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  |  Archive = Announcements - 2009/10 - Gears of Change#Rollout Article
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Aliester the Loquacious, pre-eminent sage of Dereth, peered into large glass lens positioned over his work desk.  In his hands he held a pair of tiny tweezers and a sharp etching tool.  Atop his work desk, magnified for his aging eyes by the lens, was a small, intricate device consisting of a deep violet crystal framed within a network of delicate metal parts.  The lens served as both a magnifying device and a filter to help him better see the flow of energy across parts of the crystal and its metal case of rods and gears.
Aliester muttered quietly as he worked.  Sometimes he whispered a spell, intended to manipulate the energy contained within the crystal.  Other times the words he uttered were just a stream of consciousness of observations and notes to himself as he tried to make sense of the device.  The device had been brought to him by his intrepid nephew Ardry just a few days before, and Aliester had spent almost the entire time attempting to decipher the secrets of this fabulously complicated and endlessly interesting artifact.
He prodded the device with his etching tool and turned one of the gears attached to the assembly as he worked another spell, and watched with fascination at the response of the energy flows.  He was so caught up in watching the slow changes coming over the crystal that he did not notice the sound of his name being called from outside, or the noises of a door opening and closing at the front of his little cottage
.
“Uncle.”  The word was softly spoken, but Aliester had been so focused on his task, he almost jumped out of his seat.  In his shock, he jabbed the device with his tweezers and broke one of the thin metal rods that bound the crystal.  There was a flash of violet light, and the entire metal casing seemed to crumble away into its component rods, gears, and joints.  Unbound, the energy leaked out of the crystal almost immediately.
“Nooo!”  Aliester wailed.  He looked up at the intruder with a hurt look in his eyes.  He saw his nephew Ardry, presumably back from another provisioning trip.  “I was so close, Ardry!  I was on the verge of a true breakthrough in thaumic analysis!  Why did you choose to disturb me at this specific moment?”
Ardry grimaced.  The young scout had braved just about every dungeon, monster fortress, ancient crypt, and dark corner of Dereth in the service of the Arcanum and Aliester’s esoteric research requests, but the only thing he truly feared on this world where death was almost never permanent was disappointing his eccentric uncle.
“I apologize, Uncle,” he said, “but I knocked on the door and called your name before I came in.  I didn’t know what else to do, and my errand here is time-sensitive, so I didn’t think I could just stand here waiting for you to look up.”
Aliester sighed, sat back, and rubbed his tired eyes.  “Perhaps I have been at labor for too long on this project.  I need to get some rest.  Or at least take a break, to restore my mental and physical equilibrium.”
Ardry pulled up a chair and sat by his uncle.  “There have been developments that affect your work.  Gondo Kanezo has finished his own research, and can reconstruct one of these Gear Knight trinkets with his own forged pieces.”  He fished a necklace out of his shirt and showed it to his uncle.  Dangling from a silver chain was a piece of framed crystal, every bit as complicated and elegant as the piece Aliester had been studying.
Aliester’s eyes widened as he took the trinket from Ardry and looked at it through his lens.  “A wondrous piece of metal craft.  Truly, Kanezo is a gifted artisan.  To replicate the delicate structures of the Gear Knight power cores… Even the cogs, which are so difficult to smith with the requisite degree of precision…”  He shook his head in amazement.  “And the enchantments?  Has he duplicated the enchantments?  I do not see active mana flows through the lens here…”
