Newly Discovered Artifacts
I. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this essay is to provide an explanation for the origins of newly discovered artifacts, their cultural relevance, economic impact, and speculation about future discoveries. Much of our history is well documented with first-person accounts of famous events, like the recovered journals and correspondences preserved in our libraries. It was not until I questioned the origins of these newly discovered artifacts that I was able to appreciate the knowledge that scholarly aislings seek to preserve and how it is so often taken for granted. Suffice it to say we exist in times of diminishing dreamers and thus it is a rare occurrence that the foundations our libraries are built upon are not merely preserved, but also enriched by our scholars.
Territorial discoveries have slowed significantly. The most recently discovered areas are Tavaly and Plamit in the Medenian continent and the Blackstar Village in Temuair. These three territories were discovered around 60 Deochs ago, or approximately 7-8 annual cycles ago. On occasion, well-mapped territories have been known to transform over time with expanding landscapes or ecosystem changes. For instance, changes were discovered in Mount Giragan when Mundanes reported that some peaceful areas were suddenly run rampant with hostile creatures ((increased spawn rate in certain maps to accommodate more groups hunting)). Landmass advancements are also possible; we may think we've mapped out the entirety of a territory only to find we were wrong ((Tavaly increased rooms recently to make the same accommodation)).
This is all to say that while brand new territorial and landmass discoveries are rare due to travel restrictions (I mean how far can those caravans realistically take us), we've kept ourselves busy by re-mapping and uncovering secret areas of known territories. With these known territorial expansions we've also been lucky to find rare and unfamiliar artifacts and their crafting components that have no obvious connection to the places they are found. There is a blatant gap in our knowledge given these newly discovered artifacts are becoming increasingly common and perhaps the standard for crafting the best equipment. It is astonishing how little we know of these artifacts given that modern weapon, equipment, and armor advancements are typically reflective of the area in which they are found.
Consider places like Yowien Territory or Plamit and the treasures you'd find there. Such equipment is appropriately named after the culture and pair thematically to the creatures you'd find there. Think of the Blackstar Crypt and the spoils of war you'd take home after battling the Shade of Ealagad, one of which being the Dark Star staff wielded by bards. 'Dark Star' was the nickname given to Tenes' mistress, Dubhreal, who quietly ruled Loures after Ainmeal's death until Ealagad took her rightful place as the fourth Empress. The newly discovered artifacts and their crafting components are understandably mismatched as they originate from all ends of the known world; however, it is difficult to find any sort of culturally significant ties to where they are found like the examples mentioned.
Generally speaking, even in the case that powerful equipment does not tie with some culture or pair thematically to the location they are found, there is at the least some established lore to offer explanation of their origin. Consider the brave aislings that ventured far north of the Tagor Farm to find the Demon Lord's Notes and his conspiracy to collect destructive instruments from long ago. These Dark Artifacts were lost in time but he sought to wield them to bring rise to darkness again. The warrior's artifact, The Eclipse, is said to be a powerful sword wielded by Tenes during his battle against Ainmeal. The other Dark Artifacts have some sort of explanation or significant historical ties to our world as well, even if they are not reflective of the place they were originally found.
This introduction serves to point out an established pattern and support the assertion that most advanced equipment have obvious cultural or historical relevance to our world, and that is what prompted me to research these newly discovered artifacts. There are currently five crafted artifacts with no obvious connection to our world: Ancient Anaconda Earrings, Enchanted Eostre's Light Belt, Eternal Bloodfire, Raven's Tear, and Chadul Dark Skull Necklace. I will take a closer look at what may be inferred from their crafting components and final form, from cultural significance to speculation for future discoveries.
II. ANNUAL EVENTS & CRAFTING
A. Annual Events
Aislings typically adhere to Deochs, moons, and suns for time keeping purposes. Considering a Deoch is a full cycle of seasons, the heretical term for one Deoch is one 'year' and is approximately 8.1 Deochs. This 8.1 Deoch cycle is an odd time-keeping structure that makes it easier for Mundanes to make arrangements for annual cyclic events since it allots plenty of time for alterations to be made, if they so wish. For this reason we'll refer to any celebration adhering to the 8.1 Deoch schedule as 'annual events'. Foreign tablets and bulletins are used to help keep track of not only when these annual events occur but also provide updates on their rewards and other changes. One particularly notable foreign bulletin maintained by aisling Vorlof (( https://www.vorlof.com/events.html )) keeps an updated record of these cyclic events that are originally posted on a Mundane-ran bulletin (( https://www.darkages.com/index.html )).
