Upping the Ante
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April 2008
Turbine Announcements
Mundagurg opened the canteen and sniffed it suspiciously. Three times he had returned to Angry Grandfather for help or at least advice, and three times Angry Grandfather had told him things he didn’t really understand. The third time, however, Angry Grandfather had given him this canteen and instructed him to “take care of it and stop bothering me, or ask somebody else.” So he’d taken the canteen and come up here again, to this distressed strand of beach where his glorious service on behalf of his confusing patron deity had ground to a frustrating halt at the finned hands of some corruption-fouled beasts that smelled even more pungent than he and his fellow Merwarts did.
Mundagurg, for his part, was flummoxed by Angry Grandfather’s reluctance to come away from his shrine in the human settlement and use some of his awe-inspiring magical powers to help one of his most loyal and daring disciples. After all, who else among the Merwarts raised up by Angry Grandfather had been hardy or clever enough to explore so much of this strange and confusing land? Only Mundagurg. And had not Angry Grandfather demonstrated his godlike powers to them when he first raised them up? Had he not shown the ability to conjure fire in his hands and to call lightning from a cloudless sky? Had he not shared with them the secrets of the Blue Stone and the Magic Brew? Why was he reluctant to smite the enemies of his people?
The confused little Merwart waggled his big, melon-shaped head in resignation and decided that it was not for him to question the wisdom of Angry Grandfather. There had to be some reason why Angry Grandfather had tasked him with exploring all of this island, but would then refuse to assist him when an impediment to the mission arose, not even an hour’s walk from Angry Grandfather’s own shrine!
Sighing in a human-like gesture that he’d picked up during his travels, Mundagurg pushed all his doubts back. He had a task to accomplish now, and then he’d be able to think about more complex theological matters later on. Having settled his own internal debate, at least temporarily, he held his breath and took a big gulp from the canteen. The thick, bitter liquid almost overwhelmed him with its powerful, almost grotesque taste, smell, and fizzy texture, but his long practice and devotion to Angry Grandfather’s rituals helped him overcome his natural aversion to the strong drink.
Almost immediately, he was rewarded for his efforts by a surge of energy throughout his battered limbs. The vitality that flowed through him bolstered his own confidence in himself. He scrambled up on top of the rock formation that he’d been hiding behind and examined the scene again.
There was a hole in the land here. The Fin-heads had dug their way up out of some hidden warren and were in the process of trying to claim a portion of the beach for themselves. More and more Fin-heads came out of this hole every day, and he’d even been able to get a glimpse of their apparent leader, a taller, smellier, shambling specimen that Angry Grandfather had named “Blightfinger” when Mundagurg described the situation. Mundagurg had explored just about every other inch of the humans’ island, and he knew that the Fin-heads were not native to this area. They mostly kept to other areas, nearer to the hot, smelly Vesayen Isles that Mundagurg had already explored and catalogued, months ago, as one of his first tasks.
“Must learn to stop fearing what happen maybe later, think about what happen now for sure,” Mundagurg repeated. It was a rough paraphrase of the advice Angry Grandfather had offered him each time he’d come seeking guidance on how to deal with the Fin-heads.
“Okay,” he muttered to himself. “Go get club off dead not-me, then run away before Fin-heads send me back to Blue Stone… Then think about future maybes.”
Mundagurg took a deep breath and vaulted over the rock formation. He hit the sand running, and his flat, flapping feet helped him keep a fast pace over the shifty sand as he sprinted forward. There was a handful of the Fin-heads outside of the cave mouth this time. One of them saw him coming and turned to bellow a warning to its fellows, but it was too late. The speeding Merwart was past the knot of them and running through cool, damp tunnels as fast as his little legs would carry him.
Mundagurg, like the rest of his fellow Merwarts, was not particularly smart, but his sense of direction in the dark was excellent, and he navigated the tunnels of the Fin-heads with ease, despite only having been through here briefly, and while fighting the whole time. He navigated the corridors without tripping on the vines that had slowed him up the first time, and he managed to evade or slip past a few other Fin-heads. Despite his adept maneuvers, the noises that reverberated through the tunnels behind him made it clear that the outside patrollers were still chasing him.
