Don’t forget tomorrow is Mother’s day!
As of yet I’ve no real plans in EQ2, but I imagine I’ll get a few more crafting levels and perhaps complete the odd instance or two. I’ve been having a blast decorating the guild hall of Torrent Knights, and it feels good to be playing on Antonia Bayle again (even though I do also still play on Oasis). I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend no matter where you find yourself. Let me know in comments how you spent it!
Alright. To most this story is not interesting, but to me it has been quite an adventure.
Background: A few months ago I bought a book from the broker titled: KODEKS DE AN-RE-SKI-DE BEN-TAS KODEKS KUAR-DE written by a prophet. I thought nothing of the book, and simply added it to my book collection. Yesterday, I received mail from another player explaining that he was looking to purchase these books because they are rare and he’s figuring them out (translating). I was interested, but again didn’t think too much of it.
I then stumbled across this site, which explains the language that the player-written book is written in, gargish, a language from Ultima Online. The book actually talks about some of the lore of UO, in specific their Virtue system. Another guide to help me out with that one.
Turan who is the player on Antonia Bayle who has been contacting me regarding this matter, happened to stumble upon his/her own gem today – this forum post on the SafeHouse forums, which seem to speak about a player run quest that involves the exact same series of books in the gargish language. In specific on that thread there is this entry:
Greetings!I too am from Morrel Thule. My guild, (Vigils of Norrath),has been attempting to unravel what we believe is a player-run Quest here on Morrel Thule for almost a year now. Below are links to two of the most active forums tryng to unravel it, along with my commentary concerning it. It MAY be just what you are looking for:
________________________________________________
________________________________________________pub149.ezboard.com/feqdru…=1&stop=20
pub70.ezboard.com/fvigilsofnorrathfrm18
________________________________________________
________________________________________________What we know on Morrel Thule:
I have been following this Quest very closely since I first discovered it about nine months ago. I have kept up with the half dozen or so boards (including this one) where the Quest is being scrutinized, as well as making very real efforts in-game to make some progress. The following is a summary of everything I have learned thus far:
Screenshots of Tiliki? I don’t have any, but will make a point of taking one the next time I see her. I personally have encountered her several times over the intervening months. I don’t know if anyone else has any shots, but I can assure you that Tiliki is real. What is less certain is whether the Quest itself is legit.
The Quest has been around since at least last November when we here at Vigils first encountered it. Before that, we had no knowledge of the Quest, so I cannot say exactly how long it has been around; (nine months at a minimum) Since we got involved we know of many others that have also encountered her. She is real, that’s for certain. Like you, Ottoe I also did a Google Search for EQ/Tiliki, and like you Ialso came up with Tiliki Thistledown. We thought we had cracked the case at that point, but alas, it turned out to be a false lead.
(Read through this entire thread here–if you have the time–and you will see our encounter with her.)
pub70.ezboard.com/fvigils…1&stop=157
(BTW Tiliki Thistledowne’s Sig looks nothing at all like our Tiliki. *shrugs*)
There have been rumors from time to time that she has been encountered on other servers, but I believe those are all false. I believe it is fairly certain that Tiliki is unique to Morell-Thule.
That has lead us to the conclusion that this is a player-run Quest. Because of the many references to the Planes, and to deities and legendary heroes, we also believe that this Quest is directed at very high end players. We suspect that it is being run by either a high end guild here on Morell-Thule, or (more likely in my opinion), a small conspiracy of high level players. Various indicators we have gotten, (the wisp issue you mentioned above, as well as several other things that have taken place which are beyond player control), along with the longevity of the Quest, also led us to the conclusion that there is some sort of GM involvement, or at the very least co-operation going on as well.
The fact that Tiliki does not have a green name tag rules her out as a Guide/GM. Her player-like behaviors (using of hot-keys for her text, having to log out, etc.) definitely eliminates her as an NPC. The fact that the Quest seems to have very strong roots in the UO millieu, and the use of Tolkien Elvish, (with the corresponding copywrite conflicts) would rule out official SOE sanctioning. However the complexity and longevity of the Quest, and the number of people who have met and talked with her, establishes the relative stability of the Quest, whether player sponsored or not.
At any rate that is our best guess as to the nature of the Quest as we have sen it unfold. Oh yes, one other thing; the Quest seems to be dynamic in that there have been subtle changes and modifications over time.
As to the efforts to pursue this in-game:
*Finnigan takes a deep breath*
I, for one, have been trying to solve this in-game as well as on the boards, at least as much as my time and other in-game demands permit.
This is what I surmise thus far:
Step One:
Find Tiliki. This is not too difficult, as she seems to be in the Surefall–Qeynos area most often. Although she has been seen other places as well; Qeynos Hills, JaggedPine Forest, all the Plains of Karana, even as far afield as Greater Faydark. Most recently it seems that she has been seen most often at the Nexus and on the Plane of Knowledge.Her appearances seem to be on a cylce of some sort. She makes an appearance, is seen for roughly a week (off and on), then seems to disappear for 3-4 weeks before the cycle repeats itself. I personally have noted that her appearances seem to (roughly) coincide with major patches or the release of expansions, although it may just be coincidental.
