The Last Journey

[Vanyel]

Parnh wanted to see the towers of Aeth Aelfan again before he died, at least that's what he told his life long friend Elrohir when he discussed his plans for his "last great adventure". If Elrohir disbelieved him, he did not say, though his life long friend knew him better than any other. A strong mage and fiercely loyal friend, he could think of none better to help him.

 

In truth Parnh wanted to recover something he had buried a long time ago, what he would do with it when he finally had it again he did not know, maybe he would leave it to Elrohir when he died, Elrohir had helped him through life more than any other.

 

You see…Parnh was impulsive in his youth and prone to get himself into trouble, but stealing treasure from the castle in Zirakinbar was not one of his most brilliant ideas. He panicked, and he buried it deep in the ground where no one would find it. The he drew himself a map, using the pillar landmarks of the lands for guidance for he knew they would stand the test of time. This last journey was more than a desire to visit Aeth again, it was to retrace his steps, and find something long since buried.

 

On the death of Parnh, Elrohir found his Journal, a confession, and the map on his friends body. He took Parnh to Aeth as his friend had wished, but he did not continue looking for the treasure, he had no need of it. So he took everything home with him, back to Portland, where he lived out the rest of his days, keeping Parnh's secret locked in a box. On his death the box passed to his family, and so on and so on. No one ever managed to open the box, though many tried. Until that is, the box was left to a Mage, a distant relation to Elrohir. Upon his touch the box opened and the contents were revealed….but who is smart enough to claim the treasure its contents speak of.

 

The aim of this event is to find eleven pieces of Pranh's journey recording scattered throughout Draia. Following them will lead you straight to a buried treasure. Once you find it, post its location and content (a screenshot required), we will exchange it for the main prize of a great value.

 

The contest starts with the moment you read it. It ends once the hidden treasure is discovered.

 

Happy 8th birthday, Eternal Lands!

 

 

Rules of the event:

1. You are allowed to work in groups.

2. You are not allowed to cheat in any manner. Any attempts of cheating will be eagerly tracked down and punished

 

Hints:

1. You're looking for bots named Monument_1, through, 11.

2. To get a hint trade one of them.

3. Order of finding them does not matter at all.

4. In case of resending an answer to a question, which might happen, just PM the bot with a correct one - there is no need to trade them again.

5. Bots are only in the outsides.

Prizes:

There is just one prize for the first person who finds the hyperbag. The prize is worth, more less, 500k gold coins

To claim the prize you have to find the treasure, take a screenshot of its content and post here along with exact location

[Vanyel]

So, we're relaunching it. Hopefully, this time it goes smoothly.

 

Let's give it a try

 

We are starting in more less 4 hours, i.e. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=The+Last+Journey&iso=20110425T20&p1=1450

OR

2AM next EL day (providing it's not Special, e.g. Sun-Tzu or similar).

 

Hope to see you then.

Edited April 25, 2011 by Vanyel

[kjj]

Will monuments be on same locations as they were on first attempt for the contest?

[Vanyel]

They weren't in safe locations. They weren't in PK locations.

[Vanyel]

Known bugs:

 

 

 

1. A riddle which requires an answer with double "L" might require an misspelled answer with single "L".

2. Crystal might become crystals and vice versa.

3. Are may mean area.

Edited April 25, 2011 by Vanyel

[KoDdy]

monument_1 SOUTH KILLARAN FIELD 15.121

monument_2 DESERT PINES 307.28

monument_3 GRUBANI PENINSUA 195.109

monument_4 TARSENGAARD 198.112

monument_5 IDALORAN 439.591

monument_6 WHITE STONE 489.678

monument_7 ISLA PRIMA 170.40

monument_8 NORDCARN 169.144

monument_9 BETHEL 115.115

monument_1 SEDICOLIS 45.162

monument_11 IDALORAN 547.159

[Minion07]

Thanks for the event Vanyel! Darn Monument_5

[Vanyel]

This is a full recording of Parnh's journey with links to related movies:

 

3rd Dranun, Zartia, Year 5180, Second Age of Eternals, Portland

 

I feel my life is ending. Before it happens I want to see the towers of Aeth Aelfan once again. May Zarin bless me in this, my last, journey for I have no hope to see my home again.

