Yesterday, I was lucky enough to take part in an unlikely victory. Even though I wasn’t a high level, haxxing l33t player, I was able to aid my faction to a spectacular win!

Disclaimer: I’m not trying to advertise NW. Mostly because I know most people don’t enjoy games like that.
AP: Action Points.
Max AP for most characters is 50.
NW’s level cap is at 30.

The Conclave(9,24)–March 1st 2008

* The stronghold has been cleared! The faction standard may now be taken! (Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:08:07 -0500)
* Fionn attacked azore24 with a Rifle, killing him. (Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:08:07 -0500)
* Your faction honor has increased by 5 points thanks to Suiseiseki desu! (Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:08:20 -0500)
* You pick up the faction standard. It is warm to the touch, but immediately dissipates into nothingness at your touch. There is the sound of a deep crack, and you can sense the magic of the location dissolve. Your faction has gained 5 honor! (Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:08:20 -0500)

Some time last week, the higher ups in my faction decided that we needed to raid more. Since I had joined The Coven, there had been no raiding nor any talk of raids. At first I felt as if this didn’t apply to me because I was only a level 9 mortal who could only fix doors, repair lights, and put up walls. Nevertheless, I inquired about raiding and my faction members gave me the basics of raiding and reassured me that even I, a level 9 mortal, can aid in a raid. (Hey, that rhymes!)

We had roughly a week to prepare for the raid. I had no idea what I needed to raid except for a few weapons, which I already had so I took up the job of collecting materials for the craftsmakers.

On the fated day, I received a faction mail directing all raid participants to go to IRC 15 minutes before the scheduled raid time for further instruction. Due to my excitement, I arrived an hour early…to a room with one member who was afk. I waited around until the scheduled rendezvous time. Two members, Mr. Spork, a level 30 elementalist, and Ereshkigal, a level 19 Myrmidon, had arrived.

I tried to hide my disappointment but I couldn’t help asking, “So, are we going to raid with just three people?”

Both of them reassured me that more people would show up if we waited. Mr. Spork decided to wait 15 minutes for more to show up.

After 15 tense minutes, nobody came. Mr. Spork decided to proceed with the raid anyway.

After a little bit of confusion on my part, the three of us went to go raid The Conclave.

At first I thought it would be easy. I imagined that the three of us would destroy the magic ward protecting their stronghold from outside harm, kill everyone inside and then take the flag for the win. Sadly, this was not the case.

We beat on the ward for awhile. Soon, we were discouraged.

Ereshkigal: I’m at 15ap
Mr. Spork: I’m down to 16ap
Suiseiseki: I’m at 16 too
Mr. Spork: We should have waited for some heavy hitters.

Shortly after, I run out of ammo. I was reduced to using my fists. As I am unskilled in hand-to-hand combat, I miss frequently until I finally run out of ap.

We were sitting at the enemy’s doorstep, literally. The Conclave’s ward was still standing. We had no way to defend ourselves and no way to flee.

Suiseiseki will accept an honorable suicide right about now.
Mr. Spork: Suicide shouldn’t only be an option for Pariahs.

As Mr. Spork sent out an SOS to the rest of our faction, we sat at the enemy’s doorstep, literally. A member of The Conclave came out and beat Mr. Spork to a bloody pulp. To reasons unknown to us, he left Mr. Spork barely alive with just 1hp. Weird.

It didn’t matter though because shortly after, another member finished him off.

So this is where one would expect for us, The Coven, to take our honorable defeat.

This is where one would be mistaken.

Ereshkigal had left IRC, probably due to shame and/or disappointment, leaving Mr. Spork and I hoping for a miracle.

And then, as if God/Goddess was listening to us from above, right at that moment (or 15 minutes later..^^), another faction member, Fionn, rushed in apologizing profusely on his tardy entrance. Shortly after, another faction member, whose name escapes me at the moment ^^;, arrived. Even the first person who had been afk the entire time had returned.

Thanks to mine, Spork’s, and Eresh’s earlier assault, the ward was broken down easily by the new arrivals.

There was only about 3 or 4 members in The Conclave’s stronghold. The heavy hitters went in and took out about 2 of them and then went back to the stronghold. I was ready to go back to the stronghold myself.

Suiseiseki: Ahh, I only have 2ap. I think I need about 5 to get back to SH.
Faction member: No, don’t go back! 2 is good enough! 1 to come inside, 1 to hit!
Faction member: The worse that can happen is that you can miss.
Suiseiseki: -Suiseiseki punches at [enemy faction member] and misses!
Faction members: lol

After a great slaughter, the battle was reduced to me, Fionn, and 1 enemy faction member at near death. Both of us were at little to no ap I figured that at my low level, I would not be of any use so I leave. Fionn tells me to come back in because I can still help. He explained to me that faction wars are often reduced to “tick wars” where people often keep fighting even after they’ve run out of ap. They wait 15 minutes until they are granted another ap. I felt like suc a newb at that moment.

Fionn: He’s has about 7hp left.
Fionn: Sui after this next tick, I’ll kill him and then you take the flag.

After 15 minutes of tense waiting, Fionn finally killed the last member.

Fionn: Take the flag!

I took it and we won the war! The Conclave’s stronghold was destroyed and it turned into just a regular apartment house again. It was such a sweet victory for us. We had started out at a disadvantage and came out as the victors. Despite my elation, my body was so taxed that I fell asleep right where I stood.

In the morning, I woke up to the shrill shrieking of a woman.

-[Some lady] says: This used to be The Conclave’s stronghold! Don’t think I don’t know what you guys did here!
-Suiseiseki desu grins. ^^

With that, my victory was finally complete.

Man, the first half of that was accidentally deleted. I had to write it over. I think I need to invest in a USB mouse.

I don’t have any Cabal screenshots this post because I haven’t played all day. I’ve been doing other stuff today… >.>;

I think I might play Perfect World after this.

Don’t you hate it when you tell someone brb or afk that they still keep IMing you? Sometimes, that bugs me a little bit. A couple of people do that. I’ll say brb and they’ll just keep on IMing. The worse part about it is that after a few seconds of silence, they’ll say something like this:

xxsomebody123xx: hey r u there?
xxsomebody123xx: helloooo
xxsomebody123xx: hello
xxsomebody123xx: hellooooooo
My away message: *something random*
xxsomebody123xx: oh your away message came up. are you there?

That kind of stuff makes me want to block them for all of eternity. O lawd.