Summer Solstice 2013

Summer Solstice 2013 was an event to celebrate the world's longest day and the middle of summer in the northern hemisphere. It was organized by Shadowfax with assistance from other gods and builders such as Kagome and Draak. It begun on the 4th June when a storyline started to develop where fire elementals were mysteriously appearing in the prime plane. As the event progressed more details were revealed, a repeatable quest was added until finally on the 21st June (summer solstice) new areas and a global quest opened up. The quest involved conquering two new high level areas and concluding the storyline for which players were rewarded with a special one time quest item. The quest and areas were kept open until 25th June to allow all players a chance to run them before been shut off, ready to be redeveloped and reopened at a later date. Alongside the event, Shadowfax issued a promotional contest which is now closed.

Timeline

Date	Summary
June 4	Event announced
June 11	Mephit quest
June 21 to 25	Main event
June 25 20:40 server time	Event areas go offline
July 4	Promotional contest closes

Promotional Contest

Contest that was setup to help promote alter aeon in new ways across different media sites. Players were invited to submit original content of all types i.e. videos, screenshots, fanfic, fanart to alteraeon@facebook.com where the top three would receive a prize. Originally scheduled to run to June 21 the contest was extended to July 4 to allow more people to enter.

Prize structure

• 1st prize 3000 credits.
• 2nd prize 2000 credits.
• 3rd prize 1000 credits.

Mephit quest

Talking to the red mage in the town of Zin revealed the following in the build up to the main event.

The Red Mage says, 'The Church of Shadowfax is aware of recent reports of fire plane creatures
 appearing all over the Material Plane, and we are in process of gathering information
 in order to assess the situation.'

The Red Mage says, 'The investigation into the widespread fire plane incursions continues.  
 If you wish to help, bring me the remains of these so-called mephits 
 that you might happen across and destroy.'

This is a repeatable quest where players are required to find mephits, kill them and bring the resulting ash back to the red mage for analysing. Players were rewarded with a couple hundred gold and an xp cap.

Mephit ash

Once a mephit is located and destroyed it will leave behind its ash. This item has multiple uses as well as being able to be given to the red mage to aid his research in exchange for gold and xp quest reward, it can also be used to brew potions, to make bombs. or even sold on auction.

Item: 'ash mephit leavings charred pile'  
Weight: 1  Size: 1'0"  Level: 90
Object is: 
Type: SPELLCOMP   Composition: FIRE
Estimated cost: 11182  
This item is in fairly good condition.

Note the mephit ash does not last forever it's condition will degenerate over time, it is therefore advisable to use it as soon as possible before it disappears.

Fire invasion counterattack

The main event started June 21 at 5pm server time, several groups ran the event and Shadowfax led a group so that lower level players could also participate. Instructions were provided on the event channel:

[event] Shadowfax: Event areas will be opened for everyone to use as they please.
[event] Shadowfax: I will lead a group through the areas, I encourage lower level players to follow me.
[event] Shadowfax: Higher level players can organize themselves.
[event] Shadowfax: Whether you're a low level or a high level player is up to you.
[event] Shadowfax: I'm mustering our forces for the fire plane invasion counterattack in my temple in Zin.
[event] Shadowfax: I'll be arriving myself in short order.
[event] Shadowfax: The difficulty of these event areas is comparable to ice fortress, so prepare yourselves.
[event] Shadowfax: I will be at the Zin waypoint, for those who wish to follow me
[event] Shadowfax: anyone who is interested can follow me or form their own group
[event] Shadowfax: If you cannot get to the Zin waypoint, you're probably not high enough level to participate.
[event] Shadowfax: if you are lower level, I would recommend coming with me now, as I will not be available later

Various global strings heralded the upcoming event:

A shooting star briefly lights up the night sky -- an omen of ill-fortune.
A series of distant booms echo through the warm night air, like thunder without lightning.
The weather is strange tonight. Banks of fog drift over the normally brisk waters of the Northern Ocean. The arid southern deserts are oppresively humid. Heavy snows plague the peaks of even the least lofty of the Ash Mountains.
A series of staccato booms echo across the world.
The sky is blazes with the light of dozens of shooting stars!
A fiery red portal appears in the Temple of Zin!

A temporary portal to the Ethereal Plane of Fire was found one up from the Zin waypoint. Groups of player fought their way through the area, which was loaded with various fire elementals and other evil sky-creatures. The boss mob was Pyrenius the Demonlord. Shadowfax and Pyrenius conversed briefly before the inevitable battle.

