Design Notes

Focus Maker

March 22, 2012

Magic Lesson #4

Focus on the Locus Magicalicus

Power. Magic. LIFE. Coursing through your mind, heart, and soul. Mages might wield mighty power, but that comes at a price, and it is not always easy. It takes great control, both of the mind and the will. In our world and the universe of Sarah Prineas' The Magic Thief, mages use aids to focus their concentration and power. That was one of the reasons our universes blended so well.

With that as an introduction, let's move on to magic lesson #4:

Focus stones, a primer:

Each mage in AQWorlds has a focus, usually made of stone*. These stones allow the mage to hook into the ley lines and nexuses of magic which transverse the planet, and can guide them to the lines and reservoirs of magic across the world.

One of 6 member-only Focus Stone Clusters

With practice and a stone for which they feel an affinity, a mage may also use the focus stone to enhance, to boost, their power. The crystalline structure of many stones allows it to hold the focused power mages channel through them.

As an example, think of a small tendril of a mage's power being funneled into a gemstone. That small jot of power bounces off the facets inside of the stone, gaining energy as it rebounds off the planes. That extra energy boosts power, increasing the strength of the magical working.

One of 5 AC Mana Surge Stones

With the proper focus and will, a mage may find their strength greatly enhanced, the power of their spells increased manyfold. Of course, that is for normal mages. With the... unique... magic found in Cysero and Warlic, who knows? These two rare mages have not allowed a proper study of themselves to be made.

The Emerald Mana Surge

* For example: Cysero with his stone hammer, Warlic with his gemmed staff, Alina with the stones she uses in her potions.

Magical Event Rare Rewards!

This Friday set your sites on a store full of mystical, magical, awesome armors, accessories, and weapons! From the enticing member-only Embero Spell armors as quest rewards to the powerful Aether Blade in the AC Rares shop, all the way to the Obsidian Athame free players will find dropping from Deorysa, there are rewards for everyone to collect and covet!

Mystical Blades in the AC Rares shop!

Member-only gilded athames

Mystic NightStalker, AC Rares shop

Dage the Evil's Death-day Shop Leaves Friday!

Dage returns to the Underworld tomorrow, taking his shop of rare birthday (birthweeks?) items with him! They will NEVER be available again, and that's one of the reasons the shop stayed so long. If you haven't battled your blade-edge off farming for the Paragon pet, get your armor in gear and get moving!

The Magic Thief event will be available for the foreseeable future, but the event rares will leave after a week, so get this massively-magical gear while the shop's still in-game! And be sure to check out The Magic Thief event page here!

Tags: Alina, The Magic Thief, Magic, Lesson 4, Focus Stones, Event Rares, Dage Deathday,

Lesson Maker

March 20, 2012

Magic Lesson #2

The more you know...

The more you can EXPLODE! (With your magic.) As The Magic Thief event draws closer, the AQW team is hard at work creating, crafting, and concocting all the components necessary to make this the most magically-massive guest author event ever!

To inspire all you mage and wizard-wannabe's out there, we're giving a lesson a day about the nature of Magic on Lore*! Up next is...

Drawing from Ley Lines and Nexuses:

The largest nexus is the core of the planet; it contains the most pure magic available, and is centered where the Verix overlaps the Horix. There is no mage strong enough to tap into this nexus, except perhaps Warlic or Cysero, and they will neither confirm or deny their ability to utilize it. Normal nexuses and ley lines can be tapped into and drawn from safely, in controlled amounts.

Artist rendition of the normally-invisible ley lines which criss-cross Lore.

As yet, no regular mage has been known to draw directly from the Core. Doing so would be like tapping a person’s heart to draw blood: the pressure of the flow of blood/magic escaping would be overwhelming.

The magician would be flooded with pure magic, overcome in a deluge of power which would burn through their physical, mental, and magical veins. Their stores of mana – magical will and stamina – would be destroyed. They would be “burnt out” and lose the ability to perform magic... and their lives.

The Infinity Orb, one of Friday's rewards!

Severing another mage's connection to the ley lines IS possible, but dangerous. The potential for lashback - which would negatively affect the severing mage - is enormous. Most choose not to risk it.

* All magic lessons will be placed in Arcangrove's magical tome after the event is over.

Mid-Week Member Release Delayed!

Cysero's swamped with work, but that work isn't the mid-week member-only release. They will resume in the near future. In the meantime, why not send Cysero some ideas for where you'd like to see the next expansion take place? There are so many possibilities; pick your favorites and let him know!

Look fly like a J6 with HeroMart's newest t-shirt!

Head to Heromart, Artix Entertainment's real-life loot store and snag your very own J6-style shirt! These fly off the shelves faster than the speed of light, so if you want to look like a bounty hunter* as you battle through life, this is the shirt for you!

Are YOU a Bounty Hunter?

