I believe that there is sufficient evidence to prove that the option to travel from Amoria to NLC using the scroll was not a bug at the time of NLC's Return Scroll release, GMS had various traveling tricks and it is very much unlike them to implement something as specific as "Return to New Leaf City Scroll" and for it to just be a useless aesthetic thing, and also for there to be a town (Amoria) which is completely unrelated to any continent - and the only map along with NLC that don't show up on the world map) I believe that the original thinking behind this scroll was to have players that 'think outside the box' figure out the connection between the towns and be able to use the scroll. Back in 2020 there was this post - https://royals.ms/forum/threads/nlc-return-scroll-can-be-used-in-amoria.157038/ that got the ability to travel from Amoria to NLC removed. I believe it was seen as a bug and got fixed without looking deeper into? Or maybe people are unaware of the lore and connection between Amoria and NLC. Or maybe because the Masteria continent lore ended abruptly with tons of content (already written stories) that were never developed and released because the writer suddenly quit the company mid-project. It is confirmed that NLC is located on the continent Masteria along with only one other town - Amoria, a claim to which I will be providing proof in this post: 1. Jack Masque You've probably seen Jack Masque in NLC (Above the subway portal), who is a character from Amoria, the only outsider character in NLC happens to be from Amoria, and not by coincidence. He talks about how he is competing for the love of Princess Restless against another Prince (Prince Vince), and while out on their first date they were attacked by a spider , and afterwards he casted himself out of Amoria, started calling himself Prince Bandit (could be as a sarcastic self-joke to help deal with the pain) and swore to wear his mask until he can return to Amoria with honor, which confirms that the wolf spider attack happened in Amoria, which already confirms that Amoria and NLC are in fact on the same land - Masteria (as wolf spiders cannot buy subway tickets - duh). But wait, how do we know that the spider which attacked them on their first date was a wolf spider? Well, I'm glad you asked, he later asks you to eliminate 100 Wolf Spiders, "Which should ensure that this never happens again" Also when finishing the quest he says "Fantastic! I'll be able to face her again without worrying if one of those pesky Wolf Spiders will spoil the moment" That already pretty much cements the relationship between Amoria and NLC, and confirms that they are both in Masteria, plus the fact that Jack Masque was placed right above the subway portal for everyone who enters NLC to see straight away, was not a coincidence. 2. John Barricade I was unable to do the quest since I've already done it but I found this reference: https://thestoryofmaple.squarespace.com/original-masteria-storyline "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." Meaning that John is also capable of traveling around Masteria and has encountered The Glimmer Man while traveling the forests of Amoria 3. The Glimmer Man The Glimmer Man is regularly seen traveling between Amoria (APQ) and NLC, implying their close geographical proximity (Same continent - Masteria) and further cementing the lore of NLC and Amoria. I have yet to figure out the specifics of the lore on this one, though if I understand correctly, his lore wasn't fully developed yet in the times before the big bang. 4. Professor Foxwit Professor Foxwit's brief mention of Amoria: "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." Reference - https://thestoryofmaple.squarespace.com/original-masteria-storyline Though could be unrelated, the amount of instances where Amoria is mentioned throughout NLC leads me to believe that this is yet again, not a coincidence. (though I couldn't figure out the exact connection on this one) ------- As you know, there aren't many plot holes in the story of Maplestory(if at all), and npc's and places don't get mentioned for no reason, especially considering how many times Amoria is mentioned in NLC. Masteria's (NLC, Amoria, Crimsonwood etc.) lore was never fully developed and was abandoned mid-way as the writer for the NLC story left the company and a ton of content for NLC was never used (that was supposed to be the continuation of the NLC, Masteria, Crimsonwood stories and Amoria's stories), that is why we don't have more concrete proof to the connection between Amoria&NLC and the continent of Masteria and that is also why Amoria remains this unexplained location with no explanation how it came to existence and which continent it is on, though what we have is more than enough to cement the connection, furthermore, the abrupt stop in Masteria's story is also the reason why most Maple Wiki sites do not place Amoria on any continent and