Zone ideas
Moderator: Moderator
Re: Zone ideas
Bump for glory!
[tome] joylove: You can't just release an expansion like one would release a Kraken XD
--
[tome] phantomfrettchen: your ability not to tease anyone is simply stunning
--
[tome] phantomfrettchen: your ability not to tease anyone is simply stunning
Re: Zone ideas
Well, here's my first try at content for the game. Hope you like it. 
Kultak Pass
Background:
-----
There once was a shortcut in the mountains between the Gorbat and Rak'Shor prides. It was a treacherous path, consisting of many small rocky outcroppings connected by a series of high rope bridges, but it was far faster than going all the way around the mountain. Trade between the prides was important, despite their mutual hatred, and so both Gorbat and Rak'Shor patrols kept watch over trade caravans going through the pass.
Have you ever wondered what Gorbat Pride did with all the huge leftover dragon and drake corpses after they died? After removing their scales and hides to sell, what remained was too large to bury, so Gorbat caravans would carry the giant dragon carcasses and bodies from other summoned creatures to the pass to dump them in the crevasses below. Little did the Gorbat orcs know that at night envious Rak'Shor necromancers would brave those same chasms to perform dark experiments on whatever corpses they could find. Soon the necromancers had animated ritches, hydras, and drakes of their own, but the ultimate prize -- a wyrm -- eluded them.
It seems their magic was not quite strong enough to bring back an entire dragon from the dead. However, one enterprising young necromancer, an orc named Velgur, decided he had a simple solution: use only the bones instead. Wanting all the credit for himself, he carried, dragged, and wheeled all the dragon bones he could find to a huge hidden cave where he could experiment on them at his leisure. He was careful to do this only when no one else was in sight, and being young and energetic he somehow managed this entire mammoth task on his own.
It took many failures and many long nights in that cave -- just identifying the bones and putting them into the proper arrangement was a nightmare -- but eventually Velgur coaxed the bones to stay together in a ghastly skeletal imitation of a wyrm. It could not fly, lacking the filmy wings of his living brethren, but his undead nature gave him the power to breathe blight at his command, and so Velgur named his new creation "Blightbringer."
Velgur, giddy from finally seeing his dark dream realized, did not, alas, get to enjoy it for long. For while Velgur may have had the power to reanimate an entire wyrm skeleton, he lacked the power to control it, and as he wrote in his journal of his success, the fell dragon crushed the feeble warding circle that held him back and withered Velgur to nothing in an instant with his breath.
Just as dragonbone retains its elemental attunement long after its owner has died, so too did the wisdom of the dragon still reside in the bones of its skull. Blightbringer was thus every bit as smart as he was before he died, and he tried to make contact with Gorbat Pride, to which he had once belonged, so that he could rejoin his old pridemates. One day he timidly approached a small Gorbat patrol in the pass, telling them it was just Guk'kol (his old name) and trying his best to look harmless as he approached.
The Gorbat orcs, however, were overcome with horror at the sight of him and would not believe that this undead monstrosity was once one of them. They attacked him ferociously, forcing Blightbringer, who refused to attack his former comrades, to hide in fear for his life in the very caves where he was created. Though the Gorbat orcs were brave, they would not follow this giant abomination into the dark, so they ran back to camp to tell the others, who promptly laughed at them and told them not to drink on patrol next time. After all, no one had ever seen such a thing before.
Blightbringer, meanwhile, felt ashamed as he sat alone in the darkness, pitying himself for his hideous form and the loss of the home that had been his for centuries. But soon the shame gave way to bitterness, and then to anger. Anger at both the Rak'Shor orcs, who had defiled the hallowed remains of a dragon and left him in a state worse than death, and anger at the Gorbat orcs, who would never accept him again.
So in the dark he plotted, and soon he began forming a plan to take over the pass and exact his revenge. In secret, he would occasionally kill Rak'Shor necromancers and take the creatures they had reanimated for himself. Since Kultak Pass was well known as a dangerous place, especially at night, no one in Rak'Shor Pride suspected anything was amiss, and in time Blightbringer's army became a formidable one.
