A little tour, of sorts....

[Maebius]

(edits to add post-scripted comments below)

For those curious minds, young and old, I have finally put the finishing touches on that little Quest you've possibly gotten tired of hearing me chatter on about recently.

[b]Beginning at the Marble Dale Park[/b], you should see it in the Signpost clickie there.
Of course, with all the other notes stuck to that sign, I'd recommend you "[s]Search behind the Sign[/s]" now Click on the Signpost for the particular scribblings I left there and look at the "[b]A Little Tour of Sorts...[/b]" document there.

[color=#0000ff]It begins simple with a riddle.[/color]
[color=#008000]It ends with victorious battles[/color]!

While being fairly newbie friendly, I do hope that it appeals to all the folks of the Realm, with it's various challenges. Mind Power 3 can complete it, with a little help and some minor knowledge of Heat.

There is a Wishpoint up for grabs, to be determined by vote and lottery from among those who complete the quest within the first month. (starting from the date the first person finishes, the names within 30 days will be listed below. So "First" is not necessary, but not slacking off is recommended).Particularly good answers to a certain phase of the quest, regarding Principle Scenes, will have an extra name added to the hat, to slightly increase your odds.

A number of Runners up will receive Angiens of various ages, supplied by myself, Queen Kets, and a generous sponsor.

[color=#ff0000][u][b]The Prize lottery will end Friday, October 14th, at 23:59 server time.[/b][/u][/color]

I would also ask participants to avoid using Alts to help complete some sections of this quest, as that defeats the spirit of the challenges. I'd recommend keeping this limited to your Main character only, please.

Let the Tour begin!
-Maebius

PS: If bugs or errors or other strange-ness discovered, I am willing to put up silver, crits, and other compensation for the problematic points pointed out. Contact me to discuss such details as needed.
As my first attempt at quest-making, any feedback, both friendly and flaming, is appreciated.

There are a good number of folks in the final stages, but Plenty of time to start it and still be eligible for the WP Lottery.

[i]PPS: Mighty Pirate has completed the quest in its entirety, and has been awarded a Cup of Aromatic Tea, for his help in testing and bug-hunting (as well as still being eligible for the WP lottery as he was not given any help)[/i]. Thanks again!

[i][b](Maebius)[/b][/i] has Completed the Quest on Mon, 6 Sep 2011

[i][b]Mighty Pirate[/b][/i] has Completed the Quest on Tue, 06 Sep 2011
[b]Nimrodel[/b] has Completed the Quest on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 1
[b]Living Puppet[/b] has Completed the Quest on Tue, 13 Sep 2011
[b]Vasilemacel[/b] has Completed the Quest on Wed, 14 Sep 2011
[b]AmberRune[/b] has Completed the Quest on Thu, 15 Sep 2011
[b]Guillak[/b] has Completed the Quest on Tue, 20 Sep 2011
[b]duxie[/b] has Completed the Quest on Tue, 20 Sep 2011
[b]Passant the weak[/b] has Completed the Quest on Wed, 21 Sep 2011
[b]Tipu[/b] has Completed the Quest on Sun, 25 Sep 2011
[b]Elthen Airis[/b] has Completed the Quest on Wed, 28 Sep 2011
[s][b]Gort Hedera[/b] [/s]has Completed the Quest on Fri, 30 Sep 2011
[b]Master Of Magic[/b] has Completed the Quest on Sun, 02 Oct 2011
[b]Esmaralda[/b] has Completed the Quest on Mon, 03 Oct 2011
[b]Princess Katt[/b] has Completed the Quest on Tue, 04 Oct 2011
[b]Soothing Sands[/b] has Completed the Quest on Wed, 05 Oct 2011
[b]Duke of Malfi[/b] has Completed the Quest on Wed, 05 Oct 2011
[b]shaded[/b] has Completed the Quest on Sat, 08 Oct 2011
[b]Innos[/b] has Completed the Quest on Thu, 13 Oct 2011
[b]Falronn[/b] has Completed the Quest on Thu, 13 Oct 2011
[b]Jolla[/b] has Completed the Quest on Thu, 13 Oct 2011
[b]darkraptor[/b] has Completed the Quest on Fri, 14 Oct 2011
[b]Ghunny The Beast[/b] has Completed the Quest on Fri, 14 Oct 2011

Edited October 19, 2011 by Maebius

[Fyrd Argentus]

You probably don't have an unlimited supply of wishpoint codes to give out. You should start out saying only the first finisher gets what they wish (if that's what you meant), then perhaps announce expansions as you see how easy/difficult it is, and so forth.

