Introduction

Chapter 2: Original Masteria Storyline

(A/N: Unfortunately, the entirety of the original Masteria storyline has been removed and is now permanently inaccessible. I’ve included the original storylines for New Leaf City, Phantom Forest, and Crimsonwood Keep PQ, as well as a serialized version of NxProse’s drafts for future Masteria content.

The old Masteria lore was unique in that many details that furthered the lore also came from developer interviews, item descriptions, and even the old MapleStory iTrading Card Game, but I decided to only keep it to the sources that I listed above, as there’s no way that I could gather every possible source of lore for old Masteria, and this section is really just to provide a contrast to the revamped versions of those storylines.

There was one particular storyline set in Masteria that I omitted, which was the original Haunted House, also known as the Prendergast Mansion. While it’s a great story, it’s not strictly relevant to the main Masteria lore, and so I chose not to include it. However, I’ll be sure to include as many links to old Masteria resources as I can at the end of this section for those who might be interested in learning more tidbits that I didn’t include here.

Finally, one thing that I want to mention is that for some of these storylines, especially the old New Leaf City one, the quests don’t have to be done in the specific order that I presented them here. I was using PirateIzzy’s video of old Masteria quests as a reference, but the actual story just presents several quests at once and you can do them in whichever order you want.)

A traveler heard rumors of a continent called Masteria, which had sunk beneath the ocean a thousand years ago and had recently resurfaced, and so they decided to investigate. They took the subway from Kerning City to New Leaf City, where they met the mayor, Icebyrd Slimm. (A/N: Icebyrd Slimm was based on NxProse himself.)

The traveler began asking the mayor about why he had built the city, to which Icebyrd explained that he had always hoped to create a place where people could live their dreams. He told them that when he had first arrived in Masteria, the island had only been a jungle with scattered machinery. However, he revealed that someone had helped him construct the city in exchange for a favor, though he remained coy about the details.

He then began to tell the traveler more about Masteria, explaining that it was said that the continent took its name from the warriors who had come there to master their fate. With Masteria having resurfaced after a thousand years, Icebyrd explained that they were making new discoveries every day as they explored the region.

He also revealed that New Leaf City had been built atop the ruins of Olde Sapp Village. The traveler was interested in learning more about Masteria and how it had resurfaced, but Icebyrd told them that it was an old fable that likely wouldn’t interest them, though he offered to tell them more if they agreed to help out around the city.

The traveler first helped Lita Lawless, the sheriff of the city, in cleaning up the monsters in the area. After helping her, the traveler recognized that she was a thief and asked to hear her story. Lita explained that she had once served as a thief under the Dark Lord in Kerning City, and that she had made a deal with him to leave his service if she could pass his test.

The Dark Lord had challenged her to touch him once with her weapon, and though she had quickly realized that the Dark Lord was much stronger than the clone which she had fought during her job advancement, a stroke of luck had allowed her to succeed. After leaving his service, Lita had promised to help others train as he had once helped her. She then revealed that she had come to Masteria at Icebyrd’s request, where she hoped to discover her fate.

As the traveler continued helping Lita and Icebyrd with clearing out the monsters at the city outskirts, they soon encountered a man named Jack Masque. Jack explained that he hailed from Amoria, and that he was competing for the love of Princess Restless with a man named Prince Vince.

(A/N: Jack Masque is one of the few NPCs who isn’t really relevant to the story, instead just serving as a tie-in to Amoria, which NxProse had also worked on. Jack Masque, Princess Restless, and Prince Vince all have the first part of their names rhyme with the latter half.)

He then explained that while on his first date with the princess, a Wolf Spider had interrupted their kiss. Though he had managed to fight off the beast, he had sworn to wear a mask in shame until he could return to Amoria with his honor. To help him, the traveler eliminated the nearby Wolf Spiders in the area so that the same incident wouldn’t befall him again.

Soon after, they encountered an old man named Professor Foxwit, who asked them to help collect materials for his robot, T-1337. After helping Foxwit, they ran into a pale, hooded man named Elpam Gorlab. Elpam introduced himself as a researcher from Versal, a parallel dimension to Maple World.

He explained that he had come several times to visit Maple World, which contained many familiar yet different things from Versal, but that the recent appearance of Amoria had thrown his calculations off, causing him to be stranded in Masteria. To help him recalibrate his compass, the traveler collected Elpam Magnets from Fire Tusks.

(A/N: Originally, you had to obtain the magnets from Barnard Grays in Omega Sector. You also note that he smells like old cheese, to which Elpam says that it’s from a cologne that he’s wearing, which is apparently popular on Versal.)

They then asked Elpam more about Versal, to which he explained that Versal was a mirror dimension to Maple World.

(A/N: Versal being a mirror dimension to Maple World is why everything on Versal is backwards, including the script. His name, Elpam Gorlab, is actually Maple Balrog spelled backwards. He explains that he’s been trying to learn the language of Maple World, which is how he communicates with us. Even the customs on Versal are backwards, as cheese cologne is highly popular there, even though cheese would be an awful scent for perfume on Maple World. Versal being a polar opposite to Maple World only exists in the old Masteria lore, as this concept has been removed in the revamp.)

To elaborate, he pointed out that his surname, Gorlab, was the name of a benevolent monster in his world, and that it was a mark of honor to be associated with such a creature. In contrast, Balrogs of Maple World were highly feared. The traveler then helped Elpam collect Temporal Pieces from Electrophants in order to help him travel back to his home. (A/N: Originally, you had to go to Ludibrium and collect them from Tick-Tock monsters.)

After giving him the pieces, the traveler asked to hear more about Versal, and so Elpam told them that Mushmom was the most dangerous monster in his world, whereas it was laughably weak on Maple World. He also told them that his skin was pale because the sun only shined on Versal for the equivalent of three months on Maple World. When the traveler asked if there was a way for people from Maple World to travel to Versal, Elpam told them that he would let them know if he figured out a way to take others with him.

(A/N: Mushmom on Versal is revealed to be named Crushmom in NxProse’s drafts for future Masteria content. The story of Crushmom and Versal’s sun was revealed in a holiday event called Versalmas. The Versalians used to grow their crops by worshipping the sun. As the monsters attempted to eat their crops, the Versalians made a deal with Crushmom, offering a portion of their crops in exchange for protection from the other monsters. Because of this, they were able to have a huge surplus of crops, and as a result, they stopped worshipping the sun, causing it to grow weaker.

Eventually, Crushmom grew unsatisfied with receiving its usual share of crops when the Versalians had so much more, and so it threatened to devour them if they didn’t increase their tribute. It continued asking for more and more, and its hunger eventually grew to the point that nothing would satisfy it, and so it devoured the sun itself, causing the skies to grow dark.

As the Versalians’ crops withered and the monsters, once held at bay by Crushmom, began to attack, a group of brave hunters fought Crushmom and forced it to regurgitate what was left of the sun. However, because of its time being digested, the sun shone much weaker than it used to. The villagers then resumed their worship of the sun, causing it to shine for 99 days in a year, which eventually dwindled down to 30. These days of light would become celebrated as Versalmas.)

