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Neopets plots
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Neopets plots, as they are called, are site-wide events on the online virtual pet simulation game, Neopets, that appear periodically and are often hinted at for months in advance. Previous plots have included wars, puzzles, flash comics, new pets, games, and item releases, both online and in the real world. A plot often introduces a new site element, usually a "world" area, or may rejuvenate an old one. Plots have been driven by comic-style story lines, which were once displayed in graphic form but are now Flash comics. All plots include Neopet characters as heroes or villains in dire situations that require all Neopets players to join in and assist in solving problems and defeating villains in the Battledome. Plot elements Neopets plots have certain recurring elements. News updates Significant plot developments are released with and generally referred to in the New Updates section of the site. Story Plots usually have a storyline that is released in a comic-style format. In addition, players may be required to interact with characters in the plot (by clicking on them) in order to gain more information. Wars and Battledome Since the introduction of the Battledome, an arena where Neopets players can test their pets' skills against other players' pets or against a set of predetermined game opponents, Neopets has released several war plots. A war begins with the appearance of a recruiting area, where interested players may sign up. If a player does not sign up in time, he or she will not be able to participate in war battles. Some plots have offered a choice of sides for which to fight, while others have not had more than one option. The last plot to be called a war (the Maraqua War of 2005) also included a "supporter" option, where players were asked to provide items such as weapons or healing items to the army, or to earn battle points by playing certain games. Shortly after the recruiting centre is made available, the war itself will begin. Regular one-player Battledome opponents are no longer available, stealing items no longer work, and war-specific opponents will appear, often in "waves" or by difficulty ranking, with the weakest first. A "war boss" with the major villain or monster is often the final battle. A war will end the moment the boss is defeated by a user. Points are awarded for victories, again possibly in relation to the enemy's rank or the player pet's abilities; recent wars have endeavoured to allow weaker pets the option to contribute by earning more points for the weaker opponents, which are unavailable to stronger players. Battledome opponents are incorporated into plots that are not strictly wars, as well. As with wars, the usual single-player opponents are replaced with one or more opponents that are relevant to the plot. Players are scored based on number of defeats or, in the case of the most powerful opponents, on the amount of damage inflicted towards the opponent's eventual defeat. Puzzles Unlike Battledome exercises, puzzle elements test the intelligence and skills of the players. Some require players to work in tandem, while others must be solved individually, as the specific solution will vary by player. Solutions have included clicking on certain areas of image maps in a particular order, identifying clues in source code, purchasing items from particular shops, and solving riddles that were in areas specific to the plot, such as digging graves in Neovia and moving sand in the Lost Desert. Plot conclusions When a plot is completed, prizes are dispersed based on user participation level. These prizes may include but are not limited to items found during the course of the plot, awards, medals, trophies (which appear on the users user lookup and display rank or points earned), avatars for use in the chat board and site themes that replace the traditional Neopets site theme. In recent plots, The Neopets Team implemented a Prize Redemption Center where users can redeem their points for an assortment of prizes based on how many points were scored. 2000 The Virtupets Plot This plot, featuring the Space Faerie, was based on the quest to save the Space Faerie from Dr. Sloth who attempted to conquer Neopia by turning everyone into mutants. Dr. Sloth led his assault from the Virtupets Space Station (seen orbiting Neopia.) During this plot, transmogrification potions, which is a potion to turn pets into mutated versions of themselves, were introduced. As there was no Battledome at that time, player participation was limited to adopting Grundos to release the Space Faerie. Began August 16, 2000 and ended August 25, 2000. Comic can be viewed here The Hunt For The Battledome This plot, whose links disappeared with Maraqua's destruction (see below), involved Sarkis the Blumaroo, Buckley the Wocky (a pet of Neopets founder Donna), and Ursulla the Usul. These pets were capsized by Chiazilla off the shores of Mystery Island while looking for an Acara professor who knew the secrets of the then-nonexistent Battledome. This led to the discovery of the underwater city of Maraqua, and the professor, who lived there. Dr. Sloth attempted to wrest control of the Battledome by kidnapping the professor and releasing Mechachiazilla on the city, but was thwarted by a rescue mission by the heroes and the inevitable Chiazilla attack. This was one of two plots with no player involvement. 