New area: Calidis

[ertdf]

Nice quest! I loved it! I bred all my phoenix and ice phoenix pairs and got a lot of eggs, just handful was uninterested in each others.

Now I'm just wondering, will we get a badge or something that we participated in the quest...

[Cyrelijean]

I didn't get the first part of the quest, but I'll grab the rest of the text as I go along.

After accepting the first part of the quest you get this:

Spoiler

You line up with a bunch of magi at a space in the center of town. Other students from the Keep have also brought their flighted pegasus, hippogryph and gryphon companions and are starting to pack up for the trip ahead. As you near the end of the line, you spot an Alvean scholar dressed in light blue robes with a pen and paper, tallying up the students and supplies for the trip. You give her your name as you walk up alongside your own flighted companion, and she directs you over to a pile of food and camping supplies. Your companion can easily carry a few bags along with your own supplies, so you fasten some rolled up tents and bags of dried food to the saddle and head over to a group of students ready to depart.

A student nearby glances over at you and shares a worried look. From the center of the group you hear a familiar enthusiastic voice and spot Talyn in the midst of the people. "Oh, more people? Awesome! Okay, I'll start over. So Professor Tyris is in charge of this really cool site on Calidis called the Ashen Temple, and people used to live there a long time ago, no one knows when, but the archaeologists have been working on it for a really long time -- okay, well only a few decades, so not that long, because they only found it by accident -- oh, I should explain. So Calidis is a pretty big island, right? But it's surrounded by these massive cliffs, so it's really hard for ships to get there, and the weather is pretty bad on the sea over there, so you have to come in from the south to get around storms, and then go in this special cove -- but anyway, you guys won't have to do any of that, because you can fly! It used to be the case that the researchers could only get ships to the island about twice a year, which is how I found out about it, and I told them we'd be happy to help carry supplies, and anyway this temple is really cool and there are a bunch of cool animals that only live on this island, and so here you are!"

Talyn pauses to take a breath, grinning at the circle of students. You are a bit apprehensive about the storms he mentioned, and the faces of your fellow magi seem to reflect similar worries. However, before Talyn can elaborate, an Alvean man steps forth with some sort of map in his hand. He is dressed like an adventurer but wears a captain's coat, and introduces himself as Captain Lievor.

"The winds this time of year are not ideal when travelling by ship. Talyn is absolutely right in that we have traditionally only been able to reach a safe port in Calidis twice per year, when the storms subside and the trade winds are strong enough to get us through the strait. However, travel by flight is faster than by sea, and we have worked out a path that curves over part of Foenara, and our predictions mean that it should take only a few days to reach port. I have arranged passage aboard one of your creatures and will guide the rest of you along our flight path. When everyone is ready, we will depart. We will head northwest to a village on the coast of Foenara, then it's a nonstop flight to the island, so see you all in Calidis!"

Quest - Calidis: Reaching the Island

Spoiler

Two days after you set off from the coast of Alveus, you spot the jagged coast of Calidis. It isn't far from Foenara, but as the day grows hot, you realize why few boats head directly across this strait. The winds pick up form massive waterspouts, and not too far to the south, a thunderstorm has turned the sky black. The water below the beating wings of your steed is so frothy it looks like ice, and Captain Lievor urges everyone to pick up the pace.

There is no respite waiting as you near the coastline either, as you soon find that what looked like a rocky coastline is in fact sheer massive cliffs. Though nowhere near as tall as the Alasres or even the Mountains of Me'chuan, they rise far enough that you cannot see what lies beyond, and in these rough winds, you doubt your mount could fly over them in a single try. Captain Lievor guides you along the island's coast all the way to the western edge of Calidis. As you fly, you notice occasional pieces of rock falling from the cliffs and into the hungry waters below. The storms are lessened on this side of the island, and eventually you reach an alcove surrounded by sturdy breakers. The captain leads you and your classmates through a massive natural arch in the island's cliffs, and up a little inlet fed by a river. The forest around you is lush, but not as wet as those of the rainforests. In the distance, you can hear the calls of many birds and other animals you've never heard before. One particularly loud and menacing call makes your mount whine in response.

