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'Mogn' and groan: Red Flare back with a vengeance
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The reporter chats with a waiting crowd while waiting for the storms to come, signaling the launch of the event. Red Flare the Immortal had been heard cackling over the winds minutes prior, leading the community to chase him northward.
Saturday evening, the doldrums broke with a familiar, taunting voice over the winds: the trickster ringmaster Red Flare the Immortal had returned to taunt the kingdoms.
 "Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! You morons chirp on about poetry, hunting bears, and cheating scum in your precious little kingdom... but have the audacity to raise arms and bite back against my misadventures and 'evil' fair? Worthless, all of you. I think of you like worms. Struggling on the ground, choking on rain water. Pursue me further, and I'll put you in the ground."
Red Flare did not reply to a request for an interview with NexusAtlas.
But, he is well-aware of the kingdoms' fixation with "cheating scum," so it was only a matter of time before a scout caught sight of him fleeing northward toward the Arctic. And so, the swarm of denizens trekked to the snowy grounds to teach him another lesson about messing with the smallfolk. But, when we got there, we found that his influence had already begun on yet another unsuspecting village in need.
For those of you who missed the first event featuring Red Flare the Immortal, please see the October 2, 2022 coverage for the context.
WALKTHROUGH
Note: Spoilers ahead. Also, make sure you have at least two open inventory slots at all times when performing this quest.
Start with locating the Arctic Scout at (4,21) in the Arctic Village. He will direct you to prepare for the cold, and port you to Winter Walk. (This event is separated into tiered caves, depending on your Vita and Mana stats.)
Walk northward a short ways until you locate the Lost Mayor at (27,3). Upon hearing the tale of his village suffering for their obsession with the latest, newest "miracle cure" known as "Mogn Juice." He begs you to help feed them, as the fixation will surely lead them to starve, otherwise, and gives you directions on how to bait the fish from the nearby inlets. He hands you a Fishing Ball and sends you on your way.
Fishing
West Inlet (2,43)
The fishing spot is at (7,7). The fish here swim near the bottom, and you need to use a "scrap of something to sink low" to catch them. Meat Scraps should do the trick. A successful reel will net you a Flatfish.
East Inlet (48,40)
The fishing spot is at (11,14). These fish are smart, and need something flashy to get their attention. Try a White Amber. With some effort, you'll grab a few Amberjack
North Inlet (1,6)
The fishing spot is at (13,9). These bored fish need some stimuli (relatable), and want something wriggly and jiggly to entice them to bite. Some leftover Noodles will suffice to catch some Kerel.
Note: You must have the Fishing Ball equipped, and be mindful of the Hail Wolves, as they are aggressive. Each fishing attempt consumes one item, and has the chance to fail. You will need 3 of each fish for the quest.
With your line of fish in tow, it's time to help these poor souls in The Lost. Bring your 3 Flatfish to the house at (12,33) back in The Lost. The Starved Lost will gladly accept them. The Famished Lost inside the home at (20,24) will take 3 Amberjack, and the Hungry Lost inside the house at (30,33) will take the 3 Kerel off your hands. Each of these suffering souls will hand you a Mogn Juice in gratitude. Note: Mogn Juice recovers 100 vitality.
Once you're done here, head back south to the Lost Mayor in Winter Walk to report your progress. He will give you permission to pass through the northernmost gate of The Lost.
Footsteps lead up to a weak part of the frozen barricade in Ice Walled. (Screenshot courtesy of Tamo.)
Figuring out the situation
A little light lock-picking leads you to Windy Lake. Maneuver around the twisting paths of snow here to a small cave entrance at (67,9). Inside the Supply Cave, you'll encounter a gentleman known as the Lead Scout at (8,13) who kindly tells you off asks you to go chase off some wolves and ogres. You leave back to Windy Lake, where you start roaming about to do what the kingdoms do best: harass the local wildlife.
Around the event areas about are more Hail Wolves, Chilled Omphalos, and Chilled Ogres. You know what to do. Once you have 5 Woof Fluff and 5 Ogre Tusks specifically, visit the Supply Cave again to report your progress, and earn his trust. You will need to make sure you have his trust in order to proceed, as he mentions he's looking for scouting notes after pressing him a second time.
Note: You will also need additional Woof Fluff, Ogre Tusks, and Omphalos Guts, so fill up, while you're at it. The monsters in the event areas also appear to do percent-based damage.
There are three big, grey crafting tables waiting at the northern part of the Supply Cave. Inspect each one. You'll come back to these, soon.