The traveler then decided to explore Bigger Ben, a large clocktower in the center of the city. There, they encountered John Barricade, who explained that he was part of the world-famous treasure hunting corporation, the Barricade Bros. After helping him defeat the nearby monsters to clear out a path, John explained that his brother, Jack Barricade, was investigating Aqua Road while he was searching Masteria.

He also explained that he and Jack had found the Fountain of Youth after graduating college and spending three years investigating, and that it was the discovery that had first made their names. As the traveler continued helping him, John asked whether they had heard of the Dark Scrolls. He explained that the scrolls were related to a demon named Naricain, who had been defeated by Subani, a powerful magician of light who had sacrificed himself to seal Naricain away.

(A/N: Subani and Naricain are central figures in the lore of Masteria, almost like deities of light and darkness. Whereas these two figures are almost made out to be god-like in the old Masteria lore, they’re changed to be regular adoptive siblings in the new Masteria lore with no particularly remarkable traits like what these legends seem to imply. It’s also said that Subani created the White Scrolls, just as how Naricain made the Dark Scrolls. These two types of scrolls were actual in-game scrolls used for item upgrades, although the Dark Scrolls weren’t created in GMS, instead being ported over from a different region (possibly JMS). The two scrolls were then tied into the Masteria lore.)

Though there were many Dark Scrolls around, John explained that what he was really looking for were relics of Subani, and that he had heard from the Glimmer Man in Amoria that the MesoGears would be a good place to start his search.

(A/N: The MesoGears are the inner workings of Bigger Ben. The Glimmer Man is an NPC in the Amoria PQ and he was likely namedropped here as another tie-in to Amoria. In the current Masteria storyline, the Glimmer Man has a much more prominent role, although I won’t spoil it here.)

After heading deeper inside, John and the traveler discovered several strange markings. John explained that they would need Hyper Glyphs, objects that could decipher other languages, in order to learn what was written. As each Hyper Glyph could only translate a single character, the traveler collected many glyphs from the nearby monsters.

After helping John, the traveler asked to know more about the Barricade Bros, and so John told them that he and his brother had discovered King Moloson’s Mines, solved the mystery of Stonegolemhenge, found Lord Pirate Kidd’s gold horde, and unearthed the trove of the Knights Templar of Time, the lost El Nathians’ Gold Mine, the Yeti Sphinx Chamber, and countless ancient Ossyrian galleons.

The impressed traveler asked what John expected to find in the MesoGears, to which he explained that he believed that Subani had left something important there. He also revealed that while exploring the Yeti Sphinx Chamber, he had discovered an old legend that was similar to that of Subani and Naricain.

(A/N: The Yeti Sphinx Chamber is one of the many background details in New Leaf City, which all share a theme of being based on familiar landmarks in the real world. Some other ones are the Statue of Liberty with a mushroom head and Mount Rushmore with the original four Explorer job instructors’ faces. The Yeti Sphinx Chamber is implied to have significance to Subani, whose name is an anagram of Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of death. The MapleStory iTrading Card Game also has a special code card that lets you redeem an item called the Subani Ankh. The Ankh’s description notes that Subani had many such items, and that it’s said to have protective powers and the ability to ward off darkness.)

John explained that the legend spoke of a different world, as well as a prophecy that foretold that the act which had created the Dark Scrolls was not the final battle between Subani and Naricain. The traveler then remembered that Elpam was from another world and wondered whether he knew anything.

Some time later, the traveler returned to the MesoGears to visit John, who explained that he had borrowed robots from Foxwit’s secret laboratory without permission in order to help him decipher the markings. However, as soon as he had finished, the robots had gone haywire and had run off with the pieces of his MesoGears map.

(A/N: The robots were sabotaged by Dr. Krakia, the archnemesis of Professor Foxwit, and it plays a significant role in the Phantom Forest storyline. We don’t get exposed too much to Dr. Krakia in these storylines, as he’s only ever mentioned in the game’s holiday events. However, Dr. Krakia does have a significant role in the lore in his alter ego.)

After helping John recover the pieces, the traveler asked him whether he had spoken with his brother, to which he explained that he hadn’t heard from Jack in a while. The traveler then asked whether they might be able to travel to the other world described in the prophecy of Subani and Naricain, though John simply told them that it was a better question for Elpam or the Glimmer Man.

The traveler then began to explore the MesoGears and encountered several gravestones. The first one that they encountered was the Sunstone Grave, which said, “Tempt Fate. Discover the path.” Continuing through the MesoGears, they soon encountered the Moonstone Grave, which said, “30, 101, Hidden.” Finally, they discovered a third gravestone that was built atop an unexpected grassy hill within the MesoGears, which stated, “Here lies Christopher Crimsonheart, the immortal warrior.”

(A/N: These graves were part of a larger mystery within the original plot of Masteria, and it was said by NxProse that their meanings would be solvable once the next area of Masteria was released. Unfortunately, he left Nexon before it could be released and the revamped Masteria storyline removed most of the mystery, leaving only the final gravestone in the game.)

The traveler then returned to the surface, where they encountered a girl with a tiger, who greeted them in a strange language. She then introduced herself as Corine, and her tiger as Khafre. (A/N: The Masteria revamp changed Corine to have blue skin like from James Cameron’s Avatar. The way that she greets us is by saying, “Salu o’kahari!”)

She explained that she was a ranger descended from the Taru tribe of ancient Masteria, and that she had greeted them in the language of her ancestors. She told them that she spoke in the Taru language whenever she could in order to keep their traditions alive. Though she was originally from Henesys, she had come to Masteria in order to visit the homeland of her ancestors.

The traveler asked to know more about the Taru, and so Corine explained that the Taru were a tribe of warriors that lived in the Krakian Jungle. Though their martial prowess was great, they were a peaceful people that strived to live in harmony with the jungle. The Taru had believed that every human soul had an animal counterpart, and so each Taru had been bonded with an animal at birth, with their bond strengthening through shared experiences, to the point that it would manifest in the power of their weapon.

Corine explained that she had been raised by her grandmother, who had bonded her with Khafre and had raised her in the traditions of their people, though she had never revealed their Taru heritage until her death. On her deathbed, her grandmother had given her an ancient charm that had once belonged to a legendary chieftain named Teharu and had told her to follow her birthright. Almost prophetically, Masteria had risen from the ocean the very next day, after which Corine had gone to seek her destiny.

Corine then explained that when a Taru infant was old enough to crawl, the tribe would place an array of weapons before them, with the one that the child picked becoming their weapon for the rest of their lives. She showed her bow to the traveler and explained that it was called an Akhamagna. She told the traveler that Taru weapons were created from the Krakian Jungle, and thus, they carried the Spirit of the Jungle within them.

