TriangleArrow-Left.svgAugust 2017 Issues of the Questaholic Magazine October 2017TriangleArrow-Right.svg

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CLAN QUEST PEOPLE
An interview with Diapolo from the Nordic lands
By Choto Ends
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Hello one and all, welcome to another month of Questaholic. The spotlight's on Diapolo this month.
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[Miss Alaska]

Q1: Do you have any favourite actors? (Can be live action or voice acting)

A1:
I have a hard time remembering the names of 99% of the actors I've seen/heard, but I particularly like:
- Rowan Atkinson
- Whoever voiced Nomad in Dominion Tower
- Troy Baker, for voicing Sigma in Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

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Q2: What fictional world would you like to visit?

A2:
Gielinor, if I could go everywhere else with the World Gate.
Otherwise... Mira, from Xenoblade Chronicles X or alternatively anywhere with cute girls. :3

Q3: What do you want to grow up to be when you were a kid?

A3:
I actually had no idea until the very end of upper secondary school.
And I wanted to become a game developer, no matter how difficult it'd be.

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Q4: What colour is your hair?

A4: Brown. Would've preferred black though. :p

Q5: Do you have any siblings?

A5: Two younger sisters (who keep annoying me to no end).

Q6: What...is your favourite colour?

A6: If I had to choose just one colour... dark green. But really, anything goes with a golden trim! 1- icon biggrin.png

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[Cyberman]

Q1: I used to ask this question a lot back in the day, time to bring back an old tradition: IRL pic please?

A1: I'm not exactly handsome by any metrics, but I'm kinda proud of having a beard at the age of 19!

Q2: Please explain your Discord profile pic 2- icon smile.gif (who? where from? why?)

A2:
Heh... well, I used to simply have the same one my YouTube channel / Twitter uses,
but when I became a moderator on the (unofficial) Nekopara Discord server and I was given
a mod nickname of "Vanilla" (who is a character from the visual novel series),
I just decided to use her picture on my profile. It fits the server atmosphere, I like her character

...and, most importantly, who wouldn't like girls with cat ears? 1- icon biggrin.png

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Q3: What's your favourite fictive creature outside of RS?

A3:
Does this mean I can't choose anything that can be found in RS?

If not: dragons

If yes: catgirls (say what you will, this world of ours could use some cuteness!)

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Q4: What is your favourite word in the English language?

A4: "Splendid"

Q5: What is your favourite thing about this clan?

A5: The people. Seriously; the atmosphere is really warm and everyone gets along! What else could one hope? :D

Q6: If you were given the opportunity to change 1 thing in RS (anything goes, no exceptions), what would you change, why, and how would you change it?

A6: I would make it so that we'd get at least one quest every month, with more quality control and resources allocated to them.

Q7: What's your favourite thing about RS?

A7: Hm... probably the surprisingly diverse skilling system that's based on grinding and hard work. Few other games do the same!

Q8: If you could have any superpower for 24h but suffer its opposite for 24h after you lose the power, which superpower would you pick? (eg: invisibility - constantly being noticed, flying - crawling, mindreading - other people reading your mind, laser sight - blindness,...)

A8: Ultimate intelligence. I'd plan out my life with multiple backup plans within those 24 hours, while studying simultaneously. After that, my intelligence would be that of a potato but, having taken notes of my last 24 hours, that wouldn't be a problem.

[Choto 3000]

Q1: When did you start playing?

A1: IIRC it was at the end of 2008, albeit on a different account. My current main was made in 2009.

Q2: What was your very first accomplishment cape?

A1: Quest Point Cape in... 2011 I think? First skillcape was farming, which I got just a few months ago.

Q3: If I were to visit your country, what do you think I should do first?

A3: During the summer? Rent a log cabin and relax in the nature. Winter; play in the snow.

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Q4: What are your favourite cities/locations, both in RS and in real life?

A4:
RS3:
- Prifddinas
- Menaphos (visually)
- good ol' Lumbridge
- Keldagrim
- Player-Owned Houses (because why not? 1- icon biggrin.png)

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OSRS:
- Lumbridge (again)
- Great Kourend (I love some of the houses, and Arceuus House has best music)
Real life:
- Tampere; great services while not overcrowded

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Q5: Do you have a motto or a favourite phrase? If so, which is it?

A5: "Life is simply unfair, don't you think?" -Zero II, Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma

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Q6: Which quest you believe to be the best?

A6: RS has many fantastic quests, but A Clockwork Syringe is definitely up there because I loved the idea of POH boss battle

Q7: Do you play an instrument? If not, which instrument/s would you like to learn?

A7: I make music with FL Studio, so... I play all instruments? :p
Other than that, I don't play anything nor am I particularly interested in learning.

Q8: Tell us the story behind your name!

A8:
Short version: I based it on my friend's username
Long version:
Back in 2009, I played RS with several IRL friends who invited me into the game. One of them was known in-game as "Diapolo5" at the time, and I was at their house making an account. At the time I think I was around 10 years old, so that explains the "10" part; although another reason for that was because I wanted to be twice as good at the game as my friend was.

On the other hand, the two of us also did tricks with these things called "diabolo" at the time, which IIRC were originally created by the Chinese to banish demons or something. However, the 'b' was changed to 'p' because it could then be read as "poor-Dia" or "pitiful-Dia", which I thought reflected myself quite well at the time.

Later on, I discovered new meanings for the name. Did you know that "dia" is Greek for "heavenly" or "divine", as well as Spanish for "day"? I chose to interpret this as "the one who keeps the darkness of night at bay". Additionally, the "polo"-part reminds me of Marco Polo, the famous trader and globetrotter.

I could talk about this all day long, but I'd rather the article isn't just one massive answer to one question. :p

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Q9: How many languages do you speak? Which one would you like to learn?

