Altador Plot
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The Altador Plot is a plot centred around the city of Altador. It began on 17 March 2006, with plot steps being released over time until 2 June, when it could first be completed. Unlike other plots, it remains open to this day, and players who have not yet started or completed it can still do so. There is no accompanying plot comic or story for the player to read - in the context of the plot, the player themselves are the hero and the story unfolds as they solve puzzles.
The plot opens following the events of the PlayStation 2 game Neopets: The Darkest Faerie: Altador has been rediscovered and The Darkest Faerie defeated, however as the player explores the city they discover that all records - and memories - of Altador's history have been magically erased.
Synopsis
As the player explores Altador for the first time, they find the Book of Ages in the Altadorian Archives, blank except for a prologue, and an observatory at the top of the Hall of Heroes. They join the Astronomy Club, and, guided by mysterious clues that start appearing around the city, begin to identify constellations in the sky representing the founders of the city.
As more constellations are found, more chapters of the Book of Ages appear. Finneus the Lenny archivist identifies two magic spells at work in the city - although neither appear to be the work of The Darkest Faerie, nor are they particularly hostile. He hopes the mystery will solve itself as the player continues to identify constellations. During the course of this quest, the player finds a magical necklace. When they are all discovered, and the Book of Ages complete, Finneus and the player note a drawing at the end of the book of The Darkest Faerie with flames in her hand like her statue in the Hall of Heroes.
Finneus suggests they can use a spell to animate the flames on the statue, and after searching the archives, the correct spell is eventually discovered. The player then places Jerdana's necklace on the statue, and it explodes. The history obscuring spell is lifted, and Jerdana herself returns to the Hall and explains she cast the spell to prevent The Darkest Faerie from rewriting the history of Altador with herself as the sole founder. The necklace was enchanted with a second spell that provided hints to an adventurer like the player, so that after the danger was over the first spell could be removed.
Participation
Prologue
The plot begins as the player investigates the Hall of Heroes in the centre of Altador. Inside, the Hall is shrouded in darkness. A Yurble Janitor is standing guard by a button labelled with a sun. He tells the player it does not do anything, and gets irate when the player pushes it anyway.
Next, the player must visit Finneus, the curator of the Altadorian Archives. He too is puzzled by the button in the Hall, and wonders if there is a book that might help them. There is in fact a book in his office - but it is being used to prop up a table leg that is perfectly flat but three inches too short. He won't let the player remove it unless he has something to replace it.
Inland from the city, there is a Perfectly Flat Rock Quarry, where two JubJub miners are arguing over its name. Here, the player can take a perfectly flat three inch tall rock, and swap it with the book in Finneus' office. The book is the Book of Ages. According to the book's prologue, it contains a record of how Altador was founded - however, the rest of the book is blank.
The player can now return to the Janitor in the Hall of Heroes. While the user was away, he came up with an idea: if the mechanism is just seized up, he could get the button working again with some grease. Some plaque-polishing oil can be found next to a random one of the statues in the Hall - the player must now find it, bring it to the button, and press it.
The mechanism opens the ceiling above the Hall, and the room brightens up. This angers the Janitor - as now he has to go back to mopping instead of guarding the button. It also reveals gemstones embedded in panels above each statue, and a stairway up to the Astronomy Tower.
Constellations
Starting on the 25 March, the Astronomy Club opened at the Altadorian Archives. The player can join the club by clicking the flyer in the Archives' entrance foyer. The President of the club gives the player their own EZ-See telescope, which can then be placed on the stand in the Astronomy Tower.
The next twelve steps of the plot follow the same formula: the player discovers a hint in the city to a certain constellation of stars. After visiting Finneus and telling him of the clue, the player will be able to find it in the sky by using the telescope in the Astronomy Tower. They then must mark out the constellation, all of which consist of six stars.
Each constellation corresponds to one of the founders of Altador. Finding a constellation makes the gemstones above that founder's statue light up, and a chapter about that founder will appear in the Book of Ages. The player must visit the Janitor, the Astronomy Club, and Finneus after finding each constellation before they can find the clue to the next one.
