Castle Blackthorn Dungeon

This dungeon, located under Castle Blackthorn in both Felucca and Trammel, was introduced with Publish 85. The dungeon is divided into two parts. The first part is a series of "catacombs" spreading out like a star from the entrance. The second part is a rift in space-time where sections of nine of the surface cities are replicated. The catacombs contain monsters and use normal spawn mechanics. The surface city "rifts" suffer random invasions by powerful creatures.

All creatures in the dungeon have a chance to drop "Artifacts Bearing the Crest of Minax" when killed. The artifact will appear directly in the players pack. These artifacts can be exchanged with an "Agent of the Crown" NPC for Blackthorn Artifacts. The Agent of the Crown is located within Castle Blackthorn at the head of the stairs leading into Castle Blackthorn Dungeon.

The artifact drop mechanic uses a "dungeon points" system similar to the Doom Gauntlet. The more creatures a character kills, the more "dungeon points" are acquired. Eventually enough "dungeon points" are acquired that an artifact is bestowed upon the character. The "dungeon point" counter then resets. Characters can theoretically get an artifact from any creature killed thanks to the Random Number Generator, but the "dungeon point" system ensures a reward for time spent fighting.

Specific Game Mechanics

Castle Blackthorn was designed to be used in role playing scenarios and as such pets, flying, and spellcasting are prohibited in the castle, as is recalling or gate travelling into the castle or the dungeon below. Since players trying to access Castle Blackthorn Dungeon must therefore travel through the castle, a small amount of extra work is required to access the dungeon. First, runes cannot be marked in the castle, so the closest mark is just outside the castle gates. Second, when riding through the castle gates, the character will be dismounted and the pet either stabled or returned to statue form in the character's pack. Third, pets not being ridden will be automatically stabled while travelling through the castle.

Once in the dungeon, players will notice a trash bin at the base of the stairs. Any path blocking objects placed on the dungeon floor will be removed to this trash bin. Just past the base of the stairs is a hitching post that players can use to retrieve their pets. (Say "claim list" for a list of all stabled pets.)

Characters who hide in the dungeon will be auto-revealed after a short random interval. Characters who remain in one place for too long will be auto-teleported to another location in the dungeon. This location is usually in the middle of a poisonous gas cloud surrounded by hostile creatures which will immediately attack the character. Fun Times!

The Catacombs

Upon entering the dungeon, three paths will be available. To the South are generally harder creatures such as Balron and Dragon. To the West, generally easier creatures such as Skeleton and Brigand can be found, along with a broken wall leading to a cave full of Earth Elemental. To the North is a small room with Golden Elemental (and a forge! - a great place to collect ingots), Lich, Giant Spider, and the path to the rift invasions.