B. Equipment Classification
More often aislings are discovering new items and equipment within these events, and the most powerful of the lot require crafting. To properly address equipment moving forward I'll introduce a classification system: legendary, epic, and common. Legendary-tier equipment is sometimes referred to as 'best in slot' as they provide the greatest benefit over any alternative to the wearer. Epic-tier is second best to legendary, and is generally a solid alternative to those without the resources or care to obtain such highly sought equipment. Common equipment is anything weaker than epic-tier as they are typically tossed, forgotten in bank storage, or traded amongst aislings for little coin if at all.
Legendary - best possible equipment attainable
Epic - second best equipment attainable
Common - all other predecessors
Masterwork artifacts are legendary-tier pieces that have components exclusively sourced and then crafted into their upgraded form during their respective annual events. Some legendary equipment is found without needing to be crafted and have clear cultural ties that do not require elaboration, so they do not warrant the additional 'masterwork' classification. For this essay we'll be taking a closer look at masterwork artifacts (equipment) specifically since they do not adhere to the premise laid out in the introduction: they have no obvious cultural or historical significance to our world.
C. Craftsman Seph
Blackstar's craftsman Seph is wildly talented, able to craft powerful artifacts with unfamiliar instruction and sometimes without any at all. He is well versed in jewelry crafting as well, though the final polishing touches generally require outsourcing before the artifacts are able to meet their full potential. Generally, masterwork artifacts are only able to be crafted during their respective annual event, though Mundane gossip says that is likely to change. They have offered Seph extra pay to be able to craft the Ancient Anaconda Earrings year-round as opposed to annually during its respective event. It's possible this incentive will be offered for all masterwork artifacts moving forward.
D. Masterwork Artifacts
Masterwork artifacts are legendary-tier items that must be crafted from components found in an annual event. The components required to craft these artifacts vary depending on the artifact being crafted, but all annual artifact crafting follows a simple pattern. The components are rare treasure dropped from strong creatures sometimes referred to as 'bosses' of a particular area. For each masterwork artifact (so far only four exist) there is at least one soul bound treasure that cannot be traded to others, and the rest are able to be traded amongst aislings freely.
The best tactic for attaining these rare treasures during annual events is to gather a large group of siblings or wedge yourself into a pre-existing one as the drop-chance for crafting components is not only miniscule but arbitrary ((boss rewards are map wide)). These well established groups will typically farm an artifact's crafting components to supply their own family and friends or to sell them to populations that would seek the strongest amplifications possible, generally arena participants and some monster-hunters that take pride in high vitality. Best hunting methods are easily found on Vorlof's bulletin or the foreign community bulletin ((DA Unofficial Discord)). Later on I will discuss the economic observations of the artifacts, but not before discussing their origins.
III. NEWLY DISCOVERED ARTIFACTS
In each landmass discovery we often find various new armors, equipment, and weapons reflective of its respective culture. These newly discovered artifacts break the mold of previously established precedents. The Mundanes involved in their crafting know little of their origins outside of manual-based instruction, if at all. My research shall illuminate our understanding of these items as they relate to our known world and what we may learn from these findings. I will take a closer look at these masterwork artifacts as they've been discovered chronologically, beginning with the elusive Ancient Anaconda Earrings.
A. Ancient Anaconda Earrings
Snakes on a Beach
'Snake' is a classification of serpentine creatures and encompasses various species with distinct morphology throughout Temuair. We are accustomed to the Viper species found all across the continent: Mehadi, the Deadwood Forest, Shinewood Forest, the Enchanted Garden, the Wastelands, Oren Island Jungle, and even the Medusa Creant altar are among the diverse habitats Vipers can thrive in. We know of a single species of snake, the Coral Snake, that lives in the humid environment of the Oren Island Jungle which is also known to have vibrantly gorgeous rivers running throughout. The Coral Snake is small in size like the Viper and they are not considered a flourishing species. The only snake species found on the Medenian continent that I've recognized is the Fire Serpent which is a strong species that lives amongst the Fire Worms. While Fire Worms do resemble Temuairan snake species, they are not close relatives.
