Minimals Radiating with Magical Power

Living in Shadow Veil Pass, it was easy to grow used to the deep red light of the Nether Moon. Others across Santae might find the glow eerie or unnatural, but Vespera had come to consider it just another feature that made her shadowy home unique.

That is to say, she was no stranger to odd-colored lights in the sky. But even though night was falling, the distant glimmers on the horizon didn't look quite right. Alongside the crimson glow of Nether moonlight, there were sparkles of bright pink, shadowy purple, and electric blue! They were faint, but visible, casting occasional beams of light against the jagged peak of the nearest
mountain.

She decided to go take a look.

Vespera hiked out toward the mountains sheltering Shadow Veil Pass. As she grew closer and the Nether Moon grew higher in the sky, it was clearer than ever that the lights in the mountains were something different entirely. Vespera slowly approached the entrance to the mountain pass where the lights were coming from and peered carefully out from behind a large boulder. 

Vespera barely suppressed her gasp of surprise. The sparkles of magical light were being produced by three Minimals!

The creatures were standing at equal distances from one another, forming the points of a triangle -- and each one was channeling powerful magic.
They each stood within their own perfect circle of magical light traced upon the ground. As they waved their paws, glowing runes and sparkles of arcane energy materialized in the air around them. 

These were Eldrim, Hexara, and Enchanis -- they had to be. No other legend Vespera knew even came close to fitting the scene before her.

Enchanis, bedecked in ribbons, was said to be a natural master of illusion magic. As Vespera watched, the Minimal wove an aura of colorful lights around it until the space within its magical circle seemed to be flooded with bright sunshine, not deep Nether moonlight.

Hexara, tossing its horned head, was hard to see within the veil of shadows it had summoned. Vespera knew this Minimal was full of mischief, using its magical aptitude to cast hexes and curses. A swirl of deep purple energy was slowly materializing in the air around it, seeming to drip down into a pool around the Minimal's feet.

Eldrim's smooth body was covered in glowing blue runes. Vespera rubbed her eyes as she stared deep into the cool blue aura of light around it. The Minimal was casting some kind of powerful spell that seemed to bend time or space around it, shifting the nature of reality itself. It looked almost like it was in more than one place at once!

As Vespera watched, the Minimals' arcane ritual seemed to draw to a close. With a final, interweaving swirl of pink, blue, and purple light, the magic in the clearing pulsed brightly before fading away.

Vespera felt lucky to have seen Eldrim, Enchanis, and Hexara
work their magic -- no matter how much time she spent exploring Shadow Veil Pass, it continued to hold mysteries waiting for her to discover!

Plushie Palooza: Quibbit Plushies Arrive!

Quibbit plushies have hopped their way into the Plushie Machine and into your heart!

If you want your best chance to add these Quibbits to your pet's collection, be sure to swing by the Plushie Machine in the next 48 hours for extremely boosted rates!

You can earn additional Plushie Machine Tokens by completing Terrible Toymaker quests or buying some over in the sanDust shop for 350 sanDust each! 

The next new batches of plushies is scheduled to arrive on the 4th of December at 20:00 SST.

Which plushies do you think will arrive next?

Swirl of SanDust Continues

Don't forget, Adventurers: Now is one of the best times to hunt for  sanDust! Until the 15th of December, 2024, 23:59 SST, the amount of  sanDust acquired by exploring and participating in activities around Santae is doubled.

Happy exploring!

Quality of Life, User Interface and Bug Fixes & Updates!

★ Fixed a bug where twenty users would get an internal server error at rollover.

★ CSS input max length increase from 5,000 characters to 20,000 (note: larger CSS content will take longer to save).

★ Inventory default sort set to "Newest Obtained" instead of "Alphabetical."

★ Forums now disables the "post message" button after submitting a post to prevent duplicate posting when clicking the button multiple times.

★ Plushie Machine now rounds to the nearest thousand sanPoints between 1,000 and 12,000 sP, with the lowest amount received being 1,000 sP. 

★ Internal Admin tool that awards currencies and items has improved convenience and functionality to send items to lists of users.

★ Redeem Codes page now shows previously redeemed codes.