Return to Windy Lake, and head to (0,35.) In Iced Walled, walk north to (15,44) to discover the reason the area is called that. It seems you'll need a weapon that can burn through.
Taking note of this, go back to Windy Lake and keep trekking eastward to (74,63), finding an area called Buried Trail. An equally buried cave is found at (40,5). Sounds like we need a shovel.
After adding this to your notebook, there's one more area to locate. At (13,0) in Windy Lake, you find Snow Climb. Continuing the theme of appropriately-named areas, there is a waiting ladder on the cliff at (38,12). But, we can't quite reach it, so we will need our own ladder, too.
After visiting our three problematic areas, return to the Supply Cave to revisit the crafting tables. You will need items to craft the tools you need.
Crafting tables
Left Table: Arctic Torch
10 Cloth, 1 Titanium/Fire/Molten Blade, 10 Woof Fluff
Center Table: Ladder
10 Ginko Wood, 1 Polearm/Heavy Polearm/Military Polearm, 10 Omphalos Guts
Right Table: Arctic Shovel
10 Antler, 1 Sunset/Season's/Dragon's Fan, 10 Ogre Tusks
Optionally, the Lead Scout's buddy in white, Tulx-chang, in the Supply Cave, will trade supplies for tools you have already crafted. For example, if you are finished with your Arctic Ladder, you can trade for Torch Materials to create an Arctic Torch. If you go this route, it needs to be before you are finished with the quest. You cannot trade the Materials, nor the Arctic Ladder, Torch, or Shovel themselves.
However, the downside with using the trading technique is you will require twice the amount of creature drops in compensation to craft another weapon. So, to use the Torch Materials, you will need 20 Woof Fluff and 20 Cloth. In addition, there is also a two-hour wait period between trades, using this method. (Thank you, sludgerat.)
Note: The weapons do not have to be at 100% durability to be turned in for crafting.
If you inform Tulx-chang that "you have nothing," he proposes an alternate arrangement for the trade. He asks for leather, feathers, two types of meat, a lantern, and something to make it "glow like the sun." (NexusAtlas is still investigating this.)
Tamo was blissfully unaware he'd be a fashion model for NexusAtlas, holding the Arctic Torch, Arctic Shovel, and Arctic Ladder.
It's a slippery slope up in Snow Climb, and it's no wonder why Slippy's mother named him that. Aamin is seen wielding a Fishing Ball. (Screenshot courtesy of Aamin.)
The return trips to scout the scouts
Having crafted all your tools, it's time to put them to good use. We're no stranger to back-tracking, fortunately.
Back at Iced Walled, take up your Arctic Torch to melt a path at (15,14.) Note, you cannot walk backward in the direction you came from. Instead, press forward to the Snow Cave at (19,19). Inside, a pile of notes from the scouting crew awaits at (4,9).
Note: Whereas you can't backtrack over the ice wall, you can walk to (13,2) to warp back to Snow Climb, in lieu of having to Gateway or Yellow Scroll out of the event area. (Thank you, Ogedei.)
The buried cave at (40,5) in the Buried Trail is next on the list. Equipping your shovel, go to town unburying it, and head inside the Snow Cave to read the papers at (75,9).
Returning to Snow Climb, equip your Arctic Ladder and ascend at (38,12) to reach the Snow Cave. A stack of more papers sits at (36,11).
While you're in Snow Climb, a man named Slippy can be found at (2,37.) He needs something to help balance himself after a fall. As we are folks that take things literally, we suggest a Tao Stone to center himself. You'll be rewarded a Daily Coin for the gesture.
Reporting the findings
Armed with the fates of the brave souls pursuing Red Flare, you return to the Lead Scout in the Supply Cave. He rewards you with a legend mark to commemorate your efforts, and Frosteel Ring appropriate to your mark. There have been no reports of anything being breakable upon death.
Winter Frosteel Ring
Level 99
Durability: 50,000
Damage: +1
Vitality increase: +2,000
Mana increase: +1,250
Will increase: +1
Grace increase: +1
Protection: +1
Frozen Frosteel Ring
Il San
Durability: 60,000
Damage: +1
Vitality increase: +3,000
Mana increase: +2,000
Will increase: +1
Grace increase: +1
Protection: +1
Arctic Frosteel Ring
Ee San
Durability: 70,000
Damage: +1
Vitality increase: +4,000
Mana increase: +2,750
Will increase: +1
Grace increase: +1
Protection: +1
Tempest Frosteel Ring
Sam San
Durability: 80,000
Armor: -1
Damage: +2
Vitality increase: +5,000
Mana increase: +3,500
Will increase: +2
Grace increase: +2
Protection: +2
Cyclone Frosteel Ring
Sa San
Durability: 90,000
Armor: -1
Damage: +1
Vitality increase: +7,000
Mana increase: +5,000
Will increase: +2
Grace increase: +2
Protection: +2
Confronting Red Flare the Immortal
Now, it's about time to fight the big man himself: Red Flare the Immortal. Head to the gate outside in Windy Lake at (60,5) and pass through to Crosscut. You will encounter Flurry Slusher and Grim Slusher ogres, as well as Red Flare himself.