Someone says, 'So, my minions have been defeated'
Shadowfax streaks down from the sky like a comet and crashes, leaving a smoking crater in his wake!
Shadowfax says, 'Pyrenius!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord bows, how very noble of him.
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Guilty as charged'
Shadowfax says, 'so this is where you've been hiding out'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'I wandered the universe after you and your peers banished me from the Material Plane'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'I found this place and these beings, and it suits me'
Shadowfax says, 'up to your old tricks then, I see'
Shadowfax says, 'it suits you to pretend to be a god and fool lesser beings into worshipping you'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'I am their leader, and whether they believe me to be a god is of no consequence'
Shadowfax says, 'I take it that you're the one that has been gating them to the Material Plane'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'That is correct'
Shadowfax says, 'it must be taking all of your magic to manage those gates and stave off the harmful effects of this place'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'And your power must be stretched to the limit, as well'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Pray tell, is it commonplace for the mighty Fire Lord to send mere mortals to do his dirty work nowadays?'
Shadowfax says, 'you try my patience, Pyrenius!  why have you enslaved these poor creatures?'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'They're better off with me than with you!'
Shadowfax says, 'I will not suffer the existance of a pretender such as you!'
Shadowfax says, 'The fire plane is mine, and mine alone!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Why trouble yourself any further?  Just leave me alone.  I'm not hurting anyone!'
Shadowfax says, 'then abandon this facade and acknowledge me as the one and only god of elemental fire!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'I could never submit to you in good conscious, as I do not recognize your authority'
Shadowfax says, 'enough of this banter!  slay him!  he is not a true fire god, he can be harmed by fire magic!'

Pyrenius taunted players while they fought:

Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'You have you forsaken all that dwell here!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'The primes are destroying this dimension with their magic!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'When Dentin unlocked the means of channel casting, he permitted material plane mortals the ability to directly tap this plane for summoning'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Don't you understand?  Every time a mortal mage casts a fire spell, a tiny part of this dimension is replaced with a corresponding amount of primal material!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'The fire plane is being diluted with other elements little by little...'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'The very thing that gives these elementals sustenance is disappearing'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'These creatures are ill!  They're suffocating!  They're starving to death!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'You've doomed them all!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'You think there was some sort of invasion going on?  I sent those creatures to scout!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Well, some were gated in by accident, but I need to discover where the fire elements are!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Things like active volcanos and lava flows, things I could easily plane shift back here...''
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'I was only going to plane shift what we needed!  Just certain locations that were primarily fire element already!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Where do you think all that fire came from anyway?  I will take back what is rightfully ours!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Why oppose us?  Do honestly believe Shadowfax has this plane's best interest at heart?'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Shadowfax spends all of his time carousing on the Prime Material Plane...he cares nothing for these creatures!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'He complains about deceiving the fire elementals, but what of the facade that is the Fire Lord?'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Shadowfax's claim of godhood is false!  His entire existance is a charade!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'What do you really know of Shadowfax?  Would it interest you to know that he was once a demon, even as I?'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Shadowfax is merely the spawn of Count Tarrant, created for the Great Wars amongst the cosmos eons ago'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'He was not a great general or warrior.  Shadowfax's performance in that conflict was mediocre at best'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Shadowfax is only what he is now because he toadied to Tarrant, and the Count transformed him into what he is now'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Somehow he managed to curry the favor of Dentin, and now he is a lackey in Dentin's so-called pantheon'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'All of Shadowfax's power comes from others!  He gained none of it himself!  He owes his existance to Tarrant and his divinity to Dentin!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'I may not be a god, but at least I earned my power myself!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Because I refused to kowtow to Dentin's vision for this universe, which is sheer lunacy, I was denied my rightful place amongst the gods!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Shadowfax pretends to be the elder Elemental Brother, but Draak walked the shadow plane when Shadowfax was just twinkle in Tarrant's eye!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Why does Draak suffer the pompousness of Shadowfax?  Why does anyone suffer it!?'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'He is a charlatan!  Anyone who worships him is a fool!'
Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'I will purge his taint and all else that pollutes the plane and cleanse it!'

Upon Pyrenius' defeat, the following exchange occurred. This launched the second stage of the quest.

Pyrenius the Demonlord drops to his knees and falls forward onto his hands, gasping for breath!

Pyrenius the Demonlord says, 'Enough!  I yield!  I yield!  Spare me!'

Shadowfax waves his hand, and all fighting momentarily ceases.

Shadowfax says, 'I'll give you a moment to say your last words'

A magical portal coalesces out of a glowing whirlpool of magical energy.

