A Crucible's Lore: The Relentless Ones

John is back. And John is going to do a copy and paste again. This time around, it's the lore from The Skald And His Goddess blog. But John will be adding a few quotes.

Update:
This is the revamped version of Aeravor's race. There won't be many changes. Due to the plans listed here, however, John decides to revert this post to draft mode until the tweaks are done.

Dated-22 Nov 2018

Lore: The Relentless Ones

Origin:

The Relentless Ones. Beings created by an elven sellsword named Eijon de Morte. Despised, respected, and rightfully feared, such has been how the Homm'Nua viewed them. Despised because they were descended from a traitor, for de Morte is always the last name no elf ever desires. Respected because of their role in keeping the demons in check, a deed which all elves are grateful for. Rightfully feared, for they command capabilities which can slay any elf of lesser ability outright. While history has never accounted for their origin, it is worthy of note that unofficial records of their existence were dated as early as the aftermath of the War of the Three Thrones. It was also an era where tales of demons first emerged albeit intellectuals have always derided such stories as old wives' tales meant to scare the gullible and children into doing good. But ask the elves and they'd tell you otherwise. For demons are both a part of us and our worst foes ever. Should the lesser races fall, the Homm'Nua will surely be next. After the Homm'Nua, no one knows what they will do next.

Where in the name...:

The elves have a certain knowledge concerning them. Whether it is because of any racial connection is something never revealed despite both races sharing common features. Both people have always kept a distance from each other. Indeed the only thing separating the Wolves of Gastony from the Homm'Nua lies in the colour of their hair, which is always as white as the purest snow.

According to the History of Three Kingdoms written by the historian Tabarius Glayn, Edmonte II, the High Lord during that time, sealed a royal edict giving the fief of Gastony as "a gesture of goodwill and sincerity towards my friend Eijon de Morte. He who fought for my honour undeservedly stained and nearly lost".

Present before ruler and nobles alike were sellswords either half-elven or pure. Led by a fiery half-elf Lokrina Talonarc, lover and wife of the famed hero Leorn Talonarc, every of their number possessed eyes of azure blue and hair the colour of winter snow. Pay heed to what Tabarius had to say:

{They were fighters wielding steel and powers unseen. Each boasted an aura of a wolf, members of a pack lined up rank and file behind the leader. Their eyes were of azure blue, each one's hair woven from winter's loom. They were like a force of nature promising only either aid or destruction, a storm of ice and lightning. Let no fool rile their men, neither should any take liberties with their women. Lest your throat be sliced and fire leaving nothing for the crows.}

Eijon de Morte:
It is widely accepted that he was the leader before Lokrina assumed the position. Concerning his fate, some said he might have left behind his followers to pursue a life of peace while others insisted that he most likely died a violent death. After all, those living by the sword rarely find peace with and in themselves. Either way, anything written beyond the boundaries of history can never ever be verified. What is true with nary a doubt, though, is that this was a friend of Edmonte II, the Vengeful King.

Capabilities:

The few who have witnessed how these individuals fight attested to the seemingly insane: They possess the ability to teleport at will. At the same time, their technique is one of refined savagery where bestial aggression, fluid strokes, and lethal force are involved.

At the same time, it is whispered that they have the ability to mask themselves. Most likely via some sort of magic, they are said to have the innate ability to cast some sort of illusion over themselves where they can effectively assume the guise of any visage of any race.

As for the most absurd of claims, rumours have it that they are intended as a natural counterforce against demons, that this has always been the only reason for their existence. A statement which has earned many a sneering look from scholars and the knowledgeable but never from the Homm'Nua.

Three powers in force:
Bind-Magic is never the answer to getting things done but it helps. Binding involves tying down the individual to what defines the physical world. This is done via one rune being used on the target with the other applied on the Circle of Steel responsible for justifying the existence of Reality. This results in either physical alteration on a temporary basis or the target being shackled. Not by visible bonds but invisible chains. Not externally but internally. However, Binding can only be used on a Relentless One.

Mark-This is another usage of magic, this time around on any target apart from a fellow Relentless One. Like a wolf marking its territory, this ability marks out the boundary of a Relentless One's territory. If it is a party instead of an individual, then only one member using this ability is enough. The process of Marking involves four runes being used to decide the territory's boundaries. Within the designated territory, any Relentless One can freely teleport about.

Fury-Unlike Bind and Mark, Fury is less of a power and more of what a Relentless One is about. Fury can be a boon when converted to focus but potentially disastrous if left unchecked. To any Relentless One, it is both rather than either. For inner rage to them is something inherent rather than nurtured by circumstances. In this aspect, the Relentless Ones do not belong to the world they walk in. This is both the source of martial focus and the reason behind inevitable corruption.

The six runes:
Runes are the only way which magic can be used, be it thaumaturgy or metallurgy. For the Relentless Ones, there are four runes exclusive to them. Two of them are for Binding while the remaining four apply to Marking.

Binding runes-Unn ("That Which Sustains") and Rud ("That Which Strengthens")
Marking runes-Dur ("That Which Marks The North"), Mod ("That Which Marks The West"), Mag ("That Which Marks The East"), and Vid ("That Which Marks The South")

Quotes related to the Relentless Ones:

"A wolf knows best every man, but not necessarily the opposite. We don't protect the living. We merely protect the world from what is wrong with the living."

~Istel

"Men enjoy hunting wolves, their pelts as fancy cloaks and heads adorning every hall. In return, wolves devour men in the form of Relentless Ones hunting down demons. Contradiction is the husband, irony is the wife, and every living mortal is their child."

~Aor

"You call me 'friend', but you're nothing more than a small part of my life. Be the king you've always wanted to be, Edmonte. As for me, I have a job to do and it's called creation."

~Eijon de Morte

"Eijon de Morte and the Relentless Ones.. what is created will always reflect the creator. I failed to save Jinn when he decided to end his life as a hero. And now, I have to be reminded of the same mistake."

~Alaudea von Stormhearth

"Jinn el-Lish saved the world even though he's never a hero and never would be. Eijon de Morte was another Jinn and now we have the Relentless Ones. History is such a pain in the arse."

~Esche de Lancebarb

"Eijon could have taken Alaudea's offer to be part of her... shall I say, family. The same for Jinn. That's how the Homm'Nua saved the world twice."
~Ioin de Bladefort

"If the Homm'Eot are a people created from Order and the Homm'Nua a people conceived from Chaos, then the Relentless Ones are definitely a combination of both. Aeravor, do you know how much you're worth despite the obvious?"
~Erik Soaren

"Three words associated with these barbaric bastards not part of us: Bind, Mark, and Fury."
~A racial insult by the elves directed towards the Relentless Ones

"The men go forth to hunt while we the women stay back to guard. Sounds rigid, but it works."
~Alandra

"What binds them, they are able to use. What they mark, death will follow. What degrades them, this is their greatest power. Those were the words my mother told me before her time was up."
~Irevia Eliaden

"Of course the Hands and Feet would be outraged at Your Majesty's choice of paramour. The fact that they still rever Her Departed Majesty doesn't mean they respect her decision to love a traitor's son."
~Auranc de Hallstone

"Men and women crave might because it's always right. Aeravor's friends got plenty of that, though. So don't tell me to sign my death warrant."
~Deios Symon

"There are no gods, yet anybody can be one. There are no gods, but demons exist because of them. The Reverted shut themselves from what they know and the demon hunters haunt themselves with what they understand. As for the Relentless Ones, they don't give a damn."
~Lars Alterfate

P.S: This post took John a few days to finish. As a result, he realises that writing A Requiem From Winter Past may well be the only good deed he can ever hope to do.