The Sleeper
The first constellation clue was released on 28 March. The player can now visit a new area - the Restive Tomb that overlooks the city. Examining the markings on the door reveals a pattern - two lines of three dots. Finneus suggests that there may be a matching pair of lines somewhere, and there is: in the stars in the sky.
The stars represent a pair of eyes, the symbol of The Darkest Faerie, who is known among the founders as The Sleeper. Once the player has found the constellation, Finneus notes that the section on the Sleeper has appeared in the Book of Ages. The Janitor is angry that the user has been leaving the lights on, while the Astronomy Cub president congratulates you on discovering a constellation so quickly.
The Dreamer
On 30 March, a new clue was released. The player can look at the clouds floating above Altador by clicking on them to the top right of the map. Examining the gaps in the clouds gives the next clue. Finneus supposes it is a hint to a new constellation, and instructs you to look for it immediately.
The stars represent someone sleeping. It is the symbol of Psellia, who is known among the founders as The Dreamer. The Janitor notes that more gems have lit up - these ones above Psellia's statue. The Astronomy Club President is thrilled that one of the club's members has found two constellations, and Finneus tells you a chapter on the Dreamer has appeared in the Book of Ages.
He wonders why the clues are revealing themselves to the player, and why it is only happening now that The Darkest Faerie has been defeated. He says he will try to find some books on history that might shed some light on the mystery, but notes that it may take him a while with all the mess in the Archives.
The First to Rise
The next clue was released on 1 April. The player can visit the Restive Tomb and click a small link in the bottom left hand corner to turn around. The sun is shining straight through the Hall of Heroes' tower. Returning to the Tower, the player must now look at the statue of Sasha, the Dancer, who is holding a tambourine with six discs. Looking out the window behind the statue, the player sees light has been focussed into six points in a circle. Clicking on these points will reveal a clue - two lines of three points, shaped like the outline of a circle. Finneus remarks that even the sun is trying to help them, and sends the player of to find the constellation while he compiles a list of the clues so far.
The stars represent a faerie yawning in front of a sunburst - the symbol of Siyana, known as The First to Rise. The Janitor complains that he's going to have to clean the window sill since you touched it, and the Astronomy Club President gives you an Astronomy Club Membership Badge. Although he congratulates you on finding so many constellations so quickly, "[t]he smile is not in his eyes".
Finneus says that the Book of Ages has updated again, but that he has determined every other history book is missing from the archives.
The Farmer
The next clue was released on 4 April. The player became able to visit Old Follies Farm, a small white building between the city and the coast. Farmer Follies, a Moehog farmer, greets the player in front of his windmill. Inside the windmill, the player can pull a lever.
“You try to force the windmill's blades to turn, in an attempt to blow excess wheat away from the field. Farmer Follies runs into the windmill, shouting at you. "WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!" He slaps your hand away from the windmill machinery.”
Looking outside of the windmill, the player sees several piles of wheat that reveal a pattern of six stars fanning out. Finneus notes that the magic at work to make these clues must be strong indeed.
The stars represent a hand holding three stalks of wheat - the symbol of Florin, The Farmer. The Janitor notes that more lights have lit up in the ceiling, and the Astronomy Club President is upset that the player is making so much progress so quickly.
While the Book of Ages has updated again, Finneus still has had no luck finding any other history books in the Archive. He believes magic is involved - but it does not appear to be the magic of The Darkest Faerie. He resolves to search the rest of the city for any books that might help.
The Dancer
The next clue was released on 6 April. A new flyer appeared on the noticeboard of the Archives: the Quiggle who runs the alchemy club, the herbalism club, the mining club, and the underwater basket weaving club, none of which the player could join, has founded a new club, the disco club. When the player visits the club, however, the Quiggle doesn't allow them to join this club either. Behind the Quiggle, however, is a pattern of lights reflected off the disco ball: the next clue. Finneus is surprised to hear of the dance club, saying no one authorised it. He tells the player to find the constellation while he deals with "these hooligans".
