diff --git a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/Essentials.java b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/Essentials.java
index a5e091487..3a54a58bc 100644
--- a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/Essentials.java
+++ b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/Essentials.java
@@ -657,6 +657,7 @@ public class Essentials extends JavaPlugin implements net.ess3.api.IEssentials {
         final PluginManager pm = getServer().getPluginManager();
         registerListeners(pm);
 
+        AdventureUtil.setEss(this);
         bukkitAudience = BukkitAudiences.create(this);
     }
 
diff --git a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/Settings.java b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/Settings.java
index 666599a52..5fe884f7a 100644
--- a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/Settings.java
+++ b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/Settings.java
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ import static com.earth2me.essentials.I18n.tlLiteral;
 public class Settings implements net.ess3.api.ISettings {
     private static final BigDecimal DEFAULT_MAX_MONEY = new BigDecimal("10000000000000");
     private static final BigDecimal DEFAULT_MIN_MONEY = new BigDecimal("-10000000000000");
+    private static final Tag DEFAULT_PRIMARY_COLOR = Tag.styling(NamedTextColor.GOLD);
+    private static final Tag DEFAULT_SECONDARY_COLOR = Tag.styling(NamedTextColor.RED);
     private final transient EssentialsConfiguration config;
     private final transient IEssentials ess;
     private final transient AtomicInteger reloadCount = new AtomicInteger(0);
@@ -141,8 +143,8 @@ public class Settings implements net.ess3.api.ISettings {
     private double maxProjectileSpeed;
     private boolean removeEffectsOnHeal;
     private Map<String, String> worldAliases;
-    private Tag primaryColor = Tag.styling(NamedTextColor.GOLD);
-    private Tag secondaryColor = Tag.styling(NamedTextColor.RED);
+    private Tag primaryColor = DEFAULT_PRIMARY_COLOR;
+    private Tag secondaryColor = DEFAULT_SECONDARY_COLOR;
 
     public Settings(final IEssentials ess) {
         this.ess = ess;
@@ -1970,7 +1972,8 @@ public class Settings implements net.ess3.api.ISettings {
 
     private Tag _getPrimaryColor() {
         final String color = config.getString("message-colors.primary", "#ffaa00");
-        return Tag.styling(_getTagColor(color, NamedTextColor.GOLD));
+        final TextColor textColor = _getTagColor(color);
+        return textColor != null ? Tag.styling(textColor) : DEFAULT_PRIMARY_COLOR;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -1980,24 +1983,23 @@ public class Settings implements net.ess3.api.ISettings {
 
     private Tag _getSecondaryColor() {
         final String color = config.getString("message-colors.secondary", "#ff5555");
-        return Tag.styling(_getTagColor(color, NamedTextColor.RED));
+        final TextColor textColor = _getTagColor(color);
+        return textColor != null ? Tag.styling(textColor) : DEFAULT_SECONDARY_COLOR;
     }
 
-    private TextColor _getTagColor(final String color, final TextColor def) {
+    private TextColor _getTagColor(final String color) {
         try {
-            if (color.startsWith("#") && color.length() == 7 && NumberUtil.isNumeric(color.substring(1))) {
+            if (color.startsWith("#") && color.length() == 7 && NumberUtil.isHexadecimal(color.substring(1))) {
                 return TextColor.color(Color.fromRGB(Integer.decode(color)).asRGB());
             }
 
             if (color.length() == 1) {
-                final NamedTextColor named = AdventureUtil.fromChar(color.charAt(0));
-                return named != null ? named : def;
+                return AdventureUtil.fromChar(color.charAt(0));
             }
 