Defeating Red Flare earns a little taunting from him, and the potential for him to drop a Magician's Trunk. Opening these nets prizes including (but not limited to) an Amber, Dark Amber, White Amber, Noodles, Military Polearm, Hyun Moo/Ju Jak/Baekho/Chung Ryong Casque, Bones of Restless Seeker, Bones of Devout Seeker, Bones of Fearless Researcher, Bones of Reckless Researcher, Bones of Unlucky Adventurer, Molten Blade, Diadem, Season's Fan, Dragon Fan, Daily Coin, Daily Coin Leaf, and a Forsaken Ring.
Note: The potential bounty from the Magician's Trunk scales with the mark of the recipient; for example, an unmarked level 99 player will only receive unmarked level 99-friendly items.
Accounts have been noted of a few Sam and Sa players also receiving one of the new hand items:
Tempest Gauntlet
Sam San
Durability: 225,000
Armor: -14
Damage: +7
Vitality increase: +15,000
Mana increase: -9,000
Protection: +3
Cyclone Gauntlet
Sa San
Durability: 275,000
Armor: -16
Damage: +8
Vitality increase: +17,000
Mana increase: -11,000
Protection: +3
Tempest Band
Sam San
Durability: 225,000
Armor: -12
Vitality increase: -5,000
Mana increase: 8,000
Will increase: +7
Protection: +3
Cyclone Band
Sa San
Durability: 275,000
Armor: -14
Vitality increase: -6,000
Mana increase: +9,000
Will increase: +8
Protection: +3
Note: No level 99, Il San, or Ee San equivalents have been reported.
After attempting to teach him a lesson to stop messing with the populace, head to the next room, Deadair, at (106,0). In this room is a mysterious well located at (81,68). Giving it an examination yields a perplexing message:
Perhaps we found the Lost('s) Mines. Time will tell. (Screenshot courtesy of Tamo.)
Much appreciated
An enormous thanks goes to Tamo, who helped be a second pair of eyes in the information gathering while the reporter was unable to personally verify. Additional gratitude goes to Spiri, Cruelty, Creses, Barter, Fenlong, Dycean, Misled, Osna, Feel, kemocheng, Agarith, Ginsho, Jural, Quotah, sludgerat, Ogedei and Aamin for assistance with obtaining items, tips, and verifications. Appreciation also goes to egamORP for allowing the reporter to handle the Tempest Band for confirming information.
Know something we don't?
Get in touch with the friendly folks at NexusAtlas, or contact Chongde in-game with information, screenshots, or conversation.
- Shiori "Chongde" Sato reporting
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Beltane Festival lights up the land
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Druid Elder Supply leads the opening ritual of the Beltane Festival at the Sacred Grove on Saturday afternoon.
Day one of Beltane
The much-anticipated annual Beltane festival was held this weekend, hosted by the Druid path with assistance from other subpaths and organizations in a grand, collaborative event. The Druid subpath area opened its doors Saturday to a flood visitors, including the royals King ChaeRi, Princess Sutsang, Queen Yun, Prince Mobon, Prince MingJung, and Prince Daeso. The festival began with a brief gathering in the Sacred Grove to commemorate the occasion, with Supply offering a welcome to the community:
"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to our Beltane festival! It is a pleasure to see so many faces gathered here tonight, celebrating the beginning of summer and the renewal of life. Beltane is a time to honor the natural world and the abundance that it brings. Today's festivities are a reflection of our community's commitment. We have come together to share in the joy and abundance of the season, and to express our gratitude for the gifts that we have been given. We have a weekend of celebration ahead of us, and I hope that you will enjoy the festivities that we have planned. Let us take this opportunity to connect with each other, and to embrace the spirit of Beltane. Once again, welcome to our Beltane festival. We may start with a ritual performed by our Druids to celebrate the coming of summer together!"
Assorted ambers spell out the word "druid" in the Sacred Grove. (Screenshot courtesy of Kaleea)
Next, a brief ritual was performed to mark the official observation of the ceremony, lead by StarArcherie, poeticme, Kaleea, and Simfis, where the festivity candles were lit by the central bonfire, and a prayer of offering recited to the spirits.