A9: Finnish (native), English (excellent, probably near native), Swedish (poorly). I'd be interested in learning Japanese because there are many VNs that haven't been translated to English, and because we get lots of Japanese tourists (thanks to Moomin) and it could be useful.

Q10: If you had to escape your country inmediately, what's the one thing you'd take with you?

A10: Assuming passport and wallet wouldn't count, probably my phone.

Q11: How did you decide to become a developer?

A11: Love for videogames ever since I was a kid, really. Game development is rough, but it can also be hugely rewarding when you finish a project. Additionally, easier access to guides and new languages (Python for scripting, Rust for heavy lifting) thanks to the Internet has been a big catalyst.

Q12: What's the best and worst part of programming?

A12:
Best part; when your code compiles first time without errors. (Because you feel like a pro.) Worst part; when your code compiles first time without errors. (Because there's no way that should be the case, and there's a 99.9% chance you have a serious bug in your code.)

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Q13: Best film ever?

A13: The Iron Giant. Loved it as a kid.

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Q14: Best book ever?

A14: If VNs count, Zero Escape: Nine hours, nine persons, nine doors. Otherwise, any Don Rosa's Donald Duck comic collection!

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[Tyco elf]

Q1: What is your earliest Runescape memory?

A1: Killing men and women in Lumbridge for GP. I also remember dying to them.

Q2: How would you describe yourself in-game? Noobish, rich, adventurous, bankstander, on-the-go or maybe a lorehound?

A2: Overachieving lorehound, who procrastinates way too much.

Q3: You get a ticket to visit Gielinor IRL. Where do you go first?

A3: Lumbridge, because I want to develop my IRL combat stats. Also because nostalgy.

Q4: What do you think should be the next thing added to Runescape? Feel free to pick anything!

A4: Fossil Island; I bet those guys building the barge must've gotten tired after 10+ years of hard work with little progress. :p

Q5: You get 30 seconds of full attention from Jagex. What do you say?

A5: I have two things to tell you; first, thank you for keeping the game alive for over 15 years! Second, I know that it's a lot of work but please reconsider making Stellar Dawn a thing~

Q6: Tell me your darkest secret that has never been revealed before.

A6: You ready for this? You sure? Alright...

I despise coffee despite being a programmer.

Hot chocolate && tea > coffee

[Choto] says: HERESY
[Santa] says: Niiice

[Luke]

Q1: What's your favourite food?

A1: Pizza with tuna, ham and salami sausage toppings.

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[Wolffi]

Q1: Azuki or Adzuki?

A1: Azuki. :3

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Q2: When was your luckiest day and what happened?

A2: The day I found two 4-leaf clovers just by going through a clover patch at our summer cottage.

Q3: What's the most Finnish thing to say? [No swearing, let's keep it PG-13]

A3:
*silence*

We Finns don't talk much, now, do we? :D

Q4: Have you embraced our [fill in the blank] overlords?

A4: Yes, of course; how could I not embrace our wolf-/catgirl overlords? :3

Q5: This is a question, interpret it as you will and answer.

A5: This is an answer, interpret and use it as you will.

Q6: Who's a good little puppy?

A6: You, of course! 1- icon biggrin.png

Q7: Who's your favorite character in RuneScape?

A7: Nomad, by far. I love his design, and his personality and backstory are also interesting.

Q8: Who do you think resembles you most in RuneScape?

A8: Hm... I'm not quite sure. Probably Reldo, the librarian. He's smart and has a beard and moustache.

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Q9: Which religion in RuneScape does your character follow and why?

A9: Guthix' teachings. May he always be remembered... ;-;

Q10: Do you think some of these questions are weird?

A10: No, not at al- *Exception: questionParser(question) encountered an unexpected problem*

Q11: What sort of content would you like to be released on RS next?

A11: Quests, Fossil Island, anything with either deep amounts of lore or good comedy. Or both, I'm not picky. :p

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Thank you Dia for the interview, you were super co-operative and prompt. Thank you all for the nice questions.

Article by SantaEnds

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CLAN QUEST PEOPLE
An interview with 800fieldsrain i Dermobilitypunch
(A.K.A Will)

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By Santa 3000
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Were

How dry is the rain 'round your place?
Everything dries with enough energy so it is dry no matter where it is.

Are you actually immobile?
If I want to be. It's a choice.

What's that one piano piece you never worked out how to play?
Too many to count. Probably every song written by a composer after 1800 and before 1800. (But in seriousness la campanella/4th ballade by chopin)

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WASCH SEVEN TIMES SEVEN
How do I watch 7 x 7/

With the benefit of hindsight, what's the silliest thing you've ever done in rs?
Never brought a charming imp cause I thought it didn't work if it was in inventory.

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Kitty

When does the Will x Lily ship sail?
Everything happens in dreams. You can believe it to be true and realize it within your own space 2- icon smile.gif

Cyberman

I used to ask this question a lot back in the day, time to bring back an old tradition: IRL pic please
I'll send you this Choto tomorrow.
[Editor’s note: Still waiting for it]

What's your favourite fictional creature outside of RS?
Phoenixes are my favourite. I don't know if it's due to my influence from Fawkes in Harry Potter but fire, rebirth, etc. It's too magical. Oh and hoho from pokemon. If you consider pokemon fictive creatures, Lugia is probably my all time favorite.

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If you were given the opportunity to change 1 thing in RS (anything goes, no exceptions), what would you change, why, and how would you change it?
What would I change: Well, I would add immersion to the game. More interactions with npc and npc based trading systems: Ie if we all left the world of gielinor the game will function on its own, GE would change, and the dynamic nature of the game would remain. I really love immersive games (Skyrim) so I have always advocated for this for runescape. A quick simple way to do it is: turn npcs into characters that level skills, mine, trade, pvm, etc. and generate ACTUAL items/ GOLD. Tag those items separately as NPC obtained and have an interface to trade between NPCs and actual players. Players should also be able to sabotage/support npcs in their efforts by killing bandits that raid general stores, etc. That's just a small snippet.

