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escordviooc2024-02-01 12:04 pm
« manta board: february 2024 »
Quests are separated into five categories and all have flat point values: General (4pts), Corsair (4pts), Paladin (4pts), Bounties (6pts), and Specials (12pts). Note: characters helping opposing armada quests will only be rewarded 2pts for participation unless specified otherwise. Special quests won't always be available so it may appear blank at most times. These can range from group quests such as for special ship upgrades or island related quests, or they could be special event quests. All quest points can be used for the Rewards Shop.
For this month's board update, the quests have been updated to reflect progress from last month, with some carrying over as is. Of note, there are important updated continuations for the The Edge of Sleep, High Above Me, She Sews Lovely/The Price of Freedom. We also have a special quest: Mystery of the Fire Horse.
If you have any questions, comment to this entry.
Last month, a strange illness or curse started to affect various people with a painful black bruise on the back of one hand. The strange black wound would refuse to heal with typical healing ointments or treatments. And suffers were plagued with terrible nightmares about drowning and dying.
Some progress has been made in researching the root cause of this phenomenon as well as ways to cure or alleviate the symptoms. Many travellers have found that the strong-smelling salts from the volcanic sulphur fields do help with staving off the bitter dreams. Books and digging have led many to find information about the dreams possibly being caused by a certain type of sleep paralysis demon that comes for the affected in their sleep.
Despite the findings, the challenge remains in discovering a permanent solution to halt the sleeping curse. Reports have surged, indicating a growing number of fatalities during slumber. The intensity of dreams escalates, and those ensnared by the curse may find their time dwindling rapidly.
But how does one hunt down demons in people’s dreams? The books that can be found might glean about some sort of round amulet or spell that can pull demons out of someone’s body. If this amulet can be found perhaps it will be a step in the right direction.
Sailors are encouraged to seek out this strange round amulet. It could be buried in a place where someone least expects it. Or a place where dreams are heavy. And once found attempt to use the amulet to draw out the demons from the sick and kill them.
Additionally, thanks to Rem Tokimiya’s clever research she has discovered that the “Lore Accurate Jellyfish” has a very powerful angelic jelly that can be used to alleviate the curse to very minimal symptoms thus buying the afflicted time. However, anyone hunting the jellyfish for this angelic jelly will have to stab its eyes out to get it.
A local man on Eltrut is requesting help in perfecting a spell that he has been trying to learn. The spell is a simple polymorph spell that changes the target into anything that he desires for a full hour.
He needs help with stabilizing the spell because it appears that every single time he tests it the target only turns into a fluffy sheep. And while that is a very cute outcome he was hoping to change targets into things like hawks and lizards.
Take a handful of the polymorph scrolls and test them on various targets to see if you can stabilize the spell somehow. Try it on trees, rocks, fish, other people, or whatever targets you want to see the sheepy results.
Eventually, the spell should stabilize with various uses. But it seems that if you use it on another person they will either turn into a full-sized fluffy round sheep or partially into sheep leaving them with sheep hooves, sheep ears or some wool in some awkward places.
It is that time of year when local farmers are preparing to plant and grow moondrakes for the next coming months. These special potato-like vegetables are hardy and delicious and can be used in various stews and soups. They grow incredibly fast and can be planted and harvested in two weeks. Additionally, these special vegetables are so special because whoever eats them seems gain healthy glowing skin that glitters for weeks. Some even say that these vegetables have youth-preserving properties.
Help the local farmers plant these magic vegetables in neat rows in the ground. The seeds themselves are simple acorn-shaped seeds that can be planted and watered very easily.
Harvesting the moondrakes poses the greatest challenge. As when the moondrakes are pulled out of the ground they will shine a light so bright that they could blind a person. Wear protective gear or take other precautions when harvesting the moondrakes. Take care because if they’re pulled out of the ground too early they’ll immediately rot.
A mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon has begun to afflict numerous homes and vessels scattered across the ocean. Curiously shaped little stone figurines are materializing unexpectedly in various nooks and crannies of living spaces. These figures appear suddenly and seemingly at random, catching inhabitants off guard with their sudden presence. Each of these small sculptures resembles a round figure with a tall, pointed red hat, though some sport different attire. - House Gnome - This gnome is cute enough to fit in with any home and looks like your typical lawn gnome. It can be appeased with coffee which will make an angelic halo appear over its head. And if you don’t it might just start raiding your cupboards.