Finally, after a few twists and turns, and with by now half a dozen monsters on his trail, Mundagurg found what he was looking for: his own corpse. To even look upon the empty shell that once was his body inspired a tremor of theological terror in him. Not even the lessons provided by Angry Grandfather would ever completely quell his discomfort in seeing and interacting with his own corpse. But he managed to shove away those concerns long enough to reach out and take the glowing green club from his own dead hand: the prized weapon he’d carved himself, and lost during his first fateful trip into these tunnels.
His club retrieved, Mundagurg spared a second to listen to the grunts and shrieks of his pursuers as they closed in on his position. He took an experimental swing, felt the strength still flowing through him, and tried to find an out-of-the-way corner in which he could hide for a moment, just long enough to surprise his hunters. He glanced back at his own body, and at the vines that crawled up the walls of these tunnels, and came up with an idea…
The Fin-head pursuit arrived just a few moments later. They saw the corpse of the little Merwart still clutching its club on the ground, and they saw the Merwart himself, apparently tangled in some of the hanging vines nearby. Roaring in outrage at the intrusion, they launched themselves at the little Merwart. So blinded were they by primitive anger that they didn’t even notice the corpse get up, wielding its club with a fiendish gleam in its eyes. They jumped on the decoy in a pile and proceeded to become thoroughly tangled up with each other.
Mundagurg’s first swing of the club shattered the kneecap of the last Fin-head that had jumped on the pile drawn by his corpse. The beast shrieked in pain and fell onto its fellows. By the time the beasts got themselves untangled, their quarry was far down the tunnels, chortling in glee. They could hear the hue and cry from their fellow tunnel-dwellers as the Merwart made his escape, but without advanced warning or a concerted hunt, the little Merwart could evade any one of them individually and probably make good his escape.
Mundagurg emerged from the tunnel still running at a breakneck pace, too afraid to even look back. Even though the sounds of pursuit died down a few hundred yards from the hole, he didn’t slow down until he was within sight of Angry Grandfather’s town. Surely, he thought, some kind human friend of Angry Grandfather’s would be happy to kill all those Fin-heads, if only he could come up with the right reward to bribe them with… It was always rewards with the humans, after all.
Rollout - Link
In a newly constructed underground fortress, protected from spying eyes by powerful concealing magic, a pair of old friends and sometime rivals stared across a table at each other. A nervous courier stood between them. The table, copied from a similar piece of furniture in Queen Elysa’s royal map room, bore a huge, detailed map of the great island of Dereth and all its surrounding lands. Piled on top of the table, obscuring parts of the landmass, sat a pile of papers – reports from scouts who had combed the realm and investigated the recent ley line disturbances.
The elder of the two seated figures, an aged Empyrean mage named Harlune, sat back and fixed the scout with a suspicious eye. “Well, go on, then,” he growled.
The courier cleared his throat, picked up the next dispatch, and snuck a glance at the other seated figure, whose only expression, a serene and sleepy-eyed smile, had not changed since this session began. Shaking his head, he read the dispatch out loud. “Discovered single playing card on corpse of undead Lady Tairla. Card depicts itself as Queen of Hands. Appears to be part of larger suit of Hands. Suspect Jester to be involved. Will continue to hunt graveyard and seek other cards. Also compiling list of Jester utterances, which could be crucial information or utter nonsense. Await further instructions.”
Harlune snorted. “Once again it comes back to this Jester, eh? How did an undead fool gain such importance? He was a fool in life, and I’m now to believe that he is a repository of ancient wisdom just because he’s dead and his bones haven’t turned to dust yet? Are we supposed to fall all over ourselves investigating every time someone makes a knock-knock joke or passes wind comedically?”
“You are ignoring the context of this discovery, old friend,” his companion said from across the table. “The Jester was present for Rytheran’s mistake. He may hold the key to what has happened to the ley lines. The journal pages from Rytheran’s study that we received last month suggests as much. I, in particular, am eager to hear what this Jester has to say. Remember, by tradition, a fool was often the one person in court who could speak truths the courtiers were too timid to acknowledge.”
