Ascendancy, Ascend! [Pt II~The Age of Shamrocks And A Comely Maid]

Okay, I won't be surprised if my beloved Boro will be relegated this season. Newcastle will basically go up and Alan "Captain Britain" Shearer will be going pmsl mode despite Gareth "Gawain or Beaumains" Southgate getting the English job ahead of him. Once half time whistle was blown last night, I basically just gave up and went back to playing Neverwinter. Before I signed off, however, I pulled this off.

two wingbacks drop deep, two CM play higher w/last one deep.

— Minghui Kuok (@Aeranath) February 25, 2017

If this was the reason for our much-improved showing in the 2nd half, it means I'll most likely be getting a 14 million quids contract in time for next season. And yes, I don't mind rejecting whatever efforts from FAS to retain yours truly in Singapore if Boro really gets relegated. Until then, I'll just continue being my very own Batman (because his only superpower lies in being a tactical genius).

Previously in Der Königsmörder...

Apparently, the enemies of Icewind Dale are on the par with those of the River District. I've just run a few fights around Caer-Konig. Namely, Need for Mead and Strung Up. Suffice to say, the enemies were quite the tactical opposite to their BFFs in the River District. Which means they're actually low on the defense and higher on the dps.

In short, it's up to the players to decide which one to go first. Should it be RD or IWD? Unless you're running a hdps build, my personal recommendation is IWD.

Maps and that woman

There's something not quite right with a couple of the TCA stuff. Firstly, I don't know what the dig site maps are for. They seemed to indicate some kind of dig site activation. Like if you get a sewer map, any of the dig site you entered should be a sewer. Same goes for the dungeon maps and crypt maps. The only catch/ They did sod all. Even with a sewer map, you'll still enter a crypt dig site if you entered a... well, a crypt dig site. It's ridiculous because it took me a few tries of trial and error to convince myself that something's terribly bugged. Which is a shame because I really like how TCA is panning out so far (minus the flaws which shouldn't be there). It's like the campfire issue in any raid instances where you'll always pop up at the first campfire if you entered the instance after the rest have arrived before the final boss. In standard raids, it's not so bad. If it's during any epic raids (especially the T2 ones) where the party has just done a crazy speed run, you're better off rage quitting (fyi, even a great weapon fighter running on a 4K+ total item level will find it impossible to run the solo gauntlet in epic Gray Wolf Den).

On a far more minor scale, the fair lady protected by a pair of armored beefcakes (commissioned by Dagult Neverember no less) refuses to open shop despite completing the Clear the Docks quest in the campaign window. Luckily, I can gain access to her shop via the back door (read: the bottom left tab in the campaign window).

Something's not right. Period. Until Cryptic says something, I'm gonna feed the dig site maps to the kobolds. Period. And you should as well.

At the same time, the loadout system is a nightmare to deal with. It takes a fair bit of trial and error for me to realize how this one works. The only catch? Cryptic seems to have removed the interface after a few days. A no-brainer tbh. While you can customize your gear via the loadout, you can't do the same with powers, companions, mounts, and guild boons.

A possible direction created by (trial and) error?

It must be stated, however, that the loadout system will surely be a popular draw once properly fixed. The reason why being that it's not just the gear. One of the greatest issue arising from running raid instances (especially the epic ones) is that any move set used for running open world tends to be modified when it comes to the raids. Say for example Cyrea Durothil's open world move set consists of Astral Shield, Chains of Blazing Light, and Searing Light for open world (note that I only note down the encounter powers for convenience's sake). In raid instances, her move set would go like Astral Shield, Divine Glow, and Searing Light. Therefore, the intention behind the loadout system was a good one. A damn good one if I say so myself.

So far, Cryptic only applied the loadout system to gear and powers. If the system can be extended towards the boons, mounts, and companions, it will add a lot more appeal to the gameplay. In particularly the boons.

So will that mean more grinding?

The best thing about TCA lies in the freedom of choice. Yes, you'll need to grind for the good stuff. Unlike the rest, however, you don't have to spend so much time doing so. Or at least you won't be forced to.

The same concept can also be used for the so-called loadout boons. You have a choice of going for a strict set of boons or an alternative set. However, there will be limitations. Say for example you've reached the tier 4 boon level for your progress. Basically, this means that you can only opt for boons from tier 1 to 3 when it comes to the loadout. Once you complete the entire campaign, it means you can opt for boons from tier 1 to the final boon for the loadout (this is to give additional incentives for players to complete some of the more tedious campaigns like Tyranny of Dragons and Storm King's Thunder). Of course, you'll still need to foot the boon cost. If so, then it's best not to increase the cost too much.

Say for example one Dread Ring boon requires a Thayan Cipher as part of the cost. Cryptic can opt to increase the cost via either the Vanguard Script or the Thayan Scroll (preferably Vanguard Script in order to make Dread Legion more playable apart from the epic companion RNG).

If there's any need to pay zen for the loadout, it should only be for additional loadout slots. Period. While I recognize the need for revenue in the F2P industry, there are moments where PW/PWE's pay-to-win strategy is too controversial to be deemed... well, perfect.

Dig sites

Before I start on this part, let me just say a couple of things. Firstly, it seems that injury recovery in the game has been shortened. Previously, the timing for minor injury is 3 mins. Now, it took only like half the amount. Secondly, logging off during lag will still ensure your character stays in the game. This is extremely problematic for a reason: Your character will get a free frag treatment if you're to do the log-off/character change when the server non-response message is up. And trust me, server non-response always happens when my sis starts streaming shows like this one below.

In fact, my internet has been getting nuked whenever my sis starts watching her Korean shows in the only manner she knows how to. It's not so bad if my blogging experience gets nuked as a result. Thankfully, she never pulled this off whenever I'm doing my tactical tweets for my beloved Boro (that'd have been disastrous because Boro would lose the match 9 times out of 10 by my own guess). Of course, there will be moments where Arylos requires the favor of his god due to Cyric's divine intervention (and a fatal one at that. Refer to my server non-response statement above).

I always have the tendency to go Guts mode with Arylos after my sis nukes my gaming experience in the worst manner possible. Suffice to say, my rage always resulted in heightened tactical sense and victory.

Also despite what others may think, I've never declared war against my sis over her Korean vids. A pointless skirmish or two, but never war. Likewise, she should accept the fact that her bro actually likes Guts for the kind of flawed character which 99% of Singaporeans would love to hate.
Also, this vid is rated NSFW for a reason. It's called Berserk.

There are three types of dig sites available. Namely, sewer, dungeon, and crypt. I've gone through all three. Suffice to say, sewer actually presents a higher challenge than the other two. The reason being that you'll have two traps waiting for you. One is at the lower level where the only way to survive (as a dps since using a tank means you shouldn't have a problem in running open world PvE unless you're too dumb to be considered an actual tank) lies in engaging them at the lower level. If you're playing a ranged dps/devoted cleric, please don't be stupid by going one level down. The aforementioned approach is only for melee characters like Arylos and Myrreas. Period.

The second stage is where the tough part comes. No matter what, do NOT try moving around the edge. There are multiple traps there, all of which could crippled you with a leg injury. Not so much a problem for tank characters, but a potential fatality for every manner of dps.

If you're a ranged dps/devoted cleric, just kill the first wave and move all the way to the edge (preferably near the treasure pile). There's only one way which the mob will arrive, so it should be easy so long you don't hit the panic button like someone who failed his/her Will save 9 times out of 10 tries.

If you're a melee dps, it's best if you can engage them right at the center. Unless you're confident of escaping a trap via shift spam (something which only a trickster rogue should attempt), you better not try it. Trust me, I've been through this once, I never committed this mistake the second time (like Guts' insanely survival probability, Arylos actually survived getting a major leg injury plus various moments of opening inventory to use the injury kits. Not to mention prevailing over those fire gankers as well).

Note: If you're a TR, you can try doing trap disarm. Please only try that after defeating the first wave. And one trap per wave so as to speak, no less. Be systematic, disarm the traps in only one direction along the edge.

