The Daily Diviner - Issue 125

TABLE OF​	CONTENTS​
Feature​	'Tis the Season for Store Releases​
Editorial​	A Wonderful Winter Waltz​
Server Spotlight​	Adventures and Assistance​
Lifestyle​	Cozy Indoor Activities​

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‘Tis the Season for Store Releases
Feature
Written by littledead
Edited by snotflower
​

Welcome, Daily Diviner readers, to the final issue of 2024! With the end of the year comes the release of the highly anticipated Winter Waltz Event. This year, our fantastic Store team has provided us with The Norse Store Releases to celebrate Winter Waltz at Galdrakademia. This release includes new items as well as returning seasonal releases.

To start out, we have the adorable yet wild looking Pet Squirrel! This new pet is the perfect companion for taking out on winter adventures.

Take a ride through the frigid air of Greenland on the new Viking Broom. This broom and matching Viking Shield Warp Key will give you the aura of a Viking warrior as you complete your quests.

Perhaps the most powerful of all, The Gungnir Staff, will aid your magical endeavors with its mystic ancient energy. With runes carved along its gold surface, there is no doubt in the strength of this fierce spear.

If you are looking for a more traditional holiday style, then check out the returning seasonal items. The Mistletoe Staff and Mistletoe Crown have more of an earthy, nature-inspired vibe.

For the snow lovers, we have the cozy Snow Beanie. This pairs well with the chilly Snowflake Staff and the precious Pet Baby Polar Bear. There are many more items to explore from this release, and a great place to try them out is in the In-Game Store!

Another great way to get into the spirit of the holidays is through Emotes. Two Holiday Emote packages are available through this release. Use these to wish your friends a Happy Holiday or a Happy New Year!

If your housing plot needs sprucing up for the season, consider the Winter Village Scenery. This quaint village makes for the perfect wintry setting for all of your housing projects.

Drooble’s Order also has some special seasonal additions! This includes winter-themed chat emojis and a snowflake icon that appears in both your prefix and tag. Subscription members also have access to the festive hat of the Headmaster and an exclusive Snow Join Effect.

There are a few featured items within this release you may have already seen on the store. This includes the Snow Globe Warp Key, Gingerbread Man Warp Key, and matching Pet Gingerbread Man. These items may be available year-round, but now is a great time to equip them for the holiday season!

Thank you again to the Store team for always providing us with high-quality and fun releases. Make sure to check out these items for yourself and celebrate the holidays with style. I hope you all have a wonderful Winter Waltz and a magical New Year!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

A Wonderful Winter Waltz
Editorial
Written by snotflower
Edited by Silquer
​

Welcome back to the Daily Diviner! As of Dec. 8, the Winter Waltz has been live, bringing students to the snowy school of Galdrakademia! With an intriguing story and a myriad of fun activities to complete, this event has something for everyone. Read on for a review of this year’s festivities!

There are seven main quests, which take players all around the school, learning about its history and customs. Joined by Kevin, you are brought to Galdrakademia in hopes of healing the Yggdrasil tree! I found these quests to be fascinating and enjoyed discovering all I could. Though many of the students and teachers at Galdrakademia are hostile at first, gaining their trust is a rewarding venture.

One of my favorite aspects of the event is that instead of using a wand, players are given a Galdrakademian gauntlet! Though there are only five basic spells in it, there are numerous advanced ones that can be cast via 2 and 3-spell combos. While it can be a challenge to learn the different combinations, memorizing them to cast complex magic is immensely satisfying.

Once players gain their gauntlet, they are invited to the Everleaf Guild, Galdrakademia’s very own dueling club. Here, you can fight nymphs as well as other players, collecting Sprouts to unlock various rewards. Though I am far from a dueler, it is still exciting to venture into the Grove, where danger lies in every corner.

For those that prefer training over player-vs-player, there are six side quests players can complete every 3 hours to hone their magic and gain extra Sprouts. My favorites are the two courses, which have players sprinting through winding tunnels, casting spells, and collecting coins for the highest score. Damage training is by far the most difficult, as it requires the memorization of spell combos—my current best is 2. I look forward to the moment I can finally beat that elusive score!

