[f01-op] wuxing. | <<raid meeting thread>>

[Zandra 0]

Zandra stretched her arms high as was on her daily stroll around the lake infront of her mansion. As she havent really taken part of anything important for quite a long time, she had decided to just enjoy the days doing lazy aor fun stuff on her own. Together with Itzal when he was home as well, which he barely have been. She had no idea of his whereabouts but well, since he also answered her mwssagwa Zandra guessed he wanted to be alone for some reason.

It was at this moment she suddenly remembered! For not to long ago she had got a notice about a floor boss meeting. Since she havent be present for a long time, she had decided to at least be present there, even if she didnt joined the fight, it was at least good to know what the situation was about frontliners and stuff. She glanced at the clock suddenly panicked, she was late! Quickly she pulled out a teleport crystal and few seconds later she was at the Coral portal gate, where she went up to floor one and as she quikly headed to the address while changing to more proper clothes (black shirt with red skirt). She extrachecked the shops name and headed in, then she carefully entered the meetingroom to make sure she wouldnt interrupt any discussion. She took a glance around the room and got a faint smile when she saw how many people was present. *Sweet, looks like we gonna have a chance with these numbers* she thought while she took a seat close to the entrance.

Party #1	Party #2	Party #3
TANK | Freyd	TANK | Nari-Lanreth	TANK | NIGHT
HEAL | Hirru	HEAL | Krysta	HEAL | Zandra
DPS | Kataoka	DPS | Jomei	DPS | Koga
DPS | Morningstar	DPS | Ariel	DPS | Crow
DPS | N/A	DPS | Vigilon	DPS | N/A
DPS | N/A	DPS | Lessa	DPS | N/A

Outfit:

Spoiler

Stats:

Spoiler

Name: Zandra
Level: 32
Paragon level: 65
HP: 960 (900(level)+60(armor mod))
Energy: 108 (108(level))
Damage: 18 (1(base)+7(2h-skill)+8(combat mastery)+2(Ferocity))
Mitigation: 130 (35(skill)+15(mod)+48(armor mit)+32(flame aura))
Defensive dmg: 16 (16(flame aura))
Accuracy: 1 (1(Precision))
Fallen: 16 (16(Axe))
Burn: 56 (8-10) (56(8-10)(Axe)) 

Skills:

Axe r5
-Precision
-Ferocity
Heavy armor r5
-Iron skin
Combat mastery: Damage r2
Healing familiar
[SHIFT] AoE

Mods:

-Purify
-Energize [Hyperactive]
-Barrier
-Steadfast
-Impetus

Equipment:

-Teseleths fury: t4 Axe [+2 Fallen][+2 Burn]
-Inferno: t4 Hvy armor [+2 Flame aura][+2 mitigation]
-Santas cloak: t3 Light armor [+Never-freeze][+Anti-paralyze][+20% Life mend]

Extra skills:

-First Aid r5 [Field Medic]
-First Aid r5
-Leadership r5
-Leadership r5

Battle ready inventory:

-Energizing Eclipse Armor: t3 Hvy armor [+27 Mitigation][+6 Recovery]
-Handwraps of accuracy: t1 Trinket [+3 ACC]
-5x mass heal crystal
-Horn of the unicorn
-Amphibian war rally
-True-light lantern: [+1 LD][+1 ACC] to everyone in party
-
-Dimensional backpack
-Dimensional pouch

Inventory:

Spoiler

Potion of the Powerful Blood Dragon(14):
Your Profession: Alchemist
Your Rank: 10 Grandmaster
Item Type: Potion 
Tier: t1
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: HP recovery 15%

209811
209809
209809-1
209809-2
209809-3
209806
209803
209803-1
209820
209821
209822
209823
209824
209825

Guild hall/house buff

-Col Despoit: +5% bonus col drop
-Well rested: -1 energy cost 3 first expenditures/combat
-Squeaky clean: -25% DoT dmg from first DoT attack/thread
-Hard working: +2 Crafting EXP and +1 attempt/day
-Practiced angler: +2 EXP fishing, +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts
-Delicious: Turn 3 food into a 6player-feast
-Mega slime farm: +10% EXP one thread/month
-Filling: +1 t1 slot to a food buff
-Item stash: +1 BR inventory slot
-Relaxed: +20 HP ooc regen, energy full refill 2 posts
-Col stash: +5% col from monster kills and treasure chests

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Zandra

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

 The conversation had shifted, and Nari found herself listening, but not necessarily following the topic at hand. The entire event had transitioned into a level of planning, consideration, and thought process that Nari found herself ill-prepared for. She had known that those at the frontline were far more skilled than she was, yet she hadn't been prepared for this level of difference.

