Drake Island

Area Designer:

Cogitasne

Directions:

To pier: s*e*s*e*e*e*e*s*e*e*e*n*n*n (from south end of Empire Wharf, Sanctuary)

To Cliffisde Fortress: n*n*n*w*nw*nw*w*sw*w*nw*nw*n*ne*e*ne*se (from pier)

To Holn Switchblade: s*s*s*s*d*d (from Cliffside Fortress gate)

To Sandy Cave: nw*sw*w*sw*s*se*se*e*ne*e*se*se*ne*n*ne*nw*nw*ne*nw*nw*sw*sw*sw (from Cliffside Fortress gate)

Temple of the Dragon: s*se*ne*se*se*s*se*ne*ne*se*se*sw*s*e (from cave entrance)

Enraged Drake: nw*sw*s*se*e*se*ne*ne*n*ne*nw*w*nw*w*sw*sw*se*e*se*ne*n*ne*e (from Temple of the Dragon)

Vulcan: w*n*nw*se*nw*s*s (pick s) (from Enraged Drake)

To Marcus: nw*sw*s*se*e*se*ne*ne*n*ne*nw*w*nw*w*sw*sw*se*e*se*ne*n*ne*n*nw*sw*nw*sw*nw*nw*e*ne*se*s*e*e*s*sw (from Temple of the Dragon)

Reset:

35 minutes, empty

Story/History:

A large volcanic island in the eastern reaches of the Dragon Sea, Drake Isle is the home of a powerful magician from New Thalos. He moved to this remote location in order to conduct his experiments in peace and seclusion, the city was much too crowded for his secretive personality to tolerate. Little did the mage know, the island was not as barren as it had appeared. Now his retainers must be constantly vigilant for hunting drakes... or worse. A powerful warrior of the Thalosian Church has recently launched an expedition into the lair of the drakes, but he has not been seen or heard from since.

There is a latin inscription from Carus' poem De Rerum Natura in the rough-hewn stairs leading down into the room below the Dragon Golem:

This terror and darkness of mind necessary  
the weapons of the day not by the rays of the sun, by the bright
a part in examining, but by Nature and her law.
A principle belongs to fundamental axiom is this:
Nothing comes out of nothing by divine aid.
                       -T. Lucretius Carus

The original area featured a huge storage room connected to Vulcan's Workshop and a platinum banded chest that loaded the following items:

Q 0 16742 1 16740 1                            King's Ransom (100k coins)

Q 0 16743 1 16740 1                            Neural Whip

Q 0 16744 1 16740 1                            Legendary Sword of the Avenger*

Q 0 16745 1 16740 1                            Miasma, the Blade of Plagues

Q 0 16746 1 16740 1                            Quarterstaff of the Elementalists

Q 0 16747 1 16740 1                            Hydra-tooth Bracelet

Q 0 16748 1 16740 1                            Summoner's Charm*

Q 0 16749 1 16740 1                            Diabolist's Pendant*

Q 0 16700 1 16740 1                            Roman Signet Ring


* assembly item

These items have been removed in the current version of the area, but it's interesting to note that some have been converted into assembly quest items featured in other zones.

Mobs of Note:

Holn Swiftblade - (pebble key to sandy cave, white leather belt, blue linen robe, Greaves of Valour) the enraged drake - (golden hilt of a shattered sword) Antitheton - (dragon claws, dragon wings, red dragonscale shirt, glistening dragonstone), Celfivl Prantroc - (scarlet cape, ornate flask, gleaming silver helm, Medal of Honor, gleaming silver platemail, Thalosian War Axe), Marcus Nonhilor - (serrated bastard sword, burnished steel boots, plate gauntlets, plate leggings, banded mail, tower shield), battered cleric - (crimson potion, crystal vial, tattered clerical robes, ebony cross), insane thief - (poisoner's ring, padded armor, broken dagger), Captain of the Watch - (key to fortress) Vulcan - (white leather apron, Vulcan's Hammer of Forging), hatchling - (Tove's Armlets), obsidian drolem - (obsidian vial), faded scroll), cyclops - (leather apron, heavy tongs, smith's hammer)

Objects of Note:

mouldering skeleton - (flake of dragon bone, faded scroll)

General Zone Strategies:

Get the pebble from Holn Swiftblade in the Cliffside Fortress. Use the pebble to enter the Sandy Cave. Use a Bard runner with mirrors to get to the Temple of the Dragon, the enraged drake and ultimately Celfivl Prantroc. Alternatively, a mana/regen Ranger does well here, as the drakes are calmable (the enraged drake is not, nor is Celfivl).

There, immediately down from the Temple of the Dragon, is an easter egg room with a symbolic Latin warning. It's not a DT but you'll need a summon / recall out.

If you're running the flake, make sure you reset the Drolem. The flake has a chance to load on zone reset only if the Drolem has successfully reset.

Vulcan's Forge can be found in the second Volcanic Vent, near the enraged drake. If you drop down onto the vent ledge to get to Vulcan's Workshop, you'll have to recall out, as there is no way back into the tunnel complex. (Except the DT down.) Vulcan tosses and entropies. Old school, Vulcan can be wodded down with two naked mages. Today, you can 25 INT implode him or petrify/strike summon him down, too.

In Celfivl's room, take out the aggro wounded drakes first, (Marcus will assist good/neutral aligned tanks or attack evil tanks), then Marcus. Celfivl is not aggro so you can debuff him if you like. Celfivl is strike capped (400/strike) and will area so plan accordingly. Orb/Glow a 25 INT Jedi and implode him down. 25 CHA bardic petrify is great, too.

Mobs will reset in this zone occupied, so beware wounded drake re-pops while you're working on Celfivl.

