Tales of ShisuFollow

Beginning
I found myself in an unfamiliar world, far from home. The "people" here stink of dragons and I walk past them without a word. I do not know why I am here but my first action must be to return to Cabilis. I hear that there is a portal in the adjacent lands and make my way towards it. Evading huge rats and shambling sentient plants I reach the location of this supposed portal and find... nothing. My spirit shrinks and in that moment comes clarity: My god, the Lord of Fear has chosen to test me. He must see if this broodling merits his attention. I will not fail him. This fear will hone my senses and in time I will turn it as a weapon against my enemies. For now, I must continue to Cabilis on foot.

From the forsaken moors, I locate a passage through the wall of mountains to human lands. I don't care for the humans and they will kill me on sight but at least they don't stink of dragons. I scramble through the canyons without seeing a soul or drawing any attention and begin traveling down a long declining cliff which goes for miles. By the time I reach the bottom, I am nearly complacent about my surroundings but stop short when I see beasts moving about before me.

Cazic Thule has shown his approval of my efforts thus far: the great cats stalking the light forest are indifferent to my presence. Enormous beetles and spiders stumble by blindly. I smell water ahead and head towards it. A massive bridge looms before me and at its footings stands a human guard. I can sense his holy nature from here. He is clad in armor and carries a bright sword; I am naked and armed with a knife. As I silently climb the bridge from the side to slink past his guard I feel a burning shame at my weakness and vow to one day return to strike him down.

Across the river, the forest has given way to open plains and I spy human settlements in the distance. I give them wide berth as I do the great winged beasts I see. They are fierce hunters and I do not expect them to offer me the same respect I received from the hunting cats of the wood. Over the horizon I spot a towering structure and smile. The symbols on these great spires are known even in Kunark as marks of a long lost civilization. Despite the Combine's long ruin, perhaps they can be of service to me now. The woman within the Spires is human but with an ageless quality. She offers me safe transport to a place from which I can reach Kunark. I am forced to crouch in the shadows as guards pass -- they are not of the Combine but rather the human empire here -- but am ultimately consumed by an ancient light and find myself in a great stone chamber. From there I easily sojourn through the mystic energies to find myself outside Cabilis in the Field of Bone. I am home. Lord Cazic Thule, this broodling completed your first test.

[OOC: As a silver member, I was forced to start in Crescent Reach. Obviously that wasn't going to do. I don't know why the PoK book wouldn't show in Blightfire Moors, I once had the same issue in some other zone (Misty Thicket?) and it took a reinstall to fix it. Even wiping the Moors zone files and letting it repatch didn't help. So I had to set out on foot. In retrospect, I could have gone Nexus to Dreadlands and avoided PoK but ***** that noise.. I have a life to live No idea how much/frequently I'll update but the initial trip was a real flash back.]

Edited, Sep 20th 2013 9:22pm by Jophiel

Well, it was a one-time annoyance since I don't plan on using Origin any time soon. Interesting about the moved book. As I said, I had a bugged PoK book once before (also the PoG 'brain tree' was glitchy) and I even checked multiple maps/sites so I just assumed. Maybe Cazic was just testing her cartography skills. The Lord [of fear] works in mysterious ways

Awesome!

I love Iksars. You've framed this fantastically for the lore-bizarre reality of silver membership. I want chapter 2!

Well, how very embarrassing... my (randomly generated) name was Shisu not Shisa.

Season One
Whatever elation I felt at completing my journey back to Cabilis is tempered by the reminders that I am a mere lower-class broodling. Few of my fellow Iksar have time or interest in assisting me. I set out into the Field of Bone to prove my worth and acquire some new possessions. I fight the skeletons outside the guarded perimeter and sift through their remains; in the end I am proud of my collection of undamaged skulls and assorted bits of bone. The necromancers of the Tower of Death will want these. I also find a skeleton carrying a sheer blade. Although I am not skilled with swords, I hope to sell it. Upon my return to Cabilis, the Klok is unimpressed with the skulls and offers me only a few copper coins. The sword fares better and I am given several precious gold coins.

