[Spotlight Concept #2] Lyssa's Realm

Hello everyone. It's been over three weeks since the beginning of , [Spotlight Concept #1] Dwayna's Realm, and after lots of good contributions from the community on that one, it's time for another!

If you're not sure what these things are about, see this thread.

Topic for this Spotlight Concept, as in the title, is Lyssa's Realm - the goddess Lyssa's equivalent to the Fissure of Woe and the Underworld.

Some things to bear in mind right from the beginning:

• The bottom half of page 47 in the Guild Wars Manuscripts Book 1.
• Page 20 in the Guild Wars Factions Manuscripts.
• 
  (this is what you'll get when you click on any 'Statue of Lyssa')
• The layout, design and feel of the two already existing gods' realms.

As stated in the thread linked to earlier in this post, we are starting on a blank canvas here, and it does not matter how many threads have gone before on any Spotlight Concept topics. We as a community will create and expand these concepts together with everybody's ideas. Feel free to contribute as many ideas as you like, and discuss others'. Above all, stay on topic and don't let arguments take over - I sincerely doubt there will be any arguments anyway.

So, contribute what you like.

Ideas could include:

• Landscapes and layout
• Puzzles/mirages/teleports?
• Enemies
• Allies/NPCs
• Quests
• Tamable creatures
• Tie-ins with the main Guild Wars/Guild Wars Factions storyline
• Drops
• Special Armourers/Weaponsmiths?
• The name for this place!

I hope to see another host of good ideas!

Here are mine to start with (I'll probably be editing later on):

------------------------------------

Name

Valley of Emerging Beauty

Landscapes and layout

The valley has a spiral shape, which if you looked at it zoomed out far enough, would resemble an eye. There is a worn out road that runs through it.

The sky is most purple/reddish purple, with small gold and silver clouds in places. On the edge of this valley you can see the orange sun rising on the horizon, its rays scattering around.

In some places the valley is narrow, though it is mostly very wide, sometimes going into forks that merge again later in the spiral. In different areas the ground has different texture and colour, with an especially noticeable difference between the outside and very centre of the spiral. The amount and types of vegetation also varies. At the sides of the valley there are steep hillsides, though these hills are not very high (they are impassable).

Some examples of areas:

Spot of Imperfection

This is the area where players spawn. It is basically a spot on the eye shape, and consists of a small shrine with steps leading down to the road that runs through the valley. There are various NPCs in this place, some that give quests, others are collectors and Veiled Guardians (Lyssa's soldiers that appear throughout the realm). There are no enemies in this tiny area.

Jealousy's Tunnel

The only tunnel in the valley that goes through a link between the surrounding hills. This area is filled with enemies of two groups, Vanity and Jealousy. There are various types of enemy in the two groups such as Servants (mesmers or ritualists), Brutes (big warrior beasts with chains around them) and Singers (healers). There are bosses of each group: 'Tanja, Vanity' (monk) and 'Pelucia, Jealousy' (mesmer). All these enemies have golden skin and wear purple gowns (and aren't extremely ugly like the majority of enemies), except for the Brutes who are red and look like large, savage dogs. Enemies in each group fight when in aggro range of each other.

(... more to come)

Alright, so the good thing about Lyssa is their ability to disguise, misrepresent or allude realities. Perhaps, you could introduce a multitude of quests, and by doing them in a specific order, a certain outcome would be reached? So lets say you have an initial base number of 10 quests. You do one quest and a different branch of quests will appear.

Puzzles will drive wammo's crazy, which is what I hope^^. Perhaps something along the lines of specific monster killing order, but nothing long and windy, that's just boring, not challenging.

How about, when you do a quest, you gain lyssa faction. Depending on how you do that quest, you gain a certain amount of faction. Then you can redeem their faction for... anything related to her realm^^. Lyssa's armour with normal FoW requirements + faction^^?

The enemies could be Oni variants, teleporting out of nowhere to fight you. And the landscape could have a chaotic swirling purple sky.

I like the idea of a Lyssa Realm more than any other, because Lyssa mothers the powers of the mind and disguise, and also Chaos Damage, I thought it would be cool if they set the realm in a space or void type environment.

It could also be a mental plain, where your actually in some sort of astral realm, but something along those lines would be great.

I would hope for lots of twisty and overlapping areas which are hard to keep track of, and easy to get lost in. With parallel areas that cannot be reached by foot, but by teleporter, or around confusing paths. And areas laced with teleporters which cause you to track back and forth choosing one after the other til you get to the path your interested in. I think the best way to design this realm is a literally confusing maze, only those with strong navigational talent will be able to keep track of where they are going, others will be there 10 times before they know which way is north. Also, as an extra confusion feature, they could take the directions away from the compase, so you can't track your direction.