Antitheton is beyond Celfivl (who blocks in that direction.) Antitheton is aggro!, is !pet (causes them to wander) and calls for a 25 INT imploding Jedi or a 25 CHA petting Bard. Antitheton is also strike damage capped at 400. The room below Antitheton requires a fly.

Equipment:

ITEM	TYPE	MOB	LOAD %	DISPLAY
necklace, amber beads	neck	amber drake	75.0%	mL 4 !rests 1 ac 2 mov 9 mana
dragon claws	hand	Antitheton	65.0%	mL 15 !mctrb !e 6 ac 2 dam -1 dex
dragon wings	about	Antitheton	15.0%	mL 24 !mctns !n 1 dam 2 str
glistening dragonstone	hold	Antitheton	11.0%	mL 20 !rests 15 hp 15 mana
red dragonscale shirt	body	Antitheton	100.0%	mL 15 !rests 27 ac 2 str 2 con
crimson	potion	battered cleric		mL 0 !rests 1 x armor 1 x bless
cross, ebony	hold	battered cleric	95.0%	mL 0 !rests 4 x dispel evil
crystal vial	potion	battered cleric		mL 0 !rests 1 x sanctuary 1 x word of death
robes, tattered clerical	about	battered cleric		mL 3 !rests 3 ac ench!
key, iron	key	Captain of the Watch		mL 0 !rests
sword, short wire-bound	weapon	Captain of the Watch		mL 7 !mc 3D6 10.5 avg 2 hit -1 dam
the medal of honor	neck	Celfivl Prantroc		mL 15 wp! g! 4 ac 1 dam 1 str
leather apron	about	cyclops		mL 3 !rests 3 ac 3 hit -3 cha
tongs, heavy iron forge	weapon	cyclops		mL 0 !mctns 7D2 10.5 avg 2 hit
golden hilt, shattered	component	enraged drake		mL 0 !rests !rent
leggings, drake	leg	enraged drake	4.0%	mL 16 !mcpasr 1 str 10 hp not in .zon file (item moved to arden as: lightning scorched drake leggings)
spear, war	weapon	fortress guard		mL 6 !mct 3D5 9.0 avg 3 hit
Tove's Armlets	arm	hatchling giant lizard		mL 20 b! 6 ac 1 cha 10 mana
banded mail	body	Holn Swiftblade		mL 0 !mtnrb 21 ac
greaves of valour	leg	Holn Swiftblade		mL 16 !mcrb !n 14 ac 1 dam -3 int
pebble	key	Holn Swiftblade		mL 15 !rests 1 x earthquake
robe, blue linen	about	Holn Swiftblade		mL 6 !twpanr -1 ss 7 mana
white leather belt	waist	Holn Swiftblade		mL 10 !ctwpanrb 4 ac 2 con 10 mana
armor, padded	body	insane thief		mL 3 !rests 9 ac ench!
dagger, broken	weapon	insane thief	95.0%	mL 5 !c !g 2D4 5.0 avg 3 hit
poisoner's ring	ring	insane thief		mL 0 tn! 1 ac 1 dam 1 dex
bastard sword, serrated	weapon	Marcus Nonhilor	75.0%	mL 13 !mctns 4D5 12.0 avg -1 hit 3 dam
flask, ornate	potion	Marcus Nonihlor	100.0%	mL 0 !rests harm, heal, heal
leggings, plate	leg	Marcus Nonihlor	100.0%	mL 0 !mtnrb 12 ac ench!
mail, banded	body	Marcus Nonihlor	100.0%	mL 0 !mtnrb 21 ac ench!
tower shield	shield	Marcus Nonihlor	30.0%	mL 16 !mctrb 8 ac 1 dam 1 str
vial, obsidian	potion	obsidian drolem	100.0%	mL 0 !rests 1 x cure critic 1 x sanctuary
boots, burnished steel	foot	Sir Celfivl Prantroc	80.0%	mL 0 !mtnb 4 ac 1 con 10 mov
cape, scarlet	about	Sir Celfivl Prantroc	50.0%	mL 10 !tn 5 ac 11 hp 8% hpR
helm, gleaming silver	head	Sir Celfivl Prantroc	75.0%	mL 10 !mctanjsrb !e 10 ac 1 str 1 dex
suit of gleaming silver platemail	body	Sir Celfivl Prantroc	32.0%	mL 15 wp! g! 30 ac 1 dam 15 hp
thalosian war axe	weapon	Sir Celfivl Prantroc	20.0%	mL 16 !mctnb !n 4D7 16.0 avg 2 hit 2 dam
gauntlets, plate	hand	Sir Celfivl Prantroc Marcus Nonihlor	100.0%	mL 0 !mtnrb 6 ac ench!
sleeves, plate	arm	Sir Celfivl Prantroc Marcus Nonihlor	100.0%	mL 0 !mtnrb 6 ac ench!
dragon bone, flake	other	skeleton	35.0%	mL 0 !rests
faded	scroll	skeleton		mL 0 !rests 1 x enchant armor 1 x group invis !rent
Hammer, Vulcan's	weapon	Vulcan	3.0%	mL 15 njsr! n! 7D4 17.5 avg 2 hit 2 dam
white leather apron	about	Vulcan	80.0%	mL 4 !mc 4 ac 5% hpR
knife, thief's	weapon			mL 0 !c 6D1 6.0 avg 3 hit 2 dex

Maps:

Dank's map of Vulcan's Workshop, c. 1997
Dank's crazy map of the Drake Island underground cavern system, c. 1996
Dank's Google Drawing c. 2017, updated 2020.
Michael French's Drake Island (surface) masterpiece with mob annotations.
Michael French's Drake Island (caverns) masterpiece with mob annotations.