On the crypt and dungeon, they're very damn easy because there are no traps to handicap your mobility. For the dungeon, the hard part comes in the first wave where you'll be fighting them on even ground. After you got rid of them, go down to the basement because you'll have plenty of space to move about. As for the crypt, the mob will be coming from more than one direction (i.e. there's more than one possibility when it comes to where the mob will arrive). Not much of a problem, however, apart from having the least open space available (read: dungeon has the highest mobility potential, after which sewer is next).

Above tips are for melee dps. If you're going ranged for crypts and dungeons, then don't be stupid by assuming you can win the dps race. Maybe you can, but why play it brave when you can play it smart? To set the record straight, Guts fights with his intelligence more oft than you'd like to think.

For dungeons, it's all about selecting the high ground. Do NOT position yourself at the stairs. Only a moron will do that. Situate yourself near the door (note that door=/=portcullis). You'll definitely have plenty of space to let fly from range.
If you're a control wizard, it should be very easy via the CC and destroy tactic.
If you're an archer hunter ranger, that'll be trickier unless you pull off a Constricting Arrow as an AoE CC, after which you just use either Cordon of Arrows, Thorn Ward, or both to wipe a large chunk of their HP. If possible at all, do NOT use your daily powers unless you can be very damn sure your Seismic Shot will hit the mob cleanly.

The crypt terrain is arguably (?) the most challenging for ranged classes. The reason why being that there's not enough space to play a long range firing game. For CW, doing a CC and destroy shouldn't be a problem due to the CC part. For archer HR, that will involve plenty of dodging and AoE minefields. In other words, your archer HR is screwed once the stamina is burnt.

Note: In any dig site fight, the enemy type is only secondary compared to the terrain. If you can master the terrain, you can master the battle. Don't just think like a gamer. Think like a tactician.

A Girdle of Shamrocks And A Comely Maid

["Is this a joke?"

Before the wood elf's ire, Mystra merely gave a rueful smile. Beholding the Chosen of Kelemvor truly reminded her of a bittersweet past. Bitter because of how things turned out in the end, sweet because some memories were never meant to be forgotten. In ways more than one, Kelemvor Lyonsbane was the only man she ever loved. Even more than Tad.

"No, it's not," answered the goddess who used to be called both Midnight and Ariel Manx, "You need to let go of Lostmauth's fury inside you if you want to survive your fight against Nostura. The wrath of a dragon slain may have served you well in the past, but it has already hindered you more than once during the battle against the frost giants."

"I put an arrow between Storvald's eyes," pointed out Arylos.

"Only because Cyrea Durothil opened up his defenses," came the unwanted reply, "For a brief moment, but long enough for you use Taulmaril against that otherwise invincible jarl. She nearly forced herself to death, you know that."

"I know you're behind Storvald's demise, Lady of Mysteries."

"Cyrea merely used what she's capable of using. That is fusing the Weave into her divine power granted by Corellon. I have an agreement with the Seldarine in case you do not know."

"And I merely steeled my resolve in the process."

Chuckling at a petulance never before seen in one like Arylos, Mystra couldn't help but wonder what if things had never changed between her and Kelemvor. He was right, though. That a mind of steel was the reason why the hero of Neverwinter could suppress his anger in such a critical moment.

"But you're dealing with beings from the Far Realm," said Mystra as she shook her head gently, the rueful smile never departing once, "At least no frost giants have the ability to drive a person mad. You're walking on a knife's edge unless you're really guilty of underestimating the enemy."

A prolonged silence prevailed between a mortal and the immortal, the Or-tel-quessir leaving Arvandor. With Mystra's gift in hand, no less.

One moment, the ranger of Kelemvor saw the image of Korey engraved on the buckle. Come the next, the maiden surrounded by shamrocks became that of Cyrea. Upon the third look, the sun elf's beautiful form remained unblemished. Yet, the image stayed the same throughout before the physical eye. It was only in both mind and heart that Arylos saw the change.]

It feels absolutely surreal. I don't have to tell where I got the inspiration behind Korey (i.e. the first one, not second) and her role in Arylos' life. In fact, I don't think I'll need to upload the relevant link by now. However, it must be said that before I started playing Neverwinter (and creating the Neverwinter Six as a result of that battle of personal convenience between me and my sis), the Koreans from the south may have known who Kelemvor is and what he represents.

Basically, I'm out to do another Ahnuld. Don't believe me?

Seriously speaking, though, I'm starting to wonder whether the Lostmauth set is worth it for Arylos. Right now, the Lostmauth set is still working quite decently well, to say the least, with Arylos' crit rate of 51%. But if only things are that simple.

N months ago, I asked one of my guildies Cellablock whether I should use the Forgehammer of Gond as one of my 4 standard artifacts. His answer back then was a no since his view is that using it will compromise the dps. In a very real sense, it's really true. However, recent fights with the tanky mobs of River District served to throw me some damning questions.

1. Should I up the defense despite having a Brynnyr's Demise giving Arylos some much needed HP and defense?

2. Should I try upping Arylos' base dps game due to a maxed out Disciple of Dexterity?

3. Is the Lostmauth set bonus really worth it compared to a better dps game plus an unchanged crit stat?

4. Is the risk of a stamina burnout worth the Lostmauth set bonus?

The Lostmauth set bonus basically deals additional weapon damage upon crit, but it's only capped at 10% (if I remember correctly). Unlike the great weapon fighter, the melee HR can only opt for either power-crit or power-arpen.

All you need to create a dps GWF is putting all your ability points in Strength and Dexterity (if you decide to go Strength and Constitution, it means you're most likely a sentinel spec since I doubt many would choose the instigator tree). The stat bonus given by a Golden Belt of Puissance is +2 Strength and +2 Dexterity, hence making the Lostmauth set bonus an ideal choice for a destroyer GWF.

As for the trickster rogue, Lostmauth set bonus works a treat as well if the player opts to max out Disciple of Strength. This is also taking into account that Dexterity is the TR primary stat and the fact that this primary stat actually affects the crit chance. As if it's not enough, the crit severity of any TR is set at 75% right from the start.

As for the HR, Lostmauth set bonus works the best for archers since the paragon feats tend to affect crit based damage (not to mention as well Stillness of the Forest giving your archer +25% crit chance if no enemies are within the 30 feet radius). In fact, the archer HR should be that Lostmauth monster out of the three options listed due to SoF (unless ofc you're too dumb to play an archer HR). And this is not to mention the fact that like a GWF, the archer HR can just easily stay put and dps in any raid instance (read: your chances to proc a Lostmauth is higher if you can just stay put and dps).

If you're talking abt the trapper, it's way harder to proc a Lostmauth due to none of its feats dealing with crit. If you're talking abt the combat HR, the need to dodge is higher because this is no stand-and-fight dps build (unless your artifact weapons set is either Earthen Ranger, Lifeforge, Twisted, or Trailblazer). Coupled with the fact that it's far easier to hit a stamina burn with a HR, it means I needed to reconsider my current choice.

Assuming, I'll be replacing a Golden Belt of Puissance with a Greater Twined Rope of Dexterity, what it means is that it will free up more options than just dps. Dexterity affects deflection. This is extremely important to any combat HR worth his/her own salt. At the same time, a change in the belt slot in this context means nothing will be affected since both have the same stats apart from the obvious. Which now comes to replacing Lostmauth's Horn of Blasting.

Let me just say that Forgehammer of Gond is absurdly effective because of the combat HR can never jailbreak successfully 10 times out of 10 tries once the situation gets sticky. Taking half-damage is just part of the deal. Because the Gondhammer gives deflection as the 2nd stat, it means chances of proc'ing Wild Meds is higher. In order to maximize Arylos' dps ability without the need to burn stamina, using a Sigil of the Devoted is a better choice than Lostmauth's Horn of Blasting (note: the 3rd stat for DC sigil is incoming heal. Go figure).

