ø Old Gods of Chaos Tournament ø

This is an awesome tournament idea! I think I'll look over my choices and join this one for my D2 how-to-play refresher! (That way I won't have to worry about killing off any of my other challenge characters until I know what I'm doing). I couldn't decide what to play coming back, so this tournament is the kind of crazy flavor structure that I needed to choose what to play. Awesome!
 
I will join with Kiora, sorceress of Zisla, whose Talents are Pyromania, Charm Expert, and Specialist.
This will be a Hydra/Blizz sorc, since I haven't done hydra before. Huzzah!

I can't wait to find some really weird stuff. Like, really weird. Not just useful for my build. Hella strange. Relics containing the very essence of Zisla's cold blind Abyss.

ok, here we go!
 
It had been a long walk from the shore. Kiora had just one piece of gear remaining: a staff, which had been useful to keep herself and others warm, even if they didn't always appreciate that. She had no doubt that the Great God Zisla had called her to this place. It was not important to know why.

Kiora stepped carefully into the encampment on a rainy night. Everything was soaking wet. Kiora didn't mind. She saw the rain as a favorable sign from the God. This was meant to be.

An older woman approached her, asking for aid. Some place out in the wilderness needed to be cleansed of evil. Kiora knew that Good and Evil were as nothing in the grand schemes of Zisla. Still, this could be an opportunity to increase her prowess and gain favor. No one much minded if demons were sacrificed and their treasures taken. And Kiora was pretty keen to set something on fire.

Killing zombies with a stick was a tedious task, but Kiora performed it without complaint, joyous in service to her God. The zombies did not burn well. That was somewhat vexing and would need to be remedied. For her devotion, Zisla bestowed upon her a gift: the spell to summon an icy shield to protect herself. Kiora tried to steady herself as the briefest touch of the God's power sent her mind reeling like a ship on a stormy sea.

The staff was no longer enough. Zisla demanded a bloodier sacrifice. Now well regarded by the locals, Kiora had no difficulty procuring a sharp and agile sabre for her work.

There were other travelers in the camp. Sometimes they came to speak to Kiora. The conversations were usually short and polite. But one was different. This person spoke in hushed tones and returned the secret signs. Kiora was sure she had found a fellow cultist. Her name was Gaile. Zisla had seen fit to bless her arrows with ice. They would work together.

Kiora and Gaile slew many more monsters, exploring every cave, crypt, and mausoleum in search of glory. Every kill and handful of gold was dedicated to Zisla, although of course they did not speak the God's name out loud. Kiora became stronger and began to wield a two-handed sword in melee, while gleefully setting enemies aflame from afar. Zisla was known to favor certain weapons and methods of sacrifice above others, but a devoted cultist was always welcome to use his or her special talents in service. Thus, the burnt offerings were acceptable.

Kiora has little to offer Zisla at this time. She has only a few tiny treasures but a lot of potential.
-----
Ring of Greed
Ring
Required Level: 1
Fingerprint: 0x3b57c506
Item Level: 3
Version: Expansion 1.10+
38% Extra Gold from Monsters
-----
Small Charm of Blight
Small Charm
Required Level: 6
Fingerprint: 0xd406b4ee
Item Level: 3
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 6 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
-----
Two-Handed Sword
One Hand Damage: 2 - 9
Two Hand Damage: 8 - 17
Durability: 22 of 44
Required Strength: 35
Required Dexterity: 27
Fingerprint: 0xc4a031ee
Item Level: 12
Version: Expansion 1.10+
-----

Kiora, Sorceress of Zisla, Pyromania, Charm Expert, Specialist
level 12, Stony Field, 4 points

Code:
~ God ~

Name ----------- Points ----------- Score
Thoth            +10                181

~ Cultists ~

Character ----- Class/ God    ------ Forum Name ----- Level ----- Act ----- Score

Pyre            Assassin/Thoth       NanoMist         77          5hell     171
Squid           Necromancer/Zisla    Xios             70          1hell     125
Derevus         Paladin/Sol          Vildecor         74          1hell      98
Wicular         Necromancer/Requiem  Southpaw8668     57          2nm        87
Xiu_Atesh       Druid/Xiu-Matesh     Dazliare         54          2nm        73
Geras           Druid/Malstrom       Pb_pal           52          2nm        65
ManOfSteel      Barb/Fractured One   Bry              28          4          38
Toxic_Tom       Barbarian/Pherydimox mwille           27          3          28
Imoquir         Necromancer/Requiem  broxi_111        28          3          24
UndeadCooper    Druid/Requiem        Mezion           26          2          22
Kraxian         Druid/Sol            ranagrande       20          2          12
Vrauzhul        Necromancer/Chimaera iMonsterEatCity  17          1           8
Kiora		Sorceress/Zisla      SunsetVista      12          1           4	
Stefon          Barbarian/Ouroboros  Neksja            1          1           0

~ Legacy ~

Character ----- Class/ God    ------ Forum Name ----- Level ----- Act ----- Score

Wicular         Necromancer/Requiem  Southpaw8668     74          2hell     135
GoreJess        Assassin/Ullr        mwille           65          5nm        97
Gore            Assassin/Ullr        mwille           49          1nm        63
BaileyCat       Assa./Antediluvianis Mezion           27          5          48
Lycaon          Druid/Ouroboros      Neksja           29          4          40
Perturbator     Paladin/Pherydimox   Mezion           33          4          38
OwenCat         Necro/Antediluvianis Mezion           27          4          38
GoreLord        Necromancer/Ullr     mwille           31          4          38
AnnGore         Amazon/Ullr          mwille           32          4          38
Derevus         Paladin/Sol          Vildecor         32          4          34
Quimble         Necromancer/Sol      ranagrande       28          2          16
Sabine          Sorc/Chimaera        iMonsterEatCity  25          2          18
Snirn           Barbarian/Pherydimox broxi_111        22          2          10
Gunvor          Assassin/Ullr        mwille           20          2          10
 
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Kiora practiced her fire magic as she went further afield, aiding those of the encampment in their quest to expel some great evil from a monastery. Kiora hadn't been in very many monasteries, but she didn't think the people in the camp who had been so kind would worship their gods like this. It was a mess. The drains in the floor bubbled up with blood, there were prison cells with rusty, but undoubtably strong, locks and bars. But Kiora didn't know for sure how other people's gods ought to be worshipped, and neither did Gaile.

Gaile was not using a weapon still, since she had not found one that would properly glorify Zisla. Her ice arrows materialized out of thin air and shattered against their targets. Kiora discovered that she could actually enchant Gaile's real-but-not-real bow with fire. The bow remained as invisible as ever, but the demons screamed louder as they were brought down, their forms frozen and scorched at the same time.

Still, the enemies grew stronger. They seemed more resistant to Kiora's fireballs. The battles became longer and more dangerous, and the two cultists had to retreat and return to town for supplies more often. Several times, Kiora only just barely managed to escape, dragging an unconscious Gaile behind her. Money for resurrections was no problem; the power of Zisla greatly multiplied the gold carried by sacrificed monsters. But Kiora was beginning to despair that she would not be strong enough to continue Zisla's work, or even to find out what its true purpose was.

The layout of this place made no sense. There were hallways, and clusters of hallways, and great rooms with barred cells, all at strange angles. There were secret wall panels and dead ends. The air was foul and stagnant. Kiora had no idea how the various levels and their ceilings did not immediately collapse. She and Gaile had wandered into another dead end, both still bleeding from the bite of the goatmen's axes. It was as good a place as any to take a small rest. And then it was time to move on again.

