SAO Quest (SAO inspired RPG Quest) [Dead]

[TurtleDucks]

Hmm, tricky one, but a giant temple, unreachable, then glowing runes.
Teleporter?

[X] Four runes, four of you. Everyone grab hold of the rope with one hand and their weapon with the other, then stand on the runes each.

Either way, it seems to me they won't be pulling an autokill if you do the predictable actions(nobody likes a boss who just flash kills everyone on the first floor), but what Insidious did was basically running off the map during the boss entry animation, and thus, he was vulnerable to death by destructible terrain.

Click to shrink...

Shouldn't we figure out, if they are teleporters, that they all teleport to the same place? We wouldn't want for all for of us to end up on our own. Plus, before we go in to the runes at all I think we should have a talk with Insidious. We need to make sure he isn't about to break down in the middle of something dangerous.

 

[Renars]

[X] Calm Insidious. Don't directly state or mention his fear of hight (best educated guess). This is only a projection, virtual reality, no matter how detailed our bodies are at hospital in safety without any dangers!
- [x] Calm everyone down, and prepare your equipment, skills, potions etc.

- [X] Four runes, four of you. Everyone grab hold of the rope with one hand and their weapon with the other, then stand on the runes each.
-- [x] Before that all of you try to examine the runes. Are they similar, which language, their meaning and possible pros and cons. If there is something related to overcoming fears/trauma or calming mind or helping with uneasiness, and NO dangerous side-effects, ask Insidious to take that one. No one will ask uncomfortable questions without the consent of others.

Teamwork and calm nerves. Insidious might have some trauma and we will respect his decision if he chooses not to answer, Either way we will reveal our true identity

 

[TurtleDucks]

-- [x] Before that all of you try to examine the runes. Are they similar, which language, their meaning and possible pros and cons. If there is something related to overcoming fears/trauma or calming mind or helping with uneasiness, and NO dangerous side-effects, ask Insidious to take that one. No one will ask uncomfortable questions without the consent of others.

Click to shrink...

I can't quite figure out what you're trying to accomplish with this line past the part where you have them examine the runes. What do you mean exactly?

 

[Faith]

If we can read what the runes say, and they happen to say 'something related to overcoming fears/trauma or calming mind or helping with uneasiness, and NO dangerous side-effects,' then get Insidious to stand on that one.

I doubt that will be even slightly relevant but hey.

 

[Renars]

I can't quite figure out what you're trying to accomplish with this line past the part where you have them examine the runes. What do you mean exactly?

Click to shrink...

In case if these runes give some kind of beneficial mental boost (for example that lowers you fear) let Insidious use it so that his trauma/fear does not affect him so severely during the boss fight

What's worse than disorganised party? Party with member(s) who freezes up because of his fears of water, insects, claustrophobia, heights, etc.

 

[TurtleDucks]

In case if these runes give some kind of beneficial mental boost (for example that lowers you fear) let Insidious use it so that his trauma/fear does not affect him so severely during the boss fight

What's worse than disorganised party? Party with member(s) who freezes up because of his fears of water, insects, claustrophobia, heights, etc.

Click to shrink...

Okay, I see now. I really doubt the runes are going to be anything akin to a buff, and I wouldn't hold my breath expecting any of the characters to be able to read or understand them. They're probably just generic fantasy magic glyphs that the game uses to add flare. That said, checking for differences in the runes is a good idea. If they are teleporters for example it's possible they will transport things between runes that share a design. Or if they're some sort of floor based traps some designs might indicate safe one's to step on while others would trigger a hazard.

 

[Renars]

+ some beta-players and online forums do talk and examine the meaning of some things (one of them could be these runes). And if Spring Rain is as big a fan as I suspect, she might guess some meaning to them as well.

 

[veekie]

[X] Calm Insidious. Don't directly state or mention his fear of hight (best educated guess). This is only a projection, virtual reality, no matter how detailed our bodies are at hospital in safety without any dangers!
- [x] Calm everyone down, and prepare your equipment, skills, potions etc.

