I was in the Dark Moon Pub the other night, relaxing and getting mentally prepared for St Patrick’s Day when I met a very interesting character. From what I can tell, Thomas Malone is a writer turned investigator who is very interested in the affairs of Monria. He can certainly spin a yarn, and after a few Monrian Stouts, he told me a tale that he swore to be true, and the reason for his visit. In the tradition of the Seanchaí, or Irish storytellers, here is that story as shared by Tom.
The large rock was sculpted with matter drawn from across the universe. Azathoth, a cosmic entity, could manipulate the universal laws, and this he did with vigor. Weaving the cosmic dust to form his creation, the ruler of the Outer Gods channeled all his hatred for the golden-eyed leader.
Cthulhu meanwhile lay in slumber.
Azathoth continued with his creation, plucking forth the unique crystals from the planet Elysia and placing them inside the celestial prison forming great caverns rich in the mineral. He then summoned the free Shoggoths from within the frozen cities of Earth and enslaved them once more. His grandchildren joined him to lead the great plan, and having played his part in the fate of the Pain Lord he left his descendants to their destiny.
Cthulhu twitched.
Shub-Niggurath and Yog-Sothoth had mated before but the fertility rituals they conducted now filled the hollow rock with armies of their perverse and twisted creations. Not least of all was a beast like no other. Not unlike all proud parents they named their child. The Horned beast, born with great wings and a skin as tough as the surface of his birth land was henceforth called Z’agol. A favourite of Shub-Niggurath, Z’agol was permitted to feed on her milk and the flesh of his siblings. He grew to be formidable.
The Mother called on her worshipers to support them in their great act and appeared in visions across the churches that sacrificed in her honour. It was at this time that the cults of Earth first became aware of the moon with no planet.
Time exists differently for the Outer Gods, and generations of mortals passed on the traditions within the churches of Shub-Niggurath. They secretly built vast space vessels and scanned the universe for the moon with no planet.
Yog-Sothoth knows the gate and he set about creating a pathway from within the Crystal Cavern. Using the slave labour of the Shoggoth race he moved great quantities of Zoldenite into specific locations within the cavern. The crystals shimmered and lines formed connecting the points into patterns. A great celestial map appeared and a link was formed.
Cthulhu stirred violently and began to dream.
Kthanid awoke with a frenzy to a vision of himself. Or what he at first thought to be himself. It was the eyes that were different. Cthulhu, his twin brother, had appeared. The image cleared and what he saw roused his feelings of hatred. Cthulhu stood ready to slay the Elder Gods in a distant land as he had once killed Kthanid’s own family.
There was no thought, no hesitation, only anger.
The gate was formed and the golden eyes of the Pain Lord raged as he flew toward his brother whose face turned to fear even though he wasn’t really present.
Z’agol leapt and performed the act for which he had been bred. Tearing into his ancestors flesh with great fangs, the creature fed as fervently as he had as a youngling. Kthanid turned back to the gate but saw it sealed as Yog Sothoth danced among the lights shimmering throughout the cavern. Horns, fangs and claws ripped at his skin as the deception was revealed and he felt his life being violently stolen.
Kthanid let out a great cry of pain that could be felt through the fabric of time and space. It was not the pain of flesh. It was far worse. He realized that the bind on the Great Old Ones was weakening. Cthulhu was growing in both strength and courage. The lord of the Elder Gods summoned what little strength he could and cast a spell during those last screams.
Despite his rage Kthanid is not a violent God and the spell he cast merely compelled the creatures to leave him alone. It was a protection spell and Z’agol was unable to inflict further damage. He could only pace violently while the blood slowly drained from the Pain Lord who slowly went into a dream like state. His last images were those of his brother smiling.
Cthulhu was slowly waking.
The pain of Kthanid was felt amongst the Elder Gods on the Planet Elysia who quickly realized what had happened and sent their best warriors to aid their lord.
The first to arrive was Oberon who walked the dreamlands and appeared on the surface with a rainbow of followers. He set to work immediately pulling at the fabric of that place whilst bending the physical laws and forming tunnels, gates and secret places. He shone like a great star as his people followed in arcs that orbited their leader. They fought the legions of Yog-Sothoth’s children as they emerged from the new tunnels. Like some great tentacled artist Oberon took the creation of Azathoth and made it his own canvas.
