Gates of Oblivion Gambling House chatroom
Occupants: House_bot, SnakeEyes, BoxcarBilly, DrawingRivers, BetsOnRed, All_in_Jim, Turn’n’Burn, and BigWinner
BigWinner: Woo! Call me Roomba, cuz I just cleaned house!
SnakeEyes: Say what now?
BigWinner: I hit me the jackpot on that dungeon dive!
BetsOnRed: Say what now? How could you do that, nobody won. Can I get an explanation?
House_bot: BigWinner has been confirmed to be one of 18 people who placed a bet that the monster player would be killed, but also that the light players would not be able to complete the dungeon.
BoxcarBilly: Only 18? Man, that must be a hell of a jackpot.
BigWinner: It is.
BoxcarBilly: So, where you at? I think I should buy you a drink or two.
BigWinner: Sure, I’ll just let everyone here know exactly where I am so that y’all can pickpocket me. Not falling for that one.
BoxcarBilly: Eh, worth a shot. Never underestimate the stupidity of people.
All_in_Jim: Congrats BigWinner.
Turn’n’Burn: I don’t know how, but you made plain text sound depressing. What happened Jim?
All_in_Jim: Well, like my name says. I went all in on the light side players. That they would get first kill and that they would clear the dungeon.
DrawingRivers: Ouch. How much is all in?
House_bot: Bet amounts are not to be discussed.
All_in_Jim: Let’s just say that it was substantial enough to get me a title and a permanent VIP status in any gambling hall in the world.
BigWinner: What’s the title, if you don’t mind us asking?
All_in_Jim: “A Fool and his Money.” The only bonus it confers is the permanent VIP status.
SnakeEyes: HAHAHAHA, gotta love the devs sense of humor.
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Shadow Outpost Dungeon chatroom
Current members: Likes2lurk, WarriorPrincess, TheUnrustable, HolyDungeonDiver, RycranSeacrest, FirestarterOzai, First_of_his_kind, JimboJonsies, ThePatman, GrumbleGnumbleMonster, Lilak’n’Lillies, WhatsUpChuck, and 16 anonymous people.
JimboJonsies: Wow. How did you manage to change the dungeon that much in one night?
First_of_his_kind: Magic.
ThePatman: No need to be a. . . meanie, he just asked a question.
First_of_his_kind: Not mean. A bonus for monsters is that regen rates gain a massive boost when there are no players in the dungeon. It only took a few hours when you have magic that can make stone flow like clay.
WhatsUpChuck: Serious on the regen boost?
First_of_his_kind: Yep.
WhatsUpChuck: So, could you make another one of those divine mana stones?
First_of_his_kind: Even if I could, the devs have it set up so that you can’t bring most things out of the dungeon with you, probably for that reason. The only thing you can bring out is hand crafted weapons.
WhatsUpChuck: Pity.
WarriorPrincess: So how did the rest of the day go?
First_of_his_kind: Terrible.
RycranSeacrest: Sorry about that.
First_of_his_kind: Not your fault. I actually enjoyed getting to set off some of my many traps with you guys. The poachers for the rest of the day knew where everything was located though.
FirestarterOzai: Yeah, when you have a cheat sheet for the traps, they become worthless. Couldn’t you change a few though?
First_of_his_kind: Not really. We get a half hour break between dive teams. Not a lot of time to work with.
RycranSeacrest: Not that I’m complaining, but why did you do that last suicide attack?
First_of_his_kind: You were close enough to the end that I had to make a stand, and I goofed the timing.
GrumbleGnumbleMonster: Lemme guess, you were gonna burst out and do a pincer attack when they kited the first group, weren’t you?
First_of_his_kind: Yep. Corrigan delayed just enough in his pull that it wouldn’t work.
Anon712: So why not join the boss at the end?
First_of_his_kind: Not allowed. I can battle with any monsters, or join the minibosses like the twins, but the main boss fight is fixed.
RycranSeacrest: Good god, that would be a nightmare.
Anon712: What would?
RycranSeacrest: That boss fight is tough enough as it is. Throw in the unpredictability of a player? No thanks.
First_of_his_kind: That was the devs argument, almost word for word.
