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The History of Asheron's Call
Tricks & Treats - October 2005
The Festival Approaches As the festival season approaches, some interesting changes are coming to Dereth. The town of Glendon Wood is gearing up for a big celebration this year. They are really in the holiday spirit and there are rumors that one of Dereth's most famous personalities may pay them a visit! The Farmers have also been gearing up for the holiday season. While getting their pumpkins ready, there have been some strange reports coming out of the pumpkin patches. It would be great if they can figure out what is going on! The Town Criers will also be getting into the festival spirit this year. They have been picking out their masks, as well as some costumes. You never know what they might be dressed as when you get into town! Don't forget to chat with them; they are going to have a lot to talk about this season. There have also been some Viamontian sightings recently. It appears they may be doing some digging. What could they be looking for? What will they find? And does this have anything to do with the season?
Welcome to the October Letter to the Players! Over the last month in Dereth the Viamontian's have been on the move. Having already taken over several towns on the Island of Marae Lassel, what will be the next move that King Varicci II has in mind? Changes to the Team For those that missed the announcement on our forums our own Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna has decided to stay on as the Producer for Asheron's Call. We are all happy to see that he has done this, and we are looking forward to what he brings to the team. We also brought an AC1 Alumni back to the team. Speed, who had been working in our QA department came back to us and jumped right into the fray, creating some very cool content for this update. Let's get right to what is happening this month in Dereth. New for October It is the time of year again when the leaves begin to change and chill is in the air. This of course means it is Festival time! As one of our favorite times of year the Festival event represents a time of celebration in Dereth. This year we decided to concentrate on getting some really new and exciting things for the players to do and wear. And don't forget that the Scarecrows will be returning to the landscape. The team has worked incredibly hard on getting some new masks and guises together for this year, and I think everyone will really enjoy them, once they have been found. Town criers will also be getting some love this month. In previous years they would traditionally wear masks during the festival season. This year they have decided to take it one step further. They will be in full costume! You may notice some strange costume combinations, but that's ok, the Town Criers decided to be a little different this year and mixed up things a bit. Make sure you check them out. Everybody's favorite drunk is on the move again. Where has Ulgrim gone to this time? And what does he have to say about his travels? There have also been some new treats and goodies added to the game. Some will be found, some will be given, and yet some others will be earned. It is the festival event, so what better way to celebrate than with tricks and treats? For those of you who like to participate in our many live events we have been running, there will be some special rewards given out. I won't give it away here, but lets just say that you might want to make sure you have some space in your packs for some new friends. On the subject of live events, we have gotten a lot of great feedback on these events. One piece of feedback we have gotten was that these events are always in a town where players might not want to participate. With that and a few other reasons in mind, we have created some new dungeons which we will be using for the sole purpose of running live events. We feel this will add a new dynamic to these events and also give us the ability to do some more interesting events. This does not mean that we will be stopping the live events in the towns, but it does give us a lot more options. Now you know what to expect this month in Dereth. I know that in past months we would add the in concept section on this part of the letter but at this point things are just getting back to normal from the move from LA. The In Concept section will be returning for next month. So that's about it for now. We have some really neat things in store for you, but we aren't going to give you any more hints. You will just have to log in and see for yourself! Dereth is full of Wonders! - Frelorn
ROLLOUT ARTICLE Ardry stepped through the doors of the Four Shields tavern. He dropped his pack and bow wearily on a table, then slouched into a chair. There was one other person in the tavern at the moment, standing by the bar, nursing a goblet of something. He was a Gharu'ndim, dressed all in plain grey, with an eye patch covering his left eye. "Red wine, please, Iquba," Ardry called to the bartender. She nodded, used to his late-night entrances, and poured out a cup of the house red. The stranger laid a handful of coins on the bar and took the cup of red wine to Ardry's table. He set the cup in front of the weary scout. "You're Ardry the Dubious, are you not?" the stranger asked. Ardry took the wine, sniffed it, and took a slow sip as he appraised the stranger. Finally, he gestured to the other empty chair at the table. "That's me. Who are you, and how do