Drathrok's Duskruin

Drathrok's Duskruin has been run the following times:

• Drathrok's Duskruin 419: January 22 – January 31, 2016
• Drathrok's Duskruin 421: September 16 – September 25, 2016
• Drathrok's Duskruin 422: March 17 – March 26, 2017
• Drathrok's Duskruin 426: March 23 – April 1, 2018
• Drathrok's Duskruin 430: March 15 – March 31, 2019
• Drathrok's Duskruin 435: July 17 – July 26, 2020

About

At times, Drathrok and Zoluren's leaders send out the call far and wide for brave adventurers to step into arenas and Dwarven mazes to hone their skills for the battles that lie ahead. Compete against dangerous (some long forgotten) foes with mighty spells and abilities, never-before-seen traps, and the clock to earn bloodscrip, or explore the shifting maze below to search out bloodscrip and other treasures.

Map

• External link to Kythryn's map of the area

Entry

Check NEWS 4 1 for portal locations.

Bloodscrip

Bloodscrip is a currency similar to the Grey Raven Commissary scrip. While Grey Raven scrip is automatically accumulated in your character's total listed under the TICKETS, some bloodscrip starts off as an actual item when found and can be bought, sold, or otherwise traded to other characters. Once REDEEMed on a character, bloodscrip cannot be turned back into an item and traded. Bloodscrip can be obtained in the Duskruin Arena and Duskruin Labyrinth and redeemed at various locations within Duskruin and appears as Duskruin bloodscrip.

Note: Because bloodscrip can be a actual item in game, it is highly recommended you treat it with the caution you would any item you would not want to lose.

Arena

The arena is an individual event where a player fights against various creatures and traps in the hopes of earning prizes and bloodscrip.

Spectators

• To watch combatants in the arena, move to one of the Observation Seating or Observation Tower rooms around the arena.
• Spectators can use YELL and CHEER to encourage those in the arena, or to taunt their failings.
• The WATCH LIST command will show who is currently competing, while WATCHing any player, such as WATCH HAVOR will allow you to track their progress.
• When watching a player, the actions will output to the familiar window.

Battling

• To enter, GO PORTCULLIS while holding a dueling slip and you'll be escorted to an arena and the announcer will explain the rules.
• You'll face 25 challengers, and every 5th one will be a 'boss', or more difficult opponent.
  • For Empaths, there is a combat mode with construct-only creatures.
• You face one challenger at a time per round.
• The challengers flex to your skill, so you should not be terribly outmatched.
• Combat begins at melee range, but some opponents may fly and require a ranged or thrown weapon to be hit.
• At the beginning of each round, WATCH the opponent to assess what actions you need to take to avoid any traps.

You appraise the situation and notice the piruati serpent may push you into a jet of scalding-hot steam, you could try to pedal back out of the way!

You appraise the situation and notice the transmogrified oaf may drive you into a spiked pit, you could try to jump over it!

• Your time in the arena is limited, so make good use of it. If your time expires, you will be moved out to collect your winnings.
• Necromancer, Empath and other pets are allowed in the arena.
• You may receive buffs or other help from players before entering the arena.

Surrending

• If at any point you've had enough, you can SURRENDER and quit early.
• However, if you surrender your coin and bloodscrip earnings for that session will be cut in half.

Failure

• Should you fail and die in the arena, you cannot DEPART but will be automatically dragged out, and healed to full health.
• The arena's healing services include returning you back to life, but any normal death penalties (lost field experience, scrolls, etc) will still apply normally.

Rewards

• If a player does everything perfectly in a single session, the most they can earn is 250 bloodscrip.
• Players always get some bloodscrip even if they SURRENDER or die, with the minimum at 50 bloodscrip for participating.
• For killing every creature they also receive 1 RPA.

Holy Rags

At the entrance to the arena in the Antechamber, you may see a pile of rags with a sign on it. The sign reads, "These rags are old and holy, but they're not full of holes."

GET a rag then RUB your weapons with your rag to bless them. Some of the creatures you may fight are undead so this is a good buff to have going into battle. A rag has limited applications, you may want to use a new rag before entering the arena.

Arena Titles

Players can get several temporary titles by participating in the Duskruin Arena. These titles are temporary and clear after logging out and back in. However, if you are wearing a title the announcer will skip the introduction and rules segment of the arena session, allowing you to do more sessions faster. You are also able to purchase slips that grant you these titles if you have one worn at the time of purchase.

Duskruin Combatant - Earned by participating in any Duskruin arena session.

Duskruin Arena Champion - Earned by making it through and beating all 25 rounds.

Duskruin Arena Hero/Heroine - Earned by beating all 25 rounds without getting a 30 second warning and scoring over 220 (needs confirmation).

Arena Names

Each time you enter the portcullis, you end up in a single-room battle arena area. Each of the battle rooms is "sponsored" by a prominent member or house from around Elanthia. Possible battle areas include:

• Drensyld Arena
• Mysandanuva'r Arena
• Olgievi Arena
• Owirvald Arena
• Sel'hevor Arena
• Tanglefoot Arena
• Tuulpon'u Arena
• Verdegti Arena

Duskruin Vault

This is the abbreviated method to gain access to bloodscrip and incidental prizes. Once entering, the player will be asked to perform a series of verbs in order to complete the mission.

