Ebon Gate Festival/teasers 2016

Follow Gemstone IV on Twitter for merchant announcements during the 2016 Ebon Gate Festival.

Ebon Gate 2016 Shop List · Teasers · Delirium Manor

Confirmed Merchant Services

• Weapon/UAC bane added to existing weapon (+10 AS, 8 pts weighting, or flares), no undead, 5 raffle winners major (GM Elidi)
• Ithziri armor unlocking 1 tier (10 spots) and adding to armor (5 spots) major (see below) (GM Haliste)
• Zelnorn armor or shield and weapon raffles (no claidhs, naginatas, katanas, bows, or runestaves) (2 raffles hosted by Phrolo, item must be made of metal) major (GM Skhorne)
• Voln armor unlocking (see below) major (GM Reidyn)
• Kroderine weapon creation raffle. Claidhs, naginatas, katanas, bows, and runestaves are not permitted. Comes with item alteration. 1 winner major (GM Reidyn)
• RotFlare adding (ticket raffle or auction) (GM Wyrom)
• Uncommon flare adding: grapple, unbalance, and disintegrate (see below) minor (GM Valyrka)
• Common and uncommon acuity/mana flares (runestaves only) (GM Valyrka)
• 2 custom spell prep raffles Boil and Toil (GM Valyrka)
• 1 full unlock on a Xojium robe and 1 full unlock on a Xojium staff via raffle (GM Valyrka)
• Shock Weapon unlocking and auction quality mechanical unlocking that does not count toward unlock limit (GM Retser)
• WoundedWear level 3 unlocks (GM Retser)
• Ghlum will be sanctifying gear for 10 winners, 5 reserved for paladins and clerics only minor (GM Sindin)
• Permanent fletching razors (GM Xayle)
• Permanent scarring razor: 1 raffled in Brazen Bull (GM Liia)
• Custom perfume (GM Xayle)
• Bow sighting slightly above sephwir (GM Xayle)
• Hedgehogs (GM Xayle)
• Enhancive item permanence (1 per account) (GM Elysani)
• Script swapping (GM Tamuz)
• Item property removal (GM Tamuz)
• Beard and mustache grooming (10k), beard pocket adding (1 item, 2 for dwarves) (25k) by Bartoldt in The Tonsorium (GM Modrian)

Warning: The beard pocket service will take up a functional, pin-worn item slot on the bearded character.

Ithziri Armor Schedule

Platinum: 10/15 - 8:30 AM: 3 Ithzir Adds 10/15 - 6:00 PM: 5 Ithzir Unlocks 10/16 - 2:00 PM: 5 Ithzir Unlocks 10/16 - 10:00 PM: 2 Ithzir Adds

Prime: 10/22 - 8:30 AM: 3 Ithzir Adds 10/22 - 6:00 PM: 5 Ithzir Unlocks 10/23 - 2:00 PM: 5 Ithzir Unlocks 10/23 - 10:00 PM: 2 Ithzir Adds

Fana @ the shimmering pool.

Winners will be determined by a combination of Raffle & Spinner. Armor can only be worked on one time. (IE: no double unlocks, and armor that has an add service, cannot also receive an unlock service.) Pricing will probably be similar to the pricing from Briarmoon Cove (min 500k).

Voln Armor Unlocking

Raffle, auction, and/or fishhook

• 5 slots T1 to T2
• 2 slots T2 to T3
• 1 slot T3 to T4

There will be no adding of the Voln Armor script to existing armor this time around, nor will there being any skipping of tiers.

To be clear, if you win one of the slots for upgrading from Tier 2 to Tier 3 you will need to already have armor unlocked to Tier 2, an off-the-shelf Tier 1 will not suffice. Further, Voln Armor is not being sold at Ebon Gate this year, so dig into your locker, grab some for a friend, or be prepared to purchase an off-the-shelf 4x version from Taeliryn directly at the time of redemption for a cool 1 million silver. These are all considered MAJOR wins.

Flare Adding

They will be done by raffle. There is an additional fee for this service.

• 15 common flares to weapons or runestaves (including improving mana/acuity by 1 tier up to +2/+20).
• 5 spots to add uncommon flares to weapons or runestaves: ONLY grapple, unbalance, and disintegrate
• 2 spots to add uncommon(acuity 5x-6x Mana +3-4) OR rare mana/acuity (Acuity 7x- 10x, Mana +5) to runestaves by 1 tier up to +5/+50. A tier is +1 mana or +5 acuity.

Live Games

Main article: Ebon Gate Festival live games

	SATURDAY	SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY
PRIME (WEEK 1)	10/15	10/16	10/17	10/18	10/19	10/20
	9p Grand Parade	7p Costume contest	5p Bubbling Brews	5p Sing Me and Epitaph	5p Dismember Me Fondly	4p Entrail Toss
			7p Storytelling	8p Swamp Scatter	8p Avoid the Noose	9p Death Dirges
PLATINUM (WEEK 2)	10/22	10/23	10/24	10/25	10/26	10/27
	9p Grand Parade	7p Costume contest	5p Bubbling Brews	5p Sing Me and Epitaph	5p Dismember Me Fondly	4p Entrail Toss
			7p Storytelling	9p Swamp Scatter	8p Avoid the Noose	9p Death Dirges

Costume Contest

Categories:

1. Most Creative
2. Most Elegant
3. Scariest
4. Funniest
5. Best Duo

Contestants will be expected to provide a short presentation (no more than 2 minutes) on their costume. You do not need to enter a specific category, the judges will sort you.