And any bounty hunter worth their guns wants to score the critical fashion hit they'll get when they equip the epic promotional rewards that come with purchase - the J6 Helmet and the J6 Cowboy Armor!

Send J6 to outerspace... he's almost there!

AQWorlds' lead artist, J6, is astronomically talented! So who better to be Artix Entertainment's ambassador to the galaxy? He has a chance to win a contest to go on the ultimate quest - into space! And YOU can help send him up there, where he belongs!

As of this writing, J6 has 24,949 votes! Keep it up and soon we may have an AQW artist who has seen the stars firsthand! Thank you ALL for helping him work to achieve his dream!

Tags: Alina, The Magic Thief, Ley lines, Nexuses, Lessons, The more you know, J6, No Midweek release,

Magic Maker

March 19, 2012

Magic Thief Event This Friday!

Chaos in Your Veins... and in Lore's Magic!

Magic, malice, and mayhem... and Chaos! When a corrupted mage in the duchy of Wellmet gets Chaorrupted, the most powerful mages on Lore go missing, but no one knows why. Not until the stars of author Sarah Prineas' series The Magic Thief gets involved!*

Chaorrupt ALL the magic!

* Check out her website here!

Join Conn, Rowan, and the rest of The Magic Thief cast along with Cysero and Warlic as you journey to a new land to save the lifeblood of your home - Lore's magic! Rescue the missing mages and sever Pettivox's connection to the magic of Lore... or NO one will be able to use ANY magic again without being tainted by Chaos!

The Rysa are servants created from pure magic
combined with Pettivox's blood.

We are incredibly excited that she has allowed us to tell a whole new story set in Lore with the characters and land that so many of her fantasy-fanatical fans know and love! We've been in talks about this event since November, and work began in earnest this past January. Since then, I've read and re-read The Magic Thief in preparation for the event, and can't wait to begin the next books in the series!

No mage is safe from Pettivox and Drakath's plotting!

The magic of The Magic Thief universe is surprisingly similar to that of Lore, and so is the rest of its world. Populated by monsters, villains, and more than a few mages, Wellmet is a town where you will feel right at home! (Unless your home is in the slums of the Twilight. Then you'll probably want to move across the river.)

The Sunrise Palace it ain't, but the Twilight slums are
home to many of Wellmet's citizens.

In the Magic Thief event, you'll get a chance to learn about how magic in AQWorlds operates: ley lines, nexuses, and focus stones are all crucial if the mages of Lore are to guide and guard the home they love! Look for a new piece of information on Lore's magic each day until we reach Friday and the event kicks off with a magical BLAST of Chaorrupted insanity!

The Magic Thief Cast of Characters!

Meet the cast of The Magic Thief series and AQWorlds event! Thieves, mages, and nobility... they fit right in with the rest of the characters in Lore!

	Conn Street-thief turned mage A talented thief… until he picked the wrong pocket! After attempting to rob the wizard Nevery of his locus magicalicus – what mages on Lore call a focus stone – Conn became his apprentice and began learning the ways of a wizard. Quick of wits and deft of hand, Conn’s past serves him well as he learns the ways of magic!
	Pettivox Wizard to the Duchess, Chaorrupted Corrupt and Chaorrupted, the wizard Pettivox is not afraid to get his hands – or his locus magicalicus – dirty if it will bring him power. Drakath dupes him into kidnapping many of the most powerful mages on Lore in order to taint ALL magic with Chaos!
	Rowan Conn’s friend, Duchess’ daughter Smart, sassy, fiercely loyal and independent, Rowan is NOT going to sit and sew while dangers threaten her home and friends. A student at Wellmet’s Academy of Magic, she’s ready to use the resources at her disposal to help her friend Conn save the world!
	Benet Conn’s friend, servant to his teacher More bodyguard than street-brawler, Benet is the servant of Conn’s teacher, Nevery. He knows his way around Wellmet and prefers baking biscuits to breaking heads. He’ll help you navigate the town when you first arrive… IF you don’t threaten those he protects.
	Duchess Willa Duchess of Wellmet, Rowan’s mother Guardian of all who dwell in Wellment, Duchess Willa is strong and determined to safeguard her lands. She’s badly served by her court wizard, Pettivox, who cares more about power than protection. She is ready to help those who wish to keep her people and home safe from harm.

Magic on Lore: Lesson One**

Magic on Lore is contained in ley lines, which run across and through the planet like haphazardly-placed latitude and longitude lines. Where these ley lines intersect, there are nexuses of magic which act as reservoirs. There are two central ley lines: the Verix, running North-South, and the Horix, running East-West. To perform feats of magic, a mage must draw on the magic contained in one of Lore's ley lines or nexuses.

** All magic lessons will be placed in Arcangrove's magical tome after the event is over.

Tags: Alina, The Magic Thief, Sarah Prineas, Chaos, Ley lines,