Icy Keep

I would LOVE for the next expansion to be Velious. That was, by far, my favorite EQ1 expansion.
My initial thought is that the baby dragon could be the long lost son/daughter of Kerafyrm (The Sleeper). Vox is also possible, and given the pending "Spirit of Halas" quest in Everfrost, it seems more likely that Vox may have an offspring.
Who knows? Hopefully we'll find out before the memories of Icy Keep are long and dead in our minds.

Cusashorn wrote:

This last set of holiday's was a pleasent suprise! So having a theme that connects the Holidays makes things interesting! In the past they recycled stuff however, so they had no need to. And if it happens to introduce a Halas or even a new Halas it would be even better....Speaking of the Everfrost area, do you think they will add in a quest to rebuild the burnt down cottage there maybe expand it into a little town, that would make things interesting there ?

Personally, I really hope that the Icy Keep was a prelude to the next expansion. Or, even to something of an adventure pack ...
For all you nay-sayers, Keep in mind TSO was alluded to Last year during the E'Day event for Valentines day with the lovers' poem... So for the devs to do something like that, would not be unprecedented...

Bandorn@Venekor wrote:

The differances with the E-day poem are:
a) it was stated that it was a "Clue" to the expainsion the second it was published.
b) E-day is the week of Feb 14th, Frostfell went live Dec 11th thats 2 months befor the first TSO clue.
c) The first TSO clue (E-Day) was released after they trademarked the name(granted it was trademarked wrong at the time, but it was Trademarked).
d) If my memory is correct in what the dev said Icy Keep and ALL the lore around it was prepaired at around the same time the E-day poem was released LAST YEAR... I seriously doupt they where thinking up clues for expainsion 6 when they had just released the FIRST CLUE for expainsion 5.
e) There is also a Major differance between a clue posted here on thier website (the E-day poem) and an IN GAME event that is a clue to the expainsion, and the first one of those was not released until May 13th in LU45, and that one was not a clue to the major theme of the expainsion it was just a clue as to what God is being added. The first clue about the major theme was not until the next LU on June 17th, and I am sorry it being a clue to Vellonus would deffinatly qualify as a "Major theme"

I'm sure that developers have well decided their next expansion before the release of even TSO, so that when TSO hits the shelves, they can immidiately start working on the next expansion's content. This could even begin happening BEFORE TSO is released.
Art is finished well before the product gets populated. Stories are written before beta testing. The list goes on. We the players see a fast forward of the dev's world.
It is not beyond the realm of possibility for this to be a hint.
Could it be Halas? I don't know. It could be.
Could it be Velious? Hard Evidence in the form of Item Tags with the names of Velious Zones states that it very well could be.
What it isn't pointing at, however, at least not yet, is a new race, or an adventure pack, being they said before already that they aren't going to be releasing new adventure packs, and instead start doing really big live updates for us.

Dreyco wrote:

Yes, they would start the next expainsion befor the previous expainsion is done... and likly befor it even enters beta... I seriously doupt though that It was completed(the pre-development stuff like the majority of the lore) while they where still working on the epic weopons.
For Icy Keep to be a clue to the next expainsion they would of had to have the MAJOR lore done, Befor Last Febuary as that was when FF was completed, based on my memory of a dev statment at Fan Fair... wich was along the lines of, we had Frostfell complete sence Feb. As I don't think Vhalan has even left in Feb., and he left after the Major Lore for TSO was complete I seriously doupt that the Major lore for the expainsion to FALLOW TSO was complete.
This is the time line that is required for this to have anything to do with the next expainsion...

1. Nov 2007 RoK Launched
2. ~Nov '07 - April '08 complete the major Lore for TSO
3. ~Nov '07 - Dec '07 complete the major lore for Expainsion to follow TSO
4. Dec '07 - Feb '07 complete Icy Keep.

See how I say they can even have possably had the info to allow for Icy Keep to be included in the Clues for the next expainsion.
Then there is the fact that they have NEVER given clues to the next expainsion with an in game event in December... heck I don't even think the KoS in game info started until Jan. and that was released in Feb.
Then there is the fact that every time they give us a clue to the next expainsion the hang a neon sign on it saying "This is a clue to the next expainsion", in the case of Icy Keep they are saying we will see the Dragon again, and they grow up quickly... this sound a heck of alot more like a clue to an upcomming Game Update NOT an expainsion.

Just depends on how you define "Grow up Quickly."
If "Grow Up Quickly" translates to becoming full grown, fully powered, and fully ready to omgpwnfaeface in a month? Game update. A year? Expansion! *Chuckles*

Dreyco wrote:

True but the fact remains that when the E-day clue was released on the boards(not in game) they flat out said, "This is has something to do with the expainsion". The same thing they said with all the TSO clues, as well as all other clues from all the other expainsions. With this siduation they said we will see it again, and that they grow up quickly. In my experiance when they devs say something like "quickly" we are looking at less then 6months, while soon(tm) tends to be over 6months, and beyond soon(TM) we are looking at a year or more, and with a new story line, x2 and x4 raid being added in LU52 I am thinking that is when it will grow up.

The reason I think as I do is simple logistics.
•Halas and a new Newbie Zone are what two-three zones max with a few Housing and guild Hall instances.
•Velious would be, Player City, half water-filled megazones, Several overland Dungeons and several instances for Solo group and raid content.
•Third option: Frostfell village in the off season might be used in all the events possibly we might see some grass in the zone and stuff.
•Fourth Option: None of the Above and the Devs are laughing at us for all of our extravagant ideas.