Storytelling and Death Dirges

Posted by Jainna

As some may know, these two contests are my babies and I wanted to give you all a little advanced info on how they work.

For Death Dirges, you'll have 5 minutes or less to present a song or poem, as the title suggests. It should be themed around death. Presentations will be judged on content, style, sticking to the theme, and staying to the time limit.

For Storytelling, you'll have 5 minutes or less to present your story. It should be SCARY. Stories will be judged by how scary they are, how original, and whether they keep to the time limit.

For both Death Dirges and Storytelling, THEY MUST BE ORIGINAL. If it's something you didn't make up yourself, you will not win. Fair warning.

Fusion Update

This will be the last year the Fusion Shaman appears at EG. Please see Fusion (saved posts) for the post-EG updates to the system. No change except for higher extraction costs will occur before EG. The 2016 EG Shaman will be creating old-style orbs.

Fusion extraction vouchers can be found in boxes at least until EG opens. Vouchers can be BUNDLEd for savings of up to 50% of the value of the extraction. If the 50% cost of the extraction is less than the value of the voucher, the cost will be subtracted and the voucher will remain.

"To redeem, please hold this voucher in hand when CONFIRMing your extraction or analysis request. Multiple vouchers may be combined via BUNDLE. The maximum discount on any extraction or analysis request is 50% of the quoted price. Any vouchers not used by the end of this year's Ebon Gate festival shall become expired and worthless."

Necropolis and Storyline

2016 will be the final year of the Necropolis and the associated storyline. A full, uncursed enruned black ora heart will be required to participate in the finale, which will be a very short automated experience.

Posted by Wyrom

If you've been to the Necropolis in the last two years, you'll have known that this finale has been coming. But this is it. The last year of the Necropolis at Feywrot Mire. The story that goes along with this place has mostly been done through an automated storytelling process. If you used the ether in 2015, you'd have gotten a very important piece of the story.

The heart/ether will be undergoing its last transformation this year. It will require that the curse has been broken with the prismatic ether to do the last and final step. The number of charges it has will be an important part of the usefulness of the final upgrade.

The finale will be automated, sort of a rail ride, but it fills the plot holes and finishes everything off. The last part to the heart has some mechanical benefits, but it's mostly to tie together some pieces to the Necropolis through this storyline.

So let's hit some questions I know that may be asked.

I didn't fully upgrade my heart/ether last year, can I still participate?
     Yes, but you will need to have used an ether on your heart to break the curse.

Where do I get the prismatic ether?
     It will be in our SimuCoin Store, but you can also find them while digging, playing games, or in Delirium Manor. We also released some at the Duskruin Dig.

I didn't attend each year and can't get a fully charged heart/ether, can I ever get this fully charged?
     Yes, but you'll have to get lucky. There are some prismatic essences in the feeders again this year (digging, games, Delirium Manor).

You mentioned the final upgrade would be mostly fluff, now you're saying it's mechanical?
     It has some benefits in specific situations, but it's something you have to upkeep to use that part. You'll understand when you complete the final part.

When does the finale take place?
     Starting October 21st, the area will be open in all instance where the finale takes place. You enter the area on your own and the story is automated at that point. Don't confuse this with a quest or expect it to be interactive. It's neither. The quest is the Necropolis. This is the ending, like in a video game.

Will I get to run the Necropolis after I choose to do the finale?
     Yes. After you finish, you'll get the last upgrade, probably do a little bit of head scratching, and carry on your normal business. Grind out the Necropolis one last time. Solve some of the secrets that rarely get done. Find loot when you search around. Good stuff.

Has anything else changed in the Necropolis?
     The puzzle/motif doors are different again. That's it.

You're pretty awesome, Wyrom.
     Gee, thanks.

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GHOUL Schedule

Posted by Zythica All times ET.

PLATINUM			PRIME
Sat 10/15	7 PM		Sat 10/22	7 PM
Sun 10/16	3 PM		Sun 10/23	3 PM
Tues 10/18	9 PM		Tues 10/25	9 PM
Thurs 10/20	6 PM		Thurs 10/27	6 PM

Unfortunately, I am not able to run it as often as I did last year, but I may be able to squeeze in some impromptu games here and there. I'm going to try to get at least one morning session for Prime so that it's not such a late night monopoly, but at this time I don't know when that will be.

Prizes this year! I have some return prizes, such as Dhu kittens and metallic gowns, but we also have some special new prizes, like a spell prep phrase book you can ONLY get from winning GHOUL! 

>read my parch
Invoking this sanguine parchment will grant you permanent access to a special method of preparing your spells.
It will provide the following phrase:

First Person: A blood red mist leaks from your palms as you prepare [Spell Name]...
Third Person: A blood red mist leaks from Boring's palms as he prepares a spell...
Hidden or Invisible: A blood red mist fills the area.

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Teasers

Spell Preps

Posted by Tamuz

Gotta catch 'em all! These will be split up and available through a few sources of unique distribution. One (or two...) will be available exclusively in the Carnival Games feeders. One will be available exclusively as a prize for the various staff-run games and contests during Ebon Gate. The others will be in the Ticket Shop for your buying pleasure!

Now the real question is which prizes will land where...

