Failed Expeditions (Map Experiment Graveyard)

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   Failed Experiment #3: Barking up the wrong Tree.

Executive Summary: Search for the Source of Life discovery at every river's head.

The Illyriad store at CafePress.com has several interesting posters for unknown discoveries. One such mystery is the Source of Life, depicted as a tree with water flowing from its trunk.

If you're a map crawler, it stands to reason that the Source of Life might be a stand of trees at the head of one of Elgea's many rivers. Using the mini-map set to water, I located the start of every river on the continent. Scouts were dispatched to any locations that had a forest nearby. A few locations were quite exciting, with ancient forests or blessed oaks at the start of the river.

Alas, nothing. Whatever the Source of Life might be, it apparently is not a literal tree spewing forth an endless flow of water.

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Brandmeister Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Postmaster General Joined: 12 Oct 2012 Location: Laoshin Status: Offline Points: 2396	Posted: 21 Apr 2013 at 22:40
	Failed Experiment #3: Barking up the wrong Tree. Executive Summary: Search for the Source of Life discovery at every river's head. The Illyriad store at CafePress.com has several interesting posters for unknown discoveries. One such mystery is the Source of Life, depicted as a tree with water flowing from its trunk. If you're a map crawler, it stands to reason that the Source of Life might be a stand of trees at the head of one of Elgea's many rivers. Using the mini-map set to water, I located the start of every river on the continent. Scouts were dispatched to any locations that had a forest nearby. A few locations were quite exciting, with ancient forests or blessed oaks at the start of the river. Alas, nothing. Whatever the Source of Life might be, it apparently is not a literal tree spewing forth an endless flow of water.

Brandmeister Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Postmaster General Joined: 12 Oct 2012 Location: Laoshin Status: Offline Points: 2396	Posted: 21 Apr 2013 at 20:37
	Failed Experiment #2: Fame and Fortune! Executive Summary: Send thieves to the Fortune Teller, and then to the desert to recover untold wealth. The gypsy fortune-teller tells your Thieves: "Beware what lurks beneath the desert sands, for though there is treasure there it is also well guarded." What could she mean? And did she say treasure? Nothing excites a cartopgrapher quite like the prospect of secret wealth hidden behind vague riddles. Indeed, I had long nursed a theory about the desert trade hubs. Jarru is owned by the Jannu; both Khafkar and Nessim are owned by the Sultanate of Kazim. Jarru in Kumala [-906\|-277] Khafkar in Zanpur [755\|-498] Nessim in Kul Tar [838\|-352] Now why would the desert caravanserai attract my attention? As you will see, this trio of trade centers share a triad of unusual traits! Of all the hubs, you can only dispatch diplomats and armies to Jarru, Khafkar and Nessim. Of all the hubs, these are the only ones which are not surrounded by an indestructible barrier of tiles. In fact, the tiles under the trade hubs themselves have resources, implying that they can potentially be annexed as sovereign squares. Finally, these are the only three desert trade hubs, meaning that all desert trade hubs share the first two unusual traits, and that no other hubs have that structure. Strange, no? I spent a while sending armies, thieves, spies and scouts to the desert hubs in the hopes of uncovering some secret mystery. Alas, it was to no avail. Then I remembered that the Human Statues Mystery must be completed in order. For statues with broken inscriptions and clues, you must first visit the statue, and then the final mystery location. You can't just skip to the second part, even if you already know the answer. Obviously the mysteries in Illyriad can have triggers... but what possible trigger could there be to unlock the secrets of the desert trade hubs? I know, right? THE FORTUNE TELLER. So I posted a 1000 beer bounty for reported fortune teller sightings, and 10000 beer if I was able to reach her with my diplomats. After weeks of trying, I finally succeeded in receiving fortunes for my scouts, spies, saboteurs, assassins and thieves. Unfortunately, this did absolutely nothing to change the behavior of the desert trade hubs. My thieves, scouts and spies still return empty handed. Maybe the treasure is really out there beneath the desert sands. Perhaps it refers to the temples in the Kumala deserts where Elven Tears are harvested. Most likely it's just a bogus fortune meant to drive you nuts digging up the desert with footpads and halflings. There might be some kind of mystery with the desert trade hubs. If there is, I no longer have any idea what that might be. All I know is that my halflings have tracked sand all over the tavern, and I've got 150 sunburned Keepers of Secrets glowering over tankards of ale, whispering dangerously that their next expedition had better be an encore at the Steamtastic Brewery. Edited by Brandmeister - 21 Apr 2013 at 21:12

Brandmeister Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Postmaster General Joined: 12 Oct 2012 Location: Laoshin Status: Offline Points: 2396	Posted: 21 Apr 2013 at 19:34
	Failed Experiment #1: Center of the Circle Executive Summary: Explore the center point of the Circle of Five. It seems like a great idea, right? The legendary Circle of Five has their towers arranged in a circle, but it isn't centered on Centrum. As a matter of fact, it isn't centered on anything obvious. Could it be... A MYSTERY? I decided to calculate the center point of Aqua, Ignis, Aeris, Terra and Tempus. The points, starting from top center and going clockwise, are: Aqua [160\|-199] Ignis [242\|-251] Tempus [222\|-340] Aeris [109\|-340] Terra [82\|-251] After applying basic geometry for two hours, I found that I couldn't make the radius the same length to each tower. I assumed that this was because I hadn't done any meaningful geometry in 20 years. So, I used my Google Fu to remember how to use simultaneous equations to calculate the center of a circle using only three points around its circumference. I used the top three points (Terra, Aqua, Ignis) for the equations. Long story short, that gave a center point that didn't match Aeris or Tempus. Calculated Center: [162\|-286.5] The matrix did, however, give a zone approximately 10 squares in diameter near the center of the circle, and that's good enough for scouts and spies. I scouted all the stone circles, ancient forests, abandoned mines and other structures within 10 squares of [162\|-285] to no avail. I really hoped there would be some kind of awesome magic discovery, but there wasn't. It seemed like a good theory, though. Why would the Circle of Five create a precise circle around a random map location? Maybe I'll try the experiment again during a full moon, just to see if there's some kind of special magical effect. But it looks like this theory was a total bust. Edited by Brandmeister - 21 Apr 2013 at 19:34

Brandmeister Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Postmaster General Joined: 12 Oct 2012 Location: Laoshin Status: Offline Points: 2396	Posted: 21 Apr 2013 at 19:15
	It occurred to me that many other mystery seekers may have tried the same map experiments. Elgea offers well known features like the Rift, Duraz Karag and the Fortress of Shadows for expeditions. However, people will occasionally explore rather obscure theories. This is intended to be the graveyard for failed Illy map experiments. Fellow explorers, come commiserate over a liter of fine dwarven wheat beer!