where was it said that the rathe council was kidnapped and brought to norrath? from what i remember, the minions of zek did invade the plane of earth, even managed to kill one of the rathe council before they were pushed back. for invading the plane, the rathe inflicted a curse among zek's minions. ogres lost their intelligence, giants were thrown across the four corners of norrath and lost their intelligence, and anxekfen (however you spell them) were split into the 4 goblin tribes and had their history erased from their minds.
It's from a book in PoK. The author (an Ogre who was in the army at the time) talks about the Rathe council being taken down to Norrath and executed prior to the defeat of the Ogres.
The Lore of Norrath that dates back to the early EQ1 days has been revised, rewritten, and in several cases it has even been contradicted as Norrath evolved during the added expansions of EQ1... SOE (nee Verant) has had so many "teams" working on EQ over the years that in many cases, those writing the "Lore" to be introduced along the storyline had never participated in the early development of EQ and therefore, they ignored earlier accounts or revised them to fit the storyline of new expansions along the way. All the lore is fascinating but trying to come up with a definitive History of Norrath using the many accounts in tomes throughout EQ1 and EQ2 will only have you pulling out hair as you try to piece it all together. Enjoy it for what it is.. interesting "Legends" that change with the retelling and passage of time... much like King Arthur and his Camelot.
Where in EQ1 did they contradict their own lore? Seriously, I can't think of any examples (excluding stuff involving GM events)
Arthais_CR wrote: OF KERAFYM AND THE WAR OF DRAGONS Dragons come in two types, red, and white. It was decreed a white and red dragon should NEVER mate, as the offspring would be extreemly powerful, TOO powerful.....well, it happened. A red and white dragon mated (it never states specifically who, at least in eq1) and produced their offspring, a dragon named kerafym, a great prismatic dragon of incredible power. Well, kerafym KNEW he was strong, and basically launched a civil war against yelniak, spearheaded by Jaled'Dar, another dragon. This war raged, Jaled'Dar and his armies (this is where I'm fuzzy, I'm NOT sure if Jaled'Dar and his cronies simply wanted Kerafym to lead them over Yelniak, or if they considered Kerafym their new god, over the original veeshan, I'm inclined to believe the second, and will stick with that), versus Yelniak and the followers of Veeshan. THe war raged until Yelniak finally managed to capture Kerafym and imprison him, he was too powerful to kill. He was kept in eternal sleep by four dragon warders, and imprisoned in a tomb, the door sealed by the essence of the powerful first brood dragons. In FACT, to GET to the sleeper's tomb, you need to get a key, which is given by turning in a talisman that drops off the first brood dragons that existed in game, klandicar, zlandicar, sontalak, yelniak (or a shard of hsraga's talisman which we'll get to later). On an aside, later on, zlandicar turned feral, feasting off the corpses of other dragons, and was banished to the dragon necropolis. As for Jaled'Dar and his followers who waged the war, they were banished off Velious, to the tropical continent of Kunark, and settled in an area they called veeshan's peak. This is a good segue into kunark history, so lets go there, we'll return to velious later. You are totally wrong there on the dragons. 1. Dragons do not come in two types red and white as you said. They come in many different colors. The color of the dragon doesnt matter its the element. 2. Not decreed a red and white dragon should mate, it clearly states from the dragons in skyshrine who were the 4 crusaders that dragons of different elements should never mate as said by Veeshan! 3. Jaled'Dar (Leader of the ring of scale) was a first brood dragon also of great power, he did not fight against lord yelinak and the dragons of skyshrine. the conflict between the ring of scale and claws of veeshan is still unknown. 4. Jaled'Dar and his army did not worship Kerafyrm as there god no dragon even the disciples of kerafyrm ever went against veeshan and worship him as there god. They only looked to him as there leader. 5. Jaled'Dar and the ring of scale did not battle the claws of veeshan over kerafyrm. If that were so then there would not be a faction called the ring of scale it would only be the disciples of kerafyrm. Its true claws of veeshan and ring of scale have there differences but it has nothing to do with kerafyrm. 6. True Kerafyrm was captured by yelinak and put to sleep by the 4 dragon warders but he was not sealed by the essence of the first brood dragons, he was put to sleep by the magic of the 4 dragon warders who were each of different elements. 7. the way to get to the sleeper was to get the key by getting all the talismans to drop from the first brood dragons. Then to actually spawn kerafyrm you needed kill the 4 dragon warders to break the seals that warded his tomb.
