istaria game blog

velveeta

since the blogs disappeared, i guess i will have to post them here.  

velveeta

old tazoon from the ground

well, apparently mmorpg.com has discontinued member blogs. so, i will now have to come back to livejournal!! i hope we will have a long and fruitful relationship! so, onto the bizniz at hand.
i usually exist, as a player, on blight, the test shard. therefore, everything happens there first. in this case, the tazoon ruination i previously posted has not yet reached the live shards. i decided to head to chaos to remember what the capital city once looked like.
my alt on chaos is a cute lil hatchie named soknot daqueen. i logged into chaos and headed for bristugo while checking my map - indeed, tazoon is still there and in all her glory!  further proof was provided when i got to the portal hub and tazoon was still an available destination, so i hop on and headed to taz!
i popped up on the incoming pad at the west center quadrant of the city, looking north.  turning to the southeast, i can see the intact dome of the building i explored the ruins of on blight.  heading thru the gate to the east, i entered the city proper, and rememberd how bewildering it can be to try to navigate the tall buildings and narrow lanes.  i decided to head back to the canal and follow it to the front gate.
i looked at the road - free of welgers and other nasties here on a live shard - then turned to enter at a much more leisurely pace than on blight.  you can, of course, turn off the 'main' road; otherwise, you will end up in the large, domed building where, in the ruins on blight, the ghosts of its inhabitants haunt.
in pre devastation taz, i circled the building and found the north exit.  i took a moment to admire the beautiful city in its pristine form before continuing on the main road heading to the north quadrant of the city - which i call 'the dragon quarter'.  called this, of course, because it is where most of the dragon trainers and advancement npcs are located, at least for the moment.  naturally, it has a very heavy dragon motif.  to the west of the waterwall, you can find the west gate - aka the new rachival gate, the one i was gonna use on blight. 

until the invasion, this is good old tazoon from the ground.  when next we meet, i will show you taz from the air, courtesy of my beloved friend, aine.  hope to see you soon!  the whole album is here.
the original blog is here.

velveeta

aine's views from the air of old taz

(just to let you know, the new 'ruins of tazoon' questline has been released to the live shards, so these 'old taz' posts are some of the very last pix of what tazoon was like)

the following screenies are views of tazoon from a flyer's perspective.  these were provided by my dear friend aine, on the chaos shard.  they are in no particular order:

1. overlooking the arena
2. a fountain in the dragon quarter
3. east side of the dragon quarter and environs
4. another view of the arena area
5. arena interior
6. south (main gate end) west quarter
7. garden spot
8. a canal system
9. shrine and portal quarter
10. closeup of the shrine quarter
11. closeup of portals
12. fountain in dragon quarter
13. shrine quarter
14. closeup of shrine
15. closeup of portal - tazoon was always so lovely to wander thru
16. surrounded by canyons
17. yet another fountain
18. northeast quarter
19. dragon quarter statue
20. dragon quarter entrance
21. imperial building
22. serene pool
23. sculptural gate
24. building view from above
25. tazoon at night
26. inside the big dome
27. fountain from above
28. center west of town
29. center east of town
30. arbor in dragon quarter
31. imperial quarter at night
32. imperial quarter
33. imperial quarter
34. arena interior
35. big dome building
36. floating island portal
37. water wall gate
38. dragon quarter gate
39. dragon quarter gate
40. canals and buildings
41. closeup of fountain
42. northeast quarter

next post, more aerial screenies from a friend on order.  come back soon!

velveeta

reagle's aerial views of old taz

another friend, reagle on chaos, took these screenies of old taz.  altho back in the day the city took forever to load, leading to the uninspired nickname of lagzoon, it was always worth the wait.  i shall miss this beautiful city!
the following screenies are in no particular order:

1. west side of city, looking north
2. building along the canal
3. canal buildings south of the arena
4. view of the south gate from the dome
5. corner building
6. arena area
7. blacksmith building
8. canals and bridges
9. tiffany roof
10. canal garden
11. overhead view of north end of city
12. archer building
13. southwest quarter of city
14. southeast quarter of city
15. overhead view of dragon quarter
16. vault building
17. southwest quarter, aerial from gate
18. canal building
19. aerial view of dome from the southwest
20. center east of city
21. city building
22. legendweaver compound
23. overhead view of dome and environs
24. city building
25. city buildings
26. canal buildings near dome
27. overhead view of southwest quarter
28. overhead view of city
29. warrior building
30. city building
31. portal and building
32. protector building
33. overhead view of southeast quarter
34. portrait of the city at night
35. center of city, looking north
36. city building
37. overhead view of south gate area

i hope you have enjoyed these views of the grand old city, as it no longer exists.  i have one last clerash town marshal quest to run you thru, then we will start exploring the ruins of tazoon!  hope to see you soon.

