The skies continue to shift and with them now the land itself has changed. Through some understanding wholly alien to the Isparians the Virindi have furthered their incursion by altering the very nature of the wilderness. Creatures have been displaced and now inhabit areas never before seen.

The Direlands have become a place of woe and despair. It is here that the Virindi have laid claim at last to the Obsidian Plains. They have driven away all others save for their allies and those they mean to warp to their own devices. Further to the north the Olthoi have been found swarming the landscape once again, there have been pockets of the Olthoi seen throughout Northern Osteth but this new revelation cannot bode well for the Isparians.

In Zaikhal, a once trusted ally has begun displaying some frightening and unnerving characteristics. Diyas al-Yat has begun removing his head, revealing an erupting column of portal energy from his shoulders. This coupled with the arrival of the latest Virindi shock troops, the Simulacra, leaves the fate of this ally as a new mystery to be discovered.

In dungeons bearing the same blood-red walls of their masters the Simulacra are preparing for what can only be a final assault against the Children of Ispar. These beings look like most Isparians in every way, yet their deliberate way of speaking will lend the first shadow of doubt to the cautious adventurer, and once they reveal their true selves by removing their own heads, attack and do not relent.

These new troops afford those adventurers strong enough to wrest victory from their tenacious grasp with a new shield and helmet of great power. These can be further enhanced with the addition of a strange gem found within a final stronghold of the Simulacra. But those halls are filled with beings of immense power and should be traveled only by the most hearty of warriors.

The changes to the world have had an unforeseen effect on the denizens of Dereth. While they have been pulled from their climates and homes some of the creatures have banded together under leaders of their respective races. These leaders are different from their lesser cousins in look and in power. Travelers should be wary when facing down one of these new foes.

Autumn slowly begins to crawl toward the Isparians but it appears the war is far from over. Though the Virindi themselves have lightened their assaults this latest maneuver is one that has changed the way that most travel. This could be just a precursor to an even greater change. The raiding parties of the Virindi death squads have lightened but they still harangue the lonely travelers of the world.

This is a time of weary battle but the hearts of the people are strong and in the face of this great terror they shall not fail. But what comes next from the Virindi, and when?

• Major changes to the spawn locations of all creatures on Dereth as part of an ongoing improvement to the outdoor hunting life of players.
• Players can elect to have their map coordinates displayed underneath their radar.
• Players can elect to have spell durations displayed on their spell-in-effect list (note that spells that items cast upon you are permanent spells subject to the item's mana, and therefore do not list durations).
• Players can elect to stretch their right panel so that it displays across the entire length of the screen.
• Players can now have a full-sized chat box without using a right panel.
• Players can elect to have their sounds turn off when they alt-tab away from the client.

• For August (not mentioned in last month's build notes): The Chosen of Asheron now appears on Wintersebb, allowing WE to complete the SOLH quest.
• For August (not mentioned in last month's build notes): There was a bug with the particle system where any particle effect in the vicinity of your character would queue up in your client if not directly visible. This has been fixed.
• Sanctuary Recall and Recall to Aerlinthe spells have now been fixed. Players using these spells should no longer experience client lockups after they arrive at their destination.
• Fixed no-drop bug, where players could exploit the secure-trade interface to make their items temporarily no-drop.
• Fall foliage is spreading its way across Dereth.
• The Four Towers Impious Staff npc was not spawning due to a bug, this should be fixed now.
• Scalemail cuirasses did not undergo the earlier changes to metal armor. This has been fixed; cuirasses should now have protections comparable to other pieces of chainmail.

• Removed black border from two icons: Shreth and Black-dyed Sho dress.
• Tibri now returns Tibri's Fire Spear when given to the NPC.
• Gap in Koujia armor between abdomen and chest has been removed.
• Greater Broadhead Quarrels are now properly labeled as such, instead of "Broadhead Quarrels."
• Ascendant Drudges had a bug where their actual skills were much lower than their intended skills. This has been fixed.
• Many creatures in the Virindi Towers have been made resistant to drain and harm.