Kindling 0 Posted March 2 #1 Share Posted March 2 (edited) The stillness, the silence. You'd think one could hear the horrified screams of damned souls, or echoed screeches of banshees mimicking human terror and pain. That, or at least the footsteps of the large beings beyond their comprehension. No, instead there was just the complete and utter lack of any activity. Even the air remained unmoving, stale. Shifting only with the pink, slimey tendrils that slithered around buildings and into the broken alleyways of this forsaken city. Kindling fought the overwhelming urge that nagged at his brain, to look up. The being there was tugging at his mind, unspoken will for him to gaze up and at the dark god above him. He kept his eyes down, his lips pulled tight. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Too late. "Combatants!" He tried to add some cheer to the word, without allowing it to echo off the far away walls of destroyed bricks and collapsed ruins of this place. A worry that was in complete vain; for all sound was dampened, as though trapped in a small room covered in insulation. Nothing carried. Nothing could escape. "Today, you may notice the complete lack of an audience. Fear not; we don't need a lot of audience members, we have one very big one!" He lifted his hand up, but stopped it midway through, completely unsure if he should even been acknowledging the lord above. Too late now. "Minako and I have the intense ecstasy of being hosted and granted refuse by Emrakul!" Finally able to indicate the mass of tentacles that dwarfed the entire building floating above. All coalescing into a calcic shell the size of a small island. It's one, translucent pink eye moving unpredictably over the entire landscape. Ultimately settling on the round opening of an ex-plaza area. This district was likely a town center of sorts, the ruins of a fountain in the middle being little more than a pile of rubble now. Making this an almost perfectly circular arena their perfect combat place. "P̴̗̾á̵̱r̴͉̄t̶͍͂í̷̹c̵̤̈́i̷͍̚p̶͖̒a̸̮̓n̷͎̒t̸͖͑s̶̝̔ ̴̺͝o̸̡̅f̵̲̂ ̷͉͒t̵̼́h̶̢͠ĩ̴̧s̷̞̋ ̸̻͐f̵̩̂o̶͜͠ŕ̵͙s̴̯͑ả̶͎k̶̺̓e̷͙͒ń̵̼ ̶̪͠c̵̼͝o̴̩͊n̵̼̋t̵̫͝ḛ̶́s̴͎̎t̶̞͌,̴͚͠ ̵̥̀h̸͍͘e̸͓͘e̶̤͠d̵̦̾ ̶̞̀t̴͖̓h̴̥̍ẹ̶͑ ̸̦́c̶͚͑ạ̶̈́l̵̿ͅl̴̛̜ ̷̨̀o̴̪̐f̴͖͠ ̶̝͝t̵̪̾h̸͇͊ẹ̸́ ̷̝̎a̷͔͌b̷̝̀y̸͖͝s̸̖̆s̴̭̉.̵̰̔ ̷͉̓T̷̳́ḧ̵͇́e̶̖̋ ̷̪̋t̵̕ͅĩ̷͖m̵̪̒e̶̳̕ ̶͇͒f̸̠́o̸̪̚r̸̞̽ ̴̞͂y̵̡͑ő̴̲u̶̹͂r̶͊͜ ̶̣̈́r̶͙̋e̸͔͒c̵̾ͅk̴̺̃ö̶̳́n̷̰̅ị̴̒n̷̼̋g̴͍͊ ̷̦͒h̵͇̿a̶̟͂ș̵̀ ̵̣͘c̴̗̎ȍ̷͜ṁ̵̨e̴̾ͅ.̵̭̀ ̶͎̆K̵͍͐n̸͉̾ǫ̶̈́w̵̹͊ ̸̪̍t̴̮͝h̵͍͝a̶̝̅t̵͈̆ ̵̮̽t̷̬͒h̵̦̅i̵̳͋s̴̝̐ ̶̫̾r̶̖̈́o̶͔̎u̶̫̅n̷̦̍d̸͚̉ ̸̹͋ḭ̶́s̵͝ͅ ̵̨̆b̷̳̂u̴̻͝t̶̮͆ ̷̣͂a̵̪̒ ̴̢͘f̸̯͆l̷͎̇e̷͔͐e̴̗̿t̵̩͂i̵̝̇ṋ̸͛g̴̱̀ ̴͓̑m̴̝̓ö̵̩́m̵͖̐e̸̟͌n̶̼̓t̷͚̅ ̵͕̊ì̶͖n̵̩͒ ̴̪̽ṫ̶͍ȟ̸̥ę̵̚ ̴̳̓ȋ̸͍n̷̨̅f̸̦͌i̷̩͘n̶̗̊i̵͖͒t̵̺͠e̸̪̕ ̵͎͊e̴̥̐x̷͖̏p̶͇̋a̶̞͊n̵͕͛s̵̟̅e̴̯̒,̴͉̓ ̴̮̆y̵̼̏ë̸̘́t̵͓͐ ̶͕͆ǐ̵̡t̵̻̃ ̶̢̐w̶̢̽i̶̱̔ḷ̴͘l̸̪͊ ̷̬͊c̷̖̓a̸̬͠ř̴͉v̵͎͠ě̵̠ ̵͜͝ỹ̴̰o̵̭̊ů̶͚ŗ̶́ ̵̭̍f̷̦̀a̵͖̚ţ̷̂e̷̲̚ṣ̸͊ ̴̠̿i̵͈̋n̴͙̄ṭ̸͆o̷̞̒ ̵͔̈́t̷̹͝ȟ̸͈e̷̼͌ ̵̯̋f̸̯̎à̸̖b̵̤͝r̶̖̒í̸̟c̶͍̓ ̴̻̉o̴͎͋ḟ̵͔ ̶̢̏o̶̦̾b̵̻̐ḽ̸̈i̴͓͂v̶̲̎i̵̯̍ȍ̶̲n̴͕͑.̴̫́" Kindling froze in place, feeling the aching, throbbing pain of that being's voice inject itself into his conscious. Not a word actually spoken, or boomed from the sky. It subsided with time. It seemed this being understood ther mission, and that would be cutting the introductions short. They needed to get out of here as soon as possible. "Combatants, take your stance. Wulfrin and Telrenya, say your piece. And try not to look that Lord in the eye for too long. Lest you step on his... appendages." Giving them now the ever so brief moment to exchange words, and mentally prepare themselves for the visages and unknown terrors that were sure to assault each. Then he raised his hand. "On my mark, Get ready, get set..." God, he hoped no one died here. ~̵~̴E̸m̵~̴~̵~̴R̴a̵~̴~̶~̷K̵u̷l̷~̷~̵ Welcome to the Fourth week of Clash of Blades - March Madness begins! This month will include a host of whacky, and absurd thematic, this week's honing in on MADNESS. There has been several changes from last week, so please be