File: lava_by_zhangc-d5a5d5h.jpg (269 KB, 1200x551)

269 KB JPG

> [[ Fan Works: Artifact Ideas ]]
https://titanpad.com/kZOMVYSrMv

“I can’t imagine what treasure would be hidden in a place like this.” Cardus says. You glance over to see him stuffing a large backpack with crystal fragments and raw stones. Nearby, Tatsumaki is carefully balancing on top of a crystal spire. “But I’m personally keen to continue mining here—there are plenty of crystals yet to harvest, and I’ve just found another mineral vein.”

There’s also the issue of climbing down, though you’ve got exploring gear you could use. As you consider the possibilities, though – you hear a rumbling from far below in the distant caverns, followed by the shouting of players echoing over the rock plateau.

“What was that?” Cardus asks.

“Someone’s probably fighting an aberrant monster down there.” Sulya says. “Hunting party probably got taken by surprise.”

> Climb down and sneak over to the house.
> Climb down and attack the lava striders.
> Investigate the rumbling from far below.
> See if you can help Cardus mine – or wait until he’s done harvesting and prepare to return home.
> Message someone or check the Averron message boards. (Write-in)

>>45965821
>> Climb down and sneak over to the house.
Give Cardus some more mining time though, and mark this place on our map

>>45965821
>Climb down and sneak over to the house.
May as well start with the sneaky approach and just be ready to fight when we fuck up

>>45965821
> Climb down and attack the lava striders.
Might wanna switch to the scimitar since they probably have fire resistance

>>45965821
> Investigate the rumbling from far below.
I thought this was dead for sure this time

>>45965821
> Climb down and sneak over to the house.

>>45965821
>> Climb down and sneak over to the house.

File: 29ebab8867a0cc8b54d3cf2d3(...).jpg (33 KB, 736x281)

33 KB JPG

>>45965933
>>45965939
>>45966200
>>45966271

“Sneaking over sounds like a good idea. If there is anything, it won’t take us long to investigate.” You suggest. “Besides, why take a big risk if we can’t confirm there’ll be a reward?”

“Sounds fair.” Sulya says, she and Tatsumaki making their way over to the edge. “Going down right against the corner of the rock face will be best—better, too, if we try to make it down while those things aren’t looking.”

> Head down alone. Your boots will allow you to free climb better—and you could use lookouts.
> Set up exploring gear, and bring one of the girls with you.
> Set up exploring gear, and bring both Tatsumaki and Sulya with you.

File: Sulya.jpg (62 KB, 480x800)

62 KB JPG

>>45966345
Dropped trip.

>>45966070
While the curse is very real, I've made it clear I'm not going to up and die.

>>45966345
> Head down alone. Your boots will allow you to free climb better—and you could use lookouts.
Don't want the squishy explorer to get ganked while we're away

>>45966345
>> Set up exploring gear, and bring one of the girls with you.
Let's bring Tastu. Pays to travel in pairs.

>>45966345
> Set up exploring gear, and bring one of the girls with you.
Tatsumaki is both travel sized and a fighter whom we have great synergy with when things inevitably get fucked.

>>45966345
> Set up exploring gear, and bring one of the girls with you.
Tatsumaki

>>45966345
>> Set up exploring gear, and bring one of the girls with you

So who's down to get a ridiculously large 2h hammer or axe made with these materials?

>>45966669
Doesn't that kind of fuck up our current strategy of being a mobile momentum-based fighter?

File: 1427157837862.jpg (75 KB, 738x1200)

75 KB JPG

>>45966548
>>45966463
>>45966399
>>45966373

“Tatsumaki and I will go.” The cat-eared Brawler nods at you, and you’re already about it, producing the exploring gear you’ve been carrying for quite some time from your Unique Identifier. You secure the ropes – there’s the familiar strange sensation of the game halfway-taking-over your movements, guiding you to set it up in the proper place. A rope ladder unfurls, rolling down the cliff face, held in place by a strange field faintly visible through the heat haze.

You’re the first to slide down, and as you land, the two lava striders pause in their places, limbs suddenly stiff, slowly turning in your direction.

“I’m thinking they can feel the ground. Tread lightly.” You say, motioning to your feet as you take light steps forward. With a nod, Tatsumaki follows, the insectoids silently waiting in the distance as the two of you move toward the tiny home, inches off the hot cavern wall.

> Sneak over.
> Run like hell.
> Try to create a distraction elsewhere. (Write-in)

>>45966742
Nah we just got a perk that makes large 2h weapons lighter. Also the momentum of a greathammer surpasses any other weapon

>>45966753
>Sneak over.
Gotta be sneaky

>>45966753
Throw a large rock and then sneak when they're investigating it

>>45966753
> Sneak over.
>Throw some rocks on the other side of the striders.

>>45966753
> Try to create a distraction elsewhere. (Write-in)
Pick up some rocks lightly and toss em far away

>>45966753
> Sneak over.
Gotta flex dem sneaks.