Add P.S: John does not know that river otter wearing a turban and donning a beard. Tony Single Stark, on the other hand, is his Facebook friend.

Gonna change some stuff

To be honest, John is already planning to do some changes for A Requiem From Winter Past. The reason why being that some of the names used now look like a bad idea despite quite the opposite last time around. It's like using 박여신 as the visual blueprint of Alestrial Eliaden. A good idea last time around?

A dumb idea which shouldn't be pulled off in the first place?

To be honest, what John did in the name of fun shouldn't be seen as fun. In this sense, he's effectively Raistlin teaching magic to a kender.

The reason why John decides to implement further changes was that some of them didn't... well, feel right. Artistic creativity thrives on a different set of rules compared to making a deal. You don't rely on the feel for the latter, but the former is definitely the opposite. The feel didn't... well, feel right. If the changes start coming in, it means relevant alterations to be done for the relevant posts (i.e. those under A Requiem From Winter Past and Just Follow Lore labels). Thankfully, John is a sea otter instead of a river otter (e.g. Xiaxue, Yan Kay Kay, Dee Kosh, and Tan Jian Hao). Hence, he can take his own sweet time doing so with nary a repercussion.

Changes to be expected

John will do this via point form. At the same time, this will be split into three parts. Those who have been bored enough to read A Requiem From Winter Past should know the story (so far) is separated into two main POVs. The first is the protagonist's POV where Aeravor has been proven to be an anti-heroic jerk. The second is the deuteragonist's POV where Gael Kodr has been proven to be both the typical under-privileged person and this kind of person.

Teil Eins

"We all will die. You can face your executioner like a coward or you can laugh in its face like an arrogant bastard."

~Aeravor

Lyrics

Teil Eins is the German word for Part One. The reason why John uses German for Aeravor's part is that his creativity's feel chose to associate the Germanic people with battles and conflict.

1. The Vánagandr will be renamed Relentless Ones in order to retain that lupine feel. Aeravor's name, however, remains unchanged.

2. Salandra will be renamed Alandra. Yes, that's a piece of lazy Korean modification coming from John L'Otter. Additional lazy Korean modding below.

3. Aeravor no longer has a dad named Ostiel. Instead, the same dad will go by the name Istel.

4. John may need to play fashionista where Aeravor's dad is concerned. Certain aspects of visual aesthetics should never be experimented with from the beginning. A good idea back then, but not so good an idea now.

5. Erik Sohren will be renamed Erik Soaren. Just don't ask John why.

6. Gleipnir, Thviti, and Gjöll are no longer legit. They will be done away with. In their stead, the abilities will be renamed Bind, Mark, and Fury. The process of modding may or may not be involved.

Deuxième Partie

"Heroes don't belong to the privileged. That'd be too boring anyway."

~Cale Ryvers

Lyrics

Deuxième Partie has got nothing to do with French parties. It is the French term for Part Two. So no, Part Deux is definitely not legit French. Deuxième Partie, on the other hand, is. The reason why John uses French for this part was due to his creativity's feel associating the French with romantics. And when it comes to being a romantic, it means stuff like dreaming about love and wanting to be a hero.

1. Alestrial Eliaden will have her last name intact. However, her full name will be changed to Irevia Eliaden.

2. Above point is John playing around with how the word Ireland was derived from the Irish word Éire. Which is actually the original/real name of Ulsterland.

3. Pronunciation of Irevia should sound like "ay-er-via" with the soft "er". So please do not pronounce it as if her name sounds like some sort of plant. Also, Ulsterland is intended as a joke at Ireland's expense. It's like using the word bat country, but only sevenfold more complimentary.

Láeg: We can't stop here. This is bat country.

Cú Chulainn: ... ... ... ... ... ...

*Meanwhile somewhere out there in Singapore*

4. Gael Kodr will be renamed as Cale Ryvers. To be honest, when John first came up with the name Gael Kodr, it really felt forced.

5. John is pretty sure no one remembered Victis Blaem. That is unless someone has too much time to burn. Either way, Victis Blaem will be renamed Freis Arnter. Two reasons why: The first is that Victis Blaem sounds a bit like Victim Blame (i.e. victim blaming). The next reason is that John used to be more hot-headed when it came to justice. Hopefully not like how Kiritsugu killed his dad.

6. Leonum Flammeus will be renamed Lionhearts. This is because John needs to move away from using actual foreign language in a fantasy world. And yes, Leonum Flammeus is a Latin term. At least the last time John checked.

7. Because Torve Mowbray is inspired by a real-life Mowbray, John decided to make some modding. 1986 was a special year and it had got nothing to do with anyone being born during that time. Torve Mowbray will be renamed Torve Lovens.

8. Gareth Southgate remains a post-1986 legend. Not to mention as well a tactically smart bloke as a coach. Sadly, Garev Southgate will be done away with. Same bloke, different name. He will be renamed Grett Mains. And no, Grett is unrelated to Brett the Hitman.

Pars Tres

"Never a hero and never will be. That's my life."

~Jinn el-Lish

"I don't fight to save people. It's just that my pride shares the same enemy."

~Eijon de Morte

Erm, no. Pars is a real word but it has got nothing to do with another Pars. At the same time, Tres has got nothing to do with some guy whose name sounds like Tres. Rather, Pars Tres is the Latin term for Part Three. In this part, John will be writing about changes done to miscellaneous stuff.

1. The names for elven characters will be undergoing some tweaking. While the idea of a French feel won't be touched, the first names will be associated with three alphabets: A, E, and I. This also applies to the Relentless Ones.

2. The Sidhe Court is no longer existent. In its stead will be D'Estat. Basically, it's the same thing but with a different name.

3. No more Seelie and Unseelie. The Seelie will be renamed the Hands of the Crown while the Unseelie will be the Feet of the Throne. This is to reflect the former's role in politics and the latter's role in the military.

4. The capital city of Airgetlám will be renamed D'Argatem. Notice a pattern here?

5. Utnapishtim is no longer called Utnapishtim. Instead, that underground city of religion will be renamed Deis. Yes, John knows. Deis is effectively deism minus the last alphabet.

6. Claudea von Stormhearth will no longer be a name inspired by any girl named Claudia. The previous monarch of the elves will be renamed Aladea von Stormhearth.