So yeah, the idea may seem crazy at first. But as one of the very few (?) combat HR in the business of adventuring, I understand better than most the need to create a stable defensive game while taking care not to compromise the dps.

Which now comes to the last part: I decided to replace greater lightning with vorpal. This is because I don't want to lag the bs out of any instances should I reach transcendent lightning. Apparently, it really does lag the game (hence giving others an excuse to curse and swear). Unlike transcendent lightning, any rank of Vorpal won't lag the game. At the same time, the increase in crit severity for lesser vorpal is set at 12%. For crit-power hitters, this can amount to a massive spike in dps. In fact, there's a reason why vorpal enchantments are so much in demand. Yes, the chaining game will be lost. But the overall power will be upped (assuming that you're a crit-power hitter). If I can sell my greater lightning at near 3 million ad in the auction house, it means I may have more than enough to bake a greater negation and vorpal at the same time. Either that or greater negation and normal vorpal (which isn't really that bad if you're to ask me).

Ascendancy, Ascend!

Yes, I know it sounds like some kind of stuff done by a Mr Lee. Yes, I know what I'm referring to. In fact, I also know which Mr Lee I'm referring to.

C/mon, you think this Mr Lee above is related to the late Mr Lee?
You might as well tell me every Lee Wei Ling looks the same, young or old, pretty or not.

Ascendancy, Ascend!

If this sounds like a parody, let me first assure the correct Mr Lee that it is never my intent to mock anyone. In fact, all the better if this guy below will feature as a permanent member of the Avengers.

Yes, I know Magneto will surely rage. Pretty sure Quicksilver is cool with this bro-in-law, though.
Credit: Emily369

Enough about the parody title, let's continue...

Earlier this Tuesday, The Cloaked Ascendancy ascended into the radar. So what should we expect in this module? Is mod 11 really worth your time? What about the future direction where post-mod 11 is concerned? This post is basically a mixture of my views and experience so far in playing TCA.

DISCLAIMER!

I don't profess to endorse anything here. In fact, the views are that of my own (apart from what is factual, of course). In fact, I don't claim responsibility for Cryptic using my surname for free in this zone. As for whether the 문화체육관광부 did approach my sis in order to endorse shows like Running Man and The Legend of the Blue Sea free of charge, you better go ask her instead of me.

There's a reason why I have to up the disclaimer...

Because TCA is really addicting. So far for now, at least. Firstly and foremost, I don't remember the game servers hitting a post-release lag like the one I experienced so far. There were moments where Arylos missed the target with his Rain of Swords due to momentary lag (you thought you nailed the target[s], only to realize the lag caused your hit timing to go terribly wrong. OP users will understand why the Divine Call execution doesn't seem quite right). Yes, I know using Rain of Swords was just me messing around like how a German Löwe is always known to mess his ideas around. The reason why was because I was actually experimenting on the dps end. Not for fun, but for a practical reason (I'll get to this later on).

The system has been streamlined. Period. While this was possibly Cryptic's aim starting from mod 6, TCA basically did right the streamlining in every sense of the word. If there's a blessing in disguise behind the Spellplague known as Elemental Evil, it may possibly be the devs using their past failure to do right the streamlining aspect.

Like Icewind Dale, Storm King's Thunder, and Sea of Moving Ice, The Cloaked Ascendancy basically gives you stuff only useful within the campaign. More specifically, only useful within the zone. What it means is this: All the junk you salvaged from the River District goes straight to the River District.

If you think this sounds like another excruciating black ice/voninblod farming, however, you're wrong. The problem with black ice and voninblod lies in the gamers feeling as if they're being coerced to farm. No farm, no gear. And Neverwinter is all about gear. TCA doesn't have this issue. No one expects the junk to be useful apart from upgrading Neverember's homeland security in the River District (not just that, but mostly for that). In other words, TCA basically destroyed the mental anguish of torturous farming by reducing the need to do so.

And speaking of farming, TCA is no different from SKT or SOMI. The reason why being that we're talking about challenging fights. Malakut (i.e. the super tanky control wizard in my guild alliance) once said this below.

Please ignore the FB part. I was too lazy to cut out the relevant pieces.

Malakut wasn't guilty of telling a lie, let alone the stats. Rather, his statement above was a (bloody) damn lie. Period. TCA is NOT focused towards the casual gamers. Yes, you can afford to run the River District with your alt character. But it also means you'll have to be very good with your alt as well. Which is why I most likely will only use Myrreas and Cyrea apart from Arylos for River District. As for the rest, I will just advance them till the Maze Engine campaign (i.e. completing Sharandar, Dread Ring, Elemental Evil, Underdark, and Maze Engine campaigns with the Tyranny of Dragons boons stopping at tier 4).

In fact, I won't be advancing Myrreas and Cyrea's ToD boons beyond tier 5 (at least for now). Reclaiming the River District turned out to be a blast, but it's also time-consuming as well.

The remaining 4 characters will most likely be used either for standard dungeons (astral diamond income), stronghold builder quests (because I need to the guild marks to buy the damn masterwork stuff) or both (if there's enough time). As for Myrreas and Cyrea, I'll need to finish Arylos' end on the River District first (until then, they will be used for the same purpose as the other 4).

Note: If you wanna try out River District, my personal recommendation will be to get all the campaign boons outside SKT and SOMI at the very least. And that includes the Underdark ones.

The Lord Pretender vs the Great Pretender

I'm not gonna apologize for posting a major spoiler here. Period. After all, it's not as if I'm some rich man's son driving his father's BMW like how Fujiwara Takumi drove his dad's Toyota.

The title above would have indicated the sheer hypocrisy behind Gyrion's claim as rightful heir to the seat of Nasher Alagondar. However, there's a twist behind Gyrion's hypocrisy: I don't know whether he's purposely being the hypocrite or it's the Far Realm itself evolving him instead.

And speaking of the Far Realm, I still don't get it. How did the Order of the Many-Starred Cloak migrate themselves to the Far Realm? We know the Spellplague did open up portals for every manner of aberrant and outsider to enter Faerûn, though. So maybe it's really possible for a bunch of elite wizards moving the other direction. Wonder if we will see any form of divine intervention from Kelemvor's ex, though.

Suffice to say, the storytelling in TCA was an improvement to that of the previous mods. Not that the ppl in Cryptic suck in telling stories, however. It's just that the devs have to release 2 modules per year. Which means no one in the company was entitled the right to be the next Sakaguchi-san. Of course, I've only reached half of the plot. Which means I'm now stuck at the 2nd phase of the campaign.

And speaking of the campaign, TCA is now going on a plot based progress similar to Elemental Evil. In other words, you only need to finish the relevant intro quests. But because you need enough campaign currency to advance, a daily cap on the number of quests available means you can't one shot the zone like what you did in the Elemental Evil zones. Once I've done enough to progress, I'll try writing up about my experience in fighting the Ascending Three.

AI challenge

Let me just say that unlike the mobs you fight in places like Bryn Shander and Sea of Moving Ice, the mobs in River District doesn't hit that hard. Sounds like an easy deal? Wrong. Defensively speaking, the TCA enemies are top tier. Atop the top, no less. Their durability is extremely absurd if we're talking abt the dps alone. That's why I said Malakut was telling a (bloody) damn lie. The AI is operating in another manner totally different from the mobs in SKT and SOMI. In the two zones I'm talking abt here, mobility is secondary to damage (even for enemies like winter wolves and crag cats, they're more interesting in biting and pouncing instead of moving).

Coupled with the kind of durability Superman is more famous for, you'll need to fight like Batman in order to survive and win. Like SKT and SOMI, your movement is key to victory. Unlike the SKT and SOMI, however, the mobs won't let you flank them so easily. You'll need to have a good positioning sense. In this aspect, one can say TCA is more about tactical awareness than technique, unlike SKT and SOMI where technique arguably is more important. I don't have to spell it out for you on how easy it is for any mob to gank you via attrition.

