Relic System
Storyline
It was once said that the different peoples of the world known as Aetheria were in possession of magical gifts that were bestowed upon them by the gods themselves.
These gifts gave the races power beyond that of normal mortals, but with that power came greed and corruption...
Godly rewards were found to lead the people to godly temptations and then ultimately to battle.
Battle became Civil War and Civil War became Chaos.
When the smoke cleared and the stench of the dead subsided the peoples looked through the ruins of their world. When they counted the toll of their lost brothers and sisters they found that they had also lost the one thing which could have helped them rebuild thier lives and their future...Some said the Gods themselves took the gifts back. Others said that they were lost in the ruins...
...every search and every prayer for the gifts proved futile, eventually the revered blessings were all but forgotten...
...the Diviners of the Gods disappeared from the lands like the fields had disappeared under the torch...they were thought to have become extict...but...well the reason I recall this for you now...
...It is said the Diviners are returning...
...the old-timer came rushing into the Farmhouse from the fields..."they're here" he said desperately trying to catch his breath.
His legs were not what they were when his Great Grandfather had told him of the ones who were devoted to the blessings of the Gods, yet he knew instantly what she was when he saw her...
The rumours were rife across the land, and rightly so, the signs of divine maneuvers were not going unnoticed...
Supreme powers in the midst of mortals can not hope to take place without marking the land...
Yet still he thought it was something not dreamed of in his lifetime, but now he had seen with his own two eyes...
...when she saw the scorch marks on the Castle floor Rica immediately called for Ellistra...
...Ellistra walked into the room confidently, but as she approached her friend her pace slowed. She felt an eternity pass as she took the final step.
The two exchanged a thousand words with a simple look.
The news of a sighting in the fields could no longer be dismissed as an old man's senility setting in. These marks would undoubtedly be showing up in all of Aetherias major cities.
"We must search our city for those who have returned" she continued "they must have more information!" cried Rica in disbelief. "There is no time! We must tell Duke Ashimar this most wonderful news" said Ellistra "...And we must then tell him to prepare our people for war"
The High Priestess came out of the trance by which she devoted her entire being in prayer to Lolth and slowly opened her eyes. The marking on her temple floor was unmistakable as were, from the reports of her spies and scouts, those in the Wolf's Den, the Compound and the tower in Garagoth.
The signs were all too clear for those who knew how to read them...
She knew that the power to advance her people into a new age was on the Horizon.
"Praise be to Lolth!" she screamed! "With the Relic of our people returned the Drow shall rule Aetheria!"
And so it was that what was forseen came to pass...
The gifts of the Gods have returned to the realm of Aetheria...
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Guide to the Relic system in NS4.
Every faction has a Relic and a Relic Cradle. The Relics reside in the Relic Cradles. The Relic Cradle is somewhere in each Faction city.
The status of a Factions Relic is reported upon entering Aetheria.
However, each Faction has a Relic Diviner who will use her psychic prowess to determine the location of a Relic. She is extremely good at finding her own Relic with her powers, however if the Relic of the faction she represents is safe she may be able to give information on the Relic of other factions. All party members of a player who enlists the help of the Diviner will receive the information she gives. However Relic Diviners will find a new location in their home city each time they give information. Any character (no matter how low level) can help with the recovery of their Relic by seeking out the Diviner for the team.
Invading forces who successfully steal Relics from opposing factions and return them to their own Relic Cradle will be able to draw on the power of multiple Relics. However, ferry travel is restricted when one is carrying a relic. This prevents characters from using the ferries in Neversummer City and Sleeth to escape with a stolen relic in seconds. Dragonflight is not restricted, and anyone carrying a relic is free to use dragons as transportation as long as they have the sufficient gold.
There are no allies when it comes to the Relics of the Gods. Claim the power for your faction and yours alone!
Relic cradles will weaken their hold on Relics in the presence of enemies, however not until a random amount of Defenders are defeated will cradle weakening process begin. No weapon can damage these divine items, just as no key can open them - patience is the weapon of the wise. However invaders who are delay too much will find the relic has regained it's power.
Each Relic is tightly bound the the fate of the Faction it represents. The bonuses for Capturing Relics apply to every member of the controlling faction:
- Home Relic + 1 = +10% to all normal XP awards.
- Home Relic + 2 = +15% to all normal XP awards.
- Home Relic + 3 = +20% to all normal XP awards.
- Home Relic + 4 = +25% to all normal XP awards.
- Home Relic + 5 = +30% to all normal XP awards. (changed 2/26/08)
- Home Relic + 6 = +35% to all normal XP awards. (changed 2/26/08)
10-24-08 Update - Relic XP bonus now scales based on reputation. Faction reputation is a number between 0 and 100, where 100 is friendly and 0 is enemy. So if a player has done some hostile things (like attacking guards) to their own faction, and drops their reputation to 80, they only get 80% of their relic bonus. So, if they normally would get a 30% relic bonus, they'll only get about 24% instead. Having a reputation of 0 means you get no relic bonus, and having a full 100 reputation with your faction (default on character creation) means you get the full relic bonus.