7. The two heroes in a queen's life will face the same fate. Jinn el-Gilgam will be renamed Jinn el-Lish. Gandr de Morte, on the other hand, is now renamed Eijon de Morte. Eijon is effectively Dijon with the D replaced while el-Lish is... well, the second part of Enuma Elish. And you think Roshamahat al-Akkhad is to be the only Sumerian-Akkadian influenced presence?

8. Grail as a term referring to a special type of weapons will no longer be used. Relic(s) will be the new term.

9. Out of the Big Three of the sellsword industry, the Men of Redmarch will be untouched. The Valkyries will be renamed Knightroses while Elfstein will be changed to Swordcloaks.

10. One interesting note is this: The Swordcloaks are considered fighters operating outside the elven territory. However, there's another side of the coin operating from within D'Argatem. Namely, the Daggercloaks. It's inspired by simple English justifying organisations like the CIA, KGB, and Mossad.

11. Gráinne von Stormhearth will be renamed Ineis von Stormhearth.

12. Bryll de Hallstone will be renamed Auranc de Hallstone.

13. Dullahan de Morte will be renamed Essail de Morte.

14. Edeaux de Serpentwine stays the same due to the letter E being used.

15. Roin de Bladefort will be renamed Ioin de Bladefort. This change has got nothing to do with the baddest bro. Let alone actual history.

16. Arondight will be renamed Kain. His full name Kain Lamrec remains untouched. Whether this is to be a Cain and Abel reference, however...

17. That fictional "Tamil" guy named Tristan Aias now goes by the name Osseus. The source of inspiration hailed from a Greek sea otter named Odysseus whose claim to fame was brains trumping brawn. As for the likes of Achilles, Hector, and Aias, they're actually river otters who believed in brawn trumping brains. No intended association with death btw.

18. No more Irish for the four seasons. Instead, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter are considered both the four seasons and four elements.

P.S: As a Singaporean (sea) otter, John isn't interested in pitting Singapore against the Greeks, (indigenous) Chinese, etc. He's more interested in seeing whether Hollywood can outdo this guy.

Add P.S: Ever wondered why there's a need for a debate between the late Mr Lee and the current Mr Bill? And it's not even either party's fault. #BlameGen

Acq Inc

Okay, John's brain is entering short circuit mode. When your brain goes to sleep like a Tesla guy named Nikola, things are bound to happen. Even more so if it's been ongoing for years. As a result, this post won't cover the new changes to professions. Just a couple of things to note here.

1. This post is more about John's first impression on the class balance changes plus other random observations.

2. John will need to go through A Requiem From Winter Past to see whether anything can be changed. Nothing major, but the minor ones. Certain names need to be changed because what seemed like a good idea yesterday can easily look like a dumb call today.

On an interesting unrelated note (to this post), John discovered a great song. Again, having a curious mind which no sane S'porean otter can have does have its benefits. That's why John looks like a sea otter instead of a river otter. No, make that an actual sea otter.

Lyrics
Special mention

Observations 1: What the post title says...

So far, John has played through until the deep crow stage. Suffice to say, the new campaign should be a breeze for the lvl 70 characters. So yeah, nothing much to say. What John can guarantee you is that two out of the three prominent figures in Acq Inc are... well, crazy. Omin Dran is crazy, Jim Darkmagic is crazier, and Walnut Dankgrass is effectively this. As weird as this sounds, that is.

The orientation quest was effectively a case of going through the fun house. Something like this. Three quests done and three conclusions can be made.

1. Omin Dran has a morbid sense of humour.

2. Despite her 100% sane status, the same goes for Walnut.

3. Jim's sense of humour was... well, John doesn't know how to classify it. After all, he is crazier than Omin. Oh, and there's that breaking the 4th wall moment.

John couldn't help but wonder whether the French had a hand in inspiring the crazy people at Penny Arcade due to unionisation of the interns and Air France.

Observation 2: The AI now moves around

It's still too early for John to come up with a complete picture. However, one thing he noted in any levelling random queue was that every mob is now capable of running about. This is not to say they're not doing that right from the beginning. Rather, it's like moving around in circles rather than a bumrush. Coupled with an increase in defensive stats and levelling random queues are now less grindy.

Note: It seemed that the Sharandar zones also went by this rule at least where the redcaps were concerned.

Observation 3: Combat HR now actually usable?

Cynics would be surprised to know that the combat HR is now 100% usable. No, John is serious.

Now please do not be surprised by people seeking templocks and DCs in the Protector's Enclave zone chat. Because that's... well, misleading if we're talking about buffing. Like how one must talk about the Senate when it comes to whether the Democrats should be satisfied with the progress done so far, one must take into account that the HR is the persona non grata class. Of course it's a hyperbole, but there's a reason why John is saying this: It's been less than a week since Heart of Fire and Blood and it shouldn't be assumed that a sizeable amount of players are HR prior to 6th Nov.

Initial runouts indicate that the HR can (and will) give templocks a massive run for their money, tieflings or no tieflings. This is due to Hawkeye now giving a high-end party buff. While this most likely won't be a match for that dps orgy called Dark Revelry, it's good enough when used with Thorn Ward and Split the Sky. As any HR can (and will) tell you by now, these two moves are the staple for any HR looking to find a decent party.

Of course, this is NOT to say your combat HR can become the next Goblin Slayer.

Ultimately, do not let the PE chat zone get you down. The only reason why people are still doing lfg for SW and DC when it comes to buffing is because it won't be so soon for the combat HR to even out the odds to their favour. Once you have enough HR players knowing the value of Boar Hide and Hawkeye, that's where the fun starts. Just don't ask John how things are going for the archers and trappers. He's not about to burn a few respec tokens for that.

Observation 4: 1st time running Fangbreaker. With John's DC

With 0% everfrost resistance, no less. John was expecting a tough run. So imagine the surprise when the alliance raid went smoother than was originally feared. Much smoother. Apart from a few moments of rez and #respawnlol, the ride was quite fun. So was there anything for John to learn from? The answer is yes.

1. Running a RAQ raid with a DO isn't that bad of an idea despite the massive changes (arguably called a nerf) done to Terrifying Insight. Now the reason why TI got changed/nerfed was most likely due to the insane dps synergy Brand of Sun could do. That at-will deals an insane amount of damage. Five figure sum running on a DoT? That's crazy. However, it must be noted that because of how Lance of Faith works all the while when it comes to the 3rd hit, using this with Terrifying Insight means this class feature is still usable.

2. Actually, John was running FBI with Prophetic Action and Holy Fervour with the latter being the off-hand artifact power. It wasn't that bad. In fact, Prophetic Action is still a major lives saver (note the plural usage). This was proven during the ninja turtle fight. Just make sure you have BTS slotted in. Not Bangtan Boys but Break the Spirit. Pull it off at empowered mode and use Divine Glow as your divinity move. And use Astral Shield as the defensive insurance. Don't laugh. It worked against every boss in Fangbreaker.

