Seeds of Corruption

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October 2008

File:Seeds of Corruption Splash Screen Mini.jpg

Click image to go right to the new stuff.

Turbine Announcements

Teaser Images

Ac.Mystics

ACvault

Dereth.info

Maggies

Warcry's CoD

Teaser - Link

Atop one of the high cliffs overlooking Mayoi, Nithruvis the Cruel stood with arms crossed. Here in charge of a scouting party, he had left his followers and servants behind to spend a few moments in solitude, considering the land before them.

He looked over the hills, the sea, and the little valley in which the human town had been built. He let his thoughts wander to the days when all this land, the whole wartorn island of Dereth, had been ruled by his people, the watchers and witches of the Falatacot. The domains of the Falatacot had been wiped away by war, cataclysm, and climactic change thousands of years ago, the lands re-settled by their cousins and then re-settled by a seemingly endless supply of squalling, fearful, fragile humans. It was enough to make Nithruvis sick with rage at all that had been stolen from his people.

He closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander back through the ancient memory that he and other powerfully blessed Falatacot shared. Even as his eyes surveyed the sandy cliffs and sloping grassy hills of this region, he could see within his mind the verdant jungle that had once stood here. Though he gazed upon the wooden hovels of the human interlopers, he could still see the glorious stone temples that his people had once raised. When he sniffed the air, he could smell the bread and meats in the cookfires of the human settlement mixing with the heady smell of the sacred herbs and living flesh that his people had sacrificed to their dark gods, millennia ago…

He was broken from his reverie by an excited shout from the valley below, where all his followers were still searching for something… To his ears, it sounded like they’d found something, possibly the thing that he and his counterparts around had been scouring all of Dereth for. Soon enough, as expected, his chief messenger Ssissanak came dutifully trotting up the hill. Nithruvis kept his eyes closed, listening to the Sclavus’s labored breath wheezing through the metal faceplate it wore over its snake-shaped head.

“Commander,” the snake hissed, “the scouts have recovered this. We think it is the stone you seek.” Bending low in reverence, the Sclavus presented him with a chunk of iridescent stone, glowing faintly in the light of dusk. It still had clumps of mud clinging to it, but the power present within the stone could not be concealed by mere dirt.

Nithruvis held the hunk of stone close to his face, examining its every feature and facet. He ran his long, elegant fingers over its oddly smooth surface, delighting in the tingle of magic he felt from it. He sniffed it and found something familiar and comforting in it. Finally comforted, he smiled softly and looked down at the Sclavus, who took a wary step back. Ssissanak was well familiar with this infamous Falatacot noble’s vicious mood changes, and he could not tell if Nithruvis was genuinely pleased with the piece of stone or if he was merely taking pre-emptive pleasure in yet another outburst of sadism.

“It will serve,” Nithruvis told the messenger curtly. “Dispatch four messages for me. Tell my masters, the Patriarchs, that I have chosen this location for a base. Inform my three fellow commanders of the choice we have made. Direct the sorcerers to re-route the fortress accordingly. And tell the taskmasters that the time is upon us, and they must open the breeding pens and the dungeons to assemble a raiding party. Quickly, now.”

Ssissanak bowed quickly and hurried off to make all the necessary arrangements. As he joined the crowd below, another one of Nithruvis’ retinue came trotting up the hill. This time it was the herald, Dhissikh.

“Master, is it true?” the smaller snake asked him. “We found the stones of the summoning circle?”

Nithruvis nodded. “We have found the site of one of the great temples of our lost age. As the Wheel of All Things brings destruction and renewal, so will we gather up the bones of that which was destroyed and infuse them with the blood of that which still lives. We will complete the circle once more, and so raise the temple to serve our lord once more…”

The insolent herald interrupted him. “But it is a new lord! A different lord! The Matriarchs did not speak of T’thuun with kindness or fondness! Master, I ask you again to reconsider your allegiance to these upjumped Patriarchs! They are ignorant of the Lore of Blood and Bone, and do not know the Old Ways! By turning our backs on the Matriarchs, we risk our very --”

Whatever else Dhissikh meant to say was lost when Nithruvis spun and grabbed his throat with one large, strong hand. The ancient noble lifted the small, struggling Sclavus into the air and shook him like a rag doll.

