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Summer 2023 Update: The Tangled Blight

Welcome, Thainites, to our latest large update for the Thain Module, the Tangled Blight!  This update is filled with all manner of darkness and danger, from the forests of Feywood to the reborn criminal city of the Watch.

As we’ve been promising on our Discord, this update includes two major settlement rebuilds, a new class and an extensive rework of an existing class, and a host of new and updated content!  We’re excited to finally get this into your hands to explore!

See below for a full list of this update’s major features!

The Watch

“The outsider’s eyes are sharp, and he sees things as they really are, not as others wish them to be.”

 

Arisen from the ashes of war, The Watch is a city reborn.  A city that scorns governance in favor of anarchy and choice.  The Watch’s nascent council never arose, torn down in the power struggles of a thousand would-be lords.  Among the streets of the watch, civil war gave away to soft territorial boundaries, and those boundaries have gradually become hard lines.

 

Now, the Watch’s people are split across its three districts of red, blue, and green.  They come together in the golden market known as Scaleside, a shady bazaar where greed and opportunity rules above all else.  Venturing past Scaleside, one will find the three districts of the Watch, each with a distinctive culture its people bring to life.

 

 

This rebuild has been a long time coming, and it is truly massive, expanding the size of the Watch by a factor of four.  The Watch the module now presents is how we envision the Watch in the years following the fall of Nayritha and Krel.  Things will feel very new, even to current Watch denizens, and we could not run events for every change given the sheer volume.  We ask players to work with us on explaining the in-game transition and enjoy discovering and building on all the new and updated lore.  If you have any questions about the changes or want help creating a story for what your character might have done during the Watch rebuilt, feel free to contact the Staff on discord.

 

Characters who declare allegiance to the Watch in the future will take the tattoos of one of the Watch’s three districts.  A special NPC can be found within each district who can offer faction allegiance.  Wings will remain in Scaleside and continue to manage faction bounties and quests.

 

The Witchblight

As the Watch settled into anarchy, the land around the city began to change.  Plants and grass twisted into foul shapes and became a sickly red.  Animals grew strange bruises and mutations.  But the worst was the people.  Many found themselves afflicted by a terrible malady, a back-wracking, blood-hacking sickness that the folk came to call Witchblight. While no one has successfully identified its true source, many suspect that the sorceress Nayritha hid powerful and vile experiments underneath the watch, and with her death, they have begun to spread and grow.

To some, especially the sorcerous and the more monstrous, the Witchblight is a pathway to increased power – a mutation on top of powerful blood.  To most, the blight was certain death.  And so some of the Watch sought ancient magics, magics from before Nayritha, before Krel, magics of the very land itself, tattooing them to the people’s skins to hold their bodies together and stop the progression of the disease. “Ink” – it is the callsign of those who have dwelt in the Watch for more than a few months. It is the only known way to stop the Blight’s hold on one’s body. 

Almost  all who dwell within the Watch now wear the ink, from one source or another.  It is a sign of the district they live in and their mark of loyalty to a city that demands none.  

Witchblight is an entirely narrative story – there is no mechanical death or reaper’s mark coming for a character who lives in the Watch.  Nonetheless, we encourage players to take part in the story and use it to further their character’s narrative and goals.

Watch District: Kraken’s Den

“The seas are a treacherous beast and we are its conquerors”

The coastal waters of the Watch have bred a busy and bustling docks, with all manner of ships sailing for profit and fortune. The people of Kraken’s Den are known to be a chaotic bunch of pirates, swashbucklers, hunters, fishers, craftsmen, traders, and swindlers. The Kraken’s recognize leadership when it is strong or competent or convenient. They work together, they sail together, and everyone looks for a way to cheat everyone else out of their share of the plunder.

In the deep waters off the coast, great sea serpents pursue boats, pursued by the brave or the mad who dare to face the beasts of the sea.  Up and down the coast of Thain, the Watch’s ships have grown infamous as they pillage and plunder under the guidance of the Den’s Lords.  Whatever captain they answer to, the lawless of Kraken’s Den press Thain’s oceans to their limits at every step. But all captains look to the District Lord Clifford “Coldheart” Copeland, whose exploits on the open seas have made him the most feared name in shore towns from the Northlands to Greenvale. 

A place for pirates, scoundrels, and all things nautical, Kraken’s Den exemplifies the ambitious and daring nature of the Watch’s people.

Watch District: Raven’s Nest

“The Ravens were never truly gone.  They only waited for their moment.”

As the Blight twisted out from the ruins of Nayritha’s tower, those old Ravens who once served under Krel Twistback saw their chance.  They took a the northwest portion of the city, and built up and out along the cliffsides, keeping to their homes and far from the blight, where their criminal organizations have thrived.  Now, the Ravens join into various “flocks”, whose skills range from Magpies (burglars) to Nightingales (deceivers and spies) to Owls (assassins.)