>read my volume
Invoking this starstone-set volume will grant you permanent access to a special method of preparing your spells.
It will provide the following phrase:

First Person: Mana surges through you in a brilliant display of silvery motes which skitter across your skin as you prepare [Spell Name]...
Third Person: Motes of silvery light sparkle across Tamuz's skin, twinkling like stars as he prepares a spell...
Hidden or Invisible: Tiny motes of silver light twinkle in and out of existence, like flickering stars.


>read my parch
Invoking this sanguine parchment will grant you permanent access to a special method of preparing your spells.
It will provide the following phrase:

First Person: A blood red mist leaks from your palms as you prepare [Spell Name]...
Third Person: A blood red mist leaks from Tamuz's palms as he prepares a spell...
Hidden or Invisible: A blood red mist fills the area.


>read my grim
Invoking this cerulean-runed grimoire will grant you permanent access to a special method of preparing your spells.
It will provide the following phrase:

First Person: Cerulean will'o'wisps swirl around your hands as you prepare [Spell Name], casting ghostly blue-white light across your surroundings...
Third Person: Cerulean will'o'wisps swirl around Tamuz's hands as he prepares a spell, casting ghostly blue-white light across the surrounding area...
Hidden or Invisible: Cerulean will'o'wisps swirl around the area, casting a ghostly blue-white light across the surroundings.


>read my codex
Invoking this carnelian-hued codex will grant you permanent access to a special method of preparing your spells.
It will provide the following phrase:

First Person: With a rush of mana, carnelian foxfire flares to life and engulfs your hands in an ethereal glow...
Third Person: Ethereal carnelian foxfire flickers into being along Tamuz's hands, slithering across his palms...
Hidden or Invisible: Ethereal carnelian foxfire flickers in the shadows.


>read my tome
Invoking this viridian tome will grant you permanent access to a special method of preparing your spells.
It will provide the following phrase:

First Person: Pale viridian light flares as you draw upon the surrounding mana to prepare [Spell Name], the glowing wisps swirling around your hand in an excited display...
Third Person: Wisps of pale viridian light begin to swirl around Tamuz's hand as he prepares a spell...
Hidden or Invisible: Wisps of pale viridian light flare to life with sudden intensity.

POST SCRIPTUM: I've got 4 more that haven't been teased yet. They're all related though.

Posted by Tamuz

Probably time to bring out the other 4 spell preps.
"Blazestar is distinctly elemental in its alignment. The hue of the blazestar reveals its element – blue for air, green for water, gold for earth, and crimson for fire. To indicate their preferred element, traditional elven mages wear circlets or ferronieres set with appropriate blazestars when attending meetings of the Wizard Guild." -- https://www.play.net/gs4/info/gems/gems2.asp

(Sorry Lightning, not a pure element according to classical elven magical theory.)


>read my disk
Invoking this azure blazestar disk will grant you permanent access to a special method of preparing your spells.
It will provide the following phrase:

First Person: A cool feeling washes over your forehead and a deep blue radiance surrounds your hands as you prepare [Spell Name]...
Third Person: A spectral faceted azure blazestar appears on Tamuz's forehead and rapidly dissolves into a deep blue radiance that suffuses his hands as he prepares a spell...
Hidden or Invisible: A spectral faceted azure blazestar appears in midair before dissolving into a matched pair of radiant azure clouds.

>read my second disk
Invoking this emerald disk will grant you permanent access to a special method of preparing your spells.
It will provide the following phrase:

First Person: A cool feeling washes over your forehead and a deep green radiance surrounds your hands as you prepare [Spell Name]...
Third Person: A spectral faceted emerald blazestar appears on Tamuz's forehead and rapidly dissolves into a deep verdant radiance that suffuses his hands as he prepares a spell...
Hidden or Invisible: A spectral faceted emerald blazestar appears in midair before dissolving into a matched pair of radiant verdant clouds.

>read my third disk
Invoking this crimson disk will grant you permanent access to a special method of preparing your spells.
It will provide the following phrase:

First Person: A cool feeling washes over your forehead and a dark crimson radiance surrounds your hands as you prepare [Spell Name]...
Third Person: A spectral faceted crimson blazestar appears on Tamuz's forehead and rapidly dissolves into a dark crimson radiance that suffuses his hands as he prepares a spell...
Hidden or Invisible: A spectral faceted crimson blazestar appears in midair before dissolving into a matched pair of radiant crimson clouds.

>read my fourth disk
Invoking this golden disk will grant you permanent access to a special method of preparing your spells.
It will provide the following phrase:

First Person: A cool feeling washes over your forehead and a brilliant golden radiance surrounds your hands as you prepare [Spell Name]...
Third Person: A spectral faceted golden blazestar appears on Tamuz's forehead and rapidly dissolves into a brilliant golden radiance that suffuses his hands as he prepares a spell...
Hidden or Invisible: A spectral faceted golden blazestar appears in midair before dissolving into a matched pair of radiant golden clouds.

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Cobbling Punch

Posted by Elidi

Coming to an EG near you, cobbling hallmark punches for master cobblers!

>glance
You glance down to see an ivory-inlaid steel punch in your right hand and a pair of fabulous shoes in your left hand.

>push my punch
Using your punch, you line up the sole of one of your shoes with the punch plate and give the handle a good squeeze. Success! Your punch plate settings have been applied to the shoes. Imprinted on the sole, you see an unfurled rose, the crafter's personal hallmark.