Click to shrink...

I doubt we have that much time if its the boss sequence.

Also if he fell there he WOULD die

 

[einargs]

A fear of heights or flying is my best guess for Insidious.

Click to shrink...

Bingo! Have an XP!

Well, I haven't been hanging about the thread all that much for various reasons. Though, it's a little "okay good to know" after reading it. Hard to say much about it, it is what it is.

Click to shrink...

Well, that's certainly something for all of us to keep in the back of our minds in the future. Making one, dumb, stupid mistake can have big consequences.

Click to shrink...

Makes sense.

As a matter of fact I'm seeing the results of one possible mistake right now...

It seems that particular line in my vote may have inspired your planting the seeds for our future trauma.

Click to shrink...

Yep

So @einargs can we take it to mean that (nucleus) means it's not a trauma yet, but if the right (er... wrong) thing happens Chiyoko will be seriously traumatized?

Click to shrink...

And yep

But more seriously, the "(nucleus)" means that the seed has been planted. If nothing happens for long enough, it'll go away without effect... but if it gets reinforced, then it'll move into the developing stage, and from there you can't really get rid of it. I mean, you can get therapy, but that just moves it to "(managed)" and eventually makes it go away if you go a couple of years without really triggering it.

Friendship is Magic
and
Trauma is Forever
​

In case if these runes give some kind of beneficial mental boost (for example that lowers you fear) let Insidious use it so that his trauma/fear does not affect him so severely during the boss fight

What's worse than disorganised party? Party with member(s) who freezes up because of his fears of water, insects, claustrophobia, heights, etc.

Click to shrink...

Mental boosts are never really going to be a part of SAO, at least in the way you're thinking. While FullDive technology allows for such things, the potential public backlash involved in directly manipulating someone's mind would make such an option... unfeasible... within a video game. Sure, Kayaba might not care about public reaction, but he needed to maintain that facade didn't he?

 

[TurtleDucks]

So, my brain short circuited and I totally forgot to make a vote

[X] Briefly speak with Insidious. Get him to focus on us so we can tell him that there's no need to be afraid. He's not going to fall, we're not going to let that happen. Right now we need him to focus.
-[X] Again, briefly, check on everybody, make sure their heads are in the game and they're ready for anything.
-[X] Have everybody grab onto the rope with their off hand or snake it around their wrists or something. Just so they have a potential lifeline.
[X] Examine the runes on the ground, but make sure nobody steps in or on them just yet. Are they all the same design or are they different?
-[X] Test what happens when two or more people step on to the same rune, if nothing then have each party member stand on a separate rune.

So, here's my idea. I'm concerned that time may be a factor here, so it's possible that it could be interrupted part way through if something spawns on the platform. Alternatively this could be the entrance to a dungeon of some sort where you get around via teleport, so maybe this could be considered the 'hub' and nothing will spawn.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

Edit: Hmm... I am actually a bit concerned about including that one bit about tying everybody together again. We saw from the last update that Chiyoko almost got her ass dragged off the edge because she couldn't support Insidious' weight.

 

[veekie]

I suggest gripping. Boss spawning while tied together can be fatal. You can't evade

 

[TurtleDucks]

I suggest gripping. Boss spawning while tied together can be fatal. You can't evade

Click to shrink...

Very true. So, rather than wrapped around the waist they each grab on to it or snake it around the wrist or the forearm of their offhand? This solution will also decrease the amount of time the plan has to take.

Edit:

@veekie so, is that better? I think Chiyoko still has the rope tied around her waist. Should she undo that?

 

[veekie]

[X] TurtleDucks

Quack!
No rope tying, but I don't think we can untie it that fast while still wielding our weapon.

Just add a note to sever it if we need to move?

 

[tricholysis]

[X] TurtleDucks

I mean, how hard could it be to slice through a thickly braided piece of fiber meant to resist severing as much as possible?

