“Major events in NEMO bring change and upheaval. Succeed and your fortunes rise, fail and see your hopes and dreams crumble. Risk and reward go hand in hand in this world. Wise players take note of the winner and losers, aligning themselves accordingly.”
Post in the LFGuild section of the official forums
Year 1, Month 1, Day 17, 12:00
“National Announcement! The Siege of Miller’s Crossing has ended. The defending forces are victorious. All participants are awarded 5,000 free experience points. The Auction House system will be opened inside the Kingdom of Thorn Year 1, Month 1, Day 19 at 09:00.”
“Regional Announcement! The Siege of Miller’s Crossing has ended, and the recovery has begun. Quests to help repair and restore the town to its former glory will be available at the city center. All respawn timers are cleared. There will be an official banquet held in the city center at 18:00”
“Congratulations! Risk of Injury has placed first on the logistics points leaderboard for the Siege of Miller’s Crossing Event. All guild members are awarded 2,000 free experience points. The guild receives a plaque on the statue commemorating the victory in the city center of Miller’s Crossing, one guild control slot and10 gold coins.”
“Congratulations! Risk of Injury has placed first on the combat points leaderboard for the Siege of Miller’s Crossing Event. All guild members are awarded 2,000 free experience points. The guild receives a plaque on the statue commemorating the victory in the city center of Miller’s Crossing, one guild control slot and10 gold coins.”
“Congratulations! Risk of Injury has placed first on the overall points leaderboard for the Siege of Miller’s Crossing Event. All guild members are awarded 5,000 free experience points. The guild receives a plaque on the statue commemorating the victory in the city center of Miller’s Crossing, 2 guild control slots and 50 gold coins.”
Torgon and the survivors of the attack on the ritual site cheered loudly at the announcements. The comatose bodies of the offline players rescued from the cages faded away as the restrictions keeping their forms in game ended. Sir Kelvin had a bright smile on his face as he shook hands with the force that had rescued him. They made their way into a Miller’s Crossing amidst crowds of citizens expressing jubilation at their survival and somber reflection on the damage the city had suffered.
Sir Kelvin and Sir Malik embraced at the city center. “Excellent work Malik. You’ve done the order proud.”
Sir Malik saluted the older knight, “Thank you Sir! The players that remained gave their all to help as you thought they would. Many of them experienced several painful deaths just to slow the enemy down and give us the chance we needed.”
Kelvin clapped Torgon on the shoulder, “They were magnificent. They even saved me from being sacrificed and suffering a great deal of soul damage.” He turned to Torgon and the members of his guild that still accompanied him and spoke, “Tonight at the banquet by hosted the baron, I will have a few announcements to make and rewards of my own to give out. It would honor me if you would all attend.”
Torgon bowed, “The honor is ours Sir Kelvin. We will be there. For now, many of us need to consolidate our gains, see what we can get from the point vendors and begin the reconstruction efforts.”
Sir Kelvin chuckled, “Go, I have a lot of catching up to do with Sir Malik. Your guild serves as an exemplar for your kind.”
Torgon returned to the guild base to clear his notifications and examine his gains from the long siege campaign. The constant fighting had left him unable to appreciate the changes. His level had increased, and he had thousands of experience points to spend. Everyone in the guild had benefitted from the intense fighting. Every one of the children had grown into experienced warriors, no longer green and uncertain.
He had risen to level 7 during the fighting and was on the cusp of reaching level 8. His skills and attributes continued to grow slowly but steadily. Gear was the area that had the most potential for growth now. The basic gear was adequate, but higher-level gear and higher quality gear existed. The limitations of the area around Miller’s Crossing were apparent. It might have been the most intense starting zone he had ever experienced in his long gaming career, yet it was still most certainly a starting zone.
He checked his event point totals and was thrilled to see a total of 62,714. He needed 50,000 to have access to the best vendor and he rubbed his hands together in glee thinking of what he might find. In his mind, he reserved at least 40,000 points for blueprints or other items that would benefit the guild overall. While he wanted to improve his own gear, the guild came first. Gear, especially at low levels like this, was a fleeting benefit compared to improving the foundation for all the players that would become a part of Risk of Injury.
Torgon traveled back into the city and paused to look at the devastation wrought by the siege. A full third of the buildings inside the city were smoking ruins. Tent encampments had sprung up inside open areas for displaced residents. Shells of their former homes still smoldered, wisps of smoke rising into the sky. Storefronts were smashed and broken and the streets themselves had damage from rock impacts or the intense spells that were flung about. City guards and other workers could be seen trying to organize the people. Food lines were springing up to feed the citizenry.
Torgon smiled as he noticed Chef Bridges managing a counter with a long line of people before it. Several of the children and her cooking assistants were passing out warm meals to local citizens. He smiled gently at the sight of many of his guild mates already hard at work on housing rebuilds, and he knew that back at the guild base there were dozens of people harvesting materials that would be used to restore Miller’s Crossing.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
The crowds increased in density as he neared the town center. Long lines of players stood before the point vendors, eagerly exchanging their hard won points for tangible rewards. He smirked a little when he bypassed the long lines and headed straight to the 50,000 point vendor. The man running that counter was alone. Only a handful of people, all members of Risk of Injury, earned that many points.
He opened the list of available items and quickly arranged it from most expensive to least expensive. He sucked in his breath at the top item. They had a bundle of blueprints for a rare grade level 10 armor set. Sadly, the points required were 200,000 and he just couldn’t afford it. His eyes moved down the list until he saw the most expensive items that he had the points to buy.