To the OP, it's an excellent starting point and kudos for taking the time to write it. As mentioned above, the story is basically correct, but there are a fairly large number of factual inaccuracies. TheWays does an excellent job of catching most of them. Just something that stood out to me . . isn't the quest person in Katta Castellum (EQ1) named Lcea Katta? I'm not sure what relation she has to "the" Katta. To the subject of lore sources, it is usual practice that (in absence of specific instructions), more recent works always take precedence. That's the way D&D has always handled both lore and rules. If two primary sources contradict, the more recent one takes precedence. It only makes sense: a gaming company may need to change or clarify things. Of course then there is the issue of "canon." For example, in the Harry Potter universe, JK Rowlings has said that the HP movies are for entertainment only and are not canon. While good, entertaining stories, they differ from the books in a number of ways (some trivial, others rather important) and JK has established the books as the ultimate authority on what is "real." Then there is the added complication that the vast majority of lore we have from EQ is from (biased) in game sources. It is not like a sourcebook saying "this is what happened," it is usually a person in the world giving his or her understanding of what happened, or even possibly outright lying depending on their motivations. Even if they have good intentions, they may have erroneous information. So in that light, EQ1 sources are 500 years removed and people may have some mistaken impressions about what happened; in EQOA you are actually there, experiencing it. Much as I would like to, with many of the discrepancies it causes, we cannot ignore EQOA. I don't know if SOE has a codex of what really happened somewhere; I don't know if even the same people worked on the lore for EQ1, EQ2, or EQOA. Those are very important issues. But in absence of answers there, or any official word at all, I think we are forced to accept that EQOA is the authority on the state of the world 500 years prior to EQ1. Now as to which game has authority over ancient history lore, that is a much stickier question. We should try our best to make the various games mesh together wherever we can.
This was awhile ago, but I just read over the comment about "history of the US doesn't change everything theres a new president." That doesn't even make sense compared to what we're talking about. History is to lore as expansions is to president? No. Not at all. Do you honestly think that history doesn't change? If you do, you're more ignorant than most. Do you think back in the 1700's they knew as much as we do now about things that happened in the past? Hell, if you want specifics, we know much more now about Pompeii then we did back then. Back then it was covered still by volcanic stone, until recently discovered. To say that you can't add onto history, or change it in any way once new things are discovered is completely .. ridiculous. If history was just as you said, we'd still think the Russian's were launching satelites to spy on us.
What is missing from this is how the events of the original EverQuest release up to Planes of Power fit into the overall story. As best as I can figure out: -EQLive is released -Not long after, the Battle of Bloody Kithikor occurs (correct name? I can't remember) turning Kithikor into an undead nightmare by night. -The gateways to the Planes of Hate, Fear, and Sky are discovered -Dark Elf settlements in the Overthere, and High Elf settlements in Firiona Vie appear -Various Epic Quests are completed, reshaping the land of Norrath, and the natives begin to draw attention to themselves from the gods -The first ships reach Iceclad Ocean and eventually Thurgadin. (Depending on your server's history) Kerafyrm is awakened, slaying everything in his path. With the discovery of Velious the portals to Planes of Growth and Mischief are opened. -Luclin's orbit brings it close enough to Norrath for the spires to work again. Vah Shir return to Norrath, some intermingle with the remaining Kerra population and eventually the modern form of Kerra emerge. -Random books appear throughout Norrath. -Books turn out to be the portals to the Plane of Knowledge. Through the Plane of Knowledge, the Plane of Tranquility (which leads to all the other Planes) is discovered -Mortals defeat the elemental gods and travel through Time (via the Plane of Time) and free Zebuxoruk from his captivity -While the Planes of Power saga is occuring, Mithaniel Marr "re-creates" the Frogloks, who overthrow the Troll city of Grobb and rename it Gukta, the Outpost of Marr. -Angered by that insolent mortals that challenge the gods themselves, they (the gods) withdraw from Norrath. And thus the EQ2 story begins.