The Taru warrior and their animal companion would eventually undergo the Spirit Quest, after which a ritual would be performed that would allow the spirit to recognize the stronger bond between warrior and companion, helping it attain a more powerful form that would enhance the weapon. The first Spirit Quest that the warrior and companion would undertake required one Spirit Feather to upgrade the weapon to its Suma form, and the second Spirit Quest requiring two Spirit Feathers, which would enhance the weapon to its ultimate Magna form. Corine explained that she had first upgraded her base weapon, which was named Akha, to an Akhasuma, and then to an Akhamagna.

When the traveler asked about the fate of the Taru, Corine explained that the tribe had vanished even before the disappearance of Masteria, as it was said that the native Krakians had wiped them out, despite the Krakians being peaceful creatures that had coexisted in harmony with the Taru for centuries. (A/N: In the current Masteria lore, the Taru have been retconned as a tribe of Krakians, rather than being completely separate races.) Corine explained that she could feel the calling of the Jungle Spirit within her blood, and that she had undertaken the Spirit Quest of learning the mystery behind the disappearance of her people.

Soon after, the traveler returned to Icebyrd Slimm, who thanked them for helping the people of New Leaf City. The traveler then reminded Icebyrd that he had promised to reveal the origins of New Leaf City, but Icebyrd told them that he still couldn’t reveal such a major secret. However, he agreed to answer other questions about the residents of the city. When asked about his relationship with Lita, Icebyrd revealed that he and Lita were merely friends. The traveler then asked about the other world, to which Icebyrd explained that there was a rumor that a portal to another world could somehow be opened from within the city, though he wasn’t sure how it was possible.

When the traveler asked Icebyrd how he, the builder of the city, knew nothing about the portal, Icebyrd reminded them that he had merely rebuilt the city, as the foundations and the ancient technology that the traveler had seen outside the city had all pre-existed. He explained that some of the technology that was used to power the city functions was so advanced that even Professor Foxwit couldn’t make sense of it. He also told the traveler that he was wary of using the ancient technology, as the legends of Masteria about immortal warriors, a mad scientist, and a threat from the stars was extremely ominous, with even Subani and Naricain being said to have originated from a part of Masteria.

Realizing that the traveler was still persistently asking questions, Icebyrd revealed that Masteria from centuries ago had once been a sprawling utopia that was highly advanced in technology. However, its people’s ambitions had eventually exceeded their control of their technology, resulting in an accident that had caused Masteria to sink beneath the ocean for a thousand years until Icebyrd had made a deal with someone to raise the continent and establish the city atop the ruins of Olde Sapp Village. When the traveler asked who had raised the city, Icebyrd told them that it was his burden to bear, though he promised to let them know more if the need ever arose.

(A/N: This marks the end of the original New Leaf City storyline. This next part is the original storyline for Phantom Forest.)

Several months later, the traveler visited John in the MesoGears, where John explained that his brother, Jack, had been radio-silent for too long after having set out to explore Crimsonwood Keep. He told the traveler that Jack usually sent a letter every week to report on his status, with his last letter, which had been sent months ago, stating that after weeks of wandering in circles around the haunted Phantom Forest, he had finally made it to the base of Crimsonwood Mountain, where he had discovered the fabled Valley of Heroes. As he was still busy with his work in the MesoGears, John asked the traveler to check on Jack in the Phantom Forest.

On their way to the Phantom Forest, the traveler encountered Lita Lawless, who explained that she and Icebyrd were offering bounties on several dangerous monsters inside the forest. She then began telling the traveler the legend of the Headless Horseman of the Phantom Forest. She explained that he had once been a man named Killian, a feared warrior of the Keep. It was said that his fury on the battlefield was such that he would even inadvertently injure his comrades with his custom-made spear and mastery over fire magic, with which he could release flames from his spear or even encase his head within a column of flames to terrify his enemies.

Despite his fury, he was normally calm within the Keep, smitten by the enigmatic sorceress, LeFay. Even after LeFay had left the Keep, he would continue visiting her in a secluded area of the Krakian Jungle where she lived. However, when the war between the Keep and the Krakians had begun, he had been unable to visit her for many years, causing his fury to grow to restless proportions until the Grandmaster Warrior had allowed him to see her.

Killian had then fought through hordes of Krakians, only to discover that LeFay’s house was in flames as the Krakians loaded her onto a torture rack at the command of the Alchemist, who was smitten with LeFay himself. Furious, Killian destroyed the Krakians and attempted to fight the Alchemist, who easily defeated him. Intrigued by Killian’s unique ability to withstand fire, he offered Killian a choice to become a test subject or watch LeFay die. Killian eventually agreed to come with the Alchemist, who took him and LeFay to the Polis of Krakia for over two years, eventually succeeding in replicating Killian’s rage to create a legion of fire-infused Krakians.

Still unsatisfied, he ordered Killian to lead the new legion of Krakians against the Keep’s heroes or watch LeFay die. Unwilling to choose between his lover and his comrades, Killian set his own head on fire in an attempt to kill himself. However, the Alchemist merely took an old pumpkin and combined his technology with one of LeFay’s own spells in order to create the Headless Horseman, a being powered by rage that knew neither fear nor empathy.

Having unlocked the secret behind LeFay’s chaos magic, the Alchemist realized that he had no further use for her, and so he transformed her into a pink horse to serve as the Horseman’s steed. A creature of science and nature, the unleashing of the Horseman became the turning point of the war until the Archmage Rafael cast a spell on the Horseman to force him to chase his true head forever, leading him to wander away from the battlefield on a fool’s errand for all eternity.

After hearing the story, the traveler used the New Leaf City taxi to enter the Phantom Forest, where they fought past the evil spirits and soon discovered a camp of rogue-looking people in Dead Man’s Gorge. Their leader, Taggrin, told the traveler that they were trespassing, and upon learning that the traveler was looking for Jack Barricade, Taggrin dismissed Jack as a plunderer and told the traveler to leave if they were affiliated with him. Laughing when the traveler asked if they were bandits, Taggrin told them to collect Phantom Seeds from the nearby Phantom Trees in order to prove themselves first. After the traveler returned, Taggrin admitted that they had made the forest safer and welcomed them into the camp.

The traveler then asked whether Taggrin had seen Jack, to which he begrudgingly admitted that Jack had come by some time ago. He explained that he and his comrades had spent weeks mapping out the forest by marking different paths with throwing knives on the trees, which denoted several shortcuts.

After Jack had learned about the map, he had continued pressing Taggrin about it, explaining that he was searching for Crimsonwood Keep. Believing him to be a common treasure hunter, Taggrin had rebuffed him and had sent him away. However, the next morning, Taggrin had discovered that Jack had stolen the map. Taggrin explained that without the map, they were as stuck as they had been at the start of their mission and told the traveler to let Jack know that he was coming for him.

When the traveler asked about the forest, Taggrin explained that the forest hadn’t always been withered, as the crimson trees that gave Crimsonwood its name extended down the mountain from the Keep, blanketing the area all the way to the gates of New Leaf City. He revealed that the forest used to be known as Crimsonwood Forest before it had become the site of a long, protracted war which had turned it into the Phantom Forest.