Kiora's vision blurred and the dungeon hallway ahead shimmered out of focus. At first she was alarmed. Could this be a side effect of all those blue potions? No. Though her eyes had trouble focusing, as if she was trying to see underwater, her mind was perfectly clear. She felt a strong sense of direction, a swirling darkness. A wall of fire, the scent of blood, the glimmer of gold. She was reliving her battle with the Countess. The Countess was defeated, and the clatter of her treasure echoed in the chamber, again and again. Ral Eth. Ral Eth. Eld Nef? Eth Tal? Tir Tal? Many battles, all so similar, many runes, all somehow different than the first.

The stone floor beneath her was cold. And dusty. And not all that clean. Had she fallen? But she was not injured. Gaile was standing over her concernedly in the flickering torchlight. Kiora signed that she was alright, stood up somewhat uncertainly, and began to gather up her scattered belongings. Her pack seemed heavier than it had been. It was full of runes!

She heard, or felt, soft laughter. And then she knew, that whenever she needed to become stronger, Zisla would open the way.

New treasures:
Code:
-----
Leaf 
Short Staff 
TirRal 
Two Hand Damage: 1 - 5 
Durability: 15 of 20 
Required Level: 19 
Fingerprint: 0xbf607ac1 
Item Level: 12 
Version: Expansion 1.10+ 
+3 to Fire Skills 
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage 
+3 to Inferno (Sorceress Only) 
+3 to Warmth (Sorceress Only) 
+3 to Fire Bolt (Sorceress Only) 
+2 to Fire Ball (Sorceress Only) 
+38 Defense (Based on Character Level) 
Cold Resist +33% 
+2 to Mana after each Kill 
2 Sockets (2 used) 
Socketed: Tir Rune 
Socketed: Ral Rune 
-----
Beryl Ring of Greed 
Ring 
Required Level: 3 
Fingerprint: 0xc41d82ab 
Item Level: 5 
Version: Expansion 1.10+ 
Poison Resist +10% 
35% Extra Gold from Monsters
-----
Lizard's Grand Charm 
Grand Charm 
Required Level: 5 
Fingerprint: 0x639d0ef3 
Item Level: 8 
Version: Expansion 1.10+ 
+13 to Mana
-----
Ocher Small Charm 
Small Charm 
Required Level: 10 
Fingerprint: 0x41d3dd08 
Item Level: 7 
Version: Expansion 1.10+ 
Lightning Resist +7%
-----
Amulet of Greed 
Amulet 
Required Level: 1 
Fingerprint: 0x895730d1 
Item Level: 7 
Version: Expansion 1.10+ 
25% Extra Gold from Monsters 
-----
First set/unique found: Hsarus' Iron Fist
-----

The first thing that might be considered exotic, though Kiora won't be using it:
---
Bitter Shield
Small Shield
Defense: 13
Chance to Block: 15
Durability: 9 of 16
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 22
Fingerprint: 0xfded048b
Item Level: 10
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+15% Faster Block Rate
10% Increased Chance of Blocking
+23% Enhanced Defense
All Resistances +7
Poison Resist +6%
Attacker Takes Damage of 1
---
This has a surprisingly good combination of mods, definitely not a common item. I like the way the game shows the resists individually on four lines. Then there is 'Attacker Takes Damage of 1'. I am not bitter about that, but if I were, the name would even fit. And it is purple.

Gear:
-----
weapon: 'Leaf' Short Staff
head: normal white cap
body: normal white quilted armor
belt: normal white sash
gloves: normal white leather gloves
boots: normal white boots
amulet: amulet of greed
ring 1: beryl ring of greed
ring 2: ring of greed
-----

Skills:
-----
7 Warmth
4 Fireball
1 Frozen Armor
1 firebolt, enchant, ice bolt, ice blast, frost nova, glacial spike
-----

Kiora, Sorceress of Zisla, lvl 19, Jail 1
pyromania, charm expert, specialist
10 points
 
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Oh, what a blessing this staff was! What was once discouragingly difficult became much more manageable. Gaile and Kiora continued through the monastery, slaying foes and collecting treasure. There were some lightning-spitting beasts that someone had locked in a cell. They seemed like demons, so the two cultists shot them through the bars, easily dodging the retaliatory lightning. When they were all dead, Kiora ventured into the cell to collect the spoils. On one beast's neck, she found a worn leather collar engraved with the name 'Pitspawn Fouldog'. It must have been someone's pet. How odd.

On one of their trips back to town to refill supplies, Kiora and Gaile learned that the source of the evil in the monastery was the demon queen, Andariel. Those in the camp expected the cultists to slay this demon for them. They seemed to have great faith that this was possible. By this time, Kiora was also feeling quite confident in her skills, so the journey through the monastery continued.

All of the stairs in the dungeon seemed to go down. The architecture did not become any less improbable, but the air became warm and musty, smelling slightly of brimstone. There were yet more demons down here, traveling in packs, their tactics more organized. Kiora had an intense battle with some darkly shrouded undead mages, whose fireballs were a near match for her own. The hallways were dark, and there was the occasional deep moan from some kind of zombie. Kiora was glad of the dim light cast by her icy shield.

And then there was a silence. A deep and heavy silence, like the hot and heavy air, hard to breathe. Kiora and Gaile looked at eachother, both covered in gore, and nodded. This was the final stairway, the gateway to the demon's den. They descended.

Andariel was no match at all for Kiora's fire spells. The battle was laughably quick. Upon delivering the killing blow to the demon queen, Kiora knew that Zisla would be pleased. The people at the encampment rejoiced that such evil had been slain. Now they could go about rebuilding their monastery, which, they assured Kiora, had been twisted by the powers of Hell and was not normally so grim and bloody.

A whispering came to Kiora, of ancient waves over sand. And so she was not surprised when Warriv offered to take her East, to the desert. One might surmise that so far from shore in such a dry place Zisla would have little power. But Kiora knew that Zisla was eternal, and had seen many seas dry into deserts and many deserts flooded again. The spectacular thunderstorms that frequently graced the desert sky were proof of this.

New treasures:
Pelta Lunata, The Gnasher, and this amazing thing:
-----
Ocher Grand Charm of Lightning
Grand Charm
Required Level: 7
Fingerprint: 0x47dd373d
Item Level: 12
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 1 - 7 Lightning Damage
Lightning Resist +19%
-----

Kiora, Sorceress of Zisla, lvl 20, Lut Gholein
pyromania, charm expert, specialist
12 points
 
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Kiora and Gaile made it to Lut Gholein at last, still unsure of their purpose in coming here but knowing it to be necessary. At first, Kiora hoped she might find another companion here, but it was not to be. She looked upon the town guards with barely contained contempt; she could tell by their equipment that they were not worshipers of Zisla and so were unfit to join in her, as yet mysterious, quest.

Deckard Cain, who had also traveled east, seemed to be keenly interested in some developing prophecy about the return of the Prime Evils. Supposedly, there were some ancient relics here in the desert that could prevent the resurrection of those terrible demons. Cain asked to see any unusual treasure that Kiora and Gaile might find. They agreed, since Cain had already helped them identify all sorts of trinkets.

A shopkeeper named Fara remarked that she knew much of ancient religions. She noticed right away that Gaile and Kiora were on some kind of pilgrimage for Zisla and showed her support with a Light Belt of Wealth. Kiora paid for it anyway, so as not to attract attention, although Fara said she'd keep their allegiance secret.

Even with rumors of demons outside, the town gates were open. Fine sand blew around Gaile and Kiora as they stepped out into the desert. It was a hostile place, strewn with sun-bleached bones. The grisly remains of unfortunate town guards slouched, impaled, on posts, likely food for the vulture demons shrieking overhead.

Kiora thought about bones. Zisla had no special teachings about bones or burial; such things were simply not important to the God. Kiora did know that some people's religions did care; there were plenty of stories about lost tombs full of treasure. She'd have to be on the lookout for such things.

