[s q u i s h y f a c t i o n]

Open recruitment / Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Dear friends,

Wary of exploring unfamiliar lands without a companion? Squishy Faction has now opened its doors to welcome all travelers and even new explorers of the world of Granado Espada. Whether you are an experienced fighter looking for new challenges or a newcomer who seeks to build his reputation, our aim is to create more lively and vivid chapters in your story as a grand family.

For further information of this faction's aims and honor codes, please visit our forums. You may also submit an application there. For private inquiries, you may whisper TheGreatDanton, Ithimus or Silesia in game.

[http://squishyninja.proboards77.com/index.cgi]

Regards,

Silesia

Posted by: Silesia
63 comments • Perma Link
6:45 AM

[[Top]]

A Tough Fight / Wednesday, January 9, 2008

The time was almost upon us. As the hour struck, Squishies from all over the land of Granado Espada assembled in the City of Auch. Among the noble families who came, was TheGreatDanton, Saracen, Ifritus, Deniva, Crowinthas, Dather, Ophiera (masquerading as Silesia), and Ithimus. Equipment was generously handed out, as the huddle of eight Squishies prepared for battle. One by one, each made their way to the dreaded Old Port of Coimbra, a once vibrant city now overrun by the Undead. The Squishys' mission? To exterminate Dekaravia, the feared boss who ruled the area with a bony hand. And so the hunt began!

As the Squishies arrived, a base of operations was established in a staked out area. Engineers from the families of TheGreatDanton and Dather prepared their wards and structures, whilst others spreaded out in an attempt to find and lure Dekaravia. Once Dekaravia was found, Deniva, Crowinthas, Saracen, and Ithimus braved many deaths to finally lure it back to where our fellow Squishies awaited. There, a brutal fight ensued. Tank after tank perished, as Ifritus and Ophiera/Silesia took turns tanking. Alas, the power of eight families was not enough to kill it. As virgins to hunting Dekaravia, a promise was then made to never give up, to kill Dekaravia no matter what happened!

As the Squishies returned to the Old Port of Coimbra, hasty preparations were again made by our seasoned engineers. Turrets, wards, fences, rotating blades, all were used to bolster the Squishys' chance of success. With their new-found experience of dealing with Dekaravia, and the taste of failure fresh in their minds, the Squishies refused to give up. After much hard-work, coordinating attacks, and braving Dekaravia's AOEs and summons, our eight Squishy warriors came out victorious!

Now veterans who had survived Dekaravia, our Squishies resolved to hunt it again! Unfortunately, Dather could not lend his powers for this second hunt. Undaunted, the remaining seven Squishies pushed ahead! Although weakened through the loss of one family, the Squishies now had experience on their side. Preparations were again made, and the lurers again ventured out to risk their lives. Finally, after a long struggle with a Dekaravia which simply refused to take the bait, our lurers were successful in their mission. Back in Dekaravia's own lair, the seven Squishies went through dirt, grime, dust, sweat, and tears for the dead, and emerged victorious once more!!

With two downed Dekaravia's, the Squishies congratulated themselves for their success in taking down this tough boss not once, but twice! Back in the City of Auch, the loot was divided amongst the participants, and a much deserved rest was finally taken after back to back kills. Proud and confident of their successes, the Squishies returned to preparing for their next challenge: the second part of the Level 51 Faction Quest, against an even harder boss, Chrysalis. And there, the journey of the Squishies will continue.....

Some Images (Click for full view):

Thanks to Deniva and Ifritus for providing some of these awesome pictures =)

Comments:
Thanks to all who were able to come, especially to those who stayed up all night to participate! Although Silesia wasn't able to lead us, I hope all who came had as much of a blast as I did! As so fittingly put by Ophiera, "Squish On!!" ^^

Labels: Raids

Posted by: Ithimus
1 comments • Perma Link
8:34 PM

[[Top]]

Is Santa coming your way? / Monday, December 24, 2007

I hope you've been Nice this year, because Santa is coming to town with his huge sack of goodies, filled with everyone's dreams!

It's not too late to write to Santa! Create a beautiful wishlist for Santa, and don't forget his milk and cookies (he does get hungry and thirsty during his flight too). Check out this thread here by Hrin to post your wish! [Naughty or Nice Event]

Although the Christmas bells have not tolled for some Squishies, it has for most of the world. And you know we Carraccians love to rock those parties! Below you will find some pictures I took to celebrate the countdown for SEA players (Click to full view)..

Squishies wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year!!

The Countdown begins! Everyone waits with excitement in the air.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Merry Christmas!!