3. Combining point 1 with point 2, point 3 means it's a better bet using Terrifying Insight and Prophetic Action with the off-hand artifact power switched to the TI. The last statement is for John btw. It could have been a better Fangbreaker run. But still, it went much better than expected.

4. Using either a green stone of health or the blue version should be seen as a must in any RAQ. Especially if you're a DC or buffer. Let alone REQ or the new K-team system.

5. This is NOT to say Terrifying Insight is still useful in raiding like last time around. You'll need empowered BTS to make it work. Otherwise, maybe using Anointed Champion would be a better bet.

Observation 5: Seriously, thaumaturge CW is officially useful in raids

This is the last part of John's post. Yes, it's very brief. For those wondering whether a respec into a thaum CW is worth it, John feels that it is. The dps runs much smoother now. No more Priebus block coming from a broken balance between the AoE and single-target. Originally, the thaum tree was meant to be a dps spec based on proc'ing self-damage buff. Assailant as the final feat was meant as a separate entity in terms of the gameplay. However, something broke in the process. And the devs managed to pull off the greatest fix since the combat HR.

So what did they do? They changed two things. Elemental Reinforcement can now be proc'd from any power, be it encounter, at-will, or daily. This is very important for a reason. Under the previous version, the Stormspell Mages were at a disadvantage. The reason being the absurd limitations caused by Sudden Storm. The AoE sucked. By comparison, the Master of Flame actually benefitted more. With the new changes done, it's not to say that MoF thaums are now useless. Far from it. Rather, the new changes were meant to strike a better balance between the SM and MoF thaums. The devs actually did a great job.

Another change was basically changing a certain feat wholesale. Now, it's increasing the damage of at-will powers based on the mathematics of probability whenever you pull off either an encounter power or daily power. For those favouring Int and Wis, this is a dream fix come true. For those favouring Int and Char, it's not that bad so long your AP can build up fast enough. At the same time, the damage increase is worth it so long you have two high damage encounter powers. This also means AoE encounters like Icy Terrain are now more user-friendly as the at-will power damage increase means having a good recompense. After all, no one said Gambit should never throw an ace of spades after using a two of diamonds as his decoy. Just remember to max out Frozen Power Transfer.

This now makes the thaum CW less reliant on Assailant, something which knackered many a CW choosing this path previously. Personally, John doesn't think the new changes done to Assailant would affect the gameplay. Rather, as Assailant was meant as the sole standalone aspect of the thaum gameplay, fixes done to the most important two feats were more imperative to the CW cause. If you still think Assailant is the definition of a thaum CW, it means you never played one before.

A final note on Disintegrate. It's been nerfed. Read the tooltip and you know it's nerfed. Just go for Ray of Enfeeblement. The debuff may look like some sort of dps welfare to your fellow party members, but John tried it and the personal dps count was quite good.

P.S: Again, this sea otter managed to discover another song in the name of curiosity and accidental discovery. That was like an hour ago or so.

Lyrics

#yolo because #yodo Pt VII

Okay, so we have finally reached the end of the Kuok Kah series. Before I start, let me say that the next person featured may/may not be General Loong. This is because I realised I've done one write-up on a Shu-Han personality (i.e. Zhuge Liang) and two Cao-Wei ones (i.e. Sima Yi and Guo Jia). As the result, I may need to do one Sun-Wu guy before starting on General Loong. After General Loong, then I may start on another Sun-Wu guy.

[周瑜字公瑾，庐江舒人也。

...性度恢廓，大率为得人，惟与程普不睦。普颇以年长，数陵侮瑜。瑜折节容下，终不与校。普后自敬服而亲重之，乃告人曰：“与周公瑾交，若饮醇醪，不觉自醉。”

时人以其谦让服人如此。]

[鲁肃字子敬，临淮东城人也。

...肃体貌魁奇，少有壮节，好为奇计。天下将乱，乃学击剑骑射，招聚少年，给其衣食，往来南山中射猎，阴相部勒，讲武习兵。父老咸曰：“鲁氏世衰，乃生此狂儿！”]

[评曰：曹公乘汉相之资，挟天子而扫群桀，新荡荆城，仗威东夏，于时议者莫不疑贰。周瑜、鲁肃建独断之明出众人之表，实奇才也。]

Note: It seemed that every talented guy in Jiangdong must reject Yuan Shu in the same way every talented guy under Cao Cao's banner must reject Yuan Shao.

[术欲以瑜为将，瑜观术终无所成，故求为居巢长，欲假涂东归，术听之。遂自居巢还吴。]

This was Gongjin.

[袁术闻其名，就署东城长。肃见术无纲纪，不足与立事，乃携老弱将轻侠少年百馀人，南到居巢就瑜。]

This was Zijing.

#WhyAlwaysYuan

https://republicofotters.blogspot.com/2018/10/yolo-because-yodo-pt-i.html

https://republicofotters.blogspot.com/2018/10/yolo-because-yodo-pt-ii.html

https://republicofotters.blogspot.com/2018/10/yolo-because-yodo-pt-iii.html

https://republicofotters.blogspot.com/2018/10/yolo-because-yodo-pt-iv.html

https://republicofotters.blogspot.com/2018/10/yolo-because-yodo-pt-v.html

https://republicofotters.blogspot.com/2018/10/yolo-because-yodo-pt-vi.html

The conclusion to this series

In this post, I'll be covering Kuok Kah's relevance in Cao Cao's cabinet. After all, Cao Cao was truly a stable genius (albeit he did have his unstable moments). If your boss is a stable genius, it should say a lot about how he picks his employees. For Cao Cao, he got people like Xun Yu, Cui Yan, and Mao Jie taking charge of the backyard. If you have Xun Yu and Cui Yan in your Senate, it means they're your best bet in picking the best person for the Supreme Court job, Brett the Hitman or no Brett the Hitman. As for Mao Jie, he's the guy able to make every nation either great or great again.

Against his foes, Cao Cao had people like Jia Xu, Cheng Yu, and Dong Zhao. Not to mention Kuok Kah as well. Imagine what they can do to your political and/or military opponents. Jia Xu was a master of controlling the fear of others, that's how he orchestrated the sacking of Chang'an (apparently, Guo Si and Li Jue were reacting like a pair of jittery Trumpets because Wang Yun swore to bump off every follower of Dong Zhuo without considering what the likes of Amnesty International had to say). Cheng Yu was a master of reverse psychology (which might explain why he enjoyed insulting other people, his own people included). As for Dong Zhao, I need to double confirm whether he's a trolling god. Maybe he was, maybe he's not.

So what about Kuok Kah's ability as an adviser? Although there was no way for us to know how good he could be when it came to domestic administration, it's interesting to see Cao Cao's intention to make him a senior figure once the whole of China was unified. For a genius of war, intending to make him either an ESM Goh or MM Lee had to be the best compliment Cao Cao could give to any of his advisers. This was despite Kuok Kah currying Cao Cao's favour in the most awesome way possible.

