[Balanor]

-Dozens of new creatures will now be encountered thanks to the hard work of KTA
1. Undead - Blaspheme, Bleakborn, Bloodmote Cloud, Boneyard, Cinderspawn, Entomber, Juju Zombie, Lesser Angel of Decay, Lesser Blaspheme, Murk, Raiment, Slaymate, Skeleton Archer, Skeleton Crossbowman
2. Planar - Abyssal Ghoul, Alkilith, Blood Fiend, Bloodfiend Locusts, Greater Vorr, Khaasta, Shadow Giant (Male and Female), Varrangoin (Lesser, Arcanist, and Rager)
3. Magical Beast - Abrian, Blood Hawk, Chronotyryn
4. Animal - Lesser Carcass Eater

-The Library of Law has been completed to ensure the ‘law’ of Thay is available for new PCs (and players) to familiarize themselves. The Laws of Thay in the various legion barracks have been updated to reflect this information, while the full tome of the Library of Law can be found on the desk of the Judge of the Redhall in Eltabbar

-To help enforce the law of Thay and orders of the Red Wizards, ranking legionnaires of every Tharch have the ability to imprison others
1. Prison Shackles can now be found in many cells and prisons throughout Thay. Legionnaires may use their cloak on any of these shackles within their Tharch to bind it to that location
2. Legion sergeants and above may then use their faction cloak on an individual whom they wish to imprison and then type JAIL followed by the reason for imprisonment in 120 characters or less. The reason is considered OOC text (as if you are briefly explaining ‘why’ to a DM or the PC’s superior officers) and will not show up in the chat window. Once that text is entered to confirm imprisonment, both individuals are transferred the shackles to which the cloak was bound, with the prisoner unable to do anything but talk until they are released. Every time imprisonment occurs, DMs are notified and the server log records the details
3. Any character with the same Tharch’s legion cloak may release the shackles; however there are other ways to release a prisoner from shackles, so it is possible to have an IC prison break...
4. Per Thayan Law, imprisonment typically occurs only for short-term incarceration. Therefore the ‘magic’ of this type of imprisonment is finite. In game terms, this means that logging out and logging back in will also break the imprisonment of shackles.
However, every time this occurs notification is sent to the DMs and recorded in the server logs. Be forewarned that using this method to break out of imprisonment (especially in an OOC/metagaming manner) may result in a more severe punishment for the PC if they are caught again than if they broke free using the IC methods of doing so

-Characters can be marked for death if multiple other characters call upon the mysterious allies to revoke the protection granted to that individual. This addition has been added so there is the possibility that true character can death occur if enough other notorious characters deem it appropriate. See the ‘Permanent Death’ section of the Death and Dying thread for full details

-When a player-owned building is lost due to late taxes, or the building is relinquished, furniture will still remain in it. This means the building can be reclaimed at a later date, or ownership can be transferred to another individual without losing what is inside. This change is not retroactive so buildings already lost are not affected

-Tyraturos legionnaires may access the main level (and only the main level) of the Slave Pens of Thay

-Blackguards can become temple clergy of Loviatar

-Succubus, Erinyes, and Tiefling creatures can now be enslaved

-Special PCs (lycan, vampire, subrace, etc) are now limited to one per player key. Curing, retiring, or deleting a special PC will allow for another special PC to be created in its place. Note that approval to play subrace characters is still needed at this time

-The Red Trident in south Bezantur has become a permanent addition of Thay, thanks to the work of Purulent Carcass and Sundraoi

- The following bugs have been fixed:
1. When telling a an associate, such as a slave or commanded undead creature to hold its ground, it will no longer start walking around or trying to return to the original location it was spawned
2. Gargoyles in player houses will no longer drop gargoyle skulls and skeletons in player houses will no longer drop knuckles
3. Hostile NPCs will no longer cast Resurrection or Raise Dead on PCs
4. When buying a deed on a discounted building (as a merchant or Red Wizard), the tax amount initially given by the Deedmaster will now correctly reflect the tax required on a yearly basis
5. If you have multiple keys to your property in your possession, you will no longer receive incorrect or inconsistent tax notifications about your property when entering your home or checking with the deedmaster

[Balanor]