Taggrin explained that the Krakians, a peaceful, ancient race of sentient flora creatures, had once dwelled in the jungles east of the forest and had coexisted peacefully with the Taru tribe. However, the Krakians had inexplicably undergone a dramatic change, which had caused them to grow insane and attack Crimsonwood Keep, ignoring all attempts at communication.

The heroes of the Keep had attempted to repel the sudden attack, which had sparked a terrible war that raged for years, resulting in the decimation of not only the Krakians and the guardians of the Keep, but the forest itself. Taggrin also explained that the spirits of the fallen Krakians had attempted to return to nature, which had caused them to possess the husks of the dead trees. Upon being destroyed, the trees would drop seeds that gave rise to new trees.

Taggrin told the traveler that he hoped to break the endless cycle by destroying the seeds of the trees, though he couldn’t say whether it would have any effect. When the traveler asked who Taggrin and his group were, Taggrin laughed and simply told them that he and his comrades were on a secret mission.

The traveler then continued through the Phantom Forest and eventually ran into a warrior surrounded by strange monsters. The warrior introduced himself as Lukan de Vrisien and explained that the strange monsters around them wore the same armor of his brethren, though he claimed that they were imposters that called themselves Stormbreakers. To test the traveler’s combat prowess, Lukan asked them to defeat the Stormbreakers and bring their badges as proof.

After the traveler returned with the badges, Lukan thanked them for their service and explained that he was a Stormcaster of Crimsonwood Keep. The traveler was surprised to learn that Lukan was from the Keep, as Masteria had been gone for a thousand years. Lukan was shocked at their words, though he knew that there was some truth in them, as nothing around him resembled the Crimsonwood Forest that he knew. He told the traveler that part of his memory had been lost, as he had no idea how he had come to arrive in the forest, and so he asked them to leave him as he pondered his situation.

(A/N: In the Masteria revamp, Lukan is one of the four Grandmasters of the Keep, although he’s just a high-ranking soldier in the old one. After the release of the Masteria Through Time blockbuster, Lukan was replaced by a hooded version of himself and was renamed as the Nameless Warrior. Eventually when the old Phantom Forest storyline was removed and replaced by the revamped version, the Nameless Warrior became an entirely separate entity from Lukan in the new canon.)

Before they left, the traveler asked Lukan more about the Keep. Lukan explained that the Stormcasters were one of the master guilds of the Keep, a group of warrior-magician hybrids that used spears and polearms, from which they shot lightning spells. However, he noted that the corrupted Stormbreakers, though they used the same skills, were not the Stormcasters of his order, as he couldn’t believe that such monsters who indiscriminately attacked passing travelers hailed from the Keep. He believed that in the thousand years that Masteria had disappeared, a villainous imposter had stolen the teachings of not only the Stormcasters, but the other guilds as well.

When the traveler asked about the other guilds, Lukan explained that aside from the Stormcasters were the thief-archer hybrid Windreavers, the archer-magician Flamekeepers, and the warrior-thief Shadowknights, as well as the Bosshunters, a special guild composed of members of the other guilds that hunted powerful monsters. Lukan told the traveler that he had encountered corrupted members of the other Crimsonwood guilds: the Windraiders, who behaved like nothing more than common highwaymen, the Firebrands, who fought chaotically without the Flamekeepers’ discipline, and in particular, the Nightshadows, who used their powers of stealth to kill indiscriminately.

When the traveler asked Lukan whether he could recall anything from his recent memories, Lukan explained that he remembered that a few days ago, he had been summoned by the Grandmaster Council for an urgent secret mission, which they would not tell him anything about. He also remembered rushing to the Keep and arriving in the Council Hall in the dead of night, with his memory going blank until he recalled awakening in the Phantom Forest.

The traveler wondered whether Lukan had been transported from the past and explained that Professor Foxwit might know more about it. Lukan recalled that his old friend, the late Grandmaster Mage Delgrund, would often say that anything was possible with great magic and sorcery, and so he believed that traveling from the past could be possible as well.

The traveler then asked about the Keep itself, to which Lukan explained that it had stood proudly for over six hundred years, establishing itself as a center for learning and training towards mastery over one’s chosen profession. He told the traveler that many would travel from the farthest reaches of the world in order to train under the four Grandmasters.

Regarding the Grandmasters, he explained that each held utmost mastery over their discipline, and that there were always four, with a new Grandmaster being chosen upon their predecessor’s death. However, he explained that before the Grandmasters had existed, there was Christopher Crimsonheart, the founder of the Keep.

Lukan explained that Crimsonheart had already been a legendary warrior before building the Keep, though he had become even more renowned when he had achieved mastery in all four disciplines, becoming an expert warrior, mage, rogue, and archer, thereby becoming untouchable in battle. (A/N: The original Masteria lore predates pirates, which is why there are only four branches that are talked about.) Lukan also told the traveler that a large statue of Crimsonheart had been erected in his honor in the Hall of Mastery.

Lukan believed that there were new Grandmasters leading the corrupted soldiers, though he called them unworthy scoundrels. After learning as much as they could about the Keep, the traveler asked Lukan about how to get there. Lukan explained that in the old days, the first challenge of those who wished to train at the Keep was to find it, though he noted that the forest had grown more convoluted since those days, with even he himself having become lost, despite knowing the old paths by heart.

He told the traveler that after making it through the forest, they would reach the Valley of Heroes, a sacred ground that commemorated the Keep’s most valiant heroes with statues that lined the cliff walls. He also warned the traveler of the Menhirs, giant moving columns that would cause grave injury with a single touch. Lukan explained that the Menhirs served not only as a defense mechanism for the Keep, but also as a lesson in humility for those who wished to reach the Keep in order to learn from the Grandmasters.

He revealed that it was possible to access a path created by the statues with an artifact called the Marker of Heroism, though he told the traveler that that path was blocked to them, as he had lost his own Marker and had no knowledge of how to obtain another one. He then continued to explain the journey and told the traveler that past the Valley of Heroes was the base of Crimsonwood Mountain, from which they would need to climb to the summit amidst precarious rocky ledges.

He also warned the traveler that one path up the mountain would lead to a nest of Typhons and recommended that they avoid the area, as mother Typhons were extremely protective of their young. Having learned all that they could, the traveler decided to return to New Leaf City. There, they met with John Barricade and asked whether he knew anything about the Marker of Heroism, explaining that they had learned that the Marker would allow one to use the statues in the Valley of Heroes as teleporters.

John revealed that he and Jack had recreated a Marker based on their knowledge of the original artifact. He agreed to give it to the traveler if they could bring back materials for him to make a new one. He told them that he would need a Power Crystal, Gold Ores, and Typhon Feathers. He explained that the feathers were the key to the artifact’s power, and that he had originally obtained them from a rogue who had claimed to have gone through the Typhon nest while climbing up the mountain.

The traveler then obtained the materials and brought them to John, who thanked the traveler and gave them the Marker. Using the Marker, the traveler survived the journey through the Valley of Heroes and climbed up the mountain. They soon encountered a cave, inside which they found several corrupted Keep soldiers and Jack Barricade.