the album is here

velveeta

chiconis town marshal quest - iron mountain, hollow shell, part 1

it recently came up in my facebook memories that i have been working on the town marshal quests (admittedly, very off and on) for over 3 years now.  and here we are at the last clerash quest!  it seems so long ago that we first met the dragon marshal.......
anyhoo, so we are standing in front of the mighty dragon and greeting him to get to the quest list.  accept the quest and check your chat log and quest journal for more info.
now, abandoned isle is a pain if you aren't attuned, and scorpion island is just as dangerous as dalimond ridge, so i decided to go to the ridge.  i may have to do some more attunement tours, now that mmorpg.com has disappeared the old ones, and i can't remember if central valley is the free port or heart - whichever, port to one of those destinations.  i chose central valley - if you choose heart, just follow the main road north instead of south.  when you pop up on the port pad, take the main road in the appropriate direction (in my case, south).
no matter which settlement you start from, you will encounter various and sundry nasties all the way.  if you are coming from heart, you will go thru the cedar forest, and from central valley, you will start to see slate fields, then cedar trees with elm treant guards.  at this point, you want to start looking for ridges leading up into the hills on the west side of the road.  climb the ridges until you come to a wooden bridge.
when you cross the bridge, turn to the east to find another set of ridges to climb.  you will know you are heading the right way when you see the signpost.  at this point, you should start getting ready for combat, because once you cross into the frigid tops of the mountains, the nasties come thick and fast - and they love to party with anyone!
follow the sharp turns as best you can, and try very hard not to fall off the cliff.  soon enough, you will come to the very top of the ridge, where the critters travel in packs - so, if you haven't already, it's a great time to buff!!

i hope you come back soon to find out how this story ends!  see you in a few days for part 2.

velveeta

this month's submissions are above

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chiconis town marshal quest - iron mountain, hollow shell, part 2

when last we met, we had made our way to the top of dalimond ridge.  we buffed up and are ready for battle!  so, battle or avoid the wolves as you head northeasterly until you reach the land bridge.  cross it carefully, because you don't want to fall off and have to do the run all over again.  head northerly as you fight or avoid (that might be difficult) the wolf packs that roam all over the plateau - including nipper, the alpha wolf.  you want to jump off the cliffs in front of you to the west, rather than the east.  that way you can avoid the nasties that you aren't interested in - coz there are a lot of nasties in this area.
if you hit the right spot to drop down, you should be in a semi sheltered area with easy access to the frost beets you need to hunt.  beets of any level love to aggro and they are no respecters of level or power - just love to party!  wander around, laying waste to frost beets (don't forget to loot!) and checking your quest journal, until you have a field of dead beets and your logs advise you to return to chiconis.  hopefully you are still attuned to the shrine, and you will get to admire the new splash screens!  the main cities all have their own splash screen now, as you will see in a moment!
pop up in chiconis, do the short run up to the town marshal, greet the mighty dragon, and get your thanks and reward!  that is the end of the chiconis town marshal quests, and our next city is new rachival - with is fortunate, as it is also the place to start the new 'tazoon in ruins' questline.  so, make your way to new rachival and get ready for new content for us both to explore!  the album for this quest is here.

speaking of albums, at the request of some readers, i am going to try to post screenies inline.  when next we meet, i will be trying this new way (to me) of posting the screenies - hopefully, it will make it easier to peruse these posts!  see you soon.

velveeta

rotql 01 - the renegades

okay, here we go on our exploration of brand new content!  i'm so excited, i hope you are, too!
the overall questline is called 'the ruins of tazoon', and the first subquest is called 'the renegades'.