2001 The Tyrannian Invasion Beginning on April 5, 2001, the Tyrannian Invasion plot introduced Tyrannia, which was soon consumed by war between the Tyrannian villages (Lead by the Tyrannian Army) against the Chia Bombers, 1000 Tyrannian Buzz, 100 Grarrl Battlemasters, and the Monoceraptor. The Monoceraptor was defeated by a heroic Lupe. When this plot was finished, the Tyrannian Plateau and Tyrannian Jungle were introduced. Began March 20, 2001 and ended May 10, 2001. Brucey B and the Lucky Coin Shortly after the Lost Desert was introduced, Dr. Sloth returned. After stealing Brucey B’s lucky coin, he opened a tomb with his army and got a powerful magical weapon that could curse Neopians and cause mass destruction. Brucey B. defeated him by destroying the weapon. This plot had a war. Began June 12, 2001 and ended July 10, 2001. Daily plot events found here. Usurper In this plot, the King of Sakhmet was killed. Players had to find out who had which bad habit, who ate which food, who had how many servings, and who killed the king. It can be viewed here The Hunt for the Crown This is the second Lost Desert mystery plot. Malkus Vile and his Meerca henchmen had stolen Coltzan’s crown. This is archived on the site. This plot had no war. Began July 17, 2001 and ended July 19, 2001. The unveiling of Coltzan’s Shrine can be found here. The crown solution can be viewed here. A Curse on Maraqua This plot followed the invasion and destruction of Maraqua by a skeleton Kiko named Captain Dread. Maraqua was temporarily replaced with a whirlpool and then to ruins. Began August 17, 2001 and ended August 23, 2001. Following The Curse of Maraqua Plot (part 2), the Maraquans beat the pirates, allowing them to refurbish their old city. The flash movie for the plot can be found here. The first eyewitness report can be found here. The final eyewitness report can be found here. Neopets Version 2 One of Sloth's old programs, wanting friends, traps a group of four students on an elevator in the Virtupets Space Station forcing them to play games or else. They are eventually freed. Began October 5, 2001 and ended October 9, 2001. The NPV2 movies can be found here. The solution can be found here. 2002 Champions of Meridell Among Neopian lands, Meridell has had the most wars on record, at two. The first was a dispute between Lord Darigan and King Skarl, long after Meridellian forces forcibly took an orb from Lord Darigan's kingdom that would provide prosperity for its owner. While Meridell developed into the thriving land today, the Darigan territory was left to degenerate, and diseases mutated the residents. Lord Darigan's army won the battle against the Meridell Defenders (users could choose whom to support between the two forces), but when Darigan regained the orb, he went mad with power. Both sides realized that he had to be stopped. Finally, The Spectre of Lord Darigan was defeated by all Neopians teaming up and working together, but the pet Majal_Kita delivered the finishing blow (in the plot, however, Darigan's downfall seems to be attributed to Jeran and Kass). Both sides (each led by Master Vex and King Skarl) still thirsted for power, however, and desired the Orb that Darigan had left behind. Before either side could claim it, it gave a flash of light and split in half. One important character in Champions of Meridell (the first Meridell war) was the Blue Lupe, Sir Jeran Borodere. Jeran was Meridell's champion knight, and the main character of both Meridell plots. When he and his sister Lisha the Aisha were young, they were playing a game of Hide and Seek in the castle ruins. Jeran tripped over a root and was transported three hundred years into the past. Years later, when Lisha was older, she saw her brother's picture in a museum. Encouraged by this picture, she went to search for the brother she had lost so long ago. When they arrived at the castle, they were about to start a search for any clues, but this proved unnecessary, as Lisha's toy wand was much more powerful than anyone could have expected, and they wound up in the middle of Meridell, with all its sinister plots and quests for power. Lisha was reunited with her brother, now over twenty years old and stronger than ever. This plot began July 23, 2002 and ended April 28, 2003. Movie archive can be found here. Final score can be found here. 2003 Mystery Island Plot An early mystery plot in which encouraged players to find clues leading to the disappearance of several important Mystery Island figures and the activities of the volcano. Began October 23, 2003 and ended November 18, 2003. Solution can be found here. Green Jelly Plot This plot featured Jelly World, which is claimed to be non-existent by staff members as a joke. On June 12, 2003, it was written in the New Features that Petpets were disappearing. If you went to the Giant Green Jelly in Jelly World at this time, it showed the missing Petpets eating the jelly. More Petpets disappeared until June 23, 2003, when all the Petpets returned. This was one of two plots that had no player involvement, besides the missing Petpets. 