What's your favourite thing about RS?
I don't think I need to answer this: What do you think? Should be quite obvious:P.

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If you could have any superpower for 24h but suffer its opposite for 24h after you lose the power, which superpower would you pick? (eg: invisibility - constantly being noticed, flying - crawling, mindreading - other people reading your mind, laser sight - blindness,...)
The ability to teach/learn anything. I'm a huge advocate for education of any kind (not necessarily school).

Tyco Elf

What is your earliest Runescape memory?
Killing 800 men to buy an iron platebody from Varrock Armour shop. (Hence 800mans)

You get a ticket to visit Gielinor IRL. Where do you go first?
Zanaris, fairies are quite cool and the place is magical!

What do you think about EoC in Runescape and what would you like to see added/removed?
I think EoC is working very well. The game has become quite complex when you approach challenges in end-game pvm. I would like to see the tick system removed and perhaps a fourth combat style added (that focuses on dealing with multiple mobs at once). Lance horseback charging time?

You get 30 seconds of full attention from Jagex. What do you say?
10 seconds - Soaking in the moment
10 seconds- Forgetting what I was about to say
5 seconds - panicking
4- seconds - Hello my name is William
Last second- Thanks for making runescape.

Tell me your darkest secret that would make Nex cry tears of blood.
My account has been used as a bot once upon a time.

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Luke

What's your favourite food?
Sushi - especially the aburi kind. I love futo maki rolls followed sashimi such as high fatty tuna, salmon, etc.

Do you like dogs?
Yup! German shepherds are my favourite kind.

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What kind of music do you listen to? Hmm instrumentals (no vocal) - movie soundtracks, original composers, etc.
Classical Music - Romantic Era - Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Beethoven
Old school songs - Bohemian rhapsody, Bee Gees, etc.
Modern Day - EDM ish stuff

If there's a quest of which you could change the storyline of, which quest would you pick and what part of its storyline would you change?
The World Wakes - sliske doesn't end up killing guthix. Guthix however is rendered in an unconscious state like the elder gods:D - Subsequent events still occur but this opens up a possibility for revival.

Shane

What is your favourite colour?
Sky Blue!

What should I do or where should I visit if I come to the place where you live?
Visit Whistler for skiing! Go to garibaldi for a nice hike.
Other things to do:
Stanley park seawall biking
Stanley Park

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Van du sen gardens
FOOD!
Canada place!
Outdoors - sailing in english bay etc.

Do come visit sometime!

Choto

When did you start playing?
Around 2003.

What was your very first accomplishment cape?
Dungeoneering 2- icon smile.gif It is my favourite skill.

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If I were to visit your country, what do you think I should do first?
Drink beer with maple syrup while stroking beavers and petting moose. Also apologize and say thank you after every 3 words.

What are your favourite cities/locations, both in RS and in real life?
Favourite city currently would be san francisco. Location wise would be British Columbia (where I live:D). In runescape my favourite location is zanaris and my favourite city is also zanaris 1- icon biggrin.png. Fairies!!!!

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Do you have a motto or a favourite phrase? If so, which is it?
I am a huge LOTR fan so...

So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
-Gandalf

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Which quest you believe to be the best?
The world wakes: the player is heavily involved (supposedly) in the outcome of this world even though guthix dies regardless of what you do.

Do you play an instrument? If not, which instrument/s would you like to learn?
Yes! I play piano and the tenor saxophone. If I were to learn an instrument I would definitely learn the violin or timpani!

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Tell us the story behind your name! (Not every name or we'll have a really long interview)
800mans - I killed 800 men to buy my first iron platebody.
Immobility - I thought I was fat
Dryrain - Tried to be cool
I Derped - Tried to be cool attempt #2
FieldsOfHope - Tried to be spiritual
Will I am - Just lazy!

How many languages do you speak? Which one would you like to learn?
Speaking: English
Mildly fluent: Chinese
Can survive and go to the washroom when necessary - Japanese/French
Would like to improve/learn - Chinese/Elvish

If you had to escape your country immediately, what's the one thing you'd take with you?
A computer - so you can look for jobs, information, help etc online.
[Editor’s note: And RS ofc]

Comp Cape for when??
When I turn 50!

Best film ever?
My god but for me The Two Towers in the LOTR trilogy.

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Best book ever?
The Life of Pi

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Thank you, WIll! It seems we finally made it. Have a great month, everyone!

Article by Choto 3000

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Bulletin - September 2017

August has been a busy month for many of us here in the High Council, and we have been dragging some clannies along with us. There is plenty of news to share this time, so let me skip right ahead to the first point.

Group rework
It doesn't take a practiced eye to notice the juggling around of group colours on the offsite and Discord. The changes are not just superficial though, we have merged some groups together and made sure that every group has their own mission. The Combat Marshals are now just the Marshals and can be seen as general in-game experts. The Questaholic and offsite groups have been merged into the "Content Editors" and they will be responsible for all content produced by the clan: in addition to the magazine and offsite, that now also includes social media content and offsite and video content in the very near future. For more information, check out this thread. If you have any suggestions for changes to groups and/or group colours, you can leave them there as well.

As always, we are always looking for more people to people to help us out, so if any of the user groups sounds interesting to you, get in touch with me or the group leader and we'll make sure we find you a good place.

Clan constitution
The change in group structure is a preamble to some larger changes to the clan we are planning. We have been talking about making sure that there is room in the clan for other games for a while now, and with the offsite in a better state we can finally make it happen. We have to make some big changes to how being a member of Clan Quest is defined, and the organisational structure has to be prepared as well. The clan constitution is currently being rewritten to make sure we're ready for this, and we will soon be opening it up for everybody to contribute their suggestions. This is going to be a large turning point in Clan Quest history, so I hope you are as excited as I am about what is coming.