After a short flight upriver, the captain signals everyone to land. It is immediately obvious where he intends you to go, for you can see several large yellow tents set up in a large clearing. The tents are far less interesting however than the massive gray temple positioned on a mound in the center of the clearing. Moss and vines cover its surface, but the intricately-carved stones remain firmly in place. It is difficult to tell just how large the building is, but you suppose a celestial dragon could walk through the front archway with room to spare. Alveans, many of them little older than you, rush around carrying pick axes, shovels, brushes, notebooks, and an assortment of tools you don't recognize. Most of them pay you little attention.

One short man with long hair and a three-day beard runs up and greets Captain Lievor with an enthusiastic handshake. He marvels at the creatures and comes over to inspect your mount. "Extraordinary!" he exclaims. "When Talyn mentioned he'd send for some extra hands, I never could have dreamed you'd arrive so quickly. How was the flight? Lievor says it only took two and a half days. And look at all the supplies you've brought! We're used to rationing everything out for six- to twelve-month intervals, but you've brought over half a year's supply in just a few weeks! Ha!"

As the man speaks, his head bobs up and down, causing his sun hat to repeatedly fall over his eyes. He removes it and shakes your hand with a little more restraint than he showed for the captain. "My apologies, I don't know where my manners have gone. It's so wonderful to meet you all in person -- well, not all of you, of course, I'm sure most of the magi are back at the Keep or questing. I'll have to schedule some time to visit one of these days -- the Keep I mean -- I was delighted reading all of those stories you sent to me a while back! Ah, but I digress again. My name is Emander Tyris, cultural consultant for the excavation of the Ashen Temple. Some call me 'the professor,' but I assure you, I am only a consultant. Pleasure to meet you all."

As students bustle to unpack the supplies, Tyris explains the excavation team's latest discovery. "Most of the city-states of Alveus have had a hand in this project for decades now, but since the Foenarans have allowed trade to resume across the channel, we've been getting more and more workers to help out. Just last week, one of our lead dwelling experts found a new intact chamber and what looks to be an entirely new floor spreading further out than any we've come across. We're still not sure when the Ashen Temple was abandoned or when the people who built it died out, but we do know that it extends several stories below our feet in labyrinths and corridors that run for miles. The temple was used for many different purposes over thousands of years, and we suspect smaller buildings exist elsewhere on the island, but are similarly subterranean. We're trying to both explore and preserve the monument, as parts of the tunnels are collapsed or flooded.

"This new chamber we've stumbled upon is among the best preserved, and I'd love to show it to you. The people of Calidis cared for magical creatures similarly to the magi, so perhaps you can provide an insight into the creatures they reference in their carvings."

Quest - Calidis: Inside the Temple

Spoiler

The chamber Emander Tyris mentioned is lit by many dim candles, but even in the low light, you can see images of dragons, gryphons, and creatures you don't recognize etched delicately into the walls. The creatures dance between curved lines of an ancient runic text. The room is rounded with a low ceiling and several small doorways lead to tunnels even more dimly lit and propped up with wooden beams. Emander Tyris leads you over to a single large carving of some ancient reptilian creature holding an oblong slab of stone. You realize the stone must be a doorway of some sort, but there is no apparent handle. Tyris runs his fingers over the runes carved into the stone and says, an air of awe in his throat, "This is one of the few sealed doors we've come across. Normally they open by a lever or a stone switch, but this one is different."

In the center of the door, you notice a hole that is just the right size for an egg-shaped object. You look to Tyris and he points to the carving. "We've tried every egg we can find, but most are far too small. Have you ever seen a creature like that?" he asks, pointing to the creature above the door. Something about it looks familiar, but if it is a real creature, it's one you've never seen.

You shake your head and Emander Tyris rubs his chin thoughtfully. "We managed to translate the runes of the temple a while back. This one is written as a riddle. Perhaps its answer is the creature whose egg fits into the slot?"

Tyris translates the lines of the riddle. The runes written above the slot read:

Our small rainbow shines brightly,
From eastern shores to west.
Our songs all come in trios,
Blue and golden is our crest.
Ice and fire dwell within,
Here where our forefathers rest.