This is a pretty good souce of Info straight from texts and such dropped in EQ1. I don't remember how or when i found this website but it is a good read about lore of Norrath. Might take you a while though. http://my.core.com/~mickiep/lore/lore.htm
Kerafym, the sleeper, is the product of a mating between Lady Vox and Lord Nagafen. That is why they were banished to their different mountain halls, never to encounter one another again
No he's not the offspring of lady vox and lord nagafen. Kerafyrm was born before the ring of scale. and in lore it says the ring of scale were the ones who locked away lord nagafen and lady vox in there lairs. Jortreva the crusader says that two dragons of opposing elements had the desire to mate and came to the great council and kildrukaun dismissed there desire to mate. so then they fled to unknown parts of norrath where they mated and kerafyrm was born, and at this time there was ONLY one dragon faction. When news of this came to the council and kildrukaun they let kerafyrm continue existence because kildrukaun believed it was the will of veeshan or something.-------> This was the great council that decided this meaning ONLY one faction of dragons. She said during kerafyrms time of growth kildrukaun was inspired by him and had to still know the true intent of kerafyrm. And during this time the dragon nation split in two where the ring of scale fled to kunark.--------> this meant while kerafyrm was a child WHEN the dragon nations broken in two. The lore says nagafen and vox were locked away by the ring of scale. So it doesnt make any sense at all for nagafen and vox being the parents of kerafyrm since there was no such faction as the ring of scale. Also if kerafyrm was the child of nagafen and vox then he wouldve been born into the ring of scale. And everyone knows he was born in the innitial faction the claws of veeshan.Thats why kerafyrm was on velious not kunark.
Keep in mind folks, while some of the lore from different games may contradict itself, so does the lore about real events that happened here on ancient Earth. I don't know if it was "planned contradictions" or if it were an error, but there are many different ways of seeing the exact same event. If anything, the lore in Norrath is too accurate, but then to have tons of contradictions in a game would make the lore meaningless as no one would be able to determine what happened and not many people would want to sift through it to find the truth. In the end, few people would care.
(I'm primarily an EQLive player who dabbles in EQII a bit as well, and I've always been fascinated by the Lore that's built up in this game) I'm horrible with names and times and stuff so details may be off, but here is a rough history of Norrath, picking up from Planes of Power/LoY and onward. Note that, AFAIK, EQ and EQII histories separated around LoY so some events are probably different between the two games now, but EQ's timeline should still be close enough to derive some simularities. Other Events: Soon after throwing his support to uplift the Guktans into the Frogluks and guiding them in taking over Grobb and founding Gukta, Mith Marr and the rest of the gods formed a non-interferance pact. None of the gods would have any further direct dealings with Norrath, no matter what. This left many feeling abandoned by their gods, but it also had other side effects, such as the lifting of the curse on the Ogres. While mortals were challenging the Gods in the Planes, other mortals formed a band of adventurers interested in delving into the depths of Norrath's past and the unexplored nooks and crannies of Norrath. Made up primarily by those who did not fit in their original societies, they were lead by Mordan Rasp, and were called the Wayfarers Brotherhood. The Brotherhood gained the help of many people both in exploring the lost dungeons of norrath, and in building a huge ship to breach the magical shield around the lost continent of Taelosia. With the ship, guided by the stollen Gromzek stone, the Wayfarers arrived at Taelosia and discovered what was once a beautiful land inhabited by pale, thin elf-like creatures with a strong grasp of magic unlike any seen on Norrath before. They discovered this race (The Taelosians) were being subjugated by invaders from beyond however; invaders never before seen on Norrath; the Discordians. The Wayfarers set out to explore this land and the origin of the Discordians; shocked at the death and destruction they left in their wake. These were powerful beings