Offsite
While the offsite still looks shiny and new, we are already planning the next steps, and they're big. It was always the intention that the offsite could become a platform for much more than just a forum, which meant we had to work on a system that allows people without technical knowledge to contribute. We have found this solution in building the website around a Wiki system. If you have ever contributed to the RS Wikia or even Wikipedia, you will already be familiar with the system. It gives us almost infinite flexibility, and we're very excited about some of the plans we have.

We don't want to leave you out, because from the survey it was pretty clear that you have plenty of awesome ideas yourselves. Please take a look at this thread and share your top 3 ideas of content that we should add to the offsite, and we'll do our best to make it possible.

Right now we're working hard to make sure the Wiki system works well with the rest of the website. You will be able to reuse your forum login, so there is no need for a separate account to contribute. The only work left for now is to make sure it looks like it's part of the rest of the website, but hopefully we'll be able to start serving user-created content to you soon!

As part of the Wiki project, we also hope that everybody in the clan will write a user-page for themselves. You can use it as your safekeep, put information about yourself on it, or just fill it with pictures of your abs (*cough*). Hopefully we will be able to combine this page with your forum and Runescape stats in the future to create an awesome profile page for every member in this clan. We are not quite ready yet to let you work on it, but it is never too early to start thinking about the content, and you can always use our stale Clan Quest Wikia to experiment. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Clan history project
One of the first things we are going to do with the Wiki is something we have dubbed the Clan history project. Sirapyro is taking charge in building a complete and accurate history of Clan Quest, and it is looking awesome so far. Many of us are part of this history, and we cannot complete the history without your contributions. I am asking all of you to share stories, pictures, videos, or anything you can think of that is useful in this thread, and we'll make sure it gets a nice place.

Survey results
I know I promised the survey results last month, but I have been incredibly busy last month and didn't get around to putting it in a nice presentable package. I am also still waiting for some responses from Clan Quest subgroups about how they want to tackle the results. I cannot give you an exact time estimate, but I am hoping to share the results with you soon.

Meanwhile, we have made sure to incorporate the feedback of the survey in the changes that we are currently developing, and we will keep working on listening to your feedback. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to share.

Runefest
It is only a few more weeks until Runefest takes place, and preparations are in full swing. It looks like we have a solid attendance from Clan Questers, and an international dinner bringing together tastes from home countries of different members. Check out this thread for all your Runefest information.

Make sure to let us know if you're attending or around London during the Runefest weekend, because you're always welcome to join. Check back here next month for a full report on our Clan Quest Runefest trip.

RAWR
I want to close with a reminder that we have reintroduced the RAWR, or Random Act of Win Reward. This reward exists especially for those tiny things that people do to make this clan awesome. That one person that is always ready to drop you some spare overloads when you're stuck at a boss, the one person that always jumps in for some Heroes' Quest help, or the one person that helped you cheer up after a terrible day at school or work. It is the people that make this clan awesome, and you can thank them by calling out how awesome they are. Check out this thread to get started.

Article by Cireon

Clan Quest RAWR Awards
September 2017

Welcome back, noobs! This month we’ve had two nominees: Luke and Questcaping.

"Wise Ork" wrote:

I would like to nominate LukeTotodile. He was there when I needed him most, helping me when I was struggling with my own sexuality. It is thanks to him that I dared admit/face the fact that I am bisexual, and that has been such a huge weight off my shoulders. He truly has my eternal gratitude.

"Cireon" wrote:

I nominate Questcaping for the RAWR awards. Apart from being awesome and organising events (CAH ftw!), Questcaping has taken it upon herself to arrange the facilitation of the international meal the night before Runefest. She has looked for facilities and contacted them to make sure we could use them. I am sure this has cost quite a bit of time, and still she's working on making it happen. Awesome work!

Three people were involved in the selection of a winner. And they chose....

Congratulations Questcaping!

-----|-----

Wait a second... -You may say- What are the RAWR Awards??
Check this link!

PS: Please remember no clannie is better than other just because they won a RAWR edition. You're already a winner if you made it to this thread, because it means you care about others and make our clan a better place every day. Thanks to Cyberman and Cireon for nominating and congratulations to Luke and Questcaping. See you next month!

Article by Choto 3000

RSMV Review

Shake U by herbrightskies, done by 99orwoh. It is a multi editor project with many familiar faces. My choice parts were seeing Angeledits improve so much from the constant practice, Misfit Hita's nicely timed clips and Incognito's cinematic clips that blew my mind.

Article by SantaEnds

CLAN'S ACHIEVEMENTS

Skillers of the month:

1-I Herblaw, with 117,626,488 xp
2-Lord Dustea, with 61,609,516 xp
3-Kexy, with 46,360,586 xp

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99MagazineAttack.png: MsK, Kexy
99MagazineDefense.png: Kexy, Viye, Corrupt
99MagazineStrength.png: Mama, Kexy, MsK
99MagazineRanged.png: Eve, Viya, Kexy
99MagazinePrayer.png: Regi, Kexy
99MagazineMagic.png: Kexy
99MagazineConstitution.png: -
99MagazineCrafting.png: Kexy
99MagazineMining.png: Kexy, Kat, Suli, Seafarer
99MagazineSmithing.png <3: Sluyur, Magicking, Kexy
99MagazineFishing.png: Linkvi, Kexy, Row
99MagazineCooking.png: Kexy, Kat
99MagazineFiremaking.png: Kexy
99MagazineRunecrafting.png: Kexy