There are three other side quests around Galdrakademia that can be completed every 12 hours. My favorite is Granting a Wish, where players can make a gift box that they can open themselves or send to their friends. It is a delightful way to show my appreciation for those I value!

Between quests, there are five activities: Choco Hops card collecting, Frigid Fixing, Stargazing, Hide & Seek, and the daily Advent Calendar! Returning players may recognize many of these, as they have been a staple of the Winter Waltz Event for some years. Revisiting them every winter is always a nice reminder of how far we have come on the server!

As with every event, there are minigames players can complete, which include Elytra, Parkour, Ice Skating, and more! You can play them by visiting the stone circle of students from various wizarding schools, where there are many different options to choose from. My favorite is the Library Parkour, which has players hopping through the Galdrakademia library!

Rewards at the event are plentiful, with many returning exclusives as well as some new items! I am especially fond of the Present Headband Hat, as it looks cute atop anyone’s head. The Galdrakademia Magic Staff is another memorable item—though it is purely decorative, it is a lovely reminder of our time at the school.

Finally, the Galdrakademia build is gorgeous and a delight to explore. Many of the buildings are spread out; it can be quite the workout running from place to place! I especially enjoy the interior designs, which feel cozy and functional at the same time.

I hope this provided a helpful glimpse into this year’s Winter Waltz Event! There is much more I did not mention; be sure to check it out if you have not already. The event ends January 18th, so there is still plenty of time to play. Thank you for reading, and have a magical day!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Adventures and Assistance
Server Spotlight
Written by Silquer
Edited by snotflower
​

Hello, my dear readers, and welcome back to the Server Spotlight column! While wandering around the magical world, I began to reminisce over my adventures as a fourth-year student and the very first quests I accepted.

I was walking along the coastline and enjoying the sight of the sea when I entered Portstead, a lovely southern town that I always find to be comforting. At the time, I was brand new, and I was lucky to find someone willing to help me get acquainted with the town! A woman named Adela greeted me and told me about her famous pumpkin punch; finding the ingredients would certainly acquaint me with the surrounding area!

Thus, I was happy to help Adela find the ingredients for her delicious concoction. First, she directed me to a cave, where I was able to collect Flying Seahorse Wings, and then I took a long walk to the Pumpkin Farmer. The countryside near Portstead was stunning!

Once I gathered the ingredients and returned, I was able to help craft the delicious drink. It did not disappoint! I was given some gold for my troubles, but even without it would have been worth the effort!

It was during a trip to Edgebrook that I discovered my second quest: someone was in need of help, looking frantic on the doorstep of a windmill. I spoke to this person, who I now know to be Felix, who required the help of an adventurer.

Felix’s grandmother had fallen ill due to a snake’s bite and needed an antivenom. I would do my best to make one. This set off a chain of events that involved lots of wand magic, a bit of repairing, and some intense battling with the Thunderhawks to the north. With the antivenom made and activated, my work was done.

Felix’s grandmother made a full recovery! Although I received some gold for my help, knowing I was able to help Felix and his grandmother meant much more.

The final quest I accepted was quite by accident; in fact, I was walking through the countryside, enjoying the peaceful views in the midst of summer, when I came upon a familiar sight… the Dwelling! I went inside to speak with the residents, as I know they are always open to visitors, and found quite the sight.

The Dwelling looked a mess, to be polite; the matriarch of the family, Mary, was looking at her home in despair. I could not blame her: it appeared the house had been ransacked! Chairs were strewn on the floor, carpets disturbed, trinkets missing, and worst of all, the family clock appeared to have stopped its constant movement.

I spoke with Mary, and she confirmed that the wondrous clock was broken and could no longer predict the location of the family members. My eyes were also not amiss in noticing the missing family artifacts; it turned out that Nifflies were the cause of this mess, and they had stolen anything shiny in the vicinity as well!