The origin and purpose of these figurines remain shrouded in mystery. They seem to defy all attempts at removal, persistently reappearing even after being disposed of or smashed. Their eerie presence gives the impression of being watched, lending an unsettling atmosphere to affected locations.
They’re gnomes...
Is there some way to appease these things? Below is a various list of the ones that can appear and how to deal with them. Read More.
- Gnomiversary - Holds a party horn and cake. To appease this gnome, you'll need to give them more cake. If not, you’ll face the wrath of an angry raging gnome breaking any items around them.
- Baby Gnome - Despite the innocent name, this gnome is a giant crybaby with outstretched arms and a baby face. If you don’t appease it with some toys it will cry until you have a migraine and zero sleep. Luckily you don’t have to change its diapers.
- Garden Pal - A typical happy-looking gnome that is carrying a shovel. If you manage to appease it with some fruits or vegetables it won’t go digging up your lawn and gardens, leaving giant holes.
- Bearly Gnome - This gnome looks as if he’s wearing a bear costume. To match his fun appearance, this gnome must be appeased with apple pie. Otherwise, you will face the consequences of depriving a gnome of his pie and it will go prowling around just like a bear, scratching up items and eating anything in sight.
- Barely Gnome - A scandalous gnome that’s wearing no clothing whatsoever. If you don’t give this gnome a naughty book or sexy story it will continue to streak around butt naked.
- Reagnomper - This gnome is stylized after the Grim Reaper, even carrying a tiny scythe. This gnome must be appeased with a sad poem reading or it will literally try to kill you. Unless you kill it first?
There is a popular tradition of writing messages on a piece of parchment paper, putting it into a glass bottle and setting the bottle out to sea. Many who do this find that the bottles can come back with messages written in return and some say it's from the very ocean itself. These messages can be anything you wish from seeking fortunes, a pen pal or advice to life’s biggest questions.
Lately, people have been writing messages to the ocean about their love lives. Seeking advice on how to capture that one person’s heart, how to ask them on a date or how to confess your heartfelt feelings to someone special.
Try writing your own feelings in words and set that message out to sea to see if it will return to you with the advice or words you need. To make things easier ... don’t sign your name. Just say what you wish and let the waves find those words and carry them for you.
Results may vary. (Optional: For added flavour attempt posting your bottle message to a random character's inbox or the network.)
Professor Turo, G'raha, and some help from Rem have come up with not a magitek weapon, but a magitek barrier! Using the fire crystals as a power source, this prototype channels their energy into a lattice-like red-colored shield. The area it covers is roughly 9m^2. It definitely needs some testing, though! Punch it! Throw a fire ball at it! Detect its weak points! Obliterate it with your strongest attack!
The makers request that you submit your attempts or successes against the barrier. It's for a good cause, because eventually, they wish to construct a shield that will protect the leviathans from harm! Or maybe even your ship! Please note that the barrier prototype is prone to overheating because of the nature of its power source (the fire crystals). If left activated for too long, it will explode spontaneously.
A report has come in from Naughtilust that a shipment of very expensive massage oils and makeup has gone missing. As these are very expensive and luxurious items they need to be returned to their rightful owners in Naughtilust. They don’t seem to trust the corsairs to not keep the supplies for themselves.
The search will have to begin on Naughtilust. Here, paladins may find a trace of the shipments being stolen in the form of broken makeup boxes or streaks of spilled oils splashed near the docks. Investigating further will show that a small merchant ship's owner may have stolen the goods.
Once located it will appear that it is a singular man dressed in a lavish lady’s gown that has stolen the items. He says he wants to start a new travelling aesthetician business with them! And although he seems completely unremorseful for stealing them he will agree to give the items back to the paladins if you can prove that you are capable of giving someone a decent back massage or makeover with the said items. Either choose to avoid conflict and give your search partner a back massage or paint their makeup for them. Or try and forcefully take the items back from the man.