99MagazineDungeoneering.png: Kexy, Supert
99MagazineWoodcutting.png: Kexy
99MagazineAgility.png: Kexy
99MagazineHerblore.png: Kexy, Tosols (He cleaned himself)
99MagazineThieving.png: Kexy
99MagazineFletching.png: Tora, Kexy
99MagazineSlayer.png: Snow, Eve, Kexy
99MagazineFarming.png: Kexy, Kebab, Seabreeze
99MagazineConstruction.png: Supert, Kexy
99MagazineHunter.png: Nex, Kexy
99MagazineSummoning.png: Seafarer, Magicking, Kexy
99MagazineDivination.png: Petra, Supert, Row, Kexy
99MagazineInvention.png: Scott

120 MagazineSlayer.png: Daniel
120 MagazineInvention.png: Tosols
500M MagazineSkills.png: Tosols
1B MagazineSkills.png: Dustea, Santa

Skill/s of the month: Mining and Divination

MagazineMax.png Three clannies maxed this month!
Kexy
Tosols
Supertje

MagazineComp.png An almost-clannie got the completionist cape!
Dogman (Popcorn)

Remember to pm me if if forgot to add you

Congratulations everyone!!

Article by Choto 3000

The Last Elegy
A Clan Quest story
By Tyco Elf
Chapter 2

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- Give me two minutes.
- Don’t joke Cireon. Four minutes.
Lord Earth was lying on the floor. His belly was moving rapidly as he drew air after the exhausting battle with the Master of Souls. Around the room the others did the same, some with their backs against a pillar and others following his example. At the very end of the room was Nomad, still nailed to the wall after the deadly dive of Cireon. MsKonnan tried to raise her hand as she spoke, but gave up halfway.
- I second that. Four minutes.
Sirapyro groaned as she rolled over to the closest pillar and supported herself against it.
- This is why I hate combat.
Airborne, who had regained consciousness, took a deep breath before speaking.
- Think positive. Irene will fix you when we get back.
Sirapyro turned towards him with a serious look on her face.
- Are you kidding? Have you seen the size of that needle she stitches you up with? Yo, I ain’t some protean hide fam!
Lord Earth started to laugh but stopped immediately as he began coughing from his injuries. Cireon simply smiled and so did Airborne.
- Well, it’s either that or the Butcher at the Duel Arena.

Silence fell over the room, only interrupted by coughs and heavy breathing from the adventurers. MsKonnan looked down and began stroking her ribs. Lord Earth followed her example and started checking his own condition. Sirapyro decided that lying down without moving was a better option than the pillar.
After a while, to the glad surprise of Airborne and Sethron, Kappa regained consciousness. He didn’t have to ask for the situation. Nomad’s body across the room and the huge cracks on the walls and pillars around him explained everything. After countless minutes, MsKonnan looked at Cireon with heavy eyes.
- I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m in any condition to move. He broke a couple of my ribs.
She reflexively removed her hand as she accidently touched the place Nomad’s kick had hit the hardest. Lord Earth, who now had begun to sweat, looked up for the first time since his last cough.
- Don’t think I’m in any working condition either. He hit a really soft spot.

Cireon turned his head towards Sirapyro. Judging from her not-moving behavior, she was in a similar condition as well. Kappa looked at the uncertain leader. As no orders were received, he bent forward from the pillar and grabbed his backpack behind him. Placing it aside, he slowly opened it with one hand without doing any unnecessary movements. He then fumbled inside for a bit, and grabbed something. Airborne and Sethron watched as he took out a blue-greyish powder and let it fall to the floor through his fingers. He sighed.
- I guess this explains why all the food disappeared. Why do teletabs have to be so fragile?
Sethron smiled.
- Like that time when we put a couple beneath the chairs at the citadel of Glory and Gold. Remember the sound they made as their butts hit the floor?
Sirapyro busted out in laughter and immediately curled into a ball as her injuries reminded themselves. Airborne placed both hands on his mouth as mixed sounds of coughing and laughter came out. Lord Earth began biting his left hand while wobbling back and forth in an attempt to not give in. MsKonnan was the only one not smiling. She looked rather annoyed at the memory of it. Cireon closed his eyes as he began to smile. He slowly pulled his hand over his face, waited a few seconds and then looked at Sethron while pointing at him.
- One more joke and you’ll be Nogard’s dentist for a month. And that breath ain’t pretty. Also, apologies to the wounded.
- Oh well, you’re right. I am……
Sethron stopped as Cireon raised his hand to signal him to be silent. The others stopped breathing. At the end of the room they had come through, footsteps could be heard.
- One………..no. It’s two.

Cireon went pale. They were out of food. The teletabs had been smashed. Sirapyro, Lord Earth and Mskonnan were heavily wounded. Airborne and Kappa had just regained consciousness and not in a better condition than the rest. And worst of all, his rapiers were deeply stuck into the wall. He swallowed as he realized they couldn’t escape from this. This would truly be the end.
He saw Sethron pick up his longbow, draw an arrow and aim at the entrance. The footsteps came closer by the second. Cireon saw that his hands were shaking as the arrow was pulled back into the bowstring and stretched to its limit. He realized that Sethron was fully aware that everything depended on that shot. If he could take out the first enemy, there was a slight possibility of the second one hesitating. That would mean time for a second shot.
The footsteps were just outside now. Ten meters…..five meters……two meters! Sethron released the arrow and let the bowstring send it away just as a hooded figure appeared at the entrance.

He missed. If it had been the nervousness or simply a bad shot nobody could tell. When the sound of steel against brick occurred, the hooded figure drew his two crossbows. Another hooded figure appeared behind him, wielding a long staff. It began glowing as the mage began chanting while taking runes from his pocket.
- Not good!
The words were more like a whisper than a shout. Airborne looked quickly at Sethron, who seemed paralized. Kappa wasn’t in any better condition, leaning against a pillar. Airborne took a deep breath, then stood up and screamed. Running as fast as he could, he charged against their mysterious opponents, picking up Sethron’s shield with his left hand as he ran by it. He raised it towards his chin and roared.
For some reason the ranger hadn’t fired his crossbows. Maybe the screaming was working, but Airborne didn’t think it further. The mage was the priority. Everything would be over if that spell was cast on them in this condition. Maybe, just maybe, if he could distract them, Sethron would have a second chance.

