I then proceed to the dungeon on my way to the Master smith for the exchange and then on to Rithwic for the Infusion potion. I am pretty pumped at this point, cause my patron knows nothing about this. I pour the potion on the Staff and I get the message, YOU HAVE DESTROYED THE STAFF......AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 

Why was it destroyed, is the skill check an actual number skill check? Does my Spear have to be really high? I have 211 base Spear because it is my secondary attack. From what I have read, the quest requires you to be trained in Spear when in fact you must have pretty high Spear to do it.

At this point I tell my patron what happens and off we head back to the camp to try again. Once again we wait a good amount of time with no spawn as the sequence has not fully taken place at the other camps. I get tired of waiting now and decide to log of and eat, and later 11:00 central time Sunday My RL wife and I log in back at the camp and within 15 minutes the LT spawn right next to me and I lay in, blasting him for 90 on the first arrow, 50 on the next. He didn't last long. I ID'd the corpse to see that in fact I got the kill. Once again I am pumped. I open the corpse and reach for the Scepter only to find out that it has a %^$#& timer on it. I thought I would pass this along to you so it does not happen to someone else. I have no clue what the timer is on the quest. 

All I can say is that I am very disappointed. If I knew I needed high Spear I would have buffed first before trying. I also want to state that I really think it is dumb to have a timer on a quest if you failed it. I can see if I got it right the first try and I could not do again. I understand that, because, otherwise, people would make a ton of them and trade them all day long. That was not the case; I failed and had to wait. That would be like having to wait to String a comp bow when you snapped the first string. It just doesn't seem right.

Thanks for listening to my whining,

Shimmerglow of LC

Hi Simmerglow -
Thanks for all the info. I appreciate it. I haven't finished the actual quest write-up yet because I still don't have all the information. (obviously!) I've heard that some of the timers are only 24 hours. I hope that's the case for you as well. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

- Maggie the Jackcat

Well it seem it was 24 hours, and I got my second Scepter, and buffed to 287 Spear, and made the Staff of Clarity. Now I am happy, and so is my patron. I had a friend trying to make one also who failed at 285 Spear... OUCH. I have since made another for another friend and think I will stock pile them before they are nerfed like the matty robes and GSA. There is no way they will keep something that mean around for long.

Thanks for your help,

Shimmerglow of LC

Thanks again for the help with the quest, Shimmerglow. I've finally gotten it written up in quest form here!

- Maggie the Jackat

May 22, 2001 - The Lugians

i saw the thing u had about the lugian armor. u got a walkthru for this stuff? i went to the new lug place and killed the commander and got a stupid message, and he dropped nothin usefull. i ran to the 80.6s 37.7e camp to get the LT and the 4 dreads. while i was fighting the other lugs, i noticed the LT was gone even tho i saw him earlier....strange... i wanna get a walkthru so i know what i am doin is right. sooner i get this done, the sooner i can get back to lvling. if u wanna come to DT. hit me up and we can go for some coffee=P

blood-talon
darktide the only server worth playin
Level 43 sword

Hi blood-talon -
I hope you found what you're looking for before now! In case you still need it, I've put the Arm, Mind, Heart quest write-up on the site. Thanks for the invite for coffee! If I'm ever on Darktide, I'll be sure to say hello! 

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 22, 2001 - Updated Explorer Quests?

Hi Maggie, 
Just wanted to see if you'd heard anything about changes to the
explorer society quests. I'm goofing around with a new char and decided to
get some society goodies on a whim... imagine my surprise when I turned in
that Yaraq Stamped Letter at Yanshi when I not only got a wand but a token
to bring to Rithwic... here's the text:

Dai Ya the Scholar tells you, "We could use more explorers such as
yourself here in the Society. Perhaps you could aid Bach Lien, a friend of
mine? A few days ago, she wrote that she is investigating rumors of a war
spear guarded by Tumeroks in the area near Dryreach. Fantastical story, I
sure! But nonetheless, I daresay she could use the help. She's stationed in
the Explorer Society Outpost on the road from Rithwic to Dryreach. Show her this token and she will know I sent you."

Have you heard anything about this? I haven't had an opportunity to check
it out yet, but I'll let you know when I know more.

Catri
Harvestgain

Hi Catri -
I had several reports about this supposed new quest, but noone was able to locate Bach Lien anywhere! Finally, today, Allan Maki from Turbine confirmed that this was a bug and should not have been in the game. I've updated my patch page to reflect his comments. Thanks for passing the info on though! It was nice to hear from you again! :-)

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 22, 2001 - Taxi Service on Morningthaw

Iron Savant sent in a question about a "taxi service" at your local meeting hall. You told him there was no such thing.

Well, we have some very talented people here on Morningthaw.  A character by the name of Morgus has created a "portal mule" which he has posted at the Baishi meeting hall. All you have to do to get him to summon the subway is to say the word "taxi".

