Annals of Dereth/Issue 9
Annals of Dereth, Issue #9
A N N A L S O F D E R E T H
The Asheron's Call Newsletter
August 2000 (#9)
Play it on the Zone!
http://www.zone.com/asheronscall
In this issue . . .
1 -- OUR SAGA THUS FAR . . .
2 -- MAJOR EVENTS
- TASTE OF TWILIGHT
- STATE OF THE NETWORK
- MOST RECENT DEV CHAT
- CONTEST RESULTS
- TOP 10 LISTS
3 -- COMMUNITY HERALD
- RELATED LINKS
- PLAYER FICTION
- THE ALLEGIANCE HALL
- PORTAL SPACED (HUMOR)
- ADVOCATES STILL WANTED
4 -- GAME TIPS
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Welcome to the Annals of Dereth, the newsletter for the Asheron's Call role- playing game! We bring you this bulletin every month to give you a wide view on Dereth's evolving community, events, and features.
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1 -- OUR SAGA THUS FAR . . .
Shivering under a steady downpour, two hungry heroes of Dereth sat camped around a fire, while a third stood stirring a cooking pot. Hungry, gnashing teeth shone in the light. On the beach of Northern Osteth, they had recently returned from an expedition to nearby Aerlinthe Isle.
"Hurry up, will ya?" the seated life mage, or her belly, growled.
"Just you wait! It takes time to prepare a dish. Not like chomping raw apples, you know." The vagabond cook sneezed directly into the pot; he'd caught a cold in the rain.
"Time -- and skill," the life mage retorted. "Ever since you found those brown beans, it's been nothing but sweets. Remember the hearty chocolate beef noodles disaster?"
On the face of the other sitting hero, a gromnie-coated warrior, a violet glow flared briefly. Another drudge had just been summoned to the world.
"I'll take care of it," the warrior muttered, rising to his feet. Drawing his sword, he stumbled over to the water's edge, rudely hacking down the intruding drudge with two quick strokes. Bending over, he searched the corpse.
"This campsite isn't safe." The life mage shook her head. "Anything?" she called over to the warrior.
"Brimstone-cap mushrooms. Can we use 'em?"
The vagabond cook thought a moment. If the dish failed, they would just be chomping raw apples. "Well, let's find out. Throw 'em in."
The warrior staggered back over, dropping three filthy mushrooms into the pot. "I'm so hungry, I could eat that dead drudge," he said. "Hey -- how come you never learned to cook those?"
True mysteries have occurred this month in Dereth, leading many to question summer's supposed innocence. Adventurers, returning from their quests on Aerlinthe Isle and at the Soul Fearing towers, have come across certain heroes rolling, bloated, on the ground -- their bellies filled with new chocolate treats. And healers have seen stranger wounds than chocolate- induced upset stomachs and golem burns from the volcanic caldera -- they've also noticed a rash of damaged, bloodied shins (not to mention backsides), derived no doubt from the entrance of steel-toed boots into the world. And then there are those nighttime stars streaking across the celestial plane. Astronomers, having studied their portentous journeys for quite some time now, have begun to frown and warn of impending events…
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2 -- MAJOR EVENTS
TASTE OF TWILIGHT
August's event has opened, and with it come festivities to mark the
occasion of summer. Celebrating a brief moment of peace and prosperity,
heroes have begun a renaissance of skill -- with resulting contests
developing. The Quest for Chocolate pitted great cooks against one another
in a challenge of discovery; meanwhile, Dereth's poetic souls looked to
fill the libraries with their works of words. Of all competitions, however,
the most dangerous must surely have been those duels fought in the depths
of the new dungeon arenas.
In addition, news has spread of numerous player-run events, including Shiner's Morningthaw summer fashion contest, Mathonwy's Harvestgain/Arwic meeting hall lottery, and Clan Bonsai's Leafcull Olympics! Great job with the events, and we certainly look forward to seeing more in the months to come.
However, all has not been fun and games this month in Dereth. Valiant efforts have been made in the Southern Dires to complete the latest Soul Fearing quest -- heroes have staggered back, mumbling of a mark of three towers guarded by the restless dead. In addition, progress has recently been made in the Aerlinthe Isle quest. Assault groups, advancing further than ever into the caldera, learned that the Behemoth of Tenkarrdun is surely not the final villain to be faced. New treasures have also been discovered there -- new infusions, whose effects are still being investigated… Yet, with further victory gained on Aerlinthe, new volcanoes have erupted, and with them such dire messages as this, in the world where one brave hero won the day: "As Cybelle smites the Hellfire, the flame- creatures sigh, and begin to disappear back into the vents and fumaroles they surfaced through. But, from the base of the mountain's slopes, you hear the whisper of falling ash, and the clacking of petrified bones..."
Truly, the adventurers of Dereth would do wise to hone their skills now. For, as has been rumored, great and momentous events loom on the horizon. Already the first signs of which have been seen -- with the advent of secure trading. And yet, if this is talked of openly, what secrets are still kept hidden? For more information on August's event, be sure to check out the official Roll-Out article (http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/tasterollout1.asp) as well as the current Build Notes (http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/augustbuild.asp). And, for news of September's upcoming event, Twilight's Gleaming, be sure to check the latest teaser (http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/septteaser.asp).
