Design Notes

June 19, 2013

Grimskull Rumors..?

Storytime with Notsgnal

“Wet” did not do justice to the state we were in. Soaked, maybe. Drenched. I could’ve drowned a moglin in my boots. Not that I would, that’s sick. It was miserable. The only thing that gave me the slightest comfort was knowing that the other members of my party were suffering just as much as me.

When the orange firelight of the inn came into view through the rain and the fog, I felt like cheering. All four of us trudged into the stables to change, because no self-respecting innkeeper would let us within spitting distance of the hearth, sodden and filthy as we were.

 We took off our armor, donned our plainclothes, and sprinted through the doors to avoid the rain as much as possible. Deidrick paid for our stay and the rest of us ordered food. We sat down gratefully in front of the hearth. I looked around. The place was pretty much empty, except for us and a hooded man, face barely visible, dressed almost exclusively in rags sitting in the corner, far away from the fire. As we acclimated to our surroundings, the rest of the party took notice of him. I turned to Hawthorne.

“What’s up with him?” I said. “He looks awful.”

“I don’t know, dude. I passed by him on the way to check out our rooms. He smells bad. Like, really, really bad.”

“Like cheese and feet bad?”

“No, man. Worse.”

We whispered amongst ourselves. Trist was worried about him. She wanted to ask if he was okay, we could tell. But before she could say anything, Deidrick spoke up, with his loud, booming voice.

“I want a story.”

He looked us over. We didn’t say anything. It can be dangerous to upset Deidrick. He turned his gaze on the man in the corner.

“You! Over here. Now. Tell us a story.”

Trist looked angry, but Hawthorne put a hand on her shoulder, and shook his head. Just because we’re mercenaries doesn’t mean we don’t have common courtesy. But Deidrick gets us the jobs, and Deidrick pays for our meals, so Deidrick gets what he wants. The man in the corner got up unsteadily and shambled his way towards us. When he spoke, his words came out in a choking rasp.

“Aye, I got a story fer ya, yes I do. Settle yerself, big man, and listen in close now.”

I barely managed to stifle a cough as he came closer. Hawthorne was right. The man smelled truly putrid. He leaned in close to me, and it was all I could do to stop myself from gagging.

“You,” said the man. “He used to look just like you. And if that fool boy o’ mine had never ventured near that crypt, he’d be about your age now, I’d say.”

The Story

We never had much, see? Barely had enough for the farm and the clothes on our backs. There ain’t much for a poor farmer’s boy out there in the world. Surely you know that. That’s why ya became mercenaries, I’m bettin’. That’s what my son tried to do, anyhow. Any company he tried to join rejected him, of course. What sorta mercenary company would take a boy who can’t even afford a proper sword? So he came back. Had a fire in his belly, he did. Said he had to prove himself. Next morning, I found his bed empty. He was gone, headed to the one place that was sure to get him killed. I put the saddle on my mule, and rode him near to death tryin’ to catch up to the boy. After a day’s worth of riding, I found him. There he was, at the entrance. Frankly speakin’, it was a miracle he even got there in one piece. Everyone who’s got an ounce a’ sense in their heads knows that no one who enters Grimskull’s Crypt leaves alive.

I told him this. I shouted at him, begged him, pleaded with him, told him that this wasn’t what his mother would’ve wanted. He turned around at the door, nothin’ but the rags on his back and a pitchfork that he was usin’ like a polearm. He was scared. He started to walk back towards me, started to call out to me. And that’s when the door opened. That’s when the laughter began. It came outta the darkness and took my boy. I went in after it for hours, days maybe, but I couldn’t find my son, or the strange beast that stole him away.

We were all silent when the man finished. There was nothing but the sound of the fire, and even that seemed like a hollow, insufficient thing. A little bit of life seemed to be taken out of Deidrick.

“There’s yer story, big man.” Said the man. “Happy now?”

Deidrick shook his head, slowly. The man walked away from us, and I alone watched him go. There are still nights when I wish that I had just stared into the fire like my companions. He turned back to look at me, and the firelight showed me his face underneath his hood.