TL;DR

★ New Minimals: Eldrim, Enchanis, and Hexara are now available in the Cash Shop.
★ Plushie Palooza: Quibbit plushies are now available at (temporarily) boosted rates at the Plushie Machine!
★ Boosted sanDust collection will continue until December 15, 23:59 SST
★ See above list of QoL, UI and Bug fixes/updates.

Even More Abundant SanDust

Even more  sanDust is turning up at higher rates in extra locations around Santae! We're pleased to announce that, for the duration of the Swirl of SanDust event:

★ Exchange rates at Barnaby's sanDust Exchange are now boosted for the event!
★  sanDust and NetherDust are now both discoverable and collectable via Fishing!
★ The  sanDust reward limit per hour from Questing has been doubled!
★ Checkers is awarding double  sanDust! 
★ Cooking is now configured to award  sanDust.
★ Gathering at the Abyssal Monster is now configured to award  sanDust.

Like the other boosted benefits, these double  sanDust drops will continue for the next two weeks! You will be able to enjoy enhanced  sanDust collection until the 15th of December, 2024, 23:59 SST!

Share Your Feedback

As we launch the next two weeks of focus on bug fixes and QoL improvements, we want to hear from you!

Our team has a list of all the things we want to fix and improve based on bug reports and suggestions feedback, But we don't want to miss out on any information at all that could help us improve Santae in the ways you want most! Now is your chance to suggest that one last gripe or annoyance that you want the team to be aware of.

Participate here by posting to let us know what the one thing you would want sorted to be!

Duplicate answers to others are absolutely fine. We'll take notice that multiple people have said the same thing and ensure it is prioritized accordingly.

Please only suggest improvements and NOT feature redesigns. We want to improve Santae with as many bug/QoL fixes as possible for the next two weeks - so any small thing that is achievable to include in that wave is a WIN.

Share your feedback on this thread: "The One Thing I would want Fixed/Changed is <insert your comment here> ... because <insert your reason here>"

Suggest your most-wanted fix by 04:00 AM SST on Wednesday, 4th December and you will get a Jar of SanDust as a reward in exchange!

Quest Series Complete! The Raffle Winners Are...

Over the past weeks, many Adventurers have been participating in the Account Improvement Quest Series -- venturing all over Santae to complete a series of goals from collection completion to gathering challenges and more.

Every Adventurer who completed every single task on the list will be rewarded with a set of Elite items: Fishing Rod, Basket, Fertilizer, Bait, Kindling, Pouch!

Congratulations to the following Santarians on completing the Quest Series tasks. Your Elite gathering items will be sent to your account soon!

Aku, Anade, Antaresia, Artemis, AwkwardAvian, blastradiius, Bra, Calamity, Catastrophe, Cherry, Clefairiel, DarkSunshine92, Fife, Fleur, heartgems, Hellcat, Ironeyes, kakapokikachu, Katze, Koobs, Laurelei, LilyDaFox, Lunar, Mandie, Meep, MementoMori, Mimiru, Naerra, Nuca, Paprica, Plum, Princeymarmar, Setzer, Shadylaura, ShiningStarNova, ShinPurple, SirLeafheart, Sleepingsleuth, Southpaw, Sunday, Syx, TornadoTorrie, Valfreyja, Wisp, xanthusspeaks

Each completed task was also exchanged for a raffle entry -- up to 10 total per Adventurer, if all tasks were completed.

We are excited to finally reveal the 3 winners of the raffle:

★ 1st: Sesshy - Divine Wispyr Figurine of Choice
★ 2nd: xanthusspeaks - Divine Blepp Figurine of Choice
★ 3rd: Tyephallin - 5 sC

Congratulations to all of our lucky winners, and a big thank you to everyone who participated!

TL;DR

★ SanDust boosts have been expanded across Santae to include the sanDust Exchange, Fishing, Checkers and the Questing dust reward limit per hour.
★ Cooking and Gathering at the Abyssal Monster are now configured to award sanDust (currently also at 2x rates).
★ Share a suggested fix or QoL improvement on this thread in exchange for a Jar of SanDust!
★ Congratulations to the lucky winners of the Account Improvement Quest Series!

A Swirl Of Sandust In The Air

Adventurers are all familiar with  sanDust— the sparkling, mystical blue substance that was originally discovered as the key to taming the fearsome mourning Grusim at Flamefall Cascades. The powers of sanDust go far deeper than winning the friendship of the Grusim, however: it’s full of magic that is drawn to adventurous energy! 