who were only kept on Taelosia by their small numbers (small because the portal they originally entered by was destroyed soon after their arrival) and the mystic barrier in the sea. Rumoured tales of someone called "Mata Muram" began to circulate. As more and more adventurers explored Taelosia, word of the new lands and the invaders of it spread throughout Norrath. The Priests of Discord, long a silent, quiet faction, became more active. They sent representatives to all of the cities they hadn't been to, (Shar Vahl, Cabilis, etc...) as well as to the Plane of Knowledge, seeking new recruits to join their ways, and building their own power. One day, a tipping point was reached, and the Priests had a moment of inspiration. They saw how to channel the magics and create a portal to allow discord to pour into the lands of Norrath. The power was still weak though, only strong enough to send a few people throuhg to and from the lands of Discord at a time, but it was a toe hold. The first few people to visit the realm of Discord found a destroyed world, full of ruins and over run by discordians and stranger creatures, including the Dragorn, a humanoid dragon race who, like the Taelosians, were being enslaved by the forces of Discord, particularly Mata Muram's forces. Adventurers flooded throuhg the portals of Discord and explored this realm, soon learning all they could of those lands, and the threat Mata Muram posed to their world. More and more people, seeking fame, fortune, or just to help a downtrodden race get vengeance on their captors, spread throughout those lands. Unrealized by anyone however, was that while adventurers were going over to Kluaa, the land of the Dragorn, the forces of Discord were slipping back throuhg the portals to Norrath and sowing the seeds of doubt, war and destruction there. Many adventurers discovered plots by agents of Mata Muram to learn of the strongest races on Norrath and of plots to bring the lands of Norrath under Mata Muram's control. New weapons were discovered from tracking down those plots, but a sense of unease was spreading through the world. With so much focus in the realm of Discord, other groups started to take advantage of the lack of attention back home. The groups running the outpost of Overthere on Kunark gathered some local allies, and lead by Lanys, attacked the Elven outpost of Firiona Vie, taking the outpost over. This would prove to be one of the first actions bringing about the age of War. (Though some might argue that the Frogs taking Grobb was the first such action). Other players started moving through the battle field Norrath was becoming, setting their own pieces into play, sometimes in unexpected ways. One shadowy figure hired the gnomish miners in Lavastorm mountains to start tunnelling through a particular mountain. On the otherside, instead of the lifeless lands of snow they might have expected, the Gnomes realised they had discovered one of the secret nesting grounds of the Dragons. Once discovered, there was no undiscovering it. More adventurers from all sides poured into those lands, finding out all they could about the dragon races that inhabited. Once there in, a plot to contaminate the brood about to hatch in those lands was discovered, along with the ties those dragons had to the health of the world. Adventurers tried their best to stop the contamination, but the results of their attempts is still uncertain. Meanwhile, the Darkelves have been busy as well, setting their own long term plans into motion. They helped arrange to form armies of Trolls and Dark Elves to march on Gukta and reclaim the troll city. To keep other races busy, they called upon their connections with the Orcs of Crushbone to rise up and keep the Elves busy, and the Gnomes and Dwarves on alert. With the Elves suitably detained, the Dark Elf and Troll armies went marching in two groups. One group went near Freeport as a show of force and to keep the Humans their alert; but as long as the humans didn't attack, the army didn't retaliate. That army moved on throuhg the Desert of Ro and into the swamp to meet up with the Ogre army and prepare for the final attack. The second army marched throuhg Kithcor, past the cowering Halflings, down Highpass and through the Karanas, eventually setting up in Rathe Mountains to prepare for the final push. Of the remaining races/cities, only the Barbarians came to help the frogs, trying to stop the army in Rathe Mountains. They put up a valiant fight, but were ultimately defeated. Still, it may