Quest - Calidis: The Riddle

Spoiler

"The answer is a phoenix," you say when you've worked out the riddle. As soon as the word leaves your mouth, a warm breeze sweeps around the room, putting out all of the candles. The excavators down the tunnels yell in protest, but before anyone can relight the room, the door in front of you creaks. New runes appear above the riddle, glowing bright red and crackling like a warm fire. The spot where the egg goes also begins to glow, although more faintly. Tyris leans in close and reaches a finger toward the new runes, but doesn't quite touch them.

Quest - Calidis: Fire in the Hall

Spoiler

"Fascinating." He stares at the runes for more than a minute, until someone finally sends a hovering orb of light to help the students trapped in the dark hallways. Tyris pulls away from the door and looks around at the source of light, then says, "Oh yes, right, the candles." You and your fellow magi cast a few simple light spells to brighten the room as before, and to illuminate the hallways. Tyris motions you to turn the strength of the spells down slightly. "We try not to bring torches or other large light sources down here often. The paint and fabrics in some of the rooms are delicate, and can be damaged by too much light."

However, he quickly returns to the glowing runes, which shine as brightly as ever against the stone of the door. When one of the students asks, "What does it say?" Tyris smiles.

"It says ecal'tath - literally 'fire-bird.' I think you may be right," Tyris says, glancing at you. "We need to acquire a phoenix egg immediately."

Since my breeding pairs didn't play along, that's as far as I'll get for a while. But have the text, anyway.

[PeterCamenzind]

Can someone spoil for me what one gets from the quest?

[Morgaln]

Can someone spoil for me what one gets from the quest?

It's a community quest, which means that there won't be any reward until a certain amount of time has elapsed and the target number of eggs has been reached. Therefore, no one knows yet what you'll get from it.
Entering one egg will be enough to be eligible for the reward, but the more eggs you enter collectively, the better the reward will be.

[Azha]

Can someone spoil for me what one gets from the quest?

It's a community quest, which means that there won't be any reward until a certain amount of time has elapsed and the target number of eggs has been reached. Therefore, no one knows yet what you'll get from it.
Entering one egg will be enough to be eligible for the reward, but the more eggs you enter collectively, the better the reward will be.

Ohhh cool! So in short:

You enter one egg, you get the prize at the end.
There more eggs we all enter as a total at the end, the more prizes we all get.

.... Is that correct?

Nice quest! I loved it! I bred all my phoenix and ice phoenix pairs and got a lot of eggs, just handful was uninterested in each others.

Now I'm just wondering, will we get a badge or something that we participated in the quest...

Maybe any potential badges would be rewarded at the end, with the prizes?

Edit: I managed to breed an egg and turn it in. We're at 4% right now. I'm on my phone, so I couldn't properly copy and paste the text. x.x Hopefully someone can share it once they turn their own egg in.

[Namyre]

I did a quick calculation. The current total is 74 Phoenix eggs and 58 ice Phoenix, which adds to 132. If 132 eggs is 4%, then 100% is 3,300 eggs.

That's a bigass omelette.

--

EDIT: the total of eggs has gone up quite a bit yet the count is still at 4%. That means the total will be a lot more than 3,300.

That's a hugeass omelette.

[Azha]

I did a quick calculation. The current total is 74 Phoenix eggs and 58 ice Phoenix, which adds to 132. If 132 eggs is 4%, then 100% is 3,300 eggs.

That's a bigass omelette.

--

EDIT: the total of eggs has gone up quite a bit yet the count is still at 4%. That means the total will be a lot more than 3,300.

That's a hugeass omelette.

well, everyone will be hungry from scouring the stream for Phoenix eggs...

[Real]

The quest didn't take my ice Phoenix egg. Am I missing something here?
Because I see you guys talking about ice phoenixes as well.

[Mannimarco]

The quest didn't take my ice Phoenix egg. Am I missing something here?
Because I see you guys talking about ice phoenixes as well.

You need an egg of a regular phoenix to proceed to the next stage of quest first

[Real]

The quest didn't take my ice Phoenix egg. Am I missing something here?
Because I see you guys talking about ice phoenixes as well.

You need an egg of a regular phoenix to proceed to the next stage of quest first

And I read everything. How did I miss that?
I must be really off today.
Thanks for letting me know.