Vorlof's bulletin post (( https://www.vorlof.com/events/helppatrick.html )) regarding the annual 'snake event', otherwise known as 'Help Patrick', includes a bestiary showing each familiar colored snake, though they are not labeled specifically as Vipers. Whether the smaller snakes are Vipers or some other species such as the Basilisk or Cobra is unknown. What we do know is that they are stronger than their typical Temuairan counterparts and have some form of military ranking for the strongest of the lot: the Snake Boss, Snake Chief, and Snake King in ascending order represent the power hierarchy amongst the unspecified snake species. Notably the Snake King has three heads while his Chief has two and the Boss one. It's possible their hierarchy is established by power which is determined by their size and inadvertently number of heads.
Snakes are close relatives to another well known serpentine creature: the Draco. Like Snakes, there are various known species of Draco found throughout Temuair. The closest species of Draco to resemble the powerful Snake King along, with his second and third in command, are the Hydraco. Like the Snakes, the Hydraco do not have limbs or wings. The known variations of Hydraco are Fire and Grand Fire which are both deep-red in color, and the Earth Hydraco which is green in color. In this annual event the Mundane Patrick pleads with aislings to assist him in driving out the invading snakes at North Lynith Beach, suggesting they came from the water itself. If the Snake King was blue in color I would propose that Patrick had it all wrong and that these were Water Hydracos. I do not believe Hydracos can traverse water though, so these are water-traversing snakes which is the primary distinction between them and their similar-looking Earth Hydraco relatives.
Hoarding Treasure
When defeated in battle the Snake Boss, Chief, and King flee and occasionally drop their treasure. The Snake Boss and Chief have a chance to drop a Staff of Deliverance, but the King hoards the most powerful and sought after treasure. In present day the Snake King has a chance to drop the Staff of Clarity and Eternity, Courageous Cobra Earrings, Vibrant Viper Earrings, Brilliant Basilisk Earrings, and the Mystrious Ore, though it took several annual cycles to discover all of these artifacts.
A little over 20 Deochs ago the Vibrant Viper and Courageous Cobra Earrings were originally discovered and were slightly stronger than their Mistral and Tempest predecessors, but not significantly. An annual cycle later, about 12 Deochs ago, the Brilliant Basilisk Earrings were discovered to be an even rarer artifact drop from defeating the Snake King. These earrings were a significant improvement over both the Viper and Cobra earrings as the Basilisk reduced armor class even more, from -5 to -7. Armor class will be looked at more closely in Section IV. Economic Observations, but consider it a priority attribute for aislings who seek to maximize their defense. In this most recent cycle came the latest discovery: the Mystrious Ore and the ability to craft the Ancient Anaconda Earrings.
Mystrious Ore
Why would these snakes be carrying such treasure? Serpentine creatures are famous for hoarding treasures and while it may seem silly to aislings, this behavior is actually intentional. In the same way that our finest jewels can make a statement to society about our wealth and status, serpentine creatures also use such treasures as trophies that represent their success and ability to protect their territory and claims. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Snake King would hoard precious gemstones and other glistening artifacts. The real mystery is where these treasures originated from before the Snakes claimed them as their own.
It is possible that this species of snake temporarily seeks landmass as a resting point to nourish themselves before their next departure. It can then be assumed that the Viper, Cobra, and Basilisk earrings were collected by the water-traversing Snakes long after the drowning of Hy-brasyl as they seem to be powerful artifacts from a previously well established civilization. The ancient Mystrious Ore might have also been scooped up from the depths of the drowned civilization. Though, regardless of its origin, the ore must have been the Snake King's most prized possession since it took many annual cycles for aislings to finally strike the right spot and watch it fall into the sand as the king scurried away, prioritizing its life more than the ancient ore.
A Closer Look at the Earrings
The name 'Ancient Anaconda Earrings' suggests that the earrings themselves are the ancient artifact, though since we know Seph crafts them himself the name is counter intuitive. There is also no instruction manual for crafting these so the design can also be credited to Seph. The name is really referring to the ancient earrings required to craft it, and it is coined after the strongest water-traversing snake.
Cobra Viper Basilisk
When looking at the structure of the Cobra earring you can see it has a large, emerald colored gem at its center. Even though the color is slightly darker than the Mystrious Ore it is possible the ancient ore was cut and polished for jewelry setting. The Viper earring contains three large ruby colored gemstones toward its base and three smaller cut ones along the length. There is some shiny, slate colored substance that is not known in Temuair and is not shared with the other ancient snake necklaces but it is retained in the design of the Anaconda earring. The Basilisk earring has two small sapphire colored gemstones adorning the length of the earring and the overall style of it influenced Seph in crafting the Raven's Tear ring.