Harlune shook his head angrily. “Sometimes a fool is just a fool! And I don’t believe that those pages tell a true tale. Rytheran got hold of the Book of Eibhil, used it just once, and then willingly gave it over to his master? Preposterous, I say. He could have obliterated Geraine with the book.”
“At what cost to himself? Just because you do not understand why he would surrender such power, it does not mean he did not do so.”
“I understand more about surrendering power than you’ll ever know, woman,” Harlune muttered, but he waved his hand as if to concede that point. Quickly enough, he blustered on to another issue.
“I still think we’d be better served if we spent our limited reconnaissance abilities investigating the undead and the witch’s little gang of cultists,” he insisted, thumping the table for emphasis. “Whatever important discoveries there are to be made will come clear soon enough, and we’ll at least be able to make sure that they can’t steal a march on us!”
“I agree that it is important to learn what our rivals plan, and in time we can do that. But for now, we must look at the things that have occurred – the bleeding ley lines, the tainted Moarsmen arriving on the western shore, and now these strange cards appearing in the graveyard -- and concentrate our resources on discovering the true nature of this threat to the realm. We must first achieve our own goals before we worry about the movements of our rivals. Nor am I convinced that they are actually inimical to our purposes!”
Harlune crossed his arms stubbornly. “We must seek to know what the others plan, if only to protect ourselves against their treachery. We know the witch hates us and wants to exterminate us. How can we watch our enemies, and you’ll see in time that they are our enemies, if we leave ourselves blind to their movements? We can’t figure out what they’re planning if you’re sending people off to Bur or down some rabbit hole in the Graveyard!”
The woman at the opposite end of the table sighed and flicked her eyes towards the courier, practically forgotten by this point. “When we have judged that it is proper to recruit more Isparians to our cause, they will be the ones who take on these additional burdens.”
Harlune laughed bitterly as he, too, looked at the courier, who was doing his best to stare straight down at the piled dispatches. “You place too much faith in them, Ben Ten. Always have.”
Release Notes - Link
Hello there and welcome to the Release Notes for the April event, Upping the Ante. This month we have heard some reports about the Jester appearing in the Graveyard. Cooldown timers have been added to the game. Aside from some new content rewards, players will first notice this new tech on their Throne of Destiny gems. Let see what else is going on this month in Asheron’s Call.
New Content and Updated Functionality
- Cooldown Timers have been added to the game.
- The Throne of Destiny gems have been changed to use this new cooldown tech. Players will now need to wait 30 seconds between each use. This tech is intended to be used on new items as well.
- Aerbax has been revised again to resolve the issues that have been seen with him returning back to health. Please keep in mind if a player or players attempt to trap Aerbax in a state where he is trapped or in a state where he cannot hit players, he will return back to his home location and return to full health. The action is working as intended to prevent players from exploiting the nature of the platform that the fight takes place on. The new mechanic to prevent the unplanned instances where Aerbax returns to full health, is as follows. Players fighting Aerbax will get him down to a certain health level which triggers him to teleport to a new platform. And in appearance, that is what will happen. The actual tech change in this case is that instead of Aerbax teleporting himself, he will get to a certain health rate, delete himself and cause a new version to spawn at the next platform, at a reduced health level. Please keep in mind that when the new form of Aerbax shows up, it will say he is at 100% health, but upon closer ID, players will be able to see his overall health is lower.
- The Emissary of Asheron now fixes all the reward bugs when you talk to him and if a player has received two helms one can be given for the next piece of armor.
- The timer emote on Aerbax no longer counts down incorrectly (was saying 5 min left 4 3 2 5)
- The Jester has shown up in the graveyard. Players may want to investigate this move.
- The Jester will now re-teach players the Arcane Pyramid spell if they have deleted it out of their spellbooks.
- The Jester now tells players when he teaches them the Arcane Pyramid spell.