After learning that the traveler had been sent by his brother, Jack explained that he had been captured by the soldiers, though he had managed to escape. The traveler decided to return to New Leaf City in order to let John know about what had happened, and so Jack asked them to deliver a letter to John as well. (A/N: Why are we so okay with just leaving him in a dangerous cave, he’s probably dehydrated and starving.)

Before the traveler headed out, Jack explained that he and his brother had been interested in Crimsonwood Keep for a long time, as it was one of Maple World’s greatest mysteries regarding how an entire continent, one which held one of the greatest troves of knowledge in the world, could have vanished. He told the traveler that the Keep had been built to safeguard an object of great power called the Antellion, which was likely responsible for the Grandmasters’ strength. Though many believed that Masteria had sunk because of a disaster, Jack believed that the power of the Antellion had caused Masteria’s disappearance.

He explained that shortly after his capture, he had been brought to the Keep’s Inner Sanctum, where he had been led to the Council Hall of the Grandmasters. There, he had discovered the four Grandmasters arguing in a strange language, though he had picked up a mention of the Antellion. Jack explained that he had observed them gazing at a mirror-like device with glowing symbols.

Before one of the Grandmasters had shut off the screen, Jack had committed many symbols to memory and had written them down in his notebook as soon as he could. Believing that it was some sort of code, he asked the traveler to bring the symbols to John, who was better at deciphering ancient languages. He then gave them a map of the Phantom Forest, which he had taken from Taggrin, in order to help the traveler traverse through the forest faster.

(A/N: There’s a small mistake in this storyline, which is that it forgets to reveal that Jack had actually won the map fairly in a game of Omok against Taggrin. When you meet Taggrin again, you have knowledge of this, as there’s a dialogue option in which you tell him that you know the truth, but Jack never explicitly tells it to us.)

The traveler returned to John and told him about their meeting with Jack. John read through Jack’s notes and realized that the symbols were strangely familiar, even though he had never seen them before. When he asked where Jack had come across the writing, the traveler explained that Jack had been imprisoned by the evil Grandmasters of the Keep, and that the symbols may hold a clue as to their plans.

John attempted to use his leftover Hyper Glyphs, but when they returned gibberish, he asked the traveler to show the symbols to the other experts of the city while he continued attempting to translate them himself. The traveler then asked Elpam Gorlab about the symbols, who immediately went white and explained that the symbols were letters of the Versalian alphabet.

When the traveler explained that they had found the symbols in Crimsonwood Keep, Elpam told them that it was something that he and other Versalians had feared. Though the message was only written in fragments, with some portions incorrectly transcribed by Jack, Elpam translated the message as, “…acquire immediately… Noille Nalle… remains… chamber… key… city… new… Village Sapp… center incarnadine of… place resting… learned spies my…”

The confused traveler asked Elpam what it meant, to which he explained that the Noille Nalle was known to the Versalians as the Star of Night, a cursed object that had brought misery to their realm. Though he was unsure about the rest, Elpam urged the traveler to return the translated letter to John as soon as possible.

The traveler brought the letter to John and explained that it was written in Versalian. As John skimmed through the translation, he noted that “Village Sapp” likely referred to Old Sapp Village, or perhaps even New Leaf City, which had been built upon its ruins. He also noted that “incarnadine” was another word for “crimson”, causing him to realize that the message was actually backwards, with “center incarnadine” actually referring to “Crimsonheart”.

Filling in the blanks, John roughly read that the letter actually said, “My spies have learned that the resting place of Crimsonheart is in Olde Sapp Village.” However, he was surprised that the writer of the message knew about Crimsonheart’s grave, which John had only recently discovered. Just then, he realized that the robots which he had borrowed from Foxwit to help him translate the symbols in the MesoGears had likely been sabotaged by the one who had written the letter, which explained why the robots had gone haywire.

(A/N: Like I mentioned before, the robots were sabotaged by Dr. Krakia, the nemesis of Professor Foxwit, who has an alter ego that gets revealed later on. I believe that Dr. Krakia was first mentioned in the Turkey Commando event for Thanksgiving.)

Looking through the rest of the message, John translated it as, “…new city… the key to its chamber…” Though he wasn’t sure about the key or which chamber it was in, he noted that the final words, “acquire immediately”, were ominous and signified that there was something in the MesoGears that bore significant importance to someone.

When the traveler asked why Crimsonheart’s grave would be important, John replied by asking why such a central figure in Masterian legend would have such a simple headstone. He then wondered whether the grave led to the chamber, or perhaps served as the key. While he worked on learning more about the MesoGears, John asked the traveler to return to Jack with the translation and bring him up to speed about what they had learned. He also told them to let Jack know that he was right about Subani’s influence in the MesoGears, explaining that Jack would know what he meant. (A/N: When he says that “he was right”, he means that he, John, was right.)

The traveler returned back to the Phantom Forest and set off for the Keep. On their way, they ran into Taggrin and his camp. The traveler then revealed to Taggrin that Jack wasn’t just a treasure hunter, but rather, he was hoping to learn the mystery behind Masteria’s disappearance. This intrigued Taggrin, who asked what Jack had learned.

The traveler explained that Jack had been captured by the corrupted warriors of the Keep, though he had managed to escape before investigating what the evil Grandmasters were up to. They also told Taggrin that they knew that Jack had won the map fairly in a game of Omok, and that Jack had taken it because his mission was so pressing.

Impressed by Jack’s fortitude in reaching the Keep, Taggrin conceded that he had behave irrationally because of how competitive he got over Omok. He was then surprised when the traveler returned the map to him and considered it an honorable gesture. To reward their trustworthiness, Taggrin decided to explain who he and his camp were. He revealed that they were the Raven Ninja Clan, and that they hailed from an island called the Isle of Vigilance off the northern shore of Masteria.

He explained that the clan traced its lineage back to the Shadowknights guild, and so they considered the Keep their ancestral home. He told the traveler that their clan was investigating the reason for Masteria’s disappearance and return, which he believed was related to what Jack was investigating at the Keep. He then gave the map to the traveler, believing that Jack may have been right to entrust them with it.

Taggrin then asked the traveler if they had encountered the Elder Wraiths in the forest, noting that they were as strong in death as they had been in life. When the traveler expressed confusion, Taggrin realized that he had never told them about how the war that he had mentioned during their last meeting had ended. He explained that even in spite of the unparalleled skill of the Keep’s soldiers, the sheer numbers of Krakians had proved to be a relentless, insurmountable force, dragging the war out for ten years before the Krakians ultimately overwhelmed the Keep.

Without proper burials, the heroes of the Keep who had fallen in battle had become mindless undead monsters, doomed to wander the site of their demise. Believing that it was unforgivable for honorable warriors to sacrifice their lives without receiving their dues, Taggrin asked the traveler to collect the ashes of the fallen, so that he could give the warriors their proper last rites in the hope that just as with the seeds of the Phantom Trees, it would break their cycle of suffering. After bringing the ashes to Taggrin, the traveler was recognized as an honorary clan member.

