Ebon Gate Teasers Archive by The TownCrier/2022

Dates

Main Post: Official Forum Post

September 30th - October 30th 2022

Quick Links

• Main Ebon Gate Article
• Ebon Gate category
• Ebon Gate primer - Evermore Hollow
• Evermore Hollow - The village grounds and permanent home of the Ebon Gate Festival
• Naidem - The world around Evermore Hollow
• 2022 Announcements Page

Activities and Features

• Trick or Treating - 100 Simucoins per entry
• Fishing - 10,000 silver per entry

Fishing Pass required, 2000 Simucoins for the entire event

• Arena of the Abyss - 10 Simucoins per entry
• The Ebon Gate Treasure Trove
• Live Games

Prime: Oct 7 - 14

Plat: Sep 30 - Oct 7

• Merchant Week

Prime: Oct 14 – 21

Platinum: Oct 7 - 14

• Shopping
• The Grand Opening of Naidem
• Raffles
• PERM-ifier
• Ebon Gate auto flarer
• Fusion Shaman
• Eve of the Reunion event

Prime: Oct 29

Platinum: Oct 30

• ...but no Digging!

New:

• The Herb Hunt! - 100 Simucoins per entry

Search for rare Toadshade in the Gardens of Bittermere Woods for Soul Shards and a chance at a Mandrake Pet.

• Wishing Well

TBD

• A New Quest?

Could this be the new dungeon crawl to replace the Necropolis? Found in the Graveyard Temporalis, west of Evermore Hollow, more information to be revealed!

Live Games Schedule

TBD

• Cooking Contest, due September 30: Entry Form

Shop Listing

All shops will be accepting Soul Shards only!

** NEW **	Returning?

Quest Update

TBD

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New for Ebon Gate 2022

Currency

• Soul Shards will replace the Ebon Gate seashell, with all remaining seashells automatically converting 1:1.

Naidem

Welcome to Naidem! The new, permanent grounds for the Festival of Ebon Gate. Announcement

• Five manor houses offer a variety of specialty services, while the Inner Circle hosts regular town-like shops.
• Six neighborhoods host merchant shops, live games, automated games, and the Arena of the Abyss.
• The Lazy River, with rideable coffins, cider half barrels, gondolas, mushroom caps, and maybe rafts. Discord
• Dozens of new gems, foraged plants, candy apples with toppings, an edible hedge of spun sugar, and more!

Xayle discusses candy apples at length: Discord

Elysani reveals the fairy floss fern: Discord

A handful of gems with full descriptions: Discord

   an iridescent geode druzy stone
   a shard of gold-webbed red obsidian
   a crystal-edged twilight blue everine
   a tumbled lilac-striated auroraline
   an ether-warped virid soulstone
   a shard of dark pink-on-violet alexandrite

And an assortment of flowers, various fungi, vines, and more fungi: Discord

   some blue-hazed teal pincushion moss
   an onyx-hued skeletal lace mushroom
   a spiraled rainbow-striped mushroom
   a spore-filled tangerine mushroom
   a tangle of inky scorpidium moss
   a ruby-veined Mularosian whip vine
   a nodule-ridden turquoise vine 
   a soft-barbed pearly green vine
   a black-traced deep plum direbloom
   a cluster of spectral violet dreamphlox
   a luminous sapphire blue rose
   and a matte black vampire lily
   a silver-veiled Gosaena's grace dianthus

• Xynwen provides a pair of hints and a warning, and shares a few select highlights from the new areas: Discord

HINT 1: You want to touch the toadstools

HINT 2: You want to hang out around the house

WARNING 1: The house will have a shop inside it, but given its mobile nature, you may find yourself leaving the shop and winding up somewhere else...so like, don't bug it!

Click to expand...

Here are a few snippets of Winterbriar Orchard and its surroundings that I particularly enjoy...

First up -- Pumpkinberry!
You also see a shambling pumpkin-headed snowman.
G>l snow
A shambling pumpkin-headed snowman is comprised of two, perfectly formed, ghostly white balls of snow stacked atop one another, with a giant pumpkin where the third sphere of snow normally resides.  The pumpkin head features eyes of black coal and a disturbingly wide, crimson-painted smile, and the middle snowball is dressed in a spectre-embroidered, red silk vest.  Clutched in its widowwood arms is a battered journal labeled, "Pumpkinberry's Guide to a Natural Afterlife.