some just lazily put Amoria in the continent of "Amoria" - which makes no sense. Bonus - though he didn't mention Amoria,(NxProse - the creator and writer of Masteria - in his response below, in the spoiler) most likely there was a different team in charge of creating and managing usable items, that created the NLC return scroll (to be used by "NLC experienced players" just like the ability to buy Magic Seeds for Leafre <>Ellinia Teleport), since there had to be a town created for wedding related things my assumption is that they did not want it to be completely detached from the maple world - they attached Amoria and NLC to the same continent - Masteria, either that or the connection to Amoria was indeed written by him but by a request from another team to connect Amoria to NLC, and so when recalling his creative work from 10+ years prior it probably just wasn't on top of his mind at the moment as much as other exciting stuff like story developments, mobs and bosses that were never released). Personally, I believe that that the plan was to create more Masteria towns and for experienced players to be able to reach NLC from remote locations i.e Orbis or Ariant, the same way you are able to reach the island of Zingapu (Japan, Thailand, China) from any main city I think that the plan was eventually to create an NPC in major cities to be able to teleport to Masteria, NxProse confirmed (in his response below) that he wanted to make transport from Masteria to Ariant available after completing a long quest (also imagine what Versal would look like - where Mushmoms are the strongest boss) I have now crossed into plausible fiction and the land of what could've been should've been but regardless, the fact that Amoria and NLC are both the only cities in Masteria, I think what would make sense for us right now at this moment is for experienced player to be able to reach NLC from Amoria, and have another mildly valuable (otherwise useless) Use Item to be introduced into the market, just like the Fruit Milk (tp to Showa Town from Shrine) Spoiler: NxProse's (Creator and writer of the Masteria story back then 15+ years ago response when questioned by a fan about the Masteria Story(around 2021) Originally Posted by Me Hello Mr. <NxProse>. I am writing to you because I wanted to say that I have played MapleStory on and off since 2007, and was always quite a fan of the Masteria story. I was directed toward your LinkedIn through a couple of folks that used the fansite Southperry.net back in its heyday, and was wondering if you were open to answer a couple of questions I had regarding Masteria. Thank you very much. Originally Posted by NxProse Hello, First, thanks for playing. Ive gotten asked this a lot over the years. And given its been 10+ years since I put the pen down for MS, it's time I answered. So, first, I viewed those areas as love letters to the games I played when I was younger. So just like CWK is an homage to one, Krakia would be to another. I regret not finishing that story. That was probably the worst feeling about leaving, was knowing the story was going to change. Bringing back memories and honestly, they've tried to remake this many times instead of just finishing the original story. Did they know where to continue? Yes. I left the next chapter (~20 pages, Krakia design, area, gameplay, party quest) and all 11 transition quests (ie Lukan gets his memory back) with the team when I left. C'est la vie. I actually wrote this out from memory way back. ...I suppose sharing the full details of the path untaken wouldn't hurt. So this was the plan: Biggest possible map with hidden puzzles to unlock sections (hidden item here to use inside Yetinx for special long stage passage to Ariant) Rotating Day/Night Maps "K.K" - Roaming Monster Weekly rotating 8 stage party quest 11-part boss fight w/variations ("Krakiatoa" + The Alchemist) Next Exchange Quest with Taru Spirits + Corrine ~37 quests ...and the story was something like this: The Polis of Krakia Part 1: Main idea was essentially one giant jungle, as in 1-2 of the biggest possible maps that could be made. The jungle has hidden entrances, shortcuts, etc, similar to Phantom Forest and Crimsonwood Mountains. Players would basically figure out a way to reach the town, The Polis of Krakia. The original quest to find the Polis is given by Foxwit, who asks you to find his assistant, Gori. Once you reached Krakia, the real quests would start, by 1 NPC, Rogi, who you question, and simply says Foxwit always forgets his name, being an old man. Rogi wants to help keep Masteria safe. However, to do this, he'd like to calibrate the continent so it stays anchored here. Remember all those random pods and futuristic structures in the background of the original Krakian Jungle? Those are now interactable, and you'd have to find and visit all of them to turn them on. Of course, this is made more difficult by 2 things: one, you have to find