The Tyrannian Invasion
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The Tyrannian Invasion (20 March - 11 May 2001) was a plot involving the discovery of Tyrannia and the first war in which players themselves could fight in the Battledome for the safety of Neopia.
Plot summary
The Earthquake
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On 20 March 2001, Neopia was hit by an earthquake that cracked a chasm into floor of the Ice Caves. The next day, Neopians ventured into the darkness of the chasm, and found that it linked into a tunnel. The deeper the explorers went, the warmer and dryer it became, and roots of strange plants began to cover the walls of the tunnel. A mile deep into the the tunnel and the roots and vines are too dense for anyone to proceed, until a then unknown Neopet the Chomby began to eat at the vegetation, opening up the way to Tyrannia, a prehistoric land.
The next day, Chombies began to wander out of Tyrannia into all of Neopia, allowing users to adopt them, and the shop Tyrannian Foods was opened as well. Over the coming weeks, many new games and features would open up in Tyrannia:
- 26 March - Tyranu Evavu, Tyrannian Petpets, and Grarrl Keno;
- 27 March - Chomby and the Fungus Balls;
- 28 March - Tyrannian Random Events and Giant Omelette;
- 29 March - Tyrannian Furniture, the Wheel of Mediocrity and the Concert Hall
- 3 April - Switch-A-Roo;
- 5 April - Kacheekers and Tyrannian Weaponry;
- 6 April - Lair of the Beast;
- 9 April - the Crashed Time Machine;
- 11 April - Destruct-O-Match and Go! Go! Go!;
- 11 May - Chia Bomber;
The Invasion
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The Council of Elders (Kyruggi, Grarrg, Tekel, Plesio, Sabre-X and Myncha) were also available to visit from 27 March. Three days later, Myncha returned from a scouting mission in the mud flats north of the Plateau and reported evil looking creatures slowly headed towards Tyrannia. Grarrg called for a town meeting on 5 April to recruit for the Tyrannian Army.
On the 25th, a loud voice echoed across Tyrannia and appeared to every player over the Battledome Events marquee - "The Monoceraptor will crush your puny Tyrannia!". The invasion began the next day, when thousands of Korbat Scouts and later Korbat Leaders began to swarm and pillage Tyrannia. An army tent (dead link) was set up to co-ordinate the Tyrannian defence, of which Neopians around Neopia could join in. After their defeat, they were joined by the stronger Grarrl Troopers and Skeith Invaders on 2 May, and were joined the next day with the Chia Bombers, equipped with mud-slinging bazookas.
And then on 7 May, the invaders were joined by 10,000 Fire Grarrls, followed by a swarm of 1,000 Tyrannian Buzz the next day, and then 350 Grarrl Battlemasters the day after that. The Monoceraptor's army seemed to be winning, and Tyrannia would be destroyed. To help the war effort, Kauvara permanently halved all the prices of the healing potions in her shop. A message was also received from someone or something calling himself the Monoceraptor, saying, "I WILL ARRIVE TOMORROW AND CARVE UP YOUR PUNY TYRANNIA. YOU HAD BETTER BE READY FOR ME.".
By 10 May, all 350 Grarrl Battlemasters had been defeated, leaving an eerie silence hanging over Tyrannia, the calm before the storm.
In anticipation of the Monoceraptor's arrival, Kauvara donated free Healing Potions at the Money Tree for the rest of the day. Finally, the colossal Monoceraptor arrived, and all the Neopian warriors had to combine forces to defeat him. The killing blow was landed by a single heroic Lupe, and as it fell to the ground a slow, rasping voice could be heard across the whole of Tyrannia, saying, "That puny creature of mine has failed...but Neopia has not yet seen the last of me...I will return...oh yes...I will return."
The Monoceraptor's claws were later salvaged and sold from the Hidden Tower as weapons.
The opponents
| Opponent | Picture | # of Opponents | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korbat Scout |  |
? | 25 |
| Korbat Leader |  |
? | 50 |
| Skeith Invader |  |
? | 70 |
| Grarrl Trooper |  |
? | 65 |
| Chia Bomber |  |
? | 45 |
| Fire Grarrl |  |
10,000 | 200 |
| Tyrannian Buzz |  |
1,000 | 95 |
| Grarrl Battlemaster |  |
350 | 250 |
| Monoceraptor |  |
1 | 950 |
Users participated in the plot by fighting the invaders in the Battledome against computer controlled opponents. Each opponent came in a limited number, and were able to be fought until there were no more left to fight.
Prizes
| Tyrannian Rank | # of Battles |
|---|---|
| Helper | 1 - 4 |
| Skirmisher | 5 - 9 |
| Battler | 10 - 17 - ? |
| Marshall | ? - 22 - 27 - ? |
| Champion | ? - 45 - ? |
| Lord | ? - 98 - ? |
| Warlord | ? - 107 - 130 - ? |
| Conqueror | ? - 284 - ? |
| Hero | ? - 305 - ? |
The War Prizes were awarded on 11th May, 2001, with considerably less variety then that which would, in later wars, become the norm. Everybody who participated was rewarded with 10,000 NP, provided they had beaten at least one enemy. The owner of the Neopet who first won against the Monoceraptor (who was only described as a "brave Lupe") was awarded 1,000,000 NP and "an item of his choice".
Users were also given a Trophy on their User Lookup, showing how many battles they won and their title.
Trivia
- The war came out days after The Neopets Team introduced the One Player Battledome on the April 20, 2001, presumably to promote and test the new system before the invasion of April 26.
- The One Player Battledome History was introduced as a result of this war, along with the current front page design of the Battledome.
- The Grarrl Battlemaster and Monoceraptor were added to the Gallery of Evil on May 11, 2006, for their actions in the Invasion, but have since been taken out.
- Seven plushies were created after the war for Neopets to "Relive the great Tyrannian battle".
- Despite the fact the Monoceraptor was defeated on May 10, 2001, Tyrammet Village is to date still celebrating his defeat.