From within the dancing lights emerged the ships of the empyrean deity Shade and his army of spacefarers known simply as ‘The Knights’. The ships descended slowly and provided covering fire as Shub-Niggurath sent forth her children and commanded the Shoggoths to attack.
Further waves of evil creatures engulfed Oberon who spawned a tornado that trapped them for a while but great swarms of Shoggoths, being shapeless, were harder to hold.
Malgar the insane was aboard the ship that day and while himself a great warrior and protector, his people are often considered insignificant. They are the weak, the ignored and the irrelevant to those who consider themselves uber-powerful. These reasons made him a contentious choice among the Elder Gods who were unsure as to the battle hardiness of his followers.
There was nothing insignificant about the armies of Malgar on that day.
Watching Oberon being engulfed by an army of Shoggoths and lacking what mortals refer to as ‘sense’ Malgar did not wait for the spaceships to land and simply leapt out of the back. His people followed.
Riding along cosmic spears that appeared as they leapt, the army of Malgar attacked the Shoggoth. Great chants started by Malgar the insane cast fear into the Great Old Ones who lost their grip on the shapeless creatures. As the movement of the shoggoth hive appeared random and chaotic so did the formations of Malgar’s horde. The weak and irrelevant could never be ignored again as the mob was roused to kill. With a pure yet barbarous energy Malgar and his army cut through the waves of Shoggoth Shapeshifters.
The ships landed and Shade emerged as one with his Knights. Side by side they marched into the danger and faced their foes with honour. Each Knight worked as part of the whole and pierced the advancing Shub formations. As weaknesses were discovered Shade would send orders to advance, and groups would leap into the gaps pulling back into formation only on command.
Under Shades leadership they pushed back the advancing Shubs and forced their foes to retreat back down the tunnels formed by Oberon. Some of these tunnels returned the creatures to their caverns and others sent them to places far worse.
Pinthas was the church leader, like his father Pinthas before him. In fact there had been so many generations of Pinthas leading the church that he couldn’t remember which number he was supposed to be this time. It was a family tradition and one that he would only be free of when their destination was reached. They were nearly there though. The three great ships would arrive at the source of the visions shortly.
The army was assembled on the main deck and Pinthas conducted his final inspection. Every person was on deck in their battle armour. He had commissioned the armour himself and each member of the church wore it with pride. It would serve its purpose well. Looking into the eyes of the soldiers he couldn’t help but remember all the moments they shared, the times they worshiped and the plans they hatched. Some were related through marriage. Others had shown him great kindness. He buried these random thoughts and prepared himself for the confrontation ahead.
Each ship was programmed to arrive at a specific place and time. Once he arrived the first of his tasks would be complete and finally the waiting could end. His mind wandered to playful times and memories of his soldiers as children. Some didn’t look much older. He steeled his mind for battle.
The first two space ships arrived at one at the designated places and the cult members quickly disembarked and got into formation while waiting for their leader.
Edward marched up and down nervously whilst inspecting the troops. He was extremely nervous and wanted everything to be perfect for the leader he idolized. Truth be told, he probably would have left the church a long time ago if it wasn’t for Pinthas. He had raised him like a father would and taught him everything he knew.
The ship arrived and little Eddie, as Pinthas sometimes called him, felt his heart skip a beat. Great doors opened and the leader of the Church of Cthulhu emerged. He was alone. So typically Pinthas, thought Edward. It was a grand entrance.
Pinthas slowly walked towards Edward whose hair was as fair as it was in his youth and from a distance he looked like the child he had raised.
Edward watched as Pinthas seemed to glide toward him, even his armour seemed superior, it was as fluid as his gait. A trick of the light perhaps.
It was too late by the time Edward realized that the liquid glean from the armour was just that, liquid. A red thick fluid. Pinthas quickly drew his blade across the young man’s throat and threw himself at the rest of his army. He held no fear, any armour forged at the hand of an Elder God would offer no protection against him.