It was drawn over his bones as though it was removed, dried, and put back on again. As he turned more towards the light, I could see that he had just one eye. There was only a concave, fleshy area where the other one should’ve been. I could see maggots writhing in the empty socket, tunneling deeper into his flesh to escape the light of the hearth. He smiled at me with rotted teeth, and I looked away in horror. The man’s story was racing through my mind.

Everyone who’s got an ounce a’ sense in their heads knows that no one who enters Grimskull’s Crypt leaves alive.

When I looked back, he was gone.

June 17, 2013

Monday Spoiler Alert

This is Madness… this is MONDAY!

Happy Monday everyone! Are you enjoying your summer vacation? Grab your passport for adventure, because the perfect vacation destination is AdventureQuest Worlds! And we’ve got a whole itinerary booked for endless summer fun =D  

Happy Father’s Day

Daddies make the best heroes ever! Show your dad how much he’s taught you by celebrating Father’s Day with Seasonal Rare items, arriving later today.

Every father will enjoy the bounty of BBQ grill gear, the up-to-par Golf Suit set, a Gravity Defying Coffee Mug, the paper-cut-inducing Newsparchement, and the good Ol Fishin’ Armor Set.

Sure beats giving your dad a lame tie or macaroni necklace =P

Tuesday’s Artist Showcase Shop

For the past 2 months, every Tuesday has been dedicated to one of our awesome AQW Artists. And they get to showcase their personal stash of never-before-seen (unless-spoiled-on-the-Design-Notes) items in Battleon’s the Featured Artist Showcase Shop. 

And tomorrow is Tyronius’ turn! Tyronius has been responsible for absolutely AMAZING armor sets since October of last year, and tomorrow is his chance at infinite stardom!

Visit the Design Notes tomorrow and get the full scoop on Tyronius.

Hero of Steal

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird… it’s a plane… it’s the Hero of Steal Armor Set!

To celebrate the blockbuster movie release of the most super man the world has ever known, AQWorlds is releasing our own version of the “Hero of Steal.” These super items are some that Clark kent pass up! 

Hero of Steal item set is flying on in this Friday!

Future Goals

No one can really predict the future (…and if you CAN, please come work with the AQW team!). But just because our magical crystal ball is broken doesn’t mean we can’t set future goals!

• Grimskull is coming this Friday, June 21
• Members rejoice! Guilds Phase 2 PTR is still scheduled for later this Summer
• Dage the Evil’s Legion Class still scheduled for this Summer
• The Scorn Saga continues next week

Decorate Beleen’s Cubicle!

Wanna help me fill my cubicle with happy pictures, positive messages, and motivational photos? Gimmie some decoration inspiration on my Twitter ^____^

June 13, 2013

Grimskull Delayed!?

Terrible "Trap Construction Accident." Evil Unicorn reported on Lose. 

Grimskull's 1st dungeon, The Endless Pit of Doom, is being pushed back one week due to the unsightly massacre of the entire dungeon creation crew this morning. Eye witness reports confirm that traps were triggered in room #5, affectionately known as "The evilist room ever" resulting in the activation of the spiked ceiling, razor saws, lemon flavored acid juice and a giant pit trap. The worker minions who survived were hunted down by Binky the Magical Man Eating Unicorn who is now reported to be on the loose.

Coming THIS FRIDAY: Binky the Magical Man Eating Unicorn!

The full dungeon will be released NEXT Friday... so this week, a band of overly agressive heroes intend to battle one of the dungeon's escaped surprise monsters, Binky the Magical Man Eating Unicorn. He is a level 50 challenge fight requiring a skilled and coordinated group to defeat. Rumor has it Binky aborbs magic from the air allowing him to emulate the skill of ANY BOSS MONSTER in the world. Yes... you heard me right. Binky can potentially do the special moves of any boss monster (past or future) in the game. Original intended by Grimskull to be a surprise, Members will get first crack at this magical beast. The lucky few who can defeat him will obtain his Unihorn -- an indestructable object that possesses the power to break apart the worlds most powerful weapon.

Also... new Quests in town!

Loremaster Maya, who is located in the town of Battleon's library will have new quests for you.

