[F3-PP] Method to the Madness

[Raidou 1]

The soft crunch of a root beneath footfalls, as weight finds that step. A thick scent on the air, one of a rain still making everything ripe and awake. Blooming flowers unfurl and expose themselves to the sky to soak up sunshine that peeks through the canopy. Another broken bit of wood as passage is sought. The simple sway of a vibrant red robe, exhales as energy is exerted. Hopping up and placing his right hand against a large living spire, the rough texture of bark beneath the touch. Iris flash green as an echo vibrates out, bringing a few little morsels and the absence of hostiles to light up on his mini map.

A reflection in those glasses shields his eyes from view, adjusted with the left before he hops down. More resources, for the eventual ends that would serve to push them even further. It was easy to discount such trivial tasks such as these. Passing through a brook, pushing shrubs out of passage with both hands. A grove of patchwork grass staring back at him. Skill fires again, appearing as though his blade might not be required. Senses on overdrive as the wanderer continued to wander, painting an ever expanding map of the floors behind his eyes. To put to paper, to extend the most valuable commodity for free: Knowledge.

Consumed:
Lemon Berry Palmiers (Filled) +4 Loot Dice
Ambition Food: +1 EXP for Profession

Raidou | HP: 980/980 | EN: 116/116 | DMG: 11 | MIT: 44 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 1 | BH: 53 | LD: 14 | BLGT: 32 | TAUNT | V.D.: 107 | V.O.: 161

Spoiler

Raidou, The Red Wanderer
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 86
HP: 980/980
EN: 116/116

Stats:
Damage: 11
Mitigation: 44
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 1
Battle Healing: 53
Loot Dice: 14
BLGT: 32
TAUNT
V.D.: 107
V.O.: 161

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Ebon Star - Vanguard Revenant [T4/Demonic/Straight Sword]: V.O 2, Taunt, Blight 1
Armor: Red Wander's Resolve - Sympathy [T1/Demonic/Cloth] 2 Evasion, 2 Vampiric Defensive
Misc: Onyx Spectacles [T1/Perfect/Trinket]: +3 Loot Dice

Skills:
Straight Sword R5
Cloth Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Howl
Searching R5
Fighting Spirit

Active Mods:
Detect
Athletics
Vengeful Riposte
Tracking
Justified Riposte

Addons:
Nimble
Ferocity
Precision
Focused Howl
Stamina
Reveal

Active Extra Skills:
Parry
Survival
Forgotten King’s Authority
Concentration

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
1*Teleport Crystal

Housing Buffs:
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)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
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.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
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 []: 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:
Yamata no Orochi Statue: +1 Loot Dice for a thread

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari couldn't help but wonder what she was doing out here - her very first experience of the third floor, and she was already lost. She wondered if she shouldn't head back...then remembered that she was lost. Kind of a big concern, when one was trying to get back. Sighing to herself, Nari pushed forward, forcing the brush before her aside as she tried to remember exactly why she was here, and where she needed to go.

The sound of movement caught her attention - subtle, against the few sounds of the forest she was in. Cautiously drawing her blade in her left hand, she stepped forward through the brush, eyes scanning the area around her for the sign of what else was out there. Her right arm raised slightly, bringing the heater shield in front of her torso. Stopping short of the open area ahead, she shook her head to push her hair out of her eyes, squinting slightly to help her focus.

As she scanned the area – staying as frozen as she could – she suddenly saw that cause of the noise. A man, short brown hair and glasses standing out against everything else, seemed intent on…searching for something? Nari watched for a moment, before realising he was like not a threat. ‘Or…so you hope.’

Shrugging to herself, she lowered the shield and blade a bit, bringing them to a more relaxed position at her side. “Hi…hello. Are – are you lost too?”

Spoiler

 

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 6 | HP: 120/120 | EN: 30/30 | DMG: 7 | MIT: 18 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0

Wølf Fang Blade, Plate Armour, Lanreth's Defender

Spoiler

Word Count: 243

[Raidou 1]

Removing his robe and beginning to pace it out, creating a flat platform for him to rest his knees. Another pulse as detect continued to fire, finding a player. A sideways glance, catches a girl peeking through. Shuffling her bangs out of her eyes and squinting. Little far out to be questing. The thought races in his head. Freezing as he breaks the roots of a plant, shuffling it to the top of his robe after dusting it off on his thigh. His gaze shifts back to the sproutlings of bright orange plants staring back at him. "I am not."

