The Lore of EQ2 [SPOILERS]

Discussion in 'History and Lore 2' started by Katmandu26, May 11, 2015.

  1. Katmandu26 Active Member

    Having come back after an absence of some years, I found myself trying to update myself on expansion lore and trying to understand why the citizens of both Freeport and Qeynos were saying things like, "I never thought Luclin would be whole again!" and "Thank goodness we are free of Karafyrm!" and truthfully, I had no clue what they were talking about.

    After some research I found some really well written lore posts, however, they do stop short after one of the recent expansions. I thought it would be a good idea to post what I'd found here, on the official forums, and see if I could get some assistance in fleshing out the rest of the storyline. Thank you in advance, and let's please keep this lore related.

    I wish I could give credit to the original authors; however, this is a repost of a repost and the original sources are long gone.

    **EQ2 LORE**

    How does the world in EQ2 begin? The universe of EQ2 began right when the first guild beat the Plane of Time in the Planes of Power expansion of EQ1. For anyone who ever beat that zone, you'll rememeber that Druzzil Ro came in right before you freed Zebuxoruk. The Gods had willed that he should not be freed, and in order to stop you Druzzil set back time to before the Plane of Time was invaded. Unknowingly, this time-split created a dual universe... e.g., the world of Everquest 2. This is basically a tricky way for the developers of EQ1 and EQ2 to keep their games seperate... since they are seperate universes, what happens in EQ1 doesn't happen in EQ2.
    This also means that anything that happened in EQ1 after Planes of Power did NOT happen in the world of Everquest 2! This excludes the Legacy of Ykesha expansion, which came after Planes of Power but BEFORE the Plane of Time was beaten. Anything that happened before Planes of Power is canon in Everquest 2 just as it was in Everquest 1.

    Pre-Launch - What happened between EQ1 and EQ2?
    The Tome of Destiny covers most of the events over the 500 years between EQ1 and EQ2. Following are some details on the more important events. Specific times can be debated, take them with a grain of salt.

    **THE DEPARTURE**

    500 years ago
    The Gods, angered by the mortals who were storming their planes and killing their avatars, met at a council to decide the fate of Norrath. Each god had his or her own ideal of what should happen, but in the end they settled on the proposal by Quellious the Tranquil, Goddess of Peace. Part of this proposal was that the Gods would have to remove their influence from the world of Norrath for a long time.
    This did not stop certain gods from forming alliances and secret pacts. Each god raced to turn Norrath in their favor before they left.

    **SEIGE OF LUCLIN**

    450-500 years ago
    Seemingly from nowhere, the Nexus was attacked by forces of Rallos Zek and Solusek Ro. They were carrying a large crystal, and they flooded into the Nexus killing any resistance. Soon after, all access to the moon of Luclin was lost and the shroud was permanently up. The moon would not be seen again for almost 500 years.

    **WAR OF THE FAY**

    400-500 years ago
    The War of the Fay was named after the continent which it primarily took place on, Faydwer. Led by King Naythox, the Dark Elven army beseiged the continent against the combined forces of the elves, dwarves, and gnomes. Kelethin was almost completely burned and the High Elf city of Felwithe was taken over. Both the Dark Elven and High Elven kings were killed in the war.
    While the majority of the Dark Elven army was across the ocean, a combined force of wood elves and halflings invaded Neriak. When the battle for their city started taking a turn for the worse, the Dark Elven Queen Thex told one of her necromancers to use the Hand of Byzola, an ancient artifact of the Teir'dal. Unfortunately, they didn't realize how powerful it was. It destroyed everything in the Third Gate... whether it was halfling, wood elf, or dark elf. To escape, the Queen brought down the caves, sealing herself and the other Dark Elves deep within the confines of Neriak.

    **2ND RALLOSIAN ARMY**

    300-400 years ago
    When Rallos Zek's creations had almost taken complete control of Norrath in the early ages of the 1st Rallosian Army, the other Gods had punished them to ensure that it could never happen again. The orcs were split into divided warring clans, the giants that couldn't escape into the frozen lands of Velious were killed, the Ankhexfens were cursed and became the lowly goblins, and the Ogres were stripped of their intelligence and became walking dumb-*****.
    Before the Gods left, many of them sent down their avatars to affect Norrath in their absence. Rallos Zek sent the Avatar of War. He came to the Ogres and imparted their intelligence back upon them, then ordered them to rebuild the great Rallosian Army and strike once more. Most of the Rallosian races joined the army and marched across the land, eventually beseiging the human cities of Qeynos and Freeport.
    At Qeynos, they were barely stopped when the Avatar of Thunder killed the Avatar of Flames. The remaining forces were swallowed up by chasms sent by the Avatar of the Underfoot.
    In Freeport, the Avatar of Tranquility killed the Avatar of War, and the 2nd Rallosian Army was wiped out by the Greenmist, a poisonous cloud sent by Cazic-Thule in revenge for the Rallosian Army sacking his Temple in their march across Norrath.
    After the Battle of Defiance at Freeport, a paladin named Lucan D'Lere gained control of Soulfire, the sword used by the Avatar of War. He would soon rise to power.

    **THE RENDING**

    200-300 years ago
    Giant quakes spread across the lands of Norrath. Many racial homes were destroyed, and the lands were permanently changed and scarred. The rough seas became impassable. This is what made Norrath look like it does now, instead of how it looked in EQ1.
    The human cities of Freeport and Qeynos escaped most of the destruction, and life was forced to begin anew with these two places as anchors.

    **THE SHATTERING**

    15-20 years ago
    For a split second, the shroud of Luclin was lowered and the moon could be seen again for the first time in hundreds of years. In an instant, it exploded in the sky raining chunks of rock and fire down on Norrath. After recovering from the Rending, life on Norrath was forced to endure yet another catastrophic event.
    Many theories revolve around the moon exploding. Some say that the forces of Rallos Zek and Solusek Ro carried the drasolisk crystal, an item that they put upon the moon specifically to destroy it. Others say that it was the prismatic dragon Kerafyrm who blew up the moon in an attempt to destroy Norrath and claim it as his own. Nothing has been proven.

