On December 31st 5pm EST the ash storm from the volcanic eruption of Red Mountain on Dagon Fel and the newly formed Vile Mountain on Orrostar will reach The Old Mainland, blanketing the world in darkness and bitter cold on a scale unseen since the first Age of Darkness. This date will forever mark the beginning of a new dark era for The Ancient World.

The Darkness is a beast unto it’s own as it seeks to extinguish all light that it touches, allowing Ancient Monsters of the under-world to rise again to lord over the living. The Darkness is no God or being that can be reasoned with or appeased, as it’s evil influence spreads endlessly towards every corner of the world.

With the coming darkness upon them the Dwarves have been preparing a new district deep below Windvale under the guidance of their wise and venerated leader Grumfisst.

Kal-Baldur Sanctuary is the title given to this new under-dwelling that all the mortal races of the world can take refuge in. But can it hold out against the impending threat? And for how long can they hide from what may be their ultimate fate? It could take generations for the storm to clear while the eternal war for the over-world commences once again between the still living and the dead.

Grumfisst, wise & venerated leader of Windvale

“The potent smell of ash, the void of darkness, and the bitter frostbite linger upon us. Nearing death on that fateful night many moons ago, my fellow Dwarves and I were rescued by the Goddess of light, Phaelle, and instructed by her to build a new holdout deep underground to provide warmth and safety to the mortals of the realm.

Owing Her my life, the Dwarves began with haste to construct a great and defensible mountain keep. Powerful Dwarven runestones blessed by the Goddess’ light were forged to combat the ever rising undead threat.

The halls are fast approaching their completion, ready to take the helm from Voyager’s Wharf as the safe haven. My message to you all thus is twofold; I welcome one and all to share in my hearth and home, and I am ready to guide you through this darkness like my ancestors of yore. Together, we will overcome this night and survive to see the sun rise yet again.”

The Age of Darkness will begin with the Ash Storm expanding in 4 Phases which will play out over 7 months of the new year. From January through to July we will see the playable area decrease over time, simulating the spreading influence of the storm as well as monster behavior changes and additional world changing consequences along the way.

With the Ash Storm being the catalyst for this new reality these Mortals will now face the same ancient threat their ancestors once did in this godforsaken land. Below are some illustrations on what to expect;

IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE;

• Kal-Baldur will be the new spawn.
• There will be a few days of server down-time prior to the start of the age.
• Playerdata will be reset on December 31st. That means anything you still have stored in your inventory or Enderchests on this date will be lost forever. You will have sufficient time before this date to save your items by storing them in a regular chest in the world.
• The new BlockLocker plugin will now allow you to lock your chests using signs. Locks will expire after 14 days of inactivity.
• From Phase 3 and on-wards existing enchanted items and gear will be disenchanted PERMANENTLY. This is due to the ash storm and the darkness choking the very fabric of the world. This will also cause materials such as Diamond and Netherite to lose their well known strength & composition, making them practically useless. But in turn, materials such as leather, gold, and iron can have their stats improved by using your XP at shrines.
• Enchant tables and Enderchests will have their magics destroyed. Anything still stored in Enderchests will be lost forever. Don’t store your valuables in them!
• City plots at Kal-Baldur can be secured using XP from December 31st 5pm EST

Are we keeping MCMMO and will our stats be reset?
MCMMO will remain for this age and your existing levels will not be reset.

Will /home & /sethome be disabled?
Yes, these commands will be disabled during Age of Darkness. You will however be able to set your re-spawn point using a bed.

Is Factions returning?
Factions is not returning for this age.

Why are we disenchanting everything permanently?
Short answer; Power creep. Long answer; Too much power creep.

But I spent X amount of hours / spent X amount of resources / earned my enchanted items. Disenchanting everything is totally unfair!
This sentiment is understandable.

Doesn’t disenchanting go against TAW’s ethic’s of server history preservation?
TAW is not a museum. Museums are boring. With that said the unique titles and lore on items will remain as they are.

How will XP shrines work?
Detailed instructions on how this feature functions will soon be explained in a Codex entry, just as any other new feature this age may bring. Subscribe for updates.

Do I have to move to Kal-Baldur? I’d rather hold out in my wilderness base.
You don’t have to move. But keep in mind we have plans to change the playable area as the age progresses. Check the images on the Phase illustrations above to make sure your base falls within the playable area. By Phase 4 this area will be reduced to just 1000 blocks surrounding Kal-Baldur.

Will the rest of the map re-open again after the storm? When will light return?
Sometime after Phase 4 the worst of the storm will recede in phases of it’s own, making more of the world accessible again. But the darkness will remain for some time yet.

I want to survive this. Any tips?
Sure, here’s a few;

• We recommend building and fortifying as deep underground as you can. Do not build with low-tier blocks such as dirt, wood, and cobblestone, as they are exceptionally weak against undead attack. Stone Bricks should be the minimum standard block you use when building walls. Deepslate is even stronger. The thicker you make your walls, the better.
• Use lanterns to light up your base. Do not settle for using basic torches as the undead will have an easy time breaking them.
• Do not build near old ruins, as ruins tend to be concentrated monster spawn zones. These monsters will seek you out even if your base is 100 blocks away. We know this is easier said than done especially on The Old Mainland which is littered with hundreds of ruins. If you cannot find a suitable location, consider going underground.
• Obsidian is the absolute strongest material you can use in your construction as it’s the only block which cannot be destroyed by monsters. Line your walls with a Obsidian layer to make them impenetrable. If you don’t have a lot of Obsidian to spare you can make do with lining the walls in a checkerboard pattern. Some monsters may still breach through the 1×1 gaps, but most wont be able to.
• If you are averse to living deep underground and want the challenge of surface survival, then by all means give it a shot. Just remember to use stronger blocks and adopt enough countermeasures to deal with breaches.
• Read more about Ancient Monsters
• If your base falls or if it’s all just too much for you to handle a retreat to Kal-Baldur is nothing to be ashamed of and it’s not admitting defeat. The city requires capable fighters to defend it and it will provide you a secure living district, farms, community gathering areas, and more.
• With the surface becoming increasingly too treacherous for travel, a network of underground tunnels could be a safer method of getting to and from different locations. Kal-Baldur Sanctuary will feature sections where the public can dig their own tunnels out of the city.

If you have any further inquiries you can contact the administrator.

Final Words

Stay up-to-date by subscribing to our blog. There will likely be more updates & reminders leading up to the start of the age that you don’t want to miss.

We hope to see you all come December 31st 5pm EST and throughout the new year as everything unfolds. To those of you who have never experienced something like this before we hope you find enjoyment in the unique challenges this type of event brings. Your participation, no matter how big or small, will forever leave it’s mark on our world and your efforts will be remembered by all and talked about among those who come after.

And to those who have been with us for a very long time and have seen it all before; Welcome back – To The Darkness!