-New creatures will now be encountered thanks to the hard work of KTA. Visit Dillomat’s Tower in Tyraturos for the chance to travel to the Demonweb Pits and meet them!
Drow - Arachne, Demonbinder, Elite Handmaiden, Elite Myrlochar, Enforcer, Handmaiden, Myrlochar, Noamutha, Quartha, Scout, Sharpshooter, Skirmisher, Undying Master

-The amount of XP that gets taken by saving one’s self in the Fugue Plane has now been significantly reduced and starts at 5% of total XP, increasing every time it is used up to a maximum of 15% of total XP. Furthermore, the count for all PCs who have saved themselves from the Fugue has been reset to 0

-XP for killing assassins and slavers sent after your characters has been significantly increased, in addition to the amount of gold each carries as well. Thanks go to Animayhem for this idea

-Hidden one-way doors have been discovered deep within one-way adventure areas (like the Nethwatch Dungeons, the Keep of Sorrows crypts, the High Road Escarpment Mines, etc) which provide helpful shortcuts back toward the areas exits for the adventurers who find them

-You will only be able to find quest items in the specific location your PC is sent. However, the chance you will find the item when opening treasure containers there has been significantly increased - and it will now increase by 10% for each additional PC you have in your party

-When underwater, weapons with fire damage will no longer be unequipped. However, all creatures underwater (including hostile creatures) have a 100% immunity to fire damage applied to them now

-Approximately a dozen new research quest questions have been added

-The difficult of encounters has been decreased

- The following bugs have been fixed:
1. The cost for the courtesan Pylia-Lovely is correctly set
2. Red Wizard Apprentices may no longer take quests from static (special) quest givers
3. Lycans should no longer regenerate and/or have their stat bonuses doubled after bleeding or dying
4. Only one dragon will ever spawn per encounter point (as originally intended) and the chance even that occurs has been reduced from 33% to less than 10%

[Balanor]

-The city of Amruthar is now available!!!
Thanks to the combined efforts of Thay PW staff members, the ‘independent’ city of Amruthar is an available location to travel via caravan from certain cities and castles.
1. There are 12 new areas to explore. Thanks go to Purulent Carcass and Sundraoi for their great work on the following areas in Amruthar:
a. Cracked Glass Tavern - Designed by Sundraoi with Purulent Carcass
b. Gold Dragon Inn - Designed by Sundraoi with Purulent Carcass
c. Maligor’s Tower - Designed by Purulent Carcass and Sundraoi
d. Maligor’s Tower Caverns - Designed by Purulent Carcass and Sundraoi
2. Maligor’s Tower is the stronghold of the infamous Zulkir Maligor who is said to have been killed in the Thayan Gold Mines by the work of Harper agents reluctantly working with Szass Tam. Braving his now monster-infested tower is recommended for adventurers of 7th level and above
3. There are 5 new merchants in Amruthar
4. One new temple faction along with the Amruthar City guard faction is joinable. However, it is well known that the Amruthar City Guard is really nothing more than an extension of the Lapendrar legion
5. Two new special questgivers for those willing to get involved in the politics of the city

-Caravan and Ship voyages will never have more than one encounter per journey now

-The cost to improve doors within player buildings has been considerably reduced

-Enchantments for dynamic magic items, such as Heidi’s Amulet, have changed to very long-term ‘temporary’ enchantments that last for 999999 seconds every time the item is equipped or a PC logs in. This change was needed so if a PC who has those items equipped loses a level, the Item Level Restriction setting on the server will not prevent them from logging in with those items equipped

- The following bugs have been fixed:
1. Stones of Recall can be properly set again
2. When logging into the server for the first time after a server reset, the timed delay before a PC can award or receive roleplay XP is now properly enforced

[Balanor]

-Moszabbar, the dry and dusty capital of Thazalhar, is now an available location to travel via caravan from certain cities and castles thanks to the efforts of KTA!!!
1. All areas to explore in the town were created by KTA
a. Moszabbar
b. Moszabbar - House of Snakes (Temple of Set)
c. Moszabbar - Drunken Naga
c. Moszabbar - Citadel
3. There are 4 new merchants in Moszabbar
4. The House of Snakes and Thazalhar legion factions are joinable. Thanks go to KTA for creating the necessary faction contact conversation to make it so for the House of Snakes

