The Child of Daralet

December 2000 - Announcements Page

Video
Bael'Zharon's Day Out
 * A comical video detailing Bael'Zharon's rampage around Dereth.

Town Crier Rumors

 * Town Crier tells you, "Sir Alayne of the Dereth Exploration Society has started a program to acclimate new residents of Dereth in these times of strife. For more information, you should seek out his agents in the nine arrival-nexus towns."


 * Town Crier tells you, "News! Bael'Zharon is free! Hundreds are reported dead in the ruins below the Ithaenc Cathedral. The Hopeslayer is reported to have spells capable of shredding the mortal form into scraps of flesh. He is also protected by skirls of fiendish black mist that melt the flesh from all who encounter them."


 * Town Crier tells you, "News! Bael'Zharon is free! The sun is dimming - stars can be seen during the day! Storms build up and break at random. Some nights the stars and moons do not appear! Has the whole world gone mad?"


 * Town Crier tells you, "I don't want to die."


 * Town Crier tells you, "News! Bael'Zharon is free! Large tracts of land have turned black and barren!"


 * Town Crier tells you, "News! Bael'Zharon is free! The seas and rivers have changed to blood! Thank heavens the wells still provide fresh water."


 * Town Crier tells you, "News! Bael'Zharon is free! Dogs and cats are living together!"


 * Town Crier tells you, "So are swordsmen and war mages!"


 * Town Crier tells you, "News! Despite the heroic efforts of Thistledown monarchs Drexel Fisthand, Fafhrd, Laurianna, Loren Silvercloak, Matt the Terrific, Mythrandia, Tim the Enchantor, and Wren the Blurry, the final Soul Crystal was shattered beneath the Ithaenc Cathedral!"


 * Town Crier tells you, "In the tavern the other night, I heard an old mage swearing that he'd seen Bael'Zharon stalking across the landscape, bellowing a challenge for humans to face him. After hearing the stories about what happened on Ithaenc, I wouldn't fight him!"


 * Town Crier tells you, "Residents of Ayan Baqur have seen many Virindi visiting Claude and Leopold. Some have seen undead sneak into his tent in the dead of night. That disreputable Ulgrim character..."
 * Town Crier spits on the ground.


 * Town Crier tells you, "...claims that one night, the stars went out, and a figure wrapped in shadow visited."


 * Town Crier tells you, "Isn't it wonderful that the minalim has come into season in the Linvak Mountains? It almost makes up for the hennacin dying off in the winter cold."


 * Town Crier tells you, "I've been hanging around a lot more with my high level friends. Want to join us on an ursuin hunt? It should be equally fun for us all!"


 * Town Crier tells you, "Isn't it wonderful that the argenory has come into season in the northern mountains? It almost makes up for the verdalim dying off in the winter cold."


 * Town Crier tells you, "Isn't it wonderful that the lapyan has come into season along the coasts? It almost makes up for the berimphur dying off in the winter cold."


 * Town Crier tells you, "It's getting cold. Good thing the ursuins are shedding, eh? There was nothing warmer than ursuin fur on those cold Isparian nights. Oh, how I miss home..."


 * Town Crier tells you, "Travelers say that Elysa Strathelar has been seen again, seeking monarchs to oppose the Hopeslayer."


 * Town Crier tells you, "News! The undead general Anadil and his spymaster Asmolum were slain at the Ithaenc Cathedral! The nomad mu-miyah of the shattered Dericostian army were seen carrying Anadil's broken form away south of Chalicmere Castle."


 * Town Crier tells you, "News! Aerfalle, the Lady of Aerlinthe, was sighted on Ithaenc last month, leading a portion of the Dericostian army. It is said that the undead suffered over 5000 casualties in the last month, and their population has dwindled to almost nothing. The scholars of Zaikhal assert that they will never again be major players in the world."

Ulgrim Rumors

 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I told them not to break that crystal... I can't have anything nice."


 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I'm telling you, the water hasn't changed to blood - it's just an algae bloom!"


 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I hear that when Queen Elysa returns, she's going to teach archers Asheron's levitation spell. Then they won't need walls anymore."


 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I'll tell you why! Him and Elysa, all alone in that great big castle for ten years? Mm-hm. Tell me there's not a swooning romantic novel in there."
 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant winks, nudges you, and says no more.


 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Asheron. Bah. If he's so all-fired tough, why isn't he stopping Bael'Zharon?"


 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Claude won the Mr. Ayan Baqur contest? I demand a recount!"