Soon enough, the cultists were attacked by demons and some very angry cat women with spears. Although Gaile's sense of direction in the monastery had been, uh, interesting, out here in the open she was much more accurate. Gaile's ice arrows were a great boon, chilling the little leaping demons so that Kiora could actually hit them with fireballs.

The blown sands of the desert revealed more gold than Kiora had ever seen. She marveled at the large boulders that looked like they might be weathered remains of statues. Some had sharper edges, as if they hadn't eroded away evenly. Small depressions in the sand, maybe footprints, led towards one of those, where the shadows were deeper. It was the entrance to a tomb.

-----

Kiora and Gaile stepped carefully into the darkness, past the remnants of what had once been a beautifully painted stone door. Right away, it became clear to them why they hadn't noticed any bones nearby in the sand outside. All the bones were here, still arranged in complete, perfectly articulated skeletons. Then, there was a rustle in the darkness, followed by an uncanny chittering. Gaile was quick to react; she shot the demonic bat creature right out of the air. Its wings crackled with lightning as it died. Its frozen body shattered against the floor, raising a cloud of dust.

The tomb seemed to suffer from the same architectural illness as the monastery, though perhaps its builders had intended that. There were doors that led nowhere, empty chambers full of smashed pots, and stairs leading deeper and deeper. Kiora listened by the stairs before descending. She heard the sounds of battle in the depths below, the clash of weapons, the snapping of bones, the screams of the wounded and the dying. It was nothing she hadn't heard before. But it was important, somehow. Gaile felt it too. It was important to go down there before the battle was over.

A door at the end of a hallway was ajar, giving Gaile and Kiora a good view of the battle they had heard. The shrieking, and sometimes the screaming, was being done by some cat warriors, who were fighting an army of skeletons led by three towering undead monsters. The cat warriors' goal seemed to be the glowing golden chest in the center of the room, but things were not going well for them. As soon as one skeleton fell, another one rose in its place.

The noise around her seemed to fade as Kiora looked at the glowing golden chest. The chest was the whole world. She would do anything to have it.

Gaile pulled Kiora out of the way just in time, as the raging cat warriors surged madly out into the hallway. Maybe they were fleeing from the skeletons, or maybe they had sensed Kiora's interest in the chest. Kiora struck them down with fire and then stepped over their charred carcasses into the room beyond. Gaile was surprised, and a little afraid. She had never before seen Kiora kill so viciously and without emotion.

A few moments passed. Gaile gathered her wits enough to risk another look into the room. Kiora was seated atop the chest, a pile of smoldering bones at her feet. She cradled a small metal cube in her arms, a precious thing, obviously much older than anything else they had seen in the tomb. And there was something... odd... about her eyes. Gaile hesitated, but when she met Kiora's gaze, she knew beyond any doubt that, no matter what it was, Zisla's will would be done.

Kiora, Sorceress of Zisla, lvl 22, Halls of the Dead 2, with Horadric Cube
pyromania, charm expert, specialist
12 points
 
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Back in town, Gaile had gotten them a table at the local tavern. Kiora sat across from her, staring blankly into space. When questioned earlier, she'd said she was alright. Gaile remained watchful, just in case. In case what? Gaile remained sure that her friend's actions in the tomb were divinely inspired. But by now the two of them had seen that there were other powers active in the world, including the forces of Hell. What if... no... their faith was strong. Zisla would not abide demonic interference with such devoted cultists. Still, Gaile had a brief moment of doubt as she realized she was jealous of Kiora. Gaile had fought, sacrificed, and followed all Zisla's decrees just as Kiora had. Why was Kiora favored over her? It was just another question with no answer.

There was a woman crying at the bar. Gaile stood up and went over to ask Atma what was wrong, more to distract herself from her own thoughts than out of compassion. Atma wanted vengeance for her family; a monster had come up from the sewers and slain them. Nobody else had been able to help. Gaile comforted Atma and accepted the quest. Zisla approved of vengeance, and Gaile felt she needed to kill more monsters anyway, to prove herself. She took Kiora by the hand and guided her out of the tavern.

Down in the sewers, Kiora's fire magic was not very effective against the skeleton archers. The slightest scratch from their arrows seemed to burn Kiora terribly. Gaile stepped in front of Kiora to shield her from the flames. They were still in this together, after all. The fights went on for a long time. Gaile was concerned that Kiora was drinking too many blue potions, but Kiora had also handed her many red ones. So that was alright.

The monster they'd been sent to kill laughed wickedly, and though it was clearly a dead thing, it spoke of being alive again. When it was slain, Kiora remarked on how misguided it had been. Gaile agreed, but to herself she wondered if they were not also misguided.

They returned to town and found that people were grateful, even offering discounts on their wares. Gaile and Kiora went on a shopping spree and no one seemed to care that they had just emerged from the sewers. They looked at many fine things, but very few of the items would be allowed by Zisla. Stalls closed as the evening faded into night, but the market as a whole was never quiet. Gaile caught up to Kiora, only to find that she'd gambled away most of their gold. Kiora held up a sparkling golden belt and grinned triumphantly.

-----

Gaile and Kiora set off across the desert again in search of more treasure to recoup Kiora's gambling losses. They raided another tomb but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Darkness fell early, and they found themselves in the ruins of an ancient city. Only the hollow shells of houses remained. Gaile felt like she was being watched. A green glass bottle flew past her ear and broke on the ancient flagstones. Then she was choking on the fumes, feeling so sick, a horrible poison. She moved aside just in time to avoid a second shot and got a glimpse of her opponent: another one of those cat warriors. Off to the side, Kiora was throwing fire at a group of zombies. There were more zombies shambling towards Kiora from behind. Gaile wanted to shout a warning, but she was completely out of breath and only barely managing to stand.

Gaile watched as the zombies struck Kiora and were frozen solid by the icy shield. Kiora took a few steps, ignoring the immobile zombies, to where Gaile was leaning against a crumbling wall, and turned again to face the enemy. The desert air was cold at night, and it grew even colder now. Gaile heard Kiora whisper something, but she couldn't make out what was said. Large shards of ice began to fall from the sky, striking the zombies and slowing their advance. But they continued to come closer, until a second rain of icy shards ripped through them and made them lie still.

Kiora bent down to help Gaile up. She seemed as surprised as Gaile was. They both knew that Kiora's specialty was fire and that she had not been practicing ice magic. The falling ice had only struck the zombies; Gaile and Kiora were unharmed. They both made the secret, holy signs at the same time before opening a portal back to the safety of town. Travel by portal was usually instantaneous, but it did not feel that way this time.

New exotic treasures that might not actually get used:
This matching set of rings from the cube:
---
Silver Ring of the Apprentice
Ring
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0xecd94d98
Item Level: 18
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Cast Rate
+70 to Attack Rating
---
Silver Ring of the Apprentice
Ring
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0x97793e86
Item Level: 18
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Cast Rate
+78 to Attack Rating
---

and this amulet, also from the cube, so that Kiora will remember Gaile if they ever get separated:
---
Fortuitous Amulet of Inner Sight
Amulet
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0x7a880726
Item Level: 18
Version: Expansion 1.10+
14% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 1 Inner Sight (28/33 Charges)
---

Current Gear:
Leaf
normal white cap
normal white quilted armor
Heavy Gloves of Wealth 43%
Belt of Wealth 67%
Strong Heavy Boots of Wealth 38% def, 46% gold find
Amulet of Greed 25%
Tangerine Ring of Greed 5% lightning res, 31% gold find
Beryl Ring of Greed 10% poison res, 35% gold find

Code:
~ God ~

Name ----------- Points ----------- Score
Thoth            +10                181

~ Cultists ~

Character ----- Class/ God    ------ Forum Name ----- Level ----- Act ----- Score

