Drathrok's Duskruin 419

Drathrok's Duskruin Quest is a Simutronics-run paid quest that was announced in January 2016.

Announcement

On January 18, 2016 Duskruin was announced to players via email.

Drathrok's Duskruin

Friday at 9PM Eastern!

Drathrok and Zoluren's leaders are sending out the call far and wide for brave adventurers to step into the newly built arenas and Dwarven mazes to hone their skills for the battles that lie ahead!

Compete against dangerous foes (some long forgotten!) with mighty spells and abilities, never-before-seen traps, and the clock to earn bloodscrip!

Then...

Spend your hard-earned bloodscrip on UNIQUE ITEMS only available at Duskruin!

• Fleintoore's Folio - Unlock new verbs, stats, and features on exo weapons and more!
• Lockbox of Lirum - Skip the bank, handle your own exchanges!
• Verika's Trove - A collection of powerful boosters to make you OP!
• Frostdrums - Smash a limb and freeze it into oblivion!

PLUS A WHOLE LOT MORE NEW, never-before seen items!

What are the Duskruin Arenas?

• Face challenging foes from the far reaches of the lands!
• The difficulty rises each round!
• Avoid dangerous traps!
• Win chests that can contain powerful prizes!
• Even cheer on your friends as they compete!

What is the Duskruin Labyrinth?

Dwarven tunnels twisted into shifting mazes!

• Find your very own pet rat!
  • Battle other players' rats to see whose is fiercest of all!
  • Feed and care for them!
  • Carry it on your shoulder or in its very own special sack!
  • Keep it forever!
• Discover powerful treasures hidden by the Dwarves of Stone Clan!

What exactly *IS* bloodscrip?

• A special currency exclusive to Drathrok's Duskruin!
• Awarded for vanquishing foes in the arenas!
• Can also be discovered within the Dwarven labyrinth!
• Can be traded, sold or given to others! But why would you?!?
• Remember, this is how you get acquire the rare items of Duskruin!
• Spend your bloodscrip to purchase prizes ONLY available at Duskruin!

Sounds great! How do I join in?

• There are two ways to enter for your convenience!
  • In Zoluren* find Drathrok's Duskruin near the Stone Clan Traders' Outpost!
  • Outside Zoluren* Check NEWS 4 1 for portal locations!
    
• Hang out and watch the fun for free!
• Free-to-play accounts are welcome without any extra visas!
• To fight in the arenas or run the maze, head on over to the Simucoin Store*
  • Purchase Dueling Slips to enter the arenas!
    • The announcer will explain the rules!
    • Kill your foes!
    • WATCH for their nefarious tricks!
  • Purchase Golden Rat Tokens to enter the labyrinth!
    • SEARCH high and low for your rat, treasure and more!
  • Dueling Slips and Rat Tokens go on sale Friday, January 22nd!

Drathrok's Duskruin will begin THIS Friday, January 22nd around 9PM Eastern! Join your fellow adventurers in constructing the arenas, and then jump into the games! Act fast, because Duskruin won't be here long!

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.

Duskruin Arena

The arena is an individual event where a player fights against various creatures and traps in the hopes of earning prizes and bloodscrip. There are multiple arena rooms, allowing up to 50 players to be competing in the arena at once.

Spectators can use YELL and CHEER to encourage those in the arena, or taunt their failings. The WATCH LIST command will show who is currently competing, while WATCHing any player, such as WATCH BOB will allow you to track their progress.

To enter, players can GO PORTCULLIS while holding a dueling slip and will be escorted to an arena and the announcer will explain the rules. Players will face 25 challengers, and every 5th one will be a 'boss', or more difficult opponent. Only one creature or opponent will face a player at a time. Players can use the WATCH command to assess the situation and react accordingly to try and avoid these traps. 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.

To avoid the traps, you can attempt to PEDDLE to back-peddle away from the trap. 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. 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.

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.

