Ma Tota
Ma Tota, also known as the wandering thoom lady, My Toyota, or various variations on the name sends exiles onto a spirit animal, or totem, quest. Upon initially speaking to her, exiles will be greeted and told to "return tomorrow", this phrase is common but she does not mean literally (IC or OOC) tomorrow, it merely indicates that you should return "soon" as it seems if you wait too long she will reset to the greeting. Each time the exile returns to her in succession, she will give a hint about the exile's spirit animal for a total of three hints. Once all three of these hints are received (or possibly before), a creature named for the exile will appear someplace in the natural habitat of that creature. The task for the exile is then to find the creature and return it to Ma Tota.
To assist in locating the creature, sparkles appear when you are within a few screen's distance of the creature, halfway between you and the creature. These sparkles are identical to the ones that appear when a Sword of Souls absorbs a soul. The creature is always passive, but will run away from other exiles until activated by its owner by touching it. Once activated, the creature circles around and follows the exile for the return trip to Ma Tota. Ma Tota wanders a lot, and although often spotted in East Field, she wanders throughout the forests near town, but a mystic can help locate her. It should be noted that Ma Tota either disappears or teleports from her location at IC midnight every day. It is also possible that sunstoning her name also causes this teleportation. Upon returning the creature, Ma Tota grants the exile experience and says that there may still be more to learn. The exile can then seek out the totem creature again and return it for more experience, but re-returning the creature has no other effects.
Aside from the experience reward, there are no other rewards for the quest, despite promises hinted at in the hints given by Ma Tota to find the creature. It is possible, however, that a mystic trophy is given at the conclusion of the quest.
Tips
- Storing your animal in the courthouse while you clan is effective, as weapons cannot be equipped there.
- The creature may disapear if left indoors for extended periods of time, ie. while you are in the library.
- Crossing snell boundaries at the same moment as your creature prevents the creature from becoming deactivated if you let it go before you, or you go before it.
- Falina's Garden in south town used to be a useful place to store your creature when in the library, but since the green portal is now stored there, Gaia's garden may be a better location.
- The reason for the odd variations on her name is it's believed she leaves the area she's in whenever her name is announced over the sunstone. This isn't true, but she does leave the area if a large number of exiles are near by.