Ardry shook his head.  “No, but Zarea bint Zia is hard at work on the enchantment-bearing properties of the crystals themselves.  She has learned much, but believes that she needs your expertise to get past some obstacles she has run into.  She invites you to her workshop to pool your efforts.  She thinks that once you two figure out the nature and structure of the enchantments bound into the cores, replicating them for our own uses will be easy.”
The old sage thought about it for a second.  “I would like to continue my own efforts, independently.  I am sure she has made great progress, but I feel that I, too, am close to grasping the inner workings of this wondrous device.  It would serve as a non-trivial disruption of my own work, to pack up and move to an unfamiliar work environment at this stage.”
Ardry smiled smugly.  “She thought you’d say that.  That’s why she sent this to sweeten the offer.”  He drew a small silver flask from his pack and handed it to his uncle.
Aliester took the flask, uncorked the top, and took a sniff.  His eyes became even wider than they had been at the sight of Gondo Kanezo’s replicated gearcraft.  “It cannot be.”
Laughing, Ardry nodded.  “Indeed.  She has a whole bottle of Imperial Orchards Apple Brandy from Tirethas.  She said she remembered you naming it as something you’d regret never being able to taste again when the two of you came through the portal together.”
“How can it be?” Aliester asked.  “How can she have that after all this time?  This may be the only bottle extant outside of Ispar!  And such bottles were notoriously difficult to acquire even for those who still live in our long lost home… They given away but rarely by the Malika herself.”
“Zarea brought it with her when she came through the portal.  She said she was saving it for a special occasion, much like that bottle of Hundred-Year Teakston that I saved until last year.”
Aliester looked confused.  “But what special occasion?  Surely she would not open that bottle with no purpose in mind but to cajole me to her home to collaborate on a research project.  We have worked together many times in the past, with no need to mark the occasion with a stunningly rare bottle of Imperial Orchards.”
Ardry laughed again.  “Oh, uncle.  Can you really have forgotten?  Today marks the tenth anniversary of your arrival, along with Kanezo and Zarea, in this strange and endlessly surprising world.”
The old sage rocked back in his chair and blinked in shock.  He thought about it, and said slowly, “Absolutely correct.  I had lost track of time, working on that bit of gearcraft there.  Ten years!”  He looked at Ardry in wonder.  “Ten years!”
“Ten years,” Ardry agreed amiably.  He took the flask back from his uncle.  “Let us toast then, Uncle.  To ten years in Dereth.”  He took a small sip of the precious liquor, then handed the flask back.
Aliester took the flask and looked at it for a long moment.  Finally he said, in a voice full of gravitas, “To ten years in Dereth,” and took a sip himself.  His eyes rolled back in his head as he savored the flavor, rolling the liquor around in his mouth.  He swallowed, then stood up.  He handed the flask back to Ardry.  “Very well.  Sage Zarea’s magnificent enticement has achieved the desired effect.  I shall go call upon her, share some apple brandy, and collaborate with her on the question of the unique energy lattices within the Gear Knights’ power cores.”  He nodded, as if to affirm it to himself.
“You’d best hurry, Uncle,” Ardry said in a dry, amused voice.  “Cousin Ulgrim somehow found out about the bottle of Old Orchards, and is probably on his way there right now.”
“Zounds!” Aliester shouted.  “Why didn’t you tell me the time was so short?”  He scooped up his work tools, shoved them into a pack, and ran out the door.
Ardry watched him go, smiling affectionately.  He shook his head and took a healthy sip of the flask, relishing the taste of Ispar.  “To ten years in Dereth,” he said quietly to himself.