Then, on the Time Of Balance, the night when when darkness is at its zenith and no sane man can be found out of doors, Blightbringer brought out his undead army from their caves and filled the pass with them. And to make sure that no more Gorbat or Rak'Shor filth could disturb him, he cut the bridges leading into the pass from both sides with a few swipes from his hideously sharp talons.
There things remain today. Scouts report ever-growing numbers of undead in Kultak Pass, and many tales are told of occasional raiding parties somehow emerging from it, presumably for more bodies to take back to their bone dragon leader. Some say Blightbringer has managed to create hidden portals into and out of the pass for these parties, but so far no one has been able to find them. The reanimation of the undead is also a mystery, though there are rumors that a few rogue Rak'Shor necromancers have joined Blightbringer in the pass to do his bidding.
-----
Hopefully this fits the world, as I've only beaten the game once and I've just read all the lore for the first time yesterday. I've written this in third person omniscient to kind of bang it out quickly, but I'd be happy to redo it in first person (or have one of the lore folks do it) for lore purposes if you like the idea.
I'm imagining this as an area kind of like Tempest Peak and Daikara, but with deep chasms instead of walls that maybe have fog or clouds or piles of bones in them. It would obviously have a new unique creature -- the bone dragon -- and maybe skeletal/undead versions of drakes, drake hatchlings, ritches, hydras, or whatever else you'd want. Also orc necromancers, of course.
EDIT: Added some more justification for Blightbringer's actions that I felt was missing.
Kultak Pass
Background:
-----
There once was a shortcut in the mountains between the Gorbat and Rak'Shor prides. It was a treacherous path, consisting of many small rocky outcroppings connected by a series of high rope bridges, but it was far faster than going all the way around the mountain. Trade between the prides was important, despite their mutual hatred, and so both Gorbat and Rak'Shor patrols kept watch over trade caravans going through the pass.
Have you ever wondered what Gorbat Pride did with all the huge leftover dragon and drake corpses after they died? After removing their scales and hides to sell, what remained was too large to bury, so Gorbat caravans would carry the giant dragon carcasses and bodies from other summoned creatures to the pass to dump them in the crevasses below. Little did the Gorbat orcs know that at night envious Rak'Shor necromancers would brave those same chasms to perform dark experiments on whatever corpses they could find. Soon the necromancers had animated ritches, hydras, and drakes of their own, but the ultimate prize -- a wyrm -- eluded them.
It seems their magic was not quite strong enough to bring back an entire dragon from the dead. However, one enterprising young necromancer, an orc named Velgur, decided he had a simple solution: use only the bones instead. Wanting all the credit for himself, he carried, dragged, and wheeled all the dragon bones he could find to a huge hidden cave where he could experiment on them at his leisure. He was careful to do this only when no one else was in sight, and being young and energetic he somehow managed this entire mammoth task on his own.
It took many failures and many long nights in that cave -- just identifying the bones and putting them into the proper arrangement was a nightmare -- but eventually Velgur coaxed the bones to stay together in a ghastly skeletal imitation of a wyrm. It could not fly, lacking the filmy wings of his living brethren, but his undead nature gave him the power to breathe blight at his command, and so Velgur named his new creation "Blightbringer."
Velgur, giddy from finally seeing his dark dream realized, did not, alas, get to enjoy it for long. For while Velgur may have had the power to reanimate an entire wyrm skeleton, he lacked the power to control it, and as he wrote in his journal of his success, the fell dragon crushed the feeble warding circle that held him back and withered Velgur to nothing in an instant with his breath.
Just as dragonbone retains its elemental attunement long after its owner has died, so too did the wisdom of the dragon still reside in the bones of its skull. Blightbringer was thus every bit as smart as he was before he died, and he tried to make contact with Gorbat Pride, to which he had once belonged, so that he could rejoin his old pridemates. One day he timidly approached a small Gorbat patrol in the pass, telling them it was just Guk'kol (his old name) and trying his best to look harmless as he approached.
The Gorbat orcs, however, were overcome with horror at the sight of him and would not believe that this undead monstrosity was once one of them. They attacked him ferociously, forcing Blightbringer, who refused to attack his former comrades, to hide in fear for his life in the very caves where he was created. Though the Gorbat orcs were brave, they would not follow this giant abomination into the dark, so they ran back to camp to tell the others, who promptly laughed at them and told them not to drink on patrol next time. After all, no one had ever seen such a thing before.
