Terror
Level 80 Weaponmaster (Fighter) / Assassin (Rogue)
Titles: Corruptor, Soul Reaper, Dwarfbane, Human Bane
“Set up the Soul Trap around the dais, before we break the shield. Don’t want it escaping.” The Soul Trap was basically a series of six stakes that, when driven into the ground, created a barrier preventing incorporeal creatures from passing it. A single use item to make sure this boss didn’t do untold damage that we would get blamed for.
Once the trap was in place, and all our buffs were re-upped, I took a deep breath, and stepped forward, breaking the plane of the shield that had been keeping Abbie-Xonohr contained, causing it to fail entirely. The woman stirred, and spoke with what seemed like two voices at once, though slightly out of synch. “Ah, a new meal has come to feed me! It has been so long since these foolish mortals trapped me here, even sacrificing this tasty morsel to do so. I had hopes for better, when that one traveler entered this vault, but unfortunately he died, even though he managed to kill my servant in his last breath. A pity. But now you are here, to be my new host!”
Ugh. Monologuing. What is it with villains and monologuing? You ruin so many perfectly good plans by stopping to talk about it! At any rate, I was simply waiting for Severa to get in position. When I nodded, she stabbed the woman through the throat, killing her instantly. A ghastly green form began rising from the woman’s body as it fell, and I yelled, “BACK!”
Jumping back out of the Soul Trap, we left the now-free Xonohr unable to possess anyone. “Gadriel, the chain!”
Xonohr screamed in rage and frustration as the Ghost Chain bound its incorporeal form, and then the rest of us rushed in. With the Terror losing its most effective weapon and defense being both unable to possess anyone and trapped in corporeal form, it was a shockingly easy fight, especially with blessed weapons. But in its final moments, Xonohr cursed, “You may have defeated me, but I will have my revenge! I hadn’t spent these years idle, even though I was trapped in that damn cage! Meet the Hammer of Death!”
And then the ground rumbled as the dais began to slide to the side, revealing a platform rising from below. And what I found there was very much NOT what I wanted to see.
Hammer of Death
Corrupted Mithral Golem
Level 80 Golem
Titles: Terrortouched, Deathbringer
A ten-foot tall golem in the form of a dwarf male, made entirely out of mithril that had apparently been stained black by the corruption, and wielding a massive hammer in each hand, that looked like it could flatten a troll in a single strike. Damnit. The Monastery must have created it before the Terror came. Probably as a sign of devotion to Moradin. And the Terror had completely corrupted it.
“Yukiko, Nithroel, to the front! Hrozne, you and me on the flanks! Severa and Kamla stay away from the hammers, and do what you can to damage that thing! Della, Gadriel, to the rear! Focus on keeping the front ranks healthy, and any buffs you can manage. This is going to be a long slog!”
With a basic plan in motion, we began what was probably the only ‘traditional’ boss fight I’d been in since starting this game. Golems were nasty like that. They were big. They were tough. They had oodles of HP. And they didn’t have easily exploitable weaknesses, meaning we had to literally wear them down to nothing.
What followed was a long, painfully drawn out slog against the golem. There were special techniques one could use to fight golems, but we didn’t have any of them. Given the nature of our team, our only saving grace was that we had plenty of healing available, because otherwise we would have been paste.
Even so, a backhanded blow with one of the hammers caught me off guard as I was landing a blow on the damned thing, and gave me a glancing shot. That ‘graze’ sent me flying off my feet, and took off more than a quarter of my total HP, even with all my protections! Still, I felt the light of healing magic hit me immediately after, and got up, ready to throw myself into the fight again. So far, we had drawn it down to almost 50%, over the last half-hour’s work.
By now, we were all starting to get tired, even though we had been pacing ourselves. Thankfully, the golem’s attack patterns didn’t change too much, since it was acting autonomously. If the bastard had been activated while the Terror was still around to command it, we’d have been fucked. Still, we continued fighting, and eventually, a full hour after the battle began, the golem fell to the ground, defeated.
But before we could rest, two things needed to be taken care of. First, looting the body. Second, making sure that nothing came out of that room that suddenly revealed itself when the magic barrier shattered. Third, reading the notification about my quest.
Quest Completed!
Blighted Monastery
A monastery formerly belonging to disciples of Moradin has been defiled by the Blight. What caused the Blight to come here? Why is it centered upon this monastery without spreading?
You destroyed the Terror that was at the center of the Blight, giving this land a chance to recover from the corruption.
Rank
B
Success
Discover the cause of the Blight.
(Optional) End the Blight.
Failure
Die, or give up the quest.
Rewards
Experience
Golem Builder’s Handbook
Increased Reputation with followers of Moradin
Huh. From the golem, we got what amounted to a shit ton of mithril. Enough to make a golem out of. Funny that. The rest of the loot included some cool items that helped round out the others’ gear. I, on the other hand, took a grimoire found in the loot.