File: 84129481.jpg (90 KB, 1023x653)

90 KB JPG

Near the wall, there’s bits of broken rock and crystal, fallen from above or chipped off the plateau cliff face. Tatsumaki leans down to pick up a large piece, looking to you for approval; you nod, and follow suit, carefully grabbing another bit of rock. Together, you throw the pieces a distance, and they land on the plateau far past the lava striders, which, as predicted, turn to investigate.

You use this chance to sneak further ahead, making your way to the tiny home. The windows and doorway are softly carved, as if either worked with incredible finesse or shaped while the stone was still partially melted. First, a cursory glance through the windows—it’s somewhat dark, but you still see nothing, so the two of you carefully enter, you in the lead.

There’s a hiss and a crack from behind you – the sound of Tatsumaki lighting a fluorescent torch – and the darkness fades away. A table and chair, primitive furniture of similar stonecraft, sit on one end of the room, just a foot or so off the wall, hiding the corner from view. There’s a set of cracks in the floor that give an unusual impression of depth; a mineral vein, or perhaps something hidden below?

What catches your eye and Tatsumaki’s, though, is the back wall of the tiny room. There’s a large rune carved into the stone: concentric circles, with thick lines leading outward from the center of it all, connecting the many rings to form a strange sort of network. It looks like the plan for a city, all roads leading inward to or outward from one place. Something is written across it all, in an unknown language you’ve seen before; it’s the old Sylvetican script, you recognize from Kjorikos’s notes.

You stand, transfixed for a moment; after a few seconds, Tatsumaki snaps a picture with her UI.

>Write-in.

>>45967143
Send a picture of the runes to the writ keepers on our team just in case they're nerdy enough to decipher it. Then investigate the cracks in the floor further.

>>45967143
Touch rune.

>>45967143
Snap a picture and search this place for anything of use. Looks for similarities between the rune and Averron. If there is see if you can find where the central point here would be.

>>45967185
This. Also try not to think about the potential gems hidden in this place

>>45967143
Who ended up with his notes?

File: Ayla.jpg (95 KB, 565x800)

95 KB JPG

It’s not Averron, as far as you can recognize. Perhaps some unfamiliar place—or a locale known to the old civilization? You take a picture and send it to Sulya.

> [[ UI Messenger – Sulya ]]
> [[ Sulya ]]: ( Woah. This is? )
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: No clue. I found it on the wall.
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: Can you read it?
> [[ Sulya ]]: ( I’m not sure if anyone can. )
> [[ Sulya ]]: ( It’s the same stuff that’s everywhere. )
> [[ Sulya ]]: ( There’s CONSISTENCY to it, but… Do you think the devs would go through the trouble to make an entire language? )
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: I mean, yeah, that sounds reasonable.
> [[ Ascheritte ]]: Can you make sure the rest of your guild sees this? I’ll send it to Ayla whenever she’s back online too.
> [[ Sulya ]]: ( Uh, I’ll try. )

Kjorikos’s notes are either in Ayla’s possession, or tucked away somewhere in the Observatory. You’ll take a look next time you’re back up there.

Nothing seems to react as you press a hand to the rune, and you take a moment, tracing the lines with your finger. Moments pass, and you turn away; it seems unrelated, but there’s another distant rumbling from below.

> Search the room.
> Investigate the cracks.
> Write-in.

>>45967537
>Search the room.
Gotta get fat loot. The cracks will be there when we come back another time (hopefully)

>>45967537
> Investigate the cracks.

>>45967537
> Search the room.

>>45967537
> Investigate the cracks.
Maybe take a quick look at the hidden corner of the room first or have tats do it while searching the entire room

>>45967537
> Investigate the cracks.

>>45967143
is this part of a network to connect all the cities together?

>>45967537
>> Investigate the cracks.
I don't think we currently have any plot devices, and destroying the thing doesn't seem....actually we already have a picture so we could try.

“Tatsumaki, mind checking out that corner?” You ask, pointing to the bit of the room hidden behind the stone slab table and chair. She’s on it quickly, and meanwhile you kneel next to the cracks in the floor, looking down below. The room is well lit, even with Tatsumaki and her torch a ways away; you can tell that the impression of depth you got from these small fissures is more than just an impression. The light reaches down, though not far.

Perhaps this plateau is composed of a number of smaller stone outcroppings pressed together, and cracks like this are faults in the rock—or perhaps there’s something down there. There’s another brief rumble.

Then, you hear something from below.

Breathing?

You snap to your feet, stumbling backwards toward the home’s back wall. Through the window, you can see the lava striders slowly making their way toward the building you’re in, shining an eerie orange bioluminescence on the home’s façade. To your right, Tatsumaki is giving a grunt of effort as she pulls what looks like a stone trunk from the corner of the room, one foot pressed against the table in front of her for leverage.

> Write-in.

>>45968080
>Alert Tats to the impending danger, then give her a hand with the goodies

>>45968080
Grab the tables and chairs to make an improvised battering ram. When Tatsumaki is ready, we'll charge straight out the entrance using the ram.

this is why I said to kill the striders before investigating. Although it would suck if the fight dislodged this entire room.

>>45968111
Supporting. Loot the chest, then toss the chest to distract the lava striders.

