Message In a Bottle: My Vacation to the Great Island

I look out across this unknown island filled with soaring mountains and beautiful crystalline waters. The lava flows are like black frozen rivers, so much like the lava fields of Jakareth. And so much like Jakareth, do those black rivers stand still amidst lush forests kissed by mist. My head tilts toward the west and I watch the sun set beyond the horizon, and think of home.

But this time away from the harsh rigors of adventuring serves as a vacation for the spirit. Here, I can commune and come to terms with myself. I have watched mermaids play in crystal clear waters amidst turtles and dolphins, and have tried to perfect their song to enhance my bard skill. Jumping from place to place amidst towering waterfalls helps train my revealer's portals. Lastly, the spiritual energy of this ancient and deeply religious place allows my stalwart paladin to be more in touch with Galeel. Yet, as I turn toward the horizon, I think of home.

Sometimes I wonder why I left all that I have known and loved to travel so far. Farther even than the reach of my guild. If my message reaches them, it is my wish to let them know that I cannot access the forum, and myspace remains unaccessible to me. Here, I am in virtual isolation.

Most of all, I miss my dear friends and wish them well. It is my hope that they continue to grow and bond, though I am not there to share with them. I plan on returning sooner than scheduled, for I cannot stay away from Duex for so long.

And so, I wish this message in a bottle speed to fly to Mirth and let those I care for know I am okay and returning in a few days. Perhaps Friday? Galeel willing, it may be so. Until then...

LadyKayden Riven
writing from The Great Island
sent by a message in a bottle

Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend (Hazeroth Keep)

I am no stranger to the desolation of the Eastern Wastelands, but today was my first visit to Hazeroth Keep. Buffed to the hilt and invisible to boot, Duex and I crept through the valley expecting the worst. We researched and questioned other adventurers regarding their experiences, and with each telling the horrors only served to fuel our fears. But venture forth we did, and all for a tiny crafting material called diamonds.

Hardhead, a friend of mine, has been collecting them for us in exchange for Scrolls of Learning. However, we wanted to give Hazeroth a try and see if we had the power to do it ourselves (besides, we wanted to give Hardhead a break). We knew that the Warling Chief drops diamonds on occasion, and research reveals he is the same level as I.

As we topped the small rise, we saw the bones of a bohemoth sprawled along the length of the valley. It's huge maw served as a sinister gateway that serves as the Warling's outpost. Armed to the teeth and moving forward with caution, we easily overcame the Warling Chief, and recovered no diamonds. Several battles with Basilisks, Warling Captains, and more Chiefs provides me with beautiful crystal foci, yet the diamond eludes us.

Tired and uneasy, we ventured further along the impossibly long spine of the bestial bones which served as an elevated walkway. Ready to give up, we decided to try one more battle with a Warling Chief. Our efforts paid off and we discovered a diamond! It made us both appreciate the many diamonds that our friend Hardhead recovered for us. Along the way, I was also happy to see our friend and fellow guildmate, Boliele. With a drive-by hug, she flew between the towering rib bones and into the sky like a beacon of silvery blue. With a smile and a wave, we carefully stowed our precious find and ported back to Trinst to rest.

Items and Crafting

Lately, I find myself hopping all over Mirth. I have gone as far south as the Jakareth Jungle and Eastern Wastelands for Platinum Ore, emptied out buckets of sand from my boots looking for Foci, been stomped on by giants for Obsidian, and picked on halflings and gnomes for armor... and for all this I have learned one very important lesson: save everything.



I think back on the times, as a lower level bard, when I would expunge bits of Foci because I didn't understand its use. I have even thrown away rare Ivory, Obsidian, and Platinum before I realized its worth; now I find myself hunting for the very things I overlooked. Even now, I help other friends with gathering widow venom sacs and rabid slime for poison making: all are items from creatures we no longer gain experience from.

But, the journey is always worth the extra efforts, so I never feel I am wasting time. We meet with friends, maybe make a few more, and along the way we have a blast. I have also recently learned, much to my utter despair and elation, that adding a /craft macro to an attack macro helps further boost the crafting skill.




Hardhead taught me that, and I shall always be grateful for that little tip. Duex and I used to do it the old fashion way: Open craft window, insert craft objects, press button, transfer item into inventory and repeat. We even tried to craft that way while traveling and fighting. As a result, we find ourselves running into walls and getting killed by enemies.



Furthermore, on my travels I have heard tales of glorious dragon armor, worn by high level adventurers. Being the armor crafter that I am, I dream of making armor even half magnificent. So, as a kind of joke, a few of my guildmates (Vegedip and Julius) turned into little dragons so they could be my "dragon armor".



