When It Feels I Can't Go On, Let Your Armour Cover Me

Alts and Equipment

Since restarting again earlier this year most of my time has been spent trying to equip various alts. My current avatar characters are:

• Vampires - Vilexur, Sashell, Viledri, Viltrow
• Rangers - Jessyl, Jessel, Germal
• Thieves - Kurrs, Parx, Krayaz
• Warriors - Joydi, Panish, Skold, Skurnis
• Mages - Gnodra, Vodra, Modra
• Clerics - Chacix, Charix, Juxarn
• Paladins - Sacix, Tantis
• Nephandi - Wroth
• Druid - Varlok
• Fathomer - Zenth
• Barbarian - Skarl
• Augurer - Aryx
  

There are some that were under dressed from never being fully equipped after reaching level 50, some from playing with the Deck and others from dying and not being CR'd years ago. I've been spending a lot of time killing easier avatar mobs that can (and should) be solo'd be an average player such as Dracolothis, Zeus, Dracula, Rez, Justice, Horus, Ra, and Sir Pereval just so that they all have a usable basic equipment set up. Doing this is also a good way to get back into the hang of running mobs without the the pressure of letting down other players if things go wrong. 

The most time consuming mobs I've been doing by myself again are Rage and Fury from The Underworld in the hope of popping a Maniacal Tendencies. After spending three weeks on and off there I had enough rage and fury essences for 17 attempts at it. The funny thing with pops in the Realms of Despair is the randomness of it. Out of the 17 tries I popped an MT on the first go which was then followed by 16 failures. Now most of my alts are well enough armoured to be useful, with others able to pack a punch.

 

The Deck

I've had a hard time with the Deck of Many Things since restarting. While I have found it several times, the challenge has been that other players have been getting their hands onto it first. These days I need to be on right after reboot to get the card. Only once have I manged to find the deck with a card in it. I got lucky and gained a rename scroll.

Bridging the Maelstrom
Darkness pervades this area of cold, deep sea. The water churns and boils all around, but for a tiny strait of calm that lies between the Blood and Azure seas, on each side. It is said that the seas are almost alive and, like any who are shunned by the world of the living, they extort a tremendous toll on anyone who would choose to utilize this path. Far to the north, amidst the fog and mist, a small island can be seen.
Exits: north east south west northeast northwest southeast southwest
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.
The Deck of Many Things says 'If you can find a card within me, you might be lucky enough to draw something of value.
However, once you submit to chance, you put yourself at the mercy of the cards.
The Deck of Many Things winks suggestively.

> exam deck
You take a closer look at the Deck of Many Things on the ground...
The deck takes the appearance of a very finely wrought and veneered wooden card case, yet the strong magical aura surrounding it offers proof that this artifact is not simply what it appears to be.
The Deck of Many Things appears to be full.
The Deck of Many Things contains:
     the Key to the Deck of Many Things

> g key deck
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Panish has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.

>  g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn the Tower in Ruin.
As you gaze upon it, the scene upon the card comes to life and is acted out.
Ruin stretches out to engulf you, but by some happy fate you evade it.
A warm feeling fills your body and a scroll of fine parchment appears in your hands.
The cold winds of never rush through the void, whipping the card from your hand and  returning you to the mortal realm.

 

Lowbie Quest

I've also been working on levelling a second barbarian. It's up to level 37 now so it shouldn't be too long until it reaches level 50. While levelling around level 20 I found a little quest in the Tower of Zenothir that I hadn't seen before. It involved getting an item from the Coral Depths that isn't too hard to find.

Madame Juneo's Sightroom
Exits: east
A gleaming crystal ball sits here, waiting for you to examine it.
A buxom woman narrows her eyes at you.
Juneo is shrouded in flowing shadow and light.
Madame Juneo's all-seeing eyes turn to stare into your soul
Madame Juneo says 'A seeker! Welcome to the gateway to the Future, traveller.'
A slight smile twists the Fortune-teller's lips.
Madame Juneo says 'I see we are both seeking...perhaps, friend, we can aid each other?'
Madame Juneo says 'I can see in your eyes, you want to say yes.....'

> say yes
You say 'yes'
Madame Juneo nods knowingly.
Madame Juneo says 'I knew a seeker such as yourself would be eager to aid me.'
Madame Juneo thinks briefly.
Madame Juneo says 'I have an illustrious client...I cannot say who, I'm afraid, but he is quite powerful.'
Madame Juneo says 'He has an...interesting, shall we say...curse upon him.
Madame Juneo says 'I have delved into the mysteries, and have found a way to relieve his suffering.'
 
Madame Juneo says 'Alas, my otherworldly sources say that the success depends'
Madame Juneo says 'upon locating a very rare regent... a dark black pearl.'
Madame Juneo says 'Bring me this pearl from the depths where it lies, and I shall aid you in return.'
Madame Juneo makes a mystical gesture of farewell.

> give pearl june
You give a dark black pearl to Juneo.
Madame Juneo looks over the pearl's shining surface.
Madame Juneo says 'A perfect pearl...you have done myself--and my client--a great service today.'
Madame Juneo says 'I must reward you. Be calm, this shall not harm you.'
Madame Juneo chants briefly over her crystal ball.
 
Power flows through you! You gain 50,000 experience!!!
 
Madame Juneo sits back, exhausted.
Madame Juneo says 'I must rest now. Thank you again for your help.'
Madame Juneo turns away.

 The quest isn't too difficult and most people go levelling in Coral Depths so collecting the pearl isn't taking you too far out of the way.

Home Ownership

I have managed to snag myself an apartment. It was a bargain for only 30 million gold coins. As a bonus it is on board the Meridia meaning I can use it for free transport around the various ports of the Realms of Despair. It's not much but it's home:

Vilexur's Apartment
A room surrounds you, filled with the dirt and filth of previous tenants.
A spray painted frame of the last tenant can be seen on the floor in a far corner.
Exits: northeast

I have been considering starting my own sect for my various alts but at the same time I need to save my gold coins for when I have enough glory for a prestige class.

 

Bug Hunting

Speaking of trying to make gold, one of the newer quests I've seen has gold coins as a reward. Basically it involves hunting down golden bugs with a nice gold reward. I've found vampires work well on them:

DYING>A golden bug's deathrattle fills the air as you drain its life...
Your suspiric grasp jars a golden bug!
A golden bug is DEAD!!
A golden bug screams furiously as it falls to the ground in a heap!
You get 5090000 gold coins from the corpse of a golden bug.
The corpse of a golden bug holds:
     Nothing.

You can never have too many gold coins in this game.

When the Summer Ends

With the introduction of prestige classes I've found myself needing more glory. The minimum requirement of 300 glory is a little more than any of my characters currently have. As a result of this I've been attempting as many quests as I can with the goal of achieving this 300 glory mark, mostly using my ranger and vampire since they are the characters closest to the 300 glory mark. Fortunately there has been several quests run over the last two months. Some have been the sort of quick quests that pop up with little warning while others have ran over a longer period of time. The biggest was the "Thoth's World" challenge which I'll write about at a later date. Now that the Summer is over here's my short summary of the other quests I've joined in:

Eisengrim's Orb of Winter

This quest ran over the month of January and involved finding Eisengrim's orbs of winter. These orbs were scattered over the whole of the Realms of Despair by Eisengrim on a regular basis. Trying to find these orbs was like finding the Deck of Many Things in that you had to travel to as many areas as possible and scan through all the rooms along the way. I managed to find three orbs all up with having success in Transylvania, Edo and Cursed Lands. This is what it looked like when you found one:

Upon the Village Dock
Planks squeak and boards bend under the weight of hundreds of years of sea air and crashing waves. Small weather worn holes are visible all over the dock and all those who traverse its rotting timbers are warned to be very careful. The sea mist, caused by the crashing waves, makes it difficult to see more then a few feet out into the gloom, though this doesn't stop the masses of people who who congregate on this lonely outlook in search of loved ones taken by the sea.
Exits: east south northeast northwest
A small glowing white sphere lies here, shimmering waves of mist emanating from its core.
A village elder looks to the sea to find his lost son.
Master Kosuke glows with an aura of divine radiance.
Boards creak and shake under the weight of the sea.
The villager looks up at you momentarily, then back to the sea.
Master Kosuke says 'I've lost more than I can bear to this sea..'
Master Kosuke says 'If interested, ask me about it.'
The sphere's glare intensifies as you near it.

>g orb
You get Eisengrim's Orb of Winter.
The orb flares, rays of white energy illuminating the area.
The cold arctic winds flare up, throwing powerful gusts around you.
Flakes of pure white snow begin to fall, covering the ground.
At that moment the realization strikes: winter has arrived.
Your score has been recorded.
You have found 2 of 15 possible orbs.

In this quest each orb was worth 2 glory giving me a total of 6 glory all up. 

An Ace or Two

The second quest I participated in was a fun quest involving finding cards across the Realms and then hoping you hold a better card than the hand-in mob Tristram the traveling gambler. I only managed to find two cards - one in New Darkhaven and the other in The Barren Wastes. Once you had the cards you had to hand them in, cross your fingers and hope for a lucky deal.