>look my shoes
Imprinted on the sole, you see an unfurled rose, the crafter's personal hallmark.

>turn my punch
You change the plate on your steel punch, adjusting the settings to display your personal crafting mark of an unfurled rose and an engraving of the shoes owner's name.

>push my punch
Using your punch, you line up the sole of one of your shoes with the punch plate and give the handle a good squeeze. Success! Your punch plate settings have been applied to the shoes. Imprinted on the sole, you notice an unfurled rose. Inside, the name 'Airisu' is engraved in elegant script.

That's not all!

>dance shoes
Standing on the toes of your fabulous shoes, you dance a few quick steps.

>poke shoes
You lift your foot and carefully examine the bottom of one of your fabulous shoes. You poke your finger at something stuck to the sole. Ew! What is that!?

... and more.

Visit Lady Airisu in Come To Heel for customization and improvements!

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Permifier

Main article: PERM-ifier

Editor's note 10/14/16: This section will no longer be updated. Please see the PERM-ifier article for information and applicable item list.

Posted by Tamuz

This will be available in the Halfway Midway and accept Ebon Gate tickets only.

No, it's not an amazing new way to get a fancy hairdo for Elanthian prom night, but it might be the next best thing! Allow me to introduce the PERM-ifier! It does a lot of what it says on the tin, transforming certain fluff scripted objects into their permanent versions.

You also see an enruned shadowglass obelisk.
>look obelisk
The sharp-edged form of the obelisk is mounted upon a grey granite plinth. Partially translucent, its entire body is swirled with pale streaks of grey and white which writhe around inside the glassy confines.

Speaking to an enruned shadowglass obelisk, you exclaim, "I wonder what you do!"

>touch obelisk
A soft voice from the shadowglass obelisk whispers, "Simply hold the object in your right hand and try again."

You remove a perfume bottle from in your Ebon Gate bag.

You glance down to see a perfume bottle in your right hand and nothing in your left hand.

You sniff delicately at the perfume bottle, and detect the faint scent of cinnamon and roasted pumpkin.

You say, "It is pumpkin spice season..."

>touch obelisk
A soft voice from the shadowglass obelisk whispers, "A bottle of perfume? We could certainly work our magic on your perfume bottle for 5000 tickets."
Your perfume bottle begins to shine with a pale white radiance.

>touch obelisk
A soft voice from the shadowglass obelisk whispers, "It is done. Your perfume bottle will last forever. After our fee of 5000 tickets, you still possess 7604 tickets."

>measure my bottle
Your perfume bottle is bottomless! It contains an infinite amount of liquid.

You exclaim, "I guess that's neat!"

The PERM-ifier is currently set up to work with: makeup/cosmetics, fletching paint, cobbling dye, perfume, imbue boxes, nail lacquer, runestone carvers, lip gloss, and teas/coffees but you would need to ask Vanah for the specific details on that.

Current costs range from 2,000 to 7,500 tickets per use depending on the item you want to treat. I look forward to claiming many of your Midway Tickets! 

Posted by Vanah

The PERM-ifier will work on both tea cases and the jars. For the cases, it will only PERM-ify the active tea selection. If a flavor blend is restricted in any way, such as being a flavor for a CHE, a private home, a specific shop, or the like, the flavor blend will be ineligible for this service.

The PERM-ifier will also work on flavorings (cream, syrups, etc.), but not a sugar cube or slice of lemon, since those are one-serving items.

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Swamp Carvings

Posted by Flannihan

The wee gnome Binklar will once again be steering his wagon toward the Ebon Gate and setting out his wares in Swamp Carvings. All of his carvings can be imbedded with magics by those with such skills or queue up when he is around to have certain Spiritual or Arcane Weavings placed in your selections. He will imbed up to 3 items per customer per day. He is a fidgety little fellow, not good at sitting still, so he will likely make multiple visits in each instance. So come get your Bravery on! Or your Mystic Focus! Or... hmmm, maybe I'll just give you the list eh? See you there!

**Spells with an asterisk hold 10 charges, all others hold 20.

MINOR SPIRITUAL	MAJOR SPIRITUAL	ARCANE MAGICS
Spirit Warding I	Calm	Arcane Blast
Spirit Barrier	Spirit Shield	Arcane Decoy
Spirit Defense	Manna	Stun Cloud
Disease Resistance	Unpresence	Martial Prowess
Spirit Fog	Light	Flaming Aura
Spirit Warding II	Darkness	Minor Steam
*Fire Spirit	Purify Air	Mystic Impedance
*Water Walking	Untrammel	Minor Cold
*Undisease	Silence	Major Acid
*Unpoison	*Bravery	*Mystic Focus
*Spirit Strike

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Drinkin' Steins

posted by Palvella

There will be new drinking containers that allow for toasts with style to meet all your drunken fluffy needs. These containers have the potential for 3 unlocks that expand the toasting options from general toasts (T1) to profession based (T2), realm based (T3) and a custom toast (T4). These toasts my even be targeted to a specific player. 

General toasts work for anyone anywhere and provide a random toast.

Profession toasts take into account the profession of the person giving the toast or the profession of the person being targeted (when possible).

Realm toasts will vary depending on your location.

Custom toast will allow for a toast of your own making.

Look for Purjus in his shop Drinkin'Steins.

Shock Weapons

Posted by Retser

Hello to all those shock lance/staff fans out there.