Pyre            Assassin/Thoth       NanoMist         77          5hell     171
Squid           Necromancer/Zisla    Xios             70          1hell     125
Derevus         Paladin/Sol          Vildecor         74          1hell      98
Wicular         Necromancer/Requiem  Southpaw8668     57          2nm        87
Xiu_Atesh       Druid/Xiu-Matesh     Dazliare         54          2nm        73
Geras           Druid/Malstrom       Pb_pal           52          2nm        65
ManOfSteel      Barb/Fractured One   Bry              28          4          38
Toxic_Tom       Barbarian/Pherydimox mwille           27          3          28
Imoquir         Necromancer/Requiem  broxi_111        28          3          24
UndeadCooper    Druid/Requiem        Mezion           26          2          22
Kiora		Sorceress/Zisla      SunsetVista      24          2          14
Kraxian         Druid/Sol            ranagrande       20          2          12
Vrauzhul        Necromancer/Chimaera iMonsterEatCity  17          1           8
Stefon          Barbarian/Ouroboros  Neksja            1          1           0

~ Legacy ~

Character ----- Class/ God    ------ Forum Name ----- Level ----- Act ----- Score

Wicular         Necromancer/Requiem  Southpaw8668     74          2hell     135
GoreJess        Assassin/Ullr        mwille           65          5nm        97
Gore            Assassin/Ullr        mwille           49          1nm        63
BaileyCat       Assa./Antediluvianis Mezion           27          5          48
Lycaon          Druid/Ouroboros      Neksja           29          4          40
Perturbator     Paladin/Pherydimox   Mezion           33          4          38
OwenCat         Necro/Antediluvianis Mezion           27          4          38
GoreLord        Necromancer/Ullr     mwille           31          4          38
AnnGore         Amazon/Ullr          mwille           32          4          38
Derevus         Paladin/Sol          Vildecor         32          4          34
Quimble         Necromancer/Sol      ranagrande       28          2          16
Sabine          Sorc/Chimaera        iMonsterEatCity  25          2          18
Snirn           Barbarian/Pherydimox broxi_111        22          2          10
Gunvor          Assassin/Ullr        mwille           20          2          10

Kiora and Gaile, cultists of Zisla, lvl 24, Lost City
pyromania, charm expert, specialist
14 points
 
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First off, welcome fellow cultist of Zisla! Good journeys to you.

The Squid has done a bit of floundering in Hell. Between all the undead and the fair share of Poison Immunes, I've had to get used to running past enemies I simply cannot kill (something I practiced in Act 5 NM). While it was irritating it was rarely too dangerous, as I was able to use Attract (from an offhand) that usually gave me the window to sneak past. Short of a minor scare where an Extra Fast Cold Enchanted Vile Hunter rushed and exploded into my -45 Cold Resist self, I haven't had too many near death experiences.

I didn't farm too much of Act One, mostly just pushing forward. My quest Countess only gave me a Tir+El or something to that effect, much to my disappointment. I think I could run her although it's not without risk. As Zisla allows some High Rune recipes it's tempting, if a little unlikely.

After a nice match of ring around the rosie with Andariel, I moved on to Act Two. A lucky map roll allowed me to quickly run through the Sewers despite the many Poison Immune threats. After tediously pulling his lackeys away I claimed my Skill Book from Radament.

I realized that Dry Hills has no Poison Immunes, a fact that I took advantage of to kill a bit at Players 8 with the thought of perhaps returning. Most of the classic 85 Zones either have a Poison Immune basic mob, or are exclusively Undead which have strong resists.

Unfortunately I ran into the Maggot Lair only to realize my mistake-- all the maggots are immune to poison! I knew that progress would be incredibly slow if not impossible, so I decided now was the time to gear up until I can think of a better solution.

It left me at a strange conundrum. I can't farm Baal, most the Hell Zones are not particularly friendly (although they could be done of course) so I tried to decide what I wanted. Really, I just needed to finish up some Runewords, or roll more Safety Items, neither of which are particularly MF intensive. I debated between Countess, Pit/Crypt or maybe Nightmare Trav/LK. Eventually however I decided to do some Nightmare Cows to find some white/socketed equipment. I have yet to make my White Wand or my Rhyme Shield at this point, so I thought now was as good of time as any.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Poison Nova is pretty good at clearing cows. On players 8 it's mostly just a matter of herding with very little risk. Really the slowest part was that there was so much loot on the ground that not all the text appeared. I had a particularly amusing moment when this happened. Did anyone recently die in Cows? Because here was one unfortunate hero tied to their post.

View attachment 4104

I also had the "luck" of running into this Amulet, much to my mixed reaction:

Rare Amulet: +2 PnB Skills, +10 FCR, +5 MF, +6 Str, +3 Min Damage

It made me consider personalizing it although currently I have held off on such.

Eventually I made a modest Rhyme out of a +1 Poison Nova Unraveler Head, as I assumed if I found better I'd just make another. I found a +3 Poison Nova white Wand only to socket it in the cube to get 1 Socket, much to my disappointment. The search for a nice white/socketed wand continues.

Not sure how I'll try to progress in Act Two, but for now I'm simply taking the time to prepare for the future.

Level: 76
Act: 2 Hell
Points: 135 (effective 127, as I haven't handed in three Imbues or a Personalize)
Current Wealth: 1,804,316
Highest Rune Found: Lum
Talents: Boon, Maleficium, Specialist, Charm Expert

Rare Coronet: +1 Necro / +15 All / MDR 2
Magic Amulet: +96 Life (Whale)
Magic Wand: +2 Poison Nova / 108 Mana
Stealth Breast Plate
Rhyme Preserved Head (+1 Poison Nova)
Safety Gauntlets: 6 Cold Res, 15 Fire Res, PDR 1, MDR 2
Rare Ring: 28 Lightning Res, 20 Fire Res, 7 Poison Res, PDR2, MDR 2
Magic Heavy Belt: +68 Life (Squid)
Safety Ring: 3 Min Damage, 5 Str, 1 Vit, 27 Cold Resist, PDR3, MDR4
Safety Greaves: 30% FRW, 6 Fire Res, 21 MF, PDR1, MDR2

Been amassing some Avarice Jewels if I need to use an item in a pinch, or perhaps allow a weapon for a Merc.

Sigon's Guard
Bloodthief
Sigon's Wrap
Laying of Hands
Cathan's Mesh
Wormskull
Isenhart's Parry
Woestave
Deathspade
Doomslinger

A number of nice +Skill Amulets, Circlets and Grand Charms unrelated to Necromancer.

Code:
~ God ~

Name ----------- Points ----------- Score
Thoth            +10                181

~ Cultists ~

Character ----- Class/ God    ------ Forum Name ----- Level ----- Act ----- Score

Pyre            Assassin/Thoth       NanoMist         77          5hell     171
Squid           Necromancer/Zisla    Xios             76          2hell     135
Derevus         Paladin/Sol          Vildecor         74          1hell      98
Wicular         Necromancer/Requiem  Southpaw8668     57          2nm        87
Xiu_Atesh       Druid/Xiu-Matesh     Dazliare         54          2nm        73
Geras           Druid/Malstrom       Pb_pal           52          2nm        65
ManOfSteel      Barb/Fractured One   Bry              28          4          38
Toxic_Tom       Barbarian/Pherydimox mwille           27          3          28
Imoquir         Necromancer/Requiem  broxi_111        28          3          24
UndeadCooper    Druid/Requiem        Mezion           26          2          22
Kiora           Sorceress/Zisla      SunsetVista      24          2          14
Kraxian         Druid/Sol            ranagrande       20          2          12
Vrauzhul        Necromancer/Chimaera iMonsterEatCity  17          1           8
Stefon          Barbarian/Ouroboros  Neksja            1          1           0