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Only 1 Relic can be carried by any one player at a time.
You may capture relics at any time, but a Faction must control it's own Relic to receive any bonuses.
Some areas are out of bounds such as Guild Halls. Entering any out of bounds area (generally areas that are not publically accessable) will cause the Relic bearer to lose the Relic he/she is transporting.
A red flag symbolizes the carrier of a stolen Relic.
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A blue flag symbolises the carrier of a recovered Relic.
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Some of the inhabitants of Aetheria will not wish to become involved in the struggles of Relic parties.
If you login a character which is located very close to your own or an enemy cradle while it is under threat you will be ported and receive a temporary penalty. Camping Relic Cradles with high level characters until a "Raiding" server broadcast message appears is not in the interest of fair play. The same goes for logging out while the cradle weakens.
During server resets any Relics which are not safe or captured in a cradle are returned to their owner faction.
Diviners
Diviners are said to favour the following areas...
Diviner of the Ancient Ones:
- Sleeth: Compound
- Sleeth: Disciples' Dwelling
- Sleeth: Feeding Grounds
- Sleeth: Temple of the Ancients
- Sleeth: The Winged Arrow
Diviner of the Last Alliance:
- Neversummer Castle
- Neversummer City: Academy District
- Neversummer City: Alliance Barracks
- Neversummer City: Inn of the Half-Eaten Goat
- Neversummer City: Tower of Wizardry Upstairs
Diviner of the Mystral Ascendancy:
- Garagoth
- Garagoth: Abandoned House
- Garagoth: Docks
- Garagoth: Tower of Sorcery
- Garagoth: Tower of Sorcery (Second Floor)
Diviner of the Northern Coalition:
- Northern Coalition Headquarters
- Daeron
- Daeron: Harbor
- Daeron: South Gates
- Daeron: East Gates?
Diviner of Ragnar's Kin:
- Dwarven War Training
- Ragnar's Kin: Headquarters
- Dwarven Stronghold: Lower
- Dwarven Stronghold: The Full Beard Tavern
- Dwarven Stronghold: Upper
Diviner of the Shadow Legion:
- Menzoduran
- Menzoduran: House Bourne
- Menzoduran: House Dourden
- Menzoduran: House Meurne
- Menzoduran: Shadow Legion
Diviner of The Circle:
- Melencia
- Melencia: Circle Council Hall
- Melencia: Bear Tent
- Melencia: Boar Tent
- Melencia: Nature's Inn
Defenders
There are a certain amount of Defenders you must defeat before you may steal a relic from its cradle. If there remains a presence of guards, the relic cradle shall remain strong. Once you defeat them, however, the relics in the cradle are free for the taking.
If you run directly to the relic cradle and try to steal a relic without killing the guards first, you will initiate a shout message that will alarm the entire server of your raid. After doing so, you must kill the Defenders to get the relic free. Doing so gives you little time to escape, as by the time you grab the relic the defending players are most likely to appear.
Another method is to simply kill all the guards first. A shout message will go off declaring your attack, and another when you have defeated all the guards.
In addition to the normal Faction Guards, there is an additional NPC Defender that is stronger than his fellow guards. Each one is unique to his/her faction. They are powerful Defenders that you must defeat before grabbing a relic. They will be listed below...
Last Alliance Sharpshooter: This archer has a finely-tuned aim, and arrows that pierce even the most protective or armor. She is a powerful defender at any range, making her un-avoidable and an immediate problem. In addition to her powerful offense, her Armor Class and Saves are quite good as well. Her only weakness is her Hit Points, making her easy to knock down if you can hit her hard.
Ragnar's Fist: A monk of speed, grace, and efficiency, this dwarf hits hard. In addition to his powerful punch, he is well-rounded due to his Monk abilities. He has decent Hit Points, Armor Class, and Saves. He has amazing Speed as well. His weakness isn't as apparent as others due to him being good all around, however this also means he doesn't excel in many areas.
Legion Assassin: True to the name, this Assassin will creep at of the shadows to attack when you raid. If not watched carefully, he can become quite a problem. In addition to his stealthy abilities, his a powerful Defender. However, if focused on he can be brought down. Turning your back to him on the other hand...
Ancient Mercenary: A large Greatsword user, this mercenary's power remains unknown (feel free to edit).
The Circle Tracker: A nasty opponent, this tracker wields a rapier in one hand a mace in another. While her other abilities are not near as powerful as her offensive, she still is a fearsome force as long as she lives. Her Sneak Attacks can cut down a perpetrator of The Circle quickly.
Coalition Enforcer: Wields a flaming greatsword. His attacking strength is equal to that of a buffed solar. His main strength is his toughness, he takes a rather long time to wear down. However, taking him down make take a while but its note exactly very dangerous.
Ascendancy Warlock: A quick-casting mage, his storm of spells come faster at an invader than any other. However, this doubles as his weak point. After quickly casting so many of his spells, he runs out and can only attack with a staff. While running out of spells dramatically decreases his offensive ablities, his defensive abilities are incredible due to his Armor Class.