There are basically 4 types of mobs available. Namely, the humans, Gyrion's underlings, Kabal's mooks, and Nostura's stormtroopers.

Let's talk about the humans first. They will form the bulk of the enemies you have to fight for much of the first half of the plot. This mob comprises of four roles. Namely, wizards, snipers, melee dps, and tank. The wizards are not really that problematic beyond their AP drain. If you're caster instead of a fighter, then you really have to let fly from range since the AP drain will only create numerous AoE pits around the wizard. The tank is also not much of an issue so long you leave that fellow for the last. The melee dps is basically a mixture of rogue and barbarian. Basically, this means the ability to go stealth and having that guano loco slashing move (which will have a chance to knock you down). The snipers are the most problematic ones. Firstly, they can execute that one-shot aim bs commonly spammed by the Green Dragonfang. Unlike the original version, however, the snipers won't spam it (but yes, they will execute this move more than once. Just not once per 2-3 seconds). If you think the only way is to kill the archers first, you're most likely on the wrong track. Yes, you need to close down on them. However, this is to disrupt their dps so that you won't get CA'd to death. You have to find ways to reach the archers, but you also need to kill the nearest fellow instead of targeting that fellow with a bow specifically.

As for Gyrion's underlings, they're basically all plaguechanged people. All in all, the only problem lies in any mob with a plaguechanged maw. Not only is that thing extremely hard to kill (read: top tier tanking durability), it will also release wide reaching AoE attacks. One covers the frontal circle. This one is very easy to dodge. When it pulls off the other version where the AoE is a surrounding circle, that's where the trick part. If you can get away, good. Otherwise, you can only take the hit. Thankfully, the AoE attacks in any River District mob won't give you a one-shot fatality. Another thing worthy of mention will be the plaguefire skeletons. The reason why being that the fire blast coming from them is not a joke. Once it hits you, you'll go prone. Not to mention the absurdly large AoE as well.

As for Kabal's mooks, I rate them as the toughest mob. Some of the enemies are quite easy to deal with (like the fire archon archers and animated flaming weapons). However, there's one particular enemy which is nothing short of annoying. Namely that fire archon wizard. Every now and then, it will just glide backward like Patrick Swayze in the movie Ghost. You'll really have to go straight at it, but that thing will never walk alone. If it's the general fire archon mob, then it's not so bad. A minor inconvenience at most. The moment you start dealing with a flaming dreadnought, that's it. I won't say you're effectively done for, but the chances of that happening is quite high. Firstly, that thing has high damage and high defense/HP/both. If this is not enough, it also has that one thing plaguechanged maws and trolls do not have. Mobility. It doesn't matter where you run. Chances are, the dreadnought will just turn around without looking like a cumbersome Hondam (Sengoku Basara fans will get the joke here). Coupled with the fact that the dreadnought is meant to be the tank of Kabal's army, what it means is that any mob with that thing can (and will) go top gear against you. In particular, setting fire on the ground has to be the most frustrating aspect in fighting any dreadnought led mob. I really hate that. I really do. The moment you get hit by the scorched earth tactic, you better focus on the dreadnought. Once you drop that fellow, the rest of the mob should be very easy to deal with (albeit a mob including a dreadnought and a couple of eldritch spell casters is definitely the hardest fight you can get).

Onto Nostura's stormtroopers, all I can say is that Tainted Grove is more n00b friendly than Ember Hollow or the Realm's Edge. Even the more difficult ones like the gorgon, bulette, and nothic plaguegazer are relatively easy to deal with so long you move out of their firing range (and trust, it's very easy to do so). For the trolls, their AoE attack will only knock you back. Damage wise, it's not a big deal. If you want to train your alt in the River District, just go for Tainted Grove. Only annoying thing is that the dryad archers will always do the same thing as that fire archon ghost. And yes, the lightning bolt isn't that damaging to start with.

As for the terrain, there's a chance that you cannot move about blindly. The reason why being that while mobility, in general, will not be restrained, more often than not you won't be moving about in open space. In particular, the three ritual zones tend to have walls or overgrown flora surrounding you. Which is why positioning is very important. Once you get it wrong, you might as well respawn before the inevitable happens. My suggestion is to either engage the mob from the front (for tank) or forcing them to close in by attacking the rear (for dps).

Next up: Sewers, crypts, and dungeons. And also why the Lostmauth set is looking less ideal for Arylos now.

Edit: Did some proofreading today. Apparently, I need to quit my Tesla guy sleeping habit.
[Dated 25th Feb]

Hope it doesn't sound repetitive

Technically, we got less than 24 hrs away from mod 11. In reality, we're more than 24 hrs away due to maintenance and update. Below is basically a miscellaneous post where part of what is written was actually done a few days ago (or even a week).

The Back of a Man (for Cyrea and Kariss)

I'm someone who always enjoys leaving the best for the last. It's a personal habit of mine. Basically, The Back of a Man still has two more parts to go. Namely, that of Cyrea and Kariss. The format of this particular series of posts goes like gameplay first, then the story. I don't plan to reverse this decision. Hence, it may take me some time to finish the final two. Even though my country as a city is synonymous with a Löwe. I think like a German Löwe. In other words, I've devised two new builds respectively for them. So much for being the most important belles femmes in the life of the Königsmörder (okay, that's technically not true. There's still a Koryoan girl named Korey. Not the living one inspired by her, but rather the deceased one inspired by a scandal).

http://konigsmorder.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-do-you-mean-its-not-political-pt.html

http://konigsmorder.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-back-of-man-aka-nothing-to-do-with.html

http://konigsmorder.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-back-of-man-plus-my-ancestor.html

Special mention

Long time never played Dragonflight

Last night, I decided to have a go at the Dragonflight event. Basically, this is the best thing to happen when it comes to the guild alliance system. Which says a lot. While I never got the chance to hit the red and blue, I got the opportunity to have a go at the green and black.

In other words, this part is only on the green and black ones.

Let me just say that after the fight, my first impression was that the devs really upped the stakes. The AoE attack has increased in terms of spam frequency. Those who have done the Dragonflight event before would know there are two types of AoE minefields. The first is direct one-shot damage when it comes to fire and lightning (note that the red dragon's AoE fire pit also has a damage over time variation). The second type is damage over time. This is for acid and poison.

Against the green dragon, the damage over time aspect has been upped. Not in terms of the AoE attack, but rather a terrain full of gas. If this sounds like ISIS doing a Chem Ali against the Kurds, it means you've hit the mark. To survive that fight, you really need a Greater Scroll of Protection from Dragons (if you're a dps) or normal Scroll of Protection from Dragons (if you're a tank). As for the overload slots, I personally prefer Mark of the Dragon Slayer on a 2 slot basis instead of 1 Mark of the Dragon Slayer and 1 Mark of the Dragon Ward. If you're doing a hdps build, however, far better it is for you to go greater scroll and 2 dragon ward marks.

The black dragon is the hardest Dragonflight fight I've ever done. If you think the blue dragon was hard, wait till you see the ghosts coming out from the black one. Unlike the Valindra version, this ghost legion won't be contented bumming around. If you think dodging Valindra's ghost legion is tough (more notably the second wave), then you better not try doing in the black dragon. You can defy my words, but not every player can roll a successful 20 on Will save.

Being forced to risk an outright fatality is worse than getting killed by a random grenade, I'm pretty sure of that.

A foolproof way to search and destroy?

Against the red and green, the onus is to get in and deal damage. In this sense, the fight won't be that time-consuming (albeit red is the easiest due to the lack of Chem Ali's genius in the terrain). However, it must also be stated that the placement of AoE minefields has changed significantly. In the past, you won't get yourself in the kind of situation where the AoE minefields are everywhere. This time round, your dps toon can't just rush headlong in hope of taking minimal damage. At most, only a great weapon fighter would have a chance of survival due to high HP and the second best AC in-game with guardian fighter and oathbound paladin sharing the top spot. While I'm still waiting to take on the red, this is definitely the case with the green. You can try taking out the empowerers whenever they spawn, that's not gonna prevent minefield being planted all over the place. In fact, there's a decent chance of the AoE circle sharing the same space with any empowerer.