>>45968080
>>45968111
>>45968153
this

File: Cardus.jpg (211 KB, 640x800)

211 KB JPG

>>45968080
“Well, shit.” You sigh. “Tatsumaki, we’ve got incoming. Let’s get this open and find a way out of here.”

She gives you a bit of a confused look, but seems to understand when she sees the creatures approaching the door. As the two of you open the chest, you’re bathed in a familiar glow.

> [[ Inventory – stone trunk ]]
Celestial Gem x2
furnace poker
iron chain x2
iron manacle x2
earthsea coin x10564

Celestial Gems rest atop a bed of stone coins, all alike, stamped with a symbol you recognize from the rune above.

You glance at eachother as the light from Tatsumaki’s torch begins to fade. You can hear lava striders, now mere feet outside of the small stone building – their steps are light, though they make strange clicking noises with their mandibles when still.

> Write-in

>>45968756

Aww yiss. Split the gems, store the rest of the loot for later distribution. Toss the chest, then blitz out in the ensuing confusion to hook up with the rest of the party.

>>45968756
One gem each. Honestly, I'm cool with keeping this haul between the 2 of us. This isn't a dungeon run.

someone hold the coins and poker, we can deal with those later.

Are the manacles and chains big enough to tie Lava Strider legs together?

>>45968756
>Split the loot then scoot

>>45968756
I'll go with Diarca on this >>45968825

>>45968838
>Are the manacles and chains big enough to tie Lava Strider legs together?
They're iron, there's a strong possibility these lava striders will be too warm

>>45968756
Be Tatsumakis lead blocker and charge through them, chopping legs if necessary. Build up that momentum.

>>45968896
When I hear "Lava Striders" I think "capable of walking through lava", not "walkers that are made of lava"

They've been standing around the plateaus for a while, I don't see why they'd be hot.

>>45968756
>>45968825
>>45968892
this

>>45968892
>>45968825
>>45968967

> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 87 (1d100)

>>45969083

Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>45969083

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>45969083

Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>45969083

>>45969111
is this a crit?

>>45969091
>>45969110
>>45969111
Dope rolls, I was pleased to see the 87 and then the last two came in

File: 7a933e4d743593d322705c775(...).jpg (206 KB, 1200x650)

206 KB JPG

>>45969111

> [[ 97 ]]

Together, you lift the empty stone trunk—not quite as heavy now without the enormous quantity of coins within, but still a load to bear—and make for the entrance. Clearing the door, the two of you hurl the chest as hard as possible, hoping to create some chaos as you escape.

Instead, it tumbles through the air, crashing down on top of one of the creatures; the strider hisses as the object scrapes across the top of its body and crashes down atop one of its joints. It skitters away, stunned, hot luminescent fluid dripping from where it’s pulled itself free of the weight. The other one of the pair launches towards the two of you, and you split in opposite directions, outmaneuvering the creature as you run back toward the rope.

By the time you’re climbing back up to Sulya, they both seem to have lost track of you—mission successful.

“Not bad,” She says. “Find anything good?”

> Write-in.

>>45969336
We really should have talked to Tats about this first.
>"Welllll...."
>Divvy up the loot between everyone

>>45969336
Apart from those runes on the wall, mostly some cash and iron vendor stuff.

>>45969336
furnace poker
iron chain x2
iron manacle x2
earthsea coin x10564


and a rune too what looks like a city we haven't met yet.

>>45969336
>A lot of weird old stuff.
>Show the coins and give a few for research, but keep the rest of them for now so it's harder to lose track of these

They're Writ Keepers, they already got their reward.

>>45969336
We found a couple CGs and some other loot. We'll keep these but you guys get the next ones for sure. Take your pick of the random loot though.

Full disclosure. We gotta stop CG influence to not end up like whatserface. Also I enjoy not being a dick.

>>45969673
alright, alright, fine

adding CG disclosure to >>45969467

>>45969673
I'm the only one who voted to tell them about the CGs though

>>45969711
It's 3-2 in favor of magnanimity with one vote unclear though

>>45969482
Well only one of them can even use CGs. The other dude is nameless.

>>45969482
Yeah sure

File: Florica.jpg (109 KB, 420x850)

109 KB JPG

“A lot of weird old stuff – stone coins, and a bunch of junk.” You raise an eyebrow at Tatsumaki, then sigh. “And some Celestial Gems.”

“What?” Sulya asks.

“Yeah, just two. We’ll keep these, but you guys get the next ones for sure—take your pick of anything else we’ve got, though.” You nod.

“Actually,” Cardus says, approaching. His backpack is stuffed, and his pickaxe is hefted over one shoulder. “The next one would just be Sulya’s, as I’m as-of-recently out of the running for such things.”

“Oh, right.” You shrug. “See? It’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know if we’ll have the opportunity to find another down here.” Sulya says. “We’ve pretty much stripped down the entire plateau.”

“And this is becoming quite a load to carry.” Cardus adds.

Seeming a bit slighted, Sulya opts to keep the poker, chains, and manacles, under the pretense of further study. You offer her and Cardus each what amounts to a heaping handful of coins, dividing the rest amongst yourself and Tatsumaki.

