Phenomenal job, Adventurers! We’re thrilled to announce that the official Santae Kickstarter has passed its $80k Stretch Goal.
Grab your friends, gear up, and get ready for Adventure. This milestone means we have unlocked the Adventure Party System!
As an Adventure Party, you and your friends will be able to embark on Collaborative quests! Work together to explore and overcome adventurous Challenges. As you conquer each adventure, you’ll improve your capabilities and even unlock Exclusive bonuses and rewards! Adventuring with a party will be a whole new cooperative way to explore the world of Santae.
Thank you so much for the Overwhelming support that has made all of the Kickstarter’s progress possible. The campaign is ending soon, so don’t miss your chance to make a pledge, get rewards, and help push toward even more stretch goal excitement!
Visit the Official Santae Kickstarter to help bring the world of Santae to life.
A Mystical Dragon of legend is soaring into Santae. We are absolutely overjoyed to reveal the beautiful finalized artwork of the new draconic pet, Quenaris!
With its gleaming scales and long, elegant body, the Quenaris will make both a beautiful and fearsome friend for any Adventurer bold enough to befriend one. Quenaris is infused with an aura of magic and ancient mystery. Will you make one your companion when this mystical dragon arrives?
The Quenaris was unlocked by a magnificent community effort. Thank you all for your support — you’re what makes it possible for us to bring even more magic to the world of Santae!
The way to the Lair is clear, Adventurers! If you have gathered all 12 Quenaris Orbs and placed them on the pedestals at Ascendants Shrine, you're now able to venture deep into the Forgotten Cavern and bond with a legendary dragon of your own.
Once you have reached the Lair of the Quenaris, pour a shimmer dust of the color of your choice into the waters to determine which color of Quenaris will emerge -- and which you will then have to befriend!
Then, a Quenaris will appear in the Lair for you to attempt to form the bond with! First need to show that you are worthy of its loyalty by turning in 12 dragon Minimals that you have tamed. These Minimals will leave you to remain in the Lair -- but they will help you win the trust of the secretive dragon!
Once you have demonstrated your friendliness, it is time to attempt to form a bond with the Quenaris by giving it more Quenaris Orbs. The Orbs will float around and orbit the Quenaris until the bond is formed -- and the exact number you will need to win the Quenaris' companionship may vary.
When you successfully bond with the Quenaris, you'll have the choice to leave the Lair with a brand-new dragon companion -- or with a Divine Quenaris Figurine imbued with magic capable of transforming one of your existing pets into a legendary dragon.
Once you have bonded with the Quenaris and left the Lair, the Forgotten Caverns will vanish behind you. To bond with another Quenaris, you will need to locate all 12 Orbs again and repeat the process.
Legendary dragons are finally returning to the skies of Santae after centuries! Will you befriend a magnificent Quenaris today and create a lifelong bond with your very own Quenaris?
Adventurers can expect loads of new plushies to be added to the Plushie Machine prize pool between now and 15th of December, 2024, 23:59 SST! Every two days a new batch of plushies will be added to the Plushie Machine.
A new batch of plushies will be added to the Plushie Machine and experience heavily boosted rates for approximately 48 hours. Boosted rates will cycle at 20:00 SST every second day!
To Celebrate the bounty of sanDust and Plushie Palooza, Vespera is stocking Plushie Machine Tokens at the sanDust Shop for 350sanDust each! She is only offering this deal for the duration of plushie palooza!.
Vespera and River returned to Halo Haven as quickly as they could. When they arrived, they rushed with Orion to Ascendants Shrine. They could finally place the final Orb -- and see what secrets the magic of the shrine would reveal!
"It is time," Scholar Orion said, nodding at Vespera.
"Here we go!" Vespera reached out and carefully placed the final Quenaris Orb onto its glowing pedestal. Like all the others, it fit perfectly.
The faint magical hum in the air intensified as all the Quenaris Orbs flared with light. Slowly at first, then faster and faster, a great sparkling whirl of energy engulfed the shrine. Scholar Orion threw up an arm to shade his face, and Vespera squeezed her eyes shut. The surge of magical energy was too bright to look at!
When they opened their eyes, only a few sparkles of magical energy remained -- but something had changed!
The path leading to the edge of the Outlook now connected to a sturdy wooden bridge. On the other side, an entirely new island had appeared! A craggy mountain was suspended in midair, with two dark cave entrances yawning in its side.
"Incredible!' Scholar Orion exclaimed. "It's just as the illustration we were examining predicted -- an island was hiding here after all!"
Vespera approached the edge of the Outlook and paused for a moment with her hand on the arch in front of the bridge. She gazed deep into the caves across the way, brimming with excitement. What was waiting to be discovered within? "Let's go in! We have to go look."