With their newfound status, the traveler asked to learn more about the clan. Taggrin explained that the Shadowknights had kept a secluded stronghold called the Watchtower, which they had used in conjunction with their guild hall in the Keep. When the Krakians had driven out the guilds from the Keep, the Shadowknights had retreated to the Watchtower, which no one but their guild knew how to reach, and had continued their fight to retake the Keep. From there, they had launched many missions to try to discover the inexplicable reason behind the Krakians’ attack.

Several months after the fall of the Keep, a heroine named Lireni had led a band of her fellow Shadowknights into the Krakian Jungle, where they reached the Krakians’ hidden city, the Polis of Krakia. There, she had discovered that the Krakians had been corrupted by a mysterious man known as the Alchemist. (A/N: The Alchemist is the same one responsible for creating the Headless Horseman.)

Lireni had returned to the Watchtower, and though it was unknown whether the Shadowknights ever discovered the identity of the Alchemist, they had been unable to take action, as one moonless night, a massive vortex had appeared in the skies above Masteria, followed by a blinding flash of light, after which the entire continent had vanished.

The disappearance of Masteria had caused massive tsunamis, which had destroyed nearby villages and even much of the Watchtower, resulting in the destruction of many ancient Shadowknight records and relics. Following the disaster, the Shadowknights had splintered into different groups, with only a few following the ancient code, such as the Raven Ninja Clan. Taggrin likened themselves to ravens that watched over the departed, swearing to watch the sea for the return of Masteria, and to discover the reason behind its disappearance.

The traveler then returned to the Keep and met with Jack, who was surprised to learn about Crimsonheart’s grave being the key to something important. He noted that it was strange that such an influential figure had no mentions of having a grand funeral. However, he also noted that Crimsonheart had been known for his humility, which may have accounted for him having a simple grave. However, he wondered why the Grandmasters didn’t have knowledge about Crimsonheart’s grave, to which the traveler asked why the ancient Grandmasters would even understand Versalian.

Jack then realized that the Grandmasters whom he had met were actually Versalian, and not the ancient masters of Masteria whom he had initially believed them to be. When he wondered how Versalians could have arrived in Masteria, the traveler pointed out that Elpam Gorlab had recently arrived in New Leaf City and supposed that others like him could have followed. However, Jack told the traveler that intradimensional travel required immense power, meaning that the Versalians were either inherently powerful or they had the help of a powerful being.

Suddenly, he realized that all the Versalian soldiers training at the Keep in the style of the ancient guilds was likely part of their plan to attack New Leaf City and reach Crimsonheart’s grave. After considering it, Jack concluded that the only way to stop the attack was to defeat the Versalian Twisted Masters masquerading as the four Grandmasters. Though they would need an army of soldiers of their own, Jack told the traveler that they would first need to find a way to get past the energy field blocking the Inner Sanctum.

In order to get past the field, the traveler sought out Lukan and revealed that the twisted soldiers were part of a Versalian army. The term ‘Versal’ sounded familiar to Lukan, who briefly had glimmers of memory related to it, causing him to wonder whether he had been there himself, though the memory quickly faded. Nevertheless, Lukan told the traveler that he had a Keystone for the Inner Sanctum Gate, as his position often required him to help the Grandmasters.

He offered to give the Keystone to the traveler if they could first weaken the Keep’s defenses. After they cleared out the Versalian soldiers, Lukan gave them the Keystone, though he told the traveler that they would still need to find a way to disable to energy field. The traveler returned to Jack and gave him the Keystone, after which he promised to keep looking into the energy field.

(A/N: This marks the end of the original Phantom Forest storyline. This next part is the storyline for the Crimsonwood Keep PQ. Unfortunately, this content was removed from the game and I’ve only found one source in my thorough search of the Internet that shows any dialogue because everyone else was dumb and held spacebar during the whole thing. However, even that video had some skipped parts, and so keep in mind that this section unfortunately doesn’t cover 100% of the whole thing.

Crimsonwood Keep PQ was removed from the game shortly before Masteria Through Time came out because they said that they wanted to redesign it with the new aesthetic. While they promised to open it up again soon™, it’s been over six years and we’re all still waiting like clowns. Before starting the PQ, the party leader needed to have twelve Crimson Hearts, which were dropped from the nearby Crimson Guardian monsters. It could be done in a group of 10-20 people and you would need at least two members of each job, preferably one from each branch of that job.)

The traveler soon gathered a band of allies and entered Crimsonwood Keep with Jack. The group then made their way into an old storage room in a different wing of the Keep. Jack explained that he had read about such types of rooms, some of which had been sealed because of the nature of the magical artifacts within them, which were either too dangerous or impractical for training.

He noted that the old Grandmasters must have left a way to get in and out of the area and soon discovered a Sigil, which he explained was a major part of the Keep. He told the group that the Antellion made many things possible, from providing the energy to power the Keep, to opening portals to other dimensions for training, to imbuing certain warriors with incredible power.

He explained that Crimsonheart was the one who had understood the Antellion the best, and though he had vanished long ago, knowledge of certain ways to use the Antellion had been passed down through the ages. Eventually, Ridley, the master Elite Mage, had been granted permission to study the Antellion, with which he created artifacts that would be useful to the Keep, of which the Sigils were some of the most notable.

(A/N: Ridley actually appears in the Crimsonheart Castle theme dungeon as a statue and helps you evacuate the demon children trapped inside. KMS lifted many Masteria assets from GMS and implemented them in the Tynerum storyline.)

The traveler and their allies then worked together to activate the Sigils while avoiding the Menhirs, using specific skills of their jobs in order to activate them.Eventually, the group made it to the Grandmaster Council Hall and faced the Twisted Masters. After a fierce battle, the Versalian warriors were defeated, allowing the group to enter the Inner Sanctum.

(A/N: The Twisted Masters also drop an equippable pendant called the Mark of Naricain, which proves their allegiance to him. The original four Twisted Masters were Red Nirg the warrior, Margana the magician, Rellik the bowman, and Hsalf the thief. True to Versal being a mirror dimension to Maple World, the names of the Twisted Masters were Grin Der (Grinder), Anagram, Killer, and Flash. After the release of pirates, a fifth Twisted Master was added: Nagrom, whose name backwards is Morgan, which is a reference to the Welsh privateer, Captain Henry Morgan.)

Inside, they discovered a map of Masteria, which had arrows tracing a path from the Keep to New Leaf City, as well as a hologram of Naricain.

(A/N: Naricain appears as a large demonic beast with a mane, six arms, and a tail, which is quite unlike his boring human appearance in the revamp.)

Jack then found several Versalian foods, such as Sugar-Coated Olives and Ssiws Cheese, leading him to believe that he was right about the Twisted Masters being from Versal. He then noted that if the Twisted Masters were so powerful, then their master had to be even more terrifying. Based on the map in the room, he realized that the Versalians were indeed fixated on Crimsonheart’s grave, though he couldn’t be sure of what kind of secret it held.