sure to have the Informational at the ready! Another soft reminder to NOT use outside items. Please use only the items purchased in the Event Shop. Hide contents Please remember to LINK your Spreadsheet, and triple check that all your stats are correct. Failure to do so before the actual combat begins will result in a loss by default. Going forward, we will be taking a much more hardline stance on this rule. The reason for that is out of respect for the time and energy of the hosts, and your fellow participants. Remember that initiative has changed last week, and will remain that way. Below is the explanation of the thematic, and its mechanics. Spoiler Thematic Explanation Every turn players will be assaulted by the unnaturalness of the arena, and forced to steel their mind lest they go mad. On every post, no matter the action, must come with a ‘Madness’ Roll. On a CD of 6 or lower you gain 1 Madness. Upon gaining your third Madness, you suffer from <Going Mad>. Consult the table below of which Full Post Action you take, then lose all Madness. Note: The effects of going mad are instant, going after self healing and before main actions. Madness and Going Mad CANNOT be cured with cleanse abilities or items. other than those specifically stated to do so (Sanity Tablet, Straight Jacket) CD Roll Effect 1 -2 Unequip current weapon 3-4 Use ST-1 or ST-2 5-6 Use an Item of your choice if no items, pass turn 7-8 Use the <Rest> Main Action 9-10 Become Stunned. Ignores immunity, does not reset immunity 11-12 Break Free of your Madness, No Effect Edited March 5 by Kindling Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted March 4 #2 Share Posted March 4 (edited) Out of all the locales their hosts had arranged for this tournament, the dreadful floor 29 hadn't even crossed Telrenya's mind as a possibility. She shifted uncomfortably as she stood at one side of the decrepit arena, stealing nervous glances between her opponent Wulfrin on the other end and their host Kindling off to the side. Her hand went to grasp the handle of her rapier as he called to address them, but before she could draw the blade free from its scabbard she made the mistake of following his voice and his gesture towards the otherworldly entity looming above. Telrenya stood as an insignificant mote of dust beneath its visage. Her hopes, her dreams, the very essence of her soul paled in comparison to the symphony of the universe--a tune which she would never truly be able to comprehend. She was not a cog in the machine nor a single stroke of a painter's brush. No, in that moment the only thing that truly became clear was her own nothingness. In nothing, there was beauty. In nothing, there was peace. In nothing, there was s̵a̸l̴v̸a̶t̵i̴o̷n̶-- The call of match start snapped her back to reality. Her hands were shaking as she finally took hold of her weapon, and it was all she could do to try and focus on the person standing on the other side of the arena. She nodded towards him, clearly distracted. "Um... Good luck!" It was all she could think to say. Madness... (1/3) ID#: 242731 | CD: 3 Initiative... ID#: 242731 | LD: 3 Quote Telrenya | HP: 200/200 | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:18 | ACC:3 | EVA:3 | FRZ-IM Telrenya | HP: 200/200 | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:18 | ACC:3 | EVA:3 | FRZ-IM CLASH OF BLADES CHARACTER SHEET Hide contents »Telrenya's Clash Sheet THREAD INFO Hide contents equipped »Dawnbreak (ACC III) »Knight's Vow (MIT I / EVA II) »Eternal Winter (Antifreeze / EVA II) battle-ready inventory »Sanity Tablets »Healing Crystal skills »Rapier R3 (+5 DMG) »Cloth Armor R3 (+12 MIT) »Energist (+5 EN) »Combat Mastery: Damage R3 (+3 DMG) »[Extra] First Aid R3 »[Extra] Survival (10% Healing effectiveness; Immune to environmental effects) addons »[First Aid R3] Hyperactive (+3 EN for 3 turns on party member or self | Unique | 3 post CD | 5 EN) mods »[Cloth Armor