We stood outside the Muldin Follower huts and flew around in alternating jerks and soars just trying to get the perfect shot. Here, I hold Vegedip like a carry-on purse, while in another Julius and Vegedip act as my dragon shoes.



Community and comraderie is important, not just with guildmates, but with other fellow adventurers. I feel it helps build a better experience and also passes the time during long sieges of item hunting.

Makeover: You're Officially Pimped

It may be true that idleness breeds mischief, so if you are away, and I'm bored, you may get a free makeover! Guess who this lucky halfling is?

A Sorta Typical Day with GUILD FREEDOM

I wake up in the Freedom Guild Hall, brew a large pot of coffee, put out cookies, and get ready for a day of work. This consists of gathering materials and, more often than not, killing for it.

A trip to the Eastern Wastelands with Duex and Indignate yields Platinum Ore. Of course, we come across the occasional mob of snakes. Duex would take a break as Indignate and I would fight Coiled Zealots. When we'd return to Duex's spot, we find him surrounded by a mass of snakes, much like a hydra.



After our return, we'd sit on what a few of us have dubbed "Freedom Hill" and work on our craft. Boliele would create masses of sunstones for her upcoming battle with the Efreet, while Duex crafts weapons with skill and deadly beauty. As for myself, I work on whatever interests me at the moment.

Today, I am working on my brewing, since without it, I can't get much further in my cooking craft. So, FEAR and I fly off to the moat to hunt for moat rat tails. I need them to brew Trinst Delight, an alcoholic beverage made with beer and rat tails. The thought of drinking the noxious brew turns my stomach, but the heartiest of constitutions enjoy that extra "kick" to the system.


We dive into the water from the sky with an audible splash. My Aquatic Overture spell kicks in and we breath safely beneath the depths. Moat Rats surround us, and we destroy them at leisure. In between the spawns, we play like fish. FEAR is pretends to be Nessie, while I snap pictures to sell to the local tabloid "Trinst Enquirer".

When we arrive back at the hill, Belkar returns. We watch in awe as he battles with speed and ease... that is, until he sets his sights on FEAR and launches in the air for the kill blow. With flurry of wings and scales, the green wyvern falls to the ground. Belkar stands above the noble beast with weapons in hand and fire in his eyes.

Though some may misinterpret our antics as aggressive or even mean, we are actually a fun-loving guild who likes to spend the day just hanging out and maybe getting into a little mischief.

Long Live Freedom!

Stone Giants of Zharim

Usually, Duex and I team up together to fight Stone Giants in the volcanic region of Mt. Zharim. Sometimes, we'd have friends and guild mates join us, but we are pretty much a pair.

However, while Duex was off on a quest, I stayed behind in Trinst to catch up on furthering my craft. Belkar happened by, and we decided to join up and do a little adventuring. Together, we flew to Mt. Zharim to battle Stone Giants.

With my bard buffs, Belkar is even deadlier than normal. Though he is 7 levels below me, he whirls, strikes, and stabs with terrifying proficiency. As the giants fell, you could hear the thunder of their bodies and feel the ground almost groan. On top of it all is this halfling, slightly larger than a giant's toe.

In the end, we went to an island full of giants. We killed many, but were soon overwhelmed. Belkar heroically led them off away from me, deeper into the value with his Rescue, while I healed up. He feigned death to draw them off of himself, and the tactic seemed to work. However, during one incident, shortly after I died, he woke up from his feign death and was also brought down.

To this day we can't quite figure out why... maybe it was a malevolent force at work in the background...

Essence of Flash: Next Stop, Jakareth Jungle

The humidity weighting the Jakareth Jungle is almost as oppressive as the thick forest growth. My Airy Melody carried us over the thick tree canopy, but made tracking difficult. Worse, following each other in flight was sometimes frustrating. The trees would block our sight and searching for the small Flash took up most of our attention.

Once again, Duex and I decided to split up in order to canvas the area more efficiently.

Bypassing Drakkens, Mammoths, and Crusaders, I flew safely over. I called for help and learned that the Flash would normally stay by lava. Following the smell of smoke and sulphur, I arrived at the volcano. But like the Quake, Flash is difficult to find. After sweeping the area for half an hour, we found Flash sitting next to the lava lake. What was really frustrating was the realization that we passed that spot many times but couldn't find or track it. The Flash would appear as a fleeting blip before disappearing from our track.

For once, Duex and I wished we were rangers.

Taking down the Flash was much like taking the Quake, and soon Duex had his Essence of Flash. We arrived at Trinst covered in soot and leaves. Our disheveled and haggard appearance gave the city's denizens pause. For once, I didn't care. I trudged up to my rooms, ordered a bath, and washed off the day's grime.

As I watched the small fire flickering in the fireplace and sipped my wine, I thought of the next adventure: The Essence of Shard and a journey to the Frostbite Islands.