Airborne rushed past the first figure just as the mage finished his spell. This was it! The grip on the shield hardened as Airborne braced for impact. He had to take this one for the team. But as the runes from the mage’s hand disappeared the staff stopped glowing. He was now 4 meters from his opponent, but where was the spell?
Too late did he notice that his shadow disappeared as a light came down from above. Just as his shield reached the mage, he turned around towards the shocked faces of his allies, and as he saw a tear roll down the cheek of Mskonnan, he was hit by the full force of the spell.

Article by Tyco elf

Clan Quest Members Update
New Members of Clan Quest
The last month has seen two new members join the clan! Please give them a warm welcome and make them feel at home! The new members of the clan are
  • TheVyreWatch, who is a returning member of the clan!
  • Desmo306!

The Recruitment Razzers, the chief body responsible for reaching out to possible new members, and they're always looking for a hand. You can always contact their group or the High Council if you're interested!

Welcome to the Offsite
The offsite is a pivotal part of our clan structure, and the more people that use it the better! This last month we welcomed two new members to the offsite:

We hope you all enjoy what we have to offer, and what more we'll have to offer very soon!

Clan Quest Promotions
Because our ranking system is primarily based on quest points, a promotion is a symbol of your progress as an adventurer! Here are all of the members who have been promoted in the last month:
  • Darthmarth: Recruit -> Sergeant, congratulations on your promotion to full member!
  • Reiku: Corporal -> Sergeant!
  • R0noue: Sergeant -> Lieutenant!
  • Marimba: Sergeant -> Lieutenant!
  • kat a tonic: Captain -> General!
  • Iomeces: Captain -> General!
  • PTV Suli: Sergeant -> Admin!

Congratulations, everyone! You can find more information on our ranks on our official recruitment thread.

Article by Sirapyro

The Oncoming Sandstorm

A Recap of RuneScape's Desert Quest Series

In light of the desert quest series receiving four new instalments alongside the Menaphos update, I will be posting articles across the next few months with recaps of what has happened so far in the story. This is just something to read and get to speed on past events quickly, seeing as these quests were completed by many of us years back...and the series is long!

The next four quests down the line - Spirits of the Elid, Contact, Dealing with Scabaras and Smoking Kills.

"To the river's source we went"
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While passing through the town of Nardah, we discover the town's water fountain had spontaneously dried up and its residents are suffering from thirst. Awusah, Nardah's mayor, believes it to be the result of a curse placed by a Saradominist priest. The adventurer decides to investigate matters further. After talking to a number of different townfolk, it's the elder, Ghaslor, who provides some promising leads related to the drought. Ghaslor speaks about the 'river spirits', guardians at the source of the river Elid. He prompts that only they will know why the water has left the town, and offers the adventurer a ballad scripture that could be the clue to locating the spirits.
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The ballad describes a journey made by Jareesh to the source of water for Nardah. Upon reaching the source, an ancestral key was used by a priestess in the robes of Elidinis to open a great stone door. Beyond the door, three golem warriors obstructed the way. Tracing the same path as Jareesh and his comrades, the adventurer reaches the mouth of the river Elid and climbs into the cave the interior of a waterfall. Donning robes that were 'borrowed' from the shrine house in Nardah, the adventurer uses a similarly 'borrowed' ancestral key to open the same stone door depicted in the ballad.
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Inside, the adventurer sees a door to the north that remains completely locked. Trying one of three doors to the right, the adventurer awakes a clay golem, and it engages in combat. Emerging victorious from the fight, the adventurer notices a water channel now flowing. Upon defeating two other golems, the other two water channels open in their rooms. With all three channels flowing, the door in the lobby opens. Wandering further into the caverns, the adventurer meets the three fabled river spirits, speaking in unison.

Acting as emissary for the people of Nardah, the adventurer asks for the spirits to return the town's water supply. They explain that they had witheld the water on account of the village abandoning Elidinis for the worship of Saradomin, going as far as to discard a sacred statuette of the goddess. The lack of fealty to Elidinis meant that the town had broken an age old pact between the goddess and the first settler of Nardah - Nardarine. To restore the town's water, the citizens would need to prove they respected Elidinis for heeding Nardarine's prayers and supplying the town of Nardah with its water. The first step in restoring the town's faith would be to retrieve the lost statuette.
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The adventurer returns to Nardah and informs the mayor about the curse's origins. When they enquire about the statuette, the mayor mentions that the townspeople threw it into a crevice to the west, and asks if the adventurer could reclaim it for them. The adventurer finds the crevice in the desert sands and descends into it. Unexpectedly - they are met by a genie, who had made his home in the cave below the crevice. It turns out he possesses the statuette, believing it to be a gift from the townspeople. The genie agrees to only trade it over for the 'sole' of Nardah's mayor. Thinking it worth a shot, the adventurer steals the mayor's shoes and cuts out their soles for the trade deal. Unbelievably, it works! The genie trades the statuette for the soles (unaware that he was probably meant to ask for a 'soul'), and the adventurer restores the statuette to the town's shrine, and water returns to Nardah.
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"You will let us pass."
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The High Priest in Sophanem informs the adventurer that despite proof being given that the plagues are non-contagious, Menaphos still denies passage between the two cities. He asks for the adventurer's help in lifting the quarantine imposed on his city so that Sophanem townsfolk in Menaphos can return home. All approaches seem futile, until the adventurer enquires about any hidden tunnels that may connect the cities - not surprising, given the amount of hidden tunnels they've encountered over their travels. The High Priest of Icthlarin hypothesises that followers of the lesser deity Scabaras may have constructed subterranean systems below the city, as this was a common practice for the people in their pursuit for isolation and sanctuary. He finishes by mentioning the followers of Scabaras once planned to tunnel underneath the river Elid, then directs the adventurer to Jex the priest for more information.
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Jex obliges to share some information on the lesser god, though he is in the process of repairing his temple after scarab swarms devastated its lower level. The scarabs had appeared from a dungeon entrance, and the adventurer believes this might be the lost tunnel system they are looking for. They decide to enter the dangerous tunnels, against warning from the guards. Fighting past an assortment of scarab swarms and scabarite creatures and avoiding ancient traps, with only a torch lighting the way, they navigate the maze of tunnels. Eventually, the discover a door leading further below, and at its exit, the body of a man with a leaf of parchment. Its message reveals that the man was an agent named Kaleef and he was to contact an agent in Menaphos beneath the tunnels.
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Continuing further onwards the adventurer meets a spy called Maisa, waiting across the opposite side of a subterranean chasm. She is dismayed to hear that Kaleef is dead, as he was meant to inform her how to exit Menaphos safely and retire from her post. The adventurer suggests they could aid each other, as Maisa wishes to return home and there are Sophanites in Menaphos the adventurer has been tasked with releasing. After confirming that the adventurer is an ally of her employer, Osman, Maisa requests that they bring him to meet her in the cave system while she tells the displaced Sophanites they are to return home.