A spike in difficulty level means taking out the empowerers is even more important (and to think this tactical aspect was already important enough last time round). In other words, you'll never know where/when the AoE circle will overlap with the empowerer's position. Best way to take them out with minimal risk will be to focus the artillery (quite literally) on the empowerers. Expecting a melee dps to get them first is a bit like being a woman named Tan Toh Toh. Yes, there's a 50-50 chance of that happening, but it should be down to the melee dps to engage the dragon together with the tank. The ranged dps should be serving two roles at a time. Namely, dps support against the dragon and taking down the empowerers. The empowerers will always spawn at the edge of the battlefield, hence making it easier for the ranged dps to nail them down instead of the melee dps.

However, it must also be stated that there would be moments where the empowerers are out of firing range. This is the only moment where the melee dps should chip in (most likely the great weapon fighter due to the ability to run like a black lightning bolt named Usain "the Jamaican lightning" Bolt). Unless ofc all your control wizards have the Brisk Transport feat at 5 feat points maxed (note: hugely recommended by yours truly since mobility tends to be every control wizard's BFF more oft than not, drow girl or no drow girl).

Ideally, it's better for all the ranged dps to gather within one-half of the battlefield nearer to the edge when the fight starts. This is to ensure you can attack the empowerers immediately once they spawn due to the tell-tale sign called white column.

Note: Not along the edge, mind you. After all, your ranged dps BFFs still need to cover ground asap if there's a need to kill that empowerer furthest away from any of them.

If we're talking about the need to move about, just look out for the red circles before deciding for yourself (Note: Dodging gives you brief invincibility post-animation, so please use it sparingly since the risk of Deus Ex Stamina is very real. Those who have played through Portobello's dungeon will know what I'm talking about).

Against the black and blue, one of the most common advice you'd hear is "no pets allowed unless it's a cat." In other words, only augment companions should stay summoned. This is to ensure your companion doesn't break the tank's aggro hold. The nature of their AoE game is done in such a way that if the tank fails, the raid also fails. The job of the tank lies preventing an AoE nuke, one way or another (hence, further cementing Knight's Valor as that must-have encounter power together with Into the Fray). Period. This is especially important against the blue dragon since one blast of lightning can pretty much kill off all your dps members. At the same time, healers are a must in any Dragonflight raid. Without one, there's no way your party can take down a green, let alone blue and black. It's still possible to take down the red without a healer though if I say so myself. After all, you don't have to worry about Chem Ali's gas.

Yet, the hardest part is never about taking down the empowerers or reducing the dragon's HP to 10% (after which 90% of the raiding group has to engage the others yet to be fought). Due to the insane nature of the AoE attack placement, navigating through the red zone will decide whether you succeed or fail. More oft than not, every red zone will cluster together. For the control wizard, this is a problem because one wrong dodge can cost you a life. This is not so bad for a scourge warlock since dashing is all about knowing where to hit the brakes instead of when. For the hunter ranger, the low dodge distance works to this class' favor since a short range dodge won't shift the player from one red zone to another. At least most of the time, that is. For a control wizard, the window of error is very big. This is due to a relatively low chance of getting yourself in between the red zones instead of getting yourself inside. It's virtually a game of chance unless you're really damn good in gauging the distance from one red zone to one safe zone. Something which I doubt even an Ivy League grad would be capable of. Which now comes to the only aspect of dodge which can jailbreak any CW from a certain death: post-dodge invulnerability.

Above part was written far earlier...

Just that I was too shagged out to see it out until the end. After all, my sleep pattern mirrors that of a Tesla guy (just don't ask me whether it's only right for a Tesla guy to get a Tesla girl as his girlfriend).

Note: If you're a melee dps, just stick it into the beast at point blank range. Unless ofc your party tank is a moron.

There's Something About Demogorgon

It may sound like a parody of that movie which made Cameron "not a ditz" Diaz famous, but let me assure you that it's not. Firstly, Jim "the cable guy, but not this cable guy" Carrey may have done it first.

Secondly, I'm referring to a demon lord, not some Hollywood angel good enough to be a VS angel.

Yesterday, I did a normal Demogorgon run with Korey (complete with that Princess Leia outfit because I got nothing better to do when the last Simril event decided to give every gamer this for free). Her posture looks a bit hunched, but I'm actually quite okay with it. After all...

Enough about courtesan wear, boobs, and this. I'm going to talk about how easy normal Demogorgon has gotten.

One of the most notable stuff the devs have enhanced in the game lies in the upping the difficulty level. Depending on the total item level, this may not be noticeable in zones like Dread Ring and Sharandar. Once you enter zones like Icewind Pass, Well of Dragons, Bryn Shander, and Sea of Moving Ice, that's where the difference is more significant (apparently, this means Neverwinter is still about gear quality 90% of the time).

Originally, I only wanted Korey to slay a demon lord. Therefore, I wasn't expecting a gold score. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the raid instance resulted in a bronze score (something which is impossible 99% of the time since Demogorgon raids are known to be very straightforward if you can just open the purple portals ONLY).

As it turned out, everybody was opening the nearest portal. It was quite frustrating to see people not listening to instructions. There are times where criticism is legit. Then there are moments where people would just shift the blame to somewhere else. In normal Demogorgon, all you need to get gold is an intelligent tank. Okay, that may be an overstatement. But still, an intelligent tank will go a long way. Otherwise, there's no point having the healer as the smartest fellow in the war room.

By the time we finished phase 1, the verdict read GOLD. It was at this point of time that I decided to mess about. The thing with getting that goristro to ram the golden hole is this: Your ranged dps members have to line up around any of the correct holes instead of the wrong hole (read: ramming into a black hole means the goristro will regain HP instead of losing HP). As it turned out, I was guilty of taking potshot after potshot from the blue zone right in front of the lair entrance. It's not something done via a conscious decision. It was just me horsing around minus the Gangnam Style.

Hey, guess what? We hit gold once more despite that bs excuse of a cow hitting the correct hole no more than twice or thrice.

Ultimately, we got gold as well in phase 3. Which means we got gold without playing like a bunch of Koreans.

Skill set used (plus gear)

Firstly and foremost, I gave Korey a Ring of Brutality +3 and a Ring of Fortress +3. The reason why being that I need some kind of insurance, hence the latter choice. The trickiest part in creating a hdps build is never about the offensive. The dps part should be very straightforward. Either you opt for a crit based build or a build based on armor penetration. The difficult part lies in the defensive. Without a good defense/AC, deflection is useless (even for a trickster rogue where deflect severity goes as high as 75%, you'll still need a good defense to make that 75% count). Too much focus on the defense, however, and your dps will be compromised.

While I can't say Korey is a hdps build atm (something which every archery spec should strive for fyi), the need for hdps is still there. In other words, gear and standard artifacts used is of utmost importance. Firstly, I decided to do away with her Greater Cloak of the Seldarine. Yes, the AC bonus is nice. But it's not gonna do much since we're not talking abt melee builds like the destroyer great weapon fighter or executioner trickster rogue. And even if we're talking about melee dps, it's far better to use an offensive neck slot item instead of something which gives you AC (incredibly enough, Myrreas is using a Seldarine set instead of something offensive. This was despite me respec'ing him into an executioner. I'll try to explain this further somewhere down the road).

Secondly, I decided to do away with her Ring of Sieging +4 and Ring of Sudden Deflect +4. Instead, I opted for the current brutality-fortress combination. It worked surprisingly well so far with an Amulet of Valindra's Favor and Greater Twined Rope of Dexterity. The former gives Korey some much-needed recovery while the latter serves to play up the crit dps plus armor penetration (not to mention as well that Amulet of Valindra's Favor also gives crit). One of the challenges being faced when I decided to give Korey a total recall (no 3-boob jokes here please) was the armor penetration. The reason why anema god-modded the archery tree was down to not enough dps to go around. Without a good dps, your archer is as good as nothing. This time round, the crit aspect has been buffed. Big time. However, nothing much was done about power and armor penetration unless we're talking about feat proc'ing (Unflinching Aim is an exception, hence it being possibly the most imba feat available in the archery tree).