    ---------------------------------------------------
    Progression
    ---------------------------------------------------

    So what all have we seen happen since the launch of Everquest 2? Quite a bit, actually, and with each expansion and adventure pack we come closer to understanding the events that took place between the Council of the Gods and the Shattering. Following is an outline of the major storylines in each adventure pack and expansion pack (excluding the Bloodline Chronicles and Splitpaw Saga, which did not relate to the world events much), and how they relate to the world as a whole.

    **ORIGINAL RELEASE**

    Everquest 2 takes place 500 years after the Plane of Time events (and, of course, in a seperate dimension). After the catastrophic events caused by the Rending and the Shattering, the two major cities of Qeynos and Freeport become refuges to many of Norrath's races. The former continent of Antonica has been split into seperate islands and collectively called the Shattered Lands. Many are just being rediscovered. With the absence of the Gods, many Norrathians feel helpless. Others feel inclined to search for answers to the events of the past 500 years.

    *edited for formatting
  2. Katmandu26 Active Member

    -- Bastions of Hope --

    Oddly enough, the two cities on the continent of Antonica that remained relatively intact through the Rending and Shattering are the human capitals of Qeynos and Freeport. These two cities now lead the charge to restore and reclaim the Shattered Lands.
    Queen Antonia is the current ruler of the city of Qeynos. She is the daughter of King Antonius Bayle VI, part of the family line of rulers that stretches back to the formation of Qeynos as a city. She rules her people fairly, and helps to ensure that Qeynos continues to push forward in order to rediscover and restore the Shattered Lands.
    In Freeport, Overlord Lucan D'Lere rules with fear and an iron fist. A former Paladin in the Knights of Truth, he was also the leader of the corrupt Freeport Militia. When the Knights of Truth went on a secret mission, they left Lucan in charge of Freeport's security. At the Battle of Defiance, he claimed the sword wielded by the Avatar of War, Soulfire. Soon after, he executed any Knights remaining in the city and took control for himself. The Knights of Truth and Priests of Marr later merged as the Order of Marr, but the Overlord still holds a firm grasp on his city. He plans to use his power to dominate and control the Shattered Lands.

    -- Deception --

    One of the more famous stories of the original Everquest is the story of Nagafen and Vox. One of Veeshan's Laws stated that two dragons of opposing elements could never mate because they could produce a Prismatic dragon... a being of immense strength. Nagafen and Vox tried to go against this rule, but were stopped and imprisoned for eternity for their misdeeds.
    After the Rending, the prisons of Nagafen and Vox were destroyed and the two were able to "seal the deal." When news of this reached the Ring of Scale, they sent out Darathar, the wielder of the Harness. The Harness is an artifact created by the Ring of Scale that allows its user to control the Drakota. The chosen wielder of the Harness was the "police force" of the Dragons. Another of Veeshan's Laws stated that one dragon could never slay another dragon, so the Ring of Scale used the Drakota to do their dirty work. Darathar was tasked with getting rid of Vox and Nagafen.
    Darathar was successful in using his drakota to slay Vox, but when he sent his Drakota in on Nagafen, the Crimson Lord had a bit of unexpected help. Najena, a Dark Elf conjuror, created a massive minion to aid Nagafen in fighting off the Drakota. Nagafen was successful in surviving Darathar's attack, and retreated back to his lair.
    In your travels, you stumble on a sage who is being attacked by a group of Drakota in Lavastorm. You save this sage who tells you that Nagafen must have sent these minions to attack him for trespassing in his domain, but he has no clue why. So, you head off to seek an audience with Nagafen. After learning the language of the Dragons, you talk to Nagafen who tells you that he had nothing to do with the attack, but employs your services. He tells you that when he and Vox were freed from their prisons, they mated and created a Prismatic egg. This egg is lost, and now that Vox is dead he has no way of finding it. He asks you to collect spirit shards from three powerful Drakota across the Shattered Lands and revive Vox to ask her about the egg.
    You bring this news to the Sage, who tells you to play along in hopes of learning something about Nagafen's motives. So, you head out and revive Lady Vox. She tells you that the Prismatic Egg was stolen by King Drayek. You head to the King's Chambers and slay him, only to have the Sage port into the room during your moment of victory and turn into none other than Darathar. He thanks you for leading him straight to the Prismatic Egg, and ports out after stealing it from under you.
    You tell Nagafen of Darathar's deception, and after getting a bit angry he sends you to slay the member of the Ring of Scale and recover his egg. To do so, you collect 5 arcane rings and port to Darathar's island. Though you are able to defeat Darathar, during the fight the Prismatic Egg is broken. You return this news to Nagafen, but he isn't as pissed as you thought he'd be. In fact, he shrugs it off, telling you that one egg doesn't matter. He says that he has a whole clutch of Prismatic Eggs, and losing one doesn't change his plans. He just wanted to be sure that if he didn't have it, then no one could have it. Who deceived who?
    You're left with the ominous thought that Nagafen has a whole nest of Prismatic children waiting to hatch...


    **DESERT OF FLAMES**

    A storm of sand surrounded the island of Ro after the Rending, effectively hiding the island from outsiders for many years. When it was found, much had changed. The Rujarkian orcs had grown into a mighty presence and the Dervish of old had built a mighty empire centered around their city, Maj'dul. The Djinn, who left the Plane of Sky (even bringing a part of the Plane with them, the Shimmering Citadel), also inhabit the Desert of Ro.

    -- The Rightful Heir to Maj'dul --

    The Dervish empire grew into a powerful force on the Island of Ro, and they were ruled by a very honorable king. As with most good things, though, it didn't last. A Dark Elf named Dorn happened across the island of Ro, and he set things in motion to gain power for himself.
    He assassinated the King, and put into power a wizard named Mudeef, the Vizier of Maj'dul. On the face, Mudeef was the new leader of the city... but Dorn led from the shadows, creating the Court of Tears and a loose alliance with the Rujarkian Orcs.
    The sons of the rightful king were scattered in the wind. Three of them were given power within the city and allowed to lead one of the three Courts: Blades, Truth, and Coin. Along with this came a promise from Mudeef that if either could gain a stranglehold on the city then that son would rise to claim his father's throne. Of course, Dorn made sure that neither son ever gained this much power. The fourth son, the eldest and the rightful heir, fled to the Pillars of Flame.
    Mudeef happened upon a trapped Djinn one day, and through trickery of his own got the Djinn to grant him eternal life. The Djinn agreed, and gave Mudeef eternal life as long as he was leader of the city of Maj'dul.
    Through the Courts questline, you unify and strengthen the courts of Maj'dul and eventually find and kill Dorn, leader of the Court of Tears. You then find the eldest son and bring him back to face Mudeef. With the rightful heir back in the city, Mudeef was no longer its leader and no longer immortal. By killing him, you become the Hero of Maj'dul.