-Taking multiple pieces of furniture from a player-owned building that is not yours may result in neighbors (or others) noticing the burglary and guards being called to dispense justice. However, picking up and then setting down one item of furniture in the building is not considered theft so it is possible to move furniture within a player-owned building without the proper building key
Homeowners: If you want to allow others to help you decorate your building, make sure you give them a copy of your building key. Otherwise, using a key on furniture that is not specifically for that building may result in guards being called if multiple pieces of furniture are picked up and not set back down

-Several improvements to the overland travel system, primarily consisting of improved sound effects, encounter placement, and the addition of over 15 new road, river, coast, and hill templates

-Two additional (furniture) merchants added to Amruthar

- The following bugs have been fixed:
1. An issue with areas not spawning creatures and treasure has been resolved

[Balanor]

-Pyarados, the capital city of one of the largest tharchs in Thay is now available! Many adventurers use it as a jumping-off point to explore the Sunrise Mountains not far to the east, and the Kepetur ruins to the south.
1. There are 9 new areas to explore. Among these areas, some of the more unique include:
a. Temple of Tymora - The temple of Lady Luck contains a special Adventure Portal which, when used, transports an individual to a random location of adventure suitable to their level. Tymora will also gift any willing to try and trust in their luck a powerful random blessing (even invulnerability!) for a brief period of time to help start their adventure wherever they end up
b. Weeping Slave - Perhaps the largest brothel in Thay, it contains some unique courtesans, a lounge/drug den, and a tavern complete with gambling tables and a fighting pit for the condemned
c. Cathedral of the Dead - A large cavernous temple originally dedicated to Myrkul, then Cyric, and now Kelemvor
2. There are 6 new merchants in Pyarados
3. Three new joinable factions - the Cathedral of the Dead (Temple of Kelemvor), the Temple of Tymora, and the Pyarados Legion

-The Kepetur Ruins, once ancient Mulhorand prayer towers, are now available thanks to the work of KTA. Besieged by the great archfiend Eltab himself during the Red Wizard rebellion against Mulhorand, the land surrounding the remains of the towers is still a blasted wasteland sundered by a massive crevasse. The caverns below are filled with a variety of strange monsters, planar creatures, Thralls of Eltab, and ancient treasure. The Kepetur Ruins are recommended for adventurers of 5th level and above.
1. Kepetur can be reached by traveling 2 leagues west and 3 leagues south of Pyarados, or by traveling 4 leagues straight west of Moszabbar
2. Due to the terrible magical energies expended there and the destruction they caused, around the ruins of the towers the use of magic is unreliable. Yet the caverns below appear unaffected by the Wild Magic zone surrounding the towers

-With the addition of Pyarados and the Kepetur Ruins, the plateau of Thay south of the Umber River and the north shore of Lake Thaylambar is now open for overland travel. This is a HUGE addition and has more than tripled the land in Thay that can be traveled by horse or foot (the overland leagues can be traveled across now has increased from 80 to 265)!!!
So get out and stretch those legs! Travel from Eltabbar to Bezantur, Nethjet to Moszabbar, or anywhere in between without paying a caravan to take you! Download the Thay Map Overlay for the actual map used to develop overland travel and use it to keep track of where your PC is at, if you wish

-Compiled by the legendary Volo himself, adventurers can now purchase his fancy (and expensive) Atlas of Thay from various merchants. Carrying that large tome will function as a map for all cities and villages that have commonly distributed maps, and just like a Map of Thay it can be used during overland travel to try and determine nearby points of interest. Both an Atlas and Map of Thay also list the distance, in leagues, between commonly traveled locations, which can also be found here as well

-Uncharted Land somewhere in the Alamber Sea (created long ago by Purulent Carcass) has been updated, made battle-ready, and is now a potential location of the Adventure Portal in the Temple of Tymora

-There are 6 new creatures. Look for the undead Lacedon and Dread Lacedon in coastal and underwater areas, and various Thralls of Eltab in Kepetur. Thanks go to KTA for the creation of the Thralls of Eltab