He also has some people he doesn't like in-game squelched so that the subway will not be summoned for them. Believe me these people
don't deserve help either. The name of his portal mule is "Blink Mule". I think that would be a GREAT item to feature on your website. :-)

Roberto-Eduardo
Morningthaw
Level  61/Blade Master

May 22, 2001 - Taxi Service           

Just a heads up....

On Morningthaw there is a town meeting hall that will open up a Subway portal if you say "Taxi". I know that in the Baishi meeting hall there is a character using a macro so that every time some one says "taxi", he opens the portal.

Untouchable
Leafcull


Thanks for the correction Roberto-Eduardo and Untouchable! This would make a great feature! I've heard about these portal bots, but somehow, they never crossed my mind when answering Iron Savant. I'll have to do a little research on Blink Mule.

Iron Savant, you will have to go groveling to your friend for me, begging forgiveness for suggesting that it may have been a BIG FAT LIE! I stand corrected! :-) 

Now how can I get one of those on Thistledown? ;-)

- Maggie the Jackcat 

The tip about stacking comps on the bottom of the pack is amazing, never thought of it myself.  It tends to shave off a few minutes in the endless comp refill time too!  Thanks alot and keep the tips comin'.

Bob the Malkavian
Harvestgain
Level 22 - 4 school mage

Hi Bob the Malkavian -
Your letter was just one of many expressing what I've know for ages: my vassal is one smart guy! Even lots of very high level people were unaware of this trick. (I was too. I've now done some pack rearranging myself.) This, combined with weightless pyreal and Jesse's planned auto-comp buying feature, should shake the last of the tedium out of the comp buying process!  Thanks for taking the time to write.

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 21, 2001 - Taxi Service? 

I was curious, a friend of mine told me that if you go to a Town  Meeting Hall, and type the word Taxi, a portal to a subway opens. Is this true?
I would check on another web page, but I LOVE YOURS, everything about it is wonderful.

Iron Savant
Morningthaw
Level 10  War/Life/Item

Hi Iron Savant -
Are you sure this person is a friend? ;-) In fact, your friend was pulling your leg. I am 100% sure that a portal to the hub will not open if you type the work "Taxi" at a Meeting Hall. I know this because... um... I tried it out, just to be sure! Hee hee. (Hey, you never know! ;-)

And thank you for the enthusiastic appreciation of the site!

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 21, 2001 - Where To Buy A Whittling Knife? 

I love your site. I have used it often and it's very helpful. Just one thing... I bought some wrapped bundles of arrowheads, but I cant seem to find anyone that sells the whittling knife to cut them open. Can you please tell me where I can get one?

thnx :)

Shailud
Solclaim
Level 24 Archer

Hi Shailud -
If you ever need to know where to buy something, check out my Bargains Area of my Shopping Section.  It's never 100% up to date because of the dynamic nature of the game, but you'll usually be able to find just about anything you need in Dereth. The Fletching Supplies page lists where to buy Whittling Knives. Hope that helps. Thanks for the compliments on the site!

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 21, 2001 - w0ot The Jack Cat rox da sox

hehehe

Your site is always the top of my list for finding out how to go about my way in the world of AC.

Just wanted to send you a Thanks and Great site :)

zzottt
Leafcull
Level 36 Axeman

Hi zzottt -
I guess it's no secret that I just adore letters like this! Thanks very much for writing. :-)

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 21, 2001 - Dagger of Tikola Quest: Dull Dagger

A general warning: the 'Dull Dagger' is a cursed, no-drop item. If you pick one up you're stuck with 450 burden of useless junk. I think you'd then need an Archmage or perhaps a Healer to un-curse you so you can drop the thing, and that's incredibly expensive.

Changshi Li-Zan
Leafcull
Level 33 Blademaster

Hi Changshi Li-Zan -
That's actually a very cool idea about having a mage un-curse you! I don't think, however, that there is any more to the Dull Dagger part of the quest than what you see. It's more of a curiosity than anything. 

In general, if you want to get rid of no-drop items, you can give them to an NPC (like a Collector) to rid yourself of the burden. Hope that helps!

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 21, 2001 - Updated SoCS Quest Info 

I would like to thank you on your write-up for the Silifi of Crimson Stars. It was helpful, but here's a warning for you to update the quest page with. DELETE the Fire Protection 6 Ruby as the easiest. When I went, the area around there had several level 40+ bad guys, and when I engaged a group of Skels, a Dread Myumaha (spelling unknown, but the mummy thing) attacked. It was level 50. So if you're under 20, this is not something even to think of as a solo job.

Pyro Poe
Morningthaw
Level 41 Axe

May 21, 2001 - Will You Marry Me?

