Best Of

2/1/2022 at 0:01
Ictinus, the Architect
Everyone
February in Aetolia!

Hi folks!

February has arrived and while the main Year 500 celebrations have died down, the year isn't over... yet. Days of the week bonuses and the party barge will remain in effect until 1st Variach 501, and as we say goodbye to giftbags, we welcome back arrows! Much like previous promotions, I've conducted a review of arrow purses and while the gold were and remain very good value, bronze and silver suffered from low minimum values. I've tuned these up now, and the former average stated is now the minimum value a given purse is worth.

Arrows can be purchased from the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits and can be fired at others using a Heartstring Bow (see below for all the syntaxes). Being shot will get Easy Katy's attention! She will find those that have been hit with arrows and pass out a bag of prizes for them (limited to once per Howling). In addition, the person who shoots the most targets before the Howling, and the person who has been shot the most times will both receive 25 credits. In the event of a tie, these are split.

At the end of each real day, Katy will start looking for people who have been shooting her arrows and will begin passing out gifts. Single arrows reward a bronze purse, 5 reward a silver purse, and 25 arrows nets a golden purse. If you've shot a lot of arrows and the totals don't divide evenly, you'll receive a mix of purses in descending order of value from gold > silver > bronze respectively. This count resets at the Howling, so you'll want to avoid spreading out the shots too much if you want to target a gold purse!

The PROMOTIONS command has all of the syntaxes, but for clarity:

- PROMOTIONS CALLFORTH HEARTSTRING to summon your bow
- SHOOT <target> to shoot an arrow at someone in your room or in LoS (some combat restrictions apply)
- PROMOTIONS STATUS to display arrows owned, arrows shot, prizes rewarded and so on
- PROMOTIONS HURRYUP to call Easy Katy early and receive your rewards without waiting for the Howling

With that out of the way, let's look at prizes. Remember that the minimum value stated is the absolute minimum you will receive from a purse - and multiple prizes may be selected to make up the value. Arrows are quite a simple promotion in terms of reward structure, but are now one of the best for raw value.

Bronze purse, minimum value: 30 credits
Credit prizes ranging from 15-100, iron coins, bags of chocolates, flowery sachets (these contain Valentine's shop currencies and can be traded in for 12 credits), seductive flair pieces, perfection phylactery pieces, conjoined globes of twin elemental energies*.

Silver purse, minimum value: 150 credits
Credit prizes ranging from 75-500, iron coins, xp chalices, sachets, bronze purses, lovebird minipets, reflection wands, wormhole sticks, nocontactemote and transmogrification power orbs.

Gold purse, minimum value: 750 credits
Credit prizes ranging from 750-3000, tokens of passage, level 2 wormholes.

* Conjoined globes of twin elemental energies are a new type of globe themed around group hunting!

- DRAIN GLOBE <partner> to share it with someone else:
* This will give both of you the <element>_infused defence for half the timer of normal globes.
* As with normal globes, there is a maximum of four drains.

- SUMMON ELEMENTAL
* Will summon an elemental for both you and your partner, draining the timer from both of you, with some differences from normal globe elementals:
* One elemental can only be damaged by the person that summons, and the other by your partner.
* To make this easier to coordinate, the first elemental will always be damageable by the summoner, and the second by the partner. (e.g. target elemental.2)
* You and your partner, and only you two, will gain experience from both elementals, at a 40% bonus to standard group xp.

Enjoy!

Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 11th of Midsummer, in the year 500 MA.

1/31/2022 at 2:14
Keroc, the Starborn
Everyone
Classleads January / February 2022

Slightly early, however the first cycle of yearly classleads is now open!

Like last time, anonymous reports will be in effect and you will be allowed three reports per person. There is also no restrictions on which classes you may submit reports for - all are allowed!

Please try and keep your reports related to classes and skills. Other inquiries should make use of the IDEA system or orgreqs.

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Information for classleads:

Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you will to submit THREE reports in for consideration. Once this time frame is up, there will be THREE DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra three days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end.

For this round, all classes are available for reports!

If you're new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you're old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least.

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What are classleads:

Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Struggling to land that finishing blow as a Zealot? Then this is what you've been waiting for!

Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions.

If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on.

Details on submission:

* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others.

* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own.

* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission.

* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report's problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback.

* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD <#> SUPPORT/REJECT <reason> commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD <#> COMMENT <reason>, if you wish for a more neutral approach.

