The ABC’s of Chaos in Istaria

(Ascensions, Battles, Condemnation)

I gazed on the world and viewed as it shifted.  Structures on plots vanished when the Empire put out the word that there was a restructuring of land coming. Those hoping for larger parcels of land, uprooted from their plots in wait for the coming changes.

Weather in South March went from raining to foggy with leaves falling, back to normal blue skies.  The lights within the lairs at South March were restored, and the leaves swept out.  Cries came of dragons and bipeds alike.  Cries of joy, cries of frustration as sweeping changes came across the land.

 

… it swept me back to when Image came to see Justa and found me guarding his plot:

Image growled at Justa, “How dare you have a hatchling of 15 seasons watch your plot like a guard dog! Dragons are majestic creatures and NOT pets.  I warn you naka I will not tolerate this.  Flatspin, rise and follow me, you have much to learn.” She looked again back to Justa, hissed the words “When I return we will talk.”

And with that she whisked me away from him, glaring back at the saddened Saris as she walked away with me in tow.  Almost a year had passed since he rescued me, and hid my heritage from me.  Maybe he didn’t want to lose me as his pet, or maybe it was more than that.  Image showed me the true path to being a dragon.  She explained choices to me about what path I should take. After being shown the history of how the dragon factions came to be, it felt good getting my claws bloody in battle

The Gate of Embers had been opened and our scales became tougher, and the balance of surviving a battle had turned in my favor.  I soon found that my experience and levels were increasing.  I was ready to become an adult Lunus dragon.

 … to be continued

 

 

 

New changes in the land had Istarians, changes in armor they owned, epic mobs they fought. 

New sockets for dragon scales the news read, but somehow when they were crafted, flaws in their design kept them from wearing the claws after they were removed.  Dragon trainers and the council are looking this over and a hope that a new ‘tool claw’ formula soon can replace the malfunctioning pieces.  Bipeds felt the pain as well. Their socketed jewelry became impossible to craft and somehow dragons were blamed.

Again I viewed the world as it shifted.  Somehow the Withered Aegis has lost and gained power.  Random encounters with blight anchors in the Kirasanct / Granite Hills area and Dralk.  Wandering blighted mobs have been sighted in these areas so use caution as the small blighted green balls of light will hit you for 1400-1700 points of damage in one attack.  But with the gains come the losses.  The Withered Aegis has begun pushing their epic mobs to appear more frequently.  But with this frequency, they have lost some of their previous attack / defense strength and are being defeated easier by the Gifted.

As I traveled I came across a dragon that had traveled with our guild for a while, and since has moved on.  I was able to catch up to him after his ascension to ancient for an interview and getting a few pictures from his grand party gathering:

Flatspin: Ok, first question, "So how does it feel to be ancient?"

Zanukk: well now after so long being an adult it feels exciting, now I can do much more than what I used to do

Flatspin: I know you are relatively new to the game, do you think your experience leveling to this ascension was difficult?"

Zanukk: I did have the community back me up on my AROP. There were difficult moments but not as harsh as I expected it to be. I did find the passage very fun and something I’m willing to repeat again if given the chance

Zanukk: One thing I love of our community is how we help each other out.

Flatspin: Any advice for other dragons who wish to achieve where you are now?

Zanukk:  the best advice I can give you is to be patient, be polite with everyone and help around, and then when you’re in need someone will always show up and save the day. If you’re getting frustrated on something, there is bound to be someone who may know a better way on doing it. Just never give up and savor your quest. It is one interesting one

Flatspin: If you could change anything, whether it is the way the quests were run, or the game play, what would it be?

Zanukk: for me it would be the spawn timer wait on some of the named enemies like umyarr you may have to wait days to see him. And well if lets say I took him down and moment later someone else needed him they may have to wait a long time

Zanukk: this seems to be the only frustrating part. the story, the hunt  is well done.

Flatspin: Your thoughts on a particular fiend?