The Dancing Pony Inn
Exits: north south west up
A long rough hewn bench stretches out before an obviously well used table.
A small wooden table stands here, a painted wooden sign attached to it's base.
A middle aged woman bustles briskly about the room, taking orders.
A drunken fisherman lightly dozes, one armed curled protectively around his beer.
(Creator) (Translucent) (Red Aura) Incendi is shrouded in a demonic aura.
(Exalted God) (Red Aura) Gonnil is shrouded in a demonic aura.
(Lesser God) Eisengrim radiates with a godly light.
An older gnome man stands here, dressed in an overcoat and top-hat.
(Creator) Sarakin radiates with a godly light.
Tristram the traveling gambler looks up as you enter, sizing you up.
Tristram the traveling gambler says 'Well hello there!'
Tristram the traveling gambler says 'If you be here to play some cards, I suggest ya look at the sign there.'
Tristram the traveling gambler points towards the crudely painted wooden sign.
Alsandra says 'C'mon in and have a seat! I'll be with you in just a minute.'
Alsandra smiles at you.

>tail
You wag your tail. Feeling happy?

Eisengrim smiles at you.

>say I found 2 cards
You say 'I found 2 cards'

>eat card
You try to nibble on a lost playing card found by Jessyl (2)...

Eisengrim says 'give all cards to tristram to begin'

Eisengrim says 'and dont forget to l sign'

Incendi cheers you on like it's going out of style.

>look sign

crudely printed letters on a wooden backing say:
***********************************************************
*                  1 card means 1 play.                   *
*                                                         *
*         Playcount- check how many plays you have.       *
*         Draw card- you and me draw, kiddo.              *
*         Cashout- You wants to get paid.                 *
*                                                         *
*         3 pts for a win, 1 for a loss, 2 for a tie.     *
*         Unplayed cards worth 2 pts.                     *
*                                                         *
***********************************************************

Sarakin cheers you on like it's going out of style.

>give card trist
You give a lost playing card found by Jessyl to Tristram the traveling gambler.
Tristram the traveling gambler says 'Excellent, This will buy you one play.'

>give card trist
You give a lost playing card found by Jessyl to Tristram the traveling gambler.
Tristram the traveling gambler says 'Excellent, This will buy you one play.'

>draw card
You draw a card and place it on the table face up...
ace!
Tristram the traveling gambler draws a card and places it on the table face up...
five!
You Win!

Sarakin grins and shouts 'WooHoo!!!'.

Eisengrim says, 'ooOOooOOooOOoo.'

>draw card
You draw a card and place it on the table face up...
jack!
Tristram the traveling gambler draws a card and places it on the table face up...
five!
You Win!

Sarakin grins and shouts 'WooHoo!!!'.

Eisengrim says, 'ooOOooOOooOOoo.'

Eisengrim says 'please 'cashout' when done'

>cashout
Tristram the traveling gambler tells you 'Your request to cashout has been made.'

Your glory has been increased by 6.
Saved...

I was rather impressed with this quest. It was obvious that a lot of time and effort had gone into putting together this quest with the extra twist of a little uncertainty of how much you'll win.

Bean Crushing

The third quest I participated in involved killing coffee beans. I used my vampire for this one and found it a rather straight forward kill.

DYING>A coffee bean's deathrattle fills the air as you drain his life...
Your suspiric grasp hits a coffee bean!
A coffee bean is DEAD!!
A coffee bean screams furiously as he falls to the ground in a heap!
You get 916200 gold coins from the corpse of a coffee bean.
The corpse of a coffee bean holds:
     Vilexur's coffee bean

The maximum number of kills for this quest was two which earnt me 10 glory in total for the challenge.

To be honest I'm not sure how the immortals manage to put together original quests so frequently. I would find it rather daunting to find the time, inspiration and energy required to create quests like the Quest Council does on a consistent basis.

Returning to the Realms of Despair

Ever since I've started playing Realms of Despair two months ago I've been amazed at how much the game has grown over the three years since I last played. While it seems like other muds are struggling and dying the Realms of Despair has been going through a renaissance of late with a steady number of players, new content and other changes being implemented. As a returning player what has struck me is that the changes that have been made over the last few years have all been improvements. This post will cover the changes since I've been away and my thoughts about them.

• Prestige and Multi-classes: This has been the biggest change that has impacted upon gameplay over the last few years. It is now possible to upgrade level 50 characters to either the new more powerful prestige classes of dread vampire, hunter, harbinger, knight, infernalist & buccaneer or to multiclasses such as mage-thief and so on. These classes have opened up new parts of the game bringing new strategies and options to killing bigger mobs. While there is a significant barrier to unlocking these new classes in glory, gold and experience points the benefits outweigh the price. It just means I need to work on getting glory anyway I can so I can join the fun.
• Discord Server: Zistrosk has set up a discord server for the game. This has been a fantastic way to connect and communicate with players outside of the game. Announcements about new changes and events are broadcast to the players on the server while also allowing for feedback to be given. It's been useful for me when I'm not online but I get a notification on my phone through discord saying that a quest is about to start. I can just log on and start questing. I also love that on discord Zistrosk, the proud druid chose to use this picture for his avatar:
  
  It's from the old game Druid. I used to play this game 30 years ago on a commodore 64. I loved playing this game and remember having nightmares about the demon skulls spitting fireballs at me. The music in the introduction was one of the catchiest tunes ever made in 8 bit music. I asked Zist about this game and he said that in his mind this is how he pictured druids in Realms of Despair, which funnily enough is exactly how I envisioned them too.
• New Immortals: Since I stopped playing Sarakin, Lilith and Incendi have all been promoted to immortality. The Council of Elders have shown excellent judgement in elevating these three to their group. Each of these individuals are skilled players, have demonstrated knowledge of the game and contributed to game's community. On top of this they are all good people who have earned their position.
• Training: We can now train the stats for new characters in pre-auth. This beats the old systems of having to reroll a heap of characters overnight until you get the stats you wanted or the older method of making unpronounceable statnames that you had to cross your fingers would get authed. The no more rerolling means that no longer new players will see a screen full of spam names of people trying to roll that perfect thief.
  
• New Areas: I haven't had a close look at these new areas as yet, but from what little I've seen and heard they will be worth a look at. Honestly the more recently built areas have all been made to a high standard in writing, puzzles and challenges.
• New Races: There are two new races available now - dragonborn and tiefling. While I am less excited about this change and would have preferred a return of the lizardmen, however, it does allow other options for race and class combinations.
• Top MUD site voting: Ok this is the one change of the last few years that annoys me.
  
  
  Everytime I want to vote for the game now I have to prove "I am not a robot". From the sound of things there was some controversy with other muds playing the system to get higher rankings. I guess that this is why we can't have good things...

I'm sure that there are other changes over the time I've been away that have slipped past me. One thing that hasn't changed has been the community. Everyone has been very supportive and encouraging of me despite leaving without a trace. I'll write more about me at a later date, but thanks everyone who has sent me a tell, written an email or been in touch other ways.

Thank You.

Vilexur.

1295 Days

Welcome to Realms of Despair, Vilexur...
You were last online on: Wed Jun 21 09:39:00 2017

 

It looks like much has changed. To be continued...

Even More Deck Adventures

I've had a few adventures with the Deck of Many Things recently (well since February) with positive results. Here is the first:

The Deepening Darkness
The curving passageway has become increasingly more difficult to descend. Water still flows upon the floor, and from the ceiling large droplets fall, further eroding the already saturated soil. The air is much thicker, making it increasingly difficult to breathe, and while large enough to fit most humanoids, the unstable nature of the tunnel heightens a  sense of foreboding.
Exits: north southwest
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.
The Deck of Many Things says 'If you can find a card within me, you might be lucky enough to draw something of value.
However, once you submit to chance, you put yourself at the mercy of the cards.
The Deck of Many Things winks suggestively.

> g key dec
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Modra has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.
 

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn The Page of Swords.
What this card bodes for your future, only an immortal of level 57 or above can discover for you.

> tell destre Hi Destre. Can you please help me with the deck
They aren't here.

> who imm

-----------------------------------[ IMMORTALS ]------------------------------

Scapezist       Zistrosk is adepting shapezisting.  Gotta stay in shape. (Deity of Dragonslayer) [Quest Council]
1 player.

> tell zistr Hi Zist. Are there any 57+ imms around to help me out with the deck?
You tell Zistrosk 'Hi Zist. Are there any 57+ imms around to help me out with the deck?'

Destre steps out of the dark umbra.

Destre says 'hi :>'

> say hi
You say 'hi'

> eat card
You try to nibble on a card...

> give card des
You give a card to Destre.

Destre grins.

> cross
You cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Destre says 'exactly'

Destre drops a card.

Destre sacrifices a card to Destre.
Whispering voices fill the room and a faint breeze blows from somewhere...
The Page of Swords confers a Knight's gain in health upon you.

> oo
You go ooOOooOOooOOoo.

Destre says 'nice one'

> nod
You nod solemnly.