Rusty Codex
Type
Grimoire
Rank
Uncommon
This codex is covered in leather bound in rusted iron. In it is contained the secrets of the Rusting Grasp spell, a spell of the Transmutation school, used for fighting heavily armored foes like knights and golems. Teaches the spell when read, then disappears.
Requires: Transmutation Magic
Learn the Rusting Grasp spell.
Golem Builder’s Handbook
Type
Skill Book
Rank
Artifact
This book contains the secrets of the art of Golem Creation. Few masters of this ancient craft still remain, and fewer still can be found outside the most ancient of the dwarven thaigs.
Teaches Golem Creation at Beginner 1.
Allows creation of Clay Golems.
Of course, I used both books immediately. I was pleased, however, to see that the Golem Builder’s Handbook didn’t disappear after use, so I stored it after letting Yukiko learn the skill as well. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for all the craftsmen in the guild to learn it, just in case. Having golems to help defend the castle would be a big status symbol, and since they were rare, they could probably be sold for a pretty penny.
That done, I looked into the room that had been sealed off, and smiled. Looks like we found the vault where all the most precious shinies were kept, and the magic barrier protected them from the Blight. Now, to run through the loot…
Chapter 70 – Blacklake
Bloodloord’s Breastplate of the Damned
Type
Chest
Rank
Rare
Made of Mithral, this breastplate has been worked to resemble a dragon’s skull. There are runes upon the breastplate that provide additional protection than just the armor itself. When the wearer bathes in blood, the breastplate speeds their strikes.
Requires: Level 45
+120 Defense
+30 STR, +30 DEX, +30 CON
+35% Resistance to Piercing, Slashing, and Bludgeoning
Bloodied Haste – When you deal over 100 points of damage to an enemy in a single strike, gain +100% attack speed for 10 seconds. Each additional strike that qualifies extends the duration of the haste.
Enchanted: Unholy Might – +40% Resistance to damaging Div
ine Spells
Treznor’s Bracers of Conquest
Type
Bracers
Rank
Unique Rare
These bracers were originally used by Treznor the Wicked. As a Dominator, he liked to make his chosen prey helpless while he worked his way on them. The fact that he chose mainly beautiful women to subdue and enthrall is purely coincidental. He died when he chose poorly, attempting to enthrall a monk who he coveted.
Requires: Must be a Dominator or Dominatrix
Requires: Level 50
+20 Defense
+30 INT, +30 CHA
+40% Resistance to Charm effects.
Paralyzing Grasp – Cooldown 60s. If you touch the target, they may be paralyzed. Length of paralysis depends on target’s WIS. If target’s WIS is less than wearer’s CHA, paralysis lasts 1 min. If equal, paralysis lasts 30s. If greater, paralysis lasts 10s. If target’s WIS is 50+ greater than wearer’s CHA, wearer is paralyzed for 30s. If target’s WIS is 50+ less than the wearer’s CHA, paralysis lasts until released. This counts as a Charm effect.
Helmet of Conquered Freedom
Type
Helmet
Rank
Legendary
This helmet belonged to Kothar the Bold, a legendary dwarven warlock who led armies against the Terrors before the Scourge. When the time came to seal the thaigs against the Scourge, Kothar soon rose to dominance within his thaig, ruling it with an iron fist. Legends say that none could stand against him, for those who tried, ended up dead, or worse.
Requires: Level 50
Requires: Non-Good Alignment
+30 Defense
+30 INT, +30 CHA
Immune to Charm spells cast by lower level creatures.
Creatures with lower level automatically succumb to wearer’s Charm spells/effects and social skills.
Enchanted: Hellfire Attuned – +10% damage to all Hellfire attacks.
Greaves of Dark Corruption
Type
Legs
Rank
Uncommon
Made from the hide of a Dusk Wolf, these greaves provide protection from Dark spells and effects. In addition, enemies within 5’ take a penalty to resist Dark spells and effects.
Requires: Level 40
+25 Defense
+30 WIS, +30 DEX
+40 Resistance to Dark Spells and effects
Dark Corruption – Enemies within 5’ take 40% penalty to resistance against Dark spells and effects.
Enchanted: Shadowed – +20% to Stealth
The loot we got, in addition to some other high-end materials, included several pieces that would be good for each of us. Big windfall all at once, but kindof to be expected after a mostly lootless permadeath dungeon. We had been starting to level out of our old gear, especially since most of it was level 20-30 stuff, and we were all now sitting at Level 52 after clearing the dungeon.
For the first time in a while, I checked my full status, to see where I was at in my training. As expected, I was somewhat of a cheat character. My abilities almost certainly made me the strongest player in the game, even if I was behind on levels a little. I was confident in my ability to take on any single player within ten, maybe even twenty levels of me, depending on their build. Of course, that was in a straight fight. Sneak attacks are another thing entirely. Almost getting killed outright by a sneak attack had shown that I wasn’t invincible against unknown enemies.