so, when last we met, i decided to head to new rachival, and got to have the visual treat of the new splash screen on the way.  when you hit the city landing pad, head for the cliff edge directly to the north.  as you look down into the canyon, you will see the city militia camp.  jump down the cliff and you will be right in the middle.  make your way out to the front of the camp, where captain bixben is on patrol.  greet the gnome, choose the quest and accept it, then get more of the story from bixben and your quest journal.
fortunately for us, our quarry isn't far away at all.  follow the road southisheasterly thru the nearby barricade (don't forget to buff before you go!).   from the gate, you can see both regenade technomancers (which can't) and derelict automatons (which don't) wandering around just outside the defenses.
another small bit of luck - being magicusers, the technomancers don't fight up close and personal - so there is no reason why you should, either.  now is the perfect time to hone your range game, be it weapon or spell. and don't forget to loot!  no telling what new goodies will be important later on!  and, of course, check your quest journal from time to time, to keep track of your kills.
the technos are spread thinly in a lot of territory, impeded by the cliffs that break up the space.  if you follow the road, you will come to the recent rockslide that now blocks the road to the northwest gate of tazoon.  do not underestimate the nasties you will meet on this subquest - they are midlevel and tough as well.  the technos have some unpleasant debuffs that work on everyone!
when you follow the road back in search of more prey, you will see the ruins of old rachival to the west and a little north.  you can sneak up on the technos by going thru the canyon opening closest to the barricades, moving around the bluff until you emerge in the area just before the entrance to old rachival.  try not to get too close, but i have a feeling we will be exploring these ruins soon, anyway.  continue hunting technos and avoiding everything else until your reminders to return to bixben show up.
if you haven't bound to the new rachival shrine (and really, it's slower than running back, anyway) head back to the road and thru the barricade, then onto the camp to report to the captain and get your reward.


the album is here.

velveeta

rotql 02 - tools of the renegades, part 1

here we are, in the camp area, ready for round two.  approach and greet bixben to listen to his story and get the subquest link.  accept the quest and check your chat log and quest journal for details, as per usual.
bixben tasks you with speaking to master versanto, who has a shop inside the city fort.  head west, away from the camp, on the road.  head up the city road to the gate, go thru and immediately turn right to head up the ramp to the second level.  at the top of the ramp, on your right, is the shop of master versanto the tinkerer.
greet the gnome to tell him your tale.  versanto then asks you to head out to the desert to hunt derelict automatons for their corroded parts.  we ran into the derelicts during the last subquest, so at least we know where to find them, generally speaking.
head down to the fort gate and stand on the cliff long enough to locate the southeastern barricade gate you want to exit thru.  jump off the cliff (like you were going to pay a visit to bixben) and book it down the southern road to the se barricade gate that opens onto our first hunting ground - that's a hint that we will have to hunt in more than one field!

find out more about that when next we meet.  hope to see you in a day or so!

ShopiWave1

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Best Under Desk Treadmill

velveeta

rotql 02 - tools of the renegades, part 2

here we are, back in the field.  try to avoid the technomancers as you hunt down the automatons.  we are looking for a quantity of a looted item, so make sure you loot your kills and use the quest journal to keep track.  here in the southeastern section of the, there are few automations, and many unfriendlies - the closer to the ruins you venture, the more you will run into terlak guardians and tormented engineers.
unfortunately, unless you want to wait for respawns (which are slow and sporatic), eventually you will want to move to the area south of town.  go back toward the camp, and turn down the road at the fork going south.  go thru the barricade gate and into the desert outside of new rachival.  automatons are plentiful if a bit widespread, so run around hunting and looting them until your chat log and quest journal tell you to stop and head back to town to speak to versanto.
turn north to the barricade gate, thru the camp and up the hill toward the city gate.  turn right when you go thru and head for the second level.  versanto is waiting in the first building.
greet the gnome tinker and get his expert analysis.  he recommends you report back to bixben, so head back down and out the gate, then over the cliff to land in the middle of the camp.  find bixben and fill him in on the findings to get your thanks.

join me soon for the next subquest.  see you soon!!

velveeta

this is the the end of this month's submission

velveeta

lov's witches night party, part 1 - getting there

my dear friend lovwyrm of chaos loves to throw a party.  any old reason is good enough for her and her mate, flameus.  a talent most appreciated in these times, lov - who lives in germany - decided to use april 30th, witches night where she comes from, as a good reason to have a shindig.  as always, everyone was invited to join her and flame at one of their plots, this time the one in heather.
i am sure you have heard me complain about the new attunements the gods have seen fit to burden us with, and this is one of those times.  in olden days, one could freely (in every way - not only was there no attunement needed, but as a settlement, there was no port fee, either.  unless you were pulling a cargo disk.) port to heather, along with most settlements.  but, all things change, but that means no way to get to heather directly. 
before i go further, i have to tell you - like a lot of peeps, i guess, i am so used to be high level that when i go back to my low levels, i forget to think like a low level.  this became quite apparent to me very soon in this adventure.  my royal representatives on the live shards have not been very advanced, as i prefer to play on my home shard of blight.  back in the day, this wasn't much of a problem, as there were always high level babysitters available as escort, should a meeting place or gathering spot prove to be less than welcoming to the littles and there were more free portals to escape thru and/or to.
to continue with my tale......  i was late getting in game and therefore, a bit put out when i discovered that heather's portal was no longer available.  a friend of low level like me advised me to take the road out of aughundell to runs to heather.  now, if you open that screenie in its own window, you will notice that there are actually 2 roads between aughundell and heather - a south one, which i took, and a north one, which is the one my friend was talking about and the one i should have taken.  i would have been fine if i had.