2004 Battle for Meridell Only a few years after the first war, Meridell was once again forced to raise arms against Darigan. A new leader, by the name of General Kass, sowed the seeds of war and rallied Darigan's troops against Meridell. By using emotional propaganda, he misled most of the Darigan Citadel's civilians into believing that Skarl would start another conflict and persuaded them to perform a sneak attack before Meridell could. Kass sent a court dancer to the King, and the dancer's performances hypnotized some Meridellians into attacking their fellow countrymen. Others were simply too delusional to do anything. Lisha played what could be called a vital role in the plot by casting a spell to stop the Court Dancer's scheme. After this had been dealt with, Meridell still had to deal with a ground attack from Kass' War Machines. The champion Meridell Knight, Jeran, realized that Kass had made a serious tactical error. Due to Kass putting a full effort into a ground invasion, the Citadel was completely vulnerable to an aerial assault. Jeran quickly assembled a strike force consisting of himself and his finest knights to launch a surprise attack directly against the Citadel, hoping to end the war. During this time, Lord Darigan, well thought to be dead, was living in a Meri Acres barn, and he was in tatters physically and mentally. However, when Kass's army started to advance to Meridell and attacked the farm where he was staying, the mention of his name by some of the surprised men caused him to regain his memory. After saying farewell to his caretaker, a young Usul named Sally (no known relation to the Usuki collector), he left for the Citadel, regretting how he had ruled before. When he arrived, Kass was startled by Darigan's sudden re-appearance, believing the former ruler to be deceased. Nevertheless, Kass attempted to finish him off once and for all and the two leaders engaged in a heated duel atop the Citadel. Eventually, Kass soon died by succembing to Ambition, Greed, and Revenge (personified as “The Three”, a group made up of a Faerie whose type is unknown, though she does not have the wings of a Dark Faerie, a skeletal Skeith, and a ghostly Gelert) that were controlling him. After Kass' death at the hands of The Three, Lord Darigan once again made peace between his people and those in Meridell. There is debate about the role that each of the children from the future played in this war and whether any of them had the power to change history. Lisha broke the Court Dancer's spell over the kingdom of Meridell. Kayla opened a potions shop, and brewed a potion to make Turtums (giant turtles with armoured shells resembling tanks) grow hundreds of times their size and able to be used as war mounts, which proved vital when defending Meridell against Kass' War Machines. Meanwhile, Morris and Boris, by drinking special potions, teleported up to the Citadel during the final battle with Lord Kass, and it was in rescuing them that Sir Jeran was knocked off the Citadel and fell. While these actions certainly could have changed the past, it is uncertain whether Neopets' form of time travel would allow for the change, or if Meridell is still doomed to destruction, as predicted by the Neopedia article about the Destruction of Meridell. This plot began on February 2, 2004 and ended on May 1, 2004. Comic can be found here. The War Room can be found here. The Return of Dr. Sloth A cancelled plot that was supposedly going to explain why the purple coloured Neopets have various spots of Orange on them. It was also destined to be a double-sided war plot. It was scrapped because of lack of time. It was made reference to in the game "The Return of the Return of Dr. Sloth" and it was claimed that the plot would never be revived. As a joke, the Hannah and the Ice Caves plot was given a fake ending where characters from this plot came in wanting revenge for its cancellation. The ending was changed within a few hours, which allowed only a few members to witness it. The plot was finally released in 2008, albeit with several significant differences in the character design. Hannah and the Ice Caves Features Hannah, a Usul, who is tricked by the thief Kanrik into going into the Ice Caves. In her search, she discovers Armin, the Bori, a new species to Neopia at the time. The Bringer of Night is released by Kanrik and attempts to destroy everything. War was waged, the Bringer was destroyed and the Bori were thawed. Began October 21, 2004 and ended December 22, 2004, just in time for Christmas. A fake ending was up for a few hours in which the characters from the cancelled "Return of Dr. Sloth" Plot came in and complained about their plot being cancelled. It was only up for a few hours, however. Comic available here. The Guildmaster’s Dinner viewable here. The Guildmaster’s Dinner was cancelled shortly after the conclusion of the plot. 2005 Curse of Maraqua After Maraqua had been rebuilt and the whirlpool has calmed, Scarblade, an evil Lupe captain, set out to destroy it again. The plot centred around an eighteen-year-old Usul pirate named Garin and a future-seeing Maraquan Aisha girl named Isca, who sees into the future though her dreams while sleeping. She also seems to have a bit of a crush on Garin, constantly wanting him to stay with her for protection. Jacques the Kyrii and Isca's twin sister Caylis, who also can see into the future while sleeping, but in her nightmares, also played major roles in Garin's attempt to gain revenge on Captain Scarblade, and later protect Maraqua from the crazed Lupe. Purely a war, Neopets players who chose to participate were required to either assist Garin in his attack on Scarblade and his minions or join Scarblade to fight against the Maraquans, in order to receive points for prizes. During this plot, Scurvy Island was supposed to be released but was given up because of its similarity to Krawk Island. Began March 15, 2005 and ended June 10, 2005.
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