* Any commentary which basically boils down to 'I agree with my bud' or 'This is a terrible idea' will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions.

* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented.

Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 5th of Midsummer, in the year 500 MA.

1/30/2022 at 21:35
Ictinus, the Architect
Everyone
Calling Celani!

Aetolia is once again accepting applications for new Celani in the Pools of Creation. If you've ever felt the urge to take on more of a dungeonmaster role, or enjoy the idea of creating new quests, getting involved with events, and telling interactive stories, this could be the perfect role for you!

Celani is a volunteer position where you help shape the world of Aetolia in various ways, including eventually taking on a roleplay position as one of our Gods. It's a heavily team-oriented role, whereby you will be expected to support other members of the team in various projects and/or events, as well as working through a series of your own projects and tasks aimed at teaching you the ropes of how to work autonomously in the Pools environment, including how to use our scripting language.

To be a great Celani you need to be self motivated, enthusiastic, creative, willing to embrace a challenge, and above all, have a deep love for Aetolia and a strong desire to contribute to the world. Strong writing skills are a benefit, and the ability to take constructive feedback is essential -- many ideas get rejected in the search for the perfect suggestion, and everyone's work is scrutinised in order to ensure a high standard of writing quality.

For this round, we are only accepting applications for "roleplay and content" Celani, specifically those who are interested in telling stories, assisting with events, and helping create things to support various projects such as new items or NPCs.

In order to apply, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must be 18 years or older IRL.
- You must have, at absolute minimum, at least 500 hours of playing time.
- Be willing to sign an NDA and give up your character for the duration of your tenure.

Applications should be sent to celani@aetolia.com with the following informationn:

1. Your real name.
2. Your real age.
3. Your occupation (or course of study if you're a student).
4. Your character(s) in Aetolia.
5. Why you think we should make you a Celani, and perhaps eventually a God.
6. Why you want to be a Celani, knowing that you will need to cut ties with other players.

The above point is perhaps the most important of all when considering becoming Celani. Potential applicants should seriously consider their ability to detach from existing social networks and establish new ones in a different environment. Specifically, this involves leaving any Aetolia-based Discord servers, or Discord servers where Aetolia is a frequent subject of discussion. While it can be difficult, this level of separation is essential to a good transition into the team and is something we take very very seriously.

7. Any special experience you have outside of Aetolia that you feel may be useful in a Celani postion.

8. Two flawless room or denizen descriptions of 80+ words each. Please be sure to have read HELP STYLE before submitting these. Do not skip this!

9. A brief outline for an interesting and original IC event, totalling 100 - 200 words. This should be small in scope.

10. A skill message in the game you find boring, made more interesting!

Applications will remain open until Monday 7th February. Feel free to post any questions you may have about Celanihood or the application process in the forum thread for this post, or message me if you have a private question or concern!

Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Midsummer, in the year 500 MA.

1/25/2022 at 0:30
Ictinus, the Architect
Everyone
Party Barge & Daily Quest Rewards

Hi folks!

For those who missed it, Lord Sammonward's party barge is now moored in the Pachacacha at v1044. On board you'll find a variety of games to play, food and drink to sample, new crafting ingredients, triptycha discs, minipets, mounts, and a host of other trinkets for sale. The barge will be available until the end of the in game Year 500, so plenty of time to win tickets and get all the prizes!

In addition to that, we had planned for this to happen at the end of the month, but as of now, if you've completed Windchaser's daily quest at least 20 times you will be able to hand over your finished checklist to receive a reward: an historical tapestry. Hanging this tapestry up in a house, haven, or building will allow you to utilise the TIMELINE command to review the timeline of Aetolian history without needing to be in the Grand Library! See HELP TIMELINE if you're not familiar with how it works!

Enjoy!

Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 19th of Chakros, in the year 500 MA.

1/30/2022 at 11:05
Anonymous
Everyone
Planar Misalignment & The Ascension of Czcienn

Almost twenty years had passed since the Ascendril had created links to the Elemental Planes of Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit and anchored these channels to their Master Crystal in order to restore the elemental imbalance plaguing the Prime Material due to the actions of Severn, the Manipulator. Though the bonds had thus far endured, the unending orbit of the planes on the Planar Spiral - still damaged despite the ongoing work of the Abyssal - all but guaranteed eventual failure.