have been enough to turn a total slaughter of the frogs into a chance to recover in the future. In the swamp, the troll Ykesha was raised from the dead, or otherwise brought back. (Some say he is part of the Dark Elf plot, or even a long term plot by Inny himself). Under his guidance, he lead the armies against the defending forces of Gukta, and eventually freed the cities of the Frog influence, reclaiming it for the Trolls. Beaten, and shocked from their loss and from being abandoned by Mith Marr, the remaining frogs gathered in Rathe Mountains to recover and decide where to go next. All was not right however. Disillusionned, and suffering the effects of the evil that seeped through the swamp both an ancient and new evils, some Frogluk's turned away from Mith Marr and took up the mantle of Hate, studying the dark arts of Necromancy and the lawless rogue tactics, tempering their hate of the Trolls into a weapon to retaliate with, and devoting themselves to the God of Hate himself. Still recovering, both Mith Marr and the Inny frogs work together for now to survive. What happens next remains to be seen however. Meanwhile still more forces are gathering throughout the worlds, hinting of more wars to come and more battles to fight. All cities are busy gearing up their defenders and attackers, waiting to see who is moving next, and alert for signs of treachery all around. ---- That brings us up to EQLive as of now, just before the release of the next expansion. Not all of it applies to EQII's history (I don't know if Gukta/Grobb kept changing hands until the Cataclysm, or if that is one of those points of difference in histories), but there are probably more than a few simularities in the histories to draw some conclusions/story points from.
The Shattering of our Shackles The following is known as the Age of the Snake. The snake race known as Shissar, slithered upon Kunark. The Iksar had yet to unite. Our people had yet to learn the Black Arts and the ways of Fist and Tail. Divided, the Iksar were enslaved by the snakes. In the centuries before the Green, the Iksar were slaves of the Shissar. They ruled from the ancient city of Chelsith which rest deep within the land now known as The Overthere. From here would sprout much evil. The Iksar were tortured like Frogs and suffered at the hands of the Shissar. The Iksar who showed genius were to help the snakes in their dark rites. These few were the seeds of rebellion. The Iksar began to plot a revolt, but a greater force would strike first. The Shissar were an arrogant race. The power bestowed by the gods was not enough. They made pacts with other gods and demigods. They found the rifts of time and space and used them to gather magic items once held by the guardians of the planes. The Shissar's disloyalty and blasphemous pride would bring the wrath of the gods upon them. No power could stop the force to come. A green cloud formed in the skies above Kunark. The could began to descend upon the land. From it's green core, the face of death began to form. It was of no god they knew of. It opened it's giant maw and spoke in tongues unknown. From the mouth of death rushed forth a green mist. The Shissar shaman began to cast spells in hopes of shielding their city and the necromancers began to assault the mist with great weapons. All were futile. The mist rushed forth. The first snakes to be swallowed by the mist had their scales and flesh rot and fall from their bones. Horrid screams of suffering could be heard from within the mist. A river of flesh and blood flowed. The Iksar stood and gazed upon the gristle that was once the Shissar. With the Green Death came the liberation of the Iksar. The season is now 0 A.G, After Green. The Swifttail Caste, Fists and Tails of Cabilis It was in dawning of the Sebilisian Empire that the art of fist and tail was forged. In the beginning, the pugilists of the great tribes were nothing more than warriors without weapons. Soon we would be forged into weapons. Grandmaster Tynn was the father of our disciplines. He came to the empire from an unknown tribe. Some say he was a ronin who wandered the worlds of Norrath where he formed the basis of the city of Sebilis with no rebirth. He entered to form a caste which did not exist. He was quickly challenged by the warlords. He spoke his words and they did not listen. He knew the only way to make them understand was to challenge their finest in The Gauntlet. He called for four of the finest warlords and allowed them arms. The warlords agreed, thinking