=== Release Notes ===
=== Release Notes ===

Revision as of 05:17, 28 October 2009

October 2009 - Announcements Page


See Also:

Turbine Announcements

Teaser Images

Teaser

Rollout

  • [?? Current Link]
  • [?? Original Link]


Aliester the Loquacious, pre-eminent sage of Dereth, peered into large glass lens positioned over his work desk. In his hands he held a pair of tiny tweezers and a sharp etching tool. Atop his work desk, magnified for his aging eyes by the lens, was a small, intricate device consisting of a deep violet crystal framed within a network of delicate metal parts. The lens served as both a magnifying device and a filter to help him better see the flow of energy across parts of the crystal and its metal case of rods and gears.

Aliester muttered quietly as he worked. Sometimes he whispered a spell, intended to manipulate the energy contained within the crystal. Other times the words he uttered were just a stream of consciousness of observations and notes to himself as he tried to make sense of the device. The device had been brought to him by his intrepid nephew Ardry just a few days before, and Aliester had spent almost the entire time attempting to decipher the secrets of this fabulously complicated and endlessly interesting artifact.

He prodded the device with his etching tool and turned one of the gears attached to the assembly as he worked another spell, and watched with fascination at the response of the energy flows. He was so caught up in watching the slow changes coming over the crystal that he did not notice the sound of his name being called from outside, or the noises of a door opening and closing at the front of his little cottage . “Uncle.” The word was softly spoken, but Aliester had been so focused on his task, he almost jumped out of his seat. In his shock, he jabbed the device with his tweezers and broke one of the thin metal rods that bound the crystal. There was a flash of violet light, and the entire metal casing seemed to crumble away into its component rods, gears, and joints. Unbound, the energy leaked out of the crystal almost immediately.

“Nooo!” Aliester wailed. He looked up at the intruder with a hurt look in his eyes. He saw his nephew Ardry, presumably back from another provisioning trip. “I was so close, Ardry! I was on the verge of a true breakthrough in thaumic analysis! Why did you choose to disturb me at this specific moment?”

Ardry grimaced. The young scout had braved just about every dungeon, monster fortress, ancient crypt, and dark corner of Dereth in the service of the Arcanum and Aliester’s esoteric research requests, but the only thing he truly feared on this world where death was almost never permanent was disappointing his eccentric uncle.

“I apologize, Uncle,” he said, “but I knocked on the door and called your name before I came in. I didn’t know what else to do, and my errand here is time-sensitive, so I didn’t think I could just stand here waiting for you to look up.”

Aliester sighed, sat back, and rubbed his tired eyes. “Perhaps I have been at labor for too long on this project. I need to get some rest. Or at least take a break, to restore my mental and physical equilibrium.”

Ardry pulled up a chair and sat by his uncle. “There have been developments that affect your work. Gondo Kanezo has finished his own research, and can reconstruct one of these Gear Knight trinkets with his own forged pieces.” He fished a necklace out of his shirt and showed it to his uncle. Dangling from a silver chain was a piece of framed crystal, every bit as complicated and elegant as the piece Aliester had been studying.

Aliester’s eyes widened as he took the trinket from Ardry and looked at it through his lens. “A wondrous piece of metal craft. Truly, Kanezo is a gifted artisan. To replicate the delicate structures of the Gear Knight power cores… Even the cogs, which are so difficult to smith with the requisite degree of precision…” He shook his head in amazement. “And the enchantments? Has he duplicated the enchantments? I do not see active mana flows through the lens here…”

Ardry shook his head. “No, but Zarea bint Zia is hard at work on the enchantment-bearing properties of the crystals themselves. She has learned much, but believes that she needs your expertise to get past some obstacles she has run into. She invites you to her workshop to pool your efforts. She thinks that once you two figure out the nature and structure of the enchantments bound into the cores, replicating them for our own uses will be easy.”

The old sage thought about it for a second. “I would like to continue my own efforts, independently. I am sure she has made great progress, but I feel that I, too, am close to grasping the inner workings of this wondrous device. It would serve as a non-trivial disruption of my own work, to pack up and move to an unfamiliar work environment at this stage.”

Ardry smiled smugly. “She thought you’d say that. That’s why she sent this to sweeten the offer.” He drew a small silver flask from his pack and handed it to his uncle.

Aliester took the flask, uncorked the top, and took a sniff. His eyes became even wider than they had been at the sight of Gondo Kanezo’s replicated gearcraft. “It cannot be.”

Laughing, Ardry nodded. “Indeed. She has a whole bottle of Imperial Orchards Apple Brandy from Tirethas. She said she remembered you naming it as something you’d regret never being able to taste again when the two of you came through the portal together.”

“How can it be?” Aliester asked. “How can she have that after all this time? This may be the only bottle extant outside of Ispar! And such bottles were notoriously difficult to acquire even for those who still live in our long lost home… They given away but rarely by the Malika herself.”

“Zarea brought it with her when she came through the portal. She said she was saving it for a special occasion, much like that bottle of Hundred-Year Teakston that I saved until last year.”

Aliester looked confused. “But what special occasion? Surely she would not open that bottle with no purpose in mind but to cajole me to her home to collaborate on a research project. We have worked together many times in the past, with no need to mark the occasion with a stunningly rare bottle of Imperial Orchards.”

Ardry laughed again. “Oh, uncle. Can you really have forgotten? Today marks the tenth anniversary of your arrival, along with Kanezo and Zarea, in this strange and endlessly surprising world.”