> Divide the materials and head back to town.
> Investigate the dungeon entrance you found earlier.
> See what became of the fight below.
> Write-in.

>>45970125
>See what became of the fight below.
Let's try for some Lava Strider bits

>>45970125
> See what became of the fight below.

>>45970125
>> See what became of the fight below.
Let's check what happened with the fight then leg it.

>>45970125
> Investigate the dungeon entrance you found earlier.
We're still relatively fresh. We can store Cardus' loot for him in our identifier until we get back to town if it makes it easier for him to keep up.

>>45970125
Wait does anyone remember anything about the dungeon entrance?

>>45970125
> Investigate the dungeon entrance you found earlier.

>>45970125
> See what became of the fight below.
Maybe we can find some corpses to loot.

>>45970125
>> See what became of the fight below.

>>45970442
>>45970327
>>45970183
>>45970178

“Did you get to look below?” You ask.

“Nope,” Sulya says. “Went quiet after you guys left.”

Far below, the fight seems to have dispersed—the hunting ground down there is clear of lava striders, and looks to have been abandoned by whatever parties were fighting there before. Leaning over the edge, you can see what looks to be a player’s corpse—lying on the ground in a trail of splattered blood as if thrown a great distance.

It’s being inspected – surrounded – by humanoids, emaciated, naked, and husk-like, with taut skin the same red-brown as the cavern walls. There’s three of them in that spot alone, investigating and prodding the corpse with metal tools. They each have a number of irons, clamped around wrists and ankles in various combinations, unchained; broken chains, in fact, litter the floor leading far into the distance toward the hunting ground exit and the upper branches.

“Uhm.” Sulya coughs.

> Write-in

>>45970967
Kill them and loot the corpse

>>45970967
Check the irons they have to the irons we found. Ask if they want to investigate.

>>45970967
Well let's go check out that dungeon entrance then

>>45970967
>If they want to investigate, sure, but otherwise keep out of the way of these mobs
This is an entire race we're dealing with, we should gear up first before really hunting them down.

Guys there is something big and nasty down here. And fighting it while surrounded b these little guys is a bad idea.

>>45970967
Try to talk?

>>45970967
Rip and tear

>>45970967
While you can’t tell from this distance whether the irons you’ve found match the manacles around their wrists, you can’t possibly imagine how many unique makes of old iron clamps are out there.

And you can’t imagine talking would work out too well – that is, unless each of these entities were to possess Precursor-level intelligence, which is a frightening thought.

“I’m thinking there’s something down there.” You ask. “Like, something large. Do we want to investigate?”

“Seems risky.” Sulya says. “Whatever those things are, it looks like there’s more of them heading through the tunnels. The sight of it probably sent the hunters packing. Do we want to head back?”

> Climb down.
> Gather the party and head back to the lower platforms to prepare for a fight.
> Gather the party and head back to the lower platforms to return to town.

>>45971714
> Gather the party and head back to the lower platforms to prepare for a fight.

>>45971714
> Gather the party and head back to the lower platforms to return to town.
See what the word is on these guys.

>>45971714
>Gather the party and head back to the lower platforms to return to town.
army versus army

>>45971714
> Gather the party and head back to the lower platforms to return to town.

>>45971714
>> Gather the party and head back to the lower platforms to return to town.

Is the pastebin accurate? I thought this was our fourth celestial gem.

We should kill Tatsumaki and take her CGs

>>45971714
> Gather the party and head back to the lower platforms to return to town.
Likely need more people for the fight, best rest up and see what we got first.

>>45971882
no anon, I know a certain other quest broke you, but don't let it spread.

>>45971714
Inventory updated with expedition loot. Taking a short break.

So. We're getting the totem artifact right?

>>45972303
still want the clock of time, inertia control looks good too.

File: 1420942301606.jpg (132 KB, 1024x701)

132 KB JPG

>>45971714
After dividing the loot – ores and crystals – evenly amidst the group, the four of you elect to take a different route back through the upper branches; the road less traveled, as it were. The journey is mostly uneventful. Where you gaze out over deep pits, and the chasms extend into the ubiquitous fog below, you think you see shadows – silhouetted in mist, moving through lower branches or areas unknown.

You feel uneasy.

> Return to Averron City.
> Return to the Observatory.

>>45972398
> Return to the Observatory.

>>45972398
> Return to the Observatory.
It's closer and maybe we can find those notes. Something is wrong best be ready.

>>45972398
> Return to the Observatory.

>not fighting anything
you guys are lame. let's get something forged and climb up the cliff in the surface simulation.

>>45972379
those are both unbelievably boring

>>45972398
>Return to the Observatory.
get stuff made and we'll be back with a bigger party

>>45972398
> Return to the Observatory.

>>45972677
No, totem is incredibly boring.

>>45973190
well, I want the totem.

File: the_alchemist_laboratory_(...).jpg (423 KB, 1280x720)

423 KB JPG

You’re worried, still, but everything seems fine as the Averron Observatory comes into view. Player market stalls are set up outside, and you can hear distant chatter; it’s amazing that all these people are only a small fraction of the total population of Averron City.

“Now what?” You ask.