Her eyes had roamed around the room, looking over the collection of faces and trying to spot those who were struggling to keep up, just as much as she was. She'd spotted the familiar blonde face earlier, but watching as his eyes tried to trace along the conversation, and his reserved stance in the event as a whole, had led Nari towards him. Sliding up beside Morningstar, she'd leaned over and whispered so that only he could hear.

"It's like watching some sort of collection of...scientists, or nerds, isn't it? Like, I can follow it a bit, but...I don't know about you, but I'm lost on what they're talking about." She sat upright again, shaking her head. As much as she may try, she was barely keeping up with the suggestions, with the flow of conversation and the topic at hand. "Maybe I'm just not smart enough for this level of planning, but...explain it to me?"

[iris 0]

there hadn't been a discussion on consumables just yet. such was fine, despite bistro's expectations. her own notes had registered the alchemist's initiative to create some salves, although with her sword suddenly taking point and helm of the group, she did wonder if there was any point in persuading the woman to keep to her initial agenda. it was likely that bistro would be churning out crystals despite her intention not to.

so she waved off her interface. supply seemed aplenty to most who'd gotten used to the front – otherwise, iris would've been prepared to have noticed the many questions of newcomers to raids. leaving her post, she strolled over to the woman who had brandished the blade in an attempt to lend support to others in the room. she was sure, once its form was shown, that it was a sword to be of note – rarity imperfect, or not.

she got close enough to what appeared to be a couple, careful to be closer to the lady than (... her partner?), before calling for their attention. "excuse me – miss krysta, am i correct? i'd like to inquire if that sword you'd displayed earlier was for sale."

iris folded her two hands together, one atop another, placed to the front of her dress. a porcelain smile – nothing would go wrong with just a simple inquiry. she just hoped the price for the blade was within her budget.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

As even more people joined, the blonde took the now crowded meeting place as her que to leave. Her objectives have been meet: see they information the scouts had and get a feel for what their manpower was like. Her first curiosity was sated by the knowledge of these so called 'words of power' and the cycle presented on the cards handed to them by their host. As usual, the hints were mostly vague and highly ambiguos, leaving a lot to interpretation which spiralled in the current situation of having multiple working theories. None of which seemed to be more believable than the other, a stalemate.

Her second inquiry was satiated by the team assignments so far. At least three teams were a decent force and Ariel was happy to see some veteran names among hers. With a crisp snap of her fan, she stood up and peered over the parties list again, then with a satisfied nod she walked towards girl that has been taking notes like a court reporter. " I'll see y'all at the raid. " she said with a wave to the crowd.

Then to @iris, she showed her a sheepish smile and slipped her school's business card on the desk. " Can you be a dear and send me a copy of your notes and conclusions. " then with a twirl of of her fingertips, she walked out of the establishment.

...

A few steps outside, she was accompanied by her students who seemed to be expecting something of her: " no... " blonde's reply, followed by a light titter to the evident disappointment of the two.

---

Ariel leaves the thread.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Morningstar 0]

Things were coming to a close, with Ariel being the first to exit the meeting. The conversation continued, however, and so Morningstar kept listening. Nari leaned in to speak with him. He was glad they were on a similar page.

"I can grasp the ideas they're talking about but I have no clue how they're able to come to them so quickly. I like to think I'm pretty well-read but I haven't heard of any of these concepts before today," he replied, referring to wuxing in particular.

He wanted to at least try to help her understand. He paused for a moment, debating what was even important enough to explain. So much had been discussed but he was not about to summarize the entire thing.

"Everyone seems to have their own opinion on how the fight will play out," he whispered, "but they're all just guesses."

He was no different. He thought that the likeliest answer was none of the above, although he refrained from saying so. He tried to keep track of the conversation's flow, figure out what the last theory had been. He should have taken notes; had he brought something to write on, he would have. 

"Any part in particular that you're having trouble understanding?"

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari shrugged in response to Morningstar's enquiry. She had found that she was able to grasp it all at a higher level - a basic understanding of the ying and yang, the ways in which elements flowed one into the other, and the impacts that the order could have. But that was about where it ended. She couldn't keep up with the low level discussions that were occurring, other than to realise that they were arguing about how they would all impact one another.

