Let’s Play Ethermore: Part 1 – Exploring The Ruins of Nio Cegod

Welcome adventurers! Today, not only are we presenting you with Ethermore’s first-ever let’s play video, we also wanted to take this opportunity to showcase a new feature we’re thinking of adding. That feature is AI-generated synthetic audio narration for our quests.

This is a very rough version of what the final product could look and sound like, but we wanted to get a proof-of-concept up as soon as possible to see what everyone thinks of this.Please take a look and let us know what you think in the YouTube comments!

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The Ruins of Nio Cegod Quest Synopsis

Nio Cegod was said to have been a great civilization, made prosperous by citizens that loved their country with almost a religious zeal.The King of Nio Cegod spent hundreds of thousands of Ether commissioning the greatest architects and blacksmiths of Ethermore to build secret mechanisms and weapons beyond imagination. You journey through the ruins with a party of 4: yourself, Ragnar the Wayfarer Barbarian, a Dwarf Monk called Gamlin, and Corinthia, an Elemental Windfall Sorcerer.Find out what perils you will face and what treasure lies in wait for you in The Ruins of Nio Cegod.

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Video/Quest Transcript

Nio Cegod was said to have been a great civilization, made prosperous by citizens that loved their country with almost a religious zeal. Lord Nole Ksum, The Great King of Nio Cegod, took control of the country when it was just a tiny group of peasants and farmers, and led Nio Cegod to glory, alongside the greatest nations of Ethermore.

In his prime, King Nole Ksum was among the richest men in the history of Ethermore. However, his reign was short-lived.

Nio Cegod fell as quickly as it had risen. Before historians could even put quill to paper, a plague fell on the land.

It was said that like Icarus, King Nole dreamed of soaring above the clouds, and one day reaching the stars.

The King spent hundreds of thousands of Ether commissioning the greatest architects and blacksmiths of Ethermore to build secret mechanisms and weapons beyond imagination.

No one has ever seen King Nole's creations. Some say The King hid all his greatest treasures in Castle Egod, which was built to protect Nio Cegod's Ether mines. As the last standing Nio Cegod structure, the area is better known as The Ruins of Nio Cegod.

You journey through the ruins with a party of 4: yourself, Ragnar the Wayfarer Barbarian, a Dwarf Monk called Gamlin, and Corinthia, an Elemental Windfall Sorcerer.

"For the love of Rados, Gamlin!" says Ragnar. "We've been in these mines for nearly half a day and all we've found are skeletal corpses and rotten cheese."

The four of you journey through the ruins, with nothing but torches and Corinthia's spells to light the way.

"Quiet down, Ragnar," Gamlin says. "Those corpses didn't die of famine. Whatever killed them is likely still in here, as is Nole's treasure."

Your path ends and branches off into two. Both paths are deep and dark, and you can't see what lies beyond the darkness.

You take the right path and proceed cautiously. The path ends and there are 2 large wooden doors. You push against them and they don't budge. It's been a long time since these doors were opened.

"Help me with this, Ragnar," you say.

Ragnar sheathes his sword and the two of you push against the doors with all your might. Slowly, the large doors begin to creak open.

Corinthia casts an illumination spell and an orb of light moves between you and Ragnar, as the doors give way.

"Wow, would you look at that!" says Gamlin. The orb lights up the room and you find yourself in a large mess hall with great dining tables that span the entire length of the room.

"This must have been where The Great King held his feasts," says Ragnar.

You and your party search the room, and while all the food has either petrified or spoiled, you manage to find a couple of health potions and some Nio Cegod silverware that could fetch a good price from the right collector.

The party rests and regains their strength before heading back out into the ruins.

You head back the way you came and take the path on the left.

The path winds and the stone walls are cracked and crumbling. Dark vines grow along the path, as well as silky grey strings.

"That smell," Ragnar says, as he draws his sword. "Smells like death."

Corinthia stops and examines the vines and strings on the wall. "These are...webs," she says.

Then, you hear an odd clicking noise in the darkness in front of you.

A white ball shoots out of the darkness, you try to dodge but the projectile grazes your neck and you feel a burning senation.

"Don't let the webs touch you!" Corinthia says. They're laced with venom.

You've been poisoned and take 5 damage.

"Light of the Gods, show us the way," Corinthia whispers an incantation. "Illuminate!"

A ball of light materializes in front of her and hovers forward, the path is illuminated and you see more vines, thicker now. And more webs as well.

"Above!" Gamlin yells.

You look up and see 4 monstrous hunter spiders fall from the ceiling of the cave.

Ragnar lunges forward and swings his sword at one of the spiders knocking it back.

One of the spiders rushes toward you.

You aim for one of the spider's front legs and you tear right through it. The spider pulls its leg (or what's left of it) back in pain.

The spider squeals and swings one of its sharp claws at you. It just misses your face and leaves a shallow cut in your shoulder.

You take 5 damage.

The spider swings at you again and you dodge it and roll around to its flank. Before the large arachnid can turn to face you.

You attack and tear a hole through its torso. You step back and the spider's legs go limp. It collapses to the ground, dead.

You look around and somehow your party has emerged unscathed.

Ragnar laughs, "Now, that was a proper battle."

Corinthia puts one hand on your shoulder and the other on your neck. "Stay still," she says. "This will only take a moment."