    -- The Godking, the Ewer, and the City of Life --

    When the races of Norrath were first put upon the world by the Gods, one of the first were the elves. At that time, the elves were one race, and they called themselves the Elddar Elves. They lived in the Elddar Forest, and from what we know from EQ1 they remained there until Solusek Ro raised the Serpentspine Mountains and choked out the forest, turning it into the Desert of Ro. In the Desert of Flames, we find out something a bit different.
    A faction of the Elddar Elves actually split off from the empire before the Curse of Ro and formed their own city. They turned against the teachings of Tunare and instead worshipped Anashti Sul, The Goddess of Life. They called themselves the Sul'Dal.
    It happened one day that a Dark Elf, fleeing from his home, came across the city. He possessed a powerful artifact, the Ewer of Life. The Sul'Dal allowed him to live in their city, even granting him a high rank, in return for this Ewer which they believed was tied to their Goddess.
    D'Morte, as the Teir'dal was named, lived in the city for many years and conducted some very bloody rituals. All of this was overlooked by the Godking, the leader of the Sul'Dal, since D'Morte had given him the Ewer.
    One day a great tragedy happened... the Curse of Ro. While the Elddar Elves fled the forest, the Sul'Dal refused to leave Akhet'Akhen, their city of Life. The Godking promised his people that they would be safe in the city and that the Ewer would grant them eternal life.
    Wrong. Anashti Sul was more of a Goddess of Undeath rather than life, and the power of the Ewer eventually killed off all the Sul'Dal, raising them again to wander the halls of their city for eternity as undead. Eventually, the city was covered with the sands of Ro and laid in ruins, undiscovered throughout EQ1 and EQ2 until the Desert of Flames. Through the Godking questline, we learn all of this and we meet D'Morte, who is actually a vampire, who is trying to get his Ewer back. In the end, you defeat the Godking and destroy the Ewer so that its evil cannot be unleashed ever again.

    *edited for formatting
  3. Katmandu26 Active Member

    **KINGDOM OF SKY**

    When the Gods left, the planes lost much of their power. This included the Plane of Sky, which was already weak since its Goddess, Veeshan, had never been around much. In the Kingdom of Sky, part of the Plane of Sky called the Overrealm has "bled" into Norrath. The Overrealm is also called the Dragon Isles after the powerful dragon faction which has claimed them as their base of operations.

    -- The Power of the Claymore --

    At the outset of Kingdom of Sky, we are sent to this realm in search of the Qeynos Claymore which was stolen by a Dark Elf and whisked away to the Overrealm. Here in the Overrealm you discover a powerful dragon faction composed of old members of both the Ring of Scale and the Claws of Veeshan who call themselves the Cult of the Awakened. Who is this "Awakened"? None other than the prismatic dragon Kerafyrm, the Sleeper, who is leading this new faction in hopes of destroying Norrath and claiming it for his own. Oddly enough, though, he's missing and no one seems to know where he went.
    Your search leads you around the Overrealm where you learn that the leaders of the Cult are bickering amongst themselves in Kerafyrm's absence. Gorenaire and Talendor both want control of the Palace of the Awakened; Harla Dar wants to wait for Kerafyrm to return before attacking Norrath, while Lord Vyemm wants to strike now with his Doomwing Legion. Eventually, you learn that the Dark Elf thief was Gorenaire in disguise, and that the Cult has control of the Qeynos Claymore, which they call Enoxus... strange?
    Even stranger, your searches lead you to Lord Nagafen who has it out for Kerafyrm and the Awakened (maybe because he thinks Kerafyrm is the only one who can stop him from taking power when his own clutch of Prismatic eggs hatches). You find out that the Claymore may be in Deathtoll, a vault for the riches of the Awakened. Kerafyrm gave each of his leaders a portion of an amulet, and only when they combine all four can they enter Deathtoll (sounds a lot like how Kerafyrm himself was imprisoned in EQ1, huh?) Nagafen has you kill all four generals and bring back their amulet pieces. Upon entering Deathtoll you kill everything in sight, even the guardian Tarinax, and find no sign of the Claymore.
    Eventually, you are led back to the Froglok encampment. Here, you find that the Frogloks recovered the Claymore earlier and took it back to the secret location of the Order of Marr for safekeeping. The Claymore is more powerful than anyone in Qeynos or Freeport realizes. For now, atleast your actions have saved Norrath from the Cult of the Awakened. You are left with a promise that you will be called upon to help the Order again in the future...

    **FALLEN DYNASTY**

    A long time ago, a bard named Zan Fi created the Monk fighting style. He taught this style to others, and those students who followed him eventually became known as the Whistling Fist Clan. In order to learn in privacy, Zan Fi found a small island on which he based this order of monks. Though they had many dealings on Antonica and the other continents, this is where the Whistling Fist Clan lived. The Island of Mara was never discovered in EQ1 or EQ2 until we find it in the Fallen Dynasty. There are also whispers of another hidden city on Mara, the ancient City of Knowledge, Tanaan.

    -- Of Tanaan --

    The lore in Fallen Dynasty can't be completely understood without some background knowledge on the Tanaanites.
    The Tanaanites were an order of people who had left the teachings of their Gods, such as paladins and shadowknights, in order to seek true knowledge. They craved knowledge, and as such they worshipped Zebuxoruk the Ungod, the only mortal to ever uncover the secrets of the Gods and ascend to Godhood on his own. They built a city that was never discovered in EQ1 in which to conduct their search for knowledge. This was the city of Tanaan, and it was on the Island of Mara which we discover in Fallen Dynasty.
    In EQ1, you might remember New Tanaan, aka The Plane of Knowledge. The Tanaanites were the first to open portals to the planes, and they built this city of knowledge within the planes and named it New Tanaan. Their goal was to find and free their God, Zebuxoruk, who was being kept prisoner by the other Gods so that he would not share the secrets he knew. The Tanaanites sent adventurers out to raid the planes, and eventually the Plane of Time, in search for Zebuxoruk.

