Atlas of the Ancients

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	Plot summery needed

Atlas of the Ancients is a plot that began on October 15, 2009. Rumors were started a few days before the official announcement in the news as users received an emailed newsletter foreshadowing for the beginning of the plot on the 12th stating "The journey begins October 15th. See where it leads...". This plot features the return of intrepid adventurer Roxton A. Colchester III from the Journey to the Lost Isle and introduces his associate Jordie and Clara Chatham, the apprentice to the wise old Gnorbu from the Lunar Temple on the island of Shenkuu.

Plot

Master Gnorbu senses that change is in the air. After studying an old tome, he decides that an adventure must be undertaken that he is too old to make himself. He sends a message to Roxton, who is vacationing on Mystery Island requesting that he come to Shenkuu to lead an expedition that will take him all over Neopia from Shenkuu to Altador, Terror Mountain, and, finally, Faerieland. His only requirement is that Roxton take his apprentice Clara with him on the journey. Although Roxton would prefer to go without her, he is tempted by the promise of "danger, excitement, and the chance to save the world" and agrees to taker her with him. Together with Clara and Roxton's assistant, Jordie, Roxton set off to Altador in order to start solving the mystery.

They rented a flying boat from a local Shenkuu merchant, but soon ran into storms and were forced to hide in a cave until they passed. There, they discovered ancient cave drawings depicting the fire breathing creatures. The following morning the group arrived in Altador, and saved a fisherman from drowning in abnormally heavy waves. The group followed the clues in the book to the Hall of Heroes, where Roxton located an old pocket watch hidden behind the statues of the Council.

The trio then made their way to Faerieland, but while exploring the city Jordie was struck by lightning. Roxton immediately rushed him to the Healing Springs, and there Roxton followed another clue to locate one of the pumps for the spring. With a little help from Clara, he was able to distract the Healing Springs Faerie for long enough to steal the pump.

The three escaped Faerieland and set course for Terror Mountain. As they rested, Clara discovered that the pump they had stolen was actually a very complex clockwork device of unknown origin. Before they could figure out more however, the boat was attacked by a fleet of pirate Cloud Raiders, and Roxton had to use all his skills to successfully pilot them to Terror Mountain.

On Terror Mountain, they discovered that the normally permanent ice was beginning to melt, and normally rare Moltenores were appearing. They trekked through the Ice Caves, and located a brass horn buried in the ice. They recovered the horn, and narrowly avoided the subsequent avalanche, before heading back to their vessel. There, Roxton was able to cross reference all of the places they had visited to form an X, pointing towards their next destination. They made their way towards the deserted island chain near Altador, where they found a volcano - as described in the book.

Exploring the island, they found a large door in the mountainside, and the key to it located in the bushes nearby. The trio entered the mountain, to find that a large mining shaft disappeared deep into the planet. They parachuted down the shaft, and when they reached the bottom they discovered the long lost city of Moltara. They soon came across a local, Cog, who showed them to the Mayor of Moltara of the city.

The Mayor informed the traveling group that Moltara was founded centuries ago by a group of scientists and mystics that traveled to the planet's core in order to put an end to horrible natural disasters occurring on the surface. Together they created a device to stabilize the planet's core and end the disasters, and then elected to stay nearby to keep watch over it. Over time, the machine had worn down, and the disasters had started to return. The materials the book had instructed them to gather turned out to collectively be a device to restore the core to working order. However, when Cog attempted to use it, the core erupted. The Mayor instructed Roxton and Cog to travel further into the magma caves, where a group of outcast Moltarans lived that might be able to help control the lava.

In the Moltaran Caves, they located Igneot and his followers, mystics that had become so attuned with magma that their bodies had changed appearance. Igneot agreed to help, and together with the inhabitants of Moltara City, they were able to stabilize the core long enough for Cog to use the repairing device again. With the core repaired, the Moltarans decided it was time to open their city to the rest of Neopia. Roxton, Clara, and Jordie returned to the surface to tell the Wise Gnorbu of their adventures.

Trivia

• This was the first Neopets plot to have an additional Neocash element added, after site events such as the Altador Cup had already received their own NC Challenges. This optional part of the plot was not received well by many users, who disagreed with the integration of real life money into the annual plots.
  • Despite this, a Neocash-fueled "Corridor Of Chance" was used in the following plot The Faeries' Ruin in 2010. However, this time the NC part of the plot was made distinctly separate and was better received by users.
• More controversy was caused with the trophy giving after the plot, namely the fact that the highest rank could only be achieved if the user had completed each step on the day it was released. This caused an uproar, as many international users did not have this oppurtunity based on their time zone. Many angry fans compared this previously unmentioned criteria to that of a Daily Dare rather than a real plot.
• Before the plot began, it was speculated that Lutari Island would be the focus of this plot. This was due to the now defunct Neopets Mobile service (the only way to visit Lutari Island) shutting down, and the Lutari Island page suddenly sporting a new blurb. It is currently unknown if a future plot will involve the island.

External links

• Plot Info: Atlas of the Ages, Main Page
• Plot Comics: Comic, Chapter 1