 

I will leave tomorrow, headed for White Stone to begin my last great adventure. I will gather my supplies and a small team of men on the way, for what is an adventure without someone to share it with? I have no desire to spend my last few months alone.

 

Saying goodbye to my home is not as hard as I might have expect, I suppose that knowing my life long friend, Elrohir, is travelling with me, makes saying goodbye easier. My family is long gone, and my friends are scattered across the lands, maybe I will call on some on my way. Here is too a great journey!

 

4th Aurun, Zartia, Year 5180, Second Age of Eternals, Fort Halgan

 

We set off at noon today and headed south. The spring air was crisp and the flowers were starting to bloom, making the short journey to Morcraven Marsh pleasant. Elrohir and I hired a couple of strong young lads at the docks before we set off, they are a little wet behind the ears but they will come good with some experience.

 

As we entered Morcraven I could smell a mine in the distance – the dust clung to the air and was a stark contrast to the smell of the fresh grass and flowers and the dampness that came with the rain. We finally arrived at Fort Hallgan at nightfall, cold, wet and very tired. We had to skirt a few undead on the way but we managed to bypass them easily enough. While we rest here we need to stock up on supplies – the local dried meat is amazing and will last us until we reach Irilion. We will rest at a local tavern for a little over a week, to give the locals enough time to supply us and I will call on my old friend Edlera while we are here.

 

5th Mortun, Zartia, Year 5180, Second Age of Eternals, Lakeside Village

 

We got away slightly behind schedule – one of those damned boys would not wake up. I wanted to leave him behind but Elrohir soon dragged the lazy lout out of bed, he always did have a mean streak, the look on that boys face….*chuckles*

 

We collected another willing helper at the local tavern and headed East to White Stone. White Stone always was one of my favourite places, so steeped in history. I love the views of Tirnwood and really enjoyed my trip through, despite the steady drizzle of rain. I made a minor detour to call on my friend, Henrich. That lovely fellow provided us with some furs, in case we get cold in Irillion, such a nice chap.

 

We met the rest of our companions at the Tavern in Lakeside, there is so much noise now, I am sure it will drive me insane eventually, but at the moment the excitement in the air is contagious.

 

Finally we boarded our ship, though I confess to feeling anxious about what lies ahead. I am starting to regret my decision to leave my home, but how would I look if I returned home now? After all the boasting I did about my last great adventure, I would look a total fool to return home. No – I must continue on, though the creaks and groans coming from the ship do not instil me with confidence. May the Gods watch over us all.

 

2nd Aurun, Fruitfall, Year 5180, Second Age of Eternals, East Isle

Thank the Gods for their protection. We finally arrived in Port Anitora a little before dawn. The journey was not totally unpleasant, though there was an incident where one of the boys nearly fell overboard. The captain was a nice enough man, he made sure we were comfortable and well fed and the ship itself held up well. Maybe my fears were unfounded, or maybe the Gods were watching over us, but Elrohir and I enjoyed our trip and passed many a pleasant hour on the deck talking over old times. The younger boys travelling with us started to get restless about 15 days in, but the captain curbed that by organizing some sports on the deck. The supplies started to run low around day 30 and we had to ration what we had left. This did not help the men's spirits but on such a long journey we had little choice.

 

We headed East, it was strange to walk on land again, and so we were all a little slower than usual. Finally we arrived at Idaloran City just as the sky was beginning to darken. While I enjoyed the trip, Idaloran City is not one of my favourite places, the smell alone is enough to turn your stomach, especially after almost a month of crisp sea air. Roll on morning.

 

5th Dranun, Fruitfall, Year 5180, Second Age of Eternals, Red Wind Desert

 

We were stuck in the tavern longer than expected, and not because of the hospitality either. This has to be one of the worst places I have ever stayed, the bed was lumpy, the air was stale and I am covered in strange bites. Some of the men fared worse than I though, they have some strange sickness which is making them weak and pale. Their fever and lethargy was a huge concern, which is why we stayed longer than planned.

 

Elrohir and I passed the time by exploring the surrounding area, there is a huge cemetery here that is steeped in history, a stunning Island and an enormous mine. We even managed to smuggle a little copper and tin and found a local craftsman to make a bronze trinket for each of us.