The clue is similar to that for the First to Rise, but the positions are rotated so the lines are on the top and bottom of the constellation. It represents a tambourine, and is the symbol of Sasha, The Dancer. The Astronomy Club President won't even talk to the player after this constellation is found, although the rest of the club is happy to see them, and the Janitor is angry that his favourite underground dance club was shut down.
The Book of Ages has been updated again, and Finneus has determined that there is no other book on history left in the city - no one can even remember the city's history.
The Wave
The next clue was released on 8 April. The Altadorian Docks on the sea front became accessible, and the player sees a pattern in the waves off the coast. Finneus tells the player that the magic seems to have penetrated all aspects of Altador.
The constellation is in the shape of a wave, and represents Marak, The Wave. The Janitor comments that it's relaxing to visit the ocean. At the Astronomy Club, the President ignores the player completely, but the other members give them a Broken Astrolabe, which can be fixed at Donny's Toy Repair Shop.
Finneus has determined that there are two spells at work in the city: one has hidden all the history, and the other is revealing clues. They are of the same magic, but neither feels hostile. He supposes that more clues are going to be revealed in the city until constellations for every founder are discovered - but he does not know why, or in what order.
The Gladiator
On the 12 April, the player became able to visit the Colosseum. In one of the archways around its circumference is a Red Grarrl. He invites the player to join Punch Club - a play on the film Fight Club. The Grarrl takes the player to Punch Club, in an alleyway behind the Colosseum - and offers the player fruit punch. The next clue is found by clicking on the golden goblet on the table - however, the player will only be able to look at it when the correct permutation of punch has been drunk. The player must try drinking from the three punch bowls in different orders until they can click on the goblet. The code is always three punch bowls long, but can include the same punch bowl more than once - e.g. 111, 112, and 123 are all valid codes. The goblet will move slightly to the right when the correct code is entered. The clue is in the picture of a shield on the goblet.
The constellation depicts a shield, and is the symbol of Torakor, The Gladiator. The Janitor becomes angry that you drank punch without him, and at the Astronomy Club, the President won't talk to you and mutters angrily to himself when you arrive. The other members say they're not happy with how he's running the club - and he may not be president for much longer.
Finneus explains he has discovered the spells used on the city are definitely the work of one of the founders of Altador, which would suggest another one of the Heroes betrayed them like The Darkest Faerie.
The Collector
The next constellation clue was released on the 14 April, although it was some time before any user figured it out. The Neopets Team confirmed it was released in New Features on the 17 April, and put an image on their webcam of a piggy bank.
The rate of inflation as listed in Exquisite Ambrosia, Illustrious Armoury, and Magical Marvels begins to change randomly every few hours. The player must visit these shops with the same amount of Neopoints on hand - ignoring the decimal point - as the rate of inflation in that shop. In one of the shops, an item will appear depicting a pair of scales - either a chocolate coin, a purse, or a pair of scales themselves. The player must click on it - this will not actually buy the item - to see the clue.
The constellation of a pair of scales is the symbol of Gordos, The Collector. After discovering this constellation, the Janitor will tell the player he's been reading a book on how to stay calm, and at the Astronomy Club, the members are preparing to overthrow their President, who just grunts and growls wordlessly now.
Finneus has decided that the traitor in the Heroes must be one of the founders whose constellation has not yet been found, and speculates on why Kelland, Jerdana, Fauna, and King Altador might have betrayed the others.
The Thief
From the 20 April, the Conundrum Lenny from Lenny Conundrum visits the Archives foyer. Finneus is his uncle, and as the Conundrum Lenny knows the player has been helping Finneus with "some kind of... history puzzle", he wants their help. He wants to get hold of his uncle's Meepit plushie and decorate it for Finneus' birthday - but he wants it to be a surprise. He asks the user to get it without Finneus noticing.
In the Archivist's office, the player must throw a pebble at a vase to distract Finneus. He will spin around, and the player can use this moment to grab the plushie off his desk. Returning to the Conundrum Lenny, however, will reveal that this isn't Finneus' favourite plushie at all. Meanwhile, Finneus has replaced the missing plushie with another one from his "stash of extra Meepit plushies".