Destre says 'take off all your stuff please'

> rem all
You stop using the Dragonhide Breastplate.
You stop using Set's ring of Power.
You stop using talisman of Darkfire.
You stop using a crystal dragon bracer.
You stop using talisman of Darkfire.
You stop using a turqoise anklet.
You stop using Dark, fated mists.
You stop using a set of icy leggings.
You stop using boots of ancient spider venom.
You stop using the Matrix of Desolution.
You stop using a turqoise anklet.
You stop using a shadowy pair of dragonscale arm guards.
You stop using a crystal dragon bracer.
You stop using the black belt of Tigorly.
You stop using the shade helm.
You stop using the shades.
You stop using an earring of GlassWalker bone.
You stop using the Robe of the Magi.
Removing the vestment, your body returns to its corporeal form.
Ok.
You stop using Set's ring of Power.
You stop using Sin.
You stop using darkness.
You stop using Shifting black flames.

A cold breeze from the winds of never washes through the void.

The deck of many things is once again shuffled and dealt by the Gods.

Destre says 'you know I have never seen this pull'

Destre says 'have to figure out how to actually do it'

> say last time i got this card it was bad and i got -hp on the char's base
You say 'last time i got this card it was bad and i got -hp on the char's base'

Destre says 'thath should have done it'

Destre says 'yah, now your hps are up 20'

Destre says 'be sure and save'

> nod
You nod solemnly.

> save
Saved...

> say it worked :)
You say 'it worked :)'

Destre jumps into the air and gives you a MEGA high five! Woo hoo!

> say thank you very much
You say 'thank you very much'

Destre says 'enjoy :>'

> thank des
You thank Destre heartily.

 Plus 20hp on the base of any character is a big win even if I did use a back up mage for this pull. My second deck pull was:

Small Hut
These are the living quarters of these villagers.  Very simple looking, it is circular in shape with pots and pans along one side, an outhouse along another and miscellaneous items scattered about.  These people live a very simple life with no luxury.  You wonder how they entertain themselves.
Exits: south
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.
The Deck of Many Things says 'If you can find a card within me, you might be lucky enough to draw something of value.
However, once you submit to chance, you put yourself at the mercy of the cards.
The Deck of Many Things winks suggestively.

The desecrated Clan Tree mourns for a more prosperous time.

> g key deck
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Juxarn has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn The High Priestess.
What this card bodes for your future, only an immortal of level 57 or above can discover for you.

> who imm

-----------------------------------[ IMMORTALS ]------------------------------

Muse            Romani de Carpathia: I love the darkness in you. Vote! http://tinyurl.com/thoric http://tinyurl.com/thoric99. (Deity of Baali) [Head of The Symp
osium]
1 player.

> tell romani Hi Romani. Can
you please help me out with the deck?
You tell Romani 'Hi Romani. Can you please help me out with the deck?'

Romani tells you 'Sure, sec'

Romani climbs out of your pocket.

Romani smiles happily.

> smile
You smile happily.

Romani wonders 'First draw?'

> shake
You shake your head.

The deck of many things is once again shuffled and dealt by the Gods.

Romani nods solemnly.

Romani wonders 'Card please?'

> give card roma
You give a card to Romani.

> cross
You cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Romani says 'Good luck'

Romani drops a card.

Romani sacrifices a card to Romani.
The High Priestess gestures with her right hand and hope fills your heart.

Romani says 'One piece of armor please (not ankle or back)'

> eq
You are using:
<used as light>      (Red Aura) Shifting black flames
<worn on finger>     (Red Aura) (Humming) Set's ring of Power
<worn on finger>     (Red Aura) (Humming) Set's ring of Power
<worn around neck>   (Red Aura) talisman of Darkfire
<worn around neck>   (Red Aura) talisman of Darkfire
<worn on body>       (Red Aura) (Humming) Golden Plate
<worn on head>       the cloth hood of the Chosen
<worn on legs>       the cloth leggings of the Chosen
<worn on feet>       (Magical) (Glowing) demonscale Boots
<worn on hands>      gauntlets of the deep lode
<worn on arms>       armguards of the deep lode
<worn as shield>     shield of the deep lode
<worn about body>    the cloth robe of the Chosen
<worn about waist>   (Magical) (Glowing) the platinum band of the Draco Viridis
<worn around wrist>  the cloth wristband of the Chosen
<worn around wrist>  (Magical) (Glowing) a crystal dragon bracer
<wielded>            (Magical) (Glowing) The Dragon Claw of Legend
<held>               (Red Aura) the Matrix of Desolution
<worn on ears>       an earring of GlassWalker bone
<worn on eyes>       the shades
<worn on back>       stripe of the badger
<worn around ankle>  a turqoise anklet
<worn around ankle>  a blue, glassy chain
(type 'garb' for a list of all wear locations)

> rem golden
You stop using Golden Plate.

> give golden roma
You give Golden Plate to Romani.

Romani utters the words, 'uoculoihuyl'.
An item held by Romani briefly luminesces.

Romani gives you Golden Plate.

> c id golden

Object 'Golden Plate' is infused with your magic...
It is a level 48 armor, weight 23.
Locations it can be worn:  body
Special properties:  hum dark evil
Alignments allowed:  evil neutral
This armor has a gold value of 0.
Armor class is 12 of 14.
Affects damage roll by 8.
Affects hit roll by 8.
Affects hp by 100.
Affects dexterity by 2.
Affects mana by 100.
Affects affected_by by flying.

> save
Saved...

> oo
You go ooOOooOOooOOoo.

Romani says 'Enjoy'

Romani grins.

> say thanks'say that one is nice
You say 'thanks'say that one is nice'

> wear gold
You fit Golden Plate on your body.

Romani says 'That one is sweet'

> nod
You nod solemnly.

Romani says 'Sending you back'

Romani has transferred you.
Small Hut
These are the living quarters of these villagers.  Very simple looking, it is circular in shape with pots and pans along one side, an outhouse along another and miscellaneous items scattered about.  These people live a very simple life with no luxury.  You wonder how they entertain themselves.
Exits:
The Deck of Many Things that lay in wait for Juxarn rests here.

The hazy sun rises over the horizon.

> tell romani Thank you very much for that one
You tell Romani 'Thank you very much for that one'

Romani tells you 'I am glad it was a good one.'

Two good pulls in a row. I must be starting to get lucky.

For Absent Friends

It has been quite a while since my last post on here and sadly during this period we have lost not one but two members of our Realms of Despair community.

Firstly in November there was the tragic news of Kellian's passing. I knew he had serious health problems but his passing came as a shock to me. The announcement posted on the Archives was:

[ 19] Romani: Kellian
Wed Nov  2 21:38:38 2016
To: All
It is with a heavy heart that I bring you the news of Kellian's passing last Monday. As those close to him knew he was ill for a very long time. He was always a man full of energy on the game and he did live his life to the fullest here.

You will be missed.

Kellian I knew from the Guild of Nature. He was an excellent leader, a good listener, patient, wise, funny and dedicated to the people who played in the Realms of Despair. He was an all round great guy who I loved just chatting to one on one.

When going through old logs I found a farewell message from him which sums him up well:

Kellian guildtalks 'Later Nature Types, friend all :)' 

 More recently there was the news of the tragic passing of Dexamph/Benibyle. This has personally shaken me to the core. The announcement was as follows:

[ 22] Dornado: Benibyle/Dexamph
Sun Mar 19 21:41:27 2017
To: RoD
Hi friends

I'm sad to report that Benibyle/Dexamph passed away over the weekend. He played here between around 97 and 05. He held leadership spots in GoV and RB.

Regards
Cory

I first knew Dexamph through the old Guild of Vampires and later I met him in person through a group of local RoD players.  Over the years I have felt close to several players I have never met in person but only met a handful in the real world. The few who I have met in person though have left a lasting impact and we share a common bond. While I hadn't seen him in years I'll always have fond memories of having a beer and chatting with the man about RoD topics like what strategy to use on certain mobs, which mudclient is best and so on. He left a mark on me and I will personally miss him.

Both Kellian and Dexamph will be missed. I feel privileged to have known them both.

Bereft in Deadly Bloom

I've been working a little on Zistrosk's undead scourge quest. The quest message is:

(  1)  Zistrosk     10/08/16     A dangerous undead scourge marches across the Realms...

News has reached Darkhaven of a deadly group of undead souls that have been involved in sinister trapping rituals. Peaceful living beings are having their very souls extracted and trapped in gravestones! The gravestones seem to be most commonly found near those with great power, where adventurer deaths are common. The motivation of the  undead and the purpose of their soul storage are unknown, but it is clear that their intentions are not benign. Who or what could be behind this sudden attack on the Realms?

A call to action has been raised by the good citizens of Darkhaven. Find these gravestones, free the innocent souls trapped there, and fend off any undead souls that dare to make themselves known.