 

Some of the sick men showed no signs of recovery, and so, reluctantly we decided to leave them behind. I hope someone in that rat infested flea pit will take care of them. Even the rain was welcome as we left the tavern.

 

We set off East to Palon Vertas, but as we neared our destination we noticed a huge lion in our path. I have never been so scared in my life, the animal was HUGE, and he just stood there glaring at us. There was no way past and we had no choice but to head back to the desert and camp for the night. The winds were frightful, and none of us got much sleep, given that over half the men are still weak with the illness contracted in Idaloran city, I fear that many of us will not survive.

 

 

4th Zarun, Mortia, Year 5180, Second Age of Eternals, Salingen

A long time has passed! As we arrived in Palon Vertas some of men who had recovered the strange sickness had a relapse and so we headed to the Mage School for healing. We left the comfort of the Mage School completely relaxed and totally healed and headed to town. The fresh flowers and the smell of the river were such a pleasure after the stench of sulphur and herbs at the school.

 

Elrohir and I took rooms in Salingen with as many of our companions as could be housed. The rest set up their tents close by, the first night we were here, we could hear them partying till the early hours, but it was nice to hear their spirits were still high. It has been a long journey so far and they are still as eager as the day we set out.

 

We restocked our food, water and healing supplies with the local merchants and began to make plans to leave, we were all becoming a little too comfortable. The men passing time with the soldiers and practicing archery and Elrohir and I spent time at the local taverns, and with the mayor.

 

However we woke this morning and disaster had struck! Today was a sad day for all of us. A snow storm hit last night as we all slept, we woke this morning to find the whole place covered in snow. My heart aches, last night Mortos claimed the lives of over a dozen of my friends and companions. Curse the Gods for this and curse me for not ensuring everyone had a warm place to sleep, had we stayed somewhere bigger this would not have happened. We should have moved on a week ago instead of drinking and dancing – but what is adventure without a little gaiety?

 

We are all in morning, over half our supplies are destroyed and yet that seems to matter little. May Aluwen grant peace to those who have left us, may she watch over their spirits. *tears obscure the rest*

 

 

1st Worun, Carnelar, Year 5180, Second Age of Eternals, Crystal Desert

 

We have been travelling over a week, with no warm beds and no nice taverns to rest our heads. We have made to camping out in the open and on rationed food, since some resident monsters made off with some of our supply. Better the meat than the men!

 

I have never expected deserts might be that cold! The crystals surrounding us look like thick ice waiting to cover us in eternal slumber. A few of the men decided to desert and look for an opportunity to go back home. Regardless of predicament they left us in, I wish them all the best. Ships from port of Melinis should start their regular travels in a few months so they will be alright.

 

We continued east, while we will be headed for the docks eventually, Elrohir was so fascinated by the crystal formations that I decided to spend an extra day here so he can study them. Some of the men were griping about it, but Elrohir is very persuasive and soon settled any ill feeling.

 

 

3rd Terun, Carnelar, Year 5180, Second Age of Eternals, Loose Cannon Tavern

 

Another snow storm!! Luckily after the last one, and given the threat of the desert, I had men posted outside who alerted us immediately. We packed up and ran through the mountains to Thelinor. NOT ideal but given that the gates of the city are locked during the night, we had little choice.

 

We made our way to the Loose Cannon, which luckily was empty and had plenty of space for us all. I feel uneasy, like we were being followed, so I posted 5 men on watch, rotating every 2 hours. May the Gods watch over us and see us through this night.

 

2nd Aurun, Nimlos, Year 5180, Second Age of Eternals, Hagbard Wharf

We made it out of Thelinor alive , thanks be to the Gods. We packed up and headed south as fast as we possibly could. We are being chased, by hobgoblins I think, though some of the men think they could be giants!

 

We have spent the whole journey across zirakinbar hiding behind bushes and buildings and trying to stay out of their way. We ran into an old dilapidated castle at one point, but there were things in there you would not see even in your worst nightmares! May the Gods help us, my hopes of reaching Aeth diminish with every minute. We raced across to Kusamura, it seemed like the only clear path, but we lost nearly all our friends – only 6 of us remain.

