Hammer's Rest 2007

Hammer's Rest 2007
New Festival got added during as well as fixes, updates and additions.
Release Type:	Content Update
Rollout Live:	2007/10/16

Hammer's Rest 2007

In ages past, the cool days and long shadows of late autumn brought a change to the dwarven city of Aughundell. The smithies and workshops and forges fell silent, for it was harvest time and every available hand was needed in the farms and fields. The harvest season culminated in the great festival of Hammer’s Rest, a time of music, merriment, lavish feasts, and, of course, abundant ale.

The coming of the Withered Aegis changed that. There was no harvest during the First Siege of Aughundell, or for many years after that. For 99 years, the hammers of Aughundell have rung endlessly, night and day, crafting the tools and gear of war. This year, that changes. The dwarves of Aughundell celebrate Hammer’s Rest once more and invite the Gifted of Istaria to celebrate with them.

Come to the festival grounds near Aughundell and listen to a tale of ages past while you sample one of the specially prepared brews. Fill your mug with a variety of beers straight from a wooden cask, or sink your teeth into a Dwarven Sausage. Or maybe a nice juicy pickle is more what your taste buds are craving? Are you hearty enough to dance a polka after a few pints? Then hike your skirts, tighten your boot laces, and kick up your heels because the dwarves have brought in musicians from all around Istaria to play tunes not heard for generations. Rumor has it that one of the musicians has brought back the art of playing “ye ole squeeze box” to join the band. And if you wake to find that five really was one too many of Knut's Fire Whiskey, worry not. Your companions drank just as heartily as you, and so probably won't recall what happened either.

Not to be outdone by the dwarves, Istarians of all races have once again erected their own festival tents near Dalimond in celebration of fall as well. The Living Races gather to celebrate traditions older than even the most ancient of dragons can recall. Sweet treats to tempt the tongue are again being given to all who wander by. But beware, for a few tricksters still roam the grounds hoping to catch you in a harmless prank or two. Don your own costume and disguise yourself as one of the scarey undead and perhaps you'll become prankster instead. Don't forget to show your own spooky spirit by decorating your own home for fall with jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, and even someone special's headstone in your front yard.

Fall Harvest

• Holm the Orator has two new ghost stories to tell; “The Starving Artist” and “The Child in the Woods”.
• Beginner Fall Harvest Treats formula now uses Ground Cinnamon instead of Cinnamon Bark and is usable again.

Quests

• Pratt McGrubben on New Trismus will now give out the Gifted rewards to players who completed the Trials more than a year ago and never got the ability and emblem.
• Sadie the Scout on New Trismus now has five additional quests to offer Scouts.
• Fillet in Sslanis will now offer the quest “Iron Confectioner” to qualified Confectioners.
• Grant Smyth quest no longer gives a free vault upgrade as a reward.
• Quest “Mage Quest: Prove your Skills to Ulaven” no longer asks for Brown Spider Hatchling Eyes.
• Quest “Ghost Story: Valkor the Impaler” no longer gives a free component to the Blood Sword.
• Imperial Outpost quests offered by Frig will now let you speak with Frig instead of Burris.
• Quest “Jolan’s Quest: Revenge” now has kill counters before you kill Jolan’s friends.
• Fixed a bug that prevented “Battle Sugar Cane” quest from completing.
• Fixed a broken link in quest "Scout's Quest: Patrol the Island Roads"
• Fixed quest "Scout's Quest: Collect Wolf Bones for Geoff" to properly track looting of Small Brown Wolf Bones.

World

• Ambient sounds added to the mine on Spirit Isle.
• Added a music track that will play while players are standing near the temple on Spirit Isle.
• Frelic the Militia Surplus Officer is feeling less stingy towards Scouts and has reached an agreement with Sadie to distribute training equipment to Gifted on her behalf.
• Baltoriss will now give the Master Fabric Spool formula if your current Spinning skill is greater than 1200 (but your base is less).

Monsters

• The frequency of attacks by the Withered Aegis on the Imperial Outpost has begun to slow, as evidenced by less frequent appearances of the Blight Anchors.
• Valkor the Impaler has begun dropping more than one component at times, but his coffers of endless coin have nearly run dry.
• More Sand Pygmies have been spotted on the beaches of New Trismus.
• Gritus Maximus has been spotted on the northern beaches of Lesser Aradoth more frequently.
• Sand Ogres have once again been spotted near the Crystal Lakes.

Items

• The Glimmel Lake Bottle Cap Collection is no longer stackable.
• Ulaven has corrected the nomenclature for spider eyes and now calls them Undamaged and Damaged Brown Spider Eyes instead of Brown Spider Hatchling Eyes.
• Tailor’s Cogs now give bonuses to clothworking, leatherworking, and tailoring.
• Exsanguinating Crystals now have a chance to deal ethereal (spirit) damage over time.
• Dementia crystals will now properly do mind damage.
• Raw Chicken is now associated with Chickens instead of Chicken Breast.
• Genuata now carries Ground Cinnamon.
• Black Pepper Plant will give Black Pepper Berries instead of Pepper Corns.
• Annis' Ring can no longer be consigned or hoarded.
• Sanguine Mace is now associated with 1-H Crush skill.
• Galt’s Blade will only give attack bonuses to non-ranged, non-spell attacks.
• Wolf Hide Harvest Knife is now associated with Foraging skill.
• Veteran Dark Garnet Weapon crystal is no longer available.
• Consumed Dark Emerald crystal now applies proper health increase.
• Adjusted the optimal skill requirement for making Shining Essence Orbs in the Master Tainted Essence Orb formula to be 1125 instead of 1150.
• Annis’ Ring will no longer drop as loot.