That means you can find and collect  sanDust all over Santae simply by going on your adventure: playing games, venturing into the wild to gather and fish, and even shopping. 

Amassing this valuable substance brings rich rewards! Vespera sells rare items in exchange for  sanDust at the sanDust Shop.

And right now, all of the adventure and excitement of discovering Halo Haven, celebrating the Ancient Echoes Festival, and more has caused a significant increase in the amount of  sanDust floating around!

The rate of sanDust collection around Santae is temporarily more than twice as high as normal!
Use this opportunity to explore, celebrate, and collect some rare items.

Double sanDust drops will continue through the 15th of December, 2024, 23:59 SST!

Disclaimer: Jar of SanDust is exempt from the boosted sD rates -- the amount earned from opening a jar is not affected by the x2 drop rate of sD

Plushie Palooza Begins: Quenaris Plushies Arrive!

Adventurers can expect loads of new plushies to be added to the Plushie Machine prize pool between now and 15th of December, 2024, 23:59 SST! Every two days a new batch of plushies will be added to the Plushie Machine.

A new batch of plushies will be added to the Plushie Machine and experience heavily boosted rates for approximately 48 hours. Boosted rates will cycle at 20:00 SST every second day!

To celebrate the bounty of  sanDust and Plushie Palooza, Vespera is stocking Plushie Machine Tokens at the sanDust Shop for 350  sanDust each! She is only offering this deal for the duration of these events!

A Peek Behind The Scenes

Thank you so much for your ongoing efforts in reporting bugs and suggesting improvements to the world of Santae. For the duration of the Swirl of SanDust and Plushie Palooza events, the Staff team will be focusing on addressing community feedback with ongoing bug fixes, Quality of Life and UI improvements.

Watch the news for regular announcements of fixes, changes, and adjustments! We appreciate your patience and understanding as we take this time to update the look and feel of Santae. 

Together, we are making Santae a more fun and magical place than ever before, and we couldn’t do it without all of you.

With love and gratitude,

The Santae Team

TL;DR

★ All site features that drop sanDust will give 2x sanDust until the 15th of December, 2024, 23:59 SST.
★ Plushie Palooza will also run until the 15th of December, 2024, 23:59 SST. 
★ New plushies will be added to the Plushie Machine every 2 days at 20:00 SST.
★ Each new set of new plushies will have heavily boosted drop rates for 48 hours after they have been added. 
★ Plushie Machine Tokens are stocking at the sanDust Shop for 350 sanDust each until 15th of December, 2024, 23:59 SST. 
★ During this time, the Santae Team will be focusing on Quality of Life updates, UI updates and bug fixes -- stay tuned!
★ Disclaimer: Jar of SanDust is exempt from the boosted sD rates.

A Recipe For Netherflame Shimmer Dust

Vespera flipped through the notes she had taken over the course of investigating the mystery of the NetherDust and the influence of the Nether Moon. The NetherDust collected in the Nether Tower had somehow been altered into Shimmer Dust with the power to transform Ripple and River.

But could the process be replicated?

"Hmm," Vespera gazed out through the Tower's large, round window at the Nether Moon high above. All the ingredients were here. She just needed to confirm how to put them together!

"Alright!" Vespera spoke aloud to Ripple and River as she gathered her thoughts. "First things first -- we need another bottle."

Ripple uncoiled from its seat in the center of the Tower room and extended its long neck toward a high shelf. The Quenaris breathed out a puff of red-gold Netherflame, illuminating the upper corner of the room. The firelight gleamed off the shiny glass surface of another empty jar!

"Perfect! That should work," Vespera stood on her tip-toes to take the new jar down from its shelf, then placed it in the center of the altar.

Just like before, faint golden runes began to trace themselves over the surface of the glass. A few faint red sparks drifted down into the jar -- NetherDust! But as Vespera watched, the faint trickle of red dust faded. Only a tiny pool of collected Dust had settled in the bottom of the jar. It wouldn't be enough!

A chirp got Vespera's attention. "What is it, River?" Vespera asked. "Do you think you can help?"

