This is the log of the short Warriors’ meeting that took place Saturday, September 12, 1998, after Lord Kuromaku’s session on the Assess verb in the Warriors’ Guild.

Diffuse light streams in through the ricepaper shoji screens which enclose this large room. Thick cotton-wrapped tatami mats cover the polished pine floor. Wooden weapon racks are set against the walls filled with assorted weapons, both rattan and metal. You also see the Kerl disk, a heavy mithril-bound hatch, a sliding screen, an elegant freestanding bamboo cage and a low pine table with some stuff on it.

Also in the room: Lord Reife (seated), Lady Lauranathalasa (seated), Lord Kerl (seated), Lord Lyle, a stunned Lord Ktank (seated), Lady Titaniia, GameMaster Lord Kuromaku (seated)

Obvious exits: none.

You see Lord Kuromaku Hikoemon the Giantman Warrior.

He appears to be in his 110's, has short, straight black hair, dark eyes, and black skin.

He is in good shape.

He is wearing a blackened mesh belt, a dark silk satchel, some dark trousers, a jade-inlaid sheath, a crafter's apron, a dark silk shirt, and an ancient enruned urnon key.

Kuromaku says, "You all know the rules. I've learned my lesson well, and will not be having too many more public meetings. This is a much more manageable scenario."

Ktank says, "I've a suggestion. Next time, bring a few higher-ups in. Drill ‘em in yer info, and set ‘em free."

Kuromaku says, "That's what I'm doin', pal. OK, News 18 explains the basics of ASSESS. Are there any questions? Good. Now, future plans for ASSESS. I've asked each profession's Guru to have a look at ASSESS and see if they could add some profession specific functionality for their class. It is my intended goal to have a single item passed to one player of every class, and be able to determine EVERYTHING about that item: Blessings, Elemental Flares, TD bonuses, Weapon Speed, weighting/padding, damage done, etc..."

Lyle says, "Will it be usable on items on merchant Quick-Sell racks? This is one of the biggest gripes people have had about items with odd or ambiguous names, not knowing what (or how much) skill is required."

Kuromaku says, "Welp, I'll tell you. I hadn't quite finished the verb when Fawn and Jaxxon said ‘Hey...shouldn't this work for merchants?’ I, naturally, grumbled at them and said something in reference to their lineage. This verb is not a "simple" one, that is, it's got a lot of moving parts. I AM assembling a list of things to patch, add, and fix, and that IS on the list. It should sufficiently annoy most people."

Titaniia says, "As to other gurus doing work on this or other like projects, been hearing a lot of the old song and dance "warriors get everything" lately. I am gonna be irked if they complain so much that you get blocked from doing more stuff for us, you know. That's just what I told em."

Kuromaku says, " Tell them to talk to their gurus. They shouldn't let jealousy make 'em rude. To be honest, most of the other Gurus are doing much more impactful things for their classes. Factually, each class' guru is working on their spell lists, with the exception of the Rogue Guru who is working on lockpick mechanics and such. So while warriors SEEM to be "getting all the toys," actually my development cycle is significantly less. And all classes can use ASSESS. So they should quit grumbling. Further, as mentioned earlier, Assess will likely be used to assess damage to weapons and armor so that they might be repaired in a timely fashion. Any other questions?"

Hyoko asks, "Is the usability of a weapon for battering directly related to its weight, or might that be part of assess, too?"

Kuromaku says, "It's a good question. I can't address that, unfortunately. The batter equation factors are a game secret."

Ktank asks, "so who will get to fix weapons?"

Kuromaku says, "Everyone to some extent."

Ktank asks, "Will forging be a part of fixing weapons?"

Kuromaku says, "Yes to some extent."

Ktank asks, "When is Solhaven opening then?"

Kuromaku says, "No answer."

Kuromaku asks, "OK, folks. Any last questions before I pass out?"