And there could be NPCs which guard certain paths, and they will give you riddle, and a few options as answers, if you get it right, they allow you to pass, if you get them wrong they attack you, and they are strong enough to kick your but if your not increadably strong. They could rotate the riddles asks from a large pool of riddles, which would keep people from just remembering a certain few riddles for a certian few doors.

As for enemies, I would hope they introduced some very unique enemies, perhaps lots of astral or telekenetic creatures which are transparent like celestial creatures, but more purple shaded. The mobs could be more tactical, setting traps and trying to lure you into them in battle, using wards and other highly tactical techniques which many normal enemies don't bother with. They could be crafty like a Ranger Trap party, and stack up several traps in one spot, than try to lead players into their doom, or do elementist spikes which catch you off guard. It would be very interesting if we had some tactical enemies which realy give you a run for you money, a few interesting battles rather than a lot of hack and slash would greatly improve the experience.

I Just thought about this after seeing Bahamut's post:
I Think the ground should be transparent and water-like, even leaving a trail (like water) when you step across it. And you could see the sky beneath you as well this way.

Regardless of what it looks like, the Map should be different EVERY time you enter. To achieve this they would have to section off the realm. I'm guessing 6 sections would be satisfactory. For each section there would be 3-5 different randomized layouts for it, in which case some sections will not lead you to the next section regarding the last time you visited Lyssa's Realm. It'd basically be like a giant jig-saw puzzle, and be randomly rearranged. This would help prevent systematic farming.

Crude Image to show what I mean.


For the puzzle factor of Lyssa's Realm, in Dungeons and Dragons online there were tons of neat nick nacks like that. I'll list some ideas...
-Moving blocks on to platforms to open a gate/chest/anything.
-Mazes (Ideally since there won't be a minimap/radar)
-Locks opened by a specific damage type.
-Some sort of puzzle involving teleporters and some kind of X factor to vary where they bring you.

As for how it looks, it seems the most popular choice is the whole magical void realm thing. Personally (to simply state another option) I would be amused with a Regal Medevial/Elizabethan Mansion indoor enviorment. Involving monsters that come out of paintings etc etc. There would be seperate floors with stair cases and at the bottom of course would be a dungeon with badies and rare loot. Don't know what kind of Mansion I'm talking about? A good reference would be the castle Beast lives in, in "Beauty and the Beast". Perhaps the chaotic realm and Mansion could intertwine? Opening some doors would drop you off in the twirling astral realm that Bahamut described.

The randomized sections idea isn't bad, but I would perfer a large connected labyrinth, which became more and more difficult to navigate as you progressed. It may be too difficult to fit multiple mini maps together in alternating fashions, as this is not D2 where the difference in map layouts are some stone borders, a path and some random foliage, but if it could be done than it may be very interesting.

The other thing about an astral realm is that it could connect to vastly different areas, they could be illusions. You could be walking through the Labyrinth of time and suddenly find yourself in a homely garden, with some garden knomes trying to kill you, then be back in the labyrinth, then be in a castle, with suits of armor trying to kill you. Something crazy and unusual would definetly fit in Lyssas realm

Name

The Broken Mind

Landscapes and layout

The Broken Mind has areas that resemble what an insane person or someone who is going insane might feel; or at the very least the environment should give you the sense that you're going insane.

The region is broken into x number of sections each of them with their own distinctive looks:

Section #1

This section would resemble the mind of Horace in Sardelac Sanitarium; an Ascalonian who went through the searing and subsequently went insane and rambles on about pudding. The area, called 'The Ascalonian Mind,' is an inverted land; where the sky is below and the ground above, such that you walk on the underside of bridges, hallways, rooms, etc. Because the land is inverted you'll get a feeling of always being on the verge of falling into the abyss; which is probably how Horace must feel seeing all that he has ever known burned and pounded beyond recognition.

You start off on a platform that appears to be in a cave, which opens onto a pathway where the only tell-tale sign that things are wrong is the few slivers of light and dark that are the horizon are inverted. As you progress forward you can see that the cave is actually just the support arches of the bridge between which you're walking; thus allowing you to see more and more of the horizon as you walk forward and finally allowing you to look down only to see the sky.

The buildings, bridges, hallways, courtyards, etc. that you can walk on the underside are what were once Rin; the Rin as it was, the Rin that probably still exists in Horace's Mind, and the one that we'd probably see if Ascalon hadn't been destroyed.