 

[ChildishChimera]

[X] TurtleDucks

 

[emberofshadow]

[X] Turtleducks

 

[veekie]

[X] TurtleDucks

I mean, how hard could it be to slice through a thickly braided piece of fiber meant to resist severing as much as possible?

Click to shrink...

Depends on if you use a Vertical on it?

 

[einargs]

[X] Briefly speak with Insidious. Get him to focus on us so we can tell him that there's no need to be afraid. He's not going to fall, we're not going to let that happen. Right now we need him to focus.
-[X] Again, briefly, check on everybody, make sure their heads are in the game and they're ready for anything.
-[X] Have everybody grab onto the rope with their off hand or snake it around their wrists or something. Just so they have a potential lifeline.
[X] Examine the runes on the ground, but make sure nobody steps in or on them just yet. Are they all the same design or are they different?
-[X] Test what happens when two or more people step on to the same rune, if nothing then have each party member stand on a separate rune.

Click to shrink...

And so a consensus has formed. *wipes tear away* I'll get started writing as soon as I finish my chemistry and math homework. (Stuff of the devil I assure you.)

 

[TurtleDucks]

*wipes tear away*

Click to shrink...

G-guys! He's doing the thing again! What could it mean!?

 

[einargs]

Highs and Lows: (8/11/22, 11:26)

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Briefly speak with Insidious. Get him to focus on us so we can tell him that there's no need to be afraid. He's not going to fall, we're not going to let that happen. Right now we need him to focus.
-[X] Again, briefly, check on everybody, make sure their heads are in the game and they're ready for anything.
-[X] Have everybody grab onto the rope with their off hand or snake it around their wrists or something. Just so they have a potential lifeline.
[X] Examine the runes on the ground, but make sure nobody steps in or on them just yet. Are they all the same design or are they different?
-[X] Test what happens when two or more people step on to the same rune, if nothing then have each party member stand on a separate rune.

You crouch down next to Insidious, your mind racing as you try to figure out what to do. It kind of sounds like he's having a flashback, but you aren't quite certain - you're not a psychologist, or even just someone with more than a passing knowledge of mental health.

You hesitantly wrap an arm around Insidious' shoulder, whispering in his ear as you do so. "Hey. Calm down man, calm down. It's okay; you're not going to fall. You're not going to fall."

Insidious gives a shaky nod, but it's Query that seems to help the most. He hands Insidious a length of rope, gesturing for him to snake it around his wrist.

"Hey. Cascade figured that it'd be a good idea to have some kind of safety net in case something happens." He gestures towards the rope wrapped around both his and Cascade's left arms.

Cascade speaks up softly. "Don't tie it too tight though; you don't want to get pulled off if it catches or... well." She trails off, the implication clearly obvious.

Insidious nods shakily, obviously blinking back tears in the process. "Thanks guys." Insidious starts to stand up for a moment before suddenly turning white with shock. You only just manage to catch him before he hits the hard stone of the platform. He groans.

"Ugh. I don't think that the view is for me." You nod agreeingly, slowly lowering him back to the ground. It's a strange feeling, knowing that you're so much stronger now than you were even a day ago. You wonder what it'll be like when you finally escape from SAO.

Your body will be weak, decayed from inactivity and lack of proper nutrition.

...If you even escape at all...

You stand, lost in thought.

"Yeah. Let's not find out if Cardinal can simulate vomit." You turn just in time to see Cascade slap Query on the back of the head. Insidious chuckles at the comment, and time seems to shift.

Insidious is chuckling at Query's joke, Cascade is scolding him for it, and you're looking off into the distance as the pillar continues to rise into the air.

It's one of those moments where everything just... changes. You think that it's kind of like a flashbulb memory, but different; this is one of those sudden flashes of insight where everything seems to take on a deeper meaning, if only you could understand it.

And then it's gone, the moment slipping away like frozen honey in the wind. You scramble at the fleeing thoughts, but you can't quite parse them, the ephemeral structure seeming to defy conventional capture.

You hate moments like these. You always feel like you've lost... not anything important per se, but something with the potential to be important.