StarArcherie: "I light this candle in honor of the energy of Beltane, may it bring warmth, light, and transformation to this ritual. I call upon the element of fire to bring passion and transformation to this ritual. We offer this fire in honor of the energy of Beltane. May it bring warmth, light, and transformation to this ritual."
poeticme: "I take these flowers and offer to the earth as a symbol of our gratitude and appreciation for the abundance of the earth. I call upon the element of water to bring emotional depth and intuition to this ritual."
Kaleea: "I write down our intentions for this ritual, to connect us with the energy of Beltane. I call upon the element of air to bring clarity and inspiration to this ritual."
Simfis: "I offer this wine to the earth, or all deities and spirits present here, as a symbol of our gratitude and respect for the energy of Beltane. I call upon the element of earth to bring stability and abundance to this ritual. The circle is open but unbroken. May the energy of Beltane continue to guide and inspire us."
The opening ritual also marked the commemoration of four new Protectors of Nature. Archon Primogen Alilolelotte, Qian, Ikaris, and Rokkeu were honored for their aid of the Druid path, and for their roles in the preparations of the Beltane activities.
After the offerings were completed, the first of many events was ushered in, to bring livelihood and comradery to the area.
Left: Do Elder FPickleDog comments on Prince Mobon joining in on a round of Weapons Dance in the Sacred Grove. Center: The stakes are high during a round of Musical Horses in Cluichi. Right: Druid Elder Supply and StarArcherie face off in a round of Battle on the Bridge in the Sacred Grove.
All the invocation of energy was rightly capitalized when the first game of the weekend began. The Do path offered players the opportunity to get their blood running in a rousing game of Weapons Dance in the Sacred Grove. The objective is to run and dance around a circle of weaponry arrayed on the ground. At a random time, the host gives a clue of which weapon you need to be standing on; those that aren't standing on the correct weapon are out of the game. Musical chairs could never be so riveting!
Because flailing around sharp objects wasn't enough to get the blood running, the Druids held an impromptu game of Musical Horses in the neighboring room of Cluichi. Rather than chairs, the seating arrangement involved mounting on a horse before one's opponents can. The last player still standing on the ground was eliminated.
While people were gleefully distracted by these games of speed, chance, and ability to swivel one's hips, the Merchants prepared their own event back in the Sacred Grove. No Druid festival is complete without just a little bloodletting, and Beltane was not immune to this as folks were invited to test their skills with an Ilbon knife in a game of Battle on the Bridge. In the limited space of the bridge, combatants had to invoke a Kamakazi before their opposition could in order to continue to the next round.
Left: Deji fires off a vita attack during a round of Last Man Alive in the Mystic Garden. Center: CriminalMind jests about her unluckiness during Druid Bingo in the Mystic Garden. Right: Qian sings for the "dancing queens (and kings)" during a round of Square to Square in the Sacred Grove.
Contests of strength and vitality are a mainstay for Druid festivals, and the Barbarians graciously offered a chance for participants to prove their mettle in a Last Man Alive tournament. Dressed only in their skivvies or outer garments, participants used vita-based attacks to try to down one opponent. They could only use the Soothe spell to save themselves from peril, and were gradually moved to smaller sections of the arena as more combatants dropped from the competition (literally).
Substituting wanton bloodshed for a cut-throat game of Bingo, the Druids rolled the dice in correspondence to coordinates of items set in an array on the ground. If a player was lucky, the items announced would also be found on their individual Bingo cards. "Dabbing" the predetermined pattern on the card and shouting "Bingo!" meant the player won prizes and bragging rights. Obsidian or Limestone in a 3 x 3 grid offered a visual indicator of one's progress in filling out the pattern on the card.
Shouts of rage and glee from such heavy competitions would then be drowned out with the merry sounds of music. The Geomancers held a few rounds of Square to Square, a game consisting of a 2 x 2 grid with squares labeled 1 to 4. Players dance around the field until the music stops; a dice roll determined which players were eliminated, in pertains to what square on the grid they paused on.
After everyone was ushered out of the Druid subpath area, the Merchants would invite everyone to the weekly Merchant Midnight Madness, where a donation drive was held to benefit the Druid path. 83 individual donors offered items or gold to the cause. And as the excitement from the rolls of die quieted down, so did the first night of Beltane.
Patrons are marked for their victories and participation in the Beltane festival in Silent Glade while waiting on the preparations for Grave Robbers to finalize.