-The Lake Thaylambar waterfront of Eltabbar is accessible through the Fisherman's Gate in northwest Eltabbar. Not only does it contain the docks for many ships and boats on the lake, but it is also the location of the impressive tournament grounds of Eltabbar and the entrance to immense Colosseum of Thay (which is still under construction)

-By order of the zulkirs, Nethwatch Keep has been strengthened and expanded to the north and east

-The time before your PC can no longer hold on to life and is then forced to autorepawn/die has been increased by 75% over what it was

-Petrification will last no longer than the same period of time required before an autorespawn would be forced

-The cost to renounce your PC’s worship of a patron god has been reduced to 5% of total XP

-The Red Wizards have finally improved their weather magic. Now, as per source material, look for more rain and potential storms in Thay during the nighttime hours

- The following bugs have been fixed:
1. The proper feedback is now received when the Knock spell fails to open key required doors
2. DMs porting to, or players rushing into, the House of Oversight will no longer cause a server crash
3. Case Sensitive names are being enforced on login. See this post for details
4. The Tyraturos Master Sergeant has been fixed to allow new members to join the faction
5. Fixed an issue with jousting transporting a PC to a joust list in a different area

[Balanor]

-There are 11 new Sunrise Mountain areas. Travel to the eastern borders of Thay or use the Adventure Portal in the Pyarados Temple of Tymora to discover these locations
1. You will find a Forested Valley with numerous caves and caverns into the mountains 2 leagues north and 2 leagues east of Moszabbar, or 1 league south and 4 leagues east of Pyarados, or area 622 on the Thay Map Overlay.
a. For nature-loving characters such as Rangers and Druids this is *the* place to be - there are even several unclaimed cabins and treehouses which can be made your home
b. A grove and unique temple to Silvanus can be found somewhere in the mountains around the valley for those who worship him to join, and which also contains small shrines to other gods of nature allied with him
c. Two very dissimilar cavern systems can be found in the forested valley. One is a harsh and wild place; home to several humanoid tribes and their allies, while the other is a beautiful cavern filled with glowing crystals and guarded by small bands of elves and fey creatures
2. High in the Sunrise Mountains above the Surague Escarpment, 6 leagues north and 2 leagues east of Pyarados, or area 438 on the Thay Map Overlay, escaped slaves have created fortified positions and eke out a meager existence there. Thanks go to Sundraoi for her assistance creating some of the areas in this location
a. Those who manage to escape the Slave Pens of Thay will find themselves here. Of course, hunting the slaves here is often done for sport and often quite profitable since many slaves escape with useful items and gold from their former masters

-The Graveyard of Tyraturos and the first level of the Necropolis below it are available. This is a low-level area recommended for adventurers less than 8th level. Thanks go to Sundraoi and Purulent Carcass for creation of the Necropolis

-Hinhome, a place for the halflings of Tyraturos (and suspected sneaky dealings), has opened its doors to all halfling folk seeking to join the company of their own in...well...whatever it is they do there!

-17 new Fey and Elf creatures can be encountered. Fey creatures will turn hostile to all those of an evil nature and those who are not druids or rangers

-With the travel restriction across the southern plateau having been lifted, caravans have become much more of a luxury and caravan masters have increased the prices of their caravans for those who opt to use them rather than travel by horseback or by foot

-Many potions have had their prices decreased, and there are new potions available such as versions of Spirit Shielding, Elixirs of Vileness and Goodness, and the very rare Potions of Unbending Will, Polymorph, and Monstrous Change

-Secret doors have been completely overhauled. Some can now only be found if a special item is possessed - such as a faction cloak. However, for those doors it is considered that magic conceals them - so individuals under the effects of True Seeing can also locate them

-Something has unleashed powerful undead again in the Bezantur City tombs areas! There is no longer system of diminishing returns for mid-upper level PC adventuring there

-There is no longer system of diminishing returns for mid-upper level PCs going to merchants in Bezantur

-There are a couple spell changes:
1. The duration of Clarity has been increased to 1 minute/level as per the D&D 3.0 spell description
2. Neutralize Poison (including Antidote potions) will no longer restore decreased ability scores or cure disease
3. Remove Disease (including Serum potions) will no longer restore decreased ability scores