them, and two, the Taru Spirits are attacking you. After turning on 50 beacons, you'd report back to Gori, who'd give thanks and one last quest for beacon 51, in a special map in the jungle--you are advised to take friends. Once arriving at the area, you are confronted by the latest urban legend, K.K., a giant Jungle Ape with cyber-enhancements; he'd be around 120-150, and the whole point is to stun him so you can escape from his lair...and since you escaped, he now roams the jungle (similar to Bigfoot), looking for you. You can stun him for items (that come from others that weren't so lucky), but that's it; he's not killable. Now that you've escaped, there's only question--why did Gori/Rogi try to kill you? Upon reaching the Polis of Krakia again, you find Gori/Rogi has disappeared, but you can now enter his hut. Upon entering, you find a disguise, a strange device and a copy of a note written in gibberish, Versalian. Taking the note back to Foxwit, who sends you to Elpam, he translates it in horror: "Continent now ready for transport, Master. Reporting back to Octoplex". He asks you the name of the NPC, which you tell him. He says that this is The Alchemists' loyal servant, who in this world, would be known as Igor. He sends you back to Foxwit, who deduces that his assistant is no more, which is how he got the disguise, and that Igor is Dr.Krakia's assistant from their time together, which means that The Alchemist and Dr.Krakia are one and the same. He asks you to visit 5 of the beacons so he can assess what you really did. Upon going back to the jungle, you find the Taru continue to attack you. Going back to Foxwit and sharing your findings, he tells you that Rogi lied to you--you've calibrated the exact position for the continent for the Alchemist and Naricain to transport Masteria back to Versal; at which point he can invade the entire Maple World and take over. This is your mess, and there's only one way to clean it up: Find the Octoplex and Stop The Alchemist. Part 2: To learn more about the Jungle, Foxwit tells you to visit Corine, who may have some knowledge about the Taru and how to find the Octoplex. She gives you a token that allows safe passage through the jungle, and asks you to go back to the Polis, as things should become clear. You make it back to the jungle, and back to Rogi's hut, and turn on the machine. The Taru spirits, now freed, appear in the Polis, 5 Taru Spirits total. You speak with the Chief, who explains that they attacked you because they knew what the devices did, having seen them ages ago when they were wiped out. Once you explain your side, and give them the Token, they mark you as an ally, and say they will help you find the Octoplex. They also give a warning--the ultimate weapon that destroyed Crimsonwood Keep and ended the war is here, and is known as Krakiatoa. There would also be an exchange quest here, as well as other lore-driven activities and new bounties. Upon entering the jungle, you find a new enemy--the Krakian Army. Battling through their legions of strange warriors, you find the path that leads to the Octoplex and battle towards the front gate, only to be denied passage, as you are not Versalian. Going back to Foxwit & Elpam, they come up with a plan--you must head to Crimsonwood Mountain and collect items from the Versalian Army there to create a disguise that will fool the sensors. However, you will also need to synthesize the disguise in Magatia. In addition to that, you must have at least 4 friends, max of 20, help you--the groups always enter in 4's. Visiting Magatia and Dr. DeLang reveals the truth of the Alchemist--he is a time traveler, but much more. He's learned from the most powerful scientists and magicians in history, from the Black Mage to Foxwit, and has allied himself with Naricain in a bid to reverse the destruction of his world. A large part of this, is the Antellion, a crystal of immense power, and what he used to transport the continent the first time around. However, Subani and Icebyrd's deal snatched back the continent before he could finish his research. The Antellion is one of two items he needs to save his world, the second of these is located at the grave of Christopher Crimsonheart, still unknown. Upon collecting enough items and heading back to the Octoplex, you can now enter...and start the Party Quest. Party Quest: The Octoplex is really 8 random stages out of 32. You must complete a different challenge in each to unlock the Launch Site corridor. The challenges change every week. Upon finishing 8, you can now reach the Launch Site, which you can see the gigantic Robot known as Krakiatoa in the distance... Boss Fight - Krakiatoa The Krakiatoa Boss Fight takes place from the Launch Site to special versions of each NLC map--Krakian Jungle, NLC, Crimsonwood Mountains, to the Keep, to the Heart of the Keep, where the Antellion is. The idea being that players would beat each form on a different