The blueprint for a rare level 10 longbow with extra agility was appealing, but the material costs were too exotic. Torgon trusted his instincts, and they were telling him to get something he could produce in bulk and not get too attached to. They would be replacing everything in a few weeks and then the main uses for these lower-level items would be gearing up new players or for sales.
He found a blueprint for an uncommon level 10 sword and an uncommon level 10 long bow for 20,000 points each. He also picked up a basic enchanted long bow blueprint for 2,000 points. That left him sitting on 20,714 points. He spent the last 20,000 points on an amulet that boosted each crafting skill by 2 levels up to a maximum of level 20. He reasoned that crafting faster, crafting with fewer failures and gathering more efficiently would always be useful.
Satisfied with his purchases, he spent the next few hours until the banquet gathering stone and polishing his skills. He managed to hit level 8 before cleaning himself up and meeting with everyone by the portal in the guild base. All available members of the guild had turned out. They were dressed in tabards that displayed the guild symbol, and the mood was jubilant.
He stepped up to address them, “The battle was hard fought but we were victorious. We are growing in confidence, skill and power. Most importantly, we preserved this city. Now, we can take a few days to rest, recover and prepare for whatever new challenges we will face. Progress without reflection is empty and will burn you up from the inside. You aren’t gaining power just for the sake of power but to use that power to make this world a better place. Your power is also there to make your life and the lives of those around you as joyful as they can be. Enjoy this banquet, let your minds rest and soon we’ll chart the path to our next triumph!”
The crowds cheered and then began traveling into Miller’s Crossing in orderly ranks. The hundreds of players in Risk of Injury, accompanied by their faerie allies, marched down the main thoroughfare to the site of the banquet. A large portal arch had been erected, and servants of the baron directed the players inside. The portal led to a gargantuan banquet hall that could seat thousands. Stone floors covered in furs and rugs were surrounded by wooden walls. Magelight torches flickered, illuminating the chamber in a cheerful glow. Newly created tapestries depicted scenes from the siege.
Everyone moved to low tables piled high with meats, cheeses, fruits and other dishes. Stews and soups were served, and desserts began to mingle with the other courses. Drinks ranging from water and juices and even soft drinks were brought to those not yet of age while harder drinks were available for adults. A pleasant cacophony of excited voices filled the space with warmth and cheer.
The leadership team found themselves seated at a series of raised tables. They joined Baron Abernathy, Sir Kelvin and Sir Malik and made small talk about the events that had transpired and their future planning. Torgon found himself sampling small bits of as many dishes as he could. The sheer variety reminded him fondly of large family gatherings from his youth. Seeing people who relied on him so happy left his eyes misty. He sank deep into the cushioned chair and drank in the atmosphere, savoring it and using it to fuel his desire to keep improving.
The baron rose and raised his wine glass. He addressed the stuffed and contented crowd, “Thank you all for your hard work and dedication in the defense of my city. Your efforts saved the lives and livelihood of thousands of citizens.” He waited for the cheering to die down and continued, “For each guild that has over 50 members, I am presenting the leadership with a selection of basic weapon blueprints up to level 10. I also have a few special awards to give out to people who went above and beyond to make this defense successful.”
“For Mark and Ashford, for your tireless dedication to crafting the siege weapons that made such a large difference, I am giving them a level 10 blueprint for portable ballistae and field mana cannons. May they produce these to defend against more powerful forces in the future. For Digger, you single handedly expanded the outer defenses of the city and brought in more stone for repairs than any other player. I am giving you an uncommon level 10 mining pick that grants you an additional level in all mining related skills. For Curious Kate, to help your scouting I am gifting you a set of goggles that increases your low light vision by 4 levels and gives you the option to see twice as far.”
“Torgon, you and your leadership team took it upon yourselves to organize the players and lead the defense of this city. You spent your lives freely to protect the people here. Ovarrix, I am giving you the uncommon general skill, Aura of Leadership. It provides a bonus to the skills of players around you based on the level of the skill. Hyperia, my gift to you is the uncommon skill Dual Casting. It will allow you to cast two spells at the same time and improve on each as you become stronger. Dusty, for you, I am presenting you with the uncommon skill, Focused Research. It will help you discover the locations of treasure or places of interest in those dusty tomes you named yourself for. Allestor, I have a rare sword that you can use at level 10 as well as the uncommon skill Sword Intent. This skill allows you to attack at a distance with your sword. For Torgon, I have three skillbooks that will benefit you and everyone that aligns themselves with you. Craft Swords, Craft Bows and Craft Enchanted Weapons. These should allow you to arm your guild both now and in the future.”
“Finally, a reward for Steve. Your brilliantly suicidal attack to disable the prime ritual was the key to our victory. I have two rewards that I think you will enjoy. The first is a bottle of dwarven whisky from my personal reserve. The second is a bow that is enchanted to help any arrow fired from it to seek its target.” The baron waited for the laughter to subside before turning to Sir Kelvin and gesturing for him to rise and speak.
Sir Kelvin looked at the room, nodded and spoke, “The Kingdom of Thorn, on the recommendation of the Order of the Sun and Rose recognizes each guild that participated in the defense of this town through the successful conclusion as guilds of the realm. Each guild now has the option to take guild quests from the kingdom. Torgon, Hyperia, Ovarrix, Allestor and Dusty. The five of you are recognized as knights errant of the Order of the Sun and Rose. You will have special privileges in all cities in the Kingdom of Thorn. The Order will call upon you if we have need of your skills. Everyone here has done the kingdom a great service. We look forward to a long and fruitful association.”
The crowd roared and continued feasting. Minstrels wandered through the room playing lively music and the hardships of the siege were put to rest. Tomorrow promised a new day and a new chance to forge a brighter future.