    -- Zebuxoruk's Prophecy --

    When you find the city of Tanaan, it's not what you'd expect. The city is in ruins and all of its inhabitants are walking dead, except the few hostile snake-women calling themselves the Nayad. What caused this?
    Through the Fallen Dynasty quest line, you learn that the Nayad invaded Tanaan and destroyed it. The Tanaanites were searching for some ancient knowledge hidden by Zebuxoruk. Zebuxoruk had forbidden them to seek it, but they could not resist. In their search, they opened a portal to Nizari, the City of the Nayad... a City just like theirs, but in a different dimension. At first, they thought the Nayad were friendly. They shared their knowledge and hoped that the Nayad could help them find the information they were looking for. They were wrong.
    Once the Nayad had a firm portal opened to Tanaan, they invaded and killed everyone. The Tanaanites search for forbidden knowledge was their ultimate downfall.
    Through your service to the Whistling Fist Clan, you are eventually introduced to an old man named Zen Mei. He seems very wise, but has lost his memory and remembers nothing before he was found laying on the beach by the Whistling Fist Clan. He tells you of a vision he had of you walking into a portal prepared for battle, and tells you that it must mean something. So, you go use your portal device to fulfill this vision of his.
    After finding Chel'drak and killing him, it seems as if nothing has happened. You go to tell Zen Mei that he's crazy and has no clue what he was talking about, but he seems... different. He has his memory back. He tells you that his true name is Zebuxoruk, and years ago he gave part of his essence to Chel'drak to guard until the time was right. You were the sign that the time was right for Zebuxoruk to become whole again.
    With his essence back, Zebuxoruk prophecies the return of the Gods. He tells you they are on their way back. He also says that he knows the mistakes he made in the past, and he hopes to correct those in the future. With the prophecy foretold, events are set into motion for the arrival of the Gods.

    *edited for formatting
  4. Katmandu26 Active Member

    **ECHOES OF FAYDWER**

    Faydwer is one of the oldest and most mysterious lands of Norrath. Home to the Dwarves, the oldest race created by the Pantheon, as well as the Elves and Gnomes, its peaceful appearance has always hidden some of the most powerful known forces. Upon rediscovering Faydwer in EQ2, it is apparent that it was not affected nearly as much by the Rending and Shattering as the Shattered Lands were. That still hasn't prevented it from being the focal point of some catastrophic events in the past 500 years.

    -- War of the Fay --

    The War of the Fay, named for the continent of Faydwer where it took place, is one of the bloodiest battles in Norrath's history. Led by King Naythox Thex, the Dark Elven army stormed the continent with the intent of destroying the High Elf and Wood Elf cities and claiming the continent as their own. They would fight against the combined forces of the Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes... and some other unexpected allies.
    In the Greater Faydark, the Teir'dal allied with the orcs of Crushbone to seige the city of Kelethin. Much of the forest and the city was burned, and the Wood Elves who called it home were nearly all destroyed. The heroics of the ranger guild Faydark's Champions as well as the Sisters of Erollisi prevented the Teir'dal alliance from advancing too far, but it was the unexpected help from the Fae and the Brownies which saved Kelethin from total destruction.
    After the war subsided, the remaining Teir'dal found refuge in Clan Crushbone under its new leader, Emperor D'Vinn. The city of Kelethin was rebuilt and became the home of the Fae and the few remaining Wood Elves.
    In Felwithe, the Teir'dal were able to sneak a rogue group of assassins from the Ebon Mask into the city with High Elf illusions. This group sabotaged key parts of the city's defense, allowing a full scale assault to claim the city of Felwithe. In this battle, both the Teir'dal and Koada'dal kings were slain.
    After being under Dark Elf control for some time, a counter-assault on Felwithe was made by the Gnomes and a band of Satyrs. With the help of their Clockworks, the Gnomes were able to attack from the high mountains surrounding Felwithe. The Teir'dal were driven out and the High Elves were allowed to reclaim their city.
    After the war, the High Elf council came to the conclusion that their city had been lost due to their own race's "impurity." They also faulted the absence of their Goddess, Tunare, on this. For the better of their race, they shut off all access to Felwithe and renamed the city New Tunaria. Their efforts to win back the favor of Tunare caused them to become xenophobic and hostile towards all outsiders.

    -- Return of the Gods --

    The rediscovery of Faydwer also marks the return of the Gods. Many of the Gods and Goddesses have chosen a prophet to herald their return and have sent an Avatar to Norrath.
    One of the Gods whose presence is most strongly felt on Faydwer is Tunare. The power of Growth has been strong at work on the continent, and her new chosen race, the Fae, have flourished.
    -- Guardian of Growth --
    The agreement of the Pantheon included the necessity that each God must be absent from the affairs of Norrath for a long time, and that all links to the planes must be destroyed. This did not stop some of the Gods from leaving their presence on the world in some fashion or another.
    Tunare, Goddess of Growth, left a link to her plane in the form of the Bloom of Growth. This artifact, while providing a link to the Plane of Growth and violating the Pantheon's pact, also held other powers that Tunare did not want to see destroyed.
    Before the Gods departed Norrath, Tunare came to Wuoshi, a dragon who had long held watch over the Druid Ring in the Wakening Lands of Velious. Wuoshi had always been absent from the affairs of other dragons, and since Tunare could no longer trust her children, the Elves, she felt that she could give the duty of protecting the Bloom of Growth to Wuoshi. She moved the Bloom to an area of the Lesser Faydark known as the Emerald Halls and Wuoshi agreed to guard it there.
    The Bloom of Growth sat on the Loa'Sur River, and it's power was fed into that river and carried through the Lesser Faydark. Over 500 years, the power of Growth transformed the Lesser Faydark into what we see in EQ2.
    Wuoshi has continued to feed off of the Bloom's power, becoming stronger and stronger. Those who would claim the power of the Bloom would first have to defeat its Guardian.

