NEOPETS LINKS
Maraqua - Neopets.com
Maraqua Info - Neopets Hive
Curse of Maraqua Cards - Wizards of the Coast

    Welcome to the Neopets Hive's special guide for the "Curse of Maraqua" expansion set for the Neopets Trading Card Game. This expansion set is going to coincide with an exciting new plot and the release of two new Maraquan maps. This guide will give you a preview of the most interesting and relevant plot points, as well as an explanation of a few other references which are including in this set.

The Black Pawkeet - The infamous sea vessel of the evil Cap'n Bloodhook from the Buried Treasure game. Perhaps now this sinister ship is under the control of Captain Scarblade...

Caylis, Tears of Caylis - This evil Maraquan Aisha has special powers. She can foresee the future in her nightmares, and is sure to be an integral part of the Curse of Maraqua plot.

    From Neopets Magazine: Cast out from her family, Caylis spends her time living amongst the ruins of Maraqua. Unlike her sister Isca, Caylis sees the future in her nightmares, and when she weeps, bad things seem to happen...

Chasm Beast - This gigantic beast may very well be released as a Battledome opponent at one point or another. He will no doubt cause some trouble for the heroes in our plot, and may be released as an attraction when the new Maraqua is revealed.

The Drenched - Bad things always come in threes: the Dark Faerie Sisters, the Three, and now the Drenched. Our hero has better steer clear of these wicked faeries. Don't be surprised if they are added to the Gallery of Evil eventually.

Faerie Circle - Long ago, a Faerie Circle existed on Neopia, but it has since vanished. Now it appears as if that circle has returned, and is the place that faeries go once they've been freed from Balthazar's bottles.

Garin the Foolish, Garin's Redemption - Yet another heroic Usul with a taste for treasure, Garin used to be a thief. Apparently, he's decided to become a good guy and help save Maraqua from the evil of Captain Scarblade.

    From Neopets Magazine: A childhood friend of Isca's, Garin has chosen the lucrative life of a pirate despite Isca's warnings. Now he spends his time traveling the open seas and using his remarkable sword skill to relieve wealthy merchants of their loot.

Goregas - An associate of Isca's, Goregas may turn out to be the good version of the Chasm Beast...

    From Neopets Magazine: This gigantic sea monster has a unique bond with Isca. Upon her call Goregas will appear and do her bidding.

Isca - Caylis's not-so-evil sister, Isca helped lead thousands of Maraquan refugees to New Maraqua. Like her sister, she has the power to foresee the future, only in her dreams and not her nightmares.

    From Neopets Magazine: Ever since she can remember, Isca has seen things in her dreams. These premonitions have helped her friends and family avoid disaster, and earned her a few steadfast friends. Lately, though, her dreams have become more frequent and she has a feeling something terrible is about to happen.

Nereid the Water Faerie - An elusive water faerie that is occasionally seen swimming off the coast of Mystery Island.

    From Neopets Magazine: When the whirlpool struck Maraqua, one faerie did not abandon all hope. Nereid spent weeks scouring the ruins looking for survivors, which she escorted to safety so that they could start to rebuild their lives.

Rainbow Pearl, Black Pearl, White Pearl - Although it's still to early to tell, these items may be the treasures that Captain Scarblade and his crew are trying to locate. If so, than perhaps the Black Pearl is responsible for everything that ends up going wrong...

Against the Odds - This card features Hannah and a whole Horde of Icy Skeletons, characters which were featured in the previous plot, "Hannah and the Ice Caves."

Angry Giants - These massive, one-eyed Skeiths don't like it when ships get too close to their island. Don't be surprised if these lovable creatures show up in the "Curse of Maraqua" plot.

Captain Scarblade - The main villain in this plot, Scarblade is sure to be a major thorn in the side of those who wish to see Maraqua return to its former glory. Scarblade is not the one originally responsible for Maraqua's destruction. Actually, an evil Pirate Kiko and his minions were!

    From Neopets Magazine: Never has Neopia seen the likes of someone with so cold a heart. Scarblade is ruthless, cunning, and above all, extremely capable with a cutlass.

King Kelpbeard - Although not the original king from the "Curse on Maraqua" plot, he does seem to have the large stomach that befits every other King in Neopia :)

    From Neopets Magazine: Aided by Nereid, King Kelpbeard led to survivors to safety and became a noble leader to the free people of Maraqua. Now he is leading them back to reclaim and rebuild their once great city.

New Maraqua, Old Maraqua - Long ago, Maraqua was destroyed by a massive whirlpool, forcing its thousands of inhabitants to seek refuge elsewhere. For years, Maraqua has lied in ruins while its former populous remained in hiding. Now, they plan to return and rebuild their lost city, bigger and better than ever before!

Tournament Arena - This card is interesting because one of the characters in the arena appears to be the Grarrl Gladiator, a character from the original Trading Card Game set.

