escordviooc | « captain's log #16: december, 2024 »

CAPTAIN'S LOG #16: DECEMBER 1, 2024

QUICK UPDATES

YO HO HO!! It's the final month of the year and with the holiday season consuming all of us, it's going to be a very chill and relaxed month filled with wintery fun goodness. While the world doesn't have "Christmas" specifically, Escordvi does have a "winter festival" that has some similar traditions, so players can still have the usual holiday fun!

This month's AC is check-in only! We are also offering free passes to those who do submit AC. You can read more about it in the AC Results section.

We have updated the Calendar for important dates, but here is a quick heads up on what to expect this month:

» 12/03: EMP/ATP
» 12/14: Winterstide (Event/TDM)
» 12/25: Reserves
» 12/29-31: Activity Check
» 1/01-03: Applications Period

The Manta Board has been posted with new and updated quests! A few of last month's quests have also carried over, so if you didn't have a chance to do them last month, you have another chance. This includes the Special quests. Although we planned to do some updates, given the holiday season we decided to just let people continue to build and focus on current events and put more focus on them in the new year. There is also a new bounty with some familiar faces on it... hmmm.

Our Rewards page has been updated with a few new things for the month!

Finally, applications open in January and invitations are open for request! Remember, new players must receive an invitation either from a current player or directly from a mod, and players are limited to one invite. Both players and those needing a direct mod invite must make a request on the Invite Request page.

AC RESULTS

Here are the results for last month's AC round:

Rody Soul |

anhonestsoul
Sera |

arsebiscuit
Katsuki Bakugou |

callmekacchan
Toge Inumaki |

cursedwords
Sister Lashan |

hasapoint
Shoto Todoroki |

heir_conditioned
Louis Amamiya |

queensguilt
Zenyatta |

tekhartha
Napoléon Bonaparte |

triompheduhimbo
Rem Tokimiya |

vermilloci

Our player cap is currently at 51/65, which means we have 14 slots open.

IMPORTANT! December AC is check-in only! As long as you comment that you're still around, you'll remain in game. However, if you do have AC, you can submit it and receive a free pass to use in 2025. Here is the information for the free passes:

» One Player bound pass. You only get one pass regardless of how many characters you play.
» Submit proofs for all characters. You must submit proofs for all characters you play.
» Cannot be used between hiatuses. When using a free pass, you cannot use it before and after a hiatus. So no hiatus > free pass > hiatus. You can use it once before (free pass > hiatus) and once after (hiatus > free pass), but we insist that this should be an emergency case use only.

Any unused free passes from this year will not carry over! If you have any questions about any of this, do not hesitate to ask!

MANTA BOARD CONTENT

As we head into the new year, we wanted to ask everyone for some feedback on the following questions related to the MANTA Board quests:

» 1) General content. We're always open to ideas, be it for the game or something could benefit characters or players in some way. So any type of content, genre, or general idea to promote something, we're all ears!

» 2) Repeat old quests. Fun fact, we've written over 200 quests since the game started. THAT'S A LOT! And given that it has been a year and half, we can recycle some old quest. Gladly so. These quests can be copied wholesale or modified, so let us know which ones you'd like to appear again!

» 3) Crew quests. We have it stated on the Crews & Ships page that crews can create their own plots and quests without much mod approval unless it's something that would affect the game as a whole. These plots/quests are automatically awarded 4 points. However, we're also considering offering something in the Special quests that crews could take on every now and then to help give crews something else to do. These types of quests could be more on the adventurous side, and would be available for several months so no one feels pressured. So for this, especially since we have different types of crews, we'd like suggestions on what would be good to offer!

» 4) Corsair vs. Paladin conflicts. Trouble is slowly brewing between the two armadas as certain plotlines are beginning to heat up. We've also had the two groups either indifferent or working together more often than not, mostly in consideration of players who enjoy the cross-armada cr. However, it's about time we spice things up a bit! We still want to allow flexibility for players, so we'd like to hear any suggestions on what kind of conflicts we could utilize that would help build tension but not necessarily force characters against each other. This forced nature is definitely not something we would do without leaving some options open, so you can at least not worry about that!