“Cardus and I have business at our guild hall.” Sulya says.

“We do?” Cardus asks – before Sulya drags him off unceremoniously. Tatsumaki shrugs, remaining at your side.

> Look for items on the market. (Write-in)
> Visit the Overworld Simulation.
> Visit the Aetherforge.
> Visit the Celestial Altar.
> Return to Averron City and visit the fortune teller.
> Log out of Broken Sky Online.

>>45973580
> Visit the Overworld Simulation.

>>45973580
> See if you can track down any old Averron language in the Observatory.

We'll learn to read that shit yet.
How long has it been since we last logged out?

>>45973673
Not long at all.

>>45973580
>> Visit the Aetherforge.
See if smith bro can make use some good stuff

>>45973580
> Visit the Aetherforge.
Let's screw around in the observatory with Tats after. Climbing as high as possible would be fun and our armor makes it easy.

>>45973580
>Visit the Aetherforge.
Gear up

> Look for items on the market. (Write-in)
replace the Explorer's Gear
see if anyone is selling translation guides

then
> Visit the Overworld Simulation.

>>45973276
I'm personally partial to the monster part grafting artifact or the landshark bracers. I think the ability to move through rock unhindered would be huge in a primarily underground environment. Plus, it would theoretically mean we could beat everyone else to the surface world.

>>45973956
If it's a flat either or, I'd pick totem over monster grafting hands down.

Landshark, I wouldn't mind picking up. My main issue is that an excavator sounds like it can get more done faster, and it'll be a while before we can bring anyone with us in the landshark.

Even then, a party of 2-3 is kinda small for whatever horrors are atop the surface, with no escape if we're disabled in any way.

>>45973956
>become an abomination
>become a mole person
I'm not sold man, I prefer multi use awesome magical power totems

>>45973956
land shark would be good for solo stuff but we're always in a group. we don't want to go through rock when no one can follow.

>>45974112
Landshark is great for battle

>>45974174
How?

>>45974223
Attacking from beneath where no one can see or attack us.

>>45974252
we'd be attacking while swimming, so still pretty shitty. Time shenanigans, inertia fuckery, or totem bullshittery would work better.

>>45974252
I wonder if its effects extend far enough to actually swing a sword.

On the other hand, mole jousting sounds ridiculous enough to be fun.

>>45974252
Really doesn't seem worth the gems

>>45974290
>not trapping people beneath the earth
Time objectively is the best artifact though.

>>45974331
Yawn

>>45974331
>objectively
if you had been serious about that, I'd have lost all respect or you

Totem is the worst artifact

File: Ethereal Forgemaster.jpg (28 KB, 580x318)

28 KB JPG

>>45973580
> [[ Underground: Averron Observatory – Aetherforge // Neutral Territory // PVP Disabled ]]

The Aetherforge is in the observatory basement; you make your way across the bridge, to the circular platform suspended over the abyss. Storage bins and chests are scattered about, and in the center, the platform slopes down into a pit of purple flame that gives off a light – faint, but pervasive, somehow illuminating the room.

“Welcome back, Keeper.” The Ethereal Forgemaster speaks loudly as usual. He seems to have added some enhancements to his armor since you last spoke. “I trust you have found something new?”

> Ask about an item or craft.
> Chat with the Forgemaster.
> Sell something.
> Leave the forge.

>>45974554
>> Ask about an item or craft.
iron ore x12
flame-streaked fractalline crystal x8
flame-streaked fractalline shard x2
can you upgrade or make a better weapon or armor with these?

>>45974508
ask about the stone coins, whether he recognizes the craftsmanship or something

Aethersteel weapon and shield, priority on weapon.

Either spear/halberd or convert the steel bastard sword. The point is a weapon that is flexible in what environments it can be used.

....come to think of it, how does BSO feel about mordhau?

>>45974554
Ask what we can do with all our crystals and ore

>>45974658
we don't have any aethersteel bits anon

>>45974554
Large 2h axe?

>>45974658
>convert a sword
I don't think that's how this works

>>45974751
the entire point of the mining trip was to use the crystals and ore to make aethersteel. Low efficiency, but we only need 1 or 2 pieces of gear.

>>45974802
if it isn't, then Syl will tell us. There's a reason I listed the spear/halberd first.

>>45974772
>not a hammer
pleb

We don't need yet another weapon.

>>45974658
I say we keep the sword as our backup since it's a pretty great reasonably sized weapon and get a badass huge weapon made.

>>45974874
We don't need to play a video game. We do it because it's fun. We just got fresh armor made so I don't know what you want from these materials we just got.

>>45974880
when I say convert, I was wondering if we can replace the steel part with aethersteel, via treating the steel already there with the crystals.

“What can I do with all of these crystals and ore?” You ask.

“You sought the aethersteel.” A pause, filled by the humming from within his glowing form. “Yes, I can craft the ingots you seek.”

“Enough to make a couple of pieces of gear?” You ask.

“…It will do.”

“Cool. Can I melt down my sword for materials?”

“No, but I can. Such an endeavor sounds quite wasteful, however.” The Forgemaster says. “But you are the master of your own destiny.”