Note: In case you're wondering why Ring of Fortress, that's because no archer HR worth his/her salt would ever move constantly in any given raid instance.

In PvP and open PvE, your archer will have to dodge spam due to a low dodge distance (more specifically the lowest dodge distance). This is why Swift Footwork and Ghostwalker should be every archer's defensive bread and butter. During party instances, however, dodging would take a back seat. This includes fighting Demogorgon.

Because the whole stand-and-shoot aspect is so important during any party instance (minus PvP ofc), positioning becomes the crucial key. In fact, playing the hunter ranger means you'll have to be smarter than the rest so as to speak. It doesn't matter which paragon tree you choose. Either you'll live or die by tactical awareness or you'll succeed or fail by tactical awareness. Even for the combat tree or a melee based trapper, you can't escape from this (read: moves like Marauder's Rush and Pathfinder's Action should only be used to decide which enemy to target first).

Ambush tactics

This is where Ambush comes in. I don't know how many gamers choose the pathfinder HR, but Ambush is definitely an absurdly good move to have if you're going archery tree. So long the enemy doesn't close in, you're safe. What it means is that you can spam Ambush with impunity so long your tank is doing a proper job (something which requires the brain more than technique). Coupled with every offensive feat offered by the archery tree, you can just spam Aimed Shot to your heart's content. Planning an archery HR build is always straightforward. Pump all your points into the dps feats (apart from Stormcaller's Arrow/Quarry depending on your move set) and you're ready to go. And this is not to mention you'll most likely still have 5-10 feat points as surplus (assuming that you have also maxed out Keen Eye and Ghostwalker).

And yeah, please don't forget Stillness of the Forest. The synergy between this feat and Ambush is absurdly effective. Any at-will attack made via Ambush is counted as encounter power damage. This is because Ambush counts as both a damage dealer and damage modifier. Which means you can proc Predator this way.

Ambush; Aimed Shot; full AP; Ambush; kill a cow with Seismic Shot...
Wait... why am I sounding so British?

Current move set for Korey

At-will:

Rapid Shot, Aimed Shot

Encounter:

Cordon of Arrows, Thorn Ward, Constricting Arrow (for solo PvE)/Ambush (for party instances and Maze Engine boss fights like that damn balor).

Daily:

Disruptive Shot, Seismic Shot

Class features:

Aspect of the Falcon, Aspect of the Lone Wolf

A few things of note here.

Firstly, there's actually a way for you to execute Aimed Shot flawlessly (in open PvE) without the need of a defender comp or moves like Forest Ghost and Ambush. Because Disruptive Shot only costs you 25% action points, it can easily be used as a primary daily power. The start up animation may be a bit long, but not long enough to screw up any fight. What this means is that against any target in general, you can just daze the enemy in order to pull off Aimed Shot afterward. Don't laugh. I've tried it before and I can guarantee you that this simple 2 hit combo really works. It's down to how fast you can click the mouse button.

Secondly, Aspect of the Lone Wolf is pretty much a 50-50. This is because for any ranged hdps build, it's better to opt for the defense guild boon. This is extremely important in circumstances where mass nuking is 100% possible (most notably Castle Never). For any hdps build (not just the archer HR), damage taken has to be kept at the minimum in order to deal damage at the maximum.

If your defensive guild boon comes from the stables, an effective way to offset a lack of lifesteal will be all the lifesteal boons available elsewhere (plus dark enchantments at least on rank 7). Dragon's Greed, Primordial Regenesis, and Evoker's Thirst will give you 1% lifesteal chance each. Which means 3% lifesteal chance. Coupled with a rank 1 Dragon's Thirst alone and you'll get 6% lifesteal chance. Because the archer HR's crit level is too damn high, it's possible to use 4 major lifesteal reinforcement kits on your gear. Which adds up to 7.5% lifesteal chance. Assuming you opt for Dragon's Fury as one of your Tyranny of Dragons boons, it should mean either 2 points for Fury or 2 points for Thirst. For the lifesteal stat to work properly for any dps build, there has to be a minimal mark of 7% by my estimation (unless you're a renegade control wizard). Also, lifesteal can be a life saver in the event where you got hit by an AoE nuke (the ninja turtle boss in Fangbreaker doesn't count because the damage of its nukes is too damn high).

Currently, the problem I'm facing for Korey lies the final Dread Ring boon. Should I go pure hdps by choosing Rampaging Madness or should I opt for better survival chances via Endless Consumption?

Note: Because Thorn Ward deals periodic damage now instead of damage resistance debuff, pulling off this move means having a far better chance of proc'ing lifesteal since your archer HR will be dealing direct damage as well. Let's say Korey's lifesteal chance is only 6%. By executing Thorn Ward, the lifesteal chance is effectively doubled for the duration of the ward effect.

Add note: Jack Nicholson is indeed a Johnny Delzoun instead of some Johnny 외국인 like this one below.

I blame Gianna for this fried chicken meme above...

Worst pre-maintenance lag ever?

I could have completed Sheallyn Melarn's Dread Ring campaign before the 6 hr maintenance. Sadly, the customary pre-maintenance lag was terribly bad. Not only did it cause two demonic heroic encounter failures, I was forced to respawn against the Knight Commander boss in the Dread Spire lair. If you still don't know by now, please be noted that running Neverwinter with a laggy connection (Korean shows or no Korean shows) can cause outright fatality for any dps build. Even if you have Archer's mind of steel and Emiya Kiritsugu's tactical genius, there's still a 50-50 chance of respawning like another tactical genius named Deadpool.

In the event where your connection is screwed (Korean shows or no Korean shows), your best bet in jailbreaking lies in at-will power spam. Therefore, it's highly recommended that you bind a fast hitting AoE at-will to your left mouse click (Chilling Cloud is an exception to this rule because the chill stacking and AoE third hit makes it an effective counter guardian against lag. Not that Archer was successful against Dark Sakura and her BFF Servants, though).

On the demonic HE, do not try doing Demonic Closure if your game is lagging. Chances are, the balor will just rip apart the poor Harper wizard(s). I'm not joking. I've been through more than one Demonic Closure failure due to this. As for Demonic Slaughter, lag isn't an issue so long you have enough BFFs to deal the dps. As for Demonic Overload, I think tonight was the first time failure should be attributed to lag. Period. Which is why this has to be the worst pre-maintenance lag ever.

Note: Because Cryptic decided to give me a consolation prize, Shea's second try yielded her a Greater Mark of Power. If you've played the DR lairs long enough, you'll know Greater Mark of Power actually has a lower drop rate than Greater Mark of Union. Greater Mark of Stability is still the hardest to drop, though.

Wow, I've written this much?

The reason why is very simple. This post is a compilation of all that I've written while under screen saver mode. Because my sleeping habit is similar to that of a Telsa guy named Nikola, my mental focus is hitting a roller coaster atm. However, I feel there's a need to address this.

So what exactly went wrong in the land of dragons, emperors, and socialist capitalism? Let me just say, firstly and foremost, that it's very likely China doesn't enjoy the kind of player stability otherwise seen in the international and Russian servers. We're talking about the server launching N ages after the beta launch in 2013. Yes, the gameplay system is top notch. However, it must be stated that the term "global market" can be very misleading at times. Let me highlight a couple of examples.

