The 20th Floor, Aincrad
Introduction
Its the year 2023, one year after 10,000 players are trapped in an infamous Virtual Reality MMORPG, Sword Art Online, A game that immerses a player into the MMORPG world of Aincrad by simulating the 5 senses of the brain via the Nervegear. It doesn't have a logoff button to exit, and the VRMMO device Nervegear will kill the player once the player's HP hits 0. To escape the game, the clearers must defeat the final boss at the 100th Floor. Currently, the players are stuck at the 20th Floor for 3 months.
The situation at the 20F is grim, that Floor is exceptionally big, the range of a Teleport Crystal doesn't reach outside the Blue Circle. The worse thing is, the Player Killers' Guild, <<Laughing Coffin>>, secured power outside the blue circle, claiming territories and grindspots for themselves, mercilessly killing those that get into their area. A month before, <<The Army>>, the strongest guild of that time, sent a thousand clearers to wipe out the Laughing Coffin guild. Unfortunately for them, <<The Army>> suffered a devastating loss, the invading force having been annihilated down to a dozen men. Due to <<The Army>> loss of one third of its manpower, they gave up their role as a clearing guild and instead, went to Garrison and maintaining order in the city. Reaching the Floor Dungeon sounds easy, but it lies directly beyond the <<Laughing Coffin>> Headquarters, Taernsby. Around 6000 are left alive in Sword Art Online.
Recently, A party of clearers have secured a grinding spot, The Hog Beach.
~More to be added
Teleport Crystals
Due to the size of the 20th floor, teleport crystals doesn't work well far from the city. The PKers settled in those areas due to it being safer for them to kill & hide. Corridor crystals work in any corners still, but they're very rare & often in high demand.
Territories, Grinding Spots, Kill-stealing
Within the teleport Crystal blue circle, there are some decent grinding spots. But, the best grinding spots are located outside the blue circle. All of the good grinding spots have been occupied by the PKer Guild <<Laughing Coffin>>, instead of the typical players killstealing monsters like typical MMORPGs, they kill anybody who are not within their guild that enters the grindspot. These are informally known as 'Territories'. By hogging those territories on its own, <<Laughing Coffin>> flourished in levels & Cors, and are recognized as the current strongest Guild.
Guilds
- The Army: The largest guild in SAO, they used to be a guild with the primary aim of clearing the tower until their crushing defeat at the Battle of Taernsby. Losing their guild leader and one third of their members, they gave up on clearing Floors and became a guild that maintains order amongst players. After the leader's death, there isn't a new leader of The Army, the guild is now managed by a Council of Veterans. The Reaper Garrows have the highest influence in the army.
- Laughing Coffin: Currently the strongest & richest guild. They are a guild infamous for killing players mercilessly. They rose to prominence in this Floor by claiming the best grindspots & boss areas outside the teleport crystal borders as their own, killing anybody who opposes their authority. They are a loose alliance of 3 divisions, and they aren't very united, but that doesn't make them an insignificant threat.
- Guardians of Hope: The Guardians of Hope are a small to medium sized clan, they're a bit militaristic in structure. While they may seem similar to the Army, the Guardians of Hope are an elite guild. Their ranks consist only of clearers who have applied and been personally chosen by the commander. Since they began, the Guardians of Hope have been a rather close knit group, and known for their friendliness like that of a family. The guild's goal is to protect those who cannot defend themselves, be it from helping out with food or other methods. The guild will do it without asking for any compensation. They're also commonly seen on the frontlines of the game, helping clear whatever obstacles lie in their path. Their Guildhouse is located in the main city of the 18th floor, and always has some rooms open for those in need. Money to fund their exploits is gathered through quests, contracts, or through the tavern that makes up the bottom floor of the Guild House.
The guild has became strong after their success in attacking a <<Laughing Coffin>> grindspot. Out of all the clearer guilds, the Guardians of Hope is considered the 'more reasonable' guild. - Regenades: One of the Clearer Guilds that emerged recently. They are a notorious bunch infamous for killstealing mobs, looting others' drop, and lastly flaming on chats.
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Combat
There are 2 common type of builds, STR and AGL builds. The simplest meta for bossing is STR-focused players would fight at the front lines, AGL-focused will fight at the sidelines, and players with more unique & useful abilties like buffing/debuffing/healing would act as support at the back-lines.
STR-focused players are usually tanks, with high HP & defense to act as a wall to soak damage.
Locations
The City of Ascord
The main city of the 20th Floor, <<The Army>> has moved its headquarters to this floor to deal with the threat of <<Laughing Coffin>> . Due to the Clearers lack of progress, Players who took their time in the lower Floors would gather at Ascord. The most prominent feature of the city is a graveyard, carved with names of people who tried to challenge this floor.
The grind spots near the city are decent, but not so good. It is often crowded with players who would tend to KS the mobs or loot their drops. A teleport crystal is a must there due to occasional raids by PKers. It is recommended to grind there with a party.
The Northern Mountains- A desert mountain far north from Ascord. It is an area good for grinding, and there is a boss mob (Dragon) at the summit. A territory of Laughing Coffin.
The Southern Coast - A coastal area far south, the area has one of the best grindspots, with another boss mob, Swordfish, at the far end. Laughing Coffin's Territory.
Taernsby - The area full of ancient ruins. The headquarters of Laughing Coffin guild, it is a place where The Army suffered a crushing defeat of a thousand men. Only twelve clearers have returned from this place alive.
Misc
This will be a AU setting, without the canon characters. CS registration is open, and a new arc has started~ You can make your own guild if you want too, and Feel free to ask questions here ^^ ~
Character Sheet