You shake your head. You have more important things to think about right now.

~~~​

It only takes thirty seconds for the tower to finish it's ascent, but it seems to last an eternity. It rumbles to a stop with a grinding sensation that you can feel through your feet, the vibrations reverberating throughout your entire body.

You would marvel at the genius of Kayaba and the power of the Cardinal system, but the settling of the tower comes with more effects than just a neat full-body massage.

The world shakes, and you struggle to remain standing. You fail, falling to the floor, and it's only your desperate grasping at the rope looped around your wrist that keeps you from sliding off.

When the pillar finally stops throwing the four of you about, you're lying on top of one of the blue glyphs. You curse, trying to scramble away from it before it activates something, but you're caught in a tangle of rope and limbs.

The pillar rumbles, the intricate designs shifting like some sort of demented clockwork airlock. The movement stops pretty quickly, but by then you've already been knocked back to the ground.

You groan; that was not a fun experience.

The interior of the pillar surface has shifted into some kind of demented puzzle. Bits of stone are hovering in the air, while other bits have pushed themselves down into the floor, and you're pretty sure that they don't all match.

What do you do?
[X] Write in.

Spoiler: Character Sheet

Name (IRL): Chiyoko Mori
Username (IGN): Spring Rain
Gender: Female
Age: 13
Birthday: July 13
Date: November 8th, 2022
Time: 11:26
Level: 3
XP: 7/32
Money: 4773 col

Avatar: Redhead with two pigtails wearing a red tunic, brown pants and black pectoral armor. Over that you wear a pink jacket with red ivy stitching, a pink fedora with a red band, and red leather gloves. You carry a shortsword at your side and a longsword on your back. You have a selection of health and stamina potions which you carry on your belt and in your jacket. You keep a teleport crystal to hand at all times.

Sword Arts:
Horizontal:

Motion: A large horizontal strike.
Cooldown: Small
Stamina Cost: Small​

Vertical:

Motion: A large vertical strike.
Cooldown: Small
Stamina Cost: Small​

Diagonal:

Motion: A large diagonal strike.
Cooldown: Small
Stamina Cost: Small​

Stab:

Motion: A quick stabbing strike, best for daggers and shortswords.
Cooldown: Small
Stamina Cost: Tiny​

Skills (2 slots):
One Handed Dagger: lv. 0
One Handed Short Sword: lv. 4
One Handed Longsword: lv. 4
Sprint: lv. 3
Search: lv. 4
Hide: lv. 0

Attributes:
Strength: 16
Health: 13
Stamina: 13
Agility: 13

Equipment:
Longsword (Excellent): lv. 1
Shortsword(Average): lv. 1
Light Armor (Average): lv. 1

A black set of pectoral armor, this armor is light, easy to carry, and rarely gets in the way.​

Red Cloth Tunic (Average): lv. 0
Cloth Pants (Average): lv. 0
Red Leather Gloves (Average): lv. 1

Red dyed leather gloves.​

Colored Hat (Average): lv. 1

A pink fedora with a red band.​

Decorated Jacket (Average): lv. 1

A pink jacket with red ivy stitching and a vine-like pattern on the back.​

Inventory:
Medium Health Potion: lv. 1 (x1)
Small Health Potion: lv. 1 (x2)
Tiny Health Potion: lv. 1 (x2)
Medium Stamina Potion: lv. 1 (x1)
Small Stamina Potion: lv. 1 (x1)
Tiny Stamina Potion: lv. 1 (x3)

Teleport Crystal (Poor): lv. 1 (x1)

Torches (Average): lv. 1 (x5)
Rope Coil (Average): lv. 1 (x1)

Backpack (Average): lv. 1 (x1)

Chigan Flower Petal (Average): lv. 1 (x2)
Chigan Flower Petal (Poor): lv. 1 (x1)
Sleep Powder (Poor): lv. 1 (x1)
Skither Hide (Average): lv. 1 (x6)
Skither Hide (Poor): lv. 1 (x2)
Sewer Rat Hide (Average): lv. 0 (x2)
Sewer Rat Hide (Poor): lv. 0 (x1)
Carni-Flower Petal (Average): lv. 1 (x8)
Carni-Flower Seed (Poor): lv. 1 (x2)
Carni-Flower Thorn (Average): lv. 1 (x5)
Scented Ash (Average): lv. 1 (x1)
Scented Ash (Poor): lv. 1 (x2)

Mind:
Mental State: (Normal): Dreadful, Adrenalin, Dawning.
Personality: ???
Traumas:

- Shattered Pedestal (Realized): You idolized Kayaba, and then he locked you in a cage to fight to the death for his own amusement.
- A Caged Castle (Realized): What used to be entertainment is now a death game. Have fun!
- The Party Must Stay Together (Nucleus): When the time came, you chose to put your faith in shared strength. It's just the beginning, but in time it might blossom into something more.​

Quest Log:
Sewer Quest (Average): lv. 0

Recommended Party Size: 1-8 Players
Recommended Level: lv. 0-2
Type: Repeatable
Cooldown: 6 Hours