The Raylen spread her glowing wings and took flight with a lash of her scaly tail. River flapped up toward the rafters of the Tower and flew in a spiral, around and around. NetherDust drifted from her feathers with each flap of her wings, and the wake of her flight seemed to be creating a vortex that collected the ambient NetherDust from the air in a great swirl!

Finally, River folded her wings and dropped toward the altar. The wake of collected NetherDust condensed and spiraled down into the waiting bottle as River came in for a landing.

"Wonderful!" Vespera leaned closer to examine the pool of sparkling Dust in the rune-covered jar. "Nearly there...but now for the last step."

She still had samples of the various concoctions Naveen had given her to experiment with. They were arrayed across the altar's surface: Bottles made of dusty green glass and sparkling crystal, tall bottles and round bottles, big bottles and small bottles. Which one had she used last...?

"This one...I think," Vespera said with a decisive nod, picking up the rightmost bottle. She only hesitated for a moment more before pouring a few drops of the magical elixir into the waiting jar.

For a second, nothing seemed to happen -- but then the jar of magical Dust flared with heat and light! The air around the concoction shimmered, and the substance inside changed from the bright glowing red of NetherDust to the shifting crimson-and-gold of Netherflame Shimmer Dust before Vespera's eyes.

"That was it! We did it!" Vespera cheered. The jar on the altar looked just like the one she had used to transform Ripple and River. With NetherDust collected by Adventurers around Santae, ingredients from the Shadow Alchemist, help from her companions, and a little bit of luck -- the secret of Netherflame Shimmer Dust had been revealed!

Craft Your Own Netherflame Shimmer Dust at the Nether Tower

Well done, Adventurers! By helping Vespera get all the ingredients she needed to confirm the recipe for Netherflame Shimmer Dust, you've helped make it possible for everyone in Santae to craft this mystical substance.

Bring 5,000 NetherDust, an Empty Shimmer Dust Jar, and Magical Elixir to the Nether Tower to complete the alchemical transformation for yourself and make your own jar of Netherflame Shimmer Dust. But remember: The magic of the Tower is only active while the Nether Moon is shining overhead.

With Netherflame Shimmer Dust in hand, you can transform any of your companions into the fearsome Netherflame theme! Wreathed in gold-and-crimson flame, Netherflame pets are imbued with the fierce, mystical energy of the Nether Moon itself.

Hint: NETHERSTARTERKIT Code Expires the 12th of December, 2024 at 11:59PM SST

• Update on Personal Goals Event

  After listening to the feedback of the community, the random factor of the item reward earned in the personal goals portion of the ongoing event was removed. Adventurers will now find that they are able to reroll the item awarded every thirty minutes via a convenient button on the personal goal UI!
  

  
  

  This event will conclude on the 29th of November, 2024 at 11:59PM SST.

  After the conclusion of the event personal goals will be removed however, the prizes will be available to craft as an item at the Nether Tower. Adventurers will keep their NetherDust balance and NetherDust will periodically drop with the phases of the Nether Moon cycle even after the conclusion of the event.

  Adventurers will be able to chose whether they wish to craft Netherflame Shimmer Dust or one of six exclusive prizes.

  
  

  In the spirit of the Ancient Echoes Event, the cost of crafting one of the six exclusive prizes will remain at 2,000 NetherDust until the 12th of December, 2024 at 11:59PM SST, after which time the price per item will raise to 3,000 NetherDust per item.

• Potions with a New Look at the Alchemy Shop

If you find yourself in the Alchemy Shop restocking some mystical goods, you'll find that some of the potions there now have a refreshing new look!

Be sure to check out these elixirs and their fancy new bottles today!

TL;DR

• ★ Bring 5,000 NetherDust, an Empty Shimmer Dust Jar, and Magical Elixir to the Nether Tower to create Netherflame Shimmer Dust.
• ★ The Ancient Echoes Festival and personal goals will end on the 29th of November, 2024 at 11:59PM SST.
  ★ NetherDust balances will be kept after the end of the event.
  
