When the Lanterns Began to Flicker

By dusk, the path through Shadow Veil Pass was almost too dark to follow. Then something glowed beneath the trees. A carved pumpkin hovered above the fallen leaves, lighting the ground beneath it.

There was another by the roots farther along, and more beyond that. Soon, travelers across Valaria were reporting the same thing: pumpkins floating where no one had left them. Those who stopped to investigate sometimes came away with an enchanted keepsake or a handful of sP. Others found only a friendly message.

The Old Lantern Path

The lights have reached Luminary Meadows, too. Long ago, lanternkeepers traveled there from Shadow Veil Pass, carrying stories of the people remembered in the valley. In the meadows, those stories were told again as everyone gathered to celebrate their lives.

Silvershade has spotted Wysps drifting among the flowers along that old route. Back in Shadow Veil Pass, they gather around the weathered stones. After so long, something seems to have drawn them out again.

The lanternkeepers suspect the Nethermoon. They believe its power may have woken the Wysps, though nobody knows why it would happen now. Silvershade is watching the lights closely. If they keep following the old path, perhaps someone can find out where they are going.

This year's Ancient Echoes brings that shared tradition back to Shadow Veil Pass and Luminary Meadows. There are already pumpkins to find along the way, though the Wysps seem more interested in what lies beyond them.

The Pumpkin Hunt

The pumpkin hunt begins October 15 at 9:45 PM SST and runs through November 15 at 11:59 PM SST! Watch for ten different enchanted pumpkins as you browse Santae. When one floats onto an eligible page, click it to see what you've found. There is no daily or total limit on how many pumpkins you can find. Every encounter adds that pumpkin to your festival discovery journal, including encounters that award sP or a message instead of an item.

Discover All Ten Enchanted Pumpkins

Found a pumpkin item? You can keep it or take it to Crafting to make Essence of Dusk. Each craft uses one pumpkin and gives you 1 Essence for a Normal result, 2 for Pristine, or 3 for Masterwork. Claiming your finished craft also awards Crafting XP: 10 base XP, increased by craft quality and any applicable skill bonuses. Crafting a pumpkin won't remove its discovery from your journal.

Pumpkin Hunt Bonus Prizes

When you encounter a pumpkin and are awarded a pumpkin item, you also have a chance to receive a bonus prize from the collection below. Bonus prizes are not guaranteed with every pumpkin. The pumpkin hunt has its own bonus prize pool, with some prizes much rarer than others. Some of these items will also be available through recipes and cooking in later festival waves. Other encounters award sP or a friendly message instead. The tombstones will have a separate prize collection when their part of the festival opens.

A Stirring Among the Tombstones

Near the lantern path, a faint shimmer has appeared across an old tombstone. Wysps linger close by, restless around its worn markings. Eldrin suspects a connection to the Essence of Dusk being made from the pumpkins, but he hasn't worked out what it is yet.

Orion has been watching the Wysps as well. They grow brighter when the Nethermoon rises, which gives the lanternkeepers another reason to suspect its influence. Whether that explains the changes in the stones is another question.

You'll be able to investigate the tombstones in a later wave of the festival. Until then, keep hold of your Essence of Dusk.

More to Come

We're releasing Ancient Echoes in waves, starting with the pumpkin hunt. We'll share the next part of the story, along with more activities and rewards, as the festival continues.

Good luck with your hunt. Let us know which pumpkin you find first!

Sunny Day or Starry Night?

Some adventures call for sunlight. Others feel right beneath the stars. The Morningtide Medallion and Starlight Medallion can now bring the time of day you need to your own travels!

Use a Morningtide Medallion for one hour of personal daytime, or a Starlight Medallion for one hour of personal nighttime. Open the medallion in your Inventory, choose Use Medallion (1 Hour), and confirm. The medallion is consumed as its magic takes effect.

Only one medallion effect can be active at a time. If you use another before the hour is up, you'll be asked to confirm replacing your current effect. The new hour starts immediately; any time left on the previous effect is lost. When the magic ends, your normal day and night cycle returns.

The change is personal to you. Festival dates, daily resets, cooldowns, and the tombstones' scheduled activation hours stay the same.

Open Your Inventory

New HTML5 Game: Pins & Poms!

We're also adding a new HTML5 game to Santae, Pins & Poms! Pick a side and try to outplay your opponent in a game of three-in-a-row.

Play as Pins or Poms through a 12-level Adventure, meeting special rivals and tougher opponents as you go. Build a winning streak, earn points, and send your best run to the high-score tables. Your adventure saves after every move, so you can stop and pick it up later.

You can also work through the Puzzle Library or try the Daily Showdown. Everyone gets the same daily puzzle, with a ranking to see how you did.

TL;DR

• Pumpkin hunt: October 15 at 9:45 PM through November 15 at 11:59 PM SST.
• Find ten different floating pumpkins, with no daily or total discovery limit. Some award items, some sP, and some a friendly message.
• Every encounter counts toward your festival discovery journal, even without an item reward.
• Keep your pumpkin items or visit Crafting: one pumpkin makes 1 Essence of Dusk for Normal, 2 for Pristine, or 3 for Masterwork, plus Crafting XP when claimed.
• Pumpkin-item encounters have a chance to award a bonus prize from the collection above.
• Tombstones and more activities arrive in later waves. Save your Essence of Dusk!
• Use a Morningtide or Starlight Medallion from your Inventory for one hour of personal day or night. Each use consumes a medallion; effects replace one another.
• Pins & Poms includes a 12-level Adventure, Puzzle Library, and Daily Showdown.