Step Two:
Receive the Quest from her. This starts simply enough, you merely “Hail” her and she then asks you for something to eat and drink. Even though she speaks in Gargoyle, her emotes make it clear what she wants. After that all her discussions even though in Gargoyle, contain at least one word or phrase in [brackets]. Merely repeat the phrse back and she continues until she has sung the whole song; (or at least it SEEMS she has sung the whole song–she really hasn’t though).She asks you several key questions at the end of the song. One is whether or not you choose to accept the Quest. Once you answer ‘yes’ (‘IN’), she now addresses you as VEST-LEM (‘Seeker’) rather than VAG-LEM (‘Wanderer’). She remembers who has heard her song and will not sing it to them again, but rather asks whether they have brought her the MEK, KAS, EW SEPT (Sword, Crown, and Staff). If not, she sends you back to finish the Quest.
Another VERY key question she asks at the ‘end’ of her song is:
KUA EST DES-IN-TAS DE WE-DE MUR-OM?
(What is the foundation of our society?)Additionally, she makes it clear that your answer must be spoken in Gargoyle:
U NES LOK LING DE GAR!
(You must speak Gargoyle!)By some rather impressive deductions and a couple of lucky guesses, Kanae was able to get the correct answer:
BEN-TAS.
(Virtue.)The reward for this was yet another ‘book’ of the Codex, that is not normally recited. The text of that is in previous posts, but it rather unambigiously lays out the purpose of the Quest, and even the precise way in which to banish Lanys T’vyl!
Step Three:
Find Arepo. Tiliki has said very clearly that a Quester must seek out Arepo:U NES FER LEM TRAK A-RE-PO ANTE TRAK-EKS-WIS
(You must bring them to Arepo within Takish ‘Hiz)
(The exact meaning of TRAK-EKS-WIS is unclear; I am ‘guessing’ that is is a proper name, like TU-UN-A-RE, rather than a literal translation)LEM NES VEN MEK, KAS, EW SEPT EW FER LEM TRAK BEN-IN-LEM TE TRAK-EKS-WIS.
(One must [take?] the Sword, Crown and Staff and bring them to the [craftsman?] at Takish ‘Hiz)U NES FER MEK, KAS, EW SEPT TRAK UL-DUR TER-VAS-ARB!
(You must bring the Sword, Crown, and staff to the Elddar Forest!)
(Once again, the exact meaning of UL-DUR is unclear, but I believe she is talking about the Elddar Forest)However this leads to a rather emense problem for Questors:
Takish ‘Hiz and the Elddar Forest were destroyed Ages ago.I have three theories as to where to find Arepo.
1. ‘Tween Earth and Moon, for those that dare…” ( I believe The Plane of Sky)
2. Takish ‘Hiz may still exist as some sort of mirror image on the Plane of Growth, but is currently unaccessible I believe.
3. The ruins of the original Takish ‘Hiz and the Elddar Forest which are in the Deserts of Ro.Being only 46th level, I cannot investigate either the Plane of Sky, or the Plane of Growth, but I have spent some time poking around in North and South Ro, and in the Oasis of Marr. I have not ventured into the Spectre Tower there or the submerged Tower of the Aqua Goblins, but I have some hope I may turn up a clue or two there. I have also looked around in Befallen as well.
I DO know that there is indeed an Arepo, because I have seen his name come up on a /w all Arepo before. I suspect that he appears (logs on) when Tiliki logs out:
I taur can annin. Ir loston nin gwador eriant. Bado si! Govado hin ennas ned iaurost-nui-fui. Im ambor an ithil ned belegrod or elin. Cuio-mae, u-‘eveditham, namur!
[The forest calls to me. When I sleep my sword-brother arises. Go now! Meet him there in the ancient forest under the night. Between (the) world and (the) great chamber above the stars. Live well (farewell?), we will not meet (again), goodbye!]
Once again a reference to a ‘Ancient Forest’ under the night
I hope this helps any that are trying to find clues like I continue to do.
That’s pretty much all we have as of now; hope that helps.
Finnigan
(( These events actually happened in game, which was pretty unusual and awesome to me. It was yet another reminder of why I love to play on the Antonia Bayle server, and why this game is so unique to me. Enjoy! ))
It is 12:33pm of Darkday, Deadening 8, of the year 3838
I sit alone in my home, on the floor of my library. The musty scent of books may be offensive to some but to me it represents life. Life of those past by, life of Norrath. The words wash over me and I lose myself in them and forget the troubles that I have been faced with as of late. I have had a few incredible things happen to which I feel almost as though Tunare has reached down and blessed me personally. This may be silly, but it makes me smile. To start it off I have been given an amazing collection of history, donated by one Shivarkah. The collection spans 21 books total, including the introduction. The selected works are the History of the Viswords, and are still in progress, but are amazing none the less. It took me several hours to make my way through the books and I dare say I devoured them much like one would a particularly delicious meal.