“The Old Ways are lost! The Matriarchs failed us and their hoary hidden masters failed us! It is time we turned to a new power to reclaim what is rightfully ours! Your prattling about loyalty to those who have failed us, over and over again, has grown tiring, little snake. You are a slave! A creature entirely of our creation! It is not for you or the rest of your simple-minded brood to question my judgment or the judgment of the Patriarchs. To speak as you have spoken about the Lord of the Creeping Blight is blasphemy.”

Dhissikh hissed and gurgled protest as Nithruvis tightened his grasp. Finally, there was a crack and a final long hiss, and the little herald stopped struggling. Nithruvis looked over his shoulder. Down in the valley, all his servants had seen this confrontation, and the price Dhissikh paid for his insolence and presumption. He sneered at them and flung the small, reptilian corpse into the sea. Laughing in wicked pleasure, Nithruvis wiped his hands and started walking down the hill to rejoin his newly chastened minions.

---

Rollout article - Link

Aun Hautona was stripping a Carenzi carcass on the shores of the lake above the North Fork Dam when he smelled something foul, carried to him by the wind. He dropped his skinning knife, work forgotten, and stood up straight. He pointed his long snout straight up in the air, closed his eyes, and let the information come to him.

After a few moments of deep concentration, he dropped down into a hunting stance, picked up his spear, and shuffled cautiously into the nearby brush. He allowed his hunter instincts and scout training to take over, and moved silently to stalk whatever new presence was fouling the sacred lands.

Aun Hautona was one of the most accomplished scouts of the Aun tribe. He knew every tree and rock on Marae Lassel and could navigate from the Deru stand to the lower falls of the dam with his eyes closed, just by touch and smell… And yet all his familiarity with the land and his finely honed senses did not keep him from being ambushed by a pack of hissing, chattering snake-men. He’d barely come within sight of the trees before the Blight-tainted marauders surprised him. These were not like any Sclavus he’d seen before. These Sclavus walked about in suits of armor with terrifying steel masks that covered their scaly faces and magnified every hiss and snort into a disorienting metallic cacophony.

He hardly had any time to react before their weapons found his flesh. He saw the madness in the cold serpent eyes of one of these snakes, and then felt a dozen cuts and stabs as they closed around him, weapons rising and falling in a strangely harmonious motion. All he remembered when he awoke at the lifestone was the terror, the pain, and the awful stink of the Blight that the Sclavus carried with them.

His kinsmen found him there, prostrate before the Timaru lifestone, shivering in horror.

“What has happened, cousin?” asked one who bore the markings of a warrior.

“The Blight has come to our land,” Aun Hautona croaked through a parched throat. “Snakemen at the Deru trees, stinking of corruption.”

The shaman Aun Kimintari came to stand over him. “We will gather warriors to drive them off. You will lead us to them, and we will purge them from our lands before they can set root.” She spoke in a firm, commanding voice that left no room for him to question orders. She helped him up and started quizzing him about what he’d seen and how many snakes there were. Messengers went forth to summon warriors to fight.

Soon enough, a dozen strong warriors had converged by the lifestone, placing themselves at Aun Kimintari’s service to drive the blight from the sacred Deru. Hautona took the lead as they marched overland towards the sacred copse.

