

• Players may post in the Champion’s Hall once per month (30 days since the last post) in order to obtain a copy of an expired or seasonal consumable.
• Posts made in this thread must still adhere to the 150 words minimum requirement, and players may not interact with one another in their posts. This is a consequence of the one post per month rule the thread follows.

Champion's Choice

Spoiler

• Duality (1)
  Choose one of the following effects: +30 MIT, -3 DMG or +3 DMG, -30 MIT. These effects stack with other buffs.
   
• Love's Respite (1)
  Using this item will reset one's crafting attempts. This item can be used in conjunction with Crafter's Respite in the same day.
   
• Memory of Battle (1)
  Doubles the bonus from Scents of the Wild totems for a single thread.
   
• Memory of the Blood Crystal (1)
  Replace an enhancement slot on a weapon with the Vampiric (Offensive) enhancement for a single thread.
   
• Galaxial Water Snake (1)
  Provides +1 CD when rolling to train familiars in <<Taming your Friend>>. Can also be used to change a familiar's appearance to a starry sky’s form of itself. Single-use item. CD buff lasts for one thread.
   
• Ghost Treat (1)
  Allows its user to skip the searching portion of the <<Feeding your Enemy>> quest. If the player fails to tame the creature, they will have to find it again by the searching rules in the quest. Can also be used to change a familiar’s appearance to a ghostly form of itself. 
   
• Horn of Battle (1)
  Sounding this horn will grant oneself and their party +2 increased energy regen for a single thread.
   
• Respec Ticket (1)
  Allows a single enhancement slot on a single piece of gear to be replaced with an enhancement of the player's choosing at a crafter who specializes in the gear's item type. Players may only select enhancements from the crafter's standard enhancement table, and enhancements must continue to obey their slot caps.
   
• Burning Determination (1)
  Applies BURN I to one's weapon for a single thread. This application exceeds equipment caps as a separate source, but two instances of the effect from this item will not apply.
   
• Cold Shoulder (1)
  Applies FREEZE I to one's weapon for a single thread. This application exceeds equipment caps as a separate source, but two instances of the effect from this item will not apply.
   
• Die For Me! (1)
  Applies BLEED I to one's weapon for a single thread. This application exceeds equipment caps as a separate source, but two instances of the effect from this item will not apply.
   
• Bring the Thunder (1)
  Applies PARALYZE I to one's weapon for a single thread.  This application exceeds equipment caps as a separate source, but two instances of the effect from this item will not apply.
   
• Extinguished (1)
  Applies FIREPROOF to the user for a single thread.
   
• No Chill (1)
  Applies ANTIFREEZE to the user for a single thread.
   
• Iron Will (1)
  Applies BLOODCLOT to the user for a single thread.
   
• Weather the Storm (1)
  Applies PARALYTIC IMMUNITY to the user for a single thread.
   
• Ring of Platinum Keys (5)
  Each Platinum Key is a single-use item that grants +3 LD when opening a Treasure Chest. Only one Platinum Key made be used per thread.
   
• Blessed Bandages (3)
  A package of linen bandages inscribed with blessed and holy runes. Each bandage removes one debuff on a target party member of the player's choice. Requires a post action to apply.

 

[Freyd 0]

"Huh... so this is what all the hubbub was about?  Big.  Tall.  Kinda mostly empty."  Strolling casually through the massive arched hall, Freyd felt dwarfed by the giant colonnades and statues lining the walls. Most were generically nondescript, as you might expect from a space that didn't seem to be linked to the lore of any particular floor.  Altars lined niches between the ornaments, each displaying some form of reward.  Many looked familiar by sight or description, triggering vague recollections of pre-flood quests and events that had somehow become inaccessible.

"The is an awful lot of compensation for a set of Scooby-Snacks," he said to no one, approaching one particular dais.  No sooner had he touched the item than a copy manifested in his inventory and a pop-up display notified him that he'd be waiting another month before he could choose again.

"Seriously?  Epic Doggie-biscuits?  They'd better cause your familiar to develop speech and intellect, or the ability to walk on two legs.  Frankly, I was kinda expecting something more impressive."  He glanced around, hoping he'd just missed the really cool stuff.

"Meh.  Maybe they'll have better options next month."

