Hidden Room: The Basement of Secrets!

Hey Jammers! This post includes instruction on how to get into a hidden room, speculation on the lore of the room, as well as the significance of its contents. Just wanted to let ya know!

The latest update has brought many obvious changes listed in the Jamaa Journal, but one amazing thing took some solo exploration to discover. 

In all your time spent on Animal Jam, have you ever wandered into the Chamber of Secrets and discovered a conspicuous looking trapdoor? Have you ever wondered what could be stored within such a mysterious room, itself being housed within the mysterious Chamber of Knowledge? 

Before we delve any deeper into how to get into the basement, let's discuss the history of the basement and why it's been opened up this month, of all times.

Or... you could just skip my monolog and get straight to the actual basement. 

It's up to you!

In both the Official Insiders Guide to Jamaa as well as some older Jamaa lore, the basement or the "vault beneath the Temple of Zios" has been said to store the famed Heartstones. These Heartstones– previously known as Spirit Stones but have since been changed to avoid religious connotations– are mystical stones said to contain the essence of each species. Every time a new Heartstone is discovered, a new species arrives in Jamaa!

~ ♥ ~

 ❝ [The animals] were able to restore many of the lands that had 


been taken over by the Phantoms, and many Heartstones were

 returned [to the vault beneath the Lost Temple of Zios]. ❞

– Animal Jam Official Insider's Guide

~ ♥ ~

According to the Insider's Guide, the Heartstones are kept within a vault. Additionally, it's unclear if "vault beneath the Lost Temple of Zios" directly refers to The Basement of Secrets. In fact, it seems downright unlikely if the Heartstones are still there. Still, AJ's many legends can conflict with each other. For example, in Cosmo's old Alpha bio, he was characterized as one of the older Alphas, and in the newer one it said he was the youngest. 

So... aside from the obvious, why has this secret basement been released now of all times?

Well... it may have something to do with this page from the recent Jamaa Journal:

Alphas and Heartstones. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!!!! ō_ō

Perhaps a deeper level of the Basement of Secrets contains the Heartstones that has the potentiality of being released soon...? Just some simple speculation...

And now, the question you've all been asking: What is this hidden room and how do I get there?

It's actually as easy as the secret color glitch!

STEP 1: Open up the map.

STEP 2: Click where the red dot is on the image below:

FYI, there's no actual red dot on the map. I just drew it on the area you should click. :D

STEP 3: BAM! KABLAM! KA-POW! VOILA! You're in the Basement of Secrets!

Many ancient artifacts of all kinds are hidden here! Scrolls of all kinds, rare weapons, dazzling and mysterious geodes, and many books are stored here in this secret basement. 

While the upper floors of the Chamber of Knowledge appear to house volumes on the more scientific information on Jamaa's diverse flora and fauna, the Basements hold many artifacts from the time of Jamaa's mystical beginning. However, no Heartstones seem to be here...

...Or are they?

The staffs look like they have Alpha stones, which are like Heartstones but way more powerful. I don't believe these to really be the Heartstones, as they appear inconspicuous while the real Heartstones have a lot of value. I'd think the Heartstones would be displayed more proudly.

Over on the adjacent wall lies a mysterious scroll...

It appears to be a list of laws, decrees, or even a poem, but we have no way to find out as of yet. However, the top title appears to say "MIRA" if you squint. Hmm... perhaps it's the spell Zios used to create Mira!? Oh my gosh, that would be so cool!

AJHQ has used tiny hidden text for pop culture references, so I wouldn't put it past them to do something like this that would hint stuff about Jamaa's history. 

Still, I'm not completely sure it says "MIRA." It looks like it could also say "HIS" or something of the like. It really looks like an "M" or an "H" in the front, but the rest is confusing.

Anyways, did I mention this secret room has a hidden shop?

Ooohhh... this shop is so secret that it doesn't even have a name! Spooky. It's a shame there's only one nonmember item, though. Still, pretty sweet!

• • • •

A lot of people would call me a loser for being obsessed with this online kids game, but it really brings me real happiness. The art, the educational bits, and secrets like this... It's really a positive way for me to spend my computer time. I dunno, I just wanted to say that.

Thanks everyone for reading! Have a fantastic day, and don't let anyone dull your sparkle~*