Essence of Quake: A Tempest Quest

I stood upon the roof of the guard tower, letting the wind whip my hair around me. Tilting my head to the wind, I heard Duex calling to me. He needed my assistance with teleportation in search of Tempest Quest elements. Taking one last look at the rolling hills and large moon upon the horizon, I sang my airy melody and descended to him.

He needed the Essence of Volt, Quake, Flash, and Shard... elements of nature. Since the Desert of Mohrum is our usual hunting ground, we had the Essence of Volt tucked safely away in the vault, but the rest needed finding.

Our first stop was the Eastern Wasteland to find the Essence of Quake. Since I lacked a portal to the Wastelands, we opted for a Kauldur portal and flew to the Wastelands. I could smell the smoke and decay upon the wind and mourned for the charred ground and blackened trees.

The landscape is populated with an array of powerful creatures, made fearsome by the war and reaving which marred by past evils. Large snakes and vicious beetles was like an ocean before us... Drakken, Stonegazers, and Gargantuan Undead dominate the so-called lesser creatures. And floating in the sky, great hulking islands made unreachable by an invisible barrier.

Flying seemed like a safe option, so we glided above the unknown landscape. Everything seemed similar, and it was easy to get lost. We split up to search for the Quake, and tracking was difficult. Finally, I spotted the seemingly diminutive elemental. So much like an Earthly Visage, it is easy to miss and mistaken, but Earthly Visages are far more powerful and aggressive than the mere Quake.

We approached the Quake, virtually hidden amidst the towering cliffs, and attacked with orchestrated vigor. Like Volt, the Quake releases a fiery attack that scorches armor and sears skin, so we knew to dodge and avoid the powerful attack.

Finally, with a final blast of Duex's Planetary Strike spell, the Quake fell. We relaxed enough to take on a few Stonegazers before being ambushed by an Earthly Visage. With the Essence of Quake in hand, we decided to cut our losses and teleport back to Trinst...

That's two essences down... and two more to go. Each more precarious to obtain than the next.

To be continued...

Duex vs. LadyKayden: The Almost Battle

Upon my return to Trinst, I received a message from Belkar to journey to the Desert of Mohrum. He had found the March of Mercy scroll for me which he received by defeating the Mummified Prince. However, when Duex and I arrived there, he gave the scroll to Duex instead of myself.

Mischievous halfling that he is, Belkar made a suggestion to Duex. "Why not have Lady Kayden duel you for the scroll? After all, it is such a powerful spell..."

I could hear his laughter echo across the dunes and cringed. Naturally, I didn't want to fight him. Cursing halfling mischief, I kicked up a lot of sand with my protests and pouting. My fellow adventurers found my frustration quite amusing. Duex thought my fit of temper "cute" to which I responded with a kick to his shin.

Hoping to stall a little for time, I tried chasing Duex to no avail and ended up cursing myself for speed buffing him. Then I reverted to begging, which only made Duex and Belkar laugh. Finally, I threatened him... By then, Belkar got bored with the little drama he instigated and left.

Eventually, Duex did give the scroll without a fight on one condition: we should duel after. I squirmed a little under his searching gaze and reluctantly agreed. When I finally found myself ready to duel, he changed his mind.

"What's the point of fighting without an audience?" Duex picked up his gear and slanted a smile at me. "I have a quest to do, we can duel another time."

Grateful and relieved, I readily agree. And so it was that we went in search of Quake, Flash, and Shard. But that's another story...

Freedom Guild's Version of Hide and Seek

Adventure shouldn't just be about attack/kick/cast and no play, so it's good to be a part of a guild with a lot of solidarity.

Last night, the guild chat was especially active. Since Duex was taking a nap, I went to Trinst to work on crafting and do some banking while chatting. I thought of the time when Hardhead and Derenule tried finding me when I was invisible. I had just gotten my Ghostly Melody spell and was trying it out. We'd run around the Broken Keg Inn trying to find each other while V watched from the Bind Stone Hill. Ah... memories.

Feeling a little bored and nostalgic, I started up a game of hide and seek. So I went invisible, ran around, then flew up high above the city. The first person to find me got a Scroll of Learning. Luckily, the wind was calm enough to allow me to hover steadily, but since there was no rain, I had little cloud cover. Belkar found me quickly and I descended to give him his prize.

Soon, our little game of Hide and Seek turned into Stab and Seek. Almost everyone (except myself) went PvP and would chase each other to eventually battle. A few people (Hardhead included, who was the highest level of those playing along) lost a level.

But it was all in fun and everyone had such a great time... I think that sort of solidarity really helps bring a guild closer together and displays our unity.