Again, they came just within sight of the trees before a chittering snake in leather armor jumped from cover and charged Hautona, who was walking twenty paces ahead of the warrior party. He readied his spear to meet the charge when a dozen thrown javelins came whistling through the air from behind him. Each of the javelins found its mark on the body of the charging snake. Impaled a dozen times over, the Sclavus hissed and rattled as it fell over, leaking dark blood onto the dirt. In the distance, a horde of other Sclavus, armored in leather, scalemail, and splint mail, turned and took notice of the war party. As one, they brandished their weapons and charged forward. With a bloodcurdling war cry, the warriors of Timaru village charged to meet them.

Hautona moved to charge with them, when he felt a strong, warm hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw that Kimintari had not charged, either. She kept her staff high in the air and muttered an ancient song, weaving magic into a spell. Hautona tried his best to watch both the shaman next to him and the fight in front of him. He could feel the immense power that Kimintari was channeling, could feel the land responding to the song. He felt the spirits of the air and earth swirling about the shaman, then felt the ecstatic release of the shaman’s magic as she unleashed the spirits to attack the Blight that the Sclavus had brought with them…

And then he felt the shock and terror as Kimintari’s magical assault was rebuffed. He heard the cry of the spirits as they ran into some vile magical aura around the Deru copse, and could feel their pain as they were ensnared and devoured by an evil spirit of vast and malevolent power. Kimintari sunk to her knees, keening in agony, and Hautona suddenly felt a chill go through him as he thought of his warrior kin who had charged into the evil spirit’s power.

Sure enough, the ground shook all around the battling Aun and their snake-headed foes. Massive black tentacles erupted out of the ground and wrapped around the warriors. One by one, each of the brave Aun warriors was disarmed, engulfed, and crushed by the demon tentacles.

“Help,” he heard Aun Kimintari whisper. “Take me to the village, Hautona… We must find help…”

---

Release Notes - Link

Hello there and welcome to the October 2008 Release Notes! The Festival season is upon us once again and with it comes some of our favorite traditions here in Dereth. Masks and Guises return as well as the decorations that mark the season. Lets see what else is new and exciting this month in Dereth!

• Level 8 vulns are now in the game and can be crafted In addition level 8 protections have been adjusted to be in line with where they should have been.
• Society Recall Gems are now stackable
• The Pyre Skeleton Jaws now stack
• Dark Isle Black Coral and Dark Isle Reports now stack and have no restriction on pickup however the npc’s will take all that you have when you complete the quest.
• The mana blight crystals from the Corrupted Pyramids quest now stack
• Fall Monster spawns are now showing up
• Mask and Guise body parts have started to appear again
• The pumpkin Buffers and access to the Disco will be returning this month
• The cooler weather has affected the landscape. Butterfly’s and baby creatures should no longer be out.
• Town faction guards should properly attack neutral players that go into the pvp towns now and sadly all the bunnies that get too close to the fort as well.
• The drop rate on Pristine Mana Shards has been increased.
• The spell Zongo’s Fist should now surpass Strength of Diemos.
• The towns of Arwic, Ayan Baqur and Mayoi have been reporting some strange activity lately.
• It appears that T’thuun is still trying to gain control of the Deru.
• On November 2nd, Asheron’s Call will celebrate its 9th anniversary. Make sure you are around that day for some special fun!
• Turning in pristine mana shards now gets you a key that can be used on any of the chests in the mana foundries
• The Sclavus using the Tthuun Dagger have been adjusted
• The Lord Gateway quest has been fixed to let you repeat the quest if you pick up the wrong item, the riddle that was bugged on this quest has also been fixed

So there are just some of the things we have in store for Asheron's Call in October. Please remember that along with everything listed here, there are several new quests and exciting things going into the game for the October event.

Discoveries

Town Crier Rumors

Town Crier tells you, "Another festival season, another offering from Dereth's mask makers... I wonder what the fashion will be this year?"

Town Crier tells you, "Festival season is upon us! The leaves are turning, the weather is cooling, and of course the pumpkins have taken over Glenden Wood."

Town Crier tells you, "News! The proprietors of the casinos have opened up a new gaming den! Go to Sanamar to see the exciting new game!"

