====== Kareth — Area Concept ======

//Category: Guide | Region: Nork | Difficulty: Intermediate//

//A detailed community-designed area concept for the Kingdom of Drakkar by Mihey of PHNX Guild. This is a player-created design document, not official content.//

===== Overview =====

Kareth is a proposed arena within the Nork segment (under Frore), accessible by one point only (entrance/exit in Homlet). Entry requires completing the introduction quest.

===== Introduction Quest: Kareth's Will =====

Kareth was a hunter who hunted for food, furs, and trophies. One day he explored "newly discovered ground" and never returned.

**Quest Steps:**
  - Kareth's wife asks you to find Kareth or his corpse — return with him or his ring
  - Ask townies for clues — most say he went through east Frore gate
  - One NPC remembers seeing him go into the rocky hill SE of Frore (Homlet)
  - A Homlet NPC says he was there to buy supplies then went into caves
  - Find a broken arrow near a secret door in Homlet
  - In the small room: Kareth's corpse. Take his ring and return it to his wife.
  - She gives you Kareth's will — a scroll revealing the caves and asking an adventurer to slay the Beast and return its horns

Entry to Kareth requires holding Kareth's will (ties on first entry).

===== Geography =====

  * All of Kareth is no-twig zone (with rare twig spots: entrance, Hermit's island)
  * Corridors and caves around a main cavern with a lake
  * **Hermit's Island** — green island in the lake center, safe zone, twig spot
  * Minor islands with lair entrances
  * Lairs in surrounding caves (some open, some behind stairs/teleport/climb)
  * Traps: strip, teleport, damage, FATE — use DETECT to discover (higher skill sees more dangerous traps)
  * Lots of secret doors and passageways

===== Bestiary =====

**All creatures are RANDOM:**
  * Random appearance (any crit graphic except NPC/player/lair)
  * Random HP (from 1 to enormous)
  * Random stats, attacks, damage
  * Random elemental/psi/enmiss resistances
  * Random disciplines (poison, EC, maybe elance)
  * Random hostility and alignment
  * Random treasure (nothing to a fortune — gems, pots, special drops)
  * Random exp/skill gain (a 1HP crit could give 1M exp; a 100K HP crit could give 10k)
  * Average creature should be M-2 strength
  * Many weak crits, few VERY tough crits
  * Crits may attack each other
  * Don't attack non-hostile g/g creatures unless you want alignment loss

===== Lair Crits =====

**Gold Dragon** (EATER) — GD scales better than BD (good EC prot, 150/150 fire/ice). Uses EC. Drops EC bracers and EC prot amulet.

**Bashers** — Pair of huge ogres (one MA, one mace). On-contact push. Drop Basher Gaunts (+5 offence, +1 str, on-contact push) and Basher Mace.

**The Bros** (three lair NPCs sharing one lair):
  * **Blade** — LS master, hits hard, blocks well, few HP. Drops: Blade (+5/5 LS, glowing, saber damage) and Blade's Sash (+1 LS skill, +1 agi, +1 str)
  * **Halbert** — Hally master, VERY hard hitting. Drops: +5/5 hally (glowing, proning, high damage) and Halbert's Sash (+1 polearm, +2 str)
  * **Archie** — Bow master. Drops: +5/5 bow (glowing, non-proning, better than KM5 bow) and Archie's Sash (+1 bow, +2 agi)
  * All three drop untied SD scales

**Kalyndrel** — Renegade fighter/mentalist with random weapon. Highly skilled, uses Espear/ES. Zoo of random pets. Trade weapon to Hermit for: Hermit's Staff (+4, +2 wis, silver/glowing, +20 ep, +2 ep regen, +1 to all healing discs, HEALER ONLY)

**The Great Roc** (EATER) — Giant roc. Charges, prones, 100-400 damage, lots of HP. Drop feather → trade to Hermit for Hermit's Robe. Tan for feathers (+4/4, 120/120 fire/ice, 60 lightning/acid/EC/enmiss prot, on-contact featherfall & respirate)

**Lil One** — Goblin with huge hally. Drops: +5 silver/glowing hally (prones, on-contact firestorm, FS prot) and funny hat (+2 luck, FS prot)

**The Demon** — Paladin-only fight. Slow regen, hits 300 avg, charges, prones, casts fear/dark/firebreath/firestorm. Drops trident for Jala's Quest.

**Ogre Masher** — VERY hard hitting (400-600), tons of HP. Drops Butcher Axe (+5/-5, no block, +60 HP, +4 str, -2 agi, ignores shield, hardest hitting weapon in Nork)

**Ancient Dragon** (EATER) — THE toughest lair in Nork/Aleria (5-10x Snowbeast HP). Hits 1000-4000, prones, casts shockwave/firebreath. Immune to status effects. Tanned: THE BEST armor (500 fire/ice, 150 lightning/acid/enmiss/EC, 6/6). Drops Ancient Dragon Skull (6/6, on-contact respirate/featherfall/ES/absorb/IV).