The player must find this stash and hide it to stop Finneus replacing the Meepit plushies with them. The player is able to enter the archives themselves by clicking on the door handle to the other door in the Archives' lobby. In each room in the library there is a small door to a cupboard. In most of the rooms this can't be entered, but in one it can be, and inside is a box full of plushies. The player then hides this box, and returns to Finneus.
Finneus notes he's lost his box of spare plushies, and will have to put his favourite - the very first Meepit plushie he ever owned - on the desk instead. Repeating the trick with the vase allows the player to swipe it, and take it to Finneus' nephew. The Lenny tries to attach a ribbon to it, but inadvertently rips its head off and discovers an old dagger inside. Clicking on it gives the player their next constellation clue. The user takes the now broken plushie back to Finneus, who instructs them to find the constellation while he mourns the toy.
The constellation is in the shape of a dagger and is the symbol of Kelland, The Thief. The Janitor is angry that Lenny Conundrums are so hard, while in the Astronomy Club, the player is given a weapon, The Astronomy Club, and told by the other members they'll be making their move soon.
Finneus believes this rules Kelland out as a suspect, and says he must go into the archives for a while to see if he can find something to help.
The Gatherer
From the 27 April, in either the Quarry, the Farm, or the Docks, the player can find a battered looking Vaeolus, and take him to the Archivist. The Vaeolus needs three things to get better - medicine, food, and bandages.
The medicine is obtained from the Quiggle at the alchemy club in the Archives. He will attempt to charge the player 30,000 NP for the Elixir of Petpet Healing he has made, but Finneus stops him from charging the player. The food - Blueberry Pie - is obtained from the Punch Club, found again at the Colosseum. The bandages are found inside the Restive Tomb - which can now be entered by clicking on the wooden bar over the door. Inside is a Gelatinous Non-Cube that has been mummified. The player must refresh at that page until a small fold of bandages appears to stick out at the bottom right hand side of the Non-Cube, then click them.
After obtaining these items, the player must return to the Archivist's Office and check in on the Petpet. Every minute the Petpet will require a new treatment - the player must check in on it every minute for ten minutes in a row and treat it - e.g. it must be treated once in the first minute past the hour, again in the second minute past the hour, etc. The correct treatment depends on what the Vaeolus is doing. If it is holding up a paw, it needs bandaging, if it is covering its beak and has a green tint, it needs the elixir, if its tongue is out it needs food, and if its head is face down on the ground the player must wait.
After ten minutes of treatment, the flames on the Petpet's wings will reignite and the player will be visited by a representative of the Petpet Protection League, who has heard of their kindness and had a certificate for them. Examining the watermark on the certificate will give the player their next clue.
The constellation is of a Neopet collecting fruit, and represents Fauna, The Gatherer. The Janitor notes that only two sets of gems have still to light up, in the Astronomy Club, the members are preparing to overthrow the President when he returns.
Back in the Archives, Finneus has found the book he was looking for: it is a spellbook about altering memories and hiding knowledge. It was donated to the archives by Jerdana, which makes her a prime suspect for casting the spells this time. He speculates that she might be effected by the spell itself, and may have her own designs or have been ordered by Altador.
The Protector
From the 13 May, the player could visit one of the water towers in the city wall - the Altador Water Distribution Plant. The workers their welcome the player - but say they are not open to visitors. Next, the player must visit the outside of the city walls: this can be done by travelling on the path away from the Perfectly Flat Rock Quarry. There is a small patch near the base of the wall the player can click and enter a hidden chamber.
Within, a ghostly Minitheus stands guard over a glowing amulet. The player tries to get the necklace, but the Minitheus prevents their approach: it says the player is not worthy. Next, the player must return to Old Follies Farm, who asks if they are from the Altadorian Water Department: his irrigation ditches are beginning to overflow, and he might lose his crop.
When the player returns to the Water Distribution Plant, they find the engineers in a panic: the system is in chaos and water is being routed wrongly. The plant, designed by a mad wizard, is beyond their capacity to repair - it is up to the player. There are eight switches and wheels among three rooms in the plant, and the player must go through different combinations until the water is correctly rerouted. If the player gets the wrong combination, the city's automatic systems reset.
