Update Notes – April 2001 – A Reign of Stone
Brann Mitenset stood in the doorway of the Exploration Society Outpost of Qalaba’r, watching as the dusk slowly snuffed out the light in the room. After Sir Alayne had been murdered, Brann knew the Society would be facing some rough times. But he hadn’t known just how tough it would be.
Dereth was in the midst of exciting events. Lugians opening up civilized contact with the Isparians. The expanding Virindi presence in the wake of their Ayan Baqur invasion. New variants of creatures to catalog, and new items to identify. This was a time that begged for the Society to be at its prime, to use its store of knowledge and talents to make sense of a world that grew stranger by the day.
Andoun had said as much last night, before he’d drunkenly staggered out again for another evening of debauchery and gambling. The gambling bug had also bitten Saladur hard. And Ainea still had not returned from Linvak. After what had happened with Martine, and Andoun’s continued commitment to his wastrel lifestyle, Brann wondered if Ainea Besu had made the same choice he was making tonight.
He was dawdling. Hoping . . . what? No, he knew this day would come. There were other people now to lead the fight. The fight for knowledge, the fight to form a community in the face of danger. Even if the Society did not survive in its current incarnation, there would be another coming. The need to know, to build, is what defines us, Brann thought, as he left the abandoned outpost and walked toward the moonlit hills.
He headed toward proof that it defined others as well.
Linvak Tukal has stood as a mystery to the Isparians since the fog surrounding it was lifted. Now as the snows of the lower mountains retreats beneath the springtime sun the last vestiges of the fog fade from the citadel, revealing portals guarded by Lugian Raiders, besieging the Lugians within.
Making their way through the renegade Lugian forces adventurers find that Lugian society is much like their own. They have crafters and warriors, merchants and leaders.
In an effort to enlist the children of Ispar as allies in their battle against their misguided cousins Lugians reward the stalwart with items of great power. Emissaries enter towns all over Dereth with gems that contain spells of protection from the School of the Heart. These gems house lower tiered spells that last for an extended time. Further entwined in the information that the Lugians espouse are tales of how their brethren fell to the machinations of the Virindi.
Deep within the Direlands the Virinidi presence grows. The town of Ayan Baqur has been wrested from Isparian control. The inhabitants of Ayan Baqur have been captured and dragged deep beneath the sands where they have been stripped of their sense of self. Travelers fear for the safety of Ayan’s residents as they uncover twisted laboratories of the Virindi with remnants of experiments gone horribly awry, piecing together that the floating masters of time and space can only intend harm to their captives. While in the town proper Virindi vendors replace their human counterparts, mocking all who have dealings with them.
All is not woe and despair. Throughout Osteth profiteers who have benefited from their days spent hunting across Dereth established casinos to entertain the masses. High stakes gambling yields rewards such as Platinum Scarabs and Pyreal Nuggets. Though some have walked out with incredible prizes, most leave with nothing more than rotting cabbage to show for frivolously spent pyreals, but then that is the nature of a gamble.
Outside the gambling dens warriors hunt together with heightened cooperation to find greater weapons and tougher opponents. Mattekar larger than their remaining cousins have been spotted breathing fire and ice from their maws. These new creatures have made the further advancement of fellowships enabling one another to recover items lost on death a welcome addition.
Spring has arrived, but the evil of the Virindi is on the rise and their taint spreads even to those who would be allies to Isparian people. Stay focused on the enemy and challenge at hand but remember to enjoy yourself as well. . .
New Functionality
- Other players’ health bars now appear beneath their names when you select them. (Just like with monsters.)
- Damage done by players now appears in pink text, and damage done to players now appears in red text, making it easier to tell the difference.
- Hit messages now report those body parts affected during melee combat. Now you can be further immersed in the fun of Tuskers rapping your knuckles like an irate schoolteacher.
- Players are now able to give other players access to their corpses (type: @help permit for more details).
- It is now possible to allow some members of your fellowship to loot your corpse should you die.
Exploit Fixes
- Removed illegal portal ties to Aerlinthe and certain quest dungeons.
- Aerfalle is no longer drainable.
- Aerfalle’s spellbook has been streamlined, and she now casts more intelligently.
- Aerfalle now spawns after her guardians do.
- The Magma Sluice Bar and Pyreal Forge Bellows are now no-drop on death. They are also on one week quest timers, cued when these objects are given to the Repair and Smith Golem NPCs.
- The “Watchman” Relic Bones now casts his portal in a set location, eliminating casting failures caused by a building or other obstruction. Also, he no longer spawns in a fixed location.
- Removed all but one of players’ Bandit Hilt Weapons.
- Players can no longer use an item placed in the secure trade or vendor sale windows.
- Vendors will no longer buy 0 value items.
Miscellaneous Improvements
- Lugians! New! Improved!
- Increased the supply of Small and Moderate Mana Stones in newbie towns.
- Attempting to add any Kindling Stone to a piece of Exarch Plate is an automatic success that reverts it to an Unkindled piece.
- All Thaumaturgic Plate Coats now protect the hands.
- Added new spells to all Thaumaturgic and Exarch Plate pieces.
- It is now easier to select Dolls and Marionettes with your mouse.
- Gems for Shadow Hunter Armor have been given unique icons! Don’t panic! You haven’t lost your Scintillating Gems.
Minor Details
- Fixed a typo in the Ivory Crafter’s response to receiving an Ursuin Fang.
- Renamed BeltPouch to Belt Pouch.
- Fixed the short descriptions of Thaumaturgic and Exarch Coats.
- Spring is in the air! The frogs of the swamp are doing what frogs are wont to do in spring.
- The howling wolves in snowy areas increased in volume when converted from processor-intensive ADPCM to WAV format. Volume has been lowered.
- Remember the ambient sound upgrade project? It’s back! This month: oceans, ponds, and waterfalls.