Dentin arrives from a magical portal.

Dentin says, 'sorry I'm late, did I miss anything?'

Shadowfax points at Pyrenius the Demonlord.

Dentin says, 'oh, hi Pyrenius'

Shadowfax says 'Pyrenius claims that the fire plane is being diluted by
other elements, and that channel casting fire spells is to blame'

Dentin says, 'Pyrenius is being truthful, but he is only partially correct
in his assessment.  The fire plane is being diluted, but it's not because
of fire mage spells or channel casting.  I already took that into
consideration.  There is a large portal connecting the Ethereal Plane of
Fire to the Northern Ocean.  Pressure from the water is causing it to leak
into fire plane.  Would you like me to close it?'

Shadowfax says, 'no, I think we can handle it.  thank you, Dentin.'

Dentin disappears in a large mushroom cloud!

Shadowfax tells you, 'I guess we'll have to search the ocean for this
portal now'

Shadowfax gets Pyrenius the Demonlord.
Shadowfax blasts off and streaks out of sight in a puff of smoke.

The next event area was then opened, accompanied by these global strings:

A great plume of steam explodes from the Northern Ocean!
A brief, hot rain falls across mainland.

Players then searched for the entrance to the second area, which was quickly located in the northwestern Northern Ocean. Inside this area, which was the innards of a giant machine, players made their way to the Scalding Lord, the root of all the trouble. While moving around inside of the Unfathomable Bathysphere, players could hear the insane ranting of the Scalding Lord:

The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'Be steadfast and diligent, my children!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'From fire and water we will carve a new plane of existance!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'The cup shall overflow, so much that the universe itself cannot contain my blessings!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'Steam enough to fill a world!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'Boil! BOIL!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'Fear not, my offspring, my lovelies!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'The flames of the universe shall ignite the swelter of our eternal abode!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'From the dews of this feeble sphere shall I distill souls for my children!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'The flaming ones shall perish as this world boils away, leaving my children to percipitate from the ruins!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'I love you, my children!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'Demons! Elementals! Mortals! None can comprehend the majesty of my plan!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'The old worlds shall be cleansed by steam, the essense of fire and water!'

The Scalding Lord's rants intensified when the players finally caught to him:

The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'DEATH TO THE INTERLOPERS!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'YOU WILL NOT STOP ME FROM LOVING MY CHILDREN!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'I SHALL SUNDER THE SEAS TO GIVE LIFE TO THE MASTER RACE, MY PROGENY!'
The Skin of the Scalding Lord yells, 'I SHALL DISTILL THE WATER FROM YOUR BODY TO BIRTH NEW CHILDREN!'

The "skin" was a mechanical construct that was simply an outer shell. When it was destroyed, the true form of the Scalding Lord was revealed.

The suit topples, splitting open as it hits the ground!
A cloud of steam bursts forth from it, condensing into the true form of the Scalding Lord!
The temperature in this place immediately drops to almost freezing!

Shadowfax tells you, 'Knocking out that suit severed the machine's
connection to the fire plane.  It looks like the portal is closing!'

'Now, quickly, kill the thing that was controlling it before it opens
another portal!'

Upon the death of the Scalding Lord, all players received a cloak of flames as a reward for completing the quest.

Shadowfax tells you, 'The intrusion of the fire plane into the material
plane has been ended.  Our world needed you, and you answered my call to
battle.  Your name will forever be etched in the annals of history.

'This cloak contains a tiny fraction of my essence.  If you are strong
enough to bear it, it will protect you from all manner of coldness, magic
or otherwise.  Take it.

'Should you ever had need of my blessings in future, I will not hesitate
to answer your prayer.  Thank you for your bravery, and goodbye.'

Item: 'cloak flames fire'  
Weight: 1  Size: 5'0"  Total levels: 103
Object is: ARTIFACT LIGHT 
Type: OTHER   Composition: FIRE
Wear locations are: ABOUT_BODY 
Estimated cost: 15878  
Item has other effects:
Affects:  SAVING_COLD by 25%
Item affects you as:
Spell 'fire shield', level 90
This item is bound to you.

Areas

• The Fathomless Bathysphere (Huge machine beneath the Northern Ocean)
• Ethereal Plane of Fire

Shadowfax quests

for main article see shadowfax quests

• Locate and destroy the shrine of Igneous
• Harvest firewater weed
• Harvest a fire root
• Retrieve fragments of Shadowfax's divine essense

Reception

Event was well received and several messages from players thanking and praising the builders who helped organize it were posted to board 8.