You can now unlock your shock lance to a maximum of 3 lesser and 3 minor. This is up from the last EG and BMC limits of 2 and 2.
There will also be a small handful of major unlocks.

Taking any field from 0 to 1 is a minor.
Taking any field from 1 to 2 is a lesser.
Taking any field from 2 to 3 is a major. 

To take anything to the next tier, you must have the pre-requisite tier.

There will also be a new, first time ever, auction quality mechanical unlock offered.
This will unlock the weapon's ability to release a major elemental wave once per hour.
The weapon's element determines the type of major elemental wave released.
This does not count toward your 9 unlock limit on the weapon.

Anything about (above?) Minor will be limited distribution through; raffle, auction, spinner, "Fish hook", or whatever random games I bring to EG.

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Prestige Champagne

Posted by GM Sindin

If you missed Prestige Champagne at Briarmoon Cove, fear not! Select bottles will be for sale at Feywrot Mire. For the uninitiated, these are champagne bottles that can be shaken and opened at others for a fizzy surprise, as well as opened with a sabre. Cases are also available to carry them in style.

But the gravediggers or Midway gamesplayers who get really lucky might happen upon a very special bottle of champagne, a never-ending bottle that creates its own glasses. Whaa?? Be the first to find it and boast to all! I believe two never-ending bottles are waiting to be won; one bottle, an Elven classic champagne, and the other, a bottle with connections to Ebon Gates past.

My merchant, Ghlum, will also be sactifying gear. This is a minor service, available to 10 lucky winners, with 5 slots reserved for paladins and clerics only. He will also be looking to distract himself from his sorrows by drowning you in general services.

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Stone Tending

Posted by Tamuz

These items originally appeared at Ebon Gate 2007 in the Aldoran Stone Tender's cottage. They are the creation of GM Thandiwe and they're pretty awesome. 

You glance down to see an opalescent silvery vaalin diadem in your right hand and a silver-ringed cerulean aetherstone in your left hand.
>push my diadem
You carefully push your cerulean aetherstone into your silvery vaalin diadem and hear it click into place.

You glance down to see an opalescent silvery vaalin diadem set with a silver-ringed cerulean aetherstone in your right hand and nothing in your left hand.

You position your diadem on your head, careful to arrange your very short jet black hair around it.

You glance down to see a shard of pale grey shadowglass in your right hand and a rune-etched dark copper amulet in your left hand.
>push my amulet
You carefully push your pale grey shadowglass into your dark copper amulet and hear it click into place.

You glance down to see nothing in your right hand and a rune-etched dark copper amulet set with a shard of pale grey shadowglass in your left hand.

You unclasp your amulet and separate the two ends. Drawing it around your neck, you deftly refasten the clasp.

You see GameMaster Tamuz the Moon Mage.
He appears to be an Alteration Machine.
He is alpine in stature and appears to be very young. He has silver-flecked frost opal blue eyes and leathery brown skin. He has very short, pin-straight jet black hair drawn back from his face and bound in place by an opalescent silvery vaalin diadem set with a silver-ringed cerulean aetherstone. He has a portly face, an upturned nose and wildly bushy eyebrows. His fleshy jawline forms the base of his large, pulpy face.
He has a test tattoo.
He is in good shape.
He is wearing a rune-etched dark copper amulet set with a shard of pale grey shadowglass

You strike a heroic pose.

You preen.

You strut about.

The jewelry will function with just about any gemstone you have, for pure fashion purposes. The actual enhancive Aldoran stones will NOT be for sale at Ebon Gate this year, but if you have any sitting around from years ago, they will continue to function with this jewelry. You can find them in the shop Gattrof Castoffs on the east side of the outer ring, look for the black and white wagon!

In the glass-topped case you see an engraved silver circlet, an opalescent silvery vaalin diadem, a rune-carved golden imflass headband, a trio of dark ironwood bangles, an enruned gold wristlet, a twined faenor ivy vine bracelet, a pale blued ora necklace, a gold-linked dark bronze choker, an angular black mithril torc, a rune-etched dark copper amulet and a silver-inked sign.

They are only alterable with 15/15/15s (no shows, no longs), so please plan accordingly!

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Scripted Cigar Kit and Garrote Knife

Posted by Elysani

You remove a slim onyx and jet cylinder from in your cream twill jacket.

You say, "Hmm."

You remove a smooth tan cigar encircled by bands of alabaster parchment from in your onyx and jet cylinder.

You turn the darkened copper ring beneath the cap of the onyx and jet cylinder and the black velvet lining snaps up to lie flush against the interior of the cylinder, concealing your lockpick stash.

You nod.

You remove a gilt-edged ebon vultite cutter from in your cream twill jacket.

Slipping your index finger and thumb through the ebon vultite cutter's unusually sturdy double rings, you position the smooth tan cigar within the blade apperture, slicing the tip neatly off with a firm squeeze.

You roll the smooth tan cigar gently against the drakar element of your ebon vultite cutter, carefully rotating the cigar to evenly distribute the heat.

Small tendrils of smoke begin to trickle from the end of the smooth tan cigar as you continue to press it against the hot metal. Drawing air gently through the cigar, you coax the smoldering tobacco to a cleaner flame.

Finally satisfied that you've achieved a pleasantly even burn, you remove the smooth tan cigar from your ebon vultite cutter and inhale deeply from it. The area fills with a peat-heavy scotch smoke.