-Summoned, enslaved, and dominated creatures will not assist picking locks or bashing doors unless explicitly told by their master to do so

-In an effort to fight lag and provide better balance; summoned creatures will no longer leave a lootable corpse when killed - they will simply fade away. Note that XP is still given for killing them however

- The following bugs have been fixed:
1. The Keep of Sorrows eastern gatehouse can be walked through
2. Fighting off an assassination attempt within certain faction areas, such as the Assassin’s Guild, will no longer cause all faction members there to attack you
3. Gave up on workarounds to address the graphics glitch when some randomized hostile NPCs created from the Standard palette (such as Elf, Halfling, and Dwarf mercs) appear headless/bodyless, and simply reduced how randomized they can get so the graphics glitch will not occur for them. Congrats shitty NWN engine issue that causes the problem. After a bitter 5 year battle - I give up, you win. :P
4. Fixed a problem receiving “AREA NAME ERROR” on delivery and retrieval quests
5. Creatures and PCs can no longer get pushed to the wrong side of the inner caravan doors
6. Mounts should no longer become hostile to their owner when tied to a hitching post (not confirmed)
7. Old Sea Hags and other creatures immune to mind-affecting spells can be properly subdued now
8. The enchantment gem system will properly add AC and Enchantment bonuses to items that already have one of those bonuses on them initially

[Balanor]

-The new starting location has been changed to Tyraturos and you will find the initial quest giver located in Central Tyraturos next to the intersection of the High Road and Eastern Way

-Almost all of the 70+ areas of adventure have been revised in some way - such as changes to treasure and encounter spawns. In addition, the layout of some adventure areas (such as the Bezantur City Tombs) has changed considerably. Virtually all cities/towns/points of interest now have a minimum of two adventure locations within or near them.

-The following list of areas has either been changed, created based off adventure areas previously located elsewhere, or added as a brand new area:
1. Tyraturos - Tower of Swift Death. This is an ominous temple to Bhaal, but more importantly, it is home to perhaps the most powerful and feared assassins guild in Thay
2. Tyraturos Lower Necropolis - Designed by Purulent Carcass and Sundraoi
3. Tyraturos Catacombs (North and South) - Designed by Sundraoi
3. Tyraturos - Buildings - Designed by Sundraoi
4. Tyraturos - Voralt Estate Manor - Designed by Purulent Carcass
5. Pyarados - Gombdalla's Tower
6. Murbant - Submerged Sea Caves
7. Pyarados Crypt
8. Pyarados Sewers
9. Amruthar Sewers (East and West)
10. Moszabbar Mulhorandi Tombs and Ancient Tombs
11. Bezantur City Tombs
12. Bezantur Sewers

-Significant changes to the quest system:
1. Questgivers giving the 'Fetch me this item' type quests will now specifically send PCs to areas that have treasure drops targeted for PCs of that level
2. The items sought by many special questgivers have changed in addition to the special item they award, which in most cases has resulted in new PC level requirements for existing questgivers
3. All special questgivers will only award special items that cannot be found via adventuring, many have had the reward they provide changed altogether, and several have changed locations
4. Beginning at level 3, there is now at least one or more special questgiver available at each level
5. Eight new special questgivers have been added: Rhona the Firewalker, Lord Ryech Voralt, Culin Thark, Mur Vhol, Edwin Odesseiron (Yes - THAT Edwin!), Dickon Sharken, Zorath Blackblade and Bell. The last two are found in Tyraturos and give quests to low-level PCs.

-The treasure tables for Low, Medium, and High level treasure drops have been completely rebuilt under new criteria and include hundreds of new treasure items

-You can send documents, letters, and wax-sealed letters to other characters in-game who do not even have to be logged in. See the 'Letter Delivery' section of the Writing System thread for details. Use this rather than posting public 'Letter to XYZ' threads here on the forum

-It is possible to change the description of your character through the use of a Writing Quill. See the 'Changing a Character's Description' section of the Writing System thread for details

-Subrace and special characters such as vampires and lycans now have their racial type changed, if applicable, so default game settings will affect them. In just one example of this; if someone is granted permission to play a Tiefling, that character's race will be changed to Outsider which in turn means that a cleric who has selected the Good or Evil domain will be able to turn them as if they were a NPC planar creature

