Update Notes – August 2000 – Taste of Twilight
The Cragstone Librarian looked up from her reading as a hooded stranger drew near. “Welcome to the Cragstone Library,”she said, and then paused. Something about the stranger reminded her of a good old book: carefully preserved pages brimming over with fascinating and unpredictable stories. “Can I help you?”
She saw a smile flit across the other’s half-hidden features. Sho, perhaps? A gloved hand reached out and gently placed a few dark, round objects next to her book.
“I found these in my travels,”came the stranger’s quiet voice. “Take them to a skilled cook who knows the recipes of old Ispar. They may bring a touch of nostalgia to many . . . and now is a good time for people to enjoy the peace.”The stranger stepped softly back.
The Librarian was about to reply, but her eyes were drawn to the long, sheathed tachi at the stranger’s side. Like the one who wore it, the plain exterior of the sheath promised something unusual within.
Noticing her glance, the stranger chuckled. “I hardly use that these days; I travel with the wind, and the wind tells me now is the time to relax and rest up — unless, of course, you’re in North Osteth, where more creatures have arrived from the Direlands. Even a few tumeroks.”The last word was said with a faint edge of distaste as the stranger turned for the door.
“Won’t you stay a while — perhaps to read?”called the Librarian, reluctant to see the other go.
“Perhaps another time,”the stranger replied. “But you have reminded me: I was writing something for the Library at Hebian-to. I should finish that before I again follow the winds . . . alas, I am a slow writer, so who knows how long it will take?” There came a chuckle of amusement, and then the stranger was gone.
At the beginning of Verdantine, shooting stars began to grace the heavens with increasing frequency. Sages theorized this to be related to the mounting activity of the Shadows, who had lain largely dormant since their attacks in the month of Morningthaw.
Bizarre organic messengers taken from Shadows revealed they were not monolithic after all. Rather, they seemed to be split into three distinct factions. One group remained loyal to Bael’Zharon. Another, alarmed by the Hopeslayer’s blind rage and working to keep him imprisoned, had sworn allegiance to his general Isin Dule. The last faction was barely comprehensible. Loyal to neither Bael’Zharon nor Dule, they obsessed over “opening the ways” for something greater yet than even the dread Hopeslayer.
It is thought that the minions of Bael’Zharon were responsible for the so-called “arenas” that appeared at this time. The portals to these underground complexes remained restricted to those who had sworn to serve the Lord of Chaos. Reports of what lay within were hard to come by, but those few willing to talk mentioned gladiatorial blood sports fought between, and judged by, Bael’Zharon’s human servants. It was assumed that these arenas were built to hone the prowess of the Hopeslayer’s followers for the coming struggle.
Meantime, the Dericost undead mobilized at the behest of the Aerfalle, the powerful Lady of Aerlinthe. Adventurers intercepted many messages between the various factions of their society that spoke of gathering armies and collecting intelligence. The Isparians seemed to have gained an ally of sorts against the minions of Bael’Zharon, though perhaps not one they would have chosen themselves. Whereas the Shadows sought to absorb all life, the undead seemed intent upon conquering the living after beating back “the enemy.” Things seemed bleak for humanity no matter what the outcome of this conflict.
In the midst of the alarming news, reclusive mage Aliester the Loquacious discovered that Shadowhunter Armor, crafted from magical gems, could be “attuned” to the elemental properties of the gemstones created by the Yalaini enchanter Lady Maila. Although the plates of armor forged by master smiths were still of lesser quality than those made before Hamud ibn Rafik’s vicious attacks, inserting any of the stones used in Lord Atlan’s ancient weapons could nevertheless enhance them.
Wanderers braving the untamed wilds of the southern Direlands discovered that a clan of undead had recently taken up residence within three towers along the coast. After slaughtering all those within the towers, a passage was found to a long-hidden underground temple complex, inhabited by a long-lost cult of the undead. The slaying of their High Acolyte yielded a rather distasteful reward. . . although certain of Dereth’s crafters found this object valuable, indeed.
The scholars of Zaikhal, Cragstone, and Hebian-to announced that they sought additions for the great libraries of those towns. Three winners were selected from each heritage group. The Sho cleaned space on their shelves for Ja’afar al-Saladin of Solclaim’s “The Emperor’s Blade,” Loka Wu of Morningthaw’s “Loka Jii Learns to Hunt,” and Nandesu Ka of Leafcull’s “Journal of Nandesu Ka.” Aluvians burned many candles reading Vexorg of Thistledown’s “The D00dz,” Aytalya of Darktide’s “Shadows of My Doubts,” and Aragorn of Thistledown’s “The Journals of Change” late into the night. The Gharu’ndim pondered the words of Anjwar al-Jaenth of Morningthaw’s “Recalling The Calling,” Ariq al-Binara of Frostfell’s “Derethian Skies,” and Ashgad of Thistledown’s “Midnight Revelation.”
