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Eastern Thera updates

 
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Davairus
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Joined: 16 Jan 2004
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:03 am    Post subject: Eastern Thera updates

Area changes as they become available

Ofcol - ofcol has been given some new non-stock descs and mob levels changed to permit evils ranking after the brownies. Ofcol guards were pretty buff before but they shouldnt be too bad anymore. Also ofcol is now aligned with Knights, being themed upon the age of past Justice were lightwalkers were allowed in. As a consequence, everything in ofcol is a lightwalker. There is some names on the houses of past Justices, some people should get a kick out of that.





History stuff (background only)

Quote:

Fall of Thalos
==========
(just prior to dragon wars)

In Thera's early days, a Conclave of the Three Moons was responsible for preserving peace and order throughout the lands. Whenever there were conflicts, members of the Conclave were dispatched to settle issues peacefully, but with permission to use force if necessary. From the far southeast of Thera they observed, their High Councillor Gorylon presiding over the organisation with an expert hand. Thera's god of Light, Grydran, was the entity responsible for the creation of the Conclave. Along with his sisters he walked along mortals as he watched over them like a sheperd tending his flock. Part of the Conclave's responsibilities were to train devout warriors to become champions, that would defend settlements in Thera.

One morning, the Conclave recieved a fateful report from Thalos. Their great champion, Gordon, had been slain, and terrifying creatures were attacking the city. The Conclave was over-stretched with forces already divided all over Thera, but sent three of its finest warriors to investigate the issue. Aarngrim, the greatest swordsman produced by the Conclave since the elf Menthalas. Along with Gryndelza, a woman of beauty matched only by her power of healing, and Crimmon, an expert thief, they arrived at Thalos to meet an empty city. A strange fog had surrounded every building, consuming everything that had entered it.

As they walked through the fog, they would meet strange beasts that had never been seen in Thera. Deranged humanoids, later learned to be lamias, the product of men fused with animals by a great evil. They fought their way through to the centre of the city, where they met a man standing over the corpse of Gordon. Within his gaze, they died in ecstasy, screaming his great name in chorus. By death, they were bonded to the Lich King.

Xanthak and the wights then set east, consuming lands as they approached the Conclave. The fog travelled with them. Every creature, whether man or beast, became a servant the moment that they met Xanthak's deathly visage. Even Gorylon, the great arch-mage himself, was converted to Darkness. The entire Conclave was eradicated, becoming known to the western lands as the Keep of D'al Kaddar - the throne of the forsaken one. The fog was known as the blight, and nothing living dared enter. It would expand rapidly as the Lich King claimed more lives.

Grydran and his sisters of the moons were powerless to save the Conclave, for a god is forbidden from interfering in affairs of mortals. However, there existed no such provision against interfering with landscape. Herding together a few of the great armies of the west, they enacted their plan together - locating Redhorne mountain in the blight, a dormant volcano, and detonating it to purge the eastern lands of all evil. This disaster forever changed east Thera's landscape, crippling the Lich King, and much of the unnatural fog soon receded. Thera's High Immortals remained silent, and the moon gods breathed a sigh of relief. They would continue to enrich Thera with magic to enable it to defend itself with no further need for a Conclave.

Lightwalkers of all the western kingdoms often attempt the final crusade, charging the Keep of D'al Kaddar to face the mighty Lich King in what had now became his prison. Few have ever returned, except to report failure. Some stability had been brought to the world. Evil's knots were too deep and thick to undo, and yet had stopped growing. Clerics began to warn Thera not to meddle with this delicate balance, and Xanthak's prison was left, watched but avoided.


Summary, some bad guys ruined east thera, so a couple of imms used redhorne mountain to eradicate a bunch of stuff and start over. When you go through the void, you are travelling to the land before Redhorne erupted.