“Right. How much will this process cost?” You ask.

“Though I expect some compensation for crafts, Keeper, this service is trivial.” He speaks. “I owe it to you for access to these facilities, though they could always be improved.”

[[ 1 ]]
> Create 6 aethersteel bars with 12 fractalline crystals (any) and 12 iron ore
> Opt out

[[ 2 ]]
> Ask about an item or craft.
> Chat with the Forgemaster.

>>45975218
>> Create 6 aethersteel bars with 12 fractalline crystals (any) and 12 iron ore
> Chat with the Forgemaster.

>>45975218
> Create 6 aethersteel bars with 12 fractalline crystals (any) and 12 iron ore
>Ask about aethersteel greataxe

>>45975218
>Create 6 aethersteel bars with 12 fractalline crystals (any) and 12 iron ore

>Forge thine blade of Aether, to cleave mine foes.

>>45975218
>> Create 6 aethersteel bars with 12 fractalline crystals (any) and 12 iron ore
>Axe for an Aethersteel shield or a bastard sword

>>45975264
Haha what

>>45975218
> Create 6 aethersteel bars with 12 fractalline crystals (any) and 12 iron ore

>Forge some sort of blunt weapon

>>45975294
Kek, fampai, simply kek.

>>45975290
We don't have any shield skills and we already have a large sword

>>45975218
>> Create 6 aethersteel bars with 12 fractalline crystals (any) and 12 iron ore
2 for one, huh? Wait, that's nearly all our crystals. Let's keep the neutral one.

>Ask about spear, halberd, battleaxe, or warhammer
>Ask about targe
we don't really have space for a holdable shield

>>45975319
I think we need a blunt weapon, in case there's an enemy like the pegasus that didnt take shit from blades.

Can't we get a helmet instead? That's the only armor slot left unless pauldrons is a separate slot.

>>45975344
Yeah I could get behind a greathammer.

>>45975361
Maybe we can get a blunt weapon and a helmet, I dont know what the crafting cost are. If we cant I'm leaning towards blunt weapon.

>>45975344
Well technically an axe would work better on something like that unless we're using dark souls damage types or something

>>45975361
forgot about that. I'm against a standard helmet due to the way it messes with your sight and hearing.

Was hoping we could get away with making the cloak hood heavier and getting a metal cap or something.

>>45975344
As long as it's huge and deals huge damage I don't mind either way.

>>45975467
we don't need to have a weapon we can't sue in close quarters.

>>45975580
We have a nice backup sword for that.

>>45975580
I mean it can be a two-hander, doesnt need to be anime levels of huge, I would prefer one-handed so we can mix with a shield or something like that since we're looking more or less like a tank, but I wouldnt dislike a two-handed blunt weapon.

>>45975580
We have a perk that lets us use huge two handed weapons. And it would be awesome.

>>45975650
We're all agreed that we want to progress toward getting Titan's Grip, right?

>>45975650
We're beelining towards titan's strength? If not I'd prefer a one-hander.

>>45975344
>>45975580
>>45975633
>Lucerne
blunt, two-handed, huge damage
no close combat, awkward one-handed, not huge itself

otherwise, we could just ham it up with a meteor hammer or something. Technically it can work for close combat if you shorten the chain.

>>45975687
But why? We don't want to waste a bunch of skill points on shield stuff.

>>45975684
>>45975687
Titanmind

>>45975720
yeah, I don't mind too much what weapon we use as long as we don't waste points on shield.

>>45975720
I mean titan's strength is a must whether we go dual wield weapons or sword and board style. We can discuss on what we want to equip then, so let's not rush a bunch of decisions.

So how do we improve his forge? Just with CGs?

>>45976051
or spending regular money, or bringing him the supplies.

>>45976057
Yup.

So is greathammer and greatsword dual wield a viable set?

>>45976118
I dislike the idea of duel wielding, seems kinda strange. Hard to beat a full power two handed swing.

>>45976151
Titan's strength let's us one hand both.

>>45976181
I know.

>>45976151
Agreed. Titan abilities seem to be good for getting an oversized weapon specialization which is pretty great IMO. I wants me some anime-tier swords eventually. Or even now if we make it out of aethersteel.

>>45976200
Remember we're in a videogame so videogame logic applies, so 2 two handers are gonna be better than 1. Besides the obvious x2 damage you can have double the enchantments too.

>>45976310
Yeah if one weapon does 1d10 damage then two weapons do 2d10 damage!

Still here Sylvetica?

>>45976388
The more weapons the better, sacrificing celestial gem for an extra pair of arms when?

>>45976395
I doubt it, this post doesn't seem like it should be taking this long.

“I’m gonna need something like an axe or warhammer.” You nod, accepting the deal. You watch, patiently, as the Forgemaster works with the metal, acting on it from a distance as it floats above the forge in a malleable ball. “Something large, or hand-and-a-half. What do you have?”

“Such a craft would utilize the majority of your bars.” The Forgemaster responds. “The properties of these weapons should be obvious to a warrior of your talent. Less popular is the lucerne hammer—it requires proper management of one’s own space, but critical blows will be devastating, especially to armored individuals.”