You draw the ebon vultite cutter open, pulling past the point of full aperture to disengage and sheathe the blades. Rotating the finger rings inward along hidden inner tracks, you guide them toward each other. Once touching, the handles snap down into new locked positions with a soft click. Then, with a nudge of your thumb, you unfold the doubled rings outward and reposition your grip on the ebon vultite knuckle-duster.

You shrug.

You remove a copper-foiled dark faenor dagger from in your cream twill jacket.

You hook a finger on the small ring hidden in the hilt of your dagger and give a sharp pull, a concealed wire snaking out of the hilt. Once fully extracted, the blade slides into the emptied hilt with a soft snick. Dragging the wire through a small groove in the handle, you slide it to more comfortable grip in the middle of the handle and give the wire garrote a few tugs to make sure it is secure.

Shifting your grip, you pull on the garrote's wire and draw it through the small groove in the handle to the tip. As you relax the tension, a small blade shoots out the other end and the wire begins feeding smoothly up into the handle. With a small click, the draw ring of the garrote disappears fully into the dark faenor dagger's hilt.

ANYWAY.


Cigars, cigar cutters, cigar tubes, garrote knives, bowties, colognes, booze. AND MORE. I'll put up another teaser about Fancy Coats! (TM) before EG opens, and I'll be offering unlocks for the cigar cutters, tubes, and garrote knives.

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Idle Edge

Posted by GM Skhorne

Here's a little something I was asked to pass on.

Every want to be like a warrior doing fancy tricks?

Feel the need to express yourself a bit more in certain situations?

Well wait no longer!

Stop on in Idle Edge to find some interesting weapons at an EG near you!

You run a finger down the blade of your short sword, checking the edge.

You adjust your grip on a field-axe, preparing for what is about to come.

With a quick flick of your wrist, you send a short sword spinning end-over-end into the air and quickly snatch it by the handle.

After a quick check for balance on your dagger, you give the dagger a quick twist and send it spinning in the palm of your hand. With a light toss, you flip it upright and clench it in a firm grip.

You reverse your grip in preparation for a quick strike.

You tap a falchion against your thigh in impatience.

But wait!

There's MORE!

This is for smaller OHE type weapons, there is a dozen actions total you can use to help express yourself or just to show off in front of your friends and neighbors. You can even use them in front of complete strangers! 

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Custom Spell Messaging

Posted by Tamuz

This is applicable to: EVOKEd Tremors (909), Manna (203), Fire Spirit (111), Blink (1215), Tangle Weed (610), Floating Disk (511), Raise Dead (318)

We talked about it at Simucon, but now we get to show off some of GameMaster Keios' amazingly hard work on providing some new customization options for various spells. With generous wordsmithing donations from GameMaster Xayle, we've got some awesome offerings to make you look even cooler than your characters already were!


For example, this version of the EVOKEd Tremors (909) spell is available only for runestaff + TAP activations. Now you too can taint the very ground you walk upon as you knock your enemies off their feet and crush them beneath your heel!

>tap
As you sharply tap your unobtanium runestaff on the ground, blackness swiftly leaps down its length and sends inky tendrils spreading out away from you.
The ground begins to shake violently, making it hard to stand.
A rolton loses her balance and falls over.


Maybe that's not your thing? Want to get into the season a bit more in our favorite way? Well, do we have a muffin for you!

>prep 203
A salty sea breeze stirs as you chant an old sailor's ditty, invoking Manna.
Your spell is ready.
>summon custom
There is a bright flash and a pumpkin spice muffin with maple cream frosting appears in the air, then falls into your left hand.


This has been a perennial request over the years, but we've finally got the pyrotechnicians to help produce some fancy fireworks for Fire Spirit (111).

You gesture.
A flare leaves your hand and shoots up into the sky where it hangs for a few moments before exploding into a glittering rotating carousel with a peaked crimson and gold canopy. The sheer brightness of the image before you lingers in your sight for several seconds after the explosion can no longer be seen.

A colorful flare rises into the air high above the Lower Dragonsclaw before exploding into a glittering rotating carousel with a peaked crimson and gold canopy.


I'm personally really excited about this one because I wanted to see a lotus blossom version for my erithian monk. But 'tis the season for squeaky crawlies so we'll start off with bats. Don't Blink (1215)!

Tamuz gestures.
A momentary eruption of a flurry of squeaking bats emanates from Tamuz's hand and engulfs him, flapping and squeaking like a frenzied cyclone about him. As the bats wing away into the sky, double images of Tamuz shiver slowly together into solidity.

You swing a closed fist at Tamuz!
Suddenly, a flurry of squeaking bats engulfs Tamuz and he vanishes, reappearing several feet away instantaneously!
AS: +80 vs DS: +51 with AvD: +25 + d100 roll: +3 = +57
A clean miss.


If you remember when the gate for Ebon Gate was out near the Landing graveyard and people would get tripped up by the dirge-vaon vines, thanks for sticking with us all this time! If not, you dodged the bullet because it was hard to stand up fully loaded with EG loot after those vines got you! We wanted to pay homage to the old location with this little number available for Tangleweed (610).

This is the "offensive" version that is out for blood.
You gesture.
A thorn-barbed dirge-vaon vine suddenly sprouts from the ground and begins to thrash about violently!
The dirge-vaon vine lashes out violently at a rolton, dragging it to the ground!
... 15 points of damage!
Solid chest grapple, a rolton is winded!
The rolton is stunned!