Anaconda Earrings
In its final form the Anaconda earring hardly resembles its crafting components. It does not show off any of the gemstones, but rather heavily encases them in gold from the earrings as well as this unknown, slate substance. The gold is primarily decorative in nature as a soft metal, but the the slate substance is incredibly durable. Seph is able to cast this material and when cooled it serves as a protective layer for the powerful gemstones underneath that grant the earring its magic. On first glance I assumed the slate substance was a talos ore, but realized it was much lighter in color with a sleeker surface. Seph informed me that he could not reveal this secret crafting component because it set him apart from other smiths and kept customers interested.
B. Enchanted Eostre's Light Belt
Floppy Species
Floppies are bunny-like creatures that hop around grazing on grass and any crops they find, though historically they much prefer carrots. Variations of floppies roam throughout Temuair, and you may even adopt a couple of very well behaved ones at the Tagor Pet Shop. They're loosely associated with springtime in the same way that Erbies are with winter. Almost 10 annual cycles ago Riona posted a help wanted notice on the Mundane Bulletin for aislings to deal with rumors about a giant creature on the outskirts of Mileth. Upon investigating these rumors aislings found the outskirts of Mileth were running rampant with an overflow of obscenely strong floppies... as well as giant ones. To capture floppies we typically bash them in the head with a stick and bundle them up, but since these are much stronger they require more than blunt force.
Since the first time these floppies begun to terrorize us it seems every annual springtime the floppy population booms and we are entrusted to do some population control before it gets totally out of hand. Floppies may be cute but they are rowdy, rambunctious little things and left unattended can destroy farmer's crops and the ecosystem. Not to mention the infrastructural damage the giant ones can cause. This annual event is referred to as the 'floppy event' and is where aislings can source the components to craft Enchanted Eostre's Light Belt.
The Giant Floppy and its Golden Egg
In asking around about the origins of the Giant Floppy floppies I've gotten a few different stories. One aisling told me they seem to be the result of some sort of mutation that occurs during the heightened excitement for floppies during annual springtime. Another told me that in the spirit of springtime tomfoolery a powerful wizard enchants floppies at random to grow monstrously large and even more dangerous. It seems like their origin remains a mystery for now, but we have enough reason to keep them from destroying Mileth and protect the farmers' crops.
In defeating a Giant Floppy aislings have a chance to receive some rare loot along with the usual experience and ability. In previous annual cycles this event was known for its decent ability gains with pet-oriented drops. The Giant Floppy was inadvertently (I hope) scooping up pet chicks, chickens, roosters, and hens in its mouth when reaching down to grab a mouthful of grass. Mysteriously, these innocent creatures remain totally unharmed and are freed upon slaying the giant. Now, two new artifacts have been uncovered in the last two cycles: Eostre's Light Belt and the Golden Egg.
Eostre's Light Belt Golden Egg
I have yet to personally speak with Areini and Donesia regarding the Golden Egg as I was not present for this past annual event. I do know that Donesia prompts aislings to speak with craftsman Seph who is able to enchant an Eostre's Light Belt using a rare Golden Egg, a Lumen Necklace, and a Light Belt. I cannot speak with confidence on the origins of this artifact as it may already be provided by the Mundanes mentioned. If I had to guess, Areini attempts to hatch the egg and realizes it is either petrified and unable to hatch, or that it is pure gold with special Light properties.
Keep in mind this annual event is meant to celebrate revival, growth, and even resurrection. One could speculate the Golden Egg is reflective of such prosperous sentiments and suitable to enchant another artifact of light. Danaan, the goddess of Light, sacrificed herself to rid the lands of Chadul. If Areini instructed us to take the Golden Egg to the Temple of Danaan, I'd fully believe this enchanted belt might be crafted in her honor. Unfortunately, I cannot provide accuracy in this case, so if you know you know, and if you don't you're bound to find out soon enough in the next cycle. As for the origins of the original Eostre's Light Belt, it seems to be another thing the Giant Floppy accidentally consumed. Poor thing.
C. Eternal BloodFire & Raven's Tear
Law's Fragment
In the annual event that the Mundanes refer to as the 'Dark Aisling Event' Law appears to us as a fragment, a mere shadow of his full power fueled by hatred in a last-ditch effort to wipe out aisling-kind once and for all. You'd think after being defeated twice by aislings he'd give it a break already, but alas his desperation has not waned over the Deochs. Instead, it has only grown in severity, enough to fuel his lingering spirit. Fortunately for us, he stands no chance in a weaker form and only serves to drop treasures he no longer has the power to conceal: the Chaos Ruby, the Sky Shard, and the Crafter's Manual.