~ Legacy ~

Character ----- Class/ God    ------ Forum Name ----- Level ----- Act ----- Score

Wicular         Necromancer/Requiem  Southpaw8668     74          2hell     135
GoreJess        Assassin/Ullr        mwille           65          5nm        97
Gore            Assassin/Ullr        mwille           49          1nm        63
BaileyCat       Assa./Antediluvianis Mezion           27          5          48
Lycaon          Druid/Ouroboros      Neksja           29          4          40
Perturbator     Paladin/Pherydimox   Mezion           33          4          38
OwenCat         Necro/Antediluvianis Mezion           27          4          38
GoreLord        Necromancer/Ullr     mwille           31          4          38
AnnGore         Amazon/Ullr          mwille           32          4          38
Derevus         Paladin/Sol          Vildecor         32          4          34
Quimble         Necromancer/Sol      ranagrande       28          2          16
Sabine          Sorc/Chimaera        iMonsterEatCity  25          2          18
Snirn           Barbarian/Pherydimox broxi_111        22          2          10
Gunvor          Assassin/Ullr        mwille           20          2          10
 
Last edited:
@Xios - Thank you for the welcome, oh mighty one! May Zisla watch over your journey from beyond the frozen depths for all time.

(I am having so much fun writing this funny thing. Yay!)

-----

Kiora's new amulet was a trophy taken from the dark altar of the Viper Temple. Cain said it was one of the important ancient relics. Supposedly, the amulet was part of a staff that was the special key to a tomb where some ancient mage had done something foolish to imprison a powerful demon. So where was the rest of the staff? Oh, it was also missing out in the desert somewhere.

The desert had looked vast at first, but it was entirely enclosed by boulders and cliffs; the actual area was quite small. Kiora and Gaile had already explored most of it. The only place they hadn't been for sure was a foul pit in the sand close to the oasis. Kiora seemed to be avoiding it. Gaile had wondered about that.

Inside the tunnels beneath the pit were the largest maggots the cultists had ever seen. Toxic slime pooled in the sand, hovered over by swarms of biting flies. The surprising thing was that the clouds of flies were somehow carrying treasure, even large items like armor and polearms. The other surprising thing was that Kiora was afraid of the lightning beetles. She would back away down the tunnels and hide behind Gaile. Gaile rolled her eyes at that, but protected her friend anyway. The shocks weren't even that bad.

Many twisty, turny passages later, the cramped tunnels opened into a large chamber. Most of the room was taken up by a titanic maggot queen, tended by swarms of lesser maggots. Pulsating eggs stuck to the sand everywhere, threatening to hatch at any moment. On one side of the nest, Kiora and Gaile spotted a golden chest half buried in the sand. At the same time, the hordes of maggots began to spit acid at them, and all the eggs hatched at once. The whole room was filling up with maggots! Even the blizzard spell (which, much to the cultists' delight, Kiora had been able to call upon more often) did little to deter the creatures. Before the squirming mass of maggots completely blocked her path, Kiora darted into the room and ran to the chest. The winds of her icy shield blew away the sand covering it and she kicked it open, blindly grabbing the contents before fleeing with Gaile back through the tunnels, all the way up to the surface.

Cain couldn't believe the luck Gaile and Kiora had with treasure finding. Imagine that.

-----

It was just one thing after another. There were demons in the palace cellars. For some reason Kiora and Gaile had become Lut Gholein's resident demon exterminators, and so they were expected to take care of this.

A beautiful, yet haunting, song echoed up from beneath the palace floor.

Yep, demons had been here. Kiora and Gaile could tell by all the dead guards and mutilated corpses of the harem girls. So who then was singing? There was blood splattered all over, ruining the fine decorations in every room. Kiora still took the opportunity to loot what she could, however. No one would know that it wasn't the demons who had taken everything. She found a skull under one of the beds. Not too long ago, that would have been alarming.

The two cultists fought their way down through waves of skeleton archers. The archers unceasingly shot fire arrows at them through the barred windows. They couldn't safely attack head-on, so they tried another tactic. Kiora would open a door, take a quick peek into the room, and then dash back out again to hide behind the wall. The skeleton archers would be overcome with curiosity and come investigate the open door as a group. That's when Kiora would invoke the icy shards of Zisla to destroy them.

Gaile and Kiora thought they had at last reached the lowest floor. The ghostly song continued to accompany the death cries of the demons. Behind a sturdy door, Kiora noticed a tarnished, empty archway standing alone in the center of the room. As the cultist's approached, a shimmering blue curtain of magic descended from the top of the arch to its base. The portal was open.

Gaile and Kiora always made sure to get a job done right, so they entered the portal in hopes of preventing the demons from returning to infest the cellars again.

They stood on a narrow walkway of pale stone suspended in the void. Mysterious points of light flickered in the distance all around them. The magic of the place was so strong that Kiora nearly collapsed, but Gaile caught her just in time. They both marveled at the awesome distortion of reality here. When the demons were all dead, they would certainly consecrate it as a temple to Zisla. The owners of the palace above wouldn't mind; they didn't even need to know.

-----

New treasures:
---
Ocher Circlet of Wealth
Circlet
Defense: 21
Durability: 35 of 35
Required Level: 16
Fingerprint: 0x8192ed41
Item Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Lightning Resist +17%
41% Extra Gold from Monsters
---
Crimson Heavy Gloves of Wealth
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 6
Durability: 13 of 14
Required Level: 12
Fingerprint: 0xb9e61c08
Item Level: 20
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +8%
76% Extra Gold from Monsters
---
and yay for quest items being allowed!
---
Amulet of the Viper
Top of the Horadric Staff
Fingerprint: 0x563f3ed9
Item Level: 14
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10 to Life
+10 to Mana
Poison Resist +25%
---

Kiora and Gaile, cultists of Zisla, lvl 26, Arcane Sanctuary
pyromania, charm expert, specialist
16 points
 
Last edited:
Well, a dozen or more Cow Runs later and I'm still without a wand. I wasn't even being particularly picky with my selections. I didn't find a single wand with any amount of +Skills that were relevant, most being strictly plain or cracked with unrelated skills. A little disappointing, but the Wand I'm using right now is fine in the interim period, although if I can find one with +Poison Nova, getting a White will be a huge upgrade. If the RNGods would prefer to just send along a Death's Web instead, that would be acceptable too, hah.

After stuffing my stash full of Charms (those I'm not using, more on that in the gear section) Runes, Gems, and random trinkets that were of little use (or disallowed), I decided I should at least try to give the Maggot Lair an attempt. It was then I learned how favoured my quest must be by Zisla, as the map rolls were absolutely silly, as seen below.

View attachment 4105 View attachment 4106 View attachment 4107

Taking advantage of my good fortune, I rehired my Mercenary to deal with whatever Maggots I might run into, which was thankfully only a handful, killed extremely slowly. Once in the treasure room, I had to deal with wave after wave of hatchlings until I could eventually run up to the chest, spamming Terror to clear the area then fleeing.

Working my way to the Viper Temple, I thankfully avoided Embalmers (yet another Poison Immune mob) until the very last room. Still, I needed to run around to position to kill Unravelers, which can be a precarious position against the charges of snakes. With no particularly close calls I made my way to the second level. Unfortunately it was swarmed with Embalmers, but due to their staggering nature I was able to run around them, clear out everything that wasn't Poison immune and leave with my treasure.

I avoided Horror Archers most of the way down to the Arcane Sanctuary, where instead I just needed to contend with the big nasties, which the playstyle of Poison Nova handles just fine. There's no immunities in the Sanctuary, although I wasn't there long as I found the Summoner on the first try and was off to the Canyon of the Magi.