An Iksar near the market offers me a reward for exterminating the scaled wolf whelps that inhabit the streets, dragging about garbage and soiling the city with their droppings. He demands a section of soft scale as proof and the first several whelps I kill are so badly damaged that no suitable evidence remains. I am about to accuse the exterminator of tricking me when I find my first scale. Harvesting the other three is a long process and the coins he dismissively pressed into my hand hardly seem worth it.

Season Two
While speaking with one of the Kloks, he begins to talk about curscale armor. I become excited as the prospect of protecting myself but the Klok is a madman and continues to repeat the same phrases over and over. He is either mocking me or a fool, either way he is not worth my time. A more fruitful relationship is with the Prime Patriarch of the city. He is to be my head mentor and demands proof of my abilities. My lengthy journey is in the past; he wishes to see more immediate evidence. At his command, I leave Cabilis again and head into the neighboring swamp. Leeches abound here, great snake-like things the size of a small wolf. I kill enough of them with my small knife to obtain four useful husks and return to the Patriarch with them. He shows me my first sign of approval since returning and fashions the husks into a bracer. I use a few of my coins as a tithe to receive training in the ability to sense beasts. I had heard rumors of a minor healing magic but none here seem to know of it.

Season Three
The Prime Patriarch has sent me on another proof of my abilities, fighting spiders and beetles. The spiders are venomous and are found in areas filled with other dangers. When I am forced to retreat back towards the city, the Crusaders do nothing by smirk arrogantly at my weakness; I must find a Trooper to assist me. Returning the silks and carapace to the Prime Patriarch rewards me with an armored headpiece. The temple scribes have offered to teach me magic to protect myself from cold but my coins are too precious for now and I have no immediate need for such protection. I spent a few of them on a sturdy pack made of rhino hide so I could remain out from the city longer. One Klok offers me a damaged pelt from a sabertooth cat and a pattern she assures me can be used to create a tunic. At the loom, these items fall apart under my clumsiness and I feel cheated but there is nothing I can do. I should have tried an easier item but the allure of protecting myself blinded me to my own inexperience.

[OOC: Typing this, it was obvious to me that the shared newbie experience (hunting yard trash, minor quests, etc) means some narrative will sound very familiar to Banner's. Nothing much I can do about it except to acknowledge it. The Curscale Armor quest NPC is broken and the trigger phrase to get the quest satchel just makes him say the same lines over and over. A disappointment since his quest rewards would have been very helpful. The Level 1 healing spell, Salve, is not sold in Cabilis. I have not completed level three yet but will continue it next time. Wanted to get this up before I forgot the details.]

Edited, Sep 21st 2013 11:44am by Jophiel

Yeah, I tried typing the whole line, clicking, etc. Couldn't get it to work. Next time I'm in town I'll try again but I suspect it's just bugged. I did file a bug report on it (not that I expect a speedy fix, if ever).

All the cool lizards hang out on Cazic. Jus' sayin' is all.

Also, get back to work on Banner. Regenerating races of Norrath represent!

Edited, Sep 21st 2013 4:00pm by Jophiel

I've been playing Banner, just working to a decent point to do the update (progress has been sloow, for reasons to be revealed lol).

Lake of Ill Omen: awesome place, you'll be able to go mid-20s there if you remain sane staying. I spent a ton of time in the newb area as a much higher level once upon a time trying (unsuccessfully) to farm a ring for my chanter to break charm with . The spawn tables for all the mob types overlap like mad... so if you need sarnaks kill everything. If the mobs didn't kill each other it would be more obvious because the zone would end up being just the mob type not being hunted.

That dagger was a major score... (Banner is jealous) I was going to suggest hitting Field of Bone again as I think bandits/skellies there are better for dagger drops but you have something nicer anyways.