You notice a number of the vine's blood-hued thorns scrape into the rolton's skin. The rolton suddenly looks very weak!

And this is the much tamer domesticated version that will only trip things up.
You gesture.
A creeping dirge-vaon vine suddenly sprouts from the ground and begins to thrash about violently!
The dirge-vaon vine lashes out violently at a kobold, entangling it!


We also have an offering for Floating Disk (511), which will apply when you cast your own disks or when a disk is cast on you.
You gesture.
A small circular container suddenly appears and floats rather serenely over to you.
>look
[Lower Dragonsclaw, Forest]
Your ears are becoming more attuned to the sounds of the forest surrounding you. Over your footsteps you hear the sounds of small birds overhead, comfortably nested in the sturdy oak trees. You also see the coffin-shaped Tamuz disk


Since many of these spells are widely available or could be cast on other people for effect, anyone can use any of the tokens. They work on the REDEEM verb and have a confirmation. PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE REDEEMING THE RIGHT ONE! There are 7 total tokens available so likewise please be careful you purchase your intended token! They will be available on the prize wall of the Halfway Midway in exchange for your Midway tickets!

Again, this takes a village and a lot of people were involved in bringing it out. It's something GameMaster Liia lobbied hard for and GameMaster Keios has spent a lot of time updating various spells to be compatible with customization options. We hope you'll enjoy the offerings and what we'll be able to do in the future as well.

Post Scriptum: There's also a SUPER COOL set of messaging for Raise Dead, but I don't want to spoil it quite yet!

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Jackpot Items

Posted by Tamuz

In order to address some of the concerns about variance in quality of the Unique (what you folks call Tier 5) prizes from the games and digging, we've added another feeder of prizes that are of AMAZING quality. These are our Jackpot wins, and they're awesome. Any huge, big ticket items will be in this rare Jackpot tier. There is still plenty of nice stuff in the Unique feeder, so don't worry!

Let's get to the fun part... the loot!

an enruned drakar-tipped lance
+30 Shock Lance with the following upgrades: 2 minute cooldown on its targeted critical. No chance of feedback. Charged until feedback. (So essentially it'll never run out and you'll always have it available, every 2 minutes to zap something!) It also has awesome ambient messaging.

a pair of icy silver-blue wings
1x/day ice Major Elemental Wave
5x/day Cold Snap
They also look amazing and show up in your features. Complete with neat messaging, you too can be cold like ice!

an enruned rolaren amulet
10 setting teleportation device. Everywhere you want to be!

a De-Fusion certificate
"The bearer of this certificate is entitled to have a single piece of Fusion Armor or Weaponry... De-Fusioned! The gear's enhancive properties will remain the same, but it will no longer be a fusion item."

an impure coraesine certificate
"The bearer of this certificate is entitled to a single impure coraesine weapon of a full 5 enchantments. It must have a blade! No axes. It will permanently bond with the user and no one else will ever be able to use it!"

a blade-bolt crossbow certificate
"The bearer of this certificate is entitled to a crossbow (light or heavy) that creates its own blade-bolts. The crossbow itself will be a full 5 enchantments while the bolts created will be 2 enchantments."

a flayed piece of rotted flesh
"Owner of this piece of flesh can redeem it for RotFlares to be added to a weapon of their choice. Some restrictions apply."

The certificates all have various "must be redeemed by" dates or they will be forfeit. You can certainly sell them if they don't appeal to you, but be quick about it!

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Fancy Coats

Posted by Elysani

You tap a slim-lapelled cream twill jacket, which is in your right hand.
This is a Fancy Coat (TM). You can customize the description, but it's limited to a base description (15/15/15). Why so limited?!

BECAUSE, dear friend, you may add adornments.

You tap a cluster of stark black mournblooms, which is in your left hand.

>push my jacket
You gently slip your mournblooms through the buttonhole on the left lapel of your cream twill jacket.

You glance down to see a slim-lapelled cream twill jacket with a cluster of stark black mournblooms on the lapel in your right hand.

The jackets and adornments can all be analyzed and they explain the scripts, limitations, yada yada. In addition to the flowers, you can also add pin-type items, as well as handkerchief-type items. Ooo, fancy!

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Pre-made Signature Verbs

Posted by Jainna

My Pre-QCed signature verbs will be back this year. Winners will be able to choose 1 Targeted and one Untargeted option from the list below. For your viewing pleasure, I'm also displaying the 3rd person messaging here (still only 1st person in game).

TARGETED:

AKIMBO
You plant your feet in a wide stance, your arms akimbo, and stare at (person) expectantly.
Jainna plants her feet in a wide stance, her arms akimbo, and stares at (person) expectantly.
Jainna plants her feet in a wide stance, her arms akimbo, and stares at you expectantly.

SALIVATE
You gaze at (object), licking your lips and salivating.
Jainna gazes at (object), licking her lips and salivating.

SCRUNCH
You glare at (person), your face scrunched up in anger.
Jainna glares at (person), her face scrunched up in anger.
Jainna glares at you, her face scrunched up in anger.

HELLO
You snap your fingers at (person) repetitively, trying to get his/her attention.
Jainna snaps her fingers at (person) repetitively, trying to get his/her attention.
Jainna snaps her fingers at you repetitively, trying to get your attention.