The traveler then brought up Dr. Krakia, Foxwit’s nemesis, and asked about his role. Jack noted that there were many legends surrounding the fabled Polis of Krakia and the Alchemist, whom the Krakians had worshipped long ago, and wondered whether Dr. Krakia and the Alchemist could be the same person.

The traveler then told Jack that they had heard voices throughout the mission, to which he explained that he had also heard a voice, which had helped him escape his imprisonment by the Twisted Masters, and that the same voice had brought him from Aqua Road to Masteria, with John having noted similar voices in his letters. Based on their experiences, Jack wondered whether there was someone looking out for them.

The traveler then returned to Icebyrd and asked him for more answers, as they still felt as though he was keeping something hidden. Icebyrd told the traveler that he often wondered about the paths that people took and whether they were fated to make the same mistakes across history. He told the traveler that that very question was what had led to his sacrifice in establishing New Leaf City, and that he had been sworn to secrecy until the truth could be revealed.

Because of the traveler’s actions in protecting Masteria, Icebyrd decided to tell them the full truth. He explained that long ago, he had woken up in a different place, and that a being of light that called itself Subani had offered him the chance to stop the coming reign of terror. Subani had explained that a mystic anchor was needed to bring a fabled lost continent from Versal, a world which could not be helped, as the being that threatened it was too powerful. However, the sole condition for the deal was that Icebyrd could never leave Masteria, to which he had agreed without hesitation.

He explained that when he used to live in Kerning City, he once had a nightmare in which he had seen everything in Maple World working in a twisted sense of order, with everyone having a vacant look upon their face as the sky had turned black. He had also seen a terrifying beast with endless arms, pure misery that had taken over the world, and his friends enslaved to the beast, as well as Subani’s voice telling him that he could stop it.

Icebyrd had then been teleported to Masteria, which had been restored by Subani, who had helped him construct the city, with Subani’s light growing dimmer as the city grew. Upon its completion, Subani had ordered Icebyrd to never tell a soul about what had happened until the time was right, and to act as though he knew nothing. Subani had then vanished, promising to return when he was needed the most. Icebyrd then told the traveler that they had the strength, courage, and honor to be a new hero of Masteria, and to face the coming storm.

(A/N: It’s implied that this voice belongs to Subani. There’s a similar concept echoed in the new Masteria lore regarding Subani and his guiding light. This also marks the end of both the Crimsonwood Keep PQ and the last Masteria arc released in the game. PirateIzzy reached out to NxProse over LinkedIn and asked him about his drafts for the next expansion in the Masteria storyline, which he was gracious enough to answer. He shared a summary of his ideas, which I’ve serialized as best as I could. It’s pretty barebones, since we just have the plot summary, but I’ll try to include relevant details in the author notes and link the original post in case anyone’s interested in hearing it in NxProse’s own words.)

Professor Foxwit reached out to the traveler and asked them to find his assistant, Gori. The traveler went deep into the jungles and discovered him inside the Polis of Krakia. Gori revealed that Foxwit, having gone senile in his old age, would always forget his real name, Rogi. Rogi explained that he wanted to keep Masteria safe by calibrating the continent to remain anchored. In order to do so, he asked the traveler to activate the various beacons around the jungle.

(A/N: These beacons are actually the various pods and technological structures scattered in the background of the Masteria maps, which now become interactable with this update.)

The traveler successfully activated the beacons while fighting off the Taru spirits throughout the jungle and returned back to Rogi, who thanked the traveler and directed them to the final beacon. Upon arriving, however, the traveler encountered an enormous cybernetically-enhanced jungle ape named K.K. After a difficult battle, the traveler managed to stun K.K. and flee, though the enraged ape continued roaming the jungle in order to find them.

(A/N: K.K. is actually a boss fight meant to be undertaken in a party. After he roams the jungle, he becomes a field boss like the Headless Horseman and Bigfoot, although you can only stun him for items that are meant to come from those who weren’t as lucky, as K.K. is unkillable. K.K. is likely also a reference to King Kong.)

Having escaped, the traveler decided to confront Rogi about why he had led them into a trap. They returned back to the Polis, where they entered his hut and discovered a disguise, a strange device, and a note written in Versalian. They took the note to Foxwit, who asked them to bring it to Elpam Gorlab for him to translate. Upon reading the note, Elpam was horrified and told the traveler that the note said, “Continent now ready for transport, Master. Reporting back to Octoplex.”

Elpam asked the traveler where they had obtained the note, and upon learning that it had come from Rogi, Elpam revealed that Rogi was the loyal servant of the Alchemist, and that Rogi’s name would actually be reversed as Igor in Maple World. The shocked traveler then returned to Foxwit and told him what they had learned. Foxwit realized that Rogi was the assistant of Dr. Krakia, meaning that the Alchemist and Dr. Krakia were indeed one and the same.

Foxwit asked the traveler to revisit the beacons that they had activated in order to learn what Rogi had really planned with them. The traveler returned to the jungle and fought past the Taru spirits before checking the status of several beacons. Upon reporting back, the traveler was told by Foxwit that Rogi had lied to them about anchoring Masteria, and that the traveler had really calibrated the exact position of the continent for the Alchemist and Naricain to transport Masteria back to Versal. He explained that Naricain would have his army use Masteria as a staging ground, after which the continent would be teleported back to Maple World for their invasion to begin.

Horrified at what they had done, the traveler resolved to make up for their actions by stopping the Alchemist. In order to learn more about the Krakian Jungle and the Octoplex, Foxwit asked the traveler to speak with Corine. Corine gave the traveler a token that would allow for safe passage through the jungle and told them to go back to the Polis of Krakia, where all would be revealed.

The traveler then returned to Rogi’s hut and turned on a strange machine that they found there. This freed five Taru spirits who appeared before the traveler. The spirit of the Taru Chief explained that they had been attacking the traveler earlier because they knew about the true purpose of the beacons, which had wiped the Taru out, and so they had believed that the traveler was an enemy when they had tried to activate them.

After presenting the token and explaining what had really happened, the traveler was marked as an ally. The spirits then agreed to help the traveler find the Octoplex, though they warned that the Krakiatoa, the ultimate weapon which had destroyed Crimsonwood Keep, awaited them inside. The traveler then proceeded deeper into the jungle, where they discovered the Krakian army. Battling through the strange warriors, they discovered the entrance to the Octoplex, which recognized that they were not Versalian and thus denied them entry.

Puzzled, the traveler returned to Foxwit and Elpam, who came up with a plan for the traveler to disguise themselves. The traveler then returned to the Phantom Forest and collected gear from the Versalian soldiers, which they then took to Magatia in order to synthesize. In Magatia, the traveler spoke to Dr. DeLang, who revealed that the Alchemist was a time traveler who had learned from the most powerful scientists and magicians in history, from Professor Foxwit to the Black Magician himself.