Section #2

This section is the mind of Loremaster Ermenred. An elderly Krytan who can't seem to remember who he has or hasn't met. This area is called "A Faded Mind" and is filled with faded memories and ideas of grandeur. Unlike the previous area this area is not inverted and is filled with places that are both there and not there at the same time. Buildings, landscapes, and people are shrouded in Mist and can seem to fade in and out of existance.

As you move from 'The Ascalonian Mind' and into 'A Faded Mind' you pass through an Inverted building and, perhaps for a bit of comedy, into a court yard where a giant Statue of Ermenred is, as if he were like King Ironhammer or a god of Tyria.

The buildings and landscapes that are represented here are ones that have been collected through-out Ermenreds journeys. Thus there can be a wide range of environments all clustered in a small area; environments such as the Shiverpeaks, Kryta, Ascalon, Fire Islands, Cantha, etc. All of these different places jumbled into a confinded region as memories both fade and merge.

Section #3

The collective minds of those who were lost when Orr was obliterated create 'Islands of Orr;' a collection of islands or pockets of what Orr was once like that float in a sea of Mist, which are interconnected by portals allowing you to gate from one to the other. These islands are the remnants of what Orr once was, a place of unparelleled beauty set on floating rock (like this) as if they'd been torn from the earth by some great force.

As you walk out of 'A Faded Mind' you walk through a cave that connects to 'Islands of Orr,' which opens up allows you to walk out onto a strip of land that jets out into the Mist (much like this my favorite swimming hole) that allows you to view the vastness of the 'Islands of Orr.'

Enemies

Enemies are region specific:

'The Ascalonian Mind'

Enemies for 'The Ascalonian Mind' would be Phantom Charr, Ghost Charr, Shadow Charr, Haunting Charr, and other variances of Charr that could embody the idea of Rin being haunted and on the verge of being destroyed.

But Horace was also a commoner, so it would be likely that he would encounter monsters that were common to pre-searing. Such as Wurms, Skales, and Bandits; thus, Illusionary Wurms, Giant Skales, and Enraged Bandits would also haunt this area.

'A Faded Mind'

Enemies for 'A Faded Mind' are ones that represent that failing mind of an old man. Enemies such as Terrifying Warthogs, Phantom Wolves, Abyssal Bears, Crushing Moss Spiders, etc. Which are normally creatures that we'd associate with being benign and harmless, yet are lvl 20-28 creatures stuck in small lvl 2-3 bodies.

Allies/NPCs

The main source of the quests will be from the people for which the regions are based. Horace for 'The Ascalonian Mind,' Ermenred for 'A Faded Mind,' etc. But there would be other NPCs from which you could get quests and information for a loose storyline. Such as family members both living and dead, which put together and tell the story of the 'sane' persons mind for whom they represent.


Quests

Quests in these regions are based on the unfinished duties, aspirations, and business that the now 'insane' people cannot finish in their current state of mind.

Horace:

Seige- Protect Rin from an onslaught of Charr that seek to destroy the city.

Rocks! Rocks!- It's time for Retribution; seek out and get revenge on those who brought Ascalon to it's knees.

Pudding- Obtain the Pudding from Horace and deliver it to his daughter wearing a yellow dress.

Ermenred:

Mes Amis(My Friends)- Meet all of Ermenred's Friends and Escort them all back to Ermenred for a reunion.

I know you!(Prophecies)- Now that you've found all of Ermenred's Friends seek out friends from your past, both living and dead; one particular friend wants a red iris flower, obtain a Red Iris flower from Ermenred and deliver it to this friend from the past.

and/or

You're Mistaken!(Factions)- Now that you've found all of Ermenred's Friends seek out new friends in this strange land. Obtain a red iris flower and give it to one of the people you'll encounter to be friends with them.

Tamable creatures

In keeping with something that is rare and 'cool' to have as a pet I was thinking that a tamable Rhinoceros Beetle would be interesting. But in keeping with Lyssa and having something that is beautiful and illusionary perhaps a Falcon or a Giant Golden Eagle.

(more later)

One of the NPCs at spawn point has to be ghostly Althea.

Maybe as part of the story, the nagas opened a rift and one of the gods, Lyssa, entered/fell thru it, and created a realm to remind herself of home. At the end of the whole thing maybe you could fight her or maybe a small scene, and you could get a title, Ally of Lyssa.

The idea to have the map randomized can be done, simply by having the realm consist of several individual islands (or rooms in the case of a mansion, which is an awesome idea by the way) and have these rooms or continents be connected by bridges and mirror portals. That way they don't actually have to randomize the map itself, they can just randomize the portals or make some bridges appear only some of the times you enter. They can also throw in some invisible bridges. That'd be interesting.

