Fash'lo'nae's Forbidden book/saved posts

Story Teaser #1

Category: Paid Events: Adventures, Quests, and SimuCoins
Topic: Ebon Gate Festival
Message #: [16689]
Author: GS4-MERAKI
Date: 10/01/2019 2:19 PM PDT
Subject: Forbidden Knowledge Teaser #1

It was Tilamaires, the day she usually stopped by the Mist Harbor Library on Pelican Lane.  Passing through the white picket gate she entered the small courtyard, passed the fountain, then entered the double-wide entry into the library proper.

She loved her weekly trips to the library.  Handing over the books she'd read last week she made small talk with the ebon-haired librarian, before taking to the west wing in hunt for more reading material. 

As she perused the shelves of the many books she had already read, she happened upon one she had never seen before in all the years of her visits to the library.  Small, unadorned, a muted ochre in color, it appeared so plain it must have gone completely unnoticed by her for quite some time.

She reached for the book and as soon as her fingers brushed the muted ochre leather, a shiver ran through her body.  Snapping her hand back instinctively, she took a moment to contemplate the book further.  It was then that she could sense something reaching out to her mind, whispering, beckoning her to take the book and uncover its secrets.

For some reason, she herself was unsure of, she stole the book into her satchel and left the library without mentioning it to the smiling librarian at the entrance.  She hurried home, the book calling to her the whole way, then latched the front door and pulled the curtains.  

She sat down and pulled the book out of hiding, running her fingers over the words "Forbidden Knowledge" written across the book's cover.  She carefully cracked the book open and was greeted with a mild tingling sensation behind her eyes.  The feeling was both comforting and thrilling as she settled down to read.

Story Teaser #2

Category: Paid Events: Adventures, Quests, and SimuCoins
Topic: Ebon Gate Festival
Message #: [16716]
Author: GS4-MERAKI
Date: 10/02/2019 1:08 PM PDT
Subject: Forbidden Knowledge Teaser #2

Rumors were her currency, but this latest gossip that was trickling in was more disturbing than her usual fare. There had been talk of seemingly accidental magical deaths all with one unusual thing in common: each victim was found with a rather plain book gripped in their lifeless hand. She was curious to investigate further but another matter had predictably taken precedence this morning and demanded her attention. The matter concerned her business partner.

He was long established to be a very talented 'procurer' of strange items. He always seemed to have the right sources and imported only the most unusual and curious artifacts. This required that he have a reasonable knowledge of arcane symbols, to be able to decipher a fake from a genuine article, as well as gauge a particular item's worth. She knew he was careful, and she knew he would never intentionally activate the merchandise because that often devalued it for potential customers. Their partnership was tenuous, but it worked well enough as she was great at using her network to locate buyers for whatever he had imported.

So it was with a heavy pit in her stomach that she left the site of her business partner's demise. She had come to confirm for herself the rumors, after hearing he had been seen gibbering incoherently last night with blood dripping down his face. The image of his missing eyes, ripped out uncleanly, is what disturbed her the most. Her thoughts wandered over a list of possibilities leading to his demise as she walked down a side alley to the warehouse that housed their shared storage space. With her business partner now dead, she had become the sole owner of whatever his latest import efforts had been. It was time to figure out what that might be so that she may sell it.

She located their shared storage and saw a few small crates that hadn't been there previously. As her eyes settled on the nearest crate, a strange feeling swept over her but passed as quickly as it had come. She dismissed it as a remnant of her earlier unease at seeing the lifeless body of someone she knew. Working carefully, she pried off the crate's lid and saw an item sitting innocently nestled on a bed of straw: the most mundane book she had ever laid eyes on.

"What have we got here?" she softly said as she puzzled over the properties of the seemingly ordinary book. She began to hear whispered promises of knowledge coming from every direction and yet no direction. The whispers were in her head. She stared vacantly at the book in the crate and shook her head in disbelief. A moment later, realization struck and she remembered the rumors of plain books and accidental magical deaths. "Oh goodness, of all the things you could import, you found these?"