1. http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/where-is-the-audience-for-local-english-films

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rainfall

What we're seeing here is a conflict between an international audience and the local audience. Operation Rainfall is a case of people assuming the worst while the former case is all about the worst being real. When it comes to this type of divide, there will always be factors specific to the situation. Say for example A Requiem From Winter Past by yours truly becomes a global phenomenon. From the New York Times Best Sellers list to being a Hugo Awards nominee. Does that mean ARFWP will be equally popular with my fellow Singaporeans? As a Singaporean myself, I'm under no illusion that the local audience prefers rooting for characters who are anything but morally flawed. Perhaps that's why unlike the haters of Julie "the girl with the dragon tattoo" Tan's character, I actually like... well, Julie's character (you don't expect yours truly to say "I like Julie."). In other words, I won't be surprised if the popularity of ARFWP will be inferior to works like Ah Boys to Men and Money Not Enough. It's not about quality. It's about the audience. [note: If you think Dong Zihuai is evil, you ain't seen nothing yet. Aeravor as the protagonist is a killer, whoremonger, and sociopathic bastard rolled into one.]

If you're feeling confused after reading all this, don't worry. Let me summarize it for you: It's a divide between the international audience and the PRC market (have to use PRC because my passport belongs to Singapore).

So no, the game is not going to crash. Neverwinter will still be ongoing until Luskan manages to annex it.

A few thoughts on The Cloaked Ascendancy

Firstly and foremost, I don't understand the relationship between the Far Realm and the Spellplague. Yes, the latter ended up opening portals for the former. To associate both together, however, is like Ed "not Woodward" Greenwood saying the Weave and Far Realm are linked. So how did the Order of the Many-Starred Cloak end up so far away in the cosmology? If I can answer this question, it means I'll most likely move to the U.S in a matter of weeks, if not months at most.

One challenge Cryptic will be facing is creating new aspects of the gameplay. The problem with the gear system is that it has hit a bottleneck. With stuff like vivified relic gear and masterwork gear, it means the devs can never do another mod 6. Unlike the gear system before Elemental Evil was released, the current gear system is more deeply tied to the various campaigns. More specifically the Underdark and Storm King's Thunder gear (note: The black ice gear is effectively redundant since Icewind Dale is now for players with higher level gear).

It will be interesting to see if the devs will up the character level cap or improve the overflow XP reward. As for the gear, it's far better for them to expand the vivify aspect rather than adding new stuff. After all, there's no point in making the Underdark and Storm King's Thunder gear obsolete (not to mention destroying the masterwork market since they're still going at 1-2 million in the AH).

P.S: Won't be surprised if you can purchase the things needed for artifact weapons restoration via voninblod. At least that will make a campaign exclusive currency more useful.

Add P.S: If there's anything to go by from the increase in difficulty level, it may possibly point to a future direction. In fact, difficulty level review has already been there since mod 7. Just that the devs upped their game further in mod 10.5.

The Calm Before An Icy Storm

Okay. So here it is, my first short story for my Neverwinter Six anthology. To be honest, proof-reading this gave me a funny feeling. On one hand, I criticized myself for not writing a longer piece (word length is less than my customary KPI of 3000. More specifically this work lasts only 2130 words). On the other hand, I felt that I did myself decent justice especially given how long I've been gaming at the expense of my novel writing (read: A Requiem From Winter Past). While this short story won't present any spoilers (since the people at Cryptic would always be one step ahead in this area so as to speak), it will present certain elements of creative liberty minus any risk of total retcon (read: the content doesn't clash with what you saw so far in the Storm King's Thunder plot). Originally, I planned for this work to be upped during Valentine's Day. After all, you don't expect the modern Singaporean equivalent of Vincent van Gogh or H.P Lovecraft to celebrate 14th Feb with other people (read: we all know how important it is for a local Singaporean guy to get a local Singaporean girlfriend since SPG has always been some kind of magic phrase that goes like "YOU'RE FIRED!"). In other words, no girl has yet to prove that she's good enough to control my joyride style creativity (I suspect, however, that there's one who may be good enough to do so. And I think I know who she is).

Long story short, the image below was the reason why it took me so late to get this up.

Apparently, I have a destructive sleeping habit no different from a Tesla guy.

Not to mention as well my brain tends to be more active at night.

)0(

“Welcome to the Moonstone Mask!”

Before the alluring tiefling, two courtesans flanking the portal bowed seductively. No doubt a game played by Jen Lewstorn, noted an amused Kariss. Despite being accustomed to the harshness and fickleness of reality, she found the human bartender of the Moonstone Mask an interesting friend with a few common traits. While general understanding declared Liset Cheldar as the owner, a chosen few knew unto whom this place would eventually belong to.

“Welcome to the Moonstone Mask.”

Knowing the mocking nature behind such greeting, Kariss curtsied in reply. Like the legendary Ophala Cheldarstorn during the long gone days of Nasher Alagondar, Liset held no love for the Arcane Brotherhood. Deudermont’s death at the hands of their machinations only served to cement their lurid reputation. That was many years ago, however. As much as Liset detested to admit it, the Brotherhood have proven themselves in the most unexpected manner. After all, only a fool would choose not to profit from the chaos wrought by an undead Akar Kessell and his nefarious minions.

Not only did Anara the Cerulean offer her aid in rebuilding Caer-Konig, she also made sure any dissent would be met with the harshest punishment possible short of death. Their current leader was a scheming one, this much Liset has to acknowledge. As for Kariss Locras…

“Shocking, isn’t? To think I used to be part of them,” smiled the tiefling.

“Luke Locras was an enemy of the Brotherhood in the worst possible way. There is no way I would doubt his daughter’s word. Oghma be praised that you chose to leave the same bunch of people whom your father betrayed.”

“Except that I’m never his daughter,” Kariss’ answer to Liset’s compliment was nothing less than a knife forged in irony, her back turned towards the masked proprietor.

”I was only meant to be a replacement.”

With those words, she descended the stairs and blew a kiss to Jen. As for Liset, she could only shake her head in a twisted mix of amusement and lamentation. There was no falsehood behind Kariss’ statement, yet there was nary a resentment in her words as well. Perhaps that rascal Myrreas was right after all.

No one can ever live without trust. Better to live like a wounded beast than to live like the undead.

)0(

“Welcome to Cold Run and Makos’ Bastion!”

“Who is this odd fellow?” whispered Celeste as she nudged Xuna.

“Well, he’s…”

“Ewan Roald, I presume,” called out Knox, his booming voice nevertheless revealing a tone of respect.

“The remaining Three, I presume,” smiled the rugged leader of Trailblazers’ Sword, “Ewan Roald at your service. And is that one of the Six I see behind you?”

“”Bhaasmond Taran,” said Celeste, “Shield of the Six.”

“We have come to know better the manner of Makos’ death,” said the half-orc paladin, “For days of mourning alone can never be enough a compensation to his comrades.”

“Including you as well?” asked Ewan slyly, a thumb stroking his fuzzy chin, “Pardon my impudence, but there is a reason why I’m the founder of the finest scouting company Faerûn has ever seen.”

“Honor.”

No sooner Celeste spoke out, Bhaasmond held out a gauntleted hand.

“I appreciate the goodwill behind your lie, Lady Celeste. However, I am both a paladin and Torm’s soldier for a reason.”

“You are indeed a knight,” smiled Celeste, the emotional strain suffered so far at last showing its hand, “I have seen too many men with the heart of a beast. You, on the other hand, are truly the opposite.”

Before Bhaasmond could return the heartfelt compliment, another person emerged from a nearby tent.

“You want the truth behind Makos’ death. Or at least the vital details.”

A youthful man emanating an otherworldly aura greeted the four, facial hair trimmed adding a rugged edge to his looks.

“Name’s Artus Cimber. Forgive me when I say we don’t know much. Wulfgar and Catti-brie of the famed Companions of the Hall would know better. Alas, they are now somewhere in Icewind Dale gathering allies.”

“To fortify the defense of Bryn Shander and Lonelywood?” asked Celeste.

“Wrong,” answered Ewan Roald, his grin growing wide.

“We’re preparing to strike at the heart of Makos’ murderer. We’re going to launch an assault against Svardborg. And we’re going to take down its jarl.”