(A/N: Dr. De Lang is an alchemist whom you meet during the Magatia town quests. The Magatia town quests also told the story of the Black Magician, an evil wizard who had ruled Ossyria for hundreds of years. The Black Magician and his story were later adapted into the Black Mage when the main story of the game began. It’s revealed in the Magatia town quests that the town was build atop the Black Magician’s laboratory.

The main story takes this idea and retcons it into the laboratory of the Black Mage, although the town quests still call it the Black Magician’s laboratory. During the Magatia town storyline, we end up finding Dr. De Lang’s journal, which contains some information on the Black Magician. GMS actually made an addition to one of the journal’s pages to include a reference to a secret disciple of the Black Magician, which was meant to tie into the lore about the Alchemist.)

Dr. De Lang also explained that the Alchemist had allied himself with Naricain in a bid to reverse the destruction of his world. In particular, his plan involved the Antellion, whose immense power had been responsible for teleporting Masteria to Versal a millennium ago. However, Subani had intervened and had made the deal with Icebyrd to return Masteria to Maple World before the Alchemist could finish his research.

DeLang also revealed that the Antellion was only one of the two items that the Alchemist needed to restore his world, with the second item, still unknown, being located at the grave of Christopher Crimsonheart. After Dr. De Lang synthesizing the Versalian gear, the traveler used it to fool the sensors and enter the Octoplex.

(A/N: This next portion would need a minimum of four people and a maximum of twenty, although the group can only enter in subgroups of four people. The Octoplex would have been a special party quest that has eight random stages out of 32, with each having a different challenge required to unlock the Launch Site corridor for the next part of the story. The challenges would also change every week.)

After infiltrating the Octoplex and entering the Launch Site, the traveler encountered the Krakiatoa, a gigantic robot which had destroyed the Keep.

(A/N: This boss fight would start at the Launch Site and then teleport us around to special versions of the Masteria maps, from the Krakian Jungle to New Leaf City, then to Crimsonwood Mountain, then to Crimsonwood Keep, and finally to the Heart of the Keep, the place where the Antellion is been kept. The players would need to beat each of Krakiatoa’s forms on the different maps as it tries to obtain the Antellion and fails, as well as to destroy each piece as it crashes into the Octoplex.)

Upon destroying Krakiatoa, the traveler encountered the Alchemist himself, who was furious at their meddling.

(A/N: The fight with the Alchemist would have taken place on one map. The Alchemist would have had the usual AoE attacks, weapon/magic cancel, damage reflect, etc. However, his time travel and dimensional travel abilities would allow him to summon any four of the following bosses at once: the Twisted Masters, Black Crow, the third job advancement instructor clones, Manon, Griffey, Papulatus, Ergoth, Bigfoot, and K.K.

At half health, Rogi would enter the fight and begin shooting a large laser cannon that the players would have to dodge. At 75%, 50%, and 25% health, the Alchemist would warp us to a different prison map. He’d send us to Aqua Road at 75% health, then Crimsonwood Mountain at 50% health, and then a dark dimension at 25%. In the prison maps, we would need to find and destroy an anchor in a limited amount of time to escape.

After the Alchemist is defeated, he reverses time and drops the player into his sanctum, where the reward chests are, while he escapes somewhere else for us to challenge again once a day.)

Upon defeating the Alchemist, the traveler emerged at the Launch Site and returned back to New Leaf City, where they reported their success to Foxwit. Foxwit told them that he would research on finding a way to break the Alchemist’s time travel abilities and asked the player to continue defeating the Alchemist until he could find a solution.

Soon after, the traveler discovered the Isle of Vigilance, which contained the ruins of the Shadowknights’ Watchtower, and encountered Unife, the leader of the Raven Ninja Clan. Unife told the traveler that the clan had found a strange temple in the woods, but they didn’t have the numbers to mount an assault, as the Dragon Ninja Clan had additional reinforcements and strange new powers.

(A/N: We don’t know much about the Dragon Ninja Clan at this time, aside from speculation that they’re a splinter group of the Shadowknights that didn’t adhere to their original mission.)

The traveler then infiltrated the Temple of the Elementals and found a captured Rafael.

(A/N: NxProse actually wrote Raphael, although I believe that this is actually a typo. Rafael is the mage who stopped the Headless Horseman by enchanting him to go on an eternal search for his head.)

After the traveler defeated the leaders of the Dragon Ninja Clan, True Ocelot and True Phoenix, Rafael led them to the Chamber of the Antellion, where he decided to become its guardian. He then offered to show them just how powerful Naricain was and gave them a single-use device, which he told them to use after defeating the Alchemist once again.

Upon using it, the traveler was teleported to Versal, where they encountered Elpam Gorlab’s father, the leader of the Versalian Resistance against Naricain. However, before Elpam’s father could warn them, the traveler was drained of nearly all their vitality and their armor disappeared. (A/N: What actually happens is that your whole party’s HP/MP gets drained and your items get unequipped.)

Terrified, Elpam’s father summoned Subani, who cast a spell on the traveler to send them back to Maple World. However, the instant that he succeeded, Crushmom appeared and leapt at Elpam’s father, leaving his fate unknown. (A/N: Crushmom’s story was told in the Versalmas event. According to NxProse, Crushmom would basically be a black and red version of Mushmom.)

Back in Maple World, the traveler returned to Rafael and told him that they now understood the magnitude of the threat that they faced. Knowing that Naricain would stop at nothing to obtain the Antellion, the traveler realized that they would need Crimsonheart’s help to aid the Versalian Resistance in defeating Naricain.

Rafael then revealed that he had discovered Crimsonheart’s location, and that he needed Foxwit to build a device to bring Crimsonheart from across time to the present. He explained that Crimsonheart’s grave was a portal that led to a new land where he had been last seen, and that once the traveler found Crimsonheart, they could have him lead an all-out assault on Versal.

(A/N: Unfortunately, this is where the writeup ends. NxProse mentions that Versal, as a ruined parallel dimension, was going to be a twisted version of the most popular Maple World maps. It also would’ve spanned multiple acts to weaken Naricain over time before we would finally be able to kill him. The war against Naricain would’ve required us to kill his anchors and totems, with the final fight being released in an update that he had named “Shadow of Versal”. I really wish that we could’ve gotten the whole story, but I’m at least glad that we got to learn more from NxProse, although it just leaves me wanting more.

With that, here are all the links that I compiled about the old lore of Masteria:

PirateIzzy’s playlist of the old Masteria stories (featuring their new Masteria story counterparts)

IsaacGS’s megathread of old MapleStory storylines (including NLC, Haunted House, and the Headless Horseman)

IsaacGS’s summary of Masteria factions

PirateIzzy’s post about NxProse’s original drafts

SlipySlidy’s post containing interview transcripts from the Masteria writing team

MetaSeraphim’s post containing screenshots of Masteria quest dialogue (some of the embedded images don’t appear anymore)

Saught’s video on Versalmas

Saught’s video on the original Haunted House (Prendergast Mansion) storyline

Saught’s video on Tynerum vs Masteria (Not strictly on old Masteria but still kinda related)

Masteria Concept Art 1

Masteria Concept Art 2

Masteria Concept Art 3)