Currently, there is no specific combat mode with constructs for Empaths, but it is being considered. Necromancer and Empath, and other pets are allows in the arena. Players may receive buffs or other help from players before entering.

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.

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 scoring a perfect 250 bloodscrip upon finishing the arena session.

Duskruin Labyrinth

Located on the eastern side of the arena, the labyrinth does not have any combat. Players enter by paying with Golden Rat Tokens, and are lead 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 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.

Pet Rats

Players can explore the Duskruin Labyrinth and try to and find their very own rat companion. Rats bond to their owner and can be worn or stored in the sack they come with. Note that you should only stow your rat in the sack it came with when it is not worn, as doing otherwise can risk losing the rat. Rats come in many different appearances, and can be altered.

Rats can be worn on the shoulder (in a general slot, but looks like the shoulder). Players can put them in their sack, or DROP them on the ground. Players can FEED them various types of food. Only the owner can GET the rat from the ground. The rats have several other interaction such as KICK (not that you would!), POKE, RUB, TICKLE, THUMP, TOUCH and PET.

Rats put on the ground via the DROP command will follow their owner, without risk of losing the rat. While on the ground, rats can do battle with the rats owned by other players. Rats may become wounded by battle, but they will not permanently die. Badly wounded rats will run away temporarily and return a real life day later once healed.

Currently only one rat may be obtained per character, per opening of Duskruin.

Loot

A listing of incidental loot you may find within Duskruin can be found at Duskruin loot.

Shops

Players can redeem bloodscrip for items and other prizes at Drathrok's Assemblage.

Trivia

The DragonRealms version of Duskruin was inspired by GemStone's own Duskruin [[1]].

Auction Announcement

Auction Date: Sunday January 31st, 7PM Eastern

Gather your Bloodscrip because now you're going to get a chance at some crazy cool stuff with the event-capping auction! If you thought the amazing selection of items thus far was great, just wait to see else is coming!

• Mindwipe - An evolution (or de-evolution!) of the popular brain weevils has revealed a new variant that will erase ALL knowledge of spells and magical feats from its inhaler's mind!

• Weapons of Vampirism - Shrouded in the darker corners of the realms' lore are tales of Dergati's vampires. While these weapons may not be quite so horrific, one of each of these will be auctioned so that you can permanently empower an existing weapon!
  • Lifesteal - Claim your enemies' vitality as your own!
  • Manasteal - Their mana is your mana!
  • Willsteal - Freely swing heavy hammers of doom as your foe's endurance becomes yours!
  • Soulsteal - Strengthen your spiritual health by stealing another's!

• Custom Packages - You get your choice of TWO rare custom services from the list:
  • Tattoo - Say it in ink!
  • Title - Where's our Bloodscrip Magnate at?
  • Signature Verb - Your very own customized verb!
  • Depart - Shed that mortal coil in style!
  • EZScripted Item - Personalize your weapon, armor or most anything else!

• Alteration Bundles - Get up to 5 alterations for just about any item you have -- including cambrinth and other rarely altered materials!

• Embiggenings - Why settle for a Gnome-sized backpack when you could have an ogre-sized one? We'll grant 6 embiggenings to be used on any combination of containers you like!

• Ring of Return - Choose any normally available area within the realms to attune it to, and return to it every hour!

• Elemental Flares - Did you enjoy the frostdrum, flameflute and sparklute? You pick your weapon and element, and we'll add the flare to it permanently!

• Air Ship - Enjoy the trip from Lang to the islands? Some lucky winner is going to pick their very own start and end points for a NEW air ship! YOU decide if it's private or open to everyone!

• Ships - That's right. Just this one time, we're reactivating the old shipyard to create a NEW ship! You pick the name and customize the pilot, we'll do the rest!

• ...and much, much more!

The competition for these fantastic items is going to be steep, so don't wait to the last minute to try and catch up! Whether you're a new player in DragonRealms or a 20-year veteran, jump into the arena or the labyrinth NOW to slay your way to incredible new items!