So she's lost. That makes much more sense. Her cursor is green, so she isn't of too much concern.

He didn't recognize her yet, which either meant she was exceptionally good at hiding her actions or she had yet to have them. Hands stir across as he rakes outstretched fingers along each brushel, a tinge of gold light playing on his fingertips with that comb. He was as close as this game had to a druid, the land spoke to him in a way it did to so few. "Are you?" The words came off somber and gentle, almost a whisper that finds purchase easily in the silence of the backdrop. There must have been a reason for her presence, but stranger things had happened. The rat race caused oddities, after all, and this could be no different.

ID:203280 | Battle:6, Craft:7+1=8, Loot:4+1=5
Forager EXP: [174/299]

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

"I'm..." Nari paused, wondering if there was any harm. He seemed honest enough - or at least not a threat, at this time. His cursor was green, for what little that meant. "I'm lost. I came out here looking for some materials...for, well - I'm a blacksmith. By trade. Or, I mean in here. In the game. So I'm looking for materials. For blacksmithing."

Nari realised she was rambling again, and paused to take a breath. Glancing about, she realised that this man seemed to be the only lifeline out here. "Do you...know how to get back? I think I've been out here for hours, wandering around..."

She gave him a sheepish grin, before starting. "Oh! I'm Nari. Nari-Lanreth. But you can call me Nari. And you? I mean, I know you're not Nari, but your name? And are you out here alone?"

She flicked her gaze around again as she asked the final question, her sword tip quivering a bit as she tightened her grip. 'Stupid. There could be more hiding in the trees.'

@Raidou

Spoiler

Word Count: 175

 

[Raidou 1]

Another cascade of moving plants, tapping his hands together to dislodge gunked on muck. "A bit far out for materials but, usually, the untapped nodes are." Raidou remarks, still focused intently on the plants beneath him, speaking but not turning to face her. "Blacksmithing is an honest profession, gear is just as important as those that wield it. Most forget that it has to come from somewhere, credit where credit is due." Paying the girl a cursory glance, she seemed nervous. On edge. Raising to the flats of his feet, he'd recognized that expression, that posture.

He's worn it.

"Here." passing the girl a slip of paper after scrawling a bit upon its surface, using a small pen and book. Tearing it out. "Raidou. Nari-Lanreth was it?" Still that same soft composure, holding the slip aloft and keeping some space between them, making him stretch a bit, almost uncomfortably so. "I am, it's normally pretty quiet. Helps me think. Keep working on your goals, Nari-Lanreth." He noticed that rattle, that hesitation and caution. It was a good outlook to be cautious of new faces, all too often players were far too lax in where to place their trust. A status quo that needed to be altered, given that it was impossible to change, he could remove those that couldn't be trusted.

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari will hesitantly take the piece of paper, glancing at it briefly. She wondered about this odd individual, out here all by themselves. He was certainly an oddity, even by Nari's standards. But mayhaps he could help her. He did seem familiar with the area, after all...

"I...know this is asking a lot. But you seem...well, not trustworthy, but not immediately dangerous. And familiar with this area. If...if you had the time, could you maybe, show me some good places for scrounging up materials?" 

 She eyed the man as she spoke, watching for any sign of a threat in his movements, or even his looks. She didn’t trust him – she would be foolish to do so – but he was clearly someone who could help her, if only briefly. And that was something that she was willing to capitalise on. She just needed to figure out what she could possibly offer in return if he did help her…

@Raidou

Spoiler

Word Count: 157

[Raidou 1]

Releasing the slip, on it drawn a map with directions back to Aruyt. He turns, having provided what was asked. The intention to return to his chore, his serenity. Another question comes from the girl, causing him to pause. "A fair stance to take." The nomad remarked as he speaks with his back to her, another ring out from him. Checking for the trap that it could have been. The only find was the single solitary female, no players that she was playing lure to. "I can. But are you comfortable with this?" The introspection could tell that she was unsure, a waiver in her tone bled it. Her gaze cut like a knife, as he stared up at the canopy above them. "I could be dangerous, as well as any person you ever meet. The choice is, if you should choose to trust anyone?" A somber retelling, before he looks down and continues to move. Folding his legs as he leans down, working that patch of herbs again.

"The choice is yours to make, one that we all must make." spoken from experience, because it was made long ago.