Blightbringer, meanwhile, felt ashamed as he sat alone in the darkness, pitying himself for his hideous form and the loss of the home that had been his for centuries. But soon the shame gave way to bitterness, and then to anger. Anger at both the Rak'Shor orcs, who had defiled the hallowed remains of a dragon and left him in a state worse than death, and anger at the Gorbat orcs, who would never accept him again.
So in the dark he plotted, and soon he began forming a plan to take over the pass and exact his revenge. In secret, he would occasionally kill Rak'Shor necromancers and take the creatures they had reanimated for himself. Since Kultak Pass was well known as a dangerous place, especially at night, no one in Rak'Shor Pride suspected anything was amiss, and in time Blightbringer's army became a formidable one.
Then, on the Time Of Balance, the night when when darkness is at its zenith and no sane man can be found out of doors, Blightbringer brought out his undead army from their caves and filled the pass with them. And to make sure that no more Gorbat or Rak'Shor filth could disturb him, he cut the bridges leading into the pass from both sides with a few swipes from his hideously sharp talons.
There things remain today. Scouts report ever-growing numbers of undead in Kultak Pass, and many tales are told of occasional raiding parties somehow emerging from it, presumably for more bodies to take back to their bone dragon leader. Some say Blightbringer has managed to create hidden portals into and out of the pass for these parties, but so far no one has been able to find them. The reanimation of the undead is also a mystery, though there are rumors that a few rogue Rak'Shor necromancers have joined Blightbringer in the pass to do his bidding.
-----
Hopefully this fits the world, as I've only beaten the game once and I've just read all the lore for the first time yesterday. I've written this in third person omniscient to kind of bang it out quickly, but I'd be happy to redo it in first person (or have one of the lore folks do it) for lore purposes if you like the idea.
I'm imagining this as an area kind of like Tempest Peak and Daikara, but with deep chasms instead of walls that maybe have fog or clouds or piles of bones in them. It would obviously have a new unique creature -- the bone dragon -- and maybe skeletal/undead versions of drakes, drake hatchlings, ritches, hydras, or whatever else you'd want. Also orc necromancers, of course.
EDIT: Added some more justification for Blightbringer's actions that I felt was missing.
Re: Zone ideas
My idea is for an unwinnable endurance test where the player has to fight off hordes of increasingly powerful monsters and is rewarded for their performance at the end
The Infested Mines
The quest would trigger like the lumberjack quest when the player is level 15 or greater and is near the mountains by the Iron Council location.
You are approached by a battered and bloodied dwarf. "Adventurer-- please, you must help! Our clan was mining nearby when we accidentally broke through into a massive hive. The monsters are swarming into the mine and the other miners are trapped. I will reward you for every miner you can save. Please hurry!"
When the player enters the mine they will be in a large central room that is about 15 x 15. There are three openings on the left and three on the right. The room will initially be full of 10-15 normal ritches and 2-3 elite ritches. The player is unable to leave this map. If attempting to leave they will get a message, "You can't leave yet, there are more dwarves to save!"
5 turns after the player enters, the first dwarf will appear from a random tunnel on the right and attempt to escape. Unlike escort quests, these dwarves should not attempt to fight and will instead go by the most direct path possible to the exit. After this first dwarf a new one will appear every 5-10 rounds from a random tunnel on the right and attempt to escape.
From the left side passages more ritches will continually spawn and pour into the room and attack the player or escaping dwarves. The level of these ritches will gradually increase and the ratio of elites and bosses ritches also will go up.
For balancing purposes the ritches should only give 10% of the normal experience and drops reduced greatly. Maybe only the elites drop gold or gems and the boss ritches dropping some loot with a low percentage of an ego'd item.
When the player is eventually defeated they will receive the message:
"As you are about to be buried under a pile of ritches an escaping dwarf tosses you a rope and pulls you to safety. As the two of you stumble out the exit the mine ceiling collapses behind you sealing the entrance. After a few moments a group of miners approach and one says, "Thank you for your help adventurer. Without your help none of us would have escaped. We will gladly reward you for your service, but uh-- first I'll just need you to sign this standard nondisclosure form. Just initial here, here, and here..." he flips several page "...and sign here and here."