his challenge as easy task. Grandmaster Tynn quickly dispatched of the warlords with nothing more than fist and tail. He fought in a way never displayed. His victory earned him much respect and Emperor Sathir soon commanded him to form the Court of Pain and raise an army of monks. Tynn formed the Swifttail Caste. Soon the way of fist and tail had hundreds in it's ranks, climbing the rungs. Tynn showed them they were not warriors, but monks. They would don shackles as testament to the Age of Snake when the Iksar were a race enslaved. Inner strength and harmony were taught. The Swifttail were born. The Swifttail were disbanded during the End Days. It was not till the rise of the new empire under Emperor Vekin did the caste reform. Grandmaster Glox, a former disciple of Tynn, came to New Sebilis to rebuild the Court of Pain. In honor of Tynn, all masters now drape themselves in a robe like he wore. A Small Tale of Captain Irontail.. (Captain Vlzk Irontail, Master of the Sea) 370 A.G.: Vlzk, student of the 5th rung, becomes the youngest Iksar monk to attain the title of Tynn Master. He takes his place among the masters of the Court of Pain. 371 A.G.: Master Vlzk becomes the only Iksar monk to be promoted to the rank of Captain within the Iksar Navy. He is promoted by the great Emperor Rile. This act solidifies the alliance between the monks and the Legion and ushers in a new age of disciplines. 372 A.G.: During a coastal patrol being conducted by Captain Vlsk, a fierce and sudden water spout hits and splinters his ship. The Navy searches for survivors and none are found. 406 A.G.: During a Deep Range Patrol, a group of Legionnaires is greeted by Captain Vlsk. He has survived in the Outlands with no aid. His once proud tail has bee ripped from his body by a Trakanasaurus. He becomes a hero. The blacksmiths are ordered to create a tail made of iron. He is now Captain Irontail. Captain Irontail is promoted to Captain of the Iron Guard, a roving coastal armada. He is also rewarded with great items of magic. In his honor, the Baron and the Arch Duke create an awesome weapon called the Storm Sabre. They also create a lesser blade for all who serve in the Ironguard--The Tynn Foil. 406 A.G.: During the Infamous Battle of Timorous Deep, Captain Vlsk Irontail is defeated as well as most of the Sebilisian Navy. A horde of dragons descended upon them. The navy was vastly outnumbered. So was the end of the great Captain Irontail. Long live his spirit. The Crusades of 1312 A.G. This is the time of the scattered and defeated Iksar empire. The great dragon, Trakanon and his allies of scale have left the empire in rubble and our people are divided yet again. the once grand city of Sebilis is claimed by the one who descimated it. The remaining Iksar are scattered among the outlands of Kunark. Their places of refuge are now the dwellings of dark denizens. In the wilds, a few castes come to unite. One of these are the remnants of the Crusaders of Greenmist. They are lead by a powerful shadowknight named Nok Nilok. The army of shadowknights number in the hundreds. Within their ranks are a few mystics and legionnaires. The tribe names itself after their leader, they are to be named, The Crusaders of Rok Nilok and they shall purge the lands of Kunark. The Crusaders burn across the Dreadlands and death comes quickly to those who dare stand in their way. They slay many giants and many goblins. There shall be no prisoners or slaves. The empire shall be rebuilt by the hands of the Iksar. All other shall perish. Kamors Castle is the first major objective of the Crusaders. It has now been taken over by goblin clans. The Goblins soon find themselves under siege. for twenty days they hold ground until the Crusaders choose to assault as a band of goblin deserters flee. A swift battle ensues and the castle is reclaimed. The Crusaders now set their sights on the city of Cabilis. While the march is designed, Rok Nilok discovers something very evil. Nothing is known of his discoveries. No record exists of it's evil. All that is known is that Rok Nilok made a pact and soon shall suffer for it. During the battle for Cabilis, a strange rain falls which shrinks them to the size of dolls and their heads are set aflame. Nilok's head burns red. And the goblins squash the would be emperor and his minions. The Shissar No one knows where they came from or how long they were in power, but historians have no doubt that the great empire of the Shissar was powerful indeed. Quite possibly shaping much of