With the speed of an immortal he carved through bone and flesh until the very end.
He then fell slowly to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably as the memories returned.
Only a few survived that day as Pinthas the Wise finally completed his plan and single handedly executed the members of the church. He knew it was necessary from the first when he learned of the visions and had decided to infiltrate the cult.
Pinthas played no further part in the battle on the Moon with no planet and with a heavy heart removed the armour of the dead, built a large pyre in the churches tradition and sat in silence as they burned.
Oberon had been busy and was weaving the carcasses of the dead creatures into great suits of armour for the final push that lay ahead.
Cthulhu grew in strength as Kthanid faded.
The Elder Gods organised as one into a great trident and charged down a tunnel carved by Oberon who was at the center casting sparks of light. Holes became mirrors and then holes once more as what was up became upside down. Spinning and screaming Malgar flew himself about like a pinball bouncing off wall and foe alike. Shade at their side cut through the creatures ahead with the efficiency of a machine but a trident is only as powerful as it’s thrust.
What was to one day become the Order of the Elder Gods followed as the efficiency of the Knights worked alongside the insane and the impossible to cut a path to the Crystal Cavern where their leader lay, slowly dying.
Oberon, Shade and Malgar leapt as one and surrounded their golden-eyed leader, standing defiantly against Cthulhu who was slowly materializing. Their people followed and formed a ring of barbs to protect their leaders.
It was Yog-Sothoth who made the first move, and the keeper of gates and keys used the latter to unlock the former. Oberon responded and they danced, appearing sometimes apart and sometimes whole as they plunged through dimensions. Portals emerged and fell away as matter faded and folded.
Shade saw his opportunity and immediately threw himself at Shub-Niggurath when a portal appeared and emerged somewhere, yet nowhere. Spinning around in what he could only describe as space-like, or perhaps dreamlike. He slashed and parried, hacked and cut. As Oberon danced through the dimensions Shade also danced with a harmony that existed beyond time. This continued for an age in a timeless place as Yog-Sothoth and Shub-Niggurath were held at bay.
Back in the Crystal Cavern the physical laws returned and the beast named Z’agol looked down at Malgar. His hunger rose and he pounced on his foe and immediately started tearing at his flesh. He had defeated the brother of the great Cthulhu and this rag doll was no match.
Malgar felt his flesh tear and his bones crunch as the attack raged on. He was thrown about from wall to wall and for the first time felt feeble.
With Yog-Sothoth gone the link to Cthulhu weakened and Kthanid gained strength from this.
Malgar felt his power fade and his muscles grow weak. He felt insignificant, he felt inferior. It was then that his ears filled with the battle cries of his own people as they threw themselves onto the back of the great beast, giving their lives as the creature’s arms flailed. It was then that Malgar roared with such a cry that it caused vast crystals to shatter and fall like rain. Malgar the Insane, protector of the weak then leapt to his feat and sprung into to the air.
In his left hand was the horns of Z’agol, and in his right the wings. Beneath his feet, the weak and insignificant followers of Malgar tore what remained of the beast apart.
Kthanid opened his yellow eyes, and in an instant all changed. Oberon emerged through a yellow oval holding shade by the scruff of his neck. The next moment Kthanid, The Elder Gods and their followers disappeared sealing off the tunnels as they left.
Information is scant on what happened to the Elder Gods but there are rumours….
Shade is said to wander the universe with his spacefaring Knights upholding the principles of decency and honour.
Pinthas returned to earth to bury his friends and family and has never been the same since. He still researches cultist organizations in an attempt to understand how to turn them from evil.
There has been reported sightings of Oberon when the impossible happens. He is also rumoured to return to the moon with no planet and occasionally dance with the gatekeeper.
Malgar has dedicated his life to helping the weak and the ‘insignificant’ as they once helped him.
As for Yog-Sothoth, Shub-Niggurath and their evil family. Kthanid, with his last breath on that cursed moon cast a spell and forever bound them to that Celestial Prison.
THE END
Now the update:
New armour
The Armour used by the Elder Gods and their followers can now be looted by hunting mobs on Monria. There are 4 sets made from the carcasses of your favourite mobs.
