Hi everyone! Welcome to A Pyromancer's Say! While your here you can see some of my Wizard101 comics,read The Drake Wars fan-fiction, or just look at the randomness I write lol. Also I have a Contest going on right now, so look at one of the posts below to see it. I hope you enjoy this blog and have a nice day :).

Monday, April 30, 2012

Youtube

Hey guys ;D I made a youtube channel a few months ago, but never did anything in it except put one minecraft video on there that was bad :P. I recently found Xfire, which is an awesome recorder(Thank you Sean :D). I made one video so far lol, but I will make more :D. Here it is:



Lol future videos will be better :P. I will add a you tube widget on the side of the blog so you can see all my videos when they are uploaded. 

Happy Magiking! 

Saturday, April 28, 2012

A puzzling question....

Hey Guys, Talon here!

As many of you know, Pirate101 was just known to the general public( if not, look at my previous post ;) ).
Now people are deciding whether to make another blog for Pirate101 or divide their existing blog up. I have come to the conclusion that I will be making another blog for Pirate101, so not to confuse people. But I would like to ask you guys whether it would be ok to occasionally post about other games. Recently I have been dabbling in Minecraft(here) and the Total war series(here). I don't think it would be fair to add other game content without your approval, after all, you guys are the reason I started a blog! Comment on what you think :D.
P.S I am going to keep my word on something special for my recent arrival at 5000 views :D

Happy Magiking!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

AARGH! Avast me harties! Make room for Pirate101!


Hey guys! Kingsisle has just announced their new game, Pirate101! First off let me just show you guys the intro Video:


Good, right ?:D

We are still going to be in the Spiral though, just some different worlds. Some good reviews of it by some well known sites here, and here. The main site for the new game is here. You can log in with your Wizard101 logon, so no worries!

So are you guys excited for the new game? Well I am :D!

Happy Magiking :D

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Mysteries of the Spiral, The Orgin of the Olyphaunt nation, Part 1


Hey guys!

(*UPDATE* Just noticed that we got 5000 views :D! YAY! Will have a separate post about this soon.....maybe something special in there..... ;) )


     I Decided to start this post series called The Mysteries of the Spiral. It is for The Spiral Jigsaw Project, and basically I take a place in Wizard101 and try to match it to real life place, understand the real life history, stuff like that. We will probably have maybe one object of discussion every month. This month I have decided to post about The Olyphaunt nation. I chose it, because there is some discussion of where the idea for it came from, Carthage, or India. So lets get started!

Stone Town in Wizard101 is the main capital of the Olyphaunt nation, a kingdom ruled by Princess Aryanna,  a kingdom whose citizens are humanoid elephants. It is called The Pinnacle of Zafarian culture and has many attractions, including Stone Town Zoo, which houses a vast collection of animals from around the Spiral, and the Stone Town Bazaar, which sells a large variety of items. The town is plagued by rebels called the Musuth Berserkers and a army of very dim Rhinos. The Olyphaunt nation also controls the Waterfront, which is also being attacked by Musuth Berserkers and Rhinos. Some attractions are the Black palace, a small tea shop, a witch doctors hideout,and the Stone Town library. The Olyphant Nation is the only one of the Zafarian nations to control 2 major areas, Stone Town and the Waterfront. It has a Major dungeon( The Black Palace) and has a transformation quest ( Transform into "Bob" ;) ). In Real life there is actually a city called Stone Town which is in Tanzania.(here).



The map of Stone Town. You can see a bit of the Waterfront near the bottom right corner.

Lets get to the main part of the post :D

Now the two sides of the argument are these, Stone Town is of Carthaginian origin, or of Indian origin. Let me just give you some of the reasons of why people might choose each side before I get into the thick of it.
Reasons to think Stone Town is of Carthaginian origin are:
1. Zafaria is based off Africa, and Carthage was located in Northern Africa
2. Queen Elisa is mentioned. The original Queen Elisa( or Dido) founded the city of Carthage.
3. Elephant like creatures are the main beings in Stone Town. Carthage was known for using war elephants, especially Hannibal.
4. Could be Carthaginian Architecture.
5. Weapons are middle eastern, but that could go both ways, as Carthage is near the middle east, and India was invaded by the Mughals, who were middle eastern in origin.
6. Names(Hannibal)

The reasons to think Stone Town is of Indian nature are:
1. Some of the names are of Indian origin( Darajani, ect.)
2. The music sounds like it
3. As I said above, India was actually the first to tame elephants for war and help. First real evidence of taming was in the Indus Valley period, during  roughly 4500 B.C. Elephants were, and are still a big part of Indian culture. The Carthaginians got Elephants from the Selecuids, who got them from India. The Selecuids were half Greek half Macedonians. Alexander the Great, the Macedonian conqueror saw elephants used in war. When Alexander got to the border of India, he fought up against at least a 100 of them and was astounded by their power. He won the battle, but was awed. Alexander's men grew scared, as they feared that the deeper they went into India, the more Elephants they would meet. They were right to leave, as one   king had many 1000 elephants at his control! The Selecuids managed to get some Elephants, and the Carthaginians got the idea to use North African elephants for the same purpose.
4. Could be Indian Architecture
5. Weapons are the same as stated above.