Upon reaching Osman, the adventurer tries convincing him to enter the tunnels and meet with Maisa, though he initially declines, deeming it too dangerous for him to be seen in the southern cities. Osman explains that Menaphos and Al Kharid have been at war for centuries, only recently entering into 'peace'. Being a heavily wanted person by Menaphos, Osman requires an appropriate reason to go with the adventurer to meet with Maisa. The adventurer suggests that helping Sophanem may 'drive a wedge' between the two cities, and that turns out a good enough reason for Osman.
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The adventurer and Osman rendezvous outside Sophanem, and begin to devise a method for entering the city in secret. The adventurer remembers the secret cave to the north that the Devourer had revealed previously. Osman tells the adventurer he will go alone to lessen the risk of capture, mentioning that if he's not back in two hours the adventurer should come looking.
Two hours end up passing and Osman still hasn't returned. The adventurer goes into Sophanem, down into the scabarite cave system, and back to the secret cavern where Maisa had been waiting. Upon finding Osman and Maisa discussing the Sophanite escape plan, the cave begins to quake and looks to be on the verge of collapse. The cause becomes apparent when a giant scarab bursts into the cave, accompanied by fearsome scabarite warriors. Fighting back the giant scarab and its guardians, the adventurer emerges victorious and quickly searches for Osman amongst the wreckage. It is only now they discover Osman is still alive, having kept himself hidden in the shadows when the enemies appeared. The spymaster suggests the adventurer takes the dagger resting in the scarab's back, deducting Kaleef had tried stabbing the creature before he was killed. He thanks the adventurer for the rescue, before teleporting back to Al Kharid.
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Returning to the High Priest of Icthlarin, the adventurer is offered his thanks for helping the Sophanites escape Menaphos. He mentions that the townspeople have been settling back in and re-opening the trades, bringing some normality back to Sophanem again.

"Welcome to this holy place of contemplation. "
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We meet with the High Priest once again who tells the adventurer a female corpse has been delivered from Menaphos, along with a note requesting the adventurer be consulted before any embalming takes place. Despite the odd circumstances, the High Priest suggests the adventurer goes upstairs to determine if they recognise the corpse. The adventurer is unable to identify the dead woman, and the High Priest concludes the embalming will need to be carried out, beginning with the brain of the corpse. All of a sudden the body stirs and wakes up, the woman refusing to have her brain pulled out from embalming. It's at this moment the adventurer recognises her voice, and it turns out the 'dead' woman was the spy from Menaphos, Maisa.
She explains how she used a cadavaberry potion to appear dead - with corpses avoiding searches by the guards at the city gates, it was the safest exit strategy. Maisa goes on to explain that she needs the adventurer's help in taking revenge upon the scabarites for the death of her fellow spy Kaleef. She mentions that there are further tunnels leading from the eastern coast of the desert into the Sophanem tunnels, opening the way to scabarite bases, but suggests talking to the High Priest about the situation before proceeding.
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The High Priest of Icthlarin accepts that the scabarites have become a threat and allows the adventurer to pursue the mission of slaying the warriors residing in the tunnels, and suggests they connect with some archaeologists camped in the east that have been exploring the area. The High Priest believes that the scabarites have strayed from their originally peaceful way of life for specific reason. He mentions that if the adventurer can pacify the High Priest of Scabaras upon encountering him, the conflict may have a chance to be resolved diplomatically.
The adventurer ventures to swampy lands at the desert's east coast, and finds the archaeologists sitting up high in the shade of a cliff face. They agree to assist the adventurer with finding the scabarite cave systems, in return for some help with a business deal between a fellow archaeologist called Simon Templeton. The job involves a bit of tomb looting and creating some fake antique armour and weapons, but it's a simple enough task for the adventurer. They hand the inventory over to Simon, and he hands the adventurer a receipt as proof of the trade. One final request from the lead archaeologist involves acquiring some information attached to the bodies of dead creatures surrounding the outer cliffs, to assist with their research on the scabarite caves. Finally, the archaeologists are ready to help us.
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The lead archaeologist passes on their completed research of the area to help our journey through the tunnels, along with a key they had made to fit a locked door in the northern ruins. The adventurer uses the key to gain access to the scabarite hive dungeon, and stumble across a clay golem standing guard below the entrance. It informs the adventurer that they must complete a series of challenges and pull four levers in order to access the deeper caves where Scabaras followers reside. After crossing a precarious pipe to reach one lever, using all their strength to pull a ridiculously stiff lever, slaying a giant scarab beetle to access another lever, and solving a complicated puzzle box for the fourth lever, the adventurer makes it into the centre of the caverns, populated heavily with aggressive scabarites and vicious traps. The adventurer chooses to search for the High Priest's chamber or risk being overwhelmed by the scabarites.
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Initially the High Priest of Scabaras isn't any less aggressive than the other followers residing in the caves, and rants maniacally about the combative power of the scabarites. The adventurer realises any hostile approach towards the High Priest only causes him to lash out and attack, so they take time and choose their words carefully, slowly working out the reason behind the scabarite rebellion. It turns out that the Devourer had poisoned the mind of the High Priest, manipulating him to adopt a more active and fanatic approach with the beliefs of Scabaras and exterminating any non-followers. The adventuer continues to fight the High Priest in combat, all the while trying to get information from him. They appeal to his insistence of 'conversion' - having the adventurer become a follower of Scabaras - in the hopes that the High Priest will soften his attitude.
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Eventually, after wearing the High Priest down long enough, the adventurer manages to break through and bring him back to a lucid state of mind. It appears that the High Priest acknowledges the corruption released from his mind. He vows that the followers of Scabaras will return to their peaceful ways and will only attack in defence of their nests from this time onwards. Satisfied with a much more peaceful resolution that initially anticipated, the adventurer reports back to the High Priest of Icthlarin about what transpired in the caves.

