Written by Lloyd (aka Matt Ginsberg) in the early hours of November 16, 1999. Yes, I know it sounds all formal, but hey... I gotta practice my investigative reporter tone. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ghost Ship Just past midnight, on November 10, 1999, Astaria began searching the ocean when Alexia made a post on the wizard board entitled 'Rumors'. It read as follows: While one can overhear many a tale of ghost ships and ancient shipwrecks during a brief stay at the Blushing Mermaid, it has been only of late that an interesting rumor started to appear in hushed conversations among seafarers. This rumor tells about the discovery of a very old ship that has marooned on the shores of Astaria in a time long past. This ship has all but disappeared from view, half-sunk into the water and covered by sand through the years. However, according to some, a way through the sand has been found, leading to the decks of this ancient and mysterious vessel. While this rumor has not yet been confirmed, it does ring true. It is well known that not all the ships traversing the Whispering Sea were so lucky as to dock safely into their harbor of destiny, and many were lost forever to the might of the sea. However, another somewhat stranger, and rather unbelievable part of this anecdote is that this ship, despite the eons forgotten beneath the waters, is still inhabited, and by the phantoms of its former crew, no less. While this unfounded rumor can be shrugged off as an eccentricity, or even lunacy, of storytellers and drunkards, this ancient ship may be of interest to those searching for treasure or interested in the old history of Astaria. Alexia PS. This new area was originally created by Mustafa during her tenure as a wizard of Astaria. The administration has kindly allowed me to add the finishing touches and open her area as a token of our gratitude and appreciation for her work. We miss you Muffles! :) After over 30 hours of scouring the 10000 square ocean, Kelesk and Tharak found it on Thursday November 11, at 7:22:35 EST. In the following days, it was scoured top to bottom. Soon after it's discovery, Lloyd found what appears to be the strongest offhand weapon in the game in it's lower depths. Called the 'emerald dagger', it is still being investigated today, under the suspicion that there is more to it than meets the eye. **Update on December 9, 1999 We now know that the emerald dagger is an artifact, of such rarity, that only 5 of them are created during each incarnation (reboot) of Astaria. The following is the knowledge which Lloyd gathered during his surveys. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to get to the Ghost Ship: From the entrance to the beach, proceed three east, 47 north. Then , and a down exit should be revealed. Proceed through it to enter the ship. **Update on December 9, 1999 The entrance was recently moved three squares south. To get to it, you now proceed three east and only 44 squares north. LEGEND: [ ] = room [d] = room with down exit [u] = room with up exit - or / or \ or | = exits between rooms (w-e, sw-ne, nw-se, n-s) + = normally locked door between rooms . = a trail of these links [u] with [d] between floors [ ] FLOOR 1 / | (entrance) [ ] | || [C] Notes for this floor: + | \/ | A: to get silver bracers and [d]-[ ]+[ ] [ ]-[ ]-[ ] [ ]-[ ]-[u]-[ ] [ ]-[D] bring statue to life . | | | | | | | B: to get Amulet of the Dragon . [ ] [ ]-[ ]-[ ] [ ]-[ ]-[ ]-[ ] [ ] and bring statue to life. . \ | | / C: to get an Amethyst dagger . [ ]-[ ]-[A]-[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-[B]-[ ] D: The cook is here, he has a white marble . key (see B on third floor). . . [ ] FLOOR 2 [ ]-[ ]-[ ] . | \ / \ Notes for this floor: . | [ ] [ ] [ ] to F [G] \ | / A: None, used for note D . | \ | / | \ / | \----[F]- B: All exits lead back to itself, . | [ ]-[ ]-[ ]-[ ] \ [ ]-[ ] / | \ except for the east exit. . | \ / | \ \ C: All exits lead back to itself, [u]-[ ] [ ]-[A]-> to B [ ] [ ] \ [ ] except for the southwest exit. | \ \ D: All exits lead back to itself, [ ] [ ] | \ except for the northwest exit. \ / -[B]-to C \ \ | / E: All exits lead back to itself, [ ] | \ -[E]-[d] except for the southwest and \ / to A \ / | \ . east exits. [C] \ / [ ] . F: All exits lead back to itself, / \ [D] . except for the west exit. to D / \ . G: South exit is one-way. . (this may be a mistake by Lexie) NOTE: . On these lower two floors, moving takes a whopping . 40 ep, and if you don't have an Amulet of the Dragon . equipped, you will lose hp from lack of oxygen. . . Notes for this floor: FLOOR 3 [ ] [ ] . A: Every so often, upon entering / | / | \ . this room, you will be sucked [d]-[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-[A]-[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-[ ]-[u] down into a whirlpool, leading . \ | \ | / you to a single room with an up . [B] [ ] exit. This room has 4 ghouls . that will not let you leave until . they're dead (cannot be paniced). . B: The trap door, an obvious exit called . . It is locked, but can be unlocked with (1) a . white marble key (see D on floor 1) and (2) a . tiny charcoal key (see A on floor 4). See . floor 5. . FLOOR 4 . Notes for this floor: [u]-[ ]-[A] A: The Captain of the ship, has a nasty special that knocks you two rooms west, usually right in the middle of an auto-attacking ghoul. Her loot (which is mostly crud) includes a tiny charcoal key (see B on floor 3). FLOOR 5 If you go into the "trap" exit on floor 3, you will find yourself in a dusty attic. In this room, you will find a chest, which (when it finally repops) will contain amonst other worthless things, an emerald dagger. This dagger, when sharpened has the potency and accuracy of an Energy Crossbow! Although you are free to leave the way you came, it is faster, and often safer to use the secret tunnel. If you in this room you will reveal (and go through) a secret passage to the west. Although this tunnel is (as far as I know) not very interesting, if you go: 2w nw 2w 2nw w nw w nw w 4nw w 2n 2nw 2n ne s You will find yourself in a room with a circle of rocks surrounding a pond, and a platform in the middle of it. If you , you will be magically transported one square east of the entrance to the beach. Simply go west and up, and you will be on the south path. This is certainly a faster way back to StarKeep. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------