The player is given the options:
Uh-- yeah. Sure, whatever. Where do I sign again?
That is a whole lot of fine print. I don't think so.
If the player selects the second choice they will be prompted with:
"Are you sure you won't sign? This is really just a formality."
and given the option:
Fine, I'll sign. Just give me my reward.
I've heard about dwarven contacts. I'm not signing anything.
If the player again refuses the dwarf will say, "I'm really sorry about this after all you've done, but the reputation of the dwarven empire is at stake..." The players health will be set to 25% and dropped into an ambush like an adventure party ambush except with leveled dwarven miners. One of the dwarves will drop of bag of gold and gems that would have been the players reward.
If the player signs the paper they will be given an amount of gold and gems based on the number of dwarves that successfully escaped.
Edit: Was also thinking this could could open an unlock if the player rescues X number of dwarves. Depending on how hard maybe something like 20 or more dwarves? Maybe unlock a new version of dwarf?
The Infested Mines
The quest would trigger like the lumberjack quest when the player is level 15 or greater and is near the mountains by the Iron Council location.
You are approached by a battered and bloodied dwarf. "Adventurer-- please, you must help! Our clan was mining nearby when we accidentally broke through into a massive hive. The monsters are swarming into the mine and the other miners are trapped. I will reward you for every miner you can save. Please hurry!"
When the player enters the mine they will be in a large central room that is about 15 x 15. There are three openings on the left and three on the right. The room will initially be full of 10-15 normal ritches and 2-3 elite ritches. The player is unable to leave this map. If attempting to leave they will get a message, "You can't leave yet, there are more dwarves to save!"
5 turns after the player enters, the first dwarf will appear from a random tunnel on the right and attempt to escape. Unlike escort quests, these dwarves should not attempt to fight and will instead go by the most direct path possible to the exit. After this first dwarf a new one will appear every 5-10 rounds from a random tunnel on the right and attempt to escape.
From the left side passages more ritches will continually spawn and pour into the room and attack the player or escaping dwarves. The level of these ritches will gradually increase and the ratio of elites and bosses ritches also will go up.
For balancing purposes the ritches should only give 10% of the normal experience and drops reduced greatly. Maybe only the elites drop gold or gems and the boss ritches dropping some loot with a low percentage of an ego'd item.
When the player is eventually defeated they will receive the message:
"As you are about to be buried under a pile of ritches an escaping dwarf tosses you a rope and pulls you to safety. As the two of you stumble out the exit the mine ceiling collapses behind you sealing the entrance. After a few moments a group of miners approach and one says, "Thank you for your help adventurer. Without your help none of us would have escaped. We will gladly reward you for your service, but uh-- first I'll just need you to sign this standard nondisclosure form. Just initial here, here, and here..." he flips several page "...and sign here and here."
The player is given the options:
Uh-- yeah. Sure, whatever. Where do I sign again?
That is a whole lot of fine print. I don't think so.
If the player selects the second choice they will be prompted with:
"Are you sure you won't sign? This is really just a formality."
and given the option:
Fine, I'll sign. Just give me my reward.
I've heard about dwarven contacts. I'm not signing anything.
If the player again refuses the dwarf will say, "I'm really sorry about this after all you've done, but the reputation of the dwarven empire is at stake..." The players health will be set to 25% and dropped into an ambush like an adventure party ambush except with leveled dwarven miners. One of the dwarves will drop of bag of gold and gems that would have been the players reward.
If the player signs the paper they will be given an amount of gold and gems based on the number of dwarves that successfully escaped.
Edit: Was also thinking this could could open an unlock if the player rescues X number of dwarves. Depending on how hard maybe something like 20 or more dwarves? Maybe unlock a new version of dwarf?
Re: Zone ideas
Droughtlands
Location: Instance of the desert/savannah terrain in the Far East.
Depth: 5 level + 1 entrance zone
Event: Players receive description in zone 1, Zone deals light damage in levels 2-3, and moderate damage in levels 4-5.