WarriorPrincess: So, is the dungeon still unbeaten?
First_of_his_kind: Yep. Nobody has managed to crack the final fight just yet.
HolyDungeonDiver: That will soon change.
First_of_his_kind: Yeah? Going to be a while, I finished my last required day of dungeoning.
HolyDungeonDiver: Bah, there are other ways. If there are no drakelings to populate the dungeon, then it won’t matter.
TheUnrustable: Seriously? Did you not see what happened to that one guy?
HolyDungeonDiver: Our God will protect us as we go about with the cleansing.
GrumbleGnumbleMonster: Here I thought that troll wasn’t that popular of a race.
TheUnrustable: They have to be a troll though, I didn’t see zealot as an option for a race.
Lilak’n’Lillies: So First, did you happen to gain anything good for three days of servitude?
First_of_his_kind: Don’t know yet. Tomorrow we return to the city for our rewards.
GrumbleGnumbleMonster: Just wondering, how big of a kill streak did ya manage?
First_of_his_kind: 91
Anon218: So close to triple digits….
RycranSeacrest: Ya know? I’m almost sorry we broke that streak before you got 9 more kills.
RycranSeacrest: By the way, any chance we can get that specialty bolt you used or that poison?
WhatsUpChuck: Poison? What poison?
RycranSeacrest: He put something on a bolt and shot our barbarian with it. Kept corrupting him, and when he died he was resurrected with a -10% penalty to all stats for 24 hours.
RycranSeacrest: Garret wasn’t very happy with you for that.
First_of_his_kind: Sorry, those are going to be trade secrets for now.
First_of_his_kind: Wow, would you look at the time? I gotta get going. Catch ya later everyone.
GrumbleGnumbleMonster: WAIT!
First_of_his_kind: Yesssss?
GrumbleGnumbleMonster: Sorry, I just had to ask. Do you lose the gear you drop on death? That would be a dealbreaker for me.
First_of_his_kind: No, that’s simply system generated loot. Now, for realsies. I’m off like a prom dress.
TheUnrustable: Later
WarriorPrincess: Bye
Lilak’n’Lillies: Ciao.
First_of_his_kind has left the chat.
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The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Screaming Eagles guild chat, crafters chatroom
Rycran: Ok guys, two questions for you. First, those arbalests are absolutely devastating. Any chance we can get them? Second, I sent the highlighted portions of the fight and I want to know if we can duplicate the decapitation bolt that Angus used.
TinkerTaylor: First one is both easy and hard. We have historical arbalest designs, and they work in the game.
Rycran: Go on.
TinkerTaylor: The issue is the bonuses you can get from different materials. Without knowing what they used, it’s impossible to duplicate their efficiency.
SpySoldier: Can’t you go off of visuals?
TinkerTaylor: If only it was that simple. The devs were annoyingly smart. All items look exactly the same when in use. Unless you use a worthless skin. If I could see it in a trade window I could possibly make some guesses.
TinkerTaylor: Another issue is the exact mechanism. All we can see is a crank on the side. All the internals are hidden, probably to prevent us doing exactly what we want to do.
Rycran: Don’t stress it then. Give us a list of materials you would want, and try out on three of your best designs. Even if we get within 80% of what the drakelings can do, I’ll be happy.
SpySoldier: So, what about the bolts? I would really like some of them.
TinkerTaylor: Look closely at the vid Rycran sent. See that black glow? Not only does it hide the shape of the bolt head, but it also means that it is mana infused.
SpySoldier: I get the shape issue, but does mana infusion bring up any other issues?
TinkerTaylor: Yup. It limits the metals we can use to the more expensive ones. Plus, we don’t know how much mana his costs. If we make one that takes 300 mana to do what his can do for 5, it would be worthless.
Rycran: Damn. I really wanted a few of ours to have their tech.
Rycran: Was there anything else you saw in the broadcast that was worth copying?
TinkerTaylor: Not particularly. His weapon is unique, but a hybrid weapon like that is probably pretty niche. I can’t see any of ours switching out for that.
Rycran: What about that trap by the treasure chest? Figure it out?
TinkerTaylor: From what Corrigan described, it is more of an anti trap.
SpySoldier: Anti trap?