Whirlpool - This card references two different Neopian occurrences. First, whenever you play Dubloon Disaster, whirlpools randomly appear (unless you use a secret code) and destroy both your boat and the mines which pursue you. Second, a massive whirlpool was responsible for the destruction of Maraqua in the first place. It ought to be interesting to see if another whirlpool plays a part in this chapter of Neopian history.

Benny the Blade - This little Bruce will most likely be a minor character in the upcoming plot, if he's included at all.

Chomby Genie - Another random magic-themed card that is probably a reference to Altador. See the note we've included at the bottom of this page for more info.

Brightvale Castle - Brightvale was the final new location of 2004. Ruled by King Skarl's brother, King Hagan the Wise, Brightvale is fast becoming one of the most popular locations in Neopia. Expect Brightvale to eventually appear on the rotating explore map due out later this year.

Defender of Ador - This book has a picture of Jerdana, the powerful Aisha sorceress who created the orb which keeps the Darkest Faerie imprisoned in stone near the Ruins of Maraqua, on the front cover. Actually titled "Defender of Altador," and as it says in the description, "is from a time long forgotten." The Neopets Team is planning to release Altador, a magical floating island where it is always night, later this year.

Florg - Ah, yes, the infamous Mutated Chia of the Virtupets Space Station who, like Turmaculus, looooooves to eat Petpets.

Fyora's Palace Guards - These Faerie Kougras should NOT be messed with. Again, not too sure of their relevance, but they may very well play a part in protecting Fyora from the Darkest Faerie... you know, if by some chance she ever manages to escape.

Gnarfas - A rather cool looking four-armed werelupe, Gnarfas will almost certainly be involved in either the Darkest Faerie Playstation game or the Altador plot.

Gypsy's Curse - It's still a little early to tell for sure, but if this card has any relevance, it will probably be with respects to the Curse of Maraqua plot. Less likely would be the Altador plot.

Jacques the Swift - This cunning Kyrii will probably turn out to be an ally of Garin in the Curse of Maraqua plot.

Jhudora's Bodyguards - We're not too sure what these two frightening Gruslens have to do with anything, but they are really cool looking. Perhaps they will be a part of the Altador plot...

Maractite Trident, Maractite Armour, Maractite Axe, Maractite Shield, Maractite Sword - As with previous expansion sets, the Neopets Team will probably release most, if not all, of these items as actual (but VERY rare) Battledome items. Maractite, much like Kreludan, must be a special metal that is so rare it can only be found close to Maraqua.

Petrification - This card features a Medusa-like Aisha that may eventually be tied into the Altador plot, but may just be a random card based on Neopian folklore.

Scurvy Island - This little island will eventually be a new world (or mini-world, or second map of Krawk Island). We're not too sure what they'll put here, but it will probably have a pirate theme!

Smite - This card only appears to be relevant because it features the head of an Evil Sloth Clone, Defenders of Neopia opponent number ten.

Smugglers' Cove - This location which really exists in Neopia is infamous for its vast array of incredibly powerful Battledome items. Every now and then if you visit with enough Dubloons in your pocket, a couple friendly pirates might try and sell you some of their very rare merchandise. Don't go too often, though, or they'll ban you temporarily.

Swordmaster Talek - This magnificent looking Maraquan Draik may be another significant character in the Curse of Maraqua plot. However, only time will tell.

Tor's Gamble - This card features Tormund ("Tor"), a heroic lupe from "The Darkest Faerie" Neopets Playstation game, battling the hideous werelupe, Gnarfas. Tor is the warrior responsible for saving Altador, with a little help from Grimilix the Grundo and Sally the Aisha.

Underwater Discovery - (This card is not yet viewable on the Wizards of the Coast site, but once we know what it looks like, we may be able to give you some useful information about it.)

Corrode - A Random Event that makes one item worthless while playing the Trading Card Game. This is very similar to Dr. Sloth's Ray Gun Random Event, which turns one of your items into a Pile of Sludge. We just thought we'd mention it because the description of the card says that the warrior in the picture was wearing his "I Love Dr. Sloth" socks.

Isca's Necklace - This magical item allows the user to breath underwater. During the plot, don't be surprised if Isca gives this to Garin to help him visit Maraqua.

Ring of the Deep - According to the description, this item should have ended up in the Hidden Tower... don't be surprised if it suddenly appears there within the next few months.

Sea Anemones - Perhaps just a random card, perhaps a potential threat in the upcoming plot.

Something Will Happen - This card appears to foreshadow a scene in which Isca attempts to warn Garin of some unfortunate upcoming events...

Tribal Headdress - Just an interesting card that depicts the headwear of the natives of Mystery Island... at least, the ones that don't look like coconuts!

Water Mote - An actual item in Neopia that can be used in the Battledome, a Water Mote does from 2 to 4 water damage, and will vanish if used several times.

    Altador Notes: A number of cards in this expansion set feature magical items, Lennies and Aishas dressed in robes, genies, snake-haired creatures, etc. We know for sure that Altador, the subject of a future plot and Playstation game, is a magical floating island where it is always night. Perhaps these cards are a preview of things to come...

Special thanks to davybaby750 for his help on this guide!