The cataclysm caused by the evil mages did not just affect the Naloren, after Eyal nearly rent itself in twain, the resulting geological shifts also irrevocably changed the global climate as well. In the rainforests of pre-historic Cospam, the scholarly name referencing the native headhunter tribes, although caught unawares by the massive earthquakes of that disastrous event, they could not, even with the aid of animal spirits and bone divination, fathom their impending doom. Within the decade, every tribe was wiped out, the rainforest already consumed by the hot sun, and transformed into a desert; save one small patch of forest. The orcs dare not enter this forest on account of the strange visions that assault them if they approach, or the oppressive silence of the forest when one of their more brave or stupid brethren enters the forest, but never returns. More perceptive orcs point towards strange footprints in the soil around the rainforest, where multiple types of prints seem to make a single path patrolling the perimeter...
Final depth of the Droughtlands leads to the Cospam Rainforest, where the player may enjoy the attentions of headhunters or vengeful druids for violating the rainforest.
Location: Instance of the desert/savannah terrain in the Far East.
Depth: 5 level + 1 entrance zone
Event: Players receive description in zone 1, Zone deals light damage in levels 2-3, and moderate damage in levels 4-5.
The cataclysm caused by the evil mages did not just affect the Naloren, after Eyal nearly rent itself in twain, the resulting geological shifts also irrevocably changed the global climate as well. In the rainforests of pre-historic Cospam, the scholarly name referencing the native headhunter tribes, although caught unawares by the massive earthquakes of that disastrous event, they could not, even with the aid of animal spirits and bone divination, fathom their impending doom. Within the decade, every tribe was wiped out, the rainforest already consumed by the hot sun, and transformed into a desert; save one small patch of forest. The orcs dare not enter this forest on account of the strange visions that assault them if they approach, or the oppressive silence of the forest when one of their more brave or stupid brethren enters the forest, but never returns. More perceptive orcs point towards strange footprints in the soil around the rainforest, where multiple types of prints seem to make a single path patrolling the perimeter...
Final depth of the Droughtlands leads to the Cospam Rainforest, where the player may enjoy the attentions of headhunters or vengeful druids for violating the rainforest.
Re: Zone ideas
Clockwork Castle
Location: randomly found on the eastern continent (worldmap name: whirring ruins)
Description: A (Sher'tul?) ruin of unknown purpose; it resembles a workshop, but on a vast scale. Clockwork creatures roam the halls with little purpose or intent, though they seem to know to repel outsiders. The zone is three levels long; Kor'pul-style dungeons, with a round boss room in the middle of the last level.
Monsters: Clockwork versions of regular wildlife, plus clockwork trolls and other clockwork humanoids. Clockwork enemies have access to random Chronomancy talents, and runes in place of infusions. Telugoroths appear rarely.
Other features: Paradox constantly decreases while in this zone, at a slow but significant rate.
Boss: Kortertil Havpasd, the Halfling Watchmaker. He has an entourage of clockwork halfling guards, bulwark-style enemies with Reflective Skin and runes, plus the occasional chronomancy skill. Kortertil can occasionally summon another clockwork halfling. He also uses a sling, weapon-folding, and Chronomancy teleportation abilities.
Artifacts (the last one is the most justifiably boss-specific):
The Minute-Hand of Fate: A Chronomancy staff. Grants bonuses to Temporal damage and resistance. Can be activated for Cease to Exist. Adds a small chance of causing an anomaly on spell-cast.
Ponderous Pendulum: A two-handed mace. Small chance of casting Temporal Fugue or Repulsion Blast on hit. Grants knockback resistance.
Newfangled Contraption: A tool-slot item. Its constant ticking is an annoyance, but on close inspection you realize it always shows the current time. It seems to have a lot of features... [When activated, it causes random effects: Light-up face (blind/light up nearby), Waterproof (+30% cold resistance, water breathing for a short time), Timer mode (increases move speed, like a movement infusion), Moneyback guarantee (watch disappears, and the player receives a small amount of gold; the watch can be found in the Sher'tul fortress; can only happen once), Adjusting reality to match time (causes a random weak paradox)]
Location: randomly found on the eastern continent (worldmap name: whirring ruins)
Description: A (Sher'tul?) ruin of unknown purpose; it resembles a workshop, but on a vast scale. Clockwork creatures roam the halls with little purpose or intent, though they seem to know to repel outsiders. The zone is three levels long; Kor'pul-style dungeons, with a round boss room in the middle of the last level.