Muldin Massacre

In the pursuit of power, people are willing to go to extreme lengths. They will travel across vast distances, swim through crocodile-infested waters, steal... and kill. The search for better armor has taken Duex and I to that extreme to what is now known as The Muldin Massacre.

Outside the towering walls of Trinst, near the great sewer drain, is a small collection of huts. The halflings dwelling there call themselves Lunda and Muldin followers. These 30-something level paladins are tough because of their tenacity and ability to heal. For those who think that being small makes you less fierce in a battle, they haven't faced off with some of my Freedom guildmates (yes, I'm talking about you, Belkar).

The toughest of the Muldins is a halfling named Muldin Fanglow. If you decide to take him on, flying away isn't an option. This halfling will find a way to kill you in the air. Don't believe me? Check out Duex's floating grave above Trinst's Drain.

But taking on the Muldins and Lundas is worth it. They drop Shirecraft Armor (I have adventured with Halflings who are willing to kill their own kind in order to obtain this) and Adventurer's Bear Armor (about 30-ish level). This bright golden armor has great stat boosts that are beneficial to caster-tanks like myself. My only problem is my helm doesn't match my outfit... if only I could find a cool golden helm to go with... I wonder to what extreme length I would have to go to in order to obtain it...?

Bisotaurian Lord in the Talrim Hills

Flight has its uses. Since acquiring the Airy Melody scroll (thanks to a little tip from my friend Belkar), I have been able to scout wide swatches of land in relative safety. I have used the spell to assist a guildmate (Zaphyl) with finding Earthly Visages in the Anidaen Forest and to take shortcuts from the Trinst Stones to the Broken Keg Inn.

On one such trip to the Talrim Hills, we skipped over trolls, Funnel Weavers, and Hill Giants to discover Bisotaurs. These tough creatures drop useful gear and tomes for bards, paladins, etc. I even saw a bisotaur walking on air using the same spell I was! After all, the bisotaurs are also primary 30+ bards. But, there is one that stands out from the the rest: the Bisotaurian Lord.

Bristling with armor and about 10 levels higher than the rest, the Bisotaurian Lord has a nasty hit. Luckily, my secondary paladin class allows me to cast healing spells, while my primary Bard class provides buffs to boost stats, attacks, defenses, and regeneration.

During my first encounter with the Lord, I was traveling with an experienced lvl 33 adventurer named TekThief. Tek would tank while I'd heal, hit, and cast. When his hp would fall below half, I would Rescue him and tank. Furthermore, casting Disturbed Thoughts also helped wear the Lord down and eventually he fell.

The experience acquired was massive. These are also a few notes and observations I hope you find helpful: It doesn't hurt to have someone who could shackle or bind so you are able to step back and heal or do ranged while you regenerate. Once you help bring down some of the resists, casting high damage spells like Planetary Strike would hit more often. I must also note that the Bisotaurian Lord (as well as many Bisotaurs) have really good resistance. They are also bards, so they have many buffs on them. I have also used skills like Shield Bash, Sorrow Song, and Awe on the Bisotaur Lord with relative success.

The Bisotaur Lord drops fabulous armor. Most notable is his highly coveted boots.

Jakareth Jungle

Quests can be such touchy things. You never quite know what to expect. Belkar and I both had quests to complete, though with different purposes, and decided to travel together since my newly minted Revealer level granted me a party portal to the Jakareth Stones. Duex came along as well to explore and level.

The Jakareth Jungle is teeming with Panthers, Mammoths, and Crusaders. Singing my Ghostly Medley, I was able to turn our party invisible and avoid being set upon by fiercely difficult foe. The tall foliage made it difficult to find each other, and soon we were split apart from Belkar, who set off to find us a Mammoth Calf.

Near the shoreline, we happened upon a Mammoth and thought we could take it on. After all, the experience would be well worth the risk. But as we fought to bind and fight the raging mountain of shaggy fur, we soon found ourselves virtually overwhelmed. Our only advantage was speed, since the lumbering behemoth could not match our magical flight. Soon it gave up the chase and we found ourselves wandering further along the shoreline to a dock and village.

Thinking of my own quest, I immediately tried tracking Kirith (a paladin turned doom knight whose spirit I'm trying to Purify). Duex, adrenaline still pumping from our mammoth encounter, began fighting tough spiders and other monsters. I must've wandered far, because soon I caught a call on the wind from Duex for help. I was over a 1000 meters away from him, but I tried to run in time to help... Soon his silence indicated his defeat.

Sending my own call to Belkar, I told him of Duex's death. I wanted to return and see if Duex was okay. Belkar wished to remain and hunt, since he still had his quest and was doing fine. I felt a little uneasy leaving my small friend there, but he assured me that he could see himself back if need be. Lost and alone, I cast a portal back to Trinst and went to sleep...