Town Crier tells you, "News! The six ley line pyramids that Asheron cleansed are active again! More powerful monsters found, new rewards offered by Asheron! Go visit the six sites to see!"

Town Crier tells you, "News! The young Deru trees of Marae Lassel are under attack by some infestation sent by T'thuun!"

Town Crier tells you, "News! Those vile patriarchs that T'thuun raised up are scouring all Dereth for mysterious objects."

You give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "Dereth's mask makers have rolled out their new designs, and they are quite impressive! Be on the alert for snake hides, they can be made into particularly impressive trophies..."

You give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "Happy festival season! Enjoy the treats from the festival merchants, and enjoy the anniversary celebration!"

You give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "It's true, the three young Deru trees of Marae Lassel are in a precarious state, being threatened by the demon T'thuun's corrupting touch. Dire consequences for us all if they were to be engulfed. Seek out Aun Kimintari in Timaru if you can help."

You give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "Not only are Pristine Mana Shards more common in wilderness hunting now, but also the keys you could get from trading them in now open a wider range of chests."

You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "That's right, there are more powerful creatures hidden in lairs underneath those pyramids. Asheron has established a gatestone at each that allows adventurers into the hidden lairs, but beware! It is not an easily repeated passage."
Town Crier tells you, "Visit the pyramids in the Halaetan Islands, A'mun Desert, Linvak Mountains, Esper Mountains, Obsidian Plain, or Aerlinthe Island to see."

You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "T'thuun's Patriarchs are raiding all over Dereth! Have you seen them and their awful minions here yet? There must be some method to their madness..."

---

Ulgrim Rumors

You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Does it strike you as unseemly that Asheron has given over all the node-cleansing work at those six pyramids to we frail humans? I thought that was his specialty, defeating archdemons with the power of the light and whatnot. I think Asheron's getting lazy in his old age."

You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Fall has come! See the leaves turn, see the pumpkins sprout around Glenden Wood, see the kids wandering past on their way to the disco... Eh, what was that?"

You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Happy ninth anniversary! Ninth anniversary of what? You can't mean that. The ninth anniversary of my presence on this benighted island, of course. And, you know, humanity's freedom from Olthoi enslavement and things like that."

You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I do love the turn of the seasons. Cider's particularly tempting this time of year. And if I were the sort of sot who drank cider, I'd be particularly tempted to have some. Bring me more stout!"

You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I saw Claude wander past the other day, wearing one of those new masks. Seeing that disembodied snake head dangling above the floating, cloaked void of a Virindi body is almost enough to put one off the drink. Almost."

You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Oh, a cool mug of delicious stout, how kind of you..."
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Hey, there was a Pristine Mana Shard in here! What luck!"
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "No, of course I was kidding. There wasn't any Pristine Mana Shard in my stout, that would just be unbelievable. Actually it was a whole Mana Forge Key."

You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Oh, the Deru Trees this, and the Deru Trees that. Dang Deru Trees, always fainting and wilting as soon as a ravening archdemon with acid for blood and a heart full of rot starts gnawing on their roots... what a bunch of nervous nellies!"

You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "You know who's acting a little differently these days? The Virindi. I think even they're getting a little zonked in their tiny, buzzing brains from the weird magic in the air, drifting between the ley lines. Last thing you want to be around is a Virindi on the fritz! Woowee, what a mess."

New Quests

Blight Lord Lair (Quest)

Collect 20 Blighted Mana Crystals to begin this quest. More details here.

Guardian of the Deru Trees of Marae Lassel

Aun Kimintari in Timaru gives a quest to help protect the Deru and weaken the Wharu (Olthoi). The quest is 150+ and gives a Braced Mana Forge Key. More details here.