Scapezist's Note: This quest will run throughout the month of October, with a climactic end-event on Saturday, October 29th. While any level player may free souls, only AV players should fight the undead, so choose your one char to involve in this event wisely. When questing, be IP1 in the area, and if player corpses are on the ground at the undead please select another target to attack. Quest activity will be tallied automatically. Declare your quest character to me please before you start, so there is no misunderstanding (tells/mudmail). Scoring will be a composite of gravestones sacced, and undead kb'd. All actions must be taken on your declared quest character to count. If you have yet to start this quest you have until the final event on the 29th to join in.

After trekking around the Realms I found my first grave in this room one before Blackmote in the Tower of Despair. It appears that Zistrosk has put a lot of effort into this quest. Here it is:

The Last Cells
The cells to the east and west are denied access to by a pair of iron-bound
wooden doors.  Upon each door is a sigil depicting a crescent moon entwined
by serpents.  Both cell doors glow with a red light, outshining the flicker of
the torches.  A lull descends over the hallway.  The horrid stink near the
altar has faded, but been replaced by wisps of a strange ether.
Exits: north [east] south [west]
The ground is covered in a thick misty haze of undead evil.
The gravestone of a trapped soul lies here preventing a happy afterlife.
A mystical spring flows majestically from a glowing circle of blue.

>exam gravestone
You take a closer look at gravestone on the ground...

Sacrifice the gravestone and the following happens:

>sac gravestone
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of gravestone.
The gravestone crumbles into rubble, freeing the poor trapped soul within.
The Undead Minion Master moans as its power weakens!
Vilexur's help in freeing trapped souls has been recorded.
The ground shakes and shifts as an undead minion rises to protect his master's interests. 

The undead minion pops and looks pretty cool too:

The minion isn't too hard to kill, especially for a vampire, though you will need a handful of heals. Without too much trouble it will die:

An undead soul's bite grazes you.
An undead soul's kick scratches you.
An undead soul tries to bite you with his disease ridden teeth!
(a strand of polished jade gets damaged)
Your pierce rips an undead soul!
Your pierce gashes an undead soul!
An undead soul is DEAD!!
An undead soul screams loudly!
An undead soul exclaims 'The master will avenge me, and then you shall be turned to dust!'
Vilexur's deeds have been noticed by The Undead Minion Master.
An undead soul gasps his last breath and blood spurts out of his mouth and ears.

You get 967100 gold coins from the corpse of an undead soul.
The corpse of an undead soul holds:
     Nothing.

Quite a nice amount of gold on it too. Thanks to Zistrosk for running this quest. I hope I can find some more gravestones and am ready when The Undead Minion Master appears.

 

The Deck of Many Things (Round 18)

Found the deck again a couple of times this last month. One good result and one not so good. For the first deck pull I used my nephandi and the second one I used my evil warrior. Here is the first result:

>g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn The Sun.
What this card bodes for your future, only an immortal of level 57 or above can
discover for you.

>ot I found the deck and got the sun...
You ordertalk 'I found the deck and got the sun...'

 >who imm

-----------------------------------[ IMMORTALS ]------------------------------

Princess        Akael Windsinger. (Deity of Arcanes)
Muse            Romani de Carpathia: I love the darkness in you. (Deity of Baali) [Head of The Symposium]
Scapezist       Zistrosk is dizzy from trying to decide which tree to hug! (Dragonslayer) [Quest Council]
3 players.

>tell romani Hi Romani can you please help me out with the deck
You tell Romani 'Hi Romani can you please help me out with the deck'

Kris ordertalks 'Could just run crab guards on a leveling alt I suppose.   Oooh, what's Sun mean? I've never played the deck.'

>ot can be good or very bad
You ordertalk 'can be good or very bad'

Akael ordertalks 'Deck pulls are SO cool :) What's it doing now? :)'

>ot waiting for an imm
You ordertalk 'waiting for an imm'

Akael ordertalks 'I haven't seen a lot of the newer ones.'

>ot usually means something added to an item
You ordertalk 'usually means something added to an item'

Akael ordertalks 'Er...an imm like me? Or a different assortment of Imms?'

>ot like a 57+
You ordertalk 'like a 57+'

>whois akae

'Akael Windsinger.'
 She is a female level 57 Pixie Princess, 4138 years of age.
 She is a peaceful player, and is Deity of the Order of Arcanes.
 Akael has accumulated 536 glory in her lifetime.
 Akael has yet to create a bio.

Akael ordertalks 'That looks like me!'

>ot Oh - you're 57! Congrats!
You ordertalk 'Oh - you're 57! Congrats!'

Akael ordertalks '*rofl* ;) Thanks! Have been for a while! :D  Did you want me to come see what it says?'

Kris ordertalks ':D'

>ot Sure - Romani hasn't replied to my tell
You ordertalk 'Sure - Romani hasn't replied to my tell'

Akael ordertalks 'I'm just checking with her ;)'

>l
Within a Small Circle of Mystical Stones
All the world is blank. Nothing is visible here but a gathering of smooth rocks, set into a pattern of circular form. Each rock has a faint glow to it, and each one is slightly different. They appear to have been ravaged by the winds of change throughout countless eons, and have been left in this blank void as a testament to the truth of eternity.
Exits: none
(Glowing) (Humming) One of the rocks in the circle glows translucently.

>exam rock
You take a closer look at an opaque rock on the ground...
A faint white light issues from the rock, barely illuminating the space around it.

>where

Players near you in The Deck of Many Things:
| Wroth          (Arcanes)               | Within a Small Circle of Mystical Stones

>garb
You are using:
<used as light>      the sigil of Vl'aresch
<worn on finger>     (Humming) Set's ring of Power
<worn on finger>     (Humming) Set's ring of Power
<worn around neck>   talisman of Darkfire
<worn around neck>   talisman of Darkfire
<worn on body>       (Humming) Golden Plate
<worn on head>       the shade helm
<worn on legs>       Leggings of Arcane Magicks
<worn on feet>       (Glowing) demonscale Boots
<worn on hands>      (Humming) the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster
<worn on arms>       a shadowy pair of dragonscale arm guards
<worn as shield>     a huge shield of oak
<worn about body>    (Glowing) the Robe of the Magi
<worn about waist>   Corruption of the Innocent
<worn around wrist>  woven webbing
<worn around wrist>  woven webbing
<wielded>            (Glowing) darkness
<held>               the Matrix of Desolution
<worn on ears>       (Glowing) a sliver of glass
<worn on eyes>       the shades
<worn on back>       [nothing]
<worn over face>     [nothing]
<worn around ankle>  a turqoise anklet
<worn around ankle>  a blue, glassy chain

Akael tumbles in on the end of a rainbow.

>smile
You smile happily.

Akael says 'Romani's not answering me either, so I figured I'd come :)'

Akael grins.

>nod

Akael looks at you.
You nod solemnly.

>give card aka
You give a card to Akael.

Akael drops a card.

Akael sacrifices a card to Akael.
The bright light of the sun seems to gently enhance your faculties.

Akael says 'Ooh, interesting.'

>nod
You nod solemnly.

>say that's a good one :)
You say 'that's a good one :)'

Akael exclaims 'I need a piece of equipment!'

Akael grins.

>rem trick
You stop using the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster.

>give trick ak
You give the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster to Akael.

Akael emits an unrivaled cheer! Woo!

Akael utters the words, 'uoculoihuyl'.
An item held by Akael briefly luminesces.

Akael exclaims 'Now, to remember how to do it!'

Akael attempts to straighten her halo.

>heh
You seem to get a laugh from something saying, "heh heh heh".

The deck of many things is once again shuffled and dealt by the Gods.

Akael exclaims 'Huh, I thought that would do it. Sorry, one sec!'

>heh
You seem to get a laugh from something saying, "heh heh heh".

>say I've seen a few imms do things wrong with the deck
You say 'I've seen a few imms do things wrong with the deck'

Akael grins evilly.

Akael says 'At least I'm just failing, not actually messing it up more ;)'

>nod
You nod solemnly.

Akael says 'Aha! I was typing "scry", the term was "scrying".'

Akael rolls her eyes.

Akael utters the words, 'uoculoihuyl'.
An item held by Akael briefly luminesces.

Akael gives you the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster.

Akael says 'Save :)'

Akael grins.

>save
Saved...

>c id dem

Object 'the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster' is infused with your magic...

It is a level 50 armor, weight 10.
Locations it can be worn:  hands
Special properties:  hum evil magic
Classes allowed:  Mage Nephandi
Alignments allowed:  evil
This armor has a gold value of 500000.
Armor class is 14 of 15.
Affects damage roll by 5.
Affects intelligence by 1.
Affects resistant:slash by 3%.
Affects mana regeneration by 10.
Affects hp by 50.
Affects mana by 80.
Affects dexterity by 1 if class is nephandi.
Affects cost of demonskin by -10.
Affects affected_by by scrying.

>smile
You smile happily.

>say thanks a lot :)
You say 'thanks a lot :)'

>wear cla
You wear the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster on your hands.
As you place them upon your hands, the claws dig into your skin.
You wince.  Ouch!

Akael says 'A very nice thing... 200 glory worth of upgrade :)'

Akael grins.