Defeating the Seal Master
If you take a look at the Public Bulletin 'Events of Temuair' in your mailbox you'll notice most of the Mundane news is preserved. Post #403 titled 'Doomsday' is the start of the journey which introduces Law as a villain of Temuair, which took place around Deoch 34. The post reads,
You Aislings are all weak, pathetic, childish fools. You are all a waste of a Spark. In time, doom will come to you all. I spent my days as a "Mundane" observing you Aislings. From my research, I have found that none of you can stand a chance against what is about to come. Soon Temuair will be rid of Aislings, permanently!!!
Law
Then, a follow up post by Eduardo,
To Aislings,
I would like to apologize for Law's Post. He has been acting strange as of late. I am not sure why. After my investigation with the missing greaves I found that it was Law himself who stole them. Cedric and I will confront him about the matter. Do not worry.
Eduardo
Shortly after these posts Law posted his resignation as the Mundane of Oren and challenged Eduardo and Cedric to a duel, resulting in Cedric's death and the beginning of the Dark Aisling invasion. After successfully defending Temuair against Law's army he took up his role as Seal Master to guard the Seal of Temuair and prevent aislings from reaching the Medenian continent. The famous aisling BioMagus and her team defeated him and broke the seal around Deoch 40, allowing boats to travel freely across the sea without being stopped by the mysterious barrier brought to light by Eduardo's post titled "Loures Harbor and the Seal of Temuair", #428.
Lost Ruins and Advent of the Rings
Horrified that aislings managed to break the seal, Law took refuge in the Lost Ruins to regain his strength. He also looked to amass an army of followers to invade Medenia using a similar ritual at the same ruins he originally used during the war with the Dark Aislings. With help and guidance from the Mundane Nairn stationed in the Lost Ruins, aislings uncovered his plan and defeated him for the second time before he could finish this ritual and wreak havoc, but not before he could rally a small troop of Dark Aislings. Rumors surfaced that before Law's second defeat at the Lost Ruins he looked to reward the strongest of his followers, granting them a general status in his military ranks and promises of powerful artifacts. The artifacts designed for these generals were meant to be rings - the very ones we've forged this annual cycle.
Law outsourced research to scholars who'd been cast out of their respective towns and cities for dabbling with treacherous forms of imbuement magic. These disgraced researchers had figured out a way to enchant precious gemstones Law had found within the Lost Ruins, but the magic was unstable and unpredictable. They needed these stones to be imbued by the spirits of Medenia to be considered stable and more powerful than the elemental Ancient Necklaces. Bringing wagons of Earth, Fire, and Water pendants to the spirits, the researchers pleaded for a gemstone similar in size to the Earth Gem but significantly more potent.
The spirits allegedly agreed to enchant these stones on the condition that Law and his army ceased their invasion of the continent. The scholars, afraid to disappoint Law, agreed to these terms knowing that Law would not uphold his end of the bargain. Once enchanted, the pendants transformed into brilliantly striking stones: the Chaos Ruby granted by the Fire Spirit, and the Sky Shard granted by the Water Spirit. There is allegedly another stone that was blessed by the Earth Spirit, but if it exists it has not yet been found. The Mystrious Ore looks like it would match the description, but it's unlikely as its already used as a crafting component.
Chaos Ruby Sky Shard
A Closer Look at the Rings
According to the Crafter's Manual, Law was impressed by the strength of the Tristar Ring and its necessity in defeating the Seal Guardians, so he incorporated its whimsical design into the band of the rings believing it would enhance their power. Seph retained a small homage to the Tristar Ring seen in the back of the Bloodfire's band with its perforations. He deviated slightly on the design of the Raven's Tear, emulating the beautiful intricacy of the Brilliant Basilisk Earring, even matching the small cut of the stones by cutting the Sky Shard into four smaller stones.
Eternal Bloodfire Raven's Tear Tristar Ring
Discovering More Treasures
When Law was slain in the Lost Ruins he dropped Hwarone upgrade plans since he had always sought to enhance his army's strength. As a mere fragment, his most closely guarded crafting plans (the Crafter's Manual) and precious components (the gemstones) now drop when he is slain. Whatever power he has left is solely channeled on destruction rather than any self preservation. Each time he appears to us his fragment he is weakened, which is why we can safely assume he will continue to drop more and more treasures we've not yet discovered. Though, the timeline for new discoveries is unclear.