Zanukk: I wished about all my friends could have showed up, yet time differences ect. Some couldn’t come or were to late. Sometimes I wish I could do it again for the next shift of people who didn’t get to see it, like you, image, skywise and many others form different guilds

Flatspin: fiend :) not friends :) the one in Kirasanct to name him

Zanukk: OOOOH him >.< I wanted to eat him

Zanukk: not just eat, cook, chew slowly, and savor him

Flatspin: If I could have known you were ascending I would have come home early from Frisbee golf today

Zanukk: np I did hold it back longer than the intended time, many took pics and were worried the island might have fell down XD

Flatspin: Last question, "Who is on your 'thank you list' you know, like Thanks MOM, DAD, my script writer, my children, etc?"

Zanukk: well thanks to all my friends in timeless, mithril order, the ancients, unity of pain, wings of fury, and the many other guilds I’ve been hunting with and negotiating with . they all have been supportive and shown that we all can get along as one community.

Flatspin: Ok that should wrap things up here, I have to run before I forget to get Justa’s pies out of the oven.

Zanukk: I’d take a gnome pot pie :)

Flatspin: I think they are squirrel pies, the gnomes complain when I try to wrap the dough over them

Zanukk: tell them it’s a nice bed :) well see you later. :) I need to rest myself.

Flatspin: ok, will do.

       

But wait… there’s more!

Soon after Zanukk became ancient, he challenged Istaria’s foes to battle beginning with a visit to Valkor’s Castle.  I received a report from Xanthia that her group had successfully defeated Valkor when all others had failed:

I got  new story for you Justa! As you know, Valkor has been made almost completely resistant to any kinds of attacks. Thus, many Istarians have been unable to kill him and many claim he is invincible now. However today that has changed!

Time:   Begins at 06/14/08 at 13:57:54. Battle ended at 14:14:46

Begins: Zanukk began casting Improved Prime Bolt V on Valkor The Impaler.(which missed btw: (Zanukk missed Valkor The Impaler with Improved Prime Bolt V.)

Ends: Valkor The Impaler has been killed.

You have received 664 copper.

Location: Near Valkor's Fotress, base of the mountain.

Won: Bloodthorn Bow (Piece 5 of 5)

People who participated in killing: Guaran, Zanukk Scytheclaw, Daneth, Dakoren Ironhand, Scaile, Fidri Ragnir, and Xanthia

Strategy: Dragons equipped with life-striking claws and eminence scales. Bipeds equiped with life-striking weapons (Valkor is weak against life attacks). Keep him stun as long as possible and hit like crazy!

Main Healer: Dakoren Ironhand

Biggest problems faced: Starting the group (got to find people and convince them to join. Some reluctant cause he was supposedly "invincible" or too resistant to attacks). Surviving Valkor's Vampiric Bats as it drained our health while healing his own wounds. And Marrow adds that appeared several times during that battle that kept striking for our healer. (Zanukk was able to spot them and kill them off.)

       

 

But wait…. There’s even more!!!

Zanukk was not satisfied with merely defeating one epic boss.  Xanthia and he decided to go take on Son of Gigaroth (SoG for short).  Two dragons against the son of the monster that tried to stop us from completing the Great Novo machine before the great merge.

Again the tales from Zanukk were relayed to me, caught his breath and cleaned his damage worn scales as he relayed the battle:

Before battle:

Xanthia and I prepared ourselves for many days for this hunt. We were franticly searching for the crystals we needed and franticly testing with different ways to ensure our survival. When the moment for the hunt finally came I invited my mentor, teacher and insane Goddess, Xanthia, to a drink of whiskey. We were determined to prove that we as Lunus dragons could do what many others feared to do. As we headed to Harro, we met with some bipeds who had once fought by our side to rid of General Reklar. While we were parting for our "impossible" hunt they blessed us with gifts of their magic. As we flew into the Eastern Deadlands, Xanthia, with her keen eyes, spotted Son of Gigaroth. We did not hesitate; I quickly swooped down and prepared to use my crystals and some potions. Xanthia being much more ready than I was and very experienced, was already prepared and as a true Lunus she is, quickly taunted Son of Gigaroth to our strategic location.

During Battle:

It seemed I had served Xanthia one dragony shot of whiskey too many. She did not anticipate Gigaroth would catch up to us and engage us so swiftly. We both used our Primal magics-Shield of Gold, however Gigaroth focused his attacks on Xanthia, hitting her very hard. I struggled to keep her alive and finally after a wicked blow to Gigaroth's leg, he roared and glared at me as he wildly swung his club at me. This bought Xanthia time to recover from her injuries.