STATE OF THE NETWORK
As part of this month's event, a new addition to the Web site has been
added -- the State of the Network. From time to time, maintenance work
unfortunately does require server downtime. We plan to use the State of the
Network to announce all downtimes we know will take place in the near
future, as well as to provide information on such server related topics as
ETA, portal storms, and the most dreaded beast of all -- lag. Look for the
State of the Network, along with the State of the Code, to feature
prominently on the News page:
http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewsnetwork.asp
MOST RECENT DEV CHAT
On August 16th, members of the Turbine group participated in the most
recent Developer's Chat. Having launched the "Taste of Twilight", Turbine
took the time to answer questions on the newly revised world as well as to
address players' comments and concerns. This dev chat saw some changes to
the format, allowing developers a better chance to respond to as many
questions as possible. In order to solve the problem of "vanished" audience
members, the queue was cleared three hours prior to the event. In addition,
it was requested that members limit themselves to only one question, to be
stated first and then followed by any comments. Please note that this
format will be followed for all future Dev Chats as well. To read the
transcript, head over to:
http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewsdevchatAug1.asp
CONTEST RESULTS
Results have been posted of those lucky souls winning the AMD giveaway
prizes. From July 28th to the 31st, players were chosen at random in the
game to receive prizes packages from AMD T-shirts, Gravis Xterminator
joysticks -- all the way to an AMD Mother Board and 800Mhz Processor! Our
congratulations to the winners, and our thanks as well to AMD and Gravis
for helping make this a successful contest. For the complete list of
winners, see: http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEamdresults.asp
Results for August's cooking contest, the Quest for Chocolate, have also been posted: (http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/cookingresults.asp), with results for the writing contest soon to follow.
LATEST TOP 10 LISTS
The latest Top 10 Lists are out! Recently, we polled various fan sites to
better determine what lists you want to see, and in response to poll
results, these most recent lists feature Dagger and Bow skills. Also, since
most heroes fell into the template of "adventurer", we have further added
the "Heritage Group" category in an effort to provide as much information
as possible. While new list categories will continue to be rotated in, and
older lists archived (but not updated), one list -- Veteran Ranks
(displaying highest levels) -- will be kept current. Our highest
congratulations to Del Cabon, for reaching the unprecedented heights of
Level 100!
All Top 10 Lists can be found at:
http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/top10list.asp
And recently, Ken Karl of the AC team took the time to answer a few
questions about the lists with the Crossroads of Dereth. His insights can
be found in the CoD news article "Secrets of the Top 10", at:
http://cod.xrgaming.net/12news.shtml
If you want any events listed in our official Zone schedule, go to our Events page to register them. Remember, when submitting an event or a gathering, please:
1. Submit the event at least two weeks before you intend to run it.
2. Include ALL information requested on the form. We've received many
events we couldn't process because the form wasn't complete.
3. Be sure that your event abides by the Code of Conduct and the End User
License Agreement. The License Agreement is included in your game box, and
the Code of Conduct can be found on the following page:
http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/tips/ashetipsconduct.asp
4. Do not hold events within towns. You may call people to gather at
outposts, however.
We look forward to promoting your events! The Events page is located at: http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/tournament.asp
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3 -- COMMUNITY HERALD
RELATED LINKS
As a reminder, just as we take great pride in our game, we understand that
players take an equal amount of pride in their characters and allegiances.
Many have devoted their time and efforts to the creation of both ornate and
informative AC fan sites. If you run an AC fan site, and would like to be
included on the Related Links page, please submit your URL address for
review to: website@asheronscall.com. Please note: sites MUST be complete at
the time of submission, or they cannot be included. Several new links have
been added this past month, including sites for Asia, Australia -- and the
AC "Singles Club"!
PLAYER FICTION
Space has been reserved in the past for player fiction on the Player
Chronicles page. While this page has been filled for some time, that just
means that it's time for some new blood. Please note that we cannot accept
direct fiction submissions; however, if you run a fan site or an allegiance
site, feel free to send in links to fiction pieces you currently host on
your site. Again, URL addresses can be submitted for review to:
website@asheronscall.com; and, as always, content must be appropriate for
Microsoft's Zone or the piece cannot be included. Submission Guidelines for
fiction pieces have also just been posted
(http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/SubGuides.asp).
THE ALLEGIANCE HALL
In recent days, several new monarchs have advanced to Rank 7 in their
respective pyramids… yet at the time of this writing, one monarch has
successfully ascended to the top of the list. Congratulations to Skystreak
Cloudrider, the first Rank 8 monarch in Dereth! Skystreak has provided one
of the most recent monarchy interviews; be sure to look for the next
interview from Zacantos of the Illuminati. At the moment, we are attempting
to arrange interviews with the latest monarchs; if you are a monarch who
has just been added to the list, look for an invitation to arrange an
interview in the days to come!