velveeta

anyway, from bristugo, i ported to the dwarven city and started my run on the main road heading west.  the road leads out thru a city gate, and it is not in your best interests to tarry, if you are lower levels, because you run into some nasty spiders almost immediately.  soon, you will pass a fabric workstation on your left, followed by a set of signposts.  keep heading westerly - the bitter pickle is no place for peeps who have no bizniz there, anyway.
if you remember the map screenie, the road i am on dips down fairly close to new rachival/tazoon territory.  before the ruination of tazoon, the red spiders were the biggest threat, and at my level, they were more than enough.  so i wasn't thinking of what was ahead of me when i passed the caravan camp (which should have alerted me, as it is a new feature), and i blithely continued down the road, my eyes fixed on the desert cliffs in the distance.  the welgars in the road nearest to tazoon were a nasty surprise, and had me written in the ded book almost before i realized they were there.  the score thus far:  my first death point.  fear not, it will not be my last!
i put out the call, and while i waited for rescue, i got caught up on the party.  very soon, elteria, my hero, arrived to make short work of the welgars, rez me up, and fuction as my guide cum bodyguard on the way to heather.  i lost my ui shortly after being rezzed, including my chats, so i could do nothing but follow elteria to the plot.  i wanted to be there before i logged to clear the problem anyway.
i made it to the party and relogged.  when i got back ingame, i immediately headed to the gatekeeper for heather, fibblegar fidget, located next to the only portal for heather.  as always, approach and greet the gnome, accept the 'quest', and you will have the valuable access to this part of the world.

well, i haven't even really been to the party and i died once already!!  wonder what will happen when it really gets going!!  if you want to know, join me next time for more fun and games!  see you soon.

velveeta

lov's witches night party, part 2 - riddle hunt and fashion show

so, unfortunately, between the various crashes and other distractions, i missed at least one of the riddles for the scavenger hunt (here is the first recorded chat log, this is the second recorded chat, showing the start of the third riddle hunt), but i finally got my crap together in time to gather for the rest of the riddle hunt (third chat, fourth chat).  we did move to elteria's nearby plot to finish up the riddles and have a fashion show (fifth chat) in elteria's lovely garden area (sixth chat).
our dear host, lovwyrm, broke the ice by modelling her lovely smilies head scale as the audience lined the runway.  following her, there were (seventh chat):

1. sindala, modelling a witchy outfit
2. longshanks in some outdoor wear
3. daneth in a lovely set of matching armor
4. elteria shadowhand in armor
5. ssussurrouss in its sslanis jungle wear
6. sweet candy in an ancient dragon lune argentee
7. ssussurrouss again in its formal wear, with a smashing granite glassblower rod for a walking stick
8. sindala again, in a somewhat risque outfit

while sindala was doing her second walk, we suddenly got a cry for help from lovwyrm (eigthth chat)!  come back soon to find out what's going on!!!

velveeta

lov's witches night party, part 3 - oh crap, or death point party

lov has put out the call!!  instantly, we all headed back to lov's plot to see what's happening!  nothing could have prepared us for what we found!

el caliente, that furious foul fowl, was far from its usual stomping ground and very upset about it!  and - altho i didn't know it until the end - it had brought friends!
for now, all i saw was a giant chicken attacking my friends and companions!  so, little me - level 16 and already having one dp - did a ready, player one! and jumped right in.  ell cee had a nasty surprise for us, tho.  it was about a million times more powerful than normal and it wasn't long at all before the demon beast had written most of us into the ded book (ninth chat).
deciding it was easier to find and rez groupies, we decided to group up.  my turn came around, and once i was on my feet, back into the fray i went.  and i promptly got written into the ded book for the third time that night (tenth chat).
i got rezzed again, and since i am an idiot who loves a good scrap, back i went into the fight.  and died again, very quickly.  rezzed again, and dead again - this time by a plague hound (eleventh chat)!!  ell cee hadcalled for reinforcements, and a blight anchor had answered.  it was a long, hard battle, but we did eventually succeed in killing every nasty (twelveth chat) and passed around some dwarven drink while watching the fireworks displays (thirteenth chat).  it was a wonderful end to a wonderful party (last chat)!

but that is not the end of my time here!  i made a very useful discovery, and i will happily share it with you the next time we meet.  hope to see you then!