Thanks to the brave efforts of the paladin armada the seamstress who had been looking to escape Nogard has now found sanctuary in Eltrut. She has been able to start a new life where her freedom is her own. She has been able to start her own clothing shop aptly named Fairy Fire Fabrics where she can focus on making magical creations to her heart’s desire.
As a thanks she is asking that paladins come to her shop for a free fitting. She is able to weave the most beautiful fabrics out of her fairy fire magic which leaves the clothing glowing and glistening with luminous hues of silvers, blues and purples. You may request any sort of clothing you wish and she will happily make it for you. Be it a jacket, a gown or otherwise.
During your fitting, you may find that your fairy fire fabric feels soft and sweet to the touch. It leaves you feeling lighthearted and optimistic. It protects you in a way that you’ve never felt before. You’ll feel impervious to negative feelings. You’ll feel loved.
As usual, the water is still hot from last month’s escape. Be sure to watch for any corsairs that still wish to target the poor woman. There will be several of them trying to steal the fabrics or even kidnap the woman again.
Remember the outbreak of zombie mermaids on the loose? A researcher is looking for helpers to take pictures of various mermaids for an encyclopedia entry she is creating to decipher between the various types. She is requesting paladins to brave the ocean to find all kinds of different mermaids and to bring her back as many pictures as possible.
The only thing is with the bounties happening there are far fewer mermaids to be found and photographed. Perhaps it would be easier to take pictures of anything that might look like a mermaid too? Take pictures of manatees or large fish that might look like mermaids. Or even dress something or someone up like a mermaid and take a picture of that. So long as you get that variety of photos.
If your crew is lucky enough to find mermaids and to photograph them too some variants that you might find are octopus mermaids, seahorse mermaids or even stingray mermaids. Just be careful because all mermaids still like to hypnotize and drown sailors for fun.
It’s about high time that the corsairs engage in a little bit of target practice! But it wouldn’t be a corsair's game without some twists.
Corsairs are encouraged to team up in pairs with one person being the shooter and one being the target. The person on the receiving end will have an apple strapped to their head and the shooter will have to successfully shoot the apple off that person’s head to call the practice complete.
But just be aware that the only guns that can be used for this are some old rusty guns that were left out in the rain. Everyone likes a little dangerous roulette in their life, right? Corsairs who can prove their target prowess will receive a nice (?) reward.
The outcry is clear, not very many people are happy with the corsair who attempted to kidnap the seamstress escaping to Eltrut, claiming that she belonged to him. Other corsairs, appalled by this repugnant behavior, have begun uniting to confront and hold this individual accountable. Which in a corsair's language means beating his ass. Because what is freedom to a corsair if they have to be forcibly bound to another? According to most, he is no corsair to Nogard.
The man in question has hunkered down in a hidden bunker somewhere in Nogard. First, the hideaway will need to be sniffed out. Search the outskirts for odd outcroppings in rocks or hidden hatches covered by growth and bushes. If found the bunker will be heavily guarded with hired thugs who don’t care one way or another. Corsairs will have to fight their way through or find a way to sneak in. They are heavily armed with crossbows, lances, swords and daggers.
Once inside the man will be sitting near the back of the hideaway. Despite the gang of thugs he doesn’t seem bothered that the corsairs are here. He seems to be wearing some sort of magitech gauntlet that sparks with electrical power much like a taser would.
Corsairs can choose to fight the man and square up with the gauntlet or find a way to talk him down. Either by deceiving him that he can still find a way to get the girl back or that he should just give it up. But he’s not likely to want to.
Note: The corsair has an enchantment on him that allows him to be killed several times only to be ressurected later. No one is sure how many times this enchantment will last. One character will be granted the final killing blow, but must sign up below for mods to roll who the final killer will be. Please only sign up if you plan to thread your character going for a deathblow.
Rumours have it that there is a small island somewhere just south of Nogard that is shrouded in magical fog. If crews can navigate the magic fog they may find this mini island that a rich lord has made his home.