The Ravens represent the Watch’s equivalent of high-society, boasting such rarities as museums and wineries.  Underneath the surface, however, they are no less violent than the other districts.  Vicious organized crime families seek to extend their influence outwards.  The Ravens would argue that they are the true and rightful lords of the Watch, and the other districts would argue with equal ferocity that the Watch has no Lord. The Ravens are held together by Lucy, Krel Twistback’s widow, returned to the watch under mysterious circumstances in a ship whose hold was filled with gold marks. For now at least, she organizes the flocks, and if there loyalty her gold cannot buy, the constant threat of Carson, her right-hand man and the most feared assassin in the watch, serves as another form of persuasion. 

Whatever name one gives them, the Raven’s Nest is the nearest thing to nobility and traditional humanity the Watch has to offer.

A place for thieves, assassins, and all things scandalous, the Raven’s Nest exemplifies the cunning and skill of the Watch’s denizens. 

Watch District: Clawtangle

“Monsters were never meant to live among men.”

Many of the Watch’s denizens once dreamed of a world in which monsters and humans might co-exist.  And as Raven’s Watch became Dragon’s Watch, it seemed at first that that dream had come true.

Yet this dream was not to last.  After Nayritha fell, the monsters of the Watch crumbled and turned on each other.  Their predatory natures took them one by one, leaving many of the Watch’s remaining humans to be their prey, spurred on by the spread of Witchblight from Nayritha’s tower.

Clawtangle is the northern part of the Watch, a twisted mess of uneven streets that seems to always be growing, though there are no builders.  At night, few dare to go outside, fearing the plague of the Witchblight and the strange monsters that now beset the streets.

Citizens of Clawtangle suffer the worst of the blight, often struggling to survive beneath the ground as many of them begin to become monsters themselves.  It is the worst of slums, the cruelest and coldest of places, a city that can only be described as a place of madness.  Its denizens, known as the tanglers, are dangerous men and women, surviving and even thriving among the cruelty. The Lord of  Clawtangle, a shadow dragonkin known as Zilliterixx, is whispered by some to be restarting experiments left abandoned by Nayritha’s death.

The Tanglers believe that the Watch would do better to set aside its last vestiges of civilization, and the gradual appearance of Clawtangle is regarded with fear and uncertainty by the other districts, and even certain scholars within the Kreis.

A place for monsters and killers, the Clawtangle represents the ruthlessness and savagery of those who call the Watch their home. 

The Feywood

“The branches of Feywood whisper secrets of old…”

Hamley farmers grow nervous, and passing merchant caravans sprinkle iron powder on all their goods. Deep in the Feywood, life stirs anew that has not stirred since the devastation brought on by the Witch of the North.  There are Elves once more singing in the place, and for the first time in a long time, a victory for that ever-beleaguered sect has seen new growth blossoming deep within the heart of the wood. 

Now, that growth has exploded into the twinkling blues, violets, and reds of an autumn people who have at once found spring, chill as it may be. There is heart here, and beauty, but danger too.  The Fey, always ready to ensnare unwary travelers, have become more active, and many believe that even the elves, ancient guardians of the wood, have begun to give in to their darker urges.  Dark wraiths have been seen stalking the forest’s edge, their purpose unknown.  And there are those within the woods who speak now of what humans have done to them, and what the forest might answer in return.

All of Feywood has been rebuilt, with a new visual style and new secrets and areas to discover, meant to represent the changes throughout the woodlands.

The Elven Stronghold

“The elves who once looked to the light now dwell among darker trees. Ever the Fey yet call to them.”

In the days after the Witch’s devastation of Feywood, a great tree began to grow.

It began in the center of the elven stronghold.  A tree that brought with it a storm of white winter.  Yet soon, this tree would grow beyond its bounds, its roots splintering through ancient buildings the elves had lived within for centuries.  

 

Now, many claim that the elves have spread through the wood, rediscovering old homes left behind by Feywood’s first settlers.  The lands that were once the elven stronghold now stand abandoned to the roots of the tree they call Surunuk, and voices call from the forests above. Yet even the elves now wonder if they are the master of this strange tree, or if it somehow seeks to master them.

The elven settlements of the north have been completely rebuilt, with new markets, buildings, and lore!  Elves of Feywood now dwell in the trees high above the woodlands, looking down upon their new domain as it changes beneath them.  Seeking out the elven statues within the wood is believed to be the first step to locating them.

New Class: Blight-Walker

“Those born of the blight bring darkness to all that they touch…”

The Blight-Walker is a master or mistress of cursed magic.  A wielder of dark powers that blight and decay the things their magic touches.  Due to the dark nature of their magic, blight-walkers often live far away from civilization, within the natural world they must wound in order to invoke their horrifying magic.