velveeta

lov's witches night party, part 4 - a useful thing to know

the party that had it all - riddles, hunts, giant terror chickens and killer cabbage - was finally and sadly over.  pretty much any way i go from here, short of recalling altogether, will get me more deathpoints.  no, wait, there is one place i can get to safely!!
there is a relatively narrow passage thru the settlement to the cliffs overlooking new rachival.  a biped would have to jump onto the area between the city and the cliffs, which some of you may remember is loaded with baddies that can write my low level butt right into the ded book.  but a hatchie - one with the gliding option enabled - can actually soar right into the heart of the city.
while i was orientating myself on the cliffs above the gnome city, i noticed that the vaultkeeper of new rachival had a quest for me.  this peaked my interest, so i made my way (i jumped over the rail) to the first level of the city fort.  the vault is located directly west of the city gate, under the blue dome.  inside, vaultkeeper iado clinkenblatz was waiting.  i greeted the gnome and discovered that the 'normal' vault upgrades had been moved here!  the last i remember, they had been moved from either new trismus or tazoon (i remember tazoon, but whether that was after the destruction of new tris, i can't remember.  no matter, i accepted the 'quest' for my first upgrade on this alt.  iado needs a few moments to check your paperwork, so exit this chat and regreet iado.  you know how banking goes, so repeat the process and make sure you have 10 silver pieces ready.  iado will take your money and give you a somewhat bigger vault.
since i am level 16, i am eligible for another upgrade, so i regreet iado.  i click the link for the vault upgrade II after making sure i have 25sp on hand, and then exit and regreet the gnome vaultkeeper to finish the transaction.

so, in one afternoon, i received 5 death points and 2 vault upgrades.  i would say that was time productively spent!  when next we meet, i expect to be back to the ruins of tazoon new content.  hope to see you then!

velveeta

above are this month's submissions

velveeta

some fan fic about an important istaria couple

the tale of thunder and lightning, part 1 by sonea of istaria

velveeta

rotql 03 - the cult of telak, part 1

so, i finally got my crap in order and was able to get back in game to do quests.  but i was thinking i would dedicate one post a month to the fan fic of istaria.  there is a lot of good stuff out there, and it seems a shame not to share it.    however, let's get back to the 'ruins of tazoon' questline, shall we?

so, capt bixben is done with us for the moment, so i was at a loss as to what to do next.  as always, i found the answer on the forums - the quest givers change, so you can approach almost anyone with a quest bubble to go further into the overall quest line.  since i was practically right next to him anyway, i decided to approach mayor lem berenrick.  he can be found on the west side of the lower level in the fort area.
greet the mayor and listen to his speech before choosing and accepting the link for the cult subquest.  you can browse the wanted posters in the vault while you check your quest journal for details.  we actually have been on the edges of the cultist area, while hunting the automatons.  the cultist hang around in the ruins immediately to the north of the city.  so, go out the gate, head down the hill road to the north barricades, and you will see the cultists patrolling the area just outside the gate - and now would be the opportune time to buff up for battle!.
the rest of it is easy peasy.  both dominated and captivated cultists count for this mission, and they are literally right on the doorstep, as it were.  practice your ranged skills or get up close and personal - beware, tho, because the cultists will party with you!  keep checking your quest journal as you run back and forth from the gate (a safe place to flee should you need to), until you get the alerts to return to mayor lem.  don't forget to loot - who know what you might need for a later quest?
you should be very near the gate, so fight or avoid your way to the road, then head thru the gate, up the hill road, thru the gate and over to mayor lem.  greet him to get your thanx and reward.

well, i hope you had fun - i did, it's a fun lil quest.  join me again soon for another fun lil quest in the same area.  hope to see you then!

