Any guesses on the machine the Gnomes are building in the forum background from the cover art? How would that even work without the arrows being broken? Why is the Erudite giving that Ranger "that look"?
Gnome: "With this amazing machinery, I can tie my shoelaces in just 13.4 minutes!" Erudite: "Its an abomination! a living ranger, what sorcery is this!!!?" Honestly, I have no clue. Maybe some of the devs can answer.
The background are on this page you're looking at. Scroll all the way up, look on the right side. There's a gnome on a green cart with some kind of catapult contraption.
Gnomish Erollisi Day arrow launcher, to get as many lovers as possible. Unfortunately, it may have some side effects...
in the original painting by Kieth Parkinson the ranger is fighting trolls or something with a rogue, a dwarf warrior and a pally. the Erudite is checking out FV's backyard lol In fact the way varant/sony photoshopped the painting to fit on the DB site makes almost no sense after looking at the original
That is the original model of the LR15 (missing last row of arrows). And the Erudite is a Necromancer looking at his soon to be pet...
Whatever it is, it's something nefarious designed to enrage an NPC race and be the basis for a future expansion where we have to save the gnomes from being wiped out by whichever NPC race they offended. Personally, I think we should have cut all support to Ak'Anon off after Nagafen, but noooo, we have to keep helping them and that all just led to Cicero Qwikwire. Every EQ expansion can be traced back to some shady a gnome did.