you know me?" The stranger smiled as he sat. "Forgive me, my name is Qath. Qath al-Haddash. I know of you, because you have acquired a reputation as an intrepid scout. Your uncle Aliester speaks highly of you." Ardry laughed. "Ah, Uncle Aliester. All right then. By the way, you're going to need a better costume than just an eye patch if you want to get into the proper spirit of the festival. I mean, look at the Town Criers out there..." All the humor dropped out of Qath's face. "This is no costume." "Oh. Uh, my apologies, then, Qath. Can I ask how you lost your eye?" "Icepick. Baionna. Fifteen years ago, in Ispar. Any other questions?" "I guess not." Ardry sipped his wine cautiously. "So what did you want to talk about? This isn't just a social call, is it?" "I was hoping to be able to compare notes with you," said Qath, recovering his coolly pleasant tone. "I am also a scout, and a scholar of sorts. A merchant of information. And I believe we have a mutual interest in tracking Viamontian activity..." Ardry frowned. "You make yourself sound like a spy." Qath shrugged. "No more a spy than you, I think. I read some of your earlier reports, back in the days of the Virindi Schism... Not to mention your detailed reconnaissance in the matter of Zaikhal, not too long ago." "All right then, Qath, I'll play along. Let's talk Viamontians." Suddenly nervous, Ardry looked around the room to see if anyone else could possibly overhear their conversation. Apparently pleased to get down to business, Qath leaned close and spoke softly. "The invader King has dispatched his dogs throughout the known lands, ransacking tombs, catacombs, long-lost libraries... I have been studying their movements for some time. I think I am close to discovering what they are truly after." Ardry laughed. "Varicci's looking for something to help him win the war. They don't even know what they're looking for – they're just hoping they'll recognize it when they stumble over it." Qath shook his head. "The Rouleans underestimated the Viamontians thus. Do not repeat their mistake. Then again, who am I to speak to an Aluvian about underestimating Viamont?" His smile had turned sharp, and there was a gleam of cruel amusement in his eyes. Ardry gritted his teeth. "All right, fair enough. What do you want from me?" "I need you to help me, ah, investigate another Viamontian installation. Quickly, before they can make further progress." Ardry gulped down the last of his wine. "All right, this is where we stop talking about this in public." He stood, shouldered his pack, and picked up his bow. "Let's pay a visit to the local lifestone, and then we can go for a walk to discuss this proposal of yours." Qath nodded silently, finished his own drink, and stood to leave. Ardry stopped suddenly and turned to Qath. "Just so you know, I don't trust you a bit." Qath laughed. "I would be disappointed if you did." They looked each other in the eye for a long moment, then nodded simultaneously and headed for the door.
Developer's Notes Hotkey issues: We have discovered the cause for this problem, unfortunately we haven't been able to implement a fix for this issue as of yet. We are still working on this problem. When we have more updates on this we will let you know. Changes for the Festival season Fall is here! That means the trees have changed colors and a chill is in the air. We have added several new masks and guises for the Festival celebration. You can now have a mask from creatures such as the Penguin or if you want to go with a scarier look, you can wear Fiun mask. New treats and a few tricks have been added into the game. You can get items such as candy and goodies, or you can also get a shirt to celebrate the occasion! Ulgrim is on the move again. It is one of Ulgrim's favorite times of the year. Everyone knows that Ulgrim doesn't miss a party! New holiday themed rewards for live events have been added to the game. You never know what you might get when you participate this month. Farmers have been complaining about some strange creatures in their Pumpkin patches. Not to mention the strange bodies that have been appearing as well. General fixes and changes Olthoi in the Egg Orchard have had their damage returned to normal. They had been hitting for more than they were supposed to. We have lowered the availability of the gold creatures on the Vissidal Island. The gold creatures were too prevalent in September. They were producing a higher XP yield than was intended. The Vissidal trees that were spawning on the landscape all over Dereth have been returned to their rightful place on the island. They should no longer be growing all over Dereth. Sir Bellas from the Augmentation quest had a weapon that when Blood Loather was used on it made him hit for very little or no damage. This has been fixed for October. Several crevices in the landscape have been fixed. Players will not longer get stuck in these places. The floating items in Al-Jalima and Khayyaban have finally discovered gravity again. Some spawns that were near player housing and Lifestones have been moved to different areas of the landscape. If you are still seeing creatures appearing near your housing or too close to a Lifestone, please let us know by using our QA site. New live events dungeons have been added to the game. These should help in making events more interesting and exciting! We have started updating older quests again. So make sure you check out some of your old favorites. You never know which quests may have been changed.