Name
Zayn Darkmore
Alignment
Chaotic Evil
Level
52
Race
Hellspawned Drake (Incubus)
Class
Hexblade (Warlock)
Sub-Class
Dominator
Experience
1328600/1388000
Profession
Slave Trainer
HP
4970/4970
MP
4910/5110
HP Regen
29.9 per min
MP Regen
51.9 per min
Fame
3010
Infamy
2880
6334 PP
8 GP
3 SP
9 CP
Attributes
STR
273(323)
INT
334(419)
DEX
255 (295)
WIS
266(358)
CON
249(279)
CHA
678 (772)
Luck
208
Leadership
60
Defense
+140
Attack
+463
Points Remaining: 0
Titles
The Executioner, The Sexecutioner, Corrupter, Master Chainmaker, Machiavelli, Dragonfriend, Dragon Consort, Slave Trader, Trophy Hunter, Harem King, Stud Horse, Undead Bane, Leash Lord, Dragon Summoner
Resistances
Piercing
55%
Bludgeoning
55%
Slashing
55%
Fire
75%
Ice
55%
Water
55%
Wind
55%
Lightning
55%
Earth
55%
Light
30%
Dark
95%
Charm
130%
-50% Charm Resistance vs. Females (-100% if CHA equal or lower than foe)
+25% Stun resistance to attacks vs. crotch
Hellfire Immunity
+40% resistance to damaging Divine Spells
Deity
Sharess
Proficiencies
Simple Weapons
Exotic Weapon (Spit)
Swords
Dual Wielding
Bows
Exotic Weapon (Whips)
Light Armor
Hellfire
Languages:
All (100% - MAX)
Qualities
Black Bible of Kitami Reika
How to Serve Woman
Infinite Blade Works
Subs or Dubs?
Strange Attraction
Sucker for a Pretty Face
The Usual Suspects
Why Would You Post Something Like That?
Skills
Pheromones – Advanced 3 (8%)
Charming Gaze – Intermediate 2 (30%)
Dark Magic – Advanced 4 (15%)
Charm Magic – Advanced 4 (12%)
Cooking - Intermediate 7 (20%)
Sword Mastery – Advanced 9 (57%)
Survival – Basic 1 (56%)
Skinning – Basic 3 (1%)
Mining – Basic 3 (0%)
Herbalist – Basic 4 (2%)
Alchemy – Basic 4 (0%)
Leatherworking – Basic 3 (0%)
Blacksmithing – Beginner 5 (0%)
Tailoring – Intermediate 5 (0%)
Enchanting – Advanced 2 (10%)
Architect - Beginner 3 (0%)
Seduction – Master 3 (0%)
Negotiation – Basic 9 (0%)
Gambling – Basic 2 (0%)
Disguise – Beginner 5 (0%)
Lying – Intermediate 9 (0%)
Sneak – Intermediate 9 (10%)
Move Silently – Intermediate 9 (10%)
Identify – Intermediate 8 (22%)
Poisoner – Beginner 8 (0%)
Observe – Intermediate 9 (75%)
Sleight of Hand – Intermediate 2 (0%)
Bow Mastery – Basic 8 (20%)
Throwing – Beginner 6 (0%)
Unarmed Combat Mastery – Basic 3 (0%)
Intimidation – Intermediate 8 (0%)
Whip Mastery – Intermediate 2 (0%)
Training – Advanced 9 (0%)
Dagger Mastery – Intermediate 3 (10%)
<
br /> Hellfire Mastery – Intermediate 5 (2%)
Research – Beginner 8 (3%)
Transmutation Magic – Basic 4 (0%)
Conjuration Magic – Basic 4 (0%)
Divination Magic – Basic 4 (0%)
Shapechange – Intermediate 4 (0%)
Soul Magic – Intermediate 3 (2%)
Soulsight – Beginner 3 (3%)
Class Benefits
Warlock
+20% with Dark Spells
+20 MP per Level
Light Armor Proficiency
Hellfire
Skills and Spells added
Level 10: Hellfire Blade
Level 20: Demon’s Gaze – See in darkness, even magical darkness.
Level 30: Summon Hellsteed – Summon a horse from the nether planes to serve as a mount.
Level 40: Demonic Power – Add INT to Attack
Level 50: Blood Contract – Able to make binding contracts with blood.
Advanced Class:
Hexblade
+20 HP per level
Hex
Level 40: Mettle – +30% bonus to all Magical and Elemental resistances.
Level 50: Curse of Brittle Steel – 1/day Durability of all target creature’s gear drops to 1.
Rules-Free VRMMO Life: Volume VI: Taking the Show on the Road Page 7