velveeta

rotql 04 - the cult of telak, part 2

so, once again we approach (we shouldn't be too far away) and greet the gnome mayor, click the link to accept the quest, and get our details from the chat and the quest journal.  this is a loot mission - we have to hunt and loot telak teachers, cult middle management and brother, they pack a wallop.  we find them in the same area as the other cultists, a bit more north in the midst of the heaviest ruins.
leave the fort area , buff up, and head down the road to the northern barricade gate.   you might be able to catch a glimpse of a teacher far off in the distance, if your sight is good enough.  otherwise, follow the road until you start to see them, in the ruins and intermingled with the cultists.  so, off you go with the hunt!  i will warn you now.  if you are at 50th level, you are gonna need a group or healer babysitter.  i am not joking.  these guys got me down over a quarter of my hp - even with buffs - there toward the end.  they hit hard and they take no prisoners!
absolutely, the whole point of tangling with these guys is to get the books - so do not forget to loot your kills asap.  the teachers patrol amongst the ruins north of the gate, and you will not want to wander too far from the gate if you are hunting alone.  the teachers not only love to aggro - and they are not afraid to nuke each other in the least (do not get so distracted that you forget to loot and check your journal for the count) - they really love to get the cultists into the party as well.  it was at this time i got hit so hard.  thank god i only had a couple more books to get before i got the blessed message to return to lem.
make your way south to the barricade gate as fast as you can, avoiding the cultists as much as possible.  go thru the gate and up the hill road, thru the city gate and over to where mayor lem awaits your report.  greet him to fill him in - but wait?  what is this?  our efforts do not seem to please!  a quick check of the quest journal reveals that we need to speak to hubert hufflebing!  luckily, the new rachival scholar trainer (whom we have met before, oh so very long ago) is in the building directly behind the mayor, so enter, turn leftish, and greet the gnome to get your reward and a further hint!

i hope to see you soon to find out what this questline has in store for us next.  a spoiler - you will prolly want campanions - it involves an attunement tour thru possibly dangerous territory!  that will be fun!

velveeta

rotql 05 - the book of telak

so, i am standing next to hubert hufflebing the scholar trainer, after mayor lem's small tantrum. greet the gnome to access the quest, accept it and get the details, as per normal.  hubert wants me to take the book to a friend at the tower of healing.  the tower is in the middle of the desert, to the south southwest of new rachival.
as you can see from the map, there is a portal at the tower.  so off we go to the outgoing portals.  the northern one is the one i need - but when i got there, i discovered that the tower of healing requires an attunement to be able to use it, so that means a road trip!!  since the latest update to the map pack somehow made the monster markers disapper, and since the area has been redecorated since the last time i was thru it, i had no idea what to what to expect.  it turns out i had very little to worry about and if you are fast, you should be good as well,  just do not leave the road as you run as fast as you can.  but, i get ahead of myself!
so first thing is to jump down the cliff the portals stand on.  that should put you very near the southwest barricade gate.  since i didn't know what awaited me, i thought it would be a good time to buff. if you are lower level than me, i recommend a swift feet as well, if you have access to the spell.  the first leg of the journey is taking us thru derelict automatons and renegade technomancers, and you may remember they can put a hurt on those less than mid level.
once out of the gate, i started running and avoiding the nasties.  the desert view was comfortably the same, and after a little run, a bit safer, at least for me, as the automatons and technomancers gave way to a literal ghost land.  angered souls as far as one can see but no attacks yet.  i suspect we will have something to do with them eventually.

velveeta

soon enough, you will see a land bridge on your right.  this is not the land bridge we want, but it tell us that we are very near.  stay on the road over the rise, and there before you is a shrine and an incoming port pad - and next to it a person stands waiting.
that person is confessor tel orthess, and she is the giver of attunement.  greet her, accept the quest, and get your attunement.  once that is done, cross over the bridge behind the confessor, enter the tower proper and turn to your left.  against the wall, you will find in'athoi the scholarly.
approach the dryad - admire her for a moment if you like, she is lovely - and greet her.  she takes the book, but needs a few moments to peruse it.  when she is ready, regreet her to get your reward and explanation.  the sigil is an armor gem - if you have a socket in your armor, you insert it and gain the bennies.
i was not told specifically to return to new rachival, but since everything seems to be centered around the city, i decided to head back there.  if you haven't bound to new rachival, you can run back or you can recall to your bind spot and take a portal.  i chose to recall to bristugo and port back to the gnome city.

well, that wasn't as bad as i thought it would be.  just run fast, stay on the road, and don't stop, and you should be okay.  and the tower attunement will come in handy for more than just this questline - it gives you an easy way to get to the canyon maze with its gem resources and golems.  be all that as it may, i hope you come back for more fun and adventure!  see you soon.

velveeta

above are this month's submissions

velveeta

seasonal update from the gods

i had a knee replacement on june 23rd, and am still unable to sit or stand for long enough to get fresh content, and for that i apologize.  for this month (hopefully), i will be posting content of interest not of my own creation. today, i share with you an email subscribers recieved very recently.  i hope you find it as informative as i always do.

Developer’s Desk 2020

Hello from Istaria!  The entire team here at Virtrium hopes to find you safe and healthy at home with your loved ones during these trying times.  We hope you have enjoyed the two months of Double XP that hopefully helped everyone get through their quarantine.  We were glad to see many new and old faces spending their time enjoying the latest content and favorite characters in the world of Istaria.