Special AC Weapon: The GrimBlight of Destiny

Artix's battleaxe is known as the Blinding Light of Destiny. It is a powerful force of good, powered by millions of spirit orbs, it is the ultimate weapon against the undead. Not long ago, the Blinding Light of Destiny was shattered and destroyed in the epic battle against Vordred, the Paladinslayer. Thought to be lost forever, Artix and the heroes ventured to forge a new Battleaxe. However, what remained of the previous Battleaxe had been reconstructed by wicked hands. Those who have set eyes upon it call it the "Grimblight of Destiny". It is an evil weapon that does 5% BONUS DAMAGE against pretty much every type of creature EXCEPT undead, and grants the user a rep bonus. If you click on it, it unleashes an evil laugh... and may try to kill other AFK players in the room. Grimskull's assistant, Mort, is reported to be selling it in town this Friday for an unspeakably high number of ACs in order to raise funds to hire new (and less clumsy) dungeon workers.

June 11, 2013

This Friday - GRIMSKULL!

"A dungeon everyone is DYING to get to the end of..."

We thought the stories and legends about him were just campfire tales, made up to scare young Knights in training... how could GRIMSKULL be real!?  Grimskull is the master of the worlds most evil, death trap filled dungeons. If the stories are true... then anyone who enters his dungeon in ssearch of "HEROBLADE - The Worlds Most Powerful Weapon" will end up facing a horrifying and highly comical demise.

Development Secrets: Shhhhh....

Grimskull's 1st Dungeon "The Endless Pit of Doom" is unlike anything that has appeared in game thus far. It is full of traps and puzzles. The dungeon secretly has two parts. The first part is lower level (but just as deadly) designed to mercilessly kill players of all levels and skill. We hope you have a sense of humor.... in previous dungeons cutscenes are all about you doing heroic and awesome stuff. In Grimskull's dungeons, cutscenes are all about you going *SPLAT*. The second, hidden, part of the dungeon may never even be found by casual players (You would actually have to read to figure out how to access it... "OMG!") and contains high level monsters and excrutiatingly painful versions of the traps. The reward, will be well worth it. However, be warned-- part 2 will probably not be available this week... because the first half of the dungeon is 42 rooms long, each one requiring custom code by the programmers. The most complicated dungeon ever programmed in the history of the game. This is... a new "1st!"

DAGE SHOP UPDATE!

Due to the connectivity issues that we have been having today, stopping a lot of people for playing for hours at a time, we decided to keep Dage's shop in for an additional day to make sure that everyone has a chance to pick up the items that will be going rare tomorrow. 

Aegis's shop will appear today on schedule and this will not impact his timer. We just took the timer off of Dage's shop. 

June 05, 2013

Grimskull & Crossbones

Abandon all hope ye who /joins Grimskull!

As you probably already know, I love delivering happiness, smiles, hugs, pink cute thingies, and warm fuzzies in-game and in real life =D I always have a positive upbeat attitude and loveloveLOVE all my wonderful Heroes who play my favorite online fantasy game with me! 

But YIKES! There is something—or um, someone?—who is going to sap that joy right out of me AND you, too. He goes by the name of Grimskull, and he’s the EXACT opposite of yours truly!

So you know how we fight tooth and nail to defeat all the monsters in Lore? Well Grimskull wants to defeat all the players in the whole AQWorlds! 

Grimskull has made a career creating the world's most evil, vile, death trap filled dungeons. And next weekend, Grimskull is getting a promotion: opening his dungeon doors to players like you!

Legend states that the world's most powerful weapon lies at the end of Grimskull’s dungeon. A weapon so powerful that it makes the Blade of Awe, DoomBlade, and the Blinding Light of Destiny look like squeaky balloon swords.

Even if you are the ultra-mega insanely-crazy Hero who storms headstrong into any battle… who is foolish enough to enter Grimkull’s dungeons?

IT’S A TRAP!

April 29, 2013

Grimskull is Coming...

Beware...

Upon the winds you will find a whisper of doom, "Grimskull is coming." We thought he was just something the Paladins thought up to scare the young Knights in training. The slight possibility he could be real sends a shiver down my spine.

The rumors say Grimskull is coming... but if the stories are true, it will not be this week. It will not be when you expect it. It could happen at any time, any place... all that you know is it WILL HAPPEN. When it does, it will happen in AdventureQuest Worlds.