Norrath's culture and planting the seeds of much that exists today. They were devastating and vile, torturing souls for no other reason than their own pleasure and driving the largest slave army ever built to the brink of death and starvation. Their monuments are rare, for the Shissar paid little homage to their god, Cazic Thule. Only two great stone hands protruding from the swamp of Innothule show their acknowledgment of the diety. As their power grew, so did their vanity. They renounced Cazic Thule and proclaimed themselves walking gods upon Norrath. They drove the Iksar slaves harder then ever and brought the lizard-people to the brink of extinction. Freedom of the Green Mist Then came the Green Mist. Unknown in origin, many believe it to be a plague engineered by the fiendish alchamists of Cazic Thule in his poisoned plane of Fear. A tool of revenge against his lost children, it was released upon Norrath seeking out the Shissar alone among the enormous slave population. The Shissar's whip wielding hands fell and soon the slave races found themselves without masters. The Shissar had been wiped off the face of Norrath forever and freedom was given to a race that had known nothing but torment. For many years the Iksar wandered Kunark, seeking shelter and food. They began to form small packs, which formed larger tribes. After six decades, these tribes numbered five - the Kunzar, the Obulus, the Jarsath, the Kylong and the Nathsar. Feuds and skirmishes between the five tribes tore much of Kunark apart. Some shaman of the Iksar tapped into the powers of their original master, the god Cazic Thule, and their power grew. Others began delving into the darker arts left behind by the Shissar and others practiced hand to hand combat as an art. Than one stepped outside of the tribes, stronger and smarter than all the others. He alone held the power to unite them, and unite them he did. The young warrior of the Kunzar, Venril Sathir, knew the key to uniting the tribes. He taught them patriotism. For only in the love of their species, the love of their society as Iksar united, would they be able to unite. And thus the empire was born. Emperor Venril Sathir Venril Sathir's empire grew quickly. Great monuments were built, embedding a great pride in all the Iksar and inspiring fear in all those who would oppose the huge empire. Cities of grand scale were built by the Iksar's goblin and giant slaves. Venril Sathir wed the eldest daughter of the Obulus wizards, Druzilla, and together they built the greatest empire ever known. But Sathir was not sated. Discovering a dark tome of necromancy, said to be one of the original texts left from the Shissar, Venril Sathir began a ritual to grant him immortality. Knowing of this dark corruption, Venril's eldest son, Rile Sathir, interrupted the dark ritual and destroyed the body of Venril Sathir, burying all evidence in the tomb of Charasis. Emperor Rile Sathir Soon after being crowned, Rile Sathir continued to open the Iksar nation to prosperity. While Venril used the honor of the Iksar as a weapon, Rile used the water. Under his command, a great navy was built, larger than any Norrath has ever seen since. Led by Rile's weaponsmaster, Vlzk Irontail, the navy knew no dangers and no bounds. The Iksar became the richest nation upon all of Norrath. Rile's land army was as formidable as his navy and he soon built a massive slave army of goblins and giants. Only one race was left unruled on Kunark - the dragons. Guardians of Cabilis The Ring of Scale, an ancient order of great dragons upon Kunark, understood the threat of this growing empire and their leader, Jaled Dar, acted upon it. They sent fourth an agent of Scale, one known for his viscousness and ruthless nature. While the Iksar empire was large, the great circle of wyrms knew only one agent would be required. Swooping out of the great caverns of Veeshan's Peaks flew the powerful green dragon, Trakanon. It was said that a great storm destroyed the armada of Rile Sathir, but other historians know differently. Standing from the bow of his greatest warship, Rile pondered the strange messages his network of sages had given him, feelings of terror and confusion from the other ships of his armada. He looked out over the great sea into the vast waves of the storm around him. In the distance, a great wave traveled in the wrong direction and at its crest flew the enormous Trakanon. Giant arrows the size of trees were fired from the ballista of Rile's ship, tearing through the leathery wings