***

Full Stats:

Spoiler

Freyd,
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 102
HP: 1080/1080
EN: 142/142

Stats:
Damage: 24
Mitigation: 78
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 4
Battle Healing: 59
Loot Dice: 5
AA
BLGT: 32
P.V.O
REC: 8
STK: 40

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 MA | AA | Stk | Blgt | PV (O) )
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb (T4 LA | Mit 2 | Rec 2)
Misc: Fight O'er Flight (T4 Trinket - ACC 2 | EVA 2)

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Battle Healing R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R4
Charge
Energist
Quick Change
Extended Mod Limit

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Untraceable

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Forgotten King’s Authority
Hiding R5

Inactive Extra Skills:
Meditation
Brawler
Photosynthesize

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
Hmr.Pk: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 Demonic WH, AA, Blight, Static, Para.Ven (Off)) x1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring:

***

Freyd selects:

Ghost Treat (1) | ID 203365
Allows its user to skip the searching portion of the <<Feeding your Enemy>> quest. If the player fails to tame the creature, they will have to find it again by the searching rules in the quest. Can also be used to change a familiar’s appearance to a ghostly form of itself. 

[Freyd 0]

Freyd spontaneously appeared at the entrance to the hall, finding it empty and unchanged.  

"What?!  This is all the same shit that was here last time."  A furrowed brow paired with pursed lips.  Scouring through the list of available options, nothing jumped out.  "I mean, I suppose I could pick one of these," he said, lifting up a vial that a pair of vials intertwined into one.  "You don't see duality too often.  Wasn't this a field boss drop at some point?"  His gaze drifted to another set of niches, each with it own item on display.

"I dunno, Persi, but a lot of this stuff seems a bit redundant by the time you reach this level in the game."  Swiping the intertwined vial, he claimed his prize for the month and headed back to the exit, tossing it into the pile with all the rest.

***

Freyd selects:

Duality (1) | ID 206241
Choose one of the following effects: +30 MIT, -3 DMG or +3 DMG, -30 MIT. These effects stack with other buffs.

[NIGHT 0]

a name whispered under her breath. she wasn't lucid; only a fool would believe in rumors just by word of mouth alone, and she was but an arm of one, once they'd pushed her to investigate the strange message in her inventory. although, bistro was right. at least it didn't look like spam mail this time.

so imagine night's surprise when the world unveiled gold around her. different shades of brass and bronze and sparkling desert hues. if cardinal could create an environment that looked as holy as thus -- well, the first name that came to her mind as the sunlight shimmered across gilded surfaces would most likely make a home out of a location such as this.

the player shook away the thought. she'd only assumed it was a simple matter to resolve before a visit, and...

better that than lounging around the strange cell. after much contemplation, trying to understand what was expected of her, night picked an item off a statue, before heading off.

---

2022/04

Duality (1)
Choose one of the following effects: +30 MIT, -3 DMG or +3 DMG, -30 MIT. These effects stack with other buffs.

[NIGHT 0]

so she hadn't been dreaming. it'd been so long, it merely felt like a foreign memory. night felt herself stumbling, after the light had faded, only to reveal an even brighter arena. home of the elites, the holy, the pinnacle. and she'd just wanted to crawl back into the dark, away from the screaming colours desperate for her attention.

one step, then two. what did she get here last time? would the statues that hold these on display allow her to reach out for one, once more? her hand faltered, just as it hovered over a crystal block. hollow gold eyes caught sight of the fragile traces of life night had stowed away. cold vulnerability, between the stone and herself.

with a delicate hand, she took the item off its podium. and the rest of the room seemed to recede away. in respect, she bowed, absent of a thank you, and retreated in the same vein.

---

2022/12

Duality (1)
Choose one of the following effects: +30 MIT, -3 DMG or +3 DMG, -30 MIT. These effects stack with other buffs.

[NIGHT 0]

she should be visiting more often. she should, but she'd forgotten.

thankfully, this place still acted like a perfect avenue to bolster her resources. but night never stopped continuing to feel bad, appearing in and reaching out for one of the items on display. it felt so much like a crime, coming in just to snag an item or other, and then leaving it all behind. wasn't something or someone maintaining this place? did cardinal ever want a thanks and a hand-written note for all it did for the players?

never mind it was the thing keeping them trapped in here in the first place. the scorn goes towards the developers, and the program keeping them locked in, but consideration of the world's inhabitants lately got her thinking: maybe cardinal was done with keeping them caged, too. surely, it had to be. she was done keeping herself locked in here, too, sometimes.