>nod
You nod solemnly.

Akael jumps into the air and gives you a MEGA high five! Woo hoo!

Akael wonders 'Need anything else while I'm here?'

>thank ak
You thank Akael heartily.

>shake
You shake your head.

Akael smiles happily.

Akael exclaims 'Have fun!'

Akael waves happily.

Akael is scooped up by a runaway rainbow.

>l
Within a Small Circle of Mystical Stones
All the world is blank. Nothing is visible here but a gathering of smooth rocks, set into a pattern of circular form. Each rock has a faint glow to it, and each one is slightly different. They appear to have been ravaged by the winds of change throughout countless eons, and have been left in this blank void as a testament to the truth of eternity.
Exits: none
(Glowing) (Humming) One of the rocks in the circle glows translucently.

>c wor
For some strange reason... nothing happens.

>tell akael One more thing... Can I please get a trans out of this area?

Akael ordertalks 'That was fun, thanks :) I love deck pulls :)'
You tell Akael 'One more thing... Can I please get a trans out of this area?'

Akael tells you 'Oh, no fun ;)'

Akael has transferred you.
Darkhaven Square
You are standing within the expanse of the famous Darkhaven Square. An immense stone statue of Duke Luther sits in the center of the square, surrounded by fountains of shimmering crystal water.  Gardens and shrubbery enhance the air of serenity and peace here in the center of the great city. A plaque set into the base of the fountain attracts your eye.  Cobblestone roads lead away in the four cardinal directions, while to the northeast and northwest are forested paths.  The cathedral spires of Notre Dame de Sioux rise with  majesty above the treetops to the northwest.
Exits: north east south west up northeast northwest
A large sundial lies here, a shadow creeping across the surface.
A silver key with the initials "D A G" carved on it lies here.
Stone fountains containing crystal clear water surround the Duke's statue.
Mossweaver the friend of small, furry, woodland creatures. is hovering here.
Mossweaver is ensphered by shards of glistening ice.
Jessyl the reptile is standing here.

Akael tells you ';)'

>ot Thanks for it all, so far you're good luck
You ordertalk 'Thanks for it all, so far you're good luck'

The parts I enjoyed about this were I could tell from the message when Akael sacrificed the card that it was a good pull, secondly that she had been promoted to level 57 and third, good old Mossweaver was sitting at DH[]. My second pull was a lot shorter:

Weapon Shop
This is just the remnant of a shop that looks like it was once thriving. Many abandoned tools are left around, none of them looking of of any real use.  Rust fills the room, and the stench of old and foul air sticks in your senses.  You see a counter at the end of one corner, and shelves that once held valuable wares still stand erect on the walls.  You scan  quickly around the room for something that may be of use, but find nothing.
Exits: south
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.

> exam deck
You take a closer look at the Deck of Many Things on the ground...
The deck takes the appearance of a very finely wrought and veneered wooden card case, yet the strong magical aura surrounding it offers proof that this artifact is not simply what it appears to be.
The Deck of Many Things appears to be full.
The Deck of Many Things contains:
     the Key to the Deck of Many Things

> g key deck
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Skold has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When
you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn the Tower in Ruin.
As you gaze upon it, the scene upon the card comes to life and is acted out.
Your doom is sealed and ruin engulfs you.
..Everything begins to fade to black.

You feel yourself leaving your body... rising up into the air, you feel
more free than you have ever felt before...

However, before your deity comes to collect your soul, you feel a strange pulling sensation as strange and colorful mists swirl around you...
Sonoria mutters a few incantations, waves her hands and points her finger.
Sonoria says 'Welcome back to the land of the living, Skold'

Sonoria utters the word 'gartla'.

This pull is about as bad as it can get.  The warning of "Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own." certainly came true this time. I guess I was due for a bad pull. Maybe better luck next time.

The Deck of Many Things (Round 17)

While not playing much recently I did have one lucky break with the Deck of Many Things towards the end of June. Here it is:

On the Spiral Staircase
Exits: up down
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.
The Deck of Many Things says 'If you can find a card within me, you might be lucky enough to draw something of value.
However, once you submit to chance, you put yourself at the mercy of the cards.
The Deck of Many Things winks suggestively.

> g key deck
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Skold has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn the King of Pentacles.
The King's gaze sweeps over your armor, appraising your worthiness to appear before him.
A scroll of fine parchment appears in your hands.
The cold winds of never rush through the void, whipping the card from your hand and returning you to the mortal realm.

> i
You are carrying 15 items and have room for 5 more:
     a burlap sack
     pouch of combat
     a sack of holding
     black depravity
     a brown leather satchel
     (Glowing) a sliver of glass
     (Glowing) (Humming) scales of alpha & omega (2)
     (Glowing) the Ice Girth
     (Glowing) a magical mystery cookie
     an icicle wand
     a scroll of detect invisibility
     a small birch chest
     a magical tablet of disclosure
     a free rename scroll belonging to Skold

> save
Saved...

>exam scroll
You take a closer look at a free rename scroll belonging to Skold in inventory...
The fine parchment of the scroll has a short phrase inscribed upon it in
letters of gold...
This scroll is worth one free rename and belongs to the person named upon it.

>rec tab rename
You recite a magical tablet of disclosure.

Object 'a free rename scroll belonging to Skold' is infused with your magic...
It is a level 50 treasure, weight 1.
Special properties:  none
This treasure has a gold value of 0.

Failure, Uncertainty and Mending Broken Hearts

I haven't posted on here in months and have hardly been seen at all on in the Realms of Despair in this time. When on a few people have been sending me tells asking if everything is ok and how I am doing which I do appreciate, but things haven't been good lately for me in real life. Since the middle of January the other great love of my life, my wife of almost 8 years hasn't been well. It started off innocently appearing as a summertime flu, then the doctor's said it was bronchitis. Things didn't get better and by May they were saying she had heart failure.

Since then there has been much time spent in hospitals, more tests, ten different medications she has to take every day, doctor appointments and regular heart rehabilitation therapy. So far these treatments seem to be helping and I am trying to remain hopeful.

As a result of all this a lot of other areas of my life that used to matter more have fallen behind. I just wish things could be like they used to be before. In the meantime if you see me don't be scared to send a tell.

Thanks for all the support and understanding.

The Deck of Many Things (Round 16)

I haven't been on the Realms of Despair much lately due to a few real life issues. I've had a few things I've been wanting to try out but they can wait. Today though I did find the deck again. I wasn't feeling lucky so I decided to use my cheaply dressed evil cleric to pull the card:

> Small Hut
These are the living quarters of these villagers.  Very simple looking, it is circular in shape with pots and pans along one side, an outhouse along another and miscellaneous items scattered about.  These people live a very simple life with no luxury.  You wonder how they entertain themselves.
Exits: west
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.
The Deck of Many Things says 'If you can find a card within me, you might be lucky enough to draw something of value.
However, once you submit to chance, you put yourself at the mercy of the cards.
The Deck of Many Things winks suggestively.

> exam deck
You take a closer look at the Deck of Many Things on the ground...
The deck takes the appearance of a very finely wrought and veneered wooden card case, yet the strong magical aura surrounding it offers proof that this artifact is not simply what it appears to be.
The Deck of Many Things appears to be full.
The Deck of Many Things contains:
     the Key to the Deck of Many Things

> g key deck
> You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Juxarn has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn Justice.
The image of Justice fixes you with a stare that seems to pierce your very soul.

A stern voice echoes through the void, proclaiming your judgement and fate.
Justice says 'Your chosen path in life is mistaken. Those who willfully refuse to see the value of balance cannot be permitted to prosper.'
Your coin purse suddenly feels lighter.
The cold winds of never rush through the void, whipping the card from your hand and returning you to the mortal realm.

> look
A grey tiled hallway
You are in a grey tiled hallway leading north and south. Dim balls of energy float here and there shedding a warm light, and showing the way.
A feeling of peace and balance comes over you.
Exits: north south

> where

Players near you in High Tower of Sorcery:
| Juxarn         (Arcanes)               | A grey tiled hallway

I'm not sure if that card would have done something different if I was using a neutral aligned character, but in the end it only cost me a few million gold coins.

The Deck of Many Things (Round 15)

I haven't ran across the deck with a card in it for a couple of months though I did have the following two logs saved up. In both cases I pulled out the same card - The Sun, but when sacrificed by the immortal involved a different message shows up. Again in each case the immortal requested a piece of equipment but from past experience I knew one would add a negative affect and the other a positive. Here are the logs:

Torlynn Market
Exits: north southeast
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.
The Deck of Many Things says 'If you can find a card within me, you might be lucky enough to draw something of value.
However, once you submit to chance, you put yourself at the mercy of the cards.
The Deck of Many Things winks suggestively.

> exam deck
You take a closer look at the Deck of Many Things on the ground...
The deck takes the appearance of a very finely wrought and veneered wooden card case, yet the strong magical aura surrounding it offers proof that this artifact is not simply what it appears to be.
The Deck of Many Things appears to be full.
The Deck of Many Things contains:
     the Key to the Deck of Many Things

> g key deck
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Skold has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn The Sun.
What this card bodes for your future, only an immortal of level 57 or above can discover for you.