Now down to the meat of the message and the 20.1 Content Update.  This humongous update was released earlier this year and we hope you are as excited about it as we are!  Tazoon was a beautiful city, but it couldn’t stand up to the power of the Welger and a mysterious explosion whose origin is yet to be discovered!   For those concerned about Tazoon from before the Welger invasion, Istaria exists on multiple planes of existing… you may see it again one day!

The Ruin of Tazoon, however, doesn’t just contain quests, items and new monsters for Tier 3 players, but also includes:

• A large number of new items for plots and lairs including murals, banners, and even ponds.
• Mount Fury in the region of Char has erupted, leaving a changed landscape as well as new monsters in its lava-filled wake.
• Numerous improvements to the game client, including fixes and performance enhancements, as well as custom loading screens tailored to each major destination.

You can read more about the most recent update here.

The Ruin of Tazoon isn’t the only update we plan on releasing in 2020!  We’ve got lofty goals for the remainder of the year (and beyond) and no pesky pandemic will slow us down.  Some of the items we hope to address this year include:

Client Enhancements / Improvements

The technical team has many on-going projects involving long-standing bugs and game performance that they are working on tackling and this work will continue throughout the year.  However, one of the largest projects that is currently being tackled is the use of transparency within the game which impacts, in particular, water and crystals.

Transparency has always been a fickle beast within Istaria.  Take a look at objects that sit within water and sometimes those objects will be seen and others times they won’t.  We’re looking forward to these fixes because they will really add to the overall look and feel of the game!

Part 2 of the Ruin of Tazoon and Rest of 2020

The next update on the horizon will include conclusions to some of the open storylines such as “Who leads the Welger” and “Why are the Prophets hanging around” and “What will happen with Shau”.   In addition to this story content, the team is actively working on a few larger projects including:

• A new epic boss (with some exciting new mechanics!)
• A revamp of the Conjurer school (you can read more about some of the motivations and concepts here )
• The 2nd phase of the Bauble revamp (you can join the discussion here )

Vision 2020

A major update is underway spearheaded by an expanded art team. Our bipedal characters, long the butt of many jokes and visually neglected for years, are undergoing a massive visual update to appear more pleasing. While this project is still in its early phases, what we have accomplished so far is extremely exciting and we can't wait to share it with you.

To tease...

• Eyes now support blinking, motion, and heterochromia.
• Models and textures are higher quality, more modern, and far more flexible with visual design.
• Expanded options for skin colors and skin textures.
• Expanded creation options for race-unique features, such as Fiendish horns and tails.
• A complete recreation of every armor piece within the game to be more visually appealing, varied, and higher quality.

And to our dragon players - of course we haven't forgotten about you. Stay tuned, and come the turn of next year, we might have some exciting news for your fanged family...

Once again, we wish you all the best during these challenging times and we want to thank you all for reading and playing Istaria!

The Team at Virtrium

velveeta

Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair (Part 2)

A NEW DAY DAWNS
In a darkened corner at the back of the Hall of Mirrors, TaleSpinner shifted from foot to foot. She gazed upon those who were gathered and was touched by how reverent they seemed, whispering quietly to each other as they found seats.