FRUSTRATE
You sigh with frustration, glaring at (object).
Jainna sighs with frustration, glaring at (object).

CHEEKPUFF
You glance at (person) and roll your eyes, puffing out your cheeks in an exaggerated sigh.
Jainna glances at (person) and rolls her eyes, puffing out her cheeks in an exaggerated sigh.
Jainna glances at you and rolls her eyes, puffing out her cheeks in an exaggerated sigh.

EMBARRASSED
You gasp and feel heat rising to your cheeks. You glance quickly at (person) and then away, avoiding eye contact.
Jainna gasps and a slow blush creeps into her cheeks. She glances quickly at (person) and then away, seemingly avoiding eye contact.
Jainna gasps and a slow blush creeps into her cheeks. She glances quickly at you and then away, avoiding your eyes.

SLOWCLAP
You gaze at (person) with a deadpan expression and applaud in slow motion.
Jainna gazes at (person) with a deadpan expression and applauds in slow motion.
Jainna gazes at you with a deadpan expression and applauds in slow motion.

LICK
You stick out your tongue and lick (object). Mine!
Jainna suddenly sticks out her tongue and licks (object). Gross!

AWKWARD
You kick your heel against the toe of your other foot, staring at (person) uncomfortably.
Jainna kicks her heel against the toe of her other foot, staring at (person) uncomfortably.
Jainna kicks her heel against the toe of her other foot, staring at you uncomfortably.

PUPPYLOVE
You clasp your hands in front of your body and sigh dramatically, gazing at (person) with longing.
Jainna clasps her hands in front of her body and sighs dramatically, gazing at (person) with obvious longing.
Jainna clasps her hands in front of her body and sighs dramatically, gazing at you with obvious longing.

SILLY
You stick your thumbs in your ears and wiggle your fingers at (person). For good measure, you stick out your tongue and blow a raspberry!
Jainna sticks her thumbs in her ears and wiggles her fingers at (person). At the same time, she sticks out her tongue and blows a raspberry!
Jainna sticks her thumbs in her ears and wiggles her fingers at you. At the same time, she sticks out her tongue and blows a raspberry!

SMUG
Feeling quite smug, you turn your nose up at (person).
A look of smugness crosses Jainna's face as she turns her nose up at (person).
A look of smugness crosses Jainna's face as she turns her nose up at you.

CLENCH
You clench your hands on (object), trying to calm your ragged breathing.
Jainna clenches her hands on (object), trying to calm her ragged breathing.

BORED
Incredibly bored, you stifle a yawn, your eyes glazing over as you watch (person).
Looking bored, Jainna gazes at (person) with glazed eyes and stifles a yawn.
Looking bored, Jainna gazes at you with glazed eyes and stifles a yawn.



UNTARGETED:

AKIMBO
You plant your feet in a wide stance and place your arms akimbo.
Jainna plants her feet in a wide stance and places her arms akimbo.

DROOL
You lick your lips, a little drool escaping at the corner of your mouth.
Jainna licks her lips, a little drool escaping at the corner of her mouth.

SQUINT
You rub your eyes and squint painfully.
Jainna rubs her eyes and squints painfully.

BIGYAWN
You yawn loudly and raise your arms above your head in a luxurious stretch.
Jainna yawns loudly and raises her arms above her head in a luxurious stretch.

CHEEKS
You puff out your cheeks in an exaggerated sigh, rolling your eyes slightly in the process.
Jainna puffs out her cheeks in an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes slightly in the process.

AWKWARD
You kick your heel against the toe of your other foot, staring down uncomfortably.
Jainna kicks her heel against the toe of her other foot, staring down. She sure looks uncomfortable.

SLOWCLAP
You applaud very, very slowly and hold your face in a deadpan expression.
Jainna applauds very, very slowly, her face set in a deadpan expression.

COUNT
Glancing upward, you clench your hands into fists and silently count to ten.
Glancing upward, Jainna clenches her hands into fists and seems to be waiting for something.

TERROR
You tremble with fear, abject terror coursing through you.
Jainna trembles with fear, a look of abject terror etched across her face.

GLEE
You giggle inanely and clap your hands together with glee.
Jainna giggles inanely and claps her hands together with obvious glee.

DRUNK
You hiccup loudly and can't seem to right your head afterward.
Jainna hiccups loudly and seems to have trouble holding her head straight.

DIZZY
You hold your head in your hands and mutter about the spinning room.
Jainna holds her head in her hands and mutters something about spinning.

NAUSEOUS
You hold your stomach and moan, feeling quite sick.
Jainna holds her stomach and moans, her face turning a sickly shade of green.

SILLY
You stick your thumbs in your ears and wiggle your fingers. For good measure, you stick out your tongue and blow a raspberry!
Jainna sticks her thumbs in her ears and wiggles her fingers. At the same time, she sticks out her tongue and blows a raspberry!

REDFACE
You take deep breaths and try to control your raging anger.
Jainna's face turns red with barely controlled anger as she takes deep, shaky breaths.

DANCE
You rise up on your toes and back down again, dancing in place as excitement courses through you.
Jainna rises up on her toes and back down again, dancing in place with barely contained excitement.

SORROW
Your eyes fill with unshed tears as sorrow courses through you.
Jainna's eyes fill with unshed tears, a mask of sorrow on her face.

SHAME
You feel heat rising to your face as shame overwhelms you.
Jainna's face slowly reddens as she suddenly looks miserable.

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