Despite the fact that I had to practically full clear the Tomb to find the staff room, clearing it out went by fairly easily. For almost all of Act Two I felt like I was lucky in avoiding most of the Poison Immune monsters being spawned in place of others (Except the Maggot Lair, where I think it's impossible to avoid at least one type of the namesake monsters, unsurprisingly). Scarabs in particular are a welcome sight actually, as only their death throes procs their lightning due to how poison works.

Looking up to find that Duriel has 75% Poison Resist on Hell made me debate whether to use Lower Resist (now at around -60%) over Decrepify. I decided to risk going with the former, and wasn't punished too hard for the choice. A bit of running around and refreshing my Bone Armor and Duriel went down without too much of a fuss. I should mention that Rhyme has been making Cold Enchanted foes less of a problem due to Cannot Be Frozen, not that it negates Holy Freeze however.

Right at the start of Act Three I was met by a Champion pack of Suckers, which made me decide to run back to town and quit to try and reroll the monsters in the zones. The next one was just fetishes, which while dangerous and a little scary is not impossible. I had a mixed blessing in the Great Marsh. While I needed to go through it to find the Flayer Jungle, I didn't run into any Gloams. This lead to essentially three zones of being chased by armies of little swamp people, which kept the fighting interesting if a little worrisome. Thankfully I'm still using Stealth and my boots have 30% FRW so I'm able to keep pace with them, although Extra Fast packs sometimes made me use Decrepify so that I could at least read the boss text before something bad happens.

I ended up finding Lower Kurast before I found the Gidbinn and the Flayer Dungeon, which is something I try to do from time to time anyways. After saying Hello to Stormtree I quickly found the waypoint and looked around to see if I had a double campfire spawn. No luck, but oh well. I doubled back to go and find the quest areas in the Flayer Jungle. Following the theme of lucky monster packs, there were no Dolls in the Flayer Dungeon, which I welcomed openly. After wading through countless Flayers and Soul Killers I eventually claimed my prize and returned to Lower Kurast.

I worked my way through the city areas above ground, picking up the Bazaar, Upper Kurast and Travincal waypoints before searching for the Temple or delving into the Sewers. I've had some bad experiences with Ruined Temple involving the "surprise gank squadron" of entering the area only to be immediately surrounded by all sorts of nastiness. Hoping that wasn't the case but preparing for the worst, I decided to rehire my Mercenary as a distraction and to pray I got a good layout yet hovering over escape.

And there it was, the surprise gank squadron strikes again. Hopping down into Ruined Temple had me immediately surrounded by Wailing Beasts, Flesh Hunters and Spider Magi. Not even attempting to try and wrestle my way out I managed to immediately bail as my Mercenary died for the cause and I quit and rejoined. Luckily this time the monsters weren't at the entrance and I was able to claim my Stat Points, although Battlemaid Sarina and her extra fast goons are always a little scary to see rushing you.

I wasn't looking forward to the Sewers. Nearly everything down there is immune to Poison, so it will be a miserable run to find the way down. Deciding not to press my luck again tonight, I decided now was the time to stop. I did however, kill the Council for old time's sake.

Level: 79
Act: 3 Hell
Points: 153 (effective 145, as I haven't handed in three Imbues or a Personalize)
Current Wealth: 1,586,309
Highest Rune Found: Lum
Talents: Boon, Maleficium, Specialist, Charm Expert

Rare Coronet: +1 Necro , +15 All , MDR 2
Magic Amulet: +1 Necro, +40 Mana, 35 Cold Resist, 1 PDR, 1 MDR, +1 Block [NEW]
Magic Wand: +2 Poison Nova , 108 Mana
Stealth Breast Plate
Rhyme Preserved Head (+1 Poison Nova)
Safety Gauntlets: 6 Cold Res, 15 Fire Res, PDR 1, MDR 2
Rare Ring: 28 Lightning Res, 20 Fire Res, 7 Poison Res, PDR2, MDR 2
Magic Heavy Belt: +68 Life (Squid)
Safety Ring: 3 Min Damage, 5 Str, 1 Vit, 27 Cold Resist, PDR3, MDR4
Safety Greaves: 30% FRW, 6 Fire Res, 21 MF, PDR1, MDR2

A fairly respectable set of Charms, focusing almost solely on Resists and Life.

Current Resists in Hell: 42/68/38/54
Current Life: 1084

Still need to finish some Runewords or take the time to roll the many Greaves/Gauntlets I've amassed. I haven't been running into many Demonhide sashes though. Still waiting for a Kraken Shell too. Definitely could use my White Wand and my belt is probably my weakest component now.

Arcanna's Deathwand
Angelic Sickle
Cathan's Visage
Bladebuckle
Lance Guard
Isenhart's Horns
Sigon's Visor
Kinemil's Awl
Crainte Vomir
Multiple Nokozan Relics
Guillaume's Face (Makes me even more sad I can't use an A2 Merc)
Thundergod's Vigor (This just makes me sad all over)

I found a white Tiara, which certainly made me consider burning a Charsi.

Code:
~ God ~

Name ----------- Points ----------- Score
Thoth            +10                181

~ Cultists ~

Character ----- Class/ God    ------ Forum Name ----- Level ----- Act ----- Score

Pyre            Assassin/Thoth       NanoMist         77          5hell     171
Squid           Necromancer/Zisla    Xios             79          3hell     153
Derevus         Paladin/Sol          Vildecor         74          1hell      98
Wicular         Necromancer/Requiem  Southpaw8668     57          2nm        87
Xiu_Atesh       Druid/Xiu-Matesh     Dazliare         54          2nm        73
Geras           Druid/Malstrom       Pb_pal           52          2nm        65
ManOfSteel      Barb/Fractured One   Bry              28          4          38
Toxic_Tom       Barbarian/Pherydimox mwille           27          3          28
Imoquir         Necromancer/Requiem  broxi_111        28          3          24
UndeadCooper    Druid/Requiem        Mezion           26          2          22
Kiora           Sorceress/Zisla      SunsetVista      26          2          16
Kraxian         Druid/Sol            ranagrande       20          2          12
Vrauzhul        Necromancer/Chimaera iMonsterEatCity  17          1           8
Stefon          Barbarian/Ouroboros  Neksja            1          1           0

~ Legacy ~

Character ----- Class/ God    ------ Forum Name ----- Level ----- Act ----- Score

Wicular         Necromancer/Requiem  Southpaw8668     74          2hell     135
GoreJess        Assassin/Ullr        mwille           65          5nm        97
Gore            Assassin/Ullr        mwille           49          1nm        63
BaileyCat       Assa./Antediluvianis Mezion           27          5          48
Lycaon          Druid/Ouroboros      Neksja           29          4          40
Perturbator     Paladin/Pherydimox   Mezion           33          4          38
OwenCat         Necro/Antediluvianis Mezion           27          4          38
GoreLord        Necromancer/Ullr     mwille           31          4          38
AnnGore         Amazon/Ullr          mwille           32          4          38
Derevus         Paladin/Sol          Vildecor         32          4          34
Quimble         Necromancer/Sol      ranagrande       28          2          16
Sabine          Sorc/Chimaera        iMonsterEatCity  25          2          18
Snirn           Barbarian/Pherydimox broxi_111        22          2          10
Gunvor          Assassin/Ullr        mwille           20          2          10
 
Last edited:
@Xios - The maggot lair map layout is amazing. Great write-up of those parts of Hell! You've really refreshed my memory of what it's like and I'm looking forward to making it there. Watch out for those surprise gank squadrons, indeed.
 
It was extremely fortunate that I had such a straight forward Maggot Lair. Avoiding Poison Immune mobs is one thing, having them physically blocking the way is another. Hopefully I manage to continue my luck streak in the Sewers. I have no idea what I'll do with the Venom Lords in Chaos Sanctuary this time around, but with access to Hell Countess/LK/85 Zones I could potentially farm myself out of that hole.

