Lots of new design notes

Wipes-Away-A-Tear-adin	August 9th, 2009 The Story of Hachi Legend of the statue at Shibuya Station Before I share with you the overwhelming amount of information on the supernatural creatures known as Yokai here in Japan, please hear this incredible tale. It is of a loyal dog named Hachikō (Hachi.) This true story takes place only 83 years ago. Every day Hachi would follow his master, a Univerisity Professor, to the Shibuya Station. When his master would return from work, Hachi would be there, waiting, to anxiously greet him. Every day Hachi would wait for him at the train station. Sadly, one day, the Professor did not return from work. He had passed away. However, his loyal dog, Hachi, continued to wait for his Master to return. For 9 years, the rest of his life, Hatchi waited... sitting in his famous spot here at Shibuya Station. Today, a statue of Hatchi sits in the exact same place that he faithfully waited for his master. It is the ultimate symbol of loyalty and a very popular meeting place for friends. Hachi Facts Yes, that one episode of Futurama about Fry's dog was definately a Hachi reference. Hachi means 8 in Japanese. Yes, Shibuya Station is that famous, super busy intersection that always show in movies and documentaries featuring Japan. There have been two movies made about Hachi including one that is about to be released in the States called "Hachi" starring Richard Gear. Yes I miss Daimyo a lot. I wonder if he is at home waiting for me to return? P.S. Next post will feature Yokai and GIANT MECHA! (Robots) P.P.S. Reens just fixed the travel map. Reload if you are still getting the bugged version (People who were supposed to be seeing Shadowfall were not, and those who should not have were! Yikes!)
Weekly Update	August 7th, 2009 What's up in UpperCity? Jorxlol and his band of assassins! It's always funny when you find yourself fighting next to your enemies, but in the case of the Breethen D'irt drow assassin clan you should just count your lucky stars that they are on your side. This fearsome band of assassins are so feared amongst the drow that even whispering their name is considered bad luck. For them no job is too big and no fee is too big. The clan has been lead by Jorxlol for many years and under his guidance the clan has prospered, mostly due to his knack for staying free of any political ties. Jorxlol has kept Breethen D'irt a free agent in a very difficult business, and business was booming.... until Chaos Dragonlord Vath. With his undeniable power, Vath terrified even the largest drow houses into joining him on his crusade for Drakath. Through fear, Vath unified the warring drow families and now all of them march as one beneath his chaos banner... and nothing spoils an assassin's mood like peace and unity. It's just bad for business. Jorxlol is as afraid of Vath as anyone else but the Breethen D'irt clan has mastered moving in the shadows unnoticed until the time to strike presents itself, and you know the old saying... “My enemy's enemy is my friend,”. Once Geopetal has given you to key to enter Uppercity, speak to Jorxlol and see how he can help you reach Vath, and stop his plans! Dwarfhold continues to be one of the largest releases that we have ever done for AQW, this week we set loose: 4 new monsters, with some new item drops including hard-to-find pets! A new AC shop with 11 new items, including 2 new armors and a new AC pet (talk to Jorxlol in Uppercity or Sejeth in Battleon)! 4 new items in Snowbeard's Dwarfhold Reputation shop, including the Dwarven Ironcrusher armor! 7 Brand new quests in one of our largest and coolest maps ever! The Cloak of Disapoofing! The Draconians guarding Vath's keep will attack on sight.... so it's best not to be seen. You can go invisible for any of Uppercity's quests! It's a big release with a lot of new stuff to play with. Enjoy yourself, because next week we enter Chaos Dragonlord Vath's keep! The AE Assassin Clan! Check this out—could this be any cooler? Ai No Miko, Cysero, Reens and I have formed our own little Drow Assassin Clan! By day, we are just simple Gamers who spend most of our time playing AQ Worlds and browsing the web. By day, we are just simple Gamers who spend most of our time playing (making) AQ Worlds and browsing the web. By night, we hide in the shadows of our metropolitan cities, plotting our next assassination (usually against spiders and rambunctious city-dwelling insects). Some people would say that we have the best job in the world, and those people are TOTALLY RIGHT! Join us this weekend as we play the role of assassins in Lore! You can get sweet Drow Assassin loot from Sejeth in Battleon and from Jorxlol in the UpperCity. You can uncover the history of Drow Assassins by talking to Jorxlol, or just by reading Cysero’s Release Post on the Design Notes! I type much faster than him, so keep checking back… his post will be up in no time! *fades into the shadows*
Yokai-adin	August 7th, 2009 Greetings from Japan! Questing in the land of the rising sun I have missed you! For quite some time now Twilly, Zorbak and myself have been on a secret mission* in the far, far, far, far, far East. At first, I was surprised when the secret order of undead slayers assigned me to this mission. Here in Japan the undead are mearly a footnote in the HUGE collection of supernatural creatures known as Yokai. These Yokai come in so many shapes, forms... some are like ghosts, others goblins, some are formed from skeletons of fallen warriors on a battlefield... some are even the manifistation of grudges and puns***! While October is the spookiest time in the West, the Summer is the spookiest time here in Japan! So in between your battles against the Chaos DragonLord, I would like to send you stories of Yokai from specific regions here in Japan. Have a great release and I will write to you again soon! (Also, I will post some special photos for you!) * Artix's skill at keeping secrets is only slightly better than his skill at not getting lost on the Tokyo subway. ** Translates to: Lost, Dark, Hopeless... *** No need to worry. Artix's Japanese is too weaksauce to make puns.... yet. Although, he has been finding other ways to communicate.
