The Art of the Hunt:

Mastering and Re-Dedication

by Kydilias Linantal in DarkAges

    The most important decision a hunter, or a role player for that matter, can make: whether to re-dedicate and master, or just master. There are many things you have to consider; your character, your background, your intentions, how much you like to hunt, and many other issues. This lore is not to sway you one way or the other, or to convince you which path to take; just to give a guide telling dark ages players the ups and downs of both.

    Why someone would stay "Pure":

    If you are a hearty role player, or have a history that would conflict with your character's re-dedication, it may be wise to stay "Pure". Pures are both respected and hated by the populous.. for obvious reasons. Mundanes have promised -some- improvisions for those who wish to stay pure, but nothing has been added thus far. Being "Pure" is very hard work, it will be hard for the character to hunt, as well as to find one. However, it is much easier to "master" as a pure, this is why many people who do not wish to dedicate their time to hunting just stay pure. Others stay pure based on how much (or how little -- if they do not have certain skills or spells, it may turn them off of the path of re-dedication) they've put into their character, and depend on the promises by the Mundanes. Many people regret staying pure.. but many take pride and honor in the amount of difficulty it was to make their name in the arena and in hunting grounds strong. It is much more of a challenge to master your character completely as a pure (i.e. bring all statistics to maximum potential of their class.)

    Why someone would re-dedicate themselves:

     People take the path of  rededication for obvious reasons - to prove their worth in the arena, and in hunting grounds. They feel that with the stream of two paths it makes them better than one path. In many cases this is very, very true, for now. On the short run it is a much harder path, but in the long run it is much easier to get to maximum potential. There is one way to prove intelligence in rededication - planning your first stage of the character. Before you choose a new path, you want to get as many skills and spells of your first path as possible. I call this the "first stage of planning", because that is what it is. People that want to be very strong also want to consider the ability to save statistic potential.. up to 19 points can be saved. By now, you probably have a good idea on what you want to do. This guide will help you on the journey to get there.

    Mastering your Path

    Once you Master, you cannot change your path, but once you re-dedicate there is no choice but to master. Mastering your path requires the necessary trained abilities of that path, along with a forged item to master. To start the quest, walk to the "Temple of Choosing", where you choose a path. Talk to the keeper of the temple, and find out what is necessary for you to master. All classes need 200,000,000 experience, and forged items. The quest to master involves a journey to the depths of the Cthonic Realm.. to the levels 55 and 54. 56 is a safe hold for weary travelers, for the most part. Some people say a creature called the "Dubh Seud" exists there, but out of the many times I personally have been there, I've never seen him.. Members with throw and ambush are a must, if you wish to complete this journey.

    Mastering a Warrior

    Requirements to master a Warrior: 100/100 Windblade, 100/100 Wallop. 4000 health, 2000 mana.

    To master a warrior, you must fight the ancient dragons called "Deathach" deep within the Cthonic Realm. These will drop either a Broken Jackal's Sword, or a Hilt. They drop the sword more than the hilt, but you need both before the Display Sword can be completed. Once you gather these items, go back to where the Hy-brasyl Plate was forged... talk to the man about master warrior items, and he will gladly forge the Display Sword for you. Then return to the temple, and complete the long and hard journey. You will be blessed with a War Mantleor, a Hy-brasyl Escalon, and two skills: Charge, and Thrash. Thrash is another assail, and charge is a powerful attack that moves you 5 spaces and attacks with a powerful strike.

     Mastering a Rogue

    Requirements to master a Rogue: 90/100 Maiden Trap, 100/100 Peek. 4250 health, 2200 mana.

    To master a rogue, you must fight the ancient dragons that are named 'Sghail' deep within the Cthonic Realm. These will drop either a Smith's Hammer, or a Copper File. They drop the file more than the hammer, but you need both before the Faerie's Flute can be completed. Once you gather these items, go to 20-1 East Woodlands, find the hidden path, and talk to the Faerie. She will complete the flute for you. Return to the temple, and complete the long, hard journey. You will be blessed with a Shadow Mantleor, a Hy-brasyl Azoth, and two skills: Assassin Strike, and Midnight Slash. Midnight Slash is another assail, and Assassin Strike is a powerful attack that, if it is the first attack performed, does massive damage.

    Mastering a Monk

    Requirements to master a Monk:

    (Monk Masters can master one of several ways. Two hp/mp requirements - Balanced and Power. Balance Monk (15/15/15/15/15) needs 9000 health, 5000 mana. Power Monk needs 11000 health, 5500 mana.)  and Three different ways to master regardless. The easiest is to "Have Brown Dugon and know Wise Touch", another is to have Claw Fist at 90/90, and another is to have Beag Nochd 90/90 and Puinneag Beatha 100/100.

    To master a monk, you must fight the ancient dragons that are named 'Old One' deep within the Cthonic Realm. These will drop either Gold Sand, or a Cauldron. They drop the Gold Sand more than the Cauldron, but you need both before the Sand Glass can be completed. Once you gather these items, go to the Sapphire Stream Monastery, and talk to the Sabonim. He will gladly transform the items into a Sand Glass for you. Return to the temple, and complete the long, hard journey. You will be blessed with a Sun Bae Nim Mantleor, a Kalkuri, and one spell: Iron Skin. Iron Skin is 2 chants long, and makes

you invulnerable for 15 seconds. It costs 300 mana points to cast.

    Mastering a Wizard

    Requirements to Master a Wizard: 2 maxed ard spells (for example, Ard Sal and Ard Puinneag Spiorad) and 3750 health, 5000 mana.