This playthrough if nothing else is reminding me why I always recommend dual elements by Hell, and an Act 2 Mercenary-- both of their absences are solely missed. Of course a Poison Novamancer is possible, although that's due to access to -Poison Resistance gear. They'd normally have access to the Summon tree and Corpse Explosion as well. Definitely wouldn't be my first choice for an untwinked playthrough under normal circumstances in any case, but that's the point of these tournaments after all.

So hopefully your fire/cold combination will help you out. Hydras are a skill I always thought were neat but never tried to revolve around myself.

I'm somewhat surprised that there's not some sort of safeguard in how monsters spawn to prevent enemies from being within a certain proximity of the entrances. I realize the Ruined Temple is small and stuffed with champion/unique packs and they'd be crammed into the corners, but it seems like a better solution (that or lower the minimum amount of champs/uniques) as it's a little ridiculous. There might be a bit of ambiguity when I say immediately surrounded, but I mean upon entering the zone, before moving or acting, there's at least a dozen enemies within melee reach-- something that unfortunately ended an unsuspecting hardcore character of mine in the past. It's essentially mimicry of particularly ill fated blind teleport landings, but that has an aspect of risk/choice, whereas I don't think just deciding to enter a zone (a Quest Area no less) calls for such potential punishment.

Oh well, at least when it happens to you once, you're acutely aware of it every time in the future-- fool me once and all that.
 
So hopefully your fire/cold combination will help you out. Hydras are a skill I always thought were neat but never tried to revolve around myself.

Yep, that's the plan. I seem to remember that cold/fire dual immunity can happen pretty frequently, so I'll also be missing an Act 2 merc for his physical damage, and also static field/teleport and telekinesis to stun things. Maybe I'll find some kind of really exotic rare bow. Or maybe Passion in a bow? That seems neat.
 
Clearing out all the demons was an exhausting task. The pale stone seemed to drink up the blood of the demons wherever it fell. Flights of spectres drifted through the void. Kiora and Gaile were careful to slay them over solid ground so that no treasures would fall away into eternity. The twisted, impossible geometry of the stairs gave Gaile horrible vertigo; several times, the cultists had to portal back to town to recover. At last, they stood triumphant, alone in the dark abyss that now belonged to Zisla.

There was a portal to a different part of the desert. Unsurprisingly, the shifting sands concealed yet more demons and tombs. In the absence of fathomable instructions from the Great God, Kiora and Gaile decided to continue on with the sacrifices and treasure finding so that they would be strong enough to carry out Zisla's plan when it might be revealed to them.

Gaile was extremely pleased when she found a bow in one of the tombs that was obviously not of this world. Something so exotic could only be a reward from Zisla. They were on the right path!

The next tomb was guarded by an ancient, powerful Unraveler, so powerful that Kiora and Gaile figured it must be the high priest of a rival cult. It returned every blow with waves of charged bolts. Whenever a bolt crackled painfully over Kiora's skin, she felt her magical energy draining away. Even worse, this powerful Unraveler could revive its allies and seemed to regain strength from their unholy bolts. Kiora and Gaile were forced to retreat. For now.

Kiora was reluctant to relinquish her prized trophy amulet, but with Cain's guidance, she placed it in the cube with the staff from the maggot lair. The fact that the objects fit into the tiny cube was surprising enough, but when Kiora looked inside, the two pieces had become one. Cain was very excited about this, and told them to take the Horadric Staff into the Tomb of Tal Rasha.

That turned out to be the one remaining tomb that Kiora and Gaile had not yet explored. When they placed the staff on the runed dias, a ray of light shot from the headpiece and blew a hole in the wall, revealing a secret chamber. Kiora put her old Amulet of Wealth around her neck as a talisman before they cautiously stepped through the hole.

Almost immediately they were set upon by a huge maggot demon. Its bitterly cold malevolence shimmered in the air, chilling Kiora and Gaile to the bone. Though the cultists had conjured a portal back to town as they entered the chamber, they feared they might need to escape sooner rather than later. Kiora cast spell after spell but the demon didn't appear heavily injured. Gaile continued to feather it with arrows as its hideous blows forced Kiora back against the wall. She was casting desperately now, grabbing purple potions from her belt and drinking one after each bone-crushing slam. The demon too was weakening from its wounds. Kiora was frighteningly close to death when at last it collapsed into a squirming pile of smaller maggots. Kiora crushed one underfoot with a sickening squelch.

-----

New Exotic Things:
---
Imp Badge
Zombie Head
Defense: 11
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 57 of 60
Required Level: 7
Required Strength: 14
Fingerprint: 0x9220f437
Item Level: 14
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+17% Faster Hit Recovery
+15 to Attack Rating
Adds 2 - 7 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
+1 to Corpse Explosion (Necromancer Only)
+2 to Dim Vision (Necromancer Only)
+1 to Skeleton Mastery (Necromancer Only)
+28% Enhanced Defense
+7 to Mana
Poison Resist +10%
+1 to Light Radius
Level 1 Teeth (57/67 Charges)
---
So many lines of text! The staffmods would be useful... but the charges of Teeth?

---
Eagle Nock
Composite Bow
Two Hand Damage: 5 - 19
Durability: 34 of 36
Required Level: 16
Required Strength: 25
Required Dexterity: 35
Fingerprint: 0x37a6b674
Item Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
42% Enhanced Damage
+8 to Maximum Damage
+57% Damage to Undead
+41 to Attack Rating against Undead
Level 1 Cold Arrow (30/33 Charges)
---
I have never seen something quite like this before. The damage/AR vs undead is thematically appropriate for a weapon found in a tomb guarded fiercely by legions of Unravelers. They wouldn't want anyone to have such a thing.

I also found an Angelic Wings amulet, which is one of my favorite items even if it won't be used this time.

Gear for Kiora:
weapon: Leaf
head: Ocher Circlet of Wealth
amulet: Amulet of Wealth
body: normal white quilted armor
belt: Belt of Wealth
gloves: Crimson Heavy Gloves of Wealth
boots: Vigorous Boots of Wealth
ring 1: Tangerine Ring of Greed
ring 2: Beryl Ring of Greed
...and charms, which are saving the day

Gaile:
Eagle Nock rare bow
normal white cap
normal white quilted armor

Skills:
7 Warmth
4 Fireball
5 Blizzard
1 cold armor
prereqs: 1 each in icebolt, ice blast, frost nova, glacial spike, fire bolt, enchant

Kiora and Gaile, emissaries of Zisla, lvl 28, Kurast Docks
pyromania, charm expert, specialist
24 points

Code:
~ God ~

Name ----------- Points ----------- Score
Thoth            +10                181

~ Cultists ~

Character ----- Class/ God    ------ Forum Name ----- Level ----- Act ----- Score

Pyre            Assassin/Thoth       NanoMist         77          5hell     171
Squid           Necromancer/Zisla    Xios             79          3hell     153
Derevus         Paladin/Sol          Vildecor         74          1hell      98
Wicular         Necromancer/Requiem  Southpaw8668     57          2nm        87
Xiu_Atesh       Druid/Xiu-Matesh     Dazliare         54          2nm        73
Geras           Druid/Malstrom       Pb_pal           52          2nm        65
ManOfSteel      Barb/Fractured One   Bry              28          4          38
Toxic_Tom       Barbarian/Pherydimox mwille           27          3          28
Imoquir         Necromancer/Requiem  broxi_111        28          3          24
Kiora           Sorceress/Zisla      SunsetVista      28          3          24
UndeadCooper    Druid/Requiem        Mezion           26          2          22
Kraxian         Druid/Sol            ranagrande       20          2          12
Vrauzhul        Necromancer/Chimaera iMonsterEatCity  17          1           8
Stefon          Barbarian/Ouroboros  Neksja            1          1           0

