Announcements - Asheron's Call Beta

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July 1999

Call to Arms Teaser

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7/4/99 - Call to Arms

"You can hear the murmurs in every tavern and around every lifestone. Tension is building all across the land.

"As old age claims the last heroes who were enslaved to the Olthoi, we grow complacent. We've relaxed our vigilance against threats from afar. And as more people are called to Dereth, our settlements encroach on the territories of other races. How can we not expect the dark denizens to strike back?

"Rumors from the frontiers suggest that more and more creatures are threatening human habitations. How long will it be before they strike here? How long before we must defend our homes?

"And are we prepared?"

--Scribe ibn Tur

All over Osteth, mages have read the signs, and found the following ill-starred towns under imminent threat:
Holtburg
Rithwic
Samsur
Shoushi
Yanshi
Yaraq

We implore adventurers to begin gathering within distant sight of buildings on the evening of Wednesday, July 7th, and guard the countryside and inroads. Do not gather in the towns themselves -- we wish to intercept the foe before they get so far! For political advantage and a mention in the Annals, monarchs are advised to turn out with their allegiances. The hour of trial is at hand; organize now!

Call to Arms Recap

Material retrieved from original Zone caches available at http://web.archive.org.

Original Link (now dead) - http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewsarmscall.asp

Call to Arms: An Overview of the Recent Defense on 7/7/99

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By Auberon

Screenshots of the Call to Arms

The advance scouts of the encroaching force appeared around 5:30 P.M. Pacific Time, comprising lesser monougas and banderlings, mixed with the occasional drudge pack. Holtburg was the first to encounter banderlings, who made their initial assault near the menhir just outside of town.

Soon other towns were under assault. Shoushi and Yanshi witnessed several hard-fought early battles. Later in the day, Yaraq was attacked by a huge swarm of monougas, who nearly decimated the population. A nearby tumerok raiding band took the opportunity to attack, hoping to pillage and plunder amid the general confusion. Between them and the rampaging monougas, it looked as though monsters might overrun the town. Fortunately, the stalwart citizens managed to regroup and form a defensive line near the beach, thwarting the blitzkrieg invasion. The town of Rithwic seemed at first to have escaped the onslaught, but soon ravenous hordes of monsters descended on their homes as well. Holtburg and Samsur were also struck by the host of invaders.

Citizen defenders gathered their allegiances to defend the towns. Pockets of resistance formed and encountered the enemy on all fronts. Mages and archers used the surrounding terrain, rampart walls, and building terraces to good effect, while stalwart warriors engaged the enemy hand-to-hand.

In Rithwic, a Sho warrior, tired and wounded, spotted a slim figure cutting her way through the ranks of enemies. There was a familiar look to her fighting style. Elegant and precise, she reminded him of the hero of the sacred rock. Could it be? By the gods, it was Ben Ten! Once again, Ben Ten had appeared in Dereth's time of crisis to defend a town, just like she did in Yanshi so many years before. Ben Ten's arrival seemed to lift the spirits of the defenders, and the tide of battle turned in favor of the Derethians. Soon Ben Ten was spotted in other areas of the island. Through some mystical means, she seemed to gust in with the wind, and where her blade shone, it laid waste to her opponents.

Just as the people of Dereth felt they could breathe a sigh of relief, a new and terrifying threat loomed. The tremendous monougas! Towering over 40 feet tall, these colossal behemoths left a swathe of death behind them. At first they appeared unstoppable, but the Derethians would not be easily defeated. As the battle for Dereth raged, some spotted the true source of the attack, the Virindi, who observed the battle with cold calculation. Shadow Lieutenants were also sighted. Could the presence of these minions of Bael'Zharon signify an unholy alliance between Virindi and Dark Lord? The possible ramifications of such a union are horrifying to say the least.

The battle ended around 8:30 P.M. Pacific Time, with exhausted defenders counting the dead and healing the wounded. Although the toll was terrible, the day had been won, and Dereth was safe for the moment. As the citizenry return to their daily lives, they discuss the Call to Arms as a grim reminder of the dangers of complacency. May we heed this lesson well, for surely this will not be the last time we face the enemy.

Call to Arms Recap - Screenshots

Material retrieved from original Zone caches available at http://web.archive.org.

Original Link (now dead) - http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ashenewsarmscallshot.asp

Screenshots of the Call to Arms Event

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Asheron's Call Beta: July 7, 1999

Click on thumbnails for full pictures.