-Seven new creatures will now be encountered:
Planar - Firre, Goristro, Yagnoloth, Uridezu - Designed by Purulent Carcass
Magical Beast - Griffon, Hippogriff, Owlbear - Designed by KTA

-Small river boats for transportation are available at the Keep of Sorrows, Amruthar, and Pyarados

-The Dusty Rose Ioun stone, should you be extremely lucky enough to ever acquire one, has had its AC bonus changed to a Dodge AC bonus

-You can turn off your afk status by simply typing afk when returning to the game

-Many changes were made so as the in-game years go by, certain things will automatically change (descriptions, location availability, factions becoming available, gods ascending or dying, etc)

-DMs have the ability to dynamically create portals using a new voice command

- The following bugs have been fixed:
1. All small items up to 3 pounds can be pick-pocketed now
2. Dead creatures in overland areas will be properly removed when the area is reset
3. Once a building has been claimed by a deed, that door will *always* link to the same floorplan even if the building is released or lost and claimed again at a later time
4. Message Board notices will be properly removed from inventory when posted
5. Checks have been put in place to jump PCs who logout on a caravan or ship to their destination after the caravan/ship has arrived. While no reliable steps to recreate this issue were ever provided, hopefully this fix will eliminate the problem of being stuck on a caravan or ship if you logout on one and then log back in after it has arrived
6. Dead NPCs with clothing and armor that is not lootable will no longer go naked as soon as something is taken from their corpse

[Balanor]

- Due to popular demand, subrace characters applicable to Thay can now be created! Play as a Gnoll, Orc, Goblin, or one of the more rare Thayan subraces if you receive HDM approval or have a standard PC who has become notorious enough to allow you to do so. See the Subrace thread for complete details

- The first stages of the Gladiators and Arenas system are complete! You will find numerous arenas throughout Thay which will allow anyone who wishes to test their skills against another. Additional updates to this system will be occurring in the next server update

- You now have the ability to name your mount by talking to it

-The Canos Estate Manor and Canos Estate Guest House in Bezantur are now available thanks to the work of Animayhem

- There have been many feedback improvements to the tithing system so you have a better idea of what your tithe did for you. Tithing can be used to slowly shift your character’s Good/Evil alignment over time

-There is now no longer an overland area requirement for the party to be gathered to move to the next area - each person will need to move to the edge of the map themselves. Many other behind-the-scenes changes were made to try and improve the efficiency and reliability of overland travel. Remember though that you will need to wait approximately 30 seconds between travelling an overland league. This requirement is for game mechanics as well as realism (i.e. - your PC needing a break before traveling such a large distance again)

-Guard AI has been considerably improved. Guards *will* now stop attacking if knocking down a PC - and their warning count will be reset so if a PC has a weapon in hand when they get up, the guard will not immediately attack again. In addition, both guards and legionnaires will stop attacking originally non-hostile NPCs (like PC assassination targets) if they somehow ended up attacking them to begin with

-DMs can find out who has rented an inn room by simply clicking on the locked door

- The following bugs have been fixed:
1. Dynamic magic items that provide ability or spell bonuses on them will have those properties applied as permanent abilities so they will not get removed when the owner rests while they are equipped
2. Logging into a planar area after a server reset will result in a portal properly being created to return to Thay
3. Wild Magic will no longer cause permanent darkness
4. The southern overland area transition out of Eltabbar will correctly allow people to move one league south of Eltabbar
5. If mounted when enslaved, PCs will be properly dismounted when jumped to the Slave Pens of Thay
6. Many Familiar and Companion Fixes have been applied
7. All factions will now go neutral (and not friendly) to bleeding PCs. This means that hostiles will no longer heal PCs they have just fought and creatures that were original non-hostile (like good dragons who attack evil characters) will stop attacking a PC once they've wiped the floor with him/her
8. Any area, especially overland areas, will properly reset after a player logs out from it once the necessary amount of time has passed that an area is empty
9. One cause of a long running problem with the overland area transitions OOCly jumping a PC back to the starting area has finally been found and fixed

[Balanor]

