More Mystery At Ascendants Shrine

Vespera and River approached Halo Haven from above. River tilted her wings into a gentle, spiraling descent that landed the duo directly at Skybound Outlook, where the shrine was waiting.

"Orion!" Vespera called out as she leapt down from River's back. The Raylen returned to her normal size as the dragon magic fizzled out. "This last trip was a big success. I have five more orbs to show you! Two from the Berry Trees -- and then the three that will fit into the pedestals you wrote to me about."

Scholar Orion was standing near the inscriptions at Ascendants Shrine, contemplating the mysterious symbols. He moved to join Vespera at the pillars as the adventurer approached. "Very good!" He said warmly. "That's nearly all of them."

Together, Vespera and Orion gently placed each collected Quenaris Orb onto their corresponding glowing pillars. The sense of magical energy around Ascendants Shrine was growing -- the air almost seemed to hum with power as more and more Orbs were put into their rightful places.

Vespera and Orion surveyed their work so far. Eight pillars had Orbs, four more were still empty -- and two of the empty pillars were glowing!

"Ah! Let's have a look." Orion walked over to the newly glowing pillars to inspect it for clues, but after a quick examination, his eyebrows drew together in a worried frown.

"What is it?" Vespera asked, coming over to see for herself.

"The inscription on these pillars are worn with age," said Orion. "It looks like not all of the pedestals have stood the test of time equally. They're definitely glowing, but I can't make out what the markings are..."

Vespera peered closer. "Me neither. Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully.

"Well," Vespera continued after a moment, "because the pillars are glowing, we know the next two Quenaris Orbs must be out there somewhere. Mysteries haven't stopped us before -- we'll just have to search far and wide!"

Community Event: Where Are The Next Orbs?

"Adventurers, we need your help now more than ever!

"We know two more Quenaris Orbs can be found somewhere in Santae -- but we don't know exactly where. Please search wherever you can think of! When we work together, surely we can find where these ancient artifacts are hiding."

Two more Quenaris Orbs are now available for discovery!

Confront The Void With The Corrupted Enchanter Set

As Ancient Echoes festivities continue, Vespera has even more new items in stock!

These are the vestments of enchanters who seek to gaze beyond the Nether Moon and unlock the secrets of the void itself, but those secrets can come with a price.

The Corrupted Enchanter set cloaks you in fine white and purple garb accented by the inky blackness of the void beyond the stars. Meddling with forces of ancient, unknowable magic can also have… strange effects on those who seek dark knowledge.

A glowing third eye may open upon your forehead, giving you glimpses of the beyond! But don’t gaze too closely…Corrupted Enchanters may find themselves engulfed by eldritch tendrils of the void itself.

A Haunting Nighttime Encounter

Vespera could hardly wait to begin the search for the Orbs again. After conferring briefly with Orion and sharing a quick meal, she and River set back off into the skies to explore Santae.

The duo's flight carried them deep into the wild. They still hadn't reached a settlement by the time the sun grew low in the sky, casting long shadows across the landscape below. When the edge of the larger-than-usual Nether Moon started to peek out from over the horizon, Vespera knew they would have to land and make camp for the night.

River plunged down through the tangled canopy of the forest below, coming in for a landing in the shaded undergrowth. Beneath the trees it was already almost completely dark, so Vespera worked quickly to set up her tent and make a secure place to rest until morning.

It took a long time to get a small campfire lit. There was something ominous in the air as dusk darkened into night. Soon the circle of light from the campfire was just a small island of light in a pitch-black thicket of trees.

Vespera shivered, struggling to see beyond the firelight and into the dark forest beyond. No sliver of moonlight pierced the canopy, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was moving out there...

She kept catching movement out of the corner of her eye -- or she thought she did. A swirl of shadow. The flapping of a dark wing. The rustling of a black branch.

The campfire went out.

Vespera held very still, clutching River close to her side as she tried to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Her vision couldn't pierce the gloom at all, and she quickly lost almost all sense of direction as she looked back and forth. The blackness was complete -- not the normal soft shadows of a deep forest night. There had to be magic at work here!

Then -- a sliver of light appeared!

Vespera watched as a thin golden crescent traced itself through the air. Then it snapped open -- it was the shape of a luminous eye.

Another piercing golden eye appeared, then another, then another!

The eye-shapes shifted and flew through the air with the leathery snap of wings. The movement helped Vespera make sense of what she was seeing: Gleaming eye-like markings on the wings of a dark bat-like Minimal!

The crack of a twig breaking behind her caused Vespera to whirl around. She dreaded turning her back on the sinister bat, but she wanted to try and see what else was moving around out there...

It was almost impossible to notice, but she could have sworn she saw a patch of deeper blackness slinking through the back of the night on silent feet. Perhaps another Minimal, but it was impossible to tell for sure.

Scooping up River into her arms, Vespera dove into her tent and closed the flap. With such strange, shadowy creatures afoot outside, all she wanted to do now was stay snug and safe until the sun rose again and she could resume her travels!

Sleep came slowly to Vespera. Every noise outside the tent seemed magnified, and a mist of shadow seemed to be trying to creep in through the tent's edges. She tossed and turned as she dreamed.

Vespera dreamed that the shadowy mist outside was coalescing around her tent, forming a dark blob that threatened to engulf her and River altogether. The shadow creature took shape, opening two emberlike eyes. Then it lunged, opening a fanged, glowing mouth to bite!

Vespera snapped awake from the nightmare to see morning sunlight dappling the roof of the tent. She poked her head outside. The embers of the campfire were cold, but the forest looked much more normal in the light of day.

She sighed in relief. All those frightening Minimals were just a dream...weren't they?

Dreadveil, Krym, and Zyre are now available in the Cash Shop!

Hunt For Three More Hidden Avatars

Personalize your forum posts with three more brand-new hidden avatars -- if you can find them! Explore Santae to find out how to unlock these new discoveries for yourself.

The Berry Tree Bears New Fruit

A brand-new bounty of berries has been discovered at the Great Berry Tree! Several varieties of berry are looking more delicious than ever with freshly updated art. Plus, dedicated gatherers should keep their eyes out for three new never-before-seen berries among the branches.

TL;DR

★ Vespera and Orion discovered that two more Quenaris Orbs are available, but couldn't find any clear clues as to their locations.
★ Community Event: Explore Santae to discover the methods of acquiring the next two Orbs for yourself!
★ The Corrupted Enchanter clothing set is available in the Cash Shop and SanDust Shop.
★ Three new Minimals are available in the Cash Shop and SanDust Shop: Dreadveil, Krym, and Zyre.
★ Three new hidden forum avatars are available now.
★ Berry art updated, and three new berries are available in Gathering.