Edited August 31, 2011 by Fyrd Argentus

[Brulant]

This was a wonderful way to spend my morning. My sincerest thanks Maebius. I look forwards to seeing what the rest of the "Little tour" has in store

[S33k3I2]

I am already at the second part of the quest. So far so good.

[Maebius]

Thanks Fyrd, I should have been more clear in the reward offerings. Oops! (I live, I learn, right? )

There is a Wishpoint up for grabs, to be determined by vote and lottery from among those who complete the quest within the first month. (starting from the date the first person finishes, the names within 30 days will be listed below. So "First" is not necessary, but not slacking off is recommended).

Particularly good answers to a certain phase of the quest, regarding Principle Scenes, will have an extra name added to the hat, to slightly increase your odds. (Good answers to be voted on my SoE members and the Queen, fyi)

Six Runners up will receive Angiens of various ages, supplied by myself, Queen Kets, and a generous sponsor.
(potentially more if any other sponsors pop in.)

Further completions of the Quest will also have various rewards to be provided, after the initial round of winners is chosen, so please have Patience. If there is something specific you want, feel free to ask and I'll work to procure it.

-Maebius, a Seeker of Enlightenment

[i](All those who complete the Quest will hopefully learn stuffs and enjoy themselves, so that's it's own reward, right? Right? [/i] )

Edited September 1, 2011 by Maebius

[chirobitz]

so that's what you were scribling behind some signs.. Nice quest.. doing it now (really painful to walk though)

Confused about the last clue.. O_o

Edited September 1, 2011 by chirobitz

[Demonwulf]

And apparently yelling at the signs dosen't help.
Anyway, finished the third part yesterday, it's been fun, thanks

[Maebius]

Look like the first few groups are at the final stages of the quest. Good work everyone!
As of this writing, Mighty Pirate has completely finished it, and has been awarded a cup of Aromatic Tea for his help in confirming the testing phase and being "first".

[b]Plenty of time for other folks to try it, before the initial "grand Opening" reward lottery is finalized. [/b]
I'm really enjoying hearing your feedback so far!
(bump! )

[Maebius]

Update:
The winning condition is not to be "First", but to be in the list of names completing this quest within 30 days of the first person completes it fully. (other than Mighty Pirate who had a bit of a head start by offering to help me test it)
Once the first thirty days passes, I will update this with a list of names, and the Lottery will begin. Full details edited to the first post above...

Keep on Questing, folks! So far it looks like about 49 of you were clever enough to figure out the first riddle. Various percentages of those are at the later stages. Good work!

Also, I've gotten some feedback about one step involving Necrovion citizens helping. With so few of them around, I am considering 'skipping' their necessity, but still not convinced that this step is "impossible". It's meant to help folks interact a bit, after all, and may require patience.
However, if the majority decides that requiring Necrovion Citizenry to help at the Gazebo is just too darn difficult, this step can be changed.

Please let me know your thoughts.
[i](I made up the overall "help from citizens" before the recent shifts in Necrovion politics, but kept it in the quest since there were still a few citizens wandering the realm, and I still felt it important to the underlying theme to have people interact slightly with someone from the different Lands if possible. .)[/i]

[Mighty Pirate]

[quote name='Maebius' timestamp='1315480807' post='91710']
Also, I've gotten some feedback about one step involving Necrovion citizens helping. With so few of them around, I am considering 'skipping' their necessity, but still not convinced that this step is "impossible". It's meant to help folks interact a bit, after all, and may require patience.
However, if the majority decides that requiring Necrovion Citizenry to help at the Gazebo is just too darn difficult, this step can be changed.