> look
Within a Small Circle of Mystical Stones
All the world is blank. Nothing is visible here but a gathering of smooth rocks, set into a pattern of circular form. Each rock has a faint glow to it, and each one is slightly different. They appear to have been ravaged by the winds of change throughout countless eons, and have been left in this blank void as a testament to the truth of eternity.
Exits: none
(Glowing) (Humming) One of the rocks in the circle glows translucently.

> who imm
-----------------------------------[ IMMORTALS ]------------------------------
Muse            Romani de Carpathia Vote: http://tinyurl.com/thoric  FB: http://tinyurl.com/thoric-rod Twitter: @RealmsOfDespair. (Deity of Baali) [Head of The Symposium]
Newblet         Loril Gemstone-Edelstone, on Cloud Nine. (Ringbearers) [Co-Head of Newbie Council]
2 players.

> tell romani Hi Romani. Can you please help me out with the deck?
You tell Romani 'Hi Romani. Can you please help me out with the deck?'

Romani climbs out of your pocket.

Romani smiles happily.

> smile
You smile happily.

Romani says 'Good luck :)'

> give card romani
You give a card to Romani.

 Romani looks at you.

> cross
You cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Romani says 'here we go'

Romani drops a card.

Romani sacrifices a card to Romani.
The heat of the sun blazes forth, affecting anything it touches.

Romani says 'A piece of armor please'

> remove ankle
You stop using a demonskin ankle bracer.

> give ankle roma
You give a demonskin ankle bracer to Romani.

Romani utters the words, 'uoculoihuyl'.
An item held by Romani briefly luminesces.

Romani gives you a demonskin ankle bracer.

Romani pats you on your back.

The deck of many things is once again shuffled and dealt by the Gods.

> say thank you for doing that
You say 'thank you for doing that'

> save
Saved...

Romani smiles happily.

Romani gives you a magical mystery cookie.

Romani has transferred you.
Torlynn Market
Exits: north southeast
The Deck of Many Things that lay in wait for Skold rests here.

> rec tab ankl
You recite a magical tablet of disclosure.
Object 'a demonskin ankle bracer' is infused with your magic...
It is a level 44 armor, weight 3.
Locations it can be worn:  ankle
Special properties:  none
Genres allowed:  sorcerer rogue fighter aberrant
Alignments allowed:  evil neutral
This armor has a gold value of 20000.
Armor class is 20 of 20.
Affects susceptible:fire by 5%.

 The second log shows a very similar pull but a more positive result:

A Path in the Rice Fields of Edo
Exits: north south southeast southwest
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.
The Deck of Many Things says 'If you can find a card within me, you might be lucky enough to draw something of value.
However, once you submit to chance, you put yourself at the mercy of the cards.
The Deck of Many Things winks suggestively.

> g key deck
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Skold has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn The Sun.
What this card bodes for your future, only an immortal of level 57 or above can discover for you.

> who imm
-----------------------------------[ IMMORTALS ]------------------------------
Muse            Romani de Carpathia Vote: http://tinyurl.com/thoric  FB: http://tinyurl.com/thoric-rod Twitter: @RealmsOfDespair. (Deity of Baali) [Head of The
Symposium]
1 player.

> tell romani Hi Romani - can you please help me out with the deck
You tell Romani 'Hi Romani - can you please help me out with the deck'

> twid
You patiently twiddle your thumbs.

The deck of many things is once again shuffled and dealt by the Gods.

> beckon romani
You beckon to Romani...

Romani climbs out of your pocket.

Romani says 'hi'

Romani beckons you...

> say hi
You say 'hi'

Romani says 'hi'

> smile
You smile happily.

> give card roma
You give a card to Romani.

> cross
You cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Romani says 'good luck'

Romani drops a card.

Romani sacrifices a card to Romani.
The bright light of the sun seems to gently enhance your faculties.

Romani says 'one piece of eq please'

> rem helm
You stop using the Bone Helm of Ryuukoroshi.

> give helm rom
You give the Bone Helm of Ryuukoroshi to Romani.

Romani says, 'ooOOooOOooOOoo.'

Romani thinks, 'Hmmmm.'

Romani utters the words, 'uoculoihuyl'.
An item held by Romani briefly luminesces.

Romani puts her finger in her mouth and says, "Oopsie! Did I do that?"

Romani grins.
> egr
You grin evilly.

Romani gives you the Bone Helm of Ryuukoroshi.

Romani says 'there we go'

> say thanks
You say 'thanks'

> rec tab helm
You recite a magical tablet of disclosure.
Object 'the Bone Helm of Ryuukoroshi' is infused with your magic...
It is a level 50 armor, weight 10.
Locations it can be worn:  head
Special properties:  bless
Races allowed:  Human Elf Dwarf Half-Orc Half-Troll Half-Elf Gith Drow Sea-Elf Lizardman
Classes allowed:  Druid Augurer
Genres allowed:  fighter
This armor has a gold value of 50242.
Armor class is 30 of 30.
Affects damage roll by 5.
Affects strength by 2.
Affects wisdom by 1.
Affects save vs breath by -3.
Affects save vs spell by -1.
Affects hp by 75.
Affects mana by 75.
Affects affected_by by scrying.

The same card, same warrior and same helpful immortal both times but different results. The only difference was the message after Romani sacrificed the card: "The heat of the sun blazes forth, affecting anything it touches." compared to "The bright light of the sun seems to gently enhance your faculties."

My other favourite part of this was watching Romani sacrifice a card to Romani. Thanks again for the help.

Dying Isn't All Bad

I've been very slow on the updates again lately. It's not that I've stopped playing though the Christmas/New Year period did slow me down, but more a combination of procrastination, not having anything exciting to write about and not having any major success of late until a small breakthrough today.

One area I've been working on exploring lately is D'Morian's Land. I'd heard of a rumour of an item that could be only gained through an unusual way - death. This is unusual in that to get an item you normally need to find it lying around, put it together from the other pieces or from the cold dead hands of the mob they are on. The hard part is you need to die to a particular mob in a particular room.

The room you need to die in is the following:

At the Back of the Tower Knoll
A short flight of steps leads from the path up to the back of the knoll. The steps are badly chipped and also caked with the thick dried blood that seems to be so liberally spread about here. The air here is mysteriously calm, although the heather further down hill still ripples in the wind.  A few odd looking items are scattered about on the stony ground at the foot of the steps, they seem to be broken pieces of armor and a few blood-soaked rags.
Exits: northeast northwest

You can examine both armor and rags which gives some clue that there is more to this room than meets the eye:

>exam armor
A steel vambrace lies bent and discarded at the foot of the steps, while
what resembles a pouldron is sticking out of the heather off to the side.

>exam rags
A few fragments of clothing are caught tangled in the heather, or glued to
the steps with blood. 

The mob you need to kill you in this room is a decaying zombie. This is made hard as the rooms in this part of the area have a program where the wind blows you out of them. Add in zombies then chasing you and casting spells that drain your movement points quickly and things start getting tricky. I've been most successful by killing all the zombies and then waiting in the room for repop to die. However, when you do get lucky:

A decaying zombie's bite wounds you!
You wish that your wounds would stop BLEEDING so much!
The Zombie's hands clutch around your neck.
(claws of the mole gets damaged)
Curse the gods, you've lost 0 experience!

..Everything begins to fade to black.

You feel yourself leaving your body... rising up into the air, you feel more free than you have ever felt before...

However, before your deity comes to collect your soul, you feel a strange pulling sensation as strange and colorful mists swirl around you...

If you are lucky (pop rate isn't 100%)... When you do your corpse retrieval the following item will be in it:

>c identify dented

Object 'dented vambraces of a fallen warrior' is infused with your magic...
It is a level 50 armor, weight 6.
Locations it can be worn:  arms
Special properties:  metal
This armor has a gold value of 3000.
Owner:  Charix
Armor class is 14 of 14.
Affects damage roll by 6.
Affects armor class by -10.
Affects constitution by 1.
Affects strength by 2.
Affects hp by 10.

>exam dented
You take a closer look at dented vambraces of a fallen warrior in inventory...
You see nothing special.
As you look more closely, you notice that it is in superb condition.
It appears to be within or below your level range.

Frustratingly they are owner tagged - this one to a cleric of mine.  I'm not sure what the best use of these arms are for - maybe a barbarian or to replace a few cheapo evil characters using Shimmergloom arms? It's an option though that not many have heard of before. Now hopefully I can figure out a few more things in this area.

At the Heart of it All

Over the last couple of weeks I've been working on levelling another vampire named Viltrow. I finished it off tonight and was disappointed with the final base of 754 hp's. I did enjoy going back over some of the low level areas I never spend much time in, in particular Along the Forest Path. This area I hadn't been to in years - from memory the last time I did anything in that area was over 10 years ago when I was questing to join the Guild of Vampires and needed to get The Heart of the Forest.

