Cooking with Disaster

Life smashing your walls? Build them taller. Then put auto-turrets on them.

Joe the Ritualist and the town of Novusheim have survived their first major battle, at the cost of leaving most of the settlement a smoking crater. Only most of it. The core of the town survived, and permanent casualties were low. Now that the survivors have a better understanding of what to expect, they go on a reconstruction spree… but why stop there? Every inch of their upgraded defenses will be more potent, durable, and deadlier than ever before.

Even as Joe is kneeling knee-deep in blueprints, an urgent message arrives; sending the Ritualist venturing across the frozen wastelands of Jotunheim. With the safety of his own town mostly ensured for the moment, they can’t make him stay… but not a single person wants him to leave. Trusting the wrong person has been Joe’s downfall more than once. As the cherry on top, Grandmaster Havoc tasks Joe with obliterating any Elven settlement he comes across.

It's better to end threats early on, before they have a chance to stab you in the back.

A challenge is issued. The clouds part. That’s no mountain.

Joe and the Dwarves are doing more than surviving in the harsh climate of they’re thriving. The Ritualist’s improvements to their defenses are paying dividends; and he’s hailed as a genius for ending threats before they come into striking distance of the burgeoning City. Every day, the Town expands further, allowing for more facilities, a larger population, and drawing in ever-more monsters.

So many beasts that the walls are no longer enough.

When a set of extra-stealthy monsters cuts through a crowd of commuters, Joe is pushed to the limit to make sure it never happens again. Even though he has all the information he needs, the Ritualist’s skills are lacking. As Joe races the clock ticking down on the Town upgrading into a City, a Legendary monster appears on the horizon—its eyes fixed on Novusheim.

The storm isn’t brewing. It’s here.

The House is in control. The House always wins. The House has rolled out the red carpet to welcome you home.

Grant looks forward to the vast megalopolis that is the District of March. He’s finally got a real companion, not just a voice in his head pretending to kill him over and again, and Suki’s perspective is invaluable. She’s a Noble, a warrior, and a noble warrior. With two months of intense physical training under his much-tightened belt, Lord January is ready to face whatever his next challenge might be.

Dokeshi March has decided that the District needs to be fun, and what’s more fun than games of chance? More games of chance! So many, in fact, that even purchasing basic needs is a gamble. Even so, no one complains, and why would they? That would mean they thought the game wasn’t fun! That it wasn’t fair! That line of thinking would set them at odds with Dokeshi March.

Now there’s a bet no one would be willing to take.

Growth is pain. Opportunities are challenges. February is filled with Opportunities for Growth.

A Lord according to the system, Grant Monday has arrived in February. This place is the absolute opposite of January, and his largest challenge isn’t hostile Wielders. Instead, the new Lord needs to face culture shock; contending with strange foods, stringent training, and a stomach-churning subrace of humans known as 'Joggers'.

Grant chose the wrong time to try to take on the world: every single citizen of February is a powerful body cultivator, and this year there has been a huge shift in the power dynamics of the District. Not only is everyone fervently training, they all have the same end goal as Grant. Only the finalists of the Body-focused tournament get the chance to go head-to-head with Lady February, and Grant is a decade behind.

People are doing anything they can to get an edge. Grant is happy to introduce them to his blade.

Class secrets revealed. A large Shoe to fill. Peace is only on the table.

Joe’s Candidacy was successful beyond his wildest dreams. Between driving the Elves out of Dwarven sovereign territory, utterly destroying an army of thousands, and using resources he could have used for himself to bring back the fallen on his own side… his reputation begins to precede him once more.

The human was so successful that many people even within the Dwarven faction have decided that they need to step forward to stop him. Realizing that he’s been in the public eye too long, Joe decides that it’s time to step out of fighting the war, and instead focus on completing new quest lines and consolidating power.

After all, letting other people decide the course of war has always worked out for him in the past.

Resources? Zilch. Shelter? Ha. Monsters? Hungry, and closing in.

Joe the Ritualist fled Alfheim with the remnants of the Dwarven Oligarchy at his side. Though the hairy warriors number in the tens of thousands, they stand at the brink of extinction; and the new world they landed on isn’t pulling any punches. Jotunheim is a winter wonderland featuring a vast array of the least of which are hulking lizard-ape Hoardlings, and carnivorous penguins standing a dozen feet tall.

The world is massive, deadly, and but all Joe sees is free real estate. Thanks to Specializing in magics that allow him to rapidly create buildings, the Ritualist starts carving out a defensible area for his allies. Dense walls, workshops that churn out weapons and armor, even magical edifices that rain death upon the swarming creatures. Being so new to the world, they mistakenly believe that expanding quickly equals safety.

But on the world of giants, ramping up production just means ringing a bigger dinner bell.

The Dwarves want to fight. They're ordered to escape. Turtling up is the best of both worlds.