If you have any suggestions for the above, please comment to this toplevel.

EXTRA NOTES

Here is a recap of a few things that occurred last month.

» Thanks to everyone's efforts, the Farplane has been considered secured and stabilized. There's still more work to be done as the cultists activity has caused a lot of corruption and harm within the Farplane, however it's at a manageable state that the Guardians and kirins should be able to handle it. The entrance to Cassiopea is now closed and cannot be visited in any form. Here are some finer details regarding the Farplane:

» Because of the efforts outside of the Farplane, especially in cleaning off the graves, many souls have been put at ease. While some may still wander, many have returned to the Farplane where they can continue healing and hopefully rest in peace. New organizations have also started to take a more active role in finding and taking care of neglected graves. It's still in its infancy, but hopefully it will grow.

» All the cracks to the Farplane have been sealed off or destroyed, and the Guardians are working hard to find and thwart any more from appearing. It's always possible a crack has been missed, but at this point it can be handled by the Guardians.

» The rogue ghost ship and its captain has finally been put to rest thanks to everyone who helped Envoy Jades chase it down and sink it for good. The captain's soul is now locked away in the Locker, never to see the light of day again.

» A significant number of corrupted souls and areas within the Farplane have been purified in large part of all the wishes made on the wishing trees. The positive and hopeful energy from the wishes spread throughout the Farplane and helped strengthen the purification magic of the kirins. It's still an ongoing process, but things are progressing well.

» In regards to the cultists, while many attempts at the rituals have been stopped, there have been some findings that should be noted:

» Cid and Benedikta managed to stop a group as they tried to bring to life a giant beast that seemed to be made up of many different souls. Others had sacrificed themselves to strengthen it, crying out chants like "For the Great One!"

» The overall purpose of these rituals appears to be summoning creatures to "collect more souls".

» Some victims have managed to survive these blood rituals, although barely alive, after they have been drained of their blood.

» Those who are killed for these rituals are done so to harvest their souls. There are depictions and texts on how they can be used as a power source.

» The cultists may have been significantly reduced, however some are still at large and investigations into what they were ultimately trying to do will remain ongoing. For now they are considered "handled," but keep an eye out… They are stubborn pests.

» Progress on the underwater temple remains as multiple constellations are being researched and worked on. The following constellations have been claimed: "crab," "fish," "horse," "lizard." That leaves the non circled depictions remaining. What could they be…

» The Surasthana Cafe run by Kaveh, a cozy little place to enjoy coffee and a good book, is now open! It also hosts a chess club.

» Zack and Kaveh were successful in pulling the sword from the stone. Hooray for pure hearts!

» If you saw explosions of fire and lightning and wind off in the distance on a remote island, you did not imagine it. The Hideaway crew has successfully banished the god caged in Joshua's chest!

» For any who had purchased and drank the First Bloom’s Fortune potion back during the First Tide festival, they would initially feel little to no effect take hold for much of the year. It wouldn’t be out of place to assume it had been a scam of sorts; it wouldn’t be out of the question, given the pirate population. But as the cold weather settles in and frost begins to cover the ground, a unique occurrence begins to take effect from those select few who had drank the potion. Rather than feeling a biting cold, those who drank the potion will feel the weather affect them more like a cool spring breeze, and an internal heat will keep them warm every time they step out into the winter weather. In fact, if they are to sit outside for long enough, a magical warmth will spread around them, creating a personal bubble of spring growth around them. The effects will last the whole month.

WINTERSTIDE

In Escordvi, there's no traditional "Christmas" or "Santa Claus," however the world does have its own winter traditions that ring similar to what we're used to. For this event, the log will go up on December 14th, and that will be the same date the festivities will start. Everything in the log will continue until the end of the month.

» The Frostsinger. While we don't have a Santa Claus, we have something better: The Frostsinger. Flying through the air on her own special flying sleighship pulled by jackalopes, a song will fill the air to spread winter cheer and joy all over Escordvi.

» Colder weather. Last year the leviathans stayed in warmer climes for the holiday, but this year due to popular demand, they are heading towards the colder waters to allow everyone to have access to real snow this time. It's even colder now that it's the winter months, and while some of the leviathans are fine with it, one is not.