One Beast of the Withered Aegis blinded with rage, against two dragons blinded by too much whiskey and Lunus pride in their blood. The battle was fierce; we struggled to keep ourselves alive the moment our refreshing breeze lost its effects. However our leader's blessings struck the beast with his primal vengeance, crippling Gigaroth. Our constant testings (and beatings) in the arena finally paid off, both Xanthia and I did not lose our focus, no matter how hard the blow we received from Gigaroth. We exchanged blows for almost ten minutes, these seemed an eternity. Gigaroth finally succumbed to the wounds we had inflicted on him.

After Battle:

Gigaroth hit the ground hard causing dust to rise up in the already putrid air. Xanthia and I looked at each other a bit in disbelief. We did it, we slayed Gigaroth. I pulled out a bottle of whiskey from my scalepack. Knuts Fiery Whiskey. One I saved for this occasion. Xanthia did not hesitate to drink down the shot I served her. We sat there for a while laughing as we finished the large bottle of whiskey. Xanthia then stood up as something shiny caught her eye. She pulled a demon spike from Gigaroth's corpse. We both then took flight but had a hard time flying. We both were drunk.

 

Xanthia soon joined me with her account of the battle, her report was as elaborate:

Begins:

[06/17/08 21:48:55] You hit Son Of Gigaroth with Dragon's Reach IV for 0 flame damage

Ends:

[06/17/08 21:58:51] Son Of Gigaroth has been killed.

Location:

Eastern Deadlands 

Won:

Demonbane Spike

People Who Participated:

Zanukk Scytheclaw and Xanthia 

Strategy:

We equipped ourselves with our demon claws and primal vengeance scales and were blessed with both biped and dragon gifts. During the battle we drank whiskey to release the power of our rage attacks and gummy maggots to increase the swiftness of each blow. We even consumed several crystals in hopes that the extra bit of energy stored with in them would aid us greatly.

During the battle we struck fiercely, insuring that our foe was immediately weakened while I, myself, recover from Son of Gigaroth's Crushing Blow. Along with attacking our enemy with tooth and claw, I attempted to weaken the monster with my primal magic, calling upon winds (unrelenting and grazing) to strike against the foe.

Main Healer:

We Lunus chose not to call upon the Nakas for help in this particular battle. We, instead, casted our own primal magic (as it should have always been) to heal the wounds, repairs the bones, and prevents ourselves from meeting a horrible death.

Biggest Problems:

I (Xanthia) saw an opportunity to lure Son of Gigaroth towards us and away from the rest of the Wither Aegis before my partner, Zanukk, was ready with his preparations. Unable to stop the charging beast, we pulled up our gold shields as fast as we possibly could. I however was struck twice, once by his "Void of Life" and again by his "Crushing Blow" before I could properly shield myself from the onslaught. I was nearly dead and could feel my life slowly seeping away. But he did not stop, he continued to pound on me as I frantically tried to heal myself. But thanks to our combined healing of my partner and I, I was able to recover and and continue the fight.

We had no comfort of a healer to shower us with their inferior magic tricks. Instead we fought as true Lunus should, using the power and strength bestow upon us by Drakul himself!. Our Shield of Gold protected us greatly from many of Son of Gigaroth's malicious attacks while our Rejuvenating Breeze slowly healed our wounds till they were no more. But as both faded away we change our focus towards our weaker breezes. As the crazed beast continued to strike against us and inflicting great pain, we continued to cast our primal heals upon each other, ensuring we both would survive in the end.

After battle

: I remember sheer disbelief followed by both roars and cheers from myself and Zanukk. Never would I have dreamed it be possible for two dragons to duo Son of Gigaroth alone. I still can't believe it myself to be honest. *toothy grin*

   

 

But wait! It gets better…

Justa delivered me yet another report from Xanthia, and I had to read it twice to make sure I read it right the first time.  Zanukk took Gianty and Xanthia to witness him take on and solo SoG himself:

Begins: [06/18/08 22:42:17]

Ends: [06/18/08 23:04:04] Son Of Gigaroth has been killed.