Nestled within a secluded cove on an idyllic island, the lord’s luxury mansion rises like a grand fortress. A sprawling estate, adorned with intricate carvings and draped in rich silks, boasts towering turrets and balconies overlooking the shimmering sea. Inside, the lavish interior exudes wealth and extravagance, with ornate furnishings of polished mahogany and gilded accents gleaming under the soft glow of chandeliers. And within it, there are sure to be many shiny things ripe for the taking.
There’s only one problem. The guard dogs that surround the entire building. These large guard dogs are trained to kill on sight. So corsairs will have to find clever ways to get around them first. Because you wouldn't kill them... Would you?
This special jellyfish has been sighted several times ,but it has yet to be caught or fished out of the ocean. The rarity of this jellyfish is known by its beautiful long strings of jelly and hundreds of round balls that look like eyes. It is rumoured that if it is caught it will sing like an angel.
Read More.
✦ Size: Large
✦ Type: Aquatic
✦ Strengths: Jelly, impervious to magic, angelic singing
✦ Weaknesses: Giant fish nets, being out of the water
An undead variant of mermaid has been spotted on various coasts at night time. These bloodthirsty mermaids are apprently hungry for blood sucking. Looking upon their faces may reveal that not only do they have sharp fangs they also have pale rotting skin.
Read More.
✦ Size: Medium
✦ Type: Undead
✦ Strengths: Vampire fangs, siren song, hypnosis,
✦ Weaknesses: Sunlight, fire magic, wooden stakes
In the depths of the volcano in Avaleci, a mysterious altar was discovered and along with it a fiery horse that looks more undead than alive that rampages through the area, attacking those who come near. However, it was discovered that when the fire horse was subdued or calmed, it would redirect its anger towards the altar instead. However, it could never damage it and would run away with a furious cry.
Research into the tomes, items, and the altar have revealed that some group in recent past had tried to perform a summoning blood ritual to the depths of hell, and the fire horse is what appeared. However, for what purpose remains a mystery, as all members that were present seem to be dead based off the skeletal remains. It also appears that fire horse is trapped, and recent sightings have shown the fire horse becoming more agitated with its form growing and changing to something more gruesome and monstrous. What's more, as it continues to rampage through the tunnel, there are signs of increased volcanic activity, as if it is affecting the very volcano it is trapped in.
Is it truly a creature from hell? Or is it from somewhere else?
Regardless, it's clear that something must be done to the fire horse before the volcano erupts and destroys the island. Whether it's somehow destroying it, sealing it, or finding a way to send it back, it must be done soon.
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM SIGNUP
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Character name: Fenris
The Throuple want a chance to kill this guy! And we would love to RP it out!
Price of Freedom result
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Character name: Benedikta Harman
the harpy queen is COMING FOR HIS ASS
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Character name: Dongfang Qongcang
The Moon Supreme is out for blood!
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Character name: rem
Price of Freedom result
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Character name: Alhaitham
man got dragged into this (not really against his will) so it would be funny if it happened
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RESULTS
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However, this respite won't last long. The area the markings cover is large and strangely, the markings are not easily wiped away—they must be practically torn up from the ground for the blood has seeped deep into the dirt. As more of it is dug up and broken apart, there will be sudden tremors and lava will flow through whatever new cracks and holes that appear. The fire horse will be quick to try and help and protect those around it, using its own abilities to either push the lava back or take it on itself, making it grow more agitated and aggressive as a result. The lava flow won't last for too long and will eventually recede, as will the tremors—faster if they openings are sealed up somehow. But the fire horse will run off and disappear somewhere, screaming in rage once more.
It's reasonable for anyone who does this to recognize that 1) the markings of the old ritual need to be removed, but 2) need to be careful because doing so is setting off some kind of trigger, perhaps a defensive or just a consequence for some reason or another. So a step in the right direction, just with some hurdles to go along with it.
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i figure that g'raha's heart desire right now is to find a cure to the curse because people he cares about are suffering u_u
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Note that once G'raha has an amulet he will be able to use the amulet to drag out the demon from someone afflicted with the sleeping curse. But it will only work on one person before it crumbles.
There are multiple amulets out there somewhere.
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Question about spelling me softly
Re: Question about spelling me softly