Well, I could not let this stand. I agreed to help Mary restore the clock and return the family’s trinkets to their home. After some fighting and magic use that left me a bit singed, I returned to Mary with the required ingredients: Bark, Hobgoblin Bone, and Predictise Fur. With the clock fixed, I went back out to the Nifflies and retrieved the very important stolen items!

By the time I returned, Mary had cleaned up the rest of the house. For my troubles, I saw the house restored to its former cozy glory and also received a lovely handmade sweater!

It was wonderful to be able to help out people from all over the magical world. Go visit these places for yourself if you haven’t already; if you have, I hope this was a fun refresher! Happy travels!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Cozy Indoor Activities
Lifestyle
Written by Calliequeen
Edited by snotflower
​

Hello readers, and welcome back to the last Lifestyle article of the year! There is no better time to cozy up than winter. In this article, we will discuss some lovely indoor activities to keep the winter depression at bay during the harsh season.

Winter is a perfect time to try out some new recipes in the kitchen. With the oven on, extra warmth in your home, and the delicious aroma of a nice home-cooked meal, you’ll be wanting to bake all season.

A must-have recipe for the winter is a simple hot chocolate. Simply take a cup of water, ¼ cup of granulated sugar, 2 tbsp. of cocoa powder, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, and 1 cup of chocolate chips (or a chopped-up chocolate bar).

Just bring the milk to a simmer, whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder until there are no lumps left, and stir in the rest of the ingredients until it is nice and smooth. Cool before serving, and top with your favorite hot chocolate toppings.

If you are missing summer activities, s'mores can be easy to make indoors!

Get together the classic s’mores ingredients: graham cracker squares, chocolate bars- or chocolate chips and 12 jumbo marshmallows. Preheat your oven to high heat, take an oven-safe pan, lay the graham crackers out on the bottom, and add the chocolate and marshmallows on top. Pop it in the oven for just a few minutes until the marshmallows on top are golden brown, and let it cool before cutting into this s’mores pan.

Now that you have some yummy recipes squared out, you can put those snacks you just made to use for a movie marathon. When the wind is blowing outside and the ground is piled high with snow, it is the best time to get cozy in your warmest pajamas, some fuzzy socks, and a blanket on the couch. You can enjoy these movies on your own or host a movie night with friends. Maybe do a little potluck and movie marathon?

Sometimes it gets depressing to notice the lack of life around during the wintertime, but it does not have to be completely devoid of greenery. A great way to keep your spirits up is to start an indoor garden. It may be tricky at first if you are not a natural green thumb, but once you learn the cues your plants give you, it is like a walk in the park!

Herbs are the easiest plants to start out with when growing things indoors. Basil, mint, or cilantro are the easiest. You can place them in a south-facing window sill to make sure they’re getting enough sunlight, and make sure to water them when needed.

For a tougher but just as rewarding challenge, you could try growing tomatoes and peppers. These are easiest to start growing indoors during the winter and replant outdoors when it gets warmer out.

Having plants that need attention can help motivate you to get out of the warm, cozy bed, but they do not really keep you active. It is harder to move around in the winter than it is in the warmer seasons. No one wants to brave the cold and take a walk in the freezing temperatures.

A great way to get some exercise in is to try out some easy workouts you could comfortably do in your slippers. Yoga is a fun way to get your body warmed up and expand your flexibility. It can relieve stress, and help with pain management.

Pilates is another easy going workout you can do at home. Similar to yoga, it is a mind-body exercise that challenges your core and sculpts lean muscle. Set a routine and stick to it, to keep yourself from being drawn back to your bed.

It is easy to fall out of contact with friends and go days without socializing during blizzards. A fun way to spend time with those you love is by hosting a game night! If the weather is not on your side, you can also spend a night online with friends as well. From board games to card games, trivia, and twister, there are unlimited ways to stay in touch with your favorite people.

Winter may be a gloomy time of the year, but with a bit of good food, friends, and a healthy routine, it can be a beautiful season. These are just a few ways to spend the winter indoors, but there are countless other ways to keep yourself entertained in your home. Thank you for tuning in to the Lifestyle column, and I hope you have a great holiday season. Stay warm!