Said failure manifested in the form of planar misalignnment late in the Year 500. The Ascendril felt a sudden onset of heat, followed by a violent ringing in their ears before all moisture seemed leached from their bodies, leaving them parched and dry. Czcibor, Jhura, and Orunmila immediately rushed to examine the Master Crystal, finding it spinning wildly on its axis and blasting intense, blinding strobe lights with every revolution it made.

Despite their panicked, fearful reactions, Iernos, the Eidolon of Spirit and tutor to the Ascendril Order, remained calm. Though the channels had fragmented, the situation was less dire than first imagined -- an inevitable misalignment, Iernos explained, owing to the nature of the Elemental Planes, and one that could be easily resolved. This "routine maintenance" as the Eidolon called it, was to be expected, and it would not be the last time the Ascendril would need to carry out the recalibration. Only Spirit's channel remained in tact, the element of order having seamlessly repaired its own fault.

Czcibor lead the charge under Iernos's careful guidance, channeling directly into the crystal and willing it to begin realigning with the Plane of Water. Jhura and Orumila lent their own magical prowess to the effort and while the mages' work began haphazardly, either by channelling too much or too little, Water eventually acquiesced. Fire soon followed suit, the Ascendril gaining confidence in the task at hand and channeling with much greater acuity than before. Two of the three were mended.

Turning their attention to the link to Air, the first attempt at re-binding the channel met inexplicable failure, the capricious and fickle element resisting the bond. Not unexpected, Iernos assured them, given the nature of Air, and bid them to continue. The second effort, too, met failure, and the Eidolon simply bid them to try again - though his air of calm serenity had begun to falter, and he mused aloud at the effects that touching the open channel so many times could have.

Determined to succeed on their third attempt, Czcibor and his accompanying mages exerted their full will upon the burgeoning link, and as the Master Crystal returned to its fixed, familiar position with a soft 'click', victory seemed at hand. Yet no celebration came - howling winds poured out of the crystal and washed over Czcibor, encircling him in a tempest of raw power. Gasping for breath, the mage staggered as bolts of lightning formed and raw elemental air took him as a vessel for its power. The Archmage found himself in agony, overwhelmed with the massive volumes of raw energy, as Iernos's collected calm fully shattered - replaced with panic

The links had been fixed, but Czcibor had paid a dire price - bathed in pure air in incalcuable volumes, his balance had been thrown into utter disarray, and death seemed inevitable. The Eidolon wove a shield of spirit around the Archmage in an effort to stymie the worst of the symptoms, but a more permanent solution would be required. There were two ways of fixing an imbalance, Iernos explained: reducing the excess, or increasing the rest to compensate. The latter suggestion seemed absurd - Czcibor could barely withstand the exposure he had already suffered.

Efforts to consult with the Teradrim - those most recently versed in the restoration of an elemental imbalance - only seemed to support Iernos's more radical suggestion. Sheryni explained that the Warband had concentrated their efforts on bringing more earth - and materials associated with it - into the Prime, thus mending the imbalance by increasing the volume of earth instead of reducing the other elements' prominence. And thus the course seemed set.

Iernos directed Czcibor toward the elemental vortex in Mournhold, theorising that the concentrated presence of raw elemental energy would repair the imbalance by greater exposure to the non-air elements - or kill him outright. The shield of spirit protecting the Archmage was strengthened, and Czcibor set off for Mournhold, in agony all the while. Jhura and Orunmila cautiously watched from the sidelines as the vortex reacted to the vast, concentrated amounts of raw air. The elements ripped Czcibor to pieces in moments, spraying sanguine droplets everywhere and shredding flesh to ribbons of ruined tissue.

Death claimed him, then, yet despite a broken body, the mind of the Archmage remained fully whole. Strength continued to suffuse him, somehow - either the lingering presence of air or the sheer might rampaging in the form of the vortex. Reaching out with thought and resolve, Czcibor found himself able to sense every fragmented modicum of his being and, with a tremendous exertion of will, forced them to come together.

Bones reforged under the Archmage's iron command, skin and muscle and organs knit back together, and as his heart jolted back into motion and his eyes snapped open, gone was the excess of air, instead bolstered with torrents of roaring fire, surging water, and ever-implacable earth.

Consciousness returned and the Archmage rose - now a living conduit of unrefined, raw elemental power. Transformed, Czcibor was no more. In his place stood Czcienn Svin - the first mortal in the modern era to survive exposure to the raw elements. A Sagani: a perfect, harmonious fusion of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water.

Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 2nd of Midsummer, in the year 500 MA.