Monsters: Clockwork versions of regular wildlife, plus clockwork trolls and other clockwork humanoids. Clockwork enemies have access to random Chronomancy talents, and runes in place of infusions. Telugoroths appear rarely.
Other features: Paradox constantly decreases while in this zone, at a slow but significant rate.
Boss: Kortertil Havpasd, the Halfling Watchmaker. He has an entourage of clockwork halfling guards, bulwark-style enemies with Reflective Skin and runes, plus the occasional chronomancy skill. Kortertil can occasionally summon another clockwork halfling. He also uses a sling, weapon-folding, and Chronomancy teleportation abilities.
Artifacts (the last one is the most justifiably boss-specific):
The Minute-Hand of Fate: A Chronomancy staff. Grants bonuses to Temporal damage and resistance. Can be activated for Cease to Exist. Adds a small chance of causing an anomaly on spell-cast.
Ponderous Pendulum: A two-handed mace. Small chance of casting Temporal Fugue or Repulsion Blast on hit. Grants knockback resistance.
Newfangled Contraption: A tool-slot item. Its constant ticking is an annoyance, but on close inspection you realize it always shows the current time. It seems to have a lot of features... [When activated, it causes random effects: Light-up face (blind/light up nearby), Waterproof (+30% cold resistance, water breathing for a short time), Timer mode (increases move speed, like a movement infusion), Moneyback guarantee (watch disappears, and the player receives a small amount of gold; the watch can be found in the Sher'tul fortress; can only happen once), Adjusting reality to match time (causes a random weak paradox)]
Sorry about all the parentheses (sometimes I like to clarify things).
-
PureQuestion
- Master Artificer
- Posts: 726
- Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:53 am
Re: Zone ideas
I suspect this idea might be my fault.bricks wrote:clockwork trolls
Re: Zone ideas
maybe...PureQuestion wrote:I suspect this idea might be my fault.bricks wrote:clockwork trolls
Sorry about all the parentheses (sometimes I like to clarify things).
Re: Zone ideas
Bump for bumping
[tome] joylove: You can't just release an expansion like one would release a Kraken XD
--
[tome] phantomfrettchen: your ability not to tease anyone is simply stunning
--
[tome] phantomfrettchen: your ability not to tease anyone is simply stunning
Re: Zone ideas
Andarion, the disgraced/banished Sun Paladin.
Andarion is randomly found in the East. Unlike the 2 quests in the west that trigger randomly, he is standing on the world map by himself like the alchemist hermit.
Dialogue:
Andarion: "Greetings, brave traveler. By the looks of it, you have seen more than your fair share of glorious battle. If only the same could be said for me."
Your response: "What exactly do you mean?"
A: My name is Andarion and I am a Sun Paladin from the Gates of Morning. Or was, I should say. It was my first assignment. I was an routine patrol with a group of brother paladins. We were deep in orc country and suddenly found ourselves ambushed. There were scores of the brutes! And I... and I, like the coward that I am, fled.
YR: "What happened next?"
A: "By the blessings of the Sun, my brothers survived. The return march to the Gates was entirely silent. For my cowardice in battle I was banished, exiled from the Gates unless I can prove my worthiness to serve the eternal Sun once more. A feat I have not managed... not yet. But perhaps this is where you come in...
YR: "What do you propose?"
A: The Prides are preparing a major offensive against the Gates of Morning and have established a forward position. There is an orcish outpost not far from here. If I could storm this post and best the orcish commander in combat, surely I will have redeemed myself! But I cannot do it alone. Will you help me?"
YR: "Of course! Let us make haste."
The Orcish Encampment
Upon accepting this quest, you enter the perimeter of the Orcish Encampment. It is a single large level. The encampment consists of a few buildings (7-8), surrounded by a wall and a moat. There is one entrance (a set-up perhaps comparable to the general shape of Last Hope).