She whispers an incantation and you feel a cooling sensation on your shoulder. The pain subsides and the cut disappears, leaving just some dried blood on your skin.

Next, you feel the burning sensation on your neck fade away.

You are no longer poisoned.

"Thanks," you say.

You hear a rustling above you, and everyone turns to look up, with their guards raised.

You see a gnome squirming, trapped in a spiders web, woven into a cocoon. "Help!" the gnome yells. "Thank Rados! I thought I was dead for sure"

"What are you doing up there, friend?" Ragnar says.

"I was with a group looking for Nio Cegod's rumored treasure vault when these spiders ambushed us. Everyone else...was captured too and eaten. One by one. I was lucky to be last. If only you'd gotten here sooner."

You pull out a dagger and move forward to cut the gnome loose, but Gamlin holds his arm out, beckoning you to wait.

"And?" Gamlin says. "Did you and your party find anything before you were taken?"

"Why...yes. Yes, of course," the Gnome says. "As soon as you cut me down, I'll take you to one of the vaults and we can share the spoils. I swear to Rados and may Nix strike me dead if I deceive you! Look at my chest, you see this necklace?"

You squint and, through the web, you can see a shining silver locket on the Gnome's chest.

"This is one of Nio Cegod's lost relics. I was able to grab it from one of the chests before the spiders took us. It's yours as soon as you set me free!"

Corinthia frowns and turns to you. "What do you think? Can we trust him?"

"Even if we can't trust him, we must free him or he'll die here," you say.

You step forward and cut the gnome free. He drops to the ground, free of the web. He dusts himself off.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, friends."

"Show us that necklace there," Gamlin holds his hand out.

"Of course," the Gnome says. He puts his hand on his chest and smiles. By the time you see it, it's too late.

The gnome reaches into his vest's inner pocket and throws something on the ground. A cloud of smoke erupts around you. The smoke fills your lungs and you cough uncontrollably.

You hear the Gnome's voice through the clouds of smoke, "Sorry," he says. "The Thieves Guild never shares."

Suddenly, you feel Ragnar dash past you.

"Ugh..how did you? Let me go!" You hear the gnome's voice through the smoke.

Finally, the smoke clears and you see Ragnar holding the gnome up by the throat.

"Let go of me, damn you!" the gnome chokes.

Ragnar pulls out a dagger from his waistbelt. "Luckily for us," he says. "I never trusted this little bastard for a second."

Before you can say anything, he plunges his dagger into the gnome's chest.

The gnome drops to the ground, and Ragnar takes the necklace off his neck, as his life's blood leaves him.

"You didn't have to kill him," you say.

Ragnar hands you the necklace. "Never trust a gnome," he says.

You put the necklace on and all your fatigue from the long journey seems to wash away.

You received Nio Cegod's Necklace of Rejuvenation.

You continue down the dark path, setting fire to the nests of spider eggs you come across.

You proceed faster now than before, eager to see the other treasures hidden in the caves.

"How much do you think we could get for a Mythril necklace like that, Corinthia?" Gamlin asks.

Corinthia looks at the necklace's pendant on your chest. "That pendant has been enchanted with a strong spell of healing," she says."Enchanted Mythril is nearly impossible to come by. I think the four of us could live like nobles for a year just by selling that necklace alone."

"What are we waiting for then" Ragnar yells. "Let's find the rest of the treasure and we'll never have to work another day in our lives!"

The path ends and all that lies before you is a large cave wall. There are cracks in the stone, but no doors, no more paths to take.

"No," Ragnar says. "What is this?"

Corinthia places her hands on the wall and closes her eyes. "I don't sense any illusion spell." She opens her eyes. "Actually, I don't sense any magic at all. It's...it's just a wall."

Gamlin swings his axe against the wall in frustration, and a spark flies from where his axe hits the stone. "For the love of Rados! You mean to tell me this was all for nothing? we're meant to leave here with just that one necklace?"

When all hope seems lost, you notice it. You see a tiny hole in the wall. You look down at the pendant on your chest. Could it be that simple?

You approach the wall. "It's not just a necklace," you say.

"What do you mean?" Corinthia asks, as she stares at you.

"It's a key." You take the necklace off, and slowly, you place the pendant into the hole in the wall. Suddenly, you hear the clanging of metal, the turning of gears. The entire cave wall begins to shake and dust falls from the ancient stone.

"What's happening?" Ragnar says.

The cave wall slowly slides to the left, revealing a room filled with old urns, and those urns filled with silver coins.

"Ether!" Ragnar screams.

In the middle of the room are 4 large chests.

While the rest of your party searches the urns, you open the chests, and each one holds an item you've never seen before.

In one chest, there is a longsword, its hilt made of gold and its blade pure Mythril.

In the second chest, you find a black cuirass, harder and sturdier than any armor you've ever seen.

In the third chest, you find a wooden staff with a glowing red stone on its ferrule.

In the fourth chest, are golden gauntlets, and when you try them and swing your fists, your hands move faster than you thought possible.

"All of these items are enchanted," Corinthia says. "There are four. One for each of us. You can choose first," she smiles at you.

You take the longsword in your hands. "This," you say. "I was born to wield this!"

You received The Great Mythril Sword of Nio Cegod.

The rest of the party picks through the items and you all take as much ether as you can in your packs before heading back out of the ruins.