Her mind raced quickly as she replaced the lid on the crate; she was unwilling to risk touching the merchandise before she had a plan. A traveling merchant might be the safest target to unload these onto, she thought to herself. Wasn't there a festival on some remote island coming up soon? She'd have to work quickly and reach out to her contacts to find a suitable buyer. If she played her cards right, she could make a decent amount of silver and be gone from this town before anyone could link her to the sales.

Teaser #3 with details

Category: Paid Events: Adventures, Quests, and SimuCoins
Topic: Ebon Gate Festival
Message #: [16747]
Author: GS4-MERAKI
Date: 10/03/2019 7:58 PM PDT
Subject: Forbidden Knowledge Teaser #3

 Let's wrap up the Forbidden Knowledge teasers with some solid information but first a quick recap on what is known.

 Mentioned in the previous two posts
 * This is a new item I will debut at Ebon Gate this year
 * There will be very limited quantities released
 * I enjoy raffles as a distribution option for limited items
 * At this time, this item will not be sold "off the shelf"

 Teased earlier today on Discord
 * Posted first/third person messaging for verbs Listen and Praise (see below for first person messaging)
 * A little background trivia on the idea behind the book: I was imagining what a mental-based skill check [for an item] would look like and started from there.
 * I hinted that anyone who meets the minimum requirements will be able to use the mechanical aspect and that those minimum requirements should be obvious when I reveal more about what it does. I'll probably spell it out when I reveal though.
 * I answered a question: these books are not pocketed and thus you can not place objects like small flowers in them.

 With that recap done, let's reveal some new stuff.
 -----
 Partial Analyze
 Please note: the analyze is capable of displaying some additional information but I have left those out for this preview.

 You analyze your leather-bound book and sense that the creator has provided the following information:

 Despite the very normal appearance of a muted ochre leather-bound book, you sense that it is potentially powerful and dangerous.

 Due to the nature of the book, a merchant may choose to not work on it.  Otherwise, this leather-bound book may be altered by a skilled merchant with the following restrictions:

 * The noun must remain one of the following: book, tome, volume, spellbook, grimoire, codex, or prayerbook.
 * LONG and SHOW descriptions are allowed but this book's appearance must remain reasonably unremarkable and ordinary.  Nothing too unusual, creepy, beautiful or attention-grabbing.
 * The cover may have its title updated but must remain written in common.

 This leather-bound book is currently Tier 1 of 2 and has access to the verbs: OPEN CLOSE LISTEN READ
 (Tier unlock 2 adds the verbs PRAISE PUZZLE DISDAIN and confers a small bonus to READ activation success and margin.)
 ----
 Fluff Messaging
 I am limiting to first person messaging for now because it's a lot. I'll be posting third person messaging on the wiki page I create for this, so hopefully you can wait until that page is made available.

 Tier 1
 >listen book
 Your body stiffens as you focus on a muted ochre leather-bound book in your hand and reach out with your mind, willing the book to speak to you. You listen intently and feel a questioning response in your mind. The sensation sends a shiver through your body and a satisfied look crosses your face.
 >open book
 You carefully crack open a muted ochre leather-bound book and are greeted by a mild tingling sensation behind your eyes. The feeling is both comforting and thrilling as you clutch the book protectively in your hand.
 >open book
 You press down lightly on the center binding of a muted ochre leather-bound book to ensure it remains open. As you lift your fingers from the page, you feel an unusual compulsion to protect your leather-bound book and glance around looking for sources of danger.
 >close book
 You close the cover of a muted ochre leather-bound book with some reluctance.
 >close book
 You run your fingers over the cover of a muted ochre leather-bound book as you consider how very mundane it appears. What manner of secrets could such an ordinary book hide within its pages?
 >read book (when closed)
 The words "Forbidden Knowledge" are written on the cover of your leather-bound book.
 >read book (when open)
 You begin to read from the open page of your leather-bound book and feel an overwhelming urge to gaze directly at the esoteric symbols moving slowly across the page. As you attempt to make sense of what you see, you feel an unusual slithering sensation flow across your mind and begin to probe at your thoughts. You have the distinct feeling that if you continue to read while this presence is watching, you may unlock some magical knowledge or something truly terrible may occur.

 You struggle to pull your gaze away from the page long enough to consider if you should continue to read.

 Roundtime: 5 sec.