~ Legacy ~

Character ----- Class/ God    ------ Forum Name ----- Level ----- Act ----- Score

Wicular         Necromancer/Requiem  Southpaw8668     74          2hell     135
GoreJess        Assassin/Ullr        mwille           65          5nm        97
Gore            Assassin/Ullr        mwille           49          1nm        63
BaileyCat       Assa./Antediluvianis Mezion           27          5          48
Lycaon          Druid/Ouroboros      Neksja           29          4          40
Perturbator     Paladin/Pherydimox   Mezion           33          4          38
OwenCat         Necro/Antediluvianis Mezion           27          4          38
GoreLord        Necromancer/Ullr     mwille           31          4          38
AnnGore         Amazon/Ullr          mwille           32          4          38
Derevus         Paladin/Sol          Vildecor         32          4          34
Quimble         Necromancer/Sol      ranagrande       28          2          16
Sabine          Sorc/Chimaera        iMonsterEatCity  25          2          18
Snirn           Barbarian/Pherydimox broxi_111        22          2          10
Gunvor          Assassin/Ullr        mwille           20          2          10
 
It's not everyday you get to rescue an Archangel. Apparently, Kiora and Gaile were more involved in this quest to save the world from the Prime Evils than they realized. The Archangel Tyrael was grateful for their help, but then immediately told them where to go next. The agents of Heaven could be so arrogant! Still, the cultists decided to follow directions and sail east to Kurast. It would be nice to be on open water again.

Before they left, Kiora and Gaile returned to the Claw Viper Temple to see if the vipers had rebuilt their altar with another amulet. They hadn't.

The waters around Kurast were absolutely disgustingly foul. The corruption that spread into the sea was an abomination unto Zisla. According to dockside rumor, this was the work of the Lord of Hatred, Mephisto, although that last bit was always whispered fearfully. The Kurast docks offered (probably temporary) refuge from the smothering Hellish jungle that had overrun the rest of the city. The people had not given up, though; they would fight to the last. That was encouraging, so Kiora and Gaile decided to help.

Cain told them to find some relics again, this time the remains of the one Zakarum council member who had dared to stand against Mephisto. Cain seemed to have no doubt whatsoever that the two cultists would be able to find the relics, so Kiora and Gaile began the long trek through the jungle.

They had definitely done stranger things during their initiation rites, but drinking a potion made from the ashes of a sage probably rated at least in the top ten. They'd traded a Jade Figurine cut from the belly of a demonic jungle beast to Meshif for a Golden Bird, which just so happened to contain the ashes, which just so happened to be an ingredient in a potion that the local alchemist could make. Cain had guided them to do this. How did he know so much?

He hadn't mentioned the adorable giant frog beasts that spit fireballs. Kiora wanted to stop and tame one for a pet, but it exploded. Gaile saw some serpentine river monsters that she wanted to get a better look at. There were also hordes of little flayer demons, but they were no match for the righteous ice of Zisla.

Kiora and Gaile returned to town carrying their latest trophy: a beautiful old ritual knife from a religion they weren't familiar with. Kiora watched as Ormus used the knife in a spell to reinforce the protective wards around the docks. She paid close attention so that she could duplicate the spell if that became necessary.

By the time Gaile and Kiora made it to the stinking, overgrown ruins of Lower Kurast, they were covered with sticky webbing from the spider nests and it seemed impossible that they could ever get clean again after that flayer dungeon, may Zisla's storms destroy the place! They'd found two of the relics: an eye which watched them as if it was still alive, and a brain that had no right to be as fresh as it was considering where it had been. Both cultists had seen and touched stranger things before, but the sight of Lower Kurast overflowing with treasures waiting to be claimed was comforting.

-----

Several nice gear upgrades from this section!
Gambled a circlet for Gaile:
---
Viridian Circlet of Wealth
Circlet
Defense: 26
Durability: 35 of 35
Required Level: 16
Fingerprint: 0x81445acd
Item Level: 28
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Poison Resist +15%
67% Extra Gold from Monsters
---

a drop in the jungle, hurray for resist options!
---
Soul Grasp
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 9
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 12
Fingerprint: 0x4927d693
Item Level: 24
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+35% Enhanced Defense
+2 to Dexterity
Lightning Resist +6%
Poison Resist +14%
62% Extra Gold from Monsters
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
---

Nice gamble, 4 potion rows!
---
Garnet Plated Belt of Wealth
Plated Belt
Defense: 8
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 13
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0x4927b23e
Item Level: 34
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +26%
47% Extra Gold from Monsters
---

Thank you, Ormus!
---
Raven Master
Ring
Required Level: 13
Fingerprint: 0x122613d6
Item Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+6 to Mana
+10 Maximum Stamina
Cold Resist +23%
Damage Reduced by 2
30% Extra Gold from Monsters
9% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
---

Kiora and Gaile, lvl 30 (can start casting Hydra!), Lower Kurast
pyromania, charm expert, specialist
28 points
 
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All the better that you have Hydras of your own for the showdown with the Council.

I made a bit of progress last night after running like a scared child through the Sewers, will do a more official update once I get back from work. But I'm at the awkward Act 4 Poison Immunes aplenty again, and I don't think a gemmed up bow will get me out of it this time.
 
Friends! I'm sufficiently burnt out from Path of Exile, and despite playing some other games (about halfway through Dark Souls 2), I have the itch to play my favorite game ever again. I plan to pick up where I left off with Xiu Atesh the fire druid, tonight :)
 
Forgive my perhaps silly question, but it's been awhile. I shopped a wand with life tap charges because I have the Maleficium talent, but I realized that I don't think I can actually equip it. I'm following Xiu-Matesh, with charms, maleficium, mind's eye, and specialist talents.

Am I correct? I can't equip my new wand right?
 
You just need to be able to see any single stat on the item that is allowed by your god/talents in order to "unlock" it, regardless of the rest of the stats. So for example if there is any +% Damage to Demons, Dark in the name, or perhaps most important here due to specialist, any text that reads +Curses or +Any particular curse. This would then allow you to use the item then use the Curse skill via Maleficium.

I don't believe the fact that you're not a a Necromancer (as these are not oskills, just +Skills that only Necromancers can take advantage of) is relevant here, although perhaps someone can verify this. Specialist reads that:
  • You may use any item that boosts a skill that you can use. (+ skill)
The question is what does "that you can use" refer to precisely? You're allowed to use Curses due to Maleficium (in fact you can use the whole tree) yet technically you can't take advantage of a + to a curse as a Druid unless you already have it activated by something else (it doesn't actually give you the skill as it would for a Necro).

My interpretation is that you can use the item (if it has + to a Curse anywhere on it), as the primary "if" clause here is that the item boosts a skill that's allowed by your god/talents, not necessarily usable by your character. You can then obvious use Life Tap as it's allowed and the tournament rules say "Cultists may use any skills permitted by their God & talents, either from their skill-tree, charges or gained from items."

There's a bit of room for interpretation, but I think I'd err on the side of letting you do it, as I doubt there's many cases of classes wanting (and being able to) use items with +Skills from other classes. But maybe that's just the Zisla cultist in me speaking.

My final argument in favor of this is that the obvious talent to unlock this, Anima (currently still locked), reads:
  • You may use items with charges of skills you can use.
  • You may use items that procs skills you can use.
Which is the same conditional as Specialist, and I think that limiting here to only Skills your class can use is not necessarily implied, and would be much less creative/fun/thematic in my opinion.

In any case, my entire argument is moot if it's a wand that only has Life Tap Charges, as you'd need Anima to unlock it off that text alone.
 
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