October 1999

Fire in the Sky Recap

Material retrieved from original Zone caches available at http://web.archive.org.

Original Link (now dead) - http://web.archive.org/web/19991127231529/www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEtheend.asp

October 25, 1999

A comet appeared over Dereth last week, clouds raced across a smoky sky, and wanderers discovered devastation in and around many of the major towns, most notably Shoushi, which remained only as scattered wreckage surrounding a large, glowing crater. In Glenden Wood, a volcano had erupted, igniting nearby buildings. Soon after, reports flowed from the Direlands that ghostly elementals of living flame stalked the waste, in the company of magma golems. In the following days, decayed parchment copies of an ancient manuscript blew across the countryside, and canny adventurers began to gather and collate them, deciphering an unsettling prophecy. Fire elementals began increasingly to appear in the settled lands, until, late on Saturday, they poured in a torrent from the skies, attacking everyone they met. Citizens of Dereth rallied to oppose them. Eventually, the tide of fire abated, to be replaced by a hail of black stones. Enigmatic collectors appeared, with whom adventurers could redeem certain stones for powerful magical artifacts. Some sages believed that the collectors tried to work with the stones to somehow forestall the ultimate cataclysm. If so, they failed. Oblivion at last descended on Dereth. However, the brave deeds that went before were not in vain. As the cycle begins again, heroes will recall them in dreams; they will enter the mythology of a vital new world, and inspire even more stirring adventures in the bright years ahead.

Screenshots of the Fire in the Sky

Prophecy Contest

Coverage on Other Sites

Thresh's Firing Squad

The Valor Knights

Fire in the Sky Prophecy Contest

Material retrieved from original Zone caches available at http://web.archive.org.

Original Link (now dead) - www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewsfirewinner.asp

The Lost Prophecy Restored!

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Congratulations to the intrepid band led by Saffron Dusk (Caeryn Dryad, Sol the Wanderer, Alun Magus, Aliciana, and DeLT), who were the first to gather the damaged copies of the Fire in the Sky prophecy and assemble the following message:

* * *

In the midst of a terrible fever I had this dream. For four days and nights I sweltered, even as the chill wind scoured my sickbed, and visions appeared before me. As I burned, I saw the same befall the world.

There shall come a time of flame and woe unto the land. There shall be no harbinger of this suffering, no warning that we may escape. We have grown prideful, drawing power from the Earth's bones without thought, and for this she will be avenged.

The Earth shall be in turmoil, with great wounds rent in her flesh, and her blood shall burn like brimstone. Mountains of fire will awaken, and the fruited fields shall blacken. A crimson eye shall open amid the welkin and look down upon the ravaged ground. This bloody Witness shall be wroth to see the pain pent in the Earth, and its tears shall fall burning upon the land, bringing cleansing flame.

But the tears of the Witness shall not be as mortals shed: they shall live, and knowing the wrath of he who gave them birth, shall spread despair upon the earth. Their forms shall be those of men, and their might shall grow with the passing of days. They shall brook no thoughts of pity, but shall know only slaughter, and no woman nor man may enter their sight and not feel their rage. And still they will come, for many terrible nights and days.

When finally the Witness's grief is fully spent, its tears shall fall no more, and dark stones shall rain down in their place. In my dream, men laid hands on these stones, crafting magical wonders from them. Yet they shall be chary to use them, lest the Witness weep again.

* * *

Many sages from across Dereth labored long and hard to compose this message. Alas, there could be only one winner. However, an honorable mention, at least, is due the following adventurers, who also completed the entire text:

The team of Jin Lee, Molarman, and Xipher	Aranac Greyblood
Rwild	Jedismj
Sokharis	PAKRAT
Onicus Battleblade	Kawaii
Mynex II	Ba-Thonga
Knight Who Says Ni	Lord Soth
Atari	Ghaleon Magus

Fire in the Sky Recap - Screenshots

Material retrieved from original Zone caches available at http://web.archive.org.

Original Link (now dead) - www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewsfirewinner.asp

Screenshots of the "Fire in the Sky Event"

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End of the Asheron's Call Beta: October 22 - 24, 1999

Shoushi, Before and After

Glenden Wood, Before and After

Yaraq, Before and After

Elsewhere . . .

The Bridge Near Shoushi

The Direlands -- Elementals Regard Their Parent Star