How to begin

• Bank Heists are begun with Chrematistic Investor battlemaster or Unscrupulous Ringleader brigand.
• Each NPC will start you on a different bank heist that require different steps per room to complete.
• As you complete the tasks in a room you will be automoved to the next room.
• Start by JOIN BATTLEMASTER or JOIN BRIGAND.

WARNING: Joining the BRIGAND will result in learning Thievery. Paladins beware.

Battlemaster

Whenever you are moved into a new room, perform these steps:

• LISTEN for threats then eliminate them as fast as possible. LOOT the enemies to collect typical coins, boxes, etc.

Note - Empaths are given constructs. Nissa's Binding and Paralysis work. Guardian Spirit does begin at melee.

• TRACK once all threats are dead, or every time you see messages similar to the following:

Some movement can be seen out of the corner of your eye.

You should track where the assassin came from.

• GUARD every time you see a message similar to the following:

You notice something of importance under a floorboard. You should guard it before it is stolen.

Brigand

Whenever you are moved into a new room, perform these steps:

• OBSERVE your surroundings for something to steal. You should see a message similar to the following:

You observe your surroundings from the open and spot something inside a drawer.

• Eliminate as quickly as possible any threats that suddenly appear. LOOT the enemies to collect typical coins, boxes, etc.

Note - Empaths are given constructs. Nissa's Binding and Paralysis work. Guardian Spirit does begin at melee.

• STEAL to obtain bloodscrip once all threats are dead, or every time you see messages similar to the following:

You should steal whatever is inside the wine rack.

• PACE every time you see a message similar to the following:

You should pace to make some extra footprints.

• Once all tasks in the room are completed, you should see a message similar to the following:

You make your way deeper inside the bank.

Failure

• If you use HELP too many times or if you run out of time, you will be instantly killed and see the following messages

Suddenly, a band of assassins surrounds you! You attempt to escape, but are met with a dagger across your throat.

Suddenly, a squad of marauders and watchdogs surrounds you! You attempt to escape, but are met with a mattock smashing in your head.

• You will be instantly brought back to life and returned to the battlemaster or brigand upon failure and given a nondescript burlap pouch.

For BATTLEMASTER runs, the pouch will contain bloodscrip and an incidental.

For BRIGAND runs, the pouch will contain an incidental. Your bloodscrip is obtained by STEALing in each room.

Success

• After killing a threat and using TRACK or STEAL you may see a message similar to the following:

You glance around, but see no signs of any threats. You begin making your way out of the bank.

You make your way deeper inside the bank.

• Any non-coin loot items you did not pick up will be moved to your hands and your atfeet slot. This can result in your reward pouch (nondescript burlap pouch) being placed at your feet.
• BATTLEMASTER Rewards should be one incidental, and 200 bloodscrip.
• BRIGAND Rewards should be one incidental and 200 bloodscrip that you acquired from STEAL along the way.

Labyrinth

Located on the eastern side of the arena, the labyrinth does not have any combat. Players enter by paying with Golden Rat Tokens or dueling slips, and are led inside. True to its name, the labyrinth is a maze that occasionally reorganizes itself, so any attempt at mapping it is futile. Players can attempt to chase and capture the rat running around inside via the SEARCH command. Each session, a player may do 10 searches and obtain various treasures hidden within the labyrinth. There is a 1 hour time limit to perform the SEARCHes with a 5 minute warning near the end.

Only one rat may be obtained per character, per opening of Duskruin. However, there are many different treasures hidden in the labyrinth, so even if a player already has a rat there are things to search for.

The most bloodscrip that can be earned in any one labyrinth session is 200 bloodscrip.

Entering the Labyrinth

• Find the archway and go through it and follow it down. At the bottom there is a portcullis entrance.
• You must have a golden rat token or a dueling slip in hand to enter.

Finding a Rat

• Using SEARCH after a message similar to the following gives you the best chance (reportedly 50/50)

You notice a small rat scurrying about the area.

• If you see messages like the following, the rat cannot be found in the room you are in until the maze reshuffles.

A small rat scurries southwest!

Changing your Rat

Your rat will have two random adjectives, like old Crossing rat or young forest rat or oily black rat.

• You can change the adjectives of your rat by applying rat chalk to it, which you can purchase from Drathrok's Assemblage.

For example, the colorful rat chalk, light rat chalk, or heavy rat chalk.

Colorful chalk will change the first adjective, light will change the second adjective, and heavy will change both.

• Each piece of chalk is single use then you must purchase more.
• You may apply chalk to your rat as often as you like to randomly generate new adjectives.

Plixbraggle's Goat-Werx

Located in the tent at the NW part of the grounds is both a novelty shop, Plixbraggle's Goat-Werx, and a game area that houses 2 different games, the Agility Course and Goat Catching.

• Agility Course: On entry into the game area, climb ladder, then attempt to MOVE onto the next obstacle (barrel, log, etc.). If you are successful and reach the end of the course (ring the bell!), you will receive 100 Bloodscrip.
• Goat Catching: This is similar to other Capture the Critter games. In the rooms NE from the entry, catch goat. If you are successful, return to the start and put goat in pen.

See Also

• A number of high-end foods and drinks as well as pickable items can be found on the Duskruin grounds.
• an alternate map of the area can be found on Kythryn's Journal here.