D. Chadul Dark Skull Necklace
Private Beach
In more recent annual cycles, Paradise-like beaches were discovered with hostile creatures, though this shouldn't come as a surprise because even Paradise itself has to deal with such creatures during its off-season. When Paradise is open during the peak of vacation season Ruba points out that dangerous starfish still wash up onto the islands and he rewards aislings for removing them. After Paradise closes for the season the Mundanes put little to no effort in keeping out hostile creatures, as seen with Egan's father who continues to get lost at sea and has to deal with hostile starfish. These newly discovered Paradise-like beaches, known as Low Tides and Private Beach, seem to have their own set of problems: pirates and aggressive sun-bathers respectively.
The Private Beach was the most recent discovery of Paradise-adjacent beaches. The Mundanes made an announcement on their bulletin about this new annual event, but it offered little information other than the fact that the beach was riddled with angry residents. Fierce, hostile creatures swarmed the sandy terrain immediately upon entry. While these creatures put up a good fight, the real threats are the two crude imitations of aislings, the Bathing Guy and Bathing Gal.
At first glance you might think these sun-bathers are rightfully ticked off aislings who had their Private Beach invaded. However, upon closer inspection you'll experience an overwhelming, unpleasant eerie sensation that would be best described as 'uncanny valley'. These sun-bathers are some of the strongest creatures we've yet to face. There are various rewards an aisling can earn from slaying these sun-bathers, though the most valued would be the two crafting components for the newly discovered artifact: the Polished Obsidian Ore and the Soaked Manual.
Chadul's Reach
Contrary to popular belief this necklace is not directly tied to Chadul, but is given its name due to its overwhelming dark properties, only one of which is derived from Chadul's Realm. The misleading name might've been coined as a result of fearmongering in uncertain times. It's been known that Chadul has been plotting to invade Temuair with an army of Dark Aislings and dubhaimd creatures, having built a training simulation to prepare the best siege tactics. Luckily we've been successful in pushing back his forces, though his reach extends beyond these invasion attempts. Chadul has supporters everywhere, even (allegedly) within the court of Loures.
The Bathing Guy and Bathing Gal man the Private Beach, looking to secure treasure that washed up further away from the ships that had run aground in Low Tides. Some believe these creatures to be enhanced versions of Dark Aislings that work for Chadul, looking to return to him with powerful treasure. Since they somewhat resemble a muscular version of us, and are clearly hostile toward us, this could be an accurate assessment. It could also be the case that these unfamiliar creatures are hostile because they are simply protecting treasures they've discovered and know that aislings are too greedy and curious to stay away. If this is true, then we know little about these aisling look-alikes and should continue to be weary of them and their unknown intentions. In either case, the necklace was coined after rumors surfaced about the origins of these unhinged sun-bathers being tied to Chadul along with one of the crafting components listed in the Soaked Manual being a Ring of Chadul.
Pillaged Treasure
The Polished Obsidian Ore has been naturally eroded, tumbling across the ocean floor for a long period of time. This process gives it the signature, polished appearance we first noticed as they washed up on the Private Beach. These obsidian ores are likely sourced from an environment where lava is quickly cooled, like the Fire Canyon south of Hwarone. Broken pieces could have easily made their way to the southern border where the continent meets the ocean, and began traveling at the whim of the currents.
Pirates would find these ores washed up on islands and add them to their collection of pillaged treasure after realizing the glass-like material could be a unique adornment for jewelry. Rather than just selling the obsidian ore directly to jewel crafters, the pirates came up with a design they could pitch to the Oren jeweler, Alane, to get the most profit possible by selling it as a fully finished necklace. Pirates stored this design in a manual that, unfortunately for them, washed up along with the obsidian after the chaotic shipwreck at Low Tides.
Soaked Manual Polished Obsidian Ore
Permanently Borrowed Design
It's no secret that pirates like to steal things, and that's exactly how the necklace's design came to be. Pirates stole the design of the Baboon's Braided Light Belt because they thought it best resembled an upgraded version of the skull Dark Necklace sourced at the bottom of the Lynith Sea. Using these ordinary necklaces they sought to combine them with the obsidian for a fresher appearance, and only needed the Ring of Chadul to enhance the dark properties and make the necklace more durable. They never quite got around to obtaining these rings, and aislings have since been able to profit off their (stolen) design and crafting components.