 

5th Mortun, Chimar, Year 5180, Second Age of Eternals, Akuen Village

 

I woke up in Akuen Village, every muscle and bone in my body aches and I have bandages all over me. Elrohir has watched over me, casting healing spells and keeping me clean and comfortable. The other men seem to have faired better than I, and were very pleased to see me awake. With their support, I managed to stand and even walk a few steps, but it will be a while before I can continue on my journey. They tell me I have been unconscious for weeks, and that the men feared I would never wake. Elrohir has taken care of supplies and the spirits of the men while I have been incapacitated, he is a true friend and one whom I love like a brother, I need to rest now and regain my strength, we are so close to our journeys end! We survived, Thank the Gods….we survived!

 

1st Aurun, Aluwia, Year 5181, Second Age of Eternals,

On the last day of Vesepia, my master and friend, Parnh left this world. Wounds he received during our mad escape suddenly opened leaving him unconscious. I did all I could, but even my magic could not help. My heart is heavy, I have lost my one true friend . Shortly before his death he confided in me his secret and the real reason for this journey. I will take his body to Aeth for burial, the least I can do for him is to make sure he finishes his final adventure. May Aluwen watch over you my friend.

http://dl.dropbox.co...el_pl_pl_pl.mp4

http://dl.dropbox.co...6/el_MMdudi.mp4

http://dl.dropbox.co...06/el_wswsf.mp4

http://dl.dropbox.co.../el_paworld.mp4

http://dl.dropbox.co...el_ida11135.mp4

http://dl.dropbox.co...el_pv_storm.mp4

http://dl.dropbox.co...el_melimeli.mp4

http://dl.dropbox.co..._theliileth.mp4

http://dl.dropbox.co...ragiantogre.mp4

http://dl.dropbox.co.../el_kusaaaa.mp4

http://dl.dropbox.co...706/el_aa12.mp4

 

Bots' locations:

monument_1 SOUTH KILLARAN FIELD 15.121

monument_2 DESERT PINES 307.28

monument_3 GRUBANI PENINSUA 195.109

monument_4 TARSENGAARD 198.112

monument_5 IDALORAN 439.591

monument_6 WHITE STONE 489.678

monument_7 ISLA PRIMA 170.40

monument_8 NORDCARN 169.144

monument_9 BETHEL 115.115

monument_1 SEDICOLIS 45.162

monument_11 IDALORAN 547.159

 

The hyperbag location was in Tarsengaard, 162,33.

 

The winner was boo and his companions (kratos, guinevereanne, cajun_belle, koddy, finja, van_binsbergen and shao). The prize was: a titanium serpent sword of thermal, a crown of life and 1000 polished rubies.

Additionally, abel won 20k for finding monument_5 as the only person before we gave some hints to make the contest easier.

 

Thank you for your participation. I hope you enjoyed it.

 

Last, but not least.

 

I would love to express my gratitude to WolfWitch who spent a lot of time writing the story above and to Usl for coding bots and handling all technicalities I'm not aware of.

 

 

Traditionally, if you have any comments, critique or word or encouragement, post here If you want to see more big contests, not necessarily same as this one, in future, give us a sign, too. We need to know if there are any people who care to spend some time, even if the chance of winning is small

 

 

 

Yours,

 

~meh

Edited April 26, 2011 by Vanyel

[Usl]

The Monuments Contest #4

 

April 25, 2011

 

Here are the scores at contest closing time (i.e., when BOO found the final prize).

 

Final leaderboard

 

Player		Bots 	Score
	found
Zoey		11	11
Finja		11	11
BOO		11	11
LittleLooter	11	11
Bobjsc		11	11
xam		11	11
guinevereanne	11	11
cajun_belle	11	11
Minion07	10	10
Qiu		 9	 9
KraToS		10	 8
r0wan		 8	 8
abel		 7	 7
ppaulosantos	 7	 7
Kjj		 8	 7
Yggdrasill	 5	 5
SimAnt		 7	 5
MirageKnight	 5	 5
SirPantalone	 4	 4
KoDdy		 4	 3
busterblader	 5	 3
Maxine		 2	 2
Eugenia		 3	 2
vzbucks		 3	 2
terminetor	 2	 2
Slawek92_Pl	 4	 2
tropatropa	 3	 2
blackhawk	 2	 2
CherUT		 2	 2
Littlebig	 1	 1
Aislar		 1	 1
Flail		 2	 1
Raz		 1	 1
circe		 1	 1
justmental	 2	 1
Hubi		 1	 1
TEMPZz		 1	 1
Gogalthorp	 1	 1
Thilien		 1	 1
Blacksmith	 1	 1
Dana		 1	 1
Chironex	 1	 1
Elf_Ninja	 1	 1
Wloczykij	 1	 1
jahwe		 1	 1
Cap		 1	 1
brownbear	 1	 1
Elisse		 1	 1
iZu		 2	 1
Kingdoofus	 1	 1