“What about oversized weapons?”

“You would have to return to me with more aethersteel, Keeper.”

> Ask about a large weapon.
> Ask about a piece of armor.
> Chat with the Forgemaster.

>>45976443
Things are a bit hectic at the moment so I've been in-and-out. I'll probably be closing up shop for the night pretty soon here, but expect more threads this week.

>>45976448
Hm... So should we get the lucerne or do we just wait for chinese cartoon weapon?

>>45976448
>> Ask about a piece of armor.
>> Chat with the Forgemaster.

>>45976448
Fuck. What should we do? Get some more aethersteel first or just make a large but not oversized weapon?

>>45976534
I mean it's not like we're gonna lose access to the forge, we could get the lucerne and then the big weapon after farming. We need a blunt weapon to basically kill anything that is not harmed by blade weapons.

>>45976448
Yeah whatever, let's get the lucerne. Hopefully there's enough time to check out the observatory before the thread ends.

>>45976577
Okay voting lucerne too. That's 2 for lucerne.

>>45976448
Save the bars and go to the observatory

>>45976448
> Ask about a piece of armor.
a helmet that won't obscure our Los.

>>45976448
Let's get the Lucerne. Hopefully someone can train us. I'm not sure if this counts as a standard melee weapon for our natural born fighter skill.

>>45976577
>>45976606
>>45976724
why? We have no trainers and it's a hard weapon to learn. It's literal schmuck bait.

I hope we can convert the earthsea coins to credits. Might have to visit averron city for a bank. Then we could just buy something instead of getting the materials. These might be higher quality though. Will this be a masterwork lucerne?

>>45976448
Save them, leave.

>>45976881
I'm sure it's fine. Probably won't need a trainer and if we do we can just practice in the training simulation thing.

>>45976881
Not really, you can't eat a Lucerne hammer.

>>45976480

“I’ve got some things to take care of upstairs, Forgemaster.” You nod. “But I’ll probably be back with more questions before I leave the Observatory proper. I’d like to think on it a bit.”

“Very well.” He says. “The lot of you are quite mercurial – it is interesting. I will be warmly waiting.”

Archiving - sorry about the sudden disappearance. More BSO soon. I'll be around for questions later, or you can leave them on my Ask page.

>>45977167
wtf lucerne won didn't it?

>>45977167
Thanks for running

>>45977181
Yeah but honestly saving up is probably a better choice.

Well, I missed I bit.

I suggested Lucerne as a compromise to how much metal we have and having a tool for every job. Really, blunt weapons AREN'T supposed to be huge.

>>45978441
Mace woulda been better IMO. Aethersteel seems to be a "make it your main weapon unless you have an artifact" tier mat.

>>45978784
>make it your main weapon unless you have an artifact"
hence, "tool for every job". Although a flanged mace would fit the bill for that too.

>>45978828
It'd have been less intensive resource wise. Also do we have ANY indication that weapons typing is a thing?

>>45978985
so far it's just blunt vs slash vs MAYBE pierce

the rest is just us autistically assuming what would be wieldy or unwieldy to use, and pulling from stuff already made so Syl can more easily search for images.

I suspect that the Lucerne got focus because I actually put pros and cons to it.

>>45979056
So guessing and hoping? Honestly there's been no indication a blade won't work on what we face.

>>45979196
it does, but

>it could be mitigated
>a lucerne has more than one damage type, as does a flanged mace

>>45979236
Swiss Army knife is kinda dumb considering how combat moves and how long it takes to switch. Making cloak upgrades would be better imo.

>>45979441
>how long it takes to switch
rotate your lucerne 180 degrees is hard? Switching to a thrusting motion is hard?

>Making cloak upgrades
I'm for it, but it's hard to get Syl's word on upgrading things we already own.

>>45979478
Problem is again spacing. Ascheritte likes getting close, using all of his weapon, and a Lucerne sucks for that. We can't do the batshit crazy stuff we like with it. Like riding and hacking up a golem.

>>45979602
>Ascheritte likes getting close
that is not at all the same as >>45979441

But more importantly I'm pretty sure that other anons have told you that there is no set playstyle yet. You're defining Asch on your own and others disagree.


Besides, Lucerne's apparent high crit damage is extremely compatible with "batshit crazy stuff".

Missed latter half of this session and thus the conversation on it again but I still don't care for something like the totem by virtue of the extent to which I feel it would change the quest. If I wanted to read about totems, I'd read totemist. But I don't.

The stuff land shark bracers and whatnot also just seem trite in comparison to the fancy ass artifacts some of the major players have. I also do not think that the bracers would be anywhere near as useful as some suspect due to the cavernous nature of this zone.

Of the current suggestions, the timepiece is what I think the best because of the fact it's obviously a top tier artifact with massive growth potential and useful in every possible fight ever, plus whilst it's nowhere near as exotic as that guy's paintbrush, say, it doesn't go too far in the other direction and change the nature of the quest.