Zabjade wrote:

Actually, undernearth all that ice is Velium and Rock. There wouldn't be nearly as much water as you'd think.

Cusashorn wrote:

Yup just didn't want to start an argument on a tangent so I went what what most people believe. Remember I'm the one who campians for the inclusion of Icepaw Gnolls as a Player race.
It would be the type of Velium called Ancient Velium as opposed to the T4 common, that is my guess. That reminds me, does that waterfall in Kurnark the one near Teren's Grasp looks more like a velium geyser then water...?

kela wrote:

Ok, so what I get from this is: you're absolutely convinced that the devs could/would/should never try anything new because it would deviate from what you came to know... Gods forbid they do something different.
Just because they have followed trends, doesn't bind them to do that. Thats the point I'm making. A connection that is similar to what we have seen(E'Day poem/TSO), yet done differently than what we have come to know(your points).
On another point, devs have said the expansions are fleshed out long before they are released, and really worked on. We all know Vhalen had outlines fleshed out for future expansions before he left. Post-Vhalen, the devs were left to fill in the gaps. Unless you have insider info to share with us, we may not necessarily know what specifically was done before he left. Therefore, he could have planned expansions to release by content, leaving the devs we have now to work on the lore details and art.
An example would be, "Now that i'm leaving, here's a list of how I planned the lore to go. After TSO, we disco this land because I planned for everyone to go here next, then we tie in a minor story line with this expansion to make flow to this land. Ok, work out the details. Bye!"

Bandorn@Venekor wrote:

Yes, the devs change, however, it makes no sence at all to release a "clue" to the expainsion without letting people know it is a clue, they are NOT super villans they are developers of a game and want to make a profit, they would WANT the publicity of a clue about the expainsion.
Also I noticed you glossed over the timeline I also posted. BTW, Vhalen left around April 3 months after Icy Keep was done(based on my memory) and he left after he was done with TSO's major story lines, so what you are saying is he stopped working on TSO lore, to work on the lore for an expainsion that will be released long after he has left the EQ2 team, I find that hard to beleave.
The timeline just does not work for this to be a clue to an expainsion, however it works very well for it to be a timeline for an LU.

kela wrote:

They did it with the E-day poem last year, it wasn't until later that they said it was connected to the expansion.

kela wrote:

No, what I was saying was, vhalen could have had a general outline for other lore than TSO, and other lore past that storyline. He could have had an outline for other expansions, and the way they connect to eachother... You're saying it's not likely.
The only one's who can say for sure are the devs, or Vhalen himself.
Nothing has to make sense. Many things don't, and can be made to at a later time.

Noaani wrote:

Yeah ~17 days latter, I think we are LONG past that point. In fact even in the Heart in the Hound post from Doomcookie there was a hint that LOTS of lore was comming... in this all we have is "they grow up fast" doesn't sound like alot of lore there.


Bandorn@Venekor wrote:

The Void was Vhalen's baby he completed that arc with TSO, I don't see another major arc dating back to Launch of EQ2, so I seriouly doupt he would have started a new one right befor he left the team... especally while he was still working on finnishing the Lore for the CURRENT expainsion.
This whole thread reminds me of the wishful thinking "Luclin" threads, that came out when they mis-registered the name of TSO as The Shaddow of Odyssey, or when a SoL/BL lover looks up and sees the more soild side of Luclin.

kela wrote:

If you had have made this argument in those 17 days last year, you may have been able to use the fact that previous expansions had nothing in game until release (DoF), nothing in game until 6 weeks prior to launch (KoS), and nothing in game until 3 months before launch (EoF), so the fact that SoE released the poem last year when they did means it CAN'T be a part of the expansion lore, because it is 6 months early.
I am not saying it is lore for the expansion, I am not saying it isn't, I am just saying that you can't use what has happened in the past as a basis for this type of claim.
I remember people saying the clouds high up in the sky 6 weeks or so before KoS can't have anything to do with the expansion, because the expansion was still 6 whole weeks away!

Noaani wrote:

You do realise that the Poem was not IN GAME right, there still has been Nothing in game that has to do with the expainsion until ~3 months prior to launch. And both with the live events last summer AND the live events for EoF had the devs again out right saying that this is a lead in to the expainsion... here there is NOTHING... BTW, someone did make that sugjestion that year in reguards to the E-day poem... no one responded to it.
Also the clouds you can see from the surface of Norath do have nothing to do with KoS... you know why? Because the islands of KoS are so high up they can not be seen from the ground. The only floating islands that can be seen from the ground is SC and Poet's.
You also have not answered my other point that Icy Keep was done LAST YEAR, wich means they would have had to have had the major storyline for the expainsion 6 fairly well complete, prior to completing the major lore for expainsion 5(TSO).

Hmm, did I miss something? I was under the impression that Halas was destroyed. Swimming around in the north west corner of everfrost there were all sorts of ruins/debris and barbarian ghosts. Heck I remember doing a quest where I had to salavage pieces of the skiff that used to cross the little icy pond that was right in front of the city in EQ1.

glowsinthedark wrote:

No, Halas is still in existance. It broke off from Everfrost and is currently somewhere unknown to us.