Hermit
A hermit is an automated NPC outside of Wehnimer's Landing in the Black Sands of the Coastal Cliffs. He is related to a game puzzle involving the Order of Voln.
The entrance to his home is a game puzzle as well. It was not reported as a feature of the area in the earliest records describing the beach.
Behind the Scenes
The castle in the Black Sands was made out of frozen lava, and so must have been formed with the use of magic. The hermit resides in its pitch darkness and suffers visitors such as Quin Telaren. The Coastal Cliffs were related to the storyline behind The Graveyard in general, so the "sand" castle may have been a later extension of the premise like the kappas and the Broken Lands. It is telling that the interior of the castle is decorated with lizard skin, given the kappas and close proximity of leapers and shelfae lizardmen, as well as apparent allusions such as the "toad-thing" premise behind myklians.
Description
The hermit is old, unwashed and unshaven. Apparently he doesn't expect to make a good impression on others. He is rather short though you are not sure which race he actually belongs to. He doesn't acknowledge your look and seems intent on finishing his business as quickly as possible and getting back to wherever he came from.
Room Messaging
You hear the hermit shuffling around. You feel the hermit pass by near you. He walks around as if he can see, though you certainly can't. You hear the hermit say, "Now I'm sure I put that right here. Dang visitors messing up my place. Now don't you touch anything! Hear me?" >search You grope around and suddenly find your hands on a grumpy hermit! The hermit angrily exlaims, "Keep your hands to yourself!" Roundtime: 7 sec.
Cryptic Responses
>ask hermit about task The hermit says, "Don't think on night unless you love the day first." The hermit says, "Many questions have no true answer but that which can be found within yourself." The hermit says, "You cannot ask what you do not know or know what you do not ask." The hermit says, "The most colorful creatures in nature are often the most poisonous." The hermit says, "When night falls, fear stalks and lust imbibes." The hermit says, "Power strangles those who seek it. And like thirst, it is not long quenched." The hermit says, "Three things you must strive for: Love, Honor and Goodness."
Questions
>ask hermit about love The hermit sighs, "Ahh, love. Some say it is a gift to be treasured, but truly, it is a treasure to be given." >ask hermit about death The hermit chuckles, "Death is little more than a turn of the page in the grander scheme of things." >ask hermit about life Sighing, the hermit replies, "Life is the answer, child, not the question. The oak tree knows all there is about life. It is air and water and sunlight and good soil to sink your roots into." >ask hermit about power The hermit grumbles, "The pursuit of power is like the blind on a horse. We seek to master it, but in the end it has mastered us." >ask hermit about Voln The hermit snaps, "Voln is servant to Lorminstra, and it is his task to free the Undead and cleanse their souls! Shame on you for not knowing that!" >ask hermit about Lorminstra The hermit's voice softens, "Lorminstra is a kind heart who stands at death's door to grant us hope that the grave will not swallow us in our youth." >ask hermit about Council The hermit is silent for a moment, then says, "Some say the council is evil, but I have my doubts. Any organization in itself is only a sum of its members, you see. These old eyes may not see much, but I've known an awful lotta folks who claimed to be good that near scared the life outta me with their gaze. And I've known a lotta folks belongin' to that there society who always have a kind word for even the most wretched." >ask hermit about good "Good?", you hear the hermit's fingers scraping across his chin, "Good, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Some would destroy the darkness, but in truth, we need the shade as much as we need the light. Without it to measure ourselves by, we would surely perish." >ask hermit about evil The hermit bellows, "You know what evil is just as well as I do! Evil is the claw that skitters along your soul, delighting in each agonized scream of pain in the darkness! Evil is the foulest beast of all, it is the antithesis of life itself!" >ask hermit about soul stones "Odd things, those! Some say they can be used to trap souls for certain rituals." The hermit suddenly brightens, "Nooks and crannies, and snatchin' little thieves! They'll steal 'most anythin', ya know!" With that, the hermit seems to lose his train of thought and shuffles off. >ask hermit about existence The hermit says, "Many questions have no true answer but that which can be found within yourself."