The Quest For The Orbs Continues

The sun filtering through the leaves of the Harmonic Heartwood's canopy dappled the page of the letter in Vespera's hands with speckles of light. It was a note sent from Orion up in Halo Haven -- and it let her know that three more pillars at Ascendants Shrine had begun to glow!

"Perfect timing," Vespera said to River, who was peering down at the letter from Vespera's shoulder. "Now we have a couple more places to check before we return to Halo Haven! Ready for some more adventure?"

River flapped her wings and let out an enthusiastic chirp. It was time to hit the road!

The duo's first stop was the Azure Abyss. Everything seemed quiet along the luminous shore. River flapped over head, riding a gentle breeze that cooled the air as she watched the Abyssal Monster splash and frolic with some Adventurers' pets in the crystalline waters of the Abyssal Lake below.

Eldrin saw Vespera before she noticed him. "Vespera!" The Seeker of Knowledge called out. There was an uncharacteristic note of excitement in the wise elf's usually-calm voice.

"Hello," Vespera greeted Eldrin as she approached the edge of the Lake. "What's going on here?"

"It's the Monster," Eldrin pointed toward the leaping serpent in the Lake. Vespera looked over, puzzled. Nothing looked wrong with the Monster or the Lake to her.

"What about it?" She asked, puzzled. "I was wondering if something had changed recently, since Scholar Orion wrote that even more pillars had started glowing up at Ascendants Shrine. One of the markings he described made me think there would be something to be found here, at the Abyss."

"Excellent," Eldrin sounded deeply intrigued. "I think you're exactly right. The magic at the shrine -- that must be related to this." He reached into one of his robe's deep pockets and withdrew a shining Orb.

"Yes!" Vespera cried. "Where did you get that? That must be one of the Quenaris Orbs!"

"It was given to me by the Abyssal Monster," Eldrin explained. "Ever since the discovery of the Twilight Ore we have known there are many mysterious treasures beneath the Lake's surface -- but I have never seen anything like this before. If you are seeking artifacts of this nature, you should take it with you."

"Thank you," Vespera said as she carefully took the Orb from Eldrin and stowed it in her pack. "We're getting closer to solving this mystery -- I just know it!"

Vespera and River's next stop was closer to home. They crossed the river southwest of Azure Abyss and took the narrow valley road back into Shadow Veil Pass. As they moved deeper into the mountains, the craggy stone around them began to light up with the deep scarlet glow imbued by the Nether Moon overhead. Vespera wanted to check in on her Shop, and see how the Ancient Echoes Festival was proceeding, since they were near the area anyway.

As Vespera strolled the familiar streets of Shadow Veil Pass, a low voice caught her attention. "Vespera," the voice called. "Do you have a moment to speak?"

Invoker Imara beckoned with a white-gloved hand, inviting Vespera closer.

"Imara," Vespera greeted the mysterious artifact collector. "Always a pleasure. What can I do for you?"

The ghost of a smile was visible in the shadow of Imara's wide-brimmed hat. "I believe it is I who can do something for you. Are you not seeking certain objects of magical power?" Vespera leaned closer to look as Imara withdrew a smooth white orb from a pouch for her inspection. The orb was clearly magical: Wreathed in wisps of cloud, with a surface that glimmered with subtle prismatic reflections.

"You know I have my ways of getting my hands on unconventional artifacts. But this one holds no purpose for my own invocations." Imara held it out for Vespera to take. "Something tells me you know where this belongs."

Vespera took in Imara's knowing smile, wondering as always how the mysterious Invoker held such a depth of magical insight. "You're right," Vespera replied, "and I thank you. River and I will return this to Ascendants Shrine as soon as we can!"

Thrilled with their discoveries, Vespera and River set off for Halo Haven. Draconic magic swirled around River once again, empowering her to carry Vespera back up into the skies and return to the Shine with the Orbs they had collected so far.

As they approached Halo Haven, the flock of dragon Minimals filling the skies around the floating islands swirled around them. The swarm of smaller dragons soared and dived seemingly at random, sometimes coming perilously close to River's wings as she flew.

One swift-flying Velofang swooped directly toward Vespera on River's back -- it seemed like it was about to crash! Vespera threw up an arm to protect her face, but the small pink dragon flared its wings to check its flight right in the nick of time. It hovered above River's back for a second, seeming to peer closely at Vespera's face, then dropped something from its claw and flew away.

Vespera caught the item the Velofang had dropped on pure instinct, but when she saw what it was, she gasped. The way it caught the light made it almost look like a luminous dragon's eye. It was another Quenaris Orb -- and the Minimal had dropped it for her seemingly at random!

New Feature: Random Events

We are please to unveil the latest new feature being added to Santae - Random Events! They can happen to anyone, any time, and the first Random Event that is available today is in conjunction with the ongoing Quenaris Orbs Event!

There is no way to influence the frequency or type of random event that will appear other than being active on site. Our system will periodically choose people that are online (or have recently been online) to be chosen to receive the Random Event Notification. We'll be monitoring the system closely for the next few days and will adjust the activation of the event rates based on user feedback and system analytics.

We are truly excited to implement this feature and look forward to adding more positive Random Events soon! Let us know in the comments what sort of Random Events you would like to see appearing around Santae!

(Disclaimer: Santae will never implement random events that have a negative impact, such as taking items or currency from accounts, additionally you do not need to have your Show Online status turned on to be randomly chosen)

Community Event: Continue Collecting The Quenaris Orbs

Three new pillars are glowing at Ascendants Shrine, and that means three new orbs are now waiting to be discovered around Santae!

One can be found in the depths of the Abyssal Lake. The Abyssal Monster might be able to dredge one from the depths from you -- but with the right fishing and gathering equipment, you may also be lucky enough to discover one there for yourself.

Another has found its way into the hands of many friendly faces around Santae. If you complete Quests for any quest-giving NPC, there is a small chance you will receive an Orb as a reward.

As for the last -- random chance may just need to be on your side! Good luck!

Commemorate Your Quest With The Event Trophy!

If you participate at any point during the Quenaris Orb community event -- from taming dragon Minimals to collecting Orbs and beyond -- you'll receive a gorgeous event Trophy to commemorate the experience once the event concludes. Take part in the adventure today to make sure you'll receive this beautiful reminder of the magical Quenaris mystery on your profile!

This trophy will not retire so if you do not get an opportunity to earn it during this event, there will be future opportunities to acquire it

TL;DR

★ Vespera and River continue traveling Santae to discover the locations of three more legendary Quenaris Orbs.
★ Three new orbs are available for collection, via the Abyssal Monster or gathering/fishing at the Abyssal Lake; as rewards from Quests; and as a random drop while active on Santae.
★ New Random Event system has been implemented!
★ The art for the Quenaris Event trophy has been revealed!