The old sage rocked back in his chair and blinked in shock. He thought about it, and said slowly, “Absolutely correct. I had lost track of time, working on that bit of gearcraft there. Ten years!” He looked at Ardry in wonder. “Ten years!”

“Ten years,” Ardry agreed amiably. He took the flask back from his uncle. “Let us toast then, Uncle. To ten years in Dereth.” He took a small sip of the precious liquor, then handed the flask back.

Aliester took the flask and looked at it for a long moment. Finally he said, in a voice full of gravitas, “To ten years in Dereth,” and took a sip himself. His eyes rolled back in his head as he savored the flavor, rolling the liquor around in his mouth. He swallowed, then stood up. He handed the flask back to Ardry. “Very well. Sage Zarea’s magnificent enticement has achieved the desired effect. I shall go call upon her, share some apple brandy, and collaborate with her on the question of the unique energy lattices within the Gear Knights’ power cores.” He nodded, as if to affirm it to himself.

“You’d best hurry, Uncle,” Ardry said in a dry, amused voice. “Cousin Ulgrim somehow found out about the bottle of Old Orchards, and is probably on his way there right now.”

“Zounds!” Aliester shouted. “Why didn’t you tell me the time was so short?” He scooped up his work tools, shoved them into a pack, and ran out the door.

Ardry watched him go, smiling affectionately. He shook his head and took a healthy sip of the flask, relishing the taste of Ispar. “To ten years in Dereth,” he said quietly to himself.

Release Notes

Discoveries

Patch Size: 4,504k (Client: 3,591k)

Town Crier Rumors

Free Rumors:

Town Crier tells you, "Augmentation gems. I'll never be able to use one of those at my level. I can only imagine the power that must flow through an adventurers as that wave of color washes over them when they learn a new augmentation and there are many more to learn now."


Town Crier tells you, "First my cousin tells me that there are strange mechanical creatures. Now he's telling me you can make all sorts of devices with some form of crafting they brought with them. I'm not sure how much of this I can really believe."


Town Crier tells you, "Have you gone to see Sean the Speedy yet to hear about the next set of Explorers' Society map markers to find?"


Town Crier tells you, "I've always wanted to see a scarab come to life and fly away and now I have."


Town Crier tells you, "I've heard rumors of an army of mechanical men are marching through the Direlands!"


Town Crier tells you, "It seems like the Woron Family is happily reunited, thanks to the intrepid adventurers who answered their calls for help."


Town Crier tells you, "News! Rand the Hunter has updated his creature bounties. Find him in Holtburg to see what he's marked this time."


Town Crier tells you, "There are strange reports from adventurers who have been exploring the Eastern shore of the Inner Sea."


Town Crier tells you, "Woosh! Woosh! That sound is all I seem to hear any more. All these large weapons being flailed around, it seems dangerous to me."


Pyreal Rumors:

Town Crier tells you, "All you map hounds are encouraged to see Sean the Speedy in Holtburg. Word is he's got a thing for, ahem, dangerous places this month."
Town Crier tells you, "It also seems that Sean the Speedy has finally finished his rounds of hiding markers, and has a special reward for those who find all of them."


Town Crier tells you, "Formerly undesirable materials now seem to be in demand by crafters. If I can remember right those materials are Ruby, Sapphire, Diamond, Amber, Pyreal and ... err... right! Gromnie Hide."


Town Crier tells you, "I have been keeping track of a lot of new information, there's so much going on. I don't have everything set yet but I know of Augmentation trainers in Cragstone, Ayan Baqur and Hebian-to, there are more I know but not their locations."


Town Crier tells you, "I hear that Ries Woron enjoys telling the tale of the Unknown Warrior. If you'd like to hear a story told with so much detail you feel you are actually there, you should seek him out above the tavern in Baishi."


Town Crier tells you, "If you have heard tell of "Gearcrafting" it seems it may be true. I saw someone running around with some kind of magnifying glass that seemed to help him kill creatures."
Town Crier tells you, "My cousin told me he saw an army of mechanical men digging for something in the northern Direlands. I wonder what they're looking for."


Town Crier tells you, "Rand the Hunter has marked a new set of creatures for bounties. This time I hear he's in a mechanical mood. Find him in Holtburg if you feel up to the task."