That's about it for this part, here are some background on these "moon gods" I mentioned in the story (since we're running parallel to aff modules with this, I wanted to involve magic somehow, and that's what moons are for):


Help magic:
Quote:
Capturing the imagination of story-tellers ever since its discovery, magic is
a topic that remains shrouded in mystery for little is known of how it came
to be, other than that which the Gods have told us. The thirsty hunt for
knowledge of magic - its nature, and its possibilities - remains a popular
pastime for both dithering old mages and their apprentices.

The most widely believed theory of the origin of magic, was supposedly
recollected by the arcane god Denadlyr to the leader of his Mystic followers
at the time, Zandar. After Zandar published his most famous work, "The
origin of all magic", clerics immediately decried his claims as heresy, and
the world was rocked by the onset of the TAEKIR WAR. Little remains of
the original tale, but the Mystics managed to save these excerpts:

Lorinari: Thera's silver moon is believed to govern all forms of MENTAL
based magic, and is tied closely with true neutrality. Those who are born
in the phase of the moon of Lorinari value knowledge and discovery, and
are often thought of as introverts or eccentrics. Its worshippers think of
wisdom and and intelligence as the most important attributes.

Sarenari: Thera's blood-red moon governs all forms of MALEDICTIVE
based magic, and is feared for its ties with evil. Those born in this phase
of the moon embrace chaos, war, and death, and think of strength and luck
as the most important attributes - luck being to blame for where their
strength fails them.

Gryndran: Thera's golden moon governs all form of AFFLICTIVE based
magic, and is revered by the Light. Those born of this phase of the moon
value life, peace, and honor. Constitution and dexterity are the attributes
held to most importance by those born under the golden moon.

Mages believe the moons to be bodies, much like the world of Thera, while
clerics implore that the moons are heavenly beings - gods - that should
be worshipped. It is this difference in belief that causes most of the
fighting between the two. It should be noted that, regardless of a mortals
position on the issue, there is no denying that the moons exert influence
over Thera.


Last edited by Davairus on Sun Jul 02, 2006 3:31 am; edited 3 times in total
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DarkFire



Joined: 27 Mar 2006
Posts: 50

PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:19 am    Post subject:

three moons huh sounds like a dragonlance rip off
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Davairus
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:46 am    Post subject:

Linking the moons with magic/mythology is hardly an original Dragonlance concept. The Romans have a goddess of the moon called Diana, the greeks call her Artemis. Name any culture with multiple gods and you'll find a moon goddess. Lycanthropy (transforming into werewolf) is also associated with full moons. I won't bother to list more examples than that - you can google search if you're interested.

I picked three moons because we have six types of magic (afflictive, mental, maledictive, curative, restorative, benedictive) and when considered in conjunction with the sun, three is all you need to cover everything. (day/moons and night/moons) I really don't give a rat's ass about if it is in Dragonlance or not, I've never opened a Dragonlance book in my life. The planet Saturn has three moons too. So I guess the Dragonlance author must have ripped off the solar system then? Well actually, if you want to be anal, you could perhaps say God put the solar system there, so I ripped off God. What a bad, bad man.

Give me a break. These themes have been used a bazillion times.
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E-ant



Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 434
Location: Estonia

PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:59 am    Post subject:

I've been ripping off Dragonlance for over 6 years.
This makes me somewhat of an expert on this issue.
So I'm really getting a kick out of these replies.
Some of you are very good at making it sound like you know what you are talking about.
But you don't. Trust me.
I think some of you are just trying to make yourself sound clever.
This is how bad information gets passed around.
Don't try to make yourself sound like you know what you're talking about when you don't.
Because some AR newbies believe anything they read.
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Jamus



Joined: 18 Jun 2005
Posts: 577
Location: Valour

PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:50 pm    Post subject:

E-ant wrote:
I've been ripping off Dragonlance for over 6 years.
This makes me somewhat of an expert on this issue.
So I'm really getting a kick out of these replies.
Some of you are very good at making it sound like you know what you are talking about.
But you don't. Trust me.
I think some of you are just trying to make yourself sound clever.
This is how bad information gets passed around.
Don't try to make yourself sound like you know what you're talking about when you don't.
Because some AR newbies believe anything they read.