>ask snowman about anything
"Oh my," Pumpkinberry exclaims, "Such curiosity!  Did you know that ebon is a fancy word for black?  Like my lovely eyes!"
Pumpkinberry may have other answers for you, but that's what he knows about anything!

What about retiring to a lovely lake?  Icebriar Lake has you covered!

[Icebriar Lake, Lake's Edge] (8083074)
Several lake houses cluster near the snow-covered banks of Icebriar Lake, while others nestle between clusters of trees set to the other side of the cobblestone path that winds along the length of the lake.  Several snowmen loom atop large drifts of snow, many wielding weapons where stick hands would normally be found.  While most of the lake's shore is inaccessible, a single icy bank appears relatively safe, albeit guarded by a squat snowman with a claidhmore.

A snowshoe hare runs up to a squat snowman, then darts away quickly when the snowman lunges at it.

And finally, if dark and spooky woods are more your jam, Darkbriar Woods has you covered!

[Darkbriar Woods, Umbral Willow] (8083080)
The winding path through the woods ends at a giant gnarled black willow, its unnaturally dark boughs dangling wide over the clearing.  Dense briar thickets leave little room for egress except the path winding back to the east.  Rowan and birch fighting for life under the umbral willow's boughs create a few gaps in the thicket, but most look unviable as a means of escape.  Ice covers most the woods here, and deep drifts of snow pile along the path, except around a circle of bright toadstools.  You also see a thatched hut perched on a pair of mithril chicken legs.

A thatched hut perched on a pair of mithril chicken legs wanders in, clucking to itself.

• Not to be outdone, Casil shares a glimpse of Vigil's End: Discord

Click to expand...

Casil — Today at 2:10 PM
Vigil's End provides breathtaking, relaxing scenery for your post-life/pre-afterlife journey, formed from the best memories of the military residents.
[Vigil's End, Tulip Fields] (8083105)
Wide, rotating stripes of homochromous tulips, desaturated by dim ambient light, horizontally stretch across the steeply inclined earth.  A slender, cobbled trail zigzags through the muted, efflorescent rainbow, cutting past the smattering of quaint cottages staggered along its path.  Halfway up the hillside, whimsical glaesine windchimes dangle from the rafters of a latticed pergola extending off the side of a haon-shingled bungalow.
>
You tap the virid, leaf-shaped windcatcher on a whimsical glaesine windchime, swinging the striker into the polychromatic glaes rectangles.  A musical tintinnabulation carries euphoniously across the colorful tulip fields.

But be mindful not to wander too far in, for the gorgeous veil over their trauma is thin. 

[Vigil's End, Legion Lane] (8083094)
Shadowed silhouettes of vultures roost within the knotty branches of an immense elm, a suit of lichen-encrusted armor slumped against the trunk.  Glass shards glitter in the weeds beneath the jagged-edged windows of a thatched roof bakery.  Nestled in brick and shingle rubble, a blackened boulder takes up residence within the adjacent destroyed shop.  Arrowheads and discarded weaponry sprinkle the muddied road with corroded debris.

• Thandiwe shares a bit of detail on the inner and outer rings, as well as taking a quick peek in one of the neighborhoods: Discord

Click to expand...

Evermore Hollow has an inner ring and an outer ring.  The inner ring is more like a pentagon.
[Evermore Hollow, Inner Ring]
Crowded by the densely packed shadows of nearby arboreal giants, a maroon and iron-gabled manse dominates the corner of the avenue and is positioned so that its shutter-flanked windows can keep an eye on the various lanes that intersect at this corner of town.  Slipping beyond the manicured lawns to the east and the cramped structures to the west, a narrow pathway disappears southward, while an arching arbor hosts a plethora of painted plant life as it offers entry to a small alley  You also see a looping cobblestone bridge (open).
Obvious paths: east, northwest

