There is a new NPC hunting area!
The Maw is located at 27, 18 world. The quick and dirty, for those who don't want to delve too deeply into lore is that the Maw was designed for the highest level characters in the game. Even they are unlikely to be able to take out the NPCs in this area as things currently stand. It's being opened largely for the sake of testing, so David and I can do any necessary tweaking. Be aware though that they are intentionally VERY hard to beat, so don't be discouraged if your character is unable to take one down. Think of it more as something to build up to at this point.
Which leads to the first surprise update of the month. There is a new relic available! It drops from the strongest of the NPCs and it's called the Magus Phylactery and I'm going to leave exactly what it does a mystery until someone gets one.
Most of the loot dropped in the Maw is decent for resale, and there are also 2 new faeshards available. Additionally, there are a few ritual ingredients which have a slightly higher drop rate from the NPCs in the Maw as opposed to lower level NPCs.
David and I will be looking for people to help us test in the near future, so expect to see a Game Discussions thread for that soon!
As far as lore goes, the Maw was recently revealed when part of the Quarantine Zone collapsed, revealing a cave which leads beneath the river to the north. The Maw is filled with experiments created by Theodosia, and is likely to also have other undead in it as well, which would have spilled in from the Quarantine Zone or the nearby graveyard.
The NPCs include: Abominations, Deep Dwellers, and Marrow Wurms.
Abominations are essentially vampires driven mad by Theodosia. It seems that she has been experimenting with the ability of a necromancer to control the undead and seems to want to be able to exert her dominant will over them. It is possible that she raised them directly from the Shadow Realm using some unknown or lost power, an ancient relic, or through some other means. What is clear is that these beings are enslaved, deranged, and extremely hungry - willing to attack anything which gets near them on sight.
Deep Dwellers are crafted beings similar to mooncalfs, though they tend to be composed largely of decaying aquatic animals such as sharks, octopi, piranha - which have been 'stitched' together with land animals and humanoid corpses to create lethal undead which do not suffer from the usual slow shambling of the mooncalf due to careful design. They also seem to be significantly more intelligent, and can even use weapons.
Marrow Wurms are thought to be sirens or other demi-fae which Theodosia has attempted to imbue with human spirits in an effort to create corrupted, unnatural beings who are forced to do her will. It is unclear exactly what her motives might be for crafting them, but they are particularly malevolent and seem to exude some of the same darkness which one might associate with her aura.
GRID UPDATE: The Maw
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GRID UPDATE: The Maw
I'LL USE YOU AS A WARNING SIGN THAT IF YOU TALK ENOUGH SENSE THEN YOU'LL LOSE YOUR MIND
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