Seasons Seven & Eight
With my new weapon, I return to the Lake of Ill Omen to continue my test and prove myself to the Prime Patriarch. On occasion, I spy one of the Sarnak Broodlings and set myself upon it, stabbing at it with my fang-knife still coated in venom. Of the enemy races surrounding Cabilis: the goblins, frogloks, Burynai... it is the Sarnak who are the most despised and I hunt them with a dedication surpassing the others.

One morning, on the rolling hills near a set of ruined columns, I spot a scaled wolf watching me. Scaled wolves are not found in this area yet this one sits alone and allows me to approach it. I am ready to attack it but it does not strike forward nor shy back. Something drives me to instead offer it a piece of meat from a rabbit I had found while foraging for breakfast. The reptile consumes it and begins to follow me. When a sabertoothed cat rushes from its ambush, the wolf leaps at its flank as we battle. I have found a companion in these wilds.

Seasons Nine until Twelve
Day after night, my companion and I hunt these hills. The ruins and plains are well known to me and we continue to strike out further. The scaled wolf who has followed me seems to have been alone here -- I have seen no others of her kind. We are a pack now, she and I. The goblin hunters who once drove me back time and again now fall back from our brief battles, terror in their hearts as they flee only to drop from fangs and knives in their backs. I rarely return to the guard posts outside the city and when I do, it is to sell to the few Kloks who do business there. The guards who once mocked and teased me now pay me silent respect. No praise leaves them but they know that I have become a hunter.

The seasons of battle have made me hardened against the creatures here and, with that, comes frustration. One night, after ambushing another Sarnak broodling, I realize that the fight has taught me nothing. I have exhausted the challenge from these creatures. What value is there in hunting the same quarry for a fang simply to prove that I've defeated a worthless foe? The Prime Patriarch has talked of sending me out to fashion a chestpiece after this quest was completed but his tests seem foolish now. In defiance, I head back into Cabilis and purchase several patterns from the merchants. At the loom, I sew the pelts I had earned into arm wraps and a tunic. I am well enough covered for now by my own hand, without wasting endless nights. I visit the temple long enough to learn several new magics from the scribes: spells of protection and spells to strike my prey with ice. I do not visit the Prime Patriarch. Rather than returning south, I set my path north out of Cabilis towards the cursed tower of Kurn.

[OOC: I assume the updates will span more levels now since it's hard to create a compelling narrative out of "Season six: ground xp on goblins and skeletons". I had been hunting Sarnak Broodlings for six levels and only had one out of the two required fangs to drop for the H2H weapon. Postings on Alla's talk of hours spent trying to get them to drop. When the mobs went grey, I gave up for now. I'll return later to restart the Claw questline when it's less time consuming per fight to kill non-xp mobs. Spent some time in Kurns last night but I'll roll that into the next update.]

Excellent. I only looked briefly and obviously checked the wrong thing and/or confused myself. Go to hell, Sarnaks!

Also, commentary on my mistakes is nice because at least I know someone is reading

Loved reading both this and Banner...so much so that I am going to go ahead ( in the next couple of days when I can get time ) and start an Ogre with the same idea. Not that I can compare in writing to you guys, but you have inspired me to try it from the beginning again...

Seasons Twelve until Twenty
Stepping back out into the Field of Bone, I have the momentary concern that perhaps my companion will leave me now that there are others of her kind to join with. My fears are laid to rest as she remains at my side, fiercely warding me when one of her kin get too close to us. Shrouded in mists across the great pit, I can see the flickering lights of the torches burning through the fog. I wonder briefly who -- or what magicks -- keeps the torches lit even today. All Iksar know the stories of this tower; its history as the cursed birthplace of the hated traitorous Sarnaks and how the tortured dead from those failed experiments haunt the place still. The guard patrols do not extend out this far and few enter the place today except to seek glory or treasure.