Together, Vespera and Orion crossed the bridge and entered the cool shadows of the Forgotten Cavern.
They proceeded cautiously through the darkness, but before long a deep violet glow helped illuminate the cavern's interior. Crystals embedded in the walls emitted the mystical light. Vespera and Orion followed the sound of water through the cave's twists and turns. Eventually, they found the source of the noise: a chamber with soaring ceilings, enclosing a luminous pool!
Lush plants crowded the shore of the deep pool, unlike any flora Vespera had seen before. Deep in the waters, strange fish were visible as shimmering silhouettes. The cave was home to a rich, beautiful, and totally unknown ecosystem!
"This is beautiful!" Vespera remarked, turning in a slow circle to admire the whole chamber. "I'm sure there are all kinds of new things to Gather here."
"It is," Orion agreed. "But one thing perplexes me. This is supposed to be the cave of the Quenaris -- the Shrine, and the illustrations from earlier make that seem clear. But I see no sign of any Quenaris here. I don't even see traces of any dragon Minimals."
"Let's keep exploring!" Vespera said. "We can invite the Adventurers here to investigate. Surely together we can find the rest of this place's secrets."
Adventure Awaits: Hunt for New Quenaris Orbs, Santae’s First Random Events and a Trophy Revealed!
Community Event: Continue Collecting The Quenaris Orbs
Three new pillars are glowing at Ascendants Shrine, and that means three new orbs are now waiting to be discovered around Santae!
One can be found in the depths of the Abyssal Lake. The Abyssal Monster might be able to dredge one from the depths from you -- but with the right fishing and gathering equipment, you may also be lucky enough to discover one there for yourself.
Another has found its way into the hands of many friendly faces around Santae. If you complete Quests for any quest-giving NPC, there is a small chance you will receive an Orb as a reward.
As for the last -- random chance may just need to be on your side! Good luck!
Commemorate Your Quest With The Event Trophy!
If you participate at any point during the Quenaris Orb community event -- from taming dragon Minimals to collecting Orbs and beyond -- you'll receive a gorgeous event Trophy to commemorate the experience once the event concludes. Take part in the adventure today to make sure you'll receive this beautiful reminder of the magical Quenaris mystery on your profile!
This trophy will not retire so if you do not get an opportunity to earn it during this event, there will be future opportunities to acquire it
Vespera and Scholar Orion were examining every corner of Ascendants Shrine. They both had returned regularly to the ancient monument over the last several days. Orion had inspected the Shrine many times before, but ever since Vespera's arrival there was a strong sense of imminent discovery in the air. Both felt like the dragon Minimal influx was a sign of change.
Now that they were confident they had examined every nook and cranny of the Shrine, there was just one obvious test left to try. Vespera lifted the Dragon Orb sent by Silvershade and placed it delicately into the depression atop one of the Shrine's pillars.
The Orb fit perfectly. As soon as it settled into its proper place, the Shrine suddenly seemed to hum with magic. A soft glow began to emanate from the Dragon Orb as a swirl of energy began to circle overhead. The Shrine had been activated!
Vespera and Orion stood next to the Shrine's first pillar, watching the magic swirl. Dozens of dragon Minimals soaring overhead cast circling shadows over the shrine and the cluster of pillars.
"This is incredible!" Scholar Orion said. "The Orbs are certainly what we need to delve deeper into the secrets of this place. But I believe we are agreed," Orion continued, "that no more Dragon Orbs are hidden here at the Shrine."
"Right," Vespera agreed. "We've been so thorough -- I can't imagine where they would be hiding. I'm confident that we should extend the search."
"This first Orb was discovered by your friend Silvershade, correct?" Orion asked.
"Yes," Vespera confirmed. "They said a dragon Minimal they tamed was holding it."
Both Orion and Vespera turned their gazes upward, at the flocks of dragons swooping back and forth overhead.
"Hmm," Scholar Orion hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps the rest of the Orbs are also in the possession of these dragon Minimals. But there are so many..." he sighed. "We'd have to get extremely lucky to tame exactly the right one."
A slow grin crept across Vespera's face as an idea dawned on her. "You're right -- but we don't have to get lucky. My Adventurer friends can help! If they all work together to tame dragons, we could check a great number of them. Far more than you and I could examine alone."
"Excellent!" Orion cried. "You're right -- more investigators will dramatically increase the likelihood that something useful is learned from this endeavor."
"And that's not all," Vespera went on, excited. "That dragon Minimal must have gotten this first Orb from somewhere. The more we learn about these dragons by taming them, the more likely it is we can discover where they're coming from in the first place. Even if the dragons don't have any more Orbs themselves -- their home might."