Chadul Dark Skull Necklace Baboon's Braided Light Belt
IV. ECONOMIC OBSERVATIONS
It appears that the standard may become, if not already, that legendary-tier equipment will be sourced from annual events as either random loot drop (like Abominable Greaves) or masterwork crafting (like Ancient Anaconda Earrings). These annual events do not favor the fragile, and crafting materials are extremely rare as well as arbitrarily distributed. Additionally, annual events require an aisling to be their most fit to participate ((Registered)) which adds inherent value to these items. These are amongst the most sought after and highest valued items in the lands, perhaps with the exception of 'collectible' items.
A. Inherent Value
It is extremely common to see these items end up on the Black Market ((RMT)) or traded for Vitality Potions and Mundane Marketplace coupons ((Registration and Kruna codes)). Since gold is abundant and overly accessible by today's standard, it is not an ideal currency for such rare items unless it is an obscene amount. These kind of items are also historically targeted for unnatural modification ((duping)), though allegedly misconfigured items are easier for Mundanes to identify ((according to the Game Masters they are tracked more intimately for foul play)).
The price for each masterwork artifact is dependent on several factors, from the raw attribute upgrade of its legendary-tier predecessor to basic supply and demand. Masterwork artifacts are objectively the best equipment gold can buy, but relative to the price of legendary-tier equipment there is debate on whether the price is worth it. For a certain breed of aislings the answer is indisputably yes, and for others they could easily live without them and default to profiting off selling any they come across instead.
B. Target Psychographics
Arena participants and monster hunters are the two groups that would profit from these upgrades more than others, with the former being the group that would benefit the most. Monster hunters do not necessarily need legendary-tier equipment to thrive, but it is partly prestige and also excitement to maximize damage output for scaling abilities. Arena participants are looking to maximize their damage output as well as their inherent defensiveness. This is where the armor class attribute is heavily prioritized: negating damage output from other fighters.
C. Armor Class: The Priority Attribute
It is common to see aislings with incredibly high vitality these days, and though it has always been the standard for arena participation, the arms race for high vitality is more important now than ever before. The damage output seen these days with health-scaling warrior skills paired with fas and the correct elemental necklace is so massive it can result in something referred to as 'overkill' where the target is left at 1 health when they should have died. While there are work arounds for dealing with overkill, this is to demonstrate that damage output is incredibly high compared to the past. In an environment where you are dealing with high vitality and high damage output, the priority attribute becomes armor class.
Armor class is a percent modifier for minimizing damage received by an attacker. The oversimplified explanation is that approximately -1 armor class is 1% less damage taken, though the formula is more complicated than this. Looking at the attributes for the masterwork artifacts you'll notice the armor class differences are small numbers, like -2 or -3 from their legendary counterparts. When you consider a percent modifier in the case of aislings with high health the difference of 1 armor class could easily be equal to 100,000 in damage mitigation. For arena participants, it is absolutely worth it to spend their gold and even foreign coin on upgrades that are far more valuable to them than the average monster hunter, scholar, or any other kind of mellow-tempered aisling.
While these current masterwork artifacts may one day become outdated, the inherent value and economic implications will remain true for whatever takes their place. The economic observations are tied to the classification of masterwork artifacts, and not necessarily the artifacts currently holding their classification. They will continue to hold inherent value based on fragility, scarcity, and inherent value based around a prioritized attribute. In fact, it would not be surprising to see the development of new cradhs, or curses, to counter the armor class attribute of masterwork artifacts.
D. Get Lucky, Earn Gold
Those who have no need or desire to obtain masterwork artifacts or any other legendary-tier equipment for personal use may look to sell them instead. These events draw the attention of merchants who enjoy earning these rare items only to gain massive profit from buying and trading them. During annual events it is common to see the aisling population grow beyond its average size temporarily and to see more healthy aislings ((Registered)) looking to try their luck in securing treasures. If there is anyone to thank for reinvigorating the economy in otherwise quiet times it is certainly the arena participants, monster hunters, and merchants that supply them.