"I mean...probably portions that even if we took the time to explain, I'd still remain confused. I would say at this point, I just feel like we're talking guesses, which could be better off spent...you know, testing?" She gave another shrug before glancing around the room again. One or two individuals had already begun to exit, and Nari was starting to wonder if the meeting itself was coming to an end. She gave another quick look at Morningstar, before smiling slightly. "Have you got everything you need for this coming raid, or did you need to head out and hit anything up?"

[Morningstar 0]

“Yeah, I agree. It’s probably not worth going around in circles,” he replied, folding one leg over the other.

With crossed arms, he listened to Nari’s next few words. He pondered for a second, wondering what types of things he would actually need for the boss fight. His weapon was lacking—he knew that already. Aside from equipment, though, it was just consumables.

”Still a couple things, actually. I need to hit some shops and stock up on potions. My collection’s looking pretty bare, honestly. Also, I’ve been meaning to grab the Phoenix drop from Floor Nine. The extra bit of damage might come in handy,” Morningstar trailed off before he continued. “What about you?”

He thought about the items laying around in his shop. He did not have any of the elemental weapons that the crew had mentioned but it was not impossible to think that one or two could be hiding in the bunch of swords and daggers he had amassed.

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari bit her lower lip as she considered what she would need for the coming fight. As Morningstar had hinted towards, there were field boss consumables that would be beneficial to their coming challenge - and her mind raced as she tried to figure out which would be the most beneficial. She finally clicked her tongue as she settled on the one that she felt would be best in her case, all things considered.

"There's a Dark Elf that drops a useful tanking consumable...if I could get my hands on that, it would be...well, maybe not a life saver, but definitely a step towards it..." She cocked her head at the blonde, before adding to her original commentary. "And there's a bit of shopping that I need to do, if I can...I'd love to get a new set of armour, and a slight rebuild...maybe head back to my tanking behaviours from days past. I used to be decent at it..."

She glanced around the room, realising that the meeting appeared to be coming towards a conclusion. She pushed herself up to her feet, smiling at Morningstar as she offered a hand. "How about we find two others, and head out on a bit of a hunt? I'm sure we can get it done before...this. Oh, and if you need anything from a performer's set of available items, drop by and visit my shop...friend's discount and all, yeah?"

[Zandra 0]

Zandra had decided to just sit quiet for awhile, to listen to what the others was discussing and maybe pick up some clues on what have been decided. Thou it seems that she had arrived right after a discussion has ended, since it seems to be some silence. She did saw one of the participants leaning over to Morgenstern that she knew from earlier adventures. Just as she was gonna try to hear any words of what they may say or maybe join their talk, she herd another very much familiar voice. She did smiled as she recognize an old friend with name Ariel. Sadly it seemed she was done here by now and was gonna take her leave. Then just as Zandra was starting to rise, the blonde had said goodbye, said something to another player at the meeting and left. Zandra sat down again with a short sigh. What was she gonna do? Since some have already started to leave, she had probably missed quite alot and the most important parts. Well, at least she could throw in some stuff off what she could contribute to the upcoming fight.

'Hello, for those that dont know, Im Zandra and so, so sorry Ive been late.’’ she gave a slight bow before continuing. ‘’Is it possible that someone can give me a like a short update on what have been decided? Also myself if there is any spots left I can contribute as a support player, as well as can make some potions, crystals and salves for anyone that is in need of it.’’ she said followed by another glance around the table.

[Krysta 0]

                  Krysta was not expecting the sword she had offered to be asked about in the way it was. A woman had approached Krysta, asking her if it was for sale.

                      Krysta blinked, she wasn't anticipating someone would ask to buy it. Of course, she was willing to part with the weapon in this manner anyway, since she'd intended to pass it on due to having a weapon she preferred to use instead. "I suppose I could part with the blade in this manner, since no one attending the raid has offered to receive it." She decided. Now all that would be left, since this was now a business deal, was to see how fairly this person traded. "I have already mentioned the weapon's statistics, though I left out the fact that this weapon can be received as a quest reward, albeit in a lesser tier, tier two to be exact." She explained. "A form of this weapon in a higher tier would be more valuable, due to this weapon's current tier being the current maximum, as it could be used for a longer time or fused into a more effective weapon. Now then, what price are you willing to pay for such an item?" She asked.