And speaking of currying favour in the most awesome way possible, it must be stated that Kuok Kah did it in a manner no one could ever imagine. This was no Palin or Gingrich moment. The Thesis of Ten Victories and Defeats was the outcome of Kuok Kah's greatest/only weapon. Namely, the ability to analyse things beyond what a normal human being can do, white American or no white American.

Now it must be stated that Kuok Kah's Thesis of Ten Victories and Defeats was eerily similar to Xun Yu's Thesis of Four Victories and Defeats. Hence, Chen Shou's decision to include only the latter. At the same time, Xun Yu also advocated bumping off Lu Bu. However, it must be noted that Kuok Kah's version was more detailed. Take for example the need to get rid of Lu Bu. Xun Yu only said Lu Bu must be bumped off in order to seize control of the region of Hebei (i.e. the territories held by Yuan Shao because they're all at the north of Yellow River). This would be like someone saying the Democrats can win big two years later if a strong candidate is available. But for Kuok Kah, he further explained why attacking Lu Bu was a must. Xun Yu was speaking from a geographical point of view. Kuok Kah was speaking from the human psychology point of view. Xun Yu's view was 100% strategic. Kuok Kah's view was 50% tactical and 50% strategic. 50% tactical because he's talking about what's happening currently. Namely, Yuan Shao attacking Gongsun Zan. 50% strategic because Lu Bu would surely cause massive trouble by siding with Yuan Shao if nothing was being done. After all, Yuan Shao was the high SES guy compared to Cao Cao's low SES status.

Note of apology: In one of my posts, I mentioned Yuan Shao's unwillingness to aid Lu Bu due to his reputation. That was a catastrophic mistake on my part. The reason why Yuan Shao wouldn't attack Cao Cao while he's attacking Lu Bu was Gongsun Zan. Hence, the text, "绍方北击公孙瓒，可因其远征，东取吕布。"

Xun Yu's Thesis of Four Victories and Defeats hinged on four words:

Magnanimity (度), Understanding (谋), Military (武), Integrity (德)

Kuok Kah's Thesis of Ten Victories and Defeats hinged on the same four plus six more:

Way (道), Righteousness (义), Management (治), Benevolence (仁), Discernment (明), Reasoning (文)

Out of Xun Yu's Four, a closer look at the original text would reveal Kuok Kah and his BFF saying the same logic in terms of Understanding and Integrity. Both spoke about Cao Cao's decisiveness in formulating plans, this would be Understanding. Both spoke about the need not be led astray by bias, be it personal or political. This would be Integrity (i.e. if you're not impartial, how can you be a person of integrity?). 

As for Magnanimity and Military, Xun Yu pointed out Yuan Shao's problem. Kuok Kah, on the other hand, both pointed out and proved that very problem. That'd be Magnanimity. For Military, Xun Yu pointed out the problem of discipline, something which Yuan Shao had aplenty but Cao Cao did not have. Kuok Kah didn't point this out, but rather he pointed out the traits shown in the battlefield. It's like the difference between analysing the backstage (i.e. Xun Yu) and the forestage (i.e. Kuok Kah).

The remaining six spoken by Kuok Kah referred to the political. Way refers to how relatable a person is to others. Yuan Shao was a politician behaving like one while Cao Cao was a politician behaving like a human being like you and me. You try telling the NRA to behave like Cao Cao and you see what's going to happen.

Righteousness refers to picking the battleground rather than shaping it. Yuan Shao believed too much in the latter, but an absolute zero when it came to the former. As for Cao Cao, he moved with the flow first. You try telling people cynicism is a sorry form of wisdom. Well, it's true. So how do you relay it to the citizens of Syria since they're NOT Americans?

Management refers to dealing with matters according to the severity. You don't deal with severe matters by being dismissive or using a band-aid. Nurses and doctors would tell you that'd either result in death or death by inappropriate measures used. So no, Brock Allen Turner shouldn't be jailed for six months divided by half.

Benevolence means taking care of those suffering while understanding that you can't save every person under the sun in times of peace. Let alone in times of conflict. Idealism is never the antidote to cynicism. Benevolence is. Not the unrealistic brand but Kuok Kah's realistic brand.

Discernment is understanding who is saying what. People make mistakes, people tell lies. Do I need to elaborate this beyond pointing out the need to ask questions? You don't need to be Thomas Edison to ask questions. And if the society you're in frowns at the need to ask questions, be assured that you're actually too good for such a society. So don't be depressed by assuming the opposite.

Reasoning is knowing why it's wrong to demonise others who disagree with you. They may be wrong, you may be wrong. Being reasonable doesn't mean you have to get it right. Being reasonable means being humble. And to be humble, you need to ask what kind of god you worship. If you're an atheist, you still need to ask yourself whether you regard yourself or someone else as a god. If you follow a religion, then here's a realistic demonstration of being reasonable.

Libationer of Military Affairs and Infrastructure or just the military?

The historical text was definitely dodgy. While Kuok Kah's post was called the Libationer of Military Affairs (军祭酒), Cao Cao actually nominated Kuok Kah for the post of Libationer of Military Affairs AND Infrastructure (司空军祭酒). Now it must be stated that ancient China during those times was different from the U.S of today. The U.S of today requires the Senate to vote whether Brett the Hitman should be the latest guy in the Supreme Court since the previous guy ownself fired ownself like Bill Haslam, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake, and Trey Gowdy. As for ancient China back then, one could say Cao Cao was the Senate and the Senate was Cao Cao. This was definitely different from a Republican majority Senate or a Democrat majority thereof.

So which was which? Was Kuok Kah the Libationer of Military Affairs or the Libationer of Military Affairs AND Infrastructure? I'd say both. Libationer of Military Affairs referred to Kuok Kah's contributions before history rolled a one for him. Libationer of Military Affairs and Infrastructure indicated what Kuok Kah could have been had history decided to roll him a twenty. The evidence could be seen in this part of Cao Cao's eulogy for Kuok Kah:

[平定天下，谋功为高。不幸短命，事业未终。]

Translate:

Pacifying the lands, hence great was his contributions as an adviser. Alas, he had a short life, thus unable to see his duty to the very end.

The word 事业 means career. But it felt too contemporary. Trying to understand archaic Chinese can be much more challenging than trying to understand Shakespearean English. Hence, I chose to rephrase it as duty. So what was Kuok Kah's duty? If Cao Cao never nominated him as the Libationer of Military Affairs and Infrastructure, if it's only about the military, then why would Cao Cao say Kuok Kah died before he could see his duty to the very end? Yes, there's still land aplenty waiting to be won. Namely, the Jing Province and the regions of Jiangdong and Ba-Shu. Which was really a big deal considering the size of China. But we must asl oask ourselves a question: How much time did Cao Cao have in developing infrastructure when he was fighting a campaign against three opponents in a row? Compare your estimation with the what-if scenario of a unified China. Then you'd know why Cao Cao lamented Kuok Kah's early demise. In ancient times, no one said you could live for 50 years and beyond. But in history, if you're a notable person and you died before 40, it means sucked to be you. Kuok Kah wasn't the first one because the military genius Huo Qubing died young as well. That was during the Western Han dynasty, an era way earlier than the current Eastern Han. Kuok Kah wouldn't be the last as well since Zhou Yu passed away before he reached 40 as well. So what if Gongjin got a super beautiful wife in the form of Xiaoqiao?