 Tier 2
 >praise book
 You reverently hold a muted ochre leather-bound book up for all to see as you praise its finest features to any who would listen. You are certain your admiration for the book will be felt by all within earshot!
 >praise book at XXXX
 You reverently hold a muted ochre leather-bound book up for XXXX to see as you praise its finest features to her. You use this opportunity to more personally express your deep admiration for your book and mentally urge the presence to reach out to XXXX.
 >puzzle book
 As you puzzle over the properties of the seemingly ordinary book, you begin to hear whispers promising of knowledge, coming from every direction and yet no direction. The whispers are in your head. You stare vacantly at the leather-bound book and shake your head in disbelief.
 >disdain book
 Disapproval marks your face as you stare pointedly at a muted ochre leather-bound book in your hand. You struggle to restrain your contempt for the book and just as you consider acting on your feelings, an unnatural calmness sweeps over you.
 -----
 Other Details
 I am going to reveal some information about the mechanical aspects. I plan to reveal more mechanical details AND the date/time specifics you'll want to know once I have those ready. It is my goal to ensure you are comfortably informed before you have the opportunity to obtain this.

 * This book is activated via the READ verb. 
 * Each activation can have one of three main outcomes: Success, Minor Failure, and Major Failure. 
 * This book has a custom skill-check for its activation. 
 * To attempt an activation, you must meet the minimum threshold for Level and Skill. The skill requirement must be met by at least 1 of 2 different skills. 
 * The activation is heavily weighted against success. Statistically, it is intended that you fail multiple times before success.
 * So long as you can attempt an activation, you have a chance to succeed. There is a minimum success threshold.
 * You will receive the same hidden dice roll messaging for your activation attempt as you do currently for Ensorcell/Enchanting/Recall.
 * This book utilizes a cooldown system and requires time to recharge. (Expect more details on these specifics later because they are very important).
 * If you are successful at activation, the item will apply Fash'lo'nae's Gift (1750) on you with a success margin similar but not the same as if you had activated a scroll or magical item containing that spell. (As promised, spelling it out: This is why there is a minimum threshold for Level and Skill.)
 -----

 I am sure at least some of you will have questions. I'll answer what I can. Some information I may keep hidden until after release and some information I may never release. There is likely information I can release that I didn't anticipate you'd want to know.

 ------
 > Meraki – Greek Word of the day – Doing it with love, passion and a lot of soul.

Category: Paid Events: Adventures, Quests, and SimuCoins
Topic: Ebon Gate Festival
Message #: [16923]
Author: GS4-MERAKI
Date: 10/15/2019 10:51 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Forbidden Knowledge Teaser #3

Here is the additional information post I promised.

First: Wiki
I created a wiki page! Enjoy: https://gswiki.play.net/Fash%27lo%27nae%27s_Forbidden_book
It contains the information I've posted and of course new tidbits. Enjoy!

Second: Cooldown Mechanic
I told you I'd reveal more about the cooldown system. This book is being released with two distinctly noteworthy charge-loss conditions. The full/tolerant presence will only consume a charge for a successful activation. The flawed/punishing presence will consume a charge for any attempt made that could result in success. Attempts that result in automatic failure due to not meeting minimum level/skill threshold will not consume a charge.

All of the books to be released at EG2019 are Tier 1. They will be either 1) a full/tolerant presence (failures don't consume charges) that store 1 charge and recharge after 24 hours or 2) a flawed/punishing presence (failures can consume charges) that store 1 charge and recharge after 48 hours.

Third: How to obtain and unlock
I've put at least 1 book in the feeder. Good luck!

Additionally, Ruminata will be raffling off 1 book with a tolerant presence and 1 volume with a punishing presence in her store On Wing and Prayer during merchant week. For Plat, I'll set these to draw on Wednesday night. For Prime I don't have a firm date for you but it'll likely be a little earlier in the week (I'm aiming for Monday).

Ruminata will occasionally be around and available to unlock your book to Tier 2 for a fee. These are currently unscheduled but likely later in the evening. Her presence will be announced in game.

I hope the eventual owners of these books enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them. Feel free to ask questions.

> Meraki – Greek Word of the day – Doing something with love, passion, and a lot of soul. It is what happens when you leave a piece of yourself (your soul, creativity, or love) in your work.