Chocolate, a legendary delicacy from old Ispar, was discovered in the grubby hands of mosswarts and banderlings. Half-remembered tales of its delicious taste and aroma lead to a massive hunt to replicate the lost recipes of the human homeworld.
Khallayne and Raynie of Thistledown provided chocolate milk. Rhiannon Morgana and Touryan Kurigsun of Frostfell supplied chocolate cake. Betty Crocker of Leafcull, one of the famous chefs of Cragstone Farms Catering, created chocolate ice cream. Chen Kenichi of Frostfell, part of the ill-starred adventuring troupe Vitae Rising, produced the chocolate bar, known colloquially as the “Vitae Bar.” Chen proudly noted that infamous beating-magnet Wi loved his creation. Ho Chun and Theran Bakagin of Frostfell, meanwhile, leavened the somewhat bitter Vitae Bar into a creamy milk chocolate bar.
Aiyaan Shiefu of Leafcull, a member of the Silver Citadel allegiance, whipped up Dereth’s first cup of hot mocha. Yakamura Shinji of Frostfell added ice to mocha, resulting in a refreshing drink for a lazy summer afternoon (assuming one can ever be found in Dereth). Atsushi and Deckape of Morningthaw added cinnamon to Aiyaan’s original creation to create rich mocha. Elanwen of Harvestgain, with help from Jenna, combined the work of all the various mocha brewers into rich iced mocha.
Although most people focused on chocolate, the residents of Holtburg, a town known for rampant cattle mutilations, fried up a slab of Bessie MCMLXII and served her on a bun, thus adding the “Holtburger” to Dereth’s dietary lexicon. In other news of culinary horror, a shadowy figure known only as “The Sausage King of Dereth” skulked in the darkest corners of Fort Tethana, combining all manner of unsavory things into links of something that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike meat. He was last seen pulling on a pair of steel-toed boots and wandering into the desert, muttering, “Fools! I’ll destroy them all!”
At the end of the month, an oppressive silence fell over the hills and vales of Dereth. The world held its breath, and wondered…
- Please note that the update this month is less major than our previous monthly updates. That’s because we are hard at work on an amazing September event — just part of making sure we celebrate the one-year anniversary of Asheron’s Call with a bang! For more information, look for the September teaser article coming soon.
- A new dungeon quest for moderate-level players has been introduced. What is it? Where is it? Do you think we’d come right out and tell you?
- A few quests that have been around for a while have been refurbished so they are more rewarding and easier for groups to complete together.
- The monsters that used to inhabit the Direlands before stronger invaders pushed them out continue their migration eastward. More powerful monsters have been sighted in the forests and mountains of the far north and south.
- Meanwhile, Aerlinthe’s denizens have mobilized in response to adventurers exploring there. Beware!
- Some of our newer high-level monsters were a bit too tough, or not rewarding enough, to defeat. We are always re-evaluating Dereth’s creatures, and have made some positive changes. Take another look at your old foes.
- Our re-balancing of the Shadow Armor continues. As promised, the armor crafters have regained some of their former abilities, with surprising results.
- Due to a previous bug, the Ravenous Dagger required the Axe skill instead of Dagger to make. This is fixed: all those with the Dagger skill should be able to get their dagger made now.
- Ground Chorizite powder can now be freely exchanged.
- Food has become more varied and useful. New recipes are emerging, and in many cases food has become more valuable, lighter in weight, and more powerful in effect.
- New “arena” dungeons have been introduced for those who want to play “Gladiator”. Of course death in these arenas still hurts as much as death outside them!
- Vendors sell alchemical items (such as alembic) only one at a time by default, to prevent accidental over-purchase. However, you can use the quantity slider to buy up to 50 in one transaction.
- Some bowyers were not selling bolt shafts for quarrel making. This was a problem for crossbow players and has been fixed.
- Branith’s Staff missed out on last month’s mana-cost reduction. This has been fixed.
- More wonders of the Empyrean are revealed as new lifestones appear in several places.
- New icons for lockpicks and potions indicate their quality.
- Due to an “ID rollover” we are doing this month, examination values for objects have been re-randomized. You may now be able to examine some objects you previously could not, and vice versa. It should all balance out in the grand scheme of things.
- Steel-toed boots have been introduced. Kick someone in the shin today!
- Some fixes were made to hopefully eliminate the “voices from afar” bug.
- The ambient sound upgrade project continues. Towns now sound more populous. Plus, geese!