V. SPECULATIONS FOR FUTURE DISCOVERIES
The most obvious speculations for future discoveries are potential upgrades to legendary-tier equipment if and when we discover compatible crafting components to do so. Annual events that include defeating a bosses have a high probability for upgrades, though they won't always necessarily be significant upgrades involving armor class reduction (like the current Law rings). Some annual events do not require crafting and have culturally relevant legendary-tier equipment that drop, such as Count and Countess and the Mt. Merry Yeti. It's possible we discover crafting components that are compatible to upgrade these items into masterwork artifacts. At least the lore for these items would be mostly straight forward and not require much research or explanation to understand since they make sense in their current form, such as with Spooky Spectre Boots.
A. Dark Aisling Event
Hinted at earlier when discussing the origins of the masterwork rings, it is possible future iterations of Law's Fragment will be weakened enough to drop a new gemstone imbued by the Earth Spirit to match the other two. It could follow the Ancient Anaconda Earring approach which took three earrings to craft; however, none of those earrings needed to be crafted themselves. Combining two rings that need to be crafted into another ring that also needs to be crafted sounds... maddening. Whether this gemstone would be crafted into a new ring or some other piece of equipment is anyone's guess.
B. Mech Invasion
The Mech Invasion is an annual event that has not been tackled by any scholar as of yet. No documentation, theories, or speculations of these foreign invaders have made way into our libraries and perhaps this is because we truly know so little of these creatures. What we do know is the Mech army is lead by two generals: Mech Volkain and Mech Godzin. The army consists of various smaller mech-like creatures referred to as 'Tiny Troops'. The tiny troops are significantly weaker than their generals but both utilize what appears to be a durable, possibly talgonite-based metal carapaces which offer them strong protection.
The spoils of war we receive from slaying the generals and their army have not kept up with our societal advancements so there is little incentive for war efforts other than protecting Temuair, but if we figured out a way to utilize their carapace for equipment crafting that could change. These metals could offer awesome protection that greatly surpass the legendary-tier Dragon Grip Gauntlets, or even be crafted into a new metal-based necklace. The Mechs have also not invaded our lands for over 32 Deochs, so I would not be surprised if they eventually returned even stronger than before.
C. Dark Artifact Upgrades
I am not sure if it is possible to upgrade these artifacts. Upon their discovery their power was unprecedented, so much so that the Demon Lord sought to collect them in order to return darkness to the lands. Aislings wielded these artifacts not without trials, but overtime found that their power was overshadowed by newer discoveries. It would be fair to say that these are relics of the past and need not be revisited. Though... it would be interesting to see these items become strong once again. The Dark Ring and its spell is still powerful, but the rest have not kept up. It would be interesting to see if they could be empowered like the Ancient Hy-brasyl Weapons, and I wonder how irresponsible it would make us to try.
VI. AISLING SENTIMENT
Aisling morale does seem effected by the emerging pattern of annual event exclusive items, particularly masterwork artifacts where multiple rare components are needed to craft them. It is also typical that at least one of these rare components is soul bound. With this becoming the standard for attaining legendary-tier equipment, two major opinions have surfaced: some abhor how these masterwork artifacts are obtained and others are excited by it.
Those who show disapproval are frustrated by the rare and arbitrary nature involved in attaining these artifacts. They believe this attainment method translates to large time sinks and prey on their 'fear of missing out'. You will often notice these individuals experience a sunk cost fallacy, seemingly going mad and stir crazy in these event areas just to have a chance at gathering one of the crafting materials.
The other opinion is one of appreciation; aislings are content to discover new artifacts in our world where discoveries are so infrequent compared to older times. For those who can appreciate any and all discoveries, these annual events can provide small but effective goals that drive their behaviors. It is something new to look forward to and work toward.
As for me, I like the newly discovered artifacts. I agree with those who'd argue that the style of such treasure hunting feels laborious and unrewarding for most participants, and that perhaps quest-based attainment provides a more level playing field. I also appreciate the opportunity to expand on the knowledge of our world and the economic stimulation new artifacts provide. Alas, I have no say either way, so I will leave off with this sentiment: we'll take what we can get.
Peace and love to all you fine aislings and may you be lucky in your pursuit of these masterwork artifacts,
MuZaTa
References:
Mundane Bulletin (( News via www.darkages.com ))
Vorlof's Bulletin (( https://www.vorlof.com ))
Vamistle's Bulletin (( https://www.wanderlustdb.com/events/march.php ))
Events of Temuair (( In-game board posts ))
Chloe, 'The Blood of the Forgotten Empire' (( https://www.darkages.com/community/his/Chloe_Beanlar.html ))
BioMagus, "History of BioMagus: The Path of a Hunter" (( https://www.da-wizard.com/files/biomagus_bio.html ))