» Feast for Eltrut. Poor Eltrut does not enjoy the colder waters, especially when it's around the time it starts to hibernate. Thus a large effort will be underway to find ways to keep the giant sea turtle warm. From magic to magitech heaters to giant blankets on reachable scutes of its shell, everyone is doing whatever they can. But the most effective way will be a large feast that will be hosted every weekend starting with the 14th. On these days, everyone is encouraged to bring in their best dishes to share. Giant hotpot cauldrons will also be around for everyone to throw in ingredients that should be super hot and warm that would suit a giant turtle's belly. These will be offered for the leviathan, and really Eltrut can stomach a lot of things, even the spiciest pepper!

» Winter Traditions. The main Winterstide section will focus on the fun traditions and festivities that will be available everywhere:

❄️ Mistletoe Shenanigans. This year, there are a number of ways to be "trapped" by the kissing tradition. While there may be some sprigs of holly hung around doorways, there is a special species of bats with the wings of mistletoe leaves and cute little red heads. They will fly around and bite people, making the bitten want to either kiss or fight others. How severe the effect is up to the player. Some might want to "kiss" to the cheek (either by mouth or fist) or some might want a full "passionate" session. There is also a mistletoad where if such a toad hops onto one's head, they turn into a toad and must be kissed to return to normal. At least the affected will be able to speak…with some croaking.

❄️ Gifts. Exchanging gifts is another custom, though it's a much less formal affair. No special tree or anything like that. Once again the Corsairs will have a "regift" challenge to steal presents from the obnoxious rich and deliver them to someone more fitting. However, not all are so charitable, so the Paladins are working overtime on security and helping wrap and prepare gifts to be sent out to those in need.

❄️ Special Activities. There are some other activities around, including some questionable ribbon action, ~~pocky~~ candy canes, journeying out to give offerings to each leviathan (walk through the underbelly of Nogard, sail around to the head of Eltrut, fly over Elah), large feasts and hunts, boat competitions and parades and more! We are also open to suggestions so feel free to send some our way!

❄️ Snow Fun. With snow coming down everywhere, it's the perfect time to have big snowball fights! All the leviathans have mountainous slopes in some manner, with Eltrut's shell, Nogard's bony spines, and Elah's fin, so there is enough for those who wish to do some sports activities on them. With the Frostsinger's magic, there will also be giant snowflakes to jump on and snowmen coming to life to add to the fun!

» Toy Revenge. Last year we featured Yotelsia, an island made of toys that the Frostinger uses to gather most of her gifts. It was overtaken by a rat called the Pirat King who eluded capture. He has now returned and seeks vengeance!

🎁 Toy attack. Toys under a cursed spell have been sent with normal ones and distributed all over. Now they are out and "attacking"...however a lot of their actions are mistaken for the toy's actual features. Hard to feel threatened by a 4 inch tall figure wielding a rubber sword or shooting small beads out of the tiny gun. Thus rather than be a real threat, it's more of an annoying nuisance as they find other ways to be bothersome.

🎁 Toy curse. However, what really makes them threatening is their ability to curse people into toys. The victim will transform into some toy form and will need to be saved from their new plight. Fortunately, such curses are not new, so there is a remedy available: magic gumdrops. The problem is while there is supply, there will not be enough as more people are affected, so the herbalists and candy makers will need help to create them.

🎁 To Yotelsia. This attack won't end until the Pirat King is stopped—again. Those who are able can venture to the toy island where now even the ships will turn into toy ships and engage in a vigorous naval battle against the Pirat's King fleet. Which in reality is like watching toy boats dink against each other in a small pond, but everything is super huge when you're a small toy. Those who make it past will have to venture through Yotelsia's toy environment while also a toy themselves. Once more the Pirate King can be fought, but will he escape again…?

As a reminder, this event doubles as our Test Sail so anyone will be able to join in on the fun!

LAST WORDS

And that's it! If you have any questions, feel free to comment here. All quest-related questions should be posted to the Manta Board post.

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