The men get down and boogey with the new v2.4 pose, Dance!

Santa's ladies gather for a heartwarming shot.

Spreading Christmas cheers with passerbys~

Isn't Christmas the most wonderful time of year? :D

Labels: event, holiday

Posted by: Silesia
0 comments • Perma Link
11:24 PM

[[Top]]

The Hibernating Golem / Friday, November 9, 2007

"A strange sound is heard as the Honey Water is poured over the stone"

With earth-trembling force, the Great Hill Giant shook himself out of his slumber, baited by the smell of honey-sweetened water. The small huddle of six Squishies started as the boulders they once stood by creaked and rose up towards the heavens--showering them with moss and debris.

A groan from the abomination filled the air with the putrid smell of sulphur.

"I can take him!" shouted Ithimus, as he boldly ran forward to strike the giant's ankles. A spray of grassy debris flew from his sword. As he paused to shield his eyes, the giant took a swipe.

"Look out!!" cried Dather, as he ran forward to shield his friend from the attack. Stone crashed against steel plate as the attack was parried. The stone arm withdrew slowly as the golem recovered and prepared to strike again.

A summoned blizzard storm fueled by a channeled tornado materialized in unison and assailed the giant with freezing sleet and lacerating winds. TheGreatDanton and Silesia high-fived to their success in thwarting the enemy's attack.

The embittered golem grunted as it took a wild swing through the mess of the battlefield. A scream broke out, as Tatallia slammed against the grass and fell unconscious.

"I've got you," Ophiera spoke calmly as he treated Tatallia's injuries.

The battle raged on for a few minutes before the hillsides of Vegas Javier were silent again. From within the rubble, Tatallia pulled out a small, red crystal and handed it to Silesia. "What do you make of this?"

Silesia replied, "This signifies the end of the beginning; The real test of our cooperation lies ahead. We'll rest for today, and gather our strength for tomorrow."

to be continued...

Images [please click thumbnails for full view] :

Comments:

I'm very proud of our faction, as out of the six families who participated in this part of the quest, levels ranged from the 80s to our two vets. Kudos for everyone for their hard work and excellent teamplay! ^^

Labels: Quests

Posted by: Silesia
0 comments • Perma Link
3:05 AM

[[Top]]

Secrets of the Deep / Thursday, October 18, 2007

As the period of free testing gradually draws to an end, players who wish to continue exploration of the world of Granado Espada may roam in search of interesting new dungeons to explore. What lies in store for them? Treasure? New mysteries? An army of angry mutated humans?

You don't have to travel far to find all the treasure, twists, and throbbing masses of undead, waiting just for you in the Prison of Joaquin, Laboratory Block.

A Brief History

The tragedy which occured in the Prison of Joaquin has drawn much attention post the Three Year War. Erected in the Altar of Despair, the Tombstone of Vernal describes the tale: During the Vespanolian and Brestian warfare, resources were redirected to armies on the battlefield, leaving a scarcity of food and law to the prisonmates. With the prison doors firmly shut, the ex-criminals were forsaken from the ethics of normal society as laws no longer governed the prisoners. Driven to insanity, they slaughtered and devoured each other to abate their hunger. The hideously mutated monsters who roam the floors of the dungeons were what became of those vindictive spirits, no longer able to live as humans.

"Wait, Laboratory Block? Where is that?"

Forgotten Territories include premium dungeons accessible only to families who possess a Forgotten Territories Pass. Using the pass, you obtain a unique buff, which lets your family pass through the gates of Forgotten Territories, located in four different areas on all 3 channels. Additional information on level ranges for each area can be found here.

With the "Lelo de Arena" buff (obtained from the Pass), you will be able to access all these neat new dungeons an unlimited number of times in a 24 hour period. Please note that your pass will continue to expire if there is a maintenance or if you are offline.

The Laboratory Block -- Benefits

Inside, you'll find a different section of the Prison, absolutely swarming with forsaken monsters, whom only derive pleasure from whacking you to death. The spawn rate is much higher, and monsters have a low knock-back rate. The drops in the Forgotten Territory can range from but not be limited to high leveled chips, to lvl 80-92 equipment, to bellem boxes. From personal experience of spending about 13 hours inside, lent me a profit of 70 mil. WHEW! =)

Special Mobs

Invisible mobs require the "Detect" skill that scouts are famous for, to reveal. Use detect near the jagged-edged carriers to reveal invisble camping mobs! According to Lightbreeze Family, they drop "awesome stuffs"!