ID:203290 | Battle:5, Craft:2+2=4, Loot:10+1=11
Forager EXP: [180/299]

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari will spend a good moment pondering the words, knowing that there was something behind them. She wondered for a moment if it wasn’t a warning to her – if this man wasn’t giving her the chance to escape something that could truly be dangerous. ‘If he were trying to trap you and lead you to danger, would he give you such a warning?’

“I…do not trust you, but I will travel with you, if you would have me. But do not think for a moment that I will leave my blade sheathed should I suspect danger.” Her voice has an edge of a warning to it – nothing more than the subtle reminder that she herself could be dangerous, whether she truly were to him or not. His calm manner made her think that he didn’t consider her a threat, but there were so many hidden mechanics to this game – who knew for sure if one was, or was not a threat until one had to engage with them.

“I realise that it’s a lot to ask, but if you were to provide some assistance with gathering some materials, I would find a way to repay my debt.” Something about talking to him had her guard up – was it his hints and subtle…warnings? Something about it caused her to be on her guard, although she sensed no immediate danger.

Spoiler

Word Count: 228

 

[Raidou 1]

Hands stay for a moment, finding the honesty clean to the palette. It was refreshing when people were so clear, so true in what they felt. The aura of tension on the air, as he unfurls a burlap sack and begins to cast the plants into it. Pulling tight, a cord sees it snap shut, returning it to his hip and reaching for the crimson red robe. One of the red wanderer, the ill omen said to lead players to their demise. It finds itself after of quick jerk around his shoulders. "Truth is stranger than fiction." he remarks as it bends and folds at the space just above his feet, coming to a halt. Beginning to move for the brush, toward the forest of wavering mists. His feet stop and, he turns, the mirrored reflection on his lenses shielding his eyes from view.

It had been quite some time since he'd last been back here. His stance seemed expectant, but of what. It appeared as though he was leading, and would play the part of guide. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a small stone that glows in a soft blue.

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari feels her left-hand shift slightly, the sword jerking ever so softly as the man drew forth his cloak and the blue stone. She had nothing more to do than to watch and wait, to see what he would do, but as he seemed to pause, she nodded, taking a few steps towards him. His oddness hadn’t diminished at all, and she began to wonder what his game was, but for the time being he seemed willing to lead her around, and that was something she couldn’t turn down.

‘Plus, he did draw me a map, which was awfully nice of him. So maybe he’s not all that bad…’ She hoped her estimation on that was correct – lest she be led down a path she may not return from. But that was a risk she was now having to take, as she stepped after the man.

As she passed the area that he had been working on, she decided to take a gander and see if there was anything worth collecting from the spot – perhaps his odd nature brought forth good luck?

ID203292 | LD: 4 | Material Search | Failure

Spoiler

Word Count: 182

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Raidou 1]

Lifting a branch as the mists grew denser, the light that was so visible before had become strained and lost. The glow from the stone in his hand, the pillar fragment, providing sight where it shouldn't be. Operating in a vacuum, every step too loud to hide, a sense of isolation and abandonment lingered in the air. Minutes quickly spin to the better part of an hour, and it would have been easy to get turned around in this thicket. On the periphial the occasional silhouette peers out from the darkness, but the moment eyes fall upon them, they didn't seem to exist. The guide was silent, holding fast and keeping within 5 to 10 ft. ahead of the girl. That bright red flag on his back offering her the ability to navigate as it stood out like a sore thumb.

Without warning, the guy stops as he rounds a large pillar of black and wet wood. "We're here." Rounding the corner and disappearing out of sight. A blooming and jarring glare, as within the nexus of where his shop was originally located. His garden was still intact. A small building that looked abandoned, and yet was still locked tight. The sun had found a way to pierce that veil and was reflecting almost painfully off stones and gemstones, a little nook held within makeshift fencing.

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari carefully followed the strange follow at a distance, noticing that he was trying to stay out of arm’s reach, but still within visible sight of her. She took a few glances around as she followed, watching for those glowing bars that stood out of the materials she had come here in search of.

She was thankful for the red cape – it acted as a beacon to his location in this world of green, black and brown. It certainly made following his otherwise easily lost form far less difficult than if she had needed to rely on just his movements, or the outline of him against the soft glow of the stone.

Nari came to a stop the instant he did, hearing his soft words over the otherwise silent forest around them. “We’re here.”