 

 

 

Hint recipients

 

Bot					Found by
	#	Players
Monument_8	19	Yggdrasill SimAnt guinevereanne Minion07 ppaulosantos cajun_belle Bobjsc BOO
		SirPantalone Zoey xam LittleLooter Finja KraToS Kjj r0wan terminetor
		busterblader MirageKnight
Monument_5	12	LittleLooter guinevereanne Finja Qiu KraToS Kjj cajun_belle BOO Bobjsc abel
		Zoey xam
Monument_3	18	SimAnt guinevereanne Minion07 Qiu Littlebig ppaulosantos Maxine BOO
		cajun_belle Bobjsc Flail Zoey xam Slawek92_Pl LittleLooter Finja KraToS Kjj
Monument_2	24	Yggdrasill SimAnt justmental guinevereanne Minion07 ppaulosantos Bobjsc
		SirPantalone BOO cajun_belle Aislar Zoey xam LittleLooter Finja tropatropa
		Eugenia KraToS Thilien Kingdoofus abel r0wan busterblader MirageKnight
Monument_10	23	vzbucks guinevereanne Minion07 Qiu Dana ppaulosantos cajun_belle BOO Bobjsc
		Zoey xam Slawek92_Pl iZu LittleLooter Finja KoDdy blackhawk KraToS Kjj abel
		r0wan Blacksmith CherUT
Monument_1	24	Yggdrasill SimAnt guinevereanne Minion07 Qiu ppaulosantos Bobjsc cajun_belle
		BOO Flail Zoey xam iZu LittleLooter Finja jahwe KraToS Kjj abel r0wan terminetor
		busterblader MirageKnight circe
Monument_9	25	Qiu Bobjsc Zoey xam Slawek92_Pl Wloczykij Finja blackhawk KraToS brownbear abel
		r0wan Raz CherUT vzbucks guinevereanne Minion07 ppaulosantos BOO cajun_belle
		LittleLooter TEMPZz Gogalthorp KoDdy Kjj
Monument_4	20	Yggdrasill Elisse SimAnt guinevereanne Minion07 Qiu ppaulosantos Bobjsc Maxine
		cajun_belle BOO Zoey xam Slawek92_Pl LittleLooter Finja KraToS abel busterblader
		MirageKnight
Monument_7	22	Yggdrasill SimAnt justmental guinevereanne Minion07 Qiu BOO cajun_belle Bobjsc
		SirPantalone Zoey xam LittleLooter Finja tropatropa KoDdy Eugenia KraToS Kjj
		r0wan busterblader MirageKnight
Monument_6	21	SimAnt guinevereanne Minion07 Qiu Chironex Hubi Elf_Ninja BOO cajun_belle Bobjsc
		SirPantalone Zoey xam LittleLooter Finja tropatropa Cap Eugenia KraToS abel r0wan
Monument_11	14	vzbucks guinevereanne Minion07 Qiu Bobjsc BOO cajun_belle Zoey xam LittleLooter
		Finja KoDdy Kjj r0wan

 

Congratulations to all the participants, and hope you had a good time!

[r0wan]

The text at the end of the last video:

 

I have found it. I did not feel I [it] was worth keeping it so

I have hidden it well. It is hidden north from the third

are [area] we have visited during our journey.

One of the coordinates is equal to number of days we

have spent in Kusamura Jungle till Pranh died. The

other is equal to the number of the day in the year we

started our journey on.

 

Thanks for the contest!

[learg]

:/ One thing was confusing... Someone told that they aren't at safe maps... And we lost lot of time avoiding some maps :/

[abel]

Enjoyed it a lot.

Though i didnt have time enough to complete it.

 

Many thanks to you hosting it!

[bugabear]

So sorry I missed it. Nice work everyone :~)

[BOO]

Also Van_binsbergen helped us find monuments and answers please add him to the list