Players Attempt Third Task of Elusive Heart of Corruption Quest

[p]Illyriad's class of 2025-2026 have managed to do what many believed was impossible: complete "The Greatest Quest on Illyriad." Yesterday, during the start of the new moon, the everlasting mist from from The Misted Lands -- an enchanted, mountain-flecked forest glade in Kal Tikikan -- mysteriously lifted, revealing its stunning geography . . . namely, the 14 bleak mountain peaks that typically pierce the veil of fog. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]For the first time ever, armies were able to navigate and encamp in these lands. Those who are still on the Heart of Corruption quest -- as well as fortune-seekers, troublemakers, and other adventurers -- have moved quickly to explore and control the Bleak Mountains of the Misted Lands in hopes of finishing the final task of The Greatest Quest in Illyria![/p][p][/p][h2]So, what is this "greatest quest?"[/h2][p][/p][p]The greatest quest on Illyriad is the elusive Heart of Corruption quest that has befuddled players since its appearance in 2011, when it appeared in the Elgean region of Tal Kiriken circa June 13th of that year. Dubbed "Audrey" due to its similarity to the massive man-eating plant of the same name in the dark musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors, the Heart resides in the jungles of Kumala, west of the Kumala Bay where it empties into the Bitter Sea. Sending units to it would occasionally lead players to earn "corrupted tentacles" from Audrey, but aside from this and some cryptic messages from an Old Crone who would occasionally visit cities that were on the quest, little progress was made.[/p][p][/p][p]That changed in 2014, when the server managed to wake the Heart up: it began to beat, and the mysterious events began to unfold. The quest ended that year in a kind of "tentacle infestation" around questing cities, but no more clues on how to finish all of the Old Crone's tasks.[/p][p][/p][p]As Illyriad dipped into several years of lower quest activity, the server never managed to wake the Heart up again . . . until late 2025.[/p][p][/p][p]A new class of motivated Illyrian questers sent droves of troops at the Heart in hopes of waking it up and pushing it towards the next step in the quest.[/p][p][/p][p]Since that time, our current questers have unlocked all kinds of new developments in the quest: successfully repelling the tentacle infestations around their cities, fighting off an onslaught of undead Melder armies that issued forth from the jungles around the heart, and now this: a cryptic third task from the Old Crone, delivered in a riddle:[/p][p][/p][p]You wish to know where to venture next? Ask yourself: [/p][p][/p][p]Where do fourteen great stones stand above the veil? [/p][p][/p][p]What claim is proven not by arrival, but by enduring until the very end? [/p][p][/p][p]What light comes only after fullness?[/p][p][/p][p]The server guessed the Misted Lands and its 14 peaks that can be seen above its fog as the location, and yesterday changed everything when the mist finally lifted, and the 14 Bleak Mountains became reachable for units.[/p][p][/p][p]Will the questers manage to complete this final task and finish "The Greatest Quest on Illyriad?" If you're an ex-player, why not re-join the game? If you've never played, why not do the same? Creating an account is free and easy.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]