Touring Moltara

Moltaran Morsels is a great place for those with gourmet tastes – especially for those who are just beginning to treat their neopets to the finest in Moltaran Meals – Look for these items on the menu:

Steaming Root Salad, Seared Turnip Steak, Moltaran Root Casserole, Dried Lava Crisps, Butter Gears, Molten Frosting Cake Slice, Sweet Potato Fizzy Drink

Even if you aren't into gourmet foods – they do have some budget friendly snacks such as Fire Rice and Hot Magma.

Every Moltaran stands in line for the newest fashions from Cog's Togs. Cog is rather proud of her newest offerings – the Time Traveler Peophin Set. Even so she still stocks a number of more affordable wardrobe choices including the Elegant Gear Top Hat and Elegant Gear boots. If you're very lucky you might be able to snag an Elegant Punk Guitar!

There's no need to be in the dark in Moltara – stop by Lampwyck's Lights Fantastic for all your lighting needs. Not only will this enterprising Buzz dazzle you with the latest innovations in lamp and lantern technology for your neohome, but he also shows a soft spot for Moltara's most elusive creatures – the worms that you can occasionally spot as you wander through Moltara. While he's an expert in taking care of the sightless creatures – he has yet to figure out how to keep them from escaping overnight. If you already have picked up an Empty Lantern, why not purchase a Globe Lamp to help you light the way as you explore the caves?

Tangor's Workshop is a staple of all tourists – who else can keep the streets clean by recycling Shiny Obsidian, Miscellaneous Gears, Scrap Metal And Stone, and Red Moltite into Robotic Petpets? There is nothing quite like seeing the gleam in Tangor's eye as he proudly hands you his prized creation, the Vaggendotra 5000 – which can be made by combining a total of: 7 Shiny Obsidians, 7 Miscellaneous Gears, 7 Scrap Metal and Stone, and 7 Red Moltite into the various robotic petpets and ultimately into this very impressive Toy / Wearable.

If you pay the Mayor a visit at the Town Hall, why not reminisce by rediscovering Moltara and reading through the Atlas of the Ancients comic? I hear some of the old prizes are still floating around... In fact – you'll have to go through here to find some easily overlooked games that look suspiciously similar to certain other games.

Moltarans love action games – If you aren't afraid of heights, try Cave Glider on for size. If you are into hazardous situations, Tunnel Tumble is as dangerous as Darigan Dodgeball. S.M.E.L.T. is our newest game – just don't stand too close to the furnace!

The last sight to see is the Obsidian Quarry – which is the source of all obsidian quarried from all quarries in Moltara. That's all there is to quarry – just obsidian. Perhaps that is why they don't mind one piece of Shiny Obsidian going missing every day – but whatever you do, don't try to take two pieces of Shiny Obsidian from the quarry or...

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

Me: Oh, I'm just writing a bit of an article for the Neopian Times – I was just wandering around. Would you like to be interviewed?

Shoyru: I suppose it wouldn't hurt. It won't hurt, will it?

Me: Nope, just a couple of harmless questions.

Shoyru: Okay. As long as it doesn't hurt, I'll answer your questions.

Me: So, since Moltara's re-discovery, how are things going?

Shoyru: Well, at the very beginning, it was interesting to see all sorts of Neopians streaming down here in droves to buy all sorts of new things – I used to have to chase away visitors two, sometimes three at a time to make sure that everybody received just one Shiny Obsidian. Lately it's as if the new-ness is gone and things have slowed down considerably. You're just the third person I've tried to scare away this week.

Me: What in your opinion would bring people back to Moltara?

Shoyru: Something new. Every time we have a new lamp or snack or book, it seems a few more people wander down here just to check it out. I think it would be nice if we had our very own avatar. Maybe one featuring me, I do, after all, work very hard. Wait... are you trying to pocket an extra piece of Shiny Obsidian? *he shakes his fist angrily*

An angry Shoyru flies over and shakes his fist at you. "Stop taking all the obsidian! We need it for... machinery! And... stuff!" He shakes his fist again and chases you away from the quarry.

Well, you can't blame a girl for trying. Anyway – let's go on to the caves- I think I've worn out my welcome in the city. If robotic petpets don't exactly suit you – then take a look at The Petpetorium. There are only a few petpets here for now, but all of them are very warm-hearted creatures and are sure to take to your pets:

• The Epuni: Is somewhat noisy; quiet it down by giving it some food.
• The Hoggir: Loves to think and read, but whatever you do, don't tease them... consider yourself warned.
• The Marlock: Tends to stay in its shell, but is very friendly once it gets to know you.
• The Magmutt: The perfect pet for a Magma Pet; fire-proof wearables and a fire extinguisher should come in handy.

