Once upon a time there was a kingdom called Brightstone, a shining beacon in the Elder Sea. The locals were known as a cheerful bunch, open minded, fairness a central pillar of their community. There was just one flaw marring the overall state of happiness, an old rivalry with Sword’s Edge, culminating in a race for fame they were slowly losing. The king gathered his advisors, looking for a solution.
“It’s trade, more precisely pet trade, that allows Sword’s Edge to grow this fast” the Supreme Analyst revealed.
“Then let there be pet trade!” the king decreed, envious of the purple star decorating the Sword’s Edge banner.
“But we don’t have any useful pets to offer!” the Speaker of Doubts cautioned, “Trogpole was already pushing the limits!”.
“It wouldn’t have to be useful, as long as it’s looking good!” the Master of Commerce countered, demonstrating deep understanding in Krystaran nature.
“Like eyeballs? I’m not sure I’d like an eyeball looking at me all day…” the Keeper of Secrets mused.
“Cats!” the Master of Commerce suggested, making it rather sound like a decision.
“Cats?” the Head Innovator wondered, “they aren’t even local, why cats?”.
“Fluffy!” the Master of Commerce explained in a voice commonly reserved for children.
“Like sheep” the Aggricultural Appointee pointed out, “and rabbits, the wooly cow, not to forget…”.
“Large eyes!” the Master of Commerce interrupted, not failing to notice a childish smile slowly spreading across the king’s face.
“Cats would be hard to come by” the Overseer of Equal Opportunities grumbled, “as a luxury item we could at best ever be able to hand out one to each resident.”
“Adorable!” the Master of Commerce exclaimed, aiming towards the king’s ear.
“But what about…” the Speaker of Doubts started, just to realize the king was no longer paying attention at all.
In hindsight it should have been obvious to everyone willing to look. At first the residents cheered on receiving their fluffy, large eyed, adorable pet cat that brought wealth to everyone. Then the grumbling started, growing increasingly louder as more and more travelers and latecomers realized they had been left out. The situation quickly escalated when plans were discovered to extend the kingdom, benefitting only those who had initially managed to secure a large number of cats through questionable means. Once the king had been beheaded the rioting eventually died down, possibly also due to the Slavery Act imposed by the Council of Lords, the new center of power hastily formed by the most wealthy residents. They quickly proceeded to ban all pet trade, to ensure nobody would ever violate their position of supremacy.
The kingdom is now more aptly known as Darkstone.
TL;DR:
- In three weeks, Darkstone will receive the cosmetic Ninja Cat, unlocking power level 15 for all those around to collect one.
- In six weeks, Darkstone will receive two additional troops, unlocking power level 17 for all those who bought 31 copies of Ninja Cat from the event shop.
- In the not so distant future, Darkstone will receive an Invasion and Bounty event, unlocking power level 20 for all those who own Ninja Cat.
- There are currently no “real” pets scheduled for Darkstone, and the planned pool of upcoming releases is big enough to last for well over a year.
Please don’t gate game progression as important as an extra magic point behind a single-opportunity one-day cosmetic paywall several thousand gems high.