This area has a few mini-quests in it. The first one starts at Theggory the knight:

A small ford
Exits: east southwest
A small creek winds spreads out through large rocks creating a small ford.
A large destrier paws the ground.
A tall man, clad in heraldic branded armor imposes his presence here.
Theggory the knight bows from the saddle.
Theggory the knight says 'Greeting my Lord.'
Theggory the knight wonders 'I am upon a great quest, mayhaps you could provide assistance?'

> say yes
You say 'yes'
Theggory the knight wonders 'Great!  Thank you for the aid in my quest.  Where may I find my groupmate Acwellan?'

> say a small camp
You say 'a small camp'
Theggory says to you 'I need further help from you, Viltrow. My group split up to try to find a cure for our ranger, Landue. He was bitten by a creature from a distant plane of existance. Normal cures here don't have any affect on the poisons that he is suffering from. I was contacted by a witch named Meadhbh. She told me she could help. I was to meet her in a village called Newfane to find out about an antivenom for my friend.
Alas, I can not go to find her, now. My friend Acwellan is in danger and I must go to him. Please go to find Meadhbh, the witch in Newfane. She travels to our plane of  existance through the Machine Dreams. Will you help Landue?
Please say "yes" if you will help him.

I got stuck on this mini-quest. I ended up sitting around in Newfane without coming across the witch. With the low level areas you can easily just level up past the limits for the quests. A more interesting quest was the one from Theggory's friend Acwellan the druid:

> say Theggory
You say 'Theggory'
Acwellan the druid says 'Yes, I sent out a message for aid to help me, help this forest.'
Acwellan the druid wonders 'All is not as healthy as it seems.  Could you help?'

> say yes
You say 'yes'
Acwellan the druid says 'The forest, and Nature herself thanks you.   The guardian of these'
Acwellan the druid says 'woods, a dryad has been driven from her tree.  She has since sought'
Acwellan the druid says 'refuge somewhere in the forest.  The problem is that she left the'
Acwellan the druid says 'symbol of her guardianship in her old home.  She needs to be found'
Acwellan the druid says 'and the symbol returned to her for the forest to regain its full'
Acwellan the druid says 'health. Call her by her name - Semlina - to summon her from her tree.'
Acwellan the druid says 'Then tell her you wish to help.'

 After exploring around the area I found the room that the druid was talking about:

A small glade
The simplicity of this glade exudes an almost magical aura of peace
and harmony, even your most aggressive urges are suppressed in this
place.   The vegetation seems to be in the epitome of life and vitality.
Exits: east west

> say semlina
You say 'semlina'
A thin and pale forest spirit steps from the center of the tree

> say help
You say 'help'
The dryad says 'Thank you mighty Adventurer.  The hope of this forest may rest in your'
The dryad says 'hands.  I have been driven from my tree by a group of foul and destructive'
The dryad says 'people.  Because I am the guardian of these woods I was able to shelter'
The dryad says 'here in a child of my own tree.   While the loss of the hurts me most'
The dryad says 'direly, it is the loss of the Heart of the Forest that matters more.'
The dryad says 'I need you to recover the Heart for in my weakened state I can only leave'
The dryad says 'this tree here for extremely short amounts of time.'
The dryad wonders 'Will you please help me?'

> say yes
You say 'yes'
The dryad says 'Oh thank you for your generous offer of aid.  The tree is the huge tree to'
The dryad says 'the east. I know that the vile ones have sheltered under the roots in my'
The dryad says 'precious tree.  Look for a secret door of bones in the pit at the trees base.'
The dryad says 'Once you are in the lair you need to make your way one of the rooms at the'
The dryad says 'end of the complex.  I know that the one of the band has a hidden room.  '
The dryad says 'In that room there is a secret unknown to the despoiler.  Open the branch'
The dryad says 'of roots to discover where the heart itself sits.  Then simply return the'
The dryad says 'Heart to me.'
The dryad Looks at you hopefully before fading slowly back into her adopted tree.

The Heart would be impossible to find without the information from Semlina that the keyword to open the secret door is "branch". The heart itself is rather uninteresting:

> exam heart
You take a closer look at The Heart of the Forest in inventory...
This almost appears to be only a very large and highly polished knot of wood. Then it moves slightly. It pulses as if it has some magical connection.  You can feel a slight buzz in your hand from holding it.

> c id heart
Object 'The Heart of the Forest' is infused with your magic...
It is a level 1 trash, weight 1.
Special properties:  none
This trash has a gold value of 0.

The reward for handing in the heart is getting Semlina to cast blessing of Thoric on you. It felt a little underwhelming at first to just have a spell cast upon you but then I realised just how handy this spell is. It increases all of your stats by 3 and is automatically cast on you by the mysterious robed figure when a character below level 10 enters the Halls of Knowledge. However, what is special about getting Semlina to cast this spell is that she can do it for characters up to level 25. And sometimes a few extra stats while getting a couple more levels before upgrading some equipment is all you need.

Monkeying Around

I've been talking to a few players lately about quests, storylines and puzzles that span more than one area. There are rumours of secrets and unsolved mysteries involving interlinked multiple areas throughout the game. Figuring these out can be made easier by working with others. Sometimes just knowing which areas to look in can be the start. One time consuming puzzle is the Eight Monkeys. Basically it involves finding eight different monkeys spread out over the Southern Mountain Range, Wastelands and Ockwater Fens areas. Once you've found them you can connect them to make Eight Monkeys:

Object 'eight monkeys' is infused with your magic...
It is a level 43 armor, weight 2.
Locations it can be worn:  hold
Special properties:  none
This armor has a gold value of 1750213.
Armor class is 14 of 14.
Affects hp by 30.
Affects mana by 55.
Affects strength by 2.
Affects constitution by 1.
Affects hit roll by 4.
Affects damage roll by 3.
Affects moves by 5.

Here's my breakdown on each of the monkeys:

Amythyst Monkey
This monkey can be found in the Southern Mountain Range on the merchant. He usually hangs around in the valley near Edel and can be found using "where merchant". He may say he is out of stok and on his way home. If this happens just follow him and wait. To get this one you need to buy it off him as follows:

On An Enormous Foothill
Exits: north south west [northeast] southwest
A dwarven merchant looks tired from crossing the mountains.
An old mule solemnly follows his master, pulling his cart.
The mule lets out a tired noise.

>list
A merchant whispers to you 'I have an amythyst monkey. Yes, with 'y's, it's foreign. give me 150000 coins and it's yours.'
A merchant whispers to you 'And just forget where you got it from, okay? It's worth more than that, I want to be rid of it.'
A merchant whispers to you 'I don't like doing business outside of my established cities, but I also don't want to end up stuck with jewels and attracting bandits in the mountains.'

>list
A merchant whispers to you 'Just give me the 150000 coins and I'll give you the carving.  Or let's just walk away.'

>give 150000 coins mer
You give 150,000 coins to a merchant.
A merchant thanks you heartily.
A merchant gives you an amythyst monkey.

Coral Monkey
This monkey is incorrectly labelled on rodpedia as being from the Southern Mountain Range when in fact is from the Wastelands. To find it you need to search in the following room:

A Wind Torn Beach
Twisted, stunted trees line the beach, their tortured roots extending into
the waves as if seeking relief in the cool waters of the sea. Fluttering in the gusts of wind that blow in from the ocean, grey spanish moss dangles from the branches, enveloping the almost barren limbs in a funeral shroud.
Exits: west down northeast
A black tarantula scuttles quickly over burning sands.

>search
You begin your search...

Your search reveals a coral monkey!

Gypsum Monkey
The gypsum monkey involves a little work in the Wastelands and interacting with Ratboy within the Southern Mountain Range:

The Shelter At The End Of The Alley
Exits: north
A short table stands here
(Hide) A ruffian hangs around at the back of the shelter, trying to carve crystal with a small mining pick.
A shrewd, grey haired dwarf stands here, as if he's expecting you.
Kurt looks you over appraisingly.

Ratboy picks away at his chunk of glass, trying to carve it into something.
A crack is heard from the chunk of glass.  A swearword is heard from Ratboy.

>say glass
You say 'glass'
Ratboy tells you 'Yeah? It is the worst. You can't carve glass without a furnace. I wish I still had some of the soft crystals from the golden sands left.'

Golden Sands
This low spot is nestled amongst the fringes of the foothills. Lots of sand has accumulated in this hollow, blown in from the desert to the south and scoured from the hillsides by even more blowing sand. The sand has a very deep shine to it, yellow like gold and it sparkles brightly in the light.
Exits: north northeast southwest

>search
You begin your search...

Your search reveals a gypsum crystal!

>g cry
You get a gypsum crystal.

>give gyps ratb
You give a gypsum crystal to Ratboy.
Ratboy tells you 'Hey, this is a nice soft crystal. I can use this! Thanks.'

Ratboy tells you 'Come back in a couple hours and I'll give you the crystal back.'

The Shelter At The End Of The Alley
Exits: north
A short table stands here
A shrewd, grey haired dwarf stands here, as if he's expecting you.
A ruffian hangs around at the back of the shelter, trying to carve crystal with a small mining pick.
Ratboy tells you 'Thanks for that crystal. It's way better than trying to carve glass.'