• ★ You will be able to chose whether you want to craft Netherflame Shimmer Dust or a personal goal prize.
• ★ Personal goal prizes will cost 2,000 NetherDust until the 12th of December, 2024 at 11:59PM SST.
  ★ NetherDust will continue to drop without pause until the 12th of December, 2024 at 11:59PM SST.
• ★ After that it will cost 3,000 NetherDust to craft each item.
• ★ After the 12th of December, 2024 at 11:59PM SST, NetherDust will periodically drop on a cycle as a permanent perpetual feature. 
• ★ Seven potions with new art at the Alchemy Shop.
• ★ NETHERSTARTERKIT Code Expires the 12th of December, 2024 at 11:59PM SST

A Fiery Transformation

Vespera's bottle of collected NetherDust was illuminated in a bright red beam of Nether moonlight pouring through the round window of the Nether Tower. Vespera watched it shimmer and shift -- one moment looking soft and golden, then flashing with crimson heat. After bathing in the moonlight, the substance was radiating a stable, powerful energy. Naveen had brought over some additional ingredients for Vespera to experiment with. Adventurers had been providing a substantial amount of NetherDust and she had been testing various concoctions... This one looked particularly promising.

Vespera lifted the enchanted bottle and held it aloft to admire its glow. The energy of the Dust, the Moon, and this place had clearly combined to make a magical change of some kind -- but the exact nature of what had unfolded here was still a mystery.

"Woah!" Vespera almost lost her balance as Ripple nudged its head closer, bumping against her as the Quenaris leaned in to look at the magical jar. On Vespera's other side, River stretched her neck up as far as it would go to investigate, too.

"Careful, now," Vespera smiled, looking from one of her companions to the other. "No need to crowd in. You both can have a closer look, if you want."

Vespera lowered the jar, holding it in her cupped hands in front of her so both River and Ripple could see more closely. River gave the rune-inscribed glass an experimental tap with her beak, while Ripple gave the jar's opening an inquisitive sniff.

The enchanted NetherDust pulsed with light in response, casting a fiery glow on River's feathers and Ripple's scales. The two pets gazed into the glowing jar, seeming mesmerized.

"Interesting..." Vespera said. "It looks like this Dust is reacting to you two, somehow. Does it have something to do with pets...?"

Vespera reached into the jar and withdrew a pinch of the sparkling dust. It was warm, like the ashes of a campfire. As Vespera sprinkled it into the air over Ripple and River, the dust didn't fall straight down. It began to swirl around the Raylen and Quenaris in a shimmering cloud that grew thicker and brighter with each passing second.

When the maelstrom of magical energy dissipated, River and Ripple had transformed!

Ripple's green scales had darkened to a deep, luminous crimson, and the fluffy mane that traced its spine was replaced with a crest of flickering gold-and-red flame. River's wings were also wreathed in fire that shed a shower of red sparks as she flapped experimentally. The Raylen tilted her head, looking up at Vespera with glowing golden eyes.

"Amazing!" Vespera cried. "Did the NetherDust turn into Shimmer Dust? How?" She turned to her notes to see if she could recreate the process and enchant more of the Shimmer Dust...

There was surely more to be learned about the magic of the Tower. Gathering even more NetherDust would be key to continuing to investigate this mystery!

Take A Bite Of Tasty New Pie Slices

Sometimes you're craving a sweet treat, but a whole pie is simply too much. Luckily, Breezyls' Bakery is now offering pies by the slice!

Rich pumpkin, classic apple, sweet pecan, bright lemon -- if you can't decide which flavor you crave, why not try a slice of each? Each slice of Breezyl's classic and delicious pie flavors packs flaky crust and tasty filling into a perfect bite.

Next time you find yourself in the Luminary Meadows, don't skip a visit to Breezyl's Bakery to sample these sweet treats for yourself!

Good News For Shadow Veil Shoppers

The quest for NetherDust has sent shoppers scrambling for items to complete quests in Shadow Veil Pass. If you're trying to get your hands on more clothes, toys, and alchemy items -- you're in luck!

Glimmer, Naveen, and Serlina are working hard to meet the demand for their products by increasing restocking rates at their shops: Glimmer's Toys, Shadow Alchemy, and Serlina's Clothing Boutique.

The increased rates will remain in place for the duration of the hunt for NetherDust. Happy shopping!

TL;DR

★ Vespera's pets Ripple and River have transformed into a mysterious new color: Netherflame!
★ Netherflame pets will be available very shortly.
★ 7 new pie slice items are stocking at Breezyl's Bakery.
★ Restock rates at Glimmer's Toys, Shadow Alchemy, and Serlina's Clothing Boutique have been temporarily increased.