    To master a wizard, you must fight the ancient dragons that are named 'Ancient' deep within the Cthonic Realm. These will drop either Magic Ink, or a Magic Scroll. They drop Magic Ink more than a Magic Scroll, but you need both before the Magic Book can be completed. Once you gather the items, go to the Loures Chancellor, Jean (near the library,) he will write the book for you. Once this is done, return to the temple of choosing and complete your long and hard journey. You will be blessed with an Enchanted Mantleor, either a Gnostic Hat or a Gnostic Umber (depending on female or male), a Magus Hy-brasyl Orb, and a spell called "pian na dion". It has uncountable number of chants, but with your staves it is only two chants. It deals about 3000 damage and does not attract the monster towards you. It also brings the monster to no mana points. It costs 430 mana points to cast.

    Mastering a Priest

    Requirements to Master Priest: 90/90 Ard Ioc or 90/90 Ard Naomh Aite and 3500 health, 7500 mana.

    To master a priest, you must fight the ancient dragons that are named 'Avatar' deep within the Cthonic Realm. These will drop either Holy Ink, or a Holy Scroll. They drop Holy Ink more than a Holy Scroll, but you need both before the Holy Book can be completed. Once you gather the items, go to the Suomi Faerie teacher, she will gladly complete the book for you. When this is done, return to the temple and complete your journey. Sacred Mantleor a Sacred Wimple or Sacred Chief (depending on male or female,) a Holy Hy-brasyl Gnarl, and a spell called "mor dion comlha". It will make all group members invulnerable for 15 seconds. It costs 300 mana points to cast.

Enchanting/Empowering Master Weapons

    To empower or enchant your master weapon, (depending whether you are re-dedication or pure) go to the village of Tagor. There find the Alchemist, he will give you instructions on how to get a "Crux". You will have to go to Chaos and retrieve a Bent Crux and a Talos Ore and have the Abel Smith form a Crux out of them. Return to the alchemist, and he will enchant or empower your weapon. Empowered weapons are reddish, Enchanted Weapons are bluish. Here are what they will look like:

Warrior                     Priest                        Rogue                  Wizard

Monk (The Kalkuri does not appear colored outside of inventory, so most do not bother doing the quest to Empower or Enchant it)

Buying Statistics

 As you must know from mastering, all of your skills and spells are able to reach maximum potential. There is still one other thing given to you to do at master; reach maximum potential. To do this both mind and body have to be at maximum. I.E. Statistics. To buy statistics, you have to spend 150 health, but there is a catch; you cannot go below your minimum master health; even if you die to below it you cannot spend 150 health. Since each class has a different maximum potential and a different minimum health, here is a list assembled for you.

For your knowledge, when it comes to statistics with the '/' it's: STRENGTH/INTELLIGENCE/WISDOM/CONSTITUTION/DEXTERITY.

Warrior                                                          Rogue

Minimum health: 4000.                                   Minimum health: 4250.

Maximum Potential: 215/100/100/180/150        Maximum Potential: 180/100/100/150/215

Priest                                                            Wizard

Minimum health: 3500.                                   Minimum health: 3750.

Maximum Potential: 100/180/215/150/100        Maximum Potential: 100/215/180/150/100

Monk

Minimum health: 9000 or 11000.

Maximum Potential: 180/150/100/215/100

How to Rededicate Yourself

    Ah, now the reason you are probably reading this guide. Rededication, the ultimate way to make you extremely powerful. To re-dedicate, you must meet the required health and mana, 10 ard ioc deums, and 60,000,000 experience. Once these are gathered, return to the Temple of Choosing and talk to the priestess about rededicating. She will send you to a room with the god that watches over your path, there he/she will evaluate you. If they find you are worthy and ready, they will ask you which path you wish to dedicate into. Since each path is *totally* different in the required aspect, I have again arranged the requirements by class.

    Warrior

    Requirements: 8400 health 2000 mana.

    Can dedicate into: Rogue, Priest, Wizard, or Monk. Most people dedicate into rogues or monks. Mainly monks, because this is where the true power is revealed with the physical power of the monk, and the trained ability of the warrior.

    Rogue

    Requirements: 6600 health 3600 mana.

    Can dedicate into: Warrior, Priest, Wizard, or Monk. The rogue is very versatile, it can re-dedicate itself into any path and still be useful.

    Priest

    Requirements: 6000 health 7250 mana.

    Can dedicate into: Warrior, Rogue, Wizard, or Monk. Most people dedicate into Wizards, due to the fact that many of the priest spells are very useful to a wizard and a staff called the Magus Ares makes the cursing spell 1 chant.

    Wizard

    Requirements: 6000 health 6600 mana.

    Can dedicate into: Warrior, Rogue, Priest, or Monk. Most people dedicate into Priests, because this keeps their magical potential strong.

    Monk

    Requirements: 8400 health 3600 mana.

    Can dedicate into: Warrior, Rogue, Priest, or Wizard.. The monk is very versatile in what it can dedicate into. The monk both has strong magical spells as well as very powerful physical moves. Most choose the fighting path because this is where the monk is strongest: as a Warrior. A warrior with the strong physical abilities of a monk is considered the strongest fighting class in Temuair.

Conclusion

    I hope this guide helps you decide whether to re-dedicate or pure master. In the long run, re-dedication assists you in reaching maximum potential but in the short run it will take you awhile to re-dedicate. Remember that you can always master, whether you are re-dedicated or not.

    If you get anything out of this guide, I want it to be this. Being a strong warrior, rogue, monk, wizard, or priest is not all about having skills and spells or maximum potential statistics. It's about being an Aisling, a descendant of Danaan and Deoch's bond of love. Treat people with respect; not necessarily being nice to them, but respect them for what they are. Have a lot of character and don't be one of those people who just hunts all day and doesn't get to explore the realm of Temuair. That is all - I send you back into Temuair to, perhaps, master or become a re-dedicatied Aisling.