Joe and humanity as a whole messed up pretty badly, managing to get some of the most important people from both the Elven and Dwarven races killed. Now the war is escalating to unprecedented levels, and only one side needs to worry about being slain. With the attackers knowing they can get right back up after dying, they are throwing themselves against their centuries-long foe without caring for the consequences.

As the death toll rises, there's still hope for Joe and the people that he chose to align himself with. His tiny Hamlet is hidden away from the Elves, so the Ritualist gets a quest to escort the core of the Dwarven Oligarchy to safety: their History, and those that lived it. If he can manage to save even a few as the Dwarven Oligarchy begins to Implode, the race might one day have a chance to regain their former glory.

There's only one major issue with convincing the war-loving Dwarves to escape the final battle and hide away: they're war-loving Dwarves.

An ever-expanding desert. A centuries-old curse. Enough power to change Anything.

Luke is a straightforward man. There are only a few things he wants in life: levels, things to fight to gain levels, and finding Cookie so he can fight things more efficiently. Well, better armor might be nice. Yet, the other members of his team are ready for some relaxation and fun in the sun. After all, there should be huge perks that come with stopping an invasion in its tracks, and a hero’s welcome would be a welcome change.

Surprisingly, being famous for making the Kingdom wealthy and powerful has its downsides. Namely, there is now a huge price on their heads. Ordered to flee from the political machinations, assassins, and marriage proposals, The Four soon find themselves searching for a way to pit their power against the world and make a comfy home in the desert.

The problem is, Nature likes to be left alone. When you start messing with it… Anything could happen.

The Dynasty is sending troops. Potentia is plentiful. Everything is up for grabs.

Luke has found a great way to move directly from combat to combat. While his team is working hard to increase their knowledge, train their skills, and grow a paradise, the Murderhobo steps into a Descender portal for five minutes, pops out, jumping straight into Murder World—fists leading the way. Life is good.

After years of work Andre the Druid makes a grievous error: he completes his job perfectly. By healing the Scarroco Desert, the supermassive Dynasty that neighbors the Hollow Kingdom suddenly has renewed interest in their resources. No longer content to leave The Four in exile, the King recalls them to the Palace. Before their new orders are given, the Dynasty steals something precious from the King. Going after it is a fool's errand.

That works perfectly for the King: he knows exactly four disposable Ascenders. Being promised freedom, luxuries, and cushy jobs if they are successful—and death upon failure—Luke’s team leaves immediately. As they begin their adventure through the front lines of the invasion, Luke the Murderhobo knows it’s his moment to shine. Monsters, Ascenders, and Assassins are the least of their worries.

All he needs to do is survive Everything.

Humanity on the run. Desperate base building. Dark deeds done during daylight.

Joe has started to draw attention to himself and his abilities. While some of the attention is good and allows for personal growth, most of it is from various organizations that feel threatened by the sudden upswing of power that Joe’s guild—The Wanderers—are attaining.

As the threat to earth begins to reach its peak, all of humanity has a choice: flee to Eternium, or stay for an uncertain future. Some stay, some go, some don’t make the choice quickly enough. In Ardania, the human Kingdom is seeing an unprecedented influx of people. Supply and demand is an issue no matter where you go, as a civilization of a few million can’t prepare to accept an eighth of earth’s inhabitants at once.

Joe sets out to solve problems where he can, but he can’t be there for everyone… especially when a group of smiling enforcers are working to bring him down.

Unlikely allies uniting across the world. Blood feuds that span centuries. A single chance at life.

The world watches the sky with trepidation. The insanity of Xenocide knew no bounds, and all will soon suffer the effects he had planned for a millennium. Though none know what is to come, they all know it isn’t going to be easy to survive.

The Master has a plan, one that can give the world at large a way to escape the onrushing desolation. It may be on the bleeding edge of morality and what he needs might prove too difficult to secure, but The Master asks for trust.

Cal and Dale both have their role to play as the world hurtles toward destruction. One needs to bring the races of the world together while the other simply needs to survive. Surrounded by supposed allies, the duo will do all that they can to succeed—but with every new arrival comes rising tensions and faltering trust.

The apocalypse is coming. Will honor or greed stand the test of time?

Invasions and sabotage. Two civilizations doing anything to exist. War crimes are the norm.

Joe takes his first step into exile, and is promptly unable to breathe. This new Zone has a higher concentration of power, magnitudes denser. His first task is to survive, but mere survival is the least of his concerns.

The Zone he has landed on has been in a state of constant war for thousands of years, a tug of war between the Elven and Dwarven societies. Not choosing a side is the same as declaring both to be your personal enemy. Though he is resistant, Joe reluctantly decides to go with the group he thinks will help him grow the most—and is instantly plunged into their bitter war. To gain the freedom he desires, Joe needs to turn to the less savory aspects of his class.

Engulfed by darkness, Joe can only hope he’ll be able to snuff out the light.