Location: Eastern Deadlands

Won: Demon Claw

Soloed by: Zanukk Scytheclaw

Witnesses: Xanthia and Gianty Boulder

Strategy:

1) Created a special set of armor that would be resistant to SoG's crushing blows (crush resistant, crush ward)

2) Primal Vengeance Chest Scale and Demon Claw

3)Potions: Bolster Dexterity V, Latro's Evasive AuraV, Ginesh's Thickened Skin V, Bolster Armor V, Bolster Health V, Bolster Strength V, Vestia's Soothing Remedy V.

4)Crystals (consumed) Dexterity and Armor

5)Knut's Fire Whiskey (provided by me)

6)Gummy Maggot

7) Biped Buffs and Gifts- most important were druid's cloak of thorns and flame attack for 1 st 15 minutes. (Provided by Gianty)

The idea was to keep PV constantly on SoG to limit the amount of damage he did. If the PV faded and/or failed to reproc, Zanukk saved his tail whip to momentarily stun the beast as he tried to proc PV again. Any damage that was done, Zanukk had to quickly heal himself using just his breezes and Primal Heal. In the beginning the battle was going very well, Zanukk was able to keep his health up without much difficulty. As he fought, Xanthia hovered high in the air, watching and cheering her friend on while Gianty hid himself a safe distance away from the battle. But as his Refreshing Breeze and Shield of Gold faded away, it became harder for him to survive. Towards the very end, Xanthia was shouting her head off telling Zanukk to heal as many times he came dangerously close to dying. However Zanukk was able to recover from his wounds and in minutes, took down SoG.

Main Healer: None, just Zanukk himself

Biggest Problems: Surviving SoG's massive damage output. While bipeds have a huge variety of healing spells and stuns to aid them, dragons like Zanukk have no such advantage. He had to rely soley on his scales to protect him and hope that the huge amount of health and armor he gained from various sources (buffs, crystals, potions, scales) kept him alive long enough.

   

So Zanukk has become the Dragon of the Month, going out and proving that it does not take an uber ped to solo one of the hardest Epic mobs in the game. Kudos!

 

 

 

Report from the Expedition Outpost

In the last herald report I mentioned GalemThawn as having soloed several Withered Aegis attacking the Eastern Outpost.  He had received many questions after my acknowledgement of his accomplishments; he gathered a crew to defend the outpost and has this to report:

 
While scouting the Metal Cenopath, Galem Thawn recently discovered a council of five Phantom Mages and two Blighted Clerics as they were making plans to attack the Expedition Outpost.  Fearing the worst for the Outpost, Galem immediately attacked the gathered Withered Aegis agents.

 

The battle went well and soon the leaders of the intended attack were slain.

 

However, the Withered Aegis decided to press on with their attack.

Shortly after Galem arrived back at the Expedition Outpost, Ogre Bodyguards stormed the gates.   From a nearby hill, Galem called out a challenge to the attackers and the Ogres responded with a furious attack on the paladin.

 

Two of the assailants fell on the hillside.  The other two made an attempt for the outpost, but it was too late and they were slain on the way.

 

Victory appeared to be at hand when reinforcements suddenly appeared. Three Blighted Clerics and a Ghostly Mage rushed through the eastern pass and renewed the assault. One of the Ogre Bodyguards was immediately resurrected.  A long and difficult fight ensued.  Thankfully, the dragon Concoidal arrived to lend assistance to the outpost defenders.

 

It was only after much effort that the attackers were beaten and the bodies of the Blighted Clerics lay outside the gates.

 

Yet the battle was not over as suspected.  A Death Dealer rushed from the eastern pass and immediately raised one of the Blighted Clerics, who then resurrected his companion.

The renewed battle moved away from the gates and into the surrounding hills.

 

The battle had been long and hard, but in the end, the defenders won the day and the Expedition Outpost remained safe.

 

That’s it for this month.  Some passing information had reached my ears and have few pictures:

Kyirra ascended to ancient this month, I was able to get a picture from her battle with Elial:

 

 

 May Istaria bless you with an abundance of fun.

If you have any submissions or reports or happenings on Chaos Shard:

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