Dear Maggie:              

I am entranced by your beauty and wit. And I (even tho we haven't met) do love you dearly.  Will you be my wedded Bride?

Your Faithful Servant.
Cutter'

Cutter'
Morningthaw
Level 35 Swordsman

Dear Cutter'
I'm very flattered by your sweet proposal. Alas, I fear it would never work. We come from two completely different worlds.

I play on Thistledown. ;-)

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 8, 2001 - New Location for Comp Bow NPC 

I heard from my Patron that the bower where you are to get your horns carved for the comp bow quest was moved. I was wondering if you knew where he is now.

Thanks Ter 

Terenya
Leafcull
Level 17 Archer

Hi Ter -
The NPCs all fled Ayan Baqur when the Virindi invaded! If you give the Virindi Ulgrim some red wine, one of the things he says is, "You know... two of the little flesh things managed to escape to the southeast..."

Yuan Hanzu's new coordinates are 61.0S, 86.7W. Hope that helps!

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 8, 2001 - Mage Armor Quest Tidbit 

Hi Maggie!

Love your site! I was browsing the Quests page the other day, and noticed that you're missing an interesting tidbit on your Mage Armor walkthrough. If you do the quest as a group, you'll need to know this =).

When you hand Eaushi the Trainer the Permission Slip, you are teleported to 1 of 5 random Training Grounds. If you do this quest as part of a group, you might have to have your members exit the dungeon through the Surface Portal, grab another Slip, and hand it back to Eaushi until you're all in the same dungeon.

P.S. For all the Lore people out there, the Slip can be handed to a translator for the date when the Permission Slip was written. =)

Luntari
Thistledown
Level 55 Spec Arcane/Mana C Mage Gimp =)

Hi Luntari -
Thanks for the compliment on the site. Thank you, also, for the great tidbit on the Mage Armor quest. And on behalf of all the Lore junkies, thanks for the translator info as well!

I'll try to update the quest with the additional information... um... soon! ;-)

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 8, 2001 - Dye Plants 

I would like to know how to find the dye plants. I have coords for argenory/lapyan and I need to know where to look for the yellow. Teak? And the proverbial dark blue and black plants? And any other dye plants they
might have? Is there a web site I can go to that has this information? All
would be appreciated!

whitelion
solclaim
Level 36/warrior/gharu'ndim

Hi whitelion -
Your timing was great! I finally finished my Dyes section last week and published a list of dye plant coordinates. Not all of these have been confirmed, but I bet you'll find enough out there to get you started. Dye plants are seasonal, so there are only a few colors available at a time. Currently, Mint Green, Light Blue and White are in season.

The yellow, red and green are out of season. Black is not (and likely will never be) available in-game. The black robe you may have spotted is Aerfalle's Pallium and is a quest item only. Good luck!

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 8, 2001 - Alchemy / Cooking Information for Dyeing 

You mention on the new dye page that there is always a chance of failure for the process, but my experience is that this is not so.

From where someone is 50% reliable to where they are 98%, there seems to be about a 20-30 point range. After that, the skill remains at ~98% for a very long time, perhaps 75 to 100 points, then it actually does become 100%.

Sugardaddy has not failed in about 3 months, since his skill got above 390, and he does a great deal of dyeing. If there is something you know which I do not, would love to hear it. (380 is listed as a break point on the page, but if you got this number from me, I must have miscommunicated; the magic number is 390.)

FYI, dyeing shirts, robes, shoes, etc., anything without AL is basically a freebie. Worst case, you mess up the color and have to do it again. There is never a magic damaging or negative AL problem, so no real reason to take such items to the best possible.

Not sure you ever explicitly mentioned it, but there is never any adverse effect on the magic of an item.

Loved the explanation on the armor types. If there is anything you need, or any experiments you need run, give me a holler. I can round up 50 plants and dye up a storm with no real problem.

Dan

Danier
Thistledown
Level 81 Mage type guy

May 8, 2001 - Hi Maggie 

First Maggie,
May I say that you are one of the most Beautiful women in all of Dereth, and if you were on my server, I would ask you for a date.

I also want to say that you have one of the greatest sites around, with loads of info on everything from Atlan Weapons to Zephyrs! I really love it, keep up the good work!

Thanks, Gore

Gorechild
Darktide
a UA bow guy with item and life thing :P

Hi Gore -
I've been going back through my piles of old email, trying to catch up just a bit and realized I've never said thank you for such nice mail! So, thank you! Compliments on my looks, *and* my site. What more could anyone ask for?! :-)

- Maggie the Jackcat

May 8, 2001 - Wow 

You are one sexy lady. Latah.

Avalon
Thistledown
Warrior

Thanks Avalon!
I love to throw in a few of these sorts of letters every so often! ;-)

- Maggie the Jackcat