-The next release of the Thay PW Hakpak is available thanks to the hard work of KTA. You will need to download it and follow the steps in the Thay PW Hakpak thread to update to our latest version. This includes a TON of new stuff. Among some of the highlights are:
1. The previously named 'Mount Menu' has been completely revised and is now called the Thay PW Tools menu. It provides buttons to bring up the Player Menu, Mount Menu, Dicebag, toggle your Subdual mode, or toggle your AFK status
2. There are hundreds and hundreds of new clothing options
3. Hundreds of new large shield and cloak designs for the Forgotten Realms such as the sigil for the Red Wizards of Thay, many gods, and many other organizations
4. New spells and racial abilities such as Dancing Lights, Healing Flames, Evil Blight, and Tide of Battle
5. Dozens of new holdable items such as holy symbols, mugs, flags, walking staffs, musical instruments, crystal balls, and even a baby!
6. Many new creature models and portraits which have enabled the creation of many new creatures

-Over 30 new creatures will now be encountered:
1. Aberrations - Aoskarian Hound, Meenlock
2. Plants - Myconid (Guard, Leader, Sovereign), Treant
3. Constructs - Marut, Maug, Thayan Golem
4. Magical Beasts - Black Unicorn, Cranium Rat (Average and Greater), Displacer Beast, Displacer Beast Pack Lord, Pegasus, Unicorn
5. Planar - Cornugon, Gelugon, Glabrezu, Maelephant, Mane, Marilith, Mezzoloth, Monodrone, Osyluth, Ultroloth
6. Undead - Nighthaunt
7. Troll - War Troll, Forest Troll
8. Shapechanger - Werebat, Werebear (Humanoid, Hybrid, and Greater versions)

-The magnificent Colosseum of Thay and the Colosseum Underground, just north of Eltabbar along the Lake Thaylambar Waterfront, is now accessible to the public

-The Thayan Gladiator faction is now available to join! This is a unique faction very unlike most others in Thay -
1. The Ludus Magnus, nearby the Colosseum of Thay, is the training school for those who wish to become Thayan Gladiators
a. Those of their own free accord who willingly pledge to become a Thayan Gladiator, and therefore a slave, may do so by talking to the Ludus Magnus Doctore
b. Those already enslaved and in the Slave Pens of Thay in Tyraturos can join by speaking to the Ludus Magnus Doctore found observing the new arrivals there
2. Members of this unique faction gain very little by becoming more notorious outside of victory in arena. The only way gladiators can advance in rank is to win in the arenas to which the Doctore sends them, and each loss in those matches count against their advancement
3. Thayan Gladiators are considered slaves. Beyond the fact they may die in lethal arena fights, their life will be difficult since things like purchasing a mount, booking caravan or ship travel, or utilizing a vaultkeeper are not possible
4. Thayan Gladiators receive Thayan Gladiator Armor as their faction item. Other than Red Wizard Robes, this is the only faction item which can (and is actually encouraged) to be customized at tailor models

-A new quest type is available for gladiators and those of a martial nature: Arena Matches! Now your fighter-type PC may be enlisted to represent an individual or organization in an arena of Thay. See the Unlimited Quests thread for full details about this new type of quest

-The next stages of the Gladiators and Arenas system are complete! You may now hold party vs. party matches, and fight in death matches, for gold and glory

-Two new types of lycanthropy may infect unlucky adventurers and cause them to become either Werebats or Werebears

-The number of Tyraturos Buildings areas have been increased thanks to the work of Animayhem. To explain; not all buildings in Tyraturos are either player owned or empty. Enterprising PC thieves or thugs breaking into houses in that city may even find some useful treasure, or some surprises, there...

-Trolls now truly behave like trolls. Make sure you grab your torches (and your pitchforks, of course!) before fighting them

-You now have the ability to name your pack slave by talking to it

-The following bugs have been fixed:
1. Inventory items being lost on respawn has been resolved
2. Mid to upper level PCs being sent on quests to areas intended to be beneath their skill level has been resolved
3. The caravan from Tyraturos to Pyarados now travels the correct speed and takes much, much less time to arrive
4. If a PC is forced to respawn after dying of dehydration or hunger, they will have their HTF meter appropriately reset so they will not again shortly die from dehydration or hunger upon return from the Fugue
5. PCs infected by a lycan will no longer have a 50% chance of incorrectly being considered a NPC and, as a result, changing into a lycan during the day of a full moon
6. NPCs infected by a lycan will now only turn into a lycan if infected at night or in the evening of a full moon
7. Dismissal and Banishment will remove all fiendish summons as well as palemaster undead summons (assuming the creature fails a saving throw)
8. Culin Thark has finally been completed and gives a quest to those powerful enough to complete it