My good fortune did not end there. I have had numerous other donations, some from people far away. I am still waiting on a delivery of four books from Sigrdrifa, and I had another donation from a gentleman named Miache. My collection is one of the best in Norrath, and I do not say that to boast but rather out of awe.
Were those the only good fortunes to befall upon me it would still make for an exciting day – and yet there is more. I received a letter from one Turan, who I had never heard of before this day. His letter claimed that I was in possession of a particularly rare book, written in a language that few speak. The title translates loosely to “The Codex of Forgotten Virtue” and comes in a series. I own book four, and he owns a few others. He asked if I would be willing to sell this book, or perhaps make him a copy of it.
Those who know me realize that parting with any of the selections of my library is not an idea I will even entertain, and thus I spent the evening carefully penning down the exact words from the copy that I possessed, and mailed him the copy of what I own. He in turn sent me back copies of his four, which I carefully added to my library.
An odd story perhaps but one worth telling. It is not only great battles that others deserve to hear of, but the simpler things about my life in Norrath that some times bring me the greatest joy.
That was my adventure from yesterday. I was closing in on 270 player-written books and posted on the EQ2players.com forums that I was searching for donations to my player-written library. While I did not have a HUGE amount of response, I did get a few and it was incredible and made my day. The in game mail from Turan (who I do not know) was especially awesome. Just one more reason why I love playing this game.
** EDIT ** received a note from Turan who mentions that the book I own is written in a language called Gargish, and he has been using an online dictionary to copy it out and translate it. How absolutely awesome is that? http://www.uo.com/archive/gargoyle/
There’s one portion of the Claymore progression that is currently bugged. The quest requires you to go to HoF (Halls of Fate) and spawn a dragon to speak with, he gives you the final Claymore quest. You need an item to spawn this dragon, and in a previous quest it’s removed from your inventory. When I arrived at this quest I petitioned and was sure that my Claymore would have to wait for another day, but to my surprise I received a response within the hour, and the item was dropped into my inventory. Thank you prompt customer service!
My mystic is only the second character I’ve ever completed Claymore on, and while that may not seem like a big deal to most the truth of the matter is that the item is still an upgrade for shaman. The Claymore item has two components, one is a cure that is no longer valid since it only works up until levle 80, and the second is that it increases direct heals and wards by 20% (a proc chance). This stacks with the rolling pin from guk, as well as the earring from the Runnyeye the gathering collection (blue shiny). Increases the amount of your wards is a huge deal, and as a mystic I also increase the chance of these items procing, which is great. Unlike druids and clerics, shaman have no “small” heals. We don’t use heals over time, nor do we use reactive heals. We have two direct heals (large heals), and a single target ward (also large), a group heal (large) and a group ward (large). The druid and clerics would see less of an impact with these items because they have smaller heals that are not really affected by this 20% increase.
Yes, my mystic is still wearing a level 69 item at level 90, but I’m glad it helps my heals out so much. It’s always nice when rewards from previous quests still mean something later on.
Tarinax was a lot easier then I remembered, but of course I completed it at level 90, and not at the appropriate level. The joys of being able to duo something I suppose.
Happy gaming, and I’ll see you in Norrath!
How many people even REMEMBER the Splitpaw adventure pack that SOE put out a few years back? Fighting hordes of gnolls beneath the surface of Norrath? Yes please! Back when this adventure pack first came out, it was a huge deal. So many people were excited about it, and you could find a large number of them wandering around the lower tunnels of the Splitpaw Den.
Of course yesterday this was not the case, I didn’t see another person there at all.
Whether that has to do with the fact that the zones no longer scale above their previous limits to allow players level 70+ to participate without chronomentoring down, or for some other reason (outdated gear?)I’m not sure. I was determined to complete the series of quests and if possible obtain the two raid achievements.
It’s not just a matter of zoning into the two raid instances and killing the named, either. First you’ve got to obtain an item through your /claim window, a shard used to access the quests. You have to figure out what’s going on with the gnoll teleporters in Thundering Stepps (which really needs to be revamped, but we’ll save that for another post). Once you’ve obtained access to the upper tunnels, you fight your way to the lower ones, and then you have to complete at least four unique quests in order to earn the trust of the Splitpaw gnolls. Once THAT is done, you’ll be able to access the x2 raid zone. The reward for completing this zone is a clicky shard that allows you to walk / breath and jump under water for five minutes, unlimited charges. Finally, once THAT has been completed you’ll have access to the x4 zone. There’s an achievement for each, and even at level 90 it was difficult to finish each of them. The x2 zone requires you to split into two groups and complete puzzles for each side. I had a lot of fun with that one. The x4 involves LOTS of adds, and LOTS of things that would have made the raid easier had I known about them before hand, like lowering the armor of the boss by defeating three mobs located behind walls in the zone.
Ah well, there’s always next time. For now, at least I’ve obtained the achievements!
Happy gaming, and I’ll see you in Norrath.
stargrace