Also, our most sincere thanks for remembering to send in those screenshots with the monarch updates. As always, please be sure to send updates at least once every two weeks, or you may be removed from the list without notice.
The Allegiance Hall now boasts well over 200 links to excellent allegiance sites, organized by server world. Almost a dozen sites have already been posted for the most recent world to open, Solclaim, and we've just added our first Norwegian site: Klan Nidaros to Thistledown! When submitting your allegiance site for review, please be sure that the site is complete, the content is appropriate, and the server world you play on is indicated; then, send all URL addresses to: website@asheronscall.com. For the list of highest ranking monarchs and the list of allegiance sites, look no further than the Allegiance Hall: http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/hall.asp
PORTAL SPACED
My Five Minutes on Darktide: The following begins a hilarious account of
one adventurer's brave expedition… to the dark side. Written by Dr. Sparky
of Harvestgain, the following can be read in its entirety at Asheron's Call
Sage: http://www.acsage.com/players/stories/five_minutes.htm
"Well, I had to try it. We all have had that little voice in the back of our heads saying "do it, try Darktide". So I figure why not. I have had fun playing my assorted non-PK characters on Harvestgain. I have a basic understanding of intricacies of the game, so I did it.
"No special thought given to template characters... I figured that this was only an experiment anyway. Follow the generic blademaster default with a few slight tweaks to give me a little more health, as I thought that that might come in handy. I was wrong."
GI Joe vs. Aliens: Two of Turbine's artists, Sean Huxter and Sean
Dickinson, have put together an absolutely brilliant photo story. Check it
out at:
http://staff.turbinegames.com/sean/gijoe-photostory-aliens-page0.htm
Taste of Twilight Falls Prey to Parody: Alas, not even the humble writers
of AC are safe! The following was posted the day our official August event
teaser went live, and can currently be found in its entirety on the CoD
news archives (http://cod.xrgaming.net/11news.shtml), under "Zone Teaser
Parody":
"Fulfilling our commitment to bring players a world-altering event each month, we'll soon be opening August's "Taste of Twilight"! "Taste of Twilight" will provide what Dereth needs best, a chili cook-off! Although volcanoes still rumble and the Isle of Aerlinthe beckons more heroes on to their doom, (Doom! Doom! Doom! You're all doomed!) the remainder of Dereth has come to experience a -- relatively -- quiet moment of peace and prosperity. (Peace and prosperity brought to you by the Asheron Party. Vote Asheron in 2000!) To celebrate, many a town has spread word of contests they plan to host. Corn-shucking days in Yaraq! The First Annual Drudge Tossing Contest in Mayoi! The Direlands 300 (Brought to you by Asheron's Armor Cleaner.)! Three-Legged Shreth Racing in Lytlethorpe! Can such celebrations be proof of evil's demise? Or merely of its inability to get its DSL connection working?"
STILL CALLING PROSPECTIVE ADVOCATES
If you own the game, currently play, and are interested in helping your
fellow adventurers as part of the Asheron's Call team, we'd like you to
contact us. The advocates are our first and most valuable help resource for
many new players. See the following article for more information and a link
to an application form:
http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/tips/ASHEtipsadvocate.asp
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4 -- GAME TIPS
PK ARENAS
In order to dispel some of the confusion regarding the new arena dungeons,
please note that non-PK's will NOT become PK by entering the arenas. This
was never the intention, and for this reason we restricted access to the
arenas. However, we do understand that some misconception about the arenas
has nevertheless arisen, and we apologize for any confusion that's been
caused.
RECENT QUESTS
As event logs have so far indicated, the Aerlinthe Isle quest has yet to be
fully completed; however, at the time of writing, recent efforts on the
island have managed to come closer than ever to solving the quest --
including the Foundation of Wisdom's organization of a do-or-die
expedition, "The Assault of Tenkarrdun". Best of luck with their attempt,
as well as to all heroes working to reach each quest's conclusion! For news
of recent events on Aerlinthe, you can read the most current history of
Dereth in the Story So Far, written by Turbine's Chris L'etoile
(http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/ASHEhistory3.asp). And for those looking
for a hint or two, Damien Sarin has also posted a great deal of useful
information about the Aerlinthe Isle quest at his site:
http://www.geocities.com/ltropak/aerlinthe.htm
CHARACTER TEMPLATES
Last month we featured the Ultimate Sword template, as well as links to
other templates hosted on AC Tips. This time, we'd like to point out AC
Sage's fine template set, including details for the Versatile Rogue,
Supported Archer, and Melee Mage:
http://www.acsage.com/guides/templates/templates.htm
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THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to change in market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. This document may be copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1. All text must be copied without modification and all pages must be included 2. All copies must contain Microsoft's copyright notice and any other notices provided therein 3. This document may not be distributed for profit.
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Notes
- Contents of this news letter was retreived from archived pages from AC Stratics:
- http://ac.stratics.com/content/news/annals09.shtml (web archive)