Smile
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Ddrboy54



Joined: 07 May 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:03 am    Post subject:

Quote:
So I guess the Dragonlance author must have ripped off the solar system then?


lmao
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Soldier



Joined: 26 Jul 2005
Posts: 258

PostPosted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:07 pm    Post subject:

You know the older imms on here could pass as mythology proffesionals its kinda sad and funny all at the same time since they could be doing something productive. Instead they tend to us thanks guys HAH.
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Davairus
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 11:35 pm    Post subject:

I've been setting the record straight here for over 6 years etc etc
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marsd



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Location: Magewares

PostPosted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 1:42 am    Post subject:

Ok we've just been called flowers, where's your fricking guts guys. WOT?
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Davairus
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:27 am    Post subject:

The first official Eastern thera area update is online now, its a remodelled ofcol.

Those of you playing lightwalkers know how cake it is to just go oozes, spiders, ogres, talamaurs, etc. But with evils, you have some really difficult hurdles. The first is getting ready for happy farmers (which is so much cheese damage, its a reason to be a fire berserker to get around that).. the next is trying to get onto dryads after brownies begin to stink.

The "new" ofcol fixes this issue. Besides the ofcol guards offering an attractive alternative to farmers (although they're not as buff, they're still decent, but the power is more in their defense thus its the high-hitroll dex races you want) .... shops in ofcol should provide a fairly comfortable bridge over into dryad territory, and eliminate any need for trying to rank on travelers (which is a huge PITA). As with before, these mobs are designed for dex races to tackle them - if you want to tank emerald a giant will do fine.



I spent this last weekend recoding our quest system to make it possible for lower level Immortals to write them instead of an imp-only thing. There's still a lot to get on with here but its nothing that I need to personally handle (most of it anyway). If the guy that submitted an ofcol quest reads this, go ahead and submit it again, and someone will get on with that ASAP. We'll also be bringing you a few more lower rank quests since its a lot more fun to rank doing those in low levels, and promotes exploration which is sorely needed early on.
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theobserver
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:19 pm    Post subject:

More nice work Dav.
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Davairus
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:11 pm    Post subject:

Quote:
I spent this last weekend recoding our quest system to make it possible for lower level Immortals to write them instead of an imp-only thing. There's still a lot to get on with here but its nothing that I need to personally handle (most of it anyway). If the guy that submitted an ofcol quest reads this, go ahead and submit it again, and someone will get on with that ASAP. We'll also be bringing you a few more lower rank quests since its a lot more fun to rank doing those in low levels, and promotes exploration which is sorely needed early on.


Just incase anyones wondering "whats up with the quests".. as I've said, I recoded the whole system, and there's a lot to get on with. And apparently I am going to have to personally handle everything after all. The quests need to be re-wired to work with the new code, then I can get started making new ones.

I made quests a lot easier to write so honestly, if you have ideas for one, send them in and someone should get onto it before long. There's no limit on quests lengths or amount anymore, and they don't require ANY hard-coding at all.. but obviously, keep it reasonable.

By the way this is part of the "eastern thera" updates, once its out of the way things should get moving again.
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Davairus
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 6:48 am    Post subject:

UNSILIEL WOOD - this is a well-written forest area so I have decided to
promote it to a high-traffic spot. Unsiliel wood is directly north of
Timaran and is the way to go for Battlezone, Armageddon Sanctuary
and Dankbark Forest. The entrance to the sanctuary is disguised.

SOLACE - to make it more difficult to duck in there, its been moved to
the former location of the Warlord cabal. There are no other areas around it.
This will make sense when you try chasing someone who's headed toward
unsiliel wood.

ESCISMIR E'GAL - this is now found through "the void", 500 years in the
past, before Mount Redhorne blew its top and destroyed most of the east.
As far as the history of the realms goes, the kaddar faeries died in the
blast, along with a lot of other things which may be revealed later.