TinkerTaylor: Yes. The wire isn’t a trap in and of itself. I think the wire was tensioned and used to hold up the floor. Removing the wire removed the tension and the floor fell.
SpySoldier: You can have a floor held up by wires?
TinkerTaylor: For the non-engineers among us, yes. They do it all the time in parking garages and the like. Pour a concrete slab with wires running through it, then tighten the wires to give it extra support.
SpySoldier: Hmmm. So we can get around trap detection skills if the trap is safe enough? The floor would support weight until they altered the wire.
Rycran: And if you made it so the trap didn’t do anything. That hall with all the banners that bothered Corrigan was previously just tiles with clickers underneath. Those didn’t trigger trap detection either.
SpySoldier: Ooooo. I like that, it would be a great way to catch someone sneaking around.
TinkerTaylor: Rycran, you seem to be friendsly with this Angus fellow. Think he would tell you how to make those clickers?
Rycran: I’ll ask. He might, since it isn’t vital tech and he won’t have to go to the dungeon anymore.
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“EVERYBODY UP!” Khaliss yelled, startling me from my sleep. I wasn’t the only one who fell out of bed in a tangle of sheets, but only one out of three of us had a weapon grabbed and were frantically trying to find the enemy.
“For those of you with weapons in your hand: Good job. When in an unknown location and being unexpectedly woken up it is best to assume the worst. Those that fell out of bed in a tangle of sheets: Work to fix that. If this were an ambush situation, you would be adding to the enemy’s advantages. Now, head to the boss room and prepare to return to the city.”
“SIR, YES SIR!” Was chorused about. Packing up was easy, as all of it was simply equipment. Lining up was a bit nostalgic, as we had done that in our first dungeon defense what seemed like so long ago now. Dharkiss was looking a little lost, and right before I asked him to come stand by me Khaliss whispered in his ear. I don’t know what was said, but he happily trotted to the back of the line. “Alright!” Khaliss shouted, taking his place at the head of the line. “Let’s head home!” We all cheered at that.
Coming through the portal, the streets were packed. Cheering crowds were everywhere, throwing flowers and confetti. I felt it was a little overmuch for a three-day stint in the dungeon, but the soldiers with us seemed to eat it up. We headed down to the barracks area, and noticing the king I figured that it was here instead of an arena that we didn’t have to my knowledge.
“Welcome back!” The king shouted once everyone had quieted down, eliciting another round of applause. He let it go on for a half a minute, before holding his arms in the air to get people to one it down. “Khaliss, Captain of our Guards, has returned from leading our forces against the light. Yet again, he and his men return undefeated! To show our appreciation for repeating such a feat, each shall receive a piece of equipment from our own armory to fit their style of battle!” After some more cheering, the king went to a table behind him, and we each went up individually to receive our prizes.
“We hear that far and away the majority of kills were yours Angus. As a reward for such a feat, we have increased the quality of the reward you were to receive. May this necklace serve you well in your travels.”
“Thank you, your majesty.” I replied, bowing over the necklace as he handed it to me. Heading back into line, I couldn’t help but identify the necklace and try not to drool.
Karlion the Merciless' necklace
Karlion obtained the nickname for never showing his enemies quarter. Not only did he slay them at almost every opportunity, but in delaying and retreating actions would order his soldiers to aim to injure not kill. When pressed for reasons by his superiors, he simply replied, “Casualties slow armies down.” His philosophy for duels was to simply overwhelm his opponent with skillful strikes.
Increases attack speed by 15%
Increases movement speed by 20%
Critical damage increased by 30%
Chance to inflict status ailments increased by 75% when retreating from battle.
Wow. Definitely an upgrade, though for the quests for Thanatos I might have to keep my old necklace. Double damage against undead was something that was hard to beat. I noticed many of the others received breastplates or weapons, though there was a ring or two thrown in.
“Let’s hear it one last time for our returning champions! The Twice Unbeaten! Drinks are on us tonight, so have fun!” Massive roaring and a near stampede toward the bars accompanied that announcement, and I got a slew of popups from the dungeon dive.
Processing deferred experience. . .
Processing. . .
Congratulations! The following are the results of your three days in the dungeon:
Level up x 32! You are now level 42!