- The Ghost Jailer will now know if you released the Jester and give a different response.
- If players free the Jester and then go back and free him again before their timer is up, they will no longer be able to start in the cell room.
- Players can now choose to spawn at beginning of the Jester dungeon or at the trap in case they skipped turning in the letter to the wall.
- Mages should now be able to hit The Jester with a bit more ease now.
- An issue where players could possibly get stuck on the Shadow Kresovus quest has been fixed.
- The Burun Collar on the Asheron’s Abductor quest no longer looks like Darling’s Collar.
- Player corpses that have no items or Pyreals on them will now self delete after about 30 seconds. This should apply to regular corpses as well as PK Lite corpses.
- Dark Scarabs should no longer burn upon use. They now will just go away once their timer is up.
- Due to the issues we had in the March event, the Tanada House of Pancakes will be open with the start of the April event from 4/15/2008 through 4/22/2008.
- An announcement is now made when a player uses a volatile rare. For those who do not know, these are rares that are burned upon use such as melee defense or magic defense rare gems.
So there are just some of the things we have in store for Asheron's Call in April. Please remember that along with everything listed here, there are several new quests and exciting things going into the game for the April event.
Discoveries
Town Crier Rumors
Viamontian Town Criers
Town Crier tells you, "The royal scholars know little about what is causing the problems all across the world, but other scholars, who know the darker places of the world, suggest it may have something to do with the ancient Falatacot gods that once dominated this whole island..."
Town Crier tells you, "The frogs need help - excuse me, the bloody-minded frog-like beings who tried to kill you when they first arrived in Dereth need help."
Town Crier tells you, "I've received reports of a ridiculous trickster in the Graveyard in the Direlands. Be careful, he appears as powerful as he is mad."
Town Crier tells you, "A strange little creature that calls itself a Merwart has appeared in the Bloodless town of Ayan Baqur, begging for help against some mysterious threat."
Town Crier tells you, "Royal scholars know that the network of ley lines, the very circulatory system of this planet's magical energy, has become unstable. What they do not know is why."
You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "Frankly, given the choice between Falatacot and Burun, I might choose the Falatacot. That's just me, however."
You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "A very powerful knight told me he was unable to kill the insane Jester who has been roaming the Graveyard of late. He said every blow he landed elicited only more laughter and hysterics while the wounds closed almost as fast as they were made."
Town Crier tells you, "Then the Jester tossed him hundreds of feet into the air and shot spells at him, obliterating him before he hit the ground. He found a note on his corpse later saying 'Thanks for the fun! Let me know if you find any of my cards.'"
You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "The strange Merwart of Ayan Baqur appears to be a primitive offshoot of the Mosswart race. This Mundagurg, as it calls itself, seeks help in fighting a local infestation of Moarsmen."
You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "Our sources suggest that there is a book of ancient and catastrophic evil at the heart of our current disturbances."
You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "We are not sure what is causing the recent disturbances across the world's network of ley lines and nodes, nor are we even sure of the consequences if the system truly ruptures. But it seems certain that there are factions mobilizing to profit from the chaos that would ensue... Keep alert in the weeks and months ahead."
Mainland Town Criers
Town Crier tells you, "Whispers from scholars of more forbidden arts suggest that an ancient Falatacot god is behind the disturbances..."
Town Crier tells you, "A rarely seen Merwart has appeared in Ayan Baqur, looking for help against unknown foes."
Town Crier tells you, "Scholars are still unsure what the disturbances along ley lines could possibly mean. All they know is that the fabric of the planet itself is fraying."
Town Crier tells you, "A tall figure has been seen running around the Graveyard and laughing like a crazy person."
You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "A Jester has been seen in the Graveyard. From all reports he sounds quite mad. He's lost his cards as well as his mind. Someone should help him."
You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "Geomantic scholars report fluctuations and disturbances in the network of ley lines that crisscrosses Dereth. What could it mean? Is it linked to the terrible things that happened in the graveyard thousands of years ago?"