Day two of Beltane
The second evening of the festival opened with reverence and quietude, as the Shaman and Druid paths collaborated to bring together an event in the Mystic Garden. Shaman & Druid Tales invoked a circle of runes around a glowing bonfire in the dark of the evening, with a storyteller being assigned by chance the associating symbol as their topic of story to tell. The most creative and thought-provocative story told within their short time-limit earned the orator a prize.
Left: GinTatsu responds to his assignment of the "Courage" rune as his writing prompt during Shaman & Druid Tales in the Mystic Garden. Center: Prince Daeso fires at WECK's backside during a match of the archery tournament held in the Mystic Garden. Right: Tokugawa lands a strike on Zeromus during the S7 tournament at the Mystic Garden.
In contrast to the quietude of the storytelling around the fire, the archery competition held by the Rangers in the Mystic Grove was anything but silent. In a one-versus-one setup and tournament-style rules, opponents strove to fire Sleep Arrows at one another, with hope of a successful strike stopping their foe in their tracks with sudden onset slumber.
Continuing the trend of sporting violence, the Spy path invited rogues and warriors to tread the dreaded parallel lines of 7 spaces. A successful vita-based attack (Berserk, Whirlwind, Desperate Attack, or Lethal Strike) earned the assailant a point in the tournament-style event colloquially called S7.
Left: Deji swings and direly misses in the efforts to bash a skeletal Grave Robber in the Mystic Garden. Right: Cola dances around the flames after consuming a Bottle of Rage during a round of Beltane Bonfire.
It isn't unheard of for the Shaman path to lose their talismans over in the Valley of the Mudang, but this time, they were unfortunate enough to lose theirs in the Mystic Garden. But, with every misfortune is an opportunity for the denizens of Beltane to participate in the tradition of bashing Grave Robbers. Armed with only Wooden Sabers, visitors were invited to crack open some skulls in hopes of finding the one that nabbed the Shaman Talisman, and the other prizes mysteriously held by these skeletons.
The Beltane festival is associated with fire, and its cleansing and protective properties. People and livestock are often introduced around and over the fires in order to receive protection from the spirits, and bring prosperity through the season. In the case of the brand new event hosted by the Barbarians, Beltane Bonfire, it was considered auspicious if a figure could dance around a field of fire after consuming a Bottle of Rage, and not be set ablaze. If the player was unfortunate enough to be within range of a fire once the effects wore off, they had to roll the dice versus the host to decide if they successfully jumped the bonfire.
After having finally cleared out all the bad energy from the area with song, dance, story, and bloodshed, the crowd convened back at the main bonfire in the Sacred Grove, for Supply to offer a message of gratitude:
Supply: "As our Beltane festival comes to a close, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the beauty and significance of this celebration. On behalf of the Druids, I would like to extend by deepest gratitude to all of those who have contributed to making this festival a success. To the organizers, the performers, and the volunteers, we thank you for your hard work and dedication. And to all of those who have attended and participated in the festivities, we thank you for your presence and your enthusiasm. The Druids have prepared a ritual to celebrate and close this moment. Listen..."
The final ceremony is held at the Sacred Grove to close out this year's Beltane festival.
Members of the Druid path would then lead the final prayer to close out the celebrations, and dismiss the festival until next year. The ground was blessed with blooming flowers as the chant progressed, marking the start of a prosperous season.
Alys: "From the Earth sprouts the seed. From the seed sprouts the plant."
poeticme: "From the plant sprouts the fruit. From the fruit sprouts the juice."
Xidus: "And will one day return to the Earth..."
ClamBurglar: "As I partake in the part of the great cycle of life."
Alys: "Powers of the North, thank you for sharing your wisdom and knowledge. Hail and farewell!"
poeticme: "Powers of the West, thank you for sharing your deep mysteries and intuition. Hail and farewell!"
Xidus: "Powers in the South, thank you for sharing your inspiration and courage. Hail and farewell!"
ClamBurglar: "Powers of the East, thank you for sharing your stability and growth. Hail and farewell!"
All: "The circle is open but never broken!"
Supply: "May you go forth with joy and with a renewed sense of connection to the earth, and to each other. May the blessings of Beltane be with us, always."
Much appreciated
The Beltane festival in the Kingdoms is a great example of community-driven content that makes our community special. We appreciate everyone involved in the planning and delivery of intense events like these. We also wish to thank everyone that came to support the festival, either by hosting, attending, or sharing the word.
Know something we don't?
Get in touch with the friendly folks at NexusAtlas, or contact Chongde in-game with information, screenshots, or conversation.
- Shiori "Chongde" Sato reporting
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