R3] Athletics (+1 DMG) »[First Aid R2] Purify (Remove all status conditions on self or party member | 1 post CD | 3 EN) »[First Aid R3] Energize (Restore 8 EN to party member | 10 EN) buffs » Edited March 4 by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Wulfrin 0 Posted March 4 #3 Share Posted March 4 (edited) Wulfrin had spent the morning prepping within the grounds of the Tracker's Alliance outpost on Floor 29. It was his little pet project as he did his best to not only chase the rumors sprouting on the nightmare floor, but also focusing on training against some of the more exotic creatures of the floor. Today he was training with his new blade. When the time came for him to head to the arena, he donned his armor and set off. What he didn't expect was the massive tentacle monster that loomed over it. As Wulfrin heard his name spoken out, he felt the oppressive wave of their ever gracious host. It was familiar to the wave of energy he felt within Callisto's den. Wulfrin found himself pulling up the cowl of his armor. Despite the series of armor plates adorning him, Wulfrin looked as if he was more than capable of running laps around the arena with ease. "You too..." He muttered softly, lost in his own remorse. The order to clash was given and in the blink of an eye, what little distance there had been between the two of them evaporated as the celestial steel sword hummed to life with the blinding light of his sword art. Telrenya was forced to endure the same fate as all of Wulfrin's opponents so far in this tournament. As the burst of holy light faded, Wulfrin eyed his opponent's health bar. More than half had been wiped out in a single blow. * * * Wulfrin | HP: 200/200 | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:36 | ACC:3 | AA | PHASE | PARA-IM | BH:6 | REC: 2 | HLY: 4 | LD:3 Spoiler "Name: Wulfrin True Tier: 6 Level: 10 Paragon Level: 0 HP: 200/200 EN: 43/43 Stats: Damage: 10 Mitigation: 36 Accuracy: 3 Battle Healing: 6 Loot Die: 3 Stealth Rating: -3 AA PHASEPARA-IM REC: 2 HLY: 4 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - Blade of Zariel | AA | Holy 2 | Phase Armor/Trinket: - Helldusk Armor | T4 Demonic Armor | MIT 2 | REC 2 Shield/Armor/Trinket: - Echos | ACC III | PARA-IM Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Damage R3 Combat Shift: - Familiar Skill: - Custom Skill: - Skills: - Battle Healing R3 - Charge - Energist - Heavy Armor R3 - Searching R3 - Straight Sword R3 Extra Skills: - Forgotten King's Authority - Frozen Hide - Meditation Inactive Extra Skills: - Disguise - Survival - Brawler - Assault Mode Addons: - Focus - Iron Skin - Precision - Stamina Mods: - Impetus - Night Vision Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: Housing Buffs: - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30. - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. - Attic (Storage): +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll - Master Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat - Master Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down) - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts. - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post. Guild Hall Buffs: - Trading Hall: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters and Rank 4 merchants/performers receive +1 crafting/identification attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters and Rank 5 merchants/performers receive +2 crafting/identification attempts per day. - Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests. Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: - Blacksmith[2250exp] R8 Gathering Profession: - Fishing[509exp] R5" Spreadsheet * * * Madness: ID 242762 | CD 5 | +1 Madness Initiative: ID 242763 | LD 8 | Wulfrin goes first Recovery?: Not needed Wulfrin is at full HP and EN Cooldowns: Post Action: [x8] Tech-A (9 EN) Free Action: ID 242764 | BD 9 (Minor Crit, +1 DMG) | 10+1+4 holy=15*8=120-9 (ignoring half mit w/ phase)= 111 DMG to Telrenya. Target is Stunned Wulfrin | HP: 200/200 | EN: 34/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:36 | ACC:3 | AA | PHASE | PARA-IM | BH:6 | REC: 2 | HLY: 4 | LD:3 | MADNESS (1/3) Telrenya | HP: 89/200 | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:18 | ACC:3 | EVA:3 | FRZ-IM | MADNESS (1/3) | STUNNED Edited March 4 by Wulfrin Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted March 4 #4 Share Posted March 4 (edited) He was quiet. Everything was quiet. As her eyes ran over the space between them, they eventually landed on the sword in his hand. Her brows twitched in the absence of recognition. That wasn’t the same weapon he’d used in his previous matches, was it? She was all but certain that was the primary source of the ice effects that he’d been dominating with until now… There she was again. Distracted. The blade she held at the ready may as well not have even been there. A swift clash of metal and Dawnbreak was pushed aside like a mild inconvenience. Her stunned expression lingered as every part of her seized up following Wulfrin’s single strike. Her body refused to move and her health bar plummeted. In an instant, panic overtook her mind. It coalesced with the overwhelming emptiness–that idea of nothingness--that surrounded them. It plagued her. How long before they, too, became nothing? Her panicked eyes shot to the measure of her life. Disappearing. Emptying. Her body trembled. Her breath shook as a single thought clouded her mind. ’I’m going to die.’ Madness... (2/3) ID#: 242768 | CD: 2 Quote Telrenya | HP: 89/200 | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:18 | ACC:3 | EVA:3 | FRZ-IM | MADNESS (2/3) | Stun Immunity (1/3) VS Wulfrin | HP: 200/200 | EN: 34/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:36 | ACC:3 | AA | PHASE | PARA-IM | BH:6 | REC: 2 | HLY: 4 | LD:3 | MADNESS (1/3) Edited March 5 by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Wulfrin 0 Posted March 7 #5 Share Posted March 7 (edited) The constant drone of their special guest’s aura gave way to a brief bout of silence as Wulfrin’s vision cleared ever so briefly. The crowd was in an uproar on a floor where death was a constantly looming threat. In his moment of clarity, a voice spoke at the back of his mind. ”There are no safe zones on floor 29.” The briefest of flashbacks coursed through his mind as Wulfrin found himself in the aftermath of the initial player rush. Dead players all around him, their only remaining touch on this unforgiving world being their names on the Monument of Life. ”You cannot let this go on.” Konteris, Wulfrin’s Gemini’s voice echoed over the vision. “You cannot risk another life going on that monument.” When Wulfrin’s vision returned, his blade was inches from his opponent’s heart, a guaranteed kill. Wulfrin’s blade fell to the ground, its celestial in origin metal sent out a beautiful ringing chime as it clattered against the ground. With a sigh Wulfrin looked up towards their honored guest and shout casters. ”I cannot in good faith continue this duel!” Wulfrin’s voice echoed through the arena around him. “This floor is full of uncertainties and I would rather not run the risk of another player’s death happening for sport. Therefore, I concede.” * * * Madness ID 242872 | CD 11 no madness stack Wulfrin concedes despite a sure victory due to uncertainties related to the floor. Winner: Telrenya Edited March 7 by Wulfrin Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted March 7 #6 Share Posted March 7 (edited) ’I’m going to die.’ It was going down. Still going down. Emptying. Draining. Disappearing. Returning to n̴̪̍o̴̘̽t̷͍̕h̴̛͍i̶̢͊n̶͎͋g̸̹͛. ’I’m going to die…!’ She couldn’t see the green anymore. Telrenya’s eyes snapped back to attention where Wulfrin stood before her, arm outstretched, point of his blade at her chest. Her body came back to life in a rush that flooded her and she stumbled backwards, landing hard on the ground. Everything was shaking. Her hands, her eyes, her knees, her shoulders trembled with an overpowering, unseen force that clawed at the very fabric of her mind. The words kept repeating. They didn’t even feel like hers anymore. But she had to do something–she had to act–she had to live. Her fingers were moving on their own. Digging through her pockets, grasping for something of use. She practically turned her battle-ready inventory inside out and she was only rewarded with the two tournament-approved items she’d brought with her. Her hand flew to the healing crystal that had clattered to the floor and she squeezed it until it shattered. It wasn’t enough. A small pill box clattered across the floor as she smacked into it. Where had the color gone? Was this place just so dreary and dank that even the mold between the cobblestones turned to a lifeless grey? ’Crunch’ Sanity tablets snapped as they broke between her teeth. Telrenya held a hand over her mouth. She felt her stomach turn. Wulfrin’s words had long since echoed and fell across the arena by the time her wits came back to her. ”What…?” Player death? Concede? …What had she just been doing? Flustered, she picked herself up to her feet, awkwardly grabbing her rapier along the way. She dusted herself off a bit. ”I-I’m okay! I’m sorry.” Her eyes were hesitant to linger on anyone or anything for more than a second. Her cheeks were stained an undeniable shade of pink. ”I can continue, if that’s what’s causing any problems.” Madness... (3/3) ID#: 242873 | CD: 2 Going Mad...! ID#: 242874 | CD: 5 Swift Action - Use Item: Healing Crystal... -2EN Healed 15% HP (+10% from Survival) = 33 HP Main Action - Use Item: Sanity Tablets... -2EN Remove all Madness and prevent the next 2 instances Quote Telrenya | HP: 122/200 | EN: 39/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:18 | ACC:3 | EVA:3 | FRZ-IM | MADNESS (3/3) | Stun Immunity (2/3) | Sanity Tablets (0/2) VS Wulfrin | HP: 200/200 | EN: 34/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:36 | ACC:3 | AA | PHASE | PARA-IM | BH:6 | REC: 2 | HLY: 4 | LD:3 | MADNESS (1/3) Edited March 7 by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Wulfrin 0 Posted March 8 #7 Share Posted March 8 "Don't apologize," Wulfrin said as he picked his blade off the ground. "It was my decision. I had been mulling it over ever since I got the notification that the duel was happening on Floor 29. Honestly the organizers have to be on the tentacle monster Kool-Aid if they actually thought this was a good idea. This floor was only just opened and it has no safezones. It's also filled with weird... glitches? I don't know what else to call it. SAO's been whack since the Callisto raid. As much as I'd like to continue our duel and find out who's made of sterner stuff, I'll only do so if guaranteed safety is present. This place just ain't it." Wulfrin made his way over to his opponent and extended a hand in a gesture of good sportsmanship. Telrenya wasn't the cause of his distress and he was destined to prove that. Whether they accepted or not, Wulfrin's eyes gravitated towards the organizers just under their eldritch horror overlord. His gaze was fierce. A quiet and clam rage that could probably be felt by all in attendance. A silent vow was made to himself that he would confront them about it once the duels today ended. If any names from the tournament end up on that monument will be on their hands. "A loss today on paper," Wulfrin smirked as he returned his focus to the victor of their match. "In my eyes I'm still undefeated. The record may not reflect it, but madness, a glitchy floor, and duels don't mix. I don't mind gambling my life, but I will not gamble with the lives of others. Congratulations on your victory." Link to post Share on other sites
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