A youngling sitting next to a friend smiled and pointed excitedly at the visage of the father carrying the daughter limned on the wall behind the stage. A newcomer nodded soberly as he listened to one who had been present at TaleSpinner’s first speaking describe how the visage had formed at the end of the tale. TaleSpinner watched as a young woman close by the speaking place and the image, reached up to the limning’s cheek and then touched her own, as though in memory.. of the tale or of tears of her own. Who might know?
TaleSpinner smiled gratefully as she saw familiar faces among those who had braved the cold to join her at Heart’s Ease. Their smiles calmed her somewhat, yet she still took several deep breaths, preparing herself for the night’s telling. This next speaking of the Fool and The Fair would be difficult. Though it marked a turning point in Sonea’s young life, there might be some who would find the turning to be an ill thing. Ah well, there was naught to be done but press on.
Finally, the last guest was seated and silence fell on those who waited. Then the rite began as it always did. Youngling voices began the chant:
" A tale... a tale.... a tale...."
From the security of her corner, TaleSpinner took one last soul cleansing breath and she stepped forth. The lights in the Hall went out. A moment’s pause.. when all that could be heard was the rustle of an one settling further into his seat. And then, from the darkness the voice came..
"Did ye ever hear tell of Thunder and Lightning? Of the Fool and the Fair?"
And the light came again, small and flickering just as it had on the night when TaleSpinner first began speaking Sonea’s Story. On the stage now, TaleSpinner’s eyes sparkled in the flame. And just as she had done before, she began by speaking a child’s rhyme.
Sonea Finder, little cinder, cast upon the storm. Burned by fire and crossed death’s pyre, ever-now reborn.
Sonea Finder, mother broke her, silencedby the stone. Staff-found voice andnew-found healer, Bloodwill paint herdawn.
TaleSpinner looked out over the audience and, seeing that all were caught, she continued.
The father did his best to nurture Sonea and to help her recover from the trauma she had suffered, but the little girl was terrified of most everything. And when one in the company would raise his voice, or even when the men would suddenly burst out laughing over some funny thing, Sonea would startle and then cringe and creep away. And until she celebrated her 7th year in Istaria, she spoke not a word. Can ye blame the poor thing’
Seeing her fear, and hoping to help ease it somewhat, Sonea’s father, being a man of war, did what he thought right (from a warrior’s point of view) and put a weapon in her hand as soon as she could lift it. He found a sapling of sufficient girth and length, and carved for her a wooden stave that fit her hand and small stature. Sonea’s first lesson was a child’s game against a stuffy man, a bundle of cast off clothes stuffed with leaves and lashed to a pole that was stuck upright in the ground. To finish the likeness, oft times a pumpkin was carved intoa face and then set atop the pole.
As she trained, her father pushed Sonea to gain endurance and strength. And he watched for a return of that vital spark that would come from a healed soul. Ye see, it takes more than brawn to excel with the staff. The wielder must become as one with the weapon. And to do that Sonea would need all the boldness and spirit that was locked away inside her. To her credit, Sonea tried. Day after day, she would beat and bash at the stuffy man until she dropped to the ground in an exhausted heap. And thus, Sonea learned her first adventuring skills from her father.
Though she did not appreciate the lessons, no word of complaint did Sonea offer, but yet no other word either. Her father thought sheendured them only to gain what small protection theymight bring. And, he hoped in the long waking nights, that she also endured to, in some small wise, please him. And in those nights he wept where none might see, that he might never know her fully. And as he wept, he pondered...
Now among the camp there was but one that Sonea would take company with as calmly as her father. That one was Jorquas by name, and a near giant of a man he was. In any fight, he could take the mightiest of blows, and crush down the mightiest of foes with the near tree he bore as a club. But in any other time he was seen to be slow of mind and thought, as childer are slow, and he was given few tasks to do save the simplest.
And Sonea and Jorquas would oft be seen sitting together, silently watching the skies for a glimpse of the draku that inhabited the area. Or they might be seen engaging in some strange and wordless play. And none thought aught of it.

The time of Sonea's birthing day came close, and it was to be her seventh year. Her father knew he had thought long and longer, and long enough. And the time had come to act.
So the father called Sonea to him and sat her close. And he told her he must leave the camp for but a short time, that he might seek her birthing day gift. But that she not feel threatened, he also called Jorquas. And to Jorquas he gave the task of guarding Sonea that no harm might come to her. And straight did Jorquas go to his place of sleeping and bring forth the iron bound close-tree that he used in war.
Jorquas sat himself close to Sonea and a look of rock and steel did come to his face. And he set his eyes to Sonea's father, and he nodded. And he set his eyes to Sonea, and he showed her the club and he nodded. Satisfied, Sonea's father set forth. For a day and a night did Sonea sit, unmoving, waiting. Till Jorquas did bring her food and set his own forth and make it plain that he would not eat save she did also. Only then did she move, and only to eat, that Jorquas might also eat. And as she did finally eat, the food passed to her lips through a rain of tears.
The next day dawned full sun in the Spring. It was her birthing day. And Jorquas woke her, and he urged her to her lessons. He would not be resisted, and though Sonea sought to return to her place of eating, he did bring her the staff her father made and would not rest save she took it. At last, take it she did, and set her feet to the stuffy man. And the stuffy man was there. But yet it was not. For bound to its shoulders was a new thing, and the thing was a head. A woman's head with long golden hair. And the eyes were glazed and blood still hung around the neck. And the visage she clearly knew...
And thus it was that finally, on a fine sunny day in the Spring of her seventh year, something changed.A wound opened up, mayhap, that could only heal were it opened raw and then set closed.The door to Sonea’s soul sprang open, and at last the hell inside might pour out. As she faced the bundle of leaves, Sonea felt something within her snap. It seemed as if she had suddenly awakened from a deep sleep. A moment later.. she screamed, ‘NOOOOOO!’ She leaped high in the air, gave a mighty swing of her wood staff, andtore the bloody head clear from the corpse. And the corpse, for so it seemed she saw it, fell.