"This place is called Ascendants Shrine," Scholar Orion explained as Vespera slowly walked from pillar to pillar, examining the ancient architecture of the shrine at Skybound Overlook. "As I said, it is known that the shrine is powerfully magical -- but none of our efforts to bring that magic forth have yet succeeded. We are missing something."
Before Vespera could reply, she was interrupted by the sudden fluttering of wings. A dragon Minimal was swooping down from above, heading directly for her!
Vespera and Orion ducked, but the Minimal pulled up skillfully and hovered in place. When Vespera peeked out again, she could see that it was waiting expectantly with an envelope and a sealed parcel clutched in its claw.
"A message?" Vespera was puzzled. She took the note and the package from the Minimal, and the dragon fluttered off without waiting for any further acknowledgment. Vespera tore the envelope open and quickly skimmed the note inside.
"It's from Silvershade!" She exclaimed. "They're a Minimal expert in Lani Archipelago. I spoke with them before coming here, about the dragon influx across Santae..." Vespera kept reading. Then, she gasped.
"Silvershade says even more new dragons are showing up! And on top of that, one of the dragon Minimals they tamed was holding this..." Vespera hefted the small, round parcel the dragon had delivered.
"Let's see what's inside, shall we?" Vespera handed the package over to Orion, who began to unwrap it carefully. The wrapping fell away to reveal a shining golden orb decorated with ornate horn-like spikes. Scholar Orion gasped and held it up to his eye to examine it more closely.
After a moment, Scholar Orion nodded decisively. "This is a Dragon Orb," Orion explained. "Look: It is sized to fit perfectly atop one of the pillars of this Shrine." The Scholar held the orb out to demonstrate. It was easy to see how the orb's dimensions would let it sit snugly in the indentation upon one of the nearby pillars.
"This must be important! Surely we'll need to find the rest?" Vespera asked. Counting quickly, she said, "There are twelve pillars in total."
"Perhaps someday," Scholar Orion agreed. "But let me start from the beginning. You must understand why unlocking the mystery of this Shrine is so important."
Vespera nodded, listening intently.
"I discovered this story in one of the library's ancient texts," Scholar Orion began. "It tells of a legendary creature called the Quenaris
-- an extraordinary dragon that once soared the skies of Santae
alongside adventurers. These creatures were said to be the most loyal of companions." Orion sighed. "But the last record of them is from centuries ago. None have been seen, or even heard of, for hundreds of years."
"Where did they go?" Vespera asked.
"Nobody knows -- but that is what I wish to find out," Scholar Orion replied, a decisive look in his keen amber eye. "I think this orb --" he nodded down at the Dragon Orb still cupped gently in his palm "--and the others like it are the key to unraveling the mystery of the Quenaris."
Vespera hummed thoughtfully. "I see. And you think the rush of dragon Minimals is related? It makes sense," Vespera said. "Silvershade said these dragon Minimals were never-before-seen creatures -- but maybe they're also simply ancient dragons returning to Santae after a long time. If the Minimals are returning, maybe the Quenaris could too!"
"Exactly right!" Orion agreed. "By observing these dragon Minimals, we may be able to learn important clues about the mystery of the Quenaris."
The afternoon sun sent great shafts of golden light beaming down through the windows of the library in Halo Haven illuminating the table where Vespera and Orion were at work.
Vespera had a large map of Santae unfurled across the bulk of the table, weighed down at each corner by books. With one hand, she placed small markers to indicate various locations across the map. The other hand held the stack of pages she was reading: A new report from Silvershade.
The Adventurers had taken to herding the dragon influx with skill and enthusiasm. Silvershade already had lots of information to share about where the dragons were found and where the Adventurers tamed them. They sent the compiled notes up to Vespera, who was hoping to use them to see the bigger picture about the dragons' movements.
"It's hard to say so far," Vespera said to Scholar Orion after marking each spot, "but it seems like the dragon flock is moving. It looks a little denser over here." She indicated one portion of the map with many clustered markers.
"Hmm," Orion replied, distracted with his nose in a book. "One moment please..."
Scholar Orion had a copy of the runes and symbols from the stone slab at Ascendants Shrine in front of him, and he was comparing them to something written in an ancient tome.
"Did you find something?" Vespera asked, getting up from her seat to read over Orion's shoulder.
"I think... I think I might have," Orion replied, eyes still scanning the pages. "Look, this symbol in this illustration..."
"... It looks just like the one at the Shrine!" Vespera exclaimed.
Vespera grinned widely at Orion. "We're nearly there. The Adventurers are taming even more dragons as we speak, and with a little more data I'm sure I can learn where they are moving." Vespera gestured at her map. "And with your book...do you think we could read what the symbols at Ascendants Shrine say?"
Scholar Orion didn't grin back, but his wise old face did soften into a smile. "Yes, Vespera," he agreed. "I believe we can."