The warder and I ascend the long winding ramp outside the tower without incident and enter the structure. Immediately at the entrance we are set upon by one of these ancient skeletons, far stronger than the frail relics of past wars that roam aimless around the city's perimeter. We break the cursed thing apart, powerful reptilian jaws and blows from my feet doing more damage to it than my fang-knife. Past the entry arch lies a great chamber teeming with undead Iksar mindlessly patrolling and bound to this site. Staying close to the exterior walls, we engage only those which are separated from their kin. Although mindless, they continue to possess a sort of allegiance to their kind and rush to one another's defense when close to a fight. In an alcove along the far wall, I feel a draft; a false wall hides a sizable antechamber. Whatever used to fill this room is long gone but is serves as a safe place to rest from our fights, hidden from the roaming dead outside.

As I grow more confident of our abilities, the warder and I test the stairs leading upward. Some of the guarding dead we are able to evade through timing and staying in the shadows, others we fight. A few are adorned with cursed artifacts that seethe with corruptive power. The Kloks pay well for these things and I resist the temptation to put them on. I am am still largely dressed in tattered strips of hide and rags. On the second level, beneath a still remaining stained glass window, one of the skeletons is destroyed while in possession of magical sleeves. Upon the third flight, another leaves behind gloves, unenchanted but sturdy and welcome for my bare hands.

It is within an abandoned dining chamber that I feel my luck is truly changing. A particularly sturdy skeleton attacks us with a finely crafted war hammer. After defeating the foe, I claim the weapon as my own and sheathe my knife. The heavy steel face of it will be a far more suitable weapon for defeating these animated bones than scratching at them with a salvaged spider's fang. Our attempt to descend the stairs is interrupted by a charging skeleton of unusual zeal, an 'X' visible on its skull and wielding a heavy morning star. I am far more interested in acquiring an additional weapon than the story of this foe. Before returning to Cabilis to resupply, I have two more hammers in my pack and carry the morning star and hammer, one in each hand. In town I am rewarded with real platinum coin for the extra weapons. With my coin pouch heavy, I purchase some additional scrolls from the scribes so I can continue my training in the field. My warder's bite crackles with magical power and my arms are buoyed by the blessing of Cazic Thule. As I prove myself as hunter, so too do I gain his approval and favors. A few of my surplus coins are spent at a professional tailor for fitted boots and shoulderpads.

When I return to the tower, I turn my attention towards its depths. I can smell the stench of the Burynai below me before I reach the steps; dark creatures that burrow under the ruins, stealing treasure and trying to increase their own unholy power. The warder and I move quietly, using distractions to pull each burrower away from its pack and slay it. A few attempt to flee for help but none manage to reach aid. From their corpses I salvage magic armplates and an enchanted ring but neither are suitable for a hunter and they will be sold to the Kloks. I had hoped to find treasures for myself down here, perhaps an enchanted weapon for my own use but none are to be found. I find a rough tunnel behind a broken wall and make camp with my companion watching over me. I will explore a little further tomorrow but already I feel urge to move on and test myself against different prey.

[OOC: Man, leveling in Kurns was fast. Much faster than I'd have expected and I had hoped to have more gear to show for myself by level 20. It was probably too much to hope that the Jester would be up with the Iksar Berserker Club but these are the dreams that keep us moving I'm a little loathe to spend more money at the merchants than I have to since eventually spell costs will catch up with me. I have a nice nest egg for now but I know hoe this games goes. Especially with no Bazaar or source for funds besides selling drops to the NPC merchants.]

Dalnir will be interesting. It never had many stand-out weapons or equipment for classes I've played but it does have a few nice monk/BST weapons. So I've never explored it a ton before but I have incentive to do so now. Not now-now, of course... gotta get some more levels and gear.

Fighting a skeleton last night and getting knocked around in my crap gear, I wondered "How did people pull this off back in 2000?" followed up "Oh yeah, there would be five more of us here!" At least I had the unintentional foresight of choosing a pet class.