Board postings

The following are board and show event postings by shadowfax at various points during the event.

You are currently reading board 8 'Dentin's Board (Room 8)'.
Date:    2013 Jun  4 15:23
From:    shadowfax
Subject: Summer Solstice Celebration
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark your calenders!  This June 21st we will be having our Summer Solstice
Celebration!
We have a host of new areas and content that we'll be releasing
thereabouts, and, on the eve of the Summer Solstice, there is a global
event for all to participate in!  Consult the Red Mage for details.
We're also holding a contest!  See the next post for details!

You are currently reading board 8 'Dentin's Board (Room 8)'.
Date:    2013 Jun  4 15:24
From:    shadowfax
Subject: Alter Aeon Promotional Contest
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alter Aeon is expanding its social network contacts into all sorts of a
new, previously untouched venues.  We're on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube,
Tumblr, Myspace, Google and many others, and we are continually adding
more!
To help attract new players to Alter Aeon in these new markets, we're
putting together a promotional video.  We need your help!
Send us your Alter Aeon media!  We need videos!  We need screenshots!  We
want to see you playing Alter Aeon!  Record yourself playing or skyping or
whatever!  Use whatever client or accessibility software you like!  It
doesn't matter if you can see or not.
Not sure what to do for video?  Check out our Youtube channel at
youtube.com/AlterAeonProductions for examples.
We'd also love to see your fanart or fanfic!  Draw or write a story about
your favorite Alter Aeon characters!
Don't worry about editing or anything.  We'll take care of all that.
Mulitiple submissions are acceptable and encouraged!  Send them to
alteraeon@facebook.com.  (Subscribe to Alter Aeon Mud if you haven't
already!)  Make sure you include your player name with your submission so
we know who you are!
I will choose whichever submissions tickle my fancy the most as first,
second and third place winners.  First prize will be 3000 credits, second
prize 2000 credits, and third prize will be 1000 prize.
While we will always been happy to accept your videos, pictures and
fanworks, this contest will end June 21st, on the day of the Summer
Solstice.

You are currently reading board 8 'Dentin's Board (Room 8)'.
Date:    2013 Jun 17 12:33
From:    shadowfax
Subject: Fire Plane Invasion!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fire elementals found widespread across the mainland are now attacking
on sight.  You will need to take precautions when encoutering them.
Since fire plane creatures continue to encroach upon this world, we can
assume that what is taking place is no less than a prelude to a full scale
invasion.  The Church of Shadowfax is actively searching for a reasonable
means of stopping the elementals at their source.  We should have a
solution very soon.
In the mean time, the Red Mage continues to collect mephit leavings for use
in this research.  You can help by bringing him some.
(The fire invasion counterattack will begin on Friday, June 21st at 7pm. 
That is 10pm system time.  After the event, the invasion areas will remain
open over the weekend so that everyone has a chance to play through them.)

Date:    2013 Jun 21 21:17
From:    shadowfax
Subject: Summer Solstice Celebration Event
------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, we just wrapped up our lead run of the Fire Plane Invasion event.  For
any of you who missed it (or just want to run them again), the event areas
will remain open until Tuesday night.  They'll then be remodelled and
re-opened in the near future.  The Red Mage will also accept the leavings
for any mephits still floating about for the next few days.

Date:    2013 Jun 21 21:21
From:    shadowfax
Subject: Alter Aeon Promotional Contest - Extension
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our promotional contest was to come to an end tonight, but I don't have
enough submissions as of yet to give out all of the available prizes.  So,
the contest deadline will be extended until July 4th.  See post 200 on this
board for contest details.

Event Information
------------------------------------------------------------------
Fire Plane Invasion!
Minor fire elementals have been found throughout the world for the
past couple of weeks, and they have always been passive and fled when
approached.  However, they are now attacking on sight!  Players are
advised to take precautions when encountering them.
Since fire plane creatures continue to encroach upon the world, we
can assume that what is taking place is no less than a prelude to a
full scale invasion.  The Church of Shadowfax is actively searching
for a reasonable means of stopping the elementals at their source. 
They should have a solution very soon.
In the mean time, the Red Mage in the city of Zin continues to
collect mephit leavings for use in this research.  You can help by
bringing him some.
The fire invasion counterattack will begin on Friday, June 21st 5 pm
PST, which is 5 pm server time.  After the event, the invasion areas
will remain open over the weekend so that everyone has a chance to
play through them. 

External links

• Shadowfax's log of the event
• Alter Aeon Youtube channel
• Alter Aeon Facebook page