Now Lets take a look at each of the reasons and examine them:
Examination of the Carthaginian side of the Argument:
Reason 1.  Now I don't think a lot of you know what the Carthaginian empire was. Carthage was an empire  located in North Africa. They dominated most of North Africa, and began to work its way north, through Spain, and finally to Rome. Carthage went to war with Rome many times. These wars were called the Punic wars, after the Roman name for Carthaginians, Poeni. There were 3 Punic wars, all of them losses for Carthage. The 3rd Punic war brought the destruction of Carthage. The First Punic war caused by a land dispute and was mainly a naval exchange, which Carthage had the upper hand until Rome began to put their mind to making boats. They added their own invention to stop boats for boarding, a metal spike on a crane like mechanism. Carthage lost the First Punic war and were asked to pay a fine for damages and such. The Second Punic war was,I believe, the most famous Punic war, as it involved, Hannibal Barca, son of Hamilcar Barca. Now before the Second Punic war, Carthage and Rome opened up negotiations and had a time of peace. Then Hannibal attacked Saguntum, a Roman ally. The Romans then officially started the 2nd Punic war. Hannibal hated the Romans, and started marching to Rome. He made the famous journey across the Alps with his elephants, but lost many of them. He destroyed everything in his path, and even beat the Consul of Rome in battle at the battle of Trebia!( It explains it here :P. They are using a Modified version of the game, Rome Total War. Check those links out :D) Hannibal then went to Rome, but he lacked the siege equipment to assault Rome, so he decided to just starve the Romans out. He failed, and then they started to fight in Africa. Finally, Scipio Afrikanus defeated Hannibal at the battle of Zama. The Third Punic war was just a 3 year siege of Carthage by Scipio Amelianus, Scipio Afrikanus' son. The main defender was Hasdrubal Barca, Hannibal's brother. The city was overrun and destroyed by the Romans. LOL not very happy stuff. So basically Carthage's culture was totally crushed by the Romans. But the point is, Yes, Carthage was located in northern Africa. Refer to the map below to locate Rome, Saguntum and Carthage. Oh, and New Carthage was actually called Carthago Nova. It is now Cartegna Spain, and yes, Carthage did conquer some of Spain. Sicily is one of the pieces of land fought over in the 1st Punic war.



Reason 2.Queen Dido is another name for Queen Elisa. A myth about her is that she fell in love with Aeneas, one of the survivors of Troy. It is said that Aeneas was told to go by Mercury, and he sadly went. She commits suicide by falling on one of Aeneas' swords, and says that she feels that her people and his will never get along. Aeneas is said to have founded Rome. The Point is, Queen Elisa was an actual person in Myth and History.
Reason 3. The Carthaginians used War elephants a LOT. They were known in the ancient world for it. The Carthaginians actually got the idea for war elephants from the Selecuids, and the Selecuids got them from the Indians. Carthaginian war elephants are unique though, as they used the now extinct North African Elephant as their war elephant breed, while the Indians used the Asian elephants. Hannibal is talked about above in the 2nd Punic war. The picture below shows a fresco of Hannibal's crossing of the Alps.
File:HannibalFrescoCapitolinec1510.jpg


Will be continued.......

LOL all those links will keep you busy, I put them there for a reason :P.  So this is the the very first Mystery of The Spiral :D. Please Comment and tell me how it is, because I need your feedback to know if I should keep with this series. Thanks!

P. S: I will try to add a rating system on my posts soon, so some readers don't need to make a Google account or comment. (* Added it!*)

Happy Magiking :D


















Monday, April 9, 2012

AVALON ON TEST! I MEAN NOW!

HEY GUYS! I AM SO EXCITED I AM TYPING IN ALL CAPS, lol jk but i am still excited! The new world is Avalon and it is on TEST now! Here are the Update Notes, which are from wizard101.com. and the other picture is from the Friendly Necromancer:( Ps. Happy Magiking in Avalon!)