The edge of the encampment is ringed with Orcish archers. Inside are melee-oriented orcs, lots of beserkers and what have you. At the center of the camp in the largest building is Gorthax, a large Orc captain and the leader of the expedition.
You enter the zone with Andarion and, like the escape from Reknor quest, he will be fighting at your side. The goals are to clear the camp, kill Gorthax, and of course to keep Andarion alive. There should be a special achievement if Andarion lands the killing blow on the boss.
Andarion should be stronger than wet paper unlike the escorts, but still eminently killable, requiring care to keep him alive. Perhaps fittingly, Sun Paladins and Anorithils may have an easier time with this quest based on their ability to heal Andarion.
Reward: Sun's Blessing. Upon completing the quest and helping the disgraced Paladin redeem himself, the Anorithils of the Gate of Morning will bless the player, increasing light resistance by 10%, heal mod by 10%, and granting 50 extra HP.
Andarion is randomly found in the East. Unlike the 2 quests in the west that trigger randomly, he is standing on the world map by himself like the alchemist hermit.
Dialogue:
Andarion: "Greetings, brave traveler. By the looks of it, you have seen more than your fair share of glorious battle. If only the same could be said for me."
Your response: "What exactly do you mean?"
A: My name is Andarion and I am a Sun Paladin from the Gates of Morning. Or was, I should say. It was my first assignment. I was an routine patrol with a group of brother paladins. We were deep in orc country and suddenly found ourselves ambushed. There were scores of the brutes! And I... and I, like the coward that I am, fled.
YR: "What happened next?"
A: "By the blessings of the Sun, my brothers survived. The return march to the Gates was entirely silent. For my cowardice in battle I was banished, exiled from the Gates unless I can prove my worthiness to serve the eternal Sun once more. A feat I have not managed... not yet. But perhaps this is where you come in...
YR: "What do you propose?"
A: The Prides are preparing a major offensive against the Gates of Morning and have established a forward position. There is an orcish outpost not far from here. If I could storm this post and best the orcish commander in combat, surely I will have redeemed myself! But I cannot do it alone. Will you help me?"
YR: "Of course! Let us make haste."
The Orcish Encampment
Upon accepting this quest, you enter the perimeter of the Orcish Encampment. It is a single large level. The encampment consists of a few buildings (7-8), surrounded by a wall and a moat. There is one entrance (a set-up perhaps comparable to the general shape of Last Hope).
The edge of the encampment is ringed with Orcish archers. Inside are melee-oriented orcs, lots of beserkers and what have you. At the center of the camp in the largest building is Gorthax, a large Orc captain and the leader of the expedition.
You enter the zone with Andarion and, like the escape from Reknor quest, he will be fighting at your side. The goals are to clear the camp, kill Gorthax, and of course to keep Andarion alive. There should be a special achievement if Andarion lands the killing blow on the boss.
Andarion should be stronger than wet paper unlike the escorts, but still eminently killable, requiring care to keep him alive. Perhaps fittingly, Sun Paladins and Anorithils may have an easier time with this quest based on their ability to heal Andarion.
Reward: Sun's Blessing. Upon completing the quest and helping the disgraced Paladin redeem himself, the Anorithils of the Gate of Morning will bless the player, increasing light resistance by 10%, heal mod by 10%, and granting 50 extra HP.
Re: Zone ideas
Oracle:
So, what's behind the Maze? Why is it there? To keep casual people away from the Oracle! A powerful creature utilizing temporal and mental powers and enslaving Shaloren maidens to keep his power.
A Quest given at Elvala.
Prerequisite: return from the labyrith with a map to the Oracle (from the Minotaur, at a pass behind the labyrinth) and present it in Elvala OR be a female Shaloren.
Background: Oracle is an horrifying man, who gets his powers from Shaloren maidens. Elvala provides these maidens as a tribute. They have made attempts to free the girls - and themselves - from the oracle. Last time they were requested to send someone, they sent girl called Efialtes carrying a neclase with seven Rings of Return to give to each of the captives. None of them returned. However, recently a woman was sent back from the captivity as "used" and a new captive was requested. She told that Efialtes still had a neclase fitting to the description, but having lost her own will to Oracle she didn't even know what to do with it.
