"Reaping the Benefits of Elanthia"

by Jolebin Swordstaff

Daily life can be a challenge in Elanthia, and that is why you must always take full advantage of any potential good fortune that presents itself. If you have read my first two articles in this series, you might have acquired the mistaken impression that Elanthia is primarily a dangerous, frightening land, or that I think it to be so. I realize that I have been discussing only the dangers of Elanthia, and I apologize for this, because I have done our fair Elanthia a great disservice. Elanthia is, above all else, a land of opportunity. So, before you resign yourself to a life of seclusion, locked away in your guild's highest tower, read on and see what happy excitement awaits you!

Many benefits in Elanthia are conferred upon those who are most pragmatic. For example, did you know that the weapons of many of the monsters you fight can be sold at pawn shops? From experience, I know that a fire sprite's battle axe and a swamp troll's pike staff each go for about a silver Lirum in Riverhaven. I am certain that other enemy creatures carry similarly valuable equipment. The trick is to not let the weapons become a burden to you. When I am hunting swamp trolls and I get a pike staff, I sell it in Riverhaven immediately. I don't have any container that can hold the unwieldy object, so I really need to get rid of it before I can continue my hunt.

On the other hand, when I was a frequent visitor to Skeleton's Crook, I could fit about a dozen battle axes in my backpack at once. I would constantly do so, not having been very knowledgeable in those days, and eventually sell the whole lot of them in Riverhaven. Now I know that an increased burden can have detrimental effects on one's fighting prowess, so I would be more reluctant to carry large numbers of weapons all at once. If you are going to collect weapons for sale, try to do it in a hunting ground that is fairly close to a city with a pawnshop.

Of course, your primary means of income through hunting will be the coins and gems you find in the pockets of your hapless assailants, as well as the pelts you can sever from their lifeless carcasses. In order to maximize your income, you will want to organize these items appropriately. Gems should be placed in a gem pouch, which a Trader can sell for you at a greater profit. Similarly, pelts should be bundled with tusks and hooves and whatnot, for a similarly increased value. The tanners of most cities will gladly provide you with bundling rope for free, while gem pouches are similarly available from jewelry appraisers.

Although my familiarity with the processes is quite limited (well, nonexistent, but I think we've grown close enough by now to dispense with minutiae), it is also my understanding that the value of an individual gem can be increased by a certain Moon Mage spell, and that Rangers have mastered the skill of arranging a dead animal in a special way that improves the potential value of the pelt. Any time you kill something, you really need to pick it clean. Creatures carry all manner of useful objects, such as carving knives, runestones, lockpicks, and gwethdesuans.

Speaking of gwethdesuans, they truly are one of the wonders of modern Elanthia. They appear to be simple silver chains, set with one of six types of stones: waermodi, lasmodi, sjatmal, lantholite, jadeite, or kyanite. These mysterious headdresses hold within them the power to enhance thought patterns to such an extent that telepathic communication becomes possible.

While waermodi and lasmodi stones only enable an individual to listen to the thoughts of others, the sjatmal and lantholite gems actually enable an adventurer to project his or her thoughts out towards others, albeit over a shorter distance. These four types proliferate in Elanthia, but they are quite fragile and their effects are short-lived. Every time a gwethdesuan's effectiveness wears off, it must be gently rubbed to reactivate it, a process which soon causes the chain to snap and the stones to crumble. So the use that one can get from a single gwethdesuan of this type is fairly limited.

However, the much more rare jadeite and kyanite gwethdesuans are a great deal more potent. These two types of gwethdesuans need only be activated once, and their enhancement of thought continues until the device is removed or the wearer perishes. If one of these events transpires, the gwethdesuan need simply be rubbed again, although even these more powerful gwethdesuans may also be broken in that process. Sadly, the only known sources of jadeite and kyanite in Kermoria were destroyed by the invading Gorbesh in 354 AV, and the prices of these mystical relics have reached astronomical heights.

Still, a good gwethdesuan is easily worth its weight in gold. Through its use, one can maintain contact with a hunting partner who is out of earshot. A network of gwethdesuan-wearers can organize squads of Clerics and Empaths at an accident site. It is not possible to possess too many gwethdesuans, and I recommend obtaining them whenever possible, though their use requires more concentration than perhaps the newest adventurers will be able to muster.