Entrance to one of the neighborhoods...
[Evermore Hollow, Fate's Fire]
Buildings grow sparse as a well-trodden cobblestone pathway wends through the area on its way around a hillock covered in knee-high grasses whose entrance is blocked by a spear-topped black iron gate.  Saturated in crimson, orange, and yellow hues, the small courtyard is filled with a perpetually burning bonfire surrounded by dried-out ancient logs amid singed baskets of firewood.  Near the northeast, the faint outline of a dull green moss-covered stone arch supported by slanted buildings can be seen.  You also see a cinder-tinged moonlight white skeleton.
Obvious paths: north, south

Outer Ring 
[Evermore Hollow, Outer Circle]
Inclining slightly to the northwest as it narrows towards a bridge, the cobbled street is lined with uneven pavers to create a cramped thoroughfare.  Stores clustered together along the southern side of the road rise and fall at varying heights, their windowed faces turned to the wrought iron fence that overlooks the Gleyminn Anni River.  Perched in a row of descending dimensions, winged wrought iron serpents stretch their mouths wide to hold glowing orbs aloft.
Obvious paths: southeast, northwest

• A brief peak at Quinton Manse: Discord

Click to expand...

[Evermore Hollow, Inner Ring]
Crowded by the densely packed shadows of nearby arboreal giants, a maroon and iron-gabled manse dominates the corner of the avenue and is positioned so that its shutter-flanked windows can keep an eye on the various lanes that intersect at this corner of town.  Slipping beyond the manicured lawns to the east and the cramped structures to the west, a narrow pathway disappears southward, while an arching arbor hosts a plethora of painted plant life as it offers entry to a small alley.  You also see a looping cobblestone bridge.
Obvious paths: east, northwest
  Look  manse  - Limned in ebon, the gables of the manse are freshly shingled and decorated with leaflet cornices.  Statuesque ravens, bone white and vacant-eyed, perch upon each corner, their lifeless mouths parted to emit tiny drainage pipes.  Maintaining a shade that is too dark to be wine and too purple to be plum, the mahogany facade is uniform in hue.

Unlocks and Services at Quinton Manse

Unlocking certificates for a variety of goods and automated services including the Ebon Gate auto flarer, Fusion Shaman, and Dabbler will be offered at Quinton Manse. And what's this? A surprise visitor offering a service that hasn't been offered in years?

Main Post: Offerings at Quinton Manse

Rare Materials fodder conversion and storage at the Antiquary Mansion

Rare alteration materials will be available for sale (and conversion from fodder) via the Antiquarian, and an Antiquarian's Apparatus will be available for purchase to store up to 20 types of rare material.

Main Post: Offerings at Antiquary Mansion

• Rare find is just a turn of phrase, not a term of art, the Apparatus can be purchased off-the-shelf in unlimited quantities. Discord
• The Antiquarian's services will cost 200 soul shards, while the Apparatus will cost 570.

2022 Ebon Gate Item Teasers

Death Announcement Customization

New death announcement customization items will be available as a random prize from fishing.

Cooking

The new Cooking system introduced at Copperplate Loft via the August Duskruin Arena Mania auction will be formally unveiled, with a variety of recipes, implements, and ingredients available, some of which will be worldwide.

Mania teasers: Discord

Cigar slings and lighter rings by GMs Xayle and Vanah

For those who've always wanted to FLICK a cigar, an arm-worn cigar sling to "magically" produce a cigar for dramatic effect. And for those who can't keep track of their matches, or simply have a flair for the dramatic, flame-producing rings which can be worn as tattoos. Along with hints at another new way to light cigars and pipes.

Cigar sling teaser: Discord
Lighter ring teaser: Discord

• It is a tattoo when it is a tattoo, it takes up a ring slot only when it is a ring. Discord
• Both the ring and tattoo can be altered.
• Cigar slings are non-functional, unless you increase their item capacity beyond two cigars.

Creepy-Crawly jars by GM Casil

For use with Life Aquatic and Bugs on Parade, the Creepy-Crawly jar will preserve and display your favorite specimen, and can be worn attached to your belt.

Teaser: Discord

Covert Creatures by GM Xynwen

Have you ever wanted to be a bright yellow Aeia's bumblebee? Or a chubby grey mouse-eared octopus? This new clothing series can have specimens from Life Aquatic and Bugs on Parade inserted to instantly become an appropriate costume, and will be sold in the shop of the same name.

