Naeem-Akil is apparently a new event character, who shows up around chariot stop areas. He tends not to respond to questions or comments, apparently more engaged in a deep conversation with himself as he randomly walks around and peers at various nearby features.
After a few minutes of this, he will wander over to the nearby chariot stop and disappear. Attempts to follow him to neighboring areas have failed, leading us to suspect that he is only using the chariot stops as a cover for leaving by other methods.
Naeem Akil was a researcher for the Pharaoh's universities, in charge of mining experiments. Being somewhat senile, he wandered out one day while looking for his notes, and was quickly sighted in numerous areas rambling to himself as though mad, deranged, and exhausted from the hot desert sun. Soon the Pharaoh made a general announcement requesting that citizens find this old fool, and he was brought back to the University by several. After recovering, Naeem-Akil made a statement that three possible technologies were being researched, for Egypt to bring about through donations:
Ore Cart Evaluation, which would allow players to see what crystals were inside any cart.Soon afterwards, once numerous donations were made, a second announcement was made regarding them: Naeem-Akil had fallen sick, and would only be able to finish researching one of the three before passing away. The project which receives the most donations will be completed, and the other two lost forever. Consensus was made via the E! Network that the most effective skill would be Ore Stone Evaluation.
Ore Stone Examination, which would allow players to tell what crystals were inside any individual stone.
Ore Cart Harnesses, which would allow players to drag ore carts around without needing to push them.
What we can do now is as follows:
Make donations to one or more of the three skills. Donations require 1 Medium Stone, 2 Flint, 5 Iron, 15 Small Quartz, 36 Dirt, and 57 Clay, and cannot be made in part. Huge chests are set up with skill names on them at any chariot stop, and can be donated to through a simple click of a button.
An absent-minded, mildly insane man named Naeem-Akil was spotted at 11:45 PM EST wandering around Upper Nubia. He was unresponsive to questions/comments, and seemed to randomly wander about. Some of the dialogue that follows involves comments about seemingly benign terrain features such as tug courts, statues, etc. I've inserted bolded comments in the text to give context to some of the dialogue. My assumption is that most of these comments are irrelevant, except where they hint at something related to mining ("a game... with the carts of all things..." "a mine... no... not a cart...").
Here is what I heard him say while wandering about with him:
out of time... or not....
crystal 13
the 3rd one.
no no
it is the blue
drat the notes
a curious contraption.... (This comment and the two following lines were in response to a tug court he wandered past)
games...
with the carts of all things...
hehhehheh.
but not 4... just 3 and... oh...
heh heh.
no no
why... silly Naeem...
no... I could not have left it here...
heh heh...
then if I line up 3...
or was it 4
green yes
pesky... so... mymy
oh my (This was in response to seeing a fireworks court (or whatever they're called :))
3 then 4
3 then 4
nonon Naeem
mine... no... oh... not a cart... (In response to seeing a drying rack)
my eyes... heheheh
notes... those notes... where....
it was 3 I am sure...
no... oh my... with 7
yes... blue
heheheheh
not here... definitely not here....
you feeble old man, Naeem
the riding... the blue... 3
but on the other page... what was it....
hmmm...
3....
OH MY (This line and the three that follow were in response to seeing a snake statue)
heh heh... a statue... hehehe
so silly...
not a snake Naeem
dogs...(This line and the following two were in reponse to seeing a dog statue)
hehehe
not this time...
the notes...
not here... but where...
At this point, he reached the UN chariot stop and vanished. I jumped to both CotS and LN, and he was nowhere to be seen. Shortly after, he was offline.
... see .... if ...
blue
.... no ... ach ...
and the crystals ... wrong for here ...
I did not put this one here
... tired ..
and .... no ... not it ...
4
it must be 4
.... in the senses ...
hehehehe ... of course ..
I must jot this down ...
good good ... mymymy
3 and 5 are good ...
or was it 3 and 4 ...
ach .. without those papers
blue ... and 3
ohmy
.. that was a breeze(Just after someone went by rather quickly)
hehehehe
the old park...(Standing in the green between the 4 towers near VoK chariot)
not it ...
... there .... is ...
ach ...(Standing near a mine again, he seems to target them)
...blue ...
.... sense .... hehehehe
so .. blue .... and the 3
... is it here ....
... young ones ...
think they know ...
... not what is my head ....
head ... full of notes ...
and cannot find ...
.... just fix this ....
hehehehe .. all it needs ....