Kuok Kah's role

As proven by Kuok Kah's ability to one-up his BFF by a score of 6-4, he was a man of details. At the same time, the ability to understand the details require the ability to relay the information in the most succinct manner possible. Not too short lest important information went missing. But definitely not too long because your boss has only 24 hours per day just like everyone else in the world. You can say one minute wasted is no big deal. Add up the numbers and see how many minutes can be wasted per day. Let's be honest with ourselves here: We're born wastrels because no matter what, we'd wasted a certain portion of our 24 hours doing random/pointless stuff.

Two good examples would be yours truly.

JR: Third Degree Bernd! The Third Degree Bernd is making a comeback, ladies and gentlemen!
Note: Above image is the third attempt on wasting my time.

Because Cao Cao already got two personal advisers in the form of Xun You and Zhong Yao, Kuok Kah's role was to analyse and plan. Analyse the situation, get the correct conclusion, and plan what needed to be planned. This was very likely what Xi Zhicai was doing, hence Cao Cao's desire to get an able replacement after he died young.

This video is only for those who understand Chinese

As Cao Cao's personal planner, Kuok Kah had two jobs. The first was to analyse and plan. The other was to analyse and advise. This was why Cao Cao stated in his eulogy for Kuok Kah that whenever Cao Cao called for a conference, Kuok Kah was the one advising him what should be done and his counsel would always result in the battle turning to his favour [每有大议，临敌制变。]. At the same time, whenever Cao Cao hesitated or yet to come up with a solution, Kuok Kah would always pop up with the correct answer [臣策未决，嘉辄成之。].

Now it must be stated that finding a solution and making it work are two different things altogether. The former relies on analysis, the latter relies on planning and adapting to circumstances. It's very likely that Kuok Kah was in charge of analysis and planning while the likes of Xun You and Zhong Yao were most likely in charge of coming up with counter-measures if things went awry. At least that'd be Xun You's job considering his contributions during the Battle of Guandu.

So you can see things this way: Kuok Kah was in charge of initiating the preemptive while Xun You and those like him were in charge of manipulating the process.

Kuok Kah's ability

So far, I've covered two strategists apart from Kuok Kah. Now it must be stated that the role of any strategist was to analyse and act upon the conclusion made. In this sense, there's no difference between Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.

If we're to go according to the historical text, Zhuge Liang's ability as a strategist lies in organising and the ability to discern the nature of any situation at a single glance. This was proven via his political accomplishment and the fact that he was bossing the military post-Liu Bei. However, the latter part of his ability might have exposed an over-reliance on analysing things before the process, hence resulting in a lack of improvisation when things got tough. Hence, Chen Shou stating that Zhuge Liang's inability to be tactically flexible unlike Liu Bei's other numero uno adviser Fa Zheng.

For Sima Yi, he lacked the wisdom in dealing with people due to his cynicism and the fact that Obama was right in saying this is a sorry form of wisdom. As the result, he was guilty of unnecessary retaliation as what we've seen in his treatment towards Cao Shuang's clan (i.e. he went back on his word and ordered a mass execution). However, he was a military genius when it came to utilising the forces at his disposal. Not to mention the ability to see things from the enemy's perspective. Hence, he truly lived up to Sun Zi's number one logic: Know yourself and your enemy. By this way, you will not face dangers in a hundred battles [知己知彼，百战不殆].

As for Kuok Kah, I doubt he had the ability to boss an army like Zhuge Liang or the ability to utilise resources and manpower like Sima Yi. However, it seemed that he could easily see the beginning and end of every situation. If Zhuge Liang's ability was to discern the situation from A to point Z while Sima Yi's capability was all about using any aspect from A to Z, then Kuok Kah's talent would be knowing where was Z and why after looking at A.

It's like trying to explain why Biden would stand a great chance of defeating Trump come 2020 or why Sanders would have a greater chance of doing so while at the same time creating a setback for the GOP. The presence of Biden and Sanders represents A. The likelihood of a Biden or Sanders victory represents the where when it comes to Z. As for the why, that's because of Biden representing the need for stability while Sanders has the ability to initiate a swing tsunami in the Democrats' favour, hence potentially redefining the current liberalism in America due to his moderate ideology.

In the historical text, Kuok Kah was noted to have two super-human traits: Gift of foresight and capacity since young [嘉少有远量。] and the ability to analyse and articulate [嘉深通有算略，达于事情。].

Let's use three examples to prove this.

Sun Ce's death:

The former was proven by his correct call that Sun Ce would eventually die at the hands of violent men [以吾观之，必死于匹夫之手。]. As for the latter, it was what he said, that Sun Ce was a reckless person and his polarising "either you're for us or against us" treatment of capable people [策新并江东，所诛皆英豪雄杰，能得人死力者也。然策轻而无备，虽有百万之众，无异于独行中原也。].

Civil war between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang:

There seemed to be something in the Yuan genes. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had a history of civil war even though black lives were not at stake. Fast forward to the next generation. What did Kuok Kah see? Civil war again. His perception was that doing something would force a temporary alliance against a common enemy (i.e. Cao Cao) while staying put would result in an implosion [急之则相持，缓之而后争心生。]. This was proof of his first trait. The latter trait was proven by his answer why. As in Yuan Shao's indecisiveness concerning this matter while he was still alive and the fact that the advisers didn't help a single bit by stoking the fire of sibling rivalry [袁绍爱此二子，莫适立也。有郭图、逢纪为之谋臣，必交斗其间，还相离也。]. The so-called imminent invasion of the Jing Province was nothing more than a large scale ruse intended to lull the Yuan brothers into complacency, implosion, and Cao Cao reaping the reward by initiating a preemptive attack afterwards [不如南向荆州若征刘表者，以待其变；变成而后击之，可一举定也。]. This, again, was proof of his second trait.

Taking on Wuhuan in order to take them out:

This was the battle which cost Kuok Kah his life. If Kuok Kah was indeed a womaniser, history didn't say anything about a Taeser Kim whose eyes were a pair of taser guns. And besides, Kuok Kah never entered Korea just because the enemy's base was at the gateway of the Korean Peninsula. I'm pretty sure he's not in the mood to womanise if he's indeed a womaniser. When Cao Cao's men advised resting on their laurels, Kuok Kah said no. His assessment of a Yuan-Wuhuan alliance being able to destabilise northern China pointed to the first trait [...胡人一动，民夷俱应，以生蹋顿之心，成觊觎之计，恐青、冀非己之有也。]. The ability to answer why referred to the second trait, the reason being Yuan Shao's ties with the northern tribes and the people of newly conquered territories yet to pledge total allegiance [且袁绍有恩于民夷，而尚兄弟生存。今四州之民，徒以威附，德施未加...]. Interestingly, this was when Cao Cao planned to attack the Jing Province.

Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and... Guo Fengxiao?!?

When we talk about psychology, two names would come to mind: Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. When it comes to understanding the opponent's psychology, people may think about Kuok Kah. Understanding a person's psychology would give the analyser an idea of what the target is going to do next. Say for example a crazy anti-Semite white gunman pleading not guilty despite being caught guilty. Why did he plead not guilty? When it comes to pleading not guilty, there's such a thing called insanity defence. So long the defendant behaves like some anti-Semite madman who recently escaped from the Arkham Asylum before the judge and jury, it means the defence attorney can easily utilise the insanity defence as a legit courtroom tactic.

You don't need to be Freud or his BFF Jung to understand what I'm saying above. Likewise, Kuok Kah didn't need to be a Sigmund or Carl to analyse the psychology of his opponents. Yuan Shao, Lu Bu, Sun Ce, the Brothers Yuan, etc... it's scary to imagine how Kuok Kah was able to be a natural psychologist. At the same time, however, psychology is about seeing things from the other person's perspective. You don't need to be Sigmund Freud or Carl Jung to try doing that.

At the end of the day, psychology can be seen as a coin. Two sides of the same thing. Either you're the head and the other person is the tail or vice versa. You're not the other fellow, but you're no more or less a human being than him/her. To the likes of Daily Nas, it's good news. To the likes of Kuok Kah, it's a weapon waiting to be used.

In the manga Rurouni Kenshin, the villain Shishio Makoto once said that it takes a killer to understand a killer. This was how the protagonist Himura Kenshin was able to predict accurately that Shishio was intending to conflagrate Tokyo instead of Kyoto via a ship with the most dramatic name: The Japanese name for purgatory. Needless to say, Kuok Kah's ability to analyse the opponent's psychology was no different from how Kenshin was able to predict Shishio's real move.

And lastly, a song which I felt would suit Kuok Kah...

乱世弱冠奇才出，旁若无人俗世避
少有远量三尺剑，算略无遗锋芒利
袁氏无为双眸知，司徒府居待明主
十胜十败震曹公，下邳逆境破吕布
官渡之际料孙郎，北伐乌桓安四州
身在柳城英才亡，天忌王佐谥贞侯
赤壁兵败叹奉孝，哀哉痛哉惜哉者

5 days to 6th Nov (no, not the mid-term election)

John is referring to the release of the new mod. Just in time for the mid-term elections and whether the appointment of Brett the Hitman will end up with the GOP getting its own Montreal Screwjob or something like this below.

In other news, 6th Nov is also the day where Hindus celebrate the triumph of good over evil. 2018 has never been so highly charged and equally highly strung before. As for John, he's content to emulate Han Fei.

Democrats or Republicans, both parties like beer. And the swing voters as well.

So what this post is all about?

This will be John's take on the next mod. Also known as the Heart of Fire and Blood, what are some of the things we can expect? Or hope to see? After all, if Emilia 404 can get hitched, it means Cryptic can defy the critics. Not that they never did that before with Underdark, The Cloaked Ascendancy, 2 campaigns' worth of Chult, and the best mod of yet. Namely, Ravenloft where Yishun got to see its twisted twin via the presence of Barovia and Strahd von Zarovich. Hopefully, Jolin isn't a fan of pen and paper. John suspects she'd kill this talking/typing/writing otter if she knows what Ravenloft is all about. Not that Strahd would go after her, though. That is unless Tatyana reincarnated (again!) and ended up in Yishun.

Seals conversion again?

It's not certain. But with a spanking new level 600 gear set (so when are we going to see something that's over 9000?), does that mean the Barovian gear would be made readily available beyond just running REQ and Castle Ravenloft? We wouldn't know until the Mouth of Cryptic says something. Will it be a matter of time? It should be evident by now that the only way to overcome an unbreakable glass ceiling where the gear level system is concerned would be exchanging 3 previous seals (i.e. Seals of the Brave) for 1 current seal (i.e. Seals of the Crown). Simple but efficient. Whether or not this would take place in the Heart of Fire and Blood remains to be seen.

John got it wrong

Originally, John thought the upcoming Consult Expedition Pack would be for free. After all, it's a gimmick, right? Apparently, John got it wrong. When you have a group of outsiders talking like Don.T, many things have to be discerned. So yeah, it's still the same deal. You got a package free of charge with enchantments, campaign currencies, and other bind-to-account stuff. But the pack? Well, Marvel isn't known to be a smart player in the F2P industry for a reason.

How low can you go?

Low not as in stooping low or bending over backwards in a game of limbo dance. Rather, the Heart of Fire and Blood unlocks progressively per every 10 level beyond 15. What this means is that if you happened to be at level 70, it's most likely going to be a case of getting all the available quests.

If you're pre-70, what this means is that open world zones alone won't progress your character like before. Chances are, you'd need a combination of campaign quests and the rest to progress. At the same time, it should be much easier for pre-70 characters to get the boons due to an early start. If there's anything you should know by now, it's the fact that focusing on the boons first would result in slower campaign progress.

If you're at 70, then you need to make a choice: Do you want the boons first or campaign progression? Campaign progress steroids are only available until Storm King's Thunder. For Jungles of Chult and Ravenloft, there's no such luxury (then again, they progress much faster than the rest). John won't know whether campaign progress steroids would be provided for Heart of Fire and Blood in the future. But if the devs decide to do that, it's going to happen only in the mod after, not 6th Nov.

Either way, using your main for this campaign means your alts should have it easier running at least 1 high-end weekly, if not 2. In Barovia, it's lighting up the campfires. In Omu, it's a similar task involving supplies. If this campaign would take quite some time to complete, then it means more time for the alts for the other campaigns. Unless you want to grind to death for your main.

At the end of the day, this campaign is most likely for lower level toons to survive Chult and Barovia. To put it in another way, fast-tracking them to the most challenging zones in-game.

BiS for dps?

The Heart of Fire and Blood looks like Nine Hells of a power hitter. You have power, crit, and arpen. While this enchantment doesn't have a defensive variation stats-wise, it should give some much-needed dps muscle to tanks. For dps builds, it depends on the power scaling. Either way, the best way to slot it should be in your off-hand artifact weapon slot. More specifically the secondary slot because it's a defensive one. Justice OP tanks, in particular, are gonna love this one. Movement speed is still important in raiding, though. Which means reserving 1 utility slot for that may not be a good idea.

Acq Inc set: How good is it?