‘We’re where, exactly?’ Nari thought to herself, eyeing the spot he had stood in just a moment ago. She hesitated for a few seconds before following him around the corner, her eyes taking in everything all at once, before registering the small, slightly well-worn looking building. It was clearly abandoned some time ago, yet had not been taken back by the forest that surrounded it.

As the sun pierced through the darkness, Nari felt somehow…at home?... by the reflection off the brickwork. Without thinking, she spoke aloud, the first words she had stated since following him this far.

“It’s homely, this place. Does it belong to you?”

ID203325 | LD: 12 | Material Search | Failure

Spoiler

Word Count: 241

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Raidou 1]

The wanderer lifts a latch on a hinged gate standing at about his waist. It croaks as it slides open, squealing a bit from an ungreased hinge. "It does. Help yourself." Sliding a menu open and removing the lock on owned status. Rustling past, he'd turn a spigot and start a trough of water latched to the side. Beginning to wash his hands in the basin. Removing his robe and laying it flat like a tarp, he kneels down and begins to work a patch of what looked like crab grass. The breaking of roots, one after another, sends a small scatter of dirt. Occasionally he passes over one and moves to the next, leaving some alone intentionally. "So Nari-Lanreth, Finished earning a living recently?" Novice tended to wander, adepts typically knew where specific spots were to harvest and repeatedly moved in those circles. Small talk, if only for the sake of it.

Herbs began to pile upon that tapestry, adding to it yet another scent that would never wash out. More fuel for the alembic, and fuels for the fires. 

ID:203329 | Battle:9, Craft:10+2=12, Loot:11+1=12
Forager EXP: [191/299]
Materials: 3

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

“I…recently finished becoming a blacksmith. I’ve heard that…that there’s a quest for foraging. I’m thinking that may be beneficial next…” Nari let her eyes roam over the area, taking in the different grasses and plants, the tenderness that the man used to break apart the roots and collect the pieces from them. She couldn’t help but feel a bit of awe at the way in which he handled the plants – it reminded her of the gentleness a farmwoman she once knew had.

Nari smiled as the memories of the woman returned, her eyes going distant for a moment. As she came back to her newfound reality, she continued her monologue, suddenly feeling open to speaking with him. “I know that they say fishing is also important, but I feel like for my blacksmithing to be a success…well, you can’t make much in the way of armour and weapons from fish, right? So I thought…forager. Seemed the way to go.”

She drifted closer to him as she spoke, still keeping some distance, but moving in beyond the gate itself. She made certain to avoid stepping on any of the plants, trying to follow what little pathway there was through the garden, her eyes glancing around in search of anything that could be considered useful to her.

ID 203326 | LD: 1 | Material Search | Failure

Spoiler

Word Count: 215

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Raidou 1]

Making motions to some stones within the garden, finding the line that connects them to the dirt. He flips it over, revealing a glimmer and traces of metal lines through the gray. "Try this." he murmurs, tapping it twice with a knock. Most of the stones that 'grew' in this place were laced with some sort of metal, the trick was dividing it from the stone. "Keep a look-out in your quest log, once you get past your first rank you'll receive an entry regarding Challenge of Olympus. The boon it offers is far too useful to ignore."

Leaving the girl to inspect the stone, he was rather well versed in components of all shapes and sizes. It was why this plot he owned was as cultivated as it was. He'd spent the better part of a few years tending to it, and his abilities as a nomad as a result were unmatched. It was in that solitude as a hermit that his craft was honed. A man of many lifetimes, bred in isolation from his peers, that he'd never forget. Ages past and faces changed, but to the wanderer they would never cease to exist.

ID:203330 | Battle:9, Craft:7+2=9, Loot:10+1=11
Forager EXP: [197/299]

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The man was clearly different from most she had ever met, but he seemed well-versed in his own skills, something that Nari could not ignore. Perhaps his odd speech came from his focus, or from his disconnection with people and his truly enhanced connection with the land around him. Whatever the reasoning may be, she felt a measure of respect as he carefully tended to what was obviously a garden that he himself had brought to existence here.

Nari watched the man as he carefully pulled away the soil, revealing the metal-laced roots and pigments below, something that Nari had never previously noticed. She glanced over the man’s shoulder as he showed her, his soft words explaining about a quest that she shouldn’t ignore. Nari made a mental note about the quest, ensuring that she would keep an eye out for it.