Introducing the World of Avalon

Avalon is the silver city, a medieval fantasy world of knights, goblins, giants, and dragons. Merle Ambrose was born here, and gained a reputation as a fierce Wizard. Merle helped the young warrior-bear Artorius become king of Avalon. However, once King Artorius fell in the final battle slaying his archrival, Malory, Merle decided it was time to leave Avalon – Merle left to found Ravenwood School of Magical Arts and teach magic to any Wizard who wanted to learn it in the Spiral.

Avalon is a large world with 15 expansive areas to explore. Young Wizards who are a minimum of level 70 and have completed the quest "Through Glass, Darkly" need to speak to Merle Ambrose who will send you off on your adventures with a quest named "This Little Light of Mine".

Watch the slideshow for glimpses of our new world!
 
 
 
 

New Spells for all Schools!

 
 
 
 

New Utility Spells for All Schools!





    Mass Prism Spells
  1. Zone: The Wild
  2. Minimum Level Requirement: 70
  3. Quest Completion Requirement: "Into the Nest"
  4. Talk to: Quest completion unlocks a vendor who will offer these spells to train
    Utility Spell #1
  1. Zone: Caliburn
  2. Minimum Level Requirement: 72
  3. Quest Completion Requirement: "No Pain, No Agravaine" from Friar Nolan
  4. Quest Completion Requirement: level 35 & 55 school spell quest from Erik Wyrdrune in Northguard (Click for more info)
    Utility Spell #2
  1. Zone: High Road
  2. Minimum Level Requirement: 75
  3. Quest Completion Requirement: Above Level 72 Utility Spell Quest
  4. Quest Completion Requirement: "Always After Me Charms" from Fianna Yellowknife
    Spear Spells
  1. Zone: The Wild
  2. Minimum Level Requirement: 80
  3. Quest Completion Requirement: "Lair of the Winter Wyrm"
  4. Talk to: Quest completion unlocks Clare Brighteyes who will offer these spells to train










 
 
 
 

New Pets

 
 
 
 

New Level 78 Pet Quests

New pets are available through a quest from your Professor!

There are 2 requirements to meet to be able to accept the starting pet quests from your school professors in Ravenwood, Nightside, or Krokosphinx. Each school has a different quest!
  1. You must be a minimum of level 78
  2. You must have completed your school’s level 58 spell/pet quest from your professors.
    1. Fire must have completed the quest "Like a Phoenix" from Professor Dalia Falmea
    2. Ice must have completed the quest "Wings of Valor" from Professor Lydia Greyrose
    3. Storm must have completed the quest "Egg of the Storm" from Professor Halston Balestrom
    4. Myth must have completed the quest "Frog in Your Throat" from Professor Cyrus Drake
    5. Life must have completed the quest "Ready to Hatch" from Moolinda Wu
    6. Death must have completed the quest "Century Egg" from Dworgyn in Nightside
    7. Balance must have completed the quest "Balancing Egg" from Alhazred in Krokosphinx
Once you meet all of these requirements, then you can go talk to your professor about getting a new pet!

Fire Wizards will receive the quest “Firestarter” from Professor Dalia Falmea
Ice Wizards will receive the quest Professor Lydia Greyrose
Myth Wizards will receive the quest “Eyes of the Dragon” from Professor Cyrus Drake
Storm Wizards will receive the quest “Hearts in Atlantis” from Professor Halston Balestrom
Life Wizards will receive the quest “The Green Mile” from Moolinda Wu
Death Wizards will receive the quest “Bag of Bones” from Dworgyn in Nightside
Balance Wizards will receive the quest “It” from Alhazred in Krokosphinx

Psst...there are also all new hybrids!
 
 
 
 

Become Omnipotent at level 80!

 
 
 
 

Wizards can now achieve Level 80!

With the addition of Avalon, Wizards can now reach the maximum level of 80 and achieve the title of Omnipotent!

This means all new gear and equipment for over level 70 Wizards, and it also means new challenges that will test even the most experience player.

Please remember, no experience is rewarded for duels and quests completed while you were the prior maximum level of 70. When a player reaches the maximum level, their experience bar disappears, indicating they are not gaining experience from their duels or quests. No experience is rewarded to those who are at the maximum level, which means that everyone who was level 70 before we raised the level cap, will be level 70 to start, now that we have raised the level cap, and you can once again start earning new experience points from your adventures.

Experience was not earned when you were level 70 and therefore cannot be granted after the level cap is raised.

Training Points will be awarded at level 75 and 80 as usual, plus there will be bonus Training Points available through quests in Avalon.
 