Once the combination is found, the engineers congratulate the player. Farmer Follies will also thank them for saving their crops. Returning to the chamber hidden in the city wall, the Minitheus will judge the player worthy and allow them to take the necklace, which reveals the next clue. Finneus notes that the complexity of this clue suggests Jerdana might have something to hide.
The constellation is a depiction of the Orb, the symbol of Jerdana, known as The Protector. Discovering this constellation turns the lights in the ceiling of the Hall off again - which angers the Janitor. Finneus believes that one of the two spells - the one that reveals the clues - was undone when the player took the necklace, and this turned off the lights. Finneus says he has unlocked the door to the Archives, and that the player may look around it if they wish. The player can also try placing the necklace on each of the statues in the Hall of Heroes, but it doesn't do anything.
Meanwhile, at the Astronomy Club, the President returns an the rest of the members grab him. They discover there is a green flap over his toga - a mask! The player pulls off the mask to reveal Old Man Withers, the Quiggle in charge of the other clubs who had no members. The Wocky Vice-President takes over the club, and Old Man Withers is ejected.
The Hunter
This step began on 1 June. If the player clicks to "Return to the Hall of Heroes" from the observatory, they will fall on the stairs down. From here, the player looks down on the floor of the hall and sees three marks. Clicking these gives the player a clue. Finneus directs the player to find the constellation, but they cannot. The Janitor, meanwhile, saw the player fall earlier and says he was thinking of closing the roof to lower the heating costs. He shows the player to the basement, where the roof mechanism is kept. Heading back to Finneus, he tells the player that three stars is not enough for a constellation, and tells them to look for the other half of the clue.
The second half of the clue is on panels that move to close the ceiling: the player has to partially close the ceiling and get the other half of the clue to line up with half they have already seen. To do this, they must jam the mechanism in the basement. The player must obtain three rocks from the Perfectly Flat Rock Quarry in order to do this.
The first rock can be bought from the workers in the quarry for 50 NP. It must be taken to the machine and wedged into one of the cogs, then the player must press the ceiling control button. One rock is not going to be enough to jam the mechanism properly. The player retrieves the rock from the machine and returns to the Quarry. They can then throw the rock past the JubJubs in order to distract them and pick up a second rock. The player picks the first rock up again from where it landed, and returns to the Archives.
Visiting the herbology club will prompt Old Man Withers to mention he used to be in the circus. When prompted by the player, Withers will teach him or her how to juggle three similarly sized objects. They player then returns to the Quarry and offers to show the bored JubJubs some juggling. The JubJubs notice that the player only has two rocks, though, which isn't a challenge to juggle: the player asks for a third rock, and they oblige. After a quick juggle, the player can return to the Hall of Heroes.
The player needs, through trial and error, to block the correct gears so that when pressing the button the right side of the ceiling with open fifteen notches and the two clues will line up. Every ten attempts, however, the Janitor will reset the machine. When it's lined up, clicking on the marks will reveal the final constellation clue to the player.
After returning the the Archivist, the player can search for the constellation of a bow-and-arrow, the symbol of King Altador, The Hunter. After finding it, the Janitor complains that the lights in the ceiling haven't come back on, and the new President of the Astronomy Club congratulates the player on another find. The Book of Ages is updated again, and Finneus suggests that maybe the history enchantment will wear off in time.
Conclusion
Despite Finneus' assumption, the plot does not end there. Inspecting the picture of The Darkest Faerie at the end of the book draws attention to the fire in her hands. Finneus notes that her statue is also depicted with fire in her hands, but that that fire was stone. He suggests there might be a spell in the archives somewhere that would make that fire real.
Each room of the archives contains several spell books hidden around the room, and one spell book in one of the rooms contains a spell to do just that. The player must find that book and that spell. The room the book is in depends on the co-ordinates of the player's Sleeper constellation, the spell number is always 29,884. All the other spells have random effects, such as "A confused-looking Kadoatie appears out of thin air, then suddenly vanishes.", "Your skin cycles through a dozen random shades before settling back down to its normal colour.", or "You grow to ten times of one-tenth your normal size!". The correct spell appears to do nothing.