Please let me know your thoughts.
[i](I made up the overall "help from citizens" before the recent shifts in Necrovion politics, but kept it in the quest since there were still a few citizens wandering the realm, and I still felt it important to the underlying theme to have people interact slightly with someone from the different Lands if possible. .)[/i]
[/quote]

Perhaps I can say something as I finished the quest: I don't think that this particular part is the hardest part of the quest. There are several tasks which are at least as hard as the Necrovion task. So I vote for: Keep it. (The remaining Necro people are usually very helpful, so I don't see a real problem here.)

[Esmaralda]

I agree with Mighty Pirate. Keep it.

Edited September 8, 2011 by Esmaralda

[Maebius]

And the clock has started!
[b]Maebius[/b] has Completed the Quest on Mon, 6 Sep 2011
[b]Mighty Pirate[/b] has Completed the Quest on Tue, 06 Sep 2011
[b]Nimrodel[/b] has Completed the Quest on Tue, 13 Sep 2011
[b]Living Puppet[/b] has Completed the Quest on Tue, 13 Sep 2011

Friday, October 14th, (give or take a few hors, when I actually wake up, not server time), the lottery list will be Closed.
The quest itself will remain valid and running for all who wish to try it, but the WP and few fancy rewards will be handed out to those names drawn from the final list of who completes this quest by the final Date of October 13th.

Congrats to the first few Questors!! Hope you enjoyed it.
-Maebius

[Nimrodel]

yes I did very much... its a wonder though that I manage to complete second >> I barely had time with all my night duties Also, the toughest part of the quest was not Necro thingy or the tribunal thingy. >>

Edited September 14, 2011 by Nimrodel

[dst]

I did part of it (thanks to the lack of time) and I can say that it was entertaining. I haven't enjoyed a quest in quite a while but this one was fun

Thanks Maebius.

[Maebius]

[quote name='dst' timestamp='1316003852' post='91972']
I did part of it (thanks to the lack of time) and I can say that it [u][b]was[/b][/u] entertaining. I haven't enjoyed a quest in quite a while but this one was fun [/quote]

Was?!? You still have thirty days, and an eon afterwards (no, not THAT eon) if you choose to finish it. The clickies will remain, until they aren't, so you can continue to enjoy it as long as you like.

[living_puppet]

Very good and varriated quest.

Enjoyed it a lot. Keep em' coming

Edited September 19, 2011 by living_puppet

[Maebius]

[size=1][font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Viva la Revolucion[/font][/font][/size]
A few more names added to the mix, and plenty of time to start this if you have not yet.
Looks like there is exactly enough completions as of this writing to have all but one prize claimed. So I'm hoping ot see more and have a proper Lottery/Tombola for a Wish.
Good job and good luck to the folks on varied stages of this!!

[size=2]For those stuck anywhere, I'm happy to hint or check around those stairs for you. [/size]

[Passant the Weak]

I just finished the quest and must admit that I loved it. It is very diverse: the 3 parts are all different, and the last one offers a real challenge (at least to me).

I learned a few things about fighting, I had to cooperate in a way that I usually don't have to. All in all lots of fun.

Thanks for setting that up.

[Tipu]

Ur quest made me to beg 'plz plz' and to bow in front of other players and for that u shall face my wrath.
As far as the Quest It is Awesome. I can c a lot of hard work is been put into this Quest. U deserve a WP for creating this quest.
I am sure MB should be proud of U.

[Maebius]

[quote name='Passant the Weak' timestamp='1316594244' post='92347']
I learned a few things about fighting, I had to cooperate in a way that I usually don't have to. All in all lots of fun.
[/quote]
[quote name='Tipu' timestamp='1317027825' post='92576']
Ur quest made me to beg 'plz plz' and to bow in front of other players and for that u shall face my wrath.
[/quote]

Mission accomplished then, Tipu! Mwahahahaaaa

Thanks all. ...and... Bump!
(if folks get stuck, I am always willing to help out. As those who have completed it found, Cooperation is a good thing!)

[Elthen Airis]

Maebius was very helpful when you reach a dead end, the different parts of the quest made it thoroughly enjoyable, the interaction with different characters - original and roleplay demanding, the parts that required thinking - original and not too difficult.