The last Moltaran Shop is the Arcanium – you'd be surprised at the rare treasures that more often than not are just waiting to be bought. The Discovery of the Magma Pool tends to fly off of the shelves, but other good reads include We Like it Hot, Get Geared, and Cooling the Fires.

The Gilded Page is, in fact, not gilded (which means: to have been covered with gold) but I suppose you could gild it with a gold colored crayon or colored pencil if you so choose. These coloring pages are for all ages, and coloring inside of the lines is entirely optional. I like the fourth one, the one with the Skeith exiting the Magma Pool.

Never pay Igneot a visit on an empty stomach – his puzzling answers are easier to ponder once you've had a good meal. Ask him a yes or no question and you'll wonder if that Magma Ball on his table is actually a familiar children's toy. Let's see what he has to say today –

Me: Will I learn how to master the ways of Moltara and impress the Magma Pool Guard?

Igneot: *SNORE* Eh... I am too sleepy.

*Shakes my head* Oh well, I'll try again tomorrow.

The Dark Cave sits just to the right of the Gilded Page, at the end of that long zig-zag path. If you've never managed to see the sights in here – you're in luck. Here's how you put together an appropriate light source:

By having the Empty Lantern from Lampwyck's Light Fantastic in your Inventory, you'll be able to pick up any of the Moltaran Worms that you see. In Moltara City you can find the Green Worm, Red Worm, White Worm, Orange Worm, and Rainbow Worm. In Moltara Cave you can find the Purple Worm, Pink Worm, Yellow Worm, Blue Worm, and the Black Worm. Look for them every five minutes. They tend to appear at their usual places at the same time every single day, so write down the time you happen to catch them if you're planning on making a lot of petpets. I've seen as many as seven worms appear at the same five minute interval! Once you have all ten worms, stuff them - erm, carefully fill your Empty Lantern with the worms from the drop-down menu option in your inventory. Tada! Their combined slight glow is enough to light every corner and crevice of the Dark Cave – not so dark anymore, is it?

With a Brightly Lit Lantern in hand, now you can explore the depths of the Dark Cave – it's something so marvelous it that it tends to make you exclaim something like: "What a mysterious passage!" You're now faced with a choice of left or right – and fortunately for you every turn leads you to another 'left or right' choice. You have a chance of finding a dead end or some sort of lava monster. I'm pretty sure I could take him in the Battledome – but we'll have to wait and see if we ever get a Moltaran Challenger in the future – it's certainly possible. You're looking for the aforementioned Red Moltite, which is tiring work – just ask the worms in your lantern! In this case, you should find that little red bit of rock if you take all left turns. Once you've had enough, drop them off at Lampwyck's Lights Fantastic to get some rest and relaxation.

Last and certainly not least is the Magma Pool. Guarded by the fiercest nameless Tonu you've ever seen, it stands as the major source of light for the surrounding caves. The MPG has some discerning tastes – if he likes you, you can come on in. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for him to take his daily nap(s). I'm working on impressing him enough to let me in – so far nothing, but I've had far more success with finding the time he likes to take a nap. Basically it's a matter of refreshing at the Magma Pool until he falls asleep. The time he takes a nap is different for each account, so your window is unique to you. At the very least, refresh every 2 or 3 minutes. If you have a longer Magma Pool window you can get away wit refreshing every 5 or so minutes. The Magma Pool is a free color change to Magma that you can use every seven days, on any day of the week at your usual time. Magma pets tend to look good wearing anything from Cog's Togs. If you invest a little bit of your time finding your Magma Pool time, you'll get a return on your investment every time you want to fix the odd color zapped from the Lab Ray.

Moltara is one of the few areas that I find somewhat easy to restock items, so it's a great place for beginners to get started, provided they do their homework. Petpet zappers have interesting options for replacements whenever their petpets have been zapped out of existence. People looking for Gourmet awards can get started here. People wanted to read more books to their smartest pets will find many options that fit within their budgets. It's fairly easy to buy wearables from Cog's Togs – people tend to forget it's there! So what are you waiting for? Make Moltara a place you visit daily starting today!