[Balanor]

-Thay's eastern border outpost of Thazar Keep is available. With Thazar Pass to the east and Shar's Pass to the west, the castle serves as a gateway for one of only two known routes from Thay through the Sunrise Mountains to the Endless Wastes and the barbarian horselords who make those vast grasslands their home
1. Thazar Keep is within the Sunrise Mountains through Shar's Pass, 2 leagues north and 4 leagues east of Pyarados
2. It contains approximately 10 new areas to explore. Thanks go to Purulent Carcass and Sundraoi for their work on the following areas in Thazar Keep:
a. Thazar Keep - World's End Dungeons: Designed by Purulent Carcass and Sundraoi
b. Thazar Keep - Citadel: Designed by Purulent Carcass and Sundraoi
c. Last Resort: Designed by Sundraoi
d. Temple of Selune: Designed by Sundraoi
3. The World's End Dungeons and Southern Mountain Range Caverns are available for exploration by the brave or foolhardy mid-level adventurer
4. Aoth Fezim is a new special questgiver there who will give a task to powerful adventurers in return for one of several very unique items available nowhere else
5. Two joinable factions can be found in Thazar Keep - the Temple of Selune and the Pyarados Legion

-Dynamic creature models are available for Gnoll and Goblin subrace PCs. This means if you create a new male gnoll or goblin PC, it will be creating using a model that displays armor or helms on it (rather than the static Gnoll or Goblin models). For details on how to select these new models, see the Subraces thread

-The last big addition to the Gladiators and Arenas system is complete! You may now speak to the Editor of an arena and fight in a death match against a randomly selected NPC opponent. In addition, anyone with an arena quest may choose these fights to complete the quest

-Black Unicorns, Unicorns, Hippogriffs, and Griffons are available as mounts. However, these are very restricted and not something you can simply walk into a stable and buy. Furthermore, only evil drow and human women may ride Black Unicorns, while only good elf and human women may ride unicorns. Griffons and Hippogriffs will only be available by joining the Griffon Legion headquartered in Pyarados (currently in development)

-Most temple faction cloaks have been updated by Sundraoi to use new cloak styles with the god's symbols recently made available in the latest hakpak update. If you have a PC who is a member of a Thayan temple and don't have a cloak with the symbol of the temple's god on it, check with a DM to see if an updated faction cloak is available that they can give you

-Castle drawbridges can only be raised or lowered via a nearby Drawbridge Lever, and then only if you have a key which allows you to use the lever. In addition, people inside the castle can no longer walk out on to the empty space where the drawbridge used to be

-When announcing their faction status via their faction item, gladiators will also announce how many arena fights they have won

-Male tailor models can be changed to the dynamic Gnoll and Goblin appearance which can be used to create custom outfits for them

-The following bugs have been fixed:
1. PC Merchants who are set not to purchase items will refuse items 'given' to them by anyone other than their owners
2. The Tower of Swift Death, in addition to accepting rogues and assassins of any god as a recruit, will accept anyone who worships Bhaal
3. Bulls Strength, Cat's Grace, and Eagle's Splendor cast from class feats (such as a Blackguard's Bull's Strength) no longer stack with the regular versions of those spells
4. Jousting has been modified so when a combatant is knocked off a horse during the joust, the horse will no longer despawn - which caused multiple other issues. The aftermath looks a little strange as compared to what the 'falling off the horse' animation looks like since after the joust the PC (and horse) will end up lying on the ground mounted again. Unfortunately more realistic fixes to this issue became very complex, too time consuming, and low priority based on the use of jousting to justify spending any more development time on them at this point
5. Castle drawbridges will not continually open and close after someone without a key tries to open them one time
6. Using tailor models, Thayan Gladiator Armor may be modified to have any AC - unlike any other clothing