Skill
Previous level
New level
Bonuses
Stone manipulation
Advanced level 8
Expert level 3
Can shape stone up to 40 meters. Mana cost reduced by 30%
Shadow manipulation
Expert level 1
Expert level 3
Can shape shadow up to 40 meters. Mana cost reduced by 30%
Sculpting
Intermediate level 1
Advanced level 9
Sculpting speed increased by 39%
Ambush (passive)
Advanced level 4
Expert level 2
Attack damage increased by 62%, Critical hit chance increased by 32%
Trap making
Advanced level 6
Expert level 5
Traps do 45% more damage, are deployed 27% faster, and are 30% harder to detect
Lethal Blow (Passive)
Advanced level 8
Expert level 1
Chance of instant kill increased by 31%
Crossbow mastery (passive)
Advanced lvl 9
Expert level 3
Range increased by 35 m, chance to hit increased by 35%, damage increased 15%
Shadowgheist
Intermediate level 1
Intermediate level 5
Gheist has 50% of your health pool, can independently fight with 10% of your combat skills.
Class evolution available!
Due to your fighting style as observed in the dungeon, you are eligible for a class evolution.
New class
Description
Mystic Ambusher
Fusing the mundane and magical, the mystic ambusher uses both in his application of traps and triggers. There are no new skills inherent to this class, but mana use will become easier.
Due to a special action, you have unlocked an achievement
Achievement
Action
Bonus
Next level
Slayer III
Kill over 50 players
+3% damage to other players, -3% damage received from other players
Slay over 500 players
The bigger they are III
Kill 50 creatures or players higher level than you
+3% damage
Kill over 500 creatures or players higher level than you
You don’t look so tough III
Kill 50 creatures or players 5 levels higher than you
+6% damage
Kill 500 creatures or players 5 levels higher than you
Don’t look down on me III
Kill 50 creatures or players 10 levels higher than you
+15% damage, -15% damage received
Kill 500 creatures or players 10 levels higher than you
Ant beats the elephant III
Kill 50 creatures or players 25 levels higher than you
+30% damage to creatures or players higher level than you
Kill 500 creatures or players 25 levels higher than you
David and Goliath III
Kill 50 creatures or players 50 levels higher than you
-30% damage received from creatures or players higher level than you
Kill 500 creatures or players 50 levels higher than you
Wow, those bonuses from the dive were impressive, but probably something I need to warn the devs about.
Emily,
Just got my rewards for the dungeon dive, and noticed a possibly broken mechanic. After evolution, my level was reset to 1, and I entered the dungeon at level 10. When calculating my rewards, it was using 10 as my level, though if you were going by actual levels it should be 50. I only point this out because all the enemies I faced in the dungeon were over level 60, and there are some massive bonuses for that.
Thanks,
Marty
“So.” Khaliss said, trying to get my attention. “Any plans for the next few days?”
“Not really. I need to prepare for that next dungeon for the Thanatos questline, and I was hoping for a day or two to go exploring in the general area. See what kind of creatures that we have around our city. Besides, my weapon needs some things to fuel its growth. I am above level 40 now, which means I have four new abilities it can earn.”
“Hmm, that sounds good. It’s always nice to relax for a bit after an excursion like what we had. The city could use some new sources of food as well, so I have a quest for you.”
New Quest alert!
The newly created city has need of food sources. Slay at least ten of each edible creature you come across in the nearby area, bringing back the bodies to see if they are edible. You have been given a temporary storage bag for this task. The slots are unlimited, but you may only hold ten of each species. You have also been loaned a Hunter’s Map. Locations may be marked, but the map has to be physically removed from inventory and activated, and at least 75% of the animal’s territory must be covered to count.
Rewards: One gold per species, doubled if species is edible.
Increased rewards are possible if the location of hunting grounds are marked.
“Sounds like a fun few days. Thanks Khaliss. Now, shouldn’t we be celebrating?”
“A wise answer!” He said, slapping me on the back and leading the way to the inn. Even though I avoided the alcohol for the rest of the night, the atmosphere was contagious. I didn’t even bother to log off, simply content to fall into my bed in exhaustion.