After the fall of the rift, the Blight-walkers began to appear more openly.  Some believed them connected to the “Witchblight” that spread from Dragon’s Watch, but they have been reported appearing all across the island, far away from the Witchblight’s original source.  Some believe they have always been here, trained and apprenticed in secret within the woods and wilds.  Whatever their cause, the Blight-Walkers wield powerful curses and hexes against their enemies. They are often seen as pariahs within polite society, dangerous folk who most prefer to avoid.

The Blight-Walker is an intelligence-based caster, yet they learn their spells as sorcerers do.  Their dark powers offer them many feats of magic no other can possess, and they are masters and mistresses of curses and debilitating magics.

See the Wiki Page for full class details on the Blight-Walker.

Class Update: Assassin

As a place of criminality, the Watch update gave us an ideal opportunity to carry out a long-awaited overhaul of the Assassin class.  For a long time Assassin has struggled to feel distinct from rogue, and their abilities never offered much more than a watered-down version of Thain’s Shadowdancer.  The planned update to Assassin will give Assassins a distinct set of tools and a unique play pattern to make them stand blade-and-shoulders from the crowd of rogues and stealthers.

As part of these changes, we’ll be removing HIPS from the 10 class item, and removing the On-hit / Damage from the weapon poisons.  In exchange, Assassins will receive a suite of new abilities to complement a powerful playstyle, mixing area and single-target damage abilities into a storm of deadly blades and fast movements.

  • Level 1 – Patient Study: Assassins now use Energy as a resource.  They gain a pool of Energy, which refills at a rate of (INT mod) per second, with a minimum of 1. This energy will be displayed in a new energy bar which will appear onscreen. 
  • Level 1 – Death Attack: Instead of a traditional Sneak Attack with a chance of paralysis, the Assassin abilities “Adder’s Touch” and “Relentless Blades” will “mark” enemies, building a stack.  Autoattacks have a 50% chance to build a stack. When an enemy acquires three marks, the marks are removed from that enemy and the assassin deals (1d6 per assassin level) piercing damage to the enemy. The Assassin gains (Assassin Level/2) as an attack and damage bonus for 2 rounds each time they consume marks. 
  • Level 1 –  Relentless Blade: Throw out five whirling blades in a cone that pass through enemies, dealing 1d4 damage per assassin level to all enemies. After 1s the blades return to the caster, dealing damage again and slowing the movement speed of all enemies hit by 35% for 6s. Each hit applies a stack for Death Attack, but each enemy can only be hit once per pass. 40 energy, 10s cd.
  • Level 4 –  Adder’s Touch: When used, your next attack is guaranteed to hit and deals (Assassin Level)d4 additional damage. 30 energy, 4s cd.
  • Level 6 – Umbervault: Blink to target enemy and disappear for two seconds, becoming invulnerable and untargetable during this time. 20 energy, 20s cd.
  • Level 10 – Poisonmaster’s Suite: Gain the ability to apply poisons while out of combat. Applying a poison halves the damage taken by enemies when their stack of marks is consumed, but adds one of the following effects:
    • Impair target’s AC by 5 for 3 rounds
    • Breach the target for a single defensive spells.
    • Lower one of the target’s physical stats (DEX, CON, STR) by -1d6 for 3 rounds.
    • Paralyze enemy pending DC: 5 + INT modifier + Assassin Level fortitude saving throw for 1 round.
    • Put target to sleep pending DC: 10 + INT modifier + Assassin level will save for 1 turn per assassin level (1 round per assassin level for Player Characters)

Full information and details on the Assassin can be found on the Class Changes Wiki Page.

Constellations

As part of our ongoing efforts to deepen the world lore of our island, we’ve begun to develop the night sky.  Pictured here are the twelve constellations that shine over Thain, beautiful shapes within the stars that speak of the lore of the titans of old.

 

Full details about the constellations can be found on our Constellations page.

Other Changes

Gerdamesh Village

  • Following the death of their leader, Fenris, the Gerdamesh village has a new king.  His conversation may reveal more, for those with an interest in Gerdamesh’s future.

Warlock

  • Warlocks have consistently struggled to feel like a reliable damage option, despite numerous buffs.  We’ve decided to increase their reliability by removing the ranged touch attack component of Eldritch Blast.  Eldritch Blast is now guaranteed to hit, pending an SR check.  This should make Warlocks a more reliable damage option, which may help to make up for their lack of raw DPS versus their autoattacking counterparts.

Bugfixes

  • We’ve fixed a long-standing bug that would cause players to sometimes get stuck underneath the water.  Now, if you try and fail to surface while underwater for any reason, you should see the swim window re-open after a few seconds, allowing you to try again instead of getting stuck.
  • We’ve fixed some outstanding quest bugs and confusing dialog that would lead players in the wrong direction.
  • We’ve fixed the Lady’s Tomb and Lord’s Tomb door not opening correctly, and added some new quest options for opening them.
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