[Morningstar 0]

"Oh—I didn't know you were a performer. Thanks, Nari, I'll stop by sometime."

His thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of a late player. She introduced herself to the group as Zandra, requesting a rundown of what had been discussed during the span of the meeting. He thought about speaking up but decided to let the other players go at it. They knew better than he did, probably.

"Dark Elf sounds good. I'll mention it to Freyd on the way out," he continued, "maybe he's got a fourth in mind. It would be nice to have a chance to meet some of my teammates. Before today, I'd never met them. Aside from Hirru, I guess."

They had met briefly during their duel at Baldur's party but that had been quite a ways back and Morningstar was a bit different now. He imagined that Hirru was in the same boat. He glanced around, remembering that the jade-haired player was not present at the meeting.

Things were quieting down. "I'll probably stick around a while longer and then get to work."

[iris 0]

obtainable as a quest reward. iris shut her eyes. if her memory didn't fail her, it was one of the errands on the fourth that owed one of her past party members the item. even to the highest tier, had it not been for the advancements in the appraisal system, it would've been regarded as a stepping stone to an adventurer's final tool. now, however, it would be deemed worthy as a crafting component to that precious arm.

when she took in the world again, iris considered her quarry even more. someone rich, someone poor? it was difficult to tell with appearances, but perhaps, as someone on the front lines, having a crafting component on its own wasn't so much of a big deal, and neither was the col. still, part of the activities of the scarlet line was to uphold a fair trade.

"15,000 col," iris decided. if she looked to both the player and her partner, it was in gauging their reactions to the offer. "it's not of perfect quality right now, is it? it will have a home here in this workshop, until it finds its way into someone else's final weapon through fusion. if you're interested in our services, that could also be part of the offer in parting with your sword."

[Vigilon 0]

                   Vigilon saw how the meeting turned out to be way shorter than anticipated, and things were already drawing to a close. The latest arrival had mentioned something that everyone else seemed to forget, but before Vigilon could speak, someone approached Krysta about the Freeze Sword she had. Krysta made her explanation about the weapon, that it was a quest reward, but this one ended up becoming stronger by being upped to the current highest tier...kinda like how some of Vigilon's gear got upped after that weird black storm...maybe that had been the case for this item? Honestly, he couldn't explain that moment, but uh, who could possibly argue with results?

                        The girl named her price, and seeing that it was a Tier four item...only Rare in quality, despite the unique enhancement it had... "Yeah, that sounds kind of fair to me." He remarked. It was a generous price, but fair. 

[Krysta 0]

  Oh. Oh.

           Oh, this woman was a shrewd trader. Did she seriously believe she could pull off the "buy cheap, sell high" tactic? Well, she was negotiating with the wrong woman.

                    Krysta tried to suppress it at first, but in the end she found herself laughing at this absurdity. Krysta was kind, but not naive. "Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!"

                       The woman gave her reasoning for the price she decided on, but it just did not do her any luck. As charismatic and charming as this woman may be/believe herself to be, it was not enough to change Krysta's view on the scenario. "Oh, I do apologize, I have had yet to have such a reaction in the field of business..." Krysta began. "However, you shan't be having any of that with me, certainly not. You'd think that you could simply buy at one price, then sell for another, earning you an excess profit in the difference of eleven thousand? I don't think so, my minimum charge for an item like this stands at twenty-six thousand." She spoke, making a counter offer. "Indeed, the weapon is not of perfect quality, and only of one unique, though I have noticed that when a unique enhancement is found, especially if there are multiple, a col value that simple goons could cough up in a single wave shan't possibly do." She added, her posture firm.

[Freyd 0]

"I heard," Freyd mentioned in passing to @Morningstar as he wandered the room is search of his wayward and mayhem prone familiar.  "It's a good idea."  Cowl firmly back in place, he searched high and low for the brilliant blue eyes that usually gave her away.  Unfortunately, if she closed them, the whole exercise became one with futility.  Getting up from his crouch, Freyd noticed a few stray looks sent his way, likely wondering whether he was planting bombs or searching for secret passages.  I mean there could be...

A shaken hood purged the possibility before it grew into something more insidious.  "I'll call everyone together in a short while.  There are a few other things I need done.  Let's meet at, uh..."  Tugging on his own sleeve to reveal... more sleeve, Freyd stared at a watch that wasn't there before deciding.  "Yeah... whenever you all get there is fine."