 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Claude's running dog lackies rigged the Mr. Ayan Baqur contest vote! I must have a recount!"


 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Recount it again! It's wrong! The Virindi don't even have fingers - how can you trust them to count the Mr. Ayan Baqur contest votes?"


 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Mayoi and Nanto must be counted again! The Virindi are trying to steal the Mr. Ayan Baqur contest election!"


 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Voting? Whassat about, eh? Yeh don't vote for kings."


 * Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Vitae is all a state of mind."

New UI and Game Changes

 * Dyeing
 * Three new types of dye plant have been introdued.
 * Fellowships major update:
 * Players can choose to use the communication advantages of a fellowship without having to share experience points. There is no level restriction for choosing this option.
 * Experience points are shared equally amongst all members of the fellowship if everyone is within five levels of the fellowship's founder.
 * Experience points will be shared proportional to the levels of the fellowship members if anyone is more than five levels apart from the founder, up to a difference of ten levels.
 * Loot System
 * Corpse Decay time is now a minimum of sixty minutes. All corpses will decay in the character's level times five minutes, or sixty minutes -- whichever time is longer.
 * History Shelf
 * The Zone's "|The Story So Far" pieces are now available for free in the heritage group libraries at Zaikhal, Hebian-to, and Cragstone. Look for the white bookshelf.

New Quests

 * Empyrean Cloister Quest
 * Exploration Society Letters
 * Shadow Captain's Heaume Quest
 * Staff of the Nomads Quest
 * Virindi Servant's Amulet Quest

Live Events

 * 2000/12 - Bael'Zharon's Rampage
 * Bael'Zharon says, "My master has eaten worlds. It has sucked the light from stars. Its power is in me. You have no chance, children.


 * 2000/12 - Bael'Zharon's Defeat
 * An adventurer has struck Bael'Zharon a mortal blow! The Hopeslayer, already weakened by the magic of Asheron, is driven from this plane of existence. As he retreats, his voice rends the air across Dereth, "Puppets of the Yalain! You have defeated me here, with the collusion of a great collection of rabble. But you will never rid the world of my power, and my minions will carry on the war without me! As for you, Dule! Base traitor! I sense your art in this artifact assembled by the last Yalain. Thee and thine are banished from Our sight for all time, and ye shall be hunted until the stars fall from their course! Marked are thee!" The Hopeslayer descends, shrieking, into Darkness.

New NPCs

 * Chosen of Asheron (Cragstone) - 23.6N, 49.1E
 * Chosen of Asheron (Hebian-To) - 41.9S, 83.0E
 * Chosen of Asheron (Zaikhal) - 14.7N, 2.3E
 * Gillian the Poacher - 66.3N 49.9E in Bandit Castle

Updated NPCs
Exploration Society agents:
 * Celcynd the Dour
 * Dai Ya the Scholar
 * Flinrala Ryndmad
 * Jilsaya bint Dah
 * Lord Aleval
 * Mara al-Luq
 * Oi-Tong Ye
 * Rubid al-Jurma
 * Shin Ro

New Locations

 * Chakron Gate - 52.9S 62.7W, north Obsidian Plains
 * Lower Chakron Flux
 * Upper Chakron Flux
 * Empyrean Cloister - 23.4S, 5.8E, east of Yaraq
 * Lower Empyrean Mausoleum
 * Upper Empyrean Mausoleum
 * Tomb of the Dead - 18.4S, 9.3E, southeast of Tufa
 * Shade Stronghold - 73.5N, 0.2W, northwest of Crater Village
 * Lower Heart of Darkness
 * Upper Shade Stronghold - 73.5N, 0.2W, northwest of Crater Village
 * Upper Heart of Darkness
 * Sepulcher of the Hopeslayer
 * Wilderness Portals
 * Northern Point Portal - 45.9S, 90.8E, south of Tou-Tou
 * River Mouth Portal - 28.8N, 6.7E, northeast of Zaikhal
 * Southern Mt. Esper Portal - 8.7S, 6.8E, east of Yaraq

Updated Locations

 * Starter Quest dungeons updated (Level restrictions updated from 1-6 to 1-20; Exploration Society stamps added)
 * Abandoned Shops
 * Cave of Alabree
 * Deserted Ruin
 * Lost Distillery
 * Musansayn's Vaults
 * Old Warehouse
 * Sea Temple Catacombs
 * Shreth Hive
 * Water Temple

Updated Items

 * - Now Attuned and Bonded.

Images
Click image for full size version.