of the huge beast. Trakanon flew only a few feet above the ship and crashed down onto Rile's sister ship, breaking the hull in half with its great claws. Balls of fire and storms of electricity raked over the dragon but Trakanon was relentless. He turned and breathed a great cloud of acidic gas upon the ship's deck, killing scores of the crew instantly. Rile watched as his weaponsmaster, Vlzk Irontail, leapt onto the back of the powerful wyrm and crushed the beast's ribs with a great swing of his steel tail. Twisting too fast to see, Trakanon plucked off the heroic Iksar and bit him in half. With the grin of a thousand teeth, Trakanon leapt onto Rile's own ship and faced the soon-dead emperor of the Iksar. The battle was quick but its scale enormous. In the great battle, Rile Sathir's armada was sunk and Rile himself was lost at sea. While single handedly destroying the largest navy of Norrath's history, Trakanon himself was mortally wounded and crawled into a deep cave to prepare to die. Emperor Atrebe Sathir Rile's eldest son, Atrebe Sathir, unprepared for his inheritance to the empire, drew upon the dark powers of the Shissar legends and magiks for his source of power. Buried deep in his labs along with the greatest Iksar alchemists, he began experiments in breeding. His first result was a race of dragon-like soldiers called the Sarnak, powerful warriors and spellcasters used as fodder for his army. His second more successful breed was a great flying mount called Sokokar, a cross-breed of froglok and dragon. With this powerful new weapon, Atrebe builds an air force of winged knights, able to battle with the dragons of the sky. A great fifty four year war breaks out between Atrebe's armies and the Ring of Scale. Great devastation fell upon Kunark as drakes and wurms scorch the earth and tear apart the once great cities. In a final great battle, high above Cabilis, Atrebe himself battles the queen of Scale, Jaled Dar herself. In the greatest display of magic ever seen by mortals, the two embraced in combat, both destroying themselves in a huge column of fire over a mile wide. All that remained of the battle was the great crater known as the Field of Bone and the skull of Jaled-Dar, fallen leader of the Ring of Scale. The Fall of the Empire With no heir to the throne and much of their military in waste, the Iksar once again found themselves fragmented. The rebellious slave armies of goblins, giants and Sarnak broke apart the mighty empire, sending the bulk of the Iksar people to the port city of Cabilis. From a poisoned grave, the once great agent of Scale, Trakanon, arose. His soul had been stripped from the rotting husk of his body, a price he paid for vengeance against the Iksar. The Ring of Scale, now led by Phara-Dar turned the dead dragon away, marking him a traitor for his descent into the dark arts but with the aid of the freed Froglok slaves, Trakanon destroyed the last sorcerers of Sebilis and claimed the ancient city as his own lair. Sathir the Lich King Rumors spread that the legendary emperor of the Iksar, Venril Sathir, had returned from the dead, his attempt at immortality partially successful. He raised a powerful army of lycanthropic warriors, the Drolvargs, and overtook the feeble forces that held the fortress of the wizard Karnor. Sathir's bride, Druzilla, was buried along with her servants and protectors in the tomb of the once great city of Charasis. It was said the howls of the damned could be heard throughout the canyons, giving it the name Howling Stones to adventurers who crossed its path. Today, the Iksar continue to rebuild their once great empire one day at a time. Few know of the motivation of the lich-king Venril Sathir or his budding army of werewolves. Few know of the City of Mist or of Cabilis, and few know what the dracholiche Trakanon desires. It is rich hunting for the mighty adventurer and rich lore for the historians who dare to explore the ancient and lucrative ruins. Though of dubious morality, little can argue with the might of the once great Iksar empire.
Also, Trakanon apparently started the war despite the wishes of the leadership of the Ring, not at the Ring's behest. As a result, Jaled-Dar's spirit blamed Trakanon for his death, and tried to get revenge by tricking the lesser races into releasing Kerafym (whom Jaled-Dar hoped would kill Trakanon). Trakanon was exiled as a result of his actions in starting the war, not because of his condition (which may not have existed at the time the Ring ruled to banish him).