-            final NamedTextColor named = NamedTextColor.NAMES.value(color.toLowerCase(Locale.ENGLISH));
-            return named != null ? named : def;
+            return NamedTextColor.NAMES.value(color.toLowerCase(Locale.ENGLISH));
         } catch (IllegalArgumentException ignored) {
         }
-        return def;
+        return null;
     }
 }
diff --git a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/AdventureUtil.java b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/AdventureUtil.java
index 828ee6886..4016504a5 100644
--- a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/AdventureUtil.java
+++ b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/AdventureUtil.java
@@ -15,13 +15,13 @@ import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 public final class AdventureUtil {
     private static final LegacyComponentSerializer LEGACY_SERIALIZER;
-    private static final MiniMessage MINI_MESSAGE_INSTANCE;
-    private static IEssentials ess;
     private static final Pattern NAMED_PATTERN = Pattern.compile(ChatColor.COLOR_CHAR + "[0-9a-fk-orA-FK-OR]");
     private static final Pattern HEX_PATTERN = Pattern.compile(ChatColor.COLOR_CHAR + "x((?:" + ChatColor.COLOR_CHAR + "[0-9a-fA-F]){6})");
     private static final String LOOKUP = "0123456789abcdefklmnor";
     private static final String[] MINI_TAGS = new String[] {"black", "dark_blue", "dark_green", "dark_aqua", "dark_red", "dark_purple", "gold", "gray", "dark_gray", "blue", "green", "aqua", "red", "light_purple", "yellow", "white", "obf", "b", "st", "u", "i", "reset"};
     private static final NamedTextColor[] COLORS = new NamedTextColor[] {NamedTextColor.BLACK, NamedTextColor.DARK_BLUE, NamedTextColor.DARK_GREEN, NamedTextColor.DARK_AQUA, NamedTextColor.DARK_RED, NamedTextColor.DARK_PURPLE, NamedTextColor.GOLD, NamedTextColor.GRAY, NamedTextColor.DARK_GRAY, NamedTextColor.BLUE, NamedTextColor.GREEN, NamedTextColor.AQUA, NamedTextColor.RED, NamedTextColor.LIGHT_PURPLE, NamedTextColor.YELLOW, NamedTextColor.WHITE};
+    private static IEssentials ess;
+    private static MiniMessage miniMessageInstance;
 
     static {
         final LegacyComponentSerializer.Builder builder = LegacyComponentSerializer.builder().flattener(ComponentFlattener.basic()).useUnusualXRepeatedCharacterHexFormat();
@@ -29,15 +29,7 @@ public final class AdventureUtil {
             builder.hexColors();
         }
         LEGACY_SERIALIZER = builder.build();
-
-        MINI_MESSAGE_INSTANCE = MiniMessage.builder()
-                .tags(TagResolver.builder()
-                        .resolvers(TagResolver.standard())
-                        .resolver(TagResolver.resolver("primary", supplyTag(true)))
-                        .resolver(TagResolver.resolver("secondary", supplyTag(false)))
-                        .build())
-                .build();
-
+        miniMessageInstance = createMiniMessageInstance();
     }
 
     private AdventureUtil() {
@@ -45,10 +37,21 @@ public final class AdventureUtil {
 
     public static void setEss(final IEssentials ess) {
         AdventureUtil.ess = ess;
+        miniMessageInstance = createMiniMessageInstance();
+    }
+
+    private static MiniMessage createMiniMessageInstance() {
+        return MiniMessage.builder()
+                .tags(TagResolver.builder()
+                        .resolvers(TagResolver.standard())
+                        .resolver(TagResolver.resolver("primary", supplyTag(true)))
+                        .resolver(TagResolver.resolver("secondary", supplyTag(false)))
+                        .build())
+                .build();
     }
 
     public static MiniMessage miniMessage() {
-        return MINI_MESSAGE_INSTANCE;
+        return miniMessageInstance;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/NumberUtil.java b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/NumberUtil.java
index 7bd4adcad..9b253e243 100644
--- a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/NumberUtil.java
+++ b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/NumberUtil.java
@@ -129,6 +129,15 @@ public final class NumberUtil {
         return true;
     }
 
+    public static boolean isHexadecimal(final String sNum) {
+        try {
+            Integer.parseInt(sNum, 16);
+            return true;
+        } catch (final NumberFormatException e) {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Backport from Guava.
      */