===== Quests =====

==== Hermit Quests ====

  * **Roc Quest** — Slay Great Roc, bring feather → Hermit's Robe
  * **Kalyndrel Quest** — Slay renegade, bring weapon → Hermit's Staff
  * **Bros Quest** — Bring all weapons and sashes → Hermit's Ring (alignment-dependent):
    * Saint Ring (good) — +5/5, +2 cha, +2 luck, on-contact ES
    * Hermit Ring (neutral) — +5/5, +2 wis, +2 will, psi-cutter, on-contact ES
    * Villain Ring (evil) — +5/5, +2 str, +2 agi, on-contact IV/DETECT/ES
  * **Pilgrimage 1** — Find random item → Hermit's Rejuvenation Potion (full HP/EP, multi-use, cures poison)
  * **Pilgrimage 2** — Slay named creature → Hermit's Bitter Soup (+1 con up to 18, +1-2 HP up to doc max +20)
  * **Pilgrimage 3** — Find Hermit's dog ALIVE → Atone up to n/n
  * **Pilgrimage 4** — Find ingredient (random drop) → Hermit's Bitter Juice (recover lost HP from death)

==== Beast Quest ====

Slay the Beast (huge bull-like creature, tons of HP, 200-500 damage, prones, fast HP regen from horns, poison bite). Drops:
  * **Horns** → give to Ralna for Kareth's Hunter Bow (+6 silver/glowing, on-contact poison/IV, +1 attack/agi/luck)
  * **Claw Gaunts** (glowing, proning, +1/1 to +5/5, +5 HP regen)
  * **Claw Boots** (higher kick damage than dancers, +1/1 to +5/5, +5 HP regen)
  * **Beast Fur** (+1/1 to +5/5, +2 str/con, +5 HP regen, +50 HP, BD-level block, no elemental prot)
  * **Beast's Tail** → trade to Hermit for class-specific sash:

^ Class ^ Sash Bonuses ^
| MA | +2 agil, +1 con, +4/4 |
| Barbarian | +2 str, +1 con, +4/4, +20 HP |
| Fighter | +1 str, +1 agi, +1 con, +4/4 |
| Paladin | +2 will, +1 agi, +4/4 |
| Thief | +2 agil, +1 luck, +4/4 |
| Fighter/Mentalist | +1 str, +1 agi, +1 int, +4/4 |
| Mentalist | +2 int, +4/4, +20 EP |
| Healer | +2 wis, +4/4, +20 EP |

==== Shadow's Challenge (Thief Only) ====

Find Shadow in a secret room. Complete stealing challenges (from The Bros, Kalyndrel, Hermit, then Shadow himself). Rewards include full Shadow gear set:
  * Shadow Dagger (+4, +1 backstab, silver/glowing)
  * Shadow Gloves (+4/4, +1 steal/mug, +1 agi)
  * Shadow Cloak (+4/4, 40/40 psi/enmiss prot)
  * Shadow Boots (+4/4, on-contact featherfall, +1 agi)
  * Shadow Cap (+4/4, on-contact IV)
  * Shadow Bracers (+1 cha, +1 luck, on-contact DETECT)
  * Shadow Ring (+4/4, +1 agi, +1 move)
  * Shadow Studded Leather (+5 def, 120/120 fire/ice, better than SD scales)
  * Shadow Sash (+4/4, +1 hide, +1 agi, +1 luck)
  * Shadow Amulet (50 lightning/acid prot)
  * Repeatable, but Shadow steals ALL your gold!

==== Jala's Quest (Paladin Only) ====

Find Jala deep in dark caverns. Pass through her Seal into evil creature-filled caves. Slay the Demon and bring its trident. Repeatable. Full Light gear set (all items cost HP to wear; poofs if you lose pallyhood):
  * Light Mace (+5/5, silver/glowing, +1 multistrike, -10 HP)
  * Light Tower Shield (+5 def, better block than Bresh/Duke, on-contact ES 5, +1 parry, -25 HP)
  * Light Full Plate (+5 def, psi-cutter, 150/150 fire/ice, +2 will, on-contact ES 5, -25 HP)
  * Light Greathelm (+5 def, stun prot, +2 will, resist fear, -10 HP)
  * Light Gauntlets (+5/5, +1 agi/str, silver/glowing, -10 HP)
  * Light Boots (+5/5, +1 move, +2 agi)
  * Light Bracers (psi-cutter, 75 EC prot)
  * Light Sash (+5/5, +2 will, +2 cha)
  * Light Ring (+5/5, on-contact ES 3-4, +1 cha)
  * Light Amulet (+2 will, auto-ES/ABS/autoheal when stunned/proned, -10 HP)
  * Light Cloak (+5/5, +1 agi/will, 50/50 fire/ice, 25 acid/lightning/FS/EC prot, -10 HP)

==== Avenger Sword ====

A Frore smith mourning his family will forge a weapon deadly to a specific monster race. Bring corpses of the target race, a rare Kareth metal, and retrieve his drunk assistant. The resulting sword hits the targeted race extremely hard (harder than Masher Axe) despite low base stats. You can have multiple Avengers.

==== Guru Quests (Ment/Healer Only) ====

**Divine Aura** (100 EP) — Buffs willpower, charisma, and skill. Power depends on former's willpower, exp, and skill.

**Ethereal** (100 EP) — Move your "soul" through walls to observe remote locations. Body stays vulnerable.

===== See Also =====
  * [[guides:start|All Guides]]
  * [[lairs:start|Lairs]]
  * [[classes:start|Classes]]

> Source: [[https://wolfguild.com/mirrors/PHNX/|PHNX Guild]]