---

2023/06

Memory of Battle (1)
Doubles the bonus from Scents of the Wild totems for a single thread.

Edited June 17, 2023 by NIGHT

[Freyd 0]

Thin.  Drawn.  Stretched.  A figure made of nothing stepped without sound having appeared as if from... itself?  Something about it seemed wrong - anathema to its surroundings yet still tangentially connected.  There was a kindship, yet the world recoiled at its presence, as if reality were holding its breath at the thing's passage.  So much had happened since it was last here.  Glancing down, it wondered whether its feet still matched the first footsteps to enter these halls.  Trivial.  Irrelevant.  Forgotten.  Drawing out its empty gaze across the hall, it found the choices unchanged, yet one object tugged upon its very nature.

"Acceptable."

A duplicate produced, the original still on display.  Digits like night closed around the cloned object and it was gone, then so was he.  Unexpectedly left behind, a tiny figure of void rolled its head to the side in sullen disappointment.  Something seemed wrong and empty, yet visible to its tiny azure eyes.  What was wrong with him, it wondered, and also... worried?

***

2023-06-27

Duality (1) | ID 212776
Choose one of the following effects: +30 MIT, -3 DMG or +3 DMG, -30 MIT. These effects stack with other buffs.

Edited June 28, 2023 by Freyd

[NIGHT 0]

she knocked twice on each statue as she passed them by. each of them made a faint, hollow noise that echoed through the hall. she didn't touch the item they held, however. usually, night would've taken stock of the dualities on display, but while she appreciated their presence, she'd only briefly remembered that there was an item like the one she had consumed the other day.

the horn of battle.

casually, night approached the statue that held it. wrapped her hand around its body, looking over it as the figures started to fade from view, almost like they'd never existed. and with the loss of their gleam, now the environment seemed not to glimmer, sparkle as bright. ominous, that lighting dim, but it drew a question to mind as she paced back to the exit of the hall, hesitant to pull herself away from the room.

briefly, she wondered who it was made for, to serve as champion.

---

2023/07

Horn of Battle (1)
Sounding this horn will grant oneself and their party +2 increased energy regen for a single thread.

[Freyd 0]

There was no hesitation or complaining, this time.  Freyd knew precisely what he wanted and needed, making to bee line towards the necessary object.  Plans were unrolling quickly in an improvised state and required all the critical pieces to align.  This would be one of the last. 

"What am I thinking?"  A concern thought but not voiced until he reached this fortress of solitude.  Thumb and index pressed to temples, tension had been building gradually since the raid meeting.  Faces rolled past in his minds' eye, the nightmare plaguing him playing in the background.  Now the threat was real.  They'd signed up, and he had to keep them safe, no matter the cost.  Button pressed, the item materialized in his hand and was sequestered in his inventory an instant later.  Too much still left to do.  Too many preparations still to be made.  There was never enough time to cover all eventualities.  A pivot and step, and he was gone once more.

***

2023-07-28

Memory of Battle (1)
Doubles the bonus from Scents of the Wild totems for a single thread.

Item tag ID 214173

Edited July 28, 2023 by Freyd

[NIGHT 0]

a silent retrieval. when night entered the ring, it was right after leaving bistro a generous sum of play-cash, and her feelings at the foot of the cintamani's doorstep. her gaze shifted, attempting to take in the appearance of the statues. had they remained constant? the same? no small detail out of place? her breathing was shallow in territory still unfamiliar, and after the day she'd had, things were still not looking quite right.

so her steps forward were tentative, sword in hand, the player almost flinching at every echo that bounced back towards her in the acoustically cursed room. one of the consumables was retrieved from the offered palms, and night examined it quietly, but not for too long. once the atmosphere had settled in that lonely devoid space, cold and overbearing pressure pressed upon her shoulders, and she opted to flee with gentle, solid steps before the system believed a punishment for her presence.

---

2023/08

Memory of Battle (1)
Doubles the bonus from Scents of the Wild totems for a single thread.