Goal: The poor adventurer is asked to enter the Oracle and give each of the six Shaloren maidens a ring of recall that returns them to Elvala.
There are several strategies from here. The adventurer could get close to the site and sneak in, or fight his way through the temple guard made mostly of Minotaurs with heavy mental and temporal attacks. Alternatively a Shaloren maiden could introduce herself as the next servant of the Oracle and be escorted right to the main vault - being promplty disarmed and stripped from any armour (gold, clothing, jewelry and gems are fine, though). These are then placed in some sidevault. In the main vault she needs to avoid the Oracle, who does mental attacks to subvert her to his will. (Lose, and you are captive to the level forever - no exit to the Eidolon plane, for instance.)
In any case you need to find Efialtes and trade amulets with her - she'll take any amulet for the rings. Then you just need to start dealing out the rings. There are some gotchas, though.
If you have sneaked in or entered as a maiden, as soon as you give the first ring - and the maiden immediately vanishes - an alarm sounds, you are noticed and the entire dungeon becomes hostile. Oracle himself draws his power from the maidens and in invulnerable while the girls are still there - and his power scales to the number of them present. The maidens are invulnerable neutrals. Only when they are gone adventurer can take out the Oracle - should he want (the quest is complete anyway).
If the adventurer escapes before all the captives are freed, he cannot return and the town of Elvala and the race of Shaloren become hostile. He might also run into occasional minotaur ambushes...
Reward: Some of the maidens could give Escort -like rewards. A one-time-only ring of recall that teleports to Elvala with zero warmup. (But drops the entire inventory to where one was? Escape from death with a price.)
Hmm... this would sound like a thematically good place for the Temporal rift...
So, what's behind the Maze? Why is it there? To keep casual people away from the Oracle! A powerful creature utilizing temporal and mental powers and enslaving Shaloren maidens to keep his power.
A Quest given at Elvala.
Prerequisite: return from the labyrith with a map to the Oracle (from the Minotaur, at a pass behind the labyrinth) and present it in Elvala OR be a female Shaloren.
Background: Oracle is an horrifying man, who gets his powers from Shaloren maidens. Elvala provides these maidens as a tribute. They have made attempts to free the girls - and themselves - from the oracle. Last time they were requested to send someone, they sent girl called Efialtes carrying a neclase with seven Rings of Return to give to each of the captives. None of them returned. However, recently a woman was sent back from the captivity as "used" and a new captive was requested. She told that Efialtes still had a neclase fitting to the description, but having lost her own will to Oracle she didn't even know what to do with it.
Goal: The poor adventurer is asked to enter the Oracle and give each of the six Shaloren maidens a ring of recall that returns them to Elvala.
There are several strategies from here. The adventurer could get close to the site and sneak in, or fight his way through the temple guard made mostly of Minotaurs with heavy mental and temporal attacks. Alternatively a Shaloren maiden could introduce herself as the next servant of the Oracle and be escorted right to the main vault - being promplty disarmed and stripped from any armour (gold, clothing, jewelry and gems are fine, though). These are then placed in some sidevault. In the main vault she needs to avoid the Oracle, who does mental attacks to subvert her to his will. (Lose, and you are captive to the level forever - no exit to the Eidolon plane, for instance.)
In any case you need to find Efialtes and trade amulets with her - she'll take any amulet for the rings. Then you just need to start dealing out the rings. There are some gotchas, though.
If you have sneaked in or entered as a maiden, as soon as you give the first ring - and the maiden immediately vanishes - an alarm sounds, you are noticed and the entire dungeon becomes hostile. Oracle himself draws his power from the maidens and in invulnerable while the girls are still there - and his power scales to the number of them present. The maidens are invulnerable neutrals. Only when they are gone adventurer can take out the Oracle - should he want (the quest is complete anyway).
If the adventurer escapes before all the captives are freed, he cannot return and the town of Elvala and the race of Shaloren become hostile. He might also run into occasional minotaur ambushes...
Reward: Some of the maidens could give Escort -like rewards. A one-time-only ring of recall that teleports to Elvala with zero warmup. (But drops the entire inventory to where one was? Escape from death with a price.)
Hmm... this would sound like a thematically good place for the Temporal rift...
Lostsoul Maya