Darkness Ascendant

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March 2000 - Announcements Page

Turbine/Microsoft Announcements

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Release Notes

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Letter to the Players

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State of the Code

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Discoveries

Town Crier Rumors

Town Crier tells you, "The pollen was not so bad. My counterparts from the Sho and Aluvian lands must have weak constitutions."

Town Crier tells you, "High-ranking monarchs have been approached by an unknown presence and subjected to grueling tests on a distant island. Apparently this entity, whatever it is, does not think much of our monarchs. Might this have something to do with the frightful apparition in the lightning flashes?"

Town Crier tells you, "The shadow spires have appeared in the vicinity of these towns: Eastham, Cragstone, Tufa, Khayyaban, Tou Tou, and Sawato. There are rumors of a few others out in the wilderness, all just as quiet and inactive. What purpose they serve or will serve is not yet known, though some have been said to have been within them."

Town Crier tells you, "Just between you and me, I remember the sun being brighter long ago, before the sudden winter."

Town Crier tells you, "Yesterday I found a Wool Fez of Willpower!"

Town Crier tells you, "A renaissance in metallurgy! First there was the rediscovery of Lord Atlan's weapon technology! Now, the master armorers in al-Jalima, Eastham and Kara have found ways to utilize shadow and crystal items."

Town Crier tells you, "But between you and me, they are very touchy! They will only make one suit of armor of a particular quality for you. They will make another of different quality without complaint, but if you ask for a suit similar to one they already gave you, they become very rude!

Town Crier tells you, "News! Three new Festival Grounds have been created for the enjoyment of all athletically - inclined people of Dereth. They are near the Wintersebb Festival Stone east of Qalaba'r, the Leafcull Festival Stone west of Yanshi, and the Leafdawning Festival Stone west of Rithwic."

Town Crier tells you, "News! The heritage groups have published a book on weddings, available at scribes. Despite the ominous atmosphere, love is in the air, and people are getting married. The resilience of life is amazing."

Town Crier tells you, "Have you noticed the changes in the sky? Though all is peaceful now, some say the distribution of monsters has changed: perhaps they sense a coming storm. But the rabbits seem to be reproducing as usual, so the storm must be a ways off yet. Thank goodness!"

Town Crier tells you, "News! Ominous floating monstrosities have appeared all over our island! Many people are holding their breath waiting for something to happen, but there is no sign of activity. Some even say they are empty. Magical experts have determined that it is unlikely that the strange spires pose any immediate threat."

Town Crier tells you, "These dark spires loom quietly for now, and experts agree they do not pose any immediate threat. However, I heard a rumor that some people are being taken inside of them and subjected to strange questions. What power can play with mortals like this?"

Town Crier tells you, "The Great Sage, Aleister the Loquacious, has published a treatise on fused gems. He certainly earned his name. He is quite long-winded, and very full of himself, to boot."

Town Crier tells you, "That dratted pollen has finally subsided! I can breathe freely once again!"

Town Crier tells you, "Is it just me, or do the lowly Drudges now look somehow more...menacing?"

Town Crier tells you, "Books are now available at the capital cities' scribes that detail scholars' that detail scholars amazing discoveries about the strange crystals that have been acquired from the shadows and the remnants of the Great Work."

New UI and Game Changes

Shadow Hunter Armor introduced.
Combat
- Sticky Melee introduced.
Graphics
- Colored lighting effects introduced. Many lights, including the sun and moon, will now cast colored light in both hardware and software modes.
- Drudges and Golems have received new artwork. See here for some examples.
User Interface
- You get a confirmation dialog when using uncharged mana stones on items that would be destroyed.
- The Bane and Lure spell icons now have unique colors.
- Iron Ore and Slag icons updated.
Dagger (Skill)
- Dagger's skill damage modifier is now determined by coordination instead of strength.
You can now use objects containing water to fill Empty Flasks!

You fetch some water from the well!

New Quests

Shadow Armor Quest

Live Events

2000/03 - Shadow Abductions - After the arrival of the Shadow Spires and then three dark presences to Dereth, several tales are told of players being abducted into the spires and interrogated by a shrill voice.

New NPCs

Alean the Steel Forger - Eastham at 17.4N, 63.5E
Jibril ibn Rashid - Al-Jalima at 7.4N, 4.6E
Koga Hideki - Kara at 83.4S, 47.1E
Qalaba'r Festival Grounds
- Farmer
- Roaming Bowyer
Rithwic Festival Grounds
- Farmer
- Roaming Bowyer
Yanshi Festival Grounds
- Farmer

New Locations

New Points of Interest

Spire's Head
Shadow Spires
- A'mun Desert - 14.2S, 17.7E
- Aluvian Plains - 12N, 32.1E
- Blackmire Swamp - 26.2S, 51.4E
- Cragstone - 24.5N, 48.9E
- Eastham - 17.9N, 62.6E
- Khayyaban - 48.6S, 25.2E
- Linvak Mountain Range - 85.9S, 39.7E
- North Direlands - 20.2N, 71.2W
- Obsidian Plains - 62.4S, 71.1W
- Sawato - 29.5S, 59.3E
- Tiofor Woods - 43.8N, 0.8E
- Tou-Tou - 26.4S, 98.0E
- Tufa - 13.8S, 3.9E

New Items

Shadow Armor Quest
	Dark Speck	Dark Sliver	Dark Shard	Shadow Fragment (Retired)
	Cracked Shard	Tiny Shard	Small Shard	Crystal Fragment (Retired)
	Scintillating Gem (Retired)	Sparkling Gem (Retired)	Glimmering Gem (Retired)

Greater Shadow Armor
	Greater Amuli Shadow Leggings (Pre-Patch)	Greater Amuli Shadow Coat (Pre-Patch)	Greater Koujia Shadow Leggings (Pre-Patch)
	Greater Koujia Shadow Breastplate (Pre-Patch)	Greater Koujia Shadow Sleeves (Pre-Patch)	Greater Celdon Shadow Leggings (Pre-Patch)
	Greater Celdon Shadow Girth (Pre-Patch)	Greater Celdon Shadow Breastplate (Pre-Patch)	Greater Celdon Shadow Sleeves (Pre-Patch)

Medium Shadow Armor
	Amuli Shadow Leggings	Amuli Shadow Coat	Koujia Shadow Leggings
	Koujia Shadow Breastplate	Koujia Shadow Sleeves	Celdon Shadow Leggings
	Celdon Shadow Girth	Celdon Shadow Breastplate	Celdon Shadow Sleeves

Lesser Shadow Armor
	Lesser Amuli Shadow Leggings	Lesser Amuli Shadow Coat	Lesser Koujia Shadow Leggings
	Lesser Koujia Shadow Breastplate	Lesser Koujia Shadow Sleeves	Lesser Celdon Shadow Leggings
	Lesser Celdon Shadow Girth	Lesser Celdon Shadow Breastplate	Lesser Celdon Shadow Sleeves

Texts
		A Treatise on the Properties of Fused Gems		The Festival Stones of the Empyrean		The Wedding Guide

Empty Flasks
		Empty Flask

Updated Items

Objects containing water can now be used to fill empty flasks:

		Font		Fountain		Pool
		Vat		Well

Iron Ore - New Icon.
Slag - New Icon.
Spell icons for Blade Bane/Lure, Bludgeon Bane/Lure, Acid Bane/Lure, Frost Bane/Lure, and Fire Bane/Lure updated with proper colors. (see portal dat. below)