[Freyd 0]

Thin. Drawn.  Stretched.  The same feelings as before, but they were returning with greater frequency.  Wandering the grand but empty halls, his skin crawled with every step and touch, like he was wearing something else's skin under or over his own.  Freyd couldn't tell which, only making the sensation worse.  A quick selection from the catalog.  Item given and stored.  Always getting ready for a future that might never come.  Pausing, he stared at his own hand still extended to press upon the menu.  It's form and image shifted subtly, yet constantly, gaining then yielding some degree of transparency.  Quickly wrapping the other over the first as if to steady whatever might be happening, a quick pivot and stalking walk led him once more towards the door.  Something snapped and broke when he turned, sounding fragile and glasslike.  No source was obvious until he looked down, his own fractured shadow split from him and fragmented over the floor.  Thudding panic in his chest, the Whisper ran.

***

2023-09-09

Memory of Battle (1)
Doubles the bonus from Scents of the Wild totems for a single thread.

ID Tag 217964

Edited September 9, 2023 by Freyd

[NIGHT 0]

a harmonious triad. night retrieved the horn from its stand, before gazing up at the statue that held it. immaculate, featureless, untouchable. would they ever represent someone important that they would come to know; or were they ever meant to, rather than propose an ideal? she thought twice, hand around the item, if she wanted or dared to know. but a spin on her heel and quick strides towards the exit said all.

she let out a huff against the back of her wrist, a warm breath to break the chill of being in that estranged, isolated room. night felt the gaze of something foreign, from the fading stone without eyes, no sights, and she was certain of her decision to leave. with two quick steps onto the teleporting pad, her eyes to the floor, she waited until the light consumed her before she decided to look back one last time.

---

2023/09

Horn of Battle (1)
Sounding this horn will grant oneself and their party +2 increased energy regen for a single thread.

[Freyd 0]

A presence stalks the halls, visible but unknowable, even to itself.  It searches and ponders, reviewing prior choices while anticipating those yet to be made.  No certainty abounds and interest wanes.  What to do... what to do.  No response is forthcoming and its shadow stands idly by for a change.  Not helpful.  Energy.  Energy was a problem last time.  "Better do something about it for the next time," it says aloud, but to whom?  A simple horn is selected from the list, ornately gilt, yet also functional in shape and size.  Handling the sample triggers memories of previous uses, and to good effect.  "Yes, this will do nicely."

A ping registers the choice made, and the item is added to a list of seemingly infinite length.  Quantity: 1.  It would suffice, and remain until the moment was right.  Spinning on a heel without sound, the stalker left the room as quietly as he'd entered.  Surely, there was something he should be doing somewhere.

***

2023-10-28

Horn of Battle (1) | ID 218559
Sounding this horn will grant oneself and their party +2 increased energy regen for a single thread.

Edited October 28, 2023 by Freyd

[NIGHT 0]

silent steps as she stalked the hall. as always, there was this strange tension in the room, between the overcast light, however warm, as though sundown drowning the view. statues cast in gold, never scratched nor stained. and blank expressions, eyes filled with only what she thought they would have reflected back to her. the fear was innate, but not in the artificial.

today, night staved that struggle off. took the crystal off its bearer, examined it as the floor cleared, now dissipating like sand gathered in the wind. no blemishes on her duality this time, either. and her eyes flicked to the source of the warmth in the room, but found no cathedral windows, no sun, only a gradient to mark the fading void.

the player stashed it, quiet, shelving the thought she had about her access to the hall to the corners of her mind. she left quiet the same way she came.

---

 

2023/11

Duality (1)
Choose one of the following effects: +30 MIT, -3 DMG or +3 DMG, -30 MIT. These effects stack with other buffs.

[Freyd 0]

Lanky frame striding slowly through an empty hall of echoes, Freyd wandered through the place as if enraptured by a dream.  His mind was elsewhere, pre-occupied by a thing that should not even be possible, and yet it was.  Had fate intervened?  Could such things be changed?  His memories suggested that they could, but they were not always the most reliable when it came to such topics.  White noise scrambled the recollection, or white hair?  Who could tell which was which anymore?  Green had since come to prominence as a favourite colour, and with good cause.  It offered hope and humanity otherwise lacking in the void.  He would cling to it with every fiber of his being and existence, yet tenderly for fear of its fragility.  How does one nurture the impossible?  His choice became obvious and the selection made he turned to wander back the way he came, contented.