	July 31st, 2009 Tonight’s Mountainous Release! The Stone of Memory As the name states, the Stone of Memory is a special rock that records a profound memory. When you hold the Stone in your hands, visions from the past come into view. This type of rock is incredibly rare and has never been seen before… until now! Legend says that there is a Stone of Memory hidden somewhere in Dwarfhold Keep. And I have a hunch that this might be our first glimpse at the Chaos Dragonlord Vath! Someone in Dwarfhold Keep HAS to know a thing or two about it! Dwarfhold Keep: A Rocky Start! The fence around Dwarfhold Mountains has been removed! And you know what that means: a new map! Yep, the time has come for you to journey up the rocky mountain path to the entrance of Dwarfhold Keep! But don’t forget to bring Snowbeard’s Battleaxe with you… it acts like a key to get through the giant Golden Ram Doors! If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I suggest you visit Snowbeard in the Tavern. The inside of Dwarfhold Keep is amazing… despite the multiple brand-new monsters that have invaded! Fight through Glow Worms, Drow Soldiers, Albino Bats and more as you travel deeper and deeper within the caves! I hope you have your sword drawn because these beasts don’t take too kindly to strangers! Also… whatever you do… DON’T FALL down that hole! (What hole?.....ahhhhhh!) Big Bad Boss Look at what you’ve done. I just told you to stay away from that huge hole, and now you’re in for one rough battle. Legend always spoke of a giant cave beast that slumbers in the deepest cave of Dwarfhold Keep. And now you’ve found him. Get out while you still can—he is SO NOT a morning person… er, morning mole. (Is there such a thing? Well, now there is.) New Dwarven Items! Snowbeard has gotten SIX new Dwarven items in his shop! And these items ROCK (no pun intended)! I just hope your Dwarfhold Reputation is high enough to get these brand-new weapons—if not, there are PLENTY of quests in Dwarfhold to level up your Rep! Karag Battleaxe Battleaxe of the Angaz Hammer of Drung Thag War Hammer Grund Dwarven Broadsword Grundmir Master Dwarven Broadsword Mini Game! What are Dwarven games called? Heh… Mini Games! And guess what… AQ Worlds now has its FIRST real Mini Game! This side-scroller Mini Game takes you through Dwarfhold Mines as you collect rare Gems in a Mine Cart! But there’s a catch: some of the tracks have holes in them! And that’s a looooonnng fall. The tracks are also littered with debris that will destroy your cart if you hit them. It took me multiple tries to get all the Gems (51 attempts to be exact) but OH it is so much fun! Can you beat my record? Geopetal & IronFist New NPCs are the best, especially when one of them is AE Staff! A legend in DragonFable, Geopetal makes her first-ever cameo appearance in AQ Worlds! YAY! She and a Dwarven friend named IronFist are ready to keep you busy with brand new quests! With each quest you complete, your Dwarfhold Reputation increases, allowing you to purchase Dwarven items from Snowbeard! You might not have noticed, but this is my first time posting on the Design Notes! Sure, I sometimes help Artix and Cysero out with them (editing, taking pictures, etc) but this is my FIRSTtime actually posting one of my own! Yaaay! And I also got an uber sweet Avatar in the process, thanks to Ai No Miko! Okay, I’m done rambling. Off to Dwarfhold Keep! See you there!