Teaser: Discord
Messaging teaser: Discord
Illusions teaser: Discord

• The base clothing item can be altered freely to any item of clothing, but will always remain front-worn.
• Messaging will be different based on whether the item is in clothing form, bug form, or sea creature form, depending on the type of creature. Discord
• 50 soul shards off-the-shelf, 250 soul shards for tiers 2 and 3 to unlock additional verbs and slots, 1150 soul shards for tier 4 for more verbs, more slots, and an illusionary inventory-hiding feature. Discord
• Merchants can add a SHOW to saved costumes.
• Costumes are currently saved permanently and cannot be changed once added.

Veola hair accessory updates by Elysani and Vanah

Elysani and Vanah have worked to update the Veola hair accessory (and corresponding wiki page) to allow for a staggering array of new options, including adding new types to ease noun restrictions, and adding compatibility with several new categories of accessory: Discord

This Veola item is designed to display a gem, feather, flower, insects and sea creatures, pointed items, or other miscellaneous items.  Miscellany includes other foraged items, skins, shells, and other larger non-gem treasure items.

You gently place the wand in your gilt-spiked headpiece, taking care to arrange it just so.  You nod, satisfied with a gilt-spiked headpiece interspersed between silver wands.

• Pointed items: lockpicks, shoots, sticks, sprigs, sprays, stems, twigs, forks, knives, spoons, darts, daggers, wands, or talons

Small Diner's Board by GM Thandiwe

Sold at All Fingers and No Crumbs, the Small Diner's Board allows the host to duplicate and share pre-assembled small plates or drink samplers with a variety of eating styles for up to an hour.

Main Post: Discord

• Compatible with cutlery.
• Copies exactly what you put on the board, including poison.
• A fully unlocked board will cost 1500 soul shards. Discord

Ancestral Assistant weapon tool by GMs Marstreforn and Netz

This new tool is used to add a design to weapons, armor, shields, or accessories that do not already have too many details or scripts, changing the article. Smiths take note! And with a series of unlocks, they can also be used to remove temporary properties from found items such as padding or resistance.

Main Post: Discord

• 500 shards OTS, 2000 for first unlock (1x/day RAISE), 2500 for T2 (5x/day) and another 2500 for T3 (10x/day) Discord
• Two designs by default, with an EG merchant service to add three more for a total of five, and a special auction/raffle tier version with ten (similar to Lapidary boxes). Discord
• The designs can be changed as part of a general alteration service.

Basketifier by GM Thandiwe and... an Ordim?

Store and preserve a variety of food and beverages in perfect safety and unlimited quantity, permanently until removed, with a shareable presentation as a table or picnic blanket.

Teaser: Discord

• Holds 24 items at tier 4.
• Tier 1 costs 250 soul shards.
• Will NOT accept anything with a spell in it. Sorry, heroism soup!

News and Updates

2022-08-06

• SimuCon 2022 panel broadcast on twitch: Official Twitch Stream
• Thandiwe shares some of the Ebon Gate concept art: Discord

2022-09-08

• Official announcement made with general information, new grounds, and games details: General Information

2022-09-13

• Thandiwe posted a poll to determine what will be teased first: Dog, Frost, Wallflower, Hand, Antiquarian, Sparkle, Board, or Bread. Discord

2022-09-15

• Avaluka reveals a few new updates to puppies have already been rolled out, via vacation emoji-glyphics. Dog ship? Dog mage wind-blowing? Dog + Meat Man = Pleading? Dog + RIP Troll = Dog + Blood? Dog-owners, get out there and experiment! Discord
• Xeraphina reveals that winged wear has been updated to allow for unlock via certificate! Discord
• Xynwen announced that wand combiners, originally introduced at Ebon Gate 2007 have been updated to be used by any profession, with any wand, and more conveniently. Could that mean they'll be available for purchase? Discord
• Xayle shared some art of a Doomicorn to tease the upcoming lore document, reminded us that a tobacco document is on the way as well, and let us know that these documents will be available off-the-shelf in-game. Discord
• Foldable napkins and intestine balloons are now compatible the Origami system, although Vanah warns you won't learn from them. Discord
• Cooking contest format announced, with entry form coming soon! [1] Entry Form

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