As an overall, i enjoyed passing every bit of this quest and was never bored. There is a certain part which i found difficult enough and requiring good knowledge of the game. It was also a wonderful learning experience. Even a player like me who's been around more than 200 active days had something to learn, which proves the knowledge of Maebius and the great implementation of that knowledge in the quest.

Thank you once again for this trip. Good luck in your future quests!

E.A.

[duxie]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]hehe, yeah, i do agree with Airis. your quest made us to learn things which are commonly postponed, though might be really useful in understanding things in MD. also, i must add that i had quite a lot of fun doing your quest, and got better known with some players [/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]thank you for the fun and the knowledge! [/font][/size]

[Maebius]

Down the last two weeks in order to enter the "official Kickoff Lottery" here.
Congrats to all those who completed it so far, and to those almost done.
Once the initial round of prizes are distributed, I'll add the quest to the Front of the signpost, for easier access to newbies.

Any feedback you have on the quest is always appreciated. Good luck!

[Maebius]

I just found out I'll be traveling for work this coming weekend, so, while the "deadline" for this quest will still remain Friday, I probably wont be able to sort out prizes and update the final listing until Monday or Tuesday morning.

Luckily the quest clickies time-stamp things, so while folks are welcome to continue the quest at any time, I'll be adding names to the lottery hat from the list for those who have been marked as completion before 00:00 on the 15th.

When I return to MD, I'll move the starter notes to the front of the sign so anyone can run it for "Educational Entertainment" going forward and keep it there indefinitely.
Unfortunately, if you have not started the quest yet, you won't be eligible for the first round of prizes, due to the nature of the time required.
(You can still start it for fun, however, and I will happily reward new MP3-type folks with a fresh little bird Egg, or similar, if they'd want one.)

[Maebius]

Congrats to the list of folks who completed my quest before the deadline! (first post updated to reflect names!)
I'm back from work-travel and waiting on a witness to help me ensure Random Fairness in picking the list of winners for the prize lottery.

In the meantime, I've had a few folks ask about what others chose for the part of my quest asking to find examples of Principles in the scenery of my homeland Marinds Bell. Without giving away too many details, I figured I'd list what scenes were chosen for what Principle, by the questing folks. Interesting results!
[log='Tally of Scenes for Principles']
[u][b]Balance[/b][/u]
(x2) Marble Dale Park
Gates of Marind Bell
(x3) Passage of War
Champion's Dome
Marind's Marble Stairs
Winds Crossing

[u][b]Cyclicity[/b][/u]
(x2) Marble Dale Park

[u][b]Light[/b][/u]
Angien Shrine
Angien's Ferry
Sage's Keep

[u][b]Darkness[/b][/u]
Willow's Shop (interior)
Wind's Crossing
Fenth's Wielder
Passage of War
Winds Sanctuary
Willow's Walk

[u][b]Syntropy[/b][/u]
Willow's Walk
Sage's Keep
Winds Crossing
Marble Dale Park


[u][b]Enthropy[/b][/u]
(x2) Marble Dale Park
(x2) Fenth's weilder
Champion's Dome
Gates of Marind Bell
Marind's Roundabout
Passage of War
Winds Game

[u][b]Transposition[/b][/u]
Willow's Shop
(x2 ) Passage of war
Angiens Ferry

[u][b]Elements[/b][/u]
Sage's Keep Interior
(x2) Wind's Crossing
Winds Sanctuary
(x2) Angien's Ferry
Angien’s Shrine

[u][b]Imagination[/b][/u]
(x2) Wind's Sanctuary
(x2) Marind's Roundabout
(x2) Angien's Ferry
Passage of War
Whisper Alley
Fortune's Well
Willow's Shop

[u][b]Time[/b][/u]
Marinds Roundabout
Marble Dale Park
Passage of War
(x2) Stairs to Champion's Challenge
Willow's Walk
Angien's Shrine
Sage's Keep
(x2) Angiens Ferry
[/log]

Sorry for the delay. Prize names and awards should be updated tonight.
(Pesky RealLife(tm) getting in the way of important matters. )

Edited October 17, 2011 by Maebius