“I suppose this camp will be emptied very soon then,” quipped Knox as he looked around, the towering Arkaiun folding his arms.

“Wrong,” smirked Ewan, this time in a rueful way, “Me and my men will still stay put here in case the frost giants try something funny. After all, the orcs are still running loose despite our hero and his princess giving them something much bigger than they can chew off.”

“I will be going,” said Artus, his visage turning somber, “The Ring of Winter still recognizes me as its owner and Storvald won’t take this fact lying down. Good to see allies here who can aid our cause from today onward.”

)0(

“That damned dream again…”

Events days ago accompanying a curse against Beshaba, a familiar face being the cause. Myrreas stepped out from the bed, his toned torso bared.

“You should be resting.”

The comely rogue never turned back to face the speaker as a willowy brunette placed a basin of water on the table. The Dalelander almost discovered where Manshoon was hiding. Then he arrived. That man haunting his sleep even until now.

Gyrion…

“You want to change my bandages?”

Taken aback by Myrreas’ question, Calestin could only nod dumbly. Stripping off his dressing, Myrreas pointed to the basin and beckoned. Shaking her head with a smile, Calestin prepared to change the bandages. Renaer was right in likening Myrreas to a legendary figure of Waterdeep.

Always playing the fool while hiding his hand. Never realized there is indeed a second Danilo Thann.

“Makos, you’re right. That fellow is back,” whispered Myrreas, his eyes narrowed while Calestin applied the healing salve to his wounds. Not just any manner of injury, but burns inflicted by the leader of the Cloaked Ascendancy.

)0(

“What’s this?”

“Taulmaril. Otherwise known as the Heartseeker.”

“I know its name, Drizzt Do’Urden. Don’t act dumb.”

Before an unbelievable offer from Drizzt Do’Urden, Arylos maintained his steely gaze. The hero of Neverwinter was no fool, he knew the intent behind the seemingly absurd. The battle at Fangbreaker Island has been concluded, but the thirst for vengeance was far from quenched. Drufi was merely a pawn; one of Storvald’s numerous weapons in the same way Makos was just a victim in the name of convenience.

Days and months have passed since that fateful battle against Baphomet, yet it felt as if the stranglehold of the Maze Engine has never been relinquished. An absolute irony, for Makos was the one who destroyed it. Perhaps it was meant as a curse from a vanquished demon lord. Then again, it might actually be Vizeran DeVir’s final act of revenge. Back during the victory celebration, Drizzt had cautioned Arylos on whatever thoughts haunting Makos like a spiteful lover spurned.

“Tell Celeste…”

The tiefling warlock in the end caused an upheaval in Arylos, the cruel manner of his demise reminding the Or-tel-quessir of how his first love ended her life.

 “Tell yourself to be brave while alone, Ary. Keep this dagger if you really love me.”

 “A life for a life.”

Arylos’ statement promptly reduced a meeting of heroes to a stage of silence, both he and his drow counterpart playing the role of actors bereft of voice. The uncomfortable atmosphere prevailed for a while, tension unspoken directed towards the frost giant jarl stifling the nearby residents of Lonelywood. Then he reached out for the bow together with a quiver filled with silver arrows. With nary a word spoken, the ranger of Kelemvor departed from view.

Storvald wasn’t the only obstacle before him, however. There’s one thing to be done first, something closer to his Kelemvorite faith than mere vengeance. The presence of undead was never something associated with an artifact like the Ring of Winter, let alone should be.  Causing death was one thing, practice of necromancy quite another. Bryn Shander might have seen only two such beings so far, but the tactician in Arylos has seen more than enough on the battlefield to detect subtle clues pointing at an anomaly.

That cleric better not get himself drunk at the Hook, Line, and Sinker. First drink always on the house indeed.

)0(

“Unto Cyrea Durothil, my beloved, I give you this jewel. A trinket worth merely a pittance to others, yet much more than a kingdom to both of us.”

Gripping the necklace gifted from a lover lost to death, Cyrea recalled clearly that damning day where Ilyath Le'Quella was reported killed during a sudden attack from the daemonfey. In a span lasting mere hours, both word and proof of his death arrived. In a blatant show of mockery directed towards the entire Tel-quessir, the moon elf’s body was mutilated with words born of the abyssal tongue scripted on his back.

“A bride left undead without her beloved. Won’t be surprised if the groom is among the frozen dead.”

Then there was Arylos. If Ilyath’s existence could be compared with spring or summer, then the wood elf was a living representation of winter. One was a fighter believing in honor, the other a tactician placing absolute faith in that necessity called victory. Ilyath deserved to be called a hero, yet he failed to be one. Arylos was never meant to be a hero, yet he became one. If there was to be something in common between the two, it would be the nature of their patron deities. Ilyath worshipped Sehanine Moonbow, she was the goddess overseeing the passage of the elven dead. Arylos was a Chosen of Kelemvor, a god whose visage reflected the absolute truth known as death. If there was an irony waiting to be seen, this would be it.

Haunting images of that fight atop the wall of Bryn Shander remained freshly imprinted in her mind. A bitter bride unexpectedly whispering her thanks to an unfeeling Arylos, such was a surreal portrait of peace painted in a radiant flash. In a twisted sense, the sun elf saw a part of herself in the undead maiden. From her own view, a living hero worshipping a god of death was far more a dead man walking than any undead.

“So what’s your decision?”

A smile suddenly adorning her fair features, the Ar-tel-quessir has no need to turn behind.

“What were you thinking when you decided to let go of him?”

Before her good friend’s question, Sheallyn Melarn stayed silent. Myrreas was right all the while. In the same way she could never read the mind of that ex-Harper despite an intimate past, likewise there was no way for her to enter Arylos’ inner world in spite of a common fear towards loss.

“That Bhaasmond was a better man. And he still is,” answered the drow with a giggle. While it was nothing more than a statement of jest, Sheallyn understood fully well the truth behind her words. Myrreas would never be totally honest in front of her. The half-orc paladin, on the other hand, was willing to trust her with his future. Arylos would never betray his ways for her sake. Bhaasmond Taran, however, would gladly take up arms and lay down his life for her sake alone.

“What’s your decision?”

Upon asking herself this question, Cyrea recalled the moment where Makos met his untimely end.

“Tell Celeste…”

Before Makos could finish his final sentence, a frost giant’s ax swung down at him. The tiefling warlock was able to evade the full force of that crushing blow. Alas, a mere graze was all it took to sever the spine and crush his ribs.

In a fit of wrath, Wulfgar stepped forward. In a moment of unpredictability, Arylos became the next person to do so. With one decisive swipe, Harshnag snatched the Or-tel-quessir away from his moment of madness. With howls of anguish, Arylos struggled to break free.

Makos was merely a passer-by in Arylos’ life. Yet, something snapped inside the ranger for no apparent cause. Perhaps Linu’s warning was spot on after all, that Baphomet’s presence corrupted the Maze Engine more than anything else. An utter irony if so, for the Maze Engine was meant to bring order to chaos.

Then Cyrea released her grip on the past, the necklace descending into the river and carried down the waterfall. Just behind her, Sheallyn gave a smile of approval. Every person was born selfish, no matter what and how. Those were the words spoken by Arylos. As for Cyrea, selfishness was the only way for her to put behind the past.

)0(

Just some notes to end this post. Firstly, I originally intended to add in one more part. Namely, whatever conversation between Laeral Silverhand and Elaith Craulnober (most notably Amnestria Moonflower). The only problem? Whatever I know so far came from third party sources (read: the internet and wiki). I could try taking the risk, but there's no point for me to force myself due to being constantly sleep deprived during the next day. There are things which I'm comfortable with despite my brain being in a 50-50 state. Then there are other things which I'm not confident of due to the same situation.

And besides, it's far better for Elaine Cunningham to do her own conclusion where the Serpent is concerned (read: there's only this much I can glean from the Forgotten Realms Wiki).