    -- Neriak's Return --

    During the War of the Fay on Faydwer, another battle took place on Antonica. With much of the Teir'dal army in Faydwer, the city of Neriak's defenses were in a weakened state. Taking advantage of this, a group of Wood Elves and Halflings raided Neriak, nearly capturing the Teir'dal city. When things looked to be at their worse, Queen Christanos authorized one of her necromancers to use the Hand of Malice, an artifact said to be part of the twin deities of malice, Byzola and Demetreaux. Unfortunately, even the Teir'dal were not aware of this artifacts power, and the wave of energy it sent out killed all living beings in Neriak's Foreign Quarter, raising those souls again to patrol the now-ruined streets. To protect herself, the Queen brought down the caves, sealing herself and the remaining Teir'dal deep in the confines of Neriak. Nothing was heard of the Dark Elves for over 500 years.
    With the theft of Soulfire, many leads pointed to the city of Neriak. Overlord Lucan D'Lere demanded an excavation to Darklight Woods, the area of Nektulos Forest where the entrance of Neriak laid. The Thexians, a faction of Dark Elves who were cut off from the city during the battle 500 years earlier, also began searching for a way back into Neriak. Freeport and the Thexians both found what they were looking for... and discovered that the city of Neriak was not dead, but was flourishing.
    Led by Queen Christanos, the Teir'dal have been amplifying their power in secrecy for 500 years. They now stand as a beacon of hate and malice, stronger even than before the attack on their city. Queen Christanos has been performing dark rituals to her own benefit, even creating her own race, the Arasai. Much like the first Elven King and Queen were taken by Innorruuk and tortured and twisted until they became the Dark Elves, Christanos has twisted the Fae into the embodiment of evil and hatred to create the Arasai. This fairy race views their creator, Christanos, as a Goddess... and the Queen has taken her ability to create her own race to mean that she truly must be a Goddess.
    An empire bent on hate and revenge, led by a dark Queen who thinks she's a god... expect Neriak to be a power player in future events.

    -- Vampire Games --

    One of the strongest, oldest, and most mysterious entities on Norrath has always been Mayong Mistmoore. Whether it's fighting his arch-nemesis, the Ring of Scale faction, or attempting to become a true God... he's always involved in the plot, and we've never really been told what his motives are, where he's from, or what he knows. That doesn't change in EoF... he's still got his hand in a hundred different things, and we have no clue why.
    In the League questline, we learn that Mayong has been absent for a long time, only recently returning to Norrath. Where'd he go? Some notes would suggest that he's been running around in the Plane of Hate for a couple hundred years, gathering artifacts and information. Why? Who knows...
    Meanwhile, his castle, which is constantly playing host to a number of Vampire lords and clans (Mayong throws a killer kegger), has been in an uproar over his absence, and the fact that now he's back he's done nothing but sit in his study most days.
    Other than he's become strangely obsessed with Zebuxoruk's prophecies, he's trying to claim Soulfire, and he's got a mysterious love interest with Queen Thex, leader of the Koada'dal in New Tunaria, we still don't know what Mayong's motives are.
    On the other hand, another group of vampires, led by a familiar face, is also stirring up trouble. Malkonis D'Morte, leader of the D'Morte family clan of vampires, is looking for another artifact supposedly held by the League of Freethinkers.
    You'll remember in DoF that D'Morte was trying to reclaim the Ewer of Life, the artifact that originally turned his family into vampires and that turned the city of Akhet Akhen into a city of the dead. He was stopped when the Ewer was destroyed... but in the Akhet Akhen raid zone he was racing a group of Mistmoore's agents in a search for the Ewer. Evidentally, he and Mayong aren't on good terms.
    Now he's looking for an Ankh that supposedly holds power even against the Vampire Lord himself. He has invaded the Freethinker's Hideout to search for it. At the behest of the Freethinkers, you enter the Hideout and find and stop (and finally kill) Malkonis before he can get his hands on the item.

    *edited for formatting
  5. Katmandu26 Active Member

    -- Swords and Prophecies --

    In KoS, we help to save the Qeynos Claymore from the Cult of the Awakened and return it to the Order of Marr. During the course of the quest, we find out that there's more to the Claymore than meets the eye... evidentally, it is an artifact of great power and very few alive know it's true origin. We also find out that it has a sister sword, Soulfire.
    Soulfire was taken by Lucan D'Lere at the Battle of Defiance, when he claimed it off of the dead corpse of the Avatar of War. Its power strengthened Lucan even further during his rise to power over Freeport. But now, Soulfire has been stolen out from under the Overlord.
    Through the Swords of Destiny timeline, we learn of the heist of Soulfire. It was stolen by the Dark Elf Opal Darkbriar, the Foci... and right hand of Lucan. The heist was planned by seeking the shade of Zarvonn, one of the original member of the Order of Arcane Sciences and architect of the Arcane Academy (the building the Overlord now uses as his citadel.) Through Zarvonn, the Foci learned of a secret passage in the Citadel. This information was given to the Ebon Mask, the thieves guild of Neriak, who then stole the sword. An alliance was made with the Raiders of Ree to escort the sword to Faydwer, where it was traded with Emperor D'Vinn for what the Foci truly sought... an ancient scroll believed to have the power to call forth Innorruuk himself.
    From the hands of D'Vinn, Soulfire was taken by Mayong Mistmoore. During the search for the sword in Mistmoore Castle, we learn many secrets behind Soulfire's origins. Like the Qeynos Claymore, it's sister sword, it is an artifact of great power. It's true origins and purpose are hidden in secrecy. One phrase stands out about the destinies of these two swords:
    "Cleft in twine at the dawn of time, the two shall stand once more against that which brings the end."
    We also learn more about Mayong himself. Many texts in the castle refer to him as the First, Slayer of the One, etc. Exactly who is Mayong, and what does he know about Soulfire?
    We learn of a prophecy... a ruler, Lucan, claims Soulfire and once he unlocks its true meaning and power he uses it to subdue and claim all of Norrath. Will this happen if Lucan gets his hands back on Soulfire? Who cares! He's offer phat lewtz and rewards... so you find Soulfire and take it back to him.
    But the Overlord is also looking for something else. Queen Elizerain, former leader of the Elves during their migration from Antonica to Faydwer, supposedly prophesized many things. Many of these things have come to pass just as she said... some have yet to happen. The Overlord tells you that the prophesies were probably passed down to Queen Lenya Thex, current ruler of the High Elves... and it is these prophecies that he seeks. He tells you he wants to know the prophecies so that he may prevent a great evil... but he's just looking for a way to uncover the secrets of his sword, Soulfire. All the Queen will say is, "The key to unlocking the secrets of the Throne lies with the ruler of New Tunaria."
    You don't find out what this means until you invade the Throne of New Tunaria. You defeat Queen Thex and Mayong, who is there protecting her. Is he trying to protect the secrets she holds... the secrets he knows... so that they don't fall into the wrong hands? Or is there something more?
    During the fight, an item is dropped by Queen Lenya Thex. This is the "key to unlocking the secrets of the Throne." The statement was meant literally. When this is placed into the Throne, a vision of one of Elizerain's prophecies is seen... a prophecy that was held by the Queen and never revealed...
    the prophecy of the destruction of Luclin...

