Smithing Ain't Easy

On one lucky run through the Rabbie Basic dungeon, Kazukikun took out a Lycanthrope. His prize was a rare blacksmith manual to make a Bird Face Cap--he isn't a blacksmith, so he handed it to me under the agreement that I would make him one. Since I needed training making helmets, I was very happy to get this manual!

The Bird Face Cap
I only managed to make two helmets before the manual ran out of uses, so naturally I wanted another. It's just a trip into Rabbie Basic to fight the Lycanthropes and harvest more, right? Not so fast. The manual is only dropped by Lycanthropes, and they only appear as bosses in Rabbie Basic, so I needed a basic pass. Venezzia, Kazukikun, Mistresraven, and I ran about five or six Rabbie Normal dungeons looking for it with no luck. On a determined tilt to succeed, I ran alone back into the dungeon one last time to try again, and I was rewarded with a Rabbie Basic pass!

The next day, Kazukikun, Perk, Takashi, and I ventured back into Rabbie Basic to grab that manual. Neither of the Lycanthropes in the boss room dropped it. That was far too much work for nothing D:

Venezzia and I did some research and discovered that Lycanthropes also spawn as bosses in the Albey Blue Gem dungeon. Albey Blue Gem is A) far easier to run over and over than Rabbie Basic (we just need blue gems to get into it, which basically rain from the sky), B) far easier to slash our way through the dungeon than Rabbie Basic, and C) far quicker to reach the boss room. It should be a given that that manual would be in my hands now, right? Nope. We did probably ten runs of Albey Blue Gem in one night, and did not get any of the 30 Lycanthropes we killed to drop it.

Instinctively, I returned to Barri dungeon to mine iron ore while I contemplated what the hell I had to do to get manual. On a whim, I decided that I would finally solo the entire Barri normal dungeon, and kill all five of the Ogre Warriors in the boss room (they are terrifyingly powerful when fought head-to-head, so I've always left the dungeon before I completed it). As a cruel joke and consolation prize wrapped up in one, the Mabinogi gods decided that the 5th Ogre Warrior would drop a Twin Horned Helm blacksmith manual, which is a rough equivalent to the Bird Face Cap I'd been seeking for 2 weeks straight. I rate this a 1/2 fist pump, 1/2 facepalm.

I should also mention that three refugees of the late Famous guild, Mistresraven, Freaky555, and Taranee, have decided to join up with Artifex. This is great news since I can officially talk to everyone I need to via guild chat now. Welcome to the guild guys =)