Thex Dagger era isn't correct (Should be October 1999 only)

[Dolalin]

I've stumbled across evidence of when the Thex Dagger quest was patched into the game, and when it was removed. Both seem to have happened in October 1999.

Source for introduction:


Wednesday October 6, 1999 - 3:50pm PST

If you wish to get the newly added Thex Dagger, Sasbian Montar of Fennin Ro submitted the Quest information upon it.

Site Additions:
Quests: Thex Dagger

http://web.archive.org/web/20010414012641/http://graffe.com/home/archive_100199.htm


Source for removal (I found it in the Yahoo mailing lists, though these are now only archived in my github repo, Yahoo has wiped them):


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Message ID: 8668
Date: Thu Oct 14 15:46:35 BST 1999
Author: Mike Roach
Subject: Patch downtime again this morning (Thursday)


Anyone know what the purpose of today's patch is yet?

Also, I noticed a strange hovering door in Highkeep last night in the main
entryway courtyard when you first come in that must be some kind of bug and
the High Elf who starts the Thex Dagger quest was gone and my "Princess
Lenya's Amulet" had its name and graphic changed to "Thex charm" or
something like that.

I also have a question, I finally have some plat saved up to where I can
begin to buy some steel armor to replace my ugly bronze until I can start
moving forward to Lambent so does anyone know if I can find size "medium"
steel plate armor for sale in either Freeport or Qeynos? I know it is sold
in Kelethin but I am not sure if you can find it at these other cities.

-Faras

https://github.com/dbsanfte/eq-archives/blob/master/mailing-lists/eqbards/8668.json


Hopefully this will now be correct for Green 2.0 :)

[Dolalin]

Another newsgroup source for the October addition:


10/13/99

Please explain the relation between the Thex Dagger quest and the Fiery
Avenger.

Are you people desperate enough to relate any new appearing quest item as FA
related? ;)

f.

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.games.everquest/GV0HDX0SiEg/TeCJmexx5hwJ

[planarity]

I may be missing something, but it seems entirely possible (probable?) that the quest is only "newly added" to graffe's compendium of quests, and not to the game itself.

[Dolalin]

Newsgroup post on October 13th 1999 also refers to it as "newly appearing", so it's not just Graffe's.

[cubiczar]

At the very least your timeline is off by a week and possibly more.

EverLore_Item_Page (https://web.archive.org/web/20000302122235/http://www.everlore.com/items/items.asp?mode=show&IID=23703)

one of the first comments:

--Submited by: Zurren Malig On: 9/29/1999 5:39:58 PM
Just bought one on tribunal from a fellow gnome for 50pp... She said it was the product of a long quest. Nice weapon for ranged slot!

There is also someone talking about keeping the details secret and that they have been selling them for between 80-150pp. Given the time to run the quest (also that it was partially broken) and when the comment was made (9/30) I'd say the quest probably didn't drop the day before, but that is speculation.

The closest patch notes that mention general quests being added are from 6/7/99 so I'd put that as a more reasonable guess as to when the quest was added although it's pretty tough to rule out it being in game from the beginning given how broken it was.

I've tried to find bestiary lists from before October but haven't really had any luck, I would think if you could find out when Tearon was added or if he was there all along that would give a better idea of when the quest came in.

[Dolalin]

Okay, yes it looks like I'm wrong about October then.

I'll dig some more, but everything still points to this being a "new" addition around September/October based on comments in your links and mine. Verant patched in new quests all the time without announcing them.

[nilbog]

Has there been any updated research on this topic?

[Vanifac]

A bit of a timeline on the gamestats HHP page that agrees that the quest/item had a very short lifetime. It seems to have released buffed, then was fixed sometime in September, I'm leaning towards the Sept 28 patch. Then changed to be the Silent Watch quest.

Possibly added on the July 27 Patch:
https://web.archive.org/web/20001206022800/http://www.eqtrade.com/cgi/news.pl?id=5
- A number of quests have been both enhanced and added.

Alla shows Highkeep was updated a ton through the next month (but so was everything I guess)
https://web.archive.org/web/20000107205803/http://everquest.gamestats.com/Update_0799.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20010208142455/http://everquest.allakhazam.com/archives/Update_0899.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/19990908230751/http://everquest.gamestats.com:80/quests/Q_HHKeep.htm
Snapshot date - Sept 8 1999
He then gives you an amulet to take back to Princess Lenya (who was supposed to have vanished), but all she says when she accepts it is "the quest is in fact broken there."

https://web.archive.org/web/19991013001029/http://everquest.gamestats.com:80/quests/Q_HHKeep.htm
Snapshot date - Oct 13 1999
Your reward for the bringing him the letter is a Thex Dagger.

https://web.archive.org/web/20011224185756/http://everquest.allakhazam.com/archives/Update_1199.html
Snapshot date - Nov 11 1999 - Referring to the new Silent Watch Shield version.
I also put up what I have been able to gather together about the new Princess Lenya quest

https://web.archive.org/web/19991122011358/http://everquest.gamestats.com:80/quests/Q_HHKeep.htm
Snapshot date - Nov 22 1999
https://web.archive.org/web/19991122011358/http://everquest.gamestats.com/quests/Q_HHKeep.htm