Treasure Maidens in Forgotten Territories are different from normal treasure mobs, in that they cannot be normally attacked or targetted unless you use the "Detect" skill aforehand. You may also use an AOE (Area of Effect) to kill it. Don't worry about trying to catch up to it--The treasure mobs are much slower and pause longer. So far, my slaying of treasure mobs have yielded absolutely no drops, but they must drop something good, or else they wouldn't be in there, right? :)
--edit: The treasure maidens are bugged. Use of "Detect" skill on them will make them targettable. Thanks Warheit! ^^

Treasure chests spawn randomly within the Forgotton Territories. Click on them to see what special treats are inside! Strong mobs may spawn from inside, or you may earn a consolation prize of a single buff material.

Forsaken Fallen Champion

Cue the trumpets, we now announce the boss of the Forgotten Territories, Laboratory Block! Well, jokes aside, the boss of the map is announced in big white letters near the top of the screen when spawned. The spawn time is approximately 1-2 hours, and he will spawn anywhere on the map. Let's compare him to a normal Fallen Champion. *gasp* The Forsaken Fallen Champ has half the maximum health. Guess he doesn't take his vitamins.

Lure him away from mobby areas to a spot like the one in the screenshot below, and murder him. Once he croaks, 5 treasure chests will spawn around his corpse. Click on them and press "Yes" for all the prompts before collecting the items. Please note, the "Yes" option will not be in the same line position all the time. Don't let the treasure chests disappear!

In my opinion, the Forgotten Territory Pass was worth every G-point; I recommend it! ^^

Side-comments: The Forgotten Territory of Joaquin has nothing to do with Grace Bernelli's quest. I got the stories of Hingis and Montoro mixed up with the Joaquin Prison story of Vernal. :) There are 3 separate stories leading to the prison!

Labels: Exploration, Forsaken Territory, Tips

Posted by: Silesia
1 comments • Perma Link
3:07 AM

[[Top]]

Start of Something New / Tuesday, October 16, 2007

We begin our story with a handshake, a merging of two entities! Strawhats thus became incorporated into Squishy, bringing in new smiles and laughter into the halls of faction chat.

"Let us not forget who we were, to better understand who we will become."

Strawhats, a popular and widely-loved faction, led by none other than Dather, has weathered the storms of time and loss. At the peak of her influence, Strawhats inspired unity and friendship. With the tidal strength of charisma, Dather led many friends and allies towards victory against Chrysallis.

How merciless Time is, to slowly weather away the seemingly unbreakable bonds of Strawhats. Time has greedily stolen families away from the world of Granado Espada. The intial 10 Strawhats consisted of Dather and his close real-life friends, but as they left the game one by one, more recruiting was done. At one point, recruitment reached an incredible peak of 97 members! Wow!

Dather, under a lot of stress from school work, and Advanced Placements (Yikes! North Americans will know how awful those are), was unable to supply the multitude of events other faction members boast about. Slowly, the pillars of the faction crumbled, as families left to pursue their goals of fame and fortune with other armies.

Seeking familiarity, Dather turned to Silesia, who was in the midst of debating whether or not to accept offers from larger factions. Our story shifts to Squishy..

The first Squishy faction was created by Ithimus, stealing the faction name idea from Saucy, one of our first loyal members. It was disbanded as members left Granado Espada, so the remaining three pioneers, Ithimus, Ophiera and Silesia could merge with BloodMilitia. However, with the language barriers and other issues, the faction seemed a mismatch. Anticipating similar problems from mostly non-English speaking factions, the Squishy pioneers decided to remake Squishy, this time with Silesia as the leader.

With only her two cousins accompanying her in the faction, Silesia felt lonely. Invitations from friends seemed very appealing. Dather's suggestion to disband and find a larger faction together almost went through. However, at the crux of disaster, Ithimus stepped in, to remind Dather and Silesia of one very important idea they had both forgotten.

"The most important thing a faction should stress, is unity. "

Ithimus is correct. His argument brought some sense back to Silesia. It is often times hard for a large community to bring together individuals with different ideas, and have them work together efficiently, however, it is not impossible. Unity. Care for every single one of your factionmates--That is one of the better methods of keeping a faction together.

If greed or desire for power is something that is inevitably felt, make it the greed for advancement of everyone. A faction is a home--It's the soft, warm bed you seek at night.

Squishy is revived with the doctrine to climb to the top, together. So, let's go!

Now for some flukes. D:

Right when we were about to take an important shot, a very scaly Ophiera jumps in in an attempt to steal the spotlight! xD *bats tail away*