Description: The city guard has been complaining about an infestation of sewer rats. Maybe you could do something about it?​

Wild Boar Hunt Quest (Average): lv. 1

Recommended Party Size: 1-8 Players
Recommended Level: lv. 0-2
Type: Repeatable
Description: Mr. Reynald said that one of his suppliers might be interested in Wild Boar Hides and Tusks. Go talk to the supplier for more details.​

Bloom Flower Quest (Average): lv. 1

Recommended Party Size: 1-4
Recommended Level: lv. 0-2
Type: Repeatable
Description: Ms. Argentia wants you to go to the Vance Forest, which lies to the south-south-east of the City of Beginning to pick some Bloom Flowers for her.​

Swamp Tome Quest (Average): lv. 1

Recommended Party Size: 1-8
Recommended Level: lv. 1-2
Type: Gateway
Description: Someone wants you to go to an old abandoned town deep in the outer parts of Guldath Swamp to retrieve a book.
Reward: An unspecified Sword Art​

Sword Shipment Quest (Good): lv. 1

Recommended Party Size: 1-6
Recommended Level: lv. 1-3
Type: Gateway
Description: Reynald wants you to take a shipment of swords up to a Dojo he has a contract with. He's heard that there've been a lot of goblin attacks in the western forests lately though, so he wants some people that know their way around a fight.
Reward: Dojo location, ???​

Courier Quest Giver (Poor-Good): lv. 1

Average Recommended Party Size: 1-4
Average Recommended Level: lv. 0-2
Quest Types: Courier-Escort
Description: Archibald runs a Courier Service out of a shop in the City of Beginning on the First Floor. He occasionally gets requests to deliver packages to areas that his normal couriers can't deal with, and he's offered to pay you to handle these if you get a chance.
Average Reward: Poor-Good​

Friends List:
Insidious (Great Friends): lv. 4

You and Insidious have really bonded in the hours before Kayaba's announcement. Time will only tell if that bond will survive the deathgame of SAO though.
Insidious wants to use a Strength/Health Broadsword/Shield tank build.​

Query47 (Good Friends): lv. 3

While your bond with Query47 and Cascade isn't as strong as your bond with Insidious, it still has the potential to ripen into something great - so long as SAO doesn't choke it to death beneath its shadow.
Query47 is dating Cascade IRL, and you're fairly sure that his name is Kubokoi.
Query wants to use a Strength/Stamina daisho (katana & wakizashi) dual wielding Sword Art focused build.​

Cascade (Good Friends): lv. 3

While your bond with Query47 and Cascade isn't as strong as your bond with Insidious, it still has the potential to ripen into something great - so long as SAO doesn't choke it to death beneath its shadow.
Cascade is dating Query47 IRL, and you're fairly sure that her name is Midori.
Cascade wants to use an Agility/Stamina Dagger/Martial Arts skirmisher build.​

Condor127 (Acquaintances):

You met Condor during a sort of spontaneous low key party in the first week of SAO. He helped work on the soundtrack for SAO, and he feels guilty for the role he played in helping to create the death game.​

Party:
Insidious: lv. 4
Query47: lv. 3
Cascade: lv. 3

Map Data:
[lv. 1] City of Beginning (Great): Completely mapped out, know of all major shops and most small ones. General idea of where to find most of quest vendors, with a few specific ones identified.

City of Beginning [Sewer Dungeon] (Average): Filled with vicious rats and other such monsters, you've explored about half of this area.
City of Beginning [Market District] (Average): A prosperous and crowded place, you've explored about half of this Market District.

- Reynald's Weapon Shop
- Archibald's Courier Service
- Welton General Store
- Agrendale Blacksmith's Shop
- Adventurer's Supply Store
- Argentia's Apothecary​

[lv. 1] Guldath Village (Poor): You don't know much about this place. At most you have a general idea of it's layout.

[lv. 1] Guldath Swamps (Poor): You don't know much about this place. At best, you've explored maybe a fifth of it.

Guldath Swamps [Outer] (Average): You don't know much about this area, though you do have a general idea of a few paths you can follow. It's mostly inhabited by Skithers, bizarre crosses between a snake and a crocodile, though you feel certain that there's something else that you just haven't seen.
Guldath Swamps [Abandoned Village] (Horrible): An abandoned village out on the border between the inner and outer Guldath Swamps. Ten years ago it was a bustling village, despite its obscure location. Then a dense white fog rolled in, and when it rolled out the place was abandoned. Now everyone avoids the place.​