Marauder Invasion

Royal Guard in Tou Tou next to the mage tower's life stone gives a quest to collect 30 invoking stones. He also flags you for three 50 kill tasks: Falatacot/Moarsman/Sclavus Marauders: These spawned around a portal with a pyramid on top near the lifestone. No respawn after 30 minutes. The reward for these 4 tasks is unknown. The invoking stone drop rate on the marauders is about 30-40%.

There is an another identical Royal Guard on the Isle of Tears right near the portal drop from Cragstone and also another spawn of the Marauders on the island. The NPC is identical so if you already talked to the one in Tou-Tou then it is unnecessary to talk to this one. However, the invoking stones dropped by creatures on the isle may be different from the ones dropped at Tou-Tou (not confirmed).

No further raid locations have been found at the moment but there could possibly be 4 more locations around Dereth.

File:The Mothership.JPG

The Mothership

Updated Quests

• Mask Makers of Dereth - New masks added.

New NPCs

• Aun Kimintari - 44.2N 78.1W in Timaru

Seasonal NPCs

• Citizens of Al-Jalima disguised in undead costumes
• Festival Vendor - 29.8N 27.3E in Glenden Wood
• Majestic Pumpkin - 30.7N 27.8E in Glenden Wood
• Pumpkin Buffer - Glenden Wood, Holtburg, Sanamar, Shoushi, Yaraq
• Trevor Shunderson - Al-Jalima
• Ungrim the Unpleasant Smelling - Glenden Wood bar.

New Locations

• Large Floating Pyramid spinning above Ayan Baqur at 59.8S 88.1W.

Seasonal Locations

• Al-Jalima is infested with undead again. Citizens of the town have equipped their undead guises to hide from the invaders.
• Glenden Wood is decorated for the festival season. The Festival Vendor, Majestic Pumpkin, Pumpkin Buffer, and Ungrim the Unpleasant Smelling are back in town.

Updated Locations

Nodes now have a Gatestone that will transport you to a Blight Lord's Lair when given 20 Blighted Mana Crystals.

• Aerlinthe Node Pyramid: 84.1N 44.1E
• A'mun Node Pyramid: 38.2S 12.0E
• Halaetan Node Pyramid: 93.8N 67.4W
• Linvak Node Pyramid: 64.8S 59.3E
• Esper Node Pyramid: 62.0N 18.0E
• Obsidian Node Pyramid: 68.0S 62.2W

New Items

• Inscription of Acid Vulnerability Other
• Inscription of Blade Vulnerability Other
• Inscription of Bludgeoning Vulnerability Other
• Inscription of Cold Vulnerability Other
• Inscription of Fire Vulnerability Other
• Inscription of Lightning Vulnerability Other
• Inscription of Piercing Vulnerability Other
• Aerlinthe Gatestone
• Halaetan Gatestone

New Masks and Guises

• Armored Sclavus Mask - Obtained from turning in an Armored Sclavus Head to a mask maker.

Known Issues

• Many of the Pumpkin Candies are overridden by VIII spells (for example Caramel Kukuur which adds 100 Melee Defense is overridden by Incantation of Melee Defense (+45).)
• While one Beer override bug was fixed (Zongo's Strength), Focus and Coordination continue to be bugged.
• More changes were made to the Pumpkin Candies. NoWorries explains in a post:

Link

The candies were never meant to be stored for year round use.

The timer was actually added last year to stop this, seeing as how many players wanted to hold on to some of these candies for fun past Halloween, a compromise was reached of making them non stackable but removing the timer. This way players can keep a few of these candies but can not store hundreds of them.

All previously collected candies will stay the way they were

NoWorries AC Quality Assurance

• People are still reporting low melee damage to the Afessa Sclavus Soldiers and Sclavus Acolyte of T'thuun, which was supposedly fixed this patch.
• Monster Fights, which were originally delayed from last month to this month, are delayed again:

Link

The monster fights still have a couple technical aspects to get right. So they were cut from this month to make sure they are fully functional when they are introduced. That town crier didn't get the memo.

NoWorries AC Quality Assurance

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