Ever felt you're forced to invest in feats like Disciple of Strength, Learned Spellcaster, and Blood Pact of Cania where attributes truly matter? No matter whether it's the good ol' school +4 attribute belts or some other belts, it's inevitable to be tempted to invest in those feats. Max rank, if possible. Acq Inc set is... well, dodgy on the first glance. Acq Inc set is not what John call a BiS, but it should worth some consideration if your character build falls within the category below:

Combat HR with 3 dps encounter powers (add in Stormstep Action if you're a stormwarden), any CW using Icy Terrain and/or the Primal set, any DC using the Primal set, any templock, any trapper HR using Aspect of the Serpent+Constricting Arrow+Hindering Strike+Plant Growth (this build would most likely need a maxed Vampiric Grace plus Crushing Roots, though)

Note that the above list is a non-exhaustive one since Neverwinter is all about being creative for the building process.

So would John want the Acq Inc set for Arylos? It looks tempting. It really does. 1K movement speed from the artifact alone. Make that 2K for the first 10 secs if it's the set. As any combat HR would tell you, recovery is important. Very important. Not to mention better movement speed=better dps game.

Which now comes to the most interesting question: Does that make 5 points into Extra Action worth it? Depends on whether you want to max out Predatory Action and use Stormstep Action. Just make sure you're not wearing Kelemvor's undead repellant and get this or that for your raiding loadout. Otherwise, use Aspect of the Pack, Disciple of Dexterity, and 2 points into Scoundrel Training (if you're using Seeker's Vengeance)/Agile Combatant (if you're using Thorn Ward or Split the Sky)/Lucky Skirmisher (if you're using Aspect of the Lone Wolf). Maybe John should do that for next mod. He means getting a Primal head slot gear for raiding loadout.

Why the letter K?

K-Team dungeon challenge? Why the alphabet K? It doesn't make sense. Then again, the people in Acq Inc most likely don't 9 out of 10 times. Quite obviously, replay value is a major part of Cryptic's agenda here. Unlike the Barovian gear, it seems that IOU is the currency for the Gallant set. If so, then it means less pressure to run Castle Ravenloft beyond getting the first piece of gear. The challenge behind the K-Team bust would be Hardcore mode. Minimum item level mode shouldn't be making a major difference. After all, many of the dungeons are already there. Albeit with tweaks done every now and then to the difficulty level and mechanics. Interestingly, Hardcore mode may well be the reason for the possibility of epic Svardborg being... well, actually playable. This is not to say epic Svardborg is unplayable. Rather, the inability to re-enter the arena upon getting bumped off can be annoying at best while forcing a wipe at worst (i.e. should be quite often). With Hardcore mode, there's no need to worry about being left with 5 party members to deal with Storvald and his Ring of Winter. John suspects next mod will make epic Svardborg easier on the players when it comes to the mental torture of having only 5 party members dealing with the whole thing.

Which now comes to the best part of the K-Team bust. This aspect of the mod effectively chucks gear quality out of the window. Not that gear quality doesn't matter. It still does. But more than gear quality would be your strategic planning and tactical awareness. Play the right cards at the right time and it's way easier to learn. The first few (?) tries should be one hell of a rough ride. So make full use of the failures to formulate the correct strategy and approach. After all, Goblin Slayer doesn't become Batman overnight.

The artwork is moe, but it doesn't mean anything to the goblins. That's how you got Goblin Slayer.

Note to buffers: Your role in the next mod will be very important. You'll either be the VIP or persona non grata, so plan wisely your approach. Because you're not this guy below.

Or in other words, "Goblin Slayer is always the DM."

Future double RAD events?

It's clear that the devs are not interested to correct the auction house economy. Ever since mod 11, deflation was already in place. Fast forward to now and deflation is still around. You have too much astral diamonds and you don't know what to do with it (apart from saving up for a legendary mount). If correction is not an option, then reformation is the only way out (note that using the capital R would mean another Reformation started on the same day as the 16th century Halloween).

https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/neverwinter/news/detail/11007253-dev-blog%3A-salvage-and-dungeon-chests-changes

So does this mean actual double RAD events? The possibility is there because salvage is no longer an option once 6th November says hi. After all, when was the last time we got a double RAD event? Effectively, the changes are meant to address deflation without adjusting the AH pricing. So far (not) so good, the AH economy is disadvantageous to the sellers. If prices are to be hiked back up, the community would revolt. To be fair to Cryptic, there's no need for the fans to rant like Don.T versus the Fed Reserve.

So would this change work out fine? It's a risky move even to a crazy otter like John. The key is to make the AH market more favourable to the sellers without impacting the buyers negatively. Well, at least not that much. On the other hand, salvageable items will be considered as RP food. For those who enjoy gear experimenting, it should be much easier. For the alts, it's even easier. In fact, who are we to assume that the devs are not out to encourage more alt usage? At least John finds it enjoyable to mess around with his alts every now and then.

So does that mean changes to RP conversion value? Very likely. The new system means more options. Which in turn points to a much faster gear leveling up. Too fast perhaps to the devs. It's possible to see uncommon and rare stuff getting a downgrade in RP conversion value while those in epic or legendary status would retain the original value.

The tricky part lies in the reroll value. Because there's no way you can get a girlfriend like Cow Girl/Guild Girl/Priestess/High Elf Archer/Sword Maiden, it means there's no way you can be Goblin Slayer. And if you're no Goblin Slayer, it means you allow the DM to roll the die. No questions asked. High(er) end loot RNG is going to drop. Considering how the DM enjoys torturing the players when it comes to rolling the RNG die, it's not good news. Of course, another alternative is to amass daily keys in order to hoard the reroll tokens like a Smaug. Hopefully, this would be doable. And besides, that'd make invoke bonus count for more.

Final part: Rob the Jews and take their money

Or rob the Chinese and take their money. It depends on whether you're referring to the bankers of the West or those from the East. Either way, the greedy bastards from Zhentil Keep are out to rob the Jews/Chinese/both. Three things of note:

1. Rust monsters would most likely be reducing the defence resistance. Not only does this mean the vault is at risk, it also means those greedy Zhentarim bastards can deal more damage. Since they're mostly rogues, assassins, and magic users, it means the Jewish/Chinese Bank Heist skirmish is likely to be a game of dps race.

2. Placing explosive runes are fun. These runic IEDs will detonate once any enemy reaches within a fixed proximity. Unfortunately, it possibly means your own members can trigger the runic IEDs in the same way as well. Not to mention as well the possibility of the runic IEDs damaging the vault if the placement is too near for comfort. At the same time, explosion may also result in prolonged prone status.

3. Getting chained to an explosive ball and forced to run towards a portal. Sounds familiar? Just last night, John ran an epic Spellplague with his alliance mates via a random advanced queue. It went quite well, believe it or not. Arylos didn't need to respawn. Albeit he needed a rez twice. So what this means is this: Remember Kabal? Yeah, that Kabal. Flaming Kabal.