~~~ Notes: ~~~​

Gah. This took way too long for me to get out, but school does unfortunately come first.

Trust me, I wish that I could pay more attention to this too, but that just isn't in the cards right now

Still, I'm not going to abandon this thing, even if it kills me. (...Metaphorically. Metaphorically kills me.)

Anyway, have fun trying to figure out what this update means. Feel free to ask questions, and remember that there's always more than one way of looking at something.

...

 

[veekie]

Hmm...

[X] Take turns studying/fiddling with the puzzle and keeping watch.
-[X] It looks like the glyphs might have something to do with the puzzle, look for related patterns you might form with it.
-[X] Try fitting the floating chunks into matching gaps in the floor.

 

[TurtleDucks]

Well, crap, I just can't make heads or tails of what was going on the first section. Was it your way of telling us we'd missed opportunity or that we screwed up? Or maybe it was Chiyoko considering how a lighthearted moment could spring up in the middle of all of this and disappear just as quickly?

Edit:
Or maybe this puzzle would have been easier to solve if we had someone at both the top and bottom of the tower?

 

[Renars]

[X] Take turns studying/fiddling with the puzzle and keeping watch.
-[X] It looks like the glyphs might have something to do with the puzzle, look for related patterns you might form with it.
-[X] Try fitting the floating chunks into matching gaps in the floor.

 

[einargs]

Well, crap, I just can't make heads or tails of what was going on the first section. Was it your way of telling us we'd missed opportunity or that we screwed up? Or maybe it was Chiyoko considering how a lighthearted moment could spring up in the middle of all of this and disappear just as quickly?

Click to shrink...

That scene is about symbols - pretty much every aspect of it can be taken to mean something, and as such there's really no definitive meaning. Still, with that symbolism comes foreshadowing, so... *shrug* It depends.

Edit:
Or maybe this puzzle would have been easier to solve if we had someone at both the top and bottom of the tower?

Click to shrink...

Nope. If you guys had stayed down below, you'd currently be dealing with the fact that the swamp is sort of... well. Flooded.

Having a giant temple complex rise to the surface of a small lake tends to do that.

 

[Bevillia]

[X] Take turns studying/fiddling with the puzzle and keeping watch.
-[X] It looks like the glyphs might have something to do with the puzzle, look for related patterns you might form with it.
-[X] Try fitting the floating chunks into matching gaps in the floor.