The x and y co-ordinates of the correct room can be found as follows: all the x co-ordinates of the stars of the player's sleeper constellation must be added together - respecting any negative values. If this number is more than two digits long, all the digits must be added together again, this time ignoring negatives. The resulting number is the x co-ordinate of the correct room. Doing the same with the y co-ordinates of the constellation will find the y co-ordinate of the room.
In each room there is up to 31 spell books that can be clicked on the shelves. It is random which one of these is the correct one.
Having cast spell 29,884, when the player returns to the Hall of Heroes, the fire in The Darkest Faerie's hands has become real. The player places Jerdana's magical necklace on the statue, and it explodes. The spell is broken, and everyone in Altador remembers.
Finneus arrives at the Hall of Heroes at the same time King Altador and Jerdana do. Finneus apologises for suspecting Jerdana, and she explains to the player what had happened. After The Darkest Faerie took over the city, she intend to destroy all the history books and alter everyone's memories to make them believe she was the sole founder of the city. Pre-empting this, Jerdana, on Altador's orders, cast a spell with two halves. The first half made everyone forget the history - including making The Darkest Faerie forget her plan. She remembered she had conquered the city, however, as she planned that long before the city was built. The power source for that spell was embedded in The Darkest Faerie's statue, which Jerdana thought she would not destroy herself. When the player destroyed it, it broke the spell and everyone remembered.
The second half of the spell created clues that would guide an adventurer to breaking the first spell. The power source for this spell was in the necklace that was removed from the pedestal in the city's wall.
The puzzle had to be drawn out so only someone persistent would solve it - The Darkest Faerie had no patience for puzzles. As a result of the spell, not even King Altador or Jerdana remembered Altador's past nor having cast the spell. Finneus was right: Jerdana had stolen the city's history, but in order to save it.
They congratulate the player for breaking the spell, and promised they would be rewarded, and the council chamber in the Hall of Heroes opens up. The Book of Ages receives an epilogue and is finally complete, while the Janitor goes to work cleaning up the remains of the Betrayer's statue.
Prizes
Prizes for this plot, not including the Astronomy Club Membership Badge, the Broken Astrolabe (which could be repaired into the Shiny Astrolabe), and the Astronomy Club - which were given out in the course of the plot - were first made available on 16 September 2006. Players who have completed the plot can now visit King Altador in the council chambers, who rewards them with:
- The Altadorian Constellations Sidebar
- 5,000 Neopoints
- Royal Astronomer Trophy
- Club President Super Plushie
- The Way Windmills Work
- Hall of Heroes Play Set
- Set of Four Commemorative Punch Club Pie Plates
The player can return to King Altador every day from then on to receive a small prize. The first time they do this they will also receive the Lenny - Finneus avatar as well.
Trivia
- On May 27, 2006, The Neopets Team declared on the news page the Altador Plot was over, and congratulated all those who found all constellations, and hoped everyone enjoyed their prizes. Two paragraphs down though, they claimed it was a joke, and they were still working on the next part, hopefully to be released the following week.
- The Water Distribution Plant puzzle was referenced briefly in The Cyodrake's Gaze plot.
- After speaking to characters in the plot, the player must click the "Continue" button before it registers as done and the next part of the step becomes available.
- While observing the sky with the telescope, the Virtupets Space Station can occasionally be seen crossing the sky.
- Jerdana enchanted the necklace to undo her spell when placed on the statue of the Darkest Faerie: this is similar to how another of Jerdana's necklaces, Jerdana's Orb, was used to imprison the Darkest Faerie herself.
External links
- Altador, Hall of Heroes, Altadorian Archives, Council Chamber
- Neopets TCG: The Dancer, The Darkest Faerie, The First to Rise, The Gatherer, The Hunter, King Altador, The Protector, The Thief, Altador, The Collector, The Farmer, Florin, The Sleeper, Treasurer Gordos, The Dreamer, Fauna, The Gladiator, The Wave
- Editorial: 232, 233, 236, 239, 241, 242, 243, 253, 257, 261, 264, 267, 292, 302, 309, 332, 336, 342, 454