Ulgrim Rumors

Free Rumors:

Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I think Sean the Speedy's running out of places to mark, because he's gone for some of the really hard-to-miss sites now."


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Oh, it's fall. That's good, I was getting tired of summer. All the heat makes me thirsty. Wait, no, I'm still thirsty. That's a hint, kid, get me some stout."


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "See! See what the Virindi have brought on us now?!? First Applesause, now killer robots!"


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "So I hear there is no trouble involving Ries Woron lately, who would of guessed after months of nothing but whining. Oh I've been hurt, oh my wife is missing, almost as bad as listening to my ex-wife."
Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "You don't think I ended up here on accident do you? I saw a portal and figured whatever was on the other side was better then what was at home."


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "You may be looking forward to festival season, but I'm not. It seems like every year bad stuff starts happening around then. Like all the bad guys in Dereth save all their big plans for the times when it's most festive. That just seems mean-spirited. It'd be much kinder to make trouble in the summer, when the cool dungeon air will be a nice break from the heat."


Stout Rumors:

Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Did you ever wonder where the eggs we eat come from? And what about the supposed chicken our cooks make? I don't eat either of them... just in case."


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Fall has come back around! My favorite time of year. Time to gather the lads and throw around the old pigskin. Wait, what do you mean there are no pigs in Dereth? Where the heck has my bacon been coming from, then?"


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Heh, I think Rand the Hunter is trying to send us a message with this month's bounties. And that message is that Nurino may not be as crazy as I recently thought he is. Either that, or someone's been passing some really good Stout around."


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I found this great pack lately. It holds even more Stout than the Colosseum Packs. Great for exploring without getting too thirsty."


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I was just in Eastham the other day, talking to Hei Shou, and she had an interesting theory about what the Apostate Virindi are really up to. As soon as I realized that her theory had nothing to do with applesauce, though, I dismissed it as the unfocused ravings of a crank."


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "I'm gonna need more cowbell!"


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "If we build a new town I say we call it Ulgrim's Ridge. Now that's a town name with style!"


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "No, really, I know exactly what the Apostates are up to. They're going to flay us all and harvest our organs so they can appear more human. I told Claude he couldn't possibly pass for a human without organs, and ever since he's been muttering about how 'More organs equals more human' or something like that."


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "So I went to Baishi to have a drink and there is none other than Ries Woron. He starts rambling on and on about the Unknown Warrior and the adventures in their hideout. Luckily I could drink faster than he could talk and he left me alone, or I passed out, I don't really remember."


Ulgrim the Unpleasant tells you, "Those mansions I've seen are pretty nice, but nowhere near as nice as the house I built for myself. I used to have a fortress on Asheron's Island, but the neighbors were too loud."



New Quests

Live Events

  • Special live events are scheduled for all day Monday, Nov. 2nd.

Updated Quests


New NPCs


New Locations

Updated Locations


New Items

Sword of the Unknown Warrior

You are eligible for the 10th anniversary pet!
Make sure that you have free space in your pack. Go to Ayala bint'Shashqa, the Arcanum Tinkerer, in the Pet Shop near the Obsidian Span at 35.2N, 39.3E.
Bronze Gearknight Gear

Augmentation Gems

Infused War Magic Infused Life Magic Infused Item Magic Infused Creature Magic Master of the Steel Circle Master of the Four Fold Path Master of the Focused Eye Frenzy of the Slayer Eye of the Remorseless Hand of the Remorseless Iron Skin of the Invincible

Gearcrafting

Major Gearcrafting Armature Refining Polish (Mana) Refining Polish (Stamina)

Salvaging

Salvaged Amber Salvaged Diamond Salvaged Gromnie Hide Salvaged Pyreal Salvaged Ruby Salvaged Sapphire

Scrolls

Scroll of Gear Craft Mastery Self VII Scroll of Two Handed Weapons Ineptitude VII Inscription of Armor Self