I would heartily encourage any adventurer to attend festivals whenever the opportunity arises. I have attended three such events: The Ice Festival, the Carnival of Wonders, and the Elemental Exposition. The first of the three was a gala affair in honor of the coronation of Prince Sirolarn (although we all know how that turned out) while the latter was a lovely gathering on Ratha. The third, which was quite recent, was a simple celebration, held in Shard in honor of my own guild. Such festivals typically feature merchants, competitions, gambling, spectacles, and pageantry.

I do not think I have ever had as much fun as I had at the Ice Festival. I participated in games of skill, as well as a delightful ice-carving competition. I received the new title of Ice Wizard from an inebriated minister, and I did a bit of gambling. I also purchased a nice matching set of a cloak, mask, and boots, for a reasonable price of about two platinum Kronars altogether. There was a vendor of magical devices, from whom I purchased an onyx anklet shaped like crossed scimitars. I paid only 250 Kronars, and the ornament holds twenty-five charges of the Moonblade spell.

There are always bargains to be had at a festival, but be wary of swindlers as well. An incautious shopper may be tricked into paying a large sum of money for an essentially worthless ornament. That's not to say it is wrong to buy expensive, showy things; I myself paid more than a platinum Kronar for a bejeweled Sirolarn doll that I knew to have no magical properties. I did so with the full knowledge that the piece would never have any value other than as an accessory. So, feel free to buy attractively useless things, but don't expect everything you buy at a festival to burst at the seams with undiscovered properties. As the saying goes: "Let the buyer beware."

The focus of the event, however, was the coronation of Lord Sirolarn as Prince of Zoluren. It was held in the newly refurbished Ulf'hara Keep, and featured speeches and gifts from all ten of the Crossing's guildleaders. This was capped by a masquerade ball, which I was unfortunately unable to attend. Even so, the Ice Festival was an extremely pleasurable experience.

The Carnival of Wonders was held on Ratha and was not quite as extravagant an affair. Still, I found several nice pieces to purchase, and I had a few hours of fun. Having been transported to Ratha via moongate, I was then stranded in the city with no knowledge of how to use the lift. But that's another story altogether.

The Elemental Exposition in Shard was a much anticipated event for the Warrior Mages of Elanthia. It was a small gathering indeed, contained within the space of a single Ilithic alleyway. Still, my shopping experience there was quite rewarding, and I came away with several cambrinth ornaments, as well as accessories and weapons engraved with the Warrior Mage Guild insignia. I was unable to attend the well-publicized Jeraya Bayajen (Festival of Elanthian Prosperity) being held in Shard at the same time, having had only so many Dokoras to line my pockets.

An auction can also be a delightful experience. Some of the more active merchants of Elanthia tend to accumulate large collections of curios for which they have no real use. When this happens to one of them, he or she sometimes sets up a tent and holds an auction. Not overlong ago, a Gnomish entrepreneur by the name of Tifflenut held such an auction near the Crossing. I had the distinct pleasure of attending the beginning of the auction, although time constraints forced me to leave after only a few items had been sold.

In the short time that I was there, I found the auctioneer and her retinue to be quite competent, as well as colorfully entertaining to watch. Some of the items up for sale were quite extravagant, and most of the pieces were sold for dozens (or hundreds) of platinum Kronars. I myself have never bought anything at auction, but my understanding is that most of the artifacts sold at these events have hidden properties that will reveal themselves in time to the patient buyer. Even if you don't have the kind of bank account that allows you to make a serious bid on any of the lots, an auction is truly an experience not to be missed.

Viewed in the correct light, Elanthia is a mine of riches waiting to be laid bare. There is no reason for any adventurer to leave without his or her share of scintillating gems. For some, this may indeed mean material wealth. For others, it represents sundry ornaments and other goods. But for many of us, the greatest treasures Elanthia holds are the daily experiences and personal relationships that we share.

Safe Paths.
Jolebin Swordstaff, Elemancer of Riverhaven