***

2023-11-28

Burning Determination (1) | ID 218688
Applies BURN I to one's weapon for a single thread.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

Tick, tock, tick, tock... Just like clockwork, the Whisper came at the appointed hour, by a different route and under a different guise to maintain his Machiavellian charades, but punctual nonetheless.  Were anyone clever enough to track the timing, they'd be disappointed to see yet another mundane mob wandering through the Champion's Hall, gold-plated broom and dust bin in tow.  The place had standards, after all, and appearances had to be maintained.  It was a good thing they left these things laying around all over the place.  Truly, the place was void of any need for maintenance or janitorial services of any kind.  NIGHT was the only other person he'd ever notice entering the place - a useful gauge of other players' progress.  Surely, others must be nearing the required threshold by now?

Snaring a prize and stuffing it under his arm like an overpriced plushy at a carnival, Freyd pivoted to exit promptly the same way he had entered.  "Same time next month?"  The words echoed in the hollow, hallowed halls.

***

2023-12-28

Die For Me! (1) | ID 218763
Applies BLEED I to one's weapon for a single thread.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Freyd

[Freyd 0]

He was late, but what did it really seem to matter?  Freyd's inventory remained fully stocked and prepared for whatever might come next.  His meticulous nature would ensure readiness.  Everything else was gravy.  Every month or so, he made the trek, adding yet another something to the pile.  Maybe it would amount to something.  More likely it would be wasted for the sake of preparing for the unknown.  

"Just in case," he muttered to himself, selecting an item that he'd avoided during past visits.  Maybe it would grant him more options when it came to his next raid build, if he chose to participate at all.  Snared and secured, the prize vanished to be added to his ever-growing cache and be called upon at some future date.

"I wonder if anyone ever comes in here," he mused aloud, his voice echoing throughout the hollow halls.  The chamber refused to respond and he chose not to wait.

***

2024-02-08 

Weather the Storm | ID 218816
Applies PARALYTIC IMMUNITY to the user for a single thread.

Edited February 9 by Freyd

[NIGHT 0]

so aincrad's calendar said it was a new year, and so much to those, right? still, the castle must've been in a celebratory mood when she stepped into the hall and found it to be slightly different, because there were gold banners strung along the surrounding pillars, forming crosses against the ceiling. the shadows, then, beneath her, seemed to trace out the light differently, too.

night blinked. she was still certain no one else was present, or would be present to retrieve anything from the statues of offerings. but the presence of something new in a relatively stale environment — that called into question a many number of things, including if aincrad was deciding to play mind tricks on the one who visited instead.

didn't the castle have anything else better to do than to decorate an under-visited area? night shrugged off the intimidation attempt, retrieved her goods and left.

---

2024/02
Memory of Battle (1) Doubles the bonus from Scents of the Wild totems for a single thread.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd wandered the expansive halls in silent musing, wondering whether this place somehow existed outside of time.  There was no true connection to it, and everything else beyond.  It was as if one could exist here and simultaneously elsewhere, but such were the vagaries of a digital existence.  Who was to say that anything was as they perceived it.  The entire existence was an illusion, at its core.  

Approaching the same terminal as before, he renewed his previous order, having already consumed its predecessor.  It had served its purpose well, as would this one when the moment came.  That was what seemed so odd.  Wasn't he still also there, scrambling for dear life in some other corner of these infinite realms.  It was as if each and every aspect of himself could feel the other through the void, just the slightest bit too far to actually reach.

"Nah," Freyd declared, deeming the thought exercise too extreme.  "That would just be weird."  Claiming his prize, the dropped it into a vast yet never sufficient inventory, and turned back to resume whatever it was he was supposed to be doing.

***

2024-03-17

Weather the Storm | ID 220244
Applies PARALYTIC IMMUNITY to the user for a single thread.

Edited March 17 by Freyd

[NIGHT 0]

she figured the room would've changed the next time she entered it. when night was filtered into that golden hall, however, all that differed from the image in her memory was that it was living, breathing, through the particle effects of the game conveying an illusion of life. still, beyond its little light tricks, the room was completely sterile.

silent, night shuffled up to the statue holding up the horn of battle and took it from its hands. then, she reviewed her inventory, and contemplated on the other items, now unretrievable, amidst her surroundings. step by step, she traced the perimeter of the gathering of statues, ignoring the potential danger and fright that stayed with her, usually, in such a desolate, lonely place.

then, she skipped to the teleporter, haste in her steps betraying her composure. in the quiet, night disappeared with the notes that only bistro would read, consider, and formulate a plan around.

---

2024/04
horn of battle.