Red Rune Silveran Weapons

Whispering Blade Token Atlatl Stamped Silveran Ingot Axe Stamped Silveran Ingot Casting Staff Stamped Silveran Ingot Claw Stamped Silveran Ingot Crossbow Stamped Silveran Ingot Dagger Stamped Silveran Ingot Bow Stamped Silveran Ingot Mace Stamped Silveran Ingot Spear Stamped Silveran Ingot Staff Stamped Silveran Ingot Sword Stamped Silveran Ingot Two Handed Sword Stamped Silveran Ingot Red Rune Silveran Greatsword

Other

Great BloodScorch Gear Knight Core Fragment Depleted Aetherium Ore Aetherium Ore Aetherium Power Core Unstable Mana Stone


New UI and Game Changes

  • Special text when logging in for the first time:
Make sure that you have free space in your pack. Go to Ayala bint'Shashqa, the Arcanum Tinkerer, in the Pet Shop near the Obsidian Span at 35.2N, 39.3E.
The Temples of Forgetfulness and Enlightenment have had the timer for their use reset for the 10th Anniversary.
You are eligible for the 10th anniversary pet!
  • Ninth character slot added to all accounts.
  • All accounts upgraded to Throne of Destiny status.
  • Quest Journal added.
  • Workaround implemented that fixes chat fail to enter on login errors.

New Skills


New Augmentations

Name Effect Experience Cost Repeat? NPC Location
Infused War Magic You no longer need any Foci or component to cast War Magic spells, though you still require scarabs and tapers. 2 billion No Raphel Detante Silyun
Infused Life Magic You no longer need any Foci or component to cast Life Magic spells, though you still require scarabs and tapers. 2 billion No Akemi Fei Hebian-to
Infused Item Magic You no longer need any Foci or component to cast Item Magic spells, though you still require scarabs and tapers. 2 billion No Gan Fo Hebian-To
Infused Creature Magic You no longer need any Foci or component to cast Creature Magic spells, though you still require scarabs and tapers. 2 billion No Gustuv Lansdown Cragstone
Master of the Steel Circle Your effective melee skill when using any melee weapon is increased by +10. 2 billion No Carlito Gallo Silyun
Master of the Four Fold Path Your effective magic skill when casting any spell is increased by +10. 2 billion No Rahina bint Zalanis Zaikhal
Master of the Focused Eye Your effective missile skill when using any missile weapon is increased by +10. 2 billion No Kilaf Zaikhal
Frenzy of the Slayer Damage rating of 3 which increases all damage you do with any attack 2 billion No Neela Nashua Bandit Castle
Eye of the Remorseless 1% increased chance of a critical hit 4 billion No Anfram Mellow Ayan Baqur
Hand of the Remorseless 3% increased damage for a critical hit 4 billion No Alishia bint Aldan Ayan Baqur
Iron Skin of the Invincible Damage reduction rating of 3 which reduces all damage you take 2 billion No Emily Yarow Cragstone
Tristra's Essence Specialize the Gearcraft skill 1 billion No Alex Brummel Cragstone



New Titles

  • All for One - Kill six Lesser Lords.
  • Title (Create as link, make link a redirect to quest/event where title is obtained)

New Creatures

Gear Knight


Images

Click image for full size.


Known Issues

  • Per Frelorn:
    1. Two Handed Mastery 7 Self and Other have the same name.
    2. Gearcrafting Mastery 7 Other doesn’t have a unique name.
    3. Noble Armors do not have Two Handed Mastery spells on them.
    4. There’s no statue in the Tusker King (Bobo) quest for Two Handed or Gearcraft
  • Great BloodScorch is currently bugged, requiring Sword Skill instead of Two Handed Skill. It will be fixed next patch.
  • The cleave effect of Two Handed Weapons can hit monsters that are far below the player. This will be fixed next month. Read more about the bug here
  • Unable to apply Salvaged Leather to trinkets (they can be salvaged though).
  • After applying pyreal to a Major Gearcrafting Armature, the description says: "... to add Major TBD." This should show the correct spell name.

Typos

  • Gustuv Lansdown tells you, "hen you use this gem, ..." - should be "When"
  • Dame Alistra tells you, "...It is my chare to disrupt..." - should be "charge"
  • Salvaged Amber (and all other new salvages) - "This Armeture [sic] can then be used..." - should be "Armature"

Splash Screen