“I will. I’ll make sure to watch for it, especially if it’s even slightly beneficial, as you stated.” Deciding to take a chance, she carefully pulled at the dirt around one of the plants, hesitating only long enough to see if the man would stop her.

ID203336 | LD: 3 | Material Search | Failure.

Spoiler

Word Count: 188

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Raidou 1]

About as graceful as a shovel on a bunch of china, the ground gets roughed up something fierce. An interesting approach, but to each their own. The thought raced behind his eyes, at least she was giving it an honest effort and seemed eager. Hands continued to carry from plant to plant, unaware of any attempted stab at him through damaging the garden. He'd offered her to help herself, and this place would restore itself once they were through. It was an excellent mode of practice, one that she could enjoy to her heart's content without the need of travel. "Ambition? Goals?" an attempt to continue their small talk, his intensity faced forward as he allowed the silence to sort thoughts that skimmed through his skull. Everyone had something they wanted, something they wanted to be. Things they would want to do.

A couple more to the pile, atop that tarp of crimson. Various hues of blues and reds, greens and purples. A diverse lot, plucked and replanted here. He'd listen for as much as they wanted to speak, it was in these reflections and conversation that introspection existed.

ID:203341 | Battle:8, Craft:5+2=7, Loot:3+1=4
Forager EXP: [203/299]

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari looked down at the dirt beneath her hands, seeing the more brutal mess she had made of the dirt in comparison to the man beside her. She felt a pang of regret at the mess – a feeling of upset at having caused such devastation in such an area of beauty. She caught herself as her hands began to push the dirt back, as if to return the area to how it once was.

“Ambitions? Goals…? Do we have those still, beyond simply escaping this death game? Perhaps once, I had those…but now…now all my focus is on getting strong enough to make my way to the frontlines, to place my effort among those fighting for our freedom.” Nari paused in her digging, glancing at the man beside her. “I love this world, and everything it gives us…but at the same time, I cannot wish more to return to the life I had left behind, to the people there waiting for us…for those of us who have people waiting for them.”

Nari carefully pulled at the dirt beneath her hands, trying to mimic the movements of the other man, trying hard not to cause more damage than was required to retrieve the materials beneath. Her hands continuing to pull, she spoke again. “And, what of you? What ambitions, what goals, do you find yourself occupied with?”

ID 203342 | LD: 9 | Material Search | Failure

Spoiler

Word Count: 226

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Raidou 1]

"We do, but they are easy to lose sight of. Our circumstances have a way of erasing them." Raidou taps his hands together and a small cloud of dust echoes out from them. Milling about in his own space, and raising to his feet before beginning to bag a few materials away in linen sacks. Akin to that of a farmer and potatoes. "This world is beautiful, yes, but it is one designed to lull one into a false sense of security. Behind every doorway is an enemy one has never faced before. It's an unpredictable and ever-changing thing. Keeping one step ahead is how we survive. Remembering your roots, and pushing forward through tenacity and caution, is the only way we can succeed." The girl seemed content with trying to repair the damage she'd done to the garden. Protecting the resource instead of leaving it weakened. For it was in these small objects they could build an edge against the odds stacked against them. She knew better than most.

"My ambitions are, for lack of a better response, the same as yours. I am just a few steps further down that road. I am a frontline tank, you are catching me a few days after the last clear." He admitted given the man never told a lie.

ID:203344 | Battle:8, Craft:3+2=5, Loot:11+1
Forager EXP: [211/299]
Materials: 5

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari stopped meddling with the dirt as the man mentioned her was one of the frontliners. Nari’s eyes went wide in realisation, she had known that there was more to him than caught the eye, but she had never figured he was a tank of all things.

Bowing her head in a sign of respect, she clasped her hands before herself, before returning back to the task of searching the roots of the plants. Her voice was softer as she spoke, a tone of respect in the words she provided.

“A frontliner? How did you do it? How do you do it? Do you not fear death? Does it not cause a chill down your spine as you stand and take a strike, waiting for your chance to return it?” Nari tried to keep her tone level as she spoke, remaining stoic as she spoke. She knew it was a very personal question, but she had never been one to not ask something that came to mind – or to provide an answer in earnest.

Her eyes drifted slowly towards the man as she continued her soft digging through the ground before her.

ID203345 | LD: 17 | Material Search | Success (1 Material)

Spoiler

Word Count: 192

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results