OGRE VILLAGE/SANDS - back through the mists in the barren highlands

There were no deleted areas.
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Davairus
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 6:48 am    Post subject:

New area: GRIMFORGE MOUNTAIN

Quote:
Herald: Grimforge Mountain
Sun Aug 27 23:47:24 2006
To: all
Recently discovered amongst the lost journals of Warlords,

"I have travelled to the four corners of this fair earth, and thought I
knew everything, but never did I imagine that I would be lucky enough to
find this. I found myself wandering through a star-like void, travelling
through time, many hundreds of years ago. I walked through the dwarf
forest, it was not barren like the dwarf forest I know. I travelled to
the dwarven mines, scene of catastrophe as all dwarves speak fearfully
about. No such thing! A grand mountain in its place, still pure and
untouched. An entire dwarven kingdom, with a living King, who all have
thought slain. "

"To a bar I travelled, where I met some remarkably attractive dwarven
ladies. Whom I asked, where is this place, where am I? They filled me
with ale, and I woke in the silent grove with a terrible sore headache, and
wondered if I'd imagined the whole thing. Sitting in my hand is a fine
steel axe, very old, but still very sharp. I must find this place again."

-penned by Nychlas the Blademaster


Its that dwarven kingdom we've all been waiting for. Also if you're wondering, yes, Pip/brothers really did write it. Its been a while.


EDIT: Just to make sure I'm clear on the point of the area.. this area is what eventually became the abandoned "dwarven mines" and "dwarven catacombs" that are in the present. "The void" is a portal into the past.


Last edited by Davairus on Mon Aug 28, 2006 9:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Davor



Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 229
Location: Seeogra

PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:15 am    Post subject:

Davairus wrote:

Its that dwarven kingdom we've all been waiting for. Also if you're wondering, yes, Pip/brothers really did write it. Its been a while.


Sweet... thanks Pip/family, thanks Stu.
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Davairus
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:34 pm    Post subject:

New area: UNDERWORLD

Quote:

Herald: The Underworld
Thu Sep 7 07:27:54 2006
To: all
From the journals we Heralds have found, we gather that there were many
Warlords who went missing in action, never to return. Each Warlord is
an army of one, yet together a team of them ventured into the place you
are about to be told about, and not one came back out the same.

As it is written, they uncovered the gates to what they described as being
Hell itself. Their Warmaster could not help but sought the dangerous knowledge
of the Covenant, and sent in many of his men to their doom. What they found
was not told, but we have the writing of the scout who stood guard: "Beneath
the unholiest of unholies, lying under the gaze of the tyrannical mindflayers,
no more than guardians of the gates! What glory we shall soon take!"

Your brave writers did investigate the matter, and encountered a weakened wall
built hastily by the Warlords, found somewhere in the halls of Enthema. We
are still waiting for our reporters to emerge from the newfound caverns...


I built this one. Might want to take a group.. not a nice place to be in, especially alone.

Now, here's why this one's added. I've been wanting to give a basis for vampires existing in AR, because its been often criticized that they don't have a fit. Well, now they do. They're exalted servants of the rulers of the underworld, who's goals should now be pretty clear.

There's some things to puzzle out, but nothing like the circus kind of stuff. I'll give you a hint - its not brain surgery. Might still get a change or two, if I can think of how to make it more fun.
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Davor



Joined: 16 Jan 2004
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Location: Seeogra

PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 2:42 pm    Post subject:

I feel all tingly inside... must rank up...
thanks Dav!

looks like a riot
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Davairus
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:23 pm    Post subject:

What happens is the Underworld reinforces the Keep of D'al Kaddar. Levelling has been cake there, thanks to the barrages and easy to exploit vulns. So nowadays, that gets reinforced by Underworld - the guards will call assistants.

Now, if you want the easy ranking of D'al Kaddar again, guess what.. you can. You just need to raid the Underworld, deal with the evil there, and then you can resume levelling there without the interruptions, til the next reboot.

If you're not going to go that route, you should probably take your chances with that familiar nasty roaming fog in the other ranking spot. Definitely the best option at 45-50 with a non-weakened underworld at this point.
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