That aside, stop me if I'm wrong, but a lucerne is spike and hammer right? I'd have said a pollaxe with slash and hammer would be a better choice if you're looking for type flexibility. (And no, using a lucerne with a sword DOESN'T count for that, since it's markedly more cumbersome to shuffle your weapons than it is to swivel it. If you have time to change weapons in a fight then why are we trying to cram damage types onto one in the first place?)

>>45982010
I'll say this now: I picked Lucerne because it's the first "multi" weapon with reach that came to mind. I don't know what you call a pole-axe-hammer, or if that even makes physical sense to balance.

>change the nature of the quest
ALL the artifacts are supposed to be gamechangers, considering that the change in point investment to PP means that you divert levelling your class to focus on your unique ability. It effectively changes what "class" you are with that alone.

....and timepiece is MORE exotic than the paintbrush. From what we've seen of it, paintbrush has only done a variety of active damage moves, a variant of Technician that has more control over the type of attack.

>>45982010
Your writeup isn't bad though. You get respect for being the only other person to try.

>>45982428
>I don't know what you call a pole-axe-hammer
You call it what I said: a pollaxe. The exact configuration was varied but it was typically either a hammer on the front and a spike on the back or an axe on the front and a hammer on the back. The weapon usually had a spike on the top and bottom too.

>supposed to be gamechangers
Gamechangers yes, but quest-changers... Not so much. The timepiece would augment our current approach to fights and the game itself outside of fights. The totem would potentially upend our fighting style depending on what it could actually do and as far as I understand we'd end up spending a lot of time outside combat devoted to chasing down new and more powerful spirits. I can't help but suspect that would in turn involve a lot of backplot and so on due to the nature of this game and I fear it would detract from the /important/ backplot - that which relates to precursors and everyone's bid for the surface.

It just feels to me like there would be overall too much distraction from what this quest currently is.

>timepiece is MORE exotic than the paintbrush
Sorry, poor choice of word I guess. I didn't mean that the paintbrush is more powerful/beyond one's grasp/divine/??? (can't find the words to explain what I mean) than being able to control time. What I meant was that it was more unusual, a more imaginative power, more of a personal one.

>>45982610
While i understand your concerns, i guess i envisioned it as more of a plot trinket that lets you gather more npc info on quests you already had.

Of course, that would limit the number of ACTUAL powers we would have.

>more imaginative
So you mean....flavorful? Iconic? Traits that affect the "persona" that is ultimately adopted, that get you named things like Crimson Echo?

....that's a good thing? Well, okay, not a bad thing at least.

You're saying that the time trinket isn't going to hog the spotlight, but everything beyond the passive speedup/down...kinda does. Time stop, time based clones? Resetting everyone's cooldowns wouldn't, though, so there's that.

Damnit phoneposting is hard, ill be back.

>>45983090
>So you mean [...]
Yeah, that's about right. The paintbrush has a more unusual, personal feel to it than just picking some cosmic power off a list.

>....that's a good thing? Well, okay, not a bad thing at least.
Opinion based really, one man's carefully constructed unique character is another's special snowflake. (Well, not quite, but it tends in that direction. You want something cool but not chuuni)

>You're saying that the time trinket isn't going to hog the spotlight
I'm probably not being clear. You've got two perspectives, one from the characters of the quest and one from the readers' portal into the world, the quest itself.

As far as the inquest perspective is concerned, yeah, time powers are going to be spotlight hogging (well, not at first, but once we've finally dumped enough gems into it for the powers to be obvious to people).

In contrast, however, the time powers don't require an excess of 'screentime' - it'd be a case of dumping gems into them, messing about with them a bit no doubt, and maybe some other bits, but it's not like the totem where we'd have to put time into 'maintaining' it (by gathering spooky lore, so we can gather spirits, potentially doing things that maintain our connection with them if it's not a simple pokemon style ball and bag).

I hope I've managed to explain where I'm coming from a bit better?

>>45983197
Different anon here.


You're saying it's not going to eat up story spotlight as compared to the totem.
Also possibly it's easier to hide so no one counters it properly?

>>45983326
>You're saying it's not going to eat up story spotlight as compared to the totem.
Yes
>Also possibly it's easier to hide so no one counters it properly?
In its earlier weak stages I imagine it would manifest in a way that gives us a useful edge but which is too subtle for an opponent to work out what happened. By the time it becomes apparent what's actually happening it's possibly too late for someone to try to devote an artifact to countering time manipulation, and even then countering time powers generally comes down to nuke the area or pre-emptive masterminding.

>>45983197
okay, hang on a sec, need to archive binge a bit to see exactly what Syl said about the totem.

>>45983197
>excess 'screentime'
...hmm. Alright, here: it wasn't the totem part that really grabbed me anyway, but the versatility and opportunity to better speak with NPCs.

"I wish to remember my enemies, that the memory of those I would not call lessers stand with me as I face still stronger foes, that I may borrow some measure of their knowledge and strength."

So they aren't strictly NPCs, mere "shadows" of them that slowly fade away as we and circumstances change while they do not.

>>45983728
Tentative Names:
Eye of the Witness
Bond of Strife
Memoriam

my artifact preference list in order
Tick tock timepiece
Inertia Bracers
Phasing cloak
totem thinige

PP battery master race