    Pre-launch of TSO

    Rodcet Nife's Seeress is murdered in the pre-TSO events and we find it was Anashti's prophet that commited the act, while some believed it would have been followers of Bertoxxulous.
    With adventurers plundering the Ring of Scale, a bag full of stories pened by an ancient bard named Eylee Zephyrswell was discovered, and were slowy being released to the rest of Norrath. The stories are the tales of the Ethernaughts, 10 adventurers who were destined to fight along the plains of the Karanas, through the Innothule Swamps, across the sea to the Emerald Jungle of Kunzar, and eventually have meet with Xygoz the dragon (in High elf form) who took them before the Ring of Scale, the rest of the Ring however are not as polite nor caring for their cause to close the void rifts, and demand the staff from the Ethernaught leader Bayle Shiverfist, they flee but in the process nearly loose one of their number to a dragon assaulting their flying ship while in the air, crashing in the then barren wastes of the Elddar Forrest/Desert of Ro. They traveled until they met Queen Elizerain and told her of their tale, eventually going into the Void themselves and taking on this unknown Goddess of the Peacock, this Anashti Sul, to stop the void rifts.
    Back in the present, the D.I.R.T.Y. crew of archeologists read the tales of the Ethernaughts and try and uncover the wreckage of the Flying Ship used in the tales, and during an expidition to the Sinking Sands uncover the ancient remains of the lost flying ship from the tales, the Cloud Skipper.

    The Shadow Odyssey Launches.

    The void beasts/shadowmen were coming through from Anashti, she commanded some of them and even had Varsoon as an ally in the void. An expedition of gnomes and ratongas put together 2 new flying ships from the reverse engineering they did with the remains of the ancient Cloud Skipper, and set off to find new lands. They find the Moors of Ykesha, the ancient Innothule Swamp.

    *edited for formatting
  6. Katmandu26 Active Member

    The first gnome flyshing ship the Veil Breaker is much more the prototype and crashes when the gnomes try and get closer to the Moors, the initial crashpoint is renamed the "Landing site" and the final resting spot of the remainder of the ship deeper in the swamps becomes known as the Survival Accord, where the survivors, and Trolls from the city of Grobb, and Frogloks from the new city of Tupta have come and gathered to battle a new enemy in the swamps, the multiple void obelisks, and the Broken Skull clan of trolls whom had almost half their numbers taken over by void beings controlling their bodies. As well as the Thulosians, remnants of the 2nd Rallosian army that was thought erradicated by the Green-mist, had somehow survived deep in the bowels of Guk, and rumored to have a pact with Cazic Thule in return for their survival when the Green mist scoured the land killing all Ogres it found.

    Adventurers are asked to come to their respected faction head, Antonia Bayle for goodies, Lucan D'lere for evils, to be tasked with assisting the gnomes in driving back this void scourge and securing Norrath from these void invasions. The true Shadow Odyssey begins early when adventurers travel into one of the Obelisks and recover the Staff of Theer, the same staff thought to be in the tales of the Ethernaughts. The gnomes concur and task you with finding the runes that were once part of the staff's headpiece, these runes of Theer, are scattered throughout Norrath and will be difficult to recover.

    Eventually after traveling to the Obelisk of Lost Souls, through the ancient ruins of Befallen, the planar shard of Miraguls Phylactory, the depths of Guk, Najena's own re-discovered elemental underground tower, and the newly discovered underground Citadel of Mayong Mistmoore did the adventurers return with all the runes.

    Along the way adventurers come across the Grozmok stone inside Guk and use it to start internal descension between clan Ykesha and the surviving clan of the Broken Skull, to keep them from allying and easily steamrolling through the Moors if they were to do so united.

    Adventurers also learn of Marcus Thex and Queen Lenya Thex (from the new tunarian throne room) and that the Queen was seduced away from Felwithe by Mayong who seemed to care for her. Marcus Thex thought dead during the War of Fay was actually an ally of the Freethinkers, and in Somborn Ralem Cristof sends us into the underground 3 story citadel of Mayong to find out what happned to Marcus and Queen Lenya.

    We find Marcus on the first level his blood being transfused with that of the 5 vampire libant leaders we battle them and mistakenly battle Marcus before he realizes we are friends not foes. He tells us we are too late.. the blood ritual was completed, he soon will be turned into a vampire, his last request before turning is that we find his sister and rescue her from the 2nd level of the citadel Mistmyr Manor, then his skin starts to feel.. so cold, We find Queen Lenya now in Mayong's Mistmyr Manor she tells us that she will need to stay with him here, as she has started the transformation from mortal into Vampire. She tasks adventurers with finding old King Tearis' crown in the 3rd level of Ravenscale Repository so it can be returned to Felwithe so an heir if any can be found to the throne.

    Kunark has had some internal struggles, after adventurers battled into the Ring of Scale and then plundered the lost labrotory of Atrebe in search of one of the runes of Theer they come across a strange idol of fear, this takes adventurers on a trip to the Shard of Fear. Through Kunark to the ruins of Cabalis where they meet a prophet of Cazic Thule, he tells them they must reform followers to Cazic from Venril. Else yet again ... (sigh) the Green mist will be unleashed on the iksar, destroying their race.

    Adventurers plunder through outer Sebelis, and eventually turn enough Iksars towards worshipping Cazic again and re-establishing the Crusaders of the Green Mist, and finding out that Dominus Rile in Rilliss sides with Cazic Thule in secret and assists adventurers on this quest. Oh and adventurers help the iksars raid Freeport's docks, nothing major just a raid to get D'lere and Venril from becoming too buddy buddy and letting people remember Cazic Thule is the god of fear. Veksar is re-plundered again as adventurers trudge through and defeat the ghost dragon Garudon who originally destroyed the city.

    Adventurers finish recovering the runes of Theer, then take the runes into the Palace of the Ancient One (Palace of Ferhzul) to confront Anashti and stop the void invasions.