"Listen to me or die horribly!"
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While roaming the streets of Pollnivneach, the adventurer visits the home of a local girl called Sumona, due to an inexplicable 'pull' towards her. She asks if they are the sort of hero who could 'rescue a damsel in distress', and the adventurer asks her to explain things further. Sumona tells of her twin sister, Jesmona, who was captured by monsters dwelling beneath the town's well, asking if the adventurer would be brave enough to save her. Obliging to the plea for help, the adventurer heads off to the well at the centre of Pollnivneach. Before they can even attempt to climb down however, a local cat starts darting around, screeching loudly and jumping onto the adventurer, clearly trying to gain their attention. The adventurer relents and goes to retrieve their amulet of catspeak.
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Now with the chance to talk to the the adventurer, the livid cat (going by the name of Ali) warns the adventurer of the danger below the well - a choking smoke consumes the cavern beneath, and there are also banshees prowling its walls. He suggests speaking to the ghost of a long deceased slayer master called Catolax, as he would know the means for creating a combination mask to protect against both smoke and banshee screams. Ali the Cat says he rests in the ruins of Ullek, the same valley we previously explored in search of the scabarite caverns. Ali suggests searching nearby tombs in the rocky walls, and that we take our pet cat along for the journey. He finally grants us with a spiritual insight that allows opening of the locked tomb doors and parts with some simple advice: "don't trust any redheads".
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After travelling to the site of the ancient tombs in Ullek, the adventurer gains entry to the one Ali mentioned belongs to Catolax. The tomb itself is littered with defensive traps, as goes the trend for desert folk. With the help of our pet cat, the traps are disarmed and further passage into the tomb becomes available. Throughout the ramble forward, the adventurer questions their cat about the situation. The cat believes that Sumona hates cats, which does not bode well given the species is revered by the regular desert dwellers. The cat discerns she is up to no good. Making way further into the tomb, the pet cat offers more advice on the environment - received from 'special sources'. The 'source' in question apparently acts as a behind the scenes force for the adventurer's protection in the desert, and given that this isn't a normal act for him, the cat suggests the adventurer had impressed him in the past.

After finally traversing through the traps and hostile guardians of the tomb, the adventurer encounters the ghost of Catolax. They throw on their amulet of ghostspeak and greet the dead slayer master. Catolax mentions that the 'master of the dead' informed him about the adventurer's quest, and he gifts them the knowledge required for manufacturing an earmuff-facemask hybrid. Additionally, he offers the adventurer some insight on what is to be expected below the well. To access the deeper zones of the dungeon below the well, the adventurer will need to weaken the smaller barriers first. He finally warns of a monstrously large banshee that can penetrate earmuffs, and that Sumona may actually be hoping for the adventurer to die in battle. He then bids the adventurer farewell now that they have been fully prepared for their quest.
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With Ali the Cat wishing them the best, the adventurer takes a rope and climbs down into the depths of the well. There are mighty banshees stalking the entire cave, and at the opposite end, a pulsating barrier made of red beams. The adventurer attempts to slay several banshees to rid the cave of them, and after a number of kills discovers the last banshee has dropped a strange object. Picking it up, the object seems to scream just like the banshees the adventurer just fought against. The adventurer approaches the red barrier, and as they get near, its as if the screams emanating from the object dissolve the beams blocking their way.
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Entering into the furthest chamber, the adventurer finds Jesmona just as a band of scabarite assassins appear, ready to battle and refusing to release Jesmona. The adventurer refuses to leave without Jesmona, and at this moment, the great Banshee Mistress that Catolax warned of arrives and attacks the adventurer. After some struggle and enduring her deafening screams, the adventurer emerges victorious from the battle. Though unexpectedly, Jesmona is no longer a fearful damsel she first appeared as. She declares 'it is over', and proceeds to kill the scabarite assassins for their failure. She teleports away, leaving the adventurer dazed and confused over what just happened.
At this moment Catolax appears before us, declaring his soul is now free all thanks to the adventurer having slain the Banshee Mistress. He explains the situation, revealing that the adventurer has once again survived the 'scourge of the desert lands' and in turn lessened her power. The adventurer finally realises who has been behind the whole ordeal. Before leaving to the afterlife, Catolax ensures they will be safe from the Devourer's vengeance, as her promise of a reward for the 'quest' she had given in the form of Sumona protects the adventurer - for now.

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Article by Miss Alaska