Ratboy picks away at his chunk of glass, trying to carve it into something.
A crack is heard from the chunk of glass.  A swearword is heard from Ratboy.

Ratboy picks away at his chunk of glass, trying to carve it into something.

Ratboy tells you 'Thanks for that crystal. I enjoyed carving it, but I'm done with it now. Have it back, it's a monkey.'
Ratboy gives you a gypsum monkey. 

Jade Monkey
The jade monkey is bought off the mob Fidalstix in Southern Mountain Range who also does part of the Mystic Armor of Nidaros quest. The hard part is waiting around to get Fidalstix to turn up though you can get him to come sooner:

The Pick And Payload Common Room
This room is quite large. There is more than enough space here for the common room to comfortably hold a full house on a busy night with every one of the thirty bunks occupied and no one feeling crowded. The bunks run the length of the walls in this upstairs room of The Pick and Payload Inn, the place is kept immaculately clean and the beds look to be quite comfortable for a safe night's sleep.
Exits: down
An injured adventurer is here in town resting and recuperating.
A brightly dressed gnomish merchant is staying here while in town.
A gnome man is in town, away from the mines for the day.
Fidalstix smiles at you.
The adventurer looks up at you, but seems only vaguely aware.

>list
[Lv Price] Item
[20 580365] Jade monkey.
[13 144842] The rhodium ring.

>gold
You have 1,164,871 gold pieces on hand.

>buy jade
You buy jade monkey.

Quartz Monkey
This monkey is actually the first of the eight monkeys I ever stumbled across. This is one is literally found in the Southern Mountain Range with a min-story to go with it:

Inside The Run Down Shack
This structure barely qualifies as a shack. Bits and pieces of trash are poorly hammered to cracked strips and timbers, all of which would collapse were it not leaning against the cliff face outside, plainly visible through the cracks in the walls. The shack sits in the low trough against the cliff  face and what is left of the rotting floor is very damp. An unkempt bed rests on stone blocks in one corner and a crooked square table stands with the help of the wall. It is possible that this is someone's home.
Exits: north
An old ranger stands very still here.
Begbee looks up at you, seeming a little surprised.
Begbee thinks, 'Hmmmm.'
Begbee says 'I don't often have visitors...'
Begbee says 'Are you lost or is there reason for this intrusion?'

>say cress
You say 'cress'
Begbee looks a little shocked.
Begbee wonders 'Oh, you know Cress. Tell her her daddy would love to see her soon, wouldya?'

A Low Spot On The Canyon Rim
This natural low area on the canyon rim provides a beautiful view of the canyon stretching far to the southeast and the canyon floor below. A small fire has been built here and still smolders warmly. The rim trail follows the higher parts of the rim, passing this spot by. The east wall of this depression has a slight overhang of the sandstone at the very top, providing a tiny space of shelter, just enough for one person vertically.
Exits: north
(Glowing) A fire has burnt down to a bed of hot coals here.
(Hide) A young girl hangs by her feet in the shelter of the overhang.

>say begbee
You say 'begbee'
Cress says 'Yes, he is my father. He gave me something but I've... I think it fell into the canyon. I search for it every night but I think it's...'
Cress looks very sad.

The Northwest Corner Of The Enormous Canyon
The canyon floor is rather flat here, devoid of the hoodoos and other rock formations that fill this canyon with wonder. The high canyon walls are extremely crumbly and climbing here would be impossible. The balancing rock formation to the southeast looks precarious as if it ought to topple to the east into a nearby hoodoo at any moment.
Exits: east south

>search
You begin your search...

Your search reveals a quartz monkey!

>give monkey cress
You give a quartz monkey to Cress.
Cress says to you, 'That's it. That's the little monkey! It's not broken, it's perfect.'
Cress looks both happy and very sad at the same time.
Cress says to you, 'Thank you for showing me. I'm glad I didn't break it. You keep it, though.'
Cress gives you a quartz monkey.
Cress says to you, 'Take good care of that, I can't keep it, it makes me sad.'

Ruby Monkey
This little monkey is quite a tricky guy to find. For starters it involves being the only monkey you need to go to Ockwater Fens as part of and secondly it uses an item to make it which already has other uses - a roughly cut ruby. Once you have this item you need to sell the ruby to Roovin as follows:

A Small Cavern
This cavern of rocks is drier than the tunnels and only has a little mud on the floor, tracked in by the feet of previous visitors. The rocks are very old, cracked and are veined with a dull ore. The ceiling doesn't drip and some of the rocks have smooth, flat tops. This would be a comfortable place to rest and dry out before venturing back into the mud of the tunnels that lead in all directions getting nowhere. This is the definitive 'dead end' proving that there is nothing of interest beyond these tunnels.
Exits: northwest
A large, granite-like lizard blends into the stone floor.
(Hide) (Red Aura) A lizardman scout watches from the weeds.
A lizardman scout watches you.

>sear
You begin your search...

Your search reveals a roughly cut ruby!

>g rub
You get a roughly cut ruby.

The Smelterer's Shop
The glow of intensely hot fire escapes the furnace to the south and reddens the room brightly. The heat in here is incredible despite the wide open door, window and hole cut through the ceiling. The furnace is enormous and fronted by a closed grate while it melts the metals out of the ore-rich rocks brought to the smelterer by the miners. The bustle of Looris Street goes on just outside the door as merchants and miners go about their business in the town of Edel.
Exits: west
The smelterer seems not to notice the heat.

>list
You can't buy anything here.

>sell ruby

>You sell a roughly cut ruby for 94000 gold pieces.
Roovin the smelterer smiles happily.

>list
[Lv Price] Item
[12 665770] A ruby monkey.

>buy ruby
You buy a ruby monkey.

Sugilite Monkey
To get the sugilite monkey you first want to have a chat to A'grenre, the cleric in Edel:

You say 'flowers'
A'grenre says 'The garden looks beautiful, and I can harvest the important flowers for various potions.'

>say crocus
You say 'crocus'
A'grenre nods in agreement with you.
A'grenre says to you, 'They have properties important in curative spells.'

You can find purple crocus flowers in the rooms "The Edge Of The Quiet Valley" and "Along The Valley Low Road". Just search in both of these rooms. Once you have the purple crocus flowers head back to A'grenre and give him the flowers. Most of the time he will do the following:

 >give crocus a
You give a purple crocus to A'grenre.
A'grenre thanks you heartily.
A'grenre gives you a potion of purple crocus extract.

This potion isn't too bad:

Object 'a potion of purple crocus extract' is infused with your magic...
It is a level 2 potion, weight 1.
Special properties:  magic
This potion has a gold value of 800.
Level 33 spell(s) of:
  'cure critical'  'heal'  'refresh'

But occasionally (about 1 in 10 times) you will get a sugilite monkey instead:

>give croc cleric
You give a purple crocus to A'grenre.
A'grenre gives you a sugilite monkey. 

Turquoise Monkey
The turquoise monkey is also from Southern Mountain Range with a little quest to it from Ormwell. He sends you off to find a small wooden cup. Once you give it to him you get the monkey:

Lost Amongst The Foothills
The foothills look the same in all directions, rolling endlessly toward the distant horizon of mountain peaks. The dry, rocky ground supports no plant life and there is no sign of any sort of a trail. The terrain makes for difficult traveling and the lack of landmarks makes it seem all the more futile. Perhaps something awaits just beyond the next foothill, something other than another hill, or perhaps not.
Exits: north east south west northeast northwest southeast southwest
A pool of cold mountain water has collected here.
A crudely carved cup has been left here.

This halfling ranger slumps over his walking staff, nearly dead from thirst. He must have been stuck here for a long time.

Ormwel is in perfect health.

Ormwel is using:
<held>               a curved staff

>give cup orm
You give a small wooden cup to Ormwel.
Ormwel examines a small wooden cup.
Ormwel eagerly drinks from a small wooden cup.
Ormwel thanks you heartily.
Ormwel utters the words, 'fly'.
You rise into the currents of air...
Ormwel says to you, 'Here, keep the treasure I found. I owe you my life, but thi
s is what I have to give you.'
Ormwel gives you a turquoise monkey.
Ormwel gives you a small wooden cup.

Once you find all of the monkeys you can link them up by wearing the right combination of monkeys - coral & ruby, gypsum & quartz, sugilite & amythyst and turquoise &  jade. These make red, green, white and purple monkeys. These can then be combined to make purple and red monkeys as well as green and white monkeys. Finally combining them makes the eight monkeys.

The eight monkeys is the best hold item in the game that I know of for its level, however by the time you reach level 50 there are plenty of better options. Part of the challenge is it needs you to get items from multiple areas with some of them having multiple uses, or being made by mobs with multiple uses. Add in a few low pop rates on some items and others taking time to complete and you can see why it is not the most common knowledge.

Overall though it makes me wonder "What secrets are still hidden out there?", "What mobs and items have other uses I don't know about?" and "How many other areas are linked together with items from one area being used in a completely different area?"