    There they met with history itself, fighting through void beasts and shadowmen, they eventually came across 9 of the 10 Ethernaughts, still in the void palace as if time there stood still for them. You tell their leader Bayle his son grows to be a the first in a line of good men whom eventually become nobility and build the village of Ocean Green into the grand city of Qeynos. He tells you he is glad to hear this but the battle must continue. His Ethernaughts will go deeper into the palace and confront Anashti, while the we adventurers confront her ally Valdoartus Varsoon, the Undying. During the battle Anashti opens a void rift and whisks the Ethernaughts into it, we defeat Varsoon and stop him.

    Adventurers return to their respected leaders and tell the sorrowfull tale of the Ethernaughts with Anashti. Adventurers are rewarded and eventually muster a raid to battle the old goddess of health, Anashti Sul herself. They return to the Palace to battle Anashti (raid version) and defeat her severing her link to the void.

    Adventurers return to Norrath still having to deal with the voidmen here and the remaining Obelisks in Moors, and the threat of the warlord Ykesha, who has apparently been awakened and is gathering forces possibly allied with the void as well. Adventurers fight through the ancient dungeon of Guk to battle Ykesha as well to hold back the forces he has gathered.
  7. Katmandu26 Active Member

    The Forgotten Goddess Returns to Norrath

    Anashti's prophet however is quite pleased adventurers were able to sever her from the void, more as if we had finished a chore for her. She tells us (those following Anashti as a deity) that it only severed her link to the void, but the void rifts had been open enough for her to send her essence back to Norrath. Adventurers who follow Anashti are tasked i findind ancient tomes in Neriak, Freeport and Gorowyn in researching her cannon. And then sneak into Neriak to find the reconstructed Ewer of Sul'Dae, and reclaim it for her, we do and Anashti ports the Ewer back to her ancient palace of the peacock (the Godkings old resting spot) to be reattuned. There she materializes, as Anashti < Avatar of the Forgotten > and tells us we served her well.
    During the time the Runes of Theer were on Norrath, Najena used one and studied it. Her powers near unmatched, she unlocked the secrets to it, and revealed 2 more Obelisks on Norrath hidden from view, the ancient tower of Kurn had been shattered at the top and an Obelisk placed in secret. And much more threatening on the edge of the Lavastorm shoreline. The Obelisk revealed the shadowmen and void beasts assault Najena's underground labs and battle her small army of Everdark Ogres and Giants (assisting from Nagafens forces i assume). They breach her tower and capture her, but luckily Adventurers show up and assist in defeating the now void consumed ogre forces and free Najena after battle with an elder Elemental dragon Aiden.
    Najena warns the adventurers the voidmen were in contact with their Master a being other then Anashti who commands them from the void, Rohen Theer the Godslayer. His voidman leading the assault in lavastorm is Munzok who adventurers must battle and defeat stopping the assault of the void invasion of Lavastorm. The battle won the obelisk consuming the top of Kurn's Tower is raided by Burynai at first but are pushed back, then adventurers go into the tower and battle through to fight Ione who has the undead Kurn Machta still in etheral chains as his slave. The battle fierce but eventually adventurers defeat the voidmen as they curse our name and claim we shall be no match for their master.
    Not much time passed and soon an enormous sheet of ice flowed up to the dragon shallows of Fens of Nathstar, on it were all sorts of races, and in command were giant Ice Giants wearing strange armor claiming to be The Rime. More like ravagers of lost isles in the shattered lands they consume all in their paths, and those that cannot join and fight are slain. They capture an iskar bard who sings songs of ancient relics of Kunark, and so the Rime lead by Killingfrost make landing in Fens to try and find these ancient artifacts of power.
    The Howling Stones of Charasis are breached yet again as the Emporers Athenaeum a tomb vault of Venril Sathir's treasures and ancient powerfull relics is plundered by adventurers in the course of finding more about this new power of evil The Rime.

    The Goddess of Love is sought after

    Her brother had returned years ago but she still is absent and adventurers go on a journey to find why. They learn of Lady Shae being Antonia's.. (grandmother or mother i forget), and eventually with Bayden Cauthorn and some others of Erolisi's worshippers open a portal in Everfrost to her realm the Shard of Love. There they find the land, in sorrow, corrupted slgihty. As if something has happened. Adventurers speak with ancient Elddar Elven paladin ghosts who tell of Erolisi's first days on Norrath. In her chamber we find her brother Mithaniel Marr standing over her coffin, as it appears she was slain, by agents of Innoruuk in an attempt to kill Mithaniel she stopped the plot at the cost of her own "life".
    Recently the 5 year anniversy of the Hero's festival celebration took place and Lucan D'Lere and Queen Bayle walked out and spoke to their subjects of the grand power they had achieved through their exploits. Strangely adventurers came upon a sleeping festival goer, who makes others fall asleep when they touch him. Adventurers try and wake him, finding themselves in the middle of a dream world, and their sleepy host a human named Thumore D'armer has them go to different areas of Norrath to recover his lost "shards". They do and when they return them to him he thanks them and tells them he must go back to dreams again (or something like that).
    The anniversery concluded most is still quiet with the exception of the Ulterean Spires now being "networked" so they can allow travel from spire to spire not just to the Plane of Sky and back, adventueres assist in helping the Gatecallers and Quethulians in rebuilding them and occasionally get attacked by an Ulterean being while inside Ultera, the "warp" demension adventueres use when they teleport long distances to the Plane of sky or other spires reconstructed such as Everfrost, Zek or Lavastorm.