For enemies, I would like to fight some dopplegangers that look just like you and have your current build. That would be something. Or perhaps twin creatures that always use the exact same spell at the exact same time. Or perhaps an enemy that makes very effective use of Arcane Theivery / Inspired Hex / Inspired Enchantment and their Chapter 2 cousins and has 12 in all attributes from all caster classes. Or perhaps a swarm of enemies where if you kill the one "lead" enemy, they all die, only you cannot tell which one is the lead enemy. Sort of like the ghosts from the original Legend of Zelda. Or perhaps some enemies that, like the Lich, can teleport you.

Lyssa's realm has so much potential. If put it in and muck it up, I'd rather they not put it in at all.

*Winterclaw warks a second for doppleganger mobs

Lots of chaos storms (that'll hurt both sides) would be good as well as random Me hexes on both friend and foe. Bringing hex removal should be a must for Lyssa's realm to survive. Enemies should also use a lot of degen as well to keep the 55ers at bay.


For storyline tie-ins, didn't Gwen want to be a mesmer? Maybe she could pop up there as an ally and Mo/Me or Me/Mo in training or she is lost there and needs rescuing. The more of her items a PC has, maybe you get more XP from her.


Since I suggested a hilt that did holy damage, maybe swords/axes/hammers can have a mod that'll give them +2 chaos damage. Chaos Dragon Swords would be a must as well.

The elite armor of the area should be purple for all classes too.

I think it's a given that if you walk into Lyssa's realm as a 55 monk, you stand a snowball's chance in hell. There will be tons of mesmers. Hopefully some will bring Signet of Disenchantment to by-pass Spell Breaker. Even if they didn't, SB doesn't last long enough. You will die.

True enough.

I also suggest that the "warriors" in Lyssa's realm might have and use illusionary weapon to make things tougher on the tanks.

As the realm of lyssa, twin goddess of beauty and illusion, there should be armor crafter different from Obsidian armors (yay more gold sink). Although FoW should have been the place where you craft weapons instead IMO.

Then they'd need to add an armor crafter for Grenth too. :P

I havent read the rest of the topic besides the first post (sorry) but i really love the idea of Lyssa's Realm. It really brings a story to mind...
Anybody read Alice in wonderland recently? We could have GIANT versions of some places, Small versions of that same place. Size differences, Lighting/Colour differences. Also make Complex Riddles, puzzles and etc to insure survival. The world would have to be something like a big void (Illusion) and can make a person go to the edge of his brain. Also it should have like mentioned above, Chaos storms (domination i think?) And lastly, I think the enemy should be based Inside the Land. Lyssa's Illusions have gone over the fine line of Illusion/Reality and are threatening the Realm. You have to fight Lyssa's own creations without her realizing shes making them. I think they would have to find out what are making these enemies, untell in the end they find out its coming from lyssa's brain

I doubt it would be possible but imagine physics-defying, twisting paths.
Think the Forest Temple in Zelda:The Ocarina of Time

Landscape
Being the god of mesmers, the landscape should resemble an area of misdirection and confusion. I imagine a mansion-type land If you've played matrixath of neo, it would be a lot like the 4 dimensional cube-house. It would have many paths/routes to take. It would sort of resemble the mazelike layout of urgoz's warren...but with less trees. Many puzzles (switch combinations, marble mazes, etc.) for groups to solve.
If I could sum it up in one sentence, the area would have the maze-quality of urgoz's warren and the feel of a creepy mansion or labyrinth.

Enemies
Baddies in the realm of Lyssa would include twistes creatures, abominations, and spectres, much similar to the underworld. If it is made into a mansion, moving furniture/chandeliers/etc would do nicely. m Might be a stretch for GW.

Drops
Typical high-level drops, shadow weapons, and all the non-shard, non-ecto materials. Rubies and sapphires would have a higher drop rate here.

Quests
Some quests would include trying to gain entry to a specific area, puzzle solving, helping ghosts do something...ok i have no clue what quests might be here.

Area-specific ...things
UW has loads of experience and spider caps, FoW has the armorer. Because lyssa is a god of mystery and misdirection and all that, there should be a quest + NPC in her realm that can change your appearance. Hair, face, skin, height. For a price of course. A BILLION ECTOS...or not. ArenaNet can figure that part out.

Anyone else reminded of M. C. Escher?

And that episode of Futurama where Fry is looking for a house, and one of the possibilities is "Relativity", and Bender is like, "Do you really want to pay for a dimension you're not going to use?"