You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "We don't know exactly what is going on with all the incidents around the world, but there are suggestions that an artifact of ancient evil, some kind of book of terrible knowledge, is at the source of it."
You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "There is a strange little Merwart named Mundagurg in Ayan Baqur, who seeks assistance from adventurers in combating some kind of Moarsman assault."
You Give Town Crier Pyreal.
Town Crier tells you, "I've heard that it's specifically Tmauruk of the Burun who is asking for help from us. Might want to go there first."
Ulgrim Rumors
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Looks like things are afoot on Bur again, eh? I knew that rescuing old Asheron wouldn't be the end of it! Makes me tempted to go back there! Just for the nostalgia, you understand."
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Someone should get that nut-job in the Graveyard to drink a few stouts. I bet that would sort him out. I can't think straight until my first morning stout."
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Mundagurg's in town! Strange, isn't it? I sent him off to explore the whole island and he ends up here, in my backyard!"
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I'd challenge you to a game of poker, but I seem to have misplaced my deck... I think I left it in the graveyard somewhere. Have you seen it?"
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Late at night, when the town is quiet, I think I can hear a voice whispering to me. There's some kind of awful presence behind the ley line disturbances. And it whispers to me in the night... It whispers something... that sounds like 'Soon.' Soon what?"
You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "April Fools! Did I get you?"
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Wait, a horde of ninjas was supposed to come flying out of this pint glass as soon as I drained it. What gives? Who gave me a defective Clan of Ninjas Joke Glass?"
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Oh, right. I'm also a little bit late on that April Fool's thing, aren't I? Seems like things have been all discombobulated ever since that graveyard was ripped out of the ground. Seems to me that whatever's happening there, it's big..."
You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Yep, just for good measure, I went back up onto those platforms and knocked Aerbax flat on his invisible butt again."
You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I've been working on some Olthoi Bait in case they decide to come back. Through long and arduous testing I've discovered that they can't resist stuffed mushrooms. Just walk through a dungeon dropping those things in a line and you can ambush a whole swarm while they're gobbling them up."
You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I know all about that eruption of Moarsmen from the tunnels under the beach. Yeah, not too far north of here, along the shore! Why am I not doing anything about them? I've already dispatched one of my little minions from the Merwart colony to recruit likely heroes, haven't I? What more do you want from me? Delegating is thirsty work."
You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "No, you keep your talk of cards and decks and that damn Jester well away from me. I'm sure there's nothing at all about this Jester that concerns me. You hear me? I'm not involved at all! Leave me alone!"
You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "It seems someone let a crazy person out of some prison in the Graveyard. Now he's running around making a nuisance of himself. Maybe you should go have a talk with him."
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Tell him Ulgrim would like to explain the medicinal properties of alcohol to him."
You give Ulgrim the Unpleasant Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I'll never forget how you helped me out with that whole broken wand problem. I really owe you one."
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "So... here."
Ulgrim the Unpleasant gives you Stout.
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "You deserve that... Fred. Fredrina? Bah, whatever."
New Quests
Blightfinger (Quest)
- Level 70+ quest for a Piercing damage Mace that is upgradable. More details here.
Jester's Cards
- The Jester has lost his two decks of cards. Help him find the 26 cards. Reward not yet known. More details here.
Kaurik's Ghost Messenger
- Help the Burun in Kor-Gursha intercept a Falatacot messenger, for xp and a title. More details here.
New NPCs
- Merwart Mundagurg - 59.7S 88.2W in Ayan Baqur
- Kaurik in Kor-Gursha (not Tmauruk)
Updated NPCs
New Locations
- Blightfinger's Warrens 70+ - 56.8S 89.2W near Ayan Baqur
Updated Locations
New Items
Weapons
Texts
Misc. Items
- File:Ancient Mhoire Coin icon.png Ancient Mhoire Coin (Updated Icon)
New Creatures
Known Issues
- The Club of Surprising Cunning does piercing damage but casts bludgeon vuln VI.
- The criers mention to talk to the burun scout leader Tmauruk, but it is actually his apprentice Kaurik that you must speak with for the new quest.