    The Will of the Tyrant

    Adventurers are shaken awake one morning in Freeport to see Dethknell Citadell crashed and burning into half of West Freeport. The riots begin, soon Freeport is in chaos and Lucan D'lere is no where to be found. Adventurers quickly see North and East Freeport overrun by Thexian Teir`Dal and occupied. South Freeport is held under the Dreadnaught brawlers and the last few surviving Lucanic Knights fortify with the Freeport Militia and barricade West Freeport as their own. Adventurers assist possibly the last living Lucanic Knight that wasnt slain or turned into a looter themselves, a female Knight Tallen Yevix. Adventurers help her and a mysterious mage known as Kendril activate a gnomish field pojector Lucan used to command troops on the battlefield, and make contact with him.
    They learn that Tayil N'Velix has betrayed him and opened a portal inside his own chambers in the floating citadel letting voidmen and voidbeasts raid the citadel capturing him. They ask what of his sword the Soulfire but Lucans signal is lost, the adventureres and Tallen go inside the wrecked citadel and attempt to recover the Soulfire but when they do Tallen claims it for herself saying it shall return to its true master.
    On the other side of the Shattered Lands, a book has been stolen from the Bayle Royal Library, "The House the Claymore Built", and Royal Librarian Brinn has tasked adventurers in finding out who took it and return it. The journey sends us to Crow's Resting Place to meet and older Koada'Dal woman named Velia Truesight. Adventures find the book with her and she gives it back saying it wasnt stolen a member of the Royal Court gave it to her to translate. Brinn is beside himself when he hears this claiming that the Queen is now in jeapordy and adventurers have to find out who took the book. Adventurers go to Muar Shar for help and he locks down the city gates to find the culprit and sends adventurers to Kelethin with a diplomatic mission. However the mission is soured when apparently Muar Shar sent many agressive terms of treaty to the Kelethin Fae Royal court and adventurers have to make haste to get out of Kelethin and back to Qeynos.
    Back in Qeynos adventurers find Brinn murdered, and the adventurers are being held responsible. Talking to the Knight Captain Syden(sp) he learns Brinn's true fate he was slain by void men impersonating Royal Guards, and it was Muar Shar that sent them. The Knight captain and adventurers rally to get to Queen Bayle, she is on a hunting trip in Antonica, and Muar had set out earlier in the day to intercept her. They intercept Muar and overhear him ranting about actually being Kyle Bayle, eldest brother to Kane and Antonius Bayle IV. He rants about starting a city in the southern Feerrott jungles and then having the city die out to a curse. He was brought back to the realm of the void by a Droag shade, and then freed by adventurers who freed him inside the Sanctum of Scaleborn years earlier (during the Kingdom of Sky expansion). Kyle Bayle is stopped by the adventurers who nearly kill Muar geting Kyle out of his body, but not before Kyle tells the group he knows the Order of Marrs hide out and he will find "his masters" sword the Qeynos Claymore.
    Adventurers return to Qeynos and to tell Velia Truesight of the dramatic happenings, and she instructs adventurers that the translated book held secrets of the Bayle lineage, that the 1st born of any Bayle house can never rule or Qeynos will fall, and the 1st borns of all Bayle houses had turned out to be viscously evil to and that the Crypt of the Claymore is where the Qeynos Claymore may have been held, inside the North Qeynos Claymore Statue. Adventurers unwilling to let the story end here, go there and sneak inside the crypt, only to overhear voices of Antonia Bayle and other prominent Qeynosian citzens and military figures. They discuss the Order of 10's replacement, who many had thought was only the Order of 5, but Librarian Brinn had been one of the 10 and with his death a successor had to be found. Adventurers also hear them speak of the chaos Freeport is in and the astonishment when Queen Bayle orders the order of 10 to search for Lucan as they will restore him as a puppet ruler in command of Freeport to hold the chaos in check, oer the objections of a few of the Order's members.

    *edited for formatting
    Sturmlocke, Jadefox2, Aenema and 7 others like this.
  8. Katmandu26 Active Member

    And with that ends my research - if we could complete the story up to the current date, it would be nice to have the lore and history documented on the official forums before it vanishes in the web pages of yesteryear.
  9. Rotherian Well-Known Member


    **************************************** SPOILER ALERT ****************************************

    Queen Antonia Bayle (also known by the name 'Shirrana') is the daughter of Field Marshall Vishra and Taylania. Taylania was the daughter of Marinya. Marinya's mother was Baylisia, Shaonia, who was the daughter of Lady Shae of Felwithe and Antonius Bayle IV, was the mother of Baylisia.

    Backing up a bit, Antonius Bayle III had three children (of which I am aware). Those children were (in descending order of age) Kyle Bale, Antonius IV, and Kane Bayle. Kyle was born prior to Antonius III's inheritance of the throne of Qeynos, and went missing and died somewhere in the Rathe Mountains, thus leaving Antonius IV to inherit. Kane Bayle associated with the Bloodsabers and to Bertoxxulous and was eventually executed for treason.

    Back to where we left off, Antonius IV's other children (by an anonymous mother - as far as I am aware) were Anton and Antea. Anton's son was Antonius V, whose son was Antonius VI - who, in turn, was the father of Antonius VII. Since Shaonia was the eldest child of Antonius IV (albeit one born out of wedlock), with the death of Antonius VII, Shireena was the living descendant of the Bayle line with the best claim to the throne of Qeynos.
  10. Spindle Well-Known Member

    Powers that be, please sticky this thread!!!! ALL players look to lore at some time or another.
  11. Mahgnus Member

    Hey srs props OP! Best post I've seen in a long time.
  12. GrunEQ Well-Known Member

    Thanks for taking the time to research and post this info. :)
  13. Meirril Well-Known Member

    I'm fighting the urge to nit-pick. What is posted is at least 90% right, and trying to "correct" it would amount to re-writing the whole thing and I'm as likely to introduce new errors as I would be to make actual corrections.

    I'll work on finishing out the Lore up to ToV. I am not up on what happens in AoM raid lore so I don't want to try and post that.
  14. Katmandu26 Active Member


    That's great! I look forward to seeing the update.
  15. Ceyarrecks Wunnfirr Well-Known Member

    Nice Condensation of Lore and History!!!

    I would think this to be a very valuable placement within the Norrathian Estate Library house on Butcherblock,...
    I trust this would be appreciated and encouraged....
    what say you?
  16. Hartay Keeper of the Server Hamsters

    EQ lore is fascinating.

    edit: I think I necro'd this post...


    -200 mana.
  17. dreamweaver Well-Known Member

    That's a fairly effective necro, but good news! I am going to move this to history and lore and sticky it!
  18. Drona Well-Known Member

    This is nice necro and a very good read. It will be nice if someone can update it to the latest expansion as it will help people like me who skips quest text in game :p
  19. dreamweaver Well-Known Member

    I won't tell Kaitheel.
  20. Breanna Well-Known Member

    LOL I keep making alts and everytime I say ok I'm going to take my time and read everything. I make it to about level 10 and then it's click click click just give me the quest already.