 
 
 

Quick Sell and new Bank Limits

 
 
 
 

Inventory Management Updates

Many of you participated in our recent 'Spring Cleaning' event where we encouraged you to sell off unused items that were just taking up space. It is necessary for us now to enforce inventory limitations, but we are also offering you an easier way to sell.

1. Inventory Limitations

  1. Banks now have enforced quantity limits. Your bank is now limited to 100 items or less. If you currently have more than 100 items in your bank, you will be unable to place more into your bank. You must sell, delete or feed these items to your pets
  2. If your backpack and bank are full, you will no longer be able to receive regular items as rewards from duels
  3. Quest related rewards, harvested Seeds and Crowns items are exempt from this limitation and you will continue to receive those rewards
  4. You will receive an alert when your inventory is full and you can no longer receive rewards from duels

2. New Ways to Sell

  1. New tabs in the Bazaar will allow you to sell items from your bank
  2. You can now sell items that are in your inventory and bank via Quick Sell which is accessible from a button in your backpack page and also via a message when you don’t get an item because your inventory and bank are full
  3. The items you sell directly from your backpack will sell at the rate of a normal shopkeeper, not the Bazaar
  4. Players who are at or near max gold will see the 'Trash' button instead of the 'Quick Sell' button
  5. Mounts, Pets, Houses and Crowns Items cannot be sold through 'Quick Sell'
 
 
 
 

Gardening Updates

 
 
 
 

Gardening Updates

Avalon has a new Gardening Trainer and there are new Gardening Ranks, new Plants and new Spells to be learned!

Avid Gardeners can now obtain rank 15 in Gardening!

Second Spring is a very special Gardening spell that requires rank 15 in Gardening! It will transform your Elder plants into the much more aesthetically pleasing Mature looking plant. It essentially will place your Elder plants in statis but without the blue glow normally associated with Elder stage plants. They will still act the same and you can still harvest them that one last time, but Second Spring will allow you to keep your plant in its Mature looking phase indefinitely, meaning you can use the plant you grow as a permanent decoration in your house.
 
 
 
 

Proudly Display your Wands!

 
 
 
 
Wands, swords and other casting weapons can now be placed on walls in your house or dorm just like wall hangings!

Each wand gets a special wand holder from its school!

Display your casting implements by placing them on the walls of your house or dorm just like wall hangings. They will appear in the Wall Hangings section of the Decoration Panel.
 
 
 
 

Miscellaneous Updates

 
 
 
 
Along with all the other exciting additions to Wizard101, we've taken the time to make some small but important changes listed below. Please be sure to read these so you're aware of these changes!
    Inventory
  1. Players can now use the backpack preview window to preview Athames, Rings, Amulets, Decks, Pets, Mounts, Wands, Hats, Shoes and Robes without equipping them! Wands, Hats, Shoes and Robes will appear on the full model of your character, other items will appear individually in the window.

  2. Crafting Spells
  3. The following spells can now be Crafted: Goat Monk, Ninja Pig, Samoorai. Fair warning, this won't be easy!

  4. Housing
  5. Characters will no longer to turn to face interactive housing items when they are used
  6. Mannequins viewed in attics will display the items they have equipped

  7. Shopping
  8. Your Friends list is now alphabetized in Gifting window
  9. Gifting button grayed out if you don't have any Crowns
  10. Players will now be asked to confirm a housing purchase at the housing vendors
  11. Level 70 Henchmen have been repriced and new level 80 Henchmen are now available
  12. Players can no longer sell items they currently have equipped

  13. PvP
  14. All Polymorph Treasure Cards are no longer available in PvP
  15. New icons should appear in PvP for players who have run out or cards, or fled

  16. Quests
  17. Non-Balance Wizards can no longer see the Balance exclusive quest "Balancing Egg" at Alhazred
  18. When a player is given a quest related transformation, they will be unmounted from their mount for the transformation to take effect
  19. Quest Helper will now differentiate between different goals in a quest. If a quest has some goals that allow Quest Helper, and some goals that do not, Quest Helper will act accordingly based on the goal you choose

  20. Items
  21. The Tag Game Kiosk can now also be Crafted
  22. Pet snacks and Reagents can now be right clicked to delete

  23. Combat
  24. The spell granted by several hats was previously showing as the pet casting the spell. These spells will now again appear to be cast by the Wizard, as intended

  25. Pets
  26. Hatch timers should no longer display in hundreds of years! (hurray!)

  27. New Wizards
  28. The 'home' and 'commons' buttons will not be available to players until they are a minimum of level 2

  29. Other
  30. A new secret and special badge has been added - will you be the first to find it?