Heading towards @Katoka, he planned to solicit the Assault Team captain's assistance, and ask her if he was ever going to get those potions he ordered nine months ago.

[iris 0]

okay, no service. jean would have a field day with this tale of false bargains she bet, before considering the woman's offer further. 26k wasn't exactly a bad offer – if iris was to negotiate, it was to round it down to a whole 25. despite wanting to push back, however, the woman held herself firm. with an attitude like that, iris knew she didn't want to stir trouble... especially in front of a number of potential clientele.

so she hoped bistro would understand. it wasn't exactly her pocket change to spend, after all, and if the difference in pricing made up for her rescinded invitation, all the better, lest it was a difficulty in customer service in the long run. "that works for me," iris replied, after a brief silence and a shifted glance elsewhere, before pulling up her interface and pressing in the numbers. past the trade offer, iris peered around the interface towards krysta, with eyes still bright and a maintained demeanor.

"26,000 col, as you requested. thank you very much for the transaction."

[Freyd 0]

Taking one final look around, Freyd resolved that he would be ready when the moment came.   

"Thank you for hosting and generously sharing your insights.  We'll see what fate brings us soon enough."  A quick nod to those who'd agreed to make assorted supply runs with the limited time remaining, as well as friends and strangers who'd joined their ranks for the first time.  He hadn't expected @NIGHTto step up as well, but wasn't completely surprised.  The woman was exceedingly competent and would manage to find her own way through whatever Cardinal threw their way.  "Be safe, and please come prepared.  No one here wants to see this effort falter, I'm sure."  

Turning back towards the door, a long, goopy black snot dripped down from the timbers near the door with two wide blue eyes staring at the rest of the gathered players.  Persi slipped onto her master's back without a sound, slinking down into the cowl and vanishing from the sight.  The Whisper followed her lead and was gone himself a moment later.

***

(Freyd leaves the meeting)

[NIGHT 0]

new entrants, but mostly leavers. night eyed the team sheet, watching nari shift to talk to star, before her sights drifted over to iris. did she leave her post?

eh. what was she, a nark?

@Zandra's apparent arrival meant the last support field would be filled up – late or otherwise, it was better to have someone on paper for cohesion's sake. and if she was asked about the meeting information, all night could do was scrolling her notes and try to recall in summary – "to put it simply, the boss room needs to be opened still. and it has a system of elemental strengths, weaknesses, or phases, but we'd need to sit down and figure out our points better in the coming days."

her fingers pressed against the bridge of her nose in thought – after having gone on auto-pilot for the while, especially, it made better sense to let bistro do the thinking, because her own brain felt as though it was going to burst.

[Vigilon 0]

               Vigilon was not expecting Krysta to laugh.

    He slowly turned to look at her, his expression having plenty of confusion with a hint of shock, his eyes wide, as she laughed in response to the girl's offer. She then proceeded to outright oust the girl on her shrewd negotiating, insisting that the weapon had a greater minimum value. Maybe...Vigilon was too used to being generous with his col charges. Even then, the shock value from hearing Krysta laugh would be the same.

                              Krysta would decide on a counter offer, and the girl seemed to hesitate before making her decision. Based on a lack of mention in terms of service access, it would seem that Krysta probably wasn't going to be considered welcome to her business anytime soon. The trade was made, and that was that.

                 Now that that was over with, Vigilon would look and see that it was too late to bring up the topic to the meeting itself, as people were starting to leave...so he'd just bring it up to Krysta instead. "So...we're gonna need consumables for this. Even if we can't bring it up to the gathering, what do you suggest we do about that other than the usual?" He asked, clearly referring to just scavenging around the local alchemists and cooks for available consumables for them to buy.

[Bistro 0]

no, that was fair. she was much better as the brains of the operations, anyway. but a quick look over the room, with players trickling out, and she knew there were loose ends that had to be addressed. like, for example, @Jomei's question to night.

bistro opted to cover for her instead. "if i'm not wrong, that was the order of the words of power received chronologically, in accordance with the completion of the quests." she had her hand over her chin as she spoke – it wasn't as easy for her to form an answer, needing to guess at filling in the blanks – because she wasn't night. "and they should have been obtained directly from the quest-givers in each region, once each of them were completed. you're right about being observant to the order, however; though i wonder if that would be in relation to the moving of the guardian, or to help us in facing the boss itself."