map both as it goes to get the Antellion and fails, and destroying each piece as it crashes into the Octoplex. But that leaves The Alchemist, who's alive, pissed, and the most dangerous boss to walk the face of Masteria. Boss Fight - Alchemist The Alchemist only has one human-sized form, and the fight takes place on one map. He can teleport, and uses both AoE killing spells and snares. But the real danger is his summons--due to his knowledge of time travel and dimensions, he can summon any 4 of the following bosses at once: Twisted Masters, Black Crow, 3rd Job Clones, Manon, Griffey, Pap, Ergoth, Bigfoot, K.K.. Rogi enters the fight when he's at half-health with basically, a giant laser cannon that you have to dodge. Every time he's drops 25%, he warps you to a prison--Aqua Road, Crimsonwood Mountain, and a dark dimension, where you must find the anchor, and destroy it to escape in limited time. Upon getting him to zero health, he reverses time and drops you in his sanctum (where the reward chests are). You emerge at the launch site again, and go talk to Foxwit. He explains, that essentially, he has to find a way to break The Alchemists' control over time, but until he can do that, you have to keep beating him. PQ can be done 1x a day at that point. Temple of the Elementals You visit the Isle of Vigilance and meet the Raven Ninja Clan leader, Unife. He tells you that that they have found a strange temple in the woods, but there aren't enough of them to mount as assault, as the Dragon Ninja Clan has additional reinforcements and strange new powers. Once you beat an infiltrate the temple, you find a captured Rapheal, who would then join the fight after you beat his captors, True Ocelot and True Phoenix, leaders of the Dragon Ninja Clan. He would finally lead you to the Chamber of the Antellion, where he would now stay as a guardian. He offers to give you a lesson of just how powerful Naricain currently is. He hands you a one-time use item that activates upon defeat of the Alchemist; which sends you to Versal. Upon landing in Versal, you are met by Elpam 's father, who leads the Resistance, and before he can warn you, the entire party is drained of all HP/MP and unequipped of all items. Elpam's father panics, and summons Subani, who casts a spell to send you back...and at the moment he succeeds, Crushmom shows up (the beast that "ate" the sun, basically black and red version of Mushmom) and leaps at Elpam's father... And you find yourself back in the Maple World, good as new. You return to Rapheal, and now that you know what you're up against, it's time to prepare--there's an entire world that needs to be freed, as Naricain will never stop his pursuit of the Antellion. And you can't do it without Crimsonheart. Rapheal has deduced his location, and needs Foxwit to build the device to bring him here, to your time. Once he's finished the device, you can pursue Crimsonheart, and bring him back to lead an all out assault on Versal. His grave is a portal that leads to a new land where he was last seen. And that's as far as I wrote, Versal was going to be a twisted version of the most popular maps in the game; and would've taken multiple acts to weaken Naricain and finally be able to kill him. The Realm of Versal would've been you killing his anchors and totems, and The Shadow of Versal would've been the final fight. Huge credit to @PirateIzzy (Reddit) for reaching out to NxProse himself, and getting us all of this amazing info and what could've become of Maplestory, because from what I understand and what everything points to, the Versal Universe crashing down (or attacking) Maple World , which was written by the original small team that wrote the stories for the original GMS we all love and its what should've happened instead of the Big Bang, though unfortunately the small team disbanded and NxProse ended up leaving the company right before the big bang and the expansion of Masteria (around 2008-2009) If you have further information about the lore feel free to reply!
Hello and good, I think there is also an unfinished story, according to what I heard in the GMS and KMS there is a warrior knight called Cristian o Cristopher Crimsonheart or something like that, also the tombs that are in specific places in NLC were never clarified, be it the haunted house and the Big Ben clock.
Thank you. You might enjoy NxProse's (The creator and writer for the Masteria content) response which I've added in the spoiler at the bottom of the post, he does mention Christopher Crimsonheart
Wow, awesome write-up. I love lore like this. Would be cool if they reverted that change as it would make NLC return scrolls somewhat less useless
Thank you for the kind words, also couldn't agree more, maybe even a Royals-Exclusive expansion on the Magatia Lore (though it's more than likely nothing more than wishful thinking as the staff is probably more focused on End-Game content at the moment.) Thank you.