- Malgar Armour — Shoggoth
- Oberon Armour — Yog
- Pinthas Armour — Cultists
- Shade Armour — Shub
The Toy Soldier
Thomas Malone has arrived on Monria as part of his investigations, and rumour has it that he brought a large bag of toys with him.
- New Hunting Mission chain for kill points with toys as rewards, speak to Thomas Malone at the Monria Hub, 1st floor, right side by the window behind a desk setup
Token Broker
As requested by the community … Monria Hub, 2nd floor, opposite end from the Trade Center
- A Mayhem token trader has been added to Monria at the Monria Hub
- A Daily token trader has been added to Monria at the Monria Hub
- A Combat token trader has been added to Monria at the Monria Hub
Training the Leprechaun
As part of our effort to support taming we have added missions with rewards for taming leprechauns. Earn yourself one of Thomas Malone’s creations, a cute leprechaun toy and then earn tokens with a repeatable mission.
- Speak to Colonel Wang at his stable in the DSEC Military Camp – go North from TP around rock wall
Hunting Repeatable Missions
Earn tokens by completing repeatable kill point missions by speaking to the following extremely friendly NPCs
Shoggoth
- SachemUrsa at DSEC Forensics – North end of Forensics
Yog
- Negated at DSEC Mining Camp – go SE along the rock wall a bit and you’ll find Negated
Cultist
- Colonel Wang at his stable in the DSEC Military Camp – go North from the TP around the rock wall
Shub
- Angel at the Shub Cavern – near the Shub Cavern TP
St Patrick’s Weekend Event
This release coincides with our biggest event of the year where Avatars from across the universe dress in green and follow me while I attempt to walk in a circle.
Best of luck to everyone who will spend the weekend having fun and competing to win some prizes. If you haven’t registered for our team events or our ‘guess the global’ event don’t forget to do so in the St Patricks day thread:
Don’t worry if you haven’t yet fully completed your outfit, like last year we will be giving out something green for the Saturday Parade!
Known Issues / Things that didn’t quite make it!!!
Aah the Four Chapters!
Monria’s Four Lost Chapters Mission is something that we have been trying to improve since we took over Monria. I’m happy to say that we have finally been able to get something done. It didn’t quite make it for this release but will be released in an update, hopefully soon……
A new mission will be added “The Order of the Elder Gods” with a bound item unique to Monria.
- Speak to Pinthas at DSEC Forensics to find out more in an update coming soon..
Mining
A Mining Guild representative will be added to Monria as suggested by the community.
- Mining Guild Representative at the Monria Hub offering mining missions – in an update coming soon
Mining Repeatable Missions
Repeatable Mining mission for token rewards will be added for mining for Maladrite or Zoldenite — this will be in an update coming soon
- Curd at DSEC Mining
Armour Face Masks
- The current armour masks need a bit of love from graphics including updating the texture to match the rest of the armour in an update coming soon.
Summary
It’s taken a while to get there but with this release I’ve tried to deliver on some of the things that have been suggested by the community. I can still recall the ridiculous idea that a Shoggoth toy could be cute for example
Overall I wanted to add mission content so that players can be rewarded in additional ways whilst competing in our events or completing our existing missions.
There are a couple of things that weren’t quite ready but we wanted to release what we could in advance of our event.
Seeing as our Lunartics are at the center of everything we do, I also wanted to immortalize some of you in this release. Not only have I drawn on characters from the Kipling Chronicles but I think it has been the worst kept secret that the Elder Gods walk amongst us, and it was about time that some of their identities were publicly revealed….
These releases take a huge amount of time and effort. We don’t always get what we want, when we want it but the activity levels on Monria continue to increase. We have more players that join Entropia Universe through Monria than we have ever had in the past, and a greater percentage of those stick around. A large part of this is because of the warm and friendly community that helps both new players and visitors alike.
None of these releases would be possible without the support of the community, so you are all Elder Gods to us.
Please post any bugs and suggestions in the relevant section so that I can take them on board.
That’s all folks,
Ant