.. easy
the round one ....
how .... but ....
oh my ... hehehehe
not a mine at all(Standing at a reflection pool)
.. now ... where ....
with the senses ...
must note that ...
.... tired ... so .... weary ...
where did he go ...
.... ach ..
3 and 5 ... not blue at all
... senses ... and the fix ...
with that set of notes ...
... notes ... yet ...
... no ....
... just not .. it ... Naeem .. so silly
crystals ... cannot find them ...
... and ... the ....
oh .... 3
... maybe ...
At this point, he vanished. -- Taral
how ... long ... now ...
hmmmmm
noteworthy ... (1388 -874, Ore Mine @ Karnak)
... with the sense ...
and ... 3 ...
... and ... notes ... ach
crystals ... cannot find them ...
oh ... did I put ...
yes ..... see you were right Naeem
hehehehe
with the .... 3 .... and .. .if blue ... notes ... (1377 -874, Ore Mine, Karnak, at an orestone with Emerald crystals?)
...to sense it ... and fix
Apparently I caught the tail end of his visit of Karnak, but it's apparently following the same pattern as the first two. He headed for the chariot stop and vanished as before. Only RSO was available for free at the time, so I jumped there to track him and found nothing. Asking on guild channels revealed a sighting of him in Lower Nubia shortly before he logged off.
10-23-2004-09:41:00
Pharaoh here...
10-23-2004-09:41:00
With the aid of your donations, researchers at my Universities developed a powerful and flexible system of mining, one that has
yielded metals unknown to our ancestors. Using them, we have developed more effective tools than this land had ever seen.
10-23-2004-09:42:00
Still, some of you have not been satisfied with the results. "Could we not have done things a better way?" I have not been deaf
to your words, and so for these past weeks, my scientists have been working on ways to improve mining.
10-23-2004-09:44:00
Naeem-Akil, a researcher far older than myself, has been leading a small team in exploring the science behind the ancient art
of dowsing. Several promising lines of research have developed, and I am pleased with the progress we have seen.
0-23-2004-09:45:00
This next part is kind of embarrassing. You see, Naeem-Akil seems to have...wandered off. He went to do some field research on
crystals last week, and no one has seen him for four days. The junior scientists feel unable to carry on this research without
his guidance.
10-23-2004-09:46:00
Professor Naeem-Akil is an old man and is starting to become a bit absent-minded. Quiet inquiries have yielded nothing, so I am
making this general call to Egypt.
10-23-2004-09:48:00
I have dispatched my agents to cities throughout Egypt. If anyone has seen a muttering researcher about, please report any
information to one of these agents. We are worried about the old fellow.
10-23-2004-09:48:00
Pharaoh Out!
10-23-2004-10:21
Pharaoh here....
10-23-2004-10:21
Naeem-Akil has been spotted in Upper Nubia.
10-23-2004-10:23
My agent is standing by at the chariot stop awaiting his return. I request that all faithful citizens of Egypt to ensure that he is escorted there safely.
10-23-2004-10:24
I am told that he is to the east of the chariot stop, on the other side of the river.
10-23-2004-10:25
Please help this old man to get home, he has been travlin alone in the desert for many days and may be disoriented.
10-23-2004-10:25
Pharaoh Out!
Pharaoh made an announcement earlier stating the allowance of three new school-related technologies to unlock. The first allows players to check the crystal numbers and types within their ore carts. The second allows players to check what types of crystals are in any stone. The third allows players to attach a harness to an ore cart and carry it around with them. Each of these skills requires 1 Medium Stone, 2 Flint, 5 Iron, 15 Small Quartz, 36 Dirt, and 57 Clay for one donation. No goal for the specific amount of donations was announced. Just donate as much as you can to whichever of the 3 technologies you want the most. Donations can be made at any chariot stop, and the total number is Egypt-Wide.
Rash speculation: That's an interesting choice of letters for his name. They anagram to "a lake mine". Though for that matter, they also anagram to "mine a leak"... -Sowelu
To add to the rashness...how about Nee (as in born) Malaki? Too paranoid?
---
I think the name may be a hint to be skeptical, but the best reason to distrust him is to look at what he's asking for and how he says he's going to provide it: No specified amount of donations. Not going through the ordinary, trusted, university system. Making references to dowsing and magic - well, in-game there could be such things, but the mention of them should arouse caution.
Okay, what's